CHAPTER ELEVEN
Niall POV
So that was stupid.
Dumb.
You do not walk into a room, drop a bomb like "Hey, I kidnapped you and also your family sold you off like discount meat," and expect things to go well.
I sigh and stare at the closed door in front of me. Ted's door.
It's been a few minutes since I left. Long enough for him to cry, punch a pillow, maybe reconsider murdering me.
I wait a little longer, ignoring the curious stares of passing servants. I lean against the wall beside the door like I'm not dying inside. Then I knock. Softly.
There's a pause. Then:
"Come in."
The voice is low. Measured.
I open the door and step in.
Ted's sitting on the edge of the bed, legs drawn close, arms loosely wrapped around his knees. He's cleaned up slightly, but the tension in his shoulders is unmistakable.
I walk over and sit beside him, keeping some distance. His scent hits me immediately. Warm, golden, and just faintly floral. Like sunshine filtered through lace curtains.
His pheromones remind me of summers past—those exhausting family picnics Dad insisted on, lying on grass under the sun, warm and safe.
He doesn't look at me.
I sigh.
"Okay," I begin.
"So it wasn't exactly smart to come out sounding like a total asshole."
He scoffs but doesn't deny it.
"So let's just say I fell in love with you at first sight," I add casually.
His head whips toward me. His glare is fiery.
"Ha! You don't even know me."
"Hmmmnnn… Ted. Born in Asten. Twenty-two years old. Royal bloodline of the Asten Kingdom. October 2nd birthday. C-rank healer. Known living relatives: one uncle, one cousin. Mother overdosed when you were eight. You were found in a B-rank dungeon as a child with large lizard monsters. You haven't stepped foot in a reptilian dungeon since, which I assume means you're traumatized or phobic. Omega secondary gender. Slightly malnourished. Current height is—"
"Okay, okay, I get your point," he cuts me off, holding up a hand.
He exhales, visibly annoyed.
"That's beside the point. Those are words you read in a file. They don't make up who I am as a human being."
"I know," I reply sincerely. "And I'm looking forward to finding out the rest."
He stares at me like I just told him I was the Easter Bunny.
Then, as if remembering something bitter, he says, "That aside, do you not know about the bad blood between our families?"
I tilt my head.
"Oh, yeah. That. My dad and father don't care. I mean, I don't know what story you were told, but I'll say it—they started it."
He scoffs, but doesn't argue.
"Though to be fair," I continue, rubbing the back of my neck, "my father may have overreacted just a tiny bit."
Understatement of the century. If Uncle Roman's storytelling is accurate, the man didn't just overreact, the whole kingdom was pit into chaos.
"It's fine," Ted says with a shrug
. "I never met my biological father. But his brother? My mother? They weren't exactly stellar people. If he was anything like them, then whatever your family did… probably wasn't unwarranted."
I blink.
Wow. Honesty.
He shifts slightly, the sunlight catching the gold in his curls. His hair is curly in a way that looks like it would bounce if I pulled one of the strands. I want to try it. Not now. Later.
"Ha," he says after a beat.
"It's hilarious, really. My uncle acts like the Aldens have it out for him personally. Like you all spend your days plotting his downfall."
Yikes.
Funny thing is, when I mentioned him to Dad and Father, it took them a full five minutes to remember. And when they did? Father looked like he bit into a lemon. Dad just laughed and said, "Oh, that guy."
I told them about Ted. Who he was. What he did.
They looked at each other.
Father said, "As long as you don't hurt him."
Dad smiled and said, "Bring him over for dinner."
So, clearly not that big of a grudge.
Ted shifts again.
His stomach grumbles.
We both freeze.
I bite back a grin.
He scowls like his stomach betrayed him.
I stand up.
"Let me call up dinner," I say.
"Then we can talk more once you've eaten and had a shower. Maybe you'll be more susceptible to my charm then."
He rolls his eyes.
I wink.
Then I leave the room.