The morning after the explosion was grim. The palace wore its tension like a second skin. Guards were doubled, corridors buzzed with silent whispers, and the scent of smoke still lingered faintly in the East Wing. Damien had barely slept, haunted by shadows in his dreams some shaped like danger, others shaped like Alec.
Damien dressed slowly, ignoring the hands of the attendants who tried to help. His mind drifted to Caspian's words the night before. The way his brother had held him like something fragile, something irreplaceable. And then there was Alec the way his voice, his touch, had filled the silence Damien feared most.
A knock pulled him from his thoughts.
"Come in," Damien said.
Caspian entered, already dressed in the navy regalia of the royal house. His eyes scanned his younger brother carefully. "You look like hell."
Damien gave a tired smile. "You always did know how to flatter me."
"The council is meeting in less than an hour. Father wants you there."
Damien nodded. "I figured."
Caspian hesitated, stepping closer. "Are you sure you want to keep Alec so close? With everything going on… the threats, the timing."
Damien stiffened. "He's the only reason I wasn't crushed by that chandelier. Or killed by that book."
"I'm not doubting his loyalty. I just know what it means when you look at someone like that. And in this place, that kind of look could get both of you killed."
Damien's voice was quiet. "He's not just anyone, Caspian. He's mine."
Caspian didn't press further. He only reached out and squeezed Damien's shoulder. "Then be careful with him. And with yourself."
The council chamber was suffocating. Long tables, high windows, stiff necks. The King sat like a statue at the head, golden rings glinting in the light. Damien and Caspian took their places. Alec stood silently near the door, ever watchful.
The King's voice sliced through the room. "We've received credible information that these attacks are not random. Someone within these walls wants the crown... or wants to destroy it."
Gasps, murmurs, uneasy glances.
"To strengthen the royal image," the King continued, "Prince Damien must select a noble bride within two weeks."
The room went still.
Damien's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," the King said. "The people need stability. A future queen. A symbol."
Caspian spoke. "Father, surely this isn't the time....."
"It is exactly the time," the King interrupted. "Your brother is being targeted. The monarchy is under scrutiny. A marriage will signal unity and control."
Damien rose slowly. "So I'm to become a puppet in a crown."
"You are to become King," the King growled. "And kings do not indulge in fantasies."
Alec flinched visibly.
Damien spoke coldly. "I will attend your list of noble ladies. But don't mistake silence for agreement."
The King dismissed the room.
Back in the private chambers, Damien paced like a caged animal.
"Two weeks," he muttered. "Two weeks to pretend I want any of them."
Alec leaned against the wall. "You don't have to pretend with me."
Damien turned. "That's the problem. With you, I don't know how to pretend at all."
Alec stepped forward. "Then don't."
Damien closed the space between them. "He called you a fantasy. But you're the only thing real in this place."
Their lips met in a kiss so fierce, it stole the air from the room. Alec pulled Damien close, their bodies flush. Damien's hands found Alec's face, tracing every edge, every scar, like a blind man learning scripture.
Clothes fell away in a fevered trail as they stumbled into the royal bed. Damien let himself feel, let the weight of responsibility dissolve under Alec's touch. Every kiss was a vow. Every breath a rebellion.
Later, lying tangled in sheets, Alec spoke quietly. "This can't last. Not like this."
Damien rested his head against Alec's chest. "Then we make it last. As long as we can."
The next few days passed in tension. Damien met with noblewomen, hosted dinners, listened to giggling flattery. But each night, he returned to Alec.
Caspian watched silently. He understood too well what it meant to love someone you could never claim.
On the sixth day, a message arrived. A servant had gone missing. Her body was found near the northern gate burned, marked.
Damien gripped the report. "It's the same mark as before."
Alec examined it. "It's escalating."
Caspian joined them, fury in his voice. "We need to interrogate the guards. Someone's letting this happen."
Damien nodded. "I want the guard roster for every gate, every corridor. And double Alec's security team."
Alec raised a brow. "Worried about me, Your Highness?"
Damien didn't smile. "You have no idea."
That night, Damien stood on the palace balcony. Below, the city sparkled, unaware of the rot at its heart. Alec joined him.
"You think we can survive this?" Damien asked.
"I think if we don't try, we'll regret it forever," Alec replied.
Damien turned, framing Alec's face with his hands. "Then let's survive it. Together."
They kissed again, softer this time. A promise in silence.
But the darkness was not done with them...From a shadowed corridor, eyes watched...and the next move had already been made.