Chapter 53 - Death Of The Heart

"Congratulations, Crowned Prince Vladstin."

That was all Vladstin had been hearing for the past three hours at the coronation ball and he was honestly sick of it.

He thanked all the nobles who greeted him politely, and swirled the wine on his glass impatiently. This was supposed to be a major celebration for him, but his heart wasn't in it. It was yearning for somewhere else.... or more accurately, someone else.

"Smile, Vladstin." His mother reminded him.

"I'm trying, Mother..." Vladstin cannot unfurrow his brows together. "I'm worried about him. He knows how important this day is for me and he wasn't even around when the crown was placed on my head."

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Queen Vanesda assured him, and waved back to one of the nobles who waved at her. "The orphans told me he stayed with them for the night. Did you two fight?"

"No! We never get into fights."

"Then what happened?"

"I don't know either!" Vladstin cried exasperatedly. "I just told him that if he was uncomfortable about doing.... you know, stuff that lovers do, then he should tell me. I don't like seeing him so nervous when he's with me. Then he ran off and.... Urgh, I didn't get a wink of sleep last night."

King Lazar piped in. "So that's why your eyes were so black. When you told me at breakfast that Leron left, I thought he punched both of your eyes."

"Even if we fight, I don't think Leron would have it in him to harm me. He will never hurt me. Just leave us alone to sort this out, alright?" Vladstin said and stormed off away from his meddling parents, sipping his wine and turning to the waiter to refill.

Someone tapped his shoulder and greeted him. "Congratulations, Crowned Prince Vladstin."

"Thank you. " Vladstin said in a lackluster tone and waved the person off. "If you'll excuse me...."

"Is that any way to treat your lover?"

Vladstin finally looked at the person who greeted him. "Leron! What happened to your head?"

"Oh, I just bumped somewhere. So I wore my blue sash around the bump." Leron smiled sweetly and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't manage to catch your crowning ceremony in time, it hurt really badly—"

Vladstin hugged him right in the middle of the ballroom, tears streaming down his face. "I'm so glad that you're safe! I can't keep myself calm without you!"

Leron patted his back. "There, there. I'm here now, aren't I?"

There's something off about the way Leron said that.

Vladstin let go and took a look at him. He is not an observant person, but he has a strong intuition. Since he returned, his gut tells him that there's something wrong with all this.

The way Leron acted and talked to him was so.... bizarre and alienating. It made Vladstin feel like he was a stranger to him, like all their familiarity from the past few years was just.... gone.

Nothing has changed about him since last night except for the sash on his forehead, but he's just so.....

"Did you join a wrestling match while you were gone, Leron?" King Lazar jested as he came over.

"Oh, if I did join a match, I wouldn't be able to keep this sash around my head within the first few seconds." Leron grinned and nodded to him. 

"You should be more careful next time." Queen Vanesda chided him, glancing worriedly at the bandaged wound. "Would you like to eat something? You should join us at the table over there, the people are asking how you have been.

"Of course!" Leron nodded and joined her. "Are you joining us, Vladstin?"

Vladstin frowned. There's nothing wrong with Leron's behavior, maybe he was just being silly. The coronation is just a mess and didn't go the way he wanted it to be so that's why he's being too sensitive. 

"I need to catch some air in my room, it's crowded in here. I think I'll go take a quick nap too, I'm a little tired." Vladstin excused himself with a polite smile. 

"Alright, I'll fetch you if anything important happens." Leron told him, and joined Queen Vanesda with the other nobles. 

Vladstin sighed. Why is he being like this? Maybe he just needs a break. Leron is alive and well, and that's what matters.

------------------

While napping for three hours, Vladstin heard a knock.

"What happened? Are they calling for me?" Vladstin stirred from his bed, rubbing his eyes. 

"Are you feeling well?" Leron said, smiling. 

"Yeah, I look horrible, don't I?" Vladstin yawned. His fancy crowned prince garb is now disheveled along with his white hair.

Leron went over, fixing his shirt and patting down his unruly hair. "Yes..... But in a good way."

"What do you mean?"

"You're still attractive even when you're a mess. When it's me, I just look like I got out of hell." Leron chuckled. 

"Don't say that. You look way better in my eyes." Vladstin said. 

"Let's just agree to disagree." Leron finished straightening the crumples of Vladstin's clothes. "Anyway, I didn't come here to ask you to go back to the ballroom. I want to talk with you about what happened last night."

Vladstin grew anxious again. "Look, I'm sorry if I said anything wrong and—"

"You didn't say anything wrong. I should be the one to apologize. " Leron said. "I ran because last night.... I was really scared. I was so unsure....About whether or not I want things to go further. But now I know that I do."

"I want you, Vladstin." 

He pushed the newly-crowned prince back to bed and kissed him, so passionate that it took Vladstin by surprise. His gold eyes widened and he gave Leron a questioning look.

"W-What's all this about?" He stammered once they pulled back from each other. "I.... I...."

"Don't be so flustered, you're making me nervous too." Leron's cheeks turned pink.

His eyes narrowed sultrily and he whispered. "There's still a long time before dinner, so nobody will look for us until then. I had Suzhi entertain the noble ladies for me."

"W-W-Wait! Leron, I—"

"You don't want it?" Leron tilted his head to the side. He was already unbuttoning the shirt that he had just buttoned up earlier. 

"I do.... But.... Um.... This is all too sudden...." Vladstin covered his mouth and looked away. "Like why? W-Why are you suddenly.....?"

"Think of this as a coronation gift. Shh." Leron placed a finger on his lips. "Like I said, seeing you in a mess is so attractive. Isn't that enough reason for me to want you right now?"

"But....."

Leron kissed the confused prince more and more until he slowly gave in. Breathless, all Vladstin could say was. "Okay.... I-I see."

He held Leron by the waist and nuzzled his head on his neck. "I'm so happy that you also wanted me. I'll do anything you want, and I mean it."

Leron's lips quirked up. "I know you do." He smirked and said. "There's something that I'd like to try....."

Vladstin's pulse quickened at Leron's playful tone. He had never seen this side of him before and it dazzles him that he can't even think straight. "What is it? I'll do it in a heartbeat."

"But I would have to cover your eyes..." Leron pointed to the sash on his forehead. "And no matter what, you cannot take it off until I tell you to. Is that alright with you, Crowned Prince?"

Vladstin had never liked Leron referring to him with any title of his noble ancestry, but the way he just says Crowned Prince is so.... addictive. His breath was caught in his throat and he could only nod. As much as he like seeing Leron's face, the idea of being controlled and blinded by him gives him such a rush that he cannot explain.

Leron gave a cheeky smirk again, and every time he does so, a part of Vladstin just wanted to melt into putty. It may be a good thing for him to be blindfolded, he cannot bear this bewitchment that Leron has cast on him. Leron quickly took off the sash and covered his eyes.

He wasn't able to see the wide gash on the side of Leron's head, right above his left ear.

"Now, I have taken your shirt off....." Leron sounded so pleased that Vladstin giggled from excitement.

He felt Leron's cold fingers undress him until his torso was exposed. He felt a slight chill every time but Leron 'accidentally' graze his skin, but it just made his heartbeat go faster.

"Ah, but I think I would have to bind your hands and feet as well. You won't mind that, won't you?" Leron asked for permission yet his hands were already working with a rope that came out of thin air.

Vladstin should have realized that he has been planning to tie him up from the start, but the smiling dolt just nodded eagerly. 

"Done." Leron finished tying the foolish prince up. "There is a couple's game in Ilvedia that we call 'Blind Poker'. It's fairly simple. You'll be the Blind and I'll be the Poker. The Blind should guess where the Poker will poke them before their finger reached that spot. You have very fast reflexes and a strong sixth sense, so I know you'll easily win this game."

The blindfolded Vladstin grinned stupidly. Suggesting this kind of game was really unlike Leron, but he's loving it.

"And what do I get as a reward?"

"It's a secret. I can't spoil the element of surprise now, can I?" Leron said mischievously. "Three.... Two... One.... Here I'll poke!"

".... Center of my throat." Vladstin accurately guessed.

"Correct. Next."

"Left ribs, below the chest."

Leron raised his eyebrows at this godly precision. "Alright. How about this?"

"My right cheek, a centimeter from the edge of my lips—Hey!"

Vladstin felt Leron's sharp fingernail poke him. His face became flushed pink. "I already guessed it so why did you poke me?"

"I can't help it, you're just so adorable." Leron started with a humoring tone.....

.....And then, it faltered into something dry and hollow. "Like a gullible child who puts his trust on strangers way too much."

Vladstin's eyebrow creased behind the blindfold, and he was about to ask what he meant by that, when an ear-shattering boom came!

It made his nerves jump up, and a slight tremor came along with it. 

"What was that!?" He tried to take the blindfold off, but realized that he was tied up. He used his explosive strength to break out of the rope that bound him, but it didn't work. It was no ordinary rope.

"Calm down, calm down." Leron patted his head. "That's just my father's cannons breaching to the gates of the capitol. And don't hurt yourself by breaking out the rope bind, it's the Enchanted Knot that our sailors use so that the more their captives struggle, the more the ropes tighten."

"Leron.... why? I.... I don't understand....." Vladstin gritted his teeth and kept struggling despite the rope knot digging through his skin and eventually causing his wrist and ankles to bleed. "WHY!?"

"Why? I should be the one asking you why." 

Leron's tone was unlike anything he heard

before, as emotionless as a corpse. "Why do you and your kingdom have to be so gullible and kind to me? Why did you never suspect, not even once?"

"Our kingdoms are enemies, it's very irrational to merely judge that a prince from Ilvedia would really go all the way to your roads just to be found 'by chance'." 

Leron took the dagger out of the sheath that he had kept hidden since this morning.

On the sheet written were the words: "Seduce The Prince of Crescentia and kill him mercilessly."

This was written by his own hand last night, before he took a part of his brain and successfully killed his morality. His former self who was hindered by emotions and the memories that he cherished with these savages.

When he woke up, all that was left was his intellectual, rational self that only took orders and obeyed them.

He was a new man who only bears the same name, same body, same mind.... but not the same 'heart'. And he aimed his dagger into Vladstin's own. 

"Sleep well, Crowned Prince."