"You met him, didn't you?" Those were the first words Athan said to me when he stepped into the room the next morning.
"Good morning to you too," I said, rolling my eyes at him. I had just woken up from sleep and was tidying the bed when he walked in unceremoniously.
"You met him, didn't you?" He narrowed his eyes at me, his tone lower than usual. Not for the first time, he gave me the vibes of Ethan.
"I did," I answered at last. It wasn't as if I would lie about that. For him to ask me about it, it seemed he already knew I met his brother last night.
He closed the distance between us. "Why?"
"Why?" I frowned, folding my arms. "Do I need a reason to meet him? Why are you even getting worked up over this? I met him, but he did nothing —"
"Damn it!"
"Athan?" I drew a step away from him, scared. I'd always gotten warm vibes from him, and he had always made me feel safe. However, I wasn't getting that same vibe from him. His aura seemed to have gotten darker, almost like it did when I asked if Ethan was his brother.
"Why? Are you still hellbent on dying?" He walked towards me as I continued to take a step back, matching my strides. "Do you want to die so badly that you had to meet him?"
"I…" I gulped, feeling a sudden chill. The room, which was warm a few minutes ago, was suddenly dropping in temperature.
"Are you that desperate for it? Do you want me to fucking help you?!"
"No, it's not that!"
"He's bad news, Sera! He will rip your heart to shreds if you let him. He's —"
"He's not the bad," I defended before I could stop myself. Spending time last night with him made me believe I might have misjudged him. Ethan wasn't that evil. He might not have been as caring as Athan but he sure as hell wasn't as bad as his brother painted him to be.
"Oh." Athan laughed dryly.
I yelped when my back hit the wall. Before I could turn, he was already on me, so fast I didn't register his actions until he had his right hand placed on the side of my face and his left, lifting my jaw to look into his eyes which had gotten a bit darker.
"A… Athan?"
"Or do you love him?" This time, his words were more of a whisper than a growl. For a second, he looked like a kid.
"What the fuck are you even talking about?" The words tumbled out in a rush.
"You like him, don't you? We look alike, don't we? You wouldn't mind kissing him, would you?"
"Athan, I —"
He shut me up with a kiss. However, this time, I didn't feel the fireworks or the flutter in my belly. What I felt was a fear that gripped me hard. His kiss was punishing, not his usual self. I knew he bruised my lips because of the pain that seared through me.
When he broke away from the kiss, his eyes had gotten so dark, it felt like I was staring into the abyss.
"You didn't kiss me back," he whispered before he turned his back on me, disappearing so fast that I had to blink to be certain my mind wasn't playing tricks on me.
Alone, my legs finally gave way under me as I fell to the floor, clutching my chest. Tears rolled down my eyes as I looked at the door, wondering what happened to Athan.
….
I didn't see him throughout the day despite all the searches I did. They locked most of the rooms in the palace and those that weren't, didn't have him in them. The throne room was also locked when I checked it, and he wasn't in the garden.
It seemed like he had gone AWOL, leaving me alone in the dreary palace.
For the first time since I arrived at the palace, I felt the coldness and dreariness. The place was as depressing as the burial place back in the village.
I had to return to the room when I wasn't successful with my search. It was obvious he didn't wish to be found. I wouldn't even get to him even if I searched the entire palace. He had lived here all his life. Of course, he knew all the hiding places, while I only knew as much as they let me.
Ethan, too, wasn't in the Palace. So, I was alone, or so I thought. I got a knock on the door a few hours later and rushed over to it. When I opened it, I expected to see Ethan on the other side, as Athan wouldn't even bother to knock and wait. Ethan was the only one who wouldn't step in, so I expected to see him. Oddly enough, I felt a tingle in my heart and my stomach tightened a bit, like it always did whenever I stared too hard at Athan.
The smile on my face vanished when I didn't see anyone on the other side. I made to close the door, disappointed when I looked down, and right there on a tray was my meal.
"Athan?" I whispered and rushed out of the room, glancing around for him, but he was nowhere to be found. The hallway was deserted. The only thing remaining of him was his scent.
I bent and carried the tray, looking around once more before I walked into the room and shut the door behind me.
Despite my disappointment, my heart felt warm. Athan still thought of me, even though he didn't want to see me today. It showed he still liked me and that right there was enough for me. As long as he doesn't hate me. It would be so bad to lose the only person who has ever liked me aside from my family.
'What of Ethan?'
A voice whispered to me, but I waved it off. There was no need to think of the other king. At least not in the morning and afternoon…