“Your father came to collect your brother,” Lyra said to Rin then. “When he arrived, I made it clear the Imperial family wouldn’t get involved with your personal affairs. We came here to ask how Sila felt about leaving. But after this, he’s no longer welcome on Vitality.”
Rin straightened and stepped forward, still looking to Kelevra, but before he could get a word out, his brother moved closer and grabbed onto his arm.
He shook his head curtly. “You can’t rely on him. Remember his reaction in the forest. We only have each other.”
Kel had made his stance on betrayal perfectly clear. Knowing his brother was the one who shot him? He wouldn’t forgive that. The truth of it was standing right there, watching silently as his sister and their father gazed at them with fury and disappointment.
Rin could understand where he was coming from if he stopped to think about it, he knew he could. But why should he? Why should he go that extra mile when Kel was unwilling to do the same? He knew how important his brother was to him, yet he was just going to allow his sister to off world him? Just like that?
It wasn’t fair of Rin to expect anything less. If he were a better person, a kinder person, he knew he wouldn’t. But he wasn’t.
Maybe his brother was right after all.
Maybe they only had each other.
Maybe he really would only ever be part of oneus, and it wouldn’t be with the Imperial Prince standing across from him.
Why did that cut so deep? Since when had he started to hope for more? He’d convinced himself he was settling because that’s what was best, but now…Now he was forced to acknowledge that it was possible he’d grown attached to Kelevra in more ways than he’d thought.
Somewhere between the rough bouts of explosive sex and tenderly spoken words when they slept curled into each other’s sides at night…Rin had developed feelings for him. Rin liked him, flaws and all.
Only, if the Imperial Prince felt the same, he wasn’t thinking about that now. No matter how long Rin stared at him, he never once met his gaze. Amidst all of this, he was choosing to ignore Rin.
Choice, in the face of an emergency.
He could have laughed.
Or cried.
“I am grateful for your mercy,” Crate said, bowing low to Lyra. “If you’ll still have him, I would accept leaving Rin in your care.”
Lyra seemed torn but ended up nodding. “Yes, of course. The betrothal announcement has already been made, and though we only caught the tail end of the conversation, it’s apparent Rin wasn’t aware of his brother’s part in things.”
“Thank you, Heir Imperial.” Crate bowed again. “I will depart with Sila immediately. We can be off-world within the hour.”
“I’ll give you one hour,” Lyra agreed. “That is all.”
Silently, Rin begged Kelevra to look at him. That’s all he needed. Acknowledgment. Proof that Kel really did see him and it hadn’t all been pretty bullshit to lure him in. The hypocrisy wasn’t lost on him, but he needed it anyway.
For a tense moment, no one spoke.
And Kelevra didn’t so much as glance in his general direction.
He wasn’t even going to give Rin the chance for the two of them to speak or discuss things. He didn’t have any questions about why, or how. Despite having promised he would ensure his brother stayed, he was going to stand there and quietly allow his sister and their fucking father to have their way.
The worst part?
Rin didn’t even feel angry about it.
How could he, when it was his own damn fault for leaning into the fairytale in the first place. For arrogantly thinking something like this would never happen. That he wouldn’t have to one day choose sides between two clashing personalities.
His brother and the Imperial Prince were too alike and yet polar opposites all at the same time. But the biggest difference between them was that his brother would do anything and everything in his power to protect Rin.
Kelevra Diar was not anus. He was a singular being, who thought only of his own comfort and desires. And while Rin certainly couldn’t fault him for that, he couldn’t forgive it either. Not when it came to something like this.
“Pack your bags, Sila,” their father stated, the smugness not making it to his tone. He was too controlled for that. But it was in his eyes. Just a slight glimmer, only recognizable because Rin had seen it so many times growing up.
He thought he won. He’d made the two-week journey from their home planet to force his son to go with him, and now that he had the Imperial backing, he thought he’d beaten them.
