Chapter 10:
There was only one currently on planet and that was Vitality’s third in line for the throne.
He wouldn’t…
Rin spun on his heels, not even sure what he intended to do, but he only got a step forward before he lurched to a halt.
Kelevra was standing in front of the door, leaning back against it with his ankles crossed and his hands tucked into his front pockets. He was in another one of his fancy getups, the suit a dark forest green. He’d gone without a dress shirt, the green and gold velvet corset vest dipping low to expose the hard lines of his upper chest. After a moment he straightened, quirking a brow when Rin automatically shuffled back three steps.
Rin bumped against the bench, forced to a standstill, and shook his head. “You didn’t.”
“You were afraid of a scandal,” Kelevra said matter-of-factly, as though they weren’t speaking about a binding contract that would last forthe rest of their lives. “As my fiancé, there’s no longer a need to be. The announcement will be made tomorrow but I should have known your father would inform you beforehand. I was hoping to tell you myself, but it’s been a series of hoops, one after the other, in order to make this happen so I’ve been understandably busy.”
Nothing about this was understandable. If anything, Rin felt even more lost than he had during the conversation with his father. Heightened levels of stress made everything worse, and this…It didn’t get more stressful than being told he’d apparently been handed off for marriage like cheap livestock.
Kel clicked a few buttons on his multi-slate and a second later Rin’s dinged. “There’s the official notice, in case you wanted to see it for yourself.”
Robotically, Rin opened the file and stared at the screen, it took five times longer than it should for his brain to process the words he was reading.
Imperial Prince Kelevra Diar has been betrothed to Rin Varun, future Royal Consort.
It went on to congratulate them, and he realized he was reading an actual statement meant to be released by the palace tomorrow, but he didn’t bother with the rest. The name got him the most, taunting him as he read it over and over again.
Rin Varun.
Rin. Varun.
What had he done? How had he gotten them into this mess? All he’d meant to do was satisfy his lust that night—thanks mostly to having been drugged—and then both he and the Imperial Prince were meant to go their separate ways. Sure, they’d have to interact on campus because of this whole assignment, but he’d never in a million years imaginedthiscould happen.
His brother was going to kill him.
Maybe even literally.
Maybe he should do them a favor, cut to the chase, and get it over with now.
“It’s interesting that your family chose to send the younger twin to the Academy and the older to Vail. Usually in families with a strong military presence, it’s the opposite. I was surprised when my sister told me after speaking with your father to make arrangements,” Kelevra made his way over as he spoke. “Should you tell your older brother before the news gets out? It just occurred to me you may want to.”
Right, because the twins were still categorized in a hierarchy just like everything else in this universe. Older by a single minute and yet that meant one of them was called younger. And he was suggesting he tell him.
Tell his older brother.
Tell Sila Varun that Rin Varun was now officially betrothed to an Imperial Prince, against his will, without any prior discussion beforehand.
That was hilarious.
Tell his older brother.
It was quite possible Rin was coming apart at the seams.
A sound slipped past his lips and Rin was too late to recognize it for the manic anger it was. “That’s what just occurred to you?”
The fury was swift, all-consuming, and even if they’d been in a crowd of people, Rin didn’t think he would have been able to contain it. His arm was already swinging before he knew it, his fist connecting with Kelevra’s jaw hard enough to send his head jerking to the side.
Kel stumbled, pressing against his injury, eyes flashing with the same kind of anger Rin still felt bubbling in his chest.
If he’d been anyone else or in any other state of being, Rin would have recognized the danger for what it was and backed off. As it were, his emotional dysregulation issue kept him distracted, too hyper-focused on the tightness in his chest and the way his skin felt like it was on literal fire. He hated anger. Hated experiencing it and hated what it did to him. Hated having to hide and control himself.
And he fucking hated Kelevra Diar.
