“Where are you going at this time? To one of your depraved parties?” His father’s disgusted tone took Rhay out of his thoughts, halting him in the corridor. The same disapproving look his father was always sporting appeared on his face.
“It’s better to party than to actually think about what is going on in this palace,” Rhay replied drily. “You should try it sometime.”
“When are you going to behave like a proper advisor?” His father eyed the aquamarine flask poking out of Rhay’s pocket. “Karwyn has a fondness for you, but even he is growing tired of your antics. It’s time for you to actually do the work I’ve trained you to do.”
Rhay looked out the window in the winding corridor. A few bright stars spotted the dark sky. Rhay wished he could fly away with them. “How can I advise someone who’s keeping so many secrets? Someone who…”
His father stepped into Rhay’s line of sight, blocking the night sky as if he himself was the biggest rain cloud. “I don’t understand how I messed up with you. You used to be such an obedient child. Now you only care about losing yourself in senseless pleasure.”
“How can you do it? How can you know what’s going on here and not lose your mind?”
His father had been trained to advise, to steer kings and queens in the right direction. Rhay had been so proud of his father’s position in Queen Kaede’s court. But when they had come to Turosian after his mother’s death, his father had changed.
“I am doing what has been asked of me. I’m at His Majesty’s service. Nothing more, nothing less,” his father replied sharply. “It’s my job to advise, not to judge. I don’t need to drown myself in alcohol to avoid thinking about where I stand.” His father’s tone was perfectly even, with no regard for his son’s obvious distress.
Rhay’s hand twitched, itching to drink from his flask. He ground his teeth. Something he had locked away for a long time finally came to the surface. “You want to know howyoumessedmeup, Father?” Rhay’s voice was rising, but his father didn’t even flinch. “Youtaught me to look away.Youtaught me to ignore the kind of monster Karwyn has grown into. But unlike you,Ihave a fucking conscience. So excuse me for drinking and partying and losing myself in anything to make the voices in my head disappear!”
Rhay felt his voice give out, a deep sadness he had hidden for so long rushing to the surface. His father was the shittiest role model one could ever have. In a small, high voice, he added, “You’re the one who brought me here. If we had had stayed in Sapharos—”
“Enough!” his father yelled. “You’re acting like a spoiled child. Take some responsibility for once.”
Rhay didn’t back away from his words. “If Mother was still alive, she’ddespisewhat you’ve turned into—”
His father struck him.
Rhay stared at him, at his outstretched hand, appalled. Bringing his own hand to his burning cheek, Rhay struggled to breathe.
“Do not bring your mother into this!” His father gritted his teeth. “She woulddespiseher good-for-nothing, alcoholic son. I sacrificed everything foryou,so you could grow up somewhere safe, with anything you wanted available at your whim. I spoiled you rotten, and this is how you thank me?”
Thank him? He was supposed to fuckingthankhim?
“You ruined me!” Rhay yelled. “You were never there when I needed you. After Mother’s death, you would hardlylookat me. And the minute you even suspected what was happening in the underground, you should have fucking left with me. You think it’ssafehere? You should have gotten me away from Karwyn instead of letting me befriend him.”
The cold look on his father’s face chilled his heart. “We make our own choices, Rhay. It wasyourchoice to befriend Karwyn. It wasyourchoice to become this wreck of a fae. I did what I had to do to give you a future.Youdecided to spit on it.”
Without letting Rhay reply, his father turned his back and left. Rhay’s heart pounded in his chest, his breathing erratic. Slouching against a wall, he took out his flask, a gesture he had done a thousand times. He brought the flask to his lips, but quickly remembered it was empty.
He threw the flask on the ground.
“Fuck!” he yelled, not caring if he woke anyone up. He needed a refillnow.Unsteady, plagued by his emotions, Rhay stumbled forward.
Without realising, his feet led him to Karwyn’s quarters. He stood in the corridor, torn between his desire to get answers and his fear of another confrontation.
It was your choice to befriend Karwyn.His father’s words echoed in his mind. It had been his choice, hismistake.How could he rectify it?
The guards at Karwyn’s quarters didn’t stop Rhay as he went to the door. Pushing open the silver double doors, Rhay realised Karwyn wasn’t there.
The servants had done their job well. There was no trace of a struggle in the antechamber. The singed furniture had been replaced, and the windows had been open long enough to remove the dense smell of smoke. Rhay was about to close the door again when he noticed something shiny on the floor, under a piece of antique furniture.
In a few steps, he reached the mysterious object. Its rectangular shape was familiar. The object was called a phone by the humans. Studying the object, he tried to turn it on, but the deep cracks on the front and the missing parts meant that it must be broken beyond repair.
Why was there a human object in Karwyn’s room? Karwyn had always been against human technology, finding Rhay’s passion for it ridiculous. It seemed like the object had been broken during the fight. Did it belong to Lora? Had she convinced someone else to buy it for her? Why would she be so set on owning a human device?
Not sure what to make of his discovery, Rhay pocketed the broken phone and turned to leave the room.
As he stepped forward, the door reopened and Karwyn entered. His face still looked terribly beaten. Rhay avoided staring at the collection of bruises spotting his pale skin, making his sullen eyes stand out more than usual.
“Rhay, I have been searching for you. I see you were doing the same.” Karwyn’s expression didn’t give away his emotions, but as he avoided Rhay’s gaze, he suspected Karwyn was anxious. “I reckon you have morequestionsfor me. Do you want to play your silly little game again?”
