I choke on the water I was drinking and fall into a harsh coughing spell. Angel hides his head behind my back to stifle hislaugh, pretending to pat my back. Everyone is barely keeping it together, and Seiji looks at his mother with fondness and shakes his head.
“Forgive my lovely wife. She’s a little delusional when it comes to her son.”
Eventually, the conversation flows in a different direction, and we forget about Seiji being soshyandquiet.As if!
Angel and Papa Nakaya talk about security, politics, and things leaders with responsibilities on their shoulders discuss. I grip Angel’s hand under the table when Uncle Akihiko mentions waiting for Seiji to find his mate and spend some quality years together so he can finally retire.
Supernaturals live around two centuries if we’re lucky and healthy. Usually, the horsemen wait until their successors have experienced life, found a mate, built a family, and done everything they wanted before shouldering them with such a huge responsibility.
I hate how unfair life has been for my Angel. It’s so unfair that he had to take over when he was just seventeen. Decades before he was ready or wanting. With his hand in mine, I promise to never be like his parents.
I will never let him bear the weight of our world alone.He will always have me.
After lunch, we leave the Famine castle with dozens of Tupperware boxes filled with food and promises to keep visiting. Nakaya folks even ask us to drop off August whenever we need somealone timebecause they adored having my little monkey around.
It’s safe to say they won over monkey’s heart quite easily. All that boy needs is good food and some pampering,and boom, he will follow you to the edge of a cliff.
Others collectively decide to walk around the kingdom after the feast—strategically leaving Angel and me alone to meet theprevious Horseman Conquer and queen. Anxo agrees that it’s best he deals with his parents himself and spare others the same mindfuck.
It was quite apparent by the way Seiji’s face twisted in displeasure and how Hazel literally walked away to escape the meeting that they didn’t want to come along anyway.
An icy feeling engulfs me the moment I step into The Conquer castle. Nothing about this place is welcoming, even if it’s made of gold. Standing in the center of the grand hall below a giant chandelier, I gape at the place. The castle looks like it was stolen from one of the ancient Gods. With high ceilings made of glass, vintage paintings hung on the walls.
If I lived here, I would keep forgetting which door led where, and I don’t even want to get started on the names. Butof course, Angel doesn’t have that problem. Holding my hand firmly yet gently, he greets everyone on our way.
And the craziest thing? He knowseverybody. All the names, their families,everything. Even a blind person can see how much these people look up to him, and I feel pride bubbling inside me with every interaction.
Walking down an empty hallway, Anxo attempts to drop my hand, but I hiss at him before tightening my grip. “Don’t do that! I’ll get lost in the first fifteen seconds of you leaving my side.”
I’m drop-dead serious. I’ve never been good with directions, it’s a curse.
Angel looks amused and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sure you’ll learn your way around in no time.” Pressing a button, we wait for the elevator to arrive. They have anelevatorin acastle. Talk about filthy rich.
“No, I won’t. I’m telling you this now— if I’m ever late for something; I’m lost. Don’t think of any other reason. I’m not late, I’m not keeping you waiting; I’m lost, and you need to come to find me. I’m directionally challenged, Angel.”
He throws his head back, laughing like I just told him some hysterical joke, not about my very serious struggle. If I wasn’t so obsessed with his beautiful face, he would have a lovely purple bruise on his jaw for making fun of my genuine problem.He’s lucky, I think he’s pretty.
Anxo leads me into an office made of gold and jewels, just like the entire castle, and pulls out a chair for me at a table in the corner of the room instead of the main desk.
Honestly? I don’t like all this yellow, and Angel tells me it’s his parents’ designs, so I don’t like it at all now.
“I will hit you, Anxo,” I warn him when he still doesn’t stop snickering, but my warning only makes him laugh harder. Leaning into me, he buries his face in my neck, and I feel the vibration of his laugh spread throughout my body.
As much as I want to act pissed, I can’t help smiling proudly. I made him laugh like a dying hyena.Me!
Currently, we are waiting for Angel’s parents, who returned from their vacation, specifically to meet me for a few hours before leaving again.Assholes.
I just hope I don’t kill them. Anxo was clear earlier that he doesn’t want to clean up blood from this office. Also, killing the previous leader without an altercation is considered treason. I just have to wait for them to slip up, and then I’ll have the perfect excuse to dig their graves.
In the meantime, I can practice being a future leader.Calm and composed. I should use my sharp tongue instead of the sharp weapon I actually want to use.
I don’t know much, but from what I’ve seen so far, Angel could use a lot more help so he didn’t have to work himself to the bone. They’re vacationing while their only child is burdened with so much. It makes me feel a lot more hateful toward them than I already do.
The sound of the door opening ruins my Angel’s happy mood, and in a flash, his whole demeanor shifts as he watches the couple walk into the office, hand in hand.
I know for a fact that Seiji’s parents are older than Angel’s, but by the looks of it, all thevacationinghas them aging twice as fast. The woman is already showing faint wrinkles that would make anyone assume she was easily in her late forties.
The older man has a similar build to my Angel—if you ignore the lack of muscles and confidence in his walk. He and his mate both have prominent signs indicating that their aging is not affected much despite them being supernatural.
