Page 55 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

“Ugh, for fuck’s sake. Yes, okay, Neel. I’ll shower.” He forced himself upright to prove it.

Neel turned on the shower, set out a towel, and left him to it. Rain staggered into the bathroom, peeled off his shirt, and tossed it vaguely toward the armchair. The hot water was bliss. His muscles loosened, his mind fogged pleasantly, and for a moment he forgot the world existed. He shaved blindly, let the water pour over him, and closed his eyes.

A knock sounded.

“Rain! Sir!” Neel’s voice was oddly slurred.

“What is it?” Rain called, turning off the water.

“I can tell you’re enjoying your shower, but so can everyone on this side of the palace. You’re projecting your emotions.”

Rain froze.What?He slammed his walls up instantly.

“Very good, Sir,” Neel said. “I thought I’d warn you before things got… steamy.”

Dirty old man. Rain snorted.

He dried off and stepped out with a towel around his waist. Neel had laid out his suit: a midnight-blue three-piece with fine silver pinstripes that shimmered under the light, a white silk shirt, and a deep blue ascot embroidered with the royal emblem. At least he’dlookput together, even if he wasn’t.

Neel handed him water and medication. Rain swallowed obediently, fully intending to drown any future headache with more alcohol anyway.

He dressed with Neel’s help—buttons and buckles were beyond him tonight. Neel added cuff-links, straightened his sleeves, and tied the ascot with practised ease.

“How do I look?” Rain asked, striking a pose.

“You scrub up nicely, Sir. Very handsome,” Neel said, running a lint roller down his trousers. “Just fix your hair. As much as I enjoy the messy look, tonight calls for refinement.”

Rain grinned. He loved their banter.

He styled his hair back, teasing a little volume into it. With his face unobscured, his green eyes looked even more piercing against his pale olive skin. In full formal attire, he looked every bit as intimidating as people treated him. In his drunken haze, he briefly considered living in suits permanently. No—too restrictive.

He dabbed on cologne and stepped back into the room. Neel whistled.

“If I were thirty years younger, unmarried, and of higher standing, I’d be in trouble,” he joked, presenting the velvet box containing Rain’s topaz-encrusted crown. “Are you sobering?”

“Absolutely, positively plastered, my friend” Rain said cheerfully, placing the crown on his head. “But that’s probably for the best or else I would be less inclined to attend this damned event.”

The blue aura of the room washed over him as he stepped onto the balcony overlooking the ballroom. He scanned the sea of colourful bodies, searching for green gowns—searching for Ivy. Nothing. He’d hoped to get the first sighting over with on his own terms. Maybe it was flawed logic, but it gave him something to focus on besides the ache in his chest.

The ballroom—that always felt like a fishbowl—glittered below. The architecture curved inward like a bowl, the décor a tribute to their kingdom’s predominant affinity for water. Glass pillars filled with white sand and pebbles lined the perimeter, lit from behind with soft blue hues. Silks draped from them in waves. In the centre hung a breathtaking coral-and-pearl sculpture, an oceanic tree of life with strands of pearls and lights cascading like falling water.

It was enchanting, like a hidden realm at the bottom of the ocean. And as suffocating as its depths.

Rain took a deep breath, steadied himself as best he could, and approached the staircase reserved for royal announcements. He adjusted his jacket one last time and nodded to the footman.

He was ready.

Or at least, he was drunk enough not to care.

“His Royal Highness, Prince Rain Beau Royale, Heir to the Blue Kingdom.”

Rain winced internally as every head in the ballroom turned toward him. He kept his chin high, hyper-aware of each step he took. One drunken misstep and his ego would never recover.

Several nobles from the Blue Kingdom intercepted him with a bow and pleasantries as he made his way around the dance floor. He offered polite nods, nothing more, before positioning himself strategically in the northern alcoves; close to the servers with champagne, far from the most influential prying eyes.

Like his parents.

As if summoned by the thought, a server approached. Rain took two glasses, downed one immediately, and placed the empty back on the tray.