Audible gasps slipped out of all three of their lips, with Daphne’s being the loudest. Atticus, with his quick thinking, imdiately slapped his hand over her mouth, shushing her.
Thankfully, even with their combined voices, it wasn’t loud enough for Alistair to notice that soone was present in the room with him. He continued to wait for Eugene, tapping his feet impatiently on the stone floors as he leaned against the pillar.
Every once in a while, he would look out of the window and at the branches of the great tree that told the ti. And with every minute that Eugene Attonson didn’t show up, Daphne’s heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest.
What if Eugene Attonson knew? What if that was why he wouldn’t show up? Had he already seen them lurking in the hallways, watching Prince Alistair’s every move? Was he going to stab them in the back when they weren’t looking? What if―
"There you are," Alistair said, kicking off the wall when a shadow appeared from the other end of the hallway, a good distance from where the trio were hidden. "You really know how to keep a prince waiting."
"Calm down, Your Highness," Eugene replied, relaxed. "In case you didn’t hear the news, the crown prince of Raxuvia has inford every guard on duty to bring in if I am caught. I naturally have to be a little more careful with where I go and how I go."
Prince Nathaniel’s face turned a little distorted upon hearing Prince Alistair’s words. His lips twisted into half a sneer and half a frown, a mixture of horror and disgust.
Perhaps it was because of the ridiculous ideas King Atticus had planted into his head, his brain naturally geared towards the opposite end of the spectrum. Instead of assuming that the two n were eting up to discuss sinister ideas and plan destruction, Prince Nathaniel thought they seed more like two lovers eting in fear of getting caught by the others.
Atticus had noticed the expression on Prince Nathaniel’s face and an evil idea struck him. He grinned, suddenly leaning a little closer to Prince Nathaniel so he could whisper without the possibility of Prince Alistair and Eugene overhearing.
"Don’t you think Prince Alistair’s tone is a little bit flirtatious?" he asked. Prince Nathaniel’s face quickly turned a light shade of pink and that only egged Atticus on to continue. "What a sha. And I was so sure that Prince Alistair had a thing for you too."
Daphne’s eyes widened as she slowly turned to look at Prince Nathaniel, horrified. Her expression rivaled the crown prince’s, both of them turning their equally alard faces to glance at King Atticus, who rely smiled gleefully.
On the other hand, Daphne was ready to hurl. Her brother? With Prince Nathaniel, her ex fiancé? Everything that Daphne had ever known started to crumble. Perhaps it was a good thing Atticus had kidnapped her after all.
"What... were you people talking about during the conference...?" Daphne slowly asked, afraid to know the answer. However, she couldn’t curb her own curiosity.
"Oh, don’t worry about it too much, sunshine," Atticus replied, jolly as ever. "I was just suggesting perhaps Prince Nathaniel should start looking for a prospective partner. If he wasn’t interested in won, given his clear disgust for your sister, perhaps he should consider your brother instead. Prince Alistair did show a good amount of interest toward Prince Nathaniel, after all. We could even be in-laws!"
"Prince Alistair is married," Prince Nathaniel retorted flatly.
"I like how your first argunt isn’t that he is a man, but that he’s attached," Daphne replied. She nodded understandingly. "But it’s alright. My sister-in-law isn’t a beloved wife. Though, I must remind you, Prince Nathaniel, a cheater will cheat a total of zero tis or an infinite number of tis. There’s no in-between. And unless you’re seeking to have an open relationship with my brother, there wouldn’t be much happiness for you. There are much better n out there."
Devastation was written across Prince Nathaniel’s face. He couldn’t give a rat’s ass if anyone else had misunderstood his sexuality but if it was Daphne.... Prince Nathaniel shot King Atticus a nasty look. This man had done more damage than he was worth.
"I am not interested in n, and especially not n like your brother." Nathaniel hotly said. Agitation laced his every word but that only caused Atticus to smile brighter. He was getting a great kick out of seeing Prince Nathaniel’s displeasure.
"No sha in that," Atticus said.
Prince Nathaniel coldly laughed. "With your obsession with Eugene Attonson, one might even misunderstand and assu that you have so romantic affection for him."
Atticus’s eyelid twitched. His lips parted, ready to fire back when Daphne quickly pressed her palm to his lips. She pointed at Alistair and Eugene with her other hand, bringing their attention back to the situation at hand.
"Enough of that," she murmured urgently. "Listen."
That was enough to put an end to the conversation. For now. Nonetheless, it didn’t stop Atticus’s tongue from darting out to lick Daphne’s palm. She recoiled her hand as if she had been burned, staring wide-eyed at her husband who only offered her a cheeky smile in return.
"You had one job," Prince Alistair seethed. In comparison, Eugene looked unbothered. Prince Alistair continued, "You want Daphne and I want to win. How difficult is it for you to just bring her out before her husband could catch up? They were even separated. Just go in and magick her out. It was that easy!"
"Easy for you to say." Eugene snorted. "My prince, you truly are as clueless as the rumors say."
"Watch your words carefully, Attonson," Alistair warned. "You’re but a lord at best, a wanted criminal in multiple kingdoms at worst. Not to ntion your other identity. If the guards in Raxuvia were to find out that the fad Jean Nott is actually the sa man as Eugene Attonson, wouldn’t you think the whole world would scramble to find you?"
"So what if they know?" Eugene folded his arms across his chest, clearly unintimidated. "They can’t catch Eugene Attonson, much less Jean Nott. It doesn’t matter if they knew those two were the sa person."
Eugene calmly paced around the room, walking in circles around Alistair. At first, he continued to do so with nothing out of the ordinary. But then, he suddenly paused, his steps halting when he looked up. His eyes scanned the room, a distinct frown on his face.
Daphne tried to press herself further into the shadows, almost willing the wall to just swallow her whole.
He knew.
Eugene Attonson definitely knew that they weren’t alone.
Yet, it didn’t seem like he cared. In fact, Eugene ntioned nothing of his suspicions and rely smiled. He returned his gaze back to look at Prince Alistair but there was just sothing about his posture that changed.
"Although, Prince Alistair," Eugene said, wearing a broad smile. "How horrible it was of you to keep information to yourself."
"What information?" Alistair frowned.
"Oh, did you not know?" Eugene seed even more gleeful than before. The corners of his lips stretched in joy. "It seems like your useless little sister might not be as useless as you might’ve thought."
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