Page 25 of Six Types of Apology

“Honestly?” Orion’s eyebrow quirked in the most delightful way. “I think you’re giving society family members, those who you dance and play around with, too much credit. But that could be me being unfair,” Orion added quickly. “I don’t know those people.”

“No, you don’t, and it’s possible you still wouldn’t like them even if you spent time with them.” Vincent had been in that situation more than once. “It’s equally possible that they truly believe that their only worth is to stand around and gossip about others in a misguided attempt to prove something to themselves. I don’t know. However, you and I have an ace card up our sleeves.” Vincent grinned at his husband.

“You’re talking about cheating now? Is that how we ended up married in the first place?”

“No, you wonderfully delightful man.” Vincent took Orion’s napkin from his hands, throwing it in the basket, so he could hold those hands in his own. “I won that game fair and square. But the ace I’m talking about, the edge if you want to call it that, is that ultimately you and I are crown prince and crown prince consort. A mouthful, I know, but we can set our own trends and given our positions, we don’t have to care about how other people view us.

“Those men at the mines, the ones working for you before the accident. They didn’t care that you were a prince. They genuinely believe that you’re a decent person, and once they saw I was prepared to roll up my sleeves and show I could work too, their impressions of me improved as well.”

“I thought you were the one loved by everyone. But that approval from the men at the mine really meant something to you, didn’t it?”

Vincent could see they weren’t far from the inn and knew he had to speak quickly. Not even Morgan knew how much that approval meant to him.

“Those men, with their roughened hands and their blunt way of speaking, their approval meant more than any complimentsI used to get from those people I used to consider friends. I learned something so profound, working for just that short time.

“I felt I had value, something useful to offer. You gave me that opportunity. You showed me there was another way of living – one with a lot more purpose. You keep telling me how grateful you are for what I did at the mine, but it’s me who should be thanking you for trusting me with your project in the first place.”

That was a stretch. Vincent and Orion both knew it. Vincent started working at the mine while Orion was unconscious, but he could’ve told Vincent to stop when he woke up. “Don’t you see,” he said, staring into Orion’s intriguing gray eyes, “those evenings spent planning and finding solutions to problems, sharing achievements and laughing about those random silly things that happen in a day. I’ve never had that with anyone else but you, and I want more times like that with you.”

For the longest time Orion didn’t say anything, just meeting his gaze steadily. The carriage was going to pull up at the inn any minute, and Vincent mentally willed his husband to say something. Anything.

“I’m not sure how long it will take me to heal completely,” Orion said at last. “I’m also not strictly sure it’s fair of me to insist or even suggest you change the habits and behaviors you’ve lived with your whole life, just because of me. In fact, I know it’s not.”

“Your sister insisted on the same changes from Jaxon and they’re both perfectly happy. And these are changes I want for myself as well.”Come on, Orion. Say yes.

“That still doesn’t change the fact that if we attend an event, I will have to spend most of my time sitting down watching you have fun with others. At the moment it wouldn’t be possible for me to enjoy more than one dance with you, if I could manage even that.”

“You’re getting healthier every day.”

“But even at full health, I can’t and won’t spend all my time around people who don’t care that I exist. I know I’m worth more than that.”

“I know that now, too, and I won’t let you down again. Don’t you want to work with me even if it means attending a couple of events a year as the Crown Prince Consort of Faast? Imagine what we could achieve together, what we could do for the people of Faast like you have done for Tyrion. Please, Orion. Take a chance on me. You’ve shown me I can be different. Let me prove to you that I am.”

It took another minute. A minute in which the carriage had indeed pulled to a stop outside the inn, but Orion finally nodded. “If I can walk back into a cave that’s already fallen on me once, I can attend another function with you as your crown prince consort. There’s going to be a lot of gossip about us after last time. I hope you’re prepared for that, but I sincerely hope that attendance will be successful as I’d dearly love to explore possibilities regarding a project in Faast. I believe I would enjoy working on other community projects with you.”

“That’s a yes. Thank you.” Vincent wanted to grab his husband and hug the stuffing out of him. But he couldn’t ignore the tired lines around Orion’s mouth. “We should get you inside.”

“I fear I’m going to need your help getting up the stairs.” Orion sighed. “My legs have jellified, and my lower back is aching. But that’s my reality for now. It was a lovely morning. Thank you. Thank you for all that you’ve done.”

“We’re just getting started. You wait and see. We’re going to have so much fun, you and I.”

“I need a nap just thinking about it.” But Orion was chuckling as Vincent bounded out of the carriage and hurried around to get Orion’s door.

Chapter Twenty-Three

It was another month before Orion crossed over the border between Scythe and Faast, giving him his first view of Vincent’s hometown. A month of what felt like endless travel. Unfortunately the slow speed was because of Orion, so it wasn’t as though he could grumble about it.

Even traveling by carriage required him to have a break between each full day of traveling and that was without the stops they had to make first to Carntan, because Olivia insisted she needed to confirm he was still alive, and then to the Monce royal court to drop off Mortrin. By the time they’d reached there, Mortrin told Orion he could ride for an hour every day, but no more. Apparently the ache in his back and the shaky feeling in his legs after he’d been standing for too long would pass, but he couldn’t give Orion a definitive timeline for when that might happen. “It’ll just get easier,” he said when Orion tried to push him on it.

There were no events planned. Orion knew that Olivia wouldn’t host one for him and Vincent after the last episode, but he’d worried about Monce. That was another city he’d never visited, but Crown Prince Serron greeted them warmly, inviting them to dine with him privately the night they stayed at the castle. He was extremely interested in the crystal mine and asked to be updated once Tyrion had crystals ready for export. He and Vincent laughed a lot over the tales Vincent told about his own work experiences, but Orion didn’t feel excluded.

At Scythe it was the king and queen who invited them to dine with them, and that was another fun night. Vincent suffered through a lot of teasing about his previous behaviors, but Orion could tell that was all in good fun. The queen, a beautiful woman with bright red hair and a loud laugh, insisted that Orion getchecked by their own head healer – a man who apparently knew Mortrin and approved of his methods.

He prescribed a potion for Orion to take on those nights when the shakes in his legs got too bad, but assured him it was simply an elixir of magically enhanced herbs that would help relax him. Orion had no clue what was in it, but that night was the first decent sleep he’d had since they’d been on the road.

“I am so looking forward to being able to sleep in the same bed for more than one night once we’re home,” Vincent said happily as the castle turrets came into view.

Orion, who’d been thinking along similar lines was surprised. “I thought you liked being out and about on your adventures.”

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