Page 44 of Consort of the Dragon King

He tried to be brave, but after walking through the gates, Sephen couldn’t help but gawk at his first up-close view of the castle. While he had seen it at a distance plenty of times on his trips into Tiora, it had never loomed so high before. The stained-glass windows awed Sephen with their artistry and rarity. The grandeur of it intimidated him, but he squared his shoulders as he entered the magnificent building. He was unworthy, but Auslin’s position as the king’s intended meant he had a right to be there. It didn’t make it any less nerve-racking, though.

After asking a servant about where to find his older brother, she led him through a dizzying maze of hallways. Sephen’s head spun every time they turned another corner. Somehow, the castle felt bigger on the inside than on the outside.

Finally, the servant stopped in front of a door and knocked. She loudly announced, “Lord Auslin, Lord Sephen is here tosee you.” The formal title embarrassed Sephen. He was not important enough to be formally announced.

The door opened, revealing Auslin. He wore white breeches paired with a silver-blue shirt that shimmered in the light. “You finally made it!” Auslin pulled his younger brother into a hug. “Come see our room.”

Sephen stepped into the atrium, admiring the beauty of it and the open ceiling that showed off the sky above them. “What do you do when it rains or snows?”

“Fersen enchanted it to close when it detects either of those. Kitsuki can also shut it with his magic. I haven’t quite mastered that trick yet.” Auslin led Sephen deeper into the suite.

The wall of bookshelves near the fireplace immediately distracted Sephen. He took his time exploring the titles. It wasn’t until Auslin laughed that Sephen realized he had completely ignored his brother. His cheeks flushed. “Sorry.”

“I missed you so much.” Auslin gave Sephen another hug. “Only you would notice the bookshelves before the biggest bed you’ve ever seen.”

After Auslin had pointed it out, Sephen marveled at the oversized bed. “I didn’t know they made them that big!”

Auslin gestured for Sephen to follow him through another door off to the side that opened on its own as soon as they stood in front of it. Sephen got the shock of his life at seeing the enormous bathroom. “Wow, I’m pretty sure you secretly live in the Divine Realm. This is unreal.” Sephen caught sight of himself in the longest and clearest mirror he had ever seen before. He smoothed his hair down with a scowl. In his black breeches andwhite shirt, he wasn’t fit to interact with royalty. “I changed my mind. I can’t meet a prince looking this embarrassing.”

When Sephen started to walk away, Auslin took hold of his wrist and gently tugged him back. “You look fine. Kisano doesn’t care about appearances or putting on airs.”

“But he’s probably going to be as handsome as Kitsuki, and I’m nothing?—”

Auslin squeezed his brother’s hand before letting it go. “Stop putting yourself down. Once he sees how much you love books, you’ll be his new favorite person.”

“Then you better introduce us before I lose my nerve and run away,” Sephen said with a nervous laugh.

As Auslin led the way, Sephen grew more excited about getting to see the palace’s library. But he was still deeply worried about making the right first impression. Although Auslin had assured Sephen he would get along with Kisano, he was still trepidatious about meeting any member of the royal family when Kitsuki was so intimidating. “Am I supposed to bow when I meet him?” Sephen asked his older brother in a hushed tone. “Or call him Prince Kisano? Do I refer to him as Your Majesty or Your Highness? Please tell me what to do. I don’t want to offend him.”

“Relax, Sephen. I honestly think it would make Kisano more uncomfortable if you treated him like royalty,” Auslin stated. “If you interact with him as a fellow bookworm and just be yourself, I promise everything will be fine.”

Sephen remained unconvinced. “If you say so.”

The enormous and ornate doors to the library hinted at the magnificence of what lay beyond them. But nothing could haveprepared Sephen for the shock of seeing more books than he had read in his lifetime. He looked around in amazement, trying to process the glorious sight. “Are you sure we didn’t step into the Beyond Realm?” Sephen asked in awe. There were so many books, he didn’t know where he wanted to explore first. “Because I’m pretty sure this place is paradise.”

Auslin chuckled before he waved. “I’m back, Kisano. And I brought my brother, Sephen.”

Hearing his name refocused Sephen’s attention. He quit breathing when he saw one of the most beautiful shifters in all the realms walk out from behind a bookshelf. His long, cream-colored hair was pulled back into an ornate braid. It surprised Sephen that Kisano was shorter than Auslin, when most shifters were significantly taller than humans. He also didn’t have the bold markings of a shifter. His lines were a barely there pale orange.

As Auslin had promised, Kisano wore a simple black tunic and breeches, with only the faintest hints of silver threading that reflected the light. He possessed none of the arrogance Sephen would have expected from a prince. If anything, he appeared to be as insecure as Sephen felt in that moment. Sephen was aware others thought he was cute, but it didn’t compare to how stunning Kisano was with his high cheekbones and shy smile.

He held a book to his chest, drawing Sephen’s attention to the shifter’s slender fingers. Every part of him was perfect in the human’s eyes. It left him tongue-tied.

Auslin gently nudged his younger brother forward from where he had rooted to the spot at the sight of the shifter prince. “Sephen, this is my dear friend, Kisano.”

Sephen had never had much of a filter. He blurted out, “You get tolivehere?” Auslin elbowed him, reminding Sephen he needed to mind his manners. “Uh, I mean, hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Kisano’s voice was soft like a caress, drawing Sephen closer to him. He wanted to listen to Kisano talk about books all day. “I am glad that my library is to your satisfaction.”

“To my satisfaction?” Sephen repeated with a laugh. “Oh, it’swaybeyond that. I’m pretty sure this is nirvana levels of amazing. This place isincredible! How is this real? And it’s all yours?”

“Technically, it belongs to my brother,” Kisano explained. “But he has always been most insistent that this is my domain to do whatever I see fit.”

“I want your life,” Sephen enviously said as he looked around the magnificent space again. “I could live here and die a happy man.”

Kisano blushed, which Sephen found endearing. The shifter really was nothing like the human had expected.

“I could be like one of those creatures that lives in a small shell and then moves into a bigger shell,” Sephen continued, causing Auslin to laugh at his brother’s earnest reaction. “And then I would just stay here forever with you in heaven.”

---