Page 166 of Cosmic Husband

The emperor was casually dressed in a pair of black trousers and a red sleeveless tunic that showed off his bulging arms. “Seth Harris.”

“It’s Seth.”

He smiled; the expression was friendly, but it reminded me heavily of Kal’s polite smile, not his true one. “Seth, then. Where is Kalvoxrencol?”

“Sleeping.”

“He must have been tired from last night.”

“You could say that.” A blush unfortunately seeped into my cheeks. Damn my inability to control it.

Laughter spilled out of his lips; the deep rumbling sound was so similar to Kal’s. “Come. Let’s go somewhere so Kalvoxrencol doesn’t interrupt us.”

It hadn’t occurred to me that we would leave the room, but once Kal woke up, he wouldn’t let his father talk to me. “We're not going far, right?”

“We’ll stay in the royal wing. There is a terrace with a lovely garden that Zoltilvoxfyn tends. We’ll go there.”

We wound through the palace. The few servants who passed by us tilted their heads to the side. Kal’s father, whose name I really needed to learn, greeted each one by name. I remained silent, trying to smile, but I couldn’t seem to get my muscles to respond correctly. My heart pounded against my ribs, threatening to break free, and sweat dripped down my spine. The temperature was too hot for my hoodie, but nerves, not heat, made me sweat. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to curl in Kal’s embrace, where everything was simple.

Grass intermixed with small white flowers covered the entirety of the terrace. Trees swirled with vines stretched far into the sky. Flowers of all different kinds and palm bushes rustled in the constant wind. A path formed of dark brown bark wound through the jungle-like garden. Birds chirped from their nests, and smaller animals skittered from our presence, hiding in the underbrush.

“It’s lovely,” I said.

“It is.”

I nodded, arms swinging at my sides, not knowing what to say.

Kal’s father gestured into the treeline and moved to the path, his feet crunching on the loose bark. I followed him. The humid air made it feel hotter than it actually was. I fluffed the front of my hoodie, then paused when a bug buzzed right in front of me. The insect was the size of a butterfly, but it resembled a bee with a wicked, barbed stinger on its butt. The bee-like insect paid me no mind, settling on a fragrant pink flower.

We wandered under the trees, not speaking. The emperor did not even glance in my direction, and I didn’t want to be the one to break the oppressive silence. After several minutes, he stopped in front of a particularly tall tree with grayish-green bark, dark green leaves, and red vines winding around it. He plucked a green flower from the vine and presented it to me.

I accepted it, the petal velvety soft.

He faced the tree once again. “Kalvoxrencol is my youngest child.”

“I know.”

“He is passionate, troublesome, and too much like me. I knew the moment he stole a vekren and raced around the capital that he would be a handful,” he said. I tried to focus, but the words horse, cow, and buffalo flashed through my mind. What in the world had Kal ridden? “He struggled to fit in. To find his place.”

Kal had said as much.

“His older brothers’ shadows were too great, so he acted out, repeatedly. I cannot tell you all the messes I fixed. The nights I and his mother went without sleep. I thought joining the military would help, but it didn’t. He broke in a different way, isolated by his birth. Finally, Hallonnixmin suggested he seek the Crystal for his soulmate, but I wouldn’t allow him to.”

“Why?”

“Because I feared he would squander it, not caring for his soulmate. But Kalvoxrencol is unable to let go of an idea whenhe latches on. He fought hard to meet you. Cleaned up, behaved, and became productive, restoring his shaky, blemished honor in an attempt to prove to myself and his mother that he deserved you.”

“And you let him seek the Crystal?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.

“I didn’t want to, but his mother and Hallonnixmin convinced me Kalvoxrencol simply needed direction. He simply needed someone to love and who loved him in return.”

“I love him,” I said fiercely.

“I believe you. I knew it from the moment you defended him.”

“Kal loves me as well.”

His eyebrows raised at the nickname, but he didn’t remark on it. “I know, but I worry.”

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