Page 26 of Gilded Crown

“Oh, I know. Liberties can still be taken if he wishes. I can forget a couple of grey hairs, or I can smooth out a few fine lines.”

“Paint what you see,” said Aurelius. “That’s all.”

He said the amount to be paid. Half would be given in the morning as an advance, and the rest upon completion. Mr. Hugo practically glowed again, and since courtiers would surely want work done too, his income would pile up.

He agreed to be there tomorrow morning.

***

They met up with the younger Princes on the way to lunch. Aurelius kept his head up and barely looked at the two as if they hadn’t most likely tried to have him killed the night before. Once Jari was close enough, he almost stopped dead when he noticed Zylem had a gold streak in one eye. Jari shifted himself to block Aurelius from them as they went downstairs just in case Zylem decided that someone needed a push.

Aurelius had to have seen it too even though he said nothing. The streak was undeniable proof that he’d been using the crown. Jari had the sudden urge to scoop up Aurelius, ignore his demands and snarls to unhand him, and carry him away from this snake den.

“What?” asked Zylem. “You’re not talking to us now?”

“I have nothing to say,” said Aurelius. “I don’t feel the need to prattle all of the time.”

“You should come to my room,” said Zylem. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“No.” Aurelius’s whole body was rigid as they walked, and Jari glanced back just in case. Gullveig couldn’t quite seem to wipe off his smirk. No gold showed in his eyes, but he surely knew. He’d probably watched Zylem as he somehow used the crown to make people go insane and turn into mindless slaves to his will.

Zylem grinned at Jari as if they were friends. Don’t punch him. Don’t punch him.

“Tell me something.” A huge smile grew on Zylem’s face, and Jari turned away. “Does Aurelius squeal like a pig when you’re pounding his ass?”

Jari clenched his jaw as he stared ahead and kept walking. Aurelius had said to ignore him, but dear Elira, he wanted to bust the Prince’s teeth in and wipe off that grin. Or stab him. Technically, Zylem counted as an outlaw and many crimes could be tacked onto him, and it was no crime to kill an outlaw.

Except this one was fucking royalty, and it wasn’t that easy.

“When I speak, you don’t ignore me,” Zylem snapped as they came to the bottom of the stairs and entered the entrance hall.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I don’t speak asshole.”

Zylem started to speak, but someone called his name. Aurelius stalked ahead into the Hall, and Jari hastily followed.

If Zylem could get his hands on the crown as he pleased and use it, no one was safe. He must have been tempted enough to risk his sanity.

The user had some time of being sort of okay. Eurig had run the Kingdom before, although now he was hardly making any effort for the war that wasn’t really a war. Even though King David hadn’t done anything in particular lately, squirrel doodles weren’t helping anything.

While Nova wasn’t about to fall apart right that second, and citizens weren’t rioting in the streets, Eurig’s rule would collapse at some point or he’d do something beyond outrageous. That meant Aurelius needed to hurry the fuck up and get a proper plan in order.

The sooner everyone was out of the way and the throne was entirely his, the better. They could take a little trip to destroy the items afterward.

As Jari took his place against the wall near the hanging tapestry, he broke into a sweat as he remembered being drugged. That had been horrifying enough, but what if Zylem had used the crown instead and sent him after Aurelius? The Prince had been weaponless and vulnerable, and if a person could be made to feel no pain and focus on one goal…

Would he have even realized who he was or what he was truly doing? He was sure Aurelius wasn’t a weakling, but Jari had more bulk, and the Prince had been caught completely unprepared. Driven by something far worse than any turf…Jari tried to block out the results of such a possibility as he leaned against the wall.

Again, he had the urge to grab Aurelius, throw him over his shoulder, and run as fast as he could to get him the fuck out of this madhouse.

He jumped when the King smacked his hand on the table and snapped him back to the present. “Excellent.” Aurelius must have told him everything was taken care of for tomorrow.

“I’d like my portrait done too,” said Zylem.

He’d probably stare at it in his bedroom while stroking his cock.

“You don’t need one,” said Eurig. “This is for me and to remind everyone of who makes the rules.”

“We already know,” said Zylem. “You’re sitting right there.”

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