Page 2 of Gilded Crown

Timothy and Mother weren’t the only ones to be laid to rest that morning in the village graveyard. Jari dropped his little bagof marbles into the hole where his brother lay. He could have them forever now. Jari should have done it earlier and given his brother that one thing he really wanted.

Father didn’t say anything as he started pushing the dirt back into his youngest son’s grave. Bit by bit, he was covered up and gone forever. Jari didn’t have anything else to give Mother, but he could do what she said and always keep his word if he gave it. In his head, he promised her he would.

Maybe Elira would tell Mother that Jari was being a good boy, and she wouldn’t have to worry.

Chapter One

1692

Jari ran the sanding stone along the board, and the workshop was silent except for the scraping of the stone. He shouldn’t have forgotten how quiet a snake can be.

“It’s interesting the way your back muscles flex while you play with your wood.”

Jari almost dropped the stone as the words slithered out from behind him. He hadn’t thought he’d hear that voice again, especially with such an innuendo.

He turned to find Prince Aurelius leaning against the doorframe. His unnaturally brilliant blond hair was loose, and a few pieces were partially covering his black eye patch. The rich indigo of his riding cloak, edged in immaculate white lace, only made it brighter.

Jari had almost forgotten how alluring the Prince could be despite the stiffness in his posture. His pink lips were just as kissable, and he remembered the old temptation to have the Prince against him, or on his cock.

But he certainly hadn’t forgotten what a snake the Crown Prince was and how those pretty pink lips could lie when it suited him.

Or what they tasted like.

“Do you need a new post to shove up your ass, Your Highness?” Jari asked him with a blank expression.

Somehow, Aurelius didn’t sneer at him. He surely wanted something, and that was the only reason he was here. Like he owned the place, he strolled in and slipped his fine hands out of his riding gloves. The word peasant was probably on his mind.

Jari felt pretty common with his work-roughened hands. It had grown rather warm in the workshop, and he’d sweated in his simple, fitting linen shirt. The cuffs were sloppily rolled up and snug around his biceps, sawdust marked it, and he’d accidentally smeared resin on the hem. His short hair surely wasn’t so smooth or straight.

Aurelius gazed at some unfinished bowls and other various things on another table that still needed staining and glaze. He ran his forefinger through the sawdust on the table and rubbed it against the pad of his thumb. “Do you like this work?”

“Yes.”

“It might be interesting to learn. Maybe even fun.”

“I might have a knack for it, but I do this for a living,” said Jari. “This isn’t whittling a little toy or something simple because a fancy strikes me. If you want a hobby, go learn the harp or whatever.”

“Hm. Simple can be nice too.”

“If you actually need something, the owner’s upstairs. Maybe he’ll give you a discount on posts.”

Aurelius brushed off the edge of the table, leaned on it, and tucked his riding gloves in his cloak pocket. His eye scraped down Jari’s body in a way that made him suddenly feel naked. “What I need, he can’t give me, and I have no interest in harps. You let me return to that palace all alone. I’ve been back for over five months.”

“I know. Congratulations.” Jari set down the stone, grabbed the board intended for a bookshelf, tilted it, and tapped the edge on the surface to make most of the excess sawdust slide off.

“I thought you’d gone away, but I did a little digging to check and found you’re still here.”

“I got my job back.” Jari should have already left, but he figured he’d be good for a while. Why not save up his money? It wasn’t like Aurelius was out and about in the city for the mostpart, and when Jari went out, it was usually in the evening. He didn't think Aurelius would ask around to check. He should have known better.

“I couldn’t find where you actually live.”

“I live in a shed out back. It’s free.” Jari expected the Prince to wrinkle his nose.

“I’d like you to return,” Aurelius said softly.

“Not happening.” Jari gritted his teeth. How dare he have the audacity to come here and ask that? “I’ve got my spot, and you’ve got your own snake den.”

Aurelius regarded him for a few seconds. “Father’s madder than ever in the past months. I knew it would happen, but it’s still…unpleasant to deal with.”

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