Chapter 197 Chapter 0197

Chapter 197 Chapter 0197
Lucien's POV

"It's a good thing you know how it feels to lose the one you love because you would soon lose one."  My jaw tightened at his words. I glared at him, hoping he wasn't referring to Aerith, because if he was, I swear on my life that he would be the first to drop dead before I ever lost Aerith. Merek slowly turned to me; he was staring at me with an expression I couldn't quite read. There was something beneath his words and expressions, something deliberate, as though he had chosen them specifically to provoke me. He smiled suddenly. "Come on, brother," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Don't give me that look, and stop talking about Drayce." He waved it away.

"Why?" The question left my lips before I could stop it; maybe I wouldn't say one more word to him if he didn't mention Drayce's name. Merek raised an eyebrow.

"Why what?" He asked like he didn't know what I was talking about.

"Why should I stop talking about him?" I leaned forward slightly. "Because you want everyone to forget him? So you can have one less brother competing with you for the throne?" My words hit him like a slap, Merek’s chair scraped backwards as he slammed both hands against the table.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" My gaze narrowed.

"Stay out of my case," I growled, "and I will stay out of yours." Merek's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightened; I could already see the muscle veins in his neck.

"So you are trying to act like the good son now?" I didn't answer. He laughed bitterly. "Like your mother didn't want you to become the next king? Or perhaps you think you are better than the rest of us because your mother sat there like a substitute? But news flash the old man would never make a..."

"Enough." Father's voice rolled across the room. Merek immediately stopped. I could see my mother already throwing a dagger at him through her eyes. At the same time, I frowned; there was something in his unfinished sentence that I didn't understand, and somehow it was disturbing. What exactly was Merek trying to say? I glanced at him; maybe he meant that I wouldn't become king since I was the last son of the king. But whatever this was, I didn't have time to ask.

"But father..."

"One more word from you," Father growled, cutting Merek off, "and I will cut off your tongue." The entire room went silent when Father said that. Then he coughed hard; his shoulders shook as he brought his fist toward his mouth.

"Father," Thalion called, then immediately reached for the bottle and poured another drink, I watched as this bastard lifted the glass toward Father, like father just appointed him as his personal cupbearer and something inside me snapped, before father could take it, I reached across the table and knocked the glass from Thalion's hand, it crashed against the floor.

"Lucien!" My mother's voice echoed through the room, I turned toward her.

"What?" My voice came out harsher than I intended. She stared at me. "You cannot behave like this at the royal table. Now apologize to your father." I tilted my gaze from my mother to glance at the king.

"Can't you see he has drunk too much?" Thalion stared at me.

"Since when do you care about him?" The question struck something deep inside me; anger boiled through my veins. I always care about him, even if he never sees me as one of his sons, but I know it's hard for them to believe because the old man never treated me fairly. "I know you don't..."

"I care about him." Unlike the first time when Merek asked me that, I didn't answer but this time, I did give an answer, "even if he doesn't love me, I still care about him," I pointed at father and his eyes went to me, I saw guilt flash in his eyes but he turned his gaze away from me, "and I will never do anything deliberately to hurt him." My voice shook with anger, Merek hummed.

"Hmm!" I turned toward him, and he smiled. "Does that mean you will never betray him like Drayce?" My heart stopped; anger boiled inside me. I hated that they were trying to make Drayce look bad.

"Drayce never betrayed father, he only..."

"Fall in love." Thalion finished my sentence. I looked at him; his expression was cold, but mine was colder than his.

"Falling in love isn't a crime," my voice softened slightly. "No one teaches the heart how to love." Merek laugh

"Even when you fall for the enemy?" I didn't answer, I couldn't because his words had landed too close to the truth, maybe I was guilty of that as well, because somehow, I could see Aerith's face, her eyes, her laughter, her pointed ear, her silver hair, the warmth of her body against mine, the way she looked at me as though I wasn't a prince, not the unloved prince, not the kingdom weapon, but a man that makes her heart fluttered, her fated mate, Thalion noticed my silent, then his smirked widened. "Or perhaps falling in love isn't the issue," he paused, "the issue is who you two demons fall in love with."

"Thalion." My voice carried a warning; he ignored it.

"Why don't you tell father that you too would betray him?" My head snapped toward him.

"What?" Thalion's eyes glittered as he had just gotten the audience he was looking for.

"Or are you already betraying him?" I stared at him in disbelief. 

"Shut the fuck up." My hands curled into fists. "I am nothing like you." Thalion laughed at my words. "I do not betray my blood." His laugh grew louder.

"You don't betray your blood?" He leaned toward me. "But you are already betraying your father, or is he not your blood?” I glared at him; his words were like gasoline poured onto the fire. My eyes burned with anger; I could feel my dragon inside me stirring, threatening to come out and burn this idiot to ashes.

"Stop talking nonsense because I am not like you," I repeated, my voice dropping into a dangerous growl. "I don't pretend to be loyal while secretly waiting for the perfect moment to bite." Thalion's smile disappeared, but he forced himself to remain composed.

"But you are already doing exactly that." I glared at him.

"Maybe, you should try looking at yourself in the mirror before pointing fingers at everyone else." I snarled.

"Enough!" Father's voice thundered, but neither of us listened. Thalion leaned forward.

"You think you are different?" I nodded while he shook his head. "You aren't."

"Oh please, keep your fucking mouth shut and stop trying to act like a saint." I snarled.

"Thalion is nothing like you, and Drayce." Drayen cut in before Thalion could defend himself. "Who is controlled by women," he snarled, my fist clenched, "and that stupid Drayce is loyal to a fault." My gaze moved between them, two brothers united against another. This wasn't new to me; it was always Drayce and me on one side while the other three monsters were on the other side. They act loyal in front of people, but behind closed doors, they are at each other's throats. I laughed, not that they were funny, but it's ridiculous how people pretend to get each other back in front of others, but behind them, they could bite. They sounded pathetic.

"At least, we are being controlled by our women not our brother's woman." The room went completely silent. I looked directly at Thalion while I dragged my eyes slowly from him to Drayen. "And we are sensitive enough to know when our females aren't ours." The words had barely left my mouth when Drayen shot to his feet.

"What the hell did you just say?" His chair crashed backwards. I remained seated, watching him; he had that same reaction he had earlier when I said he couldn't see the traitor sitting beside him.

"Go direct your anger toward your enemies not me." I looked at the king; he wasn't saying anything. He looked too tired to meddle in our childish quarrel; Drayen's breathing became heavier.

"You think you could use careless words and then act like it's nothing?" My gaze moved from him to Jael, she was already sweating, I could understand her fear, and I didn't think she could escape it this time, I didn't mean to drag her into this but they were pushing me and the words were out, there is no way, I could take it back. "Go on and spill. What do you mean by that?" He growled, I smirked.

"You can't force me to speak and I had nothing to tell you." 

"Shut up!" Drayen's voice thundered in the room. "One last time, tell me what you mean by those words." My eyes snapped to him; I couldn't understand why he wasn't letting this go. I parted my lips to say something; maybe I could redeem the situation, but he had already turned from me; his gaze was fixed on Jael. "Are you betraying me?" The room fell silent. "Are you cheating on me?"