+Chapter 36+

The maid smiled to herself as King Kade stormed in, she knew it was the right call to make. So when she stepped in to place the tray on the table, she gave Miss Mari a conspiratorial look, drifting out airily, winds in her sails. She had a lot of information to give her partners in crime, they had even created a group chat and everything.

Mari hadn’t noticed the maid’s smile, overwhelmed with the fact that there were two Kings in her bedroom now, both of them glaring daggers at each other. They made her room suddenly seem smaller by their mere presence.

She had just wanted to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and a good book but how was she supposed to do that with them around her? She wished someone would break the silence, the scent of whipped cream and lemon meringue mixing in with white roses and dark chocolate.

The silence stretched on, no one willing to break the silence. Mari decided to make the move, being the one to suffer most from their presence, “Is… um- Is something wrong?” She asked softly, her voice tinkling like broken glass in the loud silence.

“Yeah, there’s something I have to discuss with Lucien,” Kade straightened up, focusing on Marion for the first time since he came in. Her skin in the light of the fireplace made her look enchanting, her eyes coming to life as they reflected the heat. It was difficult to not picture her in front of his fireplace bared for him and writhing with need.

He turned around and strode out, knowing that Lucien knew to follow him. Kade needed a duo of therapists to explain to him why he was so protective over some random witch who really didn’t deserve it.

Lucien contemplated ignoring Kade but they both wanted to avoid a scene in front of the witch so he casually got up and strode out, trailing his fingers through the witch’s hair that looked red-brown in the heat of the fire, a smile tugging on his lips at the shiver that wracked through her.

He stomped out the anger that had risen up like a dying flame when Kade showed up and ruined everything, walking out to find the other King long gone. Although he knew that Kade had said that to get him out of the witch’s room, he liked to chase trouble so he went right after the other King, guessing that the other would be in his study room.

He strode in without knocking, watching with satisfaction at the way Kade’s brows tightened, black eyes filling with anger; *He shouldn’t be the only one in a shitty mood*. He smiled as he sat, long fingers tapping on the table, “You said we had something to discuss?”

Kade lifted a brow, knowing that the South King just wanted to put him on the spot because they both knew that there was nothing to fucking discuss, a fist fight would be more helpful than a conversation at that point.

“I want you to take the witch off your list of conquests,” He said calmly, leaning back in his huge chair.

Lucien’s fake smile cracked a little, he hadn’t been expecting Kade to be direct about that, “And when have I ever listened to you?”

Kade’s fingers twitched as he fought off the urge to punch Lucien’s smile off his face. He had suspected it but to hear the other King shamelessly announce his intention reached deep down to tap a nerve he hadn’t even known he had. “Since right fucking now,” He gritted out.

Lucien’s mirthless laughter dissipated his threats, “How about I propose something better?” He suggested with an evil glint in his ice-blue eyes, “If you fuck her before I do, I’ll listen to you.” He said the crass words casually, although he was held back from making a move on the witch for some reason and he could see the blatant lust in Kade’s eyes when he had stared at her back in her room.

So this challenge was not in his favor right from the start, he should just rise to his feet, blow it off as a joke, and leave before he put his foot in his mouth. *He wasn’t expecting Kade to agree to it…*

“Deal.” He said without mincing words, gaze steady. “And when I win, you’ll stay the fuck away from Marion.”

Lucien’s eyes widened fractionally in shock, he hadn’t been expecting such an intense reaction, he might have underestimated the extent of Kade’s infatuation with the witch, this wasn’t just to protect her from him.

He didn’t let his surprise show though, recovering quickly as he rose to his feet. “Confident, are we?” He chuckled low as he walked out, the sound dark and syrupy.

Kade’s collected facade shattered the moment his door clicked shut, he pushed a hand through his hair, brows furrowed. *What had he been thinking when he agreed to such a ridiculous prompt?*

But that was the issue, he hadn’t been thinking… just like when he had strode into Marion’s room after finding out that Lucien was in there with her. His thinking faculties had begun to malfunction when it came to the witch because that was the only way he would have agreed to a deal made by the sleazy South King.

He couldn’t lose though, there was no question of that. He couldn’t stand to think of what to happen if he let Lucien take Marion. The bastard couldn’t love anyone, not even himself, he would ruin her and when he was no longer having fun he would toss her to the side like an old doll.

The very thought of it was enough to have him clenching his fists tight, jaw hard. It had only been a few hours since Lucien came to his palace and yet he had managed to set everything on fire with a single sentence. Well, Kade had his own fault in the matter, he kept letting himself easily get riled up by the South King and he had been the one to agree to the ridiculous deal after all.