by Dr. D
Dezi watched the crowd dancing in the middle. The shine of jewelry was a lot brighter here. The diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds all swirled around and around with the music and turned into a circle of rainbow aurora above the crowd. Dezi looked up and saw the radiant chandeliers showering down another layer of ethereal glow.
Dezi blinked, his eyes getting dry, and sipped his wine.
There was a small disturbance as queen left the hall with Acheron and the princess. Dezi looked around for that Duke of Ushuocia, but couldn’t find him either.
Dezi had heard that Ushuocia was the most remote region under the queen’s rule; it was quite big and used to be a small kingdom itself.
Even over the music, it was clear that chatter of the guests had increased.
“It had been a while since Lord Marcel came to the palace.”
“He must be at his wits ends about the dragons.”
Dezi turned his head and paid more attention to the conversation. It seemed that dragons had started to show up in the villages in Ushuocia and Lord Marcel had come to require the assistance of the royal court.
The conversation quickly changed to a magic contest tomorrow. The younger generations of the nobles would be publicly elected to participate in this expedition based on their abilities. But hearing all the networking and conversations that were happening around him, even Dezi could tell that this contest was just an excuse for a reset of political powers.
Dezi looked at the all the finely dressed noblemen chattering and drinking in the grandiose room. Of course, they had no real concerns about the lives of those villagers.
Dezi cast his gaze down and headed toward the exit.
He had no business here.
“Hey. Blondie!”
Dezi tensed up as a hand patted his shoulders.
“Lord Ronan …” Dezi turned around and put on a smile.
“I have been looking for you.” Ronan had swung his arm across Dezi’s shoulder before he could bow. “There is no fun drinking alone.” Ronan took the glass out of Dezi’s hand. “Come with me.”
Dezi opened his mouth but couldn’t come up with a good excuse to refuse.
Lord Ronan brought Dezi to a table outside, sat him down, and thudded a glass of gin in front of him. “Drink this.”
Dezi picked up the glass and drunk the liquid under Ronan’s gaze. “It is, khh, It is good …”
Quite strong, actually.
Dezi had a bad feeling about this; he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking for excuses to leave.
“You know who Lord Arlen is?” Ronan suddenly asked.
“Who …?” Dezi turned his head back toward Ronan and took a second to react. “Oh ... Yes. He is Queen Diamant’s consort.”
“He was also Lord Marcel’s brother.” Ronan poured himself a glass and sat down on the other chair, obviously planning to be here for a while.
“Oh.” Dezi rubbed his eyebrows. “Did Lord Arlen go back to--”
“He is dead.” Ronan took a sip of the alcohol. “Fifteen years ago.”
Ronan seemed to enjoy Dezi’s startled expression and continued. “Queen Evdokia accused him of treason almost immediately after Queen Diamant’s death.”
Dezi drunk the liquid in his glass and didn’t dare to comment.
“Queen Evdokia’s husband also died. We were told that it was a hunting accident.” Ronan poured more gin into Dezi’s glass. “About two years after Prince Andrew was born.”
“Why …” Dezi cleared his throat. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I think you should know about the curse,” Ronan said coldly.
“The curse?” Dezi looked at Ronan.
“Do you know what the victim of Noxis dragons looks like?” Ronan leaned over and put his arm on Dezi’s shoulder.
Dezi shifted a little but tolerated the intimacy with a clenched jaw. “Yes.”
One of the reasons that Noxis dragons were so feared and hated was that they could kill a whole herd of livestock in one lightning strike from the sky. If a person was unfortunate enough to be hit, his body would be destroyed inside out. All the blood vessels burst, and skin were shredded and burned to a layer of black crust.
“What about the survivors?” Ronan studied Dezi’s face.
Dezi tensed up. What came to mind was the image of the queen in that secret garden. Her skin was covered in dense, branch-like scars. It was burn marks that could only be caused by a Nexis’s magic power—also called the curse of Nexis.
“No one really knows what happened on the day of Queen Diamant’s death,” Ronan said. “No one ever saw her body, not even at the funeral.”
Dezi drew in a breath. Normally, a deceased royal’s body was preserved by ice for the grand funeral, but it would be hard to preserve a body that was basically burnt into ashes.
Dezi actually felt cold. The corner they were in felt completely separated from the busy dancing hall a wall away. “You meant the Noxis dragons really came?” Dezi had to swallow more of the burning liquid to warm himself up.
Ronan poured Dezi more gin but ignored his question. “We all thought Prince Acheron was dead, as well. He disappeared after that day and didn’t show up in the palace until about five years ago.” Ronan clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I hear he didn’t even know how to use a spoon at that time.”
Dezi pursed his lips and sipped more alcohol from his glass.
“Have you seen the curse of Noxis on him?”
Dezi paused and looked at Ronan. “No.” Acheron had many scars on him, but none of them looked close to the curse of Noxis.
“A three-year-old came out intact while the queen couldn’t even spare herself.” Ronan knocked the table with his fingers and glanced at Dezi. “That is why there are rumors saying that he is the cursed prince, the son of the night dragons.”
Dezi choked on those words and started coughing.
Ronan padded Dezi’s back and helped him to put the glass on the table. “The dragons in the dungeon have more than doubled. And now we even have this outbreak of dragon attacks.”
Dezi’s face turned red from the alcohol burning in his throat and lungs. Ronan’s words throbbed in his head and he couldn’t quite comprehend them. Many questions came through his mind, but he couldn’t extract any of them clearly.
“No one has ever seen him cast his magic.” Ronan took out a small box from his pocket and opened it.
“Testing gem?” Dezi saw what was in it.
“If Acheron really is a monster like the rumor says…” Ronan slapped the box close and stuffed it in Dezi’s hand. “We should make sure the kingdom won’t fall into ill fate.”
Dezi frowned at the word Ronan used but the box was pressed into his palm.
The thought that first crossed Dezi’s mind was that Acheron said he didn’t have an A rating.
Dezi opened his mouth but then closed it.
But what if the prince lied?
The implication made Dezi’s heart start to pump by his ear.
Chapter 21
The hallway was dark, and Dezi was a bit dizzy; he didn’t see Mathew standing in front of the door until he had reached it.
“... let it out ...” The faint voice coming through from the other side of the door belonged to the princess. “… not your fault …”
Dezi met Mathew’s gaze and felt flustered. He knew that he came back at a bad time and was going to walk away. But he didn’t expect that Mathew would suddenly open the door for him.
“…I can promise you--” The princess’s voice became clear. Her gaze fell on Dezi as she finished her sentence. “--whatever your heart might desire.”
Dezi lowered his head and pursed his lips. “My apologies, your highness.”
The glance that the princess gave him was light; it made him feel like he was an insignificant bug that happened to fly in. But Acheron came right up to him and put his arms around his waist, seemingly recovered from the rejections he had received a little while ea
rlier.
Dezi glanced at the princess and stayed still. He could feel the princess’s gaze on him, but instead of being embarrassed, somehow it felt like that he had a small victory against her. He was the one that could effortlessly obtain Acheron’s attention; he was the one that could tell him what to do. The alcohol pumped in his bloodstream and carried this triumph feeling all the way up to his head.
Encouraged by Dezi’s silent permission, Acheron stepped closer and attempted to kiss him.
Dezi turned his head away, but the prince still chose to peck on his cheek. The air carried a faint scent of the garden when Acheron got close to him.
Dezi just closed his eyes to fight his dizziness.
“I will see you tomorrow,” Dezi heard the princess say. He opened his eyes, and the world spun even more.
Tatiana’s figure looked like it was behind an opaque glass, and her smile seemed contorted into a frightening grin.
What could she be looking that would be so amusing?
Mathew gave Dezi a deep look and closed the door after the princess.
Acheron leaned in to kiss him again when there were only two of them in the room, but Dezi moved further away.
“What do I do, Dezi?” Acheron breathed out those hoarse words. Eager to do anything to please him.
“Give me your hand.” Dezi took Acheron’s hand and let him kiss him while he reached into his pocket and held onto the box.
The prince licked his lips, a little surprised at the taste of alcohol in Dezi’s mouth, but soon delved in for more.
Dezi took out the testing gem, and the box fell down to the rug beside their feet.
Acheron opened his eyes when Dezi placed something in his palm. His black eyes contracted sharply and he jerked his hand away like the gem was a burning coal. Dezi’s head was shoved to the side so hard he almost fell onto the floor.
“What the fuck.” Dezi’s head got even dizzier, and he only got a glimpse of the color of the stone.
The prince stomped on the gem until it had shattered into pieces.
“Damn it.” Dezi narrowed his eyes. He stumbled toward Acheron to stop him, but Acheron gripped on to him and yanked him away.
“Gosh ...” Dezi was going to complain that Acheron’s clenching fingers were hurting his arm, but he forgot the word when he looked up at Acheron’s face.
The prince’s eyes were wide in horror, and his face was paper pale. He violently dragged Dezi as far away from the scattered pieces as possible and shoved Dezi again the wall. He panted like a terrified animal and stared into Dezi’s eyes. The hands that were still gripping onto his flesh started shaking when Acheron scrutinized Dezi’s expression.
Dezi dropped his jaw and was utterly confused by Acheron’s behavior.
“So it worked ...” Dezi couldn’t have been sure if the prince didn’t nervously check if he saw something. The testing gem’s color when it touched Acheron was very dark, almost indistinguishable from the shadow. So Dezi doubted that if there was ever any light that came out from that gem.
“It was definitely too dark to be blue,” Dezi murmured and rubbed his aching head to think.
Most commoners had a talent rating of D or E, which would make the testing gem glow in a bright yellow or pale orange light. Rich elites took up most ratings of C, which would make the gem glow a green light. Many nobles would have offspring that scored B ratings and bring a bright blue shine to the gem. Only the royal bloodline could have prince and princess that possess the rare A rating, gave the gem a dark purple glow.
“You are an A, aren’t you?” Dezi raised his voice.
Acheron let out a long breath, and his shoulder collapsed from the tension. He hauled Dezi’s head closed and bit onto his lips.
“Mm!” Dezi’s brows knitted up sharply and kicked the prince. But Acheron couldn’t care less. He pushed Dezi down to the floor and sucked and nibbled on any part of Dezi’s flesh.
Dezi squirmed under the prince and murmured between breaths, “You can be the next king.”
Acheron shook his head slightly, but his hands didn’t stop at those words as they sneaked in Dezi’s shirt. He found Dezi’s mouth and kissed him so hard that the base of Dezi’s tongue started to hurt.
“Mm ... enough!” Dezi pulled away and glared at the prince.
Acheron’s eyes looked like he wanted to eat Dezi alive and he didn’t know how else he could release that impulse. Dezi could feel Acheron’s erection pressing against him. He tried to push Acheron away, but the prince just held him tighter.
Dezi’s body heated up as the gin burned in his stomach, he squinted his hazy eyes and asked Acheron. “You want to get fucked? Yes, you do.” Dezi grinned and pointed at Acheron with his unstable finger. “Because you love me.”
Dezi pulled Acheron’s head up and laughed. “It is all right, I will fuck you. Turn around.” Dezi hustled Acheron beneath him and pulled down his pants.
He shoved half a finger in the soft flesh before the ring reflectively tightened in surprise.
It bit him too tight and dry so that Dezi couldn’t really force another finger in.
Acheron eyes widened and he looked back at him.
Dezi looked down at what he was doing and felt his head start to hurt even more. The fun was drowned by a sudden flood of sorrow.
“Does it hurt?” Dezi murmured and grimaced. “It does. It burns like hell.”
“I know how it is…” He slowly unbuttoned his pants and glanced down at his limp penis. He reached down to rub it, but it didn’t do much.
“It is good that it hurts, it is better than not hurting …”
Dezi bit his lips; his limbs felt terribly heavy. His hands reached down between his own butt cheeks before his foggy mind could process it.
His penis twitched as he inserted a finger into his anus after some rough expanding.
“Ah...” Dezi closed his eyes, bowed down to the floor, and fell into silence as he masturbated. He had managed to abandon this habit for years, so long that he had dropped his guard under the influence. But his body remembered, and the pleasure came to him as strong as before.
The room spun even faster, and there wasn’t enough oxygen in the air. Dezi gasped for air, and his cheeks burned with his beating heart.
Acheron clenched onto Dezi’s shoulder and pulled him closer. He dug Dezi’s face out, found his mouth, and kissed him. His hands combed through the blonde hair and went down to the smooth back. Dezi felt a lump in his throat, and he nudged closer to the prince’s chest. Something rose from within him along with a warm feeling. But before it even reached his throat, Dezi’s eyes shot open.
“No, don’t!” Dezi drew in a breath.
The prince’s finger poked at the entrance and pressed in deeper. Dezi’s anus ring swallowed the tip with ease, and his fully erect penis twitched.
“You like it.” Acheron swallowed and nudged closer. His erection thrust in between Dezi’s legs, leaving a wet trail on his thigh.
Dezi stared wide-eyed at Acheron; he saw the desire in the prince’s eyes, so familiar and hideous. It brought a hit to his stomach. Some nightmare in his memories suddenly caught up to him again.
Voices started to replay in his head.
“Fucking cunt,” they said.
“I don’t like boys, but he is the cheapest.”
“Look how much he likes men’s cocks.”
Dezi’s cheeks turned pale, and his body tensed. The sudden affection he had evaporated almost instantly and replaced by a rage of betrayal.
“Get out!” he shouted.
Acheron tensed up and tried to pull out, but the soft walls clung onto him. He took in a breath and hesitantly thrust upward.
Dezi trembled lightly when Acheron found his swelled prostate. Pleasure and shame shot up Dezi’s spine and stabbed a needle in every pore on his back.
“You bastard!” Dezi yelled and shoved the prince.
“Dezi …” Acheron couldn’t hear it and didn’t budge. He caught Dezi’s wrists w
ith one hand, pushed Dezi down with his body, and forced himself between his legs.
Dezi felt Acheron rub himself aimlessly around his butt cheek and at some point pushed at his anus. That sensation made explosive anger overtake Dezi in an instant. The thin string snapped in Dezi’s head, and he yelled with bloodshot eyes. “Fuck you! I am normal, I like women!”
“Dezi …”
“I don’t like it, I don’t want you!” Dezi’s face contorted with hatred. “Get the hell away from me!”
Acheron pursed his lips into a hard line and let Dezi go.
As soon as the prince moved away a bit, Dezi gave a full-blown kick to his erection.
Acheron quivered with pain and arched his back. Dezi cursed and kicked him again. Acheron shut his eyes and took it obediently in silence.
Dezi broke off when he is exhausted and tried to stand up, but Acheron grabbed his hand from behind.
“Dezi...” Acheron desperately tried to even out his breath and begged with a low voice. “Don’t go …”
“Get away from me!” Dezi screamed from the top of his lungs.
Acheron drew in a breath and yanked Dezi down. “You stay!”
“Don’t fucking touch me!” Dezi glared at him.
Anger finally contorted Acheron’s face as he pressed Dezi down beneath him. “You stay right here!”
Dezi yelped. A sudden, sharp pain pierced his skin right under Acheron’s fingers and sent an involuntary tremor through his muscles.
Color vanished from Acheron’s face as he jumped off of Dezi.
Dezi groaned as he sat up and rubbed the back of his shoulders. “What ...” What was that?
“I am sorry!” Acheron almost screamed out the words. He hid his hands behind him, backed away on his knees, and held his head low to the ground. All his muscles were clenched so tight that his whole body was trembling.
“I am sorry,” the prince murmured as he shook his head in a compulsive way. “I will keep it in, I can do it ...”
Dezi watched in silence, opened his mouth, and then closed it. His brain was throbbing and his eyelids were heavy. The anger faded, and fatigue and dizziness took over. Dezi reached out and placed his hand on Acheron’s head. “Shhh … You used to be quieter …”