Majesty: Royal Vying

Chapter One

The Crowten flew down, dodging music chimes and hanging plants and perched on a wooden stand. Quickly, it eyed the figures behind the window before hitting the small golden bell hanging from the wall. The front door sprung open and the large bird cawed for their attention.

A tall, dark-haired boy stepped out and held out his arm, but the Crowten lifted his head into the air and cawed again louder. Leouch insisted and rubbed his fingers together, signaling a snack for the bird’s cooperation. He agreed and hopped from the stand with a stout bounce.

Leouch walked in and shut the door behind him and the sounds of people chatting and some crying swallowed them. The room was warm, crowded, and the walls were covered in pictures hidden beneath black sheets. With beady black eyes, the Crowten stared down the relatives all dressed in mourners' drapes. He did not care about the mourning family. He was only a bird.

Leouch lifted a heavy blanket covering the hall and ducked through, opening a door to the left. Inside was a soft blue bed and a hefty mahogany desk covered in colored leather-bound books. The Crowten leaped and fluttered across the room to a hanging nest. It was round and plush with the perfect view of the yard and his master’s bed.

“Caw!” Mordecai cried out. It had been a long and brutal flight to The Empire and back. The Crowten was famished and his wings were weak and shaky.

“Quiet, Cai. We must not attract the dead’s attention.” Leouch hissed, raising his hand to the bird. He met eyes with the Crowten and the bird looked startled. The eyes of the Bloodline sent cold waves shooting through his hollow bones. Purple and illuminated like creatures of another world. He cawed again softer.

“I’m going. Don’t bring them here.” He told the bird before adjusting his sleeves and slipping out into the hallway. His skin prickled, sensing the spirits entering the house for the viewing. There was a cold breeze climbing his shoulder as he ducked beneath another blanket.

Heat greeted his face, creating an immediate dew across his forehead. The back door was wide open and sounds of soupy foods popping and bubbling were almost too loud to hear his mother speaking to herself.

“Mazeh,” Leouch smiled, leaning against the short round dining table covered in food. “You shouldn’t have the door open.”

His mother turned around, tucking a rag in her apron belt. Sweat was beaded across her face, sticking curly baby hairs to her cheeks. She had a droopy bun of black curls wadded at the back of her head and a white streak sprouting from her widow’s peak.

“Meazo.” She threw her hands up in the air and then out towards him. “You shouldn’t be in here. You know how the dead like you.” Henrietta’s soft, on the lips voice, was warm and quick. Years of schooling in The Empire had stripped the same closed-mouth accent out of Leouch’s voice.

She was short and plump with the signature Valician green eyes and tan skin. She had given the same dark hair and Blisque family stripe to Leouch and his sister, but the Royal blood from his father had overcome the rest. He had the Valician height, but the bloodline’s light skin and royal purple eyes.

“I know. Mordecai just flew in.” He crossed the room and peeked into the pans on the stove. Red rolling vegetable soup and caramelized apple and pineapple skillet cake. Meals made for the dead.

“You haven’t cooked all the sliced hagen have you?” She shook her head no and Leouch opened the bright yellow fridge. He pulled out a long glass dish and removed the lid showing a stack of thick rust-colored hagen. He pulled off a slice and put the rest back in the icebox. The hagen slice stretched to the length of his forearm and felt sticky in his hand.

“Go. I will come to get you when it’s time.” She dismissed him.

Mordecai squeaked silently summoning him closer. The long waving slab of hagen reflected in his eyes. He laid the meat on a plastic tray beneath the bird. A murderous flame came to the bird’s eyes, and he stabbed his beak into the flesh. He made a violent sound that resembled a clog trying to clear and dove back in.

Outside the window, spirits passed walking towards the kitchen’s open door. He recognized a few of the faces and some of them paused long enough to catch his eyes. Their eyes darkened and stepped closer to the glass.

Leouch leaned in close and stared blankly at them. One came closer than the rest, opening its cheek to cheek split lips. Its jaw fell limply against the neck. The teeth and tongue were black and dry. It growled squishing its head against its sharp bony shoulders. He could hear the crack of dried dead bones rubbing against each other.

It rammed the glass. It hit with a thud and fell to the ground. Mordecai jerked fluffing his feathers, so they shook. He cawed, terrified, and pecked the glass with what looked like blistering anger. He couldn’t see the increasing horde collecting outside.

In the glass, Leouch could see his eyes reflecting. Even with the bright sunlight streaming in, they were brighter. He looked at his ancestors and tapped the glass, igniting a wave of shimmering drawings. They screamed one by one and threw themselves at him. The glass would never give in.

Mordecai hid in his bedding chirping throwing specks of meat from his beak. The strands of fat circled around it like a web. He jerked his head to the right and then the left, panicked, screaming for the attack to stop. He wrapped his wings over his head and chirped.

“They can’t get in, Cai,” he said calmly, pulling the thick black drapes closed. The thumping continued shaking the window. Leouch pulled open his nightstand and pulled out a long-necked lighter. He flicked it on, the tip sparking to life, and lit a lamp. The flame shot up inside the glass and he lowered it to a flicker.

Moans of the dead and the jumping shadows around his room brought the feeling of mourning out of him. It was dark and warm and he could hear his aunt cry. She sobbed so loudly that her voice sounded pained and weak. They echoed through the house. He sat down and cleared his throat.

Chapter Two

The sky outside had faded into darkness when his mother came knocking at his door. He sat up on the edge of his bed and reached over opening it. In her hand, she held two golden bells. Her fingers were stuck in the bottom keeping them from ringing.

“Sweet boy, it’s time to send the family away and eat. Give this one to your sister.” She gave the bells to him and pulled him out of his room. She ducked under the blanket and looked out into the room full of wandering spirits.

In the darkness of the room, their eyes glowed soft and yellow. As soon as Leouch stepped into the room they dropped their jaws. Henrietta rang the bell in her hand once and the spirits started shaking. The ringing hummed through them and they closed their mouths.

Turning to his side, Leouch handed the other bell to his sister who was sitting in a chair. She took it from his slender fingers and began to ring it. She didn’t look at him. She didn’t say a word but only wiped her eyes.

“Travel home safely.” Their mother whispered, raising her hand to the open door. The sky was a dim yale and everything had gotten quiet. An echo of the other bells given to the rest of the living family rang and the spirits started disappearing. One second they were standing there vibrating and then they were gone.

When the bells stopped only one spirit was left standing in the room. Their aunt Vivian stood there with her once green eyes glowing like the two golden coins laid on her corpse’s eyes behind her. She smiled across the room towards her sister, Ginger.

Her sister stood up and slowly crossed the room before pulling Vivian into her shaking arms. They looked like a person standing in front of a mirror. The only difference between them was Vivian’s eyes. The color of the dead.

“Did you pass peacefully?” Ginger asked pulling away. She wiped at her cheeks with her shawl clenched in her shaking hand.

“Not with your snoring.” Vivian laughed softly and she took a deep breath. “I don’t want to leave you here. I don’t want to leave at all.”

Henretta wiped her face and walked over to the casket and slowly dropped the lid closed. When she turned around Vivian was looking at her with her arms waiting. Leouch felt a pang shoot through him at the thought that this might be him and his sister one day.

What would it be like to leave your twin after a lifetime of being together? Would it feel like he was visiting The Empire or would he feel like half of himself? He didn’t know. Mori had always been in the background of his life. A hand clenched his and he looked down. Mori brought it to her chest and wrapped both of her hands around it and held it against her lips. The same pain echoed through her.

“It’s time to eat. Leouch, Mori, come help me bring out the food.” Henrietta slipped under the heavy blanket.

Later that night nearing early morning, Mori sat on Leouch’s bed looking at him over the top of her book. Her intense almost red eyes shimmered in the lantern light. He sat at the head with Mordecai in his arms. He stroked the bird’s feathers. A scowl was indented to his forehead.

“Are you really going to leave during mourning?” she asked. He nodded and looked to her.

“I have duties as first child,” he said tilting his head. “I will continue mourning at The Empire.”

“You value the throne more than our culture.”

He straightened up and the bird leaped away flapping his wings. The bed beneath them creaked as he moved towards her. She shut the book and pressed it against her chest like a babe.

“It’s funny you bringing up mourning and values only to push your opinions. It would be someone like you to use a death against me. I hope you feel proud about that,” he hissed ripping the book from her fingers. He chunked it and it bounced against the walls.

“You can act like I don’t care about my family as much as you want, but the only reason I want to be Crown is to make it better for us! For everyone we know.” His eyes flicked between hers and just as he was leaning back the door opened. Henretta stood in the way.

“Both of you, silence. I won’t have you belittling each other while your flesh and blood lies cold and stiff in the next room. Separate or shut up,” she slammed the door.

“Just because I’m leaving the mourning does not mean I am leaving my mourning behind. I would quickly dismiss the invite of any other place in a moment, but you know I‌ have no choice. It is not an invite. It is a demand. A demand that if I do not follow then I lose everything I’ve worked for,”

“I love Aunt Viv and I‌ love you. I love this community and everything we’ve gotten to keep since immigrating to Euphinnia. I would lay my life down to keep our home safe and I do that every time I‌ leave.” He took a breath. “Am I not valuing our blood trying to be the first Valician Crown?”

“Valician’s don’t care about titles or Crowns,” she says quietly.

“We started caring when we joined during the war. Loyalty to the crown was the only reason we got to hold tradition during the war. If you’d remember, the only reason we weren’t forced into fighting during the war is that we bent the knee.” Leouch stood.

“Are we still Valician if we lose ourselves in trying to survive?” She asks standing up to leave. She stepped into the doorway and turned around. Leouch moved around the bed and put his hand on the doorknob.

“Should we die out for something as simple as titles and Crowns?” He shut the door in her face and slid the lock.

Chapter Three

The sun rose from the horizon to the mid-morning sky flooding Leouch’s bedroom. His hair was peeking out from beneath the covers. Mordecai, laying quietly in his nest, began to chirp. It was sweet and soft and woke Leouch. He pushed up from the bed and stumbled to his feet.

The floorboards were cold and moaned as he walked. He stepped into the hallway and listened to the laughter coming from the living room. His mother and aunt were talking about their childhood.

The bathroom was bright and warm from the sunlight so he stood in the warmth before yawning. Leouch walked over to the porcelain tub sticking the plug into the drain. The heater in the corner had red coals waiting for water.

After washing his face in the basin he filled a large bucket of water and placed it over the heat. In a few minutes, it would be warm enough to use. Henrietta knocked and he opened the door to see her tired, but smiling face. She asked him if he wanted breakfast and he followed her into the kitchen.

It was the first time he had ever seen the kitchen still dirty from the night before. His mother was religious about keeping the place clean. However, the mourning kept them from cleaning. Thankfully they were allowed to bathe. It would be another night before she left for the river and the black cloths were removed from all the reflective surfaces. At least he wouldn’t be here to clean up the mess.

His mother pulled out some fried meat and drop biscuits and heated them up. She had just set his plate down when his sister came through the door. Her long dark hair was braided into two braids and wrapped around the crown of her head.

“You dress just like Alma, Mori,” he says handing her a biscuit. She takes it and sits down across from him. Henrietta heats up some more for the both of them and sits down.

Mori gives a soft smile and pulls down her braids. She slowly pulls them apart with her fingers and sweeps it behind her. It looked silky and the silver hairs sparkled in the light.

“Alma was nice,” she nodded. “Simple.”

“Most of the children are nice.” Henrietta pushed Leouch’s hair out of his face and he made a face.

“Most,” he replied.

The rest of the breakfast was silent. When they were done they stacked their plates and Henrietta sat them in the sink turning on the water. She paused, wiped her hands on her hips, and shut the water off.

“No cleaning.” She quietly whispered before seeing that her kids had already left the room.

Leouch slipped into the bath and rolled his shoulders. The water came up to his collar and smelled like cedar. Or maybe it was the coals. Something smelled like cedar. He rubbed the hot water against his face and back into his hair. He grabbed a roughly shaped brick of soap and brought it into the tub.

When the water turned white with small little bubbles he slid down. Later tonight he would make it to the Peridot Sea and cross it to The Empire. He would see familiar faces and the large empty feeling castle. Then the other children would come and the last judgment would happen over the next few weeks. Along with the balls, the classes, and the never-ending vying with his step-siblings.

And O.

He smiled and slipped further into the water. His cheeks turned pink. O was the only good thing about going to The Empire especially during such a bad time. The smile dropped a bit. He’d also be seeing his father, the King Crown, and he’d no doubtfully ask about Mori.

Back in his room, he opened the chest at the end of his bed and pulled out a new set of clothes. It wasn’t a hard choice since most of it was black and the rest wasn’t allowed during mourning. Leouch slipped on his best dress clothes and buttoned his shirt up to his neck.

He was just finishing up with his suitcase when there was a knock at the door. He knew it was time. Mordecai jumped down to the desk and then up onto Leouch’s shoulder. He quickly pulled out a stack of lavender letters from his desk and tucked them under his arm.

“Go to the front door, Cai,” he commanded watching the Crowten jump to the floor and hop down the hall.

“Leouch! The carriage is here for you.”

He dragged the suitcase behind him and threw the blanket over his shoulder. Standing at the door was a dark man and his mother. His sister waved to him from the chair in the corner. He walked out to the porch where Mordecai was searching for bugs.

“Be safe, Meazo. I love you. Tell your father hello.” She patted his back and shut the door behind him.

Through the window, he could see Vivian smiling. This would be the last time he’d see her for a long time. He hoped the river would be gentle to cross. He nodded and stepped down and towards the carriage. The man opened the door and took his luggage to the back. He lifted it onto the shelf and buckled the straps.

“This will be the last time I pick you up as a Child of the Crown, Lord Blisque.” He smiled and lifted Mordecai up into the carriage and shut the door. Leouch looked through the small window at the man.

“I pray the next time you’ll be calling me King.” The man laughed and climbed onto the front. He whipped the strap and the horses carried him down the street.

He looked out at the onlookers standing behind their windows and from their porches. Some waved and some just stared. The many children playing in the crossroads stood as close to the cart as they could and reached up for Leouch. He reached back barely brushing their fingers. One of the little girls called out to him.

“Proceed as Lord and return as King! Phene bring praise upon us.” She pulled her younger siblings to her and he couldn’t look away. It was only until they descended the hill that he sat back down.

Suddenly a lump was in his throat. They needed him to sit on the throne. They wouldn’t be safe out of the district without him. The citizens of Euphinnia wouldn’t stop burning shops and spitting in their faces until he proved them wrong. He wrang his hands deep in thought. Valicians weren’t cowards.

Chapter Four

When the carriage arrives at the Peridot Bay they find a spot to rest and to eat. Being a child of the King makes him easily recognizable as royalty, but his dark hair and skin marks him immediately as Valician. He steps down the carriage and people in the square stare.

Mordecai sits on his shoulder and scans the many faces. The sea calls out to him. He loves the way the ocean mist sprays his feathers and cools him. He caws and returns his beady eyes towards the crowd. They walk towards a set of shops lit by lightbulbs connected by thick strips of wires bolted to the walls.

The door dings as they walk in and a short woman in an apron meets them. She leads them to a table but stares intensely at the floor. When she does look up to hand them the menus she stares at Leouch. She swallows and waits for them to choose.

“Gold salmon and pepper roast vegetables.” Leouch says sliding the menu to the edge.

“I’ll take the slug and potatoes.” The driver takes both menus and hands them to the girl. She leans in and looks into Leouch’s eyes.

“Be careful, my Lord. Some of the men in here hate our kind. I, myself, am so proud to be able to serve you.” The mousey girl slowly backs away and moves towards the bar. She passes the orders on and looks back.

In the electric light, her skin is warm, but not dark as most of the women in the Valician district. Her hair is brown and crazy with waves and curls. Even her eyes are dark and look green like the forests at the base of Valicia. Mordecai hops down onto the table. She looks back then starts handing out drinks. The men at the bar cheer.

A few minutes pass and she comes back with a set of plates and two tall glasses. They’re lime green filled to the tip with cider. She sets down the plates in front of them and Leouch can’t help but to stare at the driver’s slug. It’s the length of a forearm and a soft yellow. The slug, which is sliced down the stomach and covered in black grill lines, is filled with large chunks of potatoes. It steams and covered the whole dish.

“Do they make that where you’re from?” Leouch eyes it not sure if it looks interesting or disgusting.

“Oh yeah. They pull slugs the size of small dogs out of the sea and hang them up from stalls. We don’t have a lot of meat up there so this is a main source of protein. And she tastes great too.”

“She?” Leouch asks before cutting into the salmon.

“Yup. The ladies grow real big and the guys stay the size of thumbs. I’ll tell ya that if you cut and stuff it with sauteed onions and potatoes then toss it over the fire… IT IS AMAZING,” he goes on and on about the slugs until he’s almost eaten half of it.

He tosses some salt on the end and it visibly shrinks making Leouch cringe. He had never been up northeast so the food was strange and mildly disgusting. When they had almost finished the girl came back around with a small bag full of shelled nuts. She gave it to the bird and he cawed with glee. Mordecai shoved his head deep inside and dumped a few nuts onto the table.

“I get to see so many flying through here. Especially the royal Crowtens. I don’t make enough to own one, but I hear they live up to eighty years! You’d have one for your whole life,” she says in awe and brushes her knuckles over his rump and tail feathers.

“We get them when we turn ten. They look like balls of fur and hop all over the place. They come with little rings around their feet with their names.” Leouch points to the little gold band around the bird’s foot.

The girl looks at it and brushes it with the tip of her finger. Mordecai pops out of the bag, pieces of shell stuck to his head, and lifts his foot. He shakes it making the ring bounce around. She laughs and it sounds like a hundred of church bells ringing.

“What’s your name?” he asks out of nowhere. She seems taken aback but stands up and smiles.

“Bindi.”

“That’s a pretty name, miss.” The driver slowly slips from his seat and dusts off his lap. She moves to the side and lets Leouch step out too. He towers over her and the driver dumps a handful of silver coins onto the table.

She collects them, waves as they leave, and returns to the bar. Only, now there are two men instead of the six. She doesn’t find coins on the bar and she curses. They had snuck out without paying. Leouch and the driver were already on their way to the carriage.

A group of light-skinned men were standing near the horses when they arrived. Mordecai had flown into the window with a nut in his beak and Leouch just opens the door when a hand pulls him back. He stumbles.

“What kind of uppity Valcin coward do you think ye are hanging round ‘ere?” Leouch lands on the filthy street and he looks up making the tall hefty man go wide eyed. He backs up and yells.

“He’s one of those blue eyed freaks!” One of the men behind him says pulling the bigger one back. Feet are already pounding the street when the driver pulls him back to his feet.

The set of men look at the carriage and one points out the small golden seal on the side. It was the symbol of The Empire. It was a ring with three purple clover flowers. The flowers themselves were the symbol of Pheneism, but the ring symbolizes the Crown.

“You dumb fuck! He’s royalty!” A scrawny blonde said spitting out a lump of tobacco. It lands on the street as he runs away.

A couple of police come up behind them and check on Leouch before grabbing the big guy. He tries to pull away. Leouch looks up at his short beard and wild eyes and stops the policemen.

“No, no. Let him go it was a mistake.” He brushes himself off and the guy goes still.

“But Lord-”

“Let him go,” he says again more sternly.

The police let him go and he runs, as fast as a big man can, and disappears down an ally. The two police, dressed in white and purple, salute and Leouch gestures for them to stop. The sun was setting over the sea and they had a good twenty-minute boat ride to the castle.

“Have a safe trip, Lord.” They say in unison. Leouch climbs in and covers his mouth as they trot away.

He shivered finally feeling the fear that had come from earlier. The life he had said he’d lay down could’ve been taken just like that. Valicians fell into neck-deep danger the second they leave the district. It didn’t matter if they were royal or plain. Nobody would give a second look to one being gutted in the street.

Chapter Five

The Peridot sea was a gently glowing ocean full of Maidens and home to the Temple of Phene, the goddess of life, and creator of fae and humans alike. It was the softest green and ran full of delicious golden salmon. The driver, now steering the boat, made his way over the gentle waves towards a closer growing island. It was lush, surrounded by white sand, and the dark storm clouds overhead were blowing away.

Leouch could just barely make out the docks where a white carriage sat waiting. Peeking out from the evergreens and sharp slate sided mountains was a grand white castle with glorious, almost blue, iris colored roofs. Years of sun and rain had bleached them out.

“Jon, if I’m crowned I hope you’ll be there in the court.” Leouch leaned over the edge to peer down into the depths of the water.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, my Lord.”

The boat docked and Leouch walked out onto the dock and stared into the orange and pink clouds above and took in a deep breath. The air tasted like salt and the wind whipping his face felt warm like it came directly from the mouth of the sun.

It was a strange delicious feeling being at The Empire. The air didn’t smell like the Valician district in main Euphinnia. It smelled earthy. It smelled like a freshly rained forest. He looked at the boat as Jon kicked it off and started floating towards the bay. He lifted his tan hat and waved it through the air. His mustached dark face and soft hazel eyes were a face from his childhood. It felt so strange to know he would never pick him up like that again.

The carriage stopped at the grand front door of the castle. It was dark with large iron knockers with the faces of gargoyles with large rings hanging from their teeth. There were torches hanging on hooks on either side of the doors where the guards were positioned. He stepped out onto the puddle covered walk and dragged his suitcase through the water.

Both doors swung open and he entered. Two maids waited just inside to take his luggage and one offered to get him something to eat. He shook his head and walked to the right. She followed and told him that he was the first child to arrive and that his father and Queen were out in the garden. Then she quickly left.

Leouch made his way through halls and large twenty-foot doors until he made it to the lounge. He paused to pull the stack of lavender letters out of his blazer. He opened the last letter and unfolded it. It smelled homely and sweet.

Leouch,

 I’m sorry about your aunt. I know how close you were. The judgment is coming up and I know you want to let everything out, but I think it’s still best to wait.

You’re not the easiest to get along with, as a child of the crown.

I can’t wait to see you. It’s been too long. I keep your letters close and your clothes even closer, but they can’t keep your warmth past a year. I miss you and Cai. It gets too lonely here with Mother and the King. I keep you in my heart and prayers.

I love you,

Olivier

He smiles and puts the letter away.

Leouch pushed open the door slowly so he could peek around. A smile crept up his face when the familiar figure came into view. The door shut silently behind him as he walked across the room.

“You know,” Leouch dragged out, watching Olivier turn around. “I’m pretty sure you called me mean in your last letter.”

Olivier stepped back against the glass and let out a happy sigh. He looked into Leouch’s shimmering eyes and glanced down at the ground. A light pink came to his cheeks.

“I believe you’re putting words in my mouth,” Olivier said, straightening up as Leouch walks around the couch towards him. Shyly, he runs his hands down the collar of his jacket and suddenly all Leouch can think about is touching him.

It’s hard to go months without seeing the person you love. You miss everything about them. Especially their smile. He cups Olivier’s face and drops his right hand down over his chest.

“You always dress up when we come.” Leouch touches the small purple pin with three flowers. The same symbol that Olivier stamps his letters with. He leaned into his hand and closed his eyes.

“Don’t do that,” Olivier said laughing, opening his chocolate eyes. They inhaled the light like black holes. “Don’t talk about my clothes.”

Leouch tried not to smile as he slipped his hands under the shoulder of his blazer and pushed it down his arms. Olivier put his hand on Leouch’s shoulder and playfully shoved him back, sliding his blazer back on.

“You’re such a tease.” Olivier wrapped his arms around his neck and slowly walked them back towards the couch. Leouch turned them around and pushed Olivier down. He bounced and stared up at him with a smile.

“Olivier, you know I haven’t started yet.” Leouch crawls onto him and buries his face into Olivier’s shoulder. A light, happy giggle fills the room.

“Hush,” Leouch whispers through his laughter. Something about Olivier’s laugh filled him with butterflies. He stared down at him and felt the butterflies rise into his ribcage. Olivier looked at his lips and then up into his eyes. He wanted to kiss him even though the parlor wasn’t private and anybody could walk in and discover them.

It had been months since the last time he felt Olivier fall to pieces beneath him. He couldn’t look away from his doe-eyed darling. But when he leaned down the door opened and Leouch was quickly thrown off.

It hadn’t been the first time, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last.

“Oh, Lord Desvoir, I’m sorry. I was looking for Leouch.” A soft female voice apologized. Olivier leaned up against the back of the couch and gave her a dazzling smile.

“Oh no, don’t apologize. You just startled me.” He laughed. “I haven’t seen Lord Leouch today. Have you checked the garden?”

“No. No, I haven’t. G’day.” She gave a quick curtsy and shut the door.

“Must you always throw me?” Leouch stood up laughing and brushed himself off.

“I, uh.” Olivier fumbled, turning pink.

“Ah, sh-sh.” Leouch leaned in real close watching Olivier quickly bite his lip. “I expect to see you tonight, Lord Desvoir. After dinner.” He leaned in closer and smiled, giving a low guttural purr. Olivier’s whole face went red, and he looked down.

It took most of what Leouch had to walk away. Olivier was, what Leouch considered, his only weakness.