Once back at the governor's palace, Alex dismissed Sven and changed his clothes. Then he headed for William's room.
Ian, standing near the door, gave him a brief bow.
"Your Highness."
"How did things go today? Any problems?"
"No. The mage wasn't disturbed at all and worked in the archives all day."
"The merchant?"
"He didn't show up, but the governor tried to approach William."
"What did you do?"
"I sent him away, telling him that the mage didn't want to be disturbed."
"Does William know?"
"He saw us talking, but he didn't say anything. He seems… impatient."
Alex had no doubt: being constantly watched couldn't be pleasant.
He knocked on William's door, and the mage opened it. He was wearing a Xianese robe that suited him far better than the outfit from the previous evening. He possessed a delicate beauty that made Alex's heart pound, but his gaze was as empty as it had been the night before.
"Are you ready?"
William nodded and followed him down the corridor.
Dinner passed in silence. The governor did little more than glance at them, but didn't utter a word, not even when the prince took his leave.
Once in the corridor, Alex stopped in front of William.
"Go back to your room and rest."
"Why?"
"You need it, Will. After everything that's happened, you deserve some peace. I'll take care of the rest."
The mage slowly lifted his gaze to him, and a spark of disappointment flickered in his eyes.
"Why? I'm not that useless."
"I didn't say you are. I just said that… you need to rest."
"I don't need it."
"It's an order, William."
William pressed his lips together, lowered his head, and walked away down the corridor.
Alex pushed the guilt aside and motioned for Ian to escort him back. Even if it meant being resented, he could never involve the mage in his plans.
From now on, he would do everything he could to keep William safe.
Alex reached the governor's private wing and stopped in front of the guards. The soldiers bowed to him and cast a quick glance at the two goblets and a bottle of wine the prince was carrying.
"Do you need anything, Your Highness?" one of them asked.
"Just your cooperation." Alex offered his best smile. "I'd like to give Luka a… surprise, but if he knew I was here, it wouldn't be the same, would it?"
"A… surprise?"
"The kind a man always appreciates."
The soldiers' cheeks flushed red, and Alex's lips curved in a mischievous smile.
"Could you let me pass without reporting it to the governor? I'd like to prepare myself before he arrives. Settle in a bit… loosen up."
The first guard stiffened. "Of course, Your Highness. You don't even need to ask."
He stepped aside and let him through.
Alex walked down the corridor to the bedroom and entered the room.
The furnishings were tasteful and comfortable, perhaps a bit too heavy on decorations and velvet. The canopy bed took up most of the space; a couple of lit candles illuminated the room, casting warm tones over the dark wood of the desk.
Alex set the goblets and the bottle on a small table and began searching for the records.
He opened every drawer, rummaging through papers, clothes, and linen. He ran his hands along the walls, looking for hidden niches or loose panels, checked behind paintings and tapestries, and even behind the wardrobe.
He found nothing.
"Where the hell did he hide them?"
Had he been wrong, and were they not there at all?
He took a breath, forcing himself to calm down.
If the governor really was involved in something illegal, he would have destroyed the incriminating evidence. But he needed the records to keep track of the flow of money; he couldn't burn them. So he had no choice but to hide them, and his private rooms were the safest place.
No one would enter without his permission.
Except the prince—but perhaps he didn't consider him that daring.
Alex went back to the desk and rummaged through the correspondence again, until a bundle of letters caught his attention. There were about ten of them, tied together with twine and left unsealed.
What if they were… the letters the two men had taken from the archives?
"No, that seems too much like luck."
Still, someone had sent them to retrieve the letters under absolute secrecy. Why go to such lengths to recover letters if they didn't contain something compromising?
Alex opened the first one and frowned. It looked like a love letter, but something about the way the words were written felt wrong.
They were… awkward and improbable. The paper and handwriting were refined, a sign that the writer was someone with a certain level of education, yet the words themselves hadn't been chosen with the same care.
"A cipher."
Someone had hidden a message behind those fake love letters, and Alex meant to decipher it.
He closed the first letter and slipped it into an inner pocket of his clothes, then put the bundle back where he'd found it, hoping Luka wouldn't notice that one letter was missing.
Footsteps echoed from the corridor, and Alex hurried to tidy up the desk. He glanced around the room to make sure everything was in order and turned toward the door just as the handle turned.
Governor Luka stiffened on the threshold.
Alex flashed a charming smile. "Governor, you took your time."
"Your Highness, what are you doing in my chambers?"
"I wanted to surprise you." He gestured toward the bottle and the goblets. "Care for a drink?"
Luka frowned for a moment. "I don't think your mage would appreciate knowing we drank wine on my bed."
"Can't a prince have more than one lover?"
"Of course—and I'm honored that Your Highness shows interest in me, but… your mage intimidates me."
Alex's smile faded. "William attacked you?"
"Not me, Your Highness." Luka took a step forward but did not close the door. "It concerns last night's incident. I… fear that your mage did not tell you the whole truth."
"Or perhaps it was your merchant who lied."
"Cox is not a man used to being rejected, but he swore he did not force himself on your mage. He asked him to follow, and the mage agreed. They went somewhere private, and the mage never expressed any discomfort. I fear he is playing with your feelings. That is what I wished to discuss with you earlier this morning."
Alex frowned. Those two were getting on his nerves. They were trying to make him doubt William, but he knew the truth.
Cox had made him feel like an object, and William had only tried to punish himself. He had not wanted to have sex with the merchant. He had wanted to be raped, to prove to himself that he did not deserve even the smallest measure of love.
And perhaps it was Alex's fault, for showing him that he could be loved and treated with kindness.
But the governor had just handed him the perfect excuse to leave that room without arousing too much suspicion.
He stepped closer to Luka."This is very serious, Governor. I thought I could trust my mage, but it seems he is lying."
"It is not his fault, Your Highness. It is his blood."
Alex clenched his fists and, for a brief instant, toyed with the idea of punching him. Had this conversation taken place before he met William, he probably would have.
But being with the mage had taught him that pretending was sometimes a good way to get what one wanted. And right then, all he wanted was to leave and stop feeling trapped.
"Perhaps you're right, Luka. Thank you for warning me." He gave him a light pat on the shoulder. "I wish you a good evening."
"Will you not stay for a drink?"
"I would like to, but the matter of my mage must be resolved."
He left the chamber. The stolen letter weighed heavily in the hidden pocket, yet Alex felt light.
He had managed to get out of there without being forced to drink or accept the governor's advances. Something told him that, had he stayed, that man would have found a way to possess him against his will.
He brought a hand to his chest, and the rapid beat of his heart pounded against his palm. Damn it, he had taken a huge risk and only realized it now.
Was that what William had felt the previous evening? Or had it been worse for him, because he had no title and no crown to protect him?
Because he had already been assaulted and no one had saved him?
"I will protect you, Will. Even if it's the last thing I do."
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William sat down on the mattress, the dimness of his room closing around him in a cruel embrace. The only source of light was the faint glow of the moon.
The prince did not want him. Despite the beautiful words he had spoken, he did not wish to have anything to do with him. In his eyes, William was nothing more than a fragile object to protect in order to prove himself a better prince.
William could not fault him for it. No one would want to rely on a man who hurt himself in an attempt to feel whole again.
"I'm disgusting," he murmured.
He had lost his sun and would never have it back, no matter what he did. The prince would never again look at him with that sweetness laced with desire, not even if William were lying naked in his bed.
Alex had lied to him, just like everyone else. No one would ever see him as a human being.
Perhaps he did not deserve it.
With stiff, automatic movements, he unbuttoned his shirt. The urge to hurt himself again pressed beneath his skin. He needed it again, because the wound in the middle of his chest ran too deep and was devouring him.
Because not even the man he loved could treat him like a human being.
He was about to slip his shirt off when a light knock stopped his hand.
William hesitated, then rose from the bed and opened the door.
The prince raised his eyebrows, his gaze dropping to William's bare chest. He frowned.
"May I come in?"
William stepped aside in silence, and Alex entered, scanning the room as though searching for proof of his guilt.
That distrust made him feel even dirtier.
"Is everything all right?" the prince finally asked, turning his eyes back to him.
"Yes," William murmured.
But it wasn't. Deep down, he desperately wanted to drive a knife into his chest and be done with it.
"From now on, you won't sleep alone. That can be me or… one of my men."
"I don't need it. I'm fine."
He did not want to be a prisoner.
He did not want to feel so fragile.
The prince shook his head. "It's for your safety, Will. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
But it was Alex who did not trust him. In his eyes, William was nothing more than an object devoid of will. A porcelain doll—beautiful and fragile—to be brushed and dressed at pleasure.
And perhaps that was all he was.
"Do as you wish, Your Highness."
William went to the bed and slipped under the covers.
"Then…" The prince hesitated. "Ian will stay with you tonight. Good night, William."
He left the room, and the soldier stepped in after him.
Despite his fine words, even the prince could not accept William for who he truly was, with all his wounds. No one needed a doll with a beautiful face and a body riddled with cracks.
William curled in on himself and cursed the day he had laid eyes on the prince's face and fallen in love with that brilliant smile.