"That son of a bitch. I will never be his — over my dead body."
Prince Julian stormed out of the room, furious. No one had ever seen him this angry before. It was all the Crown Duke Prince's fault. All because he wanted Julian to be his.
Julian did not stop walking. Even his butler could not stop him.
"My lord, please wait. The Crown Duke Prince will be here any minute," his butler said as he hurried after him.
Then all of a sudden, there were throngs of guards at the gate.
"Where do you think you are going, Julian?"
The voice came from behind him. And behind him stood his brother, Vincent.
"I told you that the Duke wants you," he said coldly.
"There is no way I'm going to be his. Ever since Mom and Dad died, this is how you've treated me — like I'm some kind of piece of shit," he said angrily.
"You have to listen to me. If you don't marry the Crown Duke, it will be over for us," Vincent said coldly.
Julian stared at him for a second. "Us, you say? Just because you want to be king, that's why you're doing this to me," he said angrily.
"I know, I know. But you still have to stay with the Crown Duke Prince. Besides, we are friends and—" Julian cut him off.
"Friends, you say? You know what? I was never friends with him. From the moment you and him began to act strange—"
Vincent raised his hand and slapped Julian across the face. "You will marry the Crown Duke Prince, and that is final."
His brother Vincent left him there.
Immediately, the butler rushed to him. "Are you okay, my lord? The Crown Prince, Vincent, was too harsh on you. Please get up, my lord. I will take you to your room."
The butler led him to his room. "Please take a seat, my lord. I will get something for you to drink."
His butler immediately told the maids to quickly bring some water for him.
Julian was completely lost in his thoughts.
"Why was I ever born? Why… why me? Why me of all people? At least I should have been born into a low-class family rather than royalty.
I just want to die. I don't want to carry the spirit of the fox. I never wanted it."
---
Somewhere, a man stood in his chamber, royal maids serving him. They dressed him in the finest robe. As he sat down, he heard Julian's cry.
"Hm… this is interesting. Hope to see you soon." then smirks.
---
In the Crown Duke Prince's chamber, he was having a conversation with the Queen, his mother — Queen Victoria.
"But Mother, I want him so badly. I really want him. I just can't live without him, Mother."
His mother, the Queen, only looked at him for a split second.
"Anything my son wants, he gets. So go and bring him here. I will only let him stay here because you love him. I will respect my son for whoever he loves."
Then the Queen turned and left.
As the Crown Duke Prince stood alone, a smile formed on his lips.
"Yes… you will finally belong to me. No more running."
As the prince was about to take his bath, the Queen Mother came back in.
"Ah, I almost forgot to tell you — the Grand Duke of Ravenmere will be coming soon, so get ready. I have already informed you," she said, stepping closer, her presence pressing in as she lean in and kisses him on the chest, "my lovely son, right now mommy is very horny, will you do it with mommy".
The Crown Duke Prince froze, shocked by her sudden approach. He quickly pushed her back.
"Mom… you used black magic, didn't you?" he demanded, his voice a mixture of fear and anger.
"Why did you use black magic? Answer me!" he demanded.
The Queen stepped back, realizing she had lost control. She quickly tried to convince him, "It's not black magic. This happens often — don't get it wrong. Mommy would never use black magic. Besides… I'm the Queen."
Still, the prince remained unconvinced.
People who used black magic were known as witches. Witches were never allowed in the kingdom because of how dangerous they were. A witch could control a person… or even turn them into a puppet.
Then the Crown Prince finally decided to believe his mother — the Queen was not a witch.
---
The next day, Julian sat under a tree in the garden, watching the flowers.
"It's quite a lovely day, my lord," Julian's butler said.
Julian only stared at the sky.
When the time came, the butler spoke politely, "My lord, it's time for the banquet. The Grand Duke will be there too."
Julian didn't even respond; he didn't have time for such things. Then he saw his brother Vincent, and with a sigh of annoyance, he stood up. "Fine… let's go."
The butler led him to his room and dressed him in his finest clothes. When the butler finally finished, Julian took a look in the mirror. He looked different now — polished, regal, and unapproachable.
At the banquet, the Duke and Duchess wore expensive clothes, and the scent of perfumes filled the Grand Hall.
Julian stood at the side of the Crown Duke Prince, annoyed but keeping his composure.
"Fuck this son of a bitch… what does he think he is… stupid son of a—"
He caught Vincent's eyes across the hall. His brother was calm, composed, but there was that same coldness Julian hated. The look said it all: don't do anything stupid, you know he wants you, and you have no choice.
Julian's chest felt tight. He wanted to run, to yell, to hit something, but he had to stay polite. He hated every second of it.
The Crown Duke Prince moved closer. Julian's jaw clenched. He would not show how angry he really was.
I'll never let him have me. No matter what. Over my dead body.
Then the Grand Duke finally arrived.
As soon as he laid eyes on Julian, he whispered in Julian's mind:
"Found you."