Chapter 26

 

 

Harry was nervous.

He hadn’t seen his family in over a month. Well, he had seen Ksar once a few Terran weeks ago when his brother had come to check on him, but the visit had been brief and Ksar had seemed distant and distracted, his behavior even colder than usual.

Not that Ksar looked any more approachable now.

Harry eyed his brother with concern, taking in his straight posture, the hard set of his jaw and the stay away vibe he radiated.

“Adam is coming with me, Ksar,” Harry said, as firmly as he could. He didn’t have the combative, stubborn nature his older siblings had, but this wasn’t something he was budging on.

“Yes, I am,” Adam said in a hard voice, putting his arm around Harry and pulling him closer.

Harry leaned into him, trying to hide the burst of happiness inside him. It was neither the time nor the place to get “saccharine” as Ksar had called them a few weeks ago during his visit. Harry didn’t think they were all that “saccharine”—he was just happy with Adam—but Ksar had been oddly irritated by the mere sight of him and Adam cuddling on the couch while they watched the TV, as if it was a personal offense to him. It had been odd. For all Ksar’s standoffishness, he wasn’t normally allergic to people’s happiness. Harry hoped Ksar’s grumpiness had nothing to do with him, but it probably did. He could only imagine how the society had taken the news of Harry going to Earth and Ksar marrying Leylen.

The latter was something Harry still wasn’t sure what to think of. He knew Ksar and Seyn had never been on the best of terms and that Seyn had wanted to break their bond for years, but Harry still felt weird about it—and guilty for saddling Ksar with that burden. Ksar would never admit that it was a sacrifice on his part, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t. Leylen would never be Ksar’s pick if he were given a choice.

Harry wondered if that was the reason for Ksar’s dark mood. If it was, Harry could hardly blame him.

“No,” Ksar said curtly, tearing Harry away from his musings. “You showing up on my wedding with a member of a pre-TNIT civilization is the last thing we need.”

Before Harry could disagree, Adam beat him to it. “I don’t care,” he said, pulling Harry tighter to him. “I’m not letting Harry go back without me.”

Inwardly, Harry winced. Adam was…a little paranoid that someone would force him to stay on Calluvia and never come back to him. Harry could understand: if he didn’t come back to Earth, Adam had no means to contact him or go after him. If something happened to him while he was on Calluvia, Adam would never know. It must be incredibly frustrating for Adam to feel so helpless, and Harry could totally understand why Adam didn’t want to let him leave without him.

Harry didn’t want to leave without him, either. 

“We can make it work,” Harry said, looking at his brother pleadingly. “You have told me that there’s much speculation about the reason for my stay on Earth and that there’s all sorts of nasty rumors about it. Wouldn’t it be better to show up with Adam instead of hiding him? You have taught me yourself that if I behave like there’s nothing to be ashamed of, people won’t shame me for it.”

Ksar had a sour expression on his face. “The pre-TNIT law might have been repealed, but it doesn’t mean that erased the prejudice society has against relationships with members of pre-TNIT civilizations.” He looked at Adam. “You would be treated like a curiosity at best. Can you tolerate being looked down on?”

Adam chuckled. “If I haven’t punched you for that, I think I can handle it. Harry is more important to me than the opinion of a bunch of xenophobic snobs.”

Ksar gave him a pinched look. “I don’t dislike you for being a member of a pre-TNIT civilization. I dislike you for putting my brother in such a position. He will be treated like a curiosity, too.”

“I don’t regret loving Adam,” Harry said, lifting his chin and looking Ksar in the eye. “If you respect me at all, don’t blame him for my choices. I love him, and I’m happy with him, and that’s the only thing that should matter.”

Ksar looked away for a moment, his expression strange.

“You’re a fool,” he said testily. “But fine. Bring your human with you, become the laughingstock of society. I don’t care.” 

Harry frowned, eyeing his brother thoughtfully. There was something almost fragile about Ksar at that moment, as if he was wound so tight he was on the verge of snapping. He looked stressed—far more stressed than he usually was. It was strange. Harry couldn’t remember his brother looking anything but unflappable, regardless of the insane pressure on him or the amount of duties he had. What happened?

“Good,” Adam said, oblivious to Ksar’s strange mood. “We have already packed and we’re ready to leave if you are.”

Ksar just nodded, and Adam left to bring their suitcase from the bedroom.

Harry looked at his brother. “Are you okay? Is everything all right at home?”

A blank look settled over Ksar’s features. Harry could literally feel Ksar’s mental shields going up until no emotion could leak through. “Everything is as it should be.” 

Harry shot him a skeptical look, but before he could question him, Adam returned with their suitcase.

Ksar silently laid his hands on their arms and activated the TNIT.

Harry barely managed to shoot an encouraging smile at Adam, who looked a little apprehensive, before the world around them disappeared.

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure you want to do it?” Harry said, looking at Adam with a frown as they walked to the t-chamber that would take them to the ball.

Adam gave a wry smile. “Stop worrying about me, love. If I survived meeting your mother, I’ll survive some fancy ball.”

Harry grimaced a little. His mother hadn’t exactly been warm and friendly when she and Harry’s father had met Adam yesterday. She had been perfectly polite, but she had been so extremely cold with Adam, outright rudeness would probably have been preferable.

“They’ll all stare at you,” Harry said, pursing his lips unhappily. “I don’t think there’s ever been a pre-TNIT alien on Calluvia.” His biggest worry was that everyone would treat Adam as if he were an uncultured barbarian, and since Adam had received a translating chip already, he would understand all their insults.

“At least I’m making history,” Adam said dryly.

Harry took his arm, stopping him. “Are you really sure you want to do this?” he said. Adam looked so confident and handsome, cutting a fine figure in Calluvian clothes, his white cravat complementing his golden skin and firm jaw, but Harry could feel that he was worried, too, though his concern seemed to be primarily for Harry, not himself.

“We don’t have to do it,” Harry said, leaning into Adam a little and greedily breathing in his scent. It calmed him. “We can go back to Earth. I don’t want you to go through this. My people…they can be cruel.”

“I can handle it, Haz,” Adam said firmly, holding his gaze. “I know we don’t have to do it, but this is your home. I don’t want you to be shunned by your own people. We’re doing this.”

Harry smiled at him, feeling so ridiculously in love he felt breathless with it. “I love you.”

Adam’s dark eyes softened.

“Me, too.” Adam leaned in and kissed him, long and deep.

“Hurry up, or we’ll be late,” said a familiar voice.

Ksar.

They pulled apart reluctantly and were met with the sight of Harry’s parents pointedly not looking at them. Leylen was eyeing Adam with interest while Ksar just looked impatient and vaguely irritable. He still had the same wound-tight air about him.

Harry looked at them all. “Is Sanyash not joining us?” he said, feeling a little hurt. He missed his sister and had wanted her to meet Adam.

“Your nephew has a fever, Harry,” his father said gently. “Sanyash called to say that she would not be attending the ball and that she would come to see you tomorrow.”

“Being tardy would hardly help the situation,” the Queen said tersely and headed toward the main t-chamber.

Suppressing a sigh, Harry slipped his hand into Adam’s hand and followed his mother. It saddened him that his mother was taking this so badly, but he had expected nothing less. The Queen had a difficult character at the best of times. She wasn’t going to be magically fine with the situation. She tolerated it because she loved him, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

“Will Seyn be at the ball?” Harry said, breaking the tense silence as they all got into the t-chamber.

In front of him, he saw Ksar’s shoulders stiffen. It wasn’t very obvious, but Harry noticed, and wondered. 

“Probably,” the King-Consort said when Ksar didn’t answer. “Speaking of Seyn’ngh’veighli, I have heard that he’s gotten engaged as well— I believe to Ambassador Denev. It’s a fine match. He’s one of the most prominent politicians of his planet, and my sources say he has a high chance of becoming the President. Do you think it’s likely, Ksar? You’re much better versed in foreign politics than me.”

Harry looked back at his brother and noticed that his back was absolutely rigid with tension. 

But the t-chamber’s doors opened at that moment and Ksar got out without saying a word.

“There’s something off about him,” Adam murmured into Harry’s ear. “He seems really on edge.”

Harry nodded, his brows furrowing. If even Adam, who didn’t know Ksar all that well, noticed that, something was really wrong.

He eyed Ksar carefully as they joined him at the doors of the main ballroom of the Eleventh Royal Palace, but Ksar’s face was a blank mask once again.

Their arrival was finally announced, and Harry braced himself as they entered the ballroom. 

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. 

Harry could almost physically feel the stares on him and Adam—on their laced fingers. His mother had been against such blatant displays of affection, calling it vulgar, but Ksar had unexpectedly supported it, saying that if they were doing this, it was better to leave no room for ambiguity and speculation.

Harry lifted his head proudly. He was doing nothing wrong. He was with the man he loved. The pre-TNIT law had been repealed. He was no longer bonded to Leylen. All these people had no right to look at them that way. 

But prejudice ran deep in their society, and Harry couldn’t help noticing the scandalized looks and the sneers. Beside him, Adam’s face held an expression of polite interest and nothing else, but Harry could feel the tension in his body. He knew Adam was pissed off. The feeling of being looked at like he was an uncivilized barbarian must have been extremely offensive to Adam: he was a very successful and respected man back on Earth, and he wasn’t used to being looked down on. Harry hated it. He didn’t care what all these people thought of him, but he cared how they treated Adam. His Adam didn’t deserve it. Adam was amazing, and Harry was lucky to be loved by him.

He tried to extend his shields to Adam, hoping to protect him from any telepathic prying, but Ksar shook his head. “I’ll handle it,” he said shortly, his silver eyes scanning the room. “Don’t worry about him.”

“Thanks,” Harry said, his voice thicker than he would have liked.

“None of that,” Ksar said in his head. “Keep your head high and act like you don’t care what they think. He’s doing fine, Harry. He’s handling it surprisingly well.” A pause. “Perhaps I was wrong about him.”

Harry smiled at him, feeling happy that someone from his family was finally coming around to accepting Adam. He hadn’t expected it to be Ksar. His brother’s support meant everything to Harry; it always had.

“Your Majesty,” someone said, tearing Harry away from his thoughts.

He looked at the man bowing to his mother and felt his stomach sink. It was Lord Bleyver. He was a widower and a rake who had the reputation for sleeping around. Most worryingly, he was known for his sharp mind and equally sharp tongue. Despite his outrageous behavior, he was well respected, and his opinion had a lot of weight in society.

The Queen inclined her head slightly. “Bleyver,” she said neutrally. Bleyver was actually one of her subjects; he was the head of a clan that was part of the Second Grand Clan.

Bleyver turned and bowed to Ksar. “Your Highness,” he said, his sharp brown eyes meeting Ksar’s cold gaze.

Ksar just nodded before completely dismissing the man and returning his attention to the room at large; Ksar had little patience for rakes. 

Harry watched with some trepidation as Bleyver bowed to his father before finally turning to him. “Your Highness,” he said with a smile, bowing slightly. “It’s so nice to see you in good health. I see the Terran air was good for you.” His gaze shifted to Adam for the first time, sweeping over him from head to toe. “I see you have found a fine native specimen while you were there.”

Harry hesitated, unsure how he was supposed to respond to that. Bleyver wasn’t exactly insulting Adam or himself, but there was a condescending edge to his tone that Harry didn’t care for.

“The native specimen can speak for himself,” Adam said, very dryly. “Yes, I’m an Earth native, and I’m here with Prince Harht’ngh’chaali. Is that all you wanted to know?”

Harry suppressed a smitten smile. Pronouncing Calluvian full names wasn’t easy even with the translating chip, but Harry’s name had rolled out of Adam’s mouth as if he’d been saying it his whole life. Adam must have practiced a lot to achieve such a good pronunciation.

Lord Bleyver stared at Adam for a moment before smiling. “Why, yes. Thank you.”

Before Harry could breathe out in relief, Bleyver turned back to him. “Forgive me for being so blunt, Your Highness, but does this mean you do not mind that your brother is marrying your former bondmate?”

Harry smiled uncertainly. He wasn’t a very good liar, and he still wasn’t sure he approved of Ksar’s marrying Leylen in his stead. “I wish my brother nothing but happiness,” he said. It wasn’t a straight answer, but it was an honest one.

“And I suppose your Terran is the reason for your easy acceptance?” Bleyver said.

Harry hesitated. Strictly speaking, it was none of this man’s business, but they had come to the ball to stop all the speculation and try to salvage what was left of his reputation. Harry had no intention to lie about Adam’s importance to him. He didn’t want anyone to think he wasn’t serious about Adam.

“Yes, he is,” Harry said. “We’re courting.” He held his head high as whispers ran through the crowd.

Lord Bleyver smiled. “To be honest, Your Highness,” he murmured in a low voice that wasn’t low enough not to be heard by everyone listening in. “I didn’t think you had it in you, but it seems you really did, in more ways than one.”

Harry flushed, absolutely speechless. He had heard of Lord Bleyver’s outrageous comments, but he’d never been on the receiving end of them. A glance at Adam confirmed that Adam hadn’t quite understood Lord Bleyver’s double entendre; the translating chip wasn’t perfect and certain nuances of language didn’t translate. Harry knew the feeling: there had been so many times humans’ turns of speech utterly confused him and made him feel like he’d missed something. 

At this moment Harry felt very grateful that the translating chip wasn’t perfect. Adam tended to be overprotective of him, and the last thing they needed was for Adam to get offended on his behalf and hit Lord Bleyver.

But Harry forgot that Adam wasn’t the only person in the vicinity who could be overprotective of him.

“I find it baffling that you dare speak to your prince in that way,” Ksar cut in, his voice like ice, sharp and cold.

Harry blinked and looked at his brother in surprise. Although Lord Bleyver hadn’t exactly been as respectful as he should have been toward a prince of his own grand clan, Harry hadn’t thought his comment would merit Ksar’s attention. Lord Bleyver was known for his outrageous remarks and scandalous behavior. Ksar usually ignored the man completely, not considering him worthy of his attention. It was weird that Ksar was getting worked up over a simple risqué comment.

But then again, Harry thought, remembering the strange tension Ksar had been carrying. Maybe it wasn’t that weird, after all. Ksar had been on edge lately, and this was likely just the last straw. Lord Bleyver was probably just a convenient outlet for his frustration.

“You misunderstood, Your Highness,” Lord Bleyver said smoothly, his sharp eyes fixed warily on Ksar. “I meant no offense.”

Ksar’s face remained stony. “You did,” he said. “Don’t insult my intelligence by pretending otherwise. Apologize.”

Harry winced. At this point, everyone in the ballroom was staring at them, listening avidly to the conversation. So much for not causing a scandal. What was Ksar thinking?

It seemed his mother shared his concerns and said, “Ksar.”

But Ksar ignored the Queen, still staring Lord Bleyver down. “Apologize to your prince.”

Harry could feel that Bleyver didn’t feel as calm as his lazy, unbothered stance suggested. He could also feel that while Bleyver was very uneasy about openly defying Ksar, he also didn’t want to lose face in public in such a manner. That would be a blow to his social standing.

Bleyver smiled. “With all due respect, Your Highness, I don’t know what I’m supposed to apologize for.”

A muscle pulsed in Ksar’s jaw, his eyes narrowing. Harry grimaced, bracing himself. The tense energy that he’d felt under Ksar’s skin became somehow worse, as if it was moments away from lashing out and crushing something—or someone.

“Ksar,” said a familiar voice as a pale hand touched Ksar’s arm.

The tension didn’t exactly bleed out of Ksar’s body, but, impossibly, it settled back under his skin.

Harry’s gaze followed Ksar’s.

Harry smiled upon seeing Seyn—he’d missed him dearly—but Seyn wasn’t looking at him. He was looking at Ksar, a warning in his gaze. “Calm down,” he murmured, his voice oddly soft.

Harry had never heard him sound so soft with Ksar. But then again, Seyn was unbonded now and he could likely feel how close to lashing out Ksar was. 

What was definitely odd was the fact that Seyn was attempting to calm Ksar down at all. For as long as Harry could remember, Seyn had the opposite effect on Ksar. Hell, Seyn used to be the main source of Ksar’s anger. 

But apparently, “used to” was the imperative word, because for some reason, it worked. It worked. The air about Ksar lost its murderous edge, his eyes softening a little as they held Seyn’s, though the tension in his body seemed to shift into something else rather than disappear entirely. 

“I’m sure Lord Bleyver didn’t mean it that way,” Seyn said, his gaze still locked with Ksar’s. “He would never do such a thing. Isn’t that right, Lord Bleyver?”

“Of course, Your Highness, I would never,” Lord Bleyver said smoothly, the tension leaving his shoulders. 

“And I’m also sure Lord Bleyver will apologize anyway for any offense he might have inadvertently caused,” Seyn said pointedly, although he was still looking at no one but Ksar. “Isn’t that right, Lord Bleyver?”

After a moment, Bleyver seemed to swallow his pride and bowed to Harry. “Of course. I apologize if I inadvertently offended you, Your Highness. It wasn’t my intention.”

Adam was tense beside him, by now clearly getting the gist of Lord Bleyver’s offense. 

Harry pasted on a smile and squeezed Adam’s hand in warning. “I’m sure it wasn’t. You’re forgiven anyway.”

Lord Bleyver straightened but paused and bowed to Ksar. “Your Highness, I hope you’re satisfied now that this misunderstanding has been cleared up,” he said cautiously.

Ksar’s gaze flicked to him for a moment—long enough for him to give Bleyver a clipped nod—before his gaze returned to Seyn.

Seyn, who seemed to realize that everyone’s attention was now on him. It was obvious what was on everyone’s mind: why was Seyn calming Ksar down while Ksar’s current fiancée stood awkwardly a few steps away? Leylen was glaring, not at Seyn, but at Ksar, whose eyes were still on Seyn.

Awkward.

Seyn glanced around, his discomfort obvious only to someone who knew him well.

Harry decided to interfere before the situation could get even more awkward.

“I’m so pleased to see you!” he said, stepping forward and reaching out with his mind to hug Seyn’s. 

He almost flinched when their minds touched.

Seyn’s telepathy felt a lot stronger than it had been the last time they hugged, but that wasn’t the surprising part. The surprising part was how downbeat Seyn felt. He was upset about something, genuinely distraught. There was something like anger and desperation too.

Frowning, Harry searched Seyn’s face, but it betrayed nothing of the turmoil he felt. Seyn looked as handsome as ever, his silver hair immaculately styled and his clothes impeccable. 

Seyn either hadn’t noticed his questioning look or pretended not to. “I’m happy to see you, too,” Seyn said with a smile before looking at Adam. “How are you liking Calluvia?”

Adam smiled wryly. “The planet is beautiful.”

Seyn let out a laugh. “A very diplomatic reply. Please don’t judge us all by the doings of a few.”

“I don’t,” Adam said, his gaze flicking to Ksar behind Seyn. “I think my future brother-in-law wants you.”

Seyn’s smile froze.

Ksar fixed Adam with such a withering look that Harry was actually afraid for Adam’s life for a moment. 

Adam smiled sheepishly, raking his fingers through his dark hair. “I worded it wrongly again, didn’t I? Sorry, I meant that my future brother-in-law seems to want to talk to you. My bad.”

Harry stared at Adam skeptically. The translating chip wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t that bad. Considering that he could feel Adam’s poorly veiled amusement, he was clearly having fun at Ksar’s expense. 

“I do,” Ksar said after a moment, his voice very stiff. “Walk with me?”

Seyn’s back was still to Ksar, so Ksar couldn’t see the conflict in Seyn’s eyes.

Harry could, and he wondered.

At last, Seyn said, “Why not?” He headed for the terrace that led to the gardens. After a moment, Ksar followed him.

“Why did you do that?” Harry murmured, turning his confused gaze to Adam. “They’ll just fight again.”

Adam brushed his knuckles against Harry’s cheek and smiled at him. “You’re still so naive sometimes, babe.”

Harry mock-glared at him but couldn’t help smiling. “You love me.”

Adam’s dark eyes smiled back. “I do.”