When Alex opened his eyes the next morning, he found William asleep against his chest.
He kissed him on the head and watched him for a long while. He was so beautiful that the prince would not have been surprised to discover he was the illegitimate son of a Xianese aristocrat.
The mage cracked one eye open and shot him a glare. "Are you staring at me, Your Highness?"
"Are you afraid I might spoil your beauty?"
"You should rest a little more."
"I wish I could, but I have to give a few orders."
He would have liked to bask in that warmth for a long time, but the day ahead promised to be a demanding one.
Alex sat up and stretched.
"I need to speak with the governor and organize our departure."
"Are we going home?"
"Yes. I've had more than enough of this whole affair."
William frowned and sat up as well. "Have you deciphered the letter?"
"No. You have, though, right?"
"Only parts of it. I didn't have time to read it all."
"Then you'll do it now. I need to know what it says."
Alex got out of bed and walked over to the armchair. He pulled the letter from the pocket of his jacket and handed it to the mage, but William was staring at his groin, his cheeks flushed bright red.
Alex lowered his gaze. "Ah. I'm naked."
He was so used to sleeping without clothes that he hadn't even noticed.
"Do you want me to get dressed?"
"There's no need. I'm the one who undressed you." William turned away, his cheeks still flushed, and held out a hand. "The letter, please."
The prince gave it to him, and the mage fell into a tense silence. His eyes scanned the page, his brows furrowing now and then.
"There are no names. Whoever wrote it says that the tribute money was used for… a certain unspecified matter." William frowned. "The writer also reassures the recipient that the crown will never notice and that there's no need to fear the King sending royal auditors."
"That's pretty incriminating."
"Yes, even though neither the sender nor the recipient is named."
"The recipient is clearly the governor. The letter was among his belongings in his room."
The mage shot him a sharp look. "And what were you doing in his room?"
Alex tilted his head and smiled mischievously. "Are you jealous?"
"I'm just wondering whether you're actually faithful."
"We didn't do anything." He leaned down toward him. "My heart belongs only to you."
"I'll pretend to believe you." The mage looked back to the letter. "I suppose these are the letters the two men recovered the night we arrived."
"The governor must have feared we'd poke our noses in and discover them."
"The coding system isn't particularly ingenious, but it's unusual." He tilted his head. "Here they relied on images to pass it off as a love letter."
"Is that your way of saying I'm not that stupid?"
"You're not, Your Highness. You're intelligent, but if you weren't fond of poetry, I don't think you would ever have deciphered it."
Alex crossed his arms over his chest. "Could the merchant have written it?"
"It's possible. Maybe the missing money ended up in his coffers to avoid suspicion. And even if he didn't write it, he was aware of it. When I told Cox I'd read the letter, he decided to get rid of me."
Alex pressed his lips together and flicked William's nose. "You're an idiot. Do you really enjoy provoking people more powerful than you?"
"If you had shown it to me, I would've deciphered it right away."
"And you enjoy making me feel incompetent too."
"You're not, Your Highness. You're good with a sword. And fast."
"Do you know what else I'm good at?"
"If you say sex, I swear I'll turn you into a toad."
Alex snickered. "I actually meant riding. But yes, I'm good at that too, and sooner or later I'll give you a taste of it, my lovely raven."
William frowned. "Raven?"
"You resemble one. You're gloomy, severe, and very intelligent. But you're also elegant, graceful, and you make me want to cuddle you."
"You have strange tastes, Your Highness. Yesterday you compared me to the moon, and now it's a raven."
Alex laughed and sat down on the bed. "What animal do I look like?"
"I don't know. Maybe a dog."
"An adorable dog?"
"What are you, a child?"
"A capricious prince."
The prince pulled him against his body and let himself fall back onto the mattress. William stiffened but didn't pull away. His hands gripped Alex's shoulders, his legs sliding between the prince's.
"Do you want a kiss, Will?"
"It's too early." William blushed. "I think."
The door opened and Sven walked in. "Your Highness, how—" He fell silent, then looked at Alex. "I see you're awake."
William turned red to the tips of his ears and sprang away from the prince. "We were just talking!"
The prince smiled faintly and turned to Sven. "Order preparations for departure. I'll exchange a few words with the governor, and after that, we're leaving."
The soldier nodded, watched them for a few more moments, then left the room, closing the door behind him.
William got off the bed. "I'll go prepare my bags. And make myself presentable." He looked at him, his eyes sliding for a moment between his legs. He blushed and looked away. "And you should get dressed."
Before Alex could reply, the mage walked out, leaving him alone.
Alone and happy, because William was less shattered than he had feared.
It would take time before he could make him feel truly safe, but he was certain that from now on, everything would be fine.
The prince stretched and got out of bed. He dressed, ran his fingers through his hair, and left the room.
He motioned to Falko, who was loitering in the corridor, to take care of his luggage, then knocked on William's door.
The mage opened it. "I still have to pack."
"Falko can handle that. I need you to come with me to see the governor."
William pressed his lips together. "Is Falko trustworthy?"
"Yes. He's a bit empty-headed, but he's efficient."
"I hope for his sake he doesn't forget anything." He picked up the grimoire and left the room. "What do you intend to do with Luka von Preis?"
Alex set off down the corridor toward the lower floors.
"We have the proof we need. My father will deal with the rest. But I still have a few things to say to him."
"Do you intend to threaten him?"
"A little. All of this happened because of him. He knew Cox had questionable tastes, but he didn't want to warn me. I think he was hoping it would happen, and I can't tolerate that." He looked at William seriously. "You're my mage and the person I'm in love with. I can't just let it slide."
William blushed. "It isn't necessary."
"It is, Will. They hurt you. I don't want to pretend nothing happened." He kissed the top of his head. "I care about you."
"I… really appreciate it." The mage took a breath. "Have you discovered who shot the arrow?"
"No, but I'm absolutely certain it wasn't one of my men. I'd ordered them to keep him alive—they would never have disobeyed me."
"It could have been the governor's doing. Maybe he hoped to eliminate Cox and erase the evidence of his crime."
"Good thing we have the letter."
"Let's hope it's enough for Your Majesty."
Alex grew thoughtful. "My father is a weasel—he'll find a way to use it to his advantage. In any case, I doubt we'll find anything else."
"May I have the letter?"
"Don't you trust me?"
"I do, but it's my job."
The prince handed him the letter, feigning a huff. "You're really strict."
"I seem to recall you like it when I am."
"You remember correctly." He kissed his temple, but William stiffened abruptly. "Will, are you all right?"
The mage drew a sharp breath and blinked hard.
"I don't know. I'm sorry, I… I don't want to react like this."
Alex brushed the mage's hand. "It's all right. I'm not offended. I know you don't do it on purpose."
William, after all, just needed time.
They reached the palace atrium. The governor was sitting on the steps of the staircase, his gaze fixed on the floor.
"Governor," Alex called out.
The man lifted his head and looked at them for a long moment. "Your Highness. Master Traver. I've just learned you're leaving."
"That's right. With the proof we were looking for."
"I fail to understand what you mean, Your Highness."
"That's a shame. You'll find out soon enough."
The governor cast a brief glance at William, then looked back at the prince. "I hope you'll consider what happened to your mage."
"You mean the part where you put him in danger?"
"I'm referring to the help the city guard gave you to free him."
"I wouldn't have needed to free him if you hadn't lied, Luka."
"I ask your forgiveness, Your Highness, but I only thought of the good of this city."
Alex gave him a scornful look. "Repeat that when my father summons you to ask about the money you made vanish."
"I will. I might also inform him of the prince's feelings toward his own mage." The governor met his gaze. "I wonder whether Your Majesty will approve."
Alex clenched his fists. "Maybe not, but I'm the future ruler."
He would deliver the letter to his father and tell him about Cox and what he had done to William. And he would find a way to crush Luka and his arrogance.
He took his leave of the governor and stepped out into the courtyard. The carriage was ready, and his soldiers were bustling around the horses. Sven was having supplies brought out from the kitchens, and Falko was loading the luggage he had retrieved from their rooms.
William looked toward Ian, who was busy currying his mount, and his expression darkened. "He's all right, isn't he?"
Alex nodded. "You don't need to worry. No one hurt him."
"Will you punish me?"
"No. I was asked not to."
"Really?"
The prince smiled at him. "They care about you, Will. And they know that punishing you would tear me apart."
"You shouldn't be lenient with me."
"Then tonight, when we stop to eat, you'll apologize to Ian in front of everyone."
"That's not enough. You should punish me, even lightly. It's only right that your men see you're not favoring me."
Alex pouted. "But I want to treat you with kid gloves. You're my mage."
"Your Highness, please, you can't do it."
The prince sighed. "All right. If you want to be punished, I'll punish you."
And he had just found a fun way to do it.
He clapped his hands, drawing the group's attention.
"I assume you all know what happened to Ian last night."
The soldiers nodded and shot worried glances at William.
"You asked me to be magnanimous, but Will insists on being punished."
"It's not necessary," Ian exclaimed. "I really mean it, Your Highness. It's all fine."
"That's what I told him too, but my mage is stubborn. So here's my punishment: for the duration of this journey, Will will obey my every request and serve as my personal attendant."
William shot him a glare. "Does that seem like a punishment to you?"
"Wait until I ask you to dress me in the morning. I can be very annoying when I want to be." He smiled at him. "I assure you that by the end of the journey, you'll be begging me to take another mage."
William sighed and climbed into the carriage. Alex signaled to Sven to set off and followed the mage inside.
He took a seat beside him and peeked out the window at the city of Narea sliding by.