The King's Lover

A man wearing a black top hat that dipped low enough to cover his eyes sat in a dark room close to the fireplace. The fireplace was the only light source in the room, casting shadows onto the man who sat a little too close to the fire.

He was dressed in all black, and even though he was indoors, he still wore his coat. His gaze was locked on the fire as he listened to it crackle, sparks flying about. He watched a spark fly off toward the rug, but it was already dead before it hit the ground.

King Gaius coughed, and the man lifted his gaze from the fireplace. "I didn’t expect you to get here so quickly," King Gaius said, breaking the long silence.

"You gave me no choice, Your Majesty. Not with your message. You spoil the boy a little too much," he said and slowly returned his gaze to the fireplace.

King Gaius narrowed his eyes. "You should have known better."

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"At the masked auction, we don’t turn anyone away. Anything is for sale. I certainly wouldn’t have passed up such an opportunity."

"Well, not anymore. It would be best for you to do this, and the tax won’t be noticeable. Only a small percentage."

"Your Majesty," he said coldly, "don’t fault me if something goes wrong."

"You can still have your little auction," Gaius said and coughed some more.

"You’re getting even sicker, Your Majesty. Do the herbs not work?"