Chapter 106: Sudden Declaration

Basil nearly paused in the act of lifting his fork to his mouth, but he managed to maintain his composure. He kept his eyes on his plate, unwilling to draw attention to the faint warmth spreading across his face. The idea of Darius driving him to the academy every morning and picking him up afterward sounded far more appealing than he cared to acknowledge, particularly when it meant spending additional time alone with him. Still, he knew better than to let his reaction show. He continued eating, listening quietly as his mother considered the suggestion.

The queen regarded Darius for another moment before letting out a soft sigh. "Well, if that’s what you prefer, I suppose we shouldn’t force you into something you’ve already decided against." She glanced at Basil, then back at Darius. "And if taking him to the academy every day will give you both more opportunities to spend time together, then I don’t see why we shouldn’t allow it. With everything going on, you two haven’t really had much time to yourselves lately, and I’d like to see you develop a closer relationship." Her smile returned as she reached for her glass.

"I think we’ve actually been spending quite a lot of time together over the past month," Darius remarked, casually cutting into his food. "Basil has practically been taking care of me throughout my recovery. He’s been looking after me, making sure I take my medication, and helping me with just about everything. We’ve hardly been apart during that time. The only time we’ve really spent away from each other since I woke up from the coma has been these past three days, when he’s had to attend to his school responsibilities."

The queen paused, her gaze shifting toward Darius with mild surprise. She hadn’t expected him to defend the amount of time he and Basil had spent together so readily. There was something different about the way he spoke, a quiet firmness that suggested he wasn’t particularly pleased with the implication that they hadn’t been spending enough time together. Her eyes briefly moved between her two sons, and she couldn’t help wondering whether something had happened during those three days apart. She had noticed a subtle change in Darius during the three days Basil had been away, enough to know that something must have happened between them, but she knew neither of them would be willing to explain what it was. For now, they seemed determined to keep it to themselves.

"Well, that’s good to hear," she said, a knowing smile touching her lips. "Just make sure you don’t use the journey as an excuse to get on Basil’s nerves. He’s already had enough trouble keeping up with everything lately."

Darius chuckled softly. "I’ll do my best, Mother. Though I can’t promise I’ll resist the temptation to annoy him a little." Basil shot him a sharp look, prompting Darius to raise both hands in mock surrender before returning to his meal.

The queen merely shook her head at their exchange, clearly amused, and the family gradually settled back into their breakfast. For a little while, the conversation drifted toward ordinary matters, with the king occasionally contributing a remark or asking one of his sons a question. Basil began to relax, grateful that the discussion about the academy had ended without drawing too much attention to him.

It wasn’t until the king interrupted the comfortable silence that the atmosphere at the table began to change. He set down his cutlery and glanced toward his wife, as though something had just occurred to him. "Before I forget, the prime minister and her family will be arriving this afternoon." His words were delivered in the same calm, matter-of-fact tone he might have used to announce an ordinary appointment. "We’ve arranged for them to join us here at the palace so we can discuss the proposed marriage between Basil and Sonia."

The reaction was immediate. Basil’s fork stopped halfway to his mouth, and the faint ease that had settled over his features vanished. For a brief moment, he simply stared at his plate, as though he hadn’t heard his father correctly. Then his fingers tightened around the handle of his fork, and his stomach sank as the king’s words sank in. Beside him, Darius went completely still, the amusement disappearing from his face so abruptly that it was almost startling.

He slowly turned his head toward the king, his expression hardening as he asked, "What exactly are you guys talking about?"

The king raised his eyebrows slightly at Darius’s tone and paused, studying his son’s expression. He hadn’t expected such a reaction to a matter he considered an established arrangement. Setting his cutlery aside, he leaned back in his chair and regarded Darius with measured patience. "Since you’re unaware of the details, Sonia, the prime minister’s daughter, and Basil have been betrothed to each other since they were children. It was an arrangement made between our families years ago, and now that they’re both old enough, it’s time we discussed the next steps and began making preparations for their marriage."

Darius stared at his father for a moment, his expression growing increasingly difficult to read. Then he slowly turned his head toward Basil, who remained motionless beside him, his fork still suspended above his plate. Basil’s eyes were fixed on the food before him, but the tension in his shoulders and the tight grip he maintained on his cutlery made it obvious that the announcement had struck a nerve. Darius already knew about the engagement. He had learned about it during his time with the Reaper’s Force, but he had never expected the matter to be brought up now, especially when things between him and Basil had only just begun to change. The sudden reminder that Basil was expected to marry someone else brought an unwelcome awareness of the distance between what Darius knew about his circumstances and what he was only now beginning to understand about his own feelings.

Basil didn’t look up. He seemed just as stunned by the announcement as Darius felt, and that only made the unfamiliar irritation twisting inside Darius’s chest grow stronger.

Basil, meanwhile, could hardly believe what he was hearing. Of all the possible moments for the king to bring up his engagement to Sonia, why did it have to be now? Why, after the past few months, after everything he had been through and the happiness he was only just beginning to find again, did this have to be the subject that ruined what had been a perfectly peaceful breakfast? He had been so caught up in Darius’s recovery, in looking after him and dealing with the confusing shift in their relationship, that he had practically forgotten about the engagement altogether. It wasn’t as though he had deliberately ignored the arrangement. He had simply stopped thinking about it, having already made up his mind that he would never marry Sonia. After all, she had made a complete fool of him in front of their college mates, openly mocking him after discovering that he wasn’t the real prince she had expected to marry.

She had made it painfully clear that, in her eyes, the betrothal should have been between her and the actual prince, not him. The humiliation had been bad enough that Basil had no desire to revisit the matter, much less entertain the possibility of marrying a woman who had treated him with such contempt. As far as he was concerned, Sonia had made her feelings perfectly clear, and he had no intention of marrying her either. He had practically dismissed the engagement as something that would never come to pass, which was precisely why he had forgotten all about it. Now, with Darius sitting beside him, hearing about the arrangement in front of their parents, Basil couldn’t help wondering what he must be thinking of him. He had no idea how Darius would react to the news, and the thought only added to his growing frustration.

"Well, that means we’ll need to make the necessary arrangements," the queen said, breaking the silence that had settled over the table. Although she had noticed the sudden tension between her sons, she appeared more focused on the practical matters at hand. She turned toward one of the maids standing discreetly nearby and gestured for her to approach. "Please inform the chef that we’ll be receiving the prime minister and her family this afternoon. Have her prepare an appropriate menu for our guests, and tell the head housekeeper to have the reception room prepared. Make sure everything is in order before their arrival. I want everything to be perfectly arranged, and the staff should be ready to receive our guests properly. Also, have someone check that the—"

"I’m not marrying Sonia!"

Basil’s words cut through her instructions so abruptly that the queen fell silent, her lips parting slightly as she turned toward him. The maid froze in place, uncertain whether she should remain or excuse herself, while the king slowly lowered his gaze from his wife to his son.