Rex had heard enough.
A slow exhale, then he lifted his hand. It trembled slightly. Curse these hypersensitive nerves. He pressed it against Mira Lilith's, gently removing it from his chest where her touch had been warm and oddly comforting. As he leaned away, the movement was almost too polite, a stark contrast to the sharp intensity in his eyes.
She didn't resist. Instead, her lips curled upward in amusement. The look she gave him was the kind a cat gave a mouse that had dared bare its teeth. Even as he steadied himself, his body betrayed him... shoulders too tense, breath catching just a little too fast. A determined face, yes, but wrapped around a frame that was far too honest, far too reactive.
Still, Rex leaned forward, his voice low enough to force them to listen.
"Tell me," he muttered, his gaze flicking from one to the other. "All I need to know. Everything to drag the real king down from this throne."
The air in the room once again gone cold.
They all looked at him.
Inis's grief stricken anger faltered, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. Her lips parted as though to lash at him again, but no words came, only the sharp tremor of someone caught between rage and the faintest crack of hesitation.
Shin Lan's green eyes sharpened. The man stood straighter, one hand brushing against the shaft of his lance. His stance was no longer that of a cautious soldier, it was of a warrior hearing a call to battle, weighing whether to follow.
Cross startled. The boy had been sulking on a cushion, forced to nibble on snacks Mira had shoved at him earlier to keep him out of the way. But now he rose, crumbs still clinging to his cloak. His wide golden eyes fixed on Rex with confusion and something more fragile underneath, hope, maybe, or fear of it.
And Mira Lilith, oh, Mira.
Her reaction was nothing like theirs. Her face flushed a feverish red, her lips parted as her breath hitched audibly. Her chest rose and fell, her gloved fingers trembling as she pressed her chin into her palm, staring at him as though she could devour him whole with just her eyes.
That gleam in her gaze darkened, sharpened, until it was less like amusement and more like hunger. Like watching a fine wine uncork itself, or prey offering its throat willingly.
The sight almost made Rex laugh, almost.
Because it was familiar. Too familiar.
He had toppled more than one king in his time. Lordings who ruled neighborhoods like they were in some medieval shit-com, syndicate bosses who thought themselves untouchable, gang leaders who led by fear alone.
Each one had thought themselves untouchable. Each one had fallen, choking on their own arrogance.
And now, he thought grimly, staring at the gleam of the crown reflected faintly in Mira's eyes, this was no different.
He was the king now.
But of course, it would never be as easy as it sounded.
"So what you're saying," Rex muttered, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm, "is that the first contingency to keep all those slobbering nobles from adding the throne into their own little feast… is marriage?"
The word hung heavy in the air.
The four across from him didn't immediately answer.
Inis's frown deepened, her arms crossed so tightly it looked as if she might cut off her own breath.
Shin Lan's expression was less suspicious now, but also harder to read. A flick of his gaze away indicated his desire to remain out of the conversation.
Cross squirmed in his seat, his fingers worrying the hem of his cloak.
Mira Lilith, of course, only smiled, leaning her chin on her hand like a cat watching a cornered bird.
The room itself was far too official for his liking. Polished mahogany round table, walls lined with dusty banners, maps stacked in neat rolls, and a chandelier overhead became a disco ball, catching every flicker of light and casting rainbow flashes into his eyes.
He hadn't chosen it out of comfort. He had demanded it. Briskly too, walking out of that suffocating room with the crown still heavy on his head, snapping at the head butler until the man nearly tripped over his own shoes to open the way.
Apparently, this was the negotiation room. Used for meetings, treaties, kingdom business. Not the sort of place any of them expected the new king to set foot in on his first day. Especially not when the rest of the capital was drowning itself in wine and parades, celebrating his coronation.
Celebrating him.
A bitter thought curled in Rex's mind, one he quickly smothered.
He leaned back in the chair they'd given him, not a golden seat this time, thank the stars, but still grand enough that it creaked under the weight of its carvings. His hand dragged down his face as though trying to wipe the absurdity away.
"…Marriage." He repeated flatly, letting the word drip with as much disdain as he could muster.
Inis finally broke the silence, her voice sharp. "Not just marriage. An alliance. A bond strong enough to keep the great houses from tearing each other apart and the kingdom with them."
Shin Lan added, his tone low and clipped, "It was Aurex's design. The trial crowned him, but his survival depended on the contingencies we built around him. Without them, the throne is… unstable."
Mira Lilith chuckled, her voice smooth and amused. "Unstable, off balance, unequal… all words for the same thing, really. A crown that sits loose on its bearer's head can topple at the slightest touch. Unless," she tilted her head at Rex, her eyes gleaming, "the bearer binds it in place with something the vultures cannot contest."
"And that's marriage," Rex muttered again, slumping back. His eyes flicked toward the chandelier, almost hoping its light would blind him. Maybe then he could understand what the hell was wrong with Aurex, to think marriage was the way to keep the nobles from going on a power trip. "Wow. Just got crowned and I'm already being sold like livestock."
He realized with a jolt.
The day had not ended, and yet, he was already past the point of no return.