CHAPTER 397: SLOW, WE PADDLE THROUGH THE LAKE

[KAWAI]

For a moment, it felt like the world had gone still. Of all the things that had been expected tonight, of all the ways the day could have been ended for Sanji, this was certainly not it.

This was not just a rejection.

It was a statement.

It was a reminder of what had been done before and of what had been put to the side.

Of course, Sanji had half-expected this, but he had not thought that Kosta would leave him on the sidelines like that. Sanji had lived in Kawai long enough to know that Hinatas never let go of their loved ones.

He had learned the Hinata family like the back of his hand, and he had known damn well that Tamiko and Kosta were a duo that would ever truly separate.

But then Zula had died.

And Tamiko came back.

And all the plans that Sanji had had before this went to shit.

He had hoped that by getting together with Kosta, he’d break Tamiko’s heart in all sorts of ways and remember why he had agreed to this shit in the first place. He had counted on Kosta helping him deliver the final blow to the Hinatas.

But right now, that plan was a bust.

There wasn’t much he could do about it.

The Hinatas had their eyes on Kosta long before Kosta knew what love and life had been. Fate had played the card game for long, and Sanji had long known that shit was bound, but damn, he hadn’t expected to be this embarrassed and fucked over.

It was a reminder of the tag he had been given long before he had come to an agreement with Kosta, the omega in the realm. The most protected and most coveted omega in the realm.

Now, all he could see was not just the omega, but the Kawai Lycan Chief.

Igor Kostantin.

The man who had sworn he would cut him off into little pieces of Sanji so much as looked at Tamiko the wrong way. And perhaps Kosta had remembered that too, because what the hell just happened?

"What?" Sanji asked separately to save whatever ego he had left after this; he knew he wouldn’t have gotten attached to Igor Kostantin. He knew she shouldn’t have taken pride in that which was never going to be truly his.

But he had taken way too much interest.

He had invested too much into this, and he had gotten fucked over once again. He had done everything right and still remained the traitor that he had been trying too hard to break clear of.

Sanji looked at Kosta and then at Tamiko, who had a blank face. You would think he didn’t just tell his father that he almost died.

The man who had forever remained unkillable had almost died because Kosta was about to give an answer, and, in that moment, Sanji humored himself by releasing himself into the possibilities that would have taken place if Kosta had accepted him.

Sure, it was a long shot for him, given Yilena had done her very best to separate Kosta and Tamiko, but a man could hope, right?

A man could try and salvage whatever was left of his reputation, the muddy grounds of the grand palace that had wanted to hang him long before they even knew about Zula’s involvement.

Fate was a bitch, he knew that now.

Still, he let himself drown the possibility that Tamiko would have had to stay his ground and never look at Kosta again, because if he agreed to be marked by Sanji, Tamiko would never mark him again, ever.

It was something that even the old books couldn’t fight. But Tamiko had given up ten years of his life just so Kosta would be happy. Surely an eternity wasn’t that long a time for him, and he hoped that they would be reincarnated, right?

Then again, back then, Sanji had been given Kosta, and Tamiko had told him that he would have Kosta in the next life. What Sanji hadn’t realized was the fact that all was still in the hands of Igor Konstantin.

If the man chose Tamiko, then no one could interfere.

And if Sanji was the chosen one, then even hell wouldn’t be able to come in between.

Because that was how selfless Tamiko’s love for Kosta was.

Then again, Kosta hadn’t exactly said that this was his decision because he loved Tamiko. So, there was also that. But even the blind could feel the pull that was between the crown prince and the Lycan Chief.

It was just a matter of time, right?

Right?

Fuck.

"No. And we both know why. So please, sit back down and stop embarrassing yourself," Kosta said in the calmest voice he could muster at the time. It was as if he hadn’t just burned someone’s world down.

Then again, Sanji was crazy for even thinking there could be a future in which he had Igor Konstantin was ever worth something. It was impossible, and they would always be a hunter and parley, regardless of Hinata’s involvement or not.

This was not the kind of thing he should have done in public like this, but since he had chosen to compel an answer from one of the most dangerous men in the realm, the answer suited him well.

Maybe he needed to use this to remind himself that staying with and beside Kosta for the longest time would never warrant their relationship getting any further hair already at the moment.

"I understand. It’s disappointing, but at least you were honest with me, so thank you. I shall move out later tonight," Sanji said as he sat back down.

There was so much shame on his face as he looked at Kosta one more time, like he was memorizing the face that had blatantly rejected him in front of thousands of Lycans, and even then, he couldn’t find it in himself to be angry.

He had seen what Kosta was as an omega more times than he had ever seen Kosta as a Lycan Chief, and really, that was something he would forever treasure, even though there was a chance that his head would be slashed by that very omega.

It was the issue tonight, though, right? Perhaps this was just what was needed to happen for life to go on.

"Aren’t you going to say something?" Danny asked his smiling best friend.

"It’s not my night, Danny. Besides, I didn’t step up to embarrass myself like that... I would never," Tamiko said, holding back a laugh at how desperately Sanji had fucked himself over.

Then again, there wasn’t much that Sanji could have done if Kosta didn’t want him; it was pretty obvious, and he understood it too.

But that didn’t change the fact that even after the years Sanji had spent in Kawai, he still had the audacity to want things that would never be his. It was because of that that it was almost impossible for them to ever get some peace in this land.

Nevertheless, that would soon end.

Grealor was already starting to feel the heat that Tamiko was just his father’s son.

"You really are something," Danny laughed before dinner continued.

The ceremony was a beautiful one. It was so perfect that it somehow aligned with what Kawai should have truly been: a land of parties and a king who loved them for who they were.

The mad king may have been the most unhinged Lycan in the realm, but he had been a good man for the past thirteen years. He had done everything right, and no one could exactly complain.

Of course, there were some attributions to the people around him.

What mattered was that life was back in Kawai.

"I must admit, it was brave of Sanjiro to even think that that was a possibility for him," Lord Sadako said.

Danny stared at the Hinatas.

There was really something interesting about this family, and honestly, he was just glad that he was on the right side of the because being against them was simply dooming oneself.

"Trying to force Igor’s hand like that was stupid, Sanjiro," King Zaffuto finally spoke once they were at the same table. It was like a warning that Sanjiro was nothing more than a traitor who had been accorded favor by the mad king because of Kosta.

It was the reminder of what would never happen for as long as Zaffuto lived and breathed, and that was an eternity to be braced for.

"My apologies, your majesty, it was stupid of me to dare to dream of a family with the Lycan Chief," Sanji said, and they all just stared at him.

"Your highness, on that subject, I wanted to formally congratulate Prince Kaito on his glorious return. Also, I wanted to submit my relocation request. The palace has been good to me even after everything, but I would like to go home.

"To what was my home before the chaos began. Before the day that changed the trajectory of my life. I want to go back to my guardian, Yilena. I haven’t seen her in a while, and I would like to go be by her side.

"Especially now that she may be in mourning because of her sister," Kosta said, adding the last bit ever so carefully.

Tamiko could have sworn all the air was punched out of his lungs.

The worst part of it all was that Tamiko could see Kosta was being sincere about this; there was no malice in his voice. Nothing could point to him being angry about Tamiko’s disappearance and shit.

Of course, everyone had seen him lose himself because Tamiko was gone, but now, all that was there was just emptiness.

"Are you sure about that, Lord Konstantin?"