CHAPTER 402: SHAPED BY THE CLEAREST BLUE

[TAMIKO]

(Last Night)

Tamiko didn’t know what to expect for the very first time in his life.

When he watched Kosta stab himself in the heart the first time, he had thought it was a punishment for Tamiko for not being there. For being the shaky one, for being the one that got away with nothing to lose.

That was what he had thought it was.

So, he told himself that Kosta was not as weak. That his Kosta was just throwing tantrums because of how the night had ended. But when he watched him stab himself the second time, and by the third, Tamiko’s heart sank.

He had not expected that.

On any day, he would have rushed to save Kosta. To be the one who freed him from the bonds that had been since they went their separate ways ten years ago. But the words he said back then had haunted him in that moment.

He could choose to go and risk everything he had, or he could stay away from Kosta and watch Kosta bloom. There was never truly much of a choice for Tamiko at the moment, and he hated himself even more.

He knew Kosta could see him, that Kosta had known he was there. He hated the possibility that his Erasthai was desperate for him to save him. And that moment, when Tamiko heard Kosta’s breathing slow down, he knew he had a choice to make.

"I love him," Tamiko said to no one in particular before he teleported to where Kosta was pulling the knife out of his Erasthai’s heart before doing the one thing he had not been sure he would ever do again.

Tamiko rekindled his bond with Kosta.

He marked the dying Lycan again, as he mumbled apologies about being late and shit. He hadn’t intended for it all to get to this point, but life hadn’t exactly given him that many things to look forward to.

He was risking eternal heartbreak by doing this.

Yet Tamiko didn’t think twice.

"I will never let him go," Tamiko said again.

This time, he carried his Erasthai through the palace doors and toward what had once been their room, what had once been their haven. It was dusty as fuck, and Tamiko hated himself for abandoning it like that.

Just for tonight, he would take Kosta to the next room, the one that had been set for Tamiko’s return.

Because no one had believed the crown prince wanted to live in the same room that held so many beautiful memories. Memories that had now begun haunting him. This wasn’t that easy, but Tamiko had made his choice.

It was going to be hell for him, but this was a hell he would proudly be a part of. A hell he didn’t mind getting fucked over for, because when the sun went down and the moon shone, Kosta was always going to be the choice he would always make.

Always.

"I’m sorry," his Kosta mumbled in defeat as he shifted in Tamiko’s arms.

Kosta’s caramel scent was making him dizzy because it was the first time Tamiko was truly smelling it without having to hide in the corridors or anything.

It was right here.

Closest to him as he could.

Tamiko was tempted to steal a kiss from his Erasthai – he had marked him anyway – but that was not how Tamiko worked. He knew there would be a lot of explaining to do when morning came.

He just hoped that Kosta would understand why he had to do it.

Frankly, Tamiko didn’t fault his Erasthai for having a weakness, no.

He knew what this was.

He knew that they had both been calling for each other there, and he knew Kosta was angry with him for not fighting hard enough for them until they lost each other.

Gods, he knew it so well.

Oh, how Tamiko hated himself for that.

"Well, that’s a sight, kid," King Zaffuto said when his son got to the door of his room.

"Papa... please don’t fight me on this. I love him. I don’t see a future without him; my life is pointless with him, even after I win the war against the Grealors. He is my anchor. He keeps me sane. He is all I want.

"Please don’t stop me, please," Tamiko pleaded.

Zaffuto just smiled sadly at his son.

The mad king understood how things had gotten hard for the kid.

He knew that regardless of what happened, Kosta would always be there, and the fact that Tamiko was showing up like this was the reminder the mad king needed to know that his son wouldn’t be talked out of this.

"Are you sure about that? I see you marked him again. Are you sure he would want that, or will he try to fight you again? I don’t want to see you hurt, lapochka. You’re the only reason I have something to look forward to.

"I don’t know what I will become if he hurts you again," King Zaffuto pleaded with his son.

He hated it when Tamiko was broken-hearted, especially since that was the kind of hurt the king wouldn’t ever be able to protect him from in all truth. It was a game of choices, and fate was not exactly the kindest when it came to such situations.

But Zaffuto hoped his son had chosen right.

If he was being honest, Kosta was a good Erasthai and a good man. He would love for Kosta to be his son-in-law, but all of that still depended on Tamiko. The dynamics were all too complicated for the king, and he hated it.

Because he would see his son getting hurt again in a way that he would never be able to protect him.

If the king chose to keep Kosta away from Tamiko, Tamiko would get hurt. And that was something he could have, not after everything that had happened to his dear son.

"Honestly, no. He might reject me again tomorrow when he wakes up. But I don’t mind getting hurt because of him. If my pain makes him happy, then I am willing to endure that until the time comes," Tamiko said endearingly.

Anyone would think that Kosta was the light to his world. It was strange what fate had become for them, but then there wasn’t much that could be said at this moment. Life was hectic already, and he had to decide for himself.

That was the one thing that terrified even the mad king: the uncertainty that came with staying on the sidelines, the fear of what was coming for his son, and the things that he would never be able to keep his son safe from.

At the end of the day, there was only so much that Tamiko could do to get this going.

Only so much that the king himself could do to save his son.

"Oh, lapochka. My little boy is growing up and I can’t do anything about it, can I?" King Zaffuto asked as he looked at Tamiko and then at the unconscious Lycan chief in Tamiko’s arms. He had a lot to say, but the king knew better than to say anything.

"You’re my papa. Nothing will ever change that," Tamiko chuckled.

"I’d never let anything change that," King Zaffuto said before he stepped close and kissed his son’s forehead.

"Go on, kid. Get some sleep. You’ll have a long morning," the king teased.

Tamiko let out a light laugh.

"Goodnight, papa."