"I love your mother." Aleron said with a wistful expression as he stood at his door. Kai shook his head, a frown on his face.
"Why are you here telling me that?" he asked, blinking a few times as his father stormed inside his room.
"And I know you love her too."
"That is quite debatable." he said, raising one sassy eyebrow. Kai crossed his arms over his chest, knowing that this conversation was probably going to put even more doubts in his already overfilled mind and looked at his father. He seemed restless, pacing as he talk.
"What if she divorces me?"
"These are really not matters that you should be talking with your kids, you know." the youngest prince mumbled and Aleron stopped walking.
"I messed up, Kai. I messed up bad." he said, looking at him with wide blue eyes. Kai was just standing there, not knowing what to do or say. This kind of situation, he wasn't used to it.
"What did you do?"
"I threatened her. I told her that if she didn't cut off her hand I would leave her and take you and your siblings with me."
"Like Nelia and Xan would leave mother." he said.
"She is mad at me. Telling me about all the times I left and I know, I mean it wasn't the best thing I should have done, and maybe I didn't really want to be king either so I kind of walked away leaving her deal with everything because…"
"Because our family is not the rightful heir." Kai told him, making his father freeze.
"Where did you hear that?"
"Xan, that guy knows everything that has ever happened in this palace."
"Well, he was raised by your mother, that is only natural."
"Father." Kai told him with a serious tone. "I am not really interested in what's happening between you and mother. You should go to Nelia, she actually likes our mother so she would be able to help you."
"Yes but you are more experienced in failed relationships." Aleron told him, looking at him dead in the eyes, completely serious with not a hint of joking. Kai blinked, tilting his head.
"Your words do not make me want to talk to you."
"It's fine, because I don't want you to talk to me, I want you to talk to your mother." he said with a cheeky smile and Kai scoffed, unable to believe what he had just heard. "Tomorrow it's the start of the event, she will be nervous and on edge and she will need help but you know how she is, she won't ask about it so what I want you to do is talk to her, like right now and make her forgive me. You know a little mother and son talk."
"Are you insane?" Kai exclaimed, looking at his father as if he was a mad man. "My mate is coming here tomorrow, I have enough on my plate already. Where did that ridiculous idea come from? Just because she cut off a hand it does not mean she is forgiven for the two hundred years of torture and running away I had to go through."
"Please Kai, don't forgive her, don't even be nice to her, just make her talk to me again. She doesn't even look at me, what am I supposed to do?" his father said, a pitiful look on his face. He looked like a forgotten puppy out on the street and Kai sighed, averting his gaze.
Suddenly a very light hearted aura seemed to spread in the palace, he didn remember this happening every time his father would return home, it was as if his mother somehow found peace in its presence. Maybe if they got along she wouldn't bother him while he tried to win Philip back, his father would be indebted to him and would stop her from actually intervening with his life any longer. If he rejected him now though he would keep whining and getting in the way of his plans.
Kai rubbed his chin, thinking what else he could gain from this. His eyes were squeezed as he examined how desperate his father was. A grin appeared on his face.
"Well, I could have a little talk with her. You know I am good with words when I want to, so why not but what's in it for me?" he asked.
"Whatever you want, name it, just make Cecilia forgive me and I promise you I will be your strongest ally." Aleron said, his expression stern as he was getting ready to negotiate with his own son. Life was give and take, Kai thought, everyone knew that. He shouldn't be feeling bad about it, talking to his mother after everything could be considered a gold ranked favor so he could get everything.
"Okay then. First, you will make sure mother does not intervene while I try to get Philip back. You will stop her if she tries to do anything to me or my friends. Am I clear?" Kai asked his father.
"Deal, so can you…"
"I am not finished. I know that werewolves are placed in the guest houses but you will make sure that the Moonshine members, the one Philip is in, are placed on my floor. There is another Alpha who likes him so I won't be having her ruining everything." he said.
"That can be arranged"
"And lastly…"
"There is more?" Aleron asked, a surprised expression on his face and Kai smiled widely.
"Of course there is more, this is the ultimate sacrifice, you don't want me to talk to her?" He asked his father, talking between gritted teeth.
"No, no go on."
"I want to be able to leave the palace." Kai announced.
"Kai." Alern said, turning suddenly serious. "You know that is not a really good idea. The Nightshades are still out there and…"
"I have been home for a while now, no one has dared to do anything. I will be fine, so make sure mother does not start nagging about me leaving the palace. Okay?" he asked and his father sighed.
"Just promise me you will be careful, don't leave the main town.
"Okay" Kai agreed and his father nodded. "So, where is she?"
"In the throne room" Aleron said, a shy smile on his face.
"I am going." he announced.
Kai left his room, thinking that things were not as bad. He liked the fact that his father was back and he would be able to get the three main things he wanted just by talking to his mother. If he succeeded or not was not his problem after all, he wasn't in the mood to be involved in marital problems anyway.
He was feeling quite carefree at the moment, a slight anxious about tomorrow but in general after a while he felt good. Maybe it was the fact that the curse was lifted, maybe he couldn't wait to see Philip again.. So many good things were approaching that Kai had missed to sense the ominous aura in the air, unaware that someone would be dying soon.