Chapter 0143
Chapter 0143
“If you are lucky, Lex. You may come out of this with your head attached. Your brother just needs to make the right choice.”
He dismisses me after that, and I leave the dining hall quickly. I need to talk to my brother.
***
Kane
Correspondence with Lex is tense. We know that any letter or call will be monitored for information. We must be careful with our words. Too much is at stake to be reckless.
Lex calls me unexpectedly. He sounds more frazzled than I can remember him ever being.
“How is the weather in Scarlett Thunder?” I ask, casually. “Fair weather or cloudier than usual?”
“Cloudy as fuck,” he answers. “I’ve heard weather reports about an unexpected… development. It could
birth a real thunderstorm.”
It takes me a moment to figure out what he’s trying to say. This is my confirmation that Lord Alistair has definitely told King Peter about Emory’s pregnancy.
“And what is the consensus toward the stormy weather?”
“Terrible,” Lex replies. “The king hates the change. He’s complaining to other people about it.”
I pause before asking, “He’s complaining to his friends?”
“He’s complaining to anyone that will listen.”
My allies will be getting this information soon. I have to get on top of this before King Peter manages to sway them over to his side.
“I should check on the weather reports here. Make sure we can deal with any upcoming storms”
“That would be for the best. I can’t see any of this going smoothly.”
“Thank you for informing me. I hope you’re able to handle yourself through the harsh climate.”
“I’m surprisingly adaptable to this environment. I didn’t know I had it in me.”
“I’m not surprised.”
He sounds incredulous as he asks, “You’re not?”
“No. I had hopes you would realize your own resilience without me having to spell it out for you.”
“I might have learned about it sooner if you’d told me.”
“Would you have listened?”
He concedes, “No.” After a pause, he asks, “How is the weather over there right now?”
“It’s fine as of right now,” I tell him. That’s true, though it sounds like things are about to get stormy here.
“And how are you liking the new flowers? Are they… permanent?”
Chapter 0143
+25 BONUS
I know he’s asking me abot Emory’s pregnancy. “It’s looking like they will be. I’m excited, honestly. They’re beautiful.”
He snorts. “Of course you are. You were born loving flowers.”
“The same way I was born to be a king?”
“Yes,” he says. “I have to live in the shadow of you being the world’s best… gardener.”
That makes me laugh. “You might be a good gardener too, Lex.”
“I doubt it,” he grumbles. “There are only weeds and dandelions to be found over here.”
“You need to stop underestimating yourself.”
“Why would I? When I can be surprised when I actually do well?”
“For the sake of your self–confidence.”
“….” He sighs. “I appreciate the advice, but I have a weather report to look at.”
“What kind of report?”
“The developmental kind. I can’t miss it.”
“Tell me how it goes.”
“I will, and you tell me how it goes for you too.”
“I will. I promise.”
The call ends, and I place the phone on the receiver. I sit back in my chair. It’s a surreal thought to take in. My brother and I are going to be fathers. I never thought this would happen, especially around the same
time.
I had thought for a while that Lex would die alone. The alternative is still complicated. If we were any
other men in this world, we would both be celebrating without a care. Instead, I have to share news of my unborn child through the guise of talking about gardening.
My life couldn’t be any more absurd.
