I hate you, he thought with feeling, holding Ksar’s gaze, something dark and ugly taking root in his heart.
I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.
Chapter 1
Nine years later
Calluvian Society Gossip
Prince Seyn in the spotlight of intergalactic mass media…Again.
Daughters and sons of the Third Grand Clan have always been known for their exquisite beauty and charisma. Many of them caused wars that shaped world history. But few flirted with scandal as often as Prince Seyn does.
It is common knowledge that Prince Seyn of the Third Grand Clan is quite the social butterfly. The twenty-three-year-old prince attends countless balls and soirees, not only on Calluvia, but also on other worlds of the Union of Planets. Nowadays, no one is surprised by the growing number of foreign admirers Prince Seyn has, admirers who refuse to give up despite Prince Seyn being unavailable. The whole Union knows that Prince Seyn is betrothed; no one seems to care, least of all Prince Seyn. Although, to our knowledge, the prince has never done anything completely inappropriate, he certainly doesn’t discourage his admirers from wooing him.
However, it was Prince Seyn’s recent trip to Planet Rugora that raised our eyebrows. [For those unaware: Planet Rugora is infamous for its gambling facilities and pleasure houses.] The prince was spotted by the tabloids in the company of several high-ranking members of the court.
One wonders what our esteemed Lord Chancellor thinks about his bondmate’s escapades…
As a matter of fact, we have managed to get hold of Prince Ksar, but he didn’t appear very concerned. “He likes to see new places and meet new people,” he told us curtly, looking rather bored and distracted, no doubt in a hurry to return to the Council’s session.
But we wonder: is Prince Ksar as unbothered as he seemed? And if he is, one has to wonder about the implications…
There has never been a dissolution of a childhood bond—it is forbidden by law—but we imagine if it were possible, Prince Ksar and Prince Seyn would be the first in line for it.
We can’t think of a less suitable couple…
* * *
“I wish there really was a way to dissolve this stupid bond,” Seyn grumbled, closing the article and setting his interactive multi-device down. “Then I would be rid of that asshole.”
Prince Harht of the Second Grand Clan looked at his friend and suppressed a sigh. He loved Seyn like a brother, but Seyn could be so unreasonable when it came to Ksar. Seyn also tended to forget that Ksar was his brother and that Harht loved his big brother, no matter how standoffish Ksar could be. Harht was convinced that Ksar was a good person—deep down—but every time he tried to convince Seyn of that, Seyn just scoffed and told him that he was too kind and naive, and that Ksar didn’t deserve to be defended.
“You’re talking about my brother,” Harht reminded Seyn gently.
Seyn grimaced. “Sometimes I genuinely forget. Really, it’s amazing that someone like you can be related to such a vile, arrogant ass.” Seyn gave him a rueful smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “But yes, I get it. I’m sorry for putting you into such an awkward position.”
Harht sighed. It always upset him when Seyn badmouthed Ksar, but it also upset him that Seyn was so miserable because of the bond to his brother.
“There’s no way to dissolve the bond,” Harht said patiently, trying to project fondness and understanding instead of exasperation. “I don’t understand why you can’t just accept it. The bond isn’t bad. I like my bond and my bondmate.”
Seyn scoffed. “Because your bondmate isn’t an asshole. I would have been fine with being bonded to someone like Leylen—okay, mostly fine.” Seyn heaved a sigh, sagging back against the couch and running his hand through his long, silver hair before starting to coil it into a complicated braid. The jerkiness of his fingers as he twisted the long strands betrayed his frustration.
“You really don’t understand, do you?” Seyn said after a while.
Harht shrugged. He honestly didn’t.
Seyn smiled faintly. “You’re just very sheltered. You’ve never been on other planets. You haven’t seen societies—much healthier societies—that don’t shackle their children to some stranger for life. People can actually choose who they want to be with on other planets, Harht! Can you imagine that?” Seyn straightened, his green eyes brightening. “Other races can actually fall in love. Hell, they can have sex with anyone they want! They don’t have to wait until they’re twenty-five and they’ll be finally allowed to fuck the person who’s been forced on them since childhood! Amazing, isn’t it?”
Harht gave a shrug, a little embarrassed by Seyn’s vulgar language, but used to it enough not to comment on it. “Personally, I’m completely fine with waiting until I’m twenty-five. It’s not like I want sex.”
“Precisely!” Seyn said. “This stupid bond messes with our biology, making us practically asexual until our marriage and even then we can’t want anyone but our bondmate! It takes away our agency.”