Page 66 of Throne Off Course

And that, more than anything, was the problem.

* * *

“You’re a goddamn idiot,” Sebastian announced the second he walked into Alexander’s study.

Alexander, seated stiffly at his desk, did not look up from the royal documents in front of him. “Lovely to see you too, Sebastian.”

Sebastian marched over, grabbed the entire stack of paperwork, and dropped it onto the floor.

“HEY—”

“Are you trying to ruin your life?” Sebastian demanded. “Because I’ve been wondering, and I need to know.”

Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaling deeply before leveling Sebastian with a tired glare. “Would you care to clarify?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Sebastian leaned against the desk, one eyebrow arched in challenge. “You are in love with a woman who is not, let me check—not your fiancée, not royal, and not remotely allowed within your mother’s dictatorial framework of acceptable life choices.”

Alexander stiffened. “What would you know about it?”

Sebastian let out a short, sharp laugh that carried the distinct ring of mockery. “Oh, I’m sorry—shall I read your inner monologue aloud for you? Because I’m pretty sure it goes something like, ‘Oh, Emilia, I can’t live without you—’”

“Shut up.”

“‘—The world disappears when we’re together, your lips taste like forbidden freedom—’”

“Sebastian.”

“I bet you wrote poetry about her, didn’t you?”

Alexander slammed his hands against the desk. “I did not write poetry!”

Sebastian grinned. “But you thought about it.”

Alexander glared at him, which meant yes.

Sebastian groaned, pacing the room. “Oh, for the love of—Alex, my guy, my tragically repressed friend—you do realize what’s happening here, right? You’re going to get yourself caught in a royal scandal of biblical proportions, and for what? The fleeting high of sneaking around palace corridors like ateenager with a crush?”

Alexander stood, suddenly looking furious. “It’s not a crush.”

Sebastian stopped pacing. His usual smirk faded, replaced by something more serious. “I know.”

A tense silence stretched between them.

“How are you managing it anyway?” Sebastian asked, genuine curiosity breaking through his concern. “There are eyes everywhere in that palace.”

Alexander hesitated. “Thomas has been… helpful.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows shot up. “Thomas? Your by-the-book equerry? The man who plans your entire life with military precision?”

“He knows about us. Of course, he knows about everything.” Alexander admitted. “I expected him to lecture me about duty and responsibility after he saw us together but instead, he’s been creating opportunities, warning us when someone’s coming.”

Sebastian stared at him for a moment before letting out a low whistle. “Well, if Major Thomas Blackwood is risking his career for your forbidden romance, maybe there’s more to this than I thought.”

Sebastian ran a hand through his hair. “Look. You don’t get to have both. The throne and her? That’s not how this ends. You either fight for her completely—willing to set the whole system on fire if you have to—or you end this now, before it takes you both down.”

Alexander sat back down at his desk, a look of despair on his face. “But I can’t just walk away.”

Sebastian eyed him for a long moment. Then, shaking his head, he flopped down onto the chair across from Alexander’sdesk, stretching his legs out with exaggerated exasperation.