☬♛ PART TWENTY NINE ♛☬

Sebastian didn't get jealous.

Or at least, that's what he liked to tell himself.

He was a king, after all. Kings didn't sulk like children over petty things.

Except...

Right now, as he stood in the grand dining hall, watching Alex pass out slices of his freshly baked cake to everyone-the guards, the servants, even the damn advisors-Sebastian felt something ugly twist in his chest.

Because he had assumed-wrongly, apparently-that the cake was for him.

But no.

Alex had handed him one plate. One.

The same portion as everyone else.

And now, here he was, smiling at other people, laughing when one of the guards told him it was the best cake he'd ever tasted, even playfully nudging one of the younger servants when they begged for a second piece.

Sebastian stabbed his fork into his cake violently.

He took a bite, barely tasting it, his mood rotting with every passing second.

_______________________________________

"Are you pouting?"

Sebastian didn't look up. "No."

Alex hummed, taking the seat across from him. "You definitely are."

"Don't you have more cakes to hand out?" Sebastian muttered.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Ah. I see."

Sebastian scowled. "You see what?"

"You're jealous."

Sebastian froze. "I am not."

"You are," Alex said, smirking now. "You thought the cake was just for you, didn't you?"

Sebastian refused to answer.

Alex laughed. "You're so obvious."

Sebastian groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "You're infuriating."

"And you're terrible at hiding your emotions," Alex countered.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes, still refusing to look directly at him.

Then-

Alex leaned forward slightly, resting his chin in his hand.

"You're cute when you sulk, you know that?"

Sebastian nearly choked. "WHAT-"

Before he could recover, before he could process any of this, Alex suddenly stood, leaned in-

And pressed a soft kiss against his cheek.

______________________________________

Sebastian stopped functioning.

He didn't move.

He didn't breathe.

His entire world had short-circuited.

Alex pulled back, a satisfied smile on his face. "Better now?"

Sebastian stared.

Alex chuckled. "Oh. Speechless? That's a first."

Sebastian continued to stare.

"Well," Alex said, stretching. "I'll leave you to... process that."

And then he walked away.

Just like that.

Just-

Like-

That.

_____________________________________

Sebastian's entire routine was ruined.

For the rest of the day, he was completely useless.

During meetings, he barely registered what people were saying. At training, he swung his sword wrong-something he hadn't done in years.

His thoughts?

A constant, unbearable loop.

He kissed me.

He kissed me.

HE KISSED ME.

On the cheek. Yes. But still.

And the worst part?

He couldn't even be angry about it.

Because now, every time he so much as looked at Alex, all he could think about was how soft that kiss had been, how effortless Alex had done it, how easy it was for him to leave Sebastian a complete, utter wreck.

And now?

Now, Sebastian, King of the Realm, feared one thing above all else-

That he would never recover from this.