The Prince's Arranged Marriage-Chapter 93: A Kingdom That Watches

Lucien didn’t sleep much that night.

Not because Alexander didn’t try.

Alexander held him close, solid and warm, pressing slow kisses into Lucien’s hair and temple whenever Lucien’s breathing turned too sharp. He murmured promises in the darknquiet things like I’m hereband I’ve got you and nothing touches you while I breathe.

And Lucien wanted to believe him.

He almost did.

But every time his eyes drifted shut, his mind returned to the same thought like a bruise you couldn’t stop pressing:

They won’t attack the throne first. They’ll take something easier.

Him.

By morning, Lucien had stopped pretending he could rest. He lay there, staring at the pale light creeping across the ceiling, feeling Alexander’s arm tighten when Lucien shifted.

Alexander’s voice was rough with sleep. "You’re awake."

Lucien hummed softly. "I didn’t want to wake you."

"You didn’t," Alexander murmured. He pressed a kiss to Lucien’s shoulder, then lifted his head slightly. Even half-awake, his eyes were sharp. "Tell me what you’re thinking."

Lucien turned in his arms, facing him. "I’m thinking the palace feels... smaller."

Alexander’s mouth curved faintly, but there was no humor in it. "Because you can feel the eyes."

Lucien exhaled slowly. "Yes."

Alexander’s thumb traced Lucien’s cheekbone. "Then we don’t give them something to twist."

Lucien blinked. "You want to be cautious."

Alexander held his gaze. "I want you alive."

Lucien’s chest tightened at the familiar words. "I know."

He paused. Then, quieter: "But if we hide, doesn’t that help them?"

Alexander didn’t answer right away.

Lucien continued, voice steadying as he spoke. "If the people start hearing stories about me being ’foreign influence’ and I disappear from view... won’t they believe it?"

Alexander’s jaw tightened.

Lucien reached up and kissed him brief, warm, grounding. "We said we wouldn’t hide."

Alexander’s eyes darkened. "We won’t."

Lucien searched his face. "Then we should be seen. Together. On purpose."

Alexander stared at him for a long moment, then nodded once. "Fine."

Lucien’s breath eased slightly. "Fine?"

Alexander’s mouth brushed Lucien’s. "But we do it my way."

Lucien sighed dramatically. "Of course."

Alexander gave him a faint smile. "After breakfast."

Lucien leaned in and kissed him again, longer this time. "Deal."

---

By midmorning, they were walking through the palace courtyard toward the outer gates.

Not in secret. Not in haste.

Openly.

Lucien wore a pale ceremonial coat, simple but unmistakably royal. Alexander wore darker tones, his presence more severe, his posture calm in the way that made guards straighten without being told.

Servants and officials bowed as they passed. Lucien smiled politely, and Alexander’s hand rested lightly at Lucien’s lower back public affection disguised as guidance.

Lucien didn’t mind.

He wanted the palace to see it.

He wanted them to understand that Alexander didn’t step away from him when the pressure rose.

If anything, Alexander moved closer.

They reached the palace gates, and the sound of the city washed in the distant hum of market voices, carriage wheels, the occasional shout of a vendor.

And then Lucien saw them.

Pamphlets.

Not scattered randomly. Not accidental litter.

Placed predominity placed, tucked neatly near the guard post like they’d been left there intentionally, waiting to be found. A servant was already bending down, hands trembling slightly as if he knew he shouldn’t touch them.

Lucien stopped.

The servant froze, eyes wide.

Lucien’s voice stayed mild. "May I?"

The servant swallowed. "Your Highness..."

Lucien took the pamphlet gently. The paper was cheap. Rough. The ink slightly smeared, as if it had been printed quickly.

Alexander’s hand tightened at Lucien’s back.

Lucien read the first line.

Avaloria must protect its traditions.

He flipped the page.

It didn’t say Alexander’s name. It didn’t accuse Lucien directly. It did something worse.

It suggested. It implied. It planted doubt like a seed.

Foreign ties.

Outside influence.

A crown led astray by a charming consort.

A prince distracted from duty.

Lucien’s stomach twisted.

He could already imagine how it would spread whispers in markets, murmurs at court, small doubts passed between friends.

The pamphlet wasn’t meant to convince everyone.

It was meant to convince enough.

Lucien lowered it slowly.

Alexander’s voice was quiet. "Give it to me."

Lucien didn’t hand it over immediately. He looked up at the guards nearby young men trying to pretend they weren’t listening. He looked at the servant, still frozen in place.

And then he looked at Alexander.

Lucien’s voice came out calm. "No."

Alexander’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Lucien"

Lucien raised the pamphlet just slightly. "They want us to treat it like poison. Like something shameful."

Alexander’s jaw tightened. "It is poison."

"Yes," Lucien agreed. "So we don’t pretend it doesn’t exist."

Alexander stared at him for a moment, tension radiating off him like heat.

Lucien turned to the servant and smiled gently. "Thank you. You may go."

The servant bowed quickly and nearly ran away.

Lucien glanced at the guards. "Collect the rest. Bring them to my chambers."

The guards hesitated then looked to Alexander.

Lucien’s stomach tightened at the reflex.

Alexander’s gaze flicked to the guards, then back to Lucien. Slowly, he nodded once.

The guards obeyed immediately.

Lucien turned back to Alexander, pulse racing under his calm expression. "See? They even trained them to look at you first."

Alexander’s mouth pressed into a thin line. "This isn’t the time."

"It is exactly the time," Lucien replied softly.

Alexander held his gaze for a heartbeat longer than necessary.

Then his hand slid from Lucien’s back to Lucien’s hand, fingers interlacing. Public. Clear. Unmistakable.

"Fine," Alexander said quietly. "We do it your way."

Lucien’s chest loosened. "Thank you."

Alexander leaned in and kissed Lucien’s temple not hidden, not subtle. A simple act of affection in full view of palace guards and passing servants.

Lucien felt the heat crawl up his neck anyway.

Alexander murmured, barely audible, "If they want a story, we give them one they can’t twist."

Lucien looked at him. "What story?"

Alexander’s eyes darkened. "That you are loved. That you are strong. That you are not alone."

Lucien swallowed, emotion rising. He nodded once, then tucked the pamphlet into his coat.

They walked out past the gates and into the city streets with guards forming a discreet perimeter. People noticed them immediately.

Whispers started. Heads turned. Curious eyes followed.

Lucien kept his smile gentle and warm. He waved to a small child who stared at him wide-eyed. The child waved back shyly.

An elderly woman bowed low. "Your Highness."

Lucien stopped, offering her a kind smile. "Good morning."

Her gaze flicked to Alexander, then back to Lucien. "We missed seeing you."

Lucien’s chest tightened slightly. "I’ve been busy."

The woman nodded knowingly. "Busy is good. Busy means you care."

Lucien smiled. "I do."

As they walked further, Lucien noticed the looks some admiring, some curious, some uncertain. Not everyone smiled. Not everyone bowed.

Some simply watched.

A kingdom that watched.

Lucien squeezed Alexander’s hand, keeping his expression calm even as his stomach tightened.

The pamphlets were working.

Not loudly.

Just enough.

---

That afternoon, as they returned to the palace, Lucien’s guards carried a stack of confiscated pamphlets behind them.

Lucien sat in his chambers with the pamphlets laid out on the desk like evidence. He flipped through them again, reading every line, forcing himself not to flinch.

Alexander stood behind him, hands resting on Lucien’s shoulders.

"They’re careful," Lucien murmured. "They’re not calling me evil. They’re calling me... distracting."

Alexander’s voice was low. "It’s easier to destroy a man by making him seem unnecessary than by making him seem monstrous."

Lucien swallowed. "So what do we do?"

Alexander’s fingers tightened slightly on his shoulders. "We get ahead of it."

Lucien looked up at him. "How?"

Alexander leaned down, kissing him slowly, deliberately warmth first, before strategy. When he pulled back, his voice was steady.

"We make you visible," Alexander said. "We make you active. We make you unignorable."

Lucien’s heart pounded. "That’ll make them angrier."

"Yes," Alexander agreed. "And desperate men make mistakes."

Lucien stared at him. "You’re planning to bait them."

Alexander’s mouth curved faintly. "I’m planning to trap them."

Lucien’s breath caught. "And if they don’t take the bait?"

Alexander’s eyes cooled. "They will."

Lucien swallowed. "Because they’re already moving."

Alexander nodded once. "And now they know you won’t step back."

Lucien looked down at the pamphlets again, then back up at Alexander.

His voice came out quieter. "They’re going to escalate."

Alexander’s gaze held his.

"Yes," he said, just as quiet.

Lucien’s throat tightened. "Soon."

Alexander’s hand slid from Lucien’s shoulders to Lucien’s jaw, thumb brushing along his cheek.

"Stay close," Alexander murmured.

Lucien tried to smile. "I always do."

Alexander’s eyes darkened. "Not close enough."

Lucien felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

He reached up, gripping Alexander’s wrist as if anchoring himself. "If they try to take me"

Alexander cut him off with a kiss harder than the last, full of possession and promise. Lucien melted into it instinctively, hands sliding up Alexander’s chest, clinging.

When they broke apart, Lucien’s lips were warm, breath uneven.

Alexander rested his forehead against Lucien’s. "They won’t succeed," he murmured.

Lucien whispered, "How do you know?"

Alexander’s voice dropped, raw with certainty. "Because I will burn this palace down before I let them."

Lucien’s breath hitched.

Alexander kissed him again, slower now, deeper, as if imprinting himself into Lucien’s body.

And for a moment, Lucien believed him.

Then, somewhere beyond their chamber door, the palace continued its quiet rhythm soft footsteps, murmured voices, the sound of servants moving through routine.

Like nothing was wrong.

Like the kingdom wasn’t watching.

Like the shadows weren’t gathering strength.

Lucien’s fingers tightened in Alexander’s shirt.

He didn’t say it out loud.

But the thought sat heavy in his chest as the day faded toward evening.

If they’re this bold already... what happens next?