The Rival Prince
646 Words
Adrian's heart thudded in his ears as he stared angrily at Kael.
The man who once opened his chest now stood in his father's hall as if the ground upon which it stood was his.
Kael's obsidian eyes scoured him, icy and unyielding, before landing briefly on his mouth. For a moment, there was a fleeting spark of recognition between them—a spark too quick to be noticed by anyone else, but not quick enough to deceive Adrian's trained gaze.
He remembers.
"Adrian," his low voice cut through the tension. "This is Crown Prince Kael of Arven. He'll be working closely with us on the merger.".
Adrian’s smirk was cold, practiced. He bowed slightly, his movements dripping with arrogance. “Prince Kael. What an honor.”
Kael’s answering smile was razor-thin. “The honor is mine. I’ve heard the Vale heir is… unforgettable.” His voice lingered on the last word like poison wrapped in silk.
Adrian’s hands itched to summon fire, to burn the smug look from Kael’s perfect face. But he kept his fairy blood buried deep. This world was not ready to see the prince reborn within him.
Instead, he stepped closer, closing the gap between them until their shoulders almost brushed. “I suppose you’ll find out for yourself,” Adrian murmured, low enough that only Kael could hear.
For an instant, Kael's mask broke. His eyes went dark, swallowing the light, and Adrian felt it—the same gravity, the same deadly gravity that had killed him once.
The same first love he'd thought he'd killed.
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The evening dragged on with speeches, toasts of champagne, and forced smiles. Business associates circled like vultures, quiet regarding the Vale Enterprises and Arven Crown Holdings merger. But Adrian never kept his focus on anything but Kael for more than a moment.
Every glance was a struggle.
Every smile a blade.
There was a time Adrian slipped onto the balcony. The city glowed beneath him, neon lights cathedrals of magic. He took slow breaths, letting loose his fairy aura just barely so he could savor the hidden streams running through the skyline.
The new world was no different than the old—it was ruled by crowns, deceptions, and blood.
"Still dancing with fire, Aelion?"
Adrian stiffened. He turned. Kael leaned lazily against the balcony doorframe, his shadow stretching long in the moonlight. He hadn’t used Adrian’s human name. He had used the name that belonged to another life.
He remembers everything.
Adrian’s heart pounded, but he forced a mocking smile. “Careful, Your Highness. Someone might think you’re mad, speaking to me like that.”
Kael pushed away from the frame and stalked towards him, step by hesitant step, until inches were all that separated them. His scent was the same—spicy, dark, addictive. "I'm not angry. I'm haunted."
Adrian's smirk faltered.
Kael's eyes flared with something dangerously close to desire. "I murdered you once, Aelion. And yet here you are. More beautiful. Deadlier. More… mine."
Adrian's chest tightened. The urge to punch him warred with the urge to kiss him.
"You'll never possess me again," Adrian growled, his anger trembling his voice. He summoned a burst of magic to his fingers—green sparks that flared and then vanished into the night. "This time, I'm the one to destroy you."
Kael's smile curled darkly. He bent forward, his breath whispering against Adrian's ear. "Then kill me, Aelion. But until you do, you'll never escape me."
Adrian's body betrayed him with a shiver. He shoved Kael back, his emerald eyes flashing warning.
"Stay out of my way," Adrian growled.
But as he made his way back inside, he knew the truth. Destiny had tied them together again, in a world where crowns were made of both gold and magic. And no matter how much he despised Kael.
His heart still remembered.
- Writer
