☬♛ PART EIGHTEEN ♛☬

Sebastian had known his father would retaliate.

But he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

The morning after the disastrous dinner, Alex was gone.

No warning. No explanation.

Just gone.

Sebastian stormed through the palace halls, shoving past guards, fury burning in his chest.

When he reached the throne room, his father was waiting.

"Where is he?" Sebastian's voice was sharp, barely controlled.

The king did not look up from his scrolls. "You leave me no choice, Sebastian. He is gone."

Sebastian's breath caught. "What have you done?"

His father finally met his gaze. "I banished him. He is never to return."

Sebastian snapped.

He lunged forward, grabbing the edge of the throne. "You had no right-"

Guards seized him, yanking him back.

The king's gaze darkened. "You are my son, but you are not king. You will obey me."

Sebastian struggled against the guards, rage pulsing through his veins.

"I will never forgive you for this."

His father only sighed. "One day, you will thank me."

But Sebastian-

Sebastian swore that one day, his father would regret this.

________________________________________

Alex had accepted his fate the moment the guards came for him.

He did not resist.

Did not fight.

Because he had always known this was coming.

He had been given no chance to say goodbye. No final words to the prince who had meant everything to him.

All he had was the memory of Sebastian's hand in his, his last defiance before the king took it all away.

As he was led beyond the borders of the kingdom, he allowed himself one moment of weakness.

One glance back.

One silent whisper of forgive me.

Then he kept walking.

And did not look back again.

________________________________________

Sebastian was never the same.

The reckless prince who once teased and laughed was gone.

In his place stood a man with a singular purpose-

Revenge.

He trained harder than ever, perfecting his swordsmanship, his strategy, his ability to manipulate court politics.

He built alliances in secret, learned how to wield power with the same ruthless precision as his father.

Each day, he grew stronger.

Each day, he imagined the moment he would take the throne-not as his father's obedient son, but as his conqueror.

He let his rage sharpen him, let his grief fuel him.

He had loved once.

And he had lost.

But when the time came-

When he finally had the power-

He would burn everything his father had built to the ground.

And then, when the kingdom was his-

He would find Alex.

And he would bring him home.