Chapter 32: Break The Rules

ELTON

It's the afternoon of the day we had the physical examination.

In the West Wing, my uncle was about to return from his lunch break — he eats his meals with Queen Catherine every day, a way for the two of them to stay connected — when my father intercepted him on his way back to his office.

"My son has just stood naked for more than two hours waiting to do a physical examination alongside every single contestant of this ridiculous tournament. Were you aware that your nephew was being subjected to this humiliation?" He was livid once I told him that happened, so he took it upon himself to square this with the King.

Uncle Lucius did not appreciate his accusatory tone or being blindsided by his Lord Chamberlain, but this wasn't the first time. Being King means everybody constantly wants something from him, especially his family, who has no boundaries like normal people do.

Most people wouldn't talk to the King in that tone, but the truth is that family plays by a different set of rules. Not even he can escape them, and his family is large.

"Elton stood naked in a room with thousands of men who were also nude? I thought he'd appreciate that, so he is welcomed for the treat." Lucius replied in a snarky tone. An evil smirk was plastered on his face.

Now my father is really mad. He stood in front of the King, effectively stopping him on his way to the office. Normally, that would be enough for the Secret Service Agents to tackle him down to the ground, but he is the Lord Chamberlain. And he is family.

"That's slander! There is a line as long as the Potomac of girls waiting to be courted by my son!" He defended me, standing in front of the King in the corridor. Lucius is getting irritated by his attitude.

"I'm sure there is. The question is, why isn't he courting them?" He challenged my father with a peculiar expression on his face. Like he knew the truth behind the question.

"Because he is in college! I mean, he was in college until I had to pull him out of Georgetown to participate in your preposterous tournament!" Dad countered, annoyed at him.

"When I was in college, I slept with half the female students!" Lucius raised his tone, exacerbated. He was getting more and more impatient at this interruption of his schedule.

"There are a ton of pictures of girls with him at every party! Read a paper, for Goddess' sake!" Dad snapped at him, irritated at his insinuation. This is escalating much faster than anyone anticipated. Neither men are known for taking crap from others. They are both Alphas.

The King's eyes shone in a flash of anger, making my dad pull back from him. He took a few steps away from the raging monarch. He is just about ready to explode at dad, especially for talking to him like that. Powerful men are not a fan of being called out like this.

"I do read the papers, my dear brother-in-law. I've seen the pictures that you planted in the press. I also know that at the end of every party, your son's bed is always empty. Or he shares it with his friends and not a girl in sight. Do you forget who you are talking to?" Lucius retorted, feeling aggravated that my dad was treating him like an outsider.

As a person with nearly absolute power, it is no strange that Lucius gets various reports from all areas, including the Secret Service - the people who guard, protect, and watch over every member of the Royal Family - and the Viceroy's family, just to name a few. The downside of it is that they also know wherever you go, for how long, and with whom you spend time.

Everything is logged, time-stamped, and included in a report.

It comes as no surprise that I prefer to spend time in my own home at Château Blanc. The security is so tight around here that it is the only place on Earth where I am not followed by the Secret Service 24/7. It is the only place where I can have freedom, if I can call it that.

"Is it illegal to have friends? Or to save himself for his mate?" Dad mouthed off, pouting.

My father has spent every resource at his disposal to safeguard our family's reputation.

Much of that entails protecting me from public scrutiny of my sexuality - which is why I am always required to play a part for the general public. We are all required to play our parts to maintain our public image as the perfect family. It's exhausting!

However, I should point out that nobody requires more attention than me, as it turns out. Father is always pulling strings and guiding my actions to curate my public persona. He also managed to avoid any scandal until now. I mean, not considering the episode with the Pendragon boy.

"Of course not! I have friends too. Do you know what I used to do with my friends when I was his age? We attended orgies with lots of 'royal bunnies'. Now, can I return to my office, or do you intend on blocking my way all afternoon for this pointless conversation?" Lucius was not having it. He was fed up by my father's attempts to defend my honor, if you can call it that.

A 'royal bunny' is a woman who has it bad for any member of the royal family or the nobility. Some people fetishize the royal family and nobility to the point of wanting to have sex with them. Another type of 'bunny' is a girl who has sex with a highly ranked noble or prince in hopes of getting pregnant by them to make a living out of the father's child support checks.

Depending on who fathers the illegitimate child, that girl could be sent away with a fat settlement or, in some cases, she can be lucky enough to score a wedding with the noble if they cannot afford a scandal on their hands. These days, everything is possible.

It's increasingly difficult to keep things secret, but in my uncle's time, there were no cell phones or social media. It was that much easier to keep your activities hidden from the public eye. Though I am sure some of his old college friends could tell the wild tales of that period.

"What are you going to do if my son wins the tournament? Are you going to ban him from being your heir just because he is a virgin at 20 years old?" Dad pushed back, now at his last resort. There is no way he can win this argument anyway. It was a lost battle from the start.

"He is not a virgin, my Lord Chamberlain! Have you forgotten that boarding school incident already?" Lucius rebuked him, bemused by my father's "ignorance". His smirk was so smug that my father wanted to punch his face. *growls*

Of course, my father could never forget that incident. Anyway...

"No, I didn't forget, my King. But the question remains the same." Dad stated, rolling his eyes in annoyance at being reminded of that incident - he really wished he could forget about it though.

"If Elton wins the tournament, beating thousands of other Alphas in the process, then he would have proved to me that he is capable of stepping into my shoes. I'd be happy to welcome him as my heir." Lucius surrendered after a long, dramatic pause.

"Thank you for your time, Your Majesty." Dad bowed his head and walked away.

Oh, Goddess, this whole debate in a corridor could have been avoided. Fortunately, there was nobody else in that passageway except for the Secret Service Agents, who were all sworn to secrecy.

I have no other recourse but to win the tournament if I want a shot at becoming the next King. It is the only way to force my uncle to see that I am his heir to the crown. There is no other way for me.

A|N: BOOM!

The secret is out now. The cat is out of the bag.

But what happened at the boarding school?

I guess everybody has skeletons in their closet.

But Elton has much bigger, darker secrets than this one.

It will blow your mind when you find out. It's time to break the rules.

PS: Sorry, did you want to know what happened with Bradley and the handcuff?

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Love,

Léo.