Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Felix stayed for a bit at home. He had to tell two stories when asked about work. Grandma thought he cleaned a whorehouse, and it was a high-class one, so that’s why he made so much money. He’d certainly never dare to admit to her that he was a homosexual prostitute.

Mother knew the truth, and she didn’t mind since Felix was an adult who could think for himself and make his own decisions involving his body. He certainly wasn’t giving her details. He said he’d enjoyed working for the Prince who was a good man, honest, and fun to be with.

“He knows how to make a person feel safe too,” he said, and he let Mother think what she wanted about that. He didn’t mention Lance because he didn’t want to scare her.

As he settled into spending time with Grandma, and he wasn’t afraid she’d die, an ache stayed in his gut. He enjoyed seeing his family, but he knew he’d have to go back to work at some point.

He’d rather return to the Prince, and he debated with himself about asking for another six months. Tab would keep his room open. At the same time, he didn’t want to ask Rainier for more money since he’d doubled the first amount. Honestly, he didn’t even care about the money now. He enjoyed being with one man and getting to know Rainier in a way that couldn’t be done in a few hours. Going back to work would seem so dull now that he’d been spending so much time with one person.

If he was willing to do it for free, that meant he’d broken a rule that Tab had told him when he was new. It was okay to like customers and have favorites. It wasn’t okay to grow too close because they were whores. People paid for a service, it was given, and that was it. Growing too close could lead to a broken heart.

But even though Rainier could have picked anyone, and he’d done it with a purpose in mind, Felix hadn’t felt like a toy to use and set aside. They’d enjoyed the sex, but they’d had a lot of fun outside of that too.

It was still time to move on. Felix didn’t get a letter after he sent a second one with more details and asked how Rainier was. Maybe that meant the Prince would rather simply move on with his life and cut things off nice and clean instead of dragging it out. If so, Tab was right.

Hopefully, Rainier would be all right and put on some weight. Felix hadn’t liked the way he’d barely eaten and picked at his meals during their trip. He’d spent more time moving his food around and cutting it into little pieces than actually eating.

His Mum would make sure he was okay even if she nagged and disapproved of many things. Right? Mothers are supposed to look out for their kids to some point even when they’re adults.

***

Tab said he could come back, but they wouldn’t be taking any customers for a few days. He’d decided to renovate the place, and the floors were still partially torn up. He was also quite annoyed that things were taking longer than he’d planned on because the workers were slower than molasses.

Felix went to check the bank before dinner. He’d left his stuff in his room, and as he walked down the city streets, he wished he’d see Rainier riding somewhere. Tab would say he was hooked, and it was time to let go, but after weeks, he would have been happy with a simple letter. Rainier had even said to write to him.

He still had the special note so he could get in if he ever truly needed the Prince for something, but he was sure missing him wasn’t good enough.

When the banker gave him a slip of parchment with his total, he gaped at it.

“That’s not right.”

The banker on the other side of the window in the wall swelled. “I keep meticulous records of every coin in or out.”

“I keep a little record myself, and that’s too much by several thousand.”

“That’s what I have, and I can guarantee it’s right.”

I want to see all the recent deposits and withdrawals.”

The banker let him in the back and took him to the office. Felix knew that in the far back, a set of locked doors led to the vaults, and he couldn’t go in there. The banker had a huge ledger, and he showed Felix his recent records.

Everything looked right from his memory until he got near the end. The transfer from the treasury was there, but there was a second one of another eight thousand.

“I think that was doubled by mistake,” said Felix. “It was one transfer of eight thousand lan around-”

“Oh, no, that’s right,” said the man. “Prince Rainier sent a note not too long ago. He wanted another eight thousand added. Give me a moment.”

He dug through his desk and finally revealed the signed and sealed notice. It was Rainier’s handwriting, and it was straight to the point and dated.

Why give him so much extra money and not write to Felix? Unless…maybe his Mum had forbidden him, but Rainier would do what he wanted anyway. Maybe they’d had a terrible fight if she’d noticed the transfer because Rainier would certainly record an expense like that.

Perhaps he should go see Rainier tomorrow and clear the air instead of thinking the Prince had forgotten him. He was likely stressed with Mum pestering him all of the time, and he’d probably like a quick visit.

The fact that the Prince had given him double said a lot. Even after Felix had left, he’d thought about his Kitten’s wellbeing. He certainly wouldn’t have to worry about money for ages in case something happened, and that showed Rainier had remembered his concerns about his Mother and Grandmother struggling if something ever happened to Felix.

He decided he’d go visit after dinner. Rainier would likely be in his rooms and easy to find. They ate a bit earlier than normal at the whorehouse, and once Felix finished, he decided to make his bed and get that over with. He was putting on fresh sheets when he heard a familiar voice down the hall.

“It won’t be long, so untwist your drawers.”

“We really shouldn’t be in here, and if your Mother finds out, she’ll throttle me. These people are indecent, and a fine lady shouldn’t be-”

“Stuff it, will you? Do you think that just because I stepped foot in here, all my fineness will fall off?”

“But Princess Natalie-”

“Oops, maybe I’ll see someone’s dick. Good Elira, I’ll be scarred for life. How is it that male royalty can go to a whorehouse, but I can’t? Huh?”

Felix froze as Natalie went by his open door, and she suddenly backed up. “Oh, there you are!”

“Er, hi. What are you doing here?”

“I need your help, Felix!” As Natalie came in, an older guard hovered in the hallway and glared at him. “You need to come to the Castle. Rainier won’t talk to me about it, but I know something’s wrong, and he must miss you terribly. He’s all skinny since you left, and Aunty Eliza says he won’t come out of his room. Actually, she said it in a worse way-”

“Huh?”

“Rainier looks like this.” Natalie held up her pinky. “Aunty says he’s been in his room for ages, and they had a big fight because he needs to grow up. She was probably being an arse, but I couldn’t say that. He looks terrible, and he must be devastated that you left. He says he’s fine, but he must not be eating much because he looks like a skeleton.”

Felix’s gut clenched as he remembered how the Prince looked last time. “He was quite skinny before I left, but he’d insisted he’s fine. Does he have a stomach problem like his sister did?”

Natalie hesitated. “He’s lost weight after Addy died, and he’s always been on the thin side since then, but he’s never been like this. He looks like shit. Now, come on. I have to go to dinner soon, so we have to hurry up.”

“I was planning to see him this evening, but what do you expect me to do?”

“Make him feel better. You broke his heart by leaving, and you didn’t even write. I should slap you even if you’re cute.”

“I did write!”

“He said he wrote to you, but he didn’t receive a reply, so you must have been busy.”

“He hasn’t written to me!” His mouth dropped as he suddenly wondered something. “Hang on a second.”

He left her in his room and found Tab in his office.

“Hey, are you sure no mail came for me here?”

Tab looked up from his ledger and took off his spectacles. “No. Nothing’s come here for you at all.”

“No verbal messages either?”

“No, why?”

Felix’s heart sank as he imagined the Queen poking her nose into things and having someone intercept Rainier’s mail. His letter could have been snatched too, and Rainier probably thought he was forgotten and ignored. He didn’t seem like the sort who would stop eating because he was sad over someone leaving him, but if Natalie came to a whorehouse to find him, it must have been bad.

“Er, I have to go to see someone.”

“That’s fine. We won’t be open for a few nights, so you can do whatever.”

Felix hurried back to his room to find Natalie perched on a chair by the window while the guard still hovered in the hallway.

“Are you ready yet?”

“I asked the owner. Nobody’s delivered mail here.”

She frowned. “Well, either way, you better hurry up, and you can ride in my carriage.”

On the way, Felix told her Rainier didn’t seem to eat much. They’d gone on a trip to Jolly Farms, and he’d seemed fine with the riding, but he’d been too thin and hadn’t been too interested in his meals.

“He never finishes his food. Mother says I sometimes act like I have bubbles for brains, but I notice stuff, and I remember things.” Natalie, with her legs crossed in the carriage seat, swung her foot and looked at Felix like she wanted to say what those things were.

“Has he tried gaining weight? He acts like he can’t.”

“I don’t think he’s tried. He grew thinner after Addy’s death, and he’s pretty much been the same. I think Aunty Eliza stresses him out quite a lot.”

Stress could certainly cause someone to lose their appetite. When they arrived, Natalie took him in a side door and told him to hurry up. Dinner would be soon, and she couldn’t be late. Felix darted upstairs. Inky was scratching at the door to the antechamber, but he turned to look at the approaching human, and both of his tails perked up.

“Aw, did Natalie forget to leave it open for you?” He reached to pet the cat. “Come in.”

Inky slunk in as soon as the door was open enough, and Felix slipped in. Rainier was asleep on the couch, and while he had a blanket over him, his face was too thin, like a sick person.

“Rainier?” Felix touched his arm. The Prince jumped slightly as Inky hopped up. “It’s me.”

The Prince blinked at him for a second. “Felix? What’s wrong?”

“I came to see you.”

“What happened to your Grandma?”

“She’s fine, and she made a full recovery. I decided to come back to Rosewood. I’m worried about you because Natalie came to Pierced Pretties and said you looked sick.”

Rainier sat up with the blanket still over him, but it slipped down a little. Even his shoulders were bonier, and his collarbone stuck out above his loose collar. “I’m not sick. Why would Natalie go get you?”

“What the hell happened? I haven’t been gone that long, and you look like you lost weight. No wonder she thinks you’re sick. I wrote to you.”

Rainier squinted at him. “I never received anything. I wrote and figured you were busy.”

“I never got anything,” Felix said in a low voice. “I think your Mum’s been catching our mail.”

Rainier paused and rubbed his face. “Fuck. I didn’t even think-Come here, Kitten. I missed you.” Felix sat to hug him. “I’m glad your Grandma is okay. I should have thought about Mum having someone intercept our mail after everything.”

“I’m here now, and I’m more worried about you.”

Rainier patted his back. “I’m fine. I was worried about you because I didn’t know if your Grandma passed.”

Felix drew back a bit to look at him. “Rainier, you’ve lost more weight, so don’t give me some bullshit about you being fine. I thought you were too skinny before I left, and now you look like you’re ready to drop. Natalie’s worried too.”

Something clanked in the antechamber as Rainier spoke. “I’m not ready to drop.”

“Natalie said that your Mum said you’re ‘pouting,’ whatever that means.”

“I’m not pouting!”

“I don’t think you were, but what happened after I left?”

Rainier sighed and leaned back on the couch. “I was doing some office work, and I saw the record for Lance’s imprisonment. I guess Mum thought I’d never notice, and it’s not like I’d go to the prison to check. She freed Lance and didn’t tell me.”

Felix shook his head. “He committed assault!”

“I gathered men to look for him because I was afraid he’d go after you in Yorn, or he’d hang around and wait for you since he was so furious at you. Lance has a cousin here, and he was hiding out there. He begged me not to rearrest him because Mum paid him off to attack you.”

“What for? I haven’t done anything!”

“It was to scare you away because she didn’t want me to have another Kitten for months. She told him she’d free him after a while if he was arrested. That’s why she got a guard for me, and I’m sure she was hoping that whoever I picked would be frightened away, and they’d blab to everyone. I’m sure whorehouse owners talk among themselves and pass on rumors about people that shouldn’t be trusted.”

Felix absentmindedly scratched Inky’s ears as the cat sat between them. What the hell? He’d never imagined a parent here going that far, and Queen Eliza was considered to be a fair ruler, so he’d never thought of her doing something so underhanded.

“I had him taken back to the prison, and the guards who heard us talking took my side,” said Rainier. “A ruler shouldn’t pay anyone to hurt an innocent. They won’t let him out now even if she goes down and commands it in person.”

Felix bit his lip. Normally, a Queen should have power over the Crown Prince, but if someone took Rainier’s side… “Is that like treason? You defied a direct command from her.”

Rainier shrugged. “It’s one thing we can’t compromise on. It’s not like we’ll have a civil war. He’s a criminal, and he beat you. I got into a fight with Mum and…I can’t stand to go down to meals and sit next to her like nothing is wrong. I just can’t do it anymore. I’ve been keeping to myself, but of course, I’m wrong, and I’m pouting because I’m sick to death of her invading my personal life. I’ll never be fucking free of her ridiculousness. She brought over that guy she expected me to marry too and forgot an observant Christian likely won’t marry a male. And now I find that she must have been snatching the mail. Or someone did it for her.”

“So you lost weight because you’re stressed?”

Rainier shrugged. “I’ll be okay, Felix. I’m glad your Grandma is better too.”

“Me too, but how come no one has noticed that you’re so skinny? What about the servant who comes in here to clean?”

“She’d barely notice if my arm was hanging by a thread.” The Prince rolled his eyes. “If I was dead on the floor, she’d probably clean around me.”

Felix had seen the older woman who cleaned in here a couple of times. She simply did her job and hustled off to do the next thing on her list. But even if she was here to only clean and not pry in the business of others, she should have noticed Rainier appeared ill. If Felix saw one of the other whores was unwell, he’d immediately tell Tab.

“Your Mum hasn’t come up here?”

“No. I haven’t seen her, and I don’t care to.”

No wonder he’d lost his appetite. Felix fidgeted as he racked his brains and tried to figure out what to do. “How about if I stay here for a bit?”

Rainier seemed to brighten at that idea for a moment, but he shook his head. “If you’re back at Pierced Pretties, I know you have to work, and you’re trying to build your savi-”

“I’d rather make sure you’re alright, and you gave me plenty. Thanks for that too. Let me stay. Technically, I did have some time left, remember?” He wasn’t sure what to do, but how could he leave?

“I don’t think I’ll be very good at taking care of you right now.”

“Let me help take care of you. You’ve done a lot for me, and if you’re stressed-”

“You can’t because if Mum finds out, it’s going to start another fight. If you’re here, that might drive her into a rage that I don’t want to deal with. I’m positive she’s still furious because that’s how she is sometimes.”

“So what do you expect to do?”

“I don’t know.”

Felix ran a hand through his hair as he thought. If someone was in a stressful situation, the best thing to do was to take them out if possible, right? “How about if we go to the house tomorrow? It’s empty, right?”

“The lord who owns it lives far away. No one else uses it.”

“We could stay there for a bit,” said Felix. “You’ll get a break from all of this, and we can bring Inky too.”

Rainier quirked his mouth. “I didn’t want to bring you back there after what happened.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s a quiet spot, and we can go from there.” Not that Felix knew what the hell to do now besides feed Rainier.

“All right. I would like a break.”

“I want you to see the physician too.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Too bad.” Felix wasn’t letting Rainier brush off his concerns anymore. “I’m going to run downstairs for a minute.”

“To do what?”

“I need to ask a servant something. I’ll stay out of your Mum’s way.”

He didn’t give Rainier a chance to speak before he ran off to the antechamber. The clank must have been a servant setting the dinner tray on the side table, so he brought that in and placed it on the table in front of the couch.

“Eat, and I’ll be back.”

Inky tagged along with his human pal. Felix took the back stairs down and had to guess how to get to the kitchen. If it was dinner, the servants that weren’t serving the Royal Family were probably eating in here. Some probably lived elsewhere and might be gone for the day if they’d already finished their duties, but maybe they stayed to eat.

The kitchen had a few people, and he recognized the older woman who cleaned Rainier’s rooms. She was seated on a stool at the enormous work counter with a plate, and a bag sat on the floor by her feet. The room quieted as Felix entered.

“What the hell?” he demanded. “Your Crown Prince looks ready to die upstairs, and nobody does anything?”

“What are you talking about?” asked a woman with a dirty apron, presumably the cook.

Felix looked at the servant who cleaned the Prince’s rooms. “He’s a twig now. You didn’t say anything?”

She looked away. “It’s not my place to be gossiping about them.”

“He’s obviously not well,” he said.

“What do you expect me to do about it?” she asked. “They’ve got a physician.”

“The Crown Prince is like Addy,” blurted one, and another smacked her arm.

“Shut up.”

“He has a stomach issue?” asked Felix.

“No,” said the first.

The second hissed at her. “Would you shut up? Do you want to get fired?”

“What?” Felix asked, and they all stared at him. “Well?”

They all looked like they knew something but weren’t about to spill it. Felix recognized a man from the stable who looked away. Inky padded closer and stood by the work counter to glare at everyone while he swished his tails.

Felix held back a frustrated noise. “One of you needs to get off your ass and fetch the physician.”

“He’s at home in the city.”

“Go get him. I don’t care if he’s in the privy with his trousers around his ankles. He’d better hurry up too. We’re leaving tomorrow, and I’ll pack his stuff myself since you lot can’t be bothered to say anything and don’t care. One of you should have already hauled the physician up here.”

He stomped out and was tempted to find the Queen and give her a piece of his mind too, but she’d likely tell the guards to kick him out. He wasn’t sure if the ones here would obey her or Rainier just because the ones at the prison took his side.

Talk broke out from the kitchen, but it faded as Felix hurried off and went back upstairs. Rainier’s plate was empty, and Felix squinted at it as he came around the couch.

“The physician’s coming. How did you eat that so fast?”

Rainier, laying down, shrugged and made a kissy sound to Inky who had returned with Felix.

“You didn’t eat that, did you?” asked Felix. “You barely ate when we went to Jolly Farms, and you picked at your food when you had it.”

“I don’t want to eat.”

“Did you dump it down the privy?” That was the only way Felix could think of to dispose of it so fast. “If you’re stressed and that’s fucking with your appetite, you don’t have to hide it from me.”

“Yes, I dumped it down the privy, okay?” Rainier said with a faint edge to his voice. “I don’t feel like eating. I’d rather go to bed, hold you, and sleep.”

Felix wasn’t even sure what to say for a moment. Why the fuck would he just dump his food? Did he think Felix wouldn’t notice?

“Rainier, we can do what you want, but the physician is coming, and I do need to run back to Pierced Pretties and tell Tab what I’m doing so he doesn’t think you kidnapped me or something silly. They’re closed anyway since they’re renovating.”

Rainier rubbed his eyes. “All right. I’d love for you to stay, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. You’ve got your own life, and I don’t know what you expect to do. It would be nice to go to the house, but I don’t want to yank you from your life either. It’s not fair.”

“I want to make sure you’re okay.”

Rainier curled up under his blanket. “You can’t fix me.”

“Can I at least try to help you, or should I just walk away and pretend nothing is happening like everyone else is? It seems like Natalie is the only one who did anything and cared enough to try and do something.”

“I don’t want to be a bother.”

Felix came to kneel by the couch. “You’re not a bother. I care about you, and I want to make sure you’re alright.”