[KAWAI]
"You lost on purpose," Lord Sadako's soft yet strong voice hit King Zaffuto's ears like it was the most beautiful of melodies to him, after his queen.
There was a kind of reassurance that came with Sadako's voice, like a reminder that sanity was never a long call for King Zaffuto. He always wanted to reign in happiness and Lord Sadako was it for him at the moment.
Maybe when he would find his son, he would be able to introduce them to each other, as they were easily the most important people to the lycan king.
The lycan enforcer hadn't thought he had a chance and yet as they played, he realized that instead of his brother playing the game fairly, King Zaffuto was playing the game to let Sadako win.
That was Zaffuto's intention from the very beginning and could also explain why Sadako had won the other two rounds when he didn't even stand a chance.
It had all been so obvious.
"It is important to you that I meet the people, brother. So I will," the King said, and Sadako stared in silence, the questions lingering in the air, making him wonder why the Zaffuto had ever come to that decision at this point.
Anyone with eyes could see that the lycan King wasn't ready to step out of the palace and yet he was willing to do that for Sadako.
"But—"
"I respect your choices, Sadako. I know you well enough to know that you will tell me what's eating you up when you are ready and not a minute earlier.
"I just hope that whatever it is, doesn't bother you so much, when you can share with me and I can help share the bidden alright?" King Zaffuto said and Sadako continued staring.
He was stuck between jumping for joy that his brother was going to see Kawai again and being thankful that no matter how many years had passed, Zaffuto had never changed even one bit.
"Thank y—"
"No, brother. Thank you. Now come along, we have a kingdom to tour," the King said, as he got up, and then helped his brother up. It was interesting how love and life were once again bringing them toward the light.
Maybe this was Sadako's chance to think clearly and come up with a better way to tell the King that his son was alive and was living with wolves and in deplorable conditions.
Earlier, Sadako had sent patrols to follow Tamiko, and even when they had seen Igor with Tamiko they hadn't done anything. Instead, they listened and watched out for him, the man their enforcer had taken a liking to.
It was strange, but they hadn't even tried to question it.
For their enforcer, they would do anything, and so when they reported back that Tamiko had some issues in the Grealor pack and the stories they had heard, Sadako had all but clicked his tongue angrily. Someone would pay.
"You're in your head again," the King said, snapping his enforcer out of his trance.
"You wish," Sadako said before pushing the King out of his chambers like they were kids again. Oh, the memories that Sadako had as Zaffuto's best friend were just something else.
Maybe that was also why it had been so easy for the king to relax when his best friend was running his own Kingdom.
"Did you take a shower?" Sadako suddenly asked as they walked the long lonely hallways. These hallways that had once been filled with warriors all over, were now empty.
Granted, they were cleaned way too early in the morning even before the enforcer woke up, but that didn't give it any warmth.
It was like a deep dark hole for those who walked here, and many never wanted to run into the cruel King, so they never really bothered to come here or even ask questions.
"Well, I knew you'd send me away if I didn't take one. Besides, I wanted to show you that all your effort in the past years didn't go to waste," the King said as he walked side by side with his enforcer.
"At least you put those brains to work this time," Sadako said and Zaffuto let out a low chuckle like he would pay Sadako back for calling him brainless, indirectly. Then again, wouldn't those just be harmless banters between two brothers, yeah?
As they descended the long staircase that led from the king's wing and hallways, to the common area, the two brothers' faces went from being friendly, to cold as ice. They looked like they had women up with sticks up their asses.
Sure, Lord Sadako's resting cold face was something that the people had gotten used to, but the lycan King's resting bitch face was something else.
The dark King was glaring.
That was the only easy way to describe what his hard face looked like. He didn't have a smile on, he didn't have anything to show his people that he was alive in the first place. He looked like a walking statue and that was damn scary.
'Ah, I almost forgot what your face looks like when you're bored,' Sadako taunted in the mind link and Zaffuto just turned to his brother, the glaring face still on.
However, he raised his left brow, a sign that he was just trying to make it through the day without killing anyone, and Sadako understood him really.
"Lord Sadako is coming down!" an excited voice sounded, however, the excitement instantly faded into long gasps and silent prayers when the woman saw who was coming down with the enforcer.
Sadako was the first to show, and then his brother came from the shadows after him. It was so unexpected that everyone suddenly went silent. Even the mind links had instantly gone quiet at the sight before them.
"The King?" one lycan man whispered and the King turned so fast in his direction, making the poor man bow his head. He knew what was next, and all he could do was wait for the judgment of the cruel man, covered in nothing but scars.
King Zaffuto's face had so many battle scars, and he looked like he had been to war each and every day that he had been alive. Well, in all his life, he had never lost a war and he had never lost a battle ever.
He was always the last person standing, aside from his lycan warriors who were either wounded or dead.
The lycan king was brutal, the face of death, and to many he was the devil of all the devils.
In silence, King Zaffuto walked towards the man who had spoken those two words that acknowledged his presence. He could see the poor man trembling and as if expected, Zaffuto saw liquid flowing down the middle-aged Lycan's pants.
He had peed for fear of the King, and yet the King still had his glare on, and still went towards him.
The Kawai warriors had been still too, and they were confused as hell about what to do. They weren't sure if they were to follow the King or if they were to stay still. They were strong and powerful, but even they trembled before their dark King.
Thankfully, Lord Sadako had raised a hand at them, as if to tell them that they didn't need to move from their positions.
"What is your name?" the King asked, his deep and house voice coming off as a low yet deep growl.
He sounded like he had found sorry and maybe he had, because the man before him had closed his eyes so hard that Zaffuto was sure that his eyeballs would burst from too much pressure.
Then again, the Kawai king that the lycans knew was different from the brother that Lord Sadako new. This king was everything that could easily ruin society and he wouldn't even be having regrets.
"Look at me," King Zaffuto said, and that earned silent gasps from the lycans who were around him.
Everyone knew to never look at the King, because most of the rumors claimed that those who looked at the cruel King in the eyes, would always end up in the Kawai spare chambers and that place was no Lycan's desire, ever.
No one who went into the spare chambers ever made it out alive. In fact, whatever remained of their bodies were always sent to the dogs.
"I'm so sorry, sire," the man voiced before he fell limp.