The air was thick with tension as Kylian stood before his mother, Queen Melina. His eyes were hard, and the anger simmering beneath the surface was palpable.
"Your agenda has infected some of the palace Omegas," he said, his voice low and measured. "The boy was beaten to a pulp. He might have been killed."
Melina, ever the picture of composure, sank gracefully onto a lounge pillow, her expression one of cold detachment. "But is he?" she asked, her tone almost dismissive.
Kylian's jaw tightened as he responded, "No. One of my own stepped in to end such injustice. But that doesn't change the fact that the boy is not safe with you."
Melina's gaze flicked up to meet her son's, her lips curling into a faint, mocking smile. "That is not for you to decide, Kylian. Omegas fight all the time. It is natural for subservient swine to turn on a favored one. And let's not forget, this boy is traitor blood that was spared after all. He should expect no different."
Kylian's eyes narrowed, his resolve hardening. "I'm taking the boy off your hands," he declared, his voice firm and unyielding.
A laugh escaped Melina's lips, low and amused. "No," she said simply, the word carrying the weight of finality.
Kylian's expression didn't waver. "The Crown Prince has spoken."
The atmosphere in the room shifted, growing tense as Melina rose to her feet, her eyes flashing with something dark and dangerous. She stepped closer to her son, her gaze locked on his. "You're using your power over me," she said, her voice filled with a cold accusation. "Knowing fully well how much I raised you to detest this power play."
Kylian held her gaze, unflinching. "You started it first."
Melina's eyes narrowed, and a knowing smile spread across her lips. "I knew it," she whispered, the satisfaction in her voice unmistakable. "A mother's intuition is never wrong."
Kylian frowned, his patience wearing thin. "What are you talking about?"
Melina's smile grew, a twisted sort of delight dancing in her eyes. "You're smitten by the boy," she said, the words cutting through the air like a knife.
"That's not the case," Kylian retorted, though the conviction in his voice faltered for just a moment.
Melina's gaze softened, but there was no warmth in it, only the sharp edge of insight. "I am not blind, Kylian. And soon, others will see it too." She paused, her eyes searching his face. "What do you see in the boy? Is it the forbidden nature of it that draws you in? Do you want to be like your father? Elevating trash to somehow stand by your side?"
Kylian stiffened, anger flaring in his chest. "This isn't about that," he said sharply. "This is about the perception of the court, of the people. The word has already started to spread, Mother. The situation is becoming increasingly precarious."
Melina's amusement faded, replaced by a steely resolve. "And what are they going to do?" she asked, her voice tinged with disdain. "With what power?"
Kylian's gaze remained fixed on his mother, his voice steady and calm. "Mother, if Father were to learn of these events—particularly the framing and the subsequent attack on the boy—he might start questioning the motives behind them."
Melina's eyes narrowed slightly, but she said nothing, allowing Kylian to continue.
"Father wouldn't be so blind as to miss where all this aggression is coming from," Kylian added, his tone even, but the implication clear. "He would start to see the pattern, and it wouldn't take long before he realized why you are behind it."
Melina swallowed hard, her composure slipping for just a moment. "That sounds like a threat," she said, her voice edged with a mixture of defiance and unease. "And trying to push the idea that I'm the one with the strange obsession won't work."
Kylian gently redirected the conversation, his voice firm and unwavering. "Mother, my only obsession is with the well-being of the kingdom. If the court begins to suspect that this is a personal vendetta, it could weaken your position and invite unnecessary scrutiny from Father and his advisors."
Melina's lips tightened, her gaze growing sharper, but Kylian pressed on, his tone calm and devoid of emotion. "The last thing we need is for Father to question your loyalty or to believe that your actions are driven by something other than the good of the kingdom."
The room fell silent, the weight of Kylian's words hanging heavily between them. Finally, Kylian took a step back, signaling that he was done with the conversation. "I will leave you to your thoughts," he said, his tone respectful but firm.
Melina's eyes flashed with something fierce as she watched him turn to leave. "If you take that boy," she called after him, her voice cutting through the air like a knife, "it will be the second time you've saved the Omega's life. One is random. Two isn't. People will talk."
Kylian paused, his back still to her, but his body tense with the unspoken challenge in her words.
"My allies in the court might start to believe you're just like your father," Melina added, her voice dripping with disdain.
Kylian turned slowly to face her, his expression unreadable. "Because his mistress is. Bedni Omega? Even you sleep with Omegas, do you not, mother?" he said, his voice cold, "so get off your high horse."
Melina's eyes blazed with anger, but she held her ground. "I don't give them privilege," she retorted, her voice sharp. "I recognize that they are just flesh to me. My loyalty is to the King, to you, and to this kingdom. What your father did was different. He loved that Omega bitch, and I'll be damned if you decide to resemble him in that manner."
Kylian's face remained a mask of control, his voice steady as he responded. "I am only interested in maintaining the peace and ensuring that our family remains above reproach."
Melina's eyes narrowed as she studied him, searching for cracks in his facade. "Keep telling yourself that," she said, her tone laced with skepticism.
Kylian held her gaze for a moment longer, the tension between them taut and electric. Then, without another word, he turned and walked out of the room.