Work Text:
“GET OUT!”
…he can’t seem to get Prince Leonhard’s voice out of his head. For a fifteen-year-old, he could convey his emotions through his voice quite effectively, striking down any possible placating words he’d give in response before they could even come to mind.
Not that the prince was at fault. He wasn’t. His reaction was to be expected, though the extent of the emotional damage the truth inflicted on the princes was far greater than he expected.
In his heart of hearts, he’s relieved. That his crimes are finally being treated as such. That he doesn’t have to wait around for it to happen anymore. Nearly thirty years of anticipation. It’s a weight off his shoulders.
He’d told himself that the princes finding out about his past, albeit only a statement regarding the most damning part of it, had been growing likelier by the day. And he’d told Viktor that they’d likely be furious once they found out what he did.
And he’d been right.
So why does their shock feel like heartbreak?
Why does Prince Leonhard’s rage make it feel like the world is ending?
Why does he feel frozen in place when he considers the prospect of leaving the palace and saying goodbye to the royal family?
He knew this was going to happen. He’d be lucky if he wasn’t jailed and sentenced to death again once the word spread. But that would be a mercy for someone like him. They’d wasted their kindness on him and now he’d have to pay its due.
Suddenly, the palace walls don’t feel safe anymore. The hallways are like the palace’s dungeons; two ways to go, nowhere to hide, and guards everywhere.
The servants passing by in the halls are like shady men in alleys— never trust them.
The second they walk past you could find yourself with a knife in your side. A bullet in your chest. You could find yourself dead. Never free from the ridicule and empty pity of passersby. A death lacking justice.
And the justice system doesn’t help dirty Kvels like them. No one helps them. They have to look out for each other.
“Professor Heine?”
He jumps. Helene takes a step back in surprise.
“Are you alright?”
He takes a breath to steady himself. Showing weakness will get you killed.
“I’m quite alright. I merely got lost in thought for a moment.”
She watches him for a moment, then smiles. “Of course, professor. I thought I heard one of the princes yelling earlier and was worried.”
They’d been heard? Has she heard anything about him? Perhaps he could play the princes’ confrontation off as something inconsequential.
“A class debate got a little heated. Nothing to worry about.”
“Oh! I suppose I did see all the princes walking to class together. So that’s what it was!” Her doe-eyes widen in delight. She reminds him of his students at Maria Vetsera. Of the younger girls always following the older students around during their recess. The tension he feels in his shoulders loosens by the smallest amount.
He lowers his head in a nod. “Indeed. My sincerest apologies for worrying you.”
She fans the air with her hand, “It’s okay, professor! I’ll be on my way now.”
“Don’t let me keep you,” he bows to her in farewell.
She bows back and continues her way down the hall. Heine lets out a small breath when her back is turned and well out of earshot.
He’d been spiraling. If it’d been anyone else they would’ve noticed. In that state, he would be capable of anything.
He needs to stay away from the palace residents until he can calm down. He very well can’t go back to his room, however. Not because the princes were likely to barge in, but because he is liable to throw himself into his books and lesson planning and undo the great amount of effort Prince Bruno put into tidying it up.
He can’t dirty his room before the wallpaper is replaced. That would be incredibly disrespectful to both the prince and the palace staff.
Prince Leonhard doesn’t show up to his lesson, leaving him with far too much time to spend before Viktor would be available to discuss the new… development about the Princes’ knowledge of their history.
He’ll need to avoid the area near the dining hall, too. He has no intention of intruding on their dinner with his presence. Not that he deserves to be able to set foot within the palace’s dining hall in the first place.
Perhaps he’ll wander the garden in the meantime. He would only run the risk of encountering Prince Kai or Princess Adele.
He makes his way towards the entrance, walking in the shadows of the halls where the light let in from the windows can’t reach and slips outside.
His eyes land on the rather enchanting rose swing that he’s seen Prince Bruno sit on when troubled, wondering how it’d feel to be in that position this time around. Then he thinks better of it and turns on his heel, setting off in the other direction. He’d easily be found there, better not stay in one place.
He strolls past the tree that Prince Kai had been napping under when they’d first met and he’d realized just how misunderstood the boy was. How everyone around him feared aspects of him that he couldn’t help or were never really there to begin with. He’s sat there with the prince a few times, watching the clouds drift past as the second prince pointed out clouds that loosely resembled something in their lives.
…he’s not in the mood to watch the sky right now. He glances out down the road that leaves away from the palace. Maybe a change of scenery was in order. Get a better mental map of the dense forestry he and Prince Leonhard had gotten lost in after the fourth prince had run from his lessons. On the other hand, he doesn’t want to force the palace guards to have to search for him if he were to get lost enough that he were not able to figure out which way the palace was.
He turns away from the road and walks past the more traversed part of the grounds. He spots the small pavilion where Prince Licht often indulged Princess Adele’s request for tea parties. He’s joined the two whenever the princess asks, unable to say no to her and to hopefully prevent the fifth prince from being a bad influence on her young mind. He always makes sure to lecture them, moreso on the prince, about proper table manners, noting how they’d support him at social gatherings.
He grimaces at the memory of lunch arranged by the Queen Mother and the princess, the offense on Prince Eins’ face and his own shock at Prince Leonhard’s comparative comment about the eldest prince and their father. Even though the Count’s laughter and the Queen Mother’s interference prevented Prince Eins’ anger from starting a fight, he easily catalogs it into a meal he’d rather not remember.
He wanders the grounds, watching the sun slowly travel across the sky, the blue slowly fading to enchanting hues of orange and red slowly dipping past the trees. It’s when he nearly trips over his own feet due to lack of vision that he looks at his pocket watch to check the time.
He has to squint to see through the glass in the dark. It’s a quarter past nine, dinner would be over by now.
He makes his way back towards the palace, nodding towards Ludwig and Maximilian who don’t comment on how much time he spent outdoors— if they even noticed. He gets a picture-perfect salute and a wholly informal peace sign from the pair which results in Ludwig smacking Maximilian over the head along with an order for a hundred push-ups.
Just what do these guards do in their free time?
The palace feels too quiet, even with the occasional maid walking past. They don’t pay him any mind, both his and their footsteps silent against the carpet.
He heads towards Viktor’s chambers and spots his steward standing outside the door at the end of the hall. The steward spares him a brief glance before turning to knock on the door, already informing Viktor that he’s there.
Hm. He hadn’t even been halfway down the hall and the steward already knew what he was there for. Perhaps they need to stop meeting so frequently. Or maybe they ought to stop being so predictable.
“You’re dismissed for the night,” Viktor tells his steward as soon as he steps into the room. The steward bows and excuses himself, the door shutting quietly.
He keeps his eyes on the floor as he approaches the desk Viktor’s sitting at. He’s not sure what to say.
“Heine? Is something the matter?”
He’s not sure how to break it to Viktor that the princes found out about what he did, despite their effort to hide it at breakfast the other morning. Unfortunately, there’s no other way than to be blunt.
He opens his mouth to speak but he finds that he has no breath for it. His chest aches and his heart pounds a little faster. It’s a simple statement and he can’t reach the words to say it.
How humiliating.
“Heine?”
He keeps his eye on the floor. He can’t bear to face Viktor, not even after the man had so passionately claimed them to be best friends. He’s not worthy of such a title. Not when he can’t tell him that his sons have found out about their shared history. It’s important to the both of them and still he can’t…
A gloved knuckle glides up to his chin, tilting his head up. Viktor stares down at him, gaze soft and full of concern. A hand brushes against his shoulder, lingering a moment before clamping around it, just enough strength behind it to anchor him.
He takes a breath and feels none of the air enter his lungs. “They know.”
Viktor exhales, the sound mingling with his words. “Oh, Heine.” The hand on his shoulder slides down to his lower back and pulls him forward. He stiffens as he collides into Viktor and tries to pull away, but the hand on his back presses harder as Viktor’s other hand brushes past his cheek to the back of his head, fingers tangling into the ends of his hair.
Viktor’s… holding him?
The gesture is unfamiliar in itself and he’d never allowed himself to get close enough to someone for this to occur, but… it’s comforting.
He’s not entirely sure what to do. He’s only ever been patted on the head and shoulders, frequently manhandled due to his small size, and, in Prince Kai’s case, pet as if he were a house pet. He recalls how he’s seen those in public embrace and hesitates for a moment before raising his arms to wrap around Viktor, fingers curling into fabric.
It’s a new sensation, but he won’t deny to himself that he feels… at peace. Feels safe as he’s held even tighter. They really do need to talk about what happened with the princes and what Count Rosenberg had told them, but he doesn’t have the willpower to pull away. And just maybe he’s come to the realization that he likes having Viktor by his side.
Just when did a sewer rat like him get so attached?
Viktor doesn’t say anything. Neither of them do. He can read Viktor most of the time— the exceptions being his spontaneous inane impulses such as the matter of Prince Licht and the cafe— but not to the extent that Viktor is able to read him .
Viktor has a history of astounding him, starting with when they first properly met and had their first conversation in the palace dungeons where Viktor had inexplicably requested him, a criminal, to teach him. Now, they've grown so close that Viktor understands what he’s feeling at just a glance and can comfort him in a way that he didn’t know he needed. Comfort that he’d deny from anyone else.
It truly is no wonder that he’s the only person he’s been able to wholeheartedly trust, with no room for doubt. He’d never been able to trust even Gustav to that extent. Gustav, who he’d seen as his brother, whom he’d burdened the countless injustices against the family with. Gustav, who he had watched grieve as his sister’s killer got away free. Gustav, whose anger and hate towards the country festered and grew as he could only warn him to not act.
Gustav, who didn’t listen and ran away, leaving him alone with Viktor’s blood splattered across his face and handcuffs around his wrist.
He curls his fingers tighter and tries to steady his breath. The arms around him tighten and he feels Viktor’s chin rest on the top of his head.
“Breathe, Heine,” he murmurs. “Don’t fret. It’s going to be alright.”
“They hate me,” he says. The shock on all of their faces, the disbelief, Leonhard’s fury, the flashes of doubt that they all had quickly hidden. Emotions, parts of themselves, that they could no longer trust him with. “They hate me. They…”
(“GET OUT!!”)
“They want me to leave.” He fails to keep his voice steady over the burning in his throat and the tightness in his chest. He’s running out of breath. “Th-they—” he can’t get the words out. His eyes sting as he digs his fingers in even tighter for balance against his shaking legs.
They don’t want him here anymore.
“Heine…”
“I-I don’t…”
Viktor’s grip around him changes and it takes him far too long to realize why. “Heine!”
He stares blankly. They’re on the floor. His legs had… given out on him?
“Heine, look at me.” A gloved hand presses into his cheek. “Breathe.”
He shakes his head. Breathing feels impossible right now.
Viktor’s other hand takes his own and guides it. His palm lands just right in the center of Viktor’s chest. His hand presses down hard, only due to the hand encompassing his own, just enough to feel the steady beats of his friend’s heart.
It’s consistent. Like a lifeline. An anchor. A reminder. A reminder that he didn’t fail that day even if he didn’t succeed. That Viktor is still here. Alive. The only reason he is still here today and not in a guillotine is because of Viktor. He is forever grateful. He would do anything for him.
He owes it to him to try.
He takes in a small breath of air and has to pause for a moment to remember how to exhale. A thumb caresses his cheek, the temptation to lean into it so overwhelming that he doesn’t have the willpower to deny himself the indulgence. Something hot slides down his cheek. He raises his free hand to wipe it away but it comes back just as easily.
…he doesn’t remember the last time he’d ever cried. Life had always seemed much brighter after meeting Viktor. In that sense, it feels almost wrong that he’s the one to witness it. To make the one who shines a light on his world watch it crumble after all he’s done for it.
But he’d be ridden with shame were it to be anyone else in here with him.
Both of Viktor’s hands move, abandoning his own, to hold his face, gently wiping away his tears as they fall. He keeps his eyes shut. He doesn’t want to look him in the eye at this moment. This could very well be the last moment he gets to spend with his only true friend. He wants the last memory of him to be something cheerful, not him breaking down in Viktor’s arms.
“I’m not going to abandon you, Heine.”
He flinches. “I did not say that you would.” Viktor could read him so easily.
“You aren’t denying that you believe that.”
“You should.”
“Should what?”
“Should,” he takes a breath and rushes to speak before he loses his voice entirely. “Should abandon me.”
He fights back the temptation to look at Viktor at his lack of response. He can’t bear to see the distraught look he knows is on his face.
“Why?” Viktor asks eventually. His usually steady voice is wavering. “Why would I ever do that?”
Flashes of his subordinates carrying weapons force their way to the front of his mind. Ready for an order.
“Because I am a criminal.”
He was their leader.
“You are not a criminal.”
He was supposed to be able to control them.
“I am.”
And they put Viktor’s blood on his hands. Spilled his blood over them, the pavement, the knife that hit the ground that was stained in the deadly growing pool of blood.
“Not to me.”
He hadn’t been able to stop them.
“You almost died ,” he snaps. “Don’t you understand? T-They were my subordinates. They’re supposed to listen to me! I knew what they were planning and I couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t, I…”
He’d been weak. It had taken all of his strength to hold back Gustav’s knife, arms shaking as his old friend stared at him dumbfounded yet still trying to overpower him.
“I couldn’t stop them from trying to kill you.”
Unable to give anything but a split-second verbal warning as another one of his subordinates appeared behind Viktor, knife plunging into his back before either of them could do something. Himself too occupied by Gustav and Viktor staring at him .
“You almost died because of me.”
He thinks of his nightmares where he’s the one who plunges the knife into Viktor’s back. An excuse for justice so pathetic that it makes him nauseous as soon as he wakes.
“To that end, I am guilty of everything I was accused of.”
“Never.”
The single word forces him to open his eyes. To look at Viktor head-on. His eyes are gleaming with confidence and determination.
Just like when they first met, cell bars separating King and criminal.
“You’re forgetting the most important part,” Viktor sighs, the slightest sliver of grandiose on his tongue. “Everything you do, you do to protect someone. Not yourself. You willingly sacrifice for people you don’t know.”
“That’s not true.” He’s a selfish person. He’s committed many crimes and never paid the price for any of them. It’s a high wall of karma he’s built and he’s staring at an inevitable reckoning.
“You saved my life, Heine. We’d never even met before. Even if you were just trying to protect your family members from prison or from doing something that they’d regret. Stopping them when they were so angry and so resolute on assassinating me. You would’ve been putting yourself in danger. You even told me you couldn’t trust anyone at the time.”
All of that is accurate. Voicing his disagreement with the assassination plan at the time would have no doubt led to his own demise, even as their leader. He’d confided in Viktor about it in the jail cell when asked why he’d acted alone.
“I couldn’t let them go down that path. It wouldn’t have done us any good. Though I had doubted it would end in my arrest.”
“But you hadn’t ruled it out.”
“Of course not. I always knew it was a possibility that one of us would be arrested but I had written it off as being unlikely.”
There’s an almost wistful look on Viktor’s face. “You were prepared for it, though. You took the fall for a crime you didn’t commit. You never even defended your innocence, even when you were sentenced to…”
“I’ve still committed many crimes.”
“That were to protect your own. To try and make life better for them.”
“That doesn’t absolve me of any punishment for them.”
Viktor stares at him. He wants to look away, the feeling of shame trapped in his throat, but the hands on his cheek grip the tiniest fraction more. He settles for avoiding his gaze, eyes turned towards his chest rather than his face.
“Heine, you…” Viktor drops down to look at him properly. He glances up a little; considering the differences in their height, that position would be sorely painful on Viktor’s back and neck. “You don’t think you deserve all that, do you?”
And so he’s hit the nail on the head. He would very much not like to talk about the specifics, but one look at the almost disturbed expression on his dear friend’s face…
“You’ve shown me an incredible amount of kindness, Viktor, and the opportunity to even begin to repay you for what you’ve done for me means more than you know. And it is an immense honor to have the chance to teach your sons in order to prepare them for the throne.”
Viktor says nothing, only watches him patiently and waits for him to finish. Always knowing when he has more to say.
“However I do not deserve any of it. You have been extremely generous to me, Viktor, too much so. But I shouldn’t be here. I don’t belong in the palace. Not by rights nor by any imaginary accolades for what I’ve done.”
“I don’t think that.”
“I know you don’t, Viktor. That’s the problem. I was charged with the crime of trying to kill you. Hidden from the public knowledge or not, you should never have invited me here. As king, and with the knowledge of my past, you should be thoroughly investigating me and keeping me far away if not throwing me in a cell.”
If who he used to be got out to the public, the news would capitalize on the fact that he’s now the royal tutor. They’d use the opportunity and fill the tabloids with eye-catching exposés. And since he’d taken the post of royal tutor at Viktor’s request, the king would certainly be under heavy scrutiny and criticism.
Not to mention, it would no doubt threaten the princes’ claims to the throne with heavy suspicion of their educations, leaving Prince Eins as the only potential candidate. Eins, who Viktor claimed was unfit for the throne.
“I’m not going to do any of that.”
He knows, Viktor. He knows. Bless his massive heart.
“Heine, do you remember why I summoned you to the palace in the first place?”
“To tutor your sons after they’d run off a myriad of others.”
“And do you know what sets you apart from other royal tutors?”
Other than the fact that he’s the first tutor since the first few who’ve lasted longer than a week with the princes? The fact that he’d proven to them that he wasn’t interested in currying favor with the king, or that he was against using violence to motivate against any shortcomings?
“I had been able to gain your sons’ trust.”
“Yes. There’s only one thing you could’ve done that would win them over.”
He’s starting to tire of the line of conversation. They both know the multitude of answers to these questions, but which one is he looking for? He should ask. The best solutions are the most simple, after all.
“With all due respect, Viktor, would you please just get on with whatever your point is?”
His voice is more clipped than he’d intended, but Viktor takes it in stride, flashing him one of his trademark smiles. The ones that look so proud, the smile that always reaches his eyes. The smile that always pierces straight into his heart. It was no wonder that he was a king so beloved by his people.
“You never once gave up on my sons. Every single one of them gave up on Leonhard as his trauma from the first tutor caused him to run. But you chased him down to show him that you were different. Did what the other tutors could not-- encouraged him in his studies. Motivated him to show up to lessons.”
[“Well, just so we’re clear, I still hate studying. And there’s no way I’ll accept you as my royal tutor. But… I did promise I’d give it a try. So I will.”]
“Every single tutor struggled with Bruno. Not because he was a difficult student, but because he had already surpassed everything they could teach him. They were amazed, but also would not waste their time teaching someone who they thought could not be taught. Until you came along. You couldn’t teach him much in the general sense, so you showed him where to improve. Showed him how to improve. Helped him expand his expertise with his papers and helped him decide his future.”
[“Thank you very much, Master. This conversation has made everything much clearer. I’ll follow you now and forever.”]
“Not one of the tutors could motivate Licht to focus on his studies. He did not respect the tutors he and his brothers had due to their treatment from them and they gave up against his laid-back attitude and lack of motivation. But after you found out that he was working in town, the only and most dangerous thing he was serious about. And you found a way to allow him to work there despite being a royal. A way to continue doing the one thing he was serious about. You gained his respect and he returned it in kind.”
[“From this moment forward I’m going to give my lessons everything I’ve got. And professor? Thank you so much.”]
“The most common trait of every royal tutor that came to the palace before you was their fear of Kai. They judged him based on his appearance and his lack of sociability. They wouldn’t talk to him outside of his lessons and he was rarely able to learn more as they were too scared to let him ask questions. But you approached him. Talked to him. Helped him learn outside of studies to be able to speak with those outside of his family, even if it’s just the palace staff.”
[“Guess what I said! Thanks! I did just like what you told me and thanked her for her kindness to me!”]
“You helped each of them on a fundamental level. They’ve never taken to anyone, much less a tutor, so devoutly before. I have faith in my confidence when I say they adore you, my friend.”
(“ GET OUT!!!”)
“But if you say they want you to leave then don’t stay for them. Stay for me.” He blinks at Viktor’s words. “I want you here.”
He can’t do anything but stare. What he’s just said is obvious, he came to the palace at Viktor’s request, after all. But his friend had invited him only to teach his sons; catching up with each other was just a fortunate addition. He’d been the last resort, summoned only because there was no one else who could tutor them. Viktor wants him to stay?
“What do you want, Heine?”
What… he wants? The answer comes to his mind quickly and the words are easier than earlier somehow.
“I don’t want to leave, Viktor.” The hands on his cheek move to his back and he’s pulled into another embrace, his face buried into Viktor’s chest. “What am I supposed to do?”
Viktor squeezes him. “We’ll figure it out together.” Then, he pulls away and gravity flips itself on its head. “But not here on the floor.”
“Wh— Viktor! Put me down!”
He’s swiftly straightened into a perfect bridal carry. There’s a pleased smile on Viktor’s face. He glares at it. “You let my sons carry you around; why not let me?”
“I have explicitly asked them multiple times to refrain from picking me up like a child.”
Viktor hums in thought for a moment. “Well, if you insist.” He opens his arms and he slips through them immediately.
A jolt of adrenaline shoots down his spine as gravity takes its course. Before he even realizes, he’s latching onto Viktor, nails digging in for traction. Viktor jolts in place and catches him, returning him to the same rather embarrassing position as before.
Viktor shoots him a look halfway between amused and unimpressed. “Change your mind?”
“Please stop teasing me, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, fine,” Viktor huffs, letting him back onto the ground. He takes great care to make sure he lands solidly, before guiding him to the chair at the desk. It’s barely even two minutes before a glass of wine is being poured for him. It’s niedergranzreich, as usual.
He takes the glass in hand and tips it towards the king. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” Viktor says from the opposing side of the desk, mimicking the gesture. They don’t clink the glasses— this isn’t a celebration nor is it a special occasion.
“We should continue our next steps regarding the princes.”
“Before that, I must confess that there’s something concerning me about this matter.”
“Pray tell.”
“How did my sons discover more details in the past in the first place? What we explained the other morning was caused by the photo of you and Eins, but that doesn’t explain how they found out about your arrest. That information is kept strictly within the palace archives.”
He hadn’t known that. He does understand why, though. If word were to spread that he, the current Royal Tutor responsible for educating the four youngest princes of Granzreich, had been arrested for such a heinous crime… it would be quite the scandal.
“It is my understanding that Count Rosenburg told them.”
“The Count? That’s odd. Not even my sons are allowed into the archives. He shouldn’t have any access to it without my express permission.”
“Do you believe that he snuck in?” He’s not sure if Rosenburg would stoop that low, himself. The man clearly wanted him out of the picture in order to secure Prince Eins’ claim to the throne, but to commit such a crime within the palace walls? When would he have had the time to do that without being spotted?
“Either that or someone snuck the information to him. But I haven’t the faintest clue to his purpose for doing so.”
He doesn’t want to think about there being a weak point in palace security at the moment. A conversation for another night, perhaps. In the meantime, he should shed some light on the Count’s motivations.
“He’s been quite troubled by my presence in the palace as of late. He even dug up Maria Vetsera. It’s quite likely that he uncovered the truth and is trying to fill the princes with doubt.”
Viktor looks terribly bothered by that. “He hasn’t been troubling you, has he?”
For a moment, he thinks of the incident in which the Count had laid a hand on him in a bout of anger. He dismisses it immediately— he’d been asking for it, carelessly reciting Viktor’s opinion about Eins’ eligibility for the throne without considering how the man would have reacted. Additionally, he doesn’t want to burden Viktor with the event. “No. However, I do presume that he intended to blackmail me or pressure me into leaving the palace.”
“Are you certain?”
“I believe his motivations lie with ensuring Prince Eins becomes the next king.”
Viktor lets out a sigh. “I see. I was hoping that he was merely worried for the safety of my sons, given their past tutors. He did help Eins watch over Kai when they were all young.”
“The three of them are close?”
“He is Eins’ High Steward, but I’m unsure how familiar Kai and the Count were by the time Eins threw him into his studies. However I, myself, do see him as family in some capacity, and I do owe his father for helping me during the early years of my kingship.”
What an unfortunate situation to be in. Owing a debt to someone who helped take care of your son whose father also helped him navigate such an important duty, only to have him sneak into the restricted area of the palace searching for blackmail on a friend. It’s a tough spot. Especially when it could be easily justified as protecting the crown princes.
“I suppose with all that it’s hard to know where his motivations truly lie. Perhaps he’s been looking into me so thoroughly because he was concerned for both Prince Kai and Prince Eins.”
“We can only hope. With regard to all of those facts, let me handle that matter. Now concerning my sons, I truly value your own opinion and wishes before we make a decision.”
With a matter as sensitive as this? “Are you sure?”
“As intertwined as our histories are, this has more to do with you than me.”
“...thank you, Viktor. All I ask is that you keep in mind that at the end of the day, they are your sons. The extent of our past that they learn is ultimately your decision.”
They fall into silence. He can’t help but feel touched by Viktor’s trust in him regarding the princes. He would never be able to experience a parent’s love for a child, not having one himself. Oh, he well understood a teacher’s compassion for a student, having taught at the church for over a decade and watching the orphans come and go. Not to mention how tenderhearted the princes could render him. But he is not their parent and cannot take responsibility for them the way Viktor or Titania could.
He doesn’t envy Viktor’s position as king, loving his family with a heart as big as he does and then continually having to put his kingdom first. In a way, he’s doing the same thing. Teaching the princes to help the kingdom and the Kvel people. But if he had to put even just one rude stranger before a single one of his students… he wouldn’t be able to bear it.
Viktor will always have his immense respect. Even if it’s just for raising such good sons amidst such a busy life.
He already has his answer.
“I want them to know.”
“Everything?”
“Everything.”
Viktor fixes him with a dazzling smile and he looks away for a moment, feeling his face grow hot for just a moment. “Good. I feel the same.”
He doesn’t comment on the waves of relief he feels at that. Viktor would tease him to no end. Or just give him one of those smiles. He doesn’t know which is worse. Best to focus on the next steps.
“I told them that I’d explain tomorrow morning. Is that alright? I realize that it’s rather presumptuous of me to decide that before speaking to you, but I was rather caught up in the moment.”
“Isn’t your wallpaper being replaced in the morning?”
He opens his mouth to confirm the statement before he pauses. He sends his friend a suspicious look and narrowed eyes. “How do you know that?”
“I like to stay informed of the going-ons of the palace.”
“Including the renovations done on the Royal Tutor’s room?”
“It would do no good if my sons’ tutor were to get sick from rotted wallpaper.”
He grimaces at the sight his mind conjures— the walls green and grey and smelling of rot and mold. “I hope you don’t mean to imply that there’s fungus growing in my room.”
“Heavens, no!” Viktor sounds genuinely alarmed for a moment. “Well, it has been quite some time since we’ve replaced all the wallpaper. And Licht was a rather sickly child.”
“You’re not filling me with confidence.”
Viktor’s hands snatch his free one. It’s rather awkward since he’s still holding his glass in the other. “Heine! I promise you, my friend, it is completely safe to be in your room.”
He rolls his eyes.
“Heine!”
He heaves a sigh. “Yes, yes, Your Majesty, I’ll take you at your word.”
He gets a pout in return.
Viktor lets go of his hands after a moment and they lapse back into silence. A grandfather clock somewhere out in the halls echoes. The clock chimes one.
“I should get going. I have to take a trip into town first thing in the morning while work is done on my room.”
“Will you be alright?”
“I am fully capable of walking to my room.”
“You don’t want me to carry you?” Viktor has a sly grin on his face again.
“Don’t treat me like a child.”
“You’re small enough to be one— wait, Heinee!”
He quickly takes his leave, abandoning his half-finished wine and shutting the door to Viktor’s office behind him.
He doesn’t move even after the door properly latches. The corner of his lip quirks up. He drops it after a moment and bows his head.
“Thank you, Viktor.”