(Author's Note: A short update as I slowly get back into the swing of it. Thank you all for reading. Thank you all for your patience.)

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Chapter 24

Jun's mother had been nothing more than a palace maid. Melchiorre's mother had been a distant cousin of the royal family and married into the main branch that way. Lambert's mother had been a stateswoman in her home country. Both Alvah's and Nagit's mothers also came from royalty but were foreigners. Chezem's mother was considered modern royalty, holding enough capital that outweighed wealth and bought political influence without the need for a title. It was only Jun's mother that had common roots. She was a simple palace maid. She was taken to bed by his majesty on a whim and discarded with just as much thought.

That was the story Jun had been told when he came to the palace. He was told that his father was a shiftless man whose desires were about as steady as the wind. His words were worth even less, about as much as air for all the weight they carried. And his love, if he had such a thing, only extended towards that which he could possess. Jun knew these words that vilified the king were spoken by scorned concubines and prejudiced ministers. His resentment let them sink in anyway. Anything to justify his anger at being left behind in the slums. He wondered if his so-called father had even mourned his mother's passing. Had he ever cared?

King Tamir let out a tired sigh. Perhaps he had let Jun sulk for far too long.

"Do you dare to explain your behavior to me, Jun?"

"I dare not, your majesty," he answered. "You would not accept them, anyway."

"Humor me," he replied sharply as his patience thinned.

Jun nodded his head. He wore an empty smile and kept his distance.

"I... was deceived, your majesty."

"I was not asking for your excuses," King Tamir cut him off. "I want you to tell me, did you or did you not attack Alexandra?"

Jun let out almost a laugh and kept his smile with gritted teeth. So that's what his father was here for. He wasn't concerned about him. Not know, not then. It was only about a woman as always.

"Attacked?" Jun asked. "I know of no such thing. I have never put my hands on her. I would never... force a woman, your majesty."

Jun looked up at his father and spat the words calmly, yet as venomously as he could. Tamir furrowed his brows wondering if he had correctly heard his implications.

"You've never laid hands on her," Tamir repeated. "If I'm to take your words as the truth, then what is it that led to Alexandra's condition? She was seen fleeing in terror from your room. She collapsed in the hallway. The smell of smoke clinging to her clothes. Do you still say to me that you had nothing to do with it?"

Jun lost his smile and swallowed hard. His father had already made his mind, it seemed. His coming here was just an act. A formality before his sentencing. He hated it. He hated the palace. He hated the etiquette. He hated it all. How much longer could he keep his hatred down?

"If my word is no good, your majesty, you can ask that woman yourself."

"I am asking you, Jun," Tamir responded with a slight raise in his voice. "I want to hear the truth from your mouth!"

"You have never once cared for what came from my mouth!" Jun responded, exploding in a rage. "You only want what will assuage the decision you've already made, never mind what the truth is! When has the truth ever mattered to you!?"

Jun was cut off from his ranting by a hard slap to the face. It was a heavy hit with a calloused hand that sent Jun stepping back while clutching his face. It was the first time Tamir had ever struck any of his sons. His anger rose further still at what he had heard.

"How dare you imagine yourself as the victim," he roared. "So you're angry at me yet you take it out on an innocent woman!? If you want to attack me, then hear I stand before you! I have stood for years! Yet instead of me, you chose someone who couldn't fight back! Then tell me with what truth did you make that decision?! Even now, you refuse to take any responsibility! How could you know anything of the truth while holding on to cowardice?! Answer me!"

Jun's breath came to him short. The sting of his cheek. His majesty's piercing gaze. His tactile mind told him he could still go back, even now. He could plead, perhaps. If he could cry, he could ask for mercy. But he was crying already. It was bitter, sharp, and painful. He resolved to see his condemnation through.

"Responsibility and cowardice," Jun repeated while laughing. "I'm sure you know them well. The cowardice you showed when you abandoned my mother in the streets. The begrudging responsibility that is my existence to you. Did I follow to closely in your footsteps, father? Or should I also have chosen some wretched maid to force myself upon?"

For the first time in his life, Jun saw genuine anger in his father's face. His eyes had darkened. His jaw clenched. He stood still yet he anticipated being struck again at anytime. He was sure that if he didn't beat him himself, then he would order it done. Yet deep beneath Tamir's placid rage, was a pang of guilt and a tear of sympathy for how he had failed to raise his son.

He inhaled deeply and let out a sigh.

"Your brother Alvah," Tamir began. He kept an even tone despite his anger having not yet passed. "Has been injured. He was shot by an unknown attacker and is currently in the hospital."

Jun's head shot up at these words. He had expected Alvah's usual sports injuries. His eyes grew wide at hearing he had been shot. It wasn't unusual for Alvah to be out of the place. It was unheard of that anyone would attack him for any reason. Let alone to be shot...

Gun laws were stricter in their country than in most. Never mind that ownership of a gun and ammunition alone was a serious crime, but to dare use it against a member of the royal family? It had been an assassination attempt, plain and simple.

Jun lost his breath and was struggling to get it back. He could feel a weight in chest as if he were being crushed in the grip some unseen hand. His tears flowed without him stopping now. There was no time for him to care about maintaining his unblemished appearance now. He had to think of a way out of this. To get to Alvah...

"As for you," he continued. "I am rescinding your royal title."

Jun could feel his heart drop in his chest.

"You are no longer prince, nor crown prince, of this country. You will no longer be expected nor allowed to perform royal duties nor those of the head of state, in any capacity. In the future, I will make the decision on whether or not you will remain a member of the royal family."

Jun let himself fall back onto the cot behind him and put his head in his hands.

"You will stay here until then."

With that, his majesty took one last long look at his distraught son. Then he turned away and left.