Edited from the original to fit FFN's content guidelines.
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Footsteps echoed outside Hugues's cell, and Hugues lifted his eyes, his hair bedraggled and his once proud features covered in a scraggly beard. He had been imprisoned for treason, evidence of his collusion with an enemy kingdom surfacing inexplicably, and even though Second Prince Jacob somehow evaded suspicion, Hugues and all his cohorts somehow got caught colluding with them.
The sound of the turning of the lock, and the heavy wooden door opened.
"My Prince." Hugues moved from a crouching position, the heavy shackles dragging with the movement. Prince Jacob stood, as still as imperial porcelain, completely at odds with the filthy half-light and the dank pools of water that had accumulated in the dungeons.
"Hugues." Jacob's face was a mask. His cold blue eyes stared down at him. Hugues itched, uncomfortably. He knew what Jacob was seeing: a filthy, dirt-smudged man in chains and rags, covered in moldy shadows and skulking in the corner.
"I heard the Crown took my territory, Prince. I heard it went to Arno."
"It did indeed, Hugues." Jacob's face was pinched. "His Majesty gifted your region to Zachary de Arno after he conferred upon him the title of Duke."
"Bastard." Hugues slunk in the corner. "I have always been loyal," Hugues said. "I don't know how this dragnet happened, but I never once betrayed you."
"I know, and I thank you for it." Jacob crouched in front of him. "I have decided to exercise my power as Second Prince and offer you a Royal Pardon."
"A pardon?" Hugues straightened. "Is that true, Prince?"
"It is."
"Prince!" Tears welled up in Hugues eyes at the Second Prince's sudden kindness. "So that is why you've come, then? To give me this Royal Pardon?"
"It is, Hugues. You may follow me. I've already instructed the guards to unlock the doors."
At that moment, guards came by, flanking the prince on all sides. They bent over and unlocked Hugues's shackles. Rubbing his wrists, Hugues looked up at the prince, grateful.
He followed the prince out into the courtyard, and then into the winding path, deep into the forest. It was nighttime out, and the dark sky was starless. Around them, the forest trees loomed like giants, casting a shadow in the already ominous darkness.
"Where are we going, Prince? Are we absconding to Aragon?"
The stab of the knife took Hugues by surprise. Blood dripped down Jacob's hand as the blade shoved deep into Hugues's guts.
"I'm sorry, old friend," Jacob said. "But there was no Royal Pardon."
He pulled back the knife, and Hugues fell onto his knees, clutching his side.
"Why?!" Hugues said. "I've been loyal! I never once outed you, Prince! I know not why the others were caught, but I wasn't the one who betrayed you!'
"I know," Jacob said. He stood over him, beautiful and terrible in the darkness. The clouds parted, and a shaft of silvery moonlight lit him like a spotlight. "I'm sorry. But I have need to tie up loose ends."
"Wait-" Hugues started, but the blade of the sword cut a swift line through Hugues's flesh. Blood splashed onto the grass and the tree trunks behind him. The body fell with a soft thud, Jacob standing over him.
The clouds drifted again, and the once brilliant moon was covered in shadows. Jacob knelt, wiping his sword on Hugues's clothes.
xXx
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"We don't know what happened, my king! But when we went to interrogate him, the prisoner had absconded."
"Did he escape?" the king said. The advisors nodded. "How in the world did he escape?"
"I don't know, Sire. But the guards who were supposed to be watching him were found with their throats slit. We believe Hugues did it before he left."
"How did he have access to weapons?" Gautier said. Behind him, Jacob watched, his eyes hooded.
xXx
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He would throw himself out of the line of succession if it meant he could have Mayumi's hand in marriage. But she was the First Princess; even if he renounced his ties and his bloodline, she was still ensnared by them.
His contacts in Aragon asked if he still was willing to work with them. Standing in the midst of the windy field, Jacob crushed the message in his hand.
It would be easy to depose the king. Bide his time until his elderly father succumbed to illness; Gautier was more trusting of him, it would be easy to kill him.
"You fucking sent my blueprints to Duke Arno without my knowledge?!" Mebuki was saying. Jacob hung back and watched her arguing with Gautier in the courtyard. "Do you know how much battery I wasted having those artists copy it? I was wondering where the hell those drawings went! Oh hey," Mebuki said, noticing him. She brightened. "I was just telling your brother how he's a stupid bitch."
"Wha- I must protest to that!" Gautier said. Jacob walked slowly toward them.
"Oh, congratulations by the way, I heard your wife is pregnant," Mebuki said to Gautier, who glared, blushing.
"Thank you," Gautier said.
"I didn't know you had it in you! But I guess even a stick-up-his-ass prince can get it up if he wanted to."
Jacob chuckled. Gautier and Mebuki turned.
"Congratulations, brother. I didn't know she was pregnant," Jacob said. Gautier glowered.
"It would do well to have another child should anything happen to Albert."
"Kids aren't spares, you can't say that," Mebuki said, and Jacob's eyes widened, startled. Mebuki was glaring at Gautier, her bright face staring daggers as her hair moved with the wind. "All children are precious," Mebuki said. "You can't just treat them like tools for succession."
She would make a good mother. Reflexively Jacob's mind snapped to an image of Mebuki cradling their child.
"Jacob?" Mebuki and Gautier turned. Jacob's eyes were hazy and unfocused, but his gaze snapped back to attention at the sound of his name. "Everything okay?"
It would be easy for his men to storm the castle. Slit the throats of Gautier and his wife. Gut the child in her belly and slay Prince Albert.
"Yes," Jacob said, and he smiled. "Everything is okay."
xXx
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"HAH?! Are you stupid or something, Jacob?!"
Mebuki reared up to her full height, her eyes wide and her nostrils flaring in righteous indignation.
"First of all, you killed Hugues, who was your biggest fucking supporter, so that's already a strike against you. Second of all, Aragon's no longer backing you, you don't have the smokescreen of war anymore, and Zachary will most certainly fucking kill you. Also? Why the fuck did you go through all that trouble killing Hugues? Gautier said they were gonna execute him, and yet you went and dragged him into the forest like some sort of low-rent yandere villain! Also, what about your reputation? Nobody likes you! You think the noblemen will support a stupid king who fucked their wives and now is banging his sister? Even if you do survive, some disgruntled maid is gonna poison you."
"Our father will never approve our union. Becoming king is the only way I can have you."
"Have you even talked to him?" Mebuki said. "Don't you think that'd be easier than treason?"
"Even if I renounce my bloodline and title and take myself out of the line of succession, you're still the First Princess. They would never bless our marriage."
"We'll just elope, then," Mayumi said. She gestured. "Arno has toilets. And I'm sure you've got enough money stashed away where we could live comfortably without an inheritance."
He parroted the line Gautier always said: "You're the First Princess. If you leave it will destabilize the kingdom," Jacob said.
"How?" Mebuki said. "Gautier's Crown Prince, he's already got a kid and his wife is pregnant. You and I are fucking secondary. Nobody gives a shit."
"Then why have you always protested when I talked about marriage?" Jacob said. Mebuki sighed, exasperated.
"I mean, between mounting a coup and fucking your sister, marriage is probably the lesser of two evils," Mebuki said.
xXx
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The nobles were staring at her. Oh boy. Mebuki squared her shoulders, walking into the ballroom. She'd been Jacob's partner before, but this was the first time she was coming down the stairway as his fiancée, the two of them finally public about their illicit relationship.
Beside her, Jacob was sweating bullets. Oh, Mebuki thought. This is probably worse for him. She didn't give a shit if a bunch of nobles didn't like her, but that wasn't the case for Jacob, who fought and scraped and died in the original novel trying to appease them.
"It's okay," Mebuki said in a low voice, as Jacob glanced toward her. "They're just a bunch of bitches anyway."
Jacob brightened. She squeezed his hand and he smiled, holding her hand tighter.
"Now entering the Second Prince and the First Princess, Jacob de Sevran and Audrey de Sevran."
They descended the staircase. For once, Mebuki was glad she was in an era where fucking high heels didn't exist yet; her soft leather shoes pressed into the stone steps as the train of her ballgown dragged behind them.
The noblemen glared while their wives held up their fans, staring suspiciously at them.
"I heard she's fucking the Second Prince."
"How utterly shameless."
"No wonder no one would marry her. She was a lewd woman lusting after her brother."
Oh boy, how come no one's saying shit about Jacob? Mebuki wondered. She glanced up at Jacob, who was seething silently.
Mebuki flipped open her fan and leaned toward him. "You think they'd shit themselves if I patted your ass?" Mebuki asked. Jacob blinked.
"Wha- don't do that."
"Okay. Got it." Mebuki put on a fake smile and waved her fan, fluttering it at them.
"Jacob." One of the king's advisors came towards them. "His Majesty wishes to speak with you."
"Alright," Jacob said. He took Mebuki's hand as he walked toward them. The advisor held up his hand.
"Alone, Your Highness."
"What?"
He glanced at Mebuki, sweating. "Tell my father I cannot leave Audrey alone right now. The nobles will devour her."
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but your father said it is of grave importance."
Jacob glanced back at Mebuki again. She waved at him.
"Go, go," she said. She smiled. "Don't worry. I'll just pretend I'm in a movie or something."
"I'll be back soon," Jacob said. He made a move to kiss her, but stopped himself, thinking the better of it.
The advisor waited. "Your Highness?"
"Sorry, yes." Jacob followed after him, throwing Mebuki another worried glance as he did.
Mebuki opened her fan, then turned outward, studying the crowd in the ballroom.
"Princess Audrey." Mebuki turned to see one of the ladies she often had tea with, coming up to her. The lady grasped her by the hand. "We heard what happened."
"Are you alright, my lady?" another noblewoman said. Mebuki smiled.
"I am fine, ladies. Please do not worry yourselves over it."
"I can't believe they're forcing you to marry Jacob!" another woman said, and Mebuki blinked.
"I'm sorry, what?" Mebuki said. The noblewoman screwed her face up, indignant.
"We all heard about it," the noblewoman said. "They said it turned out that scoundrel was never royalty in the first place, that his mother lied to get him in the palace."
"We heard it was such a scandal, marrying him to you would be the only way to keep him in check. It was a political maneuver. They sacrificed you."
"Um, I'm sorry, what?" Mebuki said again.
"Don't worry," the noblewoman said, taking Mebuki's hands. "We'll tell the others what really happened. Audrey de Sevran did not commit incest. We all know the truth. Her Highness is a pure and honest woman and Second Prince Jacob has manipulated his way into a scandalous marriage."
"Um, I-" Should she refute it? Should she tell them she loves him? She looked at the faces of the noblewomen, these delicate creatures who had tea with her and laughed with her and were somehow fiercely loyal to her, nevermind the fact that most of the time Mebuki was faking it with them.
"It's been so hard," Mebuki said, covering her mouth with her fan, and the ladies gasped, forming a protective circle around her.
"Mayu-er, Audrey," Jacob said, coming toward them. The women glared at him. "Oh, ah. I see you've found company."
"We give greetings to His Highness, the Little Moon and Sun, Second Prince Jacob." The ladies curtsied. It almost looked sarcastic.
xXx
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"Did you hear? In order to get closer to the seat of power, Second Prince Jacob asked for a political marriage."
"No!"
"They say it was the result of blackmail."
"You know how he has eyes and ears all over the castle."
"But isn't Lady Audrey his sister?"
"They say they aren't even related. Nevertheless, they grew up together."
"Poor princess. She must be beside herself."
"Jesus fucking Christ, it's as if they want you to hear," Mebuki said to Jacob. "This is my fault. I totally threw you under the bus." He'd been around her long enough to grasp what a bus was. Jacob's grip on her hand tightened.
"It is alright," he said. "I'm glad you did it. I'd rather they talk about me than you anyway. I'm used to it."
Mebuki glowered. The nobles kept whispering.
"I heard she spent the night crying," someone was saying, while another chimed in.
"She was sobbing in the garden. That must have been when she heard what they were planning."
"Excuse me," Mebuki said, and the nobles turned.
Mebuki smiled at them. "I couldn't help but overhear. I love Jacob," Mebuki said, while behind her, Jacob's eyes widened. "He is my brother and my lover and for the past year we have been hiding our relationship."
"What?" someone said. Mebuki smiled at them.
"Come along, dear," Mebuki said, taking his hand. "It's time to have our first dance." And she let her hand slide downwards to slyly graze his ass.
"A-Audrey! We're in public!" Jacob's face flushed red. Mebuki flashed a smile at him.
"That's what you get when you marry a shameless, brazen woman." And she flashed a look of triumph at the nobles, who all looked like they were going to have a heart attack.
xXx
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"I love you so much." They were sitting on the bed as Jacob hugged her. Mebuki laughed, hugging him. After she told everyone to mind their fucking business and shut the hell up, the uneasiness and nervousness Jacob had dissipated. He smiled openly and held her hand, and when they danced, he was joyous. "I can't believe you told everyone you loved me."
"They were pissing me off," Mebuki said. Jacob buried his face against her chest. She smiled and kissed his head.
"Hey," she said, and Jacob looked up at her adoringly. "I'll let you come inside me from now on whenever we do it."
"Really?" Jacob clutched her. Mebuki laughed.
"Yes, really. But I'll still go down on you if you want me to."
"I love you so much," Jacob said again, and he searched her eyes, wonderingly. "I know this isn't the life you want. But since you are with me, I'll do everything in my power to make you happy."
"Aw. You're sweet." Mebuki cupped his face, smiling at him.
They kissed. Mebuki tugged his shirt while his hands slipped behind her dress, working on the buttons.
xXx
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Word got round in the palace: that Princess Audrey, trapped by circumstance and forced by her family to strengthen their position, willingly lied to the nobles and pretended she loved Jacob, all so they could save the political marriage.
"Did you know? It's all a front - he's really in love with Bianca de Arno."
"That makes sense - create a false scandal to take away from the real one. She's even pregnant with his child."
"I heard they won't even consummate the marriage; they will just continue living separately in the palace."
"Well of course they won't consummate the marriage! Second Prince Jacob will just keep going to Arno to woo Lord Zachary's beloved."
"I feel bad for Duke Arno," the noblewoman said.
"Wow," Mebuki said, standing next to Gautier. "Your sister has a really good reputation." Gautier sighed and pressed his hand against his forehead.