A/N: Warnings for domestic abuse starting at "Movement caught Kase's eye." Please stop reading if these events are triggering to you. All other readers, please read with caution. Unfortunately, if you do skip this part, it might impact your comprehension of future chapters. If you'd like, you can message me via PM or on the Selection Discord and I'll catch you up to speed :) And remember, you are worthy and deserving of so much love!
The Thing About What We Deserve
The night of the ballet came around like any other.
Kasey was half expecting violent storms to flood the Paris Opera House, power outages to prevent the show from going on, an unfortunate accident to befall someone close to the production to send the whole thing to a screeching stop. Anything at all to delay this night from happening.
Unfortunately, because fate, God, and the universe all hated Kase with a furious passion, the night was crisp, clear, not a single rain drop or cold breeze on the horizon. If anything, golden hour extended well into its second as limousines lined up outside the red carpet, ready to expel their passengers into the barrage of paparazzi and flashing lights.
Beside him, Brayden studied her reflection in her compact mirror, puffing out her ruby red lips as she reapplied her gloss for the fifth time. In true Brayden fashion, she had chosen something daring and not at all family friendly as she should have. Her black dress was skin tight until it trumpeted out in flowers of black tulle. Her neckline was deep enough to leave little to the imagination. There was no point in covering her arms with sleeves if her entire chest was going to be on display. Kase thought the whole thing was tasteless, attention-grabbing...and the second-sexiest thing he had ever seen Brayden wear.
What? He had eyes.
Felix was going to have a stroke when he saw Brayden...if he had the balls to even show up. Rumor had it Elodie cut those off and stored them in a chest in her office. Kase wished that was true, but he knew his sister. She had no spine when it came to Felix. Unfortunately, that man was still walking around, both balls attached and probably on his way to ruin Kase's night.
Everything was going according to plan.
When it was their time to shine, Kase played his part to a tee. He opened the door for Brayden instead of the chauffeur, stood aside and let her soak in the limelight as the press oohed and ahhed over who she was wearing, how she was wearing it, the way she walked, the way she smiled into the camera as if they shared some dirty little secret.
"Your Highness! Prince Kasey!" They screamed to get his attention, waving their microphones in his face. "Who are you with? Who is she? Care to comment, any comment!"
Kase ignored them all and kept smiling. What a fucking joke, like they didn't know who Brayden was. Like they hadn't been stalking this complicated web of relationships from the start and profiting off the drama. Kase felt mildly sick for feeding them more fodder, but remembered that this wasn't about Brayden, or Felix, or even his sister. This was about Drina. Drina and her stupid model boyfriend who was probably curled up on the couch with her toes under his thighs even though they were always cold and laughing anyway.
Inside the opera house, a different battleground awaited.
Sure, everyone was rich and famous and ready to spend tens of thousands supporting the arts to prove they weren't secretly homophobic, but Kase was infamous. Brayden was infamous. And the only thing rich people loved more than one-upping each other was gossiping about each other. Kase had just given them plenty to chat about, something to spread to their book clubs and their yacht clubs, their country club friends and their travel partners.
If Felix didn't know Brayden was stepping out with her ex before, he sure as hell would now, live on CNN. Thankfully, the cameras had more important people to focus on.
Gen and Neelam were on full display, everyone wanting to catch a word from the women of the hour. Neelam positively glowed in her nude-colored dress, a beaded sari draped elegantly over one arm as she did a twirl for the camera. Gen smiled indulgently, standing a few feet back from her wife in a maroon suit printed with bold pink and nude florals, letting Neelam soak up the limelight. Kase knew it was hard sometimes, being the second-most important person in the room. He had always played second fiddle to Elodie, always stood in her shadow while she stood center stage. It was nice to see that Gen, at least, was willing to share.
"I'll be back," Kase said, leaving Brayden to fend for herself while he went and said hello. She was a big girl, she could handle finding their seats. Or, she could get someone else to escort her and take her off of Kase's hands. That would certainly cause a scene.
"Vos Majestés," Kase said with a dramatic bow, throwing one arm behind his back just as he was trained to do in years of etiquette class. His strict old teacher would not have approved of the extra flourishes. Neelam, on the other hand, found them extremely funny, or at least she usually did. The corners of her lips turned up, but there was none of the accompanying laughter. "Everything okay?"
"Don't mind me," Neelam waved her hand in Kase's direction, reading his mind. Or his face. He always did have a terrible time hiding what he was feeling. "The lights technician just told me there's a bulb out on the main spotlight and they don't know where the spare bulb is. The sound technician nicked the soundtrack and now there is a skip between the first and second act and I - I'm just freaking out, casually." The word vomit did not stop, Neelam's tone reaching a frantic pitch. "It's fine. It's fine! I'm FINE."
"Deep breaths Neels." Gen took Neelam by the shoulders and gently shook her out of her panic-fueled bubble. "I spoke with the director, everything is on schedule. They'll find the new bulb. No one will even notice the skip. Ce sera parfait."
Neelam nodded like a manic bobblehead with a loose spring. Clearly, she wasn't convinced. She wouldn't be until the show was over and she had assessed the entire thing from start to finish. That's just how Neelam was. The only thing to relax her now was a large glass of Pinot Noir. Kase was about to suggest getting her one - it was strange she hadn't raided the bar already - when Neelam let out an ungodly screech.
"Risha! Kushna! You came!" She ran over to the two women with open arms, pulling them down into her embrace. That was when Kase lost them. Between the high pitched screams and the language barrier, Kase was lost. He and Gen hung back and let Neelam connect with her cousins, happy to see her momentarily distracted.
"Did you see?" Gen asked, taking a program from the stack on a nearby table and opening it to the cast list. "Your headshots came out nicely."
The black and white photos of each ballerina were lined up neatly in two columns on the glossy pages. Little blurbs about each girl, how long they were in the foster system, and their hopes and dreams once they grew up accompanied the photos. Interspersed between the pages were candid shots Kase had taken from weeks of practice. He had to admit, it was some of his better work.
"Add it to my resume: professional photographer," Kase joked, pleased with himself. "I can do birthdays, weddings, and bar mitzvahs."
Gen rolled her eyes and put the program back down. There was something else she wanted to say, Kase could tell. Whatever it was, she wanted to butter him up first. Sneaky, but effective.
"Are you sure it was a good idea, bringing her?" Gen asked quietly, a smile on her face in case she was still being watched. Kase wasn't stupid. He knew that 'her' meant Brayden, and he also knew that Gen was Brayden's second least-favorite fan, second only behind Elodie, because duh.
"I guess we'll find out."
"Don't do anything stupid, Kasey," Gen warned, more authority in her tone than he was used to. And the whole name too? She meant business. "Tonight means more than you can imagine. So I'm telling you, don't fuck it up. That's an order."
Gen didn't like to pull the rank card, even though in her youth she said she used it more than she should have. Kase felt something uncomfortable settle under his skin, something heavy that told him he should turn around and go back home. That staying here was a bad idea.
But there was an open bar with a glass of red calling his name, and the worst was firmly behind him. All that was left to do was sit down and enjoy the ballet. He could do that, no problem, no worries.
"Oui, madame." Kase gave Gen a salute and turned on his heel. The bar was calling his name.
A glass of wine and a pleasant buzz later, Kase found his way to his seat. Gen had really gone all out, granting him access to one of the royal family's three boxes. This one was smaller, meant for distant cousins or family members Gen didn't like very much. Funny, Kase fit both of those descriptions tonight. Still, there was plenty of space for him to leave a seat between himself and Brayden and still have room to spread out. But as soon as he sat down, Brayden was right there next to him, and she was pissed.
"Where did you go?" she demanded, her expression as dark and stormy as the night Kase had hoped for.
"To get a drink."
"And you didn't get me one?"
"Do I look like a bartender?"
Brayden huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked pointedly away, at the stage and the red curtain that was rustling, hiding dozens of young children eagerly awaiting the start of the show. "What did I ever see in you?"
Kase grit his teeth. "Lucky for you, you found something better."
Brayden didn't say anything. She didn't even roll her eyes or scoff. She kept her attention on the stage, a furrow forming in her flawless brow. Then, Kase realized she was sitting a little too close to the edge of her seat, that her hand was gripping the golden railing a little to tightly, that her head may not have turned by her eyes were wandering over the audience.
"Afraid he's not gonna show up?" Kase asked, and Brayden's jaw ticked. He had hit a nerve, so he kept going. "Maybe he's found something better, too."
"Shut up, Kasey."
"Or, maybe you're just not as important to him as you think you are."
"TMZ reported a commercial jet containing the Crown Prince of Illéa landed at Charles de Gaulle at oh-seven-hundred this morning," Brayden replied with a fake smile as she surveyed the room. "He'll be here."
"Commercial jet?" Kase couldn't help but grin at the thought of Felix suffering a stuffy ride with fussy babies and snoring passengers in business class. "Looks like Elodie managed to do one thing right."
Brayden elbowed Kase in the ribs, discreetly.
The lights flickered bright, then dim, bright, then dim. The ballet was starting, and a hush naturally fell over the crowd.
Neelam walked on stage, a microphone in her hand. She glowed under the spotlights, in her natural element.
"Thank you, one and all, for your generous support to the Paris Children's Home. Tonight would not have been possible without the donations you put forward." Neelam paused so that everyone could give themselves a round of applause. Another thing rich people enjoyed: patting themselves on the back for giving what was, to them, the bare minimum. "This is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. In my home country, nearly thirty million children sit in orphanages, trapped in abysmal conditions. Here in France, we have a little over half a million. So many of these orphans are girls, young women with potential to change the world. Each and every one of them here tonight has inspired me with their joy, their optimism, their unfailing perseverance. These talented young ladies have put together quite a show, and I cannot wait for them to share it with you. So, without further ado, I give you the Paris Children's Home Foundation's production of The Nutcracker!"
Another round of applause, and then the show started.
Ballet had never really held any interest for Kase. Auden and Hayden had taken lessons when they were little; they used to perform makeshift recitals every Friday night, complete with their own choreography. Their parents always thought it was the cutest thing. Kase always hated it when Hayden demanded he play the part of the tree and lift her up at strategic moments, only for her to knee him in the ribs.
The girls on the stage were much better than Hayden, though. Especially the girl chosen to play Clara. She could go places.
Kase spotted Manon amongst the others, leading the herd a beat ahead of tempo, keeping everyone on track like the mother hen she was. He was sure he was grinning stupidly; Brayden was giving him a weird look. It didn't matter. Kase felt like a proud parent, watching Manon absolutely crush her plies and grand jetes. Henri and Elyan must have felt so proud as well, looking up on stage and knowing that brilliant little girl was theirs. Kase wanted that one day. He used to think he wanted that with Drina. He wanted it so badly...
Everyone was clapping. The movement was over and Manon was leading all the other girls off stage, kicking out her pointed feet as she went. World's greatest snowflake, that was for damn sure. He would fight anyone who said otherwise.
The music died, the lights went up, and the patrons rose from their seats.
Intermission time.
Brayden didn't wait for Kase to offer an arm or escort her out of the box. She simply gathered her skirts and sashayed out ahead of him, a woman on a mission. She probably planned to scour every inch of the opera house for a sign her royal lover was there to sweep her off her feet. Kase almost felt bad for her naive optimism.
But then, the crowd parted like something out of a fucking movie, and there he was: the royal douchebag.
Of course Felix would arrive fashionably late in a black tux, sauntering over to Brayden as if he were there the entire time. He scooped her up into his arms and dipped her low, dramatic, so that everyone could gasp and gawk as he kissed her soundly on the lips. A little obscene, if anyone asked Kase. But they didn't. Kase might as well have not existed. No one even gave him a passing glance, except to comment on how 'foolish he was' or 'how tragic'.
And no one, not a single soul, seemed to care that Felix was married.
"I knew you would come," Brayden sighed, happy as a little girl living her fairytale.
"How could I not, with the way you teased me, tortured me." Gag me with a spoon, knock me out with a baseball bat, Kase begged. Anything to spare me from this. "Oh darling, I was absolutely distraught the way we left things. You know how much I hate to fight. So, I have something for you, something to express just how sorry I am for leaving you."
The way Felix was talking, Kase half expected a ring, and the nosy onlookers did, too. However, it was just as shocking when Felix pulled a blue velvet case out from his breast pocket and cracked it open.
"Oh, Felix," Brayden gasped, one hand fluttering over the gift, blown away and extremely pleased. Inside the case sat a diamond necklace with a focal stone the size of a golf ball. "It's beautiful!"
"Do you like it?"
"Like it? I adore it!" Brayden obediently held up her hair so that Felix could fasten the monstrosity around her neck. "How did you get this?"
"I pulled some strings with the royal jewelers." The casual way Felix flaunted his stolen wealth made Kase grind his teeth. God only knew how much this stunt cost his family. It was reckless, insensitive, and offensive. There was no way Elodie would be able to overlook the purchase, and once again she would have to face the fact that her husband was scum of the Earth that went around leaning close to other women's ears and saying, "I wanted you to wear it tonight, so everyone knows that the most beautiful woman in the room belongs to me."
Kase had enough. He turned his back on the sick situation and made a bee-line for the bar. They were only serving wine, but anything was better than nothing. A bartender passed a glass or red over, and Kase downed the whole thing in two swallows, ignoring the bitter taste as he ordered another.
"Oncleeee Kaseeeeeeee!" came a loud, lisping voice.
Before Kase had time to react, three feet of Manon crashed into his knees. The force of the impact sent wine all over his white button-down. Women gasped at the scene. A person or two even laughed. Kase just stood there, stunned. From his perspective, the dripping drink looked like blood.
"Mon Dieu, I am so sorry!" Elyan cried as she ran over and pulled her daughter away from the mess she had made. Kase didn't care about his shirt. He did wonder, briefly, just how much money it would take to restore the carpets.
Tears stood in Manon's eyes. That was unacceptable.
"It's fine, I'm fine," Kase assured, straightening his bowtie and plastering on his best smile. It wasn't too hard. Any time spent with Manon made him genuinely happy. He knelt down next to the little girl and whispered loudly, "I didn't like that shirt anyway."
He winked for good measure, and that succeeded in getting Manon to giggle.
"I have something for you," Kase said, reaching into his jacket pocket and retrieving a single pink rose. He gave it to Manon with a flourish, enjoying the way she clapped her hands in delight. "For most beautiful prima ballerina Paris has ever seen."
Manon did a little twirl, the rhinestones on her tutu sparkling in the light.
"You spoil her," Elyan chided, though her smile gave her away. "What do you say, Manon?"
"Merci!" She threw her arms around Kase's neck and held on tight.
"She is so glad you came," Elyan said, taking in the scene with obvious delight. Kase didn't need her to tell him what he could obviously feel. Manon was practically choking the life out of him with all her affection. "I think she was more excited to have you watch her perform than actually perform herself."
Kase felt his heart swell. He wasn't used to being so important to someone. He couldn't fathom it. It almost made everything worth it. He almost forgot about -
Movement caught Kase's eye. Felix and Brayden had started to walk away, and normally Kase wouldn't care. He was done with her. But he didn't like the way Brayden's smile was pinched and panicked. He didn't like the way Felix grabbed her by the arm.
"Excuse me for a moment," Kase said to Elyan. He extricated himself from Manon, stepped away from the happy family, and went after the retreating couple.
Kase followed them around the corner of a quieter hall. The noise of the crowd faded, which gave way to the sound of arguing. There, at the end of the hall, stood Felix towering over Brayden, too close in her personal space, spitting what had to be obscenities since Brayden had cowered back into the wall, her whole body shaking.
He saw Felix raise his hand.
That was it.
Kase didn't know how he managed to get to the end of the hall in such a short time. His body moved with a single-minded focus, honed in on the arm poised to strike. It wouldn't reach Brayden. He wouldn't let it.
Kase reached out and, as the arm came down - as Brayden flinched backwards and closed her eyes, face pressed into the wall - Kase took it and twisted it behind Felix's back.
"What the fuck!" Felix swore, stepping back and stretching out the damage. He gave Kase the nastiest glare and reared back for another strike.
Kase met that aggression with a fist of his own, knuckles breaking across Felix's face. Worth it to break his nose, Kase thought as his knuckles throbbed. Worth it to break so much more, Kase thought as he went back for seconds.
Brayden screamed at the second punch, even louder at the third. By the time someone came to pull Kase off of Felix, Kase was holding the bastard up by the collar of his jacket, face beaten to a pulp. Kase had blood on his hands, on his face. He could feel it, hot and sticky, raising his adrenaline.
"That's enough," came Henri's voice, firm and more livid than Kase had ever heard it. "That's enough."
The only thing that sobered him - other than the look of sheer terror in Brayden's eyes, other than the tears streaking down Manon's face - were the dozens of extra eyes surrounding him. In the heat of the moment, he had forgotten he was in a public venue. He was a prince attending a royal ballet in a foreign country, caught beating down another member of the royal family.
Fuck. The ballet.
Kase scanned the crowd, the group of rich, scandalized assholes, hoping that one person in particular had missed -
Neelam stood opposite him, one hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes. She held a program in her other hand, crumpled and ruined just like her 'perfect' night. Kase's heart sunk to his stomach, breaking at the pitiful sight. Before he could apologize, before he could do anything at all, she turned her back on him and walked away. No one would accuse the Queen Consort of France of running away. Never. She was well within her rights to make a swift, dignified exit when her shitty, good for nothing cousin destroyed her happiness.
Gen was going to murder him.
Worst of all? Kase didn't regret it. He looked at Felix, bloody and half-unconscious, and felt a savage pride. Kase had never been able to save his sister from that bastard, but he could save Brayden, and that felt good. Even if he looked like a monster. Even if he was a monster.
Henri yanked Kase away from the scene and escorted him to a small parlor away from the rest of the public, instructing him not to move while Felix was looked over. Henri told him Felix had every right to press charges. Kase laughed in Henri's face, past the point of caring. He had already damned himself, why not go all the way?
"Just...tell Manon I'm sorry." She shouldn't have had to see that. Kase regretted that the most about tonight.
Henri gave Kase a look. It was so hard to tell what the man was thinking. But this look...it wasn't good or bad. If Kase had to guess, it was disappointment.
A minute later, Henri came back with Brayden and told her the same spiel. For the first time in their acquaintance, she looked small: arms wrapped around her waist, her body curled in on itself like she was trying to make herself invisible. Her 'perfect' night was ruined too. Granted, it was a stupid plan. Making a man like Felix jealous only had poor outcomes. But Kase couldn't help but feel badly for Brayden. He wanted to soothe her, hold her, tell her everything would be okay. The only problem was, every time she glanced his way, she looked as if she were caged in with a wild animal who would go feral at any moment.
"Do you think Felix will be okay?"
"Are you seriously worried about that asshole? After what he just pulled?"
"You beat him to a pulp!" Brayden snapped back, continuing her mad pace across the room. "He was barely breathing!"
So fucking dramatic. Kase couldn't believe this. He was the one who saved her from a wicked backhand, yet he's the bad guy. "He's fine."
Brayden was not convinced. She stared at the closed door and bit down on her bright red thumbnail, worrying it between bright red lips. "No matter what he does, he doesn't - "
"What he does?" Kase repeated, the gears in his head grinding to a sickening halt. Does, present tense, not past. "He doesn't hit you often, does he?" Brayden stayed quiet for too long, her flinty eyes shifting to the ground, just like they always did when she didn't want to answer something. Kase felt his heart break all over again. "Brayden, you don't deserve that."
"Fuck off, Kasey," Brayden hissed, eyes rimmed with red and sparkling. She grabbed the necklace at her throat, rubbed her collar raw. "Don't lecture me. I got what I wanted."
Brayden stormed off with her head held high and locked herself in the bathroom. Kase did nothing to coax her back out. She wasn't his responsibility; she hadn't been for a very long time. And yet...
And yet.
That was the thing about what we deserve: it was hardly ever what we wanted.