Bound by the Mark of Lies (BL)
Chapter 93 - 88: The only one (4)

Chapter 93: Chapter 88: The only one (4)

After a few moments of silence, Gabriel completed his bath, dried off, and changed into new clothes provided by Edward. There was no surprise when the shirt and pants were a perfect fit. Gabriel chuckled as he noticed the fine embroidery of the letter G on his shirt’s inner collar. The clothes were made by Gloria. He returned to his bedroom, the soft golden rays of morning filtering through the large windows, casting a gentle light on the walls. It felt strange, this calm that had settled over him. A tranquility he hadn’t expected.

Breakfast had been placed on a table in the corner, its presence inviting, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee had already awakened his senses. He took a step toward it, realizing that he was actually hungry.

As he sat at the table and took his first sip of coffee, his mind was briefly drawn back to his conversation with Edward. The butler’s words lingered in his mind. The idea of Damian alone, wielding such power but appearing to struggle with it, seemed foreign to him. His chest tightened as he began to understand the complexities of the emperor’s situation. Damian was more than just a man of authority; there was something else about him that Gabriel had yet to grasp.

Gabriel stood up after finishing his breakfast, wiping his mouth with a napkin, and approached the door. He paused for a moment, allowing the silence around him to settle, before entering the hallway.

As he walked through the palace, the grandeur of the imperial structure continued to impress him. His footsteps echoed along the high, polished stone corridors. His heart began to quicken with the knowledge that he was on his way to meet Damian.

Upon arriving at the study, he was greeted by the sight of Charles, standing silently beside the door. Without looking up, he spoke. "Your Grace, His Majesty is expecting you." He made no attempt to speak with him or explain what he was doing in front of the door while dressed in the Emperor’s personal guards’ black light armor with a crimson wolf on his shoulders. Charles even made sure to not intersect gazes with Gabriel.

’What the hell happened? Just two days ago, he was doing anything to not meet the Emperor.’

Gabriel entered Damian’s private study through one of its two open doors.

Gabriel stepped inside, his attention drawn to Damian, who stood near the tall windows with his back to the door. Sunlight streamed through the glass, creating a stark contrast between light and shadow on the emperor’s broad frame. The room smelled of parchment, ink, and a faint lingering scent of cedarwood, which Gabriel had come to associate with Damian.

Damian didn’t turn immediately. Instead, he remained still, as if gathering his thoughts. Only after a brief pause did he speak.

"You’ve finally decided to show yourself." His tone was calm, but there was an undercurrent of something else, possibly fatigue or restrained amusement.

Gabriel crossed his arms. "I wasn’t aware I had to seek permission to wake up and eat first."

Damian chuckled softly at that. He finally turned, his golden eyes sharp as ever, but something was off about them. A weariness, maybe. Or was it relief?

"I take it Edward has kept you entertained during my absence?"

Gabriel sighed. "If explaining the depths of your problems counts as ’entertainment,’ then yes, I suppose he has."

Damian’s lips twitched, but he said nothing. Instead, he motioned to the chair across from his desk. "Sit."

Gabriel hesitated. There was something unspoken in the air, something heavier than normal. He approached the chair but did not sit immediately. "Charles is outside," he said, carefully watching Damian. "Dressed in your guard’s armor."

Damian sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "I know."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "How did he get here? Last time I saw him, he was doing everything in his power to avoid meeting with you."

"Things happened the other night," Damian admitted. He leaned back against the edge of his desk, arms crossed. "He fucked around and found out."

Gabriel blinked, surprised by Damian’s bluntness, but then he couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged at his lips. Damian’s casual swearing felt strangely human, in stark contrast to the authoritative persona he usually assumed. The emperor, for all his power, had moments of vulnerability, and Gabriel could not help but notice that this version of Damian was raw. And he liked it. He wanted to see more of his real self.

"You are saying he chose to get in your way and—what?—learned the hard way you do not let people get away with it?" Gabriel’s voice was a mix of disbelief and curiosity. It was a rare glimpse of Damian losing control, which intrigued him.

Damian met his gaze directly, his golden eyes burning with amusement. "Pretty much," he said with a slight shrug. "He got too comfortable. He let his guard down, believing he could walk all over me. When you live in my world, Gabriel, you either learn quickly or become an example to others."

"I see, I only can guess, but it seems like I’m not the only one that has a part in your plans."

Gabriel paused for a moment before sitting in the armchair across from Damian’s desk. He crossed his legs, hands clasped together in his lap, still keenly aware of the shift in atmosphere. The tension between them seemed to grow with each passing second, and as he settled into the chair, he could not shake the feeling that Damian was paying him more attention than before.

It wasn’t long before Damian moved toward him. He approached Gabriel’s seat with deliberate steps, his presence commanding the room. Without saying anything, he leaned against the armchair, placing his hands on the rest of the chair and leaning forward just enough to tower over Gabriel while not crowding him. The space between them felt charged, and their closeness was almost unsettling. Gabriel could not take his gaze away as Damian’s golden eyes locked on his, now only inches apart.