Morning arrived, and the palace was busy. Even Antero was up and ready to do his duties.

The head maid walked up to the door with a frown. Octavius was supposed to be up already and knocked on it, but there was no answer.

“Your Highness, are you up?” She called despite that. He didn’t answer.

She looked at the time on her wristwatch and sighed.

“He is always doing this. What about his meeting with Mr Owen? It’s almost eight, and he is still in bed.” She complained to herself and pulled out her universal key, scanned it to unlock the door and walked in.

She closed the door behind her and walked over to the curtains and opened them. With the curtains screeching, she complained, “Your highness, you cannot sleep in. You need to get up, eat, then attend your meeting with Mr Owen.”

Omari’s eyes snapped open, and he froze. He was staring straight into Octavius’s eyes, who was staring back at him.

“What are we going to do?” He whispered. Thankfully, they were both under the sheets, but that would not help them for long.

Octavius shook his head with a smile on his face and said, “I don’t know, just don’t move. Maybe she’ll go away.”

But the head maid walked over to the bed, pulled the covers off them and saw this compromising position. Well, more of what she would least expect to see happening in this chamber—of all places.

Octavius jumped up and pointed his finger at her as her mouth opened and warned her, “You better not scream.”

The head maid held her tongue and looked between the prince and the boy in his bed, who was waving at her. 

“Your highness, what is this?” She asked him as she scrutinized Omari’s booty shorts and crop top and Octavius’s shirtless self.

“I’m his boyfriend,” Omari said and Octavius looked at him in disbelief. He couldn’t believe how brave Omari was.

He sighed and sat down on the bed. He reached for the covers and said, “You are disturbing us. I already told Antero to book me off until tomorrow. When you leave, make sure your tongue is cut out or you will regret waking us up.”

He covered them and hugged Omari, who hid his face in the crook of his neck, closing his eyes. She stared at them and saw that they weren’t moving and it seemed like they intended on sleeping. Even the chamber was a mess. 

“Your highness?” She called him.

Octavius lifted his head and looked at her with a frown, asking, “Why are you still here?”

“Who is in your bed?” she asked him. She felt like she could jump out of her skin with their no-care attitude.

“My boyfriend, now get out or I will make Antero drag you out,” he ordered her.

Omari turned around and sat up on the bed. “It’s fine. I want to go home now.”

“What?” Octavius asked as he sat up, clear hurt and disappointment could be seen on his face.

Omari rubbed his face, saying, “My sleep was disturbed.”

Octavius looked at the head maid. “Aunty Caecilia, please prepare breakfast for us and don’t tell anyone that he is here.”

Omari lay down against the continental pillow and watched as the head maid slowly left while she stole glances at him. Octavius looked at Omari. “That was nerve-wracking.”

“Can she be trusted, your highness?” Omari asked him. He was equally nervous, but didn’t want to show it.

“Yes, she practically raised me so,” he reassured Omari.

Omari hugged him and kissed his right rib cage. “You look handsome even in the morning.”

Octavius looked down at Omari and said, “Do you know I was watching you sleep and didn’t want to get up when she called me?”

“So you wanted her to find us?”

“I think so…”

Omari rolled his eyes and looked away, but turned back when he heard, “Must you really leave? We could spend all day in bed or we can head to the back of the palace grounds where the forest is.”

Omari was reluctant to leave, but being here felt so dangerous. He shrugged, saying, “I don’t feel safe here.”

“The palace is the safest place in the kingdom,” Octavius argued. He’d do anything to keep Omari here so that they could stay in each other’s arms.

Omari stared at him as he said, “It’s safe for you and your family, not me, who is considered an outsider. Just like her, anyone else could come in and who knows if it’s one of the princes, your father or your mother.” 

He took Octavius’s hands in his and said, “I’d love to stay but not when everyone is here or awake, so please don’t look so sad. I’ll try to visit you again.”

Octavius nodded, reluctantly, saying, “Fine, but we need to spend more time together or I might just put my child inside you.”

Omari’s eyes widened, and he hit him on his arm, saying, “You better stop that!”

Octavius smirked and forced him back down on the bed. He hovered over Omari, saying, “I was disappointed last night when I returned. You did not wait for me yet, I was doing it thinking of you.”

Omari moaned and turned to his side. Lowering his body down onto Omari, Octavius kissed him on the ear, saying, “Good morning, Omari.”

Turning his head to look at Octavius, he smiled, saying, “Good morning, Ezra.”

Hugging him Octavius asked, “Do you have any idea of how happy you make me feel by just being here by my side? I want to wake up next to you every day.”

Reaching his arm over, he cupped Octavius’s cheek in his hand. “I love you too.”

“I love you more,” Octavius whined and chuckled.

“Okay now mister, let’s get up and wash, I don’t have the time to be lying around all day, I want to be clean when your other mother returns,” Omari said trying to get up but Octavius didn’t budge saying, “Five more minutes, please.”

Caving in, “Fine, but get off of me and make sure you hold me.”

Sticking to his promise, Octavius let him go and showed him where to wash up.

*

“Madam Caecilia? Who are you preparing food for?” The sous chef asked because it was his duty to prepare food today.

Caecilia had a sharp gaze in her eyes and said, “You ask too many questions, prepare what I’ve asked of you and quick.”

The sous chef quickly did his work and ten minutes later, Caecilia walked out of the kitchen, pushing a trolley with the best food in the palace on it and made her way to the southwest wing.

She knocked on the door. “Your highness, breakfast is here.”

“Come in,” Omari answered in his place.

She unlocked the door and walked in. She saw Omari walking around in Octavius’s shirt that was too big for him and she was surprised when he walked up to her with a smile on his face and looked at everything she brought.

He suddenly frowned and asked, “Why so little? Ezra eats much more than this.”

Caecilia looked at him, surprised. “What did you just call him?”

Omari looked at her and recalled that the citizens could never call the royals by their name. He stared at her, saying, “I said Ezra doesn’t eat so little. You have two of each, but he can eat all of this with a bat of his eyelid.”

Octavius walked out of the bathroom with a black towel hanging off of his head and a black one wrapped around his waist.

He looked at the two of them and asked, “What is with all the noise?”

Omari turned to him and complained, “She only brought enough food for you.”

“That is the usual portion.”

“Well, no wonder you are skinny,” Omari complained and picked up the plates of French toast and took it to the table where he sat down and started eating.

Octavius looked at Caecilia and saw that she had this mesmerized look on her face. As she looked at him and asked, “What?”

“You smiled, your highness,” she answered him.

Omari looked over his shoulder, complaining, “He is always smiling. You should hear his laugh. It sounds like a lion roaring.”

Caecilia looked at Omari, who went back to stuffing his face and gave a thoughtful gaze.

“I will be outside if you need me, your highness,” she said.

Octavius nodded as he pushed the trolley to the table and said, “Can you bring one of the guard’s suits for Omari to wear? I have to sneak him out of the palace and I don’t know how else.”

She nodded her head as she tried to make out what size he would be, then left.

Omari looked at Octavius, who sat down and asked, “Aren’t you getting dressed?”

Octavius smirked, saying, “And here I thought you wanted to see me naked.”