Octavius followed Antero outside and called him, “Antero!”

Antero’s steps halted. He turned around and looked into Octavius’s eyes and saw that he was angry. He lowered his head ashamed when Octavius stopped in front of him and said, “I’m sorry, your highness.”

Octavius tilted his head to the right and grinned. “Don’t worry about it. It was an accident. We’ll just have to fasten Omari to the seat.”

Antero looked at him, asking, “How can you smile at a time like this?”

His hand flung to the back of his head, scratching it as he answered, “I don’t know. I’m panicking inside, but I don’t know how to show it. All of this is new to me.”

Antero sighed, saying, “We have to get the SUV fixed. I also need to do damage control now.”

“Yeah, we can’t have the suspicions coming through now.”

Antero bowed to him and left.

Looking around the court, he felt so lost.

He returned inside and saw that Omari was already bandaged up and Dr Quintus was hanging the IV drip up.

He walked over and sat down on the bed. Taking Omari’s hand in his, he asked, “How is he, doctor?”

Dr Quintus looked down at Octavius and the hand that he was holding. He made eye contact and saw that Octavius had a sad look in his eyes.

Many possibilities appeared in his mind and he just couldn’t shake this feeling he had.

He pulled a chair over to the bed and sat opposite him. Looking at the prince, he asked, “Your highness, who is this person? I’m not allowed to treat anyone who comes from outside the palace walls unless the King allows it.”

Octavius turned to look at Omari, then lowered his head. When he blinked his eyes, the tears fell, landing on his lap.

Dr Quintus couldn’t see the tears falling.

Caecilia burst in screaming, “Your highness, I just heard, is Omari okay?”

Octavius’s eyes opened wide. He turned to her. “Why are you here?”

She stopped by the bed and glared down at him, asking, “What did you do?”

Octavius was at a loss for words. Caecilia knew too much and her motherly instincts sucked at times like these.

Octavius sighed, defeated, and wiped his tears away. He stood up saying, “Omari gave Antero a fright while he was driving and when he pressed on the brakes, he went flying through the seats.”

She placed her hands on her hips with a huff and turned to the doctor. “How is he doing Cato?”

Dr Quintus raised a brow. “His skull was not damaged upon impact, and I don’t know if he has any brain damage. That will have to wait for when he wakes up.”

Caecilia shook her head with a sigh and turned to Octavius. Looking at him, she could tell that he was deeply affected by this ordeal and his eyes were a light shade of pink.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, she asked, “And you? How are you coping with this?”

He shook his head listlessly and let his tears fall. Caecilia pulled him in for a hug saying, “Everything will be okay, I’m sure of it, your highness.”

His shoulders started shaking while he was being hugged, and the onlooker could feel his soul leave his body. He looked down at Omari, who was asleep on the bed, and wondered who he was and why would the prince cry for him? 

But then, he noticed the piercing on his nose and looked at the prince. He had noticed the piercing but didn’t have the time to ask about it.

Octavius sat down after he had calmed and rubbed his face, saying, “We’ll have to move him to my chamber.”

“Or you can take him to mine. I don’t mind at all. Your highness, you have to consider the fact that any of your siblings could walk through your door or even King Demetris himself and then what will you say?” She advised him.

Octavius glared up at her, asking, “So you want me to spend the night in the servants’ quarters?”

Caecilia shook her head with a smirk, “I wouldn’t dare.”

“That is out of the question. Any of the servants could walk into your room seeing that you are the one they answer to,” he said and they could tell that he wasn’t changing his mind.

“Or he could just stay here and we move him to a private room,” Dr Quintus suggested.

They turned to him as he stood up. Looking at him Octavius remembered he did not know who Omari was and even he was not the one who told Caecilia, Omari was here. That would be a pleasant surprise, wouldn’t it be?

*

Antero brought over the laptop into the private room and said as he handed it to Octavius who was on the bed next to Omari in pajamas, “Your highness, will you not be joining your parents for dinner?”

Octavius shook his head. “No, I’m already in bed.”

Antero narrowed his eyes on him, saying, “You know very well that they are monitoring us and now you want to hide away? I didn’t say you have to get dressed, just go see to things and return. Omari isn’t going anywhere!”

Rolling his eyes, Octavius got up and placed the laptop down on the bed. He looked down at Omari, who had a frown on his face, and sighed. Leaning over the bed, he kissed him on the cheek, then left.

Dr Quintus walked into the room to change the IV and check on Omari. He stopped at the door when he walked in and saw that Omari was sitting up on the bed, busy on the laptop, and had Octavius’s bank card in his hand.

His eyes travelled over to the door and looked at the elderly man. He smiled at him and said, “You may come in.”

Dr Quintus shook his thoughts away and walked over. “Certainly. How are you feeling?”

Omari shrugged, “I have a bit of a headache doctor, do you have something for me to kill it?”

Dr Quintus nodded and handed Omari the pain pill that he had brought in and a glass of water. After thanking him, Omari asked, “Where’s Octavius?”

Dr Quintus’s eyes widened. He looked around, scared, and said, “We may not speak the names of the royals. How dare you?”

Omari winked, turning his attention back to the laptop as he answered, “Caecilia thought so too, but what else shall I call my boyfriend? Should I rather say, where is honey? Where is love? That makes no sense, and he doesn’t want me calling him His Highness.”

Huh?

Dr Quintus was puzzled.

Did he just hear Omari correctly?

Boyfriend?

How is that possible?

Omari looked over and saw the puzzled look. Nodding his head, “Yes, you heard me correctly. Octavius and I are boyfriends or in his head, he is already married to me.”

“How is that possible?”

Omari ignored him and continued his purchase. He licked his lips and said, “I am starving. Can you ask Caecilia to get me something? No wait, let me tell Antero.”

As he reached for his phone, his arm froze. His blank expression turned to a sneer. Dr Quintus was confused and moved over to change his IV when Omari suddenly said, “Doctor, can you do me a favour?”

Dr Quintus nodded his head, but was very cautious.

“Let’s pretend I don’t know who Octavius is. I want to see him suffer for bringing me back to the palace,” he said.

“You’ve been here before?” Dr Quintus asked.

“Many times!” Omari said, then quickly shut off the laptop and sat still, pretending he remembered nothing.

Looking at Dr Quintus he said, “Now doctor, when he asks is my brain damaged, will you play along? I swear you won’t get executed.”