𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 !? ♡ [BL]

⟢ 05 .

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You forced a smile. It hurt. "Your Highness." The title encroached upon you like a poison, leaving your tongue numb and heavy. Lead in your mouth, you moved your lips sluggishly, feeling them stretch over your teeth with a plasticky kind of dullness.

"Dearest assassin." His voice was hushed, quiet, raspy against his throat, and sickly sweet, despicably honey-laden. The way his eerie smile tugged upwards at one of its corners was sufficient enough in revealing his blatant amusement. He chuckled, a discordant sound, and stepped closer. His bangs fell before his eyes, yet Nikolai's gaze didn't leave you. "Funny."

He seemed to enjoy the way he had caught you red-handedly, and by the sounds of it, didn't even intend to hide such entertainment.

His laughter blended with his words, a melody you despised. "Yet again, you're so funny."

"Excuse me?" You bit your tongue to quell your annoyance, not bothering to wince when it stung. Just what about this situation was funny to him? If anything, you were surprised he wasn't throwing a tantrum at the moment — though you supposed that was quite the stretch — his version of something so childish would likely warp it all into a morbid thing, involving blood and slaughter and the wild waving of swords. You furrowed your brows slightly at the thought.

"What happened to wanting 'alone time', dear assassin?" The lower his voice dropped in sound, the more your fight or flight response settled into your bones. He seemed to have barred whatever anger your actions might've generated and instead stood there with an uncanny calm — one that made it so you almost wished for him to tell you off. "Really, am I to be taken so lightly that you've decided to completely ignore my rules?"

"That's not-"

"Bad dog! No barking."

What the hell?

You stared at him, utterly stupefied at his audacity, disgust slowly making its way across your features. Perhaps the displeasure in your expression had been all too clear to read, for Nikolai barked out a bitter laugh, finally acting the slightest riled. "What, am I not allowed to call you that? You're the one that asked for a leash, so I simply..." You opened your mouth to adamantly refuse his wrongful statements, but were instead shut down sharply with a sharp shushing noise. "Dear assassin, rule one?"

You eyed him, wondering if the moment you spoke up he'd obnoxiously shush you again. Deciding the situation was probable, but disregarding him would be a worse one, you answered, "I may not leave the premises of the palace."

"Good!" He clapped his hands together, beaming. Even still, his disposition gave you whiplash. "Rule two?"

"...I am not to converse with anyone." You saw where he was going with this. It'd be hard not to.

Nikolai clicked his tongue, chiding softly. "Come on now, you know there's more to it than that."

"...I am not to initiate conversation with the servants-"

"Exactly. So why did you?"

"..." As if you'd answer his question truthfully — Lain didn't deserve to suffer for what you had brought upon yourself. If you hadn't been so cocky in taking on that so-called docile prince, or had instead prepared more of a surprise attack, called the backup reinforcements in the rest of your section that you'd merely said to remain and that the job was simple enough for them to rest easy... If you had done just one of those trivial tasks, perhaps you wouldn't have been in the position you are now, silently seething at Nikolai behind that compliant expression of yours.