Page 42 of Consort of the Dragon King

Grisden bowed again. “As you wish. I will attend to it right now.” Without another word, he disappeared in the blink of an eye. He might have been an elder, but there was no one better at his job.

In no time at all, he returned with Norkon. The raven shifter entered the room with a bow. “You summoned me, General?” He didn’t seem surprised to see Kitsuki.

Jaega gestured for him to sit in the chair next to Kitsuki’s. “Please, join us. Our king has a particular request that I believe your skill set is perfect for.”

Kitsuki waited for Jaega to explain the task, but he remained silent. It left Kitsuki with the uncomfortable task of explaining what he required from the lieutenant. “I need you to find Maseo Venrik, the son of Nasume, and deliver something to him. I do not know his whereabouts or where he was last in residence. It may be a fool’s quest, but I would appreciate you attempting to find him. No matter what, this mission requires absolute discretion. No one can know you are working on my behalf to find Maseo.”

Norkon perked up at the request. “Understood. I won’t let you down, Your Majesty. I’ll find him, no matter how far I must travel.”

“We will, of course, compensate you for your efforts and give you anything you need to accomplish this task. If you can find Maseo, you will receive a significant bonus.”

“Thank you for your continued generosity, Your Majesty. I need a little time to pack, but I will be ready to depart within the hour.”

“I appreciate your willingness to help. General Jaega will give you what you need to deliver to Maseo before you leave.”

“In that case, I will prepare myself. Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty, General Jaega.” He saluted before leaving to take care of his preparations.

Kitsuki hesitated before making a request. “May I use a sheet of paper and an envelope, please?”

“Of course.” Jaega passed them over, along with a quill. “Are you certain you wish to write the letter and not Auslin?”

Kitsuki hesitated. “Ideally, Auslin would write this. But he has mentioned a few times he fears Maseo hates him. I am concerned Maseo would dismiss the warning coming from him.”

“I can see the sense in that. In that case, it is best you handle it yourself.”

After Kitsuki took a moment to compose his thoughts, he began writing.

Maseo,

I am aware this letter will rightfully be met with skepticism, but I have reason to be concerned aboutyour father attacking you. I regret to inform you that his jealousy regarding me now poses a dangerous risk to you, through no fault of your own. For your own safety, please take care to avoid traveling to Kunushi and Reflorna for the time being.

Kitsuki paused, pondering his next words.

“May I offer a piece of advice, nephew?” Jaega asked.

“Always.” Jaega’s counsel was wise and worth listening to.

“Say what you are struggling not to say. You will feel better for having said it than holding back.”

It did not seem so simple. “But it is out of character for me to express concern for his well-being.”

“Perhaps that will make him take the warning seriously. The last thing you want is to regret not telling him, and then the worst happens.”

Kitsuki was silent for a long moment before admitting the truth. “I do not understand why the thought of Nasume hurting Maseo distresses me to the point of doing something this extreme. I should not be doing this at all.”

“It is the right thing to do, nephew. That is why you are doing it.”

“But I used to find him repulsive because—” Kitsuki stopped as an uncomfortable realization set in.

Jaega looked at him with concern. “What is wrong?”

“My frustration with him was more than his role in indirectly hurting Auslin.” How had Kitsuki not realized that sooner? “I wanted him to have enough respect for himself to leave Kio and their farce of a relationship like Auslin had. I thought it was because I wanted Kio to be alone.”

“And you are now realizing it perhaps was because you could not bear to see Kio torture Maseo when he did not deserve such abusive treatment?” Jaega’s gaze was sympathetic. “Do not be so surprised, nephew. You have always been a caretaker. It is what makes you such a magnificent king. Your heart and sense of justice cannot stand by and let such atrocious things happen without trying to make it better.”

Kitsuki continued mulling through the issue. “But I—if I am truly being honest with myself, sometimes I started fights with Kio to distract him from taking his anger out on Maseo whenever I came across them arguing in the past. It never felt like a fair fight for Maseo. Watching Kio treating him cruelly was like seeing a young pup getting kicked. It compelled me to punish Kio for his abhorrent behavior.”

“Is that not showing concern for Maseo’s well-being?”

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