[BL] Rules Of Desire: His Majesty's Secret-Chapter 39 - 37: Between Kingdom and Heart

The hallway was quiet, the air cool and scented faintly of old parchment and candle smoke. After Kaelith departed from Elion, Hale lingered near the stone columns, arms folded tightly across his chest. He wasn’t pacing but something in his stance suggested he wanted to. Waiting for Kaelith always felt longer than it should, even when only minutes passed.

Finally, Kaelith emerged.

Their eyes met Kaelith’s calm and unreadable, Hale’s brimming with everything he wouldn’t say aloud.

Without a word, they turned and began walking side by side down the corridor. Their footsteps echoed in rhythm, Kaelith’s cloak brushing softly against the floor, Hale’s fingers twitching slightly at his side. They didn’t speak. They didn’t need to. The silence between them was charged with something electric tension, anticipation, longing.

Neither noticed the figure lurking in the shadows.

Ever watchful, Nigel spotted them moments after they began their quiet retreat. Suspicion flickered in his mind, but it wasn’t born of mistrust, it was curiosity, loyalty, and a deepening sense that something important was unfolding behind closed doors. He followed quietly, sticking to the columns, keeping enough distance that his presence went undetected.

When Hale and Kaelith reached the door to Kaelith’s private chamber, Hale opened it, and both men stepped inside. The door closed with a soft click.

Nigel remained still. Then he leaned against the wall just a few paces from the chamber, deciding he would wait, just to see if Hale came back out.

The minutes turned to hours.

Inside, the chamber glowed with the warm light of a single flickering candle. The scroll lay sprawled across the long wooden table beneath the window, parchment curled slightly at the edges, its ink faded with age. The scent of ink, wax, and old paper filled the room.

Kaelith moved to the scroll immediately, placing both hands on the table’s edge, staring at the glyphs as if willing them to speak. Hale joined him, standing so close their shoulders brushed.

For hours, they pored over the text. They whispered theories. Drew lines. Erased them. Sketched runes in the margins. Debated meanings, translations, and possible trap mechanisms. The more they studied, the more elusive the answers became.

Frustration simmered beneath the surface, especially for Kaelith.

Eventually, he sighed and straightened, rubbing his eyes.

"This scroll is like smoke," he said. Every time I think I grasp something, it vanishes. We’re not getting any closer.

Hale leaned back in the chair, fingers tapping against his knee. Then maybe we stop chasing it in circles. You mentioned that scholar... the one in Priestess?

Kaelith nodded slowly. "Yes. She knows the southern glyphs better than anyone alive."

"Then we go south," Hale said.

Hale turned to face Kaelith fully.

The flicker in his eyes. The tired curve of his lips. The quiet longing was written on his face.

They stood silently for a moment, eyes locked. The weight of the day hung around them, and so did something else. Something else intimate and familiar look.

Hale took a breath.

Then he stepped closer, his voice low and tinged with a teasing warmth. "You look exhausted. Maybe we should stop thinking so hard and do something a little more exciting."

Kaelith didn’t speak but his gaze didn’t waver.

So Hale did what his heart had been begging for. He leaned in and kissed him.

At first, it was just lips brushing against lips gentle, almost reverent. But Kaelith didn’t pull away. He parted his lips slightly, inviting Hale to explore further. The kiss deepened slowly and intensely, tongues meeting in a careful dance, as if rediscovering something lost in the silence between them.

Hale’s hand moved to the back of Kaelith’s neck, fingers sliding into his hair. Their bodies pressed closer, drawn like magnets. The kiss turned hungry, Hale’s breath hot as he gently nudged Kaelith back until they reached the edge of the bed.

He kissed Kaelith slower, lips tracing down to his jaw, then to the side of his throat. Kaelith’s head tilted, exposing more skin. A quiet sound escaped him a sigh, soft but telling.

Hale’s hands wandered to Kaelith’s waist, then slipped beneath his robe, feeling the warmth of bare skin. His arousal pressed between them, undeniable. He let out a shaky breath and kissed Kaelith again, trying to go deeper to feel more and take more.

But Kaelith gently pushed his chest.

"Wait," he said, voice thick with conflict. "Hale... we can’t."

Hale paused, eyes searching his face.

"There’s duty on my head," Kaelith said again, looking down. "People are dying. I can’t be doing this tonight. My mind isn’t settled. My heart...

"I understand," Hale murmured, pulling back despite the throbbing ache in his groin. His body screamed for release, but he forced himself to move away.

He reached down and adjusted himself through his trousers, fingers brushing over his hard length, trying to calm the need. Then he turned to the side of the bed and lay down, facing away from Kaelith.

"It’s fine," he whispered. "Sleep."

Kaelith stood still for a moment. His chest ached. Hale hadn’t argued. He hadn’t begged. He had respected him, even though he clearly burned for him.

Kaelith moved to the bed and slid in behind Hale, careful not to touch him, yet the space between them felt like a chasm. He stared at Hale’s back, then slowly reached out, brushing his fingers along the line of his spine.

"You’re not asleep," Kaelith whispered.

Hale didn’t respond.

So Kaelith leaned closer and pressed a kiss to the back of Hale’s neck. The response was immediate a shiver, subtle but there. Encouraged, Kaelith kissed his shoulder, then his nape again. He slid his hand down Hale’s hip, then further, until his fingers slipped beneath the waistband of his trousers.

When he wrapped his fingers around Hale’s arousal, the man gasped.

Kaelith smiled, lips near his ear. "You’re this hard and still pretending you’re asleep?"

"It’ll go down on its own," Hale breathed. "Don’t worry."

Kaelith chuckled lowly. I will worry. You are just like the kingdom, you are my duty, Hale.

Then he began stroking him slowly long, steady movements meant to tease, not relieve. Hale’s breath hitched, his body bucking slightly against the touch. Kaelith kissed along his shoulder, then moved lower, until he was kissing the dip of Hale’s spine, even as his hand continued its work.

When Hale finally turned to face him, desire etched across his face, Kaelith kissed him again. This time, there was no hesitation. Their mouths met with hunger, tongues tangling, hands fumbling to push clothing aside. Hale’s hand found Kaelith’s length and stroked him in return, their bodies rocking in tandem, soft groans and moans filling the chamber.

Their rhythm quickened. The strokes turned rougher. Kisses became open-mouthed and desperate, hips grinding, the bed creaking beneath their joined movement.

Finally, together they came, gasping into each other’s mouths, clutching skin, holding tighter than they needed to. After, they lay tangled, sweaty and exhausted, their breath slowing in each other’s arms they both fell asleep.

The sun had only just begun its ascent, its pale golden light creeping in through the high, narrow windowpanes of Kaelith’s chamber. The quiet hush of dawn wrapped itself around the stone walls like a whispered prayer.

Hale stirred slowly beneath the covers, the soft warmth of Kaelith’s chest still pressed lightly against his back. In the stillness, he listened to the slow, steady rhythm of the other man’s breathing, the rise and fall of his chest against him. It was comforting and grinding.

Kaelith was already awake, but he hadn’t moved. His arm remained draped across Hale’s waist, his thumb unconsciously brushing circles along his stomach. He wasn’t sure how long this moment we last, only that he hadn’t wanted the moment to end.

They didn’t speak at first.

There was no need for words.

But eventually, Kaelith shifted slightly and placed a soft kiss against Hale’s shoulder. Hale’s hand came up and rested on Kaelith’s, intertwining their fingers.

"I meant what I said," Kaelith whispered, voice hoarse with morning. "You and the kingdom. I won’t choose between them."

Hale gave a small smile, though his heart clenched. "And what happens when one demands more than the other can give?"

Kaelith didn’t answer right away. He only exhaled, slowly.

Then I pray I’m strong enough to hold them both.

By the time Kaelith pulled himself out of bed, the sun was climbing higher, streaking warm gold across the stone floor. Hale remained tucked beneath the linen sheets, half-asleep, his arm resting where Kaelith had been. He didn’t open his eyes, but Kaelith knew he was awake.

Kaelith dressed in silence, tying his robe around his waist with practiced ease. His mind was no longer tangled in passion. It was already drifting south beyond the kingdom, beyond the scroll, toward a memory that had resurfaced in the depths of frustration.

A woman’s voice, long ago.

The Veiled Spirits do not whisper without reason... they always whisper before they consume.

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