Chapter 65: Failed Mission

Even when the guard begrudgingly told the other royal guards to let Leo and Marcus through, he had continued eyeing them both with sharp suspicion, making it painfully obvious that he didn’t trust them in the slightest. The entire encounter had been tense from start to finish, but Leo had assumed getting past security would be the hardest part of the assignment.

What Leo hadn’t anticipated was that Prince Basil would prove far more difficult to deal with than the security checkpoint outside.

Honestly, he didn’t even understand why they had to deal with this in the first place. How had he not thought this through? Even he would have been suspicious if two strangers suddenly appeared claiming to be friends of his brother, who was lying unconscious in a hospital bed. Still, wasn’t Darius technically occupying Prince Basil’s place now that he had returned? Shouldn’t Basil be resentful instead of being this fiercely protective of someone who should have been his competition?

From where he was sitting, Basil continued watching Leo in silence. His eyes narrowed slightly as the silence stretched. ℴ

What he had asked wasn’t a particularly difficult question. It certainly wasn’t the kind of question that should require this much thought unless they were hiding something.

That immediately put him further on edge.

His gaze flicked briefly toward the door before returning to the two men. Should he call the guards? Or should he deal with these two himself if things turned ugly?

Neither option particularly bothered him.

Just as he was beginning to seriously consider it, Marcus finally stepped in.

"We actually met Prince Darius through a mutual friend," Marcus said smoothly, his deep voice breaking the tense silence.

Leo shot him a quick glance before immediately picking up the thread. "Yes. Exactly," he said, nodding. "That’s how we met, Your Highness."

He couldn’t believe he had been so caught up trying to invent a believable story that he had nearly stood there in silence long enough to expose them both. Unfortunately, Basil didn’t look convinced. If anything, he looked even more suspicious than before. His eyes moved carefully between the two men, studying every expression and every reaction. There was definitely something strange about them.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it yet, but every instinct he possessed was telling him that neither of them was being entirely honest.

Basil studied the two men for another moment before finally speaking. "I appreciate you coming to check on Darius as soon as you returned from your trip. I’m sure you must be tired, but as you can see, he’s still in a coma. Now that you’ve confirmed his condition and seen that he’s being taken care of, you can go back and get some rest. I’ll make sure to tell him his friends came to see him when he wakes up."

Leo and Marcus exchanged a brief glance, slightly taken aback by the dismissal. Leo took a small step forward, softening his posture in an attempt to sound reasonable. "Your Highness, if you don’t mind, could we stay a little longer?" he asked carefully. "It’s been well over a month since we last saw him, right before we went out of town and before he became a prince. We really just want to spend some time by his side."

Basil raised an eyebrow, his jaw tightening. "Spend time with him doing what, exactly? The man you came to see is unconscious. He might not even know you’re here, and he can’t acknowledge your presence. The only thing anyone can do for him right now is wish him well and hope he wakes up as soon as possible."

He let go of Darius’s hand and crossed his arms, his posture stiffening. "If you want to catch up with him, you can do that when he wakes up and spend as much time with him as you want then. But right now, I want to be alone with my brother. If you stay here, you won’t be spending time with Darius. You’ll be spending time with me, and I have no interest in entertaining guests tonight. I want to be alone with my brother."

Marcus stared at Basil in stunned silence, while Leo held his tongue, caught off guard by the prince’s bluntness. They had heard plenty about Prince Basil. They’d heard that he could be arrogant, cold, and difficult, but neither of them had expected him to be this direct.

Basil’s eyes narrowed when neither man moved. "Can you leave now, please?" he asked. "Before I call the guards to escort you out."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Leo quickly said, raising both hands slightly in surrender. "Okay. Fine. We’re going." He gave Basil an apologetic smile. "I’m sorry if we’ve intruded, Your Highness. We didn’t mean to disturb you. We’ll leave."

Marcus cast one final, unreadable glance at the silent monitoring equipment beside Darius’s bed before turning on his heel and opening the door for Leo. The two men stepped out of the room, leaving Basil alone with his brother once again.

Basil watched them until the door closed behind them, still not satisfied with their explanation. He immediately rose from his chair, his expression hardening as he stepped into the bright hallway. The royal guards stationed near the door straightened at once at the sight of him.

"Don’t let anyone else into this room without my permission," Basil ordered, his gaze moving from one guard to the other. "I don’t care who they claim to be or what story they tell you. You are guarding a prince in critical condition, not running an open reception desk. Stop letting every crook and stranger wander through that door."

"Understood, Your Highness. It won’t happen again," the lead guard replied hastily, dipping his head.

Basil was about to turn back toward the room when he paused. His eyes shifted toward the guards again. "And increase the number of guards stationed outside this door. I want more men guarding the entrance from now on. "

"Yes, Your Highness," the lead guard replied immediately, straightening. "I’ll have additional guards brought here at once. No one will be allowed through without your permission."

Basil gave them one final warning look before turning back toward the room. He pulled the heavy door shut behind him until the lock clicked firmly into place. He stood in the quiet room for a long moment, listening to the monotonous, rhythmic ping... ping... ping... of Darius’s heart monitor. He had originally intended to keep his promise to his mother by going to the adjoining spare room to get a proper night’s sleep. But that plan was gone now. If people who looked and acted like those two could so easily get past royal security, there was no telling who else might walk in the moment he turned his back. He didn’t trust leaving Darius alone for a single second tonight. Walking back to the bed, Basil pulled the chair closer and sat down, taking Darius’s cold hand back into his own.

*****

Outside the main entrance of the hospital, the night air was crisp and cold. Leo let out a long breath and loosened the collar of his shirt, as though he had been holding his breath the entire time. He glanced back at the towering building behind them and shook his head.

"Fuck, that was intense," he muttered, letting out another long breath. "Seriously, how the hell did that go so badly? I wasn’t expecting us to get kicked out that fast."

Marcus chuckled softly, a low sound rumbling in his throat as he kept his hands in his pockets. "I thought there would be some kind of bad blood between Prince Darius and Prince Basil, considering everything that’s happened, but I never expected him to be so fiercely protective. It’s almost like watching the Reaper himself."

"I know, right?" Leo agreed, shaking his head. "Those two seem to be protecting each other, even though they’re barely supposed to know each other. Are we missing something?"

Marcus fell quiet for a moment, his eyes scanning the dimly lit perimeter of the hospital grounds before he spoke again. "I don’t think that’s important right now. What’s important is that we failed our mission. We were supposed to stay close to the Reaper tonight to keep him safe from whoever might be coming to harm him."

"True. Very true. We’ve completely failed," Leo said with a frustrated sigh. "Honestly, the plan barely made sense in the first place. How exactly were we supposed to protect a prince who literally has dozens of guards and a brother who is practically standing guard over him?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, stopping near their vehicle. "I wonder if the Reaper’s force used this whole assignment as an excuse to push us out of headquarters."

Marcus shrugged slightly. "That could be the case. But at least we can call them and let them know how it went."

Leo nodded. "Then call them. Let’s hear what Tractor has to say before we decide our next move." Marcus nodded, reaching for his phone.