CHAPTER 426: ’NOT EVER.’

’He... wants to go home?’

Heinz blinked.

For a moment, it felt like the air had been sucked from the room. Like his heart had been plucked from his chest and dropped into freezing water. He could almost feel the flicker of rage in his chest, hot and unstable.

Heinz could blow up the entire palace if he wasn’t careful.

But he couldn’t explode—not here, not now. He had to keep calm. Composed.

Only... he wasn’t calm.

Not when everything in him was screaming.

Just last night, Heinz had come to a terrifying, exhilarating truth—he was in love with this Florian. This version. The stubborn, conflicted, dense, and brilliant prince in front of him.

He’d spent this time obsessing over the gaps in his memory, about the true identity of this Florian, about the mystery behind the first Florian’s last words after he kissed Heinz.

He thought maybe, just maybe, the answer would come through this one.

And perhaps... in time, maybe this Florian could come to love him, too.

But now...

’Now he wants to leave?’

Heinz’s gaze drifted to Florian’s smile. To the way his green eyes sparkled with rare hope. The way he clung to Heinz like a lifeline, not even realizing he was tightening the blade already lodged in Heinz’s chest.

’Why does it hurt like this?’

"Your Majesty?" Florian’s soft voice broke him out of his storm of thoughts.

Heinz cleared his throat. "How... do you expect me to help with that?" he asked, trying to keep his tone neutral. "I don’t think I have the power to send you back. I’m not a God."

Florian nodded, understanding. "I know... But I was hoping you could tell me more about the God that helped you. I feel like... he brought me to you for a reason. Maybe he’s the one who can take me back."

Every word felt like another dagger twisting deeper. Heinz looked away for a moment, composing himself, trying not to let the pain show.

’He wants to leave me... and I still don’t even know who he really is.’

"It won’t be easy," Heinz said at last, his voice low. "The God didn’t just grant my wish. I had to go through a trial to reach him... and it nearly killed me."

He remembered the island—the path that bled magic and madness, the climb that tested his very soul. And the statue... silent and unmoving until his blood had stained the stone.

"But I still want to try," Florian replied, determination flickering in his eyes like candlelight. "Please, Your Majesty. Just consider it. That’s all I ask."

’Fuck.’

Now that Heinz had realized he was truly in love with this boy, everything looked different. E

very word Florian spoke felt more fragile, more precious. He wanted to pull him close, kiss him senseless, bury himself inside him again until he forgot the very concept of leaving.

But instead... Heinz sighed.

He couldn’t say no to that face. He never could.

"I’ll see what I can do," he said at last.

And then... a thought sparked.

A dangerous, selfish, brilliant thought.

He wasn’t sure if it was good or downright despicable—but it might just buy him time. Enough time to make Florian forget about going home. Enough time... to make him stay.

"Really, Your Majesty?!" Florian exclaimed, his face lighting up with genuine joy.

Heinz just watched him, quietly, wondering if he was really going to go through with the idea forming in his head.

"But I have one more condition before I do."

The words slipped from Heinz’s lips before he could stop them—too fast to take back now, too selfish to ignore. The look on Florian’s face shifted ever so slightly, his shoulders tensing as he sat straighter.

"Of course, Your Majesty... what is it?" Florian asked cautiously, voice uncertain but respectful.

Heinz didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stepped closer, so close that Florian instinctively leaned back, only to still again as Heinz’s hands gently circled his waist.

He pulled the prince forward until there was barely any space left between them.

"Y-Your Majesty...?" Florian whispered, but Heinz only tightened his grip, letting the silence speak for him.

Then, slowly, deliberately, he dipped his head into the curve of Florian’s neck. His lips brushed softly against warm skin—once, twice, then again and again.

Each kiss was feather-light, reverent, almost adoring. And yet, the weight of his body pressing flush against Florian’s made the moment feel far more intimate than innocent.

Florian shivered.

He didn’t pull away though.

In fact, his fingers curled against Heinz’s arms, clutching the fabric of his shirt as if grounding himself. Heinz felt it—the way Florian’s breath hitched, the way his thighs tensed.

He smiled against his skin, dark eyes gleaming with satisfaction. Without warning, he nudged his knee between Florian’s legs, pressing gently against the heat that was slowly, unmistakably growing there.

Florian let out a quiet, shaky whimper, lips parting, eyes fluttering.

Now he was the one without an answer.

"I told you how much I enjoyed last night," Heinz murmured, his breath ghosting over Florian’s throat. "And I meant every word."

He pulled back just enough to look at him—cheeks flushed, eyes wide, lips pink and parted.

"I’ll do what I can to help you," Heinz continued, voice low and slow like syrup. "But the god who helped me the first time... there’s no guarantee he’ll answer again. It may take time."

His hand slid down, bold and unhurried, until it rested against the curve of Florian’s backside. He caressed it once, lazily, like a man indulging in what he already considered his.

"And while I figure that out," he whispered, "I want to do it again. Multiple times."

Florian’s eyes widened. "D-Do it again?"

His voice cracked halfway through, as if the weight of the words—and what they meant—were finally registering.

Either he was pretending not to understand, or he just couldn’t believe Heinz would say it so plainly.

But Heinz didn’t have the patience for games.

With one swift movement, he gripped Florian’s thighs and lifted him effortlessly. Florian gasped in surprise, arms snapping around Heinz’s neck for balance. Instinctively, his legs wrapped around Heinz’s waist, their bodies aligning far too well.

"Your Majesty!" he yelped, mortified.

"I want to keep having sex with you," Heinz said bluntly, eyes locked on his. No shame. No hesitation. Just truth.

Florian’s jaw dropped.

"M-Me? Have... sex with me again?"

Heinz nodded once, slow and firm. "Yes."

"But... why?" Florian asked, eyes searching his, almost desperate for a logical reason. "Why would you want to have sex with me again?"

"Because I enjoy it," Heinz replied simply.

"B-But... but..."

"What?" Heinz tilted his head, a teasing smile forming on his lips. "Didn’t you enjoy it too? If you ask me, this arrangement is a win for you. Considering..."

He leaned forward again, his lips brushing against Florian’s flushed neck.

"...you were the one begging for more."

The moment hung in the air like smoke.

When Heinz finally pulled back to see his expression, Florian was a mess of stammers and red cheeks, his entire face burning with embarrassment. He couldn’t look Heinz in the eye, and yet his body betrayed him—completely hard, trembling slightly in Heinz’s arms.

He didn’t have to say anything. Heinz had his answer.

Still, he asked. "What do you say?"

Florian looked away, flustered and overwhelmed, and nodded slowly.

Heinz nearly lost control.

He wanted to toss him back onto the bed, to ravage him until the prince forgot every thought except him.

But he didn’t.

Not yet.

Instead, Heinz kept Florian nestled in his arms and hugged him close, letting the tension soften into something dangerously warm.

"Very good," he whispered, lips brushing against Florian’s temple.

He knew Florian could’ve said no. He could’ve bargained, could’ve clarified the conditions. He hadn’t even asked what would’ve happened if he had refused.

But none of that mattered.

Because Heinz had no intention of letting him go.

’I’m not letting you leave.’

Not now.

Not ever.