CHAPTER 411: SO MUCH IS WRONG WITH ME

[TAMIKO]

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Kosta shouted a second time, but Tamiko wasn’t listening. He kept his focus, like his Erasthai’s protests were white noise to him, and perhaps that was what it all was.

And while Kosta fought off the people around him, Tamiko came with a fury that screamed more than just protection. A fury that reminded everyone who they were messing with.

It was dangerous, having that level of dedicated fury on a battlefield that had thousands of enemies, but Tamiko did not care for it once.

All he wanted was Kosta.

His Kosta. Safe. Happy.

And if he had to eliminate everyone around Kosta to make the Lycan chief see it, then he would without so much as a second thought. This was second nature to him, and gods be damned if he let someone try to take Kosta away from him.

Maybe it was all in good faith.

A prince protecting that which he loved the most, but the weight of that choice settled on Kosta’s shoulders like a burden.

The reminder that even though they were here with everyone else, fighting to save their home, that his life would always, always be a priority for everyone else, and especially the mad prince of Kawai.

This was not love, or so Kosta had deemed it.

This was suffocating him.

This was a betrayal of the others who had come alongside them to fight for Kawai. This was a choice that was so dangerous, and if the prince didn’t stop, it would cost them more than they would dare to win from this battle.

Kosta didn’t want that for Tamiko.

So he fought, not daring to look at Tamiko, because he hated the thought that this was all because of him. He refused to look at his Erasthai, even when their backs touched and they were tackling the Grealors together.

Each time their bodies made contact, Kosta would be the first to step aside if it was a burning bond, like the thought of Tamiko close to him was killing him. It was a cruel thing to do, but at the end of the day, Kosta was the chief of Kawai.

He was the barbarian, a name he had forged because of the wars he had fought and won. Yet now it all seemed like the barbarian was worth more than everyone in the kingdom, and gods were it a dangerous bargain by the prince.

Even then, Tamiko didn’t stop.

Instead, he chose to make small talk like they were not on the battlefield, and instead, were walking in the palace garden, trying to reminisce about what should have been and what shouldn’t have been.

Maybe the Lycan prince had gone bonkers, because this was clearly not the palace for such a discussion, yet for him, as the blades sliced through their enemies and the blood dripped from his sword and onto the green grass here, this was appropriate.

Perhaps someone needed to remind the young prince of what was at stake because otherwise, there would be extreme losses. But then again, they were immortals; what was the worst they could lose?

A home they could rebuild eventually?

An army that had been strong enough to fight and that hadn’t fallen, desired not having their magic enhanced by the mad king himself?

This was nothing, and for Tamiko, this was what normal was bound to be like.

Gods, was it the scariest bit of information to Kosta’s ears?

Perhaps that was why his guilt was choking him up, suffocating him on a battlefield whose objective was clear. To save him. To make sure he went back home. But was it too much for the Lycan Chief then?

"Forgive me for not setting up the right breakfast," Tamiko said as he fought the Grealor troops around them.

Kosta sighed.

This was not the time for this., This was not how they were to fight. Yet even then, Tamiko didn’t seem to mind. He only ever cared for Kosta, and that was haunting to an extent.

The people who were watching the fight could see that they were a good team, one that relied on each other. They could see how swift and perfect the prince and his Erasthai were in the art of tearing through their enemies.

It was almost like they were at the center of this, with their stealth and perfection. For a moment, the enemies were taken aback, because there was no way this was the couple that they had been told had gone soft.

The Konstantin-Hinata couple didn’t look soft. They didn’t look scared of anything while they were cutting down the enemy army, and gods, it was scary and fascinating at the same time.

The king, who was watching while striking at more of the great enemies, was amused to say the least. He had always known his son was a good match for Kosta, and right now they were just proving him right.

This was what their home was supposed to have: a team that trusted each other. A team that could complement each other even when the battlefield was as crass as this one. Perhaps that was why this was going to work.

...Why the prince is the best choice for running the kingdom, right?

"If you keep staring, you might fall in love with your son and his Erasthai," Lord Sadako teased.

Zaffuto just laughed. The irony of it all was evident. But he was amazed to say the least. This was the combo he had never seen together on the battlefield.

Most of the time, it was just about Tamiko going to battle alone for the sake of Kosta or Kosta going into battle alone for the sake of Tamiko. Now they were here, a formidable pair that scared everyone, including the Lycans.

Then again, the Lycans were glad to have them on the same side because this would have been a bit messy, truly, if they were not on the same side. Perhaps that was what life was meant to be like for them, yeah?

"Focus. We have to win this," Kosta said.

Tamiko let out a small laugh like this wasn’t getting to him. Maybe it was because at the end of the day, he could eliminate this entire camp with a snap of his fingers. It was interesting, though, seeing Kosta this determined and hot at the same time.

Tamiko wanted to watch his Erasthai at work, but then the fact that most of the warriors and wolves were here for Kosta was the most unsettling thing for him. They were taking away the best sight for him, and Tamiko would never let that happen.

He wasn’t about to let anyone look down on the man of his life, and hell’s be damned if ever that became a reality in a world that was so cooped up in the worst of the worst always.

That wasn’t how shit was supposed to be, but life wasn’t exactly the one with the best of manuals, especially where lost princes and barbarians were mated to each other and had to suffer through so much together, right?

"Say the word, my precious. Say the word, and I will kill them all with just a whisper," Tamiko said smugly, and Kosta could already imagine the smirk on Tamiko’s face without even having to run and see it for himself.