The King's Lover-Chapter 470: Vertigo

Caius was seated in the drawing room with Lord Nicholas, Lord Charles, the Marquis of Haiyes, Edwin, and two other members of the council. They were the first to arrive and the only ones who could do so on such short notice.

With seven of them, including Caius and Rylen, they were enough to make a major decision without the rest of the members of the council about the next steps to be taken in preparation for the late king’s burial.

There were too many things that needed to be done and numerous nobles had to be reached out to but the decision itself didn’t take too long.

The king’s burial would begin in two days, giving the physicians enough time to prepare the body and place the king on the throne. No one else would be allowed to see the king again until then.

Rylen had already sent word out to even the towns at the outskirts of Velmount, giving them enough time to receive the letter and make it to Velmount by the time the burial commenced.

The burial would last for three days. The first day would be the viewing; the second day, the late king would be interred; and on the last day, a proclamation would be made, as well as Caius’s coronation and accession as the new king of Velmount.

Caius leaned back in his seat with a goblet in his hand. The cup was slightly tilted, but the contents didn’t pour out; rather, the dark liquid held just at the rim, and Caius brought it to his lips once more.

He had lost count of how many he had drunk, and with the lords here, it was easy to drink more. Caius did like to enjoy wine, perhaps a little too much. However, it wasn’t a problem, but for reasons Caius would rather ignore, he couldn’t stop drinking tonight.

Lord Nicholas was saying something to Lord Edwin, who in turn glanced at Caius briefly. Caius didn’t miss this interaction but thought nothing of it. After all, the rest of the lords were also whispering and gazing at him.

He was the new king, and perhaps it was even more evident with them sitting together, as they knew this was most likely the last casual gathering they would have with him.

There was still a lot that needed to be discussed, but for now, he could just sit still and enjoy the wine while he ignored the fact that the next couple of days would be the most hectic time in his life.

Rylen, on the other hand, sat together with Lord Charles, but he neither spoke nor drank. This was not unusual; his cousin rarely indulged except on occasions where it couldn’t be avoided.

However, Caius remembered he had been up and about a moment ago and had even offered to pour out his wine. Caius accepted, and that cup had been emptied almost immediately.

He drank the last of the contents in his goblet, feeling the lukewarm wine pour down the back of his throat. Caius was tempted to get another cup, but he fought the urge. It was easier to keep drinking, but he didn’t want to show himself in a drunken state to Rose.

She would be convinced that he was affected by his father’s death, but that was far from the truth. He was just stressed by what came after. So he placed the empty goblet on the nearest table and leaned back in his seat just as a soft knock echoed through the space.

Henry walked through the door and bowed. "Your Highness, Prince Rylen, my lords, dinner has been served in the main dining hall. Please come with me."

Henry slowly straightened his back but kept his head bent as he waited for the men to decide if they wanted to follow him or would rather wait for some time.

Lord Charles was the one who stood up first. "About time," he stated rudely as he walked towards Henry.

His actions prompted the rest of the lords to get to their feet, all four of them, leaving Caius and Rylen. Henry glanced at the crown prince, and Caius dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Henry bowed and exited the drawing room, taking the lords with him.

"Would Your Grace not attend dinner?" Rylen asked.

Caius scoffed. "I am not some guest that has to be led to the dining hall. I can find my way there."

Rylen stood to his feet and bowed. "Very well, Your Grace. Shall we then head to the dining hall? It would be rude to keep the actual guests waiting."

Caius glanced at his cousin; he knew what he meant. Dinner wouldn’t be served unless he was at the table. All he wanted to do now was excuse himself and go to be with Rose. He wondered if she knew about his father’s death and what she thought about it. He wanted her to console him, even though he wasn’t really sad but it would be nice to have her fuss over him.

"Your Grace," Rylen called again.

"Fine," Caius said with exasperation.

He tried to stand up but almost lost his footing and had to sit back down to keep from falling.

"Your Grace," Rylen called out with genuine concern and tried to stretch out his hand to help.

Caius swatted it away; he wasn’t that drunk. However, when he stood up, he had been hit with an intense wave of vertigo, and he instantly knew that if he forced it, he would fall face-first on the ground.

He put his hand to his head, feeling it swirl, and his eyes suddenly became heavy. Had he overestimated himself? That wasn’t possible. He would have at least felt it. Or perhaps he had guzzled down too many cups of wine at once, and they were just now taking effect?

"Are you all right?" Rylen asked.

Caius couldn’t even nod; his head felt heavy. He was waiting for it to pass, but it didn’t; it only seemed to get worse, and his eyes felt heavier still. He only felt relief when he closed them and let himself drift. If he fought against it, the dizziness was nauseating.

Caius braced himself on the arm of the chair and tried to push through it. If he couldn’t make it to dinner, he could at least make it to Rose. The lords didn’t need him to eat, and he was sure they would understand if he decided to retire early.

Caius’s legs felt like jelly as he stood, and if his cousin hadn’t reacted quickly, his legs would have slipped out from under him.

"Your Grace," he exclaimed.

Rylen looked like he might fall under the crown prince’s weight, but he quickly adjusted his stance so he had better balance. Putting Caius’s arm over his shoulder, it was easy to bear his weight, and with the crown prince being taller than him, Rylen didn’t have to bend too much.

"Take me to Rose," Caius mumbled to his cousin as he clung to him. He hoped he was saying the words, but the dizziness he felt made it hard to tell.

Caius couldn’t begin to imagine what the problem could be, and the only conclusion he could come up with was that he was extremely drunk. Drunk enough that all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep.

"What’s wrong, Your Grace?" Rylen was asking.

"I don’t know," Caius said, feeling himself slur over his words.

He couldn’t fight the sleep for much longer, and it was getting even harder to think. Suddenly, he felt himself move, and each movement made his headache worse. He wanted to yell out that Rylen should leave him there, but he knew better.

So he fought the sleep while Rylen made his way towards his wing. Caius couldn’t imagine the stares they got, and a few guards seemed eager to help, but Rylen stopped them, holding Caius in as less embarrassing a manner for the next king as he could.

Eventually, they got to his wing and to the bottom of the stairs leading to his floor. Caius had never hated it that his room was on the top floor. He reminded himself to make that change—or perhaps he didn’t; he was too drowsy to make coherent thoughts.

Surprisingly, Rylen was able to get him up the stairs without too much struggle, and Caius caught sight of Rose’s door before he lost the fight and fell asleep.

Rylen glanced down at the crown prince; from the increase in weight, he could tell the crown prince was asleep. He adjusted his grip on his shoulder, feeling his back strain. If Caius had fallen asleep on the stairs, Rylen knew there was no way they would have made it to the top so easily.

He took a step forward, leading Caius towards Rose’s bedroom, but instead of stopping, he passed it and came to a halt in front of Caira’s room.