Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Pouch
Back to another world...
Kastiel paced anxiously in front of the palace, glancing at the clock tower every few seconds. The hands seemed to be moving slower than molasses on a cold day. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Kastiel spotted a lone rider galloping towards them on a jet-black steed.
Rowan dismounted his horse with a flourish and shoved the reins into the nearest guard’s hands without so much as a "please" or "thank you." It was clear that he had ridden here at breakneck speed, desperate for news about Duke Carlton.
He stormed up to Kastiel, grabbed him by both shoulders, and shook him like a rag doll. Kastiel swore he could hear his teeth rattling in his skull.
"What in the seven hells is going on with Duke Carlton?! Is His Grace alright?!" Rowan barked out between labored breaths.
Kastiel shoved Rowan’s chest, finally breaking free from his iron grip. "If you don’t stop shaking me like a damn maraca, I swear I’m gonna hurl all over your fancy clothes," Kastiel warned, his face pale.
Rowan released him and crossed his arms with an impatient huff. "Well? Spit it out then! What’s happened to Duke Carlton?"
But Kastiel simply turned on his heel and strode towards the palace entrance without a word.
"Don’t talk here," Kastiel called over his shoulder, jerking his head towards the assembled guards nearby. "Let’s discuss this somewhere more... private."
Rowan gritted his teeth but followed close behind, knowing better than to press for information in front of the others.
Once they reached the privacy of Crown Prince’s wing, Kastiel grabbed Rowan by the collar and hauled him into an empty guest room. He slammed the door shut behind them for good measure.
"There," Kastiel said in a low voice. "Now we can talk freely without prying ears."
Kastiel let go of Rowan’s collar, but the man was quicker than a viper striking. His hand shot out and clamped onto Kastiel’s wrist like a vice.
"Spit it out! Is Duke Carlton alright?!" Rowan demanded, his voice tight with worry.
Kastiel opened his mouth to answer, then hesitated, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. He leaned in close to Rowan, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper that sent shivers down the other man’s spine.
"You... what I’m about to say... it might be hard to believe," he began ominously. "But you need to know this: even though it sounds impossible... well..." He trailed off dramatically, letting the suspense hang heavy in the air. "Prepare yourself."
Rowan stared at him incredulously. After yesterday’s bombshell from Alaric and Kastiel – about Duke Carlton’s delusional – he couldn’t imagine anything topping that level of absurdity or disbelief anymore. But here Kastiel was setting him up for another round of mind-bending revelations.
What could possibly be worse than... whatever it was they’d already told him? Rowan braced himself, his heart pounding like a drum solo in his chest.
"For the love of... Just spit it out already! What could possibly be so shocking that you need me to prepare myself for it?"
Kastiel gulped, finding himself even more tongue-tied than before. "Duke Carlton... now..." he stammered, his voice barely a whisper.
"Yes?" Rowan prompted impatiently, tapping his foot against the floor.
"Duke Carlton is..." Kastiel dragged out the words, as if each syllable was coated in treacle. Rowan’s frustration grew with every agonizing second of silence.
Rowan’s frustration was reaching boiling point. This agonizingly slow drip of information was driving him insane! He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Just blurt it out already! What’s wrong with Duke Carlton? Did he sprout wings and start singing opera? Or turn into Godzilla and start stomping through the palace garden? Is he running around dressed as a woman claiming to be Empress for a day?!" He ticked off the possibilities on his fingers, growing more agitated with each one. "Or perhaps... he attacked the Emperor himself this time, chasing His Majesty down the halls with a sword because he ’hurt’ another one of his imaginary children?"
Kastiel winced at that last suggestion. He’d been about to mention that Charlotte had been the unfortunate target this time around - verbally assaulted but not physically pursued like Dorian yesterday - but Rowan was too busy spinning increasingly ridiculous scenarios to let him get a word in edgewise.
"I mean, really," Rowan continued, pacing the room like a caged lion. "What could possibly be worse than-"
Kastiel cut Rowan off with a heavy sigh. "Well, what you just said was actually more surprising than what happened," he admitted. "So I guess you shouldn’t be too shocked by this..."
Rowan relaxed slightly at that, finally ceasing his frantic pacing. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed and brow furrowed in anticipation. "Alright then," he conceded grudgingly. "Spit it out."
Another sigh escaped Kastiel’s lips before he delivered the news that left Rowan speechless for a moment: "Duke Carlton... is having a baby."
Rowan’s jaw practically hit the floor. His eyes widened so much they threatened to pop out of their sockets as if witnessing something utterly impossible - which in this case wasn’t far from reality given Duke Carlton’s usual brand of lunacy.
"Duke Carlton... is going to have a baby?!" Rowan sputtered incredulously, flailing his hands about like a windmill gone haywire. "Since when did he even manage to impregnate someone? There wasn’t exactly any opportunity for romance during our two-year war! Where did this woman come from? She must be some kind of con artist!"
Kastiel held up a hand to silence Rowan’s incredulous outburst. "Let me finish," he said wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Rowan snapped his mouth shut, though his eyes still bulged with shock and disbelief. Kastiel took a deep breath before continuing.
"Duke Carlton... is pregnant," Kastiel repeated slowly, as if speaking to a small child. "He’s not impregnating anyone; he himself is expecting."
"..."
The silence that followed Kastiel’s bombshell was thick enough to cut with a sword. Rowan stood frozen, his mouth agape like a fish out of water. Then, slowly, he began to approach Kastiel again. This time, instead of stopping at an arm’s length, he leaned in until their faces were mere inches apart.
Kastiel felt his cheeks flush crimson under Rowan’s intense gaze. "What are you doing?!" he squeaked out, trying to back away but finding himself rooted to the spot by Rowan’s unwavering stare.
Rowan brought his face even closer until their noses almost touched. His eyes were wide and unfocused as if staring into some distant realm beyond comprehension – or perhaps just lost in the sheer absurdity of it all. "Can you repeat what you said?" he murmured huskily, his voice barely audible above the pounding of Kastiel’s heart. "I seem to have misheard earlier..."
Kastiel averted his gaze hastily, feeling heat creep up his neck and ears despite the chill running down his spine from this unexpected intimacy. He took a deep breath, steeling himself to deliver the truth once more, this time in a low but steady voice that wouldn’t waver even if the world ended:
"Duke Carlton is pregnant!!!" he exclaimed, emphasizing each word as if hammering it into Rowan’s skull. "He has a baby growing inside his stomach!!! Lucas checked him out and said he’s really pregnant!!!"
The image of Lucas’ bewildered expression flashed through Kastiel’s mind – just another testament to how utterly bizarre this whole situation was. Hearing those words hours ago had felt like stepping into some fever dream; an impossible miracle that defied all logic and reason. If not for the Empress fainting dead away upon hearing the news, Kastiel might have spent all day staring slack-jawed at the floor, wondering if he’d accidentally wandered into some bizarre fever dream.
Rowan stumbled back from Kastiel, clutching his head with both hands as if trying to keep it from exploding. "But... but Duke Carlton is a man!" he sputtered incredulously, his voice rising an octave. "I’ve known him since we were kids! We even bathed together when we were little! He’s got the biggest dick I’ve ever seen - it’s like a damn anaconda in his pants!"
Kastiel could only shake his head helplessly, feeling just as bewildered and confused as Rowan looked. This whole situation was so surreal that it bordered on the ridiculous. Men couldn’t get pregnant - that was basic biology 101! And yet here they were, faced with irrefutable proof that Carlton had somehow managed to pull off this impossible feat.
Rowan’s next question came out in barely more than a whisper: "And who impregnated Duke Carlton...?"
A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Kastiel’s mouth as he met Rowan’s wide-eyed gaze. "Well, I suppose you can guess," he replied dryly. "His Grace claims that the baby’s father is none other than our Crown Prince..."
Rowan’s jaw dropped. "Crazy... this is really crazy and impossible..." he muttered to himself as he resumed pacing the room like a caged tiger. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Kastiel with an expression of dawning horror.
"Hey..." Rowan began hesitantly, his voice barely above a whisper. "We always thought His Grace had some kind of brain problem; that he was delusional." A pause hung in the air before he continued, his words tumbling out in a rush of panicked speculation: "But it turns out this really happened... where men can get pregnant? Is he really from the future...? If that’s true... doesn’t that mean we’re both...?"
The color drained from Kastiel’s face as realization set in. Carlton had always insisted that they were meant to be together - partners for life who would have three children together.. If men could really get pregnant after all...
Rowan looked just as pale and shaken by this revelation. The two of them stood there in stunned silence, the weight of this new reality hanging heavy between them.
The sudden realization that they were alone in this empty room made Kastiel squirm uncomfortably. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks, and he became acutely aware of Rowan’s presence. It was as if the very air between them had grown thick with tension.
In contrast to yesterday, when Kastiel had been the one to notice Rowan’s flushed face, today it was Rowan who seemed to have picked up on Kastiel’s embarrassment. His own cheeks colored slightly as he stammered out an excuse:
"We should... just go out... and maybe it’s better to talk to His Highness..."
"You’re right...you’re right..." Kastiel agreed hastily, nodding so vigorously that he nearly gave himself whiplash. The two of them hurried towards the door, eager to escape the suffocating atmosphere.
But just as they stepped out into the corridor, disaster struck. A figure came barreling around the corner at breakneck speed and slammed straight into Kastiel with enough force to send him sprawling onto his knees.
"OOUCHHH!!!!"
Kastiel howled in pain, his voice echoing off the stone walls.
The person who had run into Kastiel also went tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs. He struggled to his feet, looking dazed and unsteady. The hapless fellow staggered forward on trembling legs, lurching like a drunkard as he tried desperately to flee the scene of his clumsy crime.
Rowan rushed to help Kastiel up, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. As they both regained their bearings, Rowan’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of the person who had collided with Kastiel.
"Your Grace?!?!!!" Rowan exclaimed, stunned to see Duke Carlton himself.
But Carlton seemed utterly oblivious to their presence. He staggered past them like a man possessed, his body moving as if it was being forced against his will. It was clear that something was very wrong.
Rowan and Kastiel exchanged a worried glance before taking off after Carlton, determined to find out what had happened. But just as they set off in pursuit, Kastiel spotted something lying on the floor - a small pouch that had apparently fallen from Carlton’s pocket during the collision.
Kastiel bent down and snatched up the pouch, holding it up for inspection with an arched eyebrow. "This looks like Duke Carlton’s..." he remarked, but Rowan was already several paces ahead, hot on Carlton’s trail.
Left alone in the corridor with nothing but questions swirling through his mind, Kastiel decided to take a closer look at the mysterious pouch. He opened it up and peered inside, his confusion growing as he pulled out the content. Kastiel muttered to himself, turning the peculiar object over in his hands as he tried to make sense of it.
"This...?"
