Demons, Witches, and Toads (BoyxBoy) - Chapter 85: Chapter 85

"Your Highness," the dark haired girl on Emeric's arm cooed, "it's so wonderful to have you back at the palace."
"How was your hunting trip?" the blonde on his other side asked, fluttering her eyelashes. "With your skill, I'm sure you must have taken out nearly half the forest."
The girls both giggled at that.
"The trip was most wonderful. Thank you for asking, ladies," Emeric said with a smile, pulling them closer.
"Did you miss us?" the blonde asked.
"Of course."
That was a blatant lie.
To be honest, Emeric didn't even remember their names.
And the lies didn't end there; the hunting trip had been an utter disaster. He'd needed to get away from court for a while, due to the simple fact that literally everything had been annoying him as of late. He blamed it all on that goddamn bastard. Having to associate with someone of such low birth was awful enough, but watching his once-proud father dote on him like a little puppy was driving Emeric up a fucking wall. He thought a hunt would help clear his head, but instead he just kept picturing Wheeler's annoying, wide-eyed face on nearly every animal he shot. Or well...attempted to shoot.
Hallucinating one's bastard brother's head on a squirrel tended to throw one's aim off a bit.
Emeric was jerked from his thoughts by the sound of a shrill bark echoing through the palace gardens.
The girls' faces instantly fell.
"Ugh," muttered the blonde. "It's that dreadful little dog again."
As she said this, a small, scrappy terrier with a large pink bow around its neck popped out from behind a rose bush.
"Lord Philip got it for his new mistress. She's been letting the ugly little thing just run around wherever it likes."
Emeric's lip curled. "It's going to ruin the gardens."
"Exactly," the burnette muttered, crossing her arms. "I'll call for a servant to have it removed."
"Wait," Emeric said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I have a better idea." He scooped up a stone, running his fingers across its smooth surface. "That little mutt hasn't learned where it doesn't belong. A proper punishment is the only way it can truly learn its lesson." If Emeric couldn't take out all this pent up anger on Wheeler... he supposed this was the next best thing.
The rock hit its mark, the little dog letting out a broken yelp as it struck its leg.
The girls both erupted with laughter.
"Amazing shot, Your Highness!" the blonde squealed. "Not that we would have expected anything less."
"Ooooh, may I throw the next one?" the brunette asked excitedly.
Emeric shook his head. "I'm afraid not, ladies." His fingers curled around a second stone. "This one's all mine."
Emeric raised his arm to throw it, when suddenly an irritatingly familiar voice cut through the gardens, like nails raking down a chalkboard. "Pip?! Pip, where did you go?"
And then there he was, the brat himself.
Wheeler grinned when he noticed Emeric, the expression making the eldest prince want to rip his face off. "Hi there, brother," he said cheerfully. "Have you seen lady Amelia's dog? I was playing with him, but he wandered off!"
"You mean that little runt?" Emeric asked, his hand still clutching the stone tightly.
"Yeah... Oh! There he is!" Wheeler beamed, running to the dog. As he approached it however, his face suddenly fell. "Oh no..." he breathed. "He's limping." Worry flooded Wheeler's gaze. "He was only gone for a moment. What happened?"
"It got hit with a rock," Emeric said dryly.
"What?!" Wheeler gasped. "Did... did it fall on him?"
"Nope. I threw it."
Wheeler's face paled, his eyes going wide. "But... why?"
"Because it was funny," the blonde giggled.
"And he's going to throw another one," the burnette chimed in, grabbing hold of Emeric's arm. "Aren't you, Your Highness?"
"Of course," Emeric replied with a smirk. "Now scram, bastard. You're blocking my shot."
Emeric had been trying to provoke an outburst from Wheeler since he'd arrived. And now, for the first time, he actually saw anger flare in his brother's gaze.
"How could you do something like that?" Wheeler asked in disbelief. "He's just an innocent puppy!"
"Exactly. It's an animal," Emeric said, causing the girls at his side to giggle further. "Now get the hell out of the way."
"Fine, I will," Wheeler replied. "But I'm taking Pip with me." As he said this, he scooped up the little dog into his arms.
"You'll do no such thing," Emeric snapped. "The mutt chose its fate by wandering in here. I'm making sure it gets what it deserves. Now give it back."
Wheeler clutched the dog even tighter. "No."
Emeric arched a brow, moving towards him. "No?" With one hand, he grabbed Wheeler roughly by the collar, forcing the boy onto his tiptoes. "Let me make something clear to you, bastard," he practically spat. "I've been lenient with you since you're currently in father's favor, but don't forget who his favorite actually is. I can do whatever the hell I want. Now give me the fucking dog."
He released Wheeler from his grip, lunging at him as he tried to rip the animal from his arms. Despite Emeric's best efforts, the boy just wouldn't let go, using his own body to shield the creature.
"Now you're really pissing me off," Emeric growled. Finally, he managed to grab hold of the dog's ears. He moved to yank it from Wheeler's arms, unconcerned if he ended up ripping the animal's ears off in the process.
And that's when Wheeler spat in his face.
The action was so shocking that Emeric lost his grip, allowing Wheeler to make a mad dash out of the garden. The prince hadn't even realized he'd begun raising the stone in his hand until he'd already aimed it directly at Wheeler's head.
It would be so easy, wouldn't it? To just strike him?
Emeric had never disobeyed his father before, but surely the Grand Emperor would understand and forgive him. Wheeler was just...so...fucking...annoying.
As Emeric was about to let the stone fly from his hand, however, he suddenly heard the voice of a servant call from across the garden, "Your Highness, your father would like to see you!"
Emeric sighed heavily, lowering the stone despite the fact that he was still seething. "Alright," he muttered. "Tell him I'll be there in a moment."
"Oh, apologies," the servant stammered. "I was talking to your brother." The servant bowed his head. "The Grand Emperor requested to take him riding."
Emeric froze, unable to believe the words that had just left the servant's mouth. The two girls were staring at him in surprise, making it feel all the more humiliating.
"I'm sorry..." Emeric said slowly. "I think there must be some kind of mistake. My father takes his rides alone. Even I have never accompanied him."
"That was his request," the servant replied. He gave Wheeler a small nod. "If you'd please follow me, Your Highness."
Emeric had no choice but to watch as Wheeler followed after the servant, still carrying the puppy in his arms.
As they left, the prince could feel his blood start to boil, roughly wiping Wheeler's spit from his face.
This couldn't be fucking happening, no way. How had that mangy little bastard managed to corrupt his father like this? He couldn't let it stand.
There had to be a way to bring Wheeler down. Emeric just had to figure out how.