Vengeance of The Broken Lycan Prince [BL]-Chapter 378: I’ll let You Go, I Promise

Chapter 378: I’ll let You Go, I Promise
[KOSTA]
Igor Kostantin was a menace.
He knew it the moment he walked into the council room, late and reeking of Sanjiro, knowing damn well that they wouldn’t kick him out of the meeting because he had not committed treason or anything that could get him punished.
He was being troublesome, and yet even then, his eyes didn’t seek out the pair of eyes at the head of the table, seething. That wasn’t Igor’s problem. After all, he hadn’t made the decision that had hurt them, right?
The cup of water in his hand was making it even harder for people to focus, because it was proof that Konstantin had walked in that way, looking sinful and smelling of the traitor that they all despised.
This was not just a tantrum.
This was not a dare.
This was not even a rebellion anymore.
This was Igor Kostantin not giving a fuck about anything.
Or maybe this was his call for help, his plea to be saved by the only one who could, and yet had abandoned him for years on end. Fuck was it hard focusing with everyone staring at him right now.
"Apology accepted. Now sit and we shall continue," King Zaffuto spoke, his voice strained like he was fighting every ounce of rage in him not to lash out at the man he trusted.
He knew that this was Igor acting out. He had heard the stories about the endless times Igor had tried to harm himself and failed miserably. They had pushed the warrior to this point, and yet even then, it didn’t seem like a priority for them.
But the king hated what this had become.
This had gone way too far and the weight of Tamiko losing Igor to a traitor was something that pissed the king off. His jaw clenched and unclenched as he tucked his tongue in his mouth, trying to compose himself.
But there was only so much he could do with the scent that had engulfed the entire place. Terrible scents had a way of mingling, and the fact that Kostantin had let everyone smell his caramel scent was infuriating.
Who could blame him?
The Lycan prince had given him up years ago, and this was perhaps Kostantin moving on? Fuck was it so terrible a moment for the king and everyone else here. Nevertheless, the meeting continued.
"It’s been ten years since the conquest of the free lands, your majesty. The warriors can’t keep guarding a lonely, unused land forever. They have families to return to, even if their duty is to Kawai.
"Some of them haven’t gone home for years because they hoped that the explanation would come someday. We won the free lands. We did as was directed. But are we supposed to let the troops rot out there without their loved ones?" Kostantin spoke after a while.
The meeting was the usual, and he had patiently waited for his turn to speak. He wasn’t going to act out just because he was feeling like shit and there was no possible solution that way staring at him.
He didn’t want to disrespect the council, and his concerns were valid.
The warriors were losing motivation.
Home was supposed to mean something to a lot of them, and yet it had been a while since they had made their way back into Kawai. Ten years was way too long for these warriors, and everyone knew it.
"Did they complain?" Lord Sadako asked in a calculated tone, even though he was disappointed in Konstantin. But did he have the right to be disappointed when he, along with the others, had left Kosta to hurt at the borders?
Was it something that he needed to play at right now? Was it really a game that he was testing right now, or was it just a test of patience for the Lycan chief who had stayed out there for long?
"No. But you are a warrior yourself. You have gone to war and had outposts for years. If you had family and missed them, wouldn’t you wish to see them? The mind links are no longer enough for them. The warriors need to leave.
"Everyone knows by now that the free lands belong to Kawai. We have set up fences, and the magical barrier extends that far. There is no reason for the kingship to still let the warriors suffer at the borders," Igor said, his worry for the warriors fueling him.
He was a barbarian, a man seasoned in battle, and he knew what this meant. He knew that regardless of what the kingship said, they would have to go home. It was a need for the warriors at this point.
The Ministers always found their way back home. It was not fair that the warriors who had worked so damn hard hadn’t been able to see their families. They were not ghosts, and they didn’t need to be.
"If we release the warriors, who will man the borders?" Danny asked.
Kosta looked at the young Lycan Lord who had grown up so well. He was handsome, but would never reach Tamiko’s beauty. Then again, that wasn’t something that Kosta wanted to deal with right now.
All he cared about was for his warriors to go home.
"Are you trying to insinuate that Kawai has grown weak under the new leadership, Lord Daniel? Last I checked, Kawai never needed any warrior manning the borders. Our reputation alone has always been enough for trespassers to take the route back.
"Unless there is something that you are not telling us, my Lord," Konstantin said, making sure to stress the last word, like it was something that still pissed him off.
His quarrel wasn’t with Daniel, but he hated that even with the time that had passed, Danny hadn’t tried to talk some sense into Tamiko. It hurt a lot.
And Kosta knew that he was being a little harsh with the Lycan Lord because Tamiko was as stubborn as he was. There was a chance that Danny had tried over the years, and each time, he was turned down.
But that wasn’t the issue today anyway.
"The warriors will get their relief. The ministers will organize shifts for the warriors who have been within Kawai to man the borders. Is that enough for you, Chief Konstantin?" King Zaffuto asked as he gritted his teeth.
He wasn’t pleased by anything today, at all, but he couldn’t quite voice it. This was a demon of their own making, and they had to face that life had changed for the lot of them.
"Not quite, your majesty. As you already know by now, I came here smelling like my new Erasthai. He is a traitor to Kawai, hence, he won’t be accepted back into Kawai. I do not intend to stretch the hands of the Kawai citizens into accepting that which has caused them so much pain," Kosta began.
Tamiko raised a brow at the statement.
Igor could feel those beautiful black eyes on him, but he knew that this was something he had to do for both of them. Maybe it was the only way to save Tamiko the hassle, right?
"What are you saying?" Floki, the minister who had always been at the borders, asked the obvious. He knew that this was not what the Lycan chief needed to do, but it still made no sense even then.
There were so many better options for chief Konstantin, and yet the man had chosen the post with the harshest of conditions, knowing damn well that he could easily be bested by their enemies now that he had been suffering for long.
But perhaps pain was the only thing that Kosta wanted right now. His pain was his relief, and with all that he had been dealing with, a little more pain wouldn’t matter as long as he got what he needed from the royals.
Oh, he was angry.
"I will be staying at the borders with Sanjiro. I do not have an Erasthai. Sanjiro doesn’t have one either. I am bound to die sooner rather than later, given my current condition. And what better way to die, if not at the hands of Kawai’s enemies?" Kosta asked.
The room went stark still...
Save for the low warning growl that came from the head of the table.
Kosta had finally gotten a reaction from Tamiko.
But was it too late for the young prince?