He'd barely stopped his hands from shaking when his father threw his door open. Styxx tried to sit up, but the pain was still too much for that.
"Are you ill?"
"Bad stomach," he lied, hoping that would explain the sweat on his brow and pallor of his skin. "Did you need something, Father?"
"I found the bastard out in the square this afternoon. Apparently, he screwed his guards for his freedom. They're to be executed in the morning for their treason, and he's been beaten. Should you see him outside of his room, I want you to have him arrested immediately."
Styxx sighed at the ridiculous fury his father held against Acheron. "Why bother, Father? Just give him his freedom."
"Is that really what you want?"
"Yes. Why not?"
"He bears your face. Anything he does, reflects on you."
"I'm not that concerned about it."
Styxx realized too late that that was the wrong thing to say. His father stormed across the floor and grabbed him up in an angry fist.
"You want them to mock you as a whore? What kind of king would you be? No one would respect you. They damn sure wouldn't listen to you."
And yet some of them had already paid to fuck him ...
"You better learn to care, boy. In the minds of the people, that whore down the hall is you."
Don't do it ... don't say it....
But he couldn't stop himself.
"Maybe you should have thought of that before you had your brother train him and sell him as a whore."
His father backhanded him so hard, it knocked him from the bed.
Gasping, Styxx hit the floor and tried to clear his rattled senses. Before he could, his father kicked him hard in the ribs several times.
"How dare you! I should have you whipped for such impudent defamation!"
Styxx rolled over and looked up at his father. But for once, he didn't taunt him.
"If you want to be known as a whore, maybe I should have put both of you in a stew. Is that what you want?"
Not really.
His father kicked him again. You disgust me. You're not my son. You can't be.
"Get up off that floor. You're a future king, not some groveling peasant."
His body screaming out in protest, Styxx pulled himself to his feet and faced his father.
The king raked him with a look of scorn. "I can't believe I was saddled with you as an heir."
"Then perhaps you should see about acquiring that new queen and fathering more sons."
"Why? So they can grow up and be as big a disappointment to me as you are?"
"What can I say? I always strive to be the best I can at everything I do."
"Then you succeed. For you are truly the greatest mistake of my life. I should have bashed your head in when you were born and saved myself the misery and cost of raising you."