Persuading the crown prince of a kingdom took some doing. Especially when the manipulative arts were restricted to him.

But Cale wasn't merely persuasive, he was dogged and relentless. When one attempt failed, he merely moved onto the next one, and it became abundantly clear with time that the only true way was Cale's way.

It wasn't a bad plan either.

As complicated as Alberu's feelings were towards the mysterious eldest son of the Henituse family, he could agree that the plan was mutually beneficial to them all.

All he had to do was allow Cale to be bait.

Yet he didn't like it.

He didn't like when Cale walked alone like the easiest target in the world, word spread into the ears of their number of suspects, and he didn't like it when Cale hadn't so much as flinched when danger appeared.

He really didn't like it when Cale suddenly doubled over, clutching his head, before the situation was resolved.

Nothing happened. The culprits were apprehended, they traced the money to the source–a rather petty and personal grudge by a viscount that was funded by a corrupt marquis–and Alberu used the incident as leverage to improve his reputation and his connection with the Henituse family.

Alberu hadn't missed that the public nature of the capture would mean that he could no longer detain Cale in secret. Cale probably knew that just as well as he did but somehow Alberu didn't think that was his goal.

The relief on Cale's face when Alberu informed him that his family ought to be safe was genuine. He was sure about that.

And yet, their business had not concluded.

Now an official guest of the palace, Cale sat with Alberu in the reception room. He didn't look like a man with anything in the world to hide and yet he'd hidden a great deal from Alberu.

Now was the time to learn if Cale was a man of his word.

"As per our agreement." Alberu was cautious to remind Cale. "Would you like to explain yourself now?"

Cale poured himself a glass of wine, entirely unaffected by Alberu's pressure and flickered his gaze to the attendant behind Alberu. "You might want to have your aunt step out." Cale said with a trashy smile. "You might not like her hearing all I have to say."

Alberu had never once shared the nature of his relationship with Tasha to Cale. He ought not have been surprised but he was. Just how much did Cale know? Deciding that he could concede at least this much, Alberu nodded towards Tasha who bowed before taking her leave.

"Any other requests?" Alberu asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"I meant it. You wouldn't like it if she heard all the dirty details." Cale said with a careless shrug. "I'd like to preface this by saying that it's not my fault that you won't believe me."

Alberu bit back his confusion and pressed onward. "Why wouldn't I believe you? Do you intend to lie?"

Cale swirled his wine. "No. I thought it over and I've decided to be entirely honest with you. It's just that the truth isn't plausible or logical and I know you tend to cling to such things."

There was the slightest annoyance in Alberu's heart for the amount Cale presumed to know about him. The annoyance only fed into confusion that Cale tended to be right.

Keeping in mind that Cale truly did know an implausible amount about Alberu, he spoke. "I'll keep an open mind then."

Cale let out a barking laugh. "I doubt there's a mind open enough to believe this shit. Fuck, I hardly believe it and it's my own fucking life."

"Are you going to explain it or just wax poetic about how unbelievable it is?" Alberu snapped, he was still quite annoyed by the bait strategy that he'd allowed himself to be talked into and he couldn't even put a finger as to why.

Cale laughed again and sipped his wine. "Can you blame me? It's fun getting under your skin." Alberu frowned at his words. "Alright. I guess to start at the beginning, do you believe in other realities?"

"...excuse me?"

Cale sighed heavily and rested his elbows onto his knees, facing Alberu without any of the normal bullshit he normally hid behind. Alberu had come to think of this as Cale's serious face, it was the face he'd used to persuade Alberu into that stupid yet successful strategy. "Okay, I'll simplify. Do you believe that there could be another world out there? Like this one but different?"

"...are you trying to insinuate that one exists?" Alberu asked, feeling just a touch patronized.

Cale snapped. "Exactly that." He jabbed a thumb at his chest. "I'm not from this world."

Alberu's brows knit together in confusion. That hardly made any sense at all. He was about to call bullshit when he remembered how persistent Cale had been about saying you're sure not to believe this and now he was right. Alberu didn't believe it.

How could such a thing make any sense? Cale Henituse was an established entity. He wasn't some random person with no background or family, Cale Henituse had a family and a rather infamous reputation.

Seemingly following Alberu's logic, Cale proceeded. "There is a Cale Henituse who is supposed to live here. But I'm not him. I come from a completely different world that is significantly less dumb."

Alberu frowned. For now he would suspend his complete disbelief in the bullshit that Cale was spouting and follow the logical progression. "What does that have to do with the information you have?" He asked coldly.

"Alright, remember how I said I have a fiance who's literally identical to you in nearly every single way?" Cale asked, some amusement in his eyes. "Well, except my fiance isn't as stupid as you."

"...you're trying to tell me that in a different world, we're engaged." Alberu said skeptically. "And let me guess, I told you my secret?"

"Nah, my Alberu doesn't wear any shitty disguises." Cale grinned proudly, pronouncing Alberu's name in such a strangely affectionate way that it caught the prince off guard. "No weird blond hair or pale skin, he's all natural. Big dick too."

Alberu reminded himself internally that Cale said things to get a response out of him and therefore he shouldn't fuel his mischievous behavior by responding. In all likelihood, this was all a sick joke to him and he needed to keep a clear head in order to appropriately deal with this situation.

Still, the crude insinuations about Alberu's body and comparisons to a likely nonexistent counterpart had him flushing. "That's the best lie you could come up with?" Alberu asked, attempting to retain his cool.

Cale shrugged with one shoulder. "I told you that you wouldn't believe it." He said snidely, happily taking another sip of his wine. "But I'm telling the truth."

"Prove it."

Cale sent him a wicked grin. "I mean, if you want to fuck I can prove that I know every single one of your most sensitive–"

"Not like that." Alberu said hurriedly, looking away from him with a strange feeling inside of him.

Logically Cale was messing with him.

...but it was true that Alberu was attracted to him. He'd been drawn to Cale since their very first turbulent meeting and his thoughts had rarely strayed from the red head. Perhaps Cale had caught onto this and was using it to come up with a lie that would appease Alberu's ego?

But if he thought about it, certain things did make sense. Cale didn't appear to know as much as he should about the world. Alberu had chalked it up to the drunkard never venturing outside of his fathers territory but there was certain basic information that Cale had been surprised by. Like communication orbs.

And the way Cale had looked so surprised that anyone would be shocked that he recognized the crown prince.

If, as Cale had said, there was another Alberu who never had to conceal his appearance then a veil would indeed appear to be a flimsy disguise.

He still couldn't believe it though.

"How can I persuade you then?" Cale asked casually, eyeing Alberu up and down like a cat playing with a new toy.

Alberu tapped his knee. The church of the god of death was the first obvious idea that crept to mind but he wanted to see how much information he could get from Cale first. He'd summon a priest to the palace afterwards. "What else do you know about me?"

Cale sighed. "Alright. If details are wrong, don't blame me. I'm just basing this off of my Alberu." Alberu couldn't quite get over how strange it felt for someone to refer to him like that. "So, the first thing he likes–"

"Nothing sexual, please." Alberu wouldn't even have the frame of reference to know if it were true about him or not regardless.

Cale smirked. "Shame." He clicked his tongue. "Alberu Crossman. First born son of Zed, who's a dick by the way, we don't like him. Neglectful asshole." Again with the flagrant disrespect towards the king that no sane person would engage in. "Lost his mother at a young age. They were very close, from what I hear she was a good person. She always encouraged him to have compassion but she also wanted him to live his dreams. Lots of trauma after her death, as you could probably imagine. Top of his class, smart bastard, he did his best to achieve all the things he hoped his mother wanted for him. The only family he's close with is his aunt Tasha although he has a tentatively cordial relationship with his half brother Robbit. He's good at cooking, cleaning, and fucking. Any questions?"

It really felt awkward to have a person spell out so many of his personal traumas without a single bit of hesitation or shame. Alberu was used to people who wisely danced around the subject or fools who attempted to use it against him.

Cale just said it. Simple and blunt. Just like everything about the insane bastard.

Alberu carefully hid his reaction from Cale who watched him with an equally careful gaze.

He had the distinct feeling that Cale saw more of him than he was comfortable with showing.

"None of that proves anything." Alberu pointed out. There were certainly details that Cale shouldn't know but they could be extrapolated. What mother didn't encourage compassion and ambition in their child? It was a logical conclusion anyone could make.

Cale shrugged. "You're the one who chose it as your method of pro–" Cale stopped, clutching his head again just as he had earlier and Alberu's heart leapt in his chest, moving towards him when something strange happened.

Cale flickered.

It wasn't like teleportation, Cale never actually left but his whole existence flickered and Alberu couldn't explain what he saw.

Cale gnashed his teeth. "It's happening more often." He noted.

"...what?" He asked, at a loss and worry showing plainly on his face.

"I don't fucking know." Cale said, laying back onto the chair and closing his eyes. "I think it has something to do with home because I could fucking swear that I smelled Al's cooking just now but I don't know. My head's killing me and I'm pissed, so if you don't believe me then just fuck off."

Alberu had seen this Cale a few times. The one who had sullenly told him to go away the first time they met. The one who clamped up when he was sharing stories about his fiance–supposedly Alberu–. The one who was full of despair and didn't have the energy to argue.

Alberu didn't like seeing Cale like that. Regardless of the nature of their relationship, he hated seeing the vibrant and shameless bastard look so broken.

"I'll bring a priest from the temple of the god of death." Alberu said smoothly, trying to ignore his aching heart. "If you lie under that oath, you will die."

Cale laughed dryly, peeking an eye at him. "Why the fuck didn't you do that sooner then?" He criticized sharply. "I'll tell him all the same shit I told you."

For just a moment, the lack of hesitation made Alberu wonder.

Could it be true?

They would find out for sure when Cale placed his life on the scales but he wasn't sure he was prepared for the prospect that Cale had spoken honestly.

The story was beyond implausible but it did fit with the clues and even the flicker, it explained Cale's erratic behavior towards him as well. Or perhaps Cale was just an erratic person.

He clenched his fists, a bit jealous. If it was true, there was a world where he'd never needed to hide who he was. And... he glanced at Cale who was pouring himself another generous glass of wine.

He didn't know what to think about the idea that the man in Cale's heart had been him all along, albeit a different version.

He didn't know how to feel about any of it.

Suddenly he understood why Cale was drinking and poured himself a drink as well.

What the hell did he do if Cale was telling the truth?