Pride must have choked him hard to admit that. And the fact that he did, that he was here begging for Darling’s help after attacking him so viciously, also let him know just how desperate Giran was. Not that he blamed him. If someone had his son, he’d bust Kere’s domain wide open to get him back.

Gods help whomever was dumb enough to touch someone he loved.

Still, Darling wasn’t as forgiving as his father would have been. Not after everything they’d been doing to not just him, but those he loved.

Giran’s words and actions, in particular, resonated loudly in his memory.

“You publicly and cruelly insulted my fiancée, and then aired the most humiliating moment of my entire life to everyone who might have missed it, all the while insulting my integrity, intelligence, and sanity with lies you knew to be untrue. Why should I ever help you?”

Giran averted his gaze, but not before Darling saw the agony and shame he was trying hard to hide. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have come here for a favor. I have no right to ask you for anything. What I did to you was beyond cruel and it was wrong. And I’m ashamed of the fact that I took pleasure in hurting you.”

Yeah, right. The only thing Giran was ashamed of was that after having held Darling’s head down and rubbing his nose in the past, he now had to belly crawl to him to get his son released.

Tears fell down Giran’s cheeks. “I only pray that whoever has possession of my son is showing him the compassion I should have shown you.”

There, Giran had finally stumbled onto the magic phrase. Darling wanted the bastard to admit to not only him, but to himself, what he’d done and how wrong it’d been. And why it was wrong. It was the only way to make sure Giran didn’t do it to someone else.

“Scars are there to remind us of the price we pay when we learn a vital lesson. Never hide them, Darling. Revel in the fact that you’ve grown as a person. Embrace the newfound knowledge you learned about yourself.”

His father’s words rang in his ears. No matter the situation, his father always knew what to say or do to make it better. How he wished he had one tenth of what his father had possessed.

Instead, he stumbled through his life blindly, hoping he was doing the right things.

Giran started for the door.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you,” Darling said coldly. “I only wanted you to understand that I’m under no obligation to do so, and that I have every reason to turn my back on you as you did me when I went to you and the CDS in good faith, expecting you to help me do the right thing for our people.”

“I understand,” Giran breathed. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I’d help me if I were you, given what all we’ve done.” He met Darling’s gaze with a burning sincerity in his eyes. “And this is a favor I won’t forget, Majesty.”