A small wind generated from closing the book made the soft, golden hairs of the Crown Prince float in the air for a second, before falling down on his forehead again. He had just finished reading a report brought by Derek Wintern. Although Derek did not work for the palace, it would be wrong to say that he was totally aloof from what was happening inside. Derek ran his own information guild which was secretly backed up by crown prince. On surface it looked like just another information guild operating in the black market, but there was more to it than meets the eye. They had tabs on every noble and aristocratic family in Estonia and their spies kept an eye on everything, major or trivial, that was happening not only within the Empire but also in neighboring countries. Of course, Derek had long sworn his sword to the Crown Prince Calisto and planned on officially becoming his aide.
"It looks like some of the aristocrats have forgotten their place." The Crown Prince frowned at the report and threw it on the table in front of him. It landed with a thud.
The sudden noise brought Derek back into this world. He was sitting in front of the Crown Prince, patiently waiting for him to finish reading the documents he had brought. But he was engrossed in his own thoughts and this failed to escape the eyes of Calisto, because the Derek he knew was not someone to sit patiently in a place for hours.
"Huh?" Derek asked him to repeat what he just said. Even though he was now the Crown Prince, Calisto and Derek were childhood friends since their parents were also close. Calisto would definitely not be offended by the small liberties Derek took in front of him.
"I said we need more proofs against the aristocrats and nobles colluding with the neighboring countries. I want to grip them by their throat as soon as possible." Calisto's red eyes glinted with murderous thoughts. The Crown of Estonia was not as strong as in the past. Aristocrats were rising in wealth which brought subsequent amount of power to them as well, and it seemed that some of the nobles also joined the aristocratic party to drag the royal family down from throne. Calisto swore to chop off the head of each conspirator and hang their naked bodies at the capital gate for seven days.
"I will try." Derek replied, still in a daze. Although his voice sounded far from indifferent, it still irked the Crown Prince.
"Are you even listening to me?" Calisto growled to bring Derek's attention to him. He then thought for a second and continued, "I heard you've been frolicking around and bullying an apprentice knight in your estate?"
Derek's eyes widened at the sudden mention of Hansel. But to think there was a spy planted in his own home by Calisto while he was busy spying on the rest of the world for him!? Derek's reaction assured the crown prince that he had hit the nail. He leaned back in his chair and relaxed.
Derek on the other hand, was baffled at his own absent-mindedness. Since when did Hansel occupy his head so much as to make him daydream in front of the Crown Prince? It had been a month since he was appointed as Derek's sparring partner, but as days passed, Derek's eyes had started following him more and more. He noticed how Hansel always wore an aloof look on his face as if he was totally disinterested in the mortal world, but he still managed to complete his tasks with perfection. He never hanged out with his fellow trainees outside of work and never uttered a word from his mouth until absolutely necessary. He was not accustomed to physical relationships and was troubled with even small skin contacts. Derek noticed he skillfully attracted lingering gazes of some knights without putting any effort at all.
Hansel maintained a strictly-business relationship with the other trainees and knights. Of course, Derek was no different. He recalled Hansel never said a word to him apart from the work-related conversations they had. While there was nothing professionally wrong with this behavior, but it annoyed Derek nevertheless. He had not succeeded in holding a conversation with Hansel even once outside the work.
The urge to bully Hansel and make a mess out of him grew inside Derek. He filled Hansel's beer jar with jaggery and sugar candies when he came to know Hansel disliked sweet things. He would pull a leg out in cafeteria to make him trip and fall. He would ruin his freshly washed clothes with dirt. But no matter what he did, he could never squeeze out a reaction from Hansel. It was becoming boring for him.
"What? jaggery? Pfft." The crown prince broke into a hysterical laughter. He had never thought the person sitting in front of him would act like a five-year-old someday. "Your bullying is slowly degrading to elementary level."
Derek was taken aback seeing Calisto laughing. It had been years since he had seen him laughing. He wondered if something good had happened to him these days, but he wasn't going to point it out. His own problem was big enough for him to ignore what others were doing.
"I don't know what to do anymore. I still want to bully him, but something is fundamentally different. I cannot pinpoint it, but I want to break him and mess him up so much that he can never escape my clutches." Derek resounded his worries to Calisto. He held his forehead in his large hands, tired by the weight of his own body.
"Is he your type?" The crown prince asked with a clap.
"Well, he does have an adorable face." Derek answered nonchalantly, but then gasped at his own reply.
"Congratulations! You finally want to do him." The Crown Prince gave voice to what Derek had realized a second ago. They were certainly talking about a man here. No matter how pent-up he was these days, embracing a man was still out of question.
He hurriedly excused himself from the Prince's study who was enjoying his misery and galloped away from the palace on his horse. The thoughts of what Calisto said never left his mind.
Was it really true that the frustration he felt was nothing but him being turned-on by Hansel? But one could not deny that Derek had never once felt interested in another man in this way before. Was it some sort of sorcery which bewitched him? His thoughts were still disorganized.
By the time he reached the Wintern estate, it was already dark. The knights were arranging fireworks in the training grounds as it was the eve of a week-long spring festival celebrated in the Estonia empire.
It was a tradition in the Wintern household. The knights celebrated the spring festival eve at the mansion lighting fireworks, eating and drinking to their hearts content. After that they would be given a week off to go meet their family and friends. These small privileges were also the reason that Wintern estate was the first priority of young men trained in swords when they searched for jobs.
Derek trotted inside the mansion gate mounted on his horse. His eyes skimmed through the bustling men in the training area. They were busy men; some were arranging the food and wine while others organized the tents and set up fireworks. Derek's eyes settled on Hansel who was bringing a wine barrel out of the cellar into the grounds. He was shocked how such a frail looking body could carry a barrel as heavy as the one he was holding without another person's help.
Derek jumped off his horse, leaving it in care of a hostler, and walked to the training grounds. As soon as he reached there, the knights surrounded and greeted him. It felt like the episode of a month ago didn't happen at all. Everything was forgotten because the Duke had compensated the injured knights handsomely as well as gave them some time off from work to recuperate. That episode was also a one-time thing only. It was a day when he was emotionally unstable. Derek usually took good care of the knights under him and his supreme skills had earned the respect of many.
"How is everything coming along? If you need something regarding the preparations, you can ask me." Derek told the silver-haired Commander of knights, while nodding his head to the greetings of other men. Sir Fredrick had journeyed from a trainee to the Commander of knights and had served the estate for ten years. He was more of an older brother to Derek than Leonard was.
"You should join us in celebrations, Second Master." Sir Fredrick said to Derek. But he was reluctant and couldn't respond quickly. Derek had never participated in the spring festival celebrations simply because he had no reason to. After Julia betrayed him, he had no sense of belonging left towards anyone or anything. Today as well, there was nothing compelling him to join them and he was also tired due to hours of horse riding.
Unconsciously, his eyes had settled upon Hansel, who had joined the crowd around him at some point. The latter was puzzled at the fixed gaze of the Second Master on him. He uttered some words to subside the invisible awkwardness which surrounded them, "Yes, we will be happy if you join us."
"Will you be?" Derek questioned the unexpected words coming out of Hansel's mouth. Then without waiting for an answer, agreed to the Commander's request.
"Fine, I'll join you guys." He said with a grin, "And ask the butler to open the hundred years old wine barrels today. Let's drink to death!" This was the first time Hansel had talked to him first without being asked to. There was no question asked and no reply expected, but he had still invited him. Derek felt satisfied for unknown reasons.
The knights cheered and hooted for the generosity the Second Master had shown. A single bottle of a hundred years old wine was costly as it is, but he had ordered to open barrels of it. They were really planning to drink till death that night.
Derek escaped the cheering crowd of knights and started walking towards the mansion.