, "Gah! Damn it! How the hell do you keep winning!?" Adkin screamed as he fell back on the couch, which made him lay his back against Aki, who struggled to stop his laughing fit.
Silvath mused a chuckle as he held a gaming console similar to Aki's and Adkin's. "I apologize for laughing! But it's amusing you wanted me to play so badly. Are you regretting your choices, master?" he asked as he watched his character receive first place. It was a three-win streak for him.
"It's supposed to be luck-based! This isn't fair!" Adkin complained, watching his position move to the last place. "And you stop laughing! You're were in third!"
Aki suppressed his laugh but was still grinning. "I'm not laughing because of that! I'm just having so much fun playing with you guys! I never get to have this much fun back home!"
They all tensed as the grandfather clock struck midnight.
Silvath let out a long sigh as he stood up to stretch. "I cannot believe I stayed up this late playing a silly board game. Hand in the games and get ready for bed, you two."
"I'm an adult! So don't tell me when to go to bed!" Adkin refuted with a glare.
Silvath sent a glare right back at him before he suddenly had a mischievous smile. "Alright then. You can stay up, just don't expect any breakfast sorbet in the morning. You can make it yourself." He held his hands out.
"… Okay we're going! C'mon, Aki!" Adkin snatched Aki's game and shoved them in Silva's hands.
"Good choice. Good night you two. I'll allow you two to get a few extra hours to get enough rest." Silvath headed back up the stairs to his room.
"Night!" Aki waved before looking at Adkin. "Silvath's on a winning streak even in arguments!" Aki commented before yawning. "Are you going to bed?" he asked in a much quieter tone once Silvath disappeared down the hallway.
"…I want to talk with you in the garden. It won't take long…" Adkin quietly walked towards a door between the bottom stairs. Aki didn't hesitate to follow after him. Both walking along the marble floor in bare feet and soon stepped onto the stone path outside.
It wasn't uncommon for Adkin to wait until the dead of night to open up since he couldn't fully tell Silvath what bothered him. He was quiet the entire walk to the fountain that was in the middle of the garden. Adkin sat on the bench in front of the fountain while Aki stayed standing.
"What's up?" Aki asked as he folded his arms over his chest. Even though he was wearing a sweatshirt and pants to match, the freezing autumn weather always still got to him.
Adkin was only in his T-shirt and shorts but was unbothered by the usual weather. He seemed anxious, which he usually showed by holding his hand over his neck. It was something Adkin only showed to Aki, at least as far as Aki knew.
"R-remember what I said earlier today…?" Adkin asked.
"It's impossible to forget."
Adkin took a few hasty breathes before lowering his hand. "…Do you ever want to see Earth? Even if it was for just one day?"
"…" Aki felt his stomach churn as he quickly shook his head. " Prince Adkin. Don't even think about it. You would be severely punished for breaking such a rule."
"Don't get formal with me. You didn't deny it. You want to go. Don't you?" Adkin pressed as he laced his fingers together.
Aki took a step back from him. "S-stop it, Adkin. I can't handle it… I would never defy my king. I'm going to bed." He quickly tried walking back inside but was stopped by Adkin grabbing his wrist.
"Meet me at the end of next week In Dreue's tavern. I'll take your answer then. Just think about it…" he released his hand.
When Aki looked back to see Adkin, he was already gone with a red portal closing up.
Aki walked back to his room alone and hid with the sheets over his head.
With various thoughts, consequences, and desires keeping him up, Aki lifted the covers and saw the sun was already rising.
"I didn't get to sleep for even an hour…" he groaned as he threw the sheets over his head. Shutting his eyes tightly in a desperate attempt to get any amount of sleep. It wasn't until he was finally dozing off when Silvath opened his door.
"It's time to wake up, Aki."
"Yeah. Okay…" Aki waited for the door to close before screaming in his pillow. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see Adkin yet after last night. Though the fear of Silvath coming back to see him still in bed was enough motivation to force himself to stay awake.
Taking a warm shower was only making him feel more drowsy. When Aki looked into his reflection, he looked awful. Aki was delirious enough to wear his shirt inside out.
"Gods just wake up…" Aki mumbled as he left his bedroom. Using the railing to guide him as he rubbed his eyes. When he made it to the first step, he missed it and fell forward. Only to be caught by his shirt and pulled back to safety.
"You can't die here. Yani will make a big deal about it and I don't wanna hear it," Adkin yawned before sitting on the flat railing and sliding to the bottom.
Aki didn't want to pin the blame on him for why he got little sleep, so he just carefully walked down the steps. Silvath was already arguing with Adkin about something Aki didn't bother to listen in. He just picked up the cold bowl of purple sorbet with fruit on top and ate it as they fought.
Adkin went back into the darkroom and slammed the door behind him. Silvath fell back in his seat and sighed.
"I just want him to write a letter to thank Prince Snow for the bathhouse. Why must he be so difficult?" He looked over to see Aki only staring at his food. "Is something wrong with your food? I can make you another serving if this isn't satisfactory."
Aki looked up at Silvath who stared at him with shock. "Nah. Just tired…" he admitted before forcing himself to eat.
"Eat as much as you can and go back to bed. Adkin will be in there for some time anyways. There's no telling when he'll leave…" Silvath took what would be Adkin's portions and started eating.
"Do you ever see what he does in there?" Aki asked as he stared at the door.
Silvath sadly shook his head. "I would never dare to invade his safe space. Even when he places orders for me to pick up, the items inside are never disclosed. But what I know is there's nothing harmful happening. Maybe he sits in the dark to clear his mind?"
"Do you think curiosity is a good thing?" Aki asked as he took another bike.
Silvath simply shrugged. "It would depend. Children find trouble easily because they're curious about the world. But curiosity can be both a blessing and a curse to anyone. Even I find myself wanting to break in to see what is in that room. But because I know my orders, I would do no such thing."
"… What if you could take a quick peek and never make it known. Adkin would never know but you'd be satisfied. Right?" Aki asked.
Silvath nodded. "Of course. But depending on what I find, it may make me want to pursue why Adkin would keep it a secret from me and you. Or I would feel relief knowing that Adkin was safe and soon guilt for betraying his orders. Will you tell me why you're asking about such a dilemma?"
It felt wrong to keep it a secret from Silvath, but Adkin would get in trouble for Aki ratting him out. "It's nothing really. I just wasn't sure if I felt alone in this mindset. Since I'm just human. I wasn't sure if having desires was good for a servant to have."
Silvath sat down the empty bowl with a wide grin. "Oh, it's quite alright to have desires. Because it isn't something that only humans have. Before serving this kingdom, I was a notorious king in my realm. Causing calamity with a flick of my wrist and making humans bow before me. Desperate to make me spare their pathetic lives-" he cleared his throat with a more friendly expression. "Anyway– even though I'm past my prime, I still dream of winning countless fights and being praised by those who admire me and destroying the ones who looked at me wrong. I know of my desires, but I only act on the ones that are realistic and beneficial."
"So in the end, it's really on me to decide on what I should act on? Great…" Aki placed his unfinished bowl on the table. "I have a lot of stuff I gotta sort out I guess… I'll see you later…" Aki mumbled before heading back to his room. He didn't want to spend his day off with a headache. So he was thankful his day was filled with anxiety, lack of sleep, and dread. "It feels like a deal with the devil..."