Upon waking up he was met with silence, weirdly different compared to the continuous whispering from the night before.
Taking it with a blank face he checked over his body, traces of the self brewed salve still present on his pale skin.
Sticky but efficient.
He would need a bath.
Rising with a wince, his mind still fumbled and soul hurting he didn't need to fake his missed grasp for the robe lying on his chair.
Finally draping the robe over his back, he left the room with closed eyes, hands tracing the walls as he followed the path engraved in his memory.
The path lined with servants mumbling as he struggled forward, dragging his feet one by one while numbing the noise in his head.
"Your highness, if I may be of assistance.''
Stilling at the realisation of knowing the other, the first servant he had come across after stumbling into this world. The girl he gifted bandages and gossiped he smelled heavily like flowers.
''Go prepare a bath with the other servants.''
Fluttering his eyes open, the look of concern was strong as she bowed. "Yes, your highness.''
She left, subconsciously he had straightened, so upon being left alone he slackened.
Following after resisting the urge to go back the shorter path, the one towards his bed, he reached the bathroom.
Everything was ready, water cold to the touch as flower petals decorated it again.
Demanding everyone to leave, robe dropping to the ground he entered the water still in his pants.
Sighing in relief, reveling in the water with closed eyes, the sound of footsteps came clearer without a door ever opening.
"Why are you still here?"
The other's breath lingered near him as he kneeled beside him. ''I couldn't just leave, not without knowing.''
''Is knowing truly worth your life?"
"I'm a spy, as you well know.
My whole job is knowing.''
Silence returned as he contemplated the development, he had thought the other would have left at his earliest chance. Then again he was always persistent.
''How is he? How is my nephew."
''No need to sound so hesitant, you have more than a right to know.
Troubled, I dare say. Haven't really had the chance to talk to him up close.
He seems to have a lot of weight on his shoulders.
No different than you.''
''That's quite enough, ...I've heard enough.''
''What were you expecting to hear, your highness?''
''I suppose...something better.
You have a package from your sister. If your not going to her, you should at least open it in your own time. It arrived shortly after I send my uncle to her."
Ignoring the surprised gasp, he let himself sink into the water.
The sensation calming down the noises in his head and easing his still overwhelmed senses.
Although it wasn't meant to last as a hand closed around his shoulder pulling him right back up as he spluttered in indignation.
''What do you think you're doing!!''
Just the same as yesterday, the hand softened but still kept it's grasp on him.
''This is no time for you to die.''
Doing nothing for a few second, Acacius tried to shrug of his hand. "Leave me alone.''
"I"m sorry, your highness. But I will have to decline your order."
Genuinely shocked, he felt goosebumps crawl over his skin at the confident words of June.
''What did you say?"
"Your heard me, I won't leave and you can't force me too.''
Acacius couldn't help but shake at the chilling words, June's hand clinging a little too hard on his shoulder.
Forcing him to agree and when that didn't happen a knife landed at his neck.
''I would like not to do this your highness but if you don't allow me to be at your side, I will have no choice but to remove the crown prince's obstacle.
But you don't want that right?
You want him to kill you himself.''
He did? Right he did.
"What right do you have to speak of this matter?''
"None but you don't have a lot of choice do you?
I'm all the help you can get right now. And you know it."
His shoulder tensed and June quickly tightenend his grip on him in response, forcing him to realise his powerlessness as even the knife started cutting in his skin.
Way too slowly, way too hesitant if one looked closely and yet in the end he nonetheless grunted out in a strained voice "Fine, you stay by my side while hiding your face."
"What did you tell her?"
"....Nothing yet.''
"Enjoy your bath, your highness.''
There was an unspoken I'm sorry in the air as the other finally departed, hidden behind a wall.
* * *
As soon as he returned to his room, a cloaked and masked June following closely behind him, he noticed slight differentations in his room. Mentally calling up the system he called up the recordings, seeing the youngest council member placing tiny black orbs in his room was another revelation.
They worked together well, a fact he should applaud since he had only told June of the box a few hours prior.
It was outrageous though, his nephew actually commanded his spy to place camera's in his room.
And he didn't even stop by one, one high up in the corner and the other neatly stacked in between flowers.
Viewing everything without a doubt, unbelievable.
''Are you going to supervise me in my own room aswell.'' Smirking silently at the little joke he was playing, he kept talking. ''I don't take well to company in my room.''
''You can call me if anything is amiss.''
Huffing in a clear refusal, the other couldn't stop himself from making one last statement before leaving, even though he had already turned his back to him.
''Your highness, I am still your servant so act accordingly.''
* * *
It had been an entire week since he saw Sophie or Lord Hawkings, oddly so on the last.
After searching for two weeks the elderly male had waltzed into his office demanding an answer and accusing him of having something to do with the disappearance if his child.
He was not wrong, he didn't plan it but he wasn't wrong.
Every day for two weeks he was bothered and now it had been a week seen he saw him.
Suspicious, not that he wanted to check up on the guy, he had enough with one guy breathing down his neck constantly.
Even the servants were more freaked out with June than they ever were with him.
And he didn't know wether to be offended or not.
He could understand a towering figure with a black cloak and golden mask could do that to one.
Every second had moved with more and more planning, more discretion in his words and actions.
There weren't only camera's in his room, the hallway in front of it had one, the one in front of Sophie's room,his office, the dining room, another in the bathing area.
His nephew had no shame and he was right not to have that, no matter how annoying he found it.
"I've been waiting.''
"You should have kept waiting.'' He had long since realised Sophie's movement. Unlike Asani he didn't need a physical camera, he just needed the system.
It showed that with just one shift of her hand an entire passageway opened, in fact made itself as it hadn't existed before, right towards his room.
But he wasn't supposed to know that so as soon as her voice sounded he snapped in instinct alone.
Turning but still avoiding her eyes all together, he apologized with baited breath and folded hands.
''If your late you should apologize. Snapping is rude, I shouldn't have to teach you manners do I?''
''No, you don't. If I may, what are you doing here? I would have come to you, like every week."
"Don't sound so sour, I missed you that's all. We've agreed to once week and always at the same time.
What am I supposed to do if you keep disobeying me? Failing at keeping the only thing I wanted you to keep secret and then letting the servant in question escape."
Alarmed, he stepped away.
''I don't like being lied to.''
''I didn't lie, I just didn't tell you yet.''
''You should have told me immediately.''
Shifting at the obvious greed and temptation in Sophie's eyes and the twist of her fingers he shouted out. "Wait..wait don't!!''
He didn't know what she was going to do as he hadn't actually been tortured and kept imprisoned for years but the moment a cold metal settled around his neck he just knew he was trouble.
And he was right as he doubled down, face twisting in pure agony as pins and needles came alive in hs nerves. A heart pounding revelation even though it lasted a mere seconds, everything continued to burn.
"What..was that?'' Stammering out in pain, real pain, he crashed back down on his chair.
There was no telling what Sophie had done, he couldn't see it. It was there yet invincible to the naked eye and it was obvious as to why.
Sweating what felt like bullets, no need for faking a reaction for the camera's, the tension kept building.
"Clearly my words have no impact anymore, I have left you enough freedom.
Upon seeing your continuous failure's I realised it's high time I gather the controls myself.''
''You can't, you can't do that to me.''
Go right ahead, just what he needed.
Unlike his happy little mind dance at the verbal exclamation of Sophie, his face showed nothing of the sort. Grim, still pained and barely suppressed shaking.
"Why not?
Because you say so and I have to agree?
Didn't think so.''
''Atleast...atleast wait a while.''
''Until when? The moment Asani comes off age and has enough power to threaten me?''
Sophie smiled at the obvious pressed down lips, thinking she had it all figured out.
"He's your son.'' One last emphatic plea, a meek and tired one.
''He should be glad his still alive.
I expect you earlier next week.''
Watching her go back inside the hidden passageway with moist eyes, he carefully kept control of his facial expression. Swallowing as his lips pressed firmly together.