The whole harem court was supposed to be filled with shuffling footsteps and cries for the king. However, Kanaru noticed how everything was quiet. Eann and the other male concubine only walked hurriedly, Kanaru trailing behind them.
When they got to the main lounge, a lot of eyes were on them. Kanaru and Eann weren't the last ones to arrive, but the others stared at them differently. The prince didn't know if it was because they came at that time or if it was because they were wearing regular male clothing.
Most princes wore simple button-up long-sleeved shirts for everyday clothes. Did they expect to find Kanaru and Eann in dresses just because they wore feminine clothing when they presented themselves? It wasn't much of a presentation, either. The words in their gazes made Kanaru ignore them for Natucha's distressed look, but he noticed how her cheeks puffed out of annoyance instead.
"Aren't we going to look for His Majesty?" Kanaru just asked since Natucha was looking at him. He was able to find a way near Natucha as well.
"Well, the king was missing." Natucha glanced at the two maidens next to her. When Kanaru gazed at the maidens, he realized he knew one of them.
Sierra stood there with another member of the inner court. She had green hair, decorated and sectioned by vines and pink flowers. Even one of her eyes was obscured by a pink orchid. Her darker complexion made most colors pop, but she didn't look so foreign to Kanari. The maiden then smiled in Kanaru's direction as if knowing how Kanaru recorded her features.
At the gazes given to them and at the arrival of the other sleepy female and male concubines, Sierra looked around to acknowledge everyone. "I would like to apologize for the situation. You can say that the inner court panicked.
"The girls tasked to wake up His Majesty and help him get ready didn't see him in his room. They asked around the inner court and found out he wasn't in anyone else's room." Sierra made a little bow, and so did the literal flower girl. "They mistook it as the king getting into trouble. Don't worry anymore. He's well and in his chambers now."
"Just because he wasn't in the inner court, they assumed he was unaccounted for." Natucha simplified the matter to the sleepyheads. Then, she just waved a hand. "No matter, it's almost time for waking up, anyway. Just take extra minutes to get decent before the evening meal service."
Most women of the outer court glared at the two maidens, who still looked so graceful after causing a scene. Then again, Puri looked around and asked, "So, where was he? If he didn't sleep in his chambers, where did he go?"
Natucha and Sierra flinched at the question as if they were not willing to tell if they knew. The literal flower girl just giggled. "We heard from Melaka that he roamed the outer court last night. As for where he slept, we have no idea. The king looked cared for when we saw him again. Whoever won the raffle must have done an amazing job. He's pretty happy despite the unwanted attention from us."
The women of the outer court dropped their jaws—the king visited someone among them last night! The girl next to Puri grabbed the dog princess's arm for support. She flung her gaze around. "Who won the raffle? Quick! If he walked around, someone should have noticed!"
"I was up all night. I didn't hear anyone walking around," another newbie spoke. Even if she just whispered to herself, her tall and built stature made her a lot more visible to others.
"You won't notice unless you can unveil magic. The king can turn invisible. He watches mostly everyone without anything seeing him." Rosamund, the flower girl, waved a hand. However, her smile looked strange and teasing for a moment.
Puri stared at Rosamund for a moment, only to realize how Sierra kept her eyes on the floor. She just had to glance in Kanaru's direction. That was when Puri gasped. She clapped, much to everyone's annoyance. However, her words made most women frustrated instead.
"He was roaming the male living quarters last night! That's why no one caught him going around!"
More than half the males had faint blushes on their faces. When they noticed their synchronized flinching, they exchanged gazes with wide-eyed stares. Only Eann and Kanaru didn't react outright, but Eann hummed in curiosity after seeing the faces of the other male concubines.
"I thought that was a routine check. He did say he was checking up on me…" Eann turned to Kanaru. "Did he go to you last night, too? We're the only newbies among the males, right?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah…" Kanaru's lips only curled into a smile, but he didn't keep eye contact with anyone. He didn't notice how Puri thought he was acting suspiciously.
Henrik only sighed and used a hand to cover half his face. In a feigned growl, he spoke, "That wasn't a routine check. That never happens. Then again, the number of people getting sent to solitary is at a record high. He wants to know if something is driving the males to rebel."
Eann twitched and nodded with a soft hum. He didn't know how bad the rebellion was, but he heard of one country too many, who sent a troublesome male concubine. The concubine either ran away, got kicked out for assault, or anything similar.
At the matter, Natucha tapped on her chin. She then looked at Sierra once before turning to Henrik. "Did His Majesty mention any kind of solution? If he is planning to make changes, I should be ready—I mean, the outer court should be ready."
"If we're going with what he said, then it would be too big of a change." Someone laughed as if he heard something concrete. "His Majesty promised higher allocations through task redistribution… He might as well reshuffle the inner court!"
"How did you even get that out of him? Did you complain to the king about Ushka's behavior?" His friend covered his mouth and stifled his laughter. That notion made the girls focus and stare in anticipation. After all, the biggest bitch was mentioned.
The person huffed and shrugged his shoulders. "What can I do? His Majesty saw my unholy shrine filled with her drawings with knives stuck to it. I'm surprised he even recognized those ugly drawings as someone from the inner court, considering how beautiful they want people to think they are."
Even if they were discussing someone she knew, Rosamund only giggled. "His Majesty has always been intuitive. He could guess and figure things out with just a few clues here and there. If you didn't forget to draw Uskha's twin peak hairstyle to hide her horns, he could guess it was meant to be her."
Kaboom! In the midst of everyone's musing, an explosive force came from the door. When Kanaru looked, Rodnir was already running inside.