"Rodnir, she said it to your face. How could you not know?" Kanaru spoke gently, trying not to sound condescending. "You even got angry because she was slandering you in front of strangers. And she didn't say 'ridiculous.' I lied to you."
Rodnir's hand trembled before he chuckled in helplessness. "You found out things about me, and I found out things about you. You surprised me when you chose to punch someone to show camaraderie. I didn't think you would also stand up against Ushka like that. Now, you just lied to me.
"Two weeks was never enough for me to fully know you." Rodnir sighed and only gave Kanaru hangers when the prince needed them. However, the smile on his face never left. "How much more are you hiding, Kanaru? Will you shock me again?"
"…how about you? How much longer are you going to play that game with me?" Kanaru hummed as if he knew something Rodnir didn't. However, he didn't hide it all that much. "The inner court thinks you have two moods, but I think you're two different people. Every time, you keep dropping hints. Don't you think I will get suspicious?"
Rodnir chuckled and only tapped the hanger against his palm. "Do you hate me now, Kanaru? I made you believe a lie I dared not to explain."
Kanaru laughed a bit, but it sounded awful to Rodnir's ears. "Why would I hate you? I don't even know who you are. The next time we talk, can you at least let me know? I don't want to corner you out of nowhere, so I won't force you to tell me today."
"The next time…? Yes, I will face you properly next time." Rodnir laughed and placed the hanger on the rack even if there were no clothes on it yet. "For now, someone is crying for my help. I must go to rescue the poor thing. Don't be too hard on him, sweetie."
Only a gaze was given to Rodnir, and Kanaru didn't know how to bid him goodbye. Ultimately, he just watched how Rodnir closed his eyes with a smile. In the next second, the smile dropped.
Rodnir opened his eyes and noticed the movements coming from his side. When he turned, he saw Kanaru hanging the clothes without sorting them. He figured the bird was not doing it the way Sierra and the others did. He cleared his throat and went through the clothes that didn't belong in that closet.
"Are you going to get mad? You said it's easier this way." Kanaru hummed as he picked up the next one. He already felt Rodnir's gaze on his face, but he only spoke up when Rodnir watched how he was dealing with the heavy robes.
"Don't worry about it. If I said it is easier this way, it is… because I said so." Rodnir felt a little nervous, causing him to glance at Kanaru multiple times. Why did it feel like Kanaru was aware of the secret? However, the bird prince only stayed quiet afterward.
Even until they finished their business in the king's chambers, Kanaru didn't say another word.
…
The midnight service was supposedly a quieter affair. The concubines divided into groups around their own tables, forming little circles to pepper the huge dining hall of the outer court. Some guards and other servants also came to eat there as if their presence would deter the concubines from wrestling with forks and knives at hand.
Kanaru arrived a little later as if he still had to attend to other things in the inner court before eating. He could have been dragged to their table, but the inner court dined in a big room and at only one big table. He would feel like a misfit there, not to mention that he would have to deal with Ushka if he stayed. In the end, he just ran to the outer court for food.
"Kanaru! Here!" The bird prince wondered at the sweet and high-pitched female voice that called for his name. When he heard it again, he turned to find her in the crowd.
"Kanaru! We saved you a seat!" Puri waved her hands, Eann waving for him as well. Kanaru wouldn't hesitate, but three more girls joined them.
"What? Kanaru's here? Where?" Another girl called out and looked around to find him. Then, she squealed and got up from her seat. "He's here! He's here! The hero's here!"
Some girls only giggled and happily chattered as the newbie ran to Kanaru. She hugged one of Kanaru's arms and gestured at the dining hall as if asking for their gazes. "Everyone, I want you to meet our hero! Kanaru! He just made Ushka and her spawns run for their money earlier! It only took him three lines—yes, THREE—three lines to make them go away!"
The men didn't want to be interested, but they paused and shot gazes at the poor bird prince. Even the servants and soldiers chattered. One even choked on his food and yelled, "What did you do? Dammit, why didn't you tell us you crushed her in court and kicked her ass while you were at it?"
"You're not supposed to find out…" Kanaru only chuckled and allowed the girl to squeal and wheeze for a few more seconds. He just regarded her as if that princess was a citizen who got help from him. When she realized they had to eat, she just walked Kanaru to his friends' table. Most people grew quieter, but the chatters remained alive.
"Don't look at me. I didn't tell anyone…" Eann chuckled with a nervous smile, his hand rubbing his neck. "Though, I figured they must have sourced it from someone else. I mean Natucha was there, too, I think. Moreover, a lot saw how you stared Ushka down in the laundry room."
Kanaru only nodded and proceeded to eat the food that he brought with him on a tray. He only saw that kind of arrangement when someone was sick, but he figured it was meant for something else. More when Puri chattered about feeling like a girl from the digital age. Students were often fed this way.
The bird prince continued to listen to the voices of his supposed friends. However, he began to daydream to the point of spacing out and keeping his spoon inside his mouth.
The man he knew he liked was not the person that man was supposed to be. He didn't know who came to fetch him in Burdett, who spoke to him heart-to-heart in that carriage, who became his silver lining in this life in the harem court. It was easy to point fingers at the next person who acted like they were familiar to Kanaru, but the prince didn't have confidence.
Rodnir Middlemist was certainly not that man, and Kanaru didn't know if it was not the king, either.