Upon entering the dining room door, Rhae adjusted his collar and cuffs, scanning for the familiar burst of pink that usually preceded him. It wasn't that difficult, and their bubbly voices carried easily across the hall from where they all gathered around at the family-style dining table in front of the wall of windows and open double patio doors to the main garden entrance.
A long, firm and slender arm shot out from the group and waved him over. Rhae chuckled as he moved across the room and sat next to Kaisan, a young boy moving over to make room. Rhae gave him a pat on the head before looking over at Kaisan. Kai glanced at him and gave his signature boyish, toothy grin - causing Rhae to catch his breath momentarily. There were no fairy circles of flowers here to take his breath from him, but many soft pink roses and peonies surrounded him, so it was of no surprise.
"Did I steal your breath again?" Kai teased softly as he tapped his shoulder with his chin, looking Rhae straight in the teal eyes that caught the morning sun streaming through the window.
"So you knew?" Rhae smirked, his elbow bumping Kai's. They laughed together.
"Let's eat now. Your man is here!" An older female cousin yelled across the table. A few servants came forward, hearing the grumbles of the hungry table and brought many platters for the family luncheon buffet. The group was so warm and welcoming to Rhae that he did not feel out of place. The meal was pleasant, filled with many rowdy children who laughed as they reached over the table. Rhae felt at peace with the strangers around him.
"Kai, you mentioned water events today, correct?" Rhae turned to ask him over his teacup, letting his full belly rest. Kaisan nodded as he reached for some grapes, popping a few in his mouth. Rhae couldn't help but stare as the juice that popped from the grapes dripped down Kaisan's chin, and his small tongue darted out to catch what escaped.
Rhae coughed, tearing his gaze away, forcing himself to take in more innocent sights since they weren't alone. He caught the eye of the eldest female cousin. She smirked and gave him a thumbs-up. He choked and went back to his tea.
"Some casual ones. Leisure swimming, racing, boat ride through the canal, and rowing… um, there is a water-based archery tournament and even water jousting for the more rowdy crowd. We're too late for the fishing tournament that happened early this morning, but that is more for the oldies."
"And you're opting for the leisurely route today?" Rhae asked rhetorically, stifling a laugh.
"This is the only time I don't have to do daily swordsmanship training from dawn to dusk. I want to savour my only downtime until the following year." Kaisan quipped back, a playful glint in his eyes." Plus, odds are it will rain later this week - so I want to enjoy lazy time outside before that."
"I was most definitely not complaining." Rhae smiled and patted Kaisan's head. Kai shot him a quick look filled with daggers but didn't push him away. He did give Rhae a playfully light smack on his thighs but gently rested his hand there as if to pat it better. Rhae dropped his hand to the small of Kaisan's back, leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Though I prefer to be lazy in bed with you all day instead."
Kaisan's hand flew to cover his ear with such speed and aggression that he knocked over his teacup. He whipped his head to give Rhae an appalled look, mumbling his frustrations.
"People are watching!" Kai whispered through gritted teeth, his eyes slitting as he stared him down. Rhae threw his hands up in the air in defeat.
"I haven't done a thing." He smiled as innocently as he could. He tilted his head and widened his eyes, giving the impression of a black wolf feigning innocence for human threats. Kaisan pursed his lips, trying to maintain a stern expression, but his flushed neck gave him away.
"Finish up. We're heading to the lake in a moment."
***
Walking with the family group to the lakeside was a bit more exhausting than Rhae expected. They were a lively, talkative bunch. Rhae's own family was small, with no external relatives, so he was not used to such interactions.
The closest were the morning meetings with vessels and branch family; nothing could beat the exhaustion they left upon him. His well-being always felt drained and destroyed after each interaction. With this group, this was more just physical exhaustion from so many young people with abundant energy.
The young ones all grabbed different points of his arms they could reach and hurriedly pulled him to a spot already made up with servants for their picnic beside the lake, a pre-designated spot for the family. It was quite an extravagant setup, with thick picnic blankets layered and evenly placed.
A few tea tables spotted the blankets, and assorted piles of pillows were placed for those who wished to lie down at any point. It was most definitely an excessive setup that had Rhae mentally questioning for a moment what type of influential family they were from.
Rhae shook those thoughts away before the distraction could land him in the water. Like most of the shoreline, the end of the lake they were beside was a man-made stone wall—built to deal with excessive rain and discourage the bank side from collapsing. Small wooden docks adorned the wall; all were well-spaced for boarding from multiple locations.
It was a beautifully crafted man-made lake, with an island in the middle sporting a marble gazebo and a long, masterly crafted stone bridge from the closest shore. The lake seemed so private because of the well-placed trees of many types—the largest of the population being willows that hung over the shore and dripped into the water.
"You mentioned canals earlier, but I don't see any," Rhae remarked to Kaisan as he sat at one of the tea tables. Rhae walked over to join him.
"Yes, it's hard to see it from the shoreline, but it is quite noticeable from the island or any water vessel. The willows do a great job of hiding it. They go around the guest palace and through the gardens, even in the maze. Since hedges and flower bushes hide the canal, you don't notice it when walking around. Plus, it provides aggregation to the garden, which is quite large and hard to manage with few gardeners."
"That seems quite complicated…" Rhae commented, trying to picture how the canal was laid out.
"That may be, but it's beautiful and a leisurely private escape from so many watchful eyes from servants and more."
"It seems overly intimate and romantic." Rhae gave a knowing smile, winking at Kaisan.
"Because it was made to be that way by three kings back, for his lover."
"Lover? Not concubine or mistress?"
"No, lover. Because the one he loved was a man and could not title as a consort since men can't give birth." Kaisan stared off at the water's surface, seemingly lost in thought. Rhae tapped his shoe against Kai's to bring back his focus. Kaisan gave an awkward smile as an apology.
"You're pretty knowledgeable about the imperial history," Rhae commented. Kaisan's body gave a slight jolt before nodding with a knowing look.
"Standard education for those in the capital - especially those who want to elevate their less useful children to a higher standing." Kaisan shared, shrugging one shoulder as he rested his head on his hand with the elbow sliding to the table's edge.
"Ah, the snide ways of the capital nobles." Rhae gave a soft roll of his eyes.
"I would be remiss if I claimed otherwise." Kai sighed heavily. He looked back at the water and sat up straight. "After our short respite, did you want to compete in any of the water sports or a leisure boat ride through the canal?"
"Hmm… I wish to try out the water archery contest," Rhae pondered momentarily. "If the prize is above expectations, then I shall reward it to you."
Kaisan laughed in surprise, a spark of delight sprinkled in his kunzite eyes. Rhae took deep, shaky breaths to calm his desire. That was a look in Kai's eyes that he'd only witnessed during their nightly activities so far.
"Let me register for the event, and you arrange for our lovely trip through the canal afterwards, hmm?" Rhae said as he got up and quickly pecked Kaisan's hand. In the light of the afternoon sun, even his hands turned red—something he couldn't witness in the dark of the bedroom.
As Rhae got up from his seat, the family erupted in cheers for him, leaving him blushing in embarrassment. This was the first time he had felt this way with this lively group, and he found himself embracing it. With a bashful wave, he made his way to the arranged docks for the event with the help of the closest servant.
FOOTNOTE:
Kunzite Gemstone: A pale pink-coloured gem that can often be found in vivid colours of purple and lavender. Sensitive to light. The more vivid the colour, the increase in rarity. Has the ability to glow in the dark. Gem Meaning: The Stone of Infinite Calming Love. Kunzite is also believed to help heal heartache and calm nerves.