"Oh, there he is. Sean!"
Shen Yuan placed the decorative vase onto the round table and turned towards the entrance of the banquet hall where the call came from. Matthew waved at him as he approached, trying his best not to get in the way of the dozens of servants busying about.
"If you want my help, my hands are full right now," Shen Yuan spoke up first before Matthew could demand anything.
"Am I that unreasonable to you? I wouldn't have come all the way here if I didn't know that." Matthew took out a piece of envelope from his pocket and handed it to Shen Yuan. "Here. The postman came by earlier. It's for you."
Taking it, Shen Yuan saw the seal had been opened and raised it in askance.
"Ah…did nobody tell you? It's protocol. We check every letter and package going in and out of the palace. The content is one thing, but we also have to thoroughly check for any enchantment on them," Matthew explained. "Don't take it to heart, alright? It is what it is."
"I understand." Shen Yuan sighed. "But it's a little unsettling for me to have some random person reading my letters. If it's not too much, can you be in charge of my stuff? I don't mind if it's you."
"That's some cute words you said there." Matthew ruffled Shen Yuan's hair with a chuckle. "Sure. I'll make sure nobody touches your stuff after this. If you want to send out something, you can come to me too. I'll help you sort them out."
"I'll take you up on that offer. Thank you, Matthew."
"I have to say though, your mother must really like lemons. The scent flew straight out when I opened the envelope. Does your family grow lemons or something?"
"Not really. But my mother loves to make honey lemon juice. She must've made one before writing this letter." Hearing a maid calling out from a distance, Shen Yuan tucked his letter into his vest's inner pocket to get ready to leave. "I have to go. Thank you for delivering this."
"Remember to take a break."
Shen Yuan nodded and went to answer the maid's call. He continued arranging the banquet hall with everyone else until it was nearing lunchtime. Harper excused him to get ready to deliver Zain's meal.
There was no need for him to clean himself and change his clothes since he didn't sweat, but he still returned to his room given the chance. After locking the door behind him, he didn't immediately change. Instead, he went to his desk and turned on the oil lamp.
Taking out the letter from the envelope, he didn't bother reading the content and flipped it to its blank side. When he hovered it above the flame, words slowly appeared on the sheet, the heat burning them into light shades of brown. Soon enough, the true message appeared.
He was right not to let those mercenaries use their usual enchantment. The people here were too reliant on magic.
Once he had skimmed through the information, he burned both the letter and envelope until they were reduced to ashes before changing his clothes.
Turns out he was thinking too much.
He only changed his upper garment and headed out towards the kitchen. Bonnie and the other cooks were in a discussion about the food for the banquet while Lemia was busy noting down their decisive points, so he took the tray without calling out to them and went on his way to Zain's room.
Before he could knock on the door as usual, it was opened from inside, surprising him a little. Zain stood on the other side, his stiff expression loosening, but the surly mood remained in his flattened lips.
"Is there something wrong, Your Highness?" Shen Yuan tilted his head.
"…You're late," Zain answered in a low voice, almost inaudible, as he stepped aside to let Shen Yuan in.
Shen Yuan stepped inside and brought the food to the table as usual. "Forgive me. It's been a busy day because of the banquet's preparation."
"I'm aware. I'm not scolding you." Zain went to Shen Yuan's side and wrapped him in his arms. "I just thought…you wouldn't come today."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"After what you said yesterday…"
"That doesn't have anything to do with my usual duty, does it?" Shen Yuan let out a helpless laugh. "Your Highness is making it difficult for me to harden my heart. Should I take back my words?"
Zain nuzzled his face to Shen Yuan's soft hair in silence for a while and shook his head. "No, you're right. If I can't win the first round, there's a smaller chance for me to win the next. I must grab the opportunity to take control. Even if it's only for a mere moment."
Shen Yuan nodded in approval.
"I won't let you quit. Not on my watch." Zain tightened his hold and pressed Shen Yuan closer to him. He gazed down at him in determination. "I will bring you with me to the throne and let you live a carefree life. You won't have to work a day in your life anymore. All you have to do is stay by my side."
"I like serving Your Highness your lunch though."
"Why serve me when you can sit with me?" Zain pulled Shen Yuan to his seat and let him fall to his lap. He poured himself a drink with one hand and picked a piece of grape with the other to offer it to Shen Yuan. "You haven't eaten today, have you?"
"How does Your Highness…?" Shen Yuan inwardly frowned while sporting a surprised face outside. Again with this unknown awareness. He was certain he didn't see Zain anywhere around him today.
If not for the fact that Zain had this same vague omniscience in the previous world, he would've credited it to magic. But clearly, it was something more, though, at the same time, he couldn't gauge how much awareness he had of things.
"That's a secret." Zain chuckled and inched the grape to Shen Yuan's lips.
"…" Shen Yuan leaned in and accepted the feeding, hiding his thoughtful eyes.
It would be troublesome if he saw his 'backstage' activities. Instead of the vulture, he would rather have a radar for his presence. He should try asking for one when he got back.
Zain picked up the spoon and slowly stirred his cream soup, letting the heat out. "Speaking of which, you're very close with Matthew, aren't you?"
"Matthew?" Shen Yuan blinked. Assuming Zain saw everything he did today, it didn't take him long to guess what was going on in Zain's head. He feigned obliviousness as he answered, "Yes, I rely on him a lot. He's one of the first people I talked to on my first day, so we grew close. It's thanks to him I managed to befriend the guards and the other knights quickly."
Zain's eyes darkened. "You rely on him a lot…huh?"
"Yes, he's a very dependable senior," Shen Yuan calmly affirmed. "He's also caring and attentive. He's a great brother to everyone. If he isn't bound to his duty, he would be a great father. He's a charming man after all. There are many admirers among the servants."
"Including you?"
"Of course." Shen Yuan took the spoon from Zain's hand and scooped half a spoonful of the soup. He blew on it twice before offering it to Zain in return. "Enough about me. Your stomach is more important."
Zain set aside his thoughts for now and drank the soup. He took back the spoon and continued by himself to let Shen Yuan finish the bowl of fruits in his stead. Watching his tender lips reminded him of their softness and filled him with the desire to kiss them, but he knew he didn't deserve it yet.
Not when Shen Yuan couldn't rely on him. Not yet.
He would make sure to climb to the top. High above where everything was to his will.
When the 2 hours had passed, Shen Yuan placed everything back on the tray and was ready to leave, but a certain clingy man wouldn't let him go. Remembering the content of the letter, he had an idea and suggested, "If Your Highness is stressed, how about a change of pace? It won't do Your Highness any good if Your Highness faces the trial with too much pressure."
"A change of pace?" Zain wondered.
"Let's visit the city. It's better than doing nothing, right? Since the hint is to know your people, maybe we'll figure out something there." Shen Yuan held Zain's hand with hopeful eyes.
"But your work…"
"There's a lot of things that need to be bought for the banquet. I can volunteer for the errand and we can meet downtown." Shen Yuan 'hesitantly' shifted his eyes away. "Or am I being too willful?"
"Not at all." Zain refuted in a heartbeat and firmly nodded. "Let's go. Let's visit the city. I will help with your errands as well."
Shen Yuan smiled. "That's settled then."