Chapter Text
*Chapter 4*
Out in the grand courtyards of the Asim estate, the atmosphere was growing increasingly tense.
"Okay, seriously, WHERE THE FUCK IS JAMIL VIPER?!" Ace yelled, throwing his hands in the air as he paced near the banquet tables. "It’s already the second day ! The hypers competent , responsible vice of Scarabia doesn't just disappear for forty-eight hours because of an 'inventory check' or a 'magical burnout'! It’s literally impossible!" Ace continued.
"Indeed," Azul muttered, tapping his chin thoughtfully as he adjusted his glasses. "Even during our worst contract disputes, Jamil never shirked his visual duties. This level of absenteeism is highly irregular. Kalim, are you absolutely certain he is alright?"
Kalim was wringing his hands, his usual bright, unbothered smile completely replaced by a look of worry. "I... I don't know! Najma said he’s handling an emergency budget crisis and that the wards in his wing are locked down so he can concentrate. But Jamil always lets me help, or at least yells at me to stay out of his way! I tried to go down his hallway earlier, but Leona was standing there like a giant angry wall and told me if I took another step, he'd turn me into dust."
Riddle crossed his arms, frowning deeply. "Housewarden Kingscholar is guarding his door? That makes even less sense. Why would Leona Kingscholar ever volunteer for security detail?"
"Maybe Jamil-kun is sick?" Cater suggested, holding up his phone to check if Jamil had viewed any of his social media stories. "Zero views. Yeah, something is totally off."
Meanwhile, on the completely opposite side of the palace, behind heavy locked doors and high-powered cooling charms, a radically different reality was unfolding.The bedroom was bathed in a cozy, dim twilight, the heavy curtains entirely blocking out the brutal desert sun. The air conditioning was humming perfectly, keeping the room at a crisp, refreshing chill that completely wiped out any lingering scent of the festival outside.Mounted on the wall, a giant flatscreen TV was playing a wholesome, bright slice-of-life anime. The cheerful, lo-fi soundtrack and soft pastel colors filled the quiet room with an incredibly soothing, low murmur.Jamil was buried under a mountain of heavy, plush silk blankets. The terrible, suffocating panic from the morning had finally dissolved, leaving him physically exhausted but mentally clear. He was lying on his side, completely content, using one hand to stroke Najma’s fennic fox. The little fox was practically a puddle of fluff on his chest, its oversized ears twitching happily as Jamil gently scratched behind its neck.The heavy door clicked open, and Leona strolled back into the room. He had ditched his formal holiday vest entirely, wearing just a loose shirt, his long hair falling in messy waves over his shoulders.In his hands, he was balancing a heavy silver tray. On it sat two massive, thick strawberry-and-vanilla milkshakes topped with whipped cream, alongside a massive platter of fluffy sponge cakes dusted with powdered sugar and a bowl of fresh berries.
"You need calories, Viper. Your stomach has been growling louder than a hungry hyena for the last three hours," Leona grunted, tossing his boots off and sliding his heavy frame back onto the edge of the mattress.Jamil glanced at the tray, his cheeks flushing a faint pink as he tried to look annoyed.
"I didn't ask you to play waiter, Kingscholar. And I can feed myself." Jamil was saying before Leona cut him offm
"Shut up and eat," Leona muttered. He picked up a tall glass sticking a straw into the thick milkshake and held it directly to Jamil's lips. When Jamil hesitated Leona’s green eyes narrowed with a lazy, commanding glare. "I didn't march all the way down to the dairy pantry to be ignored. Drink." He said.
Jamil sighed before leaning forward slightly and wrapping his lips around the straw. The icy, sweet rush of cream and sugar immediately hit his system sending a wave of relief through his empty stomach. He took a long sip his eyes drifting closed in sheer satisfaction. Leona watched him a small but satisfied smirk touching his lips. He picked up a piece of the soft, sweet cake before tearing off a bite-sized piece. "Open up." He said.
"Leona, seriously, the fox is on my arms, but my hands aren't broken—" Jamil started.
"Did I ask?" Leona interrupted smoothly, pressing the sweet cake gently against Jamil's lips until Jamil finally gave in by opening his mouth and letting Leona feed him the pastry.
Jamil chewed quietly, the rich vanilla flavor completely erasing the horrific metallic taste that had haunted him all morning.The little fennec fox let out a soft yawn adjusting itself on Jamil's chest, while the anime on the screen shifted to a scene of characters happily walking through a peaceful breezy park.
Looking at the two of them—the ultimate, terrifyingly competent vice-housewarden of Scarabia completely pampered wrapped in luxury blankets, watching cute anime , cuddling an exotic desert fox, and being literally hand-fed gourmet sweets by a literal crown prince while the entire cast of NRC outside was losing their minds in confusion—I couldn't help but sigh.
"DAMN, Jamil Viper," I muttered to myself from the corner of the room. "I wish I were you."Leona paused, shifting his weight on the bed so he could wrap his muscular arm right back around Jamil's waist pulling both Jamil and the tiny fox securely against his chest. He pulled the thick blankets up over both of them his tail giving a deeply satisfied thud against the mattress."Keep dreaming, kid," Leona murmured into the dark room, his chin resting comfortably on top of Jamil's dark braids as the anime theme song played softly in the background.
The door to the freezing bedroom didn’t just open it glided open with the practiced silent precision of a seasoned Viper. Najma’s head popped through the crack first her eyes instantly locking onto the silver tray resting on the nightstand. When she saw the massive glasses of thick strawberry-and-vanilla milkshake and the pile of sugar dusted sponge cakes her face lit up.
"I knew I smelled sugar!"she whispered loudly, stepping fully into the room and closing the door with her foot. Jamil who was currently taking another sip of the milkshake Leona was holding to his lips immediately choked. He swallowed hard, his face flushing pink as he tried to look dignified while buried under three layers of silk blankets.
"Najma! What did I say about knocking?"He said avoiding eye contact.
"You said 'I think the fuck not' to leaving the room, but you didn't say anything about me entering." Najma countered smoothly. She strolled over to the bed entirely unbothered by the chilly air conditioning and snagged the second untouched glass of thick milkshake from the tray. She took a massive sip before letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Mmm, the dairy these people keep for the guests really hits different. Thanks, future brother-in-law." Najma said before giving a playful wink towards them.
Jamil looked like he wanted the earth to open up and swallow him whole. "Najma, stop calling him—" He started saying his more of a shaky whisper.
"Let her be, Viper," Leona grunted. He didn't even look up from feeding Jamil another bite of the soft cake.
Surprisingly Leona didn't mind the girl. In fact, compared to the rest of the loud, annoying royalty he had to deal with Najma was completely tolerable. She didn't stomp her feet, she didn't try to lecture him about manners, and—most importantly—she didn't whine for attention twenty-four-seven(Yeah right Leona you definitely don't adore cheka more than anyone else in the world). She just took what she wanted, minded her business, and knew how to navigate her own roads .Najma hopped onto the foot of the massive bed, crossing her legs. She reached out and scratched her little fennec fox behind its massive ears. The little one let out a tiny squeak of delight shifting its weight on Jamil's chest but refusing to leave its warm spot.
"So...." Najma said, taking another bite of a sponge cake she had picked up with her fingers. "The herbivores outside are practically losing their minds. Riddle looks like he's about to write a new rule about missing duties, Azul is trying to audit the Asim family's accounting books just to pass the time. Kalim is crying tears of joy because he thinks you're sacrificing your life force for the family budget."
Jamil groaned, rubbing his temples with his free hand. "I am going to have so much damage control to do tomorrow."
"Don't worry about it," Leona muttered, his large arm tightening around Jamil's waist, pulling him a fraction of an inch closer against his chest. "I already told you, if anyone tries to come down this hall, they deal with me. Enjoy your cartoons, Viper."On the massive TV screen, the slice-of-life anime shifted to a beautifully animated scene of characters eating giant bowls of hot ramen in a cozy, quiet diner. The soft, rhythmic lo-fi music hummed through the dimly lit room, creating a perfect, impenetrable bubble of absolute peace.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away across the twisted geography of the world, the camera pans out.Deep within the grand, sun-drenched palaces of the Sunset Savanna, the afternoon heat was oppressive. Standing in the middle of a heavily decorated royal corridor, Prince Cheka the young crown prince of Sunset Savanna suddenly paused mid-stride. His oversized lion ears twitched wildly. His small nose crinkled up, and before his royal tutors could ask him what was wrong the little beastman let out a massive, echoing sneeze.
"Achoo!"Cheka rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, blinking his big green eyes in utter confusion. He looked around the empty, golden hallway, his tail swishing uncomfortably.
"Uncle Leona...?" Cheka muttered to himself, a sudden, instinctual pout forming on his face. He didn't know why, but deep down in his little soul he felt a strange, nagging sensation that his favorite uncle was currently giving his undivided attention to someone else entirely.
Back in the cool twilight of the Scarabia bedroom, Leona's left ear gave a subtle, involuntary twitch. He ignored it leaning his chin comfortably back onto Jamil's shoulder as Najma happily text-messaged her friends while stealing more of their dessert.The second day of Eid was finally turning out to be a success, even if it meant hiding from the world completely.
The end??
(Should I add a epilogue or leave it here? Let me know.)