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The Northern Desert was a harsh and cold place where only the strongest and the most vicious of demons could withstand the constant chill and blizzard that seemed to plague the land like a curse.
But, one day, the sovereign of the Northern Land, right hand of Demon King Luo Binghe, Mobei-Jun, commanded to his men:
"Make a place where flowers can grow in this castle."
The men were puzzled. For what use would flowers do in a land where food was often scarce, where the sun shone for less than four hours a day, and where everything froze upon the first sight of night?
Yet, as good and loyal subjects, they did not question their lord's wishes and hence worked diligently to fulfill his order.
Thus, the Sun Room, an enchanted room where not even the slightest chill of the Northern Desert could enter, was created. It was their greatest invention, and Mobei-Jun, sovereign of the North, was pleased.
Mobei-Jun oversaw the creation of the Sun Room with utmost secrecy and diligence, keeping the project covert even to his own consort. Even after its completion, he still kept the Sun Room's existence as a secret for another more weeks, dodging the suspicious and puzzled stares that his human kept on throwing at him.
A small part of Mobei-Jun, the childish and impatient part of himself that he kept tucked away most of the time, wanted to tell his husband of the gift that he had painstakingly prepared for him. Yet, he kept on reminding himself that the time was yet to come. Everything had to be perfect as it always did whenever it concerned his human.
He walked through the halls of his castle, proud and confident, yet there was a slight haste on his strides. After a moment, he arrived in front of a huge door with two demon guards standing on each sides. Upon recognizing his approach, the demon guards gave their salutes before opening the door.
Mobei-Jun only nodded before entering. It didn't take him long to reach the center of the room, where a bed of flowers of various colors were already in full bloom.
He plucked a single red flower from its stem and observed it. The gentle scent that the flower emitted wafted through his sensitive nose.
Not long after, he wrinkled his nose and put the flower away from his face. He still didn't understand how such a fragile thing could enchant demons and humans alike into waxing poetry about it.
He then continued on observing the flower bed with interest, pleased that they were growing without problems, when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him.
He turned around, acknowledging the new comer's presence.
"Gardener," he said.
There was an amused smile plastered on the old demon's face as he approached the northern sovereign.
"My Lord," greeted the gardener as he stood beside Mobei-Jun. "The flowers that you planted have bloomed splendidly. At first, this servant was worried whether the flowers would grow, considering the differences in climates between the demon and human realm. But under My Lord's care it has become a sight worthy of praise! Now, no one would dare to say that the Northern Lands are barren of nature!"
Mobei-Jun hummed in approval, pleased with the praise that the old gardener threw, before shifting his gaze back to the flower bed. There were a few yellow butterflies fluttering above while some were resting on the petals, sucking out the sweet flower's nectar. He held no interest toward the insects at first, but the gardener had specifically asked him to brought them from the human realm, saying that they would help pollinate the flowers faster.
"It was all thanks to your intensive guidance," Mobei-Jun said, his eyes still observing the flower bed.
Indeed. With so little flora that could grow in the frigid northern realm, Mobei-Jun had held zero interest in gardening. His knowledge of plants were limited to medicinal herbs and herbs for increasing cultivation, but aside from those few usages Mobei-Jun only saw them as mere decorations. Pleasing but unnecessary.
Shang Qinghua, however, was fond of them; and for Mobei-Jun to achieve his ambition of populating the Sun Room with things that his consort found delectable, he had required an expert assistance.
And that was how the old gardener came to be under his employment. As much as he was fond of his northern demons, the bunches of them were unaccustomed on handling floras of warmer climates. Especially since the typical gardens spread out through the northern realm mostly consisted of ice sculptures, sands, rocks, and a few cold resistant trees. Hence, highly unsuitable for Mobei-Jun's conquest.
On the other hand, the old gardener had come from the south, where rolling plains and mountains abundant with vegetation were more common, and had lived in the human realms for years. His insights about the human realm's vegetation was invaluable for Mobei-Jun's cause.
"No, no, that's too much my lord. This old servant had only wanted to serve. After all, the garden within the Sun Room wouldn't have grown marvelously without My Lord's dedicated care. I'm sure the royal consort would be delighted."
It wasn't a secret anymore. Any uncharacteristic deeds that the northern sovereign demonstrated would usually lead back to his spouse.
Mobei-Jun contemplated for a little before fixing his gaze at the old gardener who was brimming with a heart to serve. Then, on a rare display of vulnerability, Mobei-Jun asked.
"Would he?"
Despite his status and wealth, there were many things that Mobei-Jun didn't posses. One of those were knowledge, one to keep his human by his side. His ancestors and he had long held deep seethed grudge toward the human race and albeit for some exceptions, he knew that his contempt would not disappear with ease. Yet, on a weird twist of fate, it was also a human who had melted his heart from its eternal frost and became his husband.
Now, he wished to pay his gratitude.
"Yes My Lord. Even if my time serving under you is short compared to the others, I have witnessed of the affections shared between both My Lord and consort Shang. If by any chance, the consort finds the Sun Room unpleasant, My Lord may behead me."
Mobei-Jun scoffed at the over the top display of servitude. Despite his fierce and harsh nature, Mobei-Jun wasn't as cruel as to repay loyalty with death.
"Raise your head. This Mobei-Jun won't be killing anyone soon. On the other hand, I require your assistance."
"Yes, My Lord. Anything that I may help you with."
Mobei-Jun took a long look at the garden, especially toward the sun crystal etched on the ceiling of the dome shaped room. He can feel the thrum of spiritual energy flowing to the translucent crystal and although the expenditure had cost him greatly, Mobei-Jun didn't regret his decision.
"I'm bringing the royal consort tonight. Don't let anyone enter the Sun Room."
Knowing and serving Mobei-Jun for years should have made Shang Qinghua used to Mobei-Jun's eccentric antics, but there were times where he questioned his decisions for creating Mobei-Jun's taciturn trait.
First, his king had been weirdly secretive with him, often disappearing in the dawn of morning to who knew where; and despite Shang Qinhua's best effort, he knew he could never caught his husband if the man wished not to be found. After all, stealth was one of the gifts that he had gifted to his favorite OC as a plot device.
However, Mobei-Jun's disappearance every early morning (whereas his king had always shown his preference for morning cuddles, oft long enough until he was late to morning council) had switched on Shang Qinghua's paranoia. He had thought that Mobei-Jun had finally grown tired of him, and was meeting with a mistress in secret. If that was the case, Shang Qinghua would prefer a divorce rather than living in limbo with his own husband.
Then, it had taken a lot of eye bawling on Shang Qinghua's part, and a lot of disbelief (as well as rage) on Mobei-Jun's, until their misunderstandings were resolved. Even so, to this day, Shang Qinghua still had no idea on what Mobei-Jun was doing every morning in the past few months, but at least his king had tried to make more time despite his busy schedule.
Second, after a pleasant dinner in their room, his king had fished out a blindfold out of nowhere and held it in front of Shang Qinghua as if expecting the human to understand what he was trying to convey. Obviously, Shang Qinghua's first idea was of some kinky sex involving blindfold.
Mobei-Jun rebuffed him instead.
(However, Shang Qinghua could feel the telltale sign of arousal as his king stated, "Later," with interest.)
And now, blindfolded, and with his hand held by Mobei-Jun's larger one, Shang Qinghua was escorted out of their room.
The walk wasn't far, but it took longer time due to Shang Qinghua's lack of sight. But, Mobei-Jun was patient as he guided his husband through the hallways of his ancestors with ease.
Shang Qinghua didn't know what Mobei-Jun was preparing for him, but he could sense the mix of nervousness and anticipation that Mobei-Jun was emitting even through the blindfold.
They finally arrived at their destination when he heard Mobei-Jun commanding the guards to open the door.
"Come," Mobei-Jun said, before pulling Shang Qinghua inside.
The first thing that Shang Qinghua noticed was the sensation of dirt beneath his boots. Built underground, the Northern Castle's flooring were primarily made of woods and granite and Shang Qinghua was used on hearing his boots clacked on the hard surface whenever he moved around. However, his feet hit on dirt instead. Dirt usually indicated that they were outside of the castle, yet the cold wind that usually bit his skin was amis. Instead, he was greeted by a warm and pleasant breeze caressing his cheeks.
It spiked his curiosity in an instant. Why would there be a warm breeze in the frigid north?
However, having something else in mind, Mobei-Jun didn't answer Shang Qinghua's doubt. Instead, his husband guided him even further inside (outside?) the room until the demon lord deemed it appropriate to remove Shang Qinghua's blindfold. Shang Qinghua, on the other hand, could no longer conceal his curiosity.
Once removed, it took time until his eyes got accustomed to his surroundings. He blinked, once, twice before letting out a gasp.
"Th-this is... My King... My husband... this is..."
Shang Qinghua blinked once again in disbelief. No longer blindfolded, the vibrant greeneries and colorful flowers easily enchanted his vision. He spun around, marveling at his surroundings.
The warmth of sun kissing his skin, the feel of moist soil under his boots, and the breeze combing his air; all of them were things that were impossible to be found in the northern realms.
Mobei-Jun dragged the still shocked Shang Qinghua toward a small mound where a willow tree stood on top. From there, it was possible to see the entire room.
On the east he saw a flower bed of various colors. On the west was a small pond attached to a small river that seemed to be the main source of irrigation for the whole area. Then on top of the ceilings, Shang Qinghua finally noticed the huge sun crystal that was responsible for creating the artificial heat and light akin to that of the human realm's sun. It was a rare commodity even among demon nobles, that possessing a small stone was enough to increase a demon's status. But Mobei-Jun actually got one with the size of a boulder installed on his ceiling!
Shang Qinghua whirled around, finally remembering his husband's presence. It would be insulting to forget about Mobei-Jun's powerful presence even for a second, but Shang Qinghua couldn't help it when he was too engrossed with his own surroundings.
Mobei-Jun's face was impassive as usual, but there was a tension that Shang Qinghua sensed with ease due to spending a long time in his husband's presence.
Shang Qinghua frowned.
"Why the long face, dear husband?" he asked, while proceeding to cup Mobei-Jun's face with his hands. The demon leaned into his touch, seeking for comfort.
Seeing Mobei-Jun's uncharacteristically vulnerable expression, Shang Qinghua gave a peck on his husband's lips. He was pleased to notice that Mobei-Jun's tension receded a little under his touch, and the demon seemed to have regain a portion of his confidence back.
Mobei-Jun responded by kissing the inner side of his wrist, where his pulse beat, sending both jolts of happiness and embarrassment to the human.
"This Mobei-Jun presents you with his heart," he said. "May you accept it as a proof of my eternal love."
Then, he cupped Shang Qinghua's face, staring into Shang Qinghua's eyes as if trying to peer into his soul. Shang Qinghua almost melted under the intensity of such gaze.
"The Northern Border is a cold and harsh place to live," he started. "The sun barely shines and no flowers are strong enough to grow in this barren land.
"And as the day passes I realized that there is a dread growing inside. It grows whenever you leave for the human world, knowing that someday you will have enough of the harshness of my realm.
"But I cannot change the land of my ancestors. It's in theirs and my nature to be cold and unkind. It's how we are made, molded by the blizzard and ice. Thus, I made this. So you'll remember that in the far land in the North, there is a warm place for you to return.
"So you'll remember that I'm here. Always waiting for you."
Shang Qinghua was a storyteller, fabricating words were his forte. Yet, his wits seemed to have left him tongueless as he heard of such heartfelt confession coming from Mobei-Jun for the first time. Even in his best days, Mobei-Jun rarely talked more than three sentences at a time. He didn't even talk this much when he proposed!
He must be dreaming!
But with the way Mobei-Jun was holding his hand, a nervous yet determined look on his face so uncharacteristic of him, Shang Qinghua realized with trepidation that his husband was serious.
Not knowing how to reproach, Shang Qinghua put his hand onto his king's nape, guiding the demon to rest his head on top of Shang Qinghua's shoulder. With his taller stature, Mobei-Jun had to hunch his back and the position must be uncomfortable in the long run, but with his soul barred, the demon followed his human's guidance without complain, going pliant under his touch, a soft side that always sent Shang Qinghua's heart stuttering with delight.
Mobei-Jun wrapped his arms around his human back, molding their body into one while Shang Qinghua stroke him by his hair in a comforting manner.
Shang Qinghua finally said, "My King, My King. My silly demon king. To think that you would go so far for a lowly human like me. What should I do with you? To think that you would deliver the sun just for me, just so I could return to your side."
"How silly. How silly Mobei-Jun," he said once again. "Even without this, I'll always return to you. You'll always be the place where I belong."
Mobei-Jun hugged him even tighter and Shang Qinghua let out a vibrant smile, defeating even the colorful flowers that Mobei-Jun grew with his own hands.
In the end, the demon lord's doubts was for naught, as his human had zero intention of leaving him away in the first place. However, it didn't mean that his effort had gone to waste.
After much deliberation, the sovereign of north and his consort decided to open the Sun Room to the public. It became a great addition to the castle, where many demons could come and enjoy a bit of sunlight and warmth without needing to venture outside.
It was said as well, that the sovereign and his human consort were often spotted there, strolling with their hands linked together and face full of love and adoration toward one another.
For the Sun Room was the symbol of their hearts.