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╭──〔❨✧✧❩〕──╮
Violet, the colour of royal heritage. Those whose veins flow with royal blood are destined with fortune and greatness.
╰──〔❨✧✧❩〕──╯
Another round.
Another round of Royal Balls the young prince was uninterested in. Laughter echoed along and across the large ballroom; huge crystal chandeliers formed multicoloured reflections onto the glass-like floor, heels and dress-shoes getting caught in the dance of colours. Elegant ball-gowns and suits were worn by all members of the Royal Ball; pride in their status clear.
A person’s status in society was defined by flowers. Those of baron and baroness status wore silk flowers, while knights had qingxin. Lords and Ladies with glaze lily, and sweet flowers remained for the peasants. Those with royal heritage had violetgrass, worn by the royal family -- including the young prince, named Xingqiu, himself. Violetgrass was an unusual choice, yet there weren't any disagreements regarding the decision. As a result, the flower system became law, with minimal to no complaints.
Xingqiu gazed curiously upon the guests, who were enjoying themselves dancing and drinking away with their partners. He silently wondered how anybody had the ability to be pleased with such an occasion. He couldn't comprehend the appeal, as he preferred a soundless atmosphere - reading a pleasant book. Marriages weren't something he took a particular interest in, yet he knew that telling that to his father (the king) would be the equivalent of challenging a titan - impossible and frightening.
He processed the thought as he reassured himself that it’ll soon be over; there was no need to worry, right? Unfortunately, that 'soon' transformed into an eternal punishment delivered from hell as he spoke to baronesses, ladies and princesses from neighbouring kingdoms, not having any interest in them.
His most trusted butler, Albedo, reassured him that everything will turn out fine, that his father will turn around and drop the topic of marriage. Yet, all the comfort became empty words as the King marched on with his battle. Persistent and stubborn; the King's main qualities that left his rule unchallenged. It seemed that he may just get his way again, much to Xingqiu’s dismay.
As he was about to engage in a conversation with another baroness, he suddenly felt a hand grab his wrist. The culprit dragged him away towards a window. It had clear glass doors, which led to a balcony. It was a mediocre balcony. A pristine white table, including the pearl white chairs, sat neatly in the night’s silence. A candle stood tall and proud on the table, it’s flame dancing in the moonlight as the view of the kingdom became exposed. Thank the almighty archons for all the painful defence training he underwent, as Xingqiu was able to throw him to the ground - or at least attempted to before the other pinned him against the wall beside the glass doors.
“Shhh- It’s me!” the culprit - who turned out to be male - informed immediately, “I’m not trying to kidnap you I promise!” the boy mentioned in a panic. Xingqiu immediately recognised him as Chongyun - or rather Prince Chongyun, as the violetgrass in his pocket on his jacket suggested.
Silence was all that was present as both princes remained frozen in place. They stared at each other before both blushed furiously upon realization of the position they were in. Xingqiu pushed Chongyun off him hurriedly, before wishing he didn’t.
"You scared me! I genuinely thought that I was going to be kidnapped-”
"Why on earth would I kidnap you? I'm not capable of doing that to anyone."
"Well- That's true."
At first, there was no sound, only the background noise of the guests speaking. Eventually, however, they began to converse about how they've been and what they were up to.
"Well, I have to ask… why did you take me all the way out here?" Xingqiu asked, curiosity lingering through the air.
"Hmm, well, the reason why I did this is… because I wanted to know if…" Chongyun paused, a short wave of hesitation hit him, "You'd like to dance with me?"
Genuine surprise that came from Xingqiu resulted with heat arising on his cheeks like a snow blizzard. He usually refused offers like this, however this was different. It was Chongyun's offer, not a strangers.
"I…" Pause, thoughts scattering all over the place, "Yes, I'd l-like that." was all he could muster.
After some mental consideration from Chongyun, he settled on gently placing his hand on Xingqiu's back, while the other committing a similar action but on his dance partner's shoulder. The waltz they danced made the navy blue haired feel like this was a fairytale. It felt calming and warm. Slightly too warm.
"My apologies, Prince Xingqiu, your father is looking for you-"
Frozen still like ice, the duo seemed disappointed that it had to end this way.
"I understand, thank you Albedo."
Nought but a nod was left in the rooms wake as he left the scene.
"We have to get back…" Chongyun stated the obvious, the disappointment in his voice clear.
No more words were spoken as they both left the balcony and parted ways. Not too long after parting and Xingqiu already missed the touch of the other's hand. As per tradition, this was another thing he refused to admit.
Upon interacting with his father, another lecture was dished out about marriage once again and how significant it was. It didn't register to him that Xingqiu wasn't even into girls in the first place. An attempt on bringing it up the subject led to homophobic remarks. In conclusion, honesty proved to be a complete waste of time.
He wanted to escape his fate.
He needed to escape it.
A plan had been formatted into his mind.
This was the only choice.
He chose to flee, so he did.
╭──〔❨✧✧❩〕──╮
Bell Shaped. Those who find the sound of bells will discover a church filled with blessings of eternal love, “‘Till death do us part".
╰──〔❨✧✧❩〕──╯
Panic radiated the castle and the kingdom strongly as the news hit them like a meteorite threatening the end of Earth. Only this was the fact that the Prince went missing.
Everyone searched far and wide, with lack of success. Even if the people knew where he was, they didn't mention it. They couldn't really blame him, after all the king wasn't a good king. Due to this, the people had no intention of helping him. Even the most loyal servants kept out of it.
Chongyun's Kingdom also helped with the search, but it was to no avail. This only worried him, as many possibilities flooded his poor head. Especially those… that'd he'd rather not talk about.
In the end, all they could do was pray that he returned home.
╭──〔❨✧✧❩〕──╮
Group of buds. Those who choose to be a family shall gain love and happiness. Happiness from their lover and children.
╰──〔❨✧✧❩〕──╯
Months after walking the path of the runaway, he travelled to his friend’s kingdom, in hopes of finding him.
Friend.
The word felt foreign. A puzzle piece that never matched the original puzzle to begin with. The odd sheep, standing in plain sight, as it walked away from the group. Why the prince felt this way was something he couldn’t explain, at least not at first. The more he thought about it, the more he realised.
He fell in love with his friend.
A faint blush crept onto his cheeks at the mere thought of it, while he smiled a weak smile. He eagerly faced the sky. It was clear.
“I will find you Chongyun, I promise.” He told himself, as his walking speed increased.
He knew his goal, and he was going to achieve it at all costs.
•| ⊱✿⊰ |•
Chongyun strolled through the streets of his kingdom. He witnessed people go about their days as they enjoyed their lives as fully as it was possible. Normally, he wouldn’t have been allowed to do this, at least without guards beside him watching his every move. His only option was to sneak out. It was risky though, chances of getting caught and dragged back to the palace were quite high. However, the citizens of his kingdom were nice enough to not rat him out, as they pretended to not see him despite it being obvious.
He made his way to a cafe that he frequented since childhood. Before his parents became unhappy with their marriage, the family would often come here to take their mind off their responsibilities as royals and enjoy their time as a family. This tradition had ended a few years ago due to an alleged affair that the king had with another woman. Of course, the King had denied his involvement in the scandal and everyone believed his words. Perhaps the Queen still hasn’t moved on from the past… because she knew all too well that it was true. She also knew that her husband wasn't likely to admit it. In turn, she became more distant. He was confused at first, since he couldn’t comprehend that his own father would do such a thing.
It felt odd to revisit after so long, sorely because of the nostalgia that clinged onto this place. Without thinking too much about it, he entered the cafe. He felt relieved that nothing had changed in the past years that he wasn’t present. Sure, there were a few new staff members, but the atmosphere that he had grown to love so much as a child hadn’t changed.
He went to the counter to order his favourite cheesecake. The way it was made had him cling onto the memory of the sweetness. Cheesy sweetness clung onto his tongue like photographs. The barista on the counter recognised him and was shedding tears of joy. The female Batista gave him a hug, one which he returned. Once the reunion was over, he ordered his cheesecake and went to sit down by the table next to a window.
On the opposite of him sat a figure with a hood on, giving the prince a feeling that the person is in hiding. However, he took that thought back when he saw a flower placed on his hood like a pin. It wasn’t a normal sweet flower, it was violetgrass.
Since it was unlikely that his parents would come here, they couldn't be the hooded figure. The only possibility that remained was Xingqiu.
"Yes, Chongyun, it's me, Xingqiu, I wish we could have met in better circumstances-"
An intense hug from Chongyun interrupted him. A gasp of surprise escaped his mouth. He hugged back, just as intense.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" he exclaimed, relief in his tone.
Xingqiu looked at him in confusion, but only for a moment before his expression returned to a tired one, this time with a small smile.
"You must be hungry and thirsty, I'll order you something."
"That won't be necessary, I'll be fin-"
Chongyun wasn't listening, he rushed back to the counter to order while the runaway just observed the action. He felt guilty - starting to believe that maybe he shouldn't have come in, before erasing the thought.
Not long passed when Chongyun came back with two plates in his hands. One containing a cheesecake and the other a plain croissant. A waitress stood beside him, holding a tray that contained two drinks, coffee and a milkshake.
"Enjoy your meal, and thank you for coming!" The waitress told them, a happy tone chirped among the cafe.
After they finished eating, the two sat in silence. Both of them weren't certain on what to talk about. It's been too long since they last saw each other.
"Well-"
"There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while." Xingqiu informed, a small smile crept into his lips. Chongyun was shocked by the declaration, but allowed him to continue.
"I…I…" He stuttered, it sounded much easier in his mind. It's harder to actually expose your feelings of love with words. "Actually, I believe it'll be easier if I just showed you." He revealed, serious tone with a calm demeanor.
Chongyun had a question he wanted to ask. Before he could open his mouth, however, Xingqiu placed a soft, delicate kiss on his lips. After he pulled away, he tried to gain his composure, an angry red blush present.
"I love you, dear Chongyun."
Silence.
"I… Love you too, Xingqiu."
Xingqiu finally got the story he wished for so long.
This was his happily ever after.
╭──〔❨✧✧❩〕──╮
This, was the tale of Violetgrass.
╰──〔❨✧✧❩〕──╯