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The fresh air touched Cale's face in a breeze.
'Finally.'
Finally he was able to escape outside, away from the hall where the annoying aristocrats demanded his attention.
Not because he was an interesting person. Not because they were friends...
All just for money and influence.
'Huh...'
Cale hated being a prince, but... Where could he go?
Holding in his hand the glass of wine he had grabbed from one of the servants earlier, Cale walked slowly into the depths of the garden behind the palace.
It was a beautiful place. A maze of bushes and trees and fountains and statues and...
Flowers.
Lots of flowers.
Millions of roses that never faded.
Lush lilies of all colors.
The rarest flowers from the jungle.
The whole world knew of this beautiful garden - when ambassadors of other countries tried to please the king, they gave flowers. They had collected over the centuries, generation after generation, and now...
'How beautiful...'
The night flowers shone with a soft, pleasant light. Cale walked slowly deep into the labyrinth, moving farther and farther away from the noise of the disgusting reception.
Cale looked up into the night sky. Lazily raising his hand, he looked through his fingers at the bright stars, into the deep darkness beckoning him...
«Ah... I wish I could be as far away from here as possible...»
Cale closed his eyes, slowly lowering his hand.
He wished he could be at the festival taking place in the city right now. Instead of this boring reception, walking the streets of the city, eating delicious things, hearing the laughter of ordinary people rather than the whispers of aristocratic gossip...
But...
The smile that had appeared on Cale's face when he thought of such a pleasant pastime vanished.
'I can't go alone.'
Cale could not leave the palace alone, but neither should he ask the knights to escort him. Cale knew that any of them could not leave their post, and those who could must first get the king's permission...
<Cale, are you out of your mind?!!!>
No one will allow the precious prince to leave the castle.
Sighing heavily, Cale turned to his right, about to return to the reception...
«Huh...?»
Ten paces away, a man stood frozen. The lantern light did not fall on his face, but... There was a sword on his belt, and though he was not in uniform, the small badge on his chest indicated that he was a knight.
From the looks of it, this knight was off duty...
'He's back from vacation...?'
Cale smiled slightly.
Perhaps this was a chance.
«Good afternoon. Are you off duty...?»
The knight flinched slightly, as if coming to his senses.
«Ah? Yes, Your Highness, I'm back from rest. I begin... Work... The day... After tomorrow...»
The knight averted his eyes. He must have been nervous, which made his speech so strange.
Cale's smile grew wider. He took a step forward.
«Mr. Knight, you are aware that you are not supposed to be in this garden, aren't you?»
Cale took another step closer to the figure in black, frozen in place.
«Yes, I'm sorry... I... It's just that I love this garden and...»
The knight frowned, biting his lip.
And Cale stepped even closer - now only three paces separated them.
«I won't tell anyone about this if you take me to the festival.»
A sly smile was on Cale's lips. The plan was perfect. Perhaps the knight would try to get out of the situation, but Cale would still force him to do as he was asked.
However...
'Huh?!!'
Goosebumps ran down Cale's body as the knight smiled back.
The darkness hid his face, but that smile...
Cale tried to recoil, but the guy with the sinister, vicious smile on his face grabbed his hand, taking a step forward, pulling him toward himself, switching their places.
The lantern now illuminated the guy.
'Huh?'
Black hair, dark eyes, and...
A sincere smile was on his face.
'Am I...imagining things?'
Then he, noticing that he was holding the prince's hand, let him go, and with a worried face said.
«I am so sorry! I just didn't want you to leave. Of course I will accompany you! It is the duty of a knight to follow the master's orders.»
Cale froze.
He definitely thought he saw a vicious smile on the guy's face, but...
Somehow, looking into those eyes, he believed him.
The sincerity, the desire to protect, that look...
'It's like I've seen him before.'
Cale smiled a little nervously.
«Then please escort me.»
***
'Something's wrong...'
Cale walked beside the knight through the garden, toward the exit. He walked, and his heart was beating faster than it should.
'What if he isn't even a knight? What if he wants to kidnap me?'
Though the black-haired guy beside him looked innocent, Cale couldn't get that vicious smile out of his head. And that contrast...
'Familiar.'
Too familiar.
That must be why Cale walked beside the suspicious man, even though his mind was screaming at him to turn around and run for the real knights.
«You're back from your day off, aren't you?»
The knight was silent for a second, but then answered briefly.
«Yes.»
And there was silence once more.
«How was your rest? Did you go to your family?»
«Yes. I was at my brothers' yesterday.»
...And silence again.
Cale felt uncomfortable - the conversation wasn't getting off the ground, even though this potential kidnapper was piquing his interest.
'I must be out of my mind.'
Cale chuckled slightly as he realized that he no longer even thought of the man beside him as a knight.
'Why am I still walking beside him...?'
It was strange.
A sluggish battle continued in Cale's mind - he was trying to figure out why he wouldn't turn back, why he wouldn't run away, why...
«We have arrived.»
They were standing in front of the wall separating the garden from the rich areas of the city.
'Huh...?'
The wall in front of them was high, about five meters, and there were no gates or wickets nearby...
«Excuse me, Your Highness.»
Suddenly the guy picked up Cale in his arms and then, before he could say anything...
«Mmmm!!!..»
Cale clung to the cloak of a man who was clearly not a knight, embracing him - the man jumped, leaping easily over the high wall.
Then, once on the other side, the guy gently let go of Cale.
The latter was slightly shocked.
The guy smiled.
«Now, I think you need a change of clothes, Your Highness. You will be too noticeable in such luxurious attire.»
Cale looked at himself.
It was true.
Gold embroidery, jewels...
«But all the stores are closed now...»
Cale frowned.
'Why didn't I realize this sooner...?'
His thoughts must have been too much occupied with the strange stranger who seemed so familiar...
Cale froze again, staring at the short black hair and dark eyes that resembled endless abysses...
'How do I know him...?'
«I'll lend you mine.»
Suddenly the knight unceremoniously grabbed Cale's hand again.
«It is not far from here.»
He pulled the prince behind him, as if he were not the third most important man in the country.
'Strange.'
Cale liked this unceremoniousness.
In the palace, his brother was the only one he could talk to normally, but he was perpetually busy preparing to inherit the throne.
Father... Father had never cared for the emotions and feelings of his sons - they were only extensions of the family, the ones who would succeed him, but... No family warmth.
And beyond that, they were surrounded only by aristocrats who demanded attention to gain influence and knights who praised them and feared to move their hands without orders.
But this man...
'He is certainly not a knight.'
They stopped in front of the door to a small mansion in a middle-class district.
«We are here. Come in.»
The knight pointed Cale to the door leading to the mansion, a door he could slam shut behind him and lock him in there...
'Maybe he wants to demand a ransom...'
Cale stepped forward into the hallway. There was no one in the house, but...
'Ah... Do children live here...?'
The things on the shelves, the slippers, the jackets, all pointed to the presence of many children in the house. Different ages, different interests...
Cale, taking off his shoes, walked further into the room, where the guy pulled a simple black shirt and pants out of the closet.
***
'Huh.'
Cale was surprised. Contrary to everything he'd fantasized to himself, the black-haired guy just calmly let him change his clothes and then let him out of the house and they went to the festival...
'Maybe he is a knight after all...?'
Perhaps Cale was wrong to be suspicious of this innocent guy now accompanying him, nicely telling him where the food tasted better, how to play this or that game...
The people around them paid no attention to Cale - they didn't know what the prince looked like, and now, in such simple clothes, without jewelry, he looked like just a simple guy.
Gradually they began to talk, and the awkwardness that had previously existed between them disappeared. Cale asked about the life of the common people, and the swordsman asked about life in the palace. They joked, ate, strolled through the streets under the bright lights, drank various drinks...
And then...
***
«What...?»
Cale, feeling dizzy, sat down on the bench.
The flowers, exuding subtle scents, were familiar.
He was in the Royal Garden.
'What happened...?'
Cale remembered the festival, but...
'Was it just a dream...?'
The garden was lit up by the sun, and Cale covered his eyes with the palm of his hand. The sleeve of the slightly oversized black shirt caught his eye.
«It wasn't a dream...»
Cale opened his eyes wide, finally coming to his senses and looking around.
No one was there.
«Huh?!...»
The last thing he remembered were the festival lights and...
The drink the black-haired guy had given him.
'He gave me a sleeping pill.'
Cale frowned, but then looked at the shirt and pants on himself and chuckled.
«He stole my clothes and jewelry...»
And then Cale frowned again.
He couldn't remember where that guy's house was...
And he didn't even know his name.
«Shit.»
Cale wandered slowly toward the palace.
He didn't know how he was going to explain his disappearance from the ball...
And he wasn't going to search for the guy to return the clothes.
But what really bothered him was...
'Would we never see each other again...?'
***
Two weeks passed.
Every day Cale sat with a book in the garden, a little hoping that the strange thief would come here again, hoping to steal something. Yes, Cale thought he had come here for that purpose that time, too - but changed plans a little when he saw Cale's glittering jeweled outfit.
'Robbed the prince... I guess he's proud of himself.'
Cale had been out of sorts lately.
He didn't care that the king hadn't even noticed his disappearance from the ball - as long as Cale didn't make a mess, he didn't care about him.
Cale did not care that Alberu yelled at him when he found out that he had gone somewhere with a stranger without a guard.
But...
'Will he never come again...?'
For some reason, his heart clenched in pain as Cale thought about it.
...Choi Han should have come back.
He always...
'Huh?...?'
A strange thought flashed through his mind for a second, immediately dissolving as if washed away by the rain.
'Rain...?'
Cale opened his eyes, feeling a drop fall into his palm.
The drops kept falling down, and Cale sat on the bench, looking up.
***
Cale looked around, making one last check that there were no knights around, and then walked quickly to the wicket, inserting a small pin into the lock. After a few movements, there was a click, and the door separating him from the outside world opened.
Cale smiled.
He was wearing simple pants and a white shirt - it had cost him a lot of effort to find something not flashy in his closet.
Of course, exploring the city in search of a house he couldn't see well in the twilight was very dangerous, but...
For some reason it seemed very important to Cale to do it.
Vague images had been haunting him for a couple of months now, coming to him in dreams. Black eyes like abysses reflecting the starry sky, a soft smile, a dark aura and devilish wings, a cloak and strange tall houses...
Everything came to him in dreams and went away, leaving only the bitter taste of loss on his tongue.
A phrase of promise, spoken in his own voice, rattled in his head.
<I will answer when we meet again.>
Cale didn't know what it all meant, but...
'I have to find him.'
If the appearance of this strange man had caused him to have these dreams, then finding him would give him some clues.
***
Choi Han opened his eyes.
The red hair seduced him again in strange dreams, but he only sighed heavily.
Sitting down on the bed, Choi Han glanced at the outfit lying on the chair. It didn't look as beautiful as it used to - all the jewelry had been torn off of it and sent for sale, but...
Standing up, Choi Han stepped closer, picking up the shirt previously embroidered with silver threads.
«What a fool I am...»
Choi Han bit his lip and closed his eyes.
His mind re-created the beautiful picture he'd seen when he'd broke into the Royal Garden to steal something while everyone was celebrating.
A beautiful red-haired guy stood with his hand outstretched to the sky, and a gentle, beautiful smile was on his face. Behind him glowed gorgeous flowers, only emphasizing how beautiful this seemingly heavenly creature was. And the expression of sadness that appeared on the prince's face as he lowered his hand...
And it was the prince. Who else in the castle could have such beautiful scarlet hair?
Choi Han put his clothes, from which he could smell the subtle scent of the beautiful garden, back on the chair. Then he left the room and went downstairs.
«You're finally awake. What took you so long? The kids want to go for a walk already.»
Choi Han smiled. Fourteen children were fussing in the spacious kitchen, and a young woman with sunset-colored hair was standing by the stove.
«I was having strange dreams again. This guy keeps appearing in them... Today I dreamt of some strange world. There were very big buildings, autonomous carriages made of iron, and the prince was skating...»
Choi Han told his amazing dream, of course, omitting some details.
For example, he did not mention that they slept together.
It was probably not a good thing to have dreams like that about a prince.
Choi Han blushed slightly, thinking of the scarlet hair that looked so good on the white sheets...
«Choi Han, Choi Han, finish your meal and let's go for a walk!»
A red-haired boy with golden eyes sat down at the table next to Choi Han, urging him to hurry up.
It was Hong. He and his sister On had been in the house the longest - Choi Han had picked them up in the street and saved them from pursuers. Then Raon showed up at the house - a clever but grim kid who survived on the street by stealing food. Now, of course, there was no trace of his former gloominess.
Then Choi Han, working day and night to help the children, met Rosalyn. She was a gardener in the Royal Garden, and she had a large house inherited from her parents. When she found out that Choi Han was staying in a small room at a inn with the three children, she invited him to her house.
And then 11 more children turned up at the house. Robbers attacked their home village and the adults told Lark to run away with the children.
So they found themselves all alone in the capital.
And at that moment, Choi Han realized that they simply would not be able to feed all these children. So he and Rosalyn planned to make use of the wealth of those who wouldn't even notice it...
Rosalyn drew a detailed map of the palace and the garden beside it for Choi Han.
Cups, trinkets, silver forks...
Anything that would not be noticed as missing for a long time was Choi Han's goal.
So they saved up money - Choi Han wanted to take the children away from the city and settle down somewhere in the countryside, make a small garden and grow vegetables...
Then they wouldn't have to steal anymore.
That was the plan.
But when Choi Han saw the prince...
'He could tell the guards about me.'
At first a crazy thought flashed through Choi Han's mind to kidnap the prince. With the money they could get as a ransom, a great house could be built.
But that was dangerous, and then...
'His clothes...'
Choi Han realized how to get out of the situation. The gems on his clothes would be costing a lot - that's how they would get the money to move. It was a bit unfortunate that Rosalyn had decided to stay in the capital - she said she had a reason to stay here. Choi Han suspected that it was because of the scrolls about magic kept in the Royal Library.
So, honestly fulfilling his promise to escort him to the festival, Choi Han poured sleeping pills into the prince's drink and took him back to the castle.
Except now the thought of him wouldn't leave his mind.
'Shit, I must forget about him. I'm no match for him.'
Instantly the gentle smile, the scarlet strands of hair, the tender touch, the soft lips... all came to his mind.
It was as if the more Choi Han tried to forget this obsession, the more strange images haunted him.
He stood up decisively from the table.
«Thank you, Rosalyn, it was delicious as always. Children, let's go for a walk! There's a vegetable sale at the market today, we have to get there in time.»
***
Cale was beginning to lose hope.
He'd left the palace every day for a month now, wandering the streets of the city in search of the thief who kept appearing in his dreams.
He was beginning to think he was going crazy.
All he knew about this guy was the color of his eyes and his hair. He didn't know where he lived, who he was...
Even what his name was.
But...
'Choi Han...'
Cale mentally tasted the name that came to him in his dreams.
A name that worried his heart.
'What's wrong with me...?'
When Cale thought about stopping the search, his heart squeezed with a cold wave.
It was as if, by losing this guy, he would lose something important.
That he would lose...
'In all those dreams we...'
Cale blushed slightly. For some reason the guy in his dreams, no matter who he was, was his lover.
No matter who he was, he was always there for him.
But now...
'He might have left town by now.'
It was unlikely that the man who had stolen the prince's clothes would be here for long. He could have left already, and then the chances of ever seeing him again were practically gone.
Cale stopped, looking up at the sky.
«Why am I searching for him...?»
Day after day, without stopping, peering into the faces of passersby...
Ignoring Alberu's scolding, ignoring the faces of the servants when they saw the mud-stained, rain-soaked clothes, he kept looking for that guy.
Cale sighed heavily.
Probably he should have gone back to the castle and stopped it.
Should have continued to participate in useless receptions, and then married some noblewoman and ruled the grounds, drowning in piles of papers...
Cale turned around, wandering slowly down the street, passing trays of some kind of groceries...
«Choi Han, Choi Han, buy some cabbage! Rosalyn said it was running out...»
Cale turned sharply at the sound of a child's voice.
A girl of about twelve with gray hair was tugging a tall figure by the sleeve...
Black-haired figure.
'Choi Han...?'
Cale opened his eyes.
«...It couldn't be...»
It was a name from his dreams. A dark-haired guy with a silhouette that looked like that non-knight was standing near a tray of vegetables.
Cale walked quickly over there, stopping behind him and saying.
«So your name is Choi Han?»
The guy with the dark hair turned around.
He looked shocked.
«H-How...»
He looked around nervously, clearly not knowing what to do.
«Choi Han, who's that?»
«Yes, who is that...?»
Suddenly several other children of different ages approached Choi Han, wondering who he was talking to. He got even more nervous.
Cale smiled a little awkwardly, not wanting to disturb the children.
«I'm his friend. We want to have a little talk...»
«Then let's go to our house, strange human!»
'Huh?... Why am I strange...?'
Cale turned around. Behind him was a funny black-haired boy about six years old, whose eyes glowed with genuine seriousness.
An involuntary smile appeared on Cale's face.
«I don't mind. Will you walk me there?»
The blue-eyed boy smiled proudly.
«Of course I will! You seem like a good human! My name is Raon, nice to meet you!»
Raon grabbed Cale's hand, pulling him forward, ignoring Choi Han, actively gesturing for him to stop...
***
«So now you're moving to the village?»
Cale looked at Choi Han a little sadly.
He had just found him, but now he found out that the man who appeared in his dreams was leaving the capital.
'In dreams...?'
Thinking about it, Cale realized that he couldn't remember what he had dreamed.
«Yes, we can't stay here. I don't want to continue... stealing.»
Not that it bothered him.
They sat at the table. The children had gone for a walk outside with Rosalyn - smiling mysteriously, she decided to leave them alone.
At first Choi Han was sure the prince was looking for him to turn him in to the guards, but...
It looked as if all he wanted was just to see him again.
So now, sitting in the kitchen and telling out a short story of his life to His Highness, Choi Han felt strange.
«Huh... When are you leaving...?»
«Well, it's not likely that we'll find a new place in less than three months, Your Highness.»
It seems to Choi Han that Cale has cheered up.
«Just Cale. Don't address me so formally.»
An awkward silence hung between them again - they didn't know each other, and they both had no idea what was going on now, but...
'I can't let him go.'
'I don't want to let him go...'
Synchronous thoughts floated in their heads, even though they didn't know it.
***
Cale felt strange.
He felt that he looked like two peas in a pod like those annoying girls who were stalking Alberu. They were bothering him, demanding attention and wanting to marry him.
And now Cale...
«Your Highness, you will not be sought...?»
Cale saw the bewilderment in Choi Han's eyes.
Yesterday the awkward dialogue had ended in nothing and Cale, feeling foolish, just walked away.
But today he was here again, in the doorway of Choi Han's house.
«I told you not to be so formal...»
Cale averted his eyes, continuing to feel foolish as he stood in the doorway.
«...O-Okay... Cale... Cale-nim.»
Smiling slightly, Cale thought it was better than "Your Highness."
Besides, for some reason it sounded familiar...
Meanwhile, Choi Han finally gestured for Cale to come in.
«We were just about to go to a picnic in the forest near the city. You're welcome to join us, if you wish.»
Cale, continuing to smile awkwardly, followed Choi Han inside the house.
'I guess he thinks I'm an annoying crazy prince who has nothing better to do.'
Cale wished he could fall under the ground in shame, but...
He just couldn't stop and go back to his disgusting life at the palace.
***
'Shit, I've got to hold on.'
Choi Han turned away, clenching his hand tightly into a fist.
'Why does he keep coming...?'
For two months now, the second Prince Cale had kept coming to their house. He went to the market with them, played with the children, helped Rosalyn in the kitchen, and sometimes just sat on Choi Han's bed, quietly watching him make something out of wood or read a book.
It was unbearable.
'I can't stand it...'
Soft, beautiful voice, graceful fingers, lovely face and scarlet hair...
The deep look of the eyes of unusual hue, soft lips and delicate skin...
Aristocratically luxurious gestures, but a simple and easy manner of speech...
Great cooking, interesting conversations, and strange actions...
'Why is he lying on my bed?!!'
If the man now lying on the plain wooden bed, reading a book, were not a prince, Choi Han would have said he was trying to seduce him.
But at least the strange dreams that had previously visited Choi Han had disappeared, as if dissolved into his consciousness by the appearance of the real Cale. He no longer remembered what those dreams were about now.
Cale, meanwhile, put the book aside and sat down on the bed.
«Choi Han, are you sure you have to leave...?»
Choi Han turned to Cale and suddenly saw the longing in his eyes. It was...
'Damn, that's not fair...'
He felt his heart beat fast in a heavy rhythm.
He wanted to hug Cale. A hug and a gentle kiss and...
«I like you.»
Choi Han froze.
'W-What...?'
What did he just hear...?
What had just been said by this prince, looking so unhappy now, when Choi Han froze in bewilderment at these words?
But then a smile appeared on those soft lips, and harsh words rang out.
«No, in fact, I am wrong.»
Choi Han's heart did a couple of somersaults.
'Was that such a joke?'
'What is he up to?'
'...What I was hoping for...'
Choi Han chuckled softly, looking shocked and puzzled at Cale.
...Whose smile suddenly became tender, and new words escaped his lips.
«I love you.»
Cale looked directly into Choi Han's eyes.
He waited for an answer.
Choi Han froze, not knowing what to say.
What he could answer.
...What he could allow himself to answer.
What could he allow himself to answer the prince, the third most important man in this country, now sitting in his bedroom. They had only known each other for two months, and...
'Screw it.'
It was Cale, his Cale, whom he had already grown so used to in those two months.
...As if he'd known him all his life.
It was Cale, the one they'd gone swimming together at the river when they'd gone on picnics with the kids.
It was Cale, the one who made sandwiches so good despite his origins.
It was Cale, with whom they had been discussing a new book till night, one of the ones he brought from the palace.
It was Cale, whom he carried quickly to the Royal Garden, avoiding the knights so that no one would notice that he was leaving the palace grounds.
It was Cale who complained about Alberu worrying about him and his walks outside the territory...
Choi Han stood up from his chair, slowly placing his knife and a small piece of wood on the table.
He turned to Cale, who was looking at him nervously in anticipation.
Then he took a couple of steps forward, leaning toward Cale and...
«I love you, too.»
A gentle kiss sent an electric current through the two whose fate had long been woven into one.
***
«...Is this your image of a small house?..»
Choi Han looked shocked at their new place of residence.
It was a large two-story mansion with a huge area.
«Just right for a small vegetable garden and orchard. Alberu wouldn't settle for anything less.»
He really was a caring brother.
Cale smiled.
After he finally gathered the strength to confess to Choi Han his suddenly flaring like fire feelings, after the perfect night they had spent together, and well, after Cale didn't return to the palace until the next morning, Alberu couldn't take it anymore.
<Maybe you'll just leave with him?>
Alberu's plan was quite simple. By bribing the doctor, he announced that the second prince Cale was seriously ill and was therefore going to the south of the country for a rest. This solved many issues - the noblewomen previously attracted to Cale lost interest in him, the king freed the son he had wanted previously to make head of a very difficult territory, and Alberu... As he said, he got rid of a headache, and at the same time he expects to get a nice place to rest if he gets tired.
In other words, he hoped to use the Cale mansion as a vacation home.
'He could just say he'll come see his little brother when he misses me.'
Cale smirked.
«It's so beautiful here!!!»
«Is there a lake here?»
«What a beautiful forest!»
The children came out of their carriages, looking around happily.
Cale looked fondly at Choi Han and grasped his hand.
A pleasant, measured life lay ahead of him.
A life he hadn't even dared to dream of, certain that he would have to manage the territory, sort out the paperwork, and drown in the court squabbles.
Enjoying the warm sunshine, feeling the gentle breeze, hearing the laughter of children, and seeing a reliable and beloved man by his side, Cale thought.
'Being a slacker sounds good.'
And then Choi Han gently hugged him, kissing him softly.