Chapter Text
Xie Lian fiddled with the last of the golden buttons connecting the finer details of his black tailcoat and his vest together.
It certainly was… different from usual. However, that was the point of a masquerade. To be anonymous. And he certainly would not be anonymous in one of the many fine white suits he would often wear to special events such as this. This was as good a chance as any to shed his heavy reputation as quite possibly the next in line for the throne, and just enjoy himself for once.
The current king, Jun Wu, had informed all attendees there would be an important announcement during the night's festivities, so naturally more than half the kingdom’s nobility is going to be gathered in the ballroom this very night. Anyone and everyone who had some hand in keeping the nation's cogs turning would be there. Including Xie Lian.
An event such as this was a very rare opportunity for people to throw away rigid titles and mingle on even ground with one another with frivolity and less strained compulsiveness. And according to Shi Qingxuan, Xie Lian was too tense for his own good as of late. He had briefly considered skipping on the night’s festivities, as something like this would easily get quite rowdy with people being so lax with one another. However, at the same time, Xie Lian found himself agreeing with Shi Qingxuan and desperately needed to seize this opportunity to unwind.
With one last sweep over himself, he grabbed the golden mask he had chosen for the night and adjusted it accordingly in the mirror. Careful not to mess with the styling Mu Qing had tediously worked into his hair, it strapped on nicely.
Xie Lian glanced at the clock on his bedroom wall briefly, noting he just barely had enough time to head to the ballroom. Stepping out the door in a swift but dignified rush he nearly walked straight into the back of a taller man upon entering the hall. The man had turned quickly at the sound of the door opening.
“Thank goodness, Your Highness. We have to get going right now or we will be late.” Feng Xin, his personal guard and also close friend, only lived one door down from Xie Lian, so he had waited to escort him.
“What’s with the new suit? Nobody will recognize you.” Mu Qing also seemed to have held back to wait for Xie Lian, and now he was starting to feel a bit bad having taken so long.
“Isn’t that the point? Honestly, you don’t even have a mask!” Feng Xin snapped at him before Xie Lian could even form his own response.
“Of course I do! I just haven’t put it on yet dumbass-”
“Okay, you two, we have to go! There isn’t time for idle chatter!” Xie Lian broke in before the argument could get heated as they usually tend to do with his two companions.
“And whose fault is that?” Mu Qing uttered though he started following down the hall at a brisk pace with the other two.
“I’m sorry! There were so many chains and belts and buttons I didn’t realize it would be this complicated.” Xie Lian responded.
“I told you I would help you but you insisted on doing it yourself!” Mu Qing huffed at him with visible irritation.
“I wanted it to be a surprise…” Xie Lian muttered.
“Yes, and it will be a great surprise when His Highness is the last to arrive at the party being hosted in his own home.” Mu Qing really did not seem to be looking forward to the night. His attitude had an extra grain of salt to it than usual. Though, this is unsurprising. Among the three of them, Mu Qing was the least social and tended to, quite honestly, hate events such as this where he is forced to interact with others. Unlike Xie Lian, he did not have a choice in attending.
Once Xie Lian decided to go, he would as well. This (unfortunately for him) also meant Feng Xin would be attending.
-
The trio arrived only a moment before the designated time of the event. However, it seemed they were not the only ones just now arriving. Quite a few guests were walking into the hall with them, likely taking the opportunity to use their masked identities to allow slight tardiness.
Walking through the long ornate hall they would pass tall intricately carved white pillars over delicately shined marble floors towards a pair of widely spread double doors. Two similarly dressed men in black tuxes and white masks stood before each door, ushering in the guests politely towards the ballroom. Once one stepped through the passage, the room opened up to a grand rotunda towering high above the ballroom. In the center hung a glittering chandelier that brightly illuminated the vast space. An orchestra could be seen resting towards the edges of the hall, as well as several long clothed banquet tables piled high with a buffet of dishes and beverages. And sitting high up on the stage in his throne, Jun Wu watched as the incoming guests joined others in the ballroom with a heady gaze behind his own piercing white mask.
Steadily, the night moved forward as people began to mingle and mix on their own accord. As the wine was poured and the dishes were served, a subtle tune could be heard growing from the orchestra and music flooded the building.
Weaving his way through the crowds with Feng Xin close behind him, Xie Lian easily spots Shi Qingxuan in her sage green dress and gem encrusted mask, a feathered fan in her hand. She is with her brother, Shi Wudu, making easy conversation when Xie Lian approaches.
“Good evening, Madam.” He gives a shallow bow before nodding to Shi Wudu, “Sir.”
Shi Qingxuan turned to him and looked slightly confused as to why this stranger was approaching her. After a brief pause she seemed to have realized who was talking to her.
“Xie Lian?! Oh my goodness, I couldn’t recognize you!”
“Right?” Feng Xin agrees next to him.
“I’m glad. This night will go much more smoothly if people don’t realize it is me.” Xie Lian sighed in relief.
“My! You look amazing!” Shi Qingxuan gushed.
“And you are dazzling as always.” Xie Lian returns the compliment.
“Oh, you flatter me. But, yes, I know.” Shi Qingxuan smirked and did a slow twirl to show off her frills.
“She looks pompous.” Her brother muttered next to her.
“Oh hush, you.” Shi Qingxuan jabs at him to go away with the end of her closed fan, to which he puts his hands up and backs away into the crowd. “Ignore him, he hasn’t left the manor in nearly a week. I’m surprised his eyeballs haven’t fallen out of his skull from how much paperwork he’s had to catch up with.”
“Oh, did something happen?” Xie Lian questioned.
“No, not really. Things just tend to get busy in the business this time of year and he won’t let me so much as hold a single document lest it burst into flames.” Shi Qingxuan shrugged.
“Then, he needs this night out more than anyone.” Xie Lian grabbed one of the flutes of champagne from the passing waiters. He took a sip and immediately cringed at the bitterness of alcohol, however decided to nurse it anyways. He wasn’t one to drink, even on special occasions, but he also wanted to try doing things differently tonight when there were less consequences. Also, it seemed that nearly everyone else had a flute so it felt natural to blend in with the crowd more.
“Don’t say that around Ling Wen. She’ll butcher you.” Shi Qinxuan lightly chuckled.
“Ah, you may be right. Considering I haven’t seen nor talked to Jun Wu in days now, something big must be going on with the Council. She’s likely been right there with him this whole time. How unfortunate.” Xie Lian said.
“I wouldn’t call her position ‘unfortunate’ so to say. I’m sure there are many many people wishing they were in her shoes.” Shi Qingxuan tapped at her own glass delicately with her long polished nails.
“If they knew how he worked her like a dog they wouldn’t be wishing so much.” Feng Xin mumbled from behind Xie Lian.
“Feng Xin!” Xie Lian turned around to reprimand his guard when his gaze started to search the area beside the man. “Wait, where’s Mu Qing?”
“Who knows. Must have been swept away in the crowd on the way over here.” Feng Xin crossed his arms as he turned his head to skim over the crowd as though he would easily spot their companion. “He’ll be fine. Don’t worry about that guy, Your Highness.” He concluded.
Will he though? Xie Lian knew he didn’t terribly enjoy being around this many people and now they’d lost him. Great.
“Won’t he be mad if we don’t at least try to find him?” It’s not as though he truly wanted to come here tonight. Xie Lian knew this and so he felt guilty having lost him right at the beginning of the night.
“He’ll live.” Feng Xin said after a short pause.
Xie Lian was about to grab Feng Xin and turn back to go look when a loud chiming rang over the ballroom calling everyone’s attention to the stage where Jun Wu was now standing with a member of the Court.
“Welcome all! If I could have your attention for a moment.” The man from the Court began speaking. “On behalf of the Royal Court, we thank you for joining us in tonight’s festivities. This night is for you all, who keep our kingdom’s days moving forward smoothly. It is truly a wondrous occasion every year and we hope you enjoy your night to the fullest extent. Before we continue, our king, Jun Wu, has prepared an important speech for us all tonight. Thus, I give the floor to His Highness.” The man backed away from the front of the stage to allow Jun Wu to take his place in the center. He stood tall in his pure white robes with golden trimmings. A long, heavily thick cape of similar design dragged behind him as he approached the front of the stage.
“Good evening, my dear citizens of Wu Yong. As the days go by, I see this kingdom flourishing even more brightly as the time passes and that is without a doubt thanks to the hard work of every person brought here tonight.
These past few days, the Court and I have undergone heavy discussion about what is about to be said and I humbly ask you all for your patience in regards to questions. There will be a thorough explanation as this declaration is officially announced to the rest of the kingdom in the coming morning. I will try to be brief in an explanation now so we can proceed with the rest of the evening.
It has been agreed upon between the court and I, that an official heir should be established. And that this be decided upon in advance of the coming winter. This is merely a precaution as a kingdom should be prepared for any unpredictable events and as such there is someone who has my own authority to assist the Court in its decisions should I not be present.
And so, with this begs the question of how this person will be determined. Historically, this would be decided by birthright. However, I came to power through war many years ago. You are all aware of this, as is the Court. As such, it has been discussed and now decided, we shall be selecting an heir regardless of current lineage.
A select group of candidates have been chosen between the Court and I as eligible to compete in a series of trials and competitions between one another to decide the next heir to the throne. These trials will be held in the coming weeks and will be decided in one final competition on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. These candidates will be informed of their candidacy in the coming morning when this declaration is shared to the public.
So, tonight, make merry and let loose. For tomorrow will bring a great change for our Kingdom of Wuyong.” Jun Wu concluded his speech without once wavering.
Xie Lian was stunned to say the least. He himself was already considered one of the heirs to the throne along with only two others, Pei Ming and Lang Qiangqiu. They were all chosen as very distant relatives to old royal blood from Jun Wu’s ancestor’s. Who knew if they could even technically still be considered of the same blood as one another with how detached the branches were from the original family tree. Xie Lian was told Jun Wu had no children to speak of and likely never would and this is why he was taken to the palace as a possible heir at the age of seventeen. Jun Wu had already been the king for more than ten years at that point. Xie Lian was now twenty-seven.
What could have happened to prompt this decision so suddenly? The last Xie Lian had heard of any of this, they were still searching other branches for anyone else. Did they find something? Xie Lian wasn’t sure and had no way of knowing at that moment. He would have to find the chance to approach Jun Wu some time before the coming week.
“Quite a bold move to break tradition.” Feng Xin spoke up from beside Xie Lian. “The older generation isn’t going to be thrilled to hear it.”
“The older generation hardly ever agrees with change, so I see what you’re saying.” Shi Qingxuan added as she fanned herself, her gaze still set on the stage where Jun Wu had been standing during his speech. “I’m surprised those geezers in the Court agreed to it.”
“He did appoint most of the Court himself.” Xie Lian noted.
“Wouldn’t that make things a bit biased?” Shi Qinxuan gave him a confused look.
“You’d think so, but the meetings I’ve witnessed have shown that they actually disagree with each other pretty often.” Xie Lian explained to her. “If anything, I’d say that someone else in the Court was the one to propose this idea.
And not many are as old as you’re thinking. Maybe one or two. But most of them seem to be middle-aged. There are even a couple people barely older than us in there too.”
“Huh. Well I’ll be damned.” Shi Qingxuan held her fan in front of her face.
“Aren’t you friends with one of them? Ming Yi?” Xie Lian looked at her slightly confused now.
“Ming-xiong?! He’s in the Court?!” Shi Qinxuan’s eyes widened in shock.
“What of it?” A new, slightly deeper voice added in from behind her. She spun around at the familiar voice and immediately grabbed at him.
“Ming-xiong! Why didn’t you tell me you were in the Court?! When did this happen?!” she rounded on him.
“It doesn’t really matter, I’m barely ever there anyways.” Ming Yi was holding a plate with some meat skewers that he was currently chewing on between speaking.
“You’re my friend! We’re supposed to talk about these things!” She whined at him, looking on the verge of a tantrum.
“Who says I’m your friend?” Ming Yi kept a straight face as he said this.
“Ming-xiong!!! How horrible! Of course you’re my friend!” Shi Qingxuan cried out and smacked his chest without any real strength behind it.
Seeing there was seemingly no end to this, Xie Lian took the opportunity to leave.
“Uh, we’ve got to go find Mu Qing now. It was nice seeing you!” Xie Lian said as he pushed Feng Xin away and into the crowd.
Once they were near the outer edges, Xie Lian let go of his guard and began skimming over the tall hats and feathered masks to try and spot Mu Qing. He couldn’t have strayed far, could he? After a few moments of looking, he noticed a curtain of black hair pulled high into a ponytail much similar to Mu Qing’s style, but the man was facing away so he couldn’t tell. He maneuvered his way through the crowd to get to him only for him to turn around and immediately Xie Lian knew he was mistaken. And when Xie Lian turned to go back where he came from, Feng Xin was nowhere in sight.
Great, now he lost both of them.
Putting his now half empty glass of champagne onto a nearby waiter’s empty tray, Xie Lian headed back to the spot he was at last with Feng Xin. Really now, he had only been gone a moment! How had he already disappeared?
After allowing himself some time to calm down and think about it, he decided he would probably run into them again at some point during the night, right? The music had picked up again and the party was now in full-swing, he should try to enjoy it. He would find them eventually if he kept moving around… probably.
-
Okay, so he may have miscalculated. But he’d run into quite a few other people that made pleasant conversation with him and while he could vaguely guess who most of them were he didn’t put much thought behind it. From what he could tell, very few people were able to recognize him, few people being Pei Ming and Shi Qingxuan. Had anyone else known who he was, their mannerisms would have been much more formal when Xie Lian would start conversing with them. It was nice to talk casually to people without them faking smiles and walking on eggshells around him. Almost similar to how things were when he still lived with his parents in Xian Le Manor.
Xie Lian wasn’t sure when he’d stumbled to the dance floor but suddenly people were spinning him and twirling him in the set rhythm of the orchestra’s fast-paced song. He was familiar with the dance, he had only ever watched it from afar though so it took a moment to coordinate his steps. And the moment he finally got those steps down, another song would begin. It was quite the whirlwind of dancing, dizzyingly so.
By the time the third song was coming to a close, Xie Lian was lightly flushed at all the movement and slightly disoriented. The young prince made his way to exit the dance floor. He unfortunately did not see the drunken man until he had stumbled into Xie Lian. Which, in turn, caused him himself to stumble back a few steps to catch his balance. Luckily a pair of steady hands caught his shoulders to help right him.
“Are you alright?” A smooth voice sounded from behind him. It was deep and oddly pleasing to the ear.
“Yes, I’m unharmed.” Xie Lian laughed with slight exasperation. Looking down at the fallen man, he honestly felt the poor man now sprawled on the floor in front of them needed more attention than him as he looked to have taken a decent tumble. Seeing the nobleman’s companions coming to help him to his feet, Xie Lian chose to shift his attention to the man who had caught him.
“Thank you.”
If Xie Lian hadn’t already been breathless from dancing, he surely would have lost his breath the moment he’d looked at the man currently in front of him. From what he could tell, even with the mask covering nearly half of his face, this man was very handsome.
“It was nothing.” The man said with a smile.
He had long, wispy black hair one might consider wild, half pulled back, though much of the shorter hairs in the front could not be tied with it and were left framing his face. The man’s suit was much like Xie Lian’s in style, however it was a deep crimson, with silver chains and buttons as well as butterfly embellishments along his shoulders and cuffs and creating a subtle pattern across his vest. His black undershirt was completely buttoned up to the collar, where instead of a cravat was a thick silver chain with a large silver butterfly at its center. But what really drew Xie Lian’s attention was his mask. It covered almost the entire right side of his face from the corner of his jaw upwards in an arch that matched the shape of his face across his cheekbones. It was pitch black with a somewhat lacey pattern that became solid where a single red rose covered his right eye, whereas the left eye was completely visible.
Which was gazing amusedly back at Xie Lian. Oh dear, he was staring wasn’t he.
Xie Lian hurriedly cleared his throat and looked away just to break the tension.
“Apologies, have we met before? I think one would remember a character such as yourself.”
“Not properly… You can call this one San Lang.”
“San Lang…?” Xie Lian tested the name. Most definitely some kind of nickname or alias for the night probably.
“Yes, Gege?”
“Oh, no, I was thinking aloud.” Xie Lian brushed off the familiarity more easily than he probably should have, however it felt natural to do so tonight. “I can presume you are the third in your family then…?”
Xie Lian tried his best to search his memory for someone such as San Lang among the noblemen he knew of but was coming up empty.
“En. Though they aren’t around anymore.” San Lang said this as casually as one would discuss the weather.
“Oh… I apologize for bringing it up...” Xie Lian was horrified to have immediately brought up such a sore topic. It must have shown on his face as well because San Lang gave a light chuckle at him.
“Nothing to apologize for, Gege. It was a long time ago.”
Xie Lian wanted to respond to this but didn’t know how. So when the music started again, this time at a more leisurely tempo, he decided to let it be.
“...May this humble servant request a dance?” San Lang held his gloved hand forward in offering.
Despite having just been winded from his previous dancing, Xie Lian took the man’s hand without any hesitation and offered a smile and a nod in response. It wasn’t nearly as high tempo as the earlier songs were and the gentleman San Lang seemed to be would likely take the lead so Xie Lian would only have to follow. Following should be simple enough, right? That was what he told himself at least.
San Lang’s hold on his hand was surprisingly gentle, as though allowing him any moment to retreat from the touch should he wish. He was guided back onto the dance floor he had never quite left, while keeping his gaze on the man leading him with such a delicacy as though Xie Lian would shatter beneath his palm. San Lang had not once let his eye stray from Xie Lian. And this made Xie Lian oddly warm to be the subject of such a gaze.
He was used to people looking at him with a much similar stare, but somehow this felt… different. There was something deeper than simple admiration in that eye. It was almost as though he was looking at an ethereal being in front of him rather than a now somewhat flustered and sweaty man.
As Xie Lian had thought, the moment they took their starting positions, San Lang had taken the lead. It made sense, he was nearly a head taller than Xie Lian and seemed to clearly know what he wanted to do. It was only then that Xie Lian realized his mistake.
He had never learned this role for dancing, he had always been taught to lead.
Much like earlier when he had joined the fray, he hadn’t actually known the dance as he had only seen it and caught on as the song continued. Those dances were also made for groups, not pairs. But this- this he had only seen from the perspective of leading some random girl around his lessons hall.
And now, he was nervous.
Somehow he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of this person. Usually he couldn’t care less if one were to witness a meer stumble. But for some reason, he cared about what San Lang thought of him. His first impression must already be off a bit considering he stumbled into the man right off the bat. …And immediately brought up his deceased kin. So perhaps he felt he needed to redeem himself here? The two had barely exchanged more than a few words with one another, so these thoughts confused Xie Lian.
Then, he felt a gentle but firm press of a hand on his waist and his mind ground to a halt.
“Gege…” San Lang had leaned in close to Xie Lian and said in a low voice, “No need to worry. Just follow my steps closely. We’ll go slow.”
Catching that gaze suddenly so close to his own, Xie Lian looked down to his feet and felt himself flush.
So he had noticed he was nervous…Gods, Xie Lian really was a mess tonight wasn’t he. And apparently very easy for this man to read.
“Oh, okay…” He could only push out in response. Xie Lian couldn’t recall a time he’d ever been so easily flustered by a single person. Usually he was pretty confident (almost naively so at times in the past).
Taking this as permission to begin, San Lang wasted no time and stepped forward, causing Xie Lian to step back. Then stepping back and having Xie Lian trail after him to keep their steps together. This wasn’t much different from what he already knew. Though his feet seemed to very much want to take control of their movements and this was a somewhat difficult instinct to shake at first. However, as soon as he was able to move past that, it quickly became very easy for Xie Lian. He tended to pick up on skills pretty quickly once he’d figured it out at least once. It helped a little bit to think of what he remembered from his practice and imagining it backwards. Though, that quickly became more of a mental gymnastics than dancing needed to be. Going through these motions a few times, Xie Lian felt comfortable enough to remove his gaze from the feet below him back to his partner. His boots may have grazed San Lang’s once or twice, but soon the steps felt natural and they were flowing seamlessly with the other pairs.
“My, Gege may not have needed this San Lang’s assistance after all.” San Lang said this with a grin and Xie Lian couldn’t help but take a brief glance at it.
“No, no. I am grateful for San Lang’s patience. I know the dance, I’ve just never…had someone else leading. So it took a moment to reorient myself.”
“Hmm, a fast learner?”
“My instructor would say otherwise.”
“Oh?”
“I’m not quite as patient when I am bored, you see.”
“That is simply an issue with their teaching then. Gege clearly has a brilliant mind.” Xie Lian didn’t know if he could laugh at this or if that would be rude since the man in question was not present to defend himself.
“He’s not a bad teacher. He is actually quite knowledgeable, I don’t believe he has once not had an answer to any question I threw at him.”
“Being smart is typically an important trait for a teacher to have.” San Lang said with a hint of sarcasm.
“I’ve also learned almost all of my swordsmanship from him, though we’ve stood on even ground for a while now. He still does keep me on my toes however.”
“Oh? Gege is a swordsman?”
“Yes. It’s one of my favorite hobbies. Does San Lang spar?”
“Mn. Though, I am told my style is rather rough and not terribly proper.”
“Did you have an instructor?”
“For a little while, I was mainly trained in the army.”
“Hm… Have you thought of trying a different blade perhaps? The army is usually trained specifically in a few forms but most of them are suited to long swords and straight bladed weapons.”
“Gege is very knowledgeable. I started using sabres not long after my days as a soldier.”
“Haha, the thought was on my mind that sabres would suit you.”
San Lang’s gaze softened slightly at this.
“Mn… someone was kind enough to point it out shortly before I was discharged.”
“…Discharged?”
“No need to worry much about it, Gege. It was an honorable discharge… Though I gladly would have stayed if they had let me.”
Xie Lian paused for a moment, wondering if maybe he had brought up another thing he probably shouldn’t have. While he was smiling now, San Lang seemed to want to move past it as well.
“Regardless, I mainly taught myself how to wield a saber. No teacher needed.”
“That’s amazing! We should have a spar some time. I’d love to see how you fight.”
“Gege is more than welcome to challenge me at any time. This one would be honored to cross blades with him.”
“Thank you, San Lang.”
He hadn’t been focused on the routine, so Xie Lian was caught completely off guard when San Lang took a sharp step forward and suddenly dipped him low in his arms. Xie Lian was left slightly baffled as he stared up at the man who now brought his face down to meet him from above.
“I am the one who should be thankful.” He said this quietly, Xie Lian was unsure if he was supposed to hear it.
“Ah, o-oh…” Xie Lian was at a loss for words. He wasn’t sure he even had the capacity at the moment to formulate a proper response, his mind seemed to be speeding yet also completely frozen.
Before he could have had the time to fully register just how comfortable he felt in San Lang’s embrace, he was being pulled up again and spun back into place. Though, now notably closer than they had been earlier.
“Does Gege have any other hobbies he enjoys?” San Lang continued with their conversation seamlessly.
“H-Huh? Oh, um… I’ve always enjoyed cooking!”
“Cooking?”
“Yeah! But I don’t think I am terribly great at it, nobody seems to like what I make… Also, I was banned from the kitchens after a fire this one time…”
San Lang raised a brow at this and Xie Lian felt he needed to explain some things.
“Okay, okay, so I decided I wanted to bake a cake for my friend’s birthday…”
One song bled into another. And then another after that. The two men made idle chatter as they would glide around the ballroom amongst the other pairs, following the melody as though flowing within a current. Here and there one would laugh at what the other had said and wow, Xie Lian had forgotten how easy it was to be happy. His cheeks ached from how much he was smiling, but San Lang was smiling back and Xie Lian couldn’t care less how his face felt. Maybe it was just San Lang that made this so easy. When was the last time he let himself feel like this? So open and uncaring of what other people were thinking and just enjoying himself in someone else’s company.
He hadn’t realized they had stopped moving until he felt a nudge as another pair bumped into them, pulling him out of the comfortable silence he and San Lang seemed to be sharing. Oh, a new song had started and they hadn’t even noticed. They should probably remove themselves from the floor if they didn’t want to be run over by the other dancing pairs.
How long had they been dancing? Though he wasn’t able to see a clock, he could assume it had been at least a couple of hours since the event began. It wasn’t terribly late yet. However, Xie Lian wasn’t one to stay at these functions for longer than necessary and he’d usually be heading out by now. Shi Qingxuan often called him an old soul because he liked to go to bed at a decent hour. And yet, he was wide awake as ever and couldn’t bear to think of leaving now.
“It seems we’ve gotten in the way now. Would…. San Lang care to chat elsewhere?”
“...It has gotten quite loud in here, hasn’t it?”
San Lang seemed to think for a moment before pulling Xie Lian from the floor and back into the crowds surrounding the dancers then resting them just outside the cluster of bodies.
The taller man looked around the room briefly before finding what he was looking for. Grasping Xie Lian’s hand, he began moving for the open doors leading outside.
“This San Lang could use some fresh air. I believe it will be beneficial for Gege as well after exhausting himself so much just now.”
Seeing his intention, Xie Lian hummed in agreement and happily let San Lang lead him out to the terrace. He was unaware of the almost bewildered gazes carefully watching the two leave the ballroom.
Mu Qing grabbed at the sleeve of the man next to him to yank him down to his level while keeping his eyes trained on the exit.
“Found him, but that man he’s with… Isn’t that?”
“I saw it too. There’s no way that isn’t him.” Feng Xin responded coldly, almost visibly paling as he registered the situation. The guard immediately went to take a step forward to go after them but was held back by the firm grip still clutching his sleeve.
“What are you-?!” Feng Xin rounded on him.
“Hold on.”
“What do you mean ‘hold on’?! If that’s really him, His Highness-!”
“‘-doesn’t know who he is’ I know! But that man is very aware of his surroundings, you know that just as well as I do. We can’t get too close carelessly. Who knows what he’ll do to His Highness if we rush in without a second thought?”
Mu Qing was only trying to be rational, as much as it irked him to watch them leave alone. There were plenty of guards around for the event tonight since there were high profile noblemen in attendance as well as the king himself, so security would in no way be lax. Even if they had to put distance between themselves and His Highness to avoid that man’s detection, security would naturally be closer should anything severe happen. That didn’t mean they could leave it well alone, however.
“...Give them a moment to gain some distance, then we’ll follow.”
“Don’t tell me what to do, I was already planning on it…” Feng Xin grumbled.
-
When the fresh autumn air rushed by him, Xie Lian subconsciously let out a sigh, as it was greatly relieving against his too warm face. He hadn’t noticed how hot it was in there with all those people until the cool night air was grazing the bare skin of his face.
There were far less people out here and it was much quieter. Having stepped out of a loud room, Xie Lian could feel his ears slightly ringing as they recovered from the lively ballroom noises. A few other couples seemed to have the same idea as them and were out on the terrace socializing more quietly. Seeing this, the two had headed off to the side of the terrace down a path at a steady but slow pace, bringing them into the palace gardens.
“Thank you, San Lang. Coming out here is very refreshing.”
“Anything for His Highness to be comfortable.” San Lang said with utmost sincerity.
From his side, he could see San Lang glance at him sideways, as though he was subtly checking to see Xie Lian’s reaction to the formal term.
Xie Lian fully turned his head towards him, looking as though he was trying very hard to be calm while momentarily panicking. An excuse ready to fly from his lips. But nothing would come out, so his mouth just hung open dumbly for a moment saying nothing. Realizing there was no point in lying, Xie Lian relaxed his shoulders and released an exasperated sigh.
“...How long have you known?” Xie Lian kept his gaze on the path in front of him as he spoke.
“Since the beginning.”
“The beginning?! I thought I was doing pretty well hiding myself tonight, even my close friends took a moment to recognize me…” He sulked.
“Apologies, Gege. This San Lang is simply more observant than most.” San Lang chuckled at this, though his tone did have a hint of guilt to it.
“What gave it away?” Xie Lian was genuinely curious to see how San Lang’s mind worked. He seemed so clever but he was also quite hard to read during the course of the night.
“Gege has an air about him that is different from anyone else. That is all.”
And that was another thing. From what he could tell, San Lang never once lied to Xie Lian all night, however he would dance around certain answers then switch the topic to move past it. Though, to be fair, he did not owe Xie Lian full transparency. They had only just met earlier that evening, so it was natural to keep a few walls up. It was just hard to tell where those walls were placed so Xie Lian couldn’t avoid hitting a few.
“...How so?” he prodded.
“My, Is Gege trying to dig for compliments?” San Lang grinned at him.
“No no no, that’s not-”
“Who knew Gege could be so audacious.”
“REALLY, I wasn’t-” Xie Lian caught himself mid-sentence when he noticed San Lang was holding back a grin. He lightly smacked the other man’s shoulder with his unoccupied hand. “San Lang!! Just tell me!”
“Truly! There is no other reason! Gege simply is different from anyone else.”
“San Lang….” Xie Lian groaned. “You could at least try to be sincere…”
“This one is always sincere when it comes to His Highness.” San Lang’s voice was all of the sudden completely serious. It made him pause.
“…you say that…San Lang, have we met before?” Xie Lian had asked this earlier, though he had only answered with ‘not properly’, implying they had met once before. But Xie Lian truly could not remember ever meeting someone like him, he would have remembered such a person.
“…” San Lang paused, carefully choosing his next words.
“It was a long time ago, Your Highness. And I wasn’t anyone notable at the time, so I doubt you would recall it…”
So they really have met before. Xie Lian was digging through his memories rapidly, thinking of anyone he could have possibly met that resembled the man in front of him. How long ago was it? He looked a bit younger than Xie Lian, at least with what he could see of the man’s face. So possibly around when he joined the palace? Or even before then? Was he involved in his parents' trade? If Xie Lian was right, he would have been too young to be anywhere near the mines his family owned. Though that would give him a reason to have seen Xie Lian at least once since his parents had been bent on teaching him how to run things so he could take everything over one day. He was on the sites pretty often before things had fallen apart.
Noticing his worried expression, San Lang paused their movement, stepping closer to him and wrapping his other hand around their clasped palms.
“There really is no need to worry so much about it, Your Highness.”
“But…” this feels important…
Seeing that Xie Lian didn’t want to let this go, San Lang pulled him off to the side of the garden path they had been following, towards a small gazebo.
“Let’s not think about this right now. If gege truly wants to know, we can talk about it another time. For now…”
A warm hand was placed on his hip once again, catching Xie Lian’s attention. He looked up at San Lang. Once his gaze met the other man’s he suddenly understood. If you could listen carefully, the music from the ballroom echoed faintly in the distance.
“…it seemed like gege wasn't quite done with our dancing earlier.”
Xie Lian could only give a slight nod in response, a somewhat fond smile seeming to find its way to his face.
Really. He was absolutely an open book to this man.