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The palace had always felt stuffy.
Grand and regal, its luxury could only ever be compared to the lavishness of the guests it was often sheltering during the social periods. The gleam of the gold , the shine of diamonds and other gemstones were easily swallowing the magical lighting and discreet candles filling ballrooms and hallways.
When the building was crowded by important guests, the air around was turning heavy and harsh - and all those fancy but very much useless ornaments were only thickening it. The weight of those people’s names only competed with the blandness of their discourses, leading to senseless conversations blossoming here and there. All around.
It was tiresome. It was as boring as it was overwhelming.
Alberu hated those gatherings. He always had.
And yet, he had always attended all of them as soon as he had been allowed inside the main building again. He had been around sixteen at the time. He should have known this rare favor Royal Father had granted him was a poisoned present - a bittersweet gift he had welcomed sourly with a proper smile and a humble thanking.
Since he had gained back his title of Crown Prince, Alberu had attended every single one of those receptions. He was arriving a bit late, according to the royal etiquette. And in spite of the rest of his siblings leaving early, Alberu was always staying until the very end of the evening. Putting up with all those hypocritical talks and purposeless chats. With troublesome people and their equally troublesome problems.
Those evenings were the worst, and he desperately needed them.
How laughable.
He was welcoming each of them with the same bitterness he had once displayed in front of the King all those years ago. But had learnt over years to conceal it properly.
A loud sigh escaped Alberu’s lips, piercing through the heavy air of this summer evening. The night was still young and charged with expensive perfumes. It was clogging his nostrils, and the relaxing music was covered by the guests’ loud chatting.
He had just excused himself after his fourteenth dance of the evening, and the prospect of returning inside was dreading. His old self had probably thought he’d eventually get used to it. How wrong he had been.
Alberu raised a half empty stem glass to his lips. He swallowed half-heartedly, knowing he had decided he’d head back inside once he’d be done drinking this one. He couldn’t just leave.
After the war, his position had never been stronger - and yet Alberu could never relish in this false sense of safety others would have probably basked in. He couldn’t lower his guard the slightest, not even for a night.
As someone who was used to fighting and plotting for years, he couldn’t believe in his victory that easily. This calm was making him anxious. And more guarded. The political world was a den of vultures, that’d relentlessly keep poking at him and prying even after the heavy crown of his Father would rest on his head.
He could not relax. Taking all this sudden power for granted would not be a mistake of his, not after sacrificing so much to get it.
Not after the countless, selfless sacrifices his people had done for him. The weight of their expectations would never let Alberu rest.
Alberu Crossman was greedy. Someone that would never waste an opportunity, not after having waited for so long. He would never let the throne slide between his fingers now that it was almost resting on his palm.
It was almost scratching his skin. And Alberu just wanted to close his grip around it.
The Crown Prince had never been patient.
He had grown up being told a King could take whatever he wanted, but then had needed to learn deception and wait around the harsh way.
Alberu’s vibrant blue eyes glanced down to his glass. The ridiculous amount resting inside could easily be downed in one go. The reddish liquid felt almost taunting.
He brought it once more to his lips, but his motion stopped midway. Someone was observing him. The velvety sound of the curtains getting moved aside got muffled by the wind, and quiet steps raised behind him.
Alberu’s scowl softened as he realized the person behind him hadn’t tried to hide their presence. And the corner of his lips tilted up slightly when the familiar cling of belts reached his ears.
“Oh, it’s you.” Alberu didn’t turn around. But still put down his glass on the railing.
No replies broke the heavy silence of the night, but Alberu’s sharp eyes caught in a shadow on his left side.
“I thought His Highness would be inside.” The shadow answered. And Alberu’s head finally turned to the source of the voice.
“I didn’t expect you to come tonight.” Alberu had seen dozens of people during the last few hours. From nobles of his own factions to foes. Exactly how things were supposed to go during a social gathering. It surely was tiresome, but Alberu wouldn’t have it any other way. Because familiarity means no unpleasant surprises or sudden dangers. And yet, he couldn’t say that Choi Han’s unplanned presence was dislikable or annoying. It was the opposite actually. “Did you forget something this afternoon?”
“No.” Choi Han’s reply came faster this time, and Alberu only hummed at it. His Instructor-nim had come earlier during the day for their weekly sparring session. His appearance wasn’t much different than during the afternoon.
“If you’re here for another round, I don’t think I’ll be able to indulge you, Instructor-nim.” Alberu half-heartedly joked, his fingers coming back around his glass. He could still feel his head hurt a little as the dark liquid swirled inside.
Choi Han’s dark eyes narrowed a little, and Alberu could easily guess what appearance he probably gave. Exhaustion was leaking through each of his moves. It wasn’t like he made any effort to cover it now. Not with Choi Han around - he knew the man could feel it anyway. And he had stopped feeling the need to pretend around the swordmaster long before. Even before the end of the war.
Choi Han was one of the few who knew his most guarded secret, after all.
“Is His Highness such a lazy student ?” The mock-chidding made Alberu scoff a bit. His smile widened slightly.
“I’m not sure it’d be efficient in such garments.” Royal attires were a pain. It was no wonder why many nobles versed in swordsarts still brought trusted knights with them when attending gatherings. The expensive silks and fancy decorations adorning them surely were beautiful. But just as everything related to nobility; it was stuffy and heavy to carry around. And it offered close to no freedom for movement. “Don’t you think you’ve beaten up your prince enough today ? I could start getting wrong ideas, you know?”
“You wound me, Your Highness.” Choi Han flatly replied, but his lips tilted up when he heard Alberu’s warm laugh. He approached a little more, coaxed by Alberu’s lack of reaction to him getting closer. His hand rested on the railing next to the prince’s ones. It stilled there. And Alberu pretended not to notice. “You mentioned this evening would be tedious.”
“Is that why you came here tonight ?” Alberu grinned.
“His Highness also seemed drained after our sparring, so I just…” His voice trailed off a bit, and the look in his eyes grew a bit more conflicted. Alberu understood.
He didn’t need Choi Han to finish his sentence to grasp the lingering feelings in the swordmaster’s tone. But wasn’t certain he even wanted Choi Han to tell him to begin with. So he just smiled.
His gloved hand took Choi Han’s casually. A bit too casual. Yet, it was Alberu’s silent way to thank Choi Han for his unspoken words.
And seeing the tip of the other’s ears turn slightly red was a bit entertaining. Both were keenly aware of the sudden blush, but would blame it on the biting cold of the night.
“I didn’t lie. It surely is tedious.” Choi Han had only attended two of these banquets. One after the war against the Indomitable Alliance. And the second one was after the official end of the war, after the White Star’s death. He had once mentioned how he’d prefer to never set foot in those ever again.
Alberu understood this too. “I’ll still have to return inside. I’ve postponed dancing with Marquis Ailian’s daughter for quite some time already.”
The father wasn’t much of a threat anymore, but it was still better to avoid any sort of troublesome issues now that his coronation was close.
“His Highness surely is popular.” It was something Choi Han had easily noticed during his time at the palace. The Crown Prince was of age to marry, and yet had kept on relentlessly declining all the proposals stacking on his messy desk.
Choi Han knew it wasn’t his place to feel upset about this - Alberu’s distaste for nobility was enough for both of them. But he still was irritated anytime the Crown Prince was mentioning how those wedding requests were slowing his work down by a lot. Alberu Crossman was busy enough without those.
“Am I?” Alberu’s snort made Choi Han’s brows furrow. The royal’s gaze stared down at the garden underneath them. The frozen expression on Alberu’s delicate features seemed more natural than the usual smile often adorning the prince’s handsome face. A bitter look sparkled in his dyed eyes. “I wouldn’t call it ‘popularity’.”
Those people didn’t care about Alberu Crossman.
They wouldn’t mind having him dead - and half of the nobles gathered inside the palace tonight would even celebrate the news of their Crown Prince’s demise.
Choi Han didn’t reply.
The swordsmaster listened to him wordlessly. It was one of the things Alberu found the most relaxing about him. Not his silence per se, but the quiet listening.
After living so many years in an empty, half-ruined palace, Alberu Crossman had thought having people around would have felt reassuring. This hope shattered as soon as he had been allowed back inside the main building, and the hallways of what had been his shelter for almost a decade filled with foes and people he couldn’t trust.
After attending his first balls, Alberu had finally understood noise was almost worse than the deafeningly lonely silence he had grown accustomed to.
And he had given up trying to maintain a constant comfort.
But a Crown Prince didn’t need that to get the throne - he just needed to adapt.
So Alberu had. And he was now a couple of months away from his coronation.
However, Choi Han’s attentive silence was comfortable.
The man wasn’t trying to fill it with useless casual talk, and wasn’t afraid of keeping his mouth shut when he didn’t have anything to say. This was something the Crown Prince valued.
He had then figured out Choi Han was also someone that didn’t feel the need to force an answer out anytime he was listening to someone. He wasn’t faking a reaction either; the poor bastard was unable to lie to begin with.
This was something Alberu valued a lot.
He liked this quiet side of Choi Han.
But it was also annoying, in a way. Since he had deemed the swordmaster was someone he could trust, Alberu had suddenly felt the need to fill those blanks himself. Just for the intoxicating feeling of being listened to.
The next day, he’d always felt like he maybe had shared too much. But had never regretted it anyway.
“I’ve considered walking back inside those annoying gatherings without my disguise once or twice when I was younger and had too many drinks.” The confession spilled from his lips, and a bitter amusement stirred in his chest. “I don’t think people would be so adamant about dancing with me anymore if I were to do so.”
Those people would never touch his hand if he ever walked back inside in his dark elf form. He was reminded of it anytime he saw people avoiding Mary’s touch even when they were wearing gloves. The consideration almost made him fiddle with the hems of his own ones. Almost.
Choi Han’s grip gently tightened around his hand.
Alberu didn't look at Choi Han. His selfishness made him hope Choi Han wouldn't speak either. But his grip tightened around the swordsmaster's hold - just to let him know he had caught on to the gentle reassurance. Just to let him know he was aware of his presence by his side.
He could feel Choi Han's burning gaze on him, but still stubbornly glanced down at his drink. Maybe it would soon be time to empty it. To head back inside. And yet, the other's presence prevented him from doing so. With Choi Han there, the stuffy ballroom felt even less appealing. The man had taken this feeble resolve and had effortlessly shattered it.
"Those people are reaching for the Sun, but are afraid of being burned." Choi Han's calm tone eventually rose between the two of them. And Alberu still didn't feel an ounce of disappointment hearing this familiar voice breach the silence he had been relishing in. Maybe even Alberu Crossman's selfishness knew boundaries, after all. Or maybe Choi Han ignoring his tacit demand was all it took for it to fall apart. The vibrant blue eyes glanced at their gloved hands. "Those who truly know His Highness wouldn't let go that easily."
A familiar surprise blossomed in Alberu's chest. One he had grown accustomed to since a certain redhead and the rest of his crew had barged in the Crown Prince's proper life. One he had grown to cherish.
If Alberu Crossman hated surprises, the one brought by Cale Henituse, Choi Han or the rest of their family had always been equally good things. His past self would have relished in the profit he gained from each of them.
But the future Emperor had learnt to focus on more important things now. Alberu could focus on more important things now, because those people had brought him the comfort he had yearned for since the King had forsaken him.
“Don’t let people know you’re such a flatterer.” Alberu waved off the solemnity of the moment. Choi Han’s dark eyes on him didn’t feel uncomfortable. They never did. But his chest clenched under this sharp gaze. “You’d get dragged to balls in no time.”
“Unlike you, I wouldn’t have to accept, Your Highness.” The quick reply made Alberu’s grin widen.
“You’d even refuse your Crown Prince a dance ?” He leaned closer, resting his shoulder against Choi Han for good measure. The man tensed up slightly at first, but relaxed swiftly.
“Never.” It sounded genuine. Of course it was.
Choi Han couldn’t lie, and the lack of hesitation made it all the more obvious. Alberu felt his face warm up.
He couldn’t prevent the bright smile twisting his lips. And didn’t attempt to do so.
“Maybe I should ask, then.” Alberu’s eyes eventually moved away from his glass. He fully turned to Choi Han, who had never torn his eyes away from the Crown Prince’s subtle blush.
“His Highness could. Even now.” They could still discern the elegant music coming out of the first floor ballroom. Faintly, but it would be enough. Choi Han slowly moved them away from the railing, resting his free hand on Alberu's waist gently. It was always amusing to see the stark contrast between how rough his Instructor-nim could get during the sparrings - and how he was usually behaving.
Alberu Crossman wasn’t made of glass. He had taken down a Lion Guardian, an Unranked Monster. And yet, the royal felt like one of the most cherished treasures in Choi Han’s hold.
“Do you even know how to dance ?” Alberu ended up asking, his face tilting up to take in the other’s expression. He knew he had won as soon as a discreet frown formed wrinkles on Choi Han’s soft forehead. His lips almost brushed against the man’s as he chuckled.
“I could ask Rosalyn to teach me.” He seriously proposed, his voice slightly lower. And Alberu’s smile softened. He wasn’t surprised. Not the slightest.
“I’m looking forward to it then.” His own voice dropped to a whisper as he uttered those words. Alberu could feel Choi Han’s thumb brushing against his gloved palm.
The swordmaster still hadn’t let go.
The comfortable silence lingered for a bit longer. Then Choi Han looked elsewhere.
“Are you expected to return back?” Choi Han eventually asked when he caught Alberu's glance towards the curtains. Beyond was the hallways leading back to the ballroom.
This was a shallow question, as both knew the Crown Prince needed to finish the night inside. Alberu just nodded, forbidding himself to feel any ounce of disappointment.
“What about you?” He then asked, making Choi Han’s full attention focus back on him.“Are you awaited to return?”
Choi Han would need to return to the Villa eventually. And Alberu wasn’t sure if he had come using a teleportation scroll or if someone was waiting for him. The Crown Prince still hoped it was the former option.
The swordmaster didn’t grant him any answer.
“Not as much as you are.” He simply said. And as Alberu was thinking the man was referring to the banquet, Choi Han added “It’s been a while since His Highness’ last visit.”
A short sigh escaped Alberu’s lips, blowing against Choi Han’s. This was the truth. It had been a very long time since he had come to spend an afternoon in the Henituse Duchy.
It was alarming how busy he had been lately - and even more alarming to realize he had even less time to spend time with his family than during the war.
This was a matter he’ll address as soon as possible. But there was nothing he could do about it tonight.
“I meant tonight, are you expected to return tonight?” He specified instead. And Choi Han’s lips tilted up.
“I don’t think I am.”
Alberu could feel the silent request under those words. And he hesitated.
He wanted to accept. To ask Choi Han to wait for him to return from the banquet.
But he also knew he wasn’t someone patient. And Choi Han had all the rights not to be one either.
Alberu Crossman was someone very selfish. And even greedier.
And yet, he was all too aware of how demanding getting involved with someone as busy as him could get. He was almost never free, and needed to check his planning anytime his family was inviting him over for dinner. Visiting whenever he had a moment felt off, and he couldn’t help but feel he was pushing his own schedule on everyone.
Choi Han would probably grow tired of it after a while.
Especially after his coronation, when he’d be even busier.
Alberu Crossman was someone very selfish. And even greedier. But he wasn’t unfair.
And he knew that telling Choi Han to stay would not be fair.
“I have an early meeting tomorrow.” He honestly replied. This was the truth, but the two of them knew it was the future Emperor’s way to deny Choi Han’s unspoken request.
“His Highness often has those.” It didn’t feel like a reproach.
Maybe because it wasn’t one. Choi Han wasn’t mad. He didn’t even look that disappointed. Just worried.
Alberu hated when people were worrying about him, but this was one of the few things he didn’t have control over. It felt wrong. And because of this, his next words came out more harshly than intended.
“I believe it’s part of my function.”
Choi Han just scowled quietly. This silence Alberu had grown to cherish now felt heavy. But the swordmaster’s expression eventually eased up, and Choi Han’s warm hold on the royal’s hand tightened. The look within those dark eyes grew more determined.
“Then the day after tomorrow ?”
“I also have an early meeting that day.” The retort came as fast as Choi Han’s new proposition. And Alberu’s own eyes lit up with an odd sense of satisfaction when the man’s next words reached his ears.
“Then the day after.”
“I have meetings all week. And banquets every evening.” Alberu wasn’t making those up. And yet, he was probably waiting for Choi Han to let go and turn away. His own eyes remained on Choi Han’s face, waiting to catch on any sign of deception or will of giving up.
The swordmaster’s reply rose between them once more, and the look on his face seemed more complex than before.
“... His Highness seems very busy.” The statement didn’t sound like a realization. Choi Han knew this already.
“I am.” Alberu paused. He wasn’t sure how to phrase the myriad of thoughts that had just rushed to his head when he had heard Choi Han’s words. Thus, he just said whatever came first - something he wasn’t used to allowing himself to do. “… is it a problem of any sort ?”
“No.” Choi Han’s head tilted down, pressing his lips against the cloth of Alberu’s glove. Warmth spread from the touch, creeping up Alberu’s body and reaching the tip of his ears. The contrast of the cold air of the night against his flushed cheeks felt nice.
Alberu’s expression remained unreadable for a while.
He then moved his hand away from Choi Han’s hold, cupping the man’s cheek in a gentle motion to tilt his head up.
The half emptied glass was still resting by their side on the railing.
“I think the banquet is almost over.”
“Yes.”
“After then.” It sounded a bit more demanding than intended. But Alberu couldn’t bring himself to care as Choi Han’s lips tilted up in a pleased smile.
“Sure.” He exhaled almost against Alberu’s lips. “I would wait until the end of the social period, if His Highness wanted me to.”
‘I would wait all year long if needed.’
The gap between their mouths closed. And Alberu’s back pressed against the railing.
The half-emptied glass spilled.