At the Ruohan Residence, the air in the kitchens was thick with the steam of rice and the sharper scent of scandal.
The maids couldn't wrap their heads around what they'd seen two days ago , Each one attending to a different tasks.
Senior Rica would have our heads if she heard this," Solar whispered, clutching a bundle of herbs.
A maid walked in carrying a wooden bucket of water , she seemed to be seventeen years old , Cisca itching for gossip spoke " So how was it Sarki" .
Sarki "how was what". She spoke rolling her eyes.
Zora huffed " don't act stupid, how was the meeting?".
Sarki " you know maids aren't permitted in"
Zora continued , " So you heard nothing?" The disappointment was quite visible on her face .
Sarki spoke in an annoyed tone " except for Aunt Mei yelling like Crazy I didn't hear anything more "
Cisca sighed " that's too bad" .
Sarki added"well you guys said you were greeted by an obscure scene when you walked into young masters room "
Zora spat in disgust "don't mention it "
Sarki eagerly asked "why ? What happened? ".
Zora countered, coughing as she dusted a cupboard. "The Young Lord Karas was practically molding himself to Zaliyah's shadow. It wasn't just 'brotherly' I saw the way he looked at him. Like Zaliyah was made of glass."
Sarki, the newest maid, leaned in, her eyes wide with disgust. "But... they're brothers, aren't they?"
Zora snorted "Only by adoption
Solar tried to debunk the exegerated story "I was there and this is clearly not what happened"
Cisca huffed "I was there too , but it wasn't something too surprising " and so she started narrating Zaliyah's childhood.
" When the young master was young most people described him as the "Cold ghost"....
"Well he does look like one " Zora added
Cisca continued" he was isolated, had no friends, and always covered up in books, that was unlikely for someone his age , his appearance though soft on the eyes raised alot of questions, the obvious difference between him and elder master Karas was alarming, everyone wondered where such a strange child came from.
On the other hand , elder master Karas was easy going, gentle, kind, wether you were of noble birth or a commoner he would show gratitude whereas young master Zaliyah was the complete opposite, arrogant, disrespectful ,rude and had a nasty temper since birth "
Zora replied"no doubt he was bullied"
Cisca " Elder master Karas was liked by everyone and as such young master Zaliyah envied him alot , and would even set him up most times , asking for unimaginable presents , he avoided elder master Karas and would often ignore his existence but elder master Karas kept showering him with limitless affection "
Sarki quite intrigued "Elder master Karas has always been loving and tender , since he was little, wow "
Cisca continued narrating " elder master Karas would often defend young master Zaliyah against his bullies, at the end young master Zaliyah gave in "
Zora scuffed " who wouldn't give in ?elder master Karas could melt even the coldest of hearts "
Cisca replied " As such young master Zaliyah having found his first and only friend couldn't help clinging unto elder master Karas like a kitten towards its mommy ".
Zora " one time I heard senior Rica saying elder master Karas and young master Zaliyah were inseparable, they slept together, ate together, read together, young master Zaliyah couldn't be seen without the elder master in sight"
Cisca " yes totally true , they'd such a strong bond, you'd think they were born from the same womb, elder master was mature for his age as such young master dependent on him for everything and this made the elder master to become overprotective of him , he wouldn't let the young master do anything, even the fablest of chores and would most times clean up his mess , young master Zaliyah just had to name it and the elder master would make sure he receives it ten times more "
Sarki with a flushed face "now imagine what elder master Karas would do for the one he actually loves"
Zora scuffed" stop dreaming, mere servants like us can't dream of that , lord Caius would free us from our post if he found out we dare dream about his priced goods.
Cisca replied "true the lord is such a hard man to please,his daughter-in-law would need to hail from a reputable family with a fat bank account .
Sarki " I just know she'll be like a white lotus" .
At the underworld
Ailla sat in her study, the smoke from her pipe curling around her like a serpent.
A raven landed on her desk, its feathers dissolving into the form of Tev, a shapeshifting demon with eyes like yellow glass.
Ailla's chamberlain , shakdam, handed him a sealed envelope.
They watched it burn in Ailla's smoke pot after he memorized the contents a death warrant or a tracking spell, only the ashes knew.
"Your wish is my command," Tev hissed, bowing low before vanishing into a cloud of black feathers.
"Do you think he can do it?" the chamberlain asked.
Ailla's brown eyes burned with the fire of a woman scorned. "He has to. If Malachi won't come home for a crown, perhaps he'll come home for a funeral."
Inside his quarters, Zaliyah frowned at the reflection Gracing his eyes , he muttered to himself "It's just a stroll, I'm putting so much thought into this".
A gentle knock echoed. Zaliyah didn't need to ask who it was. Riru would have kicked the door down, Karas knocked like he was asking permission to breathe.
"Come in, Karas. You're a lord, not a servant. Stop knocking."
Karas entered, a warm smile dancing on his lips.
Without a word, he moved behind Zaliyah and he wrapped his hands around Zaliyah's waist.
"A man ought to be respectful of privacy"
Zaliyah nodded his head before Karas pulled him to sit while he began to unbind his hair.
His touch was so light, so reverent, that Zaliyah felt his anger begin to melt.
Zaliyah " you have gotten better at this" he muttered as Kara's comb's his silky hair.
Karas replied" all thanks to my muse".
He deligently held Zaliyah's hair into a ponytail, then tied it into a bun , he removed an antique hairpin from his pocket, the hair pin had a golden lotus embedded into it , he pierced the hair pin through Zaliyahs hair making the bun stay in place .
He gently touched Zaliyah's ear "it has gotten longer and pointy".
Zaliyah slapped his hands angrily
"Don't touch it"
This was nothing new to Karas as he spoke in a reassuring tone
"Zaliyah.....I don't think it's weird, I've never thought the was anything weird about you" .
Zaliyah looked at his reflection, his heart doing a small summersault at the sight of the hair pin .it wasn't just about the hair, it was the way karas handled him , like he were the most precious thing in the world.He had a love and hate relationship with Karas's dedication towards him, he hated the infantalization , Would karas ever see him as more than a brother? He wondered.
Zaliyah leaned back slightly, his head resting against Karas's chest , and let out a soft, centered sigh. "I've been looking forward to this all day" he admitted hiding his crimson cheeks with his antique fan.
Karas laughed softly, the sound vibrating against Zaliyah's back, and leaned down to whisper near his ear "Then we better get going, before the sun sets"
Zaliyah closed his eyes, a silly, helpless grin spreading across his face.
He was completely unaware of what awaits him at the park .