NOVEL NEXT Chapter 205: Meet the parents
Rian stepped forward to Ren Xiyang’s side. “I know we all know each other, but I’d like to re-introduce you to my fiancé, Earl Ayden Rosewood.”
“Ayden is also my new future brother,” Alexius said, staring at how Rian was holding Ren Xiyang’s hand.
King Edric’s stern expression became stiffer, while Queen Mira had a look of amused exasperation.
Ren Xiyang bowed again. “Your Majesties, thank you for making time to meet me. I brought each of Your Majesties some gifts. I hope you can accept them.”
To King Edric, Ren Xiyang offered a ceremonial sword. King Edric took it with minimal acknowledgement, before handing it over to one of the few highly-ranked, in-the-know staff in the dining room.
For Queen Mira, Ren Xiyang gave a tea set with a sample selection of hand-blended tea and tisanes, some of which included magical herbs for extra energy-boosting properties.
For Alexius, Ren Xiyang gave him a wooden box. Inside was a set of miniature enchanted weapons that could be used for table-top duelling.
Alexius’s eyes lit up. “Ayden, are you free tomorrow? I want to try these out!”
“How about the day after?”
“Okay!”
And for the easily jealous Rian, Ren Xiyang gave him red and pink roses.
Rian held the roses and looked at Ren Xiyang. Why is my gift the cheapest of all? he asked via the telepathic connection.
Ren Xiyang replied, But it’s the most romantic.
Rian brightened. I love you.
“Let’s take a seat,” Queen Mira said.
Everyone gave their presents to a staff member to temporarily put away, while other staff members pulled back the dining chairs and helped them be seated.
The first course was served, and for a minute, there was nothing but the faintest rustling of clothing and the touch of cutlery on plates.
“We haven’t had the chance to talk since you returned from your tour with Rian,” Queen Mira said.
Ren Xiyang nodded. “Apologies, Your Majesty. I’ve been busy.”
Rian: Busy playing with Alexius!
Ren Xiyang’s expression didn’t change. “The tour was good. I was able to see the uniqueness of each fief. It reminded me that although the standardisation of many matters is important, such as baseline quality of life, we also need to retain the unique characteristics of each fief.”
“Did you have a favourite fief during your visit?”
Ren Xiyang looked at Rian. “What was the one by the sea? The Blue fief? Water? Aqua?”
“The Foam fief,” Rian said. “If Ayden had the option to choose, he’d prefer to have a fief by the sea.”
“I think it would be nice to retire to a place close to the seaside,” Ren Xiyang said.
“Retire?” Alexius made a face. “That’s ages away!”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Queen Mira said.
Queen Mira took charge of the conversation, asking Earl Rosewood more about the tour and what he had gained from it, how the alternative-stream entrance exam went, and further plans regarding work and research.
Interspersed were wait staff taking away used plates and serving new courses.
King Edric remained silent.
If there weren’t any other people around, Mira would have asked him if he had lost his voice. As it were, his image of a stoic and powerful king wasn’t working on Earl Rosewood at all. Had Edric forgotten that Rian and Earl Rosewood had dared to face off against King Augustus and survived?
“Your new productivity product line is quite unusual,” Mira said. “Some items are understandable, but others…”
Earl Rosewood inclined his head. “At this stage, everyone is coming up with ideas and prototypes. We don’t really know what people would like or find useful in their workflow. Something that works for me isn’t going to work for everyone.”
“Not everyone works as much as you,” Rian added affectionately. He looked at Mira. “And you too, Imperial Mother.”
“And your Imperial Father too,” Mira added.
“Hm, and Imperial Father.”
“King Edric and I have both started using those dot-grid notebooks you provided me,” Queen Mira said.
King Edric stiffened.
Earl Rosewood nodded. “I’ll send you some more. In fact, Rian and I are developing a new kind of communication-mirror-like message board, that might be interesting to you too. Rian and I want to each have a synchronised board displaying our calendars. If I write something or rub something out on my board, Rian would see the change instantaneously.”
“I want to know what Ayden’s schedule is like at all times,” Rian said affectionately.
Mira: “…” Rian really wanted to show off and display his feelings for Earl Rosewood today.
“I also want Kel—my personal assistant—to have a board too, so she can update my schedule whenever necessary and I can see the changes,” Earl Rosewood said.
“Is it just schedules you want to synchronise?” Mira asked.
“It could hypothetically be anything. We could also develop one-way synchronisation. You could control a master board, whose changes are reflected on several boards around the palace, or even around the kingdom. If we link this into Rian’s future work, this board could be updated every day with the weather forecast.”
Mira turned to King Edric. “King Edric, can you think of a use of such a device?”
“Announcements to all nobles,” King Edric said. He did not elaborate further.
Earl Rosewood nodded, looking interested. “Announcements is a good idea. Announcements to the citizens could also be useful.”
King Edric didn’t say anything and just looked mildly doubtful.
“Such message boards could be quite versatile,” Mira said.
If King Edric didn’t want to talk, Mira decided not to bother to accommodate him. He was a big man now. (He was also a good conversationalist when he wanted to be.) She can talk with Alexius, Rian, and Earl Rosewood.
“Ayden, you didn’t talk about what we’re making!” Alexius piped up. “Imperial Mother, you know about our floating office chairs, right? We’re going to make floating tables next! This way, we can work while standing up, or while sitting down…”
At the end of the dinner, she and King Edric said goodbye to Earl Rosewood, and then Alexius and Rian both accompanied Earl Rosewood out of the Palace.
Mira and King Edric returned to their quarters.
Once the servants had finished their tasks and left, Mira gave Edric a look.
“Well?” Mira asked.
“I don’t want him as Rian’s…marriage partner.”
“How about I schedule some time for him to assist you with your work?”
“He’s a child,” Edric said.
“In that case, I’ll have him assist me with my work.”
Edric stiffened. “Mira.”
Mira raised an eyebrow. “He may well become the future consort, which means he’ll need to take on my duties. You should be ensuring that Rian is being appropriately trained too.”
“I don’t like Earl Rosewood. He’s just too…too liberal! Too casual! Too integrated with the commoners, without a sense of his position.”
“What else is wrong with him?”
“What about his background? You were the one most concerned about his suspicious background! Don’t you want to know the truth? To know what secrets he has? If it’s not bad, why won’t he tell us?”
Mira made a wry expression. “Rian promises that he knows Earl Rosewood’s background. Given that they’re telepathically linked, I can’t imagine they have many big secrets left between each other.”
“They’re telepathically linked?!”
Mira picked up Edric’s hand. “What’s the real problem, darling?”
Edric snorted. “My Queen, I have listed several problems with Earl Rosewood. The fact that he is a boy should not need to be stated further.”
Mira gave him a pat. “You don’t need to like him. I’ll deal with Earl Rosewood, and you can deal with Rian.”
Edric made a bad expression. “Giving Rian more work, no matter how menial, makes him happy. He’ll squeeze whatever power and connections he can out of it.”
“Are you proud of Rian, or do you disapprove?”
Edric pouted, which reminded Mira of exactly how Rian and Alexius would pout when they were unhappy.
“Less talking, I want to sleep,” Edric said.
“It’s been a long day,” Mira agreed.
Like father, like sons, all of them prone to dramatics. They simply hid it better as they grew older…
Rian had wanted to return with Ren Xiyang to the Rosewood house after the dinner, but Ren Xiyang didn’t let him. Thus, Rian had to wait til the next day to spend time with Ren Xiyang in private.
“Yesterday’s dinner went well,” Rian said.
“King Edric still doesn’t like me,” Ren Xiyang said, giving Rian a look.
“I’ve told him about all your great achievements,” Rian said with a pout. “I also told him how I took the initiative and you weren’t seducing me. I did everything I could. He’s using some Rosewood stationery now, so I thought he had started to soften up…”
“Queen Mira accepted me after I had that private meeting with her. I should meet with King Edric privately too.”
“But she was the one who requested the meeting,” Rian said. “We need to wait for my Imperial Father to do the same.” He wrapped an arm around Ren Xiyang. “Don’t worry, we still have two years before we can be married. That’s plenty of time to chip down my Imperial Father. And if he makes an objection during the wedding, we could duel him.”
Did Ren Xiyang imagine it, or did Rian sound like he wanted to duel King Edric during their wedding?
On the other hand, King Edric hadn’t put Ren Xiyang in jail yet, and he had let the amended marriage laws pass, so perhaps a small part of him was implicitly allowing their relationship.
“No, more importantly, why didn’t I know you were working with Alexius on floating desks now?” Rian gave Ren Xiyang a pointed look.
“You and I have enough projects together already. We’ve barely set up a network for cold-chain logistics, let alone maglev trains.”
“I want to do something more with you,” Rian said.
“I can’t, I have no more time available.”
Rian’s eyes widened and he gasped in amazement. “Ren Xiyang, you have a work limit? You don’t want to do more work?”
Ren Xiyang rolled his eyes.
Rian laughed, full of happiness, and Ren Xiyang couldn’t help but feel a burst of fondness for this dramatic little prince.
Classes at the Imperial Magical Academy started, but things were different from a year ago. Both Ren Xiyang and Rian were admitted into the alternative study stream. Student tutor-study sessions begun right away.
Tierri Mauveine started at the academy, leaving Alexius to play with Adrienne and Günter.
Rian also became the vice-president of the student council.
Ren Xiyang had no interesting being on the student council and Rian reluctantly agreed. However, Rian still regularly invited Ren Xiyang to the student council room to have afternoon tea or snacks and thus made Ren Xiyang a defacto student council member.
At this time, Prince Pollux was approaching the Terra fief, on his trip back to Sedaveria’s Capital. The university started a few weeks after the academy, and this year, Pollux didn’t need any extra time to settle down.
With the Terra fief in sight, one of Pollux’s guards informed him that there was a small party waiting for him.
Pollux’s heart skipped a beat. Did Hadrian come?
The clop-clop-clop of the guards’ horses seemed to drive Pollux’s heartbeat.
It has only been a few months, Pollux tried to admonish himself.
Nonetheless, he kept quiet and listened to the sound of the horses, waiting for them to slow down to signify approach to the team waiting for them.
“Your Highness.”
Hadrian appeared by his window, riding a big horse.
“Hadrian!” Pollux said, louder than he had planned. “Good afternoon.”
Hadrian smiled. “Good afternoon Your Highness. How has your trip been?”
“Uneventful,” Pollux said.
“And how has Princess Sasha been?”
Pollux laughed. “Travel makes her sleepy.”
Hadrian blinked for a moment, and then said with a mysterious grin, “Just wait until you reach home, I have something I want to show you.”
Pollux nodded.
“I’ll ride a bit further away from the carriage, let’s talk later, Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
With a subtle movement, Hadrian nudged his horse away from Pollux’s carriage window, his gaze turning forward.
It was a bit too far to speak, but Hadrian remained in view.
As Pollux looked out the window to enjoy the scenery, his gaze would unavoidably land upon Hadrian.
Unconsciously, his eyes traced Hadrian’s profile, from his forehead, his nose, his lips, his chin, his throat and Adam’s apple, the strong curve of his chest…
Queen Mira: The Azure men are prone to dramatics.
Ren Xiyang: Agreed (affectionate).
Queen Mira and Ren Xiyang look at each other, full of understanding.
Thanks to Xevi for reminding me that Ren Xiyang and Rian can have in-world synced calendars. Rian is going to be tempted to block out Ren Xiyang’s calendar with “important business”…
Look at this artwork of Ren Xiyang by NiNi!!!! Such a cool Yangyang!
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