yehua had always thought that falling in love would be impossible, after the things he went through in the now destroyed kingdom of lang. with the death of the cruel emperor, yehua was freed from his prison and was able to return home to his family. but things weren't at all how they used to be. the once cheerful and doting teenager was now a cold and rude young adult. he showed no respect for anyone, not even his father who was the king. his mother was the only person he got along with, for she had tried to understand what her son had been through. understanding the horrors yehua had witnessed would have been impossible, having not witnessed them herself, but an obvious attempt was made and yehua certainly appreciated that. but romantic love was a different story. he didn't trust anyone with his heart, much less other men. his father had tried to set up dates for yehua, with maidens from all over the kingdom, but he was not even remotely interested in women. he had been a teenager, of fifteen or so, when he realised that he was only interested in men. needless to say, that he didn't share that information with just anyone. not even his brother, who was known for fooling around with both men and women.
jiang xufeng was the first son of the emperor and empress and the crown prince of the kingdom of xia. he was known for his skill in martial arts, but also for being promiscuous. not in the bad sense, though. he was always caring with his partners, even if he only slept with them once.
yehua greatly disapproved of his brother's " indecent habits " and never skipped the chance to remind him that he was despicable. at first, xufeng had been taken aback by his brother's cruel words, having not been used to yehua being like this. but as time passed, he simply came to accept that his little brother was no longer the teenager he remembered. as for yehua, he found it impossible to open up. let alone, fall in love. there were few men he trusted and even fewer he viewed as worthy of holding his heart. in the end, he had just come to accept that he would remain alone for the rest of his life.
in the span of the years that passed, since yehua returned home, he had grown close to a few people. one of them was a rich merchant, named yu xiyao. he was a close friend of the king and had no wife or children. xiyao was the kind of man who always smiled, no matter the adversity he was in. he had taken an evident liking to the youngest prince and always brought him gifts when he visited the palace. be it a fan, that came straight from japan, or a rare gemstone he had paid a hefty price for, or even robes that were made in other kingdoms and sported different designs. yehua could have purchased each of the items, of course. and he always offered to do so. but xiyun declined the money each time, saying they were gifts and he wouldn't sell them to the prince.
aside from the robes, that yehua wore on special occasions, every other item that xiyao brought for him was placed in a box and hidden away, as if they were rare treasures. in a sense, they were. none of those items were easy to find, but yehua wouldn't have cared either way. it was because xiyao had brought them for him, that he kept them safe so diligently. although he wouldn't openly admit it, he'd become quite fond of xiyao. perhaps, more fond than he was of anybody else. and definitely in a different way.
yehua caught himself thinking about xiyao more often than not, itching to meet him and share tea or a drink. and xiyao was always willing to meet him. be it in the palace, where he needed special permission to enter, or in a tavern in town.
it was yehua's birthday. and despite very few people actually liking him, most of the guests had willingly attended the celebration banquet the king had thrown that night. yehua had insisted that he didn't need a stupid banquet to celebrate. in fact, he was happy with locking himself in his study and reading a good book on this, special day. at first, he had announced that he wasn't even going to attend. but after his mother pressured him a little, he had agreed to show up for a short amount of time.
the main hall was bustling with people, when yehua arrived, dressed in an exotic set of robes that xiyao had gifted him a little while ago. they were in shades of pink, as yehua liked, with silver butterflies emboirdered onto the fabric. his long, dark hair was styled half in a bun and half cascading down his back, decorated with various flowers and a ribbon in the colour of the hem of his robes. since he was the birthday boy, he had taken extra care of his appearance at night. alot of people came forward to wish him, but he brushed them off rather rudely.
he could clearly see his father disapproving, seated on his throne. his mother looked concerned and xufeng could easily be seen mingling with a group of maidens. yehua rolled his eyes, upon seeing his brother flirting again. what he didn't expect was for xufeng to lead his group of " fangirls " to yehua.
" hey, meimei ! what do you think of my brother ? isn't he handsome ? " xufeng asked, shamelessly.
the young woman, who was dressed in lilac, walked around yehua and inspected him. " dianxia is certainly cute ! " she said finally, causing yehua's eyebrows to furrow. xufeng always did that ! bringing women up to him and ask of their opinion, as if yehua wasn't present and listening. just how stupid could his brother get ?!
yehua looked at the young woman, seriously. " ugly. " he stated, simply. a small " huh ? " left her and the youngest prince elaborated without a hint of shame in his voice. " you're ugly. too much powder, too much make up. you're obviously hiding how hideous you are under this disguise. " the young woman's eyes welled with tears and xufeng turned to glare at his brother, but yehua was already gone.
after greeting a few more guests and listening to their nonsense and flattery, he secretly stepped outside to get some fresh air. he didn't much like crowded places, or people. he was more of a loner, who only tolerated few people's company. one of them came to greet him, moments after he stepped outside.
it was yu xiyao ! dressed in dark blue robes, xiayo perfectly contrasted yehua's bright pink outfit. " it looks even better on you than i could have ever imagined. " he smiled, admiring his friend. " why aren't you enjoying the party ? " xiyao asked and yehua just shook his head.
" i didn't even want a stupid party, to begin with. fuqin threw it without asking me, as he always does. muqin kept nagging me, until i agreed to attend. then xufeng decided to make his silly fangirls flirt with me, as if i would be interested in a few, common idiots. "
xiyao flinched at the harsh words, but never lost his smile. " you know you can't avoid marriage forever, right ? sooner or later, your father will have to marry and create children, in case xufeng has no children of his own. and seeing as he likes to flirt and sleep around, i highly doubt he will ever settle down and make a family. you may not know it, but your father is counting on you. "
yehua was taken aback by that piece of information. he'd always thought he was a disappointment in his father's eyes. someone who mooched off of his wealth and never offered anything in return. perhaps yehua was the royal physician as well, but it wasn't very often that his services were needed and his father could invite any physician from the medicinal valley to replace him in the future. which was why it surprised him to hear xiyao's words.
" father knows i don't want to get married. much less to a woman. " he huffed.
xiyao's smile widened. " are you planning on marrying a man, then ? " he asked, full on teasing yehua, whose cheeks turned a bright shade of red. he averted his gaze from xiyao. " what if i was ? " he shot back, trying to catch him off guard. but it didn't work. it only prompted xiyao to lean closer. " got someone in mind ? "
yehua looked up at xiyao, who was a little taller than him, their lips only inches apart. then the distance between them was closed and their lips met in what yehua could describe as the best kiss he had ever received. not that he had received many ! but at least, this one was consensual and much wanted. it only occured to him then, that he'd had a crush on xiyao the entire time. he just didn't dare to admit it. when their lips finally parted, yehua looked up at xiyao again, a small smile taking over his features. for once, it was a genuine smile. one full of love and adoration. one that reached his eyes and was reserved only for xiyao.
xiyao, on the other hand, looked a little surprised. " your highness ? " he asked, confused. and yehua reached out to touch his lips, effectively silencing him. he gave xiyao a moment to let this information sink in, that yehua was fully in love with him and had serious intentions. if he ever did marry, he was marrying xiyao without a second thought.
" does this answer your questions, mr. i know it everything, hm ? "
jiang xufeng was the first son of the emperor and empress and the crown prince of the kingdom of xia. he was known for his skill in martial arts, but also for being promiscuous. not in the bad sense, though. he was always caring with his partners, even if he only slept with them once.
yehua greatly disapproved of his brother's " indecent habits " and never skipped the chance to remind him that he was despicable. at first, xufeng had been taken aback by his brother's cruel words, having not been used to yehua being like this. but as time passed, he simply came to accept that his little brother was no longer the teenager he remembered. as for yehua, he found it impossible to open up. let alone, fall in love. there were few men he trusted and even fewer he viewed as worthy of holding his heart. in the end, he had just come to accept that he would remain alone for the rest of his life.
in the span of the years that passed, since yehua returned home, he had grown close to a few people. one of them was a rich merchant, named yu xiyao. he was a close friend of the king and had no wife or children. xiyao was the kind of man who always smiled, no matter the adversity he was in. he had taken an evident liking to the youngest prince and always brought him gifts when he visited the palace. be it a fan, that came straight from japan, or a rare gemstone he had paid a hefty price for, or even robes that were made in other kingdoms and sported different designs. yehua could have purchased each of the items, of course. and he always offered to do so. but xiyun declined the money each time, saying they were gifts and he wouldn't sell them to the prince.
aside from the robes, that yehua wore on special occasions, every other item that xiyao brought for him was placed in a box and hidden away, as if they were rare treasures. in a sense, they were. none of those items were easy to find, but yehua wouldn't have cared either way. it was because xiyao had brought them for him, that he kept them safe so diligently. although he wouldn't openly admit it, he'd become quite fond of xiyao. perhaps, more fond than he was of anybody else. and definitely in a different way.
yehua caught himself thinking about xiyao more often than not, itching to meet him and share tea or a drink. and xiyao was always willing to meet him. be it in the palace, where he needed special permission to enter, or in a tavern in town.
it was yehua's birthday. and despite very few people actually liking him, most of the guests had willingly attended the celebration banquet the king had thrown that night. yehua had insisted that he didn't need a stupid banquet to celebrate. in fact, he was happy with locking himself in his study and reading a good book on this, special day. at first, he had announced that he wasn't even going to attend. but after his mother pressured him a little, he had agreed to show up for a short amount of time.
the main hall was bustling with people, when yehua arrived, dressed in an exotic set of robes that xiyao had gifted him a little while ago. they were in shades of pink, as yehua liked, with silver butterflies emboirdered onto the fabric. his long, dark hair was styled half in a bun and half cascading down his back, decorated with various flowers and a ribbon in the colour of the hem of his robes. since he was the birthday boy, he had taken extra care of his appearance at night. alot of people came forward to wish him, but he brushed them off rather rudely.
he could clearly see his father disapproving, seated on his throne. his mother looked concerned and xufeng could easily be seen mingling with a group of maidens. yehua rolled his eyes, upon seeing his brother flirting again. what he didn't expect was for xufeng to lead his group of " fangirls " to yehua.
" hey, meimei ! what do you think of my brother ? isn't he handsome ? " xufeng asked, shamelessly.
the young woman, who was dressed in lilac, walked around yehua and inspected him. " dianxia is certainly cute ! " she said finally, causing yehua's eyebrows to furrow. xufeng always did that ! bringing women up to him and ask of their opinion, as if yehua wasn't present and listening. just how stupid could his brother get ?!
yehua looked at the young woman, seriously. " ugly. " he stated, simply. a small " huh ? " left her and the youngest prince elaborated without a hint of shame in his voice. " you're ugly. too much powder, too much make up. you're obviously hiding how hideous you are under this disguise. " the young woman's eyes welled with tears and xufeng turned to glare at his brother, but yehua was already gone.
after greeting a few more guests and listening to their nonsense and flattery, he secretly stepped outside to get some fresh air. he didn't much like crowded places, or people. he was more of a loner, who only tolerated few people's company. one of them came to greet him, moments after he stepped outside.
it was yu xiyao ! dressed in dark blue robes, xiayo perfectly contrasted yehua's bright pink outfit. " it looks even better on you than i could have ever imagined. " he smiled, admiring his friend. " why aren't you enjoying the party ? " xiyao asked and yehua just shook his head.
" i didn't even want a stupid party, to begin with. fuqin threw it without asking me, as he always does. muqin kept nagging me, until i agreed to attend. then xufeng decided to make his silly fangirls flirt with me, as if i would be interested in a few, common idiots. "
xiyao flinched at the harsh words, but never lost his smile. " you know you can't avoid marriage forever, right ? sooner or later, your father will have to marry and create children, in case xufeng has no children of his own. and seeing as he likes to flirt and sleep around, i highly doubt he will ever settle down and make a family. you may not know it, but your father is counting on you. "
yehua was taken aback by that piece of information. he'd always thought he was a disappointment in his father's eyes. someone who mooched off of his wealth and never offered anything in return. perhaps yehua was the royal physician as well, but it wasn't very often that his services were needed and his father could invite any physician from the medicinal valley to replace him in the future. which was why it surprised him to hear xiyao's words.
" father knows i don't want to get married. much less to a woman. " he huffed.
xiyao's smile widened. " are you planning on marrying a man, then ? " he asked, full on teasing yehua, whose cheeks turned a bright shade of red. he averted his gaze from xiyao. " what if i was ? " he shot back, trying to catch him off guard. but it didn't work. it only prompted xiyao to lean closer. " got someone in mind ? "
yehua looked up at xiyao, who was a little taller than him, their lips only inches apart. then the distance between them was closed and their lips met in what yehua could describe as the best kiss he had ever received. not that he had received many ! but at least, this one was consensual and much wanted. it only occured to him then, that he'd had a crush on xiyao the entire time. he just didn't dare to admit it. when their lips finally parted, yehua looked up at xiyao again, a small smile taking over his features. for once, it was a genuine smile. one full of love and adoration. one that reached his eyes and was reserved only for xiyao.
xiyao, on the other hand, looked a little surprised. " your highness ? " he asked, confused. and yehua reached out to touch his lips, effectively silencing him. he gave xiyao a moment to let this information sink in, that yehua was fully in love with him and had serious intentions. if he ever did marry, he was marrying xiyao without a second thought.
" does this answer your questions, mr. i know it everything, hm ? "