"Aiya, gorgeous, please, spare us the qin playing. Your skills are... well, let's just say they're a bit—" Prince Cyrus Drake choked on the words "hard to listen to," afraid he'd break the beauty's fragile little heart.
Lucian Vane shot him a dramatic eye-roll. Of course he knew his qin skills were tragic—hello, he’d never actually learned to play!
"What's wrong, gorgeous? Got your feathers ruffled?" Prince Cyrus Drake asked, all anxious and fussy, when Lucian Vane clammed up.
"Nope." Lucian just lowered his head and fiddled with the qin strings, refusing to say another word.
"Hey, beautiful, you were all smiles just now. Why the sudden frowny eyebrows?" Prince Cyrus Drake reached out, clearly itching to smooth out Lucian’s pout.
"Prince Cyrus Drake, do you actually mean it when you say you'll marry me?" Just as Cyrus’s hand was about to land on his forehead, Lucian Vane suddenly sprang to his feet, tilting his head and shooting him a sidelong, dreamy look.
"Of course I mean it! Relax, I, Prince Cyrus Drake, will absolutely marry you and spoil you rotten. Now come here, gorgeous!" Cyrus’s brain had long since been scrambled by Lucian Vane’s charm, but for some reason the guy insisted on playing the qin, leaving Cyrus dying to sneak a kiss and failing miserably.
Lucian Vane arched a brow. "But rumor has it the border’s about to go to war. What if poor little Lucian gets scared, huh?" He reached out and playfully hooked Cyrus’s chin, flashing a mischievous smile.
"Scared of what?" Prince Cyrus Drake shot back, rolling with Lucian Vane’s teasing.
"Scared that if I marry you, all those border generals will come charging in! How’s a delicate little Lucian supposed to feel safe?" He even whipped out a handkerchief and gave it a dramatic shake, as if genuinely terrified.
Seeing Lucian’s theatrics, Prince Cyrus Drake puffed out his chest and bragged, "Scared of what? Chu Kingdom’s got a million soldiers, you think we’re afraid of a bunch of barbarians? And I’ve got the Serpent Command Token right here—one flick of this and I can mobilize a hundred thousand troops! That’s ten times their numbers. Relax, gorgeous, those barbarians will drop dead at the border before they ever set foot in Chu!" He lunged at Lucian again, all fired up.
"Liar! There’s no such thing as a Serpent Command Token in Chu Kingdom—I’ve never heard of it! Prince, are you just trying to trick me?" Lucian scooted away, side-eyeing him hard.
"How could I lie? This prince would never trick you! Come here, baby, let me give you a kiss!" He wiggled closer, lips puckered like he was begging Lucian Vane to initiate.
"Nope!" Lucian Vane shoved his face away. "It’s my first time, you know—I need answers before I can marry you! What if a war breaks out and I get dragged into it?" He even faked a sniffle, looking all pitiful and tragic.
Seeing this, Prince Cyrus Drake gulped, spun around, and dashed inside. He fiddled with a hidden mechanism, and suddenly a plain Buddha statue on the table slid aside, revealing a tiny box. Cyrus gingerly took it out, hurried back to Lucian, and popped it open—inside was a token stamped with a fiery red snake, gleaming for all to see.
"See? Would this prince ever lie to you? Now, let’s get in bed already!" Prince Cyrus Drake said, grabbing Lucian’s butt for good measure.
"So this is the magic token that commands a hundred thousand troops?" Lucian Vane grinned. Nice. Finally got his hands on it.
Seeing Lucian Vane smile, Prince Cyrus Drake nearly burst with joy. "Of course! I’d never lie to you, gorgeous!" He leaned in for a kiss, but just then—a eunuch came crashing in, scaring the prince half to death.
"You insolent servant! Are you trying to die?" He’d been this close to kissing Lucian, only to be cockblocked by the help—Prince Cyrus Drake was shaking with rage.
"Spare me, Your Highness! Spare me! The Crown Princess sent me to report—there’s an assassin in the palace!" The eunuch stammered, nearly tripping over his own tongue.
"What? Assassins?" Prince Cyrus Drake froze, and his rage instantly fizzled out.
"Yes, Your Highness, there are assassins!" The little eunuch repeated, practically tripping over himself to be believed.
"Did you catch them?" Prince Cyrus Drake suddenly went full serious mode.
"We nabbed two, but—both of them are dead."
"What? Useless! Why didn’t you keep them alive?"
"Your Highness, those two masked men bit their tongues and died as soon as the archers shot them down," the eunuch stammered.
"Fine. Double the guards and search everywhere—see if they’ve got any buddies hiding out."
"Yes, Your Highness!" The eunuch bowed and bolted out of there.
Two people, both dead? Lucian Vane’s heart started to tremble. No way—it couldn’t be Xin’er and the others, right? No way!
"Aiya, what’s wrong, little demon? Don’t be scared—this prince will protect you!" While Lucian Vane was zoning out, Prince Cyrus Drake swooped in for a back hug, and his hands immediately started wandering over Lucian’s chest.
"Whoa, so big, so soft!" Prince Cyrus Drake squinted, looking like a total lech.
Lucian Vane spun around and gave him a frosty look. "Does Your Highness want a taste?"
"Yes! Yes! I wanna gobble it up!" Prince Cyrus Drake licked his lips, putting on his best pervy face.
Lucian Vane’s lips curled into a cold smirk. "Fine, I’ll grant your wish." He yanked his collar wide, slipped a hand inside, fished around, and—bam!—pulled out two giant, fluffy steamed buns.
"Didn’t you want to eat? Here, have one!" Lucian shoved a bun right into the stunned prince’s mouth.
"Go on, eat! Sweet, soft, big, and white—just your type, right?" He pressed harder, stuffing the bun deeper into Cyrus’s mouth.
"Mmph! Mmph!" Prince Cyrus Drake’s mouth was stretched wide, and he could only make pitiful noises.
Suddenly, Lucian Vane waved a hand past Cyrus’s nose—and the prince toppled to the ground, out cold.
Lucian Vane looked down at him, coldly smirking. "If Xin’er hadn’t told me to keep you alive, I’d have chopped you into a thousand pieces tonight." At the thought of the eunuch’s warning, he grew worried again. Lucian quickly opened the window by the flower pond, vaulted outside, and vanished into the night.
****** Scene Break ******