The lights in the bedchamber were dim and golden, lending the room an intimate warmth.
Wen Sheng tilted his head at Lan Tang. When Lan Tang did not come over and hold him, he asked in confusion, “A-Yan, why won’t you come and hug me~?”
The upward lilt at the end was almost a plea, and it made Lan Tang’s heart tremble. A helpless look entered his narrow eyes.
“Lord Wen Sheng, I’m Lan Tang.”
Lan Tang?
“No. You’re A-Yan. My A-Yan.”
Wen Sheng braced a hand on the table and rose unsteadily. Lu Yan still had not come to hold him. Displeased, Wen Sheng frowned and decided to go over and teach him a lesson. Lu Yan was not listening to him anymore. Why wasn’t he listening?
Wen Sheng’s cheeks were flushed, and standing made him even dizzier. He tried to walk toward Lan Tang, but his feet would barely move. He failed to step around the chair and caught his foot on one of its legs. Already unsteady, he lost his balance and fell.
He closed his eyes, expecting pain. Instead, he found himself caught in a warm embrace that felt achingly familiar.
Lan Tang had moved on instinct to catch him. By the time he realized what he had done, a soft, warm body filled his arms. Wen Sheng felt almost boneless. The faint scent of sweet wine lingered around him, with a trace of begonia beneath it.
“Lord Wen Sheng, are you all right?”
Lan Tang felt Wen Sheng stir and was about to let him go when Wen Sheng wrapped his arms around his neck. The movement revealed a slender stretch of pale wrist.
Hanging on to Lan Tang, Wen Sheng smiled softly, his luminous eyes curving like crescent moons. The scent of sweet wine escaped with his words.
“No. I’m not all right at all, A-Yan. I miss you so much. Will you kiss me?”
“Lord Wen Sheng, I’m not the A-Yan you mean. I’m Lan Tang.”
Lan Tang tried to explain again. The Sea God’s messenger was clearly quite drunk. He felt helpless, but feared the beautiful young man would fall if he let go. So he stayed as he was, close enough that one dip of his head would bring their lips together.
His gaze met Wen Sheng’s gray-blue eyes. They were like a deep sea that might swallow him whole. Unable to look any longer, he closed his eyes.
Wen Sheng took that as an invitation. Rising onto his toes, he kissed him. The warmth and softness against his lips made Lan Tang’s eyes fly open in disbelief. His entire body went rigid. Yet whether from reluctance or some other reason, he did not push Wen Sheng away.
Wen Sheng kept his eyes closed as he kissed him. When Lan Tang did not respond, he did not grow upset. He lightly traced Lan Tang’s lips with his tongue, parted them, and drew Lan Tang into a deeper kiss.
The Sea God’s messenger was very good at kissing. That was Lan Tang’s first thought. An unpleasant little feeling stirred in his chest, though he could not name it. His body’s response, on the other hand, was unmistakable. When Wen Sheng finally drew back, Lan Tang ignored the sudden sense of loss and murmured, “Forgive me.”
Then he lifted Wen Sheng into his arms and carried him toward the soft bed inside the chamber.
Losing contact with the floor made Wen Sheng uneasy. He tightened his arms around Lan Tang’s neck, kissed the side of it, and closed his eyes. His head was spinning, and sleep was overtaking him. By the time Lan Tang laid him on the bed, he did not want to move at all. He released Lan Tang’s neck and murmured in a low voice, “I’m a little sleepy. We can do it tomorrow.”
Do what?
Lan Tang did not understand at first. Only when Wen Sheng rolled over and hugged the quilt did he grasp what “do it” meant.
Wen Sheng had said it so naturally, as though he had said those words countless times before. But Lan Tang knew they were not meant for him. Who, then? That A-Yan?
It had to be…
A-Yan. Lan Tang wondered what sort of man he was.
Surely he was good and remarkably capable.
Anyone this beautiful Sea God’s messenger missed so deeply must be extraordinary beyond most people’s reach.
Something strange stirred in Lan Tang’s chest. He gave it no further thought. He tucked the quilt around Wen Sheng and left the bedchamber.
Perhaps he should not have come tonight.
He should have chosen a time during the day.
Outside the bedchamber, Lan Tang lightly touched his lips. The image of Wen Sheng from moments ago would not leave his mind. Heat rose to his ears and cheeks, and beneath the moonlight, his heart was still racing.
The next morning.
Music woke Wen Sheng. The palace wine was of excellent quality, of course. Aside from feeling a little sticky from the sweat it had drawn out of him overnight, he felt fine. He did not even have a headache.
A bath washed away the uncomfortable feeling, and everything seemed normal again. He glanced at the wine left in his glass. He remembered watching the end of the previous world, feeling miserable, and drinking a little. After that, nothing.
How had he gotten into bed? He could not remember. This body could barely handle wine, and to make matters worse, it blacked out.
The music outside grew louder, its rhythm cheerful and festive. Wen Sheng opened the door. He wore simple, unpatterned ivory clothes that looked fresh and light, making his beauty seem all the more otherworldly.
There were no attendants outside his chamber. He had told the king not to assign him any. He disliked being followed, and having someone stand guard while he slept would feel even stranger.
The music came from the Sea God’s temple. Wen Sheng followed it and found a lively gathering outside. Lan Tang was the first person he saw, standing at the center of the crowd between the king and a beautiful woman who looked somewhat unwell. He wore a gentle, harmless smile, like a spring breeze that soothed the heart at a glance.
As though sensing someone watching him, Lan Tang looked toward the entrance and saw Wen Sheng beyond the crowd. Wen Sheng stood apart like a lotus untouched by the world around it.
“Lord Wen Sheng.”
Lan Tang greeted him first. His expression betrayed nothing. If not for the faint redness at the tips of his ears, he might have seemed to have forgotten the night before entirely.
He thought Wen Sheng might feel awkward seeing him today, so he decided to speak first and put him at ease.
Wen Sheng gave him a nod and walked toward the gathering. People stepped aside almost instinctively to make way for him.
Apart from the king, the queen, and Lan Tang, no one there knew Wen Sheng was supposedly the Sea God’s messenger. Wen Sheng had invented that claim, so it was best not to spread it around. He had told the king to keep it to himself. But no one had concealed the fact that Wen Sheng had awakened Prince Lan Tang.
Everyone knew that the young man who had made the Sea God’s Lamp shine so brilliantly had been invited into the palace by the king, and that he had awakened the prince.
All those gathered were members of the royal family. They were celebrating Lan Tang’s recovery. Whether their happiness was sincere or not, they were smiling now.
“Lord Wen Sheng, you’ve arrived at just the right time. Our blessing ceremony is about to begin. You may offer the first stick of incense to the Sea God.”
To the king, Wen Sheng was the link between his kingdom and the revered Sea God. He was not a member of the royal family, yet no one would dare treat him without respect.
Wen Sheng shook his head. His smile was perfectly measured, his manner courteous but cool and distant.
The king was used to seeing him like this. Lan Tang was not. Then again, he had only met Wen Sheng three times: when he first woke and opened his chamber door, last night, and now.
Perhaps because the Wen Sheng before him seemed so different from the one he had held last night, Lan Tang’s own smile faded a little.
“The Sea God blessed Prince Lan Tang. The first offering of incense should be his.”
Wen Sheng spoke in a clear, elegant voice, his gaze on the king. Apart from his first glance upon arriving, he did not look at Lan Tang again.
The warmth faded from Lan Tang’s ears, replaced by a tight feeling in his chest. Wen Sheng seemed to be treating him as though he were not there.
Wen Sheng remembered nothing of the night before, so naturally he had no idea what Lan Tang was thinking. Every word and movement of his was proper and poised, leaving no room for anyone to find fault.
“Brother!”
Before the heaviness in Lan Tang’s chest could deepen, Lan Zhai’s delighted voice sounded behind him. Lan Tang turned. The obedient little brother he remembered had grown much taller, and his features had become more handsome. His father had told him, though, that Lan Zhai had fallen in love with a man of questionable character.
Lan Zhai was about to walk toward Lan Tang when he glanced to his side and turned back to the entrance. He took Yun Yin, whose face wore a timid expression, by the hand and brought him along. The two approached Lan Tang side by side.
Lan Tang paused when he saw Yun Yin, then quickly understood. This must be the man Lan Zhai liked.
He remembered that Lan Zhai had always been drawn to pretty, sweet-looking people. It was not necessarily romantic; his younger brother liked attractive people even when choosing friends. But the person beside him now…
Lan Tang did not mean that Yun Yin was ugly. It was simply that, among the royal family, his looks were unremarkable. His features were pleasant enough, but his skin was not particularly fair. People in their kingdom tended to be fairer than those in neighboring lands, so his complexion was unusual. Was he of mixed heritage?
Seeing Lan Zhai’s delight, the king assumed he was genuinely happy that Lan Tang had awakened, and felt a touch of comfort. But the moment he noticed Yun Yin, his face darkened. The gathering, too, fell briefly silent.
They were among the royal family, before the Sea God’s temple, with both the king and queen present. No one was foolish enough to gossip aloud. They simply went quiet, almost as though they had agreed to do so.
With the surrounding voices gone, Wen Sheng heard Lan Zhai’s footsteps approaching. He turned, his expression unchanged, and greeted him quietly.
“Prince Lan Zhai.”
This was the first time Lan Zhai had seen Wen Sheng—or rather, the first time he had seen him without his mask. He had guessed Wen Sheng would be beautiful. He had never imagined he would be more beautiful than anyone Lan Zhai had met in his entire life.
Yun Yin watched Lan Zhai’s every movement. When he saw the undisguised amazement on Lan Zhai’s face, his own expression soured. His hand tightened at his side until his nails dug into his palm. The slight sting steadied him. He forced a smile and bowed in greeting to the king, the queen, Lan Tang, and Wen Sheng. He looked perfectly well behaved, as though the king had never forced him to kneel here for seven days.
Lan Zhai’s gaze remained on Wen Sheng.
“Lord Wen Sheng.”
Lan Tang noticed his brother’s moment of distraction, and his smile faded a little more. So Lan Zhai still lost his composure whenever he saw someone beautiful.
The king was displeased that Lan Zhai had brought Yun Yin. He was about to summon an attendant and have Yun Yin thrown out when Wen Sheng read his intentions and spoke to stop him.
“Your Majesty, Yun Yin is an ordinary person now.”
Wen Sheng meant that Yun Yin could no longer harm Lan Tang.
Lan Zhai had learned only the previous night why Yun Yin had been called ill-omened. An evil spirit had possessed him, and seven days beneath the sun were needed to cleanse it from his body. His brother had fallen into a coma because the spirit had cursed him. Only once it was gone from Yun Yin could Lan Tang wake.
When Lan Zhai first heard the explanation, he had thought it absurd. He did not know who Wen Sheng truly was, only that the proposal had come from him. Since Yun Yin had nearly lost his life over it, Lan Zhai had been deeply resentful. But his brother really had awakened.
And now Wen Sheng was clearly speaking on Yun Yin’s behalf. Without Lan Zhai noticing, the last of his resentment faded away.
That had been the king’s concern as well. After hearing Wen Sheng’s assurance, he considered how it would look to drive Yun Yin away in front of everyone. Instead, he said sternly, “You need not enter the Sea God’s temple. Stay here.”
Allowing someone who had once been possessed by an evil spirit into the temple would seem inauspicious. Besides, only members of the royal family were normally permitted inside. There was nothing unreasonable about the king’s order.
Yet Yun Yin visibly shrank back. His lips went pale, and he moved behind Lan Zhai for shelter. In this setting, the gesture was decidedly rude.
The queen had spent so long ill in bed that, had Lan Tang’s awakening not lifted her spirits, she might not have been able to rise at all today. This was her first time meeting Yun Yin. His appearance aside, she disapproved of his behavior alone. He carried himself without any of the poise expected at court.
“The Sea God’s temple is reserved for the royal family. I hear you’ve been in the palace for more than three months. Do you still not know that rule?”
The queen was past fifty, but it was easy to see how beautiful she had been in her youth. Born into the nobility, she possessed a natural air of authority.
Yun Yin did not know what he had done wrong. He could tell, however, that the queen—whom he had never met because of her illness—disliked him.
That merman must be behind it. He must have been speaking ill of Yun Yin!!!
A flash of spite crossed Yun Yin’s lowered eyes.
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