CPG | Chapter 9

The warm water filled the bath with steam. As Ternnis walked in, he glanced at the tub and then lifted his head.

Rayyan approached and began to undress him. His hands, more familiar now, quickly removed the fabric from the prince’s body.

Seeing the prince’s bare skin for the first time, Rayyan quickly turned his head away. It felt presumptuous as a servant to keep looking at the scars covering the young boy’s body.

Ternnis silently smirked at Rayyan’s reaction. The ones he had served before probably had smooth, clean skin. But he was different, always scratching until his skin was raw and unsightly.

Yet, Ternnis wasn’t ashamed of his scars. They were remnants of a fate he couldn’t escape. He straightened up and slowly entered the tub.

With a deep sigh, Ternnis leaned back. The warm water only temporarily eased his pain. If he stayed too long, the water would cool and feel like thorns piercing his skin. The hotter the water, the more intense the pain, as if the thorns were digging deeper. It was better to wash with cold water from the start, avoiding the false hope of relief. Of course, the black-haired servant knew nothing of Ternnis’s plight.

But now, the water’s temperature didn’t matter.

“I said it was rough.”

Without looking, Ternnis warned, and Rayyan put down the towel. He had to use his bare hands again. Rayyan dipped his hands into the water and gently poured it over Ternnis’s shoulders. Watching the water flow down, he repeated the motion.

Then, cautiously, he began to touch the prince’s shoulders.

Though his hands touched, they hesitated, causing Ternnis to frown. He wished Rayyan would just get on with it, but the touch was frustratingly tentative.

It was testing Ternnis’s patience. If he scolded him again, the clueless servant might comply, but it was annoying.

Yet, the servant hesitated as Ternnis frowned.

Wasn’t it pitiful to rely on a mere servant’s hands to ease his pain? Just as Ternnis was about to snap, a thought crossed his mind, and he playfully smiled, grabbing Rayyan’s arm.

Though Ternnis was only twelve, Rayyan was also slender for his age, so his arm fit easily in Ternnis’s grip. He pulled Rayyan into the tub, feeling his struggling movements.

Rayyan, unable to balance, fell into the water, flailing his arms and legs. Not knowing how to swim, he began to sink. A hand reached into the water, pulling him up with a firm grip.

“Phuh.”

Rayyan gasped for air, coughing as he was pulled up. Ternnis clicked his tongue at the sight.

“Anyone would think you fell into a lake.”

Rayyan looked at the water up to his waist and remembered how much he had poured. It wasn’t deep enough to be dangerous, just as the prince said. Embarrassed, he blushed, realizing the prince had seen his flailing.

“What, is your face red now?”

Rayyan tried to deny it, but when he looked at the prince, he was shocked. The water he had splashed had soaked the prince.

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s enough.”

Ternnis leaned back, seemingly unfazed.

Rayyan almost thanked the prince for his generosity but stopped. After all, it was the prince who had pulled him into the tub.

Rayyan knew the prince wouldn’t take responsibility, but he hoped it bothered him a little, showing his dripping sleeves.

“I’ll change my clothes. I can’t serve you like this.”

“What’s the problem? Is it because you’re wet?”

“But I’ll drip water. That’s not proper when serving you…”

“Quiet.”

Ternnis cut him off, annoyed.

“What’s lacking or proper about serving me here?”

Ternnis’s tone sharpened. He wasn’t pleased that Rayyan wanted to change clothes after being pulled in.

“Is there anyone to stop you here? Who’s going to say anything? Did anyone tell you to change clothes at times like this?”

Ternnis’s probing questions left Rayyan speechless.

“No adults are here to watch or monitor us. It’s just you, who hasn’t fully grown, and me, who won’t grow. So there’s no need to strictly adhere to manners or rules.”

The water splashed earlier now pricked Ternnis’s face sharply. He wiped the water from his face.

“Not everything has to fit into a mold, so relax a bit. I told you, I’m the law here, and I won’t kill you.”

If he insisted on changing clothes now… he’d probably get angry.

Reading the prince’s mood, Rayyan sighed silently and rolled up his sleeves. Since he was already in the tub, he figured he could serve better than before.

Rayyan washed the prince’s body with his bare hands. As he moved lower, Rayyan’s body sank until only his neck was above water.

Applying gentle pressure, Rayyan ran his hands along the prince’s legs, following the muscle lines. He glanced up to check the prince’s expression. His cheeks were flushed, perhaps from the warm water, and his usually sharp eyes were half-closed, giving his face a different look.

Though he hadn’t seen her, there were rumors about the prince’s mother, the Empress. She was said to be the continent’s most beautiful woman, with honey-like hair and a face crafted by the gods. She caught the Emperor’s eye at a young age and naturally became the Empress when she came of age.

The prince seemed to have inherited her beauty. His lips, usually chapped, were now moist and glistening, and his pale face looked lively.

“I’m going back to the library after this.”

Caught staring, Rayyan quickly lowered his head and busied himself with the prince’s feet.

“Just follow me.”

Though it was long past sunset and time to sleep, they were heading back to the library…

‘Yes, yes. Do as you please.’

After all, there was no one to stop them.

***

A weight on his shoulder made Rayyan freeze. He knew who the warmth belonged to. Turning slightly, he saw Ternnis’s face. He had expected this. Insisting on going to the library at night, it was no surprise he couldn’t sleep.

Even in the library, Ternnis had made Rayyan sit beside him, eventually using him as a pillow.

‘What should I do?’

Touching a royal was a big deal if anyone saw. Rayyan looked around for something to use as a pillow. The library lacked suitable items, but he found a blanket.

If he rolled it up, it could replace his shoulder. Rayyan was about to place the rolled blanket under the prince’s head when…

– No adults are here to watch or monitor us. It’s just you, who hasn’t fully grown, and me, who won’t grow.

Why did the prince’s words come to mind now? Rayyan fiddled with the blanket a few more times before spreading it out again. He covered the prince and looked ahead.

‘He said not to touch, and now I can’t stop.’

His fingers itched from the constant contact, but the prince wouldn’t know. Rayyan pouted secretly.

‘How did it come to this?’

Though only twelve, things were getting strange. Feeding him, bathing him, and now covering the sleeping prince with a blanket.

Rayyan picked up a book again. It was one he had been engrossed in for a while. He figured he could finish it before the prince woke up.

The gentle breeze in the library felt a bit chilly at night, but warmth radiated from where he was touching the prince. At some point, Rayyan’s vision blurred, and his eyelids drooped. The book he had been holding dangled from his hand and eventually fell.

Just before it hit the floor, a small hand reached out and caught it. Without a sound, Ternnis retrieved the book and placed it beside him. Then he looked up at Rayyan, who had been his pillow.

Receiving a bath and now touching Rayyan, his pain had noticeably lessened. He could now dismiss any lingering doubts.

“It’s you.”

Ternnis smiled brightly. He had found the remedy for his pain.