the tanned male glanced to his side as he rinsed the last pan, removing any trace of food from the dinner he had prepared at the restaurant he worked at.

it was getting late, and despite how tired donghyuck was, he could only hope it wasn't the end of the night yet and that the moment he would need to ask for a leave the next day wasn't so close.

but well, it was impossible for him to turn back time, and the village didn't have enough water for him to pretend like he was washing that last pan for hours.

"donghyuck, are you done with the dishes?" the voice of one the ladies he worked with rang across the kitchen, startling the brunette slightly.

"h-huh, almost!" he replied, rubbing the inside of the pan harder.

"hurry up, your father is waiting for you."

the boy could only sigh at those words.

he wasn't exactly in the mood to talk with his father when he had spent the whole afternoon at the royal palace and when he had been invited by the queen of aes herself to have dinner the next day.

if his father ever came to learn about such a thing, he would definitely be disinherited and seen as a traitor. he was supposed to be an anti-royalist, after all. but how could he accept such a belief that royals were awful without just because his ancestors had said so? why couldn't he go see by himself and make his own opinion of it? because from what he was seeing, there was no reason to hate royals, mark was everything but hostile with him when he was aware donghyuck was nothing but a peasant.

"i think that pan has never been this clean." the voice of one of donghyuck's co-workers declared, bringing the tanned male back to reality for the second time.

"o-oh..." donghyuck blinked, staring at the pan in his hands before placing it on the side with the other utensils that needed to dry.

"is there something bothering you?" the lady then asked worriedly.

"yeah." a few other workers approached them, all worried about donghyuck's odd behaviour. "you've been spacing out a lot tonight..."

"is there anything we can do to help?" another asked with a small smile.

donghyuck gulped, swallowing his fear as he decided that this would be the best moment for him to ask the question he dreaded to voice out in fear of receiving a negative answer.

"i-it's just that..." the boy paused for a second, lowering his head. "i-i was invited to a dinner tomorrow, and... and i couldn't refuse..."

the tanned male waited for a few seconds, hoping that one of the ladies would understand where the conversation was going. but unfortunately, after a long silence, none of the ladies had spoken a word, making donghyuck lift his head up to look at them. and well, he definitely didn't expect them to be all looking at him with wide grins on their faces.

"h-huh...?" the young chef blinked in confusion.

"is the person who invited you the reason of your bright smiles for the past weeks?" one of them finally spoke, questioning donghyuck with a brow raised.

the tanned male could only blink again, his mouth falling open at those words. "s-sorry?"

"we've been working with you for years, donghyuck. don't think we didn't notice you being all happy these past weeks." another lady replied, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.

"oh..."

"so, who is that person?" one of the workers asked, causing all of the ladies to nod, all of them being equally eager to learn about donghyuck's life.

"h-he's a friend i met not long ago..." donghyuck explained. "h-he's from another village." he was quick to add.

"friend, huh?" one of the ladies snorted. "are you sure he's not your boyfriend? you've been looking awfully lovestruck."

donghyuck couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed at those words, the sole thought of the future king of aes becoming his boyfriend making his cheeks redden considerably in a record time.

well, to be very honest, the idea of having mark as his boyfriend definitely didn't repel him. he had never really thought about it before, but considering how gentle and caring mark seemed, he could only guess that having the royal as his boyfriend would mean being cherished and pampered by the boy all day long.

but at the same time, there was no way this would ever be possible. mark was a royal, and donghyuck nothing but a mere peasant. mark would need to find a royal from another nearby kingdom and get married with them to merge kingdoms and expand his power. as for donghyuck, the tanned male will keep cooking at the restaurant and taking care of his father as he'd grow older.

their paths were already traced, and as attractive at the thought of becoming mark's boyfriend was, he knew that this would never be possible.

"h-he's just a friend." donghyuck assured with a nod.

"sure." "of course." "that's what your red cheeks are telling us." the women spoke together, laughing at the young boy's shyness.

"it's okay, donghyuck." one of them stated. "go spend some quality dinner with your 'friend' and don't worry about not coming to work. we'll cover you."

donghyuck flashed the ladies a bright smile, bowing all the way down at them to show his gratitude. "thank you so much."

"oh, how nice it is to be young..." one of the female workers declared after a while. "those years when you'd rather privileging your love life to your work... if only it could last forever..."

"oh, yeah..." another couldn't help but agree, a nostalgic smile on her face.

"so, you better enjoy your time, okay?"

"i will, hopefully..." he stated, muttering the last word under his breath.

"good." the lady that spoke winked at him. "and we expect a bit of feedback on how everything went, alright?"

donghyuck's cheeks flushed again at the way they were wiggling their brows at him. "a-alright..."

the kitchen was filled with heartfelt laughter for a few seconds, the female workers and donghyuck appreciating how comfortable they were together after long years of working together in this space.

"c-can i just ask you for a favour?" the tanned male questioned when their laughter died down.

"of course." the ladies didn't hesitate a second.

"c-can you... not tell my father about it?" he asked hesitantly, hoping that this very question wouldn't put him in trouble.

the female workers' faces got painted with a knowing smirk, once again, and this could only reassure donghyuck slightly. "oh... is your dad not aware of the little affair you have going on?" one of them teased.

"don't worry about that. your secret is safe with us." another answered.

"yes, you can count on us." a third one confirmed.

donghyuck could only smile warmly at them, feeling so thankful that the people he was working with were so nice to him.

"thank you so much." he bowed again, meaning these words from the bottom of his heart.

"it's normal, donghyuck." they answered. "we all consider you like one of our sons."

these words didn't fail to make the tanned male's heart skip a bit, sincerely appreciating how caring these ladies were with him. he had known them for so long, and he also considered him like his second moms – because of course, no one could replace his mother whom he had lost to a nasty liver disease.

"it's getting late, you should go. your father is waiting, also." one of them declared. "enjoy your night tomorrow, donghyuck."

"i will, thank you." donghyuck nodded immediately, smiling brightly at them.

"and if it goes well, promise us you'll bring your friend around some time. we want to meet the boy that makes you so smiley!"

the tanned male didn't answer right away, not knowing how to break it to her that mark was a royal who most likely had never set a foot out of a royal palace, and that there was no way in hell he'd ever survive for a second with his expensive clothes and his royal manners in a village of aes.

"i hope i'll be able to bring him around some day." he replied simply, speaking only the truth as he did hope that – after mark haw showed him how he lived – he could show the royal how he was living too.

♕

a small smile spread on the tanned male's face at the sight of the royal waiting for him by the back door of the castle. mark was there every day when the peasant arrived, but seeing the future king never failed to surprise the tanned male and to make him shy.

"hello..." the brunette spoke, his eyes turning into crescents.

"hi! let's go, we have lots of things to do today!" the royal exclaimed, his hand reaching for the tanned male's wrist and pulling him inside.

donghyuck let himself being dragged across the corridors, slightly frowning when they passed the kitchen – which usually was their first stop.

"am i not cooking for you today?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"not today." the royal explained. "we won't have the time."

"oh. what are we doing?" donghyuck couldn't help but let his curiosity get the best of him.

but mark only brushed it off. "you'll see."

the two boys reached mark's spacious bedroom quite quickly, the royal checking if there was anyone around before getting inside with donghyuck and locking the door behind them.

he then let go of donghyuck's wrist and headed straight to his walk-in closet, leaving a confused peasant a few steps behind.

"h-huh...?" the tanned male blinked. "mark?"

"yeah?" the royal answered as he was rummaging through his closet.

"what are you doing?"

"finding you clothes to wear." mark replied immediately, pulling out an expensive looking shirt before throwing it back where he had found it to look for another one.

"why?" the brunette's frown intensified. "i am dressed already."

"sure, but not appropriately for where we're going." the royal explained, making donghyuck even more confused than he already was.

"w-what do you mean 'where we're going'?" he repeated. "are we going out?"

the royal let out a small chuckle at donghyuck's question, approaching him with a beautiful pair of trousers, a shirt, and an embroidered jacket.

"you are awfully curious, aren't you?" he raised a teasing brow. "just wear those."

"a-aren't you going to tell me where we're going?" donghyuck took the clothes carefully, scared to damage them.

"it's a surprise." mark replied. "but i'm pretty sure you'll like it. so, go get dressed. the faster you're dressed, the faster we go."

donghyuck obliged, not having any other option than to trust mark and do as he had said.

he quickly headed to the attached bathroom to wear the clothes mark had lent him, being extra careful while putting them on not to tear the expensive fabric. and once he was fully dressed, the tanned male exited the bathroom, joining mark in the bedroom again.

"i'm ready." he announced, catching the attention of the future king who was busy looking at something on his desk.

mark turned around at those words, his eyes slightly widening at the sight of the younger male in his royal clothes. they fit so well on him, highlighting his ethereal beauty in a way that made it seem like he was a royal himself, and that he didn't deserve to be dressed in rag clothes.

"w-woah, y-you..." mark was at loss of wards for a while. "t-the clothes look so much better on you." he ended up saying, approaching the younger to arrange the sleeves which looked slightly big on him.

the tanned male's cheeks inevitably turned a crimson colour at the words from the royal. "t-thank you..."

mark wasn't even exaggerating on his words; donghyuck did look a hundred times better in those royal clothes than mark did.

for some reason, despite being tailored for mark, the clothes fit donghyuck's body in a very classy way, and the oversize effect they had on him just looked divine. it seemed like donghyuck was made to wear such things, the golden details embroidered on the clothes contrasting with the tan of his skin perfectly.

it turly was a pity that donghyuck was nothing but a peasant and that his daily clothes consisted of worn-out and dirty stuff, because mark was sure he could pick anything in his royal wardrobe, and donghyuck would be able to pull it off better than any king could.

"a-aren't we supposed to go?" the brunette spoke shyly when he realised mark wouldn't be starting to speak again.

"huh, yes!" mark blinked a few times, forcing himself out of his daydream. "yes, let's go." he nodded, heading towards the door to exit the room.

donghyuck followed the royal silently as they travelled across the spacious corridors of the royal palace, hoping that they wouldn't cross paths with the queen or any other person. and thankfully, they didn't.

"wait for me here one second." mark stated as him and donghyuck were outside the castle, somewhere donghyuck had never been before.

"o-okay."

after flashing the younger male a killer smile, mark walked away, leaving donghyuck on his own in the unknown part of the castle.

the image of mark's smile lingered for a while in donghyuck's head, the conversation he had had with the ladies at the restaurant the night before coming back to his mind. they had claimed that donghyuck looked lovestruck and they refused to believe that mark was a friend and nothing more. but well, donghyuck wasn't delusional, and he knew that as much as he thought mark was handsome, kind, and surely perfect boyfriend material, he knew that nothing would ever happen between the two of them. plus, did donghyuck really considered mark more than a friend like his co-workers claimed? he wasn't sure of it.

mark was just a person he had crossed paths with while on a mission for his father. a friendship had blossomed from there, but there was no possibility of this to go further, for the very simple reason that mark was a royal, donghyuck a peasant, and not any peasant, but also the son of the head of the anti-royalist movement.

"agh, they messed with my head..." the tanned male groaned, pulling onto his hair slightly at his own thoughts.

he had no doubt of his and mark's friendship before, knowing that the pleasant fluttering of his heart was there because he was his first friend, and he valued it a whole lot.

but now that the ladies at the restaurant had spoken about him being 'lovestruck' and everything, donghyuck was starting to question whether this fluttering was normal to feel between friends, or if it was because he wanted more than just friendship. but how would he even be able to figure this out? he had no other friend to compare what he felt, and no one to ask. and he would never make a fool out of himself asking mark about it to end up rejected.

"donghyuck!"

"huh?!" the tanned male jumped slightly, startled by the sudden interjection. his eyes immediately met mark's concerned orbs, causing his cheeks to flush beet red in an instant.

"everything alright? i've called you a few times, but you were spacing out." the royal spoke, his hand placed on the boy's shoulder in a hope to comfort him.

donghyuck's eyes diverted to the hand on his shoulder, his blush intensifying. "s-sorry, yeah... h-huh... w-where did you go?"

mark's hand left the boy's shoulder, leaving the zone quite cold at the loss of the body warmth.

"to get us our mean of transportation." mark declared happily gesturing behind him and allowing donghyuck to see what he meant.

a step behind mark was standing a giant white horse, all geared up for a walk.

"this is argenti." mark stated when he noticed the way donghyuck's mouth had fallen open. "he was gifted to me when i was 15. i use him to take walks around aes or to get to the nearby kingdoms." he explained.

"he's beautiful..." donghyuck simply let out, take a careful step towards the animal and holding his hand out to reach for its nose. feeling the boy's carefulness, the animal let himself be caressed without a complaint.

"we're riding him to wonders alley today." mark then said happily, making donghyuck blink in confusion.

"s-sorry?"

the royal could only chuckle at the tanned male's confusion.

donghyuck was so precious when he looked at mark with those lost eyes whenever the royal would have said something that he hadn't understood. it never failed to make mark's day brighter, and to make him want to pinch the boy's cheeks adoringly.

"we are riding the horse to go to wonders alley." mark repeated slower, but this didn't help donghyuck understanding.

"w-what is wonders alley?" the tanned male let out shyly.

"it's some sort of shopping street located not so far from here." mark explained. "that's where royals usually purchase things from other kingdoms."

"a-and why are we going there?" donghyuck couldn't help but ask again.

"well..." mark sighed. "we have a dinner with my mother tonight, and i can't have you showing up wearing my clothes, or we'll get caught. so, we need to get you stuff that fits with the lumen style more."

"oh..." the brunette nodded, this dinner with the queen having completely slipped out of his mind. but well, let's be real, everything seemed to slip out of his mind whenever mark was around, as if the royal had the power to make all of donghyuck's worries disappear and make him only think of nice things.

this happened because they were friends, right?

"let go?" mark tilted his head to the side. "let's not loose time so that we can do everything we want over there."

donghyuck nodded in approval, earning another beautiful smile from the royal before he hopped on the horse at the speed of light and with a lot of ease. the tanned male stared at him dumbfounded, wondering how he had been able to get on top of the horse's back when it was so high.

"are you not coming?" mark questioned, his hands on the reins.

"i-i... i've never ridden a horse..." donghyuck admitted shyly, looking up at mark with his big sparkly eyes.

"it's okay. i'm here to ride with you, don't worry." mark reassured him, one of his hands leaving the reins to hold it out towards donghyuck. "come up."

donghyuck shyly stretched his own arm out to grab mark's hand, then following the royal's instructions on where to put his feet to get on the horse. and with a pull from mark, donghyuck was up straddling the horse, sitting right in front of mark.

"see, that wasn't so hard." mark declared, adjusting his position and reaching for the reins to pull on them and make the horse start walking.

"y-y-yeah..." the brunette stuttered out; his cheeks redder than ever. let's say, feeling mark's toned chest pressing against his back, and having his arms around him so that he could hold the reins had definitely ignited something in donghyuck's heart, and the previous fluttering he had felt were nothing compared to what he was feeling now. 

"so?" mark spoke again as the horse started walking, the movements of its body causing the two boys sitting on his back to bounce slightly. "are you ready?"

was donghyuck ready? perhaps, but ready for what? because the answer definitely wouldn't be the same depending on the question.

because was he ready to ride a horse? he wasn't sure.

was he ready to spend a whole afternoon and evening pretending he was a royal? not really.

and was he ready to let himself melt into mark's embrace and fall for his charms? definitely not.

but oh, well... mark probably didn't even mean any of those...

and so, all donghyuck could do was mutter a small "y-yes, i am..."