seeing the future king of aes in the royal kitchens was something rare. the kitchens were foreign territory for the royals who usually contented to give their orders to the servants who then warned the cooks for them to start preparing the food. and once the food was ready, it would be brought directly to the table where the royals sat at for them to eat.

but it seemed like today wasn't like any other day, because for once, mark was in the kitchen, and more than that, he was in the kitchen, tasting the dish a peasant living on his land had made after dismissing all of the kitchen staff to give them enough privacy.

the peasant in question – donghyuck – stood behind the kitchen counter, surrounded by a few dirty pans and bowls that he had used to prepare food for the future king as requested. mark was sitting on a high stool on the other side of the counter, analysing the content of the plate donghyuck had placed in front of him.

the tanned male gulped as the royal used his spoon to poke the food a few times with a scowl on his face before scooping it up and taking a very small taste of the unknown dish.

"s-so...?" the peasant asked worriedly.

finishing in the royal kitchen – a place that seemed oddly familiar to him – and cooking something for the king was definitely not how donghyuck had planned his afternoon to finish. hell, he was only supposed to roam around the palace, dressed as a servant to spy on a few conversations and understand how awful the royals truly were with the people living on their land.

when he had first sneaked in the palace, he had been very careful not to cross paths with anyone, scared to be caught, but after a while, he had been greeted by a few guards – who most likely had thought he really was a royal servant, because they didn't necessarily know all of the staff working in the palace. and so, donghyuck had judged okay to lower his guard and roam around freely.

and well, he didn't expect that he would find himself facing the future king of aes – and even less that he would make a fool out of himself in front of him and get caught right away.

but you couldn't really blame donghyuck for not recognising the royal.

mark's last public apparition had been a few days after the king's death, ten years ago, so he was only nine years old at that time. sure, donghyuck had seen the future king then, but he had never caught a glimpse of him ever since, and he wasn't aware that he had grown into this – very fine – young man. so, there was no way for donghyuck to recognise the boy when he pulled his sword at him.

"it's very good..." the future king broke the silence before humming and having another spoonful of the food donghyuck had prepared, his eyes wide in surprise.

the tanned male smiled shyly at those words, a wave of pride taking over him as he processed the royal's compliment. so, people in his village weren't just saying that because he was young and they didn't want to hurt his feelings, he really knew how to make good food.

"it didn't look like it was going to taste good, to tell you the truth." the royal then said, playing with the food remaining in the plate. "but it does taste amazing." he added, starting to eat again.

donghyuck blinked in confusion at mark's comment. "what do you mean?"

"well." the royal looked down at the plate. "it was served in a not appealing way. so, it didn't make me want to try eating it. if i had seen that dish in a buffet, for example, i'd never have touched it."

donghyuck didn't exactly understand the royal's point.

he was saying that the food was good but not appealing. but what was even the point of making the food appealing when it would end up in your stomach anyway? plus, if you were really hungry, you'd eat whatever was given to you, appealing or not.

donghyuck was used to cooking dishes for lots of people, so very large quantities that needed to be prepared and served quickly not to have the people waiting. taking the time to make the food look appealing would require a lot more work, and donghyuck didn't have the time for that.

"okay, wait." the royal stated, seeing donghyuck confusion. "servant!"

the kitchen's door opened, revealing a royal servant.

"your highness." the woman bowed. "how may i help you?"

"would you please call the cook to the kitchen?"

"right away, your highness." the servant nodded before bowing and leaving.

"come and sit." the future king said once the servant had left them alone in the kitchen again.

the peasant blinked again, walking on the other side of the counter to get by the royal's side.

"i-i'm not sure i have the right to sit..." he stated, recalling how all of the servants he had seen around seemed to be standing.

"i am the future king." mark replied with a scoff. "if i tell you to sit, then no one can go against me."

donghyuck hesitantly nodded at those words, pulling the stool that was next to the one mark was on and sitting on it.

a second later, the doors of the kitchen barged open, revealing one of the royal cooks who approached the two males and bowed.

"your highness, i was requested to come here." the cook stated.

"yes. could you cook something please?" mark asked.

"of course." the cook replied. "what would his highness like to eat?"

"one serving of what is planned for dinner." the king explained.

"of course, your highness."

with a last bow, the cook turned around, grabbing the ingredients and utensils needed to prepare the dish.

in the meantime, mark hoped to have a chat with the peasant, maybe ask him more questions about him, but the second he turned to face him, he found the boy looking with amazement at the cook who was silently starting to prepare the dish mark had ordered.

the future king's lips curved up in a slight smile at the sight of a mesmerised peasant.

"go next to him if you'd like." he royal said, catching the attention of the tanned male.

"s-sorry?"

"you look like you want to see what he's doing. just go and stand by his side."

the tanned male looked at mark with stars in his eyes. "i-i can?"

mark couldn't help but chuckle at that behaviour. "order of the future king."

the peasant didn't waste a second more to hop off the stool and rush to the cook's side, standing a few steps away from him to observe his every move very carefully. he made sure to never burden him or suffocate him despite his presence as he looked with mesmerised eyes at the technical gestures the chef did perfectly.

a few metres away from them, the future king was still sitting on his stool in front of an empty plate – the one once containing the delicious food the tanned male had made for him – and looking at the young boy with curiosity.

mark had very rarely been around people his age. he didn't have any siblings to play with as he grew up, so he had mostly spent time with his parents – and particularly his father who had taught him the art of sword-fighting. and after losing his father, mark's teenage years had been spent in an endless loneliness, focusing on fighting and training hard. he had met a few times other young royals from other kingdoms during visits, but it had never lasted long, and mark had never been able to create a true friendship link with any other person.

but at the same time, he was a royal, and royals weren't supposed to go around making friends. royals grew up locked in their palace, fearing the outside world, and then got married to the heir of another realm when of age to expand the power of one kingdom. so, mark never really had the opportunity to make such things as friends.

however, it seemed like the apparition of this fake-servant had been a present from the gods above.

mark doubted the intentions of the boy at the very first, when he had noticed him trespassing in his bedroom, but after seeing the mark on his wrist and the boy's amazement with everything around, he could only deduct that this tanned male was just a peasant living on his land and dreaming of being able to access to the riches the royals had.

and well, mark wouldn't mind having him get a taste of those riches if it meant he could finally have someone his age to hang around.

the preparation of the dish took a bit less than half an hour, time that mark spent on his own, studying the tanned brunette's actions as he watched over the royal cook. and well, mark must admit this activity was quite entertaining. he couldn't help himself but have his lips curving up madly each time the smaller boy would let out an amazed 'woah' at whatever the cook was doing. it also seemed like the peasant was a chatter as at some point, he started bombarding the chef with questions, and the chef – not wanting to disappoint his lord who was watching – had to answer each and every of them.

once the dish was finished, the chef walked over to the royal, placing the plate of food in front of mark and taking away the empty plate.

"thank you, you may leave." the future king informed to which the cook bowed and obliged.

the royal then diverted his attention to the brunette who was standing in front of mark but on the other side of the counter, bent forward to look at the dish that had just been prepared.

"see, this is a dish that looks like it tastes good." the royal stated as donghyuck was still studying the food in the smallest details. "this is something that makes me want to eat."

"what?!" the peasant lifted his head looking at the royal with wide eyes. "this is so beautiful, i'd never want to eat it and destroy it." he added before going back to studying the plate.

the dish was nothing extraordinary for mark. a few pieces of meat precisely cut, accompanied with local vegetables that had been sliced and seasoned, the different ingredients arranged to look like a delicate flower on the plate, with the vegetables being the centre and the thin pieces of meat its petals. and of course, a few more herbs and drops of sauce had been added on the side for aesthetics matters.

mark couldn't help but chuckle at the way donghyuck seemed to be so mesmerised by something mark found simply normal.

"we're definitely not from the same world." the royal nodded, catching the attention of the other again, only for him to realise that he had forgotten he was addressing to the king of the realm.

"oh god- your highness." the tanned male gasped, bowing. "i'm sorry for having such a foul mouth and- "

"no worries, just come and have a bite of the food." the royal cut his words and patted the stool on which donghyuck was previously seated.

the peasant could only blink at the future king's words, as if this would help him understand better what had just been said.

"s-sorry?" he stuttered. "i-i'm not going to eat your food."

"i made it cook for you. now come here and eat." the royal heaved out a sigh.

"f-for me?!" donghyuck said surprised. "but i thought you wanted to- "

before donghyuck could finish his sentence, a spoonful of food found its way inside his mouth, forcing him to stop talking and start munching.

"you talk a whole lot." the royal pointed out, placing the spoon back on the place as he looked at donghyuck eating the food. "so? how is it?"

donghyuck's eyes were wide and pupils dilated as he hummed, his taste buds being invaded by a mix of savours and textures. it was like nothing he had ever tasted before. "mmmh..." he let out, looking at mark astonished.

the royal chuckled at the boy's behaviour. "here. have another spoonful." he stated, offering some more to donghyuck, which the younger gladly accepted, leaning over the counter to let himself be fed by the royal.

mark watched once again as the peasant enjoyed the food so blissfully. it made him somehow happy to see someone who had that much pleasure eating something so simple – well simple for a royal.

"don't you want to come and sit?" mark asked, tilting his head to the side.

with his mouth still full, the younger nodded, walking around the counter and taking a seat by mark's side as the royal pushed the plate in front of donghyuck for him to keep eating, which he did immediately, humming every now and then.

after long seconds of observing the boy in silence, mark couldn't help but ask a question that had been on his mind for a while.

"have you been working at your restaurant for long?" he questioned. "you look young."

the tanned male finished what he had in his mouth before answering. "i've been working there for a dozen years i think... but when i was younger i used to just help with the cleaning and the service."

"how old are you?" the king then asked.

"i'm eighteen." the peasant replied.

mark was quick to do the calculi in his mind, letting out a gasp when he realised donghyuck had been working since he was around six years old. damn, at the age of six, mark only had to think about learning how to hold his sword correctly.

"you started working at such a young age..." mark mumbled, still shocked by the information he had just learnt.

"well, it's not like i had much choice." the tanned male replied, taking another. spoonful of the delicious food. "me working in the kitchen allows my parents and myself to eat for free." he explained. "but i don't mind. i like helping with the kitchen work."

mark stayed silent after that, simply processing donghyuck's words.

it was almost inconceivable for him to imagine that in the same realm he lived in, when he had nothing to do but enjoy life fully, locked in a palace of riches, people living on his lands had been working ever since they were six years old to feed themselves and their family.

he had grown being a royal and seeing his parents talk about the realm and the people living there, so he was aware that he was priviledged compared to the peasants living in aes, but he never had imagined that the gap was that big.

in his long minutes of reflexion, mark noticed that donghyuck had finished the dish prepared by the royal cook, and he also noticed that the younger had been stealing glanced at him, his mouth often opening as if he wanted to speak but that he held himself from letting out words.

"is there anything you wanted to ask?" mark asked after a while, seeing that the peasant didn't seem to start talking.

"p-pardon?"

"you look like you want to say something, but you're holding yourself." the royal explained.

"w-well... i wouldn't want to bother you with my questions..." the brunette admitted with a slight flush of his cheeks.

"you're not bothering me. please ask." the royal assured, offering the other a smile to help him start to speak.

and well, let's say that mark never expected that letting the younger ask his questions would lead him to an endless conversation about royalty.

in a matter of minutes, donghyuck had asked him hundreds of questions, going from 'are the walls incrusted with real gold and silver?' to 'what is it like to work as a king?' while passing by something along the lines of 'do you always have your sword with you when you're in the palace?', and mark was seriously wondering how it was possible for someone to have these many things going on inside their head.

the brunette asked question after question, never getting tired of it, and being absolutely amazed by the responses mark gave him, even if they brought more questions to his mind that he immediately asked the royal.

"wow..." mark chuckled after a nth question from the younger male. "you are another level of curious."

the tanned male could only blush at those words, both of his hands slapping over his mouth when he realised that he had let himself go freewheeling-mode and overwhelm the royal with questions.

"i-i'm sorry." he said with wide eyes. "my father always says i'm too curious, and i didn't realise i was asking so much, i'm so sorry." he apoplogised, bowing a few times.

mark could only chuckle at the younger's panicked state.

"you never told me your name." he pointed out, making the younger stare at him with confusion written all over his face once again.

"s-sorry?"

"we've been hanging out for quite some time now, and i still don't know your name." the royal explained.

by now, donghyuck's cheeks were flaming red, his eyes blinking repeatedly as his brain had completely stopped functioning. he tried reminding himself that he was facing the future king of aes and that he couldn't do anything utterly stupid, but to be very honest, it was starting to get hard not to mess up.

"i-i..." he stammered.

"so, what's your name?" the royal repeated his question, looking at the other expectantly.

donghyuck blinked a few more times before finally being able to mutter an answer. "d-donghyuck..."

the uncrowned king flashed him a smile, happy that he finally had an answer to this question.

he expected donghyuck to ask him the same question in return, but after long seconds, no words came out from donghyuck's mouth, so the royal took the lead again.

"mine is mark, if you're wondering." he stated.

the tanned male looked at the royal in surprise, his eyes even wider that they had been when he had learnt he was facing the future king of aes.

"what?" the royal chuckled, not understanding donghyuck's surprise.

"y-you have a name?"

it was mark's turn to be surprised. the uncrowned king let out another breathy chuckle, looking at the tanned male for any sign of him joking, but realising after a few seconds that he wasn't.

"of course, i have." he replied with a frown. "you thought i didn't?"

"w-well..." donghyuck stuttered, now feeling completely stupid for asking this question. "s-since everybody calls you 'your highness'... and... i've been talking to you without adding 'your highness'..." the peasant let out a gasp in realisation.

he immediately stood up from the stool he was seated on, bowing as low as his legs allowed him to. "i am sorry, your highness, please accept my apology. it won't happen again."

mark could only – once again – chuckle at the younger's behaviour. there really was something about that boy that intrigued mark.

"do me a favour, forget about 'your highness' and just call me mark." the royal said, placing a hand over donghyuck's shoulder to prevent him from bowing again.

"w-what?!" donghyuck gasped. "no! your highness! that would be disrespectful to you and- "

"donghyuck." mark spoke sternly, raising a brow at the younger. "your future king orders you to call him 'mark'."

donghyuck could only gulp at those words, shiver running down his spine at the word orders that mark used. and well, donghyuck couldn't disrespect orders from the king now, could he? "o-okay... m-mark."

the royal's previous frown morphed into a happy smile at the brunette's words. "much better." he stated before patting donghyuck's head. "and i don't want to hear the words 'your highness' coming out from your mouth to talk about me ever again."

donghyuck could only nod at that, making mark smile even brighter.

the small silence that had taken over the royal kitchens after this conversation was soon broken as the kitchen door got opened and allowed a few chefs to walk inside.

"your highness." the chefs spoke in unison, bowing in front of mark. "it is time for us to start preparing tonight's dinner."

"sure. we'll go somewhere else." mark informed before hopping off his stool and grabbing donghyuck's wrist to pull him out of the kitchen.

they both ended up in one of the many corridors they had crossed earlier that day, and the way the corridor had one side open on an interior garden allowed donghyuck to see the colour of the sky which had started turning in the light shades of orange, signal that the sun was setting.

"i-i should go back home..." the tanned male stated as he was still being dragged by mark.

"so soon?" the future king stopped walking, turning around to face the other.

"well..." donghyuck blinked, rather confused by the king's words. it somehow seemed like the royal wanted him to stay, as if they hadn't spent enough time together already. but why would a royal want to spend some more time with a peasant? mark surely had hundreds of much better things to do in the wonderful palace. "i... i need to go back to my village and help at the restaurant..."

"oh, yeah..." the future king nodded, having somehow forgotten that the other already had a job, and that this job allowed him to eat and survive. "i'll bring you to one of the backdoors so that no one would see you."

donghyuck followed mark across the corridors as the royal guided the way, taking a few turns in the maze of corridors before finally reaching a door giving on the back of the castle and opening it to allow donghyuck to get out.

"thank you, m-mark." the brunette bowed, the name still a bit foreign on his lips. "i-i'm sorry for... a-attacking you. both physically, and with questions. i feel bad for acting so carelessly, and i hope you can accept my apology..."

mark smirked at those words. there was no need for the younger to apology about it. he was forgiven already, but well, mark wasn't about to let an opportunity slip past his fingers like that. "i'll accept your apology at one condition." he said, making the other nod immediately.

"anything." donghyuck assured, which only brought a smile to mark's face.

the king looked into donghyuck's chocolate orbs for a long while, his smile never leaving his face, as if trying to take in every detail of the boy's face not to forget about him.

"come back tomorrow, after lunch. and cook for me again." the royal stated.

donghyuck couldn't help but be surprised by the request once again. "but you... you have lots of very good cooks here... and they make amazing food that looks too good to be eaten."

"sure." mark nodded. "but even though it was more aesthetically pleasing, their dish wasn't as good as yours."