Kai breathed a sigh of relief once they were within the shade that the castle provided. The day had started off at a cool temperature but that quickly changed as the sun had risen higher in the sky. He wiped some sweat from his brow as he followed after the prince. He was still rather unsure about this decision. He'd really rather be helping out his grandpa on the farm right now instead of being within these stone walls, not to mention that he had no formal training as a servant. He looked around in awe as he was led through the halls. The walls were lined with detailed tapestries of multiple colored threads and paintings depicting historical events and members of the royal family. Everything was extravagant and meticulously decorated. They passed multiple courtyards filled with trees and all different kinds of flowers. Some he didn't recognize, probably from farther away lands. One of the giant courtyards looked like a whole forest, completely shaded and with all kinds of trees. Kai took a mental note to go to that one once he had some free time.
"Um, Prince Kei..if I may, the courtyards here are beautiful," Kai said, clearing his throat some.
"I guess they're alright. Sometimes I'll read there instead of in the library," he said, keeping his eyes forward.
Kai sighed in relief that he didn't get snapped at. He was trying to be as polite as possible when talking to a royal. He knew most here probably didn't think much of a country bumpkin like himself, but he was determined to prove them wrong.
"You speak surprisingly well for someone from your territory," Kei said out of nowhere.
"Oh, well, thank you, my prince. That's probably because of my grandpa. He always taught me to be polite since he has some experience with palace life before he settled down."
"I see," he hummed and opened the door to his private chambers, showing Kai to a bed on the far side. "You'll be sleeping here in my chambers. This is your bed. My mother thought it best that my personal servant should sleep near me, and you'll accompany me always. We've had some..incidents with guests when it comes to me. I'm sure you've heard the rumors going on about me."
"Very vague ones about you being some sort of monster. I haven't heard much else besides that." Kai sat on the bed, surprised at how comfortable it felt.
"I'll say it simply then. I can't die..permanently at least. It started with an incident when I was younger. I fell off a balcony, busted my head on the floor and bled out, then sat up with wounds healed and everything as if nothing happened. Ever since then, there have been other incidents caused by guests poisoning me and all that. Now, the queen insists that I always be accompanied by a servant. I'm guessing you haven't been formally trained in defense and the sword, so I'll have you take lessons under one of our knights," Kei said. "Any questions?"
"I, uh, no, no questions. Geez, I had no idea. You really can't die?" he asked in disbelief. "I thought you were just known as a monster because you were a little tyrant."
"Oh, believe me, it's real. I'm sure you'll witness it sometime. I don't feel like dying right now to show you. Now, here's your new clothes. Put those on and meet me in the courtyard just outside of this room."
"Yes, sir," Kai said with a smile and started to look through the new clothes.
He gasped in awe at the quality fabric as he shifted it around in his hands, even smelling it and smiling pleasantly at the fresh linen scent. With a few outfits to choose from, he went with some shorts that went down to a little above his knees along with a light blue tank top since it was hot out.
As he exited the room and began to walk towards the courtyard that was right in front of him, he found himself blushing once he saw Kei. The prince had changed as well, though Kai hadn't seen it due to the curtain partition that separated Kai's part of the room from Kei's. He had on some white light weight pants that he had rolled up to his knees and a plain purple shirt. He sat on a lone bench underneath a tree that provided ample shade. He figured the prince probably stayed out of the sun as much as possible due to his pale skin. From working in the fields, Kai's skin was bronzed from the sun. Seeing the prince showing a bit more skin than usual was enough to make him gawk. He quickly looked elsewhere once Kei glanced over in his direction.
"There you are. Come over here," he said, patting the spot on the bench next to him and putting his book off to the side.
Kai nodded with a gulp and did as he asked, whistling as he awkwardly sat next to him.
"Now, I'm just waiting on the knight. He should be here any minute. You'll start learning a bit of defense, so you can at least somewhat protect me if needed, though I'm rather versed in the sword and strategy myself. It's not like I need protection, but the queen insists, so I must."
Kai only had to wait there for a bit longer before he heard approaching footsteps.
"Oh, there you are Nakano." Kei waved him over before looking back to his book.
Kai glanced over to see a guy who looked to be around his age with reddish hair walking over to them.
"This is Kou Nakano. He's one of our best knights. He'll teach you the basics, so yeah, go about that as you will. Nakano, this is my new servant, Kaito, or Kai for short I guess."
"Oh, pleasure to meet you, Kai." Kou glanced his way and bowed slightly. "I'll teach him hand to hand first, then move onto swords."
"Sounds like a plan," Kei yawned, focusing his interest back on the book fully, fanning himself from time to time.
Kou had Kai follow him out to the middle of the courtyard and out of the shade where they had more room to freely move around.
"Sorry, I know training in this sun isn't ideal, but the prince always needs a knight or servant near him, so we can't leave his vicinity," Kou said, rolling up his sleeves and pants already.
"He probably enjoys watching us from the comfort of the shade anyway," Kai chuckled and waited for instructions.
"Plus, it's not a bad view anyway," he snickered, glancing over at Kei's legs with interest.
"You have a crush or something?" Kai teased, though he couldn't deny that the prince did have charms in his looks.
"I mean, who doesn't? I've never seen him show much romantic interest in anyone, though because of the rumors going on about him, the amount of suitors coming here has dropped significantly. Even with the whole immortality thing, you can't deny his looks, but I'm just a knight anyway. I'm not even from this kingdom."
Kou had them start with some basic hand to hand combat defense, showing Kai the proper stance and how to hold up his fists and swing.
"You're not from this kingdom?" Kai asked in interest while he was throwing a few light punches, already starting to build up a sweat.
"Yup, I'm from a kingdom to the south. I'm sure you've heard at least a few things about a man named Satou. He rules a small kingdom to the south, but it's growing rapidly due to them constantly battling the surrounding territories. Satou loves fighting and war. It seemed fine at first, like his cause seemed just, but I soon found out that that just cause is all a front for his games. I fled his kingdom and ended up here bruised and bloodied. The Nagai's took me in, and I soon became a knight, swearing my loyalty to them."
"I see..I have heard a few things about Satou. Some call him the 'Immortal King.' They say he doesn't stay down when it seems like he gets killed. It sounds kind of similar to what Prince Kei is known for..think it's a similarity?"
"Possibly, the prince is starting to be called immortal too. I mean, it can't be just a coincidence, but we shouldn't talk about this too loudly. The prince doesn't care for talk of immortality and Satou that much," he whispered, looking over towards Kei.
Though it seemed like Kei was completely concentrated on his book, he did glance up at the two from time to time. Kai had noticed this a few times. Every time their eyes would accidentally meet, Kei would blush and quickly glance back down at his book.
"He seems like a hard one to figure out, but we'll see. I'm pretty good at reading people once I have some time to get to know them," Kai said as he practiced blocking.
"Well, maybe you'll be the first to figure the prince out. I've been here for about a month now, but I still feel like I know almost nothing about him even though I have spent some time with him. Odd thing is he acts like he shows no interest, but he shows up a lot when I'm sparring or practicing. I've sparred with him a few times and gone riding on the horses with him. I'm still not quite sure what he thinks of me. Sometimes I feel like there's something, then other times not. He seems to like you already, though, so maybe with you he'll open up some more."
"Now, be honest with me, Kou. Do you have a crush on him? Because, to me, it sounds like you do." Kai smirked and caught Kou's fist in mid swing.
The other's face went almost completely red even though his cheeks were already flushed from the heat.
"Well, uh, I mean..he does, um, interest me. I've never met anyone like him, and he is..handsome I suppose and a good fighter," Kou stammered, trying to find some kind of justifiable reason.
"Hmm, I knew it. I admit that I might be starting to develop one myself."
"You too? You're not the competitive type, are you? Are we going to start fighting for his affections?"
"Fight? I say we both work together to get him to open up. There's no reason to fight over him," Kai chuckled and clasped Kou's shoulder. "Alright?"
"Alright." Kou smiled and sighed as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "This heat's getting a bit much. Let's go back to the shade and take a break."
Kei glanced over when the two of them returned to the shade, panting and immediately lying on the cool grass underneath the tree.
"We're just taking a break, Prince Kei," Kou muttered, closing his eyes and enjoying the cool breeze.
"It's not a problem. It is quite hot out."
Kei spotted a nearby servant and requested that some freshly squeezed lemonade be brought out here for them. About ten minutes later, a pitcher and three glasses were brought out on a tray. Kei poured one for himself first before telling the other two to drink some.
"Thanks, prince!" they both chirped and practically gulped down the rest of it and lying down in the grass again.
Kei merely nodded with a hint of a smile, wiping his forehead and returning to his book.
"I think that's enough with training sessions for today," he said out loud as he was reading, gaining surprised looks from the other two. "With how hot it is today, I think a refreshing bath is in order. Come on."
"Alright!" Kou cheered and quickly got back on his feet followed by Kai.
"Bath?" Kai asked in curiosity.
"Yeah, this place has a huge bath room. When I say bath, it's more like a small pool or tub. One side is for servants, the other for the royal family and guests. The water will probably be cooler since it's so hot out."
Kai couldn't help but look around in amazement once they entered the room with multiple pools of varying sizes. The room itself even smelled of a nice, fresh fragrance. Sunlight filtered in through translucent curtains. The pastel colors and light gave the room an ethereal feel, like they were in some sort of fantasy. Kou tugged Kai along to the left and started to strip nonchalantly by the pool. Kai followed suit, glancing over towards the right where Kei had gone. The prince had gone behind a partition where only his silhouette could be seen stripping himself of his clothes.
"The prince certainly shows more modesty than us," Kai chuckled, easing into the water once he was completely nude.
The temperature was perfect. It was cold enough where it was pleasantly refreshing but still warm enough to not leave them shivering. Kai immediately relaxed, resting his head against the ledge and sinking deeper into it.
"He always is, which is why I was surprised he was showing more skin, not that I'm complaining."
Kai smirked when he glanced over and saw Kei practically run and jump into the tub before anything could be seen. Eventually, the initial embarrassment dissipated, and he relaxed in the pool, grabbing a nearby sponge and beginning to wash himself. It was all going fine until he reached his back, frowning at the odd angle. He sighed as he glanced over to Kou and Kai who were currently splashing each other.
"Hey, why don't you two make yourselves useful and help me out here," he shouted over to them.
He rolled his eyes at their shocked expressions followed by smug looks as they climbed out and walked over there. Kei averted his eyes elsewhere as they walked over.
"How can we be of service, prince?" Kai asked, kneeling respectfully.
Kei looked between the two, contemplating on how he should do this. He was always careful when choosing.
"Kai, you wash my hair, and Kou..you can massage my feet."
He stretched his legs in front of him then poked his feet out of the water expectantly. Kai had to nudge Kou to get him to move before the other nodded quickly, jumping into the pool in front of Kei and immediately starting to massage his left foot.
"Y-yes, sir! I'm honored."
Kai chuckled as he grabbed a bucket along with some nice smelling shampoo. He started by cupping some water from the pool and carefully pouring it over Kei's hair.
"Just relax, your majesty. We're at your every beck and call."
Kei hummed in reply as he slowly closed his eyes and began to relax as soon as Kai started to massage his scalp.
"I'll certainly try."