CHAPTER 87:

Hide and seek

-Three weeks prior-

As her gaze moved up that tortured body, Skylor froze when she zeroed on the boy's swollen face —and a hard shiver went through her spine, almost getting her to drop on her knees.

Bandages were wrapped around the head of the poor patient, surely covering some very unpleasant wounds, but that was not what rendered the girl speechless.

From under the dressing, a mop of orangish hair peeked out, it curled awkwardly. Sweat kept some of the strands close to the boy's face —which had a particular splatter of soft auburn dots splattered on top of the cheeks.

It can't be!

Skylor leaned in closer to have a better view of the boy's face. She studied his features. Albeit swollen and oddly colored due to all the broken vessels under that pale skin, Skylor could tell all of it was familiar. But that was impossible! Jay was in Shaiya, Kai had made sure of it!

His eyelashes trembled, and little by little, they fluttered open. The tiny gap in-between denoting that the boy had very little strength to keep his eyes open for long, but the tiny aperture was enough for Skylor to get a glimpse of a beautiful pair of blue eyes.

Her breath got caught in her throat as she gasped and covered her mouth. There was no mistaking that mysterious tone of blue, for it was the one that had been taunting the spy after seeing it in that vision in Kai's room.

Jay's eyes blinked repeatedly, Skylor watched as the boy struggled to separate his chapped lips and mumble something. She couldn't hear him then leaned closer, softly taking Jay's battered hand in hers to share her strength with the boy.

A single name fell from his lips and into the spy's ear, a name that barely surprised her.

"Kai…"

That was the only extraordinary reaction they got from the patient that day.

As soon as Mystake came back, Skylor quickly let her know about the identity of the boy. The young redhead decided that her time to go home could be postponed and instead of that, she stayed at the medic's house to help her take care of the invalid.

It took another whole day for Jay to regain his consciousness and be awake long enough to have a short chat with the girl. Jay appeared anxious at first, but as Skylor assured him he was in a safe environment he relaxed and relayed her part of his latest adventure, as well as the motives that lead him there.

Skylor needed a moment to take in everything. What Jay had gone through with those thieves made her sick in the stomach, but on the other side, an indescribable sense of joy filled her chest.

Jay did reciprocate the Maharaja's feelings; those were wonderful news! —And some that Kai would love to hear! But as much as the king would die to see this boy one more time, Jay was in no condition to have people constantly visiting him and handle strong emotions, so Skylor and Mystake swore to keep Jay a secret for the time being.

For several days, Skylor became Mystake's assistant, preparing unguents, herbs, and healthy meals to help Jay's healing process. It was truly a miracle that the boy had survived not only a fall but being dragged away by the current as well, all after receiving a beating from those jerks —which the spy would make sure were dead or put behind the bars of a putrid cell.

During Jay's recovery, Skylor also visited the palace a few times as per the boy's request. Although still covered in bandages and barely able to walk, Jay was ecstatic to get out of bed and get to Kai. The girl advised him not to until his body was steady enough. If Kai saw Jay like that, he would immediately blame himself for the boy's fate. He would do it anyway, Skylor knew the king that much, but if they played their cards well, they could make the reunion a lot less penitent for every party.

That was when Skylor had the idea.

••••••••••••

Three long weeks had passed. Two would have been fine with Jay, but Skylor and Mystake hadn't been of the same opinion, and that old woman wasn't easy to convince as he learned soon. So the boy had to put up with their cares and wait longer than he would have liked. Jay couldn't help himself, it had been almost two months since the last time he saw Kai, and the last memory he had of the Maharaja wasn't a very jolly one. Those tears, that fleeting kiss on the cheek as his voice cracked under the pressure...

Skylor had updated Jay about Kai's depressed state. It didn't surprise the boy, but it did hurt him to know this was all his fault. If only he had deciphered his feelings sooner.

Stop with that, Jay told himself. The time for lamenting was over, at least until he could have a word with Kai.

"Are you okay?" Skylor asked as they stood by the palace walls.

"Y-Yes," Jay replied. He felt dizzy, but the boy hoped it was only his excitement getting the best of him rather than his body asking to sit down and rest again.

"Remember not to force yourself, we can't have you fainting in the middle of your epic speech, uh?"

Jay blushed at Skylor's knowing smile. They had come up with a plan to make Jay's return to the palace a lot more grandiose. Skylor had gotten him new dazzling clothes and prettied him up. They would walk into the palace and ask for a last-minute audience with the Maharaja —Kai wouldn't be able to deny them if Skylor insisted it was for a 'dear and important friend of hers'. Then it would be up to Jay to show himself and make a damn good impression. The boy hoped that Kai wouldn't freak out and let him talk, Jay really needed to apologize to him before ever thinking of confessing his feelings to the king. If they could have a future together, he wanted them to start fresh; with no resentment, no secrets, no room for cutting remarks, only love and understanding.

Jay adjusted the hood over his head, keeping it close enough to his eyes to keep most of his face hidden in shadows. They didn't want to risk any guard or servant to recognize him and ruin the surprise out of joy from seeing him again.

Speaking of joy... Jay's chest filled with happiness as he found himself walking down the path to the palace stairs. The fountain, the carefully trimmed bushes, the sculptures decorating the place... He couldn't believe he was there again.

Jay fidgeted nervously as he kept his gaze down, his hands unconsciously reached for his neck and the charm that had once been there; unfortunately, the harmony ball hadn't survived his bumpy ride down the river, yet Jay had grown accustomed to holding it during tense moments.

His elation died when, as they tried to enter the palace, they were informed that the sovereign wasn't there at that time. Apparently, the king had gone out for a formal meeting.

That didn't sit well with Jay, he'd been so caught up in his longing for the other boy that the idea of Kai being busy during his comeback had never once crossed his mind.

"That's alright," Skylor said without losing her diligent tone. "We'll wait for him. May we see the princess in the meantime?"

The guards didn't put up any resistance to the request.

The two visitors were allowed into the royal residence and told to wait for a servant. Jay took a scrutinizing look around the place. His stomach jumped upon recognizing all the statues, tapestries, the expensive furniture, and fluffy carpet. Everything looked as perfect and shiny as the day he left, it almost made him feel like no time had passed between the two dates.

Skylor's elbow digging softly into his side was what brought Jay back to the real world. She signaled Jay to readjust the hood over his head to keep his identity a secret yet. The boy did as advised.

"W-What are we going to do now?" Jay asked with the lowest of the voices.

"Well, if Kai isn't here, the only option left is to get in touch with Nya."

Jay pouted. He was dying to see the princess just as much as the others, but he couldn't help being upset that Kai wouldn't be the first one to see him.

"I know." Skylor put a hand on Jay's shoulder and squeezed lovingly, she could very much read his thoughts at this point. "But there's no way we can keep you around here for long without someone noticing who you truly are. I know Nya can help us."

Jay nodded.

Shortly after, they were escorted through the magnificent building. Jay's nerves were starting to become more obvious. How would Nya react when she saw him again? Would she be up for their little act?

The group stopped before the entry of one of the living rooms Jay had had the pleasure to meet months ago. The servant called for permission before entering and explaining that Miss Chen and a friend of hers were outside.

"Come in." The voice of the princess sounded as jolly as usual, making Jay's own happiness swell for a moment.

He kept his head down as they crossed the threshold, paying attention to Skylor's legs to not be left behind.

"Hey, Sky!"

Jay could barely contain the gasp that came immediately after recognizing Cole's voice, then Zane's lightly scowling him for choosing such a casual greeting in front of a stranger, and lastly Lloyd's merry giggles.

Jay tensed, and he could sense Skylor had neither anticipated that Nya would be hanging out with the whole family.

The bottom of a beautiful red dress appeared in Jay's vision. The princess cordially greeted the other girl and apologized for her brother-in-law's momentarily lack of refinement. As she neared Jay's space for a proper introduction, she hesitated when the boy didn't move an inch nor look up at her.

Jay was conflicted, with no clue about what to do. Should they ask Nya for a private talk away from the royal spouses or just ditch this hide and seek game once and for all? Sadly, Jay could not ask Skylor; one word out of his lips would be enough to blow his cover.

As Nya rambled, confused at the stranger's behavior, Skylor made it obvious that they wished for no curious ears around. Nya dismissed the servant right away.

"Is something wrong?" The princess then asked, once again referring to the spy's companion.

Skylor sighed and touched Jay's back. It seemed like it was time to drop off their acting, but Jay was a bit uneasy yet.

"It will be alright," Skylor murmured.

Trusting people had brought Jay serious issues in the past, but for whatever reason, there was something in Skylor's voice that calmed him.

Grabbing the edges of the hood with trembling fingers, Jay swallowed before convincing himself about pulling the fabric down.

An audible gasp left the princess' lips as Jay's face got revealed and he locked eyes with her, his gaze then moving slowly to the sofas and low table where the royal spouses seemed to be enjoying some game and snacks. All of their faces sharing the same shock and incredulous look.

"H-hi…" Jay said with caution. "A-Are there any samosas left?"