Xie Lian didn't dare to look up at Hua Cheng, too afraid of being rejected, no matter how irrational it was.
However, the king wasn't merciful at all, and put his forefinger underneath Xie Lian's chin, forcing him to lift his head anyway.
"So what gege wants to say is that, deep down, he wants me to be his alpha?", Hua Cheng asked gently.
"Not… right now", Xie Lian eventually answered, after his logic and won over his desires.
"And why not?", Hua Cheng proceeded to ask, his voice sounding carefully neutral.
"Because… I think in a relationship like that… people need to compromise, and I would have to… accept certain things that I'm not willing to accept, because I don't want to make you stop doing... things you don't necessarily want to stop. That would be wrong. So I think it's better to wait until the situation changes… or I move on. Whatever happens first. Wouldn't you agree that's the best course of action?"
"No. I disagree", Hua Cheng said immediately, and somewhat harshly. It startled Xie Lian a bit, if he was honest. "I think that, whatever compromise you think prevents you from wanting this sort of relationship with me, needs to be talked about. Right now."
"San Lang… that wouldn't be right. I can't tell you what to do and not to do and I certainly don't want you to stop doing things you enjoy just because I said so. You'll start resenting me in the future if I ever did that", Xie Lian said, fully aware that he was pleading by now. Really, this king needed to learn some rationality!
Hua Cheng kept looking at him intensely, before he seemed to realise what exactly was plaguing Xie Lian's mind.
"It's the harem, isn't it? That's what's bothering you."
Xie Lian tried to look away then, however Hua Cheng's gentle hold with the forefinger turned into a firm grip, with Xie Lian's chin and jawline now resting in the king's palm. It wasn't painful, it wasn't even uncomfortable, but it restrained Xie Lian from moving his head to look away from Hua Cheng.
"Gege… please be honest with me", he then said, and Xie Lian was fully aware that the alpha was trying to coax a confirmation out of him. So Xie Lian gave up.
"You already seem to know it anyway", he mumbled as well as he could with Hua CHeng still holding him like this.
"So it is the harem", Hua Cheng confirmed, nodding to himself. "Yin Yu!"
Xie Lian hadn't even noticed that somebody was still in the room with them, but he heard quick footsteps coming towards them, just stopping before the steps.
"Your Majesty?"
"Put a notice out that the harem will be abolished, effective immediately. If needed, help the members find new jobs inside or outside the palace", the king decreed, just like that.
"As Your Majesty wishes", Yin Yu replied, just like that.
Xie Lian could only stare at Hua Cheng in complete puzzlement.
"S- San Lang!? What are you- I just said-..."
"If there is something that stands between you and me entering a proper relationship, it needs to go. I don't care what it is. As for the harem, I've only had it for my rut to begin with. I won't lie to gege and pretend I haven't indulged in it when I felt like it outside the rut as well, but keeping it now is of no use anyway. Pei Ming has told me that they tried to get a concubine to tend to my needs before you got there, and also that I attacked him when I realised he wasn't you. Which is why it's redundant to keep it anyway, since it can't fulfil its primary use anymore", Hua Cheng explained patiently.
"What if… what if I'm not ready to… you know… the next time you… 'feel like it'?", Xie Lian asked hesitantly, however it only caused Hua Cheng to smile at him softly.
"If that's the case, then I still have a perfectly fine hand."
It took Xie Lian a moment to understand the meaning behind Hua Cheng's words, but when he did, he blushed crimson.
"There are much more important things to a relationship than sex, gege. Of course it's nice and all, but what really matters to me most is you. Just having you around me, talking to you and spending time with you in whichever way... will always make me a hundred times happier than just fulfilling my needs with a concubine ever could."
Xie Lian had half a mind to ask Hua Cheng if he was sure about that, but he couldn't bring himself to doubt him when he spoke with such determination in his eye.
"San Lang, you really…", he started off helplessly. "You're really too much."
"Is there anything else that puts you off?", Hua Cheng asked, ignoring Xie Lian's comment completely.
However, with the harem gone, was there anything that made Xie Lian hesitate to acknowledge his feelings? He thought it through thoroughly, before he spoke again.
"It's not something I mind personally, but… won't people be upset if you… if you choose to- t-to mate with a dancer of all things?"
"What do I care about what people think? And even if it mattered, weren't you a prince before you became my dancer? So you're royalty by birth anyway, what else could anybody want from my mate?"
"I'm not royalty anymore, San Lang", Xie Lian insisted. He'd understood that fact very well during the past months.
Hua Cheng looked like he was about to sigh, but he stopped, and smirked instead.
"I just thought of the perfect courting gift for you", he said in a way that made Xie Lian fear for somebody's life.
"San Lang-"
"I'll get Xian Le back for you. We can make it its own independent state within WuYong, and you can govern it all by yourself if you like, I won't interfere. I just want to protect it by integrating it into my country, so an incident like that blitz won't happen again so easily.
And with that, Xie Lian had grown utterly speechless.
He was caught too off guard, and not only did he not know whether to laugh or cry, he didn't know how to react at all! The fact alone that Hua Cheng was willing to go to such lengths for Xie Lian to get his country back- but also that he had already thought of a way to integrate it into WuYong safely-
Xie Lian burst into big, grateful tears.
The one thing that still tormented him, apart from the state his parents' corpses had been left in, was the state of his former country; if his people were treated well under the new ruler, or if they were shunned. If they could provide themselves with enough food, or if that stupid king had increased taxes to the point of raising poverty. It was the army that hadn't been able to protect the people, so it shouldn't be them to suffer the consequences of the army's loss, but sadly, that's how things were.
If-... Xie Lian almost didn't dare to think about it, but if Hua Cheng wanted to fight Yong An for the area that used to be Xian Le… there was no way he wouldn't be successful, he realised. If Hua Cheng was really willing to go to such lengths for him- Xie Lian would never know how to repay him, it would simply be impossible.
"Gege!?", Hua Cheng asked, no doubt startled by Xie Lian's reaction. "It's okay, it wasn't supposed to be bribery or anything! I'll do it, even if gege doesn't want a proper relationship after all, I promise. I would've done it for your birthday at the very latest anyway. I mean it."
Xie Lian didn't doubt that. But Hua Cheng was wrong, he didn't need to reassure Xie Lian over anything at all. He was just so beyond thankful and overcome by emotion, he didn't know how to deal with it. So eventually, he just shook his head, but then immediately leaned in to hug Hua Cheng's middle as tightly as he possibly could, and wailed his appreciation into the king's stomach.
Hua Cheng didn't hesitate to hug him back, but he sounded rather confused when he asked "Gege?".
Xie Lian was in no state to reply, and so just shook his head again, before he pressed his face even closer to Hua Cheng. The King didn't try to get him to talk after that, and just held him, while also stroking his hair. He even went so far as to rumble in his chest to calm Xie Lian down. Still, it took a very long time before he managed to get a hold on himself again.
"I'm sorry", he started. "San Lang… to offer something like this…I don't even know how to thank you."
"Gege doesn't need to thank me. But if he really wants to, a kiss will suffice."
"You're impossible!", Xie Lian cried, still not knowing how he could ever repay this king, but he leaned up, and kissed him anyway, because he figured it was the only reply he would get out of him on this matter.
Since Xie Lian was still utterly beside himself, the kiss was incredibly messy. He'd barely managed not to miss the alpha's lips completely, their teeth clanked together, and because of his crying, there was much more saliva involved than there should have been. Still, Hua Cheng didn't pull away, and suffered through Xie Lian's messy affections with a smile.
He did however wipe his mouth once Xie Lian had pulled back, but since he was still smiling rather happily, Xie Lian didn't feel as much mortification as he thought he should be feeling.
"So, would gege prefer it as a courting gift or a birthday present?"
"I'll take it as a courting gift", Xie Lian replied, and sniffed, before rubbing his eyes again.
The effect on Hua Cheng was instant; his whole countenance brightened, a genuinely happy smile on his face, and Xie Lian could see ador-... no, he realised, not adoration. There was pure love in his alpha's eye. Xie Lian suddenly felt like crying all over again.
"Then, I'll let Pei Ming know to prepare. We'll blitz that bastard for gratification's sake", Hua Cheng decided, and attempted to try and dry Xie Lian's face. It was a slightly impossible task, given that Xie Lian still hadn't managed to get his tears under control, but he appreciated the gesture anyway.
"Thank you, San Lang. Really… thank you so much", Xie Lian sniffed, once he'd somewhat regained control over his emotions.
"Gege doesn't need to thank me. After all, what sort of alpha would I be if I didn't do everything in my power to make sure that my omega is as happy as he can possibly be?", he asked, and sounded absolutely elated.
Xie Lian blushed, and was about to reply, when the doors to the throne room got thrown open, and Banyue came barrelling in.
"King Hu- Xie-gege! You're also here!", she yelled, and came running up to them at an incredibly high speed. Really, it was no wonder she tripped over things so often, Xie Lian thought to himself, but couldn't help himself and smiled fondly at the child.
"Is something the matter, Banyue?", his alpha asked in lieu of a greeting.
Banyue shook her head, before she seemed to think again, and nodded.
"I guess, a little bit? But that's not why I'm here. Apparently there was some sort of announcement over at the harem's quarters, and the concubines were all very upset, we even heard them yelling in our own quarters. Does King Hua know about it?"
"Of course I do. I sent a notice out earlier that the harem is to be abolished."
As soon as Hua Cheng had explained that, Banyue eyes widened in surprise.
"Really!?", she asked, utterly stunned.
"Yes. After all, I have found my mate now, what use do I have for a harem?"
Banyue looked extremely disappointed in Hua Cheng.
"But didn't you say the harem is the place where all your very good friends live? How can you just abandon them like that? And what does it have to do with finding a mate? Does having a mate mean that you can't have friends anymore? Does that mean you can't be friends with me anymore either?!", Banyue asked, proceeding to upset herself the more she talked.
However, Xie Lian thought this was a conversation he had no business taking part in, so he got up, and walked down the steps towards Banyue, before he picked her up, and walked the steps up again.
"Having a mate doesn't mean you can't have friends anymore", Xie Lian started to explain. "After all, I'm your King Hua's mate now, and I can still be friends with you. However, your King Hua had a special sort of friends in his harem, and that makes things a bit more difficult", he said, and dropped Banyue on Hua Cheng's lap gently. "I'm sure he won't mind explaining it to you in more detail. Sadly, there are a lot of things I need to do right now, so I can't join you for this conversation. I'll see you later, San Lang", he finished, kissed Hua Cheng's temple, and got the hell out of there before his alpha could shake himself out of his petrified stupor.