Author's Note: Nen dynamics continue in this chapter. Ken 堅 is an advanced Nen technique where a Nen-user maintains an amplified state of Ren 練 for a prolonged amount of time to defend against attacks from any direction. Ling 零 means "zero" in Mandarin. It is a reference to Tserriednich's fiancée Hana (하나 "one").

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Chapter 4: Thunder (雷)

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"What happened to him?! What the fuck is happening?!"

Mark was shaking uncontrollably. His vision was still sharp despite the hot tears streaming down his face and the flurry of movement as he was pulled inside the prince's chamber. From a distance he could see Tserriednich on Muhan's arms, the bodyguard running towards the inner chamber as Sarkov opened the door in haste.

"What are you doing? He needs a doctor!"

He was silenced by a loud slap.

"You idiot!" Theta hissed. "Why did you do that?"

"W-What did I do?" Mark winced. The pain on his cheek was nothing compared to the feeling of his bones starting to snap as Theta gripped his wrist so hard.

Theta closed her eyes to calm herself down, eyebrows still knotted in anger. She took a deep breath before opening them again. Mark was awed by the intensity of them, as if Theta could kill him by simply looking. "I will explain it later. From now on, please refrain from doing something stupid. If anything bad happens to His Royal Highness, we're all dead. You understand?"

Mark looked back at her, ready to take in all of her anger. "I'd be fine with me dying. I just don't want anything bad to happen to him."

Her grip softened, eyes looking less menacing than before. She sighed. "Right. Follow me."

Upon entering the prince's inner chamber, all Mark saw was the prince lying on the bed, seemingly unconscious. The royal garments were now divested, replaced with sleeping clothes that made the prince look like a hospital patient. Marks clenched fists went up to his chest as his breathing grew harsher. No matter how hard he tried to suppress it, his heart ached so hard that his tears started to fall again. He turned to Theta. "What did I do to him? Please tell me! What did I do?!"

Theta sighed. "Do you know what nen is?"

He looked at her blankly, tears still falling stupidly. "What's that?"

Theta sighed, deeper than the last. "It's the discipline of using your life force as a higher form of martial art or simply as a special ability. Listen carefully, that life force or energy is called aura. The more you use nen, the more your aura is depleted. That's why any nen-user must not use it for an extended period of time."

He looked at the prince, still confused. "Is that what happened to him?"

"Yes," she replied. "I don't understand the motive behind but he definitely did it to defend you."

Mark opened his mouth and closed it again, dumbfounded. The guardian beast was on the bed, lying beside the prince. It rubbed its face on Tserriednich's hair like a kitten would. "How about that thing over there? Is that somehow connected to this nen?"

"It is," Theta answered. "That beast consumes the prince's aura for sustenance in exchange for protecting him."

Now Mark was more confused than ever. "If the beast eats up His Royal Highness' life force, what do I have to do with it?"

For the second time, Theta eyed him so badly that it felt like she was ripping him open and eating his insides. "You jumped into that vine-like aura like an idiot. You're not a nen-user so the prince used his aura to shield you from it. Do you understand it now?"

Mark paused for a bit trying to process what he just heard. "So the beast was already eating the prince's life force and he still used more of his life force to shield me. His life force got depleted."

"Exactly."

"So if your life force is depleted, you get unconscious?"

"Not necessarily," Theta answered quietly. "Some people die on the spot."

Mark's legs wobbled. He now understood the gravity of his crime. The prince almost died because of him. His eyes were now very sore but if he needed to shed tears of blood, he would for the prince's sake.

"Now don't be so harsh on him, Theta. I was also using ken, you know." Mark turned to see his prince sitting up. His left hand was on the beast's head which had rested on his lap, his fingers casually running on its hair. Mark noticed that the beast's neck got impossibly long, loosely wrapping around Tserriednich's body like a cord. The prince leaned his back on the beast's body like one would rest on a soft cushion. "How many hours did I last?"

"Thirteen hours today, Your Royal Highness," she replied.

"Hm, adding up the fifteen hours since yesterday, it is twenty-eight hours." He sighed. "I'm such a slow learner." He regarded Mark thoughtfully. "Oh. You retained the aura I gave you."

Mark wiped his tears with his handkerchief. "It's a part of you that Your Royal Highness gave me so I definitely must take care of it."

Tserriednich hummed. "I assume Theta already told you about the basic concept of nen. From now on, she will instruct you as well as she had instructed me." He looked at his bodyguards, now officially Royal Guards. "You guys were stressed out unnecessarily because of me. Forgive me."

"It's our duty to protect you, Your Royal Highness," Sarkov replied with a bow.

"Well said." The beast lifted its head a bit and opened its mouth. There was another head inside with a two-pronged tongue sticking out with an eye on each tip. With that second face unblinkingly staring at them, it looked quite adorable. "Anyway, have you seen the source of the attack?"

"It was from the crowd, Your Royal Highness," Theta replied. "Danjin's team had pinpointed the culprit and neutralized him."

"Did they kill him?"

"No, Your Royal Highness. He's at the guest room right now."

"Very good. These will be your assignments for now. Theta, join Danjin's team to get some information from the attacker. Sarkov, you will temporarily replace Theta to lead Group A. Muhan, call Dr. Lindenburg and schedule an appointment. Tell him it's important. You are now dismissed. Mark, please remain."

"Yes, sir."

When the bodyguards were outside, the beast now closed its mouth and went back to its place on the prince's lap, rubbing its cheek on the prince's thigh like a dog asking affection from its master. Tserriednich rested a hand on its head. The beast grunted and looked satisfied.

Tserriednich noticed him looking at the beast. "Her name is Ling. Isn't she a beauty?"

"Indeed she is, my prince," Mark replied with a smile. He couldn't care less if the prince thought of his words as less than genuine. After all, the beast was a terrible monster. It was very intimidating to behold at first glance and he could easily imagine the many dreadful things it would be capable of. But once you see it closer, it was endearing and beautiful, just like the prince himself. Without thinking, he reached out a hand and touched its neck. The beast didn't stir.

"You know," Tserriednich told him quietly, "nobody else had ever dared to touch her."

Mark withdrew his hand immediately. "Forgive me for my transgression, Your Royal Highness."

"No, I don't mean it like that," Tserriednich demurred lightly. "I meant nobody else had ever liked her the way you do. Touch her all you like. I bet she likes you too."

From the playful tone of his voice, Mark understood that Tserriednich was testing him. If he touched the beast again, he could only think of two possibilities. If the beast wouldn't like his touch and eat him, then he would be fodder for the prince's guardian. If the beast would like him, then he would please his prince. It was a win-win situation.

Without hesitation, he reached a hand out to touch Ling once more. The beast uncoiled its neck from the prince and pushed its face towards Mark. He touched its cheek. Its long rabbit-like ears wiggled in delight. He couldn't help but laugh at the display. Tserriednich laughed along with him, quite amused. Ling rubbed her face into his palm and retreated back to rest her head on Tserriednich's shoulder. As the beast grunted, the prince touched the beast's nose with his lips and whispered, "Yes. I love you too."

Those words, even though it weren't really directed at him, went straight to Mark's groin. He sucked his breath and tried his best to contain himself. He succeeded in suppressing a full erection but he remained half-hard.

The prince sighed tiredly. Mark assisted to lay him down the bed as comfortably as possible. The sensation of Tserriednich's warm skin and soft hair briefly making contact with him didn't help him at all but he managed to contain himself nonetheless. He sat on the bedside to adjust the covers.

"You have seen the lady. What do you think of her?"

"Well," Mark started, carefully choosing his words, "she's obviously well-versed with palace politics and likes to court emotional sympathy from others for her advantage. I believe you have to be careful, Your Royal Highness."

Tserriednich chuckled. "Our intel says she finished her physics doctorate at the age of twelve. Quite the prodigy. She had also just retired at the age of twenty-three as a Brigadier General after her ten-year service in the Royal Air Force. And she had the nerve to act so innocent. What a shameless woman."

"From what I heard, she is also proficient in international diplomacy, having previously advised the Secretary of Defense on some matters of state," Mark added.

The prince's eyelashes fluttered sleepily. "She will make an excellent queen. Despite her background, I might still accidentally kill her. She needs to be handled as carefully as possible. I need to train harder for the wedding night."

"Yes, Your Royal Highness." Mark stood up and bowed. He was ready to leave but something still bugged him, gnawing hard on his gut. Tserriednich sensed his apprehension.

"Is there something else you need to tell me?"

Mark tried to open his mouth but he was rooted on the spot. This could wait for tomorrow. Even though it was only three in the afternoon, the prince looked too exhausted to talk about such mundane things. But it's not mundane. It's about his life!

To his consternation, he heard the sheets rustling as the prince sat up. Knowing Tserriednich's curiosity, he shouldn't have brought it up even if only non-verbally.

"Tell me. What is it?"

He looked into the prince's drowsy eyes. At that moment, Tserriednich looked so vulnerable that it hurt. "Theta said that your aura was depleted. You could have died."

The prince chuckled. "Oh, that. Indeed. It was a total miscalculation on my part. But I was far from dying, if that's what worries you so."

A minute of silence lasted for a while. The prince had probably guessed that Mark didn't buy the explanation so he continued. "Listen. Being depleted doesn't necessarily mean that a person is completely out of aura. As long as there is life, there will always be aura. The key to mastering nen is to maintain equilibrium between the aura released and the aura retained. I got out of balance because I'm still trying to learn."

Mark was relieved to hear that. However, with the beast still on full alert despite the prince's tired state, he deduced that the prince's life force was still being consumed. That means that the prince's life was still being gambled with and Mark absolutely disliked that possibility. Despite his worries, he knew he couldn't just voice out everything he felt. What he could do to lessen the prince's burden was by learning nen himself. "I understand, Your Royal Highness."

"Good. I must retire now. Wake me up when dinner is ready."

"As you command, Your Royal Highness."

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Mark twirled a fountain pen on his fingers absently. The golden glow surrounding his body was still there, floating around him like a circular pool of water just as the prince had described. Underneath the gold light was another light of a different color which he recognized as his own life force. He was still confused, still trying to understand this strange thing called nen. One important question that also needed to be answered was what could have motivated the prince to save his puny life.

Ever since he first met Tserriednich, he had always known that his prince was someone who never did anything without a reason. He watched football because he liked to apply its principles in honing his own bodily strength and in understanding group dynamics. He read philosophy to sharpen his mind by analyzing the points of view of some of the most intelligent people that had ever existed. Even his bloodiest escapades were not without reason – he regarded it as a love of art for art's sake and he relished the thrill it gave him.

Saving Mark at that moment while risking his own life in the process was not something that Tserriednich would have done for a mere servant's sake. He would be greatly honored if that was the case but deep in his mind he knew that it wasn't.

Other than the ceremony being disrupted by someone's death, he could sense no other cause. But knowing Theta's skill, Mark knew that if he died there during the ceremony, she would have easily removed him and disposed of his corpse without anyone noticing.

His train of thought stopped as Theta marched to him holding a plastic folder. She had her trademark serious face. "This is the data we've gathered. Will you please hand it to the prince?"

Taking the folder from her, he nodded absently.

"Muhan also informed that the doctor will be inspecting our guest at 7 pm. Kindly inform His Royal Highness of that as well."

"I will," he replied.

Even if he wasn't looking, he knew that Theta was frowning at him. "You're still thinking about what happened, aren't you?"

He didn't bother saying the obvious.

"Well, it already happened so snap out of it. And dinner had been ready for some time. You may have to have it delivered to His Royal Highness' bed since he looked pretty exhausted."

Mark nodded. He did as he was bid like a robot, his mind still wandering. He only "snapped out of it" when he was finally inside the prince's room.

Tserriednich was still fast asleep. He looked so innocent that Mark almost forgot that this situation was one of the most dangerous parts of being the prince's personal attendant. Waking up the prince may result in certain death. There had been many casualties in the past which stopped only after Mark entered the prince's service.

He walked closer to Tserriednich and gently patted his shoulder. "Your Royal Highness, dinner is ready."

As if on cue, the beast on the other side of the room stretched its neck, pushing its face into the tray containing the prince's food. Seeing nothing dangerous, it retreated back and looked at the window like a tourist admiring the view.

Still, Tserriednich was asleep and Mark shook his shoulder harder this time. The prince's eyelashes fluttered open.

Danger aside, this was also one of the best perks of being the prince's personal attendant – seeing the prince up close. Mark could never get over how the sparkle of Tserriednich's golden-brown eyelashes seemed to melt into his eyes each time he opened them. For all his brutality, the prince looked like a saint who had never done a fault in his entire life. Mark sighed in admiration. "Your Royal Highness, I brought you your dinner."

Tserriednich rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Thanks." He did some stretching for a while before he tossed the sheets aside and walked towards the waiting table. On the side table was Theta's report which the prince was distracted with for a while. He opened and scanned the file and whistled. "Hn, as always, she never fails to deliver." Then he sat into the waiting chair and ate daintily.

On the background, a soft jazz music played along with the silent trembling of five maidservants waiting for the prince to finish his dinner. Mark smirked at the sight. If this streak continued, he would never lose his job.

The women were grateful when the prince finally put his silverware down. Mark poured him his water which the prince drank. The prince waved them away. At that, two of the maids cleared the table and vacated the area as quickly as they could. The three on standby stood unmoving like garden statues.

Tserriednich didn't seem to notice that and kept on reading the report. Mark waited for him quietly. The silence continued. After a while, Tserriednich put down the folder. "You know, you don't have to wait on me every now and then. It's not like we're in the feudal era."

"Whatever pleases you, Your Royal Highness," he replied with a bow.

"You're so annoying sometimes."

Mark laughed. "Forgive me, my prince."

The prince frowned.

So adorable.

"Fine. Wait on me all you like."

If he were someone else, Mark understood that he would be dead by now and he appreciated that fact. He also knew what would lift the prince's cranky mood. "Theta also informed that Dr. Lindenburg requests to examine our guest at 7 pm."

As expected, Tserriednich was suddenly smiling. "That's good news. Tell her to assist the doctor. Also, have the baths drawn. I need to look presentable at least since we have a guest to entertain."

With one look from Mark, the three maids gratefully scurried off to do their job so they can finally escape. He chuckled and shook his head in amusement. However, the amusement wore off when the prince undressed and stepped into the tub. The struggle to contain his hard cock began.

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tbc