※This is how I visualize the King, sharp, cold, and dignified looking --and kinda hot /// . (just imagine him with red hair) {art by @ enaa97 on twt}

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"Lead the way then." Anastasius said with a smile, and while Icarus still wanted to indulge the smile of his cute little Young Master, they didn't have all the time in the world to take their time in preparation.

"Young Master, I'm afraid you're still not ready to meet them. We still have to do something with your outfit." He politely said. Anastasius looked down on his body and noticed that he is still wearing his sleepwear. He just gave a sheepish smile to Icarus.

"Let this servant get something for Young Master to wear. In the mean time, please stay in this room and avoid wandering around."

"Okay!" The younger answered, now sitting on the edge of his bed while swaying his little feet in the air. Icarus almost melted at the sight.

After his butler left, Anastasius decided to wait in the veranda. He understands that he's not allowed to go outside in his sleepwear and it's fine with him since he doesn't have enough energy - after using it for his cultivation - to go outside anymore. He decided to just sketch the view from where he sat on, the trees, the flowers, the sky, while waiting for his butler to return with his new attire.

The weather is perfect today, sunny but not too hot, and it's evident that even the animals loved it. Anastasius could see a lot of local tiny birds resting on the tree branches, he could also see a cat sleeping soundly on the warm grass, and the butterflies surrounding the flowers he planted with the gardener. Anastasius was so entranced by this sight that he couldn't take his eyes off of it. He didn't even notice a certain figure walking towars the East Palace.

The figure was a mysterious boy, probably a bit older than Anastasius, and was just wandering around the Palace that he was sent to as a representative of their country's Royal Family. He was trying to learn things about this foreign place since it's the very first time he'd come to such Kingdom. But out of all the things he'd seen in his little inspection, the boy in the veranda is probably the most beautiful existence he had encountered.

He admired the concentration Anastasius put in what he's currently doing, the way he furrow his eyebrows, how he put on that enchanting smile whenever he lays his eyes on the comfortable scenery in front of him. He didn't know who Anastasius was but he's determined to get to know him well.

He found Anastasius' smile charming, like seeing the sunlight creeping from the cracks of a flowing curtain after weeks of experiencing a heavy storm. It was hypnotizing, contagious, elating, and if he were to compare it to a fruit it would be fresh apples, sweet, crisp and refreshing.

The boy didn't want to distract Anastasius though, so he just decided to leave when he heard his attendant call him. 'I have a feeling I'll meet you again soon.' He thought to himself, wearing a smile that would seem innocent for others but actually not so pure. Anastasius suddenly shivered 'Is someone talking about me behind my back?' He wondered, but in the end he just ignored it.

"Young Master, your royal garments are ready"

"I'll be there in a second!"

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※The outfit with the suspenders is Anastasius' outfit for today, along with the long socks and black leather shoes. Art by @ surume050505 in twt.

After Icarus helped Anastasius in changing into a more formal attire, the boy admired his look. He touched his chiffon shirt to feel the intricate lace on it. 'To think that these laces were all handmade.' He thought, showing an awed expression. The fabric of his apparel felt smooth on his supple and sensitive skin. Even his socks felt good and lightweight while still not sliding off of his legs. It's not very extravagant if it were to be compared with the outfits of princes he sees in illustration books, however, it was already grandiose if it were to be compared with the ragged clothes he used to wear in the orphanage when he was younger (that sometimes gives him rashes from its rough texture).

Although he really loved the feeling of his clothes on him, he couldn't help but wish it wasn't so comfortable to the point that it's making him sleepy. He just lost a lot of his energy because of the cultivation earlier so it's really not helping at all.

"Are you sleepy Young Master?" Icarus asked when he noticed Anastasius stifling a yawn. "A little bit. Can I sleep on the way there?" He asked, his eyelids were heavy and he feels as though he'll just pass out if he doesn't get to have a nap immediately. He doesn't really want to cause a ruckus on the way to the palace because he wants his first time to be memorable in a good way.

"Of course Young Master, we will be using the carriage anyway. Feel free to take a nap in it." Anastasius silently cheered.

Icarus lead his Young Master to the carriage, not failing to keep his eyes on the child to prevent him from collapsing out of his drowsiness.

Before entering the carriage, Icarus whispered to one of the servants earning him a nod afterwards. When Icarus opened the door of their vehicle, Anastasius almost gaped at the alterations that were done inside it.

The leather chairs were turned into a cozy looking mini bed filled with fluffy pillows and animal stuffed toys. He cannot even fathom how the servants did it. He just told Icarus he is sleepy, the butler didn't even left his side so he couldn't be the one who did it.

"Magic." Icarus answered his question in mind. "-We, servants in the Royal family are able to connect with each other through telepathy. High-ranked butlers like me can order other servants with the use of it. Though one can only have the ability to be the sender of the message if they were blessed by the King. Other lowly servants can only listen and abide by it." There are a lot of questions Anastasius wanted to ask but his sleepiness got the better of him so he just nodded and gave a tired smile to his butler.

The trip to the palace was slow and peaceful. Icarus stayed beside Anastasius to keep him from bumping his head on the carriage walls when the road gets bumpy. The palace roads are usually sleek and clean, Icarus just wanted to find a reason to take care of his Young Master.

They arrived at the palace after 15 minutes but Anastasius was still sleeping heavily while hugging a rabbit stuffed toy tightly. He looked like an angel sleeping on a cloud and it would really break Icarus' heart if he were to wake his Young Master up. So he did what anyone could possibly think of at that moment and decided to just carry Anastasius until they arrive inside.

Anastasius is small for his age making it easy for his butler to carry him like how a father would carry his child. With Icarus' stoic expression and macho aura combining with Anastasius' angelic features, they were really a sight to look at. But as much as the butler wants to spoil his Young Master. It would be unethical for them to arrive in that position, him carrying the King's son as he wishes. So he was left with no choice but to wake Anastasius up before they went in the throne room.

The knights guarding the tall grand double doors opened it for them making everyone inside the throne room look at the two newcomers. Anastasius, still a little sleepy, rubbed his eyes with his tiny knuckles.

"Greetings upon the Rulers of the Clarimières Kingdom, and also to his highness, Corriele's Crown Prince." Icarus and Anastasius said as they bow.

"Anastasius! What took you so long?" Lucas asked, the Queen hurriedly hushed him "Ethics, my prince. You can play with your brother later after this." She whispered to him. The King remained stoic, showing little to no emotion.

Anastasius noticed how the sitting arrangement in the throne room changed from what he saw in his books. Another kid is now sitting on the King's throne while the King is now sitting on the Queen's throne. The Queen now sat on an extravagant chair between the King and Lucas. Anastasius remembered what he read in the book once, that the throne arrangement can be altered based on the power held by each of the person sitting in the room. The kid sitting on the King's throne must be powerful then, Anastasius thought. The kid looked tall and promising, he's cute but compared to Lucas he has more mature features. This kid's gonna be hell of a hot dude, Anastasius thought. The kid has a beautiful raven hair paired with ruby red eyes. He's wearing an amused smile as he looked at Anastasius, his eyes had a playful glint on them, as if he's looking at a new toy.

"Pardon my tardiness Your Majesties." Anastasius apologized while bowing. A servant lead him to a smaller chair beside Lucas. The child-turned-man couldn't help but look at the King, he really looked handsome, If he weren't my blood-related father I would totally go nuts over him, Anastasius suppressed a cough with his absurd thought.

"Now that we have gathered here, Your Highness Charles, Crown Prince of Kingdom Corielle; meet my sons. Lucas and Anastasius." The King said, his baritone voice echoed through the room like a ripple on the surface of a lake.

"Your sons are adorable King Maxwell. I see a bright future for your Kingdom." Charles said, still wearing the smile. Anastasius bit his lip, trying to think where he heard the name Charles.

The name was so familiar to him. He couldn't remember if he saw that name in the nameless book or in the books he found in the East Palace' library. He just know he'd already seen it.

'Charles...raven hair....red eyes...'

After thinking for a minute, he finally remembered where he had seen the name. How could he forget it? He's literally the hero of the book he is in! With an excited face he immediately turn his head to Charles' direction.

"You're the Prince Charming!" Anastasius exclaimed, obviously regretting it after.

Everyone in the room, especially the servants brought by the foreign Prince trembled in fear for Anastasius'place. The 'Prince Charming' Anastasius know was actually notorious in being a short-tempered tyrant, he hated being talked to by a lower individual unless he permitted them to. He hates being talked to informally, even by his parents. If he encounters people like this the lightest punishment he'll be thinking of will be ten hit of his wooden paddle on the buttocks.

"Why, thank you Anastasius. But I must say you're more charming than I am." He said with a smile. Everyone was shocked with his tender reaction, what is the Prince trying to achieve by being nice to a mere Young Master like Anastasius?

While everyone was shocked, Anastasius got over his embarrassment pretty quickly, So the Prince Charming is really nice! He thought.

"Psst....Anastasius, I know you're going to be bored of this adult meet-up so I'm going to ask father to let us play outside while they talk, okay?" Lucas whispered, actually he's the one who is bored but he didn't want to admit it to Anastasius to look cool so he used Anastasius as a way to get out of the suffocating formality in the room. Anastasius just chuckled at the cuteness of his younger brother while not noticing Charles' burning gaze on him.

"Father, my older brother is feeling sick today so I must accompany him to the Royal physician to check him up immediately." Lucas lied through his teeth. Anastasius controlled the fond smile that's starting to form on his face. The King wasn't bothered at all by Lucas' interruption, he seems to be used to it already.

"You could get Icarus to do that th-"

"No, Father! Uh- I apologize for my rudeness, I'm just concerned for my brother's health that I want to be the one accompanying him." Lucas said while bowing. Anastasius faked a cough to support his cute younger brother.

"My my, if Anastasius is really feeling sick then we should cancel this meeting for now. I also want to accompany him to the clinic." Said Prince Charles. His servants went to pinch themselves to make sure they're not dreaming, Charles never cared for anyone other than himself, what's with the change of attitude?

Lucas sighed, defeated, he whispered back to his older brother an apology for making the situation worse. Anastasius just smiled at him and faked a cough again. "It would be an honor, Your Highness, but I must decline. I'm afraid I might pass my cold to you and I will be deeply burdened if it were to happen." Anastasius said. Charles just looked at him, more amused than ever because he knows that Anastasius is lying, and he knows that Anastasius already had an inkling about Charles' knowledge regarding the plan his younger brother dragged him into.

Icarus immediately ushered Anastasius outside the throne room, barely bidding an honorable farewell to the rulers of the Kingdom because he was too worried about Anastasius's health. "What are you feeling right now, Young Master? Does it hurt anywhere? Can you breathe pro-"

"Icarus I'm okay, I just feel sleepy and I didn't want to drowse off in front of such high individuals." The butler was still suspicious but he dropped the topic for the sake of his Young Master.

"Let us go back to the East Palace for now."

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Author's Note:

I'M BAAAAAAAACCCCKKK- well, sort of. I really apologize for the loooong delay of this chapter :( Uni have been torturing me. I also didn't expect anyone to like this bs I made in my past time, I'm really happy right now, especially when I read your comments. THANK YOU FOR READING THIS I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!