[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/wMfZBmj.png[/img] [sub]*italicized dialogue is spoken in a language other than English.* mentions: [@Eric Horst][/sub][/center] [i][b]"Wake up! Wake up already! You've slept through every single one of your alarms!"[/b][/i] Days without an irritating voice urgently pleading with the young noble to wake up as though he would suffer horrifying consequences if he didn't, were scarce and considered a blessing. Unfortunately, this particular morning was not uncommon in the slightest. It was, in fact, one out of the thousands that began with his ever-so-gentle servant, shaking Yu Liang's shoulders with the most precisely calculated amount of violence needed to rouse the boy from his deep slumber. [i][color=#799C82]"Let me be, Nianzu"[/color][/i], mumbled the boy. He buried his head into his pillow, hair splayed across the grey cover in a messy array of blond, tangled strands that would surely take a good twenty minutes' worth of brushing (hence why he should really move). The combination of a hoarse morning throat along with his general tendency to mispronounce words (even in his native language), meant his words were likely lost on the man. Yet, it seemed the retainer actually did understand his muffled words- Yu Liang was pleasantly surprised when he could no longer sense his presence by the bed. His feeling of contentment was sadly short-lived when he realized there was now silence, save for the sound of what sounded like ... running water. [i][color=#799C82]"Nianzu?"[/color][/i], he called out, slightly wary. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard footsteps approaching his bed. Said person spoke again, a thinly veiled threat underneath his otherwise cheeriness this time. [i]"With my left hand, I hold a glass filled with the purest water collected from the highest of mountaintops as well as five, sparkling ice cubes"[/i], Nianzu paused. Yu Liang could practically feel the raven-haired man staring him down as he tried, in vain, to ignore his friend by sinking into his blankets. [i]"And with my right, I will not hesitate to spill everything on those who refuse to listen."[/i] At this, Yu Liang had no choice but to sneak a glance at the man's face to assess the gravity of the situation. Met with the sight confirming that Nianzu did, indeed, have a cup of water looming over his head, the boy heaved a sigh of resignation that dissolved into a series of yawns. [i][color=#799C82]"Do you know how much of a pleasure it is, to see your face as soon as I open my eyes?"[/color][/i], Yu Liang asked, eyebrows furrowing as he squinted up at the figure. His twitching lips betraying him when he attempted feigning exasperation, he gave way to a tired albeit fond smile, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. Sitting up at last, he stretched his body, stiff from sleep. [i]"Yes, I am very well aware. Now, please, I beg of you. Will you hurry?"[/i], Nianzu replied with a pained expression on his face. After rolling his shoulders, twisting to the right then to the left, and reaching upwards with his arms behind his head (all while taking his time), Yu Liang stood up and allowed the valet to usher him out his bedroom and through the grand, mahogany doors leading to what boasted the treasures acquired from several hours spent roaming the streets of Weifeng: his walk-in closet. Two sizable suitcases sat in the corner holding, at most, two weeks' worth of clothes. The bag stored basic essentials. Strange, considering the lengthy amount of time the prince would be staying in a kingdom overseas, but the attendants had long established a routine that surprisingly worked out well for both their lord and themselves. Upon noticing what had captured his attention, Nianzu smiled wryly. [i]"Need I remind you of what happened five years ago, young master?" [/i] Turning to the man with a scandalized raise of his eyebrows, Yu Liang exclaimed, [color=#799C82][i]"Must you always bring that up? Haven't I apologized enough?"[/i][/color] He'd had no intentions of making his attendant work tirelessly for him, but somehow, even as he tried to lessen the man's load, he'd ended up carrying all of the prince's newly purchased items as well as caring for a fifty-pound puppy and two fussy kittens. [i]"Fair enough. Looking after them wasn't much different from what my job normally entails me to do, anyways."[/i] Wisely choosing not to justify the last remark with a response, Yu Liang slipped out of his sleeping clothes and into the casual street dress his tailor had handed him. If it wasn't deemed inappropriate for a noble to be seen in public wearing pajamas, Yu Liang wouldn't have bothered getting dressed. After all, he would be changing once he had reached his destination on the plane anyways. Giving himself a quick glance at the mirror, he nodded, satisfied, before walking over to the vanity area where a woman sat with her eyes lowered, patiently waiting for him to finish dressing. Once seated, she began gently brushing through the knots of his hair and patting his face with a thin powder. Although he disliked the feeling of having his face covered with unidentifiable substances, his mother had implored him to be on time and look presentable. The former, he was sure would not happen. The latter, he had actually been offended by- he thought he took care of his appearance fairly well. To each their own. Two hours passed before Yu Liang found himself seated on a plane, preparing for a flight from one side of the world to the other. As he absentmindedly stared at the screen of the television in front of him, barely registering the general gist of the characters' interaction and not entirely sure which character each name belonged to, Yu Liang thought back to when he had first heard of Princess Ayleanna's engagement. Weddings weren't out of the ordinary--in fact, it seemed that most royals his age were already married or engaged. He himself had never shown much interest in relationships, so Yu Liang had always felt a strange sense of anxiety whenever the thought of marriage crossed his mind. His sisters had already done their part, marrying strategically so Weifeng would benefit as much as possible. Meanwhile, he'd remained completely single for most of his life despite gossip columns constantly releasing new articles detailing the latest updates on his relationship with a mysterious lover he'd supposedly been hiding from the public. When a wedding invitation with his name on it arrived in the mail, Yu Liang had been surprised. Though he'd long heard of Princess Ayleanna's engagement to Prince Zhou Mei, he hadn't expected to be invited and halfheartedly thought about pretending that he never received the news, but alas, he knew it would disappoint Emperor Guiren if he did not at least do this much for the kingdom. By the time Yu Liang arrived in Aciras, he had changed into a black [url=https://i.imgur.com/vKfHaM7.jpg]blazer[/url] patterned with gold flowers over a white collared [url=https://i.imgur.com/79r5hY2.jpg]shirt[/url], solid black trousers, and black dress shoes. Rather than the traditional bowtie or long tie, Yu Liang had opted for a more delicate silk ribbon [url=https://www.cattlekate.com/assets/store/products/fullsize/solid_long_string21.jpg]tie[/url]. Once his feet were finally on solid ground after the plane landed, Yu Liang followed Nianzu to a relatively deserted area, where a man dressed in a pinstriped suit stepped out of a rather luxurious-looking vehicle. Typically, getting into the car of a man he'd never seen until then would've been cause for concern, but everything had already been arranged beforehand, including a thorough background check on the man who would be their ride to the castle. At the entrance, he'd been halted by two guards who let him pass after verifying his identity. Several, if not all, of the guests were already mingling, it seemed. Yu Liang spotted several faces he recognized as well as those who were a bit blurry in his memory. True to his prediction, he was one of the last ones to arrive. Walking up to the rulers of Aciras, he bowed deeply and greeted them.[color=#799C82] "Good afternoon. I am the son of Emperor Guiren. I'm so incredibly honored to finally meet the esteemed King and Queen of Aciras. And to Princess Ayleanna, I extend my congratulations." [/color]Yu Liang bowed once more, thanking them for the invitation, before continuing on. Nearby stood a man with brightly colored orange-red hair who had been in the middle of making a declaration of anger and, before Yu Liang could even think to warn him, had knocked over the large painting that'd been hanging above him, causing it to drop onto his head. Turning his head away to hide a quiet chuckle, Yu Liang was about to leave and pretend he hadn't seen the incident lest the man be embarrassed there had been someone to witness his mistake when he heard a voice behind him. [i]"Your parents have spoken to you about this."[/i], Nianzu sighed from behind him. The younger of the two yelped. The last he'd seen the man, he was making a phone call.[color=#799C82] [i]"Where did[/i] you [i]come from?"[/i][/color] [i]"Go."[/i], Nianzu ordered, nudging his charge in the general direction of the other man. [i]"You should socialize more. Besides, he looks like he could use some help."[/i] Yu Liang sighed, but complied nonetheless. Arranging his facial features into what he deemed looked friendliest, he approached the prince with Nianzu in tow. Upon coming closer to the prince, Yu Liang realized his companion was, as always, right. While the red-haired prince had, at a glance, looked like he'd simply chosen to remain standing in that particular spot with the painting dangerously close to his head, it seemed he was actually stuck. Standing a bit to the side, Yu Liang watched Nianzu lift the painting with ease and lower it to the floor, letting the painting lean against the wall. After bowing to the other prince, Nianzu turned to Yu Liang and tilted his head subtly towards the red-haired man with a look that clearly said, "There. Now talk." With a potential painting fiasco successfully prevented, Yu Liang introduced himself. [color=#799C82]"Good afternoon. Prince Elijah, was it? I'm Yu Liang, from Weifeng. Sorry to intrude, but you looked like you were in quite the predicament. Are you alright? That seemed painful." [/color]Giving the other prince a curious look, Yu Liang smiled before adding, [color=#799C82]"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what vengeance, exactly, were you hoping to get from smacking the painting?"[/color]