Curled Horns

14. Stable Work

The ghost of Yunho's touch on his horns had haunted Mingi into his dreams. Only that this time, Yunho had done more than just caress his horns. He had tipped back Mingi's head with a gentle grip on the curved appendages, and then he had leaned over to kiss Mingi. And their lips had melted into each other in a touch so pleasant that Mingi felt as if floating.

Mingi had awoken to the man's necklaces hitting his face and making both of them laugh so hard he startled himself awake.

That day, when Mingi arrived at Yunho's room, the man was already up and about. San was back, although he wore leather attire fit for a long riding trip. Curiously, Mingi followed their conversation as he arranged the food.

"You take care of yourself. I won't be gone for long, but especially now I hate being separated," San just said in Yunho's general direction. Both of their faces matched with deep wrinkles on their foreheads.

"Then return as soon as possible. I will hold this fortress and await good news."

They hugged for a brief moment. Despite the tense air, San was flirtatious enough to smack a kiss on Yunho's cheek before he pulled back. He had to stretch for that.

San whisked out of the room without sparing Mingi another glance. Once he left, Yunho smiled at Mingi in greeting and came to sit down with him. The troubled sigh that fell from his lips weighed on Mingi's heart.

"What's going on?"

"Another horn-stealing case this morning. This time, they treaded the territory of the Choi kingdom. The victim lost their life to the bleeding." Yunho's voice was glum. When Mingi rose a hand in front of his lips to mask his horror, the prince exhaled again.

"San and my father set out to discuss matters with the Choi kingdom. The royals aren't safe with such a killer going around. Despite them just being a pixie, they are deadly. I will watch over the castle for the next few days."

The image that the murder painted was cruel. A demon, horns sawed off at the base where most nerves laid and dying of blood loss. The pain must have been horrendous. Mingi shuddered at the imagination. He was barely hungry anymore. Still, he idly tugged his bread apart to dunk it into his soup.

The dancing flames in the fireplace couldn't raise their mood. Brooding, they sat together and ate quietly until even the last crumbs had disappeared. Mingi waited until Yunho finished, too, tail swishing behind him slowly.

Once Yunho had leaned back and stacked the bowls together neatly, he searched Mingi's face.

"Then what will you do today? More meetings?" Mingi inquired quietly. If one of their citizens had died, Yunho would have had to visit the town and pay them his respects and attend the cremation. However, this time, he shook his head.

"No, I have nothing to do. Usually, I try to distract myself from this gloominess with physical labour. So I will probably go to the stables and help clean out Ave's box. If you want, you can take the morning off."

Mingi hesitated. He didn't want to be alone with such scary thoughts poisoning his mind. But even less, he wanted Yunho to be alone in this mood. Every missing smile on his lips made Mingi's heart ache.

"Can I accompany you?"

If Yunho was surprised, he didn't show it. Only the ghost of a subdued grin tugged on his lips.

"Of course. Although you might want to change into a different coloured shirt for that work. Shall we meet in the stables in a while?"

With an enthusiastic nod, Mingi stood. He loaded the tray on his arms and dipped out of the room to change into one of his old working shirts. A few minutes later, and covered by a spotty brown shirt he had tucked into his pants so it wouldn't ride up and expose his still healing navel to the grime, Mingi appeared in the stables. Yunho was here already, standing tall in simple pants and a grey linen shirt. For once, he was dressed like an ordinary person and without too many dainty dangling accessories. Nevertheless, his aura gave his rank away.