The next morning Wang Bao jumped out of bed with the most alertness he had ever had in his life. He planned on running into the kitchen but ran into a naked Nakai who was exiting the same room. Wang Bao jumped back from shock before realising it was Nakai, he would usually shout at the Giant to stop walking around naked, but he was too worried about the dough and oil. When Wang Bao finally made it into the kitchen, he saw the stack of containers where the bowl of dough had been originally. Wang Bao stared at the clean room for almost ten seconds before talking to himself.
"What? The dough was here last night."
Wang Bao opened the containers and saw the abundance of desserts that weren't there when he had fallen asleep. He closed the container with a dumb expression then walked over to Nakai who was eating a bowl of porridge on the couch, still naked.
"The cookies and pastries, where did they come from? And where did the dough go for the fried bread?"
Nakai was reluctant but he pointed at himself. Wang Bao couldn't believe it as he stared at Nakai with shock written all over his face. Nakai finished the last of his breakfast and stood up, using a finger to push Wang Bao's mouth closed as he walked by. While walking into the kitchen, Nakai's cocky voice carried over to Wang Bao.
"You already know I can cook, is it that shocking to know I can bake as well?"
Wang Bao followed behind Nakai, still in a daze as he replied.
"But you made so many different pastries. How did you learn to make so many?"
No matter how hard Wang Bao tried, Nakai wouldn't continue to speak about the desserts.
. . . . . .
In the afternoon, Ma and the crew headed back to the ship while Pou, Nakai and Wang Bao visited Lani one last time. The large amount of food was handed over to the confused receptionist before they walked into the room. In the hospital room, Mo was sitting on Lani's bed and they were watching something on a small screen. When Wang Bao walked in, Lani kicked Mo out of the bed and made space for Wang Bao. With a disheartened face, Mo limped back to his bed before pointing at the small container Wang Bao brought.
"Did you make more food?"
Wang Bao opened the container of cookies Nakai made and handed two to Mo before sitting beside Lani. Once he was seated, Wang Bao handed two cookies to Lani while replying.
"I made more than this but they will be frozen for when you have meals. These are just a few cookies. The bag I brought with me has more snacks just in case you two get hungry between meals."
Before leaving the hotel, Nakai told Wang Bao to not mention the foods that were made by him and he watched in disgust as Lani took a big bite from the decadent cookie. Wang Bao watched Lani eat, smiling with a hint of sadness before he pulled the small obsidian king chess piece he had taken from his room, out of his pocket. Lani looked at Wang Bao with surprise as the small stone king was placed in his hand. Wang Bao spoke softly as he closed Lani's hand around the stone.
"I know I didn't accept your feelings but I hope we can continue to be friends."
Lani looked at the high quality cut glass before smiling gently at Wang Bao.
"I would like that, Bao."
Pou, Wang Bao and Lani continued to talk until the sun had fully set with Mo and Nakai listening quietly. Before Pou, Wang Bao and Nakai could leave the room, the nurse came in with the dinner meal Wang Bao had made. Once Lani saw the meal, he leaned forward and gave Wang Bao a bear hug. Wang Bao had never been hugged by such a muscular man before and he felt his body was too weak. After another goodbye to both Lani and Mo, Wang Bao left the room behind Nakai and Pou. However before his body had stepped out of the room fully, Wang Bao turned around and said with a wide smile.
"Oh, by the way. Nakai stayed up all night making those cookies and the other desserts you'll be eating. He also cooked the-."
Before Wang Bao could finish his sentence Nakai dragged him down the hallway, Pou couldn't stop from laughing along with Wang Bao as Nakai quickened his pace to leave the hospital first. When eating the cookies earlier, Lani had thought they had tasted richer and chewier but now that he knew Nakai had made them, they tasted even sweeter and his heart felt full. Unlike the crew, Pou, Nakai and Wang Bao weren't going back to the ship just yet, instead they made their way to the royal guards base where they were given a sleek black submarine. The head guard was grateful for the help from Nakai, Pou and the crew, and he gave the ID pass to Nakai with a deep look of gratitude.
"I hope you can be safe on your travels. I don't know much but the waters have become very dangerous so you have to be watchful."
Nakai reached forward and gave the head guard a firm handshake before replying.
"Thank you, I hope to return to the capital and stay under better circumstances."
The head guard bid everyone goodbye before Nakai boarded the submarine alone, and driving the large vessel back to the ship, Wang Bao only now noticed that the waterfalls were to aid in the submarines coming and going into the city. Pou suddenly tapped Wang Bao's shoulder to grab his attention, and they walked out of the base together. Wang Bao wished he could stay longer in the beautiful city, but knew he would come back if the future allowed it. Pou led the way down the empty street, and it wasn't long before Wang Bao saw they were headed toward an elegant car. Pou opened the back door and waited for Wang Bao to get in. Before doing so, Wang Bao looked at Pou and asked quietly.
"Pou, where are we going now?"
Wang Bao could see Pou look at the driver without turning his head, while gently pushing Wang Bao into the car, Pou spoke in an almost inaudible whisper.
"From now on it's best to stay as quiet as possible, let me do the talking."
Wang Bao felt a shiver up his back as he slid across the cold seat. Pou quickly sat beside him and Wang Bao felt the car begin to move. The car ride was deathly quiet, causing Wang Bao to feel scared around Pou for the first time. As a means to distract himself, Wang Bao looked out the window and saw the modern city change into a more refined and elegant garden. Grand statues of different Sea people lined the driveway they turned down before the car stopped at a large metal gate. Wang Bao glanced at Pou who gave him a firm nod, he could see that Pou's expression was stern but his eyes were warm. The fear in Wang Bao instantly faded. When the gates finally opened, Wang Bao could see a very elegant tall palace made of dark green stone. Wang Bao didn't know much about the job Pou had accepted, but with the sight of the palace alone, he thought back to the Sea people mentioning how the young Prince had been comatosed because of flowers. Wang Bao was certain such a heinous act was his Mother's doing, but he had no way of proving it at this moment in time. As Wang Bao was having these thoughts, the car pulled into a small warehouse behind the palace where a large wooden box was sitting. Guards were placed at every exit with four more stationed at every corner of the box. The driver stepped out of the car first and Pou took the time to murmur to Wang Bao.
"I will talk, play along with everything I say."
The driver opened the door and Pou stepped out followed by Wang Bao. Standing beside one of the guards an elegant man dressed in a suit was standing patiently. The guard he stood beside walked forward to Pou and Wang Bao as soon as they got out of the car, his voice monotonous.
"I will check your bodies first."
Pou spread his arms and legs with Wang Bao copying him, his limbs were stiff despite having nothing on his body. The guard scanned their bodies before telling them to walk forward, the elegant man meeting them halfway. Despite his elegant appearance his voice was rather high pitched.
"Hello Mr Pou, I'm glad we could meet before you left the Capital. The Queen wishes she could meet with you personally but she has become unwell and the doctor has prohibited her from leaving her room."
Pou's stern face suddenly lightened and he answered with a warm smile.
"I understand, I hope she has a fast recovery. I was sent a letter stating she had a gift she wanted sent to the east city, is this it here?"
Pou motioned towards the large box in front of him. Wang Bao could see the box was sealed on three out of the four sides. Inside the wooden box, Wang Bao could see a large white statue of a beautiful woman holding a baby, the statue was so big it was almost twice the size of Pou. Slowly the trio moved further into the warehouse and Wang Bao felt the statue was made of an odd substance, it looked hard like stone but at the same time there was a softness to it, as if it was some sort of skin. While staring at the face of the woman, he felt she looked rather similar but before Wang Bao could think of where he had seen her before, the elegant man nodded his head with excitement as he walked closer to the box, his voice growing in pitch the more excited he became..
"Yes, yes. She felt the east city was lacking in beauty and had me create a lovely piece of art for the centre of the city. Isn't she beautiful, our Queen? Such an elegant woman, with intelligence like no other...We have a submarine waiting to transport it to your ship. Should we seal this beauty up and get you two on your way?"
Pou gave a simple nod before the last wooden wall of the box was nailed in place. With the box sealed securely, the elegant man ordered a guard to start transporting it to the submarine. To move the crate, a manual pallet jack was placed under the pallet holding the box and lifted off the ground. At first no one noticed thanks to the sound of the pallet jack moving across the ground, but Wang Bao could have sworn he heard a quiet cry-like whine. Wang Bao didn't want to look obvious so he slowly moved his gaze across the room, but no one else seemed to notice. Suddenly the pallet jack made a loud thud from moving out of the warehouse to outside and the faint sound grew in volume before being cut off. The guard pulling the statue stopped, clearly hearing what everyone else heard. Before anyone could say anything, Wang Bao leaned over with his hand covering his mouth. The elegant man stared at Wang Bao in confusion before a gurgled wheeze came out of his throat.
A loud eruption of violent coughs came out of Wang Bao as he attempted to cough up a lung. Pou stared at Wang Bao while the elegant man came over and whacked him on the back roughly, Wang Bao felt his spine almost concave from the rough treatment but continued his coughing fit until the statue started being moved again. It was only once Wang Bao stopped coughing that the rough pounding on his back seized as well. While wiping the real tears from his eyes, Wang Bao saif in a small restrained voice.
"Thank you, I have bad allergies and it's a little dusty here."
The elegant man nodded understandably before giving Wang Bao one more slap on the back, speaking at the same time.
"Ah, of course. Let's get you two out of here then. Guards, quickly now and be careful! You can't afford to replace what's in that box!."
Wang Bao continued to keep his hand over his mouth and every few seconds he would let out a small cough or clear his throat, by the time the box was strapped inside the submarine, his face was a little red and his throat hurt from the forced coughing. Pou quietly led the way towards the submarine and Wang Bao took a few seconds to regain his breath. Casting his eyes around the back of the palace, Wang Bao felt the palace looked rather lifeless, giving him a chill. Wang Bao quickly moved his gaze away from the dark palace, and his eyes landed on a colonnade leading to a wetlands. In between one of the pillars closest to the palace, Wang Bao believed he saw a shadow move. The movement didn't help the eeriness surrounding the palace and he walked up to Pou who had made it to the landing of the submarine.
No matter how hard he tried, Wang Bao couldn't get rid of the anxiety filling his gut and he quickly turned round, looking back at the colonnade. Suddenly in the dimly lit arcade, he saw a person standing behind a pillar but he struggled to see their face in the dull light. Keeping his eyes on the human shaped shadow, the person shifted their body around the pillar and the lantern above them suddenly illuminated their face. A royal maid stood silently, watching the statue inside the large submarine with dark eyes. The woman stood almost like a statue herself until she shifted her eyes to meet Wang Bao's gaze. When both of their eyes met, Wang Bao felt a deep fear crawl up his spine and clenched his jaw. The woman widened her black eyes from the shock of seeing Wang Bao before turning on her heels, her slim body running down the dark corridor out of sight. Pou suddenly patted Wang Bao's stiff shoulder, causing the young man to jump. Pou could see Wang Bao's red face had paled from fear and helped him into the submarine.
Wang Bao was so scared he couldn't do his harness and had to rely on Pou. While the submarine began to move towards a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the wetlands, Pou finished securing Wang Bao's, asking in a soft whisper.
"Bao, are you okay? Your face went from bright red to deathly pale."
Pou was grateful to Wang Bao's improvisation in the warehouse, but now that the deal was done, he felt that maybe Wang Bao was actually sick. Wang Bao forced more air into his lungs and sat up straight, he secretly glanced at the driver before shaking his head and whispered back.
"I'm fine, I'll feel better once we're back on the ship."
Luckily the trip didn't take long. After twenty minutes, the submarine rose to the surface of the water before it began to take flight. The ship was a short distance away and the submarine landed smoothly on the large brightly lit deck. Pou and Nakai were strong enough to remove the large box from the submarine while Wang Bao made his way to a small bench to sit down, his hands still trembling from earlier. Once the submarine had submerged itself back in the dark water, Ma started driving the ship away from the city. To Wang Bao's surprise the statue wasn't moved to a more secure section of the ship, it stayed in the middle of the deck with the whole crew surrounding it. It wasn't until they had travelled for half an hour that Pou cracked open the crate. Inside waiting to be seen was the beautiful statue. Pou swiftly took a glass of water that a werebeast crewmate handed over, he slowly poured the water over the head of the baby because he couldn't reach the top, then stepped away. Everyone watched in awe as the statue melted away, revealing the Sea Queen holding her sleeping son. Wang Bao couldn't believe what was happening and he quickly stood up, moving to stand beside Nakai. Once the entire statue had melted into nothing, the Sea Queen bowed deeply to Pou and the crew while speaking in a soft voice.
"I know I put everyone on this ship in danger by asking this favour of you, but I am deeply grateful for your help. I will make sure everyone is compensated abundantly. Also I want everyone to treat me comfortably, I would deeply appreciate it if you called me by my given name, Tira. Think of it as another way to give my thanks."
Pou was handed a thick blanket by a blank staring Paka, and he quickly wrapped the blanket around the queen and her child. His voice was quiet while speaking to Tira.
"There's no need to thank us, we should head below deck before the young prince and you become sick from the cold. Everyone, get inside and help Ma set the table."
Pou shooed the gawking crewmates back into the ship before staying behind, waiting for Tira to head below deck. Wang Bao felt almost mesmerised while looking at the Queen. It was clear she was similar age to Wang Bao's own parents but there was still a youthful glow. Her icy blonde hair draped down to her hips beautifully while he black eyes held a strong sense of wisdom. Wang Bao didn't realise he had been staring until he was met with a strong eye contact from the queen, they gazed at each other before Tira smiled at him warmly,igniting something in Wang Bao's chest. Her tall slender body walked forward while still holding her toddler son firmly, from what he could see, the young toddler looked a lot like his mother, only smaller and chubbier. Once Tira was in front of Wang Bao, she spoke warmly.
"It's been a while since we met, Prince Bao. You were smaller than my own son when your Father introduced us and Little Lei. My deepest condolences for your Father."
Wang Bao felt a pain in his gut at the mention of his Father, but he couldn't help but notice Tira's eyes glisten as soon as she mentioned the late King. It was as if she was also in pain just from mentioning him. Wang Bao didn't know what to say at first and stuttered out.
"Th-Thank you, your Majesty...I-I mean...Tira. It would be best if you address me without a title as well."
Tira smiled at Wang Bao warmly again before her son started to whine in his sleep, before he could wake up, she promptly followed behind Pou. Wang Bao quickly walked to a nearby bench and waited until Nakai was beside him, quietly telling him about the maid from the sea palace. All Wang Bao wanted to do was crawl into a hole and sleep until this mess no longer existed, but he knew that wasn't possible. After listening to Wang Bao, Nakai swiftly guided him back to their room. It wasn't until their door was shut that he started to ask questions.
"Did anyone else recognise you?"
Wang Bao leaned against the wall tiredly while answering Nakai.
"No, if they did they didn't make it obvious like she did. Do you think she will inform my Mother of my presence in the city?"
Nakai looked at the time before sighing.
"Hopefully everything has gone to plan and she didn't get the chance. If she was able to send a message then there is nothing we can do, but face the situation when the time comes."
Wang Bao wasn't sure what plan Nakai was talking about but he didn't have time to ask since there was a knock on the door, calling the two of them for a late dinner. In the dining room, it was obvious the crew were nervous being around royalty; Tira was seated at the far end of the table with her now awake son, while the crew had taken up every seat on the opposite end of the table. Wang Bao and Nakai were forced to take the empty seats on either side of the Sea Queen with Wang Bao being stuck beside the young Prince. Tira sipped her fish soup elegantly before spooning some into her son's mouth, however the Prince didn't want to cooperate and laid his head on Wang Bao's lap, staring at him while blowing a raspberry at his face. The Sea Queens was soft yet firm while she instructed her child.
"Rara, remember your table manners."
Rara listened to his Mother and sat up to open his mouth, once the soup passed his lips he swallowed with exaggerated movements of delight before looking up at Wang Bao and saying loudly.
"Ahh~"
Wang Bao smiled simply at the child while eating his own soup. It was clear Rara wasn't happy with the response and swallowed a big mouthful of soup again, this time he stood up on the bench and held Wang Bao's neck softly to look at the young man, smacking his pouty lips loudly.
"Ahh~"
Tira knew Wang Bao was uncomfortable and tapped her son on the behind to force him to sit down, at the same time she spoke in a stern voice.
"Rara, you mustn't do that in other people's faces, eat properly."
Although Rara listened the first time he misbehaved, he was wanting to see Wang Bao react and continued to stand. To Rara's surprise, Wang Bao didn't want to give the young child too much attention and picked up a dumpling with his spoon, hoping to eat while ignoring the child. Seeing this, Rara opened his mouth and stole the spoonful of food right in front of Wang Bao. Rara chewed the seafood dumpling happily before speaking with a mouthful of food.
"Swap with me, brother's food is better."
Tira had had enough and tried to take Rara into her own lap but the small hands of the Prince clung to Wang Bao's hair with a strong grip. Wang Bao scrunched his face in pain as he took the small Prince from the Tira's arms, speaking in a soft voice.
"It's okay, he can eat on my lap."
Rara liked this very much and he widened his small mouth, waiting for another dumpling expectantly. To Rara's disappointment, Wang Bao scooped soup from his bowl, the toddler instantly shut his lips firmly until Wang Bao ate what was on the spoon. Before Rara could be forced into eating his soup, he pointed at the dumplings swimming in Wang Bao's bowl.
"Dumplings, Rara wants dumplings. Brother eat the grey water."
Wang Bao followed along and fed Rara another dumpling, making his small cheeks balloon as he chewed happily; His happy face caused his wide black eyes to squint up at Wang Bao. The Sea Queen smiled at the two beside her and complemented Wang Bao.
"You are very good with children, do you have plans to have children in the future, little Bao?"
Nakai suddenly looked over at Wang Bao and Rara, Tira's question was simple but it left Nakai with an uncomfortable itch in his chest. Wang Bao had one hand around Rara's belly to hold him in place while his other hand fed the small boy a third dumpling. He looked somewhat awkward with the child in his lap but also very beautiful and poised. Wang Bao gave a half smile at the question, a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"ehm, I don't plan on having children."
The Sea Queen was surprised to hear this and she turned her body to face Wang Bao, talking as if they were old friends.
"Really? Is there a reason?"
Nakai was listening closely as well as he finished the last of his food. Wang Bao looked reluctant to answer but replied anyway.
"I don't want to repeat the mistakes that were made when I was a child."
The Sea queen's face quickly fell at what Wang Bao had told her. She instantly remembered when she first met Wang Bao his body was so small, when she held him it was as if she was holding a doll and not a human. The late king had brought his sons along to their meal together when she was visiting the capital, and Wang Bao wouldn't stop crying. At the time even his Father and brother tried to quieten him in any way possible. To everyone's surprise, Tira offered to hold Wang Bao and as soon as he nestled into the crook of her neck, he fell asleep.
After their lunch together the Queen Mother came by to take Wang Lei for a walk in her garden, but as soon as she saw Wang Bao sleeping on the Sea Queen, she joked about how she should just take him with her if he likes her so much. Those words had always stuck with Tira. Once she came back to reality, Tirareached out and held Wang Bao's face tenderly, a deep look of guilt and sadness in her black eyes. Everyone in the room stared in shock at their intimate interaction, but Rara used his small hand to grab the last dumpling since Wang Bao wasn't listening to him. As soon as Wang Bao felt Tira's warm hands, he instantly felt the pressure constantly weighing on him slip away. Closing his eyes, he heard Tira speak in a quiet voice, a hint of sadness in her words.
"Bao, you're not your parents just like how my son isn't me. We are our own people and we live our own lives. Please don't live in fear because life is hard enough without that hanging over you."
Wang Bao became teary eyed and gave a quiet okay before excusing himself from the room, Rara tried to chase after him but he was caught by his Mother and held in her arms tightly. Seeing Wang Bao leave the room, Rara continued to squirm and free himself until he saw Nakai. His black eyes stared at Nakai's cold green eyes until he leaned closer to the giant face, blowing a wet raspberry. The Sea Queen instantly pulled Rara back, apologising in a shocked voice.
"I'm sorry your Highness. Rara, what have I told you about doing that!?"
The crew went from being sad because Wang Bao was sad to snapping their heads in Nakai's direction, their loud voices shouting in unison.
"Your Highness?"
Nakai leaned back smugly and cocked his head to the side, his voice just as cocky as his look.
"Do you believe it?"
The crew all shook their heads and laughed it off, Pou rolled his eyes and shook his head in disappointment for his own men. Tira was about to butt in and correct the crew, but Nakai whispered that there was no point because they wouldn't believe her, and he excused himself as well to find Wang Bao.