Dong Sicheng, the recently crowned King of Caspian and known to be highly intellectual with a nickname he's now famous for even outside the walls of Caspian, "Ice Cold King" due to his exterior being of that he was a cold person and had never been shy to reject any women that showed interest in him...or simply, his throne in a not so polite manner—was now whining like a child at his head of security and close friend Lee Taeyong because of the lack of chocolate put in his waffles.
Lee Taeyong patted the King's head, chuckling softly at the scene in front of him. Only he, and a few others, were the only ones who knew Sicheng's true personality. It was merely a technique that he uses so people would take him seriously as King. But around trusted people, Sicheng was his true self. It wasn't like he was being fake around other people, especially to his people. But being a young King had its cons. The younger he was, the less he'd be thought of as responsible enough to rule a kingdom.
"Just spread some nutella on it, your highness. Come on. We have a meeting with the President of China soon." Wong Yukhei, Sicheng's secretary, uttered as he stood next to the whining King.
Sicheng sighed and begrudgingly did as his secretary told him so before getting up from the dining table and took a bite of the nutella sandwich he made with waffles. Taeyong protested as the young King got up from his position.
"It's alright, hyung. We need to get going. It'll be rush hour soon. You should take care of things around here for awhile. I'll take Johnny with us instead." Sicheng gave his head of security a small reassuring smile, knowing how hard the older had worked for the past few weeks assisting him. Before the latter could protest, Sicheng gave him a small salute and headed off with Yukhei in tow.
As the two walked through the hallways of the castle, Sicheng nodded at the people that bowed his way as he walked past them before turning his head to look at his tall secretary.
"What else is on the agenda today, Yukhei?" the King asked and munched further on his self-made waffle sandwich.
The taller male sighed and looked down at the iPad on his hand and scrolled through the King's schedule. He kissed his teeth as he scrolls through before glancing back up at the male. "After your meeting with the President, we'll be heading off to the coal mines by the bridge connecting to Therondia. The King will be there too but we have to move fast. I heard of his press conference later on in the day. We shouldn't take to long with the President. He has to catch his flight back to China." The younger male answered.
As the two headed out towards the car where Johnny was waiting, Sicheng saw a snowflake drop. He glanced up at the sky where he could see the sun slowly peaking out. Snow wasn't very rare to occur during springtime, especially on the very first few weeks of the season. While others hated the snow, Sicheng didn't mind it one bit. Snow was a beautiful thing for the young King.
"Your highness?"
He was snapped out of his thoughts, looking down at the source of the voice. Yukhei stood by the opened door of the car and Johnny was already inside the driver's seat. Sicheng cleared his throat and climbed inside the car followed by his secretary. After putting on the seat-belt, the young King of Caspian grabbed the bottle of water handed out to him by Yukhei and downed the whole content in one gulp before handing it back to the younger.
"I'm surprised Taeyong let you off without him." Johnny spoke, taking a glance at the rearview mirror at the King before focusing on the road.
Sicheng leaned back on the seat, his eyes automatically looking out the window as he noticed more snow coming down. "I didn't exactly give him a choice." He replied in his usual deep tone.
The older chuckled and shook his head, lightly. "He keeps denying it but he's pretty much your bitch." He grinned in a mischievous manner. The grin on his face immediately reminded the young King of his childhood friend. If only he was around, Johnny would've gotten along with him.
"He's only doing his job, hyung." Sicheng scoffed.
The older smirked and made a turn before responding back to the younger, "So feeding you and tucking you to bed are two job requirements of a head of security?"
Sicheng felt his cheeks heat up. He scoffed in protest at the older male's response. It was technically true that Taeyong would mostly cook his meals and would escort him back to his quarters before retreating to his own. It was just Johnny's words that made him feel like he was being babied and it instantly embarrassed him.
"I would watch what I say if I were you, Seo." The young King retorted. If Sicheng wasn't sporting a flustered look, Johnny would've thought he was being serious but knowing the younger male for a few years now, he knew better than to think he was someone scary. In fact, he feared Lee Taeyong more than he could ever fear the King of Caspian. Despite the height difference between him and Taeyong, it was something Johnny could never underestimate. He wasn't the head of security for nothing.
"Hai! Hai!" Johnny responded with a salute and a playful smile making Yukhei raised a brow in amusement at the male before turning to look at the King sitting next to him.
"Do you want to stop by for coffee before meeting the President?" Yukhei asked, softly.
"No. That's fine. But we could head there before we go to the coal mines." Sicheng responded.
Yukhei nodded and continued to do what he was doing. Sicheng assumed he was going through e-mails and schedules. His secretary was surely hardworking. It was rare seeing the taller male serious. It even scared the young King a bit but knowing the reason why reassured him. Yukhei's girlfriend had become pregnant and that was when he had vowed to himself that he would prove himself to her family that he would be able to take care of her and their child. When Yukhei started working for Sicheng, he was mostly playful and never took anything seriously unless it has something to do with Caspian. Yukhei would tell him stories of how his girlfriend's parents despise him as they wanted a more mature and responsible man for their daughter. Sicheng would see the hurt in the male's eyes but he would usually mask it with his famous award-winning smile. It didn't fool the King at all despite others believing otherwise. It had started to go downhill when Yukhei got her pregnant and her parents found out. It was only then, Yukhei made a promise to them. That he could be the man they want him to be for his daughter. Much to Yuqi's protest, he was determined. After hearing what happened, Sicheng felt proud of Yukhei. He could see the love he has for his girlfriend and his child despite it not being born yet. The idea of being a father motivated Yukhei to grow.
Taking his phone out of his pocket, he looked at his wallpaper and smiled softly. It was him with someone he considered close to his heart. Ever since the picture was taken when they were still young, he had treasured it. It was a motivation for him to keep going. Despite not seeing each other for a long time, he remembered the little moments they had—the moments when Sicheng felt his heart beat for the first time. He doubted he was still remembered as it was such a long time ago that they had met. He held on to those moments...to the hope of ever seeing King Seunghyun of Therondia's only daughter.
He wasn't given a chance to see her after that. He was drowned in schoolwork followed by his preparations to become King. After his older brother had ran out and ditched his responsibilities of becoming first in-line, everything was given to him. It was also the last time he had seen his brother. After his coronation, he didn't bother to look for him as he was the one who betrayed his family. There was no point in wasting time to find his long lost brother. Sicheng didn't care enough. Before he could get the chance to see her, he had heard of her departure from Therondia to attend university overseas.
Looking out the window, the spring snow always reminded him of her as it was the season when they had met. In the picture that had been taken of them, a few snowflakes had dropped on the Princess' soft raven coloured hair. The snowflakes were comparable to a tiara. It suit the Princess even more.
‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊
The meeting went by in a breeze and the three were now back in the car, driving off to the nearest cafe close to the borders between Caspian and Therondia. It had stopped snowing as the meeting ended but he could see the leftover snow glisten under the sunlight.
"So uhh...your highness?" Yukhei started, his voice laced with hesitation.
Sicheng turned his eyes from the view out the window and to his secretary.
"Your grandmother invited you for lunch tomorrow. It's quite bold of me to assume but I think her purpose for wanting to meet is to bring about the topic of marriage like she did last time...and the time before that." His secretary continued. Sicheng sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he recalled the last time he had agreed to meet with his grandmother. Although it was very much pleasant to see her, the topic she had forced upon him was far away from it. He was still too young to think about settling down. The young King assumed it was because of the great deal of loss she had suffered through that she thought having grandchildren would fill the void that her child, the late King, had filled up until his passing. It was also why Sicheng had to be crowned earlier than expected. Someone had to fill the spot of his father. Since he was the only remaining member of Caspian's royal family, he had to take on the responsibilities that his older brother was supposed to fill.
"Please tell me I'm packed with meetings and shit tomorrow?" The young King whined. If Johnny hadn't been driving, he would've pinched the male's cheeks and would've cooed at him. It was a privilege for Johnny to be one of the fair few that gets to see his highness in a comfortable state. Of course it only happens when he's not in public and is within the safe walls of his home. In public, however, the young King looked like he had a stick up his ass all the time. He was always quite stiff with strangers. Johnny assumed it was because the male was still getting used to the throne. He still wasn't used to the way people address him as it had only been only a few months that he had become King. Being a young one as well added to the pressure. Every single person in Caspian expected him to be like his father.
"Uh...not until after lunch I'm afraid. Should I make up an excuse for you? Tell her you're out of the country?" Yukhei suggested. Johnny chuckled at the situation the young King was in.
"Sounds to me like you're trying to ditch a lady than your own grandmother, your highness." Johnny pitched in as he glanced at the younger from the rear view mirror.
"That's impossible, Johnny. His highness has to have a lady for him to ditch one in the first place. The possibility of that ever happening is zero to none." Yukhei's lips curled up into a grin, reminding Sicheng of the first time he had met the younger when he was in his mischievous days.
The young King glared at both of them. "Zero and none is the same, dipshit. It's 'little to none'." Sicheng retorted back. Both his secretary and one of the members of his security laughed.
"So even you admit you'll be a virgin forever, your highness." Johnny smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"I hate you both." Sicheng muttered.
"We love you too, your highness."
‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊
After getting some coffee, the three headed to the coal mines. It had been a short while since he'd seen the King of Therondia. Despite the age gap between them, they get along well. King Seunghyun would give him some advice and in turn, Sicheng would answer any questions and curiosity he has about pop culture. The male didn't know why the current King of Therondia would be curious about such a thing but as long as he could return the favour, he was glad enough. He would never want to ask why, nonetheless. Sicheng wasn't even sure if he'd want to. He remembered meeting the King's first child. He had warned him to avoid entertaining his father's curiosity with current trends as it will only encourage him further. But obviously, the young King of Caspian didn't listen. King Seunghyun reminded him of his own father in a way. Both were aloof when it comes to what other people may think of them. Maybe that was why both were considered as amazing rulers. They acted more like a supportive friend towards others than someone who's above in terms of societal class. They never looked down on others, in fact, treating whomever they meet as their equal.
Both his father and King Seunghyun were an inspiration to Sicheng to become the King everyone expected him to be. He knew he still had a lot to work on considering he was still trying to get used to having to make decisions for his kingdom without any guide besides the people working for him but even they would rather not pitch in as it was more of a responsibility of a King.
Reaching the coal mines, Johnny parked the car by the entrance. Sicheng noticed a Rolls-Royce parked a few spots from them. It was King Seunghyun's car. Sicheng grabbed the coffee he had bought for the King and went out, not bothering to wait for Johnny to open the door for him as he was more than capable of doing it himself.
Walking towards the entrance to the coal mines with his secretary in tow, Sicheng broke into a smile as he spotted the King. He approached the man and took his outstretched hand and bowed, politely with the older man doing the same.
"It's been awhile, your highness. I swear you grow more handsome every time I see you. I fear you've passed me." The King of Therondia playfully remarked, putting his hand on his chest as if he was hurt. Sicheng chuckled.
"Your Highness, I would suggest to keep such creepy thoughts to yourself and not scare our only ally further." Chaerin responded in her usual stoic manner as she pushed her reading glasses up more.
King Seunghyun pouted at his assistant. "Chaeeerin, don't be jealous. No one can hold a candle to your beauty."
Chaerin didn't respond as she openly smacked the King on the back of the head with the file she was holding on her hand, her face remaining cool. Sicheng watched the scene, laughing softly at the King's reaction as she had smacked him. It reminded the younger of the typical anime scene where the girl would smack the guy as a comedic effect. He couldn't count how many times he had seen such a scene as the Emperor of Fujinouchi, also one of his good friends, would force him to watch countless of animes with him every time one of them would take time to visit the other.
Every time he would meet up with the King of Therondia, there would eventually a scene where the assistant would assault the King. It never failed to make Sicheng smile. They seemed to have a comfortable enough relationship that the King would let his assistant hit him. Normally, it would be an offense and would get the assistant in trouble but working under King Seunghyun, it would never be the case for her.
"Your Highness, you must walk with me. Chaerin, can you go over the files with Yukhei? We'll be back." Seunghyun asked. His fierce assistant nodded and walked the opposite way with Sicheng's secretary. As the two Kings began walking, Sicheng handed the older man the cup of coffee before taking a sip from his own. The older man smiled and thanked him.
"What do you want to talk about, your highness?" The younger asked, his brows furrowed slightly in confusion.
"You've been doing well, so far. Even if I haven't seen you in awhile, I know you're still worried of people's expectations of you. But trust me when I say, don't force yourself to be just like your old man. I know he would want you to be yourself and to trust yourself rather than enforcing what he would do as long as you have the best intentions." Seunghyun enlightened the male with an encouraging smile.
His words made Sicheng smile. It was definitely something he needed to reassure himself. Though there were people always there for him to help him, it was nice to have another person who believed in him. Both his father and the King of Therondia were close friends. Despite being neighbours, they had never tried to one up each other like what other neighbouring kingdoms do to each other.
"There's not a day where I don't miss your dad. I miss his nagging, especially. He's always been the stuck up one, you know. Seems to always have a stick so far up his ass but that's what made him and I have an inseparable friendship." The older chuckled at the end at his own choice of words.
Sicheng chuckled as well in response. He remembered the times when his father would nag about every single thing. It was always a funny sight for the male.
The two Kings stopped at a spot where they could see an outline view of Therondia. It was a breathtaking sight.
"He's probably nagging right now...somewhere up there." Seunghyun glanced up slightly at the brightened sky.
Oh, how Sicheng wished he could hear it again.