Chapter 39: The Date (2)
A cat?
The boy certainly reminded her of a yellow cat.
Was this the cat that Mikyle spoke of?
Sarina smiled to herself as she tapped her index finger against her chin. It seems I was spot on about his type. At least now I know why he was so insistent about avoiding the house arrest last week.
She pulled her eyes away and entered the building. The whole way to her seat, which was located on the first floor, she thought up different ideas for future books—ones in which she will use her son and his newfound lover as inspiration.
* * * *
After their quick breakfast Mikyle led Adrien to the theater house. They walked at a leisurely pace as they enjoyed each other’s company. They conversed along the way, asking each other simple but meaningful questions such as what their favorite snack was, or their favorite dish, or where they like to hang out at, or what their favorite book was and so on.
He watched as Adrien walked beside him with a soft smile gracing his soft, full-looking lips. Mikyle was just happy that Adrien had finally relaxed enough to enjoy their date. Though, in all honesty, it was probably his fault that Adrien had been so nervous since Mikyle had been joking about kissing him. It also probably didn’t help that Mikyle had told the truth behind his reasoning to only pursue male lovers.
It was understandable that any of that would make Adrien nervous.
But who knew he had dated before?
That little tidbit had shocked Mikyle more than he would admit. Adrien did not seem like the kind of person who had been in a romantic relationship before. It was even more shocking when Adrien had looked scared when he had let it slip.
Why was he trying to keep it hidden?
Mikyle wanted nothing more than to look at the file that his subordinates had gathered about Adrien. But he also didn’t want to look at it. He had made a promise to himself that he wouldn’t look at the file and would wait for Adrien to reveal everything about himself on his own terms.
They made it to the theater house. People, both commoners and lower nobility, shuffled past them. There were couples with their arms intertwined, and families with cheerful expressions.
Mikyle leaned into Adrien, bumping his arm against his. That strange but familiar heat filled him wherever he touched Adrien.
What would it feel like to touch him without any clothes acting as a barrier? Would the heat be stronger, almost all-consuming?
Mikyle almost stopped in his tracks. He may have had plenty of erotic dreams before, but this was new. He wasn’t used to these kinds of thoughts flittering through his head during waking hours.
"Are you alright?" Adrien asked.
"Hmm, are you sure you shouldn’t be asking me what I’m thinking about?" His voice was low and thick with meaning, and he emphasized his question by looking down at their arms, which were still touching.
Mikyle realized too late that he had fallen back to his flirtatious behavior. For some reason, it was too easy to flirt with Adrien. It felt as natural as breathing. Was this an effect of this strange phenomenon, or is this how I’m naturally am?
Adrien looked down at their arms. A visible shiver ran through his body and his face flushed red. His tongue darted out and licked his bottom lip before turning his face away.
Mikyle took pleasure in the fact that Adrien felt the same lustful heat that he did. It made him feel as if he weren’t the only one not in control
They made their way over to the check-in line for nobles. Mikyle showed the clerk the tickets he had purchased earlier in the week before they were allowed to enter the building.
By the time they were led to their seats on the second floor, the color on Adrien’s face had returned to normal, much to Mikyle’s disappointment.
* * * *
The Moonlight travels was a play about the ancient king, Ren. He was the beloved pet of the Goddess and he was sent down to the earthly plane to spread the Goddess’ love.
Ren had been dubbed as Ren the Traveler by the people of the earthly plane. He had been given this title thanks to his unique abilities—the ability to use both the space and light elements.
The play depicted his travels and the people he met along the way. But it was ultimately a love story about the majestic beast—a unicorn with a dazzling white mane that shimmered like snow and eyes the color of a freshly-baked mulberry pie—and a human woman.
So that’s how the introduction of the Space Element into the world is described in history. I wonder if the other elements have a similar origin story? Adrien tapped his finger against the arm of his chair as he sunk down into his thoughts.
They were currently midway through the play where Ren first met the woman he would eventually fall in love with. The actress wore a long, yellow wig that had gentle waves flowing through it. Her flashing green eyes were highlighted with gold eye-liner.
A chuckle came from beside Adrien, drawing his attention.
Adrien looked over to find Mikyle watching him. Mikyle wore an amused expression as he propped his chin up on his hand.
"I must have chosen correctly. You seem to be enjoying the play immensely."
Adrien nodded. "It’s fascinating how the introduction of the Space Element was described in this way. I wonder if Ren the Traveler actually existed? It makes me want to look up the origin stories for the other Elements." The history books had briefly touched on the Ancient Kings but surprisingly had not gone into great detail about them.
Mikyle chuckled even louder at Adrien’s enthusiasm. "Ren the Traveler did exist. He was described as the king of the unicorns who possessed the Light and Space Elements. If you want, I can lend you some books on them, though they’re not the personal journals written by the ancient kings so they might not be entirely accurate."
"Personal journals?" Adrien repeated key words that had stuck out to him. He knew from reading the history books that Velron the Dragon, Ren the Traveler, and Shigaron the Phoenix were the Beast Kings of their respected races and that they were referred to as the Ancient Kings since they and the rest of their kind had disappeared during the Great Elemental War. It was assumed that these fantastical creatures were now extinct.
But what was this about them having personal journals? There are no records about them keeping journals. Though it’s not like any of the books I’ve read went into great detail about these kings since most history was lost during the Great Elemental War.
"Hmm." Mikyle leaned down, placing his lips close to Adrien’s ear. Adrien suppressed the shiver that Mikyle’s warm breath sent down his spine. "Velron and Shigaron each possessed a private journal that they hid somewhere safe. It’s said that only their chosen descendants can find these journals. It’s unknown if Ren or the others kept any journals."
Adrien felt his eyes widen with each word that passed through Mikyle’s lips, and it wasn’t due to the lustful heat that Mikyle’s breath was making him feel.
Why does this feel like some kind of top secret that someone outside of the royal family shouldn’t be privy to? "Should you be telling me this?"
Mikyle leaned away so that Adrien could see his face. His lips then lifted into an elegant bow as he smiled. "No."
"Then why?" Adrien found Mikyle extremely perplexing; the prince seemed secretive yet open at the same time.
"Because I wanted to. Plus my gut is telling me that this is something that you need to know. And I always trust my gut."
Adrien felt his mouth open and close. He was at a loss for words. Instead, he decided to just nod before turning back to the play.
Mikyle chuckled softly from beside him.