Under the awning of a local pharmacy, Ming Yi, Xu Yang, and he stood in the shade, watching Calisaya sip her tea on the patio of a cafe across the street. Instead of her cloak and sword, she wore a sky blue dress, a sun hat, and a bright blue bow. How carefree, he thought, without an ounce of weight on her shoulders.
“I’m not doing that,” Ming Yi stated after Zhen Xue went over the plan for the hundredth time. Ming Yi folded his arms, turning away. “You can’t make me,” he added with a stiff jaw.
Zhen Xue released a dry laugh. “You call yourself my servant, but never do as you're told.”
“Zhen Xue,” Ming Yi said in a defeated voice. “That’s not true.”
He scoffed at his denial, though not really meaning it. “You’re the definition of whimsical. I’d have a better chance of getting a cat to listen. Maybe I’ll leave you at the shelter and go adopt one instead.”
“Zhen Xue,” he whined. He looked like a kicked puppy. “Don’t make fun of me… I’m doing my best.”
“Listen, all you need to do is go over there and talk with her,” he explained gently. “And maybe buy her a cup of coffee. I’m not asking you to catch feelings and elope on the spot.”
“I don’t know how to talk with women...”
He never heard something more ridiculous from the man that won over the most stubborn woman on the continent. Well... at least that happened within the novel. Ming Yi just needed a gentle push to realize his potential. “You’ll be fine,” he said with encouragement, nudging him in her direction.
Ming Yi dug his heels in place, refusing to budge.
“Might I interject?” Xu Yang stepped forward from behind them, offering a cool smile. “Must this really be done by Ming Yi? I’m more than up for the task.”
Ming Yi and Calisaya didn’t need to fall in love for her to take the path of heroism. If his brother could put her on the right path instead then who was he to stop him? “I guess you can try to recruit her,” he replied. “See whether she wants to join the royal guard.”
Xu Yang flashed him a confident smile. “You got it, little brother.” He gave him a playful wink before strutting across the road to Calisaya’s table.
When he arrived, Calisaya lifted her gaze from her teacup, blinking at him with indifference.
Xu Yang offered her a courteous bow. “Hi there, my lady. Is this seat taken?”
She shrugged, lifting the teacup to her lips again, taking a nice long sip.
Xu Yang sat down across from her. He summoned the server and ordered a couple of plates of sweets.
They arrive shortly after, but the two of them were already talking casually long before then. Zhen Xue wished he was closer so that he didn’t have to crane his head to hear, but he picked up the conversation, starting with half of Calisaya’s sentence. “...the recent edition?”
“Yes, I couldn’t help but notice you look like a lady that reads books,” Xu Yang revealed from his quiet assessment. He smiled, saying offhandedly, “Perhaps that’s presumptuous, but I brought the book along if you’d like to look?”
She nodded with interest. Xu Yang dug into his satchel, handing over the book.
“By the way,” Xu Yang added. She looked up at him again, a tad more friendly than before. “What part intrigued you the most? I liked the heroine. She’s courageous, cunning, and beautiful, but I think... that she feels trapped.”
Zhen Xue wasn’t expecting Xu Yang’s choice of words, but his gentle nudge was smooth, he had to admit.
“Well, you’re not wrong,” Calisaya replied with a ruminating sort of tone. A moment later she met his gaze. “Being spoon fed what path to take. Forced to either live how others want... Who would choose a predetermined fate?”
“It’s true we should carve our own paths, but sometimes we must endure for the greater good.”
Zhen Xue almost choked on the spot. Damn... He wasn’t expecting Xu Yang to tighten his grip on her like that, but perhaps those are words she needed to take the situation seriously.
“Don’t spew your propaganda at me,” she said with a subtle glare, calmly wiping her mouth with a napkin. She held on to her sun hat so that it wouldn’t blow away from the wind. “I have no intention of involving myself in your war.”
A moment of silence passed between them. “We need you,” Xu Yang said more earnestly. “The war wouldn’t be the same without your help.”
She rose from her seat to leave, ending the conversation. “No, what you need is a marionette to do your bidding, and I’m not on the table.”
Shit… That did not go well. Zhen Xue turned away from the scene.
Maybe he was going about this the wrong way. After all, every noble hero in the making needed a devious villain.
He carried that title, so why not play the part?
He would become a villain in the truest sense, so powerful that the entire kingdom will unite to take him down.
As he worked out what would need to happen, Xu Yang walked back to his side. “That woman... She has guts.”
“I don’t like her,” Ming Yi remarked.
“Well, now you might not have to,” Zhen Xue smiled. The dots to all his problems were starting to connect. He could hardly keep the grin off his face.
“Little brother...” Xu Yang lamented, throwing him a concerned side glance. “You haven’t had that look on your face since the banquet. I’m guessing you’ve already thought of another method to convince her?”
“Not just any method,” he said, holding his brother’s stare. “I’ve got a plan that will solve everything, including a way to ensure your mother never gets the throne,” he continued boldly. “The only question is... How badly do you want to save this country?”
His brother’s throat bobbed once. His eyes widened, filling with an ounce of rare hope.
Zhen Xue knew the words Xu Yang never said about his own dream. He’d ensure his brother turned into the finest king Lumaria had ever known. Xu Yang finally spoke, finding his voice. “What are you proposing?”
The choice they make now would define their future and for everyone in Cassanova. Thus, Zhen Xue smiled like all was suddenly right in the world. “I’ll help you achieve your dream and in return, you will help me achieve my revenge.”
“Revenge?” Xu Yang repeated, letting the word roll off his tongue. “Who are you after?”
“That’s part of the problem,” he lamented. “I’ve never seen his face, but he’s young and has long silver hair.”
Xu Yang mulled over the description, looking thoughtful. “Well, that narrows things down a bit. Whether or not a stylistic choice, being young with silver hair is a rare trait.”
That was true. “I’ve already gone over the people I know about.” He met his brother’s gaze with a hint of gratitude, feeling more at ease now that he spilled his secret. “I’ll run them by you when we get back to the palace.”
Xu Yang’s lips lifted slightly with playfulness. “Where is it? Under your bed?” He moved aside as Zhen Xue tried to slap his shoulder. “Or maybe behind a painting?”
Ming Yi snorted.
Goddamn it.
Xu Yang smiled, catching his reaction. “Oh? The one beside your mirror?”
“Hey...!” Zhen Xue yelled, forced to chase after him. “Don’t go into my room!”
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
“Have you considered the entity your after could be Caelestis?” Xu Yang proposed, looking thoughtfully at Zhen Xue’s notes scattered across his bedroom floor.
Zhen Xue blinked, taken aback by the suggestion.
Was the answer that simple?
The silver haired ghost and the antagonist did share the same characteristics, but Caelestis was a storybook character. Xu Yang’s suggestion, while intriguing, lacked knowledge of the novel world. “I’m afraid I don’t think that’s possible…”
Xu Yang tilted his head, brow raised like he couldn’t understand. “You said yourself this person wasn’t human,” he insisted. “What if he’s not a ghost, but a deity? That would explain why you can’t find him.”
Zhen Xue withheld his sigh. “That’s true but…”
“It has been fifteen years,” he added. “Don’t you think you would’ve found him by now? Not to mention, we have the best ghost hunters in the five kingdoms. The Unruly wouldn’t leave such a powerful ghost unguarded.”
That made him pause.
Xu Yang was right. Maybe not about Caelestis, but the other part.
The silver-haired ghost might not be a ghost at all.
The air had been cold that night despite the blazing fire, but now, thinking about it further, he was going through shock. And those white clothes… Were they really translucent? It never dawned on him to take a closer look.
His brother smiled, clearly seeing that he was arriving to a similar conclusion.
“Dammit,” he groaned. “Don’t look so smug about it.”
He looked out towards the window, baring an even wider smile, one akin to pride that he’d been useful. “And this is why you should’ve told us sooner.”
Leaning on others was not something he was familiar with.
After sharing some tea together, Zhen Xue revealed his plan to put Xu Yang on the throne.
The soft rays of sunlight illuminated the long hallway of the palace, casting a warm, brilliant glow where they stood.
Ming Yi leaned against the open window when he finished. A gentle breeze swept inside, pushing through his dark locks. His green eyes were pensive, cast on the horizon. Despite the sunlight, they’d grown darker by the moment.
Xu Yang was quiet for a long time, staring into space before turning to him. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Live as a true villain, reaffirming the people's hatred for him?
No, that wasn’t on his bucket list.
He was supposed to be unimportant in this story.
A minor villain.
None of this should’ve happened. And to make things worse, his condition was acting up again. The painful ache in his chest did little to ease his discomfort, reminding him that he was short on time. He sighed. “I don’t see another way.”
Xu Yang grimaced.
“Like you wouldn’t do the same if our positions were reversed.”
“That’s why I’m worried,” Xu Yang sighed, looking away. “I feel like I’ve been a bad influence on you.”
He inhaled sharply. “Don’t say that. You’re incredible, Xu Yang. I wish I had half of your courage.”
“Little brother... Do you even realize how much you’ve already sacrificed?” A moment of silence passed between them before Xu Yang continued, “I didn’t say this earlier, but you carried this weight of revenge for a long time, haven’t you? You did so all alone, putting aside your personal feelings for me... for everyone.”
Hearing him speak that way made him feel seen, and he didn’t like it. “Not nearly enough.”
“When did you become the one responsible for everyone’s happiness?” Xu Yang snapped, drawing his attention again. “What about your happiness?”
Between the growing numbness in his chest and the situation turning onto him, his stomach turned bitter. He looked away, wanting to leave as soon as possible. Hurt him. Make him understand. “That’s all I can offer for now.”
Xu Yang’s eyes widened as though he got punched. “That’s not... Wait...”
“I know,” he said in a softer voice. “But my happiness isn’t something I can afford. You don’t understand what it’s like to continue everyday like it’s fine. Nothing is fine. Nothing has ever been fine.”
“Then, I’ll make it fine,” Xu Yang said, taking a step forward. His hand extended, not quite reaching out to him, but much like an offer, or a promise that spoke of his conviction. “I’ll handle what you asked, but know that no matter what happens, you’ll always be my little brother.”
Emotions swelled in his chest, making him feel raw and uncomfortable. Unable to stay any longer, Zhen Xue turned around to leave. The wind brushed across his face as he whispered, “And you’ll always be my hero.”
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
The bell tower struck one o’clock in the afternoon, ringing thirteen times before the crowd drawn in front of the palace grew quiet. Within that very crowd, Zhen Xue looked up from beneath his hood at the fourth floor balcony. The dazzling crystal exterior of the palace shimmered as his brother emerged from inside.
Xu Yang looked regal, dressed in a white suit with sashes and accessories in Cassanova’s signature color—cyan blue, complementary of the Blue Nightshade. His long, braided golden hair reached behind his knees, and he wore a thin golden crown on top of his head.
Even from this distance, Zhen Xue observed the heaviness in his shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, regret churning his stomach. “This is the only way.”
“Thank you for gathering,” Xu Yang said, his voice heard throughout the abode thanks to the magically enhanced speaking tool at his side. “I want you to know that I’ve heard your concerns.”
The crowd whispered among themselves as he continued.
“We’ve given this a lot of thought—what would be best for everyone. And so,” he took a deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily. “Zhen Xue is no longer part of the Alistar family.”
The voices grew louder, gasping in surprise.
“I will be your Crown Prince.”
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