Min-jae smoothed his hands over the white satin, studying his reflection with a critical eye. The high-waisted trousers fit perfectly, the ruffled shirt gave just the right amount of drama, and the crimson sash added the finishing touch.
Still, he turned toward Meical, who stood silently by the window, arms crossed.
"Well?" Min-jae asked, stepping closer so the light from the window caught the gleam of his outfit. "Do I look good? Is the outfit okay?"
Meical didn't answer. His gaze swept over Min-jae once, unreadable, and returned to the scenery outside.
Min-jae's lips curved into a pout. "Don't make your wife sad.." he said teasingly, tapping Meical's arm with one delicate finger. "I like hearing compliments. So you should compliment me."
When Meical still didn't respond immediately, Min-jae leaned in, close enough that his breath brushed against Meical's ear.
"Come on.." he whispered, voice dipping into mock hurt. "I went through all this effort just for you to act like I'm invisible?"
Meical's jaw tightened, but his eyes flicked toward Min-jae again, this time lingering. "...You look fine." he muttered finally.
Min-jae's grin was instantaneous. "Fine? That's it? Not 'stunning,' not 'irresistible'? Ugh, you're impossible." He twirled once for his own satisfaction and then pointed dramatically toward the door. "Let's go. I'll get my compliments from the king instead."
The carriage ride was silent. Painfully, deliberately silent.
Min-jae sat on one side, arms crossed, chin lifted, eyes fixed on the window as if the passing countryside were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.
Meical sat across from him, long legs stretched comfortably, gaze occasionally flicking toward Min-jae. Each time, Min-jae refused to so much as glance his way.
Finally, Meical broke the silence. "You're sulking."
Min-jae didn't even blink. "I'm not sulking. I'm ignoring."
"Over a compliment?"
Min-jae turned just enough to shoot him a withering look. "Yes. Because you should've given me one. It's called basic appreciation, Meical. Look it up."
Look what up? Was the answer on the roof?
Meical exhaled slowly through his nose, clearly restraining himself. "I said you looked fine."
"'Fine' is what you say about furniture. I am not a chair." Min-jae whipped his head back toward the window, ending the conversation as far as he was concerned.
The rest of the ride remained quiet, save for the clatter of hooves on cobblestone as they neared the castle.
When the carriage finally stopped before the sprawling marble steps, Min-jae didn't wait for Meical's hand. He stepped out gracefully on his own, ignoring the subtle flare of irritation in the man's eyes.
Inside, the grand hall glittered with gold accents and sunlight pouring through high stained glass. Courtiers milled about, but they all stilled when he appeared.
The king..Tall, devastatingly handsome, clad in a deep sapphire coat trimmed in silver. His dark hair was perfectly styled, his green eyes bright with amusement the moment they landed on Min-jae.
"Kaizar.." the king greeted smoothly, voice low and rich. "You look exquisite today."
Min-jae forced a polite smile and bowed. "Your Majesty."
The king's gaze flicked briefly to Meical, then back to Min-jae with something like challenge in his eyes. "I had worried you'd decline my invitation again. I'm glad I was wrong."
Min-jae's smile sharpened. "Well, you know. I do enjoy seeing castles… they're so much easier to burn down when you know the layout."
The king laughed, clearly entertained by the jab. "Still as charming as ever."
Meical, behind Min-jae, said nothing but Min-jae could feel the man's stare on him, heavy and unreadable.
Radimir's gaze dipped over him, lingering on the elegant attire that hugged his frame. Approval flickered in his eyes as he reached for Min-jae's hand.
Before those long, calloused fingers could make contact, Min-jae pulled back ever so slightly, the movement graceful yet cutting.
"Didn't you know, Your Majesty?" he said sweetly, though the steel beneath his tone could slice through armor. "I'm married to this man."
He turned just enough to gesture toward Meical, who stood a pace behind, stoic as ever.
"I'm not sure my husband.." Min-jae continued, his smile widening into something dangerously charming, "would appreciate another man holding my hand."
The words landed like a blade. For a heartbeat, Radimir simply stared at him, expression unreadable. Then a low chuckle rumbled from his chest. "Still as sharp-tongued as ever, I see. No wonder you've kept my court so entertained."
"Entertained?" Min-jae arched a brow, deliberately brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve. "I wasn't aware my life was a sideshow for your amusement, Your Majesty."
Behind him, Meical's lips twitched,barely, but enough for anyone watching closely to see he was fighting a smile.
Radimir, however, only stepped closer, eyes gleaming with intrigue rather than offense. "Married or not, Kaizar, some fires don't die so easily."
Min-jae's lashes lowered lazily, his smirk turning cold. "Then let me be clear, Your Majesty—"
He looked up sharply, meeting Radimir's gaze head-on.
"—my fire belongs to him now. Don't burn yourself chasing embers that will never warm you."
The room went still. Meical's hand, resting casually on the hilt of his sword, tightened slightly. And for the first time, Radimir's charming mask cracked, only for a split second but it was enough for Kaizar.
"Very well.." the king said finally, his voice quieter but no less dangerous. "We'll see."
Min-jae just smiled, wicked and unbothered, as if to say, Try me.
Radimir's expression smoothed back into that easy, aristocratic charm as he stepped past Min-jae to address Meical directly.
"Meical.." he said, his voice rich with feigned warmth. "Would you mind waiting outside for a moment? I find myself… quite saddened that my most trusted governor went ahead and married my Chancellor without so much as an invitation to his king."
Min-jae's brow twitched, though his lips curved into a sharp smile. Oh, this bitch.
Radimir's eyes flicked to Min-jae briefly before returning to Meical. "And, of course, there are matters of state I must discuss with Kaizar. Privately."
Meical's jaw tightened just enough to betray that he did not like this request. His gaze shifted briefly to Min-jae, silent as ever, as though asking 'Do you want me to stay?'
Min-jae, catching that look, beamed sweetly and stepped closer to his "husband.." patting his chest twice like one might soothe a loyal hound.
"Go on, darling.." he said, voice loud enough to carry through the hall. "Wait for me outside. His Majesty just wants to gossip about how ravishing I look today. Don't you, Your Majesty?"
Radimir's lips quirked in the faintest smirk. "Something like that."