flowers and crowns-dnf

four-tea

Clay POV

He sat on his bed, thinking of what his mother had told him. He was warned numerous times to not create relationships with workers, but she was never as serious at this time. Clay stared at the ceiling, his gaze falling to the window. As much as he respected his mother as a person and ruler, he never thought her judgments made the best impact on Clay. 

He was just a kid.

Clay got up and sat by his desk, continuing to look out the window. 

In the distance, he spotted two figures walking through the garden and approaching the main building. Clay instantly saw the height difference and kept looking at them, being bored out of his mind. He assumed that they were here to sort some business and didn't pay them any special attention. 

That is, until one of the figures exited the castle building once more, leaving the other behind. He peered into the distance with curiosity. When Clay was little, he had absolutely no social contact, so it was destined that he studied the behaviors of the workers. 

Never had he seen one worker leave the other one. 

Unless one worker was new to the palace, surely they wouldn't know where to go. It could be my assistant! he thought to himself excitedly. 

That thought scared him instantly. Having someone just for him felt wrong as if they were obliged to be Clay's servant. Of course, it wasn't like that, but he could never get used to the fact that someone's purpose was solely to fulfill his needs.

That thought shamed him in one way. He didn't want to become another version of his mother. 

A gentle knock rang at the door. "Sorry for the interruption, sir. But the Queen requests you." 

"Again?" Clay asks, quickly thanking the worker for the message and sprinting over to the Main Office. He pressed his ear against the door, hoping to listen to their small conversation. There were only two voices that he could hear from here.

He could recall only two. The Queen, his mother. There was also a man's voice that he never remembered hearing. Clay's heart pounded in his chest, this could be the last time he was truly independent and responsible for himself. He took a few breaths and opened the door. 

He immediately noticed that the Queen was sitting on her velvet couch, her maroon skirt blending in with the seat. Her personal assistant, Rosabelle, was standing behind her, expressionless.

A man was sitting on the bench to the side of the room, who was now staring back at Clay. He was dressed casually, but also considerably fancy. With a smooth dress shirt and black pants, he looked as if he belonged already. 

Clay noticed his eyes and smile first. The way his eyes widened as his lips upturned into a gentle grin.

The blonde could see the sparks on the corner of the man's eyes. He didn't expect that his assistant was that adorable. Clay internally cringed at his thought. 

The Queen glanced at her son. "Nice of you to join us, Clay," she said subtly. "Meet Mr. Davidson, he'll be your assistant from now on."

Clay could feel the Queen's sharp gaze on him. "Thank you," he said, too scared to say another word. 

The Queen nodded, satisfied. "You two may be excused," as if on cue, the man in the room sat up and nodded firmly. "Oh. And, Clay?" the Queen kept talking. "Do remember what I told you earlier."

Clay gulped, his heart racing even quicker. "Yes, thank you." He then exited the room, his new assistant following by his tail. Clay slowed his pace so he was side by side with the brunette, he stopped with a confused expression but didn't say anything more. 

"So... do you like the castle so far? I know it's scary, but you get used to it," Clay started, hoping to begin a conversation. 

The man's eyes sparkled at the mention of the castle. He nodded, still smiling. 

"I suppose my mother told you not to communicate, huh," Clay said, looking at his shoes. The brunette nodded slowly, the sweet smile turning into a soft frown. "She told me that too," the blonde said.

The brunette raised his eyebrows, opening his mouth to say something, but shutting it immediately after.  

They kept walking. "Mind if we go to the garden?" Clay suggested. The shorter man hesitated for a second, then slowly nodded. 

Clay and the other man walked side by side silently, crossing a small bridge and into the garden. They approached an outdoor hut. Clay sat down on a bench. The brunette stood there, glancing at the chair and at the Prince. 

"Go ahead, you can sit," Clay said. He saw the brunette sigh of relief, then sit down. "You can talk, you know."

The other man smiled and shook his head. 

"I'm not like her," Clay said. 

He received nothing in return.

"At least tell me your name," the blonde said, defeated. The shorter froze. Silence fell on both of them, the birds chirping and the rustling of leaves being the only source of the sound. "I-I'm sorry, you don't have-" Clay started to say. 

"George," the man whispered, looking down at the ground. 

Clay stopped, looking at the man. "Your name. It's George?" the brunette nodded, his face turning red. "Cool," the blonde said. He noticed that a woman was slowly making her way towards the two people. He spotted that she was holding a tea tray. 

"Tea's here," Clay said suddenly. I wonder if George would like some tea... Clay thought. Soon enough, the woman was right in front of them. With a nod and a bow, she left the tea tray on the table and walked away.     

Clay handed George the plate with cookies on it. "Have some, you look tired," the blonde said. George looked at the man, then raised his eyebrows, as if communicating "Are you sure?" The blonde nodded gently. 

They sat in silence as they looked everywhere except for each other.

"Thank you," George whispered. 

Clay turned and smiled, "You're welcome."

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1026 words