If not for the scorching sun and their bodies adjusting to their new surroundings, Haoran and his crew would have been much more productive during the day. They had gone out for four hours and came back in terrible condition. Half of his crew got heat exhaustion and it took so much energy to keep his cool as he tried to stay strong. Luckily, the royal family was kind and their soldiers helped assist Haoran’s crew. Meanwhile, the Princess had come to his rescue, bringing water and a cool towel to his room during the day.

Though it didn’t seem proper for a lady to come to his room, let alone the princess, he couldn’t do much given his poor state. She didn’t say anything, only coming in to brush hair out of his face and place the cool towel on his forehead. He wanted to thank her but didn’t want to break the silence so he stayed quiet. Promptly after assessing his condition, she left, only to come back with something he couldn’t see in her hand, though she was blushing quite a bit.

With a movement to walk back to him, she was stopped, as if someone had caught her hand and pulled her back. There was a quiet exchange between her and the unidentified party who had stopped her before she sighed and handed him the items in her hand. “Thanks, Thambi,” she muttered as she left the doorway. Of course, Haoran had no idea who Thambi was or how he would walk into the room, so he watched the doorway curiously. It wasn’t until he saw the man’s long, styled hair, beautifully dark eyes, and chocolate complexion when he realized who had walked in. He wanted to cry and die.

The Prince however looked just happy to be there. He smiled a friendly smile at Haoran before walking over. “I’m afraid there are a few things that would cross a certain line if my sister was to continue to help you. So, I am here as a substitute to assist you.” The scent of Sandalwood filled Haoran’s senses before he went to get up and properly address the prince. But he was stopped by the prince setting a hand on his shoulder. So he just nodded awkwardly and didn’t fight because he had no energy. He did think it was a little weird that both a princess and a prince were taking care of him instead of a servant or a nurse. Though it wasn’t a significant detail and he proceeded to ignore those thoughts.

His majesty had glanced over at the bowl of water and gently lifted the towel from Haoran’s forehead, replacing it with the back of his hand. The light touch was soft and cool like jade on Haoran’s hot skin. He put the towel in the water and peacefully wrung it in his free hand while he looked at Haoran’s face and touched his cheek, comparing the difference in temperature of the two areas. Again, Haoran’s burning skin met the refreshing, almost winter-like touch of the prince’s hand. He shuddered as the prince placed the towel on his forehead with grace. He had done the exact same thing his sister had done, brushed hair out of Haoran’s face, but it felt different when he did it.

The towel was nice and cold compared to the hot air within the room. The prince got up and opened a window, just enough to let in a nice cool breeze. He then walked back to the man he was tending to, his steps soundless and calm. Now, the bottles that had been in his hands when he walked in were open and Haoran got a whiff of the herbal scent of the medicine. He grimaced slightly but pushed the feeling down, convincing himself it would be fine. The prince paused and looked like he was trying to figure out how to phrase his next sentence. After making up his mind, he spoke. “This is a cooling medicine that will help your body cool down and I’m afraid there is only one place that it works the fastest on.”

The elegant prince felt his cheeks redden slightly as he tried to convey to Haoran that he needed to open his robes to put the medicine on his body. Haoran, on the other hand, was thinking something totally different and the tips of his ears turned pink when he realized where his mind had gone. He internally facepalmed and turned back to the prince, waiting for instruction. Of course, his majesty knew that this would be awkward for the newly acquainted duo but he didn’t want Haoran to suffer for the rest of the day. So, he sighed before speaking again. “I need to, um, put this medicine on your chest. It won’t really do anything to cool you down but your skin will feel cool,” He was silent for a second. “May I?” he finally asked, with a straight face. Haoran nodded again, too embarrassed to speak to or look at the prince. He watched as the prince came closer and he looked down, not wanting to make unnecessary eye contact.

The material of the loose robes Haoran was wearing was thin but not thin enough. The prince couldn’t imagine being in this weather with clothing like that. So, he quickly reached down and opened the white robes, exposing Haoran’s chest to the air. He was stunned for a moment but gained his composure. While Haoran looked soft and powerful, the prince had not expected to see the toned muscles under his loose clothing. He shook his head and poured the oil on his hand, moving towards Haoran’s body.

The sensation was cold, in a numbing way that Haoran wasn’t expecting. He sharply took a deep breath in and the prince looked up from where he had rubbed the oil first. They made eye contact and the prince blushed noticeably but Haoran couldn't focus on his face. “Wow…” he whispered,, his voice quiet and breathy making the prince’s eyes widen. He shook his wrist and rubbed the medicine on Haoran’s chest in other areas. With each new touch, Haoran’s body burned with a feeling he had never felt before but he brushed it off as a side effect of the medicine. He tried not to breathe as harshly as he first had but the stinging cold of the oil was strong. By the time the prince finished, both of them were red in the face and trying not to look at the other.

“It’s done, I’m going to go,” the prince said as he got up and walked to the door. “Hey, uh, thank you, your highness. And sorry for troubling you.” Haoran looked down when the prince turned around. “No worries, feel free to ask me for anything.” There was a certain unreadable look in the prince’s eyes that Haoran couldn’t explain. And before he could thank him again, the prince left, shutting the door swiftly.