4 MONTHS AGO.

Lin’ai leaned forward, arms crossed on the table as he watched his brother pour another glass of wine. “—and he says to me, he says I love you Lin but he won’t let me take him home, he won’t give me any straight answers when I ask about him and his life, he won’t let me any closer than these midnight rendezvous and I’m fucking tired, Ao-ao. I mean, is it me? I asked him what his surname was and he said Tian. All I’m looking for is some honesty and he comes back with this royal roleplay shit? I don’t know what to fucking do.”

“I dunno, Lin. Kinda sounds like he’s a lost cause.” Ao raised the wine bottle to the light, observing how little was left with a frown then pushed his brother’s glass over to him. “Maybe he just doesn’t know what love is… or maybe he’s got something seriously wrong with him. You know, like in his head? Either way, you’d probably save yourself a lot of heartache if you just let this one go.”

The older of the Gui boys leaned back against the wall of their abode on Feng clan grounds, spine lazily slumped in his half-relaxed, half-drunk state. He made quick work of his own refilled glass.

“He doesn’t deserve you, Tian or not.”

“I get being a normal middle-to-lower class kid is boring but shit,” Lin ruffled his own hair before he took the wine in hand, inspected the level in the glass, then drank it. “I don’t think I can let him go Ao-ao: that’s the problem. If I could let it go, do you think I’d be here wasting this liquor with all this whining? We’d be out getting drunk with girls or something.” The younger boy sighed. “And now we’re out and I’m still whining, uggghhh.”

“What do you even see in him? You can’t love someone you don’t know, Lin. The sex can’t be that go—” Ao’s eyes quickly flicked from his sibling to the sound of their door sliding open. His brotherly candor immediately disintegrated into a pained languishing. “Awwwwwwwnnngggh, come onnnnnNNNN.”

Inside stepped Feng Quan, full bottle of wine in hand.

“Don’t make that noise at me, Gui Ao. I’m doing you a favor by bringing you this.” The blond helped himself to a place at their table, sitting the present between the pair. Quan was stoic in the disappointment at his presence, happy to welcome himself to the pity party he hadn’t been invited to.

“Hello cousins. Talking about boys, huh?” The Feng heir leaned an elbow on the table, chin turned to Lin’ai. “You know, Lin’ai, I saw something verrrrrrry interesting when I was at the market last week.”

Lin’ai’s eyes were lidded, unamused by Quan’s gossiping during his gripe time. “I already told you, Quan, that merchant who sells two-headed snakes doesn’t actually have any two-headed snakes: he just sews a dead snake head onto a live one and hopes it keeps long enough to get bought.”

“Whatever. Dead or alive, mine’s going to look really good when I have it stuffed and covered in gold but that’s not what I’m here for.” Quan sat up, glancing between the brothers. “It involves you, Lin’ai.”

“Is this the beginning of you trying to fucking bribe him?” Ao chimed in, refilling Lin’s cup. “I will hurt you very badly, Quan.”

“No, no. It’s not like that.” Still, Quan’s smile was markedly sinister.

Lin clicked his tongue, ignoring Quan’s dumb sinister face as he took the wine. As long as he got drunk, it didn’t really matter what Quan had to say. “Then what’s it like?”

“I just want to congratulate you for finally doing something worthwhile with your life, Lin’ai.” A chipper delivery sweetened the taste of Quan’s scheme. “For someone like you, marrying rich is definitely the way to go. If you keep up your good graces with Prince Yuhui, then maybe you can get in on that Tian fortune and pay back your loan but then also you can share your wealth with us—you know: the Feng clan that raised you because your mother is crazy and murders people. We’ll be one big happy family living at the palace, isn’t that exciting?”

Lin’ai twitched as he drank the wine but, otherwise, maintained his composure. When he finished the shot, he laid hard eyes on Quan. “You dumb fuck, you must be blind or stupid or both: I’m not seeing Prince Yuhui, I’m seeing a merchant’s son named Xun.”

“Yeah, Quan. You just eavesdropped in on our conversation and are trying to make Lin feel bad. Go the fuck away if you’re not going to be helpful, WHICH YOU NEVER ARE.” Ao filled no glasses for his cousin. As far as he was concerned, this wasn’t a gift to share, it was a payment for putting up with his presence.

“You two think that I don’t know what the royal family looks like? I’m actually kind of offended.” The blond was briefly wide-eyed. He leaned in again. “I recognize that boy even in drab linen. There’s diamonds in all that dirt, cousin.”

“Fuck you,” Lin’ai swilled as he stood abruptly, grabbing the wine by the neck. He took a hefty swig before he pointed a finger at Quan. “What do you fucking know? I’ll prove it—I’ll prove he’s Xun, not Yuhui or whatever stupid fucking Prince you’re so obsessed with. If you want someone to marry a Prince so bad, go do it your fucking self, Quan!”

Quan frowned. “I can’t, Xiaoxu won’t really talk to me. Maybe you can put in a good word with Yuhui?”

“When I finish this wine, I’m gonna smash the bottle, bring it back, and stab your face with it,” Lin replied curtly as he strode to the exit with purpose. The drunken mercenary was dead set on getting into the Tian estate to meet Prince Yuhui. He was going to prove once and for all that his lover was not a Prince—just a regular boy who he had some hope of creating a life with.

“Gods, why are you Guis always so violent?” Quan leaned away from the younger of the brothers as he moved past, careful to not summon any ire in the moment he occupied striking range.

“Fuck him up, Lin!” Ao called behind. It wasn’t clear if he was talking about his cousin or the boy whose identity was confused. Either way, his heart swelled with pride.