"So shall we start the preparations?" Asher spoke in a quite cheery voice and Pier nodded his head in return.

The young master sat on the sofa comfortably as he proceeded to stare out the Crown Prince's study room's window. He would rather watch the sunlight pierce through the glass windows than look at the Crown Prince's face.

"Please do so, your highness." Asher smiled and proceeded to open his personal notes. He had listed all of the things that they would need before going to the Yuko Boundary.

"First off, I would like to ask if the young master has any food he does not want to eat?" Pier's left eyebrow raised at the question.

'Seriously, I thought we were going to do some preparations but instead, he's simply going to ask me what are the foods I do not like to eat?' He had an unpleasant expression for a split second and luckily, the Crown Prince who was busy scribbling down his notes did not notice it.

"I'm not a picky eater, your highness. I can eat anything edible and good for me," he responded and Asher nodded his head before jotting down Pier's responses.

"Do you usually have a heavy or light breakfast?"

"Light."

"How many hours in a day does the young master take naps?"

"Your highness I-"

"Does the young master prefer to ride the carriage at dusk or when the sun has fully come out?" Veins started to appear on Pier's forehead with how childish the questions sounded.

"I can ride a carriage any given time, your highness." Asher took note of Pier's response and proceed to ask another question.

"What time does the young master usually sleep-" Asher tried to ask but Pier looked in his direction suddenly. His brows were twitching but he still proceeded to stare at the Crown Prince coldly.

"Your Highness, I thought we were going to discuss important matters here? If his highness were to simply ask for my personal information, I could have just sent it through a letter and did not waste my time coming here." Pier could not help himself but be angry immediately at their situation.

Even though it was still the first few minutes of the questioning, Pier had already reached his limits in regards to his patience with the Crown Prince.

"These are important matters, young master. I want to assure you are comfortable when we go to the Yuko Boundary." Asher's voice was firm. Pier facepalmed himself and stood up from his seat.

"Your highness, if we were to simply talk about trivial matters, then please allow me to go back. I have many things to attend to-"

"These are not trivial matters, Pier!" Asher frustratingly said. He did not care about using formal speech and titles with Pier anymore at this moment.

"Then why are you asking about my personal life, your highness? Are my sleep and food the only thing that matters here? Your Highness, if you truly cared about your people, you would make the necessary preparations for them first!" He spoke. Asher stopped for a moment and clenched his fist.

"Pier I-..." Asher started to talk after a few moments of silence.

Wasn't the reason they needed to go was to assure the people at the Yuko Boundary that they won't need to suffer in the upcoming drought? Asher knew that, he definitely knew that.

However, he was trying to prioritize Pier's comfort and enjoyment in going to the boundary. He knew how Pier hated a few things here and there so he tried to list them down and not make his ride towards the boundary uncomfortable.

"Your Highness, the reason why you needed to go to the boundary is to console those who are in fear of the upcoming drought. Please do prioritize their concerns. You do not have to worry about my own comfortableness during the ride!" Pier reprimanded the Crown Prince.

He was mad at how irrational and immature Asher was being.

'If he's still on that reconciliation proposal then he should at the very least know his priorities!' He scoffed at the thought that popped up in his head.

"Your Highness, I do not like irrational people. If you still wish to reconcile with me, at the very least do your duties as the Crown Prince of our kingdom," Pier said as he turned to look out the window again.

He wanted to leave, leave the Crown Prince and do his own duties. However, Eliam was not that insensitive, he knew why Asher was doing this.

'If he wanted to be friends with Pier again then it will never happen anyway.' He found the thought of Asher trying to reconcile with the original Pier funny.

If the original Pier still existed, Asher would not even dare to invite the young master inside his personal study. Their ill-relationship would have continued until god knows when.

He was frustrated that he could not simply voice the fact that Pier no longer existed and that it was a new person who took over Pier's body.

"I'm sorry. I was too impulsive with my actions." Asher said while feeling slightly disappointed. Pier's statements were the wake-up calls in his delusions about making friends with him.

He was not the Pier he used to know. It was now someone who had an entirely different character than the Pier he had known.

"Tell me, Pier, what caused you to change?" Asher asked Pier.

The Young Master sighed and leaned back on his seat again.

"Your Highness, how many times do we have to talk about this again-"

"I have ignored your affection for multiple years already, Pier. But why, why now?"

Pier was surprised by Asher's words. He sat stiffly at the comfortable chair and gazed at the Crown Prince who had a pitiful expression.

Indeed, why now? Why did Pier suddenly change now? He could have changed back when Asher first rejected him but why now?

Pier laughed at Asher's question. He laughed wholeheartedly as if he found everything that had happened funny. Who suddenly gets his soul transferred into the body of another person who died? He only read such things in novels and comic books.

It was as if he was being toyed with by someone who had the power to do so.

"Pier-" Asher called out to the Young Master who was heartily laughing at his statements.

"Your Highness, do you seriously believe a person has no limits?"

"H-Huh?"

"A small wooden boat could not stay afloat for all eternity, your highness. Time will soon come that the wood will wither and break, causing that small wooden boat to sink at the bottom of the ocean." Pier said and stood up. He slowly approached the Crown Prince who was also staring at him.

Each step he took were resonating loudly in Asher's ears and mind. It was as if Pier's steps were the only thing he could hear.

When Pier reached Asher's table, he placed both of his hands on it and leaned carefully in Asher's direction. His pale face is now inches away from Asher's.

"That boat came into realization about why was it in the ocean in the first place, your highness when in all of reality, the boat could simply stay on land and watch the beautiful coast." Pier lowly said. His voice gave Asher shivers.

"I did not change, your highness. I grew up." Pier whispered. His breath tickled Asher's ear.

The Crown Prince gulped as he blatantly stared at Pier's face. The sight etched into his memories and made itself comfortable in his mind. However, a series of knocks interrupted their small conversation.

"Your Highness, we have brought the tea you requested for the young master," the voice at the other side of the door said.

Pier stood upright before starting to walk towards the door.

"Pier, wait-!" Asher tried to call Pier but Pier did not stop walking.

"I shall talk to you once you have regained your composure, your highness." He said and knocked on the door twice. The knights stationed outside opened the door for Pier and he leisurely strode outside.

"I will be back, his highness had important things to think about." The knights respectfully bowed to the young master.

Pier started to walk the palace halls with an annoyed expression. Multiple pairs of eyes continuously follow his every movement but they could not find any fault in those.

He walked gracefully and elegantly. His strides were confident enough to put the other nobles present in the palace to shame.

'Stupid Crown Prince, do I have to do explain everything by detail to him?" Pier thought as he was annoyed with how Asher continuously asked for explanations.

---

Asher rubbed his forehead as he watched the servants place the tea and snacks on the table for the guests.

'I did not change, your highness, I grew up.' Asher kept on repeating the phrase in his mind.

'He grew up?' Asher ruffled his hair in frustration. His face was beet red from the stress and because of another thing.

'It was so close...' Pier's face was so close that he could actually smell his scent. The light yet the fragrant scent of roses lingering in his nose. Pier's face that was fully revealed under the sunlight was so beautiful to stare at that Asher lost his thoughts for a moment.

Deep in his memories were the pair of bright blue eyes that observed him down to his core.

"Argh!" He groaned again and facepalmed himself.

'What's wrong with me?' Asher was wondering what was happening with him. His breath was unstable after seeing Pier's face up close.

'Am I sick or something?' He dreaded the thought of actually becoming sick. He decided to consult with the palace physician later on.

The servants who were placing the snacks and the tea at the table tried to avoid their gazes from reaching the Crown Prince but they were curious too as to what had gotten their beloved soon-to-be king all frustrated.

"Once you're done with your task, immediately leave his highness' study." the old butler that served Pier tea before said and the servants started to leave one by one as they finished preparing the table.

Once all of the servants were out, the old butler spoke to Asher.

"Then I shall be on my way too, Your Highness. Enjoy the rest of the meeting with the young master." Asher nodded his head to the butler and gave a curt 'thanks' before the butler also went out and closed the door.

Asher sighed as he placed his hands above his forehead.

Minutes after, Pier came inside the study room again holding a bunch of flowers in his hand.

"Young Master, what are those?" Asher who had calmed down now and started calling Pier young master again asked.

"Flowers," Pier replied as he looked at the bunch of violet flowers in his hands.

"I know but what are those for?" Pier raised his eyebrow at the prince but decided to answer him anyway.

"A knight gave these to me while I was walking outside." He nonchalantly replied as he sniffed the flowers. It gave off a fragrant smell and Pier liked it.

"A knight, you say?" It was only common for noble ladies to accept flowers from knights when they come into the palace. Knights are sometimes the freedom to give the lady they wanted to serve.

However, it was a rare case for the male nobility. It was seen as unmanly for knights to give flowers to male nobles.

'But a knight had given Pier a bunch of them.' Asher thought. It was at that moment he realized how charming the young master from their sworn household was. It had been to the point that knights would give him flowers when he takes a stroll outside.

'I should know who had given Pier the flowers later.' He thought and stopped once he came to the realization of what he just had in his mind.

'No, why would I even do that?' Asher sighed exhaustedly at his own conversations.

"Are you going to keep them?" He asked the young master and Pier nodded.

"Of course, Your Highness, how could I waste these when someone placed their efforts in giving them to me," Pier said and smiled as he carefully placed the flowers on another seat and proceeded to sit back on the couch he had sat earlier.

Asher did not reply to Pier's words and the noble decided to ask.

"Have you calmed down now, your highness?" Asher nodded his head.

"Forgive my behavior earlier, young master. It was an unpleasant sight." Pier also nodded his head. He was at the very least relieved that Asher had come to his senses.

"Then let us proceed to discuss our original plan, your highness." The two started discussing their plans for their journey toward the Yuko Boundary which will commence in two days. It was mostly Pier who continuously gave his suggestions and Asher only listened to the young master.

He was amazed at how knowledgeable Pier was in public affairs.

Even though they were simply discussing their plans for the boundary, Asher felt happy that he was able to spend time with the young master after a very long time.