Syri skidded to an immediate stop when he heard a deep voice that was too familiar to him. The zeta held his breath before inching his way to the end of the corridor and peering around the corner to see the prince conversing with a female with light silver hair and a beautiful pale green dress that matched her light eyes perfectly. Syri stopped breathing as he set eyes on the tall man standing in front of the girl with his back turned toward him. Syri realized how much he had missed listening to the prince's deep, soothing voice and found himself eavesdropping on the two's conversation, not for the sake of knowing what was being discussed but only to hear the prince's voice one more time before continuing on his way out of the castle and away from the prince once more.

The zeta was quite a ways from the two in discussion, so he figured he could linger for a moment more before his scent would reach the sensitive nose of the true blood. The zeta's heart pinged when he saw the female smile up at the prince. Oh, how he longed to be able to smile up at the prince freely. A sad happiness filled the zeta as he watched the prince and young woman interact without a care in the world. Syri would never have been able to smile and laugh with the prince freely without major repercussions.

Watching the prince gaze down on the girl softly sparked mixed emotions in the zeta. Seeing the prince gaze at someone gently made Syri happy that the prince had moved on and had found love, but it also caused his heart to ache. However, besides the emotions, seeing the prince gaze down at the female aided Syri in solidifying his reasoning for leaving the prince's side. The prince would not have been able to smile down at Syri without consequence, and Syri could never allow himself to be the reason for the prince to be punished.

The bowing of the two in polite goodbye brought the zeta out of his deep thoughts and reminded Syri that he needed to get a move on. The zeta began to slowly back away from the edge of the corridor, but light footsteps behind the pink-haired caught the zeta's attention, and he whirled around without knowing who was approaching and placed his hand on the stranger's mouth. He could not risk exposure when he was just about to leave.

Wide brown eyes stared at the zeta in shock as the pink-haired kept his hand over the man's lips, stopping him from making a sound. Syri's eyes widened when he recognized the man to be the white-haired who had stared at him continuously while he served guests in the banquet hall. Without a word, Syri grabbed the white-haired man's wrist and began leading him away from the corner around which the prince and female had just parted ways.

To Syri's relief, the man did not resist his pull and remained silent as the zeta hurriedly led him to a secluded corner. The zeta's chest rose and fell slightly as he turned to face the perplexed white-haired male only to be stunned by the sight before him. The man's brown eyes were glistening with tears, and he was gazing down on the zeta fondly.

The man's expression took the zeta aback. "Are-are you alright?" A slight smile came to the man's lips at the zeta's kind inquiry, and he stepped forward and brought the pink-haired into his embrace.

Syri's eyes widened at the man's sudden movement. He was on the verge of apologizing for abruptly dragging the man into a private corner in the palace, but he was currently too stunned to speak. The man's embrace was soft and gentle, and Syri swore he could hear the tiniest hum escape the man. Syri's lips parted in great confusion when the man turned his nose into his neck and smelled his scent gland. A sigh escaped the man before he said, "I found you. I finally found you...Syri."

Syri lifted his arms to push the man away as he responded with, "Excuse me?" How does he know my name?

"I've been looking for you everywhere. I can't believe I finally found you." A smile covered the man's face as he gazed down at the zeta fondly.

Confusion filled the zeta as he looked up at the white-haired. He is gazing at me too fondly to not know me, but I have no recollection of him previous to the banquet. "I'm sorry, I don't think I follow-" The zeta's response was cut short by a deep voice calling his name. Syri's heart fluttered at the appearance of the deep voice, and he swallowed as determined footsteps sounded from behind. Oh, shit.

"Prince." The white-haired greeted the prince of Crimson Night respectfully as the true blood approached the two. "I fin-"

The prince ignored the white-haired and voiced the zeta's name once more as he reached out and took the zeta's hand, spinning the pink-haired to face him. The zeta immediately turned his gaze to the floor and entered a low bow as was custom when a royal addressed a worker. "My prince, I apologize for discarding my duties; I will return to-"

"I had important matters to discuss with this worker," the white-haired spoke up, stepping in front of the zeta and shielding the pink-haired from the true blood. Jae knit his brows as he watched Aki separate him from Syri. The true blood's jaw clenched as he looked back and forth from the zeta to the beta, pressing his tongue into his cheek when the zeta continued to avoid his gaze. "I apologize for taking up his time, however, this cannot wait. I must-"

"Well, it will have to wait." The words were barely out of the true blood's mouth before he reached behind the beta and grabbed the zeta's wrist. "Come with me." The prince's tone was serious as he turned from the beta and began walking away with the zeta in his grasp.

Syri remained silent as the true blood led him through the palace and onto a secluded breezeway. The night wind rippled through the zeta's pink hair as the true blood came to a stop and released his hold around Syri's wrist. A moment passed where Jae stood with his back to the zeta in silence. The prince lowered his head and closed his eyes as he asked, "Have you been in the palace all this time?"

Syri kept his gaze to the floor and answered, "Ae." The zeta's answer extracted a quick breath from the prince as Jae turned to face him. "Let me guess: the stables?" The zeta nodded in confirmation of the prince's assumption. "So, I wasn't imagining it." The prince pursed his lips together and ran his fingers through this dark hair as he turned back around. "You've been here the whole time."

"Ae," Syri confirmed, his eyes still on the wooden planks beneath his feet.

"Why? Why did you hide from me?" Jae turned to face the zeta once again only to be answered by silence. "Do...do I scare you?" Sadness entered the prince's voice, and he gazed at the zeta through a broken expression.

"No...no, you do not scare me, Prince." Syri was as reasonable and indifferent as he could be when he answered. He could not afford to let his heart be shaken more than it was, and he also did not want to lead the prince on when he knew they could never have a future together.

"Then...do I repulse you?"

"No!" Syri was more adamant with his response than he intended, and it took all his might to keep his head turned to the floor. The zeta calmed his emotions before adding, "No, you do not repulse me, Prince."

"Then, why won't you look at me?" The sadness in Jae's voice broke the zeta, and he fought the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He hated being so distant toward the prince, but he had no other choice. He would rather cut Jae off then and there than give the prince a hope that could never blossom and would forever remain but a bud frozen in time.

The nearing of the prince preluded a thumb beneath the zeta's chin that turned Syri's face up toward the true blood's. The zeta was prepared to flick his eyes back to the floor when Jae's plea shook his heart. "Don't look away from me, Syri, please."

The zeta's lips parted slightly as he gazed into those dark eyes; he could not bring himself to look away. They held so many emotions: happiness at seeing the zeta again, confusion at the zeta's strange behavior, and sadness at the zeta's intentional distance. "Prince..."

The realization that the zeta had not once called him by his name struck Jae, and he fought the tears that formed in his dark eyes. The true blood's tone was solemn when he spoke. "Why haven't you called me by my name?" Silence filled the air as Syri processed the prince's question. The zeta was content with remaining silent, but Jae needed to know, so he continued, "Is my name nothing to you, now? Is my status as prince all that matters?"

Syri remained silent in response to the true blood's words. It was true that Syri had intentionally been addressing Jae formally and had refrained from using the prince's name. He hoped it would allow him to distance himself from the true blood and did not realize just how much it hurt Jae. The zeta's heart ached, and he could not help but gaze into the prince's emotion-filled eyes deeply.

Oh, how he longed to call Jae by his name and throw away all his attempts at restraint. The zeta longed for nothing more than to fall into the prince's embrace and be enshrouded by his strong, comforting presence. So, he kept silent for fear of his resolve breaking.

Jae saw the conflicted emotions swirling in the zeta's warm eyes and took that chance to try once more, "Call me by my name, Syri. Say my name." The prince was now a breath away from the pink-haired, his eyes frantically searching for the answer he had been longing for, and his voice was deep and low and held his inner-most desires, making his wish evident to the conflicted zeta.

Syri's heart ached at the prince's request, but he could not bring himself to let go of his resolve just yet. "I-I can't."

"Why? Why can't you say my name?" The prince was earnest in his inquiry, and his eyes searched the zeta's for the smallest hint of change in the determination to remain distant.

The zeta fell silent, and he fought to control his aching heart. "If I do...all the struggles I have gone through to get you out of my mind would immediately disappear." The raw truth of the zeta's fear finally surfaced, much to the prince's relief.

Following the zeta's answer, Jae was confident in his next inquiry, and he took a step forward to be virtually skin to skin with the male before him. "And have you succeeded? Had you removed me from your mind?"

The zeta's breath hitched as he gazed up into those dark eyes. Syri never took his eyes from the prince as he contemplated his response. Would he give into his desires and answer truthfully, or would he fight to keep his hard work? Would he allow his heart to take the lead, or would he resign himself to live out his life alone.

No matter how clear the realization that there would be consequences for loving the prince of Crimson Night was seared into Syri's mind, the tiniest hope that Syri could be with Jae filled the zeta's heart. And a spark that had been blown out when Syri made the decision to leave Jae's side was rekindled. This fervent hope led the zeta into falling deeper and deeper into the true blood's gaze, and Syri found himself answering, "No." The single word spurred a landslide of emotions in both the true blood and zeta's hearts.

Syri remained silent as he awaited the true blood's response. He had just revealed that he failed to remove the prince from his heart and mind and had made himself vulnerable to the true blood's next move.

Jae's gaze intensified, and he leaned down to be a hair's distance from the zeta. Jae locked eyes with Syri as he voiced lowly, "Then say my name."

The zeta's eyes glistened as he stared up at the prince. He was captivated by the true blood's ardent gaze, and he could resist the man standing before him no longer. The zeta did not break eye contact with the prince as he breathed, "Jae." As soon as the prince's name left Syri's mouth, Jae's lips crashed against the zeta's.

The true blood's hands held the zeta's hips captive as he trapped the pink-haired in a passionate kiss. The intensity of the prince's kiss extracted a moan from the zeta as Jae opened Syri's lips and claimed the zeta's mouth with his tongue. Syri's hands clenched onto the true blood's shirt when Jae pulled the zeta into his body before moving his hand up to caress the back of the zeta's neck.

The zeta's breath had been spent voicing the true blood's name, so his lungs screamed for air, but he did not want to pull away. Jae's lips on his felt so natural and yet so intoxicating; it was as if he was finally able to grow warm after standing beside a raging fire for years and years on end. The prince's touch spread through the zeta like a wildfire, and Syri found himself craving more. He had given in to his heart and was ready to follow it until the end of his days, so he allowed Jae to claim him with this kiss. He was Jae's, and Jae was his.