RTYY 323 - Too Naïve

Finding the herbs he needed wasn't that hard at all, since, as to be expected from someone like CalRimRan, he had actually gone to the trouble of storing them in alphabetic order.

Taking a small piece of each, FeiWan carried them towards the table where a jar of water and clean cups had been set, should the esteemed Imperial guest feel thirsty in the middle of the night.

Feeling that piercing gaze follow his every move, FeiWan undressed his tight, uncomfortable coat, and filled a cup with water, throwing the two herbs inside it. Now was when his fire daitai came in handy!, he thought, holding the cup between his hand, focusing on heating it up. He couldn't heat it too much, or he would risk breaking the cup. But he still had to heat it enough to boil the water for a few minutes. That degree of precision and control, however, was nothing to him. After all, he had always been widely known for his excellent ability to control his daitai, having been acclaimed more than once as one of the best daitai users of the entire Empire. Especially taking into account how complex and devastating his daitai could be.

In no time at all, a pleasant herbal scent filled the room. This too would help alleviate his headache, FeiWan knew, carrying the cup back to the bed where CalRimRan was still sitting, hunched over himself. Sitting beside him, FeiWan offered him the cup.

"Here. Drink a bit of this. I should probably warn you that it's rather bitter. Then again, given the stuff you happily drink on a daily basis, that probably won't be an issue."

Still looking suspiciously at him, CalRimRan didn't even move.

"What? You're not thinking that I may be trying to poison you, right?" FeiWan asked.

Of course he wasn't. He was sure CalRimRan knew the specific effects of the herbs he'd used better than him. Once more it was just amusing, trying to provoke him.

"Shall I be your food taster then?" He offered, already taking the cup to his lips, but a cold hand on his arm immediately stopped him, its weight almost making FeiWan spill the tea.

"I'll drink it."

With a victorious smile on his face, especially after watching him straighten his back again, FeiWan carefully passed him the cup.

"Careful. It's probably a bit hot," he thought it better to warn him, since he had just been heating it until a moment ago.

Without even flinching, CalRimRan took the cup to his lips and downed the entire contents in one go. It was all FeiWan could do not to pat his head as if he were no more than a well-behaved child.

Taking the empty cup away, FeiWan placed it on the bedside table and scooted closer to him again.

"You'll feel better in no time at all," he assured, but CalRimRan still looked very much in pain.

Sighing, FeiWan leaned closer, raising both hands to touch him, which immediately had CalRimRan leaning back, away from his touch, that suspicious angry glare back on his face.

"What? I'm not going to hit you! I just want to help you get rid of that headache!"

Looking as doubtful as he had looked just moments ago, CalRimRan slowly sat straight again.

"You! Really! From the bruises you leave on me every time you grab me, I should be the one trying to avoid you! Not the other way around!" FeiWan openly complained, delicately holding the soft white ribbon he wore around his forehead.

"I'm taking this off, okay?"

Since he didn't receive a reply, FeiWan gave it a gentle tug, the ribbon coming loose as the knot easily gave in. Letting it slide down CalRimRan's white hair, FeiWan allowed it to fall on the bed. Having finally been granted free access to his forehead, FeiWan took a deep breath and, using the tips of his fingers, started to gently massage his temples.

Wincing in pain at first, CalRimRan ended up closing his eyes, his pained expression relaxing, leaving a victorious smile on FeiWan's lips.

"I do hope this has served as a lesson, and that you will never drink like that again," he declared, still angry at how easily CalRimRan had fallen prey to CalWan's play.

"I had no other choice, had I?" CalRimRan replied, to his surprise. "Refusing would have been impolite."

"Screw that! You do realize that they're still trying to marry you off to NimRen, right?"

Not to mention that FeiWan was more than certain that CalWan would never be able to resist the opportunity to have some extra nocturnal fun with his brother-in-law, the moment CalRimRan became a part of his family. Even before that, if he was given the opportunity. After all, for all intents and purposes, the man now sitting in front of him was nothing short of a rare beauty. And CalWan loved collecting rare beauties, just about as much as FeiWan liked collecting rare weapons, or GinWan enjoyed collecting disgusting things like eyeballs and severed heads. He guessed it ran in the family, since the El'Dur clearly enjoyed collecting all kinds of women, even though he was extremely picky when officially marrying them. And then there was that annoying question!

"Are you by any chance considering the possibility?"

"I have told you before. I have no intention to bind myself to any of Wen's inhabitants," he declared and, somehow, strangely enough, FeiWan couldn't help feeling relieved. Well, of course he felt relieved, he immediately concluded. That meant that the political advantage he held from being close to CalRimRan could never be that easily stolen from him.

"Better?"

CalRimRan nodded.

Even though FeiWan's hands were inevitably warm, and he had been rubbing his forehead for a while now, CalRimRan's skin still felt as cold as the dead. It really angered FeiWan, thinking about how he had depleted his energy like that just so he could accommodate CalWan's idiotic schemes.

"Next time I'll drink it for you. And I won't allow you to sit that far away either! Those bastards! I did warn you that they were going to try and take advantage of you! I'm sure that you'd be irrevocably engaged to Wen NimRen by this time tomorrow, if I hadn't dragged you out of there."

CalRimRan sighed.

"I just told you."

"I know what you have told me! And you're being too naïve! What would you have done if you woke up tomorrow morning to find my sister lying naked in your bed?"

CalRimRan's eyes finally opened at that, staring back straight at him.

"Now you understand!" FeiWan sighed again, resuming his massage.

"NimRen may be frail and shy, but it's exactly because she's like that that she will never be able to deny her brother, much less her mother. And then what? What would you have done once they brought the matter to the El'Dur's attention? I'm sure he wouldn't be against the idea of marrying his daughter to one of the Demon Clan. In fact, he even offered her as compensation, before, and without a second thought.

"Of course, since you're not one of Wen's citizens, you would not be obliged to follow our El'Dur's Imperial commands. You could just escape. But then you would not only have defiled an Imperial El'Lin, you would have also offended the important El'Dur of Wen, after he had so graciously welcomed you into his own Palace.

"This kind of betrayal would never be taken lightly. It could even lead to war, if the El'Dur thought that there's something to gain from invading your lands. Like, let's say, establishing an advanced settlement beyond our borders, in order to keep a closer look on our neighbors. Even just to place some palpable pressure on the other Empires, forcing them to negotiate the borderlands that our Wen has been eying for quite some time now. Or are you that confident that your people would be able to win against the combined armed forces of Wen?"

CalRimRan didn't reply, leaving a deep sigh on FeiWan's lips.

"Above all, if something like that were to happen, no matter the outcome. We'd still be enemies," he added, his voice almost a mumble. He didn't know why, but the mere thought of that possibility was enough to make him depressed. He didn't want to have to fight against CalRimRan on a battlefield. And yeah, he would probably be utterly defeated, maybe even killed. But the worst of all would be having to face his angry, fierce expression, as CalRimRan charged at him with the intent to kill him. FeiWan did enjoy forcing him to show all kinds of expression. But, somehow, that was an expression he didn't want to have to see in his perfect, beautiful face.

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Author's Note: Ah, I wonder why, dear Fei-chan 😌

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