Bound by Command

The morning sun barely had time to cast its golden hue over the palace before A'Xian was summoned.

He walked into the chamber, his posture stiff, expecting another mission perhaps even a direct confrontation about last night's events, maybe even a more traditional form of punishment. But this? This was entirely out of his calculations.

Ji Haoyu sat at the edge of a low table, his robes loose as if he had just woken up. His golden eyes were sharp but unreadable.

A'Xian had spent enough time deciphering people's intentions to know that whatever was about to be said would not be in his favor.

"I have decided," Ji Haoyu said, tapping a jade ring against his cup, "you will serve as my personal assistant from now on."

A'Xian blinked. What?

Ji Haoyu wasn't just reprimanding him. He was binding him, stripping away the little autonomy he had left in this foreign palace.

Before he could even ask for clarification, Ji Haoyu continued, his tone as smooth as silk. "You seem to have trouble understanding your place, A'Xian. If I keep you close, perhaps you'll finally learn some discipline."

A'Xian's jaw clenched. So this was punishment. A way to humiliate him by reducing him to a mere attendant!?

"That is unnecessary, Your Highness," A'Xian replied, his voice carefully controlled. "I am more useful handling work, not…" his eyes flickered to the set of tea cups on the table, "serving tea."

Ji Haoyu smiled fakely "Oh? Then you should prove to me that you can even do that properly first."

A'Xian sighed. If he refused, it'd be seen as defying a direct order. If he accepted, he'd be shackled to Ji Haoyu's side indefinitely. Either way, he lost.

"As you wish, Your Highness," he murmured hesitantly.

Given the nature of status he was given now, even as a prince of other kingdom, whatever he was made to do was expected. The next few days were an exercise in endurance.

At first, A'Xian treated the duties like a temporary inconvenience. He was a warrior, a prince- not an errand boy. The first time Ji Haoyu ordered him to pour tea, A'Xian did it with a stiff hand, convinced this was a one-time humiliation.

But then came another order. And another.

By the second day, A'Xian noticed that Ji Haoyu never called for anyone else. The prince had servants, entire staff members whose sole purpose was to attend to him. Yet he called for A'Xian. Always.

By the third day, A'Xian barely had time to return to his own chambers.

Fix this document. Pour me another drink. Fetch this, that.

The realization settled over him subsequently.

He was in Ji Haoyu's chambers again, adjusting the inkstone on the prince's desk when something clicked in his mind.

When did I start staying here so much?

At first, he thought it was a temporary order, but Ji Haoyu had never said anything about a time limit. He had slowly, almost effortlessly, cornered A'Xian into this role without him noticing.

The prince had taken his freedom bit by bit. At first, it was minor stay in the palace for questioning, wait here, return in the morning. But now? Now, he barely had time to leave Ji Haoyu's side.

"I've been trapped."

Ji Haoyu noticed as his voice broke through his thoughts.

"Something wrong, A'Xian?"

A'Xian turned, gripping the ink brush a little too tightly. The way Ji Haoyu looked at him amusingly and knowing that, it ade his blood simmer.

"Nothing, Your Highness," he said, forcing his voice into neutrality.

Ji Haoyu chuckled, "Good. Then come here."

He hesitated, that tone..

"Come, A'Xian. Or shall I remind you who is giving the orders?"

Jaw tight, A'Xian stepped forward until he was within arm's reach.

Ji Haoyu reached out and tugged the sleeve of A'Xian's robe, pretending to smooth out a wrinkle, but his fingers lingered just a moment too long. The warmth seared into A'Xian's skin.

"Tsk," Ji Haoyu clicked his tongue, his voice dropping lower, "what a cold expression. You're not enjoying my punishment?"

A'Xian stared at him, unamused.

"You should at least try to look like you're serving me willingly."

"I wasn't aware I had to act, too."

"You don't. But it would please me."

A'Xian exhaled sharply, stepping back. But Ji Haoyu wasn't done.

"How strange," Ji Haoyu mused, watching him closely. "You seem rather restless these days. Could it be that you miss something? Someone?"

The words slithered under his skin, making something deep inside him twist. Because the truth was, he did feel something.

Ji Haoyu's voice echoed in his mind long after he left the prince's chambers.

-You should at least try to look like you're serving me willingly.

A'Xian inhaled sharply and curled his fingers, nails pressing into his palm. He didn't realize how tightly he was clenching his fist until he felt the dull sting of his bandaged wrist.

By the time he returned to his own chamber, the sky had darkened. Silence stretched around him, yet his thoughts refused to settle.

A'Xian sat alone in his chamber, fingers absently running over the bandage wrapped around his wrist.

A touch? That's same for everybody..

It was such an absurd feeling, having deja vu of touch.

Familiarity without memory. Recognition without reason.

When Ji Haoyu's fingers brushed against his wrist earlier, it wasn't just warmth he felt. It was something deeper, something instinctual. His body knew the sensation before his mind did. As if this wasn't the first time Ji Haoyu had touched him like that.

But that was impossible. Wasn't it?

A'Xian closed his eyes. It was infuriating.

And what made it worse…was how natural it had started to feel.

A'Xian ran a hand through his hair in irritation.

This isn't me.

He wasn't someone who second-guessed himself. He wasn't someone who let another person dictate his every step. And yet, day after day, Ji Haoyu had slowly, effortlessly, drawn him in.

The way he spoke, the way he touched, the way his golden eyes lingered a second too long..

A sudden knock at the door made him snap out of his thoughts.

A'Xian turned sharply, voice cold. "What?"

The servant outside hesitated before responding. "His Highness requests your presence in his study."

Of course he does.

A'Xian pushed himself up, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off invisible restraints.

If Ji Haoyu was going to keep him close, then fine. Let him think he was winning. But A'Xian wasn't about to make it easy for him.

Ji Haoyu sat leisurely behind his desk, a scroll open before him, but his focus was elsewhere. His golden eyes flickered up as A'Xian stepped inside, a slow smirk curling at his lips.

"You took your time."

A'Xian merely inclined his head, keeping his voice even. "You called unexpectedly."

Ji Haoyu leaned back in his chair, watching him. "I assumed you'd be restless. I was right, wasn't I?"

A'Xian didn't answer. He stood with his hands behind his back, eyes steady, refusing to react to whatever game the prince was playing.

Ji Haoyu exhaled softly, "Come here."

He reached out, and for a moment, A'Xian thought he might grab his wrist again. But instead, the prince adjusted the front of A'Xian's robe slightly, as if fixing a nonexistent flaw. His fingers barely grazed fabric, but the intention was clear.

Testing him. Pushing boundaries.

"You dislike being here," Ji Haoyu mused, his voice a whisper between them.

A'Xian held his gaze, refusing to give him the reaction.

Ji Haoyu chuckled, satisfied by the silence. He leaned back, waving a hand. "That's all. You may go."

A'Xian's eyes narrowed. "You called me here for this?"

Ji Haoyu smiled lazily. "I like seeing how far I can pull a leash before someone tugs back."

A'Xian's sighed, anger boiling beneath his skin.

Over your dead body-

Instead of stepping back, A'Xian moved forward, leaning in just slightly.

"You like playing games, Your Highness?" His voice dropping low, "What will you do when I start playing back?"