Demon King's Gardener

When Jurao returned to his suite, Feyl joining him, he found Malson had come by again.

“You talk with your lead deity directly!?” his partner’s brother asked.

“We do,” Jurao confirmed, “Excuse me.”

“So, have you been challenged to any duels yet, Petty Prince Malson?” Feyl asked, collapsing into one of the chairs.

Petal was soaking in its basin but waved a few tendrils as the King passed to change into his evening clothes.

“Three!” Malson replied, very easy to hear despite the door barrier, “Beat one today, and the other two duels are later this week! They’re all friends of Goyl, so they’re fighting for real, but it’s mostly a favor to prove I can hold my own!”

“Three did seem a bit high for only three days,” Feyl mused.

“Did it?” Braelin asked.

“Hey!” Malson scoffed, “I’m not that much of an ass! And demons don’t even seem to care as much about the shit human nobles did!”

“That’s true,” his brother sighed.

“How are things going with Lord Goyl?” Feyl asked, “Rumors are he’s quite taken with you.”

“He’s good at doing the whole villain act!” Malson replied, “And it’s not like he’s harmless or anything, but he definitely plays up how dangerous he really is!”

“That reminds me,” Braelin asked, “You said something about stabbings and kidnappings before…?”

Jurao returned to his receiving room, grabbing the box for Ascension before sitting next to his partner on the couch.

“Huh!?” Malson asked - then the realization hit him, and he blushed, “Oh! I-! Didn’t mean to mention that…”

“I’m sure you didn’t,” his brother rolled his eyes, “But you did.”

“Well!” Malson sighed, “When I got comfortable doing the pirate thing after I had Henes, I kind of… did a lot of reckless shit because I thought dangerous people were attractive! But it’s fine because none of them were that big a deal - every time someone kidnapped or tried to stab me, I just stopped them or escaped and went back to Abbay’s estate!”

“You always saved yourself?” Feyl asked, arching his left brows.

“If you want to put it that way!” Malson replied, “But I’m better at telling the really dangerous types from the only somewhat dangerous types, which was why I knew Goyl was fine! He has no malice around him, you know!?”

“Now that you mention it,” Jurao hummed, “I don’t think he did, no.”

“I suppose I can’t disagree either,” Feyl sighed, “He doesn’t have a bad reputation in my circles, either, but I wasn’t entirely sure…”

“How do you sense something like that?” Braelin asked, “Malice? Goyl seemed…”

“Yeah, he has that ‘look at how scary I am’ thing going for him!” Malson said, “But when you fight people for a living, you start getting an intuition for if someone is really scary or acting scary - Goyl’s not weak, but the scary part of it is an act!”

“Warrior’s intuition,” Jurao agreed with a nod.

Feyl seemed to consider before saying, “I’m part of a crowd that enjoys potentially dangerous sexual activities - Goyl’s known in the same circles, and being able to playact as a villain often goes into it. But some people think it’s not meant to be an act - you learn to look out for that kind.”

“Oh, you guys have that too!?” Malson asked.

“I can set up a little meet and greet,” the valet offered, “If it’s of interest.”

Braelin grimaced, “Could we discuss something else…?”

“I’ll ask later!” Malson waved a hand, “But my point is, you don’t need to worry about that shit because I’m not reckless about it anymore!”

“Well, I guess there’s no use worrying about something that’s already resolved,” Braelin sighed.

“Exactly!” his brother nodded.

“I’m glad you’re… less reckless now,” Braelin snorted.

“By the way,” Feyl said, holding out the folder from earlier, “Gavven has already worked out a schedule of social events for you and Jurao.”

Braelin grimaced again as he took it, “I see.”

Malson laughed, “This is funny! Now you’re the one dealing with the politics!”

“I see why they annoyed you so much,” his brother sighed, looking through the schedule.

“Were you playing, Malson,” Jurao asked, having finished setting the board for two and wondering if he should add the third.

“I’ll play!” the petty prince said.

“Gavven is also hoping you can make some friends,” Feyl chuckled, “They’re very important, apparently.”

“Of course they are!” Malson replied, “Abbay is my best friend, and I’d probably be dead without her!”

“Best friends really are very important,” Jurao agreed with a smile.

Feyl scoffed, but in good humor, “I thought Jurao was being ridiculous about being best friends, but it seems I’m actually the odd one out.”

“Ah,” Jurao looked to his partner, “Forvi has decided to come on as one of my valets, mainly in the mornings.”

Braelin smiled, still looking over the schedule, “That’s good.”

Feyl rolled his eyes but didn’t comment.

“... the prince guy!?” Malson asked.

“It’s not a usual demon practice,” Feyl chuckled, then waved at Jurao and Braelin, “But then, we’ve a very unusual King.”

“Yeah!?” Malson asked curiously, taking the opening move.

“Besides going from General to King during a time of peace,” Feyl snorted, “And even before Braelin arrived - Jurao has done plenty that isn’t usual for a Demon King.”

“I have,” Jurao asked.

His best friend sighed at his tone but ignored it to count things off on his fingers as he listed them, “Having only one valet - and a Lesser noble like me, no less - for starters. An inspired demon secretary you pulled over from military service with no noble standing, a Petty noble Department Head, you already declared you won’t be taking the Hundred Years Ball invitations from the cities that attempted to cede…”

“They should not be punished for executing their right to challenge me,” Jurao replied mildly.

Feyl waved a hand, “Not that I don’t think your changes aren’t good - because they are, even if I dislike Alae on a personal level. But they’re still unusual.”

The King nodded, “I see your point.”

“Abbay’s hoping to get an invite herself!” Malson said, “Asalban’s been invited three or four times now!”

“Hundred Years Ball…?” Braelin asked, “I think you explained it before, but… I can’t remember.”

“It’s a celebration held in the Gateway Realm every century to foster peace between the realms,” Feyl said, “One hundred invitations go out to each realm, divided evenly to up to the ten most influential countries that are not instigating inter-realm warfare.”

“Jost has never been invited before!” Malson said, “But I think Kaber usually is!”

“Kaber is the main source of trade between the Kinfolk Realm and the other realms,” Jurao recalled, “Since it’s near the Gate for it. It makes sense they hold significant influence, even if the rest of the Northwestern Reaches is fairly insular.”

“Dad was working on changing that!” Malson huffed, “If fucking Ferrick hadn’t decided to be an ass!”

“Ah, right, Erei,” Braelin nodded.

Jurao grabbed his partner’s hand before it reached his chest, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Malson noted the gesture again, but his expression didn’t reveal his thoughts. The King had noticed he always seemed to wear a slight frown and had determined it was simply his default expression and put no stock into it.

“Jost was establishing ties with Erei?” Feyl’s brows shot up, “No wonder the Strongarm Coalition was on the table…”

Erei was one of the larger countries on the second human continent - where the Gate to the Siren Realm was located to the west of the ring-shaped continent. They were the largest member of the Coalition, greatly enjoying the benefits of trade between the Siren and Demon Realms, with the Realm’s largest naval force to defend it.

“They have a princess that’s a woman the same way I’m a man!” Malson explained further, “Dad and her brother thought it could be a good match! We’d started a correspondence,” he tapped the communication bracer on his wrist, “With a third attuned bracer, but Ferrick pulled his bullshit before Ahua and I got to know each other properly!”

“Do you still correspond, then?” Braelin asked in surprise.

“We do!” Malson nodded, “But she’s much happier with her wife than we would have been as a married couple, even if we’re good friends!”

“A direct line to both the queen of Asalban and an Erenese princess,” Feyl snorted, “I don’t think you’ve quite escaped politics yet.”

“Ahua…” Jurao sorted through his memory a moment, then nodded, “Ah. Yes, the admiral.”

“That’s the one!” Malson agreed, “She likes admiral better; can’t say I disagree!”

“... the Shark of the Western Seas?” Feyl asked.

“That’s the one,” Jurao copied, having mainly recalled due to her military reputation.

The valet sighed, “I believe I have just… run out of surprise.”

“I take it she’s influential?” Braelin chuckled.

“If by influential you mean her brother the king’s favorite sister and widely hailed as one of the most astute naval strategists in the Human Realm in recent history,” Feyl said, “Yes, I would say so.”

“If that’s all,” Braelin smiled, leaning into Jurao.

The King released his partner’s hand to wrap that arm around the man’s waist instead and asked, “Do you want to play next round.”

“I think I will,” his partner replied, “I haven’t beaten Malson in a long time, so…”

“We need to get a Castles set!” his brother declared, “I’m still new to Ascension; you winning doesn’t count!”

“If you say so,” Braelin replied.

They played two more games - Braelin winning, as usual - before Malson and Feyl left for the night.

“Still feeling alright,” Jurao asked, already in bed as his partner emerged from cleaning up for the night.

Braelin sighed, “Mostly. We still haven’t talked about it, but I think he got the story from the twins. It’s fine for now.”

The King hummed, “Let me know if you want me there when you do talk about it.”

“I will,” Braelin chuckled, “I think… it’s actually easier, after all the new things he’s said about the past fifteen years.”

“He does seem to have led a storied life since you last saw each other,” Jurao agreed.

His partner nodded, then seemed to consider something as he got into bed, “In any case, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Yes,” Jurao asked.

After a moment of hesitation, Braelin surprised the King by straddling his lap. His cheeks turned a bit pink, and he studied his partner’s chest as he said, “I’ve… been thinking about what you said. That you were sexually attracted to me before.”

Jurao felt his own face heat in surprise - cautiously placing his lower set of hands on his partner’s waist as he said, “Yes.”

“I think,” Braelin cleared his throat, “I may have felt the same, once or twice - so. I wanted to try it. Sex. With you. If you wanted to.”

“Oh,” the King said, tail swishing against the bed, “I see.”

That was when his partner looked up at him from under his brows, and Jurao thought he now understood what ‘puppy dog eyes’ were.

“Yes,” he said, “I. Yes, I would… yes.”