Palace Library – Upper Archives
The silence of the grand library was broken only by the soft footsteps of Daita as he walked between the towering shelves, arms crossed behind his back. Dust floated lazily in shafts of morning light streaming through the high windows. He rounded a corner near the spiral staircase, eyes scanning the lower shelves when—
"WAAAH—!"
Thud.
A loud crash echoed as a figure tumbled from the topmost shelf and landed flat on the wooden floor in a flail of limbs and fluttering scrolls.
Daita paused mid-step, raising an unimpressed brow.
"…Zuzu," he said, lips twitching upward. "Did a mule kick you off the shelf, or are you trying a new form of teleportation?"
Zuzu groaned, face squished against the floor as he rubbed his lower back. "Ughhh… my spine's in seven different languages…"
Daita sighed, walked over, and grabbed the back of Zuzu's tunic. With one firm yank, he hoisted him upright—pop! A sharp sound cracked through the air as something snapped into place in Zuzu's back.
"AAAGH—oh." Zuzu blinked, wide-eyed. "Wait… the pain's gone?"
He turned with sparkles in his eyes. "Seventh Prince, your hands are literal healing magic!"
Daita rolled his eyes. "Stop being dramatic." He looked up at the towering shelf Zuzu had fallen from. "What in the nine gates were you doing all the way up there? Even the ladders don't reach that height."
Zuzu shuffled awkwardly. "Um… Sixth Prince told me to find a book about the Mirror Beast. The full records."
Daita blinked, frowning. "Mirror Beast?" He thought for a moment, recalling the icy dread of the Eastern Marsh trials. "Didn't he already defeat it during his rank ascension?"
Zuzu shrugged helplessly. "Yeah… but maybe he wants to study it more. Or…" he trailed off, muttering, "maybe he just misses it…"
"…Misses it?" Daita repeated flatly.
"Well, you know how he is," Zuzu said, rubbing his neck. "He'll spend a whole month tracking it, studying its nature, figuring out how it reflects one true self… and then, once it's over—he says he misses the thing he killed. He does this every time. Even if it's a demon, he gets attached after the trial ends."
Daita scoffed. "He's too weird. Third Princess Zehui would've sliced the beast in half without blinking. Sixth Prince? He'd probably knit it a sweater and mourn it for a week."
He crossed his arms, tone dry. "One of the quadruplets cries after every kill. Another doesn't even seem to have emotions. I've been around them for years, and I still can't figure them out. Don't even get me started on Zeyu—he always on the verge of killing himself." He glanced at Zuzu. "Out of all of them, Zemei's the only one who acts remotely normal."
Zuzu puffed his cheeks, arms crossed. "I disagree. The Fifth Princess just pretends to be norm—"
He froze mid-sentence.
Footsteps.
Zuzu's eyes widened as a familiar silhouette emerged between the towering shelves.
"…Sixth Prince," Zuzu blurted, standing bolt upright with an awkward smile plastered on his face.
Zemu stopped a few paces away, gaze unreadable as it slid from their faces to the mess of scrolls and books scattered on the floor. Daita casually nudged a fallen parchment behind his boot with absolutely no remorse.
Zuzu coughed. "I—I was just about to bring the book. It's, uh… almost found! Very close!"
Zemu didn't speak right away. His voice, when it came, was low and distant.
"Make sure it is. I need to go through it before I meet my master."
Then he walked past them, silent but tight-shouldered his expression cold, but his eyes distant, distracted. Daita watched him go, muttering under his breath, "What's up with him? He looks… off."
Zuzu knelt down to dig through the scrolls again and retrieved the one Daita had kicked aside. He blew the dust off it and whispered, "I thought the same. Something's definitely wrong. He's not in a good mood today…"
Zuzu glanced up, brushing dust off his sleeves. "Seventh Prince, what brings you here? Do you need anything?"
Daita gave a curt nod. "Yeah. I'm looking for a storybook."
"…"
Daita let out a sigh. "It's not for me. The Crown Prince asked for one. He said he needs—"
"Ashes of Red Flames?" Zuzu cut in, hopeful.
"No. He asked for Whispers Beneath the Plum Moon." Daita folded his arms. "Whatever that is. Just give it to me."
"…"
Daita narrowed his eyes. "What? Why are you making that face?"
"What? N–Nothing! I mean—he needs that?" Zuzu stammered, standing straight, panic flaring in his eyes. "Are you sure? He always reads Ashes of Red Flames! That's his usual! Yes! maybe he did ask for it but I—I can't give him that book! The one you mentioned… absolutely not!"
Daita raised a brow. "Why? What's wrong with it?"
Zuzu turned away and crouched down, pretending to shuffle scrolls. "It's just… not the right one. Not for his highness."
"Huh?"
Zuzu sighed. "It's against the teachings of the path he chose. If he reads that one… it might distract him. That book's… too emotional."
Daita was quiet for a moment, then realization struck.
He stepped in front of Zuzu, blocking him.
"Give me that book. Now."
Zuzu looked up, panicked. "W-What? No! I said it's not good for him—"
Daita leaned down slightly, voice dry. "Where is it, Zuzu?"
Zuzu backed up a step, clutching a scroll like a shield. "You're going to get me killed," he hissed. "If anyone finds out I gave him that book, I'll be sentenced to scroll-dusting in this library for life. Or worse—" he paled, voice dropping, "—if Master Ginkgo-Mira finds out, he'll make him climb those thousand steps again… ten times. Barefoot." He looked at Daita pleadingly. "You've been through it before, Seventh Prince. You know what that means. Please—try to understand."
Daita's face blanched at the memory. He visibly gulped. "Don't remind me of that. My knees still ache. But still, hand it over—Whispers Beneath the Plum Moon. He asked for it himself. Maybe that's why he sent me. He probably knew you'd try to pull this stunt."
Zuzu groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Why do I feel like this is how the empire ends…"
Daita smirked. "No, this is how the empire stays strong. Good sign, isn't it? The Crown Prince's finally growing up and developing a sense of—"
"Stop. Stop right there." Zuzu waved both hands frantically. "You need the book, right? Fine. I won't give it to you. I refuse to take the blame for corrupting his pure soul."
"…Mule bag."
"I won't give it!" Zuzu huffed, arms crossed in defiance—then quickly lowered his voice, glancing around with exaggerated caution. "But… you can take it. On your own."
He leaned in, whispering, "It's probably buried somewhere in the Wastes of Romantic Folly section. You know where it is—but I'll tell you anyway, Go straight, turn left far back, behind the old scroll racks. No one checks there. Since those books are… technically prohibited." He added under his breath, "Except you… who used to sneak in there."
"Tch," Daita muttered, turning on his heel. "Who even named it that? They still haven't changed it? Probably hiding all the gems right in plain sight."
———-
Inside the prince's chamber, the soft rustle of silk and the faint scent of crushed berries lingered in the air.
Akira sat cross-legged on a cushion, a small bowl of assorted berries by his side. He plucked one between his fingers, tasted it—
"Too sweet," he muttered flatly, and promptly tossed it out the open window.
Another. This time, his lips curved slightly. "Mmm… sour."
He reached for a third. Chewed. Paused.
"Not sour enough," he said, and threw that one too.
A loud yelp followed immediately after.
"AH—! Akira!"
A body nearly crashed through the window.
Akira rose with calm grace and caught the arm of the boy who had appeared halfway through the frame.
Daita clung to the sill, wild-eyed. "What?! Pull me up!"
Akira tilted his head. "Too rude," he murmured, loosening his grip a little.
"No no no—wait!" Daita flailed with one hand and then quickly produced a book with the other. "I got the book! The book!"
That earned a faint smile. Akira firmly pulled him up and set him down on the inner edge of the window bench. Daita exhaled and leaned back against the frame.
"You were really about to let me fall," he muttered. "At this height, I could've broken three ribs and a leg."
"You could've used the door."
"Nah." Daita waved it off. "Old habits. Windows are faster. But—" his tone shifted slightly as he peered down at the outer courtyard. "Why are there more guards circling your chamber? You under some kind of lockdown again? Did His Majesty increase your security?"
Akira didn't reply immediately. Instead, he stretched out his hand, palm open. "The book."
Daita frowned, then reluctantly placed the book in Akira's outstretched hand with a sigh. "You really needed this book that badly?" he muttered. "You know this one's on the list of banned books, right? What's even weirder is that it had protective layers on it—actual wards. Who does that to a romance novel? Were they that selfish? Didn't want anyone else to read such a gem?"
Akira's head tilted sharply. "…Don't tell me you read it. Already?"
Daita grinned as he hopped down from the window ledge. "Did you forget? They don't call me the Storm-Eyes Scholar for nothing—probably the fastest reader in all three realms."
With a wink and absolutely no sense of fear, he pushed off and disappeared from sight with a clean jump.
Akira stood there, still holding the book… stunned.
He swallowed hard. "…I made a mistake sending him to get this one."