Gardenia of Blooming Desire

Aster grew wary around his servant after that teatime with his mother. He didn't distrust his servant, but there was a needle in his heart that pricked his trust. Until he understood what was inside his servant's mind, he needed to be vigilant.

'Well, I have to stay vigilant, but it does pain me.'

Aster couldn't bring himself to discard this servant. He might not be the cleanest, strongest, or smartest, but he was not repugnant. In fact, he had quite a handsome face.

'Aster! What the hell!'

Aster shook his head once more, he must be tired with the administration he had to do for the autumn banquet that his mind started having funny thoughts. Since Grand Duchy of Stormhill led around four major houses under its wing, his mother, Grand Duchess Camille, was busy during autumn and winter to prepare for servants, peasants and slaves accommodation during winter so they could survive harsh winter. Thus, the task of administering the banquet naturally fell to him.

The Duke? He stayed in the Dionde City, where the real grand duchy palace existed. As the grand duchess and Aster preferred to stay in this place because of the temperature in Dionde City worsened his illness.

The grand duchy palace was mostly idle, only used whenever needed. His dad had a lot of business in the city, and busy with it. Aster knew he was busy with his logging business that thrived during winter. Many houses needed logs to warm themselves. Many peasants in the city would prefer to buy logs directly delivered to their house conveniently. This was one of the reasons how dad was able to rack up wealth for Grand Duchy.

'Still, it would be nice if he does his duty.'

Aster had to list the guests and check the honorable guests, hire cooks and servants just for this banquet, re-station the grand duchy guards, administer the budget and so on.

'No wonder I have funny thoughts for my servant, I must be tired.'

Aster checked the desk clock, it was 10 o'clock in the morning. As stated within the royal letter, the Crown Prince, Charles Audric Camellia would arrive soon and have a visit to grand duchy. Well, it was supposed to be a royal visit, but all he did was just pestering Aster around.

The Grand Duchy of Stormhill and the royal family of the Golden Camellia Empire were closely knitted. Mother was the only daughter of the late emperor. The late emperor, Emperor Audric III, had two children, the current Emperor Audric IV and Grand Duchess Camille. Aster's grandfather, the late emperor, favored mother very much. Thus, in order to protect her when he left this world, grandpa had set few things for mother.

First, she would be married to a duchy that held no significant military power but able to survive with economic advantage. Thus, mother would suffice but unthreatened by the possibility of military dispute with the empire. Second, he gave the title grand duchy to the duchy married to Golden Princess Camille. Thus, giving her autonomous freedom.

Thus, mother was married to dad, Young Duke of Stormhill. Duchy of Stormhill survived because of plantation around its area, and trade, as it occupied the middle area of the Golden Camellia Empire. It was with the consents of both mother and dad of course.

That was the long story of how Aster's parents tied the knot as retold by his mother every year.

Although Mother said that his dad was the one who relentlessly chased her, Aster was relieved that their relationship seemed mutual.

'Too bad, dad was in love with his business more than this duchy.'

Aster sat on the windowsill, he waited for that simple blue carriage owned by his cousin to come. He waited for an hour until he saw the carriage entering the courtyard. Aster saw it was only Charles, without aunty or another minister, he walked out lazily.

Aster saw his cousin already roamed around the hall as if this was the royal palace as usual.

Aster drew near and called him out, "It seems like you already know the way around the mansion."

Charles turned around and smiled, white teeth, sharp nose, slightly bronzed skin because he did many campaigns to the south and straight, shoulder length brown hair which he tied with a small blue ribbon on the tail. In some way, he was a similar Emperor uncle.

He had the trademark of the Golden Camellia family, the blue eye with golden circle around its pupil, which seemed to dilate now. His sharp features reminded Aster how troublesome it is to stand beside him in the crowd, because he stood out too much.

Charles hugged Aster and kissed his cheek.

Aster immediately pushed him away, "Ugh, Charles, enough with your joke!"

Charles brushed Aster's wavy hair and said: "What joke? I missed you. We haven't met for three months."

"It was only three months! I haven't even met Rosalie for half a year and she never kissed me like this, nasty!"

Charles giggled, "Oh, that is because she has her own love, unlike I, whose lover got mad when I kissed him," he said.

"Ugh, sickening. If Helene heard this, she would be heartbroken," Aster said, mentioning Charles' newly engaged fiancé.

Charles' smile dimmed and said, "Woe not, she was only a test from father emperor."

Aster rolled his eyes, this cousin of his could be weird sometimes. What test? It was a formal engagement with a banquet and such in the royal palace three months ago.

"Aww, don't be jealous, my dear. I brought a snack for us to enjoy, it was a recipe from the south," Charles grabbed Aster's wrist and walked to the pavilion in the east garden. Aster sighed, this cousin visited this mansion often until he really knew his way around the mansion.

Aster ordered the maid to prepare for tea and picked one flower from the pot for his cousin.

Aster and Charles sat in the pavilion, the sound of cutlery carts entered the pavilion. Aster frowned, why was his servant the one who delivered the tea? He tasked the butler or maid, not his own servant. Since he knew his servant was not feeling well and ordered him to recuperate.

"This servant brought the tea as ordered by Young Lord," he said. When he saw the crown prince of Golden Camellia, he immediately kneeled, "T--This servant saluted His Highness Crown Prince, may Golden Camellia prosper until the last-- the last--" unable to recite his salutation, he started trembling.

"… until the last eternal petal falls." Aster followed. He frowned deeper, he knew Charles was not cruel, but he hated the one who was not patriotic to the empire. As he was a young general who did many campaigns for this country. Aster did not want to see his servant punished because of that.

"Who are you? A subhuman dared to insult the Golden Camellia," Charles' amiable smile, which lingered in his face since he met Aster, disappeared.

"Charles, he is just a stupid slave. His brain is backward, that's why he even forgot the salutation. Just ignore him," Aster held Charles' hand until his gaze softened. He glanced at his servant and said, "Leave before I punish you for such insolence."

"Y--Yes, Young Lord," his servant scrambled out of the pavilion.

"You're too kind, Aster," Charles said.

"He is not worth your time, I'd rather hear about your campaign."

Charles smiled, "It was a successful campaign, we've conquered a small kingdom in the south. We've got plenty of slaves working there, Golden Camellia will expand in three years or so."

"About that, I had proposed the plan of plantation for the newly acquired land to the empire, as I heard the south land is good for tobacco, coffee and generally safer as it does not have harsh winter," Aster mentioned his proposal a few months ago.

"Yes, it is a good proposal, as expected from you," Charles pinched his cheek and said: "You'll be a good empress and a good wife to me."

"Your Highness Crown Prince, Charles Audric Camellia, please stop with such nasty comments, it's not a funny joke anymore," Aster sneered. This childhood joke was cute when they were just a kid, but now that he was fifteen and Charles was nineteen, it felt weird. They were cousins and he was a man anyway.

Charles' smile disappeared, turned into a terrible expression that held terrible anger in it, and in a flash of seconds, he brushed Aster's lips. Aster was taken aback, but before he could say anything, Charles took the white flower on the tray and put its bottom to his mouth.

He held Aster's head and kissed his lips with the flower between their lips. Charles pressed his lips more, but Aster started struggling.

Charles finally let go of him after a long kiss.

"Thank you for the flower kiss, my dear Aster," Charles' terrible expression disappeared in an instant. The golden circle around his pupil dilated until his pupil was almost bright gold color. He had a full-bloomed smile on his face, as if a flower kiss had made his day.

"You should've warned me! And why would you press your lips!" Aster frowned. He did not feel disgusted by it. Because they had done it numerous times since they were a kid.

"Haha, it was simply because I kept you in my mind during my campaign. I missed you, naturally," Charles chuckled.

Flower kiss, usually with white gardenia was a tradition in the Golden Camellia Empire. By putting a white flower between the lips of the people, it symbolizes purity. It could either be used as affection for very close bonds between friends or family, or for lovers. Not for parents though, as parents usually kissed their children's head.

Charles insisted doing it every time he visited, as the sign of close bond between them. Aster had to comply, because Charles would be angry whenever he rejected it. Well, they had a close familial bond though, Charles was Aster's closest cousin.

His joke could be a bit too much, though.

They chatted until it was almost three p.m. and Charles had to leave.

Aster escorted his cousin to the courtyard. "I hope you could visit me in the royal palace. Perhaps, I should propose to your marriage, so we can live together."

"Wait until I meet Helena, and I dare you joke like that once more!"

Charles chuckled, he took Aster's right hand and kissed it. "I will visit again, my dear," he said.

Aster wiped the hand that was kissed by Charles' lips. This cousin of his was just so bold, sometimes Aster questioned the line between his joke and seriousness. After the carriage left the courtyard, Aster's smile dimmed and he went back to his room, he had to scold that servant.

***

Charles sat on his carriage. The carriage had left the courtyard, but stopped after that, the secret guard had information for him. After a while, the secret guard went back to his side, "Reporting to Your Highness."

"Go on," Charles replied. None of his smile, giggle, soft tone that he showed in front of Aster lingered, only a firm and cold crown prince.

"There was a slave who hid in the garden, he seems to eavesdrop on Your Highness and His Highness Young Grand Duke," the guard reported.

"Was he the same slave who served the tray?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Teach him a lesson, but don't dispose him."

"… Yes, Your Highness, this guard excused himself."

The secret guard quickly vanished. Charles' eyes grew terrible as he remembered how fondly Aster defended this slave.

'Had he kissed that slave already?'

'No, perhaps, they did THAT already.'

'Did Aster offer the gardenia kiss to that slave? Why would he defend that thing.'

Flashes of thoughts created inside his head and Charles kicked the metal door in his cart until it was bent. He took a deep breath, he was impatient, always impatient. Everyday felt like a torture, especially after he was engaged. But he didn't want to scare his darling. Aster was a very private person.

'There are plenty of time, and plenty of ways for that.'

'Aster, you're the apple of my eye, and I will be the apple in your eye. There is no other way.'