Hidden Path to Love

Meeting

Wei Ying found himself walking past the same stalls for the fourth time today. He had been kicked out of the kitchen as he had stepped in, yeah sure, he added a little bit of spice once and suddenly he's banned out of the kitchen. Instead, he was handed a list and thrown outside to buy some materials for later in the evening.

He passed the bag from one shoulder to another, using some object manipulation to take off part of the burden of carrying so much stuff. He had to be careful, ever since he was small, his parents had told him that it was better if no one knew that he possessed magic. It was well known that only people in the top of the hierarchy had such powers.

He had been crossing off some of the materials already bought, seeing how he was only missing some Da Hong Pao, fancy tea basically. It was the favorite of his majesty, or so he had heard, he only brought it out for special guests. He guessed some newcomers would be arriving in the next few days.

After walking past the same stalls for the fifth time, he decided to ask around to see if anyone knew where the tea merchant was located. It was the first time he was tasked with buying anything closely related to the main Lans, so he was a bit lost. A nice florist gave him some instructions, leading him to a small shop close to a center fountain.

He opened the door slowly, peaking in and seeing an old lady in the counter, back towards him, herself facing a small flower. He excused himself as he went in, greeting the nice lady. He placed a money pouch on the wooden counter, asking for the Da Hong Pao, the lady taking it in her hands and retiring to the back to get what's needed.

Wei Ying looked around the shop, whistling a soft tune, seeing different types of plants decorating the space, bringing a variety of natural smells that mixed rather nicely with the teas. No more than a few minutes later, the lady came out again, with a decently sized pouch. As far as he could tell, it seemed she was also carrying a small one, seeming to be a sample size of tea.

He took the big one first storing it in the bag that he carried, making sure it wouldn't be crushed or opened. Then, he asked about the tiny pouch, her explaining how it was a gift, a sample she offered to newcomers. He thanked her as he pocketed it and went back towards the castle.

***

Having returned and leaving all the materials in their respectful places, he headed towards his other duties.

He walked past a small storage quarter, acquiring cleaning tools so that he could make his rounds in the upper left side of the place. He quite enjoyed being tasked up here, he got beautiful views from the windows when cleaning inside the rooms, and the quarters barely got dirty due to them belonging to guests only. That would probably change soon actually if his guess with the tea was correct.

He entered each room, doing a small checkup and cleaning some of the dust that may have accumulated during the day. Using his power to raise some of the furniture to make an easier access point for him. He made sure that the candles were well placed, making sure none of them were missing or lighted.

Once he finished with the last room, also known as his favorite, he checked outside the door, making sure no one was close to the hall. He put all his cleaning supplies next to the door, taking a mental note of taking them out once he came back. He headed towards the big painting located by the wall, using some of his manipulation to move it easier to the side.

The wall behind it seemed normal to an inexperienced eye, but he could see the small incantation written in one of the slabs. He pressed into them, channeling some energy, causing it to glow. The wall went up, showing-off a long, softly lit hallway.

One of the many things he loved about this castle was the hidden corridors and rooms all around. It was not surprising how it was mostly unknown that they existed. Only people with magic could read the incantations written on the wall.