-a prince's limerence

II

" after faring an ocean to an isle of delight „

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The second prince of the Hollow Empire was not the subject of many rumours.

Of course, that was clouded by the fact that Purple lived across the continent, far away from most people who knew of his existence. Those who did preferred to focus on his older brother, the Emperor, and their love life. Rumours said that they'd married a mass murderer, or a prisoner of war, or an assassin. They were ridiculous and probably untrue, but that was simply the life of a royal. God knew Purple was the subject of many tales himself.

But the prince had never heard much about his Imperial counterpart, mentions of a young, rowdy ginger with a penchant for trouble. Looking at them now, Purple felt slightly embarrassed to admit he'd just been imagining someone far more energetic, and not very composed.

"My name is Prince Parousia the Second. Welcome to the Hollow Empire." The man bowed, holding out their hand. They were much taller than Purple, with hastily combed russet hair reminiscent of the King's. Dressed in a simple shirt, pants and cape, he found it hard to believe the prince was royal at all.

"Pleased to meet you, your Imperial highness. The Nether Kingdom sends you its congratulations," He replied, and the spark of interest that lit up Parousia's eyes didn't go unnoticed.

"Please, just call me Second," P- No, Second insisted, standing up straight. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking your time to visit from such a far place." The words were somewhat monotone, as if Second had spent time rehearsing them beforehand. That was something to take note of. Maybe the stories of them being reckless weren't completely wrong...

"The pleasure is mine, Prince Second." Something twitched on Second's face and Purple couldn't help but smile. Clearly they had some peeves. "And thank you for inviting me to your gala. I hope we can pave the way for more relationships between our two territories."

"As do I," Second responded, almost automatically. The pair stood there in silence for a few moments, the taller awkward shifting his feet as they thought of something to say. "Um- Sorry, err, would you like to be escorted to your quarters?"

Purple nodded a bit too fast, eager to escape the awkward conversation. That had been a lot weirder than he'd expected. "Yes, of course. Would you mind fetching a servant to lead me there?"

The ginger obliged, calling over one of the servants tending to the gardens and swiftly muttering something in another language. The shorter man nodded— gods, Second was so tall— and within moments, Purple was being led away to his quarters.

He could feel Second's gaze on his back as he walked away.

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The halls of the Imperial Palace were unlike any other he'd seen; Where most others were decorated with gold and gemstones, flaunting the wealth of the nation, the Imperial Palace reminded him of a jungle. The palace back home was somewhat dull, quartz accented with nether bricks from the mines and golden minerals. In contrast, this palace was filled with various colored banners, all depicting various scenes from what Purple could assume was the Empire's history.

The pillars that held up the ceiling were made of bronze, intricate flowers carved into the bases in a way that reminded him of vines curling over them.

The servant leading Purple on suddenly came to a halt, the prince nearly bumping into him. Right, shit, they were going to his room, weren't they? "Here we are, your highness." The servant announced with a bow, gesturing to a pair of doors. A couple of other doors sat across the corridor, although Purple's was at the very end (and definitely the fanciest, he noted). He couldn't help but wonder about the door closest to his, with well-worn wood and vibrant emerald patterns engraved in it.