The Spoiled Prince || WooSanSang

A New Life

Little bit of a slice-of-life chapter, which I personally enjoy reading and I hope you do too! 

Over the next several days, Wooyoung and Yeosang only stopped walking to sleep. They found lodging at small-town inns, where Yeosang was less likely to be recognized. Even then, it was a risk. Yeosang's blonde hair was rare among the people of Aurora, and even beyond. And that distinctive birthmark on Yeosang's temple...Wooyoung always made sure that was covered by Yeosang's hair before they ventured into any town.

"Certainly, none of the people in these towns have ever seen me before. Is this truly necessary?" Yeosang had asked after the second time Wooyoung had fussed over not making Yeosang too recognizable.

"Prince," Wooyoung said. "Even those in the most remote areas of Aurora have heard about the beautiful prince with golden hair and a blush-coloured mark on his temple."

Yeosang's cheeks reddened. "You are lying. They do not say that!"

"They do," Wooyoung insisted. "So we need to be careful."

The restaurant downstairs at their current inn was slightly run-down, but many people were eating and drinking there and the food was surprisingly good. As Wooyoung ate, he listened hard to the conversations around him, trying to see whether anyone was talking about a certain missing prince. So far, not a word had been said about it in any of the towns, and Wooyoung suspected that the Queen was still covering up Yeosang's absence.

Wooyoung was used to places like this; all the small towns in Aurora, including the one he grew up in, had a similarity between them. Wooyoung was reminded of his childhood here. Yeosang, on the other hand...Wooyoung could tell how out of place the prince felt.

"You should eat more," Wooyoung said, eyeing Yeosang's plate. Perhaps he had been able to survive off bread and vegetables alone in the castle but out here, Wooyoung feared they wouldn't sustain him.

Yeosang ignored him, pushing around the pieces of meat left on his plate with a fork. Wooyoung abandoned his efforts and instead transferred the bread roll from his own plate to Yeosang's. That, Yeosang happily picked at.

"How far away do you think we have gone?" Yeosang asked in between bites. Wooyoung considered. Four nights; four towns. They were probably nearing the border of Aurora.

"Far," Wooyoung said.

Yeosang's eyes brightened. "Far enough for us to stop walking?"

If they weren't in public, Wooyoung would have taken Yeosang's hand and pulled him closer, but he was all too aware of the people around them, no doubt curious about the pair of outsiders in their midst. So, Wooyoung simply shook his head. "Not quite. It would be better for us to travel for at least a few more days, at least until we are no longer in Aurora."

Yeosang leaned back in his chair and sighed dramatically, earning a few looks from others. Wooyoung couldn't find it in him to be annoyed, not when the prince's personality was just starting to return. For the past few days, he had been so uncannily downcast.

Wooyoung understood why, of course. Even he sometimes found his thoughts drifting to San, wondering whether he'd made it out of that forest. Despite their rough start, Wooyoung would never have wished true harm on San, especially after he took that blade for him. Perhaps Yeosang was right; he'd judged San too soon.

After they ate, they went upstairs to the room they'd rented for the night. A single bed, not only because it was cheaper, but because there was an unspoken understanding between them; they slept better when they were close to each other.

Yeosang and Wooyoung looked too different to claim that they were brothers, so Wooyoung settled on claiming that they were cousins if anybody asked. So far, none of them had batted an eye.