Mirror in the Monster

IV. The Affairs of State

"The affairs of state...the affairs of state..." the king mutters as, alternately, he pinches and releases the twice-steamed rice, absently pocking his chopsticks at the uneaten, and to Baekhyun, increasingly inedible stuff. This broken line has been repeating in his mind since he left the comfort of his sleeping quarters for the discomfort of his supping ones. The affairs of state... What does he mean by it?

"Your Grace?" Kim Heechul clears his throat as he inquires, voice and visage both inclined in intrigue.

"My Lord Oh, where is he?" Baekhyun responds as rings equally abrupt in the ears of both master and servant. Why Sehun? Why so suddenly? The mention of his maknae, and the subsequent recollection of Sehun's meeting with the Monster, tangle his insides.

Unconsciously Heechul nods and vaguely smiles, the gesture informing the king his habitually repressed regard for the youngest of his octuplet of high-lords may not have been as well-obscured as he had thought. But then who if not Kim Heechul should have succeeded in seeing through the screen?

"Westward bound. As Your Grace is aware, there has been discord between houses Lim and Han over the replacement of the border between their turfs. Since the Oh Clan still holds the wardenship of the west, if falls to Lord Oh to arbitrate in this matter. It is a hassle, to be sure, but an upset in the political balance between these houses could have far-reaching consequences. Half the steel produced in Eunguk comes from their mines. A halt in production would interfere with its export and this..."

Does not bear contemplating, Baekhyun completes with a pursing of his pierced lips which promptly loosen as he sighs, "Lim Taewook and Han Moonil are two of the most pompous peers in the land. They like to lord their seniority in age over their superiors in rank, especially the young and privileged ones. It will take patience, politic and something more besides. Sehun hates travelling alone – whom did he take with him this time?"

"My Lord Park."

"Clever boy," Baekhyun chuckles and shakes his head in salute of their junior. "Chanyeol's impulsiveness will make him look doubly composed by comparison."

Mirroring his monarch's arch amusement, Heechul wryly reviews, "Indeed, Your Grace. A cannier Rose than my Lord Oh in Eunguk there is none. Nor is there a fairer one."

Baekhyun's lip-ring catches in his fore-teeth at the assessment – more a prompt to prudence for the king than a praise for his youngest noble. Alright, Heechul, alright. I'll mind my manners and manage my appetites. A nibble only...yaksoghae. He covers his mouth to conceal his smirk at the memory of the creature's promise to have no more than a taste of the temptation that is Oh Sehun. "Just so. Send him to see me when he returns."

"As Your Grace commands."

Moments later, Lee Minhyung, a steaming platter of mal-cooked meat in hand, makes his scheduled entrance. Deferentially he bows and places the serving before the king, whose brow puckers in unexpected repugnance. The blue and bloody steak that's been his chief sustenance these three days suddenly disgusts him. The taste of the Monster's essence still raw in his mind, Baekhyun cannot conceive of consuming a thing as base as this beast's flesh and the realisation appals him.

"Take it away," he orders as impassively as he is able, ever wary of his ever watchful aide – a seer in the dark.

"Y-Your Grace?" The servant's globular eyes gape in surprise.