“We’re both young, we don’t need to think about that for now,” he assured with a wave of his hand as a slow smile grew to his lips. Sitting up abruptly, he moved to offer the woman to follow suit. If it was settled, he might as well tell her father and get the whole thing over with, yes?

So, while still in his robe and slippers, he walked down the hall casually. He had no reason to impress the other’s father since he knew how desperate he was, and he already made up his mind about the marriage. He had other things to deal with, anyway.

“Ah, we’ll have to keep appearances in public,” he reminded. “So, holding hands and whatnot. The wedding will have to be grandiose and obnoxious and, when it’s all over, you’ll have full range of however men you’d like. The only exception is my servants.”
 
"Now, why would I sleep with a servant? I have standards. I appreciate the work they do, but most servants back home are monsters, and I assume it's the same here. I wouldn't degrade myself by even touching one, you have no need to worry about that," she reassured with ease, carefully holding her dress from the floor to trail out after him. In all honesty, she had little doubt that she would successfully get Dominique's agreement to marry her. She just didn't dream it would go this smoothly with a mutual understanding and an agreement about their preferences. For the teenager, the meeting had gone far better than she had ever thought; so much so that marrying him didn't seem like that big of a deal anymore.

However, the very news of the engagement didn't please everyone. When it was announced, most of the kingdom,understandably, rejoiced at the news; it was all most people wanted of Dominique since he became King, regardless how young he was. For Ambrosio, however, it was met with genuine horror when he overheard the news in a tavern. He had spent most the morning there, his hood up in disguise as he drowned his thoughts in a beer or two, despite how early it was. He had no intention of returning to the castle yet, having decided he would return when the other's birthday was near.

Hearing of Dominique's apparent engagement was the one thing that could draw him back in, though. Despite all the hatred he was determined to harbour, he also couldn't help but admit he cared for the teenager. Having him become engaged to a woman Ambrosio hadn't met or had a say on horrified him, and so, perhaps following his heart over his head, he wasted no time in sneaking back into the castle as evening approached.

Knowing he couldn't enter through the usual way, realising the head servants would be waiting to punish him, Ambrosio found himself climbing up the vines that trailed along the castle walls. He could use magic, admittedly, but it was too risky to use that in a kingdom that prohibited it so strongly. The result of the arduous climb did leave him genuinely exhausted, so much so that he collapsed on Dominique's bed without a single care in the world, only stirring when hearing the young King enter.

"...You're an idiot, you know that? How dare you get engaged without... me assisting you in your choice. I think I know what's good for you, Dom, I've been with you since you were some whiny 16 year old," he grunted, pressing his face back against the pillow with a pout. "...I don't like her, your fiance. I've heard things about her, about how she watches her parents kill magical beings with a fucking smirk on her face-- I suppose you two have that sadistic tendency in common, hm?"
 
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“Oh, you’re back!” He exclaimed with his typical charming smirk as he entered his bedroom, prepared to read while enjoying a pleasant breeze now that he was fully dresssd with the help of another servant. Watching the other collapse, he responded by sitting down at his desk and taking the other in all the while crossing his legs neatly.

“Why would you care who I marry? You aren’t my servant anymore, isn’t that right? You escaped into the night. I didn’t even send my guards after you, yet here you are, back in my home acting as if I’m just going to let you walk in here without any consequences. Yes, I’m to marry this girl. Does that really bother you so much as to ruin your freedom?”
 
"I'm still your servant. I get food, warmth and shelter here, I wouldn't leave until I had something better organised for myself. I just needed some space-- were you really that quick to assume I'd fled? You don't know me at all. I told you, I want to stick around to watch you fall from your throne, silly. I won't leave before that," he taunted back at him, albeit with his eyes pressed shut and a sleepy yawn interjecting through each sentence. Only when he got a handle of his tiredness did he open his eyes again, even forcing himself to sit up against the headboard to avoid drifting to sleep.

"We both know you aren't going to punish me-- or maybe you will; maybe it'll be all cute and sexy and that's what it'll take for you to realise you like me," he snorted, holding his knees to his chest, the brief glimpse of playfulness ending the moment he reminded himself of the engagement.

"I just don't want you to get married, is that so bad? I'm selfish, I want to be able to serve you and have you to myself~ I can't flirt with you if you have some tart hanging around, can I? We won't get to cuddle in bed-- you were practically begging for that last night. We can't do that if you marry that bitch," the demon shrugged indifferently, his lips pulled together in disdain. "I'll kill her before I let you marry her, Dom-- if only because I want to keep things as they are."
 
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“You’re sounding pretty pathetic right now, Ambrosio. I’m not used to it,” he admitted, his sharp eyes still firmly locked on the demon despite still grabbing his current book off the desk. Despite his seemingly calm exterior, he was more than fuming internally. Ambrosio was his best friend, sadly, so to lose him only to be dealt with a whiplash of emotions wasn’t very fun.

“She isn’t a tart. Now, make me a cup of coffee. It’s the least you could do for being so disrespectful. Granted, I’ve been planning some proper forms of punishment for you since the princess left,” he hummed, finally letting his eyes drift down to the book.
 
"You know I left because I was annoyed at you for not accepting you like me, right? If you're just going to pretend that our relationship is strictly that of a King and a servant, I might as well leave again. I don't think you actually comprehend how much I'm risking by admitting I like you, Dominique. But sure, punish me and pretend we're not even friends, I can deal with that," he shrugged, hiding how he really felt behind the stern frown. He did have this somewhat romantic idea in mind that he would return and receive a kiss or two, even if it came after a serious telling off. To receive none of that -not even a word of how worried Dom had been- was upsetting; infuriating, even.

"I'm not going to make you coffee, posh boy. Make your own damn coffee. Use your own hands and do something for yourself for once," he grunted sharply in return, easing himself off the bed. "I'm going to my room and I'm going to sleep. You aren't going to punish me-- I'm not asking, I'm telling you. If you try it, I'll just have to resort to retaliation-- isn't that what you said you wanted me to do? To retaliate more often? I don't see why you should be exempt from that, you're really not that special."
 
“You aren’t leaving, Ambrosio,” he replied with a chuckle before getting up after a reluctant sigh. “See, this is what annoys me. I want to treat you well and you refuse to accept that. I want to get affectionate with you and you run off to get drunk in a bar, if my nose is as strong as I’ve been told it is. Now you’re back and you already want to leave?” He confirmed before walking to the door and promptly locking the door with his own key before slipping it back into his pocket.

“If you aren’t going to get my coffee, then we’re going to sit and talk,” he decided before returning to his seat, his lips permanently set into a smile despite the fury in his eyes. “Now, what exactly are you risking, Ambrosio? I’m the only one here who can prop your pretty little head on a stake outside the castle.”
 
"I wanted to get affectionate with you and you told me it made you uncomfortable. I was respecting your boundaries. Maybe it'd help if you stopped giving off so many mixed messages," he muttered beneath his breath, clutching the pillow against his chest in refusal to ease up and relax. If he had to stubbornly show that he was still pissed off with the other's decisions, he would, even if it ruined the chance of getting somewhere with him.

"I'm risking a whole lot, don't be so dim. You ruined the lives of my friends; you killed someone I saw as family. If the community found out, they'd shun me or... or just abandon me. Of course I'm risking things," he spat in return, his eyes instantly flashing red in that anger. "H-Honestly, how stupid are you? Are you so arrogant that you don't see how much I'm risking just being nice to you?!"
 
“If I were your friends, I would have forgotten you already. Maybe it’s because I’m human and I have such a short lifespan but three years is quite a long time to be void of contact with them,” he admitted with a shrug, a small smirk on his lips at the red eyes. He had only ever seen them once so to see just how angry the other was, was humorous, in a way.

“If they all abandon you, remember that I’m still here for you,” he hummed, his calm contrasting the other’s anger well. “I don’t mean to get soppy here but you are very important to me, that’s why it hurt so much when you left. That’s why I’m mad at you.”
 
"You haven't shown that you care about me. You insult and belittle me; you showed me affection by kissing me, after I basically taunted you into doing so. What part of that shows me you care? You only hate me leaving because it embarrasses you in front of the other servants; it shows you can't keep control of me," he pointed out, trying to be smug and act as though he had made a good counterpoint. In fact, he did believe he had a pint, but the smugness was somewhat dashed by the King's words. Hearing that Dominique actually cared about him was all he had waited to hear for a few months now. It was hard to ignore that and the sincerity behind it, however much he wanted to.

"...If you care about me, you'd let me practise magic and build up the business Luana and I had. You'd let me help my community. Maybe I could even help you out if you got sick or... if something changed in you," he cryptically smiled. He had no intention to tell the other about the curse until his birthday neared, where he would hopefully entice the King away to a small, secluded cabin away from prying eyes to deal with whatever happened to him. However, alluding to it wasn't a problem - he doubted Dominique would ever guess what he was talking about, anyway.
 
“I hope you know that I can’t just snap my fingers and all of your ‘friends’ will be able to roam around to cause chaos, right? My great grandfather set the ban in place to keep the havoc you magic users cause. I’ve heard about the distraction it caused, how our kingdom nearly burned to the ground. I’m not going to allow that to happen, and I certainly know it will if the ban were lifted,” he explained with a sigh of annoyance.

After the 1,000th time explaining it to the demon, the small speech was ingrained in his head. It was the same one he heard his father say, and his grandfather. He was tired of explaining but if it meant Ambrosio dropping it, he would repeat the words every day.
 
Rather than moan about the injustice of the ban, as he usually would, Ambrosio stopped himself and merely smiled at the explanation he had heard countless times in the past. Reiterating how upset he was wouldn't make a world of difference, and he didn't want to provoke the other into punishing him. He was already pissed off with the demon, so Ambrosio wisely didn't want to add to that.

"You look like you need a bath. With those bath salts and some rose petals-- and obviously bubble bath. I can crack open some chilled wine for you, too. You seem so stressed. Maybe I'll even give you a nice massage," he offered, pushing himself to his feet as he cracked his own back. A massage would be heavenly for him after the years of hard work he put in serving Dominique, but he knew nobody was going to offer him one, so shutting up and getting on with it was -unfortunately- the sole option.

"I need a bath, too," he murmured, his three eyes locking onto the King with a suggestive smile. "...We could share, nobody would find out about it. I just want to try and... do something sort of cute with you. You like me, you said it yourself, so let's take a bath-- and if you decide you don't want to get close to me, we can pretend it never happened. Simple."
 
“... as long as you run it,” he decided after a pause of contemplation. Pursing his lips together in hesitation, he did let just the hint of a smile show, though small and quick enough that you could blink and it would be gone. Lounging further back in his chair, he returned to his more quiet self as he locked eyes on the demon.

“If this bath isn’t perfect then you won’t be able to get in,” he hummed before reluctantly slipping from the chair to instead wander to the bed, testing the bouncines. “I have a few other chores you could do for me, too, you know. You were gone so long and the other servants are too incompetent to do most of your chores.”
 
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"Did you place faith in them to do the tasks as well as me? That's your problem, Dom. You should realise they're all inferior to me. I may not want t be a servant to you, but I excel at everything I put my mind to. Of course the others won't perform tasks as well as me, it's idiotic to think they can," he replied from the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the large tub with a growing smile. It had been a dream of his to take a bath in it since he first arrived, and the ideal vision had always been to do so when Dominique's kingdom fell. He still had hope that it would... but he wasn't patient enough to take the celebratory bath when it did. He had the chance to take a bath now alongside someone he thought was handsome - he wasn't strong enough to resist temptation like that.

"What other chores need doing? I was gone for a few hours. You're so dramatic. You make out like I've been gone decades," he critiqued with a theatrical whine of his own, his eyes rolling. "Honestly. When your kingdom falls, you'll have to start doing manual work yourself. You could start practising by doing a chore or two yourself, get those manicured hands ready for the years of hard work ahead of you."
 
“Are you implying that my kingdom will fall?” He replied, his calm tone ending the minute the mere suggestion was placed. “My family has ruled this kingdom for generations and you have the audacity to say that it will fall because of me? You also act as if I don’t have work of my own, hm? This is what annoys me. You spout all this hatred towards me but you’re really not as smart as you think you are. I have my own work and responsibilities that I will never show you because I know you wouldn’t understand,” he scoffed before pinching his brow to calm down a bit.

“Is the bath done? I just want to relax, especially when you say ridiculous shit like that,” he grumbled, unafraid to let the swear slip. “Every part of my body is asking to slap you for being so ignorant.”
 
"Did you really think Luana would die without doing something to the person who brought her to her demise? So yes, your kingdom will fall because I trust in the plan Luana set in place before her death. I don't think I'm being ignorant; I'm being realistic. It'll fall in a month or so, you'll be friendless and fighting for your life as your allies turn their backs on you and try to hunt you down, and I'll be in a bar, sipping beer with some good friends of mine," he smiled casually, taking a seat back on the edge of the bath after tossing in some rose petals, carefully adding the extra dose of bubble bath before gesturing that the other could get in.

"...I wouldn't lie to you now, would I? I know something will happen to ruin your life and I know I could possibly prevent it-- but I don't really want to, Dom. Maybe I want to watch you hit rock bottom, so you have to come begging to me for help. Maybe that's mean of me, hm?" He sighed, choosing to stay sat on the edge instead of easing in the water. He didn't think he would be allowed in now after his taunts, which was disappointing but it was worth it to drop the news on him like this. "Besides, if I did have a change of heart, we'd have to go to the cabin in the woods and I'd have to use magic, and we both know how you feel about that."
 
“Whatever this mysterious curse is, I know for a fact that I’ll prevail,” he replied flatly before slipping into the tub, a grimace forming on his lips before locking his dual eyes on the other. “Will you leave? I don’t want you here now, any ounce of affection I have for you is gone. In fact, looking at your face is only pissing me off more, to be honest,” he insisted with a scoff before.

“Even if whatever it is that monster has chosen to curse me with is true, and even if I somehow fall from power, I will do everything I can to make sure you fall along with me, Ambrosio. I hope you understand that. I’m no idiot, I know you could easily hurt me if you wanted, but I’m not going to let you walk away from this happy. You’re my servant.”
 
"...Or you could stop being stubborn and let me help you. I'd want a reward, obviously. I'd be abandoning my whole community by choosing to help you, but... I'd do that if you asked politely. Or you could, you know, sit back and let yourself turn into some monster-- I'm not sure what Luana did, but she did something," he mumbled, refusing to move from the edge. In fact, he calmly reached across to pour out the wine, placing a glass beside the King.

"If I helped you, I wouldn't ask for anything ridiculous or unrealistic; I'd just want a proper room here and I'd want us to be... close. I'd want you to try and actually be with me properly, not shrug me off whenever I say something that pisses you off. I'd want to give whatever we have a proper go, albeit in private-- I'm not that stupid," he sorted, resting his chin in his hand with a quiet smile. "It's pathetic, right? I'd give up my morals and the chance to see you fall just to see if we have a spark or something. It's super pathetic but I'm a lover, really, not a fighter. So let me help you, I don't want to see you turn into an ogre or... or whatever else Luana decided was a good punishment for you."
 
Growing quiet, the young king covered his mouth with his hand and looked away from the other, his cheeks reddening and, for the first time since his mother had passed, had tears begin to stream down his cheeks. He didn’tention or brought attention to it, obviously, and would refuse to admit it was happening if it was mentioned.

He was scared. To be told that there was some unknown curse imminent in his future, that of which he didn’t know until now, it wasn’t a crazy idea to be scared. If this was all true, he could pretend that his subjects would accept him but he knew that was hardly realistic. There would be riots, he’d be seen as a mistake and disappointment, and the kingdom would fall since he had no heir to his family.

“Okay,” he decided after a longs pause, taking the glass of wine to his lips. He didn’t want to say any more but he knew he had to. “Okay, yeah. I’ll... try this out.”
 
"...Don't cry, Dom. I'll sort it out, I promise. I'm smarter than you give me credit for; I can remove the curse and you can stay sat on your throne with that soon-to-be wife of yours," he mumbled, forcing another smile as he poured a glass of wine out for himself. He was easily making the biggest sacrifice of his life by offering his help to the other. He knew his friends and the community itself would turn their backs on him-- if they didn't kill him first. He was risking everything by choosing to help out someone who could backstab him in the near future, but it was a risk he had to take.

If it all paid off, he could be with someone he cared about, even if he knew the likelihood of openly dating Dominique was slim. The man was going to be forced into a marriage. As inevitable as it was, it did piss the demon off but he had no choice but to grin and bear it.

"Honestly, I didn't have to tell you. The fact I did shows you I'm... on your side, right? I'm as surprised by it as you are, but here we are. We'll get to the cabin and I'll get my old magic books and we can sort this mess out. I'd love you to dump that Princess and not marry anyone but that's... not likely, is it?"