Chapter 5: Chapter 3

After the two's bedtime activities, Carsus finally recovered and encircled the man in his arms. He was looking down at the enchanting man and had a trace of worry in his face. The man was lying in his arms with closed eyes, looking like a satisfied cat that had gotten what it wanted.

Was he alright? Not knowing what to do and feeling a little bit panicked, he gently nudged Jin in an attempt to wake the big cat in his arms up.

He was a total newbie at dealing with things like this so he was currently at a loss. He never imagined that a king like him would finally find himself a day where he didn't know what to do.

Jin only hmm'ed before finally opening his eyes just a crack. Carsus didn't know what to say, so after a pause, the question he came up with was, "Is your body okay?"

He vaguely knew that after doing things like these, the one on the receiving end usually felt some sort of pain or ache. He didn't pay much attention to what the soldiers said when he was in the army…he was too busy with imperial stuff. "What…what do I do next?"

At Carsus next sentence, Jin's eyes slightly widened in amusement. This guy really had no experience when it came to these things, huh? "First…if this humble one may be a little presumptuous, can I ask you to carry me to the bath? I can't get up by myself at this moment, and your…things…might come tumbling down on the sheets if I do so myself." Jin said with his usual voice, which was laced with a smile. What he meant was, Carsus' essence that was left in Jin might flow to the bed if he took the initiative to stand up right now.

Carsus immediately understood what Jin meant and suppressed the rising embarrassment he did not want to acknowledge once more. He stood up immediately, to which the both of them felt each other rub against their sensitive places and flinched. With a breath, Jin exhaled and lectured, "Next time, move slowly."

Carsus can only woodenly nod.

During the timeframe where Carsus carried Jin to the bath, Jin observed Carsus' seemingly lost and flustered face (which he found quite cute, by the way). Jin's arms were hooked around Carsus' neck and he carried Jin like a baby in front, the two still connected. Taking this as an opportunity, Jin asked some questions that were bothering him earlier. "Your highness, could it really be that you are clueless when it comes to intimate matters? I heard that most royals and nobles are taught these things during their education."

Carsus coughed and avoided looking at Jin's eyes. "Yes, we were indeed taught about these things during our education. I just…didn't pay much attention to it. I had other things to focus on."

Other things like imperial matters and the throne.

Jin arched his brows at the sight and didn't pursue it any longer. By the time they arrived at the bath Carsus was taking Jin to, Jin gasped at the sight, shell-shocked.

An entire room, the size of a smaller ballroom perhaps, was turned into a bath. The ceiling was stretched high above with pillars being used both as support and decoration for the room.

Jin climbed down from Carsus and white liquid started to flow down his legs in a stream. His eyebrows arched up as he looked at Carsus, who led him to the bath.

More like a pool, Jin thought as he inwardly rolled his eyes.

Jin sat atop Carsus, and the two enjoyed the warm water around them. "This is my personal bath." Carsus' voice came from behind Jin's back.

"Hmm, I figured, your highness." Jin replied wittily.

Carsus frowned, feeling slightly bothered by Jin's attitude, "You've been doing and saying quite preposterous things to me ever since we met. You should realize that your head could be rolling, had I called for it."

Jin's laugh was melodious as he turned to face Carsus. "I know. I like to take risks, sire." He leaned in closer until their breaths mingled, "Risks can be quite fun, no?"

Carsus stared at the eyes of the person before him and then shifted his gaze away. Jin chuckled quietly and leaned against this big man's chest.

"Don't push it too far." Jin felt the deep vibrations from the man's chest as Carsus talked.

Neither of them spoke afterwards. There was a strange silence that ensued, but it didn't feel uncomfortable.

After a while, Carsus spoke up and broke the silence, "You…I surmise you've done this thing before?"

Jin looked up from where he was leaning and met Carsus' gaze. "Which, you mean…sex?"

At that, Carsus' ears reddened slightly and he reprimanded the man sitting on him with narrowed eyes full of warning. "Vulgar."

Ahahaha, he's so fun to tease. Jin's eyes curved into crescents watching it unfold in front of him. With a smile in his voice, he replied, "Well, I have."

"How many times?"

"Enough for me to know how to pleasure you, your highness." The smile in Jin's eyes never left.

Hearing this, Carsus knew that the person sitting on his lap had probably done it more times than what he can count with his fingers. His expression darkened with that thought in mind. He did it countless times with others, huh. He didn't know why but his mouth drew into a scowl unconsciously.

Jin saw his expression change and raised an eyebrow. Did he not like it that he had done it with someone who was tainted by many men before? Hmm, Jin forgot to ask about that. He was too hasty, this guy was a king after all. Maybe he's the type of guy who was concerned with purity and things like that. He observed Carsus' reaction and promptly slid away from Carsus' lap.

"I apologize. It seems that I have been thoughtless. You're probably the type of person who likes to concern themselves with cleanliness and other similar concepts. It's my bad." Jin didn't want to force people into doing things that they didn't like, just as he didn't like to be forced on.

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Before Jin could completely get away from his lap, Carsus drew him back in with an expressionless face. "That's not it."

Jin waited for more words to come out of Carsus, but he didn't say anything else. He just stared back at him unfeelingly. Just as Jin thought he wasn't going to say anything more, he spoke up again.

"Is this what you usually do? As part of your…job description, let's call it." He looked as if he didn't want to not respond to his previous statement and instead continued onto another topic.

Jin looked surprised, then amused. He continued to roll with it. "This kind of service? No, it's not necessarily part of the whole package. Our group is just a normal group of entertainers. We only engage in this type of thing when both of the parties involved in the relationship consents, and it's a separate matter from the group's business as well."

Jin started making small splashes as he played with the water. "So overall, both parties have to consent. If I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't do it. Similarly, the same rule applies for the other party. That's why I was ready anytime for you to shove me away in case anything happens, but then again your little butler-representative did say to entertain you tonight."

The expression on Carsus' face lightened after hearing that Jin didn't refuse him as the other contractor, but then remembered what he said about a little butler. "Butler…you mean Ilmond?"

Jin nodded.

"Ilmond is my chancellor."

At first, Jin's face was normal, then suddenly his expression morphed into that of realization. Carsus watched this and a small smirk worked its way up at the corner of his mouth. He found it amusing that his chancellor was identified and degraded into a butler.

Jin found it baffling that the chancellor of this country would personally guide them into the palace. He knew he was a noble, but he thought he was just some normal representative.

"Oh."

This time, it was Carsus' turn to chuckle. This was Jin's first time hearing the king chuckle.

"So what else do you do? As part of your job?" Carsus was now laid back, his arms resting by the edge of the bath.

"Well, your highness, we dance…and we travel. Quite a lot. That's it basically, for a traveling performer."

"That's it? Isn't there anything more to it?"

"Well, we do have fun and play around here and there when we have free time. That's really all there is to it. Why? Is his majesty interested in us?" At his last question, Jin stared at him with slight mischievousness. "Or are you suddenly interested in me?" He joked.

Carsus didn't avoid Jin's gaze this time and kept it. It was like they were at a staring competition. Slowly, without removing his gaze from the smiling man's eyes, he responded, "I am."

Jin looked at the man who was a king and his eyebrows shot up in slight amusement. Obviously, he didn't take Carsus' answer too seriously.

This man was not easily intimidated by royalty, Carsus observed as he watched Jin. Every move he made was unreserved and honest, which was actually quite refreshing for Carsus. At the same time, he was just a little bit irked at Jin's lack of conscientiousness around him.

"And because I am interested, I have to ask, what plans do you and your little group have next?"

Jin couldn't tell which Carsus was really interested in, whether it be him or his group, nor if he was actually serious about being interested in any of them. Jin just decided to brush it off and tilted his head, trying to recall what Reyna had planned for them. "Well, I've heard from our leader that there will be a performance for the banquet tomorrow. Apparently, Sir Ilmond thought it would be a waste if we didn't perform at least once in the castle despite already inviting us here."

The Lotus Festival was celebrated for three days, and tomorrow was the second. Carsus and the other nobles were going to celebrate the festival through an official banquet that will be held the day after this.

Carsus arched his brows. "You're going to be performing for tomorrow's banquet?"

"I am, but I probably won't be the main dancer this time around." Jin explained. "The main dancer scheduled for tomorrow's performance is Leyya, another group member of mine."

Carsus' face showed a hint of satisfaction. Thinking of other people looking at this man in front of him while he danced made him feel slightly unpleasant. "Promise me you won't place yourself in the spotlight for tomorrow's performance."

Jin had a quizzical look on his face and nodded his head loosely.

At that opportune moment, there was a rumbling that echoed in between the two of them. Carsus' mouth was hooked up on one side as he watched Jin, whose stomach just rumbled.

"Are you hungry?"

Jin was slightly embarrassed but didn't show it on his face. He did get quite hungry after talking and doing their intense exercise a while ago. He simply paused and stared at the side before looking at Carsus squarely in the eyes. "Yeah."

With a smile, Carsus responded. "Let's get dinner afterwards, then."

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