Page 12 of Love and Chaos

“There you are. I had begun to think you intended to sleep through all the planned celebrations.”

“Forgive me, Royal Father.”

“It’s my fault, Your Majesty,” West slid in. He lowered his voice to a whisper, but Jin could still hear him. “The crown prince was up late last night reviewing the new trade proposal. He was sleeping so soundly this morning that I turned off his alarm to give him some more time to rest.”

The emperor’s expression softened, and he patted West on the arm. “It’s good he has you to take care of him.”

Jin almost gave in to the urge to roll his eyes. That trade agreement wasn’t the only reason he was so tired, but he didn’t hear West taking the blame for that.

“Has Prince Ming Tao come down yet?” Jin inquired with a smile. Usually his brother was a lazy slug who couldn’t move from his bed.

“He was at breakfast but spilled coffee on his shirt and needed to change,” Shen Xiao Dian commented.

“That was also your fiancé’s fault,” Prince Ming Tao called out as he entered the room. “He was telling about an adventure he had in Greece with a ferret and caused me to laugh while drinking my coffee.”

“My apologies, Your Highness,” West said with a small bow to Ming Tao. This time, Jin rolled his eyes. Ming Tao was just as clumsy as he was, if not worse.

As if sensing his boss was about to say something inflammatory, Qin rushed forward to usher the princes to the tables on either side of the room. They would hand out the red envelopes to all the workers of the royal palace and its grounds while the emperor looked on. In past years, the emperor had also handed out the envelopes. However, he was still recovering from heart surgery and tired quickly. The doctors had advised him to remain seated for this event.

As soon as the doors to the grand hall opened, people surged in. For many, this was the only time of the year they could see the entire royal family. While the crown prince made far more public appearances and moved around the palace more, Prince Ming Tao had been away at school for years and only returned for special holidays. Of course, the emperor was even more closely guarded and was seen by only a handful of select people.

However, the real draw this year was Westin St. James. While he had been living in the palace for months, it wasn’t until today that his status as the crown prince’s fiancé became official. Not to mention, this foreigner had risked his life more than once to protect the crown prince. The emperor had also shown him great favor.

While the flow of people split between the two princes, it seemed as if everyone wanted to either receive a snack from West or just exchange New Year’s wishes with him so they could later brag to their friends that they’d met the crown prince’s fiancé.

Pride bloomed in Jin’s chest, and it was a struggle to keep from grinning like a fool in love. Despite West’s naturally reserved and introverted personality, the man handled his newfound popularity so smoothly. He chatted with everyone and smiled as people sneaked photos of him. The palace was usually stricter about things like that, but they let things slide a little for this one holiday.

Every so often, West would sneak a wink or a small touch Jin’s way, but otherwise, they were both too busy to spare even a second for each other. And it was so hard to pay attention to his work when his fiancé was looking so debonair and handsome in his dark suit and bright-red tie. His blond hair had grown long, stretching just below his shoulders. Today, it was secured with a red ribbon at the nape of his neck, but there were a couple of thick strands left loose to frame his face. They fell forward every time West dipped his head to bow or lean in to hear what someone was saying to him. Jin longed to reach out and thread those strands behind his ears before capturing his mouth in a long, slow kiss.

Later. Later. Later.

The moment this long day was finished, he planned to spend as many hours as he could steal kissing and worshiping his sexy man.

As soon as the last envelope was handed out, the royal family was rushed the room where they were hosting a special luncheon for a number of elected officials and department ministers. While the atmosphere was less hectic, it was far from relaxed. Jin could only watch as the different officials surrounded West and took turns grilling him on a variety of topics in a “friendly” manner, putting his language skills and etiquette lessons to the test.

Every fiber of Jin’s being demanded he race over to rescue his fiancé, but he couldn’t. These people felt the need to make sure the royal family was making the right choice about who the crown prince was marrying. After all, West would one day be the emperor’s consort and be the most well-positioned person to whisper in Jin’s ear.

While he might not be able to shield West directly, he did send Qin to monitor things. He could interject and assist West if it grew too heated.

Thankfully, after a short time, people were seated and several people gave speeches, blessing the royal family, the hard-working civil servants, and the country. Finally, food was served. Jin was so hungry, he’d grown light-headed.

However, the emperor didn’t remain long. Shortly before the luncheon was scheduled to close, Shen Xiao Dian ushered away the emperor with the help of a couple of nurses who commented that the emperor needed to rest. The plan was for Emperor Jin Jiang Yu to retreat and rest in his private apartment for the rest of the day.

As the emperor retired, he accepted a deep bow from West, whom he patted on the arm. He also stopped to hug both of his sons in a rare display of public affection.

“Relax,” the emperor admonished in a low voice as he hugged Jin. “Your fiancé did wonderful today.”

“Thank you, Royal Father. Get some rest,” Jin murmured, his throat tight.

They had scarcely caught their breath at the luncheon when Jin found himself pushed and prodded out the door yet again. He was whisked down the hall, to his private apartment, where he would change from his suit into a set of heavy robes that were styled after the ancient dynasties. The royal family only wore these during New Year celebrations and other big events, such as weddings.

While always beautiful, they were also dangerous. The long, voluminous sleeves and length of the robes made them difficult to move in, slowing him if he needed to make a sudden escape. However, he knew he had nothing to worry about because West would be at his side.

Except, where was his fiancé?

Just as he was being rushed out of the luncheon, he’d lost sight of West. Had he been taken away first? But he wasn’t going through an elaborate costume and hair change.

Jin pouted on his way back to his rooms. He’d thought they would at least be able to walk together and talk for a few minutes. As soon as he changed, they’d be taken off to the outdoor celebrations with the populace. It would be far too loud and chaotic to talk. They wouldn’t have another free moment until after midnight, and by then they would be exhausted.