âThereâs so much gold here. Do you like it?â I asked, curiously.
âOh, that. Honestly, Iâm so-so with it. Most of the golden statues, decorations andâ¦other stuff were mostly installed in by my grandfather and then my father when they lived here,â Ren said as he pointed to a statue of a horse made of gold.
âThis place is soâ¦out thereâ¦â I murmured.
âYeah, I can see why you would say that. I think I had the same impression when I first moved hereâ¦â Ren said as if reminiscing of the past.
âDonât you have work to do? You donât have to show me around, you knowâ¦â I said as I turned to offer him a smile.
âI do. Want to help out?â Ren asked.
âSureâ¦but I donât think Iâll be much useâ¦â I replied.
Ren led me by the hand to a large room filled with books, paper scrolls and shelves. There was a very large wooden desk and a few chairs there as well and I could figure out that that was Renâs work desk. I didnât know if I should laugh or sympathize with him.
His desk was piled up with paper, books, and scrolls. I guess a week away from his palace had led to work piling up. If someone offered me the job of being the crown prince, I would immediately turn it downâ¦
Apart from the worktable there was a large wooden sofa set with pearl shell decorations. That was probably for receiving guests. I turned around and looked around the room at the high shelves that were all filled with books and stacks of paper.
âSoâ¦what can I help with?â I asked, eager to be of help.
âYou can read, right?â Ren asked.
ââ¦of course, I can. My father taught me,â I replied with full confidence.
Sure, I didnât have the impeccable manners or grace of a lady, but I could read and write just fine. I could do mathematics too and that was saying something for women of this age and time. My father taught me all those skills so that I could study medicine and treat patients.
âIâm just making sure. I guessed that you do know how to read because Iâve seen you study medical text,â Ren said as he thought back to our time together.
âYouâre right. I canât study medicine properly without being able to read, write and do mathematics. Mixing potions and medicine required understanding of the formula and the mixture. Thatâs all mathematics,â I explained to Ren.
Ren nodded in understanding before he pointed towards a large stack of books. Is that my work?
âCan you help me sort these piles of books based on subject and put them where they belong on the shelf?â Ren asked.
âAre these books that you took out and didnât bother to put back?â I asked in disbelief. Tell me this doesnât look like what it looks likeâ¦
âYouâre absolutely right,â Ren replied with a bright smile.
This crown princeâ¦is such a messy guyâ¦
âHas anyone ever told you that your workroom is a mess?â I asked.
The pile of books that Ren had pointed towards wasnât the only pile in the room and donât let me get started on the other mess in the room. There was paper randomly scattered all around on the floor. Piles of books stacked so high that the pile was taller than my head. Some piles must have been there for ages because they have tipped over.
âNo. Never,â Ren stated with self-confidence.
âReally?â I asked, in shock.
âI usually donât let anyone in here except for Shinâ¦and I donât usually listen to what he says soâ¦â Ren explained with a shrug.
I didnât know what to say in response as I shook my head at him. Who would have guess that the crown prince of the Flame Dragon empire would be such a messy guy. The rest of his palace that Iâve seen so far was pristinely cleaned and well organized, clearly that was the work of the maids. I bet he doesnât let the maids in here as wellâ¦this place was also dusty.
âI guess Iâll put the books away as you suggested and thenâ¦weâll probably need to clean this whole room,â I said with a huge sigh.
Perhaps staying with Jeely for my water painting lesson would have been the better choice. As I busied myself sorting out the books based on subject and arranging them by alphabetical order back on the shelves, I glanced over to see that Ren was deep in thought as he focused on sorting out the work on his worktable.
I wanted to ask him what he was doing but decided to save my questions for later. Ren seemed too preoccupied with his current tasks right now and I didnât want to disturb him. I had many tasks to complete as well; however, I was sure that clearing all the books and cleaning the room was something that I couldnât achieve alone in the span of a day.
âRin?â Ren called out for me.
âIâm here!â I called back.
âAre you done?â Ren asked.
I rolled my eyes as I hid behind a pile of books. How can I possibly be done? I bet these books have been stacking up here since the beginning of time.
âNoâ¦â I said.
âEnough for today, Rin,â Ren called out.
My eyes widened in surprise. Thatâs it for today?
âBut Iâm not done yetâ¦â I said softly as I peeked out to look at Ren from behind the tall pile of books.
âYou wonât be done today anyways, right? Letâs goâ¦â Ren said as he got up from his chair.
I walked towards his worktable as I wondered if he would tell me anything if I asked him about what he was just doing.
âUmmâ¦Ren, can you tell me a bit about the work that you were just doing?â I asked.
âOh, this? I guess I can but itâs really not as interesting as you might have imagined,â Ren said with a tired sigh.
âTell meâ¦then Iâll decide for myself if itâs interesting or not,â I prompted him.
--To be continuedâ¦