"Oh hey!" Jubilant was running over to where Fane and Harvey stood, both of them had a sour mood this morning- Harvey had a sinking gut feeling inside of him, while Fane was fussing over his best coat that got ruined yesterday evening.
When a stray dog chewed through it.
This morning, they had a holiday. The long awaited holiday which was being planned by everyone. Those who lived nearby, went home. The foreigners and those who had their homes at distances stayed back.
Fane, Harvey and Jubilant had decided to go outside, visit the town centre, see the markets and do some jolly stuff while they were at it.
Only, Jubilant decided to tag along a boy he had brought with him, just now.
"Ahem, who's he?"
"I'm no one. Please suit yourselves." The new boy, also clad in a silk dress shirt under an embroidered wool overcoat, with hair that hit down to his shoulders and jade earrings hanging from his ears-
"Are you also royalty?!" Fane couldn't stop his words. "God Juby, why do you have to pick them out of the whole crowd!"
"He's me roommate." Jubilant shrugged, while the new boy rolled his eyes, tiny eyes- according to Harvey.
"Liang Zhu, nice to meet you."
Much to Harvey's surprise, Liang Zhu didn't wipe his hand after shaking hands with any of the boys. It was just his face which screamed that he didn't want to be here.
But when they spotted Prince Faizal, who looked like he was drowning under his too large to fit clothes and he wobbled his way over to them, Liang Zhu's expression softened.
"Greetings." He quietly moved over to the yapping Prince of Turkey, while Faizal- who was looking undeniably cute with the large clothes, had a remarkable blush on his cheekbones.
"Are you two friends?" Fame's eyes widened.
"What did you think? That I'd be friends with you peasants?!" Faizal barked.
"Then why did you even talk to us you yapping chihua-" Fane stopped abruptly, when he saw Liang Zhu's already narrow eyes turn narrower.
"Well I was anyway here for my friend, Ansel," Faizal turned to Harvey, "did you not bring him with you?"
"Who?" Liang Zhu asked.
"He's too fond, and a quiescent soul just like mine- I was hoping to introduce him to you. Might say you would have been bored with this impolite brute here!" Faizal pointed his thin finger towards Jubilant, who simply laughed.
"Are you some sort of royalty magnet? Why do all impudent prosperous people find you?" Fane snapped at his brother, while Jubilant casually shrugged, shaking his head.
"Zhu is not even 'alf as bad."
"Zhu? Zhu?! What are you? On a first name basis now?!"
"Quit it Fane. Tis not me trouble anyhoo," Jubilant sighed, ruffling his brother's hair. "And what 'bout 'im? That's boy?"
"Yes, I thought Ansel would come with you? You two seemed so friendly." Fane quipped in, nudging his elbow in Harvey's ribs.
"Yeah... even I thought so." Harvey muttered, not taking any interest where they walked by. They'd taken carriages to the town square, and were hit by the jovial, mood uplifting temper of the bustling streets, common townsfolk and busy vendors.
"It's worse than what I imagined." Fane yawned, despite the cheerfulness around.
"Anyhow, did you not ask him to come with us?"
"That boy... Ansel Dawson," Harvey gritted his teeth, "he's just putting a show out there for everyone. Honestly, no one means a worth to him."
"How so?" Jubilant frowned.
"People don't mean anything to him. It's just their sadness that he is attracted to. Or probably," Harvey paused to scoff bitterly, "probably money."
The Sullivan brothers had nothing to say.
_________________________________________
Taverns and alcohol attracted the Sullivan brothers, while Harvey had long drifted away from them, sifting his way through the workshops of seamstresses and trinket makers.
Perhaps a new waist belt for Livilla?
There were a few students from his classes that he identified, lulling below the windows of women... the ones which Harvey actively avoided.
Before Ansel? Everyone paled.
He had never been attracted to anyone before, lest an exception to Ansel, who was probably locked up in his own little space between the books, writing-
"Nothing new, Madam!"
What in the devil's name was Ansel Dawson doing in a harlot's tavern?!
Harvey placed forward quickly when he heard that familiar laughter, and saw that mop of uncombed brown hair.
There he was, Ansel Dawson. Sitting outside the porch of an openly whorish establishment, laughing and being jolly with a few girls and a few older women, while having strewn parchment folded in his hands.
Harvey clenched his teeth again, feeling shameful on himself that this mere nothing boy was making me drop down again to the levels of such shame- eavesdropping on him.
"Just that for today, brother?" A girl, probably twenty, her arm hooked around Ansel's, cooed.
Such sickening disgusting voice-
"I am afraid so," Ansel smiled brightly. This one, this smile, it was different. Different than what everyone else saw, different than what Harvey saw. This one was brighter, more honest and all the more beautiful.
"But I hadn't seen you in all week!" The girl preened again, while Harvey's fists curled up into balls.
"So what?" Ansel ruffled her hair, "I'll visit the next Sunday evening, after mass."
"Yes you might," the older woman, sitting a few feet away, croaked. "Now that you live there, you might forget your aunt completely. Why not? Might have made some good friends over there!"
Harvey's jaw dropped. Aunt? Was he... was he a son of a...
But the words that left Ansel's mouth next made Harvey's heart sink even lower.
"What friends? I have no one there."
His smile was so sad.
Again, Ansel is not what he looks like. ð
But we have a new cover, because the previous one was too flashy lol.
And we have Min SooHo
(Yes folks, it's an upcoming story full of rich Korean chaebols)