PeaceMaker

"Good evening, your highness," said a voice, welcoming Boris into the room. He turned and locked eyes on Falls Hane. 

"Ah… Duke Falls," Boris responded with a smile, "spare the formalities, I'm not the true leader afterall." He swept his hand in front of him and nodded in the direction of the hall, signally Falls to join his walk.

Falls chuckled, walking alongside Boris. "But you are at this point until the prince returns so I will refer to you in your title as you do with mine."

Boris smiled politely as they continued their walk. 

Falls Hane. 26-year-old and from the Hane family. His uncle is Grayson Hane, the missing betrayer of the kingdom and comes from a family of warriors, all of them dominating in the military aspect. Has an older brother of the name Antonio and 2 sisters much younger than him. Unmarried and currently one of the youngest in the council, a big achievement that he and his family were often praised for. 

Boris turned to Falls and responded to his comment with a chortle.

Around the time of Grayson's betrayal, Falls was locked up immediately as he was suspected to have a hand in the betrayal that had taken place. 

He wasn't

After a few days of digging personally, Boris found out that Falls was rather detached from his family. Although he was one of their many trophies, it didn't seem like he even identified himself as part of the family his last name carried. He was a loner of a sort, only true to the duties that he wanted to fulfill.

Most of them he fulfilled by himself, without the help of his background or anything of that kind. 

It was intriguing to Boris. That was why he had begun to spend time with Falls and deepen their relationship to one that was borderline friendship. To his surprise, Falls didn't try to demean Boris in any way, neither did he talk behind his back nor shoot him angry or hateful glares. His eyes were always stoic. Focused on the job in front of him.

Boris liked that. 

But just as he held up a wall to Falls, Falls held up a wall to him. Friendship was all it was going, the friendship formed between acquaintances. At least for now. 

Afterall, keeping your friends close but enemies closer was a rule Boris always abided by.

"How are your studies going? That's if you even need them," Falls asked. 

Boris laughed. "Of course I do, I need to learn more about the kingdom to be able to protect it better afterall." 

"Not with those scores you won't," Falls shook his head with a smirk, "Kalmin took another test a few days ago, and once again the scores were impeccable. It's like you know the kingdom better than the maps know it."

Boris smiled, "All I have is time between working. All that time goes towards reading. Book after book, series after series, volume after volume. With the amount I read, I'm not surprised in the slightest that I can retain that much information."

"Did you finish the new book that I recommended to you?" Falls asked, locking eyes with Boris. 

He nodded in reply. "Of course, the first thing I did on the day I got it. I can't believe that you'd tease me with a book with a cliffhanger," Boris smirked to which Falls grinned. "That was cruelty really, even worse so as the author is impossible to find and their books are rare."

"Right? I was barely able to find those books, to begin with," Falls shook his head in slight dismay before turning back to Boris with shining eyes, "it's amazing how no one has a clue who that person is though… you'd think an alias would easily be trackable." 

Boris sighed. "Right…" he grinned seconds after, "however…~ I was able to get myself the next book in the series," he stated proudly.

Fall's head swiveled to him immediately. "You what?! How?!! I was barely able to get that one, it took me a few days just to ghetto the right merchant that sold it."

"I have… a few connections on the street," Boris grinned, "one of the perks of having one foot in the town's rough roads and another on the marble floors of the palace. I was able to ask one of the people I know to get in touch with the merchants that sold the author's books."

Falls stared at Boris in awe. "Amazing…."

Boris grinned proudly. "I finished that book too as soon as I got my hand on it. Unfortunately, it too ended on a cliffhanger… that author truly knows how to string their readers on."

Falls nodded his head in agreement before going silent, his eyes clouding in thought. He turned to Boris for a moment, ready to say something before turning back in silence. 

"What is it?" Boris asked, calling Fall's attention to him.

"I'm sorry if this is too much to ask your highness, but may I-"

"I already sent a maid to deliver it to your office earlier today. If I get in contact with any other books, I'll read it and send it to you immediately," Boris grinned.

Falls stared blankly for a moment before a bright smile crossed his face. "Really?! Thank you, your highness."

"No worries, I only did someone for someone I'm fond of. It's only courtesy to let you read the book next," Boris giggled, "afterall, you introducing me to the writer at the beginning.

Falls smiled. "Yes, your highness."

They both turned the corner of the hallway and walked towards the meeting room at the end. Falls turned back to Boris, his smile lingering on his lips.

"May I ask who it is that was able to get the book for you, your highness?" Falls inquired. 

Boris nodded his head, "Of course, however, I think she can just introduce herself." 

"Introduce?" Falls echoed. 

"Yes, she came here today and will be staying for a few days at least," Boris replied, turning to Falls, "well… not sure about her stay. She'll stay for as long as she wishes to stay."

Falls flinched. "An outsider?"

Boris nodded his head, his eyebrows furrowing soon after. "Well… in a  way yes but in others, no. She's my other leg outside of the palace, the one that watches over everything I cannot see from these high-walls and stabilizes the kingdom since I am not able to come in touch with it often."

"I thought that was the work of Kalmin? Or at least the safety advisors, Marquess Limar and Marquess Conner," Falls asked curiously. 

Boris nodded his head but replied briefly. "It is of course but she's a little different from them."

"A mistress?" Falls blatantly spat out with a slight smirk.

"Heaven no!" Boris shrieked in disgust, "she'll like my little sister. I could never lay my hand on her."

"I was just-"

"I don't know if I should be happy or offended that you replied in that manner," a voice called out from behind the two, causing Boris to stop immediately, "might explaining big Brother?"

Steps walked towards the two and Falls turned around to lay eyes on a lady. A beautiful one at that. She was tall, about his height and taller, and had skin darker than Boris' dark chocolate with a natural shine that made her stand out immensely. Her figure was close to that of an hourglass despite her tall figure. With a high lifted small face and large plum-shaded lips, she walked towards them with a smirk on her face. 

"It seems like you asked for death," she smiled, revealing bright white teeth and a slight gap between her front two teeth. "Shall I grant it to you?" her bright, round, up-slanted eyes, sparkled in their deep brown shade, her long black eyelashes batting lightly. 

"I-I didn't see you there," Boris chuckled nervously, turning to meet her gaze. It was intense. 

As always. 

Falls continued to take in her beauty as she walked to his side, looking up into Boris' eyes. She had such a sweet scent to her. Like good fruits in town, she smelled like oranges, the alluring sharp scent of citrus. She was dressed… in the way that Falls saw her to be, a Queen. Her outfit was a cape-like outfit, with light high shoulders, fitted waist while the rest, in a tight fit, was a pant. With a majority of the outfit being black, it had golden swirls around her high collar, her waist, intricate lines running down her slim arms on one sleeve while the other, armless, showed her dark chocolate hand with a golden arm-band wrapped around her arm.

From one ear hung a golden teardrop-shaped earring and the other a dragon wrapped around her ear. 

"It's nice to see you, Adia," Boris greeted.