Ayai snapped back to reality. She had wandered in her thoughts again, thinking about something else. Ayai relaxed that she did not cut herself with the kitchen knife while in trance. The scent of the vegetables from the counter flooded the air, while various sauces lay scattered across the table. Ayai looked over the kitchen onto the living room area, just to check if the child was still behaving. No problem, it seemed to her.

The morning sun peeked through the windows in front, hearing the birds singing an early tune. Ayai tightened her apron and gripped the wansoy leaves again. Then she heard a knock on the door. She stabbed the knife deep into the cutting board and made her way to the front door.

Ayai gripped the knob and pushed it open. Zhen stood outside her door, wearing his usual hanfu and that smile she ever so despised.

“Good morning, Gong Do-”

She slammed the door shut and locked it with sahar. It wasn’t a minute before Zhen unlocked it and opened it again.

“This early in the morning, Gong Dongye?” He entered complacently and hid his yawn. “I see thou hast grown accustomed to residency in the Yueliang Guesthouse.”

The Yueliang Guesthouse. An accommodation for trusted people of the Laoyuang House, which lay just outside the Inner Palace. It came equipped with the most modern technology of a home while preserving the traditional Žongren architecture that came with the building's antiquity. Ayai and Saya were given permission to reside in it, for ‘as long as they needed’.

Zhen sat down at the kitchen counter, looking over the scattered ingredients. “Thou art cooking Jianbing without help?”

“Do I need your help?” Ayai scowled and headed for the cupboards. “What tsaa would you like?”

“Oolong, please.”

She brought out the box and a teapot. Ayai focused her sahar on the stove, which immediately responded to her by flickering in heat.

“By the way, how is the child?” Zhen looked behind him at the absent-minded child in the corner, while she prepared the tsaa.

“An annoyance. Sometimes I wish to strangle it.” Ayai left her words unfiltered and sharp. She rinsed the leaves in water. “The child isn’t mine, anyway.”

“Dost thou remember why I gave her to thee?” Zhen waved his finger and folded his legs. “It’s a punishment I’ve decided to administer.”

“You all should be getting ‘punishment’ for what the Laoyuangs did in the past.”

“We are. Thou hast free will anywhere in As-Z̆onghu̐a. Whether it be the Jade Palace, the twin cities, or lodgings. We offer up any hospitality that might be of service to Gong Dongye.”

“Tch.”

A loud wail broke through their banter. Ayai barely finished steeping the tea before rushing over to the child. She knew, wholeheartedly, that she didn’t have any idea how to take care of a toddler. The tiny human kept on crying for absolutely no reason. She knelt down and grabbed one of its toys and wagged it gently at him. Nothing happened. She waved it aggressively at him with a massive rattle, and it made the crying worse. Ayai broke the toy in two. She took a deep breath and began to whisper.

“Ntsuag kub kaws, ntsuag kub kaws…” Her quiet voice immediately entranced the child into a gaze. “Txoj kev hlub, cov ntxub yuav tsis tig.”

She sighed in relief once the baby calmed down. Instantly she rushed back to the counter and finished the oolong tsaa. Pouring it into two cups, Ayai slid one to Zhen. He gently picked it up with one hand and took a sip.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Tastes a bit rushed, but overall adequate.” Zhen’s face changed into a smile, closing his eyes.

Ayai crossed her arms and looked away. “Then my apologies, Your Royal Highness. How shall I make it better for you?”

“I’m being honest.” Zhen shrugged his shoulders, “On another note, how is the progress of that Máak-Khoit Dictionary?”

“In progress, Your Royal Highness.” Ayai replied instantly, before returning to cutting wansoy. “I’m aware that Kwazhak wanted his mother’s language to be learned, however, it takes time for me to pull every word in Máak’s existence.”

“No rush, of course. It is another side project. I’m well aware of how important my little brother’s dream mattered.”

Ayai killed the conversation the minute she began chopping louder. She made sure not to cut through the board again. Zhen merely sipped his tea and stood up. He went around the counter to her side and brought himself a cutting board and a knife from the drawers.

“What are you doing?”

Zhen checked his hair bun as he took the wakegi onions, “Helping thee make the Jianbing. After all, I haven’t eaten my morning meal yet.”

“Tch. Go to the Chufong Imperial Kitchen then.”

“It shall taste better when ‘tis homemade.”

Ayai decided to keep preparing the ingredients and materials. At least this would help her concentrate on the task at hand. There was no point in arguing with him. Zhen was always like this. He came here only to eat and probe at her.

After several minutes passed, Zhen approached the counter with a plate of Jianbing. He placed it down before washing his hands in the sink. Ayai did the same, until she saw the tiny human crawling into the kitchen.

She immediately stopped the water, and slowly stepped towards the child.

"Mama!"

"Eh?..." Ayai froze in place. She didn't know how to respond. "Huh?!"

"Hm? Is something the matter?" Zhen turned his head before Ayai rushed behind him. She dug her hands into his shoulder. "Thy hands are soaking-"

"It talked! Zhen, it talked!" She pointed in fear of the child. "I knew this was going to happen, but it spoke to me, just now. In Máak."

She dug her fingertips harder into Zhen's shoulder, peeking at the child below. Zhen winced as Ayai's force drove him back into her.

"Okay- okay, the little one spoke for the first time, and why thou art surprised?"

"The child has been silent the entire time! Never spoken to me nor anyone else. Izadaha Saya doesn't speak but speaks her mind when she needs to. What makes it so different from her? Why do you think I am shaken by this? Eek!" Ayai brought Zhen closer as she hid behind him. The child was gaining ground on them, moving across the floor to them.

"Gong Dongye, please calm down. Even I am starting to be frightened-" Zhen stopped the moment the child grasped his leg.

Ayai lowered her gaze and covered her mouth. Not only had the tiny human started to speak, it also reached the height of her knee. With a small giggle, the child pulled herself further to Zhen's thigh.

"Gong Dongye, please help take the little one off!" Zhen turned his head to Ayai, whom still grasped his shoulders from behind. Gradually, seeing him annoyed brought her face into a twisted smug.

"Feel the struggles I felt while you gave me this child. Now that it finally becomes talkative, I have to deal with its mischief. No one told me anything about raising a child, and now I find myself more miserable than ever."

"Dost thou know I gave you the child to take care of for a reason. There is an important lesson I want thee to learn from it." Zhen dipped his head in obedience. "But I understand thy distress."

Another voice called out to them. "Erm... Did I interrupt a family moment?"

Ayai's eyes immediately went to the front door, which had been opened. A person in a traditional cloak stood at the entrance tightening their guanmao-rimmed hat with a guarding sword strapped to his waist. Mister Xiong, Zhen's bodyguard.

Her eyes glinted into a glare.

"I- I apologize Gong Dongye for that ludicrous comment." Mister Xiong's body contorted into a bow. "Setting that aside... Your Royal Highness, it appears that Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Hojun al-Qarakh of Silla, and her aides have arrived at the Meridian Gate."

At once, Zhen gently lifted the child off him while Ayai separated from him. With the sound of footsteps, the pair walked towards the door. She took her crescent blade from a weapon stand and slung it to her side.

Ayai grabbed Zhen's sleeve.

"We will bring them to the Courtyard of Longevity. Have someone move the Jianbing there and prepare the tables."

Crown Prince Zhen nodded, and the four left Yueliang Guesthouse.