Chapter 316: RTYY 313 - A No-Win, No-Win Situation
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FeiWan frowned angrily. He was doing his best not to lose his temper! He really was! Especially because he more than knew that losing his temper wouldn't achieve anything. Anything besides his heartbeat spiking through the roof, and he getting a sore throat from shouting at the walls. It wasn't as if he could imprison him and have someone beat some sense into his snowy head ... right? Would that be so unforgivable? He was an El'Gin, after all.
"Refuse the invitation!" he commanded for the fourth time, his voice sounding more like an angry growl now. But the man sitting on the floor in front of him kept calmly smashing a bunch of dried herbs in a very simple wooden pestle.
"I may be an Imperial guest in this Palace, but as long as I remain on Wen's lands I'm equal to a commoner. I could never refuse an invitation sent by one of the noble El'Gin."
"The heck you can't!" FeiWan immediately countered. "Or are you telling me that you'll obediently obey whatever others tell you to do as long as it comes written in some shiny piece of paper and stamped by an El'Gin?"
"Doesn't that more or less describes my present situation?" CalRimRan simply inquired, carefully pouring the smashed herbs into a small white silky pouch.
"Isn't it your choice if it does or doesn't? Just refuse the damn invitation!" FeiWan insisted once more, his fists so tightly clenched that his arms kept shaking.
Calmly putting the pestle down on the small table, CalRimRan closed the small pouch and tied it with a beautiful silk cord. The scent of the dried herbs had spread throughout the entire room, and although it was a considerably pleasant scent, it still didn't do much in terms of helping FeiWan calm down.
"I've already sent my reply, confirming my presence," CalRimRan replied, not even bothering to look up at him.
FeiWan really wanted to grab him by that pristine white collar of his and shake some sense into that white-haired head of his!
"Besides," he went on, his back very straight, his dignified posture unwavering. "while you were out, today, the noble Janwan, Hen KimLay, has personally graced us with the honor of her visit."
FeiWan's eyes widened at that, part of his raging anger immediately dissipated.
"Mother was here? What for? Why wasn't I immediately informed?"
"The noble Janwan wanted to personally deliver my reply to the Golden Forest Pavilion, and invite me to accompany her and her family to the honorable El'Gin's celebration," CalRimRan declared, his voice as flat and indifferent as always. But when he slightly raised his head to glance sideways at him, it was all FeiWan could do not to visibly flinch. Those stormy eyes looked a lot darker now, and the clear gaze of silent harsh condemnation he gave him was enough to have him stand at attention.
"So you see, honorable El'Gin. I will obediently do as I'm told, as long as it comes written in some shiny piece of paper and stamped by an El'Gin," he repeated, FeiWan's angry words sounding frightening cold in his voice, and FeiWan couldn't help sigh in relief, when CalRimRan finally went back to his herbs, releasing him from that hard, cold stare.
Still! Shit!! Why did his mother have to interfere with his plans like that? Hadn't he clearly told her, just the day before, that CalRimRan would not attend that damned celebration?
He had been too naive, FeiWan immediately concluded, squeezing his clenched fists. He should have known that his mother's sudden interest, in wether CalRimRan would attend CalWan's celebration or not, had to have some hidden agenda. And that, of course, KimLay would never willingly lose the opportunity to publicly flaunt her most precious assets, which now, apparently, included the favor of the Emissary of the Demon Clan.
FeiWan gritted his teeth while watching CalRimRan calmly choosing a few more leaves amongst the many different kinds of herbs covering the small table. Not only him. As always, FeiWan himself was being intelligently and utterly used.
Releasing a deep sigh, he dropped down on the floor beside him.
Now that things had come to this point, there was no use getting angry. Like so many times before, he had to simply … conform with the hand he had been dealt. He'd do better thinking ahead, and try to come up with ways to bend the inevitable present situation to his advantage. That was pretty much all he could do, anyways.
Besides sparing him a single sideways glance, CalRimRan basically ignored his presence, his elegant hands picking dried leaves from a thin branch.
"This will not be a reception like the others you've attended," FeiWan thought it better to warn him, since now there was no way to excuse him from being present. "All the El'Gin, El'Lin, and Imperial wives will be present. Probably some important family members from the Won Clan as well. There will be a lot of very well disguised power struggles. They will try all kinds of surreptitious ways to entrap one another and, at the same time, gain the upper hand. You should try not to involve yourself is such matters as much as possible. Do you understand?"
"So basically his Highness is telling me that I should just keep my mouth shut," CalRimRan quickly resumed, and FeiWan sighed again. Yeah. Even though his beautiful face didn't show a single inkling of it, CalRimRan was most definitely extremely pissed off, FeiWan concluded, watching him closely.
"That's right," he still confirmed. No matter what, FeiWan had to make that clear. He had to make him understand that, in that fucking celebration, things would never be as simple as they looked at first glance. "Just keep your mouth shut.
"From the moment you agreed to attend my brother's birthday celebration, it has immediately become a no-win, no-win situation for you. It's bad enough that you will be attending it hanging from my mother's arm. But it would be equally bad if you were attending it on your own. Don't be mistaken. Even though everyone in the Palace seems to treat you like any other Imperial guest, there are still a lot of people that don't see with good eyes the presence of a member of the Demon Clan inside the Imperial Palace.
"They will try to use you for your position as an official representative of your Clan. But they will also try to undermine you, hoping to find some way to shackle you, so they won't have to constantly fear what you might do, or that you may suddenly turn against them. I know you probably can't see it, but your position inside this Palace isn't as secure as you may think."
Stopping what he was doing, CalRimRan finally turned to look at him, his steely eyes cold and hard.
"Is that how Your Imperial Highness sees me as well?" he simply asked and FeiWan couldn't help feeling taken aback. He had never expected that someone as naturally introverted as CalRimRan would actually question his intentions so frontally. "Is that why you've practically moved into the White Pavilion? Are you also looking for a way to shackle me and use me?"
Feeling annoyingly cornered, FeiWan clenched his fists.
"I … I'm trying to keep you safe!" he angrily blurted out and, for a moment, they just sat there, looking each other in the eye, FeiWan unwilling to pull back and escape that cold, hard gaze. And then CalRimRan simply took a deep breath, closing his eyes, all tension suddenly gone from his posture as he simply went back to his leaves.
Just like that?! Releasing an exasperated breath, FeiWan propped an elbow on the table and leaned his head on his hand to better look at him. Somehow he never got tired of looking at him. No matter what boring task he was doing, there was always this kind of peaceful feeling emanating from CalRimRan. His every move, his every gesture, was so precise and smooth that it was almost hypnotic. Before he had realized what he was doing, he'd already reached out and captured a thin lock of pure white hair between his fingers. Soft and cold, it felt nothing like any hair he'd ever touched. It was too thin, too light, he thought, allowing it to slide across the palm of his hand.
Stopping what he was doing again, CalRimRan simply peered sideways at him. Even though his facial expression hadn't changed one bit, now there was this threatening glow in his darkened eyes, one that inevitably left a smile on FeiWan's lips.
"Shall I braid your hair for the big occasion?" he offered, curling the soft lock around his fingers, and the light scowl that took over CalRimRan's forehead left his heart beating excitedly faster inside his chest.
"This white ribbon too," he went on, reaching for it instead. "We should probably find you some more appropriate adornments than this. Such an important celebration and all," he went on and, with a single tug, easily pulled it from CalRimRan's head, his long white hair pouring over his shoulders and face like waterfalls of pure light.
Things happened so fast that FeiWan couldn't even see it. One moment he was there, sitting next to him, enjoying picking on him, the next moment the back of his head was hurting, as he slammed hard against something.
Frowning and grunting in pain, FeiWan blinked his eyes open. He was lying on his back, he realized. And he couldn't sit up, the iron grip around his wrists smashing his hands against the cold floor.
Now that had fucking hurt!, he immediately stared angrily at the perpetrator, now calmly looking down at him. What was he going to do if his wrists got bruised again?! He had an official, public event to attend to that evening!
"You! Let go of me!" he demanded, ready to burn the crap out of that bastard if he didn't immediately comply, but not only CalRimRan didn't obey, he actually dared lean even closer to him, making FeiWan instinctively hold his breath. Cold, white hair slid over CalRimRan's shoulders, pooling beside FeiWan���s head and over his chest, forming a silky white curtain around his face. And all he could do was stare up at those dark stormy eyes, and wonder in bewildered confusion how on earth he had ever thought of associating the word calm with that man.
"Don't push it," was all CalRimRan said, the whispered words caressing FeiWan's lips, before he snatched his ribbon from his hands and, in swift ruffling of white clothes, got back up on his feet.
FeiWan blinked. What the … ?
Snapping out of his petrified state, he quickly sat up, turning back, ready to give him a piece of his mind! How dare he! How dare he hold him down like that! How dare he openly threaten him! He! An Imperial El'Gin! But, no matter where he looked, CalRimRan was nowhere to be seen.
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Author's Note: Ah, it's so refreshing the way CalRimRan jumps from that cold, annoying polite posture to almost punching like some ferocious wild animal. Growl! 😁
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CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
CarPerSanti
CarPerSanti Language:
[1] . FeiWan: Literally fei (raging / furious) + wan (fire)
[2] . El’Gin: Literally el (supreme) + gin (gold). Name given to the male children of the Emperor. Could be translated into prince in the common language.
[3] . CalRimRan: Literally cal (bright) + rim (cold) + ran (moon)
[4] . Janwan: Literally jan (flower) + wan (fire). Could be translated as Concubine.
[5] . Hen: Literally hen (heal). Where Hen is the name of the Clan, also the name of a Province.
[6] . KimLay: Literally Kim (perfume / scent) + Lay (seed).
[7] . CalWan: Literally cal (bright) + wan (fire)
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone