The kitchens had prepared a magnificent plethora of different dishes made of carrots in the night. When Mingi collected them, he was surprised to see soup, dough pockets with meat and vegetable filling, and even a cake made with carrots. They were wilder than anything Mingi had ever imagined using carrots in. He had only ever gnawed on them raw as a side to his bread.

"This is magnificent. All with my carrots?" Mingi had asked, completely floored. The cook had cooed at his flabbergasted expression.

"But of course! And there are many left to go. I hope the prince will share these with you so you can taste the true variety of what you deem a simple vegetable! Now scurry away, sweetling."

Mingi hurried to salute her with a bright grin. Then he carefully loaded the tray into his arms and scurried back to Yunho's quarters.

When he didn't see San again, Mingi's surprise rose. He had fully expected the obnoxious prince to cling to Yunho at any hour of the day, but the opposite seemed to be the case. Mingi barely saw the other man apart from dinner.

Once Yunho was dressed and they had sat down for tea and breakfast together, Mingi addressed his surprise.

"Yunho, I've been wondering. Is Prince San busy these days? Does he have any matters to attend to during his visit here?"

The blissed-out expression Yunho had just sported a moment ago after tasting the meat pouches morphed into contemplation.

"He does. Compared to me, San is a man for action. He is gathering information on the terrorist attacks these days. I believe he mentioned at our last meeting that he would have to travel back to his country for a while with my father soon so the kings could discuss these matters. The number of victims has become our primary concern."

With a frown, Mingi nodded. Yunho continued in a lighter tone.

"But then he will soon be back to try to woo me. If you and Onnah want something to grimace about, I can arrange for something."

Mingi ducked his head and pretended his utmost fixation on his soup. His spoon trembled in his hand and Yunho chuckled at him knowingly.

"You weren't supposed to notice that," Mingi squeaked out. With a casual hand that was decorated with golden rings today, Yunho waved it off.

"Not at all, it amused me greatly, too. I can't exactly reject San, but you likely have noticed by now that I am not partaking in his flirtations."

Regaining his confidence, Mingi nodded. His eyes absent-mindedly stuck to the way Yunho's golden armlet hugged his flexing biceps tightly. Its ornately winding design matched the rings he wore on his horns.

"Why is that? As the Queen said, isn't it advantageous for political relations to marry? San is no unattractive man either." Mingi didn't understand it. Not that Yunho didn't have a vast pool of suitors to choose from, but San seemed like a fitting match. More so, if Yunho were to wed a low-ranking citizen, the social difference between them could become a cause of discomfort. And gather unwarranted attention, too.

"I know of his worth and he is a charming fellow, as you say. But I regard him as nothing more than a friend. We were raised like brothers since our mothers wanted us to know each other early on and grow up together. Now that San pursues a relationship, I notice my lack of interest in one. I adore San, but not in a way that will allow him in my bed."

Mingi had been nodding along with the confession wisely. As soon as the last sentence dropped from Yunho's lips, Mingi averted his eyes shyly. His poor heart was not ready for the imagination of Yunho sharing his bed with anyone. Especially not after Mingi had been spread out on it a few nights ago.

"I understand. Then do you plan out of love? Or will you agree with an arranged marriage?"

Political relationships weren't unheard of. Yunho's father himself had married the second princess from the southern kingdom in their youth. They made a powerful couple, but the magic of their romance had never been much more than two pretty faces. Not that the swooning public minded much.

Yunho shrugged as he scooped the last bit of soup onto his spoon. Elegant horns bowed as he dipped to eat it.

"I don't know yet. It depends on my options. And if I fall in love, of course. Although I presume I would fight until the last breath to be with my person if I ever truly found one worth the time."

Mingi tasted the first chunk of cake. The taste was nothing like what he had expected. When not just crunchy carrots but a sweet combination of sugar and crumbly dough hit his tongue, his eyes widened once more. Curious at his reaction, Yunho tried his cake, too. His lips curled in pleasure as well.

"Aren't there a lot of suitors? I would guess that many of them have personalities you could fall in love with," Mingi wondered. He himself had no experience with relationships. He had never even been kissed before since there had always been more handsome demons than him around that the girls picked over him. The older he got, the more his awkward fumbling ruined his chances as well. Women his age wanted families and solid lives. None of which Mingi was ready for yet.

"That is true. I have met a lot of outstanding people in my life."

Mingi ignored how his heart gave a malicious stab. Unnoticing, Yunho continued.

"But you see, as a prince, it's difficult to match people. Those I can be close with all belong to the palace or nobility. And as I said before, those tend to their superiority complexes as if they were a treasure to share. I believe the person meant for me to cherish and I simply have no access to each other." Yunho's smile turned wistful. It tugged at the strings to Mingi's heart. He wanted to console the lonely prince, tell him that the right person would come, but it wasn't his place. Not when he still sulked inwardly over not being on the same level as Yunho and no possible match himself. Mingi would have to rid himself of his selfishness first before he could provide heartfelt advice.

Sad, Mingi's tail curled around itself. He wanted to be a good friend for the prince, more so than an obedient servant.

Yunho cheered himself back up. The next moment, his usual playful smile returned to his lips.

"What about you, hm? I don't doubt that my handsome servant had his fair share of admirers running after him," Yunho got back on track with his light-hearted tone. Mingi waved it off quickly, embarrassment heating his cheeks.

"Not at all. Rather than fellow demons, it was the actual goats coming after me. Probably because they mistake me as one of their kind with those." Mingi knocked his knuckle against his horns punishingly. He had taken off the bandage by now, letting the wounds heal in the open air. They glistened with the ointment that helped him replenish his cells today. Most pains had subsided; the dull throbbing gone.

As soon as Mingi had casually dropped those words on Yunho, however, the prince's face darkened. Both of them were done eating by now, so Yunho utilised their unoccupied hands to reach one of his out for Mingi. Bravely, Mingi didn't flinch back when Yunho's fingers gently settled on his in a questioning touch. When Mingi didn't draw back, Yunho took his palm into his fully to share his warmth. His fingers cradled Mingi's like a precious good, and Mingi wanted to cry unexpectedly at the tenderness.

"Who told you that?"

The drop in Yunho's voice had Mingi shift in his seat uncomfortably. He adjusted his hooves under the divan, his tail nervously curling around one.

"Well, it's stupid children's talk. Just the neighbour kids that made fun of me. As youths do. And they are right, I look like a goat." Mingi tried to lighten the tense atmosphere with a nervous giggle. When he failed, Yunho's frown deepened. The sudden shift had Mingi lose his prior confidence. "It's not something you need to be bothered about. It's nonsense, really."

"Then why do you believe it? You claim to know it's only childish talk, but here you are agreeing with them. Don't joke with yourself."

Mingi ducked his head. His fingers twitched in Yunho's, but Yunho still held them with all the patience in the world. Patience that Mingi never knew until then, that he didn't know if he deserved it.

"But I have a goat's horns so I don't see how I could disagree," Mingi muttered under his breath.

"Then listen up well. I absolutely adore your horns. They are unlike any I have ever seen before and the first moment I saw them I wanted to trace my fingers over them to explore their curves. You and I both have unique horns among masses of familiar horns, and while mine get praised, yours get condemned. People like pointing out things unknown to them to explain them to themselves, but don't let that be your concern. Your horns are beautiful, Mingi, and I find they compliment you well."

Timid, Mingi tried to duck into his shoulder to hide his surprised smile. Yunho's words warmed Mingi's chest and assured him in a way he had never known he yearned for.

There was a time, long ago in the past when Mingi had tried to trim his horns in a way that took the curls away. The plan had been to leave them as short, blunt stubs above his ears before they arched around his face. However, the more his mother had cut for him and the more blood had flown, the more Mingi had cried. Soon, they had to give it up, and he never tried again.

"I never had anyone touch my horns with kindness before. Only ever to trim them," Mingi confessed quietly.

Horns were an intimate area to touch among demons. They were an absolute taboo for strangers and it wasn't rare to get roughly shoved off if coming too close to them. Between lovers, it could be a pleasurable zone, hence why the vulnerability of letting another demon touch one's horns was reserved to only a handful of people.

For a moment, Yunho eyed Mingi in dismay and sadness. Then, his voice got even more serious.

"Will you allow me to touch your horns?"

The nervous zap of excitement that travelled through Mingi's chest pooled into more warmth in his stomach. Still, he held onto Yunho anxiously.

"Go ahead," Mingi whispered. His fingers slipped from Yunho's when the prince rose to step behind him. Mingi could feel his heat in his back, well aware of the exposed torso under no more than a veiled top.

The first touch of Yunho's fingers to Mingi's horns came hesitantly. They brushed the thick curve above the base first, getting a feel. Yunho's fingers would be able to wrap fully around Mingi's horns, but he refrained from doing that. Getting grabbed by the horns triggered alarm.

Mingi shuddered, eyes slipping shut when Yunho's fingers slipped under the arch. Starting from the base, he gently dragged his fingertips along the curve. Mingi's hair kissed his knuckles, reaching for a feel, too.

The gentle pressure on his heavy horns had Mingi's lax head loll until it came to lean against Yunho's stomach. With a sigh, he basked in the heat of the other man, the soothing touch.

Yunho stayed quiet, only his breath heard in the privacy of his chambers.

His fingers travelled on the inner side of Mingi's horns, only the thumb gliding along the side. When he got to the curl, he ran both hands over the tips that poked out to the sides over the main arch. His thumbs got a feel for the filed tips, the missing sharpness on them.

Neither of them commented on the shuddering breath that Mingi took in. Tiny sparks of pleasure travelled from his horns through his entire body, quickening his pulse and having his heart hammering in his chest.

Slow, Yunho dragged his hands back up. Once more, they mapped out the curve of Mingi's horns as if he were an artwork to worship. Putty in his ministrations, Mingi let him, not masking his little hums and whimpers whenever that soft touch overwhelmed his filter.

On his second way down, Yunho used only the very tips of his fingers. The warmth of his digits left for the most part, but the touch was even more enticing now, pulling unexpected shudders from Mingi.

Tail curled around his calf and fingers cramped in his lap, Mingi lolled into the touch. He wanted more, wanted Yunho's fingers in his hair and on his body, too. His horns tingled with sensitivity, and Mingi cherished every second.

It was only when another whine tumbled from Mingi's lips, that one of Yunho's hands left his horns to thread into his soft hair instead. Mingi jolted, electrified by the touch. Willingly, he leaned further back into Yunho at his guiding touch.

When his name dropped from the prince's lips in a voice so husky, Mingi nearly melted into a puddle on the floor.

"Mingi..."

No more but a sigh came from Mingi, his mind wiped blank.

Yunho let his touch fade gently. Both hands carefully treaded through Mingi's hair to soothe the little shivers that wracked Mingi's body. Then, he let them sink to Mingi's shoulders to rub them tenderly. Mingi still leaned against Yunho, but his bearings slowly returned to him. When he opened his eyes, the room seemed brighter than expected. He had nearly fallen asleep; he had been that comfortable.

Yunho made sure Mingi wouldn't fall over as he stepped away from him. But only far enough to sit down on the divan next to Mingi with his legs on the opposite side.

When their eyes met, Mingi shyly glanced away. Yet, Yunho smiled just as bright as always.

"See what I mean? They are magnificent." Once more, Yunho ran a palm over the horn nearer to him with reverence. Mingi gave a timid nod.

"Thank you, Yunho."

"It's my pleasure."