The central provinces whizzed by in Nao-Zai's memory like the wind. As usual, the prince vanished every night from whatever room he was put in and Nao-Zai had stopped bothering finding out where he was going. The other soldiers caught wind of this but they didn't press Nao-Zai for more information about why he was nonchalant about the prince disappearing.

Instead, Nao-Zai used the time to clear his head by either walking around the property of whatever Governor welcomed them, admiring the grand architecture, the lush gardens, and the menageries full of exotic species of birds, mammals, and plants. Sometimes, he ventures out into the town where he browses around the local shops and markets, studying the patterns in their textile, the craftsmanship in their pottery, and their skills in their cuisine.

At some cities, Nao-Zai comes across the piper who could cast magic and sometimes, when he has time to spare, he would listen in to his tales. They never cease to amaze him, given how magic wasn't an everyday phenomena for people like him. Could the piper be from the neighboring continent of Cheongreong? The rumors did say there was a race of dragons there or something. Perhaps there's humans who could cast magic there as well?

If so, why hasn't the practice of magic spread among the humans in Xuijae?

Well, that's none of his concern because today, after barely exiting the Central Governor's palace in one piece, it was time to come to the last part of the old Shencai territories, which was the East Provinces. The hairs on Nao-Zai's arm still stood on its ends whenever he recalled what happened.

It was a fine day and, after the successful zhunxi with Kai-Se, the Central Governor was pleased with himself. He invited His Highness into a private conversation about possibly more politics. If Nao-Zai cared enough about it, he'd bet his boots that the Central Governor was cutting his own ribbons to get something from the prince's visit to his territory. Nao-Zai could see it gleaming from the back of the Governor's fake grin and dripping from his carefully minced words.

Then, Kai-Se just had to be late to the private talk.

Why? Because he fell asleep on his desk and none of the servants could wake him up and fix him on time to get to the meeting.

Nao-Zai remembered him having to stand on the door to the pavilion with Wen-Shao on the other side, whispering updates on where the prince was. Nao-Zai's job was to pacify the Central Governor by distracting him from the fact that, indeed, the prince was running late. At one point, Nao-Zai must have failed at the distracting part because the Governor began telling him about how he didn't like latecomers and felt like his time was being wasted. Nao-Zai, being used to his uncle doing the same thing, told him that patience was as important a virtue as integrity and love. It was something Nao-Zai wished he had the courage to slap into his uncle's face for the longest time.

The Governor wasn't impressed.

He began threatening to storm out of the palace to report to Urkaze about this disrespect and just before he could, the doors burst open and the prince stepped through. Nao-Zai was one with the Governor in wanting to tear that smug expression on Kai-Se's face off as they both watched the prince sink into the cushion and apologized with a thin voice.

The rest of the meeting was conducted in fast-paced tirades of negotiation that Nao-Zai wasn't able to follow fully. Kai-Se drank tea, chopped his own poh nuts, and played with the hem of his sleeves, all the while exchanging philosophical ideas and economic principles with the Governor. In fact, Kai-Se's arguments were so good the Governor seemed to forget that just a moment ago, he wanted to report the prince to the gods' Imperial City for disrespect.

Kai-Se took one sip of his tea, despite the obvious rancid smell of it that even Nao-Zai found atrocious, and folded his hands together. Then, he began praising the achievements of the Central Provinces as well as some of the Governor's personal ones. It seemed Kai-Se brought enough to make the Governor blush while trying to be meek yet proud at the same time. In the end, Kai-Se even got a humongous parting gift before they departed the region the next day.

Nao-Zai still didn't know how to fit the large statue in their baggage caravan which only succeeded in making his mood worse. Wen-Shao ended up donating his horse to carry the statue and had to share his second-in-command's ride for the rest of the trip. Now, three days into the journey, Nao-Zai's legs ached from being cooped up inside the horse-drawn carriage with the prince.

Kai-Se must have it worse. For the past four hours, the prince had rested his head against the walls of the carriage and fell promptly asleep. The scroll he had been reading which contained all the juicy details about the Eastern Province and no doubt the Eastern Governor, himself, lay forgotten atop the prince's lap. At one point, it slid off his legs and clattered to the carriage's floor. Kai-Se didn't stir.

In the end, Nao-Zai ended up picking the scroll up and re-rolling it before setting it beside him. He tried studying the landscape bursting with colors and new forms and textures outside the window but his attention was drawn to the prince. In the months with him, Nao-Zai had come to memorize Kai-Se's face as any guard would do to his charge. Now, he couldn't help but notice that Kai-Se's pale skin had just gotten paler and his scrawny frame had gotten thinner.

If anything, the dark circles underneath the prince's eyes seemed to have gotten bigger and deeper since the royal tour started.

Nao- Zai didn't think twice about it, though. Even he had some stiff pain in his muscles for sitting or standing for long periods of time and a constant throb in his temples for not getting enough sleep. Even the horses have been feeling the fatigue of the journey and he couldn't blame any of them. This was really taxing and one didn't need to be a prince to feel it.

His sword which lay perpendicular to his legs hadn't been used for a long time since there's really no need to. Shencai had been relatively safe and the creatures he met on the way were docile and seemed...human-like, apart from the extra appendages, different anatomies, and glowing eyes.

The entrance to Nakashio, the first city on the Eastern region, was just as festive as the greeting that happened in Mutsu on the Western region and on Laohai on the Central region. It was almost the same format—people cheered, the parade lasted until they reached the Governor's palace, and then, the Governor and the prince would participate in a zhunxi, be given their guest pavilions, stay the night, and continue on the journey the next day. Such came true, at least until the "stay the night" part since Nao-Zai was certain the prince would vanish again some two hours after dinner was brought to his room.

One thing that was different in all the villas they stayed at was that the Eastern Governor's pavilion had an open pantry provided for them which delighted Nao-Zai to no end. Especially when he saw the unattended tea brewer and a set of exotic tea leaves set on the table waiting to be used. That's the moment he decided he loved the Eastern Region.

His whole time was spent sniffing herbs, preparing the boiling water, and checking additives in other sealed jars that would help bring out the taste in his brew. Half of the stuff he used he didn't even know the name but as his father said, there couldn't be anything wrong with the smell. As far as Na-Zai was concerned, the latest brew he had come up with was a blessing to both the smell and the taste.

He made sure to distribute the drink to his comrades who seemed grateful enough to have finished the whole cup. Some, like Wen-Shao and the other servants assigned to serve Kai-Se's meals, asked for seconds. As he was making more, he stared at the clear, amber liquid reflecting his distorted face back at him and had a ridiculous thought.

That's when he found himself walking towards the prince's quarters, carrying a steaming cup of tea in his hand. Maybe the prince could use some after being beaten down by the journey as well.

He yanked the door to the prince's quarters and paused.

Seated on the low, rosewood table was Kai-Se, tugging white socks into one of his feet with the other one already slotted into the two-pronged sandals. A woven, triangular hat and a strip of dark cloth lay on the table beside him.

Something clicked in Nao-Zai's mind. No wonder those things seemed familiar. It's because they were.