Prologue: 

“Get up”

Wu Fan feels himself being shaken awake and he groans at the sound of the all too familiar voice.

“Get up”

“Go away, Xiumin”

Xiumin frowns down at Wu Fan with his eyes still closed and his body under layers of silk bed coverings. Xiumin takes a seat on the bed, near Wu Fan's feet and begins tugging on the silk sheets.

“Sleeping won't make the day go away”

“Will it make you go away?” Wu Fan asks

“No” Xiumin replies, giving the sheets a vicious tug and successfully pulling them off Wu Fan “Get up!”

Xiumin smiles in triumph when Wu Fan, annoyed by the sudden cold and his half-brother's nagging, opens his eyes and sits up. Xiumin's smile doesn't falter one bit as Wu Fan glares at him. Years of being on the receiving end of that particular look had trained Xiumin not to take it seriously.

“Why are you so annoying?” Wu Fan asks, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Because I'm your royal adviser. I'm supposed to be annoying” Xiumin replies, getting up from the bed.

He holds out his hand for Wu Fan to take.

“You have a meeting with the court today” Xiumin reminds him as Wu Fan takes his hand and allows the older man to pull him out of bed “They're going to remind you of the unavoidable and important task of you getting married”

Wu Fan groans as he puts on his slippers “I don't want to. They can't make me”

Xiumin rolls his eyes at his half-brother's whining as he leans against one of the bed post's of Wu Fan's bed.

“Why don't they pester you to get married?” Wu Fan asks, looking at Xiumin “You're older anyway”

“They can't pester me to be married because I'm not the emperor and I'm illegitimate”

Wu Fan frowns at Xiumin “Stop calling yourself that-”

“Why not? Everybody else does” Xiumin mutters

“Stop” Wu Fan orders and Xiumin does “So my mother was the queen and yours was not, who cares? Father didn't, I don't, and you shouldn't”.