Luhan sat on his bed, sighing loudly into his hands. He should have never lost that bet. He should have actually kissed the girl, but nooo. He just had to chicken out at the last minute. And now he was his dongsaeng's butler for a year.

It was stupid also, because Youngmin was a prince, and he had many things he wanted done for him. Studies, chores, Royal Business, yada yada yada. Luhan was forced to do all of it, having swearing on silver and all. He hated it, more than he hated Youngmin, and sometimes dared to not do any of his work until supper.

"Ugh," he mumbled. "Where is he?" He glanced at his watch. Luhan had been waiting for nearly an hour for Youngmin to buzz in his working time. Usually it started at 8:00, but it was already 8:46 a.m. "He's so late."

Instead of sitting around in his blue-and-white cloud pajamas Luhan began to undress, forgetting about the security camera installed in the room's corner. The servants always had a camera watching them, just in case Youngmin had to make sure they weren't slacking off. Luhan had forgot to turn it off for his dressing when Youngmin's deep, smooth-chocolate voice echoed through the intercom:

"Cute underwear, Butler Luhan."

Blushing a bright pink, Luhan buttoned up the last button of his uniform and huffed. Youngmin just loved to tease. "Shut up, Youngmin." He pulled on his black gloves and frowned. "Did you switch my gloves again?" he asked.

The intercom mic buzzed. "Maybe." Youngmin answered. "I thought the lace ones looked better. Your skin looks so.. so beautiful under them." He coughed in the background. "Anyway, I slept in. You shouldn't wait, my servant. Just get ready before eight." The mic clicked off and Youngmin was gone.

That was... weird, Luhan thought. He grabbed his keys and left his quarters, ready for another day of torture. The servants quarters were just in front of the grand staircase, so Youngmin was just walking out of the surveillance room at the top of the stairs. Luhan gaped. He never saw Youngmin out of his regal clothing. His Majesty was still in his nighttime boxers and Pikachu T-shirt.

Rubbing his eyes sleepily, Youngmin said, "Hyungie, can you find my morning clothes? I can't see them in my room." He stretched his arms and yawned a small yawn, dropping his arms and winking at Luhan with a smile. "I'll expect them there before nine." Then he walked off.

Luhan rolled his eyes and nearly tripped when Jooyeon, Youngmin's Siamese cat, appeared before his feet. She screeched. "Sorry, sorry," Luhan mumbled, as if the feline was royalty. Jooyeon scratched at his slightly revealed ankles. Then she got on her feet, lifted her tail, then padded after her owner.

"Yeesh, what a sassy cat." said the butler.

~~~

In the laundry room, the many washing machines moaned and the dryers howled. It was like the Nightmare Before Christmas after Christmas.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid. Never ask a prince, especially if your master, to go out on a date. Stupid." said someone behind Luhan. He was folding the young prince's morning clothes when the maid entered. He turned around and saw Miyoung, the youngest maid, thumping her head with her fist, baby clothes in her laundry basket.

"Ugh." groaned Miyoung, slamming the basket onto one of the washing machines. "I hate this." Though she was only fourteen, she seemed much older with her strength. 

Luhan watched as she angrily tossed the clothes in, poured in the soap, closed the door on its hinges, and sat on the stool. "Luhan, would you ever ask the prince on a date?" Miyoung asked him, hiding her shame into her hands.

The question took the butler aback. "What?" he asked her. "That'd be wrong. I'm a male, thank you very much." He smiled at his own self-joke. "And plus, the prince does not have time for romance with his busy schedule. It is quite uncanny for him to think of a relationship during the war, yes?" Talking formally stressed him.

Miyoung shrugged. "Guess so." She looked up at the armful of clothes Luhan was carrying. "What are those? The Prince's clothes?" 

Luhan eyesmiled and smiled, confused. "Er, which one?"

Miyoung rolled her eyes stubbornly. "Youngmin oppa, of course." Luhan should have known, since Miyoung had a gigantic crush on the boy. "Is it his?" Luhan nodded. "Oh, Luhan, can I bring them to him? I would be doing you, myself, and Youngmin oppa a favor! I'd be so happy, so please?"

Luhan hesitated. Youngmin was expecting his signature on the "Sign-In" sheet in his room. "I can't, Miyoung. You know he's expecting me." His words were quite cold, but no matter. A butler like Luhan surely didn't want a punishment from the prince. Youngmin's were just so... childish. "I will give you his noon clothes, okay?"

Miyoung boomed with cuteness. "Please, Luhan oppa. Pleeeaaaaaaasee. Morning clothes are the best to deliver. His Majesty might still be in his drawers, for all I know!" She looked at him with puppy dog eyes. Luhan swallowed, shook his head, and left the room without a speck of guilt on his face.

~~~

Luhan's cloak swayed behind him as he carefully floated up the staircase, almost as graceful as the Queen's dance moves. He hummed a Mozart tune, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he turned right when on the second floor platform, into the direction of Youngmin's bedroom. The blonde's door was decorated in Winnie the Pooh.

"Hyunmin.. Kwangmin.. King... Queen. Ah --- here we go. Youngmin." Luhan reached for the handle until suddenly the door was pushed open, much to his surprise. Youngmin had changed into nothing but a towel around his waist. Luhan's face began to turn pink, also his ears. The prince stared at him with his big brown orbs, silent with his stone gaze.

Tilting his head a little to the right, Youngmin said, "My clothes are here, I presume?" Music played in the background, slow and classical. Luhan was as red as a beet. "Y-yes, M-master," he said, handing the blonde his clothes. "Here."

The prince placed his hands over the older boy's and smiled, taking the clothes out of them. "Thank you," he said. He motioned into his room, his towel swaying on his hips. "Come in, please."

~~~

Luhan sat on the queen-sized bed, back turned to the dressing Prince Youngmin behind him. He fumbled with his gloves, which were now off his hands and in them. "Sire," he started. "Why must I come into your room? Surely I interrupted something you were doing."

Youngmin's clothes rustled behind him; a zipper zipped. "Nothing, Luhan. I was just getting ready for something. But then I forgot you were bringing my clothes, and I stopped to look for you." Luhan turned around. Youngmin was finely dressed in slacks and a pale blue dress shirt and black tie. "To.. er... see if you were still bringing them." Luhan beamed a little. So he cared about what he did.

"Luhan," Youngmin asked. "Do you like... white or milk chocolate better?" When Luhan answered 'white chocolate', Youngmin smiled. "Me too."

Luhan tilted his head a little. "Why do you ask? R.B?" (A/N: R.B is Royal Business). "Is the Queen planning a festivity?" Youngmin shook his head. "Then, what?" The blonde bit his lip and the butler's eyebrows knitted together.

"I-I can't tell you, it's something personal." Frowning, Youngmin fixed his crooked tie. "Surely you understand, yes? I have very sensitive feelings, Luhan. I can't just blurt them out, even to my bel----" He stopped himself. Heavens, Youngmin thought. I almost said beloved one.

Luhan's eyes filled with curiosity. "Your bell?" Youngmin chuckled nervously. "My apologies," he answered. "I seem to have my nervous stutter back." Luhan stared at him with innocent eyes.

The older boy cleared his throat and rose from the creaky bed. "Well," he said."I should be on my way." Before he left, Youngmin tugged on his cloak and he turned around.

"Yes?" Luhan asked the blonde. "I can't stay here for long, sire. I have your homework, your chores, your speech, and laundry to do. What is it that is so important for you to tell me?" The next three words surprised him:

"I love you."

~~~

"Good scott, did he mean that?!" Miyoung asked Luhan in the garden. "Did he really mean that?!"

"Did he really mean that...." Luhan whispered as he barely touched the fountain's water with his fingertips. He had told Miyoung the whole thing: the clothes, the towel, the gloves, the words... the sincerity in Youngmin's eyes. The girl went mad and began ranting on about how.. er... 'gay' the prince was. Miyoung fled to the topiaries, one in shape of a King lion. She hid under one in shape of a large crown, and appeared from the end of a bird. "I can't believe my ears!"

Luhan watched as her skirts nearly flew up in the breeze of spring, gazing at the way she seemed cute while angry.

"You never know," began Luhan, stopping Miyoung mid-sentence "if he meant it in a friendly way." He watched the lily pads bump into each other, sending ripples through the water. The water trickled down the layers. "You never know."

Miyoung groaned. "It's obvious he meant it lovingly, like, 'like-like' lovingly!" she screamed, rising from the hedges. "Do you know how disgusted I am at this? The high prince himself does not enjoy any women! No long hair or beautiful voices, or soft hands and skin, or s, or soft eyes, or plump lips! Just hairy, ugly, stinky old men who have not even heard of the word 'bath' in their lives! Hairy, ugly, stinky men!"

When she said the words, she immediately regretted them when Luhan looked up at her with sad eyes. His eyes said, Why did you say that? Her eyes couldn't answer his.

"Luhan," Miyoung began. The butler stepped away from the fountain and towards the maze that led to the palace entrance. "Luhan, plea---"

"Obviously," said the deer-eyed boy, "You haven't heard a thing about feelings, my lady." He disappeared into the maze, and he was gone. "No.." Miyoung said guiltily.

~~~

Luhan went back to his room, fumbling with the gloves again in his lap. He didn't enjoy the lace, since it was itchy and sometimes left awful tans. He had forgotten to ask Youngmin about his normal, white, butler gloves. The black lace seemed fit for a lady in mourning.

All the past thoughts flooded back into his mind: Youngmin's hesitation on the intercom, his careless boxer and shirt outfit earlier, Miyoung's constant pleads, the prince half , Miyoung's terrible insults to him... the confession.

"I love you."

Luhan shook his head. "It can't be true. I must have heard him wrong." He stirred on his bed, looking at the food he had set for himself before him. Setting the gloves on his bedside table he grabbed his chopsticks, prayed, and looked at the feast: rice with Mrs. Enwire's curry on it, a chocolate chip cookie, a buttered dinner roll, some sushi, and a note taped to the side of the eating tray. "Probably about my cooking shift tomorrow." he said, taking the note and unfolding it.

It wasn't from Mrs. Enwire, though. It was from Youngmin, his beautiful royal-loopy cursive written on the pink paper. Luhan slowly read it, unsure about how he'd feel after.

Sir Luhan of Owair's Royal Palace,

You are cordially invited to the Prince's Ball on

May 26 at noon.

Please bring a mask for the dances and something nice to wear.

Happy planning, Prince Jo Youngmin 

"A ball?" Luhan exclaimed. "The Prince's ball?!" He thought for a moment. "May 26? That's tomorrow, for heaven's sakes!" He quickly went to his closet, rummaged through the hangers, and tried to find the perfect outfit for the dances. "Ugh," he said, looking at a dusty-old tuxedo that was passed on from his great grandfather. It was old fashioned, but still with a gleaming sheen. "I guess this will have to do."

Unknowingly, Luhan wanted to look nice for Youngmin. He picked out a masquerade mask with black-and-white diamond patterns on it. He tried both the tux and mask on, pulled on the lace gloves, and said to himself, "Dashing." 

He practiced dances in his room: the waltz, the jig, and many others. He proclaimed himself an excellent dancer, and gleamed. "Master Youngmin will be so glad! I hope he does not frown upon me!" said Luhan as he giggled on his bed, giddy with anticipation.

Quietly, Youngmin watched him through the camera. He smiled to himself, that angelic smile that lit up a whole room. "I love you so much,"  he whispered to the screen, wanting to touch the butler's soft skin and kiss his full, pink-red lips. "I hope you're happy, my butler. Because this romance has only just begun." Luhan twirled around the small bedroom, screaming loudly, as if he wanted the prince to hear it.

Youngmin shyly smiled at his cuteness, biting his lip. You truly are the one.