Romilly, a few days later, was seated at the desk chair as Archer sat on a stool beside him. Originally it had been Archer in the chair, but he refused to stay there for long, knowing Romilly had important business to take care of. It would be easier for the big man to be on the chair than on the stool Archer now sat on, or worse, kneeling like he had done days prior. It was yet another thing that made Romilly so unique. His attentiveness surpassed even Archer's wildest dreams.
"Little one, what are you thinking about?" Romilly said when Archer stopped coloring his picture.
He wasn't quite done. It was just that his mind had wandered. He wanted to be with Romilly. He felt better around the big man. And at the same time he wanted to know more about this place.
What was San Noctis really?
The secrets hidden in the walls of this castle outnumbered his thoughts. It was far too vast and far too peculiar to simply be that they were well off.
There had been moments Archer had seen things, noticed stuff that made him believe he might be tired or perhaps hallucinating. The more it occurred, though, the more he considered that this was simply reality. Though reality and the supernatural didn't really align in his mind.
As a kid, Archer had loved stories of magic and wonderful tales. The escape from his home life had been a blessing. The possibility of it being real was scary, and also really, really exciting.
"I'm fine," Archer said, shrugging his shoulders.
Romilly gave him a look that said he knew Archer was anything but fine.
"I'm not upset, really. Just kind of, I don't know, not bored but curious?"
"Did someone say curious?" a voice shouted into the room, jolting both Archer and Romilly, though it was the former who jumped and squealed. Romilly simply rolled his eyes and turned to look at the new person in the room. It was Eden.
Archer understood immediately now why Romilly had rolled his eyes. The youngest of the Saint family had a reputation, and so far he'd lived up to it.
"I did," Archer admitted, not sure what would happen at his words.
Eden strolled into the room, his body all fluid and relaxed like he hadn’t a single care in the world. Archer knew that not to be true. While Romilly was the one in charge of everything, he had seen Eden give his perspective. He'd said his piece about stuff when it was serious, while also maintaining his bratty nature. It was a fine balance. Archer didn't envy him for the work involved.
"I know something about being curious myself," Eden said as he hopped up on the edge of Romilly's desk. "Want to go exploring with me? Maybe play in my special room?"
Romilly, who had turned back to his work, quickly glanced over at Archer. From the side of his eye, Archer could see him staring, though he wasn't quite sure why.
"Is it okay for me to come to your special room? And what makes it special?" Archer asked.
Eden kicked his feet out back and forth. "That’s for me to know and for you to find out. It's nothing scary, I promise. It's really fun, and since Hadrian is already there and being a butthead as usual, I think you'll like it too."
Archer didn't know what Hadrian being a butthead had to do with anything. He also didn't really know how the other sibling would be that way. He'd been so laid back every time they'd been around one another. He rarely chimed in on the politics of whatever setup this family had. His focus was on food, and occasionally he talked about different video games he had access to. They were ones that Archer had never heard of, though he wasn't one to play. They could have been the newest, hottest thing on the planet, but it wouldn't have been Archer's knowing.
Taking a moment to look over at Romilly, Archer contemplated the odds of this decision going badly. On one hand, he could go and see what was in the special room, find that he enjoyed it, and have fun instead of being a bother to Romilly. On the other hand, it could go and be an absolute disaster that made him want to run for the hills. Considering he didn't think he had quite enough strength to run yet and he didn't know what else was creeping in those hills, he didn't like the odds of the last one.
"It is okay, little one," Romilly said, noting the contemplation in Archer's gaze. "My brother will do you no harm. He has already been threatened with his worst nightmare, should he do anything to bother you."
Eden shuddered. "Yes, my brother has made it clear what could happen to me. As much as I love a good marriage plot, I don't want to be the center of one. No, thank you."
Archer's brows dipped. A marriage plot? What were they talking about? It sounded so medieval. They couldn't possibly mean what he thought they meant.
Neither man elaborated, and so Archer went with his gut. "I'd like to go with Eden, please."
Romilly smiled and ran his hand gently through Archer's hair. "Then you shall, little one." He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Archer's temple.
The sigh was instantaneous. Something about those kisses and that touch melted every bit of hesitancy in Archer's soul. It also sent a surge of satisfaction through him. Like his body was somehow renewed from it, which made zero sense.
"I promise to keep him safe and bring him back in the exact condition I'm taking him in," Eden swore, holding his hand up like he was pledging to something.
Romilly waved him off. "Of course you will, because if you do not, I will have another country on the line in an instant."
The way Romilly stuttered over the word "country" made Archer suspicious. He didn't think San Noctis was a country. Had he truly traveled that far? He didn't remember using his passport, but he'd been in a bit of a daze, and he was really, really hungry and sleep deprived. It was possible. Anything was possible, he was learning.
Eden held his hand out, smiling big at Archer. "Come with me. I'll show you everything. Want to keep it a secret? We can't let the big guy know."
