Roots and Oxygen

Chapter 21 - Green Confessions

"You tried to kiss me yesterday," Sage said, yawning with a cup of tea hovering by his mouth. He wasn't that drunk last night, and he wasn't hungover, but alcohol guaranteed a bad night's sleep. "Do you know how unacceptable that is?"

"I didn't try to kiss you. I simply thought about it while staring at your lips. There's a difference," Taro replied, waiting by the door for Sage to finish his tea, so he could dress him.

"Please don't think about it again." Sage ruffled his curls and sat forwards. "I'm serious now. You asked for boundaries, so I'm setting one. Do not try that again."

Taro nodded. "Alright. Sorry."

Sage stared harder.

"Sir."

Sage climbed to his feet and linked his fingers. "What are you trying to achieve here?"

Taro shrugged.

"You said you would help me be more comfortable with who I am. Breaking every rule as a Valet will not help me. This is still hard for me to talk about out loud, and you think kissing me would have been the right thing to do?"

Taro chewed on his bottom lip. "I'm a pushy person. You gave me no boundaries, so I pushed harder," he said with a sigh. "Okay, fine, I shouldn't have thought about kissing you last night. For me, kisses don't mean much, it's just a bit of fun. But I guess a kiss for you is a big deal."

"Of course it is. I've spent my entire life avoiding any sort of contact with another man because I'm terrified someone will make an assumption. Your flirting is new and exciting, and letting you do it is a big thing." Sage was torn between asking him to stop for good, and letting him continue but at a slower pace. I have enjoyed it, but last night was too much. "Please just focus on your job for a while, which is being my Valet, nothing more."

Taro nodded.

Sage assumed he was just thankful to not be fired, and he was thankful Taro had listened.

They went their separate ways for the rest of the day, and the evening was professional. They made polite conversation and nothing inappropriate happened. The next day was the same, Taro made no attempt to flirt, and he no longer buttoned up Sage's shirt from the bottom. He waited until the last two buttons and fitted a tie when Sage wanted to wear one.

The days crawled on, and Sage roamed the Castle because he was sick of staring at the green fields that surrounded the ancient building. Nobody else had been to visit him. Sage had called his mother and said that he wanted to be alone. If he had told his father, he would have sent more guests to help change Sage's mind. His father thought he knew what was best, his mother wanted to help him bloom on his own.

Sage ran a hand along the exposed grey stone of the arched corridor. He was bored, and truthfully, a little deprived of Taro's excitement. He hadn't realised how much Taro's boldness filled his life with flavour. Without it, his mornings were bland, and his evenings were dull.

He paused before venturing deeper into the castle and retreated the way he came. He was going to call Taro to his room and finally ask him questions about his life. Taro knew a lot about Sage's life because most of it was splashed across the tabloids. Sage still knew nothing about his Valet, all he knew was that he was two years older than Sage, wasn't a fan of the Royals, and knew Mrs Beecham.

He jogged up the main grand staircase. Every bit of exposed wood was carved into plants and flowers, and some were painted with gold and rich dark greens and reds. Sage passed three security guards on his way to his room. Each of them bowed their heads and mumbled into their devices that the Silver Vine was going up the stairs.

Last year, Sage had been called the White Owl. The year before that, The Green. If anyone ever tapped into their radio system, they'd have no clue who the guards were talking about. Sage felt safe at the Castle and wondered if he'd feel that at the Palace when he finally returned.

He entered his room and strode towards the cord to call for his Valet, but that was when Sage saw it. He paused, hand in mid-air, staring wide-eyed at the plant on his bedside table. It was his Devil's Ivy house plant, in the purple pot with its growing vines hanging over the wooden table.

Before Sage did anything else, he took a photo of it on his phone. He wasn't dreaming, which meant he had seen the plant the other morning when he woke with it in his face. Why had Taro lied to him? Sage yanked the cord and paced back and forth. He waited and waited, but Taro didn't arrive.

His Valet had done the same thing the last time the plant was in his room.

Tired of waiting, Sage sat by the plant to check that it had been well cared for. The soil was a little damp, the vines were healthy, and the leaves were open and curling around his fingers when Sage touched them. Someone had thankfully been looking after it, but why had nobody told him it was at the Castle?

"This is my plant," Sage muttered. "I should have been told that it was here." He turned the pot back and forth, admiring the shine. The leaves all moved to the motion, slowly shifting back and forth. Sage wanted to know the origin of the plant. Why was it so odd? Why was his gardener so reluctant to talk about why it was so odd?

Sage checked his watch again. He had been waiting for Taro for thirty minutes. His Valet was meant to drop what he was doing and come straight away. Surely, others who worked at the Castle was telling him that Sage had rang.

He pulled the chord again and paced for another fifteen minutes. Nobody came, so Sage decided to seek him out himself, and give him a stern lecture about punctuality. He stormed through the dim corridors and down to the servant's hall.

He disrupted the servant's dinner. Sage felt bad when the chatter died, and they leapt out of their seats to bow their heads. "Please, sit down," he said quickly, smiling at all the anxious faces peering up at him. "I've been calling for my Valet, Mister Vinea. Where is he?"

"Um, we don't know, Your Royal Highness. He never joins us for dinner. He says he eats elsewhere," a maid said. Her eyes never met his, and her fingers awkwardly fidgeted until she linked them behind her back. Sage was used to this sort of treatment from the staff. Taro Vinea certainly was a special case.

"When you next see him, tell him I have called twice now." Sage made his annoyance known through his tone. He left as abruptly as he entered. The chatter didn't start up again until he was down the corridor.

Sage heard the maid say, "Go and find him, or else he'll be fired!"

Maybe he will this time. Sage was irritated. Taro was paid to be there when he called for him. Sage thought about cutting his salary until he learned to do is job properly. He stormed back up to his bedroom, ready to pace the length of his wooden floor until Taro arrived.

He marched into the room and slammed the door behind him, suddenly face to face with his Valet.

Taro was wide-eyed with flushed cheeks and messy hair. He was in the middle of buttoning up his golden shirt. His dark green waistcoat hung around his shoulders, also unbuttoned. Sage stared at his bare chest. Part of a green heart-shaped leaf tattoo peeked at him from behind his unbuttoned shirt.

"Explain yourself," he snapped, glaring back at Taro's panicked face, "right now."

Taro buttoned up the rest of his shirt and then his waistcoat. He faced away from Sage as he did so and turned back around with a blank expression. "I was getting dressed."

"In here? Why? You keep your uniform in my bedroom at the Palace too. I saw it. Why do you do that?"

Taro didn't attempt to explain himself. Either he couldn't or the truth was something Sage would not want to hear.

"And where is the plant?" Sage pointed to the empty bedside table. "Why did you tell me it wasn't here when it was?"

Taro's eyes lowered. "Shit," he mumbled. "You weren't supposed to find out. Granted, I haven't been careful-" He shook his head and stepped back. "You might not believe me if I tell you."

"Tell me what?" Sage crossed his arms. He knew his stern stare was intimidating, but Taro had always challenged it. Now he could barely look at the Prince.

"That I'm your houseplant."