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Servants gossip, and Bardroy happened to be a servant. A lot of topics got covered in the kitchen, and somehow today, the topic had shifted to Prince Soma, in particular, his looks.
"The Prince is rather fetching." Mey-Rin gushed, face in her hands, "I wouldn't mind a night out on the town with him, no I wouldn't."
"If I was courting him, I'd take him on a canoe date!" Finny chipped in, "With a picnic and a song, all romantic-like, fit for a prince. What about you, Bardroy?"
"Dates, are you kidding me?" Bardroy snorted, "I'd skip all that. If it weren't for the fact that Agni would castrate me for it, I would take the prince to bed and show him how we break our bed frames in America." Finny and Mey-Rin shrieked, gaping at Bardroy with twin expressions of shock.
"Bard!" Mey-Rin was beet red, "Tha-That's inappropriate!"
"You saying you wouldn't? He's got a real nice body, and hair that looks perfect for pulling." Bardroy continued, oblivious to the way Finny and Mey-Rin had started frantically motioning for him to be quiet, "And besides that, he's just cute. I dunno, guess you don't need much more than that. Hey, what's up with you guys?" Finny and Mey-Rin looked terrified, pointing frantically at something just over his shoulder. Confused, Bardroy turned, only to be met with the thunderous gaze of Soma's butler looming over him. Agni looked a force of nature, the very air seeming to grow colder with the force of his glare. Bardroy froze, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Chef." he hissed, venom dripping from his voice, "What was it that I overheard you talking about just now?"
"I-I was just-" Bardroy stammered, but Agni cut him off.
"I certainly hope you weren't disrespecting Prince Soma's good name by implying that you would sully his body given the chance."
"Wait, that's not-"
"Because if you were," Agni's eyes could kill a man, "I would be forced to take measures to protect my prince."
"Protect?" Bardroy exclaimed, indignation momentarily overcoming terror, "From what? You honestly think anyone here would touch the guy if he didn't want it?" Agni didn't seem impressed by his brief display of courage. If anything, his expression darkened further.
"It would not be the first time he trusted the wrong people. If I ever discover that you've laid so much as a hand on him, the Earl will have to peel what is left of you from the walls."
"It was all talk, what kind of man do you take me for?" Bardroy snapped, though he took a step back.
"I know your kind, I have been your kind. I-" Agni paused, as though he'd given a scrap of information he hadn't intended. He cleared his throat, "I will no longer permit you within touching distance of Prince Soma, I hope you understand." And with that, he turned on his heel and left, though Bardroy figured he'd be keeping an eye in them. He left silence in his wake, and a trio of terrified servants.
"Bardroy, I'm scared!" Finny cried, leaping into Bardroy's arms accompanied by Mey-Rin, "Don't go near the Prince, what if Agni kills you?"
"I'm got gonna do anything to the Prince, Agni's just being overprotective." Bardroy pat their backs with a sigh, hoping Finny didn't notice his own trembling, "He'll come around."
Sebastian pulled him aside later, irritability asking what he had done to earn Agni's ire. When Bardroy sheepishly explained, he damn near got a laugh from the bastard.