Rn it's mostly idea and me messing around with inking and i might have the motivation to redraw it digitally and make it a print but no promises
Kindergarten fans i hope you can pick up what i'm putting down
Also this has tsp in it idk if you can feel it but tsp and kidergarten are very very close to my heart in similar ways idk how to express it but they are!!!
: ̗̀➛ a/n: CHAPTER TWOOOOOOOOOOO IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG MY BRAIN DECIDED I SHOULD DIE AND SCHOOL AGREED BUT IM BACK NOW MUAHAHAHA. wc. ~1k
: ̗̀➛ cw: reader is feeling a lil delulu hopeless in this, humor that I thought was funny but most likely isn't, fluff fluff fluff, this one is a bit short but Imma release chapter 3 tmrw iA, royal! dan heng, servant reader, royal!au, dont actually go on a nighttime picnic with a random man kids
: ̗̀➛ taglist: @kimura-uzuri, @blushho
Days passed, most like the one before, monotony was both a blessing and a curse. You went about the palace corridors doing as you were told; if it kept you and your family fed it was worth it. Some moments, however, your mind went back to what felt like a century ago, but in reality was last week when you met the mysterious, handsome, and sweet “Dannie”. He joined you for your entire shift, how he was able to pull it off, you don't know, didn't he have anything to attend to? But that was a question buried by the butterflies in your stomach when you thought of how thoughtfully he accompanied you. He helped you reach the places you couldn't reach and lift the things that were too heavy; he asked you about your life and your family, your hopes, dreams, and aspirations. No one was ever so thoughtful or intrigued, it was especially interesting since you learned almost nothing about him. His questions came in such rapid succession you couldn't really make it a two-way conversation, and when you did manage to ask him something, he would mumble something and then ask, “And what about yourself?” All you knew was that he was from around here and lived within the palace walls. That last fact was frustrating because you never saw him anywhere whenever you were cleaning or walking around. When you did eventually ask some of the other servants about “Dannie,” they didn't have anything to say; they'd never heard anyone with that name work there before. Maybe it was a nickname? Hmph. Dang it, and he was so nice, handsome, ugghhhhhhhhh whyyyyyyy.
Your train of thought was rudely interrupted by the head maid.
“Why are you staring at the basket of laundry like it just killed your entire family?”
“Oh, I'm so sorry, I just zoned out for a second.” You were embarrassed that she caught you fawning over a guy you don't even know, and even more embarrassed with how red your ears were by now.
“Okay…hurry up then.” She walked away, graceful despite her elder age.
As you exited the room you were cleaning into the outside, carrying the murderous laundry in your hands, when someone caught your eye. You turned your head to see a procession in the courtyard near you, it was….the EMPEROR?
Wow, he was covered in elegant, opulent jewels, the finest silk that must have been imported from the western regions, and he was followed by high-ranking advisors. You couldn't help but stare at the young man, he had long black hair that was shorter near the front, glowing blue-teal horns sprouting from his head, but there was something about him.
You continued to gape shamelessly at the man until he seemed to notice your gaze, shifting his eyes and making eye contact with you. His eyes seemed to…widen?
You looked away immediately, flustered, and your skin was now the color of the tomatoes in the kitchen downstairs. Not realizing you let the basket go, you dropped the laundry onto your feet.
OWWWWWW
That brought you out of your delusions.
You exhaled, solemnly looking at the toe-killing basket.
You decided to put your romantic fantasies to rest, just continue on with life, and accept reality.
Well, that would be the case if Dannie didn't come back to interfere.
It was a few minutes after your shift ended, and you were starving, but you were so tired. There wasn't any dinner left either since you took too long finishing your chores. You couldn't venture into town since most places would've already closed down by the time you got there, not to mention you were a penniless pauper from sending all your earnings back to your family.
It's okay, one night won't hurt. It wasn't like you were a stranger to going to bed hungry; it just wasn't what you preferred.
Just as you made peace with your sad predicament, walking through cobble streets of the palace grounds so you could at least splash your face with some water before you collapsed, you felt a tap on your shoulder.
“Salutations.”
Dannie???
“I apologize for my recent absence. I have been rather preoccupied with, uh, stuff.” His face was youthful but with very evident stress built up underneath. His lips were curled into a small smile, like almost afraid of expressing joy.
You took the young man in, the one you had just made peace with, never seeing again. You couldn't deny that you felt a surge of happiness swell within you. Maybe life was finally going your way.
“Oh, it's okay, I've been…busy too.” You said almost silently, too nervous to let a single breath out of your body. Why are you so anxious? This is good. Why are you like this?
“I was…wondering,” he seemed to be overrun with a certain nervousness now too, “would you…like to have dinner together?”
You let out a small surprised sound at his offer, DINNER? Was he CRAZY? Why would he want DINNER? Your mind zoomed through all of the worst options while your heart did backflips so violently you thought it might just come up out of your throat.
You stared at him, deep breaths, “S-Sure. How would we do this dinner? There's no food left in the servants’ dining hall.”
“I was thinking…a picnic?” He brought out a fancy little basket from behind him.
“A picnic, now??? But it's almost nighttime!” You weren't opposed to the idea, but you were wary of being outside, alone, with only a mysterious man to accompany you.
“Yes, if you don't want to, that is perfectly acceptable, but I know a nice little spot under a tree right outside the palace walls that I go to to think sometimes.”
Who is this guy?!
You thought for a moment, since it was just outside, there must be guards there, so you were safe, hm. “Okay, I'll come.”
Dannie’s small smile grew a little wider, and his eyes a little calmer, “Perfect.”
He reached for your hand but stopped himself midway. His cheeks and ears grew a deep shade of red, and he looked away immediately.
“Uh, follow me. I'll show you where it is.”
“Okay.”
With that singular word, you followed him into a future you weren't sure you were ready for.
