Chapter Text
Fwoosh!
"You see?! The prim and proper bun totally makes Master Shadow Milk Cookie look like an upstanding butler, right?" Candy Apple Cookie squealed, and Black Sapphire Cookie's hand twitched as he resisted the urge to cover his ears. Instead, his chair creaked as he leant back and tilted his head to get a better look at Shadow Milk Cookie's new hairstyle before it was inevitably changed in a second.
Swoosh!
"Or! We could try the coveted slightly-long-but-not-too-long-sorta-messy hair! It has this 'I'm totally not even trying to look this good, it just happened!' style to it, right?" She didn't give Black Sapphire even a second to think of a response before she turned back to Shadow Milk and stared giddily at his reflection in the mirror. "Master Shadow Milk Cookie! Don't you think so?!"
"Hm..." Shadow Milk performed an overdone thinking expression, planting his index finger on the tip of his chin and closed his eyes as if truly pondering. "Say, it's a little too formal. Everyone in that little exam room will be dressed to the nines just for the chance of being Pure Vanilla Cookie's lowly servant. But, picture this! A young man dressed as nothing but an inferior commoner shows up — he's almost laughed out of the building! However, he proceeds to outperform everyone in terms of grace, elegance and skill!"
His head tilted back, like he were about to burst into laughter. "I can imagine those instructors' faces when they watch the poor young fellow be chosen to be Pure Vanilla Cookie's right hand man. It would be the prologue that will set even the tiniest sliver of doubt across the Vanilla Kingdom."
Shadow Milk didn't let Candy Apple try to praise his genius, instead continuing to muse as he flung one leg over the other. "Buuut, let's be honest! Pure Vanilla Cookie is 'so kind and gracious'—" His voice briefly raised to a mocking tone. "—That he doesn't care about looks. And it'd be best not to stand out. Candy Apple Cookie, let's try something... prim and proper! I want to outshine every one of those geezers!"
If it were anyone else, Candy Apple would've stomped her foot to the ground and whined about how that's what she was already doing! But, under the order of Shadow Milk Cookie, she couldn't help but let out another shriek of delight and flick her hand again to try another hairstyle.
Woosh!
With another cast of magic, Shadow Milk's hair morphed into a thin ponytail, resting over his shoulder, and bound itself together with a deep blue diamond clip.
"Prince Shadow Milk Cookie, if I may..." Black Sapphire brought a hand to his lips. "Will the Vanilla Kingdom not grow suspicious when they hear your name. Won't they assume you come from the Milk Kingdom with ulterior motives?"
"But that's simple, my dear Black Sapphire Cookie!" Shadow Milk flipped around in his chair, chest pressed against the cushiony back. "The public doesn't know of 'Shadow Milk Cookie', I haven't made any appearances since, like, forever! I'm not like Pure Vanilla who feels the need to 'grace' the Kingdom with his presence every five minutes, I highly doubt he knows who I am!"
"Yes, yes!" Candy Apple bounced up and down on her heels. "Master Shadow Milk Cookie is going to spread deceit all throughout the Vanilla Kingdom, then the whole world! And it'll all be thanks to my excellent disguise! And then Master Shadow Milk Cookie will tell me I did a good job, and then— and then—!"
"Candy Apple Cookie!" Black Sapphire hissed, reaching over to give her a scolding flick to the forehead. Standing up, his charming smile flashed the prince's way, hoping to overpower Candy Apple's loyalty. "Sounds like an excellent plan, my liege. I know that someone as skilled as you will be able to pull it off easily."
"Ah, Black Sapphire! You flatter me so!" Shadow Milk feigned bashfulness as he turned back around in his chair to face the mirror. The man that stared back at him will one day spread the Milk Kingdom's deceit worldwide. And it all started with the puny, little Vanilla Kingdom.
•
The examination and training itself was a total breeze. Leave it to Shadow Milk to play the part of a perfect butler. He could pour tea from a teapot in a steady arch. He could find the exact book in a crowded library given only the title. And he could give the most soothing, slightly too rough, massages.
Of course, him earning the position of Pure Vanilla's head butler was all due to his incredible skills, and not because he'd been constantly screwing over the participants. Pouring salt into someone's teacup, creating wrinkles in the rug for people to trip over, he would never! And if he had— which he totally hadn't— one clearly wouldn't be suited to be a butler if they couldn't hand a little bit of trickery.
So, there Shadow Milk was. Stood outside the door to Pure Vanilla's chambers, fixing every minute detail about himself. It wasn't like him to be so nervous, normally people would be nervous to meet him, not the other way around! But this was the part he had to play. Straightening his collar, brushing invisible dirt off of his navy suit, adjusting the hairclip that kept his new low ponytail in place. All of this to keep up his role of a butler who believed Pure Vanilla to be an imposing presence.
How foolish.
He lifted his hand to the cream-coloured door and, with two poised fingers, hit it a sharp few times.
...
Ugh.
Shadow Milk almost dropped the act right there so he could kick the door in. He tapped his foot impatiently, checking an imaginary watch until he heard shuffling from the inside.
"Mm... Hello...?" A husky voice called from inside, sounding groggy as though it were a chore to push every word out. 'How fitting for a prince,' Shadow Milk thought to himself sarcastically.
"Hello? Your highness?" He so desperately wanted to spit out the disgusting words from his mouth. Pure Vanilla? His highness? Seriously? "My name is Shadow Milk Cookie. I was appointed as your new butler. May I come in?"
"A-Already?!" The voice inside gasped, and a cluttering of something being bumped into followed it. "Just a second!"
Shadow Milk wanted to groan as loud as he could, perhaps it would be loud enough to shake the entire castle. As long as it got his point across. This was just the first day, and he already wanted to quit. No wonder Pure Vanilla needed a new butler, he surely bored the last one to death.
Well, with no one looking, who could stop him from 'admiring' the giant portrait of Pure Vanilla right outside his room. Self absorbed, much? He spun his body around to be face to face with the painted visage. Then, with a sharp snap of his fingers, the drawn eyes switched from pastels to a heterochromic black and neon blue.
Could Shadow Milk have done a lot worse? Absolutely, in fact, he was holding himself back to an incredible degree. But he needed to keep this job, so he had to avoid suspicion for at least a couple days. It would probably be a while before someone noticed anyway. It was the first step to spreading roots of deceit all over the Vanilla Kingdom, even if it were as much as changing a painting. One of the servants would notice, accuse the painter of blasphemy, a seed of doubt will sprout in the painter's mind, along with those who hear them deny it, and suddenly things aren't so peaceful.
But, of course, the actual first step in his plan is to corrupt Pure Vanilla, the only prince of the kingdom, and make him believe in deceit. Then, he spreads his message to all his loyal followers, and to his father, the king, to further the impact. The Vanilla Kingdom, which prided itself on truth and peace, will fall under a spell of trickery. How vile, how disheartening and how exciting!
And it all began right here.
Tap.
Shadow Milk swung his head back around, then levelled his body to a stiff position as the door creaked open. "Ah, good morning. Apologies for the wait, I thought you would be coming a lot later."
Stood in the centre of the doorframe, his body skewed to lean against his staff, was Prince Pure Vanilla Cookie. In the flesh, he looked entirely different to the various portraits he'd seen, ones where he would appear much more regal and proper. But, in that moment, his hair was tousled out of place, his bright eyes remained shut, like he were asleep standing up, and instead of some sort of royal garb, he was clad in a white, slightly translucent, nightdress.
Perhaps Shadow Milk had overdressed? Hah! No such thing!
"Shadow Milk Cookie, was it? I'm Pure Vanilla Cookie, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Shadow Milk bowed politely in unison with the prince, ducking his head to hide his eye roll, then raised himself back up.
"Please, the pleasure is all mine. You seem tired, perhaps some tea or coffee would wake you up?" Shadow Milk gracefully planted a hand on his chest.
"Ah, some tea sounds lovely. I'll wait inside and, once you're done, you can help me get ready for the day."
"Right, yes..." Shadow Milk cleared his throat. "Forgive my questions, I'm sure you're ever so busy, but you wouldn't mind telling me how you prefer your tea? And, maybe, where the kitchen is?" He wanted to kick himself from humiliation. It's hard enough having to bend to this man's every will, but how is he supposed to play a perfect head butler if he's not given any guidance! Suddenly, he began to regret his decision. 'I should've tried to be a knight instead. All it would take is one 'accidental' swing of the sword and I could cut this fool's head clean off!'
"Oh, my mistake. Here, come into my chambers and, once I'm ready, I'll show you where the kitchen is."
Did Shadow Milk hear that correctly? He nodded curtly and followed him into his room. He hadn't even been working there for an hour, and he's already allowed into Pure Vanilla's private chambers?! How on Earth was this man supposed to become king if he was this trusting?
Shadow Milk got a good look at Pure Vanilla's room once he stepped inside. Nothing too out of the ordinary— A soft bed, bookshelves on every wall, a stuffed sheep tucked poorly under the pillows. Perhaps he could snoop around a little more while Pure Vanilla went to go shower.
"Do you like it?" Pure Vanilla asked, and Shadow Milk turned his head around, eyes a little wide, yet not enough to be noticeable. 'Why the hell is he still here?!'
"It's... cozy. Very nice," Shadow Milk complimented emptily as he turned back around, internally gagging at the bright, flashy walls. Pure Vanilla smiled and propped himself up on the bed, watching Shadow Milk expectantly. "Everything alright?"
"Aren't you going to help me get ready? ...Oh, my clothes are in the dresser over there." Pure Vanilla pointed with one small finger, and Shadow Milk's blood boiled. Again, he'd been here for less than an hour— less than half an hour, actually— and was already being made to dress the prince like he were a child.
"Right..."
Ever so reluctantly, Shadow Milk dragged his feet to the dresser and pulled out a dress shirt, pale yellow slacks, underwear and short socks that seemed to end just above the ankle. "That looks nice," Pure Vanilla commented to break the silence, and Shadow Milk only wanted to wring his neck.
He sighed.
Patience.
After tentatively walking over, he knelt down on one knee, and with hands that he had to actively force to move, carefully unbuttoned the top button, revealing a small amount of tan collarbone.
He swallowed, not enough to be audible. He had to make this quick. With precise movements, he unbuttoned each button as fast as possible, giving him the opening to fling the nightdress off and lay it upon the sheets, leaving Pure Vanilla clad in his underwear without shame, clearly used to it.
Shadow Milk's eyes fixated on the ceiling, not wanting to ogle his bare chest, and quickly grabbed the dress shirt to button over it. He finished that as speedily as he could, then came the underwear.
He'd already been close to fumbling with how he clearly wanted to get it over with, so he took a short breath and imagined himself in the shoes of an actual butler. Someone with the necessary experience, someone who probably had to change the clothes of hyperactive kids and grumpy old men. Yes, this wasn't weird at all!
His eyes glanced up, and he made direct eye contact with Pure Vanilla. Although his eyes were shut, Shadow Milk could still feel the presence of being watched.
His head snapped back down to the prince's legs. 'This is so weird! The hell is he looking at?!'
Nevermind. He had to stay focused.
His eyes squinting a little to blur his vision, and ease his humiliation, his fingers slipped under the waistband of Pure Vanilla's underwear and pulled. Down and down for what felt like miles until his hands bumped into his feet, where he could finally drop the fabric to the floor.
But that was just the half of it. Now he had to slip the new underwear up his legs, a task that was even more embarrassing than the previous one. He needed his eyes opened properly now, and he hated it. He hated all of this! This was probably his stupidest idea ever!
He sighed for the millionth time, still attempting to disguise them as slightly heavier breaths, and carefully guided the underwear onto his legs. "You'll need to stand for this part," Shadow Milk mumbled, hoping that his unease wasn't clear in his voice.
With a drag of his hands, and after what must have been hours, Pure Vanilla was now semi-decent! Shadow Milk wanted to give himself a great pat on the back, but his work was far from finished.
He grabbed the slacks, unfolded them, and got ready to bring them up Pure Vanilla's legs when—
"Shadow Milk Cookie, if I may..." His voice cut Shadow Milk's motions off, causing him to look up at Pure Vanilla's face, confused. "...Your name is unique. Do you hail from the Milk Kingdom by any chance?"
Shadow Milk hummed as he continued pulling the slacks far up Pure Vanilla's legs. It was only natural that he would have questions, but luckily he had no way of knowing Shadow Milk's status. "Ah, yes. The Milk Kingdom is where I grew up and got my start as a butler. But, I must say, the living conditions were quite... rough, which is why I chose to move here." He lied easily, after all, it was his second nature.
"I heard you were seeking a new butler, which is when I decided to come here for a new start. Even if I hadn't gotten this job, I would've likely continued my work search here, it's just lovely!" Shadow Milk hid his desperation to laugh behind a cheery tone. At the very least, this seemed to be going well, averting Pure Vanilla's suspicions, while also stroking his ego, it was perfect!
"I'm glad you think so, I'm very proud. And do not fret, I wasn't suspecting you of anything." Shadow Milk almost paused as he zipped the fly on his slacks. What an obvious lie, anyone from the Milk Kingdom would recognise it. "I know not everyone from the Milk Kingdom follows the same belief in deceit that the monarchy does, and I like to believe that, deep down, everyone there is truly kind hearted."
"Blegh."
"Sorry?"
"Oh, excuse me!" Shadow Milk forced a little laugh as he tugged Pure Vanilla's socks on. "That was just a cough, spring allergies and all. Anyway, now that you're dressed, how about that tea?"
"That sounds lovely." Pure Vanilla slipped off of the bed and wedged his feet into some nearby flats before leading Shadow Milk to the kitchen, the latter of whom followed a safe distance behind him.
•
"I'm sure black tea is much better for waking up, your highness," Shadow Milk muttered, swirling a heap of creamer into the teacup, turning the tea from piping hot to lukewarm at best.
"But it's too bitter, and the sweetness helps me wake up," Pure Vanilla said in that airy voice of his, like every word practically floated off of his tongue. "Do they not have their tea with milk in the Milk Kingdom? Or would that be too on the nose?"
Shadow Milk hated tea. Black tea was too bland, herbal tea was too strong, sugary tea was too sweet... "Well, I prefer black tea, but milk tea is a common drink over there." He lied, gently laying the teaspoon on the saucer.
"Oh, then you should make yourself some! I'd like to get to know you better, perhaps over a cup of tea would be nice."
Damn it. Turning his face to hide his crinkled eyebrows, he grabbed another teabag with two fingers, disgruntled. He prepared it as quickly as he could, not caring much when he spilt a little on the counter. Someone else can clean that up, he certainly won't!
Eventually, he sat down in front of Pure Vanilla, nursing the tea in tiny sips while the other had already drunk half of his.
"You're a little quiet. I hope you don't think I'm imposing or anything." Pure Vanilla took another long sip of his drink before settling it down with a clink.
"No, that's not it." In actuality, his mind was entirely focused on not gagging at the horrific taste of the tea he was drinking. "Just a bit tired. I need to get used to waking up early again." That wasn't entirely a lie, hopefully this wretched kingdom wasn't having an effect on him.
"Hm, I understand. You could probably tell this morning that I haven't had a butler to wake me up for a while." Pure Vanilla took another sip, then sucked his lips into his mouth for a second. "Mm. Do they make tea differently in the Milk Kingdom?"
"Is it bad? I can brew another one if you'd like." With a little too much enthusiasm, Shadow Milk plopped the nearly full teacup onto the saucer, finally glad to be rid of the horrid taste.
"No, no. It's different. Unique. I've never had anything quite like it. It's just that all the creamer seems to have pooled at the bottom, do you not stir it as much?" Despite that, with one final tilt of the head, Pure Vanilla placed his empty cup back down. "Oh, you haven't finished your tea yet? It's okay, I can wait."
Shadow Milk wasn't going to survive even a month here.
With a wrinkled nose, he took a deep breath and gulped about half of the cup down his throat, desperately trying to ignore the taste.
"I'd like to get to know you more. Sorry for my questions, but I'm sure you're aware of the tensions between the Vanilla Kingdom and the Milk Kingdom. Any information would be useful." Pure Vanilla propped his chin on hands, elbows resting on the table. 'Seriously, where is this guy's manners?'
"Fire away."
"What do you think of the royal family? They don't make public appearances much anymore, so would you say that tensions are high between them and the public?"
Tough question, especially coming from a member of the royal family. His knowledge on the public was very limited; he cared little for what they did, they were normally just left to their own devices. "I believe the public is content with doing their own thing. The royalty exist just to represent the kingdom, not to manage them."
"But how do they care for the kingdom?" Pure Vanilla asked, adjusting the staff that leant on his chair. The eye, which Shadow Milk was sure was just a decoration, seemed to peer into his very soul. Did he really think that would scare him?
"The kingdom doesn't need care, they'll do what they want—"
"That's not true at all!" Pure Vanilla's voice raised, not loud enough for a yell, but still above his usually quiet tone. He seemed more surprised at himself than Shadow Milk did, the latter of which still taken aback, but only displayed a raised eyebrow in shock. "Sorry, that was out of line... I just— I know all kingdoms have their own ways of running things, but you can't deny that it's... cruel? What about citizens who are struggling, do they not care about them either?"
Shadow Milk didn't need time to think before he responded. 'What a dumb question.' "They can take care of themselves. If they're struggling, they can figure it out. That's how it's always been, that's how it'll continue to stay."
"I see." Pure Vanilla folded one hand over the other, looking as though he had more to say. "That was all I wanted to ask. I'll be heading into town after this, would you like to join me? I'd love to show you around."
'Finally!' Shadow Milk thought excitedly. 'Something that could be actually worth my time!'
"That sounds like fun. I'd be happy to accompany you."
•
This was the worst mistake Shadow Milk had ever made, he'll admit that now. He'd hoped that maybe, just maybe, he could mess with someone in town. Nothing too harsh to begin with; he could trip someone up, then blame someone else, or maybe he could tie two people's hair together and watch as they furiously tried to break apart. After all, he came from the kingdom known for deceit and trickery, it's in his blood to cause a little bit of mayhem wherever he went.
Unfortunately, he had Pure Vanilla constantly dragging him from stall to stall at the market, showing off different landmarks and telling stories from his childhood, so he never got the chance. Shadow Milk despised walking, but floating would have drawn too much attention from the beginning. He'd taken so much time and effort to learn how to fly, there was no point in walking anymore. It didn't help that the sun's rays were consistently beating against his back, making walking upright a real pain in the ass.
The worst part, though, was Pure Vanilla seemed perfectly fine! He strolled casually, never seeming like he needed a break. And that stupid staff! The constant tapping was really getting on his nerves to the point that Shadow Milk really wanted to toss it aside, just to watch him fare without it. Maybe he could finally wipe that stupid smile off of his—
Thump!
"Ack!" Before Shadow Milk could comprehend it, the bump of someone's shoulder knocked him off of his already wobbly footing, sending him stumbling into Pure Vanilla's side.
"Hngh!"
The two quickly regained their balance, and only then did Shadow Milk process what happened.
"Sh-Shadow Milk..." Pure Vanilla winced, and that's when he realised his hand was gripping Pure Vanilla's shoulder. Even more, his face seemed particularly red and his bottom lip trembled.
Shadow Milk quickly snapped his hands back, his mouth curled raised in amusement. Pure Vanilla straightened his back, clutching onto his staff like he'd fly away without it. "S-Sorry... I'm not particularly used to unexpected touch. It just, ah, made me feel..." He cleared his throat, and the pink fell from his face just as quickly as it appeared. "I'm sorry, that must have caught you off guard."
Shadow Milk's eyebrows lifted. Suddenly, things were so much more interesting.
All throughout the day, on the walk home, while relaxing in the study, during mealtimes, Shadow Milk was constantly touching Pure Vanilla, ever so slightly. He'd brush his arm while walking past, overlap his hand when handing the prince something, unexpectedly wipe his face if he spilled a little food while eating. All just to see Pure Vanilla shudder a little bit, under the guise of a simple accident.
The day stopped dragging after that, and, before Shadow Milk knew it, he was retreating with Pure Vanilla for the night. After he bathed, Pure Vanilla had Shadow Milk dress him once again, a task that was much less awkward than before, not only because he'd already done it, but because he'd spent the entire day touching Pure Vanilla anyway.
After bidding him goodnight, Shadow Milk was about to shut the door and retire to his chambers, Pure Vanilla rushed up to him and wedged his foot in between the door and the doorframe. "Wait!"
"Is everything alright, your highness?!" Shadow Milk almost yelped, not having to pretend when he was caught off guard.
"I'd forgotten something!" Pure Vanilla gasped out, a little overwhelmed from the sudden exercise. Then, he raised his head, a big, almost mischievous smile appeared on his face.
"Goodnight, Prince Shadow Milk Cookie."