#bts jin royalty au
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To Kill A King (Chapter 15)
Banner and linebreaks by the talented @awrkives
Summary: What’s more charming than Prince Seokjin? Nothing, obviously. Except maybe the rotating palace guests who each smile and bow and charm in an attempt to hide their true motives. Fortunately Seokjin has a close circle of friends (well, servants) who watch his back and endure his humor and help him navigate the tumultuous seas of heartbreak, love, and an arranged marriage, not necessarily in that order. If only they had helped him keep a closer eye on his bride-to-be’s handmaiden, who arrives with her own agenda… or maybe it would have been better if he had noticed her less? One thing is certain as this royal drama of the heart plays out: there are many people competing to kill a king.
Main Pairing: Prince Seokjin x Female OC Genre: Historical Fantasy World, political conspiracy, romance Rating: 18+ Content Warnings & story tags: includes explicit sex (mxf, fxf), possibly graphic violence/injury later, love and sex triangles or uh quadrangles?, sort of e 2 l, sort of bodyguard trope, sort of arranged marriage, a lot of plotting murder (it’s literally in the title), maybe character death, grief, pining, angst, love, oral (f & m receiving), public sex, I don’t know everything yet as the story is long and still being written
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NOTE: check out the Character & Setting Cheat Sheet for a refresher on who’s who
Nasimyu stopped beneath the towering archway built of dark-eyed yellow sunbursts woven together. It was magnificent. Actually as lovely as Seokjin had made it out to be –which he seemed to read from her face as her hand in his elbow forced him to stop too. He only glanced briefly up at the arch and then gave her a close-lipped smile that made his cheeks puff up. He looked ridiculous, like a child, not like her soon-to-be-husband of a future king.
She drew in a deep breath and looked away from him. She needed to stop letting her mind run away with annoyance over stupid stuff. Everything was going as planned and Seokjin, she was beginning to suspect, might not be the selfish villain her father had led her to believe, and now silver threads shot through the fabric of her future. Things were looking less bleak. Seokjin might look and behave ridiculously, but he was good in bed, and he was potentially willing to just let her do the ruling she wanted to, and the day was bright and hot and only a little humid, just the way she liked it. And everything was so yellow, golden, perfect.
Behind them, their guards stopped. The entourage of servants stopped. Mindeulle and Namjoon –whom Nasimiyu was icily tolerating for the day– stopped.
King Dong-gun did not. He stepped around them, striding through the arch as if it had been set up specifically to welcome the royals (perhaps it had), his beaming face turned up as he waved at the townspeople who cheered for him. They tossed petals down from upper stories of the buildings, a hailstorm of clumps of yellow petals that made her laugh. It was a romantic idea, at least.
Obviously they must put the folks who licked the boots of the monarchy at the front. Nasimiyu was shocked to see so many pretending to adore the sight of the king. A woman fanned herself when King Donggun bobbed his head in her direction. Two men guffawed and shared a grin after the king slapped them on the shoulders as he passed. Hands reached for him until his guard nudged him safely to the center of the road and they carried forward through the shower.
“They love him?” Nasimiyu murmured to herself, baffled. It was a pretense. Most people in the kingdom, she knew for a fact, despised him. King Donggun and his excesses, his complacency, his casual cruelty.
“They don’t see him often,” Seokjin said as he gently tugged her forward. “He rarely leaves the palace these days, unless it’s to hunt in the caves. Brings the fun to himself usually but for this he comes out. I suspect he’s rather… pickled.”
“Pickled?”
“Er, drunk,” he clarified.
“Right now?! It’s mid-morning!” There, that seemed more in-line with what she expected of the King.
No, this wasn’t the time nor place. She quickly adjusted her expression from scowl to instead a broad, open smile. People were watching her and Seokjin. This was, after all, their first public outing together.
It was very important she impress her people.
She waved and almost missed Seokjin’s explanation, “Well, it’s my mother’s birthday tomorrow.”
“Shouldn’t you smile and wave?” she whispered back. “People are seeing us together for the first time.”
“Oh right.” His face, thoughtful for a moment, shifted quickly into a broad grin. It was inspirational how quickly he dropped the obviously sad topic. She recalled vaguely the Sunflower Festival was something his mother had loved but forgotten it under the stress of this first outing. She’d had a special gown made for this, and woven sunflowers into a crown across her hair, and was appeased now to see she had not overestimated and overdressed.
Music murmured in the distance, louder as they traveled down the main street. Temporary stalls had sprung up, townfolk selling flowers and roasted nuts and sausages on a stick and glass pendants and leather satchels and anything else you could think of. Side streets showed similar, branching away from this main thoroughfare. And everywhere, sunflowers. Everywhere. They reached a square and the fountain in the center was absolutely buried, the water nothing but a pool of sunflowers rippling as small children grabbed at them.
Nasimiyu felt the eyes on her and loved it. She held her chin high and the prince close, sporting the soft smile of a benefactor, eager for everyone to see how compatible she was with the royal family. Seokjin certainly played his part, pointing out things to her as if she didn’t have eyes of her own to notice, but at least it gave the impression of a man eager to please his adored. She nodded encouragement –yes she saw the man playing the accordion (a little grating, shouldn’t he go down a side street?), yes the children in their frocks were adorable, yes the dog wearing a giant fabric sunflower around his face was so funny. Seokjin laughed, delighted at it and leaned forward, trying to coax the dog close. The owner was beside himself at this attention and practically melted at Seokjin’s feet while Seokjin laid his praise of the dog on so thick Nasimiyu thought the man would realize how fake he was. It had to be fake. No one was that enamored by a dog in a costume…
“Do you want a sausage?” Seokjin asked and at first Nasimiyu thought he meant the dog. But he rose quickly and touched her arm and his whole face glowed with joy. “Or roasted peanuts? Or do you like candy floss more?”
Nasimiyu realized with shock that Seokjin was offering to get her food from one of the roadside stands. Anything could be in that food! The meat could be undercooked or the peanuts could be infested with bugs, you wouldn’t even know. It wasn’t that they didn’t have street vendors in Marvono but she certainly wasn’t eating from them.
But he looked so hopeful about it she almost felt bad to crush his enthusiasm with, “I don’t think I do. Thank you.”
Behind him, Namjoon let out a sigh, “Ah the fried chicken is back, I can smell it. Where is it?”
“Is that the only reason you came?” Mindeulle tittered.
“If you’re going right to the candy floss, have someone take you– no, just wait, we’ll get that first and then go find the chicken,” Namjoon said.
Seokjin craned his neck before nodding, “It’s over there. I think it’s the same family as last year.”
“Do I get a beer first and let it get warm while I get chicken, or get chicken and then it’s cooled off by the time I get a beer?” Namjoon sighed.
Seokjin looked pensive and then dubious –playfully so, mouth twisted into a pucker, eyes narrowed– and then sighed with a smile of surrender, “If you have an idea just say it. Don’t play like a flirt around me.”
“I’ll get beers if you get the chicken.”
“Don’t you have people who can… fetch these things for you?” Nasimiyu pointed out, gaze sliding to their servants standing uselessly behind them. Her own maid might not be very knowledgeable here but surely that Jimin could figure it out.
“It’s good for the people to see us among them,” Seokjin countered. She didn’t think that had to mean waiting in line like a nobody. He gestured across the square where, to her utter disbelief, King Donggun stood in line for a mead barrel, hands resting on his belly, fingers twitching impatiently.
“Impossible,” Nasimiyu gasped, giving Seokjin her look of disbelief.
It was Mindeulle who giggled, “Isn’t it crazy to see the king standing in line? But it’s because of the Queen, isn’t it?”
“Yes, he loved my mother so much he was willing to stand in lines,” Seokjin laughed, then elaborated, “This whole festival was for my mother. She loved sunflowers and she missed being…” He searched for the word before suggesting, “Ordinary.”
“She was never ordinary. She was a noble from birth,” Namjoon countered. “From Rinsk.”
“Yes but she was raised very simply,” Seokjin said. “Riding horses, gardening, camping for fun. She had to make her own bed once a week –my grandmother insisted on it, that it was the foundation of being a good queen.”
“And did that get passed on to you?” Nasimiyu tried to tease.
Seokjin nodded, “Oh yes, I’m very good at making a bed. Clean sheets are one of the greatest feelings in the world. Don’t you think that?”
“Well… yes. I think so too,” she admitted. Couldn’t argue with that. At home servants would fan the bed so when she’d slip into it naked at the end of a long hot day, it felt like the coolest caress across every inch of her skin.
King Donggun let out a happy laugh that reached them across the square as he found himself at the front of the line for mead.
She pressed, “Does he really pretend to be a commoner for the day?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Seokjin laughed. “You see his clothing and his entourage. He’ll have patience for exactly three lines, I bet. It was more when he had my mother to stand in line with. They’d go around all day eating the food, drinking mead and beer, listening to music… I got to run wild for the day too. My brother and I were nearly street urchins for eight hours except for our pockets full of silvers. We ate ourselves sick.” He sighed at fond memories she did not poke at.
“You could be the kind of king who does this all the time,” Mindeulle pointed out and Seokjin gave her such a fond smile that Nasimiyu almost felt jealous of it.
“I suspect I’ll be too busy once I’m king… but who says I don’t lead a secret double life as a commoner already?”
Namjoon sighed dramatically and teased, “Do you really still spend all your time reading those picture-books? That’s who you mean, isn’t it?”
“Kalamouche?” Mindeulle asked. “They’re charming. I’m glad you still find moments of joy, Prince Seokjin. Nasimiyu will need to as well, though I don’t think it’s the food here for her. Why don’t you go get your chicken and beer, we’ll find something else to do.”
Nasimiyu hesitated. The whole point was to look besotted with Seokjin, to exude an air of calm and benevolence and wisdom as a future ruler. No one would think oh look at our future queen, we’re so relieved if she was just running around with Mindeulle.
But now Seokjin and Namjoon were making a gentleman’s agreement to divide and conquer –apparently Seokjin could tolerate Namjoon after all, once there was food involved– and in short order they and their entourage were gone, and Nasimiyu had only Mindeulle and her own entourage for company.
“It’s all right not to trust the food,” Mindeulle assured her. “Though some of it is very good. I usually let my brother be the tester before I try anything but let’s go that way and we can look at the flower statues. Maybe you’ll see a pastry that catches your eye.”
“Is it a competition?” Nasimiyu guessed as they wandered down a side street. Statues of dancing women and galloping horses and curly seashells lined one side of the road, all carefully constructed of beautiful blue and pink and white blooms. It felt oddly off-theme considering the sunflowers everywhere else but pretty all the same. Where did they even get these spring-looking blooms at this time of year?
“These come in from Therepin. The summers are cooler there so the blooms last longer, especially far to the south.”
“Not near the border,” Nasimiyu murmured, thinking of marching soldiers crushing the buds underfoot.
“They’re the most beautiful there, I hear. I’ve never been anywhere close of course. I’m sure these are very expensive to bring here but no expense is spared for the Sunflower Festival.”
“I can see that.”
“It’s romantic, isn’t it?” Mindeulle pressed. “I think for one day, the King tries to pretend that his queen is still here, maybe just down another side street…” They both stopped to look over their shoulders because Mindeulle had a wistfulness in her voice. The pause let Nasimiyu realize that her guard were doing such a marvelous job at keeping a perimeter around her that it let her forget just how bustling the streets were. No ghosts of queens, just hundreds of townfolk gawking at her as they passed around her bubble of space
“People sure do stare,” she pointed out. “I don’t have anything between my teeth, do I?”
She knew she didn’t, and Mindeulle only beamed at her, “I think they’re surprised at how beautiful you are.”
“You don’t need to flatter me,” Nasimiyu said, instinctively insulted by such a compliment from the lovely Mindeulle. Her long, shiny black hair caught the light, cascading around her shoulders and down her back, all dark ink instead of the warm hues hidden in Dulce’s long waves. Her heart-shaped face was without flaw or blemish save for one beauty spot beside her nose that managed to be the loveliest imperfection. Nasimiyu had no doubts about her own beauty, but felt suddenly self conscious if Mindeulle felt like Nasimiyu needed comforting.
Mindeulle actually covered her mouth and laughed, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you with a compliment! I only meant that you look especially goddess-like when you have sunflowers in your hair, their color against your skin and hair is just… breath-taking, that’s all I meant,” she rushed out. “You already look like a queen.”
“Without the prince by my side, no one knows who I am.”
“I think they know,” Mindeulle insisted, then nudged Nasimiyu up the street with a gasp of, “Oh, but you should try those. Will you?”
“Will I try what?”
Mindeulle cheeks dimpled on either side of her smile as she leaned around the line at a stall that smelled so strongly of sugar that Nasimiyu wrinkled her nose. She was not big on sweets, even when the sweets weren’t hawked on a street corner like spoons or boots or whatever it was people typically bought from street vendors. But Mindeulle practically vibrated in place as she dug coins out of the purse at her waist and purchased four skewers of candied fruit.
“Grapes or strawberries?” she asked as they stepped aside. Nasimiyu glanced over her shoulder at her guards who looked stoic and alert and maybe like she was stupid for coming here. Her maid watched with open curiosity, as Nasimiyu’s food preferences were well known among her staff. Mindeulle must know she didn’t prefer sweets, she thought she must have said so before, but had clearly forgotten in her own enthusiasm.
“I suppose… strawberries,” Nasimiyu chose, only to correct, “No, grapes.” Sometimes grapes were sour and that was a little better than the cloying sweetness. She could pretend like she was drinking sweet wine maybe. No, she didn’t even like sweet wine.
“Have one of each,” Mindeulle insisted, handing her two sticks, like she had planned this all along. She took hold of a candied grape between her teeth and slid it right off the stick. Nasimiyu’s eyebrows raised. Wasn’t Mindeulle usually so proper and careful? Surely Namjoon would have something to say about his little sister biting and sliding fruit just right there on the street.
By Mindeulle’s grin, Nasimiyu wondered if she had the same thought. There was something to her smile as she chewed, giggling,
“Listen, you can hear the sugar crack.” She opened her mouth and bit down. The sugar did audibly crack, and juice flooded Mindeulle’s mouth, and Nasimiyu couldn’t hide her shocked laughter.
“Mindeulle!”
“Don’t scold me like my mother,” she tittered. “Try it.”
Nasimiyu did, goaded into it by Mindeulle’s brazenness. She tried a strawberry first, trying to be a little less salacious as she bit the fruit off the thin stick. The sticky sweetness in her mouth made her lips pucker and her cheeks suck in.
“That’s… very sweet,” she admitted.
“Isn’t it wonderful?”
Why was she eating this? But Mindeulle’s enthusiasm convinced Nasimiyu to try a grape too and agree with Mindeulle they were really something remarkable.
Just as Nasimiyu was trying to figure out how to subtly chuck the fruit away, a familiar voice called, “Princess Nasimiyu!” Lidmila floated to her side, admitted there by the guards at a nod of Nasimiyu’s that was probably not necessary. “Oh, I love those.”
“Try them,” Nasimiyu quickly said and thrust them into Lidmila’s hands. A loud street band wandered past so she couldn’t hear whatever Lidmila or Mindeulle shouted next, but Lidmila quickly popped the remaining fruits into her mouth and Mindeulle didn’t even seem to notice. Nasimiyu needed something to wash her mouth free of that sugar –solved when another divine intervention sent Seokjin and Namjoon their way, each holding fried chicken on a stick and a mug of beer.
“Is all the food on sticks?” Nasimiyu asked, followed immediately by, “May I have a sip of your beer, Seokjin?”
“Yes, of course, I’m sorry I didn’t get you one. Do you… like beer?” he asked. She did not particularly, and after only a sip wondered if the fruit hadn’t been the better lingering taste. He chuckled as she handed it quickly back and instead held the skewer out. “Chicken?”
“No thank you, I’m quite full.”
“Oh let’s walk down that way and see if there’s a play on,” Mindeulle suggested.
Namjoon snickered and teased his sister, “A puppet show?”
“Or a comedy.”
“The comedies won’t start until later, it’s only puppet shows right now.”
“You don’t know that.”
“It’s not even noon yet.”
“There’s one way to settle this,” Seokjin suggested and forged ahead. Namjoon and Mindeulle followed, and Nasimiyu found herself shockingly left behind with Lidmila.
“Did he just forget me?” Nasimiyu gasped.
“No, he looked back for you!” Lidmila assured her. “He sees you’re with me. Probably he’s trying to keep Namjoon from bothering you.”
This placated Nasimiyu, who didn’t mind walking with Lidmila anyway.
“Do you want me to suggest something else to eat?” Lidmila asked. “I think you don’t like candied fruit much or beer.”
“I don’t but I don’t think I’m brave enough yet for anything else.”
The crowds spread out further as they returned to a main street, walking vaguely in the wake of the others. They passed a balcony with a woman singing opera, which surprised Nasimiyu; she hadn’t considered there was any opera to be had here. She asked Lidmila about what the theater was like, what was popular here, and Lidmila enthusiastically explained all the entertainment to be found here.
“We can attend any of it you like,” Lidmila assured her. “I wonder if it’s very different in Marvono?”
“We shall find out. Oh, Lidmila, before I forget and while I have you alone…”
Lidmila’s face turned up to her, very open and curious, almost fearfully so, as she pressed, “Yes? What is it?”
“I wonder if I might ask for a favor.”
“Of course you may.”
“I would like to see the letters that Namjoon allegedly sent to Çiğdem.”
“Oh.” Lidmila’s eyes widened.
“I’m familiar with Namjoon’s hand from letters he’s written to the King which were shown to me. I’m curious if a simple comparison might tell us whether it’s a match or not,” Nasimiyu explained.
Lidmila pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, adorably suspicious, and asked, “Did Mindeulle put you up to this?”
“I act on my own accord,” Nasimiyu assured her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you! Only I know Mindeulle has doubts which you didn’t share about the truth of his character, seeing as what happened with...” She didn’t need to say it. Your maid.
“Yes well I’m trying to understand what exactly did happen with my maid, and what Lord Namjoon Kim’s character is, seeing as he proves difficult for the Prince to shake.” They came into view of the stage and a seated audience of almost entirely children, and standing behind all the children were Seokjin, Namjoon, and Mindeulle, all three equally enraptured by the puppet show.
Lidmila only glanced at the puppets before admitting, “She may not wish to part with them. Çiğdem, I mean.”
“Will you try? For me?”
“Yes, I can at least try. Hopefully I can do better than try. I’ll see if I can get at least one,” Lidmila assured her.
“Thank you, it means a great deal to me to have your help.”
Lidmila positively glowed, her wispy brown curls framing her face so sweetly that it struck Nasimiyu what a blessing it was that Lidmila was so good-hearted. Such an innocent face would be hard to say no to. She could do wonders with it, if she were someone with a sharper mind or harder heart. But then she wouldn’t be gentle, bubbling Lidmila.
“It’s a story about King Donggun and Queen So-yeon,” Lidmila told her after a loud noise from the stage made them both glance over. “He loved her so much he made this whole festival for her.”
“So I hear. How tragic that she died.”
“I wonder what Prince Seokjin will do to show his love for you?”
“Whatever it is, I intend to be around much longer to enjoy it,” Nasimiyu said without thinking that it might sound crass.
Before she could correct herself, Lidmila agreed, “You will be. And don’t worry, I’ll make suggestions if it seems like the Prince needs some… proper good ideas.” Nasimiyu smiled at her appreciatively, she did seem quite adept at managing things. Her confidence that Nasimiyu would live a long time was also sweet, though arguably unfounded based on how long women seemed to last in the royal family –Zselyke notwithstanding. Which was, perhaps, curious and suspicious. She wondered what Dulce would think of that question–
If only she could ask Dulce, who could no doubt make sure she lived a long, safe life here, if she cared to. She trusted no one more with her safety. It was unfortunate Dulce could no longer be trusted with her confidence, or her intimacy, or… was it her heart? No, that would be pathetic.
She glanced back at her maid who was not Dulce, and her guards who were also not Dulce. A backdrop of sunflowers loomed behind them. Really, Dulce ought to have come to this, even if they were mad at each other right now. As beautiful as Mindeulle and Lidmila both looked around the blossoms, as beautiful as Nasimiyu looked with them in her hair, she was aware these were the flower for Dulce. Something about them…
“Nasimiyu,” Seokjin greeted, suddenly by her arm. “I found you a seat. Come watch the show.”
“The puppet show?”
“It’s got romance and tragedy, and the puppet for my father looks shockingly accurate. Come on,” he insisted, practically dragging her along.
Nasimiyu decided she was probably going to develop a headache soon. Maybe. She kind of liked it here too, although maybe not watching a puppet show for children. Well, she supposed it was a good look though for her and Seokjin to watch an unobjectionable performance together. She perched on the bench he had claimed for her with Mindeulle and Lidmila on either side, and tried to look queenly with her chin high and shoulders, Seokjin stood behind her, hand pressed to her shoulder. Eventually he dropped his hand and she was glad.
“Do you like puppets?” Mindeulle leaned in and whispered.
“No,” Nasimiyu whispered back, and both girls giggled as if she, like the puppets on stage, was doing something remarkably romantic by being here. Instead she let her mind wander. How long were she and Dulce going to be angry with each other? Would Dulce have liked the candied fruit? Would she have slid the grape off with her teeth like Mindeulle had?
Namjoon’s chuckle reminded Nasimiyu he was there and she felt her heart harden again. It was good Dulce wasn’t enjoying the festival. Hopefully she was enjoying doing the laundry instead.
What few footsteps remained seemed to echo around the palace, a combination of clipped, angry steps by those annoyed not to be off at the Sunflower Festival and slow, heavy slides of those who did not feel intrinsically compelled to get their tasks done quickly.
Dulce tried to make no sound at all as she moved through the near-empty halls, a load of laundry perched in her arms and an oversized canvas bag looped over her shoulder with feathers and lightweight wooden rods poking out, and secretly a lantern. To any casual observer, it would hopefully look like a bag full of hat-making things –not that Dulce knew the first thing about making hats, but the bulky decorations were the best disguise she could envision for what would soon hopefully be several stolen paintings. She didn’t plan on being seen afterwards, but you still had to think through these things.
Already she’d had to reroute twice and was just about to make up her mind that she should take the long way out back and down the mountain to the external entrance hidden behind the ivy after all. It would waste time though, was the problem. She had a lot to do in a short amount of time. King Donggun had left the palace, which she understood to happen only for hunts, but his reason for leaving was to attend the Sunflower Fest in honor of his late wife whose birthday was tomorrow. She might not understand their relationship but she fully expected him to visit the Queen’s rooms in the near future, possibly even today, and she needed to be long finished by then.
The only obstacle was fucking Hoseok, that damn nosy tutor to the prince! Despite his loud enthusiasm about the festival for the past week, he sure seemed unbothered to be one of those left behind to tend to matters around the palace. He strode along as if it were any other day, delivering letters and notes around the palace, checking that the throne room was clean, and even apparently doing a headcount of the guards! The palace had both a castellan and butlers supposed to be doing those things, but no one seemed surprised to see Hoseok doing it instead. They just scurried to dust the corner he’d looked twice at or rushed to reassure that the new table linens were on the way and would be pressed and laid out before dinner. Perhaps he was the sort of work-dedicated person who cherished a well-run palace even more than a festival.
His diligence was going to cause a problem for Dulce though because she was not the sort of work-dedicated person one would expect to see passionately going about her tasks without Nasimiyu around. Everyone knew Nasimiyu was pissed at her. They’d all probably heard Mirta shrieking at her about the laundry she hadn’t done when she’d gone to sit on the seawall and enjoy the sunset instead. With the Prince.
The problem about Hoseok wasn’t only that he was busybodying around the palace, but also that repeatedly seeing her would embed her in his memory. When someone eventually discovered the Queen’s rooms were ransacked, Hoseok would run through the list of people he knew were in the palace and Dulce would top that list if he saw her so many times.
It led her to doing suspicious things like darting out of the hallway every time she heard footsteps in case they were his –and she hated doing suspicious things.
One more try she decided, and balanced her linens and the canvas bag and set off for the Queen’s wing with a determined step. Her whole body was on alert listening for anyone who might see even just a glimpse of her, listening for the obnoxious click of Hoseok’s books on the tile floor, hell even the skitter skitter of an escaped pet of the Prince’s.
But nothing came, and the guards in the wing were ambling down the hall and around the corner at just the right time so without even a heartbeat of hesitation Dulce opened the door and slid quickly inside.
For a moment she stood there with her back to it, waiting as she had last time to make sure no one had noticed after all. She was met with only silence. This time too she made a brisk survey of all the rooms, checking the wardrobe to make sure no one followed Taehyung’s tricks. How mortifying to have been caught that way. She was no smarter than the man who’d been killed in the inn and suddenly realizing the hypocrisy of her judgment at his lapse made her feel even stupider.
Well she wasn’t here to self-reflect, even though something about the preserved rooms made it feel like the time to do so. Now that she was sure she was alone, she set the linens and bag near the door hidden in the back of the closet and walked more thoughtfully through the rooms. Her plan was set –trash the rooms, take the painting and a few other things, make it look like a burglary– and yet when it came time to execute, she felt an unfamiliar hesitation.
Maybe it had to do with Seokjin’s mother staring down at her from the wall. She stared back up at her and noticed once again how much Seokjin looked like her. He had her cheeks, which was not something she’d ever considered a son inheriting from his mother before. He had her eyes too and her nose, her faceshape… did he actually have anything at all from King Donggun? Her hair was lighter, there was that. Maybe his eyebrows were more like his father… She tilted her head–
No, this wasn’t what she was here for. She needed to get the job done and go.
She reached for the painting and hesitated again.
Seokjin was going to be sad about her wrecking his mother’s room. There was no way around that. She hadn’t let herself think about that part of her agreement with Taehyung. King Donggun was treating Taehyung unfairly by not letting him have even a copy of the painting, but Seokjin hadn’t done anything to deserve the destruction of this shrine to his mother.
Would Taehyung tell Seokjin? Why hadn’t Taehyung gone to Seokjin with this request since they were so close? Why hadn’t Seokjin helped him? She regretted now not having asked Taehyung before why Seokjin wasn’t in on this. Plausible deniability with the king? She liked having the full picture but it was too late to ask for more now.
She wouldn’t destroy anything though, and anything she took could make its way back someday, either once Taehyung got a copy of his painting made or enough time passed that the one missing painting wouldn’t be suspicious.
Carefully she lifted the painting with Taehyung’s mother down, and two others beside it from the wall in the bedroom and carried them to the closet to wrap in linens and tuck into the canvas bag after setting the lantern to the side. They were so much bigger up close and just barely fit into the bag, she wouldn’t be able to take as many as she had planned. She took several off the walls in the painting parlor and set them down so it would look like she’d been planning to take them too and been interrupted.
Then she braced herself and pushed over the easels. The paints had long ago solidified but scattered across the floor with the brushes, one of the easels collapsed on itself while the others rested awkwardly, legs in the air. It looked silly. It wasn’t truly careless or destructive the way a thief would be as she cleaned out the place.
She tried to do better in the bedroom. She pulled the blankets off the bed as if she’d been digging for jewels and pulled the drawers out of the nightstands. It wouldn’t make sense for someone to steal paintings but not the jewels, so she swiped several pairs of earrings, a necklace, a bracelet and a tiara, avoiding the reflection of herself in the mirror. Her insides twisted as she slid the things into her bag. She had no way of knowing if any of these were sentimental, if Seokjin would be gutted for them to go missing. He liked pets and flowers and books, he seemed sentimental enough to be attached to specific jewelry.
Did she have to take everything of value? She paused and looked at the vanity and closet, stuffed with riches. A proper thief would take as much as they could carry, pearls and rubies streaming from their pockets and shoes and hat. A proper thief would certainly take the most valuable things, and jewelry was a better prize than paintings, more valuable, easier to fence. If she was truly trying to stage a burglary, she should do the same, drag away as much as she could, prioritize the small and easy to smuggle things. But she thought of Seokjin entering the room, looking around with horror at what had been done to his mother’s rooms, and felt like someone was physically holding her back.
The painting of the family, of Seokjin and the late prince Seok-ho as boys, caught her eye through the mirror’s reflection. She turned and looked, wondering if the family had been happy. It was a complicated question to answer. Happy? Or at least happier when they weren’t half of a whole? She didn’t know how much Seokjin came in here. Did he come in here and look at the painting and pretend?
She tugged the locket out from where it nestled deep in her bodice. The intricate floral pattern embossed on the front was nearly worn smooth by years brushed under her thumb. She opened it and tried to remember the portraits that had once hidden in the hollows. She would never have considered herself a sentimental person. She wasn’t. If she needed to shed the locket –and on several occasions she nearly had– she would. But looking up at the painting of young Prince Seokjin, she knew she had to leave that particular painting, even though part of her wanted it. For why? It wasn’t like she could put it anywhere. She already wasn’t sure where Taehyung was going to keep the big painting of his mother. It was over half her height, he couldn’t stow it in the bunkhouse where the yard boys slept!
Taking too long, she scolded herself and promptly swiped everything from the vanity onto the floor. Not every thief would destroy the room as she went but she wanted it to look like someone careless or thoughtless or even possibly hateful of the royal family. These things would divert suspicion from both her and Taehyung. She was none of those things, a truth that clinched in her belly as she flinched when the late queen’s combs and cheek powder and lip stain hit the floor. The ornate flowers popped off a particularly beautiful comb that Dulce regretted not taking for her own personal stash, if she was someone who could be so selfish and collect stolen things. The queen was wearing it in one of the paintings. It was beautiful and now it was broken and shame made Dulce sweaty.
Had she done enough damage to move on? She slipped into the queen’s closet and found herself stunned once again. The volume of clothing and jewelry here was overwhelming, even beyond Nasimiyu’s closet in Marvono. By comparison, Nasimiyu was practically impoverished with how few gowns she had here, fewer than two dozen until her new ones were made. Dulce had three sets of clothing to her name, not including the shift she slept in.
She took a couple pieces of jewelry –two rings and a bracelet– and slid them into her pocket, then simply tugged clothing from the hangers, again to look like she had meant to take things, or pilfered through for secret valuables. Even though she was leaving many valuables just sitting right in the open. Hopefully no one would find these things too odd but even if they did, at the very least it wouldn’t point to her.
Dulce surveyed her work. It didn’t seem like enough but she couldn’t bring herself to do more. There wasn’t anything personal for her in destroying this sanctuary, though she suspected Taehyung might have done significant damage. Or maybe not, since the Queen had been kind to him. But now these were the King’s rooms, not hers.
Hoisting the canvas bag was significantly more cumbersome now. Dulce, on the small side, had to clumsily shuffle along with it in front of her, the straps digging into her wrists so it wouldn’t drag on the ground, the lantern wedged in at the top. Wrangling the secret door open and closed behind her was a feat, though a sense of relief came over her once it was closed and she was alone in the pitch black. There, it was done, she hadn’t done too much harm, and she was out.
Dulce was used to moving through the dark, but this dark was so total it made it hard to breathe. She should have lit the lamp before closing the door but her gut had said to hurry, that she was going to be late or caught. She dug the flint and steel from her pocket and made sure her back was to the paintings before she struck it. It took a few minutes of feeling around before she could send a spark in the right direction, and the whole time drawing steady, measured breaths to keep her mind from drifting away from her in this total void. She hadn’t known it was possible to drown in darkness.
The wick lit and her shoulders released.
As tempting as it was to leave the things right by the ivy door, she had to expect that the first thing the King would do was charge down the secret passageway to see if the thief had entered that way. Instead Taehyung had drawn her a map to get to a particular hidden spot in the caves where he would retrieve the paintings and from there supposedly take them to a secret and trustworthy painter who would make his copies. That was beyond Dulce’s job.
The map was difficult to follow in the dark with the lantern and the canvas bag and Taehyung’s unskilled linework. Several times she took wrong turns, felt it in her gut, and had to backtrack to make sure. The caves were a maze, and the first time she accidentally stepped into one of the massive caverns gave her a scare like nothing ever did before. It felt like a death sentence to be down here alone. Trapped. By and large helpless. Weighed down with stolen goods. The dark creeping close behind.
She paused to let her body acclimate to the rush of fear and gazed up at the fake starry sky for what comfort it could give. It was beautiful, like nothing she had ever seen, somehow so like and yet so alien to the actual night sky. Personally she thought Paloma’s broad open blanket of night was even more beautiful but maybe that was because it reminded her of freedom and eternity all the time she had slept beneath it and this here was oppression. To never be able to leave this, to always amble through the dark for generations, to not even know you were missing the sun…
Hell might look like this. Dulce followed none of the minor religions that had taken root in Yeonhalbi and yet she thought hell might look just like this.
At last she felt certain she’d found the spot. Instead of wondering how much time Taehyung had spent here to notice and even map this spot, she quickly unburdened herself of the paintings, after fishing the jewels out of the bottom of the bag and shoving them into her pockets. The tiara wouldn’t fit and she held it awkwardly in her hands, not sure what to do about it.
Noise behind her made her dive for shelter behind the stones hiding the paintings, tiara clutched to her chest, preventing her from dragging out the blade instinct told her too. Likely just an animal, but still she waited, crouched, breath steady and quiet.
Footsteps padded closer, paused, then shuffled closer again, then another pause. She glimpsed a blue directional light bouncing off the wall against the yellow glow of her lantern and realized it was a person. Shit. She had hoped not to cross paths with any of the gamekeepers down here; she didn’t know how many there were or what habits they kept, but Taehyung said there were only a few and not to worry about it.
Well she was worrying about it now as she listened to the crunch of slow, careful footsteps. Obviously footsteps now. Inspecting the light she had foolishly relied on. She’d been caught, shit!
She fished the dagger out from her thigh, annoyed still that she’d lost the one Nasimiyu gave her, usually easier to grab from her boot. Then she crouched, waiting, ready to pounce if the person did indeed discover her.
The figure stopped. She could only make out the rounded shadow moving closer to her abandoned lantern. Nothing else was left out there, she was sure of it –but then why did the figure pause so long beside the lantern and crouch down? Damnit, she should have extinguished and hidden the lantern as soon as she had light to see by. These were the sort of mistakes that got you killed.
“It’s dangerous being in the caves alone,” the man said, a weak and aged voice that evaporated in the heavy atmosphere as soon as the words were spoken. “To get out from here, put your right hand on the wall and take every turn you meet, never take your hand off. May the gods have mercy on your soul.”
With that he ambled away, his blue light rocking with his steps. Dulce remained tucked away until she was sure he was gone and only then slid out from the cramped space. Gingerly she picked up the lantern and looked around for any sign of who it was or any evidence of what he might have been looking at. Was it just the lantern? There was nothing else she could see. He was gone, her lamp left where she’d set it.
May the gods have mercy on your soul. Was it a threat? A warning? Sympathy? Did he know who she was or what she’d done, or was this how he handled anyone who wandered into the caves? It had sounded like Master Boutros, the game master she had met in these caves on the hunt so many weeks ago, but she couldn’t say for sure. Maybe everyone sounded like that when you made them live in an underground cave.
She took the tiara and tossed it as far into the cavern as she could. It disappeared quickly over the lip of the cliff she didn’t go anywhere near; she’d turned her back before that and let her right hand lead her out, just like he had said. She had no reason to believe it wasn’t a trap except her own gut at this point. She let some of the jewelry fall from her pockets on the way. Not to the ivy door though, to a different one she learned as she stepped through it, this one further down the mountain path than they had gone for the hunt. Just how turned around had she been in there?
Aware she had been gone a long time and that her thieving may already have been discovered, Dulce hurried back up the path to the palace, slowing when she neared the yard so she could make sure no one was in view before sliding through the gate. Her heavy pockets tugged with every step so she held them down and continued her steady gait through the yard, into the palace, through quiet halls until she reached Nasimiyu’s room. If anyone saw her at this point, she didn’t care; her scowl likely put them off.
She only grabbed a parasol from Nasimiyu’s wardrobe so she’d have a reason to make her way to the Sunflower Festival and meet up with Nasimiyu, –or rather with Taehyung, who was supposed to make sure he was visible to all and easy to find. From Nasimiyu’s window she tossed several of the jewels into the bushes far below, then set off again. On the way she took a detour through the hallway that ran near Prince Seokjin’s room and let one of his mother’s rings fall from the window into his courtyard. A bracelet joined it from another window. It wouldn’t make any sense why a thief would drop the jewelry there, but obviously Seokjin wouldn’t have taken it. Confusing was ok. Better than making a mistake while trying too obviously to throw people off your scent.
There were only a few things still in her pockets now and for a moment she contemplated hiding them in Mirta’s bed. But no, Dulce wasn’t someone who sought petty revenge on her own account. Instead she took a walk through the Queen’s garden to reach the front of the palace, and along the way pressed a ring and a bracelet into the dirt beneath a sweet statue of a little dancing girl.
The empty pockets should have left her feeling light as she set off for the Sunflower Fest, but she still felt weighed down. She’d tried to not take anything too sentimental looking but what did she know? No way was that tiara ever getting found. Once the things in Seokjin’s courtyard were found they’d probably scour the palace and find some of it but maybe not the things in the cave, which Master Boutros would probably find and thrift. Who would think to look under the statue in the garden?
Shit, what was wrong with her though? As if the royal family actually needed so many jewels, or specific jewels. How fortunate was it to own things at all? She’d barely made a dent in the queen’s rooms. There was so much there, if she hadn’t made a mess they might not have even noticed anything but the paintings were gone. If all of this was in service of Taehyung getting the painting of his mother, then so be it. The King and Prince could cry into their remaining riches.
The strong scent of wilting sunflowers had snuck up on her, the noise of the festive town kept back by her thoughts until she reached the main road and its bright yellow glow. She paused to stare up at an arch made completely of flowers reaching far over her head. Probably it had been beautiful hours ago but now the leaves were curling, the petals starting to tumble from the heavy, sagging stalks.
People crowded the main roads so densely it was difficult to move through, their feet trampling any flower that broke free from where they’d been tied to every surface, strung up rootless for the spectacle. So many of them it almost hurt to look at, second only in awe to actually walking through a field of living, growing sunflowers. Actually, pushing her way through people was not that different than stalks, trying not to trip on the children who darted past like energetic rabbits, avoiding the bumps and tugs of folks nudging past on their way to food or music or spectacles. A man juggled flaming torches, one of which landed too far and crushed a statue of flowers, impossible to tell what it had been, while the crowd shouted and laughed. Musicians tried to get a group to dance but there wasn’t space. A baby in her mother’s arms reached out a hand and poked delicately at the center of a flower, enraptured until a man jumped around it and shouted to scare the child, who promptly burst into tears while her mother scolded the man.
But Dulce couldn’t appreciate these little moments because it was too busy, too crowded, and she had somewhere to be. She wound her way through the maze of townsfolk, following the main roads as she suspected Nasimiyu would. She kept her eyes peeled for Nasimiyu’s tall dark head, or the uniformed guards, or a wave of people who might be circling around the King. Would Naimiyu and Prince Seokjin stay near his father or wander off on their own? Taehyung had promised to be near Nasimiyu and Nasimiyu would be…
Dulce had no idea. She’d never been to this sort of thing with Nasimiyu. She didn’t know what Nasimiyu would be drawn to. Nothing, was her guess.
So where would the Prince go? Food. But food was everywhere. Maybe music, which he seemed to like even though he claimed not to like dancing. But music was everywhere too. It seemed to usher forth from the flowers themselves, there was so much of it. Everything was so loud and bright and everyone was so happy and Dulce wondered if she had always been different or if life had made her different, to feel so incapable of joining this outpouring of community.
She moved away from the nearest knot of musicians. She wished she could find that cafe the Prince had shown her and hide in there but they were in the wrong part of town. Her stomach rumbled at the scent of delicious food but there wasn’t time. She needed to tell Taehyung the job was done so she could wash her hands of this and forget she’d been involved at all. Maybe she’d bum some coins off him and get something to eat.
A curtain of sunflowers swung across the walkway and somehow not been torn down yet. She walked through to see the fountain too overflowed with them, and children crowded around poking at them –except for a young woman who sat on the edge, and a man knelt before her, asking a question that made her shriek and throw her arms around him, and someone nearby grabbed a flower and ripped the petals off and made them rain down on the couples’ heads as they kissed.
Dulce couldn’t decide if the Festival was tragic or beautiful. Part of her envied the folks who could afford to bring whatever they wanted in the world right to their doorstep, and part of her despised the ruin of something when the flowers could have been left where they were instead of brought here to die, and part of her didn’t care at all. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered –flowers or jewels or tiaras or nice dresses. All these people who would enjoy the fair today and then back to lives of lonely drudgery tomorrow. The food they would eat and shit out, the beer they’d vomit up, whatever cheap goods they were scammed into buying. At best the children would remember the day as magical and then someday find themselves chasing an impossible joy before confronting the reality that it was only the glow of childhood that had made reality seem so lovely.
She didn’t regret that this was not something she could connect with, that’s just how it was.
On a whim she reached for the chain of her locket. The locket was the stupidest, most sentimental thing about her. She’d nearly tossed it many times to prove a point, only to keep it after all. It was a weakness, finding comfort in rubbing her thumb over the embossed face, she knew that. She would never risk her life over a piece of jewelry, and yet she still had it–
Had.
It was gone.
“Nothing matters,” she quickly, defensively reminded herself. A woman’s scream interrupted her, timed in such a way she thought it was in her head. Still, she instinctively spun as people suddenly bolted, and in the cleared space not two yards away, she watched a man leave his knife in Seokjin’s chest.
It hadn’t occurred to Seokjin until just now what a terrible meeting place the fountain was. It was right there, right in the middle of everything, and everyone was watching him, every step he took. He’d noticed it the second they walked through the sunflower arch, him with his bride-to-be on his arm. He knew the people would be curious about their future queen, but he hadn’t expected them to stare at him so much. He was just the same ol’! Did they think he was undergoing a transformation now that he had a fiance and was only weeks away from being a husband?
August now. November 1st they would marry and the woman loosely holding his arm would become his wife for the rest of his life.
Seokjin turned his attention to thinking about what food he might like to eat today. The smells flooded his senses, leading him by the nose along the street. He wanted to see all his options and choose carefully; he also wanted to buy everything that appealed to him and eat until he had to be rolled home, like he hadn’t since he was a child.
It would not endear him to Nasimiyu, that was for sure. He didn’t think she’d eaten a single thing since they arrived, certainly none of the things he had offered. It almost left him glad that Namjoon was hungry and eager to trawl the food vendors, just so he wouldn’t do it alone. Not that he minded being alone, but sometimes it was fun to do something not alone, even if just to discuss whether that peppered fruit had been spicy or if the chicken skewers were too chewy or if the takoyaki had too strong a flavor. Not that he really cared whether Namjoon enjoyed the food or not but it was something. Dulce would have understood and appreciated the food, he was sure of it. He didn’t think she would agree with him on everything but it would have been fun to learn. He wished he knew her well enough to predict.
Was he just going to think things like that now and pretend like it was normal? Maybe. He didn’t feel in the mood to be scolded right now.
“Do you want to wander that way?” Nasimiyu asked. She didn’t want to sit still for any of the shows or eat any of the food and yet she seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself and he couldn’t figure out why. He couldn’t decide whether to take it at face value or accept it was faked and play along.
But Seokjin couldn’t wander that way because he needed to meet with “K.” She hadn’t given him a time, only told him to meet her by the clock tower, which loomed down over him now from the nearest corner of the square. He also didn’t know what “K” looked like, only that she was someone who had known his brother closely –close enough to know that Seok-ho had broken a vase when they were children for which Seokjin had been blamed. Not just any vase, but one their father’s mother had made with her own hands. The men in their family were nothing if not sentimental. Seok-ho had let him take the blame, and though he didn’t make a habit of that sort of thing it had always lingered with Seokjin, that early lesson that his blessed, beloved brother could be selfish too.
He glanced around, expecting someone to approach, but probably K realized the difficulty as well, that it would be impossible to get him alone for any sort of private conversation.
Nasimiyu still eyed him expectantly and he felt he had no choice to nod and follow. Lidmila and Mindeulle wound around them and though he reached for Nasimiyu’s hand, she didn’t seem to notice and strode ahead, confident he would follow. It was nice to see her forming such good friendships with the other women, even if it felt strange to see her so close with Mindeulle. He wouldn’t have expected that. But hey, great! Wonderful. Probably Nasimiyu would want Mindeulle to stay and Namjoon would use it as an excuse to stay and Seokjin would never be rid of him.
He watched her duck under a curtain of sunflowers to follow Nasimiyu and was struck by the realization that any special fondness he’d ever held for Mindeulle had settled so peacefully into brotherly affection that it was hard to recall if any actually had existed or if his father had only put that thought there. He wouldn’t have even called it a crush, but whatever it was, it was snuffed out entirely; at most maybe it had been a distant affection of childhood. Had Nasimiyu entering his life really taken over his senses so profoundly?
Music suddenly struck up behind him, making him startle and spin. Marks and Jungkook were close on either side and remained stoic but Jimin grinned and Seokjin pretended not to know why. There was something familiar about the band though, and it took him a moment and a few steps forward to recognize them. It was the band that had played for the wedding he and Dulce wandered through that day in the city, when he’d almost asked her to dance, he was sure of it. It amused him to think about what she would have done if he had. Her agreement at the ball had surprised him, so maybe she would have surprised him that day too, but he thought it more likely she would have stared at him with those wide dark eyes –the same color as the center of a sunflower. Or maybe it was more like her hair, with that hint of reddish glow.
No wonder it felt like she was everywhere today despite being nowhere. If she’d come to the festival at all, he sure hadn’t seen her. Nasimiyu had brought other attendants. He’d seen Yoongi drinking a beer earlier and Taehyung was lurking nearby, pretending not to be visible, but since Dulce wasn’t with either of them, he thought that meant she hadn’t come. Or she was avoiding him. Probably it was for the best either way.
“Why are you grinning like that?” Jimin asked, sidling up to him. “Is the scent of the flowers going to your head?” He reached up to fix Seokjin’s collar and the braided trim looping from his shoulders. Wouldn’t it be a lot more fun here if he hadn’t needed to dress up? But Hoseok and Jimin insisted, and Nasimiyu would have been disappointed if he’d stepped out with her for the first time in a vest with no jacket. Still, he was just waiting for someone to spill something on his white trousers.
“Hmm yes, it’s that,” Seokjin joked, wafting the air towards his nose only to playfully cough. “Yes, still smells like Priva under there.”
“Did you mean to let the Princess leave you behind?”
“Ah, no… oops,” Seokjin admitted.
Jimin circled him, as if checking that nothing else was amiss with his outfit or maybe enjoying the clear ring of space the bodyguards maintained for him.
“You seem distracted today. What’s got into your head?” Jimin pressed.
“What do you mean? It’s the Sunflower Festival! Which means there’s absolutely nothing going on up there,” Seokjin assured him. He couldn’t understand why Jimin eyed him so suspiciously, even leaned close to peer into his face.
“You didn’t sit up all night reading, did you?” Jimin guessed.
Seokjin laughed –guiltily, truth be told– and cried, “What do you scold me, is that your place? Where’s Hoseok or Master Jung, that’s their job, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know where he is so I’m taking it over today. Where do you want to go now? Chin up, shoulders back, look your best.”
“Don’t speak so familiarly to me in public,” Seokjin teased. “People will think I’m a lenient prince. Where’s my fiance? Take me to her now!”
To Seokjin’s confusion, Jimin paused for a moment and looked at him in a way that felt pointed, or curious, or suspicious. Something that wasn’t the normal way Jimin would look at him and it made Seokjin self conscious. He wiped at his face in case there was something there but felt nothing.
“Is that what you’re worried about? I don’t know, you don’t tell me what you’re thinking these days, so how can I serve you? All right, I will take you to your princess,” Jimin said, suddenly animated again. He turned towards the curtain through which Nasimiyu had passed now some time ago and Seokjin took a step after him.
“Excuse me, do you want your fortune read?”
The voice reached him across the space and general noise of the festival, cut right through as if his ear marked it familiar, though it wasn’t. Seokjin turned to see the woman who had approached to address him, though no closer than Marks would allow.
“Your fortune read, Your Royal Highness?” The woman looked vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn’t quite recall where he’d seen her before. Her long face was pretty, though her dress was simple, her dark blond hair pulled back in a low ponytail. She reached up to touch her face and then tugged at the neckline of her shirt, where a heavy ring hung on a string, her only adornment. A moment longer than he would have admitted it, he realized the ring was a signet ring –his brothers, most likely, and that this woman might be, must be “K.”
“You’re a fortune teller?” he asked, wondering if that was true. He worried now he might be falling prey to a scam, or maybe this woman believed in whatever warning she read from the cards he didn’t believe in– but how had she got his brother’s ring?
“I have my tent only here,” she said and motioned behind her. It was almost a tent. Barely one. A couple heavy dark curtains were tied up, creating a small private space right beside a bustling side street.
Seokjin could feel the distrust rolling off Marks as the bodyguard nudged her back and tried to move Seokjin along, but he simply stepped around the bodyguard and agreed, “Yes, let’s see what my palm has to say.”
“Wha–” Jimin began but Seokjin ignored him and reached for the tent. He could see Marks thought this was absurd but he had no right to tell Seokjin no, and only motioned for the woman to wait as he stepped into the tent first, clearly with intention to stay.
“I’ll get my fortune told alone,” Seokjin announced. “You can all wait outside.”
“But Your Highness–”
“But Ser–”
“Do you think she’s going to slip poison into my mouth from across the table?” Seokjin demanded, gesturing to her as she waited at the opening.
“It’s not safe for you to be out of sight and alone,” Marks insisted.
Seokjin knew he was wasting time and decided, “Fine, Jungkook can come in with me. I guess I’ll be less embarrassed for him to hear if I’ve got a rotten fortune.” Anyone could have seen Jimin was hurt by this exclusion, so Seokjin pointed out, “It’s too small and Jungkook’s the bodyguard. I’ll tell you anything juicy over snacks tonight.” He didn’t wait for an answer but slid through the opening of the sheets after Marks had stepped out and Jungkook in. The woman came in last and tugged the curtain closed, then sat on one of two stools in the cramped space. There was a small table, but no cards or anything, only a single candle that put off an outrageous amount of heat as it burned low.
By it Seokjin saw her glancing warily at Jungkook, so he started in a quiet voice, “Are you K? You may speak freely in front of him, he’s both a bodyguard and a trusted friend.”
“I… if you say so…”
Jungkook’s brow scrunched in confusion and he opened his mouth to ask something but Seokjin tapped his lips with his finger and Jungkook stayed his tongue.
“We won’t have much time without seeming suspicious,” Seokjin told her, sitting on the stool and leaning close. He was already beginning to sweat in the trapped heat. The drapes did an eerily good job of muting both light and sound from outside but for all he knew Marks and Jimin were listening close and while he trusted at least Jimin, it was clear the woman was nervous.
Suddenly it struck him where he’d seen her before and he asked, “How are your children?”
“Oh. You do remember me?”
“Yes, it was you with your sons. Is he all right, the one who was hurt?”
“Yes, he’s all right. They’re with my mother right now.”
“So you can work? You’re a… fortune teller?”
“I’m not actually. Is this really so convincing? It’s the only way I could think to get time to speak with you.”
Impressed, Seokjin studied her concerned expression and asked, “What is it you want to talk to me about? Is that why you came to court that day? And why do you have my brother’s ring? Who were you to my brother?”
“His wife,” she breathed out, the word so airy and impossible that Seokjin thought he must have misheard.
“Pardon?”
“I am the wife of Seok-ho,” she said again, a little clearer.
“Um…”
“And those children you saw are his,” she added.
“That’s not possible,” Seokjin said as he racked his mind to see if it could be.
“I wish I had time to tell you everything, to tell you our entire love story,” she said. “It distressed him not to tell you but of course, I was secret. It wasn’t you he didn’t trust but everyone else.”
“How could he have a secret wife and children?” Seokjin argued. “It’s not possible.”
“We met here in the city. He used to visit the tavern I worked in–”
“My brother didn’t visit taverns.”
“He did,” she insisted. “In secret. I didn’t know who he was, he was always dressed as a commoner –handsome though. So very handsome.” Seokjin couldn’t say anything. It was impossible. It didn’t sound like his brother at all. “We fell in love. He bought us a house outside the city we met at sometimes, other times we stole time together in secret here. We married and I had our children and then… then he went on a military campaign he never returned from.”
Seokjin didn’t hide the confusion from his face. How else should he look when meeting a woman who insisted that his brother the royal prince had led a secret double life?!
She tugged the string over her head and handed him the ring.
“He gave me this and told me that if anything ever happened to him, I could contact you if I felt in trouble. He was certain you would understand and help his wife and children.”
“Yes of course I would but…” Seokjin looked at her, looked for any hint in her face she was crazy or lying. But she looked sincere, and the ring was real, and her story, as outlandish as it was… well, there was a flicker of belief among the doubt. He had always suspected his brother had a secret affair but he’d been thinking penpal, not commoner wife in the country. “But what did he think was going to happen? What did you think? He was going to have to marry as king.”
“I don’t know, to be honest. It’s not that I liked the secret life but a barmaid can’t become a queen and he was afraid for my safety if I was known. Your father never would have let him marry me. Sometimes he thought he would run away with me but he didn’t want to leave the crown to you.”
“Astonishing faith in me.”
“I meant– he said because you didn’t want it, and he wanted to protect you from the expectations and let you be free,” she corrected. “I didn’t explain it well. I don’t come from money or nobility or education or anything like that. But I loved your brother with everything I had, and he loved me back. I knew it every day, whether we were together or not. I would have lived my entire life his secret if I had to. We both knew something might have to change as the boys got older. My older one looks so much like him but he died before anyone could notice.”
Did he? Seokjin couldn’t remember at all, he hadn’t been paying attention except to the injured one. He certainly hadn’t been looking for traces of his brother.
“Why did you come to court if you wanted to stay hidden?”
“Your father knows about me,” she said. “And the boys. I don’t know how, but Seok-ho was certain and after that day in court, I’m positive as well. I think he even recognized me before I spoke. His whole face changed when he saw me and then my elder son. It wasn’t until my younger wandered up to the throne that he… well.”
“He’s sentimental about the chair that belonged to my mother.”
“I understand but you see, the reason I risked it, I had sent him a letter and I wasn’t sure he received it, or if he dismissed it. I think my life and that of my children is in danger.”
Seokjin didn’t dance around the truth and admitted, “If anyone knows about you, that’s probably true.” He paused, then added, “Technically your sons are in line ahead of me for the throne.”
“I don’t want that for them. That’s not why I sent you or your father notes,” she insisted. “The complete opposite. I just want to go far away and raise them in safety.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Money,” she said. “That’s the simple truth. Seok-ho meant to leave us with everything we would ever need, but the account he set up for me was suddenly empty one day and the bank wouldn’t tell me why. I wanted to know if your father emptied it. I can only think of a few people who would have the authority.”
“Who besides my father? We can’t just demand a bank account be turned over to us,” Seokjin argued. “And besides I don’t know why my father would do that.”
“I sent him a letter… I told you that. I’m sorry, I’m so nervous,” she admitted and only now did he realize her hands were trembling on the table. He reached forward and covered one with his own. Did he believe her or not? He didn’t want to. He wanted to remain suspicious. And yet he found himself believing her more with each word she spoke. If he accepted that he hadn’t known his brother very well at all –which was honestly, very true– then maybe this all sounded exactly like something his brother could and would pull off. It was why he would have made a good king. He knew what he wanted and made it happen. He couldn’t be swayed or coerced. He could do the impossible.
“I understand but you’re the safest you’ve ever been right now,” he found himself reassuring her. “Nothing gets past Jungkook.” The space was so cramped, it was more true than ever; Jungkook was practically resting on his back, hanging on to every word is disbelief, no doubt.
“Good. That’s good, that’s very good because I think you’re in danger too– sorry, I should say first, I don’t think Seok-ho’s death was an accident.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t, he was the king’s son in a war.”
“No, I mean– I mean I think he wasn’t killed in the battle, I think he was killed because of what he saw,” she said.
Seokjin was so heated by this point he thought he might faint but kept his hand on hers and asked, “What did he see?”
“I don’t know except that it had something to do with your uncle. He sent me a letter within a letter and asked me to make sure it was delivered to your father. The letter to me only said not to read it and that your uncle needed to be held accountable, that he had seen things he wasn’t meant to see, and that if anything happened to him, it would be even more important the letter reach your father.”
What was in the letter?! The need to know was going to drive Seokjin crazy but unlike Dulce, this woman seemed to not read other people’s letters.
“You really don’t know what was in the letter?”
“I wish. I wish I did. I should have read it… I did what he asked and brought it to the palace and put it right into the hands of… I don’t know his name but he’s always by the king. Dark hair, big nose, always dressed very nicely–”
“Could be anyone,” Seokjin muttered.
“Maybe Master Jung,” Jungkook murmured and Seokjin thought that could be true.
“If so it would have reached my father, that’s as close as you could have got.”
“I should have insisted on handing it to your father myself but… but I was so afraid of him, and I didn’t know how to get to him anyway, and I was very tired with child… so many excuses now!”
“You did the best you could. You did what my brother asked,” Seokjin tried to comfort her. She pulled her hands away to brush her hair back, though it was all still in place.
“I waited for another letter but none ever came. I had our second son. Hoya never saw him. I learned he’d died alongside everyone else in the city when it was announced.” She covered her face and drew a deep breath, shoulders shuddering.
“Everything all right in here?” Jimin asked, head suddenly poking through the flap.
“Ah, my fate is so tragic, it’s moving her to tears!” Seokjin called back. “Leave us be, it’s a rather good story.”
Jimin sighed and let the flap closed, but Seokjin heard him mutter to Marks, “It’s too hot in there, he’s going to faint and you’ll have to carry him home.”
“I’m sorry,” Seokjin said. “I… I wish I had something better to say.”
“Your uncle did something and Seokho wanted your father to know and he died for it. But what can I do about it? If I’m found out, he’ll kill me and our children too.”
“Yeah,” Jungkook thoughtlessly said and Seokjin tried to subtly elbow him. He needed to be less wrapped up in this tale and more alert to any danger.
She didn’t seem to have heard him anyway and continued, “Maybe your father wants us gone too, I don’t know. These are his grandchildren but– is it true, what you said? That they could have a claim on the throne?”
“Yes.”
“We don’t want that! But it makes it more dangerous for them, doesn’t it? If someone thinks that’s what we want?”
From me, Seokjin almost pointed out. He was the one whose claim was threatened by their existence and she had come right to him. And yet he would never have risked even a hair on one of their heads over the throne. His brother must have known that, too. Seokjin felt embarrassed with pride that his brother would put so much confidence in him. If only Seok-ho had ever seemed to think so highly of him while he lived, their relationship could have been so different…
“It does and you can’t help that,” Seokjin assured her. “I can give you all the money you need to disappear. That’s easy. I can give you enough for your journey and send notes ahead to wait for you and I won’t tell anyone in the world where you are –only I will know. If you need more help you can send me a letter.”
“That’s… thank you. It feels wrong to ask…”
“It’s not wrong,” Seokjin said. “We’re family. As for what my brother saw and my uncle… my father…” He sighed and gave a sharp shake of his head. “I don’t know what to do about that.”
“Do you believe me?”
“That my uncle is doing something nefarious and killed my brother to cover it up? I don’t doubt it at all. I wish I knew more. The best I can do is ask my father but I’ll have to figure out how to do it without making him suspicious I’ve met you… I’ll figure it out,” he assured her, sounding more confident than he felt.
If his brother had been murdered by his uncle, there was justice to demand. But Seokjin had never been very demanding, and didn’t know how to start now. How was he supposed to investigate, or convince his father there was anything to investigate? Did his father really know about Seok-ho’s secret wife? If so, was he protecting her or ignoring or, or did he not know after all? Sentimental about his grandchildren or ignorant? He’d adored Seok-ho, surely he wouldn’t let his murder go if he had suspicions. His father and uncle disagreed politically all the time, but his father didn’t replace him which said a lot. He didn’t think his father would be involved in the same business but… but what did he know? Nothing. Seokjin Kim knew nothing about anything.
He handed the ring back to her and said, “Go to Paloma. Go to the biggest town in Paloma. Here, I’ll give you all the money I have –Jungkook, give me all your money.”
“What? Hyung,” Jungkook complained, forgetting himself and being familiar.
“Oh, no, it’s–” the woman tried, but Seokjin insisted, “Money is one thing neither of us is short on. Take this. If you tell me where you’re staying, I’ll send Jungkook with more and then you should set out right away, as soon as you can hire transport.”
“Paloma?”
“The biggest town,” Seokjin said again, because he did not actually know which one that was.
“And you’ll find out what happened to Seok-ho?” she asked, naked hope in her eyes. “It feels wrong for his death to be swept away like that. He wanted to fix something and… and I don’t even know if my letter got to your father.”
“I’m sure it did and he just didn’t know what to do about it or whether it was really my brother, but I’ll lend my doubts to Seok-ho’s and find out the truth,” Seokjin assured her. Realizing he hadn’t asked, he did so now, “What’s your name?”
“Kanna,” the woman answered.
“And my nephews?” The words sounded fake. He had nephews? He felt hungry for family in that moment, for more than just his depressed, eccentric father and cruel uncle and Taehyung who seemed to taunt death constantly so that Seokjin was afraid to love him too much.
“Masao and Yori.”
He repeated the names and wished there was a way to meet them. There wasn’t that he could see, not that wouldn’t endanger them and their mother. Seok-ho had loved this woman. His dead brother had trusted Seokjin to take care of them after he was gone, and that touched Seokjin deeply.
“Why did you wait so long to contact me?” Seokjin asked.
“I… I didn’t think you’d believe me. I didn’t want to risk our safety but it’s getting hard without the money, and I can’t sleep at night worrying that I failed Hoya. It’s just been weighing on my chest that he was murdered and I didn’t do anything.”
“There’s nothing else you can do,” Seokjin insisted. “Will you take on my uncle all by yourself? You’ve told me and now I’ll take care of it.”
“Maybe I’ve put you in danger by telling you, but maybe you’re already in danger. Your brother worried so much about you. He spoke about you all the time.”
“Flattering things, I’m sure,” Seokjin snorted.
“He said you were the most admirable and infuriating person he’d ever met,” she told him. “He said you were too good to be king, that only someone as selfish as him could handle it but that… that because he was selfish, he couldn’t give me up either… He spoke so unkindly of himself like that sometimes. He was so haunted by letting you take the blame for breaking that blue vase!” she laughed.
Seokjin found himself laughing too, “He told you about that.”
“He said if I told you about it, you would know I was telling you the truth because I’m the only one he ever admitted to that he broke the vase.”
Seokjin shook his head and sighed and blinked back the tears as he muttered, “Damn him.” His brother had loved him so much after all? Seokjin had known him so little after all. And now he was dead and they would never get to share their love stories or let their children run wild together at the Sunflower Fest or watch their wives… do whatever it was sisters-in-law did together, he didn’t actually know.
“Your Majesty,” Marks called from the flap and Seokjin understood he had lingered too long now.
He took Kanna’s hand to squeeze as they both stood and insisted, “I’ll send you the money later tonight and the bank notes will be waiting in Paloma. Promise me you’ll go quickly.”
“I will. I feel much better having told you, having met you. I’m sorry we couldn’t know each other more.”
There was nothing to do but agree with that, and then let Jungkook lead him out of the tent where Marks stood alert. Jimin had grown bored and wandered over to join Taehyung and flirt with some pretty girls, but they both came over as soon as Seokjin was clear of the tent. He felt like he’d sweat out a tenth of his body weight.
“You look…” Jimin trailed off and looked around for something to fan him with.
“You were getting your fortune read?” Taehyung asked. “I want mine read.”
“Not here you don’t. It didn’t exactly seem… legitimate,” Seokjin said quickly, as if he didn’t want Kanna to hear. “Good for a laugh but I’m not sure she actually knows what she’s talking about. I’m supposed to get stomped by a horse before the next full moon, so mind you keep those beasts away from me. Ah, there’s Nasimiyu,” he said as she strode back through the sunflower curtain with a determined look on her face, clearly looking for him.
“And Namjoon,” Jimin added as he made a beeline for them at the same time.
“Well I know which of those two I’d rather talk to,” Seokjin laughed. “Taehyung, go.” He used the moment of everyone shifting around to lean close to Jungkook and whisper, “Stay here for a moment and make sure no one bothers her.”
“You got it,” Jungkook said and took a step back as Nasimiyu reached him.
“Where were you? I thought you were right behind us,” she accused.
“I’m sorry, I got distracted. I’ll follow you anywhere now,” he promised. He did not point out she had left him behind some time ago. Had she only noticed?
“There was a little dancing monkey,” Mindeulle gushed, all giggles with Lidmila.
“Oh you saw the monkey?” Seokjin asked, before adding, “He’s here every year.”
“He was very polite,” Nasimiyu grinned. “Shook my hand.”
“You… like monkeys?”
“Yes, I like monkeys, if they’re clever or funny. Some of them are rather mischievous…”
Seokjin would never have expected this. It left him speechless, and unfortunately open to Namjoon successfully reaching them.
“Seokjin, your father is uh– I think he could use you right now,” Namjoon told him, leaning in but doing a poor job of lowering his voice.
Seokjin’s suspicion was immediate as he argued, “What could he possibly need me for? He doesn’t need me.”
“Just come on.” Namjoon beckoned. Seokjin knew exactly what his father would be up to today –running around like the most cheerful man on earth until he’d drunk enough for it to turn into longing for his dead wife, at which point he’d sink into despair and his guard would foist him away to the palace. No Seokjin needed. He felt no inclination to go now. He had a lot to think through. His was going to get indigestion.
But Nasimiyu followed Namjoon, which left Seokjin in the awkward position of having to follow as well. He did make one pitiful effort to distract her by pointing out a nearby shop with jewelry if she’d like him to buy her something nice instead of forging ahead to see whatever embarrassing thing his father might be doing. Not that Seokjin was embarrassed by his father in general, nor did he embarrass easily, but that was exactly it, that whatever his father was doing that Namjoon found so inappropriate Seokjin needed to rush to his side was in fact just the way his father was.
“He was right here…” Namjoon said, stopping short and looking around. They’d stopped beside a tavern that had set up tables and several beer kegs on the sidewalk to let the celebration spill over. Namjoon craned his neck looking around while Seokjin counted his blessings and turned to Nasimiyu to suggest they wander like she’d said. He had a lot of trying of things bouncing around his mind and it would be better to just walk dumbly beside her for a while until he could reconcile the fact that he had a sister-in-law and two nephews who he would never see again. That his brother had hidden this from him, but also known he could count on Seokjin when needed, without explanation.
“Oh there he is,” Nasimiyu said –or maybe it was actually Lidmila, but Seokjin wasn’t paying attention until Nasimiyu nudged his arm and Namjoon gestured for him to lead the way.
Confused, Seokjin pointed out, “He’s fine.” In fact his father the king seemed more than fine, one arm thrown out while he laughed around a deep mug of beer.
“He was on the verge of something just a minute ago,” Namjoon insisted.
“On the verge of what?” Nasimiyu pressed and Seokjin found himself fond with gratefulness that she was taking his side. Not that there were sides between him and Namjoon in this but kind of there were.
“He was waving his sword around and beer in the other, shouting about love and death,” Namjoon said. Seokjin was not sure he believed him. His father’s sword was safely tucked away in its scabbard, not even a hand on the pommel, and he seemed perfectly in control of his emotions.
Until he saw Seokjin and let out a shockingly cheerful shout, “Ah, my boy!” Maybe that was a little suspicious, for his father to be so openly cheered by the sight of him. “Let me tell you, my son could never hold his alcohol, but this boy can!” the king added to the folks nearest him around the kegs. Seokjin suppressed a sigh. Was he proud or backhanded? He shouldn’t be calling Seokjin this boy to the people he would rule someday.
“Let’s escort him home?” Nasimiyu suggested. “We can come back.”
Seokjin gave her a look. As if he could escort his father anywhere. What an absurd idea. King Donggun would go where he wanted, when he wanted.
“Seokjin, Namjoon, come drink with me,” he shouted. “Nasimiyu, will you drink? I will gather the ducklings just like your mother would have wanted. Mindeulle, who are you here with, my son and other ladies? Time you met someone…”
Mindeulle inhaled sharply enough that Seokjin did step forward, interrupting, “Father, what, you want a drink with me? I’ll drink you under the table, old man. Your men there will have to carry you home.”
“You brat, I’ve been drinking beer since before you were a tickle in my balls.”
“You should have stopped before you tickled, old man, I’ll unseat you,” Seokjin countered, and tried first to take the beer out of his father’s hand before simply accepting the one someone else handed him. He was trying to end this, not join the drink.
“What other ducklings have we got around here? Everyone’s mothers are dead, isn’t that a joke of the heavens? Why is that? It’s not right. Our worlds revolve around them even after death, but they would forget us. Little Lidmila, I see you hiding there, your mother is still alive,” he called. “And can drink with the best of them!”
Lidmila looked like she wanted to slip beneath a table and evaporate. She practically dove behind Nasimiyu.
“Stableboy, I see you. Have a drink on me!” the king called and Seokjin didn’t know if it was paternal, or taunting, or if he was so drunk he’d forgotten about his own progeny.
“Why do you want to drink with the children?” Seokjin asked. “Where are your own friends, father?”
“Damn them to hell, I don’t know. Sleeping late I should think, or hiding from me. What’s wrong with them on a day like this, eh? It’s beautiful, beautiful, your mother will love it,” he said.
Will.
“Yes, the flowers are beautiful,” Seokjin said and his father’s head lolled to the side and he grinned and sighed.
“They are. They are beautiful today. They’ll be gone by tomorrow. Their beauty never lasts.” He trailed off as he said it and for a moment Seokjin feared he was slipping into one of his stupors, which would make him nearly impossible to move home. Then he realized his father had forgotten himself and stared at Taehyung. Likely it wasn’t only the queen his father mourned today, but Seokjin wasn’t worried his father would let something like that slip. After all these years, King Donggun hadn’t drunkenly tattled on his own affair.
“They’d go running around together here, those girls,” King Donggun sighed. “Both of ‘em pretending to be commoners for the day. Sukdheep thought it was horrifying but she’d humor her, humor her anything. Are you as full of humor as your mother, Little Lidmila?”
“...Yes, sir?” Lidmila guessed, clearly not sure what to say.
“Where’s your mother today?” the king asked. “I was never as close to her… but I look around and everyone is gone but the two of us. Just me and the ducklings left. I’m the last one who should be left with all the baby birds. Two clumsy hands, I’ve got!” He waved the mug of beer and some sloshed over his hand and splashed onto Seokjin’s shoes and across the trousers of one of the king’s guards, who stepped back in surprise. “What’s wrong, afraid of a little beer, you coward?” King Donggun laughed and flung the rest of the beer directly onto the guard.
“Father, that’s rude even for you,” Seokjin scolded, trying not to sound shocked in case it just egged him on further. The guard stepped back, stoic but whole body stiff with obvious anger. Seokjin didn’t even know the man’s name, he must be on the newer side and maybe hadn’t understand what he was signing up for.
“Who do you think you are?” Donggun demanded, then suddenly softened as he looked at Seokjin and admitted, “You look so much like her, it makes me love and hate you.”
“Is that so?” Seokjin said. He’d meant to say something funny but his mind had betrayed him. He didn’t want to be near his father anymore, not today. His father was just drunk and vacillating between bitter and nostalgic. Seokjin and Nasimiyu didn’t need to be here to witness it. His father had taken care of himself for this long and didn’t need an loved-but-hated son tidying him up. Namjoon knew that by now, Seokjin didn’t see why he’d been fetched, unless Namjoon felt like Seokjin should be up for some emotional torment –not that this was much of anything. It barely registered. Hadn’t his father just said he loved him? That was nice.
“Her eyes were always laughing too but she was kinder about it,” Donggun said just as Seokjin began to turn, to lead Nasimiyu off to something more fun than this. The complaint made Seokjin hesitate –his father could be painfully, cleverly cruel when drunk, but his voice sounded almost hurt.
“Wha? I’m unkind? What can–” you possibly mean by that Seokjin had begun to say, turning back after all to demand his answer, just as a man slid into the space left by the guard who’d turned to dab the beer off his suit. Just as this man raised the knife.
It wasn’t that he thought about whether to act or not. Honestly, it was stupid of him, wasn’t it? How embarrassing, that despite nearly twenty-five years of training, Seokjin’s instinct was not to disarm or even attack the man. He did in fact grab the man’s wrist as he dove between his father and the assailant, but failed to shove the weapon safely away. Instead he noticed how surprised the man looked as the blade sank into Seokjin’s chest, sliding in his left side with little resistance until the blade scraped against bone. Seokjin didn’t know a blade could skewer a body that gently. He had never dreamed how obvious the scrape of blade against his bone would be.
Things happened very quickly but they felt slow to Seokjin. Someone screamed. Multiple people screamed. Someone knocked the assailant away and Seokjin looked down at the knife protruding from his body when there wasn’t supposed to be something sticking out of him like that. Someone grabbed his shoulders and spun him around and his father shouted at him,
“Are you stupid?!”
“I think so,” Seokjin mumbled as more people grabbed his arms, he wasn’t even sure who, but it felt like he was falling. Nasimiyu looked worried, that was nice. Where had Dulce come from? Had she always been here? He was falling –no, he was being eased back onto something. Someone reached for the blade, or their hand was close, and he shouted because everything in his body told him that something wasn’t supposed to be there and it burned but it would be worse if it wasn’t there anymore. He didn’t want anyone touching it. He didn’t want anyone touching him either but Jungkook’s face was over his and he could hear Jimin’s voice shouting for people to get back. At least he thought that’s what the urgency meant.
Seokjin shouted as it felt like he was thrown into the air but he was only lifted. The board was hard beneath him and didn’t let his body curl in around the pain the way he wanted to. Without meaning to he reached for the blade, maybe it needed to come out after all, but a hand grabbed his arm and pressed it down to his side.
“Don’t let him take it out.” He recognized Dulce’s voice, or maybe she’d said that before, everything was all out of order right now. It was Nasimiyu’s hand holding his arm down. Jimin held the other arm down. He didn’t like being held down like that and complained but no one seemed to care, or maybe he wasn’t quite saying words. It didn’t hurt the way he’d expected it to but it was impossible to breathe or move. Maybe that had more to do without everyone moving so quickly around him than the injury. It was just a small knife. Wasn’t it not a big deal? It went in so easily, it could come out so easily too.
“Hey, hey,” he called to any of them that would listen. It didn’t feel right to be lying on his back on a plank as Jungkook and Marks carried him. “Don’t you know I have an image to uphold? I’m not dead, let me walk!” Everyone was being way too serious and it scared him. Was it worse than he thought?
“Stay still,” Jimin scolded.
“At least carry me on your shoulders like a king, let me sit up.”
“Just be quiet right now, hyung,” Jungkook said. “You’ll be ok. You’ll be fine. Just let us get you all to safety. You won’t die.”
“Yah, why don’t you sound sure?” Seokjin laughed, then winced. He didn’t want the people around him to panic but damn. Something was wrong. It was suddenly so cold, and wasn’t that someone thought right before they died? What if the blade had gone right into his heart and he was bleeding out…
“Ok fine run faster, I’m tired from doing heroics,” he said, wincing as the board jostled.
“What?” Nasimiyu asked, then, “What did he say? He’s so quiet…” He appreciated that she sounded worried. She did, didn’t she? That was good, for his future wife to be worried about him when he got stabbed in the chest. But where was she? She wasn’t holding his arm anymore, Taehyung was, and Nasimiyu was gone, and Dulce was staring down into his face –no, it was sunflowers overhead as the board was loaded into the back of a wagon. So many people were shouting still and Seokjin only just realized it because it hadn’t stopped so he’d tuned it out.
He cried out as the wagon jolted into action, and beside him Jimin rubbed his hair and soothed, “It’ll be fine. It’ll be fine. You can’t die yet so you won’t, everything will be fine.”
“I’m not going to die,” Seokjin agreed. “This doesn’t seem like a good day for dying. I just need to lay down for a while.”
“You’re already laying down. Seokjin? Seokjin?”
Nasimiyu couldn’t bear to be next to Seokjin in the wagon –not that his guards wanted her there anyway. His manservant Jimin practically bodied her away as the wagon began to roll, but when King Donggun called for a horse, she echoed his demand, and so the two rode in the dust of the wagon with half their guards mounted around them, half running alongside to shout people away from the path. It was panic and chaos, between the people who didn’t know what was happening except it was something terrible, Lidmila and Mindeulle who both fluttered around like trapped moths as she left them behind, even in her own heart that couldn’t believe what she had just seen and didn’t know what it meant. Seokjin couldn’t die yet. This wasn’t her doing. Neither of them were supposed to die until she was securely married, so who had done this?! He must be in so much pain.
She reached the palace yard and let the horses be taken control of and didn’t spare a second thought about it. They were slowly lowering Seokjin from the wagon to carry inside but he wasn’t making any noise and she didn’t know what that meant. If he’d been stabbed in the heart, he would already be dead. She couldn’t tell. Even though she saw the knife slide into him again each time she closed her eyes, she wasn’t sure where it hit, and she found herself too afraid to draw close. Instead she looked around, trying to figure out who did this, and whether she was in danger too. She took steps towards Seokjin, then back towards the yard to look for Dulce, then towards the palace because Dulce would tell her to get somewhere safe, right? That’s what she should do. Where was safe when she didn’t know who had just attacked the King and Seokjin, or why, or if she was next?
“Go to your room,” a voice commanded, as clear to her ear as if it had been whispered there. She looked back as Dulce appeared on a horse behind Mindeulle, Lidmila and her mother on others, Namjoon as well. Apparently more houses could be found after all, and in a way Nasimiyu felt like the true guard had just rolled in. They were in the palace and these people would keep her safe.
Dulce slid from behind Mindeulle –what a place for Nasimiyu’s maid to ride! She wondered how that had come about but was too frazzled to ask. Instead she waited for Dulce to approach, and urge again,
“Go to your room with your guards in with you until we know what happened. Unless you already know?”
“I don’t know,” Nasimiyu insisted. “This wasn’t…”
“So go,” Dulce said again. They both watched as Lidmila’s mother went racing into the palace, where Seokjin and the King had already gone. Dulce looked like she planned to run after them.
Nasimiyu grabbed her arm, “Come with me too. Please.”
“I’ll come with you,” Lidmila said, leaping from her horse to Nasimiyu’s side in no more than three steps. Mindeulle and Namjoon were arguing in hushed whispers several yards away as the stablehands ran around shouting about whose fucking horses were these? As if that mattered right now.
“Yes, both of you,” Dulce agreed. “Go. I’ll find out what’s going on.”
“No, come with us,” Nasimiyu argued. “What if there’s someone…”
“There’s no one–” Dulce began but was cut off by a woman’s shriek from within the palace. It was not the direction the others had gone. Nasimiyu’s instinct was to jump back onto the horse and ride far away but Dulce dashed without hesitation in the direction of the scream. Mindeulle and Namjoon ran after Dulce, and Nasimiyu’s feet carried her after them without meaning to. Lidmila grabbed her arm to hold her back but Nasimiyu felt tethered to Dulce and Mindeulle and Namjoon; she took Lidmila’s hand and pulled her along, too. Nowhere was safe but these people she was following were probably the ones who could protect them best. Everything Dulce had taught her about self defense had left her mind.
It wasn’t clear who had shrieked, but the why would never be forgotten. Seokjin’s bodyguard –the young one, not Jungkook but the other young one whose name Nasimiyu didn’t know– hung by the neck from the balcony, his bloody body swaying at the end of a velvet sash. A piece of paper was pinned to his chest though no one could read it from below.
“Don’t cut him down!” Dulce shouted at the servants rushing around the balcony. “Pull him up gently.”
“She’s right! Don’t disturb anything that could be on his clothes!” Namjoon yelled. “Don’t do anything until I’m there!” To those close, he muttered, “For all we know they’re fucking in on it. Nobody can be trusted right now– All of you get to Nasimiyu’s room and stay there with the guards– Dulce, you go with them.”
“I need to–”
“You need to get your mistress and these ladies to safety,” Namjoon ordered. “I’ll deal with this. Go!”
“I’ll help,” Mindeulle offered her brother.
“No I can’t keep arguing with you, all of you go and hole up until we know who’s doing this.” He gave Mindeulle a rough shove towards Nasimiyu and set off at a run for the stairs, shouting again at the servants not to do anything until he was there.
Dulce looked furious, conflicted, but not afraid and Nasimiyu wanted to wrap around her. In the chaos, of course Dulce would be calm and sure of what to do. Nothing would get past Dulce. If Nasimiyu hadn’t sent Dulce away, maybe Dulce would have even stopped the blade before it got to Seokjin. Nasimiyu was sure of it.
“Dulce,” she called, reaching for her, accidentally bumping Lidmila, who had her hands over her eyes.
“Go to your room. I’ll be there after I see what’s happening with the prince.”
“But Namjoon said–”
“He doesn’t give me orders and neither do you. All three of you go now, I’ll be there soon, you know my knock.”
That order given, Dulce took off. If Mindeulle and Lidmila were shocked by this behavior between the two of them, they said nothing, just looked to Nasimiyu for the first step forward. Nasimiyu tried to pull herself together despite the sick feeling of helplessness.
“All right, both of you with me. Guards, follow close. We’ll set up a safe space in my room for now.” Her voice sounded shockingly stable as she led the way, fists balled to hide the shaking of her hands. This was no time to fall apart. Just because someone was hunting the royals and their guards for sport, didn’t mean she was next. She wasn’t part of this royal family. Yet.
Why the fuck wasn’t Dulce with her?
The palace was in chaos but they cut through it, not slowing their steps until all three women and several extra of Nasimiyu’s trusted guards and a couple of her maids were inside her room.
“Brace the door,” she ordered. “No matter what, don’t let those doors open until I say.”
“What do we do? My mother is out there!” Lidmila cried.
“I think she went to be with the King and Seokjin so she’ll be surrounded by guards. For now we… wait,” Nasimiyu said, looking around at those sheltering with her.
“For what?” the maid Bab whispered to Eula.
“Until I say so,” Nasimiyu said, loftily. Unwilling to say the real answer: For Dulce.
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Jin | Unwanted Reunion (II)
Summary: After the festivities Seokjin and you had in bed, it feels like to much, but at the same time, so little has changed. Your emotions are everywhere, and Seokjin is getting more and more desperate to make you love him again. Too bad there’s so many distractions around his own castle now, so maybe a trip to place with no distractions would just what both of you need.
Pairing: Demon King!Seokjin x Human!Reader
Genre: demon!au, soulmates!au, royalty!au, exs-to-lovers, smut, fluff, angst
Rating: 18+
Warnings: mutual pining, implied m/m sex, oral sex (f), discussions of past murder, secrets revealed, confessions, big dick!Seokjin, dom!seokjin, soul bonding, mating, vaginal sex, multiple positions, ass slapping, markings, clingy!Seokjin, Seokjin is so in loveeee~
Part 1 | II Teaser
。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。
You don’t think you’ve ever felt more alive than waking up that next morning. It was like a blanket was lifted off of you as you opened your eyes. The usual dark sky in this dimension having a slight bright blue tinge to it now. It’s light casting down on you softly through the undraped window.
Today, the morning after a night filled with emotions you haven’t felt in a long time, or at least haven't let yourself feel, now has you debating turning over and cuddling the person responsible for these emotions. Yesterday was incredible to say the least. Letting go of all worries, and releasing so much stress all at once, but with the person you did it with has your emotions and thoughts scattering everywhere. Because just the day before you would have never imagined doing such a thing in a very long time.
You know he’s there, laying behind you. Never once has Seokjin left you in bed alone in the morning, and you doubt this morning would be the one he decided to run out the room for. Now it’s just up to you if you want to be the one running out of the room. Even the thought of leaving right now is weird, making your heart hurt, but wouldn’t it be the smart thing to do? To show him last night meant nothing, and he means nothing to you? That’s what you’ve been going with thus far, so why should now be any different?
Even though none of that is true—last night proving that much entirely. That you don’t want to be away from him, and any complaints of being by him again all being false.
You sigh, not realizing how loud it was until you hear shuffling of the bed sheets material behind you… but also noticing that you haven’t left the bed yet, even after you told yourself you should.
Because you don’t have the power to leave him again.
Seokjin’s awake, and he’s very much aware that you’re too. As much as he wants to wrap his arms around you, holding you close and giving you all of his affections, he knows you’re probably in a difficult spot right now. Last night was… it was amazing, but you spent a very long time trying to push him away. To keep him at arms length, and all it took was for him to be outside your door for you to let him back into your arms again. To move right back to where Seokjin and you left off two years ago—half naked, and horny.
But that’s not all it was. It wasn’t just sex. It never was just sex. Even now, as Seokjin looks at your naked back with your hair cascading down it, it’s not just sex that he’s thinking about. He’s thinking about worshiping you, kissing and gliding his fingers across your skin to feel how warm and soft you are. To hold you against his chest, and burry his nose in your hair again to the point his nose becomes numb to the smell. You’ve always just been more.
That’s why, he doesn’t move. He continues staring at your back, hearing your soft breathing as you contemplate what to do, and he waits for you to decide. He wants you forever, but he’ll never force his love onto you. Not fully, that is.
He understands this whole plan went overboard, and maybe even yesterday he shouldn’t have done what he did since it now puts you in this position, but he just wanted one last chance. One last chance to invite you into his life, and take the leap together into being the king and queen.
You’ve always been his queen, though. To Seokjin you’re his everything, and to him that’s enough to give you that unwritten title. He gave you his heart without needing to mate, so making you the rightful queen was just as easy for him.
Sliding his fingers across the dark satin bed sheets, he itches to touch you. It itches and scratches at his chest to just be with you and make you his. To entrap your souls for eternity, and make what he already knows to be true a reality. But still, he respects you enough to be patient. Pulling his hand back and taking his eyes off your back.
Maybe he should get up first. It doesn’t seem like you’re wanting to see him, or even recognize his presence, at that moment, so maybe he should just leave. Get out of bed, and leave you-… Seokjin holds back a hiss as a headache comes on from that incomplete thought.
He knew this would also happen from last night. The pain of being away from you increasing to the point it hurts him just to think about it. Pressing his fingers against his temples, he tries to sooth it away. He tries to tell his body you’re not his in that way, so it shouldn’t react to the need of enveloping you in his arms.
Just when he’s about to prove to his body this much, breathing out a sigh before he actually gets out of bed, you turn around to face him.
Seokjin is frozen in his half moving and half laying down position when your body turns to face him. Your clutching the blanket close to your chest, and your bottom lip is wobbling. His eyes, contrast to your squinting ones, are wide since he did not expect to see your two pupils dilate or seeing your face him at all this morning. But here you are, facing Seokjin with a frown on your face and two eyes that have now become glossy as the hesitant moment from seeing you passes.
Once Seokjin notices the unfailing tears, he’s on the move. Pulling you towards him until you’re both flush against each other. Even if it’s not what you wanted—not wanting to be held by him and feel all the longing emotions that were created last night—this was his last straw. Your tears have always been the worst. The one clear emotion of sadness he could never ignore when it comes from you.
As your face is buried in his chest, a sob rocks out of you. Vibrating through his chest until the sob hits his heart.
“I’m sorry,” Seokjin whispers into your hair because he knows your tears are because of him. That whatever unstopping emotions you just felt before was because of him.
He doesn’t need to know what the emotions are, he already understands. By the way you recuperate in cuddling him, wrapping your arms around his middle, and sobbing, “It’s okay.” He knows it’s because your once hard resolve has finally broken.
———
That morning… was over a week ago. You can’t remember the last time you cried, but when you did it felt like a relief. Like you finally accepted what your life is like, and crying tears of sorrow and joy for your life you tired to live, as well as the life you were most likely going to live.
You haven’t told Seokjin about your epiphany. That no matter what happens, or what situation causes it, that you don’t have the power to leave. That simply leaving a shared bed with him was too hard for you to do, to the point you stayed in his arms another hour before he carried you into the shower.
It’s been peaceful since that day. Not so filled with silence as the shower was when he cleaned you of all the regrets of the past, and you cleaned him of all the pain you’ve cause. You wonder if he felt that way too, or if it was all just an illusion.
You know one thing isn’t an illusion, though, and that’s the big fat hickey on your best friends neck. You press your fingers onto the blue bruise on Jimin’s neck, making him squeal when you squint your eyes at him in question. “Since when have you been alright with getting hickeys?”
Jimin swats your hand away, blushing like an idiot trying to look angry. “Since when have you stared at guys like they own the world?”
You feel your own blush coming on, but you can’t even fake being angry when the embarrassment runs through you. Jimin is referring to you from yesterday. When he caught you staring at Seokjin from across the table and… yeah, you thought he looked like he owned the fricken world! Sue me for thinking the king of demons is hot!
But it wasn’t just him being hot that you were thinking of in that moment. You were also thinking about what he did to you the night before. Your proceedings of sharing a bed haven’t ended with that night a week ago. No. Instead it’s gotten much more heated and much more close to further advantages.
Who can deny that when seeing the love of their life looking up from between your legs, eating you out like a four coarse meal, is the sexiest thing you’ve ever seen in your life?! So sexy that you couldn’t get the picture out of your mind even now.
You can, that’s who. You can deny us straight to Jimin’s face. Denying it even now like a fool. “I-I didn’t do that.”
Jimin rolls his eyes, unconvinced. “Mhmm… you really expect me to believe nothing happened between you two?”
“Well…” You scratch the back of your neck, glancing around the garden you two are in to buy you sometime while you think up something to say. “I wouldn’t say nothing, but… Hey! Stop distracting me! I’m trying to be angry at you!”
Jimin winces, realizing he’s failed at steering your attention away from Taehyung and him. “I-I just thought about it, and—I mean—you know?”
Your eyes droop, looking at your friend like the idiot he is. “And—I mean—you know? That’s all you have to say for forgiving the demon that lied to you?”
Jimin pulls his lip through his teeth, feeling your anger radiating off of you and knowing there’s not much he can do once you get heated like this. He knows you always mean well, but you’re also stubborn enough that once your mind is made up then that’s it. Taehyung lying to him hitting you harder that it ever did him.
“There’s nothing I can do about it now, y/n. I love him, so what else can I do besides accept it?”
“Accept it?” Jimin nods his head, and you look away from him in shame. You don’t understand how he could just accept it. Accepting a life with demon that lied to him from the very start… or maybe even broke his heart.
You shut your eyes, breathing in the cold air of the underworld in frustration because you know that last thought wasn’t directed towards Jimin and Taehyung at all. The person it was directed at has your friend stiffening on the bench next to you when he magically appears in front of you both. You slowly opening your eyes back up, smelling the stink of sulfur because the king of demons decided to pop up in front of you.
“Hi, Seokjin.” The demon in question beams at hearing you say his real name. Something you’ve been doing a lot more often for his benefit lately. “What brings you here?”
You don’t know why you even asked because you already know the answer. “You, of course.” Seokjin glances at Jimin looking in every other direction but at him. “Hey Taehyung-“ Taheyung appears out of no where—most likely being there the whole time. “You should bring Jimin to the falls. I think he’ll like it.”
Jimin doesn’t even need an explanation of what the “falls” were. He’s up and out of his seat, clutching onto Taehyung and pulling him away as fast as he can within seconds. You scoff, hating the loyalty from the demon to Seokjin, and disliking how scared Jimin is of Seokjin. Most people are scared of him, but you also know it’s falsely placed, so seeing your friend act this way because of nothing but titles and rumors is ridiculous to your eyes.
“Well, bye to you too Jimin!” He looks at you with a uncomfortable smile, and a awkward small wave. Glancing at Seokjin and then running even faster away with his lover. Rolling your eyes at the pair, you look back up at Seokjin with a glower. “Was that really necessary?”
He continues to smile down at you, and rolling his own eyes in return. Then he sits down in the unoccupied seat next to you. “Not my fault he’s scared of me.”
“So, you could tell?” He rolls his eyes again, pointing at his mind like it’s obvious that he knows and why he knows. “Oh, yeah. Forgot about that.”
You didn’t actually forget. You just forgot Seokjin used the telepathic ability at all since he’s promised to never do it with you a long time ago. You still wonder about that promise, so you decide to ask, “Do you ever look into my mind?”
“Never.” You jump at his answer. It coming out so quickly and almost forceful—him wanting you to know right away what his promises mean when it comes to you. With a sigh, Seokjin looks like he’s suddenly just taken off so much weight from his shoulders by explaining, “I keep my promises to you, la mia rosa.”
You look away, blushing at what you want to believe is the nickname and not the sweet confirmation of promises. “Is that so?”
Feeling something touch your hand, you look down to see Seokjin slowly interlocking your fingers together. Like he’s afraid you’ll reject him, but each finger wraps together until your holding hands nonetheless, and with how you’ve been feeling lately your not surprised you let him do this.
“Yes… and I hope you could keep yours too.”
Raising a pointed eyebrow at him, you try to think back about any promises you’ve given him and come up empty handed. “What promise?”
Seokjin smiles, squeezing your hand in his. “The one where you promised to be with me forever…” You roll your eyes, scoff, and look away from him. He laughs, obviously making a small joke since he would never force you to do that—even though he hopes and prays for you to do just that. “And the one you made me last night.”
You turn back to face him, not remembering making a single promise last night and you watch his smirk only grow while he explains, “When I was between your legs. You were just about to cum for me and-“
“Oh my god, shut up! Just… get to the promising part.” You’re now beat red in the face and it only makes Seokjin’s grin grow to see you like this. Him finding your blush oh so adorable.
With a kiss on the cheek that has your eyes widening, he whispers against your skin, “That you would spend the day with me.”
As soon as he says those words you remember this promise. Although you we’re definitely not in a position at the time to say anything but yes to him, you always keep your promises. Looking back at him, now annoyed by the way he used this knowledge of you to get a whole day with you alone. “You’re an ass, you know that?”
“Maybe,” He leans back on his one hand, keeping the other one still clasped in your own. “But a promise is a promise.”
With a sigh, you let go of his hand—for which Seokjin looks suddenly saddened by the loss of contact—and then you stand up front he bench. “Okay… where to, your majesty?”
Soekjin laughs, but it sounds forced. Then rocking in his seat before he stands up next to you. “Please don’t call me that, and wherever your heart desires.”
It’s on the tip of your tongue to say home, but looking at Seokjin’s happy smile right now you don’t even want to bring up the prospect of you leaving right now. It’s been two weeks since the deal has been made, and in two more weeks the deal will be settled. But unlike how you were at the time of making said deal… you don’t know what your answer is to staying here now.
Thinking quickly, and because you really don’t want to make yourself upset about how your emotions have been all over the place lately, you say the first place that comes to mind, “You know, you’ve never brought me to Italy before.”
———
It takes you five seconds to transport into the beautiful country of Italy thanks to Seokjin’s abilities. You were hoping once you got into the country to let go of his hand, since you have to touch him to transport with him, and get some space, but once you realized where you both were you clutched onto Seokjin for dear life.
You don’t know why you didn’t expect any less from him, either. Once you asked him to go to Pairs, and you opened your eyes to be on top of the Eiffel tower! But instead of the top of the Eiffel tower or even on a flat street, or the ground, you find yourself on top of the Colosseum.
The second your eyes cast themselves downwards and you see you’re, in fact, over a hundred feet off the ground you scream, “This is not what I meant by wanting to see the sights!”
Seokjin laughs, the sound echoing into the night sky of Italy, and then he comfortably wraps his arms around you waist and shoulder. Hugging you close to him, and you allow it because you rather embrace him then fall off the nearly destroyed building in Italy. You even mistakenly further his enjoyment of this predicament when you burry your face into his chest because seeing even the landscape in front of you is too much.
“Come on, y/n! I can’t bring you to Italy without a vip treatment,” You can hear Seokjin’s smile in his voice and if it wasn’t for fearing for your life you would smack it off.
“J-just get me down… please.”
You hear him sigh, not taking your face out of his chest. When you smell sulfur, and feel gravity overtake your being is the only time when you peak one eye out of his chest to see you are back on the ground. Taking your whole face and body away from him when you see what’s in front of you now—jaw dropped.
Looking around, you seem to be in type of church, but it is absolutely breathtaking. Everything being in gold and creamy whites. You can smell the history of this place, and you’re completely captivated by it all. Meanwhile, Seokjin is completely captivated by you.
Coming up from behind you he reaches his arm around your shoulders and slowly tips your head up by your chin to face the ceiling. Gasping, you understand now why he’s brought you to this church out of all places.
“Wow,” You comment breathtaking.
Right above both of your heads is a dome shaped painting that you’ve only seen in pictures and brochures for the country. It’s a large painting that fills every space of the ceiling with gods, stars, and even masterpieces of otherworldly sky’s.
“This is called The Glory of St Ignatius.” You’re so speechless from seeing the endless painting that you can’t even push out the request you always ask when Seokjin shows you a new artwork. Luckily, he knows you so well that you don’t even need to ask the story of this pairing. “It was created by a mathematician and painter named Andrea Pozzo. He created it…”
As Seokjin tells you the ideas put into every brush stroke of this place, you don’t even realize that you have grabbed onto his hand first out of instinct while you two start to walk through the church. Seokjin stalls for only a moment, but then he clears his throat and continues his story of the painting above you both as you continue to walk. 
This is nice. The familiarity of listening to his smooth voice explain to you what each part meant, and why the painter choose to do things the way he did. Even holding his hand as you two walk was familiar. A familiar thing you didn’t realize until you got to the end of the church, ending his story, and pulling your hands a part from each other, that... you missed it so much.
Your once small and concentrative smile drops to a frown before you can stop it. Making Soekjin’s eyes widen in a small panic. “What’s wrong?”
You shake your head, placing the smile back on your face like it never left. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
But he doesn’t not worry about it. As always, Seokjin needs to know all and break any worry’s in your head because that’s just the type of person he is. Someone that always wants you to be happy.
“Stop that, y/n.” He inches closer, cupping your face in his hands and making you face him. And you let him. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
You blink away unassured tears, not wanting to feel emotional but even that resolve feels like it’s slowly breaking. “I’m going to miss this after-…”
Seokjin doesn’t need an explanation. He understands you mean after these two weeks are up that you’re still planning to leave. That you’re thinking you’ll somehow be strong enough to leave. He can tell you don’t want to. The way you have been reacting and behaving around him is proof enough, but you still try to make it look like you’re wanting to leave...and Seokjin just won’t take that.
Keeping your face in his hands he shakes his own head, and gets closer to your face with his own. Your nose mer inches away from touching. Your bodies only millimeters from touching. “That’s not true. You still have a choice. This doesn’t have to be the last trip I bring you on.”
Rolling your eyes, you take your face out of his hands and wipe the stray tear from your eyes with the back on your hand. Seokjin following your hands movements and his shoulders slump when he realizes what that means...
“Doesn’t it? Seokjin, do you know how affected I was from that night?”
He closes his eyes at the mention of the night neither of you have talked about yet. It was bound to happen—discussing the night he lost you. Lost the bond you two once shared because someone thought you weren’t right for him. When in reality just the thought of that night still makes him think the other way around.
“I can only imagine ,” He says in just above a whisper. You only hearing him because besides the crickets somewhere in the church there’s no sound around you two. Just the sound of your heart beating in your ears. “But it was to-“
“I’m!” You say louder than you meant to, but interrupting his excuses nonetheless. “I’m not a done, Jin.”
His bones chill when you suddenly revert back to saying his nickname, but he tries to stay standing and not thinking this conversation is about to destroy everything he’s been building this past week. “I know your not-“
“Really? Because sometimes I think you forget that humans are not used to knowing someone died over them. That humans aren’t born thinking there are beings like demons in the world. That human-fucking-beings aren’t supposed to be trapped with a soul or mate bond!”
Your overheated now. Your angry that’s been kept in check up until now overflowing inside this beautiful church because you can’t just stand there and let Seokjin say some pretty words to make you forget. Not this time.
“Y/n… I know.”
You roll your eyes and scoff rudely. No he fucking doesn’t. How could he? He’s not human, and before you entered his life he never had a care in the world especially for humans. You say this much including, “…How do you even know you love me?”
Seokjin’s eyes widen, not expecting you to ask such a ridiculous question. “Do you not think I do?”
Gone is Seokjin’s calm demeanor, but yours has been gone since this conversation was even brought up. “I mean, come on… If it wasn’t for the soulmate bond, you probably wouldn’t have even looked at me twice that day.”
You’re referring to the first day you met. The day Seokjin’s once dead heart picked back up again, and your life changed forever whether you knew about it or not. He pinches the bridge of nose, unable to fathom how you could even think this after everything that’s happened. Everything that’s transpired since the beginning of your relationship being proof enough of his answer.
“Y/n… I need you to listen to me.” You open your mouth, ready to spew out more toxic words, but he doesn’t let you. “No, for once in your life stop assuming shit and hear me out.”
It’s your turn to widen your eyes in surprise by the other person in the rooms words. It’s not like Seokjin to lose his temper, at least with you. It stunning you to silence. After a moment when he realizes you’re actually going to let him speak, he finally confesses the truth.
“It’s wasn’t a soulmate bond that brought us together.”
There’s it is. Out in the open and making your ears ring. You breathe out a, “What?” Because never in your life have you been so shocked by an confession before.
“It wasn’t a soulmate bond. I figured that out later when we actually met. Demons don’t find their soulmates by simply looking at them it’s… it’s when they first kiss that we know.”
You blink, unable to fathom this new information and you know your heart is feeling the same exact way by the way it’s beating inside your chest right now. “But… we didn’t kiss until you… until we told each other…”
Seokjin nods his head, confirming what your thinking. You two didn’t kiss for the first time until he confessed to you that he loves you. That was a whole year after you met. Which means that Seokjin was only with you because-
“You intrigued me. At first, that’s all you were. Something to pass the time, and for some strange reason I couldn’t pull away from you. It isn’t common that demons, especially from a human, can find themselves entertained, but with you… it was almost gravitational. Like everything within me wanted to hold onto you and never let go…”
Your frozen. Unable to speak or look away from the man in front of you as he continues to confess everything you have gotten wrong over these years.
“It wasn’t until I kissed you that I confirmed what I felt I somehow already knew. I knew you were the person I was meant to be with, and the love I had for you was real. Forget the mystical or magical bullshit, I fell in love with you on my own terms… and nothing—and I mean nothing—could ever change that.”
Pretty words. Pretty words. Prettywordsprettywordsprettywords…
That all this is. You have to remind yourself over and over again that pretty words don’t change the past, but now more than ever it’s hard to convince yourself this. With the smallest of voices, a tone of voice you didn’t even know you had, you say, “That doesn’t change what happened with J-jungkook.”
Although coming back to the original subject makes Soekjin a bit annoyed after his confession, he hears the stutter in your voice. That it’s affected you somehow, and you’re finally letting the truth of everything sink in. That a soulmate bond isn’t the only thing keeping Soekjin close to you.
“I only did that because he was going to kill you. I’m sorry if you can’t fathom a person being dead and you being the cause. Trust me, if I could take that burden from you I would, but I’ll never regret killing him because if I wasn’t there that day…” Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he has to blink away his own fallen tears just from thinking about the what if from that day. “You w-wouldn’t be here… You would be somewhere in the ground, and everyone that’s ever cared about you would be alone... I would be alone. Forever. And I just... I couldn't take that. I couldn’t take losing you even now.”
You haven’t forgotten how deep a soulmate bond runs. How much it stretches to even after one of the pairs die. Just hearing it spoken out loud makes it ten times worse for you. Knowing that one day you will be gone unless circumstances change, and Seokjin would forever be longing for you.
And that thought breaks you.
Falling to your knees in a heap of sorrows, you lay on the marble floors crying into your hands. To think after all this time even the prospect of leaving him alone still hurts you this much. Like it was as upsetting as the first time he explained it to you.
You keep crying even as he holds you. Even as his arms wrap around you, and he reminds you that you’re still alive and with him, you cry like that future is the present. A present you want-……… you once wanted to happen.
You can’t do this anymore.
“I’m sorry,” You cry into his chest. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry…” No matter how many times you say it, it doesn’t wipe away the pain of just thinking about leaving this man alone. This man you’ve been captivated with since day one, and still have unfaltering feelings for.
Seokjin coos you in his arms. Rocking you like a baby, and running his hands through your hair like a lover. Nothing pains Seokjin more than seeing you cry, but right now he knows you need to let it out. That everything he’s just said to you has struck something, and this sorrow needed to happen. No matter how much it pains him to watch.
Grabbing onto his shirt with clenched fists, you move your face upward. Seokjin doesn’t understand what you’re doing until he feels your lips peck at his neck. Kissing at every piece of exposed skin on him while you continue to cry. He clenches his teeth as his own emotions run rapid. Your tears and kisses making positive and negative emotions battle inside of him. It’s only when you get to kissing his cheek that Seokjin lets out a puff of air, letting the positive emotions win.
“I’m sorry,” You whisper one more time against the corner of his mouth.
Pulling you closer to him, making you sit on his lap, he whispers into your ear, “Stop apologizing, y/n. There’s nothing you could have-“
“I love you.”
Seokjin whips his head to the side to face you so fast he almost hits you with his nose. He hasn’t heard you even whisper those words to him in so long, that he swears his mind must be playing tricks on him. But your not letting him think this for long…
“I love you, and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for being such a fucking idiot, and being ignorant to trust you, but I love you and that has never changed, so can you please just hold me and make me stop thinking about- Mm!”
Other than Seokjin’s sweet words, his lips have always had their way of shutting you up. He never thought he would hear you say those words again, so hearing them three times made him weak in the knees. Weak to hold back from kissing you, and he does just that with the pull of the back of your neck. Smashing your lips together until he feels your body relax, so he can kiss you the way you deserve.
He drinks up his entire fill of you this time. Moving his lips in every direction to get every inch of your lips on his. Wanting to consume you with his lips alone. It isn’t until you’re close to dying of the lack of oxygen that he detaches his lips from you, going straight to kissing every part of your face while you heave in gasps of air.
“Say it again,” Seokjin asks as he kisses your temples. Moving to kiss your cheeks for the third time since he began his assault of kissing you senseless.
“I-I love you.”
“Again.”
You swallow, pulling back from him and seeing the desperation in his eyes.
“I love you, Seokjin… I’ve always loved you.”
Than he’s kissing you again. Harder, more consuming. Like he’s been wanting to steal your breathe away, but right now you’re the one making him desperate for a need.
Seokjin picks you by your thighs, getting up from the ground, and you have no choice but to wrap your arms and legs around him. You think he’s going to walk you somewhere, to splay you on a flat surface and ruin you on it, but without opening your eyes or detaching your lips you understand where you’re actually going next. The smell of sulfur consuming your nose, and the soft sheets he places on you having you gasping into his mouth.
Your in his room… the room you once shared.
You haven’t been this room once since you’ve arrived. Every night since you allowed Seokjin to be back in your arms he’s visited you in your own room. A room he doesn’t seeing fitting for you tonight or any night for that matter. Your his queen that he loves, and a queen should sleep next to his king in a bed you deserve.
Reds upon reds litter the room around you. Some blacks too contrasts, but overall this room has always been red. Even as your eyes open, only looking up at Seokjin, you can see in the corner or your eyes all the red inside this room.
To non-popular belief, this room isn’t red because the colors coined itself as “evil” or even “sexy.” In fact, Yoongi once slipped that it was once all black and dusty pinks. That was until Seokjin found out red was your favorite color, and now you lay on red sheets.
Curling you fists into his shirt of his back, you swallow the boat load of nerves that have just awaken inside of you. Giving your confession of love set out your future, and you have a feeling Seokjin wants the same thing from you tonight. The tease that has always been over both of your heads, and all it took was two measly weeks for you to crumble and want that life again.
Your nervous, yes, but who wouldn’t be? You can’t even remember the last person you had intercourse with. It’s been far to long, but you also have a feeling it’s been just as long, if not longer, for the equally nervous man above you.
Seokjin may know all your ticks and habits, but you also have learned what his are. Them not changing even after two years have past. They’re always subtle since he’s learned to stay strong all the time and hide such things, but the slight tinge of red on his ears and the way he pulls his bottom lip through his teeth you know he’s nervous. Nervous about completing what has always meant to be complete.
Rubbing your finger across his furrowed eyebrow, you smile up at him. You go to tell him it’s alright. That there’s no need to be nervous, but in all honesty you’re just as nervous. But he beats you to any punch line by saying, “We don’t have to.” You blink at him. “You’ve only just allowed yourself to love me again. We don’t have to-… there’s no need-…”
You hush him and pull his head into your chest when you realize he’s about to break down. Either out of nerves or even desperation, you’re not completely sure. But inside Seokjin right now is a turmoil of emotions battling each other. Emotions saying claim and mine and matematemate. He’s tried so hard to push these feelings away, and he knows if you two actually complete the rite it won’t be as easy. It will be a part of Seokjin he can’t turn off.
Luckily for him, you don’t want him too.
“I want this, Seokjin.” He pulls his face out of your chest to look at you. “I want you.” He stops breathing. “Please just make me yours already.”
Then the switch is flicked on. His eyes turn black, and you hold your breathe. Not because your scared, but because you’ve said the words that have turned all tables. You may be someone who doesn’t like to be owned, but right now, in the state you’re in, you want Seokjin to claim you in every way he can.
Suddenly you’re being lifted in the air again, grabbing onto him for dear life, but then your being dropped onto the center of the bed. Tones of red pillows surrounding your head on the California kind sized bed. Seokjin takes your arms off of his neck, and then pins them next to your head at the same time he smashes your lips together into a teeth clattering kiss. His tongue plunging into your mouth and probing at every spot in your mouth.
All you can do is let him. Let him consume you, and taste you as he likes. But you want this. You want him to do everything he’s been holding back because you know after tonight he will still be the same Seokjin you’ve been in love with for years.
Your Seokjin is gentle. He rips your dress in two down the middle. Your Seokjin could never hurt you. He latches onto your nipple and sucks so hard you cry out. Your Seokjin loves you with everything he has…
And the beast above you feels the same exact way.
Your hands are pulling at his hair as his mouth practically makes out with your tits. Both your breasts either having his mouth or hands on them. Squeezing, pulling, licking, and sucking at them. You want to rub your thighs together so badly, gaining some friction because the way he’s playing with your body right now is getting you overheated. Your panties already soaked through, they’re so wet, but Seokjin’s body between you legs is keeping you from moving—it pressed against you in such a way that it’s making you unable to move.
By the time he detaches from you—both his hands and mouth—your out of breath. Your screams of euphoria that he caused by turning your brain into mush making your throat sore. You’ve never felt this way before. Not by just simple nipple play. It was like each time his lips touched you your own soul was being sucked right out of you, and making you incredibly horny.
As your eyes finally clear from the erotic fog, you see Seokjin’s dark eyes cascade down your body. His chin slightly touching your skin as he moves downwards until his chin hits your panties. With a singular tooth peaking out, you see Seokjin’a sharp teeth. Gasping at the sharp fang that you’ve only seen once before.
You shiver when he uses those teeth to drag your panties off your body. The musk of your dripping pussy clouding the air when he frees you completely of any clothing. You now being the only one naked, and shaking underneath the demon king’s lust filled, dark stare.
“S-Seokjin,” You’re somehow able to stutter out. His eyes flicker back to their normal brown for but a second, reminding you that he’s still there, and you let out a heavy breathe.
You weren’t nervous about him destroying you like all the demon tails go about taking virgins and stuff, but that little flicker of his loving light still spoke to your very soul. A soul you will soon share with the man above you for eternity.
With the gentlest, but earthshaking of touches, Seokjin drags a finger through your wet folds. Making you grip on the bed sheets because somehow one fucking finger is making you want to cum. “God- Fuck- what the fuck?!”
Taking his finger away from you, he chuckles at your reaction. “Oversensitivity, are we?”
You try to look at him scoldingly, but it fails miserably when his tongue follows the line his finger once drew on your slit. Moaning into the quiet room, you feel like your body is on fire as his tongue laps at your folds over and over again. His rough tongue feeling so good, you can’t help but clamp your thighs around his head. But Seokjin isn’t allowing that today—using his inhuman like strength to spread your legs wide open again for him to have better access. 
“S-shit, Seokjin! Your…k-killing me.” And you guess he didn’t think that was true because he then plunges his tongue inside of you. Lapping at your walls, and stretching you with his long tongue. Moaning out practical screams, you grab onto his hair to steady yourself, but there’s no way to stop what’s coursing through you.
Everything just feels so different. So good. He’s different and your bodies reacting different. Although Seokjin has always been good at all things sex, you’ve never shook with pleasure so bad that he has to hold you down. Looking down at him with eyes full of tears, at the same time he rubs at your clit, even with his black eyes you’re transfixed into a moaning mess because of him.
“Seo-… fuck, I’m gonna cum!”
Back arching, ass in the air, you cum so hard on his face as he pulls your pussy flush against him to drive his tongue deep inside of you. He laps up all of your love juices, and hearing the lewd sounds coming from him makes you blush so hard you even cover your face with your hands.
“Oh my god, stoppp~” You whine and gently push Seokjin away with your foot. He chuckles, licking his lips.
“Sorry, love. Your just my favorites flavor.” Love? That’s a new one. But before you could think of the new pet name Seokjin strips himself of his shirt to reveal your favorite own flavor. All the times you’ve licked his abs and chest flooding your mind. “No time for that.”
With his words you look back up at him, and watch him crawl over to you. You keep your eyes trained on his dark abysses until his lips capture your own, moaning when you taste your own essence on his tongue. Your whole body running sensitive and even just the press of his hand against your hip makes you shiver. The anticipation of what’s to come really getting to you.
By the time Seokjin is just as ready as you, taking off his pants faster than you think someone trying to act calm should be, you don’t want two black eyes looking at you anymore. It’s something you know he can’t help, but you try anyway—grabbing onto his hand before he can align himself and change your world forever.
Placing a hand on his cheek, Seokjin looks down at you and feels your thumb gently caress the surface of his skin. “Can I see your eyes.”
He raises a curious eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
You nibble on your bottom lip, unsure how to ask anything properly in this moment but trying your best to make him understand what you want. “T-this is the first time will… you know? I want your brown eyes looking at me.”
Seokjin swallows, putting his hand that was once making fast progress to press onto your hip. It’s than you feel his length against your thigh, him moving your body downwards a little bit and smirking when you gasp. You’ve seen this part of him before. It’s a part you’ll never be able to fit in your mouth, but just the thought of him putting his cock inside of you has goosebumps forming up your arms.
“Are you that nervous?” He asks, ignoring your question from before.
You nod your head. “And no demon eyes can hide that you’re feeling the same.”
Seokjin growls as an answer. Skimming his nose against your cheek, and displaying his sharp teeth a little. The sharpness of them makes you quiver, unknowing if you like them or dislike them, but seeming like the latter. You exhale a giant breathe as you watch them descend back into his gums.
He kisses your temple for a long time, holding your head in his hands and cradling it close to him. You don’t understand why he does this, but you enjoy the tenderness of it until he stops and looks down at you again. His once dark eyes slowly forming back into their human state of brown.
Parting your lips, you see the man you’ve fell in love with again. Not that he left or the more demon version of him isn’t him. It’s just that you’ve feel in love with the eyes in front of you, and you rather see those if you two are going to-… when you both-…
“I am,” Seokjin whispers to you. It takes you all of three seconds to understand what he’s admitting to. That he’s just as nervous as you’re, and the usual confidence he carries on his shoulders doesn’t stop the shaking in his hands as he pushes your hair out of your face.
Lifting your head off the pillows, you capture his lips in yours again. A simple peak, but one you felt you both wanted and needed right now. Whispering against his lips, you say, “Me too, but… it was always meant to be. Wasn’t it?”
The smile that graces Seokjin’s face is so blinding, and you know you’ll gladly receive this type of reaction everyday. Just knowing someone is wanting your acceptance so badly brings butterflies to your stomach. “I always hoped so. I love you so much, la mia rosa.”
Your smiling in turn now. How can you not smile when he looks at you with such admiration while saying that?
“And I love- Mm!”
You don’t get to finish your confession because than Seokjin smashes his lips back onto yours again. Erasing the moment from before where you both were nervous, and instead remembering who the other person is. The person you’ve both been head over heels in love with for so long.
You don’t stop kissing until you feel Seokjin’s hand remove from your hip, going in between your bodies. You gasp into his mouth when you feel the head of him align with you again. Imagines of all the times you’ve stopped right here flooding both of your heads, but knowing there’s no way either of you will stop it now. There’s no way because neither of want to stop it. Neither of you can deny your love for the other, and both of you want this.
Slowly entering you, you feel the stretch you’ve been craving for so damn long. Grabbing onto his shoulders for dear life, and feeling a tear fall from your eyes as he bottoms out.
“You okay?” Soekjin asks after he kisses one of your tears away. It doesn’t hurt, surprisingly, but you can’t help and cry in this moment. Your not a virgin, so it’s not pain like that, but finally being filled by the person you love, crying because it all just feels so right. Your heart already filling to the brim with love, and now your eyes are leaking with that love.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” Seokjin is breathing heavily, holding in his own love that’s making him want to move within you already, but he looks down at you concerned. Your tears and wobbling smile not confirming your own truth. “Seriously, Seokjin.” You cup his cheek with your hand, peaking him on the lips. “Please move.”
One breathe. Two breathe. And then the only thing Seokjin can breathe in is you when he captures your lips with his again, starting to slowly moe within you. Each time he removes himself you can feel ever vain and inch of his length—it making your bones even feel every pleasurable movement. When he enter you, just as slowly, it’s like he’s not only pushing in something that feels so good, but also something so everlastingly. You know it’s been awhile since you’ve had sex, but you know this is different. Even the foreplay felt different.
A difference of love compared to anything you’ve ever felt before.
Moaning into his mouth, you detach your lips as he starts to speed up his thrusts. Both of you burying your faces into each other’s necks and shoulders, and you wrap your arms around Seokjiks neck even tighter. Also wrapping your legs around his back and becoming pressed against him. “S-seokjik, this feels… why is it-…”
You can’t even formulate complete sentences, you’re feelings so good. Even at this slow pace his cock is making your mouth and brain unconnected. You just feel so god damn good!
“Mmm… why-… so good,” Is all you’re somehow able to say that actually makes some sense.
It’s then, without removing his face from your neck, he cages his arms beside your head and pushes his body off of you. A new angle starting, and with that a much harder and faster pace. Seokjin hasn’t made a single sound, but now your crying out your moans as he thrusts inside of you. His long length filling you up with every inch in a fast pace, and making you see stars through your eyelids as you hold onto him tightly. Having to now hold onto his back because your arms have become jelly as your euphoria takes over your entire body.
“Fu-ck,” You hear him say with a deep voice in parts when he feels your nails scratch at his back. Just the singular word is making your stomach tighten, and you swear where he spoke against your neck is now heating up. His lips kissing at the surface, making your eyes leak again with tears.
Your so close that it’s almost painful. Like he’s some how not allowing you to finish or maybe he’s purposely not thrusting into you at the right place you want. Seokjin knows your body like the back of his hand, so fucking you in the right spots is easy for him. Besides his delicious cock making you feel good automatically, something isn’t letting you let loose.
It gets to the point where you beg, “Seokjin, I want to cum! I want to c-cum, but I-… why can’t-… mmm.”
It’s then you hear it. The demon like chuckle covered up by brown eyes as Seokjin finally picks his face up from your neck, staring down at you. “Not yet, mi la rosa.”
You are then being flipped over—ass in the air and arms and face flat against the mattress. As soon as he’s removed from you he’s plunging himself right back in. Your moans turn into pleasure filled screams as he fucks into from this much deeper angle. New parts of you being reached.
“Seo-so-…” You can’t even say his name correctly, it feels like too much. New heights being reached, and even new parts of you are feeling it. It’s only when you feel his nails dig into your neck, his hand holding your head down, that you understand why this has all felt so different. Why you’ve even reacted so different. Because this is what he’s been holding himself back from for so long…
You wonder if this was like this for Jimin, but the second someone else fills your head Seokjin gets replaced when he thrusts into you deeper and harder then before. His hips are slapping against your ass with earnest, and your fists grip the sheet when you feel his hand not around the back of your neck slap your ass. A sting being left behind in its wake, and making you bite your own tongue when the hard thrusts and smacks introduces you to some type of pleasure pain.
“Mine,” You hear in a hiss from above you. The singular word making your pussy tighten, and your stomach twist.
“You’re-“ thrust “all-“ thrust “fucking mine.”
One thing you aren’t. One thing that both of you know you hate more than anything, is the feeling of being owned. But right now, as he chants how your his, holds you in a tight grip with his hand and nails, makes you feel owned… and you want to be.
You want to be Seokjin’s in ever way. With your body, your soul, your love, fuck even your goddamn life!
That’s why your screaming, “Yes! Fuck, Yes! All yours!”
Growling, Seokjin thrusts into you at a speed that seems impossible. Your words hitting him deep in his own soul that he once thought would never flutter again. In his heart that didn’t beat until he met you. His love for you flickers him back to his normal state for just a moment, but in that moment he moves you. Stopping his body quacking thrusts, and moving you so you’re sitting on top of him.
You are breathing heavily, pussy pulsing around him, and leaning all your weight against him. You’re completely winded now, and even your eyes are too lazy to open. Even now, as he pauses his thrusts to position you on top of him, you still feel at the brink of your orgasm. It’s so close, and Seokjin knows it.
Kissing your temple, he asks you in the sweetest of voices you’ve come to love, “Are you ready, Y/n?”
He uses your name because even though he’s trying to be sweet, trying to show you he’s having a moment of clarity, it’s a serious question. Are you ready to be his for eternity… but also, are you ready to have his heart for eternity? Are you ready to accept this new life, and become the demon king’s queen?
Straightening your back, energy pulsing through you, you look into Seokjin’s eyes as you answer. “…Yes.”
Gripping onto your hips, Seokjin begins slow and deeps thrusts up into you. With lidded eyes, you lean your forehead against his as he bounces you up and down on him. You know he’s trying—trying to stay in control of his emotions—but with each thrust up into you his control disintegrates like before. Unable to control your own emotions, you don’t care anymore. You’ve let control overpower you before, and it felt so good it was like Seokjin was fucking into your soul.
So, although you know you probably shouldn’t, you kiss him. Pressing your moist lips against his plump ones and swallowing a moan from him that starts off high pitched but ends with a grunt. Feeling your body overheat again, and his hands gripping onto your hips being the only warning when his once shallow deep thrusts turn into skin against skin deep—plunging his entire length inside you until it reaches the hilt of you.
You cry out a moan, and tilt your head backwards as he repeatedly thrusts up into you this way. Exposing your neck, he buries his face into it. You hear his sniffs at first, but then all you hear is white noise as you begin to fall weak. The brink of your orgasm getting tougher and tougher to keep holding—being out of your control.
“Please!” You scream, and you don’t need to explain what you’re begging for. Growling against your neck, Seokjin places his teeth against your neck. Not biting it, but just holding his teeth there. A predators way of claiming it’s pray, and you feel that same heat and vibrations where he holds you.
With one last deep, pulsating thrust Seokjin lets you. Finally unlocking that hold and your pussy clenches around him so tightly while you cum that he’s grunting against your neck. You can’t hear it, though. Your own orgasm making all your senses get overwhelmed with static, and your own moans not even reaching your ears. The only thing you’re able to feel is the carving into of your neck, and the feel of being filled by Seokjin’s cum. His cock filling you to the brim, and getting larger inside of you to the point it’s stretching you further.
You both collapse back onto the bed by the time you both finish. Your orgasm making your entire body shake, and even Seokjin is twitching on top of you when his own orgasm ceases. His emotions getting back into control, and the last thing you hear before you completely black out is the words that have always shacked you to your very soul… a soul you’ll now always share.
“I love you always… my mate.”
-
-
-
-
One Year Later
Looking into the mirror, you touch the mark your mate left on you a year ago today. The S carved into your skin looking like a skin colored tattoo with small roses surrounding it. Your fingers skimming over the S on repeat.
The night he carved it into you with his teeth, nails, and even magic crossing over your eyes. You look back on that day and smile, feeling warmth and love consume you.
As always, whenever that day crosses your mind, Seokjik appears behind you. You seeing him in the mirror. He wraps his arms around you from behind, and places his chin on your shoulder. Looking at your through the mirror.
“Happy?” He asks with one word, making you chuckle. He already knows the answer, but you’ve both decided to still ask each other how you feel even if you share emotions now. It lets you both confess your love to each other, and even relay how happy you both make each other.
“Yes. I am now that I’m with you,” You say with a smile small gracing your lips. Holding onto his arms that are around you.
With the roll of his eyes, Seokjin announces the obvious, “You know I’m always here.”
Unlike how you thought that truth of the matter would affect you over a year ago, knowing Seokjin is always near makes your smile widen. Your heart picking up a beat, and feeling his own emotions of admiration zip through you. Over a year ago, you would of thought of this as a curse, but when you finally let your love for him overpower everything else it became what it truly was. The real reason a demon will feel pain when being away from their mate because their love is just that strong, and this fact is reminded to you everyday by him.
Twisting in Seokjin’s arms, you wrap your arms around his middle and burrow your face in his chest. Hearing his chuckle from above you, and than a kiss at the top of your head. “Feeling some type of way now, are we?”
“I guess so.” You kiss his chest, then, because you felt that action was a little weird, you look up at him and kiss his plump lips. Pushing up on your tippy toes just to capture his lips with yours. After holding your lips together for a moment, you release them before it pushes on. The blink of arousal courses through you, and that makes you pull away.
Not because you don’t love sex with him, but your back still hurts from this morning when he fucked you into the mattress so hard he now has to get a new bed frame. The once deep red bed frame being replaced with a black one now. Luckily, you’ve convinced Seokjin that just because your favorite color is red that you don’t need every piece of your shared bed room to be in the color. It now littered with not only reds, but the furniture and even the drapes are either black or silver in color.
Rubbing your hands up his chest, you suddenly say, “I love you.”
This confession has been heard by Seokjin over a thousand times by now from you, but even now you surprise him with those words. Like it still doesn’t feel real. Like at any moment he’ll wake up from this deep dream and still be pining for your affections, and hoping for the return of your love for him. A love that now he knows for sure never went away.
“I love you too, mi la rosa. So fricken much.”
Unable to hold himself back, he pushes you against the mirror. Holding the back of your head so you don’t get hurt, but smashing his lips against your mouth so hard it shakes your brain in your head anyway. You don’t even know why you tried to push it away before. Once Seokjin even gets a lick of wanting you, it rises fast and you become consumed by it. You already feeling your panties soaking, and Seokjin moans into your mouth when his hyper senses smells your essence dripping down your leg.
Right when he’s about to pick you up, fucking you against the mirror like he’s down several times this past year, there’s a knock at the door. You both detach your lips at the sound. As your eyes widen, Seokjin’s eyes darken into his black demon eyes and he even growls at the door. For which you smack him on the shoulder really hard, making him jump and blink his demon eyes away.
“Stop that.” You demand and push him away from you. One thing you love about being the demon king’s mate is that you get to hit said demon king awake from his possessive tendencies. “Who is it?” You then yell towards the door once Seokjin’s annoyed expression turns into a pout.
“It’s me,” Yoongi shouts from behind the door. “It’s almost time. Everyone’s waiting downstairs.”
Your once happy mood turns nervous when you hear those words. A reminder of why you were even in front of this mirror to fix your appearance in the first place. The reminder that you both are about to go downstairs to announce your title. Even though it’s been a year, and Seokjin has already claimed you as his queen, it wasn’t until a full year passed—today—that you’ll be crowned queen of the demons.
A human queen, the first of her kind, and said by the king to stay that way. Although Seokjin said he could make you a demon, him being the only person who could make other demons, you want to push that off for as long as possible. You like being human, and seeing how obsessed Seokjin has been with you since completing the rite of making you mates you want to stay this way for as long as possible.
Seokjin’s better now, but after you both had sex for the first time he became the clingiest and most emotional little brat on the planet. He’s lucky he can’t bruise because the amount of shoulder smacks you gave him at the time would have made a normal human bruise until their skin turned purple.
There was even a point he didn’t want to let go of you. This point you actually didn’t hit him much since you loved the constant loving cuddles. It wasn’t until Yoongi said it was affecting his work as the king, making you look bad in the process, that you decided to stop the clingy cuddles.
So, yeah, your fine with staying human for as long as you can.
“Don’t be nervous, mi la rosa,” Seokjin says to you as he cups your cheek with his hands. Skimming his thumb across your skin for comfort, and you lean into the touch. “They’re going to love you.”
You hold back rolling your eyes for Seokjin’s sake. Even though most demons, especially those really loyal to Seokjin, have accepted you not, not every demon in the universe has. There hasn’t been any bad encounters, luckily, but you know by the snarky looks you’ve gotten from the few that dislike you that there’s still demons that can’t accept a human queen. Nonetheless the demon king having a human mate.
“You and I both know not everyone accepts me, Seokjin.” You didn’t mention the incident with Jungkook from years past, but you feel Seokjin’s anger nonetheless.
“Trust me, my darling… No one will not accept you after today. I promise you.” You know this promise is true because Seokjin still scares every demon that doesn’t know him personally. That also happens to be every demon that isn’t fiercely loyal to him. You’re not worried about not being safe just…
“But that doesn’t mean they won’t like me,” Your pointed frown is mirrored to Seokjin for a second. Both of you feeling your sadness now, and he goes right to holding you close to him by your waist.
Your nose is buried into his chest again, and two arms hold you close. He knows you love when he just holds you, so he hopes this is enough to lower your sadness even by a little bit.
The two of you sit there in silence for a moment. Just embracing each other as you listen to Seokjin’s steady beating heart.
“It doesn’t matter,” Seokjin says eventually. Your eyes widening for a second, looking up at him. Once your eyes meet, he explains, “Because those that accept you will love you, and those are the only ones that matter. You’re the most beautiful and kindest women in the universe, baby. And, if you could make the king of demons fall head over heels in love with you, then you can conquer anyone else’s heart, as well.”
Seokjin’s sweet words bring tears to your eyes. The love of your life always knowing exactly what you want to hear, and need to be reminded of. “Aww, Seokjin. I love you so much.”
Soekjin chuckles, kissing you temple. “Yeah, me too… but no one else can love you love you as much as me. That’s where I draw the line.”
You roll your eyes, pulling yourself away from him when his joking—somewhat—words bring you out of the sweet moment.
“Yeah, yeah… I’m better now, so let’s get this show on the road.” You walk towards the door, stopping once you’re in front of it. It’s than you realize that Seokjin wiped all your worries away easily, and you smile at that knowledge. Turning around to the demon always on your mind, you put your hand out for him. “Ready, my love?”
Seokjin walks over to you, interlocking your fingers with his and holding them in between the two of you. “I’m ready for anything that involves you, mi la rosa.”
With one last mirroring smiling shared with each other, you push the door open. Opening the door to the rest of the world, and becoming what you were always meant to be.
Y/n Kim… the queen of demons, and mate to Seokjin Kim, the demon king.
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The End
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➳ 𝕥𝕒𝕘 𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥: @angelarin @kristineisstuff @bangtannie7
#demon seokjin#unwanted reunion#unwanted reunion part 2#part 2#kim seokjin x reader#seokjin x reader#seokjin#jin#bts#seokjin bts#jin bts#demon!soekjin x reader#demon!seokjin x human!reader#demon!jin#demon!seokjin#x reader#fem!reader#soulmate!au#royalty!au#seokjin smut#love is love#jin smut#seokjin x reader smut#Jin x reader smut#demon!jin x reader#demon!jin x human!reader#complete mini series#mini series final#bts mini series
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Trade my Life | KSJ
~summary: once, you were just two children giggling in the corner of the dojang, trading equally in punches and hugs, everything a game. but that was long ago, and now that man stands day after day outside the door which separates your two worlds. is the throne really worth leaving the barrier unbroken?
~pairing: bodyguard!seokjin x royalty!reader
~word count: 2.3k
~genre: angst, fluff, action, historical au, childhood friends to lovers, secret/forbidden love
~rating: nc17
~warnings: non-sexual nudity, non-sexual intimacy, nothing explicit, jin calls the reader ‘princess’ but she literally is so
note: the next part may well have other warnings relating to violence/fighting; this chapter only contains sparring in training
~a/n: welcome to my contribution for the catch of the century collab to celebrate our lovely Jin’s birthday!! how I miss himm already.. if you also do, you can check out the other amazing works in this collab, all featuring jin getting up to some sporty shenanigans!
I’ve been sick lately and haven’t quite managed to write everything I had in mind. while this part of the story can be read as a standalone, it will also be part 1 of 2 for Trade my Life - there is more action planned on the way!! let me know if you want to see more/want to be tagged in the next part!
lastly, if you know anything about taekwondo, you know more than me!! I consulted with some friends and our good buddy the internet to write this, and didn’t want to get too technical. but don’t judge me too much if it’s all wrong🤣
enjoy the story and shoot a comment my way if you do, it always means a lot💜
Sitting silently on your stool, your eyes followed the palace woman out of the door. She paused in the doorway, bowing to the guard on duty before turning to slide it closed, leaving you alone. Her eyes remained dipped, not meeting yours.
A moment passed, her footsteps retreating.
She had just helped remove your hair from its low knot, the pins now laid out below your mirror stand. Little did she know as she reverently brushed out your strands, you had no intention of keeping them so tidy.
With a sigh, you eyed the doorway, the silhouette of your guard still visible through the lattice.
Pressing your hands to your knees, you stood swiftly, without a noise. You had seen to it that you had been seen in your night clothes, and now you padded across to the bed, bent to extinguish the lights.
The room dimming, only a small candle at your bedside remained.
Instead of slipping under your covers, you simply bent to retrieve it, taking care not to jostle the small flame as you trod steadily back across the space.
Back at the dresser, you slid a drawer open, fishing out a simple leather tie. Pulling your hair back, you fastened it at the nape of your neck without needing to check in the small mirror.
Next, to the wardrobe. Quietly pulling it open, you ignored the rich colours and silk of your hanboks, pushing them aside while your fingers search with practised ease in the near darkness only stopping when they reach the slight bump in the wood.
Pressing down, you let the secret compartment unlock and open under your touch.
Set into the base, concealed well, was a small well. Of all the secret things you could have stashed there, the sole thing taking up the space is a neatly folded white garment. Hands falling on the cloth at last, you pull it out and shake it open.
Your dobok.
This may not be the kind of possession one would expect a princess to treasure so dearly as you did. But as you pulled it on, you feel yourself begin to relax, body filling with a confident anticipation.
All that was left was to wait. Hopefully it wouldn’t be long; Jin was never late.
Blowing out the candle, you crept back over to your bed and sat. You could hardly keep yourself from the edge, but forced yourself to sit straight and breathe, willing patience into your restless body.
Before too long, there was movement. It wasn’t loud, not in the least, but among the stuffy silence, unbudging as ever in the castle at night, you caught it clearly enough.
The guards were changing.
Your door muffled the mumbling of pleasantries and soft footfall, and the vague sounds soon ceased. In the room lit only by waning moonlight, you practically held your breath. Waiting the necessary time, though it was time you hated to waste simply sitting, you finally rose to your feet and moved back across the room.
As each night, you reminded yourself of the precautions. If it was someone else, you would simply ask for a drink and retire.
Luckily, tonight did not bring such disappointment. On easing the door open, you were greeted with the profile of the face you had longed to see since sunrise. His slender face, calm but eyes joyous as he turned towards you.
You smiled at last, breathing out deeply.
“Jin.”
He wore a small smile, but still bowed deeply to you.
You rolled your eyes.
“Just come inside.”
“How very forward of you, your grace.”
You fought off the urge to laugh, instead shutting the door a little too forcefully and giving him an unamused look. Of course, your hard stare did nothing to discourage him: in fact, he practically grinned as he turned away from you.
With a huff, you walked after him
“I have a name, you idiot,” you swatted at his head as he removed his gat, “when we’re in here you can use it, at least.”
“As you wish.”
You could hear the smirk in his voice before he turned around. He set his gat on the dresser and faced you as he unclasped the Sai knives where they where sheathed to his belt. At last his eyes were back on you, holding a strip of fabric taught between his hands and just under his eyeline.
“Are you ready, Y/N?”
Finally, you gave a warm smile.
Stepping to close the space, you held your hand palm-up for him to begin. The moment the cloth touched your skin, Jin’s practised fingers wrapping it securely, but not suffocating around your thumb and wrist, the tension from sneaking around began to bleed from you.
He gently turned your hand over with a brush of his own fingers, now passing the fabric over your knuckles. It was the best way to train without ever showing a sign of it.
Letting go, Jin moved to your next hand. With the wrappings, your focus zeroed, the sensation preparing you for the next. Your excitement at spending the next few hours with Jin, pushing yourself and no doubt falling into bed satisfied and spent, fizzled into a concentrated spark.
Jin clapped his palms around your wrapped hands, looking down at you with an indulgent smile of his own.
“Show me what you’ve got tonight, princess.”
You tried not to be disappointed when he stepped away, leaving the short distance your spar would start with. His distance at least aided your focus, and you drew yourself up taller, rolling out your shoulders.
As he implied, he waited for you to make the first move, a punch which he easily blocked, almost smiling.
That was okay, the two of you were just warming up. And you hadn’t come this far without a shred of friendship, you knew he respected you.
Hopping backwards, just out of his reach, you waited with your weight light on your feet, ready to react. You read his movements as he pounced with a side kick, and met him with one of your own, blocking him and bringing a hand up for good measure.
You had no need to shove him off; he darted backwards, slightly circling. You fell into the orbit as well. Already, the blood was rushing to his face, and you knew yours must be the same. It certainly felt like it was powering through your veins, loosening your muscles.
Continuing, you let the rush carry you with instincts, eyes well trained by now to analyse Seokjin’s movements, to spot openings and threats.
A kick for a kick, often retreating again, forever dancing on your toes. At his next however, you felt ready to launch another.
As he fell back, you followed, a turning kick to his stomach which of course he easily withstood and blocked. But your momentum was already shifting, and you span with another kick, foot coming level with his head-
He moved from its path, but you could go no further. His rough hand caught your waist, fisting in the fabric and trapping you against him. A punch completed your planned attack, and he caught it in his hand, stopping your fist at his heart.
Though you had not been aiming to throw any serious force and risk hurting each other, you still scuffled against him from the swift movements. You balanced yourself against his chest, then finally froze.
Grinning down at you, he lingered in the hold for a moment before dropping his arms.
“Very good,” he appraised.
You, too, darted back with a small smile, but soon schooled it from your face.
Falling into your familiar rhythm, you read Jin’s movements and responded in kind. You had built this up since you were half your height, back in the days when he was smaller than you.
This had become a ritual for you, one of the few things that stayed the same. While now, he was taller, and there were less feet in the wrong places, flooring or winding each other and leaving you giggling and red on the floor, it was yours.
He would step back, drawing his elbow back and you would strike his hand where it had placed the target on his hip. Forwards, and you hopped back, precisely kicking lower. Next was higher, and quicker, higher still. You hit his palm beside his neck, and he didn’t even flinch away, eyes steady as they analysed your performance.
Falling back, you stayed on your toes, arms loose and ready for the next.
And so it continued. The focus your mind settled into was more grounding than anything else in your day. Your reading never as calming, calligraphy never so precise.
It was deep into the night when you rested once more, your bodies buzzing with exertion but more content than ever. A sheen of sweat had coated you, and you rid yourself of the dobok.
Your chambers opened into an inner courtyard, where you kept a small bucket below your window. No other lights were lit when you pulled open the shutter, the warm night air still cool against your heated skin.
Bending to wring out your dobok in the water, you heard Jin quietly returning his knives to his belt, only a gentle clatter reaching your ears. Then, steps, and as you straightened up to drape the garments on the ledge, you felt fabric against the bare skin of your back.
Jin pressed closer, his breath warming your neck. His clothed chest brushed your shoulder again as he reached over your shoulder for something just beside the window.
Reverent hands lifted your tail of hair, a cloth meeting your skin a breath later.
Fighting, and in training, Jin was all sharp eyes and sharper fists, one of the swiftest guards. That was why he was allowed to guard the princess’ quarters, after all. But in between, he was always so slow, savouring the time you both knew would be taken away with the sun.
The soft cloth dragged across your neck, and you gasped as it was replaced by softer lips. One hand continued the cloth’s path down your arm, the other carelessly releasing your hair from its tie, where it fell comfortably against your now-clean skin.
But Jin was paying most attention to your neck, your throat, his tantalising kisses treading a blazing path to your jaw. Your head was thrown back, inviting him.
Finally, you turned your head to meet his mouth, a lazy smile shared between the two of you only by feel. You spun in his arms, and he welcomed you, circling your waist.
Somewhere the kisses lapsed, easy silence engulfing you as Jin finished wiping you down. You were cooling down by now, but felt all kinds of warm inside as you leaned against your ledge, watching him drop the cloth and plop one more kiss onto your thigh.
After a shared smile, he climbed to his feet, now standing over you. Fingertips trailed your waist, and he leaned down for one last kiss.
There was no urgency, no what next. Just the long, slow movement, of him against you.
He ran a hand down your tresses as he stepped away, letting you close the shutter. You threw your drying dobok on the headboard, where you could quickly remove it next morning before your lady opened the bedcurtains.
Once in your bedclothes again, you followed Jin to the door. You had no intention of going to sleep while he still had his shift.
But you had to accept that this was your life now. The door closed and you sat with your back against it, knowing Jin stood just the other side. You murmured the odd tease through the door, trying to ignore the wooden barrier that kept apart any playful touches or glimpse of a smile.
You fell asleep to thoughts of how it used to be. Dreams where the door fell away, dissolved, and you were two children again, and you were bunched in the middle of the class with the rest of them, only the hair curled tightly at the nape of your neck indicating your difference from the boys with close-cropped locks.
You had been humoured, then. Anything to get the princess to let off some energy, give the nannies a break and hopefully you might focus on the necessary studies for the rest of the day.
Back before the reigns had tightened until they were practically choking you, you felt almost free. Hounded back home the same as the other small children, only yours was to the palace quarters. Mother reading to you but someone else tugging your hair into order.
Even humoured you when you shrieked about Jin, tried to demonstrate what the kwanjang had taught you that day (while priceless ceramics were hastily removed from the path of your flailing feet).
And it had always been Jin. The boy that never laughed at you for being a girl. Of course, he laughed at you for falling over and for getting dirt on your face and never knowing how to tie your hair if it fell out.
And you laughed right back.
You couldn’t even remember how you became partners, and friends just as quickly. It was like it had always been. The two of you whispered when you should have been listening, you bickered and tried to show off, then apologised again and again when you knocked the other down wrong. All it took to soothe bruises was a secret trip to the kitchens.
It had changed. Gradually, but it had. You watched Seokjin grow, while your time was shut indoors more and more. You saw him don the red robes of guards, proud and capable.
And you decided you wanted the same.
Thank you for reading my lovelies! Please tell me what you thought, that makes it all worth it!!💜
Find my main bts masterlist here
Taglist - send me a message or ask to be added: @aianloveseven @preciouschimine
#catch of the century collab#kim seokjin x reader#jin x reader#bts jin imagine#kim seokjin imagine#kim seokjin fluff#jin fluff#jin historical au#bts historical au#bts joseon era#bts royalty au#bts royalty#jin scenario#seokjin scenarios#bts forbidden love#bts enemies to lovers#bts fluff#bts angst#kim seokjin angst
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Jin | Royalty!au RECs
(💦) ~ Smut , (🐑) ~ Fluff , (👊) ~ Angst ,
(📝) ~ Series , (🗒) ~ One-Shot/Dribble ,
(💜) ~ Personal Favorite
Request Guidelines | Fic Rec ML
NONE of these works are mine. Give all your love to the authors and their works. The links will either bring you to the Tumblr page or a Ao3 page of the work.
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Title: The Lady With The Flaming Sword 💦🗒
Author: @lolabangtan
Summary: Dom and sub dynamics. Princess!reader.
↳ “Kim Seokjin, crown prince of a flowery and lush southern kingdom, is sent along with his troops to no man’s land in search of a group of grave robbers that had been seen prowling around the sepulchre of King Yong, who was once his father’s greatest ally. However, the prince loses sight of his men and ends up at the gates of a black castle that feels rather familiar.”
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Title: Blue Blooded 💦🐑👊📝💜
Author: @hobibliophile
Summary: 2 parts. Princess!reader. Also marriage!au.
↳ “You’ve been happily married to Crown Prince Seokjin for months now. Or so it would appear to the public. What only you and the palace staff know your shameful secret: you never consummated your marriage.”
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Title: Until I See You Again 🐑👊🗒
Author: @bangtanloverboys
Summary: Duke!reader. Also childhood friends to lovers!au.
↳ “Prince seokjin of philos is chosing his bride at his 25th birthday ball and you want to be anywhere but there. unfortunately you’re expected to go as a friend of the king and to escort your younger sister there; to see if she has a chance to win the prince’s heart. unbeknowst to you all, the prince’s eyes are already set upon someone.”
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Title: Untitled 💦🐑🗒💜
Author: @your-daily-biaswrecking
Summary: Virgin!reader. Also honeymoon!au. Basically, Ji n taking care of his new wife after taking her virginity on their wedding night.
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Title: My Queen 💦🐑👊🗒💜
Author: @purpleyoonn
Summary: Also vampire!jin and soulmate!au.
↳ “Seokjin had just returned to find his court and staff were not treating you how they should when he was gone. You were hurt, and his instincts were telling him to claim you and make sure you were unharmed.”
#jin#jin bts#royalty!au#royalty!jin x reader#prince!jin x reader#king!jin x reader#jin x reader#princess reader#non-royalty reader#bts recs#fic recs#royalty!au fic recs
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Stay Alive (38)
BTS poly!ot7 x Reader
Magical Creatures AU
Series Masterlist
Warnings: none
A/N NOT BETA. EXCUSE FOR THE NOT UPDATING. Holiday Season is over though so that very short hiatus is over! We will (Hopefully) get back to our regularly scheduled programming.
There was something about going through a magical portal that would take you to another part of the country that really did not sit right with your stomach. It passed over time. It was a lot like going on a plane for the first time and feeling sick. The more you did it the more it would go away. At least that’s what Hobi told you.
Yoongi and Teahyung had taken you to their hometown in Daegu. Yoongi was the one to win the paper, rock, scissors which meant you would be visiting his family first.
It was a bit of a hard thing to explain to you. He loved his family, but he said there were just things they didn’t agree with him on. It wasn’t like they didn’t miss him when he disappeared–any family would. It more so had to do with the fact that Yoongi wanted to do other things that weren’t in their ideals.
But you had told him no matter what, they were still going to be his family. And you were sure they missed him just as much as he missed them.
“It looks just like Daegu back home.” You said, looking at all the buildings that resembled your own home.
You realized the boys were in fact right when it came to modernization of their world. With the past two days having been spent inside mountains, you did forget for a moment what their world was like. It wasn’t primal like you would assume. In fact it was much more advanced.
“You've been?” Yoongi asked you, leading you towards where you assumed his home was.
“I've traveled a good amount around Korea.” You answered.
“Come on, my palace is this way.” Yoongi told you, pointing up some stairs.
“Palace?” You paused for a moment, eyes going wide.
At this point you had realized the boys never really spoke about their home lives before being kidnapped. Well, at least the older boys didn’t. The younger ones didn’t hesitate to answer your questions when you had them back at the facility.
A great example was finding out that Jin was actually a prince. You honestly figure it was something very important to tell someone. With Yoongi telling you he lived in a palace you assumed he too was going to come out as some kind of prince but he was quick to catch your facial expression.
“Yes.” Yoongi hummed, grabbing your hand to intertwine with his. “When you live as long as I have you tend to get your own homes made huge.” He explained, climbing up the steps.
“Are you older than Jin?” You asked.
“No, he's older than me but only a year.” Yoongi answered. “Namjoon is also older than the others due to dragon life spans.”
You figured Yoongi must have been one of the older boys along with Jin. Everyone knew vampires were immortal and lived long lives. There might have been different versions of each vampire but seeing as Yoongi drank blood only, he must have been the more common version. The ones who hated the sun and slept during the day.
You purse your lips in a mocking way. “You know, you have always complained about the light but yet here we are outside in the sun. Seems to me like you just wanted to make complaints.” You giggled, swinging Yoongi’s arm lightly as you finally came up on the end of the stairs.
He turned to you, leaning to place his forehead against yours and bump his nose along your own. You giggled, scrunching up your nose as Yoongi gave your lips a quick peck. “I just like the dark more.” He told you.
You began to blush as he pulled away and his gummy smile was on full display. You skipped behind him, waiting patiently as he knocked on a door with long walls on either side that stretched like a covering for the inside of the building. The door wasn’t as large or grand as Jin’s palace but it was still clear that this was a mansion meant for the wealthy or royalty.
The door took a moment to open, the little woman who was trying her hardest to shove the large wood open grunted as it finally swung open. When she finished wiping her hands along her apron, her eyes went wide as she took in the two of you standing on the other side of the door.
She squeaked, gasping as she suddenly stood up straighter. “Master Yoongi!” She cried out.
“He's returned, everyone!” She screamed, turning around to face the other staff members of the household walking around the yard.
The three or so workers who were outside stopped what they were doing, some even dropping the things they were holding to stare with wide eyes at you and Yoongi walking through the gate. All of them got up and began to clap, one of them had begun to cry as they crowded around Yoongi. You watched as he laughed with them, a smile spreading on your face from how happy he looked to be at home.
“Oh we are so blessed to have you home, sir.” An older woman gushed, pulling Yoongi in for a hug. “We have prayed and prayed for your safe return.” She squished his cheeks together, softly cooing at him like a grandma would her grandchildren.
“It's good to be back.” Yoongi told the woman.
Your eyebrows perked up when you notice him looking in your direction catching everyone else’s attention.
“Master Yoongi has a mate!” The girl who opened the door gushed.
You laughed a little as the staff members turned to you and began to ask Yoongi about your relationship. The girl who had opened the door for you was a young elf judging by the sharply pointed ears she had. Yoongi told you she was considered one of the young ones and hadn’t been working with his family for long. The older woman was apparently his nanny when he was a child. She was a dragon so she had been within the family for a long while.
“Min Yoongi!” Someone shouted from the steps of the palace. “I knew it was you the moment you returned to Daegu!” A joyful man grinned brightly, holding his arms out as he stepped down to get to where you both were.
“Sunbaenim.” Yoongi smiled, bowing his head slightly which prompted you to do the same.
When Yoongi leaned back up, the older man brought him in a hug, patting him on the back before looking over at you.
“Who is this lovely lady?” He asked, surprising you by giving you a hug as well. “You smell divine.” He joked, taking in a deep breath.
“This is (Y/N).” Yoongi answered. “My mate.”
“Oh how wonderful it it's to hear you've settled down!” The man gushed. “I am Park Jae-Sang. Pleasure.” He bowed his head in greeting. “Come, come! Your family has set up a wonderful dinner for all of us. Your closest friends have attended as well.”
Jae-Sang led the both of you up the steps and into the palace, a beautiful structure that just called your attention in every detail. He led you towards what you assumed was the dining room from the table and people seated or standing around. They were talking to one another before turning when they heard you all step in.
“Yoongi.” You heard someone say breathlessly.
“Eomma.” Yoongi said quietly, eyes wide as he looked at the woman.
“We’re sorry.” She sobbed out, rushing forward into Yoongi. “We’re so sorry. We didn’t–We didn’t want bad things to happen to you and look where it led you.” She shook her head against Yoongi’s chest, her fingers tightening against the back of his shirt.
You took a step back for a moment, allowing Yoongi’s family to hug him as you watched. You took in a shaky breath, a small smile forming on your face as you took in their interactions. You could never understand what it must be like for the boys' mothers to have their son’s taken from them. You weren’t a mother to get that feeling just yet.
But you were a daughter. And you knew that even if you and your parents don’t see eye to eye on certain things, no matter what they still took care of you and raised you to be the person you are. They were the people who watched you take your first breath and hoped to never see you take your last. Each one of the boys had left to start their own lives and you could only imagine what it was like for their parents to get a call that they had been kidnapped.
“We’re sorry we weren’t there.” She sniffled.
“It’s okay, Eomma.” Yoongi sniffled, kissing the top of his mother’s head. “I’m back home now. That’s all that matters.”
You blinked away the tears, sniffling a bit causing Yoongi’s mom to turn and look at you. She gasped quietly, giggling to herself as she noticed you there.
“And you have a mate.” Yoongi’s mother wiped at her tears, trying to clean her nose. “After so long! I’m not getting any younger, sir!” She laughed, coming to hold your hands in hers.
“Oh dear, it’s going to be hard to not eat you up.” She joked, pinching your cheeks.
“Eomma.” Yoongi warned, causing the others to laugh.
“I’m just kidding.” The woman shook her head playfully. “You already have enough problems with the other 6 boys, I’m sure.”
You laughed, nodding your head in agreement. With that, all of the other guests gathered around to greet both you and Yoongi.
After they had all eaten–and Yoongi’s mother made one of the servants go fetch you some food–Yoongi took to showing you around his home. It wasn’t an extravagant palace like the one’s royalty used. But it was large enough to house a very important person. He explained to you the history behind the home, telling you it belonged to his father when he had been on the council. You almost scoffed when you remembered that Yoongi was a vampire.
You took notice of how different the material was in the building and things weren’t as unstable compared to back home. While you knew the government tended to preserve most of the palaces, Yoongi told you that his home hadn’t been changed since it was built.
“This is so much different from the palaces back home.” You hummed, looking at one of the columns that was made out of some kind of jade.
“Yes, they have to accommodate a lot of our magical needs.” Yoongi told you, watching you with a small smile.
You turned around to face him, catching his soft look. “You must be so happy to be home.” You told him, walking closer.
Yoongi hummed, taking your hand before placing a kiss on your wrist. “I'm sure all of us are.” He told you, thumb brushing against your pulse. “Especially with you here.”
You watched as he continued his affections on your vein, tilting your head. “You always find my pulse points. Is it a vampire thing?” You giggled.
“It is.” He mocked. “Blood is what keeps us alive. It’s what keeps me alive.” He pulled you closer to him, looking down at your turned wrist. “If I so wanted to, I could easily suck you dry and kill you in a few seconds.”
You raised your eyebrows in a challenge, watching as he looked up at you. A large grin spread across his face as his arms wrapped around your waist.
“I love you, (Y/N).” He whispered against your lips.
“I love you too, Yoongi.” You smiled, pressing your lips against his.
Series Masterlist
@h3arteyes4mingi , @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh , @rinkud, @rln-byg , @singukieee , @hoshi-is-ult-bbg , @ldysmfrst , @k-p0p-4ever , @shadowyjellyfishfest , @forestsquirrel , @juju-227592 , @alienchickenpoop , @dreamerwasfound , @afangirl91 , @psiphidragon , @puppyminnnie , @girl-nahh-two , @shyloh-the-cornsnake , @oemmi2005 , @ollyoxenfrees , @whynotlarene , @beeltsumu , @cryingpages , @milopenne , @belikejk , @thatonedemigodfromseoul , @woozixo, @serveruslovebot , @vintageoldfashion ,
#bts fanfic#bts#bts jungkook#bts jimin#bangtan sonyeondan#bts v#bts jin#bts namjoon#bts jung hoseok#kpop fanfic#bts imagines#bts min yoongi#jeon jungkook#bts x reader#bts x you#bts x y/n#bts ot7#bts fantasy au#bts smut#min yoongi x you#min yoongi x reader#min yoongi#yoongi x reader#yoongi x you#yoongi x y/n
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The Lucky Seven | BTS ot7 x reader
Hybrid/Royal AU
~ chapter 2 ~
[ word count: 3400+ ]
❀ genre: dark royal core, hybrid au, royalty au, hybrids/knights!ot7 x human/princess!reader, afab (she/her) reader, polyamory (mostly ot7 x reader), strangers to lovers, daddy dom, smut and sexual sometimes. tiny bits of horror
❀ warnings: smut, swearing, murder, death (not the reader or ot7 though, I'm not evil), mentions of inbreeding (not between reader or ot7) some unsettling horror depictions, it won't be every chapter though or the whole story, just little bits here and there. (I'm willing to re write chapters for you to read if you can't do horror but still wanna follow along, just ask! 🖤)
——— summary ———
In a world of hybrids and humans, following each other closely to extinction, you are one of the last full humans, Princess y/l/n of the emerald nation. humans are essential for the survival of hybrids so why are assailants hunting you and your family down? because of this, the court has decided it’d be best for you to be guarded at all times by the nations strongest knights, you’ve only ever heard of them but have never seen their faces. What will happen once you come face to face with the infamous “lucky seven”?
[ chapter 2 ]
chapter content warnings: possible emetophobia warning: mentions of needing to throw up (character doesn’t actually throw up though) and unintentional self-harm.
The cold night’s air trickled between Namjoon’s thick fur. Millions of thoughts ran through his mind, faster than the paws carrying him and the princess. What was the princess doing outside? Why did she look so familiar and most of all, are his pack mates okay?
Growling out of frustration whilst running into the night, he shakes those thoughts out. For now he has only one thing he needs to focus on. Getting you to safety and he knows exactly where you’ll be safe.
-
Multiple hurried footsteps and panicked screams filled the room. It was chaos. What was a joyful and merry evening turned into absolute havoc.
The once golden room suddenly having turned cold and blue, its warmth having completely washed away. Hobi quickly ran and tried to push through the crowd looking for any of his pack mates. It seemed impossible with the sea of people engulfing him.
Just as Hobi started to feel hopeless, he found two of his pack members, Jin and Jimin, spotting them from across the room. Hobi used his hands to cup around his face before yelling desperately “JIN! JIMIN-AH! “ The two instantly recognized that voice.
They both quickly snapped their heads into the direction of where it came from, spotting their fellow pack mate trying to make his way through the wave of people. What after seemed like forever, they all finally reached each other, Jin grabbing onto Hoseok’s hands.
“Where are the others” Jin quickly questioned. “I don’t know, you’re the first two that I found” replied Hoseok. Jimin starts glancing around, running his hand through his hair as he pondered.
“Well wherever they are, they can handle themselves. For now we have to neutralize the threat.” Jimin asserts before turning to his fellow knight and pack member, Hoseok. “Hobi, you were the one who alerted that the princess was being attacked, where did the arrow come from?” Questioned the knight.
Hobi doesn’t waste time in answering, “Follow me, I know what direction it came from. Possibly even the shooting location” briskly, Hobi starts making his way to where he suspects it came from, with Jin and Jimin following closely and quickly behind.
-
The temperature around your body is warm. You feel snug and drowsy. Hearing the crackle of fire wood just makes you want to fall back even deeper into your slumber.
The smell of cedar filling your nostrils, comforting you furthermore. Shifting around and moving your legs, you start to feel the softness of blankets underneath, gliding against your skin as you moved. You start to wonder when was the last time you felt this pleasant..
Alas the sudden realization of what had just transpired abruptly started streaming back into your head. Quickly, you sat up, instinctively backing up and grabbing onto whatever was underneath you which happened to be the same blanket that had just brought you so much comfort.
“Your highness, you’re awake” a deep voice suddenly declared, making you shoot your head into the direction it came from. Letting go of the blanket in defense you realized it was the same man from before, the wolf hybrid. He was sitting beside your bedside in a wooden chair.
You didn’t get to have a good look at him before due to the havoc but now that you are, you realized that he’s a gorgeous man. He had tan skin and dark siren-like eyes. His hair was dark, adorned with an undercut.
You found yourself studying his features, they were soft and welcoming. As you sat in silence, taking in the man before you, the same voice suddenly interrupted your admiration. “your highness? are you alright?” his face contorted into worry.
How embarrassing. “y-yes, I am alright.” You answered before quickly looking down to avoid the man you had just been in awe of. Feeling his gaze burn into you, you can’t help but look back up, taking in your surroundings instead, trying to ignore the man obviously examining you with his eyes.
The room was lit with an orange hue from the fire, the room being much smaller than any you’ve ever been in before. Instead of the white walls and golden accents you were accustomed to, you were surrounded by walls of bark.
The walls simply decorated with some little paintings here and there. Looking around some more you noticed this room had no windows, how peculiar you thought to yourself. You noticed some bookshelves hung on the wall above the fireplace across from you, filled with old and torn books much like your own books.
Once you felt you’ve taken in enough of your surroundings and felt more at ease about the man that was studying you, you looked back down. Examining the sheets you were covered in, you realized they were a maroon shade. the colour was dull but you could tell it had been a vivid maroon at some point, or even red.
You decide to finally ask the questions that had been on your mind since you woke up. “Where am I? Are my parents okay?” you asked feebly, ashamed and feeling as though these circumstances were all your fault. Still looking down, you grip onto the sheets once again awaiting his answer.
“You’re at my pack’s den. Kings orders were to get you away from the chaos until it was deemed safe. Unfortunately I don’t know about the well being of your parents but as you might know, your mother didn’t attend the ball, just your father. Last I heard, he was being led to safety.” He replied with a gentle voice, as to not stress you out anymore than you already are. Sighing you let go of your grip to hold your face. covering your eyes, you just sit there, not wanting to cry in front of a stranger especially as princess.
You were to be queen one day and queens cannot show weakness, especially to their subjects. Your heart filled with rue, you decide to let go of your face. Turning to the man once again. “Your name…. It’s sir Namjoon.. right?” you inquired. His eyes widening from the sudden question and the fact that you knew his name.
You must of heard it when Hoseok was talking to him. His face quickly turns from surprise to a gentle smile “yes your highness, my name is Namjoon. Sir Kim Namjoon.” he confirmed.
He then got up from his seat to bow, before gently grabbing your hand with both of his. Softly, he brought it to his lips, you could feel his breath against your hand before he bestowed a kiss of respect upon it, his lips ever so slightly brushing against it. You’re used of servants bobbing you a curtsy or kissing your hand out of respect but this feels different.
You could feel your face start to get hot at the contact, stomach contorting into a ball of what feels like butterflies trying to fight their way out. Taking your hand back, you glance back at the man, met with the same warm smile you had been examining before.
Scratching the back of your neck, you quickly turn your head to face the other way, an attempt at looking at anything but the beautiful man in front of you. You knew your face was probably the colour of crimson so this was as an attempt of hiding that. Glancing around, you remembered how there were no windows, what time was it?
The last thing you remembered was riding away from the palace on top of the wolf hybrid. Had you fallen asleep? You looked for a clock in vain before briskly turning back to face the very man you were just trying to avoid eye contact with. “Ummm… how long was I sleeping for? What time is it?” You questioned, fidgeting with your hands, a bit embarrassed that you had fallen asleep on the hybrid.
“Oh! I apologize, it is the next day. it’s….” he looked down at his watch “09:37” looking back up at you he continued “speaking of, my pack should be back soon, along with your servants and a carriage to escort you back to the palace” he smiled. It’s the next day? You slept for so long, and he had to watch you the whole time.
Your guilt growing, you look down at your hands. Your chest weighing you down, you uttered “I’m… I’m sorry.. I fell asleep on you...” you sniffled. Surprised by your own unexpected moment of weakness, you really didn’t want to cry but you just couldn’t fight the tears.
Oblivious to the man’s sudden worried expression, you continued “and you had to watch me… all night… it’s all my fault, I-I put your pack in d- danger-“ you tried to continue as the lump in your throat fought to take over. But before it could, abruptly, your vision is covered.
Large arms are wrapped around you. They feel warm and comforting. You’re being gently pressed against a broad chest before you realize, he’s hugging you. His scent and warmth instantly calming you down.
Your muscles relaxed and you went loose while you breathed in his scent, closing your eyes. Slowly breathing in and out to calm yourself down, you just sat on the bed, letting yourself be embraced by the man. The embrace is cut short by the realization of what Namjoon had just done.
Gently pulling away, “Y-your highness…” he stammered, clearly embarrassed and quite frankly, scared of what he had just done. Standing up straight, he explained “please forgive me, that was out of line. it’s just… you looked so sad..I felt…” he continued, letting go of your arms to run his hands through his hair but before he could finish, the sound of horses and footsteps cut him off, making the both of you stand up.
-
“thank you once again sir Namjoon, to you and your pack for keeping the princess safe and your services” Your father’s servant said to Namjoon, bowing gratefully to the wolf hybrid. “ it’s really no problem, we are glad to be of service to the king” the hybrid replied, returning the bow.
Your fathers leading officers and servants had come to pick you up from Sir Namjoon’s and his pack’s den. Sitting in the carriage, you stared at the man who had saved you the night before. Pondering of what had transpired just before your father’s men had arrived.
You’ve never been held before by anyone before but your parents and governess. It felt nice. the different body type holding you, way bigger than your parents or governess’ body. It made you feel at ease and protected.
Suddenly your stare is met with his, his head turning to face you. He flashes you a smile before you quickly look down in embarrassment, fiddling with your hands. How rude of you, this man had just saved your life and you repay him by staring?
Footsteps interrupt your mental self beating, realizing they belong to the wolf hybrid that had saved you the night before. He’s coming this way, why do you feel so nervous? “Your highness?” he inquires.
“yes?” You answer with a small smile. “Im very sorry about… what happened in the den. I was out of line and I can only hope you and your father could forgive me for crossing such boundaries” all he did was hug you. You knew it was only a problem because you were the princess but what if you weren’t… would he….
You cut your own thoughts off. You can’t be thinking like that. “oh.. yeah.. please pay it no mind, I really didn’t mind… I actually.. quite enjoyed it.” You admit, mentally slapping yourself as soon as you said so.
A flush quickly took over his face, heart skipping a beat before he started smiling widely. “well.. me too.. you’re highness.” he also admits. You’re both looking at each other, smiling in silence.
Rubbing your hands together nervously, no one’s ever looked at you for this long before and neither have you ever looked at someone for so long. You didn’t want to admit it but for some reason, you wanted to be held by him again, to have his arms around your body, keeping it in a cocoon of safety and maybe… maybe even love-
“WE’RE OFF IN TWO MINUTES” the sound of your fathers men startled you from your thoughts, maybe for good reason too. “well, I guess I’m off.” The hybrid proclaimed with a half smile. “Me too I guess” you responded.
He then reached into the carriage to grab your hand, gently brushing a kiss against it once more just like he did inside, making your heart flutter. He then bowed and said “goodbye Princess. I hope our paths cross again one day” he smiled. You felt your stomach do flips as you looked down.
You uttered a shy “goodbye sir Namjoon… so do I” before looking back up. Looking into each others eyes, you smiled at each other one last time, the hybrid giving you a nod before reluctantly turning away. “MEN, WE’RE OFF” and just like that, the carriage started to move, finding that your eyes never left the man and the direction he was going.
While watching him, you notice his figure was suddenly accompanied by 6 other ones, all walking into the den you had just vacated in. Who were they? Looking back into the front of the carriage, reality started to sink in and your circumstances.
Realizing your parents were waiting for you back home, a sinking feeling settles in. You are in so much trouble.
-
Sitting in the plush chair in your room, you can’t help but think about the men from last night. Hobi, was it? And Namjoon. They were both very attractive yes but truth is, that wasn’t the only reason you kept thinking about them.
Who were they? What were they doing at the ball and why did they seem to know you? Sitting back on the chair, you brought your legs up, holding them against your chest.
Most importantly, how did Hobi know you were the princess? Sure he said you smelt of human but don’t other human hybrids do too? You are a full human though you thought to yourself. Maybe that’s it. You were missing the hybrid scent and perhaps he put two and two together, you and your parents are the last full humans in the nations after all.
Groaning, you slightly swung your head back in frustration. You need to see them again, you thought to yourself. You need answers. Knocking brings you out of your rumination, “your highness?” A voice spoke behind your doors.
“yes?” You replied. “your presence is requested in the courtroom by your Father” Shit. You knew your father would be livid about all of this but the courtroom?
What was he up to? Was he going to send you away? All of these worries ran through your head before you stood up. Turning toward the door, you croaked out a pathetic “I’ll be there in five minutes”.
-
Your steps echoed the hallways, shoes clacking against the marble. Hugging yourself while walking, you can’t help but tighten your grip around your arms the closer you get to the courtroom. Your eyes trailing the passing paintings hung alongside the hallway, a feeble attempt to keep your mind calm.
Alas it’s futile as your thoughts keep running your mind rapid. What if father sends me to a nunnery you think, you’ve never been away from your parents your whole life so this frightens you. Or worse, what if he decides to keep you locked up in one of the dungeons for the rest of your life.
You find your nails starting to dig into your skin, you need to throw up. You stop and kneel. Coughing as you hold on to your stomach. Nothing is coming out.
You can’t throw up but you need to. Tears started beaming through your eyes before you quickly got up. You dusted yourself off and wiped your tears. You need to do this. You need to get it over with.
As you continue your way down. The doors of the courtroom finally come into sight, making your heart drop. ‘This is it’ you think to yourself. You feel as though you’re not in control, you just want to run away but your body is calmly walking toward the doors with no hesitation.
Reaching for the handle, you gently turn it, using your weight to push it open. Why can’t you run, you just want to turn back. Entering the room, the discussion within it instantaneously became quiet. All eyes turned to face you.
A large L shaped table sat in the middle of the room, your Father at the end of the L. The courtroom had high ceilings and tall windows, velvet red curtains draped over them. You cleared your throat, ignoring the eyes on you, you held your head up high and calmly began to make your way to the end of the table, where your father was.
The once clamorous room, was now filled with nothing but the clacking of your shoes against marble. All you could feel were dozens upon dozens of burning gazes, almost making you trip as you walk. Once you made it to the end, you looked at your father.
Meeting eyes with his, his face is filled with sadness but somehow also solace. Without warning, something overtakes you. You thought you could do it but your Fathers’ face had made you weak. You were guilty.
You sank to the floor almost mimicking the way your heart felt. Kneeling down, you placed your forehead to the ground, hands placed side by side. Gasps and muttering quickly filling the courtroom at the spectacle, silencing as fast as they started at the wave of your Father’s hand. His sight never leaving you, “Father…” you weakly whispered.
“Please, forgive me… I can’t-“ you were about to finish when you heard a chair being pushed back. You looked up, your father was walking briskly toward you. You were scared but then you noticed his eyes were glossy.
He quickly picked you up from off the floor, embracing you like he never had before. “Daughter…” you hear your father choke out. your eyes were wide when they suddenly filled with tears at the realization and relief.
Feeling safe, you quickly wrapped your arms around him. Oh how you loved your father. After a few minutes, your father pulls away from the hug, wiping your tears. “a future queen should never cry in public” he reminded you, smiling.
You chuckled at the joke “yes father” looking down as he pushes your hair behind your ears. He was so glad that you were safe, he didn’t even care about the disobedience. One thing was made clear to him though, he could not stop you. So if he couldn’t stop you, you would just have to be protected at all times.
“Daughter, I know I cannot stop your desires to leave the palace, I can see that clearly now..” he admits shamefully while looking down. “and because of last nights threat, you will have to be guarded at all times, even more so than before” your heart began to palpitate in excitement. Wait… does this mean.. you can leave the palace?
Looking into your fathers eyes with anticipation, you spoke up “what are you saying father?”. Your father sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose “you may leave the palace from time to time, but you must be guarded by all seven while doing so.”
all seven? You cocked your head in confusion before your father registered your questioning look, clearing his throat before continuing “because of last nights threat, the court and I have decided you need to be guarded at all times” guarded? Like, a babysitter? “by whom?” You inquired.
Your father snaps his fingers, signalling to one of his servants to bring whoever it is, in. Hurriedly, the servant runs to the other door connecting to the next room, opening it. The men who came waltzing in, made your breath hitch.
It was seven handsome knights, two of them being the same men from the night before, Hobi and Namjoon. After quickly scanning them, your eyes met with Namjoon’s. A smirk appearing on his face. “I bet you didn’t think our paths would cross again so soon, your highness.”
A/N: OOOOOOOO cliffhanger! I know I said we would meet the boys this chapter but I didn’t want to rush things, howeverr I PROMISE we will meet the rest of them in the upcoming chapter :) anyway what did you think of the chapter? Any notes are deeply appreciated, especially comments. It makes me so happy that people are actually reading this, I promise I’ll do my best to deliver! Have a good rest of your day/night everyone, I’m gonna get started on chapter three once I wake up tomorrow ☺️
P.s I was asked about a tag list, so if anyone is interested, just ask! I’ll be putting the tag list on the next chapter xx
Next chapter:
#Spotify#bangtan boys#bts#bts hybrid fic#bts hybrid x reader#bts royal au#bts x reader#fanfiction#fanfic#hybrid#hybrid au#bts ot7 x reader#bts fanfiction#bts hybrid au#bts hybrid fanfic#k pop#k-pop#royalcore#ot7 x reader
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hello, you lil naughty hoes, i decided to update the list of stuff that will be coming to you at some point in this lifetime. Under the cut!
Noxious pt 2
Top Dog pt 2
Frills pt 2 aka the prequel
Quaint Spaces (at some fuckin point)
Protection Afforded (at some fuckin point)
Taehyung- he didn’t know he liked roses until…
Wonho 2x: foodplay fic + incubus slut
Kevin Moon: fic involving milk lol all you need to know is milk
Jungkook: somnophilia fic
Mystic realism pussyboy series (i aint telling u who, but its a lot)
Kevin Moon: flogging
SKZ Jisung 3x: you just wanna make him cream sometimes + cowboy + hybrid themes
Huening Kai: plantboy fic
TBZ Sunwoo: hard domming him
Skz Changbin: lol... you'll see...
Bts Jin: hybrid themes
got7 yugyeom: mythical/mystical au
winner mino: royalty???
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I posted 968 times in 2022
92 posts created (10%)
876 posts reblogged (90%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@jung-koook
@eggjinnie
@namchyoon
@heybaetae
@yooboobies
I tagged 153 of my posts in 2022
#helenazbmrskai answers - 53 posts
#bts fanfiction - 31 posts
#bts fic - 28 posts
#bts fanfic - 28 posts
#bts smut - 22 posts
#seokjin fanfiction - 12 posts
#seokjin fic - 11 posts
#seokjin fanfic - 11 posts
#reblog:bts - 11 posts
#taglist reblog - 11 posts
Longest Tag: 68 characters
#when i was young i played around my family well xd trying to do that
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
Radio Sweethearts (m)
🎧Pairing – [Yoongi x Reader]
🎧Genre – [Brother’s Best Friend Au, Smut, Fluff, Angst, College Au, Slow Burn, Podcast Au]
🎧Summary – [Yoongi have always been your brother’s best friend. You grew up together it was natural that you’ve fallen for him. The question is – does he feels the same? Will he ever see you as more than just his friend’s little sister?]
🎧Warnings – [sibling fall out, age gap, smut: (grinding, oral (f+m), vaginal fingering, oral fixation, cunnilingus, good morning sex, cum play, cum eating, blowjob, handjob, protected sex, dirty talk, multiple orgasms, brief creampie kink mention)]
🎧Word Count – [17k+]
Author Note – This fic is from 2020! It took me a crazy amount of time to spell check and rewrite entire parts to be somewhat good. I hope you will enjoy this project I planned where I rewrite some old fic of mine.
See the full post
410 notes - Posted July 13, 2022
#4
Sweet Tooth. KSJ (m)
Pairing – Sugar Glider Hybrid! Seokjin x Reader
Genre – Hybrid AU, Smut, Fluff
Summary – [You have liked Seokjin for years and finally you decided to tell him how you feel. Your confession landed you in a sticky situation the best way possible.]
Warnings – adoption of an adult hybrid, mutual pining, fake dating briefly and not the main pair, jealous Jin, dom! Jin, healthy amount of possessiveness, smut, vaginal fingering, kissing, dirty talk, exhibitionism, unprotected sex, big dick! jin, cum eating, finger sucking, lots of cum, creampie kink
Word Count – (5.3k)
Author note. It’s been a while since I got this request from @jinscharms I hope you will enjoy this and it will come as a pleasant surprise to see this notification after a long day at school! You were so sweet and let me take my time with this. I hope you’re doing well!
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418 notes - Posted February 17, 2022
#3
Born This Way 2 (m)
Pairing – [Hybrid! Jimin and Jeongguk x Human! Reader (fem.)]
Genre – [Hybrid AU, Smut]
Summary – [It’s been almost four months now that you bought your hybrids from that bitch and had them tied to chairs. You had lots of fun. You’re happy that they seem to like being here with you. Or– Jimin and Jeongguk have been thriving under your care – the healthy glow is on both of their skins, taken care of both physically and mentally – and they’re very serious about always paying your kindness back tenfold.]
Warnings – [Character Development, Smut, (M x M, M x F) (!) threesome, oral (f x m), cunnilingus, sub!jiguk, soft dom!reader (very soft for her boys), guk has tattoos and lip piercing, shy!guk, lots of kisses, lots of tongues and spit used, hair pulling, cum swapping, fingering, handjob and blowjob (m x m), oral (m x m), praise (o.c. it’s for jimin), bunny!guk, cat!jimin (and he certainly gots the cream), clit rubbing, female masturbation, they watch each other a lot, begging, guided deep throating (m x m), throatpie and creampie(s), dirty talk, pet names (kitty, bunny, honey, baby etc.), cum play, cute and sexy time, unprotected sex (be safe!), double vaginal penetration, size kink, cock worship, cockriding, french kissing, belly bulge]
Word Count – [4k] – of filth!
Author note. We might meet again in part 3? Who knows.
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513 notes - Posted June 12, 2022
#2
My Prince Is Charming (m)
Pairing – Prince! Jungkook x Servant! Reader
Genre – Smut, Royalty AU, Forbidden Relationship AU, Angst
Summary – Prince Jungkook overhears the stable boys talking about your pussy game and he wants to see it for himself.
Warnings – power play/dynamic, demanding and entitled jk in the beginning but gets sweet at the end, rubbing over clothes, dirty talk, blowjob, handjob, cum eating, jk cums down oc’s throat twice, unprotected sex with pulling out (remember pulling out is not a good method u can still get pregnant!), cock riding, big dick!jk, praise kink, scent kink, female masturbation, vaginal fingering, finger sucking, clit rubbing, cunnilingus, oral (f and m), teasing, overstimulation, lovemaking, sweet talk, it gets soft at the end, nudity, bathing, dirty thoughts/fantasies (both of them), sexual tension, mutual pining, virgin!jk, mention of the word ’whore’ once but no degradation, loss of virginity, forbidden love, mention of death if they get caught, oc has the hots for her prince
Word Count – (6k+);
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737 notes - Posted June 2, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
hey
can u write CEO!JK giving ridiculous tasks to assistant!y/n and she has enough and punishes him for it?
Pairing - CEO! Jungkook x Assistant! Reader
Genre - CEO AU, Pinning, Smut, Secret Crush AU
Summary - Mr Jeon to make it up to you for giving you ridiculous tasks he lets you sit in his chair and eats you out on his knees. yes. that's the plot babies
Warnings - y/n yells at kook but they obvi make up later, smut, dom!reader, sub!jungkook, dirty talk, teasing, licking over panties, oral (f), vaginal fingering, mention of masturbation (m), you cum around kookie's face, he also uses his nose to rub your clit, very slight degradation (one sentence only, you call him dumb but that's all), jk likes the taste of your pussy very much
Word Count - (2,1k)
Author note. Hope you like it!
You like to think that you're a very patient person. It's a trait that you got from your mother. It takes a lot for the people around you to rile you up so you're wondering how Jeon Jungkook could do that within five seconds. It must be a new record.
He's your boss so try to refrain from glaring or rolling your eyes at him even when he tells you the most ridiculous task to carry out. You should give him a tight lipped smile and be on your merry way to do what the youngest CEO of the company wishes. But! Enough is enough. It was a shitty day, to begin with. First, you woke up late last night your washing machine broke down so you had no clothes to wear to the office your only option was your old pencil skirt that's way too short for you now to wear and some ugly yellow blouse. Like you said, not your day.
Jungkook checked out your ass when you bent to pick up his pen. The pen which you're sure was not just accidentally dropped.
Getting him his fourth coffee of the day was however the last straw, one more thing and you're bound to blow up.
"Can you get me the-"
"No, get it yourself!" You almost growl at him when he dares to bark another order for you. Yes, you're his assistant but you're not his personal maid that he can just order around. He's way past the bounds of professionalism so why should you care? Especially when you're so ready to put this bratty CEO in his place.
"I'm not your coffee girl or your maid. Only call me if it's of some important matter otherwise I'll be doing my paperwork that I couldn't finish because of your ridiculous orders! I'm not paid to babysit a full grown manchild."
Ok, maybe that was a little too harsh you swear you saw tears gathering behind his eyes. Slamming the door behind you was unintentional too. He did take my words seriously though since you haven't seen even a single hair of his after your outburst.
You hope that you didn't make him cry. If he did you would feel too guilty for yelling at him. He's also the CEO if he cries after his assistant yelled at him this company is in big trouble.
You've been dreading this hour all day after that little outburst in his office but you have to clock out and maybe even wish him good night since you're feeling pretty guilty.
You hear his soft 'come in' after you knock. His eyes go back to his paperwork when he sees it's you. He's looking pretty meek for a CEO. You're both tiptoeing around each other. You ask him if he needs you to look over something else and he tells you in a soft voice that he can take care of the rest.
It's so awkward you want to crawl your eyes out. Fuck. You really owe him an apology.
"I'm sorry Mr Jeon I didn't mean to yell at you. I just..I was having a bad day but it's not an excuse. What I want to say is that I'm sorry and I understand if you want to fire me I'm-"
"What? Fire you? No! That's not what I want at all!" Jungkook looks at you like a deer caught in headlights. You have to admit that he's kinda cute. His tie is loosened around his neck and his hair is messy like he has carded his fingers through it to calm himself down.
"I'm the one who is sorry Miss L/N. I know that you're not my maid and I'm sorry for being so unprofessional. I would like to keep working with you if you...if you would allow me."
You smile at his genuine apology he's usually a sweetheart a little childlike sometimes but he takes his job very seriously and he always asks about your day, your weekend he really pays attention to you and listens when you speak.
"Apology accepted Mr Jeon." Jungkook's grin widens matching your own as the air clears around you. There's still something in your mind that you can't get over the thought of.
"Why did you make me do all that bullshit for you? You're normally not like that. You do your job very diligently it's not like you to ask me to do coffee rounds." His ears visibly turn a hundred shades of pink. The way he avoids making eye contact with you means that he's shy for some reason.
"I-" He stops as soon as he starts but you wait for him patiently to get his thoughts together. "I didn't know how else to get your attention. I'm so sorry I know it's childish of me. Why would you ever want to date a manchild? I'm there are more suitable men out there that-"
"Stop." You raise your hands up to stop him from rumbling further. He said what you think he said?
"Did you try to ask me out on a date all day? Wait a minute. If I get this correctly did you annoy the shit out of me so you could have the opportunity to see me? Correct?"
You groan when he nods his head so innocently. Manchild for sure. You take the time to really look at him though. He's tall handsome and powerful. That's what his business partners see or the people when he's on the top pages of the Forbes.
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817 notes - Posted May 21, 2022
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imagine jin as the lead of a historical kdrama
picture king kim seokjin of the joseon period, the powerful mighty emperor whom rulers of lands even from far-far away are intimidated of...
ahhh i'd watch the hell out of it :')
#bts#taechnological#kpop#bts summer package 2019 in korea preview#bts summer package 2019#bts summer package#bts kdrama#bts in kdrama#bts jin drama#jin kdrama#korean culture#korean#korean joseon period#bts royalty au#bts jin royalty au#bts royal au#kpop bts#bangtan#bangtan boys#bts photos#bts jin#bts photoshoot#bts outfit#bts kpop#bts icons#seokjin#bts hot#kpop bangtan#bts army#bts kim seokjin
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To Kill A King (Chapter 14)
Banner and linebreaks by the talented @awrkives
Summary: What’s more charming than Prince Seokjin? Nothing, obviously. Except maybe the rotating palace guests who each smile and bow and charm in an attempt to hide their true motives. Fortunately Seokjin has a close circle of friends (well, servants) who watch his back and endure his humor and help him navigate the tumultuous seas of heartbreak, love, and an arranged marriage, not necessarily in that order. If only they had helped him keep a closer eye on his bride-to-be’s handmaiden, who arrives with her own agenda… or maybe it would have been better if he had noticed her less? One thing is certain as this royal drama of the heart plays out: there are many people competing to kill a king.
Main Pairing: Prince Seokjin x Female OC Genre: Historical Fantasy World, political conspiracy, romance Rating: 18+ Content Warnings & story tags: includes explicit sex (mxf, fxf), possibly graphic violence/injury later, love and sex triangles or uh quadrangles?, sort of e 2 l, sort of bodyguard trope, sort of arranged marriage, a lot of plotting murder (it’s literally in the title), maybe character death, grief, pining, angst, love, oral (f & m receiving), public sex, I don’t know everything yet as the story is long and still being written
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NOTE: check out the Character & Setting Cheat Sheet for a refresher on who’s who
Old habits die hard. Though Dulce had shifted her purpose to finding some way to prove Nasimiyu and her father were planning to overthrow the Kim family –a thing she hadn’t the faintest idea how to accomplish– an opportunity presented itself in her quest for information that was simply too good to pass up. King Dong-gun quit the palace to go on another of those maniacal cave hunting expeditions, and took most of the palace with him, including Nasimiyu and that ice-cold uncle.
It had almost been funny, that brief moment in which Nasimiyu debated whether to take Dulce. Dulce was back on laundry duty –surprise, surprise– but was carting clean clothes up to the princess’ room. Nasimiyu called for something she could wear on a hunt, then informed Dulce they were going to the caves in the morning, then looked at her in silence for a long moment… before deciding Eula would go. Eula had cried about it all night because she was scared of caves and guns.
Mirta had given Dulce a day’s worth of tasks which she utterly ignored. Was Mirta going to fire her? That would suit her just fine; the only thing keeping her from quitting was needing time to find whatever she could take to Prince Seokjin or King Dong-gun.
As soon as Nasimiyu left for the hunting trip, Dulce ransacked her room. She put everything back so it wouldn’t be obvious, of course, but she dug through all the spaces she normally didn’t care about –the drawers in the writing desk, the false bottom of her jewelry box, the tiara box in the wardrobe that used to house a secret supply of snacks until Nasimiyu ate through them within days of arriving in Priva.
Rooting through the wardrobe made Dulce wonder if Nasimiyu would rat her out about killing the spying man at some point. She could. A princess’ word against a maids would result in nothing other than the death penalty for the maid. Nasimiyu could toss in that Dulce had threatened her about it. It didn’t even have to be true, Nasimiyu could say whatever she wanted and have Dulce’s head off in a moment. Rather than frighten her, this power disparity pissed Dulce off.
She clearly and obviously ought to leave immediately, before that could happen. What was holding Nasimiyu back from doing so this very day? She was clearly angry about Namjoon still, and hadn’t said a word to Dulce since she’d walked in on her and Prince Seokjin fucking. Was she waiting and hoping for Dulce to come groveling to her? Or just biding her time until she could surprise Dulce with an accusation and death?
It didn’t make any sense, and Dulce hated not knowing. She was too close to this one; she wouldn’t be able to leap away before Nasimiyu’s dagger plunged in.
She had to be fast. Faster than this.
But there was nothing incriminating to be found anywhere in Nasimiyu’s room. The letters from her mother were dull and saccharine. There were no letters from her father. She didn’t keep a diary, not even a fake, so there was nothing to betray her as a fiance either, no pining for Namjoon inked onto pages in her hand. Dulce had taught her too well, it seemed.
Dulce paid a visit to the old room Nasimiyu had stayed in, but there likely hadn’t been anything notable there either before it was wiped clean. Same for the rooms Prince Hamisi and Princess Simisola had lived in.
What was Dulce’s next step here? She felt hopelessly out of options. She could approach Prince Seokjin and just tell him… but why would he believe her against his own fiance? He wouldn’t. Dulce was just an out of favor maid. Well, she could tell him more than that if she was willing to sacrifice her own security…
But how did one prove they were an assassin hired to spy and assassinate you? She had no written orders. No secret society brand on her shoulder. No poisoned dagger bearing Prince Hamisi’s emblem or any of the other clues that led to the capture of the villains in the Kalamouche novels. The emblemed dagger in the most recent book she’d read had really done her in, it was nearly enough to make her laugh, it was such a stupid idea. What idiot gave an assassin a clear and obvious connection back to the purse-holder? Dulce had found herself wishing she could meet the author and give him a good thrashing and tell him to do better –nobles were absolute idiots but in a very different way than that. But it had then led to the mental play of Prince Seokjin meeting the author and probably being so exuberant and excited about it because he probably read these ideas and thought they were genius and it had ticked her off so much, this day dream, the fact that she was daydreaming about Prince Seokjin.
What was this man doing to her?! Why?! She had met so many men in her life and this one was… was ignorant and naive and too trusting and… honestly, a clown. And thoughtful and considerate and inappropriately chivalrous and unfortunately almost funny and generous and from what she could see, honest. If he was not honest, he had fooled her. Otherwise, he might be one of the only honest people she had ever met in her life. Everything about him seemed so sincere. Was that true? He did not seem to consider himself when he put himself forward to help someone –a maid who didn’t need rescuing, a crying child, a servant who was secretly his brother and an inherent threat to his throne.
Fuck that guy, he was messing with her head. She had to figure something out and then get the fuck out of here. She’d do her best to find some way to open his eyes to the dangers around him, but she couldn’t die for him. She needed to be gone before Nasimiyu figured it out. Possibly the only thing staying Nasimiyu’s hand right now was that she’d never directly caused someone’s death before. Could that be it? Was there some conscience after all beneath that ridiculous flower crown Prince Seokjin had given Nasimiyu for dinner last night?
She circled the palace trying to look like she had somewhere to be without actually having an aim. Prince Hamisi was too smart to leave anything incriminating in the Kim palace. Nasimiyu never had anything to leave around. She could try interrogating Nasimiyu’s guards or maids for anything but it would raise suspicion on herself unless she killed them afterwards, likely not get her anything, and another death around Nasimiyu would probably send the palace into another frenzy.
How ironic. Dulce was possibly the greatest threat to Nasimiyu, wasn’t she? It occurred to her that striking Nasimiyu down and lying in wait for Prince Hamisi to come running back would be the quickest way to ensure they couldn’t harm Prince Seokjin.
But actually killing Nasimiyu… It made Dulce’s stomach turn. She didn’t need to go that far right now. Dulce was efficient and purposeful, but she wasn’t wasteful. Death was inevitable, but that didn’t mean Dulce was eager to dole it out, not to someone she had so recently been so close to. Honestly, did Nasimiyu deserve to die? She shouldn’t be queen but..
Dulce was compromised. She was too sentimental. The objective truth was that no one person was worth more than the lives of dozens or hundreds of others, but right now Nasimiyu wasn’t a threat to dozens or even hundreds of people. If she died today, there would be a new and probably worse princess betrothed to the prince tomorrow. Nasimiyu was selfish and stubborn but supposedly had good intentions, so in a world where her rule wasn’t a threat to Seokjin’s life, Dulce would have left her alone.
“I have a packet for the King,” a deep voice said, traveling closer up the hallway.
Another voice scoffed, “And I told you, he is not in the palace today so you will have to wait or leave your missives with me.” Dulce recognized the voice of Han-gyeol Jung –that weasley old man constantly looking down his nose at young men and squinting like he could see through the dresses of young women. Allegedly he served as a ‘deportment’ tutor for Prince Seokjin but seemed to leave his more palatable son to do most of the actual refining work.
“I’m in a hurry,” the man said, which struck Dulce as odd. If you had things to deliver to the king, wasn’t that the most important thing you could do? Unless you were just impatient, but he didn’t sound impatient, he sounded… nervous. “They must be delivered directly to the King.”
When Lord Jung or whatever the fuck his proper title was refused to go and physically retrieve the King from the caves, the man snapped that he would try again tomorrow but he wasn’t spending a night here and stomped off. Dulce watched the elder Jung subtly around the corner. He looked completely unbothered by the man’s insistence, as if this sort of urgent entitled demand to see the king was a common occurrence. She found it more curious that he would act as a kind of butler or intermediary for the King in his absence rather than the Castellan or literally anyone else. It seemed outside of his job scope. But what did she know? Besides, most of those people had gone on the hunt.
He strode off to do another task. So the King must not be lying in wait expecting anything urgent, otherwise surely he would let his butler know to fetch him at once should a messenger arrive. Unless Han-gyeol Jung didn’t know anything either and had just unknowingly thwarted something actually very important
Dulce had nothing better to do though (what, maid chores?) and decided to follow the man with the message. He’d not gone far and anyway his steps were loud enough to easily find him, the idiot. She tailed him out of the palace and down into the city, right out the front doors. Nobody looked at him, and she supposed she struck the right balance of looking like a nobody maid that nobody bothered with her either. The man did keep looking anxious around himself but he clearly wasn’t worried about an innocent looking maid with her hair wrapped in a white kerchief the only time he might have seen her over his shoulder.
They moved further into the city. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, which made it easier to keep up with him because his movements were purposeful and obvious. They passed through a couple neighborhoods before he entered an unremarkable tavern, the Bear and Beer.
“Need a room?” the innkeeper asked as the man went straight to the counter.
“Yes, only the night. Middle of the row if you’ve got it,” he said, already dumping coin on the counter as though he knew the cost. They didn’t seem to know each other but he must have been here before; he didn’t wait for further instructions about how to reach “Room 4” before taking the key and heading up. Locking doors meant this was a nicer place, though Dulce could have guessed that from the quiet and decently clean downstairs. The innkeeper kept the keys on a loop that jangled at his hip, which would make it harder to get the spare for Room 4 that he surely kept.
“What about you, need a room?” he called, unfortunately spotting her right away.
Annoyed, she said she was hoping to meet someone and ordered a beer for while she waited. Since it was early in the day, she had her pick of tables where she could watch the few folks who came and went. No one looked suspicious, or even remarkably unsuspicious which could itself be suspicious. Those who came down looked like they’d had a late night to sleep off. Three went up during the time she watched –a maid with an armful of clean linens and a pair with a massive bag between them and the air of disappointment, whatever their business had been that morning.
This was stupid. She was wasting her time on what was likely one of a thousand people who tried to visit the king on any given day and were turned away, and for what reason, because she was bored and frustrated around the palace? She’d have as much luck finding something useful blindly wandering the streets.
She paid for her beer and headed for the door but felt the shuffle of movement close behind her. Turning, she caught only the back of a figure heading purposefully for the stairs as several other people moved around the room at once, getting up to refill mugs of beer or empty tables or step closer to the fire. All normal gestures, but Dulce felt as if the world had thawed quite suddenly, which struck her as odd. Not everyone seemed to be orchestrating something, but rather like something predictable had happened –the waitress had brought in a large tray of food– just as she had risen from the table and others had moved in synchrony too. Coincidence.
But the two people who slipped quickly up the stairs as if they did not wish to be seen felt more intentional. Like people trained to take advantage of a predicted moment of distraction.
Dulce strode forward and bumped into the waitress, who promptly toppled the whole tray onto the table. The patrons leapt up and the waitress leapt back and the innkeeper came running around from the bar squawking about the mess, shoving the waitress out of the way in his rush to apologize –which was just enough physical distraction for Dulce to unhook the ring of keys from his belt. It wasn’t even a twist latch! The fool.
She disappeared up the stairs in the chaos, shedding her cloak and the kerchief in the process, wrapping them into a bundle to mute the jingling of the remaining keys once she’d pulled off the one with the 4 scratched into it.
She put on her best oops wrong room face and rushed through door four… to be met with an empty room. The man had either left or met his fate, but it was definitely his pack still sitting on the bed. She frowned at the stillness and pulled her blade from her pocket, the little shitty one Nasimiyu had given her since it was the closet on hand. If she reached for her boot, he might rush out of the wardrobe or something.
He wasn’t there when she checked though, nor under the bed. Convinced she was alone, she promptly upended his bag. She shoved aside some light clothing, a miniscule bag of money, no more than a handful of jerky and a cheap necklace, and instead focused on the small leatherbound journal –oddly expensive compared to everything else– and a short stack of sealed envelopes. Everything else she shoved back inside, hoping it would buy her some time before the man realized he’d been robbed –of what was probably just a complaint about his neighbor. Dulce realized she was being very rash right now.
A noise in the hallway made her freeze, then leap into the wardrobe mere seconds before the door swung open again. In walked the man she had followed, pulling at his waistband as if he’d just pulled his pants up.
Well shit.
If he had any wits about him, he was going to check the wardrobe in a moment to make sure his room was secure and find her, and what was she going to do? If he was rotten folk, she could kill him and be on her way, but if he wasn’t, she’d rather knock him out.
He didn’t check the wardrobe yet. Instead he sat at the table and produced some cheese and a hunk of bread from his pocket. She held her breath, expecting he’d open his pack for the jerky and notice his precious papers were gone– but he didn’t.
Were people really such fools they didn’t check their rooms first?!
Dulce set the keys in the bottom of the wardrobe with her cloak, moving slowly and carefully so as not to produce even the faintest brushing sound. Then, by the light creeping in through the shoddy cabinetry, she eased open the seal on the first paper and did her best to read. The hand was scratchy and rushed, masculine she thought but couldn’t be sure –her own hand was masculine, she’d been told long ago, as if that mattered.
HD not in Sartia as directed – SD alone
HD crossed border near Ft Gaysa, could not follow, gone 3 days
HD headed north
Dulce’s brow knitted. How annoying to be simultaneously in code but not really. Per request sure sounded like this man had been sent somewhere, to trail this HD to Sartia–
Hamisi Dabo. Dulce was no font of knowledge on famous or infamous persons, but Prince Hamisi had been headed to Sartia with his wife, Simisola Dabo. People were stupid and often the most obvious answer was right.
Her heart leapt into her throat. Was this important? That Prince Hamisi had lied about going to Sartia? What was at Ft Gaysa? If that wasn’t notable, the fact he had crossed the border down there sure was; no one was allowed to cross the southern Therepin border, it would nullify the very precarious treaty after the Therepin Border Wars.
She shoved the note down the front of her dress, blood pounding in her ears as she carefully opened the next. It was in a different hand and dated separately, sealed differently, as if the letters had been sent by two different people completely which left her unsure how they had both wound up with this man.
Summary report on investigation into recent Therepin skirmishes. Full reports arriving separately
1: No witnesses survived. Entire village dead and burned. Civilian deaths: 76.
2: Reliable eyewitness reports invasion of village at dawn. Military arrived 22 minutes later. Military deaths: 1, Assailants: 14 reported - bodies burned could not verify, Citizens: 7.
3: Eyewitness claims assailants came around from the north not south!!! Military arrived in 11 minutes. Military death: 1, Assailants: 13 - bodies burned could not verify, Citizens: 18.
4: Two witnesses survived by hiding under floorboards, have gone missing since interview. Claimed to have heard assailants speak of belonging to Sons of Sunset. Military deaths: 0, Assailants: 32 reported - 3 bodies produced, rest burned could not verify; Civilian deaths: 49 + assuming 2 witnesses
Dulce’s mind was racing. These reports were exactly what she was looking for! Proof that Hamisi was up to something. He shouldn’t be crossing the border, and if the Sons of Sunset were attacking towns and blaming another country, the king needed to know!
But maybe he already knew? She couldn’t tell from just these notes if the King was investigating Prince Hamisi on his own, or if he was just looking into the skirmishes, or what. She knew the royal family had a network of spies, though they tended to be clumsy and easy to identify. This man seemed excessively clumsy though to be carrying such precious documents only to leave them unattended in his room for even a moment. He must not know what he had.
Damn she wished she knew more about what was going on at the border for the notes to make more sense. Namjoon had ranted within earshot at some point but she wasn’t very political and had ignored him. Nonetheless, she would now make sure these landed in the King’s hand directly.
The third didn’t have a seal. Just a dashed, unsigned note on a thin slip of paper.
Delso dead. I’m followed. Take this copy in case I’m done. Watch your back cmdr dsk on the move hunting for squeakers
Cmdr Dsk… Commander Dong-suk Kim? These things weren’t even in code! Any good spy knew the point of code! Though she considered that if the point was to get this information to the King, maybe code wasn’t useful. After all, she was not part of his spy network but understood at least some of the message that needed to make it to the king. It wasn’t actually in the King’s interest for these things to be secret, it was only in the interest of the messengers themselves but by the point someone was reading them, you were likely already dead–
A knock at the door to the room made her head jolt up as quickly as this messenger’s. He rose slowly from the table at another knock. He took a step forward and drew his blade at an even harder knock, nearly enough to take the door off its hinges.
The man started to run for the window, but the act of grabbing his pack from the bed was too slow –he ought to have grabbed and run first, the fool! And he paid dearly for it as the door crashed in, the lock shattering right out of the doorframe as one of the suspicious men she’d seen slide upstairs earlier launched himself through.
A thrown dagger caught the messenger in the back of the neck and he toppled forward, metal protruding through the front. Still his body dragged him forward but there was no fight for life possible and by the time the large man carelessly ripped the bag from his shoulder, he was still and limp.
“Is it the right room this time?” a second voice demanded. He elbowed the door back into place after a peek down the hallway. “You sure it’s him?”
“This is the guy.”
“--Is what you said about the other.”
Dulce waited, calculating. If they’d made short work of someone in another room without even her hearing, they were a trifle better at their jobs than this careless messenger. She could remain hidden and hope they left, but only an idiot wouldn’t check the fucking wardrobe.
Two to one… she’d faced worse odds. All three notes carefully down her bodice, she eased her favorite dagger from under her skirt, touched the one in her boot to make sure it was at hand, took a deep breath, then launched herself from the cabinet.
They’d upended the backpack and the bigger man’s wrist tangled in the straps, which slowed him down enough for Dulce’s blade to slash his upper arm. His other first swung around and would probably have knocked her out cold if she hadn’t ducked just as the smaller man’s blade sliced at her back. Fabric caught and tore thanks to a hook on the tip of his blade that would do even nastier things to skin if she let it, but also presented a weakness. She tried to catch her blade in it to yank it away but misjudged the angle once, twice, three times; their blades struck and slid against each other, the metal grating noise making her skin crawl. It was too much thinking and not enough movement to keep her out of reach of the second man who wasn’t that bothered after all by his cut arm: he plucked her around the waist and threw her against the wall like a rag doll.
“Quiet,” the small man hissed at him after the thud. Dulce groaned and rolled onto her stomach, wheezing. But she’d managed to save some of the breath in her lungs by curling as she flew, and took advantage of their assumption she’d be down. She dragged herself deceptively slowly forward and when the smaller man lifted a leather boot to kick her, she stabbed her smaller blade right down into the toe of his boot as hard as she could. Those fine leather boots of his parted like butter; the toes she stabbed through put up more resistance. He yowled.
“Quiet!” the bigger man mocked and lifted Dulce from the ground by the torn back of her dress, his other blade already slicing at her middle as if to gut her. She slashed at his wrist with the second knife. He tried to knock it away, opening himself up to a straight stab to the gut with the blade from her boot, and another and another. Her blade sank in several inches each time, blood rushing out as she pulled it out, but nowhere deep enough to hit anything vital.
“Fucking whore!” he bellowed and dropped her just as the other man stabbed forward. They weren’t well coordinated and managed to knock into each other while she ducked down and spun away. It only saved her a moment though before both were on her again, small blades biting anywhere they reached. The room’s space was too tight to really maneuver away and they shoved furniture, blundered into the walls, tripped over the body of the messenger, crashed against the bed.
“Just grab her!” the smaller man shouted. Dulce instinctively leapt away from the larger man as his fist clipped the back of her head, but maybe intentionally so, it had been a distraction and the smaller man slashed at her throat, just missing. Dulce struck back but another blow to her back pushed her right into the man’s blade; she knocked it away from her belly but he brought a second around to stab at her back. She slammed her foot onto his thigh and jumped high so that his blade sliced the side of her leg instead, tangling in her ridiculous skirt and tearing fabric and skin both. She returned the favor against the man’s face, an attempt to kill him that sadly missed.
Dulce felt a meaty hand grab the front of her dress and turn her for what was undoubtedly a death blow. She turned faster than the larger man expected and wrapped around him, the strings of her bodice ripping and tangling around his hand as she slid onto his back, her blade dragging across his throat like a caress. It was butchery; she couldn’t risk her cut being too shallow again. He threw himself backwards to avoid the depth, crushing her against the dresser as his blood fountained out and his body began to thrash in in a fit of primal survival. It took all the muscles of her arm to tear that pipe. She managed to slide away from him, diving after the other man who seemed monentarily shocked that she’d managed to down his companion –but not shocked enough to meet the same fate.
He leapt towards her as the other man still flailed, blade extended. Dulce tripped on the dead messenger and it saved her skin; neither she nor the smaller man expected her to drop just then. She rolled around him instead and stabbed at his thigh; the blade sank in but her fingers were locked too tight so when he leapt away it jerked her along too, exposing her side. Her skirt twisted around her leg and later she’d curse herself for wearing such a stupid thing. He took the opportunity, blade going right for her ribs. Her turn dragged it instead across the tops of her breasts, a shallow slice that stung like a bitch. the other side of her torn bodice caught the actual hook of his blade. She stabbed in the direction of his arm.
He surprised her, shoving his hand down the front of her chemise. She thought he was stabbing and tried to twist away.
Instead he pulled out the notes she’d tucked, dashed with her blood and sweat and crumbled beyond belief. He flashed her a grin and was out the window in a heartbeat, unbothered by the knife she threw at his back. Dulce tried to stumble after him, to follow him out, but her legs refused and she merely crawled forward. By the time she reached the, he was long gone and she was alone in the bloodied, broken room with two corpses, the larger one still blinking and gasping but beyond consciousness.
Dulce panted for breath and felt herself, searching for anything fatal. It had all happened so fast. Bruises and cuts she hadn’t noted in the moment competed for attention but adrenaline kept her from surrendering to any of it just yet.
The notes were gone.
Fuck!
That’s what they’d been looking for.
She didn’t have time to think about it right now. They’d been noisy; any moment someone was going to crash through the broken door and she couldn’t be here. She refused to take the fall for whatever she had stumbled into.
Fuck, the notes were gone. It killed her. They were exactly what she had needed! She didn’t want to leave empty handed but pounding steps in the hall told her she had seconds to act. She grabbed the messenger’s coat he had previously hung on the chair and yanked it on over her torn clothes and with her braid tucked down, pulled his hat on low, and rushed towards the door.
“Hey! What’s going on in there!! Open up!” the inn keeper or someone matching his anger shouted ahead of themself, storming down the hall. Dulce weighed her options. She could rush out but didn’t know how many people were there. The other man had gone out the window, so there was a way. He might be waiting but it was her best change.
She grabbed her favorite blade and leapt onto the windowsill, eying the likeliest path he had taken.
Shake all you want, but you’re moving on, she told her legs and took the leap. It was a tight scrabble. Her fingers ached for purchase. She shimmied along the narrow ledge until she reached the lower roof, then tore over it before anyone from the ground would hopefully notice her. The stables on the other side had enough boxes to leap down like a cat and off she raced as soon as her boots touched ground. Some globs of blood dotted the hay-strew ground; she’d got the man good at least once and wished now she’d at least had a good look at his face. She would never recognize him in a room and that pissed her off. He might recognize her.
She noticed the gasps and curious, nervous glances as she sprinted down the street until she knew her legs really were about to buckle. Then she slid into an alley, turned the coat inside out, and did her best to piece herself back together.
In doing so, she discovered she still had one paper: HD not in Sartia as directed – SD alone
Useless on its own.
Now what to fucking do. She was injured, unclear how badly. She knew she looked awful and would raise too many questions if she limped into the palace like that, but where else did she have to go? She didn’t even have the money for a room to wash her face in.
Taehyung or Yoongi? Which could she get to without being seen? Which did she trust to help and not question? What a loss that Nasimiyu couldn’t shield her now.
Neither, she didn’t trust anyone. Ever. People were only loyal as long as it served them. No oath in the world was sacred, even one of love, and they had sworn her nothing.
But she had no other options.
She took her bet and set off, already crafting her story.
“Come on,” Drin cajoled, jostling Seokjin’s arm in the hallway. “You can’t avoid the hunt.”
“I’m not avoiding anything,” Seokjin lied, lied as big and strong as the angry surf that had crashed against the sea wall all night. It called to him, that sea. Only slightly in a macabre way –and not because of the wedding planning, that was fine. He wasn’t avoiding wedding planning. Why would he be avoiding wedding planning? Nor was he avoiding his uncle, as Drin now gracefully hinted it:
“You’re either avoiding your uncle or the caves but either way, you’re fucked. Your father has sent for you. A tummyache ain’t a good reason to skip the hunt.”
“Actually I find it a very good reason,” Seokjin quipped. “Would he have me shit my horse?”
“You can’t blame a stomach to avoid uncomfortable things, little prince. Turn right around and suit up for the hunt. Wear a baby’s swaddle to hold the shit, if you need to.”
“Does no one take me seriously?”
“We know you’ve a history of avoiding–”
“I’m not avoiding anything, except maybe the kitchen.”
Because god save him if he ran into Dulce there. Not after Dulce had walked in on him… with Nasimiyu… A cold shudder ran through his body, followed by the flush of a fever of mortification. It would have been bad for anyone to walk in –didn’t anyone fucking knock?! But of all people, for it to be Dulce, it just…
He wanted to scream. To cry. To throw up. He’d done none of those things. He had quickly dressed and fled to his room and taken a hot bath to wash the sex off and considered drowning himself more than once. For all he knew, his dick had shriveled into his body and would never emerge. Certainly he was never going to have sex again. He was private about sex, thank you very much, so for an unwelcome guest to intrude–
And for it to be Dulce– on or around her birthday, of all times!
Seokjin was not easy to embarrass. But this had done it. And, with little practice in recovering from an embarrassment he rarely felt, he was, in fact, hiding from a maid. Utter shock had emboldened him to hastily scribble the note with the book and send Jimin to deliver it to wherever Dulce slept and now his interactions with her were done and he would never look her in the eye again. Which meant avoiding any of the places they might ever run into each other, including but not limited to: the kitchen where she went for food, the yard where she sometimes passed by, any of the hallways near Nasimiyu’s room, and possibly the queen’s garden where she seemed to appreciate the flowers. He wondered if Nasimiyu would be willing to come to his room from now on… assuming this hadn’t just rendered him impotent for life.
Honestly wandering into a bullet’s path in the caves seemed like not the worst way to go right now.
Because in truth Seokjin also knew he could not avoid Dulce forever, particularly if she remained Nasimiyu’s maid.
He felt like he’d assaulted Dulce. His note wasn’t enough. He didn’t know what else to do. He’d never been in the wrong in this way towards a woman before! And she might be around any corner in this palace, ready to turn to look right through him with those dark eyes that looked so warm behind a mug of hot chocolate. The whole thing was ghastly. How his father had allegedly carried on orgies in the dining hall was beyond Seokjin. Would it have been less devastating if it was someone else? He decided not to answer that, even to himself.
“Is Nasimiyu really going?” Seokjin asked Jimin over his shoulder. “Who’s she taking with her?” The question probably said too much but Jimin was sworn to loyalty and wouldn’t rat him out, even if he figured out the question behind Seokjin’s question. Which he probably did, seeing as Seokjin had told him what happened and had him deliver the book.
“She is, Sir, and expects you are too. She’s not taking any of her maids.”
That was good enough for Seokjin.
“Fine, I’ll go,” Seokjin said to Drin.
“What now, really?”
“I’ll go change.”
“No, you’re off to hide. You’re dressed fine, just take your jacket off. A fight doesn’t always wait for the prince go get changed into clothes he doesn’t mind bloodying!” Drin barked, and clapped Seokjin on the shoulder. He seemed shockingly sober, likely a result of Uncle Dong-suk’s arrival. The two had served together when they were younger, as peers. But Dong-suk was royal and rose to commander and Drin shattered his arm and decided to train the prince instead of remain on the battlefield. Dong-suk was of the mindset you should die on the battlefield instead of “give in to disability,” which Seokjin thought was rich to say when you had no such injury. As if being the private arms tutor to the prince was a mark of weakness!
“Why are you so eager?” Seokjin demanded, already regretting it. “We aren’t fighting, we’re hunting.”
“Is it different?” Drin cryptically asked and strode ahead, trusting Seokjin to follow to the courtyard where the hunting party gathered.
“Did you really think you could avoid the hunt?” Jungkook asked, sidling up to Seokjin’s elbow as the prince dragged his feet but followed his trainer. Seokjin gave him a look, because obviously yes, he did and would have, even if it meant lying to his father and uncle that he was shitting his brains out. But also no, he had known he couldn’t, because Nasimiyu was going and he couldn’t leave her to hunt alone. Why had she decided to go?! It was that bit of information from Jimin that had dragged Seokjin from his hiding place.
She sat atop her horse with only two of her guards at hand. Taehyung wasn’t far off, a horse lead in each hand, though he looked confused. Seokjin assumed it was concern over whether Seokjin would show and went right to him, hairs on the back of his neck prickling as his father and uncle no doubt noted his late arrival.
“I’m to go with you,” Taehyung said quietly.
“You? Why, you’re a stable boy,” Seokjin scoffed for any who might hear.
“I don’t know, your uncle said so.”
Seokjin glanced over at the two elder Kim men now. Uncle Dong-suk didn’t hide that he was watching.
“Do you think he–” Taehyung broke off and looked away, poorly hiding his nerves.
Seokjin slapped a hand on Taehyung’s shoulder and announced loudly, “Congratulations on winning the honor of joining us on the hunt! Every month we’ll take along someone new from the household staff so that you may all experience the wonder and prestige of spending a day skulking around in the dark, looking for things to kill that aren’t even good to eat. You’ll ride with me today, aren’t you lucky?”
“So lucky,” Taehyung murmured. “Here’s your horse…” He glanced at the path down to the hunting caves as if considering whether he ought to just set out for Paloma now. Seokjin thought he should. This did seem suspicious, for Dong-suk to take any notice of Taehyung. He had visited Priva a couple times since Seokjin brought Taehyung to live here and never even looked at the stablehand, but Seokjin had always assumed his uncle knew and didn’t give a shit, as he didn’t have a direct descendent in line for the throne anyway. Nothing changed for Dong-suk if it was Seokjin’s ass on the throne someday or Taehyung’s.
But this was a change. Either he hadn’t know before and now did, or he was trying to make a point that something had changed now, and Seokjin didn’t like it either way.
“Lady,” he called to Nasimiyu as he mounted his horse, one last prayer of bailing. “Are you well today?”
Nasimiyu’s brow knit as she demanded, clearly offended, “I am, why do you ask?”
“Are you sure this is how you want to spend a day? We might do… anything else your heart desires. Literally anything.”
“Oh there are Lord Jothi and Lord Theo, should we ride with them again?” Nasimiyu asked. “I do hope you’re able to catch something this time.”
“I caught your heart last time, can’t imagine what greater prize there exists then–”
“Let’s ride!” Seokjin’s father called as if recognizing his son was still trying to weasel out of this. The two dozen mounts in the courtyard moved as one, Taehyung rushing to swing into his saddle and pulling into line next to Jungkook in Seokjin’s wake.
Conversation with Nasimiyu ran dry during the ride down. She didn’t seem much inclined to talk, giving him the suspicion he’d done something to anger her, but he couldn’t fix it because he didn’t know what. She hadn’t seemed angry at dinner last night.
“You decided to hunt alone?” he asked as they waited for servants to bring them weapons.
“I have my guards and you. Who else would I want?” Nasimiyu asked with what he thought might be feigned confusion.
“Last time you brought a couple of maids, didn’t you?”
“Yes and they all begged not to come again.” She said it so casually, Seokjin had no reason not to believe her. With any luck, Dulce was avoiding him the same way, and they would never cross paths again despite living in the same palace.
Yay?
Once in the grand entrance cave, Jungkook pulled his horse close to Seokjin and leaned as near he could to murmur, “It’s going to be impossible to keep an eye on Taehyung and you at the same time.”
Seokjin knew he was right. This was the easiest place in the world to kill someone. He’d always thought how stupid that man who’d tried to assassinate him had been, sending a pig to do it, when one could just do it from a ledge or around a corner and no one would ever catch you. It was a wonder more people weren’t killed here –though he had his suspicions that the dark rumors his great-grandfather had hunted men down here for sport might be very true. He suspected Grandfather had too, though the old bastard had died when Seokjin was young enough to not remember much about him except his ice-cold hands.
“Watch him closer,” Seokjin told Jungkook.
“Than–”
“Yeah. I’ll be fine. That’s your order.”
“Ok…” Jungkook said as he leaned back in his saddle. He didn’t look pleased about this but he’d never disobeyed an order before.
“I mean it. Jimin will watch after me,” Seokjin said, turning to his right-hand man.
Jimin let out a guffaw and asked, “Did you just assign me bodyguard status? You must be joking, haha.” He hesitated to accept the gun handed to him by a staff of the hunt before taking it with a look of disgust.
Nasimiyu, having heard some bits of this, asked, “Is there a problem? Why is your butler being a bodyguard?”
“It’s just a joke,” Seokjin assured her. “Are we ready? Let’s get a head start.”
“Don’t we have to wait for your father to–”
“I’m the prince so I’ll do as I please,” he said, full of shallow bravado. “Besides, I don’t want to ride with Theo and Jothi again. They were flirting with you last time.”
Nasimiyu looked surprisingly thrilled as she argued, “No they weren’t… were they? I don’t think so…”
“Eager to lead the charge, my son?” Dong-gun called, giving his horse a swift kick to catch up before Seokjin’s party made it through the first cave. Dong-suk pulled up beside his elder brother and Seokjin bit back his frustration.
Instead he teased, “Shall we make a competition of it, father?”
“I’d rather watch your technique and see the catch myself,” Dong-suk interjected, which was of course exactly the opposite of what Seokjin wanted. Did his uncle mean to shoot Taehyung himself?! He brought no guards, only the servant assigned to fetch his kills trotting along beside him, looking terrified by his assignment as if he too realized how disposable he was as a witness.
“Well you shall… certainly be in awe…” Seokjin stammered out as Drin too pulled forward.
“A full party, eh? Just like old times,” he beamed at Dong-suk. Dong-suk did not beam back. “He’s made good progress in arms since you were here last but his sharpshooting is second to none. Fantastic aim, that one’s got.”
Dong-gun clapped his hands and pulled his horse ahead, taking an uncontested lead that Seokjin had no choice at the moment but to follow –with every intention of carving Taehyung and Nasimiyu off to get “lost” down a side cave at the first chance.
Dong-gun and Dong-suk weren’t going to make it easy. They led them, practically boxed them in, down the central corridor, right past all the twisty windy smaller paths that would have made it easier to “take a wrong turn.” No one dared rush past them, so they were the first to enter the grand central cavern with its massive forest and craggy peak –not too dissimilar from the cavern he’d explored with Nasimiyu and Dulce and those bratty upstarts last time, so that an average person might think they were the same place. That was the danger with this place, it was a death trap if you didn’t have a good guide.
Dong-gun and Dong-suk wasted no time along the way shooting anything that moved, no hesitation. Despite his uncle’s constant criticism of Priva and its excesses, he loved the hunt. It was about the only time he saw his uncle smile, just a tight-lipped slant when a deathcry followed the crack of his rifle. He scowled when Dong-gun would get one first, their array of servants running to and fro in the dark with low lanterns trying to find whatever they’d felled or take the long way round to chase what lay strewn against the far cliffs.
“They’re going to shoot someone,” Nasimiyu gasped as a goat went stock still in the distance, illuminated by those shimmering blue lights overhead, then collapsed not too far off from a game master who raised his hands in a silent plea not to be shot next.
Seokjin’s father heard her and scoffed, “Never, Princess. You doubt our aim?”
In one swift motion he’d turned his rifle towards Taehyung on his horse and fired, knocking Taehyung’s hat clean off. A pinch from taking Taehyung’s head with it, most likely.
Taehyung didn’t scream, just tightened his hold on his horse as it took a couple nervous steps.
Seokjin screamed loud enough for both of them. He shouted, “Ah ya, what’s that!? You take aim at our staff guest? Are you confused, old man? Aim your gun that way!” His heart pounded in his chest, his fear urging him to take flight and trust Taehyung to follow and get away from this place. He’d brought his only living brother into a deathtrap, that’s what he’d just done. Was their own father the threat, not Dong-suk? Seokjin was shocked by what had just happened.
His father laughed and pointed out, “See? Horse or man, Privan stallions are made of stern stuff.”
Nasimiyu’s horror showed on her face and Seokjin was glad his father couldn’t see it, afraid it would only encourage him.
“Onwards,” Seokjin gritted out and pulled his horse forward, nudging Taehyung to ride beside him, against the wall.
Seokjin fucking hated it here.
It wasn’t long before Nasimiyu nudged her horse up beside him, forcing Taehyung to fall back, which was probably for the best anyway.
“Shoot something,” she hissed at him.
“What?”
“We’re here to hunt, so hunt, or they’re going to be shooting at you next,” she whispered harshly. “The whole thing is a test, isn’t it? Your uncle is watching you so do something!”
Seokjin didn’t know how to explain a lifetime of misery and fear of his uncle to her. He didn’t think she’d be impressed anyway. What was he going to tell her, that anything more intelligent than a fish he found nauseating to kill? It wasn’t like they were killing to eat out of necessity down here. The game alway tasted like rocks.
He was glad she realized there were politics going on but disappointed she wanted him to play into them, even though he recognized she was probably right.
Drin was right that his aim was good; if he aimed true, he could fell something quickly, appease his father and uncle, impress his bride-to-be, and maybe protect Taehyung in case that had been meant as some kind of weird show of power.
“Very well,” he murmured. “Yes, it’s about time I show off my marksmanship.” He took his time loading his gun as their horses dawdled after the others. He looked around for something inoffensive to murder, but the blue lights gave everything the same unearthly glow and made it hard to distinguish a mouse from a monkey in the trees. He looked at the ridge instead, and in doing so noted a something-or-other silhouetted against the stream trickling through the center of this stretch of cavern.
“Perfect shot, I should think,” Dong-suk mused from ahead, his horse blocking the path for everyone. His gaze tore into Seokjin, digging in deep, finding him lacking as always.
Seokjin raised his gun and aimed. It didn’t matter what it was at this point, he didn’t have a way out without further ridicule. His brother’s life might be in danger. He had to pull the trigger.
He hesitated.
A crack erupted, bouncing around them, echoing in Seokjin’s ears. The black lump slipped from the tree branch. Seokjin wanted to do the same from his horse but remained frozen.
“Fantastic shot, my son!” Dong-gun cheered. “Go fetch it, whatever it was. An owl?”
“I hope not…” Seokjin joked vaguely, and resisted looking except out of his periphery at Taehyung shoving the smoking barrel of his gun out of view under the pretense he was looking down the barrel still trying to find something to shoot.
“That was a great shot, Your Highness,” he called over his shoulder to Seokjin.
“Marvelous,” Nasimiyu agreed. She gave him a smirk, leaving him unsure if she had been fooled or not.
“Hm,” his uncle said. Seokjin doubted he was fooled but either way, didn’t say anything.
It was a kestrel. Beautiful. Seokjin hadn’t even actually killed it and still looked away.
They rode on, into a smaller cave called The Aviary thanks to the hundreds of birds that roosted in the trees that grew up and the vines that dangled down and the clear space in between.
“Can’t miss in here,” Dong-gun called back. “Want a go, Princess? I think your rifle’s still cold.”
“Of course!” she called back. “I’ve just been watching to learn the layout of the caves.” Seokjin started to tell her she didn’t have to –he’d take the attention away– but Nasimiyu lifted her rifle and fired once– twice– nothing. She handed it to her servant to reload, hand waving for them to hurry. Seokjin didn’t think she’d aimed at anything and decided she must be firing wide.
Except her next shot connected. Seokjin didn’t see what it was as he had been watching her face, but the cheer went up, he heard the broken cry behind him, and he saw Nasimiyu’s face –shocked, horrified, for only a moment, and then triumphant. Had she had a change of heart or pulled on a mask?
The bird was brought to her, a beautiful yellow-feathered song bird that draped across her hands, a bright messy red spot on its stomach where her bullet had punctured and killed. She stared at it and then at Seokjin, like she wasn’t sure what to do with this.
“What is it?”
“We call them Sun Singers,” Seokjin told her. “They sing every morning when the sun rises but not down here. They can’t see the sun so they never sing.” Do you understand how fucking sad that is? He was afraid she wouldn’t get it. He felt an innate certainty Dulce would.
“My lady, do you wish to have it stuffed?” the servant asked her.
Her face flickered with emotions he couldn’t name as she asked, “Can it not be eaten?”
“No, they only sing, they aren’t good for eating.”
“Take it away,” she said, thrusting it back at the servant. Dong-gun and Dong-suk had both brought down geese and Taehyung a duck. Rifle cracks left and right made Seokjin flinch. And the niggling worry in his stomach that his uncle knew he’d faked the shot earlier. He felt his uncle’s eyes on him even when they weren’t, the man sitting proudly on his horse obnoxiously nearby, in between Drin and Taehyung. Shit, he didn’t want his uncle anywhere near Taehyung!
In a hurry to cause a commotion and separate them, Seokjin raised his rifle. He’d shoot a bird, a duck if he could manage it, and invite his uncle over to inspect the bird and feel his warm rifle for proof he’d shot it, and then growl at Jungkook and Jimin to bookend Taehyung and not leave his side until they got out of this place.
There, a bird perfectly arching into view. Seokjin aimed, calculated, and pulled the trigger.
No one would be able to say whether it was the shot that spooked the horse or not, except that Jungkook would swear the horse jumped before the shot and Seokjin believed him because Privan horses didn’t spook. It was too quick. He was certain there had been nothing even close to his line of firing at the moment he pulled the trigger and yet suddenly there was Drin, nearly taking a bullet through the head.
This time Seokjin didn’t scream, just dropped from his horse and ran over as Drin did the same, slapping at his head like a bee had stung him.
“Damn horse!” Drin shouted.
Seokjin grabbed his arms but Drin shoved him away in his startle, leaving a bloody handprint on Seokjin’s arm.
I’ve killed him. I’ve fucking killed him.
“Your head’s still on,” Dong-suk called, his voice cutting through the chaos. Seokjin reached for Drin again but Dong-gun took hold of him first and shone a light to the back of Drin’s head where the bullet had grazed but not penetrated. A red line across his scalp wept blood.
“I… I’m sorry…” Seokjin stammered, stumbling backwards.
Suddenly Drin laughed and gestured at Dong-suk, “That’s right, old man. I told you he’s got a good aim, eh? Bends bullets in mid-flight. Could have blown my head off thanks to that damn horse startling!”
But it didn’t make sense. Seokjin was too horrified to figure out what would. All he knew was that he’d almost killed his arms master, one of his friends. He didn’t know how he would have dealt with that. He couldn’t comprehend it.
Drin planted a shaking hand on Seokjin’s shoulder and laughed, “Good one, Sir. Think I’ll head back and get my rock stitched up now, no more hunting competition from me today!”
“I’ll go back with you,” Seokjin insisted.
“Nah, don’t bother. Still need to get your duck for dinner like you vowed!”
A crack over their heads echoed, followed shortly by the thump of a carcass hitting the path not far off. Taehyung lowered his smoking gun.
“I saved you the trouble, Your Highness,” Taehyung said to Seokjin, his brow lowered and serious. “There’s a duck for you.”
Uncle Dong-suk slid from the horse himself to pick it up and mused, “Nice shot, boy.”
“Great. That’s the end of the day for me. Nasimiyu, will you accompany me back to the palace as well? You come too, my horse will only settle for you,” Seokjin rattled off, calling his people to him, prepared for his father and uncle to protest his rapid departure. But terror strengthened his blood to iron and he would have shouted down his own father to get out of there
He’d almost killed Drin.
By the time he was in his saddle, Dong-gun and Dong-suk were laughing at these “children with their brief stamina” and venturing further into the cave.
“I’ll lead us out,” he said. “Drin, are you able to stay horsed?”
“It’s not that bloody bad, nothing a stiff drink won’t pull me through,” the man insisted, sounding more like himself as he fished a flask out of his saddlebag. He needed help getting back into his saddle after the servants finished tying the makeshift bandage around his head, but once there seemed stable enough.
“Do you know the way out?” Nasimiyu asked. She’d been quiet for a while. Seokjin had forgotten all about her, to be honest. What would she make of this? But it almost seemed like she’d missed it all; she kept glancing at the game bag attached to her saddle. She reached out and pushed the golden feathers peeking out deeper into the sack.
“I do,” Seokjin said simply and pulled his horse ahead.
It wasn’t until they were safely in the sunny courtyard, Drin off to the hands of the palace doctors, that Jungkook came right to Seokjin’s side and said quietly, “The horse jumped before the gunshot.”
“I almost killed him,” Seokjin rushed out, grabbing Jungkook’s arm. He felt less steady now than he had in the cave.
“It wouldn’t have been your fault. I’m telling you, the horse jumped at nothing.”
“I don’t think it was nothing,” Taehyung argued. “But whatever he did, I couldn’t see it clearly.”
“Who?” Seokjin asked even though he already knew the answer.
“Your uncle. Had to be him, but I couldn’t see it…”
“There were other servants around and it was dark,” Jimin pointed out. “Could have been someone else.”
“Why would anyone else give Drin’s horse a kick? Everyone around here likes Drin,” Jungkook argued.
It was Taehyung who swallowed and suggested, “Maybe they didn’t mean to kick his horse. Maybe it was supposed to be mine.”
The suggestion made Seokjin feel even clammier than he already did. As bad as it would have been to kill his swordsmaster, to kill Taehyung would be worse. He wasn’t sure he could live with it. He didn’t even want to kill a duck.
Seokjin didn’t know what to do about any of this. He didn’t want Taehyung to go, but clearly he wasn’t safe right now. If Dong-suk wanted him dead, nowhere would be safe though.
“Jungkook, stay with Taehyung. I’m going to my room so I don’t need a guard. Taehyung you should… pack.”
Taehyung’s face shifted quickly into complaint, as if he hadn’t just faced his own death once or possibly twice.
“But I can’t leave yet.”
“Or die? You have to go if I have to wrap you in a carpet and toss you on a ship myself.” He paused, watching Nasimiyu speaking to the servant near her own horse, gesturing with disdain at the game bag the servant kept trying to press on her.
Taehyung stomped off without further comment but clearly pissed. As if Seokjin wanted him to go! He couldn’t put into words how much he wanted Taehyung to stay here. He’d never been good at expressing brotherly devotion of any sort, and Seok-ho was the brother he’d been with for most of his life, but Taehyung must know that Seokjin cared very much for him! They would always be brothers, even if they couldn’t be in the same city, at least for now.
Nasimiyu was gone. Seokjin was glad. He didn’t feel like facing her right now either. He wished he could just disappear. Even his bedroom wasn’t far remote enough, but it’s the only place he had, and so he went.
Nasimiyu bit back her sigh when the summons from Lady Zselyke came. The summons. Obviously it wasn’t worded quite as such but the intention was clear, and for now she had to endure it because until she actually wed Seokjin, the two of them were in an odd inversion of their proper roles. Lady Zselyke was the only female member of the Kim family, and older, and clearly extending her hand in an attempt to be some sort of mentor.
Annoying.
Nasimiyu had begged off the last invitation(s), and planned to do so again, claiming exhaustion from the hunt that morning. A week wouldn’t have been enough time to recover from all that and it had only been a few hours.
But the invitation had included a warning that the party was at risk, and anyway what else was she going to do, pace her room and try to get that dead bird out of her mind? How stupid to be bothered by a dead bird. Not that she thought the bird was the worst part of it, but that was the ghost her mind chose to haunt her with in every still moment right now, rather than the almost two deaths she had witnessed, one at her own fiance’s hand and the other by her father-in-law’s atrocious bravado.
So she went. Lady Zselyke wanted to discuss some of the details of the wedding party –unavoidable. The wedding itself was being carefully managed by the planner, but the party afterwards was supposed to be planned by Nasimiyu as a first show of her critically important role… as the royal party planner.
Annoying.
Nasimiyu put herself into a dress that already had a tricky seam on the verge of ripping, intentionally, so she could do so after an acceptable period of time and excuse herself to have it fixed. That was something Dulce had taught her early on –Nasimiyu could recall it in vivid detail: shortly after they’d finished fucking, Dulce had gone to get her trousers and a heavy ball had fallen out of her pocket and emitted a horrible stench that drove them both coughing from the room. A literal stink bomb. Laughing, Dulce had explained one should always plan an exit, though it was regrettable, she had not intended to use it with Nasimiyu. At least not that day.
Always plan your exit.
Even from an romantic entanglement?, Nasimiyu had teased.
Always.
Nasimiyu frowned at the maid who stepped ahead to open the door of Lady Zselyke’s parlor. Babs. She had Babs, hated that name, hated how overly eager the woman was to do the things Nasimiyu wanted ahead of her even asking. She didn’t like maids who acted like she was a cruel or unfair mistress when she really tried not to be unreasonable. She tried to treat them kindly. For example, when they had all looked horrified about who she would take on the hunt with her since it wasn’t going to be Dulce, she’d decided to take none of them. Kindness! It wasn’t like she wanted to be there either, but she needed the respect of the king and that nightmare military brother of his.
Anyway she had strongly believed Seokjin would beg off anyway and then she would decline the invitation without him… but he’d bloody gone! And shot nothing and nearly killed someone. What sort of man took credit for a stablehand’s shot? Not that she was going to point that out in the moment.
ANNOYING.
Nasimiyu sat across from Lady Zselyke in the elegant, tastefully decorated parlor. So much of the palace was ostentatious but these rooms were slightly less so.
“Did you decorate in here?” Nasimiyu asked when Lady Zselyke had said nothing, only watched with her hands folded, clearly waiting for something.
“I did.”
“Did you decorate the rest of the palace?”
Lady Zselyke’s lips gave a tight tremble before she answered, “Some… it’s largely set by the late Queen’s tastes and the King’s though, and the King requires me to uphold it.”
“That’s a shame. You have lovely taste,” Nasimiyu said. Then, realizing it would be easy to read an insult to her royal in-laws from what she’d said, she appended, “I just mean–”
“You don’t have to excuse flattery towards me. I appreciate a discerning eye. The Queen had other interests. The King has other talents.” She said it in such a coy way that Nasimiyu wanted to recoil from; it sounded sexual. As far as she knew, there was no sex between these cousins, but the gutcheck made her tread a bit more cautiously. She wondered what Dulce would make of that idea…
“Well soon it will be yours to redecorate the palace as you like,” Lady Zselyke mused, looking around her room as though trying to picture it with Nasimiyu’s style. “Will you make it look very different, do you think?”
“Do you mean like home? It would take a monumental effort to make this Privan palace look Marvonese.”
“You will have all the money and workers you could hope for at your disposal. You could make this palace look exactly like… there.” The word sounded loaded, like a single syllable conveyed all Lady Zselyke had to say about Marvonese style. In short, she didn’t like it.
Nasimiyu felt insulted and said archly, “It ought to reflect the convergence of mine and Seokjin’s styles, don’t you think? Where is it you spent your childhood, Lady Zselyke? I don’t think it was here, was it?”
“Sartia.”
“Is that what this style is? I’ve never been to Sartia.”
“I don’t think it would be to your liking, since you don’t like the sea.”
Nasimiyu found it interesting Zselyke knew that about her. She had certainly never admitted that to anyone except Dulce. It made her wonder if Dulce and Zselyke had gotten close. She certainly didn’t know everything Dulce had gotten up to. She couldn’t be trusted after all; maybe she was fucking the king’s cousin to get information, who even knew with that girl anymore?
“Sugar?” Lady Zselyke offered
“No, thank you. The tea here is already so sweet,” Nasimiyu quickly intervened, reaching for the tea cup Lady Zselyke had poured.
“You don’t like sweet things?”
“Not particularly, no.”
“The world runs on sweet things,” Lady Zselyke said, which Nasimiyu didn’t even pretend to understand. Her face must have shown it, because Zselyke clarified, “Any party must have sweet things. The nobles here prefer them. If you mean not to have sweets…”
Nasimiyu’s nose crinkled before she decided, “Why don’t you just choose the sweets for the wedding party then. That’s what we’re here to talk about, right?”
“Yes, we need to, I’m afraid we’re woefully behind schedule, especially if you have any grand ambitions.”
“I really don’t.”
“You should.”
“I’ll be honest, Lady Zselyke, I love attending parties, but I do not love planning them,” Nasimiyu said because she might as well be upfront about it.
Lady Zselyke looked aghast and argued, “You must learn to love it then, because it will be the most important thing you do as queen.”
“I hope that’s not true.”
“The delicate balance of maintaining power by managing the nobles– do you think Seokjin will do that?!” Zselyke screeched at her.
“He’s… charming, isn’t it?” Nasimiyu tried. She had not expected this cousin to shout at her and it caught her off-guard.
“Charming my left foot!” In her anger, she yanked up the teapot and refilled Nasimiyu’s empty cup and seemed to have forgotten Nasimiyu didn’t like sugar because she spooned some right in as she continued to berate, “Do you mean to say you won’t learn these skills and plan to let the social structure of the palace just die? The nobles here expect a certain schedule of entertainment! When important guests arrive from other places, they must be tended to! They–”
“It’s not that I don’t recognize how important it is,” Nasimiyu assured her, lifting her cup. Her own mother had certainly never yelled like this and she didn’t know what to do about it. It ought to fill her with rage but she was genuinely just stupefied. “I just don’t…”
“Like it?!
“Well no, not the planning part. I don’t have any talent for it and you do. Do you like doing it?”
“It is one of the most sacred tasks I’ve had since coming to the palace after the late Queen passed. Her taste in decor may have been questionable but she threw marvelous parties and I knew I needed to carefully maintain that so that her death wouldn’t pitch the nobility and thus the country into absolute chaos.”
“Well if you like it and you’re good at it, why don’t you keep doing it?”
Lady Zselyke’s brow knitted as she explained, “Because I will not be here.”
“Why not?” Nasimiyu set the tea cup down without sipping it, intending to ask for a new one without sugar.
“Because… because you will be queen and not want an older woman here interfering with your work…” Lady Zselyke had stopped yelling and suddenly looked uncertain. “You did not know I would be sent away?”
“Who would send you away? Not I.” Nasimiyu did her best to look sincere about it. Honestly she had no love for this stuffy older woman but it hadn’t occurred to her that Zselyke would be gone. She saw at once how dismal it would be to take on the things Zselyke already managed. Dreary enough that enduring her was likely worth it. Besides, she managed Dong-gun and Seokjin to a degree, and even Dong-suk. She knew a great deal. Maybe it was at least worth keeping her around until they were gone. Nasimiyu couldn’t see Zselyke supporting her as queen if the Kim men were dead, and she might not want that, but… she might. Zselyke might do it, if she didn’t think Nasimiyu had any hands in the deaths. Regardless of her personal feelings about Zselyke, she knew things, she seemed actually quite good at what she did. That could be useful.
Lady Zselyke was watching her with unmasked confusion now and clarified, “You would not make me leave? Queen Soon-hee did the moment she married Dong-gun.”
“Why?”
“Well, that… that’s not something I can know…” she instantly fumbled out, clearly hiding some truth or at least suspicion. “It’s tradition, though. A queen mother will be sent to retire in Sartia and I am almost like a queen mother.” As soon as she said it, she looked like she regretted it.
Nasimiyu grinned. She felt like she had just found a very pretty knife.
“I think you are too,” she agreed. “In a good way. I can’t imagine running this palace without you, it never occurred to me I would need to. I don’t want to. I refuse.”
Zselyke’s light skin turned a fascinating shade of pink, like she’d sat in the sun too long.
“Oh! But…”
“Maybe if the King retires at some point to someplace nice like Sartia, you would want to go with him, but I expect he will remain on the throne for a long time even once Seokjin and I marry.”
“Yes, you won’t be queen but you’ll be the crown princess which is the same thing in the absence of a queen,” Zselyke countered.
“I don’t think tradition should dictate what we do when it’s not… convenient. I don’t see why you should be sent away or robbed of the duties you enjoy just because I’m here.” She mindlessly picked up the teacup again. “I can easily see a world where you maintain your status here and oversee the things you care so much about and are recognized and appreciated for it, which frees me up to attend to the things I care about –like supporting Seokjin, for instance. Raising his children.” She suspected Zselyke would struggle to accept an ambitious political princess just yet.
“He does need a great deal of support,” Lady Zselyke said slowly. “The kingly duties don’t come naturally to him…”
Nasimiyu smiled and nodded, agreeing, “He can learn with a wife nudging him along, and King Dong-gun can rest easier seeing his son take his future role more seriously.”
“Two women have never run the palace together before,” Zselyke said. Her words seemed to be poking at Nasimiyu, trying to find a lie or a threat.
“Women in Marvono know how to work together and rely on each other. I very much want to rely on you, Lady Zselyke. I wouldn’t dream of replacing you. Your balls would be a crucial loss to Priva!”
“I…” Lady Zselyke blinked rapidly at her, heavily stained eyelashes leaving residue on the tops of her cheeks. Clearly none of this had occurred to her.
“Together we can keep the Kim line respectable and strong, don’t you think?” Nasimiyu suggested as her finishing move. She lifted her tea cup to take a dramatic sip.
“Oh dear!” Lady Zselyke gasped, lunging forward. “You don’t like sugar! I put sugar in there! Let me trade that for you.” She wrenched the cup out of Nasimiyu’s hand in the blink of an eye and set it hastily on another saucer. “I think eventually you will need to take over these things from me… but maybe not… and in the meantime you can learn from me. It doesn’t seem you’ve been trained in any of these types of things. Things must be done very differently in Marvono…” She sloshed a little tea out of the cup in her haste to pour Nasimiyu a new one.
The door flung open before Nasimiyu could respond and in strode Mindeulle. Nasimiyu did not miss the way Lady Zselyke’s face hardened, despite Mindeulle’s bright smile and polite curtsy.
“I’m so sorry to intrude, but I’ve been looking for the Princess. Might I have a word?”
“Why don’t you join us?” Lady Zselyke offered instead. “We need to discuss wedding plans and then you can have her.”
“It will only take me a moment.”
“It can wait, I’m sure. Have a seat.” There was an edge to Lady Zselyke’s words that got Mindeulle to promptly do so. “Sugar?”
“No thank you,” Mindeulle muttered as Lady Zselyke poured her a cup. Servants fluttered in at a snap of her finger to refill the pot, which was getting low. Flowers and leaves danced inside the glass pot, briefly mesmerizing Nasimiyu.
“We are discussing Nasimiyu’s elaborate wedding party and what will best capture the deep love she and Seokjin share.”
Do we? was on the tip of Nasimiyu’s tongue. She didn’t say it, but Mindeulle gave her an amused smile as if she had, which gave her a start.
“I’m sure it’s going to be beautiful,” Mindeulle said.
“The wedding of a century,” Zselyke agreed. Nasimiyu did not understand why Zselyke sounded so defensive about it, unless this was just her enthusiasm about remaining here as a royal party planner showing through. “Seokjin has told me to spare no expense, he wants the world to understand how deep his love and devotion to his bride are.”
“That’s lovely,” Mindeulle said.
“It is,” Zselyke agreed.
The fact they hated each other seemed very obvious to Nasimiyu and now it was her turn to smile. If they both remained in the palace with her after she married, that would be perfect. The two of them hating each other would make them eager to be her most trusted and relied upon, and she could trust they would never join forces to work against her.
It amused her to watch them politely bicker as more details of the party were discussed; Mindeulle seemed just as eager for it to be perfect and her own suggestions seemed to rile Lady Zselyke into even grander plans. Nasimiyu would have been happy to eat her olive and thyme biscuits and let them have at it and giggle through whatever resulting wedding party they planned but the door opened again and in came Lidmila.
“It’s a regular party isn’t it? I didn’t plan for this,” Lady Zselyke murmured as Lidmila curtsied and sat in the final chair at the table without being asked.
“I apologize for my unexpected arrival. My parents are here but I wanted to find the Princess for company instead. Is it all right if I join?”
“Yes yes of course. What business do your parents have here?”
“I don’t know, to be honest. Something with the tax collector or the city planner?”
“That seems like business for your father, not your mother,” Lady Zselyke said.
“Sometimes my mother helps with those things, I think…”
Lady Zselyke shook her head at this and sighed, “It’s quite a business, being a wife.”
“Have you never regretted not marrying?” Mindeulle asked, a twinkle coming to her eye that hooked Nasimiyu’s attention.
“Heavens, no! Of course it’s a high calling to be a wife, however…” Lady Zselyke looked embarrassed by her answer and like she wasn’t sure how to respond. “I’m sure you will all make good little wives. My hands are quite full supporting the King.”
Honestly, did she hear herself? Probably Dulce could find out in an instant what the real relationship was there but Nasimiyu was not sure she wanted to know.
“But what will you do once Nasimiyu is queen?” Mindeulle asked. “You won’t be needed here anymore.”
“Actually I’ve asked Lady Zselyke to stay and support just the way she does now,” Nasimiyu quickly interjected.
Lady Zselyke gave Mindeulle a smirk and agreed, “Of course I have accepted. Nasimiyu recognizes the value of this work and her own untrained skill for it so it will be an honor.” She dumped a spoonful of sugar in Mindeulle’s drink and poured more black for Nasimiyu. Lidmila had not yet touched the cup on her saucer, Nasimiyu’s discarded sugared tea from earlier, now gone cold.
“Oh, I don’t like sugar in my tea,” Mindeulle said. “May I have a different glass?”
“Dear, I forgot. Well it’s only a little bit of sugar,” Lady Zselyke dismissed.
“I’m sure we can get a new tea cup,” Nasimiyu laughed.
“I don’t mind sugar and I didn’t add any to mine. Why don’t we trade, Mindeulle? It’s a little cold though,” Lidmila suggested, passing hers across the table.
“Don’t be silly, that’s a perfect way to get sick.” Zselyke tutted and blocked the pass with her hand, nudging both cups back towards their original owners. Nasimiyu could not make sense of such crazy behavior but thought it was rather funny. Lidmila and Mindeulle seemed briefly mystified and set their cups back in their sauces.
“I’m not very thirsty. I’ll have a cookie instead,” Mindeulle decided. She nudged her tea setting closer to Lady Zselyke to make room for a plate, helping herself to several different pastries from the trays in the center.
“I’ve had enough tea and I can assure you I’m not ill,” Nasimiyu offered, pushing her cup closer to Mindeulle. “I’ve taken no sugar so you can have my cup.”
“Oh, there’s sugar in mine after all,” Lidmila realized, looking into her cup.
“Have you tasted it?” Lady Zselyke asked her, her voice rising so abruptly in pitch it startled them all. She pounded her chest and couch delicately into a napkin. “Did you like the tea? How much did you try?”
“I haven’t yet. Is it very special? Is it better to taste it without sugar then?” Lidmila considered.
Lady Zselyke nodded and reached for the cup, insisting, “Yes, you’ll like it better without. That’s the Princess’ old cup. We’ll get you a fresh cup.”
“I do like sugar and sweet things though, is it bitter? I don’t mind that it’s cold for a first taste so it won’t burn my tongue.”
“Try it without,” Lady Zselyke insisted, snatching the tea cup away from her. She went to set it on her own saucer but paused, hand hovering over hers and Mindeulle’s cups now right next to each other.
Nasimiyu laughed, “It’s like a game. I’m not sure which is yours anymore, they’re all mixed up. It doesn’t matter though does it? I’m sure we’re all healthy here and close companions can share a tea cup.” She hoped it would encourage a sort of bond between the group to begin forming. Lady Zselyke was older but not old. It would be good to have some close companions who weren’t all younger than herself. She could learn to like Zselyke, probably.
“Oh nonsense, we don’t have to go so far as trading tea cups,” Zselyke immediately intervened. “We need another setting!” she called to the servants with a clap of her hands. “Take these three away,” she commanded. “And bring a fresh bowl of sugar, Miss Lidmila likes her tea sweet.”
Lidmila giggled and pointed to the full sugar bowl, insisting, “I don’t need more than that in my tea!”
“If you like sweet things, I think raw sugar will taste better than this refined stuff,” Lady Zselyke told her. “Minor details matter. A subtle change can have a great impact, it’s an important lesson for young ladies.”
“My brother says the same thing,” Mindeulle chirped.
Lady Zselyke looked down her nose at Mindeulle and insisted, “I don’t think we need to talk about your brother’s words to young ladies. There is more to discuss than men.”
Nasimiyu reached out to grab Mindeulle’s hand, fully expecting her to launch from the table. She did not, just stared at Zselyke so blankly that it felt menacing.
“Like Nasimiyu’s wedding! Oh, but that’s to a man…” Lidmila mused with a thoughtful frown. It was endearing. Nasimiyu found herself chuckling under her breath. Honestly she would have expected to find someone with Lidmila’s innocence obnoxious, but it was actually refreshing to be around someone so sincere and good-intentioned. Nasimiyu wasn’t used to those sorts of people. Lidmila might be one of the only truly good people she had ever met. Simple, but good.
Mindeulle must be on that list too, though the sharpness of her mind as she gradually revealed it made her seem less doe-eyed about the world. She too had that air of enthusiasm as she pressed Lady Zselyke on what else she was thinking of for Nasimiyu’s wedding, and if she intended to plan the honeymoon too. There was an edge to her Nasimiyu liked a lot.
“What do you mean by that? Of course I will, if you’d like me to, Nasimiyu darling.”
“You suggested Sartia before–”
“But you don’t like the sea, so… hm, I will think on it,” Zselyke said.
“You don’t like the sea?” Mindeulle and Lidmila both parroted.
“It’s all right. Maybe I should take Seokjin to Marvono instead…”
“Maybe you’d like Therepin more,” Mindeulle suggested. “It has the elegance and beauty and splendor of Sartia, but no seas.”
Zselyke looked repulsed and gasped, “Therepin is no place for a honeymoon!”
“Why, because you don’t like the government there? I’ve never honeymooned but I don’t think government is very involved…” Mindeulle tittered. Lidmila’s face opened up in surprised laughter and Zselyke seemed angry. “None of us have honeymooned, maybe we should ask someone else to plan it.”
“I am quite capable!” Zselyke scowled. “Less taunting me and more eating, girls, it’s important to keep our strength up until supper.”
“But our figures…” Lidmila pointed out.
Zselyke gave her a gentle smile and assured her, “You have nothing to worry about. And Therepin adheres to no such beauty standards, so Mindeulle’s prospects won’t be upset by some extra padding.”
“Not that I care about my weight, but why would I look for a husband in Therepin?” Mindeulle countered.
Nasimiyu ate her cookies and felt like this was all rather a lot of fun, watching the back and forth. Dulce would hate this, but she found it amusing.
“I suppose your brother and parents will, regardless.”
“They take into account my wishes. They’ll let me choose the partner I want.”
“Will they?” Zselyke pressed and it seemed so pointed, Nasimiyu could tell she must know something and be taunting Mindeulle with it. She wanted to know too –not to taunt, but just to know.
“What does that mean?” Nasimiyu intervened as Mindeulle looked troubled. “Do you have a personal tragedy, Mindeulle? You don’t need to say at the table but if you’d like to talk in private– if there’s anything I can do to aid you–”
Mindeulle pressed a hand to her flushed cheek and insisted, “No, Princess, there’s nothing. Lady Zselyke only speaks in riddles to make it sound like she knows more than she does.”
“Didn’t you come here to find a husband? To Priva, I mean?” Lidmila suggested, perhaps in an attempt to help. “There are so many men here who I’m sure would be honored by your attention.”
“I came with my brother,” Mindeulle said simply, even though Nasimiyu vaguely thought she’d heard Mindeulle mention before she wanted to marry here and remain. Hadn’t that been a hope she had for the ball? She couldn’t recall clearly now.
“Well you certainly aren’t going to find a husband spending all your time with your brother and Seokjin,” Lady Zselyke scoffed. “They are related and taken. I suspect your parents will call you home soon for a match.”
“Not if I don’t wish to marry,” Mindeulle countered. “You have never married, Lady Zselyke, and you spoke moments ago about it as a burden. Surely you had your reasons?”
Lady Zselyke filled their tea cups and said airly, “I did. There are many types of love which are worthy of a life’s devotion. Your devotion to the prince is admirable but inappropriate now that he will have a wife.”
“I–!” Mindeulle gasped. She looked quickly to Nasimiyu and insisted, “It’s not that, I promise. He is like a brother to me!”
“I know that,” Nasimiyu assured her. For all she knew, Mindeulle did have a crush on Seokjin, but it failed to trigger any jealousy in Nasimiyu. There didn’t seem to be anything adult about it if it was there, more like childish admiration. She hadn’t witnessed a single ambitious attempt, nor did Seokjin act any way towards her but brotherly. “I’m sure Lady Zselyke didn’t mean to be a gossip,” Nasimiyu admonished, arching her eyebrow at the older woman smirking to herself as she served Mindeulle more tea.
“Oh yes, I meant nothing by it, except that with men, you can never be too careful. You will have to curb your closeness with him so that it doesn’t cause… problems,” Zselyke scolded as she dumped a heaping spoonful of sugar thoughtlessly into Mindeulle’s tea. “I’m sorry I ruffled your feathers. Have some tea and settle down about it, have another pastry.”
“You’ve put sugar in it again,” Nasimiyu said, deftly reaching for Mindeulle’s tea cup and handing over her own. “Mine has none, we can trade.”
“You don’t like sweet things,” Mindeulle said. Nasimiyu found herself surprised each time the people around her knew things about her she had not explicitly told them. It made her feel very special and admired and flattered her into insisting,
“It’s not a hard rule. My lips are plenty puckered by now, some sweet on my tongue may be a relief.”
“No, the tea is much better without that refined stuff–” Lady Zselyke said, rising from her seat and reaching for Nasimiyu’s cup.
Lidmila suddenly kicked the table hard and cried out, “Ah! My ankle got caught in my skirt and I’ve hit my shin…”
The flurry of commotion was all startling enough that Nasimiyu put her cup down, laughing, “Is there alcohol in the tea? Why is everyone so clumsy suddenly?”
“There is certainly nothing like that in the tea,” Zselyke sniffed. “But if you tire of it, I can bring coffee or wine or juice or–”
“Nothing else, thank you,” Nasimiyu dismissed.
“She’s right that the raw sugar is better though,” Lidmila said, still rubbing her leg beneath the table as she lifted her saucer and passed it over. “Let’s trade.”
“I really don’t mind.”
“You are going to be queen, Nasimiyu, you should let those around you take care of simple things,” Mindeulle insisted. So Nasimiyu was shamed into trading teacups with Lidmila, who looked adorably proud to have made the swap and settled herself with the apparently less-desirable white sugared tea.
However before she could even have a sip, Lady Zselyke reached for a pastry but her dragging sleeve managed to upset the whole sugar bowl and Lidmila’s tea cup.
“Oh goodness,” Zselyke gasped. “I’ve made a mess of my own tea…” She gave Nasimiyu the kindest smile of their acquaintance so far and laughed, “Maybe the tea did get us all a little drunk! It’s only flowers in there… maybe it’s the talk of weddings going to our heads!”
The table was soaked now though, they’d all logged themselves with unsweetened tea, and the pastries were going stale. Nasimiyu thought everyone seemed relieved when she suggested tea come to a close for now, and promised to meet with Zselyke again the next day to resume their wedding chat, and suggested Lidmila take a turn with her in the garden, and Mindeulle too if she wished.
“I would love to, but I really only need to ask you a question and then return a letter to my parents,” Mindeulle said as the three women left Zselyke’s parlor.
“That’s right, you said you needed to speak with me.”
“Yes… privately, if that’s all right? It’s about… some private business,” she murmured, glancing at Lidmila. “I hope you understand.”
“Of course. Why don’t I meet you in the garden, Princess? Have your servant bring a parasol though, it looks like it might rain.”
“Don’t you need one too then?”
“Oh… maybe I can share yours? I didn’t bring one…”
“I’m sure we can,” Nasimiyu said, or else she would bring another, or they could find someplace else to walk, it really wasn’t a big deal. Lidmila seemed content with this plan and flitted off, hopefully not to wander out into the rain before Nasimiyu arrived. She was sweet but perhaps not the brightest.
Mindeulle insisted on leading Nasimiyu into a room with a closed door before she admitted, “I’m sorry if I seem so cryptic, but I’m looking into this mystery with my brother and Çiğdem.”
Nasimiyu instantly cringed and suggested gently, “Does your brother know? He may not want you poking into his personal affairs…”
“So you think he did it then?” Mindeulle caught.
“I don’t know but…” Nasimiyu thought of Namjoon fucking Dulce at the masquerade ball. “I don’t know him well enough to say anything regarding his relationships with women but I think we can all move on.”
“We can’t move on. You saw how Lady Zselyke treated me at tea, and she’s not the only one.”
“You think it was because of that? I suppose that comment was rather… barbed.”
“Lady Zselyke already dislikes me and Namjoon because of the trouble with the Prince’s former fiance… but he has you now, that can be behind us. But this… this wasn’t him either, I’m sure of it! And now the families here want even less to do with us because they think my brother has a habit of leading women on, which he most definitely does not! He’s been framed both times and I intend to figure out who’s doing it.”
“I think you should let it go,” Nasimiyu admitted.
“But we’re being ostracized.”
“Does he care about something like that?”
“No, but… but I do. If society here shuns me I’ll have to go back to Therepin. I want to stay here.”
“I’ll protect you and your reputation, it doesn’t need to be tied to your brother’s.”
“You don’t believe me and won’t help me,” Mindeulle frowned, taking a step away.
“I didn’t say that, I just think…”
“Çiğdem’s family are not kind people. They aren’t the sort of people I want as family enemies. They are going to make you choose and if I can’t prove my brother is innocent, you’ll have to choose them.”
“I don’t have to do anything.”
“There are politics here you don’t understand yet,” Mindeulle said. When Nasimiyu shifted unhappily, Mindeulle hurried to add, “Only because you are new here and you aren’t used to these families. They are sensitive and vengeful. The only reason they haven’t outright attacked us yet is because it means admitting Çiğdem was writing letters to a man, so they’re trying to figure out something else to pin on us.”
“I’m not interested in their petty accusations–”
“But if you anger them, they will interfere with your marriage,” Mindeulle insisted. “They’re powerful enough to do it.” Mindeulle paused and seemed to think about what she said, then shook her head to clear it. “I need to clear my brother’s name. Please let me at least try.”
Nasimiyu sighed and conceded only, “What help are you asking from me?”
“I need the letters from Çiğdem. So I can compare to my brother’s handwriting and language and prove they aren’t his.” Nasimiyu had to admit that was a good plan.
“What makes you think she still has them?”
Mindeulle looked stunned and nearly laughed, “Why wouldn’t she? Don’t you keep every letter anyone has ever written you?”
“No one has ever written me letters,” Nasimiyu admitted. “Is that strange?”
Mindeulle seemed to think it was very sad.
“Well… I believe she has them,” Mindeulle insisted. “I bet even though she’s angry, she still has them. She might give them to you if you ask.”
“I’m not that close with her.”
“Or if you ask Lidmila to ask for them, even better.”
“I don’t know…
“But Lidmila will do anything you say, she worships the ground you walk on.”
Nasimiyu had to admit that seemed true. So in the end, she agreed to try.
And as Mindeulle predicted, when Nasimiyu brought the subject up of investigating things herself with Lidmila as they strolled through the warm summer rain under a shared parasol, Lidmila readily vowed to try, too –no, to succeed! It wouldn’t be easy but she would convince Çiğdem to let them see the letters under the guise of Nasimiyu wanting to understand Namjoon’s sins for herself. Lidmila admitted Çiğdem seemed to be having a hard time letting go of it all and probably would be eager to share.
All the moving of social chess pieces left Nasimiyu exhausted by the time Lidmila left with her parents and Nasimiyu could finally flee to solitude. She tossed the parasol to the ground and slipped off her damp shoes as soon as she was through the door. She’d take a bath to get that humid sea-city slime off her skin, she decided, and called for the maids to draw the bath.
As she moved around her room undressing, trying not to notice how quiet it seemed in here lately without Dulce emerging from the shadows to slide into the bed or bath with her, she began to notice things. Little things, small things that someone without her eye for detail might not: her gowns twisted in the wardrobe in a way she nor the maids would ever leave them; her shoes lined up too perfectly when she only ever lazily kicked them off; the papers on the wrong side of the desk from where Dulce had sat writing a coded message to send to Prince Hamisi (Nasimiyu sure hadn’t touched them since then), obvious because Dulce was left handed and scratched things out hunched over the right corner of the desk like someone who’d barely learned to hold a pen.
Had someone been here?
She didn’t like that feeling. It didn’t just scare her, it angered her, this idea that someone had come into her room –somehow, despite the guards posted outside. She looked around herself, trying to determine what someone had been looking for, what they might have found, though there weren’t secret things to find. The letters from her mother were nothing but that, nothing notable in them. She didn’t think any of her jewelry was missing, at least none of her favorites. What else would they have taken?
“Did you girls clean in here today?” she asked as she shed her clothing for a bath. The two maids looked at each other, uncertain how to answer. “If someone did, they didn’t do a very good job. My gowns are tangled up in the wardrobe.”
“We’re sorry, Princess,” they quickly said. “We’ll fix it right away.”
Well, mystery solved then. Nasimiyu sank into the bath and washed it all away.
The palace was stifling.
Seokjin had almost killed a man.
Taehyung had almost been killed too.
He had to get out of here. Hiding in his room with the comfort of his fur babies wasn’t enough, but Jungkook wasn’t on duty so Seokjin couldn’t pull off his disguised anonymous jaunt into the city. It would be too much for him right now anyway. He needed to be alone but not alone… he didn’t have a solution for that.
Muhtar followed him at a bothersome distance, not quite far enough, as he set out for the sea wall. The sun was setting, drawing some touristy crowds to admire the vibrant hues brushed across the cloudy sky, but for the most part the people of Priva did not find a regular sunset anything remarkable. They saw this every day. They had other things to do.
Seokjin, however, still found it remarkable. He hoped the day never came that he forgot about the miracle of a sunset, how the air itself became orange and red and that honey warmth seeped into your skin. He paused once a respectable distance from the palace to take it in.
And then saw her.
He should keep walking, he knew immediately. He had no reason to approach. She sat there, legs dangling recklessly over the edge, face cast towards the sun and a hood on so that he shouldn’t have even recognized her. He could not have explained how he did. And he’d been avoiding her for days now! Muhtar was with him; he didn’t trust any of his bodyguards to keep his secrets the way he trusted Jungkook, and sitting to enjoy the sunset with the maid of his fiance was one of those things that deserved to be a secret. The last time he’d seen her, he was fucking said fiance. The last time he’d spoken to her, she’d been furious.
He should keep walking.
He fully intended to keep walking.
He eased himself down on the ledge beside her, careful not to lose his step and plummet to his death because that would just really be the icing on this shit-cake day.
She didn’t even glance at him, as if not surprised at all. Maybe she’d somehow sensed him standing behind him. She so rarely seemed surprised by anything.
She had looked surprised when she walked in on him and Nasimiyu.
“About what you saw…”
“I didn’t see anything,” she said, voice a low murmur weaving through the aggressive crash of waves against the rocks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
So it would be like that. Yes, that was for the best.
“I only see the sunset,” she told him.
“It’s a good one.”
They sat in silence for a while. Gradually Seokjin’s mortification settled into a dull hum in the back of his mind, beat away by the waves. That experience seemed fake. Nasimiyu seemed fake, his engagement seemed fake. Certainly less real than the hues streaking the wispy clouds dawdling over their heads.
“What’s your favorite color in the sunset?” he asked. She didn’t look at him, but he could see enough of her profile to watch her brow pinch.
Why, why was he so desperate to reach out and smooth it down?! She was just some woman. It didn’t make sense. He barely knew her at all, as she had made crystal clear. Why was it so easy to think of a thousand things he wanted to say to her, and equally easy, for once in his life, to say none of them and simply sit there watching the sunset?
“Pink,” she finally said. He’d forgotten the question and gave her a confused look. “I don’t seem like the kind of woman who likes pink?”
“I like that it makes my hair look pink,” he told her. “I think I’d look really good with pink hair.”
“Your hair doesn’t look pink.”
“A little bit.”
“Not at all,” she insisted, so seriously as she looked at it that he couldn’t help the laughter.
It died quickly as he noticed the bruise on her cheek, the bandage on the side of her neck.
“What happened to you?” he asked, quickly turning towards her, reaching only to hover because he had no right to touch her.
“Hm?”
“You’re injured!”
“Oh. Accident in the laundry room,” she said, lifting a hand to her cheek like she’d forgotten all about it. He thought he saw the shadow of another bruise on her jaw and resisted the urge to turn her face and confirm.
“What the hells happened in the laundry room?!”
“Everything is fine. How was the hunting trip?”
He didn’t answer, torn now between the dread of what had already happened and a desire to not be shaken off from her injuries. He wasn’t sure she was telling him the truth. He hadn’t heard of an accident in the laundry that had caused serious harm to a maid. If there were safety issues, they needed to be taken care of immediately!
“What happened in the laundry room?” he tried again.
“How was the hunting trip?”
He narrowed his eyes. She stared a moment, then turned her gaze out at the sunset in a way that made clear she would not be answering his question.
“You know,” he shrugged. “It was… unpleasant. It’s good you didn’t go along today.”
“Might have been better than the laundry room.”
“No.” He thought of Dulce witnessing what had happened. Or, worse, Dulce being involved with what had happened. He didn’t say anything more, uncomfortable with imagining it. A horrible thought came to him, of his uncle somehow figuring out that Dulce was… notable to him. She’d be in grave danger, he was sure of it. A princess had some protection from a sadistic uncle-in-law. A maid had none. He glanced back at Murtah, worried his own bodyguard might report this to his uncle. Could anyone be trusted? Murtah was older, kind, formal, serious. He looked up and down the seawall, always on alert.
“I don’t think it’s safe for you to go hunting down there,” Dulce said, a rush of words he hadn’t expected. He raised his eyebrows at her unexpected concern. “It’s too easy for an accident to happen. It feels like it was designed for accidents.”
“Nowhere is safe from accidents. Apparently not even laundry rooms.”
“Your joke makes it clear you’ve never been in one,” she muttered.
He had to admit, “No. Are they dangerous?”
“Yes. But a hunting party in the caves is particularly dangerous for you, I think. You’re the crown prince. You’re never safe.”
“I have a bodyguard,” he said, jerking his head towards Murtah.
“He doesn’t look very good.”
“He is.”
“He’s not even listening to our conversation to know I insulted him.”
“He’s discreet,” Seokjin argued. “He’s like you, he’s not reactive.” Dulce scrutinized the bodyguard like a duel partner, then looked back out at the water. The wind tangled in loose strands of her long hair and danced it around her face. He wondered how wild it would look if she let the hood down and her braid out. It seemed to want to curl around her neck; a perfect ringlet had formed and he had that intrusive urge to reach out and tug it. The hood made her look particularly beautiful.
Brooding. He’d meant she looked particularly brooding.
He felt so calm right now. It was strange, he’d come out here hoping to feel that way but not expecting too. The nervous energy that had kept him restless all day got washed out to sea with each tug of the tide below. It was almost embarrassing for Dulce to see him all calm. He had an image to uphold, after all. Funny, energetic, charming.
He was tired.
“Have you ever been fishing? What’s your favorite fish?” he asked, deciding to make an effort.
“Are you ever just silent– nevermind,” she said quickly. Then, “My apologies, sorry.” He wasn’t sure that she’d ever apologized for being blunt before and was surprised to see her cheeks darken with a flush.
“What?” he laughed. “Say what you were going to say. Am I ever just silent? Not really, even when I’m alone I talk to myself.” Her lips tightened. “What does that face mean?” he laughed.
“It’s just my face.”
“No it’s not. Are you… blushing? About what?”
“I am not,” she snapped, scowling at him, and in any other lifetime he would have grabbed and kissed her right then. He couldn’t explain it. She was so put out with him.
You want to kiss her. You need to get and stay away from her. He knew that was true. He understood this clearly in a way he had danced around for days now. Weeks? He didn’t know how long but he knew he wanted to kiss the bruise on her cheek and the one on her jaw and her fingers and that this feeling of his would get her fired at best. He couldn’t think of the worst.
“You’re quiet when you fuck, that’s what I meant,” she suddenly said, tearing her gaze away from his and crossing her arms. “Maybe that’s the only time.”
“I thought you didn’t see anything,” he cried, now his turn to blush a bright red. Here he was contemplating the tragedy of this woman bringing out the romantic in him when nothing could ever come of it and then she had to wallop him in the face like that.
“I didn’t hear anything either, that’s my point.”
Now silence enveloped them again, a less happy one. Seokjin didn’t know what to say. The thought of having sex with Nasimiyu made him want to run away screaming. Not a great foundation for a marriage but one he was going to have to work through, just like he was going to have to keep distance from Dulce, and neither thing seemed possible right now.
No, he could do it. He would. He was the crown prince, he did tons of things he didn’t want to simply because it was his duty.
He wanted more than a duty marriage with Nasimiyu.
He needed to squash these feelings about Dulce immediately.
“I didn’t mean to criticize,” she murmured, glancing nervously at him. Probably because he was staring. She had a very pretty profile. He bet she would hate it if someone pinched her chin but it was perfectly pinchable. “Nasimiyu speaks… highly of your time together.”
He grabbed for the lifeline she’d thrown him and laughed awkwardly loudly, “Oh, lovely. She speaks of it?”
“Brags, more like.”
He knew he should be flattered. A small part of him was.
“Yes, well, good. What can I say? I have many talents and pleasing women is one of them.” Dear gods what was he saying?
“I don’t need to hear that. When I said you don’t know me, I didn’t mean we should get to know each other,” she said.
He laughed, flat out laughed, “Dulce, why are you so mean?”
“I… sorry. It’s been a long day.”
“Yeah for me too but I’m still my pleasant charming self. You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had. I almost watched my father kill another of my friends. It was the shittiest hunting trip you can imagine.”
“Did you shoot anything?”
“I almost killed another of my friends, does that count?”
“Taehyung?”
“No… what made you think of him?” She shrugged. “No, Master Drin, my arms masters. His horse reared and threw him in the path of bullet right as I aimed at some mysterious creature in the woods that didn’t deserve to be shot at in the first place. Sliced the back of his head open but he lives.” The words poured out, a tirade meant to make her laugh even though it wasn’t funny and he didn’t even mean it to be funny. His laugh cracked as he repeated, “I almost killed someone today.”
“People die.”
“Come now.”
“People die in hunting accidents all the time,” she said again. “That’s what I meant by you shouldn’t go.”
He grinned and nudged her arm without thinking about it, teasing, “Are you worried about me?” She stiffened and he immediately leaned away. Oops.
She didn’t comment on the physical contact, just asked, “Have you never killed anything before?”
“I’ve shot ducks.”
“A dark stain on your soul.”
“I see their eyes every night before I sleep,” he joked. “I remember their names.”
“I don’t,” she said thoughtfully.
“Killed a lot of ducks, have you?”
“A few.” She said it so seriously, he couldn’t decide if she was joking or not. That made things she said even funnier, when he genuinely couldn’t tell. He had an inkling she did it on purpose. He wondered if Nasimiyu knew that about her.
“We’re still talking about ducks, aren’t we?” he teased.
“What would we be talking about?”
“Didn’t you grow up on a farm? I don’t think I have the guts for it.”
“I didn’t tell you that,” Dulce said sharply and Seokjin felt a ridiculous victory at very clearly having guessed something correctly about her. “I seem like a farm girl to you?”
“Is there anything besides farms in Paloma?” Her eyebrows raised and he snickered, “Oh no, did I just insult you?”
“You don’t know anything about Paloma.”
“No but I know you grew up on a farm.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Your reaction gave it away.”
“I don’t react,” she insisted and he felt laughter bubbling brighter in his chest. He had the playful childish urge to knock her over and wrestle now, to crow about his victory.
“You’re wrong. You have very big reactions, if you know what to look for.”
“I do not.”
“The more you deny it…”
Her face twisted in what seemed like a fake rage. She kept her mouth pressed tightly closed and stared at the sky now sliding to purples and blues. What she said earlier might seem right, that darker colors suited her style more, but he loved knowing now that she liked pink.
“I hate farms,” she said, possibly the closest to a confirmation he would ever get. He didn’t think it was a joke. There was an air of sadness to her voice that seemed shockingly sincere.
Or was he projecting it all? He realized that was possible. He might be sitting here feeling like their hearts were stitching together in a way that was going to hurt very much when he stood up, and she was sitting there thinking what a nuisance he was. It wasn’t like she said or did anything that hinted at feelings for him. She endured him. Humored him at best. She had no choice. The power imbalance was real and he’d be a fool not to remember that his company might be less welcome than Namjoon’s –which she may have loudly hinted at before.
He stared out at the water, debating. He should leave her alone. He knew that. Everything in him knew that. But he didn’t want to just yet… could she endure him for a few more minutes? That was the least guilt and horror he had felt all day. He had almost killed Drin.
“You didn’t kill him.”
“Wha?”
“You didn’t kill the man so you shouldn’t let it haunt you. Even if you had, accidents happen.”
He stared at her, eyes wide, stumbling over the words, “How did you–”
“I won’t reveal my methods.”
He was struck dumb for a moment, astonished at her acuity. Could she read minds? Oh, he’d be so fucked if she could read his mind right now. The threat of her seeing what kind of man he actually was –the kind who developed affection and desire for their fiance’s maid– was horror beyond belief.
Just to test it, he thought of some really crazy things. Six foot tall rabbits and a throne made of spaghetti and a giant fish leaping from the water to swallow them and carry them down to meet the king of the sea. She did not seem to read those thoughts.
“If you don’t want people to know what you’re thinking, don’t think so loud.”
“Don’t listen,” he countered. Which clearly brought her up short. She gave him what could only be characterized as a scandalized look, then stared out again at the sunset as if it was the most compelling thing she had ever seen.
He still felt like she was listening. Worse, he felt like he could talk to her. He felt like she could say anything and nothing would surprise him and she’d tell him her direct thoughts, he could count on it. Alone but not alone, that’s how he felt with her.
“I don’t even want to be the cause of someone’s death,” he admitted, verbalizing it this time.
“You’re going to be king. You’ll be the cause of many people’s deaths.” Yep, just like that.
He blew air out and looked down, for a moment allowing the intrusive thought of what it would feel like to just plummet down to the rocks and die. Then he’d never hurt anyone.
“I��ll be a different kind of king,” he tried to convince them both. “No wars, no hunting, no more hunger or… no poverty. I’ll take care of Destin and Paloma and… we’ll just all have good lives reading books and playing games and…”
At least she was kind enough not to tell him what a fucking idiot he was. She struck a nice balance of silence and directness. He appreciated that about her.
“And birthdays!” he said, suddenly recalling. “Is it your birthday soon?”
“What?”
“Is your birthday soon?”
“No, why?”
“Are you telling the truth?” he pressed, leaning closer and scrutinizing her closely.
She batted him away, revealing bandages on her hand that was quickly tucked back under her cloak despite the warm evening.
“My birthday is in the winter,” she said.
“An answer! Or close to one. Look how far we’ve come,” he teased.
“Why do you think my birthday is soon?”
“Nasimiyu asked Yoongi to make a Paloman dish and he thought your birthday was soon.”
Dulce considered this before admitting, “Maybe she thinks it is.”
“She doesn’t know?”
“Do you know the birthdays of your servants?”
“Yes,” he answered easily. “Murtah’s is in late August and then Jungkook’s is September first.”
Dulce didn’t seem to know what to say to this. He watched the pensive look on her face out of the corner of his eye, trying not to look like he was watching her.
“Are your injuries bothering you?” he guessed.
“No.”
“Are you sure? You were hurt at the palace, it’s understandable you should see the palace doctor to make sure–”
“I’m fine.”
“I don’t think you’re fine. You seem…” He couldn’t think of the word. Not that she was usually chatty but she seemed… “Weighed down.”
“So do you.”
“I think I’m my usual charming self.” When she didn’t respond, like she wasn’t buying it, he conceded, “I told you I almost killed my friend. I feel that on my handsome broad shoulders.”
She was silent for a while. He couldn’t tell if she was debating an answer or simply not going to give one. Which was fine. He would like for her to say but it was always unpredictable.
“I think you need to be extra careful,” she said. “You should be more concerned that your bodyguard went missing.”
Seokjin frowned and pressed, “What do you know about that?”
“You don’t think servants notice when one goes missing? You aren’t careful enough. People wish to harm you.”
“Well… yes. I’m the crown prince. That’s always been true and always will be true,” he admitted. “I’ve learned to live without worrying about it. If I die… well, I’ll be dead and won’t care about it anymore, will I?”
Her head snapped up, her face showing how absolutely incomprehensible she found his answer. It made him laugh again, he couldn’t help it.
“Did you think I’d scream and cry and hide away? I don’t want to die but it happens to all of us eventually. My mother, my brother… it won’t change my fate to sit around worrying about it every day.” He couldn’t believe how brave he sounded about it, although the things he said were true. He tried not to think about death every day. He tried to live as best he could.
“You aren’t afraid to die but you’re afraid to kill?”
“Well see… yes. Yes, that’s about right.” He gave her a bright grin. “I don’t want to, but I can endure a lot. Of course I guess you don’t really endure death, at that point you stop enduring–”
“What is a lot to you?”
“I’m still alive, so I suppose I don’t know yet.” She was taking this so seriously and he felt bad about that. “You don’t need to worry about me. I was born into this life and I’ll die in it too someday. But not today. Some days closer than others but…” He shrugged. “Best I don’t go into the laundry room, I guess.”
She didn’t laugh at his joke and he realized it was a bad one. She’d been badly injured in one. He was inclined to march back to the palace and ask someone working in the laundry what the hells had happened, but based on the last time he intervened in Dulce’s well-being, he suspected she would not be pleased. Did he care? It depended how badly she was hurt…
He sighed, not sure how to navigate anything. He wouldn’t intervene. She’d made clear she didn’t want him to. He was supposed to be putting more space between them now. He had promised to respect her wishes. Soon he was going to promise to love and devote his whole heart to Nasimiyu.
He wanted to say something but the longer the silence lasted, the less inclined he felt to. She didn’t demand anything of him, and he felt tired now by what he’d managed for her entertainment. Wrung out. This was a long day. He didn’t know what to do about his father shooting at Taehyung. Who was that a warning for? It would take a couple days to bundle Taehyung off to somewhere else since they were arguing about where that someplace else would be; was it better to spend those days in the palace or in an anonymous inn? Seokjin was debating having Taehyung just sleep in his room, gossip be damned.
“I have something for you,” she said eventually.
He immediately realized his gift must have felt like an obligation instead of an apology, especially since it wasn’t her birthday.
He waved his hand, “No, no, you don’t need to–”
“Not a gift. Someone gave me a letter to pass on to you.” She dug around and pulled it out of a bag across her body, looked at it a moment, then handed it over.
“What is this?” he asked. The front was blank, the envelope crinkled from passage. The red seal on the back immediately brought recognition and understanding –he’d recognize the imprint of his brother’s ring anywhere.
“A letter.”
“Yes I managed to figure that much out on my own,” he snickered. He had an idea who it was from, so instead he asked, “How did you get this?”
“Someone gave it to me while I was out walking here and begged me to put it in your hands,” she said.
“A woman,” Seokjin guessed.
“Yes.”
“Do you know what it’s about?”
“I didn’t read it,” Dulce said. “She didn’t say.” She looked him right in the face as she said this, direct eye contact that made him want to believe her… and yet he had melted and reattached enough seals to notice the telltale sign of staining on the paper.
“Please keep the existence of this letter between us,” he said lowly, tucking it into the pocket on the inside of his vest so it couldn’t be stolen until he got a chance to read it. After which he would probably need to burn it, depending on what it said, and if he was right about the sender. After all this time, he figured she was dead, in which case this letter might be something different. Either way, it was probably something dangerous for Dulce to know.
“What letter?” she asked, holding her hands out to show they were empty. He believed she would keep the secret, anyway, whatever she could actually glean from the contents. “I thought about not giving it to you, in case it’s trouble,” she admitted.
“I’m glad you did. Not every prince is a damsel who needs protecting, you know.”
“I think you may be a particularly reckless one.”
“How many princes do you know? Nevermind, Prince Hamisi, that was too easy. Well, this prince would be happy to walk you back to the palace now.”
“I’m fine. I’ll stay here a bit longer.”
“Is it safe?”
“It’s no laundry room so…yes.”
He was loath to leave her, but at least guards roamed the sea wall and she was less likely to meet trouble here than anywhere else.
Still, “Will you at least promise to stay out of the laundry room from now on?”
“It’s my job.”
“I can make it illegal for them to put you on laundry duty. I’m a prince. I don’t mind being an eccentric one.” She gave him a baleful look that felt like victory but she shook her head and he wasn’t going to push her. He didn’t want to undo what had felt like progress towards forgiveness.
“Thank you for your company,” he told her with a slight bow. He meant it. The events of the day still troubled him but he felt soothed, despite the fact she hadn’t actually had anything comforting to say –clearly she did not understand the magnitude of what it meant to take, or nearly take, a human life. He was glad of that though.
Murtah shortened the distance between them as they walked back towards the palace so that within a few minutes they were side by side.
“Your Highness.”
“Murtah.”
“This wasn’t wise.”
“I believe you are here to guard, not to advise,” Seokjin pointed out. “I was only watching the sunset.”
“With your fiance’s maid.”
“A coincidence,” Seokjin insisted, then quickly added, “But don’t worry, it won’t happen again.”
“It can’t.”
“No, it can’t,” Seokjin agreed with a sigh. He was projecting an attachment on a woman he barely knew. Was he just frightened by his impending promotion to husband and flailing about for diversion?
Her bruises and bandages bothered him more than his own troubles, he couldn’t stop thinking of them.
The safest thing for them both was not to get close enough to notice them next time.
Maybe Taehyung wasn’t the only one he needed to find a safe, cushy place for, far from Priva. How much money would it take Dulce to go away and not tell Nasimiyu why?
Yes, that was the answer. Money. See? Seokjin was already thinking like a king.
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The Lost, the Found, and the Treasured
Pairing: SoftishYandere!Seokjin x Fem!Reader
Genre: Yandere AU, Reincarnation AU, Royalty AU, angst turned to fluff turned to angst once again lol
Word Count: 9k
Summary: Your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere during a terrible storm. Thankfully, you were very close to what seemed to be an abandoned castle. You enter the large building to find a night’s refuge, but it seems that you find a lot more than you originally bargained for.
Content & Warnings: Fem reader, yandere themes, possessiveness, a bit of jealousy, refusing to let the reader go, the reader is very confused, general fear, marriage, assassination, grief, use of terms of affection: my love, love, invasion of personal space (Jin just refuses to stop hugging you and stuff), Jin’s a man in love finally reuniting with his one true love, it seems to take a toll on him.
Author’s Note: This got a lot longer than I originally wanted. Took a lot longer too. This kinda reminded me of Beauty and a Beast. You’ll understand what I mean once you read it. I could only bear to read over this once, so please ignore any stupid mistakes. It’s kinda rushed, so yeah. But anyway, let me know if you liked it! And, of course, enjoy! 💕
The silk slipped over your head, draping on your body in layers. The soft honey colour looked warm against your skin. You’d never felt anything so soft. The fabric felt too expensive to be worn by you, yet, it felt right to have it adorning your body. The dress brought out the feeling of being a bride-to-be from centuries ago, as if the silk dress was revealing a side of yourself that you had pushed away for years. It felt right, so right, to be wearing it.
But you knew this was wrong.
You weren’t meant to be here, in this empty, dreary castle. A strong storm, a wrong turn, a broken car, a sense of helplessness as you found solace in the only structure around was what brought you to your current predicament. You had entered the castle hoping that someone would be there to help you. A groundskeeper, a custodian, an owner—anyone—who would help you. Someone who would let you stay the night as you thought of your next plan of action.
You could imagine your surprise when you had knocked on the grand door of the castle to hear no reply or steps coming in your direction. It had seemed abandoned, but that was nonsense! No one would leave a castle such as this one unowned. Maybe they hadn’t heard you, it was a large estate. You doubted that someone from the other side of the castle would be able to hear you, so you knocked again. You heard it echo throughout the castle through the door that you had pressed your ear against.
You sighed, there must really have been no one there.
Taking the loss, you had turned back to walk back to your car to escape the rain, but just as you took a step away from the door, you felt a rush of air hit your back. Confused, you turned, only to see that the door had opened on its own. It was open just a smidge, but open nonetheless. Pressing your hand onto the door, you pushed it open further, hoping to see who had let you in. All that greeted you, however, was a dusty but otherwise eerily empty entry way filled with columns and stairways.
Yet not a single living soul.
You knew that you should probably turn back. But just as you were about to turn to face the large dark oak doors, a flash of lightning followed by the deep rumble of thunder stopped you. It caused you to tense up, and when you took another step to peer out the doorway, the rain seemed to plummet to the ground even faster and harsher than before, so much so that it caused the large and heavy door to slam closed an inch from your face. You were just glad that you hadn’t moved any closer to the door, because with the strength it had slammed shut, if you had been any closer, you were sure your nose would have broken.
Shocked by how much the storm had picked up, you turned back to look at the vast entryway behind you. No, it still wasn’t safe to be out. But, you didn’t feel any safer in the castle. However, after debating with yourself for a minute or two you came to the conclusion that even though the castle may be suspiciously empty, it was dry and safe. At least, safe from being struck by lightning. A plus, that trying to leave wouldn’t grant you.
And so, accepting that you had no chance of leaving the estate until the storm let up, you moved deeper into the castle.
Might as well get comfortable, you thought, letting out a drawn-out breath.
Yet you couldn’t bring yourself to feel comfortable considering how empty the place was.
But the lack of any presence wasn’t the oddest thing about the castle. No. What brought the most uncertainty to overtake your mind was the fact that the castle had been so easy for you to navigate. Though the castle was made up of many winding, turning corridors and stairwells leading to an endless number of rooms greater than your whole apartment back in the city, you had been able to predict which room you would walk into next. What grey, lifeless room you would stumble onto.
You would walk through an empty sitting room, only to anticipate the bare hallway you’d walk into next. As you passed countless doors, in the back of your mind, you vaguely knew what laid behind them.
Behind that one is a closet, you thought. That one leads to the cellar. Oh! And that one should lead to a bathroom.
It was an odd sort of deja vu.
After a strange, yet surprisingly uneventful walk around the estate, you found yourself in the north wing. How you knew it was the north wing, you had no clue. You were never great with directions. But just like with the layout of the castle, you just knew.
Nonetheless, you stood in front of the long corridor, an almost never-ending series of doors looking back at you.
You felt unsafe standing in the middle of the hall, open to anything that could jump out at you. You knew you were being overly cautious, there had been no people as far as you had seen, but that didn’t mean there couldn’t be bats, rodents, and who knows what else. To feel a bit more safe, you moved to the left side of the hall, letting your left shoulder skim the wall ever so slightly. This way you would be sure that at least nothing could jump up at you from your left side. It helped your nerves from feeling as exposed as you did before. You’d only have to look out to your right for any possible danger.
And so, you continued to walk down the hall as you leaned against the solid wall. You felt the textures change against your side as the wall changed from stone to the occasional wooden beams, from the beams to the stone niches where old candle stands stood covered in thick layers of dust. And of course, you felt the way the stone brick walls changed to the smooth wood of the doors. You kept walking, keeping your eyes darting around your right side, putting your trust into nothing jumping up from the wall.
Just as you were about to reach the end of the corridor, a spiral stairwell leading up just out of reach in front of you, you felt a strong weight push onto your right. The harsh force thrust you against the last door in the hallway, which in turn let out under your weight. It swung open roughly, slamming onto the wall adjacent to it, as it swung open. You fell into the room. Immediately, your left shoulder burst out in dull pain from your whole body weight falling onto it.
A groan involuntarily escaped you as you turned to lay on your back.
“Fuck…” you said more to yourself than anything else. “What the fuck was that?”
You looked up from your supine position to the door by your feet.
Nothing. There was nothing in the doorway. No one who could have pushed you.
You let your head fall back onto the ground once you were sure that you were still alone. What pushed me? was the only thing on your mind as you waited for your heartbeat to slow back down to its regular pace. Your mind immediately went to a rabid wild animal even though there wasn’t anything of the sort around you.
After what had felt like an eternity—though it was probably only a few minutes—you felt well enough to get back up.
When you did, you finally got the chance to look at the room you had fallen into. It was a bedroom. A large 4 poster bed stood in the center of the room. Lush, jewel-toned sheets covered it, making it look softer than anything you’d ever seen before. Sheer navy blue curtains hung from the top of the bed frame in a canopy, casting the sheets in a blue hue. Peeking from under the bed was a handwoven bright red Persian rug.
Opposite the bed was a vanity that, once you got closer to you noticed, held countless vintage perfumes and makeup products. But as you continued analyzing the table, you realized the large vanity seemed to be split into two sections right down the middle.
On the left there were countless feminine flowery perfumes, a comb that seemed to have been carved from a dark wood. Small flowers and vines curled around its handle. There were ribbons in a plethora of colours, ranging from a deep crimson to the palest arctic blue. Hairpins laid haphazardly buried under the ribbons with elaborate flowers molded at the ends, which, you assumed, were meant to decorate the wearer’s hair.
When you looked at the right side of the vanity, you noticed the stark difference it had when compared to the other. While the left had flowers, ribbons, and pins, the right had an earthy cologne, what seemed to be a hair pomade, a pocket watch, and a boot shining kit.
As you finally took a step back from the table, you noticed that there was something very off about the room. You just couldn’t put your finger on it. But as you lightly drew your finger across the surface of the vanity, you realized what was so wrong with the room.
It wasn’t dusty.
Your finger hadn’t come away dirty after you took it off of the table. When you looked around the room you also realized that unlike the rest of the castle, the room wasn’t grey. The textiles weren’t faded and mute. The colours were still vibrant and clean on all these old objects, as if someone had been taking care of this room in particular, leaving the rest of the castle to rot with time.
Strange, very strange.
When you turned back to the vanity, you noticed something behind you that you swore hadn’t been there before. On the rich bed sheets, behind the sheer curtains was a blob of yellowish… something. It stood out against the dark sheets, drawing your eyes towards it, and almost like in a trance, it drew the rest of you closer to it too. You pushed the light curtains aside with the back of your hand.
A dress, a honey coloured dress laid on the bed. You stroked the silken fabric between your thumb and forefinger. In doing so, the front of the dress got pulled down revealing what was stitched in a small flowy script in the inside of the dress where the tag would have been.
For you, my love. Forever and always.
You traced the words with your fingers, and you don’t know what struck you next, but the next thing you knew you were wearing the dress. Your clothes, a pile at your feet.
And that’s how you got where you were now, standing in the middle of a castle, wearing someone’s stolen dress.
You stepped over your clothes, walking back to the vanity.
You studied the dress in the mirror. It hugged your body like a glove. It’s neckline was large, allowing a great view of your collarbone and shoulders. You dragged your fingertips against the exposed skin before letting them move further down. You noticed how the bodice was shaped to fit your breasts perfectly, neither too large that would leave loose fabric nor too small that would make it hard for you to breathe. Your eyes locked with your waist and how the dress cinched it just right before opening up into a looser skirt, giving you an hourglass figure.
For a while you just admired the dress on your body, feeling incredibly attractive until your eyes locked with the pile of clothes behind you in the mirror.
The sight of your soaked clothes on the floor shocked you out of your self-admiring stupor.
You were in an abandoned castle. Wearing a stolen dress. That you found in one of the few clean rooms of the place.
What the hell were you doing? What made you think this was okay?
Shocked with your own actions, you picked up your clothes from the floor determined to quickly change out of the dress and leave this place before you were caught in such a compromising situation.
Just when you had grasped the bottom of the garment to pull it off, something made you stop, your hands involuntarily loosening on the silk.
Music. Soft piano echoed from deep in the castle.
For the second time since entering this place, you felt your heart start hammering like crazy.
Somebody was here. Somebody that could get you arrested for trespassing and theft for the dress you were wearing.
You reached down again to pull the dress off only for the music to become even louder. So loud that it seemed to be playing from speakers directly into the room.
Fuck this, you thought, I don’t have time to take this damn thing off. Not with all this creepy shit. Just focus on getting the fuck out of here, Y/n.
You let go of the hem of the dress, letting it fall back against your ankles. You dug through your clothes for your damp jacket, pulling it on over the dress. You grabbed the rest of your clothes and sped out of the room.
But another surprise greeted you as you crossed the threshold of the room: the hall was clean. Not an ounce of dust anywhere. The stone was no longer covered in years of grime, instead it shone in the soft glow of the candles that were now aflame in the niches. There were rugs on the floor that weren’t there before, bright and welcoming. Side tables with bouquets lined the spaces in between the countless doors. Roses, peonies, hydrangeas, plus a hundred other more types that you didn’t even know the names of. All of them stood proudly in intricate vases, delicate and alive. Very alive. Not crispy or dead.
Okay, what in the actual hell is going on? You thought. Am I high? Am I dead? Did I get shot for trespassing on private property and this is some odd pre-death hallucination?
You weren’t going to stick around to find out.
You ran from the hallway back from the direction you came from, the thought of your car and its escape the only thing you let yourself focus on.
You were so shaken that you didn’t even stop to remember how the car wasn’t even working.
Nonetheless, in your fear-stricken mind, you thought: storm be damned, I’m getting out of here.
Despite trying to ignore your surroundings, your eyes unwillingly noticed all the changes to the rooms that you ran through. New, clean, bright, and no longer grey and old was the only way to describe it. Flashes of colours and flowers entered your peripheral vision as you sprinted through the castle. Even the floor beneath your feet was no longer the same. A plethora of rugs similar to the ones in the bedroom and hallway covered what seemed like every inch of the castle. Even though feeling them beneath your shoes threw you further into a loop, you were grateful for them because they muffled your footsteps as you ran.
Though, you doubted anyone would hear you running even if the rugs weren’t there considering the piano music seemed to only get louder and louder each second that you spent in the estate. So loud, in fact, that you had taken to pressing the cold, soggy clothes that were once in your arms over your ears to try and drown the music as you ran.
You felt like a newborn deer fumbling on your feet as you tried to stop your legs from shaking as you ran down the stairs. You couldn’t even use your arms for balance with the way you were covering your ears. But the end was in sight, you were in the foyer now, just a little more and you could jump into your car and never look back as you sped away.
Thank god too, you don’t think you could run for any longer.
As you reached the large wooden doors, you pulled the clothes from your ears, needing to use your arms to open the doors.
That was the worst mistake you made that whole night.
As soon as your hands left your ears, the music got louder by tenfold. Your eardrums blared with the noise. You felt like screaming with how much pain was streaming from your eardrums into the rest of your body like hot oil. But, you just grinded your teeth, trying to bear the pain.
Summoning every ounce of your strength, you reached out to the door, pushing it open. Immediately rain hit you in the face, dripping down your neck and onto the dress.
So close, you were so close.
The music was getting louder and louder.
And as soon as you lifted one foot to step out, you felt a hand grasp your shoulder.
You froze, and so did the music.
“You can’t really be leaving now, after everything,” the voice said.
You still stood facing away from the person, getting more drenched by the second from the rain. Figuring that you were found out, you reasoned that your best shot of not getting into any further trouble was to apologize.
Putting on your frailest, most apologetic voice, you said, “I know. I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to trespass. I didn’t mean to steal the dress, I don’t know. I was just lost, my car broke down, and—and I’m so sorry!” You were close to tears, your eyes brimming with tears as you rambled nonsense.
The hand on your shoulder tightened, before forcing you to turn around. Your clothes dropping from your grip from the harsh movement.
You kept your gaze downwards, too ashamed to meet the eyes of the person before you. Instead you looked at the person’s shoes, a pair of black, expensive-looking leather dress shoes. Just by eyeing how they shone in the candlelight suggested that the flawless leather had gotten polished just recently.
Yup, you were screwed.
“Come on, now. Look at me. Are you going to torture me after centuries’ wait to see your eyes again?” the man—at least you figured was a man from his deep voice and shoes—asked.
You were utterly confused. Your brows furrowed in confusion, trying to comprehend the man’s words.
Still you didn’t look up at him.
The man grasped your shoulders over your damp jacket. “You are a lot more timid than before. Though, I suppose you were shy the first few days when we first met.” The man chuckled. “No matter. You’ll be as bubbly as you once were in no time, I’m sure.”
The man’s grip on your shoulders tightened once again, before pulling you into his chest. He moved his hand to the back of your head, pushing your face deeper into the crook of his neck, before he leaned the side of his head against yours. “I’ve missed you so much, Y/n. So much.”
You were as stiff as a board against his body. You still hadn’t seen the man’s face, had no clue who he was, yet the smell of his cologne seemed to bring you a surprising sense of calm. You don’t know why the man’s soft hands felt familiar, why his smooth voice sent pleasurable shivers down your spine, or why your tired arms ached to wrap around him.
But in the back of your mind, you knew this was weird. You should be outraged by this man grabbing you, invading your personal space, uttering gibberish that made no sense to you.
That’s when your eyes widened in realization. “How do you know my name?”
The man laughed a hearty laugh. You could feel the vibrations against your chest from the noise. The movement only making the wet dress rub uncomfortably against your skin.
The man nuzzled his head against yours before saying, “Like I would ever forget your name, Y/n. Does any man ever forget his bride?”
Fear started to pump through your body.
What is this man saying? He’s crazy, you thought to yourself.
Finally you seemed to come to your senses, moving your arms from your sides to his waist. You pushed the man away from you, to which he didn’t put up any resistance.
Shaking your head, you said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, and honestly I feel like you’re just messing with me now. First the place goes from a haunted house to the Buckingham palace, and then you start talking about old brides and shit. I'll just leave, okay? I’ll bring you no troubl—” you raised your head to look at him and instantly froze.
The man was ridiculously handsome. Long dark hair slicked back paired with even darker eyes that sparkled with the reflections of the candlelight. Blemishless skin, with rose lips, full and tempting. His lips were stretched into an eased, yet the slightest bit teasing smile. A look of pure adoration painting his face. When you looked down from his face you saw his black velvet suit jacket. It had a sheen to it from where your wet body had been pressed against. Under the jacket was a white dress shirt with the first few buttons undone, revealing the soft skin underneath. The shirt’s collar slightly wrinkled as if he’d been pulling at it. The pants were of velvet too, tailored to fit his body perfectly just like the rest of the suit was.
As your eyes moved back up to his broad shoulders, you seemed to for the first time really take in just how large his frame was. Or at least the top of his frame was, because his broad shoulders and chest tapered into an unbelievably small waist.
Your eyes lingered on it, your fingers twitching to wrap around it, to put your arms around it and pull the man close.
The sound of him chuckling surprised you enough to force your eyes away from his body to his smug face.
“Still as entranced by my waist as ever, are you, Y/n? Don’t feel so shy, you can feel me,” he said, his voice getting quieter as he leaned down closer to your face. “You know I like it...” he whispered smoothly into your ear.
With his plump rosy lips pulled into a smirk against the side of your head, he grabbed your hands before placing them on his waist. He tightened your grip on him, before moving his hands to your own waist inside your open jacket. He teasingly squeezed you, then rubbed over the flesh in slow, deliberate movements. He had you pushed against the castle’s main door that he must have gotten closed at some point while you were freaking out.
He pulled himself flush against you, ignoring or maybe uncaring that your drenched body was getting him wet too. He moved his head to lay against your shoulder, turned towards your head so he could still keep somewhat of an eye on your expression. With each word he spoke, his lips skimmed your neck, leaving chills in their wake. “I’ve missed you so much, my love. I never thought I’d get to see you again. I was so close to leaving this realm, maybe move on to the world beyond“—his voice had started quivering—“I’m so glad I never did.”
His warm breath heated up your cold neck with each exhale. Paired with the way he moved his lips over the sensitive skin of your neck, he knew exactly what he was doing.
“I’ve missed you so much, so, so, so much…” His lips cautiously pressed harder against your neck, puckering into a kiss that made your skin tingle under the soft touch.
Why you were letting him do this, you weren’t sure, but it may have had to do with the way your body seemed to yearn for him, against your better judgement. All that went through your head was how good it felt, to be in his arms, his lips marking your body as he pleased.
He felt the way you shivered under his touch, which only spurred him on to mouth at the point under your ear even more. He knew just the right places to pay attention to, before moving on to another spot that had soft gasps leaving your lips as he nipped at the skin. When the noises got loud enough for them to draw the man’s attention, his lips curved into a smile against your skin which only made your embarrassment deepen.
The change of pace spurred you to push the large man away from you, bringing a jacket sleeve-covered hand up right after to wipe away at the wetness he’d left spanning from your collarbones to your jawline.
“You can’t just do that!” you snapped, common sense flooding to the forefront of your brain as it should have long ago. “I don’t know your name, I don’t know why this place went from a dusty, trashy haunted house to a multi-million dollar estate, fully-furnished with all these well-taken care of vintage artifacts that would have collectors drooling at their prime condition, and I don’t know how you know me! I’m sorry that I came in here, okay? I won’t do it again, I was stupid, inconsiderate, and completely out of line. There, I admitted it, so can you kindly stop mind-fucking me with all this crazy shit?”
As you tried to catch your breath after blowing up in his face, you noticed the corner of his mouth raise up in a smug half-grin.
He stepped up to you again, walking up real close. He leaned in, eyes flickering down to your lips and you prepared yourself for him to continue his affections, ignoring everything you said.
You closed your eyes, ready to take whatever he did next.
But it never came. At the lack of action, you opened your confused eyes.
He was standing less than an inch from your face, eyes still glued to your lips. Only when you finally spoke did he break eye contact and look into your eyes.
“Why didn’t you kiss me?” you asked, though you weren’t sure why you sounded so disappointed.
Looking deep into your eyes, he said, “Did you want me to?”
You had no answer for him, no answer that you wanted to give him anyway.
He hummed at your lack of an answer, moving back from you. He just watched you for a second, seeming to look through your very being. It felt like he was looking for something in particular, deep within your soul. He then reached up to push a few damp strands of hair out of your face, letting his hand linger on the side of your head.
You looked up at him, still confused about what was going on. Was he ever gonna answer your questions? Maybe this was the sign that you should make a break for it, you were after all standing pressed up against the main doors.
If I could push him away hard enough, I could probably manage to get the doors open and make a break for my car—WAIT, my car isn’t working, you remembered. Fuck, I’m trapped.
His hands being placed on your shoulders broke you out of your thoughts. “I should probably answer your questions,” he said while pushing your jacket off of your shoulders. “But first, let me take this.”
“No! Wait, I’d rather keep it on,” you said frantically.
“Nonsense. It’s soaked through, you’ll get sick. Besides, you’re not gonna need it anytime soon.” He walked away from you to place the jacket onto a coat stand. This was the first time that night that he’d moved more than a metre away from you. The first time he had turned his back to you. The first time you weren’t under his watchful gaze.
This is my chance to run, you thought.
You knew that there was nothing nearby, but you couldn’t stand to spend another second with this mystery man. Trying not to make any noise you reached behind you to try and find the doorknob.
Your eyes were still locked on the man’s back, cautious of any sudden movements. Cautious of getting caught.
Bingo, you found the doorknob. Now just to quietly turn it open.
He had by now placed the jacket on the stand, but he hadn’t let it go.
You turned the doorknob a millimetre at a time. Any more and it would creak.
His hands were smoothing over the fabric.
Halfway done, just a little more.
He was checking the pockets.
Don’t look back, don’t look back, you prayed in your head.
He was going through your pockets.
My keys are in the jacket. He has my car keys! My stuff’s in the car. I have nothing, you realized.
He put your phone and keys away into the inner pocket of his suit’s jacket, before immediately turning to you.
You froze in your spot.
He scanned your frame from top to bottom, the hand on the doorknob, the fear swimming in your eyes.
“Don’t bother.” He walked back to you. “The door doesn’t open without my permission.” He could sense your uncertainty. “Don’t trust me? Try and open it.”
You did just that, turning to face the door this time. You didn’t have to worry about being caught this time. You took a deep breath in before turning the handle the last few millimetres that were left, but when you pushed it open—nothing. Nothing happened. It didn’t open.
“Got it out of your system?” You jumped at how close his voice was to your ear. He was standing right behind you, just barely resting his chin on your shoulder as he peered at your hand on the doorknob in front of you.
Though a bit hesitant, you nodded your head.
“Good.” He turned you around, before stepping aside to stand beside you on your left. “If you’ll be good, I’ll make sure you get the answers to your questions. Now, come.”
He intertwined your left arm with his right, starting to walk you deeper into the candle-lit castle.
“Where are we going?” you asked once you had mustered the courage to speak to the strange man.
“I saw you walk around very deliberately when you first stumbled inside—don’t look so scared, my love, I was just watching you—you weren’t lost or confused at all by the look of it. You knew exactly where you were going…” He turned to look at you as you walked. You refused to meet his eyes. “Love, why don’t you tell me where I’m taking you. I know it will come back to you.”
You looked around you. You were walking arm-in-arm down a narrow corridor on the East side of the estate. You saw an offshoot hallway a few metres ahead of you. It leads to the… kitchen. Yes, the kitchen. But, the two of you passed the hallway, continuing straight down the hall. The next door went to a… a storage room. You doubted he was going to take you there.
All of the sudden, you heard the piano start up again. Soft and sweet, not ear-bleeding like it had been before. Music.
Wait—it was coming back to you.
“You’re taking us to the ballroom.”
He smiled, his eyes filled with unrepressed joy. “Yes, I am. You do remember. You are my Y/n.”
He stopped in front of the door that led to the ballroom. It was a side door, not the main one that guests would use to enter the ball. This door was meant for the servants who would come to serve the guests hor d'oeuvres and drinks. The man stared at the door, an aura of sadness and anxiety seeping off of him and into the air. As it surrounded you, it only passed on the worries to you.
“What’s wrong?” you asked.
He continued to stare at the door for a second too long before letting out an unconvincing: “nothing.”
You could hear the piano much clearer now. Though it was slightly muffled behind the door, it was still as smooth and alluring as you imagined it would sound without the wood blocking the sound from you. The subdued notes called to you, and as you placed your hand to push the door open, the grip on your arm tightened, keeping you on your spot. He brought you to the ballroom, but was not letting you go into it.
It confused you to no end. It seemed like confusion was your constant state that night.
“Aren't we going to go inside?” It felt like you had been speaking more than him since you got to the door. His self-confidence seemed to have melted as soon as you got in close proximity to the room. “Excuse me, uh..” He still hadn’t told you his name. You settled for a replacement title. “Uh, sir, are you okay?”
“I’m alright, my love. It’s just… a bit difficult to go back in there since, well, since that’s where I lost you.”
You were getting tired of his cryptic words and slivers of the past that he refused to fully reveal to you. Yet, a part of you wanted to comfort him, apologize to him, though for what, you weren’t entirely sure. The other sane part of you just wanted to rip your hair out from just how confused you were from this whole situation. You decided to go with the former for the sole reason that his grip on your arm was too strong to allow you to even reach your head.
The man got very serious after your soft apology. “Don’t be. There is no reason to be sorry, it wasn’t your fault. It—It was just an unfortunate accident of not enough security during the wedding. It wasn’t your fault; it wasn’t mine either.”
It sounded as though he was trying to convince himself more than you.
“I still don’t know what you’re talking about,” you said, wishing that someone—anyone—would just explain what in the actual hell was going on. Preferably without clinging to you and calling you ‘my love.’
It wasn’t that you hated it when the mystery man said it, it was the fact that you didn’t hate it that made it worse.
The man smiled at you before finally opening the door into the ballroom. He held the door open for you, ushering you into the room.
The room was less a room and more of a grand hall considering it was as big as a professional soccer field. The floor was made of a light marble, grey accents swirling through the solid ivory hue. Under the flickering candlelight that spread from the multiple chandeliers that hung high on the scenically painted ceiling, the grey seemed to move across the floor like magic.
The piano music rushed up to you, bathing you in its serenity as it beckoned you further into the hall. You could see the piano as it sat at the far end of the ballroom spreading its sound into the world even though it seemed to be missing its pianist.
“It’s playing on its own.” You turned to the man, hoping he’d clear this confusion at least.
“It’s not.” The man hooked to your arm stopped the two of you in the middle of the floor, briefly letting go of you as he stepped in front of you, blocking the view of the piano. He wrapped his right arm around your waist as his left held your right one out to your side. With you thoroughly pressed against his body for the nth time that night, he began to sway to the rhythm of the music. “He’s there. I just assumed that it would be best if only I revealed myself to you tonight. I couldn’t bear to share you on our first night back together.” He winked down at you.
When you peeked at the piano over the man’s shoulder, you felt flashes of another life surface. Dark hair. A kind gummy smile. Music. Understanding. A friend.
“Yoongi…” The familiar name slipped from your lips.
The music faltered for a second, almost caught off guard at your words, before resuming to its former perfection, though a tad quicker in tempo than before. If you strained your eyes hard enough through the darkness, you could almost make out the figure of a man sitting at the piano. Though his hands moved gracefully over the ivory keys, his focus and gaze were locked on you.
The man wrapped around you let out a dark chuckle, drawing your attention away from the figure’s faint smile back to him. “I have to say, my love, it hurts that you remembered the musician’s name before you remembered mine.”
You gazed into his hurt stare, a sad smile accompanying it. “I’m sorry. I don’t—I don’t know how I remembered. I don’t even know what I just remembered.”
He let you think for a second before saying, “You do.”
“What?”
“Out in the hall, you had said that you don’t know what I’m talking about. You do.” He monitored your expression.
“I don’t think you understand, just how much I really don’t.” What was this man getting at?
He brushed some loose drying hair out of your eyes. “You know more than you think you do. You remembered the layout of our home, you found your way directly to our room.”
He suddenly twirled you in the midst of your dance, taking you by surprise. His eyes sparkled as your grip on him tightened as you tried to steady yourself after the sudden motion. And then back you were, pressed flush against his chest. “You don’t know how happy I was when I saw you standing in front of our door. I’ll admit, my excitement did get the better of me and I pushed you into the room in my rush. I apologize.”
“It’s okay,” you said so quickly that it almost cut him off. You didn’t like seeing him feel bad.
His smile grew, eyes softening even further at your acceptance. “I was even happier to see you in your wedding dress.” The hand that splayed against the small of your back, massaged over the smooth fabric, almost savouring the feeling of having you back in his arms just like you had been at your incomplete wedding all those centuries ago. “Though, I see you didn’t put on the petticoat and corset that accompanies the dress. I’ll let it be though, I’m sure it’s hard to remember all those steps after all this time.”
He let out a soft sigh, looking out to the side in mild embarrassment. “I’m getting a bit ahead of myself, aren’t I? What I meant by all this is that you do remember. You do remember me.”
His left hand let go of yours, moving to cup the side of your face. Eyes darting across your face, looking for a sign of recognition, he said, “Who am I, Y/n?”
Your throat immediately closed up. Your hands twitched, anxious sweat starting to coat them. “I—I don’t—”
“Yes you do!” He cut you off. He seemed to get more frantic the longer you kept him waiting. “You remembered the castle, the dress, the ballroom, and even the godforsaken musician—You have to remember me too!”
Your heart was beating out of your chest, eyes blurring as tears formed in the corners of your eyes.
“Come on, Y/n! Try! Just try to remember! I changed the castle back to how it was before to help you remember! I know you can do it! Just say it! Say my name, please! I can’t take it!”
The candle flames seemed to stretch higher, much higher than they should have, kissing the quickly blackening ceiling. The music had stopped long ago, and the presence of the friendly figure had left with it. Strong wind whipped around the ballroom, tossing your hair into your face so hard that you imagined them leaving little cuts in your skin. You clenched your eyes shut.
His grip tightened, and tightened, and tightened until—
“Jin! Your name is Jin! The Crown Prince, Kim Seokjin, of the Western Mainland and Isles of the Kingdom of Zergaci.”
Your voice faltered for a second, debating if you should admit the rest of the words that had been circling your head all night.
Fuck it.
“My fiance, my love. ...My Jin.”
The candle flames had gone back to their regular height, the wind no longer pushing at you. But the music had not resumed.
It was silent.
You didn’t dare open your eyes. You couldn’t bear to see Jin’s reaction.
And then you were being lifted into the air.
“You remember!” He spun you around, his hearty, joyous laugh immediately melting your worries. You joined him in his celebrations, a hole in your chest that you didn’t know even existed until a few minutes ago filling.
You’d never felt so complete.
He gently placed you back onto the ground.
Your cheek muscles were starting to ache with how much you were smiling.
You could remember everything. How you’d met at a nobility banquet, immediately catching one another’s eye. How he’d asked you for a dance, singling you out from all of the envious women. How he’d slowly gotten you to fall deeper and deeper into love with him over the course of five years. Charming you patiently, not ever making you feel uncomfortable or rushed.
You remembered the day he asked you to marry him. The clip-clop of his horse drawn carriage stopping at the door of your family’s estate. The way that he’d glanced up at your room’s window, knowing that you were waiting there, peeking out from behind your red curtains, for him to finally ask for your hand in marriage. He’d spoken with your father and mother first, always being the most traditional when it came to matter like this. The promise of giving you a good, fulfilling life sealing the deal for your parents as they quickly accepted the proposal.
They had finally called you down, telling you that Jin had wanted to take you somewhere. They had been trying to keep the proposal a secret, but Jin was always an open book and you could read him well. You’d known for weeks that he was going to ask you to marry him sometime soon.
He had taken you to one of his vacation estates. A smaller estate than his main one surrounded by fields and fields of flowers. He had chosen that particular estate, because he knew of your love for nature. Over the years he had switched out a lot of the flowers to your favourites.
But the most predominant type were the ones you loved the most of all. French marigolds. That was where he had taken you then, in the midst of the dual-coloured flowers. In the sea of orange and red, he’d asked you to be his ‘til the end of time.
Without missing a beat you had said yes.
And even though it caused you much pain, you even remembered your last day with him.
You had stayed the night before your wedding, bringing with you all of your belongings. He had wanted to have you to himself the night before the big day. The need to cherish you beating his want to keep the tradition of not seeing you before the wedding.
He had helped you get dressed that morning. Helping you into your honey-coloured wedding dress that reminded him of your favourite marigolds. He hadn’t wanted anyone else to dress you, but had finally given up when he realized he was incapable of doing your makeup. He had let your closest attendant finish up your makeup and hair, though he refused to leave the room while it happened.
You had only laughed at his childish antics.
It was only when you were greeting the guests before the actual ceremony when everything had gone awry. In your dying breath you heard someone say that apparently one of those women from the ball where you first met Jin had gotten a bit more angry than the others, paying off a man to get rid of you. It had been sudden, the man quickly escaping the chaos of the bride-to-be bleeding out in the arms of the Crown Prince.
Beyond that, you knew nothing.
“I love you so much, Y/n! So much!” Jin’s declaration brought you out of your newly-recovered past-life’s memories. He hugged you tight, not wanting to let go. Not that you wanted him to anyways, not after being reunited with the man who had made you so happy in your past life.
Who would be upset about being reunited with their soulmate?
He covered your faces in kisses in between his laughter.
You giggled. “The Jin I knew wasn’t so liberal with his affection. Not in public, at least. Are you really my Jin? Or have the years really changed you?”
“Seems that being away from you has made me let go of some of my more conservative ways. The centuries do that to you.” He pressed his cheek against yours, softly rubbing like one would expect a cat to do. Your hands were sat against his pecs over his clothes, moving up and down in a comforting way. You wanted to show him that you missed him as much as he missed you.
“Say, Jin, I can’t remember past dropping on the ground on that last day, what happened after that? How are you still here?” You leaned back to look at him. “Why aren’t you...dead?”
His eyes flashed at your questions, quickly darkening from their once cheerful brightness. He didn’t want to tell you. He refused to tell you what had happened.
He knew how kind you were and probably still are even after being reborn; you would hate what he’d done while he’d been struck by grief. How he’d doomed himself and all those who lived and worked for the royal family to stay captive at the castle in his fit of grieving rage. Not even death himself coming to free them from his clutches.
He wouldn’t be able to handle your disapproval, and so he decided he wouldn’t tell you. He wouldn’t let you slip out of his hands once again.
“Always so curious, my love.” His hand brushed your cheek. “But that doesn’t matter now. All that matters is that you’re here, back with me.”
He gave you a soft peck on your lips, causing your eyes to flicker closed. While you basked in the afterglow of his love, eyes still pleasantly shut, he said, “I’m never letting you go now.”
The words brought a small smile to your lips. “You always say that, you jokester.”
His arms tightened around you. “I mean it this time. Y/n, you aren’t leaving me this time. I’m not letting you leave this castle, our home.”
The sincerity and monotonousness in his voice brought you out of your blissed out state.
This could just be him saying sweet nothings, but it didn’t seem like it from the serious look on his face. He did realize you were living a different life than your last one, right? You had responsibilities, a family, a life outside of all this. You couldn’t leave it all behind for a life long lost. Still, you decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and make it clear that you couldn’t stay forever in a joking manner. Test the waters, so to speak.
“Jin,” you started. “You know I have a life outside of here, right? I can’t just stay here all the time, even if I want to.” You jokingly batted at his upper arm to show you were just messing around, not trying to start a fight.
“A life outside of me?” He didn’t seem to think it was that funny, if his unimpressed expression was anything to go by.
You laughed half-heartedly, trying to keep up the happy persona. “Of course. I do have a family, you know. People I care about and love.”
His eyes flashed. “People you… love?”
You didn’t like where this was going. “...Yes? I mean, I have a complete life in the outside world.”
“Are you in a relationship?”
The sudden question threw you off-guard. “What?! Of course not!”
He stared right through your soul and when he spoke, the finality to his tone reminded you of his title. He was a ruler not to be argued with. His word was final. “Then there is no issue with staying here with me, the person who you are in a relationship with.”
“I have other people who I care for! I have a family; a mother, a father, a sister, two brot—”
“YOUR FAMILY IS DEAD!” He erupted less than a millimeter from your face. “Your family died more than three hundred years ago! The only person you have left is me! Only me! Those people”—he said the word with venom dripping from his lips—“are not your family!”
You were shaking, tears slowly rolling down the apples of your cheeks.
He had yelled at you. He’d never yelled at you, like this. Raised his voice, sure, but not unadulterated rage like this. Never said anything so hurtful. Not once. Not in this life, or the one before.
The Jin you knew was kind, considerate, a gentleman.
This was not your Jin. This was a man who, after the many centuries away from you, had become a shell of the person you loved. He had become a monster.
Your silent crying seemed to pull him out of his rage. Immediately, he seemed to realize what he’d done. “Oh. Oh, Y/n, I’m so sorry. My intention wasn’t to make you cry. I love you, you know!” He frantically wiped the tears on your cheeks. It was a worthless effort. More tears took the previous’ place promptly once they had been removed.
“Oh, don’t cry, my love! I love you so much! So much! You have to understand, I cannot let you abandon me again. I cannot let you leave! You’re all I have left! Everything I’ve done was just to have you again.”
He was losing it, his nails digging into the fleshy part of your exposed arms. Though you didn’t dare look down at his hands, you were sure he’d started to draw blood.
The tears were still streaming down your face. They had started to draw down your neck and over your collarbone, soaking your silk dress. Your clothes were just not getting a break today, it seemed.
“Here! Here, Y/n!” His right hand let go of your arm, reaching into the air behind you. When he pulled his hand back into his field of view, he had a flower clenched in his fist. They looked familiar, but in the mellow candlelight, and the fact that you were still crying, you couldn’t quite make out what exactly they were.
“A french marigold! Your favourite! The flower that was with us during all of our best moments! A symbol of our love! Take it, Y/n!” He thrusted the flower into your face.
You turned away from the flower, letting its velvety petals graze against your tear-soaked cheek. The only thing that your body allowed you to do through your fear was whisper: “I want to go home.”
He paused, letting your words soak in.
And then, in an eerily calm voice, he said, “take the flower, Y/n.”
Like a broken record, you repeated, “I want to go home.”
His wide, dead eyes pierced through you. “You are home. Take the flower, Y/n.”
Again. “I want to go home.”
“You couldn’t leave even if you wanted to. Take the flower, Y/n.”
“I want to go home.”
“Your efforts would be fruitless. Take the flower, Y/n.”
“You can’t make me stay.” You could feel each pump of your heart.
“I can and I will. The doors don’t open, unless I want them to. Take the flower, Y/n.”
You bit the bullet. “I don’t love you.”
His eyes glazed over, a scary smile slowly twitching its way across his face. A smile way too wide, way too toothy, made it clear that you’d said the wrong thing. “Y/n. You’re mine. Get that through your head.”
He turned your face to look directly up at him. His thumb rubbing against your chin. He leaned closer to you, eyes locked with your lips.
You quickly closed your eyes, preparing yourself for his kiss, but it never came. Instead, you felt something get tucked behind your ear.
When you opened your eyes, you were met with Jin’s sorrow-filled look. A complete one-eighty from his fierce look from just a few seconds ago. His sad eyes took in the sight of the marigold blooming from behind your ear.
“You’ve been mine since the day you agreed to marry me. From the moment you said yes, you’ve been mine.”
He met your eyes, and you weren’t sure if it was a trick of the candlelight, but you could have sworn there were tears threatening to spill from them. “Don’t leave me. Not again.”
You heard a quiet sniffle that, if you weren’t looking right at him, you wouldn’t have believed came from the proud man that you knew.
In a voice, way too small for the man in front of you, too emotional for the Crown Prince that once had you wrapped around his finger, too broken, he said, “please.”
It was over.
And in that moment you knew that though you trembled, though you ached to run back home to your family, no matter how much you wanted to leave, with his quiet plea he had latched onto the old Y/n, the one willing to do anything for her Prince, and chained the present you and your soul to him.
Now, you would never leave, not even if you wanted to.
#yandere bts#yandere seokjin#yandere jin#yandere bts drabbles#yandere seokjin x reader#yandere jin x reader#jin x reader#seokjin x reader#jin fanfic#seokjin fanfic#yandere kim seokjin#yandere bts x reader#yandere oneshot#yandere au#reincarnation au#royalty au#Ev's writing#Ev's jin fic#fic: the lost the found and the treasured
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Jin | Unwanted Reunion (I)
Summary: Once pining lovers from the past, unmated but soulmates nonetheless. Fate brings you two together after all this time, and catching up on all that you’ve missed stirs feelings you want to shove away from your being. For Seokjin, on the other hand, those feelings have never been able to leave.
Pairing: Demon King!Seokjin x Human!Reader
Genre: demon!au, soulmates!au, royalty!au, exs-to-lovers, smut, fluff, angst
Rating: 18+
Warnings: unwanted kiss, reunion of past lovers & friends, pining, groveling, past sexual encounters, soul binding, near death experience, attempt & success at murder, blood, death of a minor character, jealousy, possessiveness, sexual dreams, implied masturbation (m & f), heavy petting, nipple play, body worship, vaginal fingering, dry humping, hand job through clothes
Teaser
。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。
When Jimin first told you he got a new tattoo, you thought nothing of it. Not even when he fidgeted like a nervous kitten about it. It wasn’t until you saw said tattoo, that you knew it wasn’t put there by ink and needle. You’ve seen enough mate bonds when you were with your ex… boyfriend? Friend? Whatever… to know that this specific marking was not made by a tattooist. You knew, because you also once thought you would have the same mark with a different letter inside eventually.
No… this marking was put there by a demon.
Not just any demon, to Jimin at least, but one he mated with. Had sex with. And apparently had mutual love with.
That was the only way to gain the marking. By having sex with a demon that loved you and you loved them. With all of this knowledge of yours swirling in your brain, you still can’t get over the fact that Jimin—your best friend of over ten years—fell in love with a demon right under your nose. You were doing so good at not getting involved with any demon business since you and… him… split up. Even while you were directly involved with said business you were able to keep your family and friends unaware of the fact that demons existed.
“How?” Is all you ask Jimin once your shock of seeing the mark has wore off. But even as you state your single worded question, your eyes can’t remove themselves from the almost skin colored blossom filled circle with the letter T inside.
Jimin nibbles on his bottom lip. Trying and failing to keep the secret you once also had to keep. “I don’t know what you mean. How I got it done? I just walked into-“
“No, Jimin. I mean how did you fall in love with a demon!”
Jimin is shell shocked when you reveal your knowledge of the deathless beings. Him clearly not knowing that you knew. “Y-you—you know!”
You roll your eyes. Hating that he ignored your question, but answering his anyway. “Yes, Jimin, I know. Almost had one of those marking myself once upon a time.”
You gesture to the marking on Jimin’s neck, and he subconsciously touches itwhile looking at your neck. Like a marking similar to his would suddenly appear on it.
“But who would— Seokjin.”
You shut your eyes at the sound of his name. The person that once filled your heart with so much joy, now just a name that fills you with nothing but agony. Jimin knows about your past… lover? He was the one you went to crying about him all those years ago, and he was also the one to help you put all the broken pieces of your heart back together. He never met him, though. You wanting to keep the few people you cared about in this lifetime out of the dangerous world of demons.
Looking back, you don’t think it was fair of you to just skip out on the person that claimed an undying love for you, but it has also been almost two years since you saw him. Leaving his kingdom with blood all over you, and nothing but nightmares in your wake. You loved him at the time, sure, but once you finally got a good peak at what it would be like to be together with a demon you were ready to leave. Leaving behind a shattered heart, as well, when you told Seokjin you were leaving.
It was good that you left. You needed to leave. The others would never accept their demon king to be mated with a lowly human, like yourself, anyway. To the point blood was spilled for you, and that was something you never wanted to be your life. You didn’t want the responsibility of someone’s death, even a demons, to be your life. Packing your bags, and thanking the heavens that you didn’t sleep with Seokjin when temptation rose so many times.
“Yes…” You say after a moment to answer Jimin’s question. “He was a demon, and that’s in the past now. More importantly, who did you mate with? Is he your soulmate?”
Jimin raises a pointed eyebrow at you, confused by a part of your words. “Soulmate?”
You shut your eyes and sigh in annoyance. Of course whoever this demon was didn’t explain to him the entirety of Jimin’s new-lifelong-situation. Forget the mysterious and secret type. You being the one that was always being kept secrets from even if you were promised a part of their lives.
You explain to Jimin everything this demon undoubtedly didn’t tell him. That demons had soulmates, and it was very rare for humans to be their soulmates. Even more rare that they can successfully mate with them, since the premise of eating their soul was always on the table. But here Jimin is, alive and still has a soul. You knew that meant something, at least.
But the explanation doesn’t stop there. When a demon has a soulmate, they get possessive over them. What yours is mine, and what’s mine is mine type of thing. It’s even worse if the soulmate pair become mates, because then the pair is forever trapped with each other. It won’t affect Jimin, since he’s a human, but you bet your bottom dollar that the demon he mated with is somewhere hiding in the shadows inside your apartment right now. Watching Jimin with two black eyes.
You scoot closer to Jimin on your couch, when you start to explain the feeling they get from being away from their mated pair. Something you barely understand yourself, but try your best to explain “Basically, if a mated pair is away from each other for to long, it hurts them. Like, in the heart or some shit. That’s why mated pairs usually stay together always, but since you’re human you don’t have that problem.”
Jimin subconsciously looks around your apartment, expecting whoever his demon mate was to suddenly appear, but the coward stays hidden in the shadows—for now.
“B-but Taehyung didn’t tell me any of this! I don’t want him to be hurt, but I also don’t want to stay in that kingdom forever, either! I have school t-to finish and work to start a-and-… shit.”
Jimin sighs, and drags his body against the couch in defeat. This is what demons do. They trap lowly humans like Jimin and you, promising an amazing life, but once the entirety of that life is explained to you, you understand why most humans die in the hands of a demon instead of fall in love with them. For not being willing to give up their soul, or for this situation, their love.
You put your hand on Jimin’s knee, trying to sooth him. “It’s alright, hun. Maybe he’s different. Maybe this Taehyung won’t-… wait a minute. Did you say kingdom?”
Jimin said a lot before, but you didn’t realize until now that he said he would have to go back to the kingdom. There’s only one kingdom that you know of when involving demons, and it doesn’t just house the demon king, but also his close lackeys.
Jimin looks at you confused, not really in the mood anymore to talk about such trivial things like kingdoms when you basically told him his life maybe over. “Yeah… Taehyung lives there. Brought me there, and introduced me to the king. Why?”
You feel anger bloom within you first. Squeezing your eyes shut, and balling your fists when realization dawns on you. If Seokjin is involved with this, there’s no way this demon simply mated with Jimin without telling him everything first for no reason. You stand up, making Jimin jump by your sudden action, and you look around your apartment living room like you’ll suddenly be able to see the demon you’re looking for.
“Come out here!” You demand. “I know your there, so stop hiding like a little bitch!”
No one appears, making your blood boil even hotter as your furry flows through you. Jimin, on the other hand, is cowering in his spot on the couch. He’s never liked confrontation. You on the other hand would welcome it if necessary. 
You decide your going all out to get the demon that screwed your friend over, and you grab onto Jimin’s hand and hoist him out of his seat. Surprised the demon doesn’t come out by just that action, but your not stopping there to get its attention, anyway. Jimin is staring at you wide eyed, and you know he’s about to be very confused after you do what you plan to do.
With the grab of his face, you pull him in to place a fat kiss right on his lips. Jimin squealing under your hold and wiggling around in your arms.
You know Jimin’s gay, and you don’t have a single attraction tendency for him, anyway. Sure, he’s attractive, but right now it feels like your kissing a sibling instead of a loved. You aren’t kissing him for long, though, because within seconds of your lips touching your lips are forcefully getting torn apart by something with nonhuman strength.
You get pushed against the couch, harshly. And after the whiplash wears off you look up to see a demon with black eyes, currently gray skin, and brown close to shoulder length hair keeping Jimin behind him and far away from you. You know he only looks like this because he’s angry, but out of all knowledge about demons one things always for sure.
Their possessive of what they think is theirs. And with that mate mark on Jimin’s neck, this demon, Taehyung, doesn’t like you touching his “property.”
“Don’t fucking touch him,” Taehyung growls at you.
You smirk up at the demon, feeling victorious even though he’s starting at you like he wants to tear your heart off. You put your hands up, faking surrender. “Surly. I’ll never touch him again once you explain why the fuck you’ve involved yourself with him.”
Taehyung squints your way, the color in his eyes and skin melting away as what he normally looks like comes back. What was once full of only black reveals brown human-like eyes. And what was once gray on his skin is now a sun kissed tan.
“Huh?” The demon has the audacity to look confused.
It’s Jimin’s turn to take his anger out on the demon. He jumps out of Taehyung’s tight hold, and puts himself in between me and him.
“Why didn’t you tell me about soulmates? Are we even soulmates?”
Taehyung’s once mutually angry demeanor diminishes once he sees Jimin’s close to tears expression. He reaches out to touch him, but Jimin swipes his hand away. Making the demon frown at his actions.
“Yes, Jimin, we are. I was going to tell you…” Taehyung makes work of looking at you accusingly. “But the king said to wait.”
Jimin squints, confused at Taehyung while I stare at him wide eyed. The demon looking over at me and telling me silently that he knows. Of course he knows, though! If he lives with Seokjin, then of course he knows about the human women that was once being prepared to be queen over them all. A life you left two years ago, and still today plan on staying away from.
But then there’s Jimin’s life…
“What does the king have to do with this?! Why does he care at all about me and you?”
Taehyung just keeps staring my way, and I know the answer to Jimin’s question because of it. That conniving bastard. How dare he involve my friend in all this! To, what? Get me back? As if!
I look away from Taehyung at the same time Jimin follows his line of sight to me. Jimin slowly putting the pieces together of why his life has suddenly been flipped upside down.
“Y/n… is King Jin, Seokjin?”
Your hands squeeze into white fists when you hear the nickname you gave him spoken out loud. Seokjin coining it as his new titled name when you were living with him, and keeping it that way after you left. You sigh, trying to breathe through your frustration and headache this all just put on you.
“Yes, he-… the king is Seokjin.”
Jimin’s jaw drops when you confess the connection between you and the most powerful being in the demon kingdom. Not liking how he’s suddenly fidgeting because he thinks he needs to bow or some shit like Seokjin used to make everyone do when they greeted you back when you lived with him.
“I-I-… I’m shocked!”
You roll your eyes. “Really?”
It’s Taehyung’s turn to interrupt. Him being most likely put in the dog house after all of this has been revealed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Chim.“ What the fuck is that nickname? “But what the king says is law. I told you what Jin is capable of, and he used it against me and you to get to her. I-… I’m sorry you were involved in all of this.”
Jimin’s once vexed expression overturns when he faces Taehyung. The demon looking defeated about what he could not help, and you honestly believe it. The second he said he had no choice against Seokjin, you believed every word. He would always try to keep you out the heat of his fury by keeping you out of the “business meetings” altogether. But one day your curiosity got the better of you and you saw how far the kings abilities stretched.
Him being able to cause pain or kill others with just a look, and the threats of doing that being just as affective. Demons had many unique abilities, one being the ability to pop in and out of places whenever they pleased. Another being they can stay invisible to humans, and even rip their souls out of their chests when given permission—unless they kill them first, then they don’t need permission.
But Seokjin, he was the king. He’s lived as the king for a long time, and was handed down the powers of his father when he died all those centuries ago. One being the simple wish of someone’s death can happen within a blink of an eye.
You shiver when the nightmare of seeing that in person opened up in your mind. The sad part being the first time you saw it didn’t elevate you to leave. It wasn’t until that death was because of you that you left altogether. 
After going through all these thoughts on your own, you look back at Jimin and Taehyung and grimace when you see the two making out. Whatever they said to each other while you were daydreaming about the past obviously being enough for Jimin to forgive him.
“Not that I discriminate, but-“ Jimin pulls himself off Taehyung when he hears you talk, and looks at you with a reddened face. The two of them forgetting you were even there while their tongues were tangled. “I prefer not to see my best friend get a hard on in my living room, thank you.”
Jimin looks at you with a glare full of death, and Taehyung smirks behind him. Grabbing onto his hand, and looking at Jimin like he holds the world in his hands.
Your heart aches when you see that look. You once had that look pointed at you from a demon and you remember like it was yesterday learning the extension of the love that look possessed. How endless a demons love could be, and how even after death they would stay loyally in love with you. So many mantra and quotes like that swirling in your head suddenly, and you shake your head when the person that told them to you appears in your mind.
Not wanting his angelic, handsome face to fill your mind anymore then it has today already. Not how beautiful his eyes were that when he looked at you it always made you swoon. Or how pillowy soft his full lips were when you two…
Ugh! Get it together!
“Alright!” You say, jumping out of your seat. Jimin and Taehyung look to you at your outburst. Jimin looking concerned, while Taehyung looks like he gives two shits less. “He wants to meet. Then will meet.”
Taehyung smiles triumphantly, while Jimin now looks more perturbed. “What! Y/n, no. You can’t do that. You haven’t seen the guy in years. What if this is all a trap to get you back?”
“Oh, it definitely is. It’s clear as fucking day that it is, but I’m not just going to let him mess with my friends lives either. He wants to meet. Then will meet… I just won’t be so full of sunshine like I was last time he saw me.”
Your gears are turning, thinking up all the ways you’re going to curse him out and Jimin is watching it all happen in front of him mortified.
“What! No, you can’t-“
“Chim, the king wants her. He didn’t give much specifics, just that he wants her back in the kingdom. And that he would…” Taehyung cuts himself short there. Like even uttering the threats or what Seokjin said would happen was too hard to say.
Jimin looks between the two of you conflicted about weather to console his lover or convince you not to go. In the end, he sighs in defeat. Whispering a “fuck,” under his breathe because he doesn’t know what else to say.
You slap your hands together, getting both of their attentions again. “Let’s get a move on, then. The sooner I can get this unwanted reunion over with the better. What’s the worst he can do, anyway?”
Kill you. Force you to stay with him. Threaten Jimin’s life if you don’t do what he wants.
And the lists goes on, and on, and on, but no one says anything as you all get ready to make the jump to Seokjin’s kingdom. You grab onto Jimin’s hand, not taking the offered one from Taehyung because even thinking about touching a demon makes your skin crawl, and you feel the dark energy consume your being when Taehyung starts the jump to another dimension.
Within a blink, all three of you leave your apartment like you weren’t even there to begin with.
———
When the black fog drifts away, you find yourself in the entrance hall of Seokjin’s castle, and your stomach drops to your fucking ass.
You forgot all the emotions being in this place used to stir in you. How you would get so excited about learning about all the artwork that was carved into every wall and ceiling. How you used to find it so fun to glide across the smooth granite flooring like you for ten, and the person you did this all with making your stomach do flips instead of sink.
You don’t know why you thought you would be so confident being here because now that you’re actually here your feeling dizzy. Letting go of Jimin’s hand to hold your forehead and wanting to pass out from all the nerves that shot through you.
Jimin turns to you instantly, his eyes widen when he sees you’ve become pale. “Y/n, are you okay? I know traveling that way can make some feel-“
“It’s not that,” You say with the wave of your hand. “I-it’s this place… a lot of emotions building from being here.”
Jimin looks guilty now, him being the only reason you’re here in the first place and if you weren’t so anti-violence you would smack it right off his face. You try to force a smile, but it turns into a frown when a sudden wave of nausea hits you after a hearing a friend of yours from so long ago speak.
“Welcome home, Y/n.”
You turn around to see a currently bowing Yoongi, one of Seokjin demon warriors. He’s been close friends with Seokjin for longer then either of them cared to comprehend, and he just so happens to be the loyalist of them all. One of the few who gave you any respect, and didn’t secretly threaten your life when the king was nor around.
He stand up from his bow, eyes shifting into black for a moment. You swallow even through your throat is dry, and wave awkwardly at Yoongi. “Hi, Yoon.”
The demon grins when he hears the nickname you coined him when you two first met all those years ago.
“It’s been far to long, my… it’s just been far to long.” You heard what Yoongi decided not to say. My Queen. A title that would have been your right to have if you and the demon king mated, and you hate how your body stiffens when you realize this. Thinking about the what ifs and being in the place you once called your home is not helping your resolve at all. Before you could go through another dizzy spell for all this swirling in your head, Yoongi speaks again. “The king has been expecting you. Taehyung, Jimin, you two can stay here. I’ll escort-“
“No.” Resolve is back. And your not playing by Seokjin’s games. “I’m not staying in a room alone with him.” You grab onto Jimin’s shaking hand to clarify that, and Taehyung’s eyes widen when you defy the elder demon in front of you. But Yoongi just smiles, not taking offense to your interruption or lack of understanding. You being one of very few he would allow this of. 
“Ever the difficult one. Aren’t you, Y/n?”
You hold your ground, not paying attention to the wide eyed and scared Jimin next to you.
“Ever the vague one. Aren’t you, Yoons?”
You both crack a smile at this. You can’t help yourself. It’s like not a day has gone by since you saw your friend. The game of trying to up the other with words playing out just like it used to all those years ago.
But then your smile falls, realizing what Yoongi is doing. He’s reminding you of everything you left behind. Wanting you to enjoy your time here, and maybe even stay for the familiarness over everything else. You weren’t. You won’t.
“I stand at what I say. I’m not seeing him, or even being near him, alone. Jimin comes with me or will both leave together.”
Taehyung quiet gasp is heard behind you. His reaction this time being about the fear of losing his lover, and said lover stiffens beside you, but you pay them both no mind. Standing your ground as you look to the demon you once called your friend.
“I’m not sure if-“ Yoongi cuts himself short, and you see his eyes move back and forth as they swirl with darkness. Having a silent conversation with most likely the man of the hour himself.
Another ability some demons have is the ability to read minds. If two demons can read minds, then having silent conversations like this is possible. You would have be very old to obtain a power like that, though. Something you used to make fun of Seokjin adequately about. 
After a moment, Yoongi sighs. “Alright. You can bring the other human. Taehyung stays here.” He sends a pointed glare Taehyung’s way, and you don’t understand what the hatred is for hidden behind those eyes. “Come with me.”
Jimin’s hand squeezes your own, and then you both follow silently behind Yoongi. You try to ignore Taehyung’s sudden and loud gritting of teeth as Jimin gets taken away from. Each step closer to Seokjin’s office had you begin to sweat and your heart beat in your ears, anyway. The memories of how happy you used to skip this way to him flooding your mind, and further making you sweat for different reasons.
The things that went on between you and Seokjin in all parts of the castle were rather… lewd. But you never went all the way. At the time you always got frustrated when Seokjin didn’t let you you two go all the way. To complete the mating ritual that was so tempting, but now your grateful you two didn’t.
You suddenly feel weird about that fact. Seokjin could have trapped you with him for life if you both just did what was so alluring to you both instead of hovering around it. But he didn’t. It definitely wasn’t for the lack of want, you’ve been proven by him enough times with his tongue and fingers to know he wanted you, especially when what was hidden underneath his pants rutted against you in the process. But still, he never pushed it further. Not even when you begged like a whore for him, or let him push his head inside you just to tempt him yourself.
You shiver at the remembrance of that day. When you both were sweaty, in his bed, and naked. He pushed you to two orgasms already, and he was so close to striking his own resolve away to just fucking you already. Pushing the head of his cock in between your widely spread legs, and the little stimulation blew your mind.
You can’t be doing this. You can’t be remembering these types of things, or any good times you spent with him. This is how he traps you. This is why he chorused you into coming. It’s just extremely hard not think of the past when every place you step is a reminder of the past.
When the three of you make it too the office door, you push all the positive memories aside. As a last resort, even though you haven’t imagined this day so clearly in quite sometime, you think about the day it all went to shit as Yoongi knocks on the door.
Seokjin doesn’t need to ask who it is because he already knows. You hear his smooth voice carry through the door, “Come in.”
The door is opened by Yoongi, and instead of looking anywhere in the room you stare right at the floor in front of you. Remembering the tragic day that had you running out of these doors four years ago…
———
You don’t remember why you decided that day to come to Seokjin’s office unannounced. In fact, you felt you should have never been there in the office even while you push open the door. Last time you were in here was when you accidentally saw him kill a demon with a snap of his fingers.
It’s okay, though. He explained to you why the demon needed to “go,” but it still haunted you to see the blood poor out of the unnamed demons eyes and nose. The second your eyes locked in on the scene in front of you that day, Seokjin had you both swirling in smoke and transporting you both into a different room.
He was shaking with worry, and Seokjin doesn’t worry. He doesn’t contemplate things that have not happened yet, but in that moment he thought you would want to leave him forever. Even if the demon he killed was a a bad guy. One that thought killing a whole school of children was a good way to gain power. That’s how demons gained their power, after all. If not from being handed down power from their parents, then from consuming souls of mortals.
You forgave him for that. You held him in your arms and consoled him of his worries. But right now, standing outside the office you once did on that day, you feel that familiar sting of fear in the back of your head. Like you shouldn’t be entering this office right now.
You shake your head front the thought, remembering that no one but Seokjin and his youngest lackey are probably in this office at the moment, and then you push open the door without announcing yourself. You never needed to. Seokjin just always knew it was you.
Your smell, he said one day, was the reason he always knew. It always had a rose undertone to it, and one that he’s never smelt before. He would say it was the most beautiful thing he’s ever smelt, and then he would ask you to never change. Never wear perfume or change what you do because you as your natural self was gorgeous as is. 
So you push open the door with a small smile on your face for the joy of thinking you’re about to see your lover, but are disappointed when you don’t see him and instead see his youngest warrior.
Jungkook, the youngest demon in Seokjin’s kingdom, and the one who hates you the most. As your time here has lengthened, less and less people have decided to hate you. But Jungkook was not one of those few. Being young, and easily manipulated, he followed suit of his own father to think humans are nothing but batteries for demons to use to charge. And the fact that his king, the one he looks up to and wants to learn from, is soulmates with a human boils his blood.
The young demon scowls at you, and you try not to ignore the weight of knowing it’s only you and him in this room right now as you ask, “W-where’s Seokjin?”
He hisses at you, and it has you stumbling back a step. “What the fuck do you care? He’s not here and neither should you be.”
You straighten your posture, not letting this demon make you feel inferior just because Seokjin is not around to make everyone that defies you or him feel smaller. You never felt smaller around Seokjin, so you shouldn’t around this demon either.
“No. He asked me to meet him-“
“Ha!” You balk at Jungkook’s loud laugh, interrupting your words.
“What’s so funny?”
Jungkook’s smirk stretches to an irregular shape, and your two seconds away from running out the door because of it. “Your funny, little girl. To think Seokjin would ask you of anything but to spread your whore legs for him, makes me believe your lying.”
You raise a pointed eyebrow at him. Shocked and appalled by what’s he’s saying. “Well, your an asshole.” It’s Jungkook’s turn to looked shocked. “And yes he did. The maid came to me and-“
This time, you cut yourself short. Thinking back about the maid that summoned you here she looked… off. Almost possessed even. At the time you just played it off as her having an off day, but now that you see Jungkook’s gruesome smile you’re suddenly realizing your situation.
Jungkook was one of few demons, Seokjin included, that can manipulate other demons mind’s. Jungkook was second in line for Seokjin’s throne if he didn’t create an heir, so he had this ability as a high ranking demon.
“Looks like the sheep has finally realized her predicament.”
You don’t waste any time. Spinning on your heels you run towards the door, hearing Jungkook’s cackle of laughter behind you. Just when your hand clamps around the handle of the door, everything starts to turn black around you. The black fog of Jungkook’s mana surrounding you.
You scream bloody murder when you feel your skin start to heat up. A heat that is suffocating you, and making your screams turn into choked sobs. Falling to your knees and you try to look through the fog to find some light, but all you see is darkness. Each lung full of air you take feels like it’s laced with poison, and you start to spit out blood.
Unlike Seokjin, Jungkook’s abilities are much more slow. He can kill you, but it would take time. Something you find way scarier then just the blink of the eye killing, and for the first time you feel what it’s like. To slowly feel yourself die, and hearing a cackling laughter as you do.
You start to cry as you fall completely to the ground. Cradling your legs to your chest like it would somehow protect you. Each intake of air isn’t helping you stay alive like it should, but you push to keep your eyes open.
With one last resort, you yell for Seokjin. It comes out grumbled and a balk of blood comes out of your mouth as you do so, but you say his name nonetheless. You cry out his name because it’s the only person you can think of to save you, and he’s the love of your life. The person you want to be with for the rest of your life.
You want him to take care of you, and sleep next to you. You want to always be by his side, and have him tell you the stories about the carvings in the walls. You want to hear him tell you he loves you one last time, and have him smell your hair when just the whiffing of air around you isn’t enough. To feel his lips against yours just… one… last… time…
And that’s what you think about as everything turns black. Seokjin holding you close to him, your lips joined together and you whimpering when his tongue touches yours. Him chuckling against your lips from the knowledge of how easily your affected by his kisses. Then he would detach his lips from yours and tell you,
“I love you always.”
~
That near death experience should have been the worst of your day. It should have been the worst thing you ever witnessed or experienced, but it wasn’t. No. The worst thing you ever witnessed or experienced happened when you opened your eyes.
First, you’re surprised your not dead. You seriously thought you were a goner after Jungkook grabbed a hold of you. But your not. Your alive and your vision his slowly becoming clear as you smell the scent of blood in the air.
You think, at first, it’s your own blood. That the blood you spit out earlier was the culprit, but as soon as your eyes clear you see in front of what’s actually creating that metal taste in your mouth and nose.
Blood everywhere.
Blood on the walls, ceilings, and every piece of furniture in the room. It’s like someone painted the whole room with blood, and thought it looked nice enough to stay like that. It’s seeping out of every crevice of the room, and you gag at the overwhelming amount of it that you see and smell.
Your naïve enough to start patting your own chest, thinking it’s yours at first until you hear the person’s voice you thought about before blacking out behind you.
“Y/n,” Seokjin says in crying moan.
You turn around, thinking your lover will be able to explain what has happened here, but once you see him your at a loss. At a loss because you didn’t need to ask.
Seokjin has blood all over him. In his hair that you love to run your hands through, on his lips that you love to kiss, and on his clothes that you find yourself always nervously taking off. It’s all over him… but it’s not his blood.
You raise to your feet, staring at him wide eyed and jaw dropped. He takes a step forward, and your heart stings when you take a step backwards out of fear. Seokjin’s own eyes widen for a second, and you see his throat bob as he swallows.
“Y/n… this isn’t… he was going to hurt you.”
You didn’t need him to explain it. You didn’t need to explain that you were the cause of the young demons gruesome death because it was now painted everywhere. You don’t know why you didn’t expect any different. You don’t know why you didn’t expect any different from the king.
Maybe it was because you trusted him. You trusted him not to hurt other’s on your behalf, and that his possessiveness was only because he loved you. But right now, as your look at his bloody hands, you feel sick to your stomach.
Your the reason Jungkook is dead, and you love the murder to death.
———
You blink away the horror of a memory, and try your best not to choke on a sob. Smelling the air now is like you can still smell the metallic liquid everywhere. After that day, when Seokjin apologized to you over and over again for having to witness such a thing, you made a decision that would change the way you saw your future forever.
You left. You left because you didn’t want blood on your hands ever again even if it wasn’t you committing the murder. Even if the man went to attack you, kill you even, the knowledge of knowing he died so young and so gruesomely haunts you. You haven’t allowed yourself to think about that day for a long time, but you grab onto it as you and Jimin walk into the room, and you turn to see the person that still somehow makes your heart skip a beat every time you lock eyes.
“Hi Jin.”
Seokjin’s eyes lock with yours the second you allow them too. He stands from his chair as you walk into the room, and you hate the shiver that’s wanting to course through you when you see his face again.
The way he takes in your form, starting at your feet and ending at your eyes when they met for the first time. His ears twitching when he hears you say his nickname out loud for the first time in two years, and being so close to begging you to say it again, or worse... say his real name instead.
His heart sores at having you so close to him again, and you miss the way he quickly takes in a sniff of the air. Your rose aroma lighting up his senses and making him want to pull you into an embrace so he can sniff up your smell even more. How he’s longed to have you in his arms again, and right now you're no more than a few steps away. He can easily take a few steps forward and entrap you in his arms, but as much as it pains his heart to not do so he stays standing where he is.
You don’t know any of this. You don’t know any of what Seokjin is feeling because for one you can’t read his mind, and for two you're to distracted from seeing the person that once owned your whole heart in front of you.
He’s still as handsome as ever. Still beautiful in every way, and it doesn’t feel like a day has gone by since you saw him last. You remember being so starstruck when you first met him over four years ago, and you wondered how it was possible for a person to look so angelic.
You fingered out how two years later, when the angelic face you’re currently looking at revealed himself as anything but an angel. You want to smack yourself for staying with him after you were given that knowledge instead of running for the hills and seeing the red flag for what it was. The red flag that demons were anything but sexy. But you still see the man in front of you as what he is. As beautiful.
And you hate yourself and him for it. For him being born with looks that would make any girl gladly drop their panties for. You swallow down the increasing amount of saliva in your mouth that forms when he smiles at you. Wanting to run up and punch him in that pretty face of his for still being able to affect you like this.
“Hello, Y/n.”
You sharply take in air when he says your name. Suddenly all the ways he used to moan your name in your ears awakening in your mind, and you clench your jaw because of it. Scowling at the demon king.
A silence stretches, and you and Seokjin don’t take your eyes off each other for a single moment. You wonder if he’s read your mind just now, something he promised so long ago not to do but you’ve come to realize he’s bad at keeping promises, and you hope he has this time. Your hateful thoughts for him filling up your mind, and you hate him even more that when he frowns at your scowl you somehow still want to sooth him.
Jimin squeezes your hand, taking you out of your staring contest with Seokjin to look at your fearful friend. You sigh, bringing yourself back to reality but still holding onto the hatred you’ve convinced yourself you have for the demon in front of you.
“You wanted me here, now what?”
Seokjin chuckles at your straightforwardness. Loving and missing how you never feared to tell him how you truly felt. Soulmate bond aside, he thinks he would have fell for you even if it wasn’t there to begin with. Everyone was always afraid to tell him the truth about how they felt. Fear out of him killing them for speaking their minds, or for being tortured until they changed their minds.
This was a fear brought down on him from his father. To unpopular belief, and your past encounters with Seokjin making you think otherwise, Seokjin only kills others that rightful deserve it. He doesn’t kill others for having opposite opinions or even standing up for themselves. Justice in the demon world is very straight forward. You do something wrong, slap on the wrist. You break a law to the point it almost destroys everything the demons have created, then you die. There's no second chances for those who disturb the universal peace.
There’s only been one time that Seokjin ever killed for sport, and it was to protect you, but he knew it would come at a cost. Even before he ripped the young demon prince to shreds, he knew it would cost him his relationship with you. He wanted to be the man that you deserved and didn’t let his born with trait of being possessive and protective over you get in his way, but he couldn’t stop himself once he saw you the way you were. Dying and crying out for his help. So, he did what he promised you and himself he would never do. Killed someone—demon—for touching you like the possessive bastard he is.
And he doesn’t regret it. Losing you, yes, but never saving you. You're still alive today because of him, and he hopes having you back here will help you remember that fact about Seokjin. That he would always save you no matter what the cost was. Even if the cost was your love for him.
Seokjin steps forwards, closing the big gap between the three of you by five feet and you stiffen in your spot by the increasing proximity of the two of you. “Yes, you're here. Did you miss it?”
You raise a curious eyebrow at his dumb and sudden question. Of course you missed this place! But you’re not going to be telling him that. “No. I didn’t miss it no more than I missed you.”
Seokjin winces at your words, feeling them cut into his heart but he tries to remind himself you’re just angry and don’t mean it. You can’t mean it because your his soulmate and that type of love is never changing.
You feel a little guilty for your harsh words, but you stand your ground on the matter without blinking. There’s was no way you were going to be nice to this guy, even if you still find yourself desperately wanting him to smile again.
“Why did you want me here, Jin? Why did you want me here so badly that you even affected my friend?!” You punch out your words one by one, and you hope it hits him right in the stomach like you know his answer will do to you.
Seokjin smiles... and it kills you.
“You know why, y/n. It’s been two years, but I know you haven’t forgotten who we are to each other...” You squeeze Jimin's hand to the point he winces, and Seokjin glances down at your conjoined hands. He feels the slightest bit of jealous for the boy next to you being able to touch you like that, but he puts it to the side when he remembers who he is to Taehyung.
Looking back at you, he softens his voice when he confesses, “I still love you, y/n.” You shut your eyes, thinking that would somehow make his words disappear with your sight. “And I know you still love me.”
Eyes open again and full of accusation. “What happened to never reading my mind?”
“So you admit that you still love me?”
“Absolutely not!”
Seokjin chuckles, thanking all of his years of knowledge about you for what he’s about to say next. “Then why are your ears red?’
You subconsciously touch your ears with the hand not still in Jimin's, and curse at yourself. One thing you and Seokjin have in common is that your ears will turn red if you’re lying, even if your mind hasn’t caught up yet that you’re, in fact, lying.
“It’s hot in here,” You explain, trying to breathe through the lie this time and not make your face red as well.
Seokjin glides his bottom lip through his teeth before he smirks at you. He steps forward, and your back straightens. He steps forward until he's only a foot away from you, and you clench your teeth when the proximity has your knees almost buckling underneath you.
He knows what he doing. He’s thinking he can flirt or bat his eyelashes into making you fall in desperate love for him again, but no way were you falling for it. You won’t allow him to get to you.
“Well, we are in hell, darling. And you're standing in front of the king of it.”
You scoff. “Is that your new way of flirting? Throwing around your title like it will some how get me back.”
“Who says I'm flirting?” That smirk on his face does, and you realize now he’s wanting this banter. He’s wanting you to talk to him, and react how you used to anytime these types of play fights went on with the two of you.
So, you ignore his question and ask him another. “What if I don’t want to live here again?” His smirk falls. “I left for a reason. A reason that very much involves you, so why, in all ways, did you think bringing me here would suddenly change that? You do know it’s been two years. I know you do. But in two fricken years you thought the best way to win me back was to trap my friend in a relationship, and then bring me here to... what? Win me back with your flirtatious tongue and pretty face?”
You feel your face heat up from your last few words, Seokjin’s smile kicking back up at knowing you still find him attractive. Also, this wasn’t Seokjin’s first idea. It feels like his hundredth, but in reality he’s only had three real rational ideas.
One idea was to just... take you. That was the worst idea, and one that still pains him to think about, but it was an idea nonetheless. To claim you as his while you still loved him, and keep you with him forever. Once that toxic idea simmered down, his next idea of talking to you in person was brought up.
Seokjin has secretly looked over you for the past two years a lot, and some of those times he wished he didn’t. The day he decided to reveal himself to you, to talk to you and convince you he’s not a bad guy and still loves you... you were on a date. Seokjin knows if he were to even say the guys name you wouldn’t remember, since that date was the first and the last time you ever saw him, but it was still a date. A way for you to get over Seokjin, and in return break his heart further.
Seokjin isn’t a very jealous person, but he finds himself always jealous of the people you allow close to you besides him. It never got to the point where he wanted to control you, that’s not who he is. But when he saw you on the date with that guy, he wanted to rip him to shreds. He wanted to kill him for gaining the attraction of you like he once did, and then devour his soul so there was no chance of another one of him in the future.
Seokjin got very depressed after that. He didn’t leave his room because if he did he was afraid he would go and kill the guy, and then prove you right that he was exactly like his father and all the other blood thirsty demons he’s executed in the past. It wasn’t until a whole month had passed that he finally left his room, finally calm and able to breathe, so he decided he had to be creative with his next plan.
It just so happens that on that exact day, Taehyung, his newest demon recruit to his castle and the youngest, admitted he found his soulmate. He said a lot of regretful things to the young demon that day. A lot of regrettable threats that he knows he will have to apologize to him one day for, but it’s all worth it if he gets to say to you the words that make you react the way you do.
“No. That’s not how I'll be winning you back because I know you. You're not someone who can be toyed with, or deserves to be either... It’s just-... I’m desperate, y/n. I’m desperate for you because I fucking love you, and it pains me to the fucking core that I made you so scared of me that day that you left me. I just—If you could just-…Please just give me one more chance. A year tops, please.”
You don’t even realize you’ve let go of Jimin’s hand until Seokjin is finished speaking. Your heart, stomach, fucking brain cells feel like they all are about to explode! You’re surprised even when a tear leaks down your face, and you allow Seokjin to place his hand on your cheek and wipe it away with his thumb. He takes his hand away right after, but you don’t miss the way you both shivered at the small contact.
You swallow over the lump in your throat, trying and failing to keep up the tough girl act as Seokjin’s sweet words till echo in your head. Seokjin has always been so good with words, and you had a feeling that if anything were to destroy your resolve of never staying here again it would be Seokjin's incredibly beautiful words.
Words he only always said to you.
“One week,” You say in response, and Seokjin smiles with teeth and all.
“I’m charming, but I'm not that good... six months.”
“One month.”
“Forever.”
You roll your eyes, and find yourself cracking a smile when he chuckles at his own funny way of make this deal seem less like a business venture. But a deal with the devil it still is.
“One month... Seokjin.”
You’re a little devilish too because once his name on your lips registers to his ears, you could have said a day and he would have blindly said, “Deal.”
———
A few things happened on that first day in the kingdom, one of them being that as soon as this deal was set, Jimin was “suddenly” needed to be somewhere with Taehyung. You called bullshit, but you let him go nonetheless because you know from experiences that the best place for Jimin to be is with his soulmate—who just so happens to be a demon too, and why you’re in this whole mess in the first place, but you’ll continue yelling at the pair about that fact later.
Seokjin luckily had a meeting to go to, and that just left you by yourself… mostly. You once lived in this castle, so you thought maybe Seokjin just trusted you to know your way around the place.
WELL! No more than an hour later, you realize what “being left on your own” meant for you for now on. It meant a barely concealing himself Yoongi was around. As soon as you felt his presence, you were in one of the hallways that the bedrooms stretched through. You stopped in your tracks, rolled your eyes, then yelled out into the not so empty hallway, “You can come out at any time!”
Yoongi then popped his head out behind a sculpture, his invisible cloak of power falling off of him. You smile at the blonde headed demon, and wait in your spot until he stands next to you. The you both continue on your re-tour around the castle side by side.
“I maybe just assuming somethings, but it seems like you were following me,” You say with an accusing raised eyebrow, and thinned out lips.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I said no, would you?”
“Nope.”
“Thought so.” You chuckle at Yoongi’s way of just easily getting around the subject. You secretly wanted to ask if Seokjin set him up to do this, but you didn’t want to seem like you-
“Yes, he very much did.”
You sputter at his invasion of your head. Smacking him in the shoulder for good measure. “Don’t do that!”
Yoongi just shrugs his shoulders like it’s no big deal, but then he lays on you an accusation thats very much a big deal. “Why do you care if Seokjin thinks you like him?”
“Because I don’t. You all know I don’t want to be here, so showing any bit liking his way would be futile for me.”
You both hit a sharp turn in the hallway, and Yoongi looks at the back of your head like you’re crazy. Out of all demons, Yoongi doesn’t really care much about human. He doesn’t care if there around or not, just as long as they stay out of his and his kings way, and currently, you’re in his kings way. Making him freeze all important meeting for the next month as we speak.
Seokjin didn’t tell you this, of course, but he doesn’t want a single distraction when it comes to winning you back. That includes meetings like which clan gets which part of earth to feed off of. Seokjin is the one to make those decisions, but since he’s going to be putting it on hold for you, Yoongi would rather push this little drama fest a long as much as possible. “But you do love him.”
You stop in your tracks again, breathe through your nose, then turn to face your demon friend. “No. I. Do. Not! ... Why does everyone keep saying that?”
“Huh, I don’t know. Maybe because A, I remember what you two were like when you lived here—disgusting to watch, by the way—and unlike Seokjin I don’t give a shit about what you think about reading your thoughts.” You’re about to tell him that you don’t think anything of the sort. That he’s clearly reading someone else’s mind, but then he leans in closely to you and says, “So an seven inch dildo was the closet in size, huh?”
Your jaw drops and your face becomes as red as a tomato.
Yoongi looks at you with a neutral face, not even giving you time to explain or hit him as he continues to walk forward and yells back at you, “Yup. So not in love.”
Okay, so, he was clearly talking about the toy you bought and what you... bought it for. It was weak moment for you. A couple of months ago you started to feel very low, and your dreams of Seokjin suddenly become a regular basis thing. You were lucky that after you left and got settled, that your mind was only consumed with thoughts of Seokjin at night maybe once a month, but out of nowhere it became an every night thing.
You hated your head, and you hated your body for reacting in such a way when the dreams became sexual. It got to the point that you manned up and bought a fricken sex toy to satisfy yourself. Thinking it would help with the dreams at least a little bit. Seven inches being the best you can find and best to compensate with your dreams. But those dreams don’t mean you love him still. There's a difference between sexual attraction and love. One of which you think you’ll sadly always have for the demon king while the other one you kicked out of your headspace a long time ago.
Just when Yoongi turns a corner to leave you there alone in the hallway, you shout at him, finally getting over the shock of what he said, “That doesn’t mean I love him!”
“What doesn’t mean you love who?”
You jump, crying out, “Jeaus!,” and spinning around to see an already smirking Seokjin. He has his arms behind his back, and you have a feeling by the way he’s looking at you right now that he heard your entire conversation.
You wipe at your face like that will some how remove the very prominent blush on your face, then stutter out a unconvincing, “N-nothing.”
“Mhmm,” Seokjin says as he leans in closer to you. “Sure it was.”
You roll your eyes, and cross your arms in a pout. Not missing the way Soekjin’s eyes flick downwards toward your breasts popping out of your shirt now when the action pushed your breasts upwards. You also don’t miss the way you feel the smile grow on your face because of it. Stupid ass emotions. Always making hating other people more difficult!
“Have you found your way around, okay?”
You roll your eyes again, and turn to continue on your track of wondering around the castle. Seeing in the corner of your eye a still grinning Seokjin walking next to you.
“Yup. I did live here for two years, in case you forgot.”
Seokjin chuckles at your attitude filled answer, “Trust me, la mia rosa. I have not forgotten.”
You turn you head to the other side, shut your eyes and trying your best not to stutter when you demand, “Please don’t call me that.”
Seokjin bites his bottom lip, trying to stop his smile from growing. “Why would I do that? I also haven’t forgotten how it used to affect you.”
La mia rosa. Translating from Italian to English it means my rose. A name that used to turn you into a puddle of goo when he called you that, and he nor you have forgotten said feelings it brought up in you.
You turn back to face him, ready to lie through your teeth and say it’s not like that anymore, but once you turn Seokjin has put himself mer inches away from you. Clearing any words that were going to come out of your mouth. You back up, and he follows with each step. It’s not until you hit a wall that he stops in his tracks, but you have to look upwards more to talk to him directly. His already tall frame making your neck also have to stretch and reveal your neck to him.
Seokjin’s eyes are drawn to the smooth surface of you neck. A place he remembers drawing out the symbol of his mate mark on, but never pushing himself to do so. He watches a single drop of sweat drip down your neck, and he’s so tempted to wipe it clean for you. To touch your skin again and feel one of many favorite parts he enjoyed kisses and nipping to the point you would wither underneath him.
It isn’t until you whisper his name, suddenly sounding like your mouth has gone dry, that Seokjin’s eyes flick back towards you. He moves forward, and you’re helpless to let his nose trace your own. Breathing in sharply when you feel a part of his you used to love admiring so close to you. Unable to control yourself, your eyes flick down to his lips. His plush lips so close to touching your own, and you have to hold yourself back from falling into them. His lips are just so-
“Say it again,” Seokjin begs of you.
You blink up at him, staring up at him through your eyelashes and suddenly feeling ten times hotter then you were a few moments ago. “W-what?”
Seokjin smirks, and for the first time since seeing him again you’re not mad at him for it. His close proximity is dizzying, and making you forget everything you promised yourself. “I said, say my name again... please.”
You swallow, glancing around the hallway. But each time your eyes move they are trained back to his own. It’s like a vortex. You unable to look away, but feeling like you shouldn’t be around the destructive pools. The please is what gets to you, though. It’s asked so gentle, and almost like he’s dying to hear you say that singular word as much as he needs air to breathe. You lick your lips, whimpering when his nose slides across your forehead next.
“Please, la mia rosa.”
And now you’re helpless not too.
“Seokjin.”
The demon sucks in air through his teeth. Such a small gift from you has made his once dying heart shutter at the sound. Seokjin has dreamt about you so many times since your departure from his life, but never, not once, did you call him by his real name in his dreams. It became a torturing affair. Just a few months ago the dreams would repeat themselves and then slowly started making him restless.
You would be in his bed, and the dream would always start and end the same from there. He would think it feels so real. That you've come back to him and want to complete the ritual of making you his mate. Seokjin wouldn’t hold back because he was desperate for you. Waiting two whole years—no, six years to finally make you his in every way has made him this desperate. But then, when you would speak, it wouldn't be of his name.
Always Jin. It's a nickname you gave him, and he adored it, but it wasn’t his name. Even if he asked you to say it, you wouldn't. No matter what the scenario, you would never say his name.
So right now, Seokjin is a mess. He falls to his knees in front of you, not caring if anyone were to pass and see their king in such a lowly state. He’s embracing your middle, and you freeze when you feel his two strong arms wrap around you.
“Oh my god, what are you doing?” He stays silent. “Seokjin?”
And then you hear weeping. Crying against your stomach is the mighty demon king himself because you said his name. Not that you forgave him, or even want to be with him again, but you simply being here—being real—and saying his name has broken the demon king right down the middle.
“I've waited for you for so long,” Soekjin says through a sob. “Fuck, I've missed you so much... You have no idea how much it hurt to be away from you.”
Your eyes widen, replaying his last words. He said something earlier about being in pain for not being by you, but you just thought it was him being dramatic with his sweet words. Now, as he withers on his knees in front of you, you know what he says is completely real.
Most of your relationship with Seokjin revolved around you finding out information about the demons soulmates and mating rituals through small hints. But one thing that has you holding back a sob is what he just said to you. Something you know will happen for sure if the two of you were to ever....mate.
“H-hurt you?”
Soekjin nods against your stomach, inhaling your sweet smell like it’s his lifeline and squeezing his arms tighter around you. “Yes, la mia rosa. Hurt so fucking much.”
“B-but I thought... but we never...”
Seokjin understands what you’re implying, and he sighs against your stomach. He was a terrible person when you two were together. He kept so many secrets from you, and with that mixing up your knowledge of his world with it. It's true, if you two were to mate and complete the bond between the two of then it would pain Soekin to the very core of him to be away from you. It’s one of the reason why he never pushed completing the ritual because he knew you would hate to have someone so obsessed with you. It was even one of the first things you told him after he portrayed his possessive tendencies the first time.
One man walking down the street whistling at you, and Seokjin was ready to rip his throat out. It wasn't until you slapped him in the face, and told him to calm the fuck down that he was fine again. Black eyes turning brown, and gray skin turning white again.
But the thing is, you don’t need a complete the mate bond for a person to feel pain from being away from the other person they love. No, this has to do with Seokjin’s love for you. His undying devotion towards you. He doesn’t need a soul or mate bond to tell him he never wants to be away from you because he has enough pure love for you to know he would never want to be without you again.
“This isn’t the mate bond, y/n.” Soekjin whispers against your stomach. He looks up at you at the same time you look straight down at him. Your eyes meeting and never straying from each other. “This isn’t the soul bond either.”
He takes you hand at your side, and places it on his heart. The rapid beating of it under your palm making your breathing stop altogether.
“This is because I love you always.”
———
A few things happened on that first day in the kingdom. Yes, a few strange but heartwarming things. You ended up sitting there with Seokjin, feeling lighter than air, for what felt like hours. Some moments were filled with silence, while other’s were formed with chatter of all the things you've missed from each others lives.
It was hard not to let go of the past when Seokjin was literally on his knees and confessing his feelings to you all over again. You even made it a point to tease him about it eventually, and comparing it to the first time he told you he loved you.
It was the same day you found out he was a demon, but before that whirlwind of knowledge he decided to lay on you a whirlwind of emotions. You never saw Seokjin shed a tear before, but he cried many happy tears that day when you told him you loved him back and that you have for awhile. Seokjin is a very emotional being, but sadly he only ever feels safe enough to express those feelings when with you even to this day.
It’s crazy to think of everything that’s transpired since then. How many heart aches and heart throbs you and Seokjin have went through, and put on each other. One gut wrenching thing being having to ask where your room was, since you never really had your own room in the kingdom.
You know Seokjin was thinking the same thing as you. That you never had your own room because once you moved into the castle your spot was always next to him even while sleeping. But even after everything he’s literarily laid at your feet of emotions, you still can’t forgive him. Not yet, anyways.
It’s only been one day since you've reunited, and you're not letting go of what you promised yourself. And you continued to keep that promise for the days that followed. You stayed at a safe distance since the moment you two shared in the hallway, and kept yourself busy with walking around the castle with Jimin.
It wasn’t until one night, a week after you've arrived, that you find yourself breaking your promise to yourself once again...
It was a restless night for you. The plaguing dreams of Seokjin and you walking around the castle once when you first entered the kingdom all those year ago resurfacing out of nowhere. You luckily woke up before the dream of a memory got to the part where he kissed and pinned you against a tree that day, and you suddenly felt very thirsty.
You looked around the mauve room, feeling a chill run down your spine as the darkness makes the already dark interior more horror movie-ish. You shake your head, remembering the fact that you’re in a castle full of demons, and that the boogie man or whoever it is that comes out from under kids beds has nothing on your castle companions.
You get up from the bed, hearing the not very used mattress creak underneath you as you stand. You wonder why that room was even there in the first place, but when you brought it up in front of Jimin, Taehyung felt welcomed to tell you it was made for the kids future wife. If the king never found his soulmate, then most likely he would have to be a part of a loveless marriage and that would be the queens room. Knowing what that room was supposed to be used for, and that it’s you out of all people that get to sleep in it made you feel... honestly, you weren’t sure at this point.
You do know, however, that you're very thirsty. You walk to your bedroom door, about to roam down to the kitchens only used for human guests since demons didn’t need to eat real food, to get a glass of water. But your thirst disappears once you open the door.
With the pull of the wooden doors handle, a once sleeping Soekjin falls down with it. Him waking up instantly when his head hits the floor. You stare down at him, wide eyed and baffled that he was sleeping on the floor and against your bedroom door.
“Seokjin! What are you doing here?” You whisper yell at him even though no one else but you sleeps in this hallway that your room is located at.
Seokjin blinks up at you, suddenly realizing he’s been caught sleeping outside your room, and then stands up to his full length in the blink of an eye. He smooths out his black leather jacket that he’s still wearing since daytime, and tries to play off what he's been doing everyday since you arrived here as something new.
“I couldn't sleep.”
You glance around the room like it will have a better answer than the one he just gave you. “So you'd decided the best way for you to sleep was outside my room?”
He nibbles on his bottom lip nervously, and realizes there’s no real better way to explain this situation with anything but the truth. “I sleep better when I'm near you, and-... and I just wanted to be near you.”
His last few words are said in a a whisper, but everything is so quiet right now that you heard everything. Your hand goes slack on the door, and you feel your whole body deflate when looking at a desperate looking Seokjin. A look you’ve been seeing on him a lot lately when he’s trying to get your attention. Attention you've been trying to point at anyone and anywhere but him.
You sigh, and give into your resolve when the guilt of what you have been doing suddenly hits you. The man told you it hurts him to be away from you, and you’ve been trying to do exactly that. Now, that’s just cruel. So, with another breathe of a sigh and seeing Seokjin’s pouty look, you gesture your arm into the room.
“Just get in here.”
Seokjin smiles brightly when you offer him to come in, but he tries to cover it up right after by coughing into his fist. You try to hold back a smile as you watch him walk into your room, him acting like a smiling doofus about it and failing at covering up his happiness.
Before you could second guess yourself, or even think about how this is going to be incredibly awkward, you get back into bed and under the covers. Not facing Seokjin who’s currently standing on the other side of the bed. You quickly tuck yourself in, pressing the blanket high up to your neck even though your white oversized t-shirt, and blue Mickey Mouse shorts are not even close to anything sexy. You face the opposite wall and hold your breathe to hear what Seokjin is doing next to you.
It takes him a whole minute to move, but when he does you hear what sounds like a movement of clothing—him probably taking off his leather jacket from earlier— and then you feel the bed dip as he gets into bed. It’s complete silence between the two of you now. You could hear a pin drop in this room, but that’s expected when you both are supposed to be going to bed. But after what just transpired, not to mention you have your ex laying were inches away from you, there’s no way you’re going to sleep anytime soon.
Seokjin shifts in his spot in the bed, and you suddenly feel heat radiate against your back. You squeeze your eyes shut, hoping he’ll think you’re asleep, but he already knows your not.
“Y/n,” He whispers close to your ear, and you have to hold back a shiver when you fell his breathe fan your hair. “I know your not sleeping.”
You sigh, opening your eyes, but not turning to face him. “What do you want, Jin?”
He smiles when he hears you hiss out his nickname. Still as feisty as ever. “Can-… can I hold you?”
Can he hold you? Can he hold you. You should scream the answer no. Kick him out for even suggesting such a thing, but instead you say nothing. The silence stretches between you two, and you guess Seokjin took that nonanswer as a yes because then your feeling an arm wrap around your middle.
You stiffen when you feel his strong arm hold you, him resting his chin against your shoulder.
“W-what are you doing?” You know what he’s doing. He’s cuddling you, but what you don’t understand is why?!
Seokjin suddenly sniffs in your hair, and it takes everything in your power not to whimper when he does that. He used to love sniffing up your scent especially in your hair. Although to some that seems so weird, but to you it was always so adorable. Like he loved every part of you so much that he even loved the shampoo you choose to use.
“Nothing,” Seokjin says. But it’s not just a whisper like before. It sounds deeper, alluring even. You try to close your eyes again, but you can’t help yourself and peak downward when his hand starts to rub at your stomach through the shirt.
“Is this, by any chance, my shirt?” You can hear the smile in his voice, and it makes you want to kiss it off. I MEAN SMACK IT OFF! Fuck he’s making this hating him thing so hard right now.
It is his shirt. A shirt you stole from him before you left the castle the first time, but your not going to admit that to him.
“No, it is not your shirt.”
“Oh, really? Then who’s shirt is it?”
You try to think of a good enough answer. You could have just said it was yours and you have a liking of oversized shirts, but because your feeling like being a total bitch tonight for some reason you say something that you know will really get him heated, but at the same time isn’t a total lie.
“An exs.” Seokjin stops rubbing your stomach, and you smirk when you hear him growl close to your ear. “Should probably return it to him, actually. Been awhile since I’ve seen him.”
You feel Seokjin stiffen behind you, and you think he’s totally bought your somewhat-lie. But then he’s breathing out a sigh of relief, and your raising an eyebrow at the wall in confusion.
“It is your exs.”
“Huh?”
“Because it’s mine… trust me, I know my shirts when I see them. Especially since this is the only shirt that went missing after you… left.”
You shut your eyes when you feel yourself getting emotional from how he said the word left. Like it was painful for him to say it in the same sentence, so he had to space it out. Making it seem like you leaving wasn’t real.
“Maybe it is,” You mumble to yourself without even thinking, and even though he says nothing in return you can imagine him smiling behind you right now. It’s a smile you used to cherish so much that you can imagine each one of his straight white teeth in a row.
The silence stretches between the two of you again, and he’s resumed rubbing your stomach. All you can hear now is his breathing close to your ear, and it’s relaxing you to the point you feel your eyes actually slowly shutting to fall asleep. Just when you’re about to close your eyes again, readying the whole sequence of going into dream land, you feel a singular kiss against the back of your neck that has your whole body wide awake again.
You stiffen, and that singular kiss vibrates throughout your whole body. When you don’t say anything or even protest against it, Seokjin kisses the same spot again. Drawing out the press of his lips against you this time. You don’t move, and you don’t say anything. Instead, you shut your eyes and just allow it to happen. It’s been far to long since anyone has kissed you that way, and right now you’re too relaxed to care who it is.
Seokjin continues to press slow kisses against the back of your neck, and when he rounds your neck to kiss the side of it you stretch your neck to give him more access. He smiles during the kiss to the side of your neck when you do this. That you’ve finally just sercombe to letting him love you the way he used to. 
Although, if your memory is correct, when he would kiss you like this it would lead to much more dirty and sensual things. You can’t let him do that. You shouldn’t let him push any further. This is enough freedom for him for tonight so you should really tell him to-
Seokjin slips his hand underneath your shirt at the same time he kisses behind your ear. Him kissing your sweet spot he knows so well at the same time his fingers dance across your stomach has you gasping. He continues to smile as he touches and kisses you, and now you’re practically shaking in his grasp. Your not sure if this is because you’re basically touch starved or if you actually like it, but you even let out a soft moan against closed lips when he nibbles at your ear.
He groans against you ear when he hears the first moan he’s coaxed out of you in two years. Dragging his hand up higher, so it’s right below your breasts on your sternum.
Without removing his face from near your ear, he whispers to you invitingly, “Do you want me to keep going?”
God, fuck, say no! Just do it! Rip off the brand aid and have him get off of you. Be the tough, strong girl you’ve been acting like this past week and get him away from you!
You may have thought all these things more then once, but instead you say in a small voice, “please.”
Seokjin bites his bottom lip, staring down at your restless expression from the side, and then he resumes kissing down your neck. With the slowest of movements you feel his hand that was once resting at your sternum traveling into the valley of your breasts. His wrist making contact with your already hard nipple, and you don’t hold back the breathy moan that comes out of you this time.
After a few more kisses at your neck, and a few other ghostly touches around your breasts, Seokjin removes himself from you entirely. You blink open your eyes and stare at the wall. You’re actually about to protest against him leaving you, but once you look to the side to look at him directly he’s going down your body and straddling your ankles. Yes, ankles. 
His face is right at your now exposed stomach, and he places a soft kiss against the exposed skin. You bite your lips as you watch him cascade both his hands up your stomach and under your shirt again. When his hands finally cups your breasts, you arch your back up into them. Moaning as he pinch’s and press against your nipples with both hands all the while he continues to assault your stomach with kisses.
In between moans and explosions of pleasure, you look down at Seokjin and see his eyes already directed at you. It makes everything you’re already feeling right now ten times worse.
“Fuck, Seokjin!” You cry out when he twists your nipples with his pointer and thumbs. He groans into a kiss against your stomach, moving his face kiss yo your stomach faster then he did before. When his center reaches your leg, you feel his hard cock against your cafe. Now you know the magic word to get him going.
You say his name over and over, each one louder then the last. Just like you’re touched starved for love he’s starved for your whimpers. He ruts against your thigh, and you have to grab onto his shoulders to steady yourself—tilting your head back as you moan out his name again.
“Shit, baby, you sound so pretty. I missed your voice so much. I missed you so much,” You feel tears float down your face, and it’s because you’ve missed him too. You missed being this close to him, and talking to him, and just holding him. You missed all the things only your dreams allowed you to have for two years.
“mmm… I missed you too.”
With one last pull on both your nipples, Seokjin pushes your shirt up until both your breasts are exposed to him. He attaches his mouth to your left nipple. Nibbling and sucking on the bud as his hand pinches and twist the other one. You grab onto his hair—not too hard to pull it, but enough to keep him there. Not like he was actually going to go anyway. His tongue swirls the bud and your arching up into his mouth so he can some how take more of you.
If Seokjin could, he would consume all of you. He’s practically trying to suck your nipples right off your body, and making them feel sensitive to the touch. You’ve always been so sensitive on this part of you, and it just so happens to be his second favorite part of you to touch. His first favorite part being what’s currently extremely damp in between your legs.
“More, Seokjin. Please give me more!”
Your pussy is throbbing by now, and you want more then anything to feel his fingers inside of you… well, there’s one other thing, but you know he would never do that to you. He’s lucky to have you the way he does right now. He can wait a little bit longer to ask you to be his mate, and finally complete what’s been teased over both your heads for far too long.
Seokjin detaches himself from your nipple, smirking up at your fucked out expression. You don’t think there’s been a single time you’ve closed your mouth since he started touching your nipples. Having to lick your lips since they’ve gone dry.
“More? What could I possible do, that’s more?” Seokjin closes in on your lips. Hovering above the one place he has yet to kiss at the same time one of his hands touches your thigh. It’s all a losing battle. Everything with Seokjin against you is making you crumble into the bed, and you honestly forgot what it was like for you to try and hate him.
You never hated him. That’s why. Not for a single second. You were angry, yes. Upset, most definitely. But you never once hated him. Now it’s just a call of if this relationship is right or now, but at the moment you don’t care if it is. You just want him to touch you and kiss you until you pass out from oversensitivity.
So you say, “Anything you want.” And you mean it. You would give him your heart if he asked you right now, and you know he would do the same if his groan from your words means anything.
Seokjin smashes his lips to yours, and what starts out as a small whimper turns into a loud moan against his lips. The hand once on your thigh digging right under your shorts and stroking your clit immediately. As much as you want to enjoy the first taste of his lips you’ve had in two years, the stimulation he’s giving your clit right now is making it hard to focus on anything else.
He eventually does detach himself from your lips, biting his lip right after with wide eyes so he can capture everyone of your faces that you’re making right now.
“So beautiful, y/n. Your so pretty and so fucking hot… I bet your still tight as you used to be.”
You grab onto the bed sheets when his finger starts to slide across your entrance. The tip of his finger almost going in because you’re so wet from all the stimulation he’s been giving you up until now.
“I-I-… I haven’t…” You can’t even say it. But you want too. You want to make sure he knows the truth about what exactly this part of you has been doing the past two years.
“Huh? Couldn’t quite catch that, baby. Looks like you’ll have to say it again.” He’s smiling, and you want to kiss the smile right off of him. That’s right kiss. Forget your incompetence earlier, you want to kiss those plush lips until you can’t breathe anymore.
You swallow, trying and failing not to moan as his thumb starts to rub at your clit now. He’s really not making it easy to talk right now… or breathe… or even think!
“I said… I could n-never—fuck!—I could never find the right size!” You literally screamed your words as his finger finally enters you. All so he can stop again and look at you with a question in his eyes.
“Right size?”
You swallow, face heating up because you know what you’re about to say is either going to embarrass you forever or make Seokjin so hard he’ll cum in his pants.
“I haven’t been with anyone else since you.” Seokjin slowly nods his head in understanding. “But that doesn’t mean I didn’t use… other things to fuck myself with.”
Fuck. You said it. And Seokjin heard every word—understood every word. You were right. He’s hard as a fucking rock to the point he needed to bite his bottom lip so hard it almost bled to not cum. A bunch of images of when you would play with yourself surfaced in his brain. He would stop watching you in the shadows immediately when he realized he came to secretly see you at a time like that, leaving the area altogether, but that didn’t stop him from jerking off into his pillow when he teleported home.
“A-and…” Seokjin coughs into his hand that’s not currently inside you, slowly moving that hand again too. “What would you think about when you fucked yourself?”
You tilt your head back, enjoying the slow pleasure he’s pressing into your walls right now. “That’s just it. I-it was never big enough to be real.” You open your eyes to look at him. “But I always thought of you.”
He couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t take the teasing from you any longer. Seokjin smashes his lips against yours again, and it’s like he’s trying to consume you as he does it. Attacking your tongue, biting your lips, not a single part of your lips or mouth was safe from him. And neither was your pussy.
Seokjin slips in a second finger at the same time he moves his legs in between yours. He’s now fully on top of you, and you feel his rock hard cock through his pants against your thigh.
Fuck you want him to fuck you. Fuck but you really shouldn’t. It’s an ongoing battle in your brain as his fingers fuck you so good, and you feel him hump his clothed cock against your leg.
You remember the first time you ever saw it. How you were scared shitless at thinking he would split you in two, but feeling lucky that he didn’t take you that night. It was just the night after that, and every night after that, that you were practically begging him to take you then.
Feeling him in your hands was a different experience. It was something you could never fit your mouth, but in your hands it felt like you controlled the demon on top of you by the literal balls.
So, while you two were still kissing, Seokjin had you clenching around two long curved fingers, and you snaked your hand in between your sandwiched bodies. You grab ahold of him instantly—since he’s not very hard to find—and swallow his gasp that soon turns into a rumbling moan.
Your only touching him through his lose fitted clothes, but Seokjin is so hard right now he thinks he’ll be cumming like a virgin soon enough. “Fuck, I missed your hand on me. Keep touching me, baby.”
You were going to say a sultry gladly, but then you feel his lips on your neck’s sweet spot again and moaned. You stroke his length with earnest. Wanting him to feel as good as he is making you right now. And your “feeling good” is about to hit its ultimate peak when Seokjin pushes another finger inside of you. Stretching you out and making your eyes roll into the back of your head.
You don’t even realize your hand has stopped stroking but still wrapped around him until you feel him start to fuck your hand. Fucking your juicy pussy at the same pace with his fingers.
“Fuck! Seokjin, I’m gonna cum!”
He continues to bite and kiss at your neck, fingering you relentlessly, and fucking himself into your hand as you ride out your earthquaking—no, shattering orgasm. You honestly have no idea how you’ve been able to satisfy yourself up until now because the orgasm that rips through you has you close to passing out.
Seokjin feels you almost collapse underneath him, and he pushes himself to completion. All he needed to do was feel you cum all over his hand, and grab ahold of your breast one last time to push himself there. Still grinding against your hand until his own orgasm ceases.
He slowly peels your hand off of him, and himself off of you. Gently rolling you both over so you’re right up against each other the whole time. You feel lighter then air. Someone could punch you right now and you wouldn’t be able to feel it. You do feel, however, Seokjin’s arms wrap around your middle again and him lay your head against his chest.
Just before you pass out from utter bliss, you feel him kiss your temple, and whisper against forehead,
“And now we have forever, la mia rosa.”
That’s not completely true, however. Because for Seokjin he always had forever for you. A forever love for you, and an endless loving soul to share with you. One that as soon as you give him the okay now, no matter how long it takes, he will tell you everyday what it truly means to be soulmates with a demon…
That he loves you always and forever.
-
-
-
Part two
#seokjin#Jin#bts#Jin bts#seokjin bts#seokjin x reader#Jin x reader#demon seokjin#demon!seokjin#Unwnated Reunion#part 1#demon!seokjin x reader#demon!seokjin x human!reader#human!reader#ex-to-lovers#Jimin#Taehyung#Jimin x Taehyung#demon!au#royalty!au#demon king seokjin#Jin smut#seokjin smut
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Exiled: What is she?
✧Chapter 2✧
(Photos retrieved from Pinterest. Credit to whom it may belong. Edit made by me.)
Previous < Masterlist > Next
Genres: Fantasy, Supernatural, Werewolf! AU, angst, hurt, fluff
Series rating: Mature
Warnings: Insinuation of mental problems and sexual abuse.
Summary:
I have spent half my life in exile. I woke up in the middle of the forest with no memories. I don't know who I am, how I ended up like this, I don't know if someone is looking for me or even if I have a family. The only thing I know for sure is that I must hide and that when the full moon is at its highest, disaster begins.
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Royal Pack - Castle
Yoongi's POV.
I continue fighting with all my strength, although he beat me in size I was not going to let him take her until I started to feel a dark liquid touring my face and unbearable pain that made me scream. My vision was reduced and I stumbled, I fell to the floor next to a body in a puddle of blood. I was disoriented and the pain intensified more and more, I hear my name shout and I try to focus my sight. I see his little arm that stretches out towards me and I try to stretch mine, but before I can even pronounce her name, a foot comes straight to my face.
I wake up startled and sweating as if I had run a marathon. I had not had that nightmare in years, I thought I had overcome it. I touch my chest feeling anguish. Something is not right. I stretch out towards the bedside table and grab my cell phone to see the time: 8.00 hs.
Dammit! Why so early on a Saturday? I hate awakening early and more when I know I have nothing to do.
Already feeling the bad mood growing in me, I get up and go to the bathroom. I wash my face, dry myself, and look at myself in the mirror. That mark. That damn scar that does not let me forget. Always remembering my uselessness. I sighed and I start to look for my pills between the shelves, I do not find them. Where did I leave them? don't I have more? For a moment I consider the option not to take them, but then I remember that nobody wants a mentally unbalanced wolf, mainly the Council, much less one that belongs to royalty.
I stood in the middle of the bathroom, looking at a point on the wall, trying to remember where I left my pills. I contemplate the idea of calling Jin to inform you about the situation until I remember where they are: "The backpack!" I said, returning to the room complaining.
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After taking my medication, I went downstairs for breakfast. I was on my way to the dining room when I see Alba coming in from the door that leads to the garden, typing something on her cell phone. I stopped, I frowned, and called her.
"Alba! What are you still doing here?" I said confused. "Shouldn't you already be on a trip to the European Community?"
“Yoongi,” she said with a tired sigh, still focused on her cell phone and coming to where I was. “What did we talk about calling me that?”
“Sorry…mom,” I looked away, feeling guilty. Even though Alba raised me and loved her with all my heart, I couldn't call her mom that easily.
"Yes," she said with a smile, now looking at me. “Actually I should be in Monte Carlo at this moment, but I was forgetting some important company papers your father asked me for, so I'm waiting for Jin who went to get them. He was the only one available today and the one closest to the company.”
I just nodded my head.
“One would think you don't want me around,” she continued, earning a surprised look from me. I was about to explain that she misunderstood it, but she kept talking. “Just kidding, honey. To tell the truth, I'm surprised you're up at this hour. I thought I would leave without being able to say goodbye to my baby.” Said she affectionately squeezing my cheek.
"I couldn't sleep anymore," I told her turning away from her touch and trying not to show any emotion, I didn't want her to think that she could relapse again.
Alba was looking at me intently, looking for some sign that would tell her if something was wrong. Hiding the smell of my emotions was a skill I acquired with practice so that I could show that I was okay and that I had no pain or guilt in my heart, but I can't hide them for long and I already had a feeling that she might be smelling my nervousness. Suddenly, I felt a pull in my pants which led me to look down and see a little hand holding my left leg. It was Thian, my little brother.
"I want a hug," he told me with the dummy in his mouth and raising his hands to me. I just ignored it.
“I don't understand why you don't love him,” Alba said walking towards the kitchen. "He's always behind you looking for your attention and you always ignore him. Just lift him and help me see if you can get him to drink his milk."
It's not that I don't love him, I'm afraid he'll get too attached to me and I to him. I couldn't bear to go through the same thing again. Knowing that I couldn't save him if he's in danger consumes me, so I prefer to keep my distance. That's what I want to say to her, but I keep quiet.
So, I lift him and he grips onto my neck like a tick pressing his cheek against mine. Sighing, I made my way to the dining room where Mrs. Park was finishing serving me breakfast. I greeted her with a 'good morning' and sat down with Thian.
“Good morning, Your Highness,” Mrs. Park said. "I see that today you have good company," she said smiling and stroking the little boy's head.
“Mmhmm!” I affirmed reluctantly. “By the way, where is Taehyung? Does he already have breakfast or is he still sleeping?” I asked grabbing my coffee cup.
"Prince Taehyung is not back yet."
"Isn't he supposed to get home last night?" I frowned confused and concerned. And before Mrs. Park could answer me, Mom came out of the door that connected the kitchen to the dining room.
“Stop worrying about Taehyung,” Alba told me, handing me Thian's bottle, “he's already a big boy and capable enough to take care of himself. You know that he himself wanted to go see the new fabrics in the Capital and surely he took the opportunity to stop by the company to begin preparations for the new collection,” she sat in front of me. “Oh! You are definitely his favorite!” she exclaimed when she saw that Thian accepted the bottle from me.
I smiled a little looking at the boy knowing that he considered me his favorite person, but I couldn't help but feel anguish since I woke up.
Is it just because of the dream that I feel this way or did something happen to somebody of the boys?
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Free Territory
Girl's POV
Two days. Two days had passed since I found the strange boy. He was still unconscious, sleeping in the cave on my makeshift bed of leaves and blankets. I was a few feet away from him, but he was still in my line of sight, I was sitting with my back against a tree. I was taking a break after washing the herbs and preparing the healing ointments, admiring the sunset and the colors that covered the sky, a pale yellow, a touch of peach, and a bit of pastel violet. I soon began to remember the argument I had with Joohyuk that afternoon when I arrived with the boy in tow.
I don't give more. The boy weighed more than Jisung, he was skinny but his physique was big and he was fit. He must eat well or Joohyuk is right and I am very weak. Speaking of the devil, from my place I can know how he tenses when he hears me arrive and he knows that I am not alone.
Maneuvering with the basket of herbs in one hand and the boy on my back, I trudge out of the trees into the small clearing where my home is. I look at the tense and confused boys and say: “If you could give me a hand, I would really appreciate it.”
Quickly, Jisung snaps out of his shock and walks over to help me, pulling him off my back as he grabs his armpits, I set the basket down and carefully grab his legs and we both carry him towards the cave.
When we finish settling him down, I tell Jisung to stay with him while I go get the things to clean and heal him. He nods, but I see his terrified gaze on the unconscious wolf's wrist. I'm tempted to ask what's going on, but I leave it for later and mentally bracing myself for Joohyuk's reprimand that's not long in coming.
"What the hell?! Why the hell do you come with a bloody werewolf?!” he exclaims angrily.
I hear Jisung's groan of sadness, knowing he heard the way Joohyuk refers to his kind. Joohyuk doesn't deal with werewolves -not even with his own kind- I didn't know whether he had a problem with them either, I just know that for some strange reason he despises them and made me very clear that he doesn't want me to get close to them. Jisung was the exception, he didn't see him as a threat. Anyway, the first time he met him he was more dead than alive, so I'm sure he felt pity for him. But he isn't feeling pity for this boy.
“Oh, I don't know,” I say as I search for the healing herbs. “I found him somewhere and decided to keep him,” I tell Joohyuk, feigning innocence and shrugging. Then I give him a furious look, he is wearing out my little patience. "What do you think, idiot?!" I continued, "I found him in the woods, wounded. What was he supposed to do?"
“Leave him?” he says like it's obvious. “Look, we both know he's not a rogue, he's got a pack and that just means trouble,” he says. He's standing a couple of feet from me with his hands on his hips, looking at me with concern trying to talk some sense into me.
As I listen to him, I grab the mortar and pestle starting to grind some Calendula and Comfrey. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Jisung approaches where I am to look for water -which should have carried to him, but I forgot- to clean the wolf. I give him an apologetic look and he just smiles, leaving us to continue arguing.
“I couldn't leave him like this, there just for him to die or worse for someone else with other intentions to find him,” I told Joohyuk, stopping what I was doing and looking at him calmly. "I know I don't know much about the real world, people, and wolves, but I do know that what happened to him was something serious and...unpleasant," I ground the herbs harder again and continued speaking. “Also, I found him in free territory, I did not invade any other territory and my intention is only to help. So I don't see the problem."
Joohyuk didn't speak for a minute or so, I could feel his gaze on me. There was a strange silence that made me uncomfortable, not even the birds were heard. How I wish I could read minds right now to know what he was thinking.
"Good. Do what you want,” he told me, turning to leave. "But don't say I didn't warn you and…," he looked me out of the corner of his eye, "remember to hide the color of your eyes, it's not a safe place anymore," he left.
A voice calling me brought me out from my memories. I look in the direction that voice is coming from. It was Jisung returning from the human city. I stand up from my place and walk to the center of the clearing where is the fire that I lit with the kettle with boiling water on it.
“How did the delivery go?” I asked while preparing the bowls to serve tea.
"Fine," he said, sitting on the log near the campfire. "The greengrocer was very grateful" he smiled and held up a bag of oranges.
“Did you explain to him how to use liquorice root and Thymus vulgaris oil? And why did you accept the fruit? I told him it was a free sample,” I questioned with a frown.
"Yes. Prepare a 5-minute infusion of the root twice a day and rub two drops of oil on the chest at night,” he explained looking for confirmation, to which I nodded. “And regarding the fruit, he was who insisted. I suppose he knows that thyme is not easily found around here and that you bought it at some point, ”he said with a mischievous smile, shrugging.
As he spoke I got up to fetch some water from a bucket we had near the cave. “I think it was your sad puppy dog eyes that made him insist,” I laughed and went back to sit next to him. "Now, take off your shirt, we must remove the ointment from your wound and clean it."
Jisung did as I asked. First, he took off his jacket, and then very slowly he took off his shirt to avoid staining it with the ointment. A breeze blew that made him tremble. We were nearing the end of summer and the afternoons and evenings were getting a little too cool to walk around in just a T-shirt. So I had to hurry up so he wouldn't catch a cold.
His wound was on the left side between the junction of his neck and shoulder. I proceeded to remove the clean leaves that he used as a dressing, then I took a piece of cloth, wet it in the water, and began to remove the paste from the wound.
"I'm using regular water," I informed him. “I wasted our last jars of lunar water to make the teas. Does it still hurt you?"
"Just a little. Sometimes I feel an itch bu-,” he stopped talking when a groan was heard. “Noona, I think he's waking up,” he told me with his eyes on the boy in the cave.
I looked in the same direction, the boy was moving and moaning in pain. I told Jisung to keep the rag lightly pressed to the wound while I walked over to the young werewolf to check on him.
As I was approaching, he was sitting up looking around in confusion and panic. His gaze fell on me when he heard me arrive, he tensed and wanted to stand up, but the pain inundated him. I stayed at a considerable distance so as not to invade his space and not make him more nervous.
"Hey! Do not move a lot, "I said. "You sprained your ankle. I improvised a splint with small branches and fabric, I sincerely thought that at this point it would be recovered."
"W-who are you?" he wonder me with a rough voice and looking at his right foot where the splint was. He cleared his throat to try to normalize his voice and he continued, "What happened? What do I do here?"
"I don't know what happened to you exactly," I said dodging the first question. "I found you in the forest too far from the towns or ... packs."
Now he was looking at me squinting his eyes, surely wondering as a human knew about the packs. Then, he looked away towards a point behind me, realized Jisung's presence, and before he can ask me something else, I continue talking.
"Why don't you let me help you to sit close to the campfire and check your wounds?"
The boy looked at me for a few more seconds and nodded. I shortened the distance it was separating us and helped him stand. Once I could stabilize it, I passed his left arm over my shoulders and held it through the waist with my right arm. I took him to one of the trunks that surrounded the campfire and I told him to sit. I noticed that he looked at the clothes curiously. I took a wet cloth and started cleaning the remains of the ointments of the wounds while I began to explain as I found it.
"The clothes you wear, I borrowed it from Jisung," I pointed to the omega, who was aside, simulating being busy preparing dinner. "Your clothes were very damaged ... well your shirt, you didn't have trousers," I could feel like my cheeks were colored, avoiding looking at him concentrating on cleaning his arms, but I could smell the anguish of him. "Apart from the sprain, you had scratches in the abdomen and in the arms, now I see that they're already healed completely, and you had more serious cuts in your legs like ... claws. You should check them by yourself later to see how they are. Do you really do not remember what happened to you? "
He didn't respond, he was immersed in his thoughts. I left the cloth aside, approached the campfire, and took the kettle. I took the two bowls, one for him and another for me, which contained some herbs, and I poured the hot water on them.
"Take it," I said, giving him a bowl. "It will make you feel better."
"What is it? I cannot identify the aroma of it," he looked suspiciously at the liquid.
I sat a little away from him and took a sip of my infusion. "It's tea. It has ginger, flowers of Sauco, and a little of yarrow. It serves to treat malaise and give energy."
He just nodded and drank a little, he grimaced from disgust, which made me laugh, but he said nothing.
I didn't want nor must to know anything about his life, neither he of mine, but I hadn't had close contact with other wolves apart from Jisung and my curiosity was greater. So I started asking questions.
"What's your name? Do you know if your pack is far away from here?"
"My name is Taehyung. I don't know where we are, I'm a bit disoriented," he said looking around and drinking another sip of tea. "The last thing I remember is that I returned from the Capital and the car stopped on the main road. I didn't have signal on my phone, so I could not call anyone. I had remembered that when I was younger with my brother we took a shortcut through the forest, I apparently took the wrong path and then ... "He stopped talking a few seconds, he did not know if it was because he tried to find the right way to express himself or he was remembering something, "... I woke up here.
Lie. I could smell his lie. He remembered something else but I did not say anything about it. One because I had no right to force him to tell me the truth and second since I found him and for the smell of another wolf in him, more specifically an alpha, I was able to give me an idea of what happened to him.
"If I'm not mistaken, the main road you refer to is far from here," I said, finishing my tea. "I cannot help you get there because I don't know very well where it is exactly. I never went there alone on my own, but I know the forest very well and I move between the nearby towns, the North and the West," point the directions.
"You haven't told me your name," he said looking at me intensely as if he could recognize who I was. "Really, do you live here?"
"My name is ... I mean, people usually call me Girl. And yes, I live here"
"How long have you lived here, in this way?" He kept asking, approaching a little more. "Where is your family?"I hesitate a little before answering. I did not know if I should lie, answer with the truth or alter it.
"I've been living here during ... a long time," I decided not to say exactly how many years. "And we can say that Jisung is my only family," and Joohyuk too, I said internally.
"Wow!" he was surprised. "I can realize that both are not blood relatives, do not share a scent. Actually," he looked at me curiously and began to get closer more to me sniffing to be able to capture some smell. "You have no smell, which is very but very strange. But something tells me that you are not human. "
I was reclining a little backward because of his closeness. I was getting nervous and appreciated that he could not smell my nervousness. I got up suddenly, ignoring what he said and going Jisung to help him with the dinner while I told Taehyung:
"It's already getting dark. If you want you can stay tonight and rest a little more, tomorrow I can accompany you to a nearby pack, and like that they can guide you to your house."
"OK! Sounds good!" he said with a bit of emotion in his voice, which was strange to me. I already had a feeling about a long night of questions. Should I prepare him a tea to sleep?
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It was close to noon when we woke up. It was a quiet night honestly, there were no more questions. Taehyung spent the night telling us about college, his designer job, and his new collection. Now I understand why he looked at borrowed clothes, it was unfashionable. He asked me about what he did to survive in the forest, I told him about the temporary jobs he did in the towns like helping the merchants or filling some shifts in the West town library. I didn't mention anything about the herbal remedies that I prepare to order.
I was tying the laces my worn boots, thinking which way to go to take him to his pack when a cheery voice interrupted me and made me turn in his direction.
"Okay! I'm ready!" Taehyung said, giving me a square smile. He had messy wet hair, t-shirt tucked into his pants, and trainers borrowed from Jisung.
"How are those trainers?" I asked, standing up and feeling discomfort in my own boots. They are already too tight for me.
“They are a bit small, but they are well. I can hold out until I get home.”
"ALRIGHT! Let's get going then,” I said grabbing a small backpack with some useful things for the path: water bottle, flashlight, knife. “Jisung don't move from here, I'll be back as fast as possible,” I patted his head, he gave me a weak smile and I got going.
-Noona!
Jisung's voice echoed in my head causing me to stop and look at him. His face showed worried and he was making a great effort to control his scent.
- What's the matter? I answered through our mental link.
-Be careful. He isn't a wolf from a simple pack, he belongs to an important family. A family that would kill you just to be near their territory.
-Do not worry. I will accompany him until he can identify a path, I will not approach the pack. I will be back soon. You go stay with Joohyuk, I'll pick you up there.
I gave him one last look and left. When I was approaching where Taehyung was waiting for me, who was tiding up his t-shirt, I could see a bracelet in the form of a tattoo.
Once when I asked Jisung about the tattoo he had on his right arm, he told me about the different tattoos that werewolves wear. Each pack has a tattoo that identifies them, they can have it on their arms or back and although I don't remember each detailed description of the tattoos, I am one hundred percent sure that he didn't mention any on the wrist. For a moment I thought it could be any other tattoo, but then I remembered Jisung's look and his pale face when he saw Taehyung's wrist the day I found him.
Is everything alright?" Taehyung asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, everything ok," I gave him a forced smile. "I don't usually go that far and Jisung was a bit uneasy, that's all."
“Wouldn't it be better if he came with us? It's not safe to be alone in the wood being an omega,” he commented, starting to walk.
“It's not for a beta either, apparently,” I whispered, automatically regretting it when I saw him flinch. I forgot that he also has good hearing. "He'll be fine. It is not the first time that he stay alone, the clearing is his comfort zone, he feels safe there.”
Taehyung just nodded and we walked in silence for a while. Only our footsteps on the ground and the song of the birds were heard. We were going deeper into the forest when he spoke again.
"Is the wound on Jisung's neck what I think it is?" he asked while he was focused on stepping carefully and avoiding the rocks and branches, so as not to worsen the sprain that was already healing.
“A broken mating mark? Yes,” I said as he jumped off a small hill onto a path that would lead us to the nearest pack.
The beta was having a hard time getting down so I had to help him out. Once on the trail, he continued his questioning.
“So how long have you known each other? He looks pretty good for a wound like that.”
"I don't know, two years approxim-"
"WHAT?! TWO YEARS?! THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE. HE CAN'T HAVE SURVIVED TWO DAMN YEARS."
“Shh! Down the volume. We don't want to draw attention,” I told him glaring at him for how loud he was being. “But he did it, he survived. Now back to what matters to us,” I changed the subject, it was already too much information about us. We had reached the end of the path and we had to choose which way to go, “I don't remember which way leads us to the pack. I can recognize it by its innermost borders to the forest, I thought that if I took you closer to the main entrance it would be easier for you to recognize where you are. Any idea which way we go?"
Taehyung looked both ways and then he seemed to hear something, coming from the path on the left.
"Is there a river nearby?" he asked.
“Wow! What hearing!” I couldn't believe that he could hear the river from where we were. "Yes there is a river, but not as close as you would like."
"No matter. Let's go there, maybe I can guide me with the river."
"You're sure? I think we should go to a pack, it will be easier if they help you.” I said doubting his sudden sense of location.
“No, I can't show up, just like that, in any pack. My home is near the great mountains and a river. We must go over there.” he concluded by pointing the way to the left.
"Fine. Let's go."
We followed the sound of the river, it was going to take us a few hours to get there, but if we were lucky, Taehyung will be before sunset at his house.
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About three hours later we had reached the river. It was the river that we frequented with Jisung, only we were at the other end. We were standing on a cliff from where you could see the great mountains, the sun was high and it was beginning to feel hot.
"Yes! This is, this is the river!” Taehyung said energetically. "My pack is crossing the river."
If I knew his pack was so close to the clearing, we would have saved ourselves hours of walking. But on the one hand, it was the best, like that I avoid that he wants to visit us.
"How are you so sure?" I asked doubtfully. I remember that Joohyuk had told me that I shouldn't go to that part of the forest, that it was a dead zone and very dangerous.
“I used to come quite often a couple of years ago. I recognize the set of stones that is there, ”he said pointing to the place.
"It is a joke? Do you recognize the place only by some stones?” I questioned, taking a sip from the bottle of water I had in my bag and then handing it to him. He just laughed and shrugged drinking a sip from the bottle.
"Okay. Then go. Good luck!"
"What? Alone?" he ask scared.
"Yes. Since you recognize the place, you can get to your house alone right?”
“But… but I still can't walk properly,” he said, feigning a sudden limp and pain.
I narrowed my eyes at him, I knew he was lying, but I could also feel his fear at the thought of walking through the forest alone. Although he wanted to heed Joohyuk and Jisung's warnings, I couldn't let Taehyung go alone, not after what happened to him.
"Okay! I'll come with you,” I sighed. "Let's go!" I began to descend the small cliff to reach the edge of the river. When I looked back I saw Taehyung walking normally with a satisfied smile, when he realized that I was looking at him he went back to faking difficulty walking. I just shook my head and looked at the river.
“Let's go this way,” I told him, pointing to the right and starting the march. “The river is a bit low in that part and we will be able to cross with the help of the rocks. It will be easier this way and we avoid going around the river, which would take more time.”
"Cool! I follow you!"
“Be careful where you step,” I said as we started across the slippery stones.
“Mmhmm! When we get there…” he paused as he crossed a difficult part. "I will reward you for your help."
I didn't answer him, I continued crossing while I remembered what Joohyuk had told me a few days ago:
“Ok but clearly he isn't,” he said pointing at Jisung who was coming back. “And you know perfectly well that he won't be alive for long. You need to find a suitable place for him.” I was about to answer him, but he interrupted me- “And you also know that he won't come with me, not without you. But he will not survive with us anyway.”
I had reached the other side, I turned around and reached out my hand to help Taehyung with the last stretch. He grabbed my hand and he smiled at me in thanks. We began to enter that part of the forest that until now seemed normal to me.
"Okay. A few meters further on you will start to notice that the forest is a bit… dead,” he warned me, taking the lead. “But there is nothing to fear. Just don't breathe too much,” he said, whispering the last.
He didn't understand what Joohyuk and he meant by dead forest. Joohyuk had mentioned that it was dark, there was no vegetation and it was toxic. But I don't see any of that, nor do I smell anything odd. This part of the forest was normal, there were big, tall, and strong trees, sunlight filtered through them, the ground was healthy and fertile. I could even see little flowers grow with every step I took, a clear sign that the forest was more than alive, and I hoped that Taehyung wouldn't notice because I couldn't explain it…or control it.
“For me, the forest looks the same as always. I don't understand why you call it the dead forest."
"Do you see this part of the forest, normal?" he asked as if he couldn't believe I didn't see the dying forest.
"That's right," I wanted to ask why he was so surprised, but I kept my questions to myself.
Taehyung just nodded, I could see that he was deep in his thoughts until he announced that we were getting to the edge of his territory.
“Regarding the reward for helping you,” I started before his packmates spotted us, “could you help get Jisung accepted into your pack? I know that with his wound he shouldn't have survived more than a few months, but he did... although I don't know for how much longer."
Taehyung didn't answer. I saw him cross a fallen tree trunk and I realized he was already in his pack's territory. He was about to say something, but I could only hear the running of various legs. They approached with speed and the howls began giving warnings of possible intruders. I wanted to run, I took a step back away from the log, but it was too late. There were a dozen wolves in front of Taehyung and me, and I had the feeling that if I turned around and ran, it would be my death.
©2021 Telephaaty. All rights reserved.
#bts fanfiction#bts fic#bts fantasy au#bts fics#bts werewolf au#bts witch au#werewolf au#royalty au#fantasy au#bts jungkook#bts jin#bts fanfic#bts taehyung#bts jhope#bts namjoon#bts yoongi#bts series#bts jimin#bts hybrid fanfic#bts angst#bts fluff#bts scenarios#bts x reader#hybrid!bts#bts hybrid au#bts hybrid fic#bts vampire au
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Jin | Bodyguard!au RECs
Request: Can I request either a part 2 to the royalty!au for Jin or bodyguard au even??? I’ve been recently into those kinds of fics for bts characters (but my bias is Jin so I’m being specific:):):):)))), but it’s hard to find since no one gives Jin enough love! Thank you for your recs 🖤
By: ANON
(💦) ~ Smut , (🐑) ~ Fluff , (👊) ~ Angst ,
(📝) ~ Series , (🗒) ~ One-Shot/Dribble ,
(💜) ~ Personal Favorite
Request Guidelines | Fic Rec ML
NONE of these works are mine. Give all your love to the authors and their works. The links will either bring you to the Tumblr page or a Ao3 page of the work.
A/N: Besides these three fics I couldn’t find anymore. I hope you like them as much as I did, though!
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Title: The Bodyguard 💦🗒
Author: @wwilloww
Summary: Reader is just rich and Jin is her bodyguard.
↳ “As your bodyguard, keeping you safe from the world comes with rules for Kim Seokjin. But you’re used to getting what you want, and you want him.”
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Title: Smoke & Mirrors 💦🗒
Author: @luffles424
Summary: Also hybrid!au. Heiress!reader.
↳ “What’s an heiress to do on a boring arranged date? Maybe her hot bodyguard can be of some service to her.”
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Title: Uptown Girl 💦🐑👊🗒
Author:
Summary: Bodyguard!jin x princess!reader.
↳ “After the biggest royal screw up with your previous bodyguard, you are assigned a new one. you’d never had such a hard time befriending someone who worked for you.”
#jin#bts seokjin#seokjin#bts jin#jin x reader#seokjin x reader#worldwide handsom#request#request : answered#bodyguard!jin#bodyguard!seokjin#bodyguard!jin x reader#bodyguard!seokjin x reader#bodyguard!au#fic recs#bts recs
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until i see you again // ksj
summary - prince seokjin of philos is chosing his bride at his 25th birthday ball and you want to be anywhere but there. unfortunately you’re expected to go as a friend of the king and to escort your younger sister there; to see if she has a chance to win the prince’s heart. unbeknowst to you all, the prince’s eyes are already set upon someone
pairing - prince!seokjin x duke!reader
genre - fluff, angst; royalty au, childhood friends to lovers au,
word count - 9.1k
warnings - historical inaccuracies, reader being an idiot, kissing, implied/referenced homophobia (it’s very slight, won’t even notice it if you squint), sad ending, star crossed lovers, miscommunication but it’s in the worst way possible
author’s note - sorry not sorry for making sad gay stuff oops; clast is part of the title, not yn’s actual family name. additionally, i put in a hint to new fic in here 👀 also @jinpanman since u asked to be tagged 💕 here u go
The stars had always fascinated you since you were a young lad; the shapes they made and the stories behind them, the way they always shifted in the night sky. While the view from your bedroom window at the castle was great, it could never show the full wonderful picture that was the night sky. Hence why you were now laying in the palace garden and staring up into the vastness before you, your arms folded behind your head.
“Y/N.” A familiar voice startled you into sitting up, only to see the silhouette of the Crown Prince Seokjin standing a few feet behind you. You were surprised to see him outside, but it wasn’t necessarily a shock seeing as your current place of residence was his home, the Castle of Philos. Your father, the Duke of Clast, was a close friend of the King, thus meaning he was invited to a lot of formal events. The Castle Philos was practically a second home to you, making it’s prince a close friend of yours.
Of course your friendship was by no mere accident. It was by the design of both of your fathers’, wanting their allegiance to hold strong even with the new generation. Neither of you seemed to mind though, you both seemed to get along great with one another. But as the two of you grew up from boys and slowly approached manhood, you felt something else grow deep within your chest each time you saw the prince.
“Seokjin, you scared me!” You whisper shouted at him as sat himself next to you on the grass. “What are you doing out here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he retorted. “I saw you from the window, thought I might join you.” Your cheeks burned at his response as you watched him lay back on the grass, assuming the same position you had only moments ago.
The sight of the young prince was something to behold as he lounged on the lawn, being at only 18 years old he was already picture perfect for everything a prince should be: honorable, intelligent, merciful. One quality you had heard whispered amongst the court ladies was how handsome he was, something not even you could deny. His dark eyes emulated the night sky, reflecting the stars up above. The soft angle of his jaw paired with the dark hair that fell over his forehead framed his face beautifully. Then there was his lips, they looked soft and pillowy; and you wanted nothing more than to feel them for yourself-
“Are you going to lay down or continue to sit there and stare?” He questioned you, raising a sculpted brow at you.
The burn extended past your cheeks to the tips of your ears. You laid down beside him, hoping the cool grass could possibly lower your growing temperature. You laid there, stiff next to him as your gaze locked back onto the sky. Neither of you said a word as the stars twinkled like diamonds above you. You heard the prince shift in his position, now resting on his elbow and staring down at you.
“You’re thinking.”
“How would you know?” You scoffed at his (correct) assumption of your silence. While your voice remained steady, your head was reeling at his closeness. If he came any closer, he could’ve heard your heart thumping away against your chest.
“You forget Y/N, I know you better than you know yourself.” He gave you a sly wink before he slipped back to lay his head back down. “Just relax, whatever it is you’re thinking, I’m sure it’s nothing.”
You open your mouth to protest but a loud booming voice of your name echoed in your ears.
“Y/N. . .Y/N. . . Wake up!” The voice of your younger sister bleeding through as you jolted awake. “Coachman said we’re nearly there.” Through bleary eyes, you glanced about your surroundings. Seated across from you was your sister, Jia, who stared at you as you blinked away the sleep from your eyes. You turned your head to the window, watching as the green countryside slowly began to turn into the village outside the castle.
“How long was I out?” You inquired as you moved to sit up properly.
“A few hours,” she responded with a shrug. “Did you have a nice dream?”
“How would you know I was dreaming?” You asked her, still fatigued from the unplanned nap.
“You were smiling.”
Your heart stung at her words; the question was innocent enough, but a reminder of the hurt you’ve felt since that night. You almost didn’t want to answer her original question, but the eager look on her face had you sighing. No way in hell would she go without an answer. Keeping a neutral face, you replied. “It was a pleasant dream.” That was all you said. There was a slight twinge of disappointment, but she took the answer nonetheless.
Letting out a sigh, you leaned back against the wall of the carriage, thinking back on the dream. It had been almost 7 years since that night with the prince. That was the last, what one might call, intimate moment with him. Because since that night, you had both been bombarded with your respective duties; him as prince and you as a duke to be. Surely you had seen him between then and now, but those moments were brief and far inbetween. In fact the last time you saw him was at the funeral of your father, sometime last year. You don’t remember much of that meeting, overwhelmed with grief to even process that he was giving you his condolences.
But soon enough, you shall be reunited with the Crown Prince for this 25th birthday. Normally you would’ve been excited about going to see Seokjin, all you could feel in your stomach was dread. The reason being as to your visit was because his usual birthday ball had been twisted by his father for him to find a bride. All the eligible ladies in the land, which included your sister, were invited for him to pick one of them out as his future wife. The mere thought of it had you sick to your stomach. Your sister had a possibility of marrying your childhood best friend and your unrequited love, and you had to stand back and watch.
“Can you tell me again what he’s like?” Jia’s voice pulled you from your thoughts. Being a few years younger than you, she never got a chance to truly interact with Seokjin; and since the trip began, hell even before then when the invitation arrived, every few hours she would ask about him. What he was like, what he liked, if he was nice. Why she would ask this when all she had to do was wait a few hours before meeting him herself, you’d never understand.
“Prince Seokjin is nice. He enjoys reading the history of the 7 kingdoms. When his father goes out hunting, he is usually required to join, but he will do anything he can to get out of it.” You droned as you stared out the window, surveying the commoners as you passed them by.
“You’ve told me all this before though,” she whined, “What else is there to know about him? What was he like when you were boys?” When you remained silent, she poked at your knee, attempting to get some sort of answer out of you. “Come on, Y/N.”
Rolling your eyes, you turned your attention towards Jia. “He’s always been fascinated with food and the process the cook would go about making it.” You started, noticing how your sister leaned forward, hanging on your every word. “We’d sneak into the kitchens, and he would just watch the cook as he cut up vegetables and meats. He’d go on about how if he wasn’t the prince, he’d want to be the cook.”
Jia barked out a laugh, “Did he really? For such a handsome man, he sure has some interesting habits.”
You gave a noncommittal hum as your stare returned to the window, watching as the villagers made their way out of the street and gawk at your carriage in awe. You could tell the journey was slowly coming to a close, and you weren’t sure if you wanted it to end yet. The dirt road turned to cobblestone beneath the wheels, it was only a matter of minutes before you arrived at the palace steps.
Jia frantically began flattening out her gown and making sure her hair wasn’t out of place. The trip from Philos Castle to the Clast Manor was merely a half day's ride, it wasn’t like much had changed from when she had left.
You exited the coach first, immediately greeted by a handful of guards who were lined up the stairs of the castle. You wondered how long they’d been there and how long they’d have to be until everyone had arrived. Glancing about, you saw that there were a few more carriages arriving in the courtyard.
The clearing of Jia’s throat pulled you back to the task at hand, you extended your arm out for her to grab onto as she stepped out onto the cobblestone. “Wow,” she awed as she stared up at the vast castle before her. You couldn’t blame her, the sight of Philos Castle was something to behold, especially if it was your first time seeing it.
Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted the footmen pulling down your luggage and ready to carry it to your rooms. A silent notice that it was time for the two of you to get going. “Come along, Sister.” You started as you began to climb the steps.
Upon reaching the main entrance, you were greeted with the familiar face of the Steward, who perpetually looked like he had just tasted the world’s most sour candy. “Your Grace,” he bowed to you. “And Lady Jia. The King and prince are greeting their guests in the Grand Hall. Follow me.” That said, he turned and made his way down the hall. With you and your sister on his heels practically the entire way, you arrived at the Grand Hall.
The Grand Hall certainly lived up to its name. With high ceilings, beautiful pieces of art mounted on the walls, all glittering in the light of a golden chandelier. It was the picturesque dream of wealth and beauty. But all of its beauty couldn’t compare to Prince Seokjin, who stood at the end of the hall. Since the last time you saw him nearly a year ago, he still looked as handsome as ever. He was smiling at his father when the two of you entered, but when his gaze turned to you, you swore his smile grew bigger; brighter even. Keeping your eyes forward, you could feel Seokjin’s gaze on you, not wavering as you got closer.
Next to him, the King let out a loud belly laugh as the two of you approached him. “Ah, Clast! It’s good to see you, my boy.” He bellowed out as you and your sister stopped in front of him.
“It’s good to see you too, Your Majesty.” You responded as you and your sister bowed respectively before him, all the while you could feel the prince’s burning stare. “May I introduce my sister, the Lady Jia.” With her introduction, she curtsied again before the two royals.
“It’s a pleasure, Your Majesty.” She smiled as she rose up.
“The pleasure is all mine. I assume you know my son, Seokjin.” He gestured to his right to where the prince stood, silently staring at you. “Seokjin!” His father hissed, catching his attention.
His head jerked to attention at his name being called. “Sorry, yes. It’s lovely to see you again Clast- and meet you too, of course, Lady Jia.” He stumbled over his words as he bowed his head. “Apologies, my mind has been elsewhere.”
“It’s no worries, Your Highness.” You waved off his slip.
“Anyways!” The King clasped his hands together. “The two of you must be tired from your journey, the steward shall show you to your chambers.” He gestured to the same sourface Steward stepped forward. “I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow night, Clast.”
“I can’t wait, Your Majesty.” You returned the king’s sentiments as you and your sister were led out of the hall, still feeling the prince’s stare seer into your back as you walked further and further away from the Grand Hall.
Soon as the Grand Hall was far behind you, you let out a breath you didn’t even realize you were holding. Had seeing Seokjin again affected you this much? While you had managed pretty fine to hold yourself together for that meeting, how on Earth were you going to manage the ball where he had to choose a wife? You couldn’t avoid him, there’s no doubt he’d want to catch up after not seeing you at all the past year. God, you felt like a fool for coming and thinking you’d be able to push your feelings out of the way. But your mother and sister jumped at the chance for the possibility of marrying the prince. Thus, you had no choice but to accompany your sister to the palace.
As the Steward led you down the winding hallways, you noticed that the hallways started to become more and more familiar. Considering you had dreamt of these hallways mere hours ago, it wasn’t that hard to place them from your memory. The King had set aside certain rooms for your family when you visited, you can’t say you were surprised or not about them still being set aside for you. Perhaps it was to still honor your father, or keep the good relationship between your families. However you were surprised to see the Steward stop in front of the heavy oak door of the room that was once your father’s.
“Your Grace shall be staying here,” he announced as he opened the door. You stepped through the threshold, inhaling deeply as you glanced around the space. Your trunk was at the foot of the bed. The same bed he slept in, the same desk he worked at, the same books he read on the shelves. What felt stranger how despite the room not being occupied in years, it still held the same scent of leather bound books and ink. The scent of your father. “I hope the chamber is to your liking.” The Steward’s voice pulled you from your thoughts.
“Yes, it’s fine. Thank you.”
“Very well, if the Lady Jia could please follow me.” With that, he shut the door. The distinct steps of him and your sister fade away down the hall as he escorted her away.
Now alone, realization began to creep over you. When the invitation to the prince’s ball arrived you didn’t want it to be true. In fact, you almost pushed it so far back in your mind you nearly tricked yourself into believing it was just a bad dream. One that you’d wake up from any moment now. But now that you were finally there at the palace, a mere day away from the event. You were going to be sick.
The sick knot in your stomach didn’t leave you the rest of the day, despite your best attempts at any distraction. You tried to keep ahead on some of the needs and resources of your providence, read a few chapters of a book you pulled from one of the shelves, changed out of your traveling clothes, anything to keep your mind off the inevitable ball tomorrow night yet nothing seemed to succeed.
By the time the sun had fallen below the horizon, you still felt the overwhelming dread. So much so that you barely ate the dinner that was privately presented to you, barely being able to get more than a few bites down. In the midst of picking at your meat, there was a knock on your door. Curious as to who would be here so late in the evening, you unlatched the door to see Prince Seokjin standing before you.
“Y-Your Highness,” you stuttered out, not expecting him at such an hour.
“Are we really referring to each other as titles? I thought we knew each other better than that, Y/N.” He said with a breathy laugh.
The sound of his voice speaking your name was music to your ears. Loving the way each syllable fell off his lips, before you could stare at his mouth any longer than you probably already were, you cleared your throat. “Seokjin,” his face lit up when you called him by his name, “what are you doing here?”
“I thought we could catch up a bit? Seeing how we weren’t able to properly when you first arrived.” He shrugged, as if the plans were obvious.
You hesitated a bit, seeing the late hour and if this would even do your heart any good considering you had 24 hours to attempt to get over him.
“If you don’t want to, I understand.” He added, filling the silence you had provided. “It’s late, and you had a long journey. I’ll let you rest.” He began to turn, disappointment evident on his face.
“Wait!” You exclaimed, your hand wrapping around his wrist. When you realized how brash your action was, you released him, silently cursing yourself. “We can catch up, if that is what you wish.”
A smile grew on his face. “Of course! You still like stars, correct?”
You were taken back by his question. While you still had the fascination with stars, you had very little time nowadays to look at them. In fact the last time you even had time to look at stars was the night from your dream, when the prince laid down next to you in the castle gardens. Since that night, you’ve been too exhausted to stay up late enough to examine the night sky. “Yes?”
“Brilliant! Follow me,” he grabbed your hand and whisked you down the hallway, barely giving you enough time to shut your door. Seokjin led you through the passages, only the moonlight shining through the windows to guide you. Your heart was going to beat out of your chest, with your hand snug in his grasp.
He led you up a large door. With his free hand, Seokjin opened it, exposing a staircase before you. As the two of you started to climb up, you were beginning to recognize where you were going. “Are we-?”
“Shh! We’re almost there!” He shushed you as you arrived at the top of the stairs, revealing the observatory to you. You’re in absolute awe of the room, the large windows making up the walls and ceilings; the moon fully illuminating your surroundings. “Over here!” Seokjin tugged you towards the direction of one of the windows, a telescope set up and ready for use.
You pulled your hand from his grasp and let your hands trace over the cool brass, enthralled with the device before you. When the two of you were boys, you weren’t allowed in the tower observatory in fear that you might break something. When you got older, you’d only been in there once before, but never beneath a clear night sky.
A rush of chill air hit your body, you looked up to see the prince had opened up a window, giving more room for the telescope. “Take a look!” He stepped away from the device, making space for you.
Leaning down, you peered into the eyepiece. A gasp escaped your lips as you took in the brilliance of the stars right before your very eyes. You could pinpoint a few of the constellations you remember reading about. But instead of the fuzzy dots you were so used to seeing, you saw them clearly; they seemed even brighter. “Wow, Seokjin, I. . .” you straightened to look at him, who looked very pleased with himself, “I don’t know what to say? This is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in years.” That was partially a lie. He was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in your entire life, nothing could top him.
“You’re welcome,” he said with a sly smile. “I got it recently and I thought of you.”
“You. . . thought of me?” Your heart fluttered at the thought.
“Of course, Y/N.” He took a step closer to you, “I always think of you.” His words were soft as he gently raised his hand to your face, brushing a few stray hairs from your eyes. Your breath hitched as the tips of his fingers grazed over your skin. Meeting his eyes, you noticed for a split second that his gaze flickered down to your mouth. Then he slowly began to lean towards you. Your feet turned to stone, you couldn’t move as he got closer and closer to you. You weren’t sure what was happening. It couldn’t be happening. It had to be a dream. Your mind was racing at a million thoughts a second, as Seokjin got closer and closer. Just about when the prince’s lips seemed to hover over your own-
DONG
The sound of a clock chimed loudly in the observatory, shattering the moment and bringing you back to reality. Immediately, you stepped away from Seokjin, your face burning hot. “It’s late. I- I need to get to bed.” You turned away from him, embarrassed at what had just happened.
“Right.” There was a twinge of dismay in his voice as he spoke. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”
“That won’t be necessary!” You cringed at how quickly you rejected his offer. “It’s late, and your chambers are farther than mine. Goodnight, Your Highness.” You bowed your head then rapidly made your way back down the stairs, barely hearing the prince’s ‘Goodnight’ in return.
The following morning you did not want to get out of bed. You did not- could not face the prince again after last night. What happened had to have been a dream, it had to be. But the clear memory of the stars, how you could vividly recall the way your hand fit into his all proved you otherwise. It actually happened, and you couldn’t help but feel humiliated. He was getting married soon, for God Sake! And it couldn’t be you. It will never be you.
Eventually had to get up. Dressing yourself up a bit, but you remained in your room. Deciding to read and work on any paperwork, distracting yourself from even thinking about Seokjin.
You managed to do so quite nicely up until the hours before the ball was to start. Outside your window, spotting the hustling of all the castle staff trying to finish up the last of the preparations, scrambling to get them done. However all the chaos from outside the window and outside your door pulled you from your progress of not thinking of the prince or the party. All throughout the halls, people were gossipping about the prince and which lady he would choose as his possible wife.
When the clock struck the hour, signalling that the ball was to start, you knocked on the door to your sister’s chambers. “If that’s you Y/N, I’m nearly ready. You can come in!” She called from the inside. With a roll of your eyes, you pushed open the door to see your sister sitting in front of a vanity, a maid-servant finishing up her hair. Looking at you through the mirror, Jia lips quirked up into a smile. “Why don’t you look handsome, Brother.”
You take a quick glance at yourself behind her; you’re dressed only more elevated than usual. Fresh pair of trousers and shoes on, your waistcoat buttoned neatly, and your hair is more styled. Other than that, you look practically the same as you would on any other day. Not wanting to argue with your sister, you merely bowed your head in thanks.
“What do you think of the dress?” Jia asked as the maid finished with her hair, she stood to reveal the full picture. The style of the dress was similar to something she had worn to your ascension, yet this was light blue in color. There was no grand design amongst the dress, it was simple and fitting.
“You look lovely,” you responded.
“Thank you. You said he liked blue, correct?” She questioned as she began to slip on her gloves.
“Pardon?”
“The prince? His favorite color is blue?” She clarified as she walked over to you. “Honestly, Y/N, where is your head? I’m trying to gain his favor. Helps that I have his best friend as a brother.” She chortled as she linked arms with you.
“Right, yes. He favors blue.” You muttered as you turned towards the door. “Right, well, let’s get going. Don’t want to be late.” You forced a cheerful tone. With that, your sister smiled at you and you began to make your way towards the ballroom.
Already you saw lines of fabulously dressed noble women and royals from across the seven kingdoms, all willing to try and win Prince Seokjin’s affections. You saw a few familiar faces as you escorted your sister about the room; friends of your late father, fellow dukes and viscounts, even a couple visiting princes. All of which were either here to escort the most eligible woman in their family or merely showing support for the prince’s birthday.
About an hour in, Jia excused herself to try and gain a dance with the prince, leaving you standing alone at the sidelines; watching Seokjin dance with lady after lady after lady. He was a talented dancer, dancing gracefully with each partner. With each dance, you couldn’t help but notice a disinterested look grow on his face. A few times when you thought he caught your eye, you spotted a glimmer in his eye. A spark of happiness that managed to peak through his facade. But when he turned, causing his partner to face you. You saw a proud smirk on their face, as if they were the ones that made him perk up.
“Clast? Is that you?” A familiar voice called out to you. Turning your head to follow the voice, you spotted the owner of the voice. Prince Yoongi of Lun was making his way towards you, pushing his way through the crowd. “It’s good to see you.” He held his hand out for you to shake.
With a smile, you took it. “Good to see you too, Your Highness. How are things?”
“Good, everything is good. You’re here on behalf of your sister, I suppose?” He asked as his hand retreated.
The mention of your sister had your chest aching, reminding you of the entire situation once again. “Y-yes. She is somewhere in the crowd, waiting her turn.” Hopeful that he didn’t catch on to your hesitation; you gestured over to the dance floor, as if you couldn’t see her waiting at the front of it.
It was clear that he had noticed it, yet he didn’t point it out, only saying “I see.” He turned to face the crowd next to you, standing in silence as the band played on. “Have you married yet, Clast?” He questioned.
“No, h-haven’t had the time.” Your basic response to whenever anyone questioned your marital status, a normal question made by men wanting to set you up with their daughters. Why would Yoongi be asking you that though, you thought to yourself, unless he was thinking about asking to set you up with someone? But that couldn’t be, as you don’t recall him having any female relatives.
“Not having the time. . .” He repeated, laughing softly to himself. “Surely you’ve had enough time, attending balls like this? You’re a young man with a title, young ladies and their mothers must be crawling over you.” He further inquired.
“Well, yes. . .” you struggled to rack your mind for a plausible excuse. He was for the most part correct, parties like this usually had young eligible noble women practically throwing themselves on to you. But upon your excuse, they usually backed away. Not further question you. “It’s just-uh-”
Before you managed to come up with a concrete answer, Yoongi spoke again. “You don’t need to answer that. But to a degree, I can understand you.”
“I-I’m sorry, I don’t think I follow?”
“You’re in love, are you not?” He turned his head to you, a knowing expression. You opened your mouth to deny it, but no words came out. “It’s clear as day. But for some reason, you cannot be with them. Yet you long to be.” His face seemed to fall a bit at his words and he turned to face the crowd again. “Believe me, you’re not alone in that sort of suffering.” His gaze fixated on a young male servant, who stood at the edge of the ballroom, tray in hand. For a fraction of a second, you saw a soft smile across his face. But soon as the smile was there, it was gone. “Take my advice, don’t let him get away.” He gave your shoulder a firm pat before he walked back into the crowd, not permitting a response from you.
Glancing back to the center of the dance floor, you made eye contact with Seokjin. This time there was no denying it. He beamed at you and suddenly all the people in the room seemed to fade away, like it was only the two of you. He was radiant in the light of the ballroom, his smile radiating happiness. Yoongi was right, you were in love with the prince and you wanted nothing more than to be by his side.
With his advice echoing in your mind, you moved to take a step forward but your legs felt like lead. All at once, the golden glow of the ballroom faded to grey; the prince’s bright light dimmed, dark shadows danced at the edge of your vision. You could feel all of the court staring at you, whispering amongst themselves. Jia’s eyes were locked on you, fire burning in them The King frowned in disapproval. There were too many eyes on you. Your heartbeat was in your ears, throbbing against your skull. At the center of it all, Seokjin stood out in the crowd, his features twisted with concern. He mouthed something to you, something you couldn’t make out. You took a step backward, it felt easier than moving forward. You took another, and another, until you turned on your feet and dashed out of the ballroom.
Air, you needed air. Quickly, you weaved your way through the busy hallways until you found the door to the garden terrace. Thankfully, no one from the party seemed to have come outside as of recently, leaving you alone. You let your hands rest upon the stone railing as you caught your breath, the cool night air filling your lungs. Raising your head up, you stare up at the sky, the moon staring back down at you.
“You alright?” Whipping around, you saw Seokjin standing in front of you, the light of the open door behind him giving him a golden halo. “Y/N?”
You turned back around, staring back out into the gardens. “I’m fine.”
His steps against the stone echoed, only stopping once he was practically right behind you. “Don’t lie to me, what happened?”
You barely understood what had happened. One moment you were filled with confidence, ready to pull him to the side to speak with him. Then the next you felt nothing but shame. The judgement of the court, your sister, the king. You couldn’t tell him. Yoongi had sweet sentiment, but it just couldn’t be. He was the prince! And you were a duke. A man. You wouldn’t even be able to openly tell him you love him, let alone marry him! “I needed some air.”
“I could use some too, it was getting stuffy in there.” He responded as he continued to stand behind you. “Come on. We could both use a little break from the excitement.” You didn’t move, it was a bad idea to go with him. Just return to the party and move on. “Y/N. . ?”
Despite your better judgment, you turned to face him. His beautiful smile grew once you faced him. “Lead the way.”
He led you down the stairs of the terrace and into the gardens. Neither of you said anything, letting the music of the ball fade away into the sounds of the night. The further you walked away from the palace, the less concerned you found yourself about if the people were going to come looking for you. It was only you and Seokjin now.
He took a turn off the path, walking over the lawn towards the roses. Spotting a stone bench, he seated himself, you continued standing beside him. “You can sit, Y/N.” He gestured to the spot beside him. You hesitated for a moment before finally sitting down next to him. His knees brushed against yours as you both stared out over the gardens. “Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” He asked after a moment.
“Nothing is bothering me.”
“Y/N, I know you better than you know yourself.” Repeating the very same words he said nearly 7 years ago. “What’s the matter?”
Taking a deep breath, you answered. “You’re getting married.”
Seokjin frowned at your admission. “What on Earth gave you that idea?”
It was your turn to be confused. “Your father? On the invitations, it was a call that you’d be picking your future bride at this very ball.” You explained.
“Believe me when I say this Y/N,” he took your hands in his, “I have no intentions of picking a bride tonight nor ever.”
Those last few words echoed around in your brian. “Ever?”
“I can’t be with someone who I don’t love,” he said as if it were obvious. “When I become king, the only person I want by my side is you.”
Your hands grew clammy as your heart pounded against your ribs. “Seokjin, what are you saying?”
“Is it not obvious?” His hands moved to cup your face. When you met his eyes, the poor attempt at a wall that you tried to build over your heart broke away.
“I need to hear you say it,” your voice faltered, barely above a whisper.
Leaning in closer, his breath fanned over your lips. “I love you.”
The words hung in the air for barely a moment before you closed the gap between you two. Your eyes fell shut and the entire world melted away, leaving only you and Seokjin being the only sole beings in that moment. And oh how you wanted to live in that moment forever. To know nothing else but the feel of his lips against yours, the sweet scent of the roses around you, the brisk air of the night tickling any exposed skin as you clung to each other.
You don’t know when but tears had begun to roll over your cheeks. The wetness passed over your lips, tasting of salt as you continued to kiss. The slight bitter taste had him pulling away, eliciting a whine to fall from you. He couldn’t leave now, not after how long you’ve dreamt of this moment! Opening your eyes, the blurry outline of Seokjin was whipping away your tears. Blinking the rest of them away, the clear image of him filled your mind, taking notes of any little detail. You had to remember this moment for the rest of your life.
“Why are you crying?” His voice was soft as his thumb caressed your tear stained face.
“Truthfully, I don’t know.” You responded, the last coming out in a sort of chuckle. Baffled at your own emotions.
“No more tears, love.” He brought his lips to your forehead, pressing a small kiss to it. “No more tears.”
Despite you nodding in agreeance, more tears fell from your eyes. Whether it be tears of relief or joy, you couldn’t stop them from flowing. Placing one of your hands over his, you leaned into his touch, kissing his palm. You opened your mouth but you could even manage to get a word out, a shout was heard.
“Prince Seokjin! Your Highness? Where are you?” An unfamiliar male voice called out.
Within a second, you pulled yourself away from him, fearful of being caught. Seokjin closed his eyes, letting out a huff, clearly upset with the interruption. “It appears our company has been missed.” He sighed as he stood up, straightening his overcoat. “I’m here! Clast and I were merely stepping away for a moment.”
The servant appeared around the corner; with the cover of the night, you doubt he saw you kissing, but you couldn’t be sure until he spoke again. “The King is calling for you, sir. He wants you to dance with the Princess of Maldonia.”
“Thank you, I’ll be with him right away.” Seokjin gave him a tight smile as he dismissed the servant, who promptly bowed and scurried back towards the party. “I’m sorry.” He sat back down, taking one of your hands in his.
“No, it’s not your fault.”
“But there’s so much we need to discuss-”
“Seokjin,” you squeezed his hand, “we’ll figure it out.”
With a smile on his lips, he kissed you one last time before standing again. The two of you walked hand in hand back towards the castle again. He stopped when you reached the stairs to the terrace. “I’ll send a letter to your room later tonight, I would stop by but I fear my father isn’t going to be happy with hearing me not choosing a bride.” He chuckled, looking down at your still linked fingers.
You laughed with him, before falling silent. The music of the party reminded you that you couldn’t remain there forever. “You need to go.” Seokjin didn’t move yet, still staring down at your hands, trying his damnedest to turn a single moment into a thousand.
“Not yet.”
Unfortunately, as soon as the words left his mouth the servant stepped out onto the terrace, forcing him to drop your hand. “Your Highness, the King is growing impatient.”
With a sigh, he made his way up the stairs. Once he reached the top, he looked back down at you. His smile was back on, glowing and beautiful, yet his eyes were pained as he spoke. “Good talk, Clast. Enjoy the rest of the party.” Then he turned toward the servant, following him back into the brightly lit hallways of the castle.
The rest of the party went by in a blur. When you returned to the ballroom, your sister came up to you and complained about how she didn’t get a chance to dance with Seokjin before he started dancing with the Princess of Maldonia. Whatever she said you didn’t hear, because you were too busy looking for the prince but he was nowhere to be found. The only prince you did make eye contact with was Prince Yoongi, who was standing across the hall, a knowing look on his face.
By the time the party was over and you had returned to your room, you were anxious to wait for Seokjin’s letter. You couldn’t help but think about what it might contain. Plans for the future? His feelings about you? You stayed up waiting for a servant to knock or perhaps it would slide beneath the door.
Yet nothing arrived.
You waited until the rays of the sun peeked over the horizon, but nothing came. Laying down on your bed, you felt a knot grow deep in your stomach. You thought of a million scenarios as to why. Perhaps by the time he talked with his father he fell asleep soon as he reached his room, or maybe he fell asleep writing it. You tried to be reasonable with your thoughts, but your mid went to darker places as you laid there. Did his father get mad at him for not wanting to choose someone and throw him in the dungeon? Were you spotted and he was getting punished? Would they come for you next? Or what you thought could be even worse, did he regret his confession?
It was 10 o’clock when a servant came to wake you, finding you red eyed and exhausted. He was clearly shocked by your current state, as you could see by his face, but he said nothing on it. “Your sister is nearly ready to go, Your Grace.”
“I’ll be ready in a moment,” you grumbled as you pulled yourself out of the bed. The servant bowed before he left, probably to get your carriage ready. One half of you wanted to get ready as fast as possible, leave the castle and never return. You’d hide away in Clast Manor forever. But the other half wanted to stay, find Seokjin and demand an answer as to why nothing came.
Once you were dressed and reorganizing your belongings into your trunk, there was a knock, followed by Jia throwing the door to your chambers open; quickly followed by some footmen.
“You were apprehensive to come and now you’re stalling to leave?” She raised a brow at your still open trunk.
“Had a lot on my mind, I apologize.” You dryly apologized as the servants shut your case and began carrying it out of the room. Your answer didn’t seem to satisfy her, as she rolled her eyes at you. “Let’s get going then,” you held out your arm for her to take. With a huff, she linked arms with you. The two of you walked in silence as your steps echoed in the halls.
As you turned towards the staircase that would lead you towards the entry hall, you heard your name called out. Turning, you spotted Seokjin running towards you. Glancing at your sister, she looked confused as the prince was making quite a hurry to get to you.
“Go wait by the carriage,” you told her, kissing her cheek. “I promise I’ll join you soon.”
“You better, or else I’m leaving without you.” She muttered as she started down the stairs, the footmen following behind her.
You watched her descend as Seokjin arrived behind you; putting on a brave face, you faced him. He looked nearly as tired as you were, yet somehow he managed to make dark circles under his eyes attractive. Opening your mouth to say something, he pulled you off to the side of the hall, hiding behind a larger planter.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to deliver it sooner,” he huffed out as he placed a sealed parchment in your hand.
“I-” you were stunned, for a moment you truly thought he might’ve regretted what happened last night. Yet here he was, parchment in hand. “Why? What took you so long?
“I uh- Well. . . you’ll know in the letter.” He waved your question away before taking both of your hands in his. “Promise me you’ll write as soon as possible? Please?”
You stared down at your joined hands, and all the hurt feelings from the night bubbled up to the surface again. The anxiety, fear, betrayal. It all came rushing back, but as you looked up to speak your mind, your words died in your throat. His pleading eyes bored into yours and butterflies erupted in your stomach. Sucking in a breath, you nodded. “I promise.”
Seokjin looked like he was going to cry as he heard your words, pulling you into his arms. You attempted to resist for a moment before melting into his embrace; wishing you didn’t have to leave so soon. Wishing you had more time to talk. His lips grazed over the shell of your ear, his breath fanned against your skin as he hesitated for a moment. He said nothing as he pressed a kiss then he pulled away. He gave you one last fleeting smile before he ran back down the hall, disappearing behind a corner.
Stuffing the letter into your pocket, you made your way down the stairs. As you approached the bottom, you came across the King as he was bidding some of his guests goodbye. Despite how badly you wished to leave as soon as possible, you couldn’t risk not saying goodbye to your host.
“Ah, there you are Clast! I hope you enjoyed the ball!” He said as he shook your hand tightly.
“It was a wonderful party, Your Majesty. Thank you for the invitation.”
“But of course! I hope you can come around again for the wedding!” He patted your hand as he let go.
“W-wedding, Your Majesty?” You questioned as he turned to the person behind you.
“Goodbye, Clast. Have a pleasant trip home!” Either he didn’t hear you or he was purposefully ignoring the question. Whichever it was, your head felt like it was spinning as you exited the palace doors.
You spotted your carriage not far from the base of the steps, Jia looking thoroughly annoyed in the window as she waited for you. Carefully as you could, you made a beeline for the door. You didn’t even give a footman enough time to step down and open the door for you, just throwing it open and clambering in.
“Your Grace-?”
“Just go!” You snapped, waving your hand to signal for the coach to get moving. Seokjin’s letter burned through your clothes, you wanted nothing more than to rip it open and find out for yourself what the King meant by a wedding and what his explanation was. But with Jia sitting across from you, who was eyeing you like a caged animal, you had to wait till you returned home.
The journey to Philos was a long drag you will admit, but the return to Clast Manor felt like ages in comparison. Jia must’ve sensed your agitation as she said nothing the entire way back, not even a word when you stopped for supper at an inn a quarter through the way home. Soon as you arrived back at the manor, you took off towards your bedroom, not even bothering to greet your mother or other siblings. You could hear the murmurings of your family as you clambered up the staircase.
Once behind the safety of your locked chambers, you lit an oil lamp and pulled Seokjin’s letter out from your coat pocket. Your fingers traced over the seal of the prince, staring at the blue wax for a moment. The seal should’ve settled your anxiety yet it continued to bubble deep in your stomach. Breaking open the wax, you unfolded the paper to read what explanation Seokjin might have.
My dearest, Y/N
I’m sorry for such a delay, but I have unfortunate news. Apparently the ball was merely a facade of choice for me, Father has gone behind my back and arranged a marriage between the Maldonian Princess and myself in a fortnight. Upon my refusal, he locked me away in my room and won’t let me out until I agree to the union. With you waiting and about to leave in the morning, I have no other choice but to say yes. By the time you have read this, I will be engaged.
So there was your explanation of the wedding, the King was referencing. Your heart ached at the words, hating the news, but you read on.
I’ve devised a plan though, a plan for you and me to flee Philos and live together far away. Where no one can ever find us ever again. My title shall go to my cousin Hoseok, he shall rule Philos instead of I. Remember all those games and stories we made up where we didn’t have to be king or duke? Those dreams can become our reality! I know it sounds insane, but I’m ready and willing to do it.
For you.
Write back to me as soon as you can and we can begin our plot.
Until I see you again,
Seokjin
Your vision blurred as tears filled your eyes, threatening to fall onto the parchment. Not daring to drop the precious letter, you ran over to your desk and scrambled for fresh parchment. You were soaring above the clouds as you seated yourself down, reading your pen and ink. You held nothing back as you accepted his proposal to run away, ready and willing at any moment he proposed. You didn’t care about the ink droplets that fell or any scribbles of words you misspelled. All that mattered was you sent the letter off at first light.
Without even thinking, you heated up the blue ink your mother had not so subtly been purchasing for you, in hopes you’d find yourself a lover or a wife anytime soon. Pressing your personal seal into the hot wax, you officialized your promise to Seokjin.
Despite the adrenaline coursing through your veins, the exhaustion of not sleeping at all the night before slowly caught up on you, barely giving you enough time to even properly undress before you collapsed onto your bed. That night you dreamt of your new life with Seokjin. The two of you so far away from anyone you might know, living in a cottage at the edge of the woods, perhaps selling bread to a nearby village. The both of you together, completely happy.
When you woke up the following morning, rushing down to a messenger to send off your letter to Philos at once. Despite the confusion of you just being there, the messenger followed the order and rode off fast as he could. The rest of the day you were in a chipper attitude, something your family was a bit surprised at considering the grim demeanor you held leaving the manor and arriving back last night.
However the happy attitude could last so long.
It should only take a day or two for the prince to respond to your correspondence, but when your messenger arrived back empty handed, you felt the familiar flood of anxiety rush through you again. You dismissed it though, perhaps he’s following through with his father and visiting Maldonia for some reason or other. Waiting a few more days, yet nothing arrived. You crafted another letter and sent it off with a different messenger that night. The only thing that returned was a wedding invitation.
You dropped the letter off in the parlor where your family were all visibly excited about a wedding. The only one sharing your glum mood of the announcement was Jia, who was mourning the loss of such a match. You didn’t even bother telling her it wouldn’t have worked out anyways, just sitting in silence as your littlest sister talked about how pretty a royal wedding was going to be.
The day of the wedding your mother all but dragged you out of bed to go, not even giving you a moment to even feign sickness.
“You must go in support of your future king and friend! I won’t have you wasting away all the work your father did for us to continue to be close friends of the royal family.” She scolded you, throwing wear onto your bed. With your younger siblings staying behind; you, Jia, your mother, and your other brother all got into the carriage and started off towards the capitol.
The city was decorated with ribbons and flowers as crowds of people lined up along the streets, waiting for a chance to get a glimpse at the royals and nobles arriving. You wished to be home at the manor, a nearby kingdom, just anywhere but have the man who broke your heart and made a fool of you stand in front of you and get married.
Exiting the carriage, you joined the line of the court to be escorted into the Grand Hall. With your mother on your arm, she pointed out the things that have changed since her last visit, but her chittering fell on deaf ears, you simply stared off into the distance as the entrance to the Grand Hall grew closer and closer. By the time you had arrived at the threshold, you were greeted by the king.
“Ah, Duke and Dowager Duchess of Clast, lovely to see you both.” The King greeted you as you both bowed before him. Taking your mother’s hand, he pressed a chaste kiss to her knuckles. “And you’re looking wonderful, Dowager.”
“Oh thank you, Your Majesty. You’re too kind,” she giggled, you resisted the urge to roll your eyes at the scene.
“Clast, I'm glad you could make it.” He shook your hand next, “Seokjin has been. . . anxious to hear from you. He’d be so happy to see you’re here.” His grip on your hand tightened as his words began to register with you.
“Wait-”
“Enjoy the wedding,” he released your hand and moved on to the next guest. Your mother pulled you and your siblings in the direction of the pews. The voices of all the people echoing against the walls became muffled as you were seated down in the front of the hall, right in front of the altar. Thoughts were rushing through your mind faster than you could think of them.
Does that mean Seokjin didn’t purposefully not respond? Did he even receive your letters? Did his father know? How did his father know? You had to find Seokjin, perhaps you could come up with some sort of plan and you could still run away together after the wedding. You just had to find him-
The sound of a horn silenced the Grand Hall, everyone falling quiet as they stood and watched the Crown Prince walk down the aisle. The breath was sucked out of your lungs as he walked past you. He looked absolutely regal in his royal wear, his crown placed perfectly on his head, he looked every bit of the prince he was. The only give away there was to his true mood was his eyes; there were dark circles under his eyes, deeper than they were the last time you saw him. When he stopped at the altar, he turned, his eyes surveyed across the court.
His eyes met yours and his gaze sharpened. You felt all the hurt and pain you’ve been feeling returned to you tenfold in that moment alone. You wanted to run to him, scream and cry out for him. Tell him that you did write back, that you did want to run away with him, but you were frozen in your place.
When the music started up again, his eyes snapped to the aisle to watch his bride. He remained focused on the Maldonian Princess standing in front of him. The entire ceremony your eyes never left Seokjin, silently begging- pleading for him to turn and look at you.
But he never did.
#btsghostie#kim seokjin x reader#seokjin x reader#jin x reader#bts x reader#bts fluff#kim seokjin fluff#bts angst#kim seokjin angst#bts royalty au#prince seokjin#bts x male reader#kim seokjin x male reader#male reader#kim seokjin fanfic#prince seokjin x reader#bts prince au
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「 ｂｔｓ ｒｏｙａｌｔｙ ａｕ | ａｓ ｐｒｉｎｃｅｓ 」
ιllιlı.navigation.ılιllι
[a/n: this is only for entertainment purposes, do not come for me for writing this]
as prince/princess
how you met
first kiss
first date
he has to marry somebody else
who he chooses (her or you)
𝒋𝒊𝒏; — ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ
the bookworm: ever since seokjin was little he always loved reading or hearing stories, now there’s not a time that you don’t see seokjin with a book in his hands.
𝒔𝒖𝒈𝒂; — ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ
the rebel: yoongi never listened, when he was supposed to be somewhere he would be off doing his own think making everyone wait for him to get there, because they need all seven sons there.
𝒋-𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆; — ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ
the weird one: hoseok was always weird, he just does the most random things sometimes, which makes people look at him judging him sometimes, but he doesn’t care what people think of him.
𝒓𝒎; — ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏᴜʀᴛʜ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ
the social butterfly: ever since namjoon was little he loved showing off or even just talking about the most random things, so now that he’s older when someone talks to him about something he’ll go on and one.
𝒋𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒏; — ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪꜰᴛʜ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ
the good one: jimin was always the one to listen and follow the rules, he even has snitched on some of his brothers for not following their parents rules, but he’s learned his lesson to let them do their own thing.
𝒗; — ᴛʜᴇ ꜱɪxᴛʜ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ
the prince material: when taehyung was younger he was such a show off, he was always the one who loved getting fitted for suits, and loved going out to party’s, he even snuck in to a party his father was hosting.
𝒋𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒌𝒐𝒐𝒌; — ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛʜ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ
the artist: jeongguk was the one who loved tp draw, even when he was younger he loved showing people his drawing, he now just sits in his room drawing random things.
#bts#bts army#bts au#bts prince au#bts royalty au#prince au#royalty au#bts rm#bts jin#bts suga#bts j-hope#bts jimin#bts v#bts jungkook#kim namjoon#kim seokjin#min yoongi#jung hoseok#park jimin#kim taehyung#jeon jeongguk
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