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mymoodwriting · 5 months

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2.3k, divine intervention, coup, coronation, talks of engagement (@tardis-world @starillusion13)

“What do we do now?”

“I’m not sure…”

Everyone was staring at you, perplexed by the scene. It was eerily quiet for a moment and Jinyoung tried to approach you, only to be thrown against the wall, partially embedded in it. Chaos ensued from there. The other guards around you tried to subdue you, but they couldn’t get close. Any one who tried to make a move against you was thrown away from you by some invisible force. The guests were all trying to leave the room, crowding around the door in a panic. Chan and the others were trying to push past them, needing to stay with you.

‘You and your clan will pay for your transgressions against the royal bloodline.’

Jinyoung was pulled from the wall, brought over to your side, being held in the air and choked. He tried to speak, but he could barely breathe.

“Goddess!”

Chan pushed out of the crowd and stumbled forward. He scrambled over to the platform, although as he got close he was stopped, lifted up into the air as well.

‘You are?’

“Apologies… goddess… I… I’m a… royal guard…”

‘Hm.’ The goddess took a moment. ‘Indeed you are.’

The rest of the boys were pulled forward and they were all forced on their knees. They kept quiet, and Chan was eventually released, falling to his knees as well.

“Please accept my apology for failing in my duty.” Chan stated. “I should have better taken care of the princess.”

‘You did what you were meant to do, for that I cannot fault you.’

A blinding white light took them all by surprise and then they were no longer in the throne room. They seemed to be in space once again, surrounded by the stars.

“Y/n!”

Changbin had noticed you laying down a few feet away, rushing over to you. The others soon followed. They all surrounded you, Changbin holding you in his arms. Moments ago you had been unconscious, but soon you began to wake. The first thing you noticed was a familiar face, making you smile.

“Changbin…”

“Are you alright?”

“I… I think so…”

“Everything is going to be okay.” Chan assured. “I promise.”

“What’s going on? What happened…?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the whole truth. I was going to when the time was right, but things didn’t go to plan. Precautions always have to be taken.”

“What do you mean?”

“The crown isn’t just a means of keeping the kingdom safe and well, but a direct connection to the goddess. Usually it is a means to gain wisdom and to show the goddess that the kingdom is thriving. Although considering your situation she must have known something was off and decided to help. After all, she made a deal with your family, and no one else.”

“What’s happening out there?”

“The goddess seems to be dealing with the traitors, so everything will be okay.”

“Will it?”

“Of course we have to rebuild.” Minho mentioned. “But we shall do it together.”

“No one can know about the crown or the goddess.” Chan reminded. “Especially your connection to her.”

“I… I know…”

You began to feel exhausted, passing out in Changbin’s arms. He began to shake you, but you were unresponsive. Then the world turned white again. The boys found themselves back in the throne room. It was quiet, and soon they realized there was no one but them and you, except you weren’t you.

“Goddess…”

‘The ahgase clan and its supporters are no more. The rest I leave to you.’

“Thank you, goddess. I apologize for the trouble.”

‘It is a great burden you carry. Take care of your Queen.’

“We shall.”

You collapsed to the floor, Seungmin quickly running over to catch you. The glow had left your eyes and body, and you seemed to be asleep now.

“She’s breathing.” Seungmin said. “She’s okay.”

“She’s gonna need a lot of rest.” Jisung added. “We should probably move her to her room.”

“Seungmin, you come with me to get her majesty to rest.” Chan ordered. “The rest of you free our allies from their prison cells and triple check the palace. No one but those we trust are allowed on the grounds.”

Everyone followed the orders without question. Chan and Seungmin got you back to your room, laying to rest and guarding you. Over the next few days you remained unconscious, the boys taking turns looking after you and making sure you were alright. While they waited on you they began to restore order in the palace, trying to keep the previous events under wraps.

“Hm…”

You groaned as you began to regain consciousness, slowly opening your eyes. It wasn’t hard to recognize your room, and being somewhere familiar put you at ease. Although you suddenly remembered your coronation, bolting up in bed.

“Easy your majesty.”

“Jeongin…”

“You still need rest.”

“I… what happened?”

“Everything’s okay now. No one is going to hurt you.”

“Jinyoung… the bond… it’s gone… how-”

“He’s gone.”

“Huh?”

“The entire ahgase clan is gone, and we have traitors imprisoned as well.”

“It’s over…”

“Yes. We can start anew.”

“Are the others okay?”

“Yes. I’ll let them know you’re awake, and also get you some food. You must be hungry.”

“Yeah…”

Despite having been sleeping for so long, you still felt tired. It was hard to let go of this weight on your shoulder because it wasn’t really gone. Maybe you weren’t a prisoner anymore, but you still had a great responsibility. And you were the only one who could carry it. You laid back down and a while later Jeongin came back with some food. While you ate you asked him to tell you about what had been going on. You trusted them to take care of things in your absence, but your break time was over.

Chan and Minho had been restructuring the guards, going over potential new recruits and deciding who was worthy of the position, as well as who could actually be trusted. Jisung, Felix, and Seungmin were rebuilding the staff for the palace. Trying their best to get the positions filled so things can continue as normal. Changbin and Hyunjin were keeping watch and making sure nothing bad happened. The whole place had remained on alert since that day, and it probably wasn’t gonna let up anytime soon.

You wanted to see the others, to make sure everyone was okay. Jeongin was against the idea, saying you still needed rest, but you assured him you would get back in bed once you saw them. He relented and helped you up, staying at your side while you walked around the palace. The place really was so quiet, and still seemed rather empty. You had been locked in your room for a long time now, so to actually freely walk the halls, it was refreshing, and upsetting. There were so many memories of this place, so many people you had spent time with here, and now it was just you. Of course you weren’t really alone, but you had lost a part of you forever.

You went outside to meet with Chan and Minho, embracing them in a tight hug. You couldn’t help the tears, and the boys did their best to sooth you. There was a lot to catch up on, but now wasn’t the time. You were just glad to know they were alright, and doing their best to keep things on track. After seeing them you went to find the others, practically going through the same roller coaster of emotions. You were just so happy to see that everyone was safe and okay. As promised you returned to your room once you saw everyone with your own eyes. You rested up some more, but you knew you needed to get back up on your feet.

There was a lot of work to do, and you had to get started sooner rather than later. Once you were well enough to get out of bed you spent your time in the library. You had so much to study up on, and figure out how you were going to run a whole kingdom. The first thing you wanted to look at was the record of the previous rulers, figuring you could learn from their time on the throne. You had never looked at this book before, and you figured maybe one day you would when it was time to update it. That is what you needed to do now, but not in the way you had hoped. A few tears slid down your cheek but you wiped them away. You hadn’t really had the time to properly mourn your family, and unfortunately now wasn’t the time either.

Things needed to be rebuilt before you could rest and grieve. You wouldn’t want to wish this on anyone, but it was your reality for now. So you spent your days playing catch up, learning everything you needed to in order to take the throne properly. Once the boys had vetted the staff members as well as potential tutors you took the next step in your studies. You had a lot to go over in regards to the political affairs, and history of the kingdom. There had been a forced peace through the ahgase clan, but with them no gone things have fallen to chaos. Previous members of the resistance were working to keep the peace but order had to be restored soon. You had to properly step up.

“We need to set the date for the coronation.”

“Your majesty, you don’t-”

“I asked for the coronation to happen last time.” You admitted. “It was my decision to wear the crown then, and it is mine now.”

“You’ve worn it before.” Hyunjin said. “The kingdom is doing well, there’s no need to rush things right now.”

“There is still chaos. It’s been that way since the coup. Even now, I haven’t restored order.”

“It’s a process.” Jisung reminded. “Things won’t be alright overnight.”

“Yes, but the people still need to be assured that everything will be okay in the end. Last time the ahgase clan kept things under wraps for the coronation, it was all fake anyway, but this time I want it out in the open. The people need to see me take on the crown. To show them that peace is being restored. They’ve always trusted in my family. I may not have been the original bearer of the crown, but I am qualified to be their queen.”

“It could be dangerous.”

“That’s why I have all of you, plus those you trust. I’m not going to change my mind on this.”

“Understood.” Chan said. “We’ll begin preparations.”

“Thank you.”

Traditionally the whole family would be involved in preparation, and since it was just you there was a lot you needed to manage. Before you had no say in anything, and now it’s all on your shoulders. It kept you busy and distracted, even bringing you some joy from seeing the excitement on everyone’s face. This was a joyous occasion after all. Although it was a bit strange to find yourself wearing the coronation outfit again so soon. Then again the first time didn’t count. The boys all came to see you before the ceremony took place.

“You look wonderful, your majesty.”

“Thank you, I’m glad you’re all here with me now.”

“Of course.”

“There is something I want to discuss with you all today.”

“Is everything alright?” Felix asked. “If the matter isn’t important, wouldn’t it be better to discuss it after the ceremony.”

“It is important. Officially becoming the queen is one way to create peace, but soon there would be criticism of me.”

“In regards to what?”

“My marital status.”

“Your majesty, this isn’t something you need to worry about right now.” Minho said. “This is something for down the line.”

“That may be so, but I want to make my intentions clear with you all today.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want… no… I intend to make one of you my king.”

“Excuse me.” Changbin questioned. “You want one of us to be your king.”

“Yes.”

“I… why?” Minho wondered. “I don’t mean to be rude… just… one of us…”

“A lot has happened… but you’re still the only people I trust, the only ones I can trust to the very end. I understand what I am saying is a bit much, but I won’t be changing my mind.”

“Do you truly intend for one of us to be king?” Jeongin said. “That might not look well.”

“You’re my royal guards, I’ve known you all since I was young. We grew up together, so there would be understanding there. Besides, after what happened, I’m not exactly eager to marry another clan. I’m sure the people would understand but even then. I wouldn’t feel safe with anyone else.”

“If that is what you truly want, we shall honor it.” Chan stated. “We’ll do our best at your side.”

“Thank you. I know it’s a lot I’ve dropped on you, and I still need to think things over, but I’m glad you understand. It may seem ridiculous, I know, but you’re certainly more prepared than I am to run a kingdom.”

“We will always be at your side, your majesty.”

“I know. Shall we proceed?”

“We shall.”

You proceeded with the coronation as planned. Seeing all the people gathered, it put you at ease despite having to place the crown on your head. This time there was no blinding light and no wrong to right. Today was a day to give the people hope that the kingdom would be alright, and seeing them gave you that same assurance. You had prepared a little speech, mentioning your hardships but also telling the people that together you would all move forward. They seemed to believe in your words, and you promised yourself you would deliver.

‘Congratulations, your majesty.’

(Previous //)

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bambikisss · 1 year

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'Let's imagine ourselves in a happier universe'

~ Bambi ♡ ~

MASTERLIST ♡

[ KPOP ]

{JAYB} Suits: 1, 2

{JAYB} Crazy in Love: 1 2 3 4 end(ver1)

{JAYB} Prove it to me: here

{JACKSON} XOX, Cupid: 1 2

{MARK} And, we're live: here

{MARK} Surprise: here

{JINYOUNG} Royal Flush: here

{JUNGKOOK} Daddy's 95: here

{JUNGKOOK} Thoughts about us: here

{JUNGKOOK} Summertime Inferno: here

{JUNGKOOK} Celebration in 5A: here

{BANG CHAN} Bank teller: here

{BANG CHAN} Finding Australia: here

{FELIX} Stuck with you: here

{FELIX} The art of escaping: 1 (on hold)

{BANG CHAN} Pillow: here

{WOOYOUNG} Run for the crown: here

{HONGJOONG} Artisty: here

{MINGI} Victory Lap: here

{SAN} Secrets: (TBA)

[SAN] Fire: here

{SEONGHWA} One last time: 1

{SAN} Protection: here

{HONGJOONG} OHMAMI: here

{WONWOO} Shitty romance Christmas movies: here

{MINGYU} Law and order: here

{S.COUPS} Dream ride: here

< NON KPOP >

Go for gold: here

Anything for you : here

Christmas in New York : here

Win the bachelor: here

Birthday boy: here

[ASK] Pregnancy w/ him: here

{Woo Dohwan} Through the rain: here

#Bambi~#got7 #stray kids #ateez #masterlist #markiplier #yuzuru imagines #cho gue sung

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restlessmaknae · 1 year

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never forever [jinyoung]

Just as much as you would have liked to delude yourself into thinking that you could have anything together with prince Jinyoung, it would be simply impossible as long as you were a servant and he was a prince. Which meant that you could never do so.

➳ Characters: prince!Jinyoung x female court lady!reader/you

➳ Genre: romance, angst, fantasy, magical realism, kingdom au

➳ Words: 11.8k

➳ Warning: mentions of minor character deaths, poison, political tension, attacks

➳ A/N: This story had the most votes in my poll, so I hope it lives up to your expectations. 🥰 It can be read on its own or with Seunghun's story that took place before this one. ❤️

➳ CIX taglist: @wccycc, @dat-town

When you had been younger, your favourite word had been ‘forever’. Warmth had always invaded your heart when you thought of this particular word, and how your parents had promised each other that they would love each other forever. Your mother had told you multiple times too that her love was not only infinite towards your father but you as well. Forever was like a precious friend to you, a little gem that you would try to keep safe as much as you could, holding it close to your heart, holding it dear.

Then, forever had turned to never when your mother had died. When you had realised that you would never see her again, your world had shattered, the little gem slipping through your fingers, falling to the ground and breaking into tiny pieces. Even though your father had reassured you that your mother would love you even from the spirit realm, you hadn’t been convinced because forever had seemed so far away. You had decided that it was stupid to have a word that didn’t make sense. After all, forever didn’t exist.

You had been 6 at that time. Your mother had been a lady-in-waiting to the Queen at the royal palace, so you hadn’t seen her during the week, only on the weekend. You had spent your days at home reading books and practising writing while your father had been teaching his pupils in a different room. He had been a great scholar, teaching those at your home who could not afford the institutions he had taught at most of the time. For some time, you had resented the royal family for keeping your mother away from you when you had known all too well that your mother had been deeply grateful for the royal court for providing her with a high status job and a very decent pay that allowed her to shower you in gifts.

On the other hand, when your mother had died, and the court had organised your mother a funeral, more glorious (thus more heart-wrenching) than you could have ever imagined, your feelings had completely changed. When the Queen had come up to you afterwards and lowered herself down to be at eye-level with you (disregarding the gasps from the court ladies around her, warning her of her dress potentially becoming smudged because of the muddy ground), your tears had fallen even more fervently. You had wanted nothing more than to hide during the ceremony, so to be seen and acknowledged by the Queen herself brought on a handful of different emotions.

“When I was around your age, I also lost my mother. I thought of it as a great shame on top of being a great loss. A young girl growing up without a mother? I thought people wouldn’t take me seriously, they wouldn’t look at me for who I am, they would always see the girl without a mother,” she had shared, and you had watched her with tears streaming down your face, your mouth slightly agape. You hadn’t heard of the Queen losing her mother at such a young age, but you had been young, and your parents hadn’t told you stories about the royal family back then.

“And they did?” You had asked between little sobs that reverberated through your body.

The Queen had given you a gentle smile, and you had wondered if all mothers smiled the same - so lovingly, so forgivingly, so reassuringly. Her smile hadn’t been exactly like your mother’s, but you could feel the genuine affectionate behind the delicate curve of her lips, something that mirrored your own mother’s. The kind of smile that parents gave you when you admitted that you did something wrong, but all that mattered to them was that you were safe and sound.

“No,” she had shaken her head. “I proved them wrong, and I showed them what I can do regardless of what happened. You can do, too,” she had added so confidently that your little heart had welcomed the undeniable hope that her words had brought along, newfound warmth spreading through your veins until you had realised that…

“But… I am not a royal.”

“Where you come from doesn’t matter, whether you have a positive impact on just one person or a whole nation doesn’t matter either. You are valuable as you are,” the Queen had pointed out, her words like a wise scholar’s. You had just blinked at her, wide-eyed and amazed, and you hadn’t even realised that you had stopped crying in the meantime, you had been so focused on what she had been saying.

You had been so awestruck that you couldn’t have spoken up, and you didn’t remember whether it had been what had prompted the Queen to bid her goodbye or she had been told by her court ladies to presume her duties for the day, but you remembered one thing very clearly.

That day, you had decided that you would have a positive impact on the Queen’s life, and you would try to be there for her just as much as she had been there for you at that time. So when a year later, the royal court had announced that they would hold their annual recruitment day for new servants, you had applied.

You had read every book on royal etiquette, you had learned embroidery, sewing and all sorts of activities that might be tested during the recruitment process in that year, determined on making the cut. You hadn’t even been the youngest candidate, there had been girls as young as 5 trying to secure a future for themselves (or more like pressured by their families), but you had been dedicated for a different reason: to serve the royal family and to repay them for all they had done for your family including sending your mother on her last journey so graciously.

Even though you hadn’t succeeded on the first try, you had done so a year later. Since then, you had been trying to live up to your mother’s memory, hoping that she would be proud of how you were serving the royal family, living to make their lives as comfortable as possible, living for them.

Little did you know, one day, that would be the exact same reason you would feel so torn to fall in love.

The first few years at the palace, you spent learning. Then, you applied what you learned. Then, you practised everything over and over again until you wouldn’t make a mistake. Finally, as years went by, your service to the palace became a valuable treasure, an important part of the operations. Your loyalty and diligence meant that you were keen on doing the best you could, and your perseverance didn’t waver even in hard times.

However, no matter the many lessons and learnings during those years, the greatest teacher and the dearest compliment you could get for your hard work was when you could upgrade your rank. After 15 years of service and being over the age of 20 meant that you could rightfully start serving one of the royal family members directly or one of those who stayed at the palace. For instance, a few girls who were at the congratulatory ceremony beside you would assist the royalty that were visiting the palace from time to time, and two of those now stayed beside a princess who came from a kingdom further up north, who was currently spending her time in exile at your court. Due to the trade agreements and favourable business partnerships, it wasn’t uncommon to provide a shelter or a hiding place for those who came from different kingdoms, but couldn’t stay in their own residence for whatever reason.

You, on the other hand, were assigned to the Queen herself, and even though you would never brag about your conversation with the Queen at your mother’s funeral ceremony, you knew that the smile she gave you when she handed you your new gown and your matching hairpin - engraved with a lotus symbol for prosperity and a dragon mimicking the ones that guarded the palace for safety - was telling tales about her positive feelings towards your future services.

After an elderly lady-in-waiting had passed away, two female servants took her place including you. You knew that you were still fairly young compared to the other court ladies, but you had been serving at the palace for so long already, and you excelled at every task they had given you. You knew though that the major reason that you had been assigned to the Queen was because you could read and write well, something that would be needed to discreetly handle the letters the Queen received and sent.

However, following the Queen almost everywhere meant that you had more interactions with the other royal family members and those who were close to them - soldiers in higher up ranks, master magicians and magical creature tamers. In passing by, you caught glimpses of the royal family members while serving them in the past years, but that couldn’t be compared to the experience of being in the same room with them, to see them from up-close.

When you first accompanied the Queen to the practise field where prince Jinyoung was receiving his training, you realised that he still lived in your memories as someone around your height with a cheeky smile when he was running around the court, making his nannies run after him, and you were taken aback by his height and his built now. He was tall and slender, but when he reached his sword out to attack, his muscles clearly showed through the thin fabric he wore. Drops of sweat rolled down his cheeks while he was concentrating, and his features were solemn and hard.

His practice partner was Seunghun - a soldier you saw around the court frequently. Rumour had it that he was courting one of the medics, but you didn’t know whether to believe that because all sorts of gossip were flying around. Besides, others’ love life was none of your business, but since you and Seunghun had joined the court around the same time, you knew him and his way of talking to the ladies - all smooth and flirtatious. He had that cheekiness to him even when he was younger, no wonder he was on good terms with the prince.

The Queen halted by the side of the field, and you did, too, a few steps away from her. The prince and the soldier were so engrossed in their practice battle that they didn’t even take notice of her presence until they finished with their round of sword fight, Seunghun coming out as the winner.

“What is the purpose of today’s practice?” The Queen raised her voice, confident and unwavering, while looking at the boys. Seunghun didn’t fail to bow upon seeing her, but his grin was still a bit cocky when he helped the prince to his feet.

“Just some… friendly duel, Your Majesty,” he answered joyfully, and he patted the prince’s shoulder when prince Jinyoung straightened up. “Even if he were to be seriously hurt, one of our great medics would tend to his wounds,” he added in a friendly manner, but you could hear the Queen’s voice hardening when she spoke up.

“Not so much if he can help it himself.”

“Of course,” the soldier’s smile faded immediately, and he bowed his head apologetically. Prince Jinyoung tensed a bit beside his friend, but his eyes were trained on his mother, not on his friend. You didn’t spend enough time around him to tell what his eyes could show, but you had a feeling that he wasn’t that delighted about the Queen’s words. If your assumption about his power was right, you knew why.

“Well then, keep going,” the Queen made a waving gesture with her hands, indicating that they could move on, and turned on her heels to head back to the palace. You bowed to the prince and soldier alongside the other servants, signalling your departure.

Afterwards, you waited for the older ladies to follow suit as they were the first to follow behind, you were supposed to be the last as you were the youngest one. Even though your rank was the same as theirs, age order was still important.

You took a few steps forward when you felt your hair loosen, and you instinctively reached for the back of your neck, gasping when you couldn’t feel your hairpin. You were about to turn around just at the same time as a figure slid into your vision, and put your lotus and dragon carved hairpin into your hands. It was for the briefest of a second, so was his rough touch, but you felt like you could feel the ghost of it on your skin even after he yanked it away.

Your eyes frantically went to the figure’s face, and you were about to open your mouth to thank him, but he put his index finger on his lips. Why couldn’t you thank prince Jinyoung for helping you out? Why wouldn’t you?

You were so baffled by his indication that words died on the tip of your tongue, and he was out of your reach as quickly as he ran up to you, so there was no way you could go after him. You were already behind the other servants, so you needed to catch up to them.

However, as you were hurrying after them, you looked back at the field, the prince and the soldier already in another round of a fight, no remains of the recent incident, only the ghost of his touch on your hand and the mystery in his pitch-black eyes when he handed you your hairpin.

In a magical kingdom like yours, you were grateful that you could be of help to the royal family even though you didn’t possess magic. The magic in your kingdom lied in healing, hence there were two types of medicine in your kingdom: magical and non-magical medicine. Magical medicine was mostly used on the members of the royal court including the royal family and the royal army, plus magical creatures that lived in the woods or in the mountains - such as fairies, unicorns and such - or serving the kingdom - such as dragons guarding the palace.

Non-magical medicine, on the other hand, was used on humans to treat their wounds, and that was what most medics practised outside of the palace, though it was applicable at the court as well in non-emergency cases and subtle illnesses. Magical medicine was also extremely rare since only magical practitioners could deal with it because they were the ones born with the ability to tame magic, but even they needed thorough practice and extensive training to be able to make use of their abilities to their full potential. Magical medics were also almost exclusively serving at the palace. The royal family was also said to be possessing magic in their veins, though they didn’t have to use it on themselves because the most powerful magicians were already in their court, serving them.

Neither of your ancestors had magic, so it was unlikely that you would, but having a scholar as a father and a royal servant as a mother meant that you knew that you could use other skills and strengths to your advantage, so you never felt any less than those who were born with magic. You were merely in awe at what some people could do, and when you could see for yourself how magical medics worked at the palace, you were mesmerised. Even if the Queen had a headache, not a physical injury, all the medic needed to do was place their hands above her core - the centre of her energy - and she was healed, though advised rest for the night.

For that reason, you could leave the Queen’s chamber earlier than usual after helping her to bed, and while the rest of the ladies were heading to their own rooms in the courtyard, you were staying back to stroll around the garden that separated the palace from the court. A part of the garden was reserved for the royal family only, but the other was accessible by everyone, and you liked walking around the pond dotted with a palette of colours, a different type of fish hiding behind each distinctly shaped creature, water lilies breaking the smooth surface of the water and lanterns lighting up the sideways like little stars on the sky.

When you walked these parts of the palace, you wondered if your mother had been the same. She hadn’t really talked about her time at the palace - what she was doing when she wasn’t on duty, how the place looked like and what was her favourite part of the court -, if she did, she only talked about the Queen and her admiration towards the woman. Ever since being part of the court though, you couldn’t help but imagine your mother walking down the same path, looking at the little bridge connecting the path to a pavilion as you did now, walking the same corridors and feeling the same sense of belonging as you did now.

“I hope you’re proud of me, mother,” you mumbled to the dark sky above you that seemed like a blanket covering the palace grounds, your words carried away by the gentle breeze of this fine spring night. You hoped that she was at peace in the spirit realm, and looked over you fondly. No matter how many years had passed by, there was still a part of you that missed her.

With a resigned sigh, you looked down at the pond in front of you, and decided to leave. However, as you were about to walk back, you crossed paths with prince Jinyoung who seemed to be walking around as well. You were surprised that he was alone, no soldiers guarding him, but maybe he had time to himself at these late hours just like the Queen did after you left her in her chambers.

“Your Highness,” you greeted him immediately, bowing out of respect. When you straightened your back, you looked up at the prince, and he was already looking at you, his deep, dark eyes boring into yours. It seemed that he was about to say something, but he changed his mind, and pressed his lips into a thin line. You blinked up at him, uncertain what to do or what to say for it was scarce that you were alone with a royal family member. In fact, it was the first time that it was just the two of you, and the thought sent a shiver down your spine.

“Are you done for the day?” Prince Jinyoung broke the silence after clearing his throat, and your heart was both heavy and light upon his question. You didn’t know what you had expected him to say or if you had expected anything, but his inquiry still caught you off-guard. In a positive way.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

He bobbed his head, acknowledging your words, and you had a feeling that he wanted to say something but couldn’t this time either. Or maybe it was because he seemed so out of reach usually; the mighty, ethereal prince Jinyoung who was said to be cool-headed and reasonable, a great fighter and a hard-worker in whatever he did. He was said to excel in everything, making him the perfect heir to the throne. From a young age, he had the watching eyes of the people, the weight of the kingdom’s future on his shoulders, and a responsibility that could crush anyone, let alone a boy so young. In passing, he had always seemed so composed, knowing exactly what to do and what to say, and you had heard only good things about him.

On the other hand, he seemed so humane now. A human being searching for the right words to say with secrets in his heart and mysteries in his eyes. Libraries of tales were about him, but when he was standing there in front of you in his white royal attire, he seemed nothing more than a boy around your age. The thought soothed your nerves and scared you at the same time.

You shouldn’t look at him that way, you work for the royal family after all.

“Well then…” You broke the silence that fell upon the two of you, bringing him out of whatever stupor he was under. “Good night, Your Highness!” You bowed yet again, ready to continue your walk to the court.

Nonetheless, before you were out of hearing range, the prince spoke up, though his eyes weren’t trained on you, but on the pond in front of him.

“Your mother would be proud.”

The words made you halt and turn to the prince who was examining the water as if he was pondering how to describe the sight properly. The lanterns lit up the way of the footpath, and amongst them, one was shining directly onto him, and now with you in the shadows of a nearby tree, and him in the light, you wondered how the two of you from two different worlds could be having this conversation now.

“How… How do you know about my mother?” You blinked in confusion. You didn’t believe that he could have heard you before, but maybe he could.

“You are not the only one who likes to go to the pond late at night,” he replied without any shame or any cheekiness in his voice as he turned towards you, and even though you were further away than before, you could see the end of his lips curling upwards. Before you could grasp onto this moment though, the prince turned on his heel and walked towards the pavilion, walking away from you and from the light that was shining onto him.

Afterwards, it happened a few more times that you and prince Jinyoung met in the garden, around the pond. Truthfully, when you hadn’t been serving the Queen, and you had been working in the courtyard instead of the palace, you had come to the pond, but not so late at night. However, it felt good to take a bit of a walk somewhere aside from the walls within the palace, and the garden was truly mesmerising under the moonlight. So you could believe that you hadn’t crossed paths with the prince before because you had been walking around at different times.

On the other hand, despite knowing that you might meet him in the garden these days, you didn’t back away. After all, you weren’t doing anything shameful, and no one else was around, so rumours couldn’t fly around regarding you two. At least, you tried to tell yourself such reasonable words, but you were conflicted just how far this could go. A court lady and a prince talking late at night around the pond? No matter how many times you told yourself that this wasn’t wrong, you felt oddly at unease whenever you heard something crackling or murmurs rippling the night air - even from far away.

Yet, when you were in the act of talking to the prince, you couldn’t feel more at ease. Talking to him felt natural and he didn’t seem so distant while sharing stories with you even though you two came from very different backgrounds. Beside you, he seemed like a boy turning into a young man, knowing the responsibilities of his actions yet letting the childish side in him come to the surface when his duties didn’t call for something else.

Not to mention that it was, in a way, fluttering to be able to talk to him in the first place, let alone get to know him. You realised that he was both very different and not so different from you. He didn’t care about your rank, or that you might tell others about what he was telling you because he trusted you enough, and you trusted him the same. Maybe this was why he was open to talk about the disruptions in the kingdom, and how much the royal family would try to protect peace within its borders.

And maybe this was why he wanted to let you know about the secret you had suspected some time ago.

“The truth is, I don’t have magic,” he blurted out one time after silence had taken over the two of you.

You had been looking at the ripples across the pond, watching the many colours dance under its surface, hiding fish in all shapes and sizes, but your eyes found their way to the prince’s delicate features when he spoke up. He looked ahead of himself, his lips pressed into a thin line, and it wasn’t a different image from his usual self. However, instead of his hands resting in his lap, his hands were balled into fists, clutching a part of his snow-white robe.

“Why… why are you telling me this?”

You tried to keep your voice as gentle as possible because you had a feeling that this was a confession that must have been living in his heart for so long, trying to break out, but it was a caged creature - forced within the bars by his family more than himself. Even though not all of the members of a family had magic if one person possessed it since it wasn’t hereditary, it seemed that the royal family wanted it to be true since the King had magic in his veins, and princess Jinhee was said to possess it, too. However, you had a feeling that prince Jinyoung didn’t do so because you had never heard him use it whereas princess Jinhee was frequently praised for her skills.

What was more heartbreaking than this was the fact that the Queen tried so hard to hide his lack of magic - as you had experienced it on the training field when she had claimed that prince Jinyoung would take care of his wounds if he got hurt -, and maybe it was because she came from a different kingdom and thus didn’t have magic, but you had a feeling that she didn’t know the weight of her actions. She didn’t realise how much she was denying something that the prince didn’t wish to talk about to begin with.

You didn’t act like a fool, that’s why you didn’t ask him if it was true for you had a feeling for some time, and he seemed to notice that, too.

“Because I know you’ve figured it out yourself, and it feels good to tell someone else about it apart from my friends,” he explained as he averted his eyes from the scenery to you, and you gulped when you saw the hurt in his pitch-black orbs. Maybe it was that you mistook his pain for secrecy before, but now instead of a stern, out of reach, almighty prince, all you could see was a boy grieving something that had never been his, feeling guilty for something he had no control over and being vulnerable to someone who shouldn’t have mattered to him.

Yet, since he was willing to share his secret with you, you didn’t want to think about whether it was right or wrong. Instead, you wanted to be there for him, comforting him with words.

“You aren’t any less because you don’t have magic, Your Highness,” you whispered to him, afraid that your words might open up his wound instead of tending to it, but he didn’t seem to take it to heart.

“And you aren’t any less because you’ve grown up without a mother,” he added similarly quietly, and you felt your heart drop. You were about to say something, but then, you closed your mouth, pondering how to word this feeling. “See. It’s difficult to believe it no matter how many times others tell you.”

It was difficult, he was right, but you assumed that no one really knew how much the absence of your mother still impacted you, and the way you thought of yourself. He did, it seemed. He might have been reserved and didn’t like to pry in other’s business, but he was perceptive, even more than you would have thought so.

“How do you… Why does it feel like you know me so well, Your Highness?” You furrowed your eyebrows, not accusing, merely curious. Prince Jinyoung, as if he was waiting for you to confirm, let his lips curl a bit upwards before leaning a bit closer to you, as if he was telling a secret.

“I’ve told you. I’ve heard you talk to yourself at this pond. I just never wanted to interrupt you,” he explained matter-of-factly, but that was not enough for you. You didn’t know what took hold of you, but you were persistent, so you asked:

“So why tell me now?”

Prince Jinyoung looked back at the pond, then shrugged his shoulders. After some silence, you decided to drop the topic, and excused yourself to head to your room instead. Your heart was in mayhem already, you didn’t want to continue this dance that had started between you two because you were afraid that all it took was a few more turns to fall into his arms, to fall into him.

Thankfully, he didn’t hold you back, nor did he come with you, so you could walk to the courtyard, your heart still hammering in your chest. That's how you missed him saying to himself after you had left:

“Because you aren’t that unreachable now.”

The fact that you served the Queen directly meant that you knew more about the kingdom’s business affairs than before as the royal family including the King, the Queen, prince Jinyoung and princess Jinhee often attended business meetings with and without the royal council. It was said that it was, so that they knew exactly what was going on in the kingdom, and it was a merit for the children of the royal couple as well. Trading, business affairs and politics were fields that prince Jinyoung would be involved in as the future heir, and princess Jinhee would be considered a knowledgeable young lady if she knew of such topics, making her an even better wife candidate. When the council had a meeting, you were supposed to wait outside along with the other servants, but when it was just the royal family members, you could stay inside and possibly help the Queen to write letters and contracts for her or to read them for her.

The main issue these days was the unjustifiable attacks on a royal carriage sometime ago and a recent revolt near the borders - both lead to the assumption that rebels from the nearby kingdom were behind the attacks. It wasn’t very concerning for now, but the royal family wanted to be prepared for every scenario, and they tried to put out the fire before it could burn down their reputation. That’s how you found yourself accompanying the Queen and princess Jinhee to visit Naturalia that offered favourable trade in exchange for the princess marrying into the family.

You, a few other servants, soldiers from the royal army and two magic medics - including Byounggon whom you frequently saw around prince Jinyoung - accompanied you, so you ended up going in three different carriages, and the plan was to stay for two days and one night. You tried not to look around too much, but you hadn’t travelled outside of the kingdom before because you had started working at the palace from such a young age, and this particular kingdom boosted the magic of nature, so all kinds of surfaces were covered in colourful plants, vivid trees and rainbow-like herbs. You had read that there were people who regularly went to collect such magical plants, but the trading of their magic was limited to their kingdom only. Unless princess Jinhee would marry prince Jaehyeong.

However, your awe was cut short when upon the introductory tour around the palace, you were invited for some tea, and the servant - Hyeri - who tried the so-called immunity boosting drink to test it before the royal family would do so started gasping for air.

“What is it? What is the problem?” The Queen immediately rose to her feet, but you and another court lady were already there to hold onto the woman whose face turned purple. She looked like she was struggling to breathe, constantly hitting her chest with her balled fists and struggling to keep upright.

Bewildered, you found yourself hyperventilating for a moment, but then, you tried to remember what your father had always said. Do something about a problem first, and panic only if the consequences are not in your favour.

“I’ll call for the medics,” you suggested hastily, almost falling over your feet as you picked up the hem of your robe and ran out of the dining room to call for the two medics who were stationed outside in the hall. You quickly explained the situation, but they didn’t waste time either, they immediately came rushing with you. By that time, the woman was already on the floor, lying seemingly unconscious.

You felt your heart beating wildly against your ribcage, like a wild horse that didn’t know where to go in the unfamiliar woods. You couldn’t help but think of the worst case scenario, and you felt blood rushing to your head, making you dizzy. What if it was a trap? What if this was the plan of Naturalia’s royal family all along? What if your Queen was in danger? What if all of you were in danger?

Despite being wary and conscious of the many reasons behind this incident, prince Jaehyeong’s mother was seemingly shocked as well, trying to come up with different scenarios as to why it could happen - maybe the court lady was allergic to the ingredients in the tea -, but the Queen was suspicious, and didn’t let it slide even when the joined effort of the two medics and princess Jinhee’s magic helped Hyeri to regain consciousness.

“It was too strong of an effect for it to be accidental. If three of us needed to use magic to help my court lady, it was intended to kill one of us. Even if the incident was out of your control, it is not safe for us to stay here,” the Queen concluded rather indignantly, and at least the other royal family members didn’t protest, and reassured her that they would do everything in their power to get to the bottom of this case.

The ride back to the palace was a tense one because it meant that even if the Naturalia royal family didn’t want to kill the Queen or the princess, someone in their royal court would want to do so, someone who had the power to get inside their walls and put some kind of poison in the tea. They should have known that such royalty didn’t just drink or eat before testing it out with their servants, so maybe it was a kind of warning. First the carriage incident, then the rebels, now this… Was it all because the two kingdoms were to be united by the prospectus wedding? Did a group of citizens from the other kingdom have anything against your Queen?

You kept thinking about the what ifs, signs you should have seen, but you still couldn’t rack your head around what had just happened. Upon your arrival back at the palace, the Queen asked you to accompany the startled Hyeri to her room instead of walking her back to her chambers since she had other servants who could help her now. You obeyed her, but your voice was shaky as you responded to her, and your hand trembled when you reached out to hold onto the court lady. It could have been you as well, you could have died that day…

“It’s all okay. You’re safe now,” you mumbled to Hyeri nevertheless, trying to soothe her nerves, but you could still see how frazzled she was. Even when you left her after she had thanked you for your assistance and denied that she needed anything else, you could clearly see how terrified she was. You told her that she shouldn’t hesitate to call for you if she changed her mind and needed anything. Afterwards, you left her behind and started aimlessly walking around the court until your legs didn’t feel wobbly anymore. You needed time and some fresh air to clear your mind.

You were just about to head to the court ladies’ house when you walked into prince Jinyoung who looked just as shaken up as you deemed that you had been some time ago. His usually delicate locks sat on top of his head messily as if he had been running his hand through his hair more often than it was necessary, his jet-black eyes were painted with agony, his facial expression alarmed and his voice shaky when he spoke up.

“Are you… alright?” His words came out raspy, as if he was still trying to catch his breath. Did he come to the court ladies’ area after hearing the news? Why did he seem so uncharacteristically concerned? The usually stern and reserved prince didn’t usually meddle with the servants’ business as you had seen. He was on good terms with his soldier friend, Seunghun, and one of the magical medics, Byounggon, but he usually didn’t worry about the court ladies’ safety. Some said that it was because he didn’t want to be swept up in rumours while you deemed that it was only natural since he was royalty, and of the obedient type.

You bobbed your head, though you were at a loss for words seeing him in this state.

“Are you sure you don’t need more medical assistance?” The prince continued, taking a step closer to you as if to examine if you had visible injuries. However, the way he worded himself sent waves of warmth through your body.

“Oh, it was not me who drank the tea. It was court lady Kim,” you justified to the prince whose lips formed a surprised ‘O’ in return. Other than that, he didn’t seem taken aback, more like a bit coy, but his features softened as if he had been relieved by your answer.

“Oh… is she alright, too?”

“Yes, I helped to accompany her back to her room,” you explained, trying to keep the shaking out of your voice. You had never thought before that being in the court could mean that you were in direct danger because you weren’t a soldier or a bodyguard, but it seemed that there were multiple ways one could weaken a King on the throne.

You heard a door opening and carefree chatter coming out of a house nearby, so instinctively, you grabbed the prince’s robe and pulled him to the wall of the nearest house, into the shadows. You couldn’t really tell what took hold of you, but it felt oddly wrong to be so out in the open with just the prince. It was different in the garden when there were just the two of you. It was like your little hideout, an island of solace, a place of security, however now, you felt like you were stripped bare.

Prince Jinyoung’s eyes widened in surprise at first, but he must have guessed your reason for bringing him with you out of the public eye because he didn’t protest, nor did he ask why you had acted this way. Instead, he peeked out from behind the wall, then back at you.

“And you? Are you alright?” He asked as if he had just continued from where he had left off. “This must have shaken you up.”

The way his words were so gentle, so caring made you feel things that you shouldn’t have. If the prince was the moon that lit the way for the people of the kingdom, the light in the darkness, the hope in the unfamiliar, you would be the sun that shone only during daytime, shining bright until night came, and the moon took its place. You two weren’t supposed to encounter each other, let alone seek out time to see each other.

He shouldn’t have cared about you, and you shouldn’t have let him, but still… You couldn’t lie straight to his face.

“I am… I just…” You wanted to say so much, yet the words died on the tip of your tongue. Your heart was way heavy, the flashbacks of the scene in the dining room even heavier, and you felt a drop of tear sliding down your cheeks as you were trying to pull yourself together. You had to stay strong, you couldn’t show him vulnerability. He couldn’t care about your vulnerability. “I am sorry, Your Highness. I do not want to bother you anymore. Please, go on your way,” you said instead, keeping your eyes down as you bowed.

You wanted him to go away, to stop caring, to stop looking at you, but he didn’t budge, and it was a rule that you could straighten up only when a royalty took the first step. However, he didn’t do so, instead, he tapped your shoulder, and helped you straighten up.

“You don’t bother me at all,” he mumbled like a secret, a feeble attempt at diminishing the gap between you two that should have always mattered, but he crossed it as if he didn’t see it at all.

And you, you weren’t strong enough to push him away. Not that day, not in the comforting shadows under the faint moonlight, not out of the public eye when he looked at you as if he was ready to give you the world. The hand that had rested on your shoulder before now slid to your back as he embraced you, holding you strong, holding you steady

The walls crumbled down, the shield of your heart taken away, your rational thoughts tossed aside. Now, there was only his comforting touch that put out even the tiniest flicker of resistance within you, and for a moment, you believed that this could be your reality, your present and future, and your forever.

After the incident, the palace was in uproar. They couldn’t let it slide as promised, and so the investigation started to get to the bottom of this. The royal family of Naturalia was helpful though, and soon enough, they found a group of rebels who didn’t want your kingdom to be in alliance, let alone in union with their kingdom because of the special magical plants they possessed. They deemed that it was their gift and their gift only. It made sense why the attack on the carriage had happened when a letter had been delivered to Naturalia, then around the borders when news had gotten around that a marriage deal had been proposed to princess Jinhee, then when the Queen and the princess had actually gone to visit the other kingdom.

They didn’t find all of the rebels though, and there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t attack again no matter the fact that peace was in both parties’ favour. So for now, the marriage proposal was put on hold, and instead, your kingdom tried to strengthen its ties with other alliances. After the passing of the King in Elementalia - the land of elemental magic where people could possess the ability to control fire, earth, water and air -, his rather young heir took place, but it meant that marrying one of their princesses off to another kingdom would secure their power with a boy king on the throne.

That’s how you found yourself in the room with the Queen, prince Jinyoung and other servants, listening to their conversation about prince Jinyoung marrying the princess in question.

“They are in a tight spot, and we are in need of securing our safety. Who knows when those rebels would attack us again? It is best if we do not push your sister’s marriage with prince Jaehyeong now, but rather, we reassure them that we will not make moves towards their kingdom. The best way to do that is to shift their attention to our other affairs… such as your possible marriage with the princess from Elementalia,” the Queen concluded confidently, but you could hear the indignation in her voice. Seeing one of her court ladies almost getting poisoned took a toll on her as it did on all of you. One of her court ladies had even resigned, feeling like her safety was threatened.

Needless to say, prince Jinyoung was also aware of the tension in the kingdom, and while you had only met him once since that embrace, he had seemed rather troubled then and now as well.

“And princess Yunkyeong is said to be a very intelligent, obedient young lady. You might not be interested in her now, but at least, give her a chance. Let us arrange a meeting with her, and see how you feel about her being your wife. I will not force you to make any rash decisions, but we-”

“We need this marriage deal now to reassure our people that our kingdom isn’t threatened. I know, Mother,” the prince cut her off, his voice void of any emotions. His face was also void of any emotions, save for the slight wrinkles forming on his forehead.

You wished you could do anything to help this situation, but in cases like this, your hard work didn’t mean anything. These affairs were bigger than you, bigger than anyone in the royal court. Plus, the Queen was right. Despite not talking explicitly about what had happened in both the carriage and the tea incident, word had gotten out, especially with the rebels making a ruckus around the border. The people were confused and scared, questioning what the royal family’s next move might be. It was best to reassure them with such prosperous news rather than talk about any uncertainty.

“I will come back when you feel ready to give me your answer,” the Queen suggested as she rose from her seat, and so the servants lined up behind her. As you got in line, you made the mistake of looking at the prince, and he looked back at you, though you couldn’t exactly say you knew exactly what he was feeling. However, a shadow of sorrow passed through his features, but you didn’t know what it was for. Or rather, you didn’t want to know.

So you kept your eyes on the ground even after straightening your back from bowing at the prince, and didn’t look back.

You purposefully didn’t go to the garden afterwards. You could have said that you didn’t have time or you were too troubled by the recent events, but the truth is, you merely wanted to avoid meeting the prince. If you hadn’t had conscience before, now you would have felt like you had betrayed the Queen and all that she had worked so hard for if you had kept up your encounters with prince Jinyoung, and the people had gotten to know about it. Such news might even prompt princess Yunkyeong and her family to step back from their marriage proposal. After all, a prince and a court lady should never meet under private circumstances, let alone embrace in the shadows.

Now more than ever, you regretted letting prince Jinyoung console you in your state, you should have known that it would lead to nothing good. You should have stayed strong, you should have never shed tears in front of the prince. On the other hand, you knew, you knew very well with prince Jinyoung’s personality that he wouldn’t have felt compelled to embrace you even if you had been crying. He had done it because he had wanted to, but this thought only weighed down on you even more. What were you two doing anyway? Even if you had moments when you could have believed that your feelings would be reciprocated, the question wasn’t whether they would be reciprocated, but just how wrong it would be if they were reciprocated? You couldn’t fall in love with a prince.

Nonetheless, it was too late. You felt that bittersweet tug whenever you walked to your room straight after finishing your duties for the day without wandering around in the garden, you felt a wave of childish thrill go through your body whenever you caught sight of similarly pitch-black locks as the prince had - though you knew that it couldn’t be the prince for the royal family always wore white and the court members always wore burgundy-black -, and you felt your heart yearning for him, like a person coming up for air after being underwater for too long.

No matter how many times you tried to tell yourself that you could only make things worse if you felt everything so deeply, so grandly, your heart was at war with your brain, and it seemed that your brain was at defeat. Despite everything, you longed for what you had, for what you could have and for what you would never have with prince Jinyoung.

It didn’t make things any easier that you were there when the prince gave his answer to the Queen - that he would meet the princess in person -, you were there when they were arranging for the arrival of princess Yunkyeong and the Queen of Elementalia, and you were there when they arrived. You even needed to be the one to notify the prince that they arrived, and you felt a lump forming in your throat as you walked closer and closer to the prince’s chamber. You felt like your legs were made of steel, your limbs numb and your heartbeat as erratic as it could be.

Even though you had never been to the prince’s chamber, you knew where it was for it was the room closest to the Queen’s own chamber. Knocking on its door made you think of scenarios where you could do the same, but you quickly got rid of all of these silly fantasies. After all, they were nothing more than fantasies, irrational wishes and ultimately bullets through your already fragile heart.

When the prince answered, you opened the door to his chamber, and you made your way inside, bowing immediately before letting him know about why you were there. You could see that prince Jinyoung was both surprised and reassured by your presence, but he pursed his lips into a thin line when you explained the reason behind your visit.

“What do you think about this marriage?” The prince asked abruptly, and for a moment, you felt like icy thorns were invading your throat, making it impossible to speak, gulp or even breathe. Why did he have to make this even more difficult?

Deep inside, your rational side managed to break free from all the fantasies, and reminded you that you would only make things worse if you acted as if you were affected by the possibility of prince Jinyoung marrying a princess. As he should have after all. So you pulled yourself together, and tried to word yourself very diplomatically.

“I believe it is a very beneficial one, and princess Yunkyeong is said to be a lovely young lady as well, Your Highness,” you reasoned, keeping your voice steady. You even managed to keep eye-contact with him, and you saw confusion flash across his features. He seemed weary, someone who hadn’t been sleeping well because of his tormenting thoughts, and you wished to soothe the wrinkles on his forehead, to feel the warmth of his touch again, and to hold his hand to reassure him that everything would be alright, but you knew it was all just wishful thinking. It was all just a lie.

The prince took a few steps closer to you and you took a few back because you didn’t know what he was about to do without saying a word. Your back almost touched the door, and in a fraction of fragile seconds, he closed the said door, and turned back to you. This way, no one in the corridor could see you or listen to you two.

“Is that what you honestly think?”

His gaze was piercing, almost burning, and it felt like he could see right through you. His usually warm orbs reflected sadness, sorrow and bitterness - something that you saw reflected in your own ones recently. Seeing him in this state made you feel even worse for lying to him, but you had to. Words were your only defence now.

“Yes, Your Highness. I wish nothing but the best for you.”

“Do you believe it would be the best for me if you kept this up, and I would lose you in the meantime?” He kept going on strong, almost demanding, but you could detect the thorn in his words, you could detect his fear. Even though he wasn’t as close to you as he had been when he had embraced you in the shadows, you still felt like he was about to break down your walls. You couldn’t let that happen. Not this time.

“I do not believe that my presence should matter that much, and besides, we should hurry to-” You tried to direct the conversation back to the way it had started, but the prince cut you off, and the sincerity, the pain and the same longing you felt laced his words, and you were rendered speechless.

“It does matter that much even if you might not think so. So just once, can’t you be honest with me? Can’t you tell me what you really feel?”

Amongst many, there was one thing about prince Jinyoung that made him a likely successful heir to the throne: no matter what he said, he could make others believe it, no room for doubts. His voice was always confident, no cracks or wavers, but now, his voice shook. It shook like a man’s during prayers, during struggle and during darkness. As if he was desperate.

You physically ached to give him the answer he wanted, but you were already hurting so much, so you made a promise to yourself that no matter how and when you would meet him again, you wouldn’t let it continue the same way as it had done before. The sooner you could put an end to it, the less it would hurt.

Or so you assumed.

“I do not understand what you intend to say with it, Your Highness, but my duties lie with the Queen, and I always, always put her commands first,” you emphasised sternly, masking your tone in a coldness that you had never found within you before. “So if you could follow me now, that would make my job easier,” you added, strictly drawing the line between you two, and before waiting for his answer like you should have according to the etiquette, you walked around him, opened the door and walked out.

You expected him to follow you, and he did, but you were thankful that he didn’t walk beside you because you had to bite your cheek to keep your tears from flowing. It hurt for you to be so rigid to him, but that was the only way you could put a distance between you two.

So why did it hurt so much? Why did it pain you more to lie to him than if you had just been honest with him? If this was love, why did it hurt so bloody much?

It turned out that princess Yunkyeong was indeed a lovely young lady, and seeing her interact with the prince made you feel undeniably bitter because she was so bright, so considerate and so patient, you wished you could have turned back time to never make him feel anything because you knew why he was so distant. Even though he was trying not to appear stern, you could see the way his facial expressions changed in a fraction of a second when he turned away from her. You knew that the reason was you.

Nonetheless, you hoped that he wouldn’t cling onto the foolish hope of you two ever having your own happy ending because just as much as you would have liked to delude yourself into thinking that you could have anything together, it would be simply impossible as long as you were a servant and he was a prince. Which meant that you could never do so.

So when you heard after the princess’ visit that the prince had given in to the marriage, you should have felt relieved, yet you would be lying if you said that you were. After all, it would mean that you would see the princess around all the time because she would move into the palace after the wedding, and though the pain might numb after a while, her presence would always remind you of what you could have had if it had been for different circumstances.

You tried not to think about it, you really tried, but there was a pang in your chest whenever you and prince Jinyoung were in the same room when he met up with the Queen, and despite not catching each other’s eyes, your heart couldn’t sit still. The same went when you walked by him in the corridor, just one look at him and the fact that you could never be close again almost felt like the consequences of getting burnt. You were too close to the fire, but you were tempted, so you touched the flames, and now you were hurt, yet still yearning to do it again. Now you understood the expression that you would walk through fire for someone, you really did.

You were almost glad that the Festival of Day and Light happened a few days before the wedding because you could get time off to visit back home, to visit the festival because the Queen was preoccupied with the wedding arrangements, and hence, she would stay inside her chamber for most of the day.

It was the usual yearly festival for the fall equinox, and when you had been younger, you had been ecstatic to spend this day with your mother, to commemorate the gift of light, and to light a candle for all your loved ones, wishing them a bright year. There were all kinds of games for kids, stalls of delicacies lining up on the main market square, people lighting candles and placing them on the riverside that crossed the capital of the kingdom, and white or yellow decorations in the shape of stars, the Sun and the Moon.

Despite the usual joyous atmosphere of the celebration, ever since your mother had died, you hadn’t gone out to celebrate it as your father wasn’t the kind to believe in such things. So this year as well, you went home for the day, had a meal together with your father, helped him around the house, talked about everything that came to mind, then headed back to the palace later at night. Yet, there was no way you would be able to go around the celebrations on the main market square, so you mindlessly walked through it.

To be precise, you wanted to, but an elderly woman with an impossibly wide smile shoved a candle into your hand, and looking down at it, you didn’t have the heart to not light it up. So you walked to the edge of the river, a less crowded part of it, and crouched down to touch your candle to the wick of another one, watching as the flame moved from one candle to the other.

Then, you placed yours on the ground, closed your eyes and wished for your father’s health, your mother’s comfort in the spirit realm, the court ladies’ perseverance, the Queen’s well-being and even for prince Jinyoung’s happiness. You really wished nothing but the best for him even if you weren’t a part of it.

When you opened your eyes to the world around you and straightened up, you didn’t expect to find a familiar pair of jet-black eyes staring back at you. Your heart and mind didn’t even have time to protest, the words already rolled off your tongue.

“Your Highness,” you greeted him with your mouth slightly agape, then pulled yourself together for a proper bow. He placed his index finger on his lips - just like the time he had picked up the hairpin for you -, and the déjavu of the whole situation sent a chill down your spine.

He indeed looked like he didn’t want to be seen as he didn’t wear his trademark white robe, but a burgundy-black one with a hood that now covered most of his face, but you could never mistake his orbs for anyone else’s. You had stared into them, you had gazed at them and you had daydreamed about them enough times to be able to recognise them anywhere.

“What are you doing here?” You inquired quietly. It wasn’t unheard of that the royal family members went out for such celebrations, but then they walked into the sea of people in their usual clothes with bodyguards around them. This time, the prince seemed to be alone, and you expected him the least out of anyone since his wedding was just around the corner.

“I’ve never had the opportunity to light a candle. I’ve gotten Seunghun’s clothes, so that I could come here in peace, and then I saw you here…” He trailed off by the end as if he wasn’t sure that he should have said so much, but you could understand him. Especially after how you had lied to him last time.

“Should you be here so close to your wedding?”

Your question might have been assumed to be laced with malice, but you didn’t ask about it out of spite. You were concerned about him, that’s all. You knew how fussy the Queen was about the whole wedding, and it took a toll on prince Jinyoung (or was it that he still didn’t let go of you?). The last thing you had expected from him these days was to see him at the festival.

“Probably not,” he replied, and despite the tense question, the corner of his lips curled upwards, a bit childish and a bit bashful. Not the expression you had expected to see on him given his general state nowadays.

However, the prince didn’t seem guilty now, but there was definitely melancholy in his features. His lips couldn’t bloom into a full smile, his eyes weren’t twinkling, and his limbs were all tensed up as if he was ready to bolt anytime. Maybe he really was, seeing how he covered himself up.

Your heart ached for him, for all the possibilities that were crushed by the sole difference between your ranks, and for all those endless fantasies he had been a part of, ones that popped into your mind whenever you let your mind wander off, whenever you caught sight of him at the palace, and whenever you walked by the pond in the garden. Even though the latter had become a place of solitude, a safe haven for you, now it was just another thing that reminded you of your pain. The wound was there, and it was still open, it was still bleeding, no wonder it was difficult to wait out the time it would start to heal.

And in a way, something in your gut told you that he was the same. His following words proved it, too.

“But I’ve wanted to wish for someone’s bright future even if I won’t be a part of it,” prince Jinyoung suddenly broke the silence, his voice coming out raspy. He crouched down to light his own candle as he continued, but you were glad that he couldn’t see your face because his words struck you to your very core. “I felt like I wasn’t supposed to tell her after what we’ve been through and that she wouldn’t let me tell her how I wish the best for her, so I came here instead. I was hoping that my wish would somehow be carried forward.”

The more he talked, the more certain you were that he was talking about you, and instinctively, tears began to spill. You tried to hold them back, but they found their way to the surface, and all you could do was to sob silently, hoping that prince Jinyoung would look at his candle for a long enough time, long enough for your heart to prepare itself for a response, for your heart to prepare itself for a possible goodbye.

You reached to wipe the tears off your face, but as the prince straightened his back, that’s exactly what he caught you doing, so there was no turning back. You let your sobs reverberate through your body, your words following the rhythm of your tears like raindrops on a windowsill.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled through tears, not being able to look him in the eye. So you just stared at your shoes instead while your tears dropped to the ground one after another. Drip… drop… drip… drop… “I thought that being harsh would be the only way I could make it hurt less, but it still hurts so much.”

“I know. I don’t blame you,” came the answer almost immediately, and when you looked at prince Jinyoung through the waterfall of your tears, you saw the same kind of longing that you dressed your features in these days. If anything, that just made you feel worse. Why couldn’t you be as heartless as last time?

You sobbed quietly, hoping not to attract unnecessary attention, but this part of the riverside was pretty quiet, and the stillness of it all magnified the loudness of your beating heart. You felt like it would break through your ribcage to find the prince’s own heart because it was what it sought after. Too bad that you couldn’t listen to your heart now…

“I’m sorry, too,” prince Jinyoung added, his voice cracking by the end.

You knew what was to come even before it happened, but as opposed to last time, you didn’t feel warmth, you didn’t feel comfort. When the prince embraced you, there was pain; because when you share the same kind of pain with someone, your pain is amplified by the other’s pain. It was a gawking, raw, soul crashing kind of ache, one that you felt in your bones, in your veins and in your heart. You couldn’t even do anything about it, your arms just hung idly by the prince’s body, your tears spilling endlessly, words abandoning you and sobs scratching your throat instead.

You couldn’t tell how much time had passed by when the prince let go of you, but you had a feeling that it was for good. When he squeezed your hand gently, you could feel the hesitation only for a short moment, and then, he slowly slipped through your fingers, all of your remaining hope leaving with him.

The walls that he had broken down now laid at your feet, lifeless and in multiple, messy pieces.

You somehow pushed through the wedding, but afterwards, you kept coming down with something, and even Byounggon’s healing and the medics’ tips couldn’t help because it just kept coming back, so the Queen granted you indefinite leave to go back home and to recharge yourself.

The truth is, once you were off the palace grounds, you got better, and you had a feeling why. On top of that, your father was also feeling poorly, so you were glad that you could be at home during this time. The truth is, ever since you had left for the palace 16 years ago, you hadn’t spent more than a week straight at home, so now that you were there, you realised just how much time had passed by, just how lonely your father must have been, how worn out your old shoes had been, and how loaded all your bookshelves were.

You made yourself busy in and around the house, cleaning up, buying new pillows for yourself and new clothes for your father (it seemed that he didn’t like spending money on himself, rather on books), picking up some herbs for your father from the nearby medics - from two young men, Hyunsuk and Yonghee, who were said to be good friends -, cooking, sewing clothes that were torn, reading the books you had not yet read from the shelves, and daydreaming about how you would take prince Jinyoung to your home, how you would lead him around the house and how you would introduce him to your father… if the circumstances had been different, and he hadn’t been a prince married to a princess.

The news of the royal family reached your neighbourhood as well, so you knew that the prince was on a trip to Elementalia with his wife, and maybe that’s what prompted you to go back to the palace then to formally hand in your written resignation.

The Queen didn’t seem taken aback by your decision, in fact, she rose from her usual sitting position, put her hand on your trembling ones, and gave you an almost motherly smile.

“Thank you so much for your service in the past 16 years. Your mother would be exceptionally proud of you. I wish nothing but the best for you and your father,” she said as she sent you on your way, and when you walked out of her chamber and passed by prince Jinyoung’s own chamber, you knew that it was for the best. Maybe some would say that you ran away from him, but you knew that you couldn’t have run away from the pain even if you had tried. So you had tried to give yourself space and time to decide what would be the best for you, and both your body and your heart thanked you for this decision.

You couldn’t help a teardrop roll down your cheeks though as you stepped through the gates - probably for the very last time -, flashbacks washed into a wheel of events; so much laughter, so much learning, so much love and so much pain. Like the different colours of a rainbow, all of these were needed to make you who you were today, and even though you didn’t believe in forever anymore, you would always, truly, deeply wish for nothing but the best for prince Jinyoung. He had given you so much care and affection, and this was the only way you could repay him.

A/N: I managed to finish writing and proofreading this story in time for the comeback, but I didn't think that it would top all the pain that the comeback might cause. Sorry for that, but I hope that you enjoyed the angst of it!

How do you like the comeback, the MV and the album? Do you have a favourite song? I love suffering, and I love emotional MVs, but the MV and the whole album were on another level in the best way possible. I think the boys outdid themselves again, and I'm super proud of them!

All in all, I hope you enjoyed the story! Thank you so much for reading it! ❤️

If you want to read more stories of mine, let it be for CIX or for other bands, consider signing up for my taglist here.

On top of that, keep your eyes out for the other boys' stories set in this universe! 😉

#cix #jinyoung #cix imagines #cix scenarios #cix x reader #cix x you #jinyoung scenarios #jinyoung imagines #jinyoung x reader #jinyoung x you #bae jinyoung scenarios #bae jinyoung imagines #bae jinyoung x reader #bae jinyoung x you

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knightyoomyoui · 1 year

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The Tale Of The Bloodline | TWICE MiSaMo (Mina, Sana & Momo) x Male Reader- CHAPTER 1: “Help Wanted”

Enjoy the pilot chapter of this roller coaster ride of a story based from the current critically acclaimed storyline in wrestling industry between a wrestling faction The Bloodline consisting of wrestlers Roman Reigns, The Usos (Jimmy and Jey), Solo Sikoa along with their manager Paul Heyman and wrestler Sami Zayn, both from WWE.

Authors note: Unlike the original source that was only full of family and brotherhood drama, this one has romance included that is centered on one of the trio and you as the male reader.

After a match that is part of the current card for tonight's show has just finished, the cameras switched next to the backstage; where a black limousine just appeared and parked in an empty available lot.

The door opened, revealing a man wearing a full business tuxedo attire first while carrying two huge gold championship belts in his shoulders as he hopped out of the expensive car.

His name is Park Jinyoung, the wiseman and special adviser of the group whose about to emerge next.

Out of the car after follows four other passengers that made the crowd inside the arena resonate in a mix of loud boos and cheers.

They closed the door and aligned themselves with Jinyoung. A smirk crept up on the manager as the owner of the prize he's carrying on his arms has made his presence beside him.

Standing on the left side was The Myouis, twin siblings Mina and YN who are carrying also two belts respectively, one is a black strapped with bronze plate and one is a red strapped with yellow plate.

They are the current Tag Team Champions, reigning for 279 days and they are intergender, which means they are a team composed of a male and a female and it is completely legal in their company for opposite genders to fight in the battleground.

Loyalists of gender equality indeed.

And last but not least or should be either called it rather, saving the last for the best; standing on the right side of Special Adviser Jinyoung was the cousins of the Myouis, the reigning, defending and undisputed Japan Fightful Federation's World Champion himself whose reign is now about to reach 600+ days being undefeated.

Nakamoto Yuta, the crowned Highness Of The Land in their hometown Kobe, Japan, as well as being the proclaimed Empire Chief of their royal fighter clan.

Until now, their bloodline is standing tall at the highest throne in their sacred Judgment Dome, and Underground Fight Club-like place where people sign up and fight through matches in the Fight Pit with some helps to determine who will be the defending champion's challenger and the high ranking champion will only get to fight at a special event.

Since none has ever beaten Yuta for the title yet, that means Yuta still remains as the supreme leader of some cities in Japan where Yuta defended his titles winningly. That's the additional reward for anyone who will be the Japan's World Champion in that particular field.

"Now we're all seeing the arrival of The Bloodline in backstage, led by the Undisputed Japan's Champion, the Empire Chief himself present in the show. We're gonna witness more of them live next on Knockdown!", the commentator said as the cameras slowly fades off from its presentation of the Bloodline entering the building.

-TIMESKIP-

After the commercials rolled, the show went back on air as the entrance theme for The Myouis played in the titantron and through the speakers of the arena with Myoui YN appearing first before her twin sister Mina trailed behind.

The bell rang thrice before the announcer shouted.

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall, introducing first; accompanied by Myoui Mina: one half of the Undisputed Japan Fightful Federation Tag Team Champions, Myoui YN!!!"

The crowd then created another echoes of boos and cheers for the arrival of the Tag Team Champions and pieces of The Bloodline themselves.

"You got this, brother!", Mina patted YN's shoulder and they both nodded at one another before YN climbed up in the ring with a smile, raising his index finger to the sky as it represents their team's catchphrase "We The Ones".

YN prepares himself, hopping and running back and forth as he stares at the entranceway, waiting for his opponent to arrive.

Few moments later, the entrance theme of the next fighter was played after.

"And his opponent, from Seoul, South Korea weighing in at 103 pounds; Jang Wonnnnyoung!"

Wonyoung walked down in the ramp as she greeted some of the crowd sitting in the front row cheering for her, returning their waves of high five offers with a lovable smile.

She entered in the ring, a piercing stare from YN received but was unintimidated by it; knowing that despite being a champion she knows that she still has a chance to face and defeat him.

The two stood at each corners before the referee rang the bell, signalling for them to begun fighting.

-12 MINUTES LATER-

"YN charging down through Wonyoung- OH! Wonyoung side stepped!", the announcer called the match while monitoring the fight in the ring focusedly.

At the same time in the backstage, the camera cuts at Yuta along with Jinyoung standing behind his back; also watching the match in a large LED screen at their locker room.

Back to the match, Wonyoung did avoided YN's incoming charge attack, making the tag champ crash at the turnbuckle.

He rotated around, only to meet a spinning kick from Wonyoung in the head; successfully had YN dizzy and fall into fours.

Wonyoung immediately went through the congruent corner, hyping up the crowd more as the impending doom for YN is about to be delivered courtesy of her.

"And now, Wonyoung from the other side; looking to capitalize YN with a knee strike- OH WAIT A MINUTE!"

Just as Wonyoung is now all prepared to charge straight at YN, everybody in the arena saw Mina climbed up in the border of the ring which caught the referee's attention

"MYOUI MINA WITH THE INTERFERENCE! DISTRACTING BOTH THE REFEREE AND WONYOUNG TO PROTECT HER TWIN BROTHER YN!

The referee approached her and asked her to leave the ring. It made the irritated Wonyoung try to attack Mina but Mina avoided by jumping out.

As she was about to return her focus back, Wonyoung ate a crunchy super kick right through her face by YN which urged the crowd to boo harder at him at Mina, but was unaffected and instead supporting her brother more to finish the match already. Just doing how bad guys usually do.

"WONYOUNG WITH A SURPRISE SUPERKICK FROM YN, AND NOW... YN UP TOP; GOING ONE AND DONE WITH A SPLASH! COVER!"

YN hastily climbed up to the top turnbuckle and performs a frog splash on Wonyoung, lifting up her leg as the referee began counting.

"1...2...3"

The bell rang.

"YN wins for the Bloodline due to the unfair assist from Mina.", said by the announcer disappointingly.

"Here is your winner, Myoui YN!", the referee reaches for YN's arm, distancing him from the unconscious and defeated Wonyoung laying in the ring.

YN's arm was raised in victory and Mina entered the ring with the Tag Titles in her hand, giving the other one to her brother and congratulated him for his win.

"Thanks sis."

"Always have my back for you, bro.", Mina smiled and hugged his exhausted twin before they mocked the crowd for their favorite's lose as they made their way out on the ramp.

-15 MINUTES LATER-

The large screens above the ring and the entranceway as well as everyone's watching that were not present live in the show is seeing The Bloodline together in their locker room.

The freshly fought YN is resting in the couch along with his cousin Yuta on the center and Mina on the other side, with Jinyoung in his single chair all both sitting comfortably.

They were discussing about how it made YN's win delightful and some random family topic when a knock on the door made them all alerted.

"Check who's outside.", Yuta commanded Jinyoung.

"Yes, my Empire Chief."

Jinyoung stood up from his seat and quickly opened the door slightly, peeking at the gap on who could that person be.

What he saw knitted his eyebrows in complete confusion at its unexpected appearance.

He kept it as he left the door slightly opened and the person behind it, walking back and bent his body to set his face closer to the ears of the Empire Chief who sensed the incoming update coming from him.

"My Empire Chief, there's a... guest who wants to see you.", Jinyoung said with a puzzled tone.

"A guest?"

Jinyoung nodded.

"Who?", Yuta asked cluelessly.

Jinyoung clapped his hands twice, his own way to gesture the mysterious person to come inside.

Opening the door widely, it revealed its identity who is a gorgeously, well-built woman wearing her fighter attire; causing Yuta, Mina and YN to join Jinyoung crumpled their foreheads even more in utter confusion at how unfamiliar this girl is.

"You may now introduce yourself.", Jinyoung instructed.

"Hi!!! You all must be the rulers of this kingdom around here! Great to see all of you!", the woman enthusiastically greets the bewildered Bloodline while jumping in glee. It made their heads flinch a bit when she added a loud clap at the end.

"And you, sir Yuta; first and foremost I just wanted to say that... I acknowledge you.", the woman pointed her finger directly at Yuta who guaranteedly hooked his interest at her after she said that one thing he always wants to hear from people who has to get to see him on the show; raising his one eyebrow at her.

"I haven't said my name yet, do I? Well, my name is Minatozaki Sana, just a newcomer here and I'm a huge fan of every one of you, especially you; Empire Chief!"

The rest just watched the fighter present herself in front of them without shame and pure energetically as if she's literally speaking to somebody she has already met and known personally before.

She's giving this very comfortable connection that it lessens the awkwardness of the atmosphere they're sharing at the same time and with that being said, it lures them to also build their want to chat with this stranger.

"The stuff that you're doing recently? With all those smashing and punching, it is absolutely great!", Sana taunted a chef's kiss and other hand movements to act and emphasize her words further.

The group silently decided to continue listening at her, letting her to speak her intention of visiting here bravely more and more at them.

"No dispute, Yuta Nakamoto: the Highness Of The Land. No question at all. I see and hear everything around here and- wait lemme give you an example.

Earlier, I happened to eavesdrop LE SSERAFFIM and Kim Jennie there being goodies at each other and- hold on I heard you two will have a title match against them, if I'm not mistaken right?", Sana travelled her fingers back and forth at Mina and YN who didn't responded vocally but deep inside they knew that what Sana said is true.

They do have a scheduled match against Miyawaki Sakura and Kim Chaewon also known as the duo LE SSERRAFIM for the Tag Team Championships at the upcoming special pay-per-view event next week after the crowd favorite duo challenged them from the previous show and accepted it.

"So yeah, and now they're all going to be on my lumberjack match tonight which is... HAHAHAHA it's really unbelievable.", Sana laughed crazily at the ridiculous thought.

"Look, I don't mean to snitch, I'm not a rat but... I happen to hear them say very disrespectful things about your family, Yuta."

Mina and YN looked at her while Yuta intensely stared, his eyebrows never spread apart as he stroked his chin; stressfully waiting for what's about to follow for him to know.

"That, I guess... brings me to my proposal."

Sana kneeled in front of Yuta.

"As of late, my reputation as of late with how the people welcomes me here has me taking hit after hit and now it keeps getting worse because they think that I shouldn't fight Kim Jennie tonight because I should be rather scared WHICH I'M NOT!", Sana's tone gets louder and more maniacally at how irritating it makes her think and feel regarding that.

"What I need more than anything is to beat Kim Jennie to gain the respect and credibility that I deserve and owe to prove to everyone that even as a newbie I won't let anyone belittle me just like that!", Sana expressed her frustration in her rant, aggressively pointing at herself.

"I have to beat Kim Jennie. So I guess what I'm getting at is that maybe there's was some way.... that I could get some help with that."

Yuta, YN and Jinyoung knitted their brows once again, but this time... it got more narrow and deeper at how eager they are at this Sana girl's proposition.

"I would be more happy to help out in return."

Sana shrinked her distance of herself to Yuta who didn't looked at her, sliding her knees at once inches away to him; formed her hands as if she's praying or begging.

"Trust me when I tell you this, I could be a very valuable ally here. I acknowledge you... and I want you to recognize me because... as I said, I acknowledge you.", Sana repeated that golden praise over and over again as part of her pleading. Yuta nodded slowly, showing a sign that he's liking what she's doing.

Sana sprung her body back up in posture, which effectively flinched again the Bloodline in surprise again.

"OKAY! GOOD TALK, I SAID THE THING AND I... have to go now. Bye!", Sana nervously smiled in the end before exiting the room; leaving the Bloodline processing everything what Sana just told to them.

YN pushed his head near beside Yuta who remains unmovable and speechless; hands clenched at one another as he stares at the wall sharply.

"So we got people... in my show... talking harsh about me and our family.", Yuta gritted his teeth, lips quivering in growing anger as he tilted his head to YN's direction.

He included Mina at the width of his sight, turning his head at his younger cousin with his same demeanor.

"Take my name... out of their filthy mouths."

YN and Mina looked at each other as they realized they were just informed a new mission to accomplish by their infuriated Empire Chief while Jinyoung decided not to join and maintain his silence at the situation.

#twicemina #twicesana #twicemomo #twicemomoxmalereader #twicesanaxmalereader #twiceminaxmalereader #twicemisamo #twicemisamoxmalereader #misamo #twicefanfic #twiceau #kpopau #kpopfanfic

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sugarwithtea · 2 years

Text

truth or dare || ksj

pairing : seokjin x reader

genre : angst, fluff, ex-best friends to lovers

rating : pg-15

summary : You and Seokjin meet each other again at a college reunion, him igniting the feelings of first love inside you after not meeting him for 4 years after an unexpected seperation. He still doesn't know the reason for it and you have never dared to tell him the truth. Maybe this time, you play the game courageously. Maybe not. Who knows?

word count : 6.3k

warnings : swearing, alcohol consumption, flashback scenes, kissing, miscommunication (i mean, ofc), crying, mentions of body insecurity, first love themes, jin being indecisive as fuck, peer pressure (if you can say it so then), this ain't a warning but his appearance is a bit fancy!! overall - it's seokjin being a hazard for all of us.

author's note : thankyou to the loveliest @gimmethatagustd for requesting this fic with this dialogue prompt <33 love ya jai :) and thanks to my love @highly-functioning-mitochondria for beta-ing it :))

mood : this love (taylor's version) - taylor swift

seokjin's aesthetic/moodboard

sugarwithtea m.list || taglist form (for future fics)

"I still don't really understand what happened between us."

The golden lights casted a beautiful shadow over the main dance floor, elegant and royal. The waiters weaved through the buzzed crowd of elite looking adults, your ex classmates, to be precise, quite skillfully.

Your eyes scanned the crowd to take in the stark differences, if any, in your classmates' appearances. It had been four years since you last met them. You had been in contact with a few of your friends from college, but had lost most of them eventually. Some faces greet you with a friendly smile which you instantly return, while some just dismiss your presence as you do the same.

Taehyung had been keen on bringing you to your college reunion this time, one that happens every two years. You don't know why they hold a reunion every two years. Presumably, you had missed the first party and had then met an absolutely enraged Taehyung as he had failed to spot you at the location it was held at.

So now, here you were, leaning against the bar with a champagne flute in one of your hands and the other nervously twirling your hair. You were not specifically excited or even scared to meet someone, except one person.

Kim Seokjin.

Even the mere thought of his name brings heat straight to your face and you cower behind the glass, taking a sip from it to hide your sudden blush.

You and him went way back to your childhood days. Both of you became friends as you were neighbours and then went on to become classmates in college. He had always been your support system and safe place when you went through the ups and downs of your life, your best friend.

He had also been one more thing.

Your first love.

You were never able to act on your feelings, always too scared to break the friendship or distance yourself from him. You confidently believed that he didn't reciprocate your love, that his love was just platonic, not because he dated other people frequently. No, he rarely did that. The only girlfriend he ever had was one in the last year of highschool, when you weren't classmates yet, just neighbours and friends.

The thing which made you believe that he never loved you, and will never love you, was an incident that took place during your last year.

— 4 years ago —

"Where are we even going, Heejin?"

"To the gym." she delightfully responds as she drags you across the corridors, heading towards the gym.

"What for?" you exasperatedly groan.

Her eyes sparkle with mischief and a slight bit of adoration as she answers.

"Jinyoung is there. The boys are practising for their next match. Might as well catch them in action, yeah?" she winks at you as she pulls you inside the gym, pushing open the doors authoritatively.

Loud laughter greets you as soon as you step inside, followed by incoherent mumbles and yellings of excited boys. All of them fall to deaf ears for you, except for one.

Seokjin's.

The fact that he was the captain of the basketball team had completely slipped your mind. His windshield laugh only allows you to know that he might have made some stupid joke or pun, and is now laughing heartedly at it.

Your lips, who seem to have a mind of their own, form a smile at the sound of his happiness. You can imagine his crinkled eyes, full lips stretched into a proud grin, his handsome face contorted into pure mirth and his shoulders shaking from his joy.

The realisation that you loved him had dawned on you long ago, and the feelings just increased every time you saw him, heard him or thought of him, with an aching feeling inside your heart.

You were not so sure about what he would reciprocate if you opened up your heart to him, but still were hopeful. His actions were the ones of a best friend, but there were some moments where you felt like maybe even he was in this a little too deep, if not as much as you were.

You and Heejin settle behind the door that seperated the lockers from the main court. The laughter soon died and suddenly Jinyoung spoke up.

"Jin, your turn! Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

A series of ooh's followed his choice and both you and Heejin held your breath in excitement for what's to come next.

"Okay so," started a lanky boy who had been leaning against the lockers all the time, with mischief in his eyes.

"Who'd you fuck? Y/N or Hana?" he ended and everyone present in the gym went quiet at the question.

You could hear your heartbeat up in your ears and your eyes were as wide as saucers as you registered Heejin staring at you with the same surprised reaction, while gulping to watch your expressions.

"What the fuck?" Seokjin gasped out as the fog of shock faded slowly from around everyone present there.

All the boys except Jinyoung and Yoongi started the usual series of laughter and noises as their anticipation for Seokjin's answer rose steadily, two of them even having the nerve to clap him on the back in a friendly, nonchalant way. The lanky boy was now grinning from ear to ear as he stood straight, standing as tall as Jin and advanced towards the middle of the group, directly in front of Jin.

"Aww, seems like someone is scared that his best friend will be upset if he disagrees to fuck her." he says in a mocking, high pitched tone while jutting out his bottom lip to mimick a dramatic pout.

Laughter breaks out almost immediately and you try to hide yourself from the girl beside you. These were college boys, immature and insensitive. You could not take their words seriously and let them affect your thoughts.

"Oh, or wait." the same lanky boy, whom now you recognised as Woomin continued, "Don't tell me you are hesitant because you want to have sex with her?"

Silence spreads once again while some of the boys morphed their expression into one of disgust, mumbling shocked profanities under their breath or to each other, inaudible to you, but quite obviously those not in your favour. A string of ‘what?, really?, oh my god seokjin no!' were passed through them which made you want to run away.

Jin stood in shocked poise even when Woomin walked up too close for him to be comfortable, looked him straight in his eyes with a sly smirk as he opened his mouth once again to spew utter nonsense.

"Tell me, Seokjin. Would you fuck Y/N or not?" he asked in an almost whisper.

"I'm not answering a shitty question like that." Jin spoke through gritted teeth while his whole form was on the verge of shuddering.

Woomin stepped back and spread his arms in an authoritative manner, still looking at him in the eyes.

"If you don't then we'll know it's a yes."

Jin's eyes grew as wide as they could while he took a small step back, his whole body language shouting "DEFENSE MODE! DIE OR SURRENDER"

Woomin and the boys doubled down in laughter, him hitting his knee with his hand while one tall guy, taller than Seokin, says,

"Not Y/N Jin. Not her." as he scrunches his nose in disappointment and visible disgust at the thought.

Your heart dropped to your feet when you saw Jin feeling all attacked and hesitant, even considering answering this shitty question to save his pride or erase his cowardness.

He regained his footing as he straightened up, eyes still wide as a toddler's and lips trembling to form an answer.

"I won't."

If you wanted to run away before, now you want to bury yourself right then and there especially when a whole team is having a conversation about you with Heejin not so sneakily trying to glance at you to gauge your reaction.

"Why?" Woomin oh so smugly questions and Seokjin had to stick his chin up, if ever so slightly with hesitation visible as daylight in his form to get himself and his answer approved by his beloved team.

Of course Jin won't fuck his bestfriend, why would he? You think. He might reason it as you being his best friend and your dynamic being platonic, leaving no space for y'all to think about sex with each other but what he says next has tears welling up in your eyes as you try to hold them back from falling.

"I would never fuck someone like her."

You couldn't stop yourself from running away from there while choking on a sob. You didn't care anymore what Heejin thought about your reaction, you wanted to be away from everyone.

You kind of knew that Jin always thought of you platonically but never in a million years would you have thought of him referring to you like this, as if you were some untouchable, unfuckable being who only spewed disgust from others when she went in front of them.

The tears were unstoppable as they dampened your pillow, one that you had stuffed your face in as soon as you reached home and shut the door of your bedroom to save yourself from the prying eyes of your roommate.

You were never confident about your body. You knew you didn't have the model figure but you also didn't regard it dismissively with contempt and disgust. You weren’t fat but you weren't size zero either. Your heart broke when you thought of people regarding you like this for your appearance.

You pinch at the flesh of the slight cellulite forming on your thighs and cry out louder. You knew you were being insensitive with yourself, blaming yourself for a natural cause. But, you never knew why he disregarded you so easily. It could have been your body, it could have been your personality, it could have been you.

Haste and anger lead to the worst decisions ever.

The same happened when you decided to distance yourself from Jin to get over him and to also process your feelings and thoughts about the most childish game you had witnessed.

You stop the waiter to get your fifth glass of champagne as Taehyung rambles on at your side about his latest encounter with Namjoon and Jimin at the Annual Business Conference, both of them working as Regional Managers for two leading companies when Taehyung himself worked as the CEO's personal assistant of a major tech firm. Both of them were unable to attend the reunion and thus Taehyung was giving the details about their whereabouts to you.

You spot Yoongi a second later, striking up a conversation with the DJ of the night, who was doing a lazy job at hyping up the crowd, given the low beat and soft tone of the music he played.

You nonchalantly glide your eyes over the crowd when suddenly Taehyung pauses his ramble causing you to look at him. He donned his boxy grin as his eyes sparkled up with recognition. As you follow his line of sight, you spot your worst nightmare, or maybe your best dream.

Seokjin gracefully strides over to you in his full glory. Wearing a black shirt with a few buttons open at the top, covered by a black blazer, while his shirt was tucked into black slacks which impressively showcased his thighs, he looked like a fucking god. His hair was side parted, one part fell onto his eyes while the other was swept back with the most beautiful mullet. He had let go of a tie and one of his hands was in his pocket while the other held a champagne flute.

Dionysus might have been ashamed of the sight in front of him. Seokjin looked alluring, especially with the alcohol in his hand, he gave a complex to the Greek god himself. His plump, full lips were in a dashing smile as his eyes crinkled at the ends with joy.

As if like a strong gust of wind, all the college days come back to you in a jiffy. You were reminded of the days you both spent sneaking out of your houses to have a walk at the park, the day you both were delighted to know you got in the same college, when you stayed with him at the skating park till nightfall and talked about everything, when you cheered for him from the bleachers during his games, when he comforted you during your first breakup, bringing tubs of your favourite ice cream and watching sappy romance movies with you all night. When you realised you were in love with him, the night of your college fair, everything.

You also remember the days when he tried to talk to you but you merely made an excuse or ran away. You remember how your hangouts and meetings kept on decreasing till they stopped completely. You remember how he still smiled at you whenever you ran into each other and never showcased any annoyance or sourness, you remember it all.

He quickly engulfs Taehyung in a hug as he excitedly shouts his name. You notice how his biceps flex through the blazer as he wraps an arm around Taehyung and quickly pulls your eyes away, gulping down the remainder of your champagne.

You are the next one he will greet, of course. You know he is still a gentleman and that he never stopped considering you as a friend. He lets go of Taehyung and soon speaks.

"Hey man it's been a long time, yeah?"

"Says the man who’s holed up in his office at every opportunity he gets."

"Says the man who works for the CEO but when I ask if he'd like to be CEO, he declines."

"What the fuck does it even mean?"

"CEO you know — C each other."

You could not stop the laughter bubbling in your throat as it came out in a giggle when Taehyung groaned while facepalming himself at Jin's stupid pun.

"Oh my god that was so lame, Jin" he says.

He laughs his legendary laugh as his eyes land on you and not to be dramatic or something, but your breath truly hitches when you see those beautiful orbs stare right into yours. All traces of laughter vanish from his face as a dashing smile takes its place instead.

"Y/N" he breathes out almost in a whisper, while tilting his head a bit so as to truly look at you. He smugly takes your hand in his and leaves a soft kiss on your knuckles as you stare at him in awe, jaw slack due to surprise and a blush creeping up your neck and cheeks at his actions.

"Kim Seokjin at your service, my lady." he says as he bows down gracefully, your hand still in his. You furrow your brows in question at his sudden odd behaviour but still can't stop getting all flustered at it. He notices your state and pulls you in for a hug with the same hand.

The music seemed to have gotten slower and as you crashed against his chest, still in a shock, your senses went into an overdrive. His cologne fills your nose and the hand that finds solace around your waist burns into your skin. Your eyes widen but soon, you relax within his grasp. Trying to calm down your breathing, you cancel out, or try to cancel out your feelings creeping back in your mind. You also try to ignore the erratic beating of his heart, mistaking it as your own.

"Jokes aside, Y/N." he whispers with a laugh and tilts his head down, unconsciously sniffing your hair.

"I've missed you." he mumbles into your hair and you unknowingly wrap your arms around his torso which had been lying limp by your sides.

He missed you.

You realise the meaning of his words, Seokjin has missed you. All this while when you thought that maybe he would have forgotten a girl like you, he says that he never did. But of course again, you guys have always been friends, even though distant after a point. So you try not to overthink his words more and mumble a small 'same' as you detach yourself from him, fighting your heart who wants to stay there forever.

He settles in the space between you and Taehyung and smiles wistfully at the crowd and basically, everything. He looks at you again, with nothing but softness in his eyes.

"It's been so long since we last heard from each other, right?"

"Yeah, it has been."

"I think since graduation?"

Before you can even open your mouth, Taehyung jumps into action.

"What? You both haven't talked since graduation?" his eyes were all owlish and eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Yes. I tried to find her contacts but was not successful and I asked you once but I guess you forgot? So I didn't pester you more." he says with a light apologetic smile that makes your heart sink.

He had tried to contact you but you hadn't, even though you very much wanted to locate him and run into his arms.

Taehyung reasons his lack of response as his short term memory and thinking he has already replied to the message when in reality, he hasn't and expresses his concerns on technology and it's increasing disadvantages when Seokjin shuts his mouth up and stops the conversation from going further downhill, thanks to him being a Computer Engineer and coming up with advances that made Taehyung go tight lipped at once.

The flow had changed, you were no longer the one they were talking about and you were glad that you were spared from giving a reason for not being communicative with Jin. You try to focus on their conversation but soon zone out when you realise that they are having an argument on who's better, Mario or Luigi.

The moment you are truly pulled back into the conversation is when you felt an arm drape itself around your shoulders and you realised that Jisn was pulling you into him, if only ever so slightly. Your cheeks go pink at his action and you once again hide behind your glass, taking a sip from it casually.

"Taehyung tells me that I am not a crazy Harry Potter fanboy. Y/N, kindly enlighten him." he laughs in his full glory as he brings you a bit forward and looks at Taehyung smugly, as if to tell him he has already lost the debate.

You scoff amusingly at his words and start enthusiastically.

"Oh Tae, you should've seen his bedroom when he was in high school. Completely decorated with Harry Potter posters and a print of the Marauder's Map pinned near his desk. He had almost transformed his bed into the classic four poster gryffindor dorm bed but then thought better."

Taehyung defensively glares at you as Seokjin victoriously smiles at his flustered state.

"But I- umm- I, was right. He is not a fanboy anymore, he is a fanman."

"Oh no." you groan.

"Oh my god that was so lame, Taehyung. Worse than my dad jokes."

"I, for one, second this notion." you say and immediately high five Seokjin as he brings up his hand. He unknowingly flexes his fingers right after he lets go of your touch.

Taehyung whines like a child and stomps his foot.

"Ugh, you guys always gang up against me. I think I'm gonna go find Yoongi." and with that, he leaves the both of you at your own mercy.

Seokjin glances around the whole area and resorts to sipping from his drink as you nervously do the same. You could feel your hands get sweaty and your body on the verge of shivering as you shuddered with the anxiety and awkwardness of being alone with Jin, neither of you speaking a single word. It's as if he sensed your thoughts exactly at that moment and turned to look at you with a lone smile.

"So," he begins,"How have you been?"

"Great, a lil busy but, yeah."

"I sensed you were busy." he chuckles while shaking his head and looking at his feet, your insides aching once more at the sight.

You know why he thinks you were busy. It's because you never sought him out, never tried to find him, never tried to do nothing. Little does he know, it's all you've ever wanted, but the shrivelled up rose in your heart extends its thorns, caging you whole, not allowing you to act on your instincts, but on your overthinking abilities. But now standing face to face, you have to put up a front and answer him.

"Yeah, well. What about you?"

"Same."

And you both fall back into that silence once again. This time though, it's less unnerving, slightly calming, and a lot suspicious. It feels like the calm before a storm. You don't know yet in what way it will greet you, but you can feel it coming in your bones, anxiously twisting your fingers to try and come up with a conversation starter, when Jin eventually breaks the ice, the storm beginning with a heavy downpour.

"To be honest," he says while leaning back against the bar and cocking his head to look at you, still with softness, grace and adoration, no malice.

"I still don't really understand what happened between us."

Your mind shuts down and goes into an overdrive at the same moment. You knew this question was due some time but you had no idea that time would be so soon. Now that the question lingers in the air, you don't know how to reply to him. You can't let your feelings come to the surface so easily and you definitely can't let him know your childish decision, a result of an immature game. The only resort left is nonsensical, but you go for it anyway.

"What?" you laugh inquisitively, feigning confusion. "What are you talking about?" you ask, putting up your best act.

It's like even after all these years, Seokjin can see right through you and your facade. He shakes his head and lets his hands fall down to his side.

"Don't play coy with me now, Y/N. You know what I'm talking about."

Busted.

He looks at you expectantly, as if you were going to give him the whole world, which you wish to, but can't. You can't come up with any reasons for your departure from his life. You know he had tried to get you back, but it was you, it had always been you.

"I think we just weren't that good of friends."

He laughs mirthlessly, still not discarding his softness though.

"We were the best."

You indeed were, but these hands of yours had to let him go free or else you would have fallen in a ditch so deep, the hands you held then would have been of no help. He had left a permanent mark on you, glowing in the dark were his words and your memories with him. You were that good with him.

"I had to watch you leave." he says, pausing your thoughts. "Watch you leave me."

He laughs again, but sadly.

A bubble of anger starts rising in your stomach at his statement. He had to watch you leave but shouldn't he have been happy that you left? You mean, you were always the weird one and he is better off without someone like you.

"You were better without someone like me anyways." you mutter the words under your breath, a little too loud though, scared of what might happen if he hears them but still eager to let him hear them.

"What?"

"Nothing, Jin. Why are we talking about things which happened so long ago?" you laugh it away.

"Because they matter to me." he stands straight now, towering over you handsomely. Exerting a sense of dominance, but softly.

"I don't want to discuss the past right now."

"No. What did you mean by someone like you?"

You groan like a kid.

"Someone like me." you vaguely gesture towards yourself, doing a once over with your hands.

"Huh? Why do you say it as if it's a bad thing to be like you?" he is utterly confused which only confuses you more. Wasn't he the one who had found problems in you? Why is he acting so vague then?

"You tell me."

"Can you stop beating around the bush?" He runs a hand through his hair in utter exasperation and lets it fall limp at his side in a tightly clenched fist.

"Leave it." you say a little too loud so that a few heads turn in your direction.

Seokjin gently takes your wrist in his hand and directs you towards the empty hallway leading towards the exit. He stands in front of you as your back faces the wall, a mere inches away from it, but you stand confidently and he never tries to overpower you.

"I just can't leave it." he gulps and if you didn't know better you'd say he looked nervous.

"Tell me, Y/N. What happened?"

The memory of that day still stings you painfully. It's not in your best interests to recall it, especially in front of the person who stars in it. You close your eyes and laugh mirthlessly. It's an irony that he has to be the one to ask this question and not the other way around. So, you dare to say the truth after all.

"Oh I'm sorry. I meant to say 'someone like her'" you make air quotes around and open your eyes just in time to catch his face, drained of all colour and eyes as wide as possible.

His lower lip quivers and he takes a step back in mock defence, the stance taking you back to the day when he was asked the dreadful question, poised similarly, in shock and ever ready to defence. It's just a second's difference then, that you find his eyes have glossed slightly, and he tries to not catch your eye.

"You- you, I- how do you know that?"

"I was there, Seokjin."

"What?"

You smirk mockingly and look up at him. His eyes are blown out as you stare at him, holding your gaze for a long time before breaking a little.

"Me and Heejin, we were in the gym that day."

You render him speechless, thus continuing with your revelation.

"She wanted to sneak up on Jiyoung, when we - " you gulp and look away from him.

"When we caught up on your little game and it was your turn."

"And you-"

"I did. I heard your answer."

Your heart is already racing at a million miles an hour and the speed threatens to increase itself when you look at him. He is on the verge of tears, truly shaking. Embarrassment flows through him as he refuses to meet your eyes. You feel your heart break and you almost extend your hand to him, to hold him.

"I, I am sorry, Y/N." he finally steadies himself and reciprocates your gaze. "I didn't mean it."

"You mean, you wanted to fuck me?"

"That was a shitty question which I didn't want to answer, but was compelled to."

You notice how he doesn't deny your assumption but you keep it to yourself, after all, it's time you know the truth behind the words he had dared to speak out loud.

"So, you said the truth, right?"

"Why would I think of you with contempt, Y/N?" he fists his hair and pleads to you with his eyes.

"I don't know, you tell me."

He takes a deep breath and sombers up his expression, still showcasing guilt and embarrassment.

"I was a young, immature, frat boy, then. You know how it works. The boys in my team considered themselves to have a certain standard that everyone had to match. I needed them to be in my favour, I was the captain. So I panicked when Woomin asked the question and replied what would have been in their best interests."

"In their best interests? What do you mean?"

You hold your breath for what's to come next as you can visibly see Seokjin tremble in front of you, contemplating giving you the answer or against it.

"Seokjin." you whisper slowly, and nod your head.

He exhales shakily and takes one of your hands in his. He starts speaking while looking down at your hands and rubbing circles on the back of it, soothingly.

"They didn't like you. Always ridiculed me for being friends with you. I ignored them most of the time as my attempts to change their thoughts had failed, miserably. That day," he sniffs and you look up to see a lone tear threatening to fall out of his eyes and mark his sadness, "I tried to dismiss them at first. But when I had no other option left, I had to say what I thought they would agree with."

You unconsciously grip his hand tighter at that and he looks up at you.

"That was the stupidest, shittiest move I had ever made and I still regret it. But you know they say, college is the place where your minds are the most indecisive. Mine was. And I came under the decisions of my peers. I am sorry."

You don't even know how to react to him, or how to conceive his words peacefully. The fog was clearing out each passing second but he still stood amongst its core, trying to shout for you, waving his hands around to lessen the mist. You open your mouth and close it again, wordlessly. Gulping audibly, you still don't retrieve your hand from his.

"You could've said anything else."

"I know." he squeezes your hand.

He doesn't say sorry once again, as he knows it's pointless. He now takes your other hand in his free hand.

"Y/N, please understand. I would never, even in my wildest dreams, have thought those things about you. Never."

You laugh and look at him now shedding tears. He was crying and you had not broken yet. You mindlessly free one of your hands from his grip and bring it up to his cheek, wiping away the stray tear. You realise your action and go to take your hand back when he keeps his palm over yours, holding your hand right there.

You stare at him wide eyed as he softly leans into your touch, relaxing at it. His eyes are pleading with you, asking you to understand him. He was driven by peer pressure. You could see the disgust written all over his teammates face at your mention, then. Of course, you had forgiven him a long time ago, when you were no longer an immature college student. But watching him plead for forgiveness so earnestly stirs your heart.

"Jinnie," his face lights up at the nickname you've called him by since your childhood,"I get it. It was childish of me for running away from you due to this reason, I am sorry. I, I just couldn't face you after knowing you thought of me with such contempt. It was," you look away and stare at the thin glitter lining on his suit, mumbling your next words almost quietly,"heartbreaking."

"Y/N, look at me."

You look at him and your world shifts. He is staring at you with tears, adoration, love and a fading loneliness. Your past swims in them and they crinkle to form his handsome smile when he looks down at you.

"Keep your heart breakable, but never by the same hand twice. I don't want to be the same hand again. I promise, I will never break your heart."

You smile at his words and rub your thumb over his cheek.

"I won't break your heart either, ever."

These words felt so intimate, you didn't know what he was thinking of. Your words were the result of your evergreen love for him, his words, maybe not?

"I tried to get you back, but failed."

Ah, yes. The time you avoided him like the plague.

"I was scared of many things, to be honest. Almost all of them were me and my mind thinking the worst case scenario and dwelling over it. I needed to be away from you. It has helped me, broke me, healed me, but with scars."

His eyebrows form a crease.

"I don't understand."his voice breaks.

"I - " you shake your head and close your mouth. You can't tell him that you love him. If you do so, this time he'll be the one to run away.

He lifts your chin up delicately. He was crying. Not in the way that only some tears marked his beautiful face, but in a way that made it hard for him to breathe. He leans his forehead against yours and closes his eyes, letting the tears fall down steadily and you immediately intertwine your fingers with his.

"I was a mess when you stopped smiling at me. I was a mess when you stopped talking to me. After college I tried again, but was never able to reach out to you." He laughs,"I guess, I was scared too. Scared of you not acknowledging me once again and me going into the wallowing state. Though, I never left it. Maybe because I know that I still, I," he pauses and gulps audibly.

"I love you, Y/N."

What the actual fuck?

He loves you? The man you have loved your whole life loves you? Your jaw drops to the floor and you search his eyes for some kind of joke but all that stares back at you is love. He closes them and that's when you realise he might be waiting for some kind of reaction from you.

"Wha- you- how…you love me?"

"Always have."

He renders you speechless, all you could do is stare at him wide eyed. His confession stirred your insides to an extent that it was hard for you to stand up straight, or process the happenings around you.

"I loved you but didn't want anyone to know about it, as i was scared. That you'd run away from me, that I'll lose you. Well, for my bad luck, it did happen eventually." he chuckles sadly and continues.

"But I can't afford to lose you again."

Your face lights up with joy and contentment at his words and you finally let out a sigh of relief. Atlast, your question of years has been answered. The fog has cleared and you see yourself standing with him, position same as that of now, except none of you are crying. You know it's finally the time you let out the words you've been meaning to tell him since years.

"I love you too, Jin." you mumble so quietly he might have almost missed it if not for his attentive listening when it comes to you.

"You, you do?" He looks so happy and expectant.

"It was the main reason why I had to go away from you, to get over you."

"Oh my god, we were idiots."

He pulls you flush against his chest and hugs you tightly while kissing the top of your head.

"Not anymore though." you mumble into his chest and you swear you could hear, rather than see his smile. Pulling away from him, for a second only, you wrap your hands around his neck and stand on your tiptoes, your lips hovering over his.

"Kiss me, Y/N. Please."

And you press your lips to his.

He takes no time in kissing you back, moving his lips against yours slowly as you sigh into the kiss. Sparks fly around you and you melt into him immediately. His lips are soft, just as you had dreamt of so many times. And they taste sweet, just like you had expected them to. Your senses go into an overdrive and you start moving your jaw against his with increased vigour. He senses it almost immediately and presses himself to you as your back hits the wall. His tongue glides across your bottom lip and you give him access to your mouth, tasting his mouth for the first time, ferevering the sweet taste and —

"I always knew you both would end up together. Oh my god."

You both break away from the kiss and snap your heads towards the source of the voice at the same time.

Taehyung was standing there with a hand grasped over his heart, to feign adoration and surprise. You can feel a shy smile creeping up on your lips as you look away from him.

"Go away, Tae." Seokjin grumbles at him playfully.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Carry on, lovebirds." he giggles like a schoolgirl and disappears as quickly as he had appeared.

You and Seokjin look at each other for a hot second after his departure before breaking into laughter. You clutch at his biceps and he holds your waist as you both keep on laughing heartily. None of you know why you are laughing. Maybe it was because of the encounter with Taehyung, maybe it was because of the irony at how things had turned out, or maybe it was because you both were finally so happy you couldn't control it.

Happy tears well up in your eyes and your chest and stomach start aching by the intensity of your joy.

"My lungs are aching, oh god. I need to stop laughing." You say, while laughing.

"Well I think then we truly do be-lung with each other."

And, you laugh again. This time it goes on and on while you look at each other, full of love, adoration, respect and promises.

After all, you both had dared to tell the truth and are now revelling in its bliss.

taglist : @nuniah @kittykooyoongi @highly-functioning-mitochondria @jeonkookiesworld @haliiimede @jjkeverlast @aliimac (if the tag doesn't work then please note that I wasn't able to tag you)

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dalivanmagritte · 10 months

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FIC REC : MULTI GROUPS

CIX

kim seunghun

you're my fireflower (fav!, fluff, angst, knight!au, witch!au, warrior!au, hybrid!au)

panty line crime and punishment (smut, office!au, ceo!au)

bae jinyoung

camboy (smut, camboy!au)

never forever (fluff, angst, royal!au)

yoon hyunsuk

bunny effect (smut)

kinky tarot reading (astrology, smut)

first (fluffy smut)

ENHYPEN

sim jake

not off limits (fluff, bestfriend's brother!au

THEBOYZ

eric sohn

san francisco vapor (fluff, angst, reincarnation!au, greekmythology!au)

sunburnt (fluff, pharmacist!au)

batter up! (luff, baseball!au)

all good boys (fluff)

coffee, waffles & the boy next door (fluff, neighbour!au)

summer nights (fluff)

endless race (finished serie, streetracer!au, mechanic!au, angst, fluff)

lee juyeon

splash! (fluff, lifeguard!au)

ATEEZ

first flight to hongkong (freaky ver) (basically a gangbang)

cleopatra part.1 (all members)

wooyoung:

déjà vu: i want you so bad (smut, fluff, college!au)

#fic rec #cix #baejinyoung #seunghun #yoon hyunsuk #enhypen #sim jake #the boyz #eric sohn #juyeon #smut #fluff #angst #kpop fic rec #ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #cix scenarios #cix imagines

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fr-wiwiw · 1 year

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🔗The Fawn and The Chief🦌👑

Well.. finally get to update 3rd chapter for GaHan Barbarian!au. I have several wips & drafts, stories & arts, glaring at me. At least they're all progressing

Need to finish wardrobe design for Barbarian Yohan & start Prince Gaon's outfit. Royal dark blue is what I have in mind for Gaon (yes it's because of Jinyoung's photoshoot in that gorgeous blue suit)

So here's a wip of Yohan's barbarian concept design, need some tweaking here and there. I want to adorn him with some gold to really show his Chieftain status and add the flare. Yet I want him to be simple yet intimidating enough. But we'll see if this fits for him in my barbarian universe. I will not give him tattoos though, just like canon. But I will give him war paints later on

#the devil judge #fris #kim gaon #kang yohan #gahan #tdj fanfic #fris writes #tdj #artists on tumblr #digital art #digital illustration #fanart #sketch #barbarian

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nocturnerpg · 9 months

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ACTRESS Go Younjung as Anaïs Sinclair classification: human┊scholar┊right-hand of the red cloaks ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

ACTRESS Roh Yoonseo as Amelia Charmeine classification: human┊scholar┊red cloak's apothecary ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

ACTOR Kim Jinyoung as Caspian Constantine classification: vampire┊constantine┊right-hand of the undying king ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

ACTOR Seo Kangjoon as Philippe di Padure classification: dhampyr┊salizar┊mercenary for hire ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

ACTOR Wang Yibo as Dongyang Shen classification: vampire┊bathory ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

ACTOR Woo Do-Hwan as Claude Elrich classification: vampire┊valentine ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

ASTRO Cha Eun Woo as Castiel de Bricassart classification: dhampyr┊valentine┊leader of the red cloaks ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

BTS Jungkook as Nikita Vasiliev classification: vampire┊constantine┊red cloak ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

DREAMCATCHER Siyeon as Khali classification: vampire┊salizar┊lieutenant general of the peacekeepers ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

EXO Chanyeol as Fynn Fowler classification: lycan┊personal guard to the undying king ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

EXO D.O as The Maker classification: human┊forgemaster ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

EXO Kai as Bellinor Constantine classification: vampire┊constantine┊the undying king ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

EXO Sehun as Juniper Bae classification: human┊red cloak ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

H1KEY Seoi as Seren Davies classification: human┊royal guard of the chastains ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

RED VELVET Joy as Selene Valentine classification: vampire┊valentine┊the princess of forever ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

RED VELVET Seulgi as Luna Laire classification: vampire┊salizar ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

SEVENTEEN S.Coups as Kristoff Bathory III classification: vampire┊bathory┊the blood count ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

SEVENTEEN Wonwoo as Niklaus Frost classification: vampire┊valentine┊red cloak ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

THE BOYZ Sunwoo as Nyx Artemis classification: vampire┊salizar┊peacekeeper ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

TWICE Sana as Ophelia Constante Chastain classification: human┊scholar┊crown princess chastain

Congratulations on your acceptance to 𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄! We will officially open once we reach 20/20 applications. Thank you for your patience.

NAVIGATION: ABOUT / SETTING / BLOODLINES / BESTIARY / LOCALITY / GUIDELINES / MASTERLIST / FAQS / APPLY HERE

#krp #mewe krp #mewe rp #krp lit #lit rp #literate rp #roleplay #oc rp #oc krp #krp ad #krp ads #krp promo #accepted

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jooieluvr · 8 months

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Chapter 1

Prince Felix, youngest son to his majesty King JYP, has fallen hopelessly in love with a mere peasant.

But which secrets are to be kept and shared to ensure their relationship's survival in this vicious world of scandals and loyal connections?

TW// mentions of injury, memories/reminiscing about the deceased (like a lot I didn’t realise how much I had)

The evergreen hooded cape trailed behind him as he ran through the streets, quickly greeting those who caught his eye. His destination? The same as every other day, when he had enough time on his hands. Although this time with a few stops along the way.

Some children followed the teen and played around his feet. Not long after scolding began from their parents, warnings to not be in the way of foot traffic. With that they waved off the boy before retreating to their mothers. Oh how the older missed his own. What little memories he still had flooded back. A tear brought to his eye. He slowly came to a stop along the sun kissed cobblestone path. A feint vision before him, like ghosts haunting his memory fondly. His mother gliding down the stairs that led further through into the village below, guiding a tiny hand. The slither of a smile grimaced to the young man’s face. Moments he will never have again, but will still be forever cherished. A deep yet gentle voice finally brought him out of his trance.

"Good morn young Prince!", the village baker called out the window with a steaming tray of fresh buns. Felix's first stop - the bakery. "Good day sir!", he was not a moment later met with the smell of the finest savoury scrolls as the royal entered the small shop.

The small ring of the doors bell signified his presence to the Baker's little daughter. "Daddy! Daddy! Prince Felix is here!"

"Yes, I know Delilah. Here to collect your order I suppose?", the bearded old man set down his tray to retrieve a small box. Whilst said man was doing so the blonde turned to the little girl in a paper crown and slightly floured dress. Felix flashed her a friendly smile before deciding to play with her a little while her father gathered the order.

"Ah, Good morning fine Lady Delilah", he bowed just as he would to real authority like fellow royals. Head tucked down slightly, right foot crossed over behind the left leg. Toes pointing sharp, left hand supporting tailbone, right at the heart to show loyalty, and slowly down from the waist to raise back up.

"And a good morning to you Prince Felix", she curtsied as best she could before running up to the visitor. Stepping up on his toes Felix began to waltz around with the little girl. His cape again fluttering with the twirling movements, mimicking the leaves in the late summer breeze.

Soon enough the baker came back. He handed the treats to the Prince for inspection as he does with every other customer. Keeping his customers happy was his main priority. He loved the look on their faces when they stared in awe at their order. Looking even more magnificent than they described to him. Although Felix's order was pretty simple he still wanted to see the sparkle in his eyes. Just as his mother’s would when she had treats made for their royal family picnics. Sure enough they sparkles just the same.

Felix's freckled cheeks lit up at the sight. He carefully picked up Delilah to take a look at what he came here for. Her eyes began to sparkle as well.

On top of this box was the prince's name in a neat calligraphy followed by the name of his best friend, written equally as beautiful. As Felix lifted the lid with care, another scent flooded his nose. Sweet cinnamon rolls sat in front of him. A matching identical pair. Crisp golden rolls coated in the finest clear glaze and dusted, just lightly, with caster sugar. He couldn't wait to sit and enjoy these with his best friend.

"They look so good", Felix praised before taking another wiff of the warm scent "And smell just as amazing"

"I helped daddy glaze them for you" Delilah piped up, gleaming at the two males. Felix set her down on her feet again after flashing her another bright smile and kissing her on the back of the hand.

"Thank you so much, both of you. They're beautiful." The younger dove into his pouch to retrieve a small bag full of gold coins. He sat it on the counter for the baker to count while he gave the little girl a high five. Delilah had to jump to reach Felix's equally small hand. He praised the young girl on her handiwork in the bakery, wondering if her future is as set in stone has his own. Would she one day take over the bakery, but more importantly, would she make this skill, this family business, her own. What new things could this young soul bring to the table when it’s her time to shine?

"F-Felix", the baker stopped his train of thought "This is too much." The prince scoffed before yet again flashing his pearly whites. "Nonsense. You do such a good job anyone would be willing to pay more than what you expect. Take it, you deserve more than what you get."

The older man smiled. For years, even before Prince Jinyoung was born, he'd been hard at work in that very same kitchen. Baking treats of all kinds everyone adored. It meant the world to him that the youngest prince of all three could see past all other factors and learn to love something as simple as a local baker. His mother taught him well.

The cook released a sigh from deep within his throat, "Thank you so much Felix." This time it was the baker's eyes that sparkled. Full to the brim with gratitude.

After a few more kind words and securing the box safely in his hip bag, Felix bid his goodbyes. Delilah however had one more thing to add. “Prince Felix”, she started off cutely, “Do you think I’ll ever marry a handsome Prince like you one day? My daddy is only a baker after all.” After a quick moment of thought Felix beamed once more.

"Honey, with a father like your's teaching you your way around the kitchen, you could bake your way into any man's heart and stomach." Her eyes shone with hope at those words, in love with the fact someone held such faith in a mere peasant girl.

Bidding his farewells Felix continued on through the cobblestoned streets, dodging horse-drawn carts and townspeople out for their morning market walk. Down a short alley tucked neatly between a tailors and a shoe shop was a quaint florist. Butterflies and bees, all insects of glorious nature, sizes and colours lined the bricked walls. Velvety floral scents whisked the Prince back to walks in the garden with his older brother, and his beloved mother.

Felix's steps slowed as he navigated his way into the short dead ended alley. The memory of his own youthful laughter rang through his ears. When Chris and his mother would swing the 4-year-old between them, hand in hand, through between the rose bushes. A small bandage had donned his left hand after insisting to help with the roses, his toddler nature unconscious to danger, resulted in a few pricks to the hand. Nothing the Queen couldn’t fix. In fact it was a good lesson to Christopher on how to treat these wounds should they ever come up. Albeit bandaging a hand of thorn pricks would be easier on literally anyone who wasn’t a 4-year-old personification of sunshine turned monsoon, but now he was prepared for anything at least. The bright flora before him now serves as a mere reminisce of his childhood.

12 years it had been, or perhaps 13, Felix's late adolescent mind still dented with trauma makes it hard to remember clearly. What he does remember though, is that he misses his mother. The fingertips of his free left hand dance over and between the petals of a bunch of daisies like his mother used to dance in the garden with him and now through his long distant memories.

"Prince Felix", the kind elderly florist. She had just dismissed another customer before greeting the Prince. Her slightly dirt ridden apron hung from her neck, loosely tied from her waist. A frail form she was, slightly hunched forwards, however she was not alone in running the business. Her husband, equally as old but in a better physique, just behind the counter putting together a lovely bouquet, perhaps for a wedding in town? Regardless it looked magnificent.

“Madame Marline, are you well?” Felix took both of her hands in his own, made sure to speak clearly while looking into her sky blue eyes. Her hearing has been going over the past few years, her health deteriorating year by year however, as long as she has her doting husband by her side, she will tell you she has never been better.

“That would depend my dear boy. Have I got any chance of seeing another royal wedding in my lifetime?”, her thinning eyebrows rose with a hint of mischief “Another royal baby perhaps?”

“Marline!”, her husband gasped, gaining the attention of both.

“Oh no Madame,” Felix giggled, again soeakinh clearly for the woman to hear, “I’m afraid my father is a bit too far on in his life to consider another child, let alone a wife”. A soft slap to his arm from the elderly woman made him giggle a little more, his cheeks brightening with his smile.

“I meant you, you little rascal, surely some princess has caught your eye.” A gruff knowing cough broke her comment, a look thrown her way from her husband who was now spraying some of the arrangements near the two conversing outside. “Oh or Prince. But wouldn’t a Princess be a better suit?” Her attention now to her husband despite still being with Felix’s grasp. “Don’t you think Felix would have some nice strong healthy sons and beautiful daughters with one of the princesses from a few kingdoms over?”

The Prince squeezed her hands to bring her attention back to him “Madame, I have no lover”

“Then what about your brothers? One of you has to either get married or have children before I kick the bucket. And if you don’t have a lover then why come in for flowers hmm?” At that last question the blonde was at a loss for words. Opening and closing his mouth for an explanation that only seems to be replaced with airy breaths. “It’s not the anniversary of your mother’s passing, that was 4 months ago. So if you aren’t going to visit her, who are these flowers for?”

Felix wishes he could give Marline a straightforward answer, he really does. However she is so head strong on the Prince having a heterosexual relationship with a neighbouring princess he would feel bad for bursting her bubble. Not only that but the prospects of today were, risky. Flowers were the subtle positive gesture. He was unsure of his heart’s direction but he felt he needed to do something special for his friend.

“A friend,” he mused, “a friend having a hard time as of late”

“Felix, in all due respect you specifically asked for pink flowers to be added to the bunch” the gruff elderly man handed him a small bouquet of flowers, surrounded with brown paper and tied gently at the stems with twine.

“Yes, pink makes this friend of mine happy,” reaching into his pockets again Felix fished out the small handful of gold that he was quoted for the arrangement. Letting them clink into the old man’s hand. “Besides, if I was trying to “woo” and court someone wouldn’t I ask for something much more grand?” Ah yes, the perfect bait, and they took it.

“Touché, but I still want to see one last royal wedding before I die, and I’d prefer it to be yours dear boy”

Felix smiled once more. Sure Madame Marline was elderly and stubborn but he know that in the middle of it all she has a good heart. “I will be sure to tell my brothers of your wishes Madame.” He glanced to the sky as if asking for the time. “I’ve places to be, I will be sure to catch up again another time”. The blonde prince waved goodbye to the elderly couple, wishing them well and turning out into the town again, continuing on his way.

He kept walking onwards further towards the outskirts of town, where the yards were bigger and fields were fuller. Before the cobblestone turns to dirt and gravel is a quiet bridge that leads out of town. Nothing too extravagant, just a simple stone structure to get across the slow running river. His steps again stopped for a moment, taking in the sight. Hearing the birds flutter past. Gazing down over the edge at the clear clean water that ran beneath the bridge. Cool and calming. Reassuring in an odd way. None the less he continued. the clicking of his heels on the stone path turned to crunches onto the gravel paths further from town.

His feet led him to a familiar cottage on the outskirts, used as a farm house for the adjacent field of sunflowers, not quite ready to bloom, and further on the various crops. Felix’s hands ran slightly sweaty. Nervous? He didn’t get nervous! He was the prince! A prince with a very dear best friend.

This friend had been acting strange as of late. Possibly due to being so busy. Often times in the past few weeks, Felix had found him loading a cart of produce from nearby paddocks to send into town or to neighbouring villages. The spring harvest had been ripe and plentiful this year and not a single bit of it was to go to waste. Neither men have had time to enjoy each other’s company in almost a month.

Felix recalls wanting to help when the first few loads were packed, however his father had to haul him back into town for the Harvest Festival. Something about blessing the produce, tradition, good fortune, bleh. The young prince never paid full attention to that stuff. Just sat there and looked pretty.

He ran a thin hand through his golden fringe. Effortlessly pushing the hair back for it all to fall back into place again. His gaze then floated from the cottage to a hill not too far ahead. A familiar figure resting against the soft lush green grass. Laying peacefully, allowing the warm summer breeze to whisp his hair just the same as it fluttered the Prince's cloak.

Fluttering.

Gently.

Calmly.

Thud-dump

#Straying Royals #HoneyBearBubie fanfic #Jilix #Jilix Royal AU #King JYP #Prince Jinyoung #Prince Chris #Prince Felix #Jisung x Felix #stay #straykids #StrayKids fanfic #chapter 1 #there’s gonna be a lot of fluffiness at the start but with everything I have planned for this fic enjoy the fluffy gay stuff while it lasts #😈

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lgcjinyoung · 6 months

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「 SD&L GALA 2K23 ⇛ Outfit Edit 」

Kim Jinyoung themed as snow prince

With the theme being darkness and light, Jinyoung sat together with the local fashion designers to truly try and capture the theme while also keeping his personality and image in mind. While a classic approach to remain within gold and black would have been the easier option, they decided for a challenging approach by highlighting his prince image along with making use of his currently dyed hair.

The chosen theme Ice Prince, inspired by Jack Frost, came to them when putting into perspective not just his image but also the fact he was a "white day" born baby, making them double down to go full for the "snow" aspect of the gala's chosen thematic.

His outfit consists of a white suit with a white dress shirt. The white gold accessories to match his hair colour and introduce an air of "royalty" to also match the theme, set a touch of specialty to the plainness of his suit, carefully attached to his suit jacket with a thin necklace lining the collar of his dress shirt. White shoes with golden ice crystals stretching along the outside of each shoe, they truly are the highlight of his outfit.

Standing out like a blanket of snow against the harsh darkness of the longest winter night, Jinyoung is as enticing as he is dangerous. Royal in his glaring difference to his surrounding and pristine without a stain to his image in sight, but few know what storm lies behind the calm exterior of a cold winter night.

#visual: young j;#hc: behind closed doors;#lgc:yearend2023 #(this is so BAD XD i suck at headcanons xD)

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herwonderland7 · 2 years

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♥ Introducing King Jaehyun's family! ♥

Jung Yoonoh Jaehyun, King Jaehyun

Our Queen Aera's soulmate and to our King Jaehyun, Aera will always be his greatest and forever love

but at the same time, she is his greatest sorrow

Jaehyun is, and has always been lucky that he had support from the people he loves - he received helping hands on raising his 6 kids, the people who helped him has been personally approached by Aera herself, back when she was still in Wonderland

Aera and Jaehyun are like star-crossed lovers, circumstances doesn't allow them to be together

honestly, Jaehyun doesn't take it well for like a few years - according to the Neo royal housemaids and royal knights, whenever they walked passed King Jaehyun's room, there are days that they could hear muffled cries and other days they would hear objects being thrown here and there followed by loud screams of frustration.

everyone kind of knew what or whom made him all crazy and thank goodness the children weren't in the palace during these days - those days were called as 'one of those nights' by Jaehyun

and those nights continued until his condition got worse with Jaehyun falling really sick and somehow his 'vampire' side out of nowhere came alive which was him craving for blood so bad for unknown reason

hence he unknowingly drank blood of the royal housemaids in result of killing them - as traumatizing as this sounds, the twins Jinyoung and Junyoung who were just 16, kind of figured out what their father has been going through after noticing more royal housemaids going missing

with the help of the twins along with Aeria as the older sister guided them with the studies of healing from cosmic energy, as well Jia's cordial, Jaehyun finally felt much better - receiving the positive energy thanks to the his children

fast forward, because of that incident, Jaehyun felt guilty of what he has done at the same time, he felt like he made Aera and the kids disappointed - so he decided to do what Aera has always been doing, even when she settled down

which was to help the people all around Wonderland who are suffering with different issues, hence Jaehyun brings along with the eldest two of the Jung siblings to help settle issues that was occuring in Wonderland - they sail all around Wonderland and went to wars (and this was after defeating the great battle of the Ice Warlock)

and also, with the help of his brothers - mainly Yuta, Winwin, Lucas, Renjun, Jeno and Jaemin, he set up a business & law firm known as JUNG Corporation.

The company provides services regarding accounting and consultations, providing assistance to the ones in need regarding healthcare and education.

♥ Jung Junwon Peter

Jung Junwon Peter, well-known as both Prince Peter and Prince Junwon, is a remarkable young man with a striking appearance and a sense of responsibility beyond his years. As the firstborn son of King Jaehyun and Queen Aera, he carries the weight of expectations and the role of leader for the Jung siblings. At 23 years old, Junwon embodies the title of "golden boy," originally bestowed upon him due to his naturally golden hair, which has since transformed into a slightly dirty blonde shade.

Physically, Junwon is a blend of his parents' features, creating a captivating and unique appearance. While he inherited Jaehyun's eyes initially, over time, they have taken on a resemblance to Aera's, causing confusion even among the other members of the royal family. It is as if Junwon embodies the best qualities of both his parents, both in terms of appearance and strength. He shares his mother's fortitude and his father's determination, which has proven invaluable in his participation in numerous battles alongside his father and sister.

Despite being revered by many as the golden boy, Junwon remains humble and clueless when it comes to matters of the heart. While his good looks may lead others to assume he has been in relationships, the truth is that he is completely inexperienced and often oblivious to romantic advances. His sisters, Aeria and Jia, worry about his lack of knowledge in this area and have taken it upon themselves to offer guidance through personal discussions.

A gentleman and mature man in public, Junwon's true nature shines through when he is with his family. Although he can be a bit rough with his brothers, he deeply cares for them. His softer side emerges when he interacts with his sisters, but it is Jia who holds a special place in his heart. Junwon's affection for Jia is evident, and he finds himself acting like a fool for her.

Brave and adventurous like his mother, Junwon has proven his mettle by fighting in countless battles alongside his father and sister. One particular accomplishment he takes pride in is his involvement in the slaying of the red-eyed alpha king. He once used to be a Mummy's boy, but with Aera's return to Earth, Junwon has found solace and inspiration in looking up to Jaehyun. Despite his mother's absence, Junwon never resents her, believing that she is always watching over him from afar.

While Junwon is initially destined to follow in his father's footsteps as the next crowned prince, his future path remains uncertain. Although he is expected to assume the role, Jaehyun, recognizing his son's potential, encourages him to pursue further studies instead, given his own good health and vitality. As a result, Junwon finds himself in a state of confusion, torn between his duty and his personal aspirations.

♥ Jung Aeria Venusia

Publicly known as both Princess Venusia or Princess Aeria, Jung Aeria Venusia is a captivating and radiant young woman who exudes beauty and possesses extraordinary powers, much like her mother, Queen Aera. As the first daughter of King Jaehyun and Queen Aera, Aeria, at 22 years old, embodies her mother's youthful traits, characterized by her breathtaking appearance and a touch of rebelliousness.

Inheriting her mother's force-field generation ability and cosmic energy, Aeria's powers were no surprise to her family, as Aera had forewarned them of her daughter's unique abilities. Physically, Aeria is a mirror image of her mother during her younger years, which only enhances her allure. However, as she grew older, Aeria also developed a nurturing and motherly nature, taking on the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings, Yoel, Jia, and the twins.

Aeria's childhood was marked by her love for cooking and a fondness for gardening, which showcased her nurturing side and her connection with nature. She stepped into her mother's shoes to provide care and guidance for her siblings, especially during challenging times when her brother Yoel faced difficulties with his home-schooling. A fierce advocate for her brother, Aeria fearlessly confronted the professors in Neo, unknowingly revealing her glowing pink eyes—a testament to her immense power.

Being a spitting image of her mother, Aeria possesses a deep admiration for Aera, which earned her the title of a true Mummy's girl. She constantly looks up to her mother, even during Aera's absence, thanks to the stories shared by their father and the support of their extended family, including the Neo uncles and Morian aunties. Consequently, Aeria harbors no resentment or hatred toward her mother, fostering a deep sense of love and respect.

At the tender age of 14, Aeria experienced a powerful connection with her mother when she managed to communicate with her while Aera was on Earth. However, the strain of channeling such immense power resulted in Aeria falling gravely ill the next day. Determined not to succumb to sadness, Aeria believes that expressing sorrow weakens her powers, a belief reinforced by past experiences when her powers diminished after her first heartbreak involving Prince Jaebeom's son.

Aeria's resemblance to her mother extends beyond her physical appearance, as she has also engaged in battles alongside her older brother and father. However, her powers manifest in a distinctive pinkish glow, setting her apart from Aera's signature red glows. Despite her exceptional abilities and adventures, Aeria has also experienced the ups and downs of teenage romance. She was in a relationship with Prince Jaebeom's son, Lim Leon Juno, which was marked by their on-again, off-again dynamic, becoming the talk of their school before Aeria set sail for other parts of Wonderland, leaving her education behind.

♥ Jung Yoel Evander

Jung Yoel Evander, publicly known both as Prince Evander and Prince Yoel, the second son of King Jaehyun and Queen Aera, possesses a striking resemblance to his mother and holds a unique place within the royal family as the middle child. At 20 years old, Yoel is shy around strangers but maintains impeccable politeness, earning him admiration from royal princesses and girls in general. His demeanor exudes a prince-like quality, characterized by his reserved nature and the ability to speak only when necessary.

While Yoel may be reserved with outsiders, he displays a different side with his own family. Known for his sharp wit and sarcastic comments, he doesn't hesitate to engage in banter or share his opinions. This occasionally leads to stubbornness, especially when clashing with his older brother, Junwon. Yoel possesses his father's deep laughter and the frowns that reflect Jaehyun's contemplative nature.

Yoel plays a vital role as Junwon's right-hand man and has proven himself to be a skilled swordsman, earning the approval of both Junwon and their father, King Jaehyun. During their school days, Yoel would stand by Junwon's side, supporting him in fights that arose due to others mocking the belief in their mother's existence. This unwavering loyalty showcases Yoel's strong bond with his family.

In addition to his familial relationships, Yoel shares a close friendship with Lee Yujin Anaria, the daughter of Taeyong and Aurelia, as well as Moon Taegeun Scorpio, the son of Taeil and Queen Zelenia. His polite and gentlemanly demeanor adds to his charm, reflected in his habit of placing his hands behind his back.

Yoel possesses extensive knowledge of mystical creatures and has a special connection with them. His childhood best friends include a dragon named Green, a gift from Grandma Kim, and a gryphon named Speed, bestowed upon him by Queen Aerina. These mythical creatures have become a significant part of Yoel's life, offering companionship and aid when needed.

Participating only in the great battle against the Ice Warlock and Aerina's royal household, Yoel proved his mettle alongside his older siblings. This battle held immense significance as many of Aerina's citizens from previous generations were lost. Yoel's life was nearly taken during this encounter, saved by Green the dragon and supported by Speed the gryphon, as well as the intervention of the twins. Although injured deeply, Yoel's life was saved through Jia's healing powers and Junyoung's assistance.

However, due to the traumatic experience, King Jaehyun forbid Yoel from returning to the battlefield. Unaware of the true reason behind his father's decision, Yoel believes he is being treated as a child, leading to disagreements between him and Jaehyun. These conflicts further fuel Yoel's desire to prove himself as a capable and independent individual.

Furthermore, Yoel serves as an assistant to Jia in caring for the twins, the sons of King Jaehyun and Queen Aera. This responsibility demonstrates Yoel's nurturing side and his commitment to supporting his family in any way he can.

♥ Jung Jia Valentia

Known as Princess Valentia and Princess Jia, Jung Jia Valentia, the second and youngest daughter of King Jaehyun and Queen Aera, is a 19-year-old with a unique blend of characteristics inherited from both her parents. With a face shape and nose resembling her mother's, Jia holds a special place in Jaehyun's heart, who fondly bops her nose as a child. Her appearance reflects a mixture of both her parents, showcasing their shared traits.

Jia possesses a charming and slightly flirtatious nature, which makes her charismatic and captivating to others. However, she also experiences moments of introversion, becoming more reserved. Her casual demeanor towards everyone often requires Yoel's guidance in matters of royal etiquette.

Compassion and empathy define Jia's character, as she is filled with a deep concern for the well-being of others. She demonstrates a shy nature but displays a boost in confidence when she feels comfortable in her surroundings. Jia is also known to be somewhat sensitive, making her highly attuned to the emotions of those around her.

Faith plays a significant role in Jia's life, particularly when it comes to magic and her belief in her mother's return. Jia vividly dreams about her mother, witnessing Aera surrounded by children. Seeking answers, she visits the Athenian palace to consult her cousin and best friend, Moon Taeri Celeste, daughter of Taeil and Queen Zelenia. Taeri confirms the truth of Jia's dreams, explaining that Aera is currently on Earth but it is not yet time for her to return to Wonderland. This revelation strengthens Jia's faith, and she patiently awaits her mother's eventual return, even if it takes centuries.

Currently on a break after graduating from high school, Jia aspires to assist the royal family while planning to continue her education next year. Her desire leads her to enroll in her Uncle Doyoung's renowned school, where she intends to study astronomy, inspired by her sister, and delve into the studies of magical creatures and magic in general.

Jia's love for animals is boundless, including even the creatures that many dislike, such as snakes, spiders, and insects. She shares a passion for caring for and understanding animals, drawing her towards a future career as a veterinarian. Despite people assuming she would pursue prestigious roles like a royal doctor or high-class jobs, Jia's true calling lies in nurturing and healing the animal kingdom.

Not only is Jia known for her unique appearance, particularly her naturally born orange hair, but she has also gained recognition for her exceptional academic achievements. Throughout her high school years, Jia consistently earned straight A's, establishing a reputation for academic excellence.

♥ Jung Jinyoung Jonah

Jung Jinyoung Jonah, also known as Prince Jonah and Prince Jinyoung, is an 18-year-old fraternal twin to Jung Junyoung Joel, who is known as 'Jinnie' by his twin. With a striking resemblance to his father Jaehyun, Jinyoung carries a blend of Jaehyun's features with a touch of Aera's sharpness. He exudes a bad boy persona, being labeled as the tsundere and mysterious one among the Jung siblings.

Sporting full sleeve tattoos on his arms, Jinyoung intimidates everyone around him, including the royal housemaids. His piercing gaze and perpetually clenched jaw give him an air of unhappiness, leading others to fear his presence. However, behind this façade, Jinyoung is exceptionally observant, often saving the housemaids from potential trouble caused by royal guests, a role they are unaware he fulfills.

The garden holds a special place in Jinyoung's heart, where he finds solace and ease. It was a space he and his siblings once shared, spending time together, having tea, and indulging in gardening activities. Resembling his father, Jinyoung possesses Jaehyun's intense eyes, which can mirror cold gazes and annoyance, much like a viral video of Jaehyun at an airport, enduring fan invasions.

Jinyoung frequently finds himself in trouble with professors, particularly during his time at Neo Palace. He shares a strong dislike for the royal system, knowing that his mother was forced to return home, which fuels his resentment towards the royal family. However, he remains unaware of the circumstances surrounding his mother's departure.

Like his oldest sister and mother, Jinyoung possesses extraordinary powers. Specifically, he wields cosmic energy, similar to his sister Aeria, but his abilities mainly revolve around manipulating others. He possesses formidable telepathic powers, distinguishing him from his older siblings. Jinyoung's reservations with strangers, particularly those from royal families, translate into an indifference towards nobles and royal highnesses, earning him labels such as "rude," "arrogant," and a "heartbreaker."

Currently residing in Athenian Palace, where his uncle Taeil and his family reside, Jinyoung enjoys a break from school. He attends the School of Neo, along with his twin, as members of the House of Aerina. The strained relationship with his father, King Jaehyun, serves as another reason for his stay in Athenian Palace. Jinyoung feels that Jaehyun has been absent during critical moments in his life, though Jaehyun persistently attempts to soothe his son's heart. Interestingly, Jinyoung possesses the power to manipulate his father mentally, adding another layer of complexity to their relationship.

While he may project a rough and closed-hearted exterior, Jinyoung shares a deep bond with his siblings, albeit in his own unique ways. He listens to Grandma Kim, Aeria, and Jia, valuing their guidance. Despite enjoying teasing Jia, he is exceptionally close to her. Additionally, his similarities with Yoel bring them closer, though Yoel embodies a softer personality, contrasting Jinyoung's roughness. Lastly, Jinyoung's twin, Junyoung, holds an irreplaceable place in his life, as Jinyoung cannot imagine a day without his presence.

Ultimately, only those closest to him truly understand Jinyoung's character. Behind the rough exterior lies someone who harbors a deep desire to help those in need, a trait that emerges when given the opportunity to showcase his true nature.

♥ Jung Junyoung Joel

Publicly known as both Prince Joel and Prince Junyoung, JungJunyoung Joel, also affectionately known as "Junnie," is the youngest of the Jung siblings and the younger twin of Jung Jinyoung Jonah. With his bright-colored hair, particularly platinum blonde, Junyoung stands out as the brighter and more carefree twin. In his early years, there were jokes about him being swapped with one of Doyoung's children due to his unique hair color. However, his resemblance to his parents became evident as he grew older, sporting Aera's eyes during infancy, which eventually transformed into a resemblance to Jaehyun.

Known for his fashion sense, Junyoung inherits his father's impeccable style. He is also the more exuberant and boisterous twin, often heard laughing or loudly expressing himself while playing board games or video games with the generals. His infectious laughter and passionate outbursts are reminiscent of Jaehyun to the extent that Neo royal housemaids mistook Junyoung's presence for that of King Jaehyun himself.

Junyoung assumes the role of mediator between Jinyoung and those with whom his twin has conflicts. Whenever Jaehyun and Jinyoung argue, Junyoung finds himself in the middle, utilizing his powers to separate and defuse the situation. However, he often faces scolding for using his powers on his father, even though he takes it lightly and doesn't let negative or disheartening words affect him. Junyoung possesses an uncanny ability to let negative words pass through one ear and out the other, refusing to let them take root in his heart.

The bond between Junyoung and Jinyoung is unbreakable, as wherever Jinyoung is, Junyoung is sure to follow. They are inseparable, despite Jinyoung occasionally complaining about Junyoung being a troublemaker. Both twins possess the same powers: cosmic energy manipulation, but Junyoung is less skilled in the manipulation aspect. However, his exceptional ability lies in clairvoyance, granting him the power to see things from a distance and perceive events beyond his immediate surroundings. This ability allows him to catch glimpses of their mother on Earth, though he is aware of the dangers of interfering in the mortal realm.

In addition to clairvoyance, Junyoung has inherited his mother's healing abilities, capable of restoring health to living beings. He also shares strong telepathic powers with Jinyoung, enabling him to hear his twin's thoughts from a distance. Their connection runs deep, and Junyoung can sense Jinyoung's presence even when they are physically apart. Together, they possess remarkable power, as demonstrated when they intervened to stop their father, Jaehyun, from succumbing to his bloodlust during a period of intense grief. Jinyoung forcefully put Jaehyun to sleep, while Junyoung expended tremendous energy to heal their father, enduring physical strain in the process.

Currently residing in Athenian Palace, where their father, Junwon, and Aeria have sailed to different parts of the islands, Junyoung and Jinyoung remain inseparable. Junyoung frequently visits Yoel and Jia in Neo Palace, participating in various activities and social gatherings with his cousins. He often brings Jinyoung along, particularly for grand dinners or birthday celebrations organized by their extended family.

Junyoung serves as the bridge between Jinyoung and everything that Jinyoung deems unnecessary to know. While Jinyoung maintains a rocky relationship with Jaehyun, Junyoung harbors deep affection for his father. He acts as a messenger, conveying Jinyoung's feelings and health updates to Jaehyun. Junyoung also endeavors to help Jaehyun soothe Jinyoung's heart, although he sometimes struggles to understand his twin's emotions due to Jinyoung's self-imposed mental barriers.

NEO FAMILY

#nct royal #nct royal au #nct prince au #nct au #nct scenarios #nct prince #nct imagines #nct 127 jaehyun scenarios #nct 127 jaehyun imagines #nct jaehyun scenarios #nct jaehyun imagines #nct as dads

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restlessmaknae · 4 days

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came the light // lee byounggon [bx]

As a princess in exile with a bad reputation, you can't understand why Byounggon would want to spend time with you, but there's no stopping him, let alone the feelings that he evokes in you.

➳ Characters: magical medic!Byounggon x princess!reader/you

➳ Genre: romance, fantasy, magical realism, kingdom au, angst, fluff

➳ Words: 10.2k

➳ Warning: mentions of fire, having a fever, arranged marriages, a prince grabs reader by the wrist without permission

➳ Spotify playlist (title is taken from 'Here For You' by CIX)

➳ A/N: This story had the third most votes in my recent poll, so I hope it lives up to your expectations. 🥰 It can be read on its own or with Seunghun's or Jinyoung's stories which also take place in this universe. ❤️

➳ CIX taglist: @wccycc, @dat-town, @tsunchani, @s00buwu

You were 18 years old when your parents first tried to wed you off to a prince, but his timid self stood no chance against someone like you - someone whose words were like knives aimed perfectly at his heart, cutting into his insecurities and weaknesses. The wedding proposal was called off right after your first encounter with him.

You were 20 years old when your parents tried to wed you off to a prince from a different kingdom, hoping that the rumours about you that had spread over the years died down enough to not scare his family away. You might have spoken with knives, but Prince Sangdo didn’t obey any rules, he overruled them. Even if you asked him to keep his distance - to respect your privacy -, he didn’t listen to you. A week before the wedding was supposed to happen, he visited the palace, he visited you in your chambers uninvited, and what happened afterwards put an end to this wedding as well.

You didn’t regret it one bit - in fact, you wished Prince Sangdo could have rotted in a faraway place -, but it was you who was sent far away from your kingdom, from the cages of the palace where you had grown up. You were sent to Medicalia - the kingdom where some people possessed magical healing powers. Magical medicine was mostly used on the members of the Medicalia royal court including the royal family and the royal army, plus magical creatures that lived in the woods or in the mountains - such as fairies, unicorns and werewolves - or serving the kingdom - such as dragons guarding the palace. Magical medicine was also extremely rare since only magic practitioners could deal with it because they were the ones born with the ability to tame magic, but even they needed thorough practice and extensive training to be able to make use of their abilities to their full potential.

At least, that’s what you were told when you were ordered to pack up and leave after an exchange of letters between the two kingdoms. The magic in your kingdom - Animalia - lied in the ability to tame and speak to animals, and that’s exactly why most kingdoms were always indebted to you. You sent people to other kingdoms to tame their animals - such as the dragons guarding the royal palaces and the unicorns that had an excellent smell to detect magical plants - you shared your magic with them whereas it was extremely rare for other kingdoms to share their magic with others. For instance, Medicalia reserved their magical medics for the royal court while Naturalia boosted the magic of nature, and the trading of their magical plants was limited to their kingdom only.

That’s why it was ridiculously easy to send you into exile in another kingdom, and the only thing your father - the King - said before leaving was to not make more trouble. You were sent off in a carriage with a coachman and a servant, not even a royal guard was sent with you. Then again, what could they possibly guard? You weren’t worth their protection, for sure. You didn’t need to be told that you were only one mistake away from being disowned by your own parents since you were an asset, nothing else. A strategic move, the key to a strengthened connection between kingdoms and a woman forced into producing heirs.

The carriage suddenly came to a halt, but since the curtains were closed, you couldn’t peek outside. Based on the coachman’s muffled conversation from outside, you had a feeling that you were about to go through the gates of Medicalia’s royal court as it was around time you arrived.

A few minutes later, the carriage stopped again, but this time, there was a thud as the coachman got off the carriage and opened the door. He reached his hand out to help you down before doing the same for the servant girl they sent with you.

“They have sent word that we arrived, so they will be here soon to guide you to your… new home,” the elderly man laughed nervously after he stumbled upon the word. Indeed, what could he call it? Home? Runaway hideout? Prison?

You could feel the curious eyes on you as you stood there with the coachman and the servant girl in front of the carriage with your kingdom’s symbol painted over it, waiting for someone to show you to your place. Even though it was kept secret why you were coming here in the first place, you knew that these things didn’t stay a secret for long - at least, not in your kingdom.

“Is she the princess from Animalia?”

“She looks younger than I thought.”

“Is it true that she nearly killed a prince?”

You looked the woman in the eye who asked the last question, and she immediately sealed her lips, grabbing the arm of the woman beside her and turning around to go in the opposite direction. Your gaze didn’t waver, you looked straight into the wandering eyes of the strangers - court ladies, soldiers and servants passing by - with your chin up high. You only seemed weak when you let it show, and you didn’t let it show.

Most, if not all, people looked away when you caught their eyes, and it was almost amusing how they scampered away when they realised that you heard them. So naive of them to assume that you shut not just your ears but your eyes to the rumours around you.

There was one particular boy - a young man probably around your age - who stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of you, squinting his eyes at you. You looked back at him, taking in the messy midnight locks that stuck to his forehead, his sharp jawline that was in contrast to the bright, gentle edge to his almond-shaped eyes, his plump lips that failed to curl into a disapproving line like most people’s who caught your eyes. He wore a burgundy-black tunic that seemed to match the ones others were wearing around you, but it seemed more practical with its bat-wing sleeves than elegant, so you had a feeling that he wasn’t of royalty.

You tilted your head, still keeping the eye-contact, and that’s when he looked away as if he was suddenly reminded of why he was passing by, and started running again. You furrowed your eyebrows in question. What was that about?

You shook your head as a court lady came up to you to assist you with your baggage and show you to your place. You had a medium-sized room to yourself in the court with a bathroom attached to it, the rooms on your end still unoccupied and waiting for possible future guests, except for the one that they reserved for the servant girl who came with you. You were told that the Queen would welcome you the following day, and the same court lady who escorted you would bring you breakfast, lunch and dinner from the royal court kitchen, you wouldn’t need to fetch it yourself.

You thanked the young woman with a bow and a polite smile, and you saw surprise flash across her orbs as she let you settle into your new room. You didn’t ponder over the change in her expression for long, you were used to it after all. The cautious glances in your direction, the nasty gossip behind your back, and the sugarcoated words to coax you into a favour.

Too bad you weren’t one to play the dumb and ignore it all, you stood up for yourself, but that’s exactly what your parents disapproved of, that’s exactly why you were here.

Days passed by, and you seemed to fall into a routine in the meantime. In the morning, you would go for a walk in the garden of the royal court, sitting by the pond as the sun rose on the horizon, breaking the plain surface of the water into many different colours of ripe orange, rose-gold and wild apple-red. The court was tranquil at this time around, and that’s exactly what you needed. Apart from the kitchen staff who woke up early to prepare breakfast, others weren’t up around this time, so you didn’t need to bear more curious glances and more nasty accusations.

After your morning stroll, you would head back to your room, have breakfast, then read until lunchtime. Afternoon was served for whatever purpose the palace had for you: the day after you arrived, you met the Queen, after that, you met Princess Jinhee, on the third day, you were shown to the library of the court (a smaller version of what the royal family had at the palace, but nevertheless as impressive), and today, you were on your way to meet with the ladies who took care of handiwork including embroidery, sewing and tailoring.

The Queen said that these first few days will be about showing you around the court, so you knew whom to ask in need of assistance, and so that the court members could become familiar with you. You didn’t ask whether it was to dissuade their gossip or not, but you didn’t need to know that. After all, it was a wise suggestion on her part, and it wasn’t something you had complaints about. Here, you could freely roam around (with your servants following you if needed), you could spend time reading and painting in your room, and no one would ask you why. Here, you could bathe and clean yourself, you could choose and put on your clothes yourself, you didn’t need others to do it for you. Here, you could eat whatever they offered you, your meals didn’t go through your mother’s restricting wishes.

This day too, you were followed by Huisoo - the servant girl who came from Animalia with you - and Sieun showed the way - the servant girl who was appointed to you in Medicalia - as always, but as you turned a corner, the young man with the squinted eyes from last time halted beside you, his mouth forming a big ‘O’ as he caught sight of you.

“Are you the princess from Animalia?” He asked enthusiastically, and if you didn’t know any better, you would assume that he had heard only good things about you before.

When you nodded, still cautiously watching out for the change in his body language, his lips curled into a smile, the kind that made his eyes disappear. Then, he put his hands on his abdomen before bowing in a 90 degree angle towards you.

“My name is Lee Byounggon. I work as a magical medic for the royal family, so if you need any assistance magical medicine-wise, do not hesitate to ask for me,” he introduced himself when he straightened his back, the smile not fading from his lips. Despite his otherwise sharp and cold features from the day you had gotten here, he seemed gentle and warm now. The way he approached you also showed that he wasn’t one of those court members who passed by you as quickly as possible, he introduced himself head-on. He was the first one to do so which made you question:

“Aren’t you scared of me? You must have heard the rumours.”

Byounggon either didn’t seem fazed by your question or he was prepared for it because his facial expressions didn’t change. He was also really easy to read, something that you had not been so used to since so many in the royal circles put on facades to hide behind including you.

“You know… I have a special ability,” the magical medic took one tiny step towards you as if he was about to tell a secret. “I can see into people’s souls through their eyes,” he added with a smile, but you merely rolled your eyes. Even though you were not born and raised here, you knew that such magic didn’t exist here or anywhere else for that matter.

Byounggon also sensed that you didn’t believe him in the slightest because he burst into laughter in the next second, and only when he composed himself, did he continue.

“I’m just kidding, but really… you don’t look like you wanted to hurt that prince, not on purpose for sure,” he explained rather candidly, and you didn’t feel like he was lying. Lies could be covered up with smiles, laughs, sarcasm, diverting the topic or simply escaping the situation, but he… he didn’t look like he was telling a fib.

“You don’t know anything about me,” you pointed out rather coldly nevertheless, your tone intended to lash out at him.

“That’s exactly why I don’t believe the rumours. Why should I judge you when I don’t know you?”

You weren’t one to get surprised, but this did take you aback. The way he said it so unwaveringly was new, unfamiliar. You weren’t used to it, especially not after what had happened to Prince Sangdo. Byounggon didn’t seem like he had ulterior motives to be trusting you like that, but you couldn’t let your guard down over one supportive line.

So you excused yourself, explaining to the magical medic that you were on your way to the handiwork ladies, and told the servants that you could go on. The young man seemed saddened by your sudden announcement, but he did let you go, waving in your way as you were walking away from him.

You were sitting by the pond as always, watching the sunrise a few days later. It would be another day you spent away from Animalia, and you had this pang in your chest that you couldn’t explain. You didn’t miss how you used to live in that palace, you didn’t miss the bravado you had to put on to seem like an obedient, perfect little daughter, you didn’t miss the way you were mocked for not having magic in your veins when both your parents - your mother could tame fire because she was from Elementalia and your father could talk to animals because he was from Animalia - and your sister did. Until the day your magic had surfaced, at least. Afterwards, you were a curse, the mistake in the carefully crafted plans, the wrong in all the rights and the flaw in the flawless family.

You didn’t miss any of it, and yet… you couldn’t quite get used to the freedom that you had here. Despite the fact that you were in exile, you didn’t feel like a prisoner here. Sure, you weren’t invited to Prince Jinyoung and Princess Yunkyeong’s wedding because so many other royal families would be there, and it was your parents’ wish not to be seen at such events, but otherwise, you could be free. You were no one special here, and you liked it that way.

“Oh, I see someone else is also an early riser!”

A cheerful voice disrupted your silent pondering, and you snapped your head back at the sudden visitor. You let out a sigh when you locked eyes with the not so unfamiliar stranger, and turned back to the pond in front of you instead.

“You must have been deep in thought, you didn’t even see me walking towards you,” Byounggon continued despite your attempt at ignoring him, and he only halted when he reached you. You could feel his gaze on you, curious yet tentative, but you didn’t respond to it, you continued looking ahead.

“I was, and it’s because I’ve never met anyone here at this time of the day before.”

“Well, consider yourself lucky today,” the medic blabbered cheerily, and without thinking twice, he sat down on the bench beside you. When you finally looked at him - deeming his action rather brazen -, he was already looking at you, and when you locked eyes, he flashed you a dimpled smile. Why he was grinning at someone like you - a princess from a far away kingdom with a bad reputation, someone who had supposedly almost killed her husband-to-be - was beyond you. Did he have no care in the world? Did he have no fear? Was he merely naive?

“Are you that bored, or are you just set on annoying me?”

“Annoying you?” Byounggon’s smile faltered, his bright features darkening. He looked so hurt suddenly, you almost felt bad for implying something like that. “Am I really annoying you?” He inquired, blinking rapidly with his ocean-deep, jet-black orbs, swimming in genuine care. When you looked him in the eye, you felt like looking into something rare, something precious: like a gemstone containing unknown magic, hidden away from the world for its power. And you… you were probably the last person who was worthy of seeing such a treasure.

You cleared your throat and averted your eyes to the pond, unable to bear his gaze any longer.

“I’m not used to company around here, and I didn’t expect anyone today either,” you blurted out honestly, feeling exposed for what your words might indicate. Maybe the magical medic also felt the weight of it for he seemed compromising instead of butthurt or overly nosy.

“Well, I can leave if you want me to,” he suggested right away, and he got to his feet even before you could tell him to stop. However, when you did confess that he didn’t have to leave, you could feel the grin spreading on his face even without turning his way. Gosh, why did he have to smile so brightly all the time? It was so… unusual for you.

Instead, you asked him to tell you something that he felt like sharing. Like an arrow that was fired, the boy’s words came on suddenly and flew like a river. He didn’t seem to be able to stop from the moment he started talking about his best friend, Seunghun, who was a soldier here, and with whom he had a special connection. When he said that it was a secret why, you rolled your eyes, assuming that he was joking yet again.

However, after he shared with you that he had actually saved Seunghun’s life, you thought that maybe he wasn’t lying about it. Seunghun’s parents had died when their house had caught on fire, and he would have died with them too, but Byounggon - who had been a little boy back then just like Seunghun himself and who had been living close to Seunghun’s home - had noticed the fire and dragged the boy out while risking his own life. His magic had barely resurfaced before the incident, but it had come out in full-force while he had been trying to save Seunghun’s life.

Then, Seunghun ended up at the palace with Byounggon and Byounggon’s father - who was a magical medic himself -, and they had been friends ever since. The two of them with Prince Jinyoung used to play hide and seek in this very garden before, and while he was talking about his childhood days, his eyes twinkled in a different light.

“Have you had friends like that, too?” He posed the question in his good-willed innocence when you were at the topic, but you could merely scoff.

“No. I had no friends at the palace. I couldn’t even consider my sister my friend even though she is only two years older than me,” you confessed, your words loaded with bitter poison. You had always been pitted against each other with your sister, and even though you had tried to make her see you as more than just an enemy, your sister had never let you. So gone was the naive little girl who had believed that she could make everything right if she had given her share of the cake to her sister or to give her the brand new doll you had gotten for your birthday, and it was replaced with the girl who was too mature and wise for her age, nevertheless all too pessimistic.

“It must have been lonely,” Byounggon broke the silence suddenly, shattering your flashbacks into tiny little pieces. Reality struck you hard, his words even more so, and for a moment, you felt like you were about to cry. So you pressed your lips tight and dug your nails into your skin, holding it in.

The medic might have sensed your discomfort or he merely wanted to fill the silence. Nevertheless, he started talking about the upcoming Festival of Day and Light to change the subject, the usual yearly festival for the fall equinox, and why it was special for them. Supposedly, they commemorated the gift of light while also appreciating the fact that darkness was needed for light to exist, so they lit candles while thinking of their loved ones, wishing them a bright year. The best way to light candles was to put them in lanterns and to place them on the little boats that were waiting for them by the riverside, and to watch them float away.

“You should definitely come celebrate it with us. There’s always a fun celebration outside of the court, and there are all kinds of delicacies and music and…”

“Why would I go? It’s not my tradition to celebrate,” you cut off his enthusiastic chatter, but he just shrugged his shoulders, his casual way of handling your harsh words resurfacing yet again.

“I wasn’t notified that the fall equinox was created just for our kingdom,” he counter-attacked playfully, and even though you were about to open your mouth to go against him, you realised that you couldn’t. He was right.

Hence, you bit your tongue, and didn’t say anything, just let him talk about whatever came to his mind until you were called for breakfast by Huisoo who seemed quite surprised to see you talking to the medic by the pond. What could you say though? You were surprised, too.

Two weeks later, when you finally managed to fall asleep after tossing and turning in bed for hours, shivers running up and down your spine, you dreamed of a fire.

You were standing inside the fire, the flames dancing around you, and whenever you tried to move, they followed you as if they were your shadow. You looked left and right when you heard a cry on the other side of the fire, and even though you should have felt scorching hot, you could only feel icy numbness taking hold of your legs, unable to move. The cry grew louder and louder until you had to put your hands on your ears to block the frantic sound out. Then, someone called your name, and when you tried to block it out too, invisible arms started shaking you. You fought back, tears pricking your ears, but the arms just wouldn’t let go.

Your eyes bolted open at that moment, but you didn’t feel any better. In fact, you felt even hotter than in that fire, and when you looked at the figure standing above you, his arms holding onto your shoulders, you realised that the part about being shaken must have been real. So had been the part about someone calling your name.

“Princess Y/N, it’s me. Huisoo told me that you weren’t feeling well last night, and you didn’t show up at the pond today, so I came by to see if I could help,” Byounggon explained slowly, gently, as if talking to a child. Then, when he caught sight of you staring at his arms on your shoulder, he let go of you, albeit a bit embarrassed.

You just blinked at him, trying to focus on his face instead of letting the nightmares take hold of you again, but it was difficult when all you wanted to do was to close your eyes and lie in bed. Your head was throbbing, your whole body was quivering, and the last thing you wanted to do was to have a conversation with Byounggon even though he seemed genuinely concerned about you.

“Where does it hurt? How long have you been having a fever?” He asked seriously once you regained more consciousness, and even though you were reluctant to tell him because you didn’t want his help, you were too run down to care.

So you told him that your joints had been hurting since last night, just before dinner, and you had a fever since midnight or dawn, you couldn’t tell because you had been drifting out of dreams (or more like nightmares) for the most part. Byounggon insisted on helping you after hearing about your symptoms, but you declined, saying that you had been used to dealing with such things on your own in your kingdom.

“Does it mean that I have to watch you suffer just because that’s what you’ve been used to?” The medic exclaimed, rather desperate, and even though you knew all too well what he was referring to, you couldn’t help but feel exposed. Wasn’t that what you were doing now? Suffering on your own, like the strong daughter and the perfect princess you had needed to become, just because you had never been treated otherwise? Because you could never show any sign of weakness, let alone accept someone’s assistance when they were willingly giving it to you?

“Fine. Do as you wish,” you gave in after defeating the voices in your head telling you not to let him help you. You were so tired, your body felt like it was twice its weight, and your eyes were heavy with sleep and the last remains of the terrifying nightmare you had, the last thing you felt like doing was arguing.

Byounggon immediately broke into a relieved smile, and as he was getting ready, he started talking about what he was about to do. Supposedly, one’s centre of energy was around their abdomen, so he needed to put his hand on your stomach to be able to heal your energy centre. If you had been in your right mind, you would have probably backed down on your word at this part, but you were still half-conscious, so you didn’t care, even when he touched you. He touched you so gently though, you could barely feel his featherlike touch.

He closed his eyes while he was working with his magic on healing you, and his lips sometimes twitched, probably from concentration. May it be because of his magic working or because you could look at him more closely like this as he was crouching down by your mattress, but you realised that there were dark circles under his eyes. You were reminded of what Sieun had told you a few days ago, that the magical medic had asked her about your daily schedule, especially about when you usually went to the pond. Sieun had told you that she didn’t know why he was asking, but you had a feeling why.

Byounggon must have been waking up earlier to talk with you by the pond, and the fact that he got worried because you had not been there this morning as you had done so for the past two weeks made you feel delirious, as if he was a poison you had a sweet taste of, but you couldn’t let yourself have more.

“It’s done,” the medic announced, dragging you out of your thoughts, and as your head cleared, you realised that your body felt light again. You put your hand to your forehead, but it didn’t feel hot. You pushed yourself up to a sitting position, and indeed, you didn’t feel feverish anymore. It was as if you had just woken from a good night’s sleep.

“Wow, princess, take it easy! You should still rest, you don’t want this illness to come back,” he advised, eyebrows furrowed in worry, and now that you had the energy to smile, you directed a friendly one at him.

“It’s alright. I feel good thanks to you,” you pointed out, and you saw how he tried to hide the grin that was creeping onto his lips. He failed though, alongside the pink that was tinting his cheeks, and the way he needed to clear his throat before he spoke up again.

“Well, it was nothing, really,” he shrugged off your compliment, averting his eyes elsewhere but your face. You were about to ask him to tell you how his magic worked when he caught sight of your paintings, the canvases resting by the wall.

“Did you paint them?” He inquired, a pure kind of curiosity lighting up in his eyes, and you didn’t have the heart to lie to him. So you told him the truth: that it was you, and that you had been painting for some time though your mother had never approved of it since she didn’t deem it appropriate for a princess who should have been learning how to engage in polite conversations and seducing princes instead of doing art.

“Seducing princes? Do you really learn that?” Byounggon asked, rather surprised, but there was a playful smile hiding in the corner of his lips. It seemed that even the medic himself couldn’t decide how much to believe your words.

“Well, she wanted me to. We had books on them in the library, and there was a teacher giving lessons on courting, but he only succeeded in teaching my sister. I made him give up after two lessons,” you shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly.

“Wow, you are so…”

“So?” You quirked an eyebrow challengingly when he seemed to search for the right words. Usually, when you gave people this look, they backtracked, and started babbling or changed the topic, but the medic didn’t.

“Admirable,” he decided on it a few seconds later, and your features softened. It was as if someone had offered you some quiet after the cacophony of the royal events you were forced to attend: you felt comforted, and your heavy heart felt a bit less tight. “I applaud you for how you speak your mind. I find it refreshing.”

You found his approachable personality refreshing too, but you couldn’t tell him that. After all, what good could that lead to? You had already let down your walls around him enough times, you were afraid that if he kept going, he would see behind that admirable facade, and see you as you were: terrified of history repeating itself and being far from perfect when it came to reciprocating other’s kindness. You didn’t deserve his care, you didn’t deserve his kindness.

Instead of commenting on his words, you asked if he had any duties he needed to attend to, and now that you reminded him, he realised that he should go to the palace indeed. However, before he could leave, you thanked him for healing you, and if anything, he gifted you with the widest smile you had seen on him.

“Anytime.”

Coming from him, accompanied by the comet of affection travelling through the galaxy of his jet-black orbs, somehow, you didn’t want to question the sincerity of his words.

The court was in a frenzy because of the upcoming wedding, but those who had some spare time still decided to go to the yearly Festival of Day and Light. You had contemplated not going, but when you asked Sieun about the festival, her whole face lit up, and you had a feeling that she would want to go.

So you told Sieun and Huisoo that you would head out to check out the festivities, but they could go their separate ways afterwards if they wanted to. The girls both objected fervently, but it was only until Huisoo was ever so obviously swept up by a handsome young man with shoulder-length hair at a flower stall, and the other met someone she had known before because then, both of them excused themselves. Which left you alone with the sugarcoated apple in your hand that you had bought for yourself - and one for either servant girl -, strolling around the main market square where the festival took place.

There were all kinds of games for kids who ran around without a care in the world while their parents were running after them or cheering them on. Beside the games, stalls of delicacies - ranging from sugared fruit to freshly-baked bread and dried figs coated in cinnamon - were lined up like tiny little stars dotted on the canvas of cobblestones. Beside the riverside, people either lit up candles or placed them on the little boats that waited by the sides just like Byounggon had told you so. The whole festival was full of cheers, laughter and life, topped by white and yellow decorations in the shape of the Sun, the Moon and the stars.

Despite being an outsider, you could feel the kingdom pulsing with the energy of its people, bright and cheerful. When you had been living in Animalia, you had visited the festivities outside of the palace maybe once or twice as a kid, so to be able to see how ordinary people celebrated such a meaningful time here warmed your heart. Suddenly, you felt like you were being surrounded by a community instead of being left alone in the vastness of the icy, jarring unknown.

Maybe it was because of the sentiment or because of the eager ladies by the riverside handing out candles, but you found yourself lighting up one of them when you found a part of the riverside that wasn’t as crowded as others.

“You do know that you need to make a wish when you light a candle. Otherwise, it will be pretty but less meaningful,” a familiar voice spoke up from behind you, and you hid the smile that was creeping onto your lips with a frown.

“You do know that you seem to spend an awful lot of time with me these days,” you pointed out when Byounggon halted beside you, and flashed you a wide smile, the kind that turned his eyes into little crescents resembling the moon above you.

“I am just keeping an eye on you. I wouldn’t want a princess to be sick again or to be sick of boredom,” he retorted cheekily, and you bit your cheek to not smile back at him as brightly as you could. He kept his eyes on you, and the way the moonlight reflected in his orbs and cupped his features in a magnificent halo mesmerised you for a moment. He didn’t need light to shine, he was so bright, so full of life either way, but under the crafted lines of the moon, you wondered what it would be like to make a painting of him one day - and whether you could capture his features as gracefully as your eyes did now.

Byounggon did develop a habit of accompanying you on your morning stroll. Sometimes he was early, more often he was late, but he did show up every day without fail. When you questioned if he had nothing better to do, he said no, and that he was actually looking for company for his morning walks, too. If you hadn’t heard from Sieun that the medic had specifically asked her about your morning visits to the court garden, you might have believed him, but since the servant girl’s remark, you couldn’t have fought the seed of hope that was blooming in your chest.

You let him join you, and you let him talk. You got to know all kinds of stories regarding court life here, and childhood stories of his soldier friend, Seunghun, and Prince Jinyoung, more or less funny ones that cracked up the medic, too. You also got to know about current affairs of the kingdom, and how Prince Jinyoung’s heart was someone else’s, but he couldn’t love her fully because he was going to marry a princess for a favourable trade deal. When you inquired if the wedding could be called off because of the prince’s feelings, Byounggon shook his head, a bitter smile tinting his lips - something that you had ever so scarcely seen on him. You hadn’t been in Prince Jinyoung’s shoes because you had never wanted to sacrifice an arranged marriage for a genuine love, but you could understand why it was difficult for him to marry for convenience.

You liked when Byounggon was talking because you could get to know about how things worked in the kingdom, but you could also get to know about him and his (adorably) gullible personality and his (precious) big heart. Once you realised that his intentions were truly pure, you let yourself be comfortable around him, including this day.

“So you came here to make a wish?” You quirked an eyebrow when you caught sight of a candle in his hands. The medic let out a deep, joyous laughter before answering.

“Well, I came here because I saw you, but yes, I also have a wish,” he flashed you a wide grin, and as he crouched down to put his candle into a lantern, you couldn’t help but ask:

“What are you wishing for?”

“It’s a secret,” he winked at you playfully. If he had been someone else, you would have probably felt offended by the gesture. However, it was him, and you knew him well enough by now, so you merely rolled your eyes at his antics.

“Fine. I won’t tell you mine either,” you retorted with a huff as you followed suit, and lit your own candle. He helped you put yours into a lantern, and placed them beside his own on a nearby boat. You waited a few minutes until the boat was filled up with lanterns and a man pushed the boat off the railing to let it float, to let it get further away from you while you were making a wish.

You watched it go with a sentimental smile, thinking of how much had changed in the last few months, so that you could be a part of a festival like this and wish to have many more moments like this - when you forgot about who you were, and let yourself be, let yourself rest after carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

“You seem to be happy now,” Byounggon remarked gently, quietly, no hint of playfulness in his voice after a few moments of utter silence. You looked at him, humming a yes, and let out a long sigh. When you inhaled, it felt like breathing in a whole new flavour of air.

“Is it because of me?”

Now Byounggon was teasing, his lips quirked up, but you had a feeling that he was doing it on purpose because he was way too pleased with himself when you laughed at the sudden change of the mood.

“Do you think it’s because of you?” You asked back, equally as curious as challenging. You knew that the medic would answer no matter your tone because he always did, and you liked that about him: that he was willing to speak his mind, even if it meant that he embarrassed himself because of his silly antics or that he made your heart flutter with a genuine compliment of his.

“I would like to think that, at least partly, it’s because of me,” Byounggon played along, theatrically placing a hand above his heart. He tried to remain serious, his features unwavering, but his lips twitched slightly, and his whole demeanour changed when he heard music coming from the main market square. They started playing a song - unknown to you, of course - on the drums and there was probably a little bit of guitar as well, and some instrument that you couldn’t quite put a finger on. Byounggon’s face immediately lit up hearing the melody, and it only took a few seconds until he bolted off, exclaiming that you should join him dancing while he was running off.

You followed him swiftly, and watched as he joined the circle of people who started dancing to the music. There were older people, younger ones, even little children, men and women alike, and the different colour and design of their clothes indicated that they were from different classes. You caught sight of Huisoo and the pretty boy from the flower stall in the crowd, and something in you twisted when you looked at them - so carefree, so joyful, so present in the given moment.

Then, Byounggon suddenly showed up by your side, and reached his hand out to you when the music stopped. You looked down at the boy’s hand, then up at him, into his almond-shaped eyes, and your first instinct was to shake your head and tell him no. The medic’s smile didn’t falter despite your hesitation, and maybe that’s what prompted you to take his hand and join him.

No one threw you a nasty glance, no one judged you for being there, no one cared, and honestly, that was the most reassured you felt for a long time. With your hand in Byounggon’s and in a little girl’s on your other side, you followed their lead and mimicked their dance moves. One after another, one after another, and then you lost count of the steps as you got swept up in the stomping footsteps and the echoing melodies.

You didn’t know how much time passed by - it could have been minutes or hours, you couldn’t tell -, but when the dance was over, and Byounggon inquired if you wanted to head back to the court together, you immediately said yes. It was only after a few seconds that you realised that the medic still didn’t let go of your hand, and you watched him take it away with a coy smile and a scratch of his neck.

And that’s when you realised that he was actually right: that he was a part of why you were happy here.

Prince Jinyoung and Princess Yunkyoung’s wedding took place as planned, and since Sieun was obligated to join because she was a part of the royal court here, you told Huisoo that she could spend this day however she wanted, you would be fine on your own. You didn’t like asking them for favours either way; since your mother’s watching eyes weren’t on you, you enjoyed that you could cater for yourself, and didn’t require their services as much. Both girls objected at first, saying that you were too generous, that’s why you started asking them to accompany you when they could break free from their role a bit - like at the festival when they could join the crowd or when you started going to the court kitchen to eat together with others instead of having your meals delivered to your room -, and you had a feeling that Huisoo would take the opportunity to meet up with the pretty flower stall boy from the festival.

That left you with much free time on your hands, preferably spent alone in your room, so you couldn’t bump into your mother who would attend the wedding and be reprimanded for being in the public’s eye. You spent the morning working on a painting of the riverside on the day of the festival, illuminated by the mysterious moon, and you spent the afternoon reading a book on the many magical creatures of the kingdom. You did have quite a few of them at Animalia too, but Medicalia boosted a high number of creatures that you had only heard of before, yet never seen them - such as phoenixes, kitsunes and caladriuses which supposedly had healing powers.

You were in the middle of reading a chapter about phoenixes when you heard a knock on your door. Expecting it to be one of the servants, you told them that they could come inside, but the knocking persisted. Hence, you rose to your feet from your crouching posture, and stepped up to the door to open it. Your heart skipped a beat when you saw who was behind it.

“Mother!” You breathed out in shock, not expecting her to pay a visit to you after the wedding ceremony. She was all dolled up for the event, but the evident frown on her face ruined the innocence of the swan-white outfit she put on.

She walked into the room with much disgust in her eyes, and only after you closed the door, did she turn around to face you. You could already tell that she was frustrated, her feelings shown in the tight lines of her lips and the way she squinted her eyes at you. Not to mention her thundering voice when she spoke up.

“Didn’t I tell you not to cause trouble here? Didn’t I specifically ask you to not use your powers here?” She spat the questions like venom, her words sending a bullet through your heart one after another.

“I do not understand, Mother,” you answered, your heart wrenching at the thought that she could assume something like this when you had nothing to be ashamed of. You had not caused any trouble here, and you had never used your powers ever since you had entered Animalia. Even though it had been tempting because you had wanted to see what you could do with it if you had put effort into practising, but you had to bury the thought as soon as it was born.

“Oh, come on, you’re not a child anymore! Don’t play the innocent kid with me,” your mother striked again, and took a step closer to you, looking straight into your eyes when she continued. “There was a fire a few days ago in the palace’s kitchen. I’ve heard that they haven’t found what caused it yet, though it could have been simply out of negligence. With you being here, I don’t think it was accidental.”

For a moment, you had no idea what to say. Then, you felt your blood rise as you balled your hands into fists. Just how could she assume something like that on her own when you were totally innocent? Just how low could she stoop to make you play the bad guy when the fire in your room at the Animalia palace wouldn’t have broken out if it hadn’t been for Prince Sangdo’s lack of manners? Not to mention who was to blame for your powers? Wasn’t it your mother who came from Elementalia and had the power to tame fire?

“Do you really think I visit the palace each and every day, just to burn something there? Do you really think of me so lowly? I have not even set foot in the palace for a month, let alone create a fire in the kitchen, but if you want to blame someone, sure, blame me. That does not mean I am guilty,” you objected fervently, but before she could open her mouth to say something more, you continued. “I wish you would have made a scene like this when Prince Sangdo had come into my room and grabbed my wrist when I had asked him not to touch me that night. If I was guilty then, you would have had your reason to blame it on me now. But I was innocent and I am innocent now, it is only your perception of me that always makes me the bad one in your eyes. The child that does not sit back and watch injustice without speaking up about it, the daughter that would choose painting over marrying a prince, and the girl who did not seem to inherit your powers until she did, and then, you wished she hadn’t.”

Your words flew like the river during a storm - waves crushing violently, heavy winds catching the surface ever so indignantly -, and it felt like there was a thunderstorm in your heart. You wanted to fight, to punch the walls, to knock over the shelves around you - anything to make your mother go away, alas, you could only fight back with your words, and they even didn’t seem to reach her. If anything, they made her even angrier, no sign of remorse in her eyes.

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that! A princess knows where to draw the line, but you… you are out of your mind, and being away from Animalia didn’t seem to help either. And I thought-”

Your mother’s words were interrupted by a few rhythmic knocks on the door, and you both snapped your head towards the sound.

“Princess Y/N, it’s time for your lesson,” a familiar voice called, and despite the fact that you had no lesson, let alone with him, you didn’t want to object. Your mother didn’t seem to think it through either, instead, she let out an offended huff and murmured into your ears before leaving:

“Don’t think that you can come back anytime soon with that attitude.”

You gulped down the knot in your throat as you watched her leave, and turned around to be with your back to the door, so that Byounggon wouldn’t see the way your hands were shaking when he came inside your room. You heard him close the door behind him, and fumble with something before he dared to ask:

“Are you okay?”

“How much did you hear?” You retorted back, standing by the walls with your back to him. You tried your best to hold back your tears, but you weren’t sure that you were doing a good job because you could feel your eyes watering despite your best efforts.

“Uhmm… I think everything,” Byounggon admitted after a long pause. You closed your eyes for a moment, the first teardrop rolling down your cheeks, leaving a cold streak behind on your warm cheeks. “I saw your mother leaving the ceremony, and I had a feeling that she would come to you, but I wasn’t sure. So I followed her here. I know it sounds very bad, but I was afraid that she would… do something to upset you or hurt you because you told me that she was the one who wanted to send you away, and I don’t know what exactly happened, at least I didn’t know until now, but I knew you didn’t deserve it, and it really seems you didn’t. And I just… I wanted to protect you from her. I’m sorry I was late,” he rambled incredibly fast, and the more he talked, the more heavily your tears were following.

You couldn’t understand how someone who had never met you could trust you and believe in your innocence even before you had met for the first time. On the contrary, your mother had blamed you for everything, and she had known the full story. How could someone be so pure to you? How could Byounggon care about you so genuinely, so selflessly? He didn’t have anything to gain from caring about you, yet he did so, and it just broke your heart even more.

You heard the medic take a few steps towards you, and when he halted beside you in a safe distance, he immediately caught sight of your silent sobbing. You looked at him from behind the curtain of your tears, watching how he was trying to gesture with his hands, but was unable to decide what to do. So you decided instead of Byounggon himself, and stepped up to him to embrace him.

“Thank you,” you croaked out, your voice coming out a lot more strained and fragile than you wanted to.

You could feel him loosen up, and slowly, gently, he put his arms around your frame, patting your back while you cried against his chest. He was warm, he was warmth itself, and you wanted to get lost in his touch, in his arms, in his voice.

“It’s okay. You can cry with me,” he murmured into your hair, his voice rid of any playfulness or teasing.

Tears like pearls fell onto the silk of his shirt, leaving behind more than just wet stains - leaving behind the last walls that you had been keeping up around yourself to protect yourself, all crumbled down now, and the stories he had never heard before, neither had you shared with anyone else since leaving your kingdom.

The following days, you were cautious about meeting Byounggon, secretly terrified that he would see you as a horrible person, that he wouldn’t understand your pain, and you would end up feeling lonelier than ever before. You had never opened up to someone like on the day of the wedding, and you were afraid that you would need to rebuild your walls, and never let anyone in, ever again.

On the other hand, Byounggon acted the same way, if not more protective over you. He highlighted how much people liked you here in the court, especially since the festival when you had gone out to celebrate with ordinary people, and how your own kingdom didn’t deserve you if they turned their back on you when you had wanted to protect yourself. What’s more, he pointed out that he would have been delighted to meet someone like you when he had been a child because taming fire would have meant that you could have helped save Seunghun’s parents when he had managed to save Seunghun only. Sure, power might come with great responsibility, but it wasn’t your fault that your power had surfaced at a time like that. It merely showed that you had been desperate back then, and no one had paid attention to that part of the story, they had been too quick to send you away.

You felt yourself becoming softer and softer towards the medic afterwards because he was everything you had never had the chance to have - the shoulder to cry on, the one who understood your body language even when words failed you, the boy who always asked for your permission when he wanted to come closer to you or hold your hand, and the one who would fight for you through thick and thin. You had never met a more considerate, more gentle soul, and even his goofy self was endearing to you.

Even when he claimed that he didn’t steal a flower (that allegedly resembled you in his eyes) from the court garden (“because it wasn’t considered stealing if he was on good terms with the gardeners”); even when he managed to fall into the pond when he got scared by a bee during one of your morning strolls, and even when he ran all the way from the palace to you because he thought that you were the one who came down with something in the court, sweating bucks because running wasn’t his forte, your feelings towards him grew stronger and stronger.

Not to mention the time he shared with you the secret he had been keeping about his friend, Seunghun. When he had first talked about the soldier, you had assumed that he had been joking when he had claimed that the reason their relationship was special was a secret. However, when he let you know that by saving Seunghun, he managed to keep him alive as a phoenix, it all made more sense. You could also understand why he was keeping it a secret because phoenixes didn’t have human forms, at least not ones that the books knew of.

You knew the part of the story that Seunghun’s parents had died when their house had caught on fire, and he would have died with them too, but Byounggon had noticed the fire and dragged the boy out while risking his own life. His magic had barely resurfaced back then, but it had come out in full-force as he had been trying to save Seunghun’s life. Since he hadn’t known at first just how much he could have helped the almost burned boy, he had also applied fireflower on his wounds - the flower that was born after fires, so interestingly so, it was almost like a phoenix, born after turning to ashes.

In a way, Byounggon tied himself to Seunghun by saving him because his magic continued to live inside his friend’s body, and whenever the soldier was hurt, it was only Byounggon who could heal him completely. At least, until Seunghun was saved by a girl, and her magic saved him just like the medic’s magic had saved him when they had been young. Ever since then, their magical bond might have faded, but their friendship stayed the same.

You even met the so-called soldier friend and his girlfriend at the court, and after a while, it became a habit of yours to have dinner with them alongside Huisoo, Sieun and the medic himself. You felt light whenever you were around them, that’s why you didn’t take it to heart when they started teasing you or Byounggon who was clumsily trying to get closer to you. Bit by bit, you let him get closer, but you needed to be the one to take the final step nevertheless.

“Byounggon, we need to talk,” you told him one morning, sitting by the pond while the sun was just rising on the horizon.

“T-talk?” He stuttered, extremely nervous for someone who was usually so chatty, but maybe he sensed the serious edge to your words, and he was scared by what was to come.

All was well though, so he was scared for nothing. Your parents had previously sent a letter to the royal family of Medicalia, telling them to take care of you for at least a year more until your sister could settle down with her husband, and you had a feeling that meant that you would never be welcomed in Animalia again. Hence, you had the permission to stay here longer, and you tried to be useful by applying to become an arts teacher in the court. You had your first lessons with the cousins of Prince Jinyoung and Princess Jinhee not too long ago, and it proved to be a success, so that was taken care of.

Nevertheless, you had a feeling that the boy might have thought that you would need to go back to Animalia or worse, marry a prince from a far-away kingdom. Thankfully, neither of them were likely to happen anytime soon, but it warmed your heart how worried he got.

“Yes. I want to talk about you and me,” you broke it down to him, but if anything, that just made him appear more appalled. He visibly gulped, but his eyes were still on you, intent and curious.

“Suuure. Go ahead,” he prompted semi-confidently, and you reached out to put your hand on his, to soothe his nerves. You could tell that it had its effect on him because his lips immediately curved upwards, and he squeezed your hand to hold onto you more tightly.

“I want to thank you for waiting for me,” you started sincerely, but the talkative person he was, he couldn’t help himself, but to interrupt you.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I? I’m not like that horrible prince who deserves the absolute worst, he deserves to-” He started getting riled up again, something that he always did when you mentioned some injustice you had encountered at the Animalia palace or he thought of Prince Sangdo. You were sure that he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back if he were to ever encounter the said prince, but thankfully, there was little to no chance of that happening.

“I love you, Byounggon,” you announced, loud and proud, and the medic’s mouth stayed open, probably because he was in the middle of his monologue, but also because he was surprised by your sudden confession. Then, he closed his mouth, his features softening, and he immediately threw his arms around you.

“I love you, too. Gosh, I love you so much!” He shrieked excitedly like a little kid, and hugged you tighter than ever before. You smiled to yourself while he was holding you, amused (and bewitched) at the way he kept saying ‘I love you’ like he would never want to stop.

He couldn’t stop even when Sieun and Huisoo walked by, and they tried to sniffle their giggles while watching you two embrace each other in the middle of the blooming garden, bathed in the rays of the sunrise.

“I’ve told you he liked her when he asked about her morning strolls,” Huisoo told Sieun as they were heading towards the kitchen while the other girl just let out an amused laugh.

“Sure, Miss Matchmaker. What about your flower boy though? What was his name again? Leewoo? Leehan?” Sieun teased her and smacked the girl in the side, playful as ever.

“Ssshh,” Huisoo shushed her, pretending to stay nonchalant about the topic, but she couldn’t help a smile creeping onto her lips as she said: “Well, love might be in the air for everyone.”

A/N: Thank you so much for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think in the comments or as reblogs. I always read them and react to them. 🥰

If you want to read more stories of mine, let it be for CIX or for other bands, consider signing up for my taglist here.

Hope you have a lovely day/night! *-*

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