!  italic fonts denote the past. ! 

Mushroom merger with bitter greens. Tomatoes, potato salads, a number of desserts, richly roasted beef slices, and small pepper bottles remained in front of them. Purple grapes there prevailed at the center of the dinner table. The young waiters and waitresses, attired in black slacks and silvery coats, moved quietly from one side to the other, keeping the platters and cups full for the imperial family.

Elbows were off the bar, their posture was straight. Nibbling with their mouths sealed while picking up small portions of vegetables along with spoonfuls of rice. The mere noise in the room was the sound of the servants shuffling from one side to the other.

"All set, my lads?" murmured the monarch as he glanced up at the two princes, who were perched down against the queen. "Yes, father," Namjoon acknowledged, gawking at the king, who nodded, drawing another sip of the liquor placed in front of him.

They were chatting about the Le Bal taking place the very next week.

Le Bal des Beautillion and Débutantes. A waltz event where royals were invited to introduce their heirs and wards to society. Le Bal was the occasion where friendships, relationships, and even more were established between the princes and princesses of every kingdom. All the provinces engaging in the event were previously given a chance to host it.

And it was the vampires' turn this particular year.

All the royals ranging from the age of sixteen to twenty were to attend it. Having been invited by their adjoining kingdom did not appear much as of a wonder to the wolf king, who had urged his sons to get ready for the occasion in the coming weeks.

"Whom are you looking forward to court?" he inquired later anew with a timid smile this time. To the nations, the monarch was plucky. He was the prudent attendant of tranquility, the one who was generous and offered equal affection and equal emotional empathy to all. He would, and could, constantly do anything for his folk. To the men and women, the emperor was the shadow that wandered into the light to defend them—merely to be recognized as the highest amongst all.

But it isn't always as it seems.

The king and queen were weighed with responsibilities of not merely their offsprings, but likewise of the entire kingdom. The responsibility they obtained, nevertheless, of their personal obstacles, they had to run and face their subjects' disputes before theirs. Despite knowing his father wasn't perfect and flawless, Prince Taehyung had learned way promptly that everybody had to see him as a polished King with no blemishes.

To the people, he was flawless. To them, his strength developed from the way he was cherished. He was the one who was truly accepted with their hearts as well as minds and views.

The flavors they were swallowing down had luster as if in each slice were puny sparkling blimps, ready to depart the puffy sky. If the scent was the breeze in the sails, the tones were the full body of the boat.

 "I haven't actually thought about it, father" Namjoon answered after swallowing down the water. "How about you, my dear?" The queen now spoke, averting her gaze to Taehyung. The seventeen-year-old lad raised his head up and thereafter his brows as he went on to chew. A strange smile fell over his lips as soon as he realized what the queen was asking him about.

The other three at the same table followed the young prince's silent answer to the question and his actions. Guzzling down what the boy had pressed into his mouth, he picked up the glass loaded with lukewarm water.

"I shall advise everyone here to munch without anymore further discussions rather," his creamy deep voice reverberated in the room, producing the servants to halt by to hear what the prince was uttering.

The emperor acknowledged, fluttering his eyes, interpreting what the lad replied. Taehyung glanced back at his mother, hunching his head a little before sinking into his platter again. The prince's response appeared to not come as an astonishment to the rest of the royalties. The male had always been this way—not speaking more than it was needed. He invariably retained his plans and motives for himself, which always induced consternation and even annoyance in lad Jimin's case, who was the only son and heir of the royal guard.

"Hello, mate." muttered a feathery voice, producing the young prince to turn around. "Hello, fellow. How fare ye?" The prince asked how the lad was doing while lifting his brows. "Pretty well," the latter responded instantaneously as they settled over their horses for patrolling at the border the same night.

After supper, the two close friends, like every day, met to accompany a number of guards at the patrolling. They would occasionally stay overnight at the encampment built on the order of the commander-in-chief—who was likewise the king's younger brother for the two royalties.

Taehyung, on the pillar, was rising with a pair of binoculars under his grasp. "What are you looking at?" Jimin now inquired after mounting the pillar behind the prince. Hearing Jimin's statement, Prince Taehyung snaked down his binoculars just to look back at the male and there again face his front to point at a certain direction." I saw something gleaming there last night." The prince answered and then faced the latter.

"But I can't seem to get a lead on it today. I'm not sure where it was in the southeast direction." The prince sighed, passing the equipment now to the other. Jimin laid it over his eyes and peered in the mentioned direction to discover what gleaming object or person exactly had the male seen.

While the older of the two was curiously interpreting, the younger began to descend the pillar to interact with the guards about the situation so far. If they have heard or seen anything suspicious yet.

It was merely later when he picked up Jimin, calling his name vehemently, "C'mere, Taehyung!" It blew absolutely urgent to him. Prince Taehyung soon began to jog over to the pillar then, ascending it extremely rapidly.

"The glow you met yesterday. Did it seem like a lantern?" The lad forthwith charged, provoking the latter to murmur almost shortly. "Yes, I can see it right now, too. But what is it specifically?"

"It's someone. He is hugging his cape around his body. It's a young lad—" before the erstwhile could finish, the latter took the binoculars into his grips, craving to know what is it precisely. He glanced in the same direction from where he had anticipated the fire flames of the lantern at — but the next he couldn't spot the person Jimin was muttering about.

He then saw a white-skinned horse hooked to a tree. The male thus drew up the instrument to have a look at the tree thoroughly, solely to discover someone mounting it and formerly perching on the loftiest brunch, staring up at the sky. Due to the hood over the boy's head, he couldn't see his face, but abruptly, when the individual turned in his direction—a bitter whiff blew the hood off his head and eyes. Those were a pair of blue eyes—ocean eyes but seemed fierce. Before he could have a further look at that person—Jimin seized the binoculars from his hands.

"I know that horse. This one is a rare breed—only one individual within all of our nearby provinces has it."

"Who is it?"

"Jeon Jungkook. The youngest prince of the vampires." 

♘♘♘

Glancing at himself in the mirror, Taehyung adjusted his attire. He wore a distinctive type of tunic today. It was extremely ornate and highly precise. His overgrown hair was settled back, revealing his hallucinatory forehead.

That was formerly when a helper after sightly knocking on the emperor's door swiveled his head down before murmuring—"Your majesty, the horses are ready." Taehyung, who peered at the server through the mirror's view, acknowledged with a nod before actioning him to dismiss.

The day to attend Jeon Jungkook—the vampire prince's suitor choosing ceremony had arrived.

As promptly as the wolf emperor stepped out of his room, the officers and other guards pursued him behind. He had slipped into a black overcoat by one of the helpers.

Not long after, he was joined by the royal guard. Jimin hastily strode behind the male with a smile. "Good Morning, my lord." The male greeted cheerily, solely to draw an unexpected, dazzling smile from the monarch. "You seem delighted, sir." added the latter, returning the same smile.

"Of course I am, sir Jimin." Taehyung lightly nodded as they took a turn to the pedestal merely to face the threshold of the palace. "I'm glad to hear that, sir. But I have a piece of lousy news," hearing which Taehyung stopped drifting, provoking the others who were behind him to cease too.

"Gamma lord isn't accompanying us. He could be joining us the subsequent week." Taehyung nodded, following the information. Gamma lord must have had reasons to not escort them right now.

The day implied to be marginally misty, with the whiffs ringing around while the clouds were mingling and mumbling with one another. "I hope it rains. The shortage shouldn't last any longer or it might stir up tremendous trouble." Jimin uttered under his gasp as he studied the sky. The male thereafter exhaled, as he watched the monarch acknowledging the sky, too.

Taehyung peered back at Jimin, "I am wishing for the same." he murmured back before striding over to Nyx; his horse—he fondled Nyx before getting on it.

The troopers aligned themselves behind the emperor, lingering for the royal horse to move. The duty of the kingdom in the absence of the king was handed over to the crown prince—who might accompany the erstwhile, subsequent week, along with the gamma lord if the plight of the kingdom grows better regarding the water scarcity.

The horses in a calm and wistful temperament, upon receiving the sunshine and the harness hone accepting the frisson of amusement that freedom lavishes. They floated effortlessly on that landscape as if they were better of a flock than a herd. Upon the horse, through petal-freckled and the fair waters where the fishes glided, quietly.

The wolf emperor couldn't push it. He couldn't help but ponder about it the old days. The path to the vampires' kingdom brought back an abundance of visions from his last ever Le Bal.

 He merely attended the event twice, previously at the age of sixteen and later at the age of seventeen—which was hosted by the vampires. No matter how exceptionally and consistently he tries, he can never overlook those days.

It was the time when everything was okay when the vampires and the werewolves held onto appropriate relations. But that one event ruined everything. The kingdoms' relations. His friendship—his feelings.

It ruined that all.

Taehyung leaned forward, stretching the lead rope rather rapidly, producing the horse to raise the momentum. The imperial officers behind maintained their speeds too—to follow the emperor with a certain amount of speed to maintain their distance from him. Jimin forthwith sensed Taehyung's state of mind, and that was the reason he did not bother him to drop off a bit.

The king's eyes glistened at the view of the palace that was right above the hilltop. It was a castle, a castle with a tower of rock aid with jolly violets. A pleasant accompaniment to the bonny foliage all around.

Sooner or later, his troop paused in front of the uphill castle. There were plenty of individuals remaining outside the castle. A number of them were commoners, craving to see their prince being best suited with one man out of so many.

The guards almost immediately prepared to clear the path of their Alpha king. Thousands of eyes drifted to the king, scanning at him from head to toe—oh, how gracious he was. Rumbles and chitchats thereafter spark up. Some checked out at his features while some of them eyed the red pendant that swung around his neck.

The fragrance of flowers was sprinkled over them by the imperial slaves welcoming the guests. It was not solely them who were invited—it also consisted of kingdoms that enjoyed the alliance with the vampires. And very evidently the other family representatives too—Taehyung realized it when he eyed Soobin; The duke of a town in the vampires' kingdom. Soobin was likewise Jungkook's first cousin. And Taehyung knew him remarkably well—denounce Yeonjun, his first cousin for it.

It was practically as if half of the royalties from this generation of the werewolves had fallen head over hills for the men in the vampire family. But no matter what—none of them could be compared to the one whose ultimate suitor he wants to be.

Because this wasn't the first time Taehyung wanted to court the male.

The wolf monarch, along with his guards, were guided to the main hall of the castle. He could identify the other suitors previously being present there—it included: the prince of dragons—Cha Eun Woo; Tehyung determined not to have much of an affinity towards this prince, he was a thorough bipolar individual who snapped his tail every time Jungkook got around him. The Anzus' King—Choi-Woo-Sik, was good friends with him. Lee-Jon-Suk—the emperor of the phoenix; Taehyung did not much know about him—but he knew he was rather a big danger to be with— but since liked danger himself, he couldn't help but get curious. And maybe if he didn't he wouldn't have found interest in Jungkook in the first place.

 Because there was nothing more dangerous than him.

The Alpha settled on the seat that was reserved for him. While Jimin perched right beside him uttering some information about all the suitors present as if he was trying to distract him from something or maybe someone—but for how long could he? Taehyung's eyes then settled on the man who was beaming at him already.

"Pox on his throat. . ." Taehyung cussed under his breath. The position they were sitting in was the same as years ago. And would have been interpreted wrongfully if stated—Memories did not halt back in front of their eyes.

♘♘♘

"Utter nuisance. I must say this is an utter nuisance." Namjoon grunted, addressing his younger brother with a judgy glance. Prince Taehyung simply chortled, receiving that from the elder. It was amusing to him—pretty assuredly. "This is funny to you? Who suggested this to you, brother? We can be thrown out of the event if it actually pisses off the younger vamp prince."

"You should focus more on his elder brother than him." Taehyung snorted there again. They were perched at the vampires' court, remaining for the Le Bal ceremony to begin. Nineteen-year-old Namjoon seemed indeed tensed at the utter nuisance—in his words—that his younger brother had pulled.

Where princes and princesses at this ceremony would gift the royalties they want to the court, that individual's favorites or the thing they loved—Taehyung, seemingly, had carried forward the total opposite of it. He had gifted the young vampire prince—the thing he loathed the extremely—Lavenders.

"I can't believe you. He is a pugilist and is just sixteen. This is his first ever Le Bal ceremony. Imagine the humiliation of being punched in the face by a prince who is younger than you, Jesus." Jimin kept forward the possibility, causing the youngest amongst the three to chuckle again. "Are you two the older ones or am I." Namjoon rolled his eyes at that. "You are actually a piece of an utter nuisance. I must say this again."

"Thank you so much, brother. I appreciate your compliments." Taehyung, fixing his tunic, murmured in a sarcastically amusing tone. Before they could argue upon this further—or should I say, shower one another with upsetting compliments — the ceremony commenced by the vampire king.

"I, hereby, announce the Le Bal to begin." The male prepared to host the event. "And our first event would be to give out the presents you have bought for the royalties you want to court this season."

The motive of the Le Bal was to bring the royalties closer. The individual you are courting this season might differ from the other. Le Bal was the place for teens and youngsters to try out different things and people before they undertake the burdens of their respective kingdoms.

The royalties thus handed over their presents to their helpers, directing them whom to turn over to. The helpers appeared to shuffle from one place to the other to present the gifts as assigned. And that was formerly when Prince Taehyung caught a helper striding over to him, too. The fellow frantically glanced at his brother, who had previously taken in a gift from the elder vampire prince.

The server who was strolling towards him bent down, planting the jute bag over his palm. He thus drove elsewhere from view before actioning him from whom did he obtain the said gift. It wouldn't have been a lie if explained that it occurred to Taehyung with sheer surprise.

It was from Jeon Jungkook, the youngest prince of the vamps.

 The wolf prince, curiously, began to pull open the jute pouch's strings but then scowled—he was too gifted with something he loathed. It was those cocoa seeds. Taehyung forthwith lifted his gaze to the latter prince but did not find him at the place he had earlier taken his seat at.

First of all, the question was how did the male even find out that he despised these.

It was suddenly then when he realized prince Jungkook was strolling towards him with the jute pouch he had sent in. The said male thus got up. The eyes that were expressing mischievousness a few minutes ago were now timid.

Taehyung acknowledged how the prince's hood flew back. He noted how the male had tied down his dark locks. The male appeared to not even realize when the lad came and stood chest to chest in front of him. He was still marginally shorter than him—nevertheless, he wore those black leather boots.

"Is this a threat, sir?" The boy urged, titling his head a little as he looked up to the former prince; hoisting up the jute bag crammed with lavender leaves. "I can ask you the same, your highness." Prince Taehyung exclaimed back, lifting the jute bag filled with cocoa seeds the latter had given him.

"It is a threat." Jungkook countered practically shortly. "Why? May I ask, your Highness?" Taehyung somewhat bent down. "You may not." Jungkook monkishly grinned, not granting him to ask the question. "But I sure would like to know. How did you find out that I abhorred these?" Crocking his brows, the lad asked, staring up.

"Well, In that case, I would like to demand the same answer too, prince," Taehyung uttered, relatively slowly peering right into those glinting brown eyes that abruptly changed their color to blue.

"I refuse you to meet your demands, sir," Jungkook responded, wrapping his arms over his chest, producing Taehyung to chuckle. "Did you think that if you send in the seeds I despise the most to me, I would reject you? Is it because you don't know how to waltz, your highness?" Taehyung inquired, as he went on to gape at the younger.

"Are you challenging me?" Prince Jungkook lifted his brows. "As you want to interpret it, darling."

"I will see you at the ball, sir," Jungkook muttered back, rolling his eyes fiercely. "And I would like to see you." Taehyung asserted with a grin that he tried to hold back. Jungkook turned around to wander back to his seat, not neglecting to look back at the wolf prince, once.

Taehyung continued to stare at the younger male. He could sense his heart grumble within. Oh, what took place just now was so— "That was so unlike you, Prince Taehyung." Jimin, who was resting by his side, whispered to him. "I agree with Jimin," Namjoon added. The two on either of his sides kept staring at him. Well, In their words, it was utterly peculiar—anyone shall ask, what is so weird? Well, the foolish smile on Prince Taehyung's face was.

"Well, at least I found someone who makes me unlike me," Taehyung mumbled, abruptly feeling as if someone was staring at him. Now raising his gaze from the jute pouch, the boy glanced straight at the person sitting adjacent to him. The individual did not break the contact and still continued to stare at him.

Taehyung got up from his seat and strode over to the male with a grin. "Hello, Prince Yoongi." he asserted with a smile. "Hello, Prince Taehyung. Nice to meet you." the serpent prince hissed. "Whom are you looking to court this season, sir?" The alpha charged in straightforwardly, producing the serpent's eyes to splendidly glimmer. "Jeon Jungkook." his tongue rolled out. At that moment, Taehyung marginally smirked. "Well, then. The game is on, Prince." Yoongi smirked back, but in a monkish way to him. "Indeed, it is, sir."

And with that, Taehyung escorted the male around for the whole day because maybe he knew that we keep our friends closer and enemies even more—but solely if the wolf prince perceived that Yoongi's philosophy did not differ. 

♘♘♘

lol ignore the mistakes if any! i rewrote this chapter four times. and almost lost it today! i have no energy left to see if there are more mistakes! please ignore.

edit : i will start updating from monday :>!