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As soon as Seokjin entered the spacious, lavish chamber he was requested to wait inside, his breath hitched at the first thing that caught his eyes.

In midst of all the silver and purple coloured furnitures inside, there was a crown, resting on top of the table which was situated right in middle of the entire room.

Seokjin knew that delicate yet gorgeous, rose golden crown very well. And he hated how he recognized it right away, as if it hadn't been six whole years already!

He shook his head in concern, gaze still fixed on the beautifully, exquisitely made crown, a small frown adorning the middle of his eyebrows.

Taehyung hadn't changed a bit.

He was still that defiant, reckless person who doesn't care about what people are going to think or say about him. Still that stubborn man who refuses to back down from declaring his claim loud and clear.

Did he take a wrong decision by coming here? He probably did. But then again, where else could he go?

"How long will I have to wait?", he asked one of the maids, annoyance and impatience visible in his voice.

He needed to be done with this as soon as possible.

"I know I am not that famous in terms of punctuality. But, you should know that I won't make you wait like the others."

The voice forced Seokjin to turn around in an instinct.

There stood the devil himself, the King of Azazzel, Kim Taehyung, in his full wicked, royal glory.

"Your Majesty.", Seokjin gave the man a slight bow out of courtesy, which the younger man answered by walking closer to him and taking his hand in his own.

"Your Highness...", Taehyung lowered his head and Seokjin gulped as his lips touched the back of his fingers in one of the briefest yet sweetest kisses.

"We need to talk.", Seokjin retreated his hand as soon as possible, reminding Taehyung and himself that they have a business to do.

"It's important."

"Leave.", the younger gestured the maids and servants to get out of the room and ofcourse they obeyed, leaving the two of them alone with themselves.

Seokjin wished they hadn't.

"I'm very much aware of the fact that you're here because it's important. You wouldn't have wanted to meet me if it wasn't.", Taehyung chuckled, taking a few steps backwards as his eyes stayed glued to Seokjin.

Those same dark, sharp, soul searching eyes of Kim Taehyung.

Nothing had changed.

"So tell me, Lord of Dridell. How may I serve Your Highness? By helping you to fight against the Rothgars? Rescuing your husband from their clutches? Dragging him back into your lap?", Taehyung's deep, velvety voice sounded like mocking, much more venomous than Seokjin remembered it to ever be.

"I expect you to not say such words about him, Your Highness.", Seokjin stared back at him.

"I believe you haven't forgot already that he is not only my husband but your brother as well."

That made Taehyung laugh in such a dreary way, that Seokjin felt himself shivering at it.

"Brother...", he sneered. "Right."

"My dearest Elder brother who has never felt anything else for me other than envy and hatred. Do you think I'm a fool?"

The elder took a sharp breath as Taehyung got closer to him, towering him with his overpowering aura.

"Do you think I have no idea what he had been upto? Why was he there at the battle in the first place? Why was Dridell even helping Ethereon to attack the Rothgars? Since when Ethereons have become your sworn friends for you to risk half of your army to support them?"

"You think I don't know that your husband has done this just so that he can get Ethereon's support when he attacks my kingdom?"

"So you won't help him.", It wasn't a question. Seokjin knew what Taehyung would do. And he knew that trying to convince him would be fruitless.

"You definitely know me better than that. I've many better things to do other than freeing the person whose only goal in life is to dethrone me and take everything that I have.", Taehyung shrugged.

"If you knew about everything... then why did you even agree in meeting me?", Seokjin's eyes followed the other, who trailed up towards the center table in small, idly steps.

And Taehyung chuckled. Like it was the stupidest question one can ever ask.

"Because I wanted to see you.", turning his head for a few seconds, he smiled at Seokjin, his craziest, rarest, most genuine smile.

"Ofcourse I will agree in meeting you if you want to meet me. You see, I rarely get that lucky.", he turned his back towards the older. Running his fingers over the subtle designs of the crown, he murmured,-

"You know I will agree in meeting you even if you summon me from my deathbed, my Queen."

The fond epithet made Seokjin jolt in his place.

"Taehyung!", he breathed, voice filled with a sense of warning. But thankfully he knew how to collect himself right away.

"Fine.", he clenched his jaws. "You don't have to help me. I will get it from somewhere else."

"What now? You're going to beg to the others?", Taehyung turned towards him once again, a pitiful smirk ghosting over his lips.

"I will do that too if that's what it takes me to save him.", Seokjin's words were sure, determined.

The younger nodded, the smirk slowly dying down. "That I know.", he muttered.

"Once you have committed, you will go to any extent just to see the end of it."

Seokjin's heart twisted at that. After all that Taehyung had gone through, he had expected him to consider Seokjin as someone extremely coward and selfish.

"I will help you.", and he didn't even try to hide the surprise as his eyes widened this time.

"Seokjin, don't go around begging to the others.", there was an urgency in Taehyung's voice as he rushed towards him.

"I will give my army to you. I am going to give you whatever you need, just don't go asking for help from everyone out there. You can't just do that. You're Kim Seokjin, for God's sake; You don't deserve it! Not for that person who has always treated you like a pawn in his game!"

"I'm not going to allow you to give such baseless accusations on my husband, Taehyung!", the elder felt breathless, he needed to- had to steady his mind.

"Baseless, it seems? He thought this throne was his property just because he was the eldest son, just because he was trained as the heir. But fortunately, a ruler needs more than that; Whom am I even preaching, Kim Seokjin has been ruling his kingdom since the twelfth year of his life...", there was a clear sign of admiration and immense pride in Taehyung's dark, predatory eyes as he let the back of his hand graze softly against Seokjin's cheek.

"But when I was chosen as the heir, he couldn't accept it. And my father had to compensate his brat by marrying him off with you. They hoped that you will make him the king and become his consort. But when even that plan went wrong, he is using your army to make alliances that will help him in attacking Azazzel."

"Are you still going to convince yourself into thinking that you are not a mere pawn to him?"

"He has never made me feel that way.", Seokjin shook his head and just as Taehyung had said, forced to convince himself.

"He loves me-"

"I hope he does.", Taehyung smiled yet again. "I really hope he does because if he ever dares to hurt you, I'm going to burn him and all of his political friends into ashes. And he knows I can do that. You know I can do that, My Queen."

"Stop calling me that!", Seokjin gasped, stepping back and creating a safe distance between themselves.

"It has been years, Taehyung! Please look at yourself! You have everything. You don't need what is left in the past. It was a misunderstanding. It was my misunderstanding. And you got caught in it. I mistook you for him but-"

-"But I was the one you had chosen, Seokjin. Misunderstanding or not, what matters is that I was your chosen one!"

"But then I've rectified my mistake. I've loved him, Taehyung. I...", Seokjin's voice wavered in guilt.

He shouldn't feel guilty. It's the truth.

Isn't it?

"I love him."

"Love!", Taehyung laughed, his eyes roaming all over Seokjin's face in a furious search for a lie.

"You are not like them, my Queen. Love is not another name of alliance to you. It doesn't change according to convenience to you. You can't love anyone in this world anymore. Because you have loved me and as I said before, once you commit, you can go to any extent to see the end of it."

"I had left you, Taehyung!", the elder was desperate now. Clutching at the other's shirt, he gritted his teeth.

"I had left you because my mother had advised me to marry him instead of you. She had told me that it would be a better alliance than marrying the King because I shouldn't feel dependent while ruling my kingdom. I had betrayed you, Taehyung. I had broken your heart, your dream of a life with me. I had thrown this precious crown that you wanted me to wear as your Queen. I had left you broken. Why don't you understand?!"

"You were manipulated to leave me. You were given a choice by my father. My father, who had never got wrong in reading people's mind and get what he wanted from them.", Taehyung cupped Seokjin's face in between his large hands.

The hold was firm yet so painfully gentle.

"You had two options. You had to choose between my brother and my right to the throne. And he knew very well that you won't let me lose my right at any cost.", Seokjin flinched as he finally realised the close proximity between him and Taehyung.

"Taehyung.", he warned.

"You silly! Didn't you understand that my father will never do that to me? He was ready to give his younger son his throne even when his elder son was alive. There was a reason behind it. He knew I was meant to be a ruler. He wanted me to be there. He wouldn't have done that to me even if you had chosen me!", their noses touched and Seokjin shuddered miserably.

"Taehyung, stop.", he whined, brows furrowing together.

-"You don't have to go to the others for help. I will bring him back to you. All my life, he has wanted me dead, just because he wanted to get the power that I have."

"Taehyung, we shouldn't. It's wrong, please!", Seokjin whispered, head tilting to the side as he felt the younger's warm breath hitting against his face.

-"Only if he knew that the one and only weapon which can make me leave each and everything in my life is right beside him..."

"Tae-", Seokjin's slightest, weakest protest died even before it could be formed as Taehyung's lips claimed his own in a long awaited yet calming, soft yet mind numbing, submitting yet demanding kiss.