Elira picked at the food on her plate with her fork.
"Honey..." Narina said quietly
Elira forced a smile, taking a spoonful of food.

"Oh, that's new..." Narina said with a smile as she tapped her pinkie

"Huh? Oh yeah..." Elira said with a small smile.

"So... When do you plan on making it official?" Narina asked with a smirk

"MOTHER! IT'S BEEN A DAY" Elira hissed, making Narina laugh

"Darling I was just asking..."

....

Elira trudged to her bed, wrapping herself up in her blanket like a burrito.

Dammit that still didn't feel like a hug
More specifically
His hug

She shook her head, her hands reaching for her phone when she felt it vibrate.

Yoongi's caller id flashed on the screen.

Elira jumped up and messed with her hair before picking up the call.

"Hi!" Elira waved, Yoongi grinning at her

"Hello... we're on our way home right now, so if I lose connection, it's probably cause of a tunnel or two-"

"How was the flight?"

"I'll be darned if I knew. I slept like a baby," yoongi said with a chuckle

Elira laughed as she sank back into her bed, proceeding to lay down on her side.

"How have you been?" Yoongi asked softly

"We literally saw each other like five hours ago,"

"I miss you already tho..." Yoongi quietly whined

Elira chuckled as she nodded, " me too... The blanket is no replacement for your hug..."

"Say the word and I fly right back,"

"And what's gonna be your reason this time?" Elira asked as she propped her head on her elbow

"Well, the love of my life needs me, who am I to deny her?"

"Ooooooooooh damn! I cannot-" Elira said as she clutched her chest, hiding her smile in a pillow

"what what WHAT??" Yoongi asked while laughing

"Don't ever talk like that I CANNOT HANDLE ITT" Elira said with a stupid grin

"Babe a little lower I'm still in the car-"

"YOU SHOULD'VE WORN EARPHONES THEN!"

"I swear to god why are you like this," Yoongi said as he leaned back in the seat, closing his eyes, a fond smile playing on his lips

"Your highness-" a voice cut through, Yoongi's attention momentarily shifting off-screen, "ah, we're reaching in five bub, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes okay... Goodnight!"

"Goodnight to you too bub. Sleep well...," Yoongi said as he gave her one last wave, cutting the call soon after

....

Elira sat up with a start, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead as her chest heaved, hands gripping the sheathed blade she had placed next to her on the bed

"Who-"

A whistle of the wind through the leaves of the tree outside her window was her lone reply.

She let go of the blade, her hands clenching and unclenching as she leaned against the headboard.

You're safe hun, you're safe...

She looked at the phone on her bedside table

2:00 am

The safest she'd felt in a while was in Yoongi's arms.

She shook her head as she swung her legs off her bed, picking her night robe off the armchair.

Might as well get something done...

Elira opened the door of her room, the guards stationed at her door snapping to attention, following her as she made her way to her study, her silk robe flowing behind her.

....

Alder walked to the study, his eyebrows furrowing when he spotted the guards stationed at the study doors. They bowed slightly while opening the doors, revealing a bespectacled Elira sitting at her desk, poring over some papers on her desk while simultaneously referring to the computer before her.

"Your majesty?"

Elira looked up with a smile, "Could you have the maids bring breakfast here instead?"

Alder hesitated for a second before nodding in the affirmative, leaving the room soon after.

...

"Elira..." Queen Narina said as she entered the study, Elira looking up from her desk, "Did you sleep last night?"

"I got a couple of hours, I'm good!"

Narina sighed as she sat in front of Elira, her eyes searching as Elira met them with a smile.

"What can I do, hmm? Should we move your quarters closer to mine or-"

"Ah this is temporary... I'll be fine in a couple of days, don't worry,"

"I'll ask the maids to spray lavender on your bed and to keep a glass of warm milk on the bedside table... those things always seemed to help your father..."

Elira smiled tiredly, "It comes with the crown, huh?"

Narina hummed, reaching across the desk to place her hand on Elira's, "And I'm here whenever you need me... I know it's a lot. But for what it's worth, I'm here..."

"Thank you..."

Narina smiled, the both of them sitting in comfortable silence as Elira continued working

"Oh... Did you know?" Elira said quietly, "I launched an investigation into their deaths,"

"I did hear about the interrogations, the palace has been quite perturbed these last couple of days,"

"Hmm... and did you know that papa went for a checkup a day before this?"

"What?"

"He was feeling weak, so he had an appointment with the royal physician-"

"Come to think of it, he hadn't slept well for a few days before that..." Narina said thoughtfully, her brow creased as she stared at the desk

"The interrogations of the medical staff is leading nowhere, or so I've been told-"

"The medical conference..."

"Huh?"

"There was a conference held on the palace grounds that day, I think Dr Silas was a keynote speaker as well, considering it was our conference-"

"What?" Elira clicked away on the laptop pulling up the interrogation files

And sure enough, Dr Silas had diagnosed King Oran, hurrying off to the conference.

"Okay, so Dr Silas has a clear alibi so why did you-?"

"Think he was to blame? I don't really know darling... At that moment in time I felt so lost, so helpless I thought it had to be one of the palace staff, and King Ye jun was so gracious to send his physician to the palace for the post mortems-"

"Who administered the IV... Who was last near Papa?" Elira mumbled

"It feels like yesterday..." Narina said with a sad smile, Elira giving her mother her full attention, "I told him he should take a driver... but he went on about how excited he was to travel that route again, and how he hadn't driven in a while... I had huffed as I dusted his shoulders one more time... One last time... He had smiled, that smile I had fallen in love with under the stars I-" her voice cracked, her eyes filling with tears, "One kiss sealed it before he walked out... he was- he was so happy," Elira watched as Narina hid her eyes in her hands, her shoulders shaking. Elira got up from her chair, walking around the desk to wrap her arms around her mother's tiny form, her own eyes sparkling.

"Kiana too... she was teasing him, asking to drive instead, saying he never let her drive~," Narina said with a chuckle, Elira bending down as she felt her throat closing up.

Narina looked at Elira, who had laid her head on her shoulder,

"If it was anyone in this palace, it should've been me..." Narina whispered, Elira's grip tightening around her,

"Mother-"

"Way less of a hassle..." Narina said sadly

"Don't- don't say that ever, just-" Elira whispered brokenly

Narina wiped Elira's tears, "You're one tough cookie, hmm? My daughter's the strongest one out there..."

"I'm not... far from it," Elira said as she wiped the snot from her face, kneeling on the ground in front of her mother, taking both her hands in her own, "I need you to never say that again.. ever.. It didn't have to be anyone, this whole thing is fucked up"

"It is isn't it..." Narina said as she mindlessly twirled a strand of Elira's hair

"-And you're precious to me mother. I- I don't know what I would've done without you and I know we both wish papa and Kiana were here, but they're not... as much as we wish we could change things, we cannot... and I cannot-" Elira's voice gave out, tears streaming down her face as she looked at the ground, "I cannot lose you too, in any way..." she whispered, Narina bending down and lifting her up, "I- I need you mother- I need you to stay strong..."

"This isn't how it's supposed to be, I'm supposed to be telling you these things," Narina said as she pulled Elira into her embrace, her tears dampening the younger's shoulder, "I'll live for you, my love..."

"No mother... I need you to live for yourself..."

"But-"

"I know parts of us died that day mother... but I need you to live for you.. for the you that's here..." Elira whispered comfortingly as the older woman's body racked with sobs

"When did you grow up, my child..."

"Doesn't matter... I'm here now..."

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A/N:
Merry Christmas bbys! I hope all good things come your way!<33
It's wild the new year is in less than a week. Still haven't wrapped my mind around it. 2021 felt like the longest short year ever. I hope all of you are doing well❤️
Here's tangerine yoongi! <3