-♤-

The sword fell out of Hoseok's hand after a strong hit from Jeongguk. The impact of the two swords clashing against each other was stronger than anything he has ever gotten from Jeongguk. Hoseok stared at the Prince and then chuckled. Grabbing his sword from the ground and walking by the Prince.

Jeongguk didn't say anything, just stared at the General walking away from him. He was confused when he snapped out of his…mood. He didn't understand what happened?

"Are we done already?" Jeongguk asked his hyung who stopped in his tracks.

"Yes, Your majesty. We are done for good, you don't need my training anymore. You have exceeded and as your trainer, this is a big day for me. Every teacher wants his student to surpass him one day. " The General bowed to him and Jeongguk was surprised. He walked towards the general and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you, Hyung. I wouldn't have been in this position without you. I am sorry if I went a bit overboard earlier, I am not in a good mood right now." Jeongguk said to him, pulling away from the hug.

"I know, that's why I am walking away. Instead of being here you look like you wanna be somewhere else. Something is bothering you, we can train some other day, you collect your thoughts. We came back to your physical form after a full month, we don't want to lose you mentally now. I will take my leave." Hoseok bowed to him once again before he turned on his heels to go inside the Palace.

Jeongguk just watched him walk away. It was quite interesting to see how well his hyung knew him. He is one of the few people in the Palace Jeongguk is close with so it's really no surprise to him. He had him on point, Jeongguk was indeed currently losing his mind. He has been training alone the entire day, Going against everything blindly with his body moving on its own.

The board filled with arrows all in the middle to the amount of used swords that were left in the triage to be polished again. The general joined him just an hour before now and was already out. He knows he went a little too hard on him, and got a bit personal because everytime he grabbed his sword all he would see on his opponent's face was Dongsik's face. That riled him up to the point of almost injuring his hyung.

Though that wasn't the real reason. The real reason lied thousands of miles away from him, in a faraway Palace. Like a Princess locked in a castle was his lover awaiting for a letter back.

Jeongguk wrote not one,not two but a bunch of letters to Taehyung. It was a coping mechanism for him. Everytime he would miss the latter, he would write him a letter. It made him realize how much he missed him. The letters were filled with his love confessions, with his poems, with everything he was too much of a coward to say to him in person.

It hurts to not even get one response letter back. Jeongguk would take anything from Taehyung right now. But it's silent, dead silent on the other side. Jeongguk feels like he's getting crazier the more and more he's ignored by Taehyung. He keeps making excuses for him but none of those make sense.

"Jeongguk, you need to stop working out all the time to distract yourself from your worries. The fact you have gotten healed recently doesn't mean you should strain your muscles. You know what the doctor said to me?" Jimin faced the Crown Prince who was doing stretches on the floor with his shirt off.

"What? I am perfectly fine now. What did he say now?" Jeongguk asked him, letting out a groan doing another set of push ups.

"He said your body is tired. You have healed but you have been training your entire life without a break that your muscles are getting strained, they need rest. Jeongguk, Before a Prince, you are a Human. You need to take a break."

Jeongguk stared at him as he stopped exercising midway and just sat on the floor. Grabbing the glass of water on the table beside him and just drinking it before giving the answer to Jimin.

"I cannot take a break. I need you to understand that, Jimin. I can't afford that, I have a battle again soon and this time I can't leave it without a conclusion so either settle with it and stop nagging  or you can leave." Jeongguk got up from the floor, doing the last few stretches so he won't have cramps in the night.

"Jeongguk, is this about Taehyung again?"

"No, I know you think I'm lashing out again but I am done being a child in love. He isn't responding to me at all and I shall leave him alone if that's what he wants. I am just trying to focus on making sure our legacy doesn't fall down. I am not perfect but I will try my best to be." Jeongguk answered his question and Jimin just sighed as both of them walked out of the training wing.

"If it helps, I don't think it's his fault. There has been a lack of communication between the two kingdoms lately too. Elestial has been trying to contact Arothia for some of the wedding arrangements but we haven't really been getting any answer back." Jimin said to the Prince he saw how the Prince faltered a bit.

"Do you think something happened? Did someone attack Arothia? Father should send people there to check-" Jeongguk was rambling in stress and Jimin had to cut him off.

"I am sure it's nothing serious, Jeongguk. Maybe the letters just got lost or flew out of the carriages you never know. Let's not jump into unnecessary hurdles. You should maintain your focus on the battle as you suggested and also the…wedding." Jimin mentioned the wedding again to check the Prince's reaction only to find nothing, just a poker face.

"Right, the wedding. I sometimes tend to forget I'm getting married in a month." Jeongguk chuckles, not believing how fate has laid this down for him.

"Are you really sure about this? Are you sure you can do this? Marrying a woman who you have no interest in? Marrying someone who is not…the one you want?" Jimin tried not to name him as they were roaming around the Palace hallways and even the walls have ears.

"I did think about this the other night when we talked about it. I thought about all night long and I knew the answer was crystal fucking clear. I don't even like to think about Princess Iseul in that way, I don't know how I am supposed to get intimate with her." 

"What are you waiting for then? just cancel it, Jeongguk. You still have time." Jimin tried to convince him. Jeongguk stopped and faced Jimin with a complicated expression.

"It's not just about me. This marriage will be beneficial for all of us, the two kingdoms. I need to be selfless when it comes to this."

"You are wrong, Jeongguk. This is the only part where you are allowed to be selfish, You idiot Prince. This is your entire life we are talking about. Can you spend it with someone who you don't even love? Is everything really worth ruining your life? Love might get twisted but what you have with him is so beautiful, Jeongguk. Don't get married to someone who isn't him, who you don't love like you love him." Jimin patted him on the back and walked away from there, dashing out of these hallways.

Jeongguk knew exactly what he had to do now as he had never been this sure.

His heart felt heavy the more he walked towards his father's quarters. Every step felt heavy and the pressure of always being obedient and perfect was making it impossible for him to keep walking. He doesn't want to disappoint him, he doesn't want to see that look in his father's eyes again as it would crush him. He looks up to his father, Jeongguk wants nothing more than to be as good of a king as his father.

Feeling the eyes of all the guards increasing in number the more closer he got. They were all staring at him, staying more alert in case the Crown Prince wants anything from them but Jeongguk just felt suffocated. Finally reaching the door of his father's room. He took a deep breath before facing the guards standing at the door.

"Alert the King of my presence." Jeongguk said.

"The Crown Prince is at the door, your majesty. Shall we let him in?"  The guard yelled out. A faint 'come in' was heard soon after.

They opened the door for the Prince, stepping aside to make space for him. Jeongguk entered the room as the door closed behind him. He bowed to his father before glancing up to face him. He saw how his father was sitting on his desk with some type of paper in his hands, probably working this late at night too.

"Jeongguk, what brings you here? it's late, you should be sleeping."

"So should you, you should rest." Jeongguk said to him and the King just chuckled.

"You know us,my son. Rest isn't a word in our vocabulary. Besides, I am almost done, I was going to leave in a few minutes to go to your mother's room. So tell me why you are here and can't wait till tomorrow?" His father asked him and Jeongguk gulped. He walked towards the desk and stood there.

"I have something important to tell you and I need to really think about it with a clear head."

"...I am listening."

Jeongguk paused. Once again thinking if this is a good idea. Should he really do this? it can change his life, this one decision. He decided to just go for it, fuck it he has to commit to what he decided.

"I do not want to marry Princess Iseul, I don't see her as someone who I can call my wife. She's not that to me, what mother is to you." Jeongguk declared he was scared to look at his father's expression but he still looked up to see and there it was, that look in his eyes.

"Jeongguk, you better not be playing a joke on me. You cannot be serious. Me and your mother weren't in love with each other too when we got married, the love part comes later son, You have to trust the process. You are just getting cold feet." The King denied his claims as if they were his own. Jeongguk didn't like that.

"I am not getting cold feet. I have never liked her, I don't feel any type of attraction towards her. I only agreed to satisfy others, to satisfy you but now I can't do this. I can't spend my life with someone who I don't even love."

"You will learn to love her. It's too late now, we gave you a choice,Jeongguk. I would have understood before but now? it's not an option." The King tried to brush him off. He was getting more frustrated.

"I can't love her, not when I love someone el-" Jeongguk was rudely cut off by the door bursting open with a loud thud.

"I apologize for the sudden intrusion,Your majesty. It is an emergency so I had to come in like that." One of the guards spoke, his head held down.

Both the son and father exchanged confused glances before looking back at the guard. "What is it?"

"The King of Arothia got murdered, Your majesty. He passed away this evening. The funeral is tomorrow and your presence is required there." The guard alerted them.

Jeongguk has never been more puzzled about a news in his life.

The journey to Arothia was unsettling, too quiet, too strange. There were many things they were wondering, Many questions in their head that were unanswered because this situation didn't make sense.

Who killed The King? Why did they kill him? What was the motive? the purpose? what did they gain by it because there really isn't much to gain as the Kingdom will go to the Princess now. The only question in Jeongguk's mind was Taehyung. Is Taehyung okay? If he also got hurt? How is he coping up with this knowing his relationship with his father was not…normal.

Jeongguk just let out a sigh. Clearing his mind as he would not get any answers right now by overthinking about it. After a long time they finally reached Arothia. It was around noon when they reached the Palace. They were a little late to the funeral but looking at the amount of people outside made them think they were right on time.

The King and Queen first got out of their carriage and then Jeongguk followed them. They were greeted by the Palace guards who bowed to them as they asked the Royal Family to follow them inside. Jeongguk got a sense of deja vu when he walked inside, unlike last time, this time the energy around the Palace was darker, more /sinister. He loosened his hanbok collar to feel less suffocated.

The funeral was in the main throne room. It was a close casket funeral for unknown reasons. There were sitting arrangements made for everyone. It was an unfortunate day for the Kingdom. Arothian King wasn't the best King but he still did something, he was still the King, now their already weak kingdom has more eyes than ever.

They entered the throne room. Jeongguk saw some familiar faces from other Kingdom's Royal families that were present here. He decided he would just greet them after paying his respect to the Arothian Prince,Princess and the dead. He could see the casket at the end of the room. Before he could even walk to it, he was stopped by a body hugging him.

"Your majesty!!" The high pitched voice that sounded hoarse. Jeongguk definitely didn't expect to meet the Princess like this. He stood still, didn't know if he should hug her back. This was his fiance for god sake, he was still hesitating. He just patted her back, trying to comfort her.

She sniffed, trying not to cry into the Crown Prince's chest but failing horribly. She was saying some words but Jeongguk couldn't make out what she was trying to say.  She pulled away from the hug.

"Princess Iseul, I am sorry for your loss. This was all so unexpected. You should stay strong in this situation." Jeongguk said to her, training to maintain a straight face. He saw how distraught she looked when she finally looked at him.

Her eyes swollen from crying, her hair messed up, the hanbok was full black and it wasn't even put on properly. She was going through it and he didn't blame her, he can't even imagine how she must be feeling right now.

"Thank you for coming, your m-majesty. It means the world to me, to Arothia that you have come here to pay your respects. The King and Queen have already gone to see the casket, shall I e-escort you there?" Iseul asked him and Jeongguk just nodded.

She intertwined their arms together and walked down the path to the Casket. Jeongguk stayed quiet, his eyes were still straying around the hall, trying to find Taehyung but he was nowhere to be seen. He focused back to the casket they just reached.

They both bowed down to pay their respects, it was traditionally how their funeral went. He stayed like that for a second and then he got up. Staring at the close casket realizing he still doesn't know how the King died.

"How did he pass away if you don't mind me asking?" Jeongguk asked her and he saw how she froze for a second. She looked down on the floor.

"My father…it wasn't his time to go yet. He was murdered, Jeongguk. He was found in his room by the servants, with his n-neck slashed so horribly he d-died on impact. I-" She sniffed, the tears were falling again. "My poor father was killed so horribly. It's all his fault."

Jeongguk raised his brow at the last line. The news was shocking itself but there was a suspect. "Who's fault?"

"The man I call my brother. He has always hated my father, he killed him, I know he did, your majesty you have to believe me!! he is evil, he always has been! he's a witch!!" She yelled out in anger, the loud yells gaining the attention of people around them.

Jeongguk just grabbed her arm and made her sit down on the seats. He sat next to her and stared at her, she was going on and on about how Taehyung is the killer, how it's all Taehyung's greed that drove her father to this point.

He doesn't know if he believes that, actually scratch that, he doesn't believe it at all. Jeongguk knows the two siblings don't get along, this is her just grieving, she's angry, she's sad and she needs someone to blame. So she chose Taehyung. That's what Jeongguk thinks. He isn't paying attention to her words, just focusing on trying to calm her down.

After a lot of attempts of thrashing around, she finally came to her senses a little. She wasn't well at all, she just excused herself from everyone and went to her room. She kept apologizing to Jeongguk but he just brushed it all away. Finally, she is gone, he can go back to find where Taehyung is.

Thanks to Jeongguk living here for a week,he is still familiar with the way around this Palace. He knows for a fact, Taehyung isn't in the throne room. There are many people here but he knows his heart would never miss out on his face. While trying to avoid the guests who were trying to reach out to him, Jeongguk successfully made it out of the room.

He went from one hallway to the other, the guards didn't stop him from exploring because of how known he was. From checking the different types of rooms to looking over the botanic Garden. Taehyung wasn't in any of those places. His legs were getting tired of running around in this place.The more he ran, he tried to think where could Taehyung be? Is he even inside the Palace? The thought seemed ridiculous but it wasn't impossible.

Suddenly it hit him, the library. That should have been the first place he should have searched. How did he miss that? If Taehyung isn't there he would admit defeat.

Going to the other wing, Jeongguk went upstairs towards the hallway. He was getting nostalgic in a strange way as it really hasn't been that long since he has come here. Going to the end of the long hallway, he stood in front of the library door. Grabbing the handle and opening the door. He expected to see Taehyung sitting in front of him, maybe near the bookshelves.

But there was nothing, there was no one in the room. It was eerily quiet. He let out a disappointed sigh. A sarcastic chuckle escaped his lips, he really thought he would find him here. He turned around on his heels to go back out.

"My Prince? Is that you?"

Jeongguk's eyes widened in surprise. He quickly turned back around to see where that voice came from. He noticed there was a space behind the shelves that he didn't notice. He ran to that direction and there he was, the man he had been looking for, sitting on the pillows on the floor with books surrounding him. It was a cozy little space.

When their eyes met, Jeongguk melted under his gaze. His whole body was going through five different types of emotion. A scoff left his mouth, he fell to his knees at the sight of the man. Jeongguk knew he missed him a lot but seeing him now made him realize how intense his feelings were. Taehyung gets shocked when Jeongguk suddenly falls, and he crawls over to him.

"Are you okay? what ha-" Taehyung was cut off by Jeongguk just grabbing his face and smashing their lips together into a kiss. A kiss that was long coming. A kiss he feels like he waited years for.

His hands made their way around Jeongguk's hanbok and he grabbed it tightly, pulling the Prince closer to him. Taehyung immediately kissed him back, he missed Jeongguk so much, feeling his lips back on his own makes him feel at home once again. Jeongguk's hands slid from his face down to his waist, their lips still as attached as ever.

Pushing Taehyung down on the pillows, laying down as their lips moved in a perfect sync. Devouring each other as if they are animals in heat who can't take their hands off each other. It was so similar to that, the feelings are indescribable. In that second Jeongguk realized how hard he had allowed himself to fall. He knew he would put the whole world on their knees for Taehyung if he asked him too. This intense feeling in his chest is something so new and precious to him.

When his hands started to make their way under Taehyung's clothes that's when Taehyung came out of the daze. He slowly started to resist. Trying to push those desirable lips away from him because this occasion is not the most ideal to have sex in.

"Jeongguk wait- mmph shit- Jeongguk stop!" Taehyung pushed him away, Jeongguk fell off him,sitting right next to him.

It took a second for Younger to come to his senses too. Did he lose his mind? Was he really making out with Taehyung at his father's funeral? Jeongguk definitely has lost it. The guilt fell to him as he faced Taehyung.

"Shit sweetheart,I'm so sorry for kissing you like that. It's your father's funeral and I just acted on instinct. I am sorry it's just-it has been so long since I saw you and finally seeing you now all I wanted to do was kiss you. I'm sorry about your father, how are you feeling?"

"I'm…okay. It's conflicted, I don't know what to feel. He was never a good father to me but he was still my father, he put a roof over my head and food on the table, in those cases I'm thankful but then I remember what he did to me, what he did to my mother then I think.. Good riddance. I am fucked up, aren't I?" Taehyung chuckled.

Jeongguk did notice how Taehyung was taking this funeral a lot better than his sister. His sister who was physically and mentally distraught. Taehyung on the other hand looked the same as he left him, he just had darker eyebags and he looked…tired. Like he hasn't slept in a long time.

"You are not fucked up, Taehyung. You are so brave. Considering the complicated relationship you had with your father, it's valid to not feel anything for him right now. May he rest in peace but now he's gone, there's no one else to torment you."

"Oh Jeonggukkie I wish my worries ended with him. I really fucking wish that was the case." Taehyung put his head on Jeongguk's shoulder and tried not to cry.

"What do you mean?"

"I will tell you some other day,let's talk about you, you have healed, how have you been?"

"Miserable, I missed you so much." Jeongguk said to him, grabbing Taehyung's hand. He saw how Taehyung was avoiding his gaze.

"I missed you too, Jeongguk. I really did. Seeing your face makes me feel alive again, I haven't felt this alive in a long time. Thank you for coming, thank you for…finding me, I didn't think you would come for me…" Taehyung trailed, Jeongguk's grip tightened on his hands.

"You were the only one I was trying to find the second I entered this Palace. Why would you even think that?"

"It has been so long since we last saw each other. You are a Prince many people must be all over you, I thought forgetting me would come easier to you…" Taehyung mentioned his worries and Jeongguk wanted to laugh at it.

"Oh sweetheart, you have no idea how much I adore you. When I say there was no one else besides you on my mind all this time we were apart, I mean it. I don't ever want to be separated from you, Taehyung. It's not something I can handle." Jeongguk kissed the palm of his hand which made Taehyung gaze soften and there was this hint of guilt in his eyes.

"Thank you for always being by my side, thank you for being yourself, my prince. You have been someone who I never expected to have in my life, I wish I knew sooner about your arrival in my life, maybe I would have made better choices to lead myself to you. Now you are going to be wedded to my sister and I would…lose you." The hurt visible was in Taehyung's voice. Jeongguk wasn't going to tell anyone about his decision just yet but he cannot stop himself from telling Taehyung.

"Actually…I am not marrying your sister anymore. I told my decision to my father and I have come to terms with it. I cannot marry her." Jeongguk claimed. Taehyung was surprised by what he just heard.

"W-what? Are you being serious right now?" Taehyung's voice was shaky, Jeongguk won't lie, he expected more from him. Maybe a happier expression or something like that but Taehyung looked concerned.

"Yes, I don't love her, Taehyung. Never did I even like her, I was settling and I realized that's not what I want, I can't marry someone who I don't even feel attracted to-" Jeongguk was rudely cut off by Taehyung.

"You can't do that!!" Taehyung got up, he was agitated. Jeongguk has never been more confused.

"Excuse me? why can't I?" Jeongguk got up too, facing Taehyung who was pacing around.

"That's my sister, Jeongguk. Her heart is already so fragile from our father's funeral, she won't be able to handle this."

"I have no plans to announce this to her right now, I will wait till her grieving is over but that isn't the real reason is it? Why are you so worked up over this,Taehyung? What is it that you are not telling me??" Jeongguk grabbed his arm to make him stop moving.

"Why can't you just marry her?? take over Arothia, what more do you want? there's nothing wrong with her too, so why can't you like her?!" Taehyung asked him back. Those aren't the answers to Jeongguk's question but he decided not to push it. Instead he figured it's time.

"That's because I have someone else I like!! I can't be with her when there's someone else who keeps me up at nights, whose face never leaves my mind. It's not her, it can never be her." Jeongguk confessed to him, Taehyung's reaction wavered, the pain was unexplainable.

"Who is it?"

"You know very well who I have these feelings for, Taehyung. It's you, it has always been you. I am ready to risk my everything just to have you, Taehyung. What are you so afraid of? it's only a matter of time till I become a King, everything will work out after that,you need to trust me, I-....I love y-" Jeongguk's sentence was stopped by Taehyung putting his hand on Jeongguk's mouth.

"Don't. Don't finish that sentence, Jeongguk I beg of you. Stop all of this madness, you are not thinking clearly right now. I am a man and so are you, this, us we can never work. No one will ever accept us." Taehyung said to him.

"I don't give a fuck what other people have to say about me!!

"I care, Jeongguk. Besides, I don't think…I'm worthy of your love so don't ever say those words to me because I cannot give you the answer you want. Not now, not ever." Taehyung looked away from him, not wanting to see the expressions of the distraught man.

"What? Do you not have the same feelings for me?" Jeongguk asked Taehyung who was walking towards the door.

"Forget about me, Jeongguk. I would never be what you want me to be. I have sides you have never seen, I have done things you wouldn't even dream off. I am selfish. How dare I even think of loving someone as powerful and generous as you? we are simply not on the same level and never will be. The differences will drift us apart sooner or later. So let's end it for once and for all. You shouldn't cancel the wedding, get wedded to her and be happy. Live a long life, Jeongguk." Taehyung waved to him, giving him one last smile before disappearing out of the room.

Jeongguk was speechless, there wasn't anything he could even say right now. Taehyung had dropped news after news at him. Confusing him to the point of breaking down because why did that sound like a farewell? this can't be their end. Jeongguk would break if this is it.

♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎♤♠︎