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Having lunch again with Princess Iseul was something Jeongguk did miss, he has to admit. She's fun to be around and her views are very interesting so Jeongguk really doesn't mind being with her, he enjoys it. If he didn't, she wouldn't have been sitting here as his soon to be bride.

The weather was warm today, sitting in the same balcony he was having tea with his father some days ago. It has a nice view and the wind blows here,giving it a beautiful atmosphere. This is definitely his favorite place in the Palace.

He grabbed his cup of tea and took a sip of the hot drink. Listening to Iseul talk about her previous encounter with this cat that visits the Palace occasionally. How she feeds the cat and it is her unofficial pet by now.

His eyes suddenly went over her shoulder to look at the door where he saw a person standing by the glass door. When their eyes met he came out of the shadows and walked over to them.

"Didn't mean to interrupt you guys, i wanted to talk with Jeongguk but I didn't know he was with you so I would go." Taehyung said to them with a forced smile on his face.

"Yeah, we would appreciate that." Iseul responded to him with the Same smile, they are siblings after all.

Taehyung glared at her, ready to walk away when Jeongguk grabbed him by his wrist, which was quite small. He should be eating more. "No, you don't have to. You can  join us. Have you had lunch yet?"

"I did just now." Taehyung said to him, lying through his teeth because he could sense how his presence was annoying his half sister. "Besides, I don't want to be a third wheel so I would leave you guys to it."

Without sparing any other look to anyone, The Prince walked out of the place. Jeongguk watched him walk out, feeling a bit bummed about it but when he saw Iseul roll her eyes, he started to understand their dynamic better.

"Do you hate your brother?" Jeongguk questioned him out of nowhere,making her choke a bit on her drink.

"N-no, what makes you think that?"

"You just seem unpleasant whenever he's around. Is it because he is your half brother?" Jeongguk couldn't think of another reason and he thinks he might have hit her on the spot judging from her reaction.

"We just don't get along. We are not like normal siblings, we have different duties back in Arothia so our paths barely ever crossed. We never were able to have the bond like siblings do." Iseul replied to him and Jeongguk just nodded.

"But you are not strangers in a Palace together, you are siblings. The paths cross more than they should. Did something happen when you guys were kids?" Jeongguk pushed her more into it and she sighed.

"No, we were actually closer as kids. He was always a good brother to me when we were young and was really protective of me and we used to play all the time but as we grew, so did the distance between us. He got busy with his princely duties and I also found out that I'm the heir instead of him so I had a bunch of responsibilities on me too. We grew further and further apart, Father also liked it that way so now we are like strangers." Iseul explained it to him and everything made more sense after the explanation.

'Father also liked it that way' that was the only thing Jeongguk could make out of the explanation and that was all he needed. He can assume the king did nothing to make his kids get along but with his hatred for his son, he most probably made sure his daughter with royal blood didn't like him either.

It is indeed very twisted of a father to do so just because one of your children's mothers is not a royal blood. Another thing to add in the list of things of why he doesn't like the Arothian King.

They stayed there for another few minutes as later, Iseul was taken away by the servants to go to her dress fitting for the engagement that is in a few weeks. Jeongguk bid goodbye to her and went his own way too.

On his way back to the throne room,He wants to go there to see how things are going and if his help is needed. He also needs an update on the engagement plans because it's the Crown Prince's engagement so it's going to be massive, everyone is going to come. Including some of the biggest royal names so everything should be perfect.

Like a distraction again, his eyes made their way to the windows in the corridors to look outside at the lake and he saw someone sitting on the grass near it. He knows that back very clearly, it's the same back he slept looking at several nights here now.

His feet moved on their own and his directions were changed from the throne room to the lake outside. Jeongguk didn't even think about it twice as talking with Taehyung suddenly was his first priority. The guy also looked like he needed company.

So he ran outside to reach the man,walking on the fresh grass and then sitting down next to the man who got startled when he suddenly saw Jeongguk sitting next to him out of nowhere.

"You scared me,My prince. What are you doing here?" Taehyung questioned him.

"Am I not allowed to be here?"

"It is not that, I meant where is my sister? you two were together." Taehyung cleared it up and Jeongguk sighed.

"She went to get fitted for her dress for our engagement. So I came here when I saw you, shocked to see you do nothing, do you miss doing your 'princely duties'." He air wonted the word and Taehyung just ignored the audacity.

"Actually I do have some duties here as well because once you get wed, the two kingdom relations will get stronger so it's better to know Elestial like I know Arothia. But I barely know this place and it feels like everyone here is…avoiding me."

"Why would they even avoid you?" Jeongguk had a confused look on his face and Taehyung chuckled at his naiveness.

"It's nothing I'm not used to. I am an illegitimate Prince. I am barely royalty to you and your people. I can't expect to be treated the same as Iseul, who is not only a royal blood princess but also the future Queen of Elestial. She is so much higher in the hierarchy than me." The man explained to the Crown Prince who didn't like what he was hearing at all.

"Taehyung, it frankly doesn't matter to me if your mother was a royal or a concubine. To me you are still the Prince of Arothia and you and your sister are on the same level as me. Besides all that, you are our guest here. If anyone is troubling you or treating you unfairly I want you to tell me immediately because I would not let someone disrespect you."

"But why do you care,Jeongguk? even my own sister doesn't care, then why do you?" Taehyung asked him and Jeongguk fell silent.

There isn't one answer to that question but there isn't any answer that will satisfy Taehyung. He frankly himself doesn't know why. He has an idea but the fear of accepting it for what it is scares him that his heart sometimes loses control. In just a month of meeting Taehyung, he has grown so fond of him.

Jeongguk finds himself thinking of Taehyung more than he has ever thought about Iseul, she doesn't even compare to the thoughts he has for her half brother. So for now he has to repress it all until he himself understands why he cares this much because it's not a normal type of caring.

"I care because you are my first friend, Taehyung. Jimin and Hoseok, they have been stuck with me because they work under me. There's a lot of power imbalance and sometimes it's hard to convince myself it's all genuine there but you, we are equals. We are both Princes and we have no obligation to get along but we still do and we do it so well. You make me feel so happy when I am with you, Taehyung. That's why I care because you are…precious to me." Jeongguk grabbed his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

The smile Taehyung passed to him almost made his heart unknowingly skip a beat. Those beautiful eyes looking at him with such kindness, oh how can he not care?

"That's so sweet of you, my prince."

"You really need to start calling me Jeongguk. We are friends so let's not be so formal with each other."

"Okay Jeongguk."

Lord have mercy on Jeongguk's poor soul. His name has never sounded so attractive coming out of someone else's mouth.

"But I will only call you by your name when it's just us, I don't feel comfortable around other people calling you so…intimately."

"Sounds perfect to me, anything you want, Taehyung. OK how about this, I will show you around Elestial, how things work and I will even take you outside so you can see our kingdom more thoroughly and when the next time I come to Arothia, you will do the same?"

"Sounds good,Is this your way to court me?"

"Do you want me to court you?"

"Yes, yes I do."

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