Taehyung was not sure what he was expecting when he knocked on the purple door with the stars.

But he SURE wasn't expecting this.

"OOOH-"

"DON'T YOU START, YOUJIN!"

That was Mai's voice, loud and irritated. Taehyung fought down a smile. His lips seemed to curl up on their own accord at the sound of her disgruntled voice, ever-so-slightly furious and yet beautiful and clear at the same time. He imagined her stained lips yelling, her eyes flickering from their dark, dark brown and blazing with a fire that had nothing to do with the colors that they shifted with. The picture in his mind made him smile. Made his mouth go dry.

Taehyung, what is this? You barely know her!

And besides...

She's a woman.

Taehyung knew he had the body of a greek god. He was aware he held a beauty and a type of raw power in his gaze and his smirk. He knew his voice held the deepness of the ocean and the sweetness of honey and chocolate. He knew he had the ability to seduce, to please as any woman wished. He also knew that no woman could resist him.

While Jimin burned through the ladies of the town because of his desire to find one that truly cared for him, one that wouldn't use him for his station or looks, Taehyung had a much different goal. One that was FAR less noble.

Someday, he would forget his step-mother. Someday, he would stop associating every woman he saw to her. Someday, he would stop breaking hearts because he thought all women were cruel and used people like they would use a towel to wipe their face- and then discard it. Someday, he would be over it.

But that was not today.

He used women, broke their hearts and then left as soon as he came because that was exactly what she had done. She had walked in, seemed like a beautiful angel, and then turned insane. Turned crazy from the inside. Broke everyone's heart.

And then left.

He couldn't get the memories of vases smashing, of voices pleading, screaming, out of his mind. He couldn't make them leave. He couldn't look at any woman without imagining her face.

Perhaps he was paranoid. Perhaps he was going as insane as his step-mother herself.

But that didn't stop him.

And yet... last night, he could have taken her. Mai wouldn't have stood a chance- she was already weak, in pain, tired. All he would have needed to do was lean down and kiss her. She couldn't possibly have resisted- he had seen her watching him. He had seen her falling slowly as he handled her with gentleness and care. He could have kissed her, taken her, and then he would have been done with it. He would have lost all interest in her at that. He kept telling himself it was all a ploy to get her to trust him so he could easily take her...

But he DIDN'T.

He had been content with just wrapping his arms around her, soaking in her warmth. She had been stiff, he recalled. She had been hesitant, uneasy. But he wouldn't let go. He hadn't WANTED to let go. He had handled her with gentleness when he lifted her to the bed. He hadn't fought his urge to just cuddle with her then and there.

And then he fell asleep, limbs tangled with hers, and he'd been comfortable and warm for the first time in ages. When he woke up, he had said some thoughtless words in his grogginess that would have applied to any other woman before this... and then she had proven that she wasn't like them.

STOP! ALL OF THEM ARE THE SAME!

He took a deep breath and tried to steel himself.

She's just another woman, he whispered to himself, nothing more.

More noises were coming from inside Mai's room, and they were becoming more and more concerning by the moment.

"Time to bed your prince, Mai!"

"I AM NOT GOING TO BED A PRINCE FOR GOD'S SAKE-"

"Hey, don't kick each other!"

"I'm opening the door!"

"NOT BEFORE I FRICKING MURDER YOU, YOU DON'T!"

Taehyung fought down a laugh at the conversation, pursing his lips in vain as his shoulders shook with barely-concealed snickers. Mai had clearly bonded with her maids in some way. Most people who came to the palace liked to treat them haughtily, with pomp and condescension. It gave them a feeling of superiority over something, at least. But Mai had clearly done none of that. She actually seemed to LIKE her handmaidens, despite the obscene yelling from inside.

He resolved that he would specially request that these three maids be reserved for Mai, because they were clearly attached by now, and these maids were kind anyway. Mai would treat them well, and they would return the favor. She'd be comfortable.

Wait. Why do I even care?

Taehyung sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair in frustration. Mai was occupying his thoughts, and it bothered him. His fingers curled around the silky strands and he yanked lightly, trying to rid himself of this infatuation.

At that moment, the door opened, and Taehyung could not breathe.

A slight, pretty maid with long, silky brown hair peered from behind the door as Taehyung drank in Mai's appearance hungrily. Her shoulders were bare and covered with her loose, wavy, dark hair that was wound in a crown around her head and let the rest tumble down, a red silk stripe running horizontally across her upper bust and winding around her upper arms. Her torso was clothed in the same material, tightly fitted against her skin, leaving little to Taehyung's imagination. Her skirt flared out gently, barely hitting her kneecaps, the upper layer made of a gauze that was dotted with gold freckles and starbursts. The smooth, caramel-tinted skin of her calves was laced inside tall gladiator sandals that gleamed a burnished gold. His eyes trailed up and down her figure, the skin of her shoulders, arms, and legs teasing him even as he watched.

Her eyes gleamed with a little spark that probably wasn't directed at him (she HAD been yelling at her maid a few moments before) and yet it looked like a lust-filled flame that Taehyung wanted nothing more than to quench.

His mouth went as dry as sandpaper, exhaling slowly, his long fingers still intertwined in his hair as his gaze raked her up and down. His eyes grew darker, hooded.

It took all of his willpower not to crush his lips to hers in that moment.

"Ah," he managed to choke out, tearing his darkening gaze from her shimmery, tinted lips that were slowly curving up even as he watched, "Ah. You... you look...."

What could he say? How could he explain to her what he felt right then?

"Awesome, yes, I know," Mai's teasing voice curled into his ears, muddling his senses. It was almost sensual, tearing his mind apart, because he KNEW that she did that, spoke in that tone, ALL THE TIME.

And yet.

"...breathtaking." Taehyung finished, finally meeting the tan girl's eyes. At his breathy whisper, her eyes flicked from brown to a plethora of colors, her smile growing slowly. Oh, what he wouldn't do to see that smile.

You're going crazy, Taehyung. You know that?

"Thanks, Blondie. You don't clean up too bad yourself," Mai patted him on the shoulder as she stepped out of the room, the slight touch making him tingle. Taehyung... well, he never really had an affinity for using magic. It was hard for him to even perform the simplest spells that all children mentored as he was were able to perform without a hitch. But what he really excelled at was reading people's magic- he could tell which was dark, which was made with good intentions, which was elemental or transfiguration. He could take one look at a magic-touched object and trace the threads of magic around it and figure out what spell had been performed on it, and in some cases, who performed the spell. And now, with Mai smacking his shoulder, he could feel the magic curling off her as well. Though she didn't know it, her threads were powerful, blazing with a barely-concealed strength. And they were also pure, untainted by the shadows Taehyung had been seeing in every corner of the palace, more by the day.

But that was a worry for another time. Taehyung snapped his attention to the present, ripping his blank gaze from the wall.

Mai closed the door of her room behind her after a final look at her maids, leaving her and Taehyung alone in the circular hall.

"I think the correct phrase is 'incredibly handsome'," Taheyung winked at her in response to her previous, offhand statement, smirking as he noticed her eyes flicker a rainbow of colors even as she rolled them.

"I wouldn't stretch it that far," Mai scrunched up her nose, which made Taehyung huff. Seriously? She couldn't just admit that she was attracted to him?

WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE???

"Stop, stop, this much flattery can't be good for me,"

"You finally understand! You need to shrink that inflated head of yours!" Mai laughed. Taehyung's eyes instantly softened. Her laugh was gorgeous, pure.

"Oh please," Taehyung rolled his eyes, then rummaged in his coat pocket for the vial of a stronger concealment spell that his father had given him, brewed specifically for hiding the eye color of nobled from other kingdoms when they wanted to visit Esterie. It would PROBABLY work on Mai. "Here. Drink this, and your eye color will appear gray, like ours. No one can know that you are the Warrior. Some people here actually want a war,"

Mai looked at him warily, then plugged her nose and downed the vial, grimacing at it hit her tongue. Taehyung knew the strong taste of cinnamon that came with that spell well, and he sympathized with her after taking one look at her face. She gagged, trying to let fresh air in and Taehyung couldn't help but laugh at her overly revolted expression.

"Ready to go?" he laughed as he watched her scrunch her face up cutely.

"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's hope there are things down there that taste better than THAT monstrosity," Mai shook the vial in her hands. Taehyung chuckled and took it back, slipping it into his pocket. He couldn't agree more. The only reason he would be down at that banquet was because he was required to be. The food would be a nice plus, but Taehyung would honestly prefer to skip it. They were always boring.

Taehyung took her Mai's arm, holding her closer than strictly necessary, but he couldn't help himself. Her warmth and magic tangled with his form, giving him energy and life, and he reveled in it... well, until Mai pulled away slightly, making him look down at her. She stuck her tongue out at Taehyung, which made him let loose a breathy chuckle as they approached a large door.

"Come ON, Blondie," Mai sighed as he paused in front of the door. He shot her an exasperated look, pursing his lips. Did he really have to do this? Mai didn't look like she wanted to attend either- maybe he could stay with her-

OH FOR THE SAKE OF THE STAR QUEEN, TAEHYUNG, PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER.

"I don't really like parties like this, unlike my brother," Taehyung sighed, tongue flicking out to run over his lips. A feeling of satisfaction shuddered through him when he caught Mai watching, her lips parting ever-so-slightly.

"Your brother... Taeyong, right?" she finally coughed out, looking away. Taehyung fought down his smirk.

"Yes. Just warning you, darling, I'd steer clear of him if I was you," this made him finally sober up. Taeyong was the prefect DEFINITION of a douche, whiny and rude, and then overly expectant of the attention he was given. He didn't want Mai to have to deal with him right then.

Mai, to his dismay, just snorted. "I think I can deal with a whiny prince, Taehyung."

Had she read his mind?

She took one look at his face and let out a small chuckle. "Yah, chill. I met him because he was on the patrol-thing when Jimin found me. He was... irritating, to say the least."

Taehyung laughed. He couldn't help it. She was just so... fiery. Outspoken.

As free as Taehyung wanted to be.

Taehyung, calm yourself. She'll just be another conquest, another girl you take to your bed.

After all... he drove into his mind as they stepped closer to the large doors that opened to the banquet hall-

She's just a woman.

X        X       X

Mai stood tall as the large, ornate doors swung open, Taehyung at her heels, briskly walking up to her and taking her arm in his before anyone could see. The ballroom was dimly lit, with lanterns hanging around the large room. One wall was pillars and opened out onto the palace grounds. It seemed that the roof had slid open and the room was opened to the glittering sky. A large table filled with food of all sorts rested in one corner. On another side, tables and chairs rested. The dance floor was in the middle, a stage with musicians playing overlooking it all. The lights were tinted, in shades of red and green and blue, with stained glass coating the cleverly designed lamps hanging above the dance floor.

Eyes turned as the pair entered the room that was about as large as a football field. Mai felt slightly self-conscious in her elegant dress. Her eyes flickered gray in the lamp-light, illuminating the crags on her shoulder.

"Who are all these people?" Mai hissed. The prince beside her chuckled softly.

"Royals, nobles, people of importance from all four kingdoms," Taehyung answered quietly, eyes raking the wide expanse of space before turning back to her and lifting the corner of his mouth up in a smirk, "Although many are pointless ninnies,"

Mai laughed under her breath before going quiet. There were so many people- and all of them were dressed impeccably and held themselves with a grace and air of haughtiness and belonging. Mai stuck out like a sore thumb as she tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. Taehyung glanced over at her and seemed to notice her tense posture. He paused for a moment, let Mai walk a few steps ahead, and then grinned.

"Don't worry," the gray-eyed, devilishly handsome prince leaned down, snaked his arm around her waist and yanked her right against his toned chest, whispering in her ear. "I'll guide you through it."

He was close. Very, very close. Mai could feel every muscle on the planes of his torso on her back. Her ears began to burn red-hot as she felt Taehyung's lips ghosting them. His voice was still as husky and deep as she remembered, his breath still smelling of lemons (and yet this time, she could smell something more masculine wafting off him, something of autumn and musk and wood smoke, something that made her legs weak) and still warm and setting her neck on fire. It was almost lewd, the way he had stared at her when she had first stepped out of her room, clearly undressing her with this eyes. And yet again, it was perfectly lewd how his lips were nearly sucking on the shell of her ear as he let his body do the talking.

MAI HE IS LITERALLY THE WALKING DEFINITION OF A F*CKBOY CALM THYSELF.

It took all of Mai's strength to pull away, glaring at the blonde prince who looked decidedly unabashed as he licked his lips and grinned lazily at her, eyes almost hooded. A coil of heat wound through Mai at the sight of his dark gaze.

"Who said I was worried?" Mai shot, looking away to hide her flush. Taehyung pursed his lips to stifle a laugh. The two of them reached the bottom of the stairs and blended in with the crowd.

"Hey! Tae-Tae!" a voice cut through the loud music and lights. It was clearly an elegant dance, and yet the slight dimness and colored lights made her chest tighten in familiarity for the dances back home.

The prince holding her arm sighed, then resignedly turned around, forcing Mai to do the same.

She was met with a pair of beautiful gold eyes, their shimmery color transfixing her as they gazed down at her.

Damn.

"HOSEOK!" Mai heard a yell, which made her rip her graze from the beautiful gold eyes and was instead met with the sight of Taehyung leaping forward and hugging the man in front of them, who laughed and returned the fierce hug. "Hyung, it's so good to see you!" the blonde prince smiled as they broke away. Mai watched in amusement.

"And you, Tae," his voice wasn't as deep or transfixing as Taehyung's, but it was still rich and velvety. His eyes flickered to Mai once more, the side of his mouth curling into a smirk. He was dressed in a black suit with gold accents, his white shirt lazily untucked. He was handsome as well, with a sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and a single dimple showing when he was smiling. His hair was dyed a bright orange, which made Mai inwardly groan. It looked good on him, but the color was just so... bright. His body was lean and slim, and he moved with an effortless grace, like a dancer.

"And who is this beautiful young lady, Tae?" Hoseok winked at her, which made Mai facepalm. She glared at Taehyung.

"Is everyone here going to try and flirt with me?" she growled, which made the blonde prince chuckle uneasily underneath her hard stare.

"Heh, um, maybe?"

"Ugh," she rolled her eyes at him, their banter making Hoseok's eyebrows creep steadily into his orange hair. She turned back to him. "Hey, I'm Mai,"

"Tae, you finally found yourself a fiancee?" Hoseok laughed after nodding at her politely. Mai choked on her own saliva while Tae began coughing frantically, a blush curling over his cheeks.

"No, no, no, no,"

Hoseok looked between the two of them.

"Reall-"

"OH NO, NO, NO, NO,"

Mai's voice was on auto-repeat at this point while the blonde-haired prince shook his head desperately. The gold-eyed man in front of her laughed at their reactions before smirking at Mai.

"Good," he winked at Mai again.

I swear to god...

"HOSEOK!" Taehyung yelled, which made him laugh again. His laugh was contagious, and Mai felt a smile creep onto her face as well. "Hyung, man, if you keep doing that, she might kill you. Trust me,"

Oh, as if you haven't been doing it the entire time, you hypocrite.

"She's a woman," Hoseok's eyebrows furrowed together as he tilted his head at her. Mai bit her lip while Tae glared at the older man.

"Shut up, Hobi! You're going to kill yourself if you keep talking,"

"What's up with you?" Hoseok laughed again.

"You should believe him, Hoseok," Mai forced a laugh out because Hoseok didn't know any better. "I kicked Jimin's ass into next week because he tried to abduct me,"

"You... what?"

"You heard me, pretty boy,"

The instant the nearly-condescending nickname left Mai's lips, she regretted it. Hoseok gave her the side-eye, his smirk growing wider and slightly more wicked. Taehyung, on the other hand, tensed behind her at the sight of his friend's face.

Hoseok turned to her fully, and Mai saw his eyes were lit up with a sort of twinkling mischief, the gold shimmering even more. In an instant, he was right in front of her, their proximity making Mai's brain short-circuit for half a moment. The fact that she could now feel Hoseok's soft, slightly chapped lips on her knuckles just added a whole lot of kerosene to the fire. He kissed her hand, lingering for a moment too long before Mai finally woke up and tugged her fingers away, trying to keep a fervent blush from exploding on her cheeks. She wasn't sure why she was so affected by this, but that didn't stop her blood from singing as she stared, wide-eyed, at the grinning man in front of her.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced," Hoseok smiled genuinely, his eyes still twinkling, "I'm Jung Hoseok, prince of Leoris, Kingdom of the Leopard, but you can call me Hobi or J-Hope... because I'M YOUR HOPE!"

"Nice to meet you, Hobi," Mai smiled, trying not to sarcasm the smug look off his face when he announced he was a prince. He seemed nice enough, though. He was pretty cheerful and mischievous, which reminded her of Emiko, down to her deep gold eyes.

Mai felt a pang of homesickness hit her, but she managed to keep it from showing on her face.

"Mai, you look AMAZING!" Jimin suddenly appeared next to her, wearing a white suit which complimented his pink hair perfectly. She fought down a whistle of appreciation as she looked him up and down. He was dressed in nearly all white, his jacket and shirt embellished with the subtlest of black highlights. Every crease in the suit accentuated his golden skin and his muscles perfectly, making Mai shiver as she recalled the faint memory of his staring her down and speaking in that raspy tone when he was carrying her. With his cheerful smile and crescent eyes that he was displaying proudly at the moment, it was hard to connect the two together in her mind.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Candy Boy," Mai nodded at him, returning his beaming grin paired with wide eyes at her outfit. Whatever her maids had done, everyone seemed so shocked when they saw her, she might have been a whole other person. Hoseok coughed back a laugh at her statement.

"Candy Boy?" he snickered, which made Jimin glare at him.

"It's not MY fault her tongue is sharper than a broadsword, hyung!" he whined, making Mai laugh under her breath at his disgruntled expression. "Wait a second..."

"Hello to you too, Jiminie!" Hoseok grinned as Jimin launched himself at him.

"HYUNG! YOU MADE IT!"

"Of course I did, Jiminie. My parents couldn't be bothered, my little sister is too fragile, and my brother has to 'run the kingdom'," Hoseok said that last part in air quotes, his face twisting into a brief expression of disgust before meeting Jimin's almost pitying gray eyes and softening his facial expression.

"Mai, I hope you don't mind if I leave you with these two doofuses," Taehyung said to her quietly as the two men in front of them began to bicker about something (Mai thought she heard something about having no Jams?). "I have to go greet the guests, and I would rather not bore you."

A feeling of tenderness stroked Mai's heart in that moment. Taehyung was looking at her with an earnest, gentle expression that was a full 180 from their first encounter, a small, tight smile playing at his lips as he gazed at her with those beautiful, storm-gray eyes. He clearly didn't want to leave her here- his body language said that much, at least. His hand was dangerously close to hers, long fingers flicking out occasionally to graze the skin of her arm (sending sparks through Mai's entire body, much to her embarrassment). He was standing incredibly close to her, so close she could feel his warmth on her back as his head hovered above hers.

Mai twisted her lips and furrowed her eyebrows at her observations. She was getting attached to the idiot, wasn't she? Because... she didn't want him to leave. She wanted him to stay with her, to joke with her, to-

Mai, going there is a really bad idea.

"Nah, go ahead, Blondie," she rolled her now-gray eyes at Taehyung, twisting her head back to look up at him. He gazed down at her, conflict marring his features for a moment before he sighed and stepped away. His mouth curled up into that rakish grin she was now so familiar with, and Mai fought the urge to snort.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon," he winked at her before slipping into the crowd. "Don't miss me too much, darling!"

"IDIOT!" she yelled after him. Both Jimin and Hoseok had paused their conversation to observe the exchange between the two, and they both stared with raised eyebrows. Mai huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, fighting down yet another blush.

I literally NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE WHY AM I GETTING SO EMBARRASSED?

"So, Jimin," Hoseok smirked, finally breaking the silence as something clearly dawned on him, "I heard she kicked your ass into next week?"

The glare Jimin gave her was so worth it. Mai pursed her lips to keep herself from laughing her guts out.

"ExcUSE ME, Hoseok, but YOU try fighting her. She fought off and nearly killed a Nikkis before I got to her! A fully-grown, acid-furred, razor-clawed NIKKIS, Hoseok!" Jimin cried defiantly, scrambling to explain. Hoseok's eyebrows were rising steadily at each description Jimin gave.

"I also escaped from you after I was SO RUDELY knocked out," Mai clarified, biting back a bark of laughter at Hoseok's incredulous expression. "Escaped the binds, kicked you off the horse, ya know,"

"YOU DIDN'T GET FAR!" Jimin protested.

"But still. I got the better of you, didn't I, Candy Boy?"

"Ugh," Jimin groaned, burying his forehead in his palm. He was obviously aware that he would never hear the end of this. Hoseok turned to scrutinize her. His eyes widened as they fell on her shoulder, where the Nikkis scars on her back were slightly visible. His gaze traced the faded and yet still slightly noticeable scars lining her arms, but he didn't point them out.

"You bear arms?" he asked, clearly astonished. Mai rolled her eyes so hard, she could practically see the back of her head.

"Why is everyone so surprised?" Mai grumbled. It was kinda getting annoying at this point. Were women THAT inferior to men here?

"You'll have to show me sometime," Hoseok winked at her. "You're different, sweetheart,"

No matter how many times someone from this strange dimension said that to her- for god's sake, why were they all so damn handsome?!- she still couldn't escape the warm, bubbling feeling inside when they did. She was different. She was special. She was SOMEONE here, not just another wannabe tomboy (yeah, it was pretty clear who came up with THAT oh-so-original insult).

Mai, this feeling isn't real. It's just your wishes talking.

"Do NOT call me that, Carrot Head. Mai is good enough," Mai snapped back while Hoseok spluttered.

"CARROT HEAD?" he cried, rearing back and fixing Mai with a incredulous stare. Jimin took one look at his face and doubled over, loud, clear guffaws racking his short form.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Mai snickered softly at the bickering boys. She watched as a disgruntled Hoseok walked up to the still-snorting Jimin and slapped the back of his head, his golden eyes narrowed in mock-irritation. A vision of Zheng and Yuki popped in Mai's mind, making her face go impassive as a pang of sadness hit her, even through her quiet laughs. She felt ever-so-slightly at HOME here, watching the two boys scuffle in front of her, even their eyes hitting her hard in the chest as they were so similar to what she had known for the better part of her life. She couldn't shake the feeling, though all she had to do was take one quick look around at the elegant, open hall and remember who she was and where she came from.

Her features drooped, fell, replaced with a blankness that was reflected in her quiet, unassuming eyes that now gleamed a cold gray, thanks to Taehyung's god-awful potion thing.

An awful sense of heaviness rested in her stomach as she looked around again and again, gaze falling on all the people around, eyes of all sorts of magical, bright colors that couldn't possibly be found in her world. But before she could go back, she had to save this one. She already knew. It was the same sort of cold, creeping realization she had in the split second before she shoved Mina out of the picture and took the beatings for herself.

She didn't want to, not at all. She knew it would cause her suffering. Pain. And yet she needed to.

Because she was HERE.

"Hey," a soft, gentle voice hit her hard, shocking her out of her moody phase. She blinked once, twice, trying to shake all her depressing thoughts before looking up. Her gaze was met with a single, deep dimple and a shining smile that gleamed just as bright as the golden eyes further up the grinning face. "Do you want to dance?"