Mai tried very hard to drown out her fear and uncertainty as the ornate doors were pulled open smoothly. Jimin's gentle hand on her arm suddenly held a lot of weight, but Mai was too busy stringing in awe at what exactly was behind the doors to care.

The hall was massive, all grace and elegance that sparkled in her already astonished irises. On a raised pedestal at the end of the hall, between two winding, polished mahogany staircases that met at one place near the top, clearly giving way to the next floor, there was a tall throne with a slightly smaller one right next it. A bit further away, there were two others, one on each side of the duo. The ceiling of this place was vaulted high, a chandelier dripping with crystals hanging and glowing with strategically-placed lanterns of fire that seemed to be fed oil from gleaming, thin crystal pipes that crossed and winded around each other in symmetric, elegant patterns, adding a kind of spiderweb-like beauty to the ceiling of the hall.

...they have no electricity, do they? The pipes... that's GENIUS.

Mai stared up in awe, admiration seeping into her bones at this engineering marvel. The hall was all elegant silver and crystal with accents of white and emerald. The floor was polished, shiny ivory, emerald carpets running down the huge length. Similarly colored drapes with silver embroidered on it in curving lines that reminded Mai of a thousand tangled snakes hung from the walls.

It was elegant and absolutely beautiful, but not gaudy and overly bright.

"Wow," Mai couldn't keep in her low hiss of awe, the breath that whooshed through her open mouth free before she could stop it. The hall amplified the sound that shouldn't have been audible, because the man next to her clearly heard it. Jimin gave her a little half-smile as they walked, nearing the center of the hall.

"Look up."

Jimin's whisper hit her right as they stood in the very center of the ostentatious place, the floor embellished with a star that Mai and Jimin were currently standing in the middle of. Mai, for once, did as she was told.

Holy frickety fracking mothercustard-

The chandelier had changed- well, not really, but it sure as hell seemed that way. The wires and crystals hung in a specific formation that had seemed as symmetrical and random at the door, but here?

The gleaming class and wires and crystal had melded together to form a vision of a snake with its jaw hinged open and fangs out, ready to devour those who stood beneath it. As Mai stared up at the masterpiece- focusing on the two large lanterns that seemed to make up its eyes- her hood tumbled off her head, falling limply on her back. She couldn't find it in her to put it back on.

"We're the best," Jimin had a note of pride in his beautiful, clear voice, tinted with a hint of undulating smugness. His grip on her forearm suddenly felt too tight, too warm, so when he added the slightest bit of pressure to get her to keep moving- Mai assumed- she, not caring anymore, wrenched her arm away.

It was clear that he was trying to play it cool, but Mai didn't miss the flash of hurt in his eyes. A twinge of guilt rippled through her before her attention was captured by something else entirely.

"A feisty one you've brought back this time, Jiminie. Care to share her?"

The words should have made Mai so unbearably angry- acting like she was a atoy, an object- but some of her rage dimmed when she heard the voice touch her ears for the first time.

Oh lord.

Deep. It was deep and rich and the kind of voice that you'd follow to the ends of the Earth because holy CRAP it would drive you insane if you didn't. It was a voice of raspiness and chocolate, of clearness and diamonds, of night air and slow smirks and by god it was beautiful.

Still, no matter how much Mai knew she had a thing for deep vices like that, she was still pretty mad. Just not mad enough to rip the offending person's head off.

"Taehyung," Jimin's voice was scolding, even as he bowed ahead, "this is our guest."

Mai clearly hadn't noticed this new person arrive near them, but when she flicked her eyes to where Jimin was bowing- ever so slightly- to, she knew she had made a grave mistake.

Because that man was beautiful.

Not the kind of delicate yet masculine features of Jimin, with his chiseled jaw and crescent eyes and plump lips- no, this man was all symmetry and the kind of pure HOTNESS that made Mai want to scream. Smug smirk that was somehow worse than Jimin's, dark, dark gray eyes that raked her up and down in a way that made the back of her neck flush red-hot, and the kind of chiseled jaw that wasn't as defined as Jimin's but still was sharp enough to slice her heart in half. He was tall, taller than Jimin, at least, and had filled-in shoulder. His fingers drummed at his sides, long and slender- just insanely attractive. Mai never thought she would be attracted to someone's fingers, but there was a first time for everything, she assumed.

His messy platinum-blonde hair was ruffled, messy, hanging past his strong eyebrows and into his eyes and behind his ears. A circlet was placed awkwardly on his head, slightly lopsided, yet still adding to his charm as he stood there in a barely-there navy suit-like cloak that fell elegantly behind him, the buttons unbuttoned at the top of his white shirt and the tie unknotted and hanging loose on both sides.

WHY are all these people handsome? Mai demanded in her head as she snuck a quick look at Jimin. She'd been too stressed and out of it in the middle of the forest for his looks to make this much of an impression on her, but there was no denying it- he was really good-looking. The man in front of her- his name was Taehyung?- was hot, hot, really hot, like, looking at him made her FRICKING BURN HERSELF, but Jimin was a different kind. He was beautiful, looking so much like a fairy Prince, with his delicate features and gorgeous facial structure. She could stare at him all day and not get tired of it.

nO, NO, MAI THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO START GETTING WHIPPED FOR YOUR ABDUCTORS JUST TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND CALM YOUR DUMB SELF. You're immune to this stuff, remember?!

Mai inhaled slowly, trying to shove away all the unwelcome thoughts that had invaded her mind in the past three seconds. She finally noticed that Jimin had sunken into a deeper bow for a moment, and was giving Mai pretty clear eyes that she should do the same.

Mai stood still, leaning back with her arms crossed and narrowing her eyes as the man named Taehyung in front of her.

From her side, Jimin made a small, strangled noise like a frustrated sigh of exasperation.

No way in heck, Candy Boy.

Taehyung just stared at her with a slowly smirking expression.

"Taehyung, where is your father?" Jimin straightened and tilted his head at the gorgeous man.

"My fathe- I mean, the king is unwell," a flash of pain flickered through Taehyung's expression as he finally, slowly, answered Jimin's outburst. Jimin's eyes softened as he stepped up to the blonde prince, grasping his arm gently. No words were spoken, but it was clear that a moment was passing between the two.

And Mai was still standing there, awkwardly rocking on her heels and basically feeling like an idiot.

Hey... wait a second...

"Y'all are related?" Mai blurted out.

Good going, Mai. The first thing you say. You're a genius, a true genius.

Jimin looked like he was struggling very hard to keep his cool. He eyed Mai with a look that clearly said, shut uuuuup. Taehyung, on the other hand, looked amused on the outside, but Mai could tell that he had tensed up.

"Yes," Jimin nodded, facing Mai. "We're cousins."

"Ah," Mai rubbed the back of her neck. "Cool. You don't look alike, so I wondered."

Taehyung tilted his head at her, making her chest tighten as his perpetually dark gaze fell on her own eyes. "Observant, aren't you? How would you know that?"

Mai froze at his sharp tone. With his deep voice, it honestly sounded a little scary. Furrowing her eyebrows, Mai unconsciously took an almost imperceptible step back. Jimin glanced sympathetically at her.

"Taehyung, at peace," he snapped, "I told her that I was royalty. There's no need to begin suspecting every person you meet."

There was a moment of silence.

Suspecting? Suspecting of what?

Mai's confusion must have come across as uneasiness, because Jimin shot a glare at Taehyung, and the latter finally relaxed.

"Sorry, darling," Taehyung shot Mai a quick, almost apologetic but still decidedly flirty smile. "It's just that Jiminie usually doesn't tell the girls he brings home who he is until they get here. They don't understand that we're related either."

Mai choked on some spit, first at the pet name, and then at the assumption, shooting a heartfelt glare at Jimin, who backed up nervously at Taehyung's words.

"JIMIN, I SWEAR to GOD-"

"No, Tae, it's not like that-"

They both spoke at the same time, but Mai was too incensed to let this go so easily.

"I am not SOME GIRL he is BRINGING HOME- we are not together, no, JUST NO," Mai yelled. The hall amplified their voices, making it as though a bunch of giants were screaming at each other. It must have seemed very strange to any servants in the halls near the room, Mai assumed, but she really didn't care at this point.

Taehyung was watching this exchange with raised eyebrows.

"Really?" he chuckled, noting Jimin's exasperated face as the shorter boy ran his fingers through his pink hair.

"Taehyung, we need to go to the king immediately," Jimin finally burst out, seeming to be thoroughly done with the conversation. "We can tell you everything on the way, but we need to see him."

There was an urgency, a sharpness in his tone that made both Mai and Taehyung watch him carefully. Mai because he had usually been pretty laid-back and easygoing, as far as she had seen.

"Um," Mai piped up, making both the boys focus on her. She could feel the warning in Jimin's eyes, but she was chock-full of questions, all of which revolved around one thing.

What is it about me that would need the attention of the king?

Well, yes, she was strange, and she did just fall down the rabbit hole to this strange place, but no one really knew that. If left to her own devices, Mai was sure she could find someone who could help her. But there was this feeling of apprehension when anyone looked at her, when anyone noticed her, when anyone looked her straight in the eye.

The question was, why?

"Why exactly do you want me to see your father?" Mai chased the fear from her irises and stared straight into Taehyung's eyes. It was pretty clear she wouldn't be getting answers from Jimin- after all, she had been trying the entire time they had been riding here. So maybe Taehyung would say something-

He chuckled, the sound of his low laugh resembling Jimin's to the T.

I WILL STAB YOU BOTH I SWEAR-

"You'll see," Taehyung began to turn away, feet clicking on the floor as he swung around to face the enormous, curving, polished wooden stairs at the end of the room. Mai scoffed, making the said prince turn around in question.

Jimin facepalmed behind the prince's back.

Mai paid him no attention.

"No. You do not get to tell me that," Mai snarled. "I have been dragged through an entire forest FAR from my home, which I don't EVEN KNOW IS ANYMORE! ACTUALLY, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE I AM! I WAS ATTACKED BY SOME WEIRD MONSTER THING AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON ANYMORE!" Jimin sighed softly at Mai's triade while Taehyung looked completely awestruck. Mai knew she probably shouldn't have started yelling at a bunch of royalty, but stress was getting to her.

She was done with this.

"You do realize that I am a prince to the kingdom of Esterie, right?" Taehyung raised an eyebrow at her. Mai scoffed once more.

"And do you realise that I DON'T CARE?" Mai snapped. Jimin bit his lip, his glance flickering from Taehyung to Mai. The prince just stared at the tanned girl, her proud, glimmering eyes blazing with flames- flames most likely fueled by stress and fear and pain. Taehyung glanced at her slender form, which was tense, her eyes betraying the faintest slip of uncertainty.

"If I knew, darling," he sighed, relenting, and focusing on her carefully, "I would tell you,"

Mai sagged in disappointment, letting out a hiss of cold breath. Her eyes dropped- her gaze did not, but the fire in them went cold.

Jimin, who had been watching her the entire time, became incredibly concerned. Probably because he hadn't seen Mai quiet or cold before. Taehyung looked at Jimin for a moment before opening his mouth and speaking again.

"But!" he raised a finger in the air and spoke brightly, a smirk on his face, "My father will probably be able to help you! He's a seer, a sorcerer, and he'll probably know what's going on with you. So I wouldn't worry too much,"

His attitude had drastically changed, Mai observed, looking up at him. When Mai first saw him, he seemed flirty but cold, not quite ready to use feelings in his conversation. When he was with Jimin, his entire demeanour changed- and when she had started yelling about how she WASN'T one of Jimin's apparently-frequent hookups, it changed more.

Well, to Mai, it was very clear that Taehyung had the initial coldness as a kind of mask so no one would get too close, and that he was a different person around those he trusted.

She's seen it before, but she was very confused as to why Taehyung counted HER as someone he trusted.

Not a good decision, kid. I'm a LITTLE crazy, in case you hadn't noticed.

"Okay," Mai brightened a little, although she cursed herself for letting herself look so forlorn that other people had noticed. She WASN'T supposed to do that. She was supposed to be cool and calm and collected-

OKAY I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY AND BE COLLECTED AT A TIME LIKE THIS.

...you are literally me.

"Let's go see the king, I guess," Mai let out a little bark of laughter. Taehyung sent her a little glance, something softer than what she was usually expecting.

He probably feels sorry for me.

Stay strong, Queen.

So then the three of them were walking, quietly, but comfortably. There was a sense of peace in Mai's mind for the first time since she had opened her eyes in that forest. Maybe it was because she was finally getting some answers.

Answers.

The double curving staircase was right in front of them now, their walking paying off (ugh, walking). Mai marvelled up at the polished mahogany, the wood gleaming brightly in the lights. Honestly, it was just gorgeous. Running her fingers over the smooth banister, she took one step up, following Taehyung.

Then he looked back, and there was a flicker of mischief in his eyes, and then he had grabbed her wrist. She didn't even have any time to react before he was pulling her up.

His hand was warm as he spun her up, nearly carrying her up a few steps (wow, he was pretty strong) before pushing her wrist back over the banister as he leaned over her, smirk dangerously close to her lips.

"Taehyung..." Jimin's irritated and warning voice sounded from behind them. Said prince didn't even glance at him.

"I never caught your name," he breathed, hot breath fanning over her face. It smelled of lemons and sugar- which was so weird, like who had breath that smelled like that? Not that she was complaining or anything; it did smell nice.

Mai fought her blush down, but one thought about their close proximity had her unable to help the heat that spiked in her ears.

"Yeah, well, I never offered it," she snorted, raising an eyebrow at the prince.

IMMUNE YOU ARE IMMUNE.

He laughed breathily, dark gray eyes (they weren't that dark, Mai realized, it just looked like that because of the swirling flecks of dark emerald that dotted the edges of his silver-blue eyes) zoning in on her own.

"Care to give it now?"

"And if I say no?"

Taehyung chuckled once more. "I'll get it out of you eventually."

"Ooh, I'm so scared. Terrified,"

Without missing a beat, Mai flicked the bottom of Taehyung's chin with her free hand, making him startle and rear back in surprise, grip on her wrist loosening. In that moment, she casually spun herself out of his embrace, then running up the stairs two at a time. There was a moment of silence, and then Jimin was hooting with laughter, shrieking at Taehyung.

Mai looked back, locked eyes with Jimin and then Taehyung, who still looked rather shook (A/N: JUNGSHOOK), and then bust a nut laughing herself. It wasn't long before Taehyung joined them, apparently taking the entire ordeal as a joke as well.

"Holyyyy that was INCREDIBLEEEEE-" Jimin ran up and thumped her on the back, making her stumble. She laughed at him while kicking his shin in response. He winced slightly.

"I know, I'm fabulous,"

Taehyung had taken his place in front of them again as they walked down a couple of winding corridors and up a couple of mini staircases. At these words, he was clearly laughing, shoulders shaking though he didn't make a sound.

"Don't HIT the lady, Jimin hyung!" he called back after he had recovered from his laughing fit.

Wait... Jimin is OLDER than him?

Wow. Well, the more you know.

"You're OLDER than him?" Mai snorted, giving Jimin a judgemental look, "He literally shows no respect to you whatsoever."

"HMM," Jimin loudly coughed, "Ya hear that, you disrespectful child?"

"HEY, I respect you, Jimin hyung! I just wanted to-"

"Impress the lady?" Jimin rolled his eyes.

"Yeah..."

"DIDN'T WORK THOUGH," Mai cheered, grinning.

"You are literally the only woman who I've seen who didn't fall at his feet the moment you saw him," Jimin muttered to her after a moment of silence, leaning close to her to speak. Mai rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm not in the habit of falling at people's feet," Mai twisted her lips into a wry smile. Taehyung in the front crossed his hands on her chest as he looked back, pouting. Mai clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. "I'll leave that to the wannabe princesses, thank you very much."

Jimin threw his head back and laughed, which attracted a couple stares from the few servants scurrying around the hallways. Actually throughout the entire walk, every single person who had passed by had first bowed deeply and then fixed Mai with a curious stare.

She didn't miss the hateful ones from the women roaming around, either.

It was interesting how there seemed to be other nobles in this place as well, not just the king and his family. There were many young ladies around, and each of them would curtsey and fix both Jimin and Taehyung with winning, simpering smiles before turning their attention (which was far less favorable in this case) to Mai.

"You are very odd." Jimin deadpanned.

"Mhm," Mai responded, not really listening because another odd detail had struck her mind, one that she furrowed her eyebrows at for not noticing earlier.

"You okay, Mai?" Jimin asked.

"So THAT'S your name!" Taehyung whooped, looking thoroughly pleased. "It's very pretty, by the way."

Mai didn't even have time to make a snarky remark when the three of them were faced with someone standing in the hallway.

"Your highness," a painfully high, cold voice shot Mai right in the ears, making her fight not to cover them. "And noble Lord,"

"Hello Sungmin," Jimin spoke calmly and politely. Taehyung echoed his cousin's greeting. Mai looked at them carefully. Neither of these two men had responded to any of the nods or polite greetings. She turned her attention to the Sungmin woman.

Her skin was beautifully pale and flawless with her shiny, straight black hair cut into an elegant bob that framed her face wonderfully. Her lips were plump, twisted into a cold smile, and her eyes a darker version of the gray that Mai had become accustomed to seeing in the irises of EVERY SINGLE PERSON in this palace.

First deal with the scary woman, THEN worry about supernatural eyes. Get your priorities straight, Mai.

"A wonderful morning, isn't it?" Sungmin asked, her voice still cold. She smoothed her elaborate, frilled gown and fixed her eyes on Taehyung. She looked to be about Mai's age, but the firm set of her mouth and the calculating look in her eyes made her seem to be far older.

"Yes," Jimin smiled winningly at her, making the woman crack a small smile of her own- yet the coolness never left her eyes. Before Sungmin could focus too long on Mai, though, Taehyung stepped in front of her, engaging her in a polite- well, Taehyung's version of flirty-polite- conversation. Jimin whipped around to Mai.

"Wha-"

"Mai, this is important- do NOT look that woman in the eye if she looks at you," he whispered urgently.

"But-"

"I'll explain later, but no matter how much she goads you, do not look her in the eye. Here, drink this, and then don't look at her, and you should be fine," Jimin fumbled with a tiny vial filled with silver liquid that he withdrew from a small, hidden pocket in his armor and shoved it in Mai's hand.

Mai contemplated dropping it and running, because that seemed like the most logical option at this point, with the urgent tone of voice Jimin was using.

COME ON COME ON, GET OUT OF HERE!

...but the two princes had been taking care of her. And plus, she did want answers.

Besides, she hated to admit it, but they were fun enough to hang around with.

Without a second thought, she downed the vial and stared straight down at the now-carpeted floor colored a neutral beige. Jimin instantly began counting seconds underneath his breath. He cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, it was nice seeing you, Sungmin, but we were just on our way to visit the king, to provide him comfort through his sickness," Jimin intercepted Taehyung and Sungmin smoothly, smiling at the latter.

"Oh?" she tilted her head. "Visiting him... with this?"

She waved a dismissive hand at Mai, making the tanned girl bristle. She said the word 'this' as if Mai were just an object, something to be discarded. She very nearly looked up and glared at the rude woman.

In an instant, Taehyung was at her side, fingers pressing against hers in a warning. This did not go unnoticed by Sungmin, whose storm-cloud-gray eyes narrowed, but at least it kept Mai staring at the floor, albeit with a bit more fury.

"No, we were just going to get her medical attention," Jimin nodded at Mai's leg, which she hadn't even thought about since stepping foot in the palace. Now that he pointed it out, though, she certainly did feel the sharp stings of pain that shot through her calf. The makeshift bandages were dirty and blood-spotted by now.

"Ah," Sungmin hissed, sounding less than friendly as her eyes raked over Mai.

"Thanks for understanding, Minnie, but we have to go now," Taehyung grasped Mai's hand and pulled her forward, Jimin following. Mai was slightly concerned that Sungmin would follow, but with a quick glance back, it was apparent that she hadn't.

When Taehyung's brisk pace finally slowed, Mai let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. She didn't know why, but something about that woman made her very uneasy.