INDEFINITE HIATUS @daydreamindollie - Tumblr Blog

THE PRINCE WITH THE UGLY HEART ⏤15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN : NEW BEGINNINGS

CHPT. SUM ; you and taehyung start living in the capital within the palace and start adjusting to palace life with your studies keeping the both of you busy but can your determination to do well be enough or will things prove too hard for you to cope?

G. ; fluff ; very slight angst if you squint ; king!jungkook ; queenintraining!reader ; littlemaster!taehyung ; youngduke!taehyung ; reader is very studious ; taehyung's sacrifice ; reader's guilt ; jungkook being a good king ; jungkook also being a bad king ; ladies in waiting appearance ; hoseok gets promoted to butler ; new future queen in the queens palace ; taehyung isn't a prince ; surprise visits

LENGTH ; 7.7k

A/N ; goodness, it's been such a long time, i'm so sorry my lovely dollies, i never anticipated taking such an extended hiatus on this story - a lot of things happened and it can never be boiled down to one primary reason but what's important is that im back! i intend to finish this series that is and has been such a big reflection on my journey in writing. i hope you darlings, enjoy the read, i'm sorry for the long wait x

PREV.

Entering the royal palace was surreal. There was such a flurry of movement surrounding you, it was hard to process everything all at once. At the very least, Taehyung and Jungkook stayed by your side through it all, they were able to ground you through the hurricane of movement.

“Call the royal tailor and seamstress to take the measurements of my lady and the little master so that they can be fitted for new garments as soon as possible,” Jungkook ordered the staff as soon as you were settled into a room that could be considered the size of a small house, “also, prepare 2 baths and leave us be until the tailor and seamstress have arrived,”

“As you wish, your highness,” with that all the staff dispersed to set about their designated tasks.

Finally, finally, you could breathe and hold your little brother close for comfort and a semblance of normalcy.

“I hope you aren’t too overwhelmed,” Jungkook sends you a look of sympathy, “I can understand how different this all must feel so please don’t hesitate to inform me whenever the two of you feel uncomfortable,”

“It’s okay, Hyung,” Taehyung speaks up in your lap, still cuddled up against you, “we’ll try our best, won’t we Noona?” he turns to gaze up at you with a smile that you reciprocate.

“Of course we will,” you lean down to nuzzle your nose against your little brothers before turning your full attention to Jungkook, “anything to be able to stay by your side, Jungkook,”

The smile that spreads across his lips has your heart stuttering in your chest. You hold such a deep love for him but having his handsome face smile so sweetly at you is dangerous, and so is the knowledge that he helped bring the war to an end and has done so many good things for the people of the kingdom since his reign as King.

How did you ever get so lucky?

If only you knew how much deeper in love Jungkook was with you. If he needed to start a war again and become known as a terrible tyrant of a king or need to sacrifice all the luxury and privilege he grew up with, he’d do so in a heartbeat if it meant being your love for forever and always. He was willing to do exactly that if his father hadn’t allowed him that week of freedom and accepted you as his future queen.

“How very lucky I am to have you both in my life,” Jungkook kneels down before you, takes your hand and touches his lips to your knuckles in a soft kiss.

“We’re lucky to have you too, Hyung!” Taehyung cheers and jumps on him with a shout of happiness.

“Taehyung!” you gasp as they go tumbling down but refrain from scolding either one when they burst into fits of giggles, instead you sigh and lean back with a content smile. Once they’ve collected themselves, Jungkook stands with Taehyung held up with one arm as he pulls you close with his spare hand.

“I deeply apologise for having to delay our wedding, my love,” Jungkook, crestfallen, hums softly as he kisses your temple in apology.

“It’s alright,” you bashfully reassure and move to press a gentle kiss onto his cheek, “I’ve waited 5 years already, I can be patient,”

Jungkook smiles and squeezes both you and Taehyung close, “I couldn’t have said it better myself. All of that time is worth finally having you at arm's reach like this,” he nestles his face into your hair and smiles at your sweet, floral scent, “it won’t be too long now…”

“I just hope-”

“None of that. I can’t have you doubting yourself when I know for sure that you’ll make an excellent queen, right Tae?” he holds your face as he stares at you lovingly.

“Yeah! Hyung’s right, Noona!”

“Really?” you timidly ask.

“Are you doubting the judgement of your King?” he teases as you laugh.

“And what if I am?~”

Jungkook hums thoughtfully for a moment before a proud grin overtakes his once pensive features, “Only someone worthy of being the future queen would dare challenge their King in this way,” Taehyung laughs at Jungkook’s playful mocking but you could only pout.

“Stopppp!” you whine but Jungkook laughs and seizes your lips in a loving kiss.

“Believe in yourself the way you believed in me when I was at my lowest,” you smile as your heart softens from his heartfelt words, “and if you aren’t there yet, I'll support you as best as I can until you reach that point,”

“Thank you, Jungkook,”

Not long after being bathed then measured and fitted for noble attire, you and Taehyung were met with a shocking discovery in the absence of Jungkook and the presence of his newly assigned Butler.

“This is…where?”

“This is the Queen’s palace, my lady, also known as the Diamond Palace,” the recently assigned butler, Hoseok, informs you. He had been so accommodating with helping to assign you ladies-in-waiting and tutors as well as a nanny, tutors and instructors for Taehyung to see after the week period set aside for you and your little brother to settle into palace life, a week that you were in the middle of currently, “would you like to know more?”

“Yes please, Hoseok,” you nod as Taehyung indulges in the many cakes and cookies laid out on the table before him with the occasional sip of his milk and honey. Nevertheless, he makes it a point to be turned towards the red-headed butler, ears perked and openly listening. Hoseok smiles at this, happy that the little master has such good manners, manners befitting a noble but displaying such better than most do.

“The Queen’s palace is separate from the main palace where court officials and members of the King’s personal and public council often visit and hold meetings. The main purpose of the Queen’s palace is to train future Queens and therefore holds a mark of every queen that once resided in it. In fact, the previous queen, his highness’ belated mother, designed and helped cultivate the North and south gardens herself,” your mouth drops as the realisation of how importance your current residence dawns on you, “there are two more separate palaces called the Sapphire and Morganite palace also known as the Prince and Princess Palace respectively. They are where the prince and princesses of the kingdom should reside,” at his explanation, you turn to Taehyung, who looks at you with his own questioning gaze. Sensing the query in the air, Hoseok continues, “the Prince and Princess Palace are reserved for yours and his highness’ future children, my lady, as the young master, Taehyung, is politically not a prince but instead a young Duke. This is because he has relations with a member of the royal family through marriage, as soon as you are wed to his majesty, young master Taehyung’s dukedom will be announced soon after. His highness, the King, has been signing the documentations and making the proper preparations for this so please don’t worry, my lady,”

“Oh my…”

“What’s a Duke, Noona?”

“It’s nothing for you to worry about, you’re still too young Tae,” you assure as you bite your lip and give Hoseok a look that he immediately bows to, expressing his cooperation. Taehyung will not be told the full implications of this until he is much older, you want him to continue living as a child for as long as possible.

Taehyung loved exploring the palace grounds and, although the palace staff adored him, he’s been keeping them on their toes. You were, at first, worried that a fair majority would antagonise you and your little brother for your humble background, however, they were nothing but friendly and welcoming to you both. Rumours between the palace maids made it clear to you that it’s all because of Jungkook emphasising that you were the reason for his change in demeanour prior to your arrival.

“I heard that he begged his highness, the previous king, to let him go and do whatever he wanted for a week, and the condition was that he would leave after completing an entire week’s worth of work,” one palace maid gossiped behind a tall, marble pillar.

“And then?”

“Now, I only heard this from a few people that work closely with the King but apparently, he also created a separate list of important things to do,”

“What else did he need to do? How could he even have the time to do more atop double the amount of work he already had to complete?”

“It was to spread the word that his highness was only able to become who he is today because of the future queen,”

“The commoner girl he brought back claiming is going to become his queen?”

“Yes yes!”

“Oh my goodness! She must be really special to be able to make him change so much, then!”

“We must treat her well for bettering his highness, I remember when he used to be so irrational and rude, now it’s almost unbelievable that he used to be that way,”

You couldn’t bring yourself to listen any further with your mind racing and unable to process any more of their conversation. Jungkook had assured you that your existence and identity were completely secret and that all of the palace staff were sworn in to secrecy but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t gossip about you within palace walls. At least, you were fairly well accepted by the palace staff.

“My lady is so beautiful, I just adore dressing her up,” Rosé, one of your four ladies in waiting, sighs dreamily as she tidies up your dress for the day. It would be your first time wearing a hand tailored dress as you had been wearing made-to-wear dresses up until this point. It was a flowy dress made of light material as per your request, and simply designed for your comfort and carefree movement. Elegant and enchanting, it was the perfect first dress.

“That is a given, she will soon be the queen afterall,” Jisoo turns up her nose at the statement, as if to express how proud she is to be working for the future monarch.

“Which necklace would you like to wear today, my lady?” Lisa asks, as she sets down an assortment of necklaces upon your vanity.

“Would you like to accompany them with earrings,” Jennie asks, gesturing to the tray of earrings on her cart, “or a bracelet?” she gestures to the lower half of the cart with an array of beautiful bracelets.

“Maybe you’d like a headpiece?” jisoo comments stepping up beside you after finishing up with your hair.

You take a moment to ponder, still flustered over being served in such an extravagant way and with incredibly kind and beautiful ladies in waiting, “Umm…I don’t believe I have the appropriate understanding of jewellery accompaniment yet so…is it alright if you make the decisions for me in the meantime?” you timidly look up at your ladies in waiting from your seat at the vanity, shy from their awed and quickly-turned adoring gazes.

“Of course, my lady!” Lisa cheers.

“We’d be more than happy to help you but please, once you feel like choosing what to wear, notify us right away,” Jisoo smiles softly.

“It would mean more to us than anything in the world to properly honour our lady’s wishes,” Rosé pipes up as Jennie fervently nods in agreement beside her.

“Thank you,” you smile, “you’ve all done a fantastic job,”

“It’s all because our lady is already so beautiful,” Jennie compliments as they all bow at your gratitude.

“Noona! Are you finished dressing up? Can I come in?” Taehyung’s excited voice calls through your door. You had heard his loud foot-falls approaching your bedroom and had quickly anticipated his company.

“Yes, you may come in, Tae,” you call back, beginning to stand from your vanity, fully dressed as Lisa pulls open the door for Taehyung to step in and gasp at your appearance.

“Wow! Noona! I always thought you were pretty but now you’re even prettier! You’re the prettiest person in the whole world!” he grins, running up to you with his arms wide open to which you bend down and meet him in an embrace.

“Thank you Tae, you look very handsome in your new attire too, very dashing,” Taehyung was dressed in black fitted trousers and a white button up with embroidered embellishments at the cuffs and collar. Around his neck and fitted through his collar hung a simple gold chain connected to a black cape with the same golden embellishments as seen on his shirt. And, for once, his hair was a neat mess of bouncy curls rather than a messy nest for birds to lay their eggs in.

“Thank you Noona!” you giggle when he steps back and strikes a manly pose for you, his face proud and happy. Lisa, Rosé, Jennie and JIsoo look on at your interaction with Taehyung, all smiling in content at serving under such a kind-hearted and loving person.

“We were so right to take on this job,” Lisa whispers to Jisoo, who nods.

“Forget being a noble lady,” Jisoo states spitefully.

“It’s too boring,” Rosé agrees.

“At least we can dress up and serve someone nice instead of those other noble snobs,” Jennie grins. All four were noble ladies themselves who volunteered to serve as ladies in waiting, others had volunteered for the job too but only they were chosen.

Typically a Queen has eight ladies in waiting but you had expressed your need for only half if not one to serve under you, which peaked their interest. From the noble ladies they were always surrounded by at sourires, balls and galas, many bragged about taking advantage of the opportunity for power when given the chance to be queen, so confident in their noble blood.

As soon as the once despised prince turned his image around and became an admirable king, who needed to marry, many noble ladies and their fathers rushed for the chance to curry favour with noble officials and members of the council to be picked as a queen candidate but were all rejected. None were given an explanation but being selected to be ladies in waiting was a new development when the four originally volunteered to become palace maids as was custom for noble ladies and gentlemen who wanted to gain connections for greater power and business or to escape noble obligations as a main perk of becoming palace maids meant arranged marriages becoming null.

You are a breath of fresh air from most noble ladies out there seeking to become queen. The four can’t wait for your debut into noble society as the new queen. They can’t wait to see all other noble ladies’ jaws drop at the sight of you because, not only were you incredibly beautiful but you were such a warm and kind person, of course you’ll only become even more beautiful in others’ eyes from that. For now they will stay patient and support you in every which way they can as your devoted ladies in waiting.

“Postponing the ceremony?” The retired king exclaimed in bewilderment. It was unheard of. He should be used to his son’s unexpected ways after having tripped up his expectations over and over again but this was too much, “You understand what that entails, don’t you?”

“Father there is no need to fret, despite the war still being fresh, Seoul is at its most peaceful right now, everyone is striving to achieve normalcy once again and our newly established borders are being guarded far more stringently than ever before...” silence. Jungkook knows his father is contemplating his decision, all he needs is one more push, “and besides, didn’t you crown me because you were confident in my capabilities as King?”

It took another momentary beat of silence before Jungkook’s father huffed a chuckle and leaned back in his deep chair. His son was right in all aspects, hence his secondary contemplation on ending the monitoring of his son’s royal duties. Jungkook had proven himself worthy enough in the war, resulting in his crowning - he should finally let his son be to do as he so wishes.

“Very well, I trust you...” the father and son smiled in mutual respect and understanding of each other, “now get out of my chambers, this old man doesn’t want the King visiting him any more from now on, unless it’s to visit as his son,” as a wide grin stretched across Jungkook’s face, his father gave him one more word of advice, “now go and inform your future queen of this new establishment. This very much involves her too so she should be well-informed of this substantial decision,”

“Right away, father,” and with a quick look of acknowledgement, Jungkook left his father’s chambers and sought after you. Referring to the time, he’s pretty sure you’ll be alone in the library practising your reading with Taehyung.

Just as you had told him that morning, he found you in the Royal Library, books piled up around you as Taehyung’s footsteps echo in the background, climbing ladders and exploring long book-filled corridors, his awes of wonder and interest fostering an amiable environment in the usually stiff and sombre room of knowledge that was Royal Palace Library.

“Jungkook,” you smile at the sight of the man you love so much, looking up to instantly lock eyes with him as he enters through the large oak doors. He was as handsome as ever despite his more casual attire of dress pants, shoes, a silk sash wrapped tightly around his slim waist and a white shirt, long sleeves rolled up to his forearms and with a v-neck so deep it had to be loosely laced up with a thick thread.

“I see that you are hard at work,” he praises, eliciting a flustered expression. Your tutoring had just begun and you were only just catching your bearings with the boat-load of information being pushed onto you.

“I-It’s still hard for me to read passages out loud without breaking up here and there; I’m better at reading in my head,”

“That’s alright, I believe in you,” Jungkook had finally reached your side and leaned down to press a kiss on your temple. He then pulls away to lean against your work table with his hands bracing himself against the edge of the table, accentuating his veins and muscles. If his kiss didn’t distract you so much, his toned arms would have.

“Thank you,” you sigh dreamily at the gentle touch of his lips but quickly shake yourself out of your daze, shouldn’t he have a lot of things to do right now? You wouldn’t want to stall him in his work.

Seeing the panic in your eyes, Jungkook quickly reassures you, “It’s alright, I’m on a break and I also have something very important to tell you,”

“What is it?” Jungkook waits until you’ve bookmarked your place and set your book aside before taking your hand in his leaning forward ever so slightly in order to do so. He allows himself a moment to admire your beautiful hand, tracing his thumb over your supple skin and without a single thought, he brings your knuckles to his lips for a kiss, noting a soft but lingering floral scent - kissing your hand has become such an addictive habit of his, he loves kissing your sweet skin. No matter what, you always smell like the flowers you used to take care of.

“Were you in the garden earlier?” Despite his soft tone, you avoid his eyes when answering as if being accused of a criminal act.

“The flowers were just so lovely, I couldn’t help myself,”

Jungkook laughs and kisses you, his hand on your cheek deepening the intimate embrace. He really can’t seem to keep his lips off you whenever you’re together, you’ve found, though you’re not going to complain, “I’m glad you enjoy it there as much as I do,”

“Well...what did you want to tell me?” you ask to distract yourself from getting all the more sheepish.

“It’s about a very important ceremony that I’m choosing to postpone,” this makes you tilt your head in confusion. In your journey to becoming the future queen, you’ve had to read many books on the history and noble culture of the kingdom, which includes the many ceremonies that were held for certain events. You wanted to enquire further but didn’t know if you should or not. Your curious look, however, did all the talking for you, “I’ve decided to postpone the Knight Oath ceremony,”

“Wh-what?” That's definitely a ceremony you’ve read about, especially because it’s one of the most important few.

“You’ve learned about that ceremony already?”

“Yes, o-of course, it’s very important for the safety of the royal family, after all,” you emphasise.

“You’re so smart,” he praises, ignoring your look of concern.

“Jungkook, this is serious,”

“I know I know but tell me how much you’ve learned,” he winks at you, leaning back to look down at and crosses his arms as if he were a tutor quizzing you, “let me know how much you’ve learned so far, my beautiful rose~” his sweet voice drawls seductively at the nickname and has your heart racing in seconds. How does he expect you to answer his question when he’s being so flirty?! “Go on...”

First, you clear your throat, look away and take a deep breath…now, you think you can answer him, “To start with, there are two current knight factions even though there used to be more.” For a moment, you glance at Jungkook and gain confidence from his approving nod before continuing more positively, “One serves only the current King and is composed of very specialised knights with a high level of skill. The second faction is greater in number so, although some are very skilled, most are average at best. Their sole purpose is to serve the people of the Kingdom and those higher up, dispatch squadrons for expeditions to the border or to patrol a highly dangerous area. Umm…” you pause for thought, not knowing what to say next.

“Because their numbers are so large, naturally, there are different rankings, no?” Jungkook continues, making you nod along as you begin to remember what to say next.

“Yes yes! Umm, there’s Rank C for those that are still learning the ropes and are undergoing training. Rank B is for the knights who have graduated from C and are given more responsibilities as well as trust in caring for the people and maintaining peace throughout the kingdom. Rank A is for the elites, the heads of the squadrons spread out across the kingdom, they manage funds, assignments and reports that need to be looked over by the King on a monthly and yearly basis,”

“And how do knights acquire an A ranking?”

“Don’t they have to go through a test of some sort?” you ponder.

“Yes, and?”

“After passing the test, they undergo special training that typically lasts half to almost a full year,” you’re back in the flow again and continue without much more prompting, “when they achieve their rank A medal, they gain a lot of authority and respect, this allows them the ability to access certain places within the Palace, such as the inner palace if they so wish. That is, apart from a few restrictive hours, of course. The Kings faction is overlooked by Sir Min Yoongi whereas the Kingdom’s knight faction is managed by Sir Kim Namjoon,”

“That is correct. Both are capable of managing either faction, however, Commander Kim is adamant at serving the people, if not, he would have very easily qualified as the King’s personal aide. Commander Min just took on the faction that was left. He seems to regret it though,” Jungkook chuckles, “he’s always complaining about how the knights aren’t good enough when it’s him that exceeds all qualifications and so do his standards,” you both giggle at the thought, “Doesn’t each faction have a symbol, love?”

“Oh, yes! The King’s faction is symbolised by a Lion whilst the Kingdom’s faction is symbolised by a Wolf.”

“Now...about that ceremony,”

You gain a look of worry, “that’s right, why are you postponing it? And for how long? The ceremony happens when a new King takes the throne and a new faction of specialised Knights are selected by him to swear their oath of loyalty,”

“Very good,”

It was tradition for when a new King takes over the throne, the knights that can qualify as Rank A can choose to partake in another test, where they compete against one another in front of the new King and, from that, the new King chooses his new faction of knights. The faction that has sworn their oath of loyalty to the old King cannot swear a new oath as only one oath can be made in a Knight’s life and that same oath will continue to be served until the end of their days. It may sound miserable but it’s all about a knight’s honour and none are happier than fulfilling their sworn oath. This is why it’s so important that the Knight's Oath ceremony is held or else it leaves the King vulnerable to assassination attempts. That alone, makes your heart stutter to an almost complete stop.

“Why would you dare put yourself in such danger, Jungkook?” your mind wanders to the recent war and its repercussions on his safety for being the one to win and end it.

“I’ll be fine, it’s you that I’m worried about, my love,” Jungkook lets his worries show through with the furrowing of his brows as he moves to sit beside you once again, “I accept you as my Queen but many nobles who want their daughters to marry me and become royalty will have differing opinions. Instead, I plan on secretly creating a new faction of knights, they are to serve only you,”

You couldn’t believe your ears, “Me?...”

“Yes. The preparations for the ceremony will take some time after I have fully announced my decision so we have some waiting to do. I also play for their symbol be that of an Iris,”

“Why an Iris?”

“It was a flower that my mum associated with my Dad but my father and I both agreed that it always purely encompassed her, the perfect queen. It represents faith, wisdom, hope and valour, just like you. You had faith in me when no one else did, you enriched me with the wisdom and kindness I could never seem to obtain despite my privilege of being born a prince, you gave me hope for a better future and you are far more valourous than I could ever be; taking on this Queen training for when I took you away from where you grew up, I can’t imagine how fearful and anxious you must be but I want to tell you that you are doing amazing, so so amazing, my love,” you don’t know why but you began to tear up. It hadn’t been but a few weeks and, despite all Jungkook’s efforts to make you comfortable, it didn’t take away how hard this all was on you. It was stressful and so overwhelming. At least, you had Jungkook and Taehyung by your side, without them, you would have fallen apart already.

“Thank you...” you whispered.

Jungkook leans forward enough for your noses to touch and holds your face in both of his hands, it’s so intimate and loving as he whispers only for you to hear, “anything for my Queen...”

And he meant every word. It was all too quick of a transition and demanded too much of a person to speed through queen training without the knowledge of being a noble but Jungkook was at a bind, he may be the King but the uncertainty of his people and worries of his council were a heavy weight he couldn’t ignore nor sweep aside so easily. As a result, there was a lot of pressure on you to do well, quickly and Jungkook always felt guilty for putting you in such a difficult place, however, it made him strive towards doing his job as King better. In a sense you were each others’ motivation to achieve good things, all with the same goal; to be able to stand proudly at each other’s side.

Jungkook believes only a true and valiant king is worthy of your love. Likewise, you believe that only a grand and illustrious queen is worthy of him.

Many times, Jungkook reassured you that you could take your time learning all these new things. Being introduced to the world of nobility and being forced to undergo such a strict and rigorous studying regime that noble ladies usually begin at the age of eight, was a heavy burden. You weren’t going to be convinced otherwise, however, Jungkook was an amazing King so you had to become just as amazing in order to competently stand beside him on the throne. It was a big responsibility that you decided to take on and you were going to follow it through to the very end; if your parents had ever taught you anything it was to follow your heart and finish what you started with everything you’ve got so that you don’t live with any regrets moving forward.

“My lady, it’s best for you to sleep now so that you may be able to rise with the birds tomorrow,” Jennie speaks up with a look of worry etched across her sweet face, she, along with the rest of your ladies in waiting - Lisa, Jisoo and Rosé - were stood a few steps away from your writing desk as you burn candle after candle reading and revising the passages in your assigned books for the week, each of them worried for your wellbeing but all had pride swell deep within their chests at your studious and determined manner. You hadn’t begun official queen training yet as you had to get accustomed to the basics first, however, you were treating your current studies as if they were the real thing and they couldn’t be any more proud or happy for you.

“Oh…” you look up to gaze at the clock, “I apologise ladies, you may head on to bed now, you must be very tired,” standing up, you stretch your tired arms and turn to face them. You watch as they exchange looks of apprehension and smile warmly at their fretting, “don’t worry, I promise that I will also head off to bed, thank you for your concern,” at your reassurance, they smile and bow simultaneously before setting out to help you prepare for bed. As soon as you were tucked under the covers, you were out like a light and in a deep slumber, leaving the ladies to quietly tiptoe out of your room by themselves.

Not long after your chamber doors were shut and your ladies in waiting had made it into their own rooms for the night, Jungkook finally made it to your door. He had more to do today than anticipated and had made it over later than usual. It had become a ritual for him to sleep in your room, at your palace for the night even though it was heavily looked down upon by noble society and his council, nevertheless, he didn’t care; he had five long years to make up for, after all.

“(Y/N), my love are you still awake?” Jungkook gently knocks and waits but receives no response. Nonetheless, he sneaks in anyway and sighs softly at your slumbering figure, he takes a moment to observe your busy desk of books and papers and pens. You’re working so hard, it’s inspiring and very cute but…he steps up to stand beside you and looks down at the restless expression on your face. Despite being asleep, you were still somewhat wakeful. Something needed to be done and…Jungkook just might know what to do. Thankfully, he anticipated the circumstance and started preparing sooner rather than later.

Approaching your third month of tutelage means gradually advancing into your official Queen studies, you deserve a break after all that rigorous cramming on the basics. Your tutors predicted 6 months of studies to be sufficient for your general knowledge but you were already proving them wrong with your erudite manner and speed through content across various subjects. You prove to be much more promising than anticipated and they were excited to have such an enthusiastic student to nurture with their knowledge. Each tutor was a master of their craft so they all appreciated your enthusiasm to learn.

Despite this great news, Jungkook worries for your wellbeing. Progressing so swiftly but thoroughly through content mustn’t be good for your mind.

Taking off his shoes and shirt, Jungkook nestles into the sheets beside you and pulls you close. He tucks your nose into his collar and smiles as he feels you cuddle in closer and sigh contentedly from his warmth. So cute…you’re so very cute and he wants to kiss you so badly but you’re tired and need a good amount of rest before your busy day begins again in the morning. Jungkook settles for kissing your forehead with a feather’s touch before slipping into a dreamless sleep himself.

A tender caress; a familiar scent; a sweet warmth and a weighted comfort. It isn’t the golden embellishments, meticulously polished surfaces or the opulent furnishings that made you feel lavish; all the riches in the world could never measure up to the precious feeling it brought you to wake up in the arms of your love. Despite him sleeping over in your chambers regularly, it never took away that loving feeling you feel every time you wake up to him beside you.

Bathing peacefully beneath the warm touch of golden sunbeams, the king slumbers on before you. He is reduced to a vulnerable, soft cub, coddled by your embrace and layers of cotton sheets. There isn’t a singular line of burden to trace along his brows nor is there evident anxiety tensing up his muscular, naked shoulders. It’s an image you will treasure for the rest of your years. Rather than the oppressing responsibilities weighing on his back and taxing his health, you wish that he forever slumbers in serenity.

And yet… selfish greed swells up from a bottomless pit of ravenous emotions housed deep in your heart. Unsatisfied and aggravated, clawing out for a modicum relief.

‘Wake up,’ the cavernous depths of your mind beg greedily, ‘look at me,’ you crave being ensnared by his beautiful brown eyes. Eyes that hold the comfort of the world to you, eyes that have the ability to strike a thrilling excitement but also affectionate ease deep in your heart. You almost claw at his bare and chiselled chest from the crippling desperation of your want- your need to drown in his amorous gaze. Gone was your exhaustion from the previous day as it is swamped by your burning desires.

As if hearing your silent plea, it isn’t long before you’re greeted by the sweet, chocolate pools you adore so much. The instant they connect with your loving stare and register the velvet threading of your dexterous fingers through his unkempt mop of hair, they scrunch up into an adorable smile.

“Good morning,” you whisper with all the love you could muster and kiss his slightly chapped lips. Still sluggish with sleep, his doe eyes disappear once more with an endearing scrunch before he dives to bury his face into your collarbone, pushing you onto your back and eliciting a giggle from your plush lips.

“Mmmm~” he moans roughly into your exposed skin, laying half of himself on top of you, unable to hold himself up out of pure laziness and his want to always be touching, “I love that sound…” he whispers the sentiment into the delicate space between your collarbones before placing a tender kiss onto your sweet skin as if to seal the loving words into your softness.

“What sound?” Does he mean your voice?

“You’re cute giggles,” the statement makes him giggle with you once more, both of your hearts sprouting wings of flight and making your chest feel weightless, “I love waking up to you,” he whispers, somewhat, belligerent.

“Jungkook…” you warn gently but with a hint of humour; you share the feeling but the rule was to not sleep in the same room until you were finally married, all in a pointless effort to prevent rumours amongst the serving royal staff.

“They can’t keep me away,” he continues to pepper kisses up and down the sensitive column of your neck, sometimes daring to dive lower and lower until his lips brush the forbidden line tracing the plush cushiness of your chest, modestly clothed by the trimmings of your flowy nightgown, “never…not from you,” staring down at him with your skin ablaze at the erotic snarl in his words, your eyes widen at the heated gaze he’s already trapping you under, his strong hands on your waist pulling you into his figure and locking you there, eating you up mercilessly with his eyes. If it wasn’t with his stare, it would be with his abundance of kisses, like a hard candy melting onto your tongue, Jungkook wants to melt and consume you with his lips, “I Am The King!” his hold on you begins to shake and his strong figure crumbles, “And yet! They demand I stay away when I can finally have you all to myself and away from all those devious lessons and evil paperwork,” he laments and shudders at the mention of the greatest evil keeping you two apart, endless paperwork and your lessons.

“There there~…” you coo softly, assuring him the way you would your little brother, “you know it’s only a precaution,” he grumbles childishly at your statement, burying his face into your neck once more, as if shielding himself from the reality he doesn’t want to face, “and besides…” he looks up and you both grin cheekily, “no one’s said anything about you sneaking into my bed to sleep so far,”

“The staff already adore you,” Jungkook muses, “I knew you’d make a brilliant queen,”

“I’m not a queen yet,”

“But you will undoubtedly be a phenomenal one, and you'll be all mine,” Jungkook moves up and tucks your face into his firm chest, one arm circling your shoulder to press you close as his other hand gently holds the back of your head, it’s an intimate cradle that has you sighing in content, “not two months into your general studies and you’ve learned all the basics already, that's such fast progress,” your heart sings at the praise and you have to bite your lip to humble your beaming smile. It doesn’t work half as effectively as when you resort to pressing your face into Jungkook’s chest, however, “you’re so smart, you're so amazing...you're so perfect,”

There’s nothing for you to say; you know Jungkook knows how grateful you are for him and words aren’t enough to express it. Instead, you lean down and initiate a kiss, opaque with love and fathomless with gratitude. To think you were so blessed after having experienced paralysing tragedies so early on in your life.

You are grateful to Jungkook for many things but the most you are grateful for is his unconditional love.

Soon enough, Jungkook had to leave for his royal duties that morning and your ladies in waiting pretended not to see anything. Once he was gone, they entered your room and got you dressed for your morning lessons, leading you to now, where you are revising the material outside under the afternoon sun with Taehyung playing around in the garden. Some staff stood by to assist where they were needed and kept a close eye on your little brother, especially if he got close to the pond.

“Would you like some more tea, my lady?” Jisoo asks upon seeing your empty cup.

“Yes please,” she nods and refills your cup beside, “thank you, Jisoo,” she bows gently and steps back to stand with the others. You sip the tea for a small break and turn to look at Taehyung crouched down beside a bed of flowers as Hoseok stood beside him. Listening closely, you were able to pick up their conversation.

“You seem more lethargic than usual, young master,” Hoseok pipes up, “whatever is the matter?”

“What does leather-gic mean, Hoseok?”

“Lethargic means tired, young master,” the red head explains, “now, what’s wrong so that we may fix it?”

“Oh…” Taehyung registers the explanation and sighs at being acknowledged as acting differently. He didn’t want to arouse any suspicion or concern over his well being because that would make you worry and you were already really stressed over your studies, he is undergoing his own studies as well but he can tell that his isn’t as intense as yours; you always have books and papers and notes piled up around you, it’s never ending and very unlike how you only used to be surrounded by flowers at the shop. Maybe that’s why you try to study in the garden as much as possible since the scenery and affluent arrangement of flora is somewhat familiar to you, Taehyung feels the same way, “it’s okay Hoseok-hyung, I’m alright,” Taehyung grins in an attempt to reassure the butler but quickly turns back to take a close look at the flowers before him, hoping that the red-head doesn’t see the falter in his smile.

In the beginning, getting to explore the palace, running around freely in such a pretty and expansive garden and getting to eat a lot of yummy foods was a lot of fun but all those things didn’t take away the strange, upsetting feeling festering inside Taehyung of having to get used to a new environment, a new routine and new people surrounding him. Everyone was always nice but that was only because they had to serve him; he doesn’t have a singular true friend.

“Now we both know that’s not true, young master…” Hoseok points out but is only met with silence. Taehyung refuses to say another word or turn to look up at the butler, he knows he’s being rude but being forced to face what he was desperately trying to suppress made familiar faces flash in his mind and an aching feeling overwhelms his chest. He misses them so much. It’s so lonely without them around, even though he has his noona beside him. As his eyes begin to water, Hoseok surprises him with a seemingly innocuous comment, “though, I’m sure you won’t feel so saddened for long, his highness has prepared something very special for you and his lady,” Taehyung finally looks up at the red-head but upon doing so is tackled to the ground.

“You’re it, Tae!” as quickly as the voice of his very best friend rings in his ears, Jimin is just as quickly bolting away, leaving Taehyung to lean up on his elbows from his fall, “Are you gonna catch me or not?!”

“Jimin!” Taehyung laughs with a wide grin, his tears of loneliness instantly being blinked away and replaced by tears of immense joy and relief. His best friend was here!

“Come on already Tae!” Jimin stops running away to address his friend, hands on his hips with his feet wide apart, “You’re already bad at hide and seek, you can’t be bad at tag too!”

“Oh yeah?! Watch!” Taehyung leaps onto his feet and twice the amount of laughter fills the air of the lush and sparkling garden.

Staring in awe at the scene, your heart aches in happiness for your brother. So distracted by your studies and lessons, you must have neglected his own mental wellbeing. He must have been so lonely and sad and scared. What a relief it is to have Jimin visit him so suddenly and with such a bright smile too. You don’t know if you should be happy for your little brother or beg on your knees with apologies spilling from your lips because you were being such a horrible older sister. Swamped with emotions, you didn’t register the steady steps approaching you with the turning of wheels accompanying them.

“I know what you’re thinking with that watery look in your eyes and I’m here to tell you to stop that right now!” a familiar, scolding voice speaks up beside you and you turn to see Jin dressed in a chef uniform, “You’re a great older sister to Taehyung and that’s why he didn’t want you to worry about him, now…” he turns to pick up a tray from the push cart beside him and offers it to you as you continue to stare in shock at his figure, “I’ve baked all your favourites so eat up!” he’s grinning from ear to ear at you and your own eyes water even more. Wordlessly, you take one of your favourite desserts from his offered tray and bite into it as your tears finally spill over to trail down your cheeks.

“They’re as yummy as always,” you muse in between shy hiccups, trying your best to hold back your tears of joy and relief. Smiling warmly at you, Jin leans down and pulls you into a long, tight embrace. You savour his warmth and familiar scent of bread and sweet treats. Not only did you neglect Taehyung’s loneliness but your own too. How could you become a good queen from this, you almost laugh at yourself as you happily give Jin a squeeze of comfort. He’s really here! You’re so grateful but how…

Catching a glimpse over his broad shoulder, your blurred vision picks up Jungkook’s figure beside a garden statue. Blinking, your vision clears up and you watch Jungkook smiling at the scene before him. This must be his doing…

You give Jin another squeeze and mouth the words ‘thank you’ over his shoulder at Jungkook, who simply bows.

On his lips, he mouths back, ‘Anything for my Queen’.

NEXT.

NAVI. | THE PRINCE WITH THE UGLY HEART MLIST

TAGLIST : @krystle1990 ; @jungkookieyoongs ; @laabellaavitaa21 ; @jeonseagurl ; @minifruity ; @whalerus ; @vanilla-smash ; @kimsdope ; @jungshookmeup ; @satisfied18 ; @justraintan ; @prdshobi ; @janjaiii ; @lovinggalaxies ; @aijoukook ; @blxxmpetals ; @babyrosieareroses ; @outrofenty ; @jjeykayy ; @lovelytaes-blog ; @soleil-lei ; @kookcobain ; @headintheclouddd ; @sugaslittlekookies ; @meiouseiiii ; @reallysparklychaos ; @galaxyflab ; @xmagicxshopx ; @sea-nevermind-enthusiast ; @jeonseagurl ; @minifruity ; @aijoukook ; @jeonstudios ; @purplewinterluv

i'm sorry i didn't include the taglist sooner, dolls! i also apologise for those that i couldn't tag

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