Kintsugi // ATEEZ [Ishihara Sequel] ✔

11 Excursion

Her head feels heavy, but the crown is no longer there. That was yesterday, and today she's lying facedown on the mattress, realizing that the clock is only showing that it's 3 in the morning. It looks like she accidentally woke up after going to sleep right after the ceremony ended, the day too tiring for the both of them.

She turns her head to the other side, seeing that Seonghwa is sprawled on the bed in his pajamas, the one with small pink cherry blossoms, gifted by San with a matching pair for her. His arms are spread apart, as if he's waiting for someone to come into his embrace as his mouth hangs slightly open, the first few buttons of his top unbuttoned.

The bedsheets rustle as she drags herself slowly to him, not wanting to wake him up but in need of his body warmth because the blanket is apparently not enough for her to ward off the cold. Her eyes are barely open as she inches slowly to him but before she can curl herself near him, his eyes blink open and he rubs them.

"Can't sleep?" he drawls, clearly half-awake.

"I just accidentally woke up but it's alright. Go to sleep," she utters. "It's only 3 in the morning."

"I won't go to sleep as long as you're not," he decides. Then he forces his eyes to open wider, giving a lazy smile to her. "Is Your Majesty having trouble sleeping?"

"I had a dream, but it's nothing," she finally admits. She doesn't specify whether it's good or bad, but even from her expression he can tell that she's troubled by it.

"Emira?" he guesses in a soft voice, to which she merely nods.

"Lately I've been dreaming... thinking about her a lot. Being in this palace and her place seem to bring back those memories with her that I didn't think I kept. She was..." her voice gets stuck in her throat, "in my dream, that is. She was blaming me for her death and that it was the reason I could step up onto the throne. She was just shouting at me, but then she-" she takes a deep breath, "-she fell, just like she fell from the balcony that day. I couldn't save her again."

Seonghwa props himself up against the headboard, extending his left arm as he beckons for her to come to him. She follows and they cuddle under the blanket, wearing matching pajamas as he makes small circles on her back, helping her to calm down.

"That's only your mind making up stories," he starts, "Emira doesn't think of you that way. She wants you to become queen after her."

She places a hand on his chest, playing around with his button. "I know; but it's like every nook and cranny of this palace reminds me of her."

"And it could be good memories, not the bad ones. I'll keep reminding you every day that you'll make a good queen, no matter if it's our first day or a hundred days after."

She nods. "Alright."

He scrunches up his nose. "I don't think I can sleep anymore. My eyes are open the widest they can."

She agrees with him and they bask in the silence, thinking about what they should do to wait until the morning comes and they'll have to start working.

"Do you want to..." Seonghwa trails off, giving her a look full of meaning. When she lifts up her eyebrows, he continues, "Take a walk in the garden?"

She blinks before she gives a low laugh, their minds completely going in different directions. "Sure, but you plan to walk around with these pajamas?"

"They're cute," he shrugs. "And we're matching." He tries to persuade her so that they can go out with the pajamas, assuring her that no one would notice them as they'll be back in the room before everyone else is awake.