Royal Flush | pjm; jjk

Chapter Sixteen

Nora was sitting with Jin, playing with her fingers, listening to him talk about medicine. Jin quickly noticed that Nora was not really here. "What's up?" She quickly raised her eyes at him, and smiled sheepishly, still playing with her fingers. "Nothing, everything is fine. I'm nervous that we still have not received the invitation." She lied. Jin quickly nodded. "I understand, but there's no need. It's only been a few days. It will come." They continued studying, when Jimin walked into the meeting room.

"Good morning!" Jimin waved joyfully. Nora smiled at him and Jin nodded. Jimin quickly sat down, asking what they were doing, and Jin began explaining to him too. Nora kept looking at him, with a sting in her heart. He doesn't remember. Jimin had become incredibly friendly after the night they drank together, but as he predicted, he forgot he kissed her. But Nora didn't, how could she? Not only it was her first kiss, it was also one of the only times that Jimin was actually vulnerable with her. The kiss felt filled with many emotions, sadness being the main one. Nora quickly swallowed, trying to not allow it to affect her too much. Get yourself together. He was drunk, he didn't think straight, these things happen.

The trio spent some more time relaxing, when Hoseok ripped the doors open again. All of the eyes turned to him while he walked towards them panting. "We really need to figure a better way, rather than sending the letters to my house." Nora quickly raised her brows. "The Prince wrote to you again." Hoseok explained quickly and placed the envelope on the table. Nora grabbed it swiftly and tore it open. "Dear Nora, I hope your health is in better condition. I would absolutely love it if I could use your previous offer of going outside today. The palace is feeling a bit suffocating, and I'd love to share a walk around the town in the evening with you. I will be waiting for you here, or at least a response for a better day. Jungkook." Nora finished quietly, finally reading into the implications of the words herself.

Jimin shifted in his seat, watching Nora's face carefully. It didn't indicate surprise, nor shyness. He was not sure if she got accustomed to the Prince so quickly, or was there something more to their relationship, but it still made him feel uneasy. Hoseok quickly clapped his hands. "He didn't even order you. This is not the actual invitation from Ji-yeon, Nora. I think he is asking you out on a date." Hoseok kept giggling, while Nora was not really sure how to react. Finally, she scoffed under her breath. "It's not an invitation to a date, Hoseok. You can say no to a simple invite. I can't say no to the Prince." She quickly stood up. "I'm going to get ready." Without saying another word, she left the room.

Nora walked into the yard of the palace, bypassing the guards after stating her cause of visit. As soon as she stepped in, she realized that she had no idea of where she needed to go, so without thinking too much, she walked over the same building that prince Jungkook met her the very first time. Luckily, her guess was correct, as she saw him leaving it, barely missing each other. "Your Highness!" Nora greeted him loudly, grabbing his attention. He quickly turned to her and smiled widely. "I'm so happy you came!" He walked over, and stood a bit too close for her liking. Nora quickly took a half of a step back, creating some space between them. "Of course I came, how could I not." She stated, but her tone indicated a little bit of coldness. Jungkook quickly noticed it and smiled softly. "I can see I'm not the only one that feels a bit suffocated in their surroundings."

Nora smiled at him honestly. In a way he was right, spending time with Jimin after their incident was quite difficult for Nora. "Come on, let's go get changed and let's head out." Jungkook stated smilingly and started to walk, making Nora follow in confusion. "Changed?" She asked him curiously. "Well, I really don't want people to recognize me, so I definitely need to wear something less.. flashy." Jungkook pointed to his outfit and Nora simply giggled. That was true, he was wearing a dark jacket with golden embroidery, shinning jewels were placed inside the buttons. Everything screamed incredible amounts of money. Nora simply nodded and followed him. "Also, you need to receive your official weapon. Obviously, Ji-yeon would have done this in a few days, but I will give it to you sooner." Jungkook smiled at her. As if by a command, Ji-yeon appeared from around the corner, noticed Nora and seemed highly surprised.