The Slytherin King || KTH✔

Twenty-nine

"Oppa, some more." You call out alound and break into chuckles. The way he wipes up sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, you could tell he's regretting stepping into the pond. But he was the one who had volunteered willfully. The moment he turns around has you bursting into giggles. His cheeks, his forehead, his arms exposed by his folded sleeves are all smeared with soil. His legs revealed by his garments which were granted three folds before he stepped inside the pond are smudged with soil. He looked not much different from the kid who has retrieved after playing in the pond all day.

He flashes you his shy dimple smile and walks out of the pond taking big and slow steps, holding his robe along while trying not to drop anything. "This will be enough, I guess." With those words, he hands you bunch of lotus stems and pods he has succeeded in plucking out on the sake of soiling his entire clothes.

He has returned couple of days ago. You would usually go for a walk with him. He was man of intellect and wisdom. You've got to learn a lot from in him in the past days. And today, you had come out on a walk with him when suddenly your vision ended up falling on the lotus pond of the imperial orchard. You immediately decide to use it for preparing soup. You were about to jump in the pond yourself but he was rather quick to prevent you, taking the responsibility on himself.

"If not, you'll pluck more. Won't you? Namjoon oppa." You laugh a little, intently teasing him. He scratches his nape muttering a no, not again under his breathe.

With a gentle smile, playing on your lips, you reply"It's okay. I'll have someone else do it."

"That'd be great." He passes his signature smile, exhibiting his couple of dimples that adds to his surreal features.

"I'll move first." After exchanging a bow, you both advance on your separate ways. While he heads towards his room to get himself cleaned, you make your way towards the royal cookhouse.

You start washing the stems and seeds by yourself and watching you doing so, maidens quickly request, "Let us help you queen." Placing the washed stems aside on the island, you turn towards them and softly smile before ordering, "It's completely fine. I wish to prepare soup all by myself. You all may leave." With bows, they turn their backs towards you and silently file out of the room.

After adding all the required indegredients, the recipe is almost done. Now all you've to do is to stir it from time to time and check if the stems are cooked properly. It takes more time than you thought. Stirring a huge cauldron with a big heavy laddle don't make it any better. All this commotion makes your arms ache. You quietly pray it to get ready soon. You aren't accustomed of toil like this even since you've become queen. Even before that, your mother was the one who would prepare it every time while you just sat near her and examined her do so. She let you help her tad bit but performed the main task herself. And this has even turned you bit insecure about how it'd taste once finished.

Once it's finally done, you carefully pour a laddle full of it in a bowl and take a whiff. It smells luscious. Within few minutes, the aroma diffuses into the entire cookhouse. You slurp down a spoonful and observe its taste. Although it doesn't taste exactly same like your mother's, it's still worth the effort. Your lips stretch into a proud smile but soon is replaced by a frown as unexpectedly, bowl falls on the ground, staining your gown in the process as just when you were trying to place it back on the table nearby. The obnoxious commotion remains a success in gathering the attention of the maidens outside the cookhouse. Wasting no time, they hastily scurry.

"What happened queen? Are you okay?" One of them blurt out all in breathe. If King gets to know something has happened to the queen, he'd not hesitate even a tad bit to skin them alive. They are pretty well aware of it. Shaking your head in a gentle manner, you reply, "It's nothing." But nonetheless they scan you for any sort of injury they might find.