The Untouchable Prince | A Norenmin FanFiction

三十八

Thirty Eight
Updated: August 16, 2021
Edited: December 29, 2021

Silence.

Since the meeting was dismissed, Renjun made no sound and said no word, not even to his fiancés. When he said he was going to talk to Chenle earlier, it was clearly not going to happen anymore. He was too frightened. Frightened of the idea that there were people watching him, listening to him from somewhere, anywhere. So he couldn't. He didn't want to. He didn't dare.

"Injoon-ah?" Jeno called out.

The oldest pretended he didn't hear, only continuing to walk back to the residence.

His two fiancés knew something was wrong. They could tell. Renjun had his hands wrapped around his arms, hugging himself tightly, he glanced nervously at the people they passed, and the pace at which he was walking increased slowly.

"Injoon." Jaemin tried.

Once again, Renjun made no response.

"Injoon-hyung! In-"

"Nana, stop it," Jeno interjected, putting an arm in front of Jaemin. They stopped walking. Jeno turned to some of the guards, signaling for them to continue to follow Renjun back to the palace as the rest stayed with them.

"Nono, he-"

Jeno put a hand on the younger's shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. "I know. Just leave him alone. How would you feel if you just found out a creepy ex-lover of yours has been stalking you for the last seven or so years?"

"I know, but Jeno, we can't just leave him alone to deal with it by himself. He's our fiancé, for Heaven's sake. He's terrified." He gestured to the prince that was walking farther into the distance. "Imagine the kind of things that could run through his head when he's alone. He'll assume the worst and become paranoid!"

Jeno lowered Jaemin's arm. "Nana, calm down. Think for a moment, maybe it'll be better if Injoon is alone."

"But-"

"He has been dealing with this alone for most of his life already. It might be his way of comforting himself, and it might also be his way of processing difficult information."

Jaemin glanced down at their feet, biting his lip. He was worried, really worried, but so was Jeno. They both were worried for their fiancé, but what could they do? Renjun was a self-reliant person, and he's been like that for ten years. The most the two of them could do was wait and help him from the side.

"Come, Nana, let's go. I'm sure he'll be okay in a few days." Jeno wrapped his arm around Jaemin's shoulder, leading them in the direction Renjun went off to. They walked slowly, at a somewhat comforting pace, but it gave them more time to swim through their thoughts, which weren't comforting to either of them.

When they finally returned to the Palace of Longlife Purity, the first thing they saw was Renjun entering his room and closing it behind him, not sparing a glance at his fiancés. Four guards were bowing to him until the door closed, they turned around. One of them, the princes recognized him to be Qian Kun, announced, loud enough for everyone within the residence to hear, "His Highness, Hwang Injoon, has decided to close the Palace of Longlife Purity to outsiders. Those who aren't Crown Prince Hwang Injoon, Crown Prince Lee Jeno, Crown Prince Na Jaemin, Eunuch Ju Insi, Go Jeowon, Kim Hanji, Jeon Gon, So Deokjun, Hwang Kwanhyung, and Ryu Yangyang, please pack your things and leave for the time being. Apologies for the inconvenience." The four guards once again bowed side-to-side as servants and guards each left with a small packed bag.

What in the world was happening? Jeno and Jaemin only stare in shock as the palace workers filed out, carefully avoiding the princes. Even the guards that had escorted them back had left. In just moments, the Palace of Longlife Purity was empty.