Black Swan (Kim Namjoon x reader)

Chapter 23

The royal attendant led you through the garden. Its name eluded the true nature of its size and layout. You felt as though you had been walking for hours. In the heart of the city, the palace loomed within it like some sort of parasite. You hardly found any trees or flowers walking the streets, but behind the walls of the palace, and specifically in this garden, it was like a forest. The furnished stone path had willow trees and bushes of purple, blue, and yellow flowers on both sides. Not far into your trip, you come upon a pond. Lotuses and river lilies floated on the surface along with what looked to be a turtle with the head of a duck. Quite charming creatures. A swarm of water fairies rested on a lily pad nearby. A wooden dock was around the corner and a school of koi gloated beneath the water surface. They crowd together to grasp for air.

In the middle of the pond was a gazebo. From afar, even through the arrays of flowers, you saw her. She sat with her back facing you and a couple of royal attendants to the side. They watched her sip her tea, bracing for the eventual scolding about the tea not being at the right temperature. But it never came. She wanted to reserve her energy for her special guest of the day. She was even more intimidating when you came face to face. The attendants that led you did a formal courtesy in her presence. You did the same. She gave a cool nod without looking and gestured for you to take the empty seat in front of her.

She wore a pearl color silk slip on dress that went down to her knees. Her hair neatly brushed back into a low ponytail. Red paint on her lips and roses kissed her cheeks. Her fair skin shimmered like diamonds in the sunlight. You felt awfully plain in her presence. Her delicate and slender fingers pushed a teacup towards you. "Thank you, Your Majesty," you replied as softly as you could. It would be in your best interest to appear unassuming and forgettable. Which is why you wore a sage skirt and matching blazer. But in contrast with her pearl, it was as though you were challenging her.

"I've always liked that color," she remarked. She lifted her head to look over her pond, the koi swam in the opposite direction. "But it makes me look like a tree, so I stopped wearing it."

You kept your head low. "I'm certain Your Majesty would look marvelous in any color. No creature could dare to compare or think otherwise."

She lifted the corner of her mouth and let out a scoff. "What a sweet mouth you have. No wonder the Magician likes you so much. Enough to even marry you." Her teacup clanked against the marble table as she set it down with a rush and annoyance. Guess it was true that the two of them used to court. It's not a surprise. She was as beautiful as a painting. Everything about her speaks elegance and grace, the opposite of yourself. But Namjoon's words were still fresh in your mind, this was his first time and you wouldn't doubt his feelings. "Speaking of," she continued. "I'm quite intrigued that he's not here with you."

"I followed your instruction without any problem, Your Majesty."

She nodded, "Good, I like obedience." The words sent shivers down your spine. It reminded you of the feeling when you got her letter yesterday. It appeared by your bedside some time in the afternoon. As you read, your palms were sweating. In it, she wrote how she was eager to meet Namjoon's fiance and instructed for you to come have tea with her today. But one important note, don't tell Namjoon. Otherwise, she would find a way to make him suffer. You told him that Soobin wanted one more day of practice before his recital this weekend. Namjoon was a bit skeptical but he agreed nonetheless. Before you left, you took one of his cards to mask your magical aura and you also shielded it with a little bit of your own power. If he found out where you were right now, you couldn't imagine the fury he would let out. But you've learned enough to defend yourself in hand to hand combat. You just hope it wouldn't lead to exposing your magic.

"The tea is lovely," you began. "I've never had anything quite like it."

The Queen looked pleased with your comment. "It comes from a flower that only blooms once every century. Hundreds of people have died harvesting it for me."

You stopped drinking, suddenly it was too unbearable to think about its origin. "I see. You have quite the influence."

"Of course, that's the great thing about being a queen. No one dares to defy me." She glanced at your face, then up and down your outfit, then back at your face. "I wonder what else makes you so special to him," she pondered out loud. "I can't sense an ounce of magic in you. The Kim Namjoon I know doesn't keep people around unless they're useful to him. So tell me, what do you have? Money? Influence?"

"I'm afraid I don't have anything special, Your Majesty," you answered. "I come from a broken home with no money or influence. So I have nothing to offer him. I believe Namjoon just enjoys my company, that's all."

Her face twisted. She picked up the tea cup and smashed it on the ground. A piece of it bounced up to scrape your cheek but you sat there unmoving. "How dare you?!" she yelled. "You dare to tell me that you have nothing and yet he still wants you while I could give him everything and yet he rejected me? You insolent fool!" There was a glow in her eyes and suddenly, your arms began moving on their own. "It would be so easy to kill you right now." On cue, you picked up the butter knife on the table and held it to your neck. No matter how hard you tried to move, your hand would not budge. The tip of the blade reached skin and you brace for impact.

A gust of wind came out from nowhere. Leaves danced all around. The Queen covered her face while her attendants guarded her. A hand gently grabbed yours and took the knife away. When you looked up, you met his disappointed eyes. He placed the knife down and turned to face the Queen. "Your Majesty," he called out. "I don't appreciate you going behind my back to hurt my fiance."

She stood up and fixed her hair nonchalantly. "Oh don't be dramatic, we were having fun here, weren't we Y/N?"

Namjoon moved to cover you with his body. "Regardless, I think that's enough for one day. I will be taking her home now, unless you have a problem with it."

"Of course not, I think I got everything I needed," she hummed. Namjoon took a bow and held your hand, leading you away. "Oh, don't forget about the ball tomorrow night. I'll be expecting both of you there." He kept walking without looking back or acknowledging her. You could hear her fainted laugh.

"How did you know I was here?" you asked.

He kept his face blank, but you could feel him fuming. "Yoongi told me," he answered. "He saw you walking into the palace earlier and called me over. It's a good thing he did."

"I'm sorry," you offered. "I didn't think she would get so mad."

His feet came to a halt. He spun around and grabbed your arms. "Did you even think at all?" he yelled. "You walked yourself right into the wolf's den with no protection or plan. She would have killed you if I hadn't stopped her."

"She wouldn't have actually killed me," you said. "She still needs to know why we're together. And she'll keep me alive until she knows how to get you back."

"You don't know that," he said through gritted teeth. "She's wicked. You don't know what she's capable of. You could have died." He moved his hand to graze your cheek where the broken piece hit you earlier. It was bleeding. He whispered something and the skin healed. He dropped his hands and walked away. Dust particles flew in his tracks. He didn't wait for you.