Red Lotus [kv]❤️

TEN

In the previous chapter, Taehyung comes back to Jimin and when he asked Yoongi about what happened and how the young carrier has a mating mark, the prince half lied and half told the truth. 

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FACE OF THE FACE
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Jeongguk stands by the balcony that doesn't belong to him. Hesitatingly, he leads a hand over the curtain which is preventing him from seeing the inside. He tugs it a little and steps closer. Gaze's soft as ever as it lay on the boy sitting on the bed inside the room alone. The boy is blankly staring at the wall before him. 

Having a mate sure does bring a lot of responsibilities and, he might have agreed and is confident he can do them but he can't deny the fact that the more he looks into the matter the more it's appearing to be scary. He fears if he could take care of his mate well. Hurting his mate will be the last thing he wants to do. 

Regardless of these, he has a family to face, most importantly his father.

A tiny smile makes its way to Jeongguk's lips and pushes the balcony door aside to let himself enter and whispers loud enough, "Hey." 

The boy flinches and abruptly tears his gaze to Jeongguk. As if he has seen a ghost, his face discolored, eyes round in fear as he gulps with breath going unsteady. And seeing him like that Jeongguk's smile washes off also but he understands his mate's feeling. They are not in the terms to have a good bond yet. Not even a comfortable atmosphere can rise yet. 

Despite having this ugly feeling at the bottom of his heart, Jeongguk tries to mask it with a smile just to make the carrier feel safe. To let him know he is no harm to him. 

"It's me, Jeongguk." 

Taehyung doesn't seem to understand anything other than fear. And it is distressing to watch him kike this so Jeongguk stops, understanding that it's useless to try right now. And so with a heavy heart, he sports a disheartened smile. "I'm sorry." A whisper came just as disheartening as his smile, "I won't show my face……. for now.." And with that, the vampire prince turns around, jaw stiffening and hands forming into fists.

The next moment, he exits the same way he came in, and Taehyung just stares at the blowing curtains. And there's a sudden break within the young carrier who doesn't understand why his heart did that. 

Slowly he brings himself out of the bed, twice bigger than his small frame nightwear reaching down to the ground making him look tiny. With his steps steady but still weak, he goes to the balcony and stands there. His gaze roams over the beautiful scenery of nature filled with trees but he finds himself being disappointed, like, like he was searching for something else. 

Just then a leaf flies over and slowly sits on his nose tip. He brings a hand to take it off his nose and keeps it on his palm, gazing at it softly. Just then a blow of wind comes and he just watches how the wind takes the leaf with itself to an unknown destination. 

"Forgive me." 

Taehyung gasps, eyes wide open at the whisper he heard right next to his right ear. He recklessly turns around to see that there is no one behind him which causes his breath to shorten, then how and from where does that whisper come from? Suddenly his heart picks up its beat, and he, without any thought, runs inside the room. He climbs on the bed and hides his trembling figure under the blanket.

The leaf flows back to the balcony and descends there.  

***

"Jeongguk!" A distressed female's voice booms across the vast hall. 

Jeongguk doesn't stop and just keeps climbing up the stairs, completely ignoring his mother's calls. 

"Stop right there, Jeongguk. It's a queen's order!"  

The crowned prince's steps halt right in the middle of the staircase, his head now down as within a few seconds Ailiseu stands in front of him. Her face holds a hint of anger, "I have been calling you, Jeongguk." 

Silence. 

Ailiseu breathes in, "Where were you last night?" Again she gets nothing in answer. Anger rises in her veins as she grabs Jeongguk by his arm but the male doesn't lift his head nor give any reaction. 

"Do you know your father is home?" She grits her teeth at him. "The first thing he asked was you but I lied that you're out with your friends. Where have you been the whole night? We were going crazy thinking something might have happened with you but you were partying or doing shits behind our backs. I didn't expect this from you, Jeongguk." Ailiseu bursts out her sentiments. 

"What's the need for a bar when you have everything you have ever asked for?!" 

"My freedom," Jeongguk confesses quietly in a tired tone, and Ailiseu blinks. He shrugs off her hand and walks away. 

Ailiseu stares at her son's back, his words fogging her mind and filling her heart with uneasiness and worries. "But you do have your freedom…." She murmurs. 

***

Jeongguk is looking through the wardrobe when the door of his room opens and a very familiar musky scent fills his nostril, he stills for a moment. "I do not permit anyone to enter my room without my permission, father." He relaxes his posture. 

"And I'm your king, prince Jeongguk." The king only gets a mocking scoff in return. "Doesn't mean your Majesty can pass into anyone's privacy." Jeongguk still sounds polite and calm although he knows damn sure his father can burst at any moment. The king's anger is like a storm. Silence before the downfall. 

His father breathes in, swallowing his anger. "I heard something." 

"What it might be, your Majesty?" That is a challenging tone he's used and it flares up a wave of anger in his Father's veins. He knows very well because the next moment he hears an angry hiss. "Jeon Jeongguk!" 

A smirk curls the corner of Jeongguk's lips. As much as he is scared of his father he loves to anger the old man more. There is just a sophisticated pleasure he gets by doing that. 

"How dare you open a bar behind my back? Do you know how shameful is that in society? Soon to be the king of Vampires owns a bar?!" 

Jeongguk grits his teeth, "Did I ever tell you that I want to be a fucking king?" He turns around, eyes glowing an angry red. "You never listened to me so I will do what my heart wants to do. What made you angry is the fact that I disobeyed you, right? And I will do this again and again and again!"  The prince growls. 

And the next moment, a sound of skin slapping is heard. Jeongguk's face turns to the other side, he holds his cheek where he'd been slapped.  

"Stay in your damn limit, Jeongguk. You can not talk to me like this, I'm your father and I am doing what is best for you and us vampires."

He chuckles before looking back at his father to stare into the identical eyes his father has. He and his father look so much alike yet they are far away from being the typical father-son everyone thinks they are. Their thinking, perspectives about certain things. Everything is the opposite. 

The King breathes out, completely worn out by his son's antics. He pauses as his face softens and casts a small smile at the young prince who looks away, "You don't know certain things that are trapped within this castle, you don't know how dangerous this world is for you, how in a snap you can lose everything, how one of your most trusted people can betray you. I have seen this world more than you and trust me, everyone wears a mask. Your age will run off but the face of face people wear will never be off." 

A heavy breath flees past Jeongguk's lips as soon as his father leaves the room.

chime 

He looks over his shoulder and stares at the wind chime hanging on the window moving because of the breeze. "Face of the face. What did he mean by this?" He whispers and the wind chime jingles again. 

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Greeting, loves 💞
Hope it was good❤
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