A Royal Mess || Taejin

Chapter 7

"I don't want to do this, my Prince. . ."

Seokjin watched Taehyung as he played with the thin strip of platinum around his ring finger, twisting it and running it up and down his finger as if he wanted to take it off but was bound to wear it.

Earlier that evening was Taehyung and Jisoo's engagement ceremony. It was a private event that only the Royal families and noblemen attended. The events regarding the engagement would be announced later on when the people of Nahae are more used to the royal family of Gyeongsong because if they knew right then, they would try to invade Jisoo's privacy. Taehyung had quite a fanbase in the village.

"Tell me about it," Seokjin replied as he snuggled closer to Taehyung under the soft sheets. It had become a daily practice for Seokjin to sneak into Taehyung's room at night with the excuse of having nightmares. The prince of Nahae never refused to hold him in his sleep so Seokjin didn't hesitate to invade the prince's room shamelessly.

"You see, my Prince. . ." Taehyung started in his deep baritone voice that echoed through the pristine walls of the Prince's room.

"When it was first decided for Nahae and Gyeongsong to unite, Yoongi hyung was supposed to get wedded to one of your sisters. But it was so clear in his eyes that he struggled to accept his duty so i stepped up, knowing that my other brothers were not ready either."

"My brothers mean the world to me, Seokjin. They had carved my being to the man I am today and had never failed to be there in my dark days. They had done so much for me, showered me with so much love that I felt like I was not loving them enough. So to show my gratitude and to give them the minimum freedom in life, I volunteered to marry one of the princesses of Gyeongsong."

"I was so confident of myself. I thought I could take the reins of the kingdom in my hands when my father retires and learn to love my Queen on the way. . . .but now I'm afraid I'm not so sure anymore. Ruling a kingdom is no easy task despite how hard I trained for it and now I must anticipate wars with our foe. Moreover. . ."

"I think I cannot force myself to have feelings for Princess Jisoo. Don't get me wrong, Seokjin. I believe your sister is lovely and has many other virtues I have yet to discover but my interests just don't fall into her. It would have but. . ."

"But?" Seokjin whispered after remaining silent all that time, curiosity swimming in his eyes that seemed to gleam in the moonlight that seeped through the curtains.

"But I found you."

Taehyung whispered back with a smile as warm as the afternoon sun of Gyeongsong that Seokjin loved so much.

Seokjin felt Taehyung's hand cup his cheek as their eyes gazed at the other with a passion so strong that no force could possibly quench its flames.

Seokjin wanted to say something, anything. He wanted to lean in and do the unimaginable. He wanted to cross all boundaries to sooth the blazing desires that ignited his heart.

He wanted Taehyung.

But one innocent kiss could cause so much catastrophe. It could drive the kingdoms against each other as Gyeongsong had a strict restriction against homosexual marriage. Moreover, it would cause a big disruption in the whole strategy of the kingdoms. On top of that, Jisoo had developed feelings for Taehyung. No matter how cruel the Princess was to Seokjin, she was still his sister, his twin sister. The prince did not have the heart to snatch happiness away from his sibling.

But. . . didn't Jisoo expose his little secret to Taehyung and portrayed him as a pathetic inferior?

Seokjin tasted bitter on the tip of his tongue at the thought of his own blood sister, the one with whom he shared a womb, belittled him infront of her fiancé behind his back. Thank everything above that Taehyung was an open minded person. Seokjin would never had the chance to even speak to the prince of Nahae if he was not so accepting and understanding.