adorn

epilogue

hyunsuk voiced his last wish before entering the throne room, opening the whole ceremony. yedam nodded, letting two servants in. the women went inside, dressed in the same beige the middle prince used to know but with a few lavender ribbons fastened to their work garment, which was yoshinori's idea, to show that their labor is appreciated. on the red, middle-sized cushions they carried two ornaments – a white, flourishing rose, with the smell of garden and spring air, the stem shortened so that it would fit the buttonhole, and golden bracelets, exposed one by one next to each other, each glowing and alluring.

yedam excused himself, closing the door behind him. he looked about him, no sign of the boy who promised to be waiting for him steadily.

"jihoon hyung...?" he asked in a quiet voice, didn't want to cause any commotion or draw unneeded attention. "where are you?"

"always with you my prince."

after such a long time jihoon still smelled like forest, had a sunshiny smile, felt like a new, perilous, thrilling journey yedam wanted to get on. a pair of soft lips brushed his cheeks, a reverential "you look so beautiful" made the other hold his breath in for a second longer.

the younger turned to his right, their hands already in an embrace. words of compliments got stuck in his throat, as jihoon's toned body was now hidden in a guard's silver armor, a sword clinging on the left side of his waist, his presence intimidating, attractive, attacking yedam's heart every time, making him ready to just fall into his arms.

yedam enveloped his hands around the other's broad arms, inadvertently his body was guided closer to the front, their faces now inches apart. jihoon's eyes already falling on his lover's lips, his tongue clicking in his mouth thinking about the upper lip's heart shape, and the bottom lip's softness and weakness, over which jihoon always takes control .

"you are my knight. you can never leave my side, until the last day of your life." yedam teased, his breath causing a shy ripple on jihoon's lips.

"I committed myself fully to you, my majesty. I will bear the consequences." jihoon impatience turned out to be bigger than the patience so his lips soon coated the bottom lip of yedam's, his head swiveling lightly, giving it gentle brushes.

jihoon's teeth nipped onto the tempting skin, almost intangibly pulling it down so that there was a tiny space in between two pads which jihoon could now invade his tongue in. yedam gasped a little, his palms kneading jihoon's nape as a motion of appreciation and pleasure. they back off merely seconds before it is too late before yedam remembers that his room is just a few doors away, before jihoon lifts him in his arms, detaching his sword and discarding it somewhere on the ground. the breath quick, shortened, yedam's cheeks rosy, jihoon's lips and tongue still taste like the other. smiles slowly form, yedam retreats his hands just to interlink them with the bigger ones, and soon he guides the older to the coronation. two identical golden fingers shine prettily on their ring fingers, jihoon looks at his fiance with apparent love and admiration.

as they enter the hall, the place is already seethed with people from all backgrounds. yedam among them recognizes yoshinori standing on the platform with a few armored men around him. as a servant conduct him and jihoon to the sits designated for them, his eyes catch a glimpse of some farmers with their families, children eating cakes and candies, people from the village getting on with people from yoshinori's country. they will soon become one nation, seeing them together was both relieving and heart-warming.

then suddenly, an orchid fraction of the clothing draws his attention. jihoon has already passed him by, changing their roles so that yedam was now being guided instead. he shrinks his eyes in order to see better. an orchid jacket, a white shirt buttoned underneath, two flowers on each side placed on the material, on the right daisies on the left chamomiles. his gaze travels up, his heart already thumping. a pearl necklace protected under a roof made out of the collar, fair skin, soft smile on pink lips, curious, magical eyes, cherry-like, ruffled hair, flushed cheeks as if just a while ago being treated with wind and fresh air.

"doyoung..."

two of them notice each other, and when younger convey him a nod, a silent "I am back hyung", makes yedam's heart fill with boundless happiness and joy. behind doyoung, another figure appears. he is tall, his frame imposing, long arms soon outflanking doyoung from the back, lips kiss his cheek, long eyelashes touching his skin as softly as butterfly wings can touch flower's petals. haruto and doyoung are both back. older, having stories to tell, experience to share. they have come back married, their love has never weakened, a tinge of doubt could never take them apart.

hyunsuk went in, everybody fell silent, the boy all dolled up approached his husband. yoshinori whispered a brief confession from the bottom of his heart and finally heaved the crown on the other's head. two kingdoms turned into one, with two prudent kings on the throne, ready for the yet to come joys, graces, and sorrows. jihoon pressing yedam's palms to his lips, the younger looks at him with glossy eyes.

doyoung watches his oldest brother for a while, his gaze nearly infatuated, then tilts his head to haruto and murmurs :

"we got back just the right time. our brothers might need some help. from the way they look at each other, a kid must be already on its way." haruto smiles, wrinkling his nose while nuzzling it against doyoung's neck.

"thank you for these two years, my darling."

"thank you for showing me that we are all so worthy of love."

an applaud filled the room, cheering and whistles sounded as hyunsuk and yoshinori, the kings, bowed to the crowd. crowns neatly fastened on their heads, never sliding down, found themselves in the right place to be. 

THE END

// ✧ //

just to let you know, the royal family was soon enriched by a baby boy named junghwan ^-^ thank you so much for reading and loving the story! thank you for witnessing how the love of yedam and jihoon grew, thank you for supporting haruto and doyoung and thank you for rooting for the two kings <33 fairies, you are all my favorites ! stay safe and see you in another book > 3 <