By The Crest

❃29❃

Squirming on his spot on the sofa, San woke up with a gasp. His eyes roaming his room until they land on the still sleeping Wooyoung on his bed. Calming his crazy beating heart, the prince sighs while raking his hand through his messy hair.

He had fallen asleep on the lounge in his room once his adrenaline had ran out after fighting the Tenebroses at the Kirk and making sure that the magicians did their best to put the apprentice back to his full health. They soon left the royal's quarters, bravely telling the prince that it was best to let Wooyoung sleep the rest off. And San didn't mean to sleep as well and to not be awake when the apprentice woke up, but his body and mind weren't on the same page.

Though, his nap wasn't the best. He had entered a nightmare. His mind took him back to the battle at the Kirk, almost the same thing happened except for the last bit that was now haunting him. He saw Wooyoung on the ground once again with a Tenebros getting closer, and when he tried running over to him something blocked him from going any further. San kept banging on this barrier to try and break it, wanting to save his secret lover. Yet, the monster kept running towards the apprentice and just as it was about to get a hit on Wooyoung's almost lifeless body, the prince woke up.

A knock interrupted San's flashback. Not giving much thought on who could it be, he trudges over to the door, the royal was met with his younger brother with a tray of tonight's dinner and water.

"Dinner?" It was more of question instead of an actual statement, but the older just sighed and let the second prince in his room.

"Why are you here Jongho?"

"Like I said; dinner."

The younger sets the tray down on the table in the middle of the room as he sat down on the sofa. The older rolls his eyes before sitting on the opposite couch from his brother. Eyeing the well-presented, freshly cooked pasta with chicken bites, San admits that he was feeling a bit peckish but there was something in him that didn't allowed him to eat. He didn't have the strength in him to eat because of what happened to Wooyoung.

"I'm fine." He mumbles into the air without much confidence as he lets his head sink down to look at the floor. Jongho frowns at his brother.

"Come on, big bro. I'm pretty sure the last time you ate was at breakfast, even then you didn't finish your food as well." The second prince was filled with worry for his brother, particularly for his health. A sigh leaves his mouth as Jongho looks over to the sleeping apprentice on his brother's bed. He gets an idea and hopes that it works.

"You know I can't quite force you to eat the food, but I'll just say it again. Eat San, if not for me or you then do it for Wooyoung. Imagine how disappointed he'll be when he finds out you aren't taking care of yourself."

The older raises his head to see the pleading look on his younger brother. He turns his head to observe the male on his bed, already imagining how his secret lover would react if he did knew about San not eating anything for almost an entire day. The royal didn't like it, even if the pout on Wooyoung's pink lips were adorable, he would still prefer the male's smile that could beat all of the shining stars combined.

Wordlessly, San faces the plate in front of him and begins to eat. Jongho smiles at this as he watches his older brother eat for a while.

"What's between you and Wooyoung?"

The older prince freezes when he was about to place the last chicken bite in his mouth, getting caught off guard by his brother's question.

"What do you mean 'between us'?" San swallows the chicken and drinks his water. Jongho however, scoffs and rolls his eyes at how the older was acting to be clueless by what he meant.

"Don't even try to lie. Have you even heard some of the rumours going around ever since the ambush at the Spring Festival? 'The Son of Duke Jung manages to melt The Imperial Ice Prince's frozen heart.' Even that has been spreading around in the Capital itself."

The older of the two avoids meeting his brother's gaze, knowing very well that he would soon have to tell the younger about his and Wooyoung's secret relationship. Though, he didn't want to just yet. With everything going on, both princes knew that the kingdom and the people's safety comes first, meaning that they would soon need to go head to head with the dark magician. And in doing so, they needed to put everything to the side for now.

Yet, San found it hard to do it.

His hidden relationship with Wooyoung was hanging on loose threads, especially with the apprentice's crest being the main reason for it. In three days the month would finish, meaning Jongho and Yeosang would soon announce their relationship while San and Wooyoung would end theirs. The prince wished that there was another way, but he knew there wasn't. If he didn't let Wooyoung find his soulmate then he would be cursed, and seeing him with another person was better than seeing he turn into a monster.

"It's nothing big. We'll end things by the end of the month anyway."

The older hid his frown by getting up from the couch, heading over to his bed as he sat beside the sleeping Wooyoung. While going over the tiniest details on his face, he hears his younger brother's shoes click on the floor as he stood next to him.

"Why?"

"He has his crest and I don't."

They let San's words hang in the air. None of them spoke as they thought through a couple of things in their head. A knock made the two princes look over at the doors.

"Your Highness." The two royals recognize the voice to be Jongjo's personal servant. The second prince sighs as he pats the older's shoulder meaning that'll he was about to take his leave.

"I trust that you know what you're doing."

He said before leaving his brother's room to tend to his last work load before actually going to bed. San was left there sitting beside Wooyoung on his bed, just eyeing the male's peaceful state. The moonlight was the only light source in the room as usual, and the prince thought that it did a lovely job at highlighting the apprentice's features. San adored the beauty mark on the bottom of the male's left eye and he certainly loved the other one that was on his bottom lip. His lightly tanned, milky skin made the prince want to use it as his own canvas for his lips . And his sharp jawline where some shadows gave it more depth.

Like the last time Wooyoung was in this situation, Maddox changed the apprentice into a white button up while San went out to report the attack at the Kirk to his grandfather. The king had enough of the dark magician's games when his grandson told him about the incident at the holiest part of the entire kingdom, so he declared for their plan to take action in two days. Which would be trying to lure the dark magician to somewhere open and fight him.

In all honesty, San knew that this would be his hardest battle ever. And for once, ever since his parents died.

He was scared.

Not scared to face the magic user, but if he did end up on the losing side of things, he was scared of what would happen to Wooyoung. The dark magician could cast a whole spell to make everyone in the kingdom turn into a Tenebros. And if not that, then if the male knew about San not making it then his sadness could turn him into a Tenebros himself. And the prince didn't want neither of them.

With the apprentice's hand in his, the royal looked at the opened part of Wooyoung's shirt. Their moment together at the carriage earlier got him thinking if his own mark was still on the shorter's skin. At that, this desire in him came back.

The prince assumes that it started on the night when they agreed to be secret lovers, and ever since then, when things between him and Wooyoung were getting intimate the passion to take him was slowly growing.

San couldn't ignore it this time, if he wasn't going to make it after the battle in two days, then he wants to be with Wooyoung until the last second when things would start to become hectic with battle preparations.

Slipping his shoes off, the royal gently crawls closer to the sleeping male. Rubbing his thumb over the apprentice's cheeks, San slowly leans in, letting their noses touch before their lips presses against each other. The prince felt odd to not feel the other's lips kiss back, but he was fine with the small warmth between them. He left a couple more pecks, before he began trailing down to Wooyoung's chin, jaw, and on his neck.