A Royal Mess || Taejin

Chapter 19

Seokjin paced back and forth in his room while Jungkook watched him wearily from his place on Seokjin's bed. Despite his best efforts at trying to distract the prince, he did not achieve the tiniest bit of success.

"Hyung, I think you should sit for a while," Jungkook suggested one last time, hoping that maybe after three hundred and twenty five times of pleading, Seokjin would oblige.

However, Seokjin listened to none of it and continued stressing over the issue at hand. After the princes of Nahae left his chambers the night before when they made sure Seokjin had calmed down, a servant knocked on the door to inform him that his mother would pay him a private visit the next morning.

Not only did Seokjin spend a sleepless night but he spent a sleepless night without Taehyung. He strongly believed that his mother had sent her lackeys all over the palace to monitor Seokjin's every movement. He was already barely balancing himself on a tight rope and if his relationship with the youngest Prince of Nahae slipped out as well, he would have to kiss his freedom and goodbye.

Guilt crept up his throat when he glanced at Jungkook who was hunched in a dejected manner on the bed. The boy had been trying to give his best at lightening Seokjin's worries but Seokjin was deliberately dodging his attempts at brightening up the atmosphere.

Seokjin was about to take a seat next to Jungkook and put his arms around him when there was a sharp knock on his door, a knock that was too familiar to him.

The Queen of Gyeongsong did not wait for the permission to enter as she barged in with her head held high as if the palace of Nahae and Seokjin's privacy was in her possession. Her eyes skimmed the room before they landed on Jungkook who was still bowing. She dismissed him with the flick of her wrist and closed the doors after him.

"Seokjin, dear," the Queen said with a crafted smile as she ushered Seokjin to sit down next to her on the bed. Seokjin maintained a good distance between his mother and him, eyeing her suspiciously for her skeptical behaivour.

"Yes, mother?" Seokjin replied, his voice strained with caution.

"My son, I am so proud of you. I cannot believe that my son is the possessor of the strongest element on earth." The Queen said softly which caused Seokjin to be stupefied.

His mother was speaking to him in the gentlest voice possible and she addressed him as her son. She had also spoken words that Seokjin had never would have imagined hearing in his wildest dreams. She was proud of him.

Seokjin kept reminding himself that this was the same woman who had treated him as an inferior for years, who had tried degrading him infront of a foreign royal family just the day before. He had to chide his heart for lowering its guard at her words which could be forged.

But he could not help. He could not help but melt at his mother's sudden live for him. As a child, he had always craved for his mother's attention and her unconditional love. He had always waited for the day when his mother would beam at him with pride and would announce to the world that Seokjin was her son.

He was in such a dilemma that he had forgotten to respond to his mother until the Queen said, "Well, is it not rude to keep a person waiting for a reply?"

"Oh- I'm sorry, mother, I-" Seokjin choked on his words. He looked at his hands that had crumbled the smooth sheets due to the overwhelming waves of emotions he was experiencing.

"Oh, no, no, Prince, don't cry," His mother said with a light chuckle as she wiped away the tears that Seokjin had not noticed were trickling down his cheeks.

"Listen to me carefully, alright?" The Queen said to which Seokjin nodded, slowly drying his eyes.

"I want my son to receive a proper ceremony for your powers being revealed. I want to make the occasion to be celebrated by every dweller of Gyeongsong. For that, we must travel back to our homeland. But it will just be you and I. Once we are done with the event, we will return here."