A Royal Mess || Taejin

Chapter 20

The first few nights he was imprisoned, Seokjin could not stop the suffocating feeling of hopelessness overtake his senses. His mind whispered to him that he no longer had a life to look forward to.

He could never again laugh with Lisa over some ridiculous matter, could never again be petted by Jennie, could never again listen to Rose's beautiful voice sing him a song on nights he felt restless and could never again feel that invisible string pulling Jisoo and him towards the other.

He could never again have silly brawls with Jungkook, could never again be called 'Seokjinnie' by Hoseok, could never again assist Namjoon in covering up for some object he accidently broke, could never again catch Jimin when he would be about to fall due to laughing hysterically and could never again be a subject to Yoongi's lectures for 'cheating' in ice hockey even though Seokjin knew he would be just trying to mask his embarrassment for losing against him for the umpteenth. time.

Those clean streams and fragrant flower beds at the woods behind the palace, his dear companion, Kimchi, carrying him to the most wondrous parts of the woods and tracing his steps back to safety of the palace, his adrenaline while fencing with some soldier who considered him as an equal, his minor mishaps when testing his powers and hundreds of other memories had drifted away from him beyond the doors of the dungeon and into the thin air of spring.

But he was still holding onto a few memories that he had started cherishing very recently. The sleepless nights with Taehyung, where there was nobody to restrict them from the other and nobody to see them in their love-sick trance except themselves and the stars, were painted into the depths Seokjin's mind. Taehyung's mellifluous laughter, his contagious smile, his mesmerising eyes, his aroused stares, his heated body pressed against Seokjin's and his gentle touch was whirling around Seokjin's head, persistently refusing to be erased from his memory.

The more he thought about his lover, the more Seokjin felt a flame ignite within himself. The more he thought about those silky blonde locks, those kissable soft lips and those strong yet tender hands, the more he felt the flame spread within him until he was left with thunderous roaring in his heart that demanded to break free from this prison.

It was far from midnight, when he finally exploded. He had suddenly let out an animalistic cry of pure fury, causing the two guards at the corner who had fallen asleep to jump awake with yelps. He had demanded to see his mother right then and there and swore that he won't stop screaming until he had seen his mother. At first the guards let him be, thinking that either Seokjin's throat or his determination would run dry. However, they were proven wrong when Seokjin had screamed the entire night and the guards got a visit from one of the Queen's maids that Seokjin's little commotion could get heard from outside the palace and it would soon attract attention from the common folks. Hearing such news, the fire inside him burned brighter as he let out much more monstrous screams. In a moment of panic, the guards promised to bring his mother's presence.

The queen was not happy at all. She sneered at Seokjin and abused him with several threats that just bounced off Seokjin's skin. Seokjin stood there with his shoulders squared and his eyes digging into his mother's.

"Don't forget that you are playing fire against fire. If you can throw your own son into jail, then I can let the whole of Gyeongsong know what a filthy human you are."

Seokjin was surprised when his mother had just simply turned away and left the dungeons with her face tight with leashed anger. He was even more astonished when he was presented with his regular meal that consisted of a dry loaf of bread and a pitcher of water, except that day the bread was warm and soft.

The change in treatment confused Seokjin but his question was answered when he overheard a conversation his mother shared with the guards when they assumed he was asleep.