Twenty

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Time passed away in a blur. The next couple of days were spent in a whirl of feverish activity.

Yet Wooyoung's days carried out painfully slow. Most of his time was spent in the castle grounds, practicing and practicing until Yeosang had to drag his exhausted body back to his room.

He rarely saw San after the incident. Which he supposed was a good thing but he wasn't sure.

San would spend hours in the throne room with his father, doing paperworks and carrying out the duties that came with his title as the crown prince.

Once he was done for the day, it would be well past midnight already and Wooyoung would be deep asleep in their bed.

Maybe it was intentional. Him returning late. So he wouldn't have to see the younger's stupidly beautiful face which seemed much more attractive than San had remembered.

And he would wake up early in the morning and leave before Wooyoung could wake up.

Even lunch was now done separately in their respective places (San in the throne room and Wooyoung with Yeosang in his chambers) much to the dismay of their parents.

The whole palace had kind of picked on the tension between the two princes. And as it was inevitable, rumours began circulating around.

Wooyoung himself had heard a few of them.

The most prominent was that allegedly 'the princes had not agreed on the same attire at the seamstress's'. Which Wooyoung supposed was not a complete lie.

San was in the throne room with Yoohyeon. There were no one else and he was signing some papers and documents while Yoohyeon stood quitely beside him.

The air had visibly shifted between them. San still loved her just not in the way he used to and he felt guilty of course but there was nothing he could do. The heart had always been the ruler in these matters.

As for Yoohyeon she looked miserable, sure. But there was something else to her. As if she had seen it coming from miles away. And maybe she had. Maybe she had realized they would never be the same when she had seen the look on San's face on that day as Wooyoung descended down the stairs in his wedding clothing. At that moment, she knew he was no longer her's.

She had seen it before anyone else. And maybe that was the reason her heart didn't immediately crack into pieces. She had already started to guard it, preparing for what was inevitably going to happen. And it hurt, it hurt a lot but she had to live with it, she supposed.

The door to the room opened, breaking the silent atmosphere and a tall figure walked in like he owned the palace.

San looked up and his eyes grew wide.

"Mingi?" He said, frowning.

The said man grinned and immediately engulfed the prince in a suffocating hug.
San choked but hugged him back nevertheless.
Mingi squeezed him harder until San couldn't breath. He slapped Mingi's arm repeatedly and the taller finally took the hint and pulled away.

San wheezed and clutched his throat.

"How are you, my friend?" He said excitedly, eyes crinkling and all.

"I was doing just fine before you tried to choke me." San replied with a squint.

Mingi roared in laughter and slapped San's arms almost sending him flying across the room.

Song Mingi, San's childhood friend and the son of the Royal Treasurer. Always had something to say and would flirt with anything that moves. Quite the character, really.

And quite handsome, too. Though San thought he looked better when he wasn't flirting and smiling, anyway.

But he's also one of San's closest friends and San could never be mad at him for long.

"By the way, where is my lovely brother-in-law?" He wiggled his eyebrows and San tried his best to not show any emotions even when his heart picked up the pace just by the mention.

"He is in our room. Reading most probably, he loves reading you see." Mingi nodded.

"Also, I am so incredibly sorry I could not attend the wedding. Father had sent me outside Eslanda to run some stupid errands. I did not really had a choice, you see," He babled.
"Otherwise I wouldn't miss it for the world."

San pursed his lips. Still bitter about the fact that his only best friend had not attended his wedding.

As they bickered, there was a light knock on the door that went almost unnoticed by how loud the two men were chatting.

The door opened and in walked Yeosang followed closely by Wooyoung.

San locked his eyes with the younger and his eyes betrayed him as they refused to look away. Wooyoung stared at him for a while before averting his gaze and gulping.

San inhaled shakily.

Mingi looked at the new comers and his eyes lingered on Yeosang.

"Mingi, meet my husband Wooyoung. Wooyoung meet Mingi, my childhood friend." He introduced casually.

Mingi's lips pulled up in a hint of smirk as he extended his hands towards Yeosang who looked at him weirdly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. San, you really have an eye for beauty, don't you?" He muttered, his eyes raking over Yeosang's body.

Yoohyeon suddenly let out a loud snort and all the four heads whipped to look at her.

She immediately stopped smiling and lowered her head, although the amusement was still evident on her face.

Wooyoung pursed his lips in a poor attempt to refrain from smiling.

He saw Yeosang give Mingi an unimpressed look and Wooyoung couldn't hold it in. He let out a loud cough poorly disguising the laugh.

San's lips twitched and he pulled Mingi away from Yeosang.

"He is not Wooyoung, you twat. That's his personal guard, Yeosang." San explained irritatingly.

He jerked his chin towards Wooyoung.

"He is Wooyoung."

Mingi turned to look at him, his eyebrows shooting up as if realizing just now that there was another person with Yeosang.

"Oh, my apologies, Your Highness. I am Mingi." He looked almost relieved? at the fact that Wooyoung is the husband and not Yeosang.

Wooyoung did not wish to know whatever that meant.

He shook hands with Mingi and gave a tight lipped smile.

"It is a pleasure meeting you, Mingi. And just call me Wooyoung please,"

Mingi grinned.
"Of course."

"I have got to say you've quite an impressive taste when it comes to your romantic interests." He smirked glancing at Yoohyeon and then Wooyoung.

The girl bit her lips anxiously and Wooyoung turned red.

San gave him a smile which almost looked like a threat.

"Of course I do. Now come on, I'll escort you to your room before you spew anymore nonsense."

He whispered the last part and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him outside the enormous room.

Mingi got dragged away but not before glancing back at Yeosang one last time as he disappeared around the corner.

Yeosang looked as impassive as ever but Wooyoung could have sworn he saw a hint of red gathering at the tip of his ears.

"I did not say a word," he said after Mingi finally left.
Wooyoung snorted, not bothering to hide it.

"I never said you did."

🥀

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