UNTILL I MET YOU || JIKOOK

6

JIMIN POV

He stood there as Lord Elton droned on and on about formalities, tradition, and the fact that there was not enough time to organize the kind of wedding that the eldest son of the king was supposed to have.

He let the words wash over him, torn between trying to think of a way out of this mess and picturing the prince's face again.

He'd been so sure the omega would cut and run when he saw the three of them bearing down on him. But he'd just stood there, silent as a stone.

He hadn't even blinked when Jimin made an offer of marriage.

He had been certain the omega would refuse, that this whole visit had been some sort of perverse entertainment for a spoiled rich brat.

And then Jungkook said yes.

It was maddening and frustrating and impossible to understand.

But his father said they needed this, their kingdom needed this, so Jimin would be the one to give it to them.

"Do what you need to do," he said shortly.

"I'll..." What was he going to do?

"You should bath," Elton suggested helpfully, eyeing him dubiously.

"I'll have the baths made ready for you."

"That's not necessary."

"It's tradition that you immerse yourself in the hot springs on the eve of your marriage. We've missed the eve, of course, but..."

Jimin didn't have it in him to argue. Besides, he did need to wash off the mud and grime.

He might have gotten away with it at the first meeting, but weddings had one thing that hadn't guests.

An hour later, he found himself heading down the spiral staircase that led to the underfloor of the castle. Visitors, what few they had, always expected there to be dungeons on the lower levels.

But keeping dangerous people locked in the bowels of the castle seemed like a tactical mistake.

They kept their prisoners in cells built into the cliff face. If their captives wanted a way out, they were always welcome to take their chances with the sea and the rocks. Few did.

There was something different about the levels below.

To Jimin, they'd always felt sacred somehow. Hallowed.

As kids, they'd never been permitted to play down there, always encouraged to respect tradition.

The chambers etched into the rock only heightened those feelings, what with the way sound echoed around the deep caverns and light reflected across the walls.

He reached the last step, squaring his shoulders and taking a deep, settling breath.

Only to tense when he heard muffled laughter nearby.

"I'm pretty sure a bath doesn't require an audience," he called out, his voice echoing around him.

A moment later, tae tumbled out of the shadows with Yoongi right behind him.

"The expression on your face, Jimin Why so serious?"Tae joked.

"Could it be you don't like the look of your husband-to-be?"

Jimin growled low in his throat, his hands curling into fists.

"Because we have something to help with that," Yoongi added, holding up a flagon of ale in each hand.