A Royal Mess || Taejin

Chapter 24

Seokjin sighed heavily as he crumpled the soft material of Taehyung's shirt. He nudged the prince's shoulder with his head, earning a curt hum.

"Taehyung, Sana can be trusted. Please stop worrying about that."

No answer was voiced out. Only the gentle breeze whispered incoherent whooshing into Seokjin's ears.

"Taehyung, I know you are paranoid. But without Sana, we can never reach the Ancient Stone. The consequences-"

"Consequences?" Taehyung jeered, his voice rising for a moment. He shut his eyes tight and clenched his hands, the branching veins on the outer palms protruding. Seokjin detached himself from Taehyung and readjusted his position to face him, careful not to slip off the mobile van they were on as they were near the edge.

"Taeh-"

"No. Just stop. Exactly what consequences are you talking about? Do you not see? None of this is needed if you can just marry me and live in Nahae with me as King. It is that simple!" Taehyung whisper shouted in order not to intervene in the quiet slumber of the other occupants. There were not any seats left in the horse-drawn van Sana rented so Seokjin and Taehyung volunteered to ride one of the public vans, with their faces covered ofcourse.

"Taehyung, if we return to Nahae now, there would be no use. The curse has intensified to such an extent that it is beyond my control. Jungkook can communicate with his father through dreams, right? He told me this morning that his father warned him of this. The curse has been constricted for all those months I was in Nahae. It is almost as if curse is an angry spirit whose anger has been bottled up for a long time and now it is venting it all out. There is no other way but to visit the Ancient Stone to break the curse. If we let it naturally fade away, your people will wipe off half of Gyeongsong by that time. I can't allow that, Taehyung. And God knows how my father is being treated. My sisters may be safe for now but they cannot remain in the Lair for too long before getting discovered. This is for the greater good," Seokjin spoke in a hushed tone with a hammering heart because the more he talked about his sacrifice, the more overwhelming everything seemed. He cautiously placed his palm on Taehyung's hand that gripped his knee, turning his knuckles pale.

"Taehyung. . .?" Seokjin called out to his lover who had turned his face towards the road that descended put of their line of vision as the van was currently going up a steep path.

Watching Taehyung turn his face towards Seokjin and then look up with tears trickling down his cheeks and trembling lips, shattered Seokjin's heart into a million pieces. If the road was not so steep, Seokjin would have moved next to Taehyung and engulfed him into his arms. He wanted to kiss him, not for comfort but for a distraction. A distraction from losing his lover for the greater good, a moment of ignorance and pure euphoria that could make them believe that they were just heading back to Nahae where they would be soon under the duvets of Taehyung's bed.

Seokjin felt like his lungs were being forcefully confined in a small space that kept pressing the breath out of him. He inhaled and exhaled slowly in order to calm his nerves. He did not want to ponder on the scenarios that his mind painted with gruesome colours. He refused to think of death. He preferred to label it as gifting safety to Gyeongsong, gifting freedom to Nahae. He was a prince afterall and even if that was the first time he had to act according to his title, there was no possibility of Seokjin cowering away. In the process of saving others, he would be hurting those dear to him, Seokjin knew. But he also knew that if he retreated, they would suffer even more.

A bittersweet taste pricked Seokjin's tongue as he suddenly began reminiscing the times he spent with his sisters. He thought of that time when they were young, carefree children, spraying each other with water while Seokjin just giggled and watched his sisters with big eyes shining with admiration. He thought of how he would ask Hoseok to sleep with him when he felt melancholy after being scolded by his mother. He thought of the first time Seojoon brought Jungkook to work in the stables and Seokjin slipped into dung with Jungkook while the older tried to show him Kimchi who was just a foal back then. He thought of his golden time in Nahae where he felt free, where he felt alive.