DIVINITY ♛ LEE JENO

TWENTY THREE

"Seriously?" Jeno twirled the keys in his hands. After the Princess' cold greeting— or lack thereof— the General knew what side of her he'd be getting today. Meilin didn't bat an eye at him, instead slipping on her sneakers and walking straight out the door. He held back the urge to further instigate, deciding to follow her trail. They tensely hopped into the car and waited as the condensation dissolved on the windshield. Sounds of the heater whistling filled the air between them as they sat in the driveway.

"You're gonna pass out at training cause you didn't eat anything." he broke the silence once more as he got on route to the Capitol. Meilin held her front, pursing her lip out as she watched the frost melt off of the roofs that passed by. It didn't matter if she knew he was right— she didn't want to ask him for extra time to eat breakfast. It wasn't like they had to be there fifteen minutes earlier anymore with Park Jisung not in attendance. "Don't ask me to drop you off any food." he shrugged.

"Wasn't planning on asking you anything." Ah, there she was. Meilin carried herself with class most of the time, but she couldn't resist a snarky remark. At the end of the day, she was an annoying little sister at heart. Annoying men was instinct to her. Jeno pressed his tongue to the side of his mouth, catching a glance of her annoyed expression. "You gotta choose if you want to give me the silent treatment or not." he proposed. The General wasn't up to play her royal games. Her lips remained shut, giving him all the answers he needed. Meilin's ill mood rubbed off on him, making his jaw clench as he gripped the steering wheel. His eyes flickered to the speedometer, pressing his foot onto the gas with a little more pressure than usual.

"What the hell are you doing?" she gawked, feeling the engine rumble stronger than usual.

"Thought I was invisible to you." he hummed, cruising the vehicle onto the main road. Meilin glared at him in the rear view mirror, but he didn't bother looking her way. "This isn't the way to the Capitol." she hissed through her teeth. What would usually be water and other neighborhoods became bustling traffic and people trying to make their way to work.

"It is. The fastest way, actually. I usually take the scenic route with you." his tone was laced with what she couldn't decipher as mischief or bluntness. The General was never mischievous though, so she knew he was leaning on the blank side. She winced at the sound of the engine becoming louder as he kept up with the pace of traffic. "Aren't there speeding laws?" she seethed through her teeth. Jeno almost let out a dry laugh, raising an eyebrow in response. "I'm not speeding, I'm just actually going the speed limit right now." he leaned his head back.

A weird feeling churned in her stomach as she looked out the window. Meilin couldn't tell if it were nausea from the motion or not. Her heart rate quickened slightly as she processed his last few phrases. She was terrified of the main city road and other speedy vehicles. Although he was sneaking his own disses towards her, she couldn't help but to wonder why he decided to take the more scenic, slow routes when he drove her around— even if it meant being late by fifteen every time. Biting down on her lip, she brushed away the thought quickly, deeming it unimportant.

After a few more petty remarks, they made it to their destination in once piece. For once, they were the first ones to enter the office. Jeno took his place in his usual seat next to the window, but Meilin decided to leave room for one between them. He peeped the emptiness, hiding his annoyed expression. Talk about a royal pain in the ass, he thought to himself. Meilin crossed her arms as she waited for everyone else's arrival, attempting to get rid of the sick feeling in her stomach. Her eyes couldn't help themselves from catching a couple looks at the General. Jeno didn't pay mind to her at all, instead scrolling through a bunch of nothing on his phone. He knew he wasn't going to magically receive a bunch of texts from people he didn't talk to.