A Royal Flush| Minsung | completed ✔️

Chapter 1

"Who let Minho crawl away?!" Somi exclaimed as she dashed under the table to pick up Minho—who had managed to scurry away from the celebration. He was turning one, so it was finally time for his Doljagi ceremony.

On a woven carpet, which the Queen's mother had taken the time to weave, were a variety of different objects. The Lees were still very traditional and had laid out some common calligraphy brushes, some money, and an apple to symbolise food. But this time they had invited their closest friends who had also brought a gift;
some ballet shoes, a toy guitar, and —interestingly— a threaded bracelet with a small gem, had been placed by them. The bracelet stood out to Somi whilst she was setting up in the morning. She had asked all the staff if they knew who had presented the gift but no one, not even the guards, had spotted who had placed the bracelet on the carpet.

Why does it have a sapphire? I'm sure they would've been aware that Minho was born in October and should have an opal. Somi shook the thought away. If the bracelet was there, it was there for a reason. After all, the gifts were supposed to be anonymously given.

Gathered in the throne room were the King and Queen, their advisors, a few close members of the personal staff, as well as an array of the new parents' closest friends. Royal Doljabi ceremonies were traditionally broadcast to the public, but this had changed in recent years; mainly because the publicity bordered on exploitative and many royals would suffer the consequences for years to come. There had been riots and fires in a neighbouring country a few months back when the little princess had picked up a fictional book, which was the common symbol of becoming a writer.

Somi fixed Minho's hanbok and bokgeon before placing him down on the ground.

"Everyone better be watching because as soon as I let this little rascal go, he will be bolting for an object," Somi laughed as she made sure Minho sat close to the objects so he could see them clearly.

"Let's hope he doesn't try and crawl away first," Damien chuckled as he watched his wife check that Minho could see from the bokgeon which was almost slipping off.

"Okay Minho baby, you ready?" Somi asked the boy who gave a small whine and a wiggle, clearly ready to be set free.

As she let go of the boy it was obvious that Minho was going to make a run —well crawl —for it.
He scurried past the carpet and the objects lying there; it seemed like he glanced at them all before padding away. Somi was quick on her feet, ready to wrestle Minho back so he could choose an object, when the prince turned around.
Minho let out a gargle and giggle before smiling brightly and picking up the threaded bracelet to play with it.

"Oh... well, a bracelet? What does that mean?" Damien stepped forward to see the bracelet up close. Somi picked up Minho who had a firm grasp on the bracelet, not daring to let it go. When Damien tried to gently pry it from his hands, Minho let out a scream before trying to tug the bracelet back.

"Okay Honey, it's fine, Papa won't touch it." Somi patted Minho's head as he calmed down quickly, too interested in the sapphire that was attached to the leather.

- - - - - - -

There was a loud wail from a room in the family wing in the Han's Castle, Jisung had just turned one and had also just woken up from a nap. Ari was cradling Jisung and bouncing him lightly to calm him down.
He was never happy when he was woken up, especially now that halfway through his nap he was forced into a hanbok and a hogeon covering the few hairs that had grown on his tiny head.

"It's okay Jisung-ie, you'll be able to go back to sleep in a bit, okay?" Ari managed to cox a small smile out of the boy before taking him out to the family room where a five-year-old Riku was running around causing chaos.

"Riku dear, please stop making Nancy run after you, she isn't here to play with you today." Ari sat down on the sofa beside Nancy, Riku's personal maid, as she let out a small huff clearly tired from running around.

"If these two are both energetic and crazy then you have your work cut out for you, Your Highness." Nancy smiled lightly as Riku finally calmed down as her father started to talk to her. Probably something about how she needed to be careful, so she didn't knock over any of the gifts that had been laid out for Jisung's doljabi.

Laid out on the wooden floor were a selection of different items, mostly traditional things such as a bundle of money, a couple of small flowers.Then gifts such as a ping pong ball, a microphone, and somehow a leather bracelet was also on the ground.

"Come on Jiji" Let's pick out a gift" Chanim ushered his son forward to crawl and pick out a gift.

Jisung's eyes were wide as he crawled across the ground, stopping in front of each item to inspect them, but his hands didn't move. He looked at every item. Crawling right up to them, thinking for just a moment before moving on.

Ari and Chanim watched on with their staff and friends silently willed Jisung to pick something. Jisung gave out a small giggle as he crawled around the items once more not touching or picking up anything.

"Come on Jisung pick something" Riku whined lightly, getting slightly impatient at Jisung who was now staring at the bracelet, seemingly thinking hard about whether he should pick it up.

Tentatively, Jisung's tiny hand reached out for the leather bracelet and immediately put it in his mouth.

"Ah, ah, ah," Ari rushed and picked up her son, pulling the bracelet out of his lips. Jisung pouted lightly trying to bite the leather again.

"Don't bite it." Ari slightly pulled the bracelet out of Jisung's hand. Now no longer holding onto the bracelet Jisung started to wail, his eyes immediately watering as he went to grab for the leather and the opal that sat entwined.

Ari sighed and passed back the bracelet and let Jisung chew on the leather once more calming him down.

"It's going to break before he even gets to twenty and we find out what the bracelet actually means." Chanim joked

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Welcome to my new fic! ✨ I've been writing this since August! So it's complete and I'll be posting a new chapter every other day 🫶🏻