Sacrifice

Chapter 12 : Talk of the Town

A soft huff of exhaustion escapes past your lips as you fall back against your mattress. The movers that Heeseung hired to move everyone's belongings a week before had already done a wonderful job arranging your room prior to your arrival. Each piece of furniture was strategically placed, which makes you wonder if any of the princes gave them specific arrangement instructions beforehand. The movers, however, did not do much other than place your furniture accordingly and move all your boxes of clothing into your room, which is to be expected. That's how you found yourself sitting in the middle of your room, surrounded by emptied boxes of clothing after breakfast this morning. The task itself had seemed so daunting, but you found the actual process rather calming as you folded and organized your clothes in silence.

Your new room is far more beautiful than you could have imagined. The ceilings are tall so your steps against the wooden floorboards echo in the rather empty chamber. The size alone is almost twice that of your old room at the previous castle. The overall atmosphere of the room also feels a little more comforting than the previous one – a little more lived-in. 

Luckily, your new room also overlooks the backyard just like at the previous castle. The garden in its current state is nothing but soft mounds of white snow amidst the winter season, but you can already imagine how beautiful the view would be come springtime with all the different hues of the flowers painting the landscape.

A soft knock from the other side of your closed bedroom door draws you from your thoughts. "Princess, may I come in?" You smile when you recognize Jay's voice and you instantly sit up to greet the prince.

"Come in, Jay," you call back. When the second eldest pokes his head in to examine your room, his eyes find you almost instantly.

"Were you about to take a nap? Should I come back later?" he asks inquisitively when he notices the wrinkles on the comforter where you had just been resting.

"No, I was just taking a short break. I finished unpacking and organizing all my clothes not too long ago," you explain, beckoning him inside with a wave of your hand. "Come sit with me," you offer, patting the empty space on the mattress beside you.

"You finished unpacking already?" Jay gapes, looking around your room in bewilderment as he slowly makes his way over to you. The prince's gaze lands on the empty boxes sitting by your doorway and hums impressively before climbing onto the bed next to you. "I always thought Jungwon moves the fastest because of his abilities – but you're on a whole different level."

"I could never beat Jungwon," you giggle, looking down at your lap shyly and playing with your fingers. Jay looks over at you, admiring you with nothing but endearment swimming in his irises. Without even realizing it, he begins to lean in closer until he's practically hovering next to you, overcome with the great urge to protect you from any dangers that come your way. "I simply just didn't have much to unpack, that's all," you shrug.

"Would you be up for helping me unpack? I've always dreaded this part of the moving process the most," the prince laughs, softly bumping his shoulder against yours in a teasing manner. When you finally look up to meet his gaze, you're startled to see the amount of distance he's covered since you were last paying attention. But your heart warms when you notice the prince looking at you with such tenderness. His expression is soft and his eyes seem so pure. He looks at you as if you're his saving grace.

"I wouldn't mind helping you," you shrug, hands trailing away from your lap to find the prince's larger hands. "I'd help you with anything, no questions asked. I'm only one call away," you add, softer in a hushed tone.

"You're going to be the death of me, Princess," Jay hisses, leaning back slightly so that he can take in a deep breath of fresh air. Meanwhile, you're still playing with his pretty slender fingers, completely unaware of the multitude of thoughts flying around in his mind – some far more inappropriate than he would like to admit.