"I, Jennie Ruby Jane of House Asteria, pledge my loyalty to his royal highness, Taehyung Ares Delrico, The Crown Prince of the Valorian Empire.
"How far does your loyalty lie, Princess Jane?" He stalked towards her, unrelenting even as her back co...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
After a day fraught with tension and unexpected revelations, Jennie found herself navigating through a series of urgent meetings concerning the security of the empire and discussing the potential ramifications of today's court drama.
Each session stretched on, filled with strategic deliberations and speculative outcomes, but her mind occasionally drifted to Taehyung.
The image of him standing resolute yet visibly shaken in the throne room lingered, stirring concern for him within her.
As night descended over Valoria, cloaking the capital in shades of dusky blue, Jennie made an impulsive decision to visit Taehyung.
Navigating the quiet corridors of the palace, she reached his quarters. Pausing briefly, she knocked softly before hearing a distant "Come in."
Stepping inside, she found the room empty but noticed the balcony doors ajar with a sliver of light escaping onto the dark marble floor.
"Taehyung?" she called out softly, her voice steady despite the fluttering in her chest.
Out on the balcony, Taehyung stood leaning against the railing, a glass of wine in hand, staring out at the sprawling cityscape below that twinkled under the first stars of the evening.
At the sound of her voice, he turned, his expression weary and confused. "Is everything okay?"
"I should be asking you that." She whispered softly, eyeing the glass of wine in his hand. "You okay?"
She lingered just inside the balcony doorway, leaning against the cool wall. The atmosphere was fraught with tension, a stark contrast to the serene night visible through the open doors.
He studied her for a moment, the coldness in his eyes thawing slightly.
"I'm as okay as I can be," he said, gesturing towards the wine on the table with a nod. "Care for a glass? It might not solve anything, but it does offer a brief escape."
"Thank you," she replied, stepping forward to accept the glass he poured. She remained by the threshold, not venturing out onto the balcony.
Taehyung took a deep sip from his own glass, turning back to gaze out at the sprawling palace gardens bathed in moonlight. "Today has been... something," he finally said, the understatement hanging heavily between them.
"I can only imagine," Jennie responded, her fingers tightening around the stem of the wine glass. "After everything that happened today, anyone would feel overwhelmed."
He let out a humorless chuckle. "Overwhelmed doesn't quite cover it. It feels like I'm constantly having to prove myself worthy of a position I've been trained for my entire life. And now this... this unexpected claim—it's as if my entire future is being called into question."
Jennie listened, her heart aching for the burden he carried. "It's unjust, what's happening. But you've handled it with remarkable composure."
"Composure doesn't feel like enough right now," Taehyung confessed, his voice low. "It's as if every effort I make is being undermined. And the worst part? I feel utterly powerless in the face of it all."
