DOMINANTLY SUBMISSIVE | JIKOOK [OG]

°19°

Meant To Be

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Author's POV

“Greetings, Your Majesty…” Jeongguk kneeled down, hearing a pleasant chuckle from the King as he then remained on the floor. 

“Ah… Jeon Jeongguk…” His father called out proudly, seemingly thrilled to see his youngest child join him at the court hall after almost a week ever since the dinner they had together that night. In which, Jeongguk left the table with a warning to Queen Kim without caring about his reputation and manners. 

“What is the reason for your presence here, my son?” 

“I have made my way to this place to seek your guidance on a question, Your Majesty…” Jeongguk answered after clearing out his dry throat, carefully choosing what words to use so he wouldn't trigger any unnecessary things they both didn't want to. “Guidance? This behavior deviates from what is typically expected of you…” He heard his father humming in surprise before a chuckle left his tired mouth. 

Jeongguk grinned slightly. As much as he detest it, they both knew that it was true. The crown prince had never been the one who asked anyone for advice, let alone guidance. He always had been strong-headed, doing whatever he thought was right and fit in his lifestyle. Though, he never once breaks the royal rules. 

Until now that is, of course. 

“Inquire without hesitation, Jeongguk.” The king spoke as he kneeled down once again to show his appreciation. 

“Which royal lineages, apart from the Jeon, have a historical connection to the monarchy?” He questioned straightly, not wanting to waste any time and also because he was impatient to know what his father had to say about this. It was not that he didn't trust what Hyun-Joo said earlier but he thought it was too odd and he wanted a confirmation. For all he knew, the older one might have gotten mistaken for someone else and confused.  

Jeongguk noticed his father went silent after his question, almost as if he didn't expect his son to ask such a ludicrous question. Or maybe, he didn't expect it to be a question at all. 

“Jeongguk, it is you who is uncertain about the subject at hand. The undisputed fact is that the Jeon lineage holds the exclusive claim to royal bloodline…” The King stated, a bit too strictly than usual and Jeongguk began to think he was stupid to ask in the first place. Of course that would be the answer, how can he manage to expect otherwise? 

He sighed in frustration. It seemed like Hyun-Joo had been retrieving the wrong information. There was no such thing as other royal blood. How ridiculous to even start with… They needed to do further digging. 

“What prompts this inquiry all of a sudden? What occurred that gave rise to it?” The King spoke unexpectedly, making Jeongguk gulp as he went silent for a while. He didn't know where to start or how to, and he didn't know if it was the time to tell everything either. Jeongguk cursed silently. Since when did he become so… absurd…?

“Your Majesty, rest assured, there is no issue…” He trailed off. “A clandestine rumor circulating in the market whispers of the Kang household's royal heritage. In order to clarify any potential uncertainty, I wanted to confirm…” He lied flawlessly but then noticed how his father's expression turned undeniably embittered and piqued, looking like a completely different person than he was two seconds ago.