royal blood | sim jaeyun

three🩸

A few weeks  had gone by since Prince Jaeyun's arrival and despite his charming looks, he was truly the devil. Showing a warm and friendly persona when he arrived, he soon stopped acting like that and showed his true cold and ruthless self. 

At the dinner table, Miyeon sat next to Jaeyun whilst her parents sat opposite to them. Dinner at the grand hall of Aeloria Castle was typically a lavish affair with the long table adorned with the finest silverware and an array of exquisite dishes which showed the culinary skills of the royal chefs. The evening meal was no different with flickering candle lights casting a warm glow over their meal that had been thoroughly prepared. The air was filled with the rich aromas of roasted meats, fresh bread, and spiced wines.

As Miyeon and her parents were presented with the same meals, Prince Jaeyun was given an alternate due to his unique dietary needs. He was served a plate of rare rich meat which was sat beside a goblet of a dark liquid presumably blood. 

"Before we go into our food Miyeon, there is something me and your mother would like to announce something." The king held a pause before continuing on. "Next week, we will be hosting a ball for all noblemen both here and from the Decelis Kingdom. It will be a time for us to unite the two nations together." announced King Taemin.

Queen Jiwoo continued, "And at the end of the ball, we will finally come and publicly announce you and Jaeyun's engagement. That's fine with you, right dear?"

"Yeah that's fine," replied Miyeon. It's not as if she had a choice in anything her parents wanted to put on her. 

"And you Jaeyun?"

"Yes, it's fine by me," replied Jaeyun coldly. As he went to pick up his goblet and took a whiff of his food, his face twisted to a face of disdain. "What is this? Who made this food?" he asked his voice dripping with contempt. The head chef entered the room, "That...Prince Jaeyun, is a special dish prepared just for you. The blood in your goblet is from the finest livestock, mixed with herbs and spices to enhance the-the flavour."

Jaeyun's crimson eyes narrowed, his annoyance evident. "Livestock?" he repeated, his tone icy. "You expect me to drink animal blood? Am I to believe this is the best your kingdom can offer to a guest of my stature?"

"My apologies your highness," responded the chef, his body shaking petrified, "It was my mistake...it's just that we ran out of blood that we had before and it...." In a blink of eye, Jaeyun was in front of the chef grabbing his throat. The chef struggled, his hands clawing at Jaeyun's iron grip, but he was no match for the vampire's strength. 

The room erupted in shocked gasps, and Miyeon shot up from her seat, her heart pounding in her chest. She could barely speak with fear interrupting her mind.  "Prince Jaeyun, this is unacceptable! Release him at once!" commanded King Taemin. 

Jaeyun's eyes flicked to Miyeon, then to the king and queen, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Very well," he said dropping the chef to the floor, "Consider this a warning," Jaeyun said, his tone dripping with disdain. "Next time, I expect better." Panicked, the chef ran back into the kitchen not looking back. 

Miyeon's hands were clenched so tightly that her nails bit into her palms, but she forced herself to remain calm. Jaeyun walked back to chair as if the previous event hadn't happened at all. Jaeyun turned his gaze back to Miyeon, his expression unreadable. "Shall we continue our meal?" he asked, as if nothing had happened. 

Miyeon couldn't believe her ears. How can he continue as if nothing had happened. As if he didn't nearly kill someone just a second ago. "No," Miyeon said, her voice trembling with anger. "We will not continue this meal as if nothing happened. You can't just go around treating people like they're beneath you, Jaeyun. They're not here to cater to your every twisted whim."

Jaeyun raised an eyebrow, he wasn't expecting her to talk back to him like that. "You're speaking out of turn, Miyeon. Do you forget who I am?" "I don't care who you are!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the grand dining hall. "I don't care if you're a prince, a vampire, or whatever you think makes you so superior. What you did just now was cruel and inexcusable and as the future queen and your wife, I will not allow it."

Jaeyun didn't say anything, he just gave a mocking laugh as if he wasn't taking her seriously. Then without thinking, Miyeon did the unthinkable.

SLAP

Miyeon raised her hand and slapped Jaeyun across the face. The sound of her palm meeting his cheek rang out sharply, and the room fell into stunned silence. Miyeon swallowed her anger, her voice steady despite the turmoil within her. "I've lost my appetite." With that, she turned and walked out of the dining hall leaving Jaeyun there. 

Instead of being mad at her, Jaeyun was shocked. Surprised even. No one let alone a human had ever dared to speak out of turn to him like that let alone slap him. His face formed a small smirk. Maybe I underestimated her too much.