royal blood | sim jaeyun

eight🩸

For the next week, Miyeon was busy with preparations for the ball. Spending hours standing still with pins stabbing her skin for her dress. Overseeing the decorations in the grand ballroom.

And practising the waltz with Jaeyun as his parents thought it would a great idea for them to perform a dance for the guests. Miyeon agreed to it thinking it wouldn't be that big of problem.

However, after the conversation they had the week before, Jaeyun hasn't uttered a single to her since then. Every time she tries talking to Jaeyun, he just completely ignores her.

The only words Jaeyun ever says to her is him criticising her dancing skills while they are practising their dance.

Miyeon couldn't understand what she had done wrong. Did what I say to him affect him so much? Did I hurt his ego or something?

Soon, it was Friday. The day of ball. Miyeon wore an enchanting pink dress with delicate lace and sparkling sequins which create a shimmering effect with every movement. The neckline was beautified with tiny pearls and soft, ruffled tulle that gently cascades over the shoulders, forming elegant off the shoulder sleeves. Her hair was all let down and the look was finished with a dazzling silver tiara.

Jaeyun wore a suit which complemented to Miyeon's dress. He wore a tailored jacket in a soft blush pink made from luxurious satin fabric which catches the light with a subtle sheen.The jacket is adorned with intricate silver embroidery along the lapels and cuffs echoing the sparkling details of Miyeon's dress.

Miyeon wasn't the biggest fan of large gatherings especially balls. The loud music and chattering. Men she didn't know trying to flirt with her and asking her for a dance with them. She just stayed sitting down hoping this ball would finish soon.

The ball soon reached its climax which meant that Jaeyun and Miyeon were soon going to announce the engagement to the whole world and then they would have to preform to their guest which she had been dreading because she hadn't been doing well during rehearsals due to Jaeyun ignoring her.

"Miyeon, go and get Jaeyun now," pestered Queen Jiwoo who was standing near her. "Yeah, yeah fine."

Miyeon reluctantly got up from her seat and went to go and find Jaeyun. She searched all over the ballroom but he was no where to be seen. In fact, she couldn't find any of the Sim family. She soon exited the ballroom and went to his bedroom. She knocked once but got no response. Just about as she was going to open the door, she heard a loud crashing sound.

Without a second thought, Miyeon ran towards the sound. The noise was coming from Jungwoo's, Jaeyun's brother, room. The door was slightly opened so Miyeon peeked inside and couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Inside Jaeyun was bleeding and was on the ground. Jungwoo was as well but not as bad as Jaeyun. There was shattered glass on the ground and the room was a complete mess. There was also a woman on the bed unconscious who Miyeon recognised as Duchess Ari. But she was looking very pale.

As Jaeyun tried to get up, his father King Beomseok walked over and slapped him making him fall to the ground again.

"Father I-"

"I don't want to hear a word from you Jaeyun," King Aldric's voice boomed through the room, dripping with anger, ""Attacking your own brother? What were you thinking?"

Jaeyun's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing with barely restrained fury. "I was thinking about protecting a girl who was too drunk to defend herself," he retorted sharply. "What Alaric did was disgraceful, and you know it!"

Jungwoo chuckled a dark and condescending sound that made Miyeon's blood boil from where she stood. "Oh, come off it, little brother. I was just having some fun. You always did take things too seriously," he taunted.

Jaeyun's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Fun?" he spat, his voice trembling with outrage. "You were going to kill that girl if I hadnt'-"

"Enough!" King Beomseok cut him off his patience wearing thin. He turned to Jungwoo and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You're the future king, Jungwoo. You do not need to explain yourself to him."

Jaeyun's face twisted with a mix of disbelief and betrayal. "So that's it?" he said bitterly. "You're going to let him get away with this because he's the 'perfect' heir?"

Queen Seoah stepped in, her voice icy and unsympathetic. "You are becoming a liability, Jaeyun. Always causing trouble, always challenging what we do. This is why Jungwoo is favoured. He understands what it means to maintain order and uphold our image."

"So that's why you're forcing me to marry some girl I met a month ago? Because I'm a burden to you?"

"You will learn your place," King Beomseok growled. "Or you will have no place at all."

Jaeyun remained silent, his breath heavy and his gaze fixed on the ground. There was a moment of tense silence before he finally lifted his eyes, a dangerous fire burning within them. "Understood," he said quietly, his voice steady but laced with a bitterness that cut through the air.

Queen Seoah huffed, dismissing him with a wave. "Get out of our sight, Jaeyun. Go and get ready for that performance of yours."

Jaeyun didn't say another word. He turned on his heel and strode out of the room, his expression unreadable.

"Jaeyun -". But before Miyeon could say anything, Jaeyun grabbed her and pulled her aside. "Jaeyun, what are you doing? We need to get back to the ball-"

But before Miyeon could answer, Jaeyun cupped her face and crashed his lips onto her.

The kiss was sudden, overwhelming, filled with a mix of desperation and anger, but also a deep-seated need for connection. Miyeon's eyes widened in shock, her heart thundering in her chest. She hadn't expected this, let alone imagined this, but for a moment, she found herself melting into it, responding to the heat of his lips, the intensity of his grip on her waist.

It was as if all the tension, all the suppressed emotions between them, had finally erupted. She could feel the raw emotion pouring out of him, the silent plea behind his kiss—a plea for understanding, for solace, for someone to see him beyond the cold facade he wore.

But just as quickly as it had begun, Jaeyun pulled back, his breathing heavy, his eyes now filled with an entirely different kind of fire. They were still inches apart, and Miyeon could feel his breath against her lips, warm and erratic.

Gasps were heard next to her as the guests had witnessed their kiss with their faces full of shock and bewilderment.

"I—" Jaeyun began, his voice hoarse, "I shouldn't have done that." His expression was conflicted, torn between regret and something else, something that looked a lot like longing.

Miyeon's mind was like a whirlwind, her lips still tingling from the unexpected kiss. "Jaeyun..." she whispered, unsure of what to say, her heart still racing.

But before she could gather her thoughts, he had already turned away, walking swiftly down the hallway, leaving her standing there, breathless and bewildered, with a thousand unspoken words hanging in the air between them.