royal blood | sim jaeyun ✓

eleven🩸

After that day, something shifted between Miyeon and Jaeyun. Their interactions were no longer marked by tension or formality. Instead, they began to spend more time with each other. Not only out of obligation or political necessity but because they just wanted to.

It started with quiet walks in the garden, where Jaeyun would make dry remarks about court life that would make Miyeon laugh despite herself. Sometimes they would sit by the fountain, simply talking, sharing stories about their childhoods, their dreams, and even their fears. Jaeyun, who had always been so closed off, slowly began to open up, revealing pieces of himself he had long kept hidden.

Miyeon soon found herself growing more comfortable around him. She no longer saw him as the cold, ruthless vampire prince but as someone who had been forced to live a controlling life by his harsh upbringing. They shared more in common than she ever would have imagined, and with each passing day, her initial fear and resentment toward him faded.

One afternoon, Jaeyun appeared at Miyeon's door with an unusual request. "Let's get out of here," he said abruptly leaning casually against the door frame. His piercing eyes gleamed with mischief.

Miyeon looked at him, surprised. "Out? As in outside the castle?" Jaeyun gave her a small, playful smile. "Exactly. I think we've both had enough of the politics, the expectations, and the endless responsibilities. Don't you?"

She hesitated. It wasn't often that Miyeon was able to leave the castle grounds. But the thought of escaping, even just for a few hours, was tempting. "Where would we go?"

"You'll see," Jaeyun replied, his grin widening. "Trust me." Unsure at first, Miyeon agreed to Jaeyun's proposal. She got dressed into a casual rose dress and a white floral headband. When looking in the mirror, Miyeon didn't feel like a princess anymore. For once in her life, she felt normal.

Miyeon headed outside in the entrance of the Aeloria Castle seeing Jaeyun waiting for her smiling, next to a midnight Friesian Horse. "Took you long enough. Five more minutes and I would of left you," he said jokingly. Miyeon took one look at him and she was shocked.

Jaeyun looked different. As if he was human. The skin wasn't paper white and his eyes were a nice chocolate brown colour instead of his usual bloodshot red eyes. "You look different," she blurted out. He looked down and let out a small laugh, "Oh this? Just thought it would best to look human to not draw attention to myself."

"Well then shall we going" asked Miyeon. "Yes she shall," replied Jaeyun, who was climbing onto the horse. Jaeyun soon noticed that Miyeon hadn't followed him into the horse. "Wait don't tell me you've never ridden a horse before?"

"Yes of course I have," replied Miyeon quickly, obviously lying. "Don't worry Miyeon, you will be fine." "Easy for you to say," she muttered under her breath.

"Just get on Miyeon."

"Yeah yeah I'm coming."

Miyeon didn't like saying this but she was deathly afraid of horses. But it wasn't as if she was to look at one, she would faint from fear. She was afraid of riding them because of stories she heard of people getting seriously injured or even killed from riding horses and she did not want that to happen to her at all. Miyeon reluctantly, with the help of Jaeyun, got onto  the horse.

"If you get too scared just hold onto me okay?"

Miyeon nodded to scared to speak. She pushed herself closer to Jaeyun and put her hands around chest and her eyes were tightly shut.

"Okay I'm ready."

With that, the horse started to moving. The horse was quick in its movement but it was slower than Miyeon thought it was going to be. As time went on, Miyeon felt less scared but she didn't open her eyes just in case.

After minutes of moving, the horse suddenly came to a halt. "We're here, Wasn't as bad as you thought was it?" said Jaeyun teasingly.

"Yeah guess not. So what now?"

Jaeyun then took her hand and whispered in her ear.  "Just follow me."