Crafting The Lust

✨14✨

The room's silence thickened as Queen Anna entered, and Felix felt as though he was trapped in a chamber of demons. His heart raced, but he quickly composed himself, offering a deep bow in greeting. The Queen barely acknowledged him, her eyes shifting toward Hyunjin. Felix couldn't help but notice a faint tension between them, something just beneath the surface.

Hyunjin moved towards the Queen with measured steps, his gaze sweeping over her regal attire. There was something about her presence—elegant, poised—but Felix sensed that Hyunjin's thoughts weren't entirely focused on admiration. No, it was more complicated than that.

The King's tall figure loomed over Anna, his expression softening as he reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You are... majestic, my Queen," Hyunjin murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. His compliment sounded genuine, yet Felix could sense a disconnect, a lack of warmth in his words. The Queen smiled at the praise, but Felix could see that it didn't reach her eyes. The blush she wore seemed more like a mask than a true reflection of her feelings.

From where Felix stood, observing from a distance, the interaction might have seemed graceful to an outsider. But to him, it felt like watching two predators circling each other. Both beautiful, both dangerous, and both keeping their true intentions hidden. And as for Hyunjin—the King made Felix feel as if he were constantly on the edge of oblivion. His presence alone was enough to send shivers down Felix's spine, reminding him of how precarious his situation truly was.

Despite this, Felix couldn't shake the strange pull he felt toward Hyunjin. It was as if his own mind betrayed him, allowing unwanted thoughts to creep in. There was something almost intoxicating about being near the King, even though he knew it was dangerous. Felix loathed it, but at the same time, he couldn't deny that he'd rather endure Hyunjin's unsettling behavior than be ignored altogether. It was a twisted paradox—wanting to flee from the King, yet craving his attention at the same time.

Perhaps, Felix mused bitterly, he was the architect of his own misery. Maybe his desire for safety was at odds with something darker lurking within him.

Felix flinched as the chamber came to a hustle, the ground vibrating with the tug of queen's heels on it which was nearing him. His head hung low, feeling the presence of the queen ahead of him with a smile lurking on her rosy lips. That smile looked more vicious than warm.

"You know, the painter. It's going to be a remarkable day of history as you'll portray the queen today," Her voice was filled with pride, Felix's head hung low while Hyunjin examined the situation in a quite incomprehensible manner.

Felix nodded swiftly at the commanding tone of the queen, "it's not only about the attraction of art but....." The swift sound of her swinging her shawl tugged on her arms, "the essence of art."

"He knows." Before Yongbok could say something the king spoke, walking closer to them, "he is the great artist, isn't he?" Hyunjin's gaze lurked at the figure of painter, his voice more of a mock toned. "He knows what he is doing, and what he has to do," the king's lips curve into a smirk, that Felix couldn't caught but feel.

He just nodded, never has been these suffocated to do what he was passionate about. "Mhm.. you're right, my king. Let's begin our painting session," as the Queen announced felix felt a sense of relief but immediately replaced by a burden of upcoming misery he had to go through. 'Portraying the queen's painting was the biggest challenge for him.' very first time he had the doubts on his skills.

The room fell upon a silence, the echoed of footsteps of the regal figures hit the wall of chamber. The Queen took a graceful position on the Chair in the centre of chamber. As the sun filtered through the curtains, Hyunjin found this place to be satisfied to rest himself, cause from their the painter's face could be come clearly on his sight. As he will observe his attention —of course on his work — might on king.

Felix's breath hitched as he stepped towards his easel, the Queen's words still echoing in his mind. He glanced at her, seated with regal poise in the center of the chamber, her eyes closed briefly, as if she was savoring her own grandeur. He tried to focus on his work, but the tension in the room gnawed at him. Hyunjin had settled himself on the far side, but Felix could feel the weight of the King's gaze, watching, and assessing. There was a certain satisfaction radiating from him, one that made Felix's skin crawl.

His fingers trembled slightly as they gripped the charcoal pencil, and for the first time, Felix felt hesitant to sketch. He wiped his hands against his apron, trying to calm himself, but the thick air in the chamber only made his anxiety worse.
"Shall we begin?" Queen Anna's voice pierced the silence, a subtle command hidden in her tone. Felix nodded, trying to focus on the angles, the light, the positioning—anything but the unsettling atmosphere hanging in the air. His eyes flickered over the Queen's face, taking in the symmetry, the elegance, but all he could feel was the cold distance that came with her beauty.

The first strokes on the canvas were light, tentative. His gaze, however, was drawn toward Hyunjin, who had leaned back against a chaise, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp, locked onto Felix’s every move. The King's smirk hadn’t disappeared, and that silent, mocking expression was enough to send Felix’s mind spiraling.

He knew exactly what Hyunjin was doing—testing him, playing with his emotions. It was a game, one in which Felix was constantly losing, unable to escape the pull. He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to focus solely on the canvas, but every brushstroke felt heavier, burdened by the thick tension radiating from both royal figures.

Time dragged as Felix worked, the oppressive silence making the chamber feel even smaller. Every now and then, Queen Anna would shift slightly, her eyes opening to observe him with a scrutinizing gaze before closing again, as if her judgment had already been passed. And then there was Hyunjin, whose presence Felix could feel burning against his skin.

"You're quiet today, painter," Hyunjin's voice broke the silence, his words like velvet laced with poison. "Is the pressure too much? Or are you simply in awe of my Queen?"

Felix’s hand paused mid-stroke. He swallowed hard, refusing to look up. "No, Your Majesty," he responded quietly, his voice betraying none of the turmoil roiling inside of him.

Hyunjin chuckled softly, the sound low and intimate, as if the two of them shared some kind of unspoken understanding. Felix's fingers tightened around the brush, the tension inside him coiling tighter with each passing second. How could he focus on his work with the King's every word twisting deeper into his psyche?

The Queen, seemingly oblivious to the exchange, lifted her chin, exuding regal grace. But Felix caught the slight narrowing of her eyes. Perhaps she wasn't as unaware as she seemed. The air between them was thick, suffocating. Felix could almost feel the invisible lines being drawn, the power play happening above him.

He dared a glance at Hyunjin, and for a moment, their eyes locked. The King's smirk widened ever so slightly, and Felix's heart stuttered in his chest. It was maddening—this invisible force Hyunjin seemed to have over him, this undeniable pull that made Felix want to run and stay all at once.

Every stroke of the brush felt like a battle, each line carrying the weight of the King's silent mockery and the Queen's cold scrutiny. Felix could barely breathe, suffocated by the thick tension in the room, the tension that grew with every passing second.

"I hope the painter is satisfied with the view," Hyunjin's voice cut through the silence again, mocking, teasing, as if Felix was nothing more than a pawn in his game. And maybe, Felix thought bitterly, he was.

But no matter how much he wanted to scream, to tell Hyunjin to stop, to leave him alone—he couldn't. He was trapped in this chamber of demons, painting a queen who was as distant as the stars and a king who held his soul in the palm of his hand.

And as he continued to paint, Felix realized with a sinking heart that no matter how beautiful the portrait turned out to be, it would always be marred by the darkness that lingered in the room, the tension that twisted around them all.

A/N : I'm soooooo sorry for the delay my people. So let's follow a schedule for updates. So this FF will be updated every Wednesday and Saturday. Is it okay?