long live the king - nct, markhyuck

♕ 5 ♕

donghyuck was in a daze, the words that had been pronounced by the future king of aes replaying in his mind an unhealthy number of times since the end of the afternoon.

come back tomorrow, after lunch. and cook for me again.

even though it was more aesthetically pleasing, their dish wasn't as good as yours.

he couldn't believe these had been actual words that had slipped past the royal's lips. but at the same time, the sole thought of being able to have a conversation with the future king of his realm in person was quite surreal. and donghyuck wasn't even sure it had truly happened. maybe he just had a lucid dream – a very realistic and amazing one.

"son?"

the tanned male's thoughts were cut short by his father's voice, causing the young male to sit up on the excuse of a mattress he used as a bed and to look over his father's own mattress, where the male was lying. "yes, dad?"

"you didn't tell me about your visit to the royal palace."

donghyuck kept his mouth shut for a few seconds, not really knowing what to say right now.

he had sneaked in the palace in hope to understand his father's words better. he had gone there to realise how awful royals were with the peasants living on their land, and why the need to get rid of them and royalty was justified.

but right now, after that afternoon spent in the royal palace in company of the future king, donghyuck couldn't fully understand his father's point of view – sure, he had been assaulted and threatened to death at first, but then, the uncrowned king had been surprisingly sympathetic and good with him.

"donghyuck? do you understand what i was telling you about them?"

the tanned male gulped, knowing that his father was determined and that nothing would ever change his mind. this fight against royals had been going on for years now, even before donghyuck was born, and there was no way it could change. the only change possible for his father was a change at the head of the kingdom, meaning getting rid of the royals, and putting at its head someone that the whole people agreed with.

"i..." the boy hesitated. "i wasn't exactly able to overhear them speaking about us..." he finally stated, not really lying.

"it's not only about listening, son." the adult sighed. "it's everything about them."

donghyuck stayed silent at those words, looking in his father's direction while waiting for an explanation. he was still young and innocent, he must have not understood things the way his father did.

"everything about them is bad, donghyuck." sangkyu stated, his voice laced with disgust and hate. "it's the way they order people, servants and guards around as if they were inferior beings. it's how they only care about appearances and won't even try approaching someone or something that isn't appealing to them. it's the way they consider they're the only people that matter and how they think everything revolves around them. it's the amount of riches they have surrounding them when we barely have enough to eat..."

those words being said, donghyuck couldn't help but think again about those few hours he had spent in the palace, those few hours that had seemed so amazing to him while they lasted, those few hours that had made him doubt his father's harsh words concerning royals. but in this very moment, processing his father's words, donghyuck feared he couldn't deny what had just been said.

royals did order other people around as if they were inferior beings. the future king had kept screaming for servants or ordering the cooks to leave the kitchen and then come back, as if they were at his mercy and were there only to listen to him.