Prince of RAVENTHORE |•KTH•|

36. My Territory

Heartbeats so loud....a thundering storm felt no less. 

The slim fingers were laced together to keep them from shivering, her heart drumming against her ribs like loud music. The Princess was surprisingly still holding her ground steadily. The brown orbs were trying their hardest to not fall over the ethereal manly beauty that was illegally crafted by the gods. 

“What thing do you want your wife to step over, Taehyung?” A middle aged woman questioned after a younger one put three plates in front of Taehyung, covered with a red piece of cloth. 

Taehyung gazed down at the plates which were hiding a secret ready to unfold, “Choose very wisely, your pretty highness. You don't know if your one wrong choice would make your wife walk on embers.” Someone raised her voice and everybody giggled afterwards. 

Y/N quietly peeked down at the covered plates, “Walking on embers will be worth it if It means reaching him.”

The young girls in the back who had been admiring the Prince, peeked out, secretly catching the sight of his fingers, long and slender, so beautiful to trace a skin back to life with goosebumps. 

“What does embers signify?” 

A vulnerable heart pounded one louder beat inside a chest that made its owner almost flinch to Taehyung's sudden voice raising. 

The depth of his question weighed more than his voice. Every gaze fell on him except the one which didn't dare look up while his gaze pointed towards the third plate. 

The women looked at each other, waiting who would answer this until that old lady chose to sprinkle some knowledge, “The quiet patience and yearning.” Her voice–a still lake. 

Taehyung’s gaze shifted but didn't lift up yet. The Princess looked at the wrinkled woman. 

“It's that quiet flame of patience when everything has burned away, but a fragment, a flame, a heart carries a long patience quietly, the proof of what was once alive and a yearning to see that liveliness again.” 

The charcoal orbs couldn't explain why they covered that short journey to reach that red hanfu which was elegant on its owner’s beautiful wife. It wasn't about that red colour of love but about the person on whom it was wrapped. 

And the Princess couldn't restrain her gaze to touch his feet. 

It was the loud thump that they heard between them, just them, quietly yet loudly. 

“Isn’t it painful to walk on that patience?” Taehyung questioned while pushing the middle plate forward slowly. Something in his tone, his question and his action tugged at Y/N’s heart. 

The young girls almost thought that Taehyung chose something painful for the princess to walk on.

“Undoubtedly that's painful but the brave heart that does it, makes the divine bow before it.” The old lady answered. 

“Did his highness choose embers for his wife?” A woman asked, gesturing towards the chosen plate. Taehyung didn't answer. A young woman moved forward on her knees carefully and lifted the red cloth from the plate to reveal three big Lotus flowers resting beautifully. 

She gasped softly with a sparkling gaze and looked up at others, “His highness chose Lotus for her highness.” Murmurings started followed by giggles. The old lady glanced at Taehyung with a knowing smile. 

The warm orbs looked at the pretty Lotus. 

While the charcoal orbs declared it a play of fate-- otherwise those rough fingers and that tough heart wouldn't choose the delicate lotus for anybody...