Counting down the days until you see that I'm eternally yours...

Chapter 3 | The Legend

It was precisely eight o'clock in the evening. Snow was falling thickly once more outside whilst you stood in the warmth of your flat, watching as the proclaimed King, Kim Jonghyun and his trusted adviser, Kim Dohyun examined every inch of your flat, curious and excited at the foreign objects they had discovered. You had debated calling the police, but they seemed harmless, lost more than anything. Rather than staying outside in the cold, you had decided it would be best to return to the warmth of your flat. What was the worst that could happen?

"You have an interesting home," the King stated as his eyes ran over each of the items upon your book shelf. He reached out, pulled down one of your manga novels and flicked through the pages, his eyes lighting up in a way you'd not seen before; it was clear to see that his eyes betrayed all his emotions even if his expression was unreadable. There was something about this King which was different to how you expected a King to be. In fairy tales, Kings were always portrayed as being much older and wiser, unlike the young and innocent boy who stood by your book shelf, flicking through your manga, whilst his older adviser stood in your kitchen, examining your collection of cute mugs. There was something very bizarre about the entire situation. It was almost laughable, almost...
"So...not to sound rude, but, you guys still haven't explained what exactly is going on," you leant back against the kitchen work top, glancing from one man to the other, waiting for one of them to respond.
"Should I answer my lady, Your Highness?" Dohyun asked, glancing towards the King.
"I shall answer," he reluctantly replaced the manga on the book shelf before walking back into the kitchen.
You took a moment to take in his attire; the long, glorious fur coat which signified his stature alongside the thick fur boots, which were tied around his feet with what looked like green vines. He wore a long robe underneath the coat from what you could make out, the ivory colour of it matching his boots with a green tunic, embroidered with silver and golden threads which were woven into leaves and flowers along the edges and up the centre. Whether he really was royalty or not, he sure did dress like he was a King. It took you a moment longer though to realise that the more you watched him and examined his attire, the greater the effect it was having on you. There was a funny feeling within you growing and festering. It was alien to you and you weren't entirely sure if you liked it or not.

"My lady?" You were shaken back into reality rather suddenly and looked up to find the so-called King stood right in front of you. Your stomach lurched and the funny feeling continued to manifest within you. His eyes were watching you with such concern and so much...affection? Whatever it was, it was almost too much to bear.
"Please, I'd rather you just called me by my name," you told him gently, trying to slide past him to find room to breathe.
"But of course," he stepped back, noticing your discomfort. He smiled before sweetly saying your name. The way his voice sounded as he said it made your stomach lurch once more and you instantly regretted telling him to address you in this way.
"Should I address you as 'Your Highness', like Dohyun does?" You asked him as you edged away, finding a chair to sit upon.
"That is entirely up to you," he told you, finding another chair and sitting directly opposite you from the small breakfast table. "You can address me as 'Your Highness', Jonghyun or..." he looked away bashfully for a moment before looking back at you, a glint in his eyes. "Or you can call me JR." You took a deep breath, trying to stay composed.
"JR?" You remembered him saying it before. "You said people call you that affectionately. Does it have a meaning?" You asked.
"Junior Royal. It was a name bestowed upon me when I was a young child in order to differentiate between my father and I. No one calls me JR anymore though, not since..." his expression clouded over and his eyes filled with a pain which instantly shattered your heart.
"What?" You glanced from the King, JR, to Dohyun, who was sat on the floor by the fridge, something you hadn't noticed until now, and upon his face was also the same saddened expression. It seemed like something sorrowful had taken place at some point in time. You were both curious and hesitant to discover what the story was behind the pain which was clearly reflected in their green eyes. It wasn't long until you were told.