A Queen and Her Seven Servants {BTS}

Chapter Twenty Three ~

(Marina's POV)

I learned a lot about Queen Evangeline while I helped serve her. Most people saw her as a stuck-up teenager, but when you see her up close in her own room in a very vulnerable state, your thoughts change. I always knew she was great queen (and princess when she was younger) but being by her side made her seem more... normal.

"She will not eat any meat unless it's already cut for her," Jin chuckled. "She doesn't like letting other people see how 'skilled' she is with a knife." He put air quotes around the word skilled which made me think she wasn't that handy with simple silverware.

"The Queen has a hard time sleeping," Jungkook added. "She's asked me many times to stand in her room and not outside. She has a lot of nightmares about her parents."

"Can't stand the color orange," Taehyung giggled. "I learned that mistake the hard way. I watched in horror as she grabbed all my orange dyes and tossed them out the window." Namjoon nodded, saying he remembered seeing little glass bottles fly past the window as he sat in the study.

Hoseok grinned. "She loves card games! She's very competitive, but it's fun playing with her since she lets loose and actually has a good time!"

"She also loves flowers," Jimin noted. "She told me that she used to spend a lot of time in the gardens before her parents died. She loved making flower crowns out of them."

"It's a shame that her youth was stolen like that," Namjoon sighed. "She didn't get to enjoy that much before she had to get all cold-hearted and start ruling a kingdom."

Yoongi agreed, murmuring and nodding. "She told me that she was pretty free as a child, but since there wasn't really any other kids, she didn't have anyone to play with. She spent a lot of time just walking around the grounds by herself or coloring in her room."

I took in all this new information. They told me more and more things only an insider such as themselves would know about her. "I always thought she was tall," I muttered, adding to the conversation. "But I realize that she's only five feet tall."

Namjoon grinned. "That's why she doesn't leave the castle without heels on. When we first came here, we didn't know anything about her. I think we all probably depicted an old and decrepit woman who had to walk around with a cane. I remember stepping out of that carriage and seeing a little sixteen-year-old girl. I felt like I had just been tricked."

"I remember that day!" Jimin interjected. "She was so tiny! Jin's fattened her up a bit, though, with his good cooking."

"She's still a skinny, pathetic thing," Yoongi chuckled.

"Don't say that," Jin scolded. "That's rude."

Taehyung leaned forward. "Ooh, I remember the first time we actually started working for her. She was acting so tough and mean but then she forgot Jungkook's name and it was so hilarious. She was so flustered."

"Oh, do you remember when that mouse ran out from under the wine cabinet?" Jungkook asked. "She jumped ten feet high before running over to Yoongi and begging him to kill it."

Normally, people would think that the royal families are stuck up and always reserved and calm. Maybe most of them were. Maybe Queen Evangeline was just a fluke. But it was nice to see that someone who was at the highest position she could be was like a normal girl. She did normal people things and acted like a child at times. It was nice to see that a queen was able to act like someone like me.

"So you guys hadn't ever told her no before?" I asked, seeing that they were comfortable with answering my questions.

They all went quiet. "Namjoon's the one that tests her patience, but I don't think he's ever out-right told her no," Hoseok answered.

Jungkook nodded. "I've never really thought about it. I'm here to serve her now, so whatever she says, goes."

"What do you think she would do if you ever said no?" I continued.

They went quiet again before Yoongi shrugged. "I don't really want to be the one to find out. She's sick right now so you haven't seen her when she's fully rested and ready to put someone in their place. She can get pretty scary when she wants to."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you guys ever come here?"

They all looked at each other, unspoken words tossed between the seven of them. Jin straightened his posture and laid his hands on the table. "That, Marina, is something we are not allowed to tell. However, we do appreciate your brother coming to save us. We're sorry for your loss, but I can verify that Queen Evangeline did her job and made things as right as she could."

Taehyung grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. "Mark was a nice lad. It's a shame something as bad as that happened to him."

"Queen Evangeline really liked him and was devastated to find out that Mark was taken like that," Jimin continued.

I sighed, remembering the smile that was always on my brother's face when he came home from visiting the Queen. But these seven talked about my brother like they knew him. Maybe they did and I just don't remember them. "I think he liked her. As in, loved her."

Jin grinned. "I think the feelings were mutual, Marina."

Hoseok stood from the table. "I think I need to go check up on her. She's been asleep for an hour."

"If she stayed asleep," Jungkook remarked as he stood as well.

The others stood and I followed suit. "It was nice talking to you," Yoongi said. "We don't get to see other people, you know."

I bowed, and I think it took him by surprise. "Thank you, for serving my Queen and keeping her safe."

"It's my pleasure."

---