The trip was long. The paladin workers grew tired by the minute, you could feel them slowing down. Occasionally one of them would stumble and a guard would yell at him. You heard the commotion outside. People gathered on the streets to cheer, and some cried, mostly older people who didn't want their Princess to leave the country.
"We're close." one of the guards yelled. Your chest tightened. The paladin came to a stop soon after. The doors opened one the maids helped you out. Through the red veil, you could see a figure standing in front of you, a giant villa rose behind him like mountains. He also looked uncomfortable, judging by his quick breaths. The thing was, he wasn't dressed in his ceremonial clothes, but instead, just a regular suit. Maybe they do things differently.
An official intercepted you before you could reach the Japanese Prince. "My apologies, Princess." he spoke. "According to the Prince, the weather today isn't fit for a wedding." You looked up, the sun was descending behind the mountains and the air was fresh. "So instead, it will be for tomorrow. I'll have someone escort you to your room for you to rest for now." You gave the Prince a weird yet grateful look, although he couldn't see it.
You followed some guards to a room in the villa. It was the size of the Princess's room back in the palace. It was simple, a large bed with a white canopy, the walls were also white, but the golden lights gave it a softer and warmer look. The guards closed the door behind you and you let out a long puff. You sat on the couch, letting your hands wandered on the surface to feel the material. Cold and unfamiliar. You took off the veil and set it carefully on the table. Then there was a knock on the door, and it opened too quick for you to put the veil back on.
It was the Prince, still in his suit. He sure was handsome when you could see him clearly without the veil. But something was off about him. "Your Highness." he said in Korean.
"You're not the Crown Prince." you said suddenly. He looked down, flustered.
"I'm sorry to have deceived you, Princess Ha Eun." It seems that your identity was still safe. "I am his younger brother, Prince Makoto. He had asked me to take his place instead while he goes to Dubai for a party." he explained, he still wasn't looking at you. You scoffed, the audacity of that jerk. "I will understand if you don't want to marry me. But you and I both know, we have no choice."
"What do you mean?"
"My father is old and greedy. I am aware of my father's ambitions as well as your uncle. My brother has no right to take the thrones, and I am more favored amongst our people. I believe together, we can make things right again." He took a seat on the sofa across from you. "I cannot let this continue any further."
"I believe the exact same thing." you told him. "Which is why I switched with the real Princess."
"I was wondering when you would tell me. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." he winked.
"How did you know?" you asked.
"Even though I haven't seen pictures of the Princess, I heard she had an aura of innocence. You looked like you've lived through Hell and made it out alive. The perseverance and determination on your face gave it away." He stood up and sat next to you on the couch, dangerously close. "I'm glad I agreed to switch." His hand went up to touch your face.
"Prince Makoto." you said, stopping him.
"I see, you have someone else you love, right?" he asked, leaning back. You nodded. "Well then, I shall not touch you during our marriage. Unless you tell me to." You laughed. "You won't have to stay married to me forever. After we get things back on track, I can pretend to banish you or something, and you can go back to your lover."
"Thank you for your gracious offer. But I think he might forget about me by then, or at least I hope he will."
"Men are more persistent than you think. I'm sure you'll live happily together. For now, please tell me all you can about the Prime Minister." Just then, one of the windows burst open. A shadow rushed by you and took ahold of Prince Makoto. Makoto swung his fist, which landed on the intruder's face, who stammered back a little bit. Before the Prince could yell out, the figure dressed in all black jabbed him in the stomach with the handle of his sword, causing him to fall unconscious and he fell to the floor. You gasped.
The intruder's eyes landed on you, and your heart pounded faster. Not out of fear, maybe fear, but not for your life. Fear of disappointment. He removed his mask impatiently, he was angry. The bruise on his face was red and purple. "Your Highness, what are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you that, Y/N." he growled. He stalked over to you and held your wrist tightly. "What the fuck are you doing here? I told you to not do anything stupid. How could you?" he yelled.
"Your Highness, I can explain." you trembled.
"You better have a damn good explanation for risking your life and leaving me like this." His eyes were hooded and it make you gulped.
"I was saving Ha Eun from this. You can't lose her, and she's too young. She deserves better. Together with Taehyung and Hoseok, you could figure out a way to stop your uncle."
"That's not a good enough explanation, Y/N. You deserve better, you deserve everything in life, and I can give you that. Did you not believe me? Do you not love me anymore?" he questioned.
"Your Highness, I love you with every ounce of my body." you said, but his facial expression didn't change.
"Then why?" he asked, his voice giving out on him.
"I can't tell you why." you said quietly and then looked away. "But Prince Makoto has the same goal as us, to stop his father. We can work with him now. Everything is fine."
"She's right, Prince Namjoon." It came from the floor, Prince Makoto stood up, holding onto his stomach. "I want no harm to Korea. In fact, I want us to have a better relationship than just colonization. I want to work together with you to discuss possible options." He extended out his hand, which the Prince was reluctant to shook.
"How do I know I can trust you?" he asked.
"Because I am not my father nor older brother. And I'm trained in kendo since I was 3, I wouldn't have fallen that quickly." He sat on the sofa and gestured for the two of you to sit down again. "Y/N, I presumed is your name, was just about to discuss your uncle's crime. If you have anything that would help, that would be great."
The Prince dug something in his chest pocket, his cellphone. You couldn't believe he brought his phone in a situation like this. He scrolled through the pictures, you recognized that they were the Japanese letters that you found. "I'm fluent in Japaneses, but I can't seem to understand the content of this."
Prince Makoto examined the pictured, eyebrows knitting together. "That's because it's written in codes. Luckily I know exactly how to crack it. Father is old school, his techniques are always the same." He stood up. "If you don't mind, I will translate the content in my room next door. I'll leave you two for now, call me if you need anything."
"Thank you, Prince Makoto." you said as he closed the door. When you looked back at the Prince, he was not happy.
YOU ARE READING
Pied Piper (Kim Namjoon x Reader)
Fanfiction"Surely Seokjin told you that I was sick." the Prince said, "You wouldn't leave a sick person by himself, right?" He leaned forward, hands on the desk. "Well, um, I don't want to disturb you while you eat and you seem fine, for the most part..." y...
