My Prince (Taekook)

Chapter 3

*due to the pleading of my friend, I have published this chapter early* -A/N

"You can pay for it, with your body."

-kth-
My face flushed with horror. Jeongguk leaned back, as expressionless as ever.

"I-I can't possibly." My eyes pleaded. "Jeongguk," the name felt strange coming out of my mouth, "please. I can't do that. You're a prince. I can't possibly- it's far too- I have- I just- I can't. I'm sorry but you're asking for too much, your highness."

H tilted his head innocently, though his eyes contradicted the look. "It's alright. I didn't mean it like that anyway." My face reddened with embarrassment. "I meant that you could work directly for me. I'll pay the expenses for your grandmother's treatment."

"Thank you!!" I say, overjoyed. "I don't know how I can ever express my gratitude."

"And I didn't like that coat anyway. It was too... white! This was just an excuse to get rid of it."

"You're very kind hearted."

He smirked. "That's where you're wrong." He turned his back to me and faced the window. "You may leave." He waves me off.

I turn around to leave. Then I noticed the smell of his room. Very... different. It smelled like the ocean mist with hints of lavender and roses. The combined smell with the smell of the desserts made it more intoxicating. But when I got close enough, he didn't smell like the room at all. He smelled of the fresh cool autumn breeze with... cherry blossoms.

"Wait!" Jeongguk called out. I turned around, slight confused. He gave me a warm smile.

"Yes?"

"Since you're new here, why don't I show you around?"

"That's very kind of you but I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

"It wasn't an offer." He turned cold for a moment. "But I guess I can't force you, well I can. At least let me show you the garden." He was back to being... whatever he was before.

"Well I guess a little garden viewing couldn't hurt." I smile. Then my smile disappeared. I remembered how I looked while I smiled.

"Well let's go." Jeongguk says and walks past me. I follow after him as he heads to the east. "So, Taehyung, how old are you? If that isn't too private to you."

"22."

"Wait, you're older than me?" He says surprised. "But you're so... small. Not as small as Jimin though."

"I'm not small." I frown. "You're just... big?"

"How would you know?" He raises an eyebrow. One with a scar. I hadn't noticed it before.

I blush when I get the joke. "That's why I questioned my wording." I realized I was flailing my arms around as I spoke and kept them to my side. "How would YOU know if I was small?"

He chuckles. We continue walking for a bit until Jeongguk gets stopped. He and another conversed for a moment, muttering inaudible things, then Jeongguk turned back to me.

He gave me a small reassuring smile.

"Sorry Taehyung, I have to go." He apologizes.

"Oh okay. It's fine."

"Why don't you wait for me at the garden? Okay?" He seemed like a child as he smiled excitedly.

I nod. "Okay." He turns around and walks away with the other man until I realize something. I don't know where the garden is. I blush in embarrassment and looked around. I continued walking in the direction we were going before then looked back. I frowned recognized no part of the area I was in.

Suddenly a fairly tall man comes up to me.

"Jeongguk asked me to escort you to the garden." He smiles. I return the smile. "Follow me."

He takes me to the garden, talking with me as we went.

Once we arrived he turned and waved goodbye. I walked around the garden, admiring the multiple colors that the flowers were. I stopped at a particular on that sparked interest.

I crouched down and to a closer look. The stem of the flowers were... black. At first the petals looked blue then I realized they were also black. The pollen was blue. I reached my hand out to touch it until someone else's hand grabbed mine.

"Don't touch that." I turned my head and was met with the warm, charcoal eyes of Jeongguk. He smiles and turns his gaze to the flowers. "They call this the Jeon's flower. Do you know why?"

I shake my head. "No. Why?" Curiosity sparked inside of me.

"Because it kills." My eyes widen. "Anything that touches it dies. The only thing that can touch it without dying is one with the ability to control death or a butterfly of Life. I'll show you."

He stood and went over to a bench. He crouched down and pulled out a box of some sort. He came back over and reached into the box. Then I realized it was a cage with 3 butterflies in it. One climbed onto his finger and came with it when he pulled his hand out.

Jeongguk reached toward the flower and set the butterfly onto the petal. Almost immediately, the butterfly shriveled up to nothing but a pile of ashes.

My eyes widen with both fear and interest. "Wait," I turn my head to Jeongguk, "why is it called the Jeon's flower?"

Jeongguk smirked. "Because we control death." He turns his head to me. "But some are born with the power of life."

"Like who?"

"Jiminie hyung."

"Oh," I turn my head back to the face the flowers, Jeongguk's gaze following mine. "Even if you have the power to control death, I could never believe you're all bad like they say you are." I smile to myself.

I feel his gaze turn back onto me. His gaze seemed to burn so I looked back at him.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing." He shakes his head and lets out a low laugh. He looks back at the flowers. "How naive."

"What?!" I jump up to my feet. "I'm not naive." I pout. He pulls on my pants and I squat back down. He laughs again. "Hmph."

I put my hands down on the ground only to be met with the cold touch of a hand. Jeongguk flinches but doesn't move his hand for it was under mine. I pull my hand away immediately.

"Sorry." I apologize.

"It's fine." He stands. "I'll be back." My eyes follow him until he's out of sight. After that, my gaze snaps back to the flowers.

My interest in them couldn't seem to shaken off. The leaves on the stem were pointed to an edge as sharp as a shard of glass. I didn't see it before but then I realized there were petals under the flower. But they weren't black, they were all sorts of color.

But why.

If only I could get a closer look at the petals-

I cried out in pain when I realized I had touched the petal.