Found | Nomin

Chapter 12: The Bad Ones Always Do

Jaemin was on one of the castle's terraces picking at the red jewels of a pomegranate. The terrace overlooked the kingdom, the lake like a pool of sapphires reflecting the midday sun's shine. The air was fresh and the breeze was cooling. His lips were slowly staining red with each piece of the fruit he ate. He was calm and content. 

No one has bothered him all day. Renjun was no longer pestering him about Jeno and Dongmin had left with Mark and Haechan somewhere earlier that morning. 

He still hasn't talked with Jeno. He wasn't avoiding him anymore however. He still greeted Jeno whenever he saw him and they exchanged small talk. He knew Jeno picked up on something. He knew Jeno noticed his change in behaviour and how he suddenly seems detached. He can see the hurt on Jeno's face, smell his scent go cold and his chest pull. Jaemin doesn't want to hurt him but he can't help it. He doesn't know how to communicate his concerns. It makes him feel weak and he's always been taught that being weak was not for a royal.

"Minnie." Jaemin turned to the voice who had interrupted his thought. The king stood looking back at him with a warm smile, his robes coloured in the same green Jaemin wears. The king approached him like an old oak tree in the wind, smooth but firm, moving with such grace one could tell it held a thousand stories of the past. "Why do you isolate yourself out here?" His father questioned.

"I do not isolate myself." Jaemin refused, turning his guilty face away from the other. 

The king's smile only softened more. He placed his hand on the younger's back and petted it softly. "You've never been the type to let other's know what you're feeling." He mused, "Even when you needed help you never spoke of your troubles."

"Not much has changed then." Jaemin spoke. 

"It appears not." The king chuckled, lifting Jaemin's head up with a gentle hand under his chin. Looking into his son's eyes, he searched for anything that might tell him Jaemin's dilemmas. Jaemin only smiled back and grabbed a hold of his father's hand, observing the contrast of his father's aged skin against his. The king sighed as he watched his son. "Will you not tell me what is bothering you?"

Jaemin shook his head, "It is childish."

"Does your pride stop you from asking for help?" The king questioned in which Jaemin nodded silently.

"Your pride is nothing to me, Minnie. Your well-being is more concerning. Between a parent and child, dignity and pride are nonexistent. They are for reputation and for a stranger's opinion to judge upon only." The king told him as Jaemin followed along each word said. 

Jaemin sighed before starting, "It's about Jeno." He looked up from their hands to his father's eyes. The king nodded for him to carrying on. "I-I... um... I-I don't know how to talk to him about how I feel about... um, t-the, um, my heat and how I don't want him when it comes. I don't want to hurt his feelings."

"I'm sure you won't hurt his feelings. What's hurting him is you struggling by yourself and pushing him away." The king answered, "He's already hesitant with you, Minnie. He's very careful with your space and doesn't want to push you more than you're willing to. He'll give you all the space you want, don't underestimate that."

"Okay." Jaemin smiled as he visibly relaxed. His father gave him another pat on the back before he began walking back from where he came. 

The king paused for second before the entrance and turned back to Jaemin. "You should go see him, Minnie. Even if you don't talk to him about your heat, it'll relieve weight off both of your shoulders." Jaemin nodded and bid farewell to his father. 

He stood there for a second. His father was right. He should go see Jeno. Avoiding him isn't doing either one of them any good.