Save Me (Kim Namjoon X Readers)

Chapter 40

Words traveled far about the kitchen entertainment. Soon, the maidens and guards from all around the palace have gathered in the kitchen to watch their future king and queen fighting over the seasonings. Ruckus filled the space and the observers covered their mouths to not disturb the couple.

"You put too much salt." you yelled. Your tongue twisted at the taste.

"You said a pint of salt." Namjoon said back, he couldn't raise his voice at you. He would never.

"I said a pinch!" you argued. Namjoon flushed and pouted his lips. The first mistake was trusting him with the measuring out the condiments but he claimed he that if he could handle running a city, he could handle seasoning some shrimps. You had been taking a step back, only giving him instructions without actually taking over the cooking yourself.

"Oh no, what do we do now?" the prince asked, looking flustered at the shrivelled shrimps.

"Elope?" you half-joked. A few of the maidens laughed along with you. But Namjoon glanced at you and pouted further. You approached him to pat his back.

"Y/N, be serious." he whined. "I need to impress your mother."

"Alright, alright, sorry." you said. "Let's start over, we still have time, and this time, I'll do the seasonings."

"Okay," he cheered. He bounced around excitedly at the thought of cooking with you. Even if he wanted to do this on his own, he figured the two of you would be the best team possible. The audience awed as they saw the two of you talking and laughing comfortably with each other, as if it was magic, or some sort of red strings connecting you two. A certain woman saw that too, smiled to herself, then walked back to her room to wait for dinner.

After another hour, a flavorful aroma filled the kitchen and the happy couple stood back, admiring their creation. "Are you ready?" you asked, turning to him.

The Prince exhaled, then nodded firmly. "Yes, let's go to them now. Let's go get permission to get married."

"What makes you think I want to marry you?" you teased. He stopped in his tracks and stared at you. His eyes grew dark and hooded, then he pulled you by your waist closer to his face. The gesture made your heart pound.

"You can't get away from me that easily, my lady. And I know you won't be able to handle being apart from me." The maidens squealed at the scene. Your face grew hot as you pushed him back, hitting his chest lightly.

"Whatever."

Namjoon laughed then carried his tray of food. When you tried to take it from his hands, he moved away quickly. "I can at least handle this." he argued. The two of you walked quietly and nervously to where your parents were staying. You had asked someone to inform them that you would be joining them for dinner with the prince earlier, but you didn't need to, your mother already knew.

They waited by the small table as the two of you entered. As usual, they stood up to bow to Namjoon and as usual, he told them to never do that again around him. "I apologize to have made you waited so long," he said, voice shaking. "But I hope you enjoy the meal that Y/N and I made."

"It smells good," your father offered with a bright smile. It decreased Namjoon's worriedness by a little bit. But he was most focused on your mother. She eyed the food, and nodded.

"Mother, the prince put a lot of effort into cooking this," you added. "Please take that into consideration."

Your mother picked up her chopsticks, and picked up a piece of shrimp. The three spectators eyes her movement carefully. The room stopped and no one was breathing, particularly Namjoon. Madam Song shut everyone out as she chewed the shrimp, pondering about its taste. Then she stopped chewing. Namjoon's palms grew more sweaty. He leaned forward, anticipating the response.

"It's salty." she stated, putting her chopsticks back down on the table. It came like a boom to Namjoon, like a loud explosion. His breath hitched. "I'm kidding." she then said, then burst out laughing along with your father.

"Mother!" you exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "Your father told to do say that."

"Hey now, don't blame me." your father denied. "You were the one that said you wanted to mess with the prince."

"You both are unbelievable," you groaned.

"I apologized Your Highness," your mother said, turning to the prince who was still frozen. "Please sit down and eat. The food tastes great."

He did as told and tasted his creation. It wasn't that great, but it was edible. He saw that your mother and father were enjoying it more than he was expecting. And he saw that you were so happy to eat his bland shrimp, he was grateful for everything you do.

After the meal was done and the maidens were cleaning up, Madam Song cleared her throat. "I know why you did all of this. I know that the answer I gave you earlier this morning was not the most pleasant. I have thought about it more throughout the day, and when I saw the connection between you and Y/N in the kitchen, I felt at ease. Similar to her father, I felt terrible that I kept her from exploring the world. I think you were the first person she could actually be herself with, and I know she feels comfortable with you to be the real her. I'm thankful for that." She sighed, "But a concern of mine is still about court affairs. Let me ask you something."

"Of course," Namjoon nodded.

"Will you marry a second wife because of political pressure?"

"Never. I will never stop fighting to be with Y/N, and only her." he answered right away.

"What will Y/N do in the palace?"

"Anything she would like. There will not be a place in this palace that she isn't allowed to enter. Whatever she wants to do, I can assure you that I'll work hard to give it to her. But I know that she doesn't need me to do that. She'll achieve that on her own."

"Okay, lastly. If I ask, will you leave SilverStone to be with her?"

The question caught everyone off guard. Namjoon looked intently at your mother while he tried to come up with an answer. You started to speak up, but your father stopped you. "I wish I could say that I would drop everything to be with her, it had been my dream ever since I knew what dreaming was. However, to answer your question, I cannot. I am not living for just myself right now. There are thousands of people in this city who depend on me and I cannot abandon them. As much as I love Y/N, I need to stay."

Namjoon wondered if he said the wrong thing because no one said a word. That was the answer you expected him to say. He has his duties and you would support him no matter what. And that was also the answer your mother wanted him to say. The madam needed to know that Namjoon was committed both to you and to his responsibilities.

"Alright, then you have my blessings."

"Pardon?" He thought it was another prank.

"You have my permission to marry my daughter, Your Highness." your mother repeated. In the next second, Namjoon jumped up from his seat, causing it to fall over but he didn't care. Then he picked you up, then spun you around. His dream was starting to come true.