The Peasants Prince [discontinued]

1. Caged Peacock

Gunhak stared out of his window at the royal menagerie, watching the birds chirp and whistle. 

He was trying to ignore the desperate attention seeking giggles that came from the doorway. He didn't pay any notice to the light tapping of a foot repeatedly hitting the ground. He smiled at the thought of her annoyed face.

"Gunhak Oppa!" Came a falsely sugary voice pitched unnaturally high. "I thought you would be here!"

"How many times do I have to tell you Jugyeong" Gunhak said "I'm younger than you by 4 years your 26 and I'm 22 you have to stop calling me Oppa."

Gunhak didn't like the coy smile she sent up to him, or the way she put her arms behind her to show off her cleavage. She took two small steps towards him and placed her hands on his chest.

"Ooh Oppa you're strong." She said, trailing her hands down his torso. "I wouldn't mind a strong man like y-"

Leedo cut her off stopping her hands from trailing down futher than his waist. "Jugyeong." He said, his deep voice sharp as steel "I'd prefer to have no romantic interaction with a scarlet woman such as you."

A gasp escaped her small lips. Then she turned her body and stomped out of the room in a huff.

Gunhak smiled. But his smile dissapeared when a short royal guard, enterd the room. His face too boyish to be that of a royal guard.

"Leedo!" The soldier addressed him by his safe-name, used for security.

"No need for that name on the palace grounds, only in the public." Leedo said "What's your name?"

"Yeo Hwanwoong, your highness"

"Hwanwoong.." Gunhak said, commiting it to memory. "Well why are you here Hwanwoong?"

"Her Royal Majesty the Queen Chun-Hei has requested your Audience in the courtyard."

"Alright, dismissed." Gunhak said. The soldier turned to leave. 

"Ah wait," Gunhak stoped him, "I was planning on going on a hunt later on, care to join?" 

He liked this boy.

"Beg your Pardon sire?" A shocked Hwanwoong said.

"You heard, meet me at noon with a horse and Bow." Gunhak said walking out the door of his room into the labyrinth of corridors running through the palace. Leaving a stunned Hwanwoong in his room.

After trying to escape an overdramatic Jugyeong, Gunhak managed to make it to the courtyard.

"Mother!" Leedo ran to the woman walking alongside the fountain, "You're not well, you should be inside resting."

"Nonsense." His mother said as she, swatted an imaginary fly and walked on.

"This, my son," The queen said as she gestured to everything around her "is truly what I need. Your Father would go on walks outside all the time and he lived longer than anyone expected."

"I know but I still worry." Gunhak said running his hand through his hair. He saw his mother smile, making her eyes wrinkle at the sides the way his did. He got that from his mother. The strong stature from his father, and the sweet small face from his mother. But the smile was gone in an instant.

"But that is not why I brought you here." She said sitting down and patting the seat beside her. "Why haven't you accepted any of the brides I've picked out?"

"Mother you know why..."

"No," She replied, turning to stare at her son" I don't. They're all very polite girls, quite pretty too."

"Yes but if I marry them will I be happy?" Gunhak fought.

"Because I won't be here forever." She said, sadness creeping into the edge of her voice . "I wont be here for you when you become king, and you need someone to care for you! Those girls are the quickest way to find you a loyal partner."

Gunhak stood up slowly. "And you think they will be loyal to me?" He scoffed "After the first few days, I'll get boring to them. They'll go away gallivanting around having a affairs with every random nobleman they can find, while I will be the only one putting effort to keep our relationship real for the people! Not for myself!"

His breathing was coming in and out in angry huffs. "I feel like I'm a caged peacock in a zoo mother." He said in a lower tone after he finished his rant, "The only thing I'm expected to do is strut around and show off my pretty feathers."

He walked off, not caring about how hurt she must've felt.

He walked into the armoury, grabbed his bow and a quiver full of arrows. Then, after stopping in the stables to get his best riding horse, Met Hwanwoong along with his hunting party at the palace gates.

He mounted his horse and took his bow in his hands.

"Let's go." He said and he took off, his hunting party not far behind him, abandoning his thoughts to the adrenaline rush of a hunt.

***

[EDITED]

Wow...

My first Chapter, I'm proud of myself. 

I couldn't finish my first story. It wasn't thought out well enough. I'm sorry. But I have an even better one now!

I Hope you like it and maybe even get into the Oneus fanclub.

BEOCOME A MOON!!

I love you!

- Bethan❤️