Crimson Crown

⌠26⌡

A week or so had passed since Jinyoung's last visit to the vampire and all it proved was that trying to forget Jackson was harder than he thought.

He tried to focus on princely duties, appearing in public to reassure the masses and helping out around the kingdom and the palace; yet no matter what he's doing, he ends up thinking about that vampire. He should leave their ties cut for good, but the only tie that was hardest to sever was the one in his head that still thought maybe Jackson still had some good in him. It was a silly thought to have at this point, but Jinyoung was the type to hold onto hope until it was futile.

He wished Jackson would just disappear from his mind-- that would make focusing on what's really important so much easier. Yet the longer they spent apart, the more he couldn't get the vampire out of his head.

"Jinyoung."

The prince jolted, snapping out of his daze. "Hm?"

"You seem to be preoccupied." Mark stated, suddenly swinging his wooden sword at Jinyoung, knocking him off balance. "You are easy to take down when you are not focused."

"I know..." The latter groaned as he hit the ground. He and Mark had scheduled swordfight training for the afternoon in the clearing just outside the palace, yet Jinyoung couldn't seem to find his footing like he usually could. He dusted himself off as he rose to his feet. "My head is... elsewhere."

"Is it not on your shoulders?" Mark asked, swinging his sword again, this time aiming for Jinyoung's head. The prince was able to duck, avoiding getting struck.

"It is in the clouds, I suppose." He answered before attempting to attack. 

His swing missed Mark by a long shot, the master swordsman dogging to the side and grabbing Jinyoung's free arm. He hooked his leg under the prince's and dropped him to the ground with a thud, using his body weight to pin him there, the tip of his sword pressed against the latter's neck.

"Had my sword been real, your head would be on the ground long before now." 

Mark released him, rolling off of the younger who fell flat against the grass. He laid there staring up at the clear sky, letting out a long sigh.

Mark took a seat beside him against a nearby tree, drinking from a large pitcher of water they shared. "Alright. What's the problem?"

"I have no problem."

"You are a much better fighter than this, Nyoungie."

It was easy to tell when Mark was being genuine, since he would revert to the nickname he's called the prince since they were kids. Jinyoung sat up with a groan, his body aching in multiple places as he reached for the water pitcher for a swig. "Like I said. My head is elsewhere."

"Where is it?"

"I don't know."

"You should find it soon, the war will come any day now."

"I know that!" The prince snapped. Mark's brows rose as it became painfully obvious that the war was one of many things on Jinyoung's mind. The latter shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry for shouting..."

"The war is bothering you then." Mark concluded.

"The war... other things that are complicated..."

"Is it a girl?"

"A g-girl..." Jinyoung repeated, a bit flustered by the assumption. Was he acting like a person agonizing over another?

"Or a boy? I do not judge." Mark added with a shrug.

Now Jinyoung could feel his cheeks flaming. "No! No, it's not like that."

Mark hummed, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yet you blush like a rose..."

"I assure you, it is nothing romantic." Jinyoung stated firmly, though the situation did sting similar to that of a break-up. He was still a bit hurt from the argument he and Jackson had last, and it was hard to keep up his princely behavior with all that in his head. "Just complicated."

"The vampire?" Mark guessed.

Jinyoung fell silent. Mark was keen, almost as keen as Youngjae was; he didn't expect the latter to catch on so fast. He turned his gaze away from the elder, looking off into the distance to avoid blushing any further.

The warrior hummed, taking the silence as his answer. "I've never seen the prince so captivated with something before."

"C-Captivated is not the word." Jinyoung quickly corrected.

"Obsessed?"

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Entranced."

"Entranced...?"

"Either way, you've snuck out for weeks upon weeks now to see that vampire. Now since the news of Cornelia's late prince, you haven't gone anywhere."

"Obviously I cannot see him anymore." Jinyoung mumbled, his eyes falling to the ground. "...I can't trust him."

"I understand that." Mark nodded. "But you miss him, I suppose."

"Will you quit that kind of talk? There is nothing romantic between us."

"I never said romantically this time, you did."

Jinyoung faltered, clicking his tongue. "Th-That doesn't mean anything..."

"You can miss friends." The elder stated as he removed his boots to let his feet breathe. "But what will you do about it?"

"Nothing I suppose..." Jinyoung let out a heavy sigh. What could he do about it anyway? There's no reason for him to see Jackson anymore, so even if he did miss him, what reason would he have to visit him again after they had parted with so much hostility? "...There's still so much I want to know. About him."

"Have you read up on his kind?"

"Yes, but he told me to stop looking. I wonder why."

"Something he does not want you to find, I suppose."

"Yes... I guess so..." 

Mark hummed, his gaze drifting up to the sky as he pondered for a moment. "...Maybe you're just looking in the wrong place. The best source would be the vampire himself, but since he does not want you looking in other places, obviously there must be an alternate way for you to gather information on him that he does not want you to pursue."

"I've read every vampire book that I have. I have no idea where else to look--" Jinyoung paused mid-sentence, a thought coming to mind. He remembered at the dinner table, the word 'history' was constantly thrown around, specifically in reference to Alveras's history. In fact, the messenger said that the culprit behind the prince's murder being a vampire was relevant 'considering the kingdom's history'-- history that maybe Jinyoung wasn't as familiar with as he thought. He quickly sat up with this being the only lead he has left. "Wait a moment."

"You've got it?" Mark asked curiously.

"Maybe..." Jinyoung quickly stood to his feet; it was worth a try to find any more answers about vampires, Jackson, and the kingdoms that are about to be at war. "Thank you for the lesson today Mark, we can pick up some other time!"

"Sure thing!" Mark called as the prince ran off toward the palace.

~.~

(*random but i dunno why this is one of my fave chapters just the markjin moment is cute to me shshdhsd*)