𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆 | ᵃᵗᶻ

XLI

_____________________________

the chilly air was slowly warming up as the seasons passed, and now it was autumn in all its glory with the vermilion leaves scattering the castle gardens, and the satisfying crunch that came with the crisp fresh air reminded
se-ri just why she favoured the fall season so much.

she trudged down the marble staircases with a lazy kink in her step; she had barely gotten sleep the past few nights but her wound was healing perfectly as time passed. of course, the flashing images of that soul-stirring night would replay in her head whenever she found herself zoning out, but she was slowly coming out of that dark place that she calls her haunting mind.

she woke up alone today, and she figured it was because she slept in later than she thought.

the familiar scent of sweet waffles wafted in her direction, and she took pleasure in the absolutely comforting smell. shuffling into the kitchen silently, se-ri admired the sight of seonghwa moving around the kitchen with skilful, experienced movements as if being in the kitchen was his purpose in life.

she laughed softly, and the barely audible sound caused seonghwa to whip around, and his eyes moved slighty downwards to where his wife stood huddled up in a burrito of blankets.

"i thought you told me you had no idea what you were doing in the kitchen?" she laughed, resting her elbows on the countertop and staring at him with wide doe eyes and an innocent, yet somehow playfully vexatious grin.

he rolled his eyes and set the pan of eggs down, and poked her dimple as he smirked.

"but who's the one who always cooks breakfast?" he smirked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed against his broad chest.

"yunho."

his devilish smirk dropped, and he stalked closer and closer to her. he moved so that he was standing behind her, and snaked an arm around her waist, mindful of her lower abdomen. the crown prince nuzzled his face into her neck, and she tensed up the ticklish feeling of his hair brushing against the sensitive skin.

"haha, very funny. and why are you out of bed, hm?" he mumbled.

"because i'm so sick and tired of being in bed all day. you have your duties to attend to, and the boys are always busy. plus, it doesn't hurt to walk around anymore." she grinned, spinning around so that she could wrap her arms around his waist to pull him closer.

seonghwa smiled at se-ri sadly. "i'll never forgive that bastard for what he did to you."

her smile slowly dropped, and she willed herself to not let her tears build up and drop, because she knew that once she started, she wouldn't be able to stop.

"also, i was thinking of something."

"yes, what is it?" she responded, glad for the distraction that he unknowingly brought.

"what if...i stepped down as potential king? since...there will be no heir for the park family anymore."

there was a familiar pang of pain that hit in her in the chest, but she brushed it off for seonghwa's sake. gasping softly, she looked up at him, "but what about the kingdom? of course i'll always be by your side, but atiny needs it ruler, you know." she said, pointing out the blatant facts.

he stifled a laugh, and brought up a hand to stroke her hair in an assuring manner. "thank you, se-ri. and i was thinking myra and san. after all, it makes sense. kai's dead, ultimately leaving her the only rightful heir of her bloodline's throne. what if we merged the two kingdoms? it'll be easier since I didn't even have my coronation yet." he proposed, and it seemed by the wise furrow of his brows and thoughtful eyes, that he put much planning and thinking into this idea.

"hm, honestly, it could work out. but obviously, that decision will be entirely up to them." she responded.

he hummed in agreement, and placed a hand at the back of her head to pull it into his chest, and she followed his movements comfortably. they stood there, embracing each other with such tenderness that no one could compare to how well they fit together, as if no one could compete with them. and if there ever were any competitors, then they were better off giving up, for no one could possibly top se-ri and seonghwa.

"se-ri," he called out. she made a noise in response, too lost in the safe haven that was seonghwa's arms.

"...i'm sorry." he choked out.

she simply shook her head, "none of it was your fault. we knew what we were doing, we should've been prepared for the consequences. let's just hope to always be together."

se-ri felt the prince nod, and she felt the vibrations of his chest warm her up further as he spoke once more.

"always and forever, my star."

______________________________

💌

okay, i liked how this came out :)

what do you guys think will happen next? also have you guys ever noticed that...se-ri did actually lose her innocence to hwa? it happened the day of their wedding but it was so briefly mentioned that you'd have to look closely to figure it out hehet

stay safe and stan ateez, my lovelies <3