Finer Things [COMPLETED]

7

PANAS, Kung Empire

"If you're going to continue to ignore me, I'll just go to the hot springs myself," James said to Jennie who had her arms crossed and avoided his eye contact. "Good bye, Princess."

He waved before he exited the room. Thankfully, the cuts on his hands are minor and healed quickly and the Princess had been ignoring him for a last few weeks unless they were in public, to which she would loop her arm around his.

At the hot springs, James stripped completely naked and stepped into the hot water. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, resting on the rock behind him.

The sound of someone else getting into the water startled him, since he was in a secluded cave that not many people know of. He slowly opened his eyes one by one to see Sana popping up from the water. She ran her fingers through her wet hair and opened her eyes.

"I don't mean to be rude, Miss Minatozaki but what are you doing here?" James asked and used his hands to cover his area under the water.

Sana smiled and answered, "I came to find a relaxing hot spring to enjoy, but I guess finding you here would be a perk."

Sana spoke with confidence, as if their last encounter didn't tear her heart in half. But who was James to judge when he acted unbothered around Jennie.

"I've stayed long enough, I should get going," James said but didn't move because Sana was looking right at him. "Could you... Do you mind..."

"Did you want me to leave first?" Sana said and stood up on the shallower end of the pool, flashing her top half to him.

"No, no..."

James quickly looked a different direction and desperately tried to erase the image from his mind but he couldn't. Sana swam towards him and he still didn't want to look her in the eyes.

"Miss Minatozaki..."

"Yes, my Prince?" Sana said with an unforgivably seducing voice.

"We shouldn't do this.."

"But you want to... don't you?" she asked, a little more serious this time. She used her hands to move his face towards her and it was hard for him to look her in the eyes. "This time, there is absolutely nobody around so please tell me the truth... When I left the other day, would you have ran after me?"

James gulped and found himself following the bead of water moving from her chin, down her neck, and hitting the water just above her collarbone.

"You don't have to speak... just show me how you feel," Sana continued and took a step back.

"Why... why do you have to be so alluring?" James asked.

Sana smiled, "My ancestors didn't include Aphrodite for nothing," she said with a little laugh.

James pushed himself off of the rocky wall and towards Sana, he ran his hands down her arms and they made their way to her waist as he leaned down to kiss her. Sana pulled his head closer with her hands and the water from his nose traveled down her neck.

From the corner, Jennie caught them at the worst time as their bodies kept getting closer to one another. But instead of standing there, she walked into the open.

"Kung Jaehyun," Jennie said through clenched teeth and James immediately pulled away from his kiss with Sana.

"Princess..." James said but Jennie was already walking away, "Princess! Wait!"

James got out of the water and didn't bother to dry off before he pulled his swimming trunks on and ran after Jennie.

....

"Princess! Princess, please... let me explain," James called out but she kept ignoring him. "Princess, you have every right to be angry at me but please listen to what I wish to say."

Jennie speed walked all the way back to their private cottage and James followed her inside.

"Welcome back, Your Highness," Lilith said as Jennie stormed into the room.

"I'm not mad..." Jennie said in a cold tone, almost too calm but that made it deadly. "Why would I be mad? It's not like you and I are marrying for love. Go ahead, kiss whoever you want."

Lilith's eyes widened but she was too afraid to saying anything at the moment.

"Princess, I'm suspecting sarcasm," James said.

Jennie walked right up to him and punched his chest. It was a hard punch but the Prince could stand it.

"Why did you hit me if you're not mad?"

"That wasn't a hit, it was more of a shove. This is a hit..." she said and punched him even harder in the chest.

"I want you to know how embarrassed I am to put you in that situation. I want to beg or your forgiveness. Something came over me in that moment and-"

"Are you begging for forgiveness or making excuses? If you want to beg me then get on your knees."

"Your Highness...." Lilith was about to scold but seeing Jennie in a state of cold anger, she didn't want to intrude.

Nonetheless, James did as he was told and got on his knees. He lowed his head to the ground in a bow. "Please forgive my act of unfaithfulness," he said.

"I don't care that you kissed her..." Jennie said and he looked up at her.

"Pardon me?"

"I don't care that you kissed her," she repeated.

"....But Princess, I beg to differ. I think you do care."

"Your Highness, don't make him kneel like this," Lilith said to remind them of her presence.

"You obviously still have feelings for her—it's fine. I'm totally fine with it," Jennie said. "I don't know why I even called your name."

"Don't think so low of me, Princess. I... I know there isn't much I can say on my part but..." James trailed off.

"Don't let me see you kiss her again and we won't have a problem. In fact, go kiss her right now. Get out."

"Princess..." James said and she turned her back on him. "How can I prove to you that it was simply a moment of weakness. I do not intend on repeating it."

"Just leave," Jennie said in defeat. Anyone could hear the emptiness of those words.

"You are going to be my wife, the future Queen to the Korean Empire. And I don't want to hold you back with my foolish behaviour. Therefore I will tell you now, Princess, that if you wish to terminate our engagement... I'll understand."

"Why does everything have to be so political?" Jennie asked and looked at James through cold eyes. "Please leave me with my thoughts."

With that, James slowly got up from the ground and walked out of the room.

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