The King's Arrangement (BTS X Reader)

Chapter 7

Emira:

I smiled to myself at the blush on YN's cheeks. I knew her better than anyone. She couldn't hide it from me. As I was bringing in the tea, I hadn't missed the interaction between her and the handsome man. Only Jin and myself knew of the man's true feelings for the princess. He had kept it hidden so well. I had been in the kitchen making the princess's evening tea the night he had seen her for the first time. He came rushing into the kitchen, his eyes alight with happiness. I had not seen that look on him before.

He had plopped into a chair, not even noticing my presence. I laughed at the memory of his sweet recollection of the beautiful woman he had met.

"Jin! My dear friend! I have fallen in love," he exclaimed. "I've just seen the most beautiful goddess in the garden. I must know who she is."

Jin had smiled at the words. "I don't know who you are referring to. There are several visiting royals at the palace," he replied, a hand rubbing his chin.

The man sighed in frustration then buried his head in his hands. "She's beautiful. She has beautiful hair, the color of midnight. Her skin has the look of the smoothest satin and she has the most musical laugh I have ever had the pleasure of hearing," he replied, his voice wistful.

I hesitated as had I listened to his description of his mystery love. It sounded suspiciously like the princess, but it couldn't be. Could it? The man had described how his goddess had bent down and immersed herself in the scent of the magnolias, a look of pure adoration on his face.

I pretended not to hear as I finished making the tea. I exited quickly from the room and hurried to bring the tea to YN in her quarters. We had just arrived to the palace that very evening from the neighboring kingdom. Prince Soobin was planning on announcing their engagement the next day. I had held YN in my arms as she cried over the arranged marriage before pulling herself together and accepting her fate.

When I arrived in the room, YN was just returning. She had already changed out of her gown and was putting on the simple shorts and the old hoodie she had stolen from her college friend. She handed me the gown at my request and I noticed the flower petal clinging to the lace. Could YN be the handsome man's mystery love?

During the engagement announcement, I watched the face of the handsome man. As YN rose to stand beside Prince Soobin, I noticed the look of hurt and devastation in his eyes. The handsome man had indeed been referring to my childhood friend. My heart broke a little for him. It was clear on his face that he had indeed fallen in love at first sight. He had taken a step forward as though to snatch the princess from the hands of her intended, but quickly stopped himself and emptied his face of any emotions.

The man continued to show immense kindness to the princess. The princess would light up in a smile whenever she spoke to him, a smile that did not appear when Prince Soobin would grace her with his presence. I had mentioned it to Jin one evening and he clucked his tongue in sympathy.

"He really does love her. This upcoming wedding is exceptionally hard on him. He would love nothing more than to confess and whisk her away, but unfortunately, we all know that is not meant to be," Jin remarked sadly.

I had become close with the handsome palace chef. We had spent many evenings sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea and just spending time with each other. I told him about losing my family at a young age and how YN's family had basically taken me in. He had asked if becoming her lady's maid after being her friend for so long was hard.

I didn't even have to think about the question before shaking my head. "No. YN and I have always been very close. I knew she was a princess and that our stations in life were very different, but YN always treated me as a sister more than anything else," I explained. "After the death of my parents in an accident, YN's parents took me in and basically raised me as one of their own. It was only natural for me to become her lady's maid. As it is, she hardly lets me do anything for her."

Jin had laughed at that, but quickly sobered. "It just proves what he has said and what I've seen. She has been so kind and compassionate to the palace staff that they are willing to do anything for her. I've rarely seen anyone with that sweet nature. Only one other," he said, blushing.

I looked at him in confusion then Jin leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. I was in shock for a moment before kissing him back.

I shook the thought from my head. Jin and I had been seeing each other secretly ever since. Not even YN knew about the relationship, although I did feel guilty about keeping it from her. There was no rule about palace staff in relationships, but I didn't want YN to feel any sadness because of my relationship. I was happy and falling in love, while my best friend was filled with sadness and forced into a marriage with a man who didn't care for her at all.

Jungkook:

I made my way to the palace conference room to meet with my second in command of the royal guard, Jimin. Although the man was two years older than I was, he was still one of the younger members of the guard. The other members respected his kindness and his caring demeanor. We had a good rapport. When I had first selected him, the other members had scoffed due to his petite size. An older member, Jung Min had challenged him and I couldn't help but smile on the inside at the way the challenge had gone. Despite his size, Jimin was exceptionally strong. He had taken the man down swiftly, earning the respect and admiration of the others. Jung Min had given in and shaken his hand, congratulating him on the position. Jimin had taken the congratulations and politely thanked the man. After that, there had been no other issues among the guard.

Jimin had spent the morning with the new recruits, running them through the last week of drills. They would be ready to be assigned by the end of the following week, the day before the prince's coronation.

"How did the drills go this morning?" I asked Jimin, after one of the palace staff delivered coffee.

Jimin prepared his coffee, taking a sip before replying. "Extremely well," he said. "They have vastly improved within the last two weeks."

I nodded my head. "Excellent. How about Jackson?" I questioned.

Jimin smiled at the thought of the young recruit. "Jackson is highly skilled and was very easily trained," he said.

"I have plans to add him to the princess's personal security detail. What are your thoughts on that?" I asked, seeking Jimin's opinion.

Jimin nodded his head. "Absolutely. Jackson admires and respects her so much that he would be one of her most loyal guards. He mentions her at every chance, especially how she remembered his name," he said with a smile.

I returned the smile. "One of the reasons I had chosen him," I replied.

Jimin and I finished going over the progress of the new recruits. We had placed two other guards on the princess's personal security detail, bringing the total to three. Both of them had been with the royal guard for a few years. They were currently stationed at the palace gates and had shown unswerving loyalty. They would be a good addition, along with Jackson. When the princess's security detail was in place, I would go back to guarding the prince.

As Jimin left, my thoughts drifted back to him. When I had been placed on Prince Soobin's security detail, Jimin had taken my place with the king and queen. He had immediately gained their respect and trust when he had protected the king without hesitation during an outing. The king and queen had visited the market to purchase a pendant for the wedding when the king was targeted. Jimin had stepped in without hesitation, taking a knife wound to the shoulder that was meant for the king's back. The king and queen had thanked him repeatedly. Jimin had taken two days to heal before returning to their side. The king and queen tried to insist he take longer, but Jimin could not be persuaded.