This is a bit early but  I don’t care anymore. I just want to put this up. Hahahahaha…. It’s been a long time since I wrote anything useful so this is supposed to be a comeback? Not really. Well, I received this prompt for secret santa and I wrote half of it before giving up. I submitted another story but it was kinda sad that this one was hanging so I finished it anyway. Read on~

Joseon

Woohyun walked across the yard haughtily, his head held high. A group of palace servant stopped and bowed at him but he simply walked away, not even giving them any notice. The servants looked at each other but said nothing. Woohyun’s status was higher than them, if they want to keep their head attached to the body, they better just stayed out of his way.

Woohyun turned right as he reached the outer gate of the inner palace, going towards a place he had left a long time ago. The guards bowed at him but didn’t stopped him. Confusions cleared on their faces, Nam Woohyun never left the inner palace without the King, seeing he alone like that was almost impossible.

He pushed open the door with a loud creak. The place was obviously had been abandoned for a long time, spider webs and dust had covered almost all places, a rat ran across the room as Woohyun stepped inside. He wasn’t grossed out, he had seen worse. Pulling the chair with an obvious scowl, he wiped it clean with his handkerchief. He might be angry but an ingrained habit die hard. He plopped himself on the chair, his mind already reeling back to the conversation he had with the King Mother earlier.

“I want you to lead the Queen Selection this time.” Woohyun wanted to scream that he didn’t want to but he kept his head bowed to the ground. The palace rules dictated that he shouldn’t looked at the royal family in their faces, a rule he always broke with the King but the King Mother was another case altogether.

“This is already the twelfth times. If the King still couldn’t choose a Queen, the people will be restless. He has enough concubines already, not that he ever touch any of them anyway. I want you to force him to choose and this time make sure that he sleeps with her.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“That brat, I just asked him to have . How hard is it anyway?!” Woohyun pretended not to hear what the King Mother said. He knows better than to pick up a fight with someone who could put his head on the gallows with a nod.

“Mark my words, Nam Woohyun. If the King still hadn’t has a Queen by the end of winter, I will have your head. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Woohyun was glad of his poker face back then. He was scared less but at the same time there was also an underlying anger. Why the Queen must be a female? Why can’t it be…? He stopped his thought there. He knew why. The King needs an heir and only a female can give him that. What a eunuch like him could do about it… He was neither a male or female, he was just the King's eunuch.

“There you are, Nam.” Woohyun opened his eyes to Lee Howon scowling face, the King’s personal bodyguard.

“What do you want, Lee?” Woohyun closed his eyes again, too annoyed to look at the guard.

“The King wants you. Why did you even come here anyway? This place is abandoned.” Howon looked around with disgust and almost jumped when a rat ran across his boots.

“None of your business.”

“It is when the King make me cross the palace to get you. Really, Nam, do me a favor and stayed next to him. He gets more annoying when you disappear.”

“What he wants this time?” Woohyun stood up, brushing his robe carefully. He might be angry but the King is his weakness.

“In his words, I want Nam Woohyun to feed my inner narcissism.”

“Your Majesty.” Woohyun kneeled on the floor, head bowed down as the King paced around the library, pouting. There was no answer.

“Where were you?” King Sunggyu’s tone was cold.

“I was at the outer palace, handling matters regarding the Queen Selection.” Woohyun lied fluently but he could feel the King staring at him. King Sunggyu always make him felt like he could see right through Woohyun’s lies but he never called the younger on it.

“It’s already that time of the year.” King Sunggyu sat on his chair behind the table, flipping through the books like the matter had nothing to do with him. This was how he faced the past Queen Selection, by pretending it was someone else’s problem.

“Your Majesty, this time you really need to pick a Queen. The King Mother is adamant about the matter.” King Sunggyu stared at him for a while, his face unreadable before he turned back to his books.

“Sure, sure.” Woohyun knew the King long enough to know he was avoiding the topic.

“Please don’t pull any pranks on the candidates this time, Your Majesty.” Woohyun stayed on his place, kneeling on the floor but his eyes were trained on King Sunggyu’s face.

“Why don’t you be my Queen then, Woohyun?” Woohyun saw the twinkling in King Sunggyu’s eyes, indication that he was up to no good.

“I’m serious here, hyung.” King Sunggyu smiled at Woohyun’s slip up. It was rare that the younger called him hyung, despite the King’s words.

“Sure, sure, Hyun. Pick me a beautiful one.”

“I did that for the past eleven years. You hate all of them.” Woohyun stood up and brushed off invisible dust on his robe more out of habit than necessities.

“No, I’m not.” There it was again, King Sunggyu’s famous unreadable expression. It was an advantage to him as a King but Woohyun wished he could understand what was going on underneath that mask.

“Then why didn’t you have with any of them?” There was no answer. King Sunggyu had retreated back into his shell and Woohyun knew better than to force him. Growing up with the King, Woohyun believed he knew the older better than King Sunggyu knew himself but there were moments like this that Woohyun felt like a stranger.

“I shall leave you alone, Your Majesty.” Woohyun bowed as he made his way out, King Sunggyu’s small eyes followed him silently.

He was five, too young to know what happened. He remembered being sold along with ten more children but the memory was hazy. But he still remembered the pain on his first day in the palace. He didn’t understand why they were holding him down, four man holding him limbs tightly, and he wasn’t even fighting. He heard the knife sharpened, but his young mind couldn’t comprehend the meaning. When the old man with white beard walked to him with a knife, Woohyun only stared. He remembered the screaming, the white blinding pain and then he was gone.

As soon as he woke up, he was put to work along with other kids. He knew then, he was a eunuch, no longer a man. Nothing more than a slave. But Woohyun’s nature brightness and happiness didn’t disappeared, he was still the same kid. That was the main reason how he found himself climbing over the fruit tree inside the inner palace.

“What are you doing?” Woohyun was shocked by the voice and lost his footing, slipping on the branch. He fall right onto the boy that called him earlier.

“Why are you so loud?” Woohyun shushed the glaring boy down, afraid that anyone could hear them.

“Yah!”

“Be quiet!” Woohyun clamped his hand down on the boy mouth and almost giggled at how the boy glared at him, his already small eyes almost disappeared completely.

“Geth hoff  meth…”

“What did you say?”

“I said, get off me!” Woohyun just realized that he was actually sitting on the boy’s stomach.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He hastily stood up and offered his hand but the boy just ignored him.

“You need to be quieter. We’ll be in trouble if anyone found us here.”

“Why?”

“Young eunuch can’t be in the inner palace. Don’t you know that?”

“So why are you here?”

“See up there?” Woohyun pointed at the tree and the boy looked at his direction.

“I’m getting the fruit.”

“That is the palace property.”

“Nobody is going to eat it anyway. You don’t see the King eating those fruit, won’t you?” the boy shook his head.

“So, I’m going to. Now, help lift me up there.” the boy just stared at him.

“Why should I?”

“Because we are friend and friend help each other.”

“How are we friend? You don’t even know me.”

 “Fine, what is your name?”

“Sunggyu.”

“Okay, Sunggyu, I’m Woohyun and we are friend. Now, lift me up.”

“Your Majesty!” Woohyun hastily kneeled down, his eyes trained on the ground at the sound.

“Your Majesty.” He then lifted up his head when he heard a girlish chuckle.

“You are really the King’s pet, Woohyun hyung.” Sungjong giggled at the sight of Woohyun kneeling in front of him. The elder stood up and smacked him on the head before resuming his position on the bench.

“What do you want, Jongie?” Sungjong was one of the kid that was sold with Woohyun. When Woohyun moved into the inner palace, he brought Sungjong along, exercising his power as the King’s favourite.

“Not me, it’s the King.” Woohyun raised his eyebrow, signalling the younger to continue.

“His Majesty couldn’t sleep.” Woohyun tried to hide his smile but the younger caught him and smirked suggestively.

“I’m really curious, hyung. Why did you do with His Majesty every night in his chamber?” Woohyun stood up with a smirk, brushing off his robe with flourish.

“Don’t you want to know, Jongie… It involves the bed… me… the King…”

“Stop! You’re disgusting, hyung!” Sungjong closed his ears before stomping off.

“You ask about it!”

“Your Majesty.” Woohyun kneeled down, avoiding eye contact. There were other palace maids and eunuchs, he knew he need to keep up the pretence. Woohyun heard the footsteps moving out of the chamber, knowing that the King had signalled the others to leave.

He made sure that the door was closed before he stood up silently and removed his outer robe. He laid it on one of the chairs before moving onto the bed. Woohyun laid silently, closing his eyes. He knew exactly what will happened next.

He heard the clothes rustled and knew that the King had removed his robe. He felt the bed dipped a little as the King sat. The King scooted next to him and laid his head on Woohyun’s torso. Before long, the King’s soft snore can be heard and Woohyun let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. No words were exchanged.

“Good night, hyung.” Woohyun drifted off to sleep, with a content face. He never expect any answer to his goodnight wishes.

“Good night, Hyun.”

It was always amazed Woohyun how relaxed Sungyeol’s life was. Despite both of them being eunuchs, Sungyeol was granted a happier and free life compared to him. While Woohyun had been taken into the inner palace by the King, Lee Sungyeol had been taken to the East Palace, the residence of the King’s brother, also known as the one who would steal the throne if the King failed to produce an heir. But anyone who knows Crown Prince Myungsoo would know how wrong that was, it was a miracle if anyone could get that prince to do anything beneficial in his life. The one thing he ever decided to do was taking Sungyeol as his personal assistant. Woohyun was forever grateful to him for that, there was no way that choding could have survived the life of a eunuch.

“Woohyun hyung…”

“What?”

“Is it okay for you to be here? I thought you need to oversee the Queen Selection.” Woohyun grunted at that and laid his face on the table. Yes, that is exactly what he was supposed to be doing, not hiding in the East Palace. Hell, if anyone found out that he went to the residence of the King’s enemy, he will be in serious trouble. Of course, the King would knew better. He and Crown Prince Myungsoo might had been only half-brother but anyone who were given the chance to see them together would thought they were twins. They were close with each other, at least until the late King’s death. After King Sunggyu took the throne, Crown Prince Myungsoo withdrawn to his palace, avoiding interference with his brother. It always sadden Woohyun how the brothers distanced each other due to duty.

But back to why Woohyun was hiding in the Crown Prince’s residence. Today was the first half of the Queen Selection and despite the King’s Mother’s order for Woohyun to handle t