^{Hello! Thank you for patiently waiting for the next chapter :D This update is kind of like a "bridge" before we start to delve into more conflict that will ultimately drive the plot forward. Enjoy! ^^}
 

“That one!” Taehyung yelled in excitement. He was one hundred percent sure of his answer.

Hoseok beamed up at him, with a hint of mischief in his eyes. He hovered one hand above the overturned chalice Taehyung had chosen, and wiggled his fingers teasingly.

“Are you sure? You only get one guess~”

Taehyung nodded firmly, while staring intensely at the golden chalice he chose.

Hoseok’s grin grew, making Taehyung suddenly second guess his choice. But before he could change his answer, Hoseok lifted the bejeweled cup and cackled loudly.

“You lose again Taehyung!” He shouted in triumph, and Taehyung's shoulders slumped at the revelation.

“You're cheating, you have to be,” the brunet whined. There was no way Hoseok managed to trick him every single time. Taehyung had been paying extra close attention, and he was so very sure the red ball was under that chalice.

“Not cheating,” the court jester shrugged. “Just faster than you.”

Taehyung pouted and grabbed the red ball. He was currently hanging out with “Hobi” the court jester in the grand hall. All his tutoring sessions were complete for the day and his daily visit with Yoongi at the window came and went already.

Thinking of Yoongi, Taehyung’s frown worsened. The Prince had seemed extremely distracted earlier. He almost forgot to give Taehyung the flower he brought, and he didn't even ask him how his tutoring sessions had gone.

Taehyung knew it wasn't in his place to complain. At the end of the day Yoongi was royalty, but he couldn't help feeling a prickly sensation in his gut, and it wasn't the good kind.

The Prince hadn't kissed him since the day he daringly pecked Taehyung on the cheek, and the former thief didn't know how he particularly felt about that. Should he feel disappointed? Surely friends didn't get disappointed about something like that... right?

“Another round?” Hoseok asked, successfully snapping Taehyung out of his spiralling thoughts.

“Yes,” Taehyung answered with a tight smile. He leaned forward in his seat and stared down at the chalices with furrowed brows. “You won't trick me this time.”

Hoseok smirked at Taehyung's determination, and glanced over at the boy’s bodyguard. “Care to join us Sir Jeon? I don't bite.”

Jungkook grimaced from his post by the large doors. “ I'll pass on the offer for now.”

Hoseok pursed his lips in distaste. “Suit yourself.”

Taehyung and Hoseok played a few more rounds in the relatively empty room. Unless the prince or the king was there, no one usually spent that much time in the grand hall. There were a few servants milling around, but  Hoseok, Taehyung and Jungkook were practically alone.

Realizing that, Taehyung decided to ask the jester something while he prepared the ball and cups for another round.

“Hobi, can I ask you something?”

Hoseok nodded. There was a smile on his face as he slid the chalices around in circles.

“Do you…” Taehyung paused and his lips nervously. “Do you know if anything happened on the day we returned from the border?”

Hoseok’s fast maneuvering halted suddenly. He looked up at Taehyung but didn't say anything.

The brunet pressed on. “I'm asking this because the servants have been acting strange since then. Also… Prince Yoongi… he seems tired all of the time, and distracted.”

Hoseok removed his hands from the cup and leaned back. “So you are curious and wish to glean some information from me, is that it?”

When Hoseok put it that way, it made him sound nosey, but Taehyung never intended for that to be the case. “N-No and… yes? I just want to stop having this terrible feeling that something is wrong.”

Hoseok’s smile never left his face, but there was a darker look in his eyes as he shrugged. “I know the kind of person you are, Taehyung. You see the good in things before the bad. You have your head in the clouds where everything is sunshine and rainbows.”

Taehyung swallowed thickly. He wanted to dispute those claims but he could not deny that Hoseok was right. He even heard Jungkook grumble a quiet, “He isn't wrong” from behind him.

“But this kingdom, this world, has it's dark side too,” Hoseok continued. “You were lucky enough to be on the receiving end of our dear prince’s good graces. Some people were… not so lucky.”

Taehyung felt a cold shiver creep up his spine.

“W-What do you mean?”

“I mean--”

“He means,” Jungkook spoke up, walking over to them, “that he's a silly little court jester who has nothing better to do but stir up trouble.”

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Hoseok apologized while batting his lashes. “Did I say too much?”

Jungkook glowered at the man before nudging Taehyung.

“Let's go, you have supper waiting for you.”

“But--”

“Let's go, Taehyung.”

Taehyung sighed and looked to Hoseok again. “Thank you for playing with me Hobi,” he said to the jester.

Hoseok’s bright eye-smile beamed up at him as he rose to a stand. “It's been my pleasure, Taehyung! I'm always willing to play a game or two.”

Taehyung felt like Hoseok's words had a double meaning, but before he could ask the jester further about it, Jungkook was physically pulling him out of the grand hall.

The brunet could hear Hoseok's loud laughter even as they walked down the hall, and the jingling of the bells on his colorful hat.

~+~

The walk to Taehyung's room was quiet, until he decided to break the uncomfortable silence. He was used to Jungkook not talking, but he could tell that something was weighing heavily on the knight’s mind.

“Sir Jeon, what did Hobi mean back there? What was he trying to tell me about Prince Yoongi?”

“Nothing but nonsense,” Jungkook answered, never averting his gaze from staring sternly in front of himself. “Take everything he says with a grain of salt. The man isn't in his right mind.”

Taehyung’s brows furrowed as he thought back on all of the past conversations he had with Hoseok.

“He seems fairly sane to me.”

Jungkook scoffed. “Yes well of course you would think so.”

Taehyung was offended by that but he held his tongue. Jungkook clearly didn't want him to know what happened that day they came back from the trip to the border, and Taehyung really couldn't understand why.

Whatever it was, it made Jungkook go missing for the whole day, Yoongi look drained, and the servants become terrified.

One way or another, I need to find out what happened.

~+~

The following days spent in the castle were uneventful. Taehyung was used to his tutoring sessions and occasional talks with Hoseok, Seokjin and Yoongi now.

The castle was starting to feel more and more like home, the longer he stayed there. It was getting to the point where he couldn't even remember how many months he had been there for.

In fact, Taehyung was so used to his  routine that he was beginning to finish his tutoring sessions earlier and earlier. Because of this, he tended to get bored during the day, and started getting curious about the parts of the castle he had yet to see.

It was exactly how Taehyung found himself helping the servants again, but this time in the castle kitchen instead of a tent at the border.

“You're quick with your hands,” one of the elderly men commented. He was watching how Taehyung peeled potatoes in approval. “Surprised me.”

The clothes Taehyung was provided with upon moving into the castle weren't necessarily extravagant, but they were a lot better than what the servants wore. He suddenly realized that the servants probably wondered what someone of his “status” was doing there. He was practically in the prince’s inner circle now.

“I used to help my aunts cook all the time, back at home,” he explained with a cheerful smile. “It feels nice to help again.”

The old man couldn't help smiling back.

Being bored and generous wasn't Taehyung’s only reason for helping the servants. He had a feeling they all knew what transpired on the day he came back from the border, and he planned on slowly getting it out of them. He was especially happy to see that they were at least not looking at him in fear anymore.

“Have you noticed a… change in Prince Yoongi lately?” he hesitantly asked a girl around his age. She was assigned to peeling the potatoes too.

Her movements seemed to slow down a bit as she thought of Taehyung's question. “Not really… why do you ask?”

Taehyung watched her facial expressions closely. “He just seems very tired and detached as of late. It only started happening after we came back.”

The girl laughed with a nervous lilt, and gave him a tight smile. “I haven't noticed that drastic of a change in his highness. I'm sure he's fine.”

Taehyung opened his mouth to ask her more, but was cut off by the sound of someone barging into the kitchen.

“Good evening lovelies!” a shrill voice called out. Everyone in the kitchen turned their heads to see who it was.

Taehyung immediately recognized her as one of Yoongi’s “concubines”.

“That's Hana,” the servant girl next to him whispered. “She always comes in here and demands that we make her and the other concubines a feast.”

“That's terrible,” Taehyung said with a frown. “You already do so much.”

The girl shrugged. “Hana does not see it that way.”

“And what do we have here?”

Taehyung looked up to see the very same concubine they were talking about standing right over him. She had her hands on her hips and a cocky smirk on .

At first glance, he couldn't deny that she was beautiful, but her beauty was quickly overshadowed by her terrible attitude.

“If it isn't our dear prince’s 'informant',” Hanna said with a derisive laugh. “What are you doing down here with the servants, huh? Did his highness finally have enough of you?”

Taehyung chose to ignore her. He stared down at the potato in his hands and kept peeling it.

Hana didn't seem to like that though. “Hey! I'm talking to you! It's only polite that you address me back!”

Taehyung kept looking down. The servant girl next to him was now staring nervously between the two. It was like all activity in the kitchen had come to a complete stand still.

“I suppose it's no surprise how rude you are,” Hanna hissed. She stood up straight and crossed her arms. “All Southern Clan peasants know how to do is lie, cheat and steal. Our dear Prince Yoongi doesn't deserve the amount of stress you put on him. Especially with the war hanging over his head.”

Taehyung could no longer keep up his act of ignoring Hana. She was the first person within the past two weeks that actually acknowledged just how stressed out Yoongi was. But he couldn't understand why she was blaming him for it.

“I- I haven't caused Prince Yoongi any--”

“Yes, you have,” Hana sneered. “Are you seriously so blinded by all of the 'special attention’ that you didn't even realize? The councilmen were just trying to do right by their Prince, but Yoongi was forced to punish them, and that's all because of you.”

Taehyung was beyond confused now. What did he have to do with a punishment?

“M-Miss Hanna,” the servant girl shakily splutered. “H-His highness doesn't want us t-to--”

“I’m sorry, I don't remember saying you could speak Jia.”

Jia snapped shut and bowed her head with wide eyes.

“What punishment are you talking about?” Taehyung demanded. He wanted to at least take the attention off of Jia. The girl was nothing but kind to him.

“Incredible,” Hana snorted. “You really are clueless. 'What punishment?’ you ask? Why... death, of course.”

Taehyung felt the breath he had been holding leave him in a whoosh of air. “D...Death? But Prince Yoongi wouldn't… why would he kill his councilmen? I-I don't understand.”

“Of course you don't,” Hana shrugged. “You're just a stupid little thief who somehow managed to weazel your way into the castle. You corrupted our prince and forced his hand. He spilled blood because of you.”

Taehyung suddenly felt like everyone in the room was looking at him. He shakily rose to a stand and shook his head. “No… You're wrong.”

Hana sighed, as if the conversation was now boring her. “You know that I am right, Taehyung, but if you really don't believe me, try asking his highness yourself.”

“Everything alright in here?”

Taehyung looked behind Hana to see Jungkook standing in the doorway. The brunet had asked him to wait outside because he didn't want the servants to feel intimidated.

Hana sized the knight up and down, flashing a pretty smile. “Nothing to be concerned about, Handsome. I was just leaving.” With that, she exited the kitchen, and Taehyung finally felt like he could breath.

“What did she say to you?” Jungkook asked, but Taehyung contemplated whether or not he should tell him. For some reason, the whole castle was in on this big secret that had to be kept from him, and he didn’t want Jungkook to brush it off again.

“N-Nothing,” Taehyung answered with a shaky smile. “We should leave. I think i’ve helped enough here.”

~+~

The following day, as Taehyung stood at the window and gazed out at the green hills of Daegu, a servant came up to greet him instead of Yoongi. He informed the confused brunet that Prince Yoongi wanted to meet him in his study today, instead of their usual spot. Taehyung obediently followed after the elderly servant and took a deep breath before pushing open the doors of Yoongi’s study.

The guards standing post barely bat an eyelash, already used to Taehyung’s presence constantly around their Prince. One of the reasons Taehyung loved his moments with Yoongi so much was that it always felt like they were the only two people in the world. Jungkook never had to watch over him while he was with Yoongi, and the guards trusted Taehyung enough to know that they didn’t have to hover over the Prince while they were together.

At first, seeing Yoongi sitting amongst his scrolls and glass vials brought a smile to Taehyung’s face. He loved watching the man work in his comfort zone. But the smile quickly faded when he remembered the words Hana uttered the previous day. They were like a knife constantly twisting and poking at the back of his head. Sure she had said a lot of those things just to be spiteful, but he could tell there was some truth in them as well.

What if Taehyung really was the cause of Yoongi’s stress?

“You’re frowning,” Yoongi commented by way of greeting. He waved Taehyung over to sit next to him, and the brunet quickly obliged. “What did I tell you about frowning?”

“That it does not suit me,” Taehyung blushed. “T-That I look prettier when I smile.”

“That, you do,” Yoongi said with a sure grin. He cupped Taehyung’s face and gently rubbed a thumb along his cheek before pulling his hand away. “What has my Little Flower so upset, huh? I hope it’s not because I forgot to get you a flower today.”

“No,” Taehyung answered quickly. “I’m actually quite proud of you for leaving them in tact this time.”

Yoongi laughed at, a hand coming down to rest on Taehyung’s thigh. “You never fail to make me smile, Taehyung.”

Taehyung ducked his head and tried to control the wild heat traveling to his cheeks. It was at moments like this that he couldn’t bring himself to believe Hana’s words. The Prince always told him that he was happiest when they spent time together. How could Taehyung possibly be the cause of his stress?

“You’re worrying again,” Yoongi spoke up, but this time he was wearing a frown of his own. “Did something happen? Something I should know about?”

Taehyung suddenly found a vial with bright yellow liquid to be very interesting. Yoongi was staring at him so imploring, with those deep and endless eyes of his, Taehyung just knew he would crack if he got into them.

“Little Flower…”

Oh no, not the nickname. Anything but the nickname. It was Taehyung’s weakness, and Yoongi seemed to realize this, because the former thief slowly found himself looking up to stare at his Prince.

“Did someone say something to you? I promised you that no one in this castle would ever bother you again, and I intend to keep that promise.”

Over the course of his tutoring sessions, Taehyung had become well acquainted with magic. He was even at the level where he could sense other people’s magical auras and the uniqueness of them. His magical signature would never be the same as Namjoon’s and vise versa.

With Yoongi, Taehyung always associated his magic with warmth. Whenever Yoongi did a spell on him or around him, Taehyung felt like a warm summer breeze was wrapping him up and giving him a tight hug.

But as Yoongi sat in front of him with a look of urgency and determination on his face, Taehyung felt his magic turn cold and foreboding. It reminded Taehyung of the chilly breeze on a wintry night, or dipping your toes into a ice cold brook.

“The councilmen were just trying to do right by their Prince, but Yoongi was forced to punish them, and that's all because of you.”

Taehyung frantically shook his head. “I don’t want anyone to be punished because of me!” he blurted.

Yoongi looked startled for a few seconds, before his face smoothed out and his eyes squinted in suspicion. “Taehyung, what is this really about? I need to know if someone has been harassing you.”

Taehyung swallowed thickly, and only found the courage to speak when Yoongi’s hand took his in a firm but comforting grasp.

“One of the c-concubines told me yesterday. She said that some councilmen were punished b-because of me. She said you… spilled blood… because of me.”

The Prince’s face was so still, Taehyung couldn’t even begin to decipher what he was thinking.

“Have I really been causing you stress, Prince Yoongi?” Taehyung found the courage to ask. He squeezed Yoongi’s hand and stared at the bags under the man’s eyes with a guilty feeling in his chest. “If I have i’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to--”

“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for, Little Flower,” Yoongi cut Taehyung off, before he could go on a long rant about just how sorry he was. “You did nothing wrong, alright? You are not the cause of my stress. Never have been, and never will be. When I’m with you… I feel at peace.”

Taehyung stared at Yoongi in mild shock, and slowly blinked away the tears that had started to form in his eyes.

The Prince’s hand traveled up his arm to cup his cheek again.

“Listen to me, Taehyung,” he said firmly, and Taehyung nodded. “Those councilmen were corrupted and went after you. They tried… They were the ones who tried to kill you that day in the garden. They were even planning to go after you a second time. Namjoon found out and informed me that day in the forest, when we returned from the border.”

Taehyung listened to all of this with his full attention. The puzzle pieces were finally fitting into place.

“I can not lie to you and say my judgement was not biased. I was so angry at them. I just… I kept seeing your scared face when Jungkook brought you to my room, all bruised and shaken up because of what they did to you. So I held a ruling in the courtroom. I made all of the servants, nights, concubines, nobleman and councilman attend. Everyone but you and my father were there. I called out the councilman who were involved and let them plead their case. They didn’t even… They didn’t even try to deny it.”

Taehyung felt a sinking feeling in his gut. If Yoongi had not intervened, someone would have probably assassinated him.

He...would have been dead.

“For the majority of them I cast a spell. They were to be thrown into the dungeons while in a state of perpetual, mental torture. No harm would come to their physical bodies, but they are forever trapped within their own minds.”

The thought of such a spell made Taehyung shudder. So far, Namjoon had only been showing him the good in magic, but Hoseok’s words from yesterday started to echo through his mind like a wake-up call.

“But this kingdom, this world, has its dark side too.”

“But for the one who lead them all,” Yoongi continued. “The one who proposed the idea to them… I had him executed.”

Taehyung just stared. All was quiet in the study. The candles burning on the table sent flickering shadows across both of their faces, and there was no tutoring session that could have prepared Taehyung for a confession like that.

Did he see Yoongi differently? No. He knew executions sometimes happened. He knew the royal family were the ones who authorized them. He wasn’t that oblivious to the ways of the world, the ways of this kingdom.

But Taehyung himself couldn’t imagine ever using his status or magic to end a person’s life. Some might call him soft for that, his family surely did, but he would never change that aspect of himself for anyone.

Not even Yoongi.

“Does that make you scared of me now?” Yoongi whispered. His voice sounded raspy, and when Taehyung looked up from staring intensely at his lips, he was surprised to see a hint of fear in the Prince’s eyes. “Do you hate me, Little Flower?”

“I don’t hate you,” Taehyung answered, and he had never been more sure of anything in his life. “I- I don’t like the thought of anyone dying but… I don’t hate you.”

Yoongi let out a slow and shaky breath, like he had been holding it the entire time. “The stress I am going through, I don’t want you to ever think it is because of you. There is a war looming over our heads, and negotiations have to be made with the surrounding kingdoms if there is to be any chance of survival. It’s actually one of the reasons why Prince Jimin of Busan is here.”

Taehyung nodded along, doing his best to listen closely. Jimin’s constant harassment now made a little bit more sense, although Taehyung still didn’t understand what agreement the papers held.

Yoongi must have noticed Taehyung thinking hard about everything that was said, because he playfully squished the latter’s cheeks and did something he hadn’t done since that time in the garden.

He graced Taehyung with a kiss, but this time on his nose.

To say the brunet was flustered, would be an understatement.

“P-Prince Yoongi--”

“Do you want me to stop doing that?”

Taehyung blinked rapidly, like he was trying to clear the pink fog from his head. “Do what?”

“Kissing you…” Yoongi answered softly. Taehyung didn’t realize how close they were sitting until he looked down to see Yoongi lacing their fingers together and bracketing Taehyung’s legs with his own. “Do you want me to stop?”

If I say yes, Yoongi really will stop. I can trust him to bring an end to all of this. But if I say no, If I say that I want more… what does that mean? How many kisses until…

“Taehyung?”

Taehyung snapped his gaze upwards. Yoongi looked like there was an apology already waiting on his tongue, and Taehyung suddenly didn’t want him to be sorry. He wanted Yoongi to find more spots on his face to kiss. He didn’t care about whether or not they were doing what friends do anymore.

He just never wanted Yoongi to stop.

Taehyung didn’t know where he got the spark of confidence from, but he rushed forward in one swift movement and placed the lightest of kisses at the corner of Yoongi’s mouth, making the Prince turn a lovely shade of sunset pink.

“No,” he finally answered, and he wouldn’t have been able to hide his smile even if he tried. “Please, don’t stop.”

^{Taehyung is finally admitting to himself that he likes being on the receiving end of Yoongi's affection! And yes, I do keep mentioning Jimin's papers for a reason, and we will definitely find out what exactly that agreement entails through out the next few chapters, hehe :)}

^{Also you got more Hoseok!! I'm going to do my best to make him a regular in the story :D}

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