Minho enjoyed a lonely feast that evening. Three days had passed since he and his family had come to the kingdom of K and his grandfather, King Onew, had finally arrived in the realm after his last memory loss. Therefore the rulers of K had invited him, as well as Minho’s parents, to ride and see the kingdom’s fields.

Also his suitor, Chanyeol, was nowhere to be found, and the prince was deeply grateful for that. He was feeling tired and whenever he and Chanyeol had to be together the situation tended to become uncomfortable for both of them.

Consequently, dinner was served for him alone in a small living room where the man could relax away from the eyes of the nobles and soldiers that transited through the castle.

In the midst of his meal, however, the door was opened and the young seer, whom Suho referred to as his stepson, entered.

The young man was dressed similarly to what he wore the last time Minho saw him, but this time the back of his blonde hair was tied by a golden clip behind his head, leaving only his loose bangs and a few strands of long hair that fell to his shoulders.

Taemin closed the door and turned around, jumping startled when he saw Minho there with his feast.

-F-forgive me, your highness, I thought there was no one here I… Forgive me, please. – He asked with a deep bow.

-It’s ok. – Minho smiled at the boy’s apprehension. He was actually glad he could see the young again, so he decided to try and talk to him. – You come to this room often?

-Yes, sir. – The blonde straightened his back and looked over to a bookshelf near Minho. – I usually come here to read…

-Ah, so you like reading? – Minho asked, amused. – Reading always makes me happier. Happens to you too?

Taemin bit his lower lip before answering in a low voice. – Reading makes me forget.

Minho tilted his head, intrigued. –Forget about what, if I may ask?

-My nightmares. – Taemin sounded sad and lost to Minho’s ears, and he rose and approached the younger, truly concerned for the boy.

-You have a lot of nightmares? – He asked, and the blonde nodded.

-If I don’t have a premonition then, subsequently, I have a nightmare. – Taemin explained him. – I do wake up startled either way, though… – He confessed. – I would give anything for a peacefully night asleep, with no dreams or anything...

-You can never sleep well. – Minho thought about it. - That sounds awful... Is that why you are so serious all the time? It’s because you are always sleepy? – Minho smiled and Taemin laughed.

-No, your highness, I’m serious because that's how king Suho expects me to be. - He explained. - Suho made me the kingdom’s advisor and I must take this position seriously.

Minho nodded and Taemin realized he was disrupting the prince’s dinner.

-I must go, your highness. Forgive me for disturbing you. - He bowed to the man and made mention of leaving.

-Wait. - The prince asked. - I remember Suho mentioning that you had a healthy appetite. - He smiled at the young man. – Please, help yourself.

The man motioned towards the table, but Taemin shook his head.

-I am not worthy, sir. - He said with downcast eyes and Minho’s heart melted at seeing such perfect creature addressing him so submissively.

-Don’t speak like that... – He asked approaching the young. - You are well mannered, educated and have a good heart. You are as worthy as me or any other sovereign so please don’t say that you are unworthy. If you belonged to my kingdom I'd give you everything you wanted...

-But I don’t belong, your Highness. - Taemin said flatly. - With all due respect, sire, but shouldn’t you be courting Prince Chanyeol?

Minho sighed and sat down again. He began playing with the grapes in his plate before saying in a low, guilty voice: - But I don’t really like Chanyeol...

Then, in a slightly higher voice, he continued:

-Our ways don’t match at all and we have no taste in common. We go for walks together and he seems more interested in trees than in me, which is not much different than what I do with him, because every moment I am forced to stay with him I can’t stop thinking about... You.

Minho's last words were barely a whisper and he looked up to Taemin, wondering if he had heard. Judging by the horrified expression etched on his brown eyes, Taemin heard him and wasn’t exactly happy with the statement.

-Don’t ever say that again! - The young asked in an urgent voice. - If someone hears you...

-Then they will know the truth. - Minho got up again and walked over to Taemin. Now only a few millimeters separated their bodies.

Taemin took a few steps back and Minho followed. The man made mention of touching him and Taemin took another step back, dodging from his touch. He realized then, with some distress, that his back was flat against the wall and he had nowhere else to move now.

Minho held one of Taemin’s hands between his and took it to his lips, kissing it softly. The young man shook slightly with the contact and tried to sneak away, but the brunette grabbed his wrists and held them against the wall.

Minho realized he didn’t need to use a lot of strength to keep Taemin on the wall, not because the other was weak, but because Taemin wasn’t doing any real effort to get rid of his imprisonment.

Minho smiled. So that’s how it would be?

If he had to “force” Taemin into kissing him so the young wouldn’t feel guilty, so be it, he would do it with pleasure. Taemin stared at Minho’s black eyes for some seconds before he turned his gaze away regretfully.

-Forgive me for looking in your eyes, my lord...

-You are so worried about the rules... The way you act is so sweet... - He whispered, searching for Taemin's lips with his, but the blonde stubbornly turned his head away.

-Don’t do that, my lord. Don’t do anything you might regret later...

-But I won’t regret this. - He released one of Taemin’s wrists and lifted his chin, pressing his lips to the blonde’s with longing.

Minho waited for the young to shove him away, or even to bite him, but Taemin offered no resistance and corresponded to the kiss with as much longing as the prince.

The door creaked open and then Taemin really shoved Minho with a strength the brunet didn’t expect the skinny boy to have, and they ended up at a considerable distance from each other.

-Minho, we are back. – His father, Key, sounded cheerful. He entered the room and closed the door behind him. – You should had gone with us, the kingdom of K is beautiful and there’s... What is he doing here?

The king eyed Taemin with some mistrust, since Minho had showed so much interest in the seer before, and now they were both closed by themselves in a room.

Minho quickly grabbed a random book from the shelf and handed it to Taemin.

-He came to get a book, and I was helping him to choose one. – The prince sounded casualy. Then he turned to Taemin, whose expression was of someone who had just been hit by a train. – You can read this, it’s really good. I myself already read it three times.

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