The Final Verse

Three months and a fortnight after Prince Roy had gone to the ball, the council of Monte George had agreed to invest in the farmlands of Giemsa. The population of Monte George was increasing, and in order to have sufficient food to feed the growing number of people, they needed to import crops from their ally and neighboring kingdom. The king of Monte George had tasked Prince Roy to visit Giemsa and remain there for two months.

The prince was more than willing to take on the assignment.

In the weeks that they had been apart, Roy and Joonyoung had sent letters to each other. They kept their correspondence short and friendly to avoid raising suspicion about the kind of relationship they had.

Roy informed Joonyoung that he would be returning to Giemsa. The pianist readily offered his home to the prince; and the latter wasted no time by being coy, he accepted the offer in a heartbeat.

As the day of Roy's return drew closer, Seungwoo became more ill. He was confined to his room, with his father watching him and slowly becoming consumed by worry. Joonyoung had called for the best doctors in the kingdom to treat his son. Yet the child's fever remained remittent. Seungwoo showed no signs of recovery.

Joonyoung knew not what to do. He was utterly confused. Never had Seungwoo been this sick. The once amiable and cheerful child was reduced to one who could hardly even speak or sit up. Many thoughts raced through Joonyoung's mind, and they all led to how much he did not want to lose his son.

Joonyoung was starting to look gaunter and gaunter as the days passed. He paced around the living room, eventually stopping to stare at the portrait of his wife. "Yoomi, what am I to do?" 

A long awaited knock came from the front door. Joonyoung was expecting Seungwoo's doctor to arrive. Yet, much to his surprise when he opened the door, it was not who he expected it would be. 

"Mister Joonyoung," the man's voice boomed, "we have a few questions we would like you to answer." 

The voice belonged to the king's royal guards. There were four of them standing on the porch; each dressed fully in their uniforms and armed with a sword and a rifle.

"Or rather, questions we must compel you to answer," another guard echoed.

Joonyoung debated internally whether he would allow these men to enter or leave them standing outside. He decided to proceed with the former choice. He did not want to further raise their suspicion by not inviting them inside.

"You may come in," he answered.

The guards marched into his home but did not bother to take a seat. Neither did Joonyoung care about offering them to offer them to do so.

He could not afford to have his time wasted on trivial matters, he told his unexpected visitors. His son was lying in the other room and was near the brink of death.

"I assure you, Mister Joonyoung, this is no trivial matter at all. Do you recall yourself engaging in any illegal activities for the past months?"

"I cannot," Joonyoung answered directly.

The guard walked threateningly closer to him and lowered his voice, "Homoual activity is against the law, Mister Joonyoung."

Joonyoung was alarmed, yet whatever feelings he had at that moment, he stopped from being evident. He kept a calm façade. "I am aware of that," he replied.

"There have been accounts that the royal Prince of Monte George..."

Joonyoung swallowed in anxiety. If he had been seen kissing the prince, or at least dancing with him, these guards would have sufficient ground on which to take him to prison.

"Was seen entering your home after the ball."

The pianist could almost sigh in relief. This accusation would lead the investigation to nowhere.

"I became acquainted with the prince during the ball. Afterwards, he requested to take lodgings in my house for a single night since the weather was too harsh for him to return to his kingdom."

"Are you sure that is all that happened, Mister Joonyoung?" 

"I am certain," he answered.

"Very well, then." 

The guards left without any other word, yet they continued to eye Joonyoung suspiciously. 

It puzzled Joonyoung how these reports had reached the palace, and why it had brought up such suspicion. He could not recall mentioning to any of his acquaintances that the prince had stayed in his home. Perhaps his neighbors had observed the prince's arrival and departure, yet he did not think of them capable to come up with such a wild, unthinkable conclusion.

Suddenly, the pianist felt like he was being watched. He looked over his shoulder, only to realize that there was no one behind him but the portrait of his late wife.

Seungwoo's doctor finally arrived and interrupted Joonyoung's thoughts about the royal guards' visit.

 

Two days had passed since the royal guards came to question Joonyoung. It was dawn. He had fallen asleep from exhaustion after keeping awake all evening to attend to Seungwoo who still showed no signs of improvement. He fell asleep sitting on a stool, while he cradled his head on his son's pillow.

A light tap on his arm brought him out of his restless slumber. He was greeted by warm, loving eyes, and a tender embrace from the back.

Roy had finally come.

A smile crept to Joonyoung's lips for the first time in weeks.

"Go upstairs and rest," Roy told Joonyoung. "I shall tend to Seungwoo while you do. Worry not." 

Joonyoung could not speak. He was overwhelmed with fear and anxiety, yet the moment the other man stepped into the room, he felt as if an entire weight was lifted off his shoulder. He could only get to his feet and throw his arms around his lover.

He held Roy for a few moments, enjoying the warmth of Roy's arms since the prince had hugged him as well, before he slowly released and caressed the prince's face.

"Have you been well? Has your journey been smooth? Have you eaten already?" Joonyoung asked. 

"I am alright. You shouldn't be the one asking about me," Roy answered as he intertwined his hands with Joonyoung's. "I should be the one inquiring you of how you are doing...though that seems quite pointless. I know you are not well."

"I am starting to feel better now that you are here," Joonyoung replied. "I would be perfectly joyful if Seungwoo gets better too."

Roy let go of the pianist's delicate hands to approach the sick boy lying on the bed. "Seungwoo," he said, "it is I. Prince Roy."

The child slightly moved his head and murmured something unintelligible. Roy reached out to press the back of his hand to Seungwoo's forehead. The child's temperature was burning. He quickly drew his hand away and brushed off the stray locks of hair on the boy's face.

"You will get better, won't you?" Roy whispered to Seungwoo. "You have to."

Seungwoo held Roy's other hand and gripped it lightly, as if to attest that he would, indeed, recover.

 

Joonyoung refused to leave Seungwoo's side. It took half an hour of Roy persuading him to leave the room so he could at least have a meal and bathe before he finally conceded. He felt at ease leaving his son in Roy's care. 

While Joonyoung was away, Neisseria entered to deliver refreshments for Roy and Seungwoo's dinner. Her gaze constantly shifted from the child to the prince. She offered to feed Seungwoo, yet Roy insisted that he would.

Roy assisted the boy in sitting up so he could eat. He carefully spoon-fed the child; he spoke comforting words as he did. He noticed the housekeeper had not left the room, and observed that she was watching them intently.

"Are you worried I may not be able to feed Seungwoo enough?" Roy addressed to her.

She cleared and answered, "No, your highness. I am staying here in case you need my assistance...and to be certain that the young master eats well."

"You seem to be very attached to Seungwoo," Roy commented. "How long have you been serving Joonyoung?"

"I have been his housekeeper years before he married Madame Yoomi," she replied. 

Roy helped Seungwoo drink a glass of water before he passed the now-empty tray of food to Neisseria.

"I would like to speak with you," he told her. "Alone."

He accompanied her outside the room and started to inquire about what he was most curious about since he left for Giemsa. "Have you noticed anything unusual about Joonyoung's wife?"

Mrs. Neisseria was quite astonished that the prince addressed her master by his given name alone. "I suppose I have not."

"How was her demeanor towards others? What was her character like?" Roy asked.

"She was a sweet lady, your highness. Her character was as beautiful as her appearance," Neisseria answered. "But she liked to read books...books that I have never seen nor heard of in the previous houses I had served." 

Could those have been books about witchcraft?

They heard Joonyoung's footsteps descending from the stairs. Their conversation was cut short.

 

The darkness of the night had fallen and enveloped the entire house. Three candles illuminated Seungwoo's room. Seungwoo was fast asleep, just as he had been for the past few days. Joonyoung watched the unsteady rising and falling of his son's chest, as if fearing that it would stop at any moment.

Several doctors had made their visit that day. All of them had similar opinions: Seungwoo's health was deteriorating rapidly. He was no longer responding to any of the medicines.

Joonyoung wanted to believe otherwise, yet what he saw could not counter what the doctors had said. Seungwoo had become thinner. His complexion had turned dead. He coughed so often that he could hardly breathe.

Roy's presence was his only comfort.

"Do you want to rest for a few moments?" Roy asked, breaking the silence.

Joonyoung shook his head. "I'm alright. You should rest. You're the one who has to visit the fields tomorrow."

Joonyoung was right. Roy had to oversee the progress of Monte George's investment. It was his duty.

"I shall proceed upstairs to sleep in about an hour," Roy replied.

Joonyoung silently pulled the chair which the prince sat on closer to his proximity. Roy was taken aback by the sudden movement, but had no time to express his surprise as the next thing he knew was that Joonyoung's lips were on his.

The pianist pulled away from the kiss, but kept his forehead connected to the prince's. He inhaled deeply before he whispered, "Thank you, Roy."

"Why are you thanking me? I have done nothing for you."

"For keeping me company," Joonyoung replied. " You have kept me company at a difficult time like this."

Roy gently touched Joonyoung's cheeks. "I have never seen a father as dedicated and loving as you are." He pulled the pianist in for another kiss.

For a moment, Joonyoung could just forget his surroundings and all the problems that accompanied it. All he could think about was Roy's lips and how soft they were. Roy felt like he was in his own universe, alone with Joonyoung.

"Claaaaang," the sound of metal clattering and glass shattering brought the two lovers out of their trance. They immediately parted from each other and snapped their heads to the direction of the sound.

Neisseria had witnessed their forbidden act.
 

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