“It was her, Yunho…She killed Minjung, just as you suspected,” Jaejoong looked up at Yunho with glistening eyes.

Yunho did not seem surprised. His late wife’s face flashed in his mind, and he could only think of how he had failed her. He had suspected that Sujung was the one to kill Minjung, but he had no evidence. He could do nothing to prove that she had killed his precious Minjung.

A part of him would always love her. He was madly in love Jaejoong, but there would always be a place in his heart for Minjung.

Jaejoong laced their fingers, giving the man’s hand a comforting squeeze, “Yunho...we should do something. Tell the council, hold court!”

Yunho frowned, shaking his head at his lover’s request, “With what evidence? I have no way to prove she killed Minjung. If I did, I would have sentenced her to death long ago.”

“But Yunho…,” Jaejoong gazed at him sadly. She had no idea what to say. Yunho was right; there was nothing they could do.

“What exactly did she say to you?”

She averted her eyes before answering, “She said I should not get involved in her affairs, if I did not wish to end up like Minjung.”

Yunho stared at her in astonishment, and he grabbed her by the shoulders, imploring her to listen, “You must stay away from her, Jaejoong. Do not go near her. Do not provoke her.”

“But she is planning something! She has caused nothing but trouble for Princess Taemin and Prince Minho. I am scared for them.”

“I will take care of that. You have no need to worry. Just do as I say, alright?”

Jaejoong nodded hesitantly, “Yes, Yunho.”

Yunho’s gaze softened, and he her cheek gently, “I worry about you every day. After what happened to Minjung…I am frightened to leave you alone for only a moment.”

“I will be alright,” Jaejoong promised, pulling the King into an embrace. “I promise I will stay away from her.”

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I do not want to lose you too.”

~~~~~

“Taemiiiiiin!”

“Is that really necessary, Key?”

Key ran to the side of Taemin’s bed, and embraced him, burying the boy’s face in his chest. “Of course it is, Jjong! Taeminnie is alive!”

“Yes, if you don’t smother him to death,” Jonghyun said, chuckling.

As soon as Key released him, Taemin made a dramatic show of gasping for air. Key narrowed his eyes, but couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “You little brat,” he teased.

“How have you been, Taemin?” Mir asked, appearing in the room with IU.

“Much better,” Taemin smiled. He visibly relaxed, feeling relieved to see all his friends again. “I’ve been keeping all my food down. Minho and Onew just left to get dinner.”

“Wonderful!” IU stepped forward, smiling. “I’ll be sure to make you delicious meals to help you regain your strength.”

“I can’t wait,” he grinned in return.

When Onew and Minho arrived with the food, they were surprised to see a room full people. Minho was hesitant to have so many people in the room with Taemin’s condition, but when he saw the bright smile that decorated the boy’s face, he didn’t bother to speak up. He stood next to the bed, Taemin’s hair as he ate his dinner, and caught up with his friends.

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation, and they all glanced at each other curiously. “Enter,” Minho finally said.

Silence enveloped the room and King Yunho entered with a friendly smile, “Father…”

Everyone quickly bowed, IU even going as far as to kneel on the floor. “Rise,” Yunho demanded, and they stood. They moved out of his path as he approached the bed. Taemin did his best to bow in his position, but it was painful, and the most he could do was bow his head. “There is no need for that, Taemin.” Taemin gave a grateful smile as he lifted his head.

“Father, is something wrong?” Minho asked worriedly. The only times Yunho would make a personal visit to them was if he had important news, and a majority of the time it wasn’t anything good.

“I only wanted to give you a warning. Jaejoong came across Queen Sujung and Byungchol speaking. She isn’t sure what they are planning, but she is positive that it has something to do with you two.”

Minho was infuriated, nostrils flaring at the thought of the woman and her wretched son. Taemin simply sighed.

“Keep a close eye on Taemin, Minho. Watch out for yourself, also. I shall assign my best guards to protect you, but there is nothing else I can do…”

Minho nodded, rubbing Taemin’s back soothingly.

“Excuse me? If I could speak please, Your Highness?” Key asked hesitantly. Yunho turned around to face him, and nodded.

“Jonghyun and I are better than any of the guards in the palace. We would be honored to act as their guards. Afterall, I was assigned to be Taemin’s bodyguard, but the war hindered my duties.”

“That is a splendid idea, Key,” Yunho smiled, and turned back to Minho and Taemin. “Do you accept his offer?”

They both nodded, and Taemin sent Key a grateful smile.

“Father, I wish to marry Taemin when she is fully healed. I can only hope for a peaceful wedding…”

“That is wonderful news, son!” Yunho grinned broadly, approaching Minho to pull him into an embrace. “I will do my best to ensure that she does not interfere with this wedding.”

“Thank you, Father,” Minho smiled. With his father on his side, he felt that things may actually go as planned. 

Yunho bid them all goodbye, and left with promises to come check up on them again. He chose to keep the Queen’s last words to Jaejoong a secret. If Minho knew that Sujung had practically admitted to killing Minjung, the boy wouldn’t rest until she was dead. It was hard enough to keep himself from killing the woman, but he knew how to control himself. Minho was much rasher than him.

 He could only hope that a time would come, when all of that wretched woman’s secrets would be revealed and she would be punished for her crimes.

~~~~~~

“What do you think she has planned this time?”

Minho sighed, his grip tightening on Taemin. “It doesn’t matter, because she will not succeed. I’ll slit before she lays another hand on you.” He was frustrated by the fact that he knew the Queen was planning something, but he didn’t know exactly what she was planning. He wanted to be prepared. He only wished to marry Taemin peacefully, he wanted it be the happiest day of their lives…

“Minho…” Taemin scolded lightly. “Don’t say such brutal things.”

“I apologize, but it is true. I am sick and tired of her going unpunished for the horrible things she has done. If she dares to hurt you again, I will not hesitate to kill her. I no longer care to let the council make decisions when it comes to her.”

Taemin only sighed. As much as he hated the Queen, he didn’t enjoy seeing Minho so angry. “So…do you think the wedding will go as planned?”

Minho finally smiled softly, and Taemin felt the weight on his heart lighten just a little. “With Key helping to plan it, I don’t think he would let anything happen.”

“He seemed more excited than anyone,” Taemin giggled, suddenly remembering how Key had squealed in excitement as soon as Yunho left the room. He immediately suggested that he help plan the wedding, and Taemin had no reason to refuse.

“Key has always been easily excited over things like this,” he said, chuckling.

“Well, I can’t wait to see what he has planned,” Taemin grinned. He shifted slightly, snuggling closer to the older boy, and let out a quiet groan.

“Are you alright?” Minho asked urgently.

“Yes,” the younger boy answered, taking a deep breath. “I just…shouldn’t try to move much.” He clutched at his stomach, and Minho rubbed his back soothingly.

“You should rest more, Taemin. You will heal much faster if you stop trying to overwork yourself.” Minho scolded. He brushed Taemin’s bangs out of face and lifted his chin, almost chuckling at the frustration that was evident in the boy’s eyes.

“All I do is rest. I’m doing my best to get better so I don’t have to stay in bed all day. It’s painful sometimes when I move too much, but the medicine helps a lot.”

Minho leaned forward to kiss away the small pout on Taemin’s lips. “Just do as the physician says, love. And don’t push yourself.”

“I know,” Taemin mumbled. “I just…miss you so much.” Minho felt Taemin shift slightly, and the younger boy’s leg pushed its way in between his own.

“Taemin!” Minho yelled in surprise when Taemin’s knee brushed against his crotch.

Taemin looked up at him with wide eyes and a small smile, “What?” he asked, feigning innocence.

Minho in a breath through clenched teeth, “Do not tease me when you know I cannot do anything to you.”

“We could still do…other things,” Taemin suggested slyly, sliding his hand down Minho’s chest, reaching lower.

Minho quickly grabbed his wrist, “Not until you’re better.”

The younger boy sighed in defeat, “I don’t want to waaaait. Come on, we can be careful.”

Minho chuckled at his disappointment, the boy’s cheek with his knuckles. “Oh do not tempt me, love. I only have so much restraint.”

~~~~~

The weeks passed slowly for Taemin. Being stuck in bed all day was never his favorite thing to do, and he seemed to be subjected to it quite often. He always had someone to keep him company though.

Each day that passed, he became increasingly nervous. He was healing fast, so he knew the wedding would be soon. Although he was excited for the wedding, he couldn’t help but feel anxious. He wasn’t sure what to expect.

The Queen had not made one move to hurt him, nor Minho. He hadn’t even caught a glimpse of her or Byungchol in the past two weeks. Key and Jonghyun were always there though, either guarding from outside the door, or coming inside to keep him company. He couldn’t express his gratitude enough. They sometimes took shifts, so one of them could sleep and eat, but he could still see how tired they were.

Key didn’t seem to mind at all. He was probably more excited about the wedding than anyone else. He spent hours every day planning it with Taemin. Although, Jonghyun was being severely deprived of his time with Key, and he made it known.

“Jjong, not here!”

Jonghyun chuckled, pushing Key against the wall and placing a soft kiss on his neck, “Key, I’ve hardly touched you in weeks. At least let me kiss you?”

Key knew he was right, they barely had time together at all. There was so much to do for the wedding, and when they took shifts guarding, they couldn’t spend much alone time together. “Anybody could walk by right now! Save it for later. The wedding is the day after tomorrow, so we will have more time together after that.”Key gave up when Jonghyun pulled those puppy eyes on him, and he could no longer resist. He sighed in annoyance, and leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on the older boy’s lips.

Jonghyun grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him forward again, deepening the kiss. Key wanted to protest, but his limbs seemed to have a mind of their own, and his arms wrapped around Jonghyun’s neck.

When they finally pulled away from each other, breathless, Key was the first to speak, “Fool.”

Jonghyun only laughed,” But you love this fool, right?”

“Unfortunately,” Key joked. “Now let go of me so I can get some food and sleep.”

Jonghyun backed away, smiling slyly, “Be on your way, fair maiden.”

Key punched him in the shoulder, before stalking away and leaving him laughing loudly.

He stopped by the kitchens and grabbed a quick meal. He was too tired to care much about what he ate, so he grabbed a small snack, and made his way to his room. His room was right next to Jonghyun’s, but they often spent their nights together in Key’s, seeing as it was much cleaner.

The hallway was eerily quiet, his footsteps echoing across the large place. He quickened his pace, and listened intently for any footsteps besides his own. He stopped abruptly when he heard a light tapping around the corner. He spun around, only to spot a woman coming around the corner.

“Your majesty,” he greeted bitterly, as he watched the smirk grow on Sujung’s face.

“Key, is it?” she asked, making her way closer to him.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” his hand hovered over the knife on his side, hidden under his shirt. “Is there something you wish to discuss with me?” He asked through clenched teeth.

“In fact, there is.”

Key’s eyes widened, realizing a second too late that someone was behind him. He whipped around, only to see the dark eyes of Byungchol, before he felt a searing pain on the said of his head.

He fell to the floor, his vision fading black. ‘Jonghyun…don’t let them get you too…’

“Take him to the dudgeon,” was the last thing he heard before he passed out.

~~~~~

A/N: Again, I'm sorry for the delay. Forgive me?

I'm shocked I got this done, because my weekend has been crazy :p

There are only two chapter left you guys >.<

I start college in august, so I'm determined to finish this fic and another one before then. I'm soooo excited about my new plot, but I'm not going to post the description until i'm almost finished with it. I'm going to finish all of it before I post it, so I'll have all of it written out and my subscribers won't have to wait a ridiculously long time for an update lol

I'll only tell you guys that it will, of course, be 2min. And it will be in Minho's POV :)

Anyways...

OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE 380 SUBSCRIBERS

I'VE GAINED ABOUT 80 SUBSCRIBERS SINCE THE LAST CHAPTER :O WTF

I LOVE YOU GUYS