This is a double update, make sure you've read the previous chapter!

    A happy tune escaped Prince Kim Heechul’s lips as he hummed to himself while poking at a pot of potatoes on the stove. It had been some time since he’d cooked, but today was a special occasion and he wanted the meal to be perfect. The kitchen he was standing in was one very familiar to him. He stood in front of a stove he’d used since he was a child, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t resent it.

    The former Lee estate now belonged to its rightful owner, Lady Heemi’s only son. Heechul spent his weekends on his family estate, enjoying the countryside and the quiet it provided. Leeteuk was in charge of running the estate in his absence, a station his best friend appreciated greatly. Heechul was happy to be able to provide a good position for his friend, for Leeteuk had been his only source of support for over half his life.

    “What’s taking the potatoes so long?” Leeteuk asked as he stepped into the kitchen holding a basket of freshly picked apples from the orchard. “At this rate, we’ll eat at midnight.”

    “Sorry, I got distracted.” Heechul apologized, “It’s been a while since I’ve cooked anything.”

    “I wouldn’t cook ever again if I lived in the palace. The chefs there are amazing.”

    “Yes, they are.” Heechul agreed with a nod, “But, we’re good cooks too. We have a lot of experience.”

     “Then, use that experience to finish the potato salad while I pack the picnic basket.”

     “I hope it doesn’t rain,” Heechul mussed as he removed the potatoes from the stove and carried them to the sink to be drained. “I want today to be special.”

     “Don’t worry, it will be fine.”

   Once the cooking was done and the basket was full of food, Heechul stepped out the front door of his home and gazed across the large green lawn in front of him. A warm smile spread across his lips as he spotted his husband seated on a blanket beneath a tall tree. Siwon was leaning against the base of the tree with a content look on his face as his eyes focused on a small boy playing in the grass nearby.

     The boy was turning one today. He had soft brown hair and large dark eyes. He rolled happily in the grass, his favorite stuffed rabbit in his arms as he laughed loudly. One day, this child would be the King. His name was Prince Taemin, and he was Prince Siwon and Heechul’s only son. At first, Heechul had been hesitant about becoming a parent, but when he’d seen Taemin’s sweet face, all doubts had melted away.

    To the kingdom, Taemin was the product of Prince Siwon having relations with one of the palace’s many mistresses, but it was a lie. Heechul wouldn’t allow his husband to cheat on him, even if it was to produce an heir. Siwon agreed with his husband’s opinion on the topic and obeyed his wishes well. Instead, they’d adopted Taemin in secret. His real parents were servants who’d died of a winter fever. Heechul had begged Siwon to take the child in as their own, for he wanted to show that even the child of servants had worth. Even if the Kingdom would never know the truth, Heechul found it surreal that one day a servant would sit on the throne.

     “Go ahead, Sire. Your family is waiting for you.” Leeteuk urged, handing the picnic basket to Heechul.

    “You’re my family too, Teukie. Why don’t you join us?”

    “You should spend the day with your son. I’d just be in the way.” Leeteuk denied as a commotion broke out in the garden at the side of the house. “Plus, I have a couple of hags to deal with.”

    Heechul laughed as Leeteuk stomped off the deal with the two servants screaming at each other in the middle of the vegetable patch. Lady Jessica and Lady Tiffany were now simple servants on the Kim estate. Their titles had been stripped from them and their father had been thrown in prison. They now lived inside the attic and tended to the duties Heechul himself had done as a servant. Heechul found their new positions in life appropriate.

     “Darling, we’re starving!” Siwon called from his position beneath the tree as Taemin crawled across the blanket.

    “Coming!” Heechul shouted, leaving Leeteuk to deal with his squabbling stepsisters.

    Siwon lifted Taemin into his lap as Heechul took a seat on the blanket and began unpacking the basket. Picnics were something Heechul and Siwon enjoyed when the weather was nice, for it had been a picnic that had first brought them closer together. Taemin giggled happily as Siwon bounced him up and down and Heechul removed a small cake from the basket.

    “Let him have his cake first,” Siwon urged, “He’s excited.”

    “But, I made lunch.” Heechul pointed out, “The cake is for later.”

    “Please, Darling?” Siwon whined as Taemin began to fuss. “He wants his birthday cake.”

    “Taemin does, or you do?” Heechul teased, “Fine, we can have cake first.”

    Settling down next to his husband and child, Heechul cut them each a piece of cake and picked up a fork. Cutting a bite of dessert, Heechul offered it to Taemin, but the child preferred to pick up his piece of cake and smash it into his face instead.

    “He eats like his father,” Heechul joked, feeding the bite of cake to Siwon instead. “Both of you lack manners.”

     “Only when it comes to cake,” Siwon added, laughing as Taemin smeared cake in his hair. “He’s going to need a bath after this.”

    “How about we all go for a swim in the lake?” Heechul offered, “I miss the lake.”

    “We had our first kiss in the lake,” Siwon reminded, leaning forwards and placing a kiss on Heechul’s cheek. “Remember that day, My Lady?”

    “Don’t call me that,” Heechul scolded, playfully shoving another bite of cake into his husband’s mouth. “I’m not a Lady, remember?”

     “No, you’re a man.” Siwon agreed, “A man that I love very much.”

     “I love you too, Sire.” Heechul replied with a teasing smirk. “Thank-you.”

     “For what?”

    “Rescuing me,” Heechul provided, placing a kiss on Siwon’s icing covered lips.

     “I am you Prince Charming, after all.” Siwon chuckled, pulling Heechul into his arms as Taemin laughed loudly and smashed more cake on his face. “And, you’re my Cinderella.”

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THE END!

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