Wonwoo had to pull himself together, he stood up and wiped his tears away, ignoring the plaguing thoughts that fought to remind him of how much he cared about the prince. He looked at himself in the mirror, and laughed, amused at how easy it was for him to fall apart over someone who only saw him as a friend. It was insane of him to have feelings for the prince, and he knew it had been insane from the moment that the crush started, but spending everyday beside him made it hard not to love the prince. Jisoo was kind, and caring, he wasn't afraid of standing up for what he believed was right, and it was a kind of courage Wonwoo desperately wished he had in himself.

The servant grabbed one of the many towels sitting near the sink and rinsed off his face, mentally kicking himself for leaving the prince alone in the garden.

As soon as any evidence of his breakdown was washed away, Wonwoo straightened his clothes out, and sighed, running a hand through his hair to rebuild his proper image before he waltzed back to the green pastures of the garden.

The prince had pulled himself together enough to have walked out into the gravel paths that twisted around the garden floor, he was standing with his pockets in his hands, and staring up at the sun. Wonwoo pointed his eyes at his feet, and walked over to the prince, offering a handkerchief for his troubles.

"I'm fine now, I appreciate it though." Jisoo's tone was back to that of his usual demeanor, cheery, and bright.

"Are you sure, sir?" Wonwoo looked up, brushing his dark hair away from his eyes so that he could properly see the prince, who's skin was positively radiant in the sunlight.

"I'm sure, you and my father are right. I can't keep being selfish if I want to be the king." The words were cold, despite the prince's warm tone, they made Wonwoo's blood feel like it had begun freezing in his veins. Though the prince had a habit of being agreeable, he didn't think that he would give in to this of all things. He'd remained adamant about having to marry someone he loved, so it just made no sense.

"Excuse me?" Wonwoo spat, his eyes wide and waiting for some sort of explanation.

"It doesn't matter what I want, what matters is the kingdom. Even if I have no interest in women, that doesn't make it okay for me to end my lineage." Jisoo shrugged, leaning down to tease the petals of a bright pink flower, plucking it to rub the satiny petals between his fingers. He smiled, but Wonwoo saw no happiness in his expression, and as much as the obedient servant wanted to speak up, he was right. If Jisoo were to comply with the king's wishes, the kingdom would thrive, but that would stick him in a life that he would never be happy with.

"Sir-"

"No, Wonwoo. Please, don't say anything else about this. I know what I'm getting myself into. Please, just promise me that you won't leave my side." The ice in his veins began to melt away, and all he could muster in response was a nod.

"Thank you." Jisoo stuck his hand out, offering Wonwoo the flower he'd picked, offering an apologetic looking smile. Wonwoo carefully took the blossom, tracing over the edges of its petals with his fingers.

"You know, pink flowers are associated with gentleness, admiration, and sympathy, right?" Fingers still skirting over the velvety anatomy of the flower, Wonwoo shook his head.

"I didn't, no." The only knowledge Wonwoo had about flowers was that you put them in dirt and water them, so he was a bit surprised to hear the prince's knowledge.

"Well, now you do, and I guess that flower is an offering of thanks for every time you showed me those characteristics." It was touching, but the prince's words had re-awoken that monster in his gut, the one he wished so hard to fight.

"Sir, you don't have to thank me." Wonwoo replied, biting back the want to say what was actually riddling his mind right now.

"Yes, I do. You helped me realize I was only being selfish. I'm not the one that matters here, it's the kingd-"

"You do matter!" Wonwoo snapped, accidentally crushing the flower he'd been gifted as his hands balled up at his sides. His eyebrows were low, and his jaw was tight, his dark eyes practically outraged by hearing the prince's words.

"It might not matter coming from me, since I've just been your seer for these past few years, but you're brilliant and deserve to live a life where you'll be happy."

Jisoo had taken a step back, clearly thrown off by Wonwoo's interruption, hands clasped in front of him for his eyes to look down at.

"I- I'm sorry, sir." Wonwoo's voice retreated back to it's usual calm and withheld tone, scratching his head in some attempt to appear as confused as Jisoo about his mild explosion.

"Don't be sorry, you are probably the only person in the kingdom who would say that to me, if anything, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't be so down about this decision, after all, I should have agreed from the beginning." Jisoo dug the toe of his shoe around in the gravel beneath him, sporting a sad smile.

Wonwoo couldn't think of any words to offer that would help snap him out of the depression that seemed to be setting in fast, so he did what his mother told him was the best remedy for a situation. He inched closer to the prince, and wrapped his arms around his elder tightly, hoping that a hug would suffice for all the things that he wasn't capable of saying here.

Jisoo, while absolutely floored to see the man that was always so stoic actually hugging him on such a dreary day, returned the hug happily, feeling some of the weight on his chest dissipate in the warmth of the embrace. Although wildly unexpected, the short moment of compassion are appreciated, cut short as the sounds of a nearby gardener walked by, prompting the two boys to let go of each other.

Jisoo glanced back up at the sun, then let his eyes fall back on Wonwoo, face contorted as he looked at the loyal servant.

"It's funny, I think you care more about me than my whole family does."

A/N: Man, I am on a roll lately. I feel like this chapter is a little short because so much of it is dialogue, for which, I do apologize, but y'know, we've all done it once or twice in our writing careers. :P I hope you enjoy! Leave a comment, lemme know how you feel!!