“Lord Kim,” When Jongin opened his eyes, he was assaulted with the bright blues of the royal messengers outfit. Jongin recognized the man in front of him; it was the same person who came knocking at his door to deliver his invitation to the ceremony honoring the coming of age of the king’s son. His party must have arrived at the palace already.

“Lord Kim is my father.” Jongin climbed out of the door, refusing the hand offered to him by the messenger. Kyungsoo and Tao followed suit, standing behind their master upon exiting. The messenger- whose name was either never given to him or Jongin just couldn’t be bothered to remember- took this as a cue as to lead Jongin up to his guest room. The palace was buzzing with activity, even more so than usual, but everyone seemed to pause as Jongin was led through the palace. People stopped in their tracks, staring, and whispering to whoever was closest.

“Why do they have a messenger playing host?” Jongin asked rather loudly to the man leading him.

“I wish I knew, but it was a personal assignment from the king. I do what he tells me to do, ask him yourself when you get the chance.” Jongin couldn’t help but chuckle at the perceived sarcasm.

When Jongin arrived at the room he was supposed to stay in, it seemed much too regal for him, especially just for a ceremony. Jongin had attended multiple events at the palace, and even when his family was here together, they never received such a luxurious room. The room he was shown was decorated in goods from Europe, a favorite of the royal family, from the rugs to the rich blue velvets on the lounge chairs reeked too good.

“Messenger,”

“Junmyeon. Call me Junmyeon.” The man, Junmyeon, in blue interrupted, correcting him quickly.

Jongin scoffed before continuing, “Junmyeon, there is a mistake. This is not a room I am supposed to be staying in.” Junmyeon took one look at him, in the room then back at Jongin.

“Yes it is.” He said matter-of-factly, before giving Jongin a curt smile and brushing past him, “I have other responsibilities, but there are maids up and down the hall if you need anything.”

~

“Something isn’t right here.” Jongin was laid out on the bed, shirtless and bottomless, absorbed in the texture of the blanket beneath him.

“How do you know?” Kyungsoo looked up from the silks and robes he was busy inspecting for damage from their travels.

“We were the only carriage outside of the palace.” Jongin didn’t even look the servant’s way.

“We arrived late. Don’t you remember when we lost a tire not even two hours into the journey?”

“I’ve never stayed in a suite like this. These ceilings are much too high compared to the normal accommodations.”

“Would you rather stay in the stables, your excellency?” Tao chimed in in his accented Korean.

“Shut it before I put you in the stables.” This time Jongin does look his way, pointer finger raised.

~

“Lord Kim,” Junmyeon knocked hard on the door, long before the sun was up. It took Jongin every bone in his body to not yell at the man, but he was just doing his job, and you can’t fault someone for that.

“What is it, Junmyeon?” Jongin threw the bed sheets off of him, rising from the bed and opening the door. He was amazed that Junmyeon was so put together this early in the day, his uniform pressed and perfectly arranged, and hair laid delicately, a stark contrast to how Jongin looked. The usual powders and creams applied to his face to make him look better weren’t present, his hair mussed and unkempt. Tao would work his figurative magic and fix all of this.

“Glad to see you are awake, Lord Kim,” Jongin cringed when Junmyeon said this, but was too tired to correct him, “the king requests your presence at his table this morning, it is wise to get yourself ready by sun up. I will collect you when it is time, but it is best to start your preparations now. First impressions are important.”

“I have already met the king.” Jongin insisted, he wanted to ask why the king wanted to meet but that could wait for later.

“But not in this manner, so it is imperative that you dress like it is the first time you have met. The king has high expectations, it is important that you meet them.” And with that, the man in blue was gone.

~

“Do you know why he wants to meet you?” Kyungsoo asked, trying to find the finest and most elaborate clothing out of what Jongin had brought with him. It was not an easy job, which required pulling nearly half his clothing out and examining it closely. Kyungsoo was trained to do such a job, to dress Jongin for occasions like this, and acquire clothing for his master, but he had never been under so much pressure before.

“I guess I’ll have to find out when I get there.” Jongin had a manners manual in his hand, which his mother insisted he bring with him. Jongin had initially protested about it, but it proved to be valuable in this situation. He’d have to pen a letter to her later, thanking her. Tao was at work on his hair, working oils through his hair with the help of a comb, styling it in such a way Jongin could never produce himself.

“Do we get to come along?” Tao was ecstatic about his master meeting the king of Korea, and he didn’t try to hide it at all.

“Tell me one time servants have ever sat at the table in my estate, let alone the table of the king.” Jongin shut him down immediately, not in the mood to entertain his childish desires today.

Jongin was secretly worried about this entire trip to the palace. His mother and father sent him off without any explanation as to why, just telling him to be on his best behavior. It was peculiar, because his mother and father have always been blunt about things with him, and secrets didn’t exist between the three family members. They spoke freely amongst each other behind closed doors, airing any worries, concerns, and doubts. His father had taught him a great deal about the world and his role in it as a noble, but he didn’t try to hid the grittier underbelly of their opulent life, not sheltering Jongin from the murder, corruption, and exploitation taking place in the scene of nobility. His mother did the same, teaching him the dark side of running a home. He had witness quite a few whippings as a child and teenager, his mother teaching him that servants and slaves obeyed, and never talked back. Jongin didn’t always approve of h her violent approach to insubordination, especially towards his own servant that he had grown fond of. The Kim family all respected each other and how they chose to live.

~

As the sun began to rise over the clouds, and shine light onto the capital, Jongin was finishing up his preparations for meeting the king. Kyungsoo had him dressed waistcoat, which was red velvet adorned with gold detailing and threading. Kyungsoo had personally added the details to the already expensive garment, taking it from the realm of ordinary- for nobles’ standard of ordinary- to the level of worthy to wear in the presence of the king. On his front pocket was his family crest, fierce and adorned with expensive, imported metals and precious jewels. The rest of his outfit was similar, expensive garments tailored precisely to Jongin’s lithe body. As he looked in the long mirror in front of him, he was honestly surprised at how he looked. His mother and father had never dressed him so luxuriously, but again the family had only attended functions such as balls and conferences at the palace.

Within no time came a knock at the door, as expected Junmyeon appeared again, in his messenger uniform and all. He looked the same way he did the hours earlier when he informed Jongin of what he was needed for. Junmyeon wasted no time to whisk Jongin away to the north wing of the palace, where the royal dining room, throne room, and other such places were located. Junmyeon walked slowly this time, taking time to brief Jongin on what was supposed to happen and in some way, warning him of what was to come.

“When the king asks a question, please speak loudly,” Junmyeon stopped before leaning close and whispering to Jongin “he has lost a good bit of his hearing.” Before picking up the pace again and speaking normally, “You may make eye contact with him, you may eat the food served to you, but it is wise to only take small bites few and far between each other. Don’t ask questions, don’t speak freely, and try to give clear and concise answers.” Jongin nodded, trying to absorb the information being delivered to him.

It does not take long for the pair to arrive at the destination, Junmyeon entering first, announcing the arrival of “Lord Kim Jongin of Jeolla province, Son of Kim Jonghyun, House of Kim.” Jongin took this time to catch his breath, trying to calm down. As he walked in, back straight as rod, he was met with the eyes of King and Queen Park, as well as the prince and princess. Thank the gods that it was only them, not the entire court. That’s when Jongin realized that this was the personal breakfast dining room of the royal family. This was not the normal room where guests were greeted, unless it was a personal guest, like a family member. What was he doing here?

Jongin pushes these thoughts to the back of his mind as he bows at ninety degrees, holding it for a long time. When he rises again, everyone’s eyes are on his. The king lets out a jolly chuckle, exclaiming how much Jongin has grown, like he is some sort of uncle. Jongin smiles, bowing his head in acknowledgement to each member of the family.

“Sit now, Jongin, you cannot eat with us while standing.” The king is louder than he used to be, and he has an eye patch over one eyed. He certainly has aged, and common ailments are taking their toll on him. It’s a bit sad, but Jongin doesn’t stare, and he doesn’t mention it either.

The king starts with small talk as servants bring out dishes, imported porcelain painted with sceneries from around Korea, with forks, knives, and chopsticks to match. The king asks how the industries are doing back home, how his father is, simple questions to which Jongin answers back with just that- simple answers. He follows Junmyeon’s warnings, speaking loud enough for the king, keeping his answers short.

The meal being served is raw fish, rice, and near the end of the ordeal, confectionaries and tea. The various members of the family ask Jongin questions. The queen asks him about his travels, where he has been, where he wants to go. When Jongin states that he has a servant from China that has taught him Mandarin, her eyes light up, rattling off Mandarin at the speed of light. Jongin tries to keep up, to entertain her, and answer the questions she asks in the language. The other members let this go on for a few minutes before the king stops her, requesting that the conversation return to Korean. The rest of the family must not speak Mandarin, Jongin says to himself. It’s funny to him, because the royal family is supposed to represent the epitome class and culture, yet they only speak one language.

When it is the prince’s turn to ask questions, he asks more relaxed questions. He asks what Jongin likes to do in his free time, what Jeolla looks like, how old he is, among others. Jongin finds himself smiling as he answers, and he can’t stop staring at the man. He has curly brown hair, big eyes, and a smile that is infectious- Jongin can’t take his eyes off of him. Eventually Jongin forces himself to, when they accidentally make eye contact.

Even though it felt like it would never end, the meal did come to a close. Junmyeon appeared almost instantly when the king allowed Jongin to leave.

“It would be wise to not engage in conversations in foreign languages again.” Junmyeon wasted no time getting Jongin back to his room.

“What are you, my manners teacher or a messenger? If I wanted scrutiny over everything, I would’ve brought my mother along.” Jongin was getting tired of Junmyeon’s matter-of-fact attitude towards him, especially from someone below him. If it were another noble, Jongin wouldn’t be so bothered by it. If it were a member of the royal family, Jongin would actually listen to what they had to say. But a commoner, some staff member at the palace… thinking they have the liberty to talk to Jongin, a noble, however they want. The thought of it makes Jongin’s blood boil.

If he took his mothers philosophy on how to discipline servants, Jongin would’ve took it upon himself to beat Junmyeon for his disrespect. But this was not his home, so Jongin would have to bring it up to the royals first- after all this was their home, their servants, their responsibility. Jongin rolled his shoulders, dismissing these thoughts from his head, thinking of just how well his servants behaved.