i’ve been wanting to write panwink fic for a while now but i wasn’t expecting it to happen like this lol

me: sits down to write prince jihoon and knight daniel
my brain: yeah but imagine kuanlin as a prince
me: you make a good point

“Will that be all for tonight, Prince?”

Kuanlin straightens up from beside his desk. “I thought I told you not to call me that when we’re alone, Jihoon.” He chides softly.

“Ah, yes.” His servant smiles and touches his cheek bashfully. “I’m just worried that I may forget and call you that in public."

The prince shakes his head as he begins to get ready for bed. “You know that when it’s just the two of us you are my friend, not my servant.”

“I know.” Jihoon responds, his eyes gentle as he gazes at the other. He turns and heads for the door, “Sleep well, Kuanlin."

The Lai Kingdom is a sprawling land of picturesque mountains, beautiful architecture, and boasts an emerging economy. Its' people are known for being hardworking and intelligent, the glimmer of curiosity evident in their eyes, for this kingdom is one that prizes knowledge over power and the royal family are no exception. The King is well-known for being a master strategist who is wise beyond his years. An admirable man who has won his wars with as little bloodshed as possible.

As popular as the King is, the locals similarly adore their young Prince Kuanlin. Tall, handsome and respectable, the young man has garnered the nickname the Scholar Prince from palace staff as he is often found in the library expanding his ever-growing knowledge. Prince Kuanlin maintains a cool and level-headed exterior outside yet he is companionable with people he is close to and charming with foreign dignitaries. Although, no one else knows exactly how warm and sweet their prince can be when he is alone with his personal servant Jihoon.

Jihoon has been under the royal family’s employ ever since he was a child. He had started out doing odd jobs around the palace and tending to the stables until Prince Kuanlin was old enough to require a personal servant rather than an entourage of caretakers. Since the pair were similar in age, they became friends easily, growing closer over the years to the point where Jihoon could be considered as Kuanlin’s one true confidante. The prince would seek out Jihoon for reassurance or guidance whenever he was feeling worried or burdened.

Those worries had increased lately as the King has been missing for the past six months. The King set out on an expedition to another kingdom in the far west to discuss possible trade options however had not returned in a timely manner. There are growing fears that the King is dead however Kuanlin and Jihoon have hope that he is still alive. As a result of this, Prince Kuanlin has been serving as acting king in his absence and the weight of the responsibility of the kingdom falls on his young shoulders.

Jihoon hurries along beside Kuanlin, his arms laden with various books on the running of a kingdom.

“Your arms are too short to be carrying all of that.” Kuanlin points out, chuckling as he walks. “Let me take some."

Jihoon puffs his cheeks up as he angles the books away slightly. “How can I expect the Prince to carry any of this?” He says, rearranging his hands to make sure nothing falls. “Especially since we are on the way to meet with the royal council.”

“It’s just a meeting with my advisors.” Kuanlin responds as he leans over to take the top three books from the pile and one near the bottom that looks dangerously close to slipping. “If anything, it’ll look worse if I am late because I let my dear servant carry more than he can hold.”

When they make it inside the room, Kuanlin adopts a more serious expression and the discussion begins in earnest.

There have been problems with agriculture after the monsoon season had passed, wreaking havoc on the crops and destroying the farmland so that new seeds cannot be grown until the area has been cleaned up. This had not had a large impact on the kingdom’s economy as the country is still rich in mineral resources however there are mounting worries that there will be a shortage of food this year. To make matters worse, the prolonged absence of the King has only added tension to the rising uneasiness.

It is fortunate that the people seem to believe in their Prince and that Kuanlin has a council of advisors whom he trusts but it is clear that he will have to decide on a solution soon.

“I believe that the best course of action would be to come to a trade agreement with one of the other kingdoms. We can offer gold and other metals in exchange for food.” Kuanlin says to the room.

One of his advisors begins, “We are on good terms with the Huang and Jing Kingdoms in the north. We may be able to bargain with them.”

Another man pitches in, “That is true. They are farther away and would require a longer journey though.”

“There is the Zhou Kingdom in the south,” offers a third member, “we are unfamilliar with them but they are the closest."

The Prince furrows his brows. “We have enough farmed animals that we do not have to resort to rations quite yet.” Kuanlin pauses. He turns to the third man and continues, “However, the sooner the better."

“Understood. I will arrange a meeting with the Zhou Kingdom as soon as possible.”

The evening finds Kuanlin and Jihoon in the palace library, a common occurrance. Kuanlin is standing over several maps, perusing various trade routes.

“Jihoon.” He calls, “Can you bring me the newer maps of the north and south-west areas?”

The shorter boy checks the shelves. Each individual drawer is overflowing with papers and dates, and Jihoon has to carefully parse through them.

Eventually he makes his way back to the prince with a couple of rolled-up papers. “Here are the southern maps, Kuanlin.” He explains as he places them on the table. “The northern maps are stored a little too high for me to reach alone. I’ll be back after fetching a stool.”

Kuanlin looks up at him. “Oh? They are too high for you?” A teasing grin makes its way across the Prince’s face. He stands up from his chair. “Then I suppose I’ll just have to get them myself.”

“Don’t be mean!” Jihoon squeaks as he follows the younger through the shelves. “You’re not that much taller than me.”

Kuanlin sends him a disbelieving look. “I am taller and that also means that my arms are longer.” He sighs to himself, “Poor me, my servant is much too short to be of any help. I have to do it myself.”

Jihoon hushes him. “Don’t say that. What if someone hears you?”

“As if anyone would dare to separate you from me.” Kuanlin stops and faces Jihoon. “I wouldn’t let them."

The representative from the Zhou Kingdom arrives on a dreary afternoon.

Kuanlin sits opposite the man at the table as Jihoon serves them both tea.

“General Wang,” states Kuanlin as he addresses the visitor, “I am aware that you have been informed of our current situation.”

“That is correct.” Wang replies, taking a sip of his tea. “Indeed, I have already spoken with my people.”

“Excellent.”

There is a pause as both parties scrutinize each other. It is clear that Wang is of a high status if the Zhou Kingdom chose to send him alone however he is not a part of the royal family. Wang has a face that might have been handsome if he took better care of himself but it is evident that he has not.

The Prince opens the discussion. “We are willing to offer certain resources in exchange for your help and if things go well, we might look into a more permanent trade agreement.”

Wang lifts a hand to his beard. “That depends on what you have to bargain with.”

“I can offer you a favourable amount of gold for equivalent food stock.”

“That deal is still more advantageous to you, Little Prince.” The man roves his eyes around the room. “I am aware that your kingdom has a source of jade?”

“For food? Then the deal will be skewed towards your favour.” Kuanlin scoffs and counters, “Gold and pewter.”

“Gold, pewter, and a night with your servant.” The General declares, lifting a hand to gesture at Jihoon. The man focuses his beady stare on him and Jihoon has to repress the shiver that snakes up his spine.

The Prince’s facial expression gives nothing of his thoughts away; it remains a cold mask of indifference. Kuanlin leans forward and asks, “You like boys, General?”

“I like pretty things.”

Kuanlin stares down at Wang. “Let me make things clear for you. You can ask what you like of me however I am not in the business of offering my people as objects.”

Wang replies breezily, “That’s a shame for you. In that case, it seems we don’t have a deal.”

“It would appear that way.” responds Kuanlin, as he stands up.

In the privacy of the Prince’s chambers, Jihoon corners Kuanlin.

“Why didn’t you go through with the deal? You should have accepted it,” argues Jihoon.

Kuanlin runs a hand through his hair. “It was not a good deal.”

“But it would solve all our problems!”

“Jihoon.” It is rare for Kuanlin to exert his authority that sometimes Jihoon can forget that he is the most powerful man in the country. “I said no."

Early in the morning, Jihoon goes to find Wang before he is scheduled to leave the kingdom today. The man looks equally intimidating in the light of day. Throwing away his pride, Jihoon gets to his knees in the centre of the guest room and begs Wang to reconsider.

The General approaches him slowly. “Does your Master know what you are doing?”

Jihoon swallows. “Please reconsider the trade agreement.”

“So, you want me to accept the boy Prince’s offering.” Wang states, his lips, “And this will be our secret, then?"

Jihoon keeps his eyes on the floor as he nods.

A large and rough hand grips his jaw, forcing him to look up. Jihoon can feel his heart beating away in his chest like a rabbit’s. Jihoon wonders if perhaps he is beginning to regret his decision as Wang’s eyes take in his face, lingering on his lips.

Before Jihoon can decide whether to run now while he can, two loud knocks sound at the door as it opens and Seongwoo announces as he enters, “Your transport is already waiting at the front of the palace, Sir.”

Seongwoo freezes when he realises the state of the two occupants of the room. His shocked expression would almost have been funny if not for the situation.

Seongwoo snaps his jaw shut before grabbing Jihoon harshly by the arm and pulling him away from Wang. His grip is too tight for Jihoon to break free as the elder pushes him out of the door.

“Go and attend to the Prince, Jihoon.” Seongwoo says before turning his steely expression on Wang.

The Prince crosses his arms in silence as the pair face each other in Kuanlin’s room.

Standing before him, Jihoon worries at his bottom lip with his teeth, eyes darting to Kuanlin’s before flicking away.

When it becomes evident that Jihoon is not going to speak first, Kuanlin closes his eyes and sighs before speaking. “Seongwoo told me what happened this morning.”

“I’m sorry.”

The Prince unfolds his arms. “You weren’t planning on telling me this yourself, were you? You fully intended to quietly go behind my back.”

“I’m sorry.” Jihoon repeats. “It was never my intention to betray you.”

He fidgets with his hands before continuing. “I just wanted to help you out. I know that you’ve been losing sleep over this and the people need food.”

Kuanlin’s face remains unchanging and Jihoon starts to ramble. “You’ve been really stressed about this, especially because of your father, this situation. And I know. It just. It would be really good for your image if you can get through your first major crisis on your own. I mean, of course you can. You’re amazing. You don’t need my help, but I wanted to anyway.”

He finishes quietly, “I wanted to be useful.”

Kuanlin holds up a hand for Jihoon to stop. “Are you saying you would have been happy to offer yourself to that man like a present?” questions Kuanlin.

Jihoon shakes his head silently.

“That you would have enjoyed laying with him?”

“Of course not. The only person that I would want to-“ Jihoon cuts himself off.

“Continue.”

“I…” Jihoon opens his mouth and closes it again, unable to meet the Prince’s eyes. “There is only one person that I would want to be with.”

A thick silence permeates the air as Kuanlin stares at Jihoon and Jihoon stares at the floor.

“That’s a coincidence.” Kuanlin says eventually. “Because I am also only interested in one person.” He confides, staring directly into Jihoon’s eyes.

Kuanlin approaches Jihoon and lowers his head close enough that Jihoon would only have to tilt his head slightly for their lips to make contact.

“Let me know if you don’t want this.” Kuanlin whispers, his breath warm on Jihoon’s face.

This is the only thing that Jihoon has ever wanted. He tilts his face up and closes the gap.

ong seongwoo for the win! jihoon you lol

also don’t worry the kingdom will be fine~ kuanlin eventually makes a deal with prince minhyun from the huang/hwang kingdom :Db

thanks for reading!