The crowd debated on their ideas about the issues regarding the current state of affairs and what they should do to fix problems and what they could do to satisfy their greed for glory and prestige. Some preferred to stay quiet while noting down what the senior officials debated and others would obediently nod at what the leader of their faction had said whether they agree or not as long as they remained in the favourable side. Among this chaotic group of people sat a young man who intently listened and waited for the others to finish before he could speak his mind on the issue. He carefully looked through the appeals that were handed to him as the people below him debated on the ideas they should present to their monarch, he signed the proposition he agreed on and placed aside those he needed advice on. As the debate got more heated, one voice became more dominant and loud that the young man could not help but look up to the angered old man.

"The matter regarding the harsh punishment of those who dare speak ill about our King should not be abolished. Those who dare taint the image of the his highness should be given the most severe punishment in the land so that those who dare to speak such disrespectful things are deterred from doing so." the Chief State Councillor stated.

"But shouldn't people be free to speak their mind whether you agree or not?" the Left State Councillor retorted. The young man nodded his head in agreement which drew the attention of the crowd.

"Our nation is a free nation which means that people should be able to speak their mind without fearing for their life. Sentencing them to death for stating their opinion is a harsh punishment is it not?" the young man said in an authoritative tone. Those in the crowd refused to speak up against him, fearing that they would be punished for speaking up against the young monarch. Silence engulfed the hall while no one dares to speak until the door opened and everyone including the young monarch bowed at the newcomer while holding their breath afraid that they would make a mistake while addressing the man who held the highest position in all the land.

"The meeting is adjourned. Everyone leave." the man said in a tone that caused the majority of the people in the room to shiver.The men quickly exited the hall without turning their back against the man as the man whispered something to the eunuch beside him which caused the eunuch to leave the room in a hurry. The young man made his way down the throne as the newcomer made his way up in a way that let people know of his position and how much authority he held. The young man was forbidden from speaking as the newcomer sat on the throne and tapped his finger on the arm rest as he glared at the young man in disdain. Without receiving permission to look up, the young man remained in his position without saying anything until the door opened again and the eunuchs outside announced the entrance of four new people. At the entrance of the other four, the man's face lit up and he motioned for the second tallest one in the group to stand next to him.

"Seokjin here to greet your royal highness." the eldest of them all said while doing a full bow at the man sitting in the throne.

"Jongin here to greet your royal highness." the second eldest announced, also doing the full bow. The man gave all the men in the room a signal to face forward.

"Taehyung, do you know why I called your brothers here?" the man asked. The young man, Taehyung, just shook his head as he really did not know why his father had called his brothers in. He was not aware of anything he did wrong as the presence of his brothers could only mean one thing; he would be lectured and scolded by their father for being an incompetent son. "Why don't you recall the main topic of the discussion for today's meeting?"

"We discussed the issues regarding the sentencing of people who committed minor crimes to more serious crime." Taehyung replied quietly, scared that he will say anything to anger his father further. The King raised his eyebrow at his son and urged him to continue. "Then we discussed the punishment that should be given to those who spoke ill of the king."

"And what was your opinion on the discussion?"

"I said that people should be free to speak their mind." as soon as the words left the Taehyung's mouth, he felt something heavy hit his shoulder and a loud bang was heard as the item thrown fell on the floor. Taehyung could not do anything, he could not oppose or complain as his father had the right to be angry. His father slammed his hands on the table as he glared at Taehyung, probably hoping that his son would disappear into thin air.

"Mingyu teach your older brother what the right response would be to the discussion." the King said to the young prince stood beside him. Mingyu bowed at his father and turned all his attention to his older brother.

"As the Crown Prince of this nation you should address the fact that it is treason to talk ill of the King since he is the person chosen by the heavens to lead the people. The effort he places on ensuring that his people are protected from barbarians should be considered as an act that comes from his heart. Therefore, those who speak ill of his highness should be punished as they are not showing gratitude to the man who is the reason why they have not died a painful death." after he has finished talking, Mingyu turned back to the King who looked at him with a gaze full off pride and a proud smile. At seeing their father's reaction, Mingyu looked back at his brother and gave him a smug look before mockingly bowing his head while being aware of the fact that he would not be apprehended for his actions. The King then turned to the tallest man in the room which is a sign for him to give his opinion on the matter.

"Taehyung hyungnim should learn from what Mingyu has said. It is not right for a person to speak their mind if what they're about to say is not morally right." the tallest, Seokwoo, said while the King nodded his head in agreement.

"Next time do your job properly as the Crown Prince and the eldest among your brothers. You should show them a good example of how to rule the nation not show them how to rebel. Look at Mingyu, he's younger than you but he's more fit to be the Crown Prince and he's proven that time and time again. You? All you've ever shown me are acts of disappointment." the King said in distaste while looking at Taehyung as if he was the worst mistake he's ever made. Taehyung could do nothing but bow and as soon as the King left the room, he was left with his brothers who just looked at him as if he didn't belong to the family. He could feel all the frustration bubbling up inside him, about to burst as the gazes of his brothers became more intense. Nothing he ever does is right in his father's eyes. Every little thing he does is scrutinised and openly judged by his father. It seems like he's only the Crown Prince because he's the son of the first Queen and that if his father could change the rules, he would change it to ensure that Taehyung is stripped from his title and that the title would be given to his youngest brother Mingyu, son of the current Queen. He doesn't know why his father detests him so much, he doesn't know why his father seems to want him to disappear since he hasn't done anything worthy of this kind of treatment.

"Well aren't you gonna move? I don't want to stay here all day just because you are too busy pitying yourself." Mingyu sneered.

"Don't speak to him like that. Don't forget that he's your older brother and that you're lower in ranks than him. Show some respect." Seokjin retaliated on behalf of Taehyung.

"Who do you think you're speaking to? Why don't you follow your own advice and show me some respect if you want to talk about ranks since you're nothing but a bastard."

"Enough." Taehyung blurted out and quickly exited. He did not want to listen to his brothers argue about the pettiest things and he especially did not want his older brother to suffer from any more harsh words from Mingyu about his title. He knows how hurt Seokjin gets because Seokjin truly admires and looks up to their father so knowing that he will never be able to hold a proper place in office and serve their father is the cause of Seokjin's sadness. Mingyu is well aware of this and he uses this to hurt Seokjin whenever he defends Taehyung. Out of all his siblings Mingyu is the person who is the closest to their father and he is also considered to be a favourite since he's the one who always accompanies their father during hunting trips and he's often present in the office whenever their father has a meeting with the State Council. Therefore, Mingyu is definitely the most privileged and he could get away with almost anything, even if he disrespects his older siblings. When Seokjin and Mingyu argue, Seokwoo and Jongin mainly stay out of it unless it gets physical where they would need to intervene. As Mingyu's older brother, Seokwoo would always defend his younger brother even if he was at fault whereas Jongin would mainly stay neutral from the fights since the only parent he shares with his brothers is their father.

"Taehyung!" a woman screamed, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked to find where the voice was until he saw a young woman dressed in royal robes and a young man across the court yard which instantly brought a smile on his face.

"Taeyeon noonim!" Taehyung said as he ran to where his older sister was and engulfed her in a hug. It had been a while since he's seen her and he missed her so much. She's the only person he could trust in this world and he's glad to see her when he's feeling down. He looked at the young man who came with his sister and motioned for him acknowledged his bow so that he doesn't hurt his back from bowing down for too long. "Hello Prince Consort Byun."

"How are you your highness?" Prince Consort Byun inquired with a polite smile.

"Happy now that my noonim is here. I trust that you looked after well?"

"Of course your highness."

"Enough with the formalities. My precious little brother, why do you look so down?" Taeyeon asked while poking her little brothers cheeks. Taehyung shook his head and pouted at his older sister while she pinched his cheeks. "It's Mingyu again isn't it? One day I'm going to drag him down from his high horse!" Taehyung laughed at his sister's remark while shaking his head. He knows that even though she's the oldest among the siblings, she doesn't have the same amount of power as Mingyu. But he's still grateful at the fact that his sister would not hesitate to stick up for him even if it means she would be greatly apprehended by their father. At the end of the day he only has his sister anyway so he's thankful that he has her in his life. What he's curious about is what his sister and Prince Consort Byun doing in the palace since they can only come here unless they have been summoned by their father or unless an important event is happening and as far as he's concerned, no important event is happening.

"Noonim what are you doing here?" he questioned. Taeyeon just looked at him oddly before answering him.

"Abamama didn't tell you? He asked me here to help pick a bride for you."