Appalled was the only word that could accurately depict Jisoo’s current emotion as she swerved her way through the loud crowd of masked guests, her eyes never leaving the dancefloor, where a certain all-black clad Yoongi seemed to be getting a little too much attention for his own good. It was almost painfully embarrassing to watch the barely clothed courtesan flirt shamelessly with him as he tried his best to remain politely uninterested.

After a few minutes of observing the disgusting scene occurring right before her eyes, she could no longer remain an innocent bystander. She needed to save the courtesan from further embarrassment. That was the only reason she was doing this, of course. It definitely was not at all related to the fact that Yoongi had not spoken a word to her that night, despite how dressed up she was. Truthfully, she had expected him to be all over her new look and had already come up with a list of witty ways to reject him, but he had barely even spared her a glance. What a confusing man he was. Not to mention a complete idiot.

She passed by Jimin and Lisa who were dancing a little too close for comfort on the dancefloor, making a mental note to bombard Lisa with questions about their blossoming relationship after she was through with Yoongi. And then she passed by Seokjin dirty dancing with about half a dozen woman grinding up against him and wished to smack some sense into him. But that would have to wait.

Jisoo had almost reached Yoongi when she realized she had no idea what she was doing. Did she have a plan? No. Was that going to stop her? No. Was she most likely going to cause an unnecessary scene because she was somewhat threatened by the courtesan’s womanly charms? Yes.

There was a foreign uncomfortable sensation buzzing through her the longer she watched the two of them giggling and conversing. It was like a mixture of frustration, anger and irritation, but with a slight undercurrent of helplessness and vulnerability. She had the sudden urge to separate the two of them, like that was the only solution that would tame her wild emotions.

Thus, as she reached them, she could not help but make a bold move.

The courtesan was about to wrap her arms around Yoongi’s neck again when Jisoo quickly stepped in between them, her back turned towards the woman and her chest pressed firmly against Yoongi’s. She only had time to see his eyes widen in surprise before she placed her hands on either side of his face and put an end to the courtesan’s advances in the most assertive method she could think of.

Without another second of hesitation she tilted her head up and smashed her lips against his. She could feel the shock reverberate through him as he grew completely still, his muscles tense and his lips frozen. Jisoo was hoping to keep it a quick, light peck, but as soon as she was about to pull away, it was like Yoongi had suddenly come back from the dead. His arms wrapped around her waist, immediately pulling her closer and his lips eagerly welcoming hers. She gasped sharply against his uncharacteristically soft lips as she felt the hammering of his heart match the tempo of her own, realizing that he was now in control.

Her hands developed a mind of their own, exploring the smooth, cool skin of his neck and the sharp edges of his jaw as he continued to press her closer and closer until she could hardly breath. It wasn’t like this was Jisoo’s first kiss, but there was something about the sensation of his lips against hers that was utterly intoxicating. Like his mouth was the finest brand of wine and she was an alcoholic. A sensation that felt like their lips were never meant to be apart in the first place. Like they had been waiting for this moment all their life.

With great difficulty and a strong burst of willpower, she finally pulled away for air, her eyes still shut and her heart racing as his rapid, warm breath intermingled with her own. When she had finally recovered, she peeked a glance up at him and was surprised at the intensity of emotions displayed in his features.

With her hands still gripping either side of his face, she turned her head ever so slightly to glance back at the woman who still stood there, watching them with her jaw wide open in shock.

“He’s taken,” Jisoo stated, her voice sounding breathy even to her own ears, as he pressed his lips against her cheek and began to trail passionate kisses down her exposed neck.

She could only enjoy the satisfaction of watching the woman stomp away for a short second before Yoongi’s mouth demanded her attention again.

“Goddamn woman,” he murmured against her collarbone, “you have always been a sin just waiting to happen.”

“And you have always been a sinner,” Jisoo barely managed to respond without sighing as she extended her neck to grant him better access.

He chuckled, his breath tickling her skin as he made his way back up , “if I had known jealousy wound invoke this type of reaction from you, I would have made you jealous a long time ago.”

“If I had known you were such a good of a kisser, I would have kissed you a long time ago,” she grinned as he grasped her chin, tilting her face to meet his dark gaze again.

“Careful,” he murmured, his voice deeper than she had ever heard, “if you keep talking like that… you will shatter all my self-control and who knows what will happen then.”

She smirked, letting go of her inhibitions and allowing her emotions to take over for once, “let’s find out, shall we?”

And with that, she grasped his cold hand, leading him towards one of the rare empty rooms in the brothel where they could continue to release the months of that had been brewing between them in private.

~{❀}~

Chaeyoung hesitantly allowed Jaehyun to lead her towards the dancefloor, the sensation of his hand holding hers feeling foreign and almost wrong. She could not help comparing his touch to Taehyung’s. Though Jaehyun’s hand was gentle and soft, it did not spark shards of tingling electricity throughout her entire being nor propel her heart to skip beats the same way a single brush of Taehyung’s fingers did. And when he smiled at her, she felt nothing but friendly regard.

“As I was saying,” Chaeyoung continued, trying to remain relaxed and maintain a polite distance as they began to slowly sway across the dancefloor, “I would like to extend an offer of an alliance with you and your family. As you know, the country is currently in shambles due to Mingyu’s corrupt reign and the ever-impending war with the Khitans. The only way to preserve our nation is to overthrow Mingyu and rebuild a new, stronger foundation with a more suitable ruler.”

“And you believe you will be a better ruler than your brother?” Jaehyun asked with interest shining in his eyes.

“The prophecy states that the first-born is destined to save the country, so I have to believe it,” Chaeyoung replied firmly.

He considered this for a short moment and then glanced down at her curiously, “if we are to do business, there must be benefits for both of the involved parties. What can you give our family that we do not already have?”

“I am open to negotiations,” Chaeyoung gulped, already sensing what it was they desired.

Jaehyun’s family was the second richest family in the country, right after the royal family. They possessed all the luxuries and resources imaginable, but there was one thing they did not have. The throne.

“Are you willing to validate this alliance through marriage?” he asked and Chaeyoung had to admit it was the worst possible marriage proposal she had ever received, which was quite an accomplishment considering the princess had received proposals from across the globe since the ripe age of 16.

She did not know what to say, so she remained completely silent as she considered his offer and tried to conjure the most reasonable response to it. At this point, she was desperate to expand her troops, considering how much of an advantage Mingyu currently had over her. On the one hand, she knew how crucial every single soldier would be to securing a victory and that marriage had always been a mere political duty for people like her. If she were in this same situation a year ago, she would not have hesitated to accept Jaehyun’s offer.

But someone else had already claimed her heart and it was no longer hers to give.

At that moment, she glanced past Jaehyun’s shoulder to see Taehyung standing behind him with a confusing mix of emotions blatantly flashing in his eyes. Anger, frustration, pain, sorrow, and then acceptance. He met her gaze for a split second and it appeared like he might have said something, but then his eyes grew cold and distant and he turned around, quickly stomping away through the crowd.

Had he overheard their conversation? Did he think she would easily accept his proposal? Was this the moment he chose to give up on her for good?

She could not bear that last thought, watching his retreating back with a stab of panic rushing through her. Without saying another word to Jaehyun, she pulled away, running through the crowd to catch up to Taehyung’s long strides.

“Taehyung, wait,” she called out when she finally reached him, her breathing heavy as she gripped his wrist and turned him around to face her with so much force that the leather satchel he carried on his back collapsed to the ground, its contents spilling out immediately. But neither of them spared a moment to retrieve the forgotten items as they were too engrossed in the heated moment.

He turned to look at her with an expression that looked too similar to the stoic, emotionless façade he had displayed when they had first met, “shouldn’t you be closing your business deal, your highness?”

Chaeyoung inhaled sharply at his icy tone. He had not spoken to her like that or called her “your highness” in months, his sudden aloofness hurting her more than she ever thought