II

Chanyeol had requested his chambers to be in the second floor of the castle, he hadn’t wanted to risk being put at the top of a tower, which sounded simply dreadful. His bedroom faced the back of the palace, and had a spacious balcony with a nice view of the lake and gardens. Chanyeol didn’t know if they had given him the view because it was beautiful, or to keep him from seeing the palace’s traffic, who came in and out, when the guards changed, and so on. In any case, he liked to spend his time before going to bed in the balcony, watching the scenery.

There were two dilemmas in Chanyeol’s mind this evening. Valkea was requesting an elimination of the import tax of all Valkean goods that came into Sejon, as compensation for losing their most important trading hub during the war.

However, this would favor Valkea too much. The lowered prices of their goods could hurt some of Sejon’s producers, not to mention their trading relations with the Yang Empire, Sejon’s other neighbor and ally. Chanyeol didn’t want their economy to rely on Valkea in a couple decades. Prince Sehun was firm, and had denied all his solutions so far.

His other predicament was Prince Baekhyun. A week had passed, and he hadn’t caught a glimpse of him ever since the training ring. He had asked the Queen and Sehun about him a couple of times, and received vague responses. He wondered if Baekhyun had told them about his intentions, if perhaps they were trying to protect the omega. He hated the idea of letting it be, but he couldn’t turn the palace upside down looking for Baekhyun when he was here on an important diplomatic mission, like Jongin liked to remind him.

The sky was clear tonight, with clouds only here and there, which was rare. Chanyeol’s eyes were on the moon. “Dal, is this a signal that I should give up?” he asked his god.

He noticed then a figure walking through the pathway below his balcony. The person wore a gray hooded cloak, which wasn’t strange, Chanyeol had seen a few servants dressed the same way to go outside the castle. The wind blew, intensifying for a moment, and Chanyeol was about to look away when the figure’s hood was blown backwards and Prince Baekhyun’s blond hair was revealed. He readjusted the cloak quickly and walked away.

Chanyeol frowned. What on earth was the prince doing? It looked like he was heading north, to the palace’s main gate. Chanyeol turned around and hurried out of his rooms. The guards stationed at each side of the door said nothing as he passed by. He hoped he remembered how to get to the outer ward, the castle was a huge maze to him. As if Dal were guiding his steps, Chanyeol found himself going down a staircase and spotting the prince, half running through the path just outside the castle’s walls.  

The alpha approached him quietly from behind. “Prince Baekhyun?” he said softly.

Baekhyun violently turned around, almost missing his step. “What are you doing here?!” he asked, his eyes wide.

Chanyeol noticed he wasn’t wearing a jacket below the cloak, and the buttons of his shirt were badly done, missing a few. The shirt was half tucked in his trousers. Despite the cold, there pearls of sweat on his forehead. For a moment Chanyeol panicked, thinking it might be his heat, but no, he would’ve felt the scent. Besides, Baekhyun was pale as paper, like he was seeing a demon.

“I was only enjoying a walk,” Chanyeol said casually, his hands behind his back. “May I accompany you to your chambers? I mean no offense, but you look... unwell.”

“Thanks for your concern, that isn’t necessary. Please head back, I will be fine,” Baekhyun’s voice was cool and controlled, but his body was shaking. He seemed about to collapse.

“I have to insist,” the alpha said, reaching out to take his arm.

“Don’t touch me!” Baekhyun scrambled backwards, eyes wide and hysterical. “If you don’t leave right away I will call the guards.”

“I mean no harm, Prince Baekhyun. You can’t expect me to leave you here alone when it looks like you want to go outside the palace in disguise in this condition. After dark,” he tried to reason.

“It’s not your business,” Baekhyun hissed through gritted teeth. “Go, now.”

“Please-” Chanyeol stepped forward and this time he did grasp his arm.

“Guards!” Baekhyun roared. “GUARDS!”

Before Chanyeol could protest, four uniformed palace guards had swiftly surrounded them. “Yes, your highness,” they said in unison.

“Arrest this alpha! He dared to harass me!”

The guards seized each of his arms firmly. Chanyeol was too surprised to react. “What?! I didn’t harass you!”

“How else do you explain your hand on me?! Take him to a cell!” Baekhyun hissed.

“Wait, this is a misunderstanding, I only wanted to help him!”

“He harasses me, calls me a liar, and expects my gratitude!”

Chanyeol quieted down, fully realizing the situation he was in. For the Valkeans, he was the savage Sejonian prince, found in the gardens with a hand on their Second Prince, an eighteen-year old omega who wasn’t wearing a jacket and had buttons of his shirt undone. Touching an unmarked omega against their will was a heinous crime by itself, touching a prince added another heavy layer of gravity.

Had this been their plan all along? Was this an excuse to execute him here? He was his father’s only heir, his death would bring destabilization to Sejon.

He didn’t resist the guards. Anything he did could be held against him later. He followed obediently, and they led him to the palace’s dungeons underground (another horrible detail of the design of Valkean castles). They opened the door of the cell and waited, without pushing him or demanding he entered. He guessed they still had some respect for his title. Chanyeol went inside willingly.

The guards locked him in and left quietly, taking the torch they had used to lead the way with them, leaving him in complete darkness. The alpha sighed and sat on the floor, leaning against the wall dejectedly. He had never been captured during the war, and now it had only taken a pretty blond omega to have him thrown in a prison.

Perhaps Jongin was right when he said he was too naïve to expect Valkeans would be as honorable as himself.

*

“Your highness, please wake up,” a gentle female voice said.

The alpha opened his eyes, feeling disoriented for a moment. His neck ached horribly, and that was when he realized he had fallen asleep sitting against the wall. Kneeling near him was Bora, one of his personal servants. A teapot and a cup sat on a tray beside her. The door of the cell was open wide.

“What’s going on?” Chanyeol asked.

“Prince Sehun ordered your release,” she said, serving a cup of herbal tea. “Your highness, this servant was so scared when she couldn’t find you this morning, she’s so happy you’re alright!” she handed him the cup and bowed to the ground.

Chanyeol sipped the refreshing tea. “Where’s Jongin? Does he know?”

“Yes, the Captain was discussing the issue with Minister Do.”

Chanyeol nodded. He finished the tea and got to his feet. Bora guided him out of the dungeon, where four of his own guards waited to him to the Crown Prince’s chambers. Chanyeol was surprised by this location- he had assumed this matter would be settled in the throne room, with the Council present.

Prince Sehun waited in his private dining room, where a luxurious breakfast buffet had been served.

“Good morning,” he said calmly, and asked Chanyeol to sit with a gesture of his hand.

“What the hell are you playing at?!” Chanyeol demanded, tired of Sehun’s aloof behavior. “Sejon has been considerate to you, how dare you throw their Crown Prince in a cell like a lowly criminal? I came here on a mission of peace! How do you think my people will react to this?”

Sehun frowned, pursing his lips. Slowly, he stood, and then bowed ninety degrees. Chanyeol stared. A prince should never have to bow like this.

“I beg you to not to let anyone know what happened last night,” he said. “I beg you to forgive my brother.”

“Forgive him?”

Sehun straightened up. His expression was grim, his gray eyes sad. It was the most expressive Chanyeol had seen him since he had arrived here.

“My brother has problems sleeping. When it gets bad, the only way he calms down is going out of the palace. He lashes out at anyone who tries to stop him. He is not himself when this happens. It was unfortunate you had to see him like this, please know that it is not personal. I would have released you right away, but I was in bed, and he ordered the guard not to alert me.”

“Do you expect me to pretend this never happened? Your brother should be responsible of his actions.”

“And he will. He will apologize to you. Prince Chanyeol, this is not a matter between Sejon and Valkea, it is a matter between you and my brother, please do not bring our countries into a personal quarrel. You and I have worked hard to achieve peace. If it is your wish, I will send my brother away until the negotiations are complete. And if that is not enough...” he gulped and took a deep breath before continuing. “I will have him punished with thirty lashes,” he said through gritted teeth, like it physically pained him to give this option, but he knew it was a sacrifice he must make.

Chanyeol thought of Baekhyun last night, his frightened face, his body shaking, and felt the anger drain out of him. He didn’t deserve any of that. “No, please. Don’t punish him. You’re correct, we shouldn’t let this disagreement affect our nations.” He sighed. “Very well, I will pretend none of this happened.”

Sehun bowed again. “Thank you for your kindness, Prince Chanyeol.”

*

Jongin was furious, to say the least. At Chanyeol for insisting in his futile attempt at courting the blond omega, and at Baekhyun for daring to humiliate Sejon’s Crown Prince. Chanyeol claimed he would have tried to help anyone who looked as distressed as Baekhyun had, that it had nothing to do with his courting. The Captain tried demanding political compensation, but Do Kyungsoo glared at him and began listing the crimes Valkea was overlooking in the name of peace, and after a while, Jongin realized how ridiculous he was being. Both countries had hurt each other, and an eye for an eye was what had led them to thousands of deaths in war.

Jongin murmured that omegas in Valkea were something else. Chanyeol smiled. Prince Baekhyun and Minister Do seemed the only out of the norm omegas in the royal family and household, but everyone around them seemed accepting of their characters. Chanyeol wasn’t sure if they would’ve thrived in Sejon. The traditional role of the omega was extremely valued in his country.

Later that afternoon, the incident had slipped Chanyeol’s mind. The talks had been extended today, since the Crown Prince and the Minister of Justice claimed they must resolve the tax issue right away.

“My hands are tied,” Chanyeol said, standing his ground. “I can’t accept the elimination of import tax, since it would tarnish our business relations with the Yang Empire. You can’t ask me to favor one alliance over another.”

“Sejon invaded the city of Haeol, our main trading hub. The losses are too great, our people will suffer if you refuse to give compensation,” the Minister claimed. He was an old beta with graying hair.

“Haeol was only returned to its rightful kingdom,” Chanyeol replied, temper rising. “Valkea invaded it first, perhaps you should have thought of the consequences of relying in territory that was never yours.”

Sehun frowned. He opened his mouth to speak, but in that moment the doors of the room were opened, and Prince Baekhyun strolled inside. He looked immaculate, his hair was cleanly styled and his jacket perfectly buttoned. He didn’t even have black circles under his eyes, or any sign of having spent a bad night. Seeing him like this made the events of last night seem impossible.

“Oh, I thought you were done,” he commented. His eyes met Chanyeol’s for a moment. His expression was composed. “What’s keeping you?” he asked informally, coming closer to the long table were the officials and princes were seated.

“Please leave us, your highness, we must settle this part of the agreement today,” the Minister of Finance said.

“I would like to speak to Prince Chanyeol right away. Please resolve this quickly,” he said.

Chanyeol’s urge to laugh in disbelief and admiration was the same as when Baekhyun mocked him at the welcoming banquet. It was commendable, the way he simply waltzed in uninvited and demanded that the highest ranking officials hurry up.

“Prince Chanyeol has not agreed to our import tax terms,” The Minister of Finance said, shifting the blame to him.

“Of course he has not, your demand is unreasonable,” Baekhyun said firmly. “The import tax should only be eliminated in leather and cloth, and be cut in half for wine and fruits. Those are our major exports, and none will interfere with Sejon’s business with the Yang Empire, nor will it affect their economy in an unacceptably drastic way, but it will cover our loses. You can do the math if you do not believe me.”

Sehun smiled warmly at his brother. It was a strange sight, like he had transformed into a different Sehun. One with feelings. “I like it. Prince Baekhyun’s solution is acceptable.”

“I also find it acceptable,” Chanyeol said. An arrangement like that had crossed his mind, but the Minister of Finance had refused to give him an accurate list of the goods that were most important for Valkea.

“It is settled then.” Baekhyun smiled haughtily at the other officers and sauntered out of the room.

Chanyeol almost sighed dreamily. Baekhyun was beautiful, strong, smart... Too bad he hated his guts. He excused himself and trailed after the omega, wondering what he was going to say. He caught up with him at the hallway.

“Thank you for that,” he said.

“I didn’t do it for you, I did it for the treaty and-”

“Your people, yes. I know. It was helpful to me though.” He smiled. “How did you know what we were discussing?”

For some reason, this made Baekhyun blush. Chanyeol almost swooned. “I have my ways.”

“What did you want to tell me?”

“Oh, nothing, it was only an excuse to enter. I knew you would follow me like a drooling dog, and no one would notice my deceit.”

Being called a dog was extremely offensive. It was a creature far beneath wolves. Chanyeol decided to ignore it. “Didn’t you have anything to tell me?”

“Like what?”

“Maybe something about last night and how you had me locked into a cell?”

Baekhyun snorted. “I didn’t do anything you didn’t deserve.”

“I was only worried. Your brother told me you didn’t mean harm, so I agreed to forget about it. Don’t make me regret it.”

“Oh, but I did mean harm. I hoped my mother would charge and kill you. Your rotting body would be hung outside, and the war would start again and we could kill every single one of you.” He smiled, his eyes as cold and blue as a glacial pool. “But don’t worry, that’s only a silly wish of mine.”

Chanyeol stopped in his tracks and watched him go, speechless.

****

here's an update since you left so many wonderful comments, thank you!!! :') ❤
I hope you aren't too mad at Baek in this chapter

also happy new year!! :D