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Royal Summer Love

VI

 

After three months of meetings and debates, the peace treaty between Valkea and Sejon was finalized, and Chanyeol was proud of himself. This was the most important enterprise he had taken as Crown Prince, and his success made him feel capable as a future King. His father had been sent a copy of the treaty, and after two weeks of waiting for the reply, all that was left was the signing and the celebrations of the new alliance.

However, there was one last thing Chanyeol wanted to propose to the royal court.

“Your highness, please sign here,” said Kyungsoo, gently tapping the space on the paper where he had to sign the first copy of the treaty. A servant advanced to the table discreetly and left a small ornamented box beside Chanyeol. He opened it, revealing the royal seal siting on red silk. Everyone around the table had their eyes on him, including the Queen, who was present for the last meeting.

He stopped and cleared his throat. “There’s one last issue I’d like to discuss,” he said.

Sehun gave him a knowing look. “I can imagine what it is.”

Chanyeol was a bit flustered. The whole court knew by now of his and Baekhyun’s budding romance. It would have been hard to miss, with the two princes frequently going out of the palace, walking the gardens together, and Chanyeol going to Baekhyun’s chambers to have meals privately. A young alpha minister had congratulated him for his conquest, a bit resentfully. A member of the Council, very drunk after a banquet, had told Chanyeol all the stories of Baekhyun cruelly rejecting all his other suitors since he was sixteen and had his first heat. Apparently the alpha that congratulated him before had gotten a glass of wine thrown on him. It didn’t sound like something Baekhyun would have done, Chanyeol was certain it must have been an accident. Who knew what that alpha had tried to do, to startle him so much?

The Council member had also told him about Valkea’s tradition of throwing a ball when an omega of a high rank had their first heat, to present them with possible mates and let the world know the omega was available for courting. Nothing like that had been done for Baekhyun, and everyone began to suspect there was something wrong with the Second Prince. It would have been shameful for an omega prince to stay mateless his whole life, so he proposed a toast for Chanyeol being able to break through Baekhyun’s walls, and wished him good luck in his conquest.

Not every courtier was happy about it, but it was going better than Chanyeol expected.

“I would like to ask for the hand of Prince Baekhyun in marriage,” Chanyeol said, firm and clear. No one was surprised. Kyungsoo even smiled. “I’ve grown very fond of the prince, and a marriage would cement our alliance.”

“With all due respect, your highness, it seems what you would like is a hostage,” hissed the Minister of Finance. He was still the most hostile and suspicious towards Chanyeol.

He couldn’t really blame him, they had only known each other for three months, after all. Besides, having one of the princes in Sejon would have been a great advantage if they planned to break the treaty. It was clear the Queen and Crown Prince would never do anything to put Baekhyun in danger.

“If I claim Prince Baekhyun as my mate, the next king of Sejon will be half Valkean. I think that will strengthen the peace in the long run. I mean no harm,” he said.

“In the past three months, I have come to see Prince Chanyeol as truly honorable, as has been proven by his actions and his words towards my son. It is time to leave our mistakes in the past. I choose to trust him,” the Queen said, and then regarded the minister sternly. “Please do not make false accusations against our new allies.”

The man bowed his head. “Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize for my loose tongue.”

The Queen smiled at Chanyeol. “I give you my blessing,” she said.

“Me too,” Sehun said. “ But I hope you know that if you even dare looking at him in a way he doesn't like, the whole Valkean army will be at your gates.”

“I’m aware,” Chanyeol said, containing his smile.

 

*

 

Chanyeol felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders after the meeting. Jongin was ecstatic about returning to Sejon the following week. The Valkean weather was getting worse with the imminent autumn. Chanyeol missed his land as well, the sun and the warmth of his people, but he was devastated about leaving Baekhyun behind. He wished he could take him to his kingdom right away. Getting engaged and married too quickly was seen as tasteless in Sejon, however, and even though sometimes it was done, it always left people with a bad feeling about the union.

He headed to the library, after a servant informed him of Baekhyun’s whereabouts. The Prince was reading in his preferred spot near the window, even though it wasn’t sunny today. He didn’t look up from his book when Chanyeol entered.

“Hi,” Chanyeol said, a dreamy smile already on his lips. He recalled their first encounter here, and almost couldn’t believe how far they had come. Still, Baekhyun looked just as ethereal and unattainable as day one. The idea of taking him home and claiming him was still a fairly abstract fantasy in his head.

Baekhyun glanced up, scowled at him and went back to his book, not before abruptly turning the page. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“The signing is over. The peace treaty is officially in action, Sejon and Valkea will be allies from now on.” Chanyeol replied, coming closer. “I was hoping to spend the rest of the day with you.”

“Why?” Baekhyun spat, still not looking at him.

Chanyeol sat down, leaving an empty chair between them. Sometimes Prince Baekhyun reverted to his defensive ways, usually when they had a misunderstanding. It was hard for him to talk about his feelings, to admit Chanyeol could hurt him, even in the slightest. “What do you mean?” he asked calmly.

Baekhyun sighed and met his gaze, accepting the fact he would have to have this conversation. “Well, you’ve fulfilled your mission, I’m engaged to you. Since my opinion on this marriage that has already been agreed on matters so little to you, I thought you would rather wait until you can claim me to talk to me.”

“How did you...? Seriously, were you hiding under the table during the talks?”

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes. “Is that what you’re choosing to talk about?”

Chanyeol scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “I... Baekhyun, I had to get your family’s permission and the court’s approval before I could ask you to marry me. It’s tradition.”

“Tradition isn’t an excuse to treat me like another knick-knack of this palace. ‘Oh, before I sign this, can I take this as a souvenir?’ ‘Sure, take it!’” Baekhyun scoffed. “You truly are a brute if you can’t see why that isn’t right.”

Chanyeol fell silent. He hadn’t given the tradition that much thought, but of course he didn’t see Baekhyun, or any omega, as an object. Asking for his family’s blessing was supposed to show how serious he was about their future together. An omega couldn’t mate with an alpha their parents didn’t approve of, after all.

“I just wish your little alpha brain would’ve thought of asking me,” Baekhyun continued. The disappointment in his blue eyes made Chanyeol want to slap himself. “I was waiting for you to bring it up, I knew you had to ask my family before the talks were finished.”

“I’m sorry,” he said earnestly. “I hadn’t thought about it like that, I swear I didn’t mean to offend you. Will you forgive me?”

Baekhyun’s pursed his lips, but his eyes softened. In the end, he nodded.

“And... Do you want to be my mate?” Chanyeol asked next.

Baekhyun looked away shyly. “I do, but...”

“But?”

“I mean, despite your faults, you’re an acceptable alpha, and I don’t want to waste this chance, only to be pushed into a worse marriage eventually. My family would never force me, but the Council would try.”

Chanyeol arched his brows. “‘Acceptable’?”

“On the other hand, I don’t know if I can handle living in your country. I’ve never been there, though, perhaps it isn’t as bad as it sounds.”

“So your top choice is the acceptable alpha and the perhaps-not-as-bad-as-it-sounds kingdom?”

Baekhyun ignored his remark and continued in a low voice. “I also don’t know if I’ll be able to fulfill the omega role you need, or even mate with you.”

There it was, the real reason. Chanyeol wanted to embrace Baekhyun and assure him everything would work out, that he would protect him. He knew better than getting suddenly close to him, though. “Baekhyun, stop. I’m awed by you. Please believe me when I say you’re the most beautiful and extraordinary omega I’ve ever met, and I do want to build my kingdom with you by my side.”

Baekhyun’s pale cheeks gained color. He met his eyes. “I like you too.”

“Even if I’m just acceptable?”

The Prince smiled. “My standards are high, being acceptable is a compliment.”

Chanyeol chuckled. “Fine, just don’t say that in Sejon.”

 

*

 

The couple agreed to meet in Baekhyun's chambers an hour before dinner. The furniture in Baekhyun’s drawing room had been rearranged to accommodate a low table, in Sejon’s traditional style. On the table was a full tea making set, and sitting on a cushion on the floor was Prince Baekhyun. The Prince smiled and invited Chanyeol to sit with a gesture.

“What is all this?” Chanyeol asked, sitting down on the cushion across the table. He looked at the china more closely. It was also Sejonian, with a delicate pattern of pink flowers and trees.

“My mother pointed out I may lack skills to be your mate, so I learned how to prepare your traditional tea.”

Chanyeol stared at him, surprised. Omegas in his kingdom were required to master the tea making ceremony. The custom was to serve the tea to their alphas every afternoon after a working day, to relax them. Sometimes it included massages and very open clothing.  However, the ceremony wasn’t as simple as it seemed. For it to work as it was supposed to, an omega had to memorize the steps of the tea making and all the movements involved. It was like a dance. He must watch his posture, for it was supposed to look elegant, be careful of the hot pots or spilling water, and also get all the ingredients in the correct amounts, all at the same time.

Baekhyun opened the teapot, reached out to take a dash of tea leaves from each of the three small plates with different flavors and carefully put them inside. Then he picked up the larger pot using a small cloth to protect his hand from the heat and slowly poured the water in the teapot. He was frowning slightly in concentration, the tip his tongue peeking out. The thick Valkean jacket seemed to restrict fluid movements, but Baekhyun was doing extremely well, for someone who had just learned. His elegant hand reached out to the wrong spot once, and he was very slow, but other than that, Chanyeol was impressed, and very touched.

A few minutes later, Baekhyun was pouring a cup of steaming tea. He took it with both hands and offered it to Chanyeol, bowing his head. Seeing him in this position made his heart flutter.

“Thank you,” he said, accepting the cup. He gave it one sip under Baekhyun’s attentive gaze.

It was so bitter Chanyeol had to make an effort not to spit it out.

Slowly, he swallowed. “It’s... good,” he tried to say convincingly.

Baekhyun’s expression fell. “Not it isn’t,” he said with a sigh. “I’m not good at these things.”

“You did well for a first time. I’m happy,” Chanyeol said. “I think it’s cute you’re worrying about this. It shows me you care.”

“Of course I care. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have let you court me.”

“I know, but it makes me happy to have reassurance,” he replied, amused. “Who taught you?”

“Your servant Bora and Captain Jongin. I thought he would tell you, since he thinks everything I do is part of a plot to kill you.”

Chanyeol laughed. He left the cup on the table and Baekhyun hastily added more hot water to it. “Well, I did bring him to ensure my safety. I’ve been told I trust people too easily, I don’t have a good eye to recognize deception.”

“Yes, as proven by the fact you’re telling me that.” Baekhyun was pouring himself a cup of tea now. He tried it, and his features contorted into a grimace of disgust. He added more water and a lot of honey to the cup.

“I think I’m in love with you,” Chanyeol said, like he had had a sudden epiphany. He felt like his whole life had led him to this moment of absolute rightness.

“...And then adding that in the same breath. Unbelievable.”

“I trust my future mate. Don’t you?”

Baekhyun bit his lip. “Yes. I trust you.”

 

****

A more fluffy chapter this time

please let me know what you think!!! c:

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anneber
#1
Chapter 3: Even though I know that you are probably not listening to comments on this old story, I have to get it out. Seems like Baek is filled with shock at what just happened, guilt at what he told the gardener, embarrassment that he valued his fallen father's gift over common courtesy, safety and care for his living mom, denial that he cares that Chanyeol got hurt and he still has yet to apologize and just frustration that he is letting his emotions bleed over into his pride when it comes to Chanyeol.

I really like this story.
anneber
#2
Chapter 1: OMG!!! I remember this hairstyle and color!!!! He looked so beautiful and I still wonder just HOW TF they are gonna put a uniform on someone THAT beautiful and not want to hand him a toy gun, put him in the living room to play for the day and send him home every night!!! I don't understand how they could just make him a soldier!!!
qassaa #3
Chapter 7: Thank you for writing 💐, I really enjoyed reading this masterpiece.
pinkeu_sakura
#4
❤️
Sara-Suho
#5
Royal summer love is your second story that I would like to translate into Persian*_* your stories are beautiful, can I translate it into Persian?
Imamon #6
Chapter 7: I come back to this story a lot, especially while waiting for the sequel to be completed, it’s really beautiful and I’m very grateful the world has a gifted writer like you ^^~ take care of your health and thank youu
ateeztic #7
??
papermintea
#8
I love this!
interestar #9
Chapter 4: I can't put a words, I'm not that good with words, I adore this story so much TT.TT loveeeee
interestar #10
Chapter 4: I can't put a words, I'm not that good with words, I adore this story so much TT.TT loveeeee