Sehun doesn’t sleep very much during the ride, even if the servants try to urge him to do so. By the time the carriage stops, the prince is already exhausted; both from lack of sleep and how often he cries. He rubs his eyes with a handkerchief as Kyungsoo is the first to get out. He holds open the door, allowing Jongin to exit next. When his own door opens, he turns his head and expects to see Junmyeon; confused when he sees his husband, with his hand extended. Sehun feels weak as he takes it and steps out. Jongin leans in, causing the prince to jump a little. “Do not break down here,” he whispers in his husband’s ear. “Not in front of your people.”

Sehun sniffs and nods. “I know.” He could have sworn he saw a small hint of a smile but when he turns his head a little to look, it’s gone. His cheeks grow warm when he notices how close their faces are; their noses almost touching. They stare at each other for what seems like forever before the prince shyly pulls back and clears his throat. They watch as some servants quickly come up to the carriage and take the luggage. 

“To your old room, Prince Sehun?” One of the men asks. While he knows his old room is definitely big enough for the both of them, he’s unsure.

“That is fine,” His husband nods, to Sehun’s surprise.

“Very well,” they bow before heading back into the castle. Sehun feels a wave of relief when he sees his older brother exit from inside and approaches them.

“Little brother,” Sehun’s brother sighs before tightly wrapping his arms around him.

“H-hello,” he mutters, trying not to cling to familiarity. Sometimes in their childhood, when he got hurt, he’d cry to his big brother.

His brother looks to Jongin as soon as he releases Sehun. “Prince Jongin,” He greets with a nod. “It is good to finally officially meet you. Though, I wish it were on better circumstances.”

Jongin nods as well. “Indeed, King Oh.”

“Not King yet,” He sighs. “I know I have to soon but it feels…”

“I understand,” Sehun’s husband says. “But the sooner the better, to not leave your kingdom weakened.”

“Yes, you have a point,” The future king turns back to Sehun and smiles down at him. “Go inside and clean up, alright? We can talk after you’ve had something to eat and some rest.” After Sehun nods, his brother gives another slight bow to everyone before heading back inside. The prince swallows hard. It’s hard to keep his head up high. But regardless, he lets out a shaky sigh as he takes Jongin’s arm when offered, wanting to seems strong in front of the other servants and commoners around. They both walk inside together with Kyungsoo and Junmyeon following them closely. Once inside, Sehun stops and slowly lets go of Jongin, letting his hand linger for a second.

“There is another bath that will be acceptable for you, Prince Jongin,” He whispers. “During the ride, I drew a map of the castle for Kyungsoo. Have a good night.” He motions for Junmyeon and turns without another word as he heads towards where his old room was.

“You handled that well, Sehun,” Junmyeon says as he stands nearby. 

Sehun shrugs as he begins to strip. “Jongin is being weirdly supportive,” he sighs. “I guess he knows what it’s like.”

“Indeed,” His servants hums. “Even though he only lost a mother, this must be bringing up old memories.”

Sehun stops stripping and furrows his brows. “I didn’t think of that,” He admits. “He...must be lonely.”

“Yes, he must…even if Kyungsoo insisted on coming. I can only imagine…”

Sehun stares at the door, biting his lower lip. He’s just been crying like a baby this whole time, no regard for his duties as a prince or a husband. Is he being selfish? He quickly pulls his clothing back on and grabs his towel. “Take the night off, Junmyeon. Explore the castle, meet the other servants, whatever you want.”

“W-what?” Junmyeon asks in confusion, watching as the prince exits the room. As he makes his way to the other side of the wing, he pauses to ask a servant or two where Prince Jongin had been bathing. When they direct him to the area, he thanks them and continues on his way. But he stops when he gets to the door of the bath, no sound from within. He suddenly wonders what he’s doing. After gaining the courage, he gently knocks on the door. 

“Enter,” Jongin calls out. He looks a bit surprised when Sehun pushes the doors open and peeks his head in; just as he thought, Kyungsoo is nowhere to be seen.

“I...I hope I am not interrupting you.” He blushes at the sight of his husband, submerged in water.

“No,” He says quietly, ushering him inside. “I figured you would be bathing somewhere else.”

Sehun steps in and shrugs. “I um...I was going to,” he admits as he hugs the towel to his chest. He can’t tell his husband out front that he’s worried about him. “I…”

“Just get in while it is still warm.”

Deciding not to argue with it, The Prince sets his soft towel down and begins to stirp. He’s seen Jongin shirtless plenty of times but it looks different now. He’s not sparring and while his tan skin is usually coated with sweat, this tie he’s wet and soapy. He slowly and shyly sits down in the bath, opposite of Jongin. They sit in silence for a few moments.

“Your brother seems strong,” Jongin says. “He...will make a good king.”

“Yeah,” Sehun whispers. “I-I know.” He glances over at his husband before beginning to lather himself in soap. “Prince Jongin-”

“Just...Jongin.”

“What?”

“Just call me Jongin, Sehun,” he sighs. “It feels weird if you call me prince…”

Sehun smiles weakly. “J-Jongin, then,” He clears his throat. “Can I ask you a question?” When his husband nods, he takes a deep breath. “I am sorry for asking but what...what was your mother like?”

Jongin looks over at Sehun with a strange look in his eyes. He stares at him for a moment before sitting up straight. “Kind, forgiving,” He says. “Much like how...your own mother was.”

Sehun smiles sadly. “She um...she liked you a lot,” the prince admits. “I had received a letter from her...after the wedding,” he explains. “And she talked about much she...liked you and how she was looking forward to getting to know you further.” He lets out a shaky breath.

“She...seemed like a good mother, Sehun.”

She was,” Sehun whispers. “She was…”

“So you were close with her?”

Sehun nods. “More so than my brother was,” he admits. “I was not...as close with my father b-but…”

Jongin seems to watch him carefully before starting to wash himself. “I am not saying this is a good thing but you will be stronger for it,” He says. “Even if you do not see it yet.”

Sehun knows Jongin’s just trying to make him feel better, in his own, strange way. “The book of poetry I read to you,” He clears his throat. “S-she bought it for me when I was fourteen.”

“I see…”

“She was in town when she...when she saw some boy selling it. She knew Chinese poetry was my favorite…” He pauses as he seems to stare off into space. He remembers that day. He was so happy when he got it. He was sitting in the garden when she approaches him, the small book wrapped in beautiful paper.

“It is...strange,” Jongin laughs softly. When Sehun hears the laughter from his husband, he raises his brows. “Our mothers were also very different.”

“What is?”

“My mother is what originally got me into sword-fighting.”

“Really?” Sehun asks in surprise.

“Is that surprising?” Jongin chuckles uncharacteristically. He huffs as they rub themselves in soap and begin to fill bowls with warm water. “My father used to be a warrior and had fought in many wars. But it was my mother who taught me how to fight, how to wield a sword.”

Sehun smiles fondly. “That is amazing!”

Jongin slowly nods before standing up and grabbing a towel. “Come, let me show you something.” Sehun does as he says and gets up as well, drying himself off.

As soon as they’re dressed and with some much-needed directions from Sehun, Jongin leads the way back to Sehun’s old room, opening the door for his young husband. He smiles in appreciation and steps in. He feels strange being in his old room. The rooms are painted a light blue shade with white branches and flowers drawn up the side; gold trim lining the room. His queen sized blue canopy bed horizontally placed up against the middle of the left wall. 

After lighting a few candles for light, Sehun sits on his bed and watches as Jongin heads over to his bag and looks for something inside. His husband brings over an old book, handing it to Sehun as he sits beside him. When motioned to, The prince slowly opens it, a large grin growing. He stares down at the painting of a woman with long, wavy black hair. She wears a beautiful red dress with both her hands firmly gripping the handle of a sword, which is facing down at the ground. With red lips, she smiles at the painter but within her eyes seems to hold a great strength. “Oh my,” He gasps. “She was so beautiful!”

“She was,” Jongin agrees. “I sometimes think that people were more scared of her than of my father. A strong queen that was a better fighter than her husband. Before she married my father, her mother had lost all hope of her finding a husband due to her skills with a sword.” Sehun looks over at Jongin, watching the fond look in his eyes as he stares down at the painting. 

His heart flutters at the sight of him. A rare happiness sparking his husband’s eyes. He looks so much more handsome when he’s happy. He seems...warm. He looks down when Jongin leans over to flip the page, revealing another page. This one seems to be a painting for their wedding. She looks almost angry, Sehun tries not to laugh. In his own painting, Sehun looks sad and lonely, while she seems just angry. “She did not want to marry,” He explains. “She wanted to become a soldier and it did not help that my father was a difficult man to deal with.” he flips the page again. This one shows Jongin’s father and mother. His mother holds a baby and Sehun giggles when he realizes who it is. “But when she found out she was pregnant with me…”

“That is what made her happy?”

“According to my father,” Jongin replies. “My father did not blame her, though. How could he? She had been forced from her own home just to marry a…” He pauses for a moment as he looks up at Sehun, almost seeming to realize something. “To marry a complete stranger,” He finishes.

Sehun clears his throat. “Even if your father was a difficult man, she learned how to love him and to eventually call the kingdom home,” he begins to feel nervous about how his stomach flutters and the way Jongin stares at him. “I um...I am sure your father was the love of her life, regardless of how they met.” He slowly closes the book and hands it to his husband. “And she made you, Jongin. Any mother would be proud to have you as a son.” Jongin opens his mouth to speak but nothing to come out. He grabs his book and watches as Sehun stands. “Ah, I did not realize how tired I was…” he yawns and glances out of the window.

“I think there is a very nice guest room if you wish to sleep there instead.”

Jongin is silent for a moment before he stands as well. “No, I…” he slowly sets the album on Sehun’s vanity. “If it is all the same to you, I wish...to stay here.”

Sehun widens his eyes and looks at him. “You...you do?!”

Jongin frowns. “Well, I could sleep elsewhere if it upsets you.”

“N-no no,” Sehun laughs nervously as he goes to his own bag. “I do not mind at all!” He didn’t really want to be alone tonight, in all honesty. But he never expected his husband to want to spend the night with him. 

After changing into his pajamas, he starts to put out all of the candles before climbing into bed. In all honesty, He’s excited to sleep in his old room again. “You are in luck, Jongin! I have the most comfortable bed in the whole castle,” He says proudly.

“Oh?” Jongin gets in as well, now wearing nothing but black, silk pants. Due to his mourning, Sehun is also wearing black, had replaced his usual blue ones.

“My mother wanted me to be as comfortable as possible,” he explains. “I kind of have a hard time sleeping at times...which is why I will sometimes get up in the middle of the night to have a cup of tea.”

“I see…”

“Oh, I am sorry for rambling,” He mutters. Sehun lets out a soft sigh as he turns his back to Jongin and stares at the wall. He can feel movement behind him, his husband seeming to do the same before they fall into a long silence. “Jongin?”

“Yes, Sehun.”

“...Thank you,” He whispers. “For doing all of this. C-coming here with me a-and…”

“It is fine,” Jongin sighs. “...You still have a hard few months ahead of them. But you will overcome them.”

That, for some reason, makes the prince smile. He slowly scoots over until his back meets Jongin’s. “Thank you…”

“...You are welcome, Sehun. Get some sleep.”

Sehun sighs and nods, letting his eyes closed. “Okay...”

Sehun listens as his brother speaks, listing off things they’d need for the funeral. Whether they’d have it privately or publicly. They decide to have it publicly, so all of their people can say goodbye to their former rulers. If there’s one thing Sehun knows, is that their people absolutely adored the King and Queen. “We will hold it in a few days,” His brother announces.

“And then we will hold the ceremony to announce you as the next king,” some man says; some noble Sehun doesn’t recognize. Maybe his brother had gotten himself a strategist. “We can not wait too long.”

“Yes, I suppose we should.”

Sehun stands next to his husband, keeping his hands neatly folded in his lap. He slowly unfolds his fingers and raises them to fiddle with the scarf around his neck; once again borrowed from Jongin. He glances over at Junmyeon and Kyungsoo, the two servants keeping their gaze forward and seeming ready to serve. 

“Sehun?” Sehun looks up to look at his brother. “Do you have an opinion on this?”

Sehun shakes his head. “No,” He says quietly. “W-whatever you decide, brother.”

“Your highness, you mean,” the man snaps. “He is going to be king after all.”

The prince furrows his brows at the man as if he were insane. “Excuse me?” He’s confused when his brother doesn’t stand up for him or even say anything. He looks at Jongin, who doesn’t look all too pleased. 

“If he wishes to call him brother, he is allowed to,” Jongin speaks up, glowering at the man.

The strategist scoffs and looks at Jongin with a challenging stare. “And who in the blazes are you?”

“PRINCE Sehun’s husband,” Jongin replies. “The very prince that you had just disrespected. Apologize to him and you will be let off lightly.”

The man glances down at Sehun before seeming to begrudgingly lower his head. “Of course...my apologies.” When this shady man turns away, Sehun can’t help but smile a little. He clears his throat and takes a step closer to Jongin and grabs his arm, where he feels safer. Maybe his brother is just distracted and that’s why he didn’t stand up for him. 

“I do not trust him,” Jongin whispers into Sehun’s ear. 

“No...me neither,” Sehun quietly admits. 

His husband slowly nods and looks to Kyungsoo. While the others are distracted and when their eyes meet, Jongin motions toward the strategist discreetly. Sehun watches in confusion as Kyungsoo nods before he quickly leaves the room. When he looks at Jongin, he just shakes his head and turns his attention back to the meeting. Sehun decides to just do the same, knowing Jongin will tell him later.