The sun was scorching the ground, burning you and Taehyung along with it, but you took it in stride. No one would have time to worry about something this trivial in the heat of battle. Resisting the urge to glance at Jungkook, who was standing some distance away under the merciful shade of the cluster of trees, you urged your horse along, readying yourself to shoot once again. Gathering your focus with one deep breath, you got into position, then let loose an arrow. A satisfying thunk greeted your ears, but you didn’t follow the sound with your eyes. Instead you drew another arrow from your quiver, swiftly moving to repeat the feat. Taehyung’s instructions repeated in your mind over and over, like a mantra. Keep your shoulders and arms still. Pressing your right thigh against the saddle, you rested the bulk of your weight against the stirrups, drawing the nocked arrow and quickly releasing it.

After repeating this until you ran out of arrows, you turned your mare around, directing it towards Taehyung, who was waiting just outside the range of the trees you were aiming at. He walked towards you as you approached, but your eyes were eagerly zoned in on the trees. Anxious to find out how you did. It was getting late, and this would probably be the last round for the day. Since you were training in a remote field a little way away from the main castle building, you needed to allow some time to return home before it got dark. With the preparations for the war in its final stages, Jungkook, your Royal Guard, was the only man that could be afforded to spare to guard you, but you actually preferred it this way. If the trees didn’t obstruct your view, the walls of the castle would still close enough to be seen, so you shouldn’t be in any real danger. Of course, on occasions Taehyung joined you as well, such as today. He was your teacher, after all. At first, the lessons were frequent, but he’d had to focus on his actual duties once you’d gotten the basics down. Thankfully, you’d managed to learn quickly, sparing yourself the guilt of bothering the important man so much, as well as the confusion of being close to him for extended periods of time.

“You’re doing much better than I thought,” Taehyung commented once he was within hearing range. “It shouldn’t be surprising, I suppose, although I sorely wish that this excuse for me to spend more time with you could have lasted a little longer.”

His roundabout statement, coupled with your awkward position of looking down at him from atop your horse, made you shift uncomfortably in the leather saddle. There were many reasons for you not to question him – your cowardice being on the top of the list – but in these instances, he had you dying to ask. And this time, you gave in to your urges. “Forgive me for asking, but why would you want to spend any more time with me than necessary? Considering what Ji – what my lady-in-waiting told you, why are you still going through with all of this?”

It wasn’t wise to ask. Doing so was just poking the hornet’s nest. You knew that. However, you just couldn’t go on any longer without knowing. Letting Taehyung treat you like this; like he’d never known about another man’s existence in your life, was unbearable. However, instead of answering, he reached his arms up towards you; an offer to help you get down from your chestnut mare. Holding back your frustration at having your question go unanswered after you’d plucked up the courage to voice it, you acquiesced into getting off and into his arms. Once he lowered you to the ground, you started to back away, but Taehyung’s arms grew firmer around you, making your breath catch. It wasn’t like he’d never touched you before, but it had all been necessary contact. Even when he taught you how to dance, he’d held you almost as closely as he had you now, but it was always been for the purpose of teaching you something. There was something different in this embrace. A tighter grip. Something more purposeful than mere instruction, you could tell. That dark look you’d never seen in his eyes. Your senses were prickling, telling you that you needed to get away for your own good. Yet you couldn’t escape even if you could muster the strength to pull away. For some reason, you were frozen in place.

“Please don’t blame her. She told me in the hopes that I would offer you release from your predicament. Sadly, it did not achieve the effect she had intended.” His words had your mind reeling. Ji Eun really told him about Jin so he would cancel your engagement. She had told you as much, but his admittance to it still had you stunned. It did not achieve the effect she had intended. What did he mean by that? Were you right in your assumption that he didn’t break the engagement agreement just to spite you? You looked into his brown eyes, desperate to find the truth within its depths. No, that couldn’t be right. Your instincts told you that he wasn’t that kind of person. He might not be perfect, but he wasn’t mean or vindictive. However, before you could try to ask for a clarification, he’d cut you off with a query of his own. “Does your hand hurt?”

Again, he didn’t give you a chance to form words, instead reaching out for your drawing hand and to inspect it himself. Self-consciousness overtook you immediately — given the time spent on less than typical womanly pursuits, you were afraid that your hands weren’t as soft and smooth as a princess’s should be. You wanted to start saying that it was completely fine and draw your hand away from his gaze, but he abruptly steered the conversation towards the unexpected once more. “Do you know how sensitive hands and fingers can be?”

“Eh?”

Rather than providing a verbal response, Taehyung answered you by bringing your hand towards his mouth. A wicked grin grew from the ends of his lips right before they parted, and his tongue darted out. The tip of it flicked the end of your little finger, drawing a startled gasp from you. He proceeded to run his tongue from the heel of your palm up to your fingertips, showering each digit with thorough attention. And your traitorous body was reacting to it! Never would you have thought that the nerves embedded within your hands would shoot off such sparks, sending jolts all the way through your whole body. It was just your hand! Why was it reacting so strongly?!

“Tae—aah!” Your gasp bordered on a pleasured whine when he lightly nipped the tip of your index finger. He wasn’t even gripping your wrist that tightly, yet you found that you couldn’t pull away.

“Mm, yes, I like it when you call me that.” Taehyung’s voice has always been deep, but this impossibly sensual quality to it was new to you, reverberating within your body like lightning trapped within a box, shaking you to your core. Then he pulled your thumb ring off, so he could engulf your thumb in his warm mouth and on it, and your knees threatened to buckle.

By some miracle, the last bit of your mind that retained the tiny piece of its sanity reminded you that you weren’t alone. “Oh!” Shocked into awareness by your own realisation, your head whipped to the left in Jungkook’s direction. Your Royal Guard had been leaning against a tree trunk some distance away so he could keep an eye on you. Although he still stood in the same spot, he’d turned his body away — giving the privacy he thought you needed. It informed you that he’d seen the whole thing, and this time you managed to yank your hand away, completely mortified.

Taehyung released it easily, but in return, his arm around your waist suddenly jerked you forward, causing you to topple against his chest. With a yelp, you tried to regain your balance, and he took your brief moment of helplessness to lean down and whisper in your ear, “perhaps not all hope is lost for me, after all.”

This time you had no intention to stick around so you could ask him what he meant. Feet desperately shuffling to find even ground, you retreated clumsily from his embrace, and he let you go easily, his arms falling to his sides. “I—it’s getting late,” you stammered, still panicked by your own response to his advances. “I’ll be returning, if that’s all right with you.”

“Of course,” he agreed amicably with a slight dip of his head, assuming the air of a gentleman contradictory to his behaviour just a moment ago. “I will follow suit, after I’ve cleared this up.”

In any other circumstances, you would have insisted that you should be picking up after yourself. It was you who were practicing, after all. But you simply nodded, eager to flee his intense gaze. Ignoring the guilt over making him do so for you, you started to hurry towards Jungkook, barely able to keep yourself from breaking into a full run away from the Crown Prince.

“By the way, when I said that you’re doing well, I meant it,” Taehyung called after you, making you pause and turn back in curiosity. “You may not be able to kill, but you have enough accuracy to slow your enemy down. And that may save your life.”

Normally you’d be elated to hear that he’d deemed your skills good enough to be of use, but at the moment you couldn’t think of anything else other than his heat and saliva still lingering all over your hand. It was still tingling even as you held it protectively over your chest, as if afraid that Taehyung would suddenly run over and claim it once more. With a simple nod of acknowledgement, you turned away and all but sprinted towards Jungkook. You didn’t even spare the trees that you’d aimed at a glance to see how you’d really done.

By the time you’d approached Jungkook, the guard had long heard you coming and had dutifully faced you once more, ready for whatever instruction you might have. “We should return now,” you told him breathily, heart still racing. Whether it was caused by the speed with which you’d scurried towards him, or because of what happened with Taehyung, you weren’t sure. The synchronised throbbing of your hand with the thudding of your heart suggested that it was the latter, but you couldn’t think about that right now. Your head felt horribly messy, yet strangely you couldn’t identify a single clear thought. All you wanted was to make an escape. You’d leave analysing the situation for later. Maybe never.

“Of course,” Jungkook murmured obediently, but his brow was furrowed. “Are you planning to go back on foot?”

Darn it all! In your haste to put as much distance between yourself and Taehyung as quickly as possible, you’d left your mount behind. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Taehyung must be laughing to himself right now.

Seeing your flustered expression, Jungkook kindly offered; “I will retrieve it for you, if you do not mind.”

“Yes, please,” you exhaled in relief. Just the thought of the face that Taehyung would make if you’d turned around to take her back was beyond mortifying. “Thank you.”

While Jungkook got your horse for you, you stood still, as if the trees were more worthy of watching compared to the two handsome men, or like you were a sulking child. In truth, you were just willing your heartbeat to slow down to a normal pace, and your face to return to normal body temperature. By the time Jungkook reached your side again, you’d achieved neither, so you were glad that you were going back to the castle, at the very least. Hopefully once you were out of Taehyung’s vicinity, you’d be able to actually use your brain again.

Jungkook rode next to you, going along with your slow, pensive pace. At first, you hardly urged your horse forward, barely leading her in the right direction, even. Just riding in a daze. However, after a while, you noticed that Jungkook seemed uneasy from the corner of your eye. Was it because he was bored and wished to arrive sooner? You couldn’t blame him — there were probably other things he needed to do back at the castle instead of just babysitting you — but he was still fidgeting after you’d started going faster. Considering that Jungkook seemed to be a rather private person, you decided to focus on the path ahead instead of saying anything, but after a while, your patience was unexpectedly rewarded.

“Your Highness.”

“Hmm?” Mind quickly wandered towards Taehyung again, you were surprised at the sudden call.

“If I may…”

You turned to flash an encouraging smile at him. Even though he was reserved, sometimes you’d wondered if he was being polite because of your status. Every time he’d broached any subject or conversation with you, he’d always been so hesitant and sweet. “Do go ahead.”

“Whenever you need to get out of a situation, or if you need any help, do not hesitate to call out to me,” Jungkook said firmly. “Regardless of who is involved. My responsibility is to protect you, first and foremost.”

“Oh.” You replied simply, letting the words sink in. Once they did, you went, “Oh!” He must be referring to what had happened with Taehyung just now. Blood rushed to your cheek once again, and your head felt overheated. “Th—thank you, Jungkook. I will keep that in mind.” Yes, you should have been aware that you could have called on him to get you away from Taehyung. But you didn’t. The easy explanation was that you were too overwhelmed to think about doing so, but… would you have wanted to, if you’d remembered that you had a way out? Suddenly the memories of the sensations you’d felt earlier came rushing back to you, and your hand started prickling once more. It was as if Taehyung’s tongue was sliding all over it again, making you shiver. Since when had you become so sensitive?! Unconsciously, you shook it hard, as if by doing so, you could rid of the thoughts now associated with it.

It didn’t work, of course. In fact, you couldn’t stop thinking about it, all the way to your engagement ball. As expected, that night you were a bundle of nerves. However, the reason behind your anxiousness and worries were completely different that the you before that day of practice would expect. Before what happened with Taehyung at that archery practice, you’d thought that having your engagement announced would make it real. That there would be no turning back. Of course, you’d known for a long time now that there was already no way that your engagement would be cancelled, but no amount of time could prepare you for it. Not completely.

However, now that the night had finally come, the thoughts on your mind were running in a completely different direction. You were going to marry Taehyung, Crown Prince of Delphina. That was a fact that was now official. Yet all you could think about was your turbulent feelings towards your fiancé. From the first time you’d met him, Taehyung had been someone you admired. No, you’d looked up to him even before you were introduced, just based off of the stories you’d heard about him. He was well-known for his leadership, his looks, his charm. It seemed like he was perfect. When you’d met him, you’d discovered that he was nowhere near as unapproachable or as intimidating as you’d expected him to be. Still, he didn’t seem to possess any flaws. Anyone should feel fortunate to be betrothed to a man as perfect as Taehyung was. Anyone except you. Rather than a man who was perfect in every way, you’d wanted a man who was perfect for you. And that was Jin. It would be a miserable existence without Jin, but you’d thought you could come to terms with being married to Taehyung someday, somehow, because you were under the impression that your husband-to-be viewed the marriage as one of convenience, like you did. You’d be trapped with each other, for the sake of your countries.

However, now you could barely look at the man standing right next to you. Once, you’d thought that your hands would be connected on this night, but not your hearts. When had you started noticing that Taehyung wasn’t without his faults? That he was capable of falling in love? And that afternoon at archery practice… why weren’t you impervious to him? The hand that he’d showered with such surprising affection started to feel hot from the memories of days past. You tried to rationalise the clammy feeling by telling yourself that the two of you had been greeting people for hours, thanking them for their well-wishes while holding hands. If you hadn’t been doing that, you’d danced with him, while he still held your hand. You were conflicted between wanting to yank your hand away and asking him to do it again. Why were you feeling like this, when you still couldn’t let Jin go? These emotions only fed your self-hatred. You felt like the most selfish, greediest person in the world.

“Are you tired?” Taehyung’s voice cut through the loud, incessant thoughts in your head.

He’d correctly guessed one of the reasons behind your weary look. It was to be expected; you’d been on your feet for hours, entertaining guests almost non-stop. Anyone would have been exhausted. However, Taehyung had been going through the same motions, so you pushed his concern away. “I’m fine.” You couldn’t complain when he had to be at least as tired as you were, if not more.

Unexpectedly, your answer made him turn away from the direction of one of the guests from a neighbouring country, who was walking towards the two of you, to give you his full attention. “You look a little pale.” His large, calloused hand caressed your cheek, but you didn’t flinch. Instead, you stared back up at him, eyes wide with surprise. “You should rest a little.”

“Yes,” you said unthinkingly, lost in his big, kind eyes. A second later, once you realised what you’d agreed to, you asked, “but what about you?”

“I’ll be fine. You don’t think I’m used to handling dignitaries by now?” For the first time that night, he grinned at you. Nothing like those polite smiles he’d been flashing all evening. You couldn’t help but think that it was especially for you. “In fact, why don’t you take a breather on the balcony beyond the doors next to the angel sculpture over there? I’ll make sure no one disturbs you.”

You glanced towards the direction he was looking at. It was barely visible from your vantage point, tucked in a corner the guests were sure to miss. Vowing to yourself to only get a brief respite, you agreed to make yourself scarce before the guest could get close enough to engage you in a conversation. “Thank you,” you whispered to Taehyung gratefully.

“Take your time,” he reminded you, in his constantly reassuring manner.

It was amazing that Taehyung already knew where to direct you to, considering his short time in the castle, most of which was spent in meeting rooms, joining one council after another. You yourself knew that most people weren’t aware of this little hideaway, and half or even a full hour in private was guaranteed, at the very least. Still, you didn’t want to leave him to fend for himself for too long. The two of you were the stars of the engagement ball, and your absence would surely be missed. You just needed to catch a breath, anyway.

Or so you thought, until you opened the doors to the balcony.

“Jin?”

After blinking your eyes several times, you could verify that it really was Jin standing by the balcony. He was dressed sharply in his uniform, as you’d always seen him nowadays. However, shrouded in the cloak of the night, bathed only in the pale moonlight, he looked like an ethereal being not of this world. For a few moments, you stood there, transfixed in your surprise and awe at the sight of him. Then reality returned to you, and you turned back to look at the door of the balcony that you’d managed to close behind you earlier. Did anyone know that Jin was here? As happy as you were to see him, the last thing you wanted was for him to get into trouble.

“Ji Eun told me that no one would disturb us,” Jin provided an explanation to clear your confusion.

“Ji Eun?”

He nodded. “She led me here, so I could see you.”

Did Taehyung put her up to this? The Crown Prince was the one who directed you here, after all. But then Jin extended his hand; a silent invitation for you to join him, and you decided to stop thinking about the events that had led you to Jin’s side and simply enjoy the time you had with him. Who knew if there will be any more opportunities such as this in the future. You hated your weak heart, even as you stepped beside Jin. Time with him was something that you never should wish for, now that you were another man’s fiancé. Taehyung had been magnanimous beyond words in allowing you to meet Jin like this, despite his own feelings for you. Yet here you were, ridiculously elated, wishing that this was a dream that would never end.

Watching Jin’s face in profile, you couldn’t help but admire his looks once more. But it wasn’t just his handsomeness that had you falling for him over and over again. It was his beautiful, kind heart that always reached towards yours, no matter the distance. The strength that he displayed, regardless of the hardships before him. This was the toughest trial for him yet, and for you as well. Outwardly, he seemed calm and collected, but the pain was clear in his eyes, raw and fresh, like the reality that the two of you could never be together hit just yesterday. You tore your gaze away, towards the direction he was facing, taking in the crescent moon. If you hadn’t, you just knew that you’d burst into tears.

“I saw you inside earlier,” Jin broke the silence after a few minutes. “You look absolutely breathtaking.”

So he saw you. It wasn’t surprising, but all you could think about was that he must have seen you next to Taehyung, where you’d been all evening as you’d greeted the guests, both local and foreign. “I’m sorry.”

Jin didn’t question your apology. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Doing your part for the country is something to be proud of. It’s something that I strive to do myself.”

Trust Jin to spin this around into something noble, while you’d been struggling with your selfish feelings about the whole thing. “I can’t stand the thought of hurting you.”

From the edge of your vision, you could see his hand reaching towards you. But before he could make contact, he changed his mind with a grimace, drawing it back towards himself. At that instant, your entire being craved for his touch. You missed him so much. And so you initiated it yourself — pulling at his clothes and crashing yourself against him. His chest was as firm and comforting as ever, and you buried your head in it, taking small comfort in his never-forgotten scent. Somehow you managed not to cry. At first, you could feel him stiffen at the sudden movement, then a pause as he sorted through the thoughts in his head. Then, at long last, as if he’d been defeated by your nearness, he wrapped his arms around you, squeezing you with a force that relayed how much he loved you, conveying just how much he’d missed you. You could barely breathe, but you cherished the unspoken feelings of doomed love. You’d stay like this for eternity if you could so choose.

Jin probably felt the same way, because even as his hold relaxed, he didn’t seem inclined on letting you out of his embrace. So the two of you remained like that for a while, letting precious moments pass as you savoured each other’s presence. Another chance like this might never come again. It shouldn’t, now that you were someone else’s fiancée. This should be goodbye, but you never wanted it to come. With all your heart, you wished that time would stop right here. Even with Taehyung’s charm and kindness threatening to wear down your defences, when you were with Jin, you were reminded that the Crown Prince couldn’t compare to the knight in your heart. You were so immersed in taking in Jin’s warmth, his scent, the way his arms curled around you, that it was a while before you realised that the world was still revolving. Life was still going on around you. And the guests, so close by, were just beyond the door, enjoying your engagement ball. The soft music floating through the door eventually reminded you of reality.

But it didn’t mean that you were ready to return to it just yet. Aching to be with him for a little longer, you tightened your own arms just above his waist. Unconsciously, you started moving, leaning slowly towards the right, then the left, prompting Jin to take small steps in this direction then that with you. At first he followed out of pure surprise, but then he stiffened. “Wait, uh… I don’t know how to dance.”

There was a tinge of pain in his voice. He didn’t know because a man of his station didn’t need such skills. But it didn’t matter to you what Jin couldn’t do. He was always dependable where it mattered, and that was all you cared for. “It’s fine. We can just move like this, right?” There was nothing complicated with just swaying to and fro in each other’s arms in time with the music, dancing round and round a small, invisible circle that was your own, private space. “You don’t have to be perfect. Let’s stay like this. You’re not a Royal Guard now. You’re just Jin. And not a princess. I’m just me. Just for now. Please.”

You lifted your chin up, longing expression beseeching him to grant you this small request. His eyes shimmered under the pale moonlight, but before you could look closer, he crushed you even more tightly than before. “If I could give you the world, I would,” he whispered words of longing instead of empty promises that he could never keep.

Shaking your head adamantly against his chest, you gently protested. “You’ve already given me the world, Jin. You’re the world to me.” No reply came. None was needed. You knew that you meant as much to him as he did to you. It was all in the way he squeezed you with love and gratitude. Drops of hot liquid fell on your hair like gentle summer rain, surprising you. “Jin?”

You started to look up once more, but Jin moved his arm to press your head against his chest, a desperate plea not to see him at his weakest. “Please, just… don’t look at me right now.” His broken, hoarse imploration tore at your heart. If that was all you could give him, then you would do so readily. “It may be treason for me to say this, but, no matter who you are with, I will always love you. I could never stop myself from loving you, right from the beginning.”

Burying your head deeper against his sturdy chest, you told him, “I love you, Jin.” It didn’t need to be said, but this could be the final time these words would fall from your lips. And all of a sudden, you could no longer keep your own tears at bay. “No matter who I marry, you will always have my heart.”

___

A/N: Since I’ve started my new job, I will need to move across the country. Due to the time that adjustment and heavy workload will take, I can’t guarantee that Chapter 8 will come out by end of next month. But I will still try to bring it to you guys as soon as possible. I hope you’ll be kind enough to understand and wait :)