The King’s cabinet was dimly lit with only the desk lamp hovering over his documents. Dark red velvet curtains covered the windows behind him, letting a minimal amount of whatever sunlight was left outside. The dull rays of light fell upon the newly opened envelope he had quickly ripped through.

A small smile crept on his face as his eyes gazed the content of the letter in his hands. He felt himself grow less tired and a little cheerful. He began to neatly put his things together, he seemed to be doing so in a smug manner.

A light knock came at the cabinet door followed by a quiet voice. The King glared at the closed door, wondering who had disrupted him. He took the files he had in his hands and placed them into an open drawer. The loose strands of his brown hair were pushed back and out of his eyes. 

“Enter,” He ordered, rising from his chair and smoothing out his suit. The door opened slowly and in stepped one of the maids. 

“King Namjoon, your majesty,” She bowed her head and did a small curtsy. “Dinner is about to be served in the dining hall. Would you give me the honor of escorting you down?”

Namjoon refused the offer with the wave of his hand, ordering her to shoo. The young lady who had a friendly smile on her face now was taken aback by the rejection. She blinked back the upset look on her face to save herself from embarrassment. The apology she wanted to say didn’t know how to order themselves on her tongue. 

The King has been without a Queen by his side for sixteen years. It wasn’t difficult to see how hard the female servants in the castle tried to impress Namjoon. They all wanted to get as close to him as possible in hopes to catch his eye. He knew this very well and thought it was very unethical. However, Namjoon has never said anything because he enjoys the attention of all the women. 

It wasn’t the most right thing to do, but it didn’t feel so wrong either. He didn’t think of himself to be a bad king, with a successful kingdom, a thriving village, and a decent economic state. There were no rumors about him that anyone could find or speak of. With a spotless record, he believed he deserved to enjoy the flaunting of the female workers without making advances. 

But tonight wasn’t one of those nights he could allow it. He had more important things on his mind. His fingers still rested on the handle of the drawer, ready to open it when the servant left the room.

“Where are the children?” Namjoon asked the maid, his smirk returning to his lips. “I have important news to break to them.”

“I-I was just about to call for and gather them, sir.” She replied, trying to keep her composure. 

“Get a move on then, we don’t have all night.” The king ordered, startling the girl out of the room.

Namjoon chuckled to himself as he stared back down his desk. He reached into his drawer and pulled out the previous files. Scanning through all the pages, he made sure everything was in order. They were very important and if something were to go wrong, he would be at fault for everything else to come afterward. 

These documents were what he needed to bring with him to the dining room to show his children. The files are involved with the “important news”. If he waits any longer, it’ll be harder for his son and daughters to accept said news. Namjoon signs every document carefully, each line that required his signature was done neatly and professionally.

The proud king then proceeded out of his room with a skip in his step, closing and locking the door behind him. He confidently walked down the hall with a smug look on his face. Namjoon knew something that no one else did and there was no point in hiding how excited he was. He has been waiting a while for this moment. Finally, the day had come. 

The female palace workers noticed Namjoon as he walked by, formally greeting and bowing to him. They couldn’t help but gawk over how attractive their royal highness was. He was carrying a bit more pride with him as he walked, causing them to be even more intrigued by his presence than usual. 

A few maids asked if they could accompany him and if they could speak with him quickly. But the older servants would pull the graceless attention-seeking girls away from the King. Their desire for approval and affection was distasteful.

King Namjoon ignored them all, just for tonight, and continued down the hall.

Each servant moved swiftly in and out of rooms, careful not to run into Namjoon. Their actions were quick and smooth as if some unseeing hands dragged them from one thing to another. Every one of them had a goal to achieve for the day, some attempting to finish their tasks quickly to return to their quarters. It was like they were all on autopilot, their movement and steps so predictable you could tell they’ve done this many times before. Sometimes the King smiled and greeted them just to wake up a part of themselves. 

While walking, he pulls aside a male servant. In a whispered tone, he explains the importance of the documents in his hands without giving much detail. Namjoon then proceeds to give them to him and asks if he would hand them to the safekeeping of his butler. The message he wished to relay was to deliver them before he made his announcement, right before his children excused and dismissed themselves from the diner. 

The servant turned but just before he was able to walk away, the King grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. With a confused look, the servant stared questioningly at Namjoon before he was grabbed by the shirt. He felt himself being lifted slightly as the king toward over him with a less friendly expression than before. 

“Be careful with these,” Namjoon said in an almost whisper. “If you lose anything or even stop for a second to read anything that’s in your hand, I will have your job and your life. Do NOT disobey my orders. Get these to Kyungsoo...NOW!”

The servant held onto the file tightly as he ran the opposite way to find the butler. Namjoon chuckled to himself as he watched the young man down the corridor. He indeed wanted to scare him, but Namjoon wasn’t always a demeaning ruler. Although he felt bad for scaring his poor worker, he meant every word and hoped he doesn’t mess up in the time he has possession of the documents. Lord knows if something were to go wrong with the confidentiality of those documents, the punishments and consequences that would ensue upon him. 

A door to the servants left opens and almost knocks him off his feet. Namjoon waited and watched, curious to see who will emerge from the room. A girl who carried nothing but elegance with every move she made stepped out and down the hall. Her pin-straight jet black hair cascaded over her shoulders. Skin so soft and milky white, you could say she looked so much like the fairytale princess Snow White. Her pink lips turned up into a smile when her eyes fell on the king.

“Good evening father,” She greeted Namjoon so formally, bowing with a slight curtsy. 

“My lovely Kyung,” The King smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder as he bent down to kiss her forehead. “Are you heading to the dining room? We shall walk together.”

“Certai