- The Twins -

The first days as the new King and Queen were eventful and filled with appointments and meetings. The royal advisor told Baekhyun and Soomi exactly who they needed to meet and when, taking care of their schedules. He had at first opposed Baekhyun’s decision to invite Taehyung and his knights into the castle, believing that they could not be trusted. However, Baekhyun hadn’t wavered and insisted on letting them come to Lux. Wang and he didn’t get along too well since Baekhyun was still angry at him for treating Soomi badly. The tension hanging in the room whenever they spoke made her skin crawl. She was relieved when their tedious meetings were over.

This afternoon, Soomi wanted to meet Baekhyun’s mother for tea while he himself attended the knights’ sword training. He took great care in honing his skills even in times of peace and never missed an opportunity to practice.            

Lisa had come by earlier, visiting Soomi in her chambers to help her braid her hair. Since everybody expected the new Queen to look impeccable at all times, she had to spend more time getting ready than before. It didn’t bother her because this would give her more opportunities to speak to her friend.

“How are you feeling today?” Lisa asked while she brushed Soomi’s long black hair. She was sitting in front of her vanity mirror, gazing at her reflection.

“Quite good! I’m looking forward to later,” she said. “The morning has been stressful since Baekhyun and I had to meet certain nobles from the towns scattered throughout the kingdom. They wished to hold trade negotiations and discussed a tax reduction with us.”

“That sounds tedious,” Lisa sighed. “I don’t envy you for those kinds of things.”

“It’s not that bad. Baekhyun and I have more responsibilities now, but the former Queen has been supporting us well. I have a good feeling about our reign,” she said and smiled. Lisa finished brushing her hair and began to braid it with care, adding tiny ribbons here and there.

“She’s a kind woman,” Lisa said. “I’m confident that this kingdom will prosper under your reign. Lux’s people have welcomed this time of peace with open arms. I keep hearing the townspeople speak about their relief after the coronation. Your marriage was a solid basis for the union between both kingdoms, but your coronation is even more meaningful.”

“I’m hoping to gain everybody’s trust, and make them see that Caelum’s people aren’t the enemy,” Soomi smiled. “I’ve been worried about the coronation and the time after, but it isn’t as difficult as I imagined. In fact, I’m very happy because my brother is going to visit soon. It was a big surprise for me when I heard that Baekhyun invited him.” Her smile brightened, and Lisa chuckled.

“The King is very fond of you,” she said cheekily. “When I saw him in the hallway just now, he asked me to bring a new bouquet with white roses to decorate your chambers with. It’s endearing how much he cares for you.”

“O-Oh, he did?” Soomi asked, a warm feeling pooling in her stomach. “I need to thank him later.”

“You should give him a kiss, too,” Lisa giggled, prompting Soomi to blush. She looked down at her hands on her lap, playing with the ring on her finger.

“Maybe,” she whispered sheepishly.

“No, not maybe! You definitely have to,” Lisa insisted. “I’ve seen the glances he’s been throwing you during breakfast this morning. It’s obvious that he can’t get enough of you.”

Soomi chuckled, meeting Lisa’s gaze in the mirror. She had finished her braid and put the golden crown on her head. “Then I shall take your advice,” Soomi replied and got up. “Thank you for your help, Lisa.”

“Any time, Your Majesty,” she answered with a cute bow and accompanied her to the door where Kyungsoo was already waiting to Soomi.

On the following day, her brother Taehyung was supposed to arrive, and Soomi awaited him impatiently. She’d been hoping to see him for so long, and now that the day had finally arrived, she couldn’t stop smiling.

“He’ll be here soon!” she gushed, excitedly walking to the windows at the side of the throne room to look outside. She spotted some knights and servants walking around and doing their duties. A few nobles passed the gate on their horses. Taehyung wasn’t in sight yet, but he was supposed to arrive sometime this afternoon.

She couldn’t contain her giddiness and anticipation, had been restless all morning during the meetings with the advisor and the nobles. Baekhyun had been amused by her joy, hiding his smile behind his hand as he had gazed at her.

“If you keep staring out the window, they won’t arrive any sooner,” he remarked when he joined her, hugging her from behind. He put his chin on her shoulder. “Be patient, my Queen.”

She turned in his embrace and gazed up at his face, smiling at him. “It’s hard to be patient, Baekhyun! I’m going to see Tae for the first time in months and… and I’m so grateful for that! It’s all thanks to you.”

“Don’t I deserve a reward?” he asked, smirking playfully when she got flustered, realizing what he meant. She stood on her tiptoes and leaned in, kissing him on the lips. Lingering for a moment, she enjoyed the softness of his lips on hers, and the pure bliss she felt in his presence.

“That’s your reward,” she breathed, and he smiled.

“Thank you,” he murmured softly, his lips grazing her forehead when he planted a gentle peck on it.

An hour later, a servant announced the arrival of Caelum’s crown prince and his knights. Soomi was overjoyed to hear this and quickly returned to her throne with Baekhyun to await them in the throne room. It didn’t take long for the grand doors to open, and Taehyung entered with the six knights belonging to his royal guard.

Since they weren’t alone, had the prying eyes of certain high-ranking nobles and the advisor set on them, she couldn’t just run up to him and hug him. She had to keep acting like a calm and collected queen while inwardly, she was blooming with joy and excitement. Baekhyun was much better at this than her, gazing at their visitors with a composed look. She realized that this was the first time he encountered them since the wedding, and it was also the first time they reunited after the war.

She knew that her brother and her husband had all the reasons to hate each other, having been enemies for years, but she hoped that they would get along regardless. She loved them from the bottom of her heart and it would hurt her if they didn’t at least tolerate each other. From what she knew, they’d been exchanging letters before, so she assumed that they weren’t caught up in their hate anymore.

“Welcome in Lux,” Baekhyun spoke, politely inclining his head when Taehyung and the knights bowed. “It’s an honor to be able to meet you in times of peace.”

“Thank you for your invitation,” Taehyung replied, a hint of a smile on his lips. He was wearing the blue colors of Caelum, his jacket adorned with silver buttons. A dark blue cape was attached to it, floating in soft waves when he moved. He was armed with a silver rapier just like his knights, but neither of them was intent on causing trouble. The knights who she hadn’t seen in so long threw her curious glances, Yoongi and Seokjin even going so far as to wink sneakily at her. She had to hold in a smile, focusing her eyes on Taehyung instead.

“Did you have a pleasant journey?” Baekhyun went on to ask, keeping the conversation stiff and formal. Soomi noticed the doubtful glances that the nobles were throwing her brother, heard them speaking quietly among each other. They were probably gossiping already—as expected.

“Indeed, we had. Lux is very beautiful. It’s a delight to be able to visit this kingdom,” Taehyung said. “Congratulations on your coronation, Your Majesty. I hope that our kingdoms continue to prosper as allies—I am glad that the past is not interfering in our relations.”

They exchanged the typical pleasantries, showing the present nobles that they were determined to maintain a good relation between both kingdoms. It was a little tedious, and Soomi got impatient since she wanted to speak to her brother in private. When Baekhyun finally invited him to meet in his study for a talk, she was relieved and couldn’t wait to leave the throne room and all the nosy nobles behind.

As soon as the doors to Baekhyun’s study were closed and they were safe from prying eyes, Soomi’s serious façade crumbled. She giggled and surprised her brother by jumping right into his arms.

“I’ve missed you, Tae!”

He chuckled, ruffling her hair and almost knocking the crown off her head in the process. “I missed you too,” he replied. “It’s been a while, Soomi.”

“Yes, much too long!” She laughed elatedly, a weight falling off her shoulders. “How is father?”

“He’s doing great,” Taehyung answered. “But he also misses you and gave me a present for you since he couldn’t come here in person. I’ll get it for you later.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“Surprise,” he replied, grinning mischievously. “You’ll have to be patient.” He knew full well that she was incredibly impatient when it came to surprises, so she pouted, but not even that made him tell her.

“How have you been?” he asked before he sent Baekhyun a stern look. “I hope your husband has been treating you well.”

She snorted when she saw her brother’s half-serious, half-playful expression. “He has! We’ve been horse-riding quite often, and I also got to practice archery a few times,” she said, suddenly talking like a waterfall without stopping. “And on the honeymoon, I saw the ocean for the first time! It was amazing, Taehyung! The beach was covered in warm sand, and the water stretched on endlessly until it met the horizon. Every morning when the sun rose, it looked like it emerged from the ocean.”

“It’s great to hear you’re comfortable in Lux,” Taehyung smiled, directing his gaze to Baekhyun. “Thank you for considering her interests. I’ve been a little worried she wouldn’t get to enjoy her hobbies anymore, but it seems that you have been taking good care of her.”

Baekhyun returned his smile, leaning against his desk as he gazed at both siblings. “I was surprised to hear that she likes horses so much. Since I found out about it, we’ve been spending time on horseback whenever possible,” he said. “But lately, things have been stressful.”

“I understand,” Taehyung answered, growing serious. “You need to be even more careful than before, now that you are crowned. Make sure that nothing happens to Soomi.”

“You don’t need to remind me of that,” Baekhyun replied grimly. “She is always well-guarded. I am not taking chances.”

Taehyung nodded, pleased with his answer. “Good,” he said, shooting Baekhyun a pointed look. “There are a few things I’d like to speak to you about in private, if possible.”

“Are you throwing me out, Tae?” Soomi complained. “You’ve only just arrived.”

“I’m sorry, Soomi,” he said and smiled apologetically. “We’ll spend more time together later, I promise!”

“We could take the horses to the forest. Nobody will overhear us there,” Baekhyun said since he knew that Taehyung intended to speak about the Alliance, among other things, and neither of them wanted to take risks. Furthermore, they didn’t want to worry Soomi with what they’d discuss.

“I’ll inform the knights and send somebody to guard you while we’re gone,” Baekhyun added and left the study, c