Chapter 38: A Leader

I had woken up about five minutes ago with the intention of getting up, having a shower and getting dressed, then I was going to get Tiffany some breakfast, but as I looked down at her beside me, I couldn’t help but get completely lost in her natural beauty. So mesmerizing.

I couldn’t help but just sit and stare. She looked so peaceful. You would never have thought that just last night, she had been completely stressing out over everything.

I smiled as her soft breaths filled my ears. For some reason I didn’t want to wake her, I just wanted to let her relax in her own little dreamland, so she didn’t have to worry about the reality, about the stress, the media, about Michelle and her father and the fact that the whole world would be seeing her as their Queen.

It was a bright day outside, but from the looks of it there was a chilly breeze that rolled around the air, the sun cracking through the curtains, its beams of light streaking across the floor.

Her head was resting on my arm, her legs tangled up with mine, my hand gently her hair. I gently grazed my knuckles over her cheek, her soft porcelain skin causing warmth to spread throughout my hand. I was once again rendered breathless as her beauty radiated off of her skin, meeting my eyes, my brain unable to process it. Her well sculpted cheekbones, long eyelashes and naturally rosy cheeks, her soft plump lips slightly parted. Her dark waves of hair sprawled out across the mattress.

A smile crept up and across my face as she scrunched up her nose cutely and snuggled her face into my shirt, as if she was trying to get as close as possible.

“Tae...” She mumbled in her sleep, a dreamy smile plastered on her lips.

She was normally awake before I was, so I never really got to watch her like this, sleeping, just lost in her own dreams. She was always the one waking me up, but now I was considering getting up earlier just to see her sleeping face every morning.

I wasn’t planning on waking her, not until a maid or butler came in and said we had to. I knew she was stressed out and today was a big day. She needed her rest.

She began to stir, pulling me closer to her. I had a feeling she would be waking up soon. I snuggled closer to her body, wanting her sleep more.

As my eyes retraced the details of her face, I wondered whether it had been publicly announced that Tiffany and I were now South Korea’s King and Queen. The thought made my stomach churn, a feeling of nausea floating throughout my body. Even though I was nervous and scared as hell, I couldn’t tell Tiffany and worry her even more. That would be the last thing she needed.

Her body stirred a little more, her hand going under the back of my shirt, her palm pressed flat against my spine.

I brushed a few strands of hair away from her face gently, the sickness in my stomach slowly decreasing. I had to be strong not only for myself but now the whole country, and most importantly, I had to be strong for her, for Tiffany.

Her eyes suddenly fluttered open, adjusting to the light. She used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun that shone through, scrunching up her face slightly.

I smiled.

She rubbed her eyes sleepily with the back of her hand, an incoherent grumble escaping her lips as she stretched out her body, clicking her bones into place. She smiled up at me, still rubbing her eyes with the back of her palm.

“Morning Taeyeon.” She said softly, snuggling closer to me.

I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her closer, disallowing any space between our bodies as I inhaled her sweet and addictive scent.

“Morning.” I said softly, a lovesick grin spreading across my face.

I shuffled a little down the bed so I could embrace her properly, now face to face. Her deep, brown eyes stared back at me.

“How you feeling?” I asked, running my fingers over her cheek.

She gave me a gentle smile as she closed her eyes, enjoying my gentle caresses. She let out a small sigh, I guessed she was thinking of answer, but yet she had a serene look on her face as if she had not a care in the world.

She placed her hand on top of mine, pressing my palm more into her cheek as she opened her eyes slowly. Her eyes streaked with certainty, the confusion from yesterday almost nearly gone.

“I thought about what you said last night...” She began. “And…you were right. We’re going to have to pull through this…and it will be difficult at times… but I’m not worried because I have you and you have me. We have each other.”

I smiled at her warmly, my heart thumping against my chest as she drew her face closer, planting a simple kiss on my lips. It grew more meaningful like a tree and its leaves.

That electrifying feeling surging through my veins and my stomach began to flip like a gymnast, butterflies, sending tingles all over my body.

She slowly pulled away, our eyes never leaving each other.

“I love you.” I whispered as if those words were forbidden to the ears of others, only for those sound waves to grace Tiffany’s eardrums, no one else’s.

“Love you too.” She said softly, a gentle smile playing across her lips.

I let my eyes drift a little lower to her neck. I smirked as I saw the love bite I had made last night. I was still pretty red. I grazed my fingers over the mark that blemished her pale skin. I felt a tad guilty, but at the same time I was happy that everyone could see that I had made my mark - showing everyone that she was mine.

“What is it?” She asked, a confused expression tainting her complexion.

I grinned. “The love bite I left on your neck last night…” I shifted my gaze to look her in the eye. “It’s still there.” I laughed.

Her eyes widened, a gasp escaping her lips as she clamped her hands over the mark. She jumped out of the bed, rushing over to the mirror, examining the mark in the reflection, unconsciously giving me an amazing view of her body that was only covered in an over-sized T-shirt.

“What the hell, Taeyeon!” She exclaimed as she spun around to find me drooling over her goddess-like body.

“Taeyeon!” She yelled angrily, snapping me out of my erted train of thought.

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? You left a huge mark on my neck!” I could clearly tell she was annoyed. I got out of the bed, walking over to her as she turned her back to me, letting out a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest.

I gave out a sigh as I wrapped my arms around her from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder. “And? It shows everyone that you’re mine.” I said, looking at her through the refection of the mirror.

“But now everyone will know we had last night.” She pouted as she furrowed her perfectly trimmed eyebrows together. She leaned back, melting into my embrace.

“We are married, you know. We are allowed to have .” I mumbled under my breath. But much to my dismay, she heard me loud and clear.

She spun around, that angry expression now contorting her face again. “It’s okay for you! You don’t have a mark where everybody can see!”

“What do you want me to do?” I said, my hands up in defense.

Her expression suddenly changed, going from angry to seductive in under a second. She gave me a y smirk, walking towards me. With every step she took forward, I took a step back.