Chapter Text
He hit his head on the floor, hard.
It sent a burst of pain through his skull as he rolled off on the carpeted ground, his limbs tangled together between the silk sheets.
Even though a throbbing forehead would wake up any other person, he didn't open his eyes. He had been sleeping soundly before his body decided to make an acrobatic exit out of the comfort of his bed, and he will continue to do so, on the floor. He hadn’t been sleeping well since days ago and now that he had been in the arms of Morpheus – and dreaming about an adorable tabby cat – he won't miss a second of it. Soft bed or carpeted floor, it didn’t matter where. He wanted to continue petting the cat in his dreams. She looked adorable.
“Your Royal Highness.”
A voice interrupted his attempt of going back to sleep, which he ignored for obvious reasons. It was probably his mind playing tricks on him to try to make him start his day. And he didn’t want to start his day yet.
“Your Royal Highness.”
The voice repeated for a second time, this time followed by several knocks on his door. Or had there been knocks before that he didn't notice? He wasn't sure.
“For goodness gracious Jisung,” The voice sounded exasperated, dropping formalities and calling him by his name. At that, Jisung recognized the origin of his beauty sleep interruption, “Can you wake up and let me in?”
So it wasn't his imagination after all. He had to start his day.
Jisung let out a grunt. He detangled his legs from the sheets and took a look at the floor-to-ceiling windows by his right side, only finding the world was still in total darkness. The sun wasn’t up but he had to be the one up apparently. He didn't know what he'd done in his life that warranted to start his day at what seemed to be at least 5 a.m, but whatever it was it must have been something terrible. He perhaps denied candy to a kid or accidentally kicked a puppy.
Jisung forced himself into a standing position, his fingers going through his untamed black locks as he went to open the door. He didn't make an effort to make himself look presentable.
“Oh my goodness,” the sleep interrupter, Lee Felix, exclaimed bringing his hands to his mouth, “You look worse than what I thought you'd be. I’ll need to cover up those bags under your eyes. You look terrible.”
“Hello, my dear Felix. How are you? Is that how you greet the prince of the kingdom? I believe that it is not respectful of you to not address properly your prince.” Jisung teased, his voice turning into the one he used exclusively in his royal appearances.
Jisung wasn’t mad when people dropped the etiquette with him, less Felix of all people in the palace. Felix was his friend, one of the few people that saw him as Jisung and not this unreachable impeccable idea of what a prince must be that people had of him.
Truth be told, he would rather Felix call him whatever he pleased than him going around the palace with that unnecessary and annoying etiquette. For that reason, Jisung had made sure to let Felix know to not treat him with any kind of prince superiority a long time ago, when they were still kids with no other worries than to not accidentally break one of the Queen’s porcelain vases while playing hide and seek.
What a time. He missed those days.
“Yeah yeah, hello your Royal Highness,” Felix laughed and entered Jisung’s room after dropping a loud kiss on Jisung’s cheek that Jisung quickly wiped off, “But you can’t deny that I have to do something about your eye bags.”
“You wake me up this early and you expect me to not have bags under my eyes?”
“Why did you even had to lock your door from inside exactly the day guard Cho is on the night shift? He was almost piercing my soul with the way he was watching me,” Felix exaggerated and he had the right to do so because guard Cho was scary, “As if a thing could happen in this palace at the break of dawn, who tells him that in reality it was only you being dumb.”
Jisung yawned, taking a seat on the corner of his bed, “Can’t I have peace and privacy for one day? Is that too much to ask?”
“Well, you could let me know if you needed some time to-”
Jisung’s cheeks felt like burning, knowing damn too well what he was referring to, “That wasn’t what I meant, idiot.” He threw one of his pillows at his friend, “Why are you even here this early? You interrupted my sleep. Sleep. That’s what I wanted to do.”
“Have you lost the remaining marbles of your head? I told you last night that the Queen wanted to have breakfast with you today.”
“As if she doesn't see me each morning.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, how am I supposed to know?” Jisung rolled his eyes, “She always wants something different and I never have a clue.”
“She wants you to be there with her because we have a guest visiting us this morning.”
Jisung threw his back on the soft mattress, taking the pillow to hide his face, “Breakfast is at 8 a.m and you put me through this suffering.”
“I wouldn’t do it if you didn’t take hours to get ready. Be grateful that your mother decided to keep it simple.” Felix talked while he disappeared to Jisung’s closet.
Jisung closed his eyes and got comfortable on the bed. Perhaps he could take a little nap. Felix didn’t reply anything more, too busy looking for the perfect clothes for him. Perfect for Jisung to fall back asleep.
Seconds passed and he didn’t hear back from Felix. For a moment, Jisung thought Felix really disappeared into thin air and that he could continue hugging his pillow.
“Move your little butt. We need you to get you ready, and I know you. We can’t be late or your mother is going to kill you.”
Jisung only wished to pet the tabby cat from his dreams again.
~
Jisung checked himself one last time on a golden mirror, standing like a lost puppy in one of the many corridors that lead to the dining room. He fixed the ruby brooch that decorated his garments.
For once, he thought he looked good. All thanks to Felix and his magic, gone were the signs of sleepless nights and untidy appearance. Eye bags covered, hair styled up and linen shirt on point. Felix even took the time to hide a small pimple that was threatening to make an appearance. Not that he minded it, but Lord forbid the Prince of Caledithya to have something as human as pimples on his face.
Jisung let out a long sigh, putting on a wide yet fake smile the second after. A flawless prince. Yes.
He took a second look at the mirror and he almost believed that lie.
“You look splendid as usual, your Royal Highness. You don't need to worry.” A guard interrupted his thoughts.
He jumped a little, bringing a hand to his chest. Sometimes, he forgot he always had someone watching him.
“Thank you.” Jisung tried his best to not make obvious the guard had startled him. He didn't want to worry him.
Thankfully, the guard changed the topic, “Are you ready to enter?”
Jisung nodded, gesturing towards the grand ornamented door before them, “Of course.”
The dining room greeted him as soon as the guard opened the door. With the curtains open, the sun was bathing the interior with its light, making the room's gold decor glow. Jisung's lips curved into a tiny but more genuine smile. It was a pretty day indeed. He would make sure to go outside after he was done here.
However, his face contorted as soon as his eyes saw the different dishes on the table, going from ricotta hotcakes and yogurt to chickpeas, eggs, and spinach. Spinach. Ew.
Of course those were the Queen's favorites, but where were the berries? Probably nowhere to be found. Someone please save him.
The ma'am in question, Her Majesty Minjung, Queen Regent of the Kingdom of Caledithya, was already in her seat at the end of the table, in all graciousness a queen had. For Jisung though, she was also known as his mom. Shockingly.
She was in the company of a man that Jisung didn't recognize, sitting beside her. That must be the guest that changed his precious morning schedule. Fuck that man.
“Hello, mother.” He approached them. He wasn't as late as usual.
“Hello, my darling.” His mother offered him a smile, one that has been perfected over the years to look polite and kind at all times. She gestured to the man beside her, “Greet our guest for today, Dongsuk, Duke of Mithya.”
“Good morning, Your Royal Highness.” The man stood up from his seat as he spoke, following with a deep bow, “It's a pleasure to be in your presence, my prince.”
Oh Lord, he hated formalities so much.
“The pleasure is mine.”
Jisung sat in his chair, silently hoping that everyone ate their breakfast as fast as possible so his suffering could end sooner. He wanted to go back to his bed.
Although, his wishes weren't granted because people loved small talk. Jisung still couldn't comprehend the point of pointless conversation.
“You're all grown up now, Your Royal Highness. It seems like yesterday that King Sanghoon was oh so happy to welcome you to the world.”
This man knew him from before apparently, which didn't surprise him because everyone knew him. However he didn't ring a bell in Jisung's memory, even though he must have seen him in one of the many gatherings that his mother hosted. During those events, the White Palace got filled with all kinds of people that Jisung didn't have the memory or the energy to get to know.
A palace full of people, but none of them actually cared nor showed what was behind their facades and fancy garments. It was a shame, Jisung thought. Such an immense palace that despite having anything you could ask for, still felt so lonely.
“Mhm, I guess. Of course you can say I have grown since I was a baby.”
That certainly wasn't the answer the duke was expecting. Five minutes in and Jisung had already screwed it.
“Our dear Dongsuk, you are so correct. That is a lovely memory, I must admit,” His mother added to save the conversation, “King Sanghoon, may he rest in peace, was so delighted to finally have an heir. I know he would be proud to see Prince Jisung here following his steps and be soon the king this precious land deserves.”
And there it started again.
Someone save him. Please.
“The chefs wouldn't like it if this delicious breakfast turned cold. Don't you think we should begin?” Jisung tried to divert the topic.
The Queen nodded, a smile on her face, “Let's begin then. Dear Dongsuk, hope you like what we've made for you today. Enjoy.”
Success.
His mother and her guest turned their attention to their meals. Jisung did the same and focused on the hotcakes – he added more syrup to them, he needed an extra touch of sweetness to function – and completely ignored the eggs with spinach. Jisung didn't want to be here, but he would make sure to enjoy what the chefs made for them.
While the others enjoyed their conversation. Jisung examined the duke. He tried to think again about where this duke came from but he didn't recall any nobleman called Dongsuk either, so he decided to dismiss the thought. He won't give extra energy to things he didn't care about. The hotcakes were more important.
Along the way, he heard his mom subtly implying again that Jisung should be a better prince for the kingdom. He looked down to his plate, suddenly the goat's cheese was the most fascinating thing in the entire palace. It was better for him – and to everyone else – if he just kept humming when it was needed to reassure his presence in the room and nothing else.
“Do you have any plans for the future, your Royal Highness?” The duke spoke directly to him minutes later.
He ignored it, and turned to a waiter, “Please, can I get a cup of coffee instead of tea? Her Majesty forgot to add it to today's menu.”
The waiter nodded and disappeared in the kitchen's direction. Jisung had the idea of following him. The kitchen sounded fun.
“Of course.” He simply answered, even though he had zero plans about what to do with his life.
“The prince here has been thinking deeply about the future of our blessed kingdom and his future coronation. Moreover, he will start to take a greater part in royal matters soon.”
“Is that so?” Dongsuk gave him such a condescending smile that made Jisung's blood boil, ”Any set date for your ascension to the throne then? I believe the whole kingdom is waiting for it.”
Jisung furrowed his brows, looking at the duke, “Why are you here? Don't you have most important affairs to take care off than to pry in other's matters?”
He felt his mom's eyes throwing daggers at him. He didn't care. It was the usual.
“I've been wanting to greet you in person, Your Royal Highness. It's been so long since the last time I saw you and Her Majesty, so I thought it was a great idea to visit you and involve myself in the palace a little more.”
“Think better then.”
"Jisung." His mother warned him.
“Whatever,” Jisung gulped down the last bites of hotcake, “It was a pleasure to have breakfast with you but I'm done here.”
He grabbed a napkin to clean his mouth and got up from his seat. He wasn't going to wait to see his mother's reaction. Jisung wasn't expecting that this would end with a dramatic exit, but here he was.
Yet, the waiter came back with his coffee, catching him midway. Damn. It cut off his exit, but coffee was worth it.
Jisung grabbed the cup, “Thank you very much.”
He was done. If Jisung remembered correctly, he was free for the rest of the day. The only thing left was getting out of there. And he will do so.
How innocent he was, he heard his mother's voice a step before he reached the door, ruining those two seconds of a free day.
“Oh and my darling, remember that I requested to have a change of schedule for you and arranged some lessons today.”
Someone please save him.
~
He needed to escape.
There was no way that Jisung’s brain cells would survive sitting there one more second listening to his tutor's boring voice talking about some old boring story. He had spent almost an hour talking about how bad their relationships with their neighbors from the south used to be.
That was in the past. The Kingdom of Caledithya hadn't had any inconvenience with the south in many, many years, since years before Jisung was even born.
Jisung was seriously done with it.
Thankfully for Caledithya, they had remained in some sort of peace with them. They weren't going to act like best friends for obvious reasons, each of them always seeking their own benefit, but they were in good political terms now. Jisung didn't understand why they had to keep reminding him of things that happened decades ago.
He hated history class. He really did.
For the next one he should bring a pillow, so he could take a nap instead of resorting to distract himself with counting the books on the shelves like he was about to do at the moment. He had gotten bored from watching the same two clouds in the sky. His favorite spot was beside the window just because of that.
1.
2.
His tutor kept talking.
36.
38.
Jisung wondered when the hour will be over. It was about time.
48.
50.
51.
“That concludes for today.”
As soon as he heard those words, Jisung got up in a thunderbolt and sprinted out of the room. He dropped his fountain pen in the process. Jisung hoped that it didn't break again, since he had somehow managed to break two of them the past week. Nibs fatally damaged and leaking, Felix silently scolding him when he saw his ink-stained shirt.
Whatever.
No more history. Finally.
Jisung fled from the palace, he didn’t waste a second. After almost falling on the stairway, he felt the sun against his face. Warmth.
The wonders of the life outside the same four walls.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, ignoring the palace behind him. A pair of birds chirping passed by and a small smile appeared on Jisung's face. Wow, he did need fresh air.
Jisung was sweating from all the running he did. His back was drenched and the numb feeling on his legs wasn't pleasant either. He hated when he had to move his body more than what it required. If he could avoid any exercise, he would, definitely. One of the few physical activities he ever did was when he wanted to escape.
Could he just stay in his chambers the whole day? Without the need to run away?
He wiped the drop of sweat that was coming down from his forehead with his sleeve instead of pulling out the handkerchief he carried in his pocket.
Jisung slowed down his pace, to avoid his heart coming out of his chest from another marathon. He strayed away from the palace as his feet took him in the direction of the royal stables.
He knew he would feel at ease there.
Proving his point, Jisung saw from the distance a familiar mop of black locks pushing a wheelbarrow.
Tall, long black hair and strong arms that he wanted to punch most of the time.
Hwang Hyunjin.
Or another one of the few people that made living in this damn palace more bearable.
"Hyunjin!" Jisung called while reaching him.
The boy in question let out a yelp, losing control of the handles and the piles of hay bale all falling from the wheelbarrow. Oops. Jisung didn't mean that.
“Hello idiot,” Jisung gently bumped into Hyunjin’s shoulder, “Too surprised by my handsomeness that I distract you from work?”
“Hello, Your Royal Highness.” Hyunjin greeted him. He looked sideways and then lowered his voice, returning a small punch in Jisung’s shoulder, “You scared the shit out of me. I didn’t expect you here right now.”
Jisung followed his friend’s eyes, noticing a guard near them. When will he be free goddammit.
Jisung took a bale of hay and threw it back into the wheelbarrow, a bit harder than needed, “I have told you and Felix a million times to drop that shit. Why do you keep caring if there are people around?”
“Maybe because you're the prince of the kingdom and I don't want to lose my job?” Hyunjin gathered the rest of the hay.
“There's no way in hell I'm going to allow my mother to fire you just because of that absurdity.”
True. There was a higher chance of the palace burning down than there was of either Felix or Hyunjin getting kicked out of there under Jisung’s watch, just because his mother wanted all the staff to follow the etiquette even though Jisung considered them his friends.
“Your mother is scary sometimes.” Hyunjin held the wheelbarrow handles again, “Remember that time when I accidentally called you an idiot in front of her? No way I'm risking her giving me that look again.”
Hyunjin had a point. His mother looked scary, more often than not. The difference was that Jisung had grown with that stern look on him 24/7. He had later found out that ignoring it, was the best.
“In all honesty, I don't give a flying fuck. She can say whatever she wants.”
Hyunjin laughed, “Don’t you have other places to be than bother me?”
Well.
Jisung grabbed Hyunjin's arm, no planning to let go of him any time soon, “Tell me I can stay with you. Please don't make me come back to my boring classes.”
“Get off of me!” Hyunjin wiggled his arm trying to make Jisung release his grip on him, “Why would you think I want you here?”
“You always want to see me.” Jisung tightened his hold, hay bales threatening to fall for a second time as Hyunjin attempted to continue walking, “Pleeeease. I won’t let you go until you say yes.”
"Fine," Hyunjin gave up. That was easy, “But I have to feed the horses so I ask you to not start a chaos there.”
“Why do you say that? I’m an angel who makes no harm.”
“No one believes that.”
Jisung punched Hyunjin’s arm again, “Idiot. Anyways, I want to see Cookie, the absolute love of my life, not you dumbass.”
Hyunjin rolled his eyes, “She’s been waiting for you.”
Once inside the stable, Jisung went straight towards Cookie’s stall while Hyunjin was gone to do his duties before Jisung could distract him. If not, the horses would most likely miss a meal.
Jisung’s eyes lighted up when he saw her. Cookie was his favorite after all. She was a mare that Jisung had grown fond of the second he saw her when she had barely hours from being born. It was the first time he saw a baby horse. No surprise that it had amazed tiny, little Jisung. He even had begged to name her.
Years had passed now, and each time Jisung tried horseback riding, she was still the one he chose.
He scratched behind her ear. Jisung thought that he should go out with her to the forest for a walk. It would do well for both of them. Jisung made a mental note to ask Hyunjin if they could go soon since he knew Hyunjin won’t let him go alone after what happened last week.
“Hey! Think fast.”
Hyunjin came out of nowhere throwing a bag of carrots at his direction, which Jisung did not catch. Carrots flying everywhere. Nice.
“Jisung! I said no chaos!”
That was impossible to accomplish for Han Jisung, apparently.
“It was your fault! How did you expect me to catch that?”
“Catching it? It was easy."
For Jisung’s reflexes, it was not.
“It wasn’t? If you gave me a heads up or something I would have caught it.” He defended himself. He wasn’t going to let Hyunjin win that.
“I’m giving you a heads up now.”
Hyunjin threw yet another bag of carrots. One that Jisung didn’t catch neither.
Damn.
Hyunjin raised a brow, “Weren’t you going to catch it?”
As expected, Jisung picked a carrot from the floor and threw it at Hyunjin’s head.
Or maybe he threw two more.
And maybe Hyunjin did the same.
The horses must be having second-hand embarrassment.
“Stop it!” Hyunjin squeezed Jisung between his arms to make him stop.
Jisung, logically, bit Hyunjin’s arm. He had to deal with Hyunjin yelling right in his ear, but at least he let him go.
“I won.” Jisung declared sticking out his tongue, “Since Felix isn’t here to be the referee. I proclaim myself as the winner of the carrot battle.”
By the look Hyunjin gave him, Jisung thought he was about to threw something at him again. Yet, Hyunjin returned to fill the hayracks in the other stalls, disappearing from Jisung’s sight.
That was for the best.
Jisung focused on collecting the carrots from the floor, which were more than expected. They shouldn’t have done that.
After he was done, he proceeded to give the carrots to their original owners, offering one for each horse – he gave two threats for Cookie, though –.
“Do you know where Felix is?”
Hyunjin should stop appearing out of nowhere like some kind of unannounced ghost.
“I have no clue. I haven’t seen him since this morning.” Jisung frowned, “Why?”
“I just haven't seen him all day, that's all. I wanted but-”
Jisung stumbled on his own feet, landing on the stall door when he lost balance. The sound reverberated throughout the place. But in Jisung’s opinion, it wasn’t as bad as it sounded because he didn’t damage the door. It still slid smoothly.
"Jisung."
“We cool here.”
Super cool.
Hyunjin kicked him out of the stables a few minutes later after Jisung tripped over the buckets and spilled all the water on the floor.
~
Jisung found himself going to the west wing, the part destined for the staff's bedrooms, after he tried – and failed – to search for Felix in every room he could think he might be, including Jisung's chamber and the kitchen. However, Jisung knew that if Felix wasn't around, he would probably be in the comfort of his bedroom, so he went directly there.
As he turned on the hallway, he saw a couple of maids glancing at him. Jisung wasn't supposed to be in the west wing to begin with, but after years of sneaking in to play with Felix, he knew the west wing like every other corner of the palace. Jisung guessed they must be new to the job, old staff and servants had grown used to see the prince in that area since years ago.
“Here you're again, Your Royal Highness. Mr. Hwang isn't here and I believe I saw Mr. Lee returning earlier.” A maid, the beloved Mrs. Jung, informed him when she caught him.
Of course Mrs. Jung knew his true intentions. She was an old lady that has been working for many years in the palace, and undoubtedly has seen a much younger Jisung running around with no care, in an attempt to escape from his nannies because he wanted to play hide and seek with little Felix.
She always had a smile on, and when he was a kid, he always thought that she gave such impressive warm hugs. Jisung liked her, definitely one of his favorite maids.
“I already saw Hyunjin, I'm looking for Felix now.” He offered her a gentle smile, “Thank you”
Jisung knocked on the door when he reached Felix's room. He heard the sound of something falling inside and a small ‘Fuck’ following.
“It's me, you dumbass.”
Felix opened the door, “Hey.”
“Have you been here all day?” Jisung asked as he walked inside.
It was a quite small bedroom, nothing that compared to his royal chambers. His bathroom alone was bigger than these four white walls, but he wouldn't change any of this. Yes, it was as small as a box of matches, but it radiated the same warmth that Felix did. For Jisung, that was better than anything else.
“Yeah, I came back here since I finished with you earlier. Did you need me before?” Felix brought a hand to his mouth, worried, “Oh my god I'm sorry, I should have stayed with you.”
Then, Jisung noticed that the floor was covered in different fabric swatches. On top of them, there was a box spilling different threads and flosses of different colors. That must have been what he heard falling.
“Don't worry Lix. I've been good apart from my mother being my mother and almost dying from boredom.” Jisung gestured towards the floor, “Are you working on something?”
“Kind of.”
Felix rushed to pick up the threads and flosses to return them to their box, Jisung helping him with the ones that fell far away.
“Practicing?” Jisung asked.
Felix took the last thread, a deep red one, and placed it on his desk, “I'm trying to figure out what to do for you actually.”
Jisung tilted his head, “Me? Did I miss something?”
“Your birthday is next week.”
Oh shit.
That wasn't exactly something that made him happy.
It should be something that Jisung looked forward to. More him than anyone else. He was the prince, with plenty of presents coming his way each year. However, he had stopped being excited about his birthday a long time ago, when it stopped being a day to enjoy himself and became a tedious celebration for protocol.
No wonder it slipped his mind.
“I completely forgot about that.”
Felix returned to sit on the floor, “I don't know if I should be upset by that. If you forgot about your own birthday then most likely you forgot about mine too.”
“I wouldn't ever forget your birthday, my dear Felix.” Jisung threw himself towards his friend, attempting to kiss his cheek, multiple times, “Lee Felix, what would I do without you? My bestest friend. The light of my life. My sunshine. My one and only. I will declare your birthday as the one being the public holiday as it should be, you're the most precious being in this kingdom.”
Felix giggled, pushing him away, “Hmm, I'll believe you for now.”
“I see how it is, you reject my love.”
Felix wrapped his arms around Jisung, “You know I don't.”
This time, Jisung was the one that giggled, “Better that way. Anyways, you didn't tell me what you're doing.”
“I was kind of stuck on what to do actually,” Felix broke the embrace to grab one of his notebooks, showing the prince a sketch, “Look. It sucks.”
Jisung took a look at the paper. It was a rough sketch of a loose white shirt. Nothing too fancy. Although, the catch was an intricate floral embroidery on the sleeves, with what looked like sequins added. That explained the dozens of colors of flosses and threads.
Jisung snorted, “It sucks he says. I think it looks stunning.”
He meant it. Felix was good at coming with different designs to embellish his garments. Jisung recognized Felix had the talent for it, and he wanted him to shine doing so. Months ago, Jisung had personally requested for Felix to be the one in charge of styling him.
He still remembered Felix's face when he showed him the first piece he had ever handsewn. Jisung wanted to see more of that.
Felix scrunched up his nose, “I'm not really sure about it. I really want to try something different with your makeup, though.”
That was another of Felix's interests. He loved to pick a brush and see where it took him. Felix had started doing it since they were 12, when Felix’s mother let him have old makeup that she wasn't using on the Queen anymore. Felix had been so excited to play with it, that Jisung let him practice on his own face. What kind of best friend would Jisung be if he didn't fully support his friend?
“Do you have anything in mind that you want to go for?”
Jisung shook his head, “Nah, go ahead with whatever you want. I trust you.”
Felix got up from the floor again, looking for yet a couple more boxes. One with sequins and the other with rhinestones and crystals. He always kept his supplies perfectly sorted by size and color, “I want you to shine. It's your 18th birthday, all eyes are gonna be on you.’
Jisung noticed a hint of something there, “Did my mother request you something?”
“Not exactly...” Felix's eyes trailed to the mess that was the floor, “But she implied that I have to put special effort in your garments since you're turning eighteen.”
Jisung rolled his eyes, “Rubbish, you always do an amazing job. Don't listen to her.”
“It's kind of difficult to not listen to her you know, she's like, the Queen."
“But don't. That's your advice, not mine.”
“Touché.”
Felix got distracted looking between the rhinestones and the sequins, probably imagining them on a piece of fabric in his mind. As he did so, Felix began humming a song. Jisung thought it was familiar, maybe he had listened to one of the maids sing it.
“What if we use-” Felix began.
Although, at that second Jisung then remembered what brought him here and interrupted him.
“Hey I forgot, Hyunjin asked about you.”
Felix dropped the box he was holding, its contents falling once again on the floor. For some miracle, it was the sequins one and not the one that had crystals. Or else they would have gotten in trouble.
Why did they have to be a total mess?
“Fuck.” Felix muttered.
“You are clumsier than me today. And that's saying something.”
“I woke up earlier than you, that messed up my brain.” Felix defended himself.
“Oh please don't remind me. I want to nap the whole day.”
Jisung proceeded to put small sequins on the palm of his hand, making a smiley face. He laughed looking at them, it could compete with Felix's designs.
After getting everything under control, Felix cleared his throat, “Did Hyunjin say something?”
“Only that he hasn't seen you today and that you were supposed to meet or something, I don't know, I was too distracted with the love of my life.”
Felix half-shrugged, worrying his bottom lip, “I've been busy.”
“We can eat together later.”
“Yeah.” Felix agreed.
Jisung stayed there for another hour, looking at Felix sketch on – or more like fight with – his notebook, until he remembered that he had to attend another lesson.
Goodbye break.
If he had accidentally stumbled upon Felix's shelf when he was getting up and made a third disaster on his way out of there, no one had to know.
~
Surprisingly, after the little scene he caused the day before, his mother didn't make another appearance to ruin the rest of his day. Although, Jisung knew it was coming sooner or later. She won't miss an opportunity to scold him and say what a bad prince he was for the kingdom.
Jisung didn't want to hear any of it, he already knew she would rather have any commoner as her son.
Truth be told, someone knocked on his door, just when he was peacefully lying on his bed while Felix was showing him a model of a new cloak he was making for him.
“Your Royal Highness, Her Majesty wants to see you for tea.” A maid announced through the door.
Jisung let out a grunt, turning around to lay face down in the pillow. What if he stayed there hugging the pillow instead?
Felix gave him a look, Jisung hadn't told him yet what happened during breakfast, “Is she mad at you?”
“When is she not?”
Jisung sighed. He had to continue whatever they were doing later.
After Felix did his best to make Jisung look presentable – lying on the bed had wrinkled his shirt and Felix refused to let him go in that state –, Jisung went to meet the Queen.
Wow. What an excitement.
Couldn't he just cuddle with Felix for the rest of the afternoon?
Jisung inhaled deeply, preparing himself for the usual discourse his mother was about to give him. He noticed that the brooch on his shirt looked like it was about to fall, so he fixed it before entering the room.
“My darling.”
Jisung took a seat in front of her, crossing his legs, “Hello mother.”
“You look wonderful today. Please, tell Felix that he's doing been doing phenomenal works with you.”
Jisung nodded, “I'll tell him.”
“Please, have a cup with me.” She gestured to the tray on the table.
Jisung did his best to remain calm and not make a disgusted face. His mother had an obsession with ginger tea that Jisung didn’t understand. Coffee was so much better. He deserved a prize for enduring drinking ginger tea on a daily basis even though he hated the taste of it.
“How the day has been going for you, my darling?”
“Everything’s good.”
“That is good to hear.”
His mother didn't say anything more. Her eyes looking at the liquid as she stirred it in silence.
It was deafening.
She looked too nice in his opinion. It was weird. Jisung knew better than this, something was off. His mother wouldn’t ask him to come just to sit with him for tea.
“Did something happen?” Jisung asked.
“Your birthday is next week,” She started before taking a sip, “I believe it is time for you to involve yourself more in your responsibilities.”
There it is. He knew it.
“It has come to my attention that you cannot continue excluding yourself from the kingdom's affairs. If you want to rule our precious land like your father once did, you cannot continue ignoring your royal duties.”
Jisung grabbed a vanilla cookie to stop himself from saying something inappropriate, “I'm not ignoring them.”
Well, he actually did. He wasn’t fooling anyone.
“You barely appear in public, my darling.”
“I do, when it’s needed.”
“In addition, I think that the public does not know you,” The Queen took a sip and waited a couple of seconds to continue, “For that reason, I believe that you should take part in the festival this year.”
“What?” Jisung said dumbfounded, almost choking on the vanilla cookie, “This must be some kind of joke, right?”
She looked at him directly in the eyes, “I am serious.”
Oh shit.
Despite knowing that changing the Queen’s opinion was almost impossible, Jisung made an attempt, “Wouldn’t be better to wait for next year? I mean, the festival is around the corner. Preparations for it must be almost done by now.”
“I think that this year is an appropriate time. You’re older now and you can show your skills.”
What skills?
Jisung most likely will embarrass himself in front of everyone. Scratch that. He will embarrass himself in front of everyone.
The festival.
He wasn’t expecting that.
His mother wanted him to participate in the annual festival. That was one of the, if not the most, important celebrations in the kingdom.
And he definitely wasn’t ready for it.
It was a major thing for them, Jisung couldn’t ruin it.
Each year, the kingdom hold the festival was for a week, around the time leaves changed their color. It consisted of people gathering together across the kingdom’s towns and roads to celebrate.
Fireworks. Food. Joy.
However, his mother wasn’t exactly referring to the part of big feasts and music. Jisung understood her point. She wanted him to participate on the day of the tournament, where people played different sports and games. Everything remained as a friendly competition to have fun, but still. He didn’t want to do that.
His father was known for taking off the crown during that day to play with their people. Jisung didn’t have the chance to witness his father during any of those events, but he had heard that it was quite funny and interesting to watch the King have fun with the citizens.
His mother must want to start some kind of tradition or whatever that she had in mind.
“I don’t think that it’s a good idea.” He said as firmly as he could.
His mother cut him off, “Additionally, I have invited our dear neighbors from the south to come here for the festival.”
“Wait- Are they coming? Like, the King, Queen and the whole combo? They never actually come here. They always send messengers or some kind of representative.”
He didn’t know what did his mother do to get them to come. Jisung didn’t remember ever meeting the rulers of the south. Yes, there wasn’t bad blood between them, but they had to admit that they were pretty reserved. Jisung remembered that he saw the last representative they sent a couple of months ago. That one was nice, at least.
He really didn’t know what to expect from them coming to the palace and staying there for the festival.
Lots of stress, probably.
“Exactly because of that. It would be a great opportunity to discuss some important matters. I heard that their heir is around your age and I expect him to come too. It’d be…” The Queen took a cookie to dunk it on her tea, “Intriguing, if you two could represent each kingdom. For public relations purposes, not an actual competition of course. I am sure you get my idea.”
Oh lord. That made it worse.
He never understood his mother. Did she have to be so urgent to make him participate in the festival? Why did she even invite the other kingdom? What did they even gain from that? Nothing, apart from problems for him. The whole deal was unnecessary.
“I understand.”
Jisung finished his not-so-loved ginger tea in one gulp, without pressing further the conversation even though he wanted to yell and oppose to that idea. There was a chance that his problems would disappear if he ignored them.
He hoped they did and he will cling to that belief.
He was doomed.
~
Alright, maybe he did yell. A little. In an empty hallway. When he was looking for either Felix or Hyunjin.
Jisung needed to talk to any of his friends – preferably both, for moral support and an energy boost – yet he couldn’t find either of them.
Damn, where did these two go when he needed them?
One of the many cons of living here was that looking for someone seemed like looking for a needle in a haystack. People could easily get lost there if they didn’t know their way through the palace. A wrong turning in a hallway could lead you to a completely different wing. Although Jisung knew every single corner in the palace, that didn’t make it any easier to look for two dumbasses in such a big place.
In a last hope, Jisung went to the royal gardens. Finding someone in the gardens was even more difficult than inside the palace’s walls. The gardens were far too big, with bushes and shrubs as tall as Jisung that blocked his view in some parts. He couldn’t even see properly.
It was impossible.
One day, he would make sure to ask the gardeners – or should he ask the designers? – for the plans so he could orient himself there.
He was about to give up when he caught a glance of what seemed like Felix and Hyunjin together. If the two figures lying down in the blanket were not they, Jisung would quit everything. The bare minimum he could do was recognize his friends.
Jisung came closer. Cute. They were even cuddling.
“My mom just dropped the biggest bomb on me.” He said as he approached them from behind.
Felix flew to the other corner of the blanket, raspberries following him. It looked like they having some kind of picnic. Rude. They didn’t invite him.
Right, because he was stuck with that damn ginger tea.
“For goodness gracious Jisung!” Felix shouted, caressing the spot he accidentally hit on his arm while he returned to his place by Hyunjin’s side.
“You may accidentally kill me if you continue scaring me that way.” Hyunjin protested, then he fixed the collar of his shirt.
“Maybe I want to accidentally do that,” Jisung joked and sat in the middle of them, squishing himself between them to make some space, “What you guys were doing? Did I interrupt something? I swear if you two were having fun without me.”
Even though the weather had been chiller lately, that day felt as hot as when it was at the peak of the summer. Hyunjin’s cheeks resembled the dianthus flowers in the garden. Deep red. Jisung understood, he would also be in that position if he was lying under the sun.
“No, you didn’t.” Felix offered Jisung a raspberry, “Do you want some?”
“Hell yes, I need to wash away the ginger taste,” Jisung started to munch the fruit, “Aren’t you gonna guess what my mother did now?”
“Let me guess. Did she force you to attend some state dinner tonight?” Hyunjin spoke again.
"Worst. Guess who is going to participate in the festival’s tournament,” Jisung brought a hand to his forehead, “I think this is the end of me.”
“ Oh. That does sound like a problem.” Hyunjin agreed.
“Thank you for understanding my pain.”
“I think you’ll be just fine.” Felix declared, “What did she tell you?”
Jisung cleared his throat, he was going to recount every single detail. Yes.
However at some point in the middle of his story, Hyunjin laid down again, somehow finding his way to rest his head on Felix's lap – and crushing Jisung with his legs – with Felix’s fingers going through his hair.
Jisung didn’t have a problem with that. Until he caught Hyunjin struggling to keep his eyes open and Felix too focused braiding Hyunjin’s hair.
Jisung smacked each of them in the arm, “Are any of you even listening to me? I might embarrass myself in front of the entire kingdom.”
Hyunjin opened his eyes. Good, “I’m listening.”
“Thank you for your attention.”
“I don’t see it as a big problem, like, I know that it can be quite of a challenge for you…” Felix finished a braid in Hyunjin’s hair, “But you can pull it through. You always do.”
“Lixie baby, he will fall on his ass in front of everyone.”
Sometimes, he hated his friends.
Jisung smacked their arms for a second time, “I can’t stand you both. I come here for support and this is how you treat me.”
Hyunjin laughed, “You know it’s the truth.”
“Don’t worry too much about it. We’ll come up with something.” Felix dropped a kiss to Jisung’s cheek.
Kidding, he wouldn’t be anywhere without them.
~
Jisung was on his way to the Queen's office. He hadn't talked to her since their last encounter two – or was it three? Whatever – days ago. Jisung was thankful for it, at least she didn't press the topic and Jisung could have time to process the whole thing.
During those days, he had come out with multiple scenarios in his head. Each one a different version of him explaining to his mother why she shouldn't pursue that idea of hers, uninvite the royals from the south and, most importantly, leave him alone.
He thought of every possible answer that his mother might reply with, to be ready with a clap back. He even was a second away to write down in a list every single con he could think of. Felix, being so patient and the light of his life, listened to him ranting nonstop, even when Jisung stopped making sense and started adding fantastic scenes to his script for extra fun.
Jisung will make sure that his mother listened to him. He wanted her to know that this wasn't a good plan. He refused to take part in that ordeal and he won't leave that office without the Queen agreeing with him.
He will win the argument.
A guard opened the door for him when he arrived. The trace of lavender and vanilla invaded his nostrils as soon as he set a foot inside. Floral and sweet, with a vague hint of remaining ginger.
That scent was forever engraved on his mind.
It smelled like his mother.
As expected, the Queen was behind her mahogany desk, eyes focused on a paper. Something caught Jisung's attention, though.
She wasn't alone.
Jisung noticed a man that he hadn't seen before standing beside her. It was normal for her to be surrounded by people. However, he wasn't one of her guards nor someone from the staff.
Weird.
Jisung cleared his throat, “Good afternoon.”
His mother lifted her gaze from what she was reading, “My darling, it is so good to see you here.”
“Mother.”
“Your Royal Highness.” The man bowed.
Jisung’s gaze went from his mother to her visit. She had one of her distinctive polite smiles displaying on her face, while the man remained quiet on her side, a serious expression on and eyes staring at the prince. Jisung tried to not look at him. He looked like someone who won’t tolerate other people’s bullshit and wasn’t afraid of throwing a punch at anyone. There was some coldness in his eyes that made the awkwardness in Jisung come to light.
Jisung was never good at meeting new people after all.
“I have some exciting news for you.” The Queen announced.
Okay.
Not exciting news it is. Jisung was sure it meant the complete opposite. Nothing good could come out of that sentence.
It made Jisung nervous. Just a little. After the craziness his mother pulled out the other day, he didn't know what to expect next. Jisung was wondering if this was his cue to run away from that room.
His fingers toyed with the brooch on his shirt as he took a better look at the unknown man. He wasn't old, at all, if so he looked like he was about Jisung's age.
For a brief second, Jisung panicked thinking that this was the prince his mother told him the other day.
Until he realized that he was wearing a royal uniform. Why didn't he notice that earlier? That wasn't something that should slip from his eyes. Dumb.
Although, the uniform wasn't like Felix’s or Hyunjin’s. Jisung noticed badges on it.
Oh.
That explains it.
He must be some kind of soldier.
What the hell?
Oh Lord what was his mother thinking now?
“Considering that you will be the face of the kingdom, not only in front of our people but in front of our neighbors, you will need to be a good example of your father’s legacy.”
His hands curled into fists, “But mom-”
“Not to mention, it is no lie that it has been noted that you may be…” She made a quick pause, “ Lacking, in certain areas required for the tournament. Given that you may not have the expertise to execute the role, I have decided that you may need some assistance to fully prepare for it.”
Okay.
He knew that he wasn’t the perfect prince his mother desired him to be. She didn’t need to repeat it for the millionth time. And not in the presence of whoever this stranger might be.
A part of him wanted to exit the room. The other part wanted to cry.
The Queen extended her hand in a delicate movement, pointing to the man beside her. Despite being as graceful as a swan, the look on her face said otherwise. Firm and stern.
Something told Jisung that it was a lost cause and he will have no saying.
He won't win the argument.
Without even starting it.
“Meet Sergeant Lee Minho.”