Chapter Text
the bells started ringing, indicating breakfast will be served in a while. that's what the prince always hear moments before he awakes from his deep slumber. he rolled and turned from his position and laid down, face slumped into his ever so fluffy pillow. he was about to, yet again, head off to dreamland when he realized something. raising his head, he looked at his calender placed on his nightstand. he still had blurry vision due to his hours of sleep but nothing is as satisfying as the squint of his eyelids until his clear vision came. weird things to be fascinated about, especially while being a prince.
he leaned nearer to the nightstand to see but groaned when the streaks of 'x' ended on a tuesday. which means today is wednesday.
and wednesday means no bundles of flora for the prince.
"good morning, my prince." a maid in uniform walked in and gently placed the tray full of breakfast delights in the table he used to dine and left soon after.
eating with the family isn't a common thing for the royals. most of the time, the king is out for businesses or weekly hunt, the queen was busy taking care of responsibilities that needs to be tended and settled in the castle and the land while the king is away, the crown prince was too busy with his ridiculously posh classes on how to rule a land, as what the younger prince would call it, and his other older brother, the middle child, is always out in god knows where doing god knows what.
"they didn't even bother to wait for me to get up." he complained, pushing himself up from his bed.
"well you're not a kid anymore and she was no au pair, prince doyoung." his butler, leam, showed up before his door. he was the prince's butler eversince he was old enough to be away from his au pair and be granted of one. leam was also the most frequent person doyoung would see and interact with in the court other than his tutors and trainers. "why don't you prep yourself first, eat breakfast and go to the garden. the sword master is waiting for you." leam instructed, pushing the young prince towards the shower room.
"i thought i was playing the harp today?" doyoung asked, too confused of his schedules. his mother, the queen wanted her boys to play music whereas the king wanted them to be trained in combat.
"not today, sire. your brother, prince junkyu, was sent to france for a treaty and will go home in no longer than a month. your father wants someone he can play swords with." the butler explained.
doyoung clicked his tongue and pushed the door to the shower room open. "why play when we can fight and let's see if the king can chop my head off-"
"now, now, that's not very princely of you to say, young prince."
doyoung chuckled. "i see. then, talk to me when i'm prince enough, sir leam." he went inside the shower room, leaving the butler on his receiving area.
prince doyoung was the third born son in their family of five. the king, queen, his older brothers junkyu and jihoon, amd him, doyoung. that makes him pushed in the far back for a chance in the throne. not that he doesn't care, he just doesn't have any issue with his family. everyone's eyes and attention was divided fairly, more to the crown prince jihoon who was strong and courageous and evenly between the lean and brave prince junkyu and him, the wise and talented youngest prince. they were loved by the queen and the king took pride over his three boys. doyoung almost was satisfied with his life.
almost.
there is indeed one issue that doyoung wanted to tell everyone yet he cannot. it's the fact that this royal life was too boring for him. he was the rebel, his brothers could attest to that. the youngest was always sneaky, pulling tricks here and there, escaping classes, sneaking out of the castle to the town, finding out what is life out there with the common people. no one knew who he was, he was dressed not too obvious with a cloak wrapping around his head to his body. he was an expert at that.
one time, he brought his brother junkyu with him on a night's stroll and almost got caught as they returned home because the tall prince tripped on some outspreading root of the tree that grew just by the backside of the courtyard, they almost got caught by a knight in patrol. the older prince swore he won't ever do it again, it was almost a traumatic experience for him. this lead to doyoung teasing him of how he's not as brave as the people ought him to be..
"sir norfolk." doyoung greeted.
the sword master bowed in his appearance. "your highness. it's been a while."
after exchanging greetings, they both soon began the training. it wasn't that hard for doyoung, but this kind of things wasn't just his cup of tea. crown prince jihoon, on the other hand, was exceptionally good in sword fights. but was too busy to be the king's playmate, doyoung could only roll his eyes. so much for being the youngest.
"you've improved, prince doyoung." the sword master complimented him.
"you're a great instructor, my lord." the prince smiled, earning a chuckle from the elder.
the youngest prince was indeed the kindest out of all yet the most sly. sometimes people deceive him as the great tamer. with his welcoming facade and rebellious practices. but those names were just from the people whom heard stories from him yet haven't encountered the prince yet. the commoners tend to believe hearsays almost instantly.
the commoners, living day by day in struggles trying to satisfy the needs of their family, their self, and the orders and laws of the rich.
wednesday, it was not too busy in town. but it wouldn't be the same narrative for the florist, bang yedam. to him, every day is a busy day. taking care of his floras, sprinking water, fertilizers, making sure no pests lays a feather on his beloved.
young florist, bang yedam, owned a botanical garden near the entrance of the town, away from the palace court. nothing too extravagant going on in his garden, it was filled with floras, and a fountain at the middle. at the back of his garden caged his almost thirty pairs of love birds. it was vibrant yet cool, overall relaxing. yedam took good care of the surroundings, maintaining its cleanliness. and to maintain this, he lets no one in the garden. no one but himself. his father respected his choice, the garden was his aunt's who raised him then later died of raging fever. they could never afford good medication, although help was extended by the royal family which his aunt politely denied saying if it was her time, then nothing and no one shall interfere.
yedam, though, was thankful the royal family was kind enough to help the sister of the butcher who regularly supplies meat for the palace. as a token of gratitude, he hands his father, who delivers every thursday to the court, a neatly bundled floras. it was already one of his aunt's few gigs to occasionally do flower arrangements whenever there are events in the castle grounds, not only was yedam sending gratitude but also reliving the memories of his aunt through floras.
although it may seem that the florist was a warm hearted soul, he was rather strict and cold. he may have gotten his attitude from his life experiences for the past 20 years, having no mother in sight and a deceased aunt, he wasn't sure on how to express himself well.
yedam wrapped himself with his thick khaki coat and went out of his room. his father, who was busy making supper in the kitchen, noticed him pass by.
he turned around and called for his son. "where are you going, boy?" he asked.
"the town, i've forgotten it's ought to be thursday tomorrow." yedam answered, still tying the laces of his shoes.
"and i may have also forgotten to inform you that i wouldn't go up the court tomorrow." his father was now on his sight, still wearing an apron.
the boy looked at him, confused. "why not?" his actions slowed, eventually releasing his hold on the shoelaces.
"it's your aunt's second year, we will visit her in the cementary tomorrow." his father announced, yedam not missing the slight crack of his voice. he knew how his father adored his younger sister so much, she was wed once but her husband left her for his mistress. she was devastated yet still took in yedam and raised him with love despite everything she has been through. she didn't have the chance to have children of her own, so she treated her nephew as her own. afterall, yedam's father was too busy handling their only business.
yedam cleared his throat and one by one took off his shows and coat. "oh." he only could scratch the back of his nape. "i didn't mean to forget aunt's death anniversary." he mumbled to himself to which his father chuckled.
"it's not like your aunt even wants us to remember this day, yedam. but we have to celebrate her life, at least." he turned back and went towards the kitchen, his only son following behind.
"sit now, let's eat dinner." his father served a steak dish which was yedam's favorite. that was his advantage of having a butchery business owned by their family.
thursday morning, yedam woke up with his father knocking on the his bedroom door telling him to get ready.
he was used to waking up early because of their lifestyle. in order to live, they had to work day and night to survive. luckily, their business somehow made their income above average from what they were earning when he was younger, that was before providing for the palace. so, his father let him handle the garden. he sets up a tent during market days down by the town to sell his flowers, most of the days yedam is just tending the garden. he thought he deserved this somehow after working his ass off at a young age and dropping school. nonetheless, he was lucky to have a friend to send him the notes he took especially for yedam on his botany class.
speaking of that one friend,
"your father said wake up, you faggot!" he lounged onto yedam's bed, making the half awaken boy shot up in shock.
"what in the world?" he mumbled, brows furrowing.
"guess what, huh? i'm coming with you, father deary told me so. i was just gonna drop by but-"
"i get it, jaehyuk. you're coming, okay." yedam nodded his head, dismissing the boy. jaehyuk only grinned.
yoon jaehyuk. his "unexpected" friend. yedam wasn't really expecting to have one, not when he's socially distancing himself from other kids to focus on work. being sent to labor at a young age sure was tough and seemed odd, but it was normal in the town.
one day, yedam found himself downtown, where the town's well have been abandoned. its pavements have been dominated by outgrowing weeds and surroundings are just plants, nothing else. the young boy was tired from working with as a delivery guy for his father's butcher shop. it was fun, rather, you get to roam around but at the end of the day, yedam's feet will start to ache because of peddling the bike around town all day.
"got some coin with you?" younger jaehyuk suddenly came out of nowhere, scaring the lone yedam from his stance.
thinking he was some thief or something, yedam backed away and was about to ride away with his bike but jaehyuk beat him to it.
"calm down, will you? i just asked. it's for you to toss it in here, yeah? for a wish." he rolled his eyes at how panicked yedam was.
they never met each other prior to this. yedam doesn't know anyone his age, jaehyuk wasn't from the main town. but it worked, nonetheless. yedam hated to admit it first, but having a friend felt nice. every now and then yedam would visit downtown to see jaehyuk, they spent hours playing tag all by themselves. that was only until jaehyuk had to attend school, he moved in a small apartment in the main town. as they grew older, jaehyuk became louder too, much to yedam's dismay. although, he's thankful for jaehyuk, he just couldn't stand all the random noises his bestfriend makes.
back to the present day, yedam was done preparing for their agenda today. looking over to jaehyuk who was comfortable sprawled in yedam's bed, yedam can only shake his head.
"yedam, by the way, how's the notes?" jaehyuk asked. the aforementioned raised the notebook that was placed on his side table. "very helpful, thanks." yedam answered.
"hmm. say, why don't you attend school? you have all the means now. your father is earning enough, you too with your small flower business. don't you want to?" his bestfriend was now seated at the very edge of his bed, waiting for his reply.
yedam looked at him, suspicious. "let me guess, you just want a companion for your misery?" still maintaining his questioning gaze.
"well- no.. i mean- i don't see it as my misery!" jaehyuk defended. "lies." yedam threw a pillow towards him which jaehyuk caught. "come on, school is fun? and please! i don't need a companion, i already have one so with or without you in that hell hole is fine." he huffed.
"get out of this house then, you're gonna be fine with or without me." yedam challenged, a slight teasing tone laced his voice.
"asahi is not a friend though.." jaehyuk mumbled and yedam heard it loud and clear.
yedam laughed loudly, picking up another pillow to throw it towards the boy infront of him. "you're lovesick, it's disgusting." he continued to laugh and jaehyuk took this opportunity to hit his friend with a pillow right on his head. "stop laughing! there will come a time you'll go through this." he said.
"yeah? i don't think so." yedam boldly answered.
jaehyuk raised his brows. "oh, i know so." it was his turn to grin, "wanna bet?"
"on what?" yedam asked, now seated in a monoblock that was randomly stored in his room.
"if you fall inlove with someone," jaehyuk smirked, "i'm going inside your garden."
"no! i'm not agreeing. this is nonsense." yedam immediately said, dismissing everything and was about to leave the room.
"what? come on, i haven't been there." jaehyuk complained. for years, he tried to convince his bestfriend to let him in but he always got rejected. he even promised not to touch anything, but yedam was too firm on his words. "but hey! i said when you fall inlove, so are you...?" he once again cornered the florist with his question.
"a bloody NO." yedam once again answered. jaehyuk was looking at him with his pup-like teasing smile, which made him judge his best friend there and then. "fine, i'll go with the bet. you'll never step foot there anyways." he answered quite confidently.
"hmm, we'll see, we'll see." jaehyuk sing-songed and slid his way out of yedam's room.
"that punk." yedam muttered under his breath, following his best friend towards the living room.
the florist was not looking nor meeting anyone anyways, so yedam thought it was impossible of him to fall inlove. it was his least priority also, setting the situation far from reality.
yedam and love? it does not go in one sentence.
does it?
back in the royal court, doyoung yet again woke up with the sound of bells ringing. the prince was delighted, unlike yesterday. it was his favorite day of the week, thursday, and it was because of an obvious reason.
"good morning, prince." the maid bowed and delivered his breakfast for him. they weren't shocked to see him all prepped early in the morning, they were accustomed to see him like that every thursday. everyone in the court knows thursday is the youngest prince's favorite day.
they placed trays of food for the prince to feast on, although it was light as he was not a heavy eater. they bowed once again before turning their backs which made doyoung confused.
he stood up and went over his table to see no sight of floras, his brows furrowed. 'usually, it comes with breakfast.' he thought.
"uh, madame," he called onto the older maid. they immediately looked back, "yes, sire?" she replied.
"where are the flowers?" he asked, eyes still roaming around the room.
"unfortunately, there are no flowers for your highness today." she answered, bowing her head.
"and why?" he genuinely asked again.
"we don't know much, prince doyoung. we're deeply sorry for disappointing your highness." the maid answered which made doyoung shook his head.
"oh no, it's fine. i was just... curious." he assured, giving them a warm smile and a slight bow before dismissing them.
they thanked the young prince and left the room. leam, who went in after the maids, smiled at the boy's behavior.
"are you bothered, prince doyoung?" he asked which shocked the young prince.
"leam! i didn't see you there." he exclaimed.
but the butler only repeated his question. "are you bothered with the flowers?"
doyoung looked at him and sighed. "it's just that it was sent every thursday since two years ago, was last thursday the last one? i don't want it to end." he whispered the last part.
"no one knows, your grace." leam answered in all honesty.
the prince sat in out of his chairs at the center table and drank his tea, he ushered leam to do the same. "where did those flowers come from, leam? tell me." he asked the butler.
"i cannot tell."
"you cannot tell because you were told not to or you cannot tell because you just don't know where it came from?"
"i cannot tell because i don't know."
leam's answer made the younger gasp in disbelief, too dramatically.
"for the first time since... lord know's when, you don't know something, leam? in no way this is true, i cannot believe this!" the prince gushed. ever since leam became his butler, the elder always gave answers to all his questions.
"believe it or not." leam chuckled at the prince. "finish your breakfast you have classses in 10."
unfortunately, that wasn't enough to stop doyoung from trying to get an answer. "you sure you don't know? how about the maids?" he asked again, eyes narrowing towards leam's, making sure the butler won't lie.
"i am, without a doubt, clueless." the butler answered, composture still not wavering. half convinced, doyoung leaned back on his seat and took a big bite of his bonbons.
he was partly annoyed. ofcourse, he wanted to know who was behind the flowers and why were they kind enough to send bouquets of pretty floras to him. if it was from his fellowmen, doyoung was sure it would have a name on it. i mean, who wouldn't want to impress the prince? but it was sent out anonymously and it has been going on for two years, then suddenly it's gone today.
on his way out of the palace to the library located at the west wing tower where his private tutor is waiting, the prince was greeted here and there by the people working around, casually bumping into one of his mother's lady-in-waiting but never his mother. the prince was accustomed to rarely seeing his family, which was quite weird but it has become normal to them. they were busy persons, the king and queen. and his brothers, well, he hasn't seen nor talked to them for weeks but doyoung can manage just by himself pretty well. crown prince jihoon and prince junkyu always had something to do with their kingdom, doyoung still needs to 'learn' as said by the king.
doyoung felt no envy, yet he felt sorry for his brothers. having lesser task at hand seemed unfair, but it is of royal decree. there's nothing they could do about it.
it was a pretty long walk considering the court is as big as a village and doyoung as the sly fox he is, decided to detour and take a farther route. science and maths is his least favorite class, so he does his best to delay it. just as he passed the back entrance of the kitchen where all the workers are busy already preparing for lunch, he stopped when he heard voices coming towards his way. he was not allowed to go to this part, it wasn't somewhere a prince should be so he hid beneathe the thick trunk of an old tree.
"mister bang won't be able to deliver today, we're short on meat." a man complained.
"i think the young prince was more disappointed of the fact that there were no flowers today." a lady voiced out, which caught doyoung's attention. he leaned forward to hear their conversation clearly.
"i should've told you sooner, he informed me last week. but the meat!" the man groaned.
'i don't care about meat.' doyoung thought. he missed the name and he wanted to hear it again, maybe he would finally know where the flowers came from.
"you can find a new supplier just for today, there are plenty of butcher shops in town. but just for today, alright? the prince's favorite gift is from mister bang's son, i'm afraid it would be hard for us to request that from him as we are neither king nor queen." the lady said. soon after, doyoung couldn't hear any more of the conversation so he peaked to see no one. 'they must've left.' he thought.
"mister bang's son?" he whispered. he didn't know who that certain mister bang was but he was sure it was the butcher shop owner as said by the lady. and why would a butcher shop owner's son give out such beautiful flowers?
doyoung kept on thinking of any possibilities when he suddenly remembered his class. he cursed as he sprinted his way to the tower, avoiding anyone as he can.
he was sweaty and panting when he arrived, his hair a mess and the nicely ironed clothes he wore now all wrinkled. the prince composed himself, fixing his hair and wiping out beads of sweat in his forehead before entering the library.
he smiled and greeted his tutor but the latter only gave him a strict look.
"you're late." he said.
the prince grinned in response. "i know."
doyoung had dinner alone in the dining hall, there were servants around him but none of them were allowed to join him. turns out all his family were out for different matters and he didn't know. as soon as he came back to his room, he told the guards they could have some rest too but the guards insisted that it was their job to secure the prince's safety at all times. the prince could only sigh in defeat, leaving them guarding his bedroom door.
what they didn't know was that they won't be guarding anyone in particular tonight as the prince thought of another brilliant idea. he missed going out to the town and so, that's what he's doing now.
changing into some normal townfolk's clothing that he managed to buy during his last escape, his big cloak to cover his frame and a pocket of money, he was good to go.
doyoung took a deep breath before climbing over his balcony's fence onto the next room his brother, junkyu, owned. it was pretty high up but the wall had a outwarding border which was flat, enough for him to carefully walk over. doyoung had done this countless of times, he knew every step by heart.
the moment he got a hold of the fence, he finally let out a breath of relief. doyoung jumped over the fence and rested for a bit. he used much power in his upper extremities that he need to rest before climbing down again. the reason why he needs to go over his brother's balcony is that the wall beside it is much more textured and easier to climb down with using the rope that he kept just at the corner of the balcony. so he did, doyoung flawlessly landed on the ground, tying the rope securely on the side for his own use later on.
the prince checked the surroundings for any of the king's guard, luckily the patrol was finished. he sneaks onto the back of the court, the very spot where he heard a man and a lady converse about a certain 'mister bang', he ran towards the tree. there is a gate located by that area, this gate is where servants go in and out and where the deliveries are directed. servants sometimes go home not later than midnight so it was still unlocked until this very hour, 8 pm in the evening.
with his casual clothes and dark cloak, no one would notice the youngest prince sneaking out. he walked casually towards the gate, looking straight. the guards were tired enough to check who he was and just opened the gates for him. doyoung thought if he could pass everytime, then they're not fit as guards as they don't do their job well but he is thankful for their negligence because he could continue his antics. some other time though, when jihoon is king maybe he could consider. for now, he will let them be. climbing over the court's wall is such a hassle, he swore he would never do it again after the time he brought junkyu with him. that prince was too much of a good boy he can't do cool things, as what doyoung told him. junkyu counterbutted by telling him going against the words of the king is not a cool thing. well, doyoung could only laugh at his older brother.
walking towards the town was not that far, but finding where this mister bang is hard. there's so much going on at night, doyoung has seen most of it. almost as if doyoung's the eye of the castle whenever he's in town. luckily for him, no one recognizes him yet. doyoung entered the main town, people are still alive because of their small parties drinking beer and whatsoever, some stores cleaning up for their closing, and random people getting a breath of fresh air like him.
"mister bang." he repeated, looking over each of the shop's signage, he's looked at so many yet he still found none with the name.
just as he was about to turn to another block, someone stopped his tracks. "what are you looking for, boy?" an old lady asked him. the prince slightly backed away and covered his face, not too obvious.
"i am looking for a mister bang? who owns a butcher shop." he said what he could remember.
"they're closed now, deary. it's late." the lady answered him. the prince only nodded and was about to walk away when she stopped him. "if it's an emergency his son's garden is towards the end of the town, over there." she pointed east. "that's the only garden by that area. if you're lucky enough, you'll see him there. he stays there quite late." the prince quickly said his thanks and walked away only to be called again by the lady. "i ask forgiveness, son. but do you have anything to spare for this lady? i haven't eaten anything since morning, i am famished. even just a penny, i'd take." she begged. doyoung softened at the sight. 'what can you buy with just a penny', he thought.
"one second," he said, he dipped his hands onto the small packet he used to store his money and grabbed a piece handing it over to the lady.
the old lady looked at him in shock, but doyoung remained calm. "this is.. are you sure about this, boy? isn't this all your money?" she asked.
"i doubt you could buy anything with a penny, madame. keep the money and don't tell anyone." she kept on thanking the young prince, which she wasn't aware of, but he ushered the lady to keep quiet, anyone might hear them and they might get into trouble.
"a hundred bucks. you'll be showered with good luck in your life." she told him and he nodded. "thank you." doyoung said and immediately parted ways heading to where the lady told him to go.
a penny. at a time like this, not even a piece of bread can be bought with a penny. life outside the court is indeed poor, doyoung was aware of this. but he only encountered beggars just this once.
although, she wasn't too old to get a job. doyoung thought was it just right to give people what they want without having to work all day like any other? was it right to give just because someone asked? isn't it unfair? but he was privileged and a hundred bucks is just a small amount for him yet people in poverty consider this as a million, it wouldn't hurt him at all. but is it right to tolerate these people? chances are, they'll rely to asking others for money and not think of any ways to earn the hard way because they want to have it easier.
before he gets lost in town because of his mental discussion with two arguments, he knocked into his senses and followed the path leading to the end of the town. walking directly, he noticed the surroundings to have lesser establishments.
the prince walked faster, not wanting to stay late or else he'll have to climb over the walls. he wants to know where the flowers came from and why. much to his luck, doyoung saw a botanical garden, kind of like a greenhouse, he wasn't sure. but he was told that was the only garden around this area so that must be it. rushing towards its entrance, he looked over to see that there was no light inside. he cannot see well because it's dark.
he held onto its steel gate, sighing. "guess no one's around." he whispered in disappointment. he lingered around for a moment when his eyes darted on the handle, there were no locks. doyoung's eyes furrowed, carefully pulling it upwards and sliding it to the left.
it's now open.
curious, the prince slowly pulled the gate open. he sure knew it was a bad thing to enter without permission, but the gate was unlocked. maybe, it was for everyone to visit, so this means he was free to do so.
doyoung let himself in the garden, but first he needed light. he looked around the entrance to see the main switch, luckily there was. he pushed it up and flicked the light switch on.
the lights went on and the prince was in awe. his eyes twinkled along with the fairy lights that was designed around the base of the fountain.
it was a circular garden that elongated at the back. floras were neatly organized, there were ones planted along the sides following the shape of the garden, some boxes on the hallow sides, and more plantations at the back.
it was a beautiful garden for doyoung. sure theirs was massive, but it was never indoors like this. this garden to him looks like a room for magical creatures who depended on nature, and he thinks its too childish so he shrugged it off.
heading nearing to the fountain, he saw it was empty and dry. nonetheless, still a very beautiful piece to put in the middle of all these colorful flowers. there were birds chirping and the prince's ears perked. he was getting excited to see what's on the back part of this garden, maybe there was more to this garden than he could imagine.
"yedam, it's late. where are you going?" his dad asked him as he saw his always already by the door, ready to go out.
"i forgot to lock the garden, i need to hurry. i'll come back soon." yedam said all at once before hurrying to go out of the house and ran to his garden.
see, yedam was in a hurry earlier today because jaehyuk wanted to visit his village outside town with his bestfriend. yedam couldn't say no because it has been months since he last went to the fountain where he and jaehyuk met. it was kind of therapeutic for him to go back.
yesterday for him was quite heavy. his father was weeping for his sister, jaehyuk even had to leave them alone as respect for the mourning family. yedam couldn't help but feel sad too, but he figured there's nothing else they could do to bring back his aunt. that's life afterall, everyone was bound to be buried six feet under.
the way to garden wasn't that long considering they live near it. but what confused yedam was the opened gate. he began to feel heavy. someone might've entered already, and that can't be.
yedam took cautious steps, it might be a dangerous man inside, armed theft, or what. he peaked at the entrance to see nothing, everything was still in place except the lights were on. he went in slowly, eyeing the surroundings. he haven't seen anyone yet but he's sure someone entered this garden. the florist went in deeper, walking directly to the extension of his garden.
there he was, a cloak-wrapped man standing just before his caged love birds. he wasn't doing anything, he was just there. standing. and that bothered yedam.
without any thinking, yedam stepped forward. "what are you doing here?" he asked, firm and loud.
authority was booming in his voice, the prince stood there in shock. he didn't move an inch, he couldn't even think of a response.
"i said, what are you doing here? you're not supposed to be here." yedam asked again, now stepping closer to the man. he grabbed a small hoe he saw beside him. "drop any weapon you're holding and turn around." he added.
doyoung, now in his senses, raised both his hands, making his cloak drop to the ground. he sighed in defeat before slowly turning around.
the moment their eyes met, doyoung was more shocked of the fact that this man was already in a stance, ready to hit him with a hoe, yedam sure didn't back up.
"who are you and why are you here?" the florist raised his brow. the man before him didn't look like a local. he had nicely styled hair, clear and fair skin, his eyes were of a doe, long lashes, button nose, drunk blushed cheeks, his heart shaped lips- yedam tightly closed his eyes for a moment and got back to his senses.
"by the way you're checking me out, you must've already figured it out." the prince chuckled, his cocky side is showing and that irritated the florist.
"not at all." he answered which left the prince in shock. "i'll spare you just this once, get out of my garden." but the prince didn't move a muscle, which made yedam let out a deep breath. "now!" he raised his voice.
the prince was shocked, it was the first time someone raised his voice on him other than the king. it was certain didn't he didn't know who the prince was.
"i'm looking for a mister bang," doyoung sighed. "the son, rather." his voice was soft, and almost inaudible. yedam's authoritative bearing surely humbled him.
"what do you need?" the florist asked again.
"am i speaking to one?" the prince carefully asked to which yedam nodded. "so, it's you." doyoung whispered.
finally, he met the sender of his favorite floras every fourth day of the week for two years. the prince have been meaning to do so since then. now, meeting him is quite... interesting. informal and almost brutal.
"if i were you, i'd put down that hoe." the prince implied, now regaining his composure.
"if i were you, i'd get out of this garden." yedam immediately fired back.
the prince smirked. "thank you for sending those bouquets." he said, stepping forward and eyed him cheekily. "every thursday." he saw how the florist loosened his grip on the material he’s holding, yet kept his suspicious gaze.
“look, whoever you are, a worker maybe? but those flowers aren’t for you.” yedam sighed, he was tired. today has been long for him and dealing with an intruder was the last on his to-do list, more so ‘not’ on his list.
however, doyoung didn’t back up. “yeah? who is it for?” he raised a brow which caused yedam to release another deep sigh.
“none of your business. now go!” his tone raised but it didn’t bother the prince, he only smirked.
“oh, it is indeed my business, kind sir. i am from the court.” sarcasm laced in his voice as he mentioned ‘kind sir’. the man before him didn’t know who he was and he bets his whole life things would go 360 if he knew he was the prince. “do you perhaps fancy anyone in court?” doyoung teased, quite cocky.
“i don’t know anyone from court.” yedam shut him down and grabbed the boy’s hands, dragging him towards the gate. “you’re going out and don’t you ever dare come back.” doyoung wiggled his arms away from the florists grip, he was slightly appalled by the action.
“fine, i’ll go out. but-” yedam stared at him and raised a brow. that exact action made the prince stepped into a trance. the florist looked too attractive with just that, doyoung couldn’t believe out of all the things he witnessed tonight, he would be swayed by just one raise of a brow and his heavy stare. “but what?” yedam broke his trance, doyoung could only smile. “let me pick up a flower.” without any doubts, yedam shook his head and attempted to push the prince out but the latter was too firm on his stand. afterall he is a prince and princes gets whatever they want.
“just one.” doyoung pleaded.
yedam badly wanted to get over this fast and go home, so he agreed. doyoung hurriedly skimmed through the garden to find the flower he thought of at the moment. Once he found it, he carefully plucked one. the florist almost protested at the way he plucked his floras, it was monstrous on his part, he only took a deep breath. it was too bothersome to argue with the boy infront of him. doyoung cheered and went back to where the florist was standing.
“don’t even dare coming back.” the florist repeated and pushed the boy out of his garden but before he could close the gate, doyoung stopped it with his hand. “oh, i might.” the prince smirked, he gained fondness over the florist’s annoyed expression.
yedam ignored him and was about to walk inside his garden when doyoung once again stopped him. “this is for you.” he extended his arms towards the florist, almost shoving the flower he picked minutes ago to yedam’s face. the latter backed away, brows furrowed and judged the boy. why would the boy pick a flower on his own garden only to give it to him? what was the point?
the prince chuckled and leaned nearer to stick the stem to the florist’s pocket in his pants.
“see you again, mister bang.” doyoung placed his right hand over his stomach and bowed. once he got up, he smiled and ran back to the town.
yedam was left questioning what has happened. he looked down to see a lavender rose on his pocket. he picked it up and examined it. the boy bowed in such elegance which reminded him of the flower.
lavender roses indicated elegance, royalty…
love at first sight.