Park Jimin, a very talented and popular pharmacist woke up today to be the talk of the palace again. It has been a few days since that started, and the more he wants to convince himself it would pass, the more it proved to be a problem.

I do not need to be escorted anywhere I go, and I certainly do not need to be assisted during my meals... The idea of being courted by a Prince has made my daily activities unbearable. He thought as he slipped through a few doors to get away from the court ladies monitoring him.

I am not even truly being courted by the Crown Prince, he huffed.

Today was special, he needed to officially give his sister and her suitor his blessings for their engagement. He needed to attend her ceremony and say a few words in her honor, which won't happen if he's stuck inside the palace of course.

"I can't sneak out from the wall breach, it's the middle of the day I will certainly get caught" he muttered to himself as he looked at the guards patrolling in the distance.

He did have a plan as per usual, but this one didn't involve fooling the Prince for once, at least not the oldest.

"Young Prince Kyungsoo, such a pleasure to see you on this fine day" he greeted, acting like he bumped into him coincidentally.

"Sir Park! The pleasure is mine, I have not yet congratulated you" the boy smiled, settling his arms behind his own back and straightening his stance to assume all formality in the exchange.

"Much to my dismay, I don't believe I have done anything worth your praise my Prince" Jimin bashfully countered, not grasping what he was talking about at first.

"You've captured my brother's fancy, I am sure that says a lot about you" he replied, a fond smile adorning his expression. The pharmacist on the other hand only bowed, thanking him as he didn't want to ruin the fantasy.

Him and the Crown Prince decided not to speak against the whole courtship news, Jungkook claimed he needed to investigate why it was publicized in the first place and Jimin argued that it was to their advantage. They were spending a lot more time around each other and at least with this excuse, they didn't have to justify their privacy.

"I am glad you mentioned that, there's a favor I would love to ask of you but I am afraid I would impose" Jimin started, scrunching his nose.

"Oh please, I shall see what I can do" Kyungsoo shook his head, gesturing for Jimin to carry on and make his request first.

"Could you please convince the guards to let me out of the palace?" he tried, pursing his lips as he waited for a response, but the suspicious knot between the young Prince's eyebrows already showed it will be harder than that.

"I thought you were allowed out with my brother's authorization not mine..." he wondered out loud.

"Do you know why that is?" Jimin asked with a coy smile to create a slight challenge.

"He just said he wanted to keep you close as he courts you" Kyungsoo shrugged.

"Right, well, whenever I want to go out I have to tell him exactly why and where I will be, he's overprotective like that" the pharmacist chuckled.

"I can imagine" the teenager smiled fondly.

"But you see, that really doesn't work in my advantage when I want to do something for him in return" Jimin replied suggestively.

"As in... without his knowledge?"

"Exactly, I can't just tell him what I'm preparing don't you agree? It would beat the purpose" he added, hearing a hum of acknowledgement from the younger boy.

"Alright, I'll tell them he gave you his permission, follow me" Kyungsoo agreed, beaming at the thought of his brother receiving a surprise courting gift from his beloved. He hates surprises, but I have a feeling that since it's from sir Park he won't mind it as much, he thought.

This was easier than I suspected, I had so many lies lined up still, Jimin assessed as he watched the Prince's back, not that I'm complaining....

"Sir Park, do you wish to go somewhere?" one of the guards asked after bowing for the Prince and greeting him.

"Indeed" Jimin answered.

"We have not received word from the Crown Prince yet, if you could please wait for a moment" the man added.

"Actually, I am here on behalf of Crown Prince Jungkook. He was running late to a meeting with his majesty the King and requested of me to deliver the message in person." Prince Kyungsoo collectively responded, not showing any sign of doubt or wavering.

Impressive, Jimin praised silently. I had lies lined up for the guards too but it looks like I won't need them now.

"Very well, we will take Prince Kyungsoo's honorable word" he agreed.

Jimin was making his way through the quiet businesses and fancy houses, the only types of buildings you could find separating the palace and the downtown walking from the front gate. There lived some important officials such as counsellors or high placed committee members, the royal doctor Kim Namjoon and sir Lee's houses were not far from there either, it felt like he was the only one who chose to stay amongst the people.

"Brother! You could make it" his sister walked over to him and wrapped him in an embrace. "You're late but I'll forgive it because I haven't seen you very often lately, I missed this silver hair more than I thought I would" she smiled, nudging his shoulder.

"Park Jimin, my friend and soon to be brother in law. How are you?" Woobin joined shortly, excited to see the young man he spent his childhood with.

"I am rejoiced to be here, I didn't think it would take you so long to do the first step though" Jimin chuckled teasingly. Mina looked up at her suitor then away when she found him looking right back, she smiled bashfully before excusing herself.

"Alright boys, I'll leave you" she simply spoke and walked away to hide her rosy cheeks.

"Congratulations Woobin, I'm really happy for you" Jimin nodded to his friends and began walking to a less crowded area to talk.

"Thank you for coming, Mina told me about your busy schedule" Woobin replied, sitting outside in the back yard, where Woobin's parents grew a few lemon trees.

"It's been very hectic lately, but I wouldn't miss this... How is work at the store?" He asked to make conversation. At least he didn't have to dismiss other congratulatory words about his courting and whatnot, since Mina and every other palace worker weren't allowed to disclose personal information about the royals.

"We're working a lot, it's always a few months after the end of a battle that blacksmiths start resupplying the forces again, it's the busiest time for us... But at least that means as soon as we're done, we'll have a lot of free time" Woobin explained, earning a hum of acknowledgment.

"That makes sense, armory needs months of preparation too... be careful not to exert yourself too much, you will soon have a family to be there for" he reminded.

"Of course brother, it is a blessing I needn't go to war like the other men, so I will surely take advantage of that to care for my wife and future children. You take care of yourself too. I have heard of palace exit restrictions on your name, Mina said she was worried that you may miss home too much"

"Not to worry, these are but new record keeping procedures and the palace wants to monitor entries and exits... Not only mine" he lied, because he couldn't quite say Jungkook was afraid he'll divulge the secret of him being the most magical creature in the world.

"Right, be careful anyway, I would still like my children to have an uncle"

"Look at you already thinking of being a father"

"It is only nature, I want to be as good a father as mine was to me" Woobin nodded in confirmation.

"You will"

The ceremony continued and the joy spread deeper, but it was soon time for Jimin's to make his exit and head to his pharmacy. Jungkook's main concern and condition was for Jimin not to be outside the palace without someone to keep watch on him, somehow worried he will run away and plot against him. I'll prove him wrong, even if I don't have a guard I will go back to him just the same.

Jimin sighed at the smell of herbs and grains. It had been so long since he stepped into a place he used to spend his days in. In fact, he did want to prepare something for the Prince but it wasn't the main purpose of his outing.

Don't get him wrong, it wasn't courting gift, he just remembered how jealous Jungkook was of sir Lee---his wife rather---and thought he may like a fragrance of his own. However, there are a few scents he especially associates with Jungkook and couldn't find in the royal pharmacy's shed, probably because of lack of demand, so he had to come here for them.

He decided to make himself a quick something for lunch. He was quickly done cutting his vegetables and stirring his broth, his noodles mixing beautifully with the rest when he taste-tested his food and shut his eyelids, humming in delight. However, right when he opened them again his vision caught the flare of a yellow light from the corner of the window besides him.

He knit his eyebrows and put the spoon down before peeking from the glass, only met by the quiet night and dim streetlights but no signs of anything out of the norm. He thought about it for a second and shrugged.

Okay that's odd, Jimin thought when he saw that light for a second time, except now he was paying more attention and recognized it as a flame. He wiped his hands and turned the stove off, deciding to check it out.

"Is anybody there?" he asked, still inside the house. Receiving no answer, he turned the doorknob expecting to see a customer but finding nobody.

Did I imagine that? He bent forwards and looked around, then stepped out completely. What is this smell? He asked himself, his nose was very sharp and the whiff of charcoal he caught did certainly not belong to anything his.

⚠️TW⚠️

One second he was looking around and the next he was in someone's chokehold with a dagger to his neck. He tried to shout but the stranger had a hand against his mouth. The more he squirmed the deeper the blade cut his skin and he could already feel his own blood trickle down his neck and probably ruin the front of his Hanfu.

Panicking, he made a rough crystal dagger from his palm and stabbed the man's thigh, doing so repeatedly in case he missed. Good thing his back was turned or the aggressor would have known he was using his element.

"Who sent you?" he asked, pinning the man against the nearest stone wall and letting his adrenaline give him more strength than he knew he had. His ice blue eyes bored into the stranger's charcoal painted ones while he held the dagger closer to the man's neck, turning the tables around.

"Answer me!" He demanded, seeing the sweat visibly form on the man's neck and realizing he must be in pain. Jimin knows he couldn't win a physical contest again him, and the only reason this was happening is thanks to all the surprise attack training he did for fighting the Army General.

The man refused to speak, groaning in pain from Jimin's multiple stabs. The worst part was that Jimin's next scream was not a reaction for pain but rather shock. Watching as the masked man pushed himself onto his white dagger, slitting his own throat and splattering blood all over his face and silver hair, while more of it spilled over his shaky hand.

He stumbled back, letting go of the sharp object and witnessing the man collapse on the floor with a loud thump. "Oh god..." he breathed out, not able to think of anything other than the sticky liquid coating his hands. He wiped them vigorously into his clothes, not caring about the permanent stains on his silk and only wanting to get rid of the feeling.

✅TW✅

He felt sick, utter disgust bubbled in his guts while he stared at the dead body at his feet. His legs were frozen, the only thing shaking him out of his trance being the voices of some people laughing nearby.

What does a man do in this situation? Call the police? I should get rid of the crystal first, he thought as he turned it back into water, diluting the pool of blood where it spilled. He got up and forced his shaky legs to take him to the nearest watch tower where he found a policeman standing up top. He called for him, announcing murder with blood all over him, and waited for the man to hurry down.

"What happened?" he asked when they got back to the street around the corner of his house, the body still there indicating it wasn't a nightmare.

"I don't know... He appeared out of thin air and attacked me, attempted to kill me but I defended myself, so he used my own ice to kill himself after his failure" he explained as best as he could.

"Your ice did this?" he inquired, crouching closer to see the large wounds on the dead man's upper thigh and side. The policeman huffed, stepping back to a clearer space where he crushed a capsule in his hand and shot a red-colored fire towards the sky, alerting his other fellow policemen of his location and the nature of this event.

"Have you ever seen this man before sir Park?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed. Jimin wasn't surprised he knew his name because he was rather the talk of town occasionally.

"Never, I have no idea who would do this" Jimin replied. When a few other policemen arrived on site, the Liquis told them the story again in more detail, and explained that he had no clear idea of how or why this happened.

"Alright sir Park, we will need to involve the palace security in this since you have a title there, but worry not we will catch whoever did this to you then bring them to justice" one of the men reassured him, "You can go inside and get some rest now, we will be right here" he finished.

"I need to head back to the palace actually, after I have a change of wardrobe" he informed, looking down at his stained clothes.

"Someone escort sir Park to the royal palace!" the same man requested from one of his colleagues, clearly displaying a hierarchy.

"There's no need-"

"Someone tried to murder you, I think it is wise not to give them a second opportunity" he was immediately shut down.

"Right..." Jimin was still not wrapping his mind around this, it was all going too fast and he just wanted to rant about it to someone. Maybe then the reality check he needs will hit him.

---

That morning Jungkook woke up in a radiant mood, ready to start the day in the bright pre-school of the palace, watching Byunho's creative arts session as he promised one time. He has been seeing the child more frequently than never, of course the return of Queen Sunmi really made it difficult.

"Gukie look I made a fire!" he said as he raised the paper up to show a ball of orange paint.

"Charming! Now can you do water?" he excitedly replied, chuckling with Jin when the boy drew a squiggle of blue paint this time.

"It's really good that you're here Jungkook. Can I ask a favor of you?" the royal teacher said as he sat next to him on the floor.

"What is it?"

"My mother was feeling sick this morning and this is my only session for the day... Can I please leave early to watch over her?" he asked, knowing it might sound a bit bothersome to leave him here for another hour.

"Sure Jin, you can go take care of her" the Prince surprisingly replied.

"Really? Do you mean it?" he asked incredulous.

"Yes, I'll stay with Byunho" he nodded in confirmation, earning a grateful smile from the older.

When he left, Jungkook just watched the child draw and color a bunch of random shapes, giving them his own meaning and showing him as he progressively made more of a mess on the parchment paper.

"An elephant is not blue Byun" he chuckled, making him furrow his soft eyebrows and focus on the colors in front of him. It was adorable how his baby brother sat on the floor wearing his little apron not to ruin his clothes, choking those paintbrushes as if they were going to run away, while the tip of his tongue peeked out of his lips in concentration.

"Then it's brown" he affirmed, sure of himself.

"Very close, but not quite there yet" Jungkook shook his head, although he would've considered it correct if he wasn't trying to give him an education.

"What is it then Gukie? I don't know" he seemed to give up as he peered up at him with his glimmering eyes.

"It's grey" he smiled.

"Grey?"

"You take white, with a little bit of black, you get grey" he explained, demonstrated the mixture on an empty piece of paper.

"I don't like it, I like blue" he pouted, making him giggle at the cuteness.

"I like blue too" Jungkook softly replied.

"I finished all the drawings teacher Jin gave me, isn't that very good?" Byunho praised himself, well that runs in the family, he supposed.

"Do you want more?" he asked as he pushed the cup of tainted water further away when the child was about to knock it over.

"Yes..." he nodded, dragging out the word with a smile.

"I have a secret drawing that I may let you color" Jungkook suggested to get his attention.

"Secret?" Byunho gasped.

"Mhm" he nodded.

"Where is it?"

"It's hidden. You have to give me a hug if you want to color it" he demanded, raising his eyebrows and shrugging.

"I'll give you a hug Gukie" The boy giggled and stood up before taking a few steps and collapsing into Jungkook's spread arms, laughing into his shoulder while the Prince smoothed his hair fondly.

"Very well, you have earned your new drawing" Jungkook chuckled, softly pushing the boy away and sliding his thin hanfu off of his shoulders, revealing the yet empty symbol on his chest.

"Wow it's on you brother Jungkook!" the boy exclaimed.

"Do you want to color it for me?" he asked again, earning eager nods from his baby brother, and soon getting his tattoo covered with various colors. Byunho even drew orange balls---fire---all around it because it seemingly was his favorite thing to paint.

Alright I will need a good bath now, he though, looking at the boy's masterpiece, which increasingly felt very uncomfortable as it dried due to the high temperature of his skin. He exited the room before Queen Sunmi arrived and kept Byunho with a court lady so that she doesn't accuse Jin of leaving him unsupervised.

He saw and approached a few of the attendants by his quarters, informing them that he would like to take a bath so they make the necessary preparations, then continued on his way before meeting a guard.

"Crown Prince Jungkook, I hope your meeting with the King went well" the guard said, raising confusion in his head.

Meeting with the King?

"Right..." he simply replied, did he have a meeting with the King and forgot? If that's the case, he might as well not show his face to his father today, he doesn't want his mood to go sour.

Such a nice afternoon, Jungkook thought while looking around in his outdoor bath. It was sunny, the birds were chirping and the tree leaves were rustling from the slight breeze of the summer wind.

He was submerged into his bath down to his neck, the warmth appeasing his skin and the shade over his head keeping him cool enough. Looking at the water all around, he remembered his new training and thought about the progress he made so far.

He was yet practicing the first exercise Jimin gave him, feeling the flow while inside the water, it was going steadily well and he believes he might be able to do it properly in a few more weeks. Now however, he couldn't try any of that in fear that one of his personal attendants might be close.

"Crown Prince Jungkook, sir Park Jimin is here to see you" a voice announced by the door frame, making him sit straight up and knit his eyebrows.

Here?

"Here?" His words reflected his thoughts, why would Jimin be at the door of my bathing room? Knowing him he would think it's rather inappropriate... he wondered.

He got out of the water and raised his body temperature to dry fast, then slipped his loose pants and robe on, not to be indecent. Checking himself in the large mirror inside the indoor area, he nodded and turned to the door.

"Let him in" he called. His trained hands quickly pulling his hair up in a top knot and letting a few shorter wet strands fall down against his forehead. The entrance slid open and his pharmacist barged in, not sparing Jungkook a glance and walking further into the large room.

"Hel-" Jungkook raised an eyebrow curiously as his eyes followed the other's body. He stood still for a second, asking himself if his presence wasn't noticeable, though that was quite hard to believe since he was clad in bright white silk, as opposed to the mahogany wood all around. He sighed, deciding to follow him into the middle area, then stood a couple of strides behind.

"Sir Park, I didn't know you were so eager to see this place" he started with a pleasantry but the Liquis just remained in the same position, his side profile contrasting with the daylight while his eyes focused on the floor.

"I killed someone" Jimin blurted out in a quick breath. The words clearly not registering in the Prince's head since he only reacted by raising his eyebrows.

Jimin finally voiced it out the way he thought about it, it was undeniably his crystal dagger that gave the final blow and it was time to stop denying that he took a life no matter how accidental it was.

"Excuse me?" Jungkook scoffed, an air of amusement in his expression while the other turned his face to him.

"I just killed someone Jungkook" he repeated, this time terror present in his voice as he pleaded for him to take this seriously. The lightheartedness quickly left the room when Jungkook's expression flattened and he pushed his chin forward hesitantly.

"What do you mean Jimin what did you do" he asked, more demanding now that he saw no traces of lying on his face.

"It was so- It happened so fast and he- the blood" he stammered, unable to get one sentence out due to all his thoughts fighting for the spotlight.

"Hey calm down" Jungkook called, trying to give him a breather, he looked shaken by whatever happened and the Prince needed to know the whole story before saying anything. "Why don't you start from the beginning" he suggested, watching him take a deep breath.

"I was preparing food, right? And then I see something outside and feel the need to check it, then this man in all-black puts a dagger to my neck and I fight back, but then he was cornered so he pushed his neck onto my crystal and killed himself and I don't know what to do" he rushed, describing all the things he remembered as best as he could.

"What? Where was- where were the guards" Jungkook knit his eyebrows in confusion, an attack from an intruder? He's never heard that happen in his life of living in the palace.

"There's no guards Jungkook you don't understand. He was masked and his eyes painted in charcoal" Jimin shook his head desperately, not giving him the one piece of the puzzle he needed.

All-black, masked, charcoal, an assassin? Jungkook realized, the discussion taking an even graver turn.

"God... Are you okay?" He asked, only now noticing the otherwise obvious line of dried blood on Jimin's neck when he fully turned to face him. He hurried over and reached with his hand to softly move his face, exposing the cut to the light as he assessed its depth. "The man did this to you? Did you call the guards after this happened? Where did this happen exactly?" he bombarded with questions.

Did Sunmi hire an assassin to infiltrate the palace? How did they do it in the light of day? His mind worked around the information he had, trying to make sense out of it.

"Outside my home" Jimin finally admitted.

"This is insane, how could nobody see this from the guest house, it's so exposed" Jungkook huffed, brushing the loose strands away from his face only for them to flop back down.

"No... My home, downtown" Jimin explained, seeing his eyes narrowing gradually.

"This all happened today right?"

"Yes"

"You didn't go out today" Jungkook replied in denial, already having his answers and feeling his blood boil.

"It was my sister's engagement and I thought-"

"Jimin!" Jungkook interrupted, raising his arms in exasperation and looking at him with disappointed eyes, then huffing out a long breath. He paced around the room with a hand on his waist and the other rubbing his chin as he thought about this.

"How could I have known?" Jimin asked with just as much urgency, not liking to be rebuked in this context.

"No I was supposed to know that you even left the palace! I thought I made it clear that you needed my permission-"

"You weren't gonna let me" the pharmacist shook his head.

"And I would be right!" Jungkook replied, furious to be left in the dark about all this, and now Sunmi made her move when he couldn't even expect it.

"It was an important day for her, I had to be there!" Jimin snapped back, clenching his fists at his sides as he glared at the Pyre.

"Had you told me this I would at least assign you protection, a few guards to accompany you, you're not my prisoner" Jungkook shook his head, standing his ground and glaring right back.

"Don't you act like the guards are for my safety, you just want someone to monitor my actions" the Liquis huffed with a roll of his eyes.

"Jimin I don't care about some petty revenge plan you come up with! And regardless of why they would be there they'd be able to protect you from what just happened!" Jungkook defended, one hand pointing straight towards him who bit the inside of his cheek from stress.

"Did you... know this would happen?" he inquired, a betrayed expression wrapping his face as he watched Jungkook's lips open and close a couple times, "You knew!" he exclaimed in return, baffled with this revelation.

"And that is why you should've trusted me. Had you stopped and thought about it for a second, you'd realize there should be another reason for me to keep the restrictions after what we said to each other that night by the lake" Jungkook replied, convinced that none of the blame should be on him.

"Maybe you could've just told me? You could've just said to me that someone wanted to hurt me and I wouldn't have felt so guilty this whole time!" Jimin countered, his eyes becoming glossy at the thought of all the self-doubt he experienced.

"And then what? Have you watch your every step in this palace and wonder if the next person you interact with will harm you? Wonder if the next meal you eat will be your last? You tell me, huh?" Jungkook urged, hand gestures becoming convenient as he expressed his strong opinion.

"At least I wouldn't have ran off alone into town wanting to prove something to you!" Jimin responded.

"I just wanted to protect you!" Jungkook shook his head, "You were about to die and I couldn't have done anything about it Jimin. I'm angry because I could've lost you with no warning, and I care for you too much to let that happen!"

"Then why are you shouting at me?" Jimin did not want to show his emotions but the tear escaping from his waterline betrayed him in more ways than one. He was still glaring at the taller Prince and witnessed the expression on his face shift from assertive to a softer variance.

That sentence seemed to make him aware of how loud his tone had gotten, probably sounding as though he was blaming Jimin for this when he was only trying to explain that he was worried, scared even of what might've happened after he went behind his back.

"I told you I feel horrible for killing a man and all you did was scream at me" Jimin added, his knuckles had long turned white but the way Jungkook pulled him into this comforting embrace made him relax shortly. He curled his arms up against Jungkook's shoulder-blades and closed his eyes. Finally getting to release the pent up tension inside and cry it out for a bit.

"I'm sorry" the Pyre whispered, choosing the most gentle tone to address him not to aggress his feelings even more. He held him still for a moment, just letting him lean on until he felt better enough to talk again.

"I killed h-him Jungkook" Jimin repeated, a sob breaking his word and something in Jungkook's chest along the way. He seemed devastated, which is natural, but after all the death the Prince witnessed and inflicted, he couldn't relate to such a feeling anymore and was rather insensitive to the harsh reality of erasing an entire person.

Although, somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered if Jimin would've felt the same way had he succeeded to poison him that morning. He couldn't deny that he wanted that to be true, not knowing that his pharmacist would've actually felt much worse. This was a complete stranger yet he was breaking down so hard, he couldn't imagine having done this to someone he actually cared for, it would destroy him.

"It wasn't your fault... you said he used you to kill himself?" he asked, feeling a nod against his body.

"He... I was threatening him, then he leaned onto my dagger and made me slit h-" he couldn't finish that sentence, his voice just giving up on him as the feeling of a fresh round of tears overcame him.

"See? You didn't do it, he did it to himself. You don't have to feel bad at all" Jungkook reassured, he wouldn't have felt bad about actually slitting the man's throat since he was an assassin, so this is inconsequential to him. He doesn't really understand why Jimin was so sad but he guessed he could try and comfort him as best as possible, at least until he's not crying anymore.

"Do you think he was agonizing?" Jimin asked as he controlled his breathing.

"No, it sounds like he died a quick death" that was not true. If the man forced that outcome, it was probably not a clean move and he just wanted to hurt himself in a way where he'll bleed out, but Jimin didn't need to know that, it already affected him enough.

"I'm assuming it was your first... accident" Jungkook hesitantly said.

"You can say it Crown Prince, it was my first kill, I'm not like you" Jimin replied, taking a couple of seconds to realize he might have been offensive. He was right, the moment he said that, Jungkook's body stiffened as he pondered on what he meant by it.

"I never went to war, is what I tired to say" Jimin corrected himself.

"It matters not, the most important thing is that you're fine, and I can't tell you how relieved I am about that" Jungkook comforted with a hand on the silver head.

"How did the guards even let you out..." Jungkook wondered out loud.

"I asked Prince Kyungsoo to speak on your behalf" he admitted, making him roll his eyes. "So you don't know who did this?" Jimin asked, pulling away from the taller and looking up at him.

"I do. Queen Sunmi has threatened your life verbally a few times... She despises me, as you know already, and she believes killing you would break me" Jungkook informed. He didn't want to dwell on what could have been if Jimin couldn't defend himself, because he knew she wouldn't live to see the next day.

"I always thought she acted a bit off with me" Jimin sighed.

"She wants to either kill you or have you on her side"

"What do you mean her side, what side is that?"

"This is classified information that I cannot disclose, but it is one of the reasons she was trying to get you to work for her instead" Jungkook tried to explain without giving the whole truth about the Changs and it seemed to be enough.

"I'm just glad my sister wasn't home" he huffed a long breath, "What do I do now?" He inquired, hoping the Prince had an idea as he knew the whole story.

"The restrictions will get tighter as you may have assumed... You're only allowed outside with my permission in person, you'll be assigned at least two guards and you'll have a bodyguard with you in here 24/7. Your food and bath will be tested for poison beforehand and there will be watch outside your room at night" Jungkook listed as if he thought about this everyday, which he did.

"What? When I asked, I thought you'd want me to keep informing you of my whereabouts, not this" Jimin furrowed his eyebrows.

"Informing me is not enough, I need to know that you're safe before I even know where you are" Jungkook shook his head and crossed his arms against his chest.

"Don't you think this is a bit too much?" Jimin mirrored the stance, looking back at the taller.

"For you? Not at all. As long as Sunmi is in this palace with court ladies at the tip of her nails I can't trust anybody around you other than my men" Jungkook denied confidently.

"How do you know they won't betray you? In fact, one of those guards might have told her I was leaving and had someone follow me" the shorter asserted, convinced that no amount of security will protect him from something inevitable, so why try so hard?

"It wasn't a guard, I explicitly told them not to give away such information and I'm sure they didn't. I've only now made the connection between Sunmi wanting to hurt you and celebrating our courtship with everybody else. She wanted everyone to be interested in you, curious about what you do and where you go so that anybody can spread the word to her... someone must've seen you leave the gate" he concluded.

"This is too much" Jimin sighed in defeat, he missed the days where his only worry in life was picking fresh herbs for his medicine. His life took a major turn the moment he came to this palace, he was titled, had a Crown Prince fall for him and did the same, almost was executed, somehow became the Allura's guide---which in itself was a whole other world of possibilities--- and now somebody was out for his neck.

"I know..." Jungkook related, "I'm so sorry you were dragged into this sir Park, I never wanted this for you I promise" Jungkook pursed his lips apologetically.

"Can't you accuse her of something? She must've left some loose ends"

"It's tricky..." Jungkook replied. He couldn't do anything against her himself or she will out his secret to Jimin. "But I promise you I will make her pay"

Not long after, Jimin decided to leave, saying he will go to his room and spend the rest of the evening there. The Pyre obviously suggested to tag along but he wasn't dressed appropriately, so he asked him to follow him to his chambers where he changed into a simple Hanfu to be able to show himself outside.

They headed to the guest house, stopped to talk to a couple of his men that Jungkook immediately appointed as bodyguard and night-watch respectively. When they entered the place in question, Jungkook paused right outside the door of Jimin's room and asked the guard to step away for a moment.

"Do you... perhaps... want me to stay?" He suggested, cautious not to overstep boundaries.

"You mean stay the night?" Jimin asked, a smile slowly curving his lips.

"Yes"

"Inside my room?"

"Indeed"

"To do what exactly?" He raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Uh... Keep you company" Jungkook tried to casually respond, noticing the slight narrowing of Jimin's puffy eyes. He just knows everyone is going to be talking about a couple's quarrel the next morning, some may even say Jungkook tried to be violent, but oh well, people will never be tired of spreading rumors.

"Really?" The other asked, suspicious of an ulterior motive.

"Yes... You know, just make sure you're feeling okay" the Prince said, looking away, intimidated by the eye-contact.

"Not anything else related to what you said about being courted by you?" The pharmacist suggested.

"No, not at all. Unless...." Jungkook earned a slap on his arm and the shorter's giggles in response.

"Good thing you're not courting me" he teased, "Thank you for offering but I just need to be alone with my thoughts, to accept everything" he reassured, instead deciding to take matters slow. 

He slightly raised himself on his toes to kiss Jungkook's cheek and said, "Have a good night Crown Prince" with a smile, his hand on the bigger arm slightly squeezing.

"Good night sir Park" he smiled back, feeling as though this was a competition and wanting to show him affection as well. He reached with his hands and pulled him into his chest, taking a second before pressing a loving kiss on the top of his head.

Once they parted away, the Prince gestured for the guard to find his post and left the guest house, making it a point to go straight to his own chambers next, because if he meets any of the people involved with Jimin's assassination attempt, he will rain the fires of hell upon them.

---

I'm finally here with this new chapter! Happy New Year as well!

How do you guys find it?

-Aida-