jimin's pov

"what are you doing here?" i ask, stepping out of the small space between the bushes and dust off my clothes that have gotten some leaves and twigs stuck on them. it's a funny path to make at midnight when all the light source we have is from the lampposts lining the garden.

taehyung's sitting on the grassy ground, staring up at me with his brows scrunched in confusion. i get that. i'm usually not strolling down the gardens, especially not sneaking around at night. i smile a little, hoping it comes off genuine and not as surprised as i am to find him here. i have known for a long time now that taehyung often leaves his room, the castle, to come out and have a moment alone in an open area, which generally is the garden that leads towards the coast.

"i come here often." taehyung answers, leaning back against the trunk of the tree behind him, staring up at the sky. "what berings you here tonight?"

"couldn't sleep." i sigh, "can i sit?"

"if i said no, would you leave?" he looks up with an amused grin.

"depends." i shrug, sitting down anyway, earning a chuckle from taehyung. "so, what's up?" he scoffs lightly, plucking out roots of grasses one by one beside him, eyes pinned up on the night sky. he looks tired of more things than i care to count.

when he doesn't answer, i glance up at the sky too, sighing softly, "where were you?"

"practicing." he lies.

"you weren't. you weren't anywhere in the palace."

he looks at me, eyes burning into mine, "i was in the palace. practicing, jim."

"why do you have to lie to me, tae?"

taehyung sighs then, glancing down as he unties the string on top of his shirt, opening it to have his chest exposed. with a frown i stare at him, as he reaches to the secret pocket that all of his clothes have, to always carry weapon in reach. right now the pocket reveals not a weapon, but a small container of alcohol. he takes a sip then cocks his arm towards me, offering me one.

"that does not answer my question." i say, accepting the drink and take a sip to have it burning down my throat. i have grown to know that taehyung likes hard drinks with ample concentration of alcohol, over wine or other diluted drinks. however, this one is just stronger than what he usually has. it is not from the palace.

"i went to the city." he replies, glancing at me. "do you know everything that father taught me, jimin? everything that he... made me do?"

father has never really been kind to taehyung. from making him stand with weight hanging from his shoulders under the burning sun, to abandoning him in the forest with an expectation that he would make it out alive, to giving him several wounds so he could get used to and experience all sort of pain in the worst way and know to heal himself. sending him on missions that include killing people, torturing those who have been prisoned and excellence he has acquired in the battlefield are all father's gifts to him.

but he never went against him, for father always made sure taehyung remembered his position in the court, his significance that is only of use to serve the kingdom, the king, which will be me. taehyung was made to serve the king, to be the right hand, to enforce the king's rules and regulations among the common people. he was raised to be the royal martinet for schionberg. the strongest one in the history.

"were you on another one of father's missions?"

he only gives a tight smile, drinking some, before nodding his head. "yes. but that's not all."

"what's more?"

"i'm not sure if you'd fancy hearing everything in detail, your highness."

he never calls me that, unless he's disturbed with something, angry on the king— our father, who made him address us like that. i remember thirteen-year-old taehyung calling the king 'father' like i did, and was scolded for it. we couldn't understand it back then, but eventually taehyung came to learn that he was supposed to have all the formality when he talked to the king as if he wasn't speaking to his father but his lord. the king. when father officially announced me the heir of schionberg's throne, he also told taehyung to address me with the formalities of a future king, not like a brother.

"tae," i say softly, patting his back, "what's wrong?"

"what's wrong..." he mumbles, repeating it to himself and that's when i realise that maybe he's under the influence. and that is probably why i found him sitting here all alone. "what's wrong you ask... where do i start?"

"wherever you want. you know i'd listen to you." i pat his back, "you're not just your job, tae. you're my brother and no matter what father tells you, i need you to trust me when i say that you mean the world to me. for you i could give up all this. i don't want to be the king if my brother's not happy with it."

"no." he frowns at me. "no, no. jimin, you have to be the king. you're the one who is the heir, who has the power and capability to change the system, to change what his grace has incorporated... don't you think he's... i'm sorry. i'm not drunk, believe me."

"i believe you." i stare at him with soft eyes, "do you wanna go back now?"

"no..." he shakes his head, shifting in his place and lays down there on the cold grass, heaving out a deep breath which ends up being a breathy chuckle from him. "i went to pleasure house, jimin."

i haven't really heard of them from anyone but some  imperials and a few times from taehyung. i could use a trip around the urbans and rurals, the country to explore my land, although that might not make father so proud. according to him, the future king must not leave the palace for unimportant things like strolling around the capital or interacting with the people. the miseries outside the palace are not for the royalties per se.

"a pleasure house?" taehyung probably catches the curiousity in my tone, for he spares me a glance, nodding slowly, almost ready to explain.

"please excuse me for the launguage i'm going to use, your highness." he mocks the way father expects him to speak. i know he's not disrespecting me this way. he would never do that.

"go on. enlighten me, prince." i play along, laying beside him on the grass.

"pleasure houses are places for the city people to engage in activities like... alcoholism, gambling and sex. since all three give humans pleasure, the places are named pleasure houses. you enter, and it's an entirely different world." he chuckles amusedly. "i was fifteen when i first visited."

"what?" i frown, turning my head to him. "at fifteen? and you never told me."

"his grace told me i must not speak of it."

"wait, he took you there?" i sit up, suddenly surrounded by a lot of questions. why would a father take his fifteen-year-old son to a place like that? heck, why would a father take his son to a place like that at all?

"he sent me with the commander." taehyung sips his drink again, staring up at the sky. "it was sort of... strange for me there. surrounded by drunk people fucking on the chairs, on the floor, against the wall, over tables and counters. there were seperate chambers as we went further in. naked people, moaning, cursing, women being passed around like dolls, men laughing and... it was simply a mess there."

lord, have mercy.

"why did father sent you there?"

"so that i learn that fucking is only a way to have pleasure. transient pleasure. i'm not supposed to get attached to a woman just by sleeping with her one night. that would weaken me, and he couldn't let that happen. from then, i was sent off to the pleasure houses once in a while, pick whichever girl i liked and have her for the rest of the night." he says and then turns to face me with a drunk smile, representing his agony that he hides behind his tough features and a mask sculpted by the king.

"do you know the funniest thing, jim?" i just stare. blankly. devoid of words. but taehyung takes that as his queue to continue talking. "the pleasure house owners used to be happy whenever i stopped by and had their girls prepared to serve me. to serve the prince. i could point at a girl and she'd be kneeling in front of me like a fucking slave. i knew they were taught to be that way with me. to please me. but one time i just felt like these things were killing me... because that night, the owner of that place had brought a new girl and offered her to me, saying that she was a maiden it would an honour if i could bed her first."

"she was thirteen, jimin..."

something feels stuck in my throat as i stare at taehyung, still looking like it only ever slightly bothers him when he's drunk like tonight. though, for all i know him through the years, i can swear everything father has done to him to make him who he is today, angers him and kills him slowly inside. i cannot imagine being in taehyung's shoes, but i'd like to reverse our roles and spare him the pain. he doesn't deserve what he has always been given by the king.

"she looked afraid of me. of simply everything there. they told her to strip off of her robes... a child. i killed that man who dared to touch her, right in the chamber that father had reserved for me. the murder was suppressed by the authorities, however, the girl was punished, and i was being punished too, here in the palace. the king wasn't happy with my behaviour in the pleasure house. remember i wasn't allowed out of the traning grounds and my weapons were taken?"

yes. we were nineteen then. the fact that people could bring a child to a pleasure house and offer them as a maiden to be taken, to an adult, to anyone for that matter, is cruel. i wonder why father never spoke about it.

"father said you couldn't complete a mission." i hush out, earning a dry laughter from taehyung.

"i couldn't fuck a child. that's what i was punished for. i was given a cut on my chest and all the doctors, healers were told not to help me." he grits out, gulping down another sip of the strong alcohol. "the king, my father, has given me more wounds and scars than any enemy can ever manage to do in my entire lifetime. his sword probably has been painted red with my blood more often than any of our nemesis.

"so don't you ever say you don't want to be the king, jimin. because if you don't, all of this— everything i've been out through to serve you and this kingdom will go in vain. you have to be the king, jimin. you deserve it. your people need you. of all things if i agree with the king on one thing, it will be that the world outside is brutal." he says, trailing off gradually.

i look down, not saying anything for a moment. i know taehyung has always done more than what i'm expected to, suffered more and struggled more, all because father chose me to be the heir. if only i could change some things, i would want taehyung to have a life as good as mine. he deserves it more than anything.

"you'll make a good king. i know it." taehyung smiles.

"i wish it wasn't me..." i mumble.

"no. i'm glad it's you. because if it weren't you to be the heir, then i would be it... i would never wish for you to experience everything that i have, jimin. i'm happy you are the heir to the throne. raised to rule. we both have different jobs and i've come to terms with it, we need to play our part and serve the realm."

"i know," i taking a deep breath, "anyway, why did you go there today?"

"i go there after i kill, jimin. drink until i forget the blood i had in my hands, until the screams of my victims turn into ones from the women i fuck... i'm going to hell for that."

"but you didn't like the place now, did you?"

"i still hate it. but it's become a part of who i am, jim. it's a part of my job. if i don't go there, i'd probably go crazy with all the voices in my head. so, i started going there and realised why the king introduced me to that world in the first place. he knew i'd need some kind of distraction, to vent out my energy and frustration. and pleasure houses are just the place for people like me."

"people like you?" i frown, about to tell him that he's not a bad guy, but he scoffs and cuts me off.

"yes. people who kill and have no control over their anger. people who are raised like animals in the wild, who have haters and only haters, who are respected out of fear of death. that's me, hello, brother."

a few hours earlier

jungkook's pov

"make way for the prince!" is all i hear before i feel a few bodies crashing into mine, pushing all of us to side as two imperials guard the narrow passage with speers in their hands. i frown to myself, looking in the same direction as the rest of the men, from where soon a strong looking man enters.

he's dressed in perfect fitting clothes, loose buttons of his shirt and rolled up sleeves, pants hugging his firm legs and the belt attached to it also has the scabbard, keeping his sword safe in his reach, ready to be used whenever he felt like someone has to be slain. that's prince taehyung. scionberg's royal martinet. his presence itself gives the introduction he probably doesn't even need, wearing strength in his arms, courage in his eyes and conviction on his head. that's exactly the taehyung i remember.

he was raised to kill.

i wasn't. but looks like we have the same job. i wonder if he'd be proud.

suppressing the urge to laugh, i shake my head, watching precisely as he walks past me without noticing that i am the boy he once claimed to love and cherish as an elder brother. step brother. it must be hard for him to recognise me, for mother was evicted from the kingdom along with me and lily seven years ago. lily was just a few months old when our mother, the queen of schionberg, was forced to give up the royal family and everything that came along with it, all on the basis of false accusations and insecurity that had always bothered the king.

he wanted his blood to sit on the throne. not me. to him, i was the threat he wanted to eradicate.

too bad, i'm more of a threat now than i ever was in the past.

"prince taehyung is sitting here tonight. empty the chamber. only elites are allowed." of course. the royalty and their obsession with elites, or must i say their allergy with the poor. i scoff in response, fixing my appearance a little and head towards the tavern lined with tables and chairs and stools for the customers. the prince is sitting on the one which is at little distance from the counter.

while the mass of people is against me, i manage to filter out and get myself an old traditional soju in a potter's vessel, going to sit down a stool or two down from the prince. "hey! did you not hear the orders? leave the—"

the imperial is interrupted by the raise of taehyung's hand, getting an unsure look from the man, which is of no use when the prince gestures him to let it slide. to let me sit wherever i wished. "you can have a seat." taehyung says, his voice deeper and more powerful than the last time i heard it. he has grown up too, broad shoulders and chest, heavy and buffed with new responsibilities. his eyes are devoid of the light that once resided in there. they're just a midnight storm staring into your soul now.

"thank you, your highness." i mutter, "if i have the permission, may i sit here?"

he looks up from his drink, a subtle frown trying to crease his forehead when he tries to search for the person who had the audacity to ask if he can sit and have a drink with the prince of schionberg. his eyes meet mine and i nearly smirk, though i keep it hidden and settle with a small, warm smile. warm my foot.

"sit." he orders.

my smile, for a split second, doubles in mimicked gratitude that he never catches and lets me have my way, sitting down in front of him, my drink between my hands. "i wonder what brings the prince here at this hour?"

"and who might you be?" he replies with an amused chuckle, sipping from his copper glass and looks at me.

"one of your people, prince." i shrug.

"never saw you around. are you new?" he frowns, eyes quickly inspecting me. i let him.

"not really. i happened to have returned from a long trip, if that answers your question, your highness."

"it does not. since you don't know me, i must introduce myself." he says, "i'm the prince of schionberg, the royal martinet, if you know what that means. act smart in front of me and see how quickly you lay in your death bed."

"death bed? i was just trying to initiate a conversation, your royal highness." i chuckle, sipping from my poor cup as i down the drink in one go, before asking the man over at the tavern for more.

"who are you?" taehyung repeats. "you're not from here."

"i am. this is my land, prince." i say, "hard to believe, i know."

taehyung stands up with a firm glare, clasping the collar of my shirt, while there's still a table that separates us. the imperials who came with him are have surrounded us, more like surrounded me. their speers and long swords pointed at me.

"your name." taehyung asks firmly, however still something about him convinces me that he's not actually angry. just in need of some distraction from something that could be messing with his mind. i wonder what.

"let me go, your highness. i'm no one you should bother yourself with." his eyes are on mine, and that helps me free myself from his hands. he looks confused for a split second, and i keep my thoughts still.

he growls, tugging on my shirt to bring me to the side. i let him drag me towards the exit until he pushes me out and glares. "get lost whoever you are. if i see you in front of me again, you're dead."

"as you please, prince." i hum, straightening my clothes once he lets me off, still staring to make sure i do leave. for a moment i see his eyes squeezing shut, touching his head before opening them and fixing on me again, just as frustrated as before, making me smirk to myself. i can mess with his head.

"who are you..? nobody hear has the nerve to open their mouths in front of me. and you... you just... who are you? you're not just any slummer."

i smile at the ground, hearing that, nodding my head. "as you please, prince. we'll meet again soon, maybe then you'll know my name." is all i say before walking away from him. from the pleasure house. i hate coming here.

although it's a great place to get lost, but having a seven-year-old sister waiting for me to return back to her every evening, is enough for me to convince me of not wanting spend a single minute in there. today i heard the rumour that the prince visits the pleasure house often and he should be there tonight. on talking to a few people i learnt he also killed a few of the servants in the pleasure house because of some miscommunication, which sounds strange to me.

everything i've known about the prince so far from the people around and especially sneaking into the palace yesterday, disguised as an imperial, i can only ever build my own image of taehyung. he's either deadly vicious, a heartless beast, a monster that the king raised, or completely something different from what everyone has been made to believe. the only person who might truly know taehyung's personality is prince jimin.

tomorrow is the grand feast in the palace where everybody is welcome. the princes will be there too and for the first time, prince jimin will be actively interacting with the people of his kingdom. tomorrow is also the beginning  of the trials for the recruitment of imperials, that i'm still not sure if i should participate in. i do need to get inside the palace and have my way around without any problem, though it would also mean that i'll have to leave lily alone for longer hours, sometimes over nights too. and that is dangerous.

risky. am i okay with risking lily's life?

i cannot take her with me. nor can i let this opportunity slip out of my hands. if i do become an imperial, my entry and exit into and out of the palace becomes easy, i can move to serve the princes directly, gain their trust, find out secret tunnels and passages inside to the dungeons, also kill the king. mother would be proud if i could do it.

she always told me that this land was mine, the palace was mine and that it was my duty to make sure my kingdom always followed the righteous path. people like the king are menace to the society, to my kingdom. hence, i must bring them to their end.

i will go to the palace tomorrow.

taking in a deep breath, the fresh air cleans my lungs, eyes moving to the alley where i suppose lily must be sleeping.

"jungkook." of course. i groan internally at the voice, wanting to bang my head on the wall, having an internal struggle to pull up a straight face as i turn around to face areum. she's one heck of a woman, never making anything easier for me. it's been five days since i met her and she's just becoming more beautiful. more interesting. i'm not sure how that is even possible. she's just a woman from the slums and i am the prince currently disguised as a man from the slums. it's not destiny. it's misery.

"what?" it's hard not to look at that face, especially when she's smiling at me. serene.

"lily's here." she says, and i frown, for once not surprised by her beauty but the fact that my sister is at her house.

"why's that?" i head towards her, watching as she tucks her hair behind her ear, moving back inside and lets me in.

"suho told me she was crying and wanted to say something. he couldn't understand so he brought her to me." areum speaks in her sweet voice, honey dripping from her lips and making it straight to my ears, inside to my mind fussing everything around until it finds it way down to my chest. so, that's what makes my heart flutter? it's her voice.

"could you tell what she wanted to say then?" i ask, quickly tearing my gaze from her face, fixing it to my sister with a curse nearly slipping out my mouth at the thought of being caught.

"she couldn't go to sleep without you." she shrugs, "you shouldn't leave her alone at night, jungkook. she's too young to protect herself or even keep herself hidden."

i sigh at that, nodding my head. "thank you for helping lily. again." i mumble, crouching down near lily, stroking her head.

"no problem." areum lets out with a yawn, and i turn to her.

"you could've slept too, you know?"

"then who'd tell you that your sister is safe and some bad people didn't take her." she chuckles. again it's like she hypnotizes me with her voice, with her beautiful laughter and pretty smiles. goddamnit.

no. focus.

i have to head to the palace tomorrow. i can't afford any distractions. even the pretty ones.

"well, thank you so much for your concern. i'll take lily and leave now." i clear my throat.

"no!" she gulps, making me frown as she blinks a few times as well, coughing lightly for she realises what she just said. "i mean- i mean... let her sleep here. i don't mind."

"but it's not right." i say, "and your husband, you said he's supposed to arrive soon."

"oh," she looks down, fiddling with her dress. "what if i tell you that i lied?"

"what?" i stare at her, taking her in for all she is. "what is it that you want, areum? i can tell something's odd."

"uhm let's talk i guess." she hums, closing the door and move ahead towards a dirty piece of cloth hanging from two nails. when she unhooks it from one side, i realise it's a curtain, hiding a smaller door. "come this way."

"what are you—"

"just come. i won't kill you." she jokes, holding my hand and pulls me behind her, leading the short path that ends into a small varanda. she sits down on a stony platform, patting the space beside her for me.

"i don't trust you." i let her know.

"you're the one who carries a dagger with yourself, jungkook." she laughs lightly as i take the spot and crack my neck, ignoring her eyes fixed on my face. focus. "i don't have a husband."

now it's again my turn to gawk at her with wide eyes. saying that i'm surprised will be an understatement. "yes." she nods briefly. "i usually just tell people that my husband is out and is returning in a few days to- to keep perverts away. a woman with a husband is more respected, even if it's barely, than one whole doesn't have a man in her life."

"you... i mean, i did think you were pretty young to have a son as old as suho." i hum, "who is he then? your brother?"

"no. suho is my son." she confesses, stealing a glance at my face and i catch her, making her flush red and quickly tear her gaze away.

"you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to." she knows it too that she doesn't have to do this. in fact it is her choice, but i felt like i must let her hear it from me.

"i know." she nods, "but i... look, jungkook, please don't get me wrong. i'm not trying to gain anything from this, except for a friendly conversation. after a long time i feel like i could- i could uh use some company. maybe i wouldn't risk it like this if it were only you, jungkook. but lily's presence makes me feel at ease. a man all alone with a little sister cannot be bad, right?"

i sigh softly, shrugging my shoulders as i, myself, am confused about the answer. "depends." i tell her.

"maybe. and it's on me if you turn out to be one of those men i've come across." she smiles sadly, making me look at her.

"you've a lot on stake."

"i don't. surprisingly not. what will happen will not be the first time, so i know the drill."

"go on, then. risk everything for me, areum." i whisper, staring at her. my hand lifts up, gradually reaching closer to her face and strokes the free strand of hair behind her ear. "tell me."

areum lowers her gaze, as though uncertain of her own previous words. her hand trembles when it meets mine, bringing it down slowly, except that she doesn't let go of it and keeps holding it on her lap. i do not wish to pull away either. i watch the corner of her lips twitching into a small smile, as she finally gains the courage required to glance at me, though it quickly vanishes and then she's gazing up at the sky.

"i was thirteen when i was separated from my family and brought here by the king's men. my father used to work for them, and in return they let us exist. one day one of them saw me with my mother at home and offered my father lump sum of money in exchange of me. he couldn't refuse, for saying no to the imperials meant end of the entire family, mother, father, me and my little sibling who was going to come in a few months... so my father had to agree. he let me go, and then started the hell, the torture and filth i was introduced to. i sold to a pleasure house."

my jaw clenches with anger. being an elder brother to a little girl, i can understand the torment areum and her family might have went through. my soul threatens to leave my body everytime i have to leave lily for more than a couple hours for this very reason. the imperials wouldn't think twice before picking up a girl they think is pretty and get money in exchange for her from those pleasure houses run by the king's men. i've heard they are a big source of revenue for the king.

"the prince sometimes visited the place and the owner thought it would be great if i was presented to him as i was a new maiden in the house..." she hushes out. my eyes move to her face, searching for tears, but surprisingly there are none. she speaks of her past as though it did not burn her on the inside recalling everything. and like a firm lioness, she continues, "he came that night like a saviour for me—"

"what?" i frown. "a saviour? the prince?" it's hard to believe for i all i've known he knows nothing like mercy. his father raised a monster just like himself, and taehyung is one thick skulled ogre i can swear. how can the personification of sadism be a saviour?

"yes." areum hums, "he had slain that man who dared to touch me. it was because of prince taehyung i could escape that place. the imperials and the people from the pleasure house did not like it a lot and they sent men out to find me. that's how i ended up here..."

i nod slowly, sighing before deciding to ask, "then your son... how—"

"the men found me." she cuts me of calmly, tears now blurring her eyes but she never draws her gaze away from the sky. "they found me and decided that i was their property. i sure escaped from the pleasure house, but that did not stop those filthy men from coming to me. they kept me locked in one of their empty houses here in the slums, so that nobody knew what they were doing.

"every night— sometimes even during the day, one of the men would come back and use me for their pleasure. use my body... i used to cry and beg them to stop, to just kill me instead. for some reason, jungkook, they found it funny. my tears, cries, helplessness. it was funny to them. i have no idea which one them is suho's father, but i know it's one of those five men. when i learned that i was carrying a child within me, i knew i had to leave that place. but still, they didn't let me.

"one night, after this man fell unconscious in front of me after..." she looks down, wiping the tears coursing down her cheeks, and clears her throat. "i took his sword, stabbed him until i couldn't hold the sword anymore... i killed a man that night. i was scared and i didn't know what to do after that. crying, i left that house and ran all through the night, hiding during the day because then the imperials had started looking for me. again.

"a few days passed with the same routine. running and hiding. until they gave up and dismissed the matter. i gave birthed to suho all alone. that was the most painful experience of my life... a little more than other women who have given birth because i had to do it all by myself. i couldn't even make a sound or pass out. i don't intend to gross you out, jungkook, so i'm keeping the details to myself, but i must tell you that when i found this house, abandoned, i came here still bleeding."

a shiver runs down my spine. i have been through hell lot of torture and training, but what areum just told me sounds insane. i doubt if any men, including myself and taehyung, could bear so much and misery. i've seen mother going into labour, heard her screaming while i was told to wait with jimin and taehyung, outside her bed chamber where midwives, doctors and healers attended her. how did areum managed all alone?

gulping down my uncertainties and the urge to ask her what she learned from all this. i only dare to look up to her face, once again witnessing the promise of beauty and courage, only that it appeals a million times more than before i knew her story.

"how old were you?" i manage ask her and she gives a weak smile.

"fifteen."

no way a fifteen-year-old stood through labour pain all alone, birthed a baby, all while running and hiding from a bunch of imperials. even one of them is more than enough to end a life of a commoner, no weapons needed with the training they're given. 

"you're... i mean," i breathe out, staring at her, "how's that possible? warriors give up their lives in such harsh conditions, and you're saying that you..." i shake my head, letting a breathy, amused laugh. "i don't understand, i'm sorry."

"i know. it sounds heroic." she admits.

"it doesn't sound heroic, areum. it is heroic." i pronounce loud enough for her to hear. "what are you made of?"

she laughs at that, glancing down at my hand which is still in her hold, resting on her lap. i almost forgot it belongs to me. my hand. do i want it back? i don't think so. i can work with one if she's the one willing to keep this moment alive.

"you must wonder, jungkook, why i told you all this?" she says with a sincere smile, caressing my calloused knuckles without even noticing it.

"you said you wanted some company. a friendly conversation." i nod.

"yes. but there's one more thing that i wish to have." she whispers, meeting my eyes.

"tell me."

she takes a deep breath, glancing over my shoulder towards the small door we came through and behind which lily and suho are sleeping peacefully. "the imperials know that i don't have a husband. that suho does not have a father. so they often times come here and make absurd comments, force me to things i don't want to just to have the bare necessities like grains and ration at a price that i can afford. they've tried telling suho filthy things about me... it breaks my heart seeing him cry and consoling him after, when he asks why he does not have a father, and why those imperials misbehave with his mother..."

"they won't." i declare, squeezing her hand in mine. "not anymore. i do believe that if you stood up, you'll be able to handle them. but still, if you need help, i'm here."

she smiles at that, "thank you. although to make things easier for both of us, and so that i don't burden you. i wish to make it even."

"how so?" i'd like that too. instead of having her thinking that i'm doing her a favour, i'd rather have her coming up with a way to make it even.

"you and your sister can stay here with me and suho. i'll look after the kids, provide you with meals, and well, the kids get a friend in each other." she tries to smile, trying to hide the blush that creeps up her cheeks, staring up at me past her long lashes.

can i endanger their lives too? no.

can i risk it all for this little deal? maybe.

can i accept it? probably.

i do get a better disguise this way. we can tell people when asked that me and areum are married and suho and lily are our children. that just makes hiding for me easier than it has ever been. i wouldn't have to worry about leaving lily alone, and her wish to have a friend also can be sufficed this way.

"alright." i chuckle, nodding my head in response. "if that's what you're willing to do, then i too, will play my part. i'll bring you the money, ration, grains, whatever you require to run a household. i'll work for you three."

"do you promise?" she asks, her eyes keen on mine as i smirk, closing the gap between us.

"you have my word."

"what if you in future you wish to break away?"

"break away from you?" i arch up a brow, "after tonight, areum? i highly doubt that."

the smile that spreads on her face on hearing my words, assures me that maybe this deal is not as bad as it threatens to be in the back of my mind. she stands up first, tugging on my arm to pull me up as well, and steps closer, wrapping her arms around my torso.

"thank you, jungkook. you don't know what this means to me and suho."

"don't thank me. you said we're making it even. and if you thank me, i'll have to thank you back for doing so much for lily, for me— us." i clear my throat, glancing back towards the door. "i- i think i heard lily."

"i think i heard her too " she whispers, earning a glance from me and i watch her expression changing. she covers her mouth, laughing at me for getting flustered.

so, i wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her flush against my chest, making her stop grinning instantly. instead she's gawking up at me with surprised eyes. "what? done making fun of me?" i husk out, and the corner of my lip cocks up as it's my turn to smirk now. "you still don't know if i'm not a murderer. bold of you to open up to a stranger when you're all by yourself, pretty, vulnerable and with a child."

"what's the worse you can do?" she asks, fiddling with the collar of my shirt.

"kill you, probably?"

"exactly." she smiles a little. "that's not the worst, jungkook. i've lived the worst."

"well, maybe you can teach me how to torture others?" i try to lighten the mood, and i know i succeeded when she chuckles, nodding her head. "you're beautiful, do you know that?" i whisper, moving her hair out of her face gently, "especially when you smile like that. ethereal."

"i'll remember that." she hushes out, blushing as she looks down, pulling herself back from my hold. "uhm let's go inside? you might want to get some rest."

"uh right. i have to go to palace in the morning."

"why?" she frowns, already acting like my wife. i love this.

"trials. and before that i've to take lily to the grand feast. i promised her—" i pause, turning to her suddenly. "why don't you and suho go with us?"

"can we?"

"of course. it's for all the people, areum. anyone can be go." i chuckle.

"alright, i'll ask suho when he wakes up."

"i think he'll want to go." i shrug, sitting down beside lily. "but still, talk to him and let me know. i'll be your escort."

"sure. do you want something? anything...?"

"no, i'm good. you should sleep too." i say, stretching my body before laying down after moving lily to lay properly, so that she doesn't wake up with sore muscles. she whines a little, moving closer to me and i cuddle her back instantly. "there, my baby." i kiss her cheek, making her lay on top of me, resting her head on my chest, stroking her back.

"good night, jungkook."

"good night, areum."

_______________

a/n:  i realy wanted to update today! so we here we are with part 3 of tboe series. i really hope you guys enjoying 😚💗✨

what song do you think fits the vibe of each one: jungkook, areum and taehyung.

please let me know, and i'll add those songs to the official playlist of tboe series! please listen to it, it's nice! now don't vote and comment <3333