jungkook's pov:

"lily, wait!" i turn around at the voice, hoping to see areum for she was supposed to arrive with both the children by noon. earlier in the morning before i left, the two had woken up and seemed excited to attend the grand feast at the palace. lily kept junping around and playing with suho, her broken arm hanging in a still position with the help of the cloth areum tied around her neck like a sling.

a smile spreads on my lips and i automatically get on my knees, opening my arms for my princess as she runs towards me with the widest grin on her face. a soundless giggle leaves her mouth when she wraps her free arm around my neck, hugging me as tight as her fading injuries allowed. "hello, my love." i chuckle, standing up with her sitting in my arms, as though it was her throne. the only throne this baby ever needs.

"don't leave my hand next time, lily. you'll get lost." suho says worriedly, stopping in front of me with his gorgeous mother. sure there are many women who might stand higher in the standards of beauty than areum, however i'd still like to believe that she's the most captivating and powerful woman i've met so far. her blue eyes, innocent face and her dainty little heart that has mine going crazy every time she's nearby.

"what?" she arches up a brow, instinctively touching her face. "if there something on my face?"

i smile at that, nodding gradually and take a step closer to her, leaning down until my lips are close to the shell of her ear, "my eyes."

"well, you'll have to look away then." she mumbles through a subtle smile.

"that's quite a challenge. you're too much of a distraction, do you know that?"

"i—"

"lily, let's go and eat." suho says, tugging lily's hand, making her nod eagerly and wriggle to get down from my arms. the boy then looks up at me and grins, "you can talk to eomma and make her blush while lily and i will go and taste all the delicious food."

"suho!" areum gasps, smacking the boy on his head and i just snigger. "you're not going anywhere alone. i'm coming with you." she clears her throat, looking up at me again, "i'll go."

"if you want." i hum, glancing at my sister who has her eyes roaming everywhere around the place, observing the big number of people and probably enjoying the aroma of the delicious food items prepared for the citizens. "i guess lily's hungry. go with suho and eomma, okay? i'll join you later." i tell her with a kiss to her temple, before letting her down.

lily pouts, holding my hand and i kneel down in front of her, "please, princess. i have an important task to complete right now. it's a mission."

her eyes shine with unsaid thrills, loving being on a mission and being a hero with me. little does she know she's actually been a hero for me. with me all her life. i smile at her, nodding to confirm my words as i hold her hands in mine, "yes, lily. koo's on a mission today. if i succeed, i might get to be one of those men." i tell her, pointing at the imperials at a distance. the happiness from her face drains away and horror takes over, stepping closer to me, shaking her head. she's scared of them after what they've done to her. "if i become one of them, only then i can punish them, darling. you want koo to punish them for hurting his princess, don't you?"

she nods slowly in the crook of my neck, only lifting her head to look at me and peck my lips. "i love you, sweetheart." i whisper to her with a smile, "now i want you to be a good girl and stay with suho and his eomma, okay? can you do that for me?"

lily thinks for a moment, glancing back at areum, who smiles at her, holding her hand out and lily sighs softly, nodding her head. but before leaving, she lifts up her hand, holding out her little finger for me to link it with mine and promise her that i will return to her soon.

so, i give her what she wants. "i'll come back as soon as i can. i promise."

she smiles at that, touching my cheek with her soft fingers, then bringing them down to my chest where my heart is supposed to be. but it's really not there. not all of it to say the least, for the biggest part is with lily at all times, and these days i see another candidate willing to keep a piece of my heart with her.

lily touches her heart too, smiling at me and i chuckle, nodding my head, "i know." i hush out, "now go. see you in a while." i stand up with that, smiling at areum as i take a deep breath, "just take care, all of you."

"i will." she assures, holding lily's hand while her son quickly moves to lily's side, holding ger other hand securely and walks away, talking to her about something.

now i should head back too.

away from the citizens, i leave the grounds and walk towards the east wing of the palace that surrounds the training grounds. there are already some people gathered by a ring, some talking to one another and some just standing by themselves unaware and extremely new to the entire setting. i'm not even sure if most of them will be able to make it out. the recruitments can be horrendous for the lower class, for it is mostly them who aspire to rise from where they are, have got expectations that bring them out of their comfort zone until they stand here before the prince and his relentless commander.

out of nearly three to four hundred people that i already am seeing here, only a few will make it into the king's army as the royal imperials. they're not even recruiting for the general army yet. those who will be selected by the end of these trails, automatically become a part of the elite society, get a house in the urban areas of the upper foot of schionberg. while those who don't, are either going to quit themselves and return home with nothing other than deadly wounds that could take up weeks to heal, or be dead in the very palace for no one to remember.

the trails are usually grand. however, rumour has it this year that prince taehyung is to supervise the trials from beginning to then end, and will also appoint a deputy commander who will work right under him. only specific jobs for the imperials have the vacancies, which limits the number of people that are going to be standing here by the end of it all to a great extent.

oh, the most important rule to be followed during the trials: no one is allowed to use their special abilities.

a day before the coronation of prince jimin, the trails will be completed and the royalty will have their newly selected imperials at different positions to serve the future king.

"you from the slums?" a deep voice takes me by surprise, right beside me, where a man, who seems to be talking to me, has appeared. how come i didn't notice him earlier?

he's looking around as if it was completely normal for him to be standing in the palace.

"you are?" i ask.

"namjoon." he smiles, now fixing his gaze on me. "kim namjoon."

"and am i supposed to know you, mister kim namjoon?" i arch up a brow.

"it would be great if you do." something about his smile speaks as if he knows something more than he should, as i stare at him with a straight face, trying my best to read any ill-intentions he might be harbouring. does he, maybe, know who i am? if that's the case i might want to play safer.

"you're not here for the trials, are you?" i ask with caution.

"certainly not, prince jungkook."

exactly— wait. prince jungkook? my eyes widen at his face, jaw clenching as i draw the conclusion in my head that he is one of the king's nasty men, sent after mother years ago, who probably found me.

"hey, you don't need to put all those questions out on your face so openly, my prince." he smiles, pating my shoulder. "you're queen sunhee's son, i remember you."

"you—"

"now i need you to listen to me very carefully, your highness. the trials are starting in two days. today is just a gathering to introduce the rules to all the participants. the king will deliver a speech and both the princes will be present here. if you wish to enter the palace premises further, i could be your escort."

that's new. i did not hope for anyone to know me, let alone be willing to help me after all these years. clearing my throat, i look around, using my hand to have my face hidden, because if this namjoon man can recognise me, so anyone else.

"so, what have you thought?"

"i have to make a decision now?" i mutter.

"unfortunately in a minute, my prince." he hums, nodding subtly towards the raised platform where the king's guards have already taken their position.

"why must i trust you?" i need to know that this man here offering me a trip around the palace, moreover is willing to lead me further in if i wished, won't kill me or hand me over to the king for an irreversible fate.

"you're not bound to, your highness. but if you must know who i am, i take my pride introducing myself as your mother's excellency. the head of the council of ministers she had during her rule, and still."

"kim namjoon..." i repeat the name, frowning at him as i try hard to recall anything that might help me recognise the man. nothing. "i'm sorry, your excellency, i do not recollect anything."

he chuckles at me, patting my shoulder as we sneak towards the side, casually talking and pretending to move out for air. i do believe the need of air out of this huge clump of people the king has gathered in his premises. sir namjoon leads me towards one of the unguarded gates that leads inside the palace from the training grounds, making me look around, gradually the wall patterns, paintings and vines, the gold and silver that enhances tha palace's beauty gives my mind a run back in time when i used to play around these hallways with my elder brothers.

"do you know, prince, why his grace has organised the trials in the palace this year?"

"he wants to have the best elites serving him?" i say, having that rich tone, which i thought i lost the from living among commoners for so long. those are the people who actually showed me the meaning of life.

"that's what they've been telling." sir, namjoon says. "but i'm afraid it's not the true reason why, prince."

"sir, erm," i rub my neck, glancing at him with an unsure smile, "i'm not used to being addressed as 'prince'. i'd appreciate if you can just use my name?"

"i apologise, your highness. i cannot do that. you're the son of the greatest queen of time. how can i make the mistake of addressing you just by your name?"

"i insist, sir. you're older than me, working for the royalty since longer than i've lived, and you certainly have immense knowledge and experience in life."

"that's my life, your hi— jungkook..."

i nod with a smile on hearing my name roll of his mouth, it still sounds rich of hierarchy, though.

we walk through hallways and staircases, strolling through the palace that was once my home. these rooms, balconies and corridors were my places to hide when one of my brothers volunteered to seek for me. we'd run the lengths laughing and smiling, calling out each other's names, playing tag and other fun games. prince taehyung was always the adventurous one, coming up with weird ideas that had him experimenting with me in strange ways. prince jimin would then scold both of us for being reckless and getting hurt, because one of us (me and prince taehyung) was always scratched or bleeding because of our silly games.

reminiscing those days, sir namjoon, brings me to the end of one hallway, descending down the staircase that i haven't seen before. children weren't allowed in this side of the west wing of the palace. the area gets narrower, darker and a pungent smell fills in my nostrils. it smells like this place has been closed for months over months.

why would his excellency bring me here?

"why are we here?" i voice out my thoughts.

"you have to meet someone." he replies.

"here? who is it?" i look around, scrunching my face at the weird smell. "and do i know them?"

"of course, you do, prince ." sir namjoon chuckles again, this time i hear it coupled with the jingling of keys and clicking of a lock. we're at the dungeons. but these are not the main ones.

he opens the last cell and steps out of the way, smiling at me softly, gesturing his hand towards the small metal door. "who's that?" an exhausted voice breaks through the darkened cell, followed by the clinking of something heavy made out of metal. the voice is of a male and sounds brokenly tired, almost like he had been captured here since forever.

"it's me, namjoon. and i've got the boy you always worry about." sir namjoon says it with a proud smile, patting my back as he expects me to go inside.

"what?" the voice speaks again. the sound of metal chains getting stronger like they're being dragged on the rough ground towards me. "you brought the prince with you, namjoon?"

"i have. he's all grown up now."

"god..." the voice breathes out.

what exactly is going on?

i step forward towards the door, bending down for this door is awfully small for an average height person. i squint my eyes in the pitch black surrounding, trying my best to see the man who seems to know me and from what sir namjoon said, also worries about me. is he also one of my mother's ministers? if he is, then what is he doing here locked up like a prisoner?

"prince jungkook? is that you?"

"uh yes." i enter the cell and regret it instantly for the fear that sir namjoon could possibly lock me inside. i must be stupid to believe him at once.

"prince jungkook... you're..." the man breathes out, getting near me. i'm sure he cannot see me, but his hands lift up to touch my face and hair. his hands are rough. "my boy, i'm so glad to know that you're okay. how's- how's your sister? how's the little princess?"

"she's fine." i say, turning to find sir namjoon, "sir, i... what's going on? i apologise for my lack of knowledge, i don't understand any of it."

"it's not your fault, prince." sir namjoon smiles sadly, walking a few steps in the direction we came from. he returns with a lantern quickly, and now in the light i finally face the man before me.

he's partly covered in dirt, yet a lot maintained and fit. in contrast to the voice he probably faked earlier, he looks rather fine considering that he is a prisoner. his familiar face is smiling at me, eyes glistening with tears as he takes me in and i do the same, seeing him after three long years. the last time he visited us was when mother was murdered in front of my eyes. if it weren't for him fighting those men, risking his life by going against the king, lily and i would be dead too that day.

"chief..." my lips whisper and he smiles at the name i use to call him. i always called him that for he was the most respected man in my eyes, strong headed, honest at heart, and devoted to his land, to his queen. he's the one who taught me the art of battle and the secrets of fighting, how to use all kinds of weapons to my benefit.

if it weren't for him, i wouldn't be here today.

he bows to me, but i catch him by his shoulders midway, pulling him up straight and step forward, trapping him in a tight hug. "i thought he killed you..." i utter with uncertainty, "i thought the king must've killed you, chief."

"guess he did not." he tries to joke, although it's followed by a cough and i pull away, switching my gaze between him and sir namjoon.

"why not? he sent out for mother. then why spare you?"

"because he believes i have information about you and princess lily." chief seokjin says, shaking his head. "he kept me alive, determined to get any sort of information about the children of queen sunhee, possible heirs of the throne. it's been three years now."

"yes," sir namjoon hums with a sigh, patting my back, "ever since the day of her grace's death, and the truth of seokjin fighting against the king's men to save the prince and princess broke out, his majesty has made it his goal to find and end the queen's bloodline. seokjin was removed from his position as the chief commander, and he declared prince taehyung to be the next one, serving as the royal martinet. until his official placement and honorary ceremonies, a temporary commander was appointed who also helped train prince taehyung for the job."

"min yoong." chief grits out. "he's the king's right hand ever since he got power. every command from his grace is taken and implemented as it is by yoongi."

i hum slowly, memorising the name carefully for i have every intention on taking his life too. he was probably the one to have come back in the slums the other day with his imperials and dared to beat up two innocent kids. he must have joined the service later than mother's exile, for i never heard the mention of his name, or if he was still working for the king back then, then he mustn't have been a regular in mother's council.

whatever it might be. whoever min yoongi might be. i will end him.

"prince," sir namjoon says in a low voice, checking back towards the entry way of the dungeons to make sure there was no one coming this way nor was anyone eve'sdropping. "the rumours have it, trials this year are different in more ways than i care to count. although the major reason for it, i'm sure, is to find you. someone told the king that the queen's heir is back in the kingdom. he has arranged the trials, a deadly one this year, to find you, prince. because he knows nobody except for someone with royal blood and immense power can be the ultimate winner."

"i've heard that too. unfortunately." chief nods, "don't participate in the trials, prince. the cruel king is after your life and the princess's life."

the whole trials is not to actually get new imperials recruited, but to find and kill me? the rage that fills me up is too strong to be put in words. however, i'm not surprised from the trickery the king is playing, risking so many lives just to get me.

amusing, how he thinks he can kill me.

"even if i don't, chief, the king will come to realise it sooner or later, and then he'll be planning something again. risking more innocent lives. i cannot let that happen." i say, my voice thick with determination. "i must take part in the trials, chief. i need the king to know whose son i am while i make him regret all of his bad decisions."

"no, your highness. please, don't make such harsh commitments. little princess needs you. if anything happens to you, it won't be very hard for his majesty to find her and..." chief seokjin averts his gaze from me, swallowing the words he's too afraid to say.

"nobody can touch lily as i long i'm breathing."

"i don't doubt your abilities, son. i just want you to be sure of your decision."

"i appreciate that, chief." i hum with a smile. "for welfare of the people who don't even know what they're getting themselves into, for the princess's future, and the queen's past, i must participate in the trails. that's the only way through which i can avenge for everything that he has done to me, the princess and the queen."

chief seokjin and sir namjoon smile at that, nodding their heads without further trying to convince me to withdraw myself from the trails. i'm not going to do that no matter if they like it or not. although, since they don't stop me, we're on the same page.

"we must go back now, prince." sir namjoon says.

"yes, namjoon's right. please head back, prince. you can't let anyone know that you're here and that we're helping you." chief says.

"of course, chief." i nod, stepping back near his excellency, ready to go back to the trial grounds. but before leaving, i look at him with a smile, "i'll get you out of here, chief. you'll have all your respect, position, dignity and power back. i promise you, chief."

"i don't desire anything, prince. i've devoted my life to serve your mother and promised her to protect you and princess lily. my entire life is about that promise and my principles. the righteous thing for you is to protect the realm because the throne deserves a worthy king."

"i will make sure of that." i give a firm nod.

"shall we head back, son?" sir namjoon asks me.

"sure." i hum, glancing one last time at chief before following sir namjoon outside the dungeons. he didn't forget to lock the cell which has been home for chief seokjin since mother's death.

a man like him deserves a respectful life, not that of a criminal. if he wanted to, he could have told the king about me and lily, or would have conveniently lied about us dying as well to save himself from this torture. but he chose not to give away anything about us all because of his loyalty towards the queen. i want to return back his act of courage in tenfolds to let him know that i respect and appreciate his loyalty, devotion and dedication towards us.

that is why he needs to be free. i will set him free.

areum's pov

"princess! let's go there, i think i saw dumplings." suho exclaims, holding lily's hand like he was enough to keep himself and his princess safe. i smile as he looks up at me, pointing in the direction of a stall with a small crowd of people waiting in front of it like flies around a piece of jaggery. "eomma, i'm taking lily there, okay?"

i nod, following after him when suddenly i'm being pushed to the side, and quickly hold suho's hand, "hold lily's hand tight." i tell him, catching the little girl getting scared by the sudden hasty movements. on checking i see it's the imperials and the king's guards, making way for prince jimin. sighing softly, i shake my head, keeping both the kids close to me, especially lily, who seems to be frightened on seeing the imperials. poor child, i understand she must be scared of anyone dressed in that costume.

tears slip from her eyes, hands clutching my dress and she looks at me with pleading eyes, raising her free arm. i smile softly, carrying her up even though she's a little heavy for me to hold for too long. "it's okay, lily. everything is fine." i try to assure her, but it doesn't seem to work and her panic just grows, eyes fixed on the imperials and the guards present for the safety of the future king.

i'd love to take the child out of this crowd and help her calm down, but there's no space. the officials make it hard for anyone to move. and when i do try, suho's firm hold on the fabric of my dress makes me stop. i glance at him with a frown, seeing him hesitating, afraid to do anything that might anger the officials. he's just a child too. a nine-year-old.

"they're not doing anything, suho. eomma's here with you. nobody's going to hurt my child." i pull him closer to my side.

"and what is eomma gonna do?" a deep voice mocks from the side, making me turn my head, finding the man that has both the kids scared. his eyes roam up and down my body, lingering on the children as well and i quickly take a step back, stumbling a little because of suho. the man smirks in response to my glare, breaking into a fit of laughter on seeing lily crying, sticking closer to me, her eyes looking around for one person. jungkook.

"nolen." another firm voice interrupts the dark laughter, to my surprise it's the prince. he never looks at me or my bothered children, just keeps it between himself and the imperial, whose name happens to be nolen. the man's eyes widen on hearing whatever the prince had said to him, gulping down in fear, he bows and hurries out of sight.

i take a deep breath too, stroking lily's back, "it's alright, lily. he's gone."

"was he bothering you?" it's a question to me. from prince jimin. so, i bow quickly, letting lily down and make her and suho bow too. it's scionberg's future king!

"i apologise, your highness. it's just—"

"it's okay, miss. there's nothing you should be apologizing for." he states, "it was my man misbehaving with you. and your children clearly look terrified."

"it was a bad experience, your highness. they're doing okay now." i hum, keeping my head low, for i know the rules. no commoner is allowed to look the royals in their eyes. we must keep our heads low, eyes on the ground if we ever get blessed enough to stand in front of them. it's a sign of respect and authority that the royals are born with.

"i must leave now, prince. it's an honour to see in you in person." i say, ready to head off. "lily, suho— lily?" blinking a few times, i look around for the girl. i cannot possibly lose her right now.

"she's there..." suho whispers, staring in the prince's direction with wide eyes, ponting as well. following his gaze, a gasp leaves my mouth, seeing prince jimin crouching down on the ground in front of lily, while she's sniffling softly, busy admiring his shiny clothes and jewels.

"oh no..." i whisper, "lily, come back. i'm really sorry, prince, i—"

"it's fine. she's adorable." he smiles, holding lily's hand and stand up, carrying her up in his arms. his guards and imperials waiting for him get done playing with a child, while everyone else is stunned seeing him, not just talking to but also picking up a child who is from the slums. usually the royals treat slummers like garbage. we're untouchables. or so i believed.

"do you like my clothes?" prince jimin asks with an amused chuckle, getting a nod from lily as she points at the shiny brooch on his jacket. "yeah? this? do you want it?"

lily smiles widely, nodding again. no...

so, now prince jimin takes the brooch off and gives it to lily. she grins happily, turning around to show it to me, and i smile nervously. "now you should tell me your name, don't you think so?" prince jimin chuckles, watching the child in his arms. she shrugs mindlessly, lifting up her hand and gestures towards me.

"lily." i tell him for her. "her name is lily."

"oh, that's a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl." he smiles, however i see something changing in his eyes before he looks at me. "is she your daughter?"

"uh n— yes." i clear my throat, nodding with a smile. "yes, of course."

he nods gradually, letting lily down with a soft sigh, "you have a beautiful daughter. it was nice meeting you."

"the pleasure's mine, your highness." i bow again, making the kids do the same. with that, finally, he leaves.

heaving out a deep breath, i look down at lily, who's already giggling, showing the prince's brooch to suho, who looks fascinated by its charm. "let's go home now." i sigh, taking the two with me, not waiting for jungkook anymore, for i fear he might get mad at me for letting lily interact with the royals, not just anyone the prince himself himself. jungkook loves his sister and the day she was beaten up so brutally, was enough to leave him angry at everyone related to the palace.

jungkook comes home in a few hours. the sun had set by the time he arrived, and the first thing he did was to lift lily up when she came running to him. after keeping her in his arms until i told him that dinner was ready, he had already heard about what happened today at the palace. lily showed him the brooch she got as a gift from the prince and suho narrated to him everything in extreme detail. i never knew my son was so observant.

"that's nice." is all jungkook says in return with a smile as he glances at the brooch before  giving back to his sister. "so you said lily's your daughter?"

"i assumed that would be the best thing to do. the prince looked vary of something." i shrug my shoulders, looking at him with a frown. "is that the only thing that interested you in the whole story?"

"well, is it a bad thing that it does interest me? or should i say, it lures me?" he grins, letting lily go now and she gets up instantly, going around him to continue whichever new game suho was teaching her.

i sigh at that, shaking my head. "if i called lily my daughter, that also makes me your mother. so, no jungkook, it does not lure you."

"just listen to yourself and see if it doesn't." he chuckles. "when you called lily daughter, i was most certainly your husband in your head."

"you weren't."

"lie all you want. time will reveal all the secrets, sweet areum."

"sweet areum?"

"no? then tell me, what do you taste like? i feel like you must be sweet." he whispers, shifting near me and takes the serving spoon from my hand. shivers run down my spine, and my heart picks up its pace like he wasn't just any normal person but someone way more important. it happens everytime he comes too close. i've realised this after last night's encounter when he held my hand and then when he pulled me closer to himself.

how is he not bothered by it? am i the only one feeling like my stomach is flipping and my heartbeat seems to start dancing when he's around?

"eomma, hungryyyy!" suho's voice makes jungkook tear away from me, coughing awkwardly. but he doesn't get a lot of time to let the awkwardness drain, for lily joins him pretty soon, sitting down on his lap again.

dinner's done with a lot funny stories from suho, smiles and laughters from lily and frequent glances from jungkook. the whole time i could feel his gaze on me, only looking away when lily shook his arm for something. the kids are ready to sleep now, and i'm outside in the veranda, washing up the dishes quickly before sleeping.

when i get back inside i find jungkook laying with lily, for a change today she's on his side, cuddled up nicely between his big body and arm circled around her much tinier figure. he strokes her back, humming softly to put her to sleep, while suho is already asleep. my son has always been a quick sleeper.

jungkook opens his eyes when i walk past his legs, only for him to glance st suho, then at lily, sighing when we both catch her eyes open devoid of any sign of sleep. i let out a silent chuckle, while jungkook gives her a look, smacking her bottom lightly, then moves her to lay her on top of him and uses his own hand to cover her eyes. "you should sleep now." he says, and i watch with an amused smile as lily bites his hand, making him withdraw his hand and take it off her face. she frowns at him angrily, still looking adorable, virtually scolding him for telling her to sleep.

"be a good girl and sleep, princess. aren't you tired?" he asks her softly, but lily shakes her head, making him sigh and i smile to myself.

i busy myself with clearing up the left utensils, arranging them on the single shelf i have on the wall right above the clay oven. from the back i still hear jungkook talking to lily in a low voice, trying to put her to sleep. listening to them reminds me of my own time as an inexperienced mother with a mischievous little boy. suho always had plenty of questions to ask, stories to tell and would always tell me that when he grows up he will take me out of this dull environment and build a beautiful house for us to live in with the money he would earn.

my son is summation of all the happy things in my life.

"yeah, areum will sleep too." jungkook says with a chuckle, making me look back, raising up a questioning brow at him. "she wants suho's eomma to sleep with us."

"aw, i'm coming, lily." i smile at her, standing up and walk near her. she sits up, still on top of jungkook, but he doesn't bother getting up. he's still laying down, letting his sister sit on his stomach. however, when i sit beside him, jungkook plops on his one elbow, placing an arm to support lily as he turns to his side.

the posture makes her slip down with a pout. she crawls up closer to him again, sitting with her back pressed against jungkook's chest. they're precious together.

"what happened, lily? not sleepy?" lily shakes her head slowly, staring at me with her doe eyes resembling jungkook's beautiful ones. "hm, what do you wanna do then?"

a smile suddenly makes it to her face and she points at the door, "out? right now?" i chuckle, patting her head, "ask your brother."

lily pouts again, laying down quietly, already knowing jungkook's answer and closes her eyes, hugging his arm instead of actually cuddling him. "now you've talked to areum too, shall we go to sleep?" jungkook asks, patting her back and lowers his head to peek at her face, "close your eyes."

lily turns to look at me again, tugging on the fabric of my dress, then points at the space next to her brother. my eyes widen with the realisation, staring at her innocent eyes and then jungkook, waiting for him to say something, but he doesn't. instead i see him smiling to himself, shrugging his shoulders when our eyes meet.

"alright, baby let's try to sleep." jungkook clears his throat, but he doesn't put his words to action right away. that has me sitting still, no movements occur for a second as i'm confused, unable to even make an eye contact with jungkook. and with that i'm left questioning if those words were meant for me.

did he call me baby?

"good, now close your eyes." when i'm broken out of my trance, lily's already laying with him, stuck to his chest like a little monkey, while the space between jungkook and suho is still unoccupied.

he wasn't speaking to me. why would he call me 'baby'? i'm delusional.

"yes, yes, lily. it's okay, she's coming." he sighs, now glancing at me. "just come lay down. she's not sleeping."

"uh next to you...?" i whisper, gulping down and he stares for a moment, as though studying my expression and probably even calculating my heartbeat, for it's too loud to be considered normal. i'm sure he can hear it, too. then he smirks, nodding once, gesturing towards the space beside him.

"come on, i won't bite." he teases, earning a grin from lily as she finds it funny too. jungkook looks down at her and smiles, "yeah, see even lily agrees."

"you're such a—" i take a deep breath, glaring at jungkook, but feeling lily's eyes on me i remember not to curse. "nevermind."

"better." he grins, "come on now. it's getting late."

i sigh deeply, getting between suho and jungkook. "you'll keep your hands to yourself." i warn him before laying down, getting a low hum from him. lily lays her head on his chest, facing me as she sends me a cute smile, making me smile as well, effortlessly.

getting plopped on my left arm, i lean towards lily, smiling as my lips find her forehead, giving her a peck that i hope she has also received from her mother. "good night, lily." i hush out, chuckling silently as she becomes happy, nodding her head before finally willingly closing her eyes to sleep.

"beautiful."

the word makes my eyes move to jungkook, finding his eyes on me, "me or lily?" i chuckle.

"both." he whispers.

i smile softly, laying down now staring up at the uneven ceiling. for a few minutes i restrain myself to speak, only opening my mouth when i've made sure lily has slept.

"you wanna say something?" jungkook asks, shifting lily to his side, between us. and i know he did it for me.

i hum with some hesitation, glancing at the little girl, sleeping soundly. "i thought you'd be mad."

"about what?"

"about... lily meeting the prince. i understand you don't like them, anyone related to the king or uhm those imperials. so, i thought that you wouldn't have a sound reaction."

jungkook smiles at that, nodding his head, "i don't like them. i hate them, in fact. but it's okay. that's on me."

"i get that." i nod. "i'm sorry. i couldn't stop it."

"there's nothing you should be sorry for. prince jimin is not one the people i feel like i'd murder if i had the chance." he says and i laugh lightly at that.

"who do you wish to murder, if you could?"

"the king, for sure." jungkook says, "a few of his people, maybe prince taehyung? i haven't learned much about him."

"he's not bad. but then again, how would i know?"

"yeah," he looks at me, "come this side."

"what?" i stare back, a little surprised.

"i want you to come this side, areum. only for a while." he says, moving his arm to the other side, so that no one was between us. i could say no and go to sleep in this very position. i know jungkook wouldn't take it otherwise, but for some reason, along my heart racing, i get up and move to his side, laying down beside him.

he smiles softly, turning to face me and takes a deep breath, "would you slap me if i said i want to kiss you right now?" he mutters, stroking my hair behind my ear. my throat goes dry, suddenly all i hear is my heart drumming in my ears, little hair raising behind my neck and a shiver running to all parts of my body. jungkook wants to kiss me?

he wants to kiss me right now!

"i... you want to—" i gulp, staring at him with wide eyes, "kiss me?"

"if you don't have a problem with that." he nods, staring at my mouth. "you're tempting, areum. i've never had a relationship before, never even really cared if i wanted to be with a woman. but then you came with a pan in your hand..." he chuckles, "yes, i'd kill to kiss you. but i want to hear a yes from you first."

"what if i say no?" i mumble, getting a little upset that he might give up if i refused the first time.

"depends how actually determined you look to push me away." he smirks, "but for your answer, i wouldn't force you. never."

"okay..." i take a deep breath, nibbling on my lip, as i give him a nod. "you can kiss me, jungkook." that sounds like i'm drugged. drugged by him. by his intense gaze, the ghost of his fingers tucking my hair behind my ears, the sound of his voice taking my name, and by his entire presence near me. it feels intimate to just be with him like this, in the quiet of the night.

"can i, really?" he teases, with his thumb gently brushing my lower lip and his eyes observing his own action, as if he's imagining what it'd be like to have his lips on mine. i wonder that too.

"yes." the word leaves my mouth a bit too fast for my liking, making me look down in embarrassment. although jungkook seems to enjoy it for he just chuckles.

"you sound eager." he has the audacity to point out.

"i—"

he shushes me and leans closer. his one arm supports his weight, while the other one helps him cage me between his bulky body and the thin mattress i sew by myself. it's hard to maintain an eye contact with him when he has his darkened gaze fixed on me, like he's a blink away from devouring me whole. my heart drums like it's two seconds away from jumping out of my chest.

jungkook's too close, his hot breath fanning my cheek. that's it.

"eomma?"

jungkook springs away, falling down straight in place and closes his eyes, pretending to sleep altogether, while i quickly move back to my son, where i'm actually supposed to be. suho rubs his eyes, his hand moving around to find me, making me sigh.

"yeah, i'm here." i assure suho in a soft tone, hugging him and he moves closer to my side, throwing his leg over me, snuggling back to sleep. 

my cheeks burn in embarrassment, recalling everything that just happened a few seconds ago. jungkook was about to kiss me!

when i glance at jungkook, i realise he has opened his eyes and watching me with desperate eyes. it's like he's annoyed with the little disturbance in the moment we were having. maybe suho could've waited for a while.

"good night, jungkook." i whisper, holding back a giggle as jungkook shakes his head, hugging his sister and finally closes his eyes.

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a/n: i thinking about opening the asks after this chapter for the Q/A, so that you guys will have time until the completion of this series to submit your questions. so after reading this you can quickly scroll ahead and drop your questions for different characters of this book and for me as well. i'm so excited for it! i love interacting with you guys <3

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