After the ceremony, Him-Chan and another guard, presumably working for Hoseok, arrived to protect us and be our escorts. We had to wait for the crowd to thin out in the courtyard before we could proceed into the palace. It reminded me of how I waited after the BTS concert for someone to collect me for the fan meet.

I was eager to meet everyone and offer congratulations to Ari, Soon-Bok, and Da-Eun. The absence of Hana would be felt, so I intended to check on Namjoon to ensure he was coping well.

Once the coast was clear, the two guards led us to the same assembly area I was in after the Allocation Ceremony. As we walked, I reflected on how, this time last year, I found myself in the same location. So much had changed in a year. When I was here for the Allocation Ceremony, I was paralysed with fear. Today, though, I only felt relief—nothing could derail my relationship with Jimin. Last year, I had no prospect of motherhood in my future. While I was excited that Esther was pregnant with my babies, part of me was holding back from allowing myself to feel complete happiness. The worry that there was a higher chance the twins would not be Seed Bearers weighed heavily on my mind. Each day, I prayed that I would have the chance to raise our children with the man I loved.

I was caught in my head and wasn't paying attention to what was happening in front of me. So, when Him-Chan was forced to stop by the guard patrolling the palace, I ran into his back.

"Stop where you are!" the serious-looking man ordered. My eyes widened as he withdrew his sword and pointed it at the four of us. "This is a restricted area. No one except Seed Bearers and their females are allowed in."

I could see Eomma Park was about to speak, but the Oracle's voice had her closing her lips. "These two women are with me. Let them in please." As if he was Ali Baba and had uttered 'Open Sesame' at his cave, the guards stepped aside. Bang Si-Hyuk entered the palace first and wandered off in front of us. As soon as the last of our entourage was through the door, I turned towards the entry. The guards had returned to their previous positions, and I felt safe knowing that they were there protecting us.

"Hang on, Him-Chan." My hand that I placed upon the guard's forearm had him halting at my request. "Do I have time to wash this makeup off, please? It's starting to run off me from the heat and I know I will start itching soon because of it."

I saw the two guards silently converse before the one who was most familiar with me nodded. Him-Chan led Jimin's mother and me to a bathroom and, after ensuring it was safe, we both entered. Eomma Park helped me strip off the clothes that I had worn. Because they were damaged from the makeup, she tossed them in the rubbish bin by the sink. Because of our forethought, she pulled out a simple summer dress from her bag while I washed off the streaky foundation. In less than five minutes, I was back to my normal pale skin tone and dressed, ready to see my boyfriend.

It didn't take long until we reached the double doors that sealed off the room where the others were. Hoseok's voice was loud as he laughed about how he overheard Bong-Cha complaining about him. It seemed as if she thought he was gay because he didn't make any effort to initiate anything sexual with her.

"The joke is on her. I love women... just not those who are manipulative or named Jee Bong-Cha!" I heard him say, which was then followed by a round of laughter inside—and outside—the room. I should have remembered that he was a very good judge of character. As I thought about it, I couldn't recall a single time when he was alone with Bong-Cha.

Him-Chan opened the door and ushered Eomma Park and me into the room. As soon as I walked in, a collective gasp filled the air, along with a very happy squeal from my boyfriend.

"You're here, My Love!" Jimin's smile was radiant as he ran to me and swept me up in a celebratory kiss. "I told you it would all work out well."

As Jimin let go of me, I turned to see eight bewildered, confused and shocked faces. Namjoon was looking between Esther and me, his eyes studying one of us before going back to the other. Da-Eun and Jungkook were whispering with each other—probably asking if their eyes were deceiving them. Yoongi apprehensively let go of Ari's hand and walked towards Esther. Like a curious cat, he touched her belly and when he felt it was real, he squealed in shock.

"What is going on here, Jimin?" the blue-haired man asked gruffly. "And why are you and Soon-Bok not shocked by this, Seokjin?"

"I am Nell, and this," I said, moving to stand beside my sister, "is my twin sister, Esther."

"Why is she pregnant and you are not?" Namjoon probed. His jaw clenched as his neck elongated the same way RM did when he was annoyed or angry. "Jimin, my assigned female is waiting to die because she couldn't fall pregnant but here you are... with two? That doesn't seem fair at all! Why do you get to skirt the rules when the rest of us have to abide by them?"

"Ah, good. I got here right on time," the Oracle announced as he wandered through the double doors. "You have raised some very valid questions, Namjoon. I promise you will receive your answers. But first, I ask that we all relocate from here to the Park's residence. I fear that we will be overheard here. Besides, I must admit, I quite fancy some of the baked goods Nell has prepared."

I shouldn't have been surprised with the last statement from the Oracle. He would have been able to see in his visions that I'd spent the last couple of days stress-baking. With a confirming nod from Eomma Park, we all headed towards the carriages to make our way to the palace.

Jimin and I shared the smaller of the carriages—the one that his mother and I had arrived in. Esther asked if she could ride with Eomma Park so he and I could have privacy. The whole trip home, my boyfriend and I acted like two teenagers as we made out in the back seat. Nothing went past second base. But, by the time we were pulling up outside the palace, we both were panting with arousal. I needed to change my panties, and I could see the very obvious outline of Jimin's erection. Since we were the first to arrive, we were able to duck up to our old room and change undergarments.

Shortly after we settled into the spacious lounge, the rest of the Seed Bearers came wandering in. Jimin's brothers and father were also there, shocked to see the large congregation in their house. The two baby Bearers were also here. Each was carried by one of their parents—Da-Eun held Minjun, while Yoongi carried Hyeon-Ju. Apart from Hana, the three women who plotted against me, and Jimin's eldest brother, everyone was here.

Eomma Park gave a brief rundown of the Dissolution Ceremony to her husband and sons. It was safe to say that no one missed Ma-Ri or Bong-Cha, although many did voice how much they would miss Hana. Even though she was quiet and kept to herself most of the time, she had made a big impact on us all.

"You promised us answers," Namjoon said, turning to the Oracle, who was sitting on one of the armchairs nibbling on a square of brownies I had made during my stress-fuelled baking yesterday; when they had been brought out by the maids, the entire Park family threw me dirty looks since I had told them that the batch I had baked was no good

"You promised us answers," Namjoon stated, facing the Oracle who sat in an armchair, nibbling on a square of the brownies I had stress-baked the day before. When the maids presented the baked goods, the entire Park family shot me disapproving glances. I'd told them that this batch of brownies (the second lot I made yesterday) was no good. If I didn't limit them to one batch of brownies at a time, the family would consume them all in a matter of minutes.

"Yes, I did tell you that," the older man said between mouthfuls. He turned towards my sister and me, asking, "Ladies if you don't mind, I would prefer to speak first if that's okay. I have another engagement to get to after this and I have seen I'll miss it if I stay until after your explanations."

I nodded while Esther agreed that he could speak before us. I didn't know about my sister, but I was thankful to have some time to figure everything out in my head. Jimin and I had planned on telling everyone about my twin sister today, but we didn't envision it happening this way.

"Let me start by saying that everything that happened this year was meant to happen this way. I regret that some of you, particularly Elenor, Hoseok, and Taehyung, have been more entangled in this situation than others. But it has affected all of you." The Oracle stopped for a sip of tea, oblivious to how we were his captive audience, left on the edges of our seats as we waited for him to continue. "Before the Allocation Ceremony, I was sent a vision. Normally when my mind's eye is shown the future, it is short pictures that I have to decipher. However, the one I was sent that day was crystal clear. I was shown snippets of the past year, along with the future in two different scenarios.

"One was a vision of what would come to be should Kim Ma-Ri and Jee Bong-Cha were not chosen as assigned females. In this premonition, our strong country was reduced to rubble. Death, famine and despair ran rampant after a devastating war.

"However, in the second vision I was shown, the Greater Kingdom of Korea was flourishing. Our nation would be stronger than ever if these two women were selected. As unfortunate as their actions were, I chose to follow this vision for the sake of our people.

"Taehyung, I know hearing about the baby's existence must have come as a shock to you. Before you ask... Yes, I was well aware that a child was included when I sentenced the three of them to death. However, that too, was part of the vision. I saw that the child would have spelt disaster for our country should he have been born."

I didn't know what to make of the constant bombshells that Bang Si-Hyuk was dropping on us. Along with knowing that I had come from another universe when he chose me, it seemed the man also knew that two of the assigned women were bad apples. To prevent the spoilage of the entire country, the two women were dealt with in a way that would ensure the Greater Kingdom of Korea would continue to be a proud and strong country. I felt sorry for the baby that had been caught up in everything; to be honest, I didn't know my position on condemning it to death before it was even born. It felt like Bang S-Hyuk decided that nature would overrule nurture. Considering the outcomes for the two women raised by those who were not their biological mothers, it seems the Oracle may have made the correct decision.

"I don't know about you, Hoseok. But I for one am glad to not be connected with my assigned female anymore," Taehyung said in a bittersweet manner. "The things I've learned today have broken my trust in the whole process. I only remember having sex with Ma-Ri once very early on in our year, which would have been too long ago to result in a pregnancy now."

The Oracle, with a tone of sympathy, offered to the man with mint-coloured hair, "If you wish, I can reveal what she has done." When Taehyung shook his head, the older man nodded. Sometimes it was better not knowing. "Anyone have any questions for me before I take my leave?"

When no one said anything, Si-Hyuk asked if he could take some of the delicious treats with him. Eomma Park scurried to make up a to-go container for the man. After a glance around the room, he declared that everything was back to the way it was meant to be, and then he left.

"I guess it's our turn, right, Squish?" I nodded at my sister. I hoped she had an idea of where to start because I didn't. "As Nell said back at the palace, I am Esther, her twin sister. As you can see, I am pregnant with Jimin's baby."

"H-how...? Did you two...? Nell, were you...?" Hoseok's brain must have been glitching as none of his sentences were coming out completed. I thought we'd broken the Seed Bearer by the way he was stuttering. I wondered whether the others were reacting the same way.

Jimin held his hand up as if to silence any further questions. "Before anyone asks, I have been completely faithful to Nell. We used another method to impregnate her with my seed. The two of us never had sex, and as much as I love her like a sister, I never want to sleep with Esther."

"You never told us that little fact. Park Jimin, you were holding out!" Seokjin joked, causing the other Seed Bearers, Ari and Da-Eun to look at him and Soon-Bok. I could see they realised that the couple had known about this long before today. "What did you use?"

"To answer that question will only result in more questions that will lead to misunderstandings," I replied cryptically. "For it to make sense, we need to tell you guys everything."

Jimin held my hand as I began to explain to everyone in the room about how Esther and I had travelled through universes. As I had expected, some did not believe a word I said. Jimin's father even stormed out, ranting "I can't believe the woman my son is in love with is a pathological liar!"

"Baby, I'll take Seokjin with me, and we can grab the bag if you like," Jimin offered after kissing me on my cheek. I nodded, suggesting that the two also take Namjoon with them. The orange-haired man was one of the people I could see were doubting the truth of my explanation. If we could sway him into believing the truth, the others would also come around.

The short wait was spent in an awkward silence. Eomma Park had managed to convince her husband to return and hear Esther and me out. With the way he glared at me, I could tell that it would take a lot to regain the trust that had been inadvertently broken. Da-Eun and Ari had both excused themselves from the room as they took their sons so they could feed in privacy.

꧁♥💜♥꧂

"So, you're saying that my brother and these guys," Jihyun gestured toward the other Seed Bearers, "are a band of singer-dancers?"

Esther and I nodded in agreement. The claim that we came from another universe became more credible when Jimin, Namjoon, and Seokjin returned with a duffle bag full of evidence. The books and merchandise were circulated among the group, yet it was the same two items that had convinced Jimin, his mother, Seokjin, and Soon-Bok that ultimately persuaded everyone else. As soon as the tablets were turned on and BTS' music filled the air, there was no disputing our claim. Even Mr Park couldn't dispute our claims after witnessing what he referred to as 'alien technology' on video.

"Yes, they are probably the biggest group in the world right now." I smiled with pride as I looked at the seven Seed Bearers. "Hoseok is known as J-Hope and he is one of the best dancers in the world. Not only that, but he is also a very talented rapper, too. Seokjin, who fans know as Jin, has one of the sweetest voices—"

"Tell them my nickname!" Seokjin butted in. He looked like a little kid as he bounced on his chair with excitement.

"I knew we should have never told him," Esther muttered to me under her breath. As I giggled and nodded, she said, "Jin is known as Mr Worldwide Handsome—a name, I have to point out, was self-appointed."

When Jungkook learned he was an all-rounder, he giggled with glee. But, he was told to keep still because he was holding his sleeping son. Taehyung's expression lit up as if he had received the greatest gift upon discovering that his deep, soulful voice was the secret weapon unveiled at their debut. When he attempted to sing, his tone was the same, yet it was evident that in this universe, he lacked training. Yoongi sat back and nodded in his signature Suga manner when it was revealed that he was one of the best rappers in the business. His gummy smile came out when he heard that he was also a highly sought-after music producer who had written many of the band's songs. The guys all smiled as we described how Jimin was not only as skilled a dancer as Hoseok but also possessed the voice of an angel.

Namjoon's reaction was not one that I was expecting. When we told him that he was the leader of the group as well as being a rapper, writer and producer, he cried fake tears. "If the rest of the guys are anything like these Seed Bearers... I feel so sorry for my counterpart for having to wrangle them all the time. He must be incredibly stressed!"

I looked over at Esther and shook my head at her. Neither of us wanted to break it to him that the Seed Bearers were 1000 times less chaotic than his band members.

"I remain sceptical about one thing," Mr Park said as he watched his son's Serendipity performance on the tablet. "There's no way the Oracle is their manager. That just seems too hard to believe."

"I thought the same thing when I first saw the Oracle!" Esther replied amongst giggles. "I couldn't picture the man who fans all know as the father figure of the group as someone who holds such power here. Until I saw it with my own eyes, I thought Nell was telling me lies."

I smiled at Eomma Park as she led her husband and son away, after telling us that we needed time to ourselves so the Seed Bearers could process the news. She hugged both Esther and me tight and once again welcomed us both into the family.

I leaned against Jimin's chest as we watched our friends learn all about the band my sister and I loved. Esther was answering any questions they had, so I took the chance to enjoy the moment with my boyfriend. It was starting to sink in that I didn't have to worry about the status of my life anymore.

I was safe, and so were my sister and the twins.

One thing we hadn't told the others about was the fact that there were two babies in Esther's belly. They'd had enough bombs dropped on them today that I didn't want to overload them.

"Don't forget our deal, Baby," Jimin said to me as he slipped to sit behind me, so we were both more comfortable. "Tonight, your ass is mine to fuck."

A noise to the right of us had me looking into the faces of three very shocked Seed Bearers. Jungkook and Seokjin had their mouths open as if they had dropped without knowing. Hoseok's cheeks were flushed a bright red as he looked anywhere but at me.

"Is that even possible?" Seokjin asked, his face morphing from a look of shock to one of intrigue.

Jimin nodded with a bright smile. "Yes, and I get to try it tonight!"

I wanted to slap my boyfriend for announcing that we were going to have anal sex but I was interrupted when Da-Eun asked what he was going to try. Esther was barely holding in her laughter as I started to explain that sex encompasses more than just the missionary position. I knew my cheeks were as red as Hoseok's, especially when Jimin began to list off positions that I had taught him.

"I bet you never thought today would end with you teaching BTS about different sex positions, hey Squish?" Esther asked with a shit-eating grin. "And nope, before you ask, I am not helping you out. Your bum—or should I say, Jimin wanting to root your bum—got you into this mess, so it can get you out of it."

I sighed and leaned into Jimin's side. Relentless questions came barrelling towards me from the Seed Bearers and the other women. Esther was right. I never thought I would ever be educating BTS on sex... But then again, I never thought one of the members would be the love of my life and soulmate either. I found my home at the bottom of a magical set of stairs, and I never wanted to go back to my old life.

I looked around the room and said, "The first step to mind-blowing sex is..."

* This marks the end of the story but there are two epilogues to round it out. Thank you for everyone who has taken the time to read my story. I appreciate and love you all.