Love Is a Game: For Foolish Girls’ and Devils’ Plays
Chapter 2: Love Is a Game: For Political Enemies
Word Count: ~ 10.7k+
Description: They say love is a game for fools; but how can you win a game, you never wished to be a part of?
We were always friends – or rather, two neighbouring countries king’s children, who were forced to be friendly with one and other, to avoid further war between our lands.
But somewhere in the space of time and laughs, the line between friends and politics disappeared;
Warning for the chapter: mentions of war, jealousy, angst, verbal fights, this is a yandere story, please keep that in mind. If any is missed, please tell me, so I can add them!
Warnings for the series: mentions of war, yandere themes, blackmail, verbal fights, 18+, smut, blood, more will be added with time
!In no way of shape and form do I think this is how Jungkook acts in real life, this is pure work of fiction, so if you choose to read it, please keep that in mind!
The life of a princess. Smile, wave, never express your opinions, and smile once more for good measure.
Three actions that perfectly describes your past weeks. Now, that you’re officially the future Queen, you expected to be given more tasks, responsibilities, but in turn you were given more headaches.
You look over the scenery, wild forest stretches for miles, and sweet birds chirp their lullabies, you breathe in the fresh air. Three and a half weeks on the road, travelling from country to country, you relinquish the small stop, having the ability to stretch your muscles after days in the carriage.
Footsteps quickly approach you, and you turn to see Anthony, your assistant, nervously shuffle from foot to foot and deeply bow. His behavior slowly distinguishes your bead of hope, but still you hold on to what’s left of it, and ask “Any letters?”
The words leave your mouth in a hurry, and you wince from the pain in your cheeks; smiling for weeks on end has its consequences, now it not only feels as if you’re eating glass shards whenever you smile, but the sharp pain has managed to creep in whenever you open your mouth to speak. Muscle overstimulation, doctor said, but unfortunately that doesn’t stop your duties.
You sigh as he shakes his head. Three and a half weeks, and not a single word from him, you guess you deserve it, but now, when you’re more confused than ever, you need his support. Anthony takes a step forwards, and pulls an envelope from his jacket pocket, “But, Your Grace, there is another letter from Prince Jeon”
You carefully assess the outstretched letter, as if it will bite you if you move any closer. After the eventful conversation with your father, the Grand Tour was brought forward, and you left the following day. It wasn’t your choice, father’s trusted advisor, Felix, announced the news, and somehow you didn’t find a single bone in your body to repel against it.
You left in a hurry, mind occupied with thousand what ifs, and didn’t find the time, or rather want, to properly farewell Jungkook. He managed to grab a hold of you, just as you were about to aboard the carriage.
You still remember his confused gaze, trying to grab a hold of your coat, as you shied away from his touch with the excuse everyone was waiting on you. He must be confused, but then again, so are you. And you might be petty, but as of right now, you can’t seem to find anyone else to blame but him.
You look up at Anthony, “How long ‘till we arrive at Southern Andevia?” Anthony clumsily looks at his watch, and mutters “If we travel steadily, we might arrive before the nightfall.”
You hum, that should be in around four hours. You take a look at the carriage, and already dread to go back into the claustrophobic space, but you soothe yourself with the idea, that in less than a week you’ll be back in your bed.
“All right then, we should head off, no point wasting time.” You announce and grab the letter from Anthony’s hands. You tap the carriages door, and within a minute, you take off. A look to the back window makes you chuckle, how every worker stumbles upon their feet to quickly get into the cars.
How lucky they are, what wouldn’t you do to relax against the leather seats, but instead you have to represent the crown. You must shine, and be noticeable, smile and represent the title, even if your muscles scream in pain.
You put Jungkooks letter next to the other ones, ten to be precise. It is a mystery how he manages to track you down; each letter reaches you, and somehow, he manages to even call you.
How that is possible you don’t have a clue, as the phones were present only in some of the destinations, but unbeknownst to that, he not only knew where to find you, but also when. Your schedule was all over the place, and still he knew when you’d be by the reach. You guess being the prince has its own advantages.
On the other hand, father has managed to evade every possibility of contacting you, you’ve sent out at least 7 letters, and called him at every stop possible. But somehow no letter has gotten back to you, and even more so handy, he has been out of the palace every time you tried to call him.
You understand his disappointment in you, he has the validation to be angry, but what are you supposed to do? He prohibited any kind of contact with Jeons, but now he expects you to visit their Kingdom. Now, when you’ve met the tip of the iceberg of what they’re planning. How are you supposed to handle that?
You shake your head with a sigh and grab another sheet of paper. He can try and ignore you, but it doesn’t mean that you’ll let him do so in peace.
You feel foolish writing the letter, you know that with each one you seem more and more desperate, but what other choice do you have? You write the same message over and over, trying your hardest to not mention Jungkook or the documents, as to not anger him more.
Pen lingers before the paper, as you try to devise how to end the letter. Apparently nice doesn’t work, so you might as well be direct.
I understand Your hurt, but unless Your desired outspring is to see our Kingdom in ruins, You must guide me. There are three nightfall’s before I depart on my journey to Kingdom of Bellum Sanguini, and I am sure King Jeon will not hassle if You take my position.
You ponder of adding more, but is there any point if there’s no guarantee he will answer this time? So, you quickly sign off, and remind yourself to give the letter to Anthony first chance you get.
Three nightfall’s before you’re met with Jungkook and his father. Three nightfall’s for you to figure out a plan of action. You tear open the latest letter, to check if Jungkook’s attitude has changed. You notice how each letter gradually got shorter.
The first letter was long, two pages to be precise, and now you’ve somehow stepped onto the dangerous road. You’re met with three words, no more and no less. See you soon, greets you, and you know he is mad.
Perhaps damaging the only stable relationship with Jeons was the worst-case scenario, but you’ve no clue how else you could’ve handled the situation. Father prohibited any sort of contact with him, but you must admit, even if he didn’t, you’d still have no clue how to act.
Confronting him would be a sign of aggression and lying simply wouldn’t work. He knows you, perhaps better than you do yourself, and if you’d spit out a lie, he’d bite through it faster than the speed of light.
It’s pointless, there’s no right answer. You sigh and pick up the list of things you must go over with Namjoon, you might as well do at least this one thing right. After a while, words start to blend together, and with the last conscious thought you close the curtains before allowing the mental exhaustion to lull you to mindless dreams.
You wake as the carriage slowly comes to a stop. You open the curtains and see Namjoon’s white mansion in front of you. It’s definitely not a castle, but then again, he’s not a King. The exterior walls are decorated with Baroque elements, and you see Namjoon walking down the stairs with a big smile.
You pat your hair down and try to wake yourself from the sleep. The carriages door opens, and you quickly gather the papers together, before you step outside.
Namjoon comes towards you with outstretched arms, and lightly bows; you breathe a sigh of relief, as he kisses your hand in greetings. You try to smile in return, but judging by his laughter, you’re sure that the face you managed to pull, must remind more of a grimace, than a smile.
“Let me guess, muscle overstimulation?” he asks with his never dying smile, and you only grumble in dissatisfaction. “Oh, those good old days, what wouldn’t I do to go back.” Namjoon guides you to the manor, but before you step in, you hand Anthony the letter, and watch how he steps into a car and drives off.
“Well, as of right now, I’d do close to anything to fall into my own bed.” Namjoon only shakes his head and leads you throughout the bright halls. It’s as if the house is always full of daylight, no matter if the sky has fallen dark, the lights and bright walls shimmer, as if rays of sunlight cherish it.
“Believe me when I say, worst is yet to come, so I’d suggest you cherish it.” You look at him with a disapproving gaze, “Afterwards, you’ll start to make decisions, and you’ll see how the smiles of your people slowly start to fade. So, yes, cherish it, as it won’t last.”
You hum lost in your thoughts, a sense of truth clouds his words, and perhaps all of the mess Jungkook threw you in, won’t last. You hope that the media sees you as a shiny, new jewel needed to dissect only for now, and perhaps that was father’s plan all along. To divert the media from both of you, till they follow the next new trend, and leave your name free from the drama.
You stop in front of a door, and Namjoon turns towards you, “If you’re anything like me, then exhaustion must cripple your nerves. Get some rest, tomorrow will surely be eventful.”
You’re thankful for his consideration and caress his arm in gratitude. No words are exchanged, as you step into your temporary room. The bed looks so inviting, and you don’t waste any time removing your clothes, and climbing in it.
Before you close your eyes, you notice the telephone on the bedside table. Mindlessly you grab it, and with bated breath wait for the line to go through. A soft-spoken woman answers, probably one of the maids, and you ask her to redirect you to your father.
But of course, the answer doesn’t differ, “Pardon me, Your Grace, but The King has retired for the night,” you close your eyes and sigh, of course he has, “Would you like me to awaken him-” you hear her voice shake, and quickly interrupt her,
“No, no, but please do tell him to call me first thing in the morning.” You hear her stutter some more, but at this point you can’t be bothered, and put the telephone down.
You feel tears well up in the corner of your eye; this is not how you expected everything to go. Suddenly father hates you, all that everyone associates you with is Jungkook, your only task is to smile and learn some pointless cards of what each leader likes, so there’s no awkward pauses, as well as political phrases you have to mention. Phrases that you’re too dumb to even fully understand.
But worst of all, you’ve no one to talk to.
You try to calm your breath and get yourself together. Sleep seems as the only escape you’ll be given any time soon, so with a shaking breath you close your eyes and imagine simpler times. It seems unfair how life manages to turn 180 and you’ve no control of it.
Jeon Jungkook, the root of your problems. But also, your friend. You desperately want to scream and curse him, yet at the same time hide in his embrace, and cry out all of your fears and hurt. How can you cherish someone with all of your heart yet blame them for burning the ground you walk on.
Quickly you realize that there’s no space for emotions or problems within your duties. You must get up and smile, as if the world spins in perfect circles. Millions of people depend on you, and if they sense that something is amiss, your problems quickly become their own.
The only problem lies in the fact, that your duties aren’t nine-to-five, rather, they never stop. The only time when you’re truly free, is when you’re alone. And the thought disturbs your mental peace further, because when you’re lost within you, sitting alone with your thoughts only pushes you further in.
So, fake it till you make it quickly becomes your moto. It’s not hard to greet the maids with a smile, when you convince yourself that everything is indeed all right. To a certain degree life seems simpler when you walk around with no care in the world.
Memorizing the dreadful phrases seems even fun, and you feel a sense of lightness as you step into the dining area, cheerfully greeting the owner of the manor himself.
“Someone’s woken up refreshed” Namjoon notes as he watches you over the newspaper. You step closer to the table, and notice newspapers spread all over the table. One piques your interest, as you recognize it to be your Kingdoms national ‘paper, and on the front your father visiting a local school. Apparently, he has enough time for that.
You move your attention to Namjoon, and sit in front of him, “Indeed, I thought over your words last night, and concluded that I might as well enjoy the time before everyone hates me”
Namjoon lightly tsks, and you stop a servant, before they start to plate your food. You select your breakfast dish and sit back, might as well rip the band aid off quickly, “Your country exports gas, if I’m not mistaken?”
He puts the newspaper down and hums in agreement before he digs in his own plate, “My Kingdom would like to draw an agreement to start importing it from your country.” Namjoon stops eating and looks at you with a complatating gaze, silence slowly overtakes the room, and you start eating, while awaiting his response.
“Isn’t your supplier the Jeon Kingdom?” now is your turn to hum, if you’re completely honest, you’re not sure, but at this moment you guess, that he probably knows more, so you roll with it.
“Think of it as diversifying.” You point at him with your fork. The man picks at his food and continues, now in a lighter tone, “We do use natural gas, so it would be better for your country.”
You nod your head, trying to follow his words, “It would be great business, and in the end both of us would be winners,” Namjoon crosses his arms, as he munches on a pickle, “Have your representatives send us the contract, it will take time, but I don’t see any obstacles getting in the way.”
You sigh in relief, and mentally tick off one of the points. You raise your orange juice glass, and cinque it with Namjoon’s, and the conversation falls into mindless chats, as you enjoy your breakfast.
“What’s today’s agenda?”
“We’ll visit the center, and the Monument of Freedom. So, prepare yourself for couple of smiles and hand shaking.” You hum in acknowledgment, there will probably be quite a bit of paparazzies, and subconsciously you start massaging your cheeks. Thankfully the pain isn’t unbearable today.
A servant comes up to Namjoon, and whispers something in his ear, you watch in wonder how Namjoon straightens his back and professionally responded, “Of course, tell him I’ll join him in my office in five.”
Both of you watch how the servant sprinted out of the dining area, and Namjoon turns towards you with a smile, “Hope you don’t mind if we have additional company” you smile back and shake your head, wondering if Namjoons father decided to join you, you haven’t seen him in a while.
“Of course not, additional company is always welcomed” Namjoons winning smile and small tutt makes you respond with a raised eyebrow, “And here I was, hoping, that my company is all you needed”
You giggle at his words, his proud smirk only furthering your laughter. Namjoons presence gives you a sense of carefree safety, which God knows you missed out on during the last couple of weeks. You sit back and as you’re ready to respond, the door opens once more, but the awaited maid is replaced by a dark silhouette, one with whom you’re awfully familiar with.
Your body feels frozen, and you watch in shock how Jungkook strikes in with the maid nervously following behind. Your eyes meet, and the light tilt of his head combined with his clenched jaw makes you slide deeper into the chair.
Namjoon rises sharply from the chair to greet him, but you can’t take your gaze away from him, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. Jungkook reluctantly looks at Namjoon and nods his head when he bows to him.
“Prince Jungkook, pleasure to see you” they shake hands, and Jungkook only hums before his gaze glides back to you. You take a deep breathe and stand up. Act normal, he’s your friend, everything is alright.
“Prince Jungkook” You smile (or rather grimace) and put out your hand for a handshake. He gazes at it with furrowed brows and takes it in his own. “Reagan” he firmly says and kisses your knuckles. Startled, you quickly take it back, and awkwardly cough and look at Namjoon.
He watches the interaction with clear confusion etched across his face. You feel Jungkooks eyes burning daggers in your head, as if mentally screaming and demanding you to look at him. The situation is saved by Namjoon, as he coughs and asks, “I expected to meet you in my office?”
You nod your head along his words, like your life depended on it, and hear Jungkook speak, “Pardon me, didn’t want to disturb your breakfast, so decided to join you.” You still feel his gaze on the side of your face.
You take this as your que and quickly interrupt before Namjoon manages to respond, “Perfect, we just finished, and I should go ahead and get ready for my busy day” you put pressure on the word, to make sure he doesn’t get any funny ideas.
You excuse yourself and mutter to Namjoon to meet you in an hour and quickly leave the room. You manage to breath a sigh of relief and walk towards your room. Jungkook completely caught you off-guard, you had been preparing yourself for the unavoidable meeting, but now that he’s here, your heart beats faster in nervousness.
Now his last letter makes sense, you only wish he would’ve explained just how soon you were to meet. The thought lays heavy in your head, and now you think over every possibility and option, cursing your past self, for ignoring him.
You’ll have to act as normal as possible, while at the same time keeping space from him. Is that even possible? You open your rooms door, only to be met with Anthony in the middle of it. Once he noted you, he stood tall and proudly bowed down to you.
You look at him with a questioning gaze, and ask, “Anthony, I don’t recall calling for you?” he only steps closer to you, and for a second you swear, you see his upper lip tremble along with his mustache. “Your Grace, I just wanted to say there’s not any letters from Kingdom of Otium Lepor.”
You sigh at the revelation, now even if he does suddenly change his mind, there’s no guarantee you’ll get the message in time. “Any calls?” you ask with the last reminding hope, only for it to distinguish when Anthony shakes his head.
You don’t wait for him to continue and raise your hand, “You’re dismissed.”
The maids helped you to get ready, while all you could think of is what to say to him. He would probably understand if you said that you were busy and tired, right? But then again, it sounds like bulshit even to you. Even more so, if he was at father’s palace when you started sending letters, it would look really bad.
The wintertime was coming, and you’re thankful for the wool dress that keeps your body warm. You wait for Namjoon at the entrance of the manor, and enjoy the mix of orange and red leaves, and the delicate sun rays, that caress your skin.
You hear muffled sounds behind you, and you turn, expecting to see Namjoon, only for him to be accompanied by the one you’re trying to avoid. “Oh, Reagan!” Namjoon hurries his steps towards you, “Prince Jungkook will accompany us today, as it would improve our nations relationship.”
You look at him lip tight and nod your head. Wonder whose idea might that be. “Alright then, you should head off first, I’ll follow closely behind.” Namjoon interrupts, “Follow?”
You look at him chin held high and confidence oozing from your body, “Yes, it would be improper for an unwed lady to arrive in the same carriage with two men”
Jungkook slowly shakes his head and his tongue rolls against his cheek, “Because we don’t act like children anymore, right?”
Now, what’s that supposed to mean?
You tilt your head with squinted eyes, and step aside so they could move past you. Perhaps he doesn’t say much, but still, it’s more than enough to leave the memo behind. You watch how their carriage drives off, and slowly step into your own.
If beforehand you comforted yourself with the idea that within a mere week everything would be over, now the glooming week seems like an eternity.
You look out the window, and wave to Namjoon’s people, who await you on the streets. You sigh a breath of relief, seeing how everyone smiles, and children jump up and down, trying to get a better sight of you.
The action calms you, somehow his country remind you of your own, previous weeks engraving how happy your own people are, singing songs, throwing flowers, and welcoming you with open arms.
Carriage stops and the door opens, you climb down and feel the wave of cheers embrace you. You find Namjoon and move towards him, all while smiling and waving to the crowd. Flowers are thrown from left to right and over your head, the occasional flashes of cameras paint your vision bright.
Your try to widen your smile once you’re in front of Namjoon, both of your turning to the crowd and waiving politely. Discreetly you try to find Jungkook, only for him to be as stoic and cold as possible couple of meters away from you.
You see him move closer to you, and unnoticeably move to the other side of Namjoon, so he would have no other choice but to walk next to him. Namjoon leans down to your ears, and instantly couple more flashes blind you, “We’ll walk to the monument, it’s not too far.”
You nod, all while continuously waiving. The streets even remind you of your home, the exterior, and warm colors making you feel safe and secure.
The crowd seemingly follows you, and you find yourself in front of the monument. It truly looks the same as the one in your Kingdom, the proud memorial was built decades ago, in most of the countries that suffered greatly from the war, symbolic reminder of the united pain and suffering, as well as what could’ve been. You look towards Anthony, and he brings you a bouquet of flowers which you rest near the monument.
A silence takes over the space, as you bow your head and think over the painful past. Even the crowd goes silent for the minute, only occasional flash going off. You feel Namjoon moving, and mindlessly follow him towards the microphone, and stay put by him, as he addresses the crowd,
“Today we welcome our allies and friends into our country,” you smile, as the crowd cheers, “and I am truly honored to guest Prince Jungkook and Princess Reagan and show them around our proud country.”
“It is the will of God, that now, decades later, we are able to stand by one another, and relish the strength that comes with union. Let’s welcome our friends, and build our future stronger, together.” Crowd claps profusely at his words, and you smile in regards, when you hear your name chanted.
The tree of your move closer for a picture, and the cameras goes off, when you’re in touching distance one to another. As you’re about to move further, you hear the crowd shouting more prominently, and you train your ears to listen in with a confused smile.
Soon the crowd chants in unison, and you shudder a breath, once you realize what they’re saying. Frozen you watch how Jungkook comes closer to you, to comply their wishes. Your smile is stretched on your face, and you hope they don’t pick up on how tense is your body.
You look towards Namjoon in search for help, but he steps away for Jungkook to come closer to you. Mentally you curse, this is the last thing you needed; you feel Jungkooks hand around your middle, and flashes overwhelm your vision.
You feel lightheaded, the force of the cameras and shouts hurting your brain. This must be why father denied any contact with Jungkook – that’s the only thing everyone can focus on, your mission, or your lone existence completely forgotten. Now it’s just ‘you and Jungkook’, and ‘we’. Banners which previously you didn’t mind, whereas now thread lightly against.
Father will receive the photos best case tomorrow morning; at this point you’re just waiting for him to disown you. He’s already ignoring you as it is, and now he’ll think you consciously go against his will.
His hand around your waist doesn’t comfort you as it once did, now it feels more like a stake driven into the ground. Even worse so, you know how improper his actions are, he’s not supposed to touch you, you’re in public, yet once again – rules don’t include him, right?
You detach yourself from him after a couple of seconds, and quickly go back to Namjoon, asking him to move forwards.
The whole day is spent like this, Jungkook trying to catch a hold of you, using publics demand as his motive, whereas you run around in circles, trying to distance yourself yet seem busy. Crowd is your biggest lifeboat, you cling to them, shake their hands, and accept flowers.
Meanwhile the people don’t seem like your saving grace no longer, almost all of the questions thrown at you center around the same thing, and you train your hearing to figure out if he receives the same attention.
But you’re soon perplexed, when you see him not interacting with the crowd, simply walking in the middle of the street, occasionally waiving. No smile, no pleasantries, just him in his usual public persona, walking, arms crossed over his back.
The streets are livelier than ever, autumns wind unnoticeable, as the sun paints the pathways golden. You wonder if your people would act the same, touring your own Kingdom, you didn’t manage to converse with them, only waiving from the carriage and talking with the city’s government.
So, when the carriage finally stops at the manor, you don’t even feel the hurt of your cheeks, the mental overstimulation left your body lifeless.
You hear the door open, but you can’t make your muscles moves, the dark of your closed eyes being more welcoming. Tomorrow you’ll be departing to his Kingdom, and if you’re being honest, at this point you’re truly scared. The looming threat overhead, father’s anger, everyone’s attention, and Jungkooks intrusive presence. Not even to mention that this is the first time anyone has been invited to travel to their Kingdom in decades.
The pressure is sizzling, and you open your eyes only when someone coughs at the door. The poor doorman probably thought that you were asleep. You exist all while apologizing and climb up the stairs. The hours of walking around in shoes now paying back, the heels of your feet aching with each step.
You walk in and move towards your room; you’re stopped by a shout of your name behind you. You turn and watch how Namjoon lightly jogs towards you, “Princess” he repeats one more time, as he stops next to you.
You smile at him expectantly, awaiting his next words, “I was wondering if you’d like to dine with me” you start to deny his offer, the day exhausted you, and the thought of lying in the bed seemed far more appealing.
Namjoon quickly shakes his head, and lightly taps his forehead, “Let me rephrase that,” he starts, “You seem exhausted, perhaps you’d like to share a cup of wine and relax?” The hopeful glaze in his eyes made it hard to refuse, and even more so, a glass of wine does sound appealing.
You pursue your lips, and try to keep your face as serious as possible, “Are you saying I look bad, Mr. Kim?”
In silent glee you watch the stressed look over his face, how he stutters and franticly moves his hands while trying to gather his thoughts.
You intertwine your hands and tiredly chuckle, extinguishing his doubt, “It would be a shame to refuse a cup of wine.”
The smile that blooms across Namjoons face makes you giggle, and you shove his arm, asking him to show you the direction. The whole way Namjoon keeps pouting about your antiques, apparently you almost gave the poor man a heart attack.
You walk to a more secluded part of his manor, the baroque elements on the walls slowly disappearing, but they are replaced with modern artworks. You carefully assess the artworks as you slowly pass by them, some of the artists you recognize.
Namjoon notices the drift in your attention, and bashfully rans his finger through his hair, “You could say that this is somewhat my personal space,” you simply hum in approval, not taking your gaze away from the paintings, until you’re forced to.
Namjoon guides you to left, and for a second you stand and take in the view. The room is sort of a veranda, glass walls overlooking the dark garden with candles lining against them. The space isn’t grandeur, but it makes it feel homey.
Dark wooden bookcases against the walls, and plush couches filled with pillows and blankets. You move towards them and notice the vine and plate of cheese and grapes on the coffee table. You take a set on the couch and sink into the velvety material; Namjoon sits next to you.
“I tend to come here after a stressful day, it’s secluded and gives time to relax and think.” You hum and take the glass Namjoon fills for you. “I can imagine, was the veranda here before you moved in?” you can’t envisage that; the interior so drastic from the rest of the house, wooden floors and ceilings, a sort of a room from a fairytale.
“No, no, I built it after father left the manor. The house seemed like another workspace.” That is indeed true, even for you your palace is overwhelming at times, and a safe space is vital, even if it’s your garden with chickens.
“How is it, walking in the footprints of your father? Does it not overwhelm you?” you turn towards him, the thought has occupied your mind for a while, finding yourself in similar positions. At the end of the day, his father was the president for years before Namjoon, like some sort of family title passed through generations.
“At first it was overwhelming, I didn’t know what to do, and felt like I was disappointing everyone, especially after my father” you hum, and subconsciously tuck your feet under the dress, relaxing against the couch, now fully facing him.
“But then I started to get the hang of it, it’s not too challenging, but you do have to be on your vits, and public’s opinion can’t influence your decision making too much.” You nod and think over how successful he has been at his role.
Kim family now is valued close to your equal, rulers think highly of them, and their two cents are always taken into consideration. A valuable alliance indeed.
“I hope you’re right; I have been at my duties only for couple of weeks, and already feel like I’m falling under every criteria possible.” You swirl the wine around in your glass and hear a distant hum from Namjoon.
“Is that why you’re stressed?” you move your head left to right, not sure which answer to commit to. “Partly, yes. Seems like every decision I make couldn’t possibly be worse.”
Namjoon opens his mouth lost in thought, as if thinking over his next words, “Today at the center,” he carefully starts, “I noted some tension between you and Prince Jeon.” He looks up at you, and you quickly move your gaze down, “Might that be one of the reasons why?”
You sigh. Guess it’s unavoidable that he noticed something, after all you did spend the whole day together.
“You could say so” is all you manage to mumble, the whole situation too hard to explain, even less so, when you know you shouldn’t enclose any details.
Namjoon runs his hand through his hair, and lightly chuckles, “I expected to be the third wheel as always, but today you were basically glued to my side the whole day.” You groan at how obvious your actions were and hide your face in your hands.
“Please don’t mention that” Namjoon continues to chuckle at your behavior, and pats your head to calm you, “No worries, I enjoyed the company.”
Comfortable silence takes over the space, and you munch on a piece of cheese while looking at the garden. His previous words swim in your mind, and you wonder if public noticed that as well.
“Reagan,” Namjoon starts, and you turn your head in surprise. Both of you stare at each other with widened eyes, until Namjoon clears his throat, “I didn’t mean to overstep any boundaries-” Now it’s your turn to cut him off, “I don’t mind, just a bit unexpected is all.” You smile and watch how his face lights up as well.
Not many people called you by your birth name, to be fair you can think of only three – parents and Jungkook. But then again, it was a long time coming, you and Namjoon have been friends since childhood.
You smile as he repeats your name once more, the word sounds nice rolling from his tongue, “I wanted to apologize for inviting Jungkook with us, I didn’t fully know the situation, but I could’ve gathered just by the morning alone.”
You shake your head, it wasn’t his fault, he didn’t know and even more so – he’s a ruler, and that should be his priority, establishing good relationship with the threatening countries should be his priority.
But you have to admit, it feels nice for someone to be so thoughtful.
“On that note, I thought he was supposed to visit you in a month...?” your statement is more like a question, you quite visibly remember how he spoke of that at your celebration.
Namjoon simply shrugs his shoulders, the same question lingering in his eyes, “Not sure myself, we received the letter only previous night, so it wasn’t preplanned.” That reminds you how Jungkook always knew your schedule even as children, and a lingering thought enters your mind – did he do so to specifically meet you?
“I do have to admit though,” Namjoon fills both of your cups once more, “Secretly, I’m glad you’re here with me. I almost had a heart attack when I was left with him alone.” Laugh escapes you as you imagine the scene, Namjoon clumsily trying to stutter a sentence, while Jungkook stares him down with utter disinterest. Wouldn’t be the first time.
“Oh, I believe that. He can be very intimidating when he wishes to.” You giggle and sip your wine, “I guess being the scary princes only friend isn’t an easy job” Namjoon murmurs and you’re close to rolling your eyes.
“If you only knew,” you look at him and the agonizing month almost spills from your lips. The atmosphere, him, everything seems so cozy and safe; and the heavy burden on your shoulders suddenly seems overpowering.
Perhaps he’d understand, not as your political alliance, but as your friend. A friend, something you’ve missed most of all. And the truth slowly spills, “We didn’t necessarily fight,” Namjoon leans in closer, certainly interested “I received some information, of what he’s been doing behind my back, and-”
You hear the door open behind you, and you watch how the name of the hour walks in. He stops by the door, and takes the scene in. With a raised eyebrow he walks closer to you, and his gaze drifts towards the table, the open wine bottle and snacks staring daggers right back at him.
You feel his gaze on you, and you don’t have a heart to look back. Uncomfortable, you change your position, and sit straight, quickly finding your shoes on the floor. “Maids said I could find you here. Am I disrupting something?” he asks Namjoon, yet you can’t stop the feeling he’s addressing you.
The heavy burden seeps back under your skin, and you understand how wrong the situation at hand may look. You wince at the thought, he has never liked Namjoon, and here he’s caught you both in space that may as well look romantic – oblivious to the fact that most of the conversation centered around him.
You feel ashamed, and you’re not even sure why, perhaps it’s his gaze, that feels threatening and accusing, or perhaps you’re projecting your own feelings. You and Jungkook are platonic, both of you agreed on that, and yet, something feels drastically different.
Namjoon shifts besides you, and you steal a glance at him, lost of any words. He seems to understand the situation well as he meets you gaze with a faux smile, “Not at all, we were just discussing some future plans and alliances.”
He’s trying to safe the predicament, and you’re thankful, but Jungkooks darkening tone screams that he doesn’t believe a word coming out of Namjoon’s mouth.
“Like?” only one word, but the emotion behind it so powerful. You’re not sure if Namjoon notices, but you sure do; you naturally notice the changes in his mood, something you’ve picked up on during all these years.
But nonetheless, Namjoon responds positively, “Well, we’re planning on starting to import gas from my country, a great opportunity for both of us!” He smiles at you, and you try to grin back. But deep down you prepare for Jungkooks berating questions, Namjoon truly tried, but somehow, he manages to make the situation worse.
You sense the doom coming over and feel as its now the best time to leave. You get up, only to be blocked by Jungkooks body, him standing right in front of you, preventing the only possibility of exit.
“Why would you do that? You’ve Jeon energy. If you need more, that’s of no problem” his energy feels heavy, and you cough, trying to signal for him to move. But he doesn’t do so, and you look at him slightly irritated. He sure does know how to tickle your nerves.
The irritation swells, as you look directly in his eyes, and say your previously practiced answer, “Diversifying” but his challenging gaze spurs a sense of defiance in you; why exactly is he challenging you? Both today at the center and now, making sure you can’t escape his presence no matter how hard you try.
“Even more so, every contract has it’s end, so there shouldn’t be any problem with that” you can’t help but bite back, give him the option, and he’ll fine how to get under your nerves. Even now, he doesn’t say anything, but his lone presence ticks you.
The clenched jaw and scrunched eyes just waiting for what you’ve to say, and he knows he manages to irk you, you even think he enjoys it, as his eyes glaze with a sense of mocking delight.
You push past him, and move towards the door, only stopping when he speaks over his shoulders, “Then let me recommend you take another look at the agreement”
Your eyebrow ticks, and you slowly move around to assess his words, his tone doesn’t feel threatening, nothing about him seems dangerous, but could it be possible that his humorous tone hides more menace?
Two can play this game, if he wants to ridicule you, you’ll make sure his delight doesn’t last long; he’s not the only one who knows how to get under one’s skin.
So, you put on the best smile you can gather, and walk towards them, close enough for your dress to graze his skin before you move towards Namjoon, who, bare his soul, looks extremely concerned and alarmed.
“Namjoon,” you sweetly sing along his name, “it was truly a pleasure to spend so much time together,” you pat his shoulder, and smile, “thank you for organizing this beautiful getaway, we most certainly should repeat it first thing I return from Jeon Kingdom.”
You hum once Namjoon takes your hand in his and lightly caresses, “Reagan” is all he manages to mutter in silent agreement. You train your ears to hear Jungkook behind you, but he doesn’t move a single muscle, only calculates your words and movements.
You detach your hands and turn around, and with high ignorance look at Jungkook, and enjoy how his face has contoured into a blank space. “Prince Jungkook” mockingly you incline your head, resembling the smallest bit of a bow, and stride right past him towards the door.
You don’t stop to hear what they’re saying, just stride as fast as you can to your room, praying to God you won’t get lost in these halls. The momentum of pride has extinguished, and now you hurry your steps and mentally hit your head against the wall.
Truthfully this is the last thing you needed, you promised to be civil, to try and act clueless of the documents father gave you, Jungkooks letters and the night you shared. But here you are, acting like a child. You’ll have to spend days with him, with no way of refusal. Yet still you manage to make everything worse.
Once you see the door to your bedroom, a sigh of relief escapes you, and with your one last braincell, you stop and look at the guard by your door, “Do not let anyone in, I don’t want to be disturbed till the morning.”
He doesn’t respond just bows his head, and you quickly shut the door. You move to the vanity to get ready for the night and drag your hands over your face. This is a mess, why did your father let you do this all on your own.
You swear Jungkook brings out the worst in you, how he manages to make you feel like the most loved girl one second, and the next bring your blood to boil, is out of your hands. You can’t figure it out, and now you stare in the mirror and swear, usually you don’t act like this. You don’t let your emotions get the best of you, but then why can’t you manage to do anything but let your emotions guide you?
You look tired, and are those small wrinkles decorating your forehead? Honestly, you wouldn’t be surprised, you’ve frowned more during the past weeks than you’ve in your whole life.
You massage a cream on your face and mourn the next couple of days; you’ll be forced to be in the same space as Jungkook for days on end, and on top of all – you’ll have to be at your best behavior.
If there’s one thing that father made you know, is that this visit is crucial, and no mistakes will be forgiven. The nightgown falls on your shoulders, and you’re ready to climb in the bed, till you hear commotion outside of the door.
It’s him, you distinctly hear Jungkooks voice, and by the sounds of it, the guard is blocking him from barging into your room. You thank yourself for asking the guard to not let anyone in and try to move as silently as possible towards the bed, making sure to overstep any creaking board.
You throw the blanket over yourself, it certainly has been longer than a minute, and yet you still hear Jungkooks voice loud and clear. You close your eyes and hope that the guard doesn’t fall under the pressure, you know how pursuing Jungkook can be when he wishes to.
Jungkook curses and you hear a bang against the door. You close your eyes trying to forget about everything, and silence falls over the space. Your knuckles grow stiff over the blanket, and you’re not sure if the silence unnerves you even more.
The night passes swiftly, you feel as if you haven’t slept more than 30 minutes before maids come to wake you up. You’re lost in your thoughts as they braid your hair and help to dress you. It will be a long road and the knowledge calms you, hopefully by then you’ll manage to get yourself together and figure out a strategy.
You walk down the hall and feel another body accompanying you. You turn your head to see Jungkook walking next to you, and sigh, first thing in the morning, but you still don’t have any peace from him.
“Jungkook” curtly you acknowledge him without stopping. His hand grabs yours and pulls you to a stop, annoyed you look up at him. His face isn’t colored in anger like it was yesterday, but you wait for him to start the same song all over again.
But it doesn’t come, rather he looks at you confused, and with uncertainty asks, “Reagan, what is going on?” Sincerity clouds his words, and for a second you feel a sense of pity, yesterdays threatening tone is gone, but it doesn’t change his previous motives.
“You tell me,” You mutter with a hard gaze, “What was that yesterday? Storming in and threatening around? Almost barging into my room like a mad man?” you try to keep your voice down, and discreetly look around if no one hears you, but still, you can’t help but bite each word out, yesterday’s anger still present.
He looks at you and ticks his head, “What else was I supposed to do? You completely shut me out and out of a sudden you’re on romantic engagements with Kim” he pauses and searches your eyes for an answer.
He opens his mouth to continue, but you cut him off, “What did you expect me to do? If I wanted to speak with you, I would’ve answered. But that of course doesn’t suit you, as ‘no’ doesn’t exist in your books, right?” you quote your fingers with a humorless laugh, and watch how his blank expression slowly turns red.
“So, suddenly it’s my fault? You decide to ignore me, might I add without a reason, and I’m at-”, you don’t let him finish the sentence, “You know I have my reasons, stop acting clueless, it doesn’t work with me.”
“Like what?” you manage to bite your tongue before you spill the conversation with father, and massage your temples, “Exactly, nothing. And here you are, putting blame on me for reaching out.”
“Reaching out?” astonished you look at him, “Since when reaching out is banging at my door and following me?” he starts to speak, but you can’t find a reason to listen, “So, that is the problem? Me wanting to figure out why you can’t do as much as look at me?”
“You don’t listen. I can, but I don’t want to” you feel your heartbeat in your ears, and your hands shake from the excessive emotions pouring out. “But you do want to look in Kims eyes, hm?” you see a vein popping out on his forehead.
“Don’t involve him in this” Jungkooks antics tickle your nerves, and call it what you want, but you won’t let him slander Namjoon. “Such a defender. I thought I made it clear to not mingle with white noise.”
“He’s my friend” you bite back, only for Jungkook to smirk back, “Is he now? Couple of weeks ago you couldn’t take your eyes off of me, even when he chased after your attention” he presses his fingers on your jaw, and you shake off his touch.
“Don’t bring that up” defensively you respond, and the dark shadows dance further across his face, “So, the night you oh, so passionately spent entangled in my arms is suddenly reduced to ‘that’?”
You cut him off with fire behind your words, “The night where we were drunk and acted childish” Jungkook only laughs at your rebuttal, “Childish? What do you call this then?” you gasp and shove his shoulders, but he’s not finished, and you feel your ears burn “’Cause I know very well you enjoyed every second of it.”
“Childish is you running around and enjoying watching me suffer because of your actions” you point your finger at him and feel your shoulders aggressively moving up and down. No longer you care if you’re shouting, too immersed in the conversation.
“Suffer? Enlighten me, how exactly do you suffer because of me? All that I’ve ever done is help-” you flail your hand around, “You never help anyone. All that you think about is yourself-”
“Myself?” Jungkook raises his voice, “Yes! Admit it, you’re delighted that all anyone associates me with is you”
“You’re reaching. Perhaps stop pointing the finger at anything else than truth. We slept together, both of us enjoyed it. Why so suddenly it became a problem?”
Too immersed in the shouting, and cutting one another off, you didn’t realize presence besides you. Only when the said person awkwardly coughs, both of you jerk your heads to the culprit.
Anthony stands very uncomfortable before you, and before he manages to utter a word, Jungkook harshly says, “Leave.” He turns back to you, and you feel your body physically shake from all the rage inside of you, “Don’t speak to him like that” you shove your finger in his chest.
“Oh, I’ll speak however I wish to” you huff and turn your gaze back to Anthony, who scrambles to quickly bow and stutter out, “Princess, an unexpected visit from palace has arrived”
You turn your body towards him, and rush closer while rapidly asking, “Did father come?” You don’t await the answer and rush down the hall, internally jumping in relief that father finally listened to your pleas.
You made up your mind, if it comes to it, you’ll beg father to take your place. You don’t want to take a step into Jungkooks Kingdom, especially after the last 10 minutes. Your steps falter, and silently you curse that you didn’t await Anthony to finish his sentence.
You’ve no clue where to go, and distinctly you hear steps somewhere behind you, but as you turn no one is there. You train your ears, and follow the sounds from somewhere else, rushing as quick as you can till you see servants gathering around in the hall.
But your relief is short-lived. The person before you isn’t father, and your shoulders sink once you realize who it is. Felix, father’s advisor. Also, the person who can’t look you in the eye without a scoff to his face.
You clear your voice and straighten your back, trying to forget the disappointment of your father not being here. You paint a smile on your face and move closer to him.
The man has always disliked you for reasons unbeknownst to you, even now it’s obvious. The second you’re in his vision, the pleasant smile on his face wears off, and a frown overtakes his aged facial features.
“Mr. Lancaster. Pleasure of you to join us.” You smile to your best ability and note how he curtly bows his head. You turn to acknowledge Namjoon, who by the looks of it welcomed the sudden visitor.
“Princess, might we talk in private?” Felix’s gruff voice addresses you, and you curtly nod, and step aside to follow his steps. Before you manage to exit the hall, you find Jungkook and Anthony in front of you.
Curiously you watch how Felix’s face sours even further, if you thought you had a problem with displaying your emotions, then you were welcomed by an awakening. You watch how both men assess one another, both looking equally surprised by others presence.
“Prince” is all that Felix mutters and with the same curt bow moves right pass them. Your gaze meets Jungkooks for a second, and you think he notices how uneasy you feel, as his eyes soften a tiny bit.
But you have no time to overthink him, as you move fast to catch up with Felix. The man makes you feel like you’re under inspection, the way he grumbles to himself with every step, and shakes his head only makes you feel more uneasy.
Your skin prickles with goosebumps, the air around you tense, filled with the occasional thud of his cane and grumbles. The bright hallway seems suffocating, as you ponder over the silence that has fallen between you.
You try to remember that between you two, you’re in command, and he’s just one of your subjects. But his history in politics and close relations with your father makes you feel severely outranked.
“How was your journey, Mr. Lancaster? Did father send you?” you try to break the ice, but no intelligible response awaits you, he simply continues to grumble to himself.
You try to swallow down the light disrespect, but you already wish for the conversation to be over with before it has even started. Felix turns into one of the rooms, and you follow him. It’s some kind of a small library, the room no bigger than a storage, and yet the walls filled with books.
You turn to Felix and watch how he starts to speak but stops himself; he walks back to the door, and yanks it open, looking from side to side. Confusion doesn’t fully reach how you feel, is he checking if someone’s listening in?
Satisfied he closes the door and doesn’t wait a second before he starts berating you, “You foolish girl”, taken aback you stare at him as he throws venom in your face, “you not only compromise the safety of our Kingdom, but are careless enough to sit in your offence” his tone shakes you, and for a second you wonder who’s the ruler here.
“Such recklessness I have never before experienced!” he continues to reprimand you, and you feel defensive, how can he talk to you like that? He’s not your father, and for the matter of fact you’re his superior.
“I’m careless?” you close to shout while pointing at yourself, “I am not the one who sticks their head in ground because they’re offended!” the man in front of you lets out the most disgusting laugh, cackling as he loses his breath.
“Is that the case princess? Because if it were true, I wouldn’t be here.” He grumbles and you wonder if a person is capable of scrunching their face more than this man. “You’re a child, who’s playing with fire, thinking they’re God.”
You shake your head in disbelief, where all of this is coming from, you’re clueless. He has insulted you more than anyone beforehand, and you feel the previous spark of anger delight you once more.
“Says the man, who can’t see when to step down. Prime minister for 20 years, yet unelected three times in a row. Hanging on a loose threat by my father’s side, who’s too kind to let you run back on the streets.” You watch how he’s taken aback, and for a second feel triumphal, finally the crude man takes a second to overthink his next words.
“Just like I said,” he points his cane at you, “clueless child who’s fully unequipped for the role.”
You stare him down and mutter, “I would be very careful of your next words, sir.” He shakes his head, and you clench your jaw, “Would you disagree? Is this a way a princess presents herself?”
“If I’m so unprepared why didn’t father take my place?” Felix shakes his head, as if the man’s too stunned at your stupidity to respond, “If you took your time to answer one of the letters, then perhaps he would be here indeed.”
You stare in shock before a loud unhumorous laugh escapes you, “I wrote him letters almost every day, not to mention calling. You cannot punish me for his ignorance.”
“What?” he turns to you with an agape mouth, “You’ve sent him letters?” you curtly nod, “Almost every day, and might I say, without a response.”
You watch how Felix falls under panic, and you stand back unsure of what to do, “We have a snitch,” he walks around while shaking his head, “You said you called?” slowly you nod, unsure of what to do.
“They must be in the castle” he grumbles under breath, and carefully ask, “Perhaps it would be better if father takes my place?” to which Felix dismisses you with his hand, “That’s what they want. For both lawful rulers to abandon their Kingdom. To attack at the weakest link.”
“Well, what do I do?” now feeding off of his own panic, you quickly ask, “We do” Felix points at himself, “You follow my command, you don’t speak first, only assess your opponent. Not a single excessive movement, and not a word out of what’s planned.”
“And most importantly, your relations with Prince Jeon must be ideal. As of now, he’s our only option.” You stare at him confused, couple of weeks ago they said you can’t be anywhere near the man, and now you have to play the perfect friend?
“He may be the reason we’re in this situation, but he holds the power over the troops. Play the part, but don’t fall under devils’ cards.” You tick your head overthinking previous events, perhaps he’s a bit too late with that suggestion.
“That may be impossible” you mutter, but Felix cuts you off, “Make it possible.”
Right about now you question all of your decisions in life, just 10 minutes ago you were busy screaming your head off one at another, and now, you have to be the perfect friend. Is that even possible? You can’t (even more so don’t want to) walk up to him and act as if nothing happened, neither of you will let it fly.
Both of you are too stubborn and petty. But as petty as he is, he’s not dumb. And unfortunately, you can’t take back what you said, you meant every word. But now you have to find a way to make the past disappear, if you might add, a task that’s way over your head.
And the possibility of someone masking themselves as your shadow makes the back of the hair on your neck stand; you push your fingers through your hair and mentally cry, what are you supposed to do now? “Well, what is our plan of action, how are we to discover who’s the traitor?” you let the words silently fall past your lips.
Felix only shakes his head, and looks at his watch, “As of now, we’re to return to the carriage, and act clueless. We’ve run out of time. You are the face of the crown. When you step out of this room, you’re a monarch, and not an inept child.”
You shake your head at his words, “I’m sure King Jeon will overlook if we’re couple of minutes late. This is crucial.” The memory of all the letters you sent creeps over your mind, and although you don’t remember word for word what you’ve written, you truly hope that whatever it was, was as vague as possible.
“Jeons don’t forget things; they keep it as secret to use it later on.” He taps his watch one more time, “and you must be brilliant. Neither ordinary, nor extraordinary. Blend in, but don’t fade out.”
You nod your head, and silently follow Felix to the main hall. Your maids stand there already prepared for the journey. You nod your head once they start to bow and move down the stairs towards the carriage.
You guess you’ll be stuck with Felix for the next 8 hours, but perhaps that’s good, you can think of a strategy, right? That is, if you don’t scratch his eyes out.
The walk down the stone staircase is puzzling, the afterthought of someone spying on you leaves your senses on guard; every noise seems doubled and every action ambiguous. You look over the workers that stand in a neat line at the bottom and think, could they be hiding in plain sight?
You move closer to Felix, questions storming in your mind, but you’re crestfallen, as he puts up his hand and murmurs “not here”, and silently follow his actions, like a child abiding an order.
But you try to look up the sky, and convince yourself, that your pounding heart is not due to fear and uncertainty, but rather due to the bloodline you carry with each of your breath. For a second you pretend to be back in the ballroom, remember the power you carried and the heads that bowed down to you.
The power you felt surging, like a revival of the truth. You repeat it long enough, to believe it yourself, and the confident woman sears through your bones, and the cracks in your armor shine through only when they crack you open.
You near the carriage, and smile as Namjoon ever so gentlemanly opens the door for you. Felix stops a couple of steps behind you, and you’re thankful for the opportunity to properly farewell your friend.
“It was a pleasure to see you, Reagan” Namjoon smiles, and you grab his reached-out palm, and softly whisper, so the stray ears don’t hear, “Likewise”
“But don’t get too comfortable without me here, if I remember correctly, the wine bottle did remain unfinished.” You point out with a light chuckle, soon accompanied by Namjoons own.
“Rest assured that it will patiently await you.” Peaceful moment is broken when you hear a cough behind you, reminding of the shortage in time. Namjoon understands as well, and backs away, his smile still present.
With one last look you’re ready to climb in the carriage, but a silhouette quickly entangles in your vision. You watch how Jungkook climbs down the stairs, and how the servants’ part their way, with their heads lowered to the ground.
For some incomprehensible reason, you feel your gut wrenching in anger, and a sad afterthought comes to you, that you never felt this way about him. Whereas now your body expresses its disdain, even if you try to fool your mind of everything that transcribed.
You let your eyes follow his movements, till he stops at the carriage next to your own. He turns his head, and your eyes meet. His gaze is vacant, blank of any emotions except the ever so tamed sparkle in them.
But he doesn’t give you the time of day, and swiftly climbs into the carriage. You chew on your lip and replicate his movement; you find yourself once again trapped in the vehicle, and don’t know if you should be happy or annoyed, when Felix sits in front of you.
No words are exchanged as the carriage starts moving, you wave your last goodbye to Namjoon, and mourn how the golden streets become blander.
You rest your head against the window and try and concentrate on Felix’s words. But all you manage to do is watch how life turns grey the closer you’re to the Jeons Kingdom.
You promise yourself that everything will be alright. And prepare yourself for the next chapter of this insidious game; you won’t be a pawn in no ones game.
~
Hi! This chapter is split in half, so more action will be seen in the next one, although I do have to say, that gleaming lights and soft caresses are more or less done...
But I wanted to get this out before university piles up, as I know how frustrating the wait for a next chapter can be
Now, what’s the deal with Jungkooks Kingdom? Why rulers stray clear from it? Baby JK did say that he doesn’t want OC to see it, but what has changed now? And who might be the informant, or is there even one?
Loads of questions, but I guess you’ll have to stick around to find out...
Thank you for reading!
