Archive of Our Own

In the castle of the North Eastern Kingdom of Midmore, a little prince stuck his head out of the door and looked around before he stepped out and heading to the castle walls. The reason he looked around cautiously before he went out? He also had no idea why he did that.

He turned the corner, as he kept his head high and walked straight. “As a prince should do”, he thought.

A royal knight is coming towards the little prince. He bowed while the prince slightly tipped his head at the knight.

“Your Highness.” The royal knight greeted as he bowed. “Where are you going all alone Prince Doyoung?”

The little prince pointed straight ahead. “I am on my way to the kitchens.”

“Do you want me to accompany you, Your Highness?” The knight offered.

"Thank you, kind sir, but I'll be fine on my own." The prince smiled and continued on his merry way.

Prince Doyoung went through a series of turns, flights of stairs, and sets of hallways before he arrived at his destination. He tried pushing his way in through the door and when he figured out that it’s closed, he tiptoed to reach the door handle and opened it.

Stepping inside the kitchen, it was hot, the prince thought. But he made his way towards the table where rows of sweets and desserts were on it. He was eyeing a small bowl of strawberries and cream when he felt someone approach him.

“Your Highness, what are you doing here?” Doyoung turned around and looked up to see the pâtissier looking down at him.

The prince held his head high as he answered. “I just want a snack.”

This made the pâtissier chuckle. “You could’ve just called, Your Highness. You wouldn’t have to come down here in the kitchens.”

“It’s not a big deal.” Doyoung smiled. “Can I have a cookie?”

Although he asked for just one sweet treat, the pâtissier gave him more so the little prince left the kitchens with a plate of cookies in his hands. He didn’t forget to thank everyone there, even though he knows he can’t finish the cookies all by himself. He started his way back again, making him go through all the turns and stairs and hallways again.

On the way back, he can hear laughter and giggles but didn’t bother to find out where they were coming from. He ignored it and focused on balancing the plate of cookies on his hands until he heard a voice so familiar, called him.

“Doyoungie!”

The little prince jumped from shock and let out a sigh of relief when he saw the cookies were unharmed. He then faced the culprit of his surprise, who was running towards him with a bright smile, and someone following him.

“What is it now brother? You almost made the cookies fall because you scared me.” Prince Doyoung explained with a pout.

“I’m sorry Doyoungie, we just saw you walking all alone so I called you. I didn’t know you would jump.” Prince Donghyun giggled, pinching Doyoung’s cheek in the process.

“Brother…” Doyoung whined, swatting away his brother’s hand. “Just take some of these cookies and go.”

“You don’t want to play with me and Jaehyunnie?” Donghyun pouted but started to take a cookie from the plate on Doyoung’s hands. “You just lock yourself in the library and the library is boring.”

“I do not lock myself in the library and the library is not boring.” Doyoung huffed, taking the plate away from Donghyun now which also made the older huff.

“Whatever you say.” The older prince mumbled as he munched on the cookies.

Doyoung rolled his eyes at his brother and switched his attention to his brother's companion who was just standing there watching the exchange. The little prince held out the plate towards the boy, offering him cookies.

“Want some?” Doyoung offered.

The boy was hesitant at first, but he got the courage to grab a cookie from the plate Doyoung was holding out towards him and thanked him silently. Doyoung noticed the ears of the boy turning red but decided to keep it to himself instead of pointing it out.

“I should be going now. Have fun playing.” Doyoung turned around and started to walk away, leaving the two there.

“You don’t want to play with us Doyoungie?” Donghyun called out after him.

“I want to finish what I’m reading. You two play.” Doyoung answered not looking back.

“Fine.” Donghyun sighed and turned to his companion. “Come on Jaehyunnie, let’s go play outside.”

Doyoung heard the footsteps fade away; probably they went outside the castle to play. He couldn’t care less and continued his way to the library to finish off the book he was reading.

-----

"How did your day go Doyoung?" The little prince looked up from his dinner when he heard the queen ask him while the king glanced at him expectantly.

"It went alright Mother; I went horse riding this morning and spent the afternoon in the library reading a book," Doyoung answered. "It's just like the usual day."

This made the king chuckle. “Oh Doyoungie, you should go out and play like kids your age does.”

“I want to spend my time at the library Father. I want to study. So I could be a good prince and I could be a good king when I grow up.” The prince answered and ate a spoonful of his food to avoid further questions.

The king and queen just smiled at him fondly before turning to his brother who was busy scooping out fruit from the fruit bowl. “How about you Donghyun? Can you tell us about your day?”

Donghyun swallowed his food first before answering. “Jaehyunnie and I played, and I went horse riding this afternoon.”

“Oh, Jaehyun? The son of the captain of the knights?” The queen asked.

"Yes, Mother." Donghyun nodded. At this point, Doyoung was half-listening to their conversation as he was busy trying to grab his fruit bowl in front of him.

“I remember him. He’s a good kid.” The king piped up and turned to his wife. “I’m sure you remember that kid, honey.”

The queen smiled. "I sure do." Then she turned to Doyoung. "Hey, Doyoungie?"

The little prince immediately sat down, completely forgetting the fruit bowl he was trying to reach for earlier. "Yes, Mother?"

“What do you think of Jaehyun?” She asked as she handed the little prince the fruit bowl Doyoung was trying to reach for earlier.

“Thank you Mother,” Doyoung started and scooped some fruit from the bowl. “I think he’s okay.”

“Just okay?”

“Yes? I haven’t talked to him before.” Doyoung paused, chewing the fruits. “Maybe except earlier, I gave him and Donghyun some cookies earlier when they bumped into me.”

The king and queen nodded. “Okay, if that’s what you say.”

Doyoung didn’t miss the knowing glances his parents gave each other, and Donghyun’s mischievous smile made him think that there is something he doesn’t know. But he chose to ignore it and focused on the fruits he’s eating.

-----

It all started that day. He noticed though, that the days that went after the dinner, his parents seem to be pushing him to Jaehyun. Every single time they would eat together, they would talk about Jaehyun to Doyoung and they would become bolder every single time. Asking him questions like "do you think Jaehyun is cute?" or talking good about him as if telling Doyoung that "he's a nice guy," all of that. It seems like they were shipping them together.

Doyoung doesn’t mind it at all, thinking that maybe his parents just like to mess with him and he never even talked to the dude so he just shrugged it off. Besides, when he gets older he’ll be married off to a princess. Not with a guy that he just barely knew and barely even talked to.

[7 years later]

Looking back at that thought 7 years later, the prince would just roll his eyes at the stupidity the thought has. Seven whole years changed a lot.

First was the fact that his brother is already married to a princess (now queen) from another kingdom. The princess was also the future queen of that kingdom which made Prince Donghyun the king of that kingdom, ruling together with his wife. And for some reason, the prince decided to change his name. So now instead of Prince Donghyun, he’s King Gongmyung of the West Coast Kingdom. Doyoung can’t help but roll his eyes at his brother when he heard that news.

Secondly, Doyoung lost interest in becoming king. Since Donghyun got married and became king in another kingdom, this made Doyoung the next in line to the throne. But in all honesty, he wasn't interested now at all. Instead, he was just living his prince's life and just let the time tells him what to do. Whatever comes will come, he thought. So looking back at the times he tried so hard to be a "good prince” to become a “good king”, he doesn’t regret any of those but he grimaces every time he remembers.

The third thing is the Jaehyun thing. His parents stopped shipping him with the guy when Jaehyun went away to train to be a royal knight. It’s been 7 years since that time, and Doyoung heard that any time soon, he’ll be back. Why does he even know this information? Let’s just say that his parents keep on constantly informing him about it even if he has no business with it. Maybe his parents still ship him with that guy and he doesn’t even know why.

But he just ignored it and finished signing the letter he’s writing to Prince Ten, the Prince of the South Eastern Kingdom of Midmore and his good friend.

Just as the prince stood up from his desk and was ready to plop down on his bed, three knocks on his door were heard making him groan and went to open it.

His father’s royal advisor greeted him as soon as Doyoung opened the door making the prince jump and show visible confusion on his face.

“How may I help you?” Doyoung asked.

“Good morning Your Highness, His Majesty the King wants your presence in the throne room.”

“Oh is that so,” Doyoung paused. “I’ll just get changed and I’ll be there.”

The advisor nodded. “I will inform the king about it then.”

Doyoung closed the door as soon as his father's royal advisor walked away. As he changed into his royal robes, the prince wondered what is going on down in the throne room?

The king rarely calls him to the throne room unless some important guests are coming.

That might be it, but Doyoung has no idea who might come. Some guests from other kingdoms? Maybe, but the prince figured that he'll just find out for himself.

When he reached the throne room, he saw the king and the queen on their respective thrones waiting for him. He quietly walked over to his throne which is beside the queen and sat down quietly.

The room was pretty silent from that point on, and the prince can’t stand the silence and his curiousness is overpowering his brain right now. He leaned over to the queen, wanting to find answers.

“Mother, what’s going on?” Doyoung asked the queen.

The queen turned to look at him and gave him a knowing smile. “You’ll see.”

This made Doyoung pout. Maybe he’ll just find it out himself.

Doyoung rested his chin on his hand and he was almost falling asleep when one of the knights by the door blew his trumpet making the young prince jolt up. He looked over to see the king and queen laughing at him making the prince roll his eyes.

“They’re here.” Doyoung heard the king said making him confused. Who exactly?

The doors to the throne room opened and a line of royal knights walked in. Doyoung recognized the captain of the knights in front, leading the knights while some knight Doyoung didn't recognize was walking beside him. It's weird because the prince recognizes almost all the knights and even knew some of the knights’ names. So who is this?

He looks familiar, the prince noted. He swears he saw those eyes before and those dimples.

The young prince wasn’t even listening to what the king was saying. He was busy scrutinizing the unfamiliar knight’s face. He looks familiar, but Doyoung can’t seem to know where or who.

But when he locked eyes with the young prince, realization dawned upon Doyoung.

So that’s why he seems familiar. It was Jaehyun. He just got back from his royal knight training.

“Maybe that’s the reason why Father wants me here in the throne room? To greet him?” Doyoung thought.

“Prince Doyoung,” Doyoung snapped out of his thoughts when his father called him. “Come and greet Jaehyun.”

Doyoung stood up from his throne and approached Jaehyun, who was looking at him not breaking their eye contact. He stood in front of Jaehyun and the knight smiled at the prince, almost like a smirk.

“It’s a pleasure to have you back, Jaehyun.” Doyoung greeted, still not looking away from Jaehyun’s eyes.

The knight didn’t drop his smile and took Doyoung’s hand, before lifting it to place a gentle kiss on top of his palm. “The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness.”

Doyoung felt a chill on his spine as soon as Jaehyun placed a kiss on his hand and spoke those words, eyes still not leaving his own. “Drop the honorifics.”

“So I’ll assume referring to you as ‘Prince Doyoung’ makes you more comfortable?” Jaehyun chuckled, still not letting Doyoung’s hand go.

“I’m comfortable with that.” The prince answered, retracting his hand back.

The young prince went back to seat on his throne, letting his parents deal with the talking. It's not that he doesn't want to talk with Jaehyun, he just needs time to calm the rapid beating of his heart that he doesn't even know why it is acting that way. Or why is he acting that way?

He might have to rewrite the letter he was supposed to send to Ten.

-----

“So Doyoungie, how was meeting Jaehyun again after 7 years?” The queen asked beside Doyoung over dinner, which made Doyoung look up from his food.

“It’s okay, I guess?” Doyoung answered hesitatingly, almost confused why he’s being asked by that question.

“Aren’t you glad he’s back for good?” The queen asked again.

“I am, but I don’t know why I should be bothered by his arrival when we weren’t even close back then.” Doyoung sighed, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Well, this is your chance to get closer to him.” The king spoke up. “He’s the new captain of the royal knights from now on, and also your knight.”

The prince turned to his father. “I never had a personal knight before, why give it to me now? And also, he’s the captain now? Since when? Didn’t he just got back from his training?”

“You sure are curious,” The king chuckled. “I just appointed him earlier, and his father requested it. Also, I want a personal knight for you because you’re the prince and the heir to the throne. Your coronation is nearing.”

“Father,” Doyoung sighed, placing his knife and fork down. “I lost interest in being king. I told you about this before.”

“But you have no choice Doyoungie, you’re the only heir to the throne now after your brother left to marry. At least he’s ruling a kingdom.” The queen chimed in.

This made the prince whine. Doyoung thinks it’s immature but he couldn’t care less. Being king is just not what he wants right now.

“I know you’re not ready yet Doyoung. But perhaps having someone to rule with you would help?” The king asked.

“It might help. But you won’t let me date.” Doyoung shrugged.

“Maybe because we want someone else for you.” His mother smiled.

This made the prince pause. “What?”

“I wouldn’t mind appointing him again.” The king smiled knowingly.

"Wait for just a second, who are you talking about?" Doyoung asked, really confused and curious at the same time.

This seemed to snap the king and the queen from their vague sentences. “We might have said too much.”

"Come on, don't be like that," Doyoung whined once again, pouting.

“Anyways,” The queen tried to change the subject. “Since Jaehyun is back, try to get closer to him alright? You’ll need it.”

“I’ve always wondered,” Doyoung spoke up, “Why do you constantly push me to Jaehyun?”

This caught the king and queen off knight. “You’ve noticed?”

“Of course I did. It started 7 years ago.” Doyoung deadpanned. He wanted to ask that question for years. “I thought it was a joke at first and it stopped when he went away but now
that he’s back you’re at it again.”

The queen giggled at Doyoung’s outburst, while the king just shook his head while laughing fondly. “Have you seen yourselves together? You two look so cute.”

This made Doyoung furrow his eyebrows out of confusion while his parents continued. "I tried so hard to hold in my scream when you two greeted each other. You should've seen your face earlier Doyoungie, it was beet red."

“It was not.”

“You haven’t seen your face earlier Doyoung, don’t contradict me. You were blushing.”

Doyoung sighed, reaching for his fruit bowl in front of him. “Was I?”

His parents let out sounds of agreement and nods. The prince busied himself with eating fruits.

-----

Finally back to his room and ready for bed, Doyoung sat on his desk and looked back to the events that happened this day. Jaehyun was back at last, and he wasn’t the kid Doyoung remembered following his brother. He wasn’t that chubby kid back then, he grew up to be a very fine man and Doyoung dared to say it; attractive. His face was much more defined now, and his dimples are so prominent when he smiles which is very attractive, to say the least. And the way his eyes changed whenever he looked at something or someone, especially the look he gave to Doyoung earlier which the prince can't describe. He also became more bold and confident, definitely different from the shy and timid kid 7 years ago. Doyoung could go on but in conclusion, Jaehyun back then was different from Jaehyun right now.

And Doyoung won’t lie that he was a bit attracted to the guy. It’s not the prince’s fault Jaehyun is insanely attractive, and his parents shipping him with the guy didn’t help at all.

Before his thoughts got worse, Doyoung plopped down his bed and tried to sleep. He shouldn’t be bothered by Jaehyun. He shouldn’t be bothered at all.

The next day, the prince didn’t know why he ended up in the empty ballroom but there he was. Looking around the fancy interior the prince was already familiar with, he didn’t realize the presence of someone entering.

“Oh, Your Highness,” Doyoung turned around to see Jaehyun who stumbled into the ballroom. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“Calling me ‘Doyoung’ is fine. I told you to drop the honorifics.” Doyoung answered as he faced Jaehyun properly.

Jaehyun nodded politely. “Should I leave you here Prince Doyoung? I could get going if you’re not comfortable with my presence.”

“Nonsense.” Doyoung chuckled. “You can accompany me here. I don’t mind at all.”

Jaehyun finally stepped in the ballroom and walked over to where Doyoung was, who was staring at a painting on the wall. He stood beside the prince, and they basked in silence. It wasn’t awkward; in fact, it was more of a comfortable silence that surprised Doyoung.

“How are you?” Doyoung started. “Congratulations on becoming captain of the royal knights.”

Jaehyun chuckled, bowing politely surprising the prince. "Thank you, Your Highness. I'm honored to be in your service."

“Get up. No need for formalities.” Doyoung paused. “And I told you, ‘Doyoung’ is fine.”

“The king would kill me if he heard me call you that. I think I’ll stick with calling you ‘Prince Doyoung’ for now.” Jaehyun smiled.

Doyoung nodded. "If you say so." Another round of silence filled them again. "I heard from Father about you being my knight.”

"Ah yes, that one." Jaehyun chuckled. "Just following orders and because you know, your coronation is coming up. You need to be safe at all times."

“We don’t have enemies.”

“We just wanted to make sure this kingdom has a future ruler.”

“You got a point.” Doyoung laughed. “But I’m not interested in becoming king anymore.”

Jaehyun turned to look at him in shock. “Why? You pretty much worked your way up to be a good prince so you could be a good king in the future. What happened?”

“I don’t know. I just lost interest; maybe I realized that it’s not interesting at all? I don’t know but I don’t want to be king anymore.” Doyoung shrugged.

“That’s a shame. Who would rule North East then?”

“I have no choice. I have to. But for now, I just want to enjoy my life being the prince before I’ll face king duties.”

Jaehyun nodded. “I understand.”

Doyoung beamed at him. “Thank you. For understanding me, I guess? I never told anyone that before, mainly because I have no one to talk to about things.”

“You can tell me, you know?”

“I do know. Thank you Jaehyun.”

“It’s a pleasure to serve you, my prince.”

The room fell silent again, but not for long as Doyoung opened another topic.

“What were you doing when you stumbled in here, by the way?”

Jaehyun turned to look at the prince. “I was touring the castle again. It’s been a long time since I was here so I figured I’ll roam around. I was also looking for you.”

“It’s a good thing you found me here.” Doyoung smiled. “Want me to tour you the rest of the castle? I have nothing better to do.”

“If you don’t mind, my prince, then I’ll take that offer.” Jaehyun smiled back.

The two, headed for the doors into the hallways as they walked side by side.

“Can we go into the kitchens first? I just want to grab a snack.” Doyoung spoke up.

"Of course, my prince," Jaehyun answered with a smile.

Walking side by side with Jaehyun, the prince realized how the latter got taller. He's taller than Doyoung by an inch or two, and the prince doesn’t know why he’s pointing that out.
He also doesn’t know why he easily told Jaehyun the reason why he lost interest in becoming king. He looked over to Jaehyun who was looking straight ahead and wondered what that guy has that made Doyoung, the prince who likes to keep everything to himself, able to open up easily.

Doyoung opened up another topic, and they talked until they reached the kitchens. Doyoung opened the kitchen door easily and invited Jaehyun to come in. Even though hesitant, he followed the prince inside who began to greet the chefs and the workers there.

“I told you, you can call me ‘Doyoung’.” Doyoung chuckled at the people inside the kitchens. “No need for formalities.”

Doyoung went over to the dessert table with Jaehyun following him behind. He scanned the different sweets on the table as he felt his mouth water. The prince decided to grab some brownies for himself, before turning to Jaehyun who was just looking at him.

“You can have some for yourself.” The prince told him motioning to the desserts.

Jaehyun smiled politely. “I’ll be fine my prince, thank you.”

Doyoung grabbed some more of the brownies before thanking the chefs and the workers in the kitchen. He turned to Jaehyun and they both head out of the kitchens with Doyoung munching on the brownies.

“Are you sure you don’t want some?” Doyoung asked Jaehyun, offering the knight some of the brownies.

“It’s okay Prince Doyoung. You can have that.” Jaehyun chuckled.

The two spent the rest of the day roaming around the castle and the castle grounds. And to say Doyoung had fun was an understatement. He enjoyed Jaehyun's presence throughout the day and it made him think why didn’t he spent time with Jaehyun and his brother 7 years ago.

“It’s getting pretty late,” Jaehyun pointed out cutting their conversation. “You should get going Prince Doyoung.”

Doyoung looked up to the sky to see it turning dark. They were at the castle grounds at this time and they were talking that much, they haven’t noticed the time.

“Oh, it is.” Doyoung sighs as he stood up. He’s having so much fun talking to Jaehyun and he hasn’t felt this since his brother went away after his marriage.

“Do you want me to walk you to your room?” Jaehyun asked the prince.

“I’ll be fine Jaehyun, thank you.” Doyoung smiled. “But I would love to spend time with you again Jaehyun.”

This made Jaehyun grin. "I'm your knight now. We can continue our conversations with each other any time you want, my prince.”

“Right.” Doyoung chuckled. “I’ll see you then. Have a good night Jaehyun.”

“Have a good night too, my prince.”

-----

As the weeks (almost months) go by, Doyoung thinks it's safe to say that he and Jaehyun had gotten pretty close with each other. It was no joke when the latter said that he'll be spending a lot of time with Doyoung because of the excuse that he's the prince's knight. Not all the time though, he was still busy with his ‘captain of the royal knights’ duties, but he always sticks by the prince’s side and Doyoung appreciates that a lot.

Hanging out with Jaehyun feels like they've known each other for years and that nothing ever happened. It's like they were friends for so long and in all honesty, the prince found it weird, but he's glad he has someone to listen to him. He did regret not befriending Jaehyun sooner, since the young him was still busy in his illusions that he needs to be a good ruler someday so he needs to be a good prince but that backfired, much to Doyoung’s chagrin. Jaehyun told him that it’s no big deal and he shouldn’t be thinking about those times but instead, compensate the time lost by spending it with him. Doyoung laughed, amused at Jaehyun’s logic, but also thinking that the knight isn’t wrong too. They also found out they have a lot in common and it reached the point where they shared their stories about their adventures up to their secrets. Doyoung wasn't lying when he said like they knew each other for so long.

He just finished reading Prince Ten’s letter about the duke he’s been pining on when three knocks were heard throughout his room. Doyoung stood up and went to open the door.

“Hello there.” Doyoung greeted the servant in front of his door, “How may I help you?”

“Good morning Your Highness.”The servant made a quick bow to Doyoung making the prince copy her actions. “Sorry to interrupt you but His Majesty The King wants your presence in the throne room.”

“Did he say the reason why?” Doyoung asked softly.

“I’m afraid he did not tell me, Your Highness.” The servant answered sadly.

Doyoung sighed. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it and I’ll be right there. Thank you for telling me.”

The servant made one last bow before walking away. Doyoung closed the door and changed into his royal robes before heading to the throne room. On the way there, he wonders what’s going to happen.

When he reached the throne room, he saw Jaehyun there, standing right beside his throne. He smiled and waved at the knight, and he did the same as the prince made his way to his throne. He was about to sit down when the king's voice boomed throughout the whole room.

“Prince Doyoung, where is your crown?” The king asked, his voice made Doyoung’s heart feel like it’s going to jump out of his chest.

“It’s in my room, Father. My crown is in my room.” The young prince stammered out.

“Go get it. We have royalty coming over today.”

The young prince nervously nodded and started to walk off back to his room when Jaehyun grabbed his wrist.

“Do you want me to accompany you, Your Highness?” Jaehyun asked, looking into Doyoung’s eyes.

As much as Doyoung wanted to correct Jaehyun and drop the honorifics, the king and queen were there and he doesn’t want to get Jaehyun into trouble. “I’d appreciate that.”

As soon as they left the throne room and made their way to Doyoung’s room, Jaehyun turned to the young prince. “Are you okay?”

Doyoung didn’t miss the hint of concern lacing Jaehyun’s voice. “I’m fine. Why?”

"If I'm not wrong, you were visibly shaking when the king asked you where your crown is," Jaehyun explained.

"I just got surprised." Doyoung laughed. "I didn't hear the tone he used in so long, it scared me. But I'm okay, don't worry."

The knight smiled, seeing the prince’s reassuring smile. “Okay, if that’s what you say.”

When they reached Doyoung’s room, Jaehyun waited outside as the young prince quickly grabbed his crown and placed it gently on his head. He went out and closed the door to his bedroom, and they started walking back to the throne room again.

“It’s my first time seeing you again in that crown.” Jaehyun smiled. “You look amazing. It suits you very well, Prince Doyoung.”

For some unknown reason, this made Doyoung feel like he was blushing. But he shook the thought off, thinking that it was just his mind playing games with him and wanting him to believe something fake.

“Thank you Jaehyun.”

“I’m just saying the truth, my prince.”

No one said anything until they reached the throne room. The king looked pleased seeing Doyoung wear his crown but the prince ignored this and took his seat on his throne. Jaehyun returned to his spot earlier, which was beside Doyoung's throne.

Doyoung was feeling nervous for some reason. His father mentioned earlier that their guests were royals. Which royals are visiting them? Surely it can’t be the royals from the South Eastern Kingdom of Midmore, Prince Ten would’ve sent him a letter informing about his visit. He tried thinking about who could’ve come. It might be royals from the Northern Kingdom of Midmore, though he barely knew Prince Yuta. It also could be royals from the Eastern Kingdom of Midmore, although it’s unlikely because as far as he knew, Prince Youngho doesn’t like visiting other kingdoms. It could be from the Southern Kingdom of Midmore too, but Prince Kun should inform him beforehand. Or maybe it could be from the South Western Kingdom of Midmore, but he’s not entirely sure since the princes from that kingdom are indecisive. It could be one of the royals from the neighboring Midmorian Kingdoms but it also could be royals from the other lands. Doyoung doesn't know and he's getting anxious.

Jaehyun seemed to sense Doyoung’s nervousness, as he placed a hand on the prince's shoulder causing him to snap out of his thoughts and look at him. The prince looked cute when he's caught off-guard, but Jaehyun just softly laughed the thought off not wanting to offend the prince.

"I can sense your anxiousness from here, my prince," Jaehyun spoke up, only loud enough for the two them to hear. "What's bothering you Prince Doyoung?"

"It's just," Doyoung started as he played with the hem of his tunic. "I'm just curious about which royals are coming, and I guess it made me anxious for a reason that I don't know of."

Jaehyun smiled. “Relax, my prince. There’s nothing to be nervous about."

“But I feel like something’s not right. I can feel it happening.”

“If something goes wrong, I’m here to protect you.”

Doyoung grinned at the knight. “You’re right. Thank you Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun smiled back at the prince. “Of course, my prince.”

Something in the phrase Jaehyun said stirred something inside of Doyoung. It felt like he was implying something, but he shrugged the absurd thought of thinking that Jaehyun said that because he must protect the prince. Not some other thing. What was Doyoung even thinking?

The sound of the trumpet snapped Doyoung out of his thoughts and he sat straight while dusting some imaginary specks of dust off of his royal robes. He was well aware that
Jaehyun was looking at him, trying not to laugh at what he’s doing but he couldn’t care less. He just rolled his eyes at the knight and smiled slightly before turning his attention to the doors of the throne room.

The courtier by the door cleared his throat and announced in his loud voice. “His Majesty, King Hyunsoo of the Far West.”

The king mentioned entered the throne room making the king and queen stand up from their thrones, including Doyoung. King Hyunsoo was smiling widely, but something in that smile made the prince feel a bit off. It’s not his teeth, it was perfect. It might be the king’s nose though.

“Her Royal Highness, Princess Yoonmi of the Far West Kingdom.” The courtier finished.

The princess entered as soon as the courtier finished introducing her. She was smiling widely, identical to her father. Then she locked eyes with Doyoung, making her smile wider and bat her eyelashes at him. Doyoung also noticed the way the princess blushed when they locked eyes.

Doyoung looked away, not feeling comfortable with the stare the princess is giving him.

“Welcome to our kingdom, Hyunsoo.” Doyoung turned to his father who was greeting the newly arrived king, his mother beside him.

“It’s a pleasure to be here.” King Hyunsoo smiled at the king before turning to the queen and kissed her hand softly. “Nice to meet you, Your Majesty.”

The queen smiled politely as King Hyunsoo turned to his daughter. “This is my daughter, Princess Yoonmi.”

Doyoung observed the princess as his parents cooed at how lovely the princess is. Well, not really in Doyoung's opinion. He took a look at the princess' orange and gown and resisted the urge to roll his eyes at how ugly the princess' gown looks. Not that he hates the color, it's just the dress is ugly in general. It's such a shame, the princess is pretty but her gown isn't. Maybe he's being a little too harsh now so he focused on how his parents praised the princess for her looks. He thinks it's completely normal at this point, seeing that they don't have daughters, only sons. They did the same thing to his brother's wife too, now that he remembered. But her dress, it's bothering Doyoung.

He looked over to Jaehyun and mouthed. “Her dress is ugly.”

This made the knight try to stifle in his laughter making Doyoung grin.

“Doyoung, come here.” Doyoung heard his mother call and he obliged, walking over to her and stood beside her. “This is King Hyunsoo and Princess Yoonmi.”

Doyoung bowed politely. "I'm Prince Doyoung. It's a pleasure to have you here in our kingdom." He then took the princess's hand and placed a kiss on it softly. He immediately let go of it and returned to the spot next to the queen.

He didn’t miss the way the princess blushed brightly after that. He turned to Jaehyun’s direction and glared at him, knowing the knight is laughing at him deep inside.

“Shall we discuss the reason you decided to visit our kingdom over lunch?”

“I would like that.”

-----

“How was the food?”

“It’s very delicious, thank you.”

Doyoung couldn’t care less about the conversation with food as he continued to stuff his face with the food on his plate. The fruit bowl in front of him looks especially mouth-watering today and he can’t wait to get his hands on it and eat it. So he focused on stuffing his face with food rather than distracting himself by conversing with the adults about food. It is also his way of ignoring Princess Yoonmi who was seated across and was staring at the prince.

Prince Doyoung isn’t bothered by the stares the princess is giving him. Not that he’s uncomfortable too, but he isn’t used to be stared at when he’s eating. Nobody does that as far as he knew. So what is the princess doing?

He chose to ignore the princess and continued to finish his food. He just grabbed the fruit bowl and scooped some into his mouth, when his father suddenly cleared his throat.

“We still haven’t discussed the reason why you’re here.” Doyoung glanced at his father to see him looking at King Hyunsoo.

King Hyunsoo wiped his lips with a napkin and gave a curt smile. “We’re here to give a proposal, based on my daughter’s request.”

“That’s lovely.” Doyoung’s mother smiled at the princess. “What is it?”

“It’s about Prince Doyoung.” King Hyunsoo answered instead. “He would be crowned king soon, right? We figured he needed a bride to be his queen, and Princess Yoonmi here told me that he’s been admiring Prince Doyoung for long.”

“Are you suggesting Prince Doyoung and Princess Yoonmi should get married?”

If Doyoung was being honest, he couldn’t be bothered anymore because he was too busy emptying his fruit bowl but when he heard his name and the suggestion King Hyunsoo was giving out, he stopped and gently placed the fruit bowl down.

Is that why Princess Yoonmi was giving him that look? Is it because she likes him? Doyoung should’ve known from the moment the princess walked in.

“In all honesty, that is not my choice to make.” Doyoung’s father said. “It’s all up to the prince. He’s the future king after all.”

Suddenly, everyone’s eyes were on Doyoung. He didn’t say anything. He just stared at the people in the table, each looking into their eyes.

If he still has the belief he had 7 years ago, he would’ve agreed to marry the princess who was now looking at him expectantly. But he lost that belief years ago, and he knew deep inside that he’s still not ready, both in ruling the kingdom and in marriage.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t thought about it yet. I’m still not ready to rule North East, and I’m also not ready for marriage yet.” Doyoung then turned to Princess Yoonmi. “I appreciate your admiration and affection towards me, but I don’t know if I can return your feelings. I still don’t know you that much.”

“We still have a few more days to stay here. That will be enough time to get to know each other.” Princess Yoonmi spoke up. “Right?”

Doyoung nodded, holding back his tongue from insulting the princess’ orange gown which he doesn’t like. “That is nice, but I don’t want to think about marriage yet. All I can offer you is friendship.”

“Doyoung, we’ll take things from here.” His mother told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Then I shall be going," Doyoung said as he stood up from his seat. "It was nice having dinner with you."

Doyoung exited the dining room, leaving them there. He doesn’t want to bother with their conversation anymore, especially when they’re talking about and making decisions for his life. As much as Doyoung wanted to go back there and finish his fruit bowl, he doesn’t want to anymore. Not with some royal strangers from some kingdom telling him about things he doesn’t want to talk about, especially when he already cleared his mind off of those things he stupidly dreamt of 7 years ago.

He's slightly annoyed, but what he can't understand is he doesn't know why he rejected the princess. Part of the reason is that he still doesn't personally know the princess that showed up randomly at their kingdom asking for his hand in marriage. The orange gown she wore that Doyoung hates may also be a reason although he knew it was a petty one.

But there is this one reason why, and he doesn't know what it is.

“How was dinner, Your Highness?” Doyoung was snapped out of his thought when he heard a voice beside him. He turned to see Jaehyun smiling kindly at him, walking beside him along the castle hallways.

“I told you to stop calling me that because ‘Doyoung’ is fine.” Doyoung rolled his eyes at the knight beside him, a smile growing on his lips. “I think you’re just calling me that to tease me.”

"You got it right, my prince." Jaehyun laughed along with him. "I'm surprised you figured it out sooner than I thought."

“It’s because I use my brains right, Jaehyun.” The prince beamed. “Just kidding, you’re just really obvious.”

This made Jaehyun laugh again. “You still haven’t answered my question."

“Which question, I forgot.”

“How was your dinner, my prince?”

"Oh, that." Doyoung paused. "The fruit bowl was great. One of the best I ever had."

“You always say that for every fruit bowl you had.” Jaehyun grinned, making Doyoung roll his eyes at him again.

“Sure. But I didn’t get to finish it though.” The prince sighed.

“Why?” Jaehyun asked, his voice laced with confusion and concern.

"Princess Yoonmi likes me, and King Hyunsoo thought it would be a good idea to marry the princess off to me, by the princess' request of course," Doyoung explained as he opened the door to his room. He motioned Jaehyun to come inside. "You can come in, you know? I'm still not done with my story."

Jaehyun, although hesitant, entered the prince’s room. He shouldn’t be there at all, but Doyoung can be whiny and persuasive. Even if Jaehyun refuses or not, he’ll still end up inside Doyoung’s room. Doyoung made the royal knight sit on the chair on his study, while the prince sat on the bed.

"So the princess likes you," Jaehyun commented and Doyoung nodded. "Then why do you look like you are so annoyed? Are you not happy about it?"

Doyoung noticed the way Jaehyun ended his sentence softly and kind of sad? But even if he did notice, he decided not to comment on it.

“I’m not interested. I lost interest in being a king and marriage. I just want to enjoy my life as a prince for now and discover things on my own.” Doyoung shrugged. “I told you this before so you know what I mean, right?”

Jaehyun nodded. “I do, my prince. I do.”

This made Doyoung smile. "Thanks, Jaehyun, for listening. Again.”

“I’m always here for you, my prince.”

Doyoung looked away and decided that his window was much more interesting than Jaehyun right now. He knows he’s blushing, he finally accepted that, but he doesn’t know why. Jaehyun’s words do not mean anything not platonic, but why is it affecting him so much.

He finally faced Jaehyun again when he’s sure his blush already died down, just to see him looking right at him. The prince cleared his throat, trying to fight the blush creeping to his face again, and this made Jaehyun shoot a smile at him, making the prince smile back.

"I want to discover what love is on my own." Doyoung suddenly said, cutting the silence between them.

“That’s amazing, my prince.” Jaehyun smiled, and Doyoung knew something was up with that smile but he doesn’t know what.

“Have you discovered it already?” Doyoung asked the knight in front of him. “You know, what love is.”

Jaehyun stared at him before answering. “I did. I already discovered and knew what love is.”

“Since when? And how did you discover it?”

“I think it was 7 years ago.”

Silence fell on them once again. Doyoung was about to speak up when Jaehyun beat him to it.

“It’s getting late. I’ll get going now Prince Doyoung.” Jaehyun said as he stood up and headed to the door, with Doyoung following behind him.

“Thank you for your time, Jaehyun.” Doyoung smiled.

They said their farewells and good nights before Jaehyun was on his way and Doyoung closed the door to his room. He took off his crown and placed it on his vanity before he plopped down the bed.

Doyoung kept thinking about his conversation with Jaehyun, about when Jaehyun found love himself. He wasn't close with Jaehyun back then but as far as he knows, Jaehyun and his brother were very close 7 years ago. It could be his brother which Jaehyun found love with. It could be a possibility, but the prince doesn't know why he wants to find the answers. Maybe because he wants to know how to find those answers too, or is he just too bothered by the fact that Jaehyun already found what he wants to find the most and… maybe he should stop thinking before he loses his mind.

For now, he decided to strip off his clothes and head to the bathroom to wash up, before he’ll have sleepless night thinking about the events that happened at dinner and Jaehyun.

It was the next morning and Doyoung just got out of his room, freshly showered. He isn't that hungry, but he decided to head to the dining hall instead of skipping it completely. There might be a bonus fruit bowl in there or a fruit pancake. He started heading to the dining hall, greeting the servants he met along the way and admiring the sunlight as it passes through the windows when the curtains were open. The golden light highlighting the blue interiors of the castle and Doyoung found it beautiful. He's not a morning person but this seems like a good reason to wake up early.

“Prince Doyoung!” The said prince turned to look to see Princess Yoonmi approaching him with a smile. Her gown is different now, but it’s still orange in which Doyoung found out to be an eyesore when looking at it with the blue interiors of the castle in the background.

Doyoung doesn’t like her, but he isn’t an asshole. “Good morning Princess Yoonmi, did you sleep well?”

“I did. Thank you for asking.” She answered, blushing.

Doyoung wanted to answer "I asked because I’m not an asshole, I’m not interested in your life at all,” but decided against it. He continued walking ahead, leaving the princess a few steps back.

“Prince Doyoung, wait up!” The princess squeaked as she caught up with Doyoung. “Are you going to the dining hall to have breakfast?”

"I am," Doyoung answered shortly, hoping to cut the conversation off. He doesn't want to talk to the princess right now.

“That’s great. We can go together.” Princess Yoonmi giggled and walked beside Doyoung.

"Of course." It wasn't sarcastic, but it wasn't great either. The prince subtly moved away from the princess not wanting to be beside her and hoped that the princess didn't notice.

While on the way to the dining hall, Doyoung wasn't having the best time. He answered the princess' questions shortly as if he's not interested in which is kind of true. But it seems like the princess doesn't know when to take a hint when the person is uninterested as she continued trying to converse with Doyoung in which he completely shuts down. He knows he looks so exasperated right now, but he doesn't care at this moment.

They were nearing the dining hall and Doyoung's eyes caught Jaehyun, who was standing right outside of the dining hall. Jaehyun turned to look at him and as soon as their eyes met, they exchanged smiles and for the first time that morning, the prince smiled. He even forgot that the princess was just beside him, babbling about something Doyoung isn't interested at all.

“Prince Doyoung, we’re here.” Princess Yoonmi smiled as they reached the entrance to the dining hall. “Come on and let’s have breakfast together.”

Doyoung lingered his eyes on Jaehyun a bit longer before turning to the princess. “I don’t think I can join you for breakfast today, princess. I forgot I have to go horse riding right now. Enjoy your breakfast.”

Doyoung started to walk the opposite way motioning a confused Jaehyun to follow him when he felt a hand cling onto his arm. He looked to see Princess Yoonmi holding on.

“Can’t you skip your horse riding? You know it’s bad to skip breakfast, right? Let’s have breakfast together, please?”

The prince tried his hardest not to roll his eyes at the princess. “I told you I can’t join you for breakfast. Now if you excuse me Princess Yoonmi, then I’ll be on my way now.”

He then pried the princess's hand off him and walked away, leaving Princess Yoonmi behind, fuming. But Doyoung couldn't care less. He doesn't want to face and have breakfast together with a princess who looks like wears ugly table cloth and dipped in ember. Not that he hates orange, or table cloths. It just really looks ugly when combined. And he's uncomfortable with the princess, especially when she grabbed his arm earlier and pleaded to have breakfast with her. Doyoung wants to roll his eyes at the princess earlier but he doesn't want to come off as 'Prince Asshole', does he? The princess might also whine to King Hyunsoo and Doyoung doesn’t want that.

“You know I can practically hear your thoughts, right?” Jaehyun spoke up from beside him, startling Doyoung.

“You startled me.” Doyoung breathed. “Also, you do?”

Jaehyun nodded. “I can hear you muttering under your breath. It’s okay though, it’s just us and I don’t judge.”

“You say you don’t judge, but you were laughing at me earlier while watching me and Princess Yoonmi converse earlier.”

"Hey, it was funny." Jaehyun chuckled. "She looked desperate asking a handsome prince to join her for breakfast."

"I wanted to roll my eyes at her earlier. She can never really take a hint when someone is not interested in talking to her." Doyoung finally rolled his eyes but paused. "Wait, did you just call me a 'handsome prince'?"

Jaehyun grinned. “I did. What about it?”

"Nothing," Doyoung mumbled.

“Prince Doyoung, how about you? Do you know when someone is not interested in you?” Jaehyun asked all of a sudden.

“Of course, I do. And I'll shut up when they're uninterested. I'm not going to push myself into them if they don't want to then don't."

“Then, do you know when someone is interested in you?”

Doyoung turned so fast, he was sure he almost snapped his neck. “What was that?”

“I’m sure you heard me, my prince.” Jaehyun smiled.

“I… uh…” Doyoung stuttered. For once, the prince doesn’t know what to say. Jaehyun had completely thrown him off. He looked at Jaehyun and saw him looking at him with a look he can’t explain. He felt his mouth turn dry, and his lungs constrict. He almost started sweating too, and he doesn’t know why he’s feeling those.

What is happening to him? It’s just a simple question from Jaehyun.

“Don’t worry about it Prince Doyoung. Don’t answer if you don’t want to.” Jaehyun gave him a reassuring smile, and silence wrapped around them once again.

It was when they exited the castle when Jaehyun spoke up again.

"You know, the orange table cloth isn't bad at all."

“Just wait until you see one, Jaehyun. It’s hideous.”

“Like how you described Princess Yoonmi’s gown?”

“Jaehyun shut your mouth oh my god. What if somebody hears that I’m bashing her gown?”

“Isn’t it true though?”

“It is, but please shut your mouth.”

The following days that followed, Doyoung knew he couldn’t avoid circumstances where he has to be with the princess. He can surprisingly stand the princess, but once he’s alone he’ll let out a scream of frustration. As they spend more time together, Doyoung grew more and more uncomfortable around the Princess Yoonmi and he doesn’t know when he’ll keep his sanity… well, sane.

He also found it weird whenever he goes out of his room, Princess Yoonmi always joins him seconds later to wherever he’ll go. It’s unsettling and creepy, also random and Doyoung can’t help but be more uncomfortable. This resorts to him asking Jaehyun’s help to avoid the princess, giving him an escape route every time he goes out of his room.

The princess also always seems to follow him around or wants to follow him around. And Doyoung once again seeks help from Jaehyun, which helps him and he's thankful for that.

Doyoung wonders when will his parents settle the marriage issue with King Hyunsoo, but he never had the chance to ask since he’s busy hiding from Princess Yoonmi. Jaehyun once commented that they’re like playing hide and seek, earning him an eye roll from the young prince.

"I just want to take a walk in the woods peacefully, is it that hard to give?" Doyoung whined as the stable boy adjusts the saddle on Charlie, the horse (a mare) Doyoung is taking with him.

“We’re doing exactly just what you ask, Prince Doyoung.” Jaehyun snickered as he strokes the dark mane of his horse. "Stop whining, my prince. It’s not good for you.”

“You’re such a meanie.” Doyoung huffed as he rolled his eyes at Jaehyun before turning to Charlie. “Jaehyun is a meanie, right?”

Jaehyun’s horse neighed, which made the royal knight laugh at the prince. “Jeffery’s defending me.”

“How about you stand behind Charlie and I’ll just wait until he kicks you.” Doyoung grinned.

“If we wait for that, Princess Yoonmi might come in here and you can’t go on your walk in the woods peacefully.”

“You have a point, let’s go.”

Jaehyun laughed as he fed Jeffrey (his horse) an apple, before walking over to Doyoung who was trying to get on his horse. The prince was having a hard time mounting his horse and hearing Jaehyun’s snickers is pissing him off a bit.

“You’re snickering isn’t helping, Jaehyun.” Doyoung hissed.

“Let me help you then, my prince.” Jaehyun grinned as he walked over to Doyoung.

Doyoung felt Jaehyun's hands on his waist as he helped him mount Charlie. The one contact made Doyoung's brain malfunction, and his nerves short-circuit. He can still feel Jaehyun's hands on his waist burning even though Jaehyun finally let him go as he successfully mounted his horse. Doyoung mumbled a soft "thank you" while Jaehyun just smiled at him.

The prince doesn’t know what happened within him, but he knows it’s weird, not normal at all, and caused by Jaehyun.

“Prince Doyoung, are you ready to go?” Jaehyun asked snapping Doyoung out of his internal conflict.

“Yeah I am, let’s go.” Doyoung managed to stammer out.

He just finished commanding his horse before making it stop again because apparently, some princess is calling him. The prince rolled his eyes before facing Princess Yoonmi who was running towards him, still wearing that ugly ball gown Doyoung doesn’t like.

“Prince Doyoung!” The princess beamed at him. “Where are you going?”

"I'm taking Charlie to the woods," Doyoung replied. He doesn't want to talk to Princess Yoonmi.

“His name is Charlie? That’s cute.” Princess Yoonmi giggled as she hesitatingly tried to pet the horse Doyoung was on.

“It’s a ‘she’. Charlie is a mare.” Doyoung replied. “Now if you’ll kindly excuse us, we’ll be going now. See you later, princess.”

Doyoung commanded his horse to go on, as well as Jaehyun and his men who are going along with them, leaving the sulking princess behind. When they were about to reach the entrance to the woods, Doyoung heard Jaehyun laughing.

“What are you laughing at?” Doyoung asked.

"I'm sorry, my prince, but I just found it funny." Jaehyun laughed.

"What? About what happened with Princess Yoonmi earlier?" Doyoung asked rather bored.

Jaehyun hummed in agreement. “I can’t believe you did that, Prince Doyoung.”

“It’s because she can’t take a freaking hint that I am not interested in talking to her or even being with her.” Doyoung sighed, not looking at Jaehyun. “I told you a hundred times, I’m starting to get uncomfortable around her and I’m also getting annoyed by her mere presence alone.”

“Woah, Prince Doyoung calm down. She’s still a princess at the end of the day.”

“And that is where it gets annoying.”

Jaehyun shrugged. "I understand. Although your game of hiding and seeking with her is pretty enjoyable."

Doyoung stuck his tongue out at Jaehyun.

The walk to the woods was peaceful; Doyoung and Jaehyun were conversing while Jaehyun’s men follow them. It made him forget what was happening back at the castle and it’s
exactly what Doyoung wanted.

Doyoung thinks they were in the middle of the woods already when he noticed Jaehyun stop. Although confused, this didn’t stop the prince from talking about his friends from other kingdoms.

“Prince Doyoung,” Jaehyun suddenly spoke up in a warning voice, cutting the prince off.

“Jaehyun? What’s wrong?” Doyoung asked only to be shushed by Jaehyun.

"I heard something. Be quiet, my prince." Jaehyun said, his voice an octave lower as he pressed a finger against his lips telling Doyoung to shut up. He signaled his men to stop, and this only confused the prince further.

He was about to speak up when he heard something cut through the air, and it’s sound like it’s coming towards him. And it was all too unexpected. The prince widened his eyes in horror as he saw what's coming towards him. He closed his eyes and waited for it to hit him but it never came. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the tip of the arrowhead staring right at him almost menacingly, just centimeters away from his face. He also noticed a hand holding the shaft of the arrow, preventing it from piercing through Doyoung further.

“Are you okay, my prince?” Jaehyun asked, worried as he moved the arrow away from Doyoung’s face.

"I'm fine," Doyoung answered even though he's shaking so bad from fear.

"Bring Prince Doyoung back to the castle. Make sure he safely arrives and bring him to his room for safety purposes, while the rest of you will join me to investigate the area." Jaehyun commanded his men. He then turned to the prince, putting an arm on Doyoung's shoulder to comfort him in some way. "You need to return to the castle for safety. I'll check on you later, okay?"

Doyoung nodded, mumbling a “be safe” to Jaehyun before he turned his horse around and headed back to the castle with some of Jaehyun’s men.

The prince just can't believe what happened. He was almost assassinated, if not for Jaehyun catching the arrow on time. And oh my god, Jaehyun saved him. Jaehyun saved his life.
If it wasn't for Jaehyun, he's probably dead by now. He makes sure that he'll thank him later. Also, who in his right mind would want to assassinate the prince of the kingdom that specializes in defense? He's still shaking even when he reached his room, as it seems he can't take his mind off from what happened. He decided he'll just wait for Jaehyun before leaving his room. After that incident, he knows that he can trust Jaehyun with his safety. But thinking about it more, he still can't get over from what happened. Doyoung still can't believe what happened.

Three knocks on the door startled Doyoung. He just stared at the door of his room, not bothering to open it as he was still scared.

“Prince Doyoung? It’s me.”

The prince immediately flew up from his bed to open the door at the moment he heard Jaehyun’s voice. He opened the door to see Jaehyun smiling at him, but his eyes looked at him worriedly.

“Are you alright?” Jaehyun asked Doyoung as he scanned the prince’s face for any sign of pain. “I’m sorry I didn’t check on you first. I focused on figuring out who would do that to you.”

“Hey, it’s fine. I’m okay. Still kind of shaking from what happened but I’ll manage.” Doyoung smiled, hoping it would reassure Jaehyun. “Did you find anything though?”

Jaehyun sighed. “I did. But it didn’t make any sense. Now, I’m thinking of telling it the king about what happened earlier.”

"That's the right choice."

“They deserve to know. You’re their precious son, after all.”

This made Doyoung smile, stepping closer to wrap his arms around Jaehyun’s neck and pulled himself towards the royal knight as he rested his chin on Jaehyun’s shoulder.

“Thank you for saving me Jaehyun.”

It was silent until Doyoung can feel the other’s arms wrap around his waist to pull him even closer, hugging him back. “I’ve sworn to protect you, Prince Doyoung.”

Doyoung can feel his face burning from the contact. Well, not just his face, but every fiber in his body that is in contact with Jaehyun. It was a nice kind of burn, and Doyoung liked it for some unknown reason. But it made him not wanting to let go of Jaehyun.

Jaehyun broked the hug first, pulling away as he looked at Doyoung again. The prince felt shy all of a sudden, hung his head low, and decided that the carpeted floor is the most interesting thing right now.

Jaehyun seemed to notice the prince’s shyness as he chuckled softly. “Come on, let’s tell the king about the incident earlier.”

Doyoung followed Jaehyun as he led the way, running up to walk beside him and reached out to grab the knight’s hand. Jaehyun looked at him, confused at their linked hands and the prince’s sudden initiation of the action.

Doyoung smiled sheepishly. “I still feel scared.”

Jaehyun smiled in understanding and let Doyoung do what he wants, even squeezing the prince’s hand softly as if telling him that he’s fine with it. And if Doyoung noticed the young knight's reddening ears, he decided not to comment about it and focused instead on how nice it is to hold Jaehyun's hands and how it fits in his own perfectly.
They reached the throne room in now time, where the king and queen were. King Hyunsoo and Princess Yoonmi are nowhere to be seen, and that’s a relief as they want only a very few people to know about the incident.

Doyoung immediately ran up to his mother and hugged her, and the king instantly knew that something’s wrong. He stood up as Jaehyun bowed politely to the king.

“What happened?” The king asked as he motioned for Jaehyun to stand up.

Jaehyun told the king what happened as the king and queen listened. Doyoung is silent, just nodding at Jaehyun as if telling him that what he’s saying is right. At the end of
Jaehyun’s story, the king and queen were comforting Doyoung who keeps on insisting he’s fine.

The king wants to talk to Jaehyun privately to discuss the prince's safety. Doyoung shot an encouraging smile to Jaehyun in which the latter returned as they entered the king's study.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” The queen asked Doyoung for what it feels like the hundredth time.

"I am, Mother," Doyoung reassured. "Jaehyun saved me."

“What did my father say?” Doyoung asked Jaehyun as they walked around the castle grounds, specifically the castle garden.

“He told me to stick to you at all times, in case someone will try to harm you again," Jaehyun asked, turning his attention away from a bee collecting pollen on a nearby flower. "So here am I."

Doyoung chuckled. “I’m not complaining.”

“The only thing you’ve been complaining is about Princess Yoonmi.”

"I have no reason not to. She asked me if I was okay after what happened, she's acting like she's my lover or something and I don't like it."

Jaehyun turned to the prince. “The princess knows about the incident?”

Doyoung nodded. “King Hyunsoo knows too. I figured my father told them about it.”

Doyoung noticed Jaehyun being bothered by the topic but not wanting to affect the prince with his mood, he dropped it and gave Doyoung the sweetest smile it felt like it almost
blinded Doyoung. It also made him feel some type of way but he chose to ignore it.

-----

“Aren’t the flowers pretty?” Doyoung asked as he bent down to admire some of the gladiolus flowers.

“They are pretty.” Jaehyun agreed as he picked some small flowers of kinds and went to sit down on the bench in the garden.

Out of curiosity, the prince followed him and sat beside him. When he realized what Jaehyun was doing with the flowers he picked, his eyes lit up. “You know how to make flower crowns?”

Jaehyun chuckled. “I don’t. But I know how to tie knots.”

This made the prince chuckle as he continued observing Jaehyun, a fond look in his eyes he doesn’t even know he’s giving. “You’re doing a great job.”

“Do you know how to make them yourself?”

“No.”

“We’re on the same page then.” Jaehyun grinned.

"But you are doing a great job." Doyoung reasoned.

Jaehyun just chuckled softly to himself as he focused back on making the flower crown in his hands. Doyoung noticed the royal knight's ears turning red, but he was too interested in what Jaehyun was doing to care about it.

When he finished the flower crown he was making, he smiled proudly as he held it up, while the prince gave him praises. Doyoung was aware that he looked like an overexcited curious child, and Jaehyun was staring at him. He calmed himself down and acted as nothing happened but he blushed so hard, as Jaehyun just laughed softly from his antics, a fond look in his eyes.

“Prince Doyoung,” Jaehyun called.

“Yes?” Doyoung responded, turning to Jaehyun.

Jaehyun gave the crown he made out of flowers to the prince. “You can have this.”

Doyoung’s eyes lit up. “I can?”

Jaehyun nodded and let Doyoung grab the flower crown from his hands. The prince placed the crown at his head and turned to Jaehyun to show it off. He smiled at the knight shyly, as if asking how he looked like with the flower crown on.

Jaehyun smiled back. “It’s lopsided.”

Doyoung pursed his lips in concentration as he tried adjusting the flower crown in his head. “Is it okay now?”

Jaehyun chuckled as he shook his head. “Let me fix that for you.”

Jaehyun scooted closer to the prince. He looked into Doyoung’s eyes as if asking if he could. Doyoung nodded and let Jaehyun reach out to him. Jaehyun took off the flower crown and fixed Doyoung’s hair first, in which the prince hadn’t realized that it was all messy because of the wind. Jaehyun delicately fixed the hair framing the prince’s face before placing the handmade crown back to Doyoung’s head.

Doyoung let him do it, slowly drowning in Jaehyun’s warmth and most importantly, his eyes. Jaehyun’s eyes that made Doyoung feel something he couldn’t pinpoint. But all he knows is it feels nice to have Jaehyun stare at him with that gaze, and just being with him generally. He looked at Jaehyun, admiring his features one by one. He knows Jaehyun is attractive, but when the soft rays of sunlight hitting his face and their distance was just inches away from each other, Doyoung just wants to curse as he realized that Jaehyun is indeed attractive.

"There you go," Jaehyun whispered in a low voice, snapping Doyoung out of his thoughts. "You look beautiful, my prince."

Doyoung never blushed so hard in his entire life. He managed to stammer out a “shut up” making Jaehyun laugh because he’s stuttering so much.

“I want to lie down.” Doyoung sighed.

“Are you tired? I can accompany you to your room.” Jaehyun offered, standing up.

“But I don’t want to go back to my room.” Doyoung pouted. “And I want to stay with you.”

This time, its Jaehyun’s turn to blush, making Doyoung smile. They were silent for a while before Jaehyun cleared his throat catching Doyoung’s attention.

"I know I shouldn't be saying this but," Jaehyun blushed, even more, amusing Doyoung. "Would you like to hang out in my room?"

Doyoung was stunned by Jaehyun's suggestion. He stared at Jaehyun as he contemplates his answer and Jaehyun took it the wrong way, panicking immediately.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to. I know it’s completely weird so forget I even said that.” Jaehyun laughs, feeling embarrassed.

“No.” Doyoung immediately stood up, startling Jaehyun. “I’d love to hang out with you in your room. Come on, lead the way.”

Jaehyun smiled, relieved, as he started walking back to the direction of the castle with Doyoung following behind. But before that, he bent down to pick a single rose flower from a nearby bush. Doyoung just confusedly observed him but blushed once again when Jaehyun gave him a rose from the blush.

“I know you like daises but this is for you, my prince.” Jaehyun smiled as he handed the rose to Doyoung.

“Thank you, Jaehyun.” Doyoung stuttered as he accepted the rose. He sniffed it, immediately smelling the sweet scent of the rose but not until he noticed something on Jaehyun.

“Wait, your hand is bleeding.”

Jaehyun looked at his finger which was indeed bleeding and looked at Doyoung sheepishly. “I think I pricked myself when I went to get that rose.”

Doyoung frowned, wrapping his hand around the bleeding finger to possibly prevent it from bleeding further as he led Jaehyun inside the castle. "Let's get you cleaned up. Do you have a first aid kit in your room?"

"I have one," Jaehyun answered. "But my prince, you don't have to."

“But I want to.”

Jaehyun sighed as he let the prince do what he wants, knowing that Doyoung is stubborn. He let the Doyoung hold onto his bleeding finger, and Doyoung is glad that Jaehyun doesn't mind.

“Why do you want to hang out in my room though?” Jaehyun asked. “Aside from my invitation, of course.”

Doyoung hummed, thinking of a response. “It’s because I feel like somebody is looking at me whenever I enter or leave my room. I don’t feel completely safe.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Do you want me to assign knights outside your door?” Jaehyun offered.

“It slipped my mind, I guess.” Doyoung shrugged. “And that would be nice, thank you Jaehyun.”

“I promised to protect you.”

Doyoung smiled at Jaehyun, despite the blush once again creeping up to his cheeks. "Thanks, Jaehyun."

Jaehyun nodded, returning the smile as they stopped at a door. “We’re here.”

Doyoung let Jaehyun open the door to his room, but still not letting his hand go. “So this is your room?”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun shyly smiles. “Sorry if it’s messy.”

“Messy? My room is so much worse.” This made the two of them laugh. “But it’s finally nice to know where else I can find you. I’ll come and visit you here.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I want to.”

Jaehyun laughed at this. “Here we go again.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Doyoung grinned. “Sit down because I’ll be treating your finger. Where’s your first aid kit?”

Jaehyun pointed to where the first aid kit was placed in his room and Doyoung had no problem retrieving it. He sat beside Jaehyun on his bed and held Jaehyun’s hand and placed it on his lap carefully, while he grabbed some cotton balls and disinfectant from the kit. He started treating the wound silently and carefully. He was aware Jaehyun was staring at him, but he distracted himself by focusing on treating Jaehyun's wound. He finally wrapped a bandage around it and sealed with a band-aid for good measure. He looked up to see Jaehyun smiling at Doyoung's work.

“Don’t laugh.” Doyoung pouted.

“I’m not. I just found it cute.” Jaehyun answered.

Doyoung chose to ignore that comment and lied down on Jaehyun’s bed. It was surprisingly more comfortable than his bed and it smells like Jaehyun too. The soft comforters and the smell of Jaehyun almost lulled Doyoung to sleep.

"Jaehyun, come here. Why are you shy? It's your bed." Doyoung spoke up.

Jaehyun took off the flower crown Doyoung was still wearing and placed it on his bedside table beside the rose he gave to Doyoung, before settling himself down beside Doyoung. The prince immediately turned to face him and gave Jaehyun a sweet smile.

“Hi.”

"We spent hours together, my prince."

“I know. I just said that because I don’t know what to say.”

This made Jaehyun laugh. “Cute.”

“Did you just call me cute?” Doyoung mused, teasing the royal knight.

“I did. What about it?” Jaehyun grinned back, making Doyoung blush again.

“Your room is so comfortable," Doyoung mumbled. "It smells like you."

Jaehyun just hummed, and the silence came in between them once again. Doyoung reached out for Jaehyun’s hand and held onto his injured finger. Jaehyun said nothing, and the prince figured out its fine. They stayed just like that until the prince fell asleep, still holding on to Jaehyun’s finger and basking in his scent and warmth.

When Doyoung woke up from his nap, he was greeted by Jaehyun’s sleeping face with his warm breath fanning Doyoung’s. He was snuggled up on Jaehyun’s chest, as his arms wrapped around the latter’s torso while Jaehyun’s arms were wrapped around him securely. In short, they were cuddling.

Oh god, they were cuddling.

But Doyoung doesn't want to pull away. He doesn't want to get out of Jaehyun's arms wrapped around him. It made him feel safe and warm, and… things he couldn't understand.

He looked up to scan Jaehyun's face and oh god, he looks so peaceful and beautiful and the prince doesn’t mind waking up to this every day. Doyoung has never seen Jaehyun this close before. He was indeed attractive, and for some reason, the prince couldn't stop staring at the other's lips. It looks so soft, yet tempting. Doyoung is curious; he wants nothing more than to test it. To taste it, wondering how it would feel against his.

Doyoung closed his eyes, trying to get the thoughts out of his head. He keeps on saying to himself that what he's thinking is wrong and he shouldn't be thinking of those,
especially to Jaehyun. But as he's closing his eyes, all he heard is the rapid beating of his heart. The prince is confused, but as he looked at Jaehyun once again and felt his heart rate picking up speed, he knows he's damned.

‘I have a crush on Jaehyun.’ He thought. ‘Oh god, I have a crush on Jaehyun!’

Jaehyun stirred in his sleep alarming Doyoung, but he did nothing until Jaehyun opened his eyes and stared back at the prince.

“Hey.” Jaehyun greeted in a raspy voice, obviously just woke up, and hearing it made Doyoung blush instantly.

"Hi," Doyoung whispered. "We fell asleep."

“We did.” Jaehyun agreed as he detached himself from Doyoung much to the prince’s dismay. “Come on now, they might be looking for you.”

“I doubt that. They don’t go looking around for me.” Doyoung answered as he sat up while Jaehyun was fixing himself in the mirror of his room.

Jaehyun shrugged. “We never know. Come on, I’ll drop you off at your room then accompany you to wherever you’ll go next.”

Doyoung smiled as he stood up and fixed himself. They went out of Jaehyun’s room, with Doyoung holding on to the flower crown, the rose, and Jaehyun’s finger.

After that fateful day, another place to hang out was added on their list and that is Jaehyun’s room. They spent a lot of time there just chatting and hanging out, mostly when one of them want to lie down for a moment (sounds like Doyoung). And if he were, to be honest, the knight doesn’t mind at all.

“Did I mention that my brother sent me a letter?" The prince opened up as they leave Jaehyun's room together as it is time for Doyoung to go horse-riding again. "He'll visit sometime soon."

"That's very nice of him. I haven't seen him since I've gone away to train." Jaehyun replied as he closed the door to his room and they started on their way. "I still don't know how I should address him. King Gongmyung or still Prince Donghyun.”

Doyoung chuckled as he rolled his eyes at Jaehyun who was laughing beside him. “I was thinking of greeting him with a slap on his arm. That idiot.”

“That’s not very nice.”

“You can’t stop me.”

This made Jaehyun laugh harder. “You’re so amusing, my prince.”

Doyoung tried hard not to blush as they stepped outside of the castle and made their way to the stables. The prince greeted his favorite mare and mounted him, with the help of Jaehyun. Jaehyun’s hand on Doyoung’s waist is helping him up but wasn’t helping with Doyoung’s mission of hiding his blushing red face. He just tried to ignore it by stroking his horse’s mane.

“Are we good to go?” Jaehyun asked him as he mounted his horse, looking at Doyoung.

"Yeah, let's go," Doyoung answered softly.

Jaehyun shot him a fond smile before looking back to his men and motioned them that they are ready to go. Doyoung kept looking at Jaehyun’s every move and he can’t help himself but blush.

The prince shook his head. These past few weeks of hanging out with Jaehyun knowing the fact that he has a crush on his knight taught him a few things about this new feeling that always lingers whenever he’s with Jaehyun.

It's somehow nerve-wracking, but the feeling is nice. Doyoung likes the feeling yet he can't even explain what it is exactly.

A few minutes later, they are now deep into the woods opposite from where the last incident happened. They were now just trekking slowly on the trail with their horses, Charlie and Jeffery, and some knights following behind them. They were just chatting softly yet it somehow makes Doyoung feel things he tries to hide, yet the blush on his cheeks is giving it away. He's just thankful Jaehyun doesn't notice it.

And if he does, Jaehyun doesn’t comment about it.

They were just talking and enjoying each other’s company until Jaehyun suddenly Jaehyun stopped talking and even stopped his horse in his tracks.

“Jaehyun? You okay?” Doyoung asked confused (or rather concerned) as he looked back at the knight.

Jaehyun paused for a while before giving the prince a small smile. “Switch lanes with me, my prince.”

Even though confused, Doyoung obeyed and switched lanes with Jaehyun who just continued as nothing happened. Doyoung just stared at him, and when Jaehyun caught his eyes, he can’t help but blush and look away almost immediately, not catching the slight smirk that formed on Jaehyun’s lips.

After a few minutes of silence, Jaehyun suddenly stopped again and this confused Doyoung even more.

"Alright Jaehyun, what's going on-" Doyoung doesn't even get to finish his sentence when a branch from a tree behind Jaehyun hit him with full force on the back, causing Jaehyun to fall off his horse.

Doyoung quickly got off his horse and helped Jaehyun stand up as the other knights they were with calmed Jeffery. “Are you okay, Jaehyun?”

“Yes, my prince. I am fine.” Jaehyun answered disguising the groan of pain with a chuckle. The prince noticed this and was about to say something when Jaehyun spoke once again. “But you must return to the castle. You're not safe here."

“What about you? I can’t just leave you behind.” Doyoung reasons out.

“I need to check the place around to investigate. I’ll be okay, my prince. Your safety is my priority for now.” Jaehyun said as he held both of Doyoung’s hands much to his surprise. “Go, now.”

Doyoung still wants to savor the feeling of Jaehyun's hands on his own and he knows the other feels the same way as Jaehyun softly rubs the back of Doyoung's palm soothingly and honestly, it made Doyoung feel at peace and warm all inside. But the urgency in the situation and the stares of the other knights give out pressure to them.

Although hesitant, Doyoung stands up to mount his horse but not before cupping Jaehyun’s face in his hands and placing a kiss on Jaehyun’s forehead. “Please be safe.”

Jaehyun gives Doyoung a smile despite the pain he’s feeling and the blush that’s appeared on his face. “I will be safe, my prince.”

With a last look, Doyoung turned his horse around rode back to the castle alone, leaving the rest of the knights with Jaehyun to help him. He trusts Jaehyun, yet the worry inside him continues to worry the prince. Especially when he knows deep inside that this is happening because of him.

“I’m so sorry, Jaehyun.” Doyoung mumbles to himself as a tear escaped from his eye, not aware that he’s crying. “Please Jaehyun, come back safely.”

Doyoung didn’t come out of his room, even at dinner. He doesn’t want to see anyone right now except Jaehyun, and he’s not coming out until he knows Jaehyun is safe in his room.

So he waited, and when the prince thought its time, he quietly sneaked out of his room, wearing only his pajamas and went to Jaehyun’s room where he frequented in these past few weeks.

Looking around the hallways, he made sure no one was there or following him before slowly making his way towards Jaehyun’s quarters.

The moonlight shone through the big windows of the castle, but Prince Doyoung's mind was focused on checking up on Jaehyun. He soon came face to face with the door in which he was so familiar with the past couple weeks. He knocked three times, letting the other know that he was there and he was coming in. And so he did. He entered after knocking
and stopped in his tracks when he saw Jaehyun looking like he just got out of the shower as his hair was wet and half-naked in front of Doyoung.

But what made Doyoung stop in his tracks were the fresh bruises plastered on Jaehyun’s exposed back.

The prince can’t help but blush at the sight of his crush, half-naked in front of him and fresh out of the shower, exposing his toned body for Doyoung’s eyes to see. It took all of Doyoung’s willpower not to think dirty thoughts while the other is in the same room.

So he began to worry about the bruises on Jaehyun’s back, and it looks like it wasn’t treated yet.

“Jaehyun, what happened?” Doyoung spoke up making Jaehyun jump in surprise, which made both of them blush.

“Prince Doyoung,” Jaehyun cleared his throat, ignoring the blush creeping onto his neck and ears. “You startled me.”

This made Doyoung chuckle. “Did I? I knocked on your door though.”

“Yeah, you entered so quietly and I didn’t hear you knock.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Doyoung’s smile faded. “But you haven’t answered me yet. What happened to you?”

“What happened to me?” Jaehyun asked dumbly.

“Yeah, what happened to your back? You have bruises and cuts all over.” Doyoung said worried, as he stepped closer.

"Oh, that." Jaehyun paused. "It's from when I fell earlier."

“And you haven’t treated it yet?” Doyoung asked as he crossed his arms.

Jaehyun smiled sheepishly. “I kind of forgot to.”

This made Doyoung sigh. “Where’s your first aid kit?”

“Pardon me, my prince?”

“I said, where’s your first aid kit?” Doyoung asked again settling himself on top of Jaehyun’s bed. “I’ll treat you.”

Jaehyun kept his gaze at the prince on his bed for a moment before walking over to a corner of his room and retrieved a small wooden box with the first aid material inside. He handed it over to Doyoung who placed it beside him and opened it to get some ointment while Jaehyun sat at the edge of his bed, back facing the prince.

Doyoung started treating the bruises and cuts on Jaehyun’s back, and they sat there in silence. Other than Jaehyun’s constant hissing and flinching every time a cut is being treated, no one spoke a word.

“You know, you didn’t have to do this, my prince.” Jaehyun said through the silence in his room.”

“Do what?”

“This. Treating me like what you’re doing right now.”

Doyoung paused for a moment, softly dabbing the ointment on one of Jaehyun’s cuts. “But I want to.”

“Why?” Jaehyun asked almost inaudible, if not only for the silence in the room.

This made Doyoung stop in what he was doing as he thought about it. Jaehyun’s right, why was he even doing this when he could just told the knight to go to the infirmary first thing in the morning? Doyoung racked his brain with answers as his heart raced, but he settled with the answer that is the summary of all the things he want to tell Jaehyun right at that moment.

“It’s because I care about you, Jaehyun.”

Doyoung patted Jaehyun’s shoulder signalling that he is finished and Jaehyun can stand up now, in which he did. Yet, he was faced with a shirtless Jaehyun staring at him with a look in his eyes that Doyoung can’t describe. The prince did the same thing; he stared back with the same intensity in his eyes as his mind was flooded with a lot of thoughts he never thought would cross his mind. But with him kneeling on top of Jaehyun’s bed and the latter standing in front of him, he can’t help it. He can also feel the room getting warmer and his face turn red with the obvious tension in between them, but he doesn’t know why he’s acting this way.

But with the internal crisis Doyoung is undergoing through right now and with Jaehyun right in front of him, he came to a conclusion while restraining himself from reaching his hand out to cup Jaehyun’s face.

“This is all I ever wanted.” The prince thought. “I don’t want to be king, I don’t want to face responsibility for now, or I don’t want anything right now at all. I just want Jaehyun. Jaehyun. Only Jaehyun.”

“It’s getting late, my prince.” Jaehyun suddenly spoke as he closed his eyes, the tension between them started to fade away. “You should go back now.”

Doyoung seemed to have gotten back to his senses at Jaehyun’s words, as he suddenly stood up even with his wobbly legs. “Yeah. Yeah you’re right. I should head back now.”

The prince headed for the door and exited Jaehyun’s room, but not before glancing back at him one last time for the night.

When he reached his own room, he plopped down on his bed and started thinking about what happened back there. He started kicking and hitting his bed while screaming at his pillows. If ever somebody catches him like that, he’s not going to bother to explain why.

“Jung Jaehyun.” Doyoung muttered when he got tired from all the kicking and screaming. “You’re driving me crazy.”

On the other side of the castle, a certain knight is thinking the same thing as he buried his face in his hands while thinking about what happened and how much this affected him.

Doyoung woke up the next morning with one thing in his mind in which he has come to terms with after what happened last night.

He has fallen in love with Jaehyun.

That explains what happened last night. Why Doyoung stared back at Jaehyun with the same look in his eyes, why Doyoung started sweating when it wasn’t even that hot last night, why he felt his cheeks turn red when Jaehyun wouldn’t break off his stare at him.

And it’s not just last night, now that Doyoung thought about it. The lingering gazes, the soft smiles, the subtle touches, the need to be together always, the warmth and safeness that he can find in the other, the feeling of happiness and ease whenever they are together.

It is all because of one thing. That Doyoung fell in love with Jaehyun, and he won’t deny it.

Questions started flooding in Doyoung’s mind But before he can feel himself explode, he showered quickly and put on his royal robes not bothering to fix himself before running out of his room in search of the king and queen.

He knows it’s not a good idea at all, and there are a lot of risks in what he’s doing but he want answers. He needed answers. And he knows his parents can answer them.

The prince is determined to seek answers from the king and queen, he didn’t even notice that he passed by Jaehyun and his men in the halls who was now staring at him as he passed through them with confusion etched on their faces.

Doyoung didn’t find them at the dining hall as it was empty so he dashed away again in hopes of finding them. He passed by Jaehyun and his men again, not finding the time to greet them and passing through them. This confused them a lot more, and as he was confused, Jaehyun was also starting to worry about the young prince.

Doyoung reached his father’s study and he found what he’d been looking for. The king and the queen were having tea in comfortable silence, instead of having breakfast in the dining hall.

“Father, Mother.” Doyoung panted from the door, breathless from all the running, making the king and queen turn to him.

“Oh my, Doyoung, what happened?” The queen placed her teacup on the tabl and stood up, as she guided the young prince to a chair beside them.

“I came to find you both.” Doyoung answered as the queen gave him a glass of water. He thanked his mother and quickly drank all of it.

“What for, son?” The king asked. “What bothered you that you came all the way to see us privately?”

At this point, all the running made Doyoung’s mind jumble that it already was. He was planning to tell them about the revelation he had regarding Jaehyun and his feelings, but it seemed like his lips had its own mind and instead of telling them that, he asked a totally different thing.

“Why do you like Jaehyun so much?”

The king and queen looked at him weirdly. “Is that why you came all the way here? Just for that question?”

“Just answer it please.” Doyoung whined.

“Jaehyun is a nice guy.” The king started, although hesitant. “He’s loyal and brave. Selfless and kind too. He’s so much like his father.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Doyoung interrupted. “I mean yes, he is all of those things you mentioned. But what I meant with my question is that why do you like him so much? For me?”

This caught the king and queen off, but they started to smile knowingly which confused the hell out of Doyoung who’s still not in his right mind.

“I never thought you’d ever ask that question seriously, Doyoung.” The queen said lovingly as he stroked Doyoung’s still wet hair in which he didn’t bother to dry earlier.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Doyoung asked again, now confused as ever.

“Do you want to know why we like Jaehyun for you?” The queen asked and Doyoung nodded quickly, earning a laugh from the king. “It all started 7 years ago. Do you want to know what happened?”

Doyoung nodded. “Yes, Mother.”

“Then let me tell you, dear Doyoungie.”

It was a normal day in the throne room. The king and queen sitting together, waiting for anything to happen. They weren’t doing anything unlike to two little princes anyway, so they wait in the throne room.

The doors to the throne room open just slightly to reveal a young boy the king and queen were so familiar and fond with, yet it shocked them to see him right in front of them. He looks like he was trying to be brave based on the face he’s trying to put up, but his trembling hands say otherwise. Nevertheless, the king and queen find this endearing and smiled at the little boy to ease him.

“Hello, Jaehyun.” The queen greeted in her sweet voice. “What brings you here?”

The little boy’s eyes widened cutely and scampered to bow in front of the two royals. The smiles on the king and queen’s faces grew.

“Your Majesties.” Jaehyun stammered out. “I know the both of you are busy, but I just want to tell you something. If you only have the time of course. If not, it’s okay.”

“We have all the time in the world.” The king answered. “What is it about Jaehyun? Is it about Prince Donghyun? Had he gotten into trouble while you were playing?”
Jaehyun shook his head almost immediately. “No, not at all. And it’s not about Prince Donghyun, Your Majesty.”

The little boy paused, and the king and the queen waited for him patiently.

“It’s about Prince Doyoung.”

That’s weird. As far as they know, Jaehyun and Prince Doyoung weren’t that close at all as the second prince spends all of his time alone in the library or either at trainings. They might’ve not interacted at all.

“What about Prince Doyoung?” The queen asked carefully.

Jaehyun seemed hesitant at first but he might have found the courage deep inside him when he looked at the king and queen with determination in his eyes.

“I like Prince Doyoung.”

“He waltz into the throne room and told you that?” Doyoung asked in disbelief, after the queen told him what happened 7 years ago.

“Yeah, he did that.” The king chuckled from beside him.

“Then what happened? What did you say? Is that why you started shipping me with him?” Doyoung asked all at once.

“If you put it that way, yes. He was so cute at that time, confessing his love for you to us rather than saying it to you directly.” The queen laughed. “But I get his point. He was trying to ask permission from us.”

Doyoung can’t believe his ears. Jaehyun has feelings for him all this time? Since 7 years ago? It feels like everything were dropped onto Doyoung and he might need time to process all of this, but he can’t deny that he was beyond happy when he knew all this.

“Doyoung, you’re blushing.” The king pointed out.

“Am I?” Doyoung asked dumbly, but he couldn’t help the smile forming on his lips. “It was just nice to hear, all of those.”

The queen nodded. “But I was wondering, why did you suddenly ask us about this?”

“I was thinking the same thing.” The king piped up.

Now that Doyoung is in his right mind, he can finally say what he wants to say in the first place when he went to look for the king and queen.

“I think I like Jaehyun.”

When Doyoung thought about telling this to his parents earlier, he never expected them to celebrate by dancing around the study. So he just sat there, dumbfounded, as the king and queen express their happiness.

“Are you serious?” The queen excitedly asked. “Since when? How did it happen?”

“Since this morning.” Doyoung answered. “If I think about it, it was obvious. It was just my mistake of not thinking about it and realizing it sooner.”

“Oh Doyoung, it’s not your fault. You have your own pace in life.” The king stated as they calmed down and returned to their seats. “It’s just Jaehyun was much ahead of you.”

“Yeah, by 7 years.”

The queen hugged Doyoung, in which Doyoung hugged back. “We’re so proud of you, son. You didn’t know how many years we’ve been waiting for this and it has all been worth it.”

“Wait, you’re okay with this?” Doyoung asked, breaking away from the hug.

“Of course we are.”

“But we’re both… guys.”

This made the king and queen laugh, before the king put a hand on Doyoung’s shoulder. “And who are we to stop you? You can’t dictate your feelings, and if you’re happy with whatever your decision is then we’re happy too. We don’t want to be the ones to get in the way of your happiness, Doyoung.”

“And you’re the future king after all.” The queen quickly added. “You can do whatever you want. Just make sure to invite us to your wedding with Jaehyun.”

Doyoung suddenly wanted to cry after hearing his parents’ words. He never expected this, not at all. So he didn’t hold in, and started crying in front of the king and queen.

“Oh dear, why are you crying?” The queen asked as she quickly wrapped an arm around Doyoung. The king did the same.

“I can’t give you an heir.” Doyoung stammered out in between sniffs.

“And do you think we care about that, Doyoung?” The king answered. “If we were thinking about the heir, we would’ve not allowed all of this to happen since 7 years ago.”

Doyoung nodded, yet the tears kept falling. “Are you sure you want me to be with Jaehyun?”

“Yes, we are.” This time, it’s the queen who answered. “We trust him, and we know he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. He swore to his life to protect you and he would be there
for you, not matter what. He loves you so much, my son. And I think you both deserve each other.”

“And besides, he kept his promises to us regarding you from 7 years ago.” The king added.

This made Doyoung stop and calm down. “What promises?”

“If you want the continuation to the story we told you earlier, you should ask Jaehyun about it.”

Doyoung was silent for a while, thinking everything. He was still having mixed emotions from all that has been revealed to him and the consequences of all of this, yet all that he cared about was that he was just thankful for his parents.

He also felt nervous confronting Jaehyun about it, because he knows that it will eventually result to him revealing his feelings for the latter and he doesn’t know if he’s ready for it.

But he wants answers. He needs answers. So he made up his mind, that he’ll confront Jaehyun about it. And possibly confess too.

Just thinking about it brings weird sensations to Doyoung’s stomach, and he can feel his heart beating fast.

But there is still one question that’s bothering him.

“What about King Hyunsoo and Princess Yoonmi?”

The king paused for a moment. “Leave that to us and don’t worry about it. You focus on Jaehyun, okay?”

Doyoung wanted to cry again, now out of gratitude. He hugged both of his parents. “Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Father. I love you.”

This made the king and queen smile, holding in the tears that are threatening to fall from their eyes.

“We love you too, Doyoung. Now go get him.”

Doyoung was at the library, reading a book yet he can’t focus on what he’s been reading as his mind was occupied with the thoughts of Jaehyun, Jaehyun, and Jaehyun. He hasn’t seen the knight all morning and he can’t take it no more. He’s been dead curious about the second part of the story and it feel like he would explode if he doesn’t get to tell Jaehyun his feelings right away.

Doyoung laughed to himself. He never thought that feeling in love could be this dangerous.

The prince dropped the book he’s been reading to the table and groaned in frustration. He figures out it is no use if he continues to read, yet his mind is on a certain someone.

He decided to take a walk around the castle to clear off his mind so he stood up and went out of the library, and started roaming around just to get his mind off Jaehyun.

Yet, every time he tries to do so, the thought of Jaehyun always comes back. Doyoung thought he was going to go crazy.

“Get it together, Doyoung.” The prince said in frustration as he pulled his hair.

“Prince Doyoung? What’s wrong, my prince?”

Doyoung whipped his head so fast he felt like he almost snapped his neck. But he didn’t care at the moment even if he snapped his own neck, because standing there at the balcony overlooking the garden is Jaehyun.

Jaehyun was looking at him worriedly but the sunlight was making him glow and ethereal, and this made Doyoung feel things. His heart started beating faster, the butterflies in his stomach appeared once again, his hands started trembling, he started feeling warm all over, he started blushing, and he was frozen in place just staring at Jaehyun in front of him.

“Prince Doyoung, are you okay?” Jaehyun asked again making Doyoung snap out of his reverie.

“Yes, I’m okay.” Doyoung managed to stammer out as he made his way on the balcony, beside Jaehyun and started to look over the garden to distract his self. “I never thought I’d find you here.”

This made Jaehyun chuckle. “What is that supposed to mean, my prince?”

“Nothing.” Doyoung grinned, but he turned serious soon after. “Jaehyun, can we talk?”

Jaehyun seems to sense that Doyoung is serious so he turned his body ever so slightly to face Doyoung who was beside him, still looking below the garden. “Of course we can talk, my prince. What is it about?”

Doyoung paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to say to Jaehyun. But in the end, he decided to leave it all up to fate to choose the words to say at this moment.

“Do you like me?”

That is not what Doyoung expected to come out of his mouth for the first question.

Jaehyun was taken aback from the question, but he just smiled and looked down at the garden as his ears started turning red. “How much do you know?”

“I know. The king and queen told me when I asked them.” Doyoung answered. “I just want to hear it from you.”

“Then there you go.” Jaehyun chuckled as he faced Doyoung once again. “I like you.”

Doyoung was silent. Hearing it from Jaehyun sounds so different and it made his heart happy. It made him so happy.

“I don’t even think it’s “like” anymore.” Jaehyun continued. “I think it’s already “love” and that sounds just right. I love you, Prince Doyoung.”

Doyoung can feel his heart increase its rate even more and he’s well aware that he’s blushing so hard right now. Doyoung likes this feeling, and he wishes that he can always hear it from Jaehyun. Because coming from Jaehyun, yes, it sounds just right.

“Love?” Doyoung asked dumbly.

Jaehyun nodded. “Yes, my prince. Love. That’s what I feel towards you. Since 7 years ago. I discovered and knew love because of you.”

Doyoung suddenly remembered their conversation about love. It was him all along? All this time, he thought it was his brother. It sounds nice to hear it from Jaehyun, finally an answer to one of Doyoung’s questions.

“But,” Doyoung paused. “Why didn’t you tell me about it 7 years ago?”

Jaehyun stopped for a moment. “How much did the king and queen tell you?”

“Just until the part where you told them that you like me.” Doyoung answered.

This made Jaehyun smile. “Then it’s my turn to tell you what happened back then.”

The king and queen looked at each other before turning back to Jaehyun who stood in his place solidly. The throne room was silent for a while, and it was the most nerve-wracking moment for Jaehyun as every possibility was crossing his mind. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen, but he prepared himself for whatever consequence this may lead.

Finally the king and queen smiled at the little Jaehyun.

“That’s very sweet.” The queen started. “Prince Doyoung is quite likable, but are you serious about him?”

“I am, Your Highness. I am very serious about the prince.” Jaehyun answered almost immediately.

“Then why are you telling us this?” The king chuckled. “Go and tell Prince Doyoung.”

Jaehyun shook his head which shocked the king and the queen.

“Why not?” The king asked softly. “You have our support, Jaehyun. We know you and what you are really like.”

“Because I want to prove myself to him and to you that I am worth to be with him.” Jaehyun explained. “I will love him with all my heart and treat him like the prince that he is. I swore to protect him with all my life.”

“Sounds like you already love him, Jaehyun.” The queen said sweetly.

This made Jaehyun grin. “Maybe I am, Your Highness. Maybe I already love Prince Doyoung. We might not seem close at all but I know him more than you think and it’s enough for me to realize that I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

The boy in front of them might be young, but the fact that they found someone that loves their son like they do makes them obliged. They’re sold. They want Jaehyun for the prince.

“You have our support, Jaehyun” The king answered, smiling. “But shouldn’t you be spending time with Prince Doyoung if you want him to like you back?”

“I’ll win him over when I feel like I finally proved myself.” Jaehyun answered. “I’ll enter the royal knights training and I’ll come back when I feel like I’m finally worth of Prince Doyoung’s love.”

“Even if it will take you years?”

“Prince Doyoung is worth it.”

“Well then, I guess that settles it.” The king announced with a smile.

Jaehyun immediately bowed right before the king and queen again. “Thank you, Your Majesties. I will make you proud.”

“You already did, Jaehyun.” The queen giggled. “We’re so proud of you.”

“We will wait for you to return and fulfill your promises, Jaehyun.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Jaehyun smiled. “I don’t break promises. I’ll be back.”

Jaehyun was about to exit the throne room when the king called him again.

“Jaehyun?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

The king seemed to pause for a while before smiling at Jaehyun. “Your mother would be very proud of you.”

“You told them that?” Doyoung asked, still trying to believe what Jaehyun has been saying. “I mean, you promised them that?”

“Yeah, and I was pretty serious about that. Everything I said back then was true. I love you, for the longest time. You made me what I am today because I did all of that for you. I want to be someone you can be proud of, Doyoung. Now here I am, fulfilling the promises I made 7 years ago.” Jaehyun explained, smiling. “There you go, you already know the truth. I’m not expecting anything right now, my prince. I’ll understand if you’ll hate me or what. You can take your time but just know that I’ll always be here waiting for you.”

Doyoung was stunned for the second time that day. Everything that Jaehyun told him came crashing down at once as he started to process everything that was happening. His emotions were a mess right now, but he never felt this happy in his life until now. And it’s all because of Jaehyun. The guy in front of him. The guy who loves him since 7 years ago. The guy he likes.

“Jaehyun,” Doyoung started as he reached out to hold Jaehyun’s hand. “I am proud of you and what you’ve become. Also for fulfilling your promises, and not giving up on me. I can never thank you enough for that. I don’t know what I did for you to make you feel like that, but I’m glad.”

“What do you mean, my prince?” Jaehyun asked in confusion.

“I like you, Jaehyun. And I want to learn to love you like the way you love me.” Doyoung smiled as he held Jaehyun’s hand tighter. “You won me over, like you promised and I’m
glad you did. This is also what I ever wanted, Jaehyun. To be together every single day.”

Doyoung saw the way Jaehyun’s smile grew and grew with every word that he said, and seeing his precious smile, he wanted to be the reason behind those smiles and be happy with Jaehyun from this day and on.

“Doyoung,” Jaehyun started as he stepped closer and cupped Doyoung’s face with his hand. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes, Jaehyun.” Doyoung whispered. “Please kiss me.”

And so, Jaehyun did.

As soon as their lips met, Doyoung felt like his heart would explode. Sure he felt sparks the moment Jaehyun leaned in and placed his lips on his own, but Doyoung soon went numb as all he can think about is how this is all perfect, and it is all that he really wants. Is to be with Jaehyun. Is with Jaehyun. And just Jaehyun. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Doyoung,” Jaehyun whispered breathlessly, as he smiled against the kiss. “I love you, my prince.”

Hearing Jaehyun call him “my prince” hits differently now that they’ve come clean about their feelings with each other. It made Doyoung feel things he can’t explain, so he settled for hiding his blushing face in the crook of Jaehyun’s neck.

“You don’t have to say it back right now. You know that I’ll wait for you, you know?” Jaehyun added.

Doyoung nodded. “I know. And I can’t wait for the day I can finally say it back.”

“Take your time, my prince.” Jaehyun smiled as he placed a kiss on Doyoung’s forehead. “I’ll be here with you when that time comes.”

“Thank you.” The prince whispered. “You’ve made me so happy, Jaehyun.”

“I’ve never been happier too, my prince. I love you, I always have and I always will.”

[a few months later]

“I just want to ask you some questions, Jaehyun.” Doyoung spoke up. “I’ve been dying to ask you these ever since.”

This made Jaehyun chuckle. “Ask away, my prince.”

They are back again at the same balcony several months later, but this time their hands are intertwined to each other. They’re just basking in the golden sunlight, looking back the events that happened a few months ago. They just smiled at the thought and they’re just happy that they reached the point where they are right now.

“Did you ever felt jealous whenever Princess Yoonmi interacted with me at first?” Doyoung asked. “It’s because now that I thought about it, you acted so calm back then. It’s like you just didn’t have competition.”

“Of course I felt jealous that time.” Jaehyun answered after a few moments of silence. “But I couldn’t do anything because you are both royals, and I’m just a knight who secretly loves the prince. You get what I mean.”

Doyoung nodded. “I do, I do.”

“And even if she turned into a real competition, I wouldn’t give you up so easily, my prince.” Jaehyun continued.

Doyoung nodded as he blushed. He was glad Jaehyun thinks that way, because these past few months were the best months in the prince’s life. His parents were thrilled when they found out, and since Princess Yoonmi didn’t have a chance now, she and King Hyunsoo were sent back to their kingdom. Or they just plain disappeared. Doyoung doesn’t really know what happened to them. He just assumed that they went back to their kingdom but he can sense something happened and Jaehyun knows what it is. He just won’t tell Doyoung.

“What happened to Princess Yoonmi and King Hyunsoo?” Doyoung tried asking.

Jaehyun gave him a tight-lipped smile. “It’s better if you didn’t. Your father wouldn’t be happy with you asking that question.”

So Doyoung left it at that. He might ask again another time. That’s one question down.

“Jaehyun,” Doyoung started again. “Why do you still keep calling me “my prince”? You could just call me “Doyoung”, right?”

Jaehyun turned to him and grinned, making Doyoung’s heart flutter. “Why? Isn’t it true? That you are MY prince?”

This turned Doyoung into a blushing mess that made Jaehyun laugh, as the prince told him to shut up. But Doyoung loves to see Jaehyun laugh. Jaehyun looks the happiest when he laughs. Just like how the prince is with Jaehyun, he’s the happiest.

“Your Highness?” The both of them turned around to see a maid standing at the entrance of the balcony. “Sorry to interrupt, Your Highness, but the king has requested your presence at the throne room.”

“Did he say why?” Doyoung asked.

“I’m afraid not, Your Highness.” The maid answered.

“It’s fine, I’ll be there.” Doyoung dismissed the maid and he made his way to the throne room, with Jaehyun beside him still holding his hand.

“What do you think it’ll be?” Jaehyun asked.

“I have no idea.”

When they reached the throne room, the king and queen were already there. They greeted each other, and they smiled fondly at the two when Doyoung went to sit on his throne with Jaehyun standing beside it.

They waited for a while and after a few moments before the trumpets were blown and the doors opened revealing a very familiar young man.

“His Majesty, King Gongmyung of the West Coast Kingdom.”

“Brother?!” Doyoung exclaimed from his seat as soon as he processed that his older brother is right in front of him.

“It’s nice to see you again, younger brother.” Donghyun greeted calmly with a mischievous smile playing on his lips. “Hello Father. Hello Mother. It’s nice to come and visit you again.”

“We’re so glad you could come visit us, Donghyun.” The king spoke up as the queen rushed down to hug her son.

“I am too, Father. It’s been so long since I visited here. It’s nice to be back for a while.” Donghyun answered, hugging the queen back.

“How’s your wife?” The queen asked as soon as they broke from the hug.

“She’s fine, Mother.” Donghyun answered with a smile before turning to look at Doyoung and Jaehyun’s direction. “Jaehyun, I see you’re back from you royal knight training. It’s been so long since we last saw each other, let’s catch up while I’m here.”

“It is good to see you back too, Your Highness. And I would love to catch up with you.” Jaehyun greeted back with a smile.

“How about you, Doyoungie?” Donghyun grinned at the latter. “Aren’t you going to greet me?”

Doyoung rolled his eyes playfully at his older brother. “Hello, Brother. It’s nice of you to visit us here.”

“Of course, I missed all of you.” Donghyun chuckled. “Now tell me, how are things going with Jaehyun?”

The two blushed making the king and queen laugh at them. They never expected that Donghyun would know about them. But maybe the king and queen told him in their letters so Doyoung wasn’t completely shocked at all. But he can’t help but blush whenever someone would acknowledge Doyoung and Jaehyun’s relationship. And it looks like Doyoung isn’t the only one that would turn into a blushing mess whenever that is mentioned.

“We’re happy with each other.” Doyoung answered at last.

“And that’s all that matters.” Donghyun nodded. “Then how about you, future king? How are the preparations going? Are you ready to be king, Doyoungie?”

If Doyoung was asked this question a few months ago, his immediate answer would be “no, I don’t want to be king yet”. But now that everything changed ever since Jaehyun came and entered his life, he has a different answer this time. He thought about this answer for a long time, and he figured out that this is the right time to say it.

“I don’t know if I will be ready to rule this kingdom at all. But I know that if I have somebody to rule the kingdom with me, I think I can do it.” Doyoung turned to Jaehyun and held his hand. “So Jaehyun, would you rule this kingdom with me?”

Jaehyun’s face went from surprise to confusion, then finally it settled to a big smile on his lips and teary eyes that looked at Doyoung’s, as he nodded.

“I would be honored to rule this kingdom with you, my prince.”

“You two would make great rulers.” Donghyun spoke with a smile on his lips, as the queen quickly blinked back her tears that are threatening to spill and the king just smiled at them proudly.

When everyone’s attention was now away from them, Jaehyun brought Doyoung’s hand he was holding and brought it up to his lips to softly kiss the back of the prince’s palm.

This made Doyoung smile, despite the blush creeping onto his face.

“Thank you, Jaehyun, for agreeing to rule the kingdom with me.”

“I told you before, Prince Doyoung. I’ll always be here for you so wherever you’ll go, I will follow.” Jaehyun answered with a smile. “I love you, Doyoung.”

“I love you too, Jaehyun.”

Finally, he said it back.