Royal Pain | PJM • slow updates

Chapter 8

Eunjae had endured the vile comments from prisoners with her head held high as the guard led her out of the dungeon-like area. When he locked the door shut and they head out of the sector of the castle all together, Eunjae blew out a relieved breath and ran a hand over her face.

Jungkook glanced at the woman, noticing her disgruntled appearance; her messy hair, her dirtied clothing, the subtle dark circles under her eyes, it all caused a pang of pity to begin to sink into him. "I hope your night wasn't too restless." He simply commented.

Eunjae was startled at his sudden words which sliced through the awkward silence between the two. She was also stunned to hear a certain degree of actual interest for her reply. "I slept rather well, if you could say that, although I would have appreciated at least one meal."

Jungkook's lips pursed upon hearing her words as they both continued their walking. "That's strange, a small breakfast should have been provided. Unless you slept through the period in which they distributed the food to when they collected the remains."

Eunjae shook her head in disappointment. "I suppose I must have. They could've at least left the food or woken me up." She stated matter-of-factly. The sharp pains of her hunger were starting to set in deeply as she realized she hadn't eaten in nearly three days.

Jungkook sighed. "Alas, as much as I acknowledge the men I work alongside, they do tend to act unfavorably towards convicts—any detainees, even. No matter the crime. And for that, I apologize on their behalf."

Eunjae's expression was one of bafflement. This man—a clearly important and highly decorated officer—was apologizing to her? She couldn't hide the shock on her face. "There's no need to apologize, it was not your doing. You've been nothing but gracious although I've done nothing to deserve it. Rather, I should be apologizing to you." Eunjae meaningfully spoke.

Without meaning to, Jungkook had dropped part of his defensive exterior. His eyes softened a sliver upon hearing the woman's words. He knew, despite the events that took place and the level of intensity there had been, that this woman and her accomplice were not bad people. He knew drastic times called for drastic measures, and that life can push people to take actions they never imagined. He knew, because he'd been there before, and for that he felt a slight connection to the woman. It was this part of the job that Jungkook despised: punishing helpless people for taking whatever means necessary to survive.

Jungkook shook his head at her words. "Do not apologize to me. I understand where you must have been coming from. I only hope that the prince sees it the way I do."

Eunjae's ears perked at the mention of the prince. "Are you close with him? The prince, that is."

Jungkook was unsure of whether he should delve into this topic or not, but seeing as they still had quite a walk, he disregarded his worries. "You could say we're close. Prince Jimin was actually the one to pull me off the streets and raise me up to where I am today. I'm forever grateful for his generosity and indebted to him."

Eunjae's lips parted at his revelation. "That's extremely kind of him. So why did you seem to question his character yesterday when I asked you?"

Jungkook hesitated for a moment. "While the prince does have his redeeming moments, one could say that he has some... discouraging qualities."

Eunjae relaxed her tensing shoulders as she let out a light, brief chuckle. "Don't we all? We're only human, after all."

Jungkook's eyebrows lifted, both at the sound of the woman's laugh and at her passive words. She truly was unlike any other woman he'd encountered. And no, he wasn't attracted to or interested in her, he simply admired her—respected her, even. His lips tilted upward slightly. "I suppose that's true." Jungkook stopped in front of the door leading to the courtroom, turning to face the woman. "We've arrived."

Eunjae sighed, her head bowing slightly. "Alright." She then tilted her gaze up to meet the guard's. "Will you at least tell me your name?"

Eunjae could tell the guard was battling the thought in his head, but when a curt, "Jungkook," left his thin lips, she smiled brightly.

"Well, Jungkook, I believe if circumstances were different, we could have been fast friends."

Jungkook bit the inside of his cheek, his guilt increasing tenfold at the woman's warm nature. He didn't allow himself to speak more as he opened the door for her.

Eunjae strode into the rather empty room with her chin up. She didn't want to seem defeated or weak. Jungkook led her to where she was to stand, which was in the very center of the room. She stood facing a throne that was slightly elevated from the floor to overlook everything. Her hands were still restrained in front of her, and Jungkook took his stance at the edge of the room against a wall.

A middle-aged, gruff-looking man sat at a lengthy table off to the side of the room. He eyed Eunjae warily when she took her position.

He turned to Jungkook. "Is this prisoner 2673?" His voice bellowed through the room.

Jungkook gave a curt nod. "Yes, sir."

The man took a few steps closer to Eunjae, addressing her directly this time. "Please state your name and age?"

Eunjae startled directly into his eyes as she responded, her voice strong, "Kang Eunjae, 21."

The man quickly wrote on a pad of paper, turning around and heading back to his seat. After several more moments of silence, he spoke up.

"The prince will arrive any moment now. I will read your case report, you will have a chance to speak, then your fate will be up to his royal highness."

Eunjae nodded in understanding. She stood tall, still, and in anticipation, her gaze locked forward. The sound of doors opening behind her caused her heart to skip a beat, but she stayed looking forward.

"His Royal Highness, Prince Jimin, has arrived." A man announced before the doors were shut and silence returned to the room. Eunjae listened to his footsteps as he strode up to the throne.

Jimin glanced at the back of the unknown woman. She was of average height with her dark hair in a muss. She hadn't turned around to acknowledge his presence as Jungkook and the mediator had, which bothered Jimin immensely. He walked directly up to his throne, not sparing her a glance before he sat.

As Jimin passed Eunjae, she caught the back of his physique. Upon witnessing his unique silver hair, Eunjae's lips parted in shock. She knew that hair. Could this really have been the man from the other night? How could she have been so ignorant as to not realize he was the prince? All of Eunjae's suspicions were proven correct once he had perched himself atop the throne, allowing her to finally glimpse his face. It really was him.

Jimin squinted at the familiar woman, however it only took him a moment to recognize her. She looked the same as she had, though more tired and unkempt than their last meeting. His eyes widened for a second before his lips spread into a thin smile.

"You."

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