Misery /✔/ Taekook

Chapter Five

The prince guided Taehyung into a living room like area. Of course, it wasn't your normal family living room. The room, as expected, was grand. Instead of having a chandelier or other artificial light, the room relied on natural lighting and thanks to all the huge windows, it didn't really matter. There was a white, polished piano in the far left hand corner underneath the mezzanine sitting atop a platform that you had to walk up four steps to stand on. The platform was in the corner of the room that circled and probably bulged out, making the circular part noticeable outside the castle. Outside was a gorgeous utopian like place - in Taehyung's opinions. He could see trees, skillfully planted to where it seemed as if the Jeons were living in the middle of a forest.

Taehyung was drawn towards the artificial jungle. He completely forgot about having to talk with Jungkook as he walked towards the big floor-to-ceiling windows. He pressed his hands against the glass and stared in awe. The trees were tall and short, the tall ones hovered over the palace and the short ones hovered over this particular room. He could see beautiful tropical birds happily sitting in nests and the forest floor was a rich green, no patches that showed unhealthy land or signs of the area being mowed or messed with by humans.

"What is this?" Taehyung finally spoke. The prince appeared beside him, staring out the window.

"This has been around for years, the first queen refused to allow builders to cut down the trees and forced her husband to change the position of the castle," Jungkook explained, "the forest goes on around this whole living room and if you went up to my parents room - my future room - you'd see where it ends."

"Have you ever been in it? Can you go in it?"

"Of course, there's a pond in the middle where most the swans hang out. There's a whole clearing about two miles in. We don't allow landscapers to enter because they'll mess everything up," Jungkookoved away from where he was standing and walked towards a glass door that Taehyung hadn't noticed since it blended it with the windows.

"Would you like to take a walk? I don't think we'll have time to go to the clearing but it's really gorgeous out there."

Taehyung nodded excitedly and pushed away from the window. The Lees had nothing like this, they only had a small garden that was overran with weeds and a farm that's ran by servants. Jungkook held open the door and allowed the brunette to walk through. The heat swallowed him and he seemed extra humid in the area but he didn't mind. Taehyung simply took off his jacket and placed it on the railing of a small flight of steps. There was a small, empty patio that was slowly being overpowered by vines and tree roots. Jungkook closed the door and held his hand out for the brunette to take.

Taehyung almost took his polite gesture but he quickly restrained himself and pretended he never saw Jungkook's hand. Despite him hating Dongwook, he couldn't find himself being unloyal to him. It definitely wasn't because he loved him, it was probably because of he feared what Dongwook would do if he ever found out.

Jungkook put his hand in his pocket and walked in front of the younger male, guiding him deeper into utopia. Sun rays rained down in patches, appearing in random spots. Taehyung was surrounded by the sound of life, buzzing mosquitos and bees, the flapping of birds' wings as the socialized with each other or hunted for food. The humidity made Taehyung's skin feel sticky but he ignored that and looked at his surroundings in awe.

"So," Jungkook started, slowing down and standing beside the brunette, "talk to me."

"Where should i start?" Taehyung asked before adding in an almost pleading tone, "i really don't want to start another war?"

"You can't start something that hasn't ended," Jungkook said, "how old were you when he married you?"

"Fourteen," the younger answered, remembering the day is if it were yesterday, "same as when Hanseok was born."

"And he was how old?"

"Nineteen, i believe."

"That's insane, if your parents had no say in this then its illegal."

"Your rules and our rules differ more than you think," Taehyung sat down on a huge rock, putting his finger on its side and allowing a fuzzy caterpillar to crawl on.

"How so?"

"Well, your people seem happy and taken fare of. There's only two wealthy areas at my kingdom, the rest of poverty stricken, i was raised in poverty."

"Here, we allow the men - or women depending the circumstances - of impoverished households to work here as servants for three or more years. We send the hard earned money back to their families."

Taehyung smiled, liking that idea. The Lee kingdom never did anything to try and stop poverty. The caterpillar started up his arm and he quickly stopped it with his other hand.

"The first time i saw my son was at the funeral," Taehyung said, trying to gather up courage to continue speaking before Jungkook could say anything, "when he was born, he was immediately taken - orders from Dongwook - and given to his mom who raised him until now."

Jungkook sat back on his heels, processing the information. He looked up at Taehyung who placed his index finger on a giant leaf and watched the caterpillar crawl onto the leaf. He sighed and looked down at Jungkook, gripping into the rock as if he could jump up anytime.

Jungkook wanted to know what this gorgeous male has been through but he didn't know how to ask it. Jungkook could just look at Dongwook and feel the energy that radiated off of him; Dongwook was a bad person. He had his father's genes and seemingly none of his mother's. It boiled Jungkook's blood knowing that Taehyung has probably been through the same things as the former queen.

When he first saw Taehyung as the funeral, he couldn't take his eyes off of him. He's never seen someone as ethereal as the male sitting before him. He couldn't help but think 'God, whoever he's with must be lucky' until his eyes landed on Taehyung's husband. Jungkook remembered his whole being growing warm with anger at the sight of the gorgeous male stiffly sitting beside Dongwook.

He was willing to proceed with war if that meant that Taehyung would be saved. He'd welcome Taehyung into his kingdom and, if possible, make the brunette part of his family and treat him the way he was supposed to be treated. He knew it was bold of him to want to be with someone who he's just met but he felt attached to Taehyung the first time he laid eyes on the younger male.

"You lived with him since you were fourteen? How was it?"

Taehyung noticeably stiffened. He stood up from his spot and wrapped his arms around his chest. He didn't know how to answer that question. Horrible couldn't describe even half of it.

He turned around and shrugged as a small smile appeared on his face, "when i was a kid i was super happy. Most people think that living in poverty in miserable and, from an adult point of view, it is miserable but i didn't care i was happy, i enjoyed living in that lifestyle. When i moved in with Dongwook all the happiness drained away and i was just there. I guess you could say that i became depressed."

"How did he treat you?"

"If he treated me right then i wouldn't have been depressed."

Before Jungkook could respond his phone sounded off. He sighed and brought the device up to his ear.

"Hello?" He answered, "yes, I'll tell him."

As soon as he hung up, he looked at Taehyung with a small smile, "your son fell in the fountain."

Taehyung's face dropped, "is he okay?"

"I'm sure he is, come on i better take you to him."

As Jungkook lead the way, he kept an eye on the gorgeous male walking behind him. He easily read between the lines when Taehyung talked to him. And he knew exactly what he had to do.

There would be no treaty being signed and if Dongwook didn't want to cooperate then the war will proceed.

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Word Count: 1410