[C] The Most Beloved Consort || Kookv

Chapter 33

A month has passed since the banquet.

Taehyung pushed open the windows in his room after being unable to fall back into sleep. It is about time anyway.

He must have dreamt a nightmare yet again, but he does not remember the details. He only knows the dream left his skin sticky with cold sweat and his mouth dry with unheard whimpers.

Taehyung sat on the chair under the window and looked out into the night sky. There was no wind and Taehyung would usually be thankful for the silence, but it was an unsettling sort of quietness tonight.

Perhaps because there was nothing to distract Taehyung from his thoughts and the intuition that something is going to happen. 

His thoughts drifted back to Umji, the attendant kept safely away. She is a key to the puzzle, he decided. Till today, Umji has not awaken, yet Taehyung is certain that something must be going on behind the scenes. Someone had wanted to draw a wedge between him and Royal Consort Bae and had put in enough effort to silence Umji when she was captured. A pity there is no further progress in the investigation.

Taehyung lets his mind wander to the other events which seem unrelated but too odd to not take notice of.

The stores owned by the Baes were broken into and thrashed. Who would dare go against the Baes? It is also unlike them to have not done anything by now. It had after all been three months.

Royal Consort Bae had mellowed down and stays mostly in her own palace, or visits Taehyung occasionally and leaves after drinking a cup of water.

Consort Moon has also been docile, carrying out her punishment of serving porridge to the poor everyday.

As for the King...

Taehyung toyed with a stray thread of his nightwear. He plucked it, only to see the other threads unravelling further.

Taehyung does not know what to think recently. In the past, Taehyung would say that, forgive the lack of a better word, he is a pawn for the King. Useful and easy to use.

Taehyung's role was simple. He would go around throwing tantrums, then the King would chide whoever upsets him, and deals out punishments according to the message he wants to send out to the Court.

If General Moon should reel in his temper, the King would use any excuse Taehyung provides and forbid Consort Moon from going out of her palace.

If Minister Bae is overpowering the other officials and families, then Royal Consort Bae was the one who started the fight with Taehyung, and it would be rumoured that she is arrogant and greedy. Then the Baes would tone down in fear of damaging Royal Consort Bae's chances of being Queen.

In return, the King showers Taehyung with gifts, but more importantly, is only intimate with Taehyung when necessary and when in public, and so far, had never driven the Kims into a corner.

So, Taehyung wonders, why has the King been acting different recently? 

Soft and sure footsteps grow louder and enters Taehyung's chambers. It is time.

A figure dressed in black stops right in front of Taehyung. The figure raised his hand and places a red flower behind Taehyung's ear and he tilted his head, appraising the look.

"No matter the colour, flowers pales beside you, my love."

Taehyung does not know why Jungkook is doing this but he knows what Jungkook is doing. Jungkook is pestering him and pushing him around. Jungkook is trying to worm a route inside his heart, giving him flowers during some nights and praising him all the time.

Damn, did anyone tell him about how he loves being cared for and doted on? Because it is harder and harder to tell himself not to fall.

The King offers his hand and said, "come, shall we have a walk in the city tonight?"

And the King brings him out when it was just them.

It is sweet, but Taehyung tells himself not to give in, for he knows the King well enough that when the King gives, he always takes. But for once, Taehyung cannot tell what the King wants from him.

Surely, what the King wants is not his companionship? The King wouldn't want him for being him, right? Taehyung stops himself. He shouldn't entertain such thoughts.

The King keeps his offered hand steady, seemingly unaware of Taehyung's thoughts.
Jungkook knows just how much he loves going out because Taehyung rarely had the chance when he was younger.

It is frustrating.

Taehyung wants to make a point, so as always, he says, "no."

As always, the King fights the urge to just forcefully take, for he knows that if he prods his hard-headed Consort the wrong way, he would face retaliation by tenfold. Instead, he searches into Taehyung's eyes, looking for true defiance.

He grins, finding none. So he curls his fingers a little in a silent statement of "come on."

"The night view of the streets is much different from the day," he coaxes, keeping his voice soft.

Curiosity and wariness bubbles up to fight against each other. They churn in Taehyung's gut, and one of them always wins. Taehyung sighs. He reluctantly, slowly, painfully, places his hand in Jungkook's palm.

Jungkook grins and pulls the First Royal Consort to his feet, hand chasing after Taehyung's as the Consort tries to remove his grasp.

Things are changing, and Taehyung does not know if he likes it. Perhaps King Min's arrival would be a good enough distraction for Taehyung.