Almost Killing the Prince | Minsung ✓

Epilogue

Minho grimaces as Chan sniffs, wiping at his nose with his dirty hands before dusting them off.

"Go bathe."

"Yah!" Chan laughs, pointing a finger at the younger with a passive-aggressive smile. "You think you're all high and mighty now, huh? I swear- you wouldn't be saying that if Ji-"

"I'm the king, shut up."

"It's been a month since your coronation. You've changed, Minho," Chan dramatically shakes his head, Minho pushing him away with a laugh. "You've changed.I hope you get sores on your butt from sitting on the throne."

---

"You're late," Minho murmurs to his brother, who had run under the roof of the small meeting area in the garden, sitting beside the king as the officials all bowed to him before returning to their arguing points.

"Hyunjin fell into the river??" Yongbok held his chest to calm his racing heart, puffing his cheeks to let out a deep breath. "And his horse ran away. And I almost twisted my ankle trying to get it back."

"I feel like you're making shit up."

"You're right, that was all bullshit," Yongbok leans closer with a smile, Minho rolling his eyes and returning the gesture. "But Hyunjin really fell into the river. It took a moment for Changbin to fish him out."

Minho arched an eyebrow, shaking his head. "I'm not even going to ask."

"Oh. Jeongin told me what happened with Chan," Yongbok coughed out, pressing his lips together into a thin smile and a nod. "I'll punish the guards responsible- again."

"There's no need. If they're smart, they won't do it again- had to step into the barracks earlier."

The prince snorts, before scoffing and rolling his eyes. "You're too nice."

"And this is why you're not king. The people'll hate you for ruling with an iron fist."

"You know me," Yongbok bubbles, jabbing his brother with his elbow.

"Your majesty," Seungmin bowed from the group of officials, his squeaky voice making Yongbok let out a quiet laugh. "I know his highness had just returned from a mission. However, there have been reports of villages being run by bandits near the border of Gaya. Shouldn't we send a small unit to take care of the problem?"

"Those villages never provided Baekje with anything. We shouldn't supply the villages with soldiers that could be used to protect the people.Here," another official of equal rank as Seungmin, sitting across from him, replies.

"If they haven't provided Baekje with anything before, then it's their chance to provide something now. They would be grateful that we've protected them."

The officials all turn to Minho, who sighed, nodding before placing his hands on his knees. Minho once thought that Seungmin might become the worst official in the history of officials. The man with his (very) sketchy dealings, his weaseling- honestly, Minho sometimes thinks that the younger was currently working against him. Yongbok reassured him otherwise, but then again, his intuition kind of sucked.

The youngest official was doing well, anyway.

"Very well. Send a small platoon of soldiers to the villages. Let Hyunjin and Jeongin lead them."