something old, something new | taekook

Chapter 28: Power Looks Good On Me

****

"Joonie," Jeongguk groans, palm pressing into his cheek where he's half sprawled across the table top, "I literally cannot stress enough how bored I am right now."

The lord across from him cracks a smile from around the pen between his lips. "This is important work, Your Majesty," Namoon chides gently, shuffling papers in his hands. There's a tablet beside him, propped up and displaying some sort of chart. Surprisingly modern, although Jeongguk has seen plenty of other phones and the like around the castle.

"Important doesn't mean interesting," the queen grumbles, but he straightens up regardless.

They're the only two in the room, going over some information the Lord had brought in from his own coven and their investigation on the rogues. Jeongguk had been excited to have some new information, but he hadn't realized that it would require so much reading. He feels like he's back in college, reading over case studies and journals until his eyes burn, back breaking over his desk.

Namjoon only rolls his eyes good-naturedly, reaching for the tablet beside him. He swipes over the screen silently and Jeongguk takes the hint, looking back down at the documents. He doesn't know how Taehyung deals with all this, he thinks with a sigh.

There's a gentle pressure over his shoulders and a soft voice in his mind, a low, it comes with the position. Jeongguk hides a smile behind his fist at the tired words. He knows Taehyung doesn't enjoy the work that comes with the throne either. So he looks over the papers, trying to drill the information into his brain. Records of covens that have requested to turn humans, to move into the city- even just transcripts of phone calls between the Citadel and the Lord's homes.

"So much control," Jeongguk murmurs, flipping through pages of Boa speaking about a dispute she was having between her a few low-blooded vampires sneaking through her territory. It was from over a year ago, when Jimin was taking care of the Citadel in Taehyung's absence.

The Sword had sent a few Shields to monitor her land but apparently it wasn't enough and they were harassing her girls. Jeongguk snorts when he reads that one of them, Chaerin, had apparently gotten tired of it and simply got rid of the problem. Permanently. Good for her, he thinks.

Then he grabs the next set of papers and his eyes narrow as he takes in the contents. A chronological list of every investment his Lords have ever made of the last two centuries, more detailed than he would have expected.

It starts off simple enough, newer Lords claiming their homes, setting up territory borders. Restaurants, banks- anything to assist with their building wealth. Even a few mines in the mountains, a few fishing boats that seemed to have a lucrative business. And then he gets to the profit of war and Jeongguk reads what an immortal being does to remain profitable when faced with a conflict that doesn't involve them. They have no stake in the problems of humans because in the end, they will always remain.

Taehyung is silent as he reads, but Jeongguk doesn't need him to say anything. He's long since accepted he doesn't give two shits what happens to what he used to be. Humans aren't worth his time.

He skims through the words, tracking what Yi, Minhyuk, Jaehyun- what they've all done to fill their time.

Jaehyun looks to be a newer Lord to the council and Jeongguk notes his larger investments, almost as if he's trying to flaunt his newfound power and influence.

He is Solar's cousin by blood, Taehyung supplies and Jeongguk's brows raise. He distantly remembers a brief comment about it before but he hadn't taken too much notice of it before. He takes great pleasure in having equal power as her now. He was quite...displeased she took Lordship before him.