The dining hall was bathed in silence, save for the crackling lightning, booming thunder, and heavy raindrops that splattered on the windowsills. Although the morning was swiftly passing, flickering lanterns were the sole source of illumination, and the suitors bent low over their food to see it. Seokjin could not be bothered with eating. He anxiously paced the extent of the room, listening for pattering footsteps from the corridor. The scraping of spoons against wooden bowls, slurping of soup, occasional hums of delight... it was all madness. How were they so calm while Joseon's queen suffered immense grief?
Suddenly, Seokjin became attuned to hurried whispering beyond the doors, and then they flung open, revealing a rain-drenched Jimin. His hair had loosened from its topknot, weighed down by the deluge, and the black locks framed his frenzied expression.
"I have searched everywhere," he panted. A puddle was forming around him, wrung from the water drenching his robes. "I cannot find her."
Seokjin's heart palpitated. He knew that, realistically, after thousands of soldiers had been summoned to Changdeokgung to prevent Gyeongbokgung's fate from befalling it, it would be nearly impossible for invaders to break through. But his worries were not diminished. "Did you search Huijeongdang Hall?"
"Yes."
Seokjin deflated – he had assumed that the queen's grief would, once again, lead her to the king's chambers. "And the queen's chambers? Was Daejojeon Hall thoroughly searched?"
"Yes. She is nowhere to be found."
Seokjin gnawed on his bottom lip. By this time, Jimin's rain-soaked appearance was drawing the attention of the suitors – well, most of them. Hoseok continued to slurp up soup and gather large clumps of rice, stuffing his cheeks with as much food as they could hold. The other three showed varying levels of concern and annoyance. Seokjin chose to ignore Jungkook's frustrated quip, "Is this a usual occurrence, for Joseon to lose its queen?" and further inquired, "What about Huwon?"
Jimin hesitated. "I supposed that since she was not there last time–"
"Send a search party through Huwon, and oversee them directly."
"I will." Jimin bowed again and exited the dining hall, his thoughts racing with concern for Baram's safety and exasperation with the extent of her grief. Of course, he understood losing someone dear to you, but she could at least abate his worries by providing her whereabouts rather than disappearing entirely. Such were the thoughts that so wholly dominated his mind, he barreled around the corner and collided with a figure bathed in white robes. Their foreheads bashed together, and she let out a shriek, flailing her arms wildly.
"Baram, oh, my–" Jimin scrambled to catch her wrists before she fell, and his first instinct was to tug her into his arms, envelop her in his embrace. Her heart was pounding so fast that he could feel it drumming against his chest. "I was so worried! You cannot – and I do mean, cannot – continue to disappear like this. Please, in the very least, inform me of your whereabouts if you wish to be alone. The morning is nearly passed, and you know how angry Seokjin becomes when his schedules are not strictly abided by. But what am I saying? I... are you okay?" He clutched her cold hands, praying that she would muster a smile carrying some semblance of yesterday's happiness.
But there was no smile on Baram's face, not even a weak attempt. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot, dark circles badly disguised by powder. Her face sagged with exhaustion and her hands were trembling. A mere acquaintance would not notice it, but Jimin knew she was on the verge of tears, and he held her even tighter.
"You should not be wandering the palace alone, Baram-ah," he murmured, struggling to hold back his own tears. He distracted himself with smoothing down the hair that fed her limp bun. "Anything could happen to you, and I... I was so worried."
"I am alright, Jimin," she whispered hoarsely. "Well, mostly alright."
"Will you let me clean you up before you meet the suitors, Baram-ah? Will you wear clothes befitting of a queen?"
Her eyes flashed with traces of confusion and annoyance. "I am mourning. The whole kingdom is mourning. It would not be proper to assume regular clothing so quickly."
It would be futile to argue that the Mad King's death was an exception, so he simply bowed his head and led her to the dining hall. Seokjin did a double take when she entered and then deflated completely. "Baram," he whispered lowly enough that only she could hear it, "as much as I would love to lecture you on your negligence, time is running short."
"I would not listen to your lectures anyways," she noted primly, with no pretense of a whisper.
"I am your elder brother."
"And I am Joseon's queen."
Seokjin relinquished that point but retained a sharp glare as he ushered her to her seat at the head of the dining table. Attendants hurried to place bowls upon bowls of soups, rice dishes, and seasoned meats that would have made anyone else's mouth salivate with desire, but Baram was unfazed. Such rich foods were another poisonous reminder that her Jeonha could never again feast on such luxuries.
"Jungjeonmama and suitors of the four Royal Courts," Seokjin began, "yesterday, one of your presentations captured the queen's attention, and thus, Hoseok-ssi spent an hour in the gardens introducing – well, reintroducing – himself to her. The rest of you will not be afforded that luxury. You must seek out the queen on your own time."
"That is impossible," Jungkook immediately spat. "How are we expected to seek her out if her own brother struggles to find her in time for breakfast?"
"Do you consider this unfair, Jungkook-ssi?"
"Yes! Hoseok had an advantage because he presented himself as the king's younger brother. We do not even know if that is true!"
Baram's head shot up, but Jimin stepped forward and snarled, "Is the queen's word not enough for you? If she says that Hoseok is the king's younger brother, then by the heavens, Hoseok is the king's younger brother. Do not pretend yourself superior to her. Are you not supposed to be wooing her? Are you truly so ignorant as to believe that your rudeness will not impact your standing in the competition?"
"Jimin," Seokjin snapped, "that is enough." But Jimin's eyes still flickered with anger and Seokjin's sharp gaze deflected to Jungkook, making the younger man wither. "I will not speak for the queen, but a king does not have outbursts. A king does not voice his thoughts without deeply considering their impact."
"I apologize," Jungkook murmured, bowing his head. "I only wish for everyone to receive an equal standpoint."
"No, you wish for yourself to be automatically placed on the same footing as Min Hos–"
"Jimin, you are dismissed," Seokjin said harshly. Jimin balled his hands into fists and stormed out of the dining hall, slamming the doors shut behind him. "Now, have we any other complaints before I explain the proceedings of the competition?"
Silence.
"Good. This competition was formed on the premise that the Royal Courts should each present someone possessing the virtues of a great ruler. While such virtues are many in number and difficult to implement, a great ruler must possess three overarching virtues. I have designed these proceedings to test those virtues and ensure that the selected ruler can avoid destructive human tendencies." His last words carried weight that spread a dark silence through the dining hall, and even Jungkook's frustration transformed to pensiveness.
"What are the three virtues, if I may ask?" Namjoon asked, his voice naught but a whisper.
"You may ask, but you will not be answered. The tests will not be intrinsic, by which I mean that it will not be apparent which virtue is being tested."
"How are we expected to perform well, then?" It was once again Jungkook who voiced his complaint, and Seokjin did not spare his insolence from a sharp glare.
"It is expected that you already possess these virtues. The duty of the Royal Courts was to present their most viable candidate. If they have failed and presented someone who needs to be taught the virtues of a good king, please speak immediately, and we will clear the mishap swiftly."
"Clear the mishap?"
"Find a new representative suitor."
Jungkook's accusatory expression melted into compliance. "That will not be necessary. I am certain that I possess any virtues you might have in mind."
"We shall see. It is lucky that you will all be guided by a hint, otherwise the Court of Water's representative may fail his very first test."
A smug chuckle sounded from behind the doors, and the flickering candlelight illuminated Jimin's silhouette pressed against the translucent material. Despite his harshness from before, Seokjin cleared his throat to distract himself from amusement.
"Perhaps I should have made my original question more specific – do you have any more complaints to voice, Jungkook-ssi?"
"No," Jungkook said quietly, his ears pinkening in the candlelight.
"Very good. It would be the opportune moment, then, to reveal your hint." The occupants of the table perked up, with the noticeable exception of Baram. Her gaze was trained on the floor, unwavering, unblinking – wherever her mind was, it was not focused on the present. Seokjin cleared his throat again and stood taller, linking his hands behind his back. "For your first test, occurring at Seonjeongjeon Hall in a week's time, it would be wise to study Joseon's past legal proceedings and customary laws."
"Legal proceedings?" Jungkook muttered to Taehyung as the suitors bowed their heads and hurried from the dining hall. "I thought he said that the tests would not be intrinsic. The virtue is obviously – why are you lingering?"
Indeed, Taehyung remained in his seat, his eyes fixated on Baram's unmoving figure. "There is no need to hurry and study," he said. "Our performance on these tests will have no effect if we have not first won the queen's heart."
"Indeed," Jungkook murmured. He abruptly slid forward into the seat directly adjacent to Baram and summoned a charming smile. "Jungjeonmama, it would be my greatest honor to accompany you to the – oh, are we going now?"
Baram had risen from her seat and urgently exited the room. Jungkook hurried to follow, but any excitement for the afternoon's events was halted by an arm that extended into the doorway and stopped his movement.
"Did you hear Her Majesty verbally consent to your proposal?" Jimin snapped. He had seen the tears glistening in Baram's eyes when she left, the trembling of her pale hands, but Jungkook was oblivious to these things.
"Did I request your input?" Jungkook snarled back, stubbornly shoving past Jimin's arm. But despite Jimin's fears that he would continue to pursue Baram, he simply stopped in front of him, using his advantageous height and build for intimidation. "I do not appreciate your attempts at humiliation, nor will I accept snark from a mere palace lady." His eyes brightened with malice. "Palace lady, fetch me a mug of tea." Jimin whirled around and began to walk away, but Jungkook shoved his shoulder so forcefully that he tumbled to the ground. "Was I unclear, palace lady, or are you deaf? Come now, pretty palace lady." He bent down and gripped Jimin's chin with a sinister grin. "With all this beauty, you might as well have been a concubine."
"Y-you... y-you!" Jimin's cheeks burned with humiliation, but before his foot could lash out and give a well-deserving kick to Jungkook's shin, Taehyung voiced his disappointment.
"Jungkook, it would not bode well on you to harass the queen's favorite palace lady," he said quietly.
"I am not a palace lady!" Jimin said indignantly, scrambling to his feet once Jungkook's grip on his chin loosened. He could feel the man's fingerprints burning into his skin, and all he wanted to do was scrub his face clean, rid his skin of Jungkook's vile touch. "You will be removed from the competition for this!"
"Will I?" Jungkook simpered. "Will the queen listen to her beloved palace lady?"
Wasting no further time or breath on someone so audacious, Jimin whirled around and fearlessly plunged into the rain with Jungkook's laughter echoing behind him. He was seething, and it reflected in his demeanor – his eyes were narrowed, his fists were trembling, and he was unfazed by the muddy splatters trailing up his legs from his heavy stomps. Even though he was far out of Jungkook's earshot, he could still hear his laughter, feel his touch, and it angered him to the point that he was bumbling past attendants he always greeted.
His frustration drove him to Daejojeon Hall, the queen's residence. He could only hope that Baram was there, and his shoulders relaxed with relief when he knocked on the door and her tearful voice responded.
She was in a much sorrier state than when they had parted. No longer was her countenance blank – tears splattered onto her cheeks, and she aimlessly wiped them away with her sleeve, the coarse material rubbing her cheeks raw. And in that instant, Jimin's concern for her outweighed his anger towards Jungkook.
"Baram-ah." Still soaking wet, he knelt beside her and clasped their cold hands together. "Are you thinking of him?"
"I am always thinking of him. There is never a single moment that I do not think of him. But grief is not the reason for my tears."
"Then what is?" he asked gently, rubbing her hands between his to warm them.
"Guilt," she admitted. A sob wracked her body so forcefully that she collapsed into him, shuddering with the effort it took to breathe. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, hoping to provide some semblance of comfort. He had not forgotten Jungkook, but the man was slipping to the back of his mind. "I-I feel s-so guilty th-that I received H-Hoseok so well when it had only b-been d-d-days since... since..." She gripped Jimin's robes, slowly sinking until her face was buried in his lap. Reasonably, considering propriety, he should have limited himself to stroking her back. But he lowered himself beneath her, cradling her on his chest. She welcomed the embrace, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck, and his heart fluttered.
The flutter only lasted for a moment, however, because the doors abruptly burst open. He jerked away from her as gently as he could, knowing that their intimacy would only harm her reputation. But the intruder was only a babbling toddler, dressed in pink hanbok and carrying a small doll. Jimin was relieved, but Baram launched to her feet and, still quavering with sobs, screamed, "Hwa-young!"
The woman appeared almost immediately, and her eyes went wide with fright when she noticed the toddler. She scooped the child into her arms and flung herself to the floor in a bow. "Please accept my deepest apologies, Jungjeonmama. I was negligent. It will not happen again."
Jimin frowned. Hwa-young's voice was quivering, and Baram's tense stance almost made him afraid. It was starkly similar to the former king's stance. "Remove that... that child from my sight."
"Of course, Jungjeonmama. Your grace is endless." Hwa-young lingered in her bow for several moments and then hurried from the queen's chambers with her child. Immediately, Baram collapsed to the floor, and Jimin was not quick enough to catch her. Her knees impacted loudly on the floor with a resounding thud, and thunder boomed from beyond Daejojeon's walls.
"I-I cannot," she whimpered, "see those c-children – the children of c-con...conc–"
Jimin hushed her and smoothed a gentle hand down her hair. "I understand. Please, Baram-ah, let me sit here with you. Let me stay until you feel better."
"H-how can I ever feel better," she sobbed weakly, "when I am alone, when I have no one?"
You have me, Jimin longed to insist, but perhaps that was untrue for Baram. Perhaps she did not love him as much as he loved her. With that context, she truly did not have anyone. Yoongi had left her with no child, and her parents rarely kept contact with her. Seokjin was distant, maintaining his duties as the Chief Royal Secretary, and the suitors were hardly a source of comfort.
She truly was alone.
A/N: sooo we've finally established what will happen during the competition!! very spicy ,, i wonder what those three virtues are hmm.
next chapter we'll get another flashback to baram's first interactions with yoongi <3
Published October 8, 2021.