"Why is it wrong of me to still want the omega and pursue him?", the prince shouted.
"Because he had already rejected all your advances son. There is no point in running after him anymore, now that you know he already has a lover. You have other responsibilities and there will be many more opportunities for you to find love. Learn to accept things as they are and not what you want them to be. And most importantly learn to let go of things which you cannot have. Being a prince or a king does not mean that you will receive absolutely everything you want, a king has to compromise too. For his kingdom, for the subjects and many times for himself too", his majesty replied.
"So what? I am in love with him. If I keep him near he will learn to love me too."
"Love does not work that way Hanuel."
"Really?", he scoffed. "And what do you know about love your majesty", he said in a mocking tone.
"I loved you mother", the king muttered lowly.
The prince's expression turned sour. "LIAR. If you had really loved her than you wouldn't have let her die!" he snarled.
XXX
"No not this.... uh will this be fine?" he asked himself, inspecting the jewelry piece closely. "Nah not this too".
"Looking for something handsome?"
Seokjung turned towards the voice to see a beautiful woman looking at him, a smile etched on her face. He mirrored it and replied, "Ah yes... I'm looking for a jewelry piece to gift someone". "Your lady love I assume?" she asked.
"Oh no! It's for my brother, he's an omega and his birthday is coming up so I was looking for something to give even though I have no knowledge about these things", he replied with chuckle.
The woman laughed in response. "I could help you, you know. You just have to ask...."
"Really?". "Uh hu"
"Alright then, Miss......?" "Jiwoo"
"Miss Jiwoo would you like to help me choose a gift for my brother?"
"Happily", she replied with smile.
XXX
Seokjin gleefully skipped down the muddy road. His heart was thudding in his chest and he couldn't wait to bury himself in Namjoon's arms after so long. It had been only two weeks but it felt like it had been ages since he had seen him. He had no idea of his whereabouts. Seokjung had explained to him why the alpha was acting so distant earlier.
Now that he knew the reason, he wasn't mad anymore. Rather he was proud of him and his ego thrived to think about the lengths that Namjoon was ready to go for him. For some reason, he felt jittery, and his insides twisted in worry but he brushed them off, pulling his coat tighter around his frame and not giving them much thought.
At their usual place, he found the alpha's back facing him, hands behind his back. His hair flew with the cold breeze and coat which perfectly framed his sturdy build. Seokjin ran up to him. "Joon!", he called out. But he stopped dead in his tracks when he turned towards him. He smiled at Seokjin but it seemed forced. "Heyy" he whispered, holding out his arms into which the omega slid in immediately.
Seokjin nuzzled into his neck, breathing in the scent which he had missed the most. Namjoon pulled his scarf a little, burying his face in his neck, nose gliding over the scent glad, covering Seokjin with his scent thoroughly. The omega sighed into the embrace, feeling comforted about the fact that his alpha was near him.
He pulled back slightly, gazing up at the knight. "Are you okay?" he questioned. "Hmm" Namjoon replied lowly but his eyes told a different story. "No you're not. Tell me what's wrong". "I said it's nothing".
"Namjoon"
"I SAID it's NOTHING!", he yelled causing Seokjin to flinch and step away from him.
Namjoon realized what he had done and quickly made to apologized. "I- I'm sorry I j-just", he stammered before looking away and rubbing his eyes. Seokjin observed him worriedly. It was unusual to see the alpha this worked up. His anger bursts were different from usual. "Joon it's okay. Tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help..."
He took a deep breath it and locked eyes with Seokjin. "I want to end this". Seokjin stared at him perplexed. "I can't play along anymore. I want to end this relationship", he uttered. "W-What are you saying Joon?", Seokjin inquired, the feeling of alarm rising in his body. "Didn't you hear me. I want to end it. I don't want to be in a relationship with you anymore".
"But why?"
"I'm tired Seokjin. Of all this. Aren't you tired? Seriously I don't get it how I got myself into this mess in the first place. Doesn't it hurt you? Don't you feel guilty of doing this behind your parents' backs? We were not supposed to this anyways, better to stop before it's too late. You and I are enemies.".
"Does he not realize that it already too late? At least for me it is". "Weren't you the one who said it didn't matter? Do you remember what you said to me Joon?", Seokjin whispered. "I was young back then! We both were young. It's my fault, I should have understood earlier. Damnit!" he growled.
The omega froze in utter disbelief. Never until now had he thought that something like this would happen. Namjoon had never been this cold with him. "Something is wrong. Namjoon would never do this to me. The reason behind it is different. He- He wasn't like this before. The Namjoon I knew did not think like this"
"Why are you saying this? You don't mean it", Seokjin uttered in disbelief, eyes staring to tear up. "Of course I do!". "This can't be the only reason....". Seokjin moved forward and held the alpha's hand. "There has to be more. Namjoon what are you hiding from me?"
"I'm not hiding anything from you. I told you what I think and what's the best for both of us."
"So what happens now huh?", Seokjin asked, his pitch rising. "We return back to our lives just like that? Pretend that nothing ever happened between us? Forget all about it?", his lips quivered, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. "Did you ever even care for me? Or was it all fake too?", Seokjin cried out.
"Please don't say it. Please don't do this to me Namjoon."
"I never felt anything for you...."
"So, what you are saying is that I never meant anything to you? That the way you smiled and your eyes lit up the moment you saw me approaching just an act? A complete lie?", the raven haired choked out between tears.
Namjoon felt something shatter in his rib cage as he forced out words that he never wanted Seokjin to hear coming from his mouth, "Yes, it was a lie. I never loved you. Our friendship was fake. You never meant anything to me". When he couldn't bear to look at him, he turned around so that Seokjin would not see tears brimming in his eyes .
He was pushing Seokjin away when all he wanted to do was hold him tight in his arms, far away from anything that would ever bring sadness in those beautiful eyes of his.
Seokjin moved to stand in front of him. " Look into my eyes and say it then. If you really mean it the look at me right in the eyes and say it. Say it that you never loved me. Say it that I never meant anything to you".
Namjoon lifted his face to meet the almond eyes. He knew he was in love. Seokjin was his world. Something he never wanted to part from. So, he let out his fears and doubts hoping to find a solution to them a lump forming in his throat, being forced to lie to protect the one loved. "I'm afraid that I won't be able to keep you happy and protect you", he lied.
Seokjin then wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in Namjoon's neck and inhaling his musky scent . They stood there holding each other both not saying anything.
He pulled back cupping the alpha's face, cradling it gently," As long as I am with you....nothing can hurt me. The splendor of a castle doesn't mean anything to me if you are not by my side Joon-ah. You are my everything. So please...don't deny what already exists. Stop lying to yourself. We will fight for ourselves, our love and if we die in the process then so be it. I'm prepared to die by your side".
The alpha closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. His father's words echoed in his mind. He steeled his nerves and stepped away from Seokjin. "It's getting late. You should go", his face was expressionless. Some thing broke within as Namjoon watched the tears roll down the omega's cheeks.
"Namjoon-"
"You should leave before anyone sees us", he forced the words out of his mouth, the hatred he felt for himself at the moment clawing at his insides.
More tears fell from his eyes, rolling down his cheeks. His eyes were red, puffy from all the crying. Seokjin straightened himself, harshly wiping at his teary eyes. "Okay then, I'll leave. The fault was mine anyways. I trusted you, I let you play with my heart. God I was so naive", he laughed bitterly.
"I should have know. I should have fucking known that something like this would happen. I don't know what got over me when I-", he choked out. Covering his mouth to quieten his sobs, he took a deep breath in and tried to calm himself down, wiping the tears with his sleeve.
Namjoon closed his eyes, pursing his lips. "Don't cry now. Don't cry now. He must not know about it". "I'm just saying what's best for you".
"WHO ARE YOU TO DECIDE THAT?" Seokjin yelled. "From the beginning until now, I was my choice the be with you. I know what I was standing up against. And the only reason why I choose to be here is because of you. If there was any other alpha in your place, I doubt if I ever would have done this. I CHOSE YOU. And I never loved you because of accomplishments, I loved you for yourself. I loved the man who respected me as a person, I loved the man who was kind, caring, passionate", he sobbed.
"But it turns out I was wrong. You never really cared didn't you?", he scoffed. "I thought you were different from others. I hate you Kim Namjoon. I HATE you!!" he screamed, voice thick with emotion. He angrily pushed the alpha, turned around and walked away.
A lone tear slid down Namjoon's cheek as he watched the love of his life walk away. He wanted to pull him back, to hug the hell out of him, kiss him hard and keep him close forever. But he had no choice. As long as Seokjin was safe, Namjoon was at peace. He couldn't fantom what he would do if something ever happened to the omega.
The previous day...
Humming to himself, he changed his clothes after a long warm bath. He quickly dried himself shivering slightly due to cold, goosebumps rising on his skin. As soon as he was done, there was a knock at his door. "Yes?"
"Master is asking for you". "Okay I'll be there in a minute".
"Got it", came the answer. "And Byul!" he called out. "Yeah?"
"Did he by chance tell you why he asked for me?". "Um no", Moonbyul answered. "He just told me he wanted to talk to you for a bit". "Okay"
"And Namjoon..... did you do something wrong? Like did you get in trouble recently?". Namjoon frowned, "No... not that I remember of at least". He heard a scoff out the door, "Well you better not have done something, he seems angry. Good luck". He raised an eyebrow at that.
Finishing up, he made his way towards his father's room. A servant stood outside holding a tray with two cups and a teapot. "I'll take that he gestured, taking the tray from her hands.
Taking a deep breath he opened the door. His father looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Come in". He entered the room, placing the tray on the table and carefully pouring his father a cup of tea. "You won't have some?", his father inquired to which he declined. "Sit", he commanded, motioning towards the chair.
He took his seat in front of him quietly. His father said nothing for a minute. His eyes studied him, the piercing gaze being enough to make him fidget. "What is it that you wanted to talk about Appa?", he questioned trying to break the tense atmosphere surrounding them. He received no answer.
"What is it that you are thinking about?", he tried again. This time he got an answer, but not the kind he had expected. "I'm thinking about whether you are a disappointment to the family or not" he replied with a straight face. Namjoon was taken aback. "W-What do you mean?"
"How could the son whom I raised so well end up doing something so rash? Where did I go wrong?", his father said again. Namjoon was confused, "What did I do Appa?"
"WHAT DID YOU DO?", his father yelled, slamming the table causing the cup to fall from the table and break, the cup breaking with a loud crash, hot tea spilling onto the floor. Namjoon was stunned. He looked up again to see his father's amber eyes ablaze with anger. "I had thought you since childhood NOT to talk to strangers, especially ones from the enemy clan. Were you in your right mind when you decided to talk to that disgusting omega?"
"Seokjin is not disgusting", he snapped back, realizing what he had done the next moment. His father growled. "Look at you. Have you lost your mind Namjoon?", he glowered, leaning over the table. A rough hand met his cheek, causing his face to fly to one side. "How dare you? How dare you stand against my words? How dare you disobey my orders?" he snarled.
"I haven't done anything wrong Appa. Why is wrong of me to fall in love with someone? And Seokjin is different Appa, I've never felt like this with anyone before. He completes me, he makes me happy", Namjoon said.
"I don't want to hear anything about that omega!", his father bellowed . "I am your father and you will do what I say. I want to end your relationship with that omega. And don't you try contacting him again, if I ever see you together again..... I will by all means keep you both apart, and I will not stop by any means", he threatened.
Namjoon understood what it meant. His father would go to the extent of harming Seokjin if he did not comply.
He had no choice left.
Namjoon cried that night. Hope. Hope is a stupid thing. It made people wait for things that would never come. He had hoped for his parents to understand, to consider what he felt for once but no. As usual, his feelings were completely disregarded. Decisions about his life were made by them. He was ready to fight for Seokjin but he was scared. Scared about the fact that Seokjin could be harmed.
He really had no choice left.
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