Note from author: The following chapters may be unedited cuz I didn't find enough time to edit them. but yeah, it's still the same work anw so enjoy😀
Author's POV:
You both reached the Palace as he spoke, "Do you want to go home or rest here first?"
"I... don't know."
He nodded and said, "Come with me, then."
You frowned but followed him nevertheless. He walked into an area with lots of archery boards. You saw him take a beautiful metal bow from the container and a few arrows as he walked near the shed. Amidst the field were the archery boards.
He looked at you, "Do you know archery?"
"Kind of...?" You shrugged as he nodded.
He held the bow firmly, placed the arrow and pulled backwards, aiming properly as he left the arrow. It darted straight into the bullseye making you gasp.
"Woah..." You stared at him in surprise as he said, "This is a skill I've acquired since my childhood. One of the only things the internet doesn't know I do."
"So, is this like a secret?"
"No. Not really... mother and Jungkook know about this too." He said.
You nodded and walked towards him, "So... why have you brought me here?"
He shook his head, "No reason. Shooting arrows feels nice. It makes you forget a lot of worries. So. You can try it."
You smiled a little, "But... what if I make a mess?"
"We have lots of people to clean that up." He said.
You chuckled, making him look at you with quite large eyes. You cleared your throat, taking the bow and arrow. You tried copying his moves and let go of the arrow. It didn't hit the bullseye but it went quite near. You gasped, grinning, "Woah! It went quite close though! Good, right?!"
"Not bad." He said. You smiled and hummed in satisfaction. Taehyung noticed your happy face and unknowingly, the corner of his lips inched up a little. He took another arrow, shooting it across the field. It didn't hit the bullseye, but just a centimetre away.
You gasped again, trying yourself.
You both kept shooting arrows and talking among yourselves not realizing how fast time passed by.
Almost after an hour, Taehyung asked if you'd like to eat anything but you refused. He let the chauffeur take you back home later on.
—Next day
You frowned, looking at the time. 8:30 am. You were so late.
You entered the palace, gulping, scared of whatever was coming. But the welcoming guards and maids, the lavish decor and the smell of high-quality food made your mind ease a little. Also, nervous... for some reason you had no idea about it.
Last night, you had been wondering about Taehyung without realizing when you had fallen asleep. Surprisingly, you even dreamt of him. He and you, sitting in front of the lake and talking... but something more happened. Well, he only held your hand in the dream so it was very innocent, thankfully.
But since then, you felt awkward facing him again. You didn't have to dream about him. Quite unnecessary.
You were welcomed inside some part of the palace you had no idea existed. There was a beautiful dining table and you saw a lot of plants around, minimalistic decor yet beautiful. There was a garden beside... and you realized it was the same garden you visited last time with Taehyung. The begonias were there.
You walked towards the begonias, smiling at the flowers and wandering around the garden for a bit until you heard some footsteps.
You turned around to see Taehyung standing there with a poker face as he always had. He waved at you very robotically and put back his hands, urging you to smile but you didn't. You just cleared your throat and said, "Good morning."
"Morning." He muttered.
"You're late." He continued.
"You're even later than me." You said as he looked down, "I've been awake since 6 am."
"Huh? Why?" You asked.
"Just.. awake. No reason. I wake up early."
"That early?"
"Yes." He said, nodding. You frowned but nodded, looking around.
"So, come inside. The breakfast will turn cold. They're serving it." He said.
You hummed, following him inside. You both took a seat as you smiled. The fresh strawberries and whipped cream, toast and butter, cream cheese and vegetables with fruit salad. It was a beautiful breakfast. Orange juice and coffee were there too.
"Coffee or juice?"
"Juice." You said. Taehyung was about to pick the coffee for himself but he frowned for a second before picking the juice. You wondered what he was doing. Well, change of mind was normal so.
You both started eating as you asked, "Where's the Queen?"
"She's done eating. You're late, as I said."
"Were you waiting for me?" You asked. He frowned at you, shaking his head.
"No. I have other stuff to do. I was busy working." He said. You nodded, continuing your eating.
"Really." He added, making you raise a brow at him.
"Okay." You nodded.
He hummed, drinking his orange juice in one gulp.
"Where is this place though? Is this newly renovated?"
"I arranged a table and chairs here for the breakfast."
"That's possible?"
"If I have someone to invite, yes." He nodded. You smiled a little and said, "Woah... sometimes living the royal life doesn't sound bad."
He shrugged.
You continued to eat your waffles and asked, "Do you listen to BTS?"
His ears perked up at your question as he looked at you in surprise.
"You know them?" he asked.
"Of course! I am a huge fan of theirs... I remember I used to buy photo cards... I've been staining them since I was 15."
Taehyung looked at you in surprise, "I also listen to them... a lot. I have their albums."
"Really?!" Your smile widened into a grin, catching him a little off guard. He cleared his throat, a feeling of satisfaction arising in him.
"What's your favourite album? No, favourite song? Member?" You were so excited, it was visible. He hummed a little, "Love Yourself... Magic shop? And... I love all the members. They all are adorable."
You smiled widely, "Woah. OT7? Me too! My favourite album is... I like it all actually. But if I had to pick one, I'd pick... You Never Walk Alone."
"Have you ever been to their concert?" Taehyung asked as you shook your head, "It's my dream too. They came to the US so many times. But I never got the tickets. Reason no. 1, they have too many fans and the tickets get sold out within a minute even though all fans claim to be broke."
Taehyung smiled a little, nodding which went unnoticed by you because you were busy sipping your orange juice so you wouldn't choke on your waffle out of excitement.
"How about you?" You asked as he said, "I haven't, either. I don't know what's the point. If people recognize me, it'd be a hassle."
You looked down, nodding.
"Must be a huge pain to be a celebrity." You said.
"You're experiencing it now as well." His statement made you sigh.
You both talked some more and who knew how the topic diverted but now you were talking about Run BTS episodes.
"Oh, you watched the recent episode? Did you see how they pushed each other? Namjoon looked so cute!" You said as he nodded, "I did. Yesterday, actually. Run BTS helps me sleep better sometimes."
"You have trouble sleeping?"
"Sometimes... but I watch their videos... surprisingly, it is stress relieving." You smiled and said, "I know right... that moment where the maknae is like... Flower Flower Flower Flower always make me awe."
"Oh... Jin's buzz cut, have you seen it?" He asked. You started laughing immediately, "he looked so adorable! As much as I feel sad that he's going into the military, I'm also proud."
"As a prince, I couldn't be any prouder," Taehyung spoke. You both continued talking. And Taehyung didn't realize that he was freeing up with you more now. He was talking by himself and asking things. More than he ever did before. Maybe because the common ground you both shared helped you know better about each other.
"Right, I also watched that drama. You know what? The scene where she vomits on her best friend's food is so disgusting. I wonder why it's included." Taehyung internally gagged when he remembered that scene.
Usually, in his free time, he watched dramas or Run BTS. He was awake almost half of the night due to his sleeping problems so he preferred watching stuff.
"Do you know that the actors are married now? They even have a kid!" You squealed happily as Taehyung smiled, nodding. You were grinning but your moments halted when you saw his face. He was smiling.
His lips were inched up higher than ever before and his eyes twinkled. The crinkles beside his eyes were visible. He looked so beautiful. You felt your heart beating louder as you saw his smile.
He noticed your face and immediately straightened his face, looking at the food.
"The food is getting cold."
You kept staring at him, not knowing what to say. Coming out of your trance, you cleared your throat, nodding.
"Yeah... right."
After breakfast, you both were sitting in the patio chairs outside, amidst the garden as you spoke, "It's been over a month that I know you but I've seen you smile for the first time."
He looked at you, not knowing what to say. You smiled a little and continued, "Smiling suits you a lot. You could try to smile more... or whenever you want to, you should. Don't hide that gem you own."
He didn't reply, he just gulped, looking away. His heart beat louder and he gulped. Whatever you said just now was the opposite of what he had been told in his childhood.
'Your smile is nothing but the reflection of a devil. Don't you dare smile in front of me, you filthy b-stard.'
He remembered the words he was once fed and looked down.
"Don't lie." He said. You frowned and said, "Why would I? It's not like we're very close or anything. I don't have any reason to flatter you either. It's just a fact.."
He'd love to believe you and smile. But his heart hurts every time the past is reflected in his mind. And he got more reasons why he shouldn't believe your words. He sighed, looking away.
"How old are you though? I realized... I don't know." He asked, trying to change the topic as you said, "Just a few months younger."
"26." He whispered. Because he had turned 26 already.
You smiled, "I kind of got to know your age through the internet."
"That's not my real age. It's a year younger there. I'm 27."
You frowned, eyeing him. He seemed awkward but why?
"Are you lying to look older than me?"
"No, of course not."
"I think you are."
"I'm not."
You nodded, looking away as he frowned, "I'm not!"
"You are."
"I'm- okay, don't believe it. I don't care." He seemed a little pissed and you were surprised. He seemed almost different today. He smiled, talked, got pissed and whatnot?
He seemed humane today.
"The engagement is in a month, right?" You asked as Taehyung hummed.
"We're getting married.. wow. Let's get along well then." You said.
"We already do."
"This is getting along for you? We barely know each other."
He seemed a little confused as he asked, "We have to know each other more than that to get along well?"
"Did you ever have friends?" You asked.
"Yes, Jungkook." You sighed at his answer, "No, like... friends without any blood relation."
"Yeah, in University."
"Well, then... it's okay. I thought you were a loner."
"I'm a literal prince, what do you mean?" He frowned as you smiled, "You seem a little dumb too."
"How dare you-" He pinned you with a glare as you looked away, shrugging. You smiled a little, feeling glad to have gotten some reaction from him. He let out a huff in disbelief and cleared his throat.
Some time passed by and you both had returned to the topic of dramas and BTS, soon shifting to friends and family, education and teachers. You shared some serious beef with him about the US schools and he seemed quite speechless. He only had royal high-class stories to share while you shared everything starting from elite stories to the story of a guy stealing buns from the girl sitting in front of him for no reason.
You didn't realize when you were laughing like an idiot. Similar interests did bring people closer.
"So, you can cook?" You asked, quite surprised.
"Of course. I can... I'm good at that."
"Woah, I'd love to eat your cooking one day."
"I'll invite you then."
"After our wedding? I think.." You smiled as he looked awkward.
"Wedding..." He muttered.
You cleared your throat, wondering why you had said that.
"I mean..."
You fiddled with your fingers when he suddenly said, "About the day... we were in the restaurant..."
You looked at him, confused as he continued, "I know I was wrong. Don't mind my words."
You stared at him for a moment, "So it's still hard to say sorry?"
He frowned as you smiled a little, "Nice improvement. I'll wait for the perfect outcome though."
"What?"
"When you say sorry in the correct way and apologize, I'll say it's okay. But... I'm not mad about it anymore, don't worry." You shrugged as he stared at you, feeling strange.
He felt guilty, about everything he had said to you in the past and all his cold actions. And he wondered why your kind words were like adding salt and pepper to burnt skin.
"Your smile is really beautiful so it might have cooled down some of my anger." You spoke, stirring something in his heart he had no idea existed.