Donghyuck was laying back against the headboard of his fancy bed, his hands tied in front of him and his feet tied to the edge of the bed with a rope, making it so that he could shift and move around to an extent, but it would be impossible for him to leave the room.
The servants who had tied him up had seemed extremely apologetic about it, at least. But no matter how many times Donghyuck desperately asked "aren't I the queen? Don't you have to listen to me too?", he always got the same response in return.
"It is the king's orders. We must execute the king's order."
It didn't matter how much he cried or screamed at them or flailed around. It didn't matter that they all had looked at him guiltily once he was properly restrained and had no way of escaping. In the end, they were loyal to their king and their king alone, and now Donghyuck was sitting in an empty royal bedroom with ropes chafing his skin and absolutely nothing he could do about it.
He had stopped yelling and crying out for help about an hour into his solitude, giving up once he realized that not one person was going to come in to save him. His throat felt wrecked, he still had the remnants of tears on his cheeks, and most of all, he was so, so tired. He had been fighting sleep for the past few hours, because he couldn't be sure that he would really be safe if he let his guard down like that, but eventually, the exhaustion was too much for him to even care about that anymore. He finally let his eyes close, laying his head back against one of the many pillows on the bed, and within minutes, he was knocked out cold.
┈ ୨ 👑 ୧ ┈
He awoke to the sound of shuffling in his room. His heart jumped, and his eyes immediately shot open as he sat up so fast that he gave himself vertigo. At the other end of the room, the blonde beta servant that had been doing something in his closet froze, slowly turning around to face him. Despite everything, Donghyuck was relieved to at least see a face that he recognized, someone that had shown him kindness during his short stay in this world.
"Ah... you're awake. Good morning, Your Highness," the beta mumbled, lowering himself into a bow. Donghyuck just stared at him for a long moment, blinking dumbly as his sleep clouded brain tried to catch up and process what was happening. His gaze fell onto the ropes around his wrists and ankles, where there were now red marks from the rough material scraping against his skin, and he grimaced a little. That's right, I'm still a fucking hostage in this stupid place.
"Not a good morning for me," Donghyuck grumbled back. The beta gave him a sympathetic smile, shutting the closet door and approaching Donghyuck's bedside.
"Is there anything I can get for you to make you more comfortable?" He asked politely. Donghyuck narrowed his eyes as he looked up at him.
"I don't suppose that you'll listen to me if I ask you to untie me, right?"
The beta winced a little, bowing his head in apology. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I cannot untie you."
"Figured," Donghyuck scowled, sitting up and letting his head thunk against the headboard behind him. "What's your name? I've seen you more often than I've seen anyone else."
The blonde beta hesitated, visibly taken aback by the question. Donghyuck distantly wondered if anyone he had served before had ever cared to know his name.
"Um... my name is Renjun, Your Highness. Huang Renjun," he murmured, "you will see me a lot in the future as well. I've been assigned as the head of your personal staff, and as long as you're here, I will be taking care of anything you might need."
"You're like my little lady-in-waiting then, I guess?" Donghyuck chuckled. Renjun blushed a little, ducking his head.
"We haven't used that term in years. But yes... I suppose I serve the same sort of purpose," he mumbled, a little shyly.
"Hmm. That means you're on my side then, right? Not the king's?" Donghyuck prodded. Renjun flinched, his eyes widening as his head turned behind him to look and see if anyone could possibly be listening.
"I can't— I'm loyal to the king, I must execute the king's orders above any others," Renjun spluttered quickly.
"Woah, calm down. I'm not trying to get you to commit treason or anything, you can relax," Donghyuck said gently. Renjun did relax a little, but he was still looking down in Donghyuck in confusion.
"What I mean is... you're my staff, not the king's staff. So if I want to talk shit about him or something, you're not gonna tattle on me and rat me out, right?" Donghyuck continued. Renjun tilted his head a little, considering.
"I suppose if you wanted to speak ill of the king, I would have no obligation to relay your words to him. I will not participate, but I will listen and let you talk if that's what you wish," Renjun said slowly, nodding along a little with his words. Donghyuck beamed up at him, extremely pleased.
"Great! That's exactly what I wanted to hear. So you're on my side, got it? We have to have each other's backs."
"Alright... yes, I will help you in whatever ways I'm allowed to, Your Highness," Renjun said, his tone taking a cautious lilt to it. Donghyuck hummed and looked back up at him.
"So... you can bring me food and stuff at least, right?"
"Oh! Yes of course, do you have anything specific that you would like?" Renjun asked. Donghyuck bit his lip in thought, ultimately giving the beta a little shrug.
"Nothing comes to mind. Just surprise me," Donghyuck hummed. Renjun gave a curt nod and a little bow before rushing out of the room, leaving Donghyuck on his own once again.
┈ ୨ 👑 ୧ ┈
After Donghyuck had eaten—with Renjun embarrassingly having to feed him, since he still had his hands tied—another servant rushed into the room and whispered something into Renjun's ear.
The beta paled a little, quickly taking the tray and setting it aside before scrambling around the room to tidy it up a little more.
"What? What's wrong?" Donghyuck asked, getting anxious himself from watching Renjun fret around and try to make sure everything was in place.
"I've just been informed that the king is on his way to visit you," Renjun murmured, turning towards Donghyuck and taking in his appearance with a wince, "Your Highness, I don't mean to offend you, but your hair is a mess and your face still looks red and puffy. Would you like me to bring a hairbrush and some makeup to help you freshen up before the king arrives?"
Donghyuck considered for a moment, ultimately shaking his head. "No. I want him to see that I'm a mess, I want him to see that I'm miserable here."
Renjun rolled his bottom lip between his teeth, looking uncertain. Donghyuck wondered if he was worried that Mark might punish Renjun for allowing Donghyuck to look less than presentable in his presence.
"If the king gets on your ass for it, I'll tell him that you offered and I turned you down, okay? Like I said, I've got your back as long as you've got mine." He said reassuringly. Renjun's shoulders lowered a little, and he gave a curt nod. Soon after, a loud voice boomed through the door.
"Your Highness, the king has arrived."
"Yeah yeah, just let him in already," Donghyuck snapped back. Renjun's eyes widened a little in surprise, but he wiped the expression off his face quickly and lowered himself into a deep bow as the door swung open and Mark entered the room. The king stood and took in Donghyuck's appearance for a moment, his eyes scanning over the matted brown curls at the top of his head, to his dark circles and his face that was still puffy from crying most of the night, all the way down to the ropes holding his wrists and ankles in place. A flash of something that looked like guilt crossed his face, and Donghyuck once again felt that deep, sick sense of satisfaction.
Good. You should feel bad for me, you fucking asshole.
"Renjun, please excuse us," Mark said curtly. Donghyuck's momentary surprise that Mark actually knew Renjun's name didn't last long, because in the next moment he turned his focus onto trying to keep Renjun from walking out of the room.
"Stop!" Donghyuck cried out, and Renjun froze in his tracks. "Renjun stays. I feel better when he's with me."
Mark turned to look at him, annoyance written all over his features. "It is entirely improper for a servant to be present during a private conversation between the king and queen. Renjun, go."
The beta started to walk again, but Donghyuck called out his name again to stop him. Renjun hesitated by the door, clearly confused on which order was more important for him to obey.
"He stays," Donghyuck hissed, "or I will just cry and scream over you the entire time you're here, and not listen to a single word you have to say. I can cry on command, you know... it's one of my many talents."
Mark let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in obvious frustration. Renjun stood awkwardly by the doorway, awaiting the final command.
"Stand on the other side of the room, Renjun. Empty your thoughts and do not listen, and do not repeat anything you hear."
Renjun quickly obeyed, shuffling over to the far end of the room and standing there silently. Donghyuck looked up at Mark and scowled.
"What the fuck are you planning to talk to me about that Renjun can't hear? Are we going to discuss the intimate details of you impregnating me with your heir or something?"
Renjun coughed, his face immediately turning bright red as he made a show of putting his hands over his ears to prove that he was trying not to listen. Mark glanced over at him before turning his attention back to Donghyuck, looking tired already.
"Must you torment the poor boy like that? He probably already goes through enough, being your servant," Mark snapped. Donghyuck's eyes narrowed, immediately sitting up and getting closer into Mark's personal space.
"And what's so challenging about being my servant, huh? At least he doesn't have to serve a self centered, spoiled prick like you," he spat back. Mark glared at him for a moment before closing his eyes and inhaling a deep breath.
"I didn't come here to fight with you, omega," he hissed, obviously trying to regain composure of himself. Donghyuck smirked a little, taking it as a small victory. "I came here to check in on you and make sure you're doing alright, believe it or not."
"Well, I'm not," Donghyuck bit back, "I'm not doing alright. I'm tied down to a bed in a world that I was taken to against my will. My feet and wrists hurt from the stupid rope you tied me up with, and I barely slept last night. I don't want to give birth to your stupid heir, I want to go back home."
Mark let out a shaky breath, tapping his foot as he took a moment to think. "I'll have someone replace the rope with something that won't hurt your skin as much. Would satin or silk be better?"
When Donghyuck just stared back up at him in complete, stunned silence, Mark cleared his throat awkwardly and continued.
"Um... is there anything uncomfortable about your bed that made it hard for you to sleep? Tonight I'll have some servants bring you some calming tea or medicine and see if that helps you at all."
"Are you even listening to me at all?" Donghyuck snapped angrily, "I don't want satin ropes or new pillows or calming tea. I want to go back home, to my home, my own world!"
"So it's the pillows that are uncomfortable. I'll replace them right away," Mark murmured, once again pointedly dodging Donghyuck's question. The omega groaned loudly in frustration.
"Stop being a coward and answer me! Why can't you just take me back home?" Donghyuck whined. Mark sighed a little, hesitantly taking a seat next to Donghyuck on the bed.
"Donghyuck. I need you here, I can't send you back home. My kingdom will fall if you leave, I'll be assassinated and the country will devolve into ruins. I'm sorry for bringing you here against your will, I really am, but there's no way I can possibly let you go now that you're here."
Donghyuck stared at him for a long moment, his lips still curled into a scowl. "Why the fuck is it so important for you to mate with an omega? Regular old female betas aren't good enough for you?"
"It doesn't matter what I think," Mark hissed again, "it's tradition. The people would be outraged if my heir was born from a female beta."
"Well fuck tradition," Donghyuck said, rolling his eyes, "you're supposed to be the king, right? Have a backbone, for god's sake, make a law or something that changes the traditions."
Mark was visibly getting more frustrated the more Donghyuck talked. The brunette just stared up at him defiantly, not understanding or comprehending why this stupid tradition was so important that he had to resort to kidnapping someone to uphold it.
"That's not how it works," Mark said after a while, some of his anger still clearly leaking into his tone, "it does not matter what I say or do, whether I make new laws or not. The people will be furious with me if I mate with anyone other than an omega, and my head on a stake will be the only thing that will satisfy their anger. It's not possible to just... change tradition like that. I need you to be my mate, there's no other way around it."
Donghyuck groaned loudly, throwing his head back. "The people in your kingdom all sound like they have giant sticks up their asses."
"I would appreciate if you would cut down on your use of such vulgar language," Mark replied coolly, and Donghyuck just stuck his tongue out at him.
"I can do whatever the fuck I want, shithead," he said tauntingly. Mark's face turned red from pent up irritation, and he bit the inside of his cheek as he closed his eyes.
"Why, out of all the omegas, did Jeno have to bring back you?" He grumbled, mostly to himself. Donghyuck tilted his chin up at him defiantly.
"I've been asking myself the same question since I got here."
Breathing out a sharp puff of air through his nose, Mark swiftly turned away and changed the subject.
"In any case, it seems talking to you right now is still rendering itself useless," Mark said quickly, standing back to his feet, "I will have the servants replace your ropes with silk restraints and change your pillows. I'll also have them bring up some tea that will help you sleep. I hope you remain comfortable until I next see you."
"I won't. In fact, I will purposefully make sure that I am not comfortable here, just to spite you," Donghyuck called back. Mark shot him a glare over his shoulder.
"Do whatever you want. If you refuse my generosity, then that is not my problem."
And with that he was waltzing back out the door, leaving Donghyuck to sit in the cursed royal bedroom he was trapped in and seethe once again.