A soft huff of exhaustion escapes past your lips as you fall back against your mattress. The movers that Heeseung hired to move everyone's belongings a week before had already done a wonderful job arranging your room prior to your arrival. Each piece of furniture was strategically placed, which makes you wonder if any of the princes gave them specific arrangement instructions beforehand. The movers, however, did not do much other than place your furniture accordingly and move all your boxes of clothing into your room, which is to be expected. That's how you found yourself sitting in the middle of your room, surrounded by emptied boxes of clothing after breakfast this morning. The task itself had seemed so daunting, but you found the actual process rather calming as you folded and organized your clothes in silence.
Your new room is far more beautiful than you could have imagined. The ceilings are tall so your steps against the wooden floorboards echo in the rather empty chamber. The size alone is almost twice that of your old room at the previous castle. The overall atmosphere of the room also feels a little more comforting than the previous one – a little more lived-in.
Luckily, your new room also overlooks the backyard just like at the previous castle. The garden in its current state is nothing but soft mounds of white snow amidst the winter season, but you can already imagine how beautiful the view would be come springtime with all the different hues of the flowers painting the landscape.
A soft knock from the other side of your closed bedroom door draws you from your thoughts. "Princess, may I come in?" You smile when you recognize Jay's voice and you instantly sit up to greet the prince.
"Come in, Jay," you call back. When the second eldest pokes his head in to examine your room, his eyes find you almost instantly.
"Were you about to take a nap? Should I come back later?" he asks inquisitively when he notices the wrinkles on the comforter where you had just been resting.
"No, I was just taking a short break. I finished unpacking and organizing all my clothes not too long ago," you explain, beckoning him inside with a wave of your hand. "Come sit with me," you offer, patting the empty space on the mattress beside you.
"You finished unpacking already?" Jay gapes, looking around your room in bewilderment as he slowly makes his way over to you. The prince's gaze lands on the empty boxes sitting by your doorway and hums impressively before climbing onto the bed next to you. "I always thought Jungwon moves the fastest because of his abilities – but you're on a whole different level."
"I could never beat Jungwon," you giggle, looking down at your lap shyly and playing with your fingers. Jay looks over at you, admiring you with nothing but endearment swimming in his irises. Without even realizing it, he begins to lean in closer until he's practically hovering next to you, overcome with the great urge to protect you from any dangers that come your way. "I simply just didn't have much to unpack, that's all," you shrug.
"Would you be up for helping me unpack? I've always dreaded this part of the moving process the most," the prince laughs, softly bumping his shoulder against yours in a teasing manner. When you finally look up to meet his gaze, you're startled to see the amount of distance he's covered since you were last paying attention. But your heart warms when you notice the prince looking at you with such tenderness. His expression is soft and his eyes seem so pure. He looks at you as if you're his saving grace.
"I wouldn't mind helping you," you shrug, hands trailing away from your lap to find the prince's larger hands. "I'd help you with anything, no questions asked. I'm only one call away," you add, softer in a hushed tone.
"You're going to be the death of me, Princess," Jay hisses, leaning back slightly so that he can take in a deep breath of fresh air. Meanwhile, you're still playing with his pretty slender fingers, completely unaware of the multitude of thoughts flying around in his mind – some far more inappropriate than he would like to admit.
"That's impossible, Jongseong," you tease, mimicking the way Heeseung teases the younger princes whenever they use such dramatic claims. Finally, Jay cracks a smile and chuckles softly at your attempt.
"In all seriousness, I might take you up on your offer when we begin unpacking the library. We have way too many books to count and organizing them into a new library always takes days."
"That sounds like fun. I'd be more than happy to help sort the library," you nod excitedly, turning to meet the prince's gaze once again.
"Great, it's settled," Jay beams, leaning in quickly to plant a small peck against your lips. When he pulls back, he stares at you with a triumphant smirk, watching as the shock and realization settle on your features. "I'll let the others know," he adds, climbing off your bed and taking a few steps toward the door.
You're unsure what exactly Jay will be informing the others of – that you offered to help organize the library, or that he just kissed you out of the blue. Either way, you can see the prince proudly boasting both.
"Oh, I initially came to ask if you would like to head to the town's market with us?" he asks, spinning around on his heel to wait for your answer. When you meet his gaze, you clear your throat softly to shake yourself out of your swirling thoughts.
"Sure, I'd love to join," you smile, climbing off the bed to sift through your newly organized closet for some outer layers.
"Alright, I'll let Jake and Riki know you're tagging along. We'll be heading out shortly so meet us on the first floor whenever you're ready, little one." Jay returns your smile before continuing his way back out of your room. You don't miss the way the prince stops to pick up the empty boxes, wordlessly taking them out of your room to dispose of them.
It doesn't take long for you to pick out the additional articles of clothing you'll be adding to your current outfit and even less time to actually put them on. By the time you leave your room, you ponder if you'll be the first one to wait for the others. For this reason, you decide to take the longer, "scenic" route down to the first floor. Unlike the previous castle where the entirety of the structure was one large building, this new castle has several buildings on its property. All of them, of course, are connected internally on the base floor to allow for covered access, especially during the colder seasons when it rains and snows. However, there are also external corridors and bridges that grant access to each building on each additional floor.
Until now, you have not gotten the chance to explore these external corridors too much – at least not during the daytime. But you've heard from the princes that the views offered from these areas of the castle are truly unlike any other. So, naturally, you wander over to the nearest corridor, the one that offers the best view of the property and the town below.
When you push open the heavy door separating you from the interior and exterior of the castle, you almost stumble back at the unexpected weight. Yet, the longer you think about it, the more it makes sense to have such a durable barrier protecting against the cold weather and any unwelcome guests. The cold air hits your face like a rude awakening, but it's also not completely unpleasant. You're thankful for the roofing that covers the corridor as it helps shield you from the brunt of the chilly weather.
Your jaw falls slack at the pure beauty of the land below you. Since your room is once again, located in the back of the castle, in the most secluded and private wing, you don't get to directly enjoy the view at the front of the property. But from the corridor where you currently stand, you can see not only the heart of the town below but also the valley of hills that roll beyond the town. From this perspective, the town seems like one tiny blur in the never-ending scene of undisturbed nature. The sky is surprisingly clear today, painting the atmosphere a vibrant blue. The very few clouds that hang in the sky look like bundles of cotton, almost close enough for you to reach out to grab them.
It takes everything within you to remind yourself that the princes might be waiting for you if you stay outside any longer. So it's with great reluctance you peel yourself away from the ledge of the corridor and enter the largest building of the castle, the one that houses the main entrance.
"Jay told us you were coming along," Jake greets you with a blinding smile just as you descend the last few steps of the grand staircase. He and Riki are already waiting, sitting on a pair of chairs placed in the open foyer.
"Did he tell you anything else?" you ask out of curiosity.
"No," Riki responds, his eyebrows raising in intrigue. "Was he supposed to tell us something else?"
Brief memories of the quick peck you shared with the second eldest prince flash by in your mind. In retrospect, you wonder why you hadn't reacted quickly enough to deepen the kiss. At this moment, you're glad you had just stepped out into the cold weather because if either one of the princes teases you for the rosy tint on your cheeks, you can simply play it off as having stood out in the cold for too long.
"No, I was just wondering if there was something specific we're looking for at the market," you shrug. The youngest prince throws you a skeptical look, not exactly buying how quickly you brushed off his question. But Jake nods animatedly, eager to answer your faux question, completely oblivious to your little white lie.
"We're just heading down to buy some fresh produce to stock up. We're running low on the small haul we brought back the first night we moved in," the pyrokinetic prince informs you. "Jay also mentioned that we should buy anything you take an interest in so that you can finally decorate your room to your personal liking."
By now, you've learned that any attempt to politely decline the princes' generous offers would be a futile attempt so you smile at the older prince instead and murmur a soft "Thanks."
"Are we all ready to go?" Jay asks, just as he descends from the top of the staircase, joining you and the two other princes. When his eyes land on you, his gaze instantly zeroes in on the blush spreading rapidly across your face. His expression doesn't show it, but you can tell by the look in his eyes he knows exactly why you're blushing and he's rather proud of himself for being the reason.
"All ready," you confirm, voice soft but also forced as if your words got caught in your throat.
"Should we drive down?" Riki asks with a hopeful glint dancing in his eyes.
"I thought you said Jay and I are terrible drivers?" Jake rolls his eyes at the younger male but there's a lazy grin threatening to pull on his lips.
"You are," Riki deadpans. "I was just hoping you could teach me how to drive."
"Not with that attitude," Jay scoffs jokingly. "Why don't we just walk? It's unnecessary for us to drive this short distance."
"But think about walking back up the steep hill with all the things we'll buy," the taller male refutes.
"Ki-Ki has a point," Jake hums in contemplation but receives hard glares from both princes in response.
"Don't side with him," Jay frowns. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"I told you to stop calling me that centuries ago," Riki grumbles under his breath.
"How could I just stop? You're still our baby," the pyrokinetic prince exclaims dramatically, ignoring Jay's comments and reaching out to pinch the youngest prince's cheeks fondly. Riki immediately swats Jake's hands away in discontent.
"I'm no longer the youngest – we have our princess again. She's officially the baby of the group now," he huffs indignantly.
"You're still the baby among the princes," you point out, hiding a giggle behind your hand when the shadow-bending prince gapes at you exasperatedly.
"Riki has a point, Jay. If we drive, we can ensure the princess is comfortable and shielded from the cold," Jake mentions.
"I'm just worried about the challenges we might face when we get into the heart of town. The roads were tight when we drove in the other day. So if we drove down just for groceries, our parked vehicle might hinder the other townspeople," Jay explains thoughtfully, which in your mind, makes sense. But apparently, not in Riki's mind.
"You're just worried about actually parking the car. You almost crashed into the castle when you parked the car the other day despite having ample space to do so," the younger male teases.
"You try learning how to drive in less than a week," the second eldest retorts defensively.
"I don't mind walking down," you interject, trying to mitigate the situation. Your attempt, for the most part, seems to work except for the heated glares Jay and Riki still seem to be exchanging.
"Will you be warm enough?" Jake asks tenderly, habitually finding your side and slinking his hand together with yours. "If not, I'll stay right here to keep you warm," he adds with a wink.
"I'll let you know if I get too cold," you nod with a soft chuckle, giving his hand a soft squeeze.
Perhaps it's a placebo effect, but when you walk out of the castle, hand still held tightly in Jake's, the air really doesn't feel too cold. The snow crunches with a nice staccato underneath your feet and you can see your breaths coming out in mere white puffs ahead of you. Yet, your entire body, from head to toe, feels as if you never left the initial warmth of the castle.
The two princes that were bickering with each other only moments ago are now walking together joined at the hip. When you glance over at the duo, it's evident Jay had tried slinging his arm around Riki's shoulders at some point. But either due to the height difference or the younger prince's "rebellious" antics, Jay now walks with his arm hung snugly around Riki's waist, and Riki with one of his arms secured loosely around the older prince's shoulders.
"Do you want to see a shortcut we used to take all the time?" Jake suggests, drawing your attention back to him. He stops walking and pauses right at the castle's fortress's main entrance at the front of the courtyard. Unlike the previous castle, the rose garden is located in the back garden rather than in the front to greet guests as they arrive. There is, however, a grand fountain used as a decorative statement.
"A shortcut?" you echo, intrigued by the hopeful look dancing on his features.
"It cuts through the forest instead of following the main road winding down around the hill," Jake explains.
"It's a steep climb back up, but walking down is alright," Jay adds once he hears the pyrokinetic prince's offer.
"Sure," you shrug. That's all it takes for Jake to pull you forward with an excited grin spreading across his lips, the two other princes following in tow. Just as the eldest of the three had mentioned, the initial steps off the main path and into the natural land drop quite a bit in inclination. However, Jake grips your hand tightly and helps you maintain your balance, showing you where to walk and which steps to avoid. You catch onto the downhill climb pretty quickly so it's only a matter of time before you're looking ahead with your chin up, admiring the tall snow-covered trees that conceal you in with the rest of the forest.
The sun is shining through the bare branches at just the right angles to cast warm rays onto your exposed face. When you turn around to glance behind you, your heart skips a beat at the sight of the youngest prince in the golden lighting. The image you see right now is someone you find difficult to match to the image of the drawing you found in Heeseung's office last week.
"Riki?" you call out hesitantly. You hear the prince hum softly in response, signifying you have his attention. With a couple of long strides, he and Jay join in next to you and Jake. "I found your old drawing in Heeseung's office last week."
"In Heeseung's office?" Jay questions, casting a curious glance at the younger prince. Riki on the other hand pales at your words. "Are you sure? All of Riki's works were kept in his art room on the other side of the castle."
"Heeseung said it was yours," you frown in confusion.
"It is. But no one else was supposed to see that drawing," Riki finally confirms with a deep sigh.
"What do you mean? I thought you shared everything with us?" Jake asks with concern laced in his tone.
"I do – just not this. I wasn't even really sure if I wanted to share it with Heeseung. But he walked in while I was drawing and it was difficult to hide the truth from him. It's not really a topic that you guys are unfamiliar with, to be fair. It has to do with that night."
"Oh, Riki-ah," Jay coos in understanding. The older prince has, at some point, let go of the younger's waist and opted to hold his hand instead during the descent down the hill. Jay gives Riki's hand a gentle squeeze and rubs his thumb calming against the younger's soft skin. "I know that was a difficult time for you. You don't have to share if you don't want to."
"No, it's been long enough. I think I'm ready to finally address these emotions. Plus, Heeseung said it might help if I explained everything to the princess. He mentioned something about guilt?" the younger male shakes his head, trying to recall the exact terminology used by the eldest.
"Survivor's guilt," Jake supplements gently, which immediately gives you an idea of where this conversation is about to lead. "You, Sunoo, and Sunghoon were hit with it pretty bad after that night, and I know you have all been dealing with it since. I'm glad you're finally ready to open up, Ki-Ki." This time, the youngest prince makes to attempt to correct him with the use of the nickname, and instead, smiles gratefully.
"I still suspect that's one of the main reasons why Hoon won't shift into his wolf form," Jay adds contemplatively. The prince's comment makes your stomach drop. Are you the reason why Sunghoon is unable to shift?
"The drawing that the princess was referring to just now was a self-portrait. It was a portrayal of all of the dark emotions I felt following her death. In it, I was in my old room, trapped in a dark abyss of shadows and I felt utterly helpless. Which, now that I think about it, is kind of ironic considering the fact that I was unable to use my powers that night because I was surrounded by so much light," Riki begins.
"When I first saw it, I almost felt like I was drowning in my own emotions. Like the air around me was so suffocating that I couldn't even breathe," you comment, recalling the exact moment you discovered the artwork.
"That's exactly how I felt. The guilt of losing you was so overbearing, I felt like I was drowning in my powers," Riki nods. "I was also beyond angry with myself. I felt like such a failure because I feel like my entire existence has been based on the fact that I'm not a normal vampire and that I have special abilities. Yet, when I needed them most, when you needed me most, Princess, I couldn't even use my damn abilities."
"Hence why you used such heavy and irregular sketch strokes," you conclude and Riki hums in confirmation finally leaving everything about the drawing to make sense.
"Oh, Ki-Ki, I'm so glad you shared this with us. I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been for you to navigate all these feelings alone at the time," Jake frowns, heart aching for the youngest prince.
"I did consider going to one of you, but I knew we were all experiencing the princess's death at the same so I didn't want to burden any of you," the tallest male admits hesitantly.
"Riki-ah, I need you to know that if you ever experience anything like that again, you will never be a burden to any of us even if we are dealing with our own battles. If anything, I firmly believe that experiencing these emotions together will make it easier because we'll get to talk about it rather than bottle it all up inside," Jay explains firmly. "I'm sorry we didn't recognize that you were struggling and reach out sooner."
"I think it's also important that you don't value yourself just based on your abilities. They might be a part of who you are, but never your entire identity. You're one of the greatest people I've ever met, Riki. I love you either way, with or without your powers," you add.
Suddenly, all three princes stop dead in their tracks, and with one of your hands still in Jake's, you're tugged back abruptly. For a moment, their expressions are completely the same – blank and unreadable. You begin to ponder if they heard something, perhaps someone lurking in the forest.
"Love?" they blurt out at the same time. Then realization hits you like a cold bucket of water being dumped over your head.
"Oh, did I say love?" you chuckle awkwardly, suddenly feeling a little too warm under all the thick layers you're wearing. "I didn't exactly mean it like that."
"You didn't?" Riki frowns, leaving you, once again, dumbfounded by the words that seem to be tumbling out of your mouth on their own accord.
"I didn't mean it like that either!" you correct yourself before taking a deep breath in to collect your thoughts. "What I mean to say is – yes, I love you all in the sense that I care for you deeply and would do anything for you. I think, right now, it's still a bit too early for me to declare my romantic love for you all as I'm still trying to navigate those feelings. However, I will not deny the fact that I am falling hard and fast for each and every one of you."
"That's all I wanted to hear, Princess," Jay smiles widely.
"Take your time with figuring out your feelings. That last thing we want to do is rush you into something you're not comfortable with yet, sweetheart," Jake adds, giving your hand a gentle squeeze and leaning in to plant a soft lingering kiss against your cheek.
"I'm still going to tell the others that the princess said she loves me," Riki boasts playfully just as the four of you step out of the forest and onto the main road at the bottom of the hill that leads directly to the town's center.
"Heeseung might keel over in jealousy if you do," Jay snorts at the prospect.
"Heeseung would?" you echo curiously, mildly surprised by this new revelation.
"Oh, Seungie is quite the jealous type," Jake nods with a soft chuckle. The prince's use of Heeseung's nickname piques your interest, as it's one you have yet to hear, as well as Jay's. In your peripheral vision, you vaguely notice the older prince gagging in disgust – or perhaps his own unique way of portraying jealousy.
"Don't gag like you're not an absolute mess the moment Heeseung throws any sort of compliment your way," Riki calls the elder out instantly to which you and Jake giggle.
When the four of you finally make it to the heart of town, you slow your steps, dragging Jake a little farther behind Jay and Riki to enjoy the new sights. Your eyes sparkle under the warm afternoon sunlight as you take in all the shops and the townspeople carrying about their days. You smile politely at some when you catch their gazes, and you're delighted when they return the kind pleasantry.
"See anything that catches your eye, sweetheart?" Jake asks softly when you stall a little longer in front of one particular store. You linger, hesitating as you debate whether or not you want to explore a bit more.
"We should probably get the groceries first," you finally decide with a gentle shake of your head.
"Nonsense, we're not in any rush. We can stop wherever you'd like. Come on, let's go explore," he encourages you with a bright smile before tugging you into the store that had just caught your attention. Jay and Riki are quick to notice your sudden detour and backtrack to follow you as well – all three princes trailing behind you as you cruise through the store. While you have yet to pick up anything to purchase, Jay has been making mental notes of all the items you have stopped to observe, ready to purchase them for you if you end up leaving the store empty-handed. Luckily, you end up finding something that suits your taste perfectly and would make a great addition to your new room. The princes eagerly bring up the newfound item to the store owner to purchase before they quickly drag you back outside and to the next stop.
This process goes on for a little while longer before the four of you even near the produce stores farther up the road. With each new store that you visit, you become more comfortable with finding pieces for your room and the princes begin to wander around for themselves as well. In one particular store, you head all the way to the back, intrigued by the books they have on display while the princes stay in the front.
"Are you sure, granny?" a hushed voice whispers from the aisle behind you.
"I'm telling you, those three boys at the front of the store are vampires – and very powerful ones," another voice hisses back. Her words instantly pique your interest, so it takes everything within you to keep your head lowered, feigning interest in the book you hold in your hands as you listen in further on their conversation.
"How can you tell? I don't think I've ever seen them in town before. Perhaps they're just visiting. Plus, we should probably get an actual vampire to verify their identity for us," the first voice responds unsurely.
"When you get to my age, you've lived long enough to just know these types of things, dear," the elderly woman says matter-of-factly with a soft click of her tongue. "Plus, I have a hunch I know exactly who they are. There was a rumor that used to go around this town when my grandmother was a young girl here."
"I don't know, granny. I really think we should at least consult the others first. Half of our town's population is vampires. Surely they would have noticed and spoken up about new vampires that just moved in." This news shocks you. You wonder if the princes are aware that other vampires live in this town. Surely they would have sensed the others, right?
"They're not just any vampires, dear. They're vampire princes and they're rumored to be the most powerful vampires out there. If they're back in town, then it can only mean trouble."
♡ ♡ ♡
Hello, Dalgis! I'm finally back with Chapter 12!! Sorry it took a little longer to get up. I actually went on vacation this past week and didn't get home until yesterday. I had initially hoped to get an update up before I left. But alas, my decision to procrastinate packing took up most of my time on Monday before I left so I wasn't able to finish up this chapter until today.
Question of the Week: What's the best gift you've received for the holidays?
Honestly, my immediate family is not too big on gift-giving. We celebrate most holidays and birthdays by spending quality time with each other which I enjoy. So my favorite gift I've received for the holidays came from a classmate. My high school orchestra was partaking in Secret Snowflake and I had mentioned in my questionnaire that my favorite music group (at the time) was BTS. My Secret Snowflake ended up buying me the Dark & Wild album which I think was beyond generous since most others just gave their Secret Snowflakes some of their favorite candies.
Moving forward, I'm going to go ahead and disregard the weekly updating schedule I used to abide by. Now that I've run out of pre-drafted chapters, and as I'm juggling graduate school along with other responsibilities, I'm realizing that one week is not enough of a turnaround time if I want to publish quality chapters. Therefore, I've gone ahead and removed the "Updated weekly on Sundays" from my book description. Instead, I will allow myself the necessary amount of time I need to draft each chapter. I am confident in making this decision because of all of the amazing support you have shown me during these past few weeks. I am always overwhelmed with gratitude whenever I see that you guys are more than okay with waiting for me as I work on cranking out these chapters. Of course, I also know as an avid reader myself, that waiting too long can really get you feeling antsy so I'll try my best to post a new chapter every 1.5 weeks.
Happy Holidays to all my readers around the world! I recently checked my story demographics here on Wattpad and was so surprised to see the different countries you all represent. I'm so excited that I was able to connect with you all! I hope you're all staying safe, happy, and healthy! I love you all so much 💗
Until next time,
Strawberheecake 🍓