"For god's sake Yoongi, don't completely blow the boy off just because he's two years younger," His mother griped at the boy who threatened to run away before turning back to speak to Lady Park, something about dresses or whatever.
The twelve-year-old rolled his eyes, roughly sitting down next to the young noble from the next estate, who just stared at him with a wide eye smile.
"I can be fun too! Whatever you want to do," he offered, placing his head between his hands, still smiling.
Geez, did he ever stop grinning??
Yoongi sighed before standing up again, starting to walk toward the stables and the soldier's quarters, before turning back to see Jimin frowning, a rare sight in the 30 minutes they had spent together so far.
"Are you coming or not?" he yelled, stopping to gesture toward the young boy who smiled again, running to catch up to the older.
"Yep!! Where are we going?" he chattered, surprising Yoongi by lacing their small hands together, making him jump and tug his palm away.
"Ew.... Don't touch me. And we're going to ride horses with Hoseok. You do know how, right?" he said condescendingly before realizing that Jimin had his eyes to the ground, gripping his own hands together, but nodding to the question.
He couldn't help but feel bad for his harsh words, as the young boy slugged after him, dragging his feet until he felt a thin hand grab his.
"We can hold hands, but only until we get to the stables. Hoseok would make fun of me," he quickly grumbled, shoving their hands together and running again.
Jimin's eye smile returned, his small hand clutching Yoongi's tightly.
Truthfully, the elder didn't mind.
..................
Jimin rushed back to his room, unable to hold in the grin that had threatened to explode on his face at any moment while he acted like having sex with Yoongi wasn't the best moment of his life.
He quickly slammed his door closed behind him, throwing himself onto his bed for a moment, pulling the sheets toward him as he muffled a scream, still ecstatic about their drunken encounter.
Sure, he could have insinuated that he did, in fact, care for Yoongi, but he was almost certain the serious Lord did not care for him in that way.
He normally would have been upset about that, but for now, he would take this small victory. They had time. He would convince Yoongi that they were meant to be. After all, they had known each other for years.
He pulled himself up, rushing to pull on decent morning clothes before strolling to the dining room, where a few nobles sat with the Kings, who were both on the verge of falling asleep.
Namjoon held Seokjin's left hand tightly with his right, as Jin's head laid on his shoulder, the two whispering about something that appeared important.
Jimin stretched his neck, searching for a small, dark head of hair before giving up and plopping down next to Hoseok, his next best option.
"Jimin-Ah, I have the worst headache," the general groaned, selecting food from the table as he rubbed his forehead.
"Same, I can't even find the medication for---" he was cut off by himself, his eyes catching sight of the man his heart stopped for, his face stuck in that same mope he had worn since they were children.
"Yoongi hyung!" Hoseok called out, waving him over as Jimin attempted to hide his raging blush, the pink peeking through his small hands.
The Lord shuffled over, running his hand through his hair as he sat down and greeted the two, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred last night.
"Why do the Kings look so stressed?" Yoongi mumbled, slowly eating as he studied the faces of his longtime friends, whispering to each other before Namjoon released Jin's hand and stood, quickly garnering the attention of everyone in the room, his presence that powerful.
"I suppose I should begin with the good news before diving into the bad," he said, letting out a weak smile, looking down at Jin, who reached his hand and squeezed it again, offering his silent support.
"We are happy to announce the engagement of our son to Jeon Jungkook, who is currently recovering from injuries received last night. He should recover in the coming months," Namjoon reported, a dimple smile flashing when he mentioned the engagement, that faded when he spoke of the ball's horrors.
"Now, I suppose, the bad news," he shook his head, the other nobles in the room chattering quietly before looking back at him, some worried while others looked just as tired as the Kings themselves.
"We lost many soldiers in last night's fight, and they will be honored in a ceremony in the coming week, in which King Taemin will apologize---" Namjoon was cut off by the loud protest of many lords and generals, Hoseok being the loudest.
"I just want clarification Sir, but King TAEMIN?? It was his spies that killed my men---"
"Hoseok, you know I appreciate your input and your intelligence, but King Taemin has already sent an apology via letter, and offers a peace treaty, proposing the ending of our conflicts and the permeant transferal of the diamond mines to our possession," Namjoon quickly calmed the room, before gasps filled the dining hall once again, the diamond mine proposal coming as a shock.
They had been the primary source of conflict since the beginning of the two kingdoms, the control switching between the two countries.
Jimin sat with his mouth open, shocked at the thought.
The mines, when they were in the possession of the Kims, were located in the Park territory, part of his parent's estate, and highly protected by the neighboring Min estate.
This proposal meant his family would gain control over the most profitable resource in the entire world, the mines rich in not only diamonds, but other materials.
Namjoon noticed Jimin's freeze, and spoke once again, over the loud whispers of all the lords of Kim, "Lord and Lady Park will be arriving shortly, within the next two days, in order to negotiate with Taemin and the crown." He nodded toward Jimin, who quickly closed his mouth, still processing.
Jimin couldn't believe it.
They wouldn't have to fight anymore.
He felt a warm hand on his back, rubbing calming circles into his shoulder, as Yoongi whispered, "Breathe Jiminnie," removing his hand quickly, his focus returning to the conversation.
Jimin did breathe. But not for long, as when Namjoon thanked all the lords for their time, he and Seokjin began to exit the hall before calling Jimin to the side.
"Jimin-Ah, please, a word," Seokjin implored, waving for Jimin to join them on their walk.
Jimin breathed deeply before nodding, jogging slightly to join his kings.
"Jimin, there is one other thing that I'm not sure about, part of the treaty that may be uncomfortable for you," Namjoon frowned, shaking his head slightly as he contemplated something that appeared to be a burden.
"For me, sire? I don't understand," Jimin paused, his heartbeat increasing at the word 'uncomfortable'.
"It's just, well, I'm not quite sure why it was included in his draft of the treaty at all," Namjoon continued, rubbing his head, "It's really quite an odd request."
Blood rushed to Jimin's head, making him slightly dizzy, his stomach nervously twisting, for a reason he could not place, Namjoon's tone sending shivers down his spine.
"They want you to participate in Prince Jeno's selection ceremony," Namjoon breathed quickly, gauging Jimin's reaction.
Jeno, the next eldest of the Anti princes.
The selection ceremony- where each prince would select his partner, whether male or female.
Jimin's jaw dropped for the second time that morning, his face turning white at the prospect.
Namjoon wrung his hands nervously, continuing, "If I can't change that section and the treaty goes through, you head to the Anti Kingdom in 2 weeks."
That was when Jimin's breathing ceased completely, his world going black as he fainted, comforting arms catching him before his head hit the ground.
......................................
(A/N): I am seriously so excited for this book. If you can't already tell, this book is going to feature a LOT of other K-pop groups, something I've wanted to incorporate for a while. Also, if the characters from other groups are 'evil' people in these books, don't worry, I love them all, and they are just characters, that's not actually what I imagine them to be (such as NCT Taeyong , NCT Jeno, and SHINee Taemin, for example.
So..... I would like to know what are some of your favorite ships from other groups, and they might get added to the book ;)
Also, I have started the Namjin book, that should explain a lot of the backstory to Cinderfella. I will start to post it as soon as Bodyguard is finished.
Thank you so much for reading!! ~KM ❤️