"So you've narrowed it down to three?" The King asked as he placed a sandwich on his plate. Nara nodded her head.
"Yes, I eliminated Yangyang and he went home yesterday. He was a lovely boy but I don't think he could have given up racing to be the next prince." Nara told her father.
"Giving up their occupation is a hard one. Your mother had a hard time adjusting to the life of a royal too, but she had willingly done it for love." The King said.
"What even is love." Nara sighed. Her father chuckled.
"Are you having a hard time?" The King asked. Nara hesitated, recalling her mother's words before nodding her head.
"I was so certain about one of the boys but then I learned something new about another one and now I'm just confused." Nara admitted.
"Jeno and Jaemin?" Her father asked. Nara was taken aback by the question.
"How did you know?" The King simply smiled.
"Sweetheart, you're quite easy to read. Plus, I am your father." The King said.
"I knew it wasn't Renjun because he's good, too good. He would make an amazing ruler but a terrible partner for someone as competitive as you." The King said with a chuckle. "You need someone that can tone you down a notch."
"Thanks." Nara said, holding the urge to roll his eyes.
"Jeno has clearly been your favourite since day 1. You constantly stared at him and took him on dates. I did that too with your mother before we got married." The King continued.
"And the only one that remains is Jaemin, which means he's the one making you confused." The King let out a small laugh before adding, "as expected from Lady Na's son."
"I never knew you were one to solve mysteries." Nara said to her father as he gave her a wide grin.
"If I were to be completely honest, I'm not. But chatting with your mother at night helps." The King said, giving his daughter a wink. Nara instantly flinched at the sight.
"Don't ever do that again." Nara said with a look of disgust in her face. That only made the grin on the King's face widen.
"Anyways, in all seriousness, maybe you need to test the waters with Jaemin a bit. You two have always kept it friendly but try a little romance with him. If it feels right, then you'll know he's the one. If it doesn't then you know where your heart truly lies." The King suggested.
"Won't that hurt the boys, though?" Nara pointed out. The King's mouth opened before closing. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before exhaling.
"Yes, there is a possibility of that happening but they know this is a competition so they should understand." The King told her. Nara slowly nodded her head.
"I suppose you're right." Nara said, taking in his words. The King suddenly perked up, as if he remembered something.
"I almost forgot but the reason why I called for lunch today was to give you this." The King said, pulling out a medium size red velvet box from the inside of his suit. Nara took it in her hands.
When she opened the box, two gold rings were revealed. One with a beautiful diamond on it, the other simpler, but still just as gorgeous.
"What is this?" Nara exclaimed.
"It's a family heirloom." The King told her. "Engagement rings, given at every Selection."
"Engagement rings? Already?" Nara asked. The King bit his lower lip.
"Nara, I don't want to rush you, but typically the One is announced soon after the Selected is narrowed down to three." The King informed her. Nara sank into her seat.
That means that Illea expects me to make a decision, soon.
...
Nara paced around in her room, wearing her nightgown. It had been almost a week since she had last spent time with Jeno, a few since she had spoken with Renjun, and a couple since she had spoken with her father.
The three remaining Selected were almost completing all the regular duties of the Prince of Illea. They sat in on meetings, organized events within provinces, and assisted her father's officials. The King would even give them personal advice.
But as Nara stood in her room, waiting for the male to arrive, she had to forget all of that. Tonight was about building romance and testing waters. Tonight was about finding where her heart truly was and finding who would be the one she would be walking towards down the aisle, wearing a beautiful white gown.
A knock on the door snapped Nara out of her thoughts. She opened it, Jaemin standing on the other side wearing a baggy sweater and sweatpants, a mischievous grin on his face.
"This is rather casual, don't you think?" Jaemin said to the girl.
"Just get in here." Nara said. Jaemin smiled before entering, closing the door behind him.
"So what's the plan for tonight?" Jaemin asked. Nara pointed to the laptop, sitting on her bed.
"Remember when we used to watch movies together?" Nara asked him. Jaemin nodded his head.
"How could I forget?" Jaemin said as he followed her to her bed. "It was always during a thunderstorm, and you would hold onto my body for dear life because you thought you were going to die so we would watch a movie together to distract you. We'd call a maid to bring us a bowl of popcorn but honestly, I'd always regret it because half of it ended up on the bed and made sleeping quite uncomfortable." Jaemin said, a cheeky grin on his face.
Nara rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Whatever. Anyways, I just wanted to watch a movie together one last time before dedicating my life to one of you." Nara said. She watched the light in Jaemin's eyes fade and could tell he was trying his best to keep the smile on his face.
"Of course. What are we waiting for?" Jaemin said as he followed Nara to the bed. They two of them got comfortable under the covers, Nara starting the movie.
"A rom-com? Nara, you're so predictable." Jaemin said with a chuckle.
"Just be quiet and watch." Nara argued as she snuggled up against him like she did when they were children. Except they weren't. They were older now, and Nara was supposed to choose her husband soon. And Jaemin was one of the options, one that had feelings for her for a while now, his heart beating fast and ears turning red as Nara laid her head on his chest, his arm around her body.
And this was all Nara could think about as the movie played.
When the movie ended, Nara got up, turning the laptop off before turning to Jaemin. "Did you like it?"
Jaemin shrugged. "It wasn't terrible."
Nara took a deep breath closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Jaemin, I actually wanted to talk to you about something.
"Shoot." Jaemin said, nodding his head. He stared into her eyes and Nara knew he was listening intently.
"I... I heard your conversation with Cai." Jaemin's expression became serious and emotionless. Nara couldn't read his face anymore.
"What conversation?"
"The one from the reception." Jaemin was silent. Nara took another breath. "Jaemin, why didn't you tell me?"
"What was there to tell Nara? That I like you? And that I've liked you for years now?" Jaemin said, his voice stronger than it's ever been with her, a complete opposite from his usual soft, playful tone. "Why would I ruin years of friendship for that?"
"What if I liked you too, Jaemin? Did you ever realize that? The nights we spent together, cuddling, did you really think that was just a friendly thing? I liked you too Jaemin, for so long!" Nara exclaimed without even thinking.
Jaemin was clearly shocked by her words as he stared at her, nothing to say. "You liked me too?"
"Yes Jaemin, I did. But I didn't want to ruin the friendship either." Nara admitted.
Jaemin nodded his head, staring at the girl sitting across from her. They were both exposed to one another, no more secrets between them.
Nara watched as Jaemin's eyes lowered from her eyes to her lips and the next thing she knew, Jaemin has sealed the space in between them with a kiss.
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Okay before you get mad, hear me out. This kiss happened for a reason. And this is a jeno book for a reason. Just trust me y'all 😊