At the Kim Residence, Jimin sat in front of a low table with Taehyung. Shyly, Jimin pulled down the cuff to his light pink sleeve so he could stare at the ribbon that hugged his wrist carefully. The alpha's scent was still written all over the silk ribbon, so Jimin would always find himself pulling down his sleeve to inhale his alpha's strong and bold fragrance. It was now that Jimin couldn't get enough of his alpha's scent. His stomach trapped butterflies within when he caught onto the king's scent from just the ribbon alone. Yet, there was no way he was able to see Jungkook through his recovery.
The two were separated for so long, that Jimin clung onto the silk ribbon. At times, he found himself pressing his nose against his wrist to relieve the building pain that roared deep within him. He found the few weeks he spent apart from his alpha, as torture. While Jimin inhaled his alpha's scent for the fiftieth time in the early morning, Taehyung's gaze slowly fixed onto Jimin and let out a short laugh.
"Is this how the life of a claimed omega truly is? I reckon you would have control over your own body, but it's like you don't even own it! Your body craves the king every second of the day. How desperate can it get?" Taehyung spoke out as Namjoon finally stepped out to meet with the omegas by the low table.
"You can't blame me, Taehyung! I don't have control over this..." Jimin whispered as Namjoon only tilted his head and stopped right by the low table instantly.
"Have control over what?" Namjoon asked and sat right by Jimin, observing how the omega pulled up the cuff to his sleeve and turned away nervously. "Stop hiding that ribbon from me, you're not fooling anyone. No matter how hard you try to cover it up, I can sense it all the way from over here!" Namjoon called out. Instantly, the taller alpha gripped onto Jimin's hand to pull down his pink sleeve, expose his pale wrist, and his alpha's ribbon. "The way you hide that ribbon is child's play. You aren't very discreet with it!"
"Leave it alone, Namjoon! If I cover it like this, no one can catch onto it if I don't hold my hand up!"
"Namjoon, did Jimin fill you in on the whole story?" Taehyung asked, noticing how Jimin nodded his head and snatched his hand back from Namjoon's grasps.
"He needed an explanation after Hoseok called off the engagement not too long ago. He caught onto the scent of the ribbon I had wrapped around my wrist and thought I was claimed by a commoner! But then I had to explain and tell him the whole thing," Jimin answered as Taehyung raised a brow right after.
"Hoseok called off the engagement; I remember it now. I feel bad for him, all he wanted was a path to true happiness but he lost himself along the way," Taehyung spoke out as Namjoon only adjusted the cuffs to his sleeves and held his hands in place. "I haven't heard from him since! Where is he?"
"I've heard he stays home and never goes out. He fears that his reputation is ruined, but it's not true. The people still love the nobleman and still think of him as a perfect sweetheart, breaking off the engagement with Jimin didn't harm him as much as he thought it would since it's normal for Jimin to jump through engagements," Namjoon answered and heard a giggle escape Jimin. "But now, he's with the king and I believe this is an engagement Jimin won't be able to break away from, he has met his match!"
"It's not like that! You know how I am with Jungkook... he told me I get a say in when to marry him."
"Then why are you playing this off longer? Shouldn't you marry him now?" Namjoon asked as Jimin only let out a sigh and placed his hands over his criss crossed legs.
"Of course I can't marry him now, he's secretly recovering from his wounds! Besides... I want to appreciate the life I have now before I take a spot next to his. For the meantime... I guess I just love the feeling of saying when things go."
Jimin absolutely loved the idea of controlling his life. He was at the top of his own world and now, no one dared to step onto the same level as him. Jimin ran his index finger along the ribbon over his wrist and began to smile to himself. He knew he was going to wait longer now that Jungkook had yet to recover, but he would rather wait forever than be engaged to an alpha he never wanted to be with in the first place. In time, Jimin just didn't seem to realize that his yearn for control over his own life was beginning to take on a different toll.
"Don't you think the King gets impatient?" Namjoon wondered and looked up at the blue skies ahead. "With this power, I don't think it'll come by as sweet as you think it might."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, but do you think it's fair to drag out an engagement with the King himself? He's having selections every day while you drag out the engagement because you love the luxury."
"Did you forget who the King is? He has all the power in the world except for one thing and that is a say when we marry! I have a say in that and it's alright for me to hold onto this a bit longer. It's my decision, isn't it? He allowed me to handle such a choice and there is no way I would trade it for the world! I won't be pressured into when I think I should marry my alpha. I take my time to understand my life now before I live with him. It's not holding off my marriage to play around a little longer, it's finding time for myself, to prepare myself, and finally decide on this next chapter of my life. I will rule alongside him one day, but I don't want things to change so suddenly. Let me have this moment to myself... I will look back at this and miss it."
"The independent swan now belongs to the King," Taehyung mentioned and shook his head after. "I could see why you're holding this off, you'll miss your freedom. The independent swan that belonged to no one! Will the King truly treat you the way you wish?"
"He promised me and he will. It's the way that we are, we never break a promise. He never seemed to be a patient alpha, but I hope through his recovery he learns patience. That's the best thing a man could learn from himself; true patience."
Once Jimin's heavy words weighed into Taehyung's ears, he began to ponder the thought of Hoseok. Hoseok was a man that did anything to feel the loving warmth of true happiness, he rushed into many things hoping that he would find it, but sadly, he would come out with no success. The best thing Taehyung could think of was patience and that was the only thing Taehyung rather hoped the alpha was pondering about as he hid away in his home.
During the same hour, Yoongi's hands gripped onto the arrow and walked out of the palace as he avoided the many stares of the servants gawking at the weapon he kept hidden. As the alpha walked off and carried the arrow, he found himself traveling to the heart of the village where it was filled with many alphas, betas, and omegas swarming around the market.
The guard was dedicated to finding the man who harmed the king, but he didn't want to make a big scene in front of the people. At the end of the day, no one knew that the king was injured to the point where he could almost taste the still bitterness of death itself. It was a traumatic moment for the king and the guard alone, this was enough to pump rage underneath Yoongi's thick skin and push him through the crowd of many people surrounding him.
As soon as the guard reached the center of the town, his eyes scanned around the people of all different shapes and sizes before raising the arrow skyward. As the steel tip of the arrow raised above his head, many looked over their own shoulders and noted the palace guard holding up the arrow to make an announcement.
"Listen up, I won't be repeating myself after!" Hissed Min Yoongi as a few alpha's tilted their heads at the sight. "This arrow is very important and I want to know who it belongs to! It must belong to a hunter, a hunter that owns arrows with a design of a lion engraved onto the wood!" Yoongi called out. Looking around to see that no other living soul stood out to confess. Everyone kept their stares at the head guard and left Yoongi to drown in the silence completely.
The silence that filled the center of the town sent chills down Yoongi's spine. He slowly began to think that at this rate, he will never find the hunter who shot the king with the arrow that morning. The more the guard stood there, the more furious he became. Instantly, he forcefully raised the arrow again and began to walk around the ocean of silent omegas, alphas, and betas.
"No one knows, huh? I suppose that I'll have to ask again! Who is the hunter who has a design of a lion engraved onto the wood of the weapon?! Tell me or else I will single handedly gather all the hunters in the area and lock them up!" With fear striking through the people, Yoongi didn't seem to be himself at the moment.
Deep down, the alpha was hurt. He was scared about what could have happened and it haunted his mind like a constant ringing that would never silence. However, he never longed to display any weak emotions. No matter how strong he molded himself into, he refused to let his weak emotions shine through. That alone left him to explode with rage when he felt the slightest frustration.
"A design of a lion..." called out a man as he finally stepped forward. "Why, that belongs to the nobleman Jung Hoseok; of the wealthy Jung residence."
With the sound of the man's voice erupting from the crowd, Yoongi's rapid heart was pounding louder than the many voices that filled his mind. His frustration and stress eased him from finding the hunter, but as soon as he heard that name alone, he lost the grip of his sanity. His gloved fingers latched onto the arrow tightly and his mouth glued shut when his blood began to boil. The sound of the nobleman's name suddenly began to irk him now.
"Jung... Hoseok..?" Yoongi asked as the man before him stepped closer to check if the head guard was alright. "Who is this nobleman?"
"The wealthiest noble in the town, his skin is as pale and clean as a snow day, a smile as bright as the sun, and the heart of a lion. He was engaged to Park Jimin; the firstborn son of the minister!" The man continued and only then, Yoongi's eyes widened while the round and long edges of the hat covered his face from everyone.
"Was?"
"Yes, one day the nobleman called it off, it was no shock to anyone, Jimin is a difficult omega and everyone knows it. But, he has been locked up at his residence for the past week! He hasn't been seen anywhere since then, Hunting for him is a normal habit but now, he doesn't go out anymore to do it, there doesn't seem to be a reason why, maybe he lost interest..."
"Or maybe he shot someone and is drowning in his own guilt," Yoongi thought in his vast mind and looked down at the design of the lion over the arrow. Hoseok had a heart of a lion, or so they say, but if he had the heart of a lion, would he hide away in his residence after the deed was done? Yoongi's thoughts grew sour as he slowly began to connect the pieces, he was no stranger to things like finding out the truth, which made him one of the best guards for his title.