Chapter Text
“Did you hear anything?” Were the first words that left your mouth the moment your father entered the castle’s infirmary, where you had been patiently awaiting your his return. As the castle’s primary doctor, your father was a busy man, as you were coming to find out.
You had only just recently moved to live in the castle alongside him; the King had given you permission under the pretense that you would serve as your father’s apprentice. While you didn’t care much for modern medicine, you were far more interested in herbalism and natural remedies, you jumped at the chance to reunite with your father. When the royal family hired him years ago as their primary doctor, it was decided that you would stay back in the village and help continue running your family’s business.
Your father paused at your sudden appearance before sighing.
“No. You asked me just an hour ago.” The older man reminded you, rummaging through one of the many supply cabinets.
“A lot can occur in an hour.” You pointed out. You watched the back of your father’s head shake from side to side.
“His Majesty has far more pressing issues than giving you permission to plant your tea plant.” He explained exhaustedly, causing you to frown.
You had arrived at the castle completely awestruck at the grandeur of it all. The grass was green and ran as far as the eye could see, not a single blade out of place. Giant water fountains framed the landscape, adding to the regality of it all. You had noticed the greenhouse on your carriage ride up to the giant building but didn’t think to step foot into it until lunchtime arrived, when you were offered tea from a bag.
You grew up watching your mother making her own tea and had picked up the preference for homemade tea yourself. When you found the greenhouse empty of any of the plants you took interest in, you were quick to beg your father to speak to the King about it.
“It’s called Camellia sinensis and it isn’t just some tea plant. It has so many beneficial medicinal effects, you know this.” You countered, throwing him a pointed look. Your father stared back at you, returning the look.
“You look and sound so much like your mother right now, I hope you know.” He finally spoke, a small smile on his tired face.
At the mention of your mother, your expression softened.
“Anyway, I have another patient I have to attend to. Have you seen the medical tape?” Your father asked you, to which you replied that you hadn’t.
“Who is it this time?” You asked, not particularly interested in who it was your father was going to be attending to but wanting to make use of whatever time left you had with him.
Your father sighed, “The second prince of Clarines Kingdom, his royal highness, Prince Taehyung. That’s his full title anyway. I personally call the kid reckless.”
At the mention of your father treating one of the heads of nobility, your interest piqued. You didn’t know much about either of the two of the King’s sons, much less about the youngest one who apparently kept your father on his toes. But as far as you were concerned, all you needed to know was that he was a prince and that the King would listen to him.
“What’s wrong with him?” You asked, trying to sound nonchalant, an idea formulated in your head.
“Uh, some scratches to his neck and top of his shoulder. He fell from a tree– Seriously, where is that damn medical tape?” Your father huffed in annoyance, opening up another supply cabinet.
Watching as your poor father struggled, your eyes scanned the room. They widened in surprise at the sight of the roll of medical tape perched obviously on top of a neighboring medical cabinet.
You glanced quickly at your father, whose back was facing you. He couldn’t see the medical tape from his position.
You bit down on your lip.
Back at home, you often played with the children of the village as there weren’t many people your age. Children liked you, you had come to find. Chances were that you could convince the youngest prince to deliver your concerns about the greenhouse to the King.
If you could just stall your father for a little bit longer...
Tip-toeing towards the cabinet, you snatched the roll quickly before tucking it into the pocket of your coat, out of view from your father’s searching eyes.
“No clue. Father, I have to go.” You relayed hurriedly, making your way out of your father’s infirmary.
Your father glanced over at you for just a moment, sending you off with a nod, before turning back to the supplies.
“Try the nurse’s office, maybe.” You called out as an afterthought, before slipping out of the room entirely, hurriedly making your way to the kitchen, a roll of medical tape bouncing around in the fabric of your coat.
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“Hello, I’m here!” You announced loudly as you re-entered the infirmary, eyes fixated on the tray you were trying to keep stable in between your hands.
Your father, who looked incredibly frustrated, looked up at you anxiously from his seat at his desk.
“The nurse’s office ran out of medical tape and the next shipment isn’t until– Wait, what is that?” Your father interrupted his own words at the sight of the tea tray in your hands.
“Just some things to make tea.” You told him innocently.
“For me?”
“For the prince.” You informed him, gripping onto each side of the tray tighter.
“For the prince?” Your father repeated, sounding confused.
“Yes. Green tea.”
“Green tea. For the prince?”
“Yes, father.”
“Why are you bringing the prince green tea?” He asked, eyeing you suspiciously.
“Because I want to help him!” You smiled cheerily, causing your father to frown. You sighed.
“Green tea has antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties, therefore it’ll help with the prince’s recovery process.” You informed it, slightly annoyed that this was all taking so long. “Also, I found your medical tape.”
“What, where?!” You father gasped in relief.
“It’s in my pocket.” You told him, jutting out your hip as to show him which pocket of your coat held the tape. Rushing over, he slipped his hand into your coat, pulling out the missing tape.
“Y/N, why in the King’s name did you have the medical tape?”
“It’s a long story.” You dismissed quickly. “The point is that now you can go treat the prince now right? Let’s go!”
Your father narrowed his eyes at you.
“I’m not sure what you’re doing but I know you’re up to something.” He hummed accusingly.
You merely stared back at him, keeping your eyes wide and expression as innocent as you could muster.
“Fine. Let me grab some anti-bacterial and gauze and we’ll go.” He finally caved, moving to collect everything he needed, and you tried your best to fight off the satisfied grin that threatened to escape onto your face.
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Your father and you walked down into a part of the castle that you had yet to see and given the amount of security appointed here, you had a feeling you weren’t ever meant to see this part of the castle.
These were the Royal Chambers, as your father had called it, right before he stressed to you how important it was for you to be on your best behavior. This was where members of the court and other nobility slept, including the King and, of course, the second prince of Clarines Kingdom, Prince Taehyung.
Your arms ached slightly from holding up the heavy tray. It was made of a dense metal, mirroring the also heavy teapot that you had borrowed from the kitchen. You were thankful for the metal, however, as it would keep the water you had poured into it hot for as long as you needed it.
Your father greeted nearly every guard, clearly familiar with almost all of them; you followed him silently as you watched him do so.
You didn’t know much about your father’s life, really. When you still lived in the village, he would send you letters ever so often, visiting whenever he could but it still wasn't enough to grasp onto what his life at the castle was really like. It felt strange it seem him so at ease here. This was his home. It was a somewhat somber reminder of just how alone you had become your last few years living in the village.
Your father reached an impressive white door, embellished with what you recognized as the royal family’s crest. You stared at it as your father spoke to the guard that stood beside the door.
“Y/N.” The voice of your father caught your attention and you tore your eyes away from the door.
“Your tag, miss?” The guard spoke to you, eyes scanning you up and down.
“Oh, sorry!” You exclaimed in realization, extending the tray out for your father to hold. Pausing for a moment, he dropped his bag of supplies before taking your tea tray into his hands.
With your hands now free, you reached into your shirt, pulling out the necklace that you kept hidden.
Everyone who had any business in this castle, be it a servant or a visitor, was required to wear a tag; yours held your name attached to a long golden chain that often got in your way, so usually kept it tucked away into your clothing.
Extending the tag out for the guard to see, you watched as he peered down at it before nodding.
“Go ahead.” The guard spoke as he opened the door the impressive doors for you both.
Your father and you shuffled for a moment; you retrieving your tray and him picking back up his supplies, before following the guard and stepping into the room. Your movements were cut short, however, as the guard held a hand out to still your motions.
“The doctor is here.” The guard announced out loud, to whom you could only assume was the prince.
“Let him in.” An unexpectedly low voice responded, causing you to frown. You glanced at your father in confusion but he was already making his way in, so you had no choice but to follow.
Your eyes widened in surprise as the room came into view. It wasn’t the size of the room or its impressive decor that had taken you by surprise though. Rather, it was the fully grown, shirtless young man that sat on the bed that had caught you off guard.
“Hello again, Doc.” The man grinned, setting you further into confusion.
This was the second prince of Clarines Kingdom, Prince Taehyung? This was the reckless kid that had fallen from a tree?
You felt your face heat up as you turned your eyes away from him and his naked torso.
“Don’t you ‘Hello again, Doc’ me. What the hell were you doing in a tree, Taehyung?”
Your eyes widened at your father's tone and for a moment your eyes flickered towards the prince, curious as to what his response might be.
To your surprise and ultimate relief, the prince laughed, the sound almost melodic in nature.
“Just wanted a change of view.” He smirked, eyes attentively fixated on your father who had walked over to his bed, already beginning to sort through his supplies.
“Let me guess, this change of view was far from the castle grounds?” Your father pressed, sounding as if he already knew the answer.
“There’s nothing wrong with a little adventure.” Taehyung noted, flinching slightly as your father began to assess his shoulder.
“Yes, but there is a lot wrong with you running away from your guards and falling out of a tree.” Your father scolded causing Taehyung to sigh.
“You sound like my father.” He muttered, before looking away from the doctor, his wandering eyes falling on you.
For a moment you held each other’s stares, both set of eyes wide in unfamiliarity.
Heat crept up onto your cheeks as you realized just how handsome the prince was. His dark bangs were long and fell into his eyes slightly, but his curious gaze was far from hidden. Although it must have been a few seconds, his lingering stare became too much to bear and you turned your head away from him.
You were meant to be making tea for the prince, not gawking at him like he had two heads. Walking over to the nightstand by the bed, you set down your tray, beginning to make the prince a cup of tea.
“So, what’s the verdict?” Taehyung asked your father after clearing his throat, watching as the doctor inspected his wounds.
“Well, you’ll live this time, kid. You’ve definitely been through worse. Looks like it's just some scrapes and bruises. I doubt you’ll even scar.” Your father replied, moving to reach for the anti-bacterial cream.
“Damn.” Taehyung sighed sarcastically, causing the doctor to chuckle.
“How far did you get this time?” Your father asked, smearing the ointment onto the cut up flesh of the prince's shoulder and neck.
You felt bad for eavesdropping, but it wasn’t as if you had much of a choice considering your proximity. You continued to make your tea, your back facing the two men.
“Not very far. Barely made it into Tanbarun actually.” Taehyung spoke, referring to Clarines’ neighboring kingdom.
Biting down onto your lip, you turned around, a saucer and full teacup in your hand.
“Excuse me for interrupting...” You began, feeling awkward.
From the way your father had spoken about the prince, you had been expecting a kid. Maybe even a young teenager. All confidence in what you had set out to do had gone down the drain. You certainly weren’t expecting... him.
Taehyung turned his head towards you, eyes falling to the teacup you held extended towards him.
He was handsome— undeniably so. His hair and eyes were a dark chocolate color and despite the way he eyed you cautiously, you didn't sense any underlying hostility that nearly all set of eyes you had passed on the walk here had thrown your way.
You had never seen the prince before; you hadn't seen any of the royal family actually. You held a vague idea of what the King looked like but his two sons remained enigmas to you, and to many other villagers you knew.
You were told once that the royal family used to make appearances in the village during the summer and winter festivals, but after the Queen died, they went on to seclude themselves to the castle grounds, preferring to carry out royal duties in private. Even if you had seen the royal family once, you would’ve been far too young to remember them.
"This is my daughter, Y/N. She is studying underneath me.” Your father perked up, applying some gauze to the prince’s skin.
“Would you care for some tea, your highness?” You offered, gesturing towards the teacup in your hand.
“Tea?” The prince repeated, causing you to grow flustered.
“I-It’s green tea. Green tea has been shown to have many physiological benefits, like helping with cholesterol, weight loss– even reducing the risk of cancer. Specifically for your case, it’ll help with swelling and should help with your healing overall.” You rambled, spewing facts nervously.
To your surprise, Taehyung gave you a lopsided grin.
“Damn. You sure do know a lot about tea.”
You felt your heart skip a beat at the sight of the handsome boy smiling down at you. You looked down at your cup.
“I’m very interested in herbal medicine.” You muttered, feeling out of place and embarrassed.
Suddenly, the decorative cup and saucer that you held in your hand were taken from you. You looked up to see that Taehyung had taken it from you. You watched nervously, as he pressed the rim of the cup to his mouth, blowing slightly before taking a sip.
Taehyung’s eyebrows raised.
“Is it... not to your taste?” You called out cautiously when he said nothing. You had made it just like how your mother used to. Surely, it couldn't be horrible...
“No, no. It’s actually really good. Not that I was expecting it to be bad, but I’m not usually a fan of tea.” Taehyung responded, sounding earnest.
Your face all but lit up, “Really?”
Taehyung nodded at you with a smile before taking another sip. Your father had just finished up taping the gauze in place.
“If there is one thing Y/N does without fail, it is making good tea. She got that from her mother.” You father praised, causing your face to warm.
Suddenly, the guard that stood at the prince’s door walked in, gesturing towards the doctor as if he had to speak to him.
“Excuse me for a moment.” Your father bowed respectfully before making his way over to the guard.
To your surprise, Taehyung turned towards you eagerly.
“What’s in this? I hope you believe me when I say that this is the best tea I’ve ever had. I can see the leaves in it but it doesn’t taste overwhelming... leafy, for lack of a more intelligent word.” Taehyung told you, causing a small laugh to leave your lips.
“I made and boiled some lemon water and poured that onto the camellia leaves, before adding a touch of honey and some mint.” You explained enthusiastically causing the prince to laugh.
“Camellia leaves, huh.” He said, eyes fixated on said leaves in his cup.
Suddenly, why you had come to see the prince in the first place came to your mind. You bit down onto your lip, a habit you had developed some time ago whenever you were thinking.
“The plant is called Camellia sinensis. It’s actually where all tea comes from. I brought some leaves with me from the village before I came to stay here so I had some on me. I was kind of hoping that your greenhouse might grow it but I couldn’t find it.”
At your words, Taehyung’s face grew somewhat more serious.
“Really? I always thought our greenhouse had every kind of plant and flower you could imagine.” He told you quietly, sipping on his drink. Panicking at the shift in mood, you raised your hands up and waved them dismissively.
“It does! It’s wonderful! Really. I was... You know, I was just wondering if there was any way that it could be arranged for some Camellia plants to be planted. I actually have some seeds on me. I know the castle currently uses tea bags so it might seem unimportant but Camellia is really good for so many things, not just tea. There are many other plants that are used in herbal medicine that could be planted in the greenhouse as well actually–”
“Y/N.”
The sound of your father calling your name made you jump, and you turned towards the sound with a guilty expression. One look at your father’s face and you knew he had overheard you, thus exposing your entire reason for accompanying him to see the prince.
“Y/N, let’s not bother his highness any longer.” Your father told you politely, despite the scowl that he wore on his face.
“You,” the doctor began, turning towards the prince, “keep those cuts clean and dry. I’ll be back tomorrow morning to replace your gauze.”
Taehyung simply nodded in response.
“And you,” he said, turning towards you with a sigh. “say goodbye to the prince. We’re leaving.”
A small frown crept onto your face as you picked your tea tray back up.
“I’ll give the cup back to the maids when I’m done with it.” Taehyung told you before you could open your mouth to ask him to do just that. You nodded before bowing.
“Goodbye, your highness.” You told him politely, feeling deflated at how this entire outing had gone.
You walked back towards your father with your eyes on the floor, not wanting to meet his eyes.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, your highness.” Your father bowed before the guard helped the both of you out of Prince Taehyung’s room.
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Your father once told you that you were strong headed to a fault, and you suppose right now was an example of that as here you were, kneeling into the dirt as you tried to secretly plant some camellia seeds someplace in the greenhouse that wouldn’t draw too much attention.
Two days had gone by since your pleading to the prince and your efforts had proven futile as no news regarding the possible new additions had come about. Ultimately, you chose to take matters into your own hands.
You didn’t have a shovel or any sort of permission for that matter, but neither stopped you, as you covered up the camellia seeds you had just planted with the excess soil you had, patting it down firmly.
“There.” You huffed, swiping away at the sweat that had collected on your forehead with the back of your dirt covered hand. You were wearing far too many layers to be gardening in the already warm greenhouse.
Just as you moved to pick yourself back up from the floor, the sound of the greenhouse’s screen door opening rang out, causing you to freeze in place.
Paralyzed to your spot, you listened as the unmistakable sound of footsteps entered.
“Dammit.” You whispered almost inaudibly before clenching your jaw shut. From your few days at the castle, you had deduced that hardly anyone ever entered the greenhouse.
Who could it be? Was it one of the people responsible for the greenhouse’s upkeeping? If it was, perhaps you had a chance to convince them to not rat you out as they would understand the importance of what it was you were doing.
Shifting slightly, you tried to look at the sudden intruder, trying your hardest not to shift any of the neighboring plants as the rustling would give away your location.
Peering through a particularly thick bush, you nearly exclaimed out loud at the sight of Prince Taehyung sitting down at one of the stone benches placed at the center of the greenhouse.
You scuttled back quietly, already beginning to chew on your lip.
What on earth was he doing here? And of all the people in this castle, why did one of the heads of the kingdom have to visit while you were mid-mission?
Maybe you could wait it out. Surely whatever business he had here wouldn’t take too long, right? But, God, you were warm and sweating and wanted out of this stuffy greenhouse as soon as possible.
Giving the prince one final glance, you decided that the risk of dehydration was too real for you to just sit here.
Your eyes flickered around you, planning an escape route. There was a fairly well-hidden path towards the greenhouse door, you noted. Actually opening and exiting through the door would be the biggest challenge, however, as it was in direct view of the sitting prince.
Speaking, he appeared to be sitting quietly, seemingly just admiring the surrounding foliage. Seriously, what was he doing here?
Shaking your head, you began to crawl forward. You couldn't think about what reason the prince might have for visiting; you had to focus on getting out of here without him noticing.
Your knees protested as you wriggled forward; the palms of your hands just as unhappy.
You were nearly at the door. Sure, your pride had taken a direct hit the moment you decided to creep on all fours like some sort of animal, but if you planned it well enough, you might just get out of here completely unnoticed–
Crash!
You felt your heart drop into your stomach at the sound of your foot knocking over a nearby potted plant.
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" You hissed, cringing physically at the loud sound.
Taehyung snapped his head towards where you lay, hidden behind some plants, just out of view.
Standing up in alarm, the prince wielded his sword, the sound of metal scraping against the sheath Taehyung wore around his waist causing your stomach to churn.
"Who’s here? Show yourself.” The prince's voice rang out clear and authoritative.
You flinched.
Pushing yourself off the floor, you poked up from behind the plants, your hands raised above your head sheepishly.
For a brief moment, Taehyung just stared at you, eyes unreadable as he peered in yours.
And then, incredibly, he began to laugh.
You stand there confused, hands still placed above your head.
"Y/N, right?" He greets you, eyes glimmering in amusement.
You blinked at him, unsure of what to make of the situation. Weren't you in trouble?
"Your Highness." You nod back politely, eyes unable to leave the sword that he had point directly at you.
Following your eyes, Taehyung let out an "Oh!" before putting his sword back into its holder.
"Sorry about that." He grinned apologetically, causing you to lower your arms back beside you.
He must not know that you had snuck into here and planted camellia seeds without permission. Maybe, you would actually get away with this.
Tucking your dirt cover hands behind you, you flashed the prince a smile.
"Forgive me for scaring you. I knocked over a plant as I was making my way towards the door." You explained.
"I see. And you crawling on your hands and knees is just a quirky thing you do as you exit rooms?" He bemused.
You shifted your weight awkwardly, clearing your throat, "Oh, hah, well no. I was actually hoping to sneak out without you seeing me."
At your words, Taehyung's face fell slightly. Your eyes widened as you realized how insulting that must have come out.
"I just didn't want to bother you, I mean! It wasn't as if I was hiding from you or anything." You told him, your hands waving in front of you frantically.
"Really? Because it sure seemed as if you specifically trying to avoiding me." Taehyung told you, an eyebrow tilting up in suspicion. "It's upsetting to think that you wouldn't want to say greet me and chat for a bit."
Crap. Damage control time.
"Of course not! Why would I want to avoid you? It's just that you looked so peaceful and deep in thought... I mean, of course, I would want to say hello and chat with you!" You lied enthusiastically, perhaps a little too forcibly.
Taehyung ran his eyes over your tense shoulders and the way your smile sat uncomfortably. Smirking, he takes a step towards you.
"Is that so?" He hummed.
You stared at him cautiously, "Yes."
"Well, then why don't we sit and chat now?" He suggested, catching you off guard.
"Oh, um, well actually–"
“In fact, would you like to go somewhere with me?” Taehyung grinned, a childlike glimmer in his eyes.
You bit down onto your lower lip. You didn't mean to hold a grudge, but the prince had very blatantly ignored your pleas for his help in adding plants to the royal greenhouse. You didn't really want to chat with him honestly, much less go anywhere with him.
"I would love to, your highness, but... you see... I can't. I'm, uh, busy." You told him awkwardly.
"Busy?" The prince cocked his head to the side.
"Yes, my... father needs my help. Doctor stuff, you know." You lied coolly, even throwing in a shrug for good measure.
"Oh, that's right. The Doc is your father." Taehyung nodded, causing you to smile.
"Right. I should probably head over to him now so..."
Taehyung smiled at you brightly, "Yes, of course. Be sure to tell him you snuck into the royal greenhouse and planted those tea plants of yours without the King’s permission."
You froze at his words.
"W-What?" You breathed.
The young prince looked at you, an innocent look on his face as he placed a finger upon his chin as if in contemplation, "Or maybe I should tell him..."
You fumbled silently for a response, completely taken aback at the prince's words. He knew?!
"Or... you could join me for an evening." Taehyung offered smugly.
"Are you... blackmailing me?" You frowned in disbelief.
Here you were beginning to the prince was some clueless man that was nothing more than a pretty face. You should've known better than underestimate someone who somehow managed to slip out under the noses of royal guards.
"Sounds kind of ominous when you put it that way." The prince laughed sheepishly.
And to your surprise, he placed a hand against his torso and bowed.
You let out a small noise of surprise, looking around as if to make sure that the prince was really bowing at you.
"Forgive me, Y/N. I don't mean to use my position as prince to force you into anything." He spoke, still bent over.
"Wha– Your Highness?" You exclaimed, unsure of what was happening.
Taehyung stood up suddenly, meeting your eyes.
"I'd really like the chance to get to know you better. If you'd allow me that, of course."
Your mind was reeling. Get to know you better?
But wait, did this mean he wasn't going to tell your father?
"Please?" He offered with a small smile.
From what you could gather, Taehyung was somewhat childish but otherwise seemed to harmless. He held no genuine malice in his tone and you felt as if you could trust him, but you still knew it would be in your best interest to say yes, in case he really did decide to tell your father.
Holding his eyes for a moment, you offer him a small smile.
"I supposed my father can wait a few more hours." You said before following the excited prince out of the greenhouse.
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"Your Highness, please forgive me if this sounds rude but please tell me we're almost there."
A laugh fell from the prince, and you could feel the low sound against your back, with Taehyung's chest pressed against it.
"I take you don't like horses?" He mused.
You shook your head, hands intertwined into the horse's mane as he began to trot, "Not horses. Falling off horses to my death is more so what I’m afraid of."
Had you known that choosing to spend the afternoon with the prince meant having to hop onto his towering noble steed, you might have rethought your decision. Taehyung had led you towards the back of the castle grounds, trees waving past you as the castle slipped farther and farther from view.
"Well, luckily for you, we have arrived."
You felt as Taehyung pulled the reins back slightly, informing the stallion to slow down to a walk.
"Whoa, Yeontan." Taehyung cooed, bringing the horse to full stop. Yeontan let out a deep fluttering exhale through his nose as he stilled his motions.
"Oh, thank god." You all but sobbed, holding onto the horse tighter as Taehyung smoothly hopped off, leaving you alone on top of Yeontan.
Hesitantly, you take Taehyung's extended hand into yours as you secure your foot into the stirrup and lower yourself down.
Your feet hit the ground with a grateful thud, both of your hands gripped onto the prince as your knees wobbled slightly.
“We’ve only just arrived and I’ve already rendered you weak in the knees, haven’t I?” The prince teased, causing your eyes to widen and push him away.
“Very funny.” You replied, fighting off a smile.
Taehyung merely grinned at you before moving to tie Yeontan to the nearest tree.
You took this moment to look around at just exactly where the prince had taken you. From the ride over, you knew you weren’t too terribly deep into the woods. In fact, you were fairly certain you were still on the castle grounds.
The soft floor of the forest crunched as you took a step away from the prince, intrigued at the greenery that surrounded you. Spring was in full swing, as were the wildflowers that kissed your feet.
From above you, somewhere in a neighboring tree, rang out chirps from sort of bird.
“It’s so calm here.” You sighed, eyes still running over the scenery.
“Come on. This isn’t what I wanted to show you.” Taehyung beckoned, walking past you.
Glancing behind you, you saw Yeontan tied to the thick stem of an oak tree, head lowered as he ate at some shrubs.
Turning back around, you hurried after the walking prince, not wanting to lose sight of him.
You caught up with him easily, but kept a respectable distance between the two of you, too busy familiarizing yourself with the vegetation you walked past to walk beside him.
“Is that water?” You observed, noticing that sound of moving water that became more and more distinct as you walked.
“It is.” Taehyung hummed.
Your interest now piqued, you jogged forward to meet up with the prince’s pace, letting out a small breath of awe as the two of you reached a clearing between trees.
Laid out in front of you was a creek, adorned with clear and shimmering water. The stream moved its way through the arbitrarily placed rocks, causing a white foam to form as it led itself into a small pool of water. You could see straight to the bottom even from where you stood thanks to the water’s transparent nature.
“This is beautiful!” You gaped, unable to hide your amazement.
“Figured you’d like it.” Taehyung grinned, “It’s a much nicer place to wash up than the castle bathrooms if you ask me.”
You stared at the prince curiously.
You didn’t really understand Taehyung. You didn’t think you would ever meet a royal that didn’t care for the royal life. While you were certain that Taehyung wasn't a bad person, you still weren’t quite sure what to make of him.
From what you had gathered, Taehyung as a prince was irresponsible and reckless. He didn’t take his princely duties seriously; as a member of the royal family he had an obligation to his kingdom and he didn’t seem to be interested in doing anything to help it.
‘Or helping me.’ You thought to yourself glumly, remembering his blatant dismissal of your camellia plant plea.
Walking over to the pool of water, you kneeled down. You slipped the strap of the small messenger bag that you always carried with you over your head, setting it beside you.
Peering over the water, you were met by your soil stained reflection. Dipping your hands into the cool liquid, you began to wash off the dirt that clung onto you.
The fresh water felt amazing against your skin, and you brought up it up to your face gladly.
The sound of water being moved around beside you caught your attention, and you peered through the palms that you had rubbing against your face to see Taehyung making his way into the pool.
Your eyes widened, “Your Highness–”
Your words were cut off at the feeling of water spraying over you as Taehyung accidentally splashed you.
“Ah!” You cried out, suddenly wet.
Taehyung stood waist deep into the pool, staring at you with wide eyes.
“Sorry, I was trying to ward off a fish.” He apologized, a small chuckle tumbling through his pink lips.
You pressed your lips together but ultimately nodded at him. Thankfully, your cloak had caught most of the water. You shrugged it off your body, setting it aside.
“If there are fish in there than there are probably things that eat fish lurking there as well.” You warned.
“I like living my life on the edge.” He wiggled his eyebrows at you, and you would have laughed if you were slightly annoyed.
“You really should be more careful. You’re a prince. You can’t be this reckless all the time.”
At your words, the dark-haired man frowned.
“Do you not like me, Y/N?”
You were taken aback at the blunt question, and you struggled for a conclusive answer.
“To be quite honest, you disappointed me. I asked for your help and you did nothing. As a prince, I expected more I suppose.” You told him softly, once you finally collected your thoughts.
Taehyung stared back at you solemnly. You sat back onto the heels of your shoes.
“But I know you’re a decent person. Your love for nature and desire for more than material things tells me that. I think I just don’t understand you, your highness.”
For a moment, silence fell over the two of you, the sounds of the outdoors filling in the empty space.
Taehyung shifted from one leg onto another, causing the water around him to ripple.
“I’m sorry I didn’t help you. In all honesty, I didn’t think me voicing my thoughts about your wishes to the king would do much. I’m not exactly a voice that matters in my family.”
Your eyes widened at Taehyung’s confession, not expecting such vulnerability.
“I brought that onto myself, however. As far as princes go, I’m a pretty shitty one. I avoid all my responsibilities and spend my time trying to run away from my nobility. I don’t know how to handle negotiations or policies like my father and brother do. Honestly, I can’t stand the thought of sitting in a stuffy office with a giant stack of paperwork to sort through. So I run away from it all. I know it’s selfish of me but I do it anyway.” Taehyung tucked his hands into is submerged pockets, a somber look on his face.
“When my mother was still alive, it was okay for me to go out into the kingdom, you know. I used to love whenever the festivals came around because she would let me slip away with a guard to explore and play with the other village children. When she died… well, my father stopped my family’s festival outings. We hardly leave the castle grounds actually. With my mother gone, my brother and I had to really take our princely roles seriously. There was fear that something might happen to my father as well and one of us might have to suddenly take the throne. We had to grow up.”
“I didn’t really think to consider what the Queen’s death meant for the royal family. I’m sorry.” You told him sincerely.
Taehyung shrugged, “Don’t be. We’re still royalty at the end of the day. We’ve got power and status and wealth. It’s fine.”
You frowned, suddenly flooded with perspective.
“It’s not.” You shook your head in disagreement. Taehyung stared at you curiously.
“You still lost a parent, and it sounds like you never got time to mourn that loss. Nobility or not, that’s a horrible thing to happen.”
Taehyung offered you a small smile, and you let out a breath.
“My mother died when I was young too.” You confessed, causing Taehyung’s eyes to widen.
“And that’s around the time my father put me to work at our pharmacy. It wasn’t incredibly taxing, of course; I helped collect plants and flowers. But, for the first time as a child, something was expected of me. My mother was always the caretaker, she was who I spent my days with. My father was the provider who worked all the time. He couldn’t leave me alone at home so he put me to work, where he could keep an eye on me. He left to work here when I was sixteen and left me to run the pharmacy with the help of our neighbor. I love my father, of course, but… I sometimes think I was robbed of my childhood, in a way.” You opened up.
Taehyung gave you a sympathetic look, his eyebrows furrowed.
“That’s… I feel the same way. My mother was the one to remind my father that my brother and I were both royalty and children. With her gone, it was like he forgot the latter part.”
You nodded at him. Who knew a prince and a village girl would have so much in common?
“Still… My kingdom deserves someone who will actually help them. They deserve a better prince than I am. I’m pretty useless.” Taehyung laughed bitterly.
Sympathy ran through you at his words. You understood the prince now; it wasn’t that he was irresponsible and reckless, it was that he was insecure and resentful. He sought happiness elsewhere because he couldn’t find it within the castle walls.
“You’re not useless, your highness.” You told him earnestly, “In fact, you can help your kingdom more than your brother and father can. When is the last time anyone in the royal family actually went out into it? You see things, you talk to your people; you can find out what you can do for them. Yes, you run away from your noble life but you love your kingdom; you’re constantly running to it. You could do so much good. You just need to believe in yourself.”
Taehyung stared at you in awe. You had said it with so much conviction– as if you believed in every word. And with the way you were looking at him, Taehyung could help but want to believe too.
“Has anyone ever told you that you might just be the best human being to walk this earth?” The prince said, wading further into the water.
You felt your face grow warm at the compliment but merely laughed in response.
“You’d definitely be the first.” You mused.
You watched as the young prince continued on into the pool. With the water now approaching his chest, you let out a gasp as a thought crossed your mind.
“Your Highness, wait! Don’t go any deeper! Your shoulder still isn’t healed.” You warned, jumping up to your feet.
Any foreign bacteria looming in the water could mean infection if it got into the cut flesh.
“Oh? Are you going to come and pull me out if I do?” He teased you by moving backward, deeper into the lake.
The sides of your mouth tugged upwards.
“Look like I might just have to.” You declared confidently, hands already moving to unbutton your shirt. Thankfully, you decided to wear an undershirt meaning that you wouldn’t have to ruin your blouse with creek water.
You threw your boots to the side as you stepped in, a giggle escaping your lips.
Taehyung watched you with a grin, arms extended out in front of him as if to protect himself from you.
“Come on, let’s go. My father won’t be pleased if you leave your outing with me with an infected flesh wound.” You splash the prince lightly, not enough to really hit him but enough for him to open his mouth in exaggerated disbelief.
You let yourself walk in until the water hit your waist, your skirt floating around you.
“Did you just splash me?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at you playfully.
You noted the way he took a step towards you.
You took a cautious step to the side, away from the approaching prince.
“Did I?” You challenged, raising an eyebrow at him.
You didn’t have a chance to process his response as the next thing you knew, a wave of water hit your face.
You let out a gasp in surprise, caught off guard by the splash.
Taehyung threw his head back in amusement as he laughed, the sound carried over to you through the water.
And just like that, a splash war erupted between the two of you. Laughs and moving bodies shifting the water as the two of you tried to dodge each other's advances.
You never thought you’d ever be here, waist deep in a creek, splashing the second prince of Clarines. The concept would have seemed far-fetched and nearly implausible to you just a few hours ago. You didn’t hold any grudge against the royal family, you had just assumed they were all far too busy to be able to enjoy ordinary moments like these. Especially with a commoner such as yourself.
Taehyung had moved forward to splash you again, and in a desperate to avoid the attack, you hopped backward blindly.
Your rushed decision proved to be a poor one as motion caused you to lose your footing, thanks to an uneven rock formation on the floor and you fell into the water.
You heard the prince yell out your name right as your head reemerged, coughing out some water that you had so gracefully inhaled.
You grimaced, your eyes falling to look at your leg through the water, a sharp pain plaguing your shin.
The water splashed around you as the prince hurried over to you.
“Are you alright?!” Taehyung asked through a panicked voice, eyes running over you to see if you were hurt.
“I think I cut my leg on something.” You told him bluntly. You had just moved your head up to meet the prince’s worried eyes when two arms wrapped around you, one around your waist and the other behind your knees.
You let out a noise of surprise as were lifted into the air and held against Taehyung’s chest.
“Shit, you’re bleeding a lot.” He frowned and you looked down at your exposed shin to see that you had indeed been cut, most likely against a jagged stone.
Taehyung immediately began to carry you out of the water and towards the shore.
Your arms wrapped against Taehyung’s neck automatically, in fear of being dropped.
“You don’t need to carry me, I can still walk!” You assured him nervously, face burning at the fact that the prince was carrying you in such a matter.
Taehyung ignored your pleas, not setting you down until the two of you were on land.
You let out a sigh as he released you and set you steady onto your feet, a trail of blood running down from the wound.
“I don’t think it’s that deep. Well... deep enough to need stitches. I’ll have to get my father to look at it but it’s more the bacteria in the water that concerns me.” You analyzed coolly, your calm nature in a hectic situation being a trait you had learned from your father.
“Pass me my blouse?” You asked the prince, who was staring at as if you would break at any moment.
Taehyung moved into action immediately, handing you over the white article of clothing.
Taking the shirt into both of your hands, you tugged at the fabric until it tore right down the middle.
So much for not ruining your blouse.
You tore another piece off the shirt off, leaving just a long strip of cloth in between your hands.
“This should stop the bleeding, along with any dirt or other foreign bodies from entering the wound.” You explained to the prince as you wrapped the cloth around your leg and tied it in place.
“There.” You declared. “Good as new.”
You held your leg out and twisted it around as if for emphasis. Taehyung looked at you as if still slightly unsure.
“Maybe but I’m still taking you to your father right now just to be sure.” He declared with authority. You sighed.
Your father wasn’t going to like that you had injured yourself, especially because of a situation Taehyung had led you into.
For the prince’s sake, you were going to make up a lie about how you hurt yourself.
Slipping on your boots, you and Taehyung began the walk back to where he had left Yeontan, who was most likely eager to go as well.
“Wait!” You called out as the two of you passed by a bush of yellow flowers. You had identified the species of plant as one of the many under the Calendula genus. You had taken note of it on your journey to the creek, and now you were grateful you had.
Taehyung paused in his steps, watching as you pulled a small glass jar out of your bag and walked over to the yellow flowers.
You began to collect a few, placing the flowers into the jar. You walk back over to the awaiting prince, a yellow flower in hand. Plucking the petals off, Taehyung looked at you in disbelief as you placed the petals into your mouth.
“Uh, what are you doing?” He asked, staring at you bewilderedly.
“Calendula is an edible flower. They’re great anti-inflammatories and they’re effective at fighting off bacteria. I don’t trust that water so I don’t want to risk anything. Want some?” You offered, a small grin on your lips knowing how strange he must have found all of this.
“Oh, I’m, uh, alright. Thank you, though.” Taehyung told you politely.
“I don’t usually eat them raw. I’m gonna bring some back with me and make some tea and a salve to apply onto my leg directly. Back in the village, I helped make all the topical creams and balms for our pharmacy. We don’t have a lot of premade ointments that my father has access to here so I had to make them myself. Hence the fascination with herbs and plants.” You recounted.
Taehyung’s eyes widened, “You’re pretty extraordinary, Y/N. A bit of odd for actually eating raw flowers but... extraordinary nonetheless.”
Pleased at his assessment of you, you sent him a grin before tucking your jar of Calendula petals back into your satchel.
“Thank you, your highness.” You responded pleasantly, head down as you fastened your bag shut.
“Tae.” The prince called out suddenly, causing you to turn to look at him.
“Hm?”
Surprisingly, sprinkled over Taehyung’s cheeks was a light blush. You marveled at the sight before he quickly looked away from you, occupying himself with a random tree in the distance.
“You can call me Tae if you want. It’s fine if it's just you and I.” He muttered quietly.
Taehyung didn’t actually have many friends. It had been ages since he met someone near his age that he could talk to like this. The more time he spent with you the more he began to like you and less he began to like the honorific that prevented the two of you from speaking as equals.
Taehyung and his brother Seokjin, the first prince of Clarines, were the only royal children in the kingdom for a while, before the eventual fluctuation of cousins that would be born when Taehyung turned 14, but he had little interest in a bunch of screaming infants back then, much less in the bratty children they had now grown into today.
Taehyung had spent most of his time with his brother growing up, but because Seokjin was the future king of Clarines, he saw him less and less of him these past years. His brother was usually stuck inside doing paperwork or negotiations, so Taehyung took it upon himself to find company elsewhere, which had inevitably led to his recurring ploys of running away from the castle. Not many of his subjects were actually familiar with his face so it made for easy traveling and exploring. He’d get away with it more often if it weren't for his guards’ relentless effort to bring him back.
Your face too grew warm, not expecting such a request from the prince.
A shy grin fell onto your face as you watched the blushing prince. The sight was a refreshing change from the prince’s usually playful demeanor.
You hummed lightly, “Well then, Tae, thank you for this evening.”
Taehyung’s head snapped back onto you, slightly in awe at the way his name sounded coming from your mouth.
“If it weren’t for me obtaining an injury, I'd say we should do it again sometime.” You admitted through a laugh.
Taehyung liked the way your smile met your eyes when you looked at him. It was nothing like the smiles that plagued him inside the castle walls; smiles that were obligatory and disingenuous.
A warm, lopsided grin found its way onto the handsome prince’s face and you felt your heart flutter slightly at the sight.
“I wouldn’t hold your breath, Y/N,” Taehyung teased, tucking his hands into his pockets, “something tells me you’ll be seeing more of me from now on.”