A Royal Mess

Part 3

The following morning
A smile creeps up my lips as I step into the garden & see Taehyung busy harvesting the flowers. Bundles of marigolds, carnations, hydrangeas lie on the ground next to the shed.
"Morning!" I greet him cheerfully.
"Morning." He glances up at me for a fraction of second before focusing on the flowers again.
"Why are you harvesting them?" I stoop down beside him & ask.
"The prince's birthday party starts in two days, so they need these flowers to decorate the halls & tables."
"Ah I see. So what can I help you with?"
"You can help me tie all these roses I've harvested into bundles. The straws are over there. Tie them tightly, but be gentle. You don't want to damage the petals. And be careful with the thorns." He instructs flatly without even a hint of smile.
"Oh ok." I nod.
Jeez, he's as cold as the harshest winter. Such a contradiction with the warm & beautiful garden he's working in.
"Aren't you going to start?" Noticing my stillness, he asks.
"I am! I am.." I immediately pick up a piece of straw.
We work side by side in silence. I want to initiate a conversation, but I'm afraid that he'll be annoyed so I keep my mouth shut.
About two hours have passed.
The skin on both of my hands are itchy & irritated from too much pulling & tying with the straws. I wipe away the sweat on my forehead with the back of my hand & steal a glance at Taehyung.
Strands of his long curly hair are stuck on his forehead, beads of sweat rolling down his sun-kissed face. His thick brows furrow slightly as he concentrates on cutting the stems.
God, he's gorgeous.
Bewitched by his side profile, I try to grab a stem of rose without looking, which is such a stupid move.
"Ow!" I yelp in pain. A thorn has punctured deep into the tip of my forefinger, causing a fat droplet of red blood to seep out of the wound.
"What's wrong?" He turns to me & asks.
"Nothing." I swiftly hide my hand behind my back.
"Let me see." He snatches my wrist & see the blood trickling downmy finger.
"It's not a big deal. I-" I hastily say, but my words are cut short because he's put my bleeding finger in his mouth.
The softness of his tongue enwraps my finger, sending shivers down my spine. Heat instantly creeps up my cheeks & I'm pretty sure my face looks like an overripe tomato now.
"Wait here." He pulls my finger out & abruptly stands up.
I stare at my finger, watching a fresh glob of blood oozing out of the tiny hole. Then, I curl it tightly into a fist to dissipate his warmth which still lingers on my skin.
"Give me your hand." He suddenly plops down beside me & extends his hand towards me.
"I-It's ok. It doesn't hurt anymore."
"Just give it to me." He grabs my hand, spits out a mass of greenish stuff & applies it onto my wound.
"This is yarrow. It can effectively stop bleeding & ease the pain." He explains.
"T-Thank you." I lower my gaze & stutter.
"Sorry, I forgot that you're probably not used to working under the sun for hours. You must be tired. Let's get some rest first."
"No no no. I'm completely fine. I just- I just lost focus for a bit & accidentally pricked my finger. We can continue working."
I wasn't tired. I was mesmerized by you. Oh my God, Kim Y/n! What was that, you pervert!
I hurriedly fan myself to prevent my face from reddening again.
"Look at your flushed cheeks! You're overheating. Come on, I need a break too." He gets up & signals me to follow him.
We walk towards the shed & sit on the old wooden bench.
"Here. Have a drink." He offers me a bottle which presumably contains water.
"Thank you." I take the bottle from him.
The atmosphere is stiff & awkward as we quietly take a sip from our bottles.
Should I say something? What should I say? Think brain, think.
"Do you feel better now?" He suddenly asks, breaking the silence.
"Huh? Oh, yes my finger doesn't hurt anymore. That yarrow thing works wonders just like you said."
"No, I mean- you cried so hysterically yesterday.."
"Ahh, you mean that. I'm fine now. You know, I can be a bit dramatic at times. Haha. But thank you for asking." I chuckle to cover up my embarrassment.
"I see." He takes a gulp from his bottle & goes quiet again.
"Uhm.. Do you live in the palace? Do your parents work here too?" I try to keep the conversation going.
"Yes, I live here. As for my parents.. they passed away a long time ago." He lowers his head, a sad smile lifting the corner of his lips.
"Oh. I'm so sorry.."
Ya, why did you have to ask about his parents? I curse inwardly at myself.
"That's alright." He shrugs.
"I lost my mother too when I was very little. I don't even remember her face. The only thing she left me is this necklace." I take out the pendant from under my shirt & show it to him.
"My father said that she put it on me to protect me from danger. I didn't believe it at first but then one day I got lost in the woods & prayed earnestly to it. A man suddenly appeared & helped me get out of the woods. He was very mysterious though. He didn't even tell me his name."
"I think you just got lucky. There's no way a prayer could be granted that fast." He scoffs.
"It's fine if you don't believe me. I couldn't believe it myself either, but the timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. Whatever the case is, I owe that man my life, so I really want to find him & properly thank him for rescuing me that night."
"I don't think you'll ever find him."
"What do you mean?" I turn to him, bewildered.
"You don't even know his name. How are you supposed to find him?" He scoffs.
"I don't know. But I'm sure I'll recognize him right away if we meet by chance. I still clearly remember his voice. And his eyes, I will never forget those dark mysterious eyes."
Truthfully, my encounter with Lord Freedom has blurred into nothing but a foggy memory. However, I don't like Taehyung's belittling tone so I lied.
"Oh really? Well, good luck with your quest then. Anw, I think we have enough rest already. Let's continue working." He rises from his seat & stretches his arms.
"Taehyung? You have company?" A sudden male voice startles both of us.
"A-Ajusshi. W-What brought you here?" Taehyung frantically stands in front of me to block the man's view.
"I want to check up on you since I know that you must be busy preparing for the party. Who is this young lady?" The elder man tilts his head to look at me.
I quickly lower my head to hide my face as my whole body trembles in fear.
I'm busted. Am I going to be thrown into the dungeon now?
"She- She's a new maid who was sent to help me pick the flowers. Right?" Taehyung turns to me & winks repeatedly.
Getting his signal, I immediately stand up & bow at the man.
"Y-Yes, I was sent to help him." I stutter despite my attempt to sound calm.
"Is that so? Alright then, I won't disturb you doing your job. I'll see you again later, Taehyung ah." The man squeezes Taehyung's shoulder & leaves.
We plop down onto the bench & breathe a huge sigh of relief once the man is out of sight.
"Who was that? He's not going to report me to the guards, is he?"
"Don't worry, he won't. Ajusshi is a great friend of my father so I'm sure he won't put me in a difficult position. Nevertheless, I think it's better if you leave now."
"Oh. But can I come back again tomorrow?" I hesitantly ask, afraid that he would say no.
"Uhm.. I think so. I'll have a talk with Ajusshi later to make sure that he won't tell anyone about you." He says reassuringly.
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then." I stand up & walk towards the door.
"Wait!" He takes a few stems of roses & marigolds, ties them up together into a bouquet with a strand of straw & hands it to me.
"This is for me?" I gasp in surprise.
"Yes, my gratitude for helping me today." He rubs his neck sheepishly while averting his eyes.
"Thank you. I love it." I smile at him.
"You're welcome. Uhm.. see you tomorrow." He hastily steps away & disappears behind the rows of flower.
"He has a cute side to him too." I giggle to myself.
My heart is full &, for the first time in my life, I feel that my reality is better than all the romantic stories I've ever written.