A Royal Mess

Part 5

Y/n POV
I've been pacing back & forth in front of the secret door for a while now, contemplating whether I should go in or not.
The image of Jungah kissing Taehyung is imprinted vividly in my mind, no matter how hard I try to erase it. It annoys me that I feel a sharp prick in my heart every single time I recall that moment.
So what if he's in a romantic relationship with the princess? He's just a friend. Plus, he's not even interested in me that way. I should be happy for them instead. But.. I really don't want to witness their display of affection again.
I stop moving & finally make my decision.
Remember, he's just a friend. Nothing more.
I brace myself & push the door open.
"Hey, good morning." Taehyung greets me right away with a half smile.
All my doubts & worries are gone as soon as I see his face. He's definitely someone I want to keep in my life & I'm not letting him go just yet.
"Morning. What are we working on today?" I reciprocate his smile & close the door behind me.

Ever since that day, I've been coming to the garden every day to help Taehyung prepare the flowers for the prince's party.
Nobody else comes to the garden anymore, so I've grown to feel more at ease. We've gotten much closer too, although most of the time it's me who does the talking.
I've told him about my life at the village, Dami & Yeonjun, my dreams & worries, everything. Yet, he's told me very little about himself.
All I know is that his parents passed away when he was very young. That's it.
I've tried to ask more, but he always dodges my questions, so I stop prying. Maybe he has a very painful past that he doesn't want to remember.
Another topic that's off limit is anything related to the royal families. Needless to say, I never ask about Jungah, because I don't want him to sense my jealousy. As for the rest of the royal family members, especially the prince, Taehyung just flat out told me that he didn't want to gossip or say the wrong thing about them which could turn into groundless rumors. Thus, I stopped asking as well.
It doesn't bother me though, since my obsession with the palace & the prince has dwindled to almost nothing, which is quite surprising considering that they used to be very important parts of my dream.
Taehyung plays a huge role in that. Through him, I found that a man doesn't have to be a prince to be attractive & desirable. If you feel a connection, he's naturally become your one & only prince.
I still have feelings for him obviously, but I try my best to cover it up, since I understand my affection for him is one-sided.
Not that he doesn't care about me. He does.
He would panic when I accidentally hurt myself & figure out ways to lessen the pain. His serious face would break into the brightest smile when he saw me walking through the door. He would laugh heartily at my stupid jokes even though they weren't that funny.
All in all, he's a warm-hearted friend. But the keyword here is "friend". No matter how wildly my heart pounds for him, his doesn't beat the same way for me. His belongs to the princess & that's a bitter pill which I have to swallow.

Days turn to weeks.
Without realizing, it's already the end of the month. Time for Appa to reveal his hard work at the closing ceremony tomorrow.
"Time really does fly. I can't believe that tomorrow's the big day." I say to Taehyung while we're taking a break from working.
"Right. Your father is going to show his sculpture tomorrow. How do you feel?" He sits down beside me & asks.
"Nervous. Appa has poured all of his heart & soul into it. I hope his hard work pays off."
"Are you going to be there?"
"Where? Oh you mean the closing ceremony? Of course not! I don't think I'm invited." I shrug.
"Well, you're not missing out on anything. It's a boring party where everyone eats until they're sick & drinks until they pass out." He scoffs.
"How do you know? Have you attended one before?"
"Oh. No. I mean, I heard some maids & servants talking about it. I've never had the privilege to see it with my own eyes. You know, I'm merely a gardener. There's no way they'll allow me to join the party." He quickly explains.
"Ahhh, I see. The fate of us commoners, right?" I chuckle.
"Yeah.. What's going to happen after this? Are you going back to the village or..?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I guess it depends on how the King likes my father's work. Why?" I turn to him.
"Just asking." He immediately looks away, the tips of his ears reddening.
"Oho, you're afraid that you're going to miss me if we go back to the village, aren't you?" I arch my brows teasingly.
"No! I-I'm not going to miss you at all. You can go back to your village, I don't care." The heat spreads to his cheeks, turning them a deep shade of pink.
"You're obviously lying! Look at your flushed face!" I clutch my stomach & laughs out loud.
"Ya, I-I'm not lying! Stop laughing or I'll stop you." He threatens but I can't help myself. His flustered expression is too funny & adorable.
"Yaaa, I told you to stop." He smacks his palm over my mouth rather too vigorously, causing me to lose my balance.
"Woah!" I grab his shirt by reflex as I collapse backwards, bringing him down with me.
"Ow! Ya, that hurts-" I was about to tell him off, but my tongue freezes as soon as I open my eyes.
Our torsos press firmly against each other. His face is so close to mine that I can feel his hot breath blowing on my skin. My heart is about to burst as my eyes inadvertently travel down to his plump lips.
Can he hear my heart beat? Why isn't he moving?
I notice a lump travels down his throat as he gulps.
Is he feeling what I'm feeling?
He inches closer, shrinking the distance between us.
Oh my God, is he going to-
I shut my eyes, eagerly anticipating his next move. But then, his warmth is gone all of a sudden, the weight on me lifted.
"I-I'm sorry." He stammers as he pushes himself up.
Disappointment & shame wash over me.
What was I thinking? I should've known better. There was no way that he would kiss me.
"That's alright." I force a smile & abruptly sit up as well.
"Does it hurt? Let me check your head-" He extends his hand to touch my head.
"Don't." I dodge him & say coldly, failing to mask my true feelings.
"Y/n ah.. I-" He scratches his head awkwardly, struggling to find the right words to say in such situation.
"I'm so sorry but I have to go now. I promised Appa to go home earlier. I'll see you again." I lower my head & hurriedly walk to the door.
"Oh ok. Goodby-" He barely finishes speaking when I slam the door close.
Tears of embarrassment flood my face in an instant. I run as fast as I can with one hand covering my mouth to muffle the sob that's threatening to escape.
He didn't do anything wrong. I was the one who expected too much, yet I took my frustration out on him. Why the hell did I do that? He's only starting to open up to me & now I've ruined it.
I can't stop scolding myself inwardly all the way home, regretting my foolish reaction earlier.
"Y/n ah? Is that you?" Appa calls out from the back of the house when I open the door.
"Y-Yes, Appa." I quickly wipe away the remaining tears on my face & reply.
"You're home so early today. Are you done helping your friend?"
"I am. What about you? Are you done with the sculpture. Tomorrow's the big day."
"Almost. I just need to do a few finishing touches. I'm very nervous. I hope they will like it."
"I'm sure they will. May I see it?"
"No. I want you to be as surprised as the others when I reveal it." He chuckles.
"What do you mean? I don't-" I furrow my brows in confusion.
"Y/n ah, you're coming with me to the prince's party in the palace tomorrow." He grins.