king of hearts | taegguk [ON HOLD]

prologue

sometime in the past

The snow fell like ashes over the gleaming, golden crown laying discarded on the cold and wet ground, bright red blood pooling around and encircling it like a sacrifice, or more like an offering for the one who believed he was worthy enough to declare himself an absolute king and place it on his high-held head as a token of not only power but of cruelty as well.

The cruelty didn't lay in the fact that he killed thousands to get his hands on that shiny symbol of mightiness - even though he did - instead, it came from the fact that he betrayed the only people who showed him true kindness, respect and, most importantly, thought him the priceless value of trust, loyalty, and family.

To break someone's trust takes a lot of cruelty.

The beginning of the story was fairytale-like.  An orphan, no more than six years old at the time, adopted by the royal family to raise with utmost gentleness and care. It had almost seemed too good to be true. The queen and king were trying for years to have a child of their own but after all the attempts turned to have been nothing but futile, with a heavy heart they decided to stop struggling and search for an heir amongst all the children left behind, broken and vulnerable, by parents who didn't give a damn about their future. How selfish human nature could be.

But the children left behind oftentimes become the legacy of someone's existence.

Hyun-woo had been a lucky child. As soon as the queen's anguished eyes settled upon him, a warm feeling taking over her entire being while looking at the fragile-looking boy with his big blue eyes and shy expression, fidgeting nervously with the worn-out teddy bear in his grasp, she knew. The boy was gonna be the heir she wholeheartedly desired.

So the child had been adopted and everything flowed smoothly. He grew up healthy, loved, and pampered by the entire palace. The nobles adored him, the maids were cooing at him when seeing him play around the castle without a care in the world, and the king and queen's hearts were swarming with pride and purpose. They felt like they had something to live for. He was the presence that had been missing to brighten up their days.

But nothing good lasts forever. Not even five years later, the queen announced to the kingdom that they were expecting a child. One of their own this time. Finally, their attempts at conceiving a baby seemed to have proven a success.

The entire kingdom was in a flourish awaiting the royal child's birth. The excitement could be felt whichever way you were prone to look.

But Jeon Hyun-woo was not capable of sharing in the elation coming from all around him.

He felt left out, forgotten, and unwanted. In his mind, the new baby meant one thing: he wasn't good enough for the royal family. He would be overlooked. The baby would get everyone's full attention. He had tried being the perfect son, he really did, so why? Why would they need another baby? 

So that's how all the pent up feelings of bitterness and frustration gathered up in him and clouded his already dizzy mind. Why did no one want him?

After the baby was born, Hyun-woo knew, he didn't stand a chance. The child ended up being a boy. So as the only descendant with royal blood in his veins, one thing was clear.

He was the first one in line to the throne.

And Hyun-woo... well, he was a mere second. In his mind, he already came to the conclusion that he would never take his rightful place on the throne. He had been the first. And then that baby came along to steal everything from him. Why couldn't he have what he wanted for once?

Days turned into years and the boys grew up together side by side in the palace. Everyone loved them. Both of them. The young prince idolized his older sibling. He would try anything in his power to get his attention, his approval, to be like him. You could see the adoration shining in his earnest hazel eyes. Despite what Hyun-woo's mind was quick to put together, their parents never made differences between them. Both of them were their children.

There was enough space in their hearts to fit them both and wrap them in love.

But Hyun-woo came to despise everything no matter how hard his brother struggled to get his affection or how much his adoptive parents spoiled him with riches. The voices in his head wouldn't stop.

They just got louder the moment his brother announced he would marry a princess at the age of eighteen.

She was everything Hyun-woo ever dreamt of. Beautiful, with sparkling eyes and a mischievous smile, she had the capacity to make the entire room stop and stare admiringly at her. And the oldest prince was no different. He fell fast for her. He loved her every flaw, gesture, and word. But she didn't notice him. She had his brother after all.

So Hyun-woo felt defeated and invisible once again.

With a bitter heart and sour soul, he began looking for people around the castle. People who he could call his followers, who would only bow to him and listen to his every command. And he found them. He was drawn to them like a moth to a flame.

And when the coronation day for his brother arrived, the plan already orchestrated long ago by his troubled mind was set in motion and all hell broke loose. In looking for vengeance he had to slaughter an army, he had to watch the smiles on his parents' faces turn to tears flowing from their eyes, he had to snatch his brother's future bride from him like you'd snatch candy from a young child.

He did it all and he did it with a triumphant feeling buzzing in his chest. He felt proud of his achievement, proud of tearing apart everything and everyone that showed him even remotely kindness. The man and women who looked out for him, gave him his meals, ran his baths, and cooed at his cuteness were now begging on their knees for mercy.

Did he grant them mercy? To some he did. Others... they weren't so fortunate.

With the help of his self-made army, he plucked the crown from its rightful place before it even hit his brother's head. He left everyone petrified at his actions.

His parents... gone. Just like that.

An entire past turned to ashes, meaningless. Just like that.

And now he had the crown. The crown that would make him king. The most important man in the country.

Even so... he spared his brother. He let him have his run-down kingdom, he left him in the place that was supposed to become his starting point as a king but has turned into a bloody battlefield instead. What was supposed to be the best day of his life turned into a nightmare he couldn't escape.

The brother he looked up to was now the monster he feared.

With the crown on his head, Hyun-woo, now Kim Hyun-woo, left everything he's ever known behind and built his life in the way that he desired.

The Kim's and the Jeon's never crossed paths from that day. The past didn't magically disappear, time didn't make it better, and even though the Jeon kingdom recovered from the blow it took from one of the most trusted men, their lines never intersected again and so war turned into animosity and brothers turned into enemies.

That's how a kingdom was born: on betrayal and broken hearts. 

A/N: thank you to everyone who's reading this. I'm so grateful to all of you. Please let me know if you're enjoying this as much as I enjoy writing it.

What do you think about the plot? How do you think this background affects Taekook and how do you think they'll fit into all of this? I'd like to know what you think before I reveal it.