Regal | BTS Royal AU

1| The News

Author's Note:

this is like the 3rd time i've rewritten this book, i'm sorry but its finally here so yay! enjoy :)

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If there was one thing Lee Jae-Eun would never get tired of, it was the sound of metal against metal as she sharpened blade after blade against the grinding stone in the shop. Her twin brother worked alongside her, switching between heating steel in the enormous pit of fire and pounding it out against the anvil with his hammer. The two worked in a comfortable silence for awhile before Jihun spoke up.

"Well, I'm hungry and the ahjumma two streets down told me she's going to be baking fruit tarts today," he said.

"If you're headed to the bakery, could you also stop by the bookstore and drop off the books I left near the door?"

Jihun nodded at his sister's request and stepped out of the shop, books in hand. The sunlight made Jae squint for just a moment before the door closed with a thud, blocking the sun once more.

Jihun walked along the street, offering a smile to anyone he passed and humming a tune under his breath. He had dropped off the books and was on his way back from the bakery, a peach fruit tart already half eaten in one hand while the other was occupied by a rather large paper bag filled to the brim with other goodies the ahjumma had insisted he take back home. He was almost home when he heard it. Murmurs arose as the pounding of horse hooves against the dirt road came to a stop and a loud pounding sound filled the air for a few brief moments before the horse hooves resumed and faded away.

Jihun walked towards the small crowd that had started to form in the wake of the horse and its rider. He tapped on a girl's shoulder, flashing a charming smile at her before asking, "Excuse me. Do you know what all the commotion is about?"

The girl blushed under his gaze before shyly responding. "It's news of the king's announcement. He's sent out summons for anyone willing to partake in the first knights competition."

"Ah, I see. Thank you." The girl smiled and walked away. Jihun decided to take a look at the paper himself but was rudely shoved aside before he could take two steps towards the square's news board. His half-eaten fruit tart was now face down in the dirt and Jihun looked down at it with a frown before looking back up to see who had pushed him so roughly.

Yang Baek-Han's enormous figure loomed over the news board as he stared at the paper in front of him. His lips slowly curled into a smirk as he read through the announcement and spun around, walking away with an arrogant swagger. Jihun waited for the brute to leave before examining the document and the royal seal stamped at the bottom, affirming its credibility.

Jihun hummed thoughtfully, fruit tarts long forgotten as his mind focused on his sister instead. He walked back home quickly, eager to share the news.

Unfortunately for Jihun, someone was already in the shop sharing the news with his twin sister. Baek-Han stood a few feet away from a disinterested Jae, gloating about his plans to partake in the competition. Jihun walked in, dropping the paper bag of goodies next to Jae whose eyes finally lit up at the sight of the tarts inside the bag.

"Hi Baek-Han, how can we help you today?" Jihun asked politely, watching Jae sink her teeth into one of the many pastries he had brought back and close her eyes in satisfaction.

"What do you think I'm here for?" the man sneered. Jae paused chewing and her eyes dropped back to her cold, disinterested demeanor.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you'd like a sword made," Jihun replied.

"No shit. I don't want to hear that kind of sarcastic attitude from the likes of people like you," Baek-Han spat at Jihun, "I'm going to be a royal first knight soon and I will not tolerate any disrespect or insolence."

Jae dropped her tart next to her grinding stone, eyes now pointedly glaring at the man before her and lips set in a firm, straight line. Baek-Han picked up one of the many daggers Jae had been sharpening and started flicking it about as he paced here and there in the shop. Jae's glare didn't leave the man's figure once as he discussed what sort of blade he wanted with her brother.

The two men finally came to an agreement and Baek-Han dropped the dagger in front of Jae before turning to leave. "I'll see you and your mute sister in two weeks. Don't mess up my sword, ok? I'm giving you guys a golden opportunity to send your work with me to the palace."

The dagger lodged itself into the wood next to Baek-Han's head, landing with a solid thud before either man registered it. Baek-Han turned to see Jae standing, eyes still glaring as if she could burn him alive with her eyes alone. He stormed forward until he was breathing the same air as the girl.

"I wouldn't try anything like that. You might get lucky and actually hurt someone next time. How are you going to explain a customer's death? Are you gonna make me vanish the same way you made your father disappear?" he demanded, livid at Jae's actions.

"Don't talk about things that don't concern you. And don't insult this shop or my family," Jae growled.

"Ah the sister does speak then. I thought you were mute all along," Baek-Han grabbed Jae's chin with one burly hand, forcing her to look at him, "Watch your tone girl. When I become a first knight, I might just decide this pitiful excuse of a shop doesn't need to exist anymore. So I suggest you keep your mouth shut and just do as you're told."

Jae gripped Baek-Han's forearm, twisting the exposed skin at his wrist until he was forced to let go of her face. "And I suggest you keep your hands to yourself and your mouth on a leash when you're around me because next time I'll use your own sword to pin your head to the wall while I cut your tongue out with my dagger. Now get lost and don't come back until it's time to pick up your weapon."

Jae shoved Baek-Han away from her, forcing the man almost twice her size to stagger back a few steps. He bared his teeth at the girl and curled his fingers into a fist but didn't dare throw a punch her way. "This isn't the end of this Lee Jae-Eun," he said, but Jae was already back at her bench, indulging in her forgotten tart.