A Royal Mess

Part 12

The next morning, I get ready much earlier than usual & take a peek outside.
No one is in sight. The hallway is as silent as a graveyard.
Pulse racing, I swiftly exit my room & stride towards the stairs. All my nerves are on high alert, causing me to jump at even the slightest movement of a curtain.
However, my anxiety soon diminishes since the guards & court ladies who I pass on the way barely acknowledge me.
So Court Lady Ji wasn't lying when she said that I'm free to wander around the palace now.
The crisp morning air fills my lungs as I step out into the courtyard. Judging by the cloudless sky, it's going to be a perfectly sunny day.
I walk through the main courtyard, straight towards the back where Taehyung's little garden is located.
"Hello?" I call out when I've arrived at the gated entrance, but there's no response.
Taehyung probably hasn't come yet.
It's only been a little more than a week since I last visited the garden, but so many things have happened during these past days that makes it feel like a lifetime ago. Come to think of it, every day in the palace feels like I'm in a war, nerve-wrecking & full of suspense.
I truly miss those innocent & blissful days when Taehyung & I worked together in the garden. When the biggest problem in my life was my unrequited crush on him. If I could turn back time & undo everything, I would.
"You never know what you've got til it's gone." I scoff bitterly as I rub a rose petal in between my fingers.
Wake up Y/n ah. It's not the time to drown yourself in self pity. You have a job to do.
I shake my head to clear my thoughts & open the door to the shed. I grab a pair of shears, a bucket, a few pieces of twine, and carry them to the flower beds.
My purpose of coming to the garden today is to pick some flowers for Jungkook. Although he said that I shouldn't worry, I can't help but feel bad for causing him such a serious injury.
Thus, I choose the biggest & most vibrant blooms to express my gratitude towards him for saving my life yesterday.
"These should be enough." I huff in satisfaction once the bucket is filled with flowers.
I sit down on the bench & tie the flowers into a bouquet with a piece of twine.
"Perfect. I hope he'll like this."
As I'm admiring my own masterpiece, I hear footsteps approaching from behind me.
"Y/n! What a pleasant surprise!"
I instantly turn towards the source of voice & find Taehyung beaming at me.
"Morning! For once, I'm here earlier than you." I chuckle.
"I know, right? I thought I was hallucinating. Thank you." He steps closer & smiles at me.
"F-For what?" I grin nervously as I take a step back, trying to maintain a safe distance in between us so that I can hold my feelings for him in check.
"For visiting me like I asked you to. That's why you're here, right?" He searches my face, his voice full of hope.
"Actually, I-"
I was about to tell him the true reason of my coming to the garden, but then I stop myself.
He hates Jungkook. I don't think he'll be happy if I tell him that I'm here to pick some flowers for Jungkook.
"W-Well, you said I should visit you some time, so here I am."
"Who is that bouquet for?" He points to the bouquet on the bench & asks.
Shit.
"Uhm.. I'm going to use it to decorate my room. Sorry, I should've asked for your permission first."
"Oh no no no. That's fine. You can take anything you want. I don't mind." My apology seems to have taken him aback.
"Anw, what are you working on today?" I quickly hid the bouquet behind me & change the topic.
"I'm going to prepare new flower beds to plant some tulips. Do you want to help me like old times?"
"Errr.. Actually.." I bite my lower lip, not knowing how to reject his offer, especially because he looks so excited.
"If you're busy today, that's totally fine. You can help me another time." Probably sensing my hesitation, he hastily adds.
"I'm so sorry. I have to go now but I promise I'll come by again soon to help you. Thank you for the flowers." I grab the bouquet & nod apologetically at him.
"Don't worry about it." He waves at me smilingly, but I detect a hint of disappointment in his voice.
However, there's nothing I can do about it now. I have to visit Jungkook.
Sorry Tae, I promise I'll be back soon.

Taehyung's upset expression is still stuck my mind when I arrive at Jungkook's door. I feel incredibly guilty for lying to him.
Ya Kim Y/n, focus on the task at hand. Jungkook saved your life. You should earnestly show him your gratitude. Or do you want to feel like you owe him for the rest of your life?
"Right. Let's get this over with." I take a deep breath & knock on the door.
Usually, either the guards or the maids would answer the door. Nevertheless, no one does this time.
"Where is everyone?"
I wait for a few more minutes, yet still, nobody comes to the door.
Maybe I should just go in?
"Your Highness! It's me, Y/n! I'm coming in!" I loudly announce as I slowly push open the door.
All the heavy curtains in the room are drawn, so the room is pitch dark.
"Your Highness? Are you there?" I ask.
It takes my eyes some time to adjust to the dimness. Once they have, I cautiously step further into the room.
"Ahh, he's still sleeping." I whisper to myself when I see Jungkook lying motionless under the blanket on his bed.
Thinking that it's best for me to come back again another time, I place the bouquet on his bedside table & motion to leave.
"Don't.." He faintly mutters.
"Your Highness? You're awake?" I turn back around.
His face is distorted into a scowl, even though his eyes are closed. Beads of sweat pepper his forehead & temple.
"Please. I beg you. Don't." He mumbles again.
He must be having a nightmare.
"Your Highness? Wake up. It's just a dream." I lightly shake his shoulder.
All of a sudden, he grasps my hand very tightly.
"Y-You're hurting me."
"Please. Don't. Father, I beg you. No!" He lets out an ear-splitting scream as his eyes snap open.
I'm so petrified that my whole body freezes.
His chest heaves up & down, as if he had just finished running a hundred miles.
"A-Are you alright?" I ask once I've regained my senses.
Noticing my presence, he jerks in surprise.
"W-What are you doing here?" He abruptly lets go of my hand.
"I brought you some flowers. I just- I just wanted to know how you were doing. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to trespass. There was no guard so I- Anw, I'm so sorry. I'll leave now." I quickly apologize.
"Wait! Please. Stay."
"Are you sure?" I hesitantly ask.
"Yes. Could you please open the curtains? I would do it myself but the doctor advised me not to move too much."
"Oh, sure. I'll do it."
I draw open all the curtains & let the bright sunlight illuminate the room.
"Now that's better. Thank you." He smiles gratefully.
"You're welcome."
Awkward silence follows.
Actually, I have a lot of questions about what he dreamt of. It must be one hell of a nightmare to induce such a strong reaction from him. Nevertheless, I'm afraid that it would be too personal.
"Go on. Ask away. I can literally see a dozen of questions flashing in your head." He says.
"Is it that obvious?" I grin sheepishly.
"What do you want to know?"
"Uhm.. Do you remember your dream earlier? What was it about? You seemed to be extremely disturbed by it."
"Well.. I've had this same dream ever since I was little. In my dream, I see my father executing a man . I try to stop him but he won't listen. In the end, my father kills him with a sword. As his blood splatters all over the floor, the man looks at me & blows his last breath. His haunting gaze scares me & it makes me think that my father is a bad man, which he definitely isn't. He must have a good reason for executing that man. But.. I just can't shake off that feeling. So much so that sometimes, I even dream of my own father trying to kill me." He scoffs, feeling ridiculous.
"Did you truly experience that? I mean, is the incident real? Or is it just a fragment of your imagination?"
"I'm not sure. I've watched him execute so many people but none of them made me feel the way I feel in my dream. So maybe it's all in my head? I don't know." He shrugs.
Seeing his helpless expression, I suddenly feel pity for him. Who would've thought that such an arrogant & tough-looking prince could hide such a vulnerable side.
"Don't worry. It'll go away one day." I instinctively hold his hand to comfort him.
He looks stunned for a moment, before slipping his hand off my grasp & clearing his throat.
"You're the first person that I've ever talked to about this. Well, I did tell Jungah but she only laughed at me, saying that I was being a child. So thank you, for listening & for not laughing at me."
Our eyes lock & for some reason, I feel a fluttering sensation in my stomach.
What the hell was that?