Discarded (Emperor Yoongi x Reader)

Chapter Eight

When your eyes opened, you were slightly confused because whatever it was you were sitting on was moving. You almost panicked and smacked whoever was touching you in the face but before you could Yoongi's voice reached your ears.

"Sit still, you're making the ink run." You quickly realized then that you had been sitting in his lap with your head against his chest while he was signing some important documents.

How did you end up here? And where was here? This was clearly not your room, it was much too extravagant.

"Before you ask, I brought you to my room because you fell asleep, and I'm changing your room so you couldn't go back there right now. You're sitting on my lap because believe it or not when I tried to set you somewhere else you wouldn't let go."

That must have inconvenienced him, he was probably angry under his calm facade. You should probably apologize.

"I'm very sorry, your highness, it won't happen again."

"Don't apologize," he said sternly. "People of our standing never apologize."

You knew he was certainly right, after so many years of mistreatments you had never received even an utterance of an apology from your supposed 'family'. Anything they did wrong was turned it back on the person they wronged, it was their fault for being near them and other such excuses.

That was all Yoongi said before he sighed and told you to go back to your room. It wasn't necessarily in a brash tone either.

This man was very confusing to you. Some seconds ago you thought for sure he hated you, and then other moments he was slightly almost affectionate.

As you made your way back to your room you shook your head to clear your thoughts. You were surely overthinking things, he still hated you. His personality wouldn't do a 180 that quickly.

At least that's what you kept telling yourself even as you were prepared for sleep.

—-

The next few days passed fairly smoothly if you ignored the glares of the concubines at each meal. Every day Yoongi watched you closely to make sure you ate enough and everyday you ate a swiftly as possible to escape the glares.

It seemed a never ending cycle, a part of your new daily life, until today.

Today instead of going to the dining hall, when you opened your room door to leave Hoseok was standing outside. You were confused when you saw the familiar man, as he was dressed in full war attire.

"Gongjunim," he addressed you formally while bowing, and you looked at him confusedly.

"Hoseok, what's going on?"

"There is a disruption at the north border of the kingdom. Prince Yoongi as the head of the armies went to tend to it personally. I was told to wait here until you were awake to pass along a message before heading there myself," he told you.

Your brain worked quickly. You'd be alone here with the concubines that hated you. If they planned you any harm it would be now.

"How long will Prince Yoongi be gone?" you asked swiftly.

"About two weeks. The border is a few days away on horseback," Hoseok answered.

Two weeks. It shouldn't be too difficult to survive for two weeks.

"What message did Yoongi ask you to pass along to me?" you asked him finally, your brain prepared for the worst kind of news just in case. Instead you were shocked when Hoseok stuck his hand into his sleeve and pulled out a small but very valuable item accompanied with a small piece of paper.

The small item was undoubtedly the seal of the prince, used to sign important documents and ensure that its holder was under the direct protection of the royal family. If you really wanted, you could use this seal to grant yourself a lifetime's savings worth of gold, that was the power this small thing held.

You took it and the letter from hoseok gingerly, afraid you'd drop it. Quickly you opened the letter to read it, and were greeted with handwriting you'd describe as beautiful chaos. It was legible and each character was written beautifully but together it looked more like blurred calligraphy.

Y/n,

While I am gone these next two weeks, I leave you as my wife in charge of the palace affairs. Usually I would have concubine Ye-ri handle such things, because she's also a minister's daughter, but you are the most powerful woman in my palace. You need to realize your place and make others realize their own relative to yours. You are a princess, a part of the royal family, your past is now irrelevant. I'm trusting you.

Yoongi

Surprisingly, if there was one thing you were confident in, it was your ability to handle stage affairs. Your father was the most powerful minister serving directly under the emperor, and though you held no love for your family, they had done you one favor by neglecting you. You often snuck away to your father's private library so you were well versed in the art of politics, though because you never attended events you lacked basic etiquettes.

With Yoongi putting his trust in you, you'd have to put trust in yourself and prove your worth to him lest he kill you for making a mistake.

In your mind every choice was life or death. Especially with the concubines waiting to strike at every turn.

You would need to tread carefully.

"Thank you, Hoseok," you told the man, and he looked at your determined face in confusion. You surprised him twice now and it was not an easy feat.

He quickly left the palace grounds, his mission having been completed.

You watched him go and two guards replaced him. They explained to you they'd be by your side or outside of your door at all times until Yoongi returned. They escorted you to Yoongi's study so you could get to work immediately.

On the way there you promised yourself you would not fail him. You would not fail yourself.