How to Chase a Royalty. [j.jk + k.th]

13.

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When you let the King drink.

As Taehyung soaked himself in the tub, he let out a satisfied sigh.

He dipped his body deeper within the water until only his eyes were visible. The warmth took his fatigue away. He shut his eyes as he listened to the rustle of the leaves outside.

The long soak cleared his mind. After a while, he got out the bath and put on a new pair of clothes the servant had fetched him, then he whistled a tune as he left.

***

Inside the candle-lit room waited the King as he flipped through the pages of a book. One would assume the King's full attention was on the book but his mind was actually elsewhere.

His gaze shifted towards the untouched set of meal (which had started to go cold) placed on the small table.

The door slid open, revealing a boy grinning widely.

"Were you waiting for me?" Taehyung mused as he quickly entered the room and closed the door behind.

Hearing Taehyung's voice, the King's heart rejoiced. As soon as he glanced at the boy, he was stricken with surprise.

Because of the unbearable heat, Taehyung had chosen not to wear a belt which left his chest exposed. Strands of damp hair clung to his smooth bare torso; and the fresh just-out-of-shower appearance made it too appealing.

"Ah! I feel great! Wah! Look, my skin is glistening. Do you want to touch it?" Taehyung said in a care-free tone.

"..."

"Oh! It's so soft." Taehyung chuckled, poking onto his arm.

Jungkook cleared his throat. "Your dinner is going cold." He added quickly as he tore his eyes away from the view.

"Ooh." Taehyung plopped down on the straw mat. When he noticed that the dinner set was for just one person, he inquired, "You're not eating?"

"No."

"Alright, then." Taehyung shrugged. He picked up the chopsticks. "More for me." As he took a bite, he smiled out of happiness. The usually bland food was now spicy! And to his liking!

"Is it cold?" The King questioned. "Should I ask the servant to warm it up for you?"

"No, it's alright. Your Majesty, I have to say, the food tastes...different."

"How so?"

"It's spicy. I like spicy! As expected, spicy food is the best." Taehyung declared excitedly as he gobbled down the food, and seeing him do so pleased the King.

"Oh yeah! I want to ask you something. Did you catch the culprit?" Taehyung inquired, eyebrows raised and mouth full of rice.

"No." The King responded. "It is not so important."

"Not important?" Taehyung repeated, shocked. "There is someone out there who wants you dead. Aren't you worried...or maybe afraid even?"

After a deep breath, the King calmly said, "I will always be hated and loved. I've grown accustomed to it. And since I'm the King, there will always be someone who wants me dead. I have simply lost the will to act on it." He raised his eyes to meet Taehyung's and in a low voice asked, "Are you perhaps worried for me?"

The rising tension in the air and the way they stared at each other made Taehyung's stomach churn. Somehow, it felt strange, even intimate.

Taehyung's answer came out in a nervous, embarrassing stammer. "Wha - How - How can I not be worried? You're...my friend."