Her Prince / BTS Namjoon x Original Character

Chapter 15

"Jinzou, the last village before we head back home."

The seven men stared at the entrance arch to the village.

"This is the closest we've been to Yia in over a year," Hoseok said with a stretch.

"It feels strange," a concerned Jimin said.

"What? Being this close to the Capital?" Yoongi looked at him.

"No, I feel it too. Something is definitely off." Jungkook's eyes scanned the area around them.

"Like Hoseok said, this is the closest we've been in over a year. We'll have to be more careful here." Seokjin picked up his bag and started walking.

"What about you, Sir?" Taehyung asked Namjoon, the only one who hadn't picked up his bags.

"I agree with Jimin and Jungkook. But I don't know if it's because we are so close or what." He sighed and picked up his bag, "Let's just get this over with."

As the seven of them walked through the crowded streets, they made mental notes about each person they passed. With each village they entered, they realized what Kaira said about them was correct. The closer they got to Yia, the fancier the clothes got, and the way people spoke was different.

They'd run into a few problems while in the other towns, but they learned from their mistake in Hwen and took care of it before it could get out of control. It helped that KangDae had gotten the word out to some trusted men in each city, and they were able to keep an eye out for anything strange.

Namjoon had done what was required of him and got to know a woman in each village. It wasn't as easy as it was when they were in Hwen. No woman stood out to him like Yeona did. The other six men had to help him find someone they thought would suit him. He noticed that they weren't as excited about the other woman like they were with Yeona. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't either. Sure he liked each of the women in some way. But his feelings weren't as instant or intense as they were with Yeona. He was completely caught off guard with her. He found himself thinking about her all the time. Especially when he was able to walk by himself, he often found himself looking around, trying to find her so that he could sit beside her and enjoy her presence. At night he would sit outside staring at the stars and hoping that she was missing him as much.

Yeona was different from the others. The other women, even the ones he wasn't trying to get close to, were constantly seeking him out. He had to start taking his walks at night to avoid the ones that would join him, whether he wanted them to or not. He was hoping to find someone in Jinzou that didn't need to talk to him constantly. He was drained from all the talking and need for his attention. It felt like he was back inside the palace walls. Always being followed closely, someone always talking to him, and someone begging his attention at all times.

"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" Yoongi asked Namjoon as the men left their lodging and headed toward a place to eat.

"I'm thinking about everything," Namjoon replied. Yoongi looked at him and smiled. Namjoon had a serious face. But he knew him well enough to know what he was thinking about.

"Hello, gentlemen." The seven men looked up from their table to see a man standing next to them with a Magistrate uniform. "My name is Deu-Sung, and I am the Magistrate here in Jinzou," he said with a smile.

"Noona Kaira's fiance?" Jungkook's eyes widened at the realization.

"Well, actually, I'm her husband. But yes." The men adjusted themselves around the table so that he could join them.

"What can we help you with, Sir?" Taehyung looked skeptically at the man.

"I heard from my friend, Dae, that you men needed some help." Deu-Sung looked at each of the men sitting at the table. "I have no clue why you need my help. But he's a good man, so I'll do what I can with no questions asked."

"Thank you," Jin said as he shook the man's hand.

"My men haven't seen anything strange. We are just like any other village and have our problems. But because we are so close to the Capital and we are one of the richer villages, we have many crooks. So keep your eyes out."

The seven men nodded their heads. They weren't sure what all KangDae had told him, but thieves were the least of their worries.

"No way!" The eight men turned their heads to see Kaira coming their way with a big smile.

"There's my beautiful wife." Deu-Sung stood up and hugged her. "What are you doing out and about? You're supposed to be resting."

"We are fine," Kaira said, placing her hand on her belly. "I heard a bunch of ladies talking about seven gorgeous men who came into town, and I had to see if my suspicions were correct."

"You know these men?" Deu-Sung asked, amused.

"Yes! They came to Hwen last year," Kaira stated as she sat down next to the men. "You remember the list I had for Yeona's potential husband?" Her husband nodded, "Well, they were on it. Especially handsome mystery man Namjoon over there. He was my pick to win."

"Are you not doing the list anymore?" Namjoon asked as their food was placed on the table.

"No. She has BaekJee now." Namjoon's stomach dropped at her words.

"Sweetheart, those two aren't together," Deu-Sung said.

"You never know. Yeona had a huge crush on him before he left. He kissed her on his last night. She doesn't know that I saw that, though." Kaira stared at the food on the table. If she had been looking up, she would have been able to see the sadness in the men's eyes.

"We should get you home," Deu-Sung placed his hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention away from the food, "You look like you're about to eat all their food."

"Ugh, this baby wants to eat constantly," She said with a laugh, standing up.

"We'll let you gentlemen eat. I'll let you know if I hear anything." The two of them said their goodbyes.

"Noona has someone?" Jungkook pouted as he spoke out loud to himself.

"With as long as this stupid mission is, it was always a possibility." Hoseok looked at Namjoon. He watched as the man's jaw muscles stuck out. Namjoon was upset, and Hoseok didn't blame him.