DAECHWITA

thirty nine

As the Empress made her way into the breakfast room, she was greeted with the tired face of none other than Kim Seokjin, munching upon kongnamul bap.

His eyes glanced upwards and sunk into crescents at the sight of the girl. "Jangmi-ah," He waved over. "Come and eat,"

"Did you sleep well?" The Choi girl smiled as she descended into a chair, taking a bowl of the bean sprout rice for herself.

"Very much so," The oldest answered, cheerfully. "Did you?"

Jin's lips curled into a smirk at the girl's blush, the pink tint swallowing her cheeks as she reminiscised the feeling of Yoongi's soft lips on hers, his soothing voice and the way he held her.

"I am glad that he wanted to marry you," Jin leaned back in his seat. "He has someone he cares about, and is willing to do everything to protect her. He's also no longer as... harsh as he used to be,"

"If only the kingdom knew how gentle he really was," Jangmi mumbled. "Even the royal officials believe he's monsterous,"

"Oh he was," Jin agreed. "For a while, his killing streak went above any mercenaries', he was unstoppable. But it stopped after you, and I'm glad. This kingdom does not need a killer for an Emperor,"

"But why would he kill in great numbers?" Jangmi pressed on. "Surely he wouldn't kill without reason?"

There was a small pause as Jin regarded whether to explain the Emperor's side of the story, the story that had forged him into the merciless, heartless ruler that citizens thought him to be.

"Has Yoongi told you about his parents?" The elder asked quietly.

The Empress shook her head.

"Ask him what happened to his parents, and you will know why," Jin smiled sadly. "Their passing haunts him to this day, but I think he has been doing well so far. You know, since your arrival to the palace, he's been sleeping better,"

"Really? But I - I haven't been doing..."

"He used to have nightmares," The Royal Treasurer informed. "But when he was spending all that time with you these last few months, he told me that he's been sleeping better,"

Jangmi stared at the oldest who was so used to the Emperor's moods and understanding of the Min's position. Jin had been there for everyone, had done everything he could to help the man who was misunderstood by his nation.

She pushed back her chair and hugged the Kim, surprising him. Nevertheless, he returned the embrace, smiling. "What's this for?"

"It's just... I'm just glad to see you again,"

"So am I Jangmi, so am I,"

...

Jangmi and Yoongi were in the library, the warm rays of the sun slowly fading away, alerting the land that it was soon time for nightfall. 

The girl was on his lap, a book in her hand as she read quietly, the Emperor admiring her, occassionally glancing at the book she was so interested in.

"Yoongi?"

"Mm?"

The Choi girl shut the book and turned to look at her husband, the scar on his face illuminated under the light of the sunset.

"What... what happened to your parents?"

The hands around her waist stiffened, and his expression was tight, almost as though he was remembering something he had wanted to leave far behind.

"You don't have to tell me," She said quickly, dismissing the question. "I was just curious. There are no portraits of them and you never seem to speak of them, so I- "

"It's okay," Yoongi heaved. "It's fine, actually, I was meaning to tell you, I just didn't know when,"

One of his hands started to play with her hair, and Jangmi noticed that he did that a lot. It was some sort of a stress reliever for him.

"As a child, my parents were my everything. I thought they were the greatest people in the world because they were good rulers, kind in everything that they did, gentle with both humans and animals alike. But of course, they had their enemies. I was eleven years old when they were murdered,"

A small gasp left Jangmi's lips as the Emperor continued.

"One night, a group of rebels had snuck into the palace, determined to assassinate them, hating their reign over the people. I had got up to find Namjoon because he had promised me that he would show me the secret passage he found in the library. As I was passing the hallway, I saw a few men leave my parents room, and thankfully they didn't see me. When I went into their room, I saw both of their throats slit, blood everywhere,"

Something clouded Yoongi's eyes as he remembered the image, the feeling of pain, shock and horror once again arising in his chest. But the feeling steadied as he felt a smaller hand upon his cheek, as though reassuring him.

"I was too young to take the throne at the time," He swallowed. "But when I turned sixteen, I was crowned and the first thing I did was hunt down my parents' murderers and everyone associated with them. I destroyed villages and towns and families all in the anger of my parents' death, not remembering that it was my duty to continue their leadership from where they had left off. This scar was a gift from the man who slit the throat of my mother,"

"Sometimes," His voice had fallen to a whisper now. "Sometimes I think that my parents wouldn't be proud of me for the ruin I have caused. They're most likely angry at my actions in the afterlife,"

There was a pause as the two regarded his words.

"You were just a boy," Jangmi said softly. "A child. No infant should be made to go through you had to see. And yes, your actions in the past were wrong, but you see them and now you have the opportunity to correct them, rule a peaceful reign,"

"A peaceful reign with you," Yoongi murmered, his head buried in the crook of her neck, his lips tickling the skin that was exposed.

"A reign that will last a hundred years with you, my love,"