Kingdom [Namjin]

24

A month flew in the blink of an eye. Namjoon was really excited to go to Myeongseong. He was double excited to meet Seokjin. A little nervous too. He didn't know why but he was not confident about the meeting. Maybe because they hadn't talked for a few weeks. The text stopped after Seokjin told him that he would be M.I.A. for a month. When they landed in Myeongseong, Namjoon sighed, "Wow, it's very humid."

Hoseok nodded as he gave a handkerchief to Namjoon, "The forecast said it is going to rain today. Maybe because of that the weather is humid."

"Welcome to my little kingdom," Yeonjun said as he walked toward the party. "I am Prince Yeonjun." He extended his hand to Namjoon.

Namjoon put on a practised smile, "Of course, I know you, prince. And Your kingdom is by no means small." He shook hands with Yeonjun and bowed a little.

Yeonjun nodded, "Oh, Seokjin hyung was right. You know how to flatter people. Please." He pointed at the cars waiting for them. "The airport is a little far from the palace. I hope you guys don't feel uncomfortable."

Namjoon was shocked by how informally Yeonjun spoke. Was he allowed to speak like that? Don't the royals in Myeongseong carry the ancient language? Namjoon shook his head, "It is perfectly alright, Yeonjun-shi. We will be alright."

Yeonjun was right. The car ride was about an hour long. Namjoon was at first intrigued by the place. It was a lot greener than Yangsang and the people there didn't stop their daily routine even when the royal vehicles were driven right in the middle of the capital. They just bowed to the cars to pay respect to whoever was inside and then got back to their work. But after about half an hour, he dozed off.

Everything was new for Namjoon. It was like he was in an entirely new world. Hoseok woke him as they reached the palace grounds. The palace was bigger than theirs. The entire aesthetics of the castle was modernised. The walls of the palace were pearl white and the floor was laid with cobalt stones. It was surrounded by various trees and gardens. As the car stopped in front of the entrance, the guards opened the door for Namjoon. The King and the Queen were waiting by the huge doors with the younger princess by their side. Namjoon bowed to the royal couple.

Seunghyun smiled at him, "Prince Namjoon. Welcome to Myeongseong."

Namjoon bowed with a hand on his heart, "Thank you for having us." he pointed at the people behind him one by one, "He is my secretary, Jung Hoseok, my chief guard, Jeon Jungkook and our captain Kim Taehyung."

The princess bowed to Namjoon, "I am Choi Yuri. A pleasure to meet you."

Namjoon bowed to her as well, "Pleasure is mine, my lady."

Yuri giggled, "God, Seokjin oppa was so right. You are so courteous." She turned to the king, "I like him already, appa!"

Okay, now Namjoon was intrigued. Did Seokjin tell them everything about him? And where was he? Namjoon expected Seokjin to be there when he reached the palace but there was no trace of Seokjin, whatsoever.

Seunghyun chuckled, "I am glad. But we talked about this, didn't we?" Yuri nodded cutely. Seunghyun turned to Namjoon, "Please make yourself at home. Don't hesitate to ask for anything."

"Of course." Namjoon smiled genuinely.

Yeonjun sighed, "I'll show you around the palace, so you can navigate freely." Namjoon nodded before following Yeonjun. Yeonjun took them to various parts of the palace, including the royal garden, the court, the main hall and the family dining room. "The dinner would be at 7:30 sharp in the evening. Please be on time. Appa hates when he has to wait for people to join the dining table." They walked past the dining room and reached the last room. Yeonjun stopped in front of the room, "This is the library. Please make sure that the librarian is there before you enter or keep someone from this kingdom with you when you enter here. It would be national treason if you are caught here alone. There are some files that are not for folks other than the royalty or the people who work here at a higher level."