Once Upon A Time | 김태형

계획 • The Plan

Jisue relaxed in her tub with her eyes closed, holding a glass of champagne in her hand. She sighed and slipped deeper into the warm water.

Because she was a long term friend of the family, she even had her own guest room in the palace.

She heard low male voices, before the door to her bedroom opened, followed by the door to her bathing chamber.

Turning around, she saw a furious Jungkook bursting into the room, completely ignoring Jisue laying naked in the bathtub.

"You look very stressed, need my help again to relax?" She smirked as she took a sip of her champagne.

Jungkook paced around the room, ignoring her question. She has seen him angry a lot of times but barely as angry as he was right now.

"Want some champagne?" She lifted the bottle, offering him some.

She heard him pull a chair closer before he sat heavily. It was that and the deep breath he took, as if fortifying himself for some hard task, that alerted her.

"What is it?" She asked nervously, her thoughts rushing through all the possibilities of what could have happened.

Jungkook leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs, his gaze intent. "You still remember our conversation about Taehyung? When you asked me about the reason why I would think he's not qualified to the position of the next throne?"

Jisue sat up, her attention riveted. "Yes?"

"Taehyung fulfills all demands for the position of the next throne, except for one," he began, then he rose to his feet and came closer to her, kneeling down at the edge of the tub. "He can't have children."

Jisue blinked while holding his gaze steadily. "What do you mean he can't have children? They just announced that y/n is pregnant."

"Jisue, he can't have children. I am telling the truth. A doctor tested him years ago and told him the harsh truth, it was hard to accept for my parents and that's why they send him to many other doctors. He underwent so many tests the past few years and all of them said the same thing. My parents are saying that it's just a wonder that y/n became pregnant but I don't believe in wonders." He took her hand as he continued. "This marriage seemed off to me since the very beginning. A royal household must be run with such discipline that we can accommodate a queen of royal blood. The queen would never allow his eldest son to marry a non-royal, who above all, was one of our servants."

"But then, that would mean that-" She suddenly stopped and shook her head slowly, as understanding dawned.

She stared at Jungkook, searching his beloved features for any sign of mischief. What Jungkook is trying to hint about the marriage of Prince Taehyung would be a dreadfully ill-conceived jest in such a way.

He nodded. "Yes, that would mean that y/n is pregnant from someone else."

Jisue couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was it really possible that the queen would arrange such a disgusting plan only to protect their family image?

"And you know what I believe?" Jungkook leaned closer, as he continued. "I believe that the real father of that baby is one of us. A Royal within this palace. One of my lovely brothers."

Jisue gasped. This was all too much for her to handle. It all seemed too bizarre to be true.

"Do you think that the queen is really able to be so cruel?" She asked.

Jungkook let out a chuckle. "The queen is much more cruel than you would ever think."

She drew in a shaky breath. She still had her troubles believing this. "What will you do now?"