Citadel of Hearts: The Emperor's Triumph | JC

Epilogue: Emperor's Triumph

Time skip ~6 months~

As Jeonghan felt Seungcheol's lips trailing down his throat, he gasped, halting him. The sensation sent shivers down his spine, each kiss a tantalizing tease against his skin. "Wait, stop—" he pleaded, but Seungcheol, with a mischievous grin, continued to pepper his neck with love bites, each one leaving an imprint of their heated passion.

"No," Seungcheol grinned, persisting in his assault on Jeonghan's skin, his touch igniting flames of desire within him.

"Jisoo will have my head if he sees more marks," Jeonghan groaned, the weight of their impending wedding day pressing down on him as he imagined the repercussions of his actions.

"It's alright," Seungcheol reassured, his fingers tracing tantalizing patterns along Jeonghan's sensitive skin, causing him to arch his back in response. But Jeonghan pushed him away, sitting up in bed and hastily fixing his clothes, revealing his chest littered with Seungcheol's love bites like a canvas painted with the evidence of their forbidden love.

"Why?" Seungcheol pouted, his gaze filled with longing as he reached out for Jeonghan again, only to be met with a sharp glare and a firm pushback.

"No," Jeonghan stated firmly, the gravity of their situation sinking in as he tried to maintain a semblance of control in the face of overwhelming desire, tying his hair into a bun and walking towards the mirror, his reflection a testament to the passion they shared.

In just a few hours, they were set to marry each other, yet here Seungcheol was, sneaking into Jeonghan's room once again, their secret rendezvous a dangerous game they played with their hearts on the line. If Jisoo found out, there would surely be consequences. Hence, Seungcheol had come quietly in the dead of night, their stolen moments together a forbidden fruit they couldn't resist tasting.

After waking Jeonghan with kisses, events led to them being intimate once more, the air thick with the scent of their shared desire, Jeonghan stifling his moans as Seungcheol entered him, their bodies becoming one in a dance of passion and longing.

"If Jisoo catches us now—" Jeonghan began, interrupted by a knock at the door, the sound like a thunderclap breaking through the fragile facade of their stolen moment. He glanced between the door and Seungcheol, who only offered a sheepish smile, their secret about to be exposed to the light of day.

"See!" Jeonghan whispered sharply, urging Seungcheol to hide, the urgency in his voice a reflection of the fear gripping his heart.

"Jeonghan! Open up!" Jisoo's voice rang out, a stark reminder of the danger they faced if their secret was revealed, prompting Jeonghan to hurry to the door, his pulse racing with the fear of discovery.

"What took you so long?" Jisoo inquired as he entered, his presence casting a shadow over the room, heading straight for the couch. Jeonghan breathed a sigh of relief before joining him, the weight of their secret pressing down on him like a stone.

"Just some things," Jeonghan replied, biting his tongue at the half-truth as Jisoo nodded, his gaze like a hawk's, piercing through Jeonghan's carefully constructed facade.

"Here," Jisoo said, motioning for the maid to place everything on the table, the objects gleaming in the soft light of the room. "I've bought everything you'll need for today: clothes, jewels, the traditional chain, and a veil," he announced proudly, each item a symbol of the life that awaited Jeonghan as the future queen, a life he wasn't sure he was ready to embrace.

"It's beautiful," Jeonghan remarked sincerely as Jisoo placed a hand on his shoulder, the weight of his expectations heavy upon him. "It belonged to my mother... They'll suit you perfectly, the future ruler and the partner of our king," Jisoo said proudly, his words like a balm to Jeonghan's uncertainty, eliciting a laugh from Jeonghan that rang hollow in his ears.