A Desire for the Moon

16

Seokjin's eyebrows were scrunched. He had been reading the peace treaty agreement for about an hour. He didn't see anything problematic, but the clause that talked about trade plans looked sketchy. He circled it and marked it 'To be discussed.' He remembered the conversation about the tablet being bugged. He was sure it was at least being mirrored. But he cared less.

As he completed reading through the treaty, he heard a knock on his door. He locked the tablet before setting it aside. Yoongi came in and bowed to him. "Your clothes for the pre-party are ready. When you are ready, I will let the make-up and hair stylists in."

In about fifteen minutes, Seokjin was ready to leave. He was wearing a suit with the empire's logo on it. The suit jacket was black and turned white halfway through. It had golden embroidered branches with leaves on one side. The shirt under the suit was black with a white tie. His hair was styled professionally with a side parting and some strands coming loose on his forehead. He wore a golden watch to match his suit and one ring on his pinky finger. The ring was his father's. The only thing that his father passed down to him.

Hoseok and Yoongi waited for the stylists to leave the room. Seokjin looked at himself in the mirror with arrogance in his eyes. Of course, he knew he was fucking handsome. He turned to Hoseok and Yoongi, "I don't want anyone following me at the party. I will send out a text or just signal you if I need you."

Hoseok and Yoongi nodded. They wanted to protest, but the authoritative voice of Seokjin had left no space for a counter-argument. "Where is Namjoon?"

"He is at the venue." Hoseok moved a little as Seokjin started to leave the room, "He is handling the security there."

A wicked smile crept up to Seokjin's lips. He knew that if Namjoon was already there, he would have to bow when Seokjin arrived there. Namjoon had to be at his best behaviour in front of the media and, most importantly, in front of his friends.

The car ride from the hotel to the venue was short. To Seokjin's surprise, the venue wasn't the palace. Instead, it was another hotel. He later got to know that the hotel was built by Arm's father. They must have been an influential family before joining the rebels. It was decorated with the most expensive flowers and clothes.

As soon as the car arrived, he noticed that the guards were waiting for them. Namjoon immediately stood in front of his door but didn't open it. Hoseok got out of the car and looked around. He looked at Namjoon and nodded. Namjoon opened the door immediately. Seokjin took a deep breath before exiting the car. Every guard bowed to him in sync as soon as he stepped out of the car. Namjoon included. Seokjin looked at Namjoon, and weirdly, he wasn't satisfied. Maybe because he knew Namjoon didn't mean it. Or maybe because it was forced. The camera flashes were blinding, but he was used to it. As he started walking, the flash became more prominent.

The hall had the same flowers as the entrance. There were a few tables that served food and drinks. As soon as they entered the hall, Namjoon was the first one to step out of the group and find a place to observe the event. Hoseok followed him shortly after and found another spot. Yoongi just mixed with other guests. Seokjin started recognizing the people at the party. He had reviewed the guest list, and most people out of the list were there. It was a huge deal, after all. One of the strongest kings had been usurped by Arm. Seokjin's eyes stopped at a lady. She wore an oyster white dress. It had a slit that started just above her knee. It had tiny pearls and white diamonds on the edge. Seokjin internally rolled his eyes when their eyes met.

Evelynn Parkson. The lady who desperately wanted to marry him a few years ago but instead married another king. She was the illegitimate child of one of the kings in his empire. The king wanted her to marry Seokjin and make sure that their kingdom was favoured more by Seokjin. But Seokjin firmly declined. It seemed that neither the daughter nor the father knew how to take a no as an answer. After being threatened with being beheaded, they finally stepped back.