♔ Royal Pain ♔ → kth | jjk

XXXI

"Where's Taehyung?" A weary voice croaked as a pair of dim eyes slowly looked towards the man who had just entered the master bedroom. 

It was Seokjin, carrying a bed tray of freshly made toast, eggs, a bowl of warm oatmeal, and a glass of orange juice. In the previous months, he had had to change the breakfast menu drastically from sugary waffles and crepes to what it is now, because the old man's stomach had become less and less tolerant of foods. On rare occasions would he eat even half of the meal presented, but still; Seokjin continued to do his best.

"In Jeongguk's room. Where else?" The smiling chef hummed as he gave the weary ex-King his breakfast tray. 

The old man smiled in thanks as he sat up in the bed to access the tray easier. "I see." He lifted the glass of orange juice to his chapped lips to take a drink, and then paused. "Are they awake?"

Seokjin shook his head. "To my knowledge, Taehyung is still asleep. Jeongguk, however, is in town meeting with some shop owners. There have been some issues with taxes, lately. He's attempting to come to a compromise."

The man in the bed hummed and took a sip of the juice, then set the glass back on the tray. "He's become a fine young man... How long has he been King now? 7 months, is it?"

Seokjin smiled a little, shaking his head. "10, sir..." 

"10? I suppose my mind is really slipping, eh?" He chuckled as he began to eat his breakfast. 

"Perhaps." Seokjin managed a quiet laugh, but it wasn't completely genuine. He didn't want to laugh at that, because it was true. The once-King's health had only gotten worse despite the hopes for the opposite. He was bedridden, weak, and his memory was growing faint.

"You may go, Seokjin. Thank you for the breakfast, wonderful as always." 

Seokjin bowed his head. "Would you like me to send Jeongguk in when he's back?"

The man nodded. "Yes, him and Taehyung, please. I'd like to have a word with them privately. Thank you."

Seokjin nodded once again and then left the bedroom. As soon as he left, he saw Jeongguk's mother coming down the hallway. 

With her husband slowly drifting away, she had tried to find hobbies to fill her time and distract her mind. Right now she had taken up gardening. Every morning she was out in the royal gardens watering the plants and the flowers, while Seokjin was preparing breakfast. 

This particular morning she had stayed outside longer. Her eyes were visibly irritated and Namjoon was behind her, an arm resting around her waist and his other hand on shoulder as he escorted her towards the room. 

He and Seokjin made eye contact and that was enough to confirm his suspicion.

The (now ex) Queen, who had stepped down from her position a few short weeks after her husband, had been unsteady as of late. Everyone knew it was out of grief; there was no telling when her husband would pass and her bottled up emotions had begun to break. 

How Jeongguk had managed to hold it together was a mystery. 

 -  -  -

Jeongguk had finally returned home from a long morning of meetings and socializing. The first thing he did was sit on the couch in the foyer and kick his shoes off with a heavy sigh.

The meetings had gone well. He had managed to settle the issues regarding the Kingdom's tax for the smaller businesses. He would have to adjust some things for the overall finance plan so that the economy didn't totally derail and it would be one hell of a task but at the end of the day, Jeongguk's biggest goal as King was to keep the people at peace.