Royal Pain | PJM • slow updates

Chapter 15

Jimin was in a frenzy.

As soon as he got word of the threat, he had been whisked left and right for an array of reasons. His mother scolded him for not heeding the initial threat while his father demanded a plan of action. Not knowing where to start, naturally Jimin found himself in search of Namjoon, however he, too, was all over the place. Jimin massaged his temples as the dull ache in the back of his head began to fester.

A thump on the door echoed throughout his office.

Jimin sighed before answering, "You may enter." He was pleased, and relieved, to find it was Jungkook behind the door.

The young guard bowed and shut the door before standing firmly before the prince, hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed sword. "We have completed the sweep of the prison, as requested." He informed.

Jimin sat up straighter. "And? What did you find?"

"There was one prisoner unaccounted for."

The prince's lips curled slightly at the information, for this was something they could go off of. "Wonderful. Could there be a correlation between this individual and the recent occurrence?"

Jungkook gave a firm nod, his eyes portraying the wheels turning in his mind. "Quite possibly. We'll look into it and report back."

Jimin clasped his hands together. "Thank you, Jungkook."

Jungkook hesitated by the door on his way out. He glanced at his elder, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. "Are you alright, Jimin? You look..." He wasn't sure how to put it without offending his friend.

Jimin briefly laughed before finishing for the nervous man, "Dreadful? Well, recent events have certainly not been kind in their timing. I already had to strategize how to proceed with the Lee's, and now this mess with the castle on top of that has not allowed me much time to rest."

It did not sit well with Jungkook to see his usually haughty and vibrant friend so tired, so he implored, "Go take some time for yourself, Jimin. It's well deserved."

Jimin pondered it for a moment before shifting his fatigued expression into a more convincingly hale one. "I'll take that into consideration. Don't trouble yourself over me, Jungkook, when you have more important matters to attend to."

Jungkook bowed again before opening the door to exit.

"And Jungkook." Jimin stopped his friend one last time. "Should you cross paths with Eunjae at all, do send her my way."

Jungkook noticed the mischievous glint in his friend's eyes and suppressed an amused chuckle, settling for a knowing smile. He saluted the prince teasingly. "I'm on it."

=*=

Eunjae huffed in vexation as her mouth was set in what seemed to have become a permanent scowl. She'd checked his office—only to find it vacant—before venturing throughout the castle in search of the absent prince. Despite asking several different castle workers, she still found herself at a loss for the irritating man's whereabouts.

"The nonsense I put up with, and for what?" Eunjae muttered under her breath to herself, missing Chaeyoung's knowledgable company.

As Eunjae aimlessly wandered through the unfamiliar second floor, sparing brief glances into each room she passed in hopes of glimpsing that unique silver hair. Losing patience, she stomped down the next hallway, only to be stopped by a sight so similar to just a few days ago.

Once again, curled up within herself with shuddering shoulders, was the mystery woman from the garden. She sat perched at the very end of the hall on a window seat overlooking the courtyard. Unlike the previous instance, this time she was clothed in only a plain silk robe layered over a simple gown. Her hair fell down her back in frizzy waves; the whole look was giving Eunjae the impression that the woman had been asleep not too long ago.