Jung Wheein is just a young girl when she rescues and cares for what she thought was a stray puppy, until the animal mysteriously disappears one day, leaving behind a single collar bell. Several years later, a fox spirit prince by the name of Kim Ta...
Wheein should have known this wasn't going to be an ordinary tour of the royal grounds.
She lets out a heaving sigh as Taehyung drags her under a cherry blossom tree in the palace gardens, already quite sure of what is about to happen. The fox spirit prince clears his throat shyly and peers into her eyes with a determined gaze, holding her hands tight in his own and repeating the same question he's already asked her five times today in their previous stops on the impromptu tour. "Wheein-ah, will you marry me?"
"Tae," The exasperation is evident in her tone of voice, as she sits down on the plush grass beneath them, Taehyung immediately following suit. "This garden is beautiful and all, but you need to stop proposing to me at every place you take me to see around the palace."
The pout that settles across Taehyung's lips is clearly a new tactic he hasn't tried out just yet, but it might just be the secret weapon he needs, because the longer Wheein finds herself staring at it the more she begins to wonder if saying yes could be all too bad. Then she remembers that yes, it could be very much be that bad. She doesn't even want to get married, for fuck's sake. Curse that cute face and those disarming puppy eyes. "But- But-"
Wheein reaches up to fondly ruffle his hair, unintentionally grazing the set of fluffy fox ears that sit atop his head. The fox spirit prince lets out an involuntary shudder in pleasure, eyes closing and a soft happy whine slipping from between his lips as he leans in to encourage her to continue. "I'm very honored that you've chosen me, Tae Tae, but like I said, I'm not ready to get married just yet. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, one for someone you want to spend the rest of your days with. You have so much of your life in front of you, I don't want you to jump into this only to have regrets later on."
"I would never have any regrets! I want to spend the rest of my life with Wheeinie!" Taehyung insists, a soft rumble of happiness emerging from his vocal chords as Wheein continues to scratch lightly at the base of his ears. "Only Wheeinie can make me happy for the rest of my life!"
"Sweet talker," Wheein mutters. It seems using genuine human logic is a waste on the fox prince currently all but curled up in her lap to give her better access to scratching at his ears, his fluffy tail brushing up against her arm every now and then as it whips around in uncontrollable joy. Despite the mild exasperation in her tone, her gaze is fond as she cards his fingers through Taehyung's hair repeatedly. With the way he cherishes her, it really is too difficult to not fall a little deeper every time they meet. But Wheein is too cautious of a person, and every moment she spends with the fox spirit feels too fleeting, too good to be true. She needs more time to process, more time to trust. "You need to be patient, Tae. Humans... humans can be cowardly sometimes, afraid of the what-ifs of the future, of getting hurt. We're not as brave as you all, so willing to love and give your all to someone you care about. It's selfish of me to ask, but could you wait for me a little longer?"
"For you, I can wait forever." Taehyung murmurs sleepily.
Wheein's hand stills momentarily as her heart skips a beat at his words, before going back to running through Taehyung's tousled hair. "Thank you."
Thank you for loving me.
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