mellifluous || jung wheein x kim taehyung

eleven;

"My lady?"

"Hmm?" Wheein looks up from the book she's reading to see one of the east wing maids nervously standing before her. "Oh, Simyeong! What can I do for you?"

Simyeong's face flushes under Wheein's gaze. "I'm- I'm terribly sorry to bother you right now, but his Highness has been asking for you again."

Wheein lets out a deep sigh. "He's in his study now, isn't he?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Just Wheein is fine, Simyeong-ah," Wheein waves her hand around nonchalantly. "I'm just a guest here, after all. In the human world, I'm nowhere close to nobility."

"I wouldn't dare!" Simyeong shakes her head furiously. "Everyone in the palace is aware of his Highness's affections towards you, my lady. It would be terribly disrespectful of me to address Prince Taehyung's betrothed by her name and not by an appropriate title, regardless of your status."

"Betrothed?!" Wheein almost chokes on her spit. It's bad enough Seokjin is always dragging her around the palace calling her 'sister-in-law' when others are around, now it's spread to the palace staff?! She honestly shouldn't be surprised at this point. "We're not betrothed! Who started that rumor? Was it Seokjin oppa again?!"

The way Simyeong avoids her questioning gaze is answer enough.

"That little-" Wheein huffs in frustration and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Is Taehyung calling for me because he's finished his work for the day or because he 'misses me'?"

Simyeong gnaws on her bottom lip anxiously. She knows all too well from previous experience how the rest of this conversation is going to go based on her own answer "The latter, my lady."

Wheein rolls her eyes. This isn't the first time Taehyung's tried to pull this stunt. "I hate to put you in this position every time, but would you mind returning to his study and informing him that I won't be seeing him until he finishes all the work his father assigned him? Yoongi oppa told me that they're on a very strict deadline at the moment and that Taehyung's participation and focus are essential for success."

"I'll notify his Highness right away," Simyeong can only curtsy in defeat and miserably make her way back to Taehyung's personal study as she has done far too many times in the past, leaving the library as quietly as she came.

Wheein can only sigh and shake her head, before returning her attention back to the open book sitting on her lap. It's only been several months since her first visit to the fox spirit realm and the ring pop fiasco, yet some things seem to never change. Staying true to her promise, Wheein has been making time in her schedule to visit the palace every now and then, familiarizing herself with the history of their kingdom and other aspects of fox spirit culture, whether it be by reading books from the palace library or chatting with whoever's free when she's around.

Yoongi, as well as some of the other palace officials, all seem to love taking advantage of her presence when she is here as a way to encourage Taehyung to finish his work, lest he be forced to watch as someone else shows her around the kingdom while he's locked up in his study doing paperwork. Despite their efforts, Taehyung still tends to procrastinate all his work until the day she does visit, though he never fails to try and come up with some excuse or find some way to try and spend time with Wheein before he's done. His latest trick has been sending Simyeong to seek out Wheein wherever she is around the palace and request her presence under the false pretense of some sort of urgent manner. After falling for the ruse the first several times, Wheein soon caught on to his ploy and has refused to see him until he completes his assigned work ever since.

Of course, that doesn't really ever stop him from employing other tactics.

Wheein senses him nearby before she actually sees him, the baby hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She sticks a bookmark Namjoon had gifted to her a month or two ago (the gesture had made Taehyung far too jealous at the time) into the book she's reading and shuts it close with a huff. "I know you're here, Tae. Now you've made me send poor Simyeongie back for nothing."