The Royal Affair | Jungkook

3. Moonlit Memories

A thick heavy fog shrouded the palace grounds, the moonlight only just finding its way to shine through the layer of white cloud. The winter air was chillingly cold, your breath creating little clouds of fog as you exhaled. Your heels dug into the pebbled pavement of which you walked upon. Just like the night sky above you, your head was clouded with thoughts. Your father's emotionless face sat in your memory, reminding you of his hurtful words. It wasn't something new, he had been very distant throughout your whole childhood, ever since your mother unexpectedly passed away whilst giving birth to you. Your father blamed you for her death, and your relationship as a family was broken. He hardly ever spoke to you unless it was necessary, and if he did, you would be able to hear the hatred and disappointment in his tone. A broken family, that's what you were.

Despite all of this, he was still the king, and you were his offspring, who would take on the throne after his passing. You would marry, and live the rest of your forlorn life in the palace which you dreaded to call home. It is fate, as much as you hate to admit it, there is no way of leaving this world of royalty and riches.

At the back of the palace gardens, there was a small folly, which looked out upon the small lake next to the palace. Surrounding this folly were rose bushes, forest green, spiked bushes which overgrew and twisted their way up the large pillars of the building. Contrasting to this, each year a fresh bloom of deep, crimson roses filled the palace grounds. Blood red and alarmingly bright, they were your mother's favourite flower. She planted the rose bushes before she passed away, they were sacred to you and your father.

You stepped inside the folly, resting hands on the cold marble railing as you leaned into it, letting the cool chill of the night breeze fill you up. You shivered, gazing out upon the glistening lake which shimmered like a mirror in the moonlight. A mirror, like the one which is in your bedroom, gold painted around the edges and so shiny, you could clearly see every single, tiny freckle on your nose.

It was silent at night, living in the country was lonely. There were no sounds of horses and carriages passing by. You couldn't hear the bustle of busy farmers at market day, selling their goods. You couldn't hear the shouts of beggars or the cries of children, or the scuttling of street rats or flapping of town pigeons. It was silent, deadly silent.

Your body jolted, feeling a pair of strong muscular arms wrapping around your waist from behind. As a chin rested on your shoulder. You relaxed, inhaling the scent of Jungkook, the musky, masculine smell of your childhood best friend. His arms tightened around you as he leaned closer into your body. His warm breath tickled your neck sending flutters throughout your whole body.

"I saw you from the window," he stated, whispering quietly to answer your unspoken question which had been floating unconsciously around your head. "You didn't have to join me," you whispered back, allowing him to keep his head on your shoulder, enjoying the comfort it  brought you. "Oh, I-I can leave if you want to be alone, I'm sorry," he quickly apologised before unwrapping his arms from your waist and turning to leave.

"Wait..." you spoke out, hearing his movements halt. "Please don't leave, I enjoy your presence," you finished, before turning to face him. He looked even more perfect in the moonlight. The shadows of the night danced across the smooth honey skin of his face. His dark eyes softened as he took a step closer to you. You noticed he wasn't wearing a coat, or a jacket of any kind. His thin shirt was the only thing protecting him against the cold of the night.

You took off your fur scarf, wrapping it around his neck gently, adjusting it to rest neatly on his shoulders. "You'll catch a cold," you smiled warmly, running your hand down his arm before it returned to your side. His eyes never left yours, his dark eyelashes casting shadows over his pupils like a blanket of darkness.

"Thank you," he smiled, walking to stand by the railing overlooking the lake. You took Jungkook's large cold hand in yours, intertwining your fingers before you placed your interlocked hands in your coat pocket, feeling the warmth radiating from your palm to his. "We used to come here as children, it was our favourite place to hang out," he spoke, still looking out at the lake and beyond. "No one would ever find us here, we would spend hours playing," he smiled. You looked over at him, his perfect side profile filling your vision. "Yeah... do you remember the time we found a baby bird?" You asked, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips. "And you made me dig up worms so that we could feed it," Jungkook finished, his bunny smile taking over his face as he finally turned to face you.

His smile slowly faded. "It died you know?" He frowned, quickly looking away again to avoid eye contact. "WHAT?! You told me it flew away and rejoined its family!" You shouted, your lips quivering at this new piece of information. Jungkook sniggered, turning to face you, "yeah it flew away to join it's family... in heaven," he smiled. "Jungkoooooook!" You whined, hitting his shoulder playfully. "Why didn't you tell me the truth," you asked, looking deep into his eyes. His eyes seemed sad, the usual sparkle was missing. "Because you had a tough childhood Y/N, your mother's death was enough to cope with, I didn't want to bring you any more pain," he sighed.

Silence filled the air, the memories of your childhood once again clouding your head.

"Daddy, I have a question," you stated whilst pushing the food around on your plate. Your father, who sat at the other side of the table barely glanced at you before he nodded for you to continue. "Do I have a mother? Jungkook said that every child has a mother... where is she?" You asked, placing your fork down. "Jungkook lied." He mumbled through a mouthful of steak. "Not every child has a mother," he frowned. "Oh," you sighed, sadness filling you up as you tried to comprehend what your father was saying.

"But why?" You asked, "why don't I have a mother?" Your father's expression seemed strained, a frown pulling at his lips as he still looked down at his food, avoiding eye contact. "Daddy, where is she? Can't I see her?" You asked again, feeling the tension in the room building. "Dadd-"

Your voice was silenced by your father's plate which shattered against the wall with an ear splitting smash. Tears welled up in your eyes as your eyes settled on your father's raging figure, his eyes dark and his face red from anger. You had never seen him angry before, and it was terrifying.

"Your mother, is dead... and it's all... because... of YOU!" He breathed deeply, his tone causing your hands to shake and and your breath to hitch as you struggled to hold the tears in.

Then you ran, out of the room, as fast as your small legs could carry you.

"Thank you Jungkook," you smiled, gripping his hand tighter. "For always being there for me, no matter what you were also going through." Jungkook's smile spread across his entire face as he pressed a kiss to your forehead, "anytime princess."