Royal Pain | PJM • slow updates

Chapter 1

{Present Day; 1 Year Later}

It was as fine a day as any as Eunjae and her best friend strolled through the main marketplace with interlocked arms. The two were inseparable and knew just about everything there was to know about each other. They had met through the tragic passing of both of their fathers and immediately built a strong bond, as well as reliance, on each other.

"You can't possibly be serious." Eunjae giggled into her palm as her friend recounted her tale.

"Yes!" She exclaimed dramatically. "I've never been more mortified; who knew the elderly would indulge in such activities outside the confines of their homes?"

"Lisa!" Eunjae chuckled again. "Keep it down before we get chased out of the village for obscenity again."

"I wish I could chase the memory from my mind." Her friend remarked, and the girls burst into a fit of giggles.

The two young ladies continued on their path to nowhere in particular, engaging in nothing but leisure activity after a long week. While they made their way to take a seat on the bench near the central water well, a boy not older than 6 or 7 dashed through the hordes of people and ended up stumbling on a rock. He tumbled onto the ground, landing on his front side.

Eunjae was quick to react as she hurried over to his side, assisting him upright and crouching down to check for any injuries. "Are you alright?" She asked as she gently blew on the cut that now adorned his cheek.

The young boy sniffled back his cries, giving a small nod in reply. "Yes, miss. Thank you for helping me."

Eunjae softly smiled at the boy, being reminded of her younger brother, Sungjae, who was only several years older than the child. "You're very welcome. Now stand up nice and tall like a proper boy, none of that slouching nonsense."

The boy did as told, beaming at Eunjae. A woman then pushed through the crowd, her head whipping every which way as she scanned the area. When her gaze locked on the child, her eyes shut gratefully and she swiftly planted herself in front of him. Eunjae stepped out of the way, returning to Lisa's side.

"Oh, sweetheart, look what you've done!" The mother exclaimed as she examined the bleeding cut, tutting to herself. "I told you not to hurry off like that."

"I'm sorry, momma, I was just excited." The boy spoke, downcast.

His mother smoothed down the bangs on his forehead, planting a kiss on his head as she turned her gaze onto Eunjae and Lisa. She stood, offering her hand to her son who gladly latched on.

"Please excuse my son, he gets ahead of himself sometimes." She said earnestly.

Eunjae bowed her head. "It was not a problem, ma'am. If you don't mind me asking, what was he in such a rush to get to?"

The woman's lips parted momentarily. "You haven't heard?" Eunjae shot Lisa a questioning look, but received a shrug in response. The woman continued, "Several castle representatives, possibly even members of the royal family, will be visiting within the next few days. A sort of observational enlightening for the monarchy, I suppose. There's a horse carriage ride being offered to the infants of the village, but only to those who manage to enlist for it ahead of time, hence my son's haste."

Eunjae took all this in with a delighted smile on her face as the gears in her mind turned. When the woman finished, she bowed her head graciously again, Lisa following suit. "Thank you much, miss. You and your son have a nice day."

"Bye nice lady!" The boy chimed while energetically waving his hand. Eunjae grinned, waving back before turning with Lisa to walk back towards their neighborhood.

"Hear that?" She inquired mischievously.

"The royal family could be visiting." Lisa answered in a similar tone.

Eunjae smirked. "I suppose we'll have to pay them a visit."

=*=

"This is preposterous!" Jimin declared at the news.

"Lower your voice. You will not use that tone of voice at the table, Jimin. You know better." Jimin's mother reprimanded. He promptly ignored her.

"I don't see the point in this." He argued.

"What's so difficult to grasp?" Taehyung cleverly spoke from across the table. "We'll be scouting for some eligible bachelorettes at participating towns. Searching for your future queen."

Jimin shot him a glare. Taehyung's lips tilted upwards.

Jimin's attention returned to his parents. "What do you honestly expect me to find in such a.. lowly area?"

Jimin's father, the king, grumbled, waving his hand in the air as he explained, "That portion of the trip is merely out of courtesy. Diplomatic purposes and such. It wouldn't rest well with civilians if we visited only... select provinces."

Jimin sat back in his chair, heaving a defeated sigh. "I suppose I have no choice in the matter, anyhow."

"That's my boy." The queen cheerily commented as she excused herself from the table, followed by her husband.

Jimin exited as well, striding through the spacious corridor with Taehyung, not so surprisingly, on his heels. He pivoted to face him, continuing his quick pace backwards.

"Have fun in there?" Jimin inquired half-heartedly.

Taehyung simpered. "You know I love a good tease."

"You know from what I recall, you're supposed to respect your elders. I wonder where that practice retired off to." Jimin mused sardonically.

"Ah, dear brother, don't take it so personally. I'm merely basking in the fact that you'll have to endure my same misfortune."

"Speaking of," Jimin began, "Where is that fiancée of yours?"

Taehyung shrugged. "Don't know, don't care."

"My, my, Taehyung, I didn't know you were so heartless." Jimin snorted as they rounded a corner, beginning to climb up the stairs.

"Should I have chosen her for myself and not been thrust into a blind commitment by our father, her circumstances would have been different." Taehyung bluntly stated, quickening his pace.

Jimin gnawed on his lip at his brother's words. He felt pity for the young lad who'd had a difficult upbringing. Being of only half-royal blood, he was treated as such until a certain age. The only way his father would consider him almost legitimate was to marry him off to a pre-selected—politically beneficial, of course—international monarch. It was unfair, really, considering it was the king's carelessness that lead to Taehyung's conditions, yet Taehyung had to pay for it. The said woman had arrived no more than a month ago, yet Jimin had only spotted her and Taehyung together on a handful of occasions, all of which took place during meals.

Jimin jogged to meet Taehyung's pace and clapped a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "Let's go spar for a bit, kicking your ass is exactly the therapeutical activity I need right now."

Taehyung scoffed. "I'd like to see you try."

=*=