The sun had never touched their kingdom. A red sky stretched endlessly, shadows clung to the marble towers, yet in the heart of the royal palace everything was drowned in a strange silence.
Taehyung was the first to wake. His lashes trembled, and he turned on the velvet-draped bed. His eyes landed on Jungkook, still asleep. Even in slumber, the prince seemed untouchable, his power weighed heavy on the air itself. Hesitantly, Taehyung reached out and gently brushed the hair from his forehead.
"Why do you look so human when you're asleep?"
he whispered, his voice so soft it felt as if even the walls might complain at hearing it.
Jungkook's lips curved faintly.
"Because I know you'll be watching,"
he said without opening his eyes.
Taehyung's face flushed, caught in his own innocence, and he quickly sat up, wrapping the sheet around himself. Jungkook finally opened his eyes,.their crimson glow cutting through the dark,and propped himself up on his elbows, gaze fixed only on his companion.
That was how their night (or rather, their endless night) always began. Courtiers bowed as Prince Jungkook and his companion Taehyung walked through the long, shadowed halls. Soldiers stood straighter in his presence, while Taehyung's faint smile calmed every heart, like soft rain falling on scorched earth. The kingdom respected its prince. And it loved his companion.
From the balcony, the realm stretched as far as sight could reach: forests veiled in mist, rivers faintly glimmering under the blood-soaked moonlight, villages surviving between fear and devotion. Beyond those forests, Jeon Lee ruled half his dominion with a fire of winter, scheming, waiting. But here, at least in this moment, there was peace.
Leaning on the railing, Taehyung gazed at the horizon.
"Everything feels so quiet tonight. As if the world has forgotten war."
Jungkook stepped behind him, wrapping his arms around him, resting his chin on his shoulder.
"The world remembers. But I'll burn it all before it touches you."
The weight of his seriousness pressed at Taehyung's heart, but he said nothing. He only leaned closer, knowing this gentleness, this peace, would never last.
The royal hall's walls were inlaid with black stone, red torches burning upon them. Courtiers stood in rows, eyes lowered. As Jungkook entered, the whole hall straightened at once. Taehyung followed with a light step, a soft smile on his face, as if his presence alone had softened the room's stern air.
The minister stepped forward and bowed.
"Your Highness, while patrolling the northern woods we received rumors of an uprising. They may be Jeon Lee's men."
A ripple of tension ran through the hall for a moment. Jungkook cast only one look. It was so heavy the minister fell silent by itself.
"If it is an uprising, everyone knows how it ends,"
Jungkook said in a cool tone.
Taehyung gently touched his arm.
"Blood is not always the answer, Jungkook."
The hall fell quiet. Everyone was surprised that someone would speak so softly against the prince's decision. Jungkook's eye-red glow dimmed for an instant; he was looking only at Taehyung, as if everyone else had vanished.
"And if someone harms you? Would blood still not be the answer?"he asked quietly.
Taehyung lowered his lashes.
"I would want you not to become darkness for my sake."
No one in the hall dared breathe. Jungkook nodded silently, then addressed the others.
"Increase the patrols at the border. And whoever brings these rumors, seize them and bring them before me."
The courtiers bowed and stepped back.
Later, the two of them sat together in the palace garden. There the roses, stained red as if with blood, were in bloom and their scent hung in the air. Taehyung plucked a rose and slowly handed it toward Jungkook.
"Sometimes I wonder, what would it be like if we were both just human?"
Jungkook took the flower from his hand and kissed his fingers.
"I wish I could forget you. But you are not my weakness, you are my fate. Don't think about something which isn't even a possibility, my love"
A tear gleamed in Taehyung's eye, but he smiled and turned away.
"Still… I wish the wars did not exist."