Crown & Dagger (Taekook)
The return
The palace of the Eastern Kingdom was alive with quiet whispers. Lanterns glowed along the corridors, and guards stood stiff at their posts, awaiting the honored guests who had just arrived from the West.
From the shadows of the outer courtyard, Kim Taehyung watched. The crown prince of the East carried himself with calm dignity, yet a storm stirred beneath the surface.
It had been years-seven, to be exact-since he had last seen Jeon Jungkook. Back then, he had been a boy of ten, following Kim Taehyung with wide eyes and endless questions. A boy who clung to his every word, who laughed too easily, who gazed at him with a devotion too heavy for one so young.
Now, the boy had returned a man.
Seventeen years old, tall and lean, with the sharp bearing of someone born to inherit a throne. His gaze was steady, his movements composed, his steps echoing with confidence that had not been there before.
But what unsettled Kim Taehyung most was the way those eyes-still dark and burning-found him across the courtyard. The look was no longer childish admiration. It was something heavier, fiercer, a flame that Kim Taehyung wanted neither to acknowledge nor extinguish.
Minister liu
Your Highness,
a minister whispered at his side, bowing low.
Minister liu
The Crown Prince of the West has arrived to pay respects. Should we not greet him more formally?
Taehyung's fingers tightened inside his sleeves.
Kim Taehyung
There is no need. He is a guest, not a conqueror.
But his calm words belied the faint unease creeping through his chest.
That night, atter the welcome banquet, Kim Taehyung slipped into the quiet of the imperial gardens. He had hoped the solitude would soothe him. Instead, it betrayed him.
For under the starlight, he found Jeon Jungkook waiting.
The young man leaned casually against the stone railing, his expression composed but his eyes bright with something unspoken.
Jeon Jungkook
Your Highness,
he greeted softly, voice deeper than Kim Taehyung remembered.
Jeon Jungkook
It has been a long time.
Taehyung’s breath caught. For a moment, he saw the boy who used to follow him with scrolls clutched to his chest, eager for lessons. But that boy was gone.
Kim Taehyung
You've grown,
Kim Taehyung said at last, his tone measured.
Jeon Jungkook smiled faintly, but his gaze did not waver.
Jeon Jungkook
And you have not changed. Still as I remember.
Something in his words made Kim Taehyung's chest tighten. He turned away, unwilling to meet the weight of that stare.
Seven years had passed, yet somehow, the bond between them had not dissolved—it had only grown sharper, more dangerous.
And Kim Taehyung, heir to the Eastern throne, could not afford danger of this kind.
Author
The boy has returned as a man. What will Kim Taehyung do now that Jeon Jungkook stands before him again?
The weight of expectations
Spring breathed life into the Eastern Kingdom.
Plum blossoms scattered across the courtyards, and lanterns swayed gently in the breeze.
Servants hurried through the palace corridors, their voices hushed, as if afraid to disturb the fragile peace.
Inside the Hall of Records, Crown Prince Kim Taehyung sat surrounded by memorials and scrolls.
The golden robe he wore-embroidered with coiled dragons-felt heavier than armor. At twenty-five, the future of the kingdom pressed down on his shoulders, leaving him little space to breathe.
That morning, the ministers had pressed him again: a marriage must be arranged, an alliance secured. His father's health waned with every passing season, and the question of succession lingered like a shadow.
Kim Taehyung closed the scroll in his hands, unable to focus. Instead of court matters, his thoughts returned to last night in the garden-the boy who had grown into a man.
Kim Taehyung
(Jeon Jungkook)
At seventeen, he had changed beyond recognition. Taller, sharper, with an air of quiet authority that did not belong to a child. Yet in his eyes burned the same fire Kim Taehyung remembered from years ago-untamed, unyielding, and fixed solely on him.
A soft voice broke his thoughts.
Kim Taehyung turned. His younger sister, Kim Jennie , stood at the doorway, balancing a tray of tea.
Only fifteen, she was the heart of their family, her laughter the one light that eased the palace's heavy air.
Kim Jennie
Mother says you haven't touched your tea all morning,
she said with a pout, stepping closer.
Kim Taehyung's expression softened instantly. He rose to take the tray from her hands.
Kim Taehyung
I've been busy, that's all. You needn't worry.
Kim Jennie
You always say that,*muttering*
Kim Jennie
Even the servants whisper that you work too much. Don't you ever get tired?
A faint smile tugged at his lips. He brushed a hand gently over her hair.
Kim Taehyung
When one is crown prince, duty leaves no room for weariness.
Kim Jennie
I'm glad I'm not crown prince, then.
She wrinkled her nose, earning a low chuckle from him. But her next words froze the warmth in his chest.
Kim Jennie
Mother told me... there's talk of my marriage.
With the Western Kingdom.
The teacup in Kim Taehyung's hand trembled.
Kim Taehyung
Who told you that?
Kim Jennie
Mother herself. She said the Queen of the West hopes I'll marry her son. That way, our kingdoms will be stronger. Isn't that good?
Kim Taehyung's smile faded. Good-for politics, perhaps. But the thought of his gentle sister bound to Jeon Jungkook unsettled him in a way he couldn't explain.
In the Western guest courtyard, Jeon Jungkook stood beneath the plum trees, their blossoms pale against the night. At seventeen, he bore the weight of a kingdom's future on his shoulders.
But there was one truth he had never questioned
It had never been Kim Jennie.
It had always been Kim Taehyung.
And this time, he would not allow duty, alliance, or even Kim Taehyung himself to deny it.
Jeon Jungkook’s heart is set-how long can Kim Taehyung keep turning away?
A dangerous proposal
The banquet hall was filled with music, laughter, and the clinking of wine cups. Silk banners shimmered in the lamplight, and platters of delicacies covered the long tables.
Ministers from both kingdoms exchanged polite words, each sentence laced with caution.
At the center of it all, Kim Taehyung sat in silence beside his father, the Emperor of the East. He kept his expression calm, but his gaze drifted toward the Western envoy table, where Jeon Jungkook sat.
The young crown prince carried himself with quiet composure, every movement betraying a discipline beyond his years. He spoke little, but when he did, even the older ministers leaned forward to listen. It was startling, almost unsettling, to see how much he had grown into his role.
And yet, every so often, Kim Taehyung would catch him looking his way. Never openly-just the flicker of dark eyes, a gaze that lingered a breath too long before sliding away.
Kim Taehyung forced his attention back to his wine cup. He had lived too long in the palace not to recognize danger when he saw it.
Later that night, after the banquet ended,Kim Taehyung accompanied his father back to his chambers. The old Emperor moved slowly, his steps unsteady, but his mind remained sharp.
his father murmured once they were alone.
King Kim
What do you think?
Taehyung hesitated. Politics demanded a careful answer.
Kim Taehyung
He has grown capable. The Western Kingdom is in strong hands.
The Emperor's lips curved faintly.
King Kim
All the more reason we must secure peace with them. The ministers are pressing for a union.
His father's gaze sharpened.
King Kim
Between your sister and Prince Jeon. The Queen of the West has already hinted at her approval. It would strengthen both thrones.
The words struck Taehyung harder than he expected. For a moment, he could only hear the echo of his sister's voice that morning, her innocent question about marriage.
Kim Taehyung
Jennie is still young. Should we not-
King Kim
Peace does not wait for youth,
the Emperor cut him off, coughing into his sleeve.
King Kim
This marriage would secure her future. And yours.
Taehyung bowed deeply, concealing the storm within his chest.
Kim Taehyung
Yes, Father.
That same evening, in the Western guest courtyard, Jeon Jungkook stood beneath the lanterns. He dismissed his attendants and leaned against the stone railing, his thoughts far from politics.
He had heard the whispers. He knew what the two thrones were plotting.
Jeon Jungkook
(A marriage. To Kim Jennie.)
His lips curled into a humorless smile.
They had all misunderstood. His loyalty, his devotion, his heart—it had never been for Kim Jennie.
It had always been for Kim Taehyung.
And if Kim Taehyung tried to deny it, if the kingdoms tried to force his hand... then Jeon Jungkook would simply make him face the truth.
Author
The throne’s plan a marriage, but Jeon Jungkook’s heart is already set. How long before these hidden truth collide?
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