Chapter 1-The Nation’s Darling

The Kingdom of Elarion loved two things more than religion.

The Crown.

And Seo Jaemin Arden.

Sometimes not even in that order.

“Jaemin, look here!”

“Seo Jaemin! Over here!”

“Baby, I skipped work for you!”

The actor lowered his sunglasses just enough to wink at the screaming crowd outside the airport. Hundreds screamed louder instantly.

Phones flashed.

Security panicked.

Jaemin laughed.

He looked expensive even breathing.

Silver rings on pale fingers. Black silk shirt half unbuttoned. Long coat dragging behind him like he was entering a drama scene instead of arriving from Milan Fashion Week.

“Move,” his manager hissed at the guards. “If he gets scratched, Chairman Arden will kill all of us.”

Jaemin snorted. “My brother first.”

That was true.

Seo Minhyuk Arden was far scarier than their father.

The Arden family stood just below royalty in Elarion, but everyone knew money spoke louder than crowns now. The royal family ruled the country.

The Arden family owned half of it.

Banks.

Media.

Luxury brands.

Hospitals.

Film companies.

Defense shares nobody openly discussed.

And at the center of that monstrous empire was the family’s youngest son.

Spoiled beyond reason.

Protected beyond morality.

Loved beyond sanity.

Seo Jaemin smiled lazily at fans while walking backward.

A bodyguard looked ready to faint. “Young master, please watch the stairs—”

Too late.

Jaemin missed a step.

Several people gasped.

Before he could even steady himself, four guards grabbed him like the nation would collapse if he bruised his knee.

Jaemin burst out laughing.

“You’d think I got shot.”

“Young master,” the oldest guard muttered with deep pain in his eyes, “last time you got a fever, Chairman Seo had six doctors investigated.”

“That wasn’t my fault.”

“You licked ice sculptures at an event.”

Jaemin shrugged. “They looked refreshing.”

The guards looked exhausted.

Fans looked enchanted.

That was Seo Jaemin.

A walking disaster everyone adored anyway.

Especially one person.

—

Inside the royal palace, silence ruled like law.

Black marble floors.

Gold ceilings.

Cold air.

Servants who bowed without speaking.

And at the end of the massive hall sat the youngest king in Elarion’s history.

King Cassian Valerius de Elarion.

Twenty-nine years old.

Beautiful enough to make headlines.

Cruel enough to silence them.

The ministers stood trembling before him.

Cassian flipped through documents lazily.

“Minister Han.”

The old man nearly jumped. “Y-Your Majesty.”

“You embezzled government funds.”

Silence.

Then the minister shakily fell to his knees. “Your Majesty, I can explain—”

“Mm.”

Cassian signed another paper.

“Execute him.”

The room froze.

The minister’s face drained white. “Y-Your Majesty?!”

Cassian finally looked up.

Cold gray eyes.

Emotionless.

“You used money meant for orphan support programs to buy a third estate home for your mistress.” He tilted his head slightly. “Why would I let you live?”

“Please—”

“Take him away.”

Royal guards dragged the screaming man out.

Nobody dared speak.

Cassian leaned back in his throne, bored already.

Then his secretary hurried inside carefully.

“Your Majesty.”

“What.”

“The airport footage of Young Master Arden is trending again.”

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Ministers lowered their heads further.

Cassian held out his hand silently.

The secretary gave him the tablet.

A video played.

Jaemin laughing.

Jaemin teasing guards.

Jaemin nearly falling.

Cassian’s expression darkened immediately.

“Who designed those stairs?”

“…Your Majesty?”

“The airport stairs.”

Silence.

The secretary swallowed.

“I want the architect investigated.”

“…Understood.”

The ministers stared at the floor harder.

Because this—

This was the terrifying part about the king.

He could order executions without blinking.

Yet one tiny stumble from Seo Jaemin could ruin someone’s career.

Cassian replayed the clip once more.

Jaemin’s smile softened his entire face unconsciously.

The secretary pretended not to notice.

Everyone in the palace knew.

Nobody spoke of it.

Not after what happened to Prince Adrian.

Cassian’s older half-brother had once drunkenly called Jaemin “pretty enough to share.”

Three days later, Adrian lost all military authority and disappeared from public view permanently.

The former king blamed political instability.

The royal family knew better.

Cassian closed the tablet gently.

“Prepare the west wing.”

The secretary blinked.

“…For Young Master Arden?”

Cassian’s voice lowered slightly.

“He hates the lavender scent they used last time.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And replace the chef.”

“…The chef?”

“He put mushrooms in Jaemin’s pasta.”

The secretary silently wrote everything down.

Because King Cassian remembered every single thing about Seo Jaemin.

Every allergy.

Every habit.

Every expression.

Every lover.

Especially the lovers.

A minister once asked why certain celebrities mysteriously vanished from entertainment after dating Jaemin.

Cassian had smiled.

The minister retired the next day.

—

That evening, the retired royal family attended a formal banquet inside the palace.

Former King Leopold de Elarion sat stiffly in his wheelchair.

Beside him sat Queen Evelyne.

Beautiful.

Elegant.

Empty-eyed.

Cassian ignored both of them.

The former king’s hand trembled with fury watching his son command the room.

He used to own this palace.

Now even servants ignored him.

Because everyone knew why he sat in that wheelchair.

Nobody had proof.

But everyone knew.

Cassian entered the banquet hall wearing black military-form formalwear.

Instant silence.

Absolute authority followed him naturally now.

Leopold’s jaw tightened.

“You’ve grown arrogant.”

Cassian didn’t even look at him.

“No,” he said calmly. “I simply no longer pretend to respect you.”

Queen Evelyne immediately stepped in nervously.

“Cassian, your father only means—”

“He is not my father.”

Silence dropped heavily.

The queen paled.

Cassian finally looked at her.

“You once told me to endure beatings quietly so he wouldn’t replace you with another queen.” His smile was faint and cruel. “Congratulations. You kept your title.”

Her eyes reddened instantly.

Cassian walked past them.

Unmoved.

Untouched.

Until—

“Jaejae!”

The entire atmosphere shifted.

Seo Jaemin had arrived.

Late.

Of course.

He walked into the royal banquet like it belonged to him.

And maybe it did.

The former nobles looked irritated.

The younger generation looked obsessed.

Cassian looked alive for the first time all evening.

Jaemin grinned brightly upon seeing him.

“Your Majesty.”

Cassian stepped down from the platform himself.

A king.

Walking first.

Toward one man.

Whispers exploded instantly.

Jaemin laughed softly. “People are staring again.”

“Let them.”

Cassian adjusted the collar of Jaemin’s coat naturally.

“Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

“I was sleeping.”

“You posted on social media two hours ago.”

Jaemin smiled shamelessly. “Caught me.”

Cassian looked at him for a long moment.

Completely helpless.

Seo Minhyuk Arden entered behind his younger brother then, tall and composed in a dark suit.

Unlike Jaemin’s playful beauty, Minhyuk carried quiet danger.

He greeted the king casually.

“Your Majesty.”

“Chairman Seo.”

The two men shook hands.

An alliance stronger than most governments.

Minhyuk glanced between them knowingly.

“You still haven’t confessed?”

Cassian’s expression remained calm.

Jaemin looked scandalized. Even though they were whispering, he heard it.

“You’ve been in love since age twelve. At this point even the palace ghosts know.”

Several nearby nobles choked violently.

Cassian merely sipped his wine.

Jaemin rolled his eyes dramatically.

Cassian finally spoke quietly.

“I can wait.”

Jaemin froze for half a second.

Because that tone

That terrifyingly patient tone

Always made him feel strange.

As if Cassian could wait forever.

Or destroy the world tomorrow.

Depending entirely on him.

And honestly?

That devotion scared Jaemin a little.

Which was exactly why he kept pretending not to understand it.

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