Only the sound of hurried footsteps echoes off the immense palace's walls as the lithe servant boy swiftly pads along the left wing's corridor. After bowing his head to the royal guard that with much diligence stands tall and mighty next to the entrance of the prince's chambers, the boy puts a halt to his great haste once he comes face to face with the big oak door.

Taking a moment to recover from the exercise of climbing approximately two hundred steps in the span of two minutes - if not less - Taehyung mentally prepares himself for whatever it is the capricious prince has found urgent enough this time to have him running all the way up from the kitchen at two in the afternoon. 

In this brief moment of recovery, Taehyung rubs the palm of his hand on his forehead to take the slight dampness of sweat away, and rearranges his hair to hopefully look decent. Being a witness of his distress the guard sends him a sympathetic look, a much appreciated silent encouragement that is followed by a dimpled smile, and the gesture feels so warm and sincere that Taehyung thinks it a crime not to smile back. With a smile of his own, he swiftly knocks on the thick wooden surface, only three little rasps, the sound of his soft knuckles against the door barely audible, and he waits a prudent period of fifteen seconds before twisting the golden knob and letting himself in.

All royal chambers are, in essence, breathtakingly large and exquisitely decorated with the most unnecessary objects to the point of making it difficult to find what one looks for, but Taehyung needn’t more than a few seconds to spot the lax, however timelessly elegant, figure of the prince laid carelessly atop the costly lounge that sits at the furthest end of the room.

The moment his presence is noted and those impatient eyes meet his gaze, Taehyung's response is mostly mechanical, instantly displaying the required courtesy with a bow at a much practiced degree. He purposely ignores the painful sound of his spine cracking, which results from forcing his body to straighten back up with perhaps too much urgency, and wastes no time in approaching the awaiting prince.

"Tae, my dear friend, to be sure one of these days your excess of politeness will break your back. But what took you so long?", the prince protests with a pout. "I thought I would die of old age waiting for you!"

His tone comes across more playful than serious, which is quite a relief, Taehyung thinks. In spite of the overly friendly greeting, he continues to stand still at a proper distance, watching as the prince elegantly stretches out his arms and leaves the lounge to stand in front of him - his long-time proclaimed favorite servant.

"I am awfully sorry, your highness. I was told you urgently required of my assistance and thus I hurried the best I could but-" Taehyung tries to explain in one breath the reason behind his tardiness, but he is promptly cut off, the gentle pressure of a hand on his shoulder startling him into silence.

"Please Tae, do halt all sort of formalities. Between us they are absurd, and it tires me to hear you speak so," his voice is firm, his eyes are not. Taehyung visibly relaxes.

"I am terribly sorry."

"Will you cease all unnecessary apologies also?"

"Yes, as you wish your high-", he struggles for a second, " Jimin ."

The prince, Jimin, seems pleased enough to grant him a smile. "See? That is much better," he says, walking past Taehyung to the marble desk. Taehyung does not move from his spot, nor do his eyes follow the prince's movements. It has become a second nature of his - all of this not doing anything until he is ordered to. Although he does not have to wait for long, for the prince soon comes back to him with a golden letter in his small hand and a determined expression on his face. Being considerably shorter than his servant, Jimin has to glance up at Taehyung, fingers thrumming idly on the delicate piece of paper. "Now, should I entrust you with this?"

Taehyung, feeling momentarily lost, blurts out: "What is that?", and immediately after saying this, he is painfully aware of how abhorrently idiotic it sounded. Prince Jimin is already snickering at his lapse, and Taehyung can feel his cheeks heat up in utter abashment.

"A letter, silly! You shall deliver it."

"Me?", Taehyung points at himself. The prince nods. "Should not Namjoon be a most suitable choice to do such a thing?", he boldly questions the prince's judgment, and after taking in consideration how coarse this is coming from a servant, he mentally beats himself.

The prince groans and rolls his eyes at Taehyung. "Well, precisely, he is a royal guard, Tae!" Patience has never been one of Jimin's traits, but for his favorite servant, he appears willing to conceal himself. "Do you know, guards are always being monitored. If he went to deliver a letter of mine I feel sure my parents should in less than an hour find out that I was messing with a commoner. An inevitable torture would take place if they ever found out. They would never allow me to see the light of day again, for a while at least."

Taehyung nods in understanding, having to force his mouth shut as soon as the beginning of an apology threatens to come out. He, better than anyone else, understands the prince's fright of being caught.

It is most unfortunate, but the prince's parents have always been against his ways, and more often than not, Taehyung has been the one to hear his cries and keep him company from the other side of the locked door. Countless of times, Taehyung has witnessed how the prince was dragged and locked away into the dark confines of a dull tower, kept isolated for days that easily turned into weeks. The king and queen weren't only cruel and cold to their own son, but even with more intensity to the humble people that worked under their command, those they considered lesser human beings. Maids, servants and guards alike were common victims of their nasty glares and constant mistreatment, and Taehyung, well, he has been here for as long as he remembers, and he supposes getting used to any sort of ill treatment has since birth been his only option.

"What do you say? You will help me, will you not?"

Taehyung does not have a choice anyway.

"Of course."

The prince looks up at him with starry eyes. "Thank you, Tae. I knew you would do this for me, you are the kindest creature I know."

They smile at each other. Despite sharing blood and heritage with his dreadful parents, Taehyung is convinced prince Jimin is nothing like them. Although an impatient young man who is bratty at times too, he possesses an outstanding source of kindness and sense of right. To the prince, everyone is equal regardless of their status or gender, and he seems to have a particular liking for the hardworking men that make their living outside of the palace's grounds, which is problematic, indeed. Nonetheless, Taehyung strongly believes in prince Jimin. He is their only hope for a better future.

The golden letter is placed in Taehyung's awaiting hand, and when he looks up from it, the prince is regarding him with an all too serious look.

"I needn’t say this is to be kept extremely confidential. You must hide the letter well under your coat, grab your mount, and set off to the other side of the river as soon as you can. It is not too far away, the second farm on the hill." Taehyung nods, and he is a bit puzzled by the adorable lovestruck smile that lightens up the prince's entire face as he adds in a secretive tone, "His name is Jeon Jungkook, and he runs a horse farm."

Taehyung grants the prince one of his boxlike smiles. "Second farm on the hill, Jeon Jungkook," he repeats, working to retain the details inside his head.

»»————««

The afternoon sun shines pleasantly over them as Taehyung gently urges his palomino mare to gallop a little bit faster. It is such a beautiful day outside. There is not a cloud in the cerulean sky, and he should be using this one in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy the time away from the sickening walls of the palace, but Taehyung has to dwell in pessimism. It is likely that he will get a scolding from Seokjin later, when he finds out he left without finishing his duties. He is supposed to be scrubbing the kitchen floors as of now, not attending to the needs of the prince's fickle love affair!

Taehyung takes out the letter from the folds of his coat and stares at the envelope. JK is written in elaborate calligraphy, a small heart drawn next to it.

Love.

Why must the prince seek love where only trouble would arise?

It is not that he does not wish for the prince to be happy with whoever he chooses to be, quite the contrary. Taehyung wishes for him that kind of happiness and health, but looking for love among the hearts of the working-class men is the sort of madness that will bring the prince pain, and subsequently, put Taehyung in a tight spot.

Taehyung realizes now just how dangerous the task really is, and negative thoughts begin to flood his mind. Soon, he thinks, the guards will surely begin to notice his constant come and go, they should find it odd and report it to the higher-ups. After all, Taehyung is but a mere servant, and he is not allowed to leave the castle on his own unless ordered to. In a matter of days, weeks if luck is on his side, they will have the whole ordeal figured out, and the prince will once again be forbidden of even more liberties. Taehyung prefers not to think what his fate would be if the worst were to happen. Oh, how he wishes he had declined!

He should laugh at his own stupidity. There is no possible way he could have declined, it was never his place to go against royal orders.

On the bright side, which is hard to see for Taehyung at this moment, these little trips surrounded by nature will without a doubt do good to his soul.

After a while of wandering, Taehyung arrives at what he hopes is the second farm on the hill, and stops to better admire the awe-inspiring sight. He carefully gets off his horse and takes hold of the reins, purposely tying them to a nearby wooden post so his only means of transport will not run off while he is away fulfilling his duty.

Whilst walking along the stone path that leads to a beautiful blue farmhouse, which is surrounded by extensive lush fields filled with pasture, a monarch butterfly flutters about Taehyung’s head, and he fails to contain his childish excitement. Being a person who both cherishes and values every single child of nature, he simply cannot help himself as he watches, completely mesmerized, how the small creature seems to follow him wherever he goes, and its little colorful wings attempt to tickle at his hair as if he were a flower.

The thought of him being confused for a flower entertains him greatly, and he decides to walk faster, wanting to test if the butterfly would still follow him. It does. Taehyung bursts into a fit of giggles, and he twirls around much like a carefree child would, the butterfly happily following his every movement, and soon it seems as if they are really dancing under the shade of the blue house.

As enthralled as he is, he does not take notice of an obvious presence coming near until it is too late. Taehyung jumps, startled by the sudden sound of someone clearing their throat rather harshly. Sadly, the friendly butterfly is scared away and vanishes from view. Taehyung's brows go taut with some sort of immature annoyance, and he quickly turns around, hoping to find the one at fault.

He sees a young man, standing with his arms crossed over a puffed out chest, a stern look on his face.

Taehyung feels his own face heat up uncomfortably as realization hits him like a splash of ice cold water. The little creature had distracted him with its playfulness to the point that he had shamelessly forgotten what he had come to do here in the first place.

"May I know, who are you and what are you doing here?", the man bluntly asks. Taehyung swallows a hard lump of uneasiness at the sharpness of his voice that threatens to become hostile any second from now. "Well? Do answer. I do not believe it is fine to trespass."

"Oh, my most sincere apologies, sir," Taehyung bows deeply, not really knowing what else he is to do to amend such offense. "My name is Kim Taehyung, and I am looking for Jeon Jungkook."

The man lifts one curious eyebrow, "That would be me."

Despite the stoic tone he uses, Taehyung notices the corners of his lips tilting to form an endearing smirk.

He ought to be prince Jimin's current love interest, Taehyung thinks. He has to admit that he understands now why the prince would risk pursuing a relationship with someone like him, a farmer of all people, undeterred by the consequences of doing so. This fine man, whom he has most regrettably offended, exudes an undeniable attractiveness that must be at length appreciated. Well built body, sharp jaw, jet black hair parted in the middle, a strong nose, and big brown eyes-

Inevitably, their eyes meet for the very first time, and it is almost magical, but mostly strange, how the world seems to freeze around the two of them for a brief moment.

Taehyung is the first to break the connection by averting his eyes, and he seeks to focus on the boring, safe ground instead. He fears the man's gaze will become more and more intimidating the longer he holds it.

Silence follows, but the sound of footsteps steadily growing louder takes him by surprise. The man, Jeon Jungkook, is no doubt approaching him with slow but confident strides that have Taehyung sweating cold on the spot without really knowing why.

Jungkook comes so close their shoes almost touch, looks at Taehyung up and down, and hums appreciatively.

"I am certain I have never seen you 'round here before," his voice doesn't strike Taehyung as sharp nor hostile anymore - the change may be subtle, but it is definitely there. His softer, lower tone fortunately serves to appease Taehyung's nerves, a little. "Now I am intrigued. What matters do you have with me?"

"I… I am only delivering a letter," Taehyung does not dare meet his eye yet, hands hastily searching under his coat until he takes hold of the golden letter, which he wastes no time in offering to Jungkook. As he patiently waits for the other to take it, Taehyung feels sudden warmth encircling his shaky hand, and he has to suppress a gasp. Slowly lifting his gaze, he notes the man's veiny hands are now on his. Those hands, though comparatively bigger and rougher, hold his with an unmistakable tenderness.

"You are trembling like a leaf," Jungkook calmly states, and Taehyung's head snaps up to find those big chocolate eyes staring intensely at him. "I hope I did not frighten you. If so, I apologize. I do not mean to be harsh, however, I understand if I come across as a little terrifying," he chuckles. “After all, I am not used to having visitors, and I never really know how to receive them." 

Taehyung shakes his head, caught in an extraordinary daze, hazel eyes dropping shyly. "Oh no, there is hardly any need to apologize, sir. It is entirely my fault, I am easily frightened."

"Easily frightened," Jungkook repeats, amused. "Much like a small animal."

The endearing comparison brings a sincere smile to Taehyung's lips. Jungkook's thumb, although idle, gently caresses the back of his hand, occasionally rubbing over his knuckles in a comforting manner. Taehyung does not mind the touch at all. The current situation feels like a spell, and he finds himself completely immersed in Jungkook's eyes for some unknown reason. He forgets time, chores and duties, prince Jimin and his letter...

The letter! Where is it? Taehyung panics, all of sudden awfully aware that it isn't in his hand anymore, eyes searching frantic as he looks around.

Upon seeing it lying on the ground, discarded, Taehyung gasps softly. "Sir, your letter-"

Albeit haltingly, Jungkook finally releases his hand and awkwardly steps back, as if suddenly aware that he should keep some distance between them. "Yes, I know." He bends down to pick it up, and looks awestruck for a moment when his eyes inspect the paper. "Wait, this cannot be..."

"It is," Taehyung nods, offering a small smile. "The prince will be expecting your reply. I shall come tomorrow morning to retrieve it, sir."

With that said, Taehyung knows he has fulfilled his task and is ready to leave, but before he even manages to move an inch away from the man, there is a hand circled around his left wrist that gently holds him in place.

"Please, call me Jungkook."

"Jungkook," Taehyung concedes, and his eyes oddly focus on the way Jungkook moistens his lips with the tip of his tongue. 

Then, the hold on his wrist disappears, but the tingling sensation lingers, and Taehyung almost runs back to his awaiting horse, heart pounding so incredibly fast that he can feel it on his ears.

The blond is already speeding away from the farm, yet Jungkook still gazes after him.