Jooni… it has been such a long time since he was called that.
The memory was too vivid, something between reality and hallucinations. After all, 10 years is not a short period of time.
Joon Wo kept looking at her, she was giving him the warmest of smiles making him wonder if it was a sincere or a fake one. "It has been a while, Princess"
Tari couldn't help but feel disappointed at the way he talked to her with formalities, thinking that this is not how it's supposed to be.
"How long are you going to stay here this time Tari?" Yu Jun interrupted sensing that tension rising among them and decided that it wasn't the right time to feel awkward.
"Oh," she said. "I think about a month or more."
"Huh!" Min Jun protested. "That is not enough!"
He was right. One month was not enough time to make up for a decade, but time and fate were a luxury that they couldn't afford.
"I can't afford more than that." She pouted. "I'm in charge of the palace and it's matters back home."
"Aw, little Tari is all grown up now!" Yu Jun said ruffling Tari's hair making the golden crown on her head fall forward to her forehead making her chuckle while protesting about how he was messing her hair that the maids took so long to make.
Outsider…
That was what Joon Wo felt as he was standing a step behind them all, the feeling of being distant not leaving him for a moment. He took another good look at them and how happy they were with each other and decided that leaving as soon as possible is the best he could do.
"I would excuse myself, I've some matters to attend to." He said grabbing their attention with the formal tone. They looked at him with an expression that he couldn't translate, it was a mixture of emotions each fighting to gain dominance but in vain.
Sadness, awkwardness, longing, disappointment, the list can go on for hours and you wouldn't get a clear answer.
He turned on his heels and walked away after he saw that the reply he was so desperately waiting for would never come, a deep part inside him hoping that one of them would call out to him and stop him from leaving telling him to stay but, they were now far behind him which made his heart sting.
"WAIT!"
A hand came out from nowhere grabbing his arm and turning him around.
"N-Nefertari?" he stuttered as she caught him off guard with a shocked questioning look over his face but most importantly, satisfaction.
"G-give me a m-moment." She said in between heavy pants placing a hand over her chest in a virtual attempt to calm her slamming heart from running over, or so she thought that was the reason for her slamming heart.
"W-what is it?" he said feeling frustration start to kick in, he could feel the sweat that was forming on his forehead from the sudden contact.
"When you are done with whatever that you are supposed to do," she said looking him directly in his duo eyes. "will you come to meet me later tonight?"
He looked at her and then at his brothers that were staring at them from behind her, frustration blocking his brain cells from thinking straight.
"A-Alright." He said. "I'll come to find you when I'm done."
The smile she gave off was enough to blind any man and make every sane man insane. He couldn't bring himself to let her down when his heart was slamming inside like a hammer.
"Jooni…" she called him even though he was still standing there in her grip looking at her glittering eyes.
She took a step closer to him not breaking the gaze they shared and wrapped her arms around his neck, making his eyes wide open with astonishment and his hands as still as a statue beside him not knowing if he should do the same or not.
"It's good to see you again, Jooni" she whispered. He could feel the gentle warm breaths coming from her mouth on the bare skin of his neck as she spoke.
Before he could reply, she pulled away from the embrace and smiled one last time at him and retreated to the rest whose mouths were opened and jaws dropped.
Standing there alone trying to gather whatever is left of his composure so that he could be on his way to meet the king. He wasn't lying when he said that he had matters to attend to. He took a couple of deep breaths with his eyes closed before turning around to be on his way.
"It's good to see you again too, Nefertari." He smiled.
~~~~
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Nefertari said looking back and forth between the three brothers who are staring at her.
"N-nothing," Jin Wo said, "just a little unexpected, I mean." He stuttered rubbing the back of his head trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Why do you think that?" she asked genuinely ignorant. "I've met him as well all this time"
Jin Wo didn't reply looking at his brothers for help like a lost puppy.
"It's kind of a long story." Yu Jun said rubbing the back of his neck.
��I've got all time you need." She smiled a little devilishly with a tilt of her head.
Yu Jun sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you."
~~~~
Joon Wo's mind was a mess as he headed to the King's throne room, but what was messier than his mind was his heart, it has been a good 5 minutes since he broke apart from her hug and it was still beating as if he is running a hurricane even though his feet barely moved.
As he got closer to his destination, he tried to calm his heart fearing that if this continues His Majesty might hear his hammering heart.
Before taking the last turn left down the hall to the throne room he heard whispers, the familiarity of one of the voices made him halt in his steps and try to make out was going on. Curiosity took the best of him and he took a glimpse over the wall to find out whose voice that was…whoever it belonged to, made him uncomfortable.
"Is everything ready?" one of the voices said as he was turning to look.
He was stunned as he saw the familiar back figure of his mother talking to the servant that he noticed was always around her.
"Yes, Your Majesty." The servant said looking at her feet. "The hitman is ready, and he will carry out the order whenever you want."
Hitman? Order? Joon Wo frowned at the weird terms that fell on his ears. Something is fishy here; he could feel deep down his guts.
He was tired of hiding, he felt low. He is a prince if he wanted to know something all he had to do was ask.
As the maid's eyes fell at him over his mother's shoulder, her eyes blew open as she recognized him, and then she bowed at him in curtsy making his mother turn and look at him with a smile hiding her anxiety with a weak smile.
"Oh, son," she said. "What brings you here?"
"I came because I have an audience with the king. I shall ask you the same thing mother." He said the life in his duo eyes that he had when he was Tari was now long gone, replaced with the lifeless empty one.
She was clearly shocked by what she heard which meant that she didn't know about this meeting beforehand like she usually does. "What a coincidence! I just finished my audience with His Majesty." She said giving him that fake smile that no one would doubt.
"I've to get going before I'm late, excuse me." He said bowing his and walked past his mother.
"May I remind you not to forget to gain His Majesty's favor." She spat out over her shoulder as he walked past her not sparing him a glance. "Be smart and don't let those 10 years go to waste."
"I don't know what part of I don't want the throne do you not understand mother." He said. "Apologize if that was rude. Now, if you will excuse me." He looked over at his mother who was trembling with anger and then walked to the door as they fell open by the servants from the inside, giving him room to pass.
"That arrogant brat." She spat out clinching her fists next to her.
~~~~
"Welcome home my son," the king said with a grin on his face. "I haven't been able to welcome you before now. Please forgive a busy old man."
"I am most honored, Your Majesty. You flatter me." Joon Wo said keeping his head down with his hands in front of him.
"It makes me proud of how you've grown up my boy." He said. "The Wangs should be thanked for how they raised you."
Joon Wo almost scoffed out loud at his father's ignorance if it weren't for the sound of the doors opening again revealing his brother, Yu Jun.
"Greetings Your Majesty." Yu Jun said.
"Now that you are both here," the king said. "Shall we get to the point of this meeting?"
They looked at each other and then back at their king.
"We are here for a little hunt!"