Chapter Text
The work chamber of the prince was a very private space, with only a select few individuals ever setting foot in there since the prince took charge of Thalia at the age of thirteen.
A little over five years and a few months later, the monarch had little to no power over the fortress of loyal servants the prince had built.
Which is why, while most people would show panic or trepidation to the sudden presence behind them, well… the prince was not most people.
There was no sound in the room except for the scratches of quills against papers, the room was illuminated in a warm glow despite the sun glaring down on the world from the highest point. It made the figure cover in black distinct like a sore thumb.
The man, who emerged from the shadows of a tree that was by the prince’s balcony, took soundless steps before he knelt just adjacent to the prince behind him, with his hand on his heart and face to the floor.
"I greet the blessed sun of the Seseong."
The respected figure did nothing. He didn't show any indication of acknowledging the presence behind him.
But the man remained kneeling.
Minutes passed, close to an hour, and only after the final paper was placed in the completed pile did the prince react. He contracted the muscles in his shoulder before relaxing into his chair, "Speak."
"His mother gave birth, your highness. It is a boy. It does not seem like the boy will be here at the castle for the entirety of his mother's maternity leave.”
Hyunjae knew that. The boy told him himself before leaving.
"Where does he live?" He asked blankly, staring forward, devoid of any interest.
It was just knowledge that he wanted to know. The prince knew about and asked about a lot of things, to the point that there was no pattern to his interests, no predictions for his actions.
That is, of course, to the eyes that always looked for complexity in his patterns.
If the prince was interested he was invested. If he was not then he was not. If he loses interest, he'll simply stop investing.
"The Hans hold a house, near the west border of the capital, a two story building, four bedrooms, one living, one study, a porch and a yard. They have a twenty five year payment plan for the house with four years and seven month paid-"
They bought it after Yoojin was born.
"-a tenant family of four live on their first floor. Father: alpha, mother: omega, eldest child- daughter: showing avid signs that she is an alpha, two years older than Han Yoojin. Younger child- son, three years old."
The man paused his report, waiting to hear if the prince would interject. He could go on and on reciting his thirty page report but he rather not waste the prince's time.
"Alpha tenant in a beta household, I'm assuming they were somehow related?"
"They were classmates of Mr. Han in the Seseong academy."
"He's stable?" The prince asked, fidgeting with the emblem of Anneth solaris that the prince uses as one of his paper weights. One had to be in a house with four children.
The silence stretched a few seconds too long making the monarch-to-be narrow his eyes.
The man chose to continue before there could be any property damage.
"He is mostly. The man had taken to drinking recently after losing his job. It was not deemed noteworthy because even before the awakening the daughter had an over-looming presence on her father. The child has enough to keep him in check."
He hummed, content with the report for now. He flicked his hand and the man vanished into the shadow of the tree.
It had been over a week since Mrs. Han's six month maternity leave had ended.
He knew he wasn't in the library before even setting a foot inside.
The atmosphere of the place is more breathable with the child's presence. It wasn't. Not right now.
The prince had waited a week, hoping the young boy would seek him out first but when he didn't show up for the Eighth day…
Sung Hyunjae has the sudden need to fetch his books himself.
He entered and followed the distinct smell of the beta woman he had picked up on Yoojin far too many times.
And there she was going through a catalog and marking what the library had received and what was remaining.
He stood there for a moment, kind enough to let the woman finish (and noticing how similar the focus of her was to her son’s).
The world could be burning and the woman would die without noticing it.
The boy wasn't like that. Probably because of his father. The prince moved and so did she.
She looked up briefly, her nerves betraying her in the presence she had been in far too many times for her linking, before rising hurriedly to bow. Before she could lower her head fully, the prince spoke, his words halting her mid-motion.
"Don't waste my time."
The woman stood still awkwardly, eyes cast down, not daring to look at the young man in all his royal presence.
He opened his mouth before closing it again with a twitch of his finger. The prince didn't like the unwanted filter that was his alpha. Always questioning his words before he spits them out anyway.
It took a lot of resistance but the prince was apt enough now to not have his alpha influence his words or decision.
But there were instances where the man would agree with his instinct and on rare occasions he would induled it outside of his rut.
Right now was just one of those instances. He did not like how similar the woman looked to the young thing he owns. Her face was soft, just like the boys, and her eyes... a complete replica of the obsidian.
Hyunjae sighed, closing his eyes and raising a hand to his cheek, falling back to his courtroom image, completely erasing his aura.
He opened his eyes again, a light playful gold as he lightly folded his arms in front of him, a hand slightly raised but not quite resting on his chin.
The tension visibly vanished from the air and the woman's shoulder.
"I was walking around and noticed you, How are you children Mrs. Han." The prince smiled, giving his best one that made people lay down at his feet asking to be walked over.
The woman took a peek at the young man and she relaxed completely. She tugged a stray strand of hair behind her ear, cheeks dusting a light pink.
That was different from her boy. He alway made a very interestingly disgusted expression wheneven the prince smiled like that.
"They are both very well, your highness. Yoojin often tells his younger brother how lucky he is to be born since he will grow up in a Seseong under your highness's rule." The woman bowed slightly, placing a hand over her heart, thanking him.
Hyunjae's smile didn't change but those who saw him often would notice the sharp upturn of his lips on the left.
"Mrs. Han knows just what to say in order to appease royalty."
The woman flinched and bowed a little deeper. "T-Thank you your highness."
Fear doesn't suit that face.
The prince sighed internally while putting a cork in his instincts.
"Still your older boy must love his dongsaeng very much to not have visited the castle once in the last six months."
The way the older woman flinched did not go unnoticed by the price. "Y-y-yes your h-highness Yoojin loves... o-ou-our l-little Y-Yoohyun."
What kind of mother hesitates talking about her child?
"He must be very lovely, your jageun adeul?"
"Y-yes Yoojin finds him very l-lo-lovely."
Hyunjae blinked a plan churning in his eyes and a smile growing on his lips.
"Very well. Mrs. Han please send an assortment of five books. Two picture books by Maticeè Laurada and three... hmmm, something light to read on economics and culture and- right! Are there any new publications by Jude Sartha?"
"Two, your highness- Water and land: new evidence of fairies habitats and the magical forest and creatures we know."
"Perfect!" The prince beamed, like actually freaking glowed. "Please make sure they are in my room before the quarter of the hour.”
Without waiting for a response, Hyunjae turned around and left the area.
"Taewon."
A man appeared from the prince’s shadow, his face solemn, drawn in disconsort as he fell in step with the prince.
"Please don't."
The golden haired young man beamed (again) at his shadow knight, excessively satisfied with the weariness growing on the other's face.
"Don't worry. I'll be extra careful not to get caught."
"You're nineteen."
"So are you."
"-point is. You're not a child. The prince has duties to-"
"Let's not drag this out shall we, you'll say something, then I'll say something, and we'll repeat till I'm stultified and use my authority to make you do it anyway. So Let's just cut right to it."
The prince looked at the man beside him making sure the man was looking back at him.
"This is an order, vice-captain of the shadow knight, please prepare for it."
Song Taewon sighed wondering why he even tried anymore before vanishing into the shadows.
A man stopped before the wooden gate opening way into a small yard before the porch. His bronze eyes observed the property before him.
Surrounded by a five feet stone boundary, with an ample yard in front (and back with a small flower and veggie garden), the two story stone house was probably the most glowy in the area. Perfect to raise children in.
Now only if this was not so close to the magic forest.
Bronze eyes eyed the boundary of the magic forest that was barely fifty meters away from the house.
Magic beasts don't roam within two kilometers of their forest boundaries. If the place wasn't safe, a living establishment would not be permitted here.
His voice of reason(read: Taewon) reminded the man as he sighed and pushed open the gate.
Not even three steps in and the stench of an alpha preventing him from taking the fourth.
He took that step anyway.
"Who the fuck you think you are!? Stepping on my fucking property, you snotty shit!?"
A man, the same height as the prince outed the house, promising pain to anyone who intruded on his domain.
He tried to get in the young man's face but the said young man stepped back, his light brown cloak swishing around his feat.
Not because of fear of course, it was to avoid the spit projectiles the drunkard was spewing.
And don't get him started on the stench of alcohol.
"Yeah! crawl back to where you came from!?"
The man in the cloak barely hid his amused smile, "Pardon me, sir, this is Han's residence, isn't it?"
The man blinked, not really registering what the intruder was saying. He just flared his pheromones and opened his mouth, probably to scream, shout or cry, who knows?
Because before he could utter anything at all, a wooden stick slammed into the side of his face, effectively knocking the man out as he crumpled to the floor.
Bronze eyes blinked.
As a little girl landed before him.
She giggled, sighed and looked way too pleased with herself.
"Sorry about him, this is Han's residency and you are?"
Brown eyes blinked in complete innocence like she hadn't just knocked a guy black out four times her size.
He likes her.
"Sigma." The man nodded. "I am sent from the palace to deliver something for Mr. Han."
The girl blinked, then hummed, spun the stick with way too much efficiency before pointing it to that man's face.
"Two scenarios. First - you're telling the truth but got the timing wrong, Mr. Han's at work. If it's urgent you can just take it back and give it to him. Second..."
The stick inched closer to his face, almost touching his nose.
"You're lying to get into their house to steal valuables, in which case you're more than welcome to join this piece of work on the floor." The girl smirked, tightening her grip on her weapon of choice.
Inwardly, Hyunjae smiled. Oh! How he wanted to keep her.
Outwardly, Sigma blinked, again, "...it's for Mr. Han Yoojin."
The girl's smirk fell, eyes worriedly glancing back at the house before looking back at the man, putting on her best poker face.
It needed some work.
"Yoojin’s not at home either. Just hand it to Mr. or Mrs. Han." The girl shrugged before she placed her hand behind her head and started whistling.
How inconspicuous, he thought, barely holding back a smile.
"I'm sorry young lady but I have direct orders from the blessed prince to see that this," Sigma presented a bag at his hip by lifting his cloak before letting it down again. "Reaches Mr. Han Yoojin’s hand safely."
The little girl appeared conflicted, she glanced back at the man laying on the floor before looking around at nothing, trying to decide what to do.
"I can pass it to him. You can leave it to me."
"I can't. Prince's order to hand this in his hand."
The girl looked visibly frustrated and scratched her head, her dark brown hair flowing just a little past her shoulder.
"Look buddy I-"
"Hyuna." The voice came from behind the man as the door opened and closed.
He was here right behind him.
His heart beated to a happy tune, definitely the work of his alpha.
Sigma turned, bracing himself for the change that had occurred to his item that he hadn't seen for the past six months.
And then he paused.
… it hadn't changed a bit.
Aren't kids his age supposed to grow fast, his cloths were a far cry from what he wear at the castle (a white peasant shirt that had clearly seen better days with a simple brown pant and a flat sandal clearly, two sizes too big.), if anything the boy seemed to had shriveled up.
No he hadn't. That was just his alpha's interpretation.
Obsidian eyes blinked at him, so soo bright, then turned to the little girl behind him.
He had a bag with a loaf of bread peeking out of it, fresh from the smell of it.
"Yoojin, you're back!" The girl bounced over to the other boy and ruffled his hair.
I want to do that too.
Sigma smiled at the smile that spread over the young boy's face.
"Yeah, thanks for letting me borrow your sandals." The boy said as he took them off, standing bare feet on the grass, and the girl took them sliding in her feet, a perfect fit.
"You wouldn't have had to borrow it if you just waited- ah! forget it," Hyuna turned to the man, "See! told you he wasn't home!"
Sigma smiled, eyes turning into crescent yet not.
"Yes, I'll remember that hyuna is a simple person from now on."
The girl blinked wondering if it was a compliment or the man was making fun of her.
Yoojin wasn't having that kind of contemplation, he knew.
A frown etched on the six year old's face.
Oh! That is new!
Indeed it was.
"Hyuna, who is this guy?"
"I'm Sigm-"
"He's from the castle. The stupid princ-"
Small hand slammed on the girl's mouth as the bag of bread fell to the ground.
"Hyuna!!!" The boy hissed, worriedly glancing between the girl and the man, "We've talked about this!!!"
Obsidian eyes, panic stricken, looked between the girl and the man standing there.
Hyuna, for her part at least looked guilty choosing to fiddle with her dress as Yoojin removed his hands.
"Ummm... so..." The six year old tried. Desperately trying to come up with something to cover up his little secret with Hyuna.
Sigma saw an opportunity and he grabbed it with both hands.
"Ahh yes, the prince, he's very smart."
"Yes," Yoojin sighed in relief, he had been fast enough all along. "The prince is very smart!"
"Of course! He is very handsome. It wouldn't be wrong to call him the most handsome man in the entire Seseong."
Yoojin’s eye twitched. “Yes. The prince is the most handful person in the whole of Seseong!"
"...Pardon."
"Handsome!!! I said handsome!!!"
Sigma held his lips to hold back a chuckle.
Oh! he had missed this so much.
The boy was going to start stuttering, he knew, if he pushed him just a little more...
Stop it! That is enough.
His hand twitched. He did not like the way His instincts flared in the boy's presence, and if Not for the ample entertainment he provided, Hyunjae would not hesitate to cut ties.
"I am here sent by the prince Mr. Han Yoojin. My name is sigma" The man in the cloak said, bending down to the boy's level but making sure his knee didn't touch the ground lest he give the man in his shadow a heart attack.
Despite that he heard a sharp inhale from his shadow which he pointedly ignored.
"His highness?" The boy mumbled looking the man straight in his eyes.
The man nodded and brought the bag forward showing the boy a glimpse of it.
"He asked me to give you these. May I help you take them inside? These are heavy."
Curiosity was instantly changed to wariness as the man talked about entering his house.
Good. Very good. Don't just let anyone enter your house. Good job Yoojin.
These were one of those instances where he agreed with his instinct.
He raised his hand and pulled the hood of the cloak back to let the rays of the sun fall onto his brown locks.
"...please take these back. Or at least come at night when my parents are home."
Good jo-
"Very well!" Sigma stood back to his full height, dusting his clothes despite not having a speck of dirt on them.
"I shall come at a later time even though it's tiring to carry these books back and forth."
The boy blinked, head tilting sideways.
"Books? What books?”
The brown haired man smiled. Hook, line and sinker.
“Oh nothing, there were two new Jude sarth-"
"This way!" The boy all but yelled, hurriedly picking up the bag of bread, he handed Hyuna a bun from it. Before grabbing the man's cloak.
"This is a two story building but the second floor is only accessible through the stair in the back garden. Come quick Sir Sigma!"
No! No bad Yoojin! Books are enough to throw off your sense of caution!?
Sigma just quietly laughed.
"I'm home Yoohyun!! Hyunjun!" Yoojin announced entering the house. He turned to sigma.
"Please remove your shoes before entering Sir."
The man smiled a small smile as he removed his shoes. He had learned from his outing that some people preferred to walk barefoot in their homes.
But it was a lost concept to royalty.
Yet he took them off as a toddler came running, with striking resemblances to the girl he had met.
"Yoojin you bacm!" The smaller boy hugged the older.
The six year old laughed before taking out a bun out of the bag and handing it to the smaller child.
"Here, don't let Hyuna take any from you. She already had one and thank you for staying with Yoohyun."
He said before sending the boy on his way. The two people, so vastly different in compositions, entered the hallway and sigma realised something.
His balcony alone is bigger than their entire living room.
There was nothing but a bookshelf a little away from the window with well used cushions around it and a simple table with four seats with gates to the two bedrooms in opposite corners of the house.
Nothing more, and going by the content look of the little boy's face, nothing less.
"You can keep it on the table." The boy said, excusing himself as he went to a bedroom and shouted merrily, "Yoohyun!"
There were a few tiny giggles as the brown haired man placed the books from his bag on the table.
The young man was thoroughly amused. He had been to many places outside of the castle, even the capital.
But this was the first time he was in someone's house.
No... this was definitely a home.
If the giggles were anything to go by.
"Yoohyun say hello," Yoojin said as he brought his younger brother out, cradled against his tiny chest. "This is Sir Sigma, he is a..."
"Kight." The brown haired man supplied smoothly. Looking at the tiny, tiny human attached to his thing.
And then the baby looked at him.
...ill...it...
Ki...t...
Kill...
...it...
...kill it...
......kill it......kill it......kill it......kill it......kiLl It......KILl iT......KiLL it......KiLl iT......kILL iT.....KILL IT.....KILL IT.....KILL IT...KILL IT...KILL IT...KILL IT...KILLLL
The room was still. Nothing changed. But inwardly, it took every fiber of his being to not let the small smile on his lips to falter become tense.
Stopping his hands from clenching was hurting more than it actually would if he clenched his hand and tore the skin of his palm.
Ahhhh! Of course the mother doesn't like to talk about the child...he is like me.
It was a miracle Mrs. Han was alive. the prince had devoured the entirety of his mother when he was born.
Sigma suppressed the shudder trying to crawl up on him, his alpha was already sensitive, and so far he had been trying to ignore that. Keeping his mind off of what was to come in two weeks time.
An alpha's rut happens twice a year on its own but external factors (stress, a sudden threat, or an omega's heat and further research required) can and do influence the frequency.
So yeah… he had been pointedly keeping his mind off of it.
He still had two days before his inhibitor insignia needed renewal.
But even the best of it could not stop the actual internal struggle that nobody actually ever seemed to notice.
Well everyone except Taewon. If the vibration in his feet was anything to go by.
The little baby felt it too. Of course he did. He was just like him.
But he was powerless to act. Unable to protect himself, he did the only thing left to him—he began to cry.
Weak little thing! That's right! Know your place.
The six year old boy was instantly alert, "Yoohyun!" He cried, bobbing the little boy up and down to calm him down. "Don't cry, please. Sir sigma was sent by the prince; he won't do anything."
Moisture collected in the dark obsidian eyes, not quite flowing down.
"Clam down baby... calm" Yoojin lowered his voice trying not to cry himself.
My-
Sigma slammed a lid down on his pheromones and instincts. That was enough for now. He came to focus on his thing. Not to have his thing focused on another.
The boy calmed down a little, focusing on his big brother. Yoojin smiled and leaned his face close to his brother rubbing his nose on the-
Hyunjae blinked.
Suddenly finding himself in a white plane.
He looked around, golden hair flowing with the wind that seemed to flow from every direction he turned his face to.
Where was he? Every direction he looked there was white. As far as he looked was white.
I should be panicking... I think.
But he felt just so calm.
Golden eyes hid behind the flutter of his eye lashes and he smiled as another gust of wind caressed his face.
He could stay here forever.
...nja...
Closed eyes furrowed slightly. Head tilting into the unnatural warmth on his face.
Hy....ae
He dug his face further into the warmth raising his hands to hold it back only to find out he couldn't.
He couldn't move.
Hyunjae!!!
Golden eyes snapped open... pouring right into obsidian.
"Hyunjae!" Yoojin whisper-shouted again, holding his face in both his tiny hands.
Golden eyes blinked. He tried to move again only to realise he was pinned to the floor.
An arm pressing his shoulder down with his hands bound in a hand much larger than his.
"...Taewon?"
The other man didn't say anything, just making sure that his friend was safely plastered to the floor.
Looking at the confusion on his face, Yoojin sighed.
"He's fine, vice-captain Taewon." Yoojin said, looking at the much larger man before looking back at the golden eyes. "Safe to release?"
"Am I a rabid dog?"
"You were." Taewon answered, releasing his grip on the prince, helping him to sit up. "Only for a moment. But you were."
Hyunjae didn't say anything. Feeling oddly calm. Now that he was sitting, he just wanted to lie down again and sleep.
"...Are you okay?" Yoojin asked carefully, standing at an angle so that he could lay hand on the prince but the other couldn't.
"I'm..." hyunjae licked his lips, he looked at his hands then back on the floor. "...gonna...lie down for a few moments."
And then the only prince of the strongest nation proceeded to lay on the hard cold floor of one of his employee’s.