She stood watching him. She was peeking around the corner of the palace wall. His nightly job now was to stand guard outside the king’s rooms. She wasn’t sure how such a young man had been given such an important job. But she knew he was very faithful to the king. So maybe it made sense.
These were perilous times they lived in. Many people still questioned the cause of the former king’s death. She knew some people suspected that Yoongi had been behind it. There had never been any love lost between the brothers. Had Yoongi coveted his brother’s throne? Those loyal to the new king swore he had not.
When Yoongi had ascended the throne, much of the old guard had been replaced. Yoongi needed men loyal to himself. Still, she doubted that all of the current guards were faithful to him. There were a few she suspected of plotting against him. So she kept her eyes open and her ears attuned to certain quadrants. Looking for clues. Or warnings. And she kept a firm eye on Jungkook. It was especially important to her that no evil befell him.
She sighed. She knew he would never notice her. Not the way she wanted to be noticed. She was not a great beauty. She had no horrid flaw. She wasn’t scarred or impaired in any way. She was just plain.
There was nothing about her that would attract any man’s notice. Especially not the notice of someone as sublimely beautiful as Jungkook. The boy could have his pick of a thousand women. And she knew she’d be the last one in that line.
All the village girls were lovelier than her. All the women in the palace were too. Including their blind queen. She might have clouds over her eyes, but she had a stunningly winsome face.
Jina sighed. The same could not be said of her. There was, in fact, no hope for her. Jungkook would never notice her. But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t be his friend. That she couldn’t keep him safe…
—
Moonflower lay wrapped in her husband’s arms as he slept through the wee hours of the morning. She was not accustomed to sleeping at this time of the night. She missed her flowers. And her baby plants. But she had promised Yoongi that she would spend their honeymoon week locked in his arms in the middle of the night. Instead of traipsing around her garden.
But that didn’t mean she could sleep.
So she relived her wedding night instead.
They’d been ushered into the tiny bedroom as soon as their wedding ceremony had been finished. Yoongi, still tied up, had been thrust into the room by one of the masked men. They’d taken more care with Moonflower. She’d been gently prodded into the room before the door was shut in her face and locked from without…
“Yoongi, are you all right?” she whispered as she turned towards the room, her four working senses seeking him out.
“I’m fine,” he answered from the floor. “Can you help me to get out of these ropes?” He paused. “But first, take the blindfold off.”
She followed the sound of his voice. She knelt next to him on the hard floor. She reached out to touch his shoulder before her fingers slid upwards over his face to pull the blindfold off. She dropped it on the floor, then her fingers descended to find the knots. Her fingers slid along the ropes searching for a weakness. It took her quite a while to figure out where she needed to work to loosen those ropes. But once she had it figured out, her nimble fingers began to work to undo the knots.
While she tugged on the rope, Yoongi watched her. He delighted in her beautiful face, which he could see quite clearly by the light of all the candles burning in this chamber. She was glorious tonight. At some point in their adventure, she’d lost her hair ribbon, so her radiant masses of wavy, raven hair had fallen to cascade down past her shoulders. His fingers were itching to touch it.
His eyes devoured her lovely face before sliding down the smooth skin of her neck. He was growing excited. He was going to taste her skin tonight. And so many more delights he’d been barred from before. Those miscreants had done him a favor tonight. So many favors…
Moonflower worked diligently to loosen each knot. After several minutes, the ropes began to unravel as her fingers pulled this way and tugged that way. Finally, Yoongi was free. He sighed with relief as he reached for her.
He drew her close and whispered in her ear, “Hello, my queen. Thank you for freeing me.”
She smiled. “My pleasure. I’m just glad you’re finally free.”
“Me too,” he breathed across her lips before his mouth found hers. His fingers slid up to cradle her cheek.
He kissed her deeply for several long moments. Finally, he pulled back as his thumb stroked her cheek. “Moonflower, are you sure you want to consummate our marriage?” he breathed into her ear. No one would hear this conversation but the two of them. “I mean, I know you were forced to speak the vows, but I can cut myself to give them the proof they asked for.”
She gasped. “Yoongi! I would never let you cut yourself!”
He shrugged. “Just a little cut. Somewhere they wouldn’t notice.”
She shook her head as her heart melted. “I already spoke the vows. Can’t take them back now.”
“But they were made under duress.”
She shrugged. “Still…I meant every word.”
Her eyes would have been holding his had she not been blind. Even so, they were fairly accurately pinning his. He gazed past their veils to read her heart.
His own heart was shifting in his chest as her words flowed over him. “You did?”
“Absolutely. So…we might as well enjoy the rewards…” Her pale pink lips curved in a wide smile.
He grinned. “If you insist…your wish is my command, Your Royal Highness.”
She giggled as his lips found the most sensitive spot on her neck. A moment later, she made an entirely different sound.
Yoongi was the most gentle of lovers. He took his time with her and treated her so sweetly. When she finally gave him the gift she’d desired to someday relinquish to him, she felt wrapped in the warmth of his heart. And the pain of the rending was but a small price to pay to become one with him.
She was so thankful that she’d been given a husband she loved. And one she knew adored her. It made all the difference in the world tonight. She was secure in his affections. And she knew it.
They lay for a while simply enjoying the feeling of being entangled. Yoongi was covering her face in kisses while his fingers played a melody along the skin of her shoulder. She was basking in the glow of his delight in her. After a few minutes, he roused himself enough to speak.
“I feel this urgency to return to the palace. I’m worried about Taehyung.”
“Me too. But how are we going to escape from this room? They locked us in.”
“We’ll figure something out…”
Yoongi climbed from the bed and pulled his pants on. He crossed to the door and pounded on it. “Hey! Can we head back to the palace now? We have the evidence you wanted. I need to return to the palace and check on my guard. The one I know you knocked out.”
No response.
Moonflower climbed from the bed. She was a mess, and she knew it. But in this place, she was completely in the dark. Being blind was extremely frustrating when she found herself in an unfamiliar environment.
She had spent her adolescence in a very confined space, but it had given her time and place to memorize the manageable environment, and she had learned to adapt to her inability to see. But here, in an unknown room, she was helpless. She didn’t even know if she’d been left any water to use to clean herself. She was completely dependent upon Yoongi. Thankfully, he was a good man. And he adored her.
“Yoongi? Is there any water?”
He glanced her way. “Yes. And some towels. Actually, this room is outfitted quite well. They left us a lot of thoughtful touches. This is most strange.” He crossed the room to grab the jug, bowl, and towels before reaching her. He set everything down on the little table near the bed. “Allow me.”
He grabbed a towel and poured some water on it before bending to help her clean up. Fascinated, he watched as she blushed at his touch.
“Yoongi, I can bathe alone.”
“No, no. This is what a husband is for,” he admonished her gently as he kissed her while he brushed the towel across her delicate skin.
She chuckled into his mouth. “Oh, he is, is he?” Her heart was melting at his tenderness.
He frowned a moment later. “Did I hurt you?”
“A little. But I’m fine.”
“I’m concerned about getting you back to the palace. We need to find a horse. Do you think you’ll be able to ride?”
She winced at the thought, but she nodded. “I will endure whatever I need to so that we can make sure Taehyung is safe.”
“You care about him, don’t you?” Yoongi asked as his eyes searched her face.
She nodded. “He’s like a brother to me. He’s the son of the man who took me in when my parents died.”
Yoongi nodded. She was speaking of the head gardener.
“When Tae was tiny, I often cared for him. Then as he matured, my adopted appa asked him to guard me. I was hidden away within the walls of the palace, but Taehyung knew of my existence. He kept an eye out for me, made sure no one harassed me. He has always been kind to me.”
Yoongi smiled. “I am very glad to hear that he kept you safe all those years.” He grimaced. “I am so sorry that you didn’t get a conventional wedding night. One in which you could now go to sleep. And didn’t have to face the daunting task of riding a horse.”
“Yoongi, I’m not tired. Not in the slightest. I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. And the journey won’t kill me. I’ll be sore, but I’ll survive.” She glanced around to no point. It wasn’t like the answer was going to jump out at a blind woman. “But how are we going to get out of here?”
“Let’s get you dressed, then I’m going to break the door down if necessary.”
It turned out to be quite unnecessary. Their cries for help went unanswered. Yoongi beat on the door. To no avail. He reached for the knob to try to figure out how to unlock it. But as he twisted it, it turned, and the door opened.
His eyebrows flying sky high, he glanced back at her. “Moonflower, we’re free. It seems our captors require our presence no more.”
So they had beat a hasty retreat. The circumstances surrounding their wedding night might not have been ideal, but Moonflower would always remember the tenderness she had encountered in that strange room. Even if she hadn’t been able to see her surroundings. Yoongi’s mouth and his fingers had played melodies on her skin that her heart would long be humming.
