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A cup of steaming, medicated tea in his hand, Jungkook was striding towards his room when he was suddenly stilled by the king’s dulcet tones.

“Jungkook, my wife is looking for one of her maids.  A young woman named Jina.  You haven’t seen her, have you?  She was due to visit Moonflower at ten this morning.  But she hasn’t shown up.”

Jungkook stared blankly at the wall in front of him.  If he lied to the king, he could be severely punished.  But if the king discovered the girl in his bed, they could both be severely punished.  And she worse than he.

“I ran into her in the corridor last night.  She was extremely ill.  She was on her way to the kitchen.  A guard accosted her.  But she repelled him by claiming to have the plague.”  His lips quirked as he recounted the tale.

“The plague!?” Yoongi’s eyebrows took flight.  

Jungkook grinned as his eyes met the king’s.  “It worked.  The man took off.”

Yoongi laughed.  “Clever girl.”  Then he furrowed his brow.  “Did you witness the man threatening her?”

Jungkook nodded.

“Do you know which guard it was?”

Jungkook bobbed his head.  “It was Chanyeol.”

Yoongi growled.  “I have never liked that man.  Now I know why.  Thank you for the warning.  I will have someone keep an eye on him.”  Yoongi watched as evident relief flooded Jungkook’s face.  “You have a soft spot for Jina?  You were worried the man would hurt her?”

“I wouldn’t say I have a soft spot for her.  I barely know her.  The little I’ve seen of her has revealed her to be someone who thinks with her heart before her head.  I’m afraid she’s going to get herself into trouble one of these days…”

Yoongi laughed.  “Sounds familiar.  Someone who thinks more with his heart than his head…Hmm…Who could that refer to, I wonder?”  Yoongi was gazing at Jungkook as a smile danced about his lips.

Jungkook grimaced.  “You’re referring to me, aren’t you?”

Yoongi nodded.  “Could it be, Jungkook, that you have met your match?”

“What?  That plain, little girl?  I don’t think so.”

“Oh-ho.  So, you deserve a great beauty, do you?”

Confused, Jungkook glanced at the floor.  “No.  I, just, I’m not attracted to her in the slightest…”

Why did a picture of her red lips curved into a smile suddenly assault his senses?  And send up a pang from his heart?  He wanted to check on her and make sure she was still breathing.   Maybe she’d open those obsidian eyes of hers and spear him with them.

Yoongi studied his young friend’s face.  “Not even a little?” he nudged him.  

But he was sorry a moment later, for he had broken Jungkook’s sweet reverie, and the young man glanced up at him and responded sharply, “Not even a little.”

Yoongi frowned.  “That’s too bad.  Moonflower adores her.  She wants to give her in marriage to a good man.  I’m running out of good men, Jungkook.  You were one of the ones I was considering.”

Jungkook swallowed.  

Dear God!  If the king discovers she’s in my bed, we’ll both be well and truly trapped!

Just then, Yoongi glanced down at the cup of tea.  “Is that for me?  How did you know I was parched?”

He reached for the cup, but Jungkook swayed away from him and drew the cup up against his chest as though to protect it from Yoongi’s grasp.

“No, Your Royal Highness, it’s got medicine in it!” he responded before he could think better of it.

“Medicine?” Yoongi quirked a raven eyebrow.  He glanced at the cup.  “Is that for Jina?”

Jungkook swallowed.  And nodded.  “She’s burning up with fever.  I was going to take it to her.”

Yoongi’s face softened.  “That is kind of you.  But you know men are not allowed in the women’s quarters.”

Jungkook’s face remained impassive.

Yoongi blinked.  Then he narrowed his eyes.  “Wait a minute.  The kitchen is over there.  The servants’ quarters are on the other side of it.  But you are here.  Near the guards’ rooms.”  His eyes pierced Jungkook.  “Where is Jina?”

Jungkook closed his eyes.  “Your Royal Highness, you know I would never lie to you…”

“Good!  I would hope not.  You’re one of my most trusted guards.  Now, out with it!  Where is she?”

Jungkook stilled.  He was signing his death warrant right now.  The death of every single romantic dream he had ever had.  Why was he being punished for one moment of compassion?

“She’s in my bed,” he murmured.

Yoongi’s eyes widened till they resembled saucers.  Which was quite a feat for his eyes to accomplish.

“She’s in your bed?!” he hissed.  “Jungkook, you do realize that she could face, at the least, a flogging for such behavior?”  

Not again!  

What was with his guards and the women of the palace?!

“We didn’t do anything.  I didn’t even join her in my bed.  When I found her last night, she passed out, and I caught her.  But I didn’t know which room was hers, and I couldn’t rouse her.  I couldn’t leave her in the hallway to be accosted by Chanyeol.  And I had to go back on duty.

“So I took her to my room.  I got her some tea.  Then I returned to my post after my break was over.  I haven’t been to bed since.  She’s still asleep.  She’s quite sick.”

Yoongi closed his eyes.  He was going to have to insist upon it.  It was the only solution.  And the least painful of his choices.  He could not ignore such a flagrant flouting of the law.  He had to impose a sentence.  Why did these men keep putting him in this situation?  

“Jungkook.  You realize you’ve put me in an impossible situation?”  Yoongi opened his eyes, and they pierced Jungkook’s.

Jungkook swallowed.  And he nodded.  He knew what was coming.  “You can’t flog her, sire.”  Jungkook’s face had turned pale.

“Of course, I can’t.  The woman wasn’t even conscious.  That would be a great miscarriage of justice.  But you knew what you were risking when you tucked her into your bed.”  

Jungkook lifted pained eyes to him.  “What would you have done, sire?”

Yoongi shook his head.  “In the middle of the night?  Taken her to the kitchen?”

“But she was unconscious.”

“To the sitting room then.  You could have laid her on the couch.”

“But she would have been unprotected, sire.  Any man coming upon her could have hurt her.  She was safe behind my door.”

Yoongi nodded.  “I understand, Jungkook, I do.  But I am king.  I have to uphold the law.  One way or another.”

“Then the law needs to change.”

Jungkook held his gaze for a few moments.

“Just because a woman is found in a man’s bed doesn’t mean she’s loose.”

“It usually does,” Yoongi countered, “when she’s not married to him.”

“But we didn’t even lie down next to each other!  I didn’t go near my bed!”  Well, that wasn’t entirely true.  “I mean, I sat down on it to settle her, but I swear I didn’t touch her purity!”

Yoongi nodded.  “Jungkook, I believe you.  But you and I both know that the truth matters very little here.  I know you are an honorable man.  And you know what an honorable man would do in this situation.”

“But no one knows but you and me!”

“I doubt that will be so for long.  And the problem is that I do know, and if the news of this night ever leaked, and it was found out that I didn’t apply the appropriate consequences for breaking our laws, you two wouldn’t be the only ones in trouble.”

“You’re afraid of losing your crown,” Jungkook spat at him.

“No,” Yoongi’s own ire was rising, “I am afraid of putting those under me in danger.  I, too, think the laws must change.  But I can’t turn the tables overnight.  I could cause a revolt.  And we would all be in danger then.  And the women with us.  

“Someone already doesn’t want me to be king.  I can’t even identify my enemies.  But I’m pretty sure someone killed my brother and his wife.  So we have already seen they will stop at nothing to reach the throne.  

“No, I must play this game the best way I know how to.  I’m sorry, Jungkook, but you’re going to have to pay the price for helping her last night.”  Yoongi frowned.  “I am truly sorry.   But you’re going to have to marry her.”

Jungkook closed his eyes.  He had known it.  From the moment he’d had to confess the truth to the king.  Really, they were getting off lightly.  He thought of Tae and Mari.  

“I know,” he breathed.  “Thank you for the light sentence.”

“Jungkook.”

His eyes met the king’s.  

“She really is a very good woman.  I don’t believe you could find a finer bride.  Or one better suited to your temperament.”

Jungkook swallowed.  He wasn’t sure he agreed with any of that.

“May I return to my chamber and take care of her now?” he asked on a sigh.

Yoongi nodded.  “Keep your door locked.  We will have the ceremony as soon as she is well enough to say her vows.”

Jungkook nodded.  Then he bowed and departed for his room.  A room he would now be sharing with the servant girl.  His new wife.  He shook his head.  Could today get any worse?