Your Highness | Jakehoon

Song Recommendation

"The Night We Met" - Lord Huron

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The air is thick with the scent of burning candles and jasmine, a stark contrast to the storm brewing within the palace walls. The ballroom has emptied, the grandeur of the evening reduced to ghostly echoes of laughter and music.

The nobles have retired, the princess has been escorted to her chambers, and the only remnants of the celebration are the flickering lanterns lining the corridors.

Jake should have left by now.

But he doesn't.

He stands in the dimly lit hallway, heart still racing, lips still tingling with the ghost of Sunghoon's kiss. His hands are clenched at his sides as if gripping onto the last shred of logic he has left.

He can't do this.

He can't afford to believe in Sunghoon's words, not after years of being overlooked, of being nothing more than a fading presence in the prince's world.

Yet, the weight of Sunghoon's confession lingers in the air like a promise neither of them should make.

"Stay with me."

Jake exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. It should be easy to leave-he's spent years preparing for it. The palace was never truly his home, and he learned long ago that love, in a world of duty and crowns, was never meant for him.

But then why does his heart waver?

"Jake."

The voice that calls him is quiet, but it holds power, enough to make him stop breathing. He doesn't turn immediately, doesn't trust himself to.

But Sunghoon is already beside him.

The prince stands there, not as the heir to the throne, not as the perfect royal everyone expects him to be-but as the boy Jake once knew. The one who used to sneak out of lessons to chase fireflies in the garden, the one who used to laugh freely before the weight of a crown silenced him.

Jake swallows, forcing himself to meet Sunghoon's gaze.

"You should be with your fiancée," Jake says, his voice hollow. "Not chasing after me."

Sunghoon exhales, stepping closer. "You think I care about her?"

Jake lets out a bitter laugh. "You should. She's your future queen."

"She's not you."

Jake's breath catches. "Sunghoon-"

"Do you think this is easy for me?" Sunghoon's voice is tight, strained. "Do you think I wanted any of this? The marriage, the crown, the expectations-none of it was my choice."

Jake's eyes burn. "But you let it happen."

Silence.

Jake shakes his head. "You let them take everything from you. And you let them take me, too."

Sunghoon's fingers twitch at his sides, as if resisting the urge to reach out again. "I never wanted to lose you."