Your Highness | Jakehoon

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The night is colder than it should be. A bitter wind seeps through the towering palace walls, carrying whispers of a kingdom unaware of its prince's betrayal.

Jake doesn't stop walking.

His steps echo against the marble floors, his breath shallow, uneven. Every nerve in his body tells him to turn around, but he forces himself forward, through the empty corridors, past the portraits of kings long gone.

He won't look back.

Not this time.

But his hands still tremble. His lips still burn where Sunghoon's touch lingers like a ghost-like a wound that refuses to heal.

He exhales sharply, pressing his palms against the cold stone walls as he steadies himself. The reality is suffocating. Sunghoon's words replay in his mind, a desperate promise, a reckless vow. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep you here."

Jake squeezes his eyes shut. He doesn't mean that. He can't.

A prince cannot afford love.

Not when a kingdom stands on his shoulders.

Not when war lurks in the shadows, waiting for a single misstep.

Jake learned that lesson long ago, back when they were just boys, back when Sunghoon whispered secrets into the night, swearing that nothing would ever change.

But everything did.

And Jake was foolish enough to believe otherwise.

The weight in his chest tightens, heavier than before, as he forces himself down the grand staircase leading to the courtyard. He can hear the distant chatter of the guards, the clinking of armor, the rustle of banners caught in the wind. The world moves forward, oblivious to the fact that everything inside him is unraveling.

He should have known better.

"Leaving without a goodbye?"

Jake freezes.

The voice is quiet, yet it slices through the silence like a dagger.

He doesn't turn around.

He can't.

"Jake."

There's something raw in the way Sunghoon says his name, something fragile beneath the usual steel. It's enough to make Jake's resolve falter for just a second-just long enough for Sunghoon to close the distance between them.

Too close.

Jake breathes in sharply as fingers curl around his wrist, warm and steady, tethering him to the moment. He swallows hard, keeping his gaze on the stone steps ahead.

"Let me go."

Sunghoon doesn't.

"I can't." His grip tightens, but not in a way that hurts. If anything, it feels like he's the one afraid of losing his balance. Like he's the one falling apart.

Jake exhales shakily. "You should be with her."

A muscle in Sunghoon's jaw tenses. "You know I don't love her."

Jake finally turns, eyes burning with frustration. "That doesn't matter."

Sunghoon looks at him like he's just been struck. "How can you say that?"

"Because it's the truth," Jake bites out. "You're the prince. Your people-your duty-it comes first. Always." His voice wavers despite himself. "We were never meant to be more than a memory."

Sunghoon's expression hardens, but his hands tremble against Jake's wrist. "I won't accept that."

"You don't have a choice."

"Then I'll make one." The words are sharp, unyielding. "I'll fight for you, Jake. I should have fought for you sooner."

Jake shakes his head. "And if you lose?"

Silence.

For the first time, Sunghoon looks unsure.

Jake steps back, pulling his wrist free. "You're not just risking your own life, Sunghoon. You're risking an entire kingdom. And for what? For me?" He laughs bitterly, shaking his head. "That's not love, that's selfishness."

Sunghoon's breath hitches, as if the words physically wound him. "Jake..."

Jake inhales sharply, shoving his emotions down where they can't reach him. "I'm leaving."

Sunghoon's fingers twitch at his sides, desperate to hold on. "Please don't."

Jake turns away. "Goodbye, Your Highness."

And then he's gone.

Sunghoon stands frozen in place, watching the only person he's ever truly loved disappear into the night.

The cold is unbearable now.

And for the first time in his life, the crown on his head feels like a curse.

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Thank you

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16-03-25

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11:11 pm

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Your Highness

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Parksimcafe2002