Chapter Text
it used to be younghoon and jaehyun only, and jaehyun believed that things would remain the same
the prince and him had always been together since the beginning. being a son of the royal family’s high ranked knight, jaehyun was raised as the prince’s playmate. as the two grew up together, they became closer than anyone else. jaehyun’s playful yet caring trait matched well with younghoon’s timid yet affectionate personality.
their connection made jaehyun believe that the prince and him were destined to be together. as soon as jaehyun finished his training to be one of the royal knights, he was even assigned as younghoon’s personal guard.
as the prince’s personal knight, of course jaehyun was responsible for younghoon’s well-being and safety, making him the one who kept the prince company 24/7. then, things somehow progressed into something unexpected.
it happened on a chilly winter night. before they knew it, jaehyun already had younghoon underneath him, right on the prince’s spacious bed. younghoon’s soft skin pressed against his own, his eyes glistened, emitting intoxicating moans as jaehyun moved inside him.
without them realizing, it had become something constant, the nights they spent together like that already became countless. each time they became one with each other, jaehyun believed that younghoon loved him, just like how he loved the prince.
but, changes were inevitable and time sided with no one. things started to crumble apart-at least for jaehyun, when he received a call from the palace. turned out that he has been assigned to become one of the commanders for the royal family.
it was supposed to be a good thing, an achievement. but jaehyun couldn’t find himself feel truly happy about it, because it meant someone else would take his position as younghoon’s personal knight.
that’s when lee juyeon appeared in their life-in younghoon’s life to be exact.
lee juyeon. the man was famous for being one of the brightest among the knights in training. highly skilled in swordsmanship, notable strength in combat, as well as a genius in tactics, that’s what lee juyeon was known for.
when jaehyun received the news about his newly assigned position, he began to question about the person that would replace him as younghoon’s personal guard. and it turned out to be lee juyeon.
as the one who shouldered the duty as younghoon’s personal knight for a long time, jaehyun was responsible to be the younger man’s mentor before leaving his post, and that included formally introducing juyeon to younghoon.
and there was something which jaehyun found hard to ignore as the prince and his soon-to-be personal knight met each other for the first time.
it was the way juyeon looked at the prince with adoring eyes.
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sometimes, younghoon couldn’t help but wonder what love was. being the one and only royal prince, he had met countless beautiful ladies. from the princess from a neighbouring country to the daughter of the wealthiest duke, yet none of them managed to gain younghoon’s attention.
perhaps, the closest thing he could call love was lee jaehyun, the person who stayed by his side longer and closer than anyone else ever did, and also the very person who took his first.
yet, even with all the experiences and memories he shared with jaehyun, younghoon still found himself questioning. was the thing he shared with jaehyun really love? or was it a mere lust?
he was aware it sounded messed up, but he couldn’t deny that question of his.
days passed by, younghoon continued to wonder, and that’s when lee juyeon suddenly appeared in his life.
contrary to his appearance, the young man was filled with innocence, and it intrigued younghoon.
juyeon’s existence made the prince felt a kind of thrill and curiosity he had never felt before-- not even when he was with jaehyun. younghoon found it rather ironic, considering that the young man was assigned to be jaehyun’s replacement.
and all younghoon needed to fill his curiosity was a brush of his fingertips, his hand grazing against the younger man’s strong arm as he drew his knight into something unfathomable. before they realized it, the prince was already laid down on the mattress, juyeon’s firm body was pressed against his as their lips met in a heated kiss.
it gave younghoon some sort of a deja vu , images of his first night with jaehyun flashing to his mind.
“your majesty…” juyeon muttered in his deep voice as he broke the kiss, hesitation apparent on his visage even as he had younghoon’s arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
younghoon was completely aware that the younger man was filled with both doubt and fear. unlike him and jaehyun who knew each other for a long time, lee juyeon was just a newly assigned personal knight. they barely knew one another, and if somebody found out, people would probably accuse the young knight for lying a finger on the royal prince.
younghoon knew that, and yet he still continued to push juyeon’s button.
“call me by my name, juyeon”
the younger man didn’t even know what had gotten into him. just like that, just by that single order, every ounce of hesitation juyeon was having suddenly disappeared, replaced by want and need.
the next moment, he already got lost in an overwhelming pleasure, groaning as the prince’s walls clenched tightly around his manhood each time he moved and thrusted deeper, all hesitation gone.
meanwhile, all of younghoon’s curiosity was answered as he moaned and writhed underneath his knight.
he finally realized that he didn’t know such a thing called love.
all he wanted was pleasure.
either with jaehyun or with juyeon, for him, it was nothing but lust.
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juyeon was in love. he was in love with the prince.
he knew that it was wrong, to fall in love with someone whose social status belonged to a completely different level from him, not to mention that his duty was to guard and protect that person.
he knew it was wrong, yet juyeon was unable to help his own feelings. after the first night they spent together, the prince would stay in his mind. whether it was day or night, all he could think about was kim younghoon. the prince was so beautiful, and juyeon couldn’t help but fall in love.
little did he know, that he wasn’t the only person who had experienced it with the prince. he wasn’t the only one who had ever seen the prince in that state.
before him, there was lee jaehyun.
one night, he finally discovered the bitter truth. at that time, the prince insisted that he didn’t have to stay on guard and could take some time off since someone ‘trustworthy’ would be in charge. when asked about who it was, the prince told him that it was his former personal guard, lee jaehyun.
the prince’s answer only got him questioning things even further. feeling unconvinced, juyeon decided to pay a visit to the prince’s chamber that night.
the voice he heard as he stood right in front of the door became his answer, making him stop his steps from entering the chamber.
the sound of the prince’s familiar moan could be heard even from the outside.
“jaehyun-” juyeon’s eyes widened as he heard the name.
“ahh… yeah, right there, you’re so good, jaehyun- ah! ” as he continued listening to the prince’s voice, juyeon found himself clenching his fist, his fingernail digging into his own skin.
he was not the only one for the prince, and definitely not the first.
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“are you mine, younghoon?” it was definitely not easy to utter that question. in fact, it took a lot of courage for jaehyun to ask the question.
the two were entangled with one another in the prince’s bed, the room reeked heavy of sex.
“you know i don’t belong to anyone, jaehyun. or more like, i can’t belong to anyone.” younghoon’s answer was simple, and expected. yet jaehyun still felt an ache inside his heart.
all this time, jaehyun never bothered to ask such a thing to the prince. he knew that there was no way the prince and him would ever be together--at least officially. as the one and only royal prince, someday he would have to marry someone--a woman, just so he could produce an heir and continue the royal family’s bloodline.
yet today, he found himself asking the taboo, just right when he and the prince were given time together after so long-- which felt like hundreds of years to jaehyun.
during his time away from the prince, anxiety and insecurity filled jaehyun’s mind. to think someone else was given the privilege to be around the prince just like he used to, spending his time with the prince, and perhaps, doing the things he used to do with the prince as well, all those thoughts drove him to uneasiness.
the images of lee juyeon doing all those things kept flashing on his mind, and jaehyun hated it.
eventually, he found out that his insecurity was not something unreasonable when he overheard the prince one night.
it was one rare moment when jaehyun was allowed to leave his post. as soon as he was granted free time, he made his way to the prince’s place.
and yet, the sight which greeted him as he made his way towards the prince’s chamber was something he wished he never saw. he was passing by the prince’s personal living room when he saw them-the prince lying underneath someone else, emitting moans that used to be heard by jaehyun only.
and that someone else turned out to be lee juyeon.
he could have stopped them, he could have made their way towards the two and separated them by force, and then took the prince away from lee juyeon.
but, did he even have the rights? that was when jaehyun finally realized that all this time, he was the only one in love, not the prince. and he definitely was not the only one for the prince.
without making any sort of sound, jaehyun quietly left the place, the sound of younghoon’s moans echoing in his head as he walked away.
the incident became a realization for jaehyun. now he knew that the prince merely used him to satisfy his lust.
despite knowing that, he still found himself agreeing when younghoon asked him to spend one night with him.
at first, it confused jaehyun. after all, he already had lee juyeon, so why bother requesting for his presence?
in the end, he decided to grant the prince’s request so he could utter the question he had been itching to ask.
he knew it was risky-no, it was a taboo. yet he still gathered the courage to question the prince.
and in the end, the prince’s answer did nothing to satisfy him.
younghoon’s answer made jaehyun realize that perhaps both knights have been trapped in the prince’s little game of love or lust. the beautiful prince got them both--jaehyun and juyeon captivated even with just a brush of his fingertips.
but, jaehyun was not willing to let younghoon win.
that’s how he ended up confronting lee juyeon. one evening, jaehyun invited him for a game of chess. the invitation came off as a surprise for the younger, especially after he discovered the truth about the prince and his former guard.
as the two knights were engaged in the game, nothing but silence filled the room. but the silence lasted no more when jaehyun started speaking. without hesitation, the older knight revealed the truth-- about him and younghoon, and about him knowing what happened between juyeon and their beloved prince.
“right now, you probably think that i hate you, lee juyeon. and you might think that i want to get rid of you” jaehyun casually uttered the words as he moved one of the pawns.
his words caused the younger to frown, things turned nerve racking for juyeon as his mind kept moving back and forth between the game and their conversation.
“but i love younghoon, and i can tell that younghoon fancies you, just like how he has always fancied me.” jaehyun made sure to emphasize the word ‘always’, just so the younger knew that he had been in younghoon’s live longer than he did.
by now, juyeon was too distracted by jaehyun’s words, wondering what’s the older actual intention by having this game and the conversation.
“but, you know what? our beloved prince belongs to no one, and it is gonna remain that way.” jaehyun continued his words as juyeon stayed quiet, the younger was moving his next piece. it was apparent that the younger was having a difficult time to focus on the game. the young knight might be a bright one, but when it came to experiences, jaehyun was at an advantage.
without even waiting for any respond from the younger, jaehyun began speaking again.
“if younghoon belongs to no one, but still wants us both…..” with a smirk, jaehyun moved the next piece, “then we will grant it for him.”
juyeon was too distracted by the older’s words to even notice that his king had been captured.
and he couldn’t escape.
it was a checkmate.