King Jeon Jungkook

Jeon Jungkook ascended the throne at the age of twenty-eight after the sudden death of his father. The young king quickly earned a reputation as a cool and calculating ruler. Despite his age, he maintained an iron grip on the court, rarely showed emotion, and trusted almost no one. For a long time, the only person allowed to argue with him without consequences was the Supreme General of the Royal Army, Kim Namjoon—a close childhood friend and the crown's most loyal servant.

Kim Taehyung arrived at the palace several years later. By then, he was already considered the capital's finest physician. Nobility, wealthy merchants, and even members of the royal family sought his services. Taehyung came from a respected, but not particularly influential, family, and earned his position solely through his knowledge. He was known for his calm demeanor, straightforwardness, and healing methods that were unusual for the time.

They first met when Jungkook was recovering from a severe fever for several weeks. The court physicians were helpless, so Taehyung was urgently summoned to the palace. Within a few days, the king's condition had improved significantly. At the time, no one paid any attention to it.

At first, their relationship remained strictly formal. Taehyung addressed Jungkook strictly by his title, observed all the rules of etiquette, and never allowed himself to go overboard. Jungkook, in turn, addressed him informally, as he did with most of his subjects, but treated him with respect, appreciating his professionalism.

Over time, the king began to notice a strange pattern. After being examined by other healers, he became irritated by literally everything: their touch, the smell of medicinal herbs, the presence of others nearby. However, with Taehyung, he felt calm. Only Kim was able to quickly alleviate his condition, relieve his headaches, or soothe his bouts of insomnia. Soon, Jungkook stopped allowing other healers to see him unless absolutely necessary.

A year after they met, Kim Taehyung was appointed Chief Royal Physician by royal decree—the youngest person in the kingdom's history to hold this position, at just twenty-two years old. Along with this position, he received permanent quarters in the palace and the duty to be at the king's side at all times.

Taehyung had no right to refuse.

It was then that Jungkook realized his feelings had long since gone beyond mere affection. He anticipated the doctor's visits, looked for excuses to keep him in his chambers, noticed the slightest changes in his mood, and gradually grew accustomed to Taehyung's constant presence.

The problem was that Taehyung's heart already belonged to someone else.

Kim Nam-joon and Kim Tae-hyung met long before the latter's appointment to the palace. Their feelings were mutual, but they were impossible to express openly. In the kingdom, marriages were arranged exclusively with family approval, and any relationship between men was considered unacceptable. Therefore, they concealed their affection, limiting themselves to rare encounters and discreet gestures of affection.

However, the palace has never been good at keeping secrets.

Rumors quickly reached the king.

Jungkook gave no indication that he'd learned the truth. He didn't summon Namjoon for a conversation or change his attitude toward Taehyung. On the contrary, from that moment on, the king became even more attentive to him. New chambers were prepared for the Chief Physician just beyond the wall of the royal bedroom, ostensibly to protect the sovereign's health. Jungkook later issued a decree forbidding Taehyung from leaving the inner chambers of the palace without his personal permission.

Officially, everything was explained by the king's safety.

Unofficially, Jungkook just didn't want to let Taehyung go far from him.

At the same time, Namjoon increasingly received orders to travel to distant provinces: to suppress rebellions, inspect garrisons, escort diplomatic missions, and fortify the kingdom's borders. The assignments followed one after another, leaving the commander less and less time in the capital.

Nobody saw anything suspicious about it.

No one but Jungkook himself.

He was a king. He didn't need to forbid, threaten, or cause a scene. A single command was enough to create hundreds of kilometers between Taehyung and Namjoon. And with each passing month, Jungkook became increasingly convinced that he had no intention of handing over to anyone the man he had once made part of his palace.

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