Jeon Jungkook.

Can a servant and a prince be together?
No. There's a chasm between them, scorched by status.

Taehyung had always known this. He served the princes with his head bowed—his mother had commanded him to do so. She was a wise woman: she gave him everything she could, but in the end, she couldn't bear the pressure of life and left, leaving her son alone. From then on, Taehyung bowed silently to those in his power and learned to keep his eyes down.

The day dragged on as usual. Taehyung saddled his horse to go get provisions—grain, cereals, and small items for the farm.

"Who is this?" Jungkook asked lazily, taking a drag on his cigarette. He watched the stranger smile softly at the old merchant woman, counting out coins for a sack of grain.

"Kim Taehyung, sir," the servant replied quietly behind the prince. "The son of that same Haesu... who hanged herself."

Jungkook didn't answer, but his gaze lingered on the guy longer than it should have.

Taehyung was already packing his groceries when a heavy bag suddenly jerked his shoulder, he staggered, tripped over a root and was about to fall painfully to the ground... but instead of a hard blow, he felt someone else's hand grab him by the waist.

He raised his head and froze.

Prince Jeong. Right in front of him. Smoke still streaming from his slightly parted lips.

"Are you hurt?" Jungkook's voice was even, but there was a hint of curiosity in it.

But Taehyung still couldn’t breathe out—and he didn’t know what was making his heart beat louder: from fear or from the fact that the prince was looking at him like that.