His Majesty|Taekook, Yoonmin

I

Virtus. Meaning the taste or love for curious or works of fine art. It also carries connotations of valor, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth, perceived as masculine strength.

The late King Baek I named the kingdom Virtus because he wanted his people to be brave warriors, good parents and strong lovers.

After his death, his son Baek II took the lead of the kingdom and married the most beautiful woman, Kim Jisoo. Their love story was the most popular between people.

Women desired to be the king's wives because of his manliness, his courage and his strong personality. Men desired to marry Jisoo because of her breathtaking beauty, her elegant manners and her consideration of helping poor peasants.

One year after their wedding, Jisoo gave birth to a baby, a beautiful boy.

The king insisted on naming him Taehyung, big prosperity.

After twenty two years, he grew up to be the most handsome man in the kingdom, and also the most desired one.

His parents brought him a thousand of young women and young men but he was always uninterested. His heart only belonged to his family and archery.

He spent all his days shooting arrows in the Arcus Area, which his father built for him.

The prince only had three friends, his messenger and knight Jimin, his butler Namjoon and his personal chef Jin.

"Your highness, do you want anything special for dinner?" Jin asked.

"I am actually craving that dish I ate the other day, what the Italian president's personal chef prepared." Taehyung said, licking his lip.

"Oh, you mean pizza?" The older chuckled. "He was very kind to let me the recipe. I will prepare it for you tonight, your highness."

"How many times should I tell you not to call me this way when we are alone." The younger rolled his eyes. "You make me uncomfortable."

"I am sorry then." Jin smiled and ruffled the younger's hair before heading to the kitchen.

Namjoon entered a few moments after and sat in front of the prince. "The selection starts next week." He said.

Taehyung just nodded.

"You seem very uninterested."

"Well, I am." the younger sighed. "I do not really care about having a wife or husband. I just want my father to be happy before his death."

"He will, I am sure of it." Namjoon smiled softly. "You should go comfort your mother, she is not feeling well lately."

"Yes, I was planning to spend the day with her tomorrow. Will you ask Jimin to bring the horses for us?"

"Of course."

~~

"Mother, I beg you to eat, just for me please. I prepared this soup especially for you, it is called gazpacho, my friend taught me the recipe after he came back from Spain." Jungkook smiled softly to his mother.

He was working as a gardener at the Jung House, one of the bourgeois families in the kingdom.

He and their son Hoseok started dating secretly a year ago after they spent a lot of time together. Their relationship was based in love and trust but lately it got very complicated when Hoseok's parents started to think of an arranged marriage for him and the daughter of another rich family.

Jungkook always felt sad because of their status difference.

"I just want to sleep Jungkook." His mother mumbled with a weak voice. "Just sleep."

The younger sighed heavily and kissed his mother's forehead. He thought about the announcement one of the royal messengers said earlier in the morning.

"All young women and men over the age of eighteen are summoned to present themselves at the royal court as candidate for the future marriage of Prince Taehyung. The lucky winner will have the chance to be a future prince or princess."

"If I win, I can pay for my mother's cure." He thought, staring at the woman's pale face. He was still very young for marriage, especially a very complicated one with a prince.

He was playing his freedom and his passion for Hoseok but his love for his mother was stronger than anything.

His mother meant his entire life, she was the one who took care of him after his father's death during the war years ago. He grew up to be strong and healthy despite their extreme poverty. She raised him to be patient and responsible, caring and loving, a forgiver and a helper.

She worked hard from selling flowers to helping tailors and cleaning houses just in order to buy her son a very modest dinner. She did not care about hardships, sufferings and getting hurt. She only wanted Jungkook to stay healthy.

"Just wait mother, I will do anything for you to stay by my side." The younger whispered, warm tears falling on his cheeks.

~~~

"The selection? Jungkook are you insane? What about us?!" Hoseok shook his lover's body. He was taken aback by the younger's sudden announcement. He never imagined that one day he could live separately from him. He loved him so much to let him go.

"I really love you Hoseok, very much, but I need it...for my mother." Jungkook sighed.

"I told you that I will help you, I just need some time." Hoseok rubbed the back of his neck.

"This is the problem, time. My mother does not have a lot of time. In addition to this, your father will never agree to help poor peasants like us."

Hoseok sighed heavily. The younger was right, sir Jung was really arrogant and proud of his high status. He will call helping a poor peasant like an act of full disgrace.

"So, will you do it?" Hoseok mumbled and the younger simply nodded. "I have to."

"This selection is more important than me now." The older chuckled.

"My mother is." Jungkook said coldly.

"Well, go to your Prince now." Hoseok pushed the younger with strength and left.

~~~

Jungkook frowned when he saw all his rivals waiting in front of the palace. Looking at them made him think that he had no chance to be selected by the prince.

The young girls were wearing their most beautiful dresses and their smiles were radiant. While the young men were wearing suits he could never afford and talked about their favorite pastimes such as horseback riding, art, reading...

He thought about giving up everything but he had to do it for his mother.

When he entered the palace, everyone was looking at him with disgust. He was wearing ripped wool pants and a simple long white shirt. He could not afford buying clothes or paying for school. He was poor and uneducated. His only hobby was growing flowers, his mother only taught him about those beautiful creatures. He knew all the names and meanings but nothing about politics, physics and arts. He was out of their world.

"Piece of crap." He heard someone mumble behind his back.

"How dare you present yourself to the prince like this!"

"So dirty!"

He felt his heart tighten inside his chest but clenched his fists and decided to ignore dumb people.

~~~

"Your highness, you turned down practically everyone." Namjoon whispered to the prince. "No one caught your attention?"

Taehyung shook his head. He never felt as bored in his life.

"Just try, please?"

"I will, I will." the younger sighed.

After long moments, he kept on ignoring every candidate because they faked their personality in front of him and did the most arrogant things just to please him.

Girls would lie about themselves reading since they were four years old or painting masterpieces. The guys would pretend to be physically stronger and know about everything. Taehyung just rolled his eyes at everyone and wished for the day to end quickly.

"Next!" Namjoon shouted and a young boy awkwardly walked toward the prince and bowed to him.

Taehyung raised his head to examine the young man. He looked tall, strong and very innocent.

"Lift your head." He said but the younger didn't move.

"Lift your head so I can see your face."

Jungkook nervously raised his head and widened his eyes when he finally saw the prince's face for the very first time. His beauty was mesmerizing and hypnotizing. The younger could not see or hear anything around him, he could only see a beautiful prince sitting on his enormous throne, staring at him intensively.

As for Taehyung, he was as surprised as the younger because Jungkook's beauty was different. Different from all the fake faces he saw earlier, Jungkook was real.

His soft brown hair was surrounding a beautiful face where two big brown eyes, a small nose and pink lips were standing to make all the beauty.

He cleared his throat after he woke up from his trance. "What is your name?" He asked.

"Jungkook, your highness" the younger answered shyly.

"Well Jungkook, what do you have to offer?" Taehyung asked. "The other candidates offered me gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, sapphires..what do you have for me."

Jungkook nervously bit his lip and offered him a small bouquet of very strange and attractive flowers with a shaky hand.

Jungkook nervously bit his lip and offered him a small bouquet of very strange and attractive flowers with a shaky hand, "What are these?" Taehyung softly asked, admiring the beauty of the pink and yellow plants.

"They are called Alstroemerias, your highness. Like your name, they mean wealth, prosperity and fortune." The younger shyly said.

The prince kept looking from his bags of jewels to the small bouquet, comparing them until he realized that the beauty of flowers was incomparable. Thousand of diamonds and rubies would never equal such gorgeous creatures.

He smiled softly and stared at the younger. "I like you Jungkook."