The King's Pet

Chapter 15: Lover Makita

Hyunjin's P.O.V

"Is this the last of what I have to do today?" I asked Sara, excited to get to work on my surprise for Kita. "Yes, just a meeting with some tailors from the South Province and you're done. Do you have something more interesting to do?" She questioned. "Actually yes I do, I'm planning a surprise for Makita and I need everything to be perfect for him...I want to ask him to be my Prince." I shared excitedly. I was incredibly ecstatic about it and I thought it was high time considering how close we'd become. Additionally though, his disappearance scared me more than I'd initially thought and I had no doubt there would be serious consequences for what he did to Jian. So to prepare for that, making him prince and officially my partner would give him some type of royal immunity against whatever retaliation I knew Jian was planning. So while my proposal to him was out of the love I had for him, it was also to protect him.

"That's...that's actually really sweet Hyunjin, I just might cry." Sara sniffled, being expressive for probably the sixth time in her entire life. "I knew the idea would be touching but enough to make you cry? Now I'm really excited to make the proposal." I remarked with a sly smile. "I don't know what you're talking about, these are lubrication tears." She rolled her eyes, turning her back to me. "But anyway, if you need help preparing I would be happy to help." She offered, still not looking at me. "How sweet of you Sara, I never knew you could be." I cooed. "I'm not being sweet, I'm merely fulfilling my duty as your servant, my king." She dismissed before leaving my library. I chuckled to myself then continued with the last of my work for the day.

When I was finished I went on a mission to organise everything for the dinner I planned for Makita and me. I gave Zara and the other chefs the recipes I wanted them to make for us, I got some servants to organise decorations in the dinner hall, found some sheet music to give to the band, got Sara to let all the guards to be on noise alert so we wouldn't be disturbed and put together a couple of outfits for Makita to choose between. When I was done with that I sent for Makita as he'd been out around the Kingdom with some of his friends for the day, so I could properly prepare.

I didn't have to wait long before Makita returned and I basically dragged him upstairs so he could get ready. While he did that, so did I and, I have to be honest, I was nervous—for multiple reasons. For one, I didn't want to overwhelm Makita with my proposal and put some pressure on him to be something he wasn't ready to be. Even though I didn't expect him to partake in any royal activities as prince, I knew there was a chance he would think that's what I wanted and that he would stress himself out of accepting the identity. Another thing I was worried about was if I maybe overestimated how much he liked me. I'd never taken the time to probe him on his feelings about me and I only knew as much as he'd let on, which wasn't too much. Despite the worries I had I was still keen for the evening I planned for us.

When I finished getting ready I went to get Makita, who was ready to go as well. He looked beautiful and, as I hoped, he picked the outfit I wanted him to wear the most. I picked out a light satin dress shirt for him, tight fitting suit pants and dark dress shoes. The outfit really brought out his shape and made him appear to be a healthier weight than he was. He also wore some of my jewelry, a touch of his own that I found impossibly adorable and heartwarming. With his hair styled half up-half down I couldn't help but blush at how handsome he looked.

"Hyunjin you--you look really good." Makita uttered half-absentmindedly as he came up to me and felt my shirt. While I dressed similarly to him, he'd never seen me as dressed up as I was, just like I hadn't seen him that dressed up either. "Better than usual my Love?" I asked teasingly, but he was too enthralled by me to notice. He looked into my eyes sweetly and smiled softly. "You always look so good..." He complimented, catching me off guard because he was being more forward than usual. I blushed softly and looked down, hiding my face like he often did. And like I usually did, he held my chin gently and moved my head so we were face to face once again.

His hand moved to cup my cheek as he maintained a sweet and romantic gaze with me. I could practically feel the passion in the air between us as we both leant in to kiss each other. When our lips finally met, it felt like the first time we kissed all over again. He pulled back for a second to breathe but rejoined our lips once again, this time introducing his tongue. I was completely taken aback at the confidence he was kissing me with as he'd never acted this way with me. The change made me feel better about my surprise and the likelihood of him accepting my proposal.

We pulled away from each other and I watched as his eyes fluttered open and immediately met with mine. "I'm sor—I...I mean, I'm ready for my surprise My King." He started to apologise, realising that he kissed me, but quickly remembered that I enjoyed his affection and corrected himself. "Then after you my Love, I'll follow you to the dining hall." I responded, stepping aside to let him go first. I followed him to the dining hall and when we'd entered the surprise had come together even better than I'd hoped.

The chefs were done in time and the large table was set, with two places for us. The candles were lit, creating a gentle romantic illumination of the hall. The band was set up and playing a beautiful percussion. The decorations had really come together well too, with touches of the South-West Kingdom's culture to connect more to Makita and his home. And it seemed I hit the nail right on the head because when Makita took everything in, a soft but happy whimper left him. "Hyunjin...this is beautiful." He uttered softly, turning around and hugging me. "I'm glad you like it Kita and I'm excited to give you your real surprise. Let's go eat." I responded, embracing him and kissing his hair.

We sat down and enjoyed the food, talking about our day, school and kingly duties as we usually did when we were together. As the night was drawing to a close and we had eaten ourselves just shy of intense food comas, I decided it was time to give Makita his present. After our remaining dishes were cleared, Makita asked to dance before our date was over. So, with the band playing a slow classic romantic song, I offered Kita my hand. We held each other closely and swayed to the gentle notes of love swirling around us. Holding him so close, and feeling him hold me, made my nerves melt away. There was no way I could possibly have any fears or doubts about the proposal with all the love that was between us as we danced.

When the song came to an end, I knew it was my time to shine, so I dismissed the band for the evening so we could be alone. In the ambient silence of the hall I took a deep breath and began to speak, holding his gaze as much as I could. "Makita, since you came to me, I've felt brand new again. You've given me something so exciting and lovely, I just can't get enough. The fact that you've trusted me, despite how some of my royal counterparts have abused you and the fact that you've humoured my affections for you, despite your inner instinct has shown me how genuine a relationship with you is. And I would do anything and everything to know that a relationship with you is mine and mine alone...and the only way I can think to assure that is to ask if you'd like to be my lover and my prince. If you accept, these two silver bands will signify a new level of promise and trust in our relationship." I spewed as romantically as I could manage against my returning anxiety.

When I was finished all I could do was hold his gaze as he searched my eyes for a moment, processing everything.

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