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bts-0t-7 · 11 months ago

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The Royal Calling | JJK

header by @liveyun Pair: Jungkook x F Reader

Summary: In the midst of surviving, you find yourself in a sticky situation. Your connection with the King, Jeon Jungkook, had you afraid for your life. Certainly, he wouldn’t kill you… Right? But slowly, you figured out your place in the depths of the castle and you yearned to live.

Genre: Fluff, non-idol au, werewolf au, royalty au, strangers to lovers (s2l)

Chapter Warnings: Abuse, PTSD, death, a little bit of self-degradation

A/N: I would have split this into a few different parts if it wasn’t for the fact that I wanted to make sure the year started with an OT7 fic. HEH - I would MAKE IT HAPPENNN- So yes, here is the first 10k+ fic :)) And to @liveyun, thanks for the header. I LUB YOU hehe 💜🌟

WC: 11,051

You were done for.

You knew you were done for.

There was no need for any form of explanation. The moment you stepped into the ballroom, you knew that the talking would start.

Since you were young, you never really knew your parents, only hearing from the pack’s elders that your mother passed away giving birth to you and your father had soon followed after his mate. Your earliest memories of your father weren’t bad at all. You remembered him being all smiley and happy, always doing his best to make you treasured.

So when he didn’t pick you up at kindergarten one day, you grew fussy. The pack alpha had suddenly come and taken you away, telling you the news. Up till today, you could remember the way he broke it to you - with a monotonous voice, void of any remorse or form of emotion.

“Your father died. You will stay with us now and earn your keep.”

That was all you remembered before you were thrown to the kitchen staff. Being young, you didn’t quite grasp the understanding of what was happening. All you could do then was cry. The maids and guards had tried their best to shelter you as you grew up, but with your Alpha ruling, nothing didn’t reach his eyes and ears.

Growing up, you never once cursed your family. With the help and slow-paced learning, you grew to understand the situation of your family thanks to the help of the maids. They always give you the easiest task - the less strenuous ones - taught you all that they knew, and fed you extra portions. The guards would sneak you books and poems and teach you after their shifts. The people in your pack were not all bad.

But as you started growing into adolescence and older, the maids and guards who cared for you grew old as well. So you started taking on their responsibilities, doing the harsh labour work without complaint. Soon, the shelter broke down its walls as well and people started seeing you more often. That was when you got the first taste of real dirt.

“How dare you! You slut! You - you -” The woman in front of you screeched in outrage but you were in a daze. Blood pooled in your mouth as you lay on the ground, unmoving and in shock.

It wasn’t until the alpha came and pulled you up did you attempted to get up on wobbly feet. Only to be shoved down again. “You will not speak, look, or hear to a single person in this pack. You are nothing and no one. Know your place, omega.”

You thought to give people around a chance. You weren’t to say - weak. But as your second gender tells you, you had a disadvantage to the majority of your peers. The guards have taught you self-defense but you never showed signs of using them. You were the runt of the pack and you should know your place. If you showed signs of studies, the alpha would be ruthless to those who taught you.

And you did not need anybody else dying.

So you kept silent and continued to work - not speaking, not looking, not hearing anything that the people in the pack talk about. But you sure were not completely deaf. You knew - you understood - yes, you just stayed unfazed.

And you thought that you could remain unfazed for the rest of your life until the alpha came into the kitchen one day and grabbed you off to the sides, pushing you against the wall and saying, “As much as I hate to let you go, all eligible women must attend the King’s royal ball this Friday. You will not have anything to wear. You will wear what you have on now.” He pushed you against the wall even harsher, arms pressing against your ribcage. You fought to breathe. “If I see that you do not wear this, I will personally strip you myself.”

You shivered at the tone of his voice. Feeling too exposed and humiliated, you nodded as the alpha let you go. You immediately scurried back to the kitchen, breathing deep puffs through your mouth.

“What got you so flushed, darling?” Marion asked.

You shook your head. “Nothing, Aunt. I just - Nothing.”

She knew something was up - you knew that much and was thankful that she did not pry any further.

It was Wednesday when Alpha told you about the ball on Friday. Not that you had anything to prepare, of course. You were forced to wear your housekeeping clothes to the Royal Ball. You had prepared yourself for the extravagance - but it was insufficient. All the cars took you directly outside and everybody was wearing makeup, dressed in the finest gowns, expensive hairpins, and flaring updos.

You, on the other hand, wore rags compared to their dresses, your hair a mess, and in no way anything could be done to it.

You felt the stares and snickers of other ladies as you exited the bus.

You felt so self-conscious.

Everybody from different regions, different backgrounds, different packs - came today to celebrate the King’s birthday in the tradition of a royal ball. You could see the looks of disgust from the court members and sympathy from the royal servants. But you didn’t want to look up. You wanted a large black hole to just swallow you whole - or home would be a good choice too.

“Remember, know your place, omega.” Alpha reminded you before walking off.

You weaved through the mass of beautifully dressed women to a corner of the room. As the orchestra started, you watched with a wistful gaze at the elegance the women possessed in their dances. You watched them through your hair, under your lashes, until ladies caught you and snickered your way.

You could hear the whispers and probes, the hurtful comments that were flung your way. This Friday was not a day where you could keep your emotions at bay with a nonchalant expression.

No. Not today.

You hid behind the curtain of your hair, humiliated and on the verge of tears. You didn’t wish to be here. You truly didn’t. Squeezing your eyes shut, you tried to regulate your shallow breathing. You didn’t want to get punished when you went back to the pack. But if you didn’t get your body under control, you would be.

And you had enough unhealed cuts and bruises - your body couldn’t afford any more for the time being. Your flight response pushed you to react when a group of ladies walked past you, flaunting themselves.

But everybody stopped in their tracks the moment the large oak doors banged open. You flinched at the loud, sudden sound, gaining a glare from your alpha. You weren’t making out alive this time. Loud heavy footsteps approached, a voice powerfully projecting into the room asked, “Where is she?”

All eyes turned to you as you cowered back in fear.

You truly weren’t making it out alive.

You wore rags to the King’s birthday royal ball. Of course you would get a punishment. You just feared what type of royal punishment you would have to face. Beatings back in your pack have already weakened you and if it was any worse than those, you might as well have your soul float to heaven (or crawl to hell) first - before he reaches you.

But nothing goes the way one plans anyway. Expensive, shiny boots stopped in your vision.

Then, you felt a large, warm hand caress your cheek. Squeezing your eyes hard, you anticipated the incoming blow. But you weren’t ready for the man in front of you to ask, “Who did this to you?”

You didn’t dare look up.

“Look at me.”

You were truly done for.

You couldn't figure out if this was a trick order or not - so you kept your head down, afraid of breaking royal protocol. Not that you knew any.

The hand on your cheek moved down to your chin and tilted your head up. Your eyes met with the most chocolate, Bambi eyes you have seen. But they darkened and hardened the moment they grazed your face that your cheeks burned and you immediately averted your gaze.

He doesn’t want us.

Mate doesn’t want us.

“Tell me, who did this to you?”

You didn’t dare answer him. Unable to help yourself, tears streamed down your cheeks from the pressure that you were placed under. It has been boiling and now, being called out and rejected, you didn’t know how to control such immense emotions.

You were not expertly versed in the common language as most of the maids back home spoke mostly the Old Language. You used that more often and only during your nightly classes with the guards did you practise the common language.

Thumbs rubbed your cheek as you found the warmth of another hand landing on your other cheek, wiping away your tears. Slowly, you peeked open your eyes and found yourself looking straight into the eyes of your mate.

The werewolf king.

Jeon Jungkook.

Jungkook hated parties.

Perhaps hate was too harsh a word to use. Dislike was more like it.

Jungkook absolutely disliked parties.

He felt that they were a waste of time and energy. But as the werewolf king, his birthday was always celebrated with a royal ball. Just like all others before him. So he just sucked it up and let the council prepare them. But he has not gone to those parties in years. All he does is make an appearance and leave. Those attendees look for a mate in him and he refuses to mate with anybody that isn’t his true mate.

Call him a romanticist, cause he is.

But of course, the old folks of the council did not appeal his decision. Not that he could care any less. He was 26 and he needed to produce an heir for the kingdom soon. Jungkook felt an impending headache coming his way. Pressing two fingers to his temples, he rubbed them and sighed.

He would wait, even if it was an eternity for his true soul.

Jungkook was in the middle of signing off new policies to be implemented when he smelt a fresh, new scent wafting in the palace. His study was far from the entrance of the palace so he was confused as to how he could sense such a scent from so far away.

Jungkook had always been sensitive to scents since young, therefore his lodgings have been the farthest from the city, located at the back with fresh air and trees. Intrigued, Jungkook got up and followed his instincts. It led him to the ballroom where his supposedly birthday party was held.

Now, he got a clearer waft of the intoxicating scent as he realised the sour notes to it. It made his nose crinkle and brows furrow. Why would one be so afraid? What caused one to be so afraid?

Jungkook couldn’t sense any outbreaks in the room so he wasn’t sure what was causing it. The echoing sounds did not make his headache any better either.

Just as he was about to enter, three guards surrounded him. “Your Majesty,” Paul, the Head Captain, bowed. “Apologies for our tardiness, we did not expect you so early.”

Jungkook was quick to dismiss the apology. “No need, I wasn’t supposed to be here anyways. I was just following instinct.”

He could see the confusion in the guards' faces before Paul said, “We will follow you, Your Majesty.”

Jungkook opened the large doors and demanded, “Where is she?”

All sounds seem to be sucked out of the room in an instant. The next breath, there was an obvious pathway to the scent he had found for the past fifteen minutes. The first thing he saw was your scent. You were cowering in fear - of him or of the attention you were currently receiving, he wasn’t too sure.

Next, he realised your clothes. Why would anybody allow you to wear those? Unless you were a maid in your pack. Even so, this was his royal ball and if his council was to be trusted, not one of the people came in housekeeping clothes. Unless -

The last thing he realised was your bruises. While you did a great job at concealing most of them with your hair, Jungkook could see those peeking under your clothes when you shift on your feet.

Wanting to confirm his suspicions, Jungkook walked towards you, caressing your cheek and tilting your head upwards. He saw your eyes before your bruises - what a beautiful shade they were.

But your bruises. Whoever your pack’s alpha was -

He saw the change in your eyes - from a split second of mesmerisation to hurt and pain and… tears?

Jungkook moved on instinct the moment he felt his hands getting wet. Bringing his other hand up, he wiped your tears off your cheeks. You had scrunched up your eyes and tensed your body as if - as if waiting for a hit, Jungkook realised.

He was pissed. Beyond pissed.

But for you, he would hold it in.

He was afraid of scaring you if he were to show his true colours now. His anger was one thing that the court feared as he was known to do anything that he put his mind to - and he was harder to handle when angry.

When he looked back at you, he saw your eyes slowly opening, revealing the soul that he had waited for forever.

Right then, he knew that he would break down mountains if it meant to keep you safe.

“Find her pack alpha and bring him to me.” Jungkook commanded the guards beside him. Gently tugging on your sleeve, he held out his palm. He saw your hesitancy to take it and decided to just bite the lead and do it. Sliding his hands to yours, he connected them and pulled you along.

Jungkook led you out of the ballroom, ensuring to keep an eye on you at all times to see how much more you can take. “Shall we walk to my quarters? I have a few guest rooms there that you can stay at if you like.”

You nodded your head and followed him. He wasn’t sure what prompted you to trust him so much but he sure wasn’t going to let this chance go to waste.

Leading you to the room one room down from him, Jungkook opened the door and led you in. Turning on the lights, he was about to give you a tour of the room when he spotted you standing still at the threshold. Your eyes were big as your mouth dropped open. Jungkook felt like he could just faint at that very moment. The way your eyes sparkled with mesmerisation, taking everything in was -

“You can stay for as long as you want. Nobody will hurt you here, I can promise you that.” Jungkook proposed. “I know my words won’t cut it but I truly hope you would stay. Even if it’s just for a little while, please?”

The room that the werewolf king had assigned you was beyond any of your imagination. It was extravagant but not too much and their colours flowed beautifully with each other. The werewolf king had begged you to stay and seeing it made you feel a little… bad. So you gave in, nodding. You saw the way his eyes light up and his steps held a little spring in them as he led you around the room.

Cute.

Your eyes widened at the thought. No, no, no. This is the werewolf king. You were not allowed - not worthy - of thinking like that.

“You are allowed to do as you wish here. Nobody will stop you. If you want anything, you can just order it.”

You nodded silently. You didn’t need much.

The clothes in the wardrobe provided you with everything you needed and more. It was more than necessary and you were extremely grateful. The underwear may or may not be your size but one quick look at it made you quite certain with a little adjustments, it would fit just well. As the king familiarised you with the room, he pointed out certain spaces and things that had comfy spaces.

Plushies, plushes, fluffy rugs, fluffy pillows… It felt like fluff heaven.

“My room is just a room down.” The king told you. His hands were in front of him, wringing them as if he were worried about your reactions to how he came off. “And erm… Please just call me Jungkook or Kook or Kookie works too! Or anything you want!”

His Majesty is spiralling.

You nodded but you weren’t going to talk much, you knew that. In case you were to say something wrong, at least you wouldn’t have that chance if you didn’t open your mouth. This way, you would be as safe as possible. You had not seen and experienced the punishments in the royal family. You did not want to push anybody’s buttons to know what goes down behind the doors.

As His Majesty left the room, you walked straight to the bed first, taking the throw and the neatly folded blankets, piling them onto the floor and curling up in the fluff. You did not want to sleep on the bed, lest that this was a trail.

To see how much of the king’s generosity you would take for granted.

You took none, of course. But you did not want others to think that you took it all. Folding the materials over your eyes and covering your body, you fell into an unfruitful sleep.

It had probably been a few hours since you fell asleep but you were woken up by the rumbling of thunder and flashes of lightning. Curling deeper into the warm depths of the blankets, you whimpered, trying to hide away from the sounds. The rumbling reminds you too much of that day when you dug in the mud.

You did not remember much of that day. All that came back was you ferociously digging in the mud of your father’s burial, hysterically begging for him to come back.

“Papa! Papa, please! Papa - Y/N’s sorry! I’m sorry! I promise I’ll be a good girl and do my homework. Papa - please come back - PLEASE-” Soil in your nails, mud water soaking up your skirt, and blood pouring out of your head from the hit you took when sliding down.

You couldn’t believe your ears. You didn’t want to believe.

You father wasn’t dead - your father couldn’t be -

He sent you to school this morning. He looked normal. Why did he leave now?

“PAPA PLEASE! Y/N’s sorry! PAPA PLEASE-”

You were sobbing in the rain, hurting but refusing to move. Only when you heard the head chef, Aunt Marion call for you, her warm hands coming to scoop up your small form and carried you back. That night, she tended to your wounds, the both of you letting the silence speak for itself.

Your grief and sorrow, she knew, will never heal.

Loosing a parent is tough, but you can’t let it squash you.

She cared for you, always giving you more portions for dinner, ensuring that you had more than enough to eat.

After that day, whenever it rained, you always ran to one of the maid’s rooms, hiding under the covers with the warmth of the aunts. They had always soothed you and sung you to sleep. As you grew up, you tried to lessen the times that you went to their room, only occasionally during the harsher seasons do you sleepover in their cots with them.

Now you were all by yourself, in a large room and full length windows, giving you the full view of the lighting and echoing sounds of thunder. Trying to make yourself as small as possible, you squeezed your eeys shut, hoping that you would go back to sleep. But minutes passed and by the time it was past thirty minutes, you were getting tired of trying.

Slowly getting up, you curled the blankets around yourself and let is trail behind you as you walked out of the room. Just as you were exiting the room, lighting struck and thunder boomed, making you flinch and squeak in fright.

You left the door to your room slightly open and stood outside for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to do next. Deciding to follow your scents and instincts, you walked down to the room beside the spiral staircase, the largest door in the level.

You stood outside, hands formed in a fist as you contemplated knocking or not. Deciding to knock incase you interrupt something you shouldn’t, you winced a the sound echoing throughout the silent hallway.

When nobody opened the door, you bit the lead and opened it slightly, peaking in to see His Majesty staring at you with a bed hair sticking in all directions. His sleepy eyes squinted and roamed your form, making you feel self-conscious. It seem to take a while for him to relasie that you were standing there.

But by then, you were already squeaking out a “sorry” and closed the door.

Jungkook was having a good dream.

A brilliant dream - to be honest.

He was playing around in a field of flowers, prancing around like a kid again. Rolling about in the mud and making his fur dirty - oh, he couldn’t care less.

It felt nice to be free.

But he was woken up by the sudden rapping against his bedroom door.

Jungkook was known to be a heavy sleeper. He does not wake easily so when he woke up, distorted at the sound, Jungkook found himself wondering why he even woke up. It wasn’t until his sleep-muggled brain registered that you were standing at his door, wrapped up in layers of blankets. Your soft apology made it to his ears and he immediately left the warm confinements of his bed.

“Hey-” He winced at his own voice cracking, hoarse from the lack of use.

At least it stopped you from completely closing his door.

Your little eyes peaked through the small hole left between the door and Jungkook felt like he could melt right there and then. You looked adorable in the buddles of blankets. Walking to the door, he gently opened it, afraid that is he moves too fast it might frighten you.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He carefully brought his hands up to you, not forgetting the way your instincts acted up at the ball a few hours ago. He did not want to trigger anything he doesn’t understand or know, much less give you a reason to fear him.

You shook your head at his question, your luscious locks waving with the direction.

Just then, lightning stuck, lighting up the whole room as the loud snap of the thunder followed. You jumped, whimpering as you hid in the thick blankets even more.

The storm.

You were afraid of the storm.

Running his hand through his sleep-mussed hair, he pushed the door open and slid his hands through yours, gently tugging you into his room. He felt a sense of pride when he realised that you had came to his room, seeking his comfort.

Leading you to the bed, he brought back the thick quilt and gestured for you to get in. You stood a the foot of his bed for a few seconds, hesitant to enter until Jungkook sat on the bed and gave your linked hands a little pull. Giving in, you entered his bed as he tucked you in. Heading to the other side of the bed, Jungkook crawled in and snuggled beside you.

Oh, how much he just wanted to wrap his arms around you but he did not want to frighten you.

He watched as you slowly fell asleep, curling into yourself while facing him, soft whispers coming out of your mouth. Smiling to himself, Jungkook tucked the quilt higher, making sure that you were warm before falling asleep himself.

He woke up the next morning before you did. The gloomy weather made it a comfortable weather to sleep in but he had things to complete - one of them being setting a suitable punishment for your old alpha. He had a hint who it was, seeing the old egoistic man glare at you when he lead you out of the ballroom.

Suitable punishment.

Jungkook scoffed. That old man should be hung for treating the queen that way.

Looking over, Jungkook found your sleeping form curled up against his. A soft smile grew on his lips as he brought a gentle hand up to your cheek, tucking your hair behind your ears. He didn’t know what were your boundaries to cross and not to cross so he did not -

Sighing, he carefully extracted himself off of your hold. He wanted to get the punishment over with before you woke up. Your brows furrowed as you mumbled in you sleep. Pushing his heavily scented pillow in your hold and pulling the quilt higher, you easily fell back asleep. Quietly, Jungkook got himself ready for the day and left the room.

Soft silky texture glided through your hands as you struggled to force yourself awake. You had to get up and do the chores. You were sure your alarm had -

Your alarm!

You shot out of bed, hands flinging in the direction of your clock only to collide with a vase of flowers instead. You did not manage to catch it in time and it crashed onto the floor. Jumping out of the bed, you forced your sudden disorientation to go away. Dizzy, you got to your knees as you started to frantically pick up the pieces.

You were going to get punished either way, it is better if you clean up before His Majesty comes back in. This way, you hoped to get a lighter punishment for destroying his properties.

Hurried footstep sounded your way and you sped up the process, trying to finish the impossible before -

You were brought out of your thoughts when blood started trickling onto the floor, staining the quilt of the red. By now, you were fricking out. The large doors banged open and large boots stopped in front of you and warm hands caught yours.

“Darling!”

You pried your hands out of his, trying to continue with your work.

Please, please, please - don’t punish me so harshly. Please, please, please -

But the warm hands did not move. They held yours firmly.

“Hey, hey. Look at me, look at me.” You shook your head. You needed to continue. You couldn’t speak, look, or hear. You were nothing.

The same set of hands pulled you to your feet and out of the area where the broken ceramic lie. You fought out of the hold but he was firm. “Look at me, look at me.”

His hands came to your cheeks, forcing your eyes to meet his. “Follow my breathing. Follow me.”

One, two, one, two, three.

This went on all while you could hear the maids cleaning up the broken pieces. As your breathing calmed down, the adrenaline started to wear off and you felt exhausted. Gentle pats to your back did not help the heaviness of your eyelids. In fact, it made them worse. You were just about to fall back asleep when a sudden clearing of throat on your left jolted you awake.

Remembering where you were and in what position you were at, you immediately scrambled off. Bowing, head to the ground and palms up, you begged for His Majesty’s forgiveness. But you did not dare to talk lest you say anymore things to trigger his anger. You could only hope His Majesty would understand your position.

You felt hands grab you around your armpits and you flinched, waiting for a blow. But when none came, you pried open your eyes to see your surroundings. His Majesty was sitting on the floor beside you, holding you up while caressing your cheek.

“Hey darling.”

You blinked. Were you not going to be punished for your incompetence?

“I told you that nobody would hurt you here.” His Majesty pointed to himself. “Not even me. If I hurt you, you have all the rights to do as you wish with me.”

You were confused. You were suppose to be the one who is at fault. Why is His Majesty the looking like a guilty puppy?

As the both of you sat together, you took the time to observe the room and soon realised that the both of you were the only ones inside. Suddenly feeling conscious, you ducked your head, letting your hair cover half of your face. As you looked down, you saw that your palms were tended to. The blood has stopped flowing and they were firmly bandaged.

The silence between you stretched long and thin that you decided to get up and clean up the rest of the mess. Walking over, you expected to see half changed sheets or leftover flowers and water on the floor. But all you see is clean, crisp sheets and a new vase with a different set of flowers sitting on the table.

Turning back around, you were about to get on your knees to apologise again when His Majesty stopped you. “That’s enough.” You faltered.

Uh-oh.

“No more bowing, no more apologies.” His Majesty put out his palms, facing them up. Why is he placating you? “Can you do that for me? No more saying sorry. Break what you want to, don’t apologise for it. Okay?”

You didn’t agree to it.

You couldn’t agree to it. There has to be a catch somewhere. Life is never so easy.

“In return,” There is it. “I would like you to go for fittings tomorrow and find out your hobbies. I want to know what you like and what you dislike. Is it a fitting enough trade?”

NO! NO IT WASN’T!

You were suppose to be told to do cleaning, top to bottom, ensure that the whole castle deos not have a single speck of dust or something! You were -

“You are my mate. You are the future Queen of the kingdom. You may do as you wish. I will not stop you and nobody will stop you. But I think we should go -”

“O-okay.” You croacked. You had not spoken for more than a day, voice cracking at the lack of use.

You saw His Majesty’s eyes light up like a kid on Christmas and you swear your heart stumbled.

“Okay, okay… erm… What’s your name?”

The favour has started.

“Y/N. L/N Y/N, Your Majesty.” You whispered, seeing his brows furrow at the title.

“Jungkook is fine, darling.”

Darling -

(Ehm.)

You nodded.

“Say it.”

You were hesitant. I mean - who wouldn’t? The king of werewolves is asking you to say his given name, jumping up and down like a bunny, eyes sparkling when he looks at you. “Say it, say it.”

You blinked multiple times at him. Is he… for real? Is this a test?

“Please? You can’t call me by my title. I refuse.”

… You weren’t certain if you were in front of the king or a kid.

“Ju-Jungkook.”

The king shot up from the loveseat he was on and clapped his hands. “Now just call me that from now on and -”

The doors opened to reveal a man clad in an expensive suit and glasses sitting neatly on the bridge of his nose. He held a stack of books and papers in his arms. You instantly looked down, afraid to look the man lest he is someone you should never piss off.

“Well, I heard a commotion and decided to come up to take a peak. Guess it was cleaned up before I could come in.” The man said. God, it must have been a test. And you failed it.

“Namjoon Hyung!” His Majesty bounded over to the man and gave him a big hug.

“Hey Kook.” You envied their easy affection for each other. You were only mates to the king by bond but his heart is somewhere else. You didn’t want to stay and intrude any further. Ducking your head even further down to your chest, you mumbled out a soft apology and bolted to your room. You had overstayed your stay and it is time to go back.

To reality.

Jungkook felt the ache in his chest before you left.

And then he felt it grow that he winced at the pain, rubbing over the area, trying to ease it up. But he knew that there was nothing that could ease up the pain unless it you felt happier. He wanted to introduce you to his Hyung. Surely, he did not expect him to be out of the library, but he thought that it was a good way to slowly introduce you to his inner circle of the council. The very people who help him make the choices and keep the kingdom safe.

But the moment you saw Namjoon, he could see the light leave your eyes as you ducked your head lower. He was about to call out to you when you bolted off, and all Jungkook heard was hte soft thud of a room door closing.

Sighing, Jungkook pushed his hair back. Namjoon came into the room, putting down his books before saying, “That girl is scared. You can’t rush it.”

“I know. But it’s just… So hard.”

“Patience Kook, patience.”

So with nothing much to do, the both of them sat in the room and went through the piles of letters, policies, and numerous talks on philosophy. As the morning soon turned to afternoon, the servants came in to inform Jungkook that you had your lunch in the room. He was relieved to hear that you ate. Afternoon then turned to evening and when the servants entered the dining room where he was eating with the rest of his inner circle, they informed him that you weren’t eating.

More like refusing to eat.

You would tell the servants to leave the food there but when they went back an hour later, the food was untouched and you were bundled in a corner of the room - refusing to move. Jungkook sighed and looked at the food infront of him, appetite now long gone. Ordering for a bowl of porridge, he piled it up with meat, vegetables, and crispy rolls. He wasn’t sure what you liked and what you didn’t like so this wild guess was… truly a wild one.

Heading up to your room with the bowl and spoon in hand, he knocked on your door. Hearing no answer, he knocked again. This time he pushed open the door and entered. The first thing he saw were your neatly piled clothes on the bed and then your bundled form on the floor, covered in layers and layers of fluffy blankets.

Jungkook took a note that you liked anything plush and fluffy. Putting the bowl and spoon on the bedside table, he softly walked over to you, however purposefully creaking a few floorboards to inform you of his presence.

And it worked, of course. Your ears twitched and sleepy eyes travelled up to meet his. Kneeling on the ground to get to your eye level, Jungkook held out his hand to your snout. You sloppily sniffed him up before uncurling and dragging the blankets along with you by your bum. Jungkook chuckled at your attempt and slid himself closer, allowing you to rest your sleepy head on his thighs.

Stroking your silky grey ears, you let out a tummy rumble.

“I’m sorry for just now. I didn’t know Namjoon Hyung was coming. Things will go at your pace, I promise. Plus, Namjoon Hyung has a mate so don’t you worry your little furry head over the word ‘jealousy’, okay? They are happily mated.” Jungkook chuckled. He figured out why you left when he was reading a poetry on Achilles and Patroclus. “Namjoon Hyung is part of my inner circle in the council and I hope to be able to introduce you to them one day. We… We can be quite chaotic and I don’t want you to run away right now.”

Jungkook half-hugged the frame of your wolf. “I can’t let you go!” Jungkook sobbed hysterically.

Your wolf below him huffed as if knowing his little tricks.

The both of you sat in comfortable silence as Jungkook’s hand continued to stroke through your fur, providing you with a sense of comfort while his body heat warmed you. An alpha’s body heat is naturally higher than an omega’s and is able to better regulate itself compared to yours. It wasn’t until a particularly harsh wind forced the windows shut, the bang of it causing you to jum up in fright.

Bringing your head to his, Jungkook told you with stern eyes, “You have to eat dinner. It has turned cold. Even the wind agrees.”

Getting up, Jungkook left you whining and trailing after him. After ensuring that the windows are shut and locked, he picked up the bowl of food and sat on the bed, patting the side as a gesture for you to join him up. Leaping, you curled around him, seeking his warmth again.

“No, no, no. No going back to bed. Come on.” Jungkook lifted your head off the bed and pinched your tail, earning a yap and flick. “Come on. Shift back and have some food then you can go back to sleep.”

Your eyes slid to him before flattening to slits as if you were the one hunting him. That made a sense of fear and adrenaline course through him. But before he can say anything, you jumped off the bed and headed for the wardrobe, emerging later in comfortable pajamas.

Holding the bowl out to you, Jungkook wasn’t sure if you wanted to eat by yourself or -

You plopped down beside him and opened you mouth.

Well… Safe to say, he chose the wrong option.

You wanted to be fed. So Jungkook obliged his sleepy mate, ensuring that every bite goes down before he feeds you another. You did not make it through half the bowl before you started falling asleep on him again so Jungkook decided that it was a better option to just let you sleep rather than to force you food. Careful with your hair, Jungkook laid you on the bed before going to the washroom and coming back with a warm cloth to wipe your mouth.

Your hands seeked his warmth as he left the bed. Tucking you in, Jungkook turned off the lights - save for the washroom’s - and cracked open the windows, ensuring that it would not close in the middle of the night. Then he slid into bed with you immediately wrapping yourself around him.

It felt like just a few hours ago he woke up in a similar position. Now, he went to sleep with the both of you working to better understand the other.

You woke up to light snores and a curly head of hair in your face. Squinting at the sunlight that streamed through the curtains, you hid your face in the being next to you. Colliding with a warm chest, you tilted your head up to see His Majesty’s sleeping form beside you.

Turning the wheels back, you recalled what happened last night and decided that it was not a good idea to scream.

Namjoon Hyung has a mate.

Don’t worry your fluffy head over this.

I would like to introduce you to them one day.

Things will go at your pace, I promise.

Perhaps, you could try. If His Majesty is trying for you, why say you can’t do the same? It is a choice that you knew only you could make.

We can be a little chaotic.

You could try. There was nobody to say - significant - in your life to introduce to His Majesty but he does. So you would like to know his friends as well. You were good at cooking, Aunt Marion has taught you much.

I want to know your likes and dislikes.

Deciding that you would make something that you loved for him to try as breakfast, you tried to shimmy your way out of his hold. But all he did was groan and turn over, essentially caging you between in body and the bed. Trying to wiggle out of his hold, all you did was wake him instead.

“No…” His Majesty mumbled. “Noooo… Don’t goooo…”

“Let me out, please. I need the washroom, Your Majesty.”

His brows furrowed before groggily lifting his arm to let you escape. You left for the washroom to get ready and when you came back to the bedroom, His Majesty was already back in the dreamland. Lightly laughing, you toed out of the room and started exploring His Majesty’s lodging area. You had noted that it was the furthest from civilisation and had the well… best view, you suppose. Whenever you looked out, it was trees and forest. It made your wolf extremely happy. She was allowed to prance around without anybody scolding her.

Carefully, you walked down steps until there were none and stopped. Now you didn’t know where to go. Not that you left much - you weren’t even certain how many stories you had climbed down.

Eyes fluttering around, you start to grow nervous. You were in a completely new environment and you just… explored the place on your own?

Just as you were about to throw in the towel and head back up to probe His Majesty for directions, a chirpy “hello” broke you out of your trance. Whipping your head around, you stumbled backwards, barely catching your footing before you fell. In front of you stood a male with eyes like smiles and a lovely demeanour.

Hoping that he wouldn’t be nasty, you cautiously asked, “Hello, may I know where the kitchen is?”

The man looked at you in shock. You weren’t sure why until he replied to you in the common language did you realise… you slipped back. “Hi! I’m Jimin.”

“I’m Y/N.” You replied softly.

“Cool that you know the Old Language. Not many people know how to speak that anymore.” Jimin spoke with you with the comfort of the Old Language. His accent was much heavier, slurring the words at the end as they moulded around his lips.

“The older folks in my pack understood mainly the Old Language so I picked up along the way.”

The both of you struck up conversations as Jimin led you to the kitchen. It was more of Jimin talking and you giving him one or two-word answers. It wasn’t that you did not have your fair share of socialisation. No, you had your classes, you knew how to talk - you just didn’t want to. Circles and circles the both of you walked, turns and turns he led you through, until you stopped by a set of large doors, wide open as you smelt the aroma wafted out. Feeling the sudden hunger, your stomach grumbled.

“Are you… Hungry?” Jimin chuckled.

You shook your head.

Heading over to a chef, you slowly asked him, “May I know where the vegetables, seasoning, and dry ingredients are?”

The chef wiped the sweat off his forehead and pointed in their respective directions. Thanking him, you looked through each section and then headed for the refrigerator. You knew what you were going to make - one that Papa always made for you and a recipe that Aunt Marion learnt from you.

You always craved them on days when you missed your dad and rainy weather. You never liked loud, harsh sounds and the fear amplified on that rainy day. It was your comfort food, one that was a staple in your diet. Sometimes, you’ll catch Aunt Marion making them early in the morning. You wondered how His Majesty would react to a food like this. Would he like it as much as you do or would he dislike it and ban it from the castle? You weren’t sure how you were going to survive without it.

After collecting all the ingredients needed, you walked over to the prepping station. Mixing the flour, salt, sugar, and grated garlic in a bowl, half a cup of yougurt, butter and lukewarm milk were poured in. With extra milk and butter on the side, you started mixing the ingredients to form a dough. Kneading until the dough gave a soft, elastic, and pliable texture, you covered it in a damp cloth and let it sit in a warm place. While the dough is resting, you turn to another station, bringing with you seven cloves of garlic and coriander leaves.

Finely slicing the garlic cloves, you felt a sense of deja vu. Remembering when you used to help Papa make them for school time snacks so that you could share them with your friends. Shaking your head, you placed the garlic in a small dish before lightly washing the coriander leaves and finely chopping them.

“What are you making?” You heard Jimin question you.

“My comfort food.”

You turned around with the bowls in your hand, heading back to the prepping station when you saw Jimin pinching the cloth to lift it and peek under. Placing the bowls beside him, Jimin flinched, looking up at you with a sheepish expression.

“Oops?”

You walked back to the station and washed up the chopping board and knives. Heading back to where Jimin stood, you uncovered the dough. Lightly greasing your fingers, you divided the dough into eight parts. You preferred smaller pieces, one that can be eaten quicker. Rolling them into balls, you arranged them back into the bowl neatly, covering them with the cloth again. It is important to keep them covered so that the dough does not lose its moisture.

Sprinkling a little flour on the rolling board, you started rolling out the dough. Once you determine that it is a good size, sprinkle on some sliced garlic and coriander leaves. Slightly rolling them to stick, you set them aside, covering them with another damp cloth as you work on the rest of the dough.

With the help of another chef, you managed to locate a non-stick pan and heat it over medium heat. Once the pan is deemed hot enough, you place a little water at the bottom of the naan before putting it onto the pan. When bubbles start to form, flip it, cooking until the other side forms bubbles as well. Flaming it on the other side directly on the stove gives the naan a little charred spots.

Oh, those were your favourites.

Once the naan is fully cooked, it is transferred to a cooling rack and as the others are cooking, you smear some butter on top with an extra garnish of coriander leaves.

Constantly moving about, you usually wrap the naan in cloth, putting it in the small pocket under the apron you wore. So now looking at the cooling naan on the rack, you wondered what you could dip with it. Making it with ur favourite paneer butter masala is a no since you do not have enough time.

“Why think so much? Just give it to him like that.”

You would love to but you were afraid that he would be offended that this was all you give him. A king is supposed to have a spread, not just one item.

“Jungkook will like anything you make.” Jimin went over to the refrigerator and took out an unopened carton of banana milk. “Just give him with this. He raids the kitchen for this every morning either way.” Jimin placed the milk in your hands.

Turning the carton over, you contemplated. You were afraid to be punished for not providing your king with what he deserves but his sworn brother told you that it does not truly matter. On the other hand, siblings can prank each other and you do not want to get in the middle of it. Then again, you didn’t know who else to listen to other than either yourself or Jimin.

“If you’re thinking whether or not I am giving you the wrong information, trust me,” Jimin placed a hand on his chest and propped his right leg on a stool. “I would never give you the wrong sort of information. Plus, I haven’t given you anything to put me as a prankster and liar right?”

It was anything but right as Jimin’s eyes bore into yours with that mischievous smile. You were suspicious - for certain and with a good reason, no less - but you decided to try. Plating the naan and carrying the milk (it honestly made you raise your brows at it), you walked out of the kitchen. But just as you took a step out, you realised that… you didn’t know how to go back to His Majesty’s room.

You turned back to ask Jimin to bring you along but you already found him behind you. You walked a little behind Jimin as he led you back. It was only when Jimin led you to the lift lobby did you realise, you took the hard and long way down.

When you were outside His Majesty’s room, you could hear the soft snores through the doors. You had expected that His Majesty would have woken up by now considering that it was nine in the morning.

“This is where I leave you. It was nice knowing you, My Lady. I hope to see you around soon.” Jimin bowed to you before walking back into the lift.

Taking a deep breath, you opened the door and walked in. Lightly closing it behind you, you treaded on careful waters, placing the food on the bedside table before poking His Majesty’s arm in an attempt to wake him up.

“Hmmm…”

Poke.

“Hmmm…” His Majesty’s brows furrowed.

Poke. Poke. Poke. “Your Majesty.”

“Hmm…?”

“Your Majesty, I made something. Would you like to try?”

Jungkook was disoriented.

He thought you had come back to bed. When did you leave again?

Jungkook yawned as he sat up in the bed, staring at you. You were standing at the edge of his side of the bed, poking him awake.

“Your Majesty, I made something. Would you like to try?”

Sure. He would love to.

“Hmm…” He nodded but whined in retaliation when he didn’t manage to grab onto you in time as you left to walk around the bed.

His sleepy eyes followed you the entire time and you came back with a carton of his favourite banana milk - how did you know? - and a plate of… bread? Jungkook got more alert. Oh, how he loves bread! Anything that contains flour is his favourite. Reaching for the food on the plate in an instant, he tore into it with a content sigh. It was only halfway through that he realised that the bread was not the usual one the servants would bring him. It was softer and held more flavour.

“Hmmm!” Jungkook looked at you. “Hmm! What is this? It’s good!”

He saw the way you ducked your head as your cheeks turned a dusty shade of pink. Oh, how cute you were. Jungkook could abandon the bread in his hand to chew on your cheeks instead.

“It’s garlic butter naan. My dad used to always make it for me so that I could bring it to school and share it with my friends. It became my comfort food.” He observed that you were fighting the itch to cover yourself. “I’m glad you like it, Your Majesty.”

Jungkook was proud that you tried to open up to him. He was beyond happy.

“I like it. How long can they keep for?”

Your furrowed brows made him go into another mini heart attack. “For normal naan, I’d say to keep its freshness, a month in the freezer should be good and about five days at room temperature.”

Jungkook chewed on the naan as he nodded. “How much can you make?”

“It depends on how long I am permitted in the kitchen, Your Majesty.”

There’s that again. Jungkook was not disappointed - just a little sad that you still didn’t trust him enough.

“There is the main kitchen and the kitchen in this tower. You can use any for however long you like. There are no limitations. There are no limitations here, okay?”

You nodded at him.

The silence dragged on comfortably as Jungkook continued to munch on his breakfast and drink his daily calcium while playing with your fingers. Your slender hands have done too much work - but Jungkook wouldn’t say. If you decide to continue with reading and sword training, he would be more than happy to oblige you.

But not housekeeping.

He hoped you would no longer think that you must clean the castle. Some servants are in charge of cleaning up and he hoped that you would leave it to them to do most of the work.

“Your Majesty,” You turned to him. “I… I would like to learn how to properly fight and -”

“I have a friend who can help you! He commands the First Battalion!”

“You,” Your eyes looked like they shined a thousand stars. “You would allow me to fight, Your Majesty?”

You said it with such hope in your voice that it hurts Jungkook’s heart. Exactly what did they do to you that the simplest indulgent made you look like that? If you wanted to fight, you may; if you wanted to read and create new things, you may; hell, if you wanted to burn the whole world down, he’ll burn it down with you.

Perhaps with a few exceptions.

“Of course.”Jungkook brought his hand to your hair and hooked the strays behind your ear. “You don’t need anybody’s permission to do anything.”

You looked so happy a that moment, eyes shining as if they were a thousand stars in the galaxy.

“Come on. Let’s dress you in simple clothes today.”

“Oh! It’s you!” A head of brown locks dashed up to you and you were sure with his built, you would have tumbled onto the ground by now if it wasn’t for a bold hand grabbing him from the fabric of his waist and pulling him back.

“Tae! Don’t be so rash!” The tall man chided him.

“Aw, come on! I just wanted to give her a hug!” The man in his hold - Tae - thrashed and whined. But the man held firm.

“You don’t know what she’s been through, don’t be so rash. What if all of our waiting goes back to square one because you wanted to give her a hug?”

You understood where they are coming from. They were afraid to wait longer to see you and you suppose you shouldn’t let them wait any longer. Pushing down your fears, you sturdily (at least you hoped it appeared sturdy) curtsied to the group of men in front of you. “Good morning. I am L/N Y/N. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Frequent pratice allowed the common language to smoothly roll off your tongue.

“You’re quite educated, I see?” The same man that held back Sir Tae spoke, pushing up his glasses. His built - tall and muscular - made you feel like an ant next to him.

“The guards and scholars would teach me in the night.”

The man nodded, bowing at ninety degrees. “Scholar Namjoon, Your Majesty. I am pleased to be at your service.”

Oh, he certainly looks like a scholar. While you never interacted with anybody during the morning to avoid any form of suspicions and rumours to spread in the pack, you have came across scholars at all hours of the day. They were always dressed to their finest, topped with the exuberance of elegance surrounding them. Even as the scholars who teach you during the night, wearing nothing more than a turnic and pants, remain that grace.

Observing three of the similarly dressed men in the group, you deduced that they must all be scholars. Their clothing were prim, not a single wrinkle in sight. Even their ties were neatly tucked under their double-vested vests that are adorned with gold buttons. Their boots shine under their high waisted pants with silk gloves in the pockets of the coat. One of them took out a pocket watch before whispering in another shorter man’s ears. He stood tall himself as the man he looked over you.

His eyes were as sharp as a cat’s and you felt stripped under his gaze. Bowing, the man introduced himself. “Yoongi, Your Majesty.”

You curtsied back to him.

“Jungkook told us you had quite the… harsh upbringing.” Scholar Namjoon started. Wait - Jungkook? Not His Majesty? His Excellency? His.. something other than his name?! “But it seems that you had good teachers.”

You hastily looked over at His Majesty, eyes peeking from under your brows as they furrowed. You hoped that he wouldn’t be too angry that his people did not call him by his title. His Majesty looked over at you and smiled - and you felt like you’ve drifted.

Turning back to the waiting group, you answered. “The guards and scholars in my previous pack have taught me well.”

A head poked out from across the wall before bounding over to your side. “My Lady! What are you doing here? Lost again?” Jimin whipped his head to the group and glared at the males in front, eyes saying What are you guys up to?

“Do you know each other?”

Jimin’s ears seem to pique at that question. “Yep! I’ve been with them since young! The seven of us are an inseparable group you know? Of course, with Jungkook at the head of the table.”

“Ju-Jungkook?” Your face pales again as your heart hammered in your chest.

Please don’t be mad. Please don’t be mad.

“Plus, he’s the youngest out of all of us so we get to tease him forever.” A male slapped His Majesty’s butt. His Majesty whined.

Oh no… Oh no, they’ve done it now. Violating the king’s sense of -

“Hey Y/N darling,” Large hands encompassed your cheeks. “Don’t worry. They’re always like that and they practically raised me through my adolescent years. Their my brothers. It’s alright, it’s alright.”

Brothers?

Oh?

Oh.

Your cheeks dusted a shade of pink as you held in the urge to bury your burning face in his Majesty’s cloak. Instead, your grip tightened on the fabric as you tried to cool down the rising heat. Jungkook can see the way you were holding back on running so he cupped the back of your neck and gently tugged you to his chest. With your head buried, you tightened you grip even more, as if he would disappear the moment you let go.

“Darling?” Jungkook brushed your hair back, fingers threading thorough your loose locks. “Can I introduce you to them?”

You nodded, turning back to the group of boys waiting for your reply. His Majesty pointed to each one of them and started, “This is Namjoon, Yoongi, and Jimin, as you know. This is Soekjin, but you can just call him Jin.” He was the man who took out his pocket watch. “This is Hoseok or Hobi.” The cheerful guy who was clad in simple but expensive tunic and pants. “And lastly, this is Taehyung.” He was the one who wanted to give you a hug. You should return it sometime soon.

Curtsying to the group, you quickly went back to the hold of your mate. You could see the cooing faces and lips that they were making and it made you blush even more. His Majesty suddenly spoke, breaking the electricity between the group.

“Y/N wants to learn how to properly fight. Jimin, could you teach her?” Sir Jimin burst in front of you, hair flying all over his face as he grinned at you.

“Of course! I would never turn down time with My Lady!” Sir Jimin’s eyes roamed your body and you can see the calculations turning in his mind. The look was quickly removed, as he held out a hand to you. “Let’s start now. Shall we?”

Timidly, you placed your hand in his and let him drag you away.

“Wait- what?! I didn’t mean now!”

You turned your head to see the other boys holding His Majesty back. But you could see that there was not much struggles coming from his as well. Waving your hand at him, you continued to allow Sir Jimin to lead you around and through some turns. Sir Jimin was excitedly blabbing on about how much they have waited to meet you and you felt a little bad.

As the both of you stopped at the training ground, you saw the rings, an assortment of weapons, and so many different types of training elements. When in your old pack, you learned archery and swordmanship. The guards would teach you defense and ensure that you could fight but this -

Goodness… You have never seen anything like it!

“Shall we start?” You turned back to Sir Jimin. “I’ll have to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses before I start to teach you anything.”

Throwing you a wooden sword, you easily caught it as you prepped your stance. But Sir Jimin was fast. He was much faster and agile compared to the guards in your old pack - and no, he did not go easy on you. Bringing the sword up to block the unexpected blow, you willed strength in your arms as you fought, putting more distance between the both of you. The both of you fought and your breath started getting shorter and heavier. You had to finish this quick.

Summoning more energy into your movements, you kept light on your feet as you bounded over to Sir Jimin, feigning an attack to his right but tunring left at the last second. You hooked your foot over his and pulled, whirling to his back as you used his weight and temporary shock to pull him down and turned him onto his front. You layed the dull wood of the slab onto his neck.

You were panting for your breath and landed in a heap over Sir Jimin. He looked like he was still in shock so you leaned forward to poke his cheek, trying to find out if he was still alive. When he didn’t move, you frowned. Feeling the man’s head for any bumps of blood for any signs of concussion, you wee certian you didn’t hit his head too hard to cause him to pass.

Just as you were about to call for help, you heard footsteps coming closer towards hte both of you. Shoes scuffed on the rough terrain of the training ground and your fight has not left you. Turning on your heels, you prepped yourself for another fight. You weren’t sure who or what you were going to fight but you needed to ensure you adn Sir Jimin made it out alive.

Even if he might probably be… dead?

But when you looked up, you say His Majesty staring at the both of you together with Scholar Taehyung at his side. Only then did you realise the position you and Sir Jimin were in. Your body leaned over his as you sat on the curve of his back, Sir Jimin unmoving below you. The silence between the four of you stretched long.

“Damn.” You flinched at sudden movement below you.

Snapping out of your daze, you leaped off Sir Jimin. You held off jumping to His Majesty as feelings overcame you. You didn’t want him to be mad but you didn’t know his boundaries to his emotions. You were caught in a compromising position by your own mate and you did not want to trigger anything else you shouldn’t.

But His Majesty hopped over and around you, jumping around you like an excited bunny. “Finally! We have finally found the savious to shutting Jimin up! HAHA!”

You stood there, confused.

“Jimin has always prided himself in being the best swordsman amongst our group and he would not stop bragging about it everytime we ask him for a duel. But now that you have flopped him on his ass-”

“Yah! Stop it!” You turned your head to Sir Jimin. He was dusting himself off and stomping over towards the three of you. “Stop bringing down my hard-earned reputation!”

His Majesty and Scholar Taehyung rolled on the floor laughing. Then you heard a squeaky laugh from your side as well, one that sounded like when you cleaned the windows. The sound as the cloth passed the dry windows.

Flinching, you turned to your left, finding Scholar Seokjin bent over his knees, pointing to the trio as he tried to mouth something but the words couldn’t get out. His wheezing form coupled with his squeaky laugh made you chuckle. When you couldn’t hold in your laughter anymore, you followed along with the group, their contagious laughter enveloping your senses.

It was then that you realised - this is what home feels like. You still had a long way to recovery, perhaps never even a chance to return to how you were as a kid. But growth is needed if one wanted to live. But these people have taught you the true feeling of being at ease, feeling safe. And you were certaintly grateful for those you now call friends and mate.

Wiping the tears from your eyes, you observed the clear sky with a few clouds looking like animals floating by. You hoped that your previous pack would be able to have a better leader soon. Nobody should live in fear and you wished that they would be able to see better days. Turning around, you followed the Scholars, Sir Jimin, and His Majesty. This time, as His Majesty slid his hand to yours, you didn’t hesitate to grab onto it, swinging your connected palms as the five of you walked into the future.

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