Chapter 12
After Minji’s unintentional sleepover, Siyeon had been much more attentive. She was always keeping an eye on Minji whenever she joined her in the room, and Minji decided to take her out and about. More through the palace rather than to her room and outside.
“The last time I was in a study… I fought Bora…” Siyeon frowned.
“Well, this is my study,” Minji smiled. “No Bora or Yoohyeon,” She added. “You can sit there.” she pointed to a spot near her desk on the floor, allowing the alpha to walk over and examine it.
It was a nice little corner near an unlit fireplace, a thick rug, and a few pillows. Siyeon stepped on the rug, frowning when she felt how itchy it was with her own fingers. But the pillows were extremely soft and the blanket Minji handed her was even softer.
“Comfortable?” Minji chuckled when she saw the alpha already rolling in the blanket and getting herself comfortable.
“Yes… In the winter I can imagine this spot is very nice,” Siyeon whispered.
“Soon enough it will be your perfect spot then.” The omega couldn’t help but swoon over how the alpha was acting right then. How she was able to just let go and be adorable behind closed doors. Out and about in front of others, she was terrifying and cold. But not with Minji.
Every day was a new place, Minji’s study, the palace library, and even the palace kitchen just so Siyeon could see somewhere new. She had yet to join them for dinner or any meal for that matter. Minji didn’t know how she would react, and she was a little scared of it all.
“How would you feel about dining with us tonight?” Minji asked in the middle of the day.
It was colder out, not enough for snow, but very chilly. Minji made sure her study fireplace was lit, and Siyeon was already cozy in front of it. She was enjoying the extra blanket Minji had for her, enjoying the warmth of the fire and how comfortable everything was.
“Siyeon,” Minji chuckled.
“Hm?” The alpha lazily rolled over, looking at the omega.
“Dining with us in the hall tonight,” She smiled. “You’d be able to eat more,” She whispered.
“With your family?” Siyeon frowned.
“Yes,” She nodded.
The alpha sat up, weighing her options. If she had the choice, why would she go join them? She didn’t know any fancy etiquette… Would she have to talk to anyone? She didn’t want to, but the omega looked as if she wanted her to say yes…
“I… I would be okay with that…” Siyeon whispered.
That night, the king was already in the middle of a conversation with the queen about some new plan. Minji was happy he was occupied, it made it easier to have Siyeon join unnoticed.
“Oh?” Yoohyeon smiled when she saw her sister join them with Siyeon in tow.
Bora glanced over from her spot, smiling when she saw Siyeon sitting on the floor next to Minji.
“Making your way up in the world,” Bora smiled at her.
“I guess…” Siyeon mumbled. “What do we have to do?” She whispered.
“Just stay quiet and eat pretty much. Listen when the omegas want to talk to us, that’s pretty much it,” Bora shrugged her shoulders, looking back to see Yoohyeon already reaching out for her. “Like that,” She smiled before moving to sit closer to her.
“Good of you to join us Minji,” Her father sighed.
“I thought joining you would be nice tonight,” Minji smiled before holding out her hand for Siyeon.
The alpha frowned, unsure what the gesture meant. She glanced over at Bora, seeing what she was doing, and was still confused. The older alpha was up on her knees, hands on Yoohyeon’s leg and peeking over the table. So, she mimicked it, seeing a smile spreading across Minji’s face.
Siyeon heard metal hitting metal and winced slightly, turning to see the queen had dropped whatever utensil she was holding at the sight of the alpha. Her eyes met the king and she couldn’t help but change her demeanor from curious and weary to cold.
“You… Really…” the queen muttered.
Yoohyeon couldn’t help but laugh at the sight, looking back at Siyeon and then at her parents.
“Your faces… Oh, this is going to stay in my mind forever…” Yoohyeon whispered.
“She’s trained?” the king asked.
“Almost fully,” Minji smirked. It was a full-blown lie. Siyeon was barely trained. She just knew better than to attack people now.
“Good job, Minji… I didn’t think you could train her so fast.” The queen picked up her discarded utensil, keeping an eye on the new alpha. “Now for status?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at her daughter.
“Not yet… I don’t believe we’re there yet,” The omega answered before picking up her fork and piercing a piece of chicken. She offered it to Siyeon, watching her take it gently before chewing.
“You feed her before yourself?” The king scoffed.
“I would rather she ate than me.” Minji didn’t bother to look at him, knowing he was disapproving of every little action she did now.
Yoohyeon watched the interaction as she ate, curious as to why Minji was feeding Siyeon first. But she didn’t entirely question it. Minji knew what she was doing and knew Siyeon better than anyone else at that moment.
As dinner continued, Minji and Siyeon worked a system. If Siyeon really wanted to try whatever bite Minji had, she would gently pinch her leg, and Minji would give her the bite. If it was something Siyeon didn’t want, she lean back slightly, putting a small amount of pressure on Minji’s leg with both hands.
It was perfect. Better than the system that Yoohyeon had with Bora.
But Yoohyeon’s was spoken out loud.
Minji and Siyeon learned quickly at that moment instead of words. Siyeon had pinched her gently, catching the omega’s gaze just long enough for her to look at the bite and for the omega to learn that she wanted it. It worked perfectly. An unspoken language that didn’t need words. Just little gestures.
By the end of dinner, Siyeon felt like she was going to explode. She was very content with how much she ate and already had her head on Minji’s lap. Bora was still kneeling, looking at everything on the table while the royals talked, watching the servants take away the discarded plates before replacing them with dessert.
“Where did your alpha go?” the queen frowned when she noticed the second alpha was no longer in sight.
“She’s right here,” Minji chuckled while patting Siyeon’s head.
“She can’t kneel for long?” The king scoffed.
Siyeon shot up to her knees, glaring at him before looking up at Minji.
“She just wanted to be close to me… Is that so bad?” Minji lied.
When the meal was officially over, Siyeon had eaten much more than she planned to and was already fighting off the tired feeling. She curled up in her blanket and pillow mass in front of the fireplace, completely content with the world at that moment.
“You ate so much,” Minji laughed when the door was shut. She walked further in to see the alpha already curling up and getting herself comfortable. “Did you enjoy dinner?” She chuckled while leaning over her.
“I did,” Siyeon mumbled.
“Good. I just have to finish one more thing okay?” She heard a content hum, allowing her to move to her desk and continue her work before dragging her alpha back to her room.
It was a long wait, Siyeon had already fallen asleep in front of the fireplace and Minji couldn’t help but look at the alpha. She was just like a pet at this point… They enjoyed spending time with one another… Now Siyeon was at the table with them… And she was curled up in front of the fireplace like some kind of dog…
Her mother’s words echoed in her mind… Asking about status was normal… Yoohyeon and Bora had hit status quickly, and were bound within a year of being with one another… She and Siyeon had been together for nearly five months now and they hadn’t even made status…
“What am I going to do…” Minji frowned.