The imperial edict left no room for debate: Taehyung, Emperor of the Realm, was to oversee the operations of the bakery until it was certified free of magical hazards. A task of great importance, of course, and not, absolutely not, because Taehyung secretly wanted to spend more time with Jungkook. (Shut up, Seokjin.)

Much to Jungkook's despair, however, the emperor-his fiancé through an arranged engagement neither had asked for-was now willingly occupying his bakery. Jungkook couldn't understand it. Weren't emperors supposed to hate their unworthy betrothed and gallop off into the sunset with noble heroines? Taehyung, in particular, was supposed to be swept off his feet by some kind-hearted beauty, leaving Jungkook to peacefully bake éclairs in solitude.

But no. Taehyung was here, in the flesh, with his unreadable expressions and an air of authority that somehow made the bakery feel smaller. Jungkook was not having it. If the emperor wouldn't leave him alone, then Jungkook would drive him away-preferably by annoying him to the point of exhaustion. It was foolproof.

At least, it seemed foolproof, right up until the moment Jungkook handed Taehyung an apron embroidered with the words "Knead the Dough, Rule the Empire."

Taehyung held the apron between two fingers as though it were cursed. "Do I look like someone who kneads dough?" His voice was so dry it could have crumbled stale bread.

Jungkook, biting back a grin, tilted his head. "Well, Your Majesty, it's either that or mop duty."

Taehyung's eyes narrowed, glittering with imperial suspicion. But after a long, silent standoff, he donned the apron like a knight donning armor, his movements slow and deliberate. "Fine. Show me what to do."

"Great!" Jungkook chirped, leading him to a workbench piled high with flour, eggs, and jars of enchanted ingredients glowing faintly under the lamplight. "We're making éclairs. Super simple. Just follow the recipe and, uh, don't mix the glitter powder with the yeast."

"Why not?" Taehyung asked, already unscrewing the jar of glitter powder.

"It explodes," Jungkook replied, his tone casual but his eyes wide.

Taehyung paused. "...Noted."

It took mere minutes for things to devolve into chaos. Taehyung, ruler of vast lands and commander of countless armies, was now battling an uncooperative ball of dough with the determination of a man out of his depth.

"It's sticking to my hands," he growled, glaring at the sticky, glutinous mess as though it had insulted his lineage.

"That's because you're mauling it," Jungkook said, his voice trembling with suppressed laughter. "You're supposed to fold it, not choke it out."

Taehyung shot him a look that could have frozen fire. "Fine. Fold it. Like this?"

Before Jungkook could answer, Taehyung plunged his hands into the dough again, only to growl in frustration when it stuck worse than before. Desperate for reinforcements, he grabbed the bag of flour and slammed his hand inside. A mushroom cloud of white powder erupted into the air, enveloping the emperor in a snowy haze.

When the dust settled, Taehyung stood motionless, coated head to toe in flour, his hair dusted like a sugar-dusted pastry. He looked like an extremely annoyed ghost of baking past.

"Are you laughing?" he demanded, his tone dangerously low as he swiped at his flour-covered face.

"Never," Jungkook managed, though his voice cracked as he tried and failed to contain his laughter. His shoulders shook as he gestured vaguely at the emperor. "You're, uh... you're doing great, Your Majesty."

Taehyung gave him a long, measured look before picking up a handful of flour and flicking it at Jungkook's face. "Let's see you do better, master baker."

By the time they reached the part where custard needed to be piped into the éclairs, Taehyung's transformation from emperor to disaster baker was complete. What had started as a man exuding grace and authority was now a custard-covered figure of frustration.

The piping bag, which Jungkook had assured him was "idiot-proof," apparently held grudges. Custard squirted out the wrong end, splattering his apron, the counter, and, for reasons Taehyung couldn't fathom, his left shoe.

"I should have taken mop duty," Taehyung muttered, glaring at the bag as though it had personally betrayed him.

"You're doing great!" Jungkook chirped, leaning against the counter, openly laughing now. "Besides, it's kind of refreshing seeing you like this. You know, normal."

Taehyung shot him a withering glare, his face smeared with a streak of custard. "If normal means I look like a dessert casualty, I'll pass." He threw the piping bag down with enough force to make Jungkook flinch. "I am never baking again."

Despite the mess and Taehyung's loud declarations of defeat, the éclairs eventually came together. Sure, they leaned slightly to one side and looked more like abstract art than desserts, but Jungkook clapped his hands together as though they'd just won a national competition.

"Voilà! Perfection," Jungkook declared, handing Taehyung one of the less lopsided éclairs. "The first one goes to you, Your Majesty. A reward for your... efforts."

Taehyung eyed the éclair with all the suspicion of a man handed a poisoned chalice. "Is this safe?"

"You made it," Jungkook deadpanned.

Reluctantly, Taehyung took a small, cautious bite. The moment the pastry hit his tongue, a strange, almost mystical silence fell over the room. Jungkook watched as Taehyung chewed slowly, his expression inscrutable.

"Well?" Jungkook asked, leaning forward expectantly.

Taehyung swallowed, wiped his mouth with an air of exaggerated deliberation, and gave a single, grudging nod. "It's... edible."

"Edible?" Jungkook repeated, hands on his hips. "That's it? After everything? After you painted yourself in custard and powdered sugar?"

Taehyung's lips twitched. "Fine. It's also better than I expected."

Jungkook shook his head, grinning as he picked up a towel to start wiping down the counter. "You're impossible."

"And you're insufferable," Taehyung shot back, though there was a faint, lingering smirk on his face as he begrudgingly joined Jungkook in cleaning up.

As the emperor muttered his way through scrubbing custard off the floor, Jungkook couldn't help but smile. For all his complaints, Taehyung was still here-custard-coated, flour-dusted, and far too close to endearing for Jungkook's comfort.

Jungkook couldn't let himself dwell on the warmth blossoming in his chest. It wasn't fair. Taehyung wasn't supposed to look this... approachable. Not here, in Jungkook's kitchen, with flour still dusting his hair, eating éclairs as if they were the best thing he'd ever tasted. No, Taehyung was supposed to be regal, untouchable, and a little bit terrifying-not this oddly endearing mix of clumsy and cute.

Jungkook snapped out of it when Taehyung spoke.

"...Will you?"

"Uh, pardon, what?" Jungkook asked, blinking like a deer caught in headlights.

"The hunting contest," Taehyung said patiently. "It's happening next week. Will you be attending?"

The words triggered a faint memory. Yoongi had mentioned something about the contest recently, but Jungkook hadn't paid much attention. He was too busy trying to perfect his enchanted cream puff recipe. "Um... sure?" he replied, though his voice betrayed his uncertainty.

Taehyung's face lit up with a small, almost boyish smile. "And will you participate?"

Jungkook nearly choked on air. Participate? He? Jungkook was from the modern world. To him, horse-riding was just glorified sitting and arrows and bows were but directions and ribbons. The very idea was laughable. He could already see it: a series of unfortunate events ending with him as the main course for some enchanted beast.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Your Majesty," Jungkook said, trying to keep the terror out of his voice.

"Oh." Taehyung's expression fell, and Jungkook immediately regretted his words. The emperor looked like a puppy that had been kicked. "So... if you won't come hunting with me," Taehyung added softly, "then... will you at least give me your handkerchief?"

The question caught Jungkook off guard, as did the look on Taehyung's face-hopeful, with big, expectant eyes that made Jungkook's heart skip a beat.

He remembered this part from the webtoon. Oh no.

In the original story, this very contest had been a turning point. Taehyung had taken Lee Hwayoung's handkerchief-the heroine's handkerchief-before embarking on the hunt. Not only had he bagged the rarest magical creature, the luminous Starlight Stag, but he'd also offered it in Hwayoung's name during the grand feast afterward. It was a gesture that had cemented their position as the most admired couple in noble society.

Meanwhile, the emperor's original fiancé had been left to sulk in a corner, humiliated and ignored.

Now, here Jungkook was, facing those same big, pleading eyes. If he refused, Taehyung might take someone else's handkerchief-maybe Hwayoung's again-and history could repeat itself. But if he agreed... what then? Wasn't it practically a confession of sorts?

"I... uh..." Jungkook stammered, feeling cornered. "Do I even have a handkerchief?"

Taehyung raised an eyebrow. "You do. You used it to wipe flour off my face earlier, remember?"

Of course, Jungkook remembered. He remembered it far too vividly-the moment his hand brushed against Taehyung's cheek, the emperor's soft laugh, the way their eyes met for just a second too long. He cleared his throat, fighting the urge to scream internally.

"I'll... think about it," Jungkook managed, his voice strained.

Taehyung's face lit up again, his disappointment vanishing like mist in the morning sun. "That's all I ask."

As Taehyung returned to his éclair, Jungkook stared at the remaining custard, wondering how he had gone from baking to potentially rewriting the plot of an entire webtoon.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

i was reading "death is the only ending for the villainess" that i had the idea for the latter half of this chapter 🤭