Like the First Snow

The scarlet Gonryongpo¹Gonryongpo – Scarlett dragon robe. slips off Wonbeom’s shoulders…

The crown is placed on the table.

The white, almost see-through hanbok²Hanbok – a general word for clothes. covers Wonbeom’s bare chest.

The knot ties his clothes together.

Wonbeom’s steps are slow.

He feels the refreshing cold of the wooden floors as he steps barefoot down the hallway to the bath chambers. He whistles some silly song, locking his hands behind his back.

When he enters the spare room where various maids await the Queen’s orders, all eyes turn to him. The maids open their mouths to greet him but freeze before even voicing the first syllable because Wonbeom places a pointer finger against his lips. He nods his head towards the doors, signaling they should hurry and leave. Thankfully, Court Lady Choi, as the most knowledgeable, silently and professionally organizes all the maids to disappear quickly.

“Could I have more warm water, please?”

Wonbeom hears Soyong’s muffled voice behind the closed doors. Smiling, he picks up one of the buckets of warm water…

“Is anyone there?”

He chuckles under his breath: his Queen can be so impatient sometimes.

Wonbeom opens the doors and steps inside the room containing the pool-like bath. The first thing he sees is that Soyong hasn’t noticed his presence. On the side of the bath furthest from the doors, she reclines in the water with her head resting against the edge. Her own white bathing dress is soaked, sticking to her skin above the water line. White and red rose petals float on the surface and he notices Soyong unconsciously playing with a petal between her long, slim fingers.

He pours the water into the bath and watches Soyong hum in pleasure with a smile. Wonbeom admires her for a moment, noting that her hair is in a messy bun held by a simple pin instead of the tight braid she usually has. The wet locks stick to her face and her exposed long neck. He thought he had seen everything and that it was impossible for her to look even more beautiful in his eyes, but Soyong always proves him wrong.

“Does my Queen need anything else?” Wonbeom finally breaks the silence.

His Queen shudders in surprise, sitting up and opening her eyes immediately. Her mouth is slightly agape and her eyes wander across his frame. He lets out a little laugh at her adorable reaction but gets a hold of himself, becoming serious again.

Slowly, he walks around the bath’s edge. Soyong’s eyes never leave him, watching his every step and swiveling in place as he walks towards her. When he stops before her and lowers himself to one knee, her eyes somehow look innocent and hungry at the same time. He moves his right hand to her face, caressing her temple.

“I’m sorry I didn’t bring food this time, my Queen. I didn’t want anything distracting us. I hope you don’t mind…” he says huskily in almost a whisper.

For a fleeting moment, he sees her gaze change from innocent to serious, but before he can wonder what she is thinking about, Soyong moves up fast toward him. Her hand hooks behind his neck and her lips crash against his in a hungry kiss. His surprised grunt is muffled by her eagerly moving mouth, and he soon feels her tug him down into the water with her.

With a loud splashing sound, Wonbeom lands in the warm water, his clothes getting entirely wet in seconds. He wraps his hand around Soyong’s waist to keep them both balanced and prevent them from going completely underwater. Without breaking the kiss, Soyong finds a perfectly comfortable position on his lap in the middle of the bath.

Breathing heavily, they break their kiss, stilling for a moment. Waves of water crash on the bath’s boards, leaving splashes on the wooden floor. It feels like everything around them is moving — the water, the rose petals, and even the candles’ light. But they are lost in the moment, completely motionless. Soyong’s beautiful eyes peer into his and her mouth moves into a half-smile, showing her adorable dimples. Wonbeom finds it hard to breathe because of how overwhelmed he feels having her in his life like this.

She’s finally close to him.

From now on, will she always end up in his arms like this for the rest of their lives?

“I don’t think I can get used to this,” Wonbeom whispers. “Loving you feels new every time…”

Her hands move to his shoulders and up to his neck until she cups his face in her palms.

“Loving you feels like the only constant in my life,” Soyong breathes out.

Wonbeom loses himself in her adoring eyes. He could get drunk from how good it feels to be loved like this. To be trusted like this. He wishes to thank her for simply existing, but he knows it’s too sappy to say out loud, even for him. Right now, at the peak of their reunion, his feelings overwhelm him as they never have before.

“What took you so long?” Soyong teases him with a pout, her hands moving back to his shoulders. “I started to wonder if all the talk about having another baby was my wish alone.”

“Well my Queen, please do not think I’m neglecting my duties as a husband,” Wonbeom jokingly answers in his most formal tone of voice. “I finished working on as many appeals as possible so I can cancel the next royal conference.” Soyong’s brows raise in surprise at his words. “I take our decision regarding our family very seriously. You can be sure about that!”

“I should have never doubted you.” Soyong cheerfully laughs, making him smile in return.

“Does that mean that tonight and the whole day tomorrow you are fully mine, Wonbeom-ah?” She turns down her voice to a whisper, her face moving closer to his.

“Always,” he whispers back, impatiently licking his lips, waiting for her next move.

A crooked smile briefly appears and disappears on her beautiful face as she closes the remaining distance between them, gently kissing his lips. But before he can deepen the kiss, she moves away slightly and comes back to brush her lips against his cheek — then the tip of his nose, the other cheek, and then the corner of his lips. He moves his head to the side to attempt to catch her lips and he almost succeeds before she moves away again. She teases him with a light chuckle as she continues to kiss him anywhere other than his lips and as he tries to do the opposite.

Soyong laughs after his futile attempts to catch her lips, but eventually her eyes focus on his and she stills, slowly blinking. She moves one hand to his face, gently drawing a line from his temple to his chin, and then her slim fingers ghost along his lower lip. Wonbeom holds his breath, watching through half-lidded eyes as she licks her lips and her face slowly gets closer to his.

Her soft lips meet his, moving lazily and tenderly. Wonbeom whispers love confessions in between kisses as she responds with growing passion, breathing in every single word leaving his mouth. Her kisses become more demanding as she leans her whole body into his and Wonbeom’s hands move against her back, embracing her tightly.

In their growing passion, she tilts her head back with a moan, exposing her long beautiful neck for him. Wonbeom doesn’t hesitate, exploring the soft skin with light kisses. He usually loves when her hair falls down freely, but he appreciates her messy bun right now because it gives him more bare skin to caress with his lips.

She breathes in deeply and moans his given name in a whisper, making Wonbeom smile against her skin. He adores when her voice turns into something between a soft murmur and a moan. She gives him many names, going from murmuring his own name to whispering he is her heart in one breath. Every word makes his heart pound fast as he loves hearing how much he means to her.

He moves both his hands to her head, urging her to look down at him. For a moment they just peer into each other’s eyes with pure love and adoration before they meet again for another lazy, savoring kiss. But, passion grows in them quickly: Wonbeom feels heated after the long prelude and impatiently unties her white upper jacket from her bath attire. And Soyong doesn’t hesitate to aggressively get rid of his jacket, baring his chest. Before Wonbeom can continue undressing her, Soyong moves down, kissing his neck and moving lower to his collarbone and chest.

It takes all of Wonbeom’s willpower to stop her and make her move away. He needs more, much more of her — her skin, her moans, her gaze that is clouded with pleasure, anything she can give to him. And without saying another word, Soyong unties the side of her dress and gives one of the long strands of fabric to his hand. Slowly she gets up and with a smile starts turning around. Wonbeom watches in awe as her dress starts falling down, baring her round breasts. He yanks the tie down to him, making the wet fabric shift below her waist.

Without wasting any more time, Wonbeom clings to her toned belly, kissing every inch of her skin. His hands move the remaining fabric away as he feels how she shivers under his touch, his lips and tongue exploring her more and going lower and lower. Her hand moves to his head, trying to find support as her knees get weaker once he lowers between her legs.

Hearing her breathy moan makes Wonbeom lose all the patience he had. With a low groan, he hooks one hand around her thigh, and with the other he supports her lower back as he quickly moves her to sit on the edge of the bath. Without wasting a second, he lowers to his knees, trailing light kisses along her inner thigh before moving his face between her legs.

“Your Majesty,” Soyong pleads, making Wonbeom glance up to her face. She leans on her elbows, breathing heavily, her skin glistening with water droplets from the bath. If only she knew how beautiful, yet so vulnerable and exposed, she looks before him.

With a cocky smirk, Wonbeom gives her one last look before diving in between her thighs. With one hand he moves her thigh onto his shoulder, gently embracing it with his palm. His other hand brushes against her folds, slowly and tenderly, drawing out a quiet whimper from her.

As much as Wonbeom loves hearing these breathy moans, it’s not enough for him.

Nothing is enough for him when he’s with her…

With the help of his fingers he parts her folds for better access and, without hesitation, he nuzzles against her core with his tongue. Moving slowly and thoughtfully, he wishes to take his time. He draws various patterns, testing one or another and memorizing her reaction. Soft moans leave her mouth as she breathes heavily, but for Wonbeom this is yet again not enough.

Wonbeom tries to be creative, switching between licking and sucking her most sensitive spot, and as a reward, he hears Soyong purring his name. Her hand finds its way to his head, digging her fingers into his tight bun of hair. He’s only happy to oblige in serving his beloved Queen, allowing her to essentially ride his face with her hips slowly moving and her hand gently pushing his face further to her center.

Wishing to maximize her pleasure, Wonbeom uses his free hand to easily slip two fingers inside, moving and curling in her warmth. He moves his head aside to take a breath for a moment, using the opportunity to bite and kiss her inner thigh. Without stopping his ministrations, he looks up to her and sees Soyong arching her back, lost in the sensation. Her hand on his head urges him to move back to his original position.

With a fleeting chuckle, he moves back to using his tongue, as his fingers continue pushing in and out. He knows she’s getting closer to her release as he works harder to caress and pleasure her. Humming in victory, he finally hears Soyong crying out and cursing — the highest praise, one that Wonbeom loves to hear. He pushes his tongue inside, where his fingers are still moving, letting her ride her orgasm until she relaxes and lies back on the floor.

Wonbeom kisses her inner thigh as he carefully moves it down from his shoulder. With many quick kisses across her skin, he moves from her lower abdomen to her belly button and then to her breasts, where he stops for a bit longer to suck and softly bite them before finally rising to hover above her face.

Soyong is panting as she looks at him with half-lidded eyes. Her lips spread into a wide smile and she looks completely flustered.

“I wish to note that I’m getting much better at it, don’t you agree?” Wonbeom places his hands on either side of her head, hovering above her.

“I don’t know about that, but you are getting too smug. That I am sure of,” Soyong teases him with a laugh.

“You can deny it all you want…” Wonbeom briefly moves down to brush his lips against hers. “The second you lose control over your mouth, I know I have done well.”

She laughs: “There are levels in everything, including cursing. You never know if I could get louder.”

Wonbeom rolls his eyes; she can’t let him have a moment of pure victory, instead challenging him to know to what extent he can pleasure her. She moves one of her hands to his, caressing up and down his wrist with her slim fingers.

“Oh please, my poor King, do not sulk,” Soyong teases him, biting her lower lip, her eyes twinkling with naughtiness.

Her face becomes more serious: “Only you could sway my heart at first sight and even now,” she moves her other hand to her chest, “it beats so fast only because of you.”

“Really?” Wonbeom raises his eyebrows suggestively, lowering himself closer to her.

“Yes,” she whispers back before moving towards him and catching his lips in a kiss.

Without breaking their languid kiss, Soyong guides them to move into a sitting position. Her hands embrace his shoulders as she clings to him, deepening the kiss. Wonbeom’s hands gently stroke her thighs before lifting her from the bath’s edge with ease and moving them both back into the warm water.

They find themselves in the middle of the bath with Soyong comfortably sitting on Wonbeom’s lap. With passion rising in them again, they can’t leave each other’s lips, breathing in the moans of one another.

Soyong’s hands move underwater to Wonbeom’s pants and eagerly unties them, pushing them down his legs. Wonbeom’s breath hitches when he feels her fingers giving his length slow, gentle strokes. He whimpers, jerking his hips into her touch as much as he can considering their position.

“Please,” he pleads, panting.

She squeezes him lightly, and when he lets out another whimper, she catches his lips in a hungry kiss. Their tongues play together and now it’s Soyong’s turn to moan. She lifts herself just enough to guide him inside her without breaking their heated kiss.

When they part for air, they are panting, and Soyong starts moving slowly, lowering herself with every move. Her breathless whimpers only heat Wonbeom’s desire more. His hands move to her waist as he bucks his hips up in a vigorous manner.

“Wonbeom-ah,” she pleads, throwing her head back as they pick up their pace.

Her exposed neck and collarbone beckon him to kiss, suck, and bite her skin, as he wishes to mark her as his. But before he can carry out his desire, Soyong pushes his head into her chest with a low whimper. His lips catch one nipple in his mouth, drawing out more pleased noises from her. Wonbeom moves along her skin to the hollow of her neck, then to the side and up to her ear.

“Soyong-ah,” he purrs into her ear, his hands moving lower to her hips to lead her into long, deep, and frantic movements. “Give me the best obscene language you can.”

“You are out of your mind,” Soyong hisses. “I shouldn’t have told you the meaning of that word.”

Wonbeom laughs; now that he knows the meaning of that word he expects her to use it every time. She lets loose with the word either when she’s angry or at the peak of her pleasure. Will he hear it now that he is both riling her up and making love to her?

He bucks his hips up to meet her halfway through her downward movement. The water around them moves erratically, waves splashing against their bodies, almost matching the brutal pace of their lovemaking. And as her hand on his shoulder squeezes him harder, he knows she’s getting closer to her release.

“Don’t be shy, my Queen,” he teases her, admiring her as she loses herself in the moment.

“Oh, fuck you,” she finally curses angrily.

Wonbeom chuckles at her annoyance, but it’s not quite what he’s waiting for. His hand on her hip travels between them where they are connected and finds her sensitive spot, caressing it with his fingers.

“F-fuck!” she screams out, falling out of their pace.

Soyong arches her back beautifully and her inner walls flutter around him, making him groan. He keeps leading her as she moves against him and rides out her orgasm. It doesn’t take long for him to reach his own peak, her name falling from his lips.

Panting, they still and embrace each other with eyes closed, foreheads touching. Wonbeom moves his hands up and down her back, loving every moment of this bliss. The water slowly calms around them, changing to soft waves, and their fast-pounding hearts settle as well.

“The water,” Soyong whispers, breaking the silence, “is getting colder…”

“Mhmm,” Wonbeom mumbles in response. Until she voiced it, he hadn’t noticed, but after the heat of their passion the water really does feel chilly.

“Let’s get you out before you catch a cold,” Wonbeom says, opening his eyes slowly and looking up at her.

She gives him a quick kiss on his cheek before moving from his lap. He barely has time to catch his pants around his knees when he stands up after her. He quickly yanks them to his waist and secures them with a tight knot.

Wonbeom climbs on the edge of the bath and reaches out his hand to help Soyong as well. Gracefully, she steps on the edge and hoists herself up to him with water falling down her frame and petals sticking on her skin. Even though they just made love, seeing her like this makes him eager for a repeat in their bedchamber.

“Your Majesty is so provident,” Soyong says with a teasing smile, making Wonbeom’s brows raise in confusion. “Canceling everything for a day was a smart move, because, with a look like that, I don’t think we will sleep anytime soon,” she continues with a chuckle.

He takes her hand and yanks her into his embrace: “I can’t help it. I feel as if I’ve fallen in love with you all over again…”

Soyong’s head rests on his shoulder with her warm cheek against his skin and her arms embracing him back tightly: “I know what you mean. I think I fall for you too many times, and yet not enough times at the same time.”

Feeling colder outside the water, they both take towels and pat each other dry. Soyong argues that he can’t stay in wet trousers and she quickly unties them again, making them fall to the floor. Wonbeom steps out of them, kicking them to the side, and Soyong wraps him in a dry towel, securing it on his waist.

Wonbeom looks around for more dry towels for Soyong, who’s still completely naked, but finds his own white robe with the golden collar.

“Huh? I was looking for it earlier and it was here?” Wonbeom nods his head towards the robe. “My Queen, you are using my clothes quite often now.”

Soyong looks awkward, scratching the corner of her lips with her fingers: “It’s so comfortable and big…” she mutters as if he caught her stealing, “and it reminds me of Your Majesty when you are late…” Her cheeks start blushing and she mumbles even quieter: “It smells like you…”

His always fierce Queen can sometimes show sudden shyness, and the more randomly it happens the more Wonbeom finds it adorable. It reminds him of when he had welcomed Soyong into the palace as his future wife and congratulated her on her selection as Queen. She has always been a boundless ball of energy, but was still a shy, blushing woman when she encountered her future husband. He didn’t appreciate her pure feelings back then, and therefore he cherishes these moments more now.

Wonbeom walks over to pick up the robe from the hanger and returns to Soyong from behind. He helps her to put it on each arm and moves it up to cover her shoulders. She looks like she is drowning in the garment, but Wonbeom must admit it somehow appears to look very nice on her. And only one last thing is missing: Wonbeom reaches out to the pin that holds her bun together and pulls it out, making her shiny black hair fall freely on her shoulders.

“My Queen,” he whispers in her ear, hugging her from behind and wrapping her more snugly in the robe. “As I am yours, so is everything I have.”

And without waiting for her response, he quickly moves to dive under her arm and hook his own arm under her knees, raising her in his arms. She squeaks in surprise and clutches his shoulder with her hand, lifting her eyes to peer into his. Once again, Wonbeom thinks he might drown in her adoring gaze. She lets out a short, cheerful laugh and kisses him on the cheek. And then again and again while he walks back to their bedchamber.

He is a wise King after all, and calling off his duties was a smart decision. Ultimately, his first and foremost duty is to take care of his wife.

Author’s notes

Writing this chapter was so much harder, I tried to make it better and wrote it little by little, I hope you all like the result.

Initially, I wanted to write 2 part smut chapters from each pov (“Queen’s worshiper ” and “King’s protector”) but got too exhausted writing smut lol I might write it later and add to the side stories of this series.

So only 2 chapters left and Afterword from BH’s pov to finish this story and I already started drafting “Rebel AU”. Joseon-era BH is tricky to write because he needs a proper backstory. If you have any suggestions or scenes you wish to read in fic, feel free to share.

• 1
  Gonryongpo – Scarlett dragon robe.
• 2
  Hanbok – a general word for clothes.