Hoon clutched his fists beneath the table, his jaws tight and his face rigid. No one had to tell me my husband was thick with rage. His eyes that's normally soft and tender when he gazes at me lacked emotion this evening.

I hesitated upon issuing another step while his steel eyes cut through me like a blade. I've seen his feral eyes once before and that was when we first met in his office when I accidentally disturbed him in the middle of his study, and that was before he realized I was his betrothed. Hoon had been gentle and loving to me ever since.

I was in trouble, a lot of trouble.

In the past two years, we've been married, Hoon was never once furious with me.

"Sit down, Jasmine." He said with quiet rage.

I took the seat across from him, the table was already arranged for our dinner. The servants stood behind us with their carts waiting to serve on us. I had imagined the dish had gone cold by this time.

"Leave us," Hoon said in a single command sending all the servants and guardsmen away. Everyone rushed outside, leaving me and my husband alone in the large private dining room.

The room echoed in deafening silence, Hoon glared at me with his accusing gaze, breathing his deep angry breaths. I tried to meet his eyes but his sharp heed weight down on me heavily. He is overwhelming me with guilt.

I know why he was angry and I have no good excuse to tell him.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Jasmine?" He murmured sharply, and I hated the way he talked to me. Hoon was so controlled, so dominating, and so scary. He and prince Julong were the same, they don't let emotions overrun them easily.

"I-i..." My voice cracked unsteady, it took a lot of courage to even answer to him. "I wasn't..."

"Wasn't what?" He asked impatiently, cutting me off in the middle of my sentence. Hoon furrowed his eyebrows together. "You were chasing my little brother around the palace?!"

"It's not what it seemed!" I reasoned immediately, but Hoon held his glare at me, making me sink under his dominance. Hoon is a prince and he knew how he uses his birth bestowed power properly.

My fingers folded, clutching my dress, falling back into silence.

"Tell me, Jasmine. Should I be worried about my wife seeing my little brother when I'm not around?"

I shook my head, my eyes glued to the fists clutched on my lap. I felt like a little child being scolded by my husband. Hoon is a whole decade older than me and with such a wide age gap between us, the weight of his age hung over my head.

"I could understand your feelings for Julong two years ago, you were infatuated with him just like any other woman in the palace, and that's understandable. It was completely my fault. I chose to let that happen and let it go on determined to dissolution the betrothal between the two of us. I did not care to marry an illiterate woman without an aristocratic blood. That was an insult to me as prince, and it was an insult to me as a scholar.

The more Julong took to you, the better. I thought he could take you off my hands and I'll be able to move on with my life without my father breathing down on me about marrying you. But I was wrong, I never anticipated the rumors about your vanity to be true. I thought no woman is going to make me fall in love just with her looks alone, but you were different. You made me fall in love at first sight and it didn't help that you were unaware of your own blessing. You had no idea how breathtaking you truly are. I considered myself lucky to be a prince then because I thought no man could have you unless he is a prince."

Hoon leaned forward while I sank deeper in my chair.

"What I'm trying to say is, you are my wife, and I don't like the words going around in the palace that you and my little brother are in love. Gossips make its way to me whether I like it or not. Everything is reported to me, Jasmine."

"Those were just rumors, Hoon. As you said, gossips. " I reasoned.

"Jasmine," Hoon breathe as he tried to relax. He rose from his chair and strolled silent effortless steps across the table. He took my hand and lifted it to his lips.

I looked up at my husband unsure. He was just furious a moment ago, now, he chose to kiss my hand. He pulled me up to my feet and I rose just as he wanted me to. "Hoon?"

"Jasmine, I want you to love me more." His voice fell into a beg and I never knew a proud prince could be so frail and weak under the spell of the woman he loves. Hoon was romantic, and I had never felt so bad about hurting and making him angry the way I did. "I know I may not be as handsome, I may not be as brawny, or I may not have his sex appeal, but I love you. You are my wife, and I don't want to be threatened by my little brother thinking you're attracted to him, or you love him more. I want you to think of me, only me. I want you to get him out of your mind and love me instead."

"Hoon..."

"I can see it in your eyes, Jasmine. Your eyes never lie to me. You love him and the energy between the two of you when you're in the room together is strong. It announces itself that no one can mistake that attraction between you both. It hurts me because I know my brother is deeply in love with you too. I don't want to create any friction between us, I love my brother, we grew up together. I taught him plenty of things the way an older brother should. Julong is our baby brother, but right now, I can't help but have all kinds of resentment for him. But as I said, it was my fault, I should have claimed you as my betrothed before you two fell in love with each other.

He paused and searched my eyes.

"Do you love me, Jasmine?"

"I do."

"Then, stop giving my little brother any reason to hold on to you, he can have any woman in the palace he wants. Except, you. You're mine, Jasmine. And I wouldn't want no one else having their eyes on you, not even my brothers."

"Oh, Hoon." I murmured softly leaning into his warm embrace, Hoon tucked me in his chest, holding on to me as though he's afraid of losing me.

"I love you, Jasmine. I know I love you more than Julong loves you. I'm sure of it."