#Reuji x reader | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sorikkung · 2 years ago

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♕ of princes and princesses ♕ | s.mg, j.yh

✒ pairing: princess!song mingi x trans!prince!reader x prince!jeong yunho

✒ wc: 16.7k

✒ genre: royalty au, angst, romance, smut, heavy on the themes of queerness and identity

✒ summary:

"Only princesses like princes," you were all told. Mingi figured that must make him a princess, because he knows he loves the Crown Prince of Choeya, Jeong Yunho.

"You're a princess," you've been told, but you know you're a prince - and if it takes recruiting the estranged princess of Reuji to help you prove that point on your last stand, so be it.

Yunho is throwing a gala between the three kingdoms to forge alliances, and has no idea just how successful he will be.

✒ warnings! blatant transphobia and homophobia, verbal and emotional parental abuse, implied dysphoria, smut, anal (m. receiving), mirror sex, first times (mingi is a virgin), both of them have stupidly huge cocks, unprotected sex bc this is medieval times did they even have condoms? usage of the title "sir"

✒ a/n: this piece is very, very, very important to me, so i really hope you'll give it a shot! i especially invite cis readers to give it a chance to boost more marginalised identities within the reader insert community, to help even one other queer person out there feel more seen and normal. any reblogs or feedback would mean the world to me <3

as this fic is about queerness and acceptance, i will happily rewrite it for other queer identities upon request, whether that be trans woman, nonbinary, or any other shade of queerness, so just let me know!

The scalding syllables of the name that is not yours linger in the air again, ringing in your ears – the painful reminder of who you are expected to be. Princess.

“I’m not your princess,” you snarl, but like always, your words fall on deaf ears as the Queen pivots around to glare at you, shoulders tense and fists clenched.

“You are going to drop that attitude right this instant, young lady. With the gala coming up we cannot afford to have you dragging our kingdom’s name through the mud even more. Do you hear the things they say about you? First Reuji’s boy princess, and now our own Uchian Princess parading around as a prince. It’s a disgrace.”

“Yeah, just like your parenting.”

Wrong move. Nevertheless, you smile at the rage reflected in her eyes, storming towards you, but you don’t flinch. She won’t hit you. You know she won’t – such would reflect badly on her, and she has a role to play; the role of a kind, benevolent Queen. So gracious that she houses you, despite the dirt you put on her name. How generous and understanding of her, to not cast you out for the crows to finish off for defying her so constantly. Truly.

She grabs your wrist harshly and drags you out of an earshot from the seamstresses sorting out your dress, lowering her voice. “This is your last chance, child. I have been merciful thus far, but if you keep up your ‘prince’ act and ruin things any more than you already have at the gala – in front of both our neighbouring kingdoms, may I remind you – you’re out. I don’t care where you go, but it will certainly not be here.”

You swallow down the bile that rises in your throat at the threat. She’s insinuated such things before, but never has it sounded so final, concrete. You suppose perhaps she has been waiting for this – a chance for you to publicly fuck up badly enough that exiling you won’t reflect on her as a Queen, and more on you as a failure. After all, the problem has always been you, hasn’t it? No one else seems to have a problem with their name, their role, how they’re referred to or how they’re supposed to act. No, you’re just some spoiled princess who craves attention since her older sister is the heir to the throne instead. How spoiled you are, to have it all and still have the nerve to ask for some basic respect and understanding.

Who else could possibly even begin understand you, anyway? You don’t see anyone else rejecting the role they were born with, living the life of another – except, maybe, the name you hear scandalously gossiped about in the courtyard and throughout the town, the estranged firstborn of the Reujian Royal Family. Princess Mingi.

The princess, to your knowledge, is actually a man. At first you though perhaps he wasn’t, and he simply was born that way and like you, wanted no part in it – but word got around that he fell in love with a man, and was told much like you were, and only princesses like princes. He took this and decided that he would simply be a princess. It was a bold move. You respect it. You only wish you could speak with him, maybe then you’d feel more sane.

The Queen would never allow it, though, as she remains boring her eyes into yours with an icy cold warning. Whether to scream, laugh, or cry, you’re not entirely sure. Instead, you meet your mother’s gaze for a few long moments, hoping she can feel the piercing hurt and bitter hatred that seeps from your very being, and wordlessly turn around to leave. She is not worth the breath you have to spare on words to change her mind; there will be no such thing. You know that much by now.

You have better plans now, more important ones. The first step? Writing a letter and finding a way to contact the infamous Princess Mingi.

“So are you going to tell me why you’re sneaking around and trying to keep something hidden from our mother, or what?”

Your older sister blocks the doorway you were attempting to go through, leaving you without many options. Finding the privacy to write a personal letter was easy; finding someone who would be willing to keep secrets from the rest of the royal family was not, and as trustworthy as your selected messenger may seem – a pretty servant boy called Wooyoung with a fine eye for shiny stones and a certain distaste for the rules – you were not willing to bank on him not ratting you out if your sister, or gods forbid, your mother, interrogated him personally.

“Bold accusations to toss around,” you huff simply, buying yourself some time to formulate a cover. “I swear everyone’s just looking for an excuse to get me in trouble. You, too?”

The Crown Princess sighs deeply, seating herself on the plush study chair you were writing in not long before. “Not if you help me with something. And promise you won’t tell mother.”

“Now that’s more like it.”

You grab yourself a chair to sit across from her, crossing your legs and waiting for her to talk. She doesn’t meet your eye, which is rather uncharacteristic for the woman; not for her to be shy, or even anxious, but for her to be so around you. Usually, it seemed like she cared about just everyone else’s opinions except yours.

“The stable boy,” she breathes out quietly, “I think... no, I am... I’m in love with him.”

Had you been sipping a drink, you surely would’ve spat it right back out.

“The stable boy?”

“I know, I know,” she sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose and seemingly trying to shrink into herself, shield her ego from the blow of such a confession. “It’s… I don’t know. I tried to ignore it. I know Mother really wants me to find a prince or nobleman to marry, she’s been so insistent on me attempting to court the Crown Prince of Choeya at the gala… but I cannot do it. Not while I know my heart belongs with another. Not while his belongs with me.”

It’s reciprocal, then, that changes things. You let the new information bounce around in your head to really process it before offering any sort of advice or reaction; a learned behaviour taught to you by the royal court since the moment you were old enough to speak. Since, you have commonly opted to not bother filtering or formulating your responses based on other’s reactions, but this situation is far more delicate than most – at least to you. For your sister was the only one who tried to treat you the same despite it all.

“What do you want me to do about it?”

She wouldn’t have come to you just to confide a secret, you’re sure. Well, mostly sure, though royal life is rather lonely and there is a chance she came to you as the only person she could get it off her chest with, barring the stable boy himself.

“Truthfully, I don’t know.” She plays with the sleeves of her dress, staring at them like the answers lie within the intricate lace patterns. “But you’re good at these things, usually. Figuring out how to do things we’re not supposed to do. You find a way.”

“Find a way?” You scoff, unable to believe what you’re hearing. “Is that what it looks like to you? Our mother threatened me with exile this morning.”

Her movements halt, hands dropping from her sleeves and looking up at you with wide eyes. “She... surely she doesn’t—”

“She means it this time.”

The silence is deafening, ringing through your ears. She means it this time. A probability that neither you nor your sister ever wanted to face, and thought maybe, just maybe, it would never really happen. What else would keep the young going if not foolish hopes and dreams? It was a wilful delusion, one that you wished didn’t have to be over so soon.

Like usual, however, fate has other plans.

“What do you plan to do, then?” Her voice is edged with worry, more than you’ve ever heard from her before. More than you ever thought you’d ever hear from her.

You shrug. “Pack my things, maybe. She says this gala is my last chance, and if I ruin it I’m out for good. Good riddance, then,” you snort dryly, bitterly attempting to seem like this could be any sort of desirable outcome, a feeble attempt to regain any sort of control over the situation. “I’ll have to raise hell on my way out. This is going to be one hell of a party.”

“You’re not even going to try?”

“Why would I?”

It’s as clear as day to you. If there was any chance of pleasing your mother without sacrificing who you are, you would’ve done it already. You aren’t about to sacrifice who you are for the sake of what other people think. You refuse to live a lie, no matter how easy it would be. Easier on the outside, maybe.

“Is the luxury worth it if it comes with no real power, no real respect? Living as a commoner seems more appealing than this if it means I finally get seen as a man. Not being watched and scorned for my every move.”

She has nothing to say back. There’s a silent but mutual understanding that you won’t change your mind, and that she will miss you. She toys with her sleeves again, trying to think of something, and you let her. Not that you think it’ll make much of a difference, but you let her, just because.

“Court Prince Yunho for me, then.”

“Huh? Did you not miss the part where—”

“Lie. Lie to our mother, tell her you’ll shape up and you regret acting up and you want to make things right by courting the Crown Prince. Convince her that you’re the better choice to send, since if I marry the Crown Prince and he wants to lead his own kingdom and not ours, that will leave you next in line to the throne. That’d be her worst nightmare, right?”

It stings, but she’s right. She’s right, and the more you think about it, the better of an idea it seems – not just will you get the dramatic exit you would make sure you get regardless, but with a big enough scene, Prince Yunho wouldn’t want to go anywhere near your sister, nor would any other potential suitors from all three kingdoms.

“…and then I wreak as much havoc as I can in one night.” You finish her train of thought for confirmation, and she nods slowly. Who knew your penchant for disruption would ever be useful?

“Then we both win, no?”

“I don’t need to do this to win, though,” you point out. “I could get what I want without bothering. What’s in it for me?”

She rolls her eyes, folding her arms crossly. “Can’t do one favour for your older sister before seeing yourself out, huh?”

“Can’t give anything in return to the brother you’ll never see again?”

She bites the inside of her cheek. “Alright. I’ll try and organise you a safe place to stay after it all goes down. The court still listens to me, I’m sure I can get a holiday house. I’ll say you’re my housekeeper, and then when I leave the palace, I can say I’m going there and go stay with my… my stable boy.”

“Wait, really?” Truthfully, you’re stunned. You were hoping for a memoire of hers to keep with you in your exile, maybe one last home-made meal she used to make when she picked up cooking as a hobby in her teen years. “You’d do all that… for me?”

“I would. I may not understand why being a man is so important to you… but that does not mean I want to lose the only sibling I have. It’d be different if you were married off and moving kingdoms, at least I’d know you’d be happy and well looked after – but exile is not so kind. You deserve this kindness.”

Suddenly feeling indebted to your sister, you crush her in a hug far too tight and too improper for anyone else to see, but she isn’t as surprised as you anticipated. She hugs you back, holding you just as tight, and no more words are needed to express your gratitude, nor her appreciation for you so rarely voiced.

When you finally pull back, you’re smiling genuinely for the first time in far too long.

“Thank you. I’ll make sure this gala is unforgettable – but first, I need to rewrite a letter.”

Dear Your Royal Highness, Princess Mingi of Reuji, I hope this letter finds you well.

I’m sure I don’t need to remind you about the upcoming gala. Are you excited for it, perhaps? Or are you dreading it? You can be truthful with me, Princess. From what I’ve heard, your family sounds a lot like mine. Gatherings such as this are usually such a chore, and keeping your cool in front of such rude guests questioning the very things that make you, you… it’s tiring, isn’t it?

Word does travel. We seem to have a lot in common, I think, so I would love to meet you in person when the date arrives. If your parents are anything like mine, they’ll be warning you to stay away from me, right? Gods forbid we sully their reputation any further. I don’t know about you, but that only makes me even more keen to meet you.

Within this letter I offer you a gift – the custom-made dress my mother forced me to order as a condition to be allowed to talk to Prince Yunho at the gala. That’s a long story there, but the short of it is that my sister does not wish to marry him, and to save her the strife, I am offering to be the one from our family to court him instead. I don’t imagine I’ll actually succeed, especially once I tell him that despite what my family likes to tell people, I am, in fact, a man. Being born otherwise does not change that. Unless the Crown Prince is like us, it will probably not lead to much. If he is… well, wouldn’t that be interesting?

Anyhow, I doubt the dress will fit you, so I included some of the locally sourced, luxury fabric used to make it so your seamstress can adjust it accordingly, if you so choose to wear it. It’d make quite a statement, don’t you think? Considering your reaction to being told only princesses can like princes was to become a princess, I figured such bold statements would bode well with you. It’s a beautiful gown, truly, but alas, it is simply not me. I have a feeling it will look better on you than it ever would on me. In fact, I ordered it with you in mind – I heard you were a fan of the colour pink, and it certainly pleased the Queen to hear I was getting a dress so feminine. I’ll be fine stealing one of my late father’s suits for myself.

I apologise in advance if any part of this letter is presumptuous. If you wish not to interact with me nor wear the dress, that is perfectly fine by me. I hope you enjoy the gala either way.

Yours truly,

His Royal Highness, Prince of Uchia.

Mingi has to read the letter three times before it sinks in that he was really just contacted by the infamous Prince of Uchia. The prince, which he had heard was “actually a princess,” but dressed up in suits and cut his hair and declared himself a man to the public – that’s prince enough as far as Mingi is concerned. He had been so damn curious ever since the word got out, wondering if maybe you were like him, or at least, understood him, but the thought left his mind up until the gala between the three kingdoms was announced.

He was shocked that the King and Queen permitted him to attend, after they had forbidden him from travelling outside the city’s walls ever since he first confessed his crush on Crown Prince Yunho of Choeya, at the tender age of fifteen.

They were visiting so he could meet the Choeyan Princesses, not the prince, but the Princesses simply never caught his eye the same way Prince Yunho did. He was kind, charming, funny, tall – well, taller back then, Mingi briefly wonders if he’s now caught up to him or if Yunho towers over him still – and everything Mingi could dream of… except that he was a man.

It didn’t strike Mingi as a problem, back then. After all, he had travelled to meet potential suitors, see their chemistry, court them, and that is exactly what he planned to do, until he realised just how much of a problem that actually is.

“Mother… I think marriage doesn’t so bad after all.”

“Really now? That’s wonderful news darling, which princess caught your heart, mm?”

That was the last time Mingi remembers his mother calling him darling.

“Actually… it’s the prince.”

“The prince?”

“Prince Yunho. I really like him, Mother, I’m–“

“You’re delusional, is what you are.”

He often wonders what would’ve happened if he never said anything. If he feigned interest in one of the princesses, got along with them well enough, and got married like everyone else wanted. Everyone else but him. Would it have been easier, to not have ever been cast aside? Or would it have been harder, to keep a secret and live a lie? Would the way his heart beat for Yunho have ever gone away? He still thinks about him now, years later, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to seeing him at the gala and seeing if that spark he felt between them was real or just part of his imagination.

Because when he thought back to the moments they had spent together, the long sparring matches or chess games – both of which, he was no real competition for Yunho, but he couldn’t say he minded losing too much when the other boy would pat his shoulder and tell him he did well and offer to go again, obviously going easier on him so he could feel good about winning, and it worked. He knew what Yunho was doing, but it still worked, not because he actually felt better at sword fighting or chess, but because it meant that Yunho wanted him to feel better, and Mingi was sure he would give Yunho anything he could ever want from him.

The look in his eyes back then, the mischievous sparkle when he had him at sword-point or checkmate, or the warmth when he praised him for being able to beat him when it was too obvious he let it happen, they made Mingi feel something. Something he hadn’t felt anywhere else, something that had been described to him hundreds of times on paper and out loud.

“But Mother, I don’t get it. All those things you said about love, I feel those with Prince Yunho more than any of the princesses I’ve met, I really like him and–“

“Only princesses like princes, Mingi. Not princes. Princes like princesses, and you are a prince, are you not? So you will turn around, rid your mind of the thought and never bring this up again.”

Little Mingi scrunched up his nose. Like all teenagers do when being told they can’t do something, he figured he would do exactly that no matter what anyone said – that being, in this case, loving Crown Prince of Choeya, Jeong Yunho.

“I think I’d rather be a princess, then.”

He had stormed out that day, prideful and stubborn as ever, and truthfully? He doesn’t regret it at all, not anymore. He spent enough years regretting it, crying himself to sleep over the parents who detested him and the boy who he could never have. He’s older now, wiser, and he knows better – if his parents would detest their son over who he fell in love with, is their love even worth anything anyway? Is it really love if it’s conditional? Hiding may feel safer, be safer, but he no longer wants to hide. He wants to be heard, seen, witnessed – maybe he foolishly hopes Yunho will catch wind of it and reach out to him. Or maybe it’s just been far too long since he’s got to truly make a scene.

What better way to prove that than wearing the prince’s dress to the gala? Mingi doesn’t know you well, but from what little he’s gathered from rumours and from your letter, he decides he likes you. Maybe he just likes the idea of you, considering you’ve never met, but he has a good feeling about you. Someone kind enough to make him a dress, but someone so bold, even bolder than him, daring to make such a statement to be who they are… it’s hard not to admire such gall. He wants to be more like you, he decides. Playing princess was a good start, but he needs to make a bigger statement. He needs to be louder, speaking over those speaking over him, instead of playing docile in his defeat – and that starts with you, the gala, and this dress.

He isn’t used to sneaking around much, but he figures now is a good time as any to start – his palms are sweaty and everything feels twitchy as he tries to duck through the castle unnoticed, and he stutters when he tries to explain to the tailor he chose what he wants fitted and that he’d pay for her silence, but he does it in the end, and the thrill it gives him is exhilarating.

It helps that the dress is absolutely gorgeous, too. He doesn’t stop grinning the whole time the tailor takes his measurements, unable to hide his excitement at the thought of wearing it – and meeting you. Talking with you, just for a night, for once in his life since that fateful day feeling normal around someone else – he briefly wonders if his parents would allow him to wed you, considering how people still see you as a princess, and what better fit for the man that calls himself a princess than the “woman” who calls himself a prince?

No, no, he’s getting ahead of himself, he realises, blushing at how far that thought had gotten. It has been years since he’s genuinely gotten to consider the possibility of a romance, but he figures he should slow down until he meets you at the very least. Just one step at a time. He takes in a deep breath, takes out a fresh sheet of parchment, and grabs his trusty quill.

Dear Your Royal Highness, Prince of Uchia, it was lovely to hear from you.

I will not hide the truth from you; I have been intrigued with your character ever since I first heard of the wayward princess calling himself a prince. I wondered if maybe, you were just like me? Well, I do not call myself a Princess as a woman, but simply as an act of defiance, so I suppose we’re different there, but I will happily go along with your plan of defiance and take this gift with much gratitude.

I wasn’t completely dreading this gala, not really – I am trusting you with this secret, but I was mostly just excited to meet Prince Yunho again. I have not seen him in many years. I do not know if he is like us – we had some sort of connection when we met, but before I could ask him if he felt the same, we were torn apart. I have not been able to see him since. Now, however, I am counting down every day towards this party – I can barely conceal my excitement to meet you. For the first time, it feels like someone understands me.

I sent the garment to my tailor the first thing after reading your letter. It’s gorgeous, I’m honoured to have such a gift – but that would leave you without a custom piece for the gala, and I could not accept that. With this letter I am sending you a suit made especially for you, although without your measurements, it likely won’t fit, so I followed your lead and included some fabric as well. I hope it’s to your liking; I may have been presumptuous as well, and made our outfits match.

I am aware of how this may come off. But I figured I will ask anyway if you would be my date at the gala. I think we would make a good pair. I hope you think so, too.

I doubt any reply will arrive before the gala anymore, though, so I suppose I will hear your response in person. It’s alright if you say no. I look forward to meeting you regardless.

Sincerely,

His Royal Highness, Princess Mingi of Reuji.

The night of the gala.

As much as you wished to reply to Mingi’s letter, he was right – it wouldn’t reach his kingdom in time. The suit he sent you was positively beautiful, the perfect partner piece to the dress you sent him, in the same style but opposite colours – black and red to match his ivory and pink, the embroidered patterns and glittering jewels mirroring the dress’s patterns. Truly the most stunning garment you had ever laid your eyes on, and all the more meaningful that he had you in mind when designing it.

The tailor certainly had questions, but nothing the right price couldn’t dissuade – after all, a humble but talented tailor that didn’t work for the castle always dreamed of taking work for royals, who could possibly refuse? Even if it was for the estranged prince.

Since, you had kept it hidden somewhere your mother nor the servants would ever find it – with the stableboy that had won your sister’s heart. You gave him your blessings in private, and he wished you well in turn.

Everything led up to now. All the secret letters, the gowns, the planning, the sneaking around and colluding with your sister to buy enough time to change into the suit and make it to the carriage before your mother could see you. The stableboy ended up a more valuable asset to your plan than initially thought, getting you your own carriage to sneak into, your sister feeding your mother the fib of leaving early to meet the Crown Prince and win his heart.

You’d certainly try, just for the hell of it – just to humiliate your kingdom further when you try to court him as a prince. You wonder how he would react to that, though you suppose it didn’t seem like it would be the first time Prince Yunho was courted by a prince.

The Choeyan Royal Family run the gala, the richest and most influential of the three powers, and when you arrive at the castle it sure does not disappoint. Tall stone spires shrouded in ivy and flowers, and yet – not a single stone brick out of place, not a tendril or vine out of place, falling perfectly symmetrically on the sides of every archway and fireflies dancing around them. How such a feat was achieved is beyond you, but you marvel at the view nonetheless.

Stepping inside, the interior is just as impressive as the exterior, polished marble floors and stairs, art on every available surface, and the biggest jewelled chandelier you’ve ever seen above your head. It speaks louder than words of the success Choeya has accumulated, just comparing it to the castle back in Uchia; you start to see why everyone is so hellbent on marrying into the Choeyan lineage. It would probably help your kingdom immensely if you could actually succeed in what you told the Queen you would do, the allyship could bring so much good to your people, the people you swore to protect – but what have those people done to protect you? Perhaps there is only so much a commoner can do against the word of a Queen, but either way you don’t feel too bad about burning the bridge between you and Choeya tonight. You’d be exiled by morning anyway, and your sister is determined on her stableboy.

You’re gazing up at the kaleidoscope of lights in wonder when you hear a deep voice clear itself behind you, and only then do you notice the strange looks of the guests around you – for once, not fixated on you, but rather, behind you.

Turning around with curiosity tugging at the corners of your lips, you set your sights on a tall, broad figure with soft eyes and plush lips, donning a bejewelled prince’s crown and the very dress you ordered yourself, the silky fabric hugging his waist then flowing all the way to the ground and trailing behind him. He’s curled into himself nervously, offering you a shy smile as he curtseys low, polite, then meets your eyes again, brimming with excitement.

“Princess Mingi,” you breathe out, smile widening. You almost forget to bow in response, about to curtsey back out of habit before you realised that you are not, in fact, being forced to wear a dress this time. You still wear the tiara of your birthright, but it’s liberating, proudly presenting yourself as you are and defying the rules like this, and you notice the way Mingi straightens up a little when you stand back up with your shoulders set and head held high – partially to look up at him towering over you, partially because of your newfound confidence from your expression and your absolutely stunning date. “My answer is yes; I would love to be your date tonight. You look ethereal.”

“And you look incredibly handsome.” His voice is far deeper than you expected, and any jealousy it would make you feel is washed away by how it turns your knees to jelly. He can’t stop smiling, wide and gummy and showing too much teeth for any royal to consider it proper, but it takes your breath away. “I confess I have been thinking about this moment non-stop since I received your letter.”

“And? How is it, now that it’s happening?” You prompt, absolutely buzzing at just the sight of him. Him, a man, a princess, a Reujian, in a traditional Uchian dress, and positively thrilled about it.

“Exciting.” he admits, taking a step closer to you. He offers you his arm and pausing in confusion earns you a raised brow. “What is it? Surely you’re not bothered by the gendered etiquette we use? If you’d prefer, I can take your arm instead, but…”

He giggles softly, gently placing his large hand atop your head, slowly enough for you to move away if you so wished. You don’t.

“Yeah,” you chuckle in response, getting his message loud and clear. “Suppose I’m a little too short for that to work well, huh?”

The Princess shrugs, and you’re amazed at how he manages to seem both awkward and easy-going at the same time. “We could try-“

“No worry,” you insist, stepping closer to him and taking his arm gracefully, just happy to have a point of contact between you. Enough to ground you, remind yourself that this is real, he is real, and live in the moment for the night while you still can. “I’m fine with this. You’re right, I’m sick of people telling people what a prince or princess can or can’t do.”

Mingi seems pleased with that, whisking you past the gaggle of whispering party guests and onto the dance floor, long before anyone else has started dancing, the live orchestra only just getting started – but that doesn’t deter him, gloved hands finding your shoulder and your hand, yours taking his waist and following his lead. You’ve never danced the gentleman’s part in a ballroom dance with a partner before, only watched longingly and tried to learn the steps by yourself in the privacy of your room, but Mingi is a natural dancer. He leads you through it, twirling himself around and giggling bashfully at how the dress twirls around with him, and when you pull him back in, chest to chest, his breath hitches at the proximity. You can feel him this close, feel his pounding heartbeat, and it’s almost like you can feel everything he’s feeling like this, too. Like you’re on the same page, like he can feel you too – he’s a complete stranger, yet you feel closer to him in this moment than anyone you have ever known.

“You’re quite the talented dancer,” you hum, getting more in the rhythm of it – you truthfully expected to be more bothered with all the scornful eyes boring into your skull, more spiteful, but all you could focus on was the man right in front of you in all his beauty and natural talent, swaying with your arms around him. “You do this kind of ballroom dancing often?”

“Kind of,” he replies a little bashfully, “Never with a partner. I just watched a lot, practiced with my hat stand in my room…”

“Me too!” You gasp, grinning at the mirrored experience. “Well, not with a hat stand, just the air – I’m not sure which is more amusing, though.”

Mingi’s stare bores into you in place of a reply, and at first you think it’s something you said, until he blinks twice and shakes his head, like he’s snapping himself out of it. “Apologies,” he mutters quickly, “But your smile is simply breathtaking, I find myself at a loss for words. Um– right, the dance– I think the hat stand is more embarrassing, personally. You can laugh if you want, I don’t mind.”

How he manages to seem so shy and confident at the same time is beyond you, but if there’s one thing that you’re sure of it’s that you find it incredibly charming. As far as first impressions go, he’s definitely won the grand prize in your book. When was the last time someone has treated you with such casual attention? Made you feel so normal?

“A charmer, are we?” You tease, but you can’t hide the way you only smile wider at his sweet words. “I do hope I’m at least more entertaining of a dance partner than a hat stand, though.”

“Of course!” Mingi exclaims, as if he thinks you would be genuinely threatened by the dancing abilities of a hat stand. “You’re very graceful.”

“Thanks,” you chuckle, leaning forward to rest your head on his chest. You’re completely relaxed, the heavy weight of anticipation from earlier melting away in Mingi’s arms. It feels right, not just because of your similarities in status and identity, but simply the warmth he regards you with that only makes you want to return it tenfold. Is this what falling in love feels like? You never thought it could happen so quickly, that being merely a thing of fairy tales, but you can’t deny the magnetism between you that has nothing to do with him being a boy princess or you being a prince without the parts. If Mingi had shown up in a suit, addressed as a prince, and still treated you the same, you don’t doubt you would’ve been just as enamoured, and that isn’t as alarming as you thought it’d be. It feels… normal. Like it only makes sense that you’re already falling for a man like Song Mingi, like it is inevitable.

You wonder how this must look from the outside – the two outcasted royal children, dancing together, wearing the ‘wrong’ things, dancing the ‘wrong’ way, sharing what seems like an intimate moment in the middle of the dance floor. It’s only now that you’re not mesmerised by Mingi’s features and hear the pounding of his heartbeat – from you or from all the negative attention, you aren’t sure – does the sick sense of satisfaction finally start creeping in, childishly poking your tongue out at an old woman giving you a particularly scandalised look and giggling at how she immediately turns away and starts muttering something to her husband.

“What are you giggling at, my prince?” he asks, and you feel it rumbling in his chest with your head laid there. It’s grounding, and you find yourself dreading letting go with each passing moment.

You tilt your head in the direction of the judgemental old lady with a scoff. “Look at them, princess. They’re quivering in their boots at the very sight of us. We disgust them.”

Mingi’s grip on your shoulder and hand tighten, steering you in the other direction almost protectively. “Don’t look at them, then.” He moves his hand from your shoulder to your chin, lightly tilting your face up to meet his. “Just look at me.”

“That wasn’t a complaint.” His lips fall into a surprised ‘o’, which is almost as endearing as finding out he practiced dancing with a hat stand. “We disgust them, and that feels good. If being ourselves makes their blood boil, then I hope they keep boiling until it scalds their very skin. Is it not satisfying?”

“Why would it be satisfying?” Mingi asks quietly, not able to meet the crowd’s gazes for too long, even with more couples making their way to the dance floor, he can’t escape all the eyes on him. “What’s satisfying about knowing your very being is repulsive?”

“Repulsive to them,” you remind him, your turn to cup his face and pull his attention away from the bystanders. “The same people who make our lives so difficult. The kind of people that are so averse to anything that isn’t them that they have to be hateful… they deserve to be repulsed, I think. So if we’re so repulsive, I will take pride in it, as I have no interest in earning the approval of those who don’t deserve my effort. Is that not why you became a princess?”

Mingi gnaws on the inside of his cheek. “I became a princess as an act of teenage rebellion. I stuck with it to prove a point but – while I refuse to feel shame about it, I don’t think I’ve ever been truly proud, not really. Not until I wore this dress, I think. Not until I met you.” He smiles, and when he looks back at the disapproval around him, he doesn’t shy away. “You’re right. They don’t deserve my effort to be palatable. I hope they boil in their misery, too.”

You can hear what they’re saying about you. Uncouth, unheard of, unnatural – who allowed them to sully their kingdom’s names like this? Who do they think they are? There is something wrong with them. They’re multiplying. Keep them away from the children!

In truth, despite the front you would wear as much as you could, those words always did hurt, but within Mingi’s warm embrace, they ricocheted right off you. After all, you finally had proof they were wrong – you’re not the only different one out there. You have someone.

Your little reverie is shattered by the shrill voice of your mother crying out the name you abandoned, shoving past party guests to get to you two in the centre – and when she sees you, the chalice of wine she was carrying slips from her grasp and clatters to the ground.

“What is the meaning of this?” she demands, anger boiling over the edges and cascading down to her trembling fists. “I told you young lady, you had one chance, and you were to court the Crown Prince–“

“Man,” Mingi interrupts, and the Queen whips up to glare at him, appalled at his nerve to cut her off.

“Who do you think you are, boy–“

“Young man,” Mingi corrects calmly, “Not young lady.”

You’ve stopped dancing now, so when your mother crosses the line of your personal space and pulls you off Mingi rather ungracefully and steps up to him rather threateningly, Mingi takes a step back.

“You don’t tell me how to speak to my own daughter, you miserable crossdresser. Now get out of my sight.”

Mingi briefly makes eye contact with you, uncertain, and you’re not sure what he sees in your expression – you’re not sure if you’re pleading for him to stop or keep going, frozen under the pressure – but he seems to find his answer there, turning back to the Queen.

“Son.”

“Guards!” she bellows, calling the attention of everyone who wasn’t already staring uncomfortably at the altercation, even the members of the orchestra quieting in caution. “Get this man out of here, he is disrespecting the royal family–“

“He is the royal family,” the nearest guard says slowly, stepping forward carefully. “With all due respects, Your Majesty, you are not the only royals in attendance. We can only take orders from Choeyan royalty.”

She’s fuming, which would usually strike a chord of fear in you – today instead it’s glee. You have never seen your mother look so powerless.

You try to make a break for it with the Princess while she’s distracted arguing with the guard, but she catches your arm, giving you one of the most furious glares you’ve ever seen from her – and you’ve seen a lot of furious glares from her.

“Yes, mother?” you ask as daintily as you can, wearing a saccharine smile you were sure her and everyone else spectating could see was as genuine as thieves’ gold.

“You. Said,” she starts slowly, voice shaking in her desperate attempt to not start a screaming match in the middle of a gala between three kingdoms, “that you would wear a dress and court the Crown Prince–“

“I promised I would get the seamstress to make me a dress, not that I would wear it.” You grasp Mingi’s hand, pulling him back to your side. “Isn’t it gorgeous? I think it suits his long legs better than mine“ – she scowls your birth name again, but you continue without paying her any mind – “and I’ve yet to see the Crown Prince. I was just sharing a dance with a princess, since when was that disallowed?”

“That is no real princess,” the Queen spits, glaring directly at him. “That’s a prince playing dress-up.”

“No, I’m the prince playing dress-up whenever I put on your silly dresses. But you’re right,” you add on the end before she can continue, earning Mingi a shocked tilt of his head in your direction, “I have a Crown Prince to court. Guards, do you know where his Highness, Prince Yunho is?”

The Choeyan guards point you towards the refreshments table before your mother could get another word in, and you tug Mingi along into the sea of people without giving her the chance to, weaving in and out of as many circles of people as you could to shake her off your tail. It works rather smoothly, her continually being stopped by all sorts of nobles trying to get in an important word with Her Majesty herself.

As it turns out, finding Prince Yunho wasn’t very hard – not just from his extravagant crown, but much like the Princess, he towered over most of the crowd around him, standing tall and regal, the very image of princely masculinity – everything you wanted to be, everything the world wanted Mingi to be. You have never been more ready to publicly make a fool of yourself.

Waltzing right up to him rather determinedly, the Crown Prince notices you right away, and only a split second later, your company. He immediately loses the remaining words in whatever sentence he was saying to a group of noblewomen next to him, murmuring a brief apology to them before taking long strides to meet you both.

“Mingi.” His eyes linger on the Princess, then flicker to you. “And- you must be the Prince of Uchia?”

You bow before him, giving him a cheeky wink on your way back up. “That’d be correct. It’s an honour to meet you, your Highness.”

“You as well, I’ve heard a lot about you. You look amazing tonight. And…” He turns to Mingi expectantly.

Mingi seems torn on whether to bow, curtsey, or crush his old friend in a hug, but when he fumbles with his words for a second too long, Yunho beats him to it, pulling him into an embrace that has the partygoers all around you gasping in astonishment. You wish they could just turn around and not scrutinize every action any of you made, but Yunho nor Mingi seemed to pay them any mind.

“I thought I’d never get to see you again.”

Mingi is frozen completely still, but it’s no brief embrace, either – Yunho stays there until Mingi melts into his touch and carefully hugs him back, burying his face in his shoulder. “Yunho… I missed you too.”

They stay there for a moment longer before Yunho finally pulls back, beaming brighter than all the crystalline lighting hanging above you. “You’ve– You’ve grown taller! More handsome, too.”

Nothing could stop the flush colouring Mingi’s cheeks and ears at that, turning away at the intensity of looking at him – only to settle his gaze on your knowing smirk, which only deepens the shade of scarlet adorning his face. Seeing him so flustered is a real treat, and you only wish you could have had more time with him before reuniting him with the man he obviously still has feelings for.

It doesn’t upset you though, not really. You’re happy for him, and you’re happy you at least got to be his date for the night. It’s a night you’re sure you will never forget, and you’re immensely grateful to him for it.

“U-Um,” he pauses to clear his throat, gathering his courage. “You too. Both the taller and more handsome parts. It’s really… been a while, hasn’t it? Uh– the Prince has something to say, though, before we catch up.”

“Huh?” He nudges you forward, and it takes a second for what he’s expecting you to do to click. Oh. Right, the favour for your sister, the promise you made your mother – courting the Crown Prince. It’s now or never; time to throw this party into chaos the three kingdoms will be talking about for years to come. The cataclysm of your life and possibly the future of Uchia as you know it.

Whirling back around to Yunho with your most bedazzling smile, hyperaware of the noblewomen that were staring daggers at you, you ask him.

“Prince Yunho of Choeya, are you interested in men?”

The gasps you get in response are louder than all the previous ones you’d heard that night, the most shocked, the most scandalised. Exactly what you wanted to hear – exile be damned, the Queen would never recover from this. Her entire family name would never recover from this, and that is precisely the legacy you intend to leave, for your sister’s sake and your own spite.

Mingi evidently did not expect you to be so forward with your approach, jaw hanging open and eyes flitting between you and Yunho in disbelief – but you don’t miss the way they linger on Yunho longer, bated breath waiting for his response. Yunho seems equally taken aback, glancing not just you and Mingi, but all the party guests around you and their looks of varying degrees of disapproval, all centred on you two. Not him.

Your mother finally finds you among the sea of people – suppose all she had to do was follow the condemning glares and muttering – and steps between you and the Crown Prince, plastering on the fakest of apologetic smiles you know are exclusively for the public. A well-rehearsed façade that speaks volumes to the commonness of her insincerity.

“Sincerest apologies for my daughter’s outlandish behaviour, I assure you she is just–“

“Yes, I do like men, actually.”

The orchestra stops completely.

He didn’t even say it that loud but somehow the entire castle seemed to hear, everyone falling silent with surprising quickness, and for once, your mother is truly, genuinely, speechless. Possibly the most genuine thing she’s ever been.

Yunho grins, that same beaming grin he wore when he met you and Mingi again. He loops a strong arm around each of you possessively, standing tall and with his head held high in defiance – in direct contrast to how Mingi shrinks into his side, bracing for the metaphorical impact. You though, you gawk at him in amazement, clearly expecting some sort of negative response, a conflict and a swift exit to leave him with Mingi – but you can’t say you aren’t pleased with this turn of events.

“These two? They’re with me. If you lay your eyes on them, let it be with respect.”

Oh, you are definitely pleased with this turn of events.

You can’t believe your eyes; the way with just a few sentences, all the looks on the crowd’s faces changed, brows unfurrowing and looking at you with a new curiosity and intrigue rather than warped in distaste – so quickly? So soon? Is that the power of the Crown Prince, the only suitable heir to the most powerful throne out of three kingdoms while the King is rumoured to be on his deathbed – a lifetime of prejudice, gone with just a few words?

Upon closer examination, you realise what’s written on everyone’s faces is hardly awe, but fear. A special kind of fear, a kind of fear you know – the fear of doing something wrong. The fear of stepping a single toe out of line, and suffering consequences, whether it be reputation, possessions, or worse.

Yes, that is the true power of the Crown Prince of Choeya.

“Well? Were we not in the middle of a party?” Yunho questions loudly, clear voice ringing through the castle and just challenging anyone to step up to him. “Go on, start the music again, dance, mingle. There is nothing for you to see here.”

Just when you think people will finally do exactly that, Yunho decides he isn’t done with his spectacle. He tugs the two of you closer, earning him a gasp from Mingi which he quickly covers with his lips, a kiss that lingers, his eyes half open to glare at whoever was bold enough to keep staring, and Mingi hasn’t even caught his breath before Yunho pulls away and leans down to kiss you.

His lips are soft, warm.

It’s the only thing your brain can process with it whirling so wildly, and it’s over as soon as it starts, the only proof that it happened being the lingering warmth on your lips and the way the partygoers finally stop blankly staring and hustle to move away and avoid eye contact. They can’t look, but they can’t not look either, sneaking stunned looks in your direction before quickly looking away as soon as Yunho even so much as blinks at them.

“Come on,” Yunho insists, breaking the shocked silence between the three of you, and tugging you away towards the stairs.

“Where- Where are we going?” You manage to get out, finally coming to your senses enough to form words again, but the Crown Prince’s pace only quickens. With no idea what to think of any of it, your words are hardly in protest, hurrying along to keep up with him. “What about your father, what will he think?”

“Have you seen him all night? The rumours are true, he’s bedridden with illness and has been for a while now. I am running the kingdom in his stead.” At the top of the spiral staircase, he tugs you down a corridor and around a corner, you and Mingi barely able to exchange bewildered glances as you’re dragged along. He speaks of his father’s illness so casually, to foreign powers no less – such would be considered weakness by any other member of the royal court. Just how much is he risking be being so open with you two – how much is he risking by pulling the stunt he just did?

“Where am I taking you? Away from that stuffy party, and those stuffy people, all of it. I thought it’d be refreshing, having people from other walks of life over to mingle and gain new perspectives on the world – but all anyone wants to gain is power and status at the cost of others. The only breaths of fresh air in this godforsaken palace right now, are you.”

A couple more staircases later, the three of you finally end up on a balcony, high above the party beneath you, and Prince Yunho finally lets go of your hands with a sigh, leaning back on the stone railing. He gives you the most sheepish look you’ve seen from him all night, and it’s uncharacteristically cute for how charismatic he had been the rest of the night.

“Apologies,” he says at last, knowing the two of you were likely waiting on him to explain, well, everything. What this means. Whatever it means. “I got carried away trying to make a statement. I think you two do it better, though.”

Mingi finally speaks up, carefully leaning on the railing next to him. “Is that all that was, then? A show?”

He’s hopeful, it’s written all over his face all the way down to the way his hands can’t keep still, rubbing the details on his dress mindlessly, the way he’s practically holding his breath. He must have been waiting for this for a long time. There is so much left unresolved between the two, and here you are, spectating.

“Should I go?” You ask awkwardly, not wanting to impose on their reunion, but Yunho grabs your wrist as you turn to leave.

“No,” he assures firmly, not leaving any room for doubt in his voice. “Stay.”

“Okay.”

Mingi gulps. Yunho stares at the ground and bites his lip, and the palpable tension is driving you insane a lot quicker than you have the patience for.

“Oh just say it out loud already, you’ve been in love since you were boys! What do you need me here for?!”

You realise Yunho’s grasp on your wrist never loosened, only gripping firmer at your outburst, abruptly tugging you forward before you could turn away again. You’re close, intimidatingly so, and you almost think he’s going to kiss you again, but he doesn’t. From up close you get to examine every detail of his perfectly sculpted face while he waits for – whatever it is he’s waiting for, whatever it is he’s looking for in your eyes.

He’s beautiful, you think. Too beautiful for a world like this. Just like Mingi.

“You’re right,” he admits, breath fanning over your face, looking at you and not Mingi. You’re not sure why he isn’t looking at Mingi when he says this. “But you… you’re incredible. You and everything you stand for. The courage you had, coming up to me like you did tonight.”

You can’t help but shy under the praise, and the way he says it with all seriousness. The way he says it after outright confessing his feelings for Mingi, as if the two facts had equal importance. Your heart quickens at the implications. “Oh… wow. Thank you.”

“I want to get to know you more,” he continues, then finally turns to Mingi, gently taking his hand. Cautiously, unlike his unrivalled bravado from earlier. “And… I get the feeling our Princess does too.”

“I– I do!” Mingi confirms, eagerly stepping forward and taking your remaining hand in his free one, joining the three of you together. “I didn’t think– I didn’t think there was a point in hoping for anything with Yunho. But you…” The warm flush returns to his cheeks under the torchlight, but he doesn’t lose his resolve this time, squeezing your hand. “…I hoped about you. Since the day I got your letter. I hoped, if our kingdoms see me as a prince, and you as a princess, then maybe they would allow us to marry. And if they saw I was marrying a ‘princess’, I could be the heir again, and when its my turn to rule– I never wanted to rule, but if I did, I could fix all this. Make things right. It’s… presumptuous, I know, but–“

“You do tend to be presumptuous at times,” you cut in teasingly, recalling his letter. “But I’d be lying if I said I don’t find it endearing. Or that you’re wrong, really.”

He seems to light up at that; perhaps it’s just the reflection of the fireflies, but his eyes really do sparkle – and then he acknowledges Yunho again, deflating slightly. “I’m– I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what? Wanting to marry him? I’m the last person who would fault you for following your heart, Mingi.” Yunho stands up straight, intertwining his fingers with each of yours. “But I have a better suggestion. Marry me instead.”

“But–“

“Both of you,” Yunho clarifies, looking at each of you in turn. “Your parents don’t need to approve. Not if you stay here with me. It’ll be a moon at most before my coronation, we could have our wedding shortly after, and no one will be able to refuse.”

“Both of us?” you echo in disbelief, but you can already feel the hope flaring up in your chest at his suggestion. Your history tells you to crush it, suppress it, stomp out that spark – but you don’t want to. Not this time, not when this spark is landing on kindling to a bonfire, hot as ever. “Can we even do that?”

The Crown Prince shrugs. “I’ll be King, then. We can do whatever we want.”

It’s overwhelming. Mingi is overwhelmed, too, so instead of saying anything he grabs Yunho by the collar and pulls him into a passionate kiss; one that is instantly returned with just as much fervour, but he doesn’t let go of your hand. Having the two of them kiss right in front of you is expectedly a little bit awkward, but it’s heart-warming, too, the way they smile into the kiss like they just can’t get enough of each other.

Yunho is hooked, leaning forward for more every time Mingi pulls back, breathlessly laughing against his lips, but he seems to remember your presence when you loosen your grip on his hand. He must like holding hands a lot, you think, based on the way he refuses to let either of you go, and you can’t say you mind. Not when his hands are so warm, soft from the lack of any menial labour, and large enough to completely envelop yours.

He pulls away finally, and to your surprise he pulls both his hands away too – only to hoist you up in his strong arms onto the cold stone of the balcony railing, pinning you there.

“Hey,” Mingi whines, leaning over him to try and shoulder his way into your space too, “He was my date first, and you already stole the first kiss from me.”

“Oh?” Yunho challenges, leaning in closer to you, “Don’t be so demanding to your future King, Mingi. What if I wanted to kiss him first?”

“Wait your turn! Are you seriously pulling rank with me right now–“

“How about we let him decide, hmm?” His breath fans over your face again and its blurring all your senses, but Mingi shoves his face next to his and suddenly those plump lips of his are so close, but he stops inches away to give you room to make your decision.

“You’re both dorks.”

Grabbing each of them by the back of their heads, you pull them in at the same time, faces pressing together as all three pairs of lips meet each other in the centre. It works out a lot better than you expected in the moment, not really expecting it to work at all, but being able to kiss them at the same time makes you unreasonably giddy.

It doesn’t last long, Yunho pulling away when Mingi hungrily presses for more and more of you, the two of you giggling at the little disgruntled noise Yunho makes from being pushed aside. You make quite the show out of it, wrapping your legs tightly around Mingi’s waist to hold him flush against you – and so you won’t fall backwards off the edge – and tangling your hands in his silken hair, careful not to knock off his crown but still pushing it off-center, giving Yunho the same cheeky side-eye he gave everyone else when he kissed Mingi that first time.

Yunho scoffs at this, crowding into your space behind Mingi to cage both of you there, kissing along Mingi’s neck and shoulder and making him shiver against you. Either Yunho knew what he was doing more than you and Mingi or he was really good at pretending, because the way his hands and lips dance across Mingi’s body and the reactions he pulls out of him seem practiced. That, or Mingi is just extremely sensitive to touch, and extremely vocal about it. You’re not sure which possibility has you more heated.

When you finally pull apart for air, you glance over your shoulder down at the party below, and luckily it doesn’t seem like anyone has spotted you in plain sight, storeys above them. “We should take this inside,” you murmur, caressing Yunho’s face, your lips brushing Mingi’s with every word they spoke. “Before someone sees us out here.”

“Let them see,” Mingi growls, pressing himself closer to you, holding you tight against him. “Let them look and ridicule like they always do, let their hatred boil over and know there is nothing they can do in their power to stop it.”

You laugh in his embrace, forehead to forehead. “Princess, I’m sure they’re boiling already, but I was more implying feeling a different kind of warmth beneath our skin that they frankly don’t deserve the luxury of spectating.”

Mingi freezes up at that and blushes wildly, Yunho chuckling against his neck and pressing a soft kiss there. “Glad we were on the same page, at least,” he hums before detaching himself from him, “Unless you’d rather do something else?”

“I-I’ve never–“ he swallows, peeling off of you and letting you hop down from the railing.

“That’s okay,” Yunho soothes, taking each of your hands again and squeezing them reassuringly. “I’ve had a bit more freedom as Crown Prince. If you want, we can wait, or I can lead you.”

It wouldn’t be your first time – there were some select few knights that were attractive enough for you to see past the fact that they saw you as a princess still – but it would certainly be the first time it ever meant anything to you, and your heart is nearly beating out of your chest at the mere thought.

“I want it,” Mingi whispers, his voice getting caught in his throat with just how badly he wants exactly that. “I want both of you.”

“Then both of us you will have, my princess.” Yunho accentuates his promise with a peck on the lips, and you find yourself uncharacteristically shy under their confidence.

“Even though I’m– my– I–“

“I don’t care,” Yunho says simply. “I’m not as attracted to body parts as I am to the people who own them. I’ve brought enough women to my bed to know what I’m doing in that regard, too.”

Ah. You nod slowly in understanding, then turn to Mingi, who just smiles back at you. “I just want to be as close to you as physically possible,” he murmurs, “A-And make you feel good, too. Everything else is irrelevant to me.”

“Thank you,” you breathe out, not exactly sure what you’re thanking them for. They’re already ushering you back inside to follow Yunho to his chambers by the time they tell you that you have nothing to be thanking them for.

Yunho can’t help but grin as soon as the door behind you clicks shut, a certain glint of playfulness and excitement – maybe the tiniest bit of cockiness, too – adorning his features. His room is expectedly spacious, colour-coordinated in navy and gold, but the first thing that catches your attention isn’t the impressive, jewel-encrusted swords mounted on the wall above his bed – but instead, his headboard. Detailed gold frame, taller than the headboards in you or your sister’s chambers, but most notably – glass. Reflective glass.

Crown Prince Yunho’s headboard is a mirror.

You and Mingi notice this at the same time, the curious raise of your brows earning you a chuckle from him.

“I do hope you aren’t that self-conscious,” he hums, the cheeky grin not leaving his face, “because I would love to let you see just how beautiful you are.”

Mingi nearly chokes on air, and if he could get any redder, he would; you almost think he is about to ask Yunho to cover it, or face away, but once he gets his breath back he’s excitedly tugging you towards the massive bed.

“Eager, are we, Princess?” Yunho teases, gently pushing Mingi – who is far too happy to be malleable for him – down onto the bed, remaining standing between his legs so he can look down at him and tilt his face upwards. “I think I like the view of you looking up to me like this.”

Mingi gulps. “I– I can’t say I dislike the view from here either.”

“Do you prefer being on the bottom, then?” you chime in, sauntering over and kneeling before him, resting an arm on the bed and your head on his thigh. Both you and Yunho smirk at the way he looks like his head is about to burst. “Or do you like the view of me on my knees for you, too?”

“You two are going to be the death of me,” he exhales. “Both, both is good, can one of you please just touch me already?”

You grab at his dress to bunch it up on his lap before Yunho grabs both of your wrists and moves to hold them in only one of his hands – a feat that already has you reeling – then uses them to tug you up to your feet, and then back on the bed beside Mingi.

“Rewards come to those who wait.” That playful energy has quickly warped into something darker, but equally as heart-pounding. He must notice this, because when he leans in closer and places your hands in your lap, he pushes you onto your back with only a single finger; you find yourself obeying him without a word. “And trust me, my prince, I can be very, very rewarding. So are you going to be patient for me, or are you going to defy your future King?”

“You really like being the one to call the shots, don’t you?” you blurt out, but you love the way he his tongue pokes the inside of his cheek at your attitude. “Just because you’re going to be in charge of a kingdom doesn’t mean you have to be in charge in the bedroom. What if I wanted a turn, hmm?”

Yunho is quick on the uptake, giving you that same smile that looks far less innocent now than it did out at the gala. “You have to earn that privilege, my prince. So I will ask you again – are you going to be good for me, or are you going to disobey?”

As tempting as it is to disobey him and see what he does next, Mingi looks at you like he’s pleading for you to say no so he can finally be touched already, and the offer of having your turn in charge at a later point is one you cannot refuse. You simply smile back at him, sweet as you can muster.

“I will be good today, sir.”

“Sir,” Yunho echoes, increasingly pleased with himself. “Yes, that’s more like it. Now, stay still. Mingi, climb on top of him.”

“I– Okay.” Mingi doesn’t look incredibly sure of himself, but he definitely is keen either way, the mattress dipping as he awkwardly climbs over you in his haste to please Yunho. His legs sit outside yours, his hands on either side of your head, and when he meets your eyes from his new angle, his eyes widen and his tongue darts out to wet his lips. “Oh. Hi.”

“Hi,” you parrot back at him with a giggle, craning your neck up to peck his lips once. “You’re very cute, you know that?”

He beams from above you, and it doesn’t matter that his head is blocking most of the light above you because his smile is positively radiant enough to outshine them all. “Thanks. I try.”

“Unbutton his shirt,” Yunho orders, tracing a hand down Mingi’s spine, and he is quick to follow, long fingers working at the buttons of your suit. Yunho gives you a warning look as you reach to help him, but you cut him off before he can say anything.

“I’m fine with it up to here,” you state clearly, holding the shirt at its most open without exposing your full chest, leaving a button done in the middle. “I would rather not take it off. After all, I look so good in it, wouldn’t it be a waste? Our Princess gifted me this, you know. Custom made.”

“You do look incredibly handsome in it,” Mingi confirms, returning your affectionate peck. “I’m glad you decided to wear it after all.”

“Very well. That’s still plenty of room to work with,” Yunho nods, understanding your deflection and not pushing it. As your buttons were coming undone, he was slowly undoing the lace on the back of Mingi’s gown, and he seems to finally notice it when Yunho grabs the fabric and starts pulling it down enough to reveal the expanse of his back. He leans over Mingi again, much like when he had him between the two of you and you against the railing, both of them caging you in place, to whisper right next to Mingi’s ear. “Go on then, kiss him. Mark up what’s ours, even, if you’re so inclined.”

The question is directed to you as much as it is to Mingi, checking your face over Mingi’s shoulder for any objection, but you meet him with a smile. “Go ahead, princess. Don’t be afraid to use teeth or leave them visibly.”

Mingi’s breath hitches, looking at you then glancing over his shoulder at Yunho. “Um. How do I…?”

“Oh, I was hoping you’d ask that,” Yunho chuckles, voice rumbling deep in his chest, before attaching his lips to Mingi’s neck and sucking, grazing his teeth against the skin before soothing it over with his tongue. The way he stiffens and gasps beneath him, eyes going wide, has you biting your lip in anticipation. “Like that. Keep doing it and it’ll leave quite the scandalous bruise. How do you like it?”

“I really like it.” He speaks in a hurry, not able to reply fast enough. “C-Can you do it again?”

Yunho nods towards you, breath still fanning over Mingi’s neck. “Try it on him, and I’ll mirror your every action.” Yunho obviously must have been planning this ever since he put you in this position, but you don’t get the chance to wonder how many steps he’s planned ahead.

Mingi wastes no time, diving down to kiss and suck at your neck far less timidly than you expected or were prepared for; the sound that leaves your lips has you heating up with embarrassment – among other things – but it’s mostly drowned out by the way Mingi moans against your skin at Yunho doing the very same to him. For how shy he seemed before, he’s surprisingly shameless; while you bite down on your lips to spare yourself just an ounce of dignity, Mingi keeps humming softly as he kisses down your neck to your chest, Yunho copying his movements down to his upper back.

Getting increasingly excited, he bites down at the soft spot right above your collarbone hard enough to make you whine and buck your hips on instinct, Mingi moaning again when Yunho bites his shoulder hard enough to leave a matching bite mark there.

“You two really like being bitten and marked up, don’t you?” Yunho muses aloud, delicate fingers trailing over the marks he and Mingi both left. “Princess, let me give you a tip.”

His tip isn’t verbal; instead he shifts back on the bed and grabs Mingi’s leg, shoving it between yours so his knee presses up at your core before resuming his position hovering over the both of you. “Now, try that again.”

You already know he must’ve noticed how your body reacted the first time, but you don’t try and fight it when Mingi bites you again and your hips move on their own accord, grinding on Mingi’s leg. He lets out a pleased grunt at the realisation, repeating the action but this time grabbing your hips and pulling you harder against him.

“Is that okay?”

“More than okay,” you breathe out shakily, clutching at his shoulders, conscious of leaving enough space for Yunho’s lips to roam still. “Th-Though, shouldn’t we be focusing on Mingi, sir? It’s his first time after all.”

Yunho clicks his tongue, pulling back to admire his handiwork. “And such, he likely won’t last long. Forgive me for being greedy, darlings, but I want to drag out this moment for as long as you’ll allow me. Besides,” he shoves Mingi’s head down back towards your chest, who obediently doesn’t even need to be told to put his mouth back to work, “He’s just so eager to please us. I hardly hear any complaints from him.”

“I have none, sir,” Mingi confirms, his cheek pressed to your rapid heartbeat, like he can’t break that contact between you even if he needs his mouth to speak. “I could kiss you all day.”

He shudders when Yunho’s hands venture lower, pushing up his dress then caressing his thighs up to his ass. “Have you touched yourself here before, Princess?”

“Ah– y-yes, I have.”

“Oh? Our sweet princess not so innocent after all? And tell me, love, what did you think about when you did?”

You have a feeling he already knows what the answer is gonna be, and the way Mingi dips his head to avoid your gaze confirms it.

“You, sir,” he mumbles, biting his lip as Yunho pressed his clothed hips forward to the curve of his ass. “Sometimes the guards, or this one really pretty advisor, but... it always came back to you.”

Yunho surges forward, pulling Mingi up back to his chest, one hand firmly holding his jaw and the other gripping his inner thigh. “That’s right. Because this ass is mine, isn’t it? Always has been.”

Mingi moans weakly in response, which is adorable considering Yunho didn’t even touch him where he’s aching for it. Wanting to join in on the fun, you grab Mingi’s frankly impressive length with both your hands and squeeze, him gasping and instinctively thirsting into your grip.

“In that case, his cock is mine,” you declare boldly, twisting your soft hands around the head, collecting the wetness gathering there and spreading it across him, drinking in every twitch and detail of his face as he melts under your touch. “How does that sound, mm?”

“Hmm...” Yunho pretends to think about it for a bit as he slips two long fingers into Mingi’s mouth, pressing down on his tongue. “Seems agreeable. Though I do expect you’d be kind enough to share if I so desired it?”

“Of course,” you hum in response, spitting on Mingi’s dick and laughing airily as he whimpers around Yunho’s fingers, effectively reduced to a mess before even reaching the main event. You suppose it’s to be expected, having never done this before, but it’s no less amusing to see just how quickly he crumbles. “I do expect the same, of course. Granted, I may not be able to claim him the same way you can, but I’m sure I can put my hands and tongue to good use.”

“Please,” Mingi whines, a string of saliva connecting his plump, kiss-swollen lips with Yunho’s fingers. “Stop teasing.”

“What did I say about patience, princess?”

He doesn’t get to reply, whatever he was going to say cut off with another sinful sound as Yunho’s fingers finally breached his rim. With the other man not holding him up anymore, he keens forward, bending over until he’s once more hovering over you with arms on either side of you.

He really, really likes kissing, evident in the way he brings your mouths together once more and moans against it as Yunho’s skilled fingers work him open. His lips stutter as the two of you work your hands on him in tandem, him barely able to kiss you back, haphazardly just trying to press his mouth to yours. You can’t keep your hands off him, running them along his sides, his thighs, his back, his neck, and not-too-gently grabbing a fistful of his hair at the back of his neck, greedily swallowing all the pretty noises he makes.

“I‐I'm ready,” Mingi parts from you – barely – to insist, but it only earns him a dark, rumbly chuckle from Yunho. “You can—”

“No, you’re not,” Yunho says simply, continuing his leisurely place and sliding in now a fourth finger.

“Just because it’s my first time doesn’t mean I don’t—”

“Trust me,” Yunho chuckles again, leaning down to kiss the top of his head, “You aren’t.”

He finally works his belt off and pants down with one hand, and it very quickly becomes apparent exactly why; Yunho is huge. Mingi is already impressive enough, much bigger and longer than your limited experience with the guards, but Yunho is thick and heavy, making his large hands looking normal-sized as he strokes himself.

“Oh.” Mingi swallows as he looks over his shoulder, seeing it for himself, eyes blowing wide. “Y-Yeah, suppose you’re right.”

The quick change of mind has you giggling lightly, unable to resist pecking him on the cheek, but he doesn’t even acknowledge it, staring directly at Yunho’s dick.

Yunho hesitates. “If it’s too much we can—”

“No, I want it,” Mingi affirms, pushing back onto his fingers with a newfound determination. “I really want it. I want you. Please.”

You’re content to just watch them and wait your turn, but Yunho seems to notice you resigning yourself to a spectating role, and pulls you back in. He leans over Mingi to kiss you sweetly, just long enough to acknowledge you there still before he pulls away from Mingi completely.

“Princess, on your back. We have to please our dear prince too, don’t we?”

Mingi nods so quickly and intensely his crown slips sideways on his head, which is a cutely messed look on him. You like it, but you have an idea of a look you’ll like even more, taking the crown from him and swapping it with the tiara atop yours. It compliments him far better than it does you, you think, and seeing him wearing what’s so uniquely yours has your heart swelling and the heat between your legs throbbing.

“A tiara fit for a princess, don’t you think?” you muse, and Yunho nods with a smile.

“It suits him. You should see yourself like this, Mingi. You’re a vision.”

He truly is, flushed and thoroughly tousled from his hair to his dress, his hard cock resting heavy on his stomach and dripping onto the expensive fabric. You only wish you could ask a court painter to preserve such a sight, but depending on how he feels about it, you wonder if that could actually be possible once Yunho becomes King.

Shockingly enough, Mingi doesn’t appear embarrassed at all, not this time. He’s now just staring at you, eyes glittering in the warm light of the bejewelled chandelier above, mouth hanging slightly agape.

“It’s perfect,” he murmurs, and you know he isn’t referring to your tiara on him. “So handsome… my perfect prince.”

“You’re right,” Yunho confirms assertively, nuzzling your neck and gently grazing his teeth along it. “Our perfect, pretty prince. Now it’s our time to thank you, hm? For changing both of our lives so drastically in the span one evening. Truly, Choeya will be lucky to have such a wilful King Consort.”

Mingi beams, almost in a daze. “I think we’re the luckiest to have such a perfect partner.”

“That we are.”

Now it’s your turn for your face to burn under the earnest praise and title, dumbstruck smile playing on your lips before you can do anything to stop it. For someone always running your mouth, it renders you positively speechless, and you’re hastily shedding your pants and undergarments to hover over Mingi in just your barely buttoned suit blazer. You’re about to tease him again at how responsive he is before your core has even touched him, but a chuckle from behind you informs you it was the work of Yunho’s long fingers once more.

“Relax yourself for me, princess, or this will be harder for you,” Yunho instructs once he’s satisfied with his prep, pressing his tip to Mingi’s quivering hole.

“I sure hope it’s hard for me,” he blurts out without thinking, and after a beat of silence, the three of you crack up into laughter at the same time. It’s silly, corny, and a little bit unfitting for the mood, but you find yourself endlessly endeared with his humour nonetheless, pressing more and more kisses to his face, neck and chest in between your giggles. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

“Good,” Yunho breathes out slowly, “I don’t want you to hold anything back from us.”

The drawn-out sound he makes at Yunho pushing into him proves he doesn’t plan on it, his body tensing beneath you before catching himself and taking a shaky breath in an attempt to relax.

“That’s it, my love,” you coo, lifting his tiara to stroke his hair softly as Yunho pushes in single inch at a time, giving Mingi plenty of time to adjust. “Just like that. You’re doing so well for us.”

Once fully sheathed, Yunho lets out a throaty groan that’s the first indication of his controlled façade beginning to crack, but he holds himself back from moving just yet.

“Fuck,” he growls, hands digging into your hips rather than Mingi’s as to not overwhelm him while he still gets used to the intrusion and giving you something to focus on in the meantime. “So good for me, princess, so good for us.”

Mingi’s face falls to the side, teeth digging into his bottom lip, but when he opens his eyes he’s met with his reflection staring back at him in crystal clarity, able to see just how thoroughly messed up he is already.

“Oh gods,” he breathes out, “I almost forgot about that. This is why it’s there, isn’t it?”

The wicked grin on Yunho’s face confirms his suspicions, the man still unmoving to give Mingi more space to breathe, but busying his hands with running them all over your body. “Quite the bright one, aren’t you? Yes, I like to make sure I don’t miss a single detail. After all…”

He spreads Mingi’s legs wider apart for a better view in the mirror, pulling out and pushing back in only the smallest amount, but it’s enough to make Mingi’s breath stutter.

“This way, you can see me inside you and you inside our prince at the same time.”

Mingi groans at the mere words, head rolling back on the sheets. “At the same time? Oh gods, if I die here, I’m dying a happy man.”

The two of you giggle at that, Yunho nodding at you to go ahead and sit down on Mingi already, so you wrap a hand around him and line him up to your entrance, sinking down on him incredibly slowly for both you and his sakes.

He’s so tense and wound up you can see it on just about every muscle on his body, and you don’t doubt he’s gripping Yunho like a vice with the way he’s taking deep, controlled breaths behind you. You appreciate the mirror now even more than you initially thought you would – looking to the side allows you to view the taller man situated at your back, and see the way he bottoms out into the man beneath you; the vision alone almost has you as dizzy as the stretch. You can only imagine what Yunho’s would feel like.

“How are you faring, darling?” you ask down at Mingi after a few moments, who’s finally starting to breathe normally again.

“I think… I’m good. You can move now, but maybe start one at a time…?”

Yunho takes his chance as soon as he hears it, his controlled demeanour crumbling under the sensation of Mingi wrapped so tightly around him, and starts very shallowly rocking his hips into him with a low grunt from the back of his throat. It’s a stark contrast to the almost melodious moan Mingi lets out in comparison, his deep baritone voice raising in pitch at the feeling, and it makes you clench around him on instinct despite sitting perfectly still.

“Ah– o-oh gods, that’s heavenly– ngh–!”

His cute, broken-up whines are music to your ears as Yunho steadily ups his pace until he’s no longer fucking just the tip of himself into the other man, but bottoming out completely with each thrust, the movement making Mingi shake enough to give you some sort of friction while waiting for your signal to move. It comes not long later with a desperate grab of your thighs, nails digging into the soft flesh and a broken out “Y-You can– you can– move…!” from the very overwhelmed princess.

Both Mingi and Yunho hiss at the same time when you finally lift yourself up and drop yourself back onto him, gasping at the fullness of how well he stretches you out, but the pleasure from it is white-hot. Repeating the movement again and again, you find both of them grabbing at you in an attempt to ground themselves, but it doesn’t seem to be working well – at least for Mingi, who has his head thrown back and eyes squeezed shut, body quivering with very thrust and bounce of your hips.

“You’re fucking huge, Mingi,” you moan through gritted teeth, savouring every drag of his generous length against your walls, “S–So fucking good, gods, fuck!”

“Quite the foul mouth you have on you, hmm?” Yunho teases, sticking two fingers in your mouth and turning your head towards the headboard mirror so you can see the way he smirks darkly at you while fucking Mingi still, his other hand intertwined with Mingi’s on the sheets. “One of these days I’ll have to clean it out myself, I think.”

You can’t do much but moan around his fingers and keep rolling your hips into Mingi’s, reaching down to rub at yourself to heighten the feeling of it all, but Mingi is quick to yelp and grab your waist with an almost startling strength.

“Wait– stop– hold on!” Mingi stammers, pulling you off him abruptly as both you and Yunho still to a complete halt, glancing down at him with wide eyes.

“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Yunho is the first to mutter, pulling out of him completely, but Mingi shakes his head, slumping back down on the bed and covering his face with an arm in embarrassment.

“Sorry. I was really about to come like that and it was just too fast.”

“Oh!” With a smile, you sigh in relief at the reassurance that it was okay, then giggle at how worked up he must be right now. You understand his embarrassment, but truthfully, it’s more complimentary than it is a letdown – you can’t resist teasing him for it, though. “That close so soon? My, my, what ever will we do with you?”

“Tease!” Mingi whines, muffled behind his arm, “It’s my first time, give me a break!”

Yunho chuckles, gently prying Mingi’s arm away. “That we will, princess, don’t worry. I know it must be a lot. Do you want one of us to stop?”

He frowns at that, pouty lips only making him look all the more irresistible. “But… I want to make you both feel good still.”

“Think you can try using your mouth?” you suggest helpfully, not minding to be the one giving it up if it means avoiding any further close calls – as alluring as the thought was, you didn’t want to risk any scares for later. You don’t expect Mingi to nod so eagerly, but he does, and before you can suggest to change positions, he’s already pulling you over his face by your thighs and keening up towards you.

“You’ll have to guide me a little,” he mumbles, “but I want to learn. A-And Yunho, you can… keep going. It feels really, really good.”

The Crown Prince didn’t need to be told twice for that one, repositioning himself to slide right back in and continue the pace where he left off, Mingi’s face instantly contorting into one of only the utmost pleasure. You slowly lower yourself to his waiting tongue with the gentle command to suck, a hand in his hair guiding him to finding your clit, and as soon as your body jolts in response he is relentless. Sloppy and uncoordinated by all means but with enough eagerness to more than make up for it, he holds you there and laps at you enthusiastically, the vibrations of his moans as Yunho continues to pound him sending all sorts of pleasurable waves through you.

“Keep fucking him like that, Yunho,” you pant, grinding against his tongue, “He moans so fucking pretty for us, doesn’t he?”

“The prettiest,” Yunho agrees, brows scrunched tight with tension and a thin sheen of sweat accumulating on his skin that only made him glow under the light of the chandelier. “He’s so fucking tight, too, fuck, if only you could feel this.”

You don’t get to linger on how much you wish you could do exactly that, because Mingi flicks his tongue in a way that has you crushing his head between your thighs, but his muffled groans sound like he’s more than happy to be there. With all the movement and violent jerking of your body, Mingi’s – your? – crown slips off your head, but Yunho’s reflexes are fast enough to catch it and prop it back on.

“A prince needs his crown,” he coos, slowing down to lean forward and kiss your temple while making eye contact in the mirror. Mingi whines pathetically at the change in pace, but Yunho only finds it amusing. “Aw, our sweet princess. Need to come?”

Mingi nods fervently – well, as much s he can from between your legs, so you lift yourself off his face to let him catch his breath. “P-Please, I’m so close!”

“Me too,” Yunho grunts, abruptly snapping his hips forward again and making Mingi cry out as the rapid pace from earlier resumes, the bed shaking in the onslaught of pleasure. Noticing your hesitancy to sit on Mingi’s face again, the princess looking far too blissed out and gone to be of any help right now, Yunho takes the initiative to pull your back to his chest and hold you with one arm, hand diving down to press and rub at your clit roughly. He’s hasty, but a lot more controlled than Mingi’s mouth was, and you find yourself struggling to stay upright if not for Yunho’s steady grip on you.

“Ohh fuck– you’re both so– ngh– I’m gonna– c–“

Mingi’s back arches off the mattress as his voice cuts out completely, writhing and thrashing about as his cock stains the under layers his dress with long ropes of white, over and over until he has no more left to give. The sight is ultimately what sends you over, moaning their names as your high finally crashes down on you, grinding down onto Yunho’s large hand to ride out the wave.

“Fuuuck,” Yunho growls, low and guttural with none of his cool composure left as he pulls out and frantically strokes himself to completion after holding back all this time, spurting his seed across your thighs. You and Mingi watch in the mirror with heavy breaths as he keeps bucking into his fist until he’s twitching from the overstimulation, then finally crumbles back down on his knees, panting.

He looks to the mirror at his side, eyes half-lidded and dark, cursing under his breath again at the vision before him; the two of you thoroughly messed up, sweaty, covered in come and with crowns crooked atop your heads, while he remains almost fully dressed and put together. He flashes you two a hazy smile.

“How about a bath?”

When you aren’t seen for the rest of the gala, no one says a word in protest. When you don’t take your carriage back to Uchia, they don’t wait for you. Neither do the Reujian carriages for Mingi, but neither of you have a problem with that.

When Yunho’s Coronation finally comes, you and Mingi have only seen the start of the beauties Choeya has to offer, from the perfectly sculpted face and body of its King to its beaches and rolling hills – Yunho insists he’ll take the two of you to their mountains someday, maybe he’ll even marry you up there – but you already know you’re going to love every part of it. The less beautiful parts of Choeya, Yunho has already been working hard to fix, getting your input on how to improve the country’s poorer regions and make transportation routes safer for merchants, and you know that things will quickly change under his rule as King.

When that large, jewel-encrusted crown finally is placed upon his head, Mingi slips his hand into yours as you stand by Yunho’s side; while he has yet to announce any plans of marriage to the kingdom, it’s obvious that the three of you are in separable, and since have already been referred to as the King’s Consorts. While a part of you holds some bitterness at being given the respect you deserve only after being accepted by someone as powerful as a king, you bite that down to make the most of your newly gained privilege and acknowledge that it was your hard work and bravery that got you here in the first place. Almost as if he can read your mind, Mingi squeezes your hand as if to remind you that.

“I now present to you, His Majesty King Jeong Yunho of Choeya.”

The crowd cheers from beneath you, and you and Mingi clap for him too – he turns around and smiles at you from ear to ear, like the two of you make him happier than his coronation ever could – and then he turns back to his people.

“My first act as King is an important one,” he starts, projecting his voice to be heard as far as he can reach. “I hereby declare that anyone has the right to be whoever they want to be, and love whoever they want to love. Anyone who objects this can have a hasty escort to the dungeons.”

Your eyes grow hot with tears threatening to spill, almost unable to believe the dream you’re living in. Finally. Finally. With a quick glance you see Mingi much in the same boat, eyes glossy but unable to keep from smiling so wide his cheeks probably hurt. This is the freedom you’ve been praying for since you were a child, the freedom you had given up on long ago, but it’s here, it’s finally here, and it’s so much better than you could’ve possibly imagined – even with the barely concealed looks of discontent of some of the townspeople on the courtyard below. You couldn’t care less about them; things are changing now, and they’ll either change too, or spend the rest of their lives staring at iron bars.

Yunho turns back to gesture the two of you forward, taking one hand in each. “This is Princess Mingi of Reuji, now of Choeya. He is still a man and you will address him as such.”

He shies a little under the attention, but a reassuring nod from you makes him stand a little taller.

The King introduces you by your name, your real name, not the one your mother forced upon you, loud and clear. “He is also a man, and a prince, and you will refer to him as such.”

He releases your hands, only to reach into the deep pockets of his extravagant royal regalia, pulling out a small box and taking a step back – onto one knee. Opening the box, there are two rings that lie inside, fitted with the very same red and pink jewels from your gala attire. You and Mingi gasp at the same time.

“And I will be marrying them both, if they will have me,” he continues, voice steady and refusing to falter under all the eyes on him. “As they are the loves of my life, and I wish to have them ruling Choeya by my side. Will you—”

“Yes!”

You and Mingi cut him off at the same time, giggling quietly together at your own combined eagerness. Yunho gazes up at you with all the fondness of the world in his eyes, taking each of your hands and sliding the respective rings on and standing back to his full, impressive height, then giving your hand each a kiss.

“Together, we will bring Choeya to a brighter future,” Yunho promises, ending his speech – and with your whole heart, you believe him.

Any future is bright so long as Mingi and Yunho are in it with you.

Dearest Sister, Her Royal Highness, Princess of Uchia.

I miss you. How have you been? I heard the news about your upcoming coronation, congratulations. While the news of Mother’s sudden passing was most unfortunate, I do hope you don’t expect much grievance from me. She wasn’t much of a mother to you either, was she?

Times are changing now. I’m sure you’ve heard of Yunho’s coronation by now, I understand if any letter you may have sent simply hasn’t arrived yet. He proposed to both me and Mingi and we said yes. The three of us are going to get married in the Choeyan mountains later this year, and I would love for you to come. You can bring your stableboy, too. Will you marry him, now that you have the freedom to do so? Please do invite me to the wedding if so.

We hope to unite Choeya and Uchia with this marriage, then Reuji will have no choice but to follow suite. May I have your blessing as future Queen, dear sister? We will be able to be family still, and both our kingdoms shall prosper for generations to come.

I would also like to thank you once again for the kindness you offered me before the gala, even though I didn’t have to use it. With this letter I am sending gifts of my gratitude – please take them. You and your stableboy are always welcome in Choeya at any time.

I love you. Long live the future Queen.

Your Brother, His Royal Highness, King Consort of Choeya.

Dearest Brother, His Royal Highness, King Consort of Choeya.

The bitch is dead, you and I are now free. I shall see you at the wedding – whichever of ours comes first.

Long live the King.

With love,

Your Sister, Her Royal Highness, Queen of Uchia.

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