#heeseung royal au

[minhosimthings]

Dances Avec Les Etoiles ft. Heeseung

Synopsis: God how boring is love? For Lee Heeseung, it was perhaps the most boring thing in this rotten world. But for his parents, it meant buisness. And buisness meant getting Heeseung married off to a princess from another kingdom. And when the princess shares a peculiar interest, Heeseung starts to believe in Cupid again.

Pairings: Prince!Heeseung × Princess!fem!reader

Warnings: Brief smut scene in the beginning (not with reader), SMUT MINORS DNI (with reader), fingering, edging, orgasm control, french kissing hehe, dom!Heeseung × kinda dom!reader, mentions of food, sexual tension, hee is kind of a pervert, suggestive at places, fluff, swearing, angst, did I mention sexual tension, enemies to lovers (kind of), arranged marriage, playboi heeseung × playgirl!reader, reader wants adventure and Heeseung is the adventure

A/N: I have been writing and editing this for so long now and it's only part 1! Thank you for being patient with me and I promise to release the second part which has more smut in it very soon! @candewlsy your daddy papi has arrived

Part 1 || Part 2 || The wedding

The French Quotes Series Masterlist

Lee Heeseung was a man of logic.

Which left no room for the poetry in him, although he did say that he enjoyed it a lot.

He was a prince, a ruler soon to ascend the golden throne of Tarnow. Stupid name, he had always thought, it sounded like a wheelbarrow carrying a bunch of tar pieces.

But he had often heard that the poets never allowed someone to go on with their life just like that. What kind of poets would they be if they did that?

And so he had to be betrothed. With a star studded ring on his finger, an imitation of a smile on his face, and a bride by his arm. And a ceremony where there would be flowers, and dancing.

Dancing!

Heeseung had a clandestine love for dancing. The curve of arms and fingers, the movement of hips, the ballet of the feet twirling to create an invisible picture on the ground. And yet, no one knew of this rendezvous of his. Well, almost no one.

"Hyung are you really sure you're alright?" Heeseung's daydream was interrupted by a honey sweet voice from above him. "Get down from the tree, idiot." Another voice, strong as iron reprimanded him.

Sim Jake and Park Jay.

Two of Heeseung's band of best friends.

They had grown up together, due to their parents being close friends, what with the never ending borders they shared between the kingdoms. And he could always count on them to give him advice, whether it be of a bastard's or of a sage's.

"Unless you want to break your arm again, get down from that dumb tree." Jay scolded the brown haired boy, who was, at the moment, hanging upside down from a willow tree, "But you need another reason to visit your best friend don't you loverboy?" Jay added with a cheeky smile.

"As if you have more love in your life" Jake shot back, promptly jumping down from the branches onto the grass with a soft thump.

"Would you two stop bickering and help me out of my current predicament?" Heeseung snapped, letting out a sigh and leaning against the bark of the willow. He had always liked this particular tree. He remembered his mother's hands carefully handling the roots and planting the tiny sapling into the wet mud, talking about how the Duchess' daughter had ran off with some ragamuffin. It was a majestic tree now, like how the poets described the trees of the Gods to be like. He had liked that poem a lot, the one about trees and princesses and first kisses under first snows.

"You're going to get married to a completely random princess, big deal." Jay rolled his eyes, settling comfortably onto the freshly mowed grass. He was often the more mature one out of all of them.

"Where on earth are Sunghoon and Sunoo?" Heeseung questioned, checking his pocket watch. He shook his head, his other two friends didn't exactly know the meaning of being on time.

"Probably kissing themselves." Jake smirked, flicking a leaf at Jay to annoy him, which worked when Jay got up from his sleeping position with a glare smeared on his face and slapped Jake's head.

"Just pretend you have affection towards her and all that and it'll be over in a minute." Jay adviced wisely, looking over at Heeseung's drooping figure. "I wish it was that easy." Heeseung sighed, "I don't want to get married, what if she's snobbery?"

"Hyung don't get poetic." Jay said sternly, moving his head to face Heeseung, "What is even love in these ages? And I am sure she'll be wonderful enough to make you some heirs."

"What's her name again?" Jake questioned, looking at the tree with his tongue stuck out, probably contemplating whether he should climb it again or not, "I hear she's of the far East."

"Princess Y/N of the Kingdom of Witchelm." Heeseung scoffed, "Ooh maybe they have witches!"

"Absolutely not." Jay sighed with a tiring expression.

"Whatever, I'm hoping to pay Priscilla a visit today." Heeseung pushed his hair out of his face.

"Does she love you yet?" Jake ashed with a cheeky grin.

"God I hope not." Heeseung shuddered, "She's just got a good mouth and a nice pussy for me to take. See you later boys."

"Fuck I needed this." Heeseung sighed laying back. The girl looked up at him as she placed her hand onto his cock, her other hand resting on his thigh. She licked the underside of it slowly back up, circling her tongue around the head.

"Fuck has your mouth gotten prettier since last time?" Heeseung chuckled, looking at the girl.

"Shut up and let me do my work." She responded, "You know this is the last time right?"

Heeseung scoffed and placed his hands on her head. "I know."

The girl took the head into her mouth, causing him to jolt. He patted her head which soon turned into him gripping her hair when she went back down again, now bobbing her head up and down. Making sure she reached all the way to the base, Heeseung helped by pushing Priscilla down further.

“Keep doing that thats a good girl” he stuttered out. The hand that was on his thigh reached down to massage his balls, lightly squeezing.

Would his new bride be good at giving him what he wants? Heeseung didn't know anything about her. Nor did he care really. She's probably the regular Mary Jane, a dull lifeless, smiling body, without balance in anything. He wished and prayed fervently that some sort of ballerina took her place instead.

Maybe that'd finally make him happy.

The reflection of Heeseung's mirror stared back at him, not noticing the utter beauty of his eyes. He never cared much for his handsome features, much preferring when people complemented how light he was on his feet.

But it was shameful for his parents.

Dancing? For a crown Prince? Preposterous!

It would have been outrageous if the kingdom found out that their prince preferred dancing over decrees. It wasn't that his mother and father didn't encourage his dancing, they loved seeing their son do what he loved. But to be a prince, a ruler, was to keep a reputation, and that couldn't be spoilt by something their son loved doing.

Heeseung sighed, taking a deep breath and counting his steps, every slow movement bringing him his happiness back inch by inch. Would his bride like dancing?, he wondered, that would be a pleasant thing. Atleast one thing in common with her.

His thoughts wandered carelessly as his feet did, sliding across the floor effortlessly, a gentle sway of the arm here and there, the ballet of a sawn without his mate.

He would be betrothed by tomorrow.

A fateful tomorrow, he hoped.

"And now we introduce, Princess Y/N of the Witchelm Kingdom!"

The man had a ridiculously nasally voice in Heeseung's opinion. Maybe they should replace him with someone who doesn't sound much like a parrot.

"Heeseung stand up straight." Heeseung's mother snapped at him from his right shoulder. Silently grumbling, he obeyed and adjusted his drooping figure along with the drowsy expression on his face. He would have rather ate a carrot than do this right now. The sound of bells and trumpets and what not, and all the ridiculously maroon stained curtains irritated him far too much. The sun was broiling hot, and there was not even an inch of a cloud in the sky. And his nose was rather itchy as well. Perhaps he should ask Jake for that rum again...

"Welcome to Tarnow, Princess." His father's formal voice broke Heeseung out of his train of thoughts, and as he snapped back to his senses, he realised the presence of a figure standing before him. Not caring to lift his eyes to look at the figure, he quickly bowed.

"How was the journey, my dear?" His mother asked in a saccharine sweet voice. She only ever used them with babies, Jay and extra important guests.

"Well the carriage certainly did not like the hefty rocks, but it was pleasant." Heeseung thought he had heard an angel speak for a moment, "Your kingdom is magnificent, Your Majesties." The figure in front of Heeseung curtsied, and that's when he caught a whiff of her perfume.

It was intoxicating, as if it was pulling his closer.

His eyes flickered up, to take a peek at the woman. She was clad in deep shades of maroon with gold trimmings illuminating her figure perfectly. Was this his bride to be?

"Prince Heeseung." You threw a curtsy to him, noticing the way his fawn like eyes were staring at you. Maybe the rumours were right. All the princes of Paradoxica were scoundrels who lounged after women.

"Princess Y/N." Heeseung finally bowed back, and you took note of the fact that his eyes stayed to the ground, not lingering over your figure as most usually did. Maybe he did have a tinge of respect in him.

"Well why wait here in this heat? Shall we lunch inside?" The Queen said in a joviant manner, extending her hand to you, which you took gratefully and stepped inside the castle walls, finally feeling at peace.

You were completely unaware of the pair of deer eyes following you.

Heeseung's first thought upon seeing you was the way you wore yourself. He had often learnt that the best of dancers always moved differently, which was always evident whenever he'd attend balls. The truest dancers would always walk as if they owned the very earth they walked on. Heeseung always felt that they had clouds for shoes.

And the way you walked, the way you held your shoulders, the way you each step echoed with the sound of the air, there was no way you couldn't have been a dancer like him.

But you were a princess, he reminded himself, his soon to be Queen. Dancing was to be put to the side for some time.

Or so he thought.

The luncheon had went quite well in your opinion. Apart from the fact that the King and Queen would not stop talking about the proposal ceremony and the wedding, and their son smirking into his peas whenever his parents came upon the topic of grandchildren, it had gone by in a breeze.

You were happy that Heeseung hadn't talked to you. You were far too tired to have any 'getting to know each other' conversations. He seemed a bit monotonous to you, at first glance atleast. You had always learnt never to judge a book by it's cover. But sometimes advice was made to be ignored, so you simply went on with your day, not caring about what kind of a person Heeseung was.

The rumours were enough for you to summarise his persona anyway. The people of Witchelm talked about him as if he was a splendid rose, one everyone wanted to take a look at. Kind, courageous, handsome, generous, blah blah blah. You would rather have married a fish if it was described as more interesting than him. Although the rumour that he really 'got around' in terms of pleasure had interested you. If that had been true, maybe you did like him. Atleast he would be understanding to the fact that had lied to everyone that you were still a virgin.

Tarnow had been a luxuriant kingdom, known to everyone as the first kingdom formed in all of Paradoxica, the oldest one, it spoke quite well through the aching castle walls when you were exploring the southern wing.

It was in a word, beautiful, with the fading architecture and all the women clad in luxurious silver, dancing their hearts out on the street. How you wished ever so fervently that you could join them.

Dancing was your life ever since you took your first steps. Witchelm was renowned for dancing, for ballet, ballroom and everything in between. It was a pity that you hadn't heard anything about the hobbies of the Prince. Perhaps he preferred dancing too. That would be a pleasant surprise, you thought, as you stepped into your chambers, where all your luggage had been arranged neatly.

"I think I can take over from now on." You curtsied to the girl who had led you over to the chambers. She bowed back and was about to leave when you thought to ask her the question that had been lingering in your mind for long.

"Is there a ballroom here?" The girl turned back abruptly at your question. She had hair as dark as coal and eyes even darker. A pretty sight.

"Oh yes, your Highness." She smiled at you, "We have the biggest ballroom in all of Paradoxica in fact. Most of the King's balls and state dances are held here."

"Then, there must be a place where they practice their dances is there not?"

The girl chuckled at your question and clicked her feet together.

"There is a humongous room in the western part of the castle that's basically empty space for dancing. But the Crown Prince spends most of his time there at night, so we aren't allowed to go there much. I can show you the way if you want."

"The western wing." You sat on the bed with a soft thump, "I can find my route don't worry. Thank you for everything."

The crown prince and dancing..... Peculiar. Very peculiar, you thought as you lay on the bed. You were thankful for finally getting out of the heavy purple gown, and putting on some actually comfortable robes. Although you had begged your mother to let you wear your favourite lavender shades, your mother has refused and put you in the darkest and most sweltering maroon gown. It was safe to say that you were a panting dog by the time you got out of the gown.

Picking up your quill and paper, you smoothed out the creases as you thought about what to write to your best friend back home. Gaeul was the kind of person to find out everything about someone before loving them, no matter what methods she used, so it wouldn't be a problem if you wrote 'i think the Prince likes dancing because a girl told me an extremely insignificant detail' in the letter to be sent to her.

Dipping your quill into the ink pot, you were about to start your letter when-

Knock knock knock

The door tapped thrice. It was safe to say that you were confused. Lunch was just five hours ago and it wasn't even dinner time yet, the sun hadn't set even though the sky had turned a deep purple.

Donning a clock over your robes, you stepped out of the comfortable silks of the bed and strode over to the magnificent, carved door. Tugging on the handle, the door made a creaking noise at it opened, making you cringe at the sound. You caught a figure lingering at the door. The same girl was there, the one who had led you here earlier today.

"Oh hello there." You said, opening the door to its full length, "What is the matter?"

The girl shuffled her feet before your eyes fell on her hands. A tiny black box.

"Someone left this in my chambers with a note attached to it your Highness." She said, "It gave the instruction to give it to you."

You looked at the box with uncertainty before snapping your eyes up to the girl. You took the box from her, your finger gently brushing against hers.

"What is your name?" You questioned, realising that you hadn't asked for it before. "Giselle, Your Highness." She answered, still looking at the ground.

"Thank you Giselle. You may go now." You shot her a smile which she returned meekly and scampered off.

Closing the door behind you, you eyed the box with uncertainty. What if it was some poison which wafted into the air as soon as you opened it? What if there was a lizard inside? You really did hate those dumb creatures. Thousands of thoughts flooded your mind as you looked at the box. You were reminded of your father's words to stop reading so many books with plots of bloodshed and mystery. As if you'd ever stop.

Caressing the box with your hand, you noticed how fine of a quality it had, it couldn't have been sent by any ordinary person. You lifted the lid of the box with hesitation running through your veins, only to find inside......a necklace?

A dainty pearl necklace lay inside the box, along with a tiny note, which you did not notice at first. You were far too captivated by the shimmering necklace. Pearls were a rare occurence in Witchelm, with it being a landlocked kingdom. But Tarnow, you had heard, had a vast coastline, so pearls were easily found.

You pondered upon who it could have been sent by. A secret admirer perhaps? The thought did excite you. But who on earth would send a box like this in these times?

As your thoughts ran wild through a forest again, your hand slightly tilted the box, and the note fell out. You bent down to pick it up and immediately took note of the fact that it was paper which was used for royal decrees. A secret admirer from the ministry?

Unfortunately your mind was disappointed as you ran your eyes through the note.

Wear it for me princess. Love, Heeseung.

Of course. A secret admirer, what were you even thinking? No one would have the courage to give the princess of a foreign country, a pearl necklace.

Rolling your eyes, you settled the box and the necklace into a drawer and put the tiny note into a separate one. The prince had a handsome signature, far better than your scribbles anyway.

The western wing had never seemed like a more interesting place

"I hope you find the chambers a comfortable place my dear?" The Queen's voice rang in your ear. God the atmosphere of the dining table made your hands sweaty.

The little conversations you had with the King and Queen weren't enough conversation for you. It was too.....formal, to regal. You wanted fun, but you knew you wouldn't get that. Not until tonight atleast.

Your plan to sneak out into the western wing was extremely flawed but you had not a care in the world. So what if there would be hundreds of people standing guard? You were quick on your feet, a dancer's gift.

You had silently observed Heeseung throughout the dining session. He seemed quiet, all the talkative ones do at first glance. You noticed the way his foot tapped away every now and then without a care and his fingers drummed his fork in hand. You hadn't a single idea if it was on purpose or not. You had read in the book Gaeul once loaned you that artists, like painters or dancers, can never keep their body still. They always have to be doing something with their hands or feet. So either Heeseung was secretly a painter, or he was a dancer. The former seemed to have more possibilities but it could always be the latter considering Giselle's words about the western wing.

Only one way to find out.

Your skin was filled with goosebumps as you walked down the chilly corridor. You were greatly surprised that there weren't many guards, perhaps Tarnow cared less about security.

You shouldn't doing this, this is dangerous, said a voice in your mind, but did you ever listen to it? No, no you did not.

The western wing was easy to locate, what with the huge painting of a woman pointing her finger towards a large corridor, with the words "Western wing" engraved onto the painting. It was darker than the other parts of the castle, maybe it was a secret wing shut off to everyone else except the Prince. There weren't many doors here either, which caused you to let out a sigh of relief. The dancing room would be easier to find.

And it indeed was, as you now stood in front of a huge oak door, the only one for miles on end. You hoped fervently that it wouldn't creak like the door to your chambers. And to your relief, it thankfully didn't, and the spectacle inside made you let out a gasp.

The prince.

So he wasn't a painter after all.

He was a dancer!

A plain show of beauty, you thought, the Prince was. He looked ordinary at first glance, but now, as your eyes trailed his moving figure, his feet gracefully gliding across the floor, hitting each moment to the melodies of the song he was humming, you'd have thought it was Apollo's incarnate himself. You were mesmerized by him, by his every movement, he was gentler than a swan with his fingers, his robe moving in sync as if he had been commanding it.

My my, he looked like a groom in need of a bride, you thought. You didn't know whether it was past midnight yet, even as the clock struck itself and made a loud noise, you were too distracted by the dancing prince. You would have loved to watch him for a bit more, if not for-

CREAK!

Stupid door!

Heeseung's head whipped around to the door as his humming and dancing stopped abruptly. "Who's there?" He cried, clutching his hand to his sword belt, "Come out!"

There was only one idea in your mind at that moment.

Run.

You hoped fervently the next day that the bags under your eyes would be put off by everyone as exhaustion from the long journey. You hoped that no one thought "Oh the princess obviously must have sneaked out to the dance room and ogled the prince!" Although the possibility of that happening was very low.

You slyly avoided the Queen's questions about your sleep by asking her about when the royal potrait of the groom and bride to be would be painted. And she responded with much happiness that it was to be this afternoon!

This afternoon. With the prince. Wasn't that a joy?

Your schedule was much packed that day, which was disappointing since you had wanted to sneak out to see the main ballroom which Giselle had informed you was in the Northern wing. First, you had to get into your gown for the portrait, which would easily take the entire afternoon. Then the actual portrait session would arrive and God knows how much time a simple layer of paint will take to dry.

"Do you paint my darling?" The Queen asked. "Yes." You answered, knowing damn well you couldn't draw a line if you wanted to. Well a lie in a lie is a truth wasn't it?

Afternoon arrived and so did the sweat drops on your forehead. Damn this gown, you thought as you dragged the heavy on the floor. You decided the first thing you'd do after becoming Queen is ban whatever material this is.

Approaching the door where the Queen had directed you to, you took the handle in hand and tapped it thrice to let whoever was inside know that you had arrived. "Come in." A familiar princely voice answered.

Oh great.

"My Lord." You sunk into a curtsey, not letting your eyes meet Heeseung's. Had he always been this tall and handsome or were you dreaming?

"Heeseung, princess, call me Heeseung." He wore pride quite well in his cunning smirk, you thought, as you looked at him quintessentially.

"Then you may call me by my name as well." You replied, glancing behind him to see an easel propped up, "Where is the painter?"

"Oh him? He's always late." Heeseung leaned back against the table behind him, "So princess, enjoying the palace's attractions?"

"Stop calling me that." You said, rolling your eyes out of annoyance, "And if the attraction is you, then no I'm not." He made the word seem like an enchanting melody, the handsome bastard.

"Would you prefer darling?" He smirked, pushing the stray strands of hair out of his face again. He looked like a siren, pulling you into an ocean you wanted to escape from, but didn't know how.

"Say, my darling," he leaned forward, looking at you with darkened eyes, "You're still a virgin aren't you?"

"Why, do you want to corrupt me?" You scoffed, settling yourself down on the loveseat, "Well bad luck, I'm not."

Heeseung looked taken aback for a moment, his eyes widened and he blinked a few times, but he composed himself quickly.

"Ah we have a little liar do we?" He chuckled lowly, his eyes still looking you up and down, "So you're a bad girl aren't you?"

"I don't care Lee." You crossed your arms, "This is just a marriage for politics, there's no way in hell you are going to magically make me fall in love with you, like in the books."

"You read romance?" Heeseung cocked his head to the side, "Well there's a thing we have in common."

The door to the room burst open before you could get another retort out and you breathed a sigh of relief as the painter rushed in with his assistants and started running about arranging everything.

You were even more thankful when you had to sit down for the portrait, far away from Heeseung. Although a weird pose, you supposed the painter would magically make something out of it.

Heeseung was more interesting that you had previously thought. Atleast he didn't treat you with the insufferable respect most princes did. He was....cocky, rude, daring. A rather sweet taste on your tongue.

Oh how you couldn't wait to sneak out to the west wing again.

You remembered to bring a shawl this time, draping it around your shoulders so that the cold, carved rock of the palace wouldn't let your skin break. You cursed yourself for almost knocking over a piece of what looked like driftwood sitting atop a table, willing aways it's time. The kingdom of Tarnow really had its unusual traditions.

The conversation you had with Heeseung today ran in your mind over and over again and again. You liked the taste of him, the way he stood, the way he held himself. And the way he spoke. You were going to have to come up with new retorts everyday. Well that's more interesting than suffering a life of 'i love you' or 'i will die for you'.

But for now, peering at him through the slightly ajar door was more than enough. Oh how he danced, the movements he made, an astral ballet in the air. He looked at peace, that cocky and confident demeanor was no more, it was replaced, instead by calm and cool. Your eyes tried not to linger to his waist and arms, how his shirt pressed tightly against his muscles. The sinful thought of having a touch of them echoed through your mind. The curve of his body fascinated you, oh he looked as pretty as an angel. Perhaps there is more to Heeseung than you thought.

"She's interesting, too Interesting." Heeseung drawled, as he chewed on his quill tip. To his right sat Park Sunghoon, another crown prince, who had inherited his kingdom without marriage and without everything Heeseung despised. At the moment, he was the only one who could provide Heeseung some comfort.

"Interesting as in she didn't fawn over you or interesting as in she's no a virgin?"

"Both." Heeseung answered leaning back in his chair, "And she's such a mystery, god I want to know more about her."

"There is a thing called conversation you know." A third voice called from across the room. A red haired man was sitting atop the table, casually willing away at grapes.

Kim Sunoo. The youngest crown prince.

"Oh really?" Heeseung smirked, "I though conversation wasn't mandatory or what was it you said last time Sunoo? 'Conversation is only for the loveless?'."

"You know who I meant it for." Sunoo rolled his eyes and hopped off the table promptly, "Anyway the Princess of Witchelm seemed a lovely character. I had a brief incursion with her out in the garden, and she's.....interesting."

"That's what hyung said too." Sunghoon popped a grape in his mouth from the table, clenching his face at the sour taste, "Just run up to her and you know, ask her what she likes."

"Great advice, Sunghoon."

"As if you can do better."

The gardens of Tarnow were a place you reveled in. The freshly mown grass, the sweet scent of daffodils, and the sight of bees almost everywhere elated you. And most importantly, the willow tree.

The grandiose tree reminded you of someone who knew what they were worth, like a Queen who knows exactly what she wants. That's who you wanted to be. A Queen who rebelled, headstrong like your mother always told you to be. And you would fill the streets with dance, music and laughter. Maybe even prompt Heeseung to show off his moves....

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Death would have been more pleasurable than to endure Heeseung right now, as his voice disrupted your peace and quiet.

"You owe your hand in marriage apparently." You stared straight at him, not daring to break eye contact, which was hard considering how menacing Heeseung's stare was.

"Admiring the willow eh princess?" Heeseung plopped down next to you, landing on the grass with a soft thump, "You know, I planted this when I was an adorable child."

"Adorable?" You scoffed, "More like a fiend." Heeseung chuckled at your statement, turning his head to look out towards the landscape.

"I planted most of the trees in this garden." He said, staring ahead with unwavering affection in his eyes at all the greenery, "They've grown a lot since then, my mother says that planting them at a young age allows them to grow with you." The love in his tone made you want to coo at him, but you composed yourself, remembering what kind of a person he was.

"Was that too cheesey?" Heeseung smiled, turning his eyes to yours. "Just a little." You responded, not having the heart to break the moment.

The silence that followed was a dire one, but it was peaceful. Heeseung and you sat in it as if you were fluent, letting the breeze whip your hair about, and the grass seep into your veins. You were so immersed in the butterfly landing on the daffodil that you didn't even notice the leaves sticking to your hair.

"Your hair looks like a bird's nest right now, princess." You heard Heeseung laugh as you turned your head towards him. "Excuse me?" You said, pulling your hand up to stroke your hair, being horrified when you pulled pieces of leaves sticking to it.

"Oh for fuck's sake." You mumbled under your breath, "Ah damn this, I'm going back to the chambers. Good day, Heeseung."

"With a nest in your hair?" Heeseung raised a cocky brow, "Princess, be logical. No one is going to respect a future Queen who looks like she's walked out of a jungle." Heeseung's words were mean but true, "You know I can just remove them, if you ask kindly with that pretty mouth of yours."

You had never wanted to slam his head into a wall more than now. But your reputation also mattered. You were torn between the two choices; Heeseung or risking your reputation?

"Fine." You sat back down on the ground, "Take them out."

"Nicer, princess. Add a pretty please too."

Oh he was on thin ice. You rolled your eyes and grumbled, "Could you please take these leaves out of my hair? Pretty please?"

The scent of Heeseung's neck pressed to your nose as he leaned over to remove the leaves carefully. He touched your hair rather gently, as if you were a fragile doll, which surprised you. Your hand kept lingering at his stomach, holding itself back from touching his muscles.

"There." Heeseung leant back, "All pretty princess again." "Thanks." You muttered, making your way to get up.

"Uh uh uh princess, we aren't done yet." Heeseung pulled you back down, making you snatch your hand away from him, "I want to strike a deal with you."

That night as you watched Heeseung dance gracefully on the stone floor, you wondered how this was the same person you had met in the morning. The same person who had made you a wretched deal, now danced under soft candlelight, unaware of his future bride watching him through clandestine corners.

"Meet me in my chambers tomorrow, and I'll think about not spilling to everyone, your little 'pureness' secret."

Fuck the world. That was your first thought as you woke up the next day, got dressed, had breakfast, had a conversation with the Queen, and made your way down to Heeseung's chambers.

For what purpose must this have been done? For what purpose did you have to be betrothed to a man like him?

"Fine day, isn't it princess?" Heeseung smirked at you from behind his desk. Papers and scrolls were strewn all over the desk, along with ink pots and a couple of what seemed to be drying paintings. A few more were hung up on the wall.

"Is this why your mother asked me if I paint?" You traced your finger over a dried painting of a daffodil. Still life, boring as it may be, still caught your eye. Heeseung smiled to himself.

"She asks everyone that, thinks her grandchildren will be some sort of prodigies." "Grandchildren?" You looked up from the painting to Heeseung's smug face, "We aren't even close to friends and she wants grandchildren?"

"Rule of Law princess, there's an entire book about it." Heeseung leaned back, spreading his legs a bit further, god that shirt stuck to his muscles well.

"What am I doing here anyway?" You scoffed, sitting back on the chair facing him, "You want me to do your assignments or something?"

"Assignments, actually." Before you could blink a huge stack of papers lay in front of you, all stamped with decrees, "And in return you'll get some get sex and your secret not being spilt."

"Good sex?" You laughed haughty, "I highly doubt that. Especially from you."

"You think I can't fuck you better than your lovers?" Heeseung raised a brow at you, leaning back against his desk. "No I don't think so." You simply replied, reaching out a hand to get one of the decrees, but it was caught by Heeseung and before you could even flinch, he had you pressed against the desk.

"Want to test that theory?"

Your retort stuck in your throat when you engaged in a searing kiss and your lips met aimlessly—a real mess of tongues and teeth. Heeseung licked a strip across your teeth and thrust his tongue deeper, exploring the inside of your mouth like a sacred temple with only one chance to visit. Heeseung opened his mouth and gasped, lingering with a few more short, honeyed kisses between his panting breaths and your muffled moans. You scolded yourself for even getting a sound out of yourself at Heeseung's touch.

Heeseung's hand moved up your thigh, and you pressed your mouth to his throat, sucking hard enough to leave a mark.

"That's not the ideal place to leave a mark princess." Heeseung glared at you, to which you merely shrugged your shoulders. So what if Heeseung had a few hickeys on display to the kingdom?

Heeseung's hand travels upto your back, easily removing the dainty dress you had on. You silently thanked Giselle for giving you a dress instead of a gown today.

“is this what you wanted?” you slid your panties to the side, as Heeseung was about to reach further down your slide. He wouldn't have admitted it but he almost drooled at the sight of you. Taking a second to admire you, his voice echoes through your body, “I wonder how many others can have you like this.”

"Not many." You keep your eyes on him, "none of them fuck me as well as I want them to."

You lean forward a bit, making sure he gets a fantastic view of your cleavage. You decide to push the boundaries a bit further, your voice dropping to a sultry tone, fingers playfully tracing the edge of your bra's strap.

Heeseung's exhales a shaky breath, "you're playing with fire, y'know that?" His voice is low, it only spurs the warning and longing lingering inside you.

The world narrows down to the heat of his touch, the electrifying sensation of his fingers on your skin. You feel the rapid beat of his heart against your chest, mirroring your own anticipation. Heeseung's eyes, lock onto yours, a silent agreement passing between you.

Your nails scrape against his scalp and you squeak in shock as Heeseung's hips surge upwards, forcing his hard cock against you. The unabashed moan he lets slip is sinful and it’s all you want to hear for the rest of your life. You can’t stop the urge building up inside you, you’re not even certain you can stop moving your hips even if you wanted to.

His fingers catch the waistband of your bottoms. Heeseung traces your clit over the fabric feeling the warm, wet patch you’re leaving in them and then he teasingly slips a finger underneath, swiping two fingers along your slit, thumb, and index finger opening your pussy to his gaze. He presses a finger inside of you, slowly stretching out your tight hole. You groan, and his eyes roll back at the way your walls stretch around him. You rock harder against him, fucking yourself into his finger and wrapping your arms around his neck again. you just want to feel him against you.

"Fuck you're a tight one." Heeseung smirks into the crook of your neck, taking in your delicious scent, "Is this good enough for you princess?"

His half-lidded eyes look up at you as you contort on top of him, feeling overstimulated, with a single finger. He coos, his other hand sweeping over the back of your head sweetly, pushing back stray sweaty hairs. He nudges your nose with his, hand on the back of your neck, and tries to meet your eye. The squelch as his finger fucks into you, fast and deep, is the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard.

You can feel the tightening of your stomach, your intestines begging for air as your mind wants nothing more but to break free. The sweet edge of release feels better than ever with Heeseung than anyone else you've ever done this with. Fuck was he good. Just as you felt his finger sweep across your cunt one more time, and hot liquid come upto your cervix-

"Heeseung!" You gasped, feeling the painful feeling of having him pull his finger away from you. His smirking face added the fuel to the fire of your anger, as he slowly bent away from you, collapsing onto a chair and spreading his legs far. God did you want yourself propped on that thigh.

"I already told you princess." Heeseung's smug voice infuriated you, "Sex as a reward remember? And you haven't done anything so no reward. Simple logic."

"fuck you" "When princess?"

You were thankful Heeseung didn't make you work all night, you had time to admire his dancing again. He seemed so different when he was alone, so much more gentler, and it only made you hate him more. Why all the cocky behaviour when he was surrounded by people? You liked this softer side of him. You wished that he would get the courage to show that side to the world. Maybe in due time as all things come.

The rest of the days went the same. Rise and shine in the morning, greet Giselle as she gave you your bath, breakfast and burrowings, rush off to Heeseung in his chambers, do your 'assigments' whilst glaring at Heeseung, who glared back, get the desk a bit messier than it had been, and then sneak off to the western wing at late night to watch Heeseung. It was a bit redundant, but you liked this. Maybe it was the fact that Heeseung was someone who made you cum properly (although you wouldn't admit it) or maybe it was the fact that, from the past few days, he had started opening up to your more.

Ignoring the fact that your time with each other consisted of making angry retorts, you noticed that now, you knew more about Heeseung than before. His friends, family, ancient history, his hobbies everything, from A to Z was in your memory now. And you had to admit that you liked knowing more about him.

His sunlit eyes everyday as they silently perked up at the sight of you, the way his mouth dropped to give you the daily retort along with a tiny compliment too, the way his smirks now turned into smiles, and the way he leant nonchalantly against the great willow, when you'd go out into the garden for a little rest. Was this the love the poets described?

"Good news princess." Heeseung strode into his chambers as you stretched your neck from sitting in the chair all day completing a decree, "We're having a ball."

Collapsing on his bed with a thump, Heeseung groaned as he stretched out his aching limbs. Jay really did always do a number on him in practice.

"A ball?" You questioned, rising from your seat, walking over to the bed and climbing on, "For us?" Heeseung looked at you and nodded. "It's supposed to be a pre-pre-pre wedding ball, according to mother dearest."

"Will there be dancing?" You asked excitedly. You hadn't danced in so long that your feet longed to be in some tap shoes and a big flowy gown again.

"Yep, and guess what?" Heeseung smiled at you, "We're going to dance together."

"Oh I am an amazing dancer." You bragged, raising your chin high, "So it's fine if I outshine you right?"

"Please, I am much better at dancing." Heeseung sat up, facing you, "It's fine princess, they'll notice you at the wedding if they don't at the ball."

"Dance for me then." You gave him a cheeky smile. Would he agree? This is what you had been wanting for a long time. "No." Heeseung merely said, checking his bitten nails.

"Are you that horrible of a dancer?" You chuckled. But before you had time to laugh more, a fluffy pillow landed straight on your face with force. Heeseung's smile had never been wider.

"Don't do that you bastard!" You cried, picking up a pillow and hitting his shoulder with it to which he laughed raucously. "Or what?" He laughed again, hitting you with the pillow repeatedly. Stray feathers let loose from the pillows but you had not a care in the world as Heeseung chased you around the room with the pillow clutched in his hand. This had been the most fun you've had in ages.

Young love? So refreshing for a narrator isn't it?

You looked stunning. Your reflection, clad in soft hues of your favourite colour stared back at you, as your eyes ran up and down your body, hugged tightly by the fabric.

The ball had came sooner than you had anticipated, maybe it was the fact that you were so excited for it.

You'd be dancing your heart out tonight. With Heeseung. How you had longed to match his movements for so long, and now you finally had the chance.

"How do I look?" You meekly asked Giselle, who looked like a jewel in her own gown. "Like a true Queen, my lady." She giggled, dipping into a tiny curtsy.

"Shall we move then?"

Heeseung hadn't been too excited about the ball. He had seen too many of them to be entertained by any. And plus, there wasn't a proper lady to dance with either. Where were you? His thoughts, which were running aloof, came to a halt as his eyes landed on someone descending from the staircase.

Was that....you?

Indeed it was, as he blinked his eyes a few times to get into his mind the fact that you, his bride to be, were walking down from the staircase, looking like someone he's always loved for centuries. That, he did, but of course he wouldn't tell you that. Your snarky remarks from time to time, the way you smiled at his retorts and the way you remained a complete mystery to him, no matter how much he found out about you. Love, love, love, was what Jay had told him.

"My lord." You dipped into a curtsey in front of Heeseung. God he smelled exactly like the willow, enchanting and sweetly poisoning. You tried your hardest to avert your eyes from the tightly hugging fabric around his arms and his belt too. You fervently wanted your hands to be tied to it.

"You look pretty, princess." Heeseung winked at you, wrapping an arm at your waist, but not before giving you a look of access, "May we?" He motioned towards the dance floor, where a few women and men had their arms wrapped around each other lovingly. Would Heeseung and you ever be like this, you thought, as he led you over to the marble floor. You would have liked that, you'd have liked that a lot.

You could feel the eyes on you as Heeseung took your hands to his lips and pressed a small peck there. "Ignore them." He smiled up at you, "Time to show off your dancing, princess."

Gulping down the breath you've had in for a long time, you gasped in silence as one of Heeseung's arms pressed against your waist in a position for your waltz. You took your breath in accordance with Heeseung as the violins whipped their bows and the grandiose music began.

Dance was often described as the art of the soul, you'd never seen a living example of it, until now, as your entire body and mind moved in synchronisation with Heeseung. It felt as if dancing on a cloud you've longed to be on, when you were swaying with him. His grip on yours, his eyes tracing yours, and his demeanor being the one of the swan you had spied on in the western wing, it enchanted you, pulled you in to the whirlpool of Heeseung himself. You could have stayed like this forever, swaying in a gown with Heeseung at your start.

Heeseung was intoxicated as well, it was sweet venom lacing his veins, as the clandestine rendezvous of your movements got him to the highest of highs, one that even the most addicted couldn't have reached.

"Enjoying the view?" You cocked a brow at him, noticing the way he was staring at you. You were thankful that a lot of other people had joined the dance and you weren't the only ones dancing now.

"Funny, I was about to ask the same thing." He smirked at you, his eyes tilting down to your cleavage.

"You've seen more than just my cleavage and it's still driving you crazy isn't it?" You raised your chin, "Pathetic, Heeseung."

"Pathetic is it princess?" Heeseung's voice dropped to a low, as he leant over to your ear, his breath hitting your cold skin, whispering words that made your breath drop.

"More pathetic than the western wing?"

To be continued.....

Taglist: @amazzwon @heeseungshim @yunabi436 @kvmariii @sacrificeatmeup send an ask to be tagged

[gyuuberryy]

prince charming's mismatch

pairing: prince!heeseung x princess!reader

synopsis: you and prince heeseung have been rivals for as long as you can remember. what began as childhood clashes has grown into a deep-seated animosity over the years. but when your sister runs away on her wedding day, you're forced to take her place and marry heeseung—the last person you ever wanted to call your husband.

now bound in an unwanted marriage, you’re faced with navigating the tension between your unresolved hatred and an unexpected attraction. as palace intrigue and looming threats surround you both, you must confront the truth of your feelings. will the bitterness between you tear you apart, or will it ignite something far more powerful?

genre: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, arranged marriage au

warnings: highly suggestive content!!! kissing, hee and reader are mean at first, insecurities, jealous!hee

note: i've been meaning to write this plot for an year now, im happy with how it turned out! e2l with hee is always soo fun to write. enjoyy

word count: 11.5k

royally yours masterlist | next: jay

if you liked it please reblog or comment to give me your feedback! <3

the first time you met prince heeseung, it was at a grand summer garden party hosted by your parents in the palace’s sprawling grounds. you were barely six years old, and he wasn’t much older, yet even then, the air between you crackled with something akin to competition. your governess had dressed you in your finest lace frock, with your hair tied in perfect ribbons, but none of that mattered. you were too busy building a grand sandcastle near the fountain, your little fingers carefully patting the turrets into shape.

that was when heeseung appeared, his shadow falling over your castle like a storm cloud. he crouched beside you without so much as a polite greeting, his royal title apparently excusing his lack of manners. his eyes, sharp for a child, surveyed your handiwork critically.

“that’s not right,” he declared, reaching out to touch one of your towers. “the walls need to be thicker, or it’ll fall.”

you frowned, already bristling at the unsolicited advice. “it’s my castle. i know what i’m doing.”

he smirked, a small, superior thing that made your blood simmer even at that tender age. without asking, he began "fixing" it, his hands too rough as he demolished what you had so carefully crafted.

“stop!” you cried, shoving him back with all the strength your little body could muster. heeseung stumbled, landing awkwardly on the grass, but instead of being chastened, he merely laughed.

“see?” he said, gesturing at the collapsed sandcastle. “i told you it would fall.”

tears of frustration welled in your eyes as you glared at him. “you ruined it! i didn’t ask for your help!”

heeseung stood, dusting off his fine clothes, a boyish smirk still plastered on his face. “you should thank me. i was doing you a favour.”

from that day forward, any time your families met, it was as if an unspoken rule had been established—whenever you were in the same room, you and heeseung would find something to argue about. it didn’t matter if it was who deserved the biggest slice of cake or who could recite their latin conjugations faster; the two of you were constantly at odds.

as the years passed, your mutual disdain only deepened. by the time you were ten, heeseung had already earned a reputation as the golden boy of his kingdom, a future king who excelled in everything he touched. your own accomplishments were always impressive—your parents had ensured you were well-versed in languages, history, and the fine arts—but whenever heeseung was around, it felt as though all your achievements paled in comparison.

“did you hear?” one of your tutors asked one morning as you sat in the drawing room, diligently practising your embroidery. “prince heeseung has been awarded top marks in his studies again. he’s to receive a commendation from the royal academy.”

you didn’t look up, but your needle paused for the briefest of moments. “how wonderful for him,” you muttered, the words heavy with sarcasm.

that evening, at another royal banquet, you couldn’t help but bring up your own accomplishments, eager for even a crumb of recognition.

“i’ve been practising my archery,” you said proudly to the gathered guests, though your eyes couldn’t help but flick toward heeseung, who lounged nearby, looking as regal and aloof as ever. “i managed to hit the bullseye several times this week.”

heeseung glanced up lazily, catching your eye with that familiar, insufferable smirk. “impressive,” he said in a bored tone, “though archery isn’t quite the same as, say, fencing. that requires real skill.”

your fists clenched under the table, your pride wounded by his casual dismissal. but this was the way it always went. no matter what you did, heeseung always found a way to make it seem insignificant, as though he were the sun and you were merely a star dimmed by his brilliance.

by the time you were both teenagers, the animosity between you had grown more complicated, though no less intense. you found yourselves at the same royal gatherings, balls, and court functions, and each time, it was as if the entire room held its breath, waiting to see what you and heeseung would clash over next.

at one particularly grand ball, you had been feeling proud of your debut. you wore a gown of the finest silk, and you’d received more than a few admiring glances from the eligible noblemen in attendance. you were certain this was your night to shine—until heeseung approached.

“you look well enough,” he said, his voice smooth but with an edge that set your teeth on edge. “though i hope you don’t trip during the quadrille like last time.”

your cheeks flushed, remembering all too well the minor misstep you’d taken at a previous ball. “i won’t,” you snapped, glaring at him. “and even if i did, it’s better than fencing yourself into a corner like you did at the tournament last month.”

his smile faltered for just a second, but that was enough to make you feel victorious.

yet, despite the constant barbs, there was something else simmering beneath the surface now—a tension you refused to name. you hated the way your heart raced whenever heeseung was near, the way his presence seemed to fill every corner of a room. and, though you’d never admit it, you hated even more that part of you missed the old days when your squabbles were simple, childish things.

it all changed the day your sister’s engagement to heeseung was announced. the prince who had been your lifelong nemesis was now to become your sister’s husband, the future king of your kingdom. it was a match made for political alliance, but it felt like a betrayal. you had expected more from him—well, not more kindness, but certainly more rebellion. yet, heeseung accepted the engagement with the same cool composure he did everything else.

for the first time in years, he stopped seeking you out, stopped picking those fights you had come to expect. he no longer bothered with sharp remarks or smug smiles. instead, he kept his distance, as though you were beneath his notice.

you told yourself it didn’t matter. after all, what did you care if heeseung ignored you now? he was going to be your brother-in-law, and that was enough reason to keep things civil. and yet, a strange, hollow feeling settled in your chest whenever you saw him and your sister together. he was colder now, more mature, but somehow more distant than ever.

little did you know, your rivalry with prince heeseung was far from over. if anything, it was only just beginning.

the night your world fell apart, it started with a simple knock on your chamber door. the palace had been abuzz with preparations—florists arranging garlands, tailors hemming gowns, and courtiers whispering about the grand union that would strengthen two kingdoms. you had spent the evening rehearsing your duties as maid of honour, biting back any remnants of bitterness that still clung to your feelings about the match. it didn’t matter that you had spent your entire life despising heeseung; your sister loved him, or at least, she was supposed to.

you were preparing to retire, brushing your hair by the dim glow of candlelight, when your sister slipped into the room, her face pale and eyes wide with fear. you’d never seen her look so frantic. your heart sank before she even said a word.

“i’m not going to marry him,” she whispered, wringing her hands in the folds of her silk nightgown. her voice trembled, but it was steady enough for you to know she wasn’t joking.

your heart lurched. “what are you talking about? the wedding is tomorrow!”

her wide eyes darted to the door as if she feared someone might overhear. she leaned in closer, gripping your wrist with trembling fingers. “i can’t marry heeseung,” she said urgently. “i don’t love him. i’m leaving tonight.”

the words hit you like a physical blow. “you’re what?”

“i’m eloping,” she said, her voice firmer now, as if saying it out loud gave her courage. “with lucien.”

lucien. you barely knew the man, a minor noble from another court, but he had charmed your sister quickly. he was handsome and witty, but far beneath her station. you stared at her, disbelief mixing with fury.

“lucien? are you mad? you can’t just abandon your duty for—”

“for love?” she interrupted, her voice rising in defiance. “yes, i can. i won’t be trapped in a loveless marriage with a man who cares nothing for me.”

you swallowed hard, your mind racing. heeseung, distant and cold as he had been with you, had shown no signs of affection for your sister either, but this was bigger than personal feelings. the marriage was political, a union meant to secure alliances, peace, and power. your sister fleeing would bring nothing but chaos.

“you’ll ruin everything,” you whispered, your voice thick with the weight of the consequences. “our families, the kingdoms—this is bigger than you.”

her eyes softened with a mix of guilt and determination. “i know. but i can’t live my life for duty, not like this.” she stood, gathering a small satchel you hadn’t noticed before, already packed and ready for her escape.

“you won’t stop me, will you?” she asked, her gaze pleading.

you wanted to scream, to shake her out of this madness, but your throat tightened. she was your sister. you loved her. and you knew, deep down, that nothing you said would change her mind.

“i should,” you said, your voice quiet, brittle. “but no. i won’t.”

your sister smiled, a fragile, relieved thing, before pulling you into a tight embrace. the hug felt final, like the end of something neither of you could come back from. when she finally let go, you stood frozen in the middle of her room as she slipped out the window and into the night, her footsteps fading into the shadows.

the palace remained blissfully unaware of the catastrophe until morning, when your mother’s scream shattered the early dawn peace.

the palace was in chaos the next morning. servants rushed through the halls, panic etched on their faces as whispers spread like wildfire—the bride had run away. you stayed in your chambers as long as possible, trying to gather your thoughts, your emotions, trying to prepare for the inevitable fallout.

when the summons came from your father, it felt like a death knell. the walk to the throne room felt endless, each step heavier than the last. the moment you stepped through the grand doors, you saw heeseung standing beside your parents. his face was a mask of icy calm, but his eyes…his eyes were darker than you’d ever seen them, cold and unforgiving.

he didn’t even glance at you as your father spoke.

“your sister has disgraced this family,” your father’s voice boomed, his tone laced with anger and disappointment. “but the marriage cannot be abandoned. the alliance with heeseung’s kingdom is too important.”

you stood still, your stomach churning as you braced for what was coming.

“therefore,” your father continued, his gaze hard as stone, “you will take her place.”

for a moment, the words didn’t register. you couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. you? marry heeseung? no, it wasn’t possible. you had spent your entire life in a silent war with him. the idea of marrying the man who had been your nemesis since childhood was unthinkable.

your mother’s voice, soft but firm, broke the silence. “the arrangements have already been made. the wedding will proceed as planned. you will become heeseung’s bride.”

“no.” the word slipped from your lips before you could stop it, your heart racing. “i can’t.”

your father’s eyes narrowed, and your mother’s expression hardened with disappointment. “you will do your duty,” your father said coldly. “this is not up for discussion.”

duty. it always came down to that. your entire life, you had been prepared for moments like this, but not this moment. not like this.

finally, you turned to heeseung, desperate for any sign of protest, for him to say something—anything—that would stop this madness. but he was silent. his face remained expressionless, as though none of this affected him. he looked at you as if you were just a piece of the puzzle, another part of the kingdom’s grand design.

“is that all i am to you?” you asked, your voice shaking. “just a replacement? a stand-in for the bride who ran away?”

for the first time, heeseung’s gaze met yours, and for a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes—something unreadable, buried deep beneath the coldness. but his words cut through you like ice.

“you’re a princess,” he said, his voice quiet but sharp. “your role is to serve your kingdom. that’s all that matters.”

a bitter laugh escaped your throat. “you’ve hated me for years, heeseung. and now you expect me to just—what? pretend none of that matters?”

his jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond. instead, he turned away, his indifference stinging more than any of the insults you had traded over the years.

your father spoke again, his tone final. “the marriage will happen. prepare yourself.”

the grand hall was suffused with the glow of flickering candles and soft sunlight filtering through stained glass windows. the scent of fresh roses—your sister’s favourite, not yours—hung heavily in the air, mocking the gravity of the moment. you stood at the entrance of the hall, your hands clenched so tightly around the bouquet that your knuckles were white. the murmurs of the courtiers echoed around you, a constant hum of speculation and judgement. no matter how well you carried yourself today, the whispers wouldn’t stop.

the switch of the bride was the scandal of the century, and you were at the centre of it.

ahead of you, heeseung stood tall, his face as unreadable as stone. the same detachment was in his eyes, his expression cool and composed as if this marriage was merely another political manoeuvre for him, another step toward the throne. he didn’t look at you with warmth, or even a hint of care. to him, you weren’t his wife—you were the replacement for the woman who had run away.

you walked down the aisle, every step heavier than the last, the reality of your situation crushing you. heeseung’s gaze was steady as you approached, but it wasn’t the gaze of a man looking at his bride. it was a look of cold calculation, a man who had resigned himself to duty.

when you finally reached him, your heart thudding loudly in your chest, you barely registered the priest's words. the vows—sacred, binding—felt hollow, like a cruel twist of fate. how could you stand here, repeating the words meant for your sister? they weren't meant for you. you were never supposed to be the bride.

heeseung took your hand, and the warmth of his skin was a sharp contrast to the chill that ran down your spine. his grip was firm, not gentle, but not cruel either—just dutiful. he spoke his vows with a steady voice, each word sounding rehearsed, as though they meant nothing to him beyond their formality.

and then it was your turn. you hesitated, the weight of the kingdom on your shoulders, your pulse quickening. your voice trembled slightly as you repeated the vows, feeling the eyes of everyone in the hall on you—expecting you to fulfil your role, to be the perfect princess. you could barely choke out the words, but somehow, you managed. and with every word, you felt the invisible chains of your new life tightening around you.

when the priest finally pronounced you husband and wife, heeseung’s lips brushed yours in the briefest of kisses—so cold and devoid of feeling that it felt more like a business transaction than the union of two people. the cheers of the court erupted around you, but in that moment, the applause sounded like the closing of a cage. you were trapped, bound to him, to this life.

as you turned to leave the altar, heeseung offered his arm, the tension between you palpable. his eyes flickered to yours for a brief moment, but there was no warmth there. just that cold, resigned look you had grown accustomed to. you were both playing your roles, just as you had been trained to do your whole lives.

but this wasn’t a game. this was your future, and it felt like a noose tightening around your neck.

the wedding feast had been a blur—a cacophony of forced smiles, hollow congratulations, and polite toasts that masked the underlying tension. you had barely spoken a word to heeseung throughout the entire affair. he hadn’t made any attempt to speak to you either, remaining as distant and composed as ever.

now, as you stood alone in the chambers that were to be yours and heeseung’s, the reality of your new life settled heavily on your chest. the palace chambers were far too quiet, the air thick with the tension that had been building between you and heeseung for years. as you stood in the centre of the room, staring at the enormous bed draped in rich fabrics, it felt like the walls were closing in. the room was elegantly decorated—ornate tapestries hung on the walls, and the grand four-poster bed was fit for a queen. but none of it mattered. the splendour felt like a mockery of the situation you found yourself in. tonight, this room was not a sanctuary but a gilded cage.

your breath caught in your throat as the door creaked open. heeseung entered, his presence commanding even in the subdued candlelight. the tension between you was palpable, stretching like a thin, fragile thread that could snap at any moment. his gaze flicked toward you briefly, but he didn’t speak, and the silence that followed was suffocating.

heeseung moved with practised grace, his movements calm and deliberate. he began undoing the buttons on his ceremonial jacket, the fine fabric sliding off his shoulders and landing in a careless heap on the chair by the vanity. you stood frozen, unsure of what to say, what to do. this wasn’t how you had imagined a wedding night would feel—though you had never dreamed this night would be with heeseung, of all people.

his back was to you now, his broad shoulders tense, though he did nothing to betray any emotion. you could feel the distance between you both, even though he was just across the room. heeseung had always been composed, guarded, but tonight, his coldness cut even deeper than usual.

he finally broke the silence, his voice low but steady. “it’s late. you should rest.” there was no affection in his tone, just the same sense of duty that had hung over the entire day. you weren’t his bride by choice, and he wasn’t your husband by desire.

you bit back a bitter laugh. rest? as if you could simply close your eyes and pretend this was normal. pretend that this marriage was something other than a trap. “is that it, then?” you asked, your voice sharper than intended. “we go to bed and pretend everything is fine?”

heeseung turned to face you, his expression as unreadable as ever. he didn’t answer right away, as if weighing his response carefully. “what do you want me to say?” his tone was measured, but there was an edge to it, a hint of frustration that matched your own.

“i don’t know,” you admitted, your voice trembling with the weight of your emotions. “this wasn’t supposed to happen. i wasn’t supposed to marry you.”

something flickered in heeseung’s eyes, though it disappeared as quickly as it came. he regarded you for a moment, his gaze unreadable, before he spoke again. “do you think i wanted this?” his words were quiet but laced with a bitterness that surprised you. “i didn’t ask for this any more than you did.”

you swallowed, feeling a lump rise in your throat. you hadn’t expected this admission from him, hadn’t expected him to show any vulnerability. “then what are we supposed to do?” your voice was softer now, the anger ebbing away, replaced by uncertainty. “how are we supposed to live like this?”

heeseung sighed, running a hand through his hair, a rare moment of frustration breaking through his calm facade. “we do what’s expected of us,” he said, though there was a heaviness to his words, as if he was trying to convince himself as much as you. “we fulfill our duties. that’s all we can do.”

“duties.” the word tasted bitter on your tongue. it had always come down to that, hadn’t it? duty to the crown, to the kingdom, to your family. and now, duty to heeseung.

the silence stretched on, thick and uncomfortable. heeseung turned away, moving toward the window where the heavy drapes framed the view of the darkened palace gardens. his silhouette was stark against the faint glow of moonlight, his posture stiff, almost defensive.

after a long moment, he spoke again, his voice softer this time. “i’ll sleep over there.” he gestured to the chaise near the window, a fine piece of furniture that now seemed woefully out of place in this awkward, tension-filled room. “you can have the bed.”

you blinked, surprised by his offer. it was the last thing you expected from him, but it was a relief nonetheless. “you don’t have to—”

“i’m not doing this for you,” he interrupted, his voice firm, but not unkind. “i just don’t want to make this any more difficult than it already is.”

with that, he moved toward the chaise, gathering a pillow and blanket from the wardrobe. his actions were efficient, almost mechanical, as if he had already resigned himself to this fate. he didn’t look at you as he arranged the blanket over the chaise.

you stood there, feeling a strange mix of emotions—relief, awkwardness, and something else, something heavier that you couldn’t quite place. this was your wedding night, but it was nothing like you had ever imagined. there was no closeness, no warmth—just two people bound together by obligation and circumstance.

finally, you moved toward the bed, the thick carpets muffling your steps. the soft fabric of your gown felt heavy as you climbed beneath the covers, though they provided no comfort. you lay there, staring up at the intricate canopy above, your mind racing. this bed, this room—none of it felt like yours.

heeseung settled on the chaise, his back to you, the distance between you both feeling vast despite the small room. the silence was oppressive, each second dragging on longer than the last. you wondered if he was as uneasy as you were, or if he had already steeled himself to this new reality.

for a long while, neither of you spoke, the only sound in the room the faint rustling of fabric as you shifted beneath the covers. the weight of the day, of the vows, of your new title, pressed down on you, making it hard to breathe.

finally, you couldn’t stand the silence any longer. “heeseung,” you whispered, unsure if you even wanted him to respond.

he didn’t turn, but his voice was low and steady when he answered. “what?”

you hesitated, searching for the right words. “do you think... do you think this will ever get easier?”

there was a long pause before he responded, his voice quiet, almost resigned. “i don’t know.”

and with that, the conversation ended. heeseung remained silent, his back still turned to you, and you knew there was nothing more to say. you turned onto your side, pulling the blankets tighter around you, though they offered little warmth. the room felt too big, too empty, despite his presence.

eventually, exhaustion crept in, dulling the sharp edges of your thoughts. but even as sleep began to claim you, a cold, sinking feeling settled in your chest. this was your life now—bound to a man you barely knew, a man who had been your enemy for years, and yet, somehow, your husband.

and as you drifted off into uneasy sleep, the last thought that crossed your mind was how strange it felt to be lying just feet away from heeseung, yet feeling as though he was a world away.

the morning after the wedding dawned cold and gray, mirroring the lingering tension between you and heeseung. you woke up in the large, empty bed, the space next to you untouched, a stark reminder of the distance that had been established on your wedding night. the air in the room felt thick, suffocating, as if the very walls were pressing in on you, reminding you of your new reality.

as you sat up, the unfamiliarity of your surroundings only worsened the tightness in your chest. this was your new life. not just this bed, but this room, this palace—heeseung’s palace—and you would share it with a man who barely spoke to you, who looked at you with that same cold distance he had always shown.

you dressed quickly, your movements mechanical, trying not to think too much. the maids moved around you silently, well-trained and efficient, but you could feel their eyes on you. it was impossible to escape the fact that everyone knew. the entire kingdom knew the story—the princess who had run away, and her sister forced to take her place. the whispers would never stop.

when you finally made your way downstairs to the grand dining room, heeseung was already seated at the long table, a plate of food in front of him. he didn’t look up when you entered, simply continued cutting into his meal with precise, practised movements. you hesitated for a moment, then took your seat across from him.

the silence was unbearable.

you picked at your food, barely tasting it, glancing at heeseung from time to time. his expression was as unreadable as ever, his attention focused on the papers beside his plate—likely matters of the kingdom that required his attention. he was already immersed in his duties, the weight of his impending kingship pressing down on him just as heavily as your new role as his wife weighed on you.

finally, you couldn’t stand it any longer. “do you plan to ignore me for the rest of our lives?” you asked, your voice sharper than you intended.

heeseung didn’t look up immediately, taking his time to finish his bite and set down his utensils with deliberate care. when he finally met your gaze, his expression was cool, detached. “i’m not ignoring you.”

you scoffed, unable to hide your frustration. “you’ve barely spoken to me since the wedding.”

he raised an eyebrow, his tone as calm as ever. “what would you like me to say?”

the question took you off guard. you hadn’t expected him to be so blunt. you opened your mouth, then closed it again, unsure of how to respond. what did you want him to say? that he regretted everything as much as you did? that he hated this arrangement, too? or perhaps you wanted him to acknowledge the years of bitterness between you, to admit that this marriage was a farce.

instead, you said, “we’re married now, heeseung. we have to live together. we can’t keep pretending the other doesn’t exist.”

his jaw tightened ever so slightly, but his voice remained calm. “i’m aware of that.”

you waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. the silence stretched on once again, thicker than before, suffocating in its awkwardness. you pushed your plate away, no longer interested in eating. “fine,” you muttered under your breath, standing abruptly. “i suppose i’ll just get used to it, then.”

you turned to leave, but his voice stopped you. “you don’t have to like this any more than i do, but we have responsibilities now.”

you paused, your back to him, your hands clenched at your sides. “responsibilities,” you repeated, your voice barely above a whisper. it seemed like that was all your life had ever been reduced to—duty, obligation, and responsibilities.

without another word, you left the dining room, the heavy doors closing behind you with a soft thud. you could feel the weight of the situation bearing down on you even more as you walked through the halls of the palace, each step echoing in the vast emptiness. you weren’t just trapped in this marriage—you were trapped in this life.

days passed, and though you and heeseung were forced to share the same space, your interactions remained minimal, stilted. in the mornings, you would find him already at the breakfast table, poring over documents and barely acknowledging your presence. he would spend his days attending council meetings and handling matters of state, leaving you to navigate the palace on your own, feeling more like a guest in your own home than its mistress.

at night, he would retire to the chambers late, often when you were already lying in bed, pretending to sleep. he would quietly take his place on the chaise near the window, far enough away to avoid any awkwardness, but close enough that his presence was a constant reminder of the divide between you.

it was during these nights that the loneliness settled in most heavily. the silence of the room, broken only by the occasional rustling of fabric or the soft crackle of the fireplace, was suffocating. you had grown accustomed to sleeping alone, but now, knowing heeseung was just a few feet away, the distance between you felt almost unbearable. there was an unspoken understanding that neither of you wanted to bridge the gap.

one evening, after yet another day of awkward meals and tense silences, you found yourself in the library, one of the few places in the palace where you felt at peace. the vast room was filled with shelves upon shelves of books, their spines worn and familiar. you had always loved to read, finding solace in the stories and histories of others when your own life felt too overwhelming.

you were seated by the window, the late afternoon sun casting a soft glow over the pages of your book, when the door creaked open. you looked up, surprised to see heeseung standing in the doorway. he paused for a moment, as if uncertain whether to enter or leave, his eyes scanning the room before they settled on you.

“may i join you?” he asked, his voice unusually soft.

you blinked, caught off guard by his request. this was the first time he had sought you out since the wedding, and the suddenness of it left you momentarily speechless. you nodded, unsure of what else to do. “of course.”

heeseung crossed the room, moving with his usual grace, and took a seat in the armchair opposite you. for a moment, neither of you spoke, the quiet of the library enveloping you both. he seemed content to sit in silence, his gaze wandering to the bookshelves that lined the walls.

finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke. “this is... one of the quieter rooms.”

you raised an eyebrow, a small, incredulous smile tugging at the corner of your lips. “it’s a library, heeseung. of course it’s quiet.”

to your surprise, he chuckled softly, though it was a dry, humourless sound. “fair enough.”

silence fell again, but this time it wasn’t as suffocating. there was something almost... peaceful about it, the weight of your shared presence not as unbearable as it had been before. you watched him out of the corner of your eye, noticing how tired he looked. the weight of his responsibilities was evident in the slight furrow of his brow, the way his shoulders sagged ever so slightly.

after a while, you set your book down on your lap, deciding to break the silence. “it must be difficult,” you said quietly. “taking on so much.”

heeseung didn’t answer right away, his gaze still focused on the shelves, but eventually, he nodded. “it is.”

you hesitated for a moment, then spoke again, softer this time. “you don’t have to carry it all alone, you know.”

he turned to look at you then, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—something softer than the cold indifference you had grown accustomed to.

“and what would you suggest?” he asked, his voice quiet but not unkind.

“i don’t know,” you admitted. “but we’re in this together, whether we like it or not.”

heeseung’s gaze lingered on you for a moment longer, and then he nodded, a small, almost imperceptible movement. it wasn’t much, but it was the first step—however small—toward something more than just forced cohabitation.

the shift in your relationship came faster than you expected. it started with a challenge—a reckless, unspoken dare that neither of you could resist.

it had been a clear, crisp day, the first after several weeks of rain. you were restless, tired of the palace walls and the constant burden of your new role. you had gone to the stables, hoping to take one of the horses out for a ride, needing to feel the wind in your hair and the ground beneath you. but when you arrived, heeseung was already there, adjusting the reins of his own horse.

you paused in the doorway, surprised to see him. “you ride?”

he glanced up, one eyebrow raised. “you sound surprised.”

“i am,” you admitted. “i’ve never seen you ride before.”

he chuckled softly, his eyes glinting with amusement. “there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

the challenge in his voice was unmistakable, and you couldn’t resist rising to it. “care to prove it?” you asked, moving toward your own horse.

heeseung’s smirk widened. “what do you have in mind?”

you mounted your horse swiftly, the thrill of the challenge already coursing through your veins. “a race.”

heeseung raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “you think you can beat me?”

“i know i can,” you shot back, turning your horse toward the open field beyond the stables.

without another word, you spurred your horse into motion, not waiting for his response. behind you, you heard heeseung’s laughter, low and rich, before the sound of hooves thundering against the ground told you he had accepted the challenge.

you raced through the fields, the wind whipping through your hair, the thrill of the chase making your heart race. heeseung was right behind you, and you could feel the tension building, the competitive edge between you sparking like fire. it was like being children again, challenging each other at every turn, pushing each other to the limit.

but this time, it was different. the stakes were higher, the tension thicker, and the way heeseung looked at you when he finally caught up to you sent a shiver down your spine.

when he finally pulled his horse beside yours, you were both breathless, your faces flushed with adrenaline. you glanced over at him, and the look in his eyes—intense, dark, heated—made your pulse quicken.

“not bad,” he said, his voice low, rough around the edges.

you smirked, trying to ignore the way your heart was pounding. “you almost kept up.”

heeseung leaned in just slightly, his gaze locking with yours. “almost?” he murmured, his voice sending a jolt through you.

you swallowed hard, your throat suddenly dry. the space between you was too close, the air charged with something you weren’t quite ready to name. his eyes lingered on your lips for just a moment too long, and you could feel the heat of his presence, the tension that had always existed between you now manifesting in a way that was far more dangerous.

before either of you could say anything, heeseung pulled back, his smirk returning as if nothing had happened. “we’ll call it a draw,” he said, though there was a teasing edge to his voice.

you let out a breath you hadn’t realised you were holding, shaking your head with a laugh. “you wish.”

but as you rode back to the palace, the tension between you remained, simmering beneath the surface. it was no longer the resentment of old enemies, but something far more complex, far more dangerous. and for the first time, you found yourself wondering what would happen if that tension ever boiled over.

later that night, the air was thick with the remnants of the day’s energy. you couldn’t sleep, your mind still racing from the ride and the way heeseung had looked at you—how close he had come, how your heart had nearly betrayed you in that moment of suspended anticipation.

you wandered the halls of the palace aimlessly, your footsteps soft against the marble floors. the palace at night was a different place, quiet and still, the shadows long and heavy. it felt like a place where secrets lingered in every corner, where the walls whispered of things that could never be said aloud.

as you passed by the study, you noticed the faint glow of light beneath the door. curiosity piqued, you pushed the door open just enough to peek inside. heeseung was there, seated at the desk, bathed in the warm glow of candlelight. he was reading, his brow furrowed in concentration, his lips slightly parted as he focused on the page in front of him.

you hesitated, but before you could turn away, he looked up, catching sight of you. for a moment, neither of you spoke, the silence between you heavy with unspoken words. then, without breaking eye contact, heeseung set the book aside.

“couldn’t sleep?” he asked, his voice low, intimate in the quiet of the room.

you shook your head, stepping into the room. “no. you?”

heeseung’s gaze flicked over you, his eyes lingering on you in a way that made your skin heat under his scrutiny. “i’ve been thinking,” he said, his tone soft but laced with that same dangerous tension that had been building all day.

“about what?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper as you moved closer, drawn to him in a way you couldn’t quite explain.

heeseung’s eyes met yours, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop. “about you,” he said quietly. “about us.”

the weight of his words settled in the space between you, thick and intoxicating. about you. about us. it echoed in your mind, stirring something deep within you that you had tried to ignore for far too long. you weren’t sure if it was the late hour, the dim candlelight, or the fact that you had been dancing around each other for weeks now, but something inside you snapped.

your breath hitched as you looked at him, his eyes dark and full of something you couldn’t quite name. but it was there—undeniable, pulsing in the space between you. and now that it had been spoken into existence, you couldn’t unsee it.

“what about us?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. it wasn’t just curiosity anymore. it was a challenge.

heeseung’s gaze flicked to your lips, and the tension in the room intensified, coiling tighter and tighter until it felt like the air itself might shatter from the pressure. he stood slowly, his movements deliberate, and took a step toward you, closing the already-small distance between you.

“there’s always been something between us,” he said, his voice low, rough. his eyes never left yours, burning with intensity. “even when we hated each other.”

your heart was pounding now, so loud you were sure he could hear it. you wanted to deny it, to tell him that he was wrong, that it had always been pure hatred. but that would’ve been a lie. you knew it as well as he did—whatever had always been there between you, it had never been simple.

“and what is it now?” you asked, forcing yourself to meet his gaze even though every instinct told you to look away. to run.

heeseung took another step closer, his hand reaching up slowly, as though giving you the chance to pull away. but you didn’t. you couldn’t. his fingers brushed against your cheek, the touch so light it sent a shiver down your spine. his hand lingered there, his thumb tracing the line of your jaw.

“maybe we’ve been fighting the wrong battle,” he murmured, his voice softer now, almost tender. the warmth of his breath ghosted over your skin, and you felt your pulse quicken.

your throat tightened. every word he said felt like a dangerous line, one that you were teetering on the edge of crossing. the tension between you had always been a fire—burning too hot, too fast. and now, it felt like it was about to consume you both.

heeseung’s thumb brushed over your bottom lip, and your breath caught in your throat. his touch was tentative, as though he wasn’t quite sure if this was real or if you would pull away at any moment.

but you didn’t.

instead, you took a step closer, closing the gap completely. the air between you was charged, thick with unspoken desire and the weight of all the years you had spent fighting against each other. your body was betraying you, leaning into him, drawn by a force you had denied for too long.

heeseung’s eyes darkened as he leaned in, his lips barely an inch from yours, the heat between you almost unbearable now. you could feel the tension in every muscle, the way his hand trembled slightly as it cupped your cheek, the way your own body was responding without your permission.

then, in a breathless moment that felt like it stretched on forever, he closed the distance.

his lips pressed against yours—soft at first, testing, as though he wasn’t sure you would let him. but the moment your lips met his, something ignited between you. the kiss deepened, filled with all the pent-up frustration and longing that had been building for so long. it was a clash of emotions—anger, desire, need—all colliding in that single moment.

you responded instantly, your hands reaching up to tangle in his hair, pulling him closer, needing more. the kiss was rough, almost desperate, as though you were both trying to make up for years of missed chances in that single moment.

his hands slid down to your waist, pulling you flush against him, and you gasped against his lips at the feeling of his body pressed so close to yours. the intensity of it was overwhelming, but you didn’t want it to stop. you didn’t want to think. you just wanted to feel.

but then, as quickly as it started, heeseung pulled back, his breathing ragged, his forehead resting against yours. his hands still gripped your waist, holding you in place as though he couldn’t quite let go yet.

“this isn’t... what i expected,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. his breath was warm against your skin, and his eyes searched yours, as though he was looking for an answer in your gaze.

you swallowed hard, trying to steady your breathing, trying to make sense of what had just happened. “what did you expect?” you asked softly, your fingers still tangled in his hair.

heeseung’s grip on your waist tightened for a moment, his eyes darkening once again. “i didn’t expect you to feel this way.” his voice was low, almost a growl, filled with the same intensity that had been building between you all night.

you opened your mouth to respond, but the words wouldn’t come. you had no idea what to say, no idea how to explain the maelstrom of emotions swirling inside you. all you knew was that everything had changed in that kiss.

“i don’t know what i feel,” you admitted quietly, your voice barely audible in the heavy silence of the room.

heeseung’s lips twitched into a small, almost sad smile. “neither do i.” he stepped back, finally breaking the physical contact between you, and you immediately missed the warmth of his body against yours.

“but whatever this is... it’s dangerous,” he continued, his eyes locked on yours, as though warning you. “we’ve always been enemies. we don’t know how to be anything else.”

you felt a lump form in your throat at his words, because deep down, you knew he was right. but that didn’t stop the ache in your chest, the desire for something more—for the possibility of what could be.

“i don’t want to be your enemy anymore,” you said softly, the confession surprising even you.

heeseung’s eyes widened slightly at your words, his expression unreadable. for a moment, you thought he might say something—might admit that he didn’t want to be your enemy either. but then, he shook his head, the walls between you coming back up, brick by brick.

“this doesn’t change anything,” he said quietly, but the look in his eyes said otherwise.

and with that, he turned and left the room, leaving you standing there in the soft glow of candlelight, your heart pounding and your mind reeling from the kiss that had shifted the entire balance between you.

as the door closed softly behind him, you exhaled a shaky breath, your fingers brushing your lips where his had been moments before.

everything had changed.

the royal court was buzzing with tension, and for once, the tension wasn’t between you and heeseung. the kingdom was on edge, not from war or rebellion, but from something far more insidious—political manoeuvring. rival noble houses were plotting against heeseung’s rule, questioning his right to ascend to the throne, especially after the sudden marriage to you. the whispers had grown louder over the past few weeks, the courtiers’ gazes sharper, waiting for the first misstep.

you had known court life would be full of power plays and alliances, but this was different. it was personal. every snide comment, every hushed conversation behind closed doors, felt like an attack on your marriage, on your family’s legacy. and worst of all, it felt like an attack on you.

one afternoon, as you made your way through the palace corridors, you overheard a group of nobles—close to your family—voicing their displeasure over your sudden marriage to heeseung. it was the same old song—how your sister should have been the bride, how you were never meant for this role, how heeseung marrying you was a strategic disaster.

you felt your blood run cold, but you kept walking, your head held high. you had grown used to these remarks, but today, they stung deeper. not because they questioned your worth, but because they reflected the deep-seated insecurity you had always carried.

that night, you found yourself alone in the study, staring out the window at the darkening sky. the weight of the court’s judgement, the impossible standards, the constant comparisons to your sister—they were suffocating. and then there was heeseung, whose coldness had thawed just enough to show you glimpses of something deeper, something real. but he was still heeseung—your husband, your childhood rival, and now the man who held your future in his hands.

the door creaked open behind you, and you didn’t need to turn to know it was him. you had grown attuned to his presence, the way the air shifted whenever he entered a room.

“what’s wrong?” his voice was quieter than usual, but still carrying that edge of command. he always knew when something was off, as if he could sense the turmoil swirling inside you.

you didn’t answer immediately, your gaze fixed on the stars outside. “they’re saying we’re not suited for each other,” you murmured, finally turning to face him. “that i’m not fit to be queen. that you made a mistake.”

heeseung’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his cheek. he stepped closer, his eyes narrowing in that familiar way, but this time, it wasn’t directed at you.

“let them talk,” he said flatly. “they’re just waiting for us to fail.”

“and what if they’re right?” the words slipped out before you could stop them, the fear and doubt bubbling to the surface. “i was never meant to marry you. this isn’t the life i was prepared for.”

heeseung stared at you for a moment, his expression unreadable. then, to your surprise, he closed the distance between you, his hands gripping your shoulders firmly, forcing you to meet his gaze.

“i didn’t choose you because you were an easy choice,” he said, his voice low but intense. “i chose you because you’re stronger than you realise.”

you blinked, taken aback by the conviction in his words. heeseung wasn’t one to offer praise lightly, and hearing it now, in this moment, felt more intimate than anything he had ever said to you before.

“there are plenty of people who want to see us fail,” he continued, his grip tightening slightly. “but they don’t matter. what matters is that we don’t give them the satisfaction. we fight together.”

the intensity in his eyes sent a shiver down your spine, and for the first time, you saw beyond the cold exterior he had always shown you. there was something deeper there, something raw and unspoken. a partnership.

but the closeness also brought something else—a heat that had always been there between you, simmering beneath the surface. his hands lingered on your shoulders, his thumbs brushing the bare skin just above your collarbone, and suddenly the room felt smaller, the air thicker.

“you think i’m strong?” you asked, your voice quieter now, tinged with something more vulnerable. something real.

heeseung’s gaze flicked down to your lips, just for a moment, before returning to your eyes. his voice was rough when he spoke, low and filled with an unspoken promise. “i’ve always known.”

the charged air between you was impossible to ignore now. his fingers slid from your shoulders to your arms, the touch sending a jolt of warmth through you. it wasn’t just the weight of responsibility pressing down on you—it was him, his closeness, the undeniable pull you had both been dancing around for weeks.

you could feel the tension in every inch of your body, your heart racing as heeseung’s hands rested on your waist, pulling you closer, but still leaving just enough space for doubt. he hesitated, as if waiting for you to push him away, to remind him of the enmity that had defined your relationship for so long.

but you didn’t. instead, you leaned into him, your hands tentatively reaching up to rest on his chest. the fabric of his shirt was soft under your fingers, but beneath it, you could feel the steady beat of his heart, as rapid as your own.

“maybe i’ve been wrong about you,” you whispered, your breath hitching as the tension between you reached a breaking point.

heeseung’s eyes darkened at your words, his lips hovering just inches from yours. “maybe you have,” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. but there was something softer there too, something almost tender.

before you could talk yourself out of it, you closed the distance between you and kissed him.

the kiss was like nothing you had ever experienced—fierce, desperate, and full of the years of unresolved tension between you. it was as if all the walls you had built around yourselves were crumbling in an instant, leaving nothing but the raw, undeniable attraction that had always simmered beneath the surface.

heeseung responded instantly, his hands tightening on your waist, pulling you closer as the kiss deepened. his lips moved against yours with a hunger that matched your own, and you could feel the heat radiating off him, his body pressing against yours as if he couldn’t bear to let you go.

it was overwhelming, the intensity of the moment, the way your bodies seemed to fit perfectly together, the way every touch sent a shockwave of desire coursing through you. you had spent so long fighting him, fighting this, and now, as his hands slid up your back, holding you close, you wondered why you had ever resisted.

when you finally pulled back, both of you were breathless, your foreheads resting against each other. heeseung’s grip on your waist didn’t loosen, and you could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest, his heartbeat as wild as your own.

“we can’t keep pretending,” you whispered, your voice shaky, your lips still tingling from the kiss.

heeseung’s eyes met yours, the vulnerability and uncertainty in his gaze mirroring your own. “no, we can’t,” he agreed, his voice rough with emotion.

for a moment, the world hung in the balance. you had crossed a line, and there was no going back. everything between you had shifted, and the question now wasn’t whether you would move forward—it was how.

heeseung’s thumb brushed gently against your cheek, his touch so tender it nearly broke you. “we’re in this together,” he said softly, the weight of his words heavy with meaning.

this time, there was no need to say anything more. you both understood what had changed between you, even if neither of you was ready to fully admit it. and though the path ahead was uncertain, you knew one thing for sure: you weren’t facing it alone anymore.

weeks passed, and with each passing day, things between you and heeseung slowly shifted. the cold, sharp walls that had once kept you apart were crumbling, revealing a warmth and understanding that neither of you had anticipated. where there had once been biting words and icy glares, there was now laughter, quiet conversations, and small gestures of affection.

the palace felt different. it was lighter now, with the growing sense of partnership between you and heeseung. your bickering had been replaced with genuine care, and though the wounds of the past hadn't fully healed, you were both learning to forgive. but it wasn’t just the emotional connection that was shifting—there was something deeper brewing beneath the surface. unspoken feelings, simmering tension.

it wasn’t until a grand banquet in honour of a visiting prince from a neighbouring kingdom that these feelings came to a head. you stood at the centre of the ballroom, dressed in a gown that glimmered under the candlelight. it hugged your figure perfectly, catching the attention of more than just heeseung. the prince—prince seojun—had been particularly charming throughout the evening, his eyes lingering on you a little too long, his compliments a little too bold.

“you are by far the most captivating presence in this room, your highness,” seojun murmured, his voice low as he leaned in slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. “if i had known such beauty awaited me here, i would have visited sooner.”

you laughed politely, glancing over your shoulder, searching for heeseung in the crowd. he was across the room, deep in conversation with some nobles, but even from the distance, you could feel his gaze on you, sharp and intense.

seojun continued, his hand brushing lightly against your arm as he leaned closer. “perhaps we could steal a moment away from the crowd? i would love to know more about the woman behind such an enchanting smile.”

before you could respond, a sudden shift in the air caught your attention. heeseung appeared at your side, his posture tense, his expression a mix of barely contained irritation and something else—something more possessive.

“princess,” heeseung’s voice was smooth, but there was a dangerous edge to it. his hand slid around your waist, pulling you firmly against his side. the claim was unmistakable. “i believe your dance card is full for the evening.”

seojun’s smirk faltered slightly as he glanced between the two of you, sensing the tension. heeseung’s eyes never left the prince, cold and unyielding.

“of course,” seojun replied, raising his hands in mock surrender. “i wouldn’t dream of overstepping. after all,” his gaze flickered to you, then back to heeseung, “she’s your wife.”

the words hung in the air for a moment, charged with unspoken meaning. seojun bowed slightly, a smirk still playing on his lips, before taking his leave. but even as he walked away, you could feel the lingering weight of his gaze.

you turned to heeseung, about to make a light-hearted remark about the interaction, but the look on his face stopped you. his eyes were dark, his jaw clenched, and his grip on your waist was firm—almost possessive.

“did he touch you?” heeseung asked, his voice low and tight.

you raised an eyebrow, surprised by his tone. “barely,” you replied, trying to play it off with a soft laugh. “why? are you jealous?”

his eyes flickered with something dangerous as he leaned down, his breath warm against your ear. “you’re my wife. i don’t like other men thinking they can take what’s mine.”

your heart skipped a beat at his words. the possessiveness in his tone, the way his body pressed protectively against yours—it was unlike anything you had ever experienced with heeseung. you had always seen him as cold, distant, but this... this was different. there was fire in his eyes, and you could feel it burning between you, a tension that neither of you had acknowledged until now.

“and what if i enjoy a little attention now and then?” you teased, testing the boundaries, wanting to see how far he would go.

heeseung’s eyes darkened even more, and in one swift motion, he pulled you even closer, his hand cupping the back of your neck as he leaned in, his lips barely grazing the shell of your ear. “i don’t care how many men look at you, but remember this—” his voice dropped, sending shivers down your spine, “you belong to me and i belong to you.”

a thrill ran through you at his words, and for a moment, you were speechless, your mind spinning from the intensity of his claim. the ballroom, the crowd, even prince seojun—all of it faded away as heeseung’s gaze held you captive. you could feel the heat of his body against yours, the possessiveness in his touch, and for the first time, you realised that this wasn’t just some marriage of convenience anymore.

heeseung cared—more than he was willing to admit.

your breath hitched as you looked up at him, your eyes searching his, trying to read the emotions flickering behind them. “and what about you, heeseung?” you asked softly, your voice barely above a whisper. “do you want me to be yours?”

his eyes softened for just a moment, a flicker of vulnerability crossing his features before he leaned in, his lips brushing lightly against your temple. “you already are,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. “and i’m not letting you forget it.”

the banquet had left the air between you and heeseung charged with an intensity that neither of you could ignore. his possessiveness, the fierce look in his eyes when he claimed you as his wife in front of prince seojun, had stirred something inside you—something that had been simmering for far too long.

as the last of the guests departed and the palace quieted down for the night, the tension remained, lingering like an unspoken promise. heeseung walked beside you in silence as you both made your way through the dimly lit corridors toward your chambers. though no words passed between you, the air was thick with anticipation, the unspoken pull between you stronger than ever.

when you reached your shared chambers, heeseung opened the door for you, his gaze never leaving you as you stepped inside. you could feel his eyes on you, burning with a need that matched your own. the soft glow of the candlelight cast long shadows across the room, but all you could focus on was the man standing behind you, his presence overwhelming.

you moved toward the vanity, fingers trembling slightly as you began to remove your jewellery. you were acutely aware of heeseung standing behind you, the weight of his gaze almost tangible as he watched your every movement. his silence spoke volumes, filled with desire and unspoken emotions that neither of you had fully confronted until now.

the tension was unbearable. finally, unable to stand the silence any longer, you glanced at him through the reflection in the mirror, your voice soft but steady. “you’ve been quiet,” you murmured, meeting his intense gaze. “what’s on your mind?”

he didn’t answer immediately. instead, he stepped closer, his hand reaching out to brush against the bare skin of your shoulder. the touch was light, tentative, but it sent a shiver down your spine. his fingers lingered, tracing the delicate curve of your shoulder before he leaned in, his breath warm against your neck.

“i didn’t like how he looked at you,” heeseung finally admitted, his voice low and rough with suppressed emotion. his eyes met yours in the mirror, dark with jealousy and something more—something deeper. “or the way he made you laugh.”

your heart raced at the possessiveness in his tone. you turned to face him, taking in the tension in his jaw, the way his eyes blazed with something primal. his emotions were raw, laid bare before you in a way that heeseung had never allowed himself to show before.

“it was harmless,” you replied, stepping closer to him, your voice softening. “but i can’t say i minded the way you stepped in.”

his gaze darkened, his hand moving to your waist, pulling you flush against him. you could feel the heat of his body seeping into yours, the hard lines of his frame pressing against your softness. his eyes locked onto yours, filled with unspoken desire, but also with something more—something tender.

“i’m not the kind of man who likes to share,” he said, his voice a low growl as he leaned in, his lips hovering just above yours. “especially not when it comes to you.”

your breath hitched at his words, your pulse quickening as the fire between you flared even hotter. you couldn’t deny the thrill that ran through you at his possessive tone, the way his hands gripped you as though he couldn’t bear to let you go.

“and what are you going to do about it?” you whispered, your voice daring, testing the boundaries as your lips brushed his, teasingly close but not quite touching.

heeseung’s response was immediate. his lips crashed against yours, fierce and hungry, as if he had been holding back for far too long. the kiss was searing, filled with all the emotions you had both kept hidden. his hands roamed over your body, possessive yet tender, as though he was staking his claim but also worshipping every inch of you.

you responded just as fiercely, your hands tangling in his hair as you pulled him closer, needing to feel every part of him against you. the tension between you, the unspoken desire, it all poured out in that kiss, in the way his body pressed against yours with a need that matched your own.

heeseung’s hands slid down to your thighs, lifting you effortlessly as he carried you toward the bed. the air between you was electric, charged with desire and the intensity of emotions that neither of you had allowed to surface until now. he laid you down gently, his eyes never leaving yours, his gaze dark and filled with a hunger that made your heart race.

for a moment, he paused, his fingers brushing over your cheek with a tenderness that contrasted sharply with the intensity of what had just passed between you. his eyes softened, and for the first time, you saw the vulnerability behind them—the raw emotion that he had been hiding behind his cold exterior for so long.

“are you sure?” he asked, his voice husky but laced with care, as if he was giving you one last chance to pull away, to stop this before it went too far.

you gazed up at him, your heart swelling with the overwhelming emotions coursing through you. heeseung, the man you had once considered your rival, your enemy, was now looking at you with a tenderness that took your breath away. you reached up, cupping his face in your hands, your thumb brushing softly over his cheek.

“i’m sure,” you whispered, pulling him down into another kiss, softer this time, but no less filled with the emotions swirling between you.

what followed was slow, deliberate, and filled with a tenderness that you had never expected from heeseung. his hands moved over your body with care, as though he was savouring every touch, every breath. the fierceness from earlier softened into something more intimate, more meaningful, as he explored you with reverence, his lips following the path of his hands.

your name fell from his lips like a prayer, whispered against your skin in the quiet moments between kisses. heeseung’s touch was both possessive and gentle, as though he was claiming you but also offering himself to you in return. the intensity of the moment was overwhelming, but it was the tenderness in his gaze, the softness of his touch, that made your heart ache with something deeper than mere desire.

and as the night stretched on, your bodies moving together in perfect harmony, you realised that this wasn’t just about passion—it was about the connection you had been fighting against for so long. the rivalry, the bickering, the walls you had both built between you—it all crumbled away, leaving only the raw truth of what you felt for one another.

when it was over, you lay beside each other, your breathing heavy, your bodies tangled in the sheets. the room was quiet now, the only sound was the soft rustle of the fabric and the faint crackle of the dying fire in the hearth.

heeseung turned to you, his hand reaching out to gently brush a strand of hair from your face. his eyes, once so cold and guarded, were warm now, filled with an emotion that made your heart skip a beat. he pulled you closer, wrapping his arms around you and holding you against his chest as though he couldn’t bear to let you go.

you rested your head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. it was comforting, grounding you in the quiet aftermath of everything that had just passed between you. his fingers traced lazy patterns on your back, soothing and gentle, as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head.

neither of you spoke, but words weren’t necessary. the silence was filled with a sense of peace, of contentment that neither of you had known before. heeseung’s touch was soft now, filled with care as he held you close, his body warm and protective against yours.

and in that quiet, intimate moment, you realised something: this was more than just passion, more than just desire. it was something real, something lasting.

heeseung’s hand continued to trace gentle patterns on your back, his lips brushing your temple as he whispered softly, “are you alright?”

you smiled against his chest, your heart swelling with warmth at the tenderness in his voice. “more than alright,” you murmured, snuggling closer to him.

heeseung let out a soft sigh, his arms tightening around you as if he never wanted to let go. and as you drifted off to sleep in his arms, the weight of the past finally lifted, leaving only the warmth of the present and the promise of a future you were both ready to embrace.

the next morning, you woke to find heeseung already up, standing by the window of your shared chambers, his silhouette framed by the soft glow of the early morning light. he looked deep in thought, his expression pensive as he gazed out over the kingdom.

quietly, you approached him, wrapping your arms around his waist from behind. he stiffened for a moment at the contact but quickly relaxed, his hands covering yours as he let out a soft sigh.

“you’re up early,” you murmured, resting your cheek against his back.

“i couldn’t sleep,” he replied, his voice thoughtful. “i was thinking about everything that’s changed.”

you smiled, pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder. “a lot has changed, hasn’t it?”

heeseung turned in your arms, his expression soft as he looked down at you. “i never thought this would work,” he admitted, brushing a strand of hair from your face. “but i’m glad i was wrong.”

you gazed up at him, your heart swelling with warmth. the man standing before you was the same heeseung you had known all your life, but now, you saw him for who he truly was—not your enemy, not your rival, but your partner. your husband.

“i’m glad too,” you whispered, reaching up to cup his cheek. he leaned into your touch, his eyes closing for a moment, a small smile playing on his lips.

and in that moment, you knew that this was your new beginning. the past, with all its bitterness and tension, was behind you. what lay ahead was a future you hadn’t expected but one you were ready to embrace—together.

as heeseung pulled you into a gentle kiss, the warmth of the morning sun streaming through the window, you knew that this was the start of something beautiful. your marriage, once forged out of obligation and resentment, had grown into something real, something lasting.

and as you stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, you realised that sometimes, the best love stories were the ones you never saw coming.

𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 ©𝗴𝘆𝘂𝘂𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆𝘆 on Tumblr

˚ · .𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱

taglist: @punchbug9-blog @firstclassjaylee @capri-cuntz @addictedtohobi @jaysfavoritegirl

[en-geneisaxx]

Dark Moon: The Princess' of Oztenxia

𝓘𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓯𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓮 𝓶𝓮𝓮𝓽, 𝓪𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷 .

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐎𝐓7 𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐱 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐱 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧, 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧 𝐱 𝐈𝐬𝐚, 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐡 𝐱 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧, 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐱 𝐒𝐨𝐨𝐡𝐚.

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢 - 𝐇𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐠 | 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧 - 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 | 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐡 - 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐰𝐨𝐧 | 𝐉𝐢𝐧𝐨 - 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 | 𝐉𝐚𝐚𝐧 - 𝐉𝐚𝐲 | 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧 - 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐨𝐨 | 𝐍𝐨𝐚 - 𝐍𝐢𝐤𝐢

𝑺𝒚𝒑𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒔: 300 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒐, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔, 𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏, 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑶𝒛𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒙𝒊𝒂, 𝒂 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑵𝒐𝒘, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒍𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅, 𝑽𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒓, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒆𝒓𝒂, 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒍. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕, 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔. 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒐 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔.

A/n: Hi guys! So this is going to be a collab with my big sis (at heart), Prin, and we're making our own version of 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧. Just letting you guys know, this will 𝐧𝐨𝐭 be a Y/n fic (sorry yall) because we've only just decided to show you guys our masterpiece. It is still going under construction, but we do have an idea for where we're going, since we've planned this out for 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬. Apart from that, we hope you enjoy!

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔' 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔

Word count: 3,225

𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝/𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 ♡

Chapter 1: The new student

𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 - 𝑰 𝑵𝑬𝑬𝑫 𝑭𝑶𝑶𝑫! 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 -𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞- 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤. 

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 ‘𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭’ 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐨𝐥𝐝, 𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐲, 𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐟𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐭.

𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 ‘𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡’ 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲, 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 -𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭- 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬. 𝐈𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥, 𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝. 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲, 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝, 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬: 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰, 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.

‘𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑂𝑧𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑥𝑖𝑎, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑟𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑚𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛’𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑-’

‘-𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑚𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑡 𝐷𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑠 𝐴𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑦.’ 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞.

‘𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠?” 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠.

‘𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒,’ 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬, 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤, ‘𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦. 𝐵𝑦 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠,’ 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞, ‘𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒, 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑘 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟. 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑠𝑜? 𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑙. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒, 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛’𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙, 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ.’

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, ‘𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢?’ 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬’ 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐩, ‘𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠? 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛?’

‘𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝐼 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡, 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑛. 𝑆𝑜 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛.’ 

‘𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒!’ 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫, ‘𝐷𝑜 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼’𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛!’

‘𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑒, 𝑦𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑖𝑓 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑑𝑜𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑠, 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑤𝑜𝑙𝑓𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑣𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑠.’

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬, ‘𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛, ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐻𝑒𝑟 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠’ 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑠?”

‘𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙, 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒, 𝑖𝑡’𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟,’ 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, ‘𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒, ��𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑠. 𝐴ℎ! 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦’𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝐷𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑠 𝐴𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑦. 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛.’ 

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, ‘𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠, 𝑡𝑜𝑜?’

‘𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙, 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐼 𝑚𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑢𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝐷𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑠.’

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐤𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, ‘𝐼 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑜𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑑𝑜𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡,’ 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡, ‘𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑠𝑘 𝑉𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝, 𝐼 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑓𝑎𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑛𝑜𝑤. 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑂𝑧𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑥𝑖𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑦𝑒𝑑, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ. 𝑀𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛, 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡.’

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, ‘𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑙𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑦 𝐼 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛,’ 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐬, ‘𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑏𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑗𝑜𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑢𝑐𝑘. 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐻𝑒𝑟 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡.’

‘𝐾𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛.’ 

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭, 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐦𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐲.

“𝐎𝐰!” 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, ‘𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒?’ 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞, 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝑳𝒖𝒙𝒖𝒓𝒚.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 -𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫- 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐩, 𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐥𝐲-𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭. 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬…𝐲𝐨𝐮!?

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞, ‘𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫.’ 

𝑾𝒐𝒘, 𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆. 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒕!

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡, 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

“𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐦?”

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭, 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬, “𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐈 𝐚𝐦.”

𝐇𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞, 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥, “𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞, 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲!” 𝐒𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞. “𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞.” 

“𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 300 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬!” “𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.” “𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲,” “𝐀𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥!”

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬. 

“𝐔𝐦, 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫? 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡?” 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬.

𝐇𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝, “𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐲𝐞𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒕, 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒎 𝑰 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉?

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠,” 𝐇𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐣𝐨𝐲, “𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞, 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐲 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒊𝒏, 𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒇𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒅! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

“𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥,” 𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐫, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, “𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰.” 𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐚 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐲, 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 -  “𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐦, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥’𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞, “𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨, 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲. 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭!” 𝐇𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐬. 

𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭…

𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞- 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲-𝐨𝐧-𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐨.

“𝐒𝐨…” 𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 - 𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒆. “𝐎𝐡, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞’𝐬 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭? 𝐈’𝐦 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫.” 

𝑺𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆? 𝑯𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒍, 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕! 𝑶𝒉, 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒚 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 - 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒖𝒑 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍! 

“𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞?”

“𝐇-𝐡𝐮𝐡!?” 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐡, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐝.

“𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫? 𝐈 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐢𝐭’𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.”

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲.

“𝐔𝐦, 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞? 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬,” 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, “𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚-”

𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒊’𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒅: 𝒔𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚, 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒕, 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒈? 

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭’𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝.

“𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭?”

𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐩 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝, 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰, 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫. 𝐀 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 ‘𝑇𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔,’ 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢. 

𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦, 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧. “𝐀𝐡, 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤.” 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝. “𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩.” 𝐇𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞, 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐭. 

𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬, 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲, 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡. 𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐥-𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐬𝐡.

𝑾𝒂𝒉, 𝑰 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆.

“𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭-” 𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬, 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦, 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞…𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞

“𝐒𝐨𝐨𝐡𝐚?” 𝐇𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐧. 

“𝐇𝐦? 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠?” 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭.

“𝐎-𝐨𝐡, 𝐧𝐨, 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐦,” 𝑼𝒈𝒉, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒊! “𝐔𝐡, 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞, 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰,” 𝐇𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐭, “𝐝𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠?”

“𝐎𝐡!” 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞, “𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐡, 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲.”

𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐎𝐡, 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢’𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫. 𝐀𝐧𝐝, 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 - 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 . 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐒𝐨𝐨𝐡𝐚? 𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥.

“𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭’𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥.” 𝐇𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐬, 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭. “𝐇𝐞𝐲, 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬? 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰.” 

‘𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.”

𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔. 𝑶𝒉, 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔.

𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐟 ‘𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬’, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬��𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤, 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮…

𝑾𝒂𝒊𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒃𝒐𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲.

“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞,” 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, “𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬. 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥,” 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐝, 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐮𝐩, “𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧, 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐫, 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬, 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲. 

“𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 203, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦.” 𝐇𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝, 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝, “𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞. 𝐎𝐡, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬’ 𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡, 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲. 𝐁𝐮𝐭, 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬. 𝐁𝐲𝐞 𝐛𝐲𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰.” 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟.

𝑾𝒐𝒘. 𝑾𝑶𝑾. 𝑰, 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐦, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏-𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓-𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒈𝒐, 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎!? 𝑰𝒏 𝒂 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆!?

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝’𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.

 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍, 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒃𝒖𝒚𝒔?

𝑯𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏, 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔? 𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏, 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉, 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒆, 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞. 

𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕?

𝑶𝒌. 

𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆,

𝑻𝒘𝒐,

𝑶𝒏𝒆,

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫, 𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐡-𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧. 

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦, 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝. 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐭. 

𝑾𝒂𝒊𝒕, 𝑫𝑶 𝑰 𝑯𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑻𝑶 𝑷𝑨𝒀?

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭’𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

𝑨𝒉, 𝑰’𝒎 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑! 𝑯𝒂𝒉𝒂, 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆. 

𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒔𝒐 𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒔, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆!

 𝐀 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞. 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 

𝐍𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧! 𝐈𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞. 

𝑺𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐, 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔. 

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫, 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐮𝐩 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫, 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞. 𝐀𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫, 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐠𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐤𝐲 𝐩𝐲𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞. 

𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦, 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬, 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟. 

𝑾𝒂𝒊𝒕, 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒇𝒇 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆…𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑳𝒀 𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑩𝑬 𝑾𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑻𝑯𝒀 𝑷𝑬𝑶𝑷𝑳𝑬 𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬.

𝑼𝒈𝒉, 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕.

𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬.

𝑶𝒉, 𝒐𝒉! 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒅! 𝑨 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒅! 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅. 𝑰 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒘 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍𝒔, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒔, 𝒚𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒔. 𝑰 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒌, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒘����𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒐𝒇𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆. 

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒕.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐝.

“𝐇𝐞𝐲, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥?”

𝑇𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔: @pockettwinzz @diorsyun @potatohoon @dollywons @emi-en @rinbowaman @raeofsnshne @jaylaxies @sungvrhs @heeslomll @velvetkisscs @dollyyun (lmk if you want to be added through asks!)

[zhounauts]

crown prince!lee heeseung x f!reader // warnings: cursing, fainting (?) part two series masterlist

a/n got inspo for this after rereading this reincarnation webtoon i used to like a lot, these reincarnation stories are lwk a guitly pleasure of mine so i was like why not write one

+ is this even considered an x reader??? like heeseung hates u oopsie lolz

anyways enjoy (hopefully)

YOU WOKE UP WITH AN EPIPHANY , to give the two leads their happy ending. despite the fact that you had woken up in a stereotypical reincarnation manhwa, the author was far from stereotypical. not only did she have a strange almost concerning obsession with her two main leads, but she was also a goody-two shoes rule follower who told you that the original plot of the story and every single event must be followed and copied to perfection.

unfortunately for her, you said fuck that, had knights take her away and put her in a mansion on the outskirts of the kingdom where she wouldn't be able to reach you. so now, instead of scheming devious, nefarious acts against the female protagonist you now took advantage of your personal chef who worked relentlessly at your constant requests to try all the fancy dishes you could've never afforded in your previous life.

"the audacity!" rina, your maid suddenly exclaims, holding a letter.

"i can't believe this! my lady, this is outrageous! how can saintess sora write and send something so shameless!? " faye your second maid exclaims.

"hm?" you ask, focusing on the blueberry cheesecake in front of you, "what happened faye?"

"the saintess sent an invitation for her tea party! she wrote, 'countess i know we are not on good terms because of the crown prince, but the other ladies and i hope that you will join our humble tea party, and put aside your grudge'" you chew on the cake.

"oh, okay,"

"OKAY!?" the two scream.

"m-my lady! how does this not bother you? she is being disrespectful and using the fact that she has the crown prince's affections despite you are his soon-to-be wife!"

"oh, that's true," you shrug, "what can i do about it? if he likes her better okay then, i don't want to marry him anyways," rina collapses into faye's arms.

"my lady! rina are you--"

"with all due respect, but my lady, back then you would've done something! why the change of heart now?"

"well. . .he doesn't like me?? like it's pretty obvious, and i was just naive and uhm, craving for male validation back then or something like that i guess. it doesn't matter to me anymore,"

". . ."

"besides, his highness prince jay is more my type ,"

"MY LADY-"

"I MIGHT FAINT-"

after calming down your fainting maids, you had reassured them that you would go to the tea party and give the female protagonist, saintess sora, a taste of her own medicine for the disrespect she had sown you. (you were not planning this at all)

so now here you were, a week later getting dressed for the pain-in-the-ass tea party. "my lady we will dress you up to be the most beautiful at the party!" your maids exclaim.

"that's really. . .not necessary you know? i'll wear one of the dresses i usually wear," rina starts to lecture you, before a knock interrupts. faye rushes out of the dressing area, to open the door.

"your highness!" she exclaims, bowing. you peek out from behind the dressing area and head out.

"my lady you are not ready--"

"your highness, a pleasure to have you here," you say, bowing.

"y/n," heeseung addresses coldly, "are you attending sora's tea party?"

"yes, your highness,"

"she was telling me she was worried you would reject her request, due to your dislike for her," he says, narrowing his eyes at you bitterly. you stare at him unimpressed.

"my apologies, your highness, if i offend you by saying this. however you and saintess sora seem to be mistaken,"

"my lady don't--"

"i literally don't give a shit,"

"oh dear gods," rina mutters, and she collapses.

a/n lemme know how it was 😋😋

[luneengene2]

MY HEIR IS STILL MY HEIR (Ethan Lee)

• Warnings : ANGST, Mention of death due to childbirth, misogyny (?), patriarchy, Grammatical errors

• A/N : This story is not a story about Character x Reader, but rather character's love for his daughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ethan glared at his mother and father because they dared to say the word he hated so much. Married again. Yes, Ethan really hates those words.

Since the death of his wife due to giving birth to their only daughter, Ethan has found it difficult to recover from this bitter reality. In fact, he didn't want to see his daughter, who had just been born at that time, for a whole month. However, with unwavering strength, Ethan slowly began to accept the wound. He took care of his daughter, raised her with love, looked after her with all his might. He didn't want to lose his gems again. He promised his late wife to always look after their baby. In fact, he was determined never to marry again. He just wanted to focus on taking care of his daughter and his duties as crown prince.

However, his parents, who really wanted a grandson, always made him angry. They insisted that their daughter would never be fit to be Queen. For his parents, this kingdom still needs a man as King when Ethan dies, Queen Ruler for them sounds strange and doesn't suit them.

"Haven't I said for eighteen years that I don't want to marry again, Your Majesty the King and Queen? Or have you forgotten about that?" Ethan asked, he didn't want to look at his parents. His hands clenched tightly into fists, restraining himself from punching objects around him.

"I know about your wounds, Ethan. But this is all for the future of this kingdom," The Queen said softly with her son. He spoke softly so that Ethan would understand their good intentions.

"If you understand how injured I am, why are you still discussing this thing that I don't want to discuss?" Ethan asked sharply. The father sighed, he massaged his temples looking at his stubborn son. "Your mother said this for the future of this kingdom, you need a male—"

"The future of this kingdom is in my hands, then in the hands of my daughter, father. Wasn't that clear a long time ago?" Ethan interrupted in a harsh tone.

"This kingdom needs men, not women as their leaders," The King looked at Ethan with a serious gaze and tone, and that was enough to make Ethan even more annoyed. "Nonsense. I can change those ancient rules if I ascend the throne in the future," Ethan said snorting and his father immediately glared at him. "Don't mess with royal regulations, Ethan—"

"Therefore, stop continuing to ask me to remarry and get rid of your obsession with that unseen grandson!" Ethan again interrupted his father's words. He's gotten bolder because he's been real about this in recent years. Parliament and his parents literally forced him to indulge their obsession with a grandson. "Prince Ethan—"

"What? You want to be angry with me? I should be the angriest one here, father! You openly told me that you wanted to get rid of my daughter in front of me!" Ethan snapped and he stood up from his study chair. He stood in front of his father with angry eyes.

"I swear I would never intend to get rid of your daughter, Ethan! After all he is my granddaughter!" Ethan laughed sarcastically and looked at his father, who he thought was very hypocritical. "More nonsense, you never loved my daughter because she was a girl. You only intend to keep getting rid of her, and I know that." The father grabbed Ethan's shoulder quite hard, making the Queen panic, she was afraid that her husband and son would end up fighting. "I'm just being realistic, Ethan. I'm not selfish, I just want the future of this kingdom to be bright!" Ethan threw his father's hand away roughly after his father said the thing he always used as an excuse. "And you think the future of this kingdom will be dark if my daughter is in charge, Your Majesty?" Before his father had finished answering his question, Ethan issued a crazy ultimatum. "Don't ever tell me to remarry and let my daughter retain her rights as my heir or I resign and renounce my title, Your Majesty?" His father and mother were immediately shocked when Ethan let those crazy words out of his mouth.

If a crown prince steps down from his position, aka takes off his title, the stability of the kingdom will worsen and can be used by anti-monarchy groups to attack the kingdom. And if Ethan did that, it would be the same as the royal family would be at the 'suicide' stage.

"It's better for me to live as an ordinary person with my daughter than to be surrounded by people who only want to take away her rights. I also don't want my wife's rights as Queen to be taken away by another woman," Ethan continued, his parents still shocked by those words. Because Ethan never plays around with what he says.

Heeseung even has a plan that when he ascends the throne, his wife's grave will have its title changed to 'Her Majesty the Queen' and will be moved to the burial area of ​​kings and queens.

"You better think carefully if you really want to impose your will on me," Ethan bowed briefly then left his study, leaving his parents who seemed to have been attacked many times, because Ethan dared to say those words which were classified as forbidden.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As he walked back to his room, Ethan's gaze was straight ahead, but his eyes were filled with tears. The people closest to him had such evil behavior towards his daughter. Even though their methods were indirect, Ethan knew they only wanted his daughter removed as the heir.

If Ethan remarries, he considers it the same as betraying his wife. He once promised not to marry again until the end of his life. Swear allegiance. The death of his wife and his struggle to defend his only daughter, Ethan will not just let it go. If his wife could bet her life for her daughter's life, then Ethan could also bet his life for his daughter's rights.

Ethan couldn't imagine if Ethan failed to protect his daughter's rights. He just wants his daughter to be his heir, that's all he wants until the end of his life. Not remarrying for the ambition of a son who may not be able to give the best like his current daughter.

"I promise you, darling. Our beloved daughter will not lose her rights, I am willing to do everything for our daughter's rights. I will not let the sacrifice of your life be in vain, my love,"

[hsgwrld-archive]

-STUPID BLUE BIRD

--in which you make new fanpage on twitter, you end up establishing new friendships and…catching feelings ? but they’re just online friends, right?

PAIRING- internet friend!niki x fem!reader x internet friend!sunghoon (?)

GENRE-  smau, fluff, humor ,weird jokes (?) stranger to friends to lovers… more to be added !!

FEATURING- enhypen (all), aespa(giselle &winter) more to be added

TAGLIST :OPENED! send ask/dm to be added!

@yenqa| @mokiverse | @taejays | @urszn | @arson-mp3 | @dimplewonie | @chaewon-slays| @wonyoungsvirus | @luveuly |

COMMENTS:

profiles - DRAFT ONE | DRAFT TWO

1-stop feeding my delusional

2-

[bountycancelled]

THE FEELINGS MUTUAL! | Park Sunghoon x f! reader

SYNOPSIS: in which a very tired prince park sunghoon and a very irritable princess l/n y/n have one unfortunate first interaction... and then find out that they're marrying each other to merge their two small kingdoms. will the king and queen of a newly joined kingdom be able to put their differences aside and rule? will this marriage of convience blossom into something more?

CONTAINS: strangers to enemies...? to lovers, forced marriage, royal duties, lots of bickering, crack, fluff, angst, swear words, suggestive content, my shitty humour.

STATUS: upcoming

PROFILES: "the three musketeers‼️" | "live laugh love legion🥰💗😍"

©loverandaloserrr do not copy, modify or repost my work.

[luciathcv]

young and beautiful - sjy

summary: you're forced to marry prince!jake || warnings: arranged marriage || genre: royalty!au, arranged marriage, fluff, angst || word count: approximately 2760 || a/n: divider credits -> @dollywons

Arranged marriages, something completely normalized within royalty. I never liked the idea of it, I made that clear to my parents, but every time I tried to speak about my haste towards the whole tradition, my parents immediately shut me down, telling me that I didn't have a choice, which deep down, I knew, I didn't.

Nineteen, I was nineteen when my parents finally found the "perfect man" for me. I had no clue who he was. I did know that he was a man from a family with slightly higher notoriety, money, and power, than mine. The Sim family.

I sat on one of the windowsills in my bedroom, looking out of the window. I'd grown used to living here, in this palace, in my family's palace. I didn't want to leave all of this behind just to stay with a man whom I didn't even know.

There was a knock at my bedroom door and I looked over, watching the door open and my mother walk inside. She gave me a soft smile as she went over to my bed, sitting down, looking over at me.

I looked out of the window, "How could I get married to someone that I don't love? To someone that I don't even at least know." I asked.

My mother sighed, "You will grow to love him, I promise you that. I didn't know nor did I love your father at first, but over time, we grew to love one another."

I let out a small groan, looking over at my mother, "Yeah, only because it was what was convenient." I said.

"That's not true." My mother immediately retorted. "I love your father dearly and he loves me. You will grow to love your husband and he will grow to love you." She then said.

I remained silent as I looked out of the window again. There was no point in arguing with her anymore.

"We are going over to the Sim's kingdom tomorrow. You will meet the prince." My mother then suddenly informed me.

I felt like crying if I’m being completely honest. I just wanted to be left alone. To not talk about this anymore. I’d deal with it when I woke up in the morning.

“Okay, mother. I’m tired. I want to go to sleep.” I told her.

She nodded understandably, getting up from where she sat on my bed and leaving the room.

I looked up at the ceiling, trying to stop my tears from flowing, as I let out a long sigh.

I walked up the steps of the castle, my mother and father both on separate sides of me. The door opened, one of the maids having had opened the door. I politely smiled at her, the workers didn't do anything wrong.

The maid greeted us and led us through the castle to one of the lounge rooms. I looked down at my flowy gown, I'll admit, it was pretty, I just hated the fact that I was dressed in this for this specific occasion.

We walked into the lounge room and I could see both the king and the queen sitting on the fancy couch. They looked over at my parents and I as we entered the room and they instantly got up and came over to greet us.

I watched as they first greeted my parents before they looked over at me.

"Y/n," The queen softly said. "You look gorgeous." She complimented me.

"Thank you. You look stunning as well." I complimented her back with a small smile. "And you look handsome as well, sir." I told her husband who thanked me with a smile.

"My son should be here any minute now." The queen told me and I nodded, keeping the smile on my face even though hearing that made my heart drop.

A few moments later, I could hear footsteps. I noticed the queen looking past my parents and I, and I already knew who it was. "This is my son, Jaeyun." The king told my parents and I.

My mother grabbed my arm and maneuvered me so that I was looking at the prince. I made eye-contact with him. Honestly, I wasn't expecting him to look like this.

He looked at me and walked over, gently taking my hand in his and leaning down, pressing a soft kiss to where my knuckles were. He then looked up at me and stood up. I retracted my hand from his as he now looked down at me, "Nice to meet you, princess. What's your name?"

I found myself stuttering and becoming flustered, something that'd never happened to me because of a man before, "Y/n." I answered.

"Y/n. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. My name's Jaeyun, but you can just call me, Jake, okay?" Jaeyun, or should I say, Jake, said.

"Jaeyun, how about you take her to the back garden, get to know one another while we talk with her parents." His mother said and he nodded, looking at me before he started walking. My mother gave me a look, telling me to follow after him, and so I did.

We walked outside and Jake walked to a bench, sitting down and patting the seat next to him, motioning for me to sit with him. I walked over and sat down next to him, leaving some space between us still as I didn't really know him.

"So, tell me about yourself." Jake said, looking over at me.

I glanced at him for a moment before avoiding eye-contact, looking down at my lap, "Like, what?" I asked, unsure on what I was supposed to talk about.

"How about... how old you are?" Jake asked, just starting off with something basic.

"I'm nineteen." I answered. "How old are you?" I asked.

"I'm twenty-one." Jake answered. Hm, he was two years older than me. "Do you have any siblings?" Jake then asked.

"No, it's just me." I said.

"Yeah, same." Jake told me. It was silent for a few moments before Jake broke the silence, being the first to speak again, "What do you feel about all of this?" Jake then asked. I was silent for a few moments, not knowing if I should tell the truth or not. "You don't have to lie. Be honest. I won't get offended." Jake said, chuckling a little as he said the last sentence.

"Well, honestly... I'm not sure how I feel. I just.. wish things weren't so forced. I want to be with someone that I love." I said. "That I loved even before marrying them." I emphasized.

"I understand. I feel the same." Jake said, it was silent for a few moments again. "Did your parents tell you when we're getting married?" He then asked.

"No.. do you know?" I asked, guessing that he did since he brought it up.

"Yeah.." Jake pauses for a few moments. "Next Saturday." He then informed me.

Next Saturday? It was already Saturday today. I'd be getting married in seven days and my parents didn't feel the need to tell me.

"Oh.." Is all I managed to say.

"Yeah.." Jake said, looking away. "Let's just try to make the best of things, okay?" He then suggested.

I shrugged, "I guess so." I looked over at him and he gave me a small smile, something that I could tell was forced but that he did to try and comfort me, and so I returned one.

It was dreadfully the day of my wedding. When I was a little girl, I imagined my wedding day going completely different. Of course, then, I didn't know how weddings between royalty actually worked. Now, I do, and the delusional reality that I had in my head as a kid had vanished and I was forced to face the real world.

The wedding was happening at a chapel in the Sim's kingdom. I guess they thought it'd be most convenient as after the wedding, I'd be immediately moving into the castle on the palace grounds that Jake lived in. Not only that, but the after party of the wedding was going to be happening in the main castle on the Sim's palace grounds.

I stayed in a room away from all of the guests and especially my husband-to-be. Walking down the aisle and getting wed in front of your guests is stressful enough, now add on the fact that we are the prince and princess getting forcefully married in front of not only our families and friends but citizens of the kingdom as well.

I was alone in the preparation room, trying to mentally prepare myself for what was about to occur when there was a knock on the door. "It's me." I heard my mother's voice say from the other side of the door. "May I come in?" She then asked.

"Yes." I said, even though I really didn't want to see her right now.

My mother opened the door and quickly came inside before shutting the door, not wanting anyone that might be coincidentally passing by to see me just yet.

She then came over to me and took my appearance in. "You look beautiful, darling." My mother complimented me.

"Thank you, mother." I responded.

"Remember to smile out there, there are a lot of people from both the Sim kingdom and the Y/l/n kingdom here today for you guys." My mother reminded me and I just nodded in response. "Well, then. I just wanted to check up on you but I should be going now. Your father will be out there waiting to walk you down the aisle." My mother informed me before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

I took a few deep breaths before leaving the room a few minutes after my mother had left. I then walked out of the room and made my way to my father.

"You look gorgeous, Y/n." My father complimented me.

"Thank you, father." I responded, looking down at the ground for a moment before forcing a small smile on my face.

Music then started playing inside and the doors opened, my father wrapped an arm around mine, and we started walking down the aisle, walking arm in arm with one another. Everyone looked at the both of us but especially at me. I felt so embarrassed, something not common for me as I was used to the constant stares I'd been getting all of my life.

When I reached the end of the aisle, closer to the alter, my father let go of me and sat down next to my mother. He was giving me off to Jake like I was some peace of meat, that's what it felt like at least.

I walked up the few steps to the alter and stood in front of Jake. The veil in front of my face made it so that I couldn't see Jake too clearly even though he was in front of me as he took both my hands in his.

The priest started to say the sermon as everyone remained quiet. After finishing, he asked the words that'd determine the rest of our lives forever. "Sim Jaeyun, do you take Y/l/n Y/n to be your lawfully wedded wife till death do you part?" The priest asked.

"I do." Jake said.

The priest then looked over at me, "Y/l/n Y/n, do you take Sim Jaeyun to be your lawfully wedded husband till death do you part?" The priest then asked me.

My heart was beating out of chest. "I do." I said.

"You may now kiss the bride." The priest then told Jake.

Jake let go of my hands before bringing his hands up to my veil and pushing it back and out of my face. He then leaned down a little and kissed me. Everyone in the audience started to cheer for us as we kissed before we both pulled away after a few moments.

Jake then took my hand in his and started walking down the aisle with me, we made our way out of the doors and out of the chapel, out to the carriage that'd be taking us to the palace. He helped me into the carriage and sat next to me before the driver started taking us to the palace. I could see people piling out of the chapel to see us leave. I looked at them and gave a small smile as I waved at them, Jake doing the same before eventually we were out of their sight.

As soon as we arrived back at the palace, I was immediately taken from the carriage and brought to the main castle, where they had all of my stuff ready for me.

They brought me into a room and got me into a new, slightly less annoying dress and did my makeup and hair differently now. I thanked the maids who'd helped me get ready before they left the room to help finish up preparations in the ballroom.

After a while of me waiting up in this random room, I could hear people starting to arrive to the party, not only hearing it but seeing it as I looked out of the window and saw people piling in.

When I entered the ballroom, all eyes were on me. A crowd of people came over to me and started bombarding me with compliments and questions. It was extremely overwhelming as I tried to respond to all of them.

I suddenly felt a hand on the small of my back. I glanced back to see that it was Jake. He gave me a comforting smile as he took his hand off of my back and took the attention off of me.

I ended up sneaking off away from the big crowd. Of course, I had to interact with people but it was nowhere near as overwhelming as the initial crowd.

I was standing to the side, observing everyone, when Jake came over to me with a small smile.

"How are you?" Jake asked.

"Overwhelmed." I answered, not feeling the need to put up a façade in front of him.

"I understand." Jake told me. "It can be a lot." He agreed.

"You seem so fine with all of it." I complimented.

"I mean.. it's hard, it's not easy to do this, but I just do it, especially when I see other people having a hard time." Jake answered, "other people" obviously being me.

"Thank you... for earlier." I said, realizing I never straightforwardly thanked him for earlier.

"You're welcome, princess." Jake said. He then looked over to see his father motioning for him to come over. I noticed as well and Jake looked at me. "Let me know if you need me." He said, rubbing my arm before walking off to his father.

After the party, Jake and I headed to his castle. He led me to a room which I'd assumed was going to be our room we'd be sharing. All of my friends that'd been married already, said they shared a room and a bed with their husband from day one. That was something very weird to me and that I did not like the idea of.

I walked inside and looked around the big luxurious room. "This is your room, my room is down the hall." Jake informed me.

"My room?" I asked, wondering if I'd heard him correctly.

"Mhm. I figured you didn't want to share a bed with some man that you don't even know. I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable." Jake explained.

"Thank you so much, Jake." I said, smiling at him.

"You're welcome, Y/n." Jake said. You obviously wouldn't know this, not yet at least, but he'd been thinking about your guys' kiss at the chapel all day. Now that you guys were alone together, he wanted to say something about it, or better yet, to act on how he was feeling. He held back though, assuming that you weren't thinking or feeling the same. "Goodnight, princess." Jake said, smiling back at you before he left the room. shutting the door behind him.

I walked over to the windowsill and sat down, looking outside at my new surroundings. I'd be living here now. This would be my life. I wondered what the future would entail not only for me but when it came to my relationship with Jake. I'd have the rest of my life to figure it out though. There was no rush for me to find out.

ᥫ᭡ link to my masterlist

[gureumz]

wide open

rating: explicit

member: heeseung

premise: forced to marry a dictator king of a nearby kingdom, you're advised to shut up and take whatever king heeseung gives you and give him everything you have in return. in truth, you'd rather kill yourself than be married to this monster, but he has a way of changing people's minds

notes: fem!reader, dom!heeseung, royalty au, very slight angst, marriage of convenience/forced marriage, hate-ish sex, breeding, mentions of impregnation, use of pet names, unprotected sex, strangers to sort-of-lovers, mentions and descriptions of death and injury, lmk if i missed anything!

a/n: sixth and final entry for my 1k follower special! this is the end for my two-month 1k event! i'm so thankful for the love this received and i'm excited to start my new series/anthology! i can't wait to write your other requests as well and bring you more stories you can enjoy!

it's making your stomach churn.

the way your father looks at you right now, as if he's sorry but not really. apologetic only because shouting in delight would hardly seem appropriate at a time like this.

you can practically see the sparkle in the East king's eyes.

"the decree says so," your father says with a sigh like he regrets to inform you of such news. you bite down on your tongue to keep yourself from flinging the pewter cup filled with wine in front of you at him.

"the decree can say one thing but we can do exactly the opposite of it," you challenge, balling your fists in your lap. your father turns to you sharply.

"and then what, my love?" your father coos condescendingly. "race to see which one of our heads rolls off the gallows first when the new king of the West chops them off?"

you stare at your father, clad in his deep velvet garb, the lines on his forehead pronounced in the flickering firelight in his solar. you feel your whole face stiffen as you stare back at the spitting image of yourself, the exact source of the flame raging within you. you love your father and you know him. know him enough that it's no use arguing with him now. he would fling whatever words you had right back at you with double the force.

"you're lucky he didn't snatch you in the dead of night once he proclaimed victory," your father presses on. "you're lucky he's being diplomatic about it, issuing decrees so that all the four kingdoms are bonded legally to his whims."

"it hardly feels lucky being the sole maiden of royal blood fit enough to wed him," you spit back, turning away.

you hear your father lets out a breath and you can feel him walk away towards the large window that adorns the north side of his solar. you watch as he gazes out the glass panes, his back to you.

"he's a strapping young man, a talented general as he's proven, and truly the royal seed of his father before him," your father says, something unfamiliar in his voice. he turns back to you and you see, for the first time, the fear in his eyes.

"he turned on his own father, just as his father did with his father, took over that poor dead man's kingdom, and waged a war against his neighbors."

your father's voice trembles now.

"refusal would not only mean death, my rose," your father points out quietly, slipping in the endearment he so often used with you since you were a child.

"he would make sure you wished you were dead," he warns.

you swallow, letting his words sink in.

you think back on the past year, the months of hiding, the weeks spent banged up in the highest tower of your castle, the days of weeping as you waited for your father to come back, the minutes of terror as you were told the West king had emerged triumphant.

the second you saw your father, the Almighty Blessed King of the East, staggering through the palace gates, bloodied and broken.

that wretched tyrant from the West almost took your father away from you. giving yourself to him willingly hardly seems like the right move. but not doing so would mean a fate worse than death.

"is he really that terrible?" you ask, almost in a whisper.

your father walks up to where you're seated at his dining table. he reaches down and takes your hands in his calloused, war-scarred ones.

"i couldn't give you an answer to that if i tried," he explains. "i surrendered before i could get the chance to meet him."

"then how are you so ready to give away your only daughter, your only reminder of the woman you loved?" you implore, looking desperately into your father's eyes.

he shakes his head.

"this is how i want to remember you before you're whisked away into that cruel man's arms," your father says tenderly, tucking your hair behind your ear.

"feisty, with the zeal only your mother could pass on to you."

your eyes sting with tears at hearing your father mention his late queen.

your own mother feels like someone from a dream to you. she was there one moment and gone the next. much like yourself.

you let yourself cry silently, rising to let your father hold you in his arms.

---

the trip from the East to the West typically took a little over two weeks if no hiccups are encountered along the way. but you realized, merely two days in, that this whole marriage was cursed from the beginning.

it's as if the whole world conspired against this union, and you would have been grateful for it, but after days of running into problems (thieves and hunters and sudden thunderstorms and a pack of wild boars), the only thing you wanted was to be sheltered inside a warm castle room with a cup of spiced wine on your bedside.

so unbridled was your happiness when you heard a sudden shout from outside your carriage announcing your arrival at the gates of the West Kingdom castle. your two ladies-in-waiting riding with you had equally relieved faces, your hands immediately reaching out to grasp theirs.

"we're here, your grace," the younger of the two, yuna, whispers excitedly.

olivia, the older and more cynical one, swats at yuna's arm.

"don't sound so happy," olivia berates. "this is a dictator's castle we're entering."

yuna shrinks back in her seat and you reach over to clasp her hand reassuringly.

"i'm the only one fit enough to marry him," you remind. "he should know better than to lay a single finger on me."

olivia eyes you worriedly while yuna nods in agreement.

"i'll be alright," you say. whether it's to them or to yourself, you're not entirely sure.

the entirety of your royal party comes to a halt after what you felt was an hour's worth of treading on a steep incline and only then do you allow yourself to peek through the curtains of your carriage.

you gasp as you see the fog all around. you're aware that the West was the mountainous region of the four kingdoms but seeing the clouds form beneath the castle grounds made your stomach twist uncomfortably.

"let's hope he doesn't throw me down the ravine," you mutter quietly. olivia and yuna exchange looks before giggling quietly.

you alight from your carriage a few more minutes later, the sudden light nearly blinding you. the sun is covered in dark clouds but the lack of any greenery to shield your field of view has you squinting to see in front of you.

"good morrow, your grace," a voice greets. you turn and see a smartly-dressed man approach, bowing deeply. he's adorned in the West king's court colors and it's then you notice the pin affixed on his chest.

"i'm lord jake, the royal chamberlain," he adds, taking your hand and pressing his lips to your skin. he straightens up and gestures behind him.

your eyes follow where he's pointing and you see a grand staircase leading up to the heavy wooden doors at the entrance to the castle.

"let me assist you to the throne room," jake offers, holding out his arm to you. you take it, fixing a firm grip on his bicep.

"the king is waiting," he adds.

---

you let yourself be pulled through the towering hallways, resisting the urge to gape at the lavishly adorned walls. portraits of Western monarchs, legendary shields and swords owned by said monarchs, heavy purple drapery. jake seems to understand, walking at a pace that hardly indicates that you're in any rush.

you turn behind you to see olivia and yuna following dutifully, your other ladies and servants following close behind, flanked by guards both from your party and from the West King's.

you turn back ahead of you, catching sight of the heavy doors to what you can only guess is the throne room.

"if i may speak freely, your grace." jake turns to you slightly. you return his gaze and nod.

"of course," you say.

"you need not be nervous," jake reassures. "i know of the tales you might have heard about our king. but i've been a companion of his since we were boys. he does not hurt those who are not deserving to be hurt."

you remain silent for a few seconds as you continue to approach the throne room. after a while, you respond to jake.

"i appreciate the words of comfort, my lord," you begin. "but what indication do you have that i'm nervous?"

jake smiles warmly at you just as you reach the doors.

"you've been squeezing my arm since you've arrived, your grace," jake points out.

a pause. your face breaks out into a smile and jake mirrors your expression, both of you allowing yourselves a moment to laugh.

the guards by the throne room doors heave them open and you stand, stiff but adorning your face with a look of resolve. jake pulls his arm away and steps in front of you. just as the doors fully open, jake bows to the throne and then to you.

"my most revered King of the West, this is Princess _________ of the East and her royal household," jake announces in a booming voice that startles you slightly.

"princess," jake continues, turning to you once more.

"i present to you, the Most Royal King of the West, King Heeseung,."

---

everything was a blur after that.

you do, however, remember the silver shock of hair atop the king's head. the deep purple of his doublet. the tight black breeches and black boots laced up around his ankles.

you could see King Heeseung's lips remain unmoving as you curtsied deeply in front of him. you remember the feeling of fear, humiliation, and embarrassment at having to bow in front of a cruel tyrant.

you remember the hint of a smile grace his mouth as you straighten up. you remember the sweat gathering on your palms.

you remember muffled words being exchanged between the king and jake. you couldn't make out what they were saying with the blood rushing in your ears. you remember curtsying one more time before jake takes your hand and leads you and your people out of the throne room.

now, hours later, seated in front of a mirror in an airy room somewhere on the north wing of the castle, you remember to breathe, letting out a breath you didn't know you were holding.

"your grace, are you alright?" olivia asks from behind you, her hand pausing mid-brush as she gathers your hair in her other hand.

you meet her eyes through the mirror and nod.

"yes," you answer. "just a little...tired."

"i would assume so," yuna speaks up from the other side of the room, her slender figure bent over the numerous chests containing your belongings.

"i asked and it turns out we traveled close to a month," yuna rambles. "a month! who takes a month to get from the East to the West?"

you smile at yuna's shrill voice, a comfort from the eerie silence that seems to surround the castle.

"how are you two liking it here so far?" you ask, addressing your two ladies. a palpable pause comes over the room as you wait for their response.

"it's...alright," olivia begins. "better than i expected. i pictured brutes and barbarians to litter the halls but that's a misjudgment on my part, your grace."

"everyone seems kind enough," yuna chimes in. "the king barely said a word so i'm not sure how to feel about him yet."

"better to hold your tongue when speaking of the King of the West, child," you lightly berate. "we don't know who's listening."

olivia and yuna both nod in understanding.

a knock from the door to your room interrupts your discussion.

"come in," you call out. you turn to see another one of your ladies poke their head in before straightening up and bowing.

"your grace," jen, a sprightly lady-in-waiting of yours addresses you.

"i've been informed that the king asks for your presence in his study," jen relays, hands folded in front of her.

time seems to stop as you hear these words. you feel olivia grip your shoulder and you hear a clatter of something as yuna drops it. jen avoids your eyes as the four of you soak in her words.

"well," you say after a moment. "i better make haste, then.

you meet olivia's eyes through the mirror once more and she smiles encouragingly.

---

you ask jen to accompany you this time to give olivia and yuna time for their own personal needs. jen readily agreed, not more than five paces behind you as you make your way to where you were told the king's study is.

the castle is bathed in late afternoon light, a gentle breeze fluttering through the hallways. hardly any noise can be heard save for the occasional footsteps of servants and soft chatter from some of the rooms. your heart hammering against your chest is the only thing that fills your ears constantly.

"this is it, right?" you turn to ask jen. she nods as you two stop in front of an intricately carved door with a heavy golden stag knocker.

"you may take your leave," you tell jen.

"your grace?" jen asks, voice meek. "should i not wait for you out here?"

you shake your head. "i have a feeling neither of us knows how long the king will keep me in there."

jen opens her mouth as if to say something more but she stops, sighing. she nods and bows to you before starting down the hallway.

you turn away from jen's disappearing form, hand grasping at the stag knocker. you pound the heavy metal against the door three times before stepping back, waiting to be let in.

"enter," comes a voice from inside.

you swallow, reaching for the door handle. you give it a turn, the door easily swinging inward. you step through the gap, pressing your lips in a thin line as you anticipate what you might see.

the study is a respectable size, with bookcases adorning nearly every wall. a fireplace crackles with flames at the far left end of the room and a large desk rests in the middle of it all.

hunched over a stack of parchment is King Heeseung himself, a quill twirling lazily between his fingers.

your eyes meet and the king straightens in his seat.

"your grace—"

you pause, having both said the same thing at the same time. to your surprise, King Heeseung offers a smile. not knowing what else to do, you force an uneasy smile back.

"sit with me, my lady," he says, motioning to the chair in front of his desk. you gather your skirts and perch yourself at the very edge of the seat.

no one speaks for what feels like an eternity. the king has paused in his perusing of the parchment in front of him and you've busied yourself with staring at your hands resting on your lap.

"there will be a welcome banquet tonight," King Heeseung's voice cuts through the silence.

"to celebrate your arrival," he continues.

you dip your head low.

"you have my gratitude, your grace," you say mechanically.

King Heeseung clears his throat. "i also arranged for the wedding feast to take place a week from now."

you allow yourself to gaze upon the King of the West, your eyebrows pinching together.

the king sees your expression and pauses.

"but if you wish to either hasten or push back the ceremony, then i'll take it into consideration," King Heeseung hurriedly adds, his sharp eyes rounding into a softer form.

you realize that sitting here, eye level with the king, that he's merely a man like any other. a man who smiles and startles and laughs.

your mind flashes back to your father's beaten and bruised face. your expression falls.

"no, your grace. a week from now is fine," you concede.

a long stretch of silence follows. you avert your eyes to the window to your right, gazing at the vibrant sky painted in the colors of the sunset.

"heeseung," comes the king's voice. you turn to him, a questioning look on your face.

"you can call me heeseung," he clarifies.

your face must have been of utter confusion because the king smiles again.

"we are to be wed, are we not? i would assume that you'd prefer a much more relaxed method of addressing each other." heeseung leans back in his plush seat, awaiting a response.

"of course," you agree. "and you may address me however you wish."

"my betrothed."

the two words roll smoothly off heeseung's tongue and a strange tug pulls at your chest. you nod silently as if to grant permission.

heeseung clears his throat again, pushing himself off his chair. you rise as well but you make no move to look at his face.

you see from the corner of your eye his hand reaching out to you.

"come. the banquet should be starting soon."

you shakily place your hand in his and he gently wraps his fingers around yours.

"after you, my dear betrothed," he says, motioning towards the door.

---

it turns out, a week flies by extremely fast.

you've managed to meet all of the people of importance in heeseung's court in that time, memorizing names and faces and feasting with a number of them.

heeseung hovers around, greeting you as you go about your day but ultimately keeping his distance. you wonder if you should be doing more to prepare for your wedding but you don't dare question any of heeseung's or his council's plans.

in a blink of an eye, the week is over and you're standing in the throne room, draped in your finest garments, practically glittering from head to toe with the jewelry you've brought from home.

heeseung stands tall and regal beside you, his hair perfectly done and his royal regalia adorning his broad frame. strangely enough, his face is what you anchor on for most of the ceremony—a blur of vows and prayers and oaths and finally, a restrained brush of lips to make things official.

the feast may as well have not happened with how blurry your memory of it is. you sat at the high table, watching the festivities but not really seeing anything.

that is, until a particular loud courtier knocks over a chair, bringing down plates and utensils as collateral damage in his drunken state. the noise jars you for a moment but heeseung lays a warm hand on yours to steady you.

and now, sitting on the edge of your bed, stripped down to your undergarments by your reluctant ladies, you shiver at the thought of what your wedding night may bring.

you've heard stories from your ladies and you've been taught enough by the tutors you've had over the years. but to lay with a man such as heeseung, it chills you down to the bone. would he hurt you? would he demand things from you? perhaps kill you?

you shake your head. it would do no good for him to kill you now. you're both in dire need of heirs for your respective domains, him especially now that he's deposited himself as the supreme ruler of all the kingdoms in your land. and even without taking children into consideration, would he really drive in his image as a tyrant? slaying his wife on their wedding night?

your thoughts are dissolved when you hear a knock come from the door. a second later, heeseung walks in, his cape and gloves amiss, and so are the tightly-laced hunting boots, leaving him in his doublet and breeches, wool boots covering his feet.

he almost looks...nervous.

"my b—"

heeseung pauses, taking in a sharp breath.

"my wife."

your head spins as heeseung says these words. you can physically feel the color draining from your face. when heeseung says it like that, it makes it more real, your fate looming over you like an impregnable fortress caging you in.

"yes, your grace?" you respond, trying to sound composed amidst your anxiety.

heeseung studies you for a second before sighing. he tugs his boots off, undoing his doublet right after. he shrugs the garment off, leaving him bare from the waist up. you gasp softly, abruptly turning away.

"you need not address me like that, remember?" heeseung reminds, trudging carefully before coming to a stop in front of you.

he reaches a hand out, attempting to hold a side of your face but you flinch, your whole body lurching at the feeling of his skin against yours.

your heart pounds as you quickly realize the fault in what you just did. you peer up at heeseung, eyes shaking with fear.

you expected anger, annoyance, or even confusion.

but all you see is a pair of despondent eyes looking down at you.

"why are you afraid? why do you fear me?" heeseung asks, voice quiet, defeated.

your insides churn as you try to find the right words. in a moment, the whole ordeal comes crashing down on you, the day's events flashing in your mind, a reminder that this is your life now. you're married to a dictator for the rest of your days.

"shouldn't i be?" you reply, voice stony. "i'd be a fool to not be scared of someone who murdered their own father and waged a war against the entire world."

heeseung remains silent. he heaves a sigh, turning away from you.

"it seems as if it was a mistake to ask for your hand in marriage," heeseung says.

a flicker sparks inside you.

"you didn't ask!" you cry out, voice accusatory. you stand, pulling yourself to your full height. this outrage has sprung from nowhere, seized you fully, summoning all the anger within you.

"you commanded me here, you took me away from my family, my home! i came all the way here to marry an evil man and he suddenly decides that marrying me was a mistake?"

"i gave up everything i had to fulfill a duty i was called to, that you called me to," you continue, placing yourself right in front of heeseung.

"i need you to prove to me that all this is worth it. that i did not come here to be some poor slave to a tyrant! show me and prove me wrong that you're not just some monster that nearly killed my father!"

you feel the air knocked out of you as a pair of lips press against your own. you cry out in surprise but something snaps within you, the final branch needed to let the fire catch and spread.

heeseung is kissing you and you're kissing him, your hands clawing at any part of him you could reach. his own fingers tug at your chemise, pulling it down your shoulders until it slips off your body completely.

"you're sick, forcing yourself on your wife like this," you pant against heeseung's mouth. he undoes his breeches, letting them fall.

"my wife is free to leave if she pleases," heeseung retaliates, kicking off the last of his clothes.

both of you are stark naked now.

you stand there, breathing heavily as you look into each other's eyes.

"your wife will not leave until you've bedded her and put an heir in her womb," you seethe. "that's all she came here for, after all."

heeseung grunts lowly, attacking your lips once more. he shoves you down on the bed, caging you in easily with his firm body. he runs his hands up and down your sides, squeezing and fondling at every piece of flesh he can dig his fingers into. you moan and squirm under his touch, an ache growing between your legs.

"you'll give me as many heirs as i wish," heeseung says as he kisses his way down to your neck. he suckles on a spot just beneath your jaw and the sound of defiance that you originally wanted to let out is caught in your throat.

"of course, so they can usurp you when it's your time," you say through your teeth.

heeseung says nothing, only looks at you, his face pulled down in an angry frown.

"listen here, darling," heeseung commands, voice dipping even lower. he pulls you by your thighs to the edge of the bed, pushing your legs open.

he glances down and you stare at his face as it turns into a look of intrigue, his eyes transfixed on your core.

you're soaking wet, clenching around nothing as your husband continues to survey what's between your legs. he looks back up at you, a hand reaching over to grasp your jaw in one large hand.

"my father was a madman and so was his father before him," heeseung begins and you feel something prod at your entrance. you gasp as half of him is pushed in with a single swivel of heeseung's hips.

"maybe i'll turn out to be one too, but right now, all i did was clean up the mess he made," heeseung continues, fully burying himself inside you. your legs tremble at the painful stretch and all you want is to hide your face away in the sheets but heeseung's firm grip on your face won't let you.

"he started this war," heeseung says accusingly. he draws back, allowing you momentary relief before thrusting back in, a half cry, half moan escaping you.

"yeah, my sweet?" heeseung pauses to address you momentarily, his eyes dark and evidently hungry.

"feel good?"

he doesn't wait for an answer as he lets go of your face in favor of holding your hips tightly between his hands. heeseung sets up a ruthless pace, mouth hanging open as he watches himself slide in and out of you.

you grit your teeth and refuse to look away yourself, gazing upon the face of what might be another in a line of mad kings. your husband, half of who you are now, half of what your children will be.

the thought sickens you to your stomach.

but the delicious fill of his cock deep in you has you quivering with want, breathless with desire. if this is how good it feels to fuck a mad king, then maybe you are the perfect maiden to wed him.

well, not so much a maiden now that he's buried in you to the hilt, one of his hands grabbing at your breast.

his words 'he started this war' echo in your brain, but a shift of heeseung's hips has your eyes rolling back in your head, that thought forgotten momentarily.

"come on my sweet, look at me," heeseung pleads gently. he leans down, nearly flattening his form over your own. he continues to fuck you, thursts shallow in this new position

you hook your own arms around heeseung's neck, meeting his eyes.

"you don't fear me, do you?" heeseung asks laboriously through heavy breaths. "you never did."

you withhold an answer, leaning in to press your lips roughly against heeseung's instead. he growls low in his chest, his hips moving even faster than they already were.

you keep your mouths together, tongues lapping over every expanse of each other. a shiver runs through you as you feel the friction against your core increase, turning rougher and rougher as heeseung seems to lose himself in you.

you pull away, running your fingers through the hair on the back of heeseung's head. you tighten your grip on the strands and heeseung hisses.

"no," you finally answer. "i'm not scared of you so fuck me like you mean it."

the world seems to give out from all around you as the last words escape you, your hips pinned down painfully against the bed. your legs quiver as you feel heeseung pound into you, faster, rougher, harder. you let a sob rip out of you, your whole body seizing as your release slams down on you.

heeseung looks at you and only you, eyes wide and ravenous.

you clench around heeseung and he collapses over you, hands braced on either side of your head, his face scrunched up in pleasure as you feel him throb deep in you. you feel his thick seed warm up your walls and you gasp softly, your body finally relaxing.

you lay there, weak and unmoving, as heeseung pulls out and rolls off you. he comes to rest on one side of you, his hair tickling your shoulder. without another word, heeseung pushes himself up and retrieves his discarded breeches off the floor.

your heart sinks as you think that he's about to leave. your throat tightens, the thought of being used just like that, despite being his wife, his queen, repulsing you so badly.

but heeseung doesn't walk out the door. he loosely strings up his breeches and walks over to the vanity on the other side of the room. you failed to notice when you came in the first time the bowl of water and washcloth resting beside it.

heeseung wets the cloth, wringing it momentarily before walking back over to you. you've propped yourself on your elbows now, watching his every move.

"sit up, my sweet," heeseung implores gently, seating himself beside you.

you oblige, wincing at the slight sting between your legs as you shift into a more comfortable position. heeseung starts with your face, smoothing over your cheeks with the cloth, the cooled water bringing out a sigh of relief.

he moves to wipe at your neck, then your chest. he peers down at you, laying a gentle hand on your thigh.

"let me clean down there too," heeseung says. you nod, feeling vulnerable under his watch. you part your sore thighs, letting heeseung swipe away at the stickiness.

heeseung finishes and returns the washcloth to the bowl. he picks your chemise up on the way back to you, placing it in your hands. you wordlessly stand, pulling the thin fabric over you, overtly aware of heeseung watching you from where he sits on the bed.

you turn back to him and he's gazing up at you, expression softer than all of the other times. he reaches a hand out shakily, as if hesitant, and you take it, stepping between his parted knees.

he places his hands on our lower back as if to cradle you. before you could stop yourself, you let your hand smooth back some of his silvery locks of hair.

"he—my father—sent those decrees of war out when he realized i was on to him," heeseung mumbles.

you nod gently, signaling him to go on.

"i found out he'd been plotting this war for years right under my nose. i was brought up to command my father's army but i never knew it was for this," he continues.

"i begged him to stop but you can't reason with someone mad," heeseung says, voice shaking.

looking at him now, eyes so doe-like and piercing straight through your own, you realize that underneath what you called a tyrant, he was just a boy willing his father to do right.

"i had to end it one way or another," heeseung continues, head bowing.

you pull him to you, cradling him against your chest. you feel heeseng's arms tighten around your torso.

"but by the time i had dealt the final blow, it was too late. the decrees were sent and i had no choice but to fight the war he left me with."

your chest constricts.

"why not just take the decrees back, admit surrender?" you ask quietly. heeseung looks up at you and you're struck by how handsome he looks when he's not acting like the king he is.

soft lips, the delicate turn of his nose, fluttering eyelashes.

"i was already a kinslayer and a kingslayer. i couldn't lose everything after that," heeseung whispers, brows pinched together as if begging you to believe him.

a flurry of emotions course through you. despite this, you smile apologetically.

you bend down slightly, placing a gentle kiss on heeseung's forehead.

"i don't fear you," you whisper against his skin. you feel him deflate beneath your touch.

"but there is so much more i need to understand about you, husband."

heeseung pulls away and nods. he takes your hands in his, kissing your knuckles.

"and i'll try my hardest to make you understand. i don't expect forgiveness, just your open heart and open eyes to see who i really am."

you afford yourself another smile. you lean down once more, kissing heeseung softly.

"they're wide open, my King."

[daceydeath]

Her Knight

Pairing: Knight San x Princess Reader Word Count: 6.3k Genre: Fantasy AU, Romance, Smut Warnings: 18+, MDNI, Swearing, Mentions of Alcohol, Explicit Activities

Another ball to attend another prince to meet but your Knight in shining armor is always there to save you.

Another god forsaken ball, with more god forsaken suitors that were either inbred or as exciting as drapery but your father insisted that you find a suitable match before your next name day celebration so that you would have time to plan an appropriate wedding for that of a future queen. Your only semblance of comfort was that this would be the last ball of the season and if no match was found you would be free for at least the winter months before the next ball season began so that you could spend another season mustering the courage to tell your father that you didn't want to marry a prince your heart belonged to someone else. Marriage to a man you barely knew was the last thing you wanted you had barely even seen your twentieth winter and you still had so much you wanted to do before your freedom was taken from you by an man, who would most likely spend his time demanding you remain demure and dull so that he could live out his fantasy of being a king to a mighty kingdom, regardless of the fact it would be your queendom not his. So you once again were being strapped into a corset so tight you would only be able to drink and not eat and a gown so heavy it would surely leave bruises on your hips from the weight.

Standing before the ornate mirror in your chambers your ladies in waiting scampered around collecting under skirts, ribbons, jewels and shoes to make the dressing process easier for you but all it ended up doing was giving you a headache as they argued whether the diamonds, pearls, gold looked better with your attire. As the princess royal you were expected to be dressed to a level of opulence that few could match dresses of the finest silks and velvets, covered in jewels and gold threads were common place for you and so the aristocrats and minor royals followed your lead having clothes tailored in whatever shades you wore.  Normally you stuck to a pastel gowns that were covered in lightweight sheer layers that, while looking beautiful, allowed you to move a little more freely, tonight you had picked a black gown that was heavily embellished with gold, your corset whilst covered in not just gold but also pearls and small semi precious stones. It was excessive in every way and that was exactly what you wanted, two younger sons of the neighboring kingdom were set to be in attendance and you wanted very much to drive them away with your wasteful appearance so they would see being matched to you more of a burden than an asset.

"your highness?" Your handmaid interrupted your daydreaming to help you begin dressing "If you would be so kind as to hold the bed frame we can begin your lacings" she smiled meekly, being careful to speak respectfully.

"Of course Bessy" you smiled not caring if your ladies in waiting were listening, your handmaids were your friends and you wouldn't treat them poorly just because of their station in life. Moving to grasp the wood tightly Bessy and her assistance Clara pulled each lace viciously, knocking the air from your lungs each time until finally Bessy placed her knee against your back for one last tug to ensure you were properly cinched in, leaving you breathing as heavily as you could.

Your ladies in waiting sat you down to begin fussing with your hair and makeup, you could always style yourself but you found it easier to just sit and be preened within an inch of your life.

"Princess, I must tell you what I heard about Prince Heeseung!" Lady Lisbeth whispered excitedly pinning your hair up into an elegant updo "I heard he has rejected three other kingdoms invites to meet you tonight and that he has high hopes of securing your hand over his brother".  

"I heard that his brother Prince Sunghoon has already found a paramour but is keeping her hidden so he is only playing the part of the competitive brother" Lady Hari interjected quickly before lowering her voice so that only you could hear her as she powdered your skin "But that would give you freedom if you allowed him to bring her with him".

"I wouldn't count on a match being made tonight though" Lady Sana smiled at you in the mirror giving you a sly wink "The knights of the realm have returned from your fathers conquest today so tonight will probably turn rowdy quite quickly with war stories and drunken antics".

"Anything to get me a few more months you couldn't help but mumble as Lady Sana moved to latch the Queen's Jewel around your throat, a large oval solitaire diamond that showed your rank and lineage, it hung heavily just below you collarbones shining brilliantly in the flickering light.

"Did they all return?" you asked almost indifferently hoping to look more concerned with their wellbeing for the kingdom's sake and not your own.

"Not all returned princess, but most have arrived back safely and triumphantly" Lady Hari answered, looking at you pleased with your appearance.

"Father must be very pleased then, I will make sure to congratulate both father and his loyal knights during the festivities then" you smiled with faux enthusiasm knowing that at least while congratulating the returned knights you would be free from your suitors advances, provided they were interested.

You bid you ladies farewell for the time being and waited until it was just you and your maids remaining within hearing range making sure your quarters were completely empty.

"Bessy how many did we lose?" you inquired trying to keep your voice even despite how nervous you were "and do you know who made it back safely?".

"Only two fell and five more were injured but made it back" Bessy smiled leaning in closer to you just to be safe from any prying ears "your favorite knights are all well though Ser San is expected to be rewarded for his bravery in rescuing Ser Yunho and Ser Mingi from enemy forces".

"Excellent, that's excellent" you breathed a sigh of relief "I have not got many friends Bessy, just you and the few maids that are purely my own and the knights who have to guard me. I don't want to lose any of you".

"You won't lose us your highness we will be with you until you decide otherwise" Bessy grinned, her and Clara, preparing your gown to finally be placed over all of your underskirts to complete your outfit and prepare you to go to the ballroom to greet your fathers guests.

Taking a final sip of wine you brushed the velvet of your skirt down one last time before opening the door to your quarters to find the guard who would take you to the ballroom. You prepared yourself for another night of dodging advances and hopefully leaving bad impressions on men who would marry you for a power play.  Sansa and Hari stood at the top of the grand staircase waiting for you to make your entry. The minstrels were quietened and the beginning of your title announced  before you stepped into view of the crowd of onlooking guests.

"May we present the Princess Royal, First of her Family and Heir to the Crown of Eastwood" he called loudly into the cavernous room as you felt all eyes fall on you and your attire. When you made the first landing the minstrels began to play and the buzz of the guests continuing their conversations filled the room once more leaving you free to make your way to your father and hopefully to begin the round of slow congratulations of his returned knights, who all looked resplendently dashing in their black and red military uniforms.

"My sweetest daughter" your father called to you clapping his hands loudly as you made your way through the crowd.

"Your only daughter father" you teased back grinning as he stretched his arms out to take your hands.

"You look particularly beautiful tonight my child" he smiled toothily before pulling you gently towards him to kiss your cheek.

"I heard your brave knights have returned, father and triumphantly at that" you beamed "you must be so pleased with their success I must congratulate them for honoring you".

"They did, and you should, they will be your knights one day and you should treat them with the respect their loyalty deserves." he nodded seriously as you tried your hardest to appear that you were focusing on his words with absolute concentration "You will make a fine ruler one day child, but first you must meet the Princes from Northwilds they have traveled far to attend this evening". You dutifully smiled and nodded letting your father escort you towards a group of men in deep blue and gold ensembles which you assumed to be military style uniforms from the Nothwilds kingdom. All ten of them bowed deeply when they noticed your father's and your presence.

"King Arin, we thank you for this generous invitation Eastwood is a most beautiful kingdom" A tall rather handsome man stepped forward taking your father's hand and bowing again to place his forehead against your father's ring which contained the royal seal.

"Prince Heeseung, I am most delighted you could make the trip, I realize that Northwilds is quite a journey from us. This is my daughter the Princess Royal" he introduced you, letting you curtsy despite you being of higher rank than either of the princes.

"We are most blessed to make your acquaintance" Prince Heeseung bowed, stretching out his hand to take yours and kiss the back of it softly. "This is my brother Prince Sunghoon" he gestured behind himself for his brother to step forward and greet your father and then yourself, also pressing a kiss to the back of your hand although so featherlight you almost didn't feel it.

"The pleasure is mine Prince Heeseung, Prince Sunghoon" you smiled demurely trying to remain as neutral as possible so you didn't garner too much interest from them.

"I will leave you to mingle, child, but you should remember to thank the knights before the evening is over" your father winked no doubt, noticing your not particularly keen interaction with the brothers.

"Of course father, I won't neglect my duties to the kingdom" you bowed your head as he stepped away no doubt looking for a drink. Sana made her way to your side instantly replacing your fathers place at your side, taking your hand she squeezed it once to let you know it was he as you continued to smile at the princes.

"Princess, you look exquisite tonight" Heeseung complimented softly as his brother stepped back to engage back into the conversation he was having with his entourage.

"You look quite dashing yourself Prince Heeseung" you smiled tightly not enjoying the awkwardness of first meetings "Tell me what is the Northwilds like? I have yet to travel that far yet, father doesn't let me travel too far from the kingdom" you explained hoping that he would bring up anything about his kingdom that you could find interesting and prompt some sort of discourse.

"I have heard it can snow there for months at a time, is that true?" Sana asked, hoping to help further the conversation.

"Please call me Heeseung, I am of lesser rank than you Princess" he smiled hopefully at you "Northwilds can be bitterly cold in winter. It is true it snows nearly all of winter but it is quite pleasant in the summer and early autumn. We have quite a few lakes and forests which makes for pleasant day trips"  he continued.

"Oh I do like spending time near the water" Sana gushed beaming at him "Don't you your Highness?".

"Yes I do enjoy picnics by the waterfront and also horseback riding. Do you have good horses in Northwilds? I imagine they would be hardy creatures" you answered politely, noticing that Heeseung's eyes were firmly locked on Sana as she batted her eyelashes and giggled softly.

"Our horses are the most sturdy of all the kingdoms" Heeseung nodded, obviously enjoying the attention Sana was giving him.

"I should attend the greeting of our returned knights, Lady Sana, would you keep Prince Heeseung entertained until I return? and ensure both he and his brother are comfortable" you touched her shoulder gently in a gesture of thanks.

"Of course Princess, it would be my greatest honor" she gushed enthusiastically letting you make your exit without any protest from either of the princes.

Wandering towards the outer edge of the room you were sure you would find at least one knight trying to avoid an over eager dowager who wanted to thank him more than was warranted or wanted. Sure enough you found Ser Seonghwa desperately looking for a pillar to hide behind as an aristocrat made her way across the crowd towards him.

"Ser Seonghwa" You called, stepping into his line of vision and watching him visibly relax knowing you would give him an excuse to not speak to the older woman, who now looked quite put out that you had stolen the object of her desire.  

"Princess Royal" he greeted bowing deeply to you.

"I had heard you had returned today and victorious" you grinned "I was hoping I could thank you all for honoring my father so valiantly".

"It is our honor honestly Princess" he smiled again, his handsome face lighting up "May I escort you to some of the other knights, your highness?"

"Yes please Ser Seonghwa, I would love to thank you all personally for your efforts" you continued taking his arm and allowing him to guide you towards the back of the ballroom where the large windows and open gilt doors spilt light out into the gardens. "I also thought I might be able to save you for a little while, Seonghwa" you whispered once you got closer to your destination.

"I cannot thank you enough," Seonghwa grinned. "It will help boost the others that you would wish to spend some time with us lowly knights rather than the Princes from Northwilds".

"Believe me you lot are much preferred company" you smirked as he led you onto the lit terrace, large glass containers filled with candles surrounding the entire area to keep it as well lit as possible despite it not being twilight yet.

"Look who I found in my travels" Seonghwa called to a cluster of men dressed in identical uniforms, they didn't even need to turn around for you to know exactly who each of them was having spent enough time milling around the training grounds in hoping one of them would take pity on you and give you some sword fighting lessons or teach you archery, which they eventually did. You had become friends over those years and you began to treat each other as equals rather than what your ranks demanded, even if it had to occur mainly in secret.

"If it's another kitchen girl I would say don't bother, you always strike out with the kitchen staff" Ser Hongjoong yelled cheekily before his eyes landed on you walking at Seonghwa's side. "Princess Royal, what are you doing out here?" they all instantly stood at attention facing you.

"At ease I'm alone" you laughed watching them all relax again "I wanted to see how you were I didn't know you were back until a few hours ago".

"We're mostly intact" Hongjoong admitted softly as you let go of your hold on Seonghwa's arm to touch Hongjoong's shoulder affectionately.

"What does mostly intact mean? I wanted you to come back whole" you pouted taking in each of their appearances "Yunho, Mingi you're hurt" you couldn’t help the way your voice raised an octave as you moved to look at them closer your large black gown swishing against all of their legs as you passed them. Your hands fluttering uselessly over Yunho's bandaged hand and arm which bulged under his dress coat and Mingi with obvious bruising to his face.

"War doesn't leave you intact Princess" Jongho sighed, his eyes meeting yours sadly.

"Sana told me that some of you fell. Who? Who did we lose?" you asked carefully knowing that such a tight knit group would be sensitive to the loss of a friend and comrade.

"Changbin and Seungmin are gone, Felix and Minho are pretty badly injured. Chan and a few of the others are staying with them around the clock in case the worse happens they can send for help faster" Wooyoung grimaced.

"Fuck" you breathed shakily lamenting the loss of good men “I’m so sorry”.

"Did you just say fuck?" Seonghwa blinked, unsure if he had heard you correctly.

"Yes? I swear all the time when you teach me how to fight, have you only just noticed?" you enquired confused.

"You say crap, quim womble and bollocks, once I heard you say shit but never fuck" Hongjoong roared laughing while Yeosang, San and Mingi all smirked.

"Well now you have heard me say fuck congratulations" you rolled your eyes quickly looking around San's broad shoulder to see if anyone was close enough to hear your profanity.

"It's just soldiers out here Princess" San smiled warmly looking down at you, you almost lost yourself in them but remembered yourself and decided to look at his dimple instead.

"Can't be too careful, I saved Seonghwa from a dowager but right now you are saving me from Prince Heeseung" you joked, nudging his chest with your shoulder.

“There is no way we can hide you though not in that dress at least" Mingi teased looking you up and down exaggeratedly.

"It is true you outshine every other woman here" Jongho whistled "must be looking to impress a prince tonight".

"More like hoping to horrify one" you smirked, poking your tongue out at him "I hope they will see me as frivolous and vapid so they don't want to stay". You were happy to admit your plan to them you knew they would never tell a soul.

“Why don’t you just tell your father you don’t want to marry?” Yunho shook his head clearly amused with your plan.

“Because unlike you Yunho I don’t get a lot of say in when I get married, father has decided it will be in the summer so I have that long to convince him to let me marry someone I actually like or he will pick for me”. You sighed trying to keep the sadness off of your face “I don’t really want to get stuck with some horrible man who just wants my throne”.

“Why haven’t you picked any of the others who have come then? Some of them were really quite nice or were they just not quite like the tales of knights who slay dragons from your silly books?” Wooyoung pressed as your cheeks began to flush pink at the implication of his question.

“You are never going to understand Wooyoung” you rolled your eyes before quickly putting more space between yourself and them as the sounds of Sana’s voice floated across the terrace. “Again brave knights I cannot express my gratitude for honoring my father” you smiled politely with your best formal voice back in place as they all tried not to snicker at your obvious change in demeanor.

“Princess Royal” Heeseung’s voice rang out loudly “I did wonder where you had gotten to, were you stolen away by these brutes?” he raised his eyebrow challengingly towards your friends and saviors.

“Of course not Prince Heeseung, these knights are my father’s best. They have just returned from their campaign. It is part of my duties to congratulate the brave men who honor my kingdom” your replied almost coldly, your eyes narrowing slightly at him.

“Still it is not proper that you be alone with men so far below your station” he continued, not really bothering to listen to your words making you frown.

“Your Highness, the prince may have had a little too much of your father’s favorite vintage” Sana stressed quickly, making you step back a fraction more from him “I thought some fresh air might help with that”.

“Perhaps it would” you smiled tightly, watching Sana carefully in case she needed help ridding herself from him “Where is prince Sunghoon?”.

“He has retired for the night, your Highness” Sana answered quickly, her voice quivering slightly.

“I see, I will accompany you then” you announced, making Prince Heesung grin at his perceived victory. “Ser San, Ser Jongho, would you join us please? There may be all sorts of wild beasts in the gardens at this time of night” you looked at them pleadingly.

“Of course your Royal Highness” San answered smoothly, bowing deeply as Jongho copied his actions, nodding.

“Thank you Sers I will feel much safer with you with us” you beamed noticing the twinkle of mischief in Jongho’s eyes and the laugh San was trying to hold in.

“I would be with you Princess Royal, you would need no further protection than that” Prince Heeseung started to protest, looking dissatisfied with your choice.

“I know Prince Heeseung but who would protect Lady Sana in the event of an attack surely you would be protecting me in that circumstance and Lady Sana is my closest confidant I would want her to be safe so why not bring a few more swords along” you explained flashing your best doe eyes at him.

“Of course you have thought this through far better than I have” he bowed in apology before San offered you his arm and Jongho took a torch from one of the wall sconces beside the very edge of he terrace to lead the way.

“Thank you Ser San” you graciously accepted, allowing him to lead you towards the cobblestone pathway that lay on the edge of the hedge maze. Prince Heeseung glowered as San but said nothing further as he fell into step behind you but you couldn’t help the silent giggle that passed your lips imagining him glaring at the wide expanse of San’s back as you walked. In the dimness that surrounded you now that dusk had properly fallen and the sun had long dropped behind the horizon you felt San’s fingers stroke small patterns into the back of your hand making butterflies dance in your belly. Prince Heeseung was muttering something to Sana that you couldn’t make out but when you turned your head to attempt to hear them better San squeezed your hand and met your eyes his endlessly deep brown eyes gesturing to Jongho in front of you before returning to your face as though he was studying you.

“Princess Royal” Jongho’s voice called back to you “Do you wish us to play another round of first to the middle? I know that it is one of your ladies in waiting’s favorite games to play when you have the time and it would be a good way to show Prince Heeseung the hedge maze” he asked in faux innocence making Sana agree enthusiastically and you nod.

“Oh yes please Ser Jongho, Sana and I both adore that game. Would you like to play Prince Heeseung? It is a very simple game but such fun” you turned to look at him excitedly “We all take turns entering the maze and the one that reaches the middle first wins a prize of their choosing”.

“Any prize they choose?” Heeseung asked with a sly smile on his face.

“Well obviously not anything I wouldn’t give you the kingdom or anything silly like that it is usually a token for example a piece of jewelry, a favor from me, a special dessert from the kitchens that sort of thing” you rationalized hoping that he would agree to play so that you could help Sana escape him for a little while.

“I would enjoy that,” he answered simply, looking between Sana and you. 

“The Princess Royal shall go first, then it will be your turn and then mine” Sana volunteered, hoping that as long as she took a different start path to him it would be fine.

“Shall we start? Ser San, would you stay here and guard the entrance while we play?” you enquired watching San nod in silent agreement before you picked up your skirts slightly so they didn’t catch on the branches and made your way into the maze, you took the first right then second left which you knew led to a dead end then you waited quietly it didn’t take long before your heard heavy footsteps that passed by on the other side of the thick green wall that led deeper into the maze. You waited for a few moments prepared to count to twenty before you attempted to make your way back to the entrance hoping that San would be waiting for you when you heard more footsteps.

“Princess?” San whispered quietly rounding the corner to the deadend that you were waiting in “He’s long gone shall we head back?” his breathtaking smile lighting up his whole face.

“Yes,why not?” you stepped towards him “I’m so glad you came home San” you admitted taking his hand in yours “I would have been devastated if you had been lost”.

“It would take more than one campaign to stop me coming home to you Princess” you flushed quickly back tracking his words “I mean to your kingdom Princess, there is no other kingdom I would rather serve”. He met your eyes shyly.

“San…” you breathed, noticing the pretty color that now dusted his cheekbones. You were almost standing so close to him that if someone was to come across you it would have surely looked improper but you didnt care you were far too lost in the depths of his eyes that swam with such emotion that you could not bring yourself to look away.

“Princess, I…” San stumbled his words as he unconsciously pulled you slightly closer to him, your chest almost pressed against his and his hand still grasping yours firmly in the few moments of silence that followed. “Why haven’t you agreed to any of the suitors your father has invited to the kingdom?”.

“I already have someone I wish to be with, but he doesn’t know” you confessed without a shred of fear as the corners of his mouth twitched upwards “He’s someone my father trusts very much and once this ball season has ended I wanted to talk to him about it”. San’s other hand moved to grip your waist making your eyes widen slightly.

“Would the King allow you to be with this man?” he asked quietly, his voice deeper than it had been before making you feel a little light headed.

“I desperately hope so” you swallowed hard his hand letting go of yours leaving it to feel cool without the warmth of his palm enveloping yours, very slowly he moved so that it was now creeping up your arm leaving goosebumps wherever his calloused fingers brushed against you.

“May I?” he murmured his face close enough to yours that you could feel his breath fanning across your face, his hand finally stopping to cup your cheek.

“Please San” you mumbled closing your eyes the moment his lips brushed against yours tentatively pausing to allow you to stop him going further which gave you the opportunity to place your hand against his chest to feel his heart beating rapidly within his ribcage. You leaned in a little more, pressing your lips against his fully, finally feeling the warmth of his plush lips against yours, smiling against you he pulled you against his chest slowly sliding his lips against yours until you felt dizzy.

“I need to get you back to the castle my Princess” he breathed against you lips pecking them once more before stepping back from you the smirk on his face showing how pleased he was with your reciprocation of his actions.

“Yes, you should escort me back to my quarters” you agreed blinking a few times to shake the feeling that was lingering in your belly from his use of my princess. “I don’t want to return to the ballroom”.

“Your wish is my command” he teased taking your hand in his and leading you back out of the maze instead of returning the way you came San led you through the darker side of the gardens towards the entrance that the knights often used when they came and went from the castle leading your through empty passageways and hallways until you reached the wing your quarters were in, you entered letting San stop at your door to let the guard know he would be taking over and to go get some rest before he would be following you inside.

You sat at your vanity waiting, removing your jewelry and hair pins before wiping the makeup from your face. You had already slipped off your underskirts which made your dress considerably less dramatic but there was no way you would be able to get out of your corset without your maids help so you just watched your reflection until you heard your door close and the lock click shut.

“San?” you called watching his shadow appear in the room.

“I’m here my Princess” he smiled warmly.

“I…I…I don’t know where to start” you chewed on your lip softly, the trepidation you felt was obvious.

“Is the man you want me Princess?” he asked tenderly his voice sweet like honey making you feel warm as it surrounded you making you nod silently.

“I love you San, I always have” you admitted shyly, your face burning with blush.

“God’s I’ve dreamed you would say that to me one day” he groaned striding to you and pulling you into his arms his lips pressing against yours once more this time not hiding the emotions he felt for you, his tongue traced the seam of your lips encouraging you to let him deepen the kiss which your did his tongue slipping past your lips to slid against your own in a slow sensual dance. You couldn’t help the faint moan that escaped your throat as his hands moved to hold you as close to him as he could. When he finally broke away from you he pressed his forehead against yours as you panted for breath.

“I loved you from the first moment I came to this kingdom and I will love you until my last breath” he declared to you sincerely “If your father allows this I will worship you from this day forth if you let me”. You nodded as tears came to your eyes, you had never imagined that San would ever return your feeling he was a far more worldly man and could have any woman in the kingdom yet he had wanted to be yours just as desperately as you had wanted him. Your lips crashed back into him too lost in the joy of his love to think about anything else, hands buried in his hair to hold him close to you as his arms encircled you, picking you up and pressing you against the wall beside the vanity. Pressing himself fully against you.

You let your hands fall to his shoulders to hold him as he began kissing his way down your neck towards your chest, your corset giving him enough space to get well below your collarbone before finding your lips again his hands had bunched your skirt up around your hips allowing him to press against your core more easily making you wiggle against him and cause him to let a deep groan escape his throat.

“Easy Princess, I might not be able to stop if we go too far” San panted against your neck, mouthing at the junction of your shoulder as you shivered in his arms.

“I want to, please I think I’m on fire” you whined wrapping your legs tighter around his waist.

“Shit, my love, if I deflower you the king will kill me” he ground out between his clenched teeth as you rolled your hips experimentally against him.

“He would never harm the father of my child” you whimpered the feeling of his hardness grinding against your cotton covered core giving you the friction you desperately needed.

“Fuck don’t say things like that” growled his hands sliding between you and the wall to tug at your laces while he kissed you again making your need for him grow with each muffled sound that passed between your mouths. He flung the black top of your corsent to the side your under corset undone enough for him to get access to your breasts making you cry out as he took one of your hardened nipples between his kiss swollen lips teasing it and suckling at it until your head tipped back against the wall. Carefully lowering you to the fur rug on the floor he roughly tugged your undergarments away allowing you time to wiggle your corset off without undoing it completely leaving you bare to him.

“So beautiful” he whispered reverently his hand cupping your cheek again before slowly dragging it down your body making your skin erupt in a feeling of fire licking at your skin, he undid his uniform throwing the jacket and undershirt behind him before working on the laces of his pants allowing you to see him in all his glory, you couldn't help your fingers from reaching out and tracing the old scars that crossed his chest the silver skin standing out in the glow of the room his eyes boring into you watching your every expression as you took your time touching him before he slid his fingers from your hip to your center achingly slowly slipping them between your folds making your mouth fall open in surprise.

“San” you gasped, unsure of what he was doing.

“Let me pleasure you my love” he smiled reassuringly, moving to kiss you once more as one of his fingers began circling your bud causing you to begin mewling into his mouth “That’s it my love let me show you how much I love you”.

Subconsciously you spread your thighs apart wider to allow him to touch you more, another of his long fingers pressing against your entrance slightly before entering you, he sunk his digit deeper and deeper making your eyes roll back as you began to rock against his hand. Another finger began stretching your velvet walls, the feeling sending surges of pleasure through you as they massaged your walls.

“Saaan” you moaned the feeling building and building deep inside you like a coil waiting to snap.

“When it feels too good and you cannot hold it in, let go my love” he cooed, kissing your neck as he continued to pump his fingers inside of you.

“Oh San…agh..ngh” you cried out feeling the coil explode and white hot pleasure flood your veins.

“Good girl” San mumbled moving to slot himself between your thighs. “Tell me if this hurts you and I will stop”.

You nodded dazed from the floaty feeling that still filled your brain, only clearing when you felt a much larger stretch beginning as San cautiously entered you inch by inch until you were fully impaled on his cock the feeling almost painful as he stilled to let you adjust to the sensation of being completely full. Kissing you deeply he slowly dragged his cock almost completely out of you before thrusting back in his gentle pace to help you not feel anything but pain.

“Does it hurt my love?” he gasped against your lips, continuing to languidly move his hips.

“No feels good” you moaned quietly, no longer feeling unsure of the feeling of him moving inside you. He hissed in pleasure speeding up the rocking of his hips helping you to wrap one leg around him, each snap of his hips making the coil tighten again making you roll your hips to meet his thrust making him moan loudly and your walls flutter.

“Fuck just like that my love you feel like heaven” he grunted watching your face as your mouth dropped open again and your moans got louder “Good girl, let go when you want to alright, I want to feel you on my cock” he babbled making you start to see white again as fire spread through your veins again and you couldn’t he but scream as your second high hit you.

“San, San, San” you chanted before he rapidly pulled away from you his cock in his hand as he covered your tummy and breasts in thick white ropes of his release.

“Sorry My love let me clean you up" he panted, grabbing his undershirt from the floor and wiping you clean before collapsing beside you “Couldn’t risk letting go inside you at least not until your father lets me marry you”. You couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled out of you at the idea of him still needing to keep you safe even whilst deflowering you.

"Let me get you into bed so that you don’t catch a cold from being on the stone floor” he smiled bashfully, helping you to get into your bed still nude but at least warmer as he cleaned up the clothes that we strewn around the room and partially dressed himself.

“Are you leaving?” you whimpered panic rising in your throat.

“I will never leave you but I cannot stay here all night, your maids will find me” he smiled climbing onto the bed beside you we can’t have a scandal in the castle.

“Come with me tomorrow when I talk to my father?” you implored cuddling into his side, his fingers softly combing through your hair.

“Of course my love” He whispered kissing your head as your eyes fell closed

A/N: Thank you again for reading my darlings xx

Taglist (open): @christopher-bangnaldoskzz @armystay89 @damnyouficc @roamingpolar @tara-skyhold @bakedlilgoonie , @krishastumblernow , @mrsseals16 , @fawnpeaks @leeknowinggg @uno7 @tanzen-ist-gold

[hisphoria]

high society, lhs

chapter 01, debut

synopsis: lee heeseung must find someone that will be willing to marry him just for the title. someone to marry him so that his grandmother can finally stop bothering him. while this isn't a hard thing for heeseung to do since almost every noble girl of the ton would be willing to marry him, he needs someone who has no interest in him. someone who will not bother him if he doesn't even speak to them as long as they aren't at some social event. and of course, he found that in you.

featuring: lee heeseung, sim jaeyun, park jongseong, park sunghoon, kim sunoo, nishimura riki, yang jungwon

genre: non-idol au, arranged marriage trope, enha as royals, victorian era?

content and warnings: cursing, drinking, sexual humor, some toxic mentality (considering the era i'm basing this on), and lotsss of angst

word count: 4193 words

taglist: @sumzysworld @tokkisann @sol3chu @yunjinhuhjennifer @capri-cuntz (still open! comment below if you want to be added)

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you hated it.

hated everything about all of these things that your parents were making you do. having to wear this and that, go to this event, and talk to these people it was just getting to be a bit much for you. nothing was entertaining or fun about having to approach old rich men at the balls and acting interested in their boring lives. you also knew just talking to them boosted their egos and they didn't need any of that.

"but mother i'm already engaged to nikolaos. the rest of the ton already knows this as well. i can't just be going around flirting with other men anymore." you pouted as your mother stood behind you tightening your corset and fitting your new dress for an upcoming ball that your estate was hosting.

your mother simply rolled her eyes as she tightened the corset even tighter making you suck in a breath. "i know you are but that does not mean you shouldn't try for better. maybe an even richer man will find interest in you." you debated on whether or not to continue arguing with her. you knew it was pointless but you still thought maybe if you said it enough, she would calm down a little. you were fully devoted to the idea of marrying nikolaus and to you nothing and no one else could change your mind about it. marrying him was something you had dreamt about since the age of ten.

your parents didn't understand this though. your father did a little more than your mother but he just goes along with everything your mother says so it was never up for debate. it wasn't that your mother wasn't letting you marry nikolaos, she was just holding on till the very last minute to see if you will change your mind and marry someone else. nikolaos isn't even unsuccessful, his family being of the high society just like yourself but to your mother is wasn't enough. she wanted someone for you that was in the highest society. preferably in the top ten richest and well known men that appear in the newspapers.

"i want you to be happy" your mother began as she started fluffing out your hair with some oils that she had put onto her hands, "i am not telling you to not marry for love but it is only a plus if you marry for love and money."

you sighed as you looked into the mirror in front of you. the fact that she made some sense to you was something you did not want to admit. obviously money and status was always a plus and you didn't agree with her because it was something you yourself sought out but you did understand why she pushed the idea so much. "right. i understand you mother" you said to her as you stood up from the chair and looked back at her, "but i am indeed happy being engaged to nikolaos. i have loved him for so long and he is a successful man. i will be fine with him."

your mother simply nodded, deciding not to push the subject any further for the day. she gave you a kiss on the cheek before leaving your bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

you leaned against the railing at the top of the foyer looking over the crowd of people down below. it was the day of the ball and you had waited about 40 minutes after everyone arrived to make your entrance. the later you arrived, the less time you would have to interact with the ton and that sounded perfect to you. brushing down your baby blue ball gown, you made your way over to the staircase. you took a deep breath before resting your hand on the railing and slowly making your way down.

don't close your eyes you thought to yourself as you made your way down. it was always so nerve racking. all eyes turning towards you and looking you up and down. hearing the whispers just made it all worse.

that's when you saw nikolaos standing by a tall round table that was surrounded by other noble men. his head immediately turned towards you with a smile and he made his way over to you to meet you at the bottom of the staircase. you felt your heart slightly jump at the action but you weren't sure if that was the nerves because everyone was watching or if it really just melted your heart seeing him.

nikolaos reached his hand out for you to grab before bowing slightly before you, "good evening y/n" he whispered out to you. you smiled at him as you took his hand and touched the floor with your feet. you grabbed onto his shoulder with one hand and leaned into his ear and whispered, "i was too afraid to come out here if you weren't here."

"your mother kept me occupied for awhile..." he sighed as he turned and looked over to see where your mother and father stood attending to the guests who walked through the door. "she probably thought you were here wandering around already and didn't want me to take you away from your socializing." you frowned at this, slightly bowing your head and shaking it.

"i'm so sorry nikolaos" you said as you looked up at him, "you know how she is." he nodded and smiled at you reassuringly, "i know i know. i'm not offended don't worry. maybe you should go and get to know more people?" he said as he directed his attention back over to the crowd. the highest nobles were all gathered at the front greeting my parents. your mother and fathers faces beaming at them, you could've sworn you saw dollar signs in their eyes.

that's when he appeared.

"is that... lee heeseung?" you breathed out as you peered over nikolaos' shoulder to see lee heeseung enter, approaching your parents with a polite smile and bow. he was a well known noble. the highest of all the nobles. he was probably at the very very top of the pyramid in the high society. you heard that his parents were practically nonexistent, leaving the entire estate and title to their one and only son. he only had his grandmother and staff living in the mansion with him. you had only seen him maybe two or three other times as he didn't appear at every social event so him showing up at your estate... it was shocking.

not only was heeseung a high noble but he was also definitely the most handsome noble. his silver hair was styled but you loved that he never slicked it back, it looked natural and some pieces of his hair fell perfectly over his beautiful face. silver couldn't be his natural hair color you had thought to yourself, his dark roots showing under the silver. he would probably look perfect in any hair color.

"you should probably go greet him, no? not saying hi to the duke when he attends your ball is surely a crime" nikolaos let out a small laugh. you cleared your throat and nodded, letting go of his hand and placing your hands in front of you. "i hate to admit that you are right. i must go" you bowed slightly before making your way over to where your parents stood at the entrance.

"oh! my dear daughter!" your mother exclaimed, throwing her hands up dramatically as you arrived beside them. heeseung stood in front of them with both of his hands behind his back. he wore a white button up shirt tucked into some black pants with a dark blue jacket over, the collar gold and decorated with different lines and swirls. he looked like a prince.

heeseung eyed you up and down before bowing before you, "good evening lady y/n. i was just thanking your parents for inviting me to such a well organized and beautifully decorated event here at your estate." he brought his head back up and looked at you with a straight face, not even a slight smile had appeared on his face yet his voice sounded like he meant the compliment.

you bowed back to him, "it is an honor to welcome you to my parents estate my grace. we very much hope that you will enjoy it." you smiled at him as you came back up, placing your hands before you as they had before. heeseung simply nodded at you, the two of you looking at each other in silence for a few seconds before your fathers voice interrupted.

"your grace, we have heard about your engagement to the lady cadence laselle. congratulations" your father said as he put a hand over his heart. heeseung breathed in at your fathers words. he looked to the side and then back to your father again, "it seems that is all everyone is talking about, no? a vow between two families many years ago does not just mean i will easily take her as my wife. although..." he said as he then shifted his eyes over to you, "i have heard your daughter is actually to be engaged to nikolaos."

your mother frowned a bit at hearing his words. you already knew she was disappointed that you weren't marrying someone with a higher title and hearing it from the duke just probably made it worse for her. if even the duke knows, there's no going back is there?

you shifted your feet slightly and cleared your throat, "that is right, your grace. i am fortunate enough to not be in a situation like yours."

oh god.

maybe you shouldn't have said that.

your mother and father looked over at you with wide eyes. silence filling the circle. heeseung looked at you, seeming unmoved but then he cleared his throat and looked away. he scoffed and shook his head, a small smirk appearing on his face.

you put a hand over your mouth, "your grace, i am so sorry i didn't mean-"

heeseung put this hand up and nodded at you. "don't worry about it. i do appreciate some honesty every now and then especially since no one says those things to my face and instead behind my back." you weren't expecting him to be so understanding. you had heard only good things about the duke other than the fact that he was a womanizer but he was still a duke and the fact that you spoke to him that way was pretty unbecoming. you didn't know this man at all to be saying something so casual to him, you weren't so sure why or how you said something like that so easily.

"we apologize for her" my mother started, "i know it's no excuse but she has been pretty stressed out with the engagement and everything." she smiled at the duke.

heeseung looked as if he was about to open his mouth when a couple approached your parents and whisked them away before anything else could be said about you, leaving you and heeseung alone in each others presence.

heeseung looked at you before he took a few steps forward, getting closer to you. you felt your breathing stop as he got so close, close enough to where his scent filled your nostrils and he smelled amazing.

he leaned into you, his lips coming close to your ear and he whispered, "i don't appreciate a lady like you having an opinion on my personal matters. i'd be careful if i were you and watch what i say next time... especially to me."

your eyes widened as he leaned back and smiled. he took a bow before walking away from you and disappearing into the crowd of people. your face flushed and you quickly looked around to see if anyone caught sight of the interaction between you and the duke but it seemed that no one was looking and that made you let out a sigh of relief. you looked back to see if nikolaos was where you had left him but he was nowhere to be found.

heeseung wandered out into the courtyard. bringing a cigarette up to his lips, he heard footsteps come up behind him. turning his head, he saw his most trusted advisor, jake sim approaching him.

"i was wondering where you had wandered off to." jake said with a raise of his eyebrow, taking stand beside him. heeseung pulled the cigarette out from his mouth, letting out a puff of smoke. he clicked his tongue as he looked over at jake, "i would've thought you'd be off somewhere chatting it up with a lady."

jake let out a groan and threw his head back slightly, "as much as i would love to be doing that right now, i saw that little situation you had with lady y/n and when i saw that you took off, i thought it be best to come and find you. you disappeared pretty fast though, it took me a while."

"you saw that?" heeseung asked as he reached his cigarette out to jake to offer it to him. jake looked down at it and took it from heeseung, bringing it up to his lips. "i did, yes. i'm always keeping an eye out. although, it seems that even lady y/n was shocked at what had come out of her mouth" jake said with a laugh, "i've been hearing many things about her actually. she's the talk of the ton currently not falling far behind you."

heeseung rolled his eyes, "maybe they should be talking about her instead of me. she's the one who is actually getting married... not me."

"speaking of" jake said as he looked off to the side, drawing out a puff of smoke. "it's interesting really, her engagement to that man. they've known each other since they were children but lady y/n doesn't really seem to be the type to be able to marry a man like that."

heeseung scoffed, "what would you know? have you ever spoken to her?" a spike of curiosity rising in heeseung. he wasn't usually interested in the marriages and engagements going on in society but he himself was having a dilemma of being pushed to get married and even if he didn't want to, he needed to know what options were available to him or not.

"i hear around." jake says with a slight smile on his face, "i pay a lot of attention to gossip. i am your advisor, i need to know what's going on." he crossed his arms over his chest as he looked up at the night sky, "i've heard lady y/n is a pretty independent woman. it seems to get her into trouble a lot, an independent lady like her is not something that most men are looking for. her fiance was one of few willing to put up with that. she's been very open about not wanting to just idly stand by like a trophy for her husband."

heeseung raised an eyebrow at hearing this information, "like?"

jake smirked, "oh so you are curious?" heeseung rolled his eyes at jake and nudged his arm. "she tries her best to be helpful around her estate. she's always helping her father with things. she doesn't like just helping her mother plan out the balls, she's even gone on work trips with her father. she likes to be involved." jake continued to elaborate.

"i see..." heeseung hummed. he threw his cigarette to the ground and put it out with his foot. "does she seem like a romantic to you? do you think she seems like the type of woman to be in her husbands business?"

"what?" jake asked he shifted his body to heeseung so he was completely facing him now, "is she your type? you know she's engaged. you can't exactly just swoop up in there and propose to her-" heeseung put his finger up to jake's face to shush him, "i just need to see what the deal is. if she isn't in love, i've got a chance to offer her what nikolaos will not offer her in their marriage. she seems to be the only woman who would leave me be in a marriage."

"you dog" jake snarled at heeseung, "you just want someone who could care less about you then?"

heeseung smiled at jake as he patted his back, "exactly" he said to him before he walked off, heading back inside the mansion.

two weeks went by of you trying to plan your wedding with your mother and younger sisters. you had all sorts of ideas for the wedding but your mother wasn't exactly the easiest to plan with considering she kept on holding it off every chance she got.

the constant planning and meeting with nikolaos and his family was starting to open your eyes a little more to things that you hadn't even thought about before you got engaged. yes, nikolaos is the sweetest man you know but that doesn't mean there weren't a lot of things that the two of you didn't agree on. nikolaos was a traditional man and he didn't seem to be willing to give any of that up... even for you.

"i don't understand why you can't just let me be involved in some of the business stuff" you frowned at your fiance, "you won't even let me make any decisions? how is that fair if it's a family business!''

nikolaos let out a sigh as he turned to you, "exactly. my family business. you will be my wife, not my business partner. you are meant to stay at home and make decisions at home. not in matters of business. that's not how things work. you are needed at the estate. who will make the decisions at our home if you're not around?"

you felt as if you had been hit in the chest when he emphasized that it was his family business. you didn't think he meant to intentionally be mean by saying it but he said it and meant it. even though the two of you were to be married, he didn't yet see you as someone who was a part of his family. this only further made you feel as if you were an object of decoration for him.

the two of you were having this conversation as you went for a stroll at the public park, members from the both of your families following the two of you from not far behind. all you could think to yourself in that moment was that you needed to get away.

you tilted your head up as you stopped and looked over at nikolaos. "i can't continue with this conversation because i'm afraid that if we do, i will be pushing you into the river." nikolaos' eyes widened at your statement as he watched you continue to walk, "i need to be alone now."

you looked back at your mother and one of your younger sisters then glancing over at nikolaos' mother, "i will be heading off to walk on my own. i'll be in the area, i just need to be alone right now." before any of them could protest you quickly walked off, making your way over to the small bridge that went over the water a bit away. you didn't want to be anywhere near them either.

you leaned against the railing of the bridge, looking over and onto the water. the water was so clear you could see all of the fish swimming around in it. you soon started to feel tears start to prickle your eyes and to keep them from falling you tilted your head back and let out a deep breath.

"not sure if the lady y/n should be off on her own, don't you think?" you heard a somewhat familiar voice say off to the side of you.

you turned your head to see heeseung standing at the end of the bridge with his hands behind his back. he slowly began to approach you with a smirk on his face, finding his place to stand right next to you.

you cleared your throat and bowed slightly, "your grace."

heeseung let out a low laugh and when he did you honestly thought you've never heard anything more beautiful. "formalities? you surprise me. seems you still have manners."

you lowered your head, turning your body to completely face him. "your grace, i am so sorry about that night i really didn't mean to offend you. i just truly... wouldn't wish to be in your position."

heeseung glanced at you before then turning to look down at the water. he leaned against the railing, placing his arms over it so his hands were now dangling over. "aren't you kind of though?"

"excuse me?"

"this marriage, it's something you thought you've always wanted. yet now your feelings are changing about it. or am i wrong?"

you scoffed at the duke. he looked down at the water completely unphased and you hated his arrogance about it. how did he even know about your situation anyways? you thought to yourself.

"i know things" he smiled, "i am the duke, no? i've got my sources of information. plus your heated conversation with nikolaos wasn't exactly low profile like you thought it was. i've done my research. i know the kind of man he is and the kind of woman you are" he said before he looked at you, "you'll be miserable."

your face immediately heated up at his words and you mentally cursed at yourself for it. he knew everything and he spoke of you as if he knew you and something about it made your heart do a million flips. you should have been weirded out, maybe even a little terrified but how could you be when this gorgeous man stood in front of you saying exactly all of the things that you were thinking?

"what are you saying, your grace? i am engaged. this isn't something i can't exactly back out of and i can't seem to change my fiancé's opinion on the matter." you said to him, desperately wanting his eyes to meet yours once again.

heeseung leaned back, placing his hands behind his back once again. his eyes found yours and he took a few steps towards you, "anything is possible, no? i propose..." he started as he reached his hand out and grabbed your gloved hand, "that you come and marry me instead."

you gasped at the contact and although you didn't feel him with your bare skin it was still something and feeling his thumb caress your hand was making you feel all sorts of unbelievable things. you looked up at him with wide eyes, "m-marry you? what are you talking about? you're already engaged and... why me?!"

heeseung pulled his hand away from you, "don't get me wrong my lady, this is purely business. i need to get married because my grandmother keeps pestering me about it and it would be good for the estate and my image. falling in love is not something that interests me at the moment and well you... you want a marriage in which your husband will let you do as you please, no? let you involve yourself instead of keep you home to bear his children. letting you have decisions in regards to my business matters is something i am willing to do."

right, of course. the duke was known as a playboy. falling in love was of course something he didn't care about, a marriage simply for his public image where his wife could care less about what he does in his free time is the ideal arrangement for him. while that wasn't something you were looking for and if anything, you thought yourself to be somewhat a hopeless romantic, a marriage to the duke seemed a million times better than a one to nikolaos at the moment.

you don't even think you were thinking clearly in that moment because without thinking for more than a minute you quickly nodded your head at the duke.

"i'll do it. i'll marry you."

[minhosimthings]

Dances Avec Les Etoiles ft Heeseung, Part 2

Synopsis: God how boring is love? For Lee Heeseung, it was perhaps the most boring thing in this rotten world. But for his parents, it meant buisness. And buisness meant getting Heeseung married off to a princess from another kingdom. And when the princess shares a peculiar interest, Heeseung starts to believe in Cupid again.

Pairings: Prince!Heeseung × Princess!fem!reader

Warnings: SMUT MINORS DNI, Dom!Heeseung, sub!reader, p in v sex, sex on the floor eyyy, daddy kink, overstimulation, sorta exhibitionism,Ko kofingering, orgasm control, rough sex, boob sucking because obvi, unprotected sex (not for you), closed proximity, fluffy at the end, neck kisses because yes, IMPLIED WEDDING SCENE OOH (yeah I'll write that)

A/N: Thank you for waiting patiently for this shit, I know I've taken a long time to complete it but thank you for all the support on the first part! @candewlsy Miss mizu, your daddy papi has arrived and he's waiting 😉

The French Quotes Series Masterlist

Part 1 || Part 2 || The wedding

The only interesting thing about the western wing of Tarnow's palace was the spectacle that danced in its halls from dusk till dawn.

Nothing else had been much if interest there, even now, as you stood on cold marble, clutching your dress tightly with your fingers, your eyes set on Heeseung's figure, seemingly admiring himself in the grand mirror.

"I must admit." Heeseung spoke up, causing you to jerk your head up, "It took me a while to figure out who kept watching me at night. You did a good job at hiding, princess."

His feet led him towards you, his figure towering over you as he bent down to press a wet kiss to your neck.

"But I'm better." His voice sent vibrations throughout your body. It was truly a miracle that no one has yet realised that the bride and groom were missing from the party. Heeseung had been right about Tarnow having the finest alcohol, a sip could have gotten anyone drunk.

Pressing rough kisses to your exposed collarbone (thanks to the off shoulder dress), Heeseung's arms automatically ran to your waist, caressing himself to your body.

"No one deserves this pussy you got that?" His words came through again. Your heart somersaulted in your chest at them. You had often forgotten that he was to be your future husband.

His hands grabbed your waist, getting a firm grip before pulling your body down, flat on the cold ground, you winced at the feeling. He broke away from the kiss, your foreheads touching as his hands fumble with the zipper of your dress. His hands provided a sort of warm escape from the cold feeling of the floor.

He pulled the dress down with haste, you always loved this impatient side of him, leaving you half naked in your panties and bra.

“Tell me what you want me to do to you, now,” he demanded, his grip on your chin tightening as he forced you to look up at him, helpless.

You shook under his touch, completely powerless. “I- I want you to fuck me, Hee."

He lowered his head, resting his lips against your ear, sending a cold shiver down your spine and straight to your heat. “Say it louder, so everyone in the kingdom knows how much of a dumb little slut you are for me. Say it.”

"I-I need you to fuck me." You proclaimed, hoping fervently that the room was sound proof.

"Good girl, such a good girl for me aren't you?" The smirk you so admired came back onto his face. His hands wrapped around the waistband of your panties, the sensation of him taking it off, making you pathetically wet.

Slowly he moved his mouth over to your left breast swirling his tongue around my nipple. Lightly sucking on your nipple before gently grazing his teeth over the sensitive nerves.

He took his time once again, admiring your frame. “You look so gorgeous, let me see what’s between your legs better?”

You nodded and spread your knees apart more, fully exposing your heat to him. He hovered over you, staring down at your pussy, glistening with juices. The feeling of his fingers near your cunt got you moaning.

"Heeseung-"

Your words were cut off by the feeling of his two fingers pressing at your wet hole. Your pussy practically gushed around him as he entered you, only pushing halfway. His teasing fingers grazed your insides, curling up inside of you like a warm pillow.

“You can keep making those pretty sounds, princess." A loud moan erupted out of you at the sensation of Heeseung's finger flicking at your g-spot.

You obeyed, quickly becoming overwhelmed with the pleasure he were creating for you. His curling fingers, his fierce gaze on you…uyou was overcome with intense sensation.

"D-daddy fuck-fuck!" You all but screamed, making Heeseung look at you with a raised brow.

"Daddy?" He chuckled, "Call me that again, princess."

"Daddy?" You whimpered, feeling his fingers pressing hard against your walls. His laugh was a melody of heaven to you.

You press your legs together and Heeseung more into your cunt; his skills are way better than you thought, and you feel something in your stomach growing, a feeling that is way more pleasurable than ever before. Heeseung feels you clenching around his fingers, and he lets go of you.

"Daddy!" You cried, tears escaping from your eyes at the feeling of being left empty.

"Use your words, princess." Heeseung brushed a hair strand behind your ear, "Say what you want daddy to do to you."

"Fuck me." You say, decisively. "Nicer." Heeseung said again.

"Fuck me daddy....please?"

His arm slides over your waist, hold you to him as he pushes his bulge against you. You tilt your head back and his lips meet your neck, sucking a spot which earns an even louder moan from you.

“Fuck..” you breathe out, “daddy..”

Your hands grab at his hair, lifting your hips up as they make contact with his throbbing, leaking tip. You wince as he thrusts forward, your pussy clenching around nothing.

"Patience, princess. Gonna give it to you good, yeah?" he promises and pulls his trousers and boxers down. He's throbbing as he grips himself, his rings making contact with his hard length, making him groan.

He lifted you again with ease, grinding his hips against yours before lining himself up with you, with a swift thrust he entered your tight cunt, throwing his head back with a soft groan.

Your mouth dropped open, pleasure and pain mixing together, your tight pussy opening up to take him in.

No time was wasted, Heeseung'’s thrusts already picking up a steady rhythm. His knees were pressed into the ground as he towered over your frame, and your own knees were slowly pushed towards your chest. You were hyperaware of the length of his cock at this angle, thighs pressed together with the soles of your feet on his stomach. Every pull pulled a shudder from you, and you groaned his name again.

“So beautiful” Heeseung kissed your cheek before you gaped down to both watch him pull out and push back. Heeseung’s dick was rubbing against your insides, digging deeper hitting your g-spot.

“Daddy please right there— Fuck right there daddy” Your skin slapped together as he thrusted into you harder making your body quiver with all the stimulation.

"Such a demanding little slut for daddy~"

Those words stir something inside you, making you tighten even more. He smirks at your reaction and takes the hint to keep going.

"You like that, don't you? You like to be degraded and being treated like a slut in bed, don't you?" You nod, unable to form a proper answer. He pulls out completely, only to thrust back in with full force.

Attempting to speak again, the only thing that fell from your mouth was a needy whimper as Heeseung curled up deliciously against you. You didn’t understand how it was possible to feel so good from something so simple; moaning as he hit spots you never even knew existed, the sweet sound of your wet pussy filling the room.

“I wanna hear you say it.” Pressing up to your ear, he let out a breathy sigh from the feeling of you on his fingers. You shook your head, jaw slack from pleasure “I can’t–” 

His hips are relentlessly pumping in you. Your body feels like it's on fire with every touch and every breath, something you've never felt before.

“Please, daddy” You begged, eyes darting away from yourself, seeing the way you moaned so with such desperation; the needy sound of your voice leaving him craving more.

“You want me to keep going?” A weak nod was the only thing you could muster, “Then I gotta hear you.” That tone filled your head with a haze of desire, struggling to find the words, tipping your head back to avoid the sight in front of you. 

You fell into that dizzy trance as Heeseung's grip tightened ever so slightly as he felt you trying to look away, a breathy moan falling from you yet again. One of his hands grasped the thick of your thigh, spreading your legs further as his sloppy thrusts hit every part of you, a whiny gasp slipping from him as he tipped his head back in ecstasy. 

You gripped his shoulders, fucked dumb on him, and unable to process anything other than those pretty sounds he tried to hide. Heeseung filled you up, hitting spots only he could reach as you squirmed underneath him, pressure building up inside of you. The way you squeezed around him had stars clouding his head, whimpering as your hips stuttered.

"D-Daddy! I do- I don't know if i can-" You couldn't even form a sentence. "Mmgh" You let out several loud moans while proceeding to grip the ground with your sweaty palms.

"Not until I say so... you look so pretty begging." Heeseung then put it in once more but this time slower. He took the initiative to lean forward to grab your hair and pull it up which caused you to let out a shriek.

"Daddy please..." You whimper, feeling your stomach turn on yourself.

"Going dumb for daddy's cock, princess?" Heeseung's thrusts because the roughest they could have ever been, "Cum for me princess, that's a good girl."

Your nails dug into the fabric of his shirt and pitiful whines left you as you cum, sounds that Heeseung always loved, he moaned every time he hears them, his cock jerking inside you. Your cunt gripped him tight, and he choked, growled sounds leaving him as he cums with you.

His cock is twitching, emptying his cum into you, “Love how well you take me –mmph– how good you look full of my cum –nngh–” He pushes his cock into you completely, keeping you full of him, his hips grind into you to ride out your highs.

You can only croak out, "Oh, I'm cum-m-" before your body falls weak, goes limp, you convulse around his length and coat him nicely with your orgasm.

"S-So good, daddy-" You drag out as you cream all over him, and he drags out your high continuing to pound into you like nobody's business-- as well as seeming to forget your current state.

"So pretty for me princess." Heeseung chuckles, feeling his orgasm wash over him, he's never had a better high of his life, "Such a good girl for daddy."

Heeseung stayed above you for a bit, as he pulled out, making a whimper leave your mouth. The cold stone ground, now seemed colder, perhaps Heeseung's heat had escaped painfully from you as he pulled away and lay on the ground next to you, his chest rising and drooping from moment to moment.

"Should we or should we not get back to the ball?" You finally broke the silence with your question, which came to you, only after you calmed down from your orgasm, which, you had to admit was a hard thing to do, after Heeseung's hips had murdered yours.

"Depends." Heeseung turned his body to face you, "Would you like to go back?"

Thinking about the question for a while, you shrugged your shoulders, and make your way to slowly get up, Heeseung smirking proudly at how your legs shook.

"Have I made you that much of a mess?" Heeseung asked, also getting up, and putting on his trousers in a jiffy. "One time, Heeseung." You glared at him, while pulling your dress back on, "just this one time."

"Oh we're back to Heeseung now are we?" What happened to daddy?" Heeseung chuckled, checking his hair in the mirror, "If you want help zipping that up, why don't you just ask?"

The zipper of your dress had been stuck for a while now, and you really didn't want to ask Heeseung for help ,but unfortunately you were forced to, as your hand couldn't reach the zipper anymore.

"Fine!" You gave an exasperated sigh, walking over to Heeseung, while holding your dress up with your hands, "Do it quick."

"Not even a please." Heeseung sighed dramatically, holding his hand out to the zipper, the warm touch of his hand making you sink into his touch. His clutch was gentle, feather light touches tracing your back, painfully trying to control the zipper.

"And it's stuck." Heeseung let go, falling back to lean against the mirror, as you clutched your dress desperately upto your chest. "Are you sure?" You frantically asked, how could you go back to your room without clothes?

"Yep it's definitely stuck, but that's on the seamstress for making a zipper out of...what is that? Gold?" Heeseung whistled carelessly.

"How am I supposed to get back to mg room now?" You looked at Heeseung with what had probably been an extremely serious look, since Heeseung's brows furrowed. He let out a confusing sigh after some time.

"Alright can you wear my jacket over yourself?" Heeseung handed you the fine white piece of clothing, "We can sneak out, if you can manage to drag that dress with you."

At the moment, there seemed to be no other option, so you obliged, draping his jacket over yourself, protecting your chest. The ball would still have been going on, considering the faint sound of music coming from the ballroom. Now or never was the only choice.

"Quiet!" Heeseung whispered to you. Your backs were pressed against the wall and you were close, just a mere corridor away from your room and his, the only problem?

The big open space, which led to the ballroom, standing in the middle of you and your goal.

"Alright, let's go over the plan." Heeseung balled his fists together. "There's a plan?" You quizzed him, finding it a bit amusing. "Of course there's a plan, no stop interrupting me." Heeseung brushed you off, "Alright hold my hand, and we'll run across, don't look back."

"Sounds like a battle plan." You giggled quietly as his comedic timing.

"Come on!" Heeseung nudged you forward, holding your hand in his,

"Alright 3,2, go!"

The way your feet carried you across the floor made your blood rush faster and your ears ring, it was euphoria, just running across the room, with Heeseung's hand tightly holding yours. And you would have enjoyed that for a lot more time if not for the other pair of footsteps and raucous, high pitched laughter alerting you.

Someone was coming.

"Fuck." You heard Heeseung whisper, before your back was pressed against a wall, and Heeseung's free hand was pressed against your mouth.

As awkward as the position was, Heeseung's eyes staring into yours, as he quietened you, you couldn't bring yourself to budge free from his grasp, even after the footsteps and laughter had went away.

God did you want to swim in those eyes.

"Did you enjoy the party my dear?" The Queen had asked you at breakfast the following day.

"It was wonderful, your majesty." You had answered, trying not to catch Heeseung's eye, lest you burst out laughing, which was an impossibility considering how Heeseung's ears were turning red when his mother mentioned 'how you and my dear son were absent at the second half of the ball'.

Cute, was your first thought. Confused, was your second thought. Heeseung was the kind of man to brag about his sexual adventures, but him shying away from it? The idea that you made him shy sheltered pride into your heart.

"So do I actually make you nervous?" You asked him, laying on your stomach on his bed, the assignments had been finished early and you hadn't even wanted sex after what Heeseung did to your legs the night before.

"If I say yes, you'll become too prideful, so I'm going to go ahead and say no." Heeseung poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue whilst carefully arranging his bookshelf.

"Why are you arranging your bookshelf again?"

"For the last time, Jay is going to be coming over and I don't want to hear him scold me again."

"But I want attention." You jut out your bottom lip to form a pout, falling on your back onto the bed again, "Pay attention to me."

"And why should I?" Heeseung raised his brow at you, plopping down on the bed and leaning over to face you.

"Because....we are husband and wife?" You said with uncertainty and a giggle, which made Heeseung crack a smile too. "Husband and wife to-be, princess." Heeseung corrected you, scrunching his nose at you.

"Alright then tell me one thing." You looked into Heeseung's eyes again, preparing to ask him the thing that had been going on in your brain ever since that first night of sneaking out, "Why don't you ever dance in front of everyone like you do in the western wing?"

"It's not exactly customary for a prince to dance in Tarnow." Heeseung sighed, you could tell this was a sensitive subject for him and now, you regretted asking him the question, "It is always frowned upon for men to dance here, only the women ever participate. But I have always loved it ever since I was a child. So, I had to do it in secret and the western wing was abandoned anyway so it was the perfect place. But I hadn't expected you to find out about it." He added with a cheeky smile, laying his head onto his pillow and allowing you to cuddle upto him.

"Well then, when we're king and queen, the first thing I'll do is tell every man in the kingdom to bust out their tap shoes because we're having another hall where the King shall be dancing!"

Your words flew into Heeseung's ears like a harpsical melody. God why were you so perfect? A person who understands, a person who saw him for what he wanted to be instead of what he is, a person who he wanted to love.

"And I'd also-"

Your words were cut off by Heeseung's soft plush lips pressing onto yours. You had kissed him before of course, whilst he was destroying your ability to walk, but this kiss felt different, it felt.....like love. The dance of your lips against his was more prettier than the ones you had watched him do, the mischevious poke of his tongue which made you let out a silent whimper, and the young love blossoming like daffodils all around you.

Heeseung pulled away from the kiss first, his eyes still shut and then open as he looks at you with a cunning smile. “You taste like my new addiction.”

His pathetically lovesick line got you laughing and holding your stomach. 'My new addiction' who even used that term.

"Y/N stop laughing!" Heeseung protested, wrapping his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to him and pressing small kisses to your neck, which made it tickle, making you laugh even harder. But Heeseung would have done anything to make laughter erupt out of your mouth, as if it was another sinful pleasure.

“You’re the only one I’m gonna wanna kiss from now on.” Heeseung proudly declared, as if it was the only thing on his itinerary.

"I'm the only one you are allowed to kiss, dumbass." You gave a finger flick to his forehead.

"I do love you, you know that right?" Heeseung asked, his fawn eyes looking at you with uncertainty now, "Like actually roses and chocolates and all that crap type of love?"

"I'm allergic to chocolate, but I'll take it." You giggled, as Heeseung happily nudged his nose into your neck, as the two you remained stuck to each other for eternity, dancing away the rest of life in peace.

Wedding scene to be released soon!

Taglist: @amazzwon @heeseungshim @kvmariii @mwahvvis @hottiewifeyyyy @sacrificeatmeup @perfectnighttt @yawnzzhoon @yunabi436

[gyuuberryy]

ROYALLY YOURS

a collection of royal!enha hyung line aus

this is for my 1k followers special event! thank you so much to all of you for your gracious support <333

disclaimer: the following works will contain suggestive content, so read at your own discretion

status: complete !

comment or send an ask to be added to the taglist!

pairing: prince!heeseung x princess!reader

genre: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, arranged marriage au

synopsis: you and prince heeseung have been rivals for as long as you can remember. what began as childhood clashes has grown into a deep-seated animosity over the years. but when your sister runs away on her wedding day, you're forced to take her place and marry heeseung—the last person you ever wanted to call your husband.

now bound in an unwanted marriage, you’re faced with navigating the tension between your unresolved hatred and an unexpected attraction. as palace intrigue and looming threats surround you both, you must confront the truth of your feelings. will the bitterness between you tear you apart, or will it ignite something far more powerful?

word count: 11.5k

READ HERE

pairing: art tutor!jay x princess!reader

genre: strangers to lovers, forbidden relationship

synopsis: as a princess exploring her artistic passions, you’re drawn to jay, your mesmerising art teacher whose lessons stir more than just creativity. what begins as a quest to master your craft quickly becomes a whirlwind of tension and forbidden desire. with every brushstroke and shared moment, the line between teacher and lover blurs. but when societal barriers and personal doubts threaten your connection, will you both find a way to embrace a future together, or will your love remain a beautiful but fleeting masterpiece?

word count: 11.1k

READ HERE

pairing: prince!jake x pirate!reader

genre: enemies to lovers, adventure

synopsis: when prince jake’s wild behaviour leads to his capture by you, a daring pirate, you think it's just another ransom job. but as jake discovers the excitement of life at sea, your initial plans start to unravel. amidst adventure and unexpected feelings, both of you must navigate a complex web of desires and duties, ultimately facing a choice that could transform your lives forever.

word count: 22.2k

READ HERE

pairing: designer!sunghoon x reader

genre: friends to lovers, both are fools in love

synopsis: sunghoon, a talented designer, has always harboured feelings for his longtime friend, you. when he invites you to be his muse, the sessions are charged with a tension that neither of you can ignore. as sunghoon’s compliments and intimate moments reveal deeper feelings, a surprising twist shakes your world. with your engagement to someone else looming and sunghoon grappling with his emotions, both of you face a turning point that will challenge everything you thought you knew about love and friendship.

word count: 16.8k

READ HERE

𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 ©𝗴𝘆𝘂𝘂𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆𝘆 on Tumblr

˚ · .𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱

[taetaerec]

Enhypen

Masterlist Rec 2:

Multi Members

brave it together | Bully!Jay x Strange!reader, Slightly Jake x reader

Closer | LegalLine x 8thMember!reader

DRIPPED IN YOU. | Boyfriend!Sunghoon x reader x Boyfriend!Jake

I would give up heaven if I had to.. | Stepbrother!Heeseung x reader x Stepbrother!Sunghoon

kang della's 18+ works | LegalLine x 8thMember!oc

paid in & paid off | Stepbrother!Jay x reader x StepbrothersBestfriend!Jake

Pent up | Idol!Hyungline x Cleaner!reader

rosebud | Stepdad!Jay x reader x BestfriendsBrother!Sunghoon

🔑secrets that you keep | Boyfriend!Sunghoon x reader x BoyfriendsBestfriend!Heeseung

strip for me. | Bully!Hyungline x reader

Stupid Games | Stepbrother!Heeseung x reader x BrothersBestfriend!Jungwon

take the back-seat. | Boyfriend!Jay x reader BoyfriendsBestfriend!Jake

The Hunt is On | Ghostface!Heeseung x reader x Ghostface!Sunghoon

The Pantheon: A Series | Gods!OT7 x reader

Toxic | Toxic!Hyungline x Bully!reader

two boyfriends dress them up like twins. | BasketballCaptain!Jungwon x Cheerleader!reader x BasketballCoCaptain!Sunghoon

No title | Ex!Jake x reader x BrothersEx!Virgin!Jungwon

Heeseung

be with her tonight | Yandere!Heeseung x reader

ㄴ CHERRY🍒 ㄱ | Pervert!Heeseung x Virgin!reader

Coffee & Cream | Homeless!Virgin!Heeseung x Virgin!reader

✧ Homecoming | Idol!Boyfriend!Heeseung x reader

— 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 ? | Stepbrother!Heeseung x reader

PLAYER RANK: PLATINUM | SistersBoyfriend!Gamer!Heeseung x reader

VERBOTEN | DadsCoworker!Older!Heeseung x reader SMAU!

YOU'RE STILL A VIRGIN? | Roommate!Heeseung x Virgin!reader

Jay

A La Folie | King!Jay x Healer!reader

bless or curse | CEO!Jay x reader

dried flowers | Idol!Husband!Jay x reader

From This Moment On | Chaebol!Jay x Doctor!reader

Hold Me Without Hurting Me | CEO!ChildhoodBestfriend x CEO!reader

NATURALLY | Chef!Jay x reader

🍀no limits | Jay x reader

Priorities | Husband!Jay x reader

see you again. | Friend!Alpha!Jay x Omega!reader

SPACE BETWEEN US ➽ | Husband!Jay x Virgin!reader

stuck with me | smuggler!Jay x reader; Zombieapocalypse!Au

Training Wheels | Boyfriend!Jay x Inexperienced!reader

Undercover Lover | detective!rival!Jay x detective!reader

Jake

BIG D*CK FOR DUMMIES | Jake x Virgin!reader

EROTIC EMPATHY | Virgin!Jake x reader

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ FORBIDDEN ATTRACTION | Hufflepuff!Jake x reader

love on you | Idol!Boyfriend!Jake x Artist!reader

♠️off limits | BrothersBestfriend!Jake x reader

One-time thing | Girlfriend!reader x Boyfriend!Jake x ReadersBestfriend

past midnight ፤ [1:34 am] | Idol!Boyfriend!Jake x reader

SHAMELESS | Alpha!Jake x Omega!reader

silver spoons | OldMoney!Jake x Poor!ScholarshipGirl!reader

SIMS ANATOMY | neurosurgeon!Jake x cardio surgeon!Reader

Royal Sacrifice | Prince!Jake x Maid!reader

Sunghoon

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺Addictive ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺ | Toxic!Sunghoon x Toxic!Reader

⊹₊｡ꕤ˚ “all of you” ꕤ˚₊⊹ | Boyfriend!Sunghoon x reader

Favorite Flavor | BestfriendsDad!Sunghoon x reader

Here Comes The Fall-Out | Mafia!Sunghoon x Virgin!reader

I’ll pick you up | Idol!Sunghoon x Fan!reader

LITTLE BIT OF AFFECTION 박성훈 ᥫ᭡ | Manager!Sunghoon x Actress!reader

OKAY | Toxic!Sunghoon x reader

Sample Session | MedicalStudent!Sunghoon x MedicalStudent!reader

Stretch it Out | Instructor!Sunghoon x Ballerina!reader

strip for me. | Bully!Hyungline x reader

stupid in love | Bestfriend!Virgin!Sunghoon x Virgin!reader

𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞, 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 | nerd!inexperienced!Sunghoon x experienced!cheerleader!reader

Wicked Games | Yandere!Sunghoon x reader

you, me and our peeping tom. | Idol!Boyfriend!Jay x reader x Idol!Sunghoon

you need a man | Detective!Sunghoon x MafiasDaughter!reader

(No title) | Duke!Sunghoon x Duchess!reader, Bridgerton!au

(No title) | Stepbrother!Sunghoon x Virgin!reader

Sunoo

Only One For You | FoxHybrid!Sunoo x BunnyHybrid!reader

Jungwon

Cat Girls Chronicles 1 | Idol!Jungwon x CatHybrid!Reader

ꜜ : 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑷𝒊𝒍𝒍 | Idol!Jungwon x 8thMember!reader

one step at a time | Idol!Jungwon x reader

sea salt. | Pirate!Jungwon x princess!reader

[amazzwon]

my go-to ENHYPEN (hyung line) fics

°˖➴ Fiancé for Hire

(series)

smut, angst, fluff, non idol au, rich!Heeseung x broke!reader, contract au

°˖➴ Cherry

°˖➴ Cherry II

°˖➴ Cherry III

°˖➴ Cherry Epilogue

rich kid au, 80s au, smut, angst, fluff

°˖➴ Stitch me up

underground fighter!heeseung x nurse!reader, smut, angst , fluff

°˖➴ Rile Me Up

pwp, 6.1k

°˖➴ POOL PARTY

7.3k, smut, fluff, angst

°˖➴ LET’S GET MARRIED

he fell first but she fell harder, childhood friends to a married couple, fluff, 5.1k+

°˖➴ WANT

angst, smut.

°˖➴ CHERRIES

strangers to friends to eventual lovers

°˖➴ NDA

idol!heeseung, fem!fangirl!reader, smut

°˖➴ SURPRISE

smut, fluff, 9.3k

°˖➴ PRETTY BOY

fluff, 0.2k

°˖➴ Dances Avec Les Etoiles

(series)

Prince!Heeseung × Princess!fem!reader, arranged marriage, smut

°˖➴ as long as you'll let me

smut, badgirl!reader x virgin!heeseung, college au, 15k

°˖➴ your lips, my lips, apocalypse

angst, suggestive, implied college! au, 2.0k

°˖➴ hopeless

fluff, high school! au, non-idol! au, 10.8k

°˖➴ YOU CAME AND WENT, JUST LIKE THE SEASONS

lovers to exes, angst, 7.6k

°˖➴ KNOCK , KNOCK

skinship, swearing

°˖➴ TRIAGE

(series)

romance, comedy, fluff, high school, written series

°˖➴ STRIP CLUB

virgin Jay, crude words, smut, reader works in a strip club

°˖➴ Carmesi

(Series)

ceo!reader x secretary!jay, smut, suggestive, angst, fluff

°˖➴ Stars and Raindrops

highschool au, strangers to lovers, love at first sight, fluff, angst, crack, 23k

°˖➴ A La Folie

(series)

King!Jay × healer!fem!reader

°˖➴ APPLE CIDER!

crying, angsty, hooking up/sex, weed, 7.9k

°˖➴ you, my fate come and kiss me :

fluff-angst, soulmate au, 0.4k

°˖➴ touch me, feel me

Ceo!jay x Model!reader, smut, fluff

°˖➴ situationship!texts

angst, toxic relationship

°˖➴ just for you

fluff

°˖➴ 4 TIMES JAY ALMOST PROPOSED + 1 TIME HE ACTUALLY DID

established relationship au, romance, fluff, 2k

°˖➴ Cherry Chapstick

fluff at the beginning, smut with plot

°˖➴ Good boy

coworker!Jake x fem!reader, smut

°˖➴ Birthday Sex

smut

°˖➴ LUCK

fluff

°˖➴ kiwi and layla

high school au, f2l, fluff, angst, 26.3k

°˖➴ Royal Sacrifice

prince!jake x maid!fem reader, 7.1k, smut, angst

°˖➴ STRAWBERRY LIPS

fluff, 0.5k, classmates to lovers

°˖➴ cherries

fluff, est rshp, 211

°˖➴ Heartbeat

Friends with Benefits, smut

lyrics theme — "Ayo Fuck this, are we dating? Are we fucking? Are we best friends? Are we something?"

°˖➴ forbidden attraction

hogwarts, wizard!sunghoon x witch!reader, smut, fluff

°˖➴ star-crossed

prince!sunghoon/fem!reader, fluff, smut, greek mythology, angst, 6.8k

°˖➴ Relaxing

smut, 4k

°˖➴ HEAVENLY

playboy! sunghoon x fem reader, exes to lovers, fake dating, mutual pining, fluff, angst, 9.5k

°˖➴ will you let me

smut MDNI, angst

°˖➴ overtime

office au, fluff, 0.3k

°˖➴ Sparks

angst, 1.8k

°˖➴ BED

fiance!sunghoon x fem!reader, 7.8k

‧₊˚🖇️✩ ₊˚🎧⊹♡ Headcanons

Enha when their idol!partner has a wardrobe malfunction

Enha when their actress partner films with a hot actor

music bank hosts: idol!enha x idol! reader

the moments that make everyone think you’re dating (all eyes on you)

Enha hyung line reaction to you being bratty

Reaction to you asking them Ass or Tits

JAY tattoos the hickeys you leave

JAY spitting in your mouth

enhypen falling in love with you during hybe game caterers

their "oh" moment (the moment they realise they're in love)

when you play with their hair

when you call them ‘babe’

calling them “husband” trend.

texting them "please don't leave me"

[hsgwrld-archive]

0.01 - Finding new friends.

next | masterlist

a/n : i need make more profiles so who wanna be featured in it lmk !!!

--in which you get added to an nct stan group chat on twitter, you end up establishing new friendships and…catching feelings? but they’re just online friends right ?

TAGLIST :OPENED! send ask/dm to be added!

taglist : @yenqa| @mokiverse | @taejays | @urszn | @arson-mp3 | @dimplewonie | @chaewon-slays| @wonyoungsvirus | @luveuly | @ilovewonyo | @ahnneyong | @sserafimez | @redm4ri | @ddenoudepression (if i forget to add you let me know )