dongjin, the so-called fearful lone wolf the country was a coward. he knew that his wife didn’t love him, yet he still went forward with the engagement when he had the power to end it. maybe there was a part of him that hoped, that prayed that jayeong would one day return feelings he had for her.
he cleared his throat, bending down to whisper in her ear, “ jayeong, be careful your skin is almost green with envy, we don’t want people talking.”
dongjin sighed at her words, “ they have to be if they were any less than perfect than the public would rip them to shreds. i don’t envy any of them.”
lies, he wished he could light up jayeong’s eyes like prince sejong did by just walking into a room but he would never admit that out loud.
it’s hard not to feel guilty when he’s this sweet—and honestly, in the purest essence, dongjin truly is a nice guy. his reputation on the battlefield aside, he’s treated her with so much consideration, an amount she can’t even begin to return. maybe it’s selfishness, or maybe it’s discomfort—especially when she falls asleep alone at night, wakes up to an empty bedside.
she could consider it a blessing, really, that her husband (she’s not yet used to calling him such) is absent from home so much. silence by herself is more easing than silence when together; she sends him letters when she can, but they’re void of emotion and altogether substance.
in fact, the party tonight is the first time in a while that they’ve graced each other’s company, so when he leans down—whispers in her ear ever so softly—she nearly jumps before remembering where she is and who exactly with. she doesn’t respond, just gulps, heavily, and when the royal couple inches closer, jayeong reaches for dongjin’s hand—more out of necessity than anything, really—to shuffle them out of the way.
she doesn’t want to be in earshot when prince sejong finally says those words. my fiancee.
a quick beeline to the closest wall, she sighs when they’re out of sigh and (for now) out of mind. her hand drops from his, arms now crossing across her chest as her shoulders droop in unconscious sadness. “do you think they love each other?”
a foolish question, jayeong.
“i wonder what their courtship was like,” she adds, swift too barely give him enough time to answer her question. “they’ve been betrothed for so long. it’s like out of a fairytale, honestly.”
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