savior [kunhang]
❧ word count: 24.3k
❧ warnings: cursing, a near death experience but for comedic effect
❧ genre: fluff, royal au, prince kunhang, princess reader
❧ extra info: based off this text post
“Isn’t the idea supposed to be ‘you saved my life, now I owe you a debt’?”
“Nope,” the man shook his head firmly, seeming absolutely delighted. “Other way around. You saved my life, so now I’m your problem. If you don’t like it, then kill me.”
The sounds of the less distant waterfall came ever closer to you as you tread through the woods. Typically you’d be riding a horse, but you wished for this particular excursion to take as long as possible, so you instead decided to go on foot. Sunlight filtered through the green leaves of the trees and pine shifted underfoot as you continued your walk.
Finally, you emerged from the woods to find yourself right at the edge of chaos. The sounds of the tons of water falling below you now roared in your ears. You were perched right beside the raging waterfall that began the river that cut between kingdoms. Your own kingdom was further downstream, you didn’t even know of the waterfall this far upstream before today.
On a perfect day, it would be an idyllic sight: the water above and below it filled with children swimming, fishermen throwing their nets out, and animals drinking at its shore. But after periods of heavy rain—like now—it became a violent cascade forming a strong and wicked current that threatened to sweep away any unlucky thing that found itself too close.
A lot like the boy you then noticed dangling treacherously from a branch just a few feet below you. Right above the steep drop. If the fall didn’t kill him, his body being bashed into the rocks or the cold and angry water rushing into his lungs surely would.
“Hey!” He seemed to have spotted you right as you had seen him. “Hey!”
You took a couple uncertain steps towards the edge, keeping the forest ground under your feet, “Are you okay?”
“Oh yeah, just hanging out, you know,” he joked around, and you couldn’t imagine what kind of person would find this remotely humorous. “A little help, please?”
Looking around for the safest path, you reluctantly stepped onto the wet and slippery rocks, nearing ever closer to the sheer drop of the cliffside. The man craned his neck up to look at you as you continued taking in your surroundings, trying to find anything to help him with.
With a sigh, you took your longbow off your back. This dude was lucky you’d decided to bring this in addition to your sword.
Well aware of your own center of gravity, you first found a good foothold for yourself as you gave him directions.
“Now, my bow is made of the strongest wood possible, it won’t break no matter the strain put on it,” you informed him, peering further over the edge to try to see the cliff face. “Do you see anywhere you can use as a step?”
“Uh—” he took a moment to scan the rocks in front, below, and above him. “Yeah, I see some places I can use to help get up.”
“Alright.”
Positioning your feet how you’d planned, you took one end of your bow into your hand then offered the other end to him. Inch by inch, grunt by grunt, heart-jerking slip by heart-jerking slip, you managed to get the man up. Once he was close enough, you tossed your bow aside and instead clutched at his hands and arms. With a final yank on his forearm, you’d successfully dragged him onto flat land. But you didn’t dare catch your breath until you’d snatched your bow back up and tugged him back into the forest as well.
There, the both of you were able to plop down onto the ground in relief. He seemed about ready to kiss the pine needles and dirt as you caught your breath.
“Dude, what the fuck?” You finally were able to ask him, gesturing in bewilderment and disbelief at him.
Now able to properly look at him, you were met with dark eyes framed by damp, dark hair and accompanied by handsome features.
“Oh you are going to regret that,” he shook his head, completely ignoring your question, an adrenaline-filled grin spreading across his lips.
“What? You gonna kill me?” You scoffed, hand hovering over the grip of your sword as you did a mental roll of where your hidden daggers were.
“Don’t think I could if I wanted to. Which I don’t.”
“So reassuring.”
“But you do know what happens when you save someone’s life, right?”
“Isn’t the idea supposed to be ‘you saved my life, now I owe you a debt’?”
“Nope,” the man shook his head firmly, seeming absolutely delighted. “Other way around. You saved my life, so now I’m your problem. If you don’t like it, then kill me.”
Blinking slowly, you continued staring at him, “You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“I’m not.”
“Well, I’m not fucking killing you, that’s for sure,” you shook your head. “I still don’t believe you.”
He tilted his head to the side, “You… are new around here.”
Caught off-guard, you stood up a little straighter, tension returning to your muscles, “Why would you think that?”
“That’s like the first rule you learn here. You’re very unfortunate to have me be the one to teach you that.”
“Why do you say that?”
“God wanted me dead, now you get to find out why.”
“You’re so dramatic.”
“Precisely my point.”
Before your squabbling could continue, you heard the beating of horse hooves against the ground nearing and knew exactly what was happening.
“Well, this is going to be my chance to see if you’re lying to me or not,” you informed him, knowing exactly who was coming.
“Oh, I can’t wait,” he crossed his arms, face awfully smug for someone who was about to be proven wrong.
The thumping of galloping horses drew closer until three emerged from the forest, slowing to a stop in front of you. On one horse was your father; another held a young man who you had already been introduced to as Prince Sicheng when you first arrived at the castle this afternoon. That was right before you decided to take off on your little adventure.
And the regal man at the front made you bow deeply to show your respect.
“You may stand.”
At the king’s command, you straightened back up, side-eyeing the boy you’d just saved.
“Well,” your father spoke up, urging his horse to move beside the king’s. “Good to see that you two have met.”
Before you could sputter out a declaration of your confusion, the prince had dismounted his horse. In his hand were a sword in its sheath and a plain black sash that matched the king’s and his own. He bypassed you to hold them out to the man beside you, “You forgot these.”
“And I have a feeling it was on purpose,” the king added in mild annoyance.
The man still had his shit-eating grin across his features as he dropped the sash on his body and fastened the sword at his hip. You felt nearly dizzy as you came to the startling realization of the situation.
He was suddenly bowing to you, “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess Y/N.”
You didn’t even have enough wits about you to return the sentiment, still speechless. Your father saved you, seeming to have finally read the tension in the air.
“Y/N… is everything alright? Has something happened?”
The prince beside you answered for you, “I was filling her in on some of our customs here in Greenvale.”
“Oh, well that’s very… helpful of you, son,” the king seemed skeptical but apparently didn’t want to discuss this further. “Come, we must all be getting back. Give our guests some time to get settled in before dinner tonight.”
The older prince spoke up again, this time to you, “Princess Y/N, you may take my horse back.”
“Oh, no thank you, Prince Sicheng, I’ll be just fine on my own two feet,” you dismissed the kindly man’s offer.
He nodded, accepting your words before mounting the horse himself.
You fell into step beside the younger prince on the path, the two of you just behind the three horsemen. Glaring over at him, you addressed him quietly, “You could have told me who you were, Prince Kunhang.”
“You didn’t ask, Princess Y/N,” he shot back smugly.
“Were you being serious about the custom?”
“Yep. You own my ass now, and not in the good way. I can show you the official book of Greenvale customs in the library back at the castle, if you still don’t believe me.”
Rolling your eyes at his phrasing, you instead focused on the more proper statement of his, “I would, please.”
“Very well, then.”
As you continued your journey back, you bitterly recalled all the events that had led you up to this point. It was just supposed to be a simple diplomatic visit to one of your neighboring kingdoms. Your two kingdoms hadn’t been of the friendliest of terms for most of your life, meaning that you weren’t familiar at all with the royal family of Greenvale—or their customs. If what Prince Kunhang had told you was true, you were going to regret not trying to read up at all before travelling here.
Being the sole heir to the throne, your father found it important for you to start joining your parents on diplomatic affairs like these. Once you had arrived at the castle and done your introductions with the King and Queen—during which they apologized for their youngest son, Prince Kunhang’s, absence—your mother requested to lay down for a bit, your father wanted to tour the castle grounds, and you asked Prince Sicheng if there were any landmarks of note nearby. He’d been the one to tell you about the waterfall, which was why you weren’t surprised that the two kings knew where to find you. You wondered if he had also known that his brother was out here when he suggested the destination to you.
“So,” Prince Kunhang decided to spark up conversation again, speaking quietly as to not have the others listen in. “You come to a new land on a diplomatic visit, and the first thing you decide to do is not chitchat with the nobility but go out into the forest all by yourself?”
“So,” you mocked him. “You know you have nobility coming to your kingdom on a diplomatic visit, and the first thing you decide to do instead of greet them properly is to go out into the forest all by yourself?”
He was completely unfazed by your rebuttal, “Fair play, Princess. Honest, I really had every intention of being back in time to greet you all. But…”
“You got stuck hanging out instead?”
“Aww,” he faked endearment. “You understand me already. Looks like you’ll be able to handle your eternal debt to me very well.”
“I don’t owe you or own you until I see it in writing in this supposed book you have.”
Back at the castle, the small group split ways, the prince parting from you with the request to meet him in the library on the second floor when you were ready. You went to your guest room, greeted by the messily unpacked bag and clothes sprawled out on your bed from when you’d scramble to get into proper outdoor exploring clothes earlier. Setting your bow and arrows down on a table at the foot of the bed, you pulled out more appropriate formal wear for in the castle.
You decided to deal with your actual unpacking and settling in later, wanting to deal with your situation with Prince Kunhang as soon as possible. There was no way you were now responsible for that fully-grown man.
After asking a maid whom you’d found in the hallway outside your room for directions, you entered the royal library. Prince Kunhang was easy to find, reclined in a chair at the focal point of the room: a large table. On the tabletop in front of him was an open book, his finger already on the page. Clearly, he’d been waiting for you.
As you neared him, he started reading a passage, “‘Another observed custom of Greenvale is that of saving a life. If one saves another’s life, they are now responsible for that life until one of the two involved dies. If the savior wishes not to be responsible for the one they saved, they must simply kill them to have the burden taken from them. If not, the bond can only be nullified by the saved being saved again by another, or by the savior being saved by the one who they’d previously saved.’”
“But it’s still just a custom,” you tried to argue. “It’s not like it’s law.”
“Oh, Princess Y/N, do you think it’s a good idea to disrespect the customs of the kingdom you’re visiting on a diplomatic trip?”
He was right, but you hated that he was, “Are you really going to hold me to this? Nobody else will know if you don’t make a stink about it.”
“Something you’ll come to learn about me, Princess, is that I’m very good at making a stink about things if I so choose.”
At your miffed silence, the prince continued reading, “‘These customs are more feared and binding than the laws declared by the royal family of Greenvale, which are subject to be waived or ignored at the discretion of the rulers. The customs are absolute, no exceptions can be applied to anyone within the borders of Greenvale, or they would seriously hurt the prince’s feelings.’”
“You made that last part up.”
Before you could look at it yourself, he snapped the book shut soundly, “Maybe so. But the rest was real. You wanted it in writing, Princess, and you just got it.”
Finally, you gave up. Flopping into the chair caddy-corner to his, you rested your cheek in your palm, “So what does this responsibility exactly entail?”
“It’s the ultimate form of responsibility. Think of the responsibility a master has over his servant…”
“Okay.”
“And that of a parent over their child…”
“Okay.”
“And that of a spouse to a spouse…”
“Okay.”
“Add them all up and multiply by a thousand. And that’s the responsibility that you have over me now.”
“Oh my god,” you shifted back in your seat to rub your temples, now genuinely contemplating ending the bond right now. “Why, why, why would you make that a custom here? That’s just punishing the person who saves the other person’s life.”
Prince Kunhang rested a gentle hand on your forearm, “Princess.”
You tore your gaze from his hand to his face, really not excited for what he was about to say. But he seemed very genuine, a change from the smug smirk and cocky nonchalance he’d had about the matter from the beginning.
“I haven’t actually said thank you yet. So thank you, very much, for saving my life. I owe you everything.”
He held your gaze for another breath-taking moment before retracting his hand.
“You’re welcome,” you breathed out. “And I thought you didn’t owe me anything.”
“No, I don’t. But it’s not all bad for the savior—”
“Please don’t call me that.”
“It’s not all bad for… you. You’re responsible for me, but in return, think of what a master gains from his servant, what a parent gets from their child, and a spouse receives from their spouse. And multiply that all by a thousand, and that’s what I’m to fulfill.”
“Oh…” you looked around the library uncomfortably. “Uh, I need to ask, but we’re not like betrothed now or anything, right?”
He snorted, “No, dear God no. If that were the case, we’d have the oddest couples around here. But I understand if my examples were confusing.”
A knock at the doorframe brought your focus away from Prince Kunhang and instead to your mother, who was standing there with a pleasant smile across her face, “Dinner is ready, kids.”
Standing, you crossed the room to give her an affectionate hug, “Feeling better, Mother?”
“Yes, much,” she reassured you, letting the prince guide the way down the halls. “What were you two reading in there?”
Your eyes snapped to meet his, and you gave him a ‘don’t you fucking dare’ look. There was no way you wanted to explain the whole life-saving connection you had with him at that moment.
Thankfully, he seemed to understand, “Oh, Princess Y/N wanted to learn more about our culture, so I was showing her some traditional Greenvale fairytales.”
“That’s nice. Maybe you can retell them to your younger cousins the next time they visit, sweetheart.”
“Don’t you think Hyuck and Jeno are a little old for fairytales?”
“You know who I mean, Y/N. Jieun, Meiqi, and the twins, Sooyoung, and Jonghyun; your father’s niece’s children.”
“Of course, Mother,” your sweet words were directed at her, but your glare was firmly on the prince’s face. Now he’d just given you the task of memorizing some actual Greenvale fairytales.
The next morning found you back in the royal library, eyes roaming the titles on book spines by candlelight as you were up before the sun was. You hadn’t slept very well, which tended to happen when you weren’t in your own bed back home. So now you were searching for the book of customs that Prince Kunhang had read to you from yesterday. There had to be something in there to get you out of this without one of you two dying or nearly dying.
‘A Collection of Greenvale Fairytales’
Not exactly what you were looking for, but you’d need to learn at least one before you returned home in a couple days. You took it off the shelf and tucked it away into your arm to continue looking for the one you really needed.
Eventually, you gave up. The library was so vast and seemed to have no kind of sensible organization. It would take you hours to sort through every single title. You’d given up at a far corner in the library, where a single scarlet armchair and side table were tucked away. A perfect little reading nook.
Toeing your shoes off, you set your candle down onto the small table. You tucked your feet underneath yourself in the large plush chair, cushions practically swallowing you up in the most comfortable way possible. Once settled in, you admired the book for a moment. The cover was simple, a faded teal with the title in elegant gold leaf lettering. The corners were rounded, worn down from years of use. This was a well-loved book.
You flipped to the very first story and started reading.
It was a tale about a mythical beast with the head of a lion and body of a dragon. Well that was a new one to you.
The next was in a similar vein of mythos, this time about a personification of the lush forest that surrounded Greenvale and how some trees, the very ones that surround the main town center never lose their green, even during the harshest winters. Must be where the kingdom’s name came from.
After that was a fairytale that seemed more like the ones you had heard growing up. A prince who found a magical waterfall as a young boy. The waterfall would grant him any wish as long as he didn't show this place to any other person. He would ask for all sorts of toys and riches and playthings when he was younger, but as he grew up, he found himself wishing for things he thought would grant him happiness: gold, jewels, horses, power, but nothing seemed to satisfy him. Until one day, he wished for a woman to love and who would love him. As he was leaving that place still feeling unfulfilled, he bumped into a beautiful maiden who was kind in heart and gifted in mind. In that moment, he realized that his wish had been granted and so he brought her to his palace and married her. When they were growing old together with kids of their own, the king hadn't been back to the waterfall in years. One day, he and his queen went out on a horseback ride together, and he didn't realize he had led her to his waterfall until she'd already ran to the water to dip her toes in and cool off. And the king wasn't mad that he wouldn't be able to have any more wishes granted, because his queen was the last wish he ever needed.
It was a nice story, and you wondered if the waterfall referenced was the one that you had been at the day before.
You were more than halfway through the book when you realized that the sun had started coming up, enough light streaming in that you didn’t need the candle anymore. Pausing between stories, you blew out the flame and readjusted your legs to get ready for some more reading.
The sound of footsteps stopped you, and you looked up to your right, where they were coming from. A familiar figure was coming towards you, one that made you roll your eyes just a little.
“You’re up rather early, Princess Y/N,” Prince Kunhang commented as he came to a stop in front of you.
“Good morning to you too, Prince Kunhang.”
“So what are you reading?”
You held up the book to show him the cover, “I now have to learn Greenvale fairytales because of your fib yesterday.”
“They’re good, aren’t they?”
“They’re quaint,” you shrugged. “I have a question for you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you make it a habit to lie to people?”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve known you for less than a day and have already seen you smoothly lie to your father and my mother. So I was just curious if I was now responsible for a pathological liar.”
He chuckled, “No, no, you’re not. It’s just that, like I said, customs are taken very seriously in Greenvale. Especially that one. It’s better for my parents not to know, they’d be… weird about it.”
“What would ‘weird’ entail?”
“Remember how you asked me if this meant we’re betrothed?”
“You said we aren’t.”
“We’re not, officially. But that’s how my parents would act.”
“Oh. Well… thank you, then, for lying.”
“You’re welcome.”
Prince Kunhang stood there for another moment, the two of you in silence as your fingertips played with the pages of the book.
“Which story are you on?” He blurted out, clearly feeling the awkward tension.
“Uh, I just finished the one about the sentient loaf of bread.”
“Yeah, that’s one of our weirder ones. Enjoy your readings, Princess, I’ll see you at breakfast in a bit.”
You gave him a short wave before he pivoted on his heel and took leave of the library.
A couple days later and you were in the courtyard just outside the front of the castle, your belongings packed back up and a carriage waiting to take your family back to your own kingdom.
“Thank you for being such gracious hosts,” you bowed to the king and queen.
As your parents talked with them for a moment, you turned your goodbyes to the princes, “Goodbye, Prince Sicheng, Prince Kunhang.”
They both returned your bow, Prince Kunhang saying, “Goodbye, Princess Y/N. I hope you return to our kingdom again soon.”
With that, you climbed into the carriage with your parents, and gave a final wave to the Greenvale royal family as the horses pulled away.
Just a week or so later, with all thoughts of Greenvale and the prince and your newfound responsibility over him gone, you were returning from a horseback ride. Dismounting, you took the reins to usher your mare into the stable. One of the stable boys, Jaemin, rushed to try to take care of her, but you waved him off.
“I’ve got it, Jaemin, thank you.”
You always preferred rinsing down and grooming your own horse, the bond that came with it making riding even more enjoyable. Right as you were starting on untacking her, another servant came down the path from the castle.
“Lady Y/N!” She called out to you.
“Yes, Dawon?” You grunted with effort to heave the heavy saddle off the horse’s back.
“A letter came for you.”
“Do you know who it’s from?”
“No, miss,” she informed you solemnly. “It’s from somewhere in Greenvale, though.”
Intrigued, you turned away from your horse to take the teal envelope into your own hands. It was sealed with golden wax on the back, with no markings of who it was from on the front. Just that it was for you.
“Jaemin, could you finish taking care of True?” You requested of the stable hand, to which he immediately complied.
Not forgetting to thank both the servants, you wandered away from the stables. You took your riding gloves off and stuffed them in your pocket in order to gently run your finger over the detailing of the seal. It was a simple but elegant design of an evergreen tree. Fully interested now, you slid a finger under the flap and opened it.
Retrieving the letter from within, you unfolded it and immediately started drinking in the words.
April 12
Dear Princess Y/N,
I'm writing to you in order to inform you of things I’ve done which you are now responsible for, as per Greenvale custom. The other day I accidentally bumped into a baker in town and knocked his basket of breads to the ground. Later that same day, I stepped on a child’s doll and broke the head off and had to buy a new one. Today I had the misfortune of being swindled by a scammer in a darker alley of the town center. The bread cost approximately 32 silver, the new doll cost approximately 20 silver, and I lost almost 100 silver to the scammer. That’s 152 silver total. Your payment is expected the next time you visit Greenvale.
Always Your Burden,
Prince Kunhang
Of course it was Prince Kunhang. Who else would possibly be sending to you from Greenvale? The content of it made you roll your eyes. This guy was ridiculous.
Climbing the stairs to your room, you went into the adjoined study to sit down and write your response to him.
April 13
Dear Prince Kunhang,
Could you please stop being such a klutz? And idiot? And you’re also the Prince, couldn’t you have the swindler simply arrested and your money returned to you?
Always Burdened by You,
Princess Y/N
Finishing it with a flourish of your signature, you folded it up and placed it in an envelope similar to his. You took a moment to melt your own scarlet wax before pouring it over the flap and pressing your own stamp onto it. It left the relief of a sun in the hardened wax.
Only the next day, Dawon came to you with yet another teal envelope. This time she had found you at your afternoon tea with your mother. The letter went as such:
April 13
Dear Princess Y/N,
You are so smart! Our royal guard found and arrested the scammer earlier today and the money has been returned to everyone who has been swindled by him. Your total is now only 52 silver. You can also accept your gifts of gratitude from the townspeople of Greenvale the next time you visit.
Your Lowly Idiot Klutz,
Prince Kunhang
With a scoff, you read it once more before tucking it away. You’d have to reply to him later.
“Who’s that from, Y/N?” Your mother asked.
“Oh, Prince Kunhang. Following up to thank us again for our last visit. I’m not sure why he’s contacting me directly.”
After your tea was finished, you dismissed yourself to return to your study. At your desk, you wrote back to him.
April 14
Dear Prince Kunhang,
I don’t need any sort of gifts or presents from your townspeople for using common sense when you could not. What I do need is for you to use your big head.
Your Sensible Genius,
Princess Y/N
His next came as quick as the last:
April 14
Princess Y/N,
I feel that since we've corresponded so much, I can drop the ‘Dear,’ correct? Anyway, I tried to use my head, but just ended up knocking my servant Renjun out. Kid can’t handle a headbutt. I await your medical advice eagerly.
Your Big-Head,
Prince Kunhang
For a moment you couldn’t even think of anything at all, too caught off-guard. Then you started writing your response.
April 15
Prince Kunhang,
What the hell?
I hope to dear God above that you are just kidding and not seriously writing me a letter while your servant lies unconscious on the ground. In case you’re not joking (because that wouldn’t surprise me), take him to your court physician and in the future please don’t take my words so literally.
Your Exasperated Acquaintance,
Princess Y/N
April 15
Princess Y/N,
I am hurt that you would simply refer to us as acquaintances, I thought we were more than that. Anyway, I was, in fact, kidding. I of course immediately took Renjun to the court physician. I am happy to tell you that he’s made a speedy and full recovery.
Also, I unfortunately will not be able to write you for a few days as I’m leaving on an extended hunting trip into the Greenvale forest.
Your Solemn Charge,
Prince Kunhang
The idea of him going on a hunting trip honestly terrified you. He was clearly inept at just walking, and he’d already ended up dangling over the edge of a roaring waterfall once. This boy was seriously making you age faster.
April 16
Kunhang,
While I know that you’ll already be on the hunting trip when this letter arrives, please don’t end up accidentally tripping off a cliff or getting shot with an arrow or something else. You idiot klutz.
Slowly Going Grey Because of You,
Y/N
After nearly three days of walking around your castle grounds wringing your hands anxiously, Dawon found you with a teal envelope in hand.
April 18
Y/N,
So I guess we’re on a first name basis now? How... saucy. Anyway, your concern for me warms my heart. I’m ecstatic to inform you that neither me nor my companions suffered any injuries on the trip.
When will you be returning to Greenvale? You still have a debt of 52 silver to settle.
With A Luscious Head of Hair,
Kunhang
April 19
Kunhang,
I’m glad to hear that you and your companions aren’t dead or hanging out over the edge of a cliff.
To answer your question, I will return to Greenvale the next time my family receive an official invite to do so. Until then, I suppose I’ll have to live with my debt of 52 silver.
Relieved and Rolling My Eyes,
Y/N
Despite the usually ridiculous or infuriating content of them, Kunhang’s letters had become something you looked forward to, your favorite part of the day. They were mostly recounting of his daily misfortunes that you were responsible for, or some kind of playful commentary on your own stories you’d tell him sometimes.
Today’s letter brought a fond smile to your face.
May 2
Y/N,
As promised, a sampling of the wildflowers Greenvale has to offer is enclosed. And I’m obligated to inform you that I sprained my ankle acquiring them for you. So you better be grateful. And also, you’re now doubly responsible for my injury. In return, to ease my pain, I request one rock of your choosing from Solton.
Suffering Just for You,
Kunhang
You picked up the flowers you had set aside earlier in order to read the letter. A lilac, stalk of yellow snapdragons, blush pink peony, and white flower you couldn’t quite identify already pressed and dried for you. Rising from your desk chair, you moved back into your bedroom to fondly set them atop a jewelry box on your vanity that you never opened.
Looks like you’d have to go on a little adventure today to acquire that rock.
Still with the letter in hand, your attention was caught by a couple raps to your bedroom door.
“Come in,” you called out to them, gently rearranging the flowers.
“Y/N,” it was your mother, sharp eyes not missing the flowers and letter as a knowing smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Prince Kunhang again?”
You tried to stutter over an intelligible response, but she stopped you with a wave of her hand before speaking again.
“I came here to tell you that the invitations for your father and I’s anniversary ball have been sent out, and because of our successful diplomatic trip last month, the royal family of Greenvale have been invited this year.”
“That’s wonderful that our kingdoms’ relations are improving,” you commented.
She tilted her head to the side, “Also, I’m sure Kun would appreciate you staying out of the kitchens this time.”
At the mention of your very detail-oriented chef who was often distressed by your bothersome presence, you scoffed, “He pretends like he doesn’t love me.”
“Please don’t stress the poor man more than his assistant does.”
“There’s no way I could stress him out more than Chenle.”
She merely gave you a pointed look, “The ball is in two weeks.”
“I can’t wait.”
With that, she departed from your room, leaving you once again alone with your letter and your flowers. You walked back into your study to pen your reply to Kunhang, an idea brewing in your mind.
May 3
Kunhang,
First of all, I haven’t enclosed your desired rock as you will be given it when you come to Solton for my parents’ anniversary ball in two weeks. It’ll serve as something for you to look forward to.
I’m honored that you would go to such lengths to get me these flowers. But knowing your track record as an idiot klutz, I’m not sure how great the lengths were for you to sprain your ankle.
Disappointed but Not Surprised,
Y/N
May 3
Y/N,
I’ll be looking forward to a lot more than a rock when I come to Solton.
Are you familiar with the language of flowers? It’s a popular practice here in Greenvale. I can teach you some the next time you come visit.
Really Excited About That Rock,
Kunhang
May 4
Kunhang,
I don’t know much about the language of flowers, I’d like to learn some time. I tried to ask the botanist in charge of our greenhouse here, Jooeun, but I had walked up behind her and surprised her, and she pricked herself on a rose thorn so I had to patch her up. After that, I was too embarrassed to ask her. It seems that your ineptitude at existing is rubbing off on me. Soon my head is going to swell to twice its size as well.
So, what else are you looking forward to when you come to Solton? Our pastries, or roasts? Our chef, Kun, is very well renowned. Perhaps the famous court musicians we have? The violinist is my favorite, Liu Yangyang, he’s a prodigy. They’ll be playing at the ball. Or are you looking forward to something else?
A Pondering Princess,
Y/N
May 4
Y/N,
Yes, I’ve heard of your chef’s pastries. Solton has a specific tart that’s indescribably delicious but inimitable by even the best, from what I’ve heard. But that’s not exactly at the top of the list of things I’m looking forward to. And neither is your prodigy, either.
I’m terribly sorry for my stupidity rubbing off on you, as it seems that none of your intellect has rubbed off on me. Maybe it doesn’t work so well simply through letters. And I’m not sure why you think my head is so big, I think it’s been far too long since you’ve visited Greenvale that you’ve incorrectly remembered my simply average-sized head.
Have you chosen the dress you’ll be wearing at the ball yet? Not asking for any particular reason, of course, just curious.
Oh, and just to remind you, you still have a debt of 52 silver to attend to upon your next visit.
Your Average-Headed Debtee,
Kunhang
May 5
Kunhang,
I suppose we’ll have to see if my intellect transfers to you when you come to Solton. Hopefully I don’t catch any more of your ineptitude in the process. And we’ll see how well my memory is functioning in regard to your head size. My memory is almost never wrong.
And no, I haven’t chosen my dress for the ball yet, but I really should since it’s now less than two weeks away. It’ll probably be something simple, I can’t outshine the star: my mother. After all, it’s her anniversary ball, not mine. I don’t have an anniversary to celebrate anyway. Any suggestions for my dress? Although I’m not sure how much you actually know about dresses and women’s fashion so I may not heed your advice.
Running Out of Creative Ways to Sign Off,
Y/N
May 5
Y/N,
I think the only way for you to not steal the show would be to not go. Or wear a sack for a dress. If you don’t wish to do either of that, a nice black dress may keep the spotlight on your parents a tad bit more. If you wish to celebrate an anniversary of some sort, what about the anniversary of our bond? April 3rd, if I remember correctly (it's been a month already!). Oh wait, it’s our secret. So I suppose we’ll just have to celebrate it privately when the occasion arises.
Clearly the Most Creative Between Us,
Kunhang
May 6
Kunhang,
I think I’d rather the black dress, honestly. Your opinions have been taken into consideration. As for the anniversary you mentioned, please do not. Just… do not.
Your Exasperated… Person,
Y/N
May 6
Y/N,
So we’ve upgraded from Acquaintance to Person, then? Or maybe you were just at a loss for words to call yourself, since you despise ‘savior’ so much. I believe we can safely say that we’re friends, correct? If not, then I have a lot of servants’ memories to correct.
A couple reminders: You will owe 52 silver upon your next visit to Greenvale, and you owe me a Solton rock upon my visit to Solton in 10 days from when I’m writing this and 9 days from when you’re reading this. My family and I will be arriving the day before the ball to get settled in, in case you figured that my math was wrong.
Your Eternally Patient Friend,
Kunhang
May 7
Kunhang,
Counting down the days until the next time you see me? Interesting. And yes, I agree, we can safely call each other friends at this point. Though it is a rather unbalanced friendship, from my perspective. Considering I own your ass, and not in the good way.
Your Eternally Exasperated Friend,
Y/N
May 7
Y/N,
I knocked over an entire stall of produce today. It was very comedic, I think you would have laughed if you were there and had seen it. Absolutely hilarious. And expensive, as well. Your total debt is now 252 silver. It was a lot of produce.
I collect my Solton rock in 9 days from when I’m writing and 8 days from when you’re reading.
Still Your Idiot Klutz,
Kunhang
A knock startled you awake early in the morning, and you groaned, rolling over in bed to bury your face in your pillows. The knocking came again, and this time you made some kind of noise of acknowledgement before squeezing your eyes shut and desperately trying to resume your snoozing.
“My Lady,” it was Dawon, completely unfazed by your demeanor as she bustled around your room. “Your father sent me to get you ready to greet some guests. A few different families are arriving early to settle in before the ball tomorrow.”
Giving a noncommittal grunt, you pulled your sheets over your head, sliding further down your bed.
She continued speaking as she moved around your room, presumably getting your clothes, shoes, and other things sorted out. You took another few minutes before begrudgingly sitting up, blinking and squinting against the light streaming in from the curtains she’d just opened. You rubbed the sleep from your eyes as you let out a yawn, swinging your legs over the edge of your bed.
On your vanity was a tray of foods, your breakfast. Might as well start there.
“Good morning, My Lady!” Dawon greeted you cheerfully as she saw that you were finally up and moving.
“Morning, Da,” you mumbled back.
Standing at your vanity, you cracked your back before picking up a muffin from the tray. You ate quietly, taking sips of tea between mouthfuls of your food. Dawon continued rambling on as you only half-listened. She had placed the tray beside the jewelry box where your pressed flowers were. The pressed flowers from Kunhang.
With a half-eaten muffin in one hand, you used the other to gently grace the dehydrated petals. You felt the urge to reread the letter that had come with them, but it was in a drawer in your study, along with all the others he’d sent you. It felt wrong to throw them away for some reason. So they were neatly filed in a desk drawer, the first at the far back and the most recent at the front. The one you’d be looking for would be somewhere in the middle, if you remembered correctly.
Your attention suddenly snapped to Dawon, abruptly dropping the flowers and spinning to face her, “What was that, Da?”
She seemed only slightly startled as she continued making your bed and repeated what she'd just said, “I was saying that some of the guests arriving today are your relatives, the Duke and Duchess Lees and their sons as well as the Lord and Lady Kim… and I believe the only foreigners arriving today are the royal family of Greenvale.”
Some kind of noise came from the back of your throat, but you couldn’t even decipher what emotion it was meant to convey. The closest you could describe it as was anticipation. Excitement dampened by anxiety.
When the news traveled through the castle that the first guests were arriving, you practically flew down the halls to meet your parents on the steps of the grand entrance. Just at the horizon was the gate that determined the castle boundaries. It was always open, for any townspeople to come to the castle or any castle-dwellers to go into town. Today your eyes strained to catch a glimpse of the soon-to-be-approaching carriage.
Noticing your heavy breathing that you attempted to conceal, your father regarded you with a raised brow, “Did you run here, Y/N?”
“I speed-walked,” you tried to play it off.
“You could have very well just joined us in the throne room.”
“What kind of impression would I leave if the Princess of Solton didn’t greet guests along with the King and Queen?”
A proud smile spread across his lips as he nodded, “Good.”
The first guests were disappointing: your aunt, uncle, and older cousin Doyoung. Not that you weren’t happy to see your family, but you couldn’t say they were the people you were most excited to visit with. The six of you stayed in the entrance hall to chat as a knight came to announce another carriage was arriving, another Solton one.
The Kims stayed to help greet more of your family: your mother’s cousin, her husband, their three sons: Taeyong, Jeno, and Donghyuck. Taeyong was the eldest of your generation of the family, then Doyoung, and you smack dab in the middle as Jeno and Donghyuck were both younger than you. For the greater part of your life, the five of you grew up together, out and about in the wilderness, streets, and castle of Solton. Though only you and Doyoung were the only ones who were technically cousins, you all still called each other cousins, that title being a lot easier than second cousins once removed or whatever you and the Lees actually were.
And yet you couldn’t focus on catching up with your family, your mind still elsewhere. Ears straining to hear any sign of another carriage coming. A foreign carriage.
Doyoung and Taeyong had just started another one of their petty bickering sessions, which you and the younger two typically enjoyed watching, when your aunt declared that they should get settled in, and Lord Kim agreed. Right as your extended family dispersed with various servants to be shown to their rooms, another knight ran up to inform you of the final carriage scheduled to arrive today.
You had to control your stride as to not outpace your parents. They couldn’t know your excitement, and god forbid your visitors from Greenvale know of it as well. Kunhang would never let you live it down. And so you also forced yourself to keep your apprehensive bouncing on your heels to a minimum as well.
The next carriage that pulled through the gate was drawn by four chestnut steeds, and the design of the carriage itself stood it apart from Solton ones. While your own kingdom’s carriages had simple lines, prevalent sun imagery, and tended to be crafted from lighter toned woods, this one had the most intricate carvings of forest flora in the deep colored wood. Definitely not from Solton.
Once it had stopped, a servant opened the door, offering a hand to assist the first person to disembark, the Queen of Greenvale. She was followed by the King, the pair taking a moment to wait for the last two members. Both the princes once again had their simple black sashes on, Sicheng already focusing a bright smile on you. The younger of the two hadn’t forgotten his sword this time, and his clothes were only slightly fancier than the ones he’d worn when you’d first found him dangling over the waterfall. He was also much drier, of course.
And perhaps his head wasn’t all that big.
The four approached your own trinity, the Queen and her sons all smiles as they joined you on the steps. The King simply offered cordial nods to each of you.
While polite greetings were given all around, you were still tightly attuned to the younger prince, waiting for something, anything. The first notion or acknowledgement of your friendship, of your communications in the last several weeks. He met your gaze for a moment, offering you a short tilt of the head and half smile as his mother complimented your mother’s shoes or something.
Your parents led the way inside the castle, Prince Kunhang’s parents and older brother right beside them. You were surprised that Sicheng hadn’t stayed with you two as you trailed behind the group. Not that you were complaining as you and Kunhang exchanged a couple more silent glances before he finally broke the silence.
“Do you have my rock, Princess Y/N?” He questioned, tilting his head at you again.
A smirk tugged at the corner of your mouth, “Yes.”
He held out his hand palm-up expectantly, “Well?”
“It’s in my bedroom.”
“Are you—” Kunhang looked around dramatically before lowering his voice even further. “Are you inviting me to your quarters, Princess?”
“No,” you rolled your eyes at his teasing antics, resisting the urge to give his arm a friendly smack. “Simply letting you know that you’ll have to wait until dinner tonight for it.”
“Why so late? It’s barely past lunch.”
“I have tutoring today, so I’m afraid you won’t have the pleasure of bothering me all day.”
“My plots have been foiled by education once again.”
You chuckled, “Well I’ve got to do my best to combat your ineptitude rubbing off on me.”
“Ah.”
“How's your ankle?” You glanced briefly at his seemingly stable and strong gait.
“Great! I am in peak physical condition!” He declared, earning a light chuckle from you.
“Good, good. Thank you again, for the flowers.”
“You’re welcome, Princess Y/N.”
“Okay, we’re all done for today, Y/N. You did very well,” your tutor Kibum complimented you as he started packing his supplies up.
“Thank you, Kibum,” you offered him a tired smile.
Kibum was one of the few people outside nobility that felt comfortable enough with you to address you without your title. He’d been your tutor since you were a child, meaning that he was practically part of the family at this point. Today’s lesson was culture and customs of your neighboring kingdoms, including Greenvale.
You wistfully added, “I just wish I’d learned some of this stuff earlier.”
Kibum raised an eyebrow with intrigue, “And why is that?”
You so desperately wished you could tell him about the bond. For as long as you could remember he had been your friend, mentor, and confidant. With an acute pain in your chest, you feigned nonchalance and played it off as best you could.
“Oh, I visited Greenvale a couple months ago, when I didn’t know any of this.”
“Well what did you learn there?”
“Some interesting fairytales. They have one about a living loaf of bread.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that one,” he chuckled.
A knock at the door of your library cast your gaze at the figure standing there. It was Kunhang, hands clasped in front of him as he took a careful step in, “Am I interrupting?”
“Oh no, My Lord, we were just finishing,” Kibum informed him with a deep nod.
“You don’t have to be so formal to him, Kibum,” you shook your head at your tutor as you closed your books. “Prince Kunhang’s not that important.”
“That hurts, Princess Y/N,” Kunhang mocked offense, approaching the two of you.
You continued speaking to the older man, “Are you attending my parents’ anniversary ball tomorrow, Kibum?”
“Yes, I’ll be there. Goodbye, Y/N. It was a pleasure meeting you, Prince Kunhang.”
Kibum gave the both of you a final bow and wave as he departed the library. You shuffled some of your papers around, not addressing Kunhang. He was presumably looking for you for a reason, and he’d let you know what it was soon.
“So what was your lesson on today?”
“It was intercultural studies of the other kingdoms.”
“Would’ve been useful a couple months ago.”
“Yeah, then I definitely would’ve left you to die,” you snorted, putting a foot against the table leg to lean your chair back and look up at Kunhang. With a frank sigh, you added, “Look, even if I did know about that custom and all the shit that came with it, I still would’ve saved you.”
A genuine smile came to his face, “Thank you again, Princess.”
You made a small noise of acknowledgement as you rocked yourself on the two chair legs you had still on the ground. With an eyebrow crooked, you watched him, just waiting.
“Uh, I came to find you because I figured it’d be kind of weird for you to just randomly give me a rock at dinner with our families there. Right?”
“You’re right.”
You continued looking at him.
“So…”
“So…?” you mimicked him. At his exasperated look, you snickered and set your chair down on all four legs, “Fine, fine, come on.”
When you’d arrived at the doorway to your bedroom, you requested that Kunhang wait for you in the hallway, well aware of appearances and rumors. It was in your study, beside the pressed flowers you’d moved from your vanity just a few days ago. You spent more time in there than standing at your vanity.
Securing the smooth and colorful stone in your hand, you momentarily observed it just in your palm. The iridescent bubbles of stone trapped permanently in place reflected the most brilliant colors in the light. According to Kibum, who knew a little (or a lot) about everything, it was called a fire agate, somewhat rare in Solton. Since they were a product of recent volcanic activity, and Solton’s own volcano hadn’t erupted in centuries. The volcano was also located on the other side of the kingdom from Solton’s borders with Greenvale, meaning that it hopefully was extra rare to Kunhang.
Back in the hallway, you held out your fist, the fire agate enclosed. Kunhang once again offered a waiting palm, and you carefully deposited the stone onto it. Immediately, he inhaled a sharp breathe before stretching out the exhale in awe. He angled it to catch the light streaming in from the window on the other side of the hallway, a rainbow of colors dancing across the surface.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” he admitted, focusing his awe-filled gaze on you. “Thank you.”
“Yes! Success!” You celebrated, chuckling at the childlike wonder he looked at the stone with.
He glanced over at you for a moment as you continued, “It’s a fire agate. Made by the volcano on the other side of Solton, Mount Sol. According to some of our own myths, the Sun and the Moon were at war. And so the Sun hid some of itself on Earth as Mount Sol to make sure that if the Moon ever won the skies, it would never completely take away the life-giving heat that kept humans alive. These fire agates are said to bring good luck and a long life to the owner, a small piece of the life that the Sun provides.”
“So you guys think the Moon is evil?” Kunhang questioned.
“I suppose so. At least in our legends it’s not necessarily a benevolent figure.”
“That’s funny, that you guys think the Sun is the only bringer of life,” he continued rolling the stone around in his palm as he started his explanation. “In Greenvale, the focus of our own legends is mostly on the trees and the waterfall.”
“And sentient bread.”
“Right. But we also have one little superstition, about a flower I reckon that you guys don’t have in Solton.”
You tilted your head curiously, wondering if it was the flower that he’d sent you that you couldn’t identify yourself, “What flower would that be?”
“Moonflower. A white flower that only blooms at night, that’s given life by the Moon, rather than the Sun.”
“And what’s your superstition around it?”
“General good luck. When a baby is born, parents will put dried petals of moonflower around the home to bring good luck for the child’s health. Other kinds of stuff like that.”
“Do you have a moonflower on your castle grounds?”
“It’s a vine, so you don’t ever really have one moonflower,” he explained, to which you felt mildly embarrassed at your lack of knowledge. “But yes, we have it around our grounds.”
“Well now you have good luck by Greenvale’s standards and Solton’s standards.”
“I do, thank you.”
“Hopefully now you’ll get in a lot less trouble,” you said with a pointed look, hoping that he knew to mentally finish that sentence with ‘that I have to take responsibility for.’
By his sheepish grin, he clearly did, tucking the stone into his pocket, “Hopefully.”
As soon as you woke up the next day, you were busy. Making sure everything was perfect for your parents’ ball, as well as your own personal preparations. It was your parents’ 25th anniversary, you wanted it to be absolutely perfect and not stressful for them. Which means that it was extra stressful for you.
It felt like you didn’t slow down until the ball was beginning, all the guests having filed into the grand ballroom a few minutes ago. You nervously stood a third of the way up the stairs, watching the opposing entryways anxiously. The string quartet was at the top, and began playing. You were too anxious to even marvel at the skill of your court musicians, at Liu Yangyang’s elegant melodies. It was the song your parents had their first dance to at their wedding. You weren’t there yourself, so you were going off of your aunt’s memory.
Your father came out first, from your left, stopping at the top with the band. He looked to the entrance to your right, eyes absolutely shining as your mother came into view and joined him. She was immediately pulled into a dip by your father, a long kiss shared.
The entire audience clapped wildly for them as they stood back up straight and linked arms to start their descent. You met them halfway, mirroring their bright grins. Pecking their cheeks, you gave them your congratulations, before taking your father’s other arm in your own.
Your father waved a hand for the band and crowd to be silent.
“Thank you, to everyone was able to come tonight,” he began his speech. “We welcome you with open arms to Solton, to our home, to share this special occasion with you. For the past twenty-five years I have been the most blessed man. A gorgeous, loving wife to share my life with, and a bright, beautiful daughter to raise and be proud of. A family that I have been able to love and be loved by. Thank you again, and please, enjoy yourselves.”
With that, he pecked your cheek and your mother’s again as the crowd erupted into applause and chatter. You stayed on your father’s arm until the three of you had gotten to the floor where everyone else was. From there, you were accosted by one of your cousins. According to Donghyuck, Taeyong and Doyoung were arguing again and you couldn’t miss this one.
After that, a few different people stole you away for conversations and dances. Among them were Kibum, as well as some of your younger girl relatives, Sooyoung, Meiqi, and Jieun. They were all no older than seven, the four of you simply dancing in a circle holding hands. After that song had ended and another started, you’d let go of Meiqi and Jieun’s hands for just a moment when one of yours was seized and you were whisked away.
Looking at our new dance partner, a short laugh came from your mouth, “Jeez, Taeyong, you scared me.”
“Sorry, Y/N,” your cousin snickered, clearly not sorry as the two of you kept up with the peppy tune.
“You and Doyoung finally stop bitching at each other?”
“We called a momentary truce for the night.”
“Good, good.”
You chatted with your eldest cousin as you danced, swapping stories and laughing together. As the two of you moved around the dance floor, you finally came towards the edge of it, and your eyes glanced over the other guests who weren’t dancing. And you were met with a set of dark and familiar eyes catching yours. They continued watching you with intrigue as you danced with Taeyong.
“Yonggie, my feet hurt,” you feigned a whine to your cousin, even bringing up your childish nickname for him to inspire pity.
He immediately stopped dancing, “Well go take your heels off! Don’t keep dancing with me if you’re in pain.”
Nodding to him, you took leave of the dance floor, once again making eye contact with Kunhang before changing your trajectory away from your table and instead towards him. He wasn’t exactly by himself. It seemed as though he’d previously been in conversation with the group a few feet away from him, consisting of his father and some other older nobility, but had left them at some point.
“Good evening, Prince Kunhang,” you bowed politely to him. You hadn’t seen him since dinner the night before, much too busy today to even think about him.
It was his outfit that intrigued you most when you had spotted him. A simple black ensemble, his typical black sash of Greenvale royalty swapped out with a more formal one accented with silver designs along it. His buttons and any other fine details on his clothes were silver as well, and atop his dark locks was a crown. It was silver with intricate detailing akin to the ones on the carriage he’d arrived in but didn’t have the black prominence of cloth in the center like his father’s. You’d honestly never seen him look so royal.
His outfit was black, just like your dress. Just like he’d suggested.
He didn’t even return your greetings, nodding towards the dance floor, “Who was that you were dancing with?”
“Jealous, Prince Kunhang?” You teased, watching his eyes shift back over to you.
“Depends on who it was.”
“Ooh, who would you possibly be jealous of?” You asked, mouth gaping with smug delight. At his lack of response, you relented, “Fine, it was Taeyong, my second cousin once removed or something. I don’t remember how exactly we’re related, but we are, he’s like my older brother. Nothing for you to be jealous over.”
“Ah.”
He was quiet when a figure on the dance floor caught your eye, a mischievous idea immediately popped up into your mind. His mouth had just opened when you cut him off with a shit-eating grin, “Except you may be jealous of my next dance partner, we’re not related.”
With that, you practically skipped away from him and back onto the dance floor, grabbing Prince Sicheng’s shoulder. He turned around, seeming surprised at you standing there expectantly. But nonetheless, it’d be rude to visit a kingdom and refuse a dance from the princess of that kingdom, so he took one of your hands in his as the two of you fell into step with each other.
“Good evening, Prince Sicheng. How are you?” You questioned. Despite your ulterior motives, you did really wish to speak with him, having friendly enough interactions previously.
“I’m well, Princess Y/N. How have you been since we last met?”
“I’ve been fantastic, thank you.”
“Kunhang doesn’t look too happy about this, Princess Y/N,” he informed you very matter-of-factly, but making no move to cease your dancing.
“Your brother needs to lighten up,” you shook your head, unable to keep the fondness out of your voice, however. “It’s not like he’s the one who saved me.”
“What?” Sicheng immediately spat back out, animated features clearly expressing his shock.
As soon as the words were out of your mouth, you’d realized your mistake. You quickly tried to smooth it over, “Shit, nothing!”
“Princess Y/N, I don’t mean to pry, but…”
At Sicheng’s big, insistent eyes practically looking into your soul, your resolve quickly broke. You leaned closer to him and lowered your voice, “You cannot tell anyone, swear it on your honor.”
“I promise. I swear on my entire kingdom’s honor.”
“Alright, so the first day of my previous visit to Greenvale, when I went out to the waterfall, I found Prince Kunhang hanging over the cliff… and pulled him back to safety.”
“You're his savior?” Sicheng breathed out in disbelief, soft but deep voice right above you.
“Yes, before I knew how serious of a thing it was to you guys. And don’t call me that either!”
“For ordinary citizens of Greenvale, it’s serious, but for the nobility… it’s beyond that. I’m going to assume our parents don’t know because if they did then everyone in the castle would most definitely know.”
“No, they don’t, and that’s why you can’t tell anyone. You can’t even let Prince Kunhang know that I told you, he might decide to end the bond early and kill me.”
“I don’t think he’d do that. From what I can tell, he’s very fond of you,” your dance partner disagreed with a chuckle. “He writes to you every day.”
“Yeah, to fill me in on all the various things he’s done that I’m responsible for. Has a running tally of money that I owe the next time I visit Greenvale.”
“How often does he mention you visiting Greenvale?”
“Here and there.”
With a knowing smirk on his face, he kept going with his line of questioning, “Mhm. And whose idea was it to not tell anybody about the bond?”
“His,” you answered with some suspicion. “What are you getting at, Prince Sicheng?”
“If our parents knew… about your bond, it would practically be a betrothal to them. Knowing my brother, it’s hard to believe that he hasn’t mentioned it.”
“Yes, from what I understand, Prince Kunhang is very good at making a big stink about things when he wants to.”
“Exactly. So for him to not be making a big stink and telling anyone about this… he really cares about you and respects you, Princess Y/N.”
Your breath caught in your throat at this, and Sicheng simply continued.
“He wants you to want it instead of him just telling our parents and practically forcing you into a relationship.” Sicheng added with a shrug, “But that’s just my opinion.”
After ending that whole psychoanalysis with such a noncommittal statement, you couldn’t help but scoff at him, “The opinion of his older brother who grew up alongside Prince Kunhang and knows him better than his own parents do.”
“He’s even told you about his childhood, huh? My brother’s head over heels for you.”
You could feel your cheeks heating up, “Prince Sicheng.”
“Not that’s it’s really a big traumatic secret or anything but—”
“Prince Sicheng,” you said his name much sterner this time, earning a goofy smile from him.
“I must be going, Princess Y/N. Enjoy your night.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Once he’d left your side, you found yourself catching your breath. Not because your dancing had been particularly exhaustive. Kunhang was exactly where you’d left him, and you put your teasing façade back on to approach him, “Now are you jealous, Prince Kunhang?”
“No,” he answered simply, regarding you with a practically disinterested eye.
“Do you know something I don’t? Is Prince Sicheng secretly my brother? Oh my God, that would mean you’re my brother too!”
“No, we’re not related,” Kunhang’s stone face broke into a tenderly exasperated smile. “You want to know why I’m not jealous?”
“Do tell,” you waggled your eyebrows with exaggerated intrigue.
Kunhang leaned forward so that his mouth was right beside your ear, warm breath washing over your skin, the hairs on your neck standing on end at his next words, “You came back to me.”
If you weren’t bashful before from your conversation with Sicheng, you now held your gaze on your feet as you shifted your weight awkwardly between legs.
“I suppose I did, didn’t I?”
A few hours later found you on a balcony, breathing in some fresh air. Just on the other side of the glass doors was the ball that was still in full swing, music and hum of people dulled and practically muted. Kunhang was with you, the two of you in the very corner behind a planter of roses, just barely hidden away from anyone who glanced out through the glass.
You leaned your forearms against the railing of the balcony, reveling in the cool breeze gracing your skin.
“Still so pretty, even in the dark,” Kunhang muttered from just behind you.
“What, me?” You asked, only half-teasing.
But when you looked over your shoulder at him, he had a familiar stone in his hand.
“No, the fire agate,” he continued watching the shifting colors.
“How sweet, Prince Kunhang.”
At your sarcastic words, he tossed the agate up, catching it and tucking it into the inside pocket of his jacket. He moved beside you, leaning his hip against the balcony to face you.
You expected a witty retort of his own, but instead he so confidently requested, “Come back to Greenvale with me.”
“What?”
“My family leaves tomorrow morning. Come back to Greenvale with me.”
“No,” you shook your head, seeing his face fall immediately.
“Why not? I don’t mean forever—”
With a smirk on your face, you cut him off, “I said my next visit to Greenvale would be when my family got an official invite to do so.”
Kunhang let out a short breath akin to an incredulous chuckle, smirk mirroring your own as he gave in to your terms quickly, “Looks like the Greenvale Royal Family is hosting a ball very soon then.”
“For what occasion?”
“I’ll figure something out.”
At breakfast a little more than two weeks later you were chatting amicably with your parents about your upcoming diplomacy trip to Hillcrest, another kingdom with whom you share borders with. A servant entered the room, and you perked up when you saw a teal envelope in his hand. He didn’t give it to you, instead bypassing your expectant gaze to present it to your father.
Your father deftly opened the envelope and retrieved the contents.
He read it aloud, “‘The Greenvale Royal Family invites you to our First Annual Summer Solstice Ball, June 20th. Join us for a night of food, drinks, and music at the Greenvale Castle. Please RSVP as soon as you are able to and let us know when you will be arriving and departing, so we can make any necessary arrangements for your attendance.’”
No fucking way. No fucking way Kunhang just made up a Summer Solstice Ball just so you would return to Greenvale.
Your disbelief must have been apparent on your face as he said, “Rather strange to have balls so close together… but I suppose this can’t be helped, not like the Summer Solstice can exactly be rescheduled.”
You took a sip of your water as you nodded, knowing full well that this wasn’t some scheduling coincidence.
“Did you say June 20th, dear?” Your mother questioned with furrowed eyebrows.
“Yes.”
“That’s supposed to be our diplomatic trip to Hillcrest.”
“Oh, you’re right,” he frowned, folding the invitation up with a sigh. “It wouldn’t be good for our relations with Greenvale for them to come to our ball and us not to go theirs.”
“I’ll go! You and Mother go on your trip to Hillcrest as planned and I’ll attend the Greenvale ball as Solton’s royal representative,” you hoped your answer didn’t seem too rushed or eager.
“Are you sure, honey?” Your mother looked to you with some concern, probably because this would be your first trip outside Solton by yourself.
“Of course I am.”
“Well that’s settled, then,” your father spoke up again. “I’ll RSVP for you and write to the Lees and Kims to make sure that at least one of your cousins will be in attendance as well.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“No, no, thank you, my dear. Already stepping up to be a great leader.”
After your breakfast you practically ran to your room, well aware of what would be waiting on your desk. A teal envelope of your own.
June 2
Y/N,
Yes, I agree that blueberry crumble is better than peach, however I have to disagree with your opinion of rain. I agree that the sound of rain is nice to listen to, but it doesn’t confine you inside if you don’t care about getting a little wet.
I'm also assuming that your family received the invitation today. The Greenvale Royal Family decided to begin a new tradition this year, and I hope you’ll be able to come.
Anticipating Your Response,
Kunhang
With a smirk on your face, you penned your response.
June 3
Kunhang,
I cannot believe you. You’re absolutely ridiculous, Kunhang. Absolutely fucking ridiculous. And yes, I will be attending as the Solton Royal Family’s official representative; my parents have previous business in Hillcrest to attend to.
I suppose I’ll have to try enjoying the rain like you do the next time a storm rolls in. Not in my ball attire, of course, as the castle grounds tend to get very muddy when it rains.
Anticipating Your Bullshit Ball,
Y/N
June 3
Y/N,
I am terribly offended that you would insinuate that this ball is for anything else other than to invite our neighboring kingdoms for a night of festivities. It is a legitimate ball for legitimate, official reasons. But I am so happy to hear that you’ll be attending. It’ll be nice to have you back in Greenvale after so long. And I believe you still have a debt of 252 silver to attend to.
Looking Forward to Seeing You at My Very Legitimate Ball,
Kunhang
June 4
Kunhang,
I’ll be sure to bring the silver when I come. And before you ask, I’ll be wearing a scarlet red dress to the ball. I’d also like to see some of the moonflower around the castle grounds when I come; my cousins and I will be arriving the day before. Fifteen days from when I'm writing this.
Looks Like I’m Counting Now Too,
Y/N
Your fingers bounced on your knee as you sat in a carriage car with your cousins. The five of you had already been on the road for so long that Donghyuck was curled up with his head in your lap, fast asleep. The other three were sat on the seat across from you, absolute quiet in the car while Doyoung and Taeyong looked out the windows at the passing countryside, Jeno between them.
“When he’s asleep, you can almost forget that he’s a little demon,” Jeno sighed almost wistfully as he looked on at his sleeping brother.
You snickered at this, well aware of the trouble your younger cousin liked to cause when he’s awake. But nonetheless, you affectionately brushed some hair away from his face.
Jeno scooted forward to reach a hand out, fingers poised to flick his sleeping brother’s forehead. You gave him a look of disapproval but made no move to stop him. His middle finger impacted with Donghyuck’s forehead with a satisfying thwunk! echoing through the silent carriage.
He immediately shot up, narrowly missing smacking his own face into yours as he looked around in bewilderment and angry confusion. The other four of you were laughing, Jeno nearly falling off his seat as he cackled.
When Donghyuck looked to you with wild fury in his eyes, you immediately pointed at Jeno. No way you’d be at the receiving end of what was about to happen. You still had scars from when you were kids and you’d gang up with Jeno to tease him. Jeno was going to have to deal with this on his own.
Donghyuck flew across the cabin to grab at his brother, only making you laugh even harder. They weren’t going to intentionally hurt each other, so you didn’t feel bad about cheering them on as if you were at a gladiator match. Taeyong seemed conflicted about whether or not he should break it up, while Doyoung was dealing with it in his own way.
“Oh no, stop doing that,” he deadpanned, no emotion in his voice. “No, stop. Don’t hurt each other. Hyuck, get off of him. Oh god, stop it.”
At the gates of the Greenvale castle, the five of you started preparing yourselves to disembark and greet the royal family who’d surely be waiting for you. This would be the first time you’d be representing Solton without your parents. You wished Taeyong could’ve taken the lead since he was the oldest and more experienced with this kind of stuff, but you were the heir to the throne, so it was your responsibility.
Reaching into your satchel, you fished out your tiara. The weight of the gold was familiar in your hands, and you graced your fingertips over the detailing on the front. The image of a sun was clearly engraved—the same one from your kingdom’s crest—and inlaid with carefully carved fire agate.
You felt rather stupid putting it on, seeing as none of your cousins had crowns or anything of their own on, but your mother had insisted. Your parents wore their crowns the last time they were in Greenvale, and although you hadn’t been made to wear it then, you were now Solton Royal Family's sole representative.
“Does it look okay?” You asked to no person in particular, no mirror in sight to assist you.
Taeyong and Doyoung each made a move to fix it, the eldest just beating the other out. Doyoung settled for rearranging a stray piece of hair instead.
“There, my beautiful little cousin,” he patted your cheek affectionately.
“Thanks, guys,” you forced out a bright smile at the two of them.
The carriage stopped in front of the castle, and you anxiously smoothed out your dress and readjusted your tiara once more. Your cousins went out ahead of you, Doyoung and Jeno each offering you a hand to help you down. Your eyes immediately scanned the Greenvale entourage as you stood up straight.
Almost instantly, they locked onto the form of the youngest prince beside his brother. You’d confided in Kunhang of the predicament you were in and the anxiety it gave you, and you couldn’t help but look to him for support. He immediately mouthed something that looked like ‘you’ve got this’ and offered up a wide grin. Despite it making your heart flutter, it did relax you.
You turned your attention to the King and Queen, stopping in front of them and curtsying deeply, careful to angle your head in order to keep your tiara on. That’d be perfect, your tiara falling off in front of the entire royal family of Greenvale. Just out of the corner of your eye, you could see your cousins bowing to them as well. When the five of you stood straight again, they moved back subtly to leave you at the front. You: Solton’s representative.
“Thank you very much for inviting us into your home, Your Highnesses,” you fought the waver in your voice as you made direct eye contact with the King and Queen. Next were the words your father had made you rehearse a million times, “Solton appreciates and consolidates the vow of friendship from Greenvale.”
The Queen was grinning at you, and you swore the corner of the King’s mouth quirked up just a little before he got his expression back under control. He nodded in acknowledgement to you, “Greenvale returns the sentiment.”
“It’s pleasure to see you again, Prince Sicheng, and you as well, Prince Kunhang,” you curtsied to each of the brothers in turn.
They both gave you bows and bright smiles in return. You then gestured to your cousins as you introduced them, “These are my cousins, Lord Kim Doyoung, and the three Lee brothers, Lord Lee Taeyong, Lord Lee Jeno, and Lord Lee Donghyuck.”
“Princess Y/N, it’s so lovely to see you again,” the Queen broke the official talks, tension draining from your body as she reached out to take both your hands in hers, squeezing them.
“You too, My Lady,” you smiled weakly back at her as the King led the way into the castle, the two of you just behind him, and your cousins and the Greenvale princes behind you.
Your eyes dragged along the wall, catching on the windows filtering in colorful light. Still engaged in conversation with the Queen, you took the opportunity to say, “Did I compliment you on your stained glass windows last time? They’re absolutely beautiful.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. My husband’s father had them commissioned a while ago. Unfortunately they weren’t finished until after he had passed some twenty something years ago. Just before Kunhang was born, actually.”
At her mention of her son, your eyes flashed behind you to where he was conversing with your younger two cousins. That looked like trouble.
You desperately wanted to be back there with him, but you had duties as Solton’s representative. Duties that unfortunately dealt much more with the King and Queen of Greenvale, not the youngest Prince.
Thankfully, the King and Queen had quickly decided that you and your family should be shown to your rooms and left alone to get settled in. You were informed that you had been given the same room as last time, dropped off there by a kindly maid.
You let out a small ‘oof’ as you fell back onto the mattress, finally able to truly relax. Until a knock came at the doorway.
You shot up in surprise, hands readjusting your askew tiara and dress until you realized who was leaning in your threshold. Glaring at him, you said, “Hello, Prince Kunhang.”
“Did I scare you, Princess Y/N?” He asked, but his shit-eating grin belied the fact that he already knew the answer.
Still panicked, but now for another reason, you stood up and hissed, “What the hell are you doing calling for me in my bedroom?”
“I was just—”
Rolling your eyes, you practically shoved him back into the hallway, nearly slamming the door behind the two of you, “You are ridiculous.”
You latched onto his arm to drag him down the hall, as far away from your quarters as possible, “So stupid, Prince Kunhang. For such a big head, you have such a little brain, honestly.”
Prince Kunhang was looking at you with wide eyes, blinking in disbelief. He finally pieced together a sentence, “I’m sorry, Princess Y/N. You’re right, I wasn’t thinking. I apologize.”
At his startlingly sincere apology, you took a few deep breaths. You were way too high-strung with the weight of your newfound responsibilities on your shoulders, and had exploded at him.
“I’m sorry too, Prince Kunhang,” you admitted quietly, letting go of your vice-like grip on his arm and slowing your pace down the halls.
“You’re Solton’s representative, I understand that everyone’s looking at you now. It’s not like last time. I get it. I’m sorry.”
You weren’t sure where this kind and understanding Kunhang had come from, and you weren’t sure if you liked it or not.
“So, why were you calling on me?” You changed the subject, adding some pep into your tone.
He was clearly happy for this change as well, “You wanted to see the moonflowers on our grounds, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“My parents are busy right now, I’ve already inquired. Don’t worry, you’re not failing your responsibility.”
His words soothed your worries—for now—and you met his eyes with a small smile across your lips. Kunhang offered his arm back out to you, and this time you gently linked yours through it, letting him guide you through the castle.
As soon as you had relaxed, someone yelled your name out from behind you, “Y/N!”
No formalities attached to your name. One of your cousins. Judging by the thundering of several pairs of footsteps, at least two of them.
You let go of Kunhang’s arm to stop and turn. Great, all four of them. You had to fight back a scowl at them. It’s not like you five were connected at the hip, they didn’t have to be with you at all times.
“Y/N, where are you going?” Doyoung questioned, face slightly pink along with the rest of them. They had literally run down the hallways to catch up to you.
“Prince Kunhang offered to take me on a tour of the grounds,” you gestured to your companion, fibbing ever so slightly. Your real reason would require further explanation that you didn’t feel like giving. “I didn’t get to see them very well last time I was here.”
When they all looked over at him, Kunhang nodded to confirm.
“Oh, we’ve never been here!” Jeno said.
“We kind of need a tour, too,” Donghyuck continued. “So we don’t get lost, you know.”
“Could we come with? I’ve heard Greenvale has incredible stables,” Taeyong’s eyes shined when he brought up the horses.
You loved your cousins, you really did, but there was pretty much nothing you wanted to do less in that moment than have them join you and Kunhang. You just wanted to be able to talk with your friend.
Before the either of you could give any kind of response, Sicheng—like a guardian angel—appeared by the group, saying, “I’m heading out to the stables now, you all can come with me!”
And in one swift motion he did something that only Sicheng could’ve gotten away with in the circumstances: he wrapped his arms around the shoulders of all four of your cousins and started ushering them away, still rambling on about the stables, horses, and Greenvale. Your cousins let themselves be herded away by the larger man, who threw you and Kunhang a wink over his shoulder.
You mouthed a ‘thank you’ back that you weren’t sure he saw.
“Well, back to the moonflowers?” Kunhang presented his arm back to you, and you took it with a nod.
“So,” Kunhang spoke up as the two of you strolled through the gardens. He’d already shown you the moonflowers in Greenvale’s botanical gardens and was now guiding you to another moonflower location.
“So,” you mimicked him, earning a fond eye roll from him.
“When do you leave?”
“The day after the ball, weather permitting.”
“Weather permitting?”
“I hear there’s a storm brewing off the coast of Aquaria,” you referenced the kingdom that shared borders with Greenvale but none with your own kingdom. They were on the coast while all the other kingdoms were inland. “It might hit Greenvale in a couple days.”
“Wouldn’t that be terrible if a storm kept you here for a few more days,” he said wistfully.
“Absolutely horrible,” you agreed, sharing a smirk with him.
Changing the topic, you informed him, “The 252 silver is in my bag in my room.”
“Keep it, Princess,” Kunhang shook his head, then did some topic changing of his own, “You did wonderful earlier, with my parents. A real Queen in the making.”
“I feel like I looked like a tomato the whole time,” you groaned and shook your head. “But thank you, Prince Kunhang.”
“You’re welcome, Princess Y/N.”
The two of you were silent again as you walked.
“I hate this,” Kunhang blurted out, catching you off-guard.
“Hate what?”
“What we’re doing right now.”
“…Walking?”
He chuckled, “Kind of. I hate that we’re going on a cordial walk through the castle grounds, Prince Kunhang and Princess Y/N, the Royal Representative of Solton. I had plans, you know. I wanted to go back to the waterfall with you, and take you to the field where I found the wildflowers that I’d sent you. But you have to stay with or near my parents, which means I do too.”
His words tugged at your heartstrings, and you tried to reassure him, “You can go wherever you want, Prince Kunhang. Nobody’s holding you here.”
“You are.”
He had a funny sort of look on his face when he said those two words: almost a smile, kind of a frown, an expression of bittersweetness.
You were at a loss for a response, which he saved you from by pointing up ahead, “Look.”
You did so, gaze landing on a beautiful archway leading to a courtyard. The arch had moonflowers crawling up and curling around it, petals closed in the afternoon sun. The pair of you stopped underneath it, and you looked up at the green intertwining with itself and the painted white metal of the arch.
The courtyard was beautiful as well, surrounded by low walls with even more moonflower vines dancing along the images carved into it. The designs reminded you of the carvings on the Greenvale carriage that you’d seen previously. The center of the courtyard was empty, bricks paving the entire thing. Along the perimeter were pink and white rosebushes blooming spectacularly. A large oak tree was in one corner, providing shade to a beautifully crafted dark wooden bench.
“This is a beautiful place, Prince Kunhang,” you breathed out in awe.
“My mother likes to take her afternoon tea here.”
“Do you take it with her?”
“Most days, yes, if I don’t have other obligations.”
“That’s nice,” you commented, still looking around. “What sort of obligations do you have?”
“Not many, actually. Since I’m not going to be on the throne, I don’t have too many royal duties to attend to. Not as many as my brother, at least.”
“And yet he still found time to take my cousins to the stables.”
“Hey,” Kunhang elbowed your side with a pout. “Don’t be too impressed by Sicheng. You’re supposed to be impressed by me.”
You snorted, “Of course, my bad.”
Gaze still on the flowers, you recalled your previous letters, “What do roses mean?”
“Hm?”
“You said you’d teach me the language of flowers. So… what do roses mean?”
“Most flowers have some romantic connotation. And different colors of the same flower can mean different things,” he began. “Roses are generally associated with love and romance.”
“What about the flowers you gave me?” You prompted, watching him with interest. “The pressed ones in your letter.”
“Purple lilacs symbolize spirituality.”
“Ooh,” you said with humor.
Kunhang looked over at you briefly, taking a moment before continuing, “Peonies are for prosperity, compassion, and if given to a spouse or married couple, a happy marriage. Snapdragons can be deception or graciousness. If given with a flower known for truth, it’s seen as an apology for lying. And moonflowers, aside from the Greenvale belief of bringing good luck, are kind of mystical and mysterious, being associated with night and the moon.”
“That’s really interesting. How’d you learn all that? Unless you’re just making it up right now.”
“I'm not just making it up, I promise,” he swore with a fond smile on his face. “My mother taught me it. Well, more like she spoke about it all the time and I picked up some stuff up here and there. But I wasn’t really thinking about the meanings when I picked them for you, I just thought they were pretty.”
“Well now I’m hurt, Prince Kunhang,” you feigned offense and disappointment.
“My apologies, Princess Y/N.”
Unfortunately, that was the only time you’d found to be alone with Kunhang, and it had been cut short by a servant fetching the two of you for an early dinner. After that, Sicheng, Kunhang, you, and your cousins all gathered in a sitting room for some light conversation together before bed. You dismissed yourself first, already feeling your yawns coming. Giving everyone your goodnights, you retired to your bedroom, finally able to take your tiara off and set it on the vanity.
Once you’d gotten ready for bed, sleep was quick to find you.
However, it was promptly disturbed. You startled awake, looking around your room for what had woken you. It was pitch black outside, then the sky was lit up by a brilliant strike of lightning, followed by a loud boom of thunder. That must have been what disturbed you.
The storm from Aquaria’s shores arrived early.
Shifting to sit up against the pillows at the head of your bed, you decided to continue watching the thunderstorm outside your window. At least until you could fall back asleep again.
More lightning danced across the sky, thunder rumbling just behind it. The rain was constant and heavy, and you found your mind wandering to your previous letters to Kunhang. You’d said that you’d try to enjoy thunderstorms like he did in the future. But that would have to wait, you weren’t about to go out into a raging thunderstorm late at night by yourself on unfamiliar grounds.
Another crack of thunder came, but this time not preceded by any lightning. Strange. It came again, and this time you realized that it was someone knocking at your door. Who the hell would be calling on you so late at night?
You couldn’t even pretend to be disgruntled as you swung your legs over the edge of your bed and stood up. There would only be one person calling on you in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm.
Opening the door, your excited suspicions were confirmed. Kunhang was stood there, a wide grin across his face.
“Did I wake you?”
“No, the thunder did,” you referenced the storm.
He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment, “Nature beat me to it. Anyway, come on!”
Kunhang latched onto your hand, pulling you into the hallway. You didn’t struggle whatsoever, giving only a little resistance to allow yourself to close the door behind you before letting him fully whisk you down the candle-lit halls.
“Where are we going?” You questioned, voice giddy with hope at what his answer would be.
He gave you a mischievous smile as he led you down the halls, grip on your hand never faltering, “To enjoy the storm without worrying about getting a little wet.”
You should have refused. You should have been worried about appearances. You should have told him no, that you were Solton Royal Family’s representative and that you had appearances to maintain. You should have stayed in the warmth of your room and gone back to sleep.
But you did none of that.
You eagerly followed him towards one of the exits. You held his hand through the halls. You stepped outside into the full force of the chilly rain with him. You laughed and giggled as the two of you broke into a run through the castle grounds. You splashed water aside as your bare feet slapped against the ground. You felt the water running off your skin and soaking through your nightgown. You didn’t care.
Finally, you two slowed to a stop in a familiar place: the courtyard he’d shown you earlier.
Kunhang had a wild grin on his lips, and you were sure your own expression mirrored it as you tilted your face up, reveling in the feeling of the rain hitting you dead-on. Squeezing his hand, you looked over to him, still grinning madly.
“Thank you, Kunhang,” you said sincerely. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Princess,” he nodded to you, squeezing your hand back.
He looked so beautiful. His dark, wet strands of hair clinging to his face reminded you of the first day you’d met at the waterfall, still framing his equally dark and breathtaking eyes perfectly. He was wearing what you presumed to be his pajamas as well, also completely drenched from the rain. You were sure of how indecent you looked, and how much of a mess he looked as well. And yet the two of you were looking at each other like you were the most precious thing you’d ever seen.
“Kunhang,” you repeated his name, realizing that was the second time you’d ever said his name without formalities in person, the first just the moment before.
“Princess.”
“Say my name.”
“Princess Y/N.”
With a huff, you rolled your eyes, “You’re annoying.”
The corner of his mouth curled upwards as he enjoyed your reaction before giving in, “Y/N.”
Still with the rain pouring down on you, drops scattering along your skin and leaving chilled goosebumps in its wake, you found yourself strangely warm. A warmth that blossomed from inside, spreading across your body. As Kunhang raised a hand to futilely brush a water droplet from your cheek, the warmth tingled to the very tips of your fingertips. When his hand moved to fully cup your cheek and his face neared yours, the warmth built. And when his lips fitted against yours like perfectly crafted puzzle pieces, the warmth ignited and exploded into an all-consuming fire that burned across your flesh in the most delightful way possible.
Seconds, hours, weeks, or eons could have passed while you could practically feel the steam rising from the cold rain contacting with your scalding skin as you and Kunhang kissed each other’s breaths away.
You felt him mumbling something against your mouth, and you pulled away. Catching your breath, you asked, “What was that?”
“Air, I need air,” he admitted, hand clutching his chest dramatically as he took deep, gulping breaths. “You apparently have a much better lung capacity than me.”
“Apparently,” you agreed with amusement in your tone, not at all bothered by the breaking of the intense moment.
Kunhang took your hand back in his, offering you a—dare you say it—lovestruck smile as he did so. Not that you could judge, because you were definitely giving him an equally lovestruck one back.
A frown that wasn’t much your taste overtook his smile as he looked you over, hands moving to your bare arms, “We should go back inside, the rain’s freezing and you’re shivering.”
“I’m not cold,” you shook your head. Which was true, but you also wanted to prolong your time out here, your time with Kunhang.
“Oh? Did that kiss heat you up pretty well, then?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at you, to which you scoffed and lightly smacked his chest.
“Okay, yeah, let’s go back inside,” you pivoted on your heel to start back towards the castle.
“Y/N, I’m just kidding—” he tried to plead with you, but you simply gave him a smirk over your shoulder and continued on. “You’re stubborn.”
“Maybe so. But I’m also responsible for you, which means that if you get hypothermia from this, it’s my fault. And I feel like you’d be absolutely pitiful and whiny when you’re sick, and I really don’t want to deal with that.”
“You really know how to make a guy swoon, Y/N.”
“It’s one of my many talents.”
Kunhang dropped you off at your bedroom door that night, leaving you with the promise of warming up and getting back to sleep soon. He made you promise the same thing, with the additional condition of dreaming of him. You told him you couldn’t control your dreams and he reminded you that it wouldn’t hurt to try. So you instead promised him that you’d be thinking of him before you went to sleep, and he seemed satisfied with that.
And you did go to sleep with thought of him bouncing around in your head, memories of how his lips felt against yours, and that same soft but intense warmth burning in your chest.
When you woke up for the second time, your initial annoyance at being woken up was smudged out by the gentle caress of the sunlight against your face. You rolled over to fully douse yourself in the warmth and stretched, feeling very much like a content cat in that moment. Continuing to snooze in the comforting sunlight, you couldn’t imagine anything better.
A knock came to your door, light and rhythmic. Not Kunhang.
You mumbled something akin to ‘come in,’ which your visitor must not have understood, as they called out, “Princess Y/N? My Lady, are you awake?”
Ah, it was one of the maids, presumably here to wake you up for breakfast with the Royal Family. You repeated much clearer this time, “Come in!”
As you heard the door moving on its hinges, you squinted your eyes open to look at her. You were pretty sure it was the same maid who’d given you directions to the library last time, but you couldn’t be sure.
“Good morning, My Lady,” she nodded deeply to you, a tray in her hand. “I’m here to deliver your breakfast.”
Your brow furrowed with your thoughtful frown, “I’m not eating with the Royal Family?”
“No, My King and Queen are very busy with preparations for the ball, and so are My Lords.”
“What about my cousins? Lord Kim, and the three Lord Lees?”
“They were served a little while ago at the dining table, however you didn’t stir when I came by earlier, and your family thought it best to let you rest.”
“Oh,” you sat up to allow her to set the tray in front of you on the bed. “That’s oddly considerate of them. Donghyuck and Taeyong normally would’ve jumped on me to wake me up.”
“Lord Kim restrained them before they could do so,” she informed you, clearly trying to hold back her laughter at the memory of it. “He said you had a late night and that you should be left to rest.”
At this, your eyes widened just slightly in alarm. You were the first one to bed out of all of them last night. To Doyoung’s knowledge, he had a longer night that you. Unless he knew something else that you didn’t know he knew.
“Is everything alright, My Lady?”
“Oh yes, I’m fine, sorry,” you waved away the maid’s concerns, looking over your food. “Thank you, for bringing my breakfast.”
“My pleasure, My Lady. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, thank you.”
Before the maid could fully dismiss herself, you stopped her, “Wait, what’s your name?”
“Nayoung, My Lady,” she informed you.
“Thank you, Nayoung.”
“I’ll return in an hour for your tray, My Lady,” Nayoung gave you a final small smile and curtsey before departing from your room.
You watched the door close behind her, and found disappointment pricking at your chest. You probably wouldn’t be seeing Kunhang until the ball tonight. And that was an awful long way away.
At lunch, you had hoped to see Kunhang, but instead you just dined with your cousins and Sicheng. According to the older prince, Kunhang had been stuck with helping for most of the ball preparations, since it had been his bright idea. That’s unfortunate.
Right after lunch, you had to start getting yourself ready for the ball. Several maids, including Nayoung, helped you to get into your scarlet dress, chatting amicably with each other and you as they did so. You were content to simply listen to them for the most part, rarely giving your own input unless it was asked for or seemed necessary.
One of the older maids was attending to your hair in front of the vanity, and you watched her skilled fingers tame and style your locks.
“You’re so beautiful, My Lady,” she complimented you, almost absentmindedly.
“Oh, thank you,” you were caught off-guard by the compliment, but not opposed to it. “What are your names?”
Now it was her turn to be caught off-guard, “I’m Naeun, My Lady. And those are Jisoo, Chaekyoung, and Nayoung.”
Each girl nodded her head in greeting as they were introduce by Naeun.
“You seem surprised that I asked.”
“A little, My Lady. We haven’t had a lot of guests in the castle, and the few women visitors weren’t exactly the kindest to us maids.”
“As if they were threatened by us for some reason,” Nayoung added in from where she was observing you and Naeun, along with two other maids.
“Threatened by you?” You asked.
Chaekyoung took over the explanation, “There were only a couple of them, failed attempts at finding a bride for the princes. They were lower level nobility from within Greenvale, and we haven’t seen them since they were rejected.”
“Permission to speak freely, My Lady?” Nayoung suddenly blurted out before you could reply to Chaekyoung.
“Of course, Nayoung,” you granted it to her, interested to see what had gotten her riled up.
“They were rotten to the core. Saw us as threats to their relationships with the princes, put us down every chance they got, and one of them even hit Thatch over the head with a stick!”
Kunhang had mentioned Thatch to you before, his favorite horse in the Greenvale stables. You were sure that was the final straw for that particular woman’s stay in the Greenvale castle.
“Thatch is Prince Kunhang’s steed,” Jisoo informed you.
“Yes, I know. That was terrible of her,” your hands turned to fists in your lap at the thought of someone hitting that poor horse.
Nayoung had a glisten of revenge in her eye as she finished, “My Lord got rid of her quickly after that.”
“I’m sure he did. What a horrendous woman.”
“So yes, I was a little surprised that you asked for our names,” Naeun brought it full circle back to your original question.
She bit her lip, as if she was holding something back, debating whether or not to say something. You looked at her in the mirror, catching her eye as you raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
Naeun finally broke down, “Permission to speak freely, My Lady?”
“Yes, Naeun.”
“Do you intend to marry one of the Princes?”
You jerked forward in surprise, pulling your own hair that was still in her fingers. Desperately, you tried to compose and organize your thoughts. Did you want to marry Kunhang? That hadn’t been something even in the periphery of your mind, but now Naeun had brought it front and center. He wasn’t even officially courting you; at this point all you had to show for your relationship was the bond that only you two and one other person knew about. Sure, you’d kissed, in private. And you had just started calling him solely by his first name the night before. In private, as well. You weren’t sure what you had now, how were you supposed to know what you wanted in the future?
Apparently, you’d been quiet for too long as Naeun turned pink and started backtracking, “I’m sorry, My Lady, I went much too far. I apologize, it wasn’t proper of me to ask you that—”
“I’d like to.”
The words were out of your mouth before you knew it.
Naeun stopped in her tracks, and the other three girls’ eyes widened in surprise. You, however, weren’t surprised. Simply relieved. Relieved to have realized what all your tumultuous thoughts and feelings were leading to.
“Any time soon? No,” you clarified aloud, despite already knowing it deep down. “But eventually? Yes. I’d like to marry one of the Princes very much.”
The maids were silent for another few moments before Naeun focused back in on your hair, and Nayoung rushed to your side, practically shaking with giddiness.
“Do you have one specific Prince in mind, My Lady?”
“Yes.”
Chaekyoung asked, “Is it Prince Kunhang?”
You didn’t respond, suddenly feeling very bashful as you looked down at your twiddling thumbs. The girls easily caught on to the answer you’d provided by not answering.
“Aw, yay! Oh, that makes me so happy to hear, My Lady,” Nayoung sighed dreamily, grabbing one of your hands to squeeze it briefly but tightly. “Prince Kunhang isn’t the heir to the throne, and he doesn’t hold a grudge or anything about it, but I know it gets quite boring around here for him. Wait!”
She gasped when Naeun lifted your tiara off the vanity to place it onto your head, as if she’d suddenly had an idea.
“Are you the heir to the throne of Solton, My Lady?”
“Yes.”
“If you and Prince Kunhang were to marry, he could become the King of Solton, right? Oh, wouldn’t that be perfect?”
“Nayoung!” Naeun scolded her before you could even think about what your response would be.
Despite you giving them permission to speak freely, Nayoung had crossed a line in Naeun’s mind, and cowered back from the older girl’s chastising.
“I’m sorry, My Lady,” Nayoung mumbled.
You finally said something, “It sounds like a fairytale, Nayoung. A lovely, wonderful fairytale.”
The girls put a few finishing touches on you and your outfit, the lovely tittering and excitable chattering returning very quickly after Naeun’s scolding of Nayoung. Jisoo delicately straightened out your tiara one last time before they all stepped back from you to look over you in awe.
“Thank you all, so much,” you grinned, taking each of their hands in yours in turn to give them an appreciative squeeze.
“Have a wonderful time tonight, My Lady,” Naeun wished you well.
“What will you all be doing during the ball?”
“Those who aren’t part of the kitchen staff or wait staff have the rest of the night off,” Jisoo informed you. “I’m returning home to visit with my family.”
“Nayoung and I are going out to one of the pubs with some of the other servants,” Chaekyoung told you of her own plans, her friend nodding in agreement.
You turned to the eldest, “What about you, Naeun?”
“I’m seeing my daughter for the first time in a week.”
“What’s her name?”
“Eunwoo, she’s turning four tomorrow. She lives with my parents while I work here.”
“Give her a Happy Birthday from me, please,” you requested.
“I will, thank you, My Lady.”
“Now all of you get going!” You started shooing the four girls towards the door. “I’m all ready, your work is done for tonight. Go have a wonderful night!”
They gave you a resounding chorus of ‘thank you, My Lady!’ as they moved towards the exit. Right as Chaekyoung had gotten her hand on the door handle, there was a sturdy knock again the wood. All of them erupted into knowing titters, backing up from the door.
“Princess Y/N?” A voice accompanied another knock, a voice that made your heart leap to your throat with excitement.
You threw open the door, barely able to maintain your calm around the maids. Kunhang was on the other side of the door, fist poised to knock again. He dropped it to instead pick up your hand that wasn’t still on the handle, raising your hand delicately and bowing just enough to press a soft kiss to your knuckles. At the unexpected show of affection, and having four giggling spectators, your skin prickled with a bashful warmth.
As he stood up straight again, you could clearly see that Kunhang wasn’t wearing the typical black sash of Greenvale royalty. Instead, his sash was a scarlet red, standing out against his typical black and silver outfit that he’d adorned at the last ball you’d seen him at. Matching your own scarlet dress. Atop his head was his crown, the same one you’d seen at Solton’s previous ball.
He smiled broadly at you as he smoothly asked, “May I escort you to the ball tonight, Princess Y/N?”
One of the girls behind you let out a small squeal, drawing Kunhang’s eyes away from yours to over your shoulder. Having finally noticed the four girls behind you, watching the two of you with intent, he didn’t seem startled at all.
“Hello, Chaekyoung, Naeun, Nayoung, Jisoo. Did you all help Princess Y/N get ready tonight?”
“Yes, My Lord,” Naeun spoke for them while the other three still had their eyes glued to you.
Nobody made a move to leave, and you gave the four of them pointed looks, “Don’t you all have somewhere to be? I’ve already dismissed you for tonight.”
“Yes, My Lady,” the eldest maid spoke again, herding the other three towards the doorway.
Kunhang stepped back to allow them to leave your room. Right before they turned the corner out of your sight, Nayoung yelled back, “Have a wonderful night, My Lady!”
She had dashed around the corner, followed by the other three giggling before you could process her words. Once you had, you let out a sigh.
Kunhang turned his attention back to you, extending a waiting hand out to you, “Well?”
“Yes, Prince Kunhang, I’d love for you to be my escort to the ball,” you accepted, placing your hand atop his.
A smile graced your lips as you stepped out into the hallway with him, shutting your door behind you. You moved to instead link your arm with his, hand resting with a feather-light grip around his bicep. Kunhang was watching your face with the most delighted expression on his own, and you raised an eyebrow at him.
“Yes, Prince Kunhang?”
“You’re absolutely enchanting, Princess Y/N.”
“You look much better than last night, Prince Kunhang.”
He laughed, eyes turning to crescents as he reveled in your comment, “What? You didn’t find the wet look to be incredibly sexy?”
“You looked like a wet dog,” you snorted, earning another hearty laugh from him.
“You’re such a charmer.”
“Thank you,” you grinned, squeezing his bicep for a moment. “You look very handsome, Prince Kunhang, especially with that scarlet sash.”
“I’m glad you noticed,” his chest was practically swelling with pride as he smoothed out the satin material in question. “I had our seamstress custom make it for the event after I got your letter. To keep up our tradition of matching that began with the last ball we attended.”
“We do make a fine pair, don’t we?”
“The finest pair,” he agreed, continuing to lead you through the castle.
The music from the band floated down the halls to your ears, increasing in volume the closer you got to the ballroom. Soon, you were just outside it, and Kunhang slowed to a stop. You looked over at him for an explanation as to why you weren’t going in quite yet, but the sounds of voices behind you caught your attention.
It was Sicheng and his parents, the King and Queen holding each other in a similar way to you and Kunhang. The three of them noticed you at the same time, all having very different immediate reactions. Sicheng regarded the two of you with a bright and wide grin, clearly ecstatic about the sight in front of him. The Queen seemed mostly surprised, but a soft and knowing smile overtook her features quickly. The King was the hardest to read. He didn’t seem absolutely thrilled, but not entirely disapproving.
You quickly went to greet them, curtsying politely, “Good evening, Your Majesties, Prince Sicheng. My Queen, you look beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you, Princess Y/N,” she immediately accepted your compliment. “You’re looking as radiant as the sun on your tiara.”
Instinctually, you reached up to grace your fingertips over the fire agate. You smiled down at your feet bashfully, hoping that your nod was sufficient enough acknowledgement for her.
The song suddenly changed, and the King gestured to you and Kunhang, “You two are out first.”
Ah, you were to be part of the Greenvale Royal Family’s entrance to the ball, since Prince Kunhang was escorting you. As you started walking away from the other three, you could hear Sicheng jokingly complain, “Now I look like a loser, the only one by himself!”
You didn’t have the time to feel pity for his situation, as Kunhang and you had fully entered into the ballroom. The two of you were at the top of a staircase, the band residing at the base and just off the side of it, playing a majestic tune. All eyes were on you, but you could only focus on four pairs. Your cousins.
They had obviously noticed your absence from the crowd gathered there, the three Lee brothers nearly exploding when you made eye contact with them. They were mouthing different variations of what you assumed to be ‘holy shit’ to you. Doyoung simply gave you a firm nod and smirk when you looked to him.
Kunhang stopped the two of you at the far left of the stairs, looking over to where you had entered from. You looked over as well, watching Sicheng make his entrance next. He beamed at all the guests, then came to you and Kunhang to shake his brother’s hand and kiss your own in greeting. The eldest Prince moved to the far right of the stairs, then turning his gaze to the entrance.
The King and Queen came out, giving everyone cordial waves and generic greetings. They stopped in the middle, you and Kunhang on one side and Sicheng on the other.
“Welcome to Greenvale’s first annual Summer Solstice Ball,” the King announced, immediately silencing the chatter and the music in the ballroom. “Now, I’m going to let my youngest son say a few words, as he planned and executed this ball.”
Then all the attention was on Kunhang, and he didn’t falter. Instead, he confidently addressed the crowd, “Thank you, Father. And thank you, to everyone who attended tonight. I organized this event in the hopes of it becoming a Greenvale tradition that would promote friendship, positivity, and prosperity between all of our kingdoms. While the Sun isn’t an icon commonly associated with Greenvale and our customs, the Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, and in celebrating the longest day of the year, we hope to bring about strong relations that are long-lasting as well. So please, enjoy yourselves.”
The entire room erupted into applause at the closing of Kunhang’s speech, the music picking back up as well. You tapped a short rhythm against your companion’s arm, hoping to convey your approval and support to him. He turned to you with a small smile, having gotten the message, before the two of you descended down the stairs.
You saw your cousins converging on you two, looking much like a pack of wolves descending upon their prey. Not wanting to deal with their teasing at the moment, you jerked Kunhang quickly through the crowd and onto the dance floor. He thankfully took it in stride, moving to take your hand and your hip in his own hands, immersing the pair of you into the multitude of people.
“Desperate to dance, Princess Y/N?” Kunhang chuckled as he swayed the two of you along to the music.
“Desperate to not have to be around my cousins right now,” you corrected him.
“Oh, really?”
“I don’t like that look on your face right now.”
“I’ve forgotten what your cousins look like,” he admitted to you, but the mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth begged to differ. “Is this one of them?”
Kunhang quickly spun you around, hands disappearing from your body as you were sent straight into the arms of another. You were now face-to-face with Donghyuck. Looking around to curse Kunhang out, he was nowhere to be seen, and you were now stuck with your cousin. You’d have to curse Kunhang out later.
“Well hello, Y/N,” Donghyuck’s eyes were practically glistening with anticipation to tease you. “You seem to be having a good night thus far.”
“Go ahead, Hyuck,” you were now resigned to your fate. “I can take it.”
“Well it’s no fun if you’re just going to accept it,” he rolled his eyes. “But anyway, I’m just offended that you’d tell Doyoung that Prince Kunhang was escorting you but not me! Not telling Taeyong and Jeno I understand, but me? I’m deeply wounded by this affront, Y/N. Here I thought I was your favorite cousin, but alas, it seems to be Doyoung instead.”
His dramatics would’ve made your eyes roll into the back of your head if it weren’t for the fact that he also said that Doyoung knew about Kunhang escorting you. You didn’t even know about that until ten minutes ago. That, paired with Nayoung’s recollection of Doyoung’s comment from this morning, was making you suspicious. You’d have to have a chat with your enigmatic older cousin soon.
As if your thoughts had summoned him, you spotted Doyoung approaching the two of you from behind Donghyuck, and immediately released your younger cousin. Donghyuck seemed about ready to complain, probably about losing the opportunity to tease you, when he spotted who you had.
“Go, Y/N, go be with your favorite cousin. Because it seems that it’s not me anymore,” he let out a mock sob.
“You were never my favorite, Hyuck,” you informed him with a snort before beginning to dance with your older cousin.
“Good evening, Doyoung,” you immediately struck up conversation.
“Good evening, Y/N,” he nodded to you, gaze practically piercing your soul as he waited for you to ask what he certainly knew you were going to ask.
“So how did you know that Prince Kunhang was escorting me to the ball?”
“When you weren’t in the crowd with the rest of us, I knew that you wouldn’t risk being late as the Solton Royal Family’s representative, so you must have one of the princes escorting you.”
“But how did you know that it was specifically Prince Kunhang escorting me?”
That same knowing smirk from before cut into his features, “I recently discovered how peaceful walks in the rain can be.”
You immediately pinched his arm through his sleeve, as hard as you could, “You better not tell anyone or I swear to god Doyoung I will—”
“Ow, I get it,” he scowled at you, shaking his arm until you released your painful hold on him. “I’m not going to tell anyone, and I’m not going to tease you about it, dear cousin. Just want to tell you congratulations, okay?”
“Oh, thank you, I suppose.”
“You’re welcome.”
Now that your heartrate had the chance to go back down, you let your eyes flit among the other patrons. Yes, you were shamelessly looking for Kunhang again. And you found him, seemingly at the same time he found you. He’d found another partner as well, and gently started leading her over towards you and Doyoung as soon as you’d made eye contact.
The band changed to a different song, and you gave Doyoung a hurried goodbye, eyes never straying from Kunhang as he did the same to the woman.
As soon as you were back in his arms, you felt a familiar tingling warmth return to your body. But you pushed it aside to glower at him.
“Woah, not happy to see me, Princess Y/N?”
You gave him a frank look, “You know what my cousins look like.”
“I only remembered after, my apologies,” he tried his best at an innocent smile, but his true intentions still shone through.
Rolling your eyes, you switched topics, “So who was that?”
“Jealous, Princess Y/N?”
“Depends on who it was,” you said, well aware of the deja-vu creeping up on you. “I haven’t seen her at royal events before.”
“She recently married into Greenvale nobility, my cousin’s wife,” Kunhang was quick to explain. “So, married and related to me. Nothing for you to be jealous over.”
“Ah.”
“Except my next dance partner will be neither married nor related to me.”
Kunhang broke apart from you as quick as he had come to you, and you watched with interest to see who he was going to dance with. A chuckle tumbled from your lips as you saw him bow deeply to offer his hand to an all-too-familiar little girl standing just at the edge of the dance floor. Sooyoung seemed absolutely ecstatic at the man asking her to dance, immediately taking both his hands in hers to pull him to the center.
Now without a partner, you stepped off the dance floor, but stayed near to watch Kunhang and your little cousin dance together. Her lilac dress shifted as she clumsily followed the steps. You’d been the one to assist with her dance lessons at the castle in your spare time, and her little brow was furrowed in concentration as she tried to remember them. Her family had arrived today just before the beginning of the ball, you’d yet to even greet them.
Looking around, you tried to spot your extended family. You weren’t as close with them as you were with the Kims and the Lees, they were nobility who lived on the outskirts of the kingdoms. But that didn’t mean you cared for them any less, or had any less of a responsibility to them as you did to your closer family.
You couldn’t see Jonghyun or the children’s parents, and gave up on the task for the moment. The night was still young, you were sure you’d find them eventually.
As the song came to you a close, you watched on fondly while Kunhang gave Sooyoung a deep bow, making the young girl giggle before skipping away.
Kunhang turned his focus to you, sauntering up to you with a proud smirk, “Jealous, Princess Y/N?”
“Nope.”
“And why not?”
“First of all, that was a child. Sooyoung is literally seven,” you scoffed. Leaning in so that your mouth was beside his ear, you added slyly and quietly, “And also nobody in here owns your ass like me.”
He was grinning as he responded, as pleased with your witty comments as ever, “It wasn’t because I came back to you?”
“Apparently I’m not as sappy as you, Kunhang.”
“Mm, dropping the ‘Prince’ out in public now too?” He almost comedically wiggled his eyebrows.
“I know, how saucy of me,” you agreed. “But only because the music is loud and we’re still whispering to each other.”
“I see.”
You grabbed his hand to start walking away from the dance floor, wanting somewhere a bit quieter to chat. The two of you found refuge in the corner of the room, where it was mostly void of people, but you were still in the ballroom, in case anyone was to come looking for you.
“You did very well, Kunhang, with your speech,” you complimented him. “A real King in the making.”
Kunhang shook his head at this notion, “Thank you, Y/N. But I’m not the one my father is making into a King. He really did just do that because it was my idea. Sicheng’s going to be the future King of Greenvale, not me.”
Nayoung had already told you of that, but it was different coming from him. He clearly didn’t hold a grudge about it, like she had said, but there was something more than that there. Relief. Not only did he not hold a grudge about it, but he sounded absolutely relieved as he relayed the fact that he wasn’t Greenvale’s future King to you.
“You seem very happy about that,” you commented, trying to keep a lightness to your voice as a darkness descended on your thoughts.
He very clearly didn’t want to be King of Greenvale, didn’t want that kind of responsibility or life for himself. Nayoung’s suggestion of him becoming the King of Solton had seemed like the perfect plan at the time, but now you were doubtful of whether he would actually want that or not, and if you even had the right to spring that idea upon him. If you had the right to continue… whatever the two of you were doing. Sure, it was fun, but was it going anywhere? You had your own kingdom to think of, you couldn’t exactly afford fun that wasn’t going anywhere.
“What’s making you make that face?” Kunhang picked up on your feelings, however, raising a hand to touch your cheek lightly.
Well, might as well face your problem head-on. Squaring your shoulders and steeling your nerves, you questioned, “Would you ever want to be a King, Kunhang?”
That caught him off-guard. His eyebrows shot up as he blinked a couple times, looking around before lowering his voice to ask, “Are you proposing to me, Y/N?”
You rolled your eyes, “God, you’re so dramatic, no.”
“I just— ugh, my grandmother used to tell me it was improper for a lady to be blunt but I never did like listening to her so…” you sighed before continuing on, previously half-mumbling to yourself before your voice picked up strength to properly address him. “Kunhang, I really like you. But I’m the heir to Solton’s throne. I can’t really invest my time in someone who has no want or intent to rule with me, or even officially start courting me.”
Kunhang had been listening to you with rapt attention that turned into amusement, “Y/N, I haven’t started courting you because we wanted to keep our bond a secret, so I wasn’t sure if you had wanted anything else to be a secret. I would’ve started courting you during your first visit to Greenvale if I’d known! I’ll tell my parents tomorrow!”
“Really?” Your chest was swelling with happiness as he rambled on, nervous smile spreading across your face.
“Really,” he confirmed, then took both your hands in his to look you in the eye for his next words. “And I would love to rule with you, Y/N.”
Now you were genuinely grinning, gripping his hands tightly as you couldn’t even formulate words to express what you were feeling in that moment.
“As long as you deal with the actual important things, you seem much more adept at diplomacy and such than me.”
You choked on your laughter, tension and worry leaving your body at the very Kunhang thing he’d just said, “Well then what exactly would you be doing?”
“I think I’d make a great trophy husband, personally.”
Your guffaws couldn’t be held back, and you were well aware that some of the patrons near you were probably looking over at you at the point.
Kunhang kept his words quiet with this new attention on the two of you to add, “Yeah, you can go be the powerful Queen of Solton who deals with all the important things, and I can be your inept husband who’s just there for moral support and to take care of the kids.”
In that moment you actually choked on your own spit, barely able to maintain the low volume of your voice, “You’re getting way ahead of yourself there, Kunhang. You haven’t even officially started courting me, kids are not a discussion to be had yet.”
“Right,” he was grinning at you brightly, nothing but adoration in features as he looked at you. “Tomorrow I tell my parents that I intend to court you.”
“Do you want me there when you tell them?”
“This is a conversation a man should be having by himself.”
“So that’s a yes.”
“Please.”
“Of course,” you met his eyes, a certain tenderness in his that brought about that same warmth and tingles back into your extremities. “We should get back to the ball.”
“We should,” Kunhang agreed despite making no move to do so.
Latching onto his forearm, you started dragging him back towards the throng of people, “Come on, lots of people to talk to, food to eat, children to dance with. Oh! There’s the Jangs!”
You immediately let go of Kunhang to dash through the ballroom, having homed in on your extended family, leaving the prince to desperately try to catch up.
In the morning, you awoke on your own, a little bit of tiredness lingering in your body from the night before. The ball didn’t end until late, and the whole time you were mingling with royalty, never off your feet or off the dance floor for too long. Kunhang hadn’t left your side unless someone had swept you away for a dance, and even then he didn’t venture far, typically somewhere in your periphery.
At the end of the night, your extended family left, not staying the night like you and your cousins. You gave them your goodbyes, squeezing Jonghyun tightly as you watched Kunhang bend down to allow Sooyoung to kiss his cheek with a distinct ‘smack!’ that made the both of them giggle. Meiqi and Jieun had forced a promise out of you to come visit them at their own estate in the near future.
You were in no rush that morning, well aware of how late your remaining cousins would be sleeping in. The five of you hadn’t set a distinct time for departing, but you imagined it wouldn’t be until after lunch. It would at least be after Kunhang’s talk with his parents, because he wanted you in attendance.
Stretching, you heard a satisfying crack of your back before you let yourself properly sit up in bed. You swung your feet over the side, letting them dangle for a while as you blinked, beginning to fully wake up.
A knock came at your door, and you honestly couldn’t be bothered to actually go and get it.
“It’s open!” You called out to the visitor.
The door swung open, revealing a surprising figure. You expected a maid, or Kunhang, or any one or more of your cousins. But instead it was Prince Sicheng. He remained politely in the hallway as he spoke to you.
“Good morning, Princess Y/N,” he gave you a shallow bow, which you responded to with a nod.
“Good morning, Prince Sicheng.” A yawn split your mouth open, and you slapped a hand over it to cover it. “How are you?”
“I’m well. You?”
“Fine, just woke up.”
“Sorry to be calling on you so early, but breakfast is starting soon.”
You gave a noncommittal grumble. Before he could close the door, you said, “Prince Sicheng.”
“Yes?”
“Why were you the one you came and got me?”
He shrugged, “Kunhang told me to. Now, I’ll leave you to get dressed, I’ll take you there once you’re ready.”
“You don’t have to wait for me, I know the way to the dining room.”
“We’re not eating there, we’re eating in my parents’ private dining room.”
With that, he shut the door, leaving you to hurriedly change from your pajamas into proper clothes. The last thing you wanted was to keep the King and Queen waiting.
Sicheng was still there when you yanked the door open, nervous smile on your lips.
“Ready.”
“Okay, come on,” Sicheng jerked his head to one side before taking off in that direction.
As you walked beside the prince, your anxieties wormed around in your brain. Eating breakfast in the King and Queen’s private dining room sounded a lot like a big deal. Like Kunhang wanted to give you a heart attack first thing in the morning. Not that you’d even be talking when he told his parents of his want to court you, you were just to be there for moral support. But you were still anxious over it. The Queen seemed nice enough, but you could never get a good read on the King. You could never tell what he was thinking or feeling, and you were suddenly aware that you couldn’t think of a single time you’d seen him smile. That’s scary.
Sicheng stopped in front of a door, holding it open for you. You thanked him before following him down the short hallway it had opened to. There were a couple different doors in the hallway, and he selected one before opening it for you.
On the other side, three people were already there. Not politely waiting, or chatting amongst each other, as you had anticipated. No, all three were stood, the two men seemingly facing off with each other. You could immediately feel the tension in the room and looked to Kunhang for an explanation of some kind.
He was stood across from his father, his mother standing to the side of and just behind her husband, watching them quietly.
“Princess Y/N’s here,” Sicheng announced your arrival, bringing all eyes to you. You wished he hadn’t, because you now lost your chance to quietly slip back out without anybody being aware of your presence.
“Good morning, Your Majesties, Prince Kunhang,” you gave them all a deep curtsey.
The King looked back to his younger son, arms crossed over his chest, “So, Kunhang, what did you wish to discuss with us so badly that breakfast had to be put off, but we had to wait for Princess Y/N?”
Kunhang took a deep breath, glancing over to you briefly. You gave him a discrete nod and smile of encouragement. This seemed to be the final push for him to say, “I’m going to court Y/N, Father.”
“No.”
Was the King’s immediate response. The wind was fully knocked out of you, your jaw dropping slightly as you looked at him. The Queen, as well as both princes, were as taken aback as you. She seemed about ready to say something when Kunhang came back with a rebuttal, his voice straining with effort to remain calm.
“I’m not here to ask your permission, I’m here to inform you of my intentions.”
“I understand,” the King said, despite his next words completely negating that statement. “But a much more powerful outcome would happen if your brother were to court Y/N instead.”
You let out a strangled cough in surprise as you looked over to Sicheng. He seemed even less on-board with that idea than you, staring at his father with utter disbelief.
“It’s not even your decision, it’s hers.”
The eldest prince spoke out, “Father, I don’t want to court Y/N.”
“Sicheng, not you too,” their father scowled at his two sons.
You were quickly realizing that this was going downhill at an increasing velocity, and felt a painful twinge in your chest as the king continued to lay into the two of them with his words, “The both of you need to—”
“I saved Kunhang’s life!” You blurted out, unable to stand seeing the look of hurt and disappointment on Kunhang’s face. You knew exactly what you had to say to stop this, “He was dangling over a waterfall, and I pulled him to safety. I’m his savior.”
The entire room was dead silent for a miniscule moment before the King sighed, and said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “Very well, then. It is out of my hands.”
Relief washed over you in waves with each second that passed by. All the conflict and tension were resolved as fast as they had built, and you looked to Kunhang expectantly.
But he was still addressing his father, “Are you serious? You—”
Sicheng cut him off by smacking the back of his head, “Kunhang, he gave up. Now stop making a big stink about Father, and start making a big stink about Princess Y/N, hm?”
Kunhang followed Sicheng’s hand that was gesturing at you, “Right. Right! Y/N!”
He dashed over to you, enveloping you into a tight hug. You immediately hugged him back, feeling how he was practically vibrating with excitement against you. Holding him, you teased, “Oh, Kunhang… you big-headed idiot.”
“Your big-headed idiot,” he informed you, his tone smug but his actions tender as he cradled the back of your head with one of his hands to rest his forehead against yours affectionately.
“I guess you are that,” you were unable to contain your mad grinning at the sentiment.
“And you’re my savior.”
“I guess I am that,” you nodded, rubbing your noses together with the movement.
Something you’d denied since the beginning, refused to be called since you’d met him: his savior. But you were that, and if calling yourself that was what it took for the two of you to be together, you’d scream it to the heavens.
A few months later, and Kunhang was visiting Solton, which had become a regular occurrence since he’d officially started courting you. This time, however, was special. He and the rest of his family were in Solton for the ball your kingdom was hosting to announce your official engagement to all the royalty and nobility of the various kingdoms.
You’d taken him to the kitchens that afternoon, nothing but mischief in your decision. You hadn’t bothered Kun in so long, you’d almost forgotten what his voice sounded like.
With Kunhang’s hand in yours, you led him into the kitchens, eyes immediately landing on your prey.
“Kun-Kun!” You shouted ecstatically, startling the man whose back was to you.
He flinched, grip slipping on the knife as he narrowly avoided cutting himself. You had to let go of Kunhang’s hand to laugh, covering your mouth with both of your hands in a poor attempt to conceal your delight.
“Ah, Y/N,” he acknowledged you stiffly. Kun was another staff member who had been around for quite some time, and thus was comfortable enough to call you by your first name.
“Where’s Chenle?” You looked around the kitchen, noticing the boy’s absence.
“He showed up this morning with a cough, so I sent him back to his quarters,” he informed you, resuming his cooking.
“Poor kid.”
Kun made a noise of agreement before nodding in the direction of Kunhang, “Princess, who’s that?”
“Oh, some idiot whose life I saved once and now I like own his soul or something,” you said with a nonchalant shrug, prompting Kunhang to retort.
“And my ass.”
“Don’t make me kick your ass,” you gave a teasing warning.
Kunhang was quick to add, “And my heart.”
“Yeah, yeah,” you conceded, reaching out to lace your fingers with his, a fond smile crossing your lips.
Kun’s eyes widened almost comically as he seemed to realize exactly what was happening. Of course he’d had to have heard about your courtship and engagement, but this was the first time he was actually meeting Kunhang.
“Oh I’m so sorry, my king! My future king? My Lord! I apologize, My Lord,” he rushed to give him a deep bow.
You held back a snicker at the man’s panic, “Oh, don’t be so formal to Kunhang.”
“Yeah, I don’t really plan on being an all high and mighty King,” the prince reassured the chef. “Just the future Queen’s trophy husband. She’s the one you should be bowing to.”
“You’re okay with that, Y/N?” Kun questioned as he stood up straight again.
“More than. Trust me, Kunhang’s a big-headed idiot. All he’s good for is looking pretty.”
What you said could have sounded like an insult, but you regarded Kunhang with such affection in your tone and features, the same loving look mirrored on his own face as he looked back at you.
At the ball that night, you’d already gotten through the beginning, the multitude of speeches from your parents, and from the both of you as you announced your engagement to a huge crowd of people. Your cousins, extended family, all levels of nobility from every kingdom in existence had been packed into Solton’s ballroom for this occasion.
But now, you’d finally found time to take a breather, slipping away from the ballroom. You ended up on the balcony again, hidden away from everyone behind the large planter now filled with blush pink peonies like all the others around the ballroom. Even in the moonlight, your eyes were drawn to the ring on your left hand. It was a silver setting with carefully engraved moonflowers on either side of the main focus: a stunning fire agate. The memory of when Kunhang had actually proposed to you brought about a fond snicker.
He’d taken you to the waterfall that the two of you had first met at and dropped to one knee at the very edge of it, damn near giving you a heart attack in that moment. But the idiot refused to get up until he’d finished his speech and you’d said yes. After you had, he slipped the ring on your finger, and went to stand up. Then stumbled backwards. If you hadn’t yanked him away at that very moment, he would have fallen over the cliff. Now your bond was twice as strong, he had told you as you were sandwiched between him and the rocky ground, because your momentum backwards had cumulated in the both of you falling over. You still had a scar down your arm from that, a more permanent reminder of your engagement than the ring he’d given you.
A knock at the ajar door brought you from your memories, and you looked over at the person who’d joined you on the balcony. It was Kunhang, and your instinctive smile fell as you saw a flash of red on his lip. Blood that matched his scarlet sash and your own red dress.
“Oh, love, your face,” you observed him with a frown, reaching a gentle hand out to caress his cheek, eyes taking in his split lip.
He sighed, letting you lightly touch your thumb to the wound, “I know, I—”
“You tripped?”
“No,” he immediately corrected you, chest puffing up with pride. “I was defending your honor.”
“From whom?” You were slightly taken aback, eyebrow raising with interest.
Kunhang couldn’t meet your eyes as his cast downwards at his shoes and he mumbled, “Shuyang.”
“You got beat up by a ten-year old?”
Shuyang was the kid brother of the current king of Aquaria, and a rather angry little devil most of the time. The image of Shuyang punching Kunhang in the face was actually kind of funny, and you were sure that somebody had removed him right after that, and that you, Kunhang, all of Solton, and all of Greenvale would be receiving a formal apology from Shuyang, King Zhengting, and all of Aquaria very soon. All in all, not a huge deal in your opinion.
“I wasn’t about to hit a child,” your fiancée defended himself.
“What did he even say about me?”
“Your hair is dumb.”
“Oh, my brave and valiant protector,” you declared with amusement in your tone, taking both his cheeks in your hands to cradle his face.
“You’re responsible for this, you know,” he informed you with a pout, pointing to the small cut.
“What, you want me to kiss it and make it feel better?”
“Yes.”
“You could’ve hit Shuyang, since you’re a child yourself,” you scoffed, releasing his face.
He immediately seized your hands in his, pulling you closer to him. Now pressed up against him, you rolled your eyes fondly, relinquishing one of your hands from his grip to thread your fingers in the dark locks at the back of his head.
“Fine, come here.”
Pulling his mouth to yours, you kissed him gently, well aware of the little injury. Kunhang was smiling against your lips, fingertips running over the engagement scar on your arm. He drew back just enough to rest his forehead against yours and you bumped his nose with yours, a silent conversation between the two of you. His free hand found your hip, and he started rocking the two of you slowly to the muffled music from inside.
“I can’t wait to marry you,” he murmured to you, slipping his fingers between yours.
“Well you’re going to have to,” you teased, pressing your lips to his again.
“You mean we can’t elope right now?”
“Not with hundreds of people between us and the exit.”
“We’re only on the second floor, I think we can jump from here.”
You snickered, responding with a kiss, deepening it this time. As your mouths moved together, you hummed in delight, letting go of his hand to instead loop your arms around his neck. Right as he tilted his head for a better angle, Kunhang moaned against your mouth and flinched away from you.
He brought a hand up to cover his mouth momentarily, tongue swiping over the wound you’d forgotten about in the midst of your kissing.
“Stupid Shuyang,” he grumbled, cursing out his tiny assailant.
Laughing lightly, you drew him in with your arms, instead burying your face in his neck, surrounded by his familiar, warm scent. Kunhang wrapped his arms around your waist, holding you closely and continuing to sway out of time.
⤷ masterlist
