「♕♚」 — a royal arranged marriage w/ @multiipl
the crown prince moves swiftly, sautering through the ballroom with an wolfish grin on his lips & a determined look on his eyes, avoiding the servants serving the food and the other couples dancing with an astonishing ease and skill for a burly man like him. he’s always one for a good party - as long as said party is not his ( forced ) engagement party.
he makes a beeline straight towards his wife to be, pondering his options as he steals two full glasses from a passing servant that was surprised by his sudden move. there was still time to stop this, they were only set to marry on the next month and a lot could happen in 30-ish days. part of him knew this was foolish - there was a damn good reason why both his parents and her mother were pushing the odd pair to a marriage and it was not just to settle the two down.
it would be the easiest way to avoid not only his kingdom’s bankruptcy - as the beifong’s were notoriously famous for their rich mines of precious stones - but a possible war between the two neighbouring kingdoms as well. it was, for lack of a better way to say it, a necessary evil.
‘ that’s a lovely dress you’re wearing, your highness. ’ bumi starts with a grin, offering the drink before he takes of sip of his own, sizing her up with a somewhat boisterous look. at least she, from what he gathered from talking with some guards and members of her court, had brains - that had been a crescent worry of his, as he had met the woman's younger sister months before & she had seemed...ditzy at best. lin, on the other hand, was rumoured to be a centered and responsible ruler, the ideal queen to him as his mother had called. ‘ enjoying the ball so far ? ’
the worst thing that could happen to him was to be forced to marry someone stupid. not that he was the prime example of a wise and smart ruler, of course not, but at the very least he could discuss battle strategies and keep up a conversation that dived a little deeper than the superficial trivialities of the court. to spend the rest of his life with someone that only fretted over what to wear and who to invite to a ball would be hellish to him. luckily, the spirits might have heard his prayers as he had been matched with the eldest sister, heirerss of the trone of the earth kingdom, a known smartass who, based from where bumi was standing & what he was seeing, was probably a nice ass as well.
not that it mattered - the wedding was a political farce anyway... still, he hadn't thought she would look this...good. she’s not conventionally feminine in her beauty, though her hourglass frame and delicate features don't escape him, and instead comes off as austere and commanding; she seems strong, a true ruler of sorts. it was a refreshing surprise. perhaps this whole wedding thing wouldn't be so terrible.
‘ i must say, your portraits do you no justice... ’ he grins, always a lady charmer, but there’s something lurking there. he has not met her before, however considering that this was the first time they even had spoken more than two words for each other ever since the ball started, bumi can bet that lin did not want that marriage to happen either. he just needs to find a way to confirm that & try and work with her to stop it before it was too late... or...at least that had been his plan, at first. however, when he glances at his parents, he can see how happy his mother is and part of him feels bad for what he’s been planning behind everyone’s backs.
‘ it is good to finally meet you - i suppose the two of us have...a lot to discuss...before the wedding. ’
