Promise- Minsung

Chapter Twenty Three

"Yes, Your Highness," Captain Namjoon bowed before taking off down the hall to form the guards.

Just as he was turning around, he found a head poking out at him. "Ahh!" he jumped back and held his chest.

All the guards in the area were instantly with swords drawn.

"Sorry, sorry," the male head rounded the same corner the captain had turned minutes before. "I apologize. Please, guards, no need to panic."

The guards sheathed their swords but kept their eyes on the two princes.

"Prince Min-hyung, I apologize, I did not recognize you."

"Yes, we have not properly been introduced yet," Min-hyung bowed, as did Jisung. Min-hyung took in Jisung for a moment, and then sighed. "You know what, Prince? I think I'd like to go on a walk around the perimeter of this palace. Would you like to join me?"

It was not a question.

Jisung bowed and said through tight lips. "It would be my pleasure to join you, Prince Min-hyung."

The two princes set out around the main building. Once away from the larger ones, Min-hyung broke the short silence. "Can I speak frankly with you?" he asked, still keeping a formal tone but now looking less friendly.

Jisung's face changed as well as he mirrored the other prince's slight hostility. "Of course. What is it you need to speak to me about so urgently?"

"Just about an hour ago, when we first arrived, our group split up. My sister went with your cousin, my cousin went with your lord, and my brother came with me. And within an hour, I heard not only from my sister, but also my cousin the same report on my brother."

"Yes, prince. I'm sure you are all very worried about your young crown prince, but-"

"He is not well, you see," Min-hyung continued like he had not been interrupted. "I'm sure that you have something to do with it, but I will not act like it is only your fault. I know it isn't. But what you have been doing to my cousin, verbally insulting him and treating him so coldly... he did not ask for this, and I know you didn't either, but why are you acting so harshly to him when he has been nothing but accepting for you?"

"Clearly, we are not alike in that way," Jisung said stiffly, as he stopped walking and turned to the older prince. "I do not want to marry your brother, neither does he want to marry me. The difference is that if we were not getting married, I would be off marrying some other woman that I would actually want to marry, whereas he would end up like your other brother, too in love with a filthy man that will do him no good to actually marry a woman that would bring prosperity to your household!"

Min-hyung stood for a moment, before bursting out laughing.

Jisung stiffened.

"Do you really think that's what would happen?" he stopped laughing. "You really don't know anything, do you? To be clear, no, he probably wouldn't end up marrying a woman. But he certainly wouldn't tie to knot with a man like you. You are so... childish and self centered... I don't know how he ever... aish, never mind."

"What?" Jisung glared at the other prince. "What? Finish what you were going to say?"

Min-hyung glanced at Jisung, taking him in, before he let out a defeated sigh. "When we first came to visit you and your parents when you were just a few weeks old, Minho fell in love with you and your cute little baby face. He kept kissing your forehead as your parents watched, saying how he wanted to marry you when he got older and how he, a little four year old boy, would take care of you forever!" Min-hyung laughed mockingly and glared at Jisung. "Your parents loved that. They wished that you two could marry, regardless of gender. That Minho would be a good husband, and they hoped you would be too," Min-hyung shrugged. "Regardless, they did not sever their agreement with us."

"What agreement?" Jisung asked, narrowing his eyes as well.

"Well, the agreement signed by both countries said that Minho would marry the first born child of the king, not with any mention to a prince of princesses. So technically, if they had lived longer and chosen to sever the agreement, you would not be getting married right now. Unfortunately, they did not break it right away. For whatever reason, I don't know. But now, you two are stuck together."

"Are you saying that my parents... actually seemed to want me to marry Minho?"

"I am not saying that. I do not know for sure. All I know was that Minho, again, only at age four, promised to your parents that he would take care of you and love you and marry you, and that your parents never severed their agreement with us, even after you were born a boy. They had several months to do so, and they did not. Now you take that the way you want to take it!"

With that, Min-hyung stalked off, leaving Jisung to fall to his knees and cry.