Requested by AST3R01D and cicigucci
They both requested ATEEZ royal AU series, and this is part 1 of 8.
(pictures aren't mine by the way)
"You're going to have to kill me," You said. "You do realize that right?"
Suddenly, it was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. The servants all looked around with worry evident on their faces; they didn't know what was going to happen next.
"Everyone out!" Your father yelled.
In a matter of seconds, the entire room was cleared and the heavy wooden doors were slammed shut.
Standing in silence, you stared at your father. He was so fragile looking, his illness was going to kill him and you knew that. Perhaps, you were being dramatic but you couldn't allow yourself to be just given to some other man when your heart already belonged to another.
He looked at you with those same eyes he had countless times before, but this time, any twinkle he had left was gone and he stared forward with a blank, murky expression.
His illness had reached his eyes and surely, there wouldn't be much time left.
"Y/n", his coarse voice managed to say. "Come closer my child."
Anxiously, you walked over, dragging your dark grey cloud with you.
"Father, I can't-"
"Y/n, you know just as well as I do; I don't have much time left"
Like raindrops falling from the blurred skies, his tears began to slowly roll down his cheeks. He loved you so much and we would do anything to protect you, even if that meant sacrificing the last bit of happiness he had left within him.
"Your mother would want you to be safe Y/n and this alliance is the safest you'll ever be."
His words were again cut off by those violent coughs, this time dyeing his handkerchief a bright red. You tried to hold him but he pushed you away; he didn't want you to contract any sort of illness. But the moment, his breath began to fade, you reached out for his hand and didn't let go even when he tried to pull away.
In between shaky breaths, he whispered his last words.
"You will be the bravest Queen Isura has ever seen, and I know you will make your mother and me proud."
Many words were left unsaid but you knew he was thinking them. He would want you to be strong, but how could you be strong your world was crumbling beneath your feet.
You didn't realize it at first, but through the tears, you noticed a certain friend slowly making their way to the edge of the bed. His hands were tucked away in his pockets as watched the scene playing out in front of him.
Before he had a chance to say anything, you had already the questions swirling in his mind.
"I'm getting married, Hongjoong."
Without any other words, Hongjoong took you in his arms, holding your head as you sobbed into his chest.
You had spent years holding back your emotions, thinking that crying was some odd sign or weakness but it was only Hongjoong who taught you that crying was only for the strongest of all; at the end of the day, they would always wipe their tears off their face and get back up again, no matter what they faced.
༺♥༻
As the music echoed throughout the foyer, you watched as people danced and welcomed the prince of Zephyr, all bowing and admiring his undeniable beauty.
He stood adorned with jewels and the finest fabric, his black hair combed softly against his head.
He was gorgeous, there was not a single doubt about that but you can't assume someone's entire personality based on their appearance.
Just as you were about to quietly slip away down the hall, a familiar arm snaked its way around your waist until you were facing him. Hongjoong smiled softly and looked at what you had been staring at and with a humourous expression, he shook his head.
"Well, he's a pretty one, isn't he?" Hongjoong said with a laugh.
You rolled your eyes and slipped down the hall, taking a final look at the crowd before locking eyes with your soon-to-be husband, who seemed to know what was exactly going on just by the way Hongjoong was holding you.
Before you could even get all the way down the hall, Hongjoong mumbled another ridiculous remark.
"Be careful with him, Y/n. I might just take him myself".
"Oh shut up Joong."
"So tell me", Hongjoong stepped in front of you. "What's his name?"
You sighed, letting your shoulders finally drop. "Prince Seonghwa of Zephyr."
When Hongjoong heard that name, his eyes widened and his energy changed from something playful to something anxious and uneasy. You had known him for as long as you could remember and it had always been perfectly easy to figure out what was going on in that pretty head of his but this time, you were absolutely stumped.
"What is it? Is there something wrong with him?"
Hongjoong shook his head, "No no, not him. But his entire family line is known for being ruthless and heartless rulers-"
"Well, that's why I am also Queen. I'm not going to let that happen to Isura."
"That includes being ruthless with their wives. His father had 9 wives, you know what happened to them when he wanted something new?"
You stared at him, eyes slightly glassed over as you tried to process all of the new information.
Hongjoong quickly grabbed your face, "He killed them, what makes you think that his son won't do the same to you?"
The conversation was interrupted just as you were about to reprimand him for spreading such rumors. Standing not far from you, was Seonghwa, a look of confusion on his face as he tried to process what was going on.
"Excuse me sir, but what are you doing to the lady?" He asked, furrowing his brows.
Hongjoong scoffed at him, "I'm just talking to her. Is that some sort of crime now?"
"In my country, yes." Seonghwa walked towards the two of you, practically shooting daggers at Hongjoong. "Now, I'm going to ask going to say this once; leave or I will remove you myself."
Hongjoong didn't say anything, rather he just kissed your knuckle and shoved past Seonghwa until he disappeared down one of the hallways.
That was the first time you ever spoke to Seonghwa yourself, but it surely wouldn't be the last. As the wedding quickly came and went, You and Seonghwa hardly spoke to one another. You weren't friends and you knew you were probably never going to become friends, but enemies were the very last thing that you would have ever thought was going to become of you.
Seonghwa sat on the edge of the bed, twirling a small knife between his fingers. You watched him carefully but didn't move a muscle.
He was going to kill you.
"Did I ever tell you that I'm the youngest in my family?" Seonghwa asked, suddenly making eye contact.
You gulped, "No, I didn't know that."
Seonghwa chuckled softly before tossing you the knife, "I'm not going to kill you, you can stop shaking."
Still, you refused to move and watched as he made his way to the other side of the room. He stopped at his desk, picking through random bottles and strewn-out pieces of paper.
"But this probably will."
He picked up a dark blue bottle and swirled the unknown liquid inside.
Poison.
"What do you mean 'probably'?"
Seongwha sighed and crouched down to get to face level where you were sitting. You wanted to take that knife and plunge it into his perfect skin but something held you back.
"Why don't you ask your father?"
Authors Note: Hey everyone, lovely to be back (for the most part). I will write a part 2 to this, don't worry. Please give your thoughts and tell me what you think of this! I'm honestly not fishing for compliments when I say this but I don't think this one shot had great flow, I felt like it was a bit jerky (if that makes sense).
But still, please comment and like!
And be on the lookout for part two and for the other member's one-shots!