Chapter One.
He walked in gracefully, catching everyone's eyes and full attention as he made his way further into the ballroom.
He stood tall and was easily a head taller than the princess. He had pale, clear skin, his lighter shade of black hair was slightly brushed back as his crown covered most of it. His dark, brown eyes were captivating and...they were mysterious. No emotion was seen in them whatsoever. His slightly plump, pink lips were carved into a line, and just like his eyes, they showed nothing. Not even slight sign for any type of emotion.
Hoseok followed behind his parents, waiting for them to exchange a few words with the King and Queen, while his eyes snapped towards the princess.
She was seen seated beside her parents, patiently waiting to get this night over with, while not showing much boredom by her straightened posture and the fake smile that temporarily plastered on her face, but it was all seen in her dark brown eyes as they made eye contact. His gaze scared her, it wasn't him who she was afraid of but their future together is what frightened Jieun the most.
A stranger she had no knowledge of whatsoever was going to now be her husband by the rules and orders of both of their parents.
Hoseok's guilt rose at the state of the princess. He didn't want an arranged marriage and it was clear that their feelings were mutual and how he wished he could change their faith but at this point, he was powerless. They both were.
They were under their parent's control. Whatever they said they felt obliged to accept because respect was something they were taught at a young age and if they were to ever go against the wishes of their parents the situation would end up worse than if they were to marry. So just like that; they excepted theirselves to end up together but maybe just maybe there was some hope?
As the adults chatted, King Jihun suddenly gasped and looked over at Prince Hoseok who had immediately bowed down to the King and Queen, showing a faint smile as a sign of respect.
"What an honor to have the Jung family in our kingdom!" King Jihun exclaimed with excitement, followed by Iseul nodding her head to her husband's words in agreement.
"Jieun, you've already met King Jihoon and his wife, Queen Minji. And of course, their son, Prince Hoseok." Her father introduced the family to Jieun, who bowed down to them and smiled, but she had nothing to look forward to.
"We all talked and discussed considering the both of you and decided that it's the best for both kingdoms if we join forces." The King spoke, taking a moment before continuing "And if we want to help each other whilst continuing the traditions of both families, we've decided to form a closer bond by giving our offspring into the agreement. Prince Hoseok and Princess Jieun shall have an arranged marriage. It may be hard now, but you'll get to know each other soon and hopefully adapt to it. I'm sure you'll get along well." He smiled at the young royals.
A wave of sadness hit Jieun like no other. The thoughts of never being happy or free corrupting her mind as she had no escape or choice but to accept it, as the fate of her kingdom was in her hands.
She found it a burden how she was responsible for the alliance between the two kingdoms and she found it comical how she was going to be married to someone she hardly knew would help strengthen the ties between the two sides any more than they would be. It was ridiculous and she found it unnecessary but she still had to do it. For her father, for her mother, and for her kingdom. She had been so consumed with her thoughts and hadn't noticed the Prince in front of her.
A beautiful smile came into her view, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Would you like to dance?" Hoseok asked the princess who was caught off guard by his nice gestures.
So far, he was nothing like she had imagined. She thought he would be rude and cold, maybe because all of the novels she had read regarding this very situation she was trapped in, in which the female would constantly get hurt by the male while she was trying to piece their lives together as the male lead kept putting her down, showing nothing but disgust and hatred, but thankfully it was nothing like that. At least for now.
She gulped, looking down at his hand and back into his eyes before hesitantly taking his offer and standing up, letting him lead her towards the dance floor.
•••
As they swayed their bodies to the beautiful melody that flew throughout the room, Jieun started to sweat profusely, feeling how the atmosphere quickly changed to awkward.
They didn't know what to say, making them both try to avoid eye contact with one another but the silence between them was catching up and slowly drowning them.
Hoseok coughed, catching the princess' attention.
"Enjoying the night so far?" He asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence between each other as he gazed into her chestnut brown eyes.
"It's... Going great." She wavered over her answer and gave a fake smile once more, making Hoseok frown. She was a fraud and she didn't want to do this one bit.
"You do not seem too sincere about your answer, princess."
"What would you expect me to say?" She furrowed her eyebrows, slightly tilting her head to the side waiting for him to respond.
"That's a question I do not have an answer to." He gave a sad smile which she returned.
•••
Time flew by within the blink of an eye.
Before she knew it, the clock had already struck twelve as the night sky covered her kingdom like a blanket.
It felt safe. The wind was howling but it wasn't too cold. The grasshoppers were making their little sounds to cover up the silence that had already made itself comfortable this peaceful night.
The only source of light in the midnight sky was the moon and the small little dots they called stars as they shone beautifully while hiding a million mysteries.
The princess said her goodbyes and farewells to her now Fiancée and parents-in-law.
A huge weight was pressuring her down, not wanting to go on with her future like this; Lost and locked up.
She wouldn't be free and worst of all she'd be pushed into a situation which she didn't want to be a part of. A situation in which she'd have to love a man for the sake of her duty as a princess.
She hoped that one day, she would escape this hell she called reality. The hell she called life.
•••
Hello my little berries! So, I have been thinking about this fan fiction for a long time! I started drafting and even asked a friend (-TOKYOONGI ) to edit the drafts for me to make it perfect (thanks by the way I really appreciate it)
I hope you enjoy this fan fiction as much as I do, and stay tuned!