New life
I frowned peaking at the guard who was walking ahead of me holding my bag. Right after we walked through the main entrance of the palace we took a sharp turn towards a long corridor with numerous paintings on the wall. The corridor was light up with crystal chandeliers hanging down from the high ceiling, making my jaw drop a little at the sight. We turned at least three times already, my palms becoming sweaty from the nerves. The corridor seemed to have no end and I was getting really fidgety.
"E-excuse me? May I please know where are we going?" I asked awkwardly with a nervous smile, trying to be as polite as I can and not annoy the scary looking guy. The guard glanced at me sideways, still emotionless before replying.
"The throne hall. We have to inform the king about your arrival." I tensed at his answer before nodding, muttering out a small 'Thank you.'
The rest of our small journey was filled with awkward silence. I was trying really hard to think positively and to chase away all the frightening and unsettling thoughts that seemed to have no end. All I could do was hope that they will give me some time before ushering me to 'work'. And also hope that I will get to see and talk to Jisoo.
Before I knew it, the guard stopped in front of large double-doors. Me being lost in thoughts and being my clumsy self, I didn't notice the buff guard standing in front of me so I bumped my forehead against his back letting out a small 'oof'. He gave me a short glare with a grunt before opening the wide door and stepping inside. I followed him with my head hanging low.
I was well aware that we were already in the throne hall since in the corner of my eyes I could see that we were in a large room or more like a hall with pillars lining up on both of our sides. We were also walking along an expensive-looking red carpet which was most likely leading to the throne. So as much as I wanted to snatch my bag away from the mean guy in front of me and run away, I looked up and cautiously looked around.
The room was insanely spacious and empty. I peeked behind the guy's shoulder to the front of the room only to get my breath stuck in my throat. Our king was sitting in one of the two thrones which were on a platform-like space. He was talking with a young man who was standing next to him, still completely oblivious to our presence. However what made me smile were the few girls in white dresses on the side of the room, all scattered around a cozy looking sofa and chatting. One of them was Jisoo who was already waving in my direction. I gave her a small wave as well, smiling.
"His Majesty." the guy in front of me said bowing down once we were right in front of the steps leading to the thrones. I bowed down as well staying a little behind, clutching at my dress tightly. "I came to report the arrival of your newest bride." he said monotonously before standing up straight, me following slowly behind. I glanced at the king from behind my lashes before looking away quickly, catching him already staring at me.
"I see. Thank you for your assistance Kai. You may go now." said the king, his voice smooth and raspy just like the last time.
"As you wish my king." the guy named Kai slowly placed my bag down next to me before bowing quickly and walking out of the room, leaving me standing in the middle, alone.
I felt like I was standing in Lion's pit, actually wishing the mean guy stayed here with me. I took few deep breaths before looking up at him again, attempting to gain my confidence.
The king shooed away the guy next to him with one hand, turning his attention completely on me. The guy next to him took few steps aside and offered me a small smile, making me calm down a little. I smiled back before looking back at the man on the throne.
I don't know him that well and it's only my third time seeing him, but I can already tell that this guy wears nothing but silk and velvet. Not to forget the expensive golden accessories.
"How was your journey Chaeyoung?" he asked taking me off guard, the corner of his lips rising up. It took me a while before I replied, playing with my fingers.
"T-the journey went fine. Thank you for asking." I said forcing a small smile, not mishearing the quiet snickers from were the brides are seated in the corner. He titled his head to the side, his smile still prominent on his face.
"You're from Hangar district, am I right?" he asked and I slowly nodded making him furrow his eyebrows slightly. "That's quite a distance from here. Did you come alone?" I was getting more and more confused by his questions, wondering why he wants to know.
"N-no, I came with a friend of mine." I muttered quietly but still loud enough for him to hear. He raised his eyebrow looking at me curiously.
"A friend?" I frowned not understanding his curiosity at all. The guy next to him nudged him slightly giving him a scolding look before shaking his head softly. I titled my head a little, pondering at his bold actions. They must be friends.
The king sighed and looked back at me, straightening himself up.
"Alright then, either way I'm glad you're here. Welcome to your new home Chaeyoung." my insides churned at that, not liking how he chose his words. "We'll let you get settled now. Jisoo, would you come over here?" my expression light up immediately at the mention of her name, turning to the girl who was already scurrying my way. She stood next to me, giving me a quick grin before turning back towards the man on the throne. "Tour Chaeyoung around and show her her new room. Also make sure to explain her the basic rules she has to follow in the palace so she can adapt as quickly as possible. You may go now." said the king giving us his last look before turning back towards the guy next to him.
"Will do, my king." we bowed quickly before she grabbed my wrist with one hand and my bag with other, dragging me away from the room quickly. Once the wide doors closed behind us she gave me a quick hug, startling me.
"I'm glad you made it. That friend of yours from yesterday looked like he wasn't even intending on letting you go. I was actually quite worried." she said with a chuckle as we made our way through the long corridor again. I chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of my neck.
"At first he was making a scene and didn't want to let me go, being the headstrong guy he is, but we talked it out in the end."
"That's great, we wouldn't want to know what could have happened if he persuaded you to stay." she said, her voice lowering. I looked at her with my eyebrow raised, curious.
"What would happen?" she glanced at me quickly before chuckling, shaking her head.
"I don't know. I don't think something like that ever happened, at least from what I can remember. But between the two of us, the king seemed really excited for your arrival this whole morning." she said with a teasing smile, making me snap my head in her direction with widened eyes, my mind refusing to process her words. She laughed at my expression. "That's why I don't want to imagine the hell that would break loose if you didn't come." she ended her speech, leaving me silent for a little.
Why would he be excited for my arrival? He's already surrounded with plenty of beautiful women.
Jisoo gave me a short tour of the ground floor of the castle which consisted of nothing but throne hall, a main ball room and a lot of conference rooms were the king and other aristocrats tend to work. After that she took me to the third floor which is supposed to be dedicated for brides only. She led me to the right wing of the floor and to my room.
It was an average looking bedroom with queen sized bed. The walls were plain white just like almost everything in the room. The bed sheets were also white with small flower patterns. There was also a small balcony attached to the room, overlooking the main yard of the castle. I was more than happy with my room since it reminded me of my bedroom back at home but was also twice the size.
After we placed my bag at the side of my bed, Jisoo dragged me out again for the rest of the tour. To my surprise she took my straight to the main staircase, saying we'll leave the third floor for the end of the tour.
The first floor was dedicated to personnel of the palace, other than brides. Maids, chefs, the guards and others were residing on that floor. There were also plenty of storage rooms and also an enormous dining hall together with kitchen. Only the staff, the soldiers and brides were dining there apparently, the aristocrats together with the royal family had their meals either in their rooms or on occasional occurrences on the fourth floor.
She also took me to a separate area of the ground floor which was near the backyard of the palace. It looked like a normal residential three-storey building but it was attached to the back of the palace. The area belonged to royal army.
Aristocrats were residing on the second floor. There were also few conference rooms meant for work purposes.
And last but not least, the fourth floor belonged to the royals. The floor looked like a completely different world compared to the rest of the floors. Don't get me wrong, the whole castle interior looked like it was meant for gods but the fourth floor was literally basking in all the gold and richness. The walls were colored deep-red with golden elements spreading across them in beautiful ornaments. The high ceiling was embellished with beautiful fresco paintings and yet again, beautiful gold chandeliers were hanging down, adding to the richness of the corridors. I couldn't stop looking around in awe as we made our way down the halls of the fourth floor. Jisoo showed me the chamber where retired king and queen reside before showing me the dining room where the royals with aristocrats would eat occasionally. She also showed me a beautiful music room, a small ball room, a library and a royals' spa which consisted of few hot tubs in the size of small pools, saunas and a resting room where they would occasionally get a massage from the staff working at the spa. I couldn't stop my gawking as she led me from room to room, chuckling at my loss of words.
"Close your mouth or a fly will get in." she said and gently tapped my chin with her finger which made me snap out of my daze.
"This place is just...do they even need all of this?" I asked bewildered and she laughed before stopping at one of the doors at the end of the corridor. Just like any other door on this floor, it was made out of gold with various elements craved in it. I looked at Jisoo with raised eyebrows as we stood in front of the closed doors.
"This is the king's bedroom." she said with a soft smile as she stroked the surface of the door. I gulped and looked at it, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. She looked at me sideways, her palm still on the door. "You should learn the directions to this room, you'll need it." she said with a dry chuckle before stepping back, her arm falling to her side. My eyes widened slightly, looking back and forth between her and the door, uneasy. "You probably don't know how everything works, do you?" she said and glanced at me with a sad smile.
I shook my head slowly, my insides shuddering.
"T-they make sure that what happens in the castle doesn't get outside to the public. Especially if it involves the brides." I said quietly, staring blankly at the door in front of me.
It was true. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. People would always make up rumors which were nothing but frightening and simply horrendous. I never believed them, knowing rumors will always stay rumors but they were the only thing we could hold on to. They were the only thing we knew. Jisoo could tell me everything right this moment, but did I really want that? Am I ready to hear and accept the truth?
Jisoo held my hand, slowly tugging me away from the door. I looked at her startled with raised eyebrow. She gave me a sweet smile, dragging me away from the door and towards the main staircase.
"We still have time for that, we don't want to ruin your first day here now, do we? Let's go, we still haven't toured around the third floor. The best part of the whole palace!" she cheered raising up her hand, making me smile.
I was really grateful for Jisoo. I didn't know her for too long but even when we met just yesterday, she was always trying to cheer me up every time she saw my demons clawing at my mind. She was also really cheerful and goofy which made me remember my old self before the whole Bride fest. It was really refreshing having around someone with the same personality as you. Jungkook was and still is my best friend but he was always more of a mature guy, always seeing himself as my guardian, making sure I was safe and okay which from time to time could get really annoying.
As we got to the third floor, Jisoo immediately dragged me to the left side of the floor, saying the right wing is filled with nothing but our rooms.
I was again left standing speechless as she took me to another spa, now dedicated only for brides. It was pretty similar to the one we saw upstairs, only a little less fancier. I walked around one of the hot tubs and dipped my fingers into the pleasingly hot water.
"You mean I can come here anytime I want?" I asked amazed before I noticed a marble counter in the corner of the room, filled with all kinds of bath salts and soaps.
"Yeah, that's right. We usually settle on two days in a week, coming here together to let the steam out." she said as I scanned all the heavenly-smelling shampoos in front of me. Right behind the counter there was a big window overlooking at one of the courtyards filled with greenery. I frowned and looked behind me at the tubs before looking back at the window.
"Hey, unnie?" she hummed next to me as she sorted out the soaps on counter in front of her. "Aren't you uncomfortable when there's a big window right in front of the tubs? The people from outside can easily see inside." I said perplexed while standing on my toes to get a better look outside.
Jisoo chuckled shaking her head.
"The courtyard is also ours. No one besides brides is allowed in there. Maybe the king but he never comes here. Why would he, right?" I 'oohed' at her explanation, nodding my head.
"Right."
"Welcome to the bride's chamber!" Jisoo cheered throwing her hands up in the air with a laugh as we entered one of the biggest doors on the third floor. I tensed a little, seeing we were not alone in the big room. There were at least 6 another brides, all scattered everywhere across the room.
The chamber itself was really beautiful. The walls were painted in soft pink color and decorated with golden elements here and there. In the middle of the room was a big couch in white color with pink and gold cushions lying on top of it. There was a small coffee table in front of it, standing on a fluffy baby-pink carpet. At least hundred of cushions and smaller pillows were lying on the ground in the back corner, few blankets stacked next to the bed-like pile of pillows. A silk cloth was hanging down from the ceiling above it, creating a baldachin. It looked really comfortable and I was sure I would spend a lot of time there. A white arm chair was standing in the next corner with shelves stacked with book on the wall next to it. I smiled at the sight of the books, making a mental note to go and look through them later. In the front of the chamber was a small kitchen consisting of cupboards and a marble counter, filled with plates and other dinnerware.
The whole room was looking cozy and warm, making a small grin light up my face.
"This is were we spend the most of our time if we're not outside. No people besides us can enter the bride's chamber so it's like our safe house. Not that we need one anyway, but still." said Jisoo and walked further inside the room with me trailing behind her. "Hey girls! This is Chaeyoung, the new bride!" said Jisoo, averting all the girls' attention on me. I smiled shyly, waving.
"Hi, I'm Park Chaeyoung, it's nice to meet you." they all gave me sweet smiles and Jisoo pulled me to the dreamy pile of pillows in the back. All the girls gathered around us, making me slightly nervous. They were all beautiful and mature, making me feel out of place.
They all introduced themselves happily, my uneasiness soon drifting away as they all started a light conversation with me. They were making me feel welcomed which I appreciated, thanking the God they were all such a nice girls.
"So, there's only 8 brides?" I asked confusedly, running my eyes through the girls to count them again, adding myself to the count.
"Oh no, there's 15 of us including you. You see, it's really rare for all of us to assemble on one place. We often go outside to the city or take walks around the palace." the one who if I remembered correctly was called Jennie, said with one of the fluffy pillows on her lap. "And some of us stay locked inside their rooms all day long. Isn't that right Jisoo unnie?" she snickered glancing at Jisoo. The older girl send her a scolding glare.
"Yah! A girl sometimes needs her alone time! Especially with you guys around." she muttered the last sentence quietly with a pout, receiving playful glares and gasps from the girls.
"I'll make sure to remind you of that next time you want me to braid your hair." said the girl named Naeun with arms crossed on her chest, making Jisoo whine.
"But unnie~" we all laughed at Jisoo's pouting face, Jennie giving Naeun a high-five.
We talked for some longer time as they enthusiastically wanted to get to know me better.
I was glad that my new life was not turning out to be as miserable as I thought it would be.
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I will make sure to include more taehyung in the next chapters, the story is only at it's beginning ;)
again thanks to all of you who support my story <3