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"True beauty is the one that's treasured in the imperfections."
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Word Count:2056

A/N: inspired from the song,
Scars to Your Beautiful
by Alessia Cara.

»THIRD PERSON«

1980s, Korea

[A/N: Please note that the time period mentioned is just to give a brief imagery of a retrospective landscape and does not hold any resemblance to the actual past events.]

To say, Lalisa's life was very much sorted out; she thought it was perfect. Being the daughter of the Thai nobility who was pursuing her higher studies in Seoul, Korea and soon about to graduate with the academic excellency she had, she was more delighted for a grand celebration.

Her upcoming wedding, with the prince of the modern-day Jeon dynasty that ruled over Korea, Jeongguk.

Although many may point out that this was just a marriage of convenience, an arrangement made to maintain their social ranks, it actually isn't.

On the contrary, this marriage was happening out of love, perhaps a first in modern day royal history. And so, Lisa wanted it to be iconic, memorable. And she had big plans for it. After all, it was going to be her big day; she had grown up reading about fairytales, being taught that the biggest dream she should ever dream of as a young girl should be only and only, her marriage.

The idea may sound absurd for something to progress till the 20th century, although these are customs and rituals which aren't bound to fade away very soon, especially if they've been going on for centuries, isn't so?

"-think we need to shift dates of the bachelorette party by some days. It coincides with my last paper." Lisa groaned as she stood beside Jungkook on one of the balconies, rubbing her palms in distress.

"You seem to be so worried regarding all of this." Jeongguk remarked as Lisa turned her head at him.

"Its my wedding, it doesn't come and go every year like a birthday. Ah it's cold." She hugged her arms that had now turned cold, evidently due to the gentle gusts of wind whooshing through.

"Come, let me hold you." Jeongguk reached for his hand and almost immediately pulled Lisa into his embrace as the latter was taken by shock.

"Yahh~" she cooed. "What if someone will see us? Your grandmother, the reigning queen made it clear to not show public intimacy unless we're not married."

"So this means I can't hold my future wife now?" Jungkook made his signature pout, the one that got Lisa swoon over him for the millionth time about now.

"We still aren't married yet in the end of the day."

"Marriage is basically a validation to our relationship. Although I can't wait to mark you mine in front of the world."

Lisa snuggled onto Jungkook's overcoat a little more as he graciously opened his arms a little more, letting her in.

"I love you", the couple expressed at the same time as they leaned onto each other, looking up at the star studded sky.

━

"Yes, Your Majesty." Roseanne chuckled as Lisa scoffed.

"Rosie, of all people in the world I can't stand my bestfriend address me as a queen. It seems so....awkward to me."

"Well that's the title you'll earn, I was just preparing you for it. And no surprise, I'll be serving you like my family has been doing for ages so I won't stop calling you Majesty."

Roseanne or Chaeyoung was Lalisa's bestfriend since they were toddlers. Also, the Parks were officials who had consulted the Royal family for years. Consequently she had to take the ritual ahead.

"We're running late, I believe. Let's rush in!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Rosie!"

The two rushed in for the next class, unaware of the disaster that kept lurking in the dark.

━

"Will this work?" A feminine voice was heard from the school's basement.

"It has too, you would be able to get rid of her. Handle it carefully." The other nodded, handing over a glass decanter with the word DANGER was written in bold red ink.

"Thank you Minjoo." She greeted the girl who gave her the bottle.

"Just you wait Lalisa, how I destroy your life for snatching the love of my life." The woman spoke in a grave voice, followed by an eerie smile.

━

"Mrs Cho has called me into her office for help. I'll go see her, will you wait for me till then? I have to get you home too." Chaeyoung asked as she arranged her sketchbook in her art bag.

"I'll wait for you but I won't be going home today, Jeongguk said he's coming to pick me up and will take me somewhere."

"You two lovebirds are getting increasingly cozy enough hmm?" She teased as Lisa immediately flushed into a deep shade of red.

"We don't really get to spend time together outside, so he said he was going to take me to a place very dear to him, he didn't tell me where exactly."

"You two are couple goals for real. Okay, I should head back before Mrs Cho knocks me off, the woman is particularly strict about punctuality."

Lisa nodded, before herself getting up and making her way into the washroom to wash off the paint stains on her skirt.

Just when she entered the place, she saw a girl leaned against one of the stalls, as if she had been waiting for her. Simply ignoring, she walked towards the basin as the latter let out a tsk.

"Hello Bruschweiler." She said in a crude accent, purposefully spelling her name wrong. Lisa rolled her eyes at the girl.

Jung Sooah, a woman that despised her since the day she stepped into the school. Lisa never said a word against her, since she was one of Jeongguk's close friends that he had blind faith in and didn't want her to fall on his bad side by complaining to him how his bestfriend had been bullying her in school.

"So you got attitude huh? Oh well who am I kidding? The future queen who is nothing but a petty gold digger in love with the prince?"

"Sooah, if you really believe I'm a petty woman then you should perhaps also know that I myself belong to an aristocracy. It isn't my fault that Jeongguk doesn't love you while you are so obsessed with him. I wouldn't hesitate to deport you out from Korea, feel fortunate that I haven't yet." She calmly replied before brushing the stains off, leaving the woman enraged.

"How dare you slut!" She yelled before grabbing Lisa's wrist, breaking decanter on her head as blood oozed out, along with the burning liquid.

"W-What is this? Ahhh!" Lisa felt her skin burn and melt and against the liquid while Sooah smiled seeing the woman she had despised all the while, torture herself to death. Hearing Lisa's cries, some girls rushed in and Sooah wore a false mask of concern, pretending to be unknown to whatever incident that happened with Lisa.

A little while later, Roseanne noticed Jeongguk from a distance who was increasingly worried about Lisa's disappearance from the school.

"Roseanne, I don't see Lisa anywhere? Is she by chance with you?" She heard him panting.

"Jeongguk, Lisa suffered an accident. I don't know what happened, I was informed the same before she was rushed into the hospital. We need to hurry up." She said, her eyes welled up with tears.

━

"How is she doctor?" Roseanne frantically asked when the doctor lowered the mask.

"She's out of danger now, but..."

"B-but what?"

"We couldn't manage to save her face."

"What do you mean by that doctor?" Roseanne was palpitating, while Jeongguk was thoroughly distraught to even utter a word.

"Your Royal Highness." He turned to Jeongguk. "Her Highness, Lady Bruschweiler was subjected to vitriolage. We found pieces of glass sticking to her head and her face, along with arms and neck ㅡ have been severely mutilated due to the acid." The doctor revealed in a broken tone.

"Oh dear," Roseanne collapsed onto the ground. "All of this is my fault."

"N-no, please don't blame yourself Roseanne." Jeongguk tried to console himself, but tears streamed down his face himself.

"Give me one reason why I should not. If I hadn't left her alone, none of this would've ever happened." She cursed, mocking herself of sheer carelessness that she never intended to do so.

━

Around a month later;

There was still no news of Lalisa Jeongguk had heard. No letters, no telegrams, no messages from her end. He was tense, he felt broken and anxious. She had secretly moved back to her family home in Thailand without informing anyone, as if she wanted to break all ties she had with the royal family.

Jeongguk couldn't digest this anymore. He wanted to see her, no matter what. So consequently, he flew down to the ancestral Bruschweiler estate where her family had been residents for centuries. The first person he was greeted by was Lalisa's assistant herself, Chonnasorn whom he had informed about his visit in prior, without Lalisa's knowledge.

He tiptoed into the room, in an attempt not to make the slightest of noise. He found her seated on her bed, back turned as he heard her weeping holding onto a photograph. On a closer look, he discovered it was of him and her at their first horseback riding.

"Why are you hurting yourself by sidelining me, Lali?" He whispered.

"Guk? W-what are you doing here?" She looked around for something to cover her face, before sliding under the sheets if that could help.

"Go away please." She let out amidst sobs.

"I will. If you look at me in the eye. I can't see you hurt like that. It breaks my heart." He expressed.

"I....I'm not worth it, not worth to be your lover, your wife. You're a prince, handsome and brave. You shouldn't deserve an ugly, disfigured woman like me."

"I get to decide what I deserve. And my heart knows that it is you who I want."

He sat by the bedside, caressing her hair as she painfully bit her lip to suppress the urge to see him, that only man she loved.

"I know Sooah did this to you and she, along with her partner have both been charged with treachery, a death penalty has been imposed. They were hanged a week ago." Jeongguk stated, a little hurt with the words, earning a gasp from the latter.

"I've come to take you home, my home. Where you truly belong."

"B-but I'm a monster Jeongguk. Look at me, this face-"

Jungkook ran a hand along her face that was once seen to be the most beautiful around the world, now left with only scars and burns that crowned it.

"Lali, for me you would still be the most beautiful woman in the world. I have and I always will love you ㅡ not for the beauty, never. I have loved you for who you are. For the humble woman who has nothing but care and innocence to help anyone in need. And I will continue to love you, because I don't care what the world says, you will be the sole queen in my heart." He confessed.

"T-thank you Guk. For making me feel so loved. Maybe I was just too consumed with having a beautiful face that I forgot what love truly meant. I was too afraid to face the world, afraid that they will laugh at me, laugh at you, I would only bring disgrace and embarrassment to your family. Maybe I am just a weakling who who scared to face the world and I ran away. I'm sorry Jeongguk...." Lisa wistfully cried.

"I will fight for you- no, we can fight this together. Always and forever, if I have you by my side." He said, packing her lips.

"I will. I love you Jeongguk."

❝Beauty is just a perception. The most beautiful love is the one that accepts all imperfections.❞

FIN.

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Not gonna lie, this seemed way better in my mind than what I wrote down here. But I'm proud of this! Teehee

Let's just hope we get to see real life examples like these and more people will appreciate beauty in its true sense.
ㅡAuthornim.