ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗪𝗢
─◌✰್ 𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇
❝𝗶 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝘀𝘃𝗽. 𝗶'𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.❞

Fuck. Those. Bitches.

You thought bitterly to yourself as you marched across the grass to the side of the house where the stables were located. This wasn't the first time you'd stormed out at breakfast, but you hadn't expected it to happen a mere three days after you came home.

For some reason, you'd hoped things had changed. You were never an optimistic person, and this just reminded you why that was, especially when it came to family.

They all disappointed you, in their own ways. Your mother's many faults were self explanatory. Your brother, no matter how much you loved him and how close you were to him, was a bit of a goody-two-shoes and tended to make excuses for both of your parents. Your father was amazing, but he never stood up to his own wife, and always took her side, even when she was clearly wrong. It hurt knowing you couldn't truly rely on anyone when it really came down to it.

You yanked the wooden stable doors open with a bit too much force, causing them to shake on their hinges. You walked past three stalls before arriving outside your horse's space and leading her outside.

A stunning dun-colored animal with a sleek, well-maintained coat, she was the biggest horse your family owned.

None of your family really enjoyed horse riding, except you. They would all ride across the kingdom when necessary, whether to personally connect with the locals or occasionally across the country to make political agreements with other royalty, but none of them had as deep a love for horses as you.

You'd chosen your horse five years ago as an eighteenth birthday present from your dad. Out of all thirteen horses he owned, you had your heart set on the biggest horse. In your eyes, that meant they were the best. And she had been your closest friend ever since, the only creature in the world who listened to your every woe, big or small.

"C'mon Minnie, lets go riding," you patted her side a couple of times before grabbing a saddle and reins and expertly strapping it onto her back. You grabbed your riding shoes from next to the stables and slipped them on.

Climbing onto Minnie's back and giving her a firm kick that got her running at a quick clip, you took your first deep breath of the morning. It was only outside, with the scents of the crisp air filling your nostrils, that you truly felt like you could be yourself. It sounded a bit Disney-princess cliché, but if anyone had your family, they would understand. Living under that roof suffocated you.

You guided Minnie into the forest, a seemingly infinite expanse of pines and firs to the left side of the castle. The air around you turned even cooler as you were shaded by the trees, and you smiled in spite of your bad mood. You pressed your heels into Minnie's side, leaning into her increased speed. Trees passed you in a blur, your hair whipping your face.

Being out here alone, with just you, Minnie, and the trees, almost made you forget about your family. Almost.

When you started to feel sweat rise on Minnie's shoulders, you brought her to a gradual stop, right next to a large pond. Dismounting and leading her at the water's edge for a drink, you sat down next to her, removing your riding shoes and socks and dipping your feet in the icy liquid.

A small gray fish slipped past your foot, startling you. It then nibbled on some of the algae floating at the top of the water before dancing away. You wished your life could be as carefree as that, your biggest worry being where your next meal would come from, or what part of the pond to explore.

Instead, you got to worry about what it would be like to be the next queen of Moonstone. It wasn't that you didn't enjoy living in Moonstone, but you didn't want to rule over it. You didn't think you had it in you. In fact, you knew you didn't. And everyone around you felt the same way. The only one who had ever said something remotely supportive to you was Kai, and he was your brother. He had to say those things.

You sighed, climbing back onto Minnie and riding back to the stables, at a much slower pace this time. You almost wished you had other things to do that would keep you away from the castle, but unfortunately you knew you needed to start getting ready for the ceremony that night. As entertaining as it would be to see your mom try not to yell at you in front of a bunch of esteemed guests, you were already exhausted from this morning. You might as well try and be a good daughter for once.

Right after you finished putting Minnie back in her stall and removed your riding shoes (you were literally barefoot walking outside), you were intercepted by your best friends, Lanhua and Jang Jiah, aka JJ.

"Girl where the hell have you been?" Lanhua demanded, looking you up and down disapprovingly. "And where are your shoes?! I thought I told you, hotties always look their best, even when they're all sweaty. Like you are right now."

Lanhua, ever the natural leader, always made sure her opinions were known, especially when it came to ensuring her friends were safe. And of course, of equal or more importance, looking presentable and fuckable, according to her of course. Lanhua was the resident hottie of the Moonstone Kingdom, and princes, barons, and the like literally lined up just for the chance to talk to her. Only you and JJ knew that she already had eyes on one person, and one person alone.

JJ sighed. "She looks fine, and you know it," she replied, crossing her arms and winking at you. "C'mon, you look like you need a drink. And maybe a shower."

JJ was the chill friend in your trio, always playing mediator between your and Lanhua's much stronger personalities. You couldn't remember a time when she'd gotten exceptionally fired up about anything, except when an Obsidian duke called her a spoiled bitch. She'd nearly landed that boy in the hospital. You weren't entirely sure what that confrontation was about, but it definitely cemented her as the scariest of your group. Despite that, she drew guys to her like a rich person to money.

Not to say that men didn't follow you around, frothing at the mouth. You just didn't entertain their antics. They probably wouldn't be following you around looking the way you did right now, though.

"Hey, not fair!" You protested. "You just said I look fine!"

"Fine isn't the same as sexy," Lanhua countered, linking her arm with yours and practically dragging you along the path towards her family's castle.

"You've got branches in your hair," JJ agreed, plucking a few twigs from the back of your head. "Did you have a good time in the forest?"

You nodded with a grin. "It's always great out there. And Minnie's so fast."

"I wish I had a horse," JJ complained. "All my parents have are guns and knives, it sucks."

"Horses smell like shit, but I still love them," Lanhua laughed as they approached the impressive Guo family castle. Of course, her being a countess rather than a princess, it wasn't quite as large as where you lived, but Lanhua's house had a different essence of grandeur about it than yours.

Their family butler, who went by the name Yujun (a powerful name, according to Lanhua, who used to have a huge crush on the hulking man), silently let them inside before coming to stand outside the door, his constantly narrowed eyes flicking back and forth, staying alert. Despite his job just being letting people inside, everyone knew he would be the first to know if intruders were trying to get in. As the popular kingdom saying went, no royal family would hire a skinny butler.

The entire castle was decorated with red and gold fixtures. Lanhua, being from an old Chinese family that went back thousands of years, lived in a traditional Chinese castle. Her ancestors, who had immigrated to Korea in search of the riches that were rumored to be abundant there, had struck rich and built this building with a small fraction of the money they'd made. Her family had stayed there ever since, and her house was known across the kingdom as one of the most unique in all of Moonstone.

Lanhua led the two of you up the red-carpeted stairs and into her room, which was one of the only rooms in the house that wasn't red, gold or black. She'd taken it upon herself to upholster the entire thing with her two favorite colors, white and teal. Everything from the bed, which resembled a swan with its silky duvet and gauzy canopy over the top, to the teal full-body mirror and matching desk, was the picture of elegant. As was Lanhua.

JJ immediately made herself at home on Lanhua's cushy bed, taking her shoes and flinging them off, where they landed in a jumbled heap by the door. You climbed on next to her, resting on top of the fuzzy white blanket that had a picture of two dogs on the front.

"How are Junjie and Jiao?" You asked, staring at the image of a small white pomeranian and a puffy white and gray husky.

"They're pretty good, they must be off with my dad right now since they didn't greet us at the door," Lanhua was rummaging around in the mini fridge that sat next to her desk, across from the bed. Pulling out two bottles of expensive red wine, she turned around and threw one onto the bed, grabbing a teal-colored corkscrew off her desk and popping the bottle before tossing it to you.

Popping the cork off yours, you looked at the bottle. "You always get the good shit, don't you?"

"Only the best for my two alcoholics," Lanhua smirked before taking a swig straight from the top. "Dad won't even notice this stuff is gone, he buys so much of it."

"Not just your dad," JJ rolled her eyes, snatching the bottle from you and taking a gulp. "Except my dad doesn't buy that shit for events, if you know what I mean."

"He's a piece of shit," You patted JJ on the shoulder, and she shrugged.

"I'm used to it," she said, offering you the bottle. You grabbed it and took a few long drinks before setting it atop Lanhua's nightstand on the left side of the bed. The fruity sweetness mixed with the tangy alcohol hit your tongue and you grinned. This shit was dangerous.

"My parents aren't as shit as yours," you said to JJ. "But sometimes I swear my mom wishes she never had me."

"She's an actual witch," Lanhua said, sitting at the foot of the bed in front of you and JJ. "Your mom and your dad are both witches, actually," she pointed first at you and then at JJ.

"Truth," JJ laughed, reaching over you and grabbing the bottle again. "What are your plans tonight? It's been so long since we've gone out clubbing."

"Well, uni didn't allow it, did they?" Lanhua said, drinking from her own bottle. "Not that that stopped us most of the time."

"But now that we're back..." JJ raised her eyebrows at them both.

You groaned. "Ugh, no, I can't tonight. Apparently my parents are hosting some ceremonial dinner to kick off courting season. Did you guys not get invites?"

Lanhua raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't courting start next week? Why a whole party now?"

You shrugged, chugging more wine. "I dunno, you know my parents. They'll take any excuse to throw a party."

"I didn't get invited," JJ said. "Not that I'd want to go, that sounds boring."

"It will be without you guys," you huffed. "I won't know anyone there. I wonder who was invited?"

"Probably all the super fancies," Lanhua giggled. "So its just gonna be you and Minho."

"Oooh Minho!" JJ wiggled her eyebrows at you, and you groaned.

"He hates me," you said flatly, trying not to let the hurt rise in your chest as you said the words aloud. "And not just him, but his entire kingdom. And our kingdom too, honestly."

"So not true," Lanhua countered. "All the guys looove you."

"It's not about them," you insisted. "I've been gone for so long at uni, everyone thinks I've abandoned them and that I don't want to be queen."

"Which you don't," JJ pointed out.

"True, but I don't need them to know that!" You continued swallowing more and more wine. At this point, it was the only thing keeping you from yelling, or breaking down. "It's not my fault I was born first, and now I have to rule an entire kingdom I don't give a shit about!"

"Preach," JJ clapped her hands a couple of times, deciding you had stolen the entire wine bottle for yourself, and grabbing Lanhua's instead.

"It must suck," Lanhua said, wiping her mouth with one of the teal cloth napkins she always had folded in a basket on her desk.

"You don't even know," you groaned, your mouth starting to feel number and number. You were already three quarters of the way through the bottle. "I wish I could just quit, ya know? Run away or something. Let Kai take over. He'd be way better than me, everyone knows it."

"He's lovely, but he's a bit of a pushover, don't ya think?" Lanhua asked, her words slurring together a bit.

"No, he's just lovely," you mumbled, taking a few more gulps of the liquid, which was starting to lose its taste the longer you drank. "Sooo lovely..."

"You're both lovely," JJ added, snatching your wine away and draining the contents.

"Hey... what time is that ceremony thing anyway? Do we have time to go to the club? I wanna dance," Lanhua shimmied her shoulders a little.

You grabbed your phone out of your pocket and checked the time. 5pm. How had it gotten so late?

"Dammit," you grumbled, shoving the device back into your pocket and lurching to your feet. Instantly feeling lightheaded, you almost fell back onto the bed. "The dinner is in an hour. I gotta get back home and get ready."

"Damn, fuck your parents," Lanhua complained, standing up with you. "Ooh that wine is stronger than I remember it!" She giggled, grabbing the bedposts for support.

"Do you want us to walk you back home?" JJ asked, scooting to the edge of the bed, trying to get up as she clutched the empty wine bottle with both hands.

Lanhua giggled harder at the sight of her friend attempting to stand up, without letting go of the bottle.

You huffed and shook your head. "No, I should probably go by myself. I don't want my mother to see us like this, she'll probably shoot me."

Lanhua sat back on the bed, and JJ stopped struggling.

"Okayy..." Lanhua sighed, holding her arms out for a hug. "We gotta go out tomorrow then, or I'm suing."

"Being the future queen makes you so busy," JJ complained as she flopped back onto the bed and closed her eyes.

"I know, it sucks," you agreed.

You hugged Lanhua and put the fuzzy blanket on top of JJ before stumbling your way out of the castle and back towards your house.

Despite being so drunk you couldn't see more than three feet in front of you, that wasn't what you were worried about.

The only thing you were worried about was the looming possibility that you would have to see Lee Minho in less than an hour.

laska's note —
oof my poor girl it's barely chapter two and she's already getting drunk 😭 next chapter is our first encounter between tessa and minho! our babies are getting all dressed up to attend a dinner! what do you think is going to happen? will they talk? get along? ignore each other? who knows! leave all your thoughts down below!

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟬𝟯 - 𝗼𝗳
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊