ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗥
─◌✰್ 𝗃𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀
❝𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱.❞

As the entire ballroom stood in shocked silence, you felt the urge to laugh.

What was this lunatic playing at? Did they really think anyone would believe they had news that could doom both of the most prominent kingdoms in the country? Two kingdoms that just so happened to be embroiled in a centuries-long feud? No way. You scoffed inwardly.

Your dad cleared his throat from his spot at the back of the room, and all heads turned to face him and King Lee.

The two kings conversed with one another, voices hushed so no one else could hear them. Everyone stood in tense silence, waiting to see what they would decide.

Finally, after what felt like hours but could only have been a few minutes, your dad spoke up, his voice hard and decisive. You only ever saw him like this when he was stressed, like the time you spilled coffee on his brand new shirt, and he made you brew a new batch and go to the dry cleaners.

"If you have an announcement to make, you must come to the front of the hall so everyone can see you."

The figure nodded. "Very well."

Your dad nodded at two of the four guards at the door, and they immediately came to stand next to the figure, leading them up to the front of the room. They stood next to the figure as they took their spot.

You found yourself holding your breath as you waited to hear what they had to say. Clearly, it couldn't be anything good if it was going to doom you and your kingdom.

"People of the Obsidian and Moonstone kingdoms," the figure began, their voice harsh and raspy, as if they had never spoken aloud in their life.

And before they continued speaking, they reached their hands up to the silk edges of their hood and removed it.

An audible gasp reverberated around the room. You stood there, unable to say anything, as you gazed upon the person - were they a person? - that stood before you.

They certainly looked human. A human man. With dark hair that slid over his neck and forehead and piercing eyes of matching color, he was shockingly handsome. Yet you felt a chill slide down your back like someone had dropped an ice cube in your dress. While he looked young and attractive, something about him felt all-knowing, wise, omniscient. You just couldn't quite put your finger on it.

The stranger looked around the room, unbothered by the stir he'd caused. Then he continued.

"I apologize for the abrupt way I arrived at this... soirée," he said. "I did not mean to cause a stir. In fact, I am only here to speak to the leaders of the Moonstone and Obsidian kingdoms. They are the only ones who will decide your fate."

"What does that mean?" A man who stood towards the front of the room barked. You recognized him as one of the high-ranking dukes of Obsidian. He was known for being arrogant to anyone, no matter their social status.

The stranger turned to the duke and nodded his head smoothly. "It means, Duke Wang, that I have some very specific - simple, but specific - demands that must be met by the leaders of your kingdoms. They, and only they, can meet these demands. And the fate of your kingdoms all depends on if they can meet these demands."

Duke Wang whipped his head around to face your dad and King
Lee, his eyes aflame. "You had better accept whatever terms this- this creature asks! I'm not going to die because of you!"

The stranger chuckled, a rough sound deep in his throat. "You will see, Sir."

The duke's eyes narrowed at the incorrect royal title, but didn't say anything in retaliation.

The stranger turned to both kings, nodding his head once, seemingly a sign of respect. "Are you ready to discuss?"

Both kings were staring at the stranger, faces identical masks of stone.

Before your dad could reply, King Lee, always the combative one, exclaimed, "no, we are not ready to talk! We don't want to talk with the likes of you. You're going to destroy our kingdom, are you? You think we'll just allow that? We have military! We're stronger than you can-"

Your father put a hand on the man's shoulder, silencing him. "We will hear what you have to say. We will discuss in the adjoining room. But we will only give you ten minutes."

"I understand," the stranger replied.

The Obsidian king scowled at your dad. It was only a matter of time before their lifelong feud bubbled to the surface tonight. Honestly, you were surprised it had taken this long.

"What's your name anyway, Stranger?" The prickly king asked, deciding not to snap at your dad this time.

"You may call me Yeonjun," the stranger said after a short, almost imperceptible pause.

Both kings nodded in response, before your dad led them both into the small room right off of the ballroom, which was usually used only as the server's break room.

For a few minutes, everyone just stood in the same spot they had occupied while the stranger - Yeonjun - had given his announcement. No one spoke to each other, and the entire party seemed to be at a complete stand-still. No one really had anything to talk about, or at least didn't know how to say it.

You chanced another look over at Minho, who also hadn't moved from his spot by the wall. You felt a prickle of irritation that you couldn't explain. He was still staring at you.

What was his problem? If he wanted to say something to you, why couldn't he just walk over and spit it out?

You eyed him, distractedly snagging two martinis off of a cautious server's tray. Draining both glasses in two gulps, you marched over to him.

Dear Prince Minho. For all the years you'd known him, he'd always been the perfect, poised heir to the throne. Smart, strong, and willful, he got along with the locals through his witty remarks and incredible intelligence. He made them laugh, while impressing them with his wide knowledge of the kingdom. He was quieter than his explosive father. He thought before he spoke, and the people seemed to love that. He was their darling prince. Years ago, you admired him for it. Now, it pissed you off.

Because as much as you didn't want to admit it, you still liked him. You liked him more than anyone else, and you cared what he thought about you. And you hated yourself for it.

Minho gazed at you, his expression static, as you stalked over to him. Setting down the martini glasses on a random table, you said, "I didn't realize you had a staring problem."

"For you to realize I was staring at you, you must have been looking at me too," Minho's eyes flashed with a second of amusement, before returning to their usual bored expression.

You sputtered, trying to find something to say, but the alcohol was making your brain sluggish. You stuck your tongue out. "You wish. Whenever I deigned to look over here, I just happened to see you watching. That's creepy, that's what that is."

Minho shrugged. "Wasn't much else to stare at. Do your parents even know how to throw a party? Its all a bit... drab."

You rolled your eyes. So that was how he wanted to play it, huh? Throw low jabs at your family to rile you up? Why did you have a crush on this guy again? He didn't deserve your attention.

"That was a really good insult," you said as dryly as you could muster. "You know these are our kingdom colors. As if you, the perfect prince, could forget something like that."

Minhos mouth tightened a fraction. "You don't have to act like that, Princess," he said, that taut look morphing into a smirk. That smirk could melt any barrier you had up, no matter how hard you tried to ice him out. No matter how much you despised his tendency to call call you "Princess". "As kids, you were so nice."

"Ha ha, very funny," you growled. Growing up, you had always been the angry girl, the one who would pick fights with others just for fun. The one who would ditch class, the one who made friends with the bad kids. Minho had thought it was funny back then, but looking back, you realized he'd never actually joined in.

Minho grinned, undeterred by your pissy attitude. He was sure used to it, after twenty years of knowing you. And even though the two of you rarely saw each other anymore, on the occasions you did, he always managed to get under your skin. Every fucking time.

"Has anyone ever taught you manners, Princess?" He asked casually, running a hand through his hair.

"Fuck off," you grumbled, straightening your dress to distract yourself from your shitty comeback. If only you hadn't drank so much, both with your friends and here at the ceremony. You hadn't even eaten dinner yet, and you couldn't see straight.

"Anything to eat, Your Highness?" Min-Jun appeared again, this time carrying a tray of delectable looking mini tartlets filled with some kind of creamy cheese and green purée.

"Sure, thank you, Min-Jun," you smiled graciously at the man before taking two canapés from the tray.

The server grinned at you, ducking his head. He stood next to you for a couple seconds, as if unsure what to do next, before hurrying back to the kitchen.

You smiled after him, taking a bite of one of the tarts. The flavors of goat cheese and asparagus burst on your tongue, and you closed your eyes to savor the taste. You would have to get Min-Jun to make more of these. Why wasn't he the head chef at this point?

"He likes you."

Minho's voice interrupted your food-induced content, and you turned back around, brows pulled together in a scowl.

"No he doesn't," you replied. Why would Min-Jun like you? The two of you rarely talked, and when you did, it was usually just you begging him to make you more food.

"Yeah, he obviously does," Minho's voice held a slight edge to it. Besides , why would he give a shit if someone liked you? Maybe he didn't support the idea of someone of lower status being with a royal. Seeing as he was from Obsidian, that would make sense, you thought bitterly. They were all close-minded as hell. Arranged marriage was still legal over there, and they looked down on mixed-status relationships.

Besides, law aside, you knew Minho couldn't like you. He wasn't the kind of person to break the rules - which were made by his father - just because he liked someone.

A few years ago, back in the middle of high school, you'd caught Minho trying to ask another girl out. And not just any girl, but one of your best friends from Obsidian, Hwang Alaska. In response, she'd asked Minho about you, if he'd thought about you and your feelings before he asked her out. Of course he hadn't, he only liked Alaska. She rejected him. And what made it worse was he'd never told you about it, you heard from an embarrassed Alaska, a few weeks later. You never told Minho that you knew he'd been turned away. He didn't need to know, but it gave you a stab of joy to think that even Lee Minho could get rejected.

So fuck him if he thought he could police who you dated, when he didn't even want to be with you in the first place.

"Just because he's a server doesn't mean he can't be with a royal," you immediately voiced your thoughts, crossing your arms over your chest. "He can like whoever the hell he wants. And so can I, for that matter."

Minho's eyes narrowed. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I was just making an observation, that's all," Minho sighed. "Are all Moonstone residents this sensitive?"

"You can go fuck yourself, Minho," you snarled. With that, whipped around and stalked over to your assigned table before sitting down, leaving Minho standing all alone, once again.

Well that was a fucking disaster. You thought to yourself as you slumped in your chair, not caring if you looked ladylike or not. Why did you always seem to say the exact wrong thing when it came to Minho? You'd never had a hard time making friends. In fact, you had quite a large friend group, and some of them, namely Lanhua and JJ, were among the most popular girls in the kingdom. Ever since you'd hit puberty in early high school, boys became obsessed with you. While your rough-around-the-edges personality wasn't everyone's cup of tea and you tended to make friends with a mix of people, you never struggled to say the right thing. If you didn't want to talk, you wouldn't. If you did, you would make everyone laugh. That was just how it was.

What was so different about Minho?

Your stupid crush on him, you supposed. While you'd rather die than admit it to anyone, you froze up around him. You got awkward and uptight, and you weren't yourself. He clearly thought you were an insufferable bitch. And you kind of were, around him.

Every guy you'd ever become even semi-close to had developed a crush on you. Take Min-Jun for example. Why couldn't the same thing happen to Minho, the one person you could bring yourself to actually like? That was just how crushes worked.

Just then, the door to the side room creaked open and your dad, King Lee, and Yeonjun stepped out. Your dad didn't say a word, but his lips had formed such a thin line, your heart instantly sped up. Minho's father was so covered in sweat, you bet he could wring out that too-tight suit of his into a water glass.

Yeonjun, on the other hand, looked entirely calm and composed, as if he'd just come back from the restroom.

Both kings came to stand in the same spot Yeonjun had occupied a few minutes ago. Yeonjun stood a few feet away, watching them.

The couple of small conversations that had broken out while everyone waited immediately stopped when they saw the two kings standing together at the front of the room. Two leaders of the Moonstone and Obsidian kingdoms hadn't stood together like this in centuries. Something earth-shatteringly important must have occurred in that room. What could it be?

King Lee cleared his throat, mopping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and wiping it on his pants.

"We have come to a decision," he began, coughing to clear his throat once more. When he didn't continue, your dad continued.

"We have agreed to grant Yeonjun's wishes," he began, holding a hand up to stop anyone from interrupting.

"And we will be sharing the terms of this agreement tomorrow morning. For now, we must continue this ceremony, and eat."

laska's note —
ooooooh! what do you think the terms of this agreement could be? it's got to be really important if both the kings could come to an agreement! minho and tessa finally talked to one another! there's a lot of history there... what do you think will happen between them?? leave all your thoughts in the comments!

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟬𝟱 - 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀,
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊