ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡
─◌✰್ 𝗆𝗈𝗈𝗇
❝𝗶'𝗺 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁.❞

Your head ached, and it wasn't from the lingering hangover.

Too many things had happened in the past twenty-four hours. First, you got drunk with your best friends, before attending that crazy dinner with your and Minho's insane families. Then, you woke up this morning and learned that your whole kingdom had been completely changed. Cross-kingdom marriages were now legal. People couldn't marry below their social class, but they could be pushed into arranged marriages, if both kingdoms agreed on it, whether the bride and groom wanted to or not.

You had no idea how to feel about any of it. In fact, you really didn't want to think about it at all. It felt like everything had gone wrong, even though nothing was happening. And no matter how hard you tried to keep your mind off these new laws, you couldn't help but try and figure out the most important question: why did all of it happen in the first place?

Hadn't your father always been staunchly against arranged marriage? You knew the answer to that question. He'd built his entire political and royal platform on anti-arranged marriage policies, which had truly united the entirety of Moonstone in a way even he hadn't expected. Now, he was just going to destroy all that good-will in one fell swoop, all to join forces with King Lee, who hated the Lin family's guts? It made no sense.

In fact, when you arrived home from university earlier that week, you'd overheard him talking about the courting season and how much he looked forward to seeing all the new couples find love.

Something had to have happened to make your dad change his mind so drastically.

So what - or rather who - was the only thing that had changed in the past two days? A mere twenty-four hours ago, your dad had been his sane, reasonable self. Could something so earth-shattering really have happened to make him lose his mind?

But something notable had happened. Last night, at the ceremonial dinner. And it wasn't just that Minho had finally talked to you after years of silence. Although you had to admit, that was pretty crazy.

No, it had to be Yeonjun. That weird, slightly creepy, hooded man. He had said that both kingdoms would be doomed if they didn't do his bidding, which was a bold statement to make in front of the two most powerful kings in all of Korea. And both kings had agreed to give him what he wanted, whatever that was. And while you weren't entirely sure why Yeonjun, a complete unknown, would want both kingdoms to create some kind of reality dating show, you were sure of one thing: he was the cause of all this madness.

Not that it mattered, really. None of those new laws actually negatively affected you in any way. In fact, shouldn't you be happy? Now you could, in theory, legally marry Minho. That was something you had essentially ruled out at this point. You'd long ago come to accept you would never have a future with him.

But honestly, that pissed you off you more than anything. It was like the law was just laughing in your face. Everyone knew that you stood no chance with him, legal or not. He had no feelings for you. He had made that incredibly clear when he asked out your friend.

And while Kai seemed unrealistically upset over something that shouldn't affect him either, you couldn't see much of an incentive to care about some edgy nut-job who liked cloaks a little too much.

Of course, you'd have to go in person to stand and watch the ceremony tomorrow morning, which kind of sucked. But the more you thought about it, it might be kind of fun if you actually got picked to be on this stupid show. Your crush didn't like you anyway, and according to basically every other guy, you were a catch.

Just because it was now legal for you and Minho to be together, didn't mean anything had changed.

You decided to put the press conference out of your mind, and continue on with your day. The whole thing was dumb. Your parents would sort it out one way or another.

You went to sit at your desk and try to read a book. You'd just gotten started on a new fantasy novel that you were obsessed with, but hadn't had much time to read.

But it quickly became clear to you that this mystery did not want to be left unsolved. And what was more, it wanted you to solve it. You weren't able to focus on your reading inside, and even when you went outside to spend time alone in the woods - one of your favorite places - you couldn't quiet your mind.

Now, as you sat at the dining room table, eating an entire plate of yakisoba that you'd sneakily asked Min-Jun to make for you, Kai slunk down the stairs and sat in the chair across from you.

He'd changed into a baggy dark blue hoodie and black sweatpants, a look very out-of-place for your usually so professional, buttoned-up brother. The hood was pulled all the way over his fluffy hair, and he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. A few hours ago, before the announcements had been made on tv, he'd looked chipper and alert, like always. Clearly, even your brother was affected by these new laws.

"What's up with you?" You asked, raising an eyebrow and staring at him over your plate of noodles.

He let out a loud sigh. You could relate to that. Today sucked, and it was barely one o'clock. You only hoped there wouldn't be any more shitty surprises around the corner.

"What do you think?" Kai huffed, resting his chin on his hands as he slumped in the seat. It had been a long time since you'd seen sarcastic Kai. You kind of liked it. It was nice to see that pessimism ran in the family.

"Well, obviously it has to do with those shitty laws our dad just announced," you replied, setting your fork down. "I just wanna know what the hell it could be, since none of the laws affect us."

Kai leveled a glare at you, and you raised your eyebrows at him. Damn, since when had he treated anyone with anything but kindness? You supposed that was one of the joys of being Kai's older sister. You got to deal with all his bad attitudes, and you couldn't lash out at him, because he was "the baby".

"I bet you wouldn't even care," Kai sighed, his shoulders drooping as he lost all pretense of anger.

"Of course I care, I just asked you what was wrong," You frowned. "You just never tell me anything about your personal life. Your older sister is supposed to give you life advice and shit, remember?"

"Oh right, like I'd want any life advice from you," Kai scoffed, but you could see him trying not to smile.

He was right about that, honestly. You weren't the best role model for anyone, let alone your younger brother. In fact, he was more a role model for you, as your mother would say.

"Fine, I'll just listen and judge you then," you shrugged, sitting back in your chair and shooting him an expectant look.

Kai sighed again. "You know the duchess from Obsidian, Hwang Alaska, right?" He asked.

Your ears perked up at the sound of your friend's name. "Yeah, she's one of my best friends. Why? Are you in love with her or something?"

Kai's neck turned red, his tell for embarrassment, and you groaned. Who the hell wasn't in love with that girl?? And you thought you, Lanhua, and JJ were sought after.

"Oh c'mon Kai, of all the girls in the world you had to pick the one who's basically been taken since birth??" You waggled your finger at him, picking up a noodle with your hands. "I thought I taught you better than that."

Kai glared at you, his neck still a nice maroon color. "You said you'd just sit and listen."

You shrugged. "I lied."

He rolled his eyes, but continued. "Well, I asked her out a few months ago. I don't know what came over me or why I did it, so don't ask. And I know it was technically against the law, but it's not like we were gonna get married. And when she rejected me, she told me that she still wanted to be friends, and she hoped I wouldn't pursue her anymore. She wants me to find someone else next year when it's my turn to start courting."

"Wow that's nice and very... normal of her," you said. Alaska was known for being one of your craziest friends. While she wasn't considered to be a bad girl at all, she always got herself in trouble for doing stupid shit, because she didn't think before she acted, or spoke. So you were proud of her for being so kind to your brother.

"Yeah, she's really nice," Kai agreed. "But now, she's definitely going to assume that I talked to dad and got him to change the law, so she can't be with Felix anymore. And since it's legal for us to get together now, it looks even worse. She'd even gotten permission from both kings years ago! And I know it sounds insane, but I don't want her to hate me. I would never be so immature!"

You shook your head at him. "Kai, c'mon. Alaska would never think that about you. She knows how level-headed you are. She's always talked about how responsible you are, and how much she admires that. Give her some faith okay? She wouldn't blame you for anything, let alone something as wild as this."

Kai took a deep breath, meeting your gaze with a shaky smile. "You really think so?"

You nodded. "Yeah, of course. She acts kind of stupid sometimes, but you'd be surprised. She just gets people, ya know? Even if she's really upset about this, she won't think you had anything to do with it. I'm sure all of this crappy stuff will get better soon.''

He nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. "I just feel really bad. She's like, in love with Felix, and now, right before her courting season starts, it's illegal for them to get married. How shitty is that?"

It was shitty, you thought to yourself. Truthfully, you'd been so relieved that these laws didn't affect you, that you hadn't put much thought into the people that it would hurt.

Alaska being one of the worst ones. You felt a pang of guilt for not thinking about your friend. You made a mental note to try and reach out to her as soon as possible.

Kai stood up and walked around the table, before leaning down and giving you a hug. "Thanks Tessie, it means a lot, really. I just hope you're right, and this will all blow over."

You smiled, leaning into his hug. It was sweet that he still used his childhood nickname for you, all these years later.

"I'm sure it will, Kai," you replied, trying to keep your tone certain.

Time would tell, you supposed. You just hoped that time would come soon.

———————————————

The next morning, unlike the day before, you woke up of your own volition. However, in stark contrast to the night before, you had slept fitfully. You continually thought about who was going to be chosen for the tv show, and what your dad could have been thinking when he agreed to this. You got maybe three hours of fitful sleep, and you felt like you'd been stomped on by a horse.

Now, you stood in the middle of the ceremony hall, waiting for your friends to arrive. Your mother had forced you into a garish bronze-toned ballgown, claiming that it would make your complexion look "slightly less hideous" if you were picked.

"If you're on live television, I want you looking semi-presentable!" She'd cried, running around you and fluffing the dress out repeatedly.

Thankfully, she'd allowed you to wear sandals, because the camera wouldn't be filming your legs. Or so your convinced her.

After you left that conversation with Kai at lunch, the day had been just as crazy as the previous one.

Your dad didn't eat dinner with the family. It had been years since he'd missed a single meal with you, and yesterday, he missed every single one. You'd tried to find him in his study, because you heard him sneaking around the castle around one in the morning. But he must have heard you, and locked the door.

Why was your dad avoiding you?

So now, having no idea where your dad's head was at, which you were now learning was a scary place to be, you were forced to stand here and wait for this spectacle to start. And you got a front-row view of everyone who was picked. At least that part would be fun.

The ceremony hall looked largely the same as it did on tv yesterday, and every other day you'd been there before. The room was a mix of Obsidian and Moonstone colors, as it was one of the only neutral zones between the kingdoms that wasn't a strictly political space. The stage curtains were gray and black, with the floor tiles an alternating pattern of white and dark blue. Hundreds of guards lined the walls, guns and other weapons in their waist holsters. A huge camera crew was starting to set up on both sides of the room. Unlike usual, there were no chairs. You wondered why they expected everyone to stand during the entire ceremony. Hopefully, it would be short. Thank god you wore sandals and not heels.

"Tessa!"

You turned around to find JJ and Lanhua running towards you. Thankfully, no parents were allowed in with their kids, seeing as they were all adults and should be allowed to do what they pleased.

"Where have you guys been?? It's just been me standing here all by myself looking like an idiot!" You exclaimed, hugging them both.

"This whole thing is crazy, huh??" Lanhua gasped. She wore a bold red gown that hugged the top of her body perfectly, before flaring out in a tulle train. She stood out, while looking graceful and perfect. But that was just Lanhua.

"Why is it going to be televised?" JJ wrinkled her nose. "I think your dad might rival mine for insanity. Never though I'd say that."

"Believe me, I've been trying to talk to him since yesterday morning, but I can't find him anywhere," you said seriously.

"Can we move closer to the side? More people are starting to arrive. I don't want us getting crowded."

You'd know that grumpy voice anywhere.

Of course, Lanhua's bodyguard had come with her. You weren't entirely certain of Lanhua's entire family history, but you knew they were the only Chinese family in Korea, and they valued their name and bloodline higher than anything else. Lanhua didn't have any siblings, so she was the only heir, the only one to carry on their legacy. From what you could tell, that's why she had a bodyguard. Even you only had bodyguards when you went further out of range from the castle.

Seo Changbin, Lanhua's bodyguard, followed her everywhere. Now that you thought about it, you were shocked that he hadn't been there two days ago, when you'd gotten drunk at her house. She must have broken a leg to sneak away from him.

"I think all of this is stupid," Changbin muttered, his huge arms crossed over his equally huge chest. You were torn between being jealous of your friend, and being relieved you weren't in her shoes. How could she concentrate around a man that sexy?

He was also of courting age, and had been for the past few years. You wondered why he hadn't snatched anyone up yet. Girls must be clambering for a successful guy like that.

Lanhua patted Changbin his muscled shoulder. "You'll be okay Bin, don't worry," she winked at him, her signature flirty move. Per usual, he didn't react. Weird.

The three of you had always joked that he had a broken sense of humor. He never laughed at anything funny. But one day, when you guys had been watching the news and a horribly boring reporter was droning on and on about a drug heist that resulted in millions of government dollars being stolen, he was laughing his ass off uncontrollably. Lanhua had to grab him tissues because he'd started crying. Like you said, weird.

A few of the guards, who were stationed all around the ceremony room, started herding people towards the front of the room, closer to the stage. That was where your dad and King Lee would be standing as they chose who would participate in the dating show.

Even thinking that felt wrong.

The four of you walked closer to stage, where a bunch of people around your age already stood. The three of you were chatting about who you thought might get chosen, out of the royals you knew. Between the four of you, you were able to name most of them.

Changbin scowled at one of the guards whose gloved hand accidentally brushed against Lanhua's arm. The guard instantly backed off when he saw the size of Changbin's biceps.

"Wouldn't it be crazy if Robin got picked?" Lanhua gasped, glancing around the room for the Moonstone countess. She was also one of Changbin's best friends, so Lanhua knew her better than you or JJ.

"That would be unfair!" You exclaimed. "She could make anyone she wants fall in love with her!"

"I'm sure they'd make potions against the rules," JJ glanced at Changbin for confirmation, and the guard nodded. "Especially the Choi family potions. Those would even make me fall for her."

"You like girls though," you pointed out.

JJ rolled her eyes. "Okay I'm not the best example. She could make you fall for her."

You shrugged. "Point made."

"Wait, is that Duchess Wang??" Lanhua hissed, pointing across the room at a pretty girl dressed in a blush pink gown. "I heard her father is batshit!"

"Oh yeah, I saw him at the ceremonial dinner," you agreed. "He was yelling at my dad about something. It was kind of rude and out of order, but no one seemed to care. Maybe he does that a lot."

"I think I met Mya once back in school," JJ said. "She's really nice. She's younger than us, but way nicer than the rest of her family, I guess."

"Oh my gosh, there's Alaska!" You exclaimed, although you did wonder where Alaska and Mya's friend, Nakano Riley, was. You weren't close to either of them, but you saw them with Alaska all the time. "I need to talk to her, let's go over there!"

The four of you started to move, but a guard immediately put his arm out to stop you.

"Sorry, the ceremony is about to start," he said, glancing at you apologetically. Although you didn't recognize him, you were sure he knew you. All the guards in both Obsidian and Moonstone knew every royal by name, face, and title. It was part of the official guard initiation test.

You heard several clicks behind you, and you all whipped around to see what it was.

Two cameramen, with an extensive setup, were snapping hundred of pictures of you and your friends, a mere foot away.

"They might as well ask for an autograph too," Lanhua commented, raising an eyebrow at them. "I know I look good, but damn."

"It's definitely weird," JJ glowered at the cameramen, but didn't say anything else.

"I don't like it," Changbin gave the two men his surliest scowl, before stepping in between Lanhua and them to shield her from their prying eyes. Of course, seeing as he was an inch shorter than your leggy best friend, it didn't fully do the trick. You tried to hide a laugh, but it came out as a snort instead. Hopefully they didn't get that on camera.

Before Changbin could turn and challenge you about whatever noise that was, your dad and King Lee stepped out from opposite sides of the stage and onto two separate podiums. A microphone was placed at each podium as they came to stand in front of the huge crowd. A line of sixteen chairs faced you, right behind the two podiums. When you snuck a look backwards, there had to be at least 1,000 people there, all crammed in next to each other. You didn't even know that many people could fit in the ceremony room. No wonder they'd removed all the chairs.

King Lee cleared his throat - he must have some kind of phlegm problem - before saying, "thank you all for joining us this morning. As you can see, every single person of courting age is in attendance, ready to find out if they are one of the lucky sixteen chosen to appear on the first ever Moonstone and Obsidian courting program."

He nodded to your dad, who continued the speech.

"We will not keep you in suspense for long. But first, we must explain what is going to happen to the sixteen lucky people who are chosen. The day after the ball, those who were picked will be driven in private cars to the mansion we mentioned during the program yesterday. From then on, everything will be televised, as we see who gets to know each other best, and who will leave the mansion in a relationship. There will be sixteen relationships, so that will be interesting to observe."

"Now, we will start with the drawing of names," King Lee said, motioning to someone offstage.

On cue, two guards appeared, wheeling something along with them.

The cameras behind you started snapping madly.

The guards stopped in between both kings and set down the contraption, before exiting the stage.

It was some kind of huge glass bowl, raised up on a tall glass platform. It looked like there was some kind of barrier inside, like one of those plastic snack boxes you used for late-night eating that kept each snack separate. You could see what looked like thousands of slips of paper sitting in the bowl. Everyone was craning their necks to see what the hell it was. The cameramen were getting closeups of the bowl, along with shots of the audience's reaction.

"As you can see, this bowl holds every name of every eligible person in both the Obsidian and Moonstone kingdoms. That means people between the ages of 22 and 25. The bowl is split in two sections. One section is for Obsidian, one is for Moonstone. We did not split up genders, so there could be an uneven number from each kingdom," your dad indicated the object sitting on the stage. "King Lee and I will take turns drawing from it. If your name is chosen, you will take a seat on stage. Moonstone, on my side, Obsidian by King Lee. Once all sixteen names are chosen, you will come backstage for individual interviews, before you can go home. If you are not picked, you may head home immediately after the drawing."

Both kings stepped forward so they were beside the glass bowl. Everyone stared at the bowl like their lives depended on it. You knew everyone across the nation had their eyes trained on their televisions for this spectacle. Everyone would want to know who was getting chosen. Who would be the first to make friendships -and relationships - with the other kingdom?

But as you stood there, you knew in your gut that something was going to go wrong. Because honestly, with the way things had been going, what could right?

laska's note —
things are really heating up now!! we've finally stared to introduce a few more of our new characters! everyone else will be introduced in the next chapter, so if you've been waiting for the rest of the ocs and skz boys to be announced, they will be in the next chapter so don't worry! this was all part of the plot, so they weren't really brought up yet. thank you for bearing with me, i hope you've enjoyed the fic so far! what do you think will happen next? i bet most people can already guess 😈 leave all your comments down below, i love replying to them!

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟬𝟴 - 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊