Mark’s eyes blinked open as they were hit with sunlight.  The curtains were drawn right open in the guestroom he was residing in for the night.  I’m pretty sure I had closed those last night.

His sleep was fitful.  He kept tossing and turning and he couldn’t even remember when he had actually settled down enough to fall asleep.  Judging by his headache and his desire to just swaddle himself in his blanket and never come out, he hadn’t slept for long.

As he settled back into head bed he realized he had been shoved to the side. Two arms around him, warm body pressed against him, soft breathing tickling the back of his neck. 

“Good morning Markie-pooh!” 

Mark jumped and fell right out of bed, hitting the floor hard.  “What the hell?” Mark just stared daggers at the man lying on his bed.  “How many times have I told you, Jackson? It’s not okay to just climb into bed with me!”

“Aw but you looked so sad, you kept rolling around.  I originally went up here to wake you up but you were so cute I just had to climb right in and hug you to calm down.  You slept like a baby in my arms.”  Jackson talked as if he was doting on his first-born child.

“What are you even doing here?  I thought you were back at home.”

“Well, actually I was called here last night.  They told me to tell them everything you’d need for the next couple months and sent me over.  Looks like you’re here for the long haul.”

“What?  I’m going to be living here until the wedding?”  Mark had expected to come up here and approve the wedding and leave to worry about it in his own home for some months.  He hadn’t realized he’d be stuck in the same house as his bride-to-be until then.

Jackson sat up on the bed and patted the spot next to him to get Mark to sit down.  “That looks like the case!  Don’t worry! As long as I’m here it’ll feel just like home.”  As soon as Mark sat down Jackson swung his arm around him and pulled him close.

Mark still couldn’t grasp the fact that he probably wouldn’t ever be returning home, and his parents hadn’t even bothered to tell him.  “I’m going to need a map of this place if I want to even try living here.  This place is so huge I doubt I’ll ever get the hang of it.”  Mark buried his face in his hands. “This means I’m going to have to be on my best behaviour at all times, her family is going to be watching my every move and—ughhh.”

“Relax Mark; it’s going to be fine.”  Jackson gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before delving into his next line of questioning.  “So, you met her, right?  What’s she like?  Is she pretty?  Was she friendly?  What’s her sign?”

Mark tried to remember but his mind was so clouded he had a hard time even trying to remember what her face looked like.  He tried to think back to last night but he could only think of one person, the man who made his stomach churn so badly he couldn’t even sleep the night before.

“She was… nice.”

Jackson’s face instantly lit up.  “Oh my god, Mark! You’re blushing!  Is this it, do you actually like her?  Have the heavens finally blessed you with a girl that makes your heart flutter?  Is Mark Tuan finally going to get laid?”

Mark promptly shoved Jackson off the side of the bed.   

“First of all—“Mark had been about to say that he didn’t actually like her, but he caught himself.  He couldn’t go around saying he wasn’t fond of his wife. 

Jackson stared at him waiting for him to finish.

“I can’t sleep with whoever I want, Jackson.  I have status to uphold.”  Mark sneered.

“Yeah yeah, I’m bottom of the barrel trash just because I like to have fun sometimes, I know.  Don’t try to avoid my question, do you like her?”

“I told you she’s nice, what more do you want from me?”  Mark crossed his arms and pouted.  He looked like a five-year-old holding a grudge against his parents.

“What does ‘nice’ mean?  Does she have nice hair, a nice body, a nice personality, a nice—“

“Just drop it, Jackson.”  Mark wasn’t in the mood for this kind of conversation this early in the morning.   His mind was already occupied enough trying to process why his stomach refused to calm itself every time he thought about the night before.  Who was he?  Was he royalty?   He had to be, he must be part of the northern kingdom.  But exactly who is he?  What’s his name?  Will I even get the chance to see him again?  Why does he make me feel like this?

Jackson knew by now that if Mark didn’t want to talk about something it was best to just drop it for the moment.  “Fine, but you’re acting really suspicious.” Jackson finally picked himself up off the floor and brushed himself off.  “Just one more question, do you regret your decision?”

“No.”  In his mind, he was still set on the fact that this was the right decision, but something in his heart was telling him he had made a mistake.  “I think.”

Mark didn’t get to lie in bed and try to resolve his inner turmoil for long.  Just an hour later he was readied and whisked downstairs for brunch with his wife-to-be.  He had dark circles under his eyes and was looking a bit crusty, but she, of course, was flawless.

“Good morning, Prince Tuan.”  She curtsied and put on a smile for him.

He bowed back.  “Good morning, Sooyoung.  Please call me Mark.” 

“Looks like we’re set to eat brunch alone today, the rest of the family feels we should get used to doing these things together.”  She was constantly smiling and it was starting to make him feel uncomfortable.

“ it’s just going to be us for the rest of our lives so we might as well take these few months before the wedding to get used to it.”  He agreed.

She finally stopped smiling and looked a bit regretful.  “It wasn’t my idea to have you move in here on such short notice.  My parents just informed of the news this morning as well.  I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable with this arrangement, it is out of my power to change it.”

“Please, you don’t need to take any of the blame.  I’ll just have to talk with my parents about it.”

The frown set on her face grew a bit wider.  “I’m sorry; they actually departed during the night as well.  I asked them if I should wake you up to inform you but they advised not to.  They just told me that you’re a grown man and you’d understand their decision.”

Figures, they never really cared about me anyways. “I see, don’t worry about it.  I’m not too bothered honestly; I just wish they’d told me. “

“I’ll act respectfully since we are still getting to know each other.  I hope you won’t feel too distressed in my presence.”

“Oh no, not at all.  Honestly, my biggest worry was trying to figure out how to get used to living here.  I need people to navigate me around when I want to go somewhere.”  He chuckled and she looked relieved.

“This place is rather large isn’t it?  I guess I don’t really notice since I’m used to it.  I’ll ask one of the servants to give you a full tour later today.  Hopefully, you’ll be able to figure it out.”

After an awkward moment of silence that followed they settled into a table in one of the smaller dining rooms- which was still huge, but it was tiny compared to the main dining hall everyone else ate dinner in according to Sooyoung.  The food was brought to them and neither of them bothered to talk much beyond questions that required simple yes or no answers.

“Sooyoung, are you really going to eat all of that?  Stop being such a pig in front of your husband.”  Mark looked up from his plate to find a servant with ashy grey hair laughing at Sooyoung as he took away her empty plates and replaced them with more food.

“Yah!  This is brunch, aren’t you supposed to eat enough for breakfast and lunch?”  Sooyoung was glaring up at him but he just reached out to ruffle her hair and continued to giggle.

“Hey, I was just kidding!  Relax!”  She playfully smacked him on the shoulder but soon they both just busted out into a fit of laughter. 

Mark was shocked at first, she looked so genuinely happy.  It was miles apart from the fake smiles she constantly sent his way. 

They finally noticed Mark staring at them and decided to try and hold themselves together.  “Sorry Mark.  I’ve never introduced you; this is my personal butler, Yook Sungjae.” 

He nodded to him from the table.  “Nice to meet you, I’m—“

“I know who you are!  You’re the unlucky guy who has to put up with this bundle of joy for the rest of his life.”  Sooyoung reached out and hit him again and Sungjae reached out to squeeze her cheeks before he realized how weird the scene must’ve looked and stopped.  “Ahem, the pleasure is mine, Prince Tuan.”

“Just ignore him, he’s always like this.”  Sooyoung affirmed as she tried to shove him back towards the door with one arm.

He decided to listen to Sooyoung and just disregard them.  They seemed to be close but that was the case for many of those who had personal butlers, which reminded him, where the hell was Jackson? He had told him to meet him downstairs but he hasn’t seen him for the past hour.  He really hoped he didn’t manage to get himself lost.

Mark quickly shoved the last bits of food into his mouth.  “It’s been fun, but I need to go find someone.  I’ll excuse myself now.”  Neither of them seemed too bothered by the fact he left so abruptly.

He was about to leave but he stopped and turned back around.  The both of them were still bickering so he decided to clear his throat loudly to get their attention.  “Uh, sorry but, how exactly do I get back to my room from here?”

“…I’ll call someone up to give you that tour.”

They were about halfway through the tour when they found Jackson on the floor in one of the hallways, curled up into the fetal position. 

“Jackson, what are you doing?  I thought you were going to meet me downstairs.”  Mark walked up to him and poked his back.

Jackson turned around and looked up at his face in awe before jumping him, almost knocking him right off his feet.  “Mark!  Oh my god!  I thought I would never see you again!”

“Jackson, get off.”  Jackson put his legs down but still kept his arms around Mark’s neck.  “What happened?”

“I don’t know!  I think I took a wrong turn somewhere and I’ve been lost ever since.  I’m pretty sure I’ve been wandering these halls for days.” 

“It’s actually only been an hour.  It was really quiet without you, almost peaceful.”  Those words made Jackson finally unlatch himself from Mark and give him an exasperated look. 

“Listen, buddy.  You’d be lost without me if I were to actually leave for a long time.  Count your blessings.”  Jackson looked like he was about to storm off but he decided against it, realizing that he’d probably just get himself lost again.

“I was just kidding Jackson, relax.”  Mark poked him with him elbow but Jackson was still frowning.

“People who aren’t funny shouldn’t make jokes.”  Mark just kept smiling on him and nudging him until finally he finally cracked, as he always did.  “Stop smiling like that, it’s creepy.”

“I’ll stop it when you stop pretending to be upset.” 

Jackson sighed in defeat.  “You know I could never be mad at that cute face for long.”  Jackson reached up to pinch Mark’s cheeks but Mark escaped before he got the chance.

“Hey!  No touching, stop being so touchy!”  It was hard to take that request seriously when Mark was laughing.

“You’re going to have to get used to touching Mark, you are getting married soon after all.”  Jackson through a suggestive smirk his way and Mark just looked annoyed.  “How was brunch with the wife by the way?  Did you two lovebirds hit it off even more?”

“Why don’t we save that conversation for later?”  Mark dodged the question again but he knew Jackson was starting to get suspicious.

“Mark—“Before Jackson could start yelling at him Mark moved to the side made pushed the elderly servant who was guiding him up to the front.

“See, I’m actually getting a tour right now.  We’re only about halfway through so you can join us.  Honestly, I think you need to figure this place out more than me.  You can’t be getting lost every time I leave you alone.”  Mark smiled awkwardly but he knew Jackson could see right through him.

“Ah sorry, I didn’t see you there.”  Jackson walked up to Mark and whispered in his ear, “We’re going to talk later.”  Then he was all smiles again as he held hands with the elderly man and told him enthusiastically to continue the tour.  The servant looked back at him for help but Mark decided to just leave them.  Everyone who worked in the house would have to get used to Jackson eventually.  Jackson didn’t like watering down his personality for anyone.  Once you got past the eccentricity you couldn’t help but like him.

After almost two hours later they were finally nearing the end of the tour.  Mark didn’t know the place ended up being even bigger than he had thought.

“Alright boys, this is the last stop.  I doubt you’d ever need to come here, but this is one of the pride and joys of the Park family palace.”  The elderly man shoved open two grandeur doors to show what looked to be the largest room in the house, and he hadn’t thought any room was going to be bigger than the grand hall. 

As he walked in he was hit with the musky scent of old books mixed with piles of dust.  The rows of bookshelves lined both sides so far along Mark couldn’t even see where they ended.

“This is the library.  We have one the biggest collections of rare and unpublished books in the nation.  Most of the collections of books here are even older than I am.”

Mark was mesmerized by the sight.  He hadn’t read many books since he became a teenager but there wasn’t anybody who wouldn’t be impressed by this collection, he thought.

“Oh, excellent, a room full of old books.  “Jackson turned around and pulled the older man along with him.  “This tour was exciting and all but I think I’ve got this place down now… kind of.”  He had muttered the last bit of his sentence.  “Anyways I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet and it’s almost lunch!  Please tell me you know where the servants go to grab some food in this place.”

“I didn’t think you’d be that excited.  Many boys your age aren’t really impressed by these sorts of thing, I should’ve known…”  The old man looked dejected.

“No, that’s not… this is just... amazing.  Truly.”  Mark tried to make him feel a bit better.  He had obviously been saving this for the last stop because he thought it was the best.  “How long has the family been collecting books?”

“Oh many years before I started working here.  The Park family has built this collection for decades.”  He perked up a bit after seeing Mark show some interest, but he was pulled back again by Jackson.

“Um, sorry to ruin your bonding moment, but I’m pretty sure my stomach is so empty it’s about to implode.  Are you coming, Mark?”  Jackson pulled the servant back with him and Mark knew there was nothing he could say to change his mind.

“I’ll pass; I’m still full from brunch.  I think I’ll just hang out here for a bit.”

“Suit yourself!”  Jackson dragged the elderly man along through the door much to his dismay.

“Be careful with the books if you plan on reading them!  Some of them are very delicate!”  The servant yelled back before Jackson had completely pulled him from the room.  Mark sat down on a chair and put laid a hand over his eyes.

Honestly, Mark didn’t care for the library that much, he just wanted to stay somewhere quiet.  Servants were constantly mulling around despite the fact that few people lived there as actual residents, he assumed.  He wasn’t actually sure how big the Park family was apart from Sooyoung and her parents.  She could have ten siblings for all he knew, wouldn’t that be a nightmare.

Anyways, he just needed someplace quiet where he could just sit down and figure out all the thoughts running through his mind.  Ever since the night of the party, he had an uneasy feeling about this whole agreement.  He had been so sure of himself, even after he agreed to the marriage.  When did he start doubting himself?  Oh yeah, after that happened.

Ever since he danced with that guy he felt something deep in his stomach that he just couldn’t shake.  A feeling so foreign it made him sick.  He had been to so many parties over the years and never once had a person made him feel this way.  He wasn’t sure what these feelings were trying to tell him but above all, he was scared.  He had his entire life planned so perfectly and in the span of just five minutes he found himself full doubt, even after he told himself many times there was no going back.

He decided that the faster he got over… whatever these feelings were, the better.  There was no point dwelling on somebody who he was probably never even going to see again.  He didn’t ask for his name or anything, for all he knows he could’ve been invited from a faraway kingdom on a one-time circumstance and he would never see him again.  The thought of that made him feel a bit depressed, but he decided to ignore that feeling.  This was the start of his new life; there should be no turning back, no hesitation.  The first day of the rest of his life begins now!

He almost fell right out of the chair when he heard a loud crash disturb the pure silence of the library.  What the… am I not alone?

He got up and walked down to the aisle where he thought the sound came from.  He noticed a large pile of disarranged books lying on the floor; they looked like they had fallen right off the shelf.  “Hello?”  He called out meekly.

“Ow…”  He then noticed he wasn’t alone.  A man was sitting on the ground holding his head in his hands.

“…are you okay?” 

 “Jesus that hurt, the biggest book just fell on my head, I thought I was going to die from the impact.  It’s honestly an appropriate way to die, for someone like me.  Death by literary…”

Mark took a step towards him to make sure he was really okay.

 “Anyways, I think I’m going to be ok, I hope.”  He finally looked up and Mark felt his heart drop. “People rarely come back here, I was sure I was alone… Hey, I know you!  Prince Tuan?”

Mark felt his mouth go dry trying to find something to say.  “Ah you… from the party… what are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?  I live here, well not in the library but I mean here as in the palace. Although you could argue that I live in the library actually…”

“Wait, you live here?  Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.  I guess I should’ve introduced myself last night.”  He reached out his hand for him to shake.  “I’m Park Jinyoung, but many people call me Prince Park I guess.  I prefer Jinyoung though.”

“Wait, so you and Sooyoung…?”

“She’s my sister.”