He was fine young man with fair skin and full, rosy lips. Yewon quickly averted her eyes and lowered her head, as her mother had instructed before she entered, but her spine was chilled by the icy gaze he directed at her.

She had to resist her natural inclination to put her hand on her heart, and instead she bowed to everyone in the room and introduced herself as rehearsed. “Good afternoon. I am Princess Yewon of Galacia.” Her mother had told her to say other things, but that was all that Yewon could remember in the moment.

All eyes were on her as she walked through the ballroom and towards the Solenese King and Queen. She bowed to the two of them individually, and then bowed to her future husband.

The King smiled at her, and the Queen had a soft expression on her face. It was only Prince Seungcheol who sent daggers into her when he looked at her.

Behind her, her parents bowed to the Solenese King and Queen. It was a strange sight to behold: her parents, King and Queen of Galacia, bowing before someone. If she hadn’t felt their desperation for peace with Solen before, she definitely felt it now.

As her parents bowed, Yewon noted that the Solenese King seemed pleased by the gesture, as if he enjoyed watching his enemy King bow before him. It felt like her future father-in-law was subtly degrading her parents with that smug grin on his face, and Yewon already hated him,

They were seated on a table filled with clearly important people: royals from many different countries, merchants, scholars and priests. People began to greet them and welcome them to Solen. Some of them seemed to be suppressing a deep-seated hatred, but many others seemed genuinely kind and happy for the prospect of reconciliation between Galacia and Solen.

Still, there did seem to be tension. It was there from both her parents towards the Solenese people, and from certain Solenese people towards her and her parents.

Yewon was overwhelmed. So many people were speaking to her, greeting her, welcoming her, offering her food and drinks, and she didn’t know what to focus on. She couldn’t even spare her future husband a second look because she was flooded with people wanting to speak to her.

In the moment she finally got to catch a break, she looked in the direction of Prince, and found that he was not in his chair. After her eyes scanned the parameters, she spotted him sitting at a table with the advisor who had escorted her earlier: Jeonghan.

Seungcheol was drinking and eating happily, laughing with Jeonghan and the others at his table. His aura was completely different than what she felt when he looked at her.

Someone tapped her from behind. She turned to see a bright younger girl and an older boy, both of whom donned fancy attire.

“Princess Yewon, are you really going to marry Seungcheol-oppa?” she asked as if it were the funniest thing she had ever heard.

“Yulhee!” the boy who was with her frowned, “that’s not what you say when you talk to someone.”

“What do I say then?”

“Introduce yourself, dummy. How would she know who you are?”

“Oh, okay. I’m Princess Yulhee of Solen,” Yulhee said. “I’m the youngest princess, but mom and dad said they want to have another one. Did you know that parents can decide to have babies? I thought they came from God, but Soonyoung told me that they can actually make babies when…”

“Okay,” the older boy said, covering Yulhee’s mouth before she could say anymore. “That’s enough Yulhee.” The boy turned to Yewon and said: “sorry, she talks a lot. I’m Prince Soonyoung. I’m the middle child. But soon Yulhee will become a middle child with me. At least we’re hoping.”

By force of habit, Yewon put her hand on her heart and said “hail.” She gasped a little when she realized what she did, and bowed to them instead, apologizing.

Soonyoung laughed: “it’s okay, princess. I know you Galacians do that hail thing a lot. Bowing, hailing, shaking hands; it’s all the same in the end.”

“Galacia?” Yulhee looked to Soonyoung curiously, “but you told me that’s where all the bad people live…” Soonyoung covered Yulhee’s mouth quickly, but it was too late. Yewon heard it, and it irritated her to no end.

“It’s where all the good people live, princess,” Yewon told Yulhee. She sneered at Soonyoung and turned her back to the two of them. She couldn’t help being rude; they insulted her country, and she did not want to be nice to people like that.

“Yulhee, see what you and your big mouth did? Now she hates us,” Soonyoung groaned. He then leaned in and whispered something in her ear from behind: “I just want to let you know that I’m not the hateful one. Your future husband and his cursed advisor are far more intolerant of your people than I am. Goodbye.”

He walked away with Yulhee, leaving Yewon feeling sick to her stomach.

This was the first thing that she heard about Seungcheol from someone who knew him personally, and it scared her that she would be in the arms of someone who hated Galacia and therefore hated her.

A servant offered her something to drink, but she refused it. Already she could feel that the carrot soup she had initially was rising and the dress was suffocating her.

She wanted to leave the party, take off her dress, and lay down on her bed and stay locked in there forever. But there she was, at this party, in the most uncomfortable dress, around people who hate her and are only pretending not to.

Just as she was about to excuse herself, a foreign young man approached her. He was clearly not from Solen, for he had a completely different accent altogether. Yewon was quite pleased about that; at least she didn’t hate him by default.

“Princess Yewon,” he called out to her, reaching out to shake her hand. Hesitantly, she reached and let him shake it. “May I sit down?” he signaled to a chair right beside her.

She nodded, but internally she wished he would go away so she could excuse herself and loosen her dress just a little bit.

“I’ve been watching you. You seem uncomfortable,” he said. He had a charming demeanor, and in many ways he reminded Yewon of those male protagonists in her novels.

“Solen is new to me,” Yewon explained.

“You get used to it,” the young man told her. “I’m Prince Jun of China, by the way. I’ve been here as an ambassador for many months.”

Yewon’s eyes widened. Of China? That was the most powerful country in the world at the moment…

“Oh, your highness,” she said and bowed to him quickly.

He bowed back with a sly smile on his face. “Anyways, I can give you a quick introduction to the Solenese royal family, if you want.”

“Okay,” she said, truly wanting to hear more from this Jun. He was attractive and a lot more pleasant to be around in general, plus she did not want any Solenese noble try to converse with her. Talking with Jun seemed like I good away to avoid such awkward encounters.

Jun pointed in the direction of Yulhee, who was now with a group of girls. “You met her; she’s the spoiled little princess. Everyone likes her though; she’s cute, but dumb.” He turned and pointed to Soonyoung, who was now dancing with an older lady. “Soonyoung over there is not interested in anything but . He’s quite a womanizer. Every night there’s a new girl or woman in his bed. Don’t be surprised if her flirts with you by the way; he does it to all girls.” He turned and pointed to the King and Queen of Solen, who were talking with important nobles. “Soonyoung probably got that quality from your future father-in-law over there, who has a harem with about 20 concubines and is still asking for more. Lots of bastard sons and daughters. for the Queen, who’s actually quite nice. But don’t worry about your parents-in-law; they’re not bad at all. You should actually be more worried about your would-be husband. Honestly, and with all due respect, I don’t like him. He knows I don’t like him either; it’s no secret. And you see that advisor of his, Jeonghan? Don’t be fooled by his smile. He looks like an angel, but he’s the most violent and chauvinistic man you will ever meet in your life. He hates China, but more specifically, he hates Galacia. Most of the sieges and military attacks were planned by him, for the record. And guess what, he’s also your husbands right-hand man and best friend.”

First Soonyoung, and now Jun. They told were telling her the same thing: Seungcheol and that advisor are terrible.

“Are you speaking about Jeonghan, your highness?” a fat noble who was sitting in front of them in.

“Yes,” Jun answered the man. “She has to be aware of that filth.”

“Careful what you say. He might behead you,” the noble said, chuckling.

Jun turned to speak to Yewon: “this nobleman right here is Arti. He’s a cool man, except he’s a Jeonghan apologist.”

“He is not that bad, Princess,” Arti told Yewon. “True, some of his policies are a bit much, but he is a kind soul at heart.”

“Kind soul?” Jun scoffed. “He literally led a bloody siege on innocent Galacian civilians…”

“He thought they were fighters. It wasn’t his fault the reports were false. Plus, you can understand how much he hates Galacia: his entire family was butchered before his eyes by Galacian soldiers.”

“That does not excuse him.”

“What about this? He does so much humanitarian work though. He oversaw the building of hospitals and schools in underprivileged areas. When he fights in the battlefield, he constantly risks his life to save others. And you do not know the amount of good he’s done for Solen…”

Jun sneered. “Why don’t we ask his Majesty King of Galacia what he thinks.”

Yewon turned to her father and noted that he was listening in on the conversation between Arti and Jun. She noted the grim expression on his face. There was anger, but there was also pain.

“I will not insult a good friend of the royal family of Solen,” her father stated simply before taking a sip from a cup in his hands.

Yewon immediately knew that her father also hated Jeonghan.

“Prince Jun,” came a deep and unfamiliar voice from behind. Yewon turned and was startled when she saw Seungcheol. “I will not have anyone defame Jeonghan in this palace. If I hear one more negative word coming out of your mouth, I will send you back to your country. You are a guest in this palace; you have to treat its family with respect.”

Jun rolled his eyes, and did not seem at all fazed by Seungcheol’s threat. “Family? He’s part of the Solense royal family now? Is he your spouse?”

“I don’t want to fight with you,” Seungcheol spoke over him with a frown on his face. Before Jun had the chance to respond, Seungcheol looked straight at Yewon and spoke to her for the very first time: “the King and Queen want to speak to you.”

That was it. That was all that he said to her before turning around and walking back to the table where Jeonghan had been sitting.

Her mother nudged her, and Yewon stood upright, straightened her back, and approached the Solenese King and Queen. She remembered not to hail them, bowing instead.

And so, kneeling before them, she had a conversation with them. They asked her about herself and relayed their warm welcome. It was a short conversation, but one that calmed Yewon’s raging anxiety that came from everything that she had found out about Jeonghan and Seungcheol. She had felt overwhelmingly doomed in the realization that Seungcheol hated her because he hated Galacia, but speaking to the King and Queen quelled her worries just a little bit.

They were not bad people. The King was a jolly and funny man, and his mother was gentle and loving towards her in a way Yewon would have never expected from the Queen of Solen.

“We look forward to accepting you as part of our Solenese family. We hope you will come to love Solen as your home, and in the future, become its Queen.”

It was quite ironic how the King and Queen of Solen were the only Solenese people she met whom she did not come to dislike immediately.

The Queen then called out to Seungcheol, who obediently approached his parents and bowed.

“Rise Yewon,” the Queen instructed, and Yewon got up from her kneeling position. The Queen herself then rose from her throne and stood in the space between Yewon and Seungcheol.

She took Yewon and Seungcheol’s hands in her own and faced the guests who were at the ceremony.

“People of Solen,” she announced loudly, catching everyone’s attention. The chatter died down, and everyone fell silent to hear the Queen’s announcement: “I am happy to announce that Princess Yewon of Galacia will soon marry our own Prince Seungcheol. She is a lovely young woman, and I hope that all would treat her respectfully despite the differences between our nations. We wish she would come to love Solen as her own country, so that she treats it as such when she becomes its ruler.”

A small applause followed, and Yewon could tell that most people were not all that happy with what the Queen was saying. She could sense the resentment in everyone’s eyes, how many of them actually would have her dead before she ruled their country.

Very few applauded her genuinely. Very few had smiles on their faces. This arrangement was not something these people wanted. Yewon felt like she was suffocating under everyone’s gaze (but maybe it was because her dress was far too tight).

The Queen let go of their hands and stepped backwards, leaving the space between Yewon and Seungcheol empty.

Jeonghan then approached them, holding a red cushion with a tiara sat on top of it.

“I hereby pronounce my agreement to marry Princess Yewon of Galacia,” Seungcheol announced robotically before he took hold of the tiara and placed it on her head.

As soon as that happened, the orchestra starting playing a song, and Seungcheol bowed and held out his hand for her to take.

The whole arrangement was a scene straight out of a fairytale. For a few moments, Yewon felt like she really was the protagonist of some epic love story. She took his hand, and he pulled her closer and put his other hand on the hem of her back.

The dancing in Solen is different than it is in Galacia. The sacarality of bodies in Galacia made their traditional couple dances a lot less intimate. Yewon was therefore taken aback by their proximity and how he touched her so readily.

They drifted along the ballroom together, joined eventually by other couples. Yewon used this opportunity to take a better look at his face. He was a very, very handsome prince, but there was no kindness in his expression at all. Even as he danced with her, he was staring at the wall behind her, not even looking at her once. Her fantasy of an epic romance was shattered immediately.

There was no question about it: he hated her. This whole dance was a prearranged show, and she was nothing but a prop.

A few minutes into the dance, after many more couples joined and not much attention was on the two of them anymore, Seungcheol stopped and let go of her. He did not even say anything; he just walked away from her, leaving her alone in the midst of the ballroom.

Yewon started to feel dizzy in the middle of all of the couples spinning around her. Again, she started to feel like she was going to faint and breathing became so much more difficult as she became acutely aware of how tight the dress was around her body.

Just as she was about to head back to her table and sit down, Jun came forth to her, bowed and extended his hands to ask for a dance. She accepted his hand, feeling like she needed something to hold on to in order to stop the world around her from spinning.

Jun grinned and put his hand on her waist and began to dance with her.

Unlike with Seungcheol, Jun stared straight at her.

But also unlike with Seungcheol, Yewon felt too dizzy to think about it.

“Are you okay, Princess?” Jun asked, leading her to the side away from the dancing couples. He let go of her and she held her head and closed her eyes for a moment.

“I’m okay,” she lied. But she could no longer resist reaching to the back of her dress, desperate to loosen it just a little bit or she felt she would faint.

“Too tight?” he asked when he saw what she was trying to do.

She nodded, embarrassed to be doing this in front of the Prince of China.

“You probably shouldn’t loosen it here where everyone is looking. If you would just follow me, I’ll take you somewhere more private.” She nodded and followed him as he led her around the ballroom towards an exit. He walked swiftly through the halls, seeming to know exactly where he wanted to take her. She followed without thinking twice; she was just desperate to loosen the dress that was keeping her from breathing.

He stopped when they were at the base of a staircase. There was indeed no one around, and so Yewon immediately reaches behind to untie the dress.

“I’ll help,” Jun said, stepping behind her and untie the knot that Sungyeon had tied. The laces finally loosened, and Yewon could feel her lungs fill with air again and her chest physically expand.

“Thank you, your Highness. I’m extremely embarrassed by this,” Yewon told him, turning around to see that his face seemed different than before.

“You really are wild, aren’t you, princess?” Prince Jun told her with a dark grin on his face. “I like you very much.”

“What?”

“I did my research about you. I’ve heard all the rumors, and I know you’re wild. I didn’t think you were wild enough to lure the Prince of China to loosen your dress the day your engagement is announced…”

Yewon’s eyes widened at Jun’s words. Yewon knew very well about the kinds of rumors he heard, ones to do with erse uality, ones that were not true. And she certainly was not trying to “lure” him over to loosen her dress…

“I think you have the wrong idea,” Yewon quickly tried to explain herself.

Before she knew it, Jun had pushed her against the wall, his arms travelling up and down her upper body. She tried to push him away, but he would not budge.

Just as she was about to open to say something (and scream for help if necessary), he covered with his hands.

“I wonder what Seungcheol would do if he finds out about all those rumors. He would probably call off the marriage, and so the war will continue. I think it’s better if he doesn’t find out, for Galacia’s sake, don’t you think?”

Yewon was dumbstruck. Was this blackmail? Was he going to try and violate her? From the way that his hands were moving against her body, Yewon felt that he would.

She only knew of the perils of life through her novels. In the castle of Galacia, she was safe and closed off from anything that could hurt her, and if anything ever did try to hurt her, she would be saved from it immediately. No one dared to harm a hair on her head , fearing the wrath of her father the King.

But her novels showed her new worlds outside of the comfort and luxury of her princess life. She knew that bad men existed, and she knew what they were capable of. She never thought she would ever have to face anything like that, but there she was, pinned against the wall with no way to break free.

A/N: I promise the next chapter will come sooner than this one did... ^^'