Upon hearing the sounds of footsteps, the Prince finally placed his hand mirror upon the surface of the table.

 

"Prince Hyungwon," the royal's personal butler, Hyunwoo, called for his attention despite already gaining it before speaking. 

 

Hyungwon raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest. Although his butler had been serving him for a numerous amount of years, he still could not fathom whether the frequent gesture was out of curiosity or irritation.

 

"What is it?" the prince questioned. "What could be important enough for you to interrupt me?"

 

Hyunwoo resisted the urge to scratch the back of his head, resulting in a few fidgets in the spot he had paused at instead. "You were only staring at your reflection, milord."

 

"Exactly my point!" rising from his seat, the prince strode towards the servant with his head tilted upwards. Although he scarcely towered over the man by a few centimetres, Hyungwon enjoyed looking down at him nonetheless.

 

"I am a busy man, Hyunwoo. Why, I still have yet to undergo my daily beauty regime," the tall royal adjusted his stance to gesture towards his vanity overflowing with various products. "If you are not going to make a point of your own, then I would appreciate it if you would not interfere with me again."

 

"Your father summons you to the Cabinet Room, milord. I hope you would forgive me, but I am certain you will have time for your beauty regime later," Hyunwoo remained calm, already used to the attitude of his liege. 

 

In fact, his lips even curved upwards when he caught a glimpse of Hyungwon's expression turning sour. "I shall excuse myself now, your Highness. Don't be late,"

 

Narrowing his eyes as he strode towards his dresser, Hyungwon muttered a response too late for his butler to hear out the door. "Clearly he's unfamiliar with the concept of being fashionably late."

 

The prince took his sweet time rummaging through the contents of his dresser, flipping through each dress shirt, coat, and blazer he had hung up. Eventually deciding on a teal blazer tinted with yellows and purples, he paired it with his white dress shirt and dark pants. The pearls stitched onto his sleeves skimmed across his skin as he ed his shirt.

 

Hyungwon stared at himself through his wall mirror, smiling confidently as he began to imagine all the compliments he would soon earn. "Stunning, Prince Hyungwon. A fabulous choice of clothing as always," he declared proudly before finally exiting his chamber.

 

The heels of his shoes clicked upon every step Hyungwon took. The sound echoed within the isolated corridors of the castle, though if there was anyone around they would most certainly be aware of his presence.

 

The sound of his steps merely intensified as he rushed down the grand staircase, nearing the Cabinet Room as Hyunwoo stated previously. 

 

The Cabinet Room was a secluded quarters that the king often used for meetings, get-togethers, and discussions with important personnel. If he was summoned there specifically, Hyungwon knew something important was bound to happen.

 

The prince inhaled deeply, placing a hand upon the door. His palm molded against the intricate, swirly designs carved into the cold metal, and his fingers traced against the doorknob before he pulled it open.

 

With his head held high, Hyungwon sauntered into the Cabinet room as if he were the king himself. He kept to the side, avoiding the long table that was situated dead center of the premises. 

 

"Look who's here," a blond man clad in armor mused. The prince recognized him in a flash, identifying him first before any other individual present.

 

Feigning a grimace, the prince directed his gaze to Shin Hoseok, a Pegasus Knight of Athos as well as his childhood friend. "Oh, it's you."

 

The knight chuckled in response, taking a moment to bow swiftly before Hyungwon passed him.

 

"Good morning, your Highness!" a short man in an elegant white apron greeted, taking a moment to look up from the array of sweets he had been organizing upon the table.

 

"Ah, Kihyun. Should you not be in the kitchen at this hour?" Hyungwon remarked, pursing his lips together ever so slightly. "You are the Head Chef, I'm sure it must be absolutely chaotic without you in your place." 

 

Kihyun's lips formed a tight line, a restraint to prevent him from talking back crudely. He did muster up the right words to speak eventually, giving a bit of an awkward laugh as his eyebrows knitted together.

 

"Well I suppose you're right milord, at least in terms of the peace maintained in the kitchen. I am just preparing some refreshments for you and our honored guests, I'll be off in just a moment!" 

 

"Honored guests?" the prince echoed, though it was not directed to anyone in particular. He was not aware of their kingdom hosting any visitors of significance. Hyungwon became so emersed in thought, he failed to notice the Head Chef dismiss himself as he muttered about the disrespect he received under his breath. 

 

At last the princeling finally directed his attention towards the king, taking a seat nearly adjacent to his by the end corner of the longtable. 

 

"Hello father," Hyungwon greeted for a change, to which the king simply nodded. "I was not aware of any honored guests we are supposedly hosting."

 

“It’s because you don’t listen,” The king chortled, locking eyes with his son. “Information is always presented to you, you are just too pre-occupied to realize it.”

 

“And the savagery remains consistent within the Chae family line,” Hoseok remarked jokingly with a playful grin. If his mother wasn’t so close with the queen and he weren’t such a formidable soldier, the Pegasus Knight would’ve been decapitated for his comments long ago.

 

Hyungwon snorted, folding his arms across his chest. “So who might our ‘honored guests’ be?”

 

“The king and prince of our neighbouring kingdom, Westra.”

The prince’s face contorted into a grimace at the mention of the kingdom, one he did not care to be associated with. “Out of all royals, it had to be the Westran Court?”

 

“Indeed, for the remaining kingdoms in this land want nothing but to war with us or remain neutral. Athos is preparing for a battle, I did not expect you to know, but I do expect you to get along with the only nation willing to ally with us,” responded the king.

 

“But the people of Westra are savages bred for war! I’ve heard nothing but ill about them,” Hyungwon slammed a fist against the table, unwilling to accept his father’s words.

 

The king shook his head. “Clearly you have not heard much about them. I expect you to behave yourself Hyungwon, if you can appear pleasing then you should also be able to act pleasingly.”

 

Hyungwon opened his mouth to retaliate, but was interrupted by an entrance of another individual before he could utter a single syllable.

 

“My king,” the steward of the castle, a young man named Changkyun, greeted with a brief bow. “His majesty King Lee of Westra has arrived, along with Prince Minhyuk!”

 

“Lead them to us,” King Chae ordered.

 

Changkyun gave a small smile, opening the door wider than he had left it ajar. “One step ahead of you, your Highness.”

 

The steward allowed two individuals to enter the Cabinet room, the supposed royals of Westra.

 

Of course there was the king, adorning a cape of red velvet and a vest embroidered with glittery paisley designs. The golden embroidery matched his crown bejeweled with rubies and amethysts.

 

And then there was Prince Minhyuk. His hair was a similar rouge to his father’s cape, as well as the blazer that matched the flower-like design of his father’s. There was a gleam to his appearance, not from his radiant smile but perhaps from the trace of glitter in the locks of his hair, but the expression he had on his face was contagious to an extent. His pearly white teeth were just about as white as all the frills and laces he had on his clothing.

 

They did not appear to be any sort of 'savage' Prince Hyungwon expected, but for some reason he could not rid his dismay. In fact, the loathing feeling he seemed to contain himself built up with every second he continued to look at the Westra prince, because although he would not like to admit it Prince Minhyuk was undeniably handsome.

 

In order to prevent himself from staring even further, Hyungwon picked up the teacup in front of him and took a lengthy sip of the piping hot tea it contained. 

 

"It's splendid to finally greet you face to face, King Lee." Hyungwon's father greeted graciously, to which the fellow king responded with a smile.

 

"The pleasure is all mine!" He exclaimed heartily, taking a seat at the opposite end of the long table. His son took a seat parallel to him, and grinned even wider than his father did.

 

"It should be mine, dear friend, for you are the only one to take up my offer of allegiance. For that I am eternally grateful," King Chae placed his scepter upon the surface of the table. "All of the other nations feared our enemy, choosing to side with them or remain neutral. I cannot thank you enough."

 

The King of Westra let out a loud chuckle. "The Sedron Nation is nothing to be feared! With our kingdoms united, they will not stand a chance. Why, I doubt any battles we are to fight will extend to any sort of war," he mused.

 

As the two royals continued to boast and flatter themselves, Hyungwon remained unbothered. The prince continued to drink his tea, nodding occasionally if any point of the conversation was directed towards him. 

 

Eventually, the kings pressed further into the topic of battles.

 

"We might as well have our sons lead our armies! There’s barely the need for us to get up from our thrones to begin with. We’d be able to watch as the Sedronite army crumbles under our power, it’s only just for them to experience if they were the ones to declare war to begin with!” exclaimed King Lee. He directed his attention to Hyungwon, who did best to maintain the mutual gaze. “I’m sure Prince Hyungwon is also a formidable warrior,”

 

King Chae let out a low chuckle. "You'd be surprised."

 

Hyungwon mimed the laugh briefly, though his was full of insincerity. He knew his father wasn't implying anything positively, but the prince would not dare to admit it.

 

"Why don't we initiate with that? We could prepare our militia and have our sons lead them." Perhaps King Lee could have timed the notion more conveniently, because his suggestion caused Hyungwon to choke on his tea.

 

Placing the teacup onto its saucer clumsily, the prince resisted the urge to spit out any of the liquid. Him? Lead an army into battle? "I beg your pardon?"

 

Out of the corner of his eye, the prince caught a glimpse of Minhyuk's smile faltering. His expression twitched into one of confusion.

 

Hyungwon shook it off, straightening his posture. "If I have a say in the matter then I'd rather not, thank you." 

 

The kings seemed to have mixed reactions. While King Lee was taken aback by the decline, King Chae was almost as unsurprised as he was disappointed with his son's actions.

 

"Why so, Prince Hyungwon?" questioned the Westran king.

 

"Regardless of my capabilities, I am just not suited for war. And to think of the toll it would take on my looks," Hyungwon gestured to his face.

 

Prince Minhyuk couldn't help but let a giggle slip through his lips. 

 

"Hyungwon, my son, now is not the time to fool around." King Chae snapped, clutching his scepter with such force that it seemed as if it would snap under the pressure. As much as he wanted to seem good under the eyes of the Westran royalty, he knew his son wasn't joking around.

 

Hoseok cleared his throat before speaking up. "You'll have to excuse him Your Majesty, Prince Hyungwon's odd sense of humor is almost as bad as his will to fight," the Pegasus Knight had long been forgotten about up until now. Hyungwon sent him a look of warning, which was unfortunately dismissed.

 

"All it will take is a bit of adjustment, that's all. I'll make sure the prince gets accustomed to the life of a soldier in the short amount of time we have to spare." Hoseok declared.

 

Right before Hyungwon could object, Minhyuk swiftly intervened.

 

"I'd be more than happy to help! I'd hate to miss an opportunity to train with new sparring partners, nor the opportunity to make new friends." He beamed with a genuine smile, one so bright that Hyungwon struggled to offer one in return.

 

"Then it's settled!" exclaimed the king of Athos. "Hoseok, if you would kindly guide the princes around the castle. It would allow us to discuss the battle plans further, king to king. Any objections?"

 

Hyungwon locked eyes with his father, giving him the opportunity to glare daggers with the most sarcastic smile he could muster. "No, father. We'll be off," the prince somehow managed to respond.

 

He stood up from his seat, dismissing himself as quickly as he could. Hoseok and Minhyuk were not far behind, and the three men exited the Cabinet Room surrounded by an aura of silence.