Heart's Desire
Cupid at Heart
Feeling fear translate through the princess’ entire body language, Woohyun placed his arm over hers and gave her a light reassuring squeeze.
“Do not fear, I am with you,” he whispered softly, and she could feel his breath gently gusting over her.
Hyunmi watched carefully as Woohyun retrieved something from within his blazer. It was the lead tip of a weapon she could recognize as a lance, but dismantled in a way so that only its sharpest tip remained visible in his hand. He shoved the said item towards the chimera, and to her greatest surprise, the beast retracted in fear.
“If you dare to lay a claw on the princess, I shall not hesitate to kill you,” Woohyun spoke towards the chimera. His tone was friendly—a little too friendly—and he did not attempt to mask the true threat hidden beneath his words. He shoved the lead tipped lance forward, which seemed to be the key to the beast’s defeat.
As if it possessed an understanding of the human language, the chimera began to whimper—a sound that pleaded for its life to be spared. For one second, it did not appear as the vicious beast that had harmed a person.
“Begone, before I change my decision of gracing you with mercy,” Woohyun spoke, his tone too calm and composed. Perhaps he had dealt with such creatures throughout his entire life.
The chimera cried a piercing sound once more. It stretched its dragon wings and began to take flight. In its rushed state, the chimera broke through the glass window located near the top of the ballroom hall. It shattered the windows into pieces, leaving only a hole to remember its tangible presence by.
Woohyun shielded the princess and the cat once more from the falling window shards. When the coast was clear, he released his arms from her and steadily placed his hands by the shoulders.
“Are you alright, Hyunmi?” He questioned, his voice warm and laced with so much affection.
At the moment, it did not manage to calm the raging storm within the princess’ heart. Hyunmi felt the strength disappear from her legs, and slowly dropped down to the floor with disbelief. She never meant for anyone to get hurt. She did not want her father to faint, for prince Sunggyu to fall unconscious, or for Sungjong to be wounded. If only she wasn’t so reluctant against the courtship.
But when she lifted her face and met Woohyun’s beautiful brown eyes gazing at her as he knelt in front, a part of her remembered the reason for her rebellion. Her reluctance may have started because she barely knew the Prince of Spade, but now, she feared her reluctance was caused by the man in front of her.
“Are you hurt anywhere? I apologize for my delay. Obtaining the lead tipped lance was quite tedious,” Woohyun spoke. His hand unconsciously made its way to her face, softly cupping both her cheeks as his thumb brushed the tears away from her eyes.
Hyunmi’s heart raced uncontrollably, and she didn’t know whether it was because of fear, or because of him. After momentarily being drawn in his affectionate gaze, she raked her sight away from him and looked at the wounded cat in her arms.
“I am fine, but Sungjong—”
Woohyun gasped as if realization hit him. He removed his hands from her and proceeded to grab another item from his blazer. It was yet another small vial, but this time containing a yellowish liquid. “I managed to obtain the Auxilio Elixir. It will help heal his physical wounds. May I?”
The princess had studied the art of potion making for as long as she remembered and easily identified the elixir as one of the most effective remedy there was to physical injuries. She moved her grip away from Sungjong and kept the cat steady with her aid. She watched as Woohyun removed the top of the small vial and carefully poured it over the deep cuts of the feline creature.
The cat whimpered a little, but it was still unconscious. The cry wasn’t a sound of agony, but more like the gibberish mumbling of a person who was dreaming.
“It seems your cat is fine. It is in a deep sleep, which would allow the elixir to heal him faster,” Woohyun spoke, putting the cap back on the half empty vial.
“Thank you,” Hyunmi said, exhaling a deep sigh under her breath. “How could I ever repay your kindness?”
“All you have to do is smile for me and I shall consider your debts paid off,” Woohyun answered with his signature playful grin.
Hyunmi didn’t know whether he was trying out the art of joking again or was being completely serious, yet she couldn’t help but laugh at his ridiculous reply.
“Ah, there it is. The princess is no longer indebted to me,” Woohyun spoke, creasing his lips into an even brighter smile. He looked genuinely delighted to see the princess regaining her ability to smile, and took pride in being the one who caused her to.
“But I shall always be indebted to you, Woohyun. I should thank you for not using any treachery to make me fall for the Prince of Spade,” she said. After seeing his true capabilities as Cupid and knowing the magical items he could easily obtain, she knew her heart was as good as gone if he used his power on her.
“My actions are not deserving of your gratitude,” Woohyun said as he helped her get up on her feet again. “I am afraid I am no longer capable of that task.”
Hyunmi scrunched her eyebrows, blinking her eyes at him in a daze. Cupid was sent to help her fall in love, but if he was no longer able to complete the mission, would that lead to his departure from the Heart kingdom?
Before she had a chance to question him, Woohyun’s focus was caught by the Hatter. He casually approached them with the playful smile playing on his lips, zero fault, zero guilt.
“You didn’t have to scare Chi-Chi like that. She is still a baby,” Myungsoo said with an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head as if the others should be ashamed of their actions.
“Chi-Chi? You named that thing?” Seulyi made a horrendous face at the fact the chimera was possibly Myungsoo’s pet. Yet, she was forced into believing he was a sweet and caring person instead.
“That was a baby? It was about to kill us,” Hyunmi added, not sure whether trusting the Hatter had been a good decision.
“Why did you let such a dangerous creature roam free?” Seulyi continued asking, certain that her beloved had a valid reason for his reckless and incredibly foolish actions.
“So that Cupid could be the hero and save the princess in distress. My plan included the king witnessing his mighty victory, though. I did not think Chi-Chi would scare everyone away,” Myungsoo began pondering about his formidable and amazing plan, tapping his fingers on his chin. He had yet to solve where it all went wrong, not realizing that the creature’s dangerous nature was the answer to his own riddle. Although it was trained enough not to burn down the entire castle.
Woohyun and Hyunmi shared a glance with each other, both scoffing at the hatter’s ridiculous mind. He was mad for a reason, and surely lived up to his nickname. Yet, they knew he meant good.
The silence was broken when they heard some rusty metal sound clattering and scratching against the ballroom floor. Looking back, Sunggyu had hoisted himself up as he used the sword as support.
“Where is the beast?” He asked, staring at the others with a deadly glare. Despite being knocked over, he was still eager to slay the creature himself.
“It went away, Your Majesty,” Woohyun answered calmly, curious to see his reaction.
Sunggyu frowned for a moment, but soon that confusion was replaced by an incredibly cocky grin. He hit himself on the chest and stood upright with his head held high.
“That foul beast was intimidated by my abilities. It must’ve ran away in fear,” the prince spoke and began emitting a loud and boisterous laughter that declared his arrogance.
As the others only stared at him with a sheepish smile or an appalled face, the loud noises and murmuring from people caught their attention. The guests were slowly returning into the ballroom with the King of Heart leading them at the very front.
“Prince Sunggyu, did you singlehandedly scare the beast off?” The king questioned with so much respect oozing from his big round eyes.
Sunggyu let his usual smirk sink in as he repositioned the sword against his shoulder in an incredibly flashy and skilful way. “I do not like to brag, but by the time I opened my eyes, it had already disappeared. What other explanation exists to the phenomenon other than its intimidation towards the almighty Prince of Spade?”
The king looked at the prince like a deity to be worshipped. He applauded his hands in such a gleeful and child-like manner, showing such excitement that one might forget he was sick.
“No, father. He—”
Hyunmi was about to show a sign of protest, but was prevented when Woohyun grabbed her by the arm. She turned to see him subtly shaking his head, signaling her to mute out the truth in front of the king and the numerous guests.
“You are such a dependable young man,” the king spoke, jumping a little on his feet. “Therefore, I have decided.”
Dongwoo frowned at the king’s sudden speech. “What have you decided, father?”
“Let’s forget about the courtship between Prince Sunggyu and my beloved Hyunmi, and immediately move into marriage!”
The news was supposed to jovial, and a lot of the guests and castle employees celebrated with a dance. The terror of the chimera was quickly forgotten when a more festive celebration came in light. To anyone who had the slightest idea of the princess’ opposition, they knew this was a terrible, terrible idea.
“This is developing into quite an interesting scenario,” Myungsoo spoke calmly, having obtained a cup of tea from nowhere that he began sipping on. His plan had quite backfired, but he did not oppose whatever it was developing into.
“Y-yeah! Poor Cupid has to w-withstand all these obstacles,” Sungyeol suddenly appeared, as usual, hopping in place with a huge grin plastered on his face.
Myungsoo gave him a weird stare, slowly placing the teacup on its holder. “Where have you been?”
“I-I’ve been looking for coffee beans.”
It explained the march hare’s frantic and active behavior, as always. So Myungsoo let his friend be, and continued averting his gaze towards the others. This prince was surely an entertaining character.
“The haste in your decision does not affect me. The purpose of my courtship ventures with the intention of marrying the princess, eventually,” Sunggyu spoke with such charm in his tone, one would believe he was saying it out of humble obedience. But he took pride in his desirability to be crowned the king’s son of law. Even other princesses sighed out loud at the news of an eligible bachelor being removed from potential husband prospects.
“Wait, father. Don’t I have a say in this?” Hyunmi asked, panicking as her father showed sternness in his decision.
“Absolutely not. Your task is to accept the wedding proposal,” the king answered her firmly. Yet he smiled so warmly it was impossible for anyone to dislike him.
“But father, I barely know him,” Hyunmi tried to whisper the words, unwilling to have the guests listen to it. It was a rather private matter.
As calm and collected Hoya seemed to be, he was still good at reading situations and assessing the mood. So without being required of him, he quickly instructed the audience to continue mingling and carry on with the masquerade ball as if nothing had happened. The royal family needed some private time.
“That does not matter as long as you’re in love. Am I right, Cupid?” The king continued his argument, this time throwing all attention towards Woohyun.
Hyunmi turned around swiftly, realizing he did not look at her once when his gaze was only directed to the king. She would like to believe he was on her side. Knowing that Woohyun would’ve agreed on this marriage was going to shatter her heart into pieces for a strange reason she couldn’t explain.
“With all due respect, your highness, my humble opinion states otherwise,” Woohyun began.
His indirect opposition to the king was met with several mixed reactions. Some were perplexed, some were eager to know what he’d say next, and to one, gratitude washed over her entire face.
“Hm? Go on,” the king said as he twirled his hand motioning him to continue. The frown was present between his eyebrows, but he was a wise king who welcomed any opinion before making a final decision.
“Nothing is more beautiful than two people sharing mutual feelings of affections out of unconditional love. It is the greatest love of all, and cannot be forced on people,” Woohyun spoke, smiling with a calm composure, knowing he had won the king over. “They call this agape love.”
Hyunmi didn’t realize she was staring at him with so much gratitude and awe. For one brief second, he met her eyes, and time seemed to elongate in those short passing seconds. She knew that everything would work out in the end. Somehow, she’d be able to get out of his arranged marriage and find someone she could pour this unconditional love over.
“You have convinced me, Cupid. I do not expect lesser wisdom from the son of Aphrodite,” the king spoke, easily agreeing to the argument. But the princess had no time to celebrate, for the king turned to her with a finger pointed against her. “However, I demand for you to spend as much time as possible with the prince of Spade so that you could get to know him.”
“One only needs several seconds to fall for my charms and impressive skills,” Sunggyu added, staring at the princess with a smug smile. He seemed too jovial about the king’s proposal.
Hyunmi managed to mask her frown behind her stoic expression. She stared at others; Seulyi who looked worried, Dongwoo who was anxious in her stead, her two elder sisters who looked displeased, and the Hatter and March Hare who anticipated. As for Woohyun, she did not dare to look at his expression for it may hinder what she was about to say next.
“Very well,” her voice was loud and filled with confidence. “But I would like to propose one condition.”
“Proceed,” the king nodded kindly to her.
“Perhaps it isn’t wise for a man and woman to be seen together in public before they have been wed. People will start talking, and that shan’t be good for our royal reputation,” Hyunmi began. Her tone didn’t falter the slightest bit, and those who knew her were aware she was already thinking of a plan.
The king protruded his lips a little and nodded along to her words. “What do you propose?” He questioned, knowing there was a request to her statement.
“I would like to have a personal knight who could watch over me,” Hyunmi said, curling her fingers into a ball. She had to be brave for her next statement, earnestly hoping her father would grant her the request.
“Ah, you are right about that. Sir Hoya, from today onwards—”
“Sir Hoya is one of the most formidable and skilful knights. It would be better for him to keep guard of your safety, father,” Hyunmi quickly interrupted before the official statement was voiced out. She bit her lips together, and nervously glanced to her side. “Rather, I have someone else in mind.”
“Really?” The king, along with others, stared at her with utter surprise. “Who may that be?”
“Cupid,” Hyunmi answered with no hesitation, and the desire was imminent in her clear voice. She looked sideways and met Woohyun’s surprise gaze resting on her. Yet, she knew there was no hint of reluctance reflected through his eyes. “I would like to have Woohyun watch over me.”
“Hm, I suppose that isn’t such a bad idea. He is, after all, the son of a goddess and would therefore possess enough skills to guard you. It would slightly alter his purpose at the kingdom if it sits well with him,” the king was rambling to himself as he weighed the pros and cons of her request. After several passing seconds, he convinced himself. “Woohyun, do you accept the offer?”
Woohyun bowed down in front of the king as a form of formality, trying to keep his lips pressed as neutral as possible. Yet, the gentleness in his warm voice gave away his willingness to go along with the princess’ desire. “It would bring me no greater pleasure than to watch over princess Hyunmi.”
The moment his gaze met hers and set off a loud drumming of thrilling excitement in her heart, Hyunmi knew she had birthed chaos disguised in the most beautiful way possible. With Woohyun as her guard, she could delay his departure and keep him by her side for a little bit longer. It may have been forbidden, or even considered taboo, but just for a small portion of one's time, she'd like to fulfill her heart's desire.
I must say I absolutely adore every single character in this story. Do you have any favorite characters? (Perhaps I could try to write the reader's chosen one in more scenes? XD)
Thank you all so much for reading and for commenting. I hope you'll upvote it if you enjoyed it. Totally fine if you don't, because I'll still enjoy writing it. And I really hope you enjoy it too thus far. You guys are awesome! <3
Yay! Won the bid today! I hope you will enjoy the story~ Would love to know your thoughts, so please do leave comments too~ Thank youuu <3
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