King's Decision
Cupid at Heart
They returned to the Hearts Kingdom, landing at the balcony of her room. Her feet touched the cemented floor like a lightweight feather being dropped, a movement so graceful it would put goddesses to shame.
Woohyun did not realize he had been staring, completely mesmerized. He watched her backside, the way her long hair bounced in a way like they were waltzing. The princess was known for her beauty, but looking at her now, there was more to her that radiated with an everglow. Perhaps he had seen something others were blinded to, perhaps he was madly in love.
By the time he blinked, she was staring at him with utmost concentration. He saw the creases on her forehead transform her into a more thoughtful and wiser women of her age, and her lips were puckered in a way he wanted to kiss. She was observing him, and he was reading her.
“What is it, love?” He finally questioned, caressing the side of her arms in tender .
The way he called out to her in such a loving manner, followed by a smile, never failed to make her heart race faster. “Staring at you reassures me that every problem shall come to pass. What sort of sorcery is this?” She said, genuine in her inclination.
Woohyun’s smile stretched brighter, his lips parting to show his perfect set of teeth. He placed both hands around her cheeks, warming her up. “You are putting your faith in me. It grants me more confidence to work out a solution.”
“You certainly will.” She smiled, her cheeks lifting up. “Does it add more confidence if I keep staring?”
“All it does is add the desire to kiss you.”
Hyunmi blinked her eyes very quickly, instinctively wetting her lips. She kept them tucked inside, because as much as she wished for the same to happen, they were at a place where boundaries had to be drawn. Oh, how wild he was making her heart race. And the lad only grinned in oblivion.
“For a moment I thought I might have missed your presence, but on second thought, I’d prefer it if you stayed away longer.”
The loving yearning disguised as thick mockery could only come from one person, or rather, animal. The purple cat stood on its four paws, twirling its tail like a snake dancing to a snake charmer.
“You wouldn’t have survived without me. Seulyi does not know how to feed you.” Hyunmi saw past Sungjong’s harsh words, and ran to pick him up in her arms. But upon realizing the cat had grown too heavy, she let him be.
“How wrong you are, Hyunmi. She prepared me a meal of such delight I thought she was trying to kill me with an overdose,” Sungjong spoke, sticking his tongue out, making his whiskers vibrate.
The princess laughed, hearing Woohyun’s symphonic tune mingling with hers. She didn’t realize she had been homesick until she was home again.
The cat stood there, observing her. He was certain something must have happened between her and Cupid during the trip, but he did not dare ask for it would sicken him. He watched the smile growing on her face—as hopeful as the turtledove holding a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak for the first time.
“Hyunmi, we should decide on a time best suited to talk to the king,” Woohyun interrupted the serenity with a greater importance.
“Oh yes, I shall go and talk to my father to have a meeting arranged and—”
Ah, that reminded Sungjong of a message he was supposed to deliver.
“The king wishes to speak to you as soon as you arrive,” he spoke.
The princess blinked, pointing a guilty finger to herself. “To me?”
“To the both of you.”
Sungjong grinned his signature cheshire grin. It hid away his greatest fears and worries toward the lovers.
They delayed no longer and headed to the door of her room. It suddenly dawned on Woohyun that he had stepped inside her personal chamber for the first time, but he did not stay there for long. As soon as he had the chance to leave his mark and spread his flowery aroma, she had already held the door open, asking him to exit. The excitement only lasted in the spur of a moment.
The walk to the main throne room was filled with silence. They were afraid any statement of fear would be countered with affectionate words. When that happened, they wouldn’t be able to stop themselves from wanting to express their love at a deeper level. So the silence carried away their desires and anxieties until they reached the room.
Two guards on either side pulled the door open, revealing the pristine white chamber. The path to the throne where the king was seated at suddenly seemed a lightyear away, and they did not know why. The king was surrounded by Hoya and Kihyun. Dongwoo, Soonkyu, and Hyoyeon were all lined up on the side. The heavy atmosphere made it impossible to take a step forward, but they mustered their courage and took a leap of faith.
“Father.”
“Your Majesty.”
The two bowed down in front of the king in perfect synchronization, like they had practiced their movements for a ballroom dance. The sight made the king’s eyebrow twitch.
“I would like to—” Hyunmi stopped talking the moment her father strictly held his hand up, motioning her to halt. He looked infuriated for whatever reason, and it made her heart thud louder in fear.
“Let me speak.” The king used a tone of authority that for once showcased he was no fool to the crown. “I have received news so absurd I could barely believe it. But I would like to confirm it with my very own eyes and ears.”
Everyone was tense.
“Are you two in a courtship?”
Hyunmi widened her eyes, feeling a hole forming in her chest which swallowed her entire being. This couldn’t be. Had they not been careful enough? How did he discover the truth? Would he punish them?
“No, Your Majesty, I believe there must be some misunderstanding,” Woohyun quickly spoke, holding his front like a stone wall about to be demolished.
Hyunmi glanced sideways, returning from the hollowness she had fallen into. It wasn’t that Woohyun was ashamed of their relationship, but he valued it so much to the extend of hiding it. He was willing to lie in order to protect her.
However, as she had earlier said, looking at him brought forth a new set of assurance and confidence. He fought for their relationship, and she set her eyes on the same goal. A small light flickered within her.
“It is true, father,” Hyunmi boldly declared before her old man. She grabbed Woohyun’s hand in hers, feeling his fingers tensing up to their display as a couple. “We are in love.”
At this, the sisters began to snort a laughter, giggling through the hands covering their mouth. They nudged each other, pointing at the youngest one as if she were crazy.
Hoya and Dongwoo showed similar expression of worries. Had she given up? Was she out of her mind? Why would she come clean?
“In love?” The king repeated her words, throwing his gaze with a mocking scoff. “You don’t even understand what it means to be in love.”
“I assume that you do, dear father?” Hyunmi challenged back, entering a dangerous territory.
The old man stared at her with disbelief, his face growing red with fury and embarrassment. The color of his attire withered in comparison to the furious blush on his face.
“Could the relationship between you and mother be defined as love?” Hyunmi continued attacking, spilling the ideals she had been holding unto. For a long time she had known, she would never want to be like her parents.
“This conversation is over. You will marry Prince Sunggyu and that is final. I shall arrange a wedding ceremony for next week,” her father spoke in his own rage of fitted fury. “Perhaps your sanity shall return once you have become someone’s betrothed.”
“I object!” Hyunmi began raising her voice, stomping her feet to emphasize her argument. She thought she displayed the authoritative disposition of a future queen, but to others, she looked like a child throwing a tantrum.
Woohyun was confused, not knowing what to do when the royal family fought like this. They were supposed to request for a freedom of choice, but were brought further and further away from an accomplishment. He wanted to wrap his arms around Hyunmi and stop her ramblings with a kiss, but he was certain the king would behead him right that instant.
“I decide on your husband, and it will certainly not be some second rate god we barely even know,” the king shouted.
Hyunmi glared at her father—her respect for him dissolving into grains of sand casted over a wide ocean. How dare he insult Woohyun? He squeezed her hands softly, announcing his pride hadn’t been damaged. But stubbornness did run in the family for generations.
“You must know, father, that I was the one who invited the chimera to destroy the masquerade ball. If you insist on a wedding between me and Prince Sunggyu, I am not afraid to let the chimera swallow me alive this time.”
The others gasped, witnessing a threat that had gone too far. She was betting on her own life, showing her great disposition to the marriage. Likewise, the king was equally hot headed.
“What a foolish girl. This shows you are too young to learn the meaning of love!”
“I may not know what love is, but I know what it is not,” Hyunmi kept rebounding his words, her anger rising like an eruptive volcano.
“Really?”
“It isn’t an emotion that can be forced.”
“Nonsense! I loved your mother even though we were forced into marriage.”
“But she never loved you back!”
Silence spread across the room to the point a fallen needle would wish to mute itself out.
Hyunmi realized the weight of the words she had uttered, knowing she had crossed the line. The fury on her father’s face shone no more, and a great storm of sadness and embarrassment overcame him. The king suffered a long-term disease, but injected with despair, he looked closer to death. At this point, the princess wished he had stayed angry instead.
The king bowed his head to the floor, refusing to let anyone watch his dejected state. “Hoya,” he called out to his knight, hearing the clanking of Hoya’s steel attire as he moved to the king’s side.
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
The king weaved a heavy finger towards the couple. The movement was so quick no one caught his hand trembling. “Lock the princess up and banish Woohyun from our kingdom.”
The command surprised everyone who swarmed to the king with numerous protests. When damage was dealt, guilt came flooding afterwards.
“Father! Please give me a chance to explain. I—”
“You do not know your limits, Hyunmi. You are not the assiduous princess I raised you to be. Cupid proved himself to be a bad influence on you,” the king spoke a great lamentation. He signalled Hoya’s men to come and grab the wriggling princess like she was a dangerous prisoner.
Woohyun watched his grip around her hand break free. He tried to snatch her fingers for the second time, missing it by inches apart. The men appeared to pull him away. He shouted at them to treat the princess as a lady should be treated, but they disregarded him. She seemed to not mind when she had a different focus.
“He did his job and tried to make me fall for the Prince of Spade. It isn’t his fault I fell for him instead!” Hyunmi shouted, no longer bashful about her love declarations. She tried jumping and moving around wildly, but there was a reason why these knights were set to care for the king. They were the strongest of all and held them down.
“Your Majesty, I beg of you,” Woohyun quickly said, moving to the king as he dropped down on his knees. He ignored the shameful gasps around him, mocking the god who bowed down before a mere mortal.
The king raised his eyebrows in shock. He did not expect his to go to such lengths to prove her innocence.
“It isn’t the princess’ fault. I approached her with the intention of stealing her heart.”
“Nonsense! I—” Hyunmi fell silent when Dongwoo and Hoya suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking the king’s view on her.
“You have escalated the problem. Obey father’s words for now, and I shall talk on your behalf when he has calmed down,” Dongwoo whispered to her, so low only the three of them could share the furtive exchange.
“What about Woohyun? Father wants to banish him.”
“Do you genuinely believe it would stop him from seeing you?” Dongwoo stated a good point, knowing he had earned his sister’s trust. He softly patted her shoulders to ease her worries.
Hoya then cued the other guards to release the princess. He looped his arm around the princess, pinching her securely in place to avoid any possible escapes. “She is a woman. She does not need to be manhandled by you men.”
Hyunmi felt the other guards release their hands from her, and she jerked her body away from them, willingly following Hoya whom she trusted. “Surely you will secretly release me, won’t you, Sir Hoya?”
This made him chuckle a little, pulling her towards the grand entrance. “Sorry to disappoint you, Your Highness. You are going to the high tower prison.”
Her faint gasp echoed in the main room before she was taken outside. When the door closed, everyone’s attention fell on Cupid who was still kneeling down on the floor.
The king turned to the handsome young man with deep sadness. He quite liked the fellow, but he obstructed Hyunmi and Prince Sunggyu’s marriage.
“I would like to thank you for your services thus far. You are hereby released from your duty and are allowed to leave this place.”
Woohyun looked up, his hair bobbing at the surprise. His eyes shimmered melancholically, pleading for a second chance.
“It isn’t a suggestion. It is a command,” the king clarified his own words. The longer Woohyun stayed, the harder the princess would fall. The heart of a father couldn’t bear to lose his beloved daughter to a man he did not approve of. He had to be strict and stood firm with his decision.
“Cupid, I banish you from the Heart Kingdom.”
After the breaking news today, writing Hoya just made me sad. But, he shall always be a part of Infinite to me, and he will stay in this story~ Let's continue to support Infinite and Hoya! :)
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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