Request Granted
Cupid at Heart
By the time they returned to the palace, it was nearly three in the morning. Yet, the sleep didn’t cease to tire them out considering the reasonable amount of tea they drank. Even as the pegasus landed back on the princess’ balcony, they all hopped off the creature with ease.
“I will see you later today; same place and time for the dance lessons,” Woohyun reminded Hyunmi with a playful wink. “You may not skip them this time, your highness.”
“It is my final dance class with the almighty Cupid. I wouldn’t miss it for a thing,” Hyunmi said, holding her skirt as she gracefully curtsied to him. She then turned to Seulyi and began to give a subtle message through her eyes, hoping to be momentarily left alone with cupid.
Seulyi stood there dumbfounded and raised an eyebrow. “Are your eyes itching or…” She trailed off, having absolutely no clue what was going on. Even when Hyunmi grunted in frustration, she had a harder time telling what she was supposed to do.
“I am a cat and even I know what the princess desires.” Sungjong exhaled with an eye roll as he elegantly strolled into the room with his head held up high and his paws lightly touching the royal carpets. There was a limit to how far one’s denseness could extend.
Woohyun chuckled seeing the princess’ frustrated behavior that did not seem very graceful, let alone, lady-like. She was jumping and making all sorts of movements that were no longer subtle at this point.
“If you wish to tell me a message in private, perhaps you could whisper it to me,” he then told her.
The princess turned to him in shock, considering the offer for a second. She knew Seulyi would not understand her request even by the time the sun had gone up, so she approached Woohyun closely and lightly held unto the edge of his blazer. She tiptoed on her feet and placed closely toward his ear to tell him the message she wished no one would hear.
“Thank you, Woohyun.”
It was a soft whisper whereby the princess truly meant every single syllable. She pondered whether she should add more to her token of gratitude had she not realized their close proximity. One mistake and her lips would’ve touched his cheek.
So she let go of his attire and removed himself from him. Hyunmi almost didn’t dare to look at him, but when her eyes failed to avoid him, she noted the enchanted look on his face. With eyes slightly widened and lips halfway parted, he stared at her as if she had woven the most beautiful set of words into a speech. It took seconds before he returned to his usual self and replied her.
“It was my pleasure, Hyunmi.”
The princess realized that every time he rolled her name off his tongue, it would only spark her heart with an euphoric excitement she couldn’t contain. As if having Cupid call her by name was all she needed to curve her lips into a bashful smile for the rest of her life.
“I bid the fair maiden a good night.” Woohyun politely bent down as he gracefully took her hand in his. With his greatest mannerism, he planted a chaste kiss on top of her hand. Then he flashed her his signature charming smile, and hopped on the pegasus to fly away.
Hyunmi watched until he was out of sight. Perhaps it would reduce the way her heart heated up. But it did not. The sound of her name being uttered by his honeyed voice still lingered in her heart. The aftertaste of his lips against her skin was so warm. He made her feel all sorts of things she had never felt before.
Her attention was cut short when a knock from the bedroom door came. She gasped and quickly walked to it, wondering who would come at such an hour.
Sungjong calmly watched the princess’ frantic movements. Ah, she didn’t put much thought in her actions considering her mind was still occupied with the male deity. So he kept his mouth shut in the form of a huge chester grin, calmly watching the princess make a mistake.
“May I help you?” Hyunmi asked, slightly opening the door.
It was Hoya. He frowned the entire time he saw her and scanned her up and down based on the limited vision he was permitted to see of her. “I heard voices inside, so I came to inspect for any intruders,” he said, and his eyes wandered to the interior of the room.
“Fear not, I was simply talking to myself in my sleep,” Hyunmi made up an excuse. She did not add a nervous chuckle, and kept her grip steady against the door. These were signs of confidence.
Hoya did not look convinced. He wasn’t the best knight of the kingdom for no reason—he was very hard to trick and usually saw through someone’s treachery. “Then why aren’t you in your night gown, your highness?”
“Oh,” Hyunmi shrieked with elegance, looking at her own dress. She then momentarily stared at Sungjong who began rocking his head left and right, as if mocking her that he had known about it all along but preferred not to tell her. However, it was not the first time she had to make up excuses, even if it came in the form of retaliating the blame.
“Sir Hoya, how dareth you, a man, enter the room of a lady during the night? You even have the heart to take a glance at my night dress? I do not think my father would be delighted if he heard about this,” Hyunmi deflected the accusation to him.
Hoya flinched. Despite his calm front, whenever his position as the king’s most loyal defender was at stake, he’d be flustered. “Forgive my intrusion, your highness. I merely came to ensure your safety. I never meant to display any intolerable behavior towards you.”
“You do excel at what you do, Sir Hoya. I shall spare you in front of my father, and we shall never speak of this incident again. I am grateful to your service and bid you a good night,” Hyunmi spoke with a tone that made her have the upper hand in their short exchange. She knew how to manipulate her status to her advantage, and albeit feeling slightly apologetic to the knight, shut the door.
Hyunmi let out an exasperated sigh and leaned against it. Exhaustion drilled at the core of her bones now. She then turned to Seulyi and Sungjong with a glare; the culprits who had been noisy while she was rather distracted herself.
“Don’t give me that look, Hyunmi. Your friend is the one going on and on about the mad Hatter,” Sungjong said, lazily rolling his eyes toward the maid.
“His name is Myungsoo,” Seulyi corrected the cat in a way the hatter himself would’ve corrected it. Then she sighed with a dreamy stare toward the ceiling. “I have just met him, but being apart is tearing my heart into pieces. I simply wished to wake up as soon as possible in order to meet him again. Is this normal?”
Hyunmi’s hand trailed to her chest, clenching her dress in her grip once more. The feelings Seulyi was speaking of were the feelings she could relate to.
“The mad Hatter isn’t a man of the palace. It would be hard for you to meet him,” Sungjong sneered at her. He turned around on his back and began doing something far more important, chasing his tail.
“He will be here during the masquerade ball. Oh, how I wished a mere servant girl like me was allowed to join the ballroom dance,” Seulyi continued listing her wishes out loud. “But then again, I do not know how to dance.”
“Have no fear, human. Judging on the way they were all dancing at the shop, I do not think your dancing skills shall be the worst of all,” Sungjong mocked, catching his own purple tail within his paws.
“I hate you, cat!”
“I am not fond of you either, human.”
Hyunmi was deep in thoughts, halfway muting out the way they professed their unending hatred toward one another. She still had to talk to her father in order to make sure the masquerade ball would go as planned.
The next morning when Hyunmi headed to the ballroom for her final lesson, she found Woohyun standing at his usual spot where he would always wait for her with the virtue of a man’s patience. This time, however, he was surrounded by the two elder princesses.
“Oh, you must be an excellent dancer,” Soonkyu said, lightly touching his arm in a coy manner.
“I am flattered, your highness,” he spoke, laughing along to their sounds of high pitched giggles. But the corner of his lips was twitched into an awkward smile that would easily go unnoticed.
“It is difficult to find a partner able to match our skillful steps. We do not have a dance partner for the ball tomorrow,” Hyoyeon said, clearly hinting at a new idea.
“It would be a great honor for you to dance with both the princesses of Heart,” Soonkyu added on to her sister’s idea.
“Thank you for the generosity, but I dare not think of myself worthy enough to accept such privileges,” Woohyun said with a tone that exhibited his amazing patience during any circumstances. It was hard to read his true emotion when he perfectly masked it using his charming and polite refusal.
Soonkyu was about to utter another word, but was nudged by Hyoyeon. The two turned to the side and saw Hyunmi staring back with an unreadable expression.
“I suppose we will let you start your dance lesson,” Soonkyu said with pursed lips that soon broke out into a smile. “I can’t wait to see you dance with the prince tomorrow, sister.”
The two elder princesses giggled to themselves again and strolled away.
“Have I missed something important?” Hyunmi asked as she walked up to Woohyun. Having him hold her hand was a natural move at this point, and she gave him her hand without his inquiries. However, the thought of last night’s incident left her chest feeling warm again.
“They asked me to dance. I tried to refuse in the most polite way possible,” Woohyun said. He was unaware of her nervousness when their hand came in contact. He circled a hand around her waist but kept a reasonable distance.
An orchestra accompanied their dance this time, but she could barely concentrate. Hyunmi closed her eyes and tucked her lips. He was so close, too close. She could smell his rosy scent, and it melted her. She had to distract herself with their conversation.
“Did you refuse because you don’t want to dance with a royalty during the masquerade ball?” She asked out of pure wonderment.
“That depends, Hyunmi,” he spoke as he pulled her closer. “Which royalty is asking?”
Hyunmi turned to him with an alerted look. He was grinning, as if implying something. She heard her heart beat drumming as loud as the trombones of the orchestra playing, and took her chance.
“What if I was the one asking?”
“Hm, I wouldn’t be a gentleman for having a princess ask me to dance.”
Hyunmi’s eyes lit up, and she almost couldn’t stop herself from smiling. It was a ball whereby she’d be courted by the Prince of Spade, and yet she was getting excited at the idea of cupid asking her to dance with him.
“Would my father allow it?” She suddenly remembered another dilemma.
“It is a masked party, isn’t it? He wouldn’t know who you were dancing with,” Woohyun spoke with a mischievous grin.
The thought alone made her so giddy and she couldn’t help but giggle in gleefulness. The fact cupid was willing to go along with this made her heart flutter in every way she ever thought was possible.
She let him guide her steps for the entire duration of the song, but with new feelings of ecstasy. They were dancing together now, but waltzing together during the ball will be different. It will come with its own adrenaline rush, for it was forbidden.
“Beautiful! Beautiful! You two move so elegantly together like dancing swans,” the king’s voice boomed from the entrance door. The rather short man stood there, applauding his hand with great power. The beam on his face proved his satisfaction.
“Father.” Hyunmi was surprised at his entrance, along with the three men who were always with him. To her greatest regret, she felt Woohyun’s hand leaving her waist as the other let go of hers. He faced the king and knelt down out of courtesy.
“I am certain you will be able to woo the prince when you dance like that,” the king spoke as he took his rightful place at the throne. Dongwoo, Hoya, and Kihyun adjusted their positions next to him.
“Father, I would like to speak to you regarding the masquerade ball,” Hyunmi began. She shared a worried glance with Woohyun, and turned to her father. She clenched her hands into a fist, and mustered her courage for her request.
“Speak, my daughter.”
“I have been thinking about the ball and the courtship,” Hyunmi began, and she noticed her father beaming with high expectations. He looked so happy she already felt bad for lying to him.
“How wonderful! You have been thinking about the ball.” The king smiled in such a way he nearly teared up.
“For such a historic moment in the kingdom of Heart whereby a princess is to be courted by a neighboring kingdom’s prince, wouldn’t it be better to have numerous bystanders take part in this joyous ceremony?” Hyunmi began, and that persuasive tone returned to her calming voice. She spoke with such controlled power over every syllable, knowing where to emphasize to garner the listener’s interest.
“That is an excellent idea! What do we have to do?” The king was very open to any ideas he was fond off. But to the ones he disliked, his heart was as hard as stone.
“Allow anyone and everyone’s attendance to the ball,” Hyunmi finally made the suggestion. She smiled, knowing by now she could keep her promise to the hatter.
“My, that is a very last minute request you are making, your highness. I… I am not sure we can make such invitations at such short notice,” Kihyun said worriedly. He looked at his golden pocket watch to mentally count the hours they had left to the ball.
“That is true. And we have royalties from other kingdoms and lands coming to visit us. Perhaps it wouldn’t be wise to have common citizens blend in.” The king soon changed his mind. Sometimes he was a fickle man who easily decided for and against things.
Hyunmi looked alerted at Woohyun. But he seemed exceptionally calm, even giving her a subtle sign not to worry. Therefore, she trusted him to have a plan of his own.
“In that case, father, I’d like to make another request. I do hope you shan’t deny my request twice,” Hyunmi said, trying to inflict some feeling of guilt if her father rejected.
“If it is within my own abilities, I shall grant it,” the king answered, looking at his youngest daughter in anticipation.
“I wished to have all the servants, the knights, and the other workers join the festivity of the ball. It would bring me no greater pleasure than to have everyone partake in this joyous day,” she spoke. This time, her tone was genuine and not manipulative.
Dongwoo saw the determination in his sister’s eyes, and the wrinkles forming on his father’s forehead as he considered the request. “I think it would be good, father. You would earn the worker’s gratitude and respect.” He helped his sister.
“Very well,” the king spoke, much to their relief. “I suppose they could have a day of rest.”
Woohyun watched the way the princess’ lips stretched out into a bright smile of pure bliss. Seeing it, he couldn’t help but smile along. “For what reason do you make such a request?” He questioned when the king was in discussion with the other men regarding this change.
“For Seulyi,” Hyunmi said, smiling once more in such a way it made Woohyun unable to look away. “She wishes to dance with the Hatter. This is the only way I could think of to make it happen.”
“Hm, it seems everyone shall have their requests granted,” Woohyun remarked.
Hyunmi blinked and cocked her head in confusion. “What is your request?”
Woohyun grinned in that mischievous and secretive manner. He then glanced at the king who was not paying attention, and took the chance to lean in closer and whisper to her ears.
“To dance with the youngest princess.”
He pulled away the moment the king finished settling the changes. When the king spoke, all Hyunmi could see was Woohyun’s smile that was meant for her alone. All that pertained in her ears were the sound of her own heartbeat. It was one request she wished to grant, more than anything.
I'm dying and have way too much fun writing this >///////<
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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