It came with the territory. You had been groomed for this for as long as you could remember. It happened to your three older sisters already and it had always been just a matter of time before it happened to you. Your younger cousins looked at you with wide, impressionable eyes that absorbed your mood and influence as you talked about it to them, just as your older sisters had talked about it to you.

You were lucky.

Everyone said so. Lucky for something so fortunate to happen to you.

And you were grateful too. You honestly were. This was your chance to make a difference for your country. It was the one thing you could do that would benefit all of the people in your land.

This was a happy day.

At least that's what you told yourself over and over as your hands shook and your knees trembled below the short skirt. You rubbed sweaty palms over your thighs, smoothing out the goosebumps and drying some of the moisture that had accumulated.

Her face flashed inside your mind. The look of uncertainty and sadness in her eyes as she hugged you and kissed you sweetly on your cheek, telling you to eat well and call her often. Whispering in secret against your ear that she loved you and she was proud of you no matter what happened and you swallowed away the lump in your throat as you said goodbye to the only person in the world who seemed to genuinely love you.

The big springy black car you rode in took a turn and you steadied yourself against the door so you wouldn't slide across the slick leather seats. The jostling loosened a single drop of moisture that had been teetering along the edge of your lashline.

It was stupid. The old woman wasn't even your mother. She was just a maid, why did you have to get so attached to the help?

Hadn’t the queen taught you when you accidently called your teacher ‘mommy’ in front of her and she had the woman sent away? You knew better by now. You were an adult. Part of being an adult was putting away childish things and accepting your responsibilities.

Even if those responsibilities meant marrying a man you had never met and never seeing your family again.

Well, aside from FaceTime. With technology these days this did not have to be a prison sentence. You could literally see your sisters from their empty yet impressively large homes every single day if you wanted to.

Most of them were too busy to chat. It was only Catalina that called you almost daily. Although, on the days she didn't call, you'd often find a hushed whispered message from her making up something about the sleeping baby. You never brought up the bruises you saw in the video chats the days after her absences.

Maybe he wouldn't be like Catalina’s husband.

The palace gates were imposing. Big iron bars attached to stone columns with ornate decorations lined with gold. If the gate was any indication of the money this family had then this marriage would probably do everything you had been promised it would.

Political connections. Financial stability. This would be a monumental union that would join two powerful countries together as one and as soon as you gave birth to a son, your legacy would be secured and all of the lines of worry you saw on your father's face would smooth out. All because of you.

You had overheard some of the discussion as arrangements were made for this trip today. You knew you were to be united with one of the princes of this county, but being unfamiliar with all of the members of the family, you had no way of knowing which it was. One of the maids said there were too many to count on a single hand, but the prince you were betrothed to was one of the more influential ones. Once they noticed you eavesdropping on their whispered conversation they bowed their heads and refused to offer any more information.

Facts you knew: Your prince was important in some way. He wasn't the oldest of the brothers, but he played an important role. You had limited knowledge that three of the other brothers had already been married off and had left the palace for another country. Their names? Lu-something. You were sure there was a Lu. Another one with an English sounding name and the other one might have been a martial artist. Perhaps he left to further hone his craft.

The car moved down the long winding driveway that curved and rose higher in elevation as it cut through well trimmed trees and decorative landscaping until the skies seemed to open up in front of an enormous mansion that looked bigger than any of the castles you had visited in all of the countries you had traveled to throughout your life.

You weren't a stranger to privilege. But this place was ridiculous.

The reality of your situation hit you fast and hard and you felt a rush of nerves course through your chest the more you looked out the tinted car window upon the home that would be your prison for the next four months. That was the usual time it took to plan a wedding. And the usual practice was to spend that time pretending to get to know the man you were about to marry. In truth you heard from your sisters that the best practice was to befriend the help and get some influential people on your side. It helped with contract negotiations to have a leg to stand on.

The car had stopped and you waited for the door to be opened, taking in the final moments of silence you were sure to have to yourself for some time.

When the door swung open you looked into the eyes of May, your maid who left her family and home years ago to serve you. She smiled respectfully and bowed her head. You stepped out of the car with your head held high, keeping your chin up and your pride clearly visible on your face.

You reminded yourself that they needed you just as badly as you needed them. With the strongholds your country had in the islands surrounding your small nation, you knew the valuable trade routes and international connections in your father's control would be one of the main reasons for this landlocked country to be making such a tempting deal.

The numerous and expensive gifts you saw arriving at your home...well your old home, prior to your departure told you that the king of this country was itching to get his hands on you.

As you made your way up the stone walkway with deeply bowed servants flanking your sides and May followed just behind you. You could hear the the tapping of her quick footsteps just behind where you glided silently and the clumsy sound brought you a stupid kind of comfort.

She was literally the only person you knew here, and she couldn't even learn to walk quietly. You half wondered if she had rocks stuck in the soles of her shoes with all that tapping noise she was making. As you entered the open doorway of the palace, her footsteps echoed against the walls as she walked on the marble floors, and you turned your head slightly in her direction shooting her a look that was meant to admonish.

Only she wasn't looking at you. Her wide eyes were up on the grand ceiling and her lips were parted in wonder as she looked around.

If she wouldn't look at you, you couldn't quite tell her to shut the hell up, could you?

“Your Highness--” a greeting broke you out of your silent annoyance at your noisy maid and you turned to face the older woman with the shiny veneer smile and excellent face lift that probably cost more than your mother's. It definitely looked more natural than the queen’s, your mother... although the first one looked better than the two that came after. The skin on her forehead grew tighter and tighter after each appointment and you wondered how thin they could actually stretch it before it split.

The smile on your face came naturally. Well rehearsed and as fake as could be, you leaned your head back to listen to the whisper from May.

“Queen Hong, the King’s fourth, and current wife. Mother of two of the princes. Jongin and Sehun. The two youngest brothers.” May had done her studying as you expected of her and you smiled wider as you took the queen’s hand and bowed deeply. A small kiss on the back of her hand, which you were sure had left a smudge of lipstick against her skin. You always played your role well.

“Your Highness, it's so lovely to see you again. I trust both of your sons are doing well?”

“Of course.” The woman lifted her nose higher into the air and you wondered if you could see straight through into her brain if you squinted hard enough, “they are away at the finest school in our country. Of course they are well there.”

Queen Hong dropped your hand quickly and wiped her fingers against her skirt. You were probably still sweating from your nerves. When she turned her back and motioned with her face that you were supposed to follow her you merely nodded in understanding. Her curt movements and half hearted responses reminded you of your own mother.

“She hasn't seen them in five years...her sons. They’re due to arrive today for the party.” May was back, whispering into your ear and you were suddenly grateful that you had her secretly follow all of the princes on their social media accounts. She had found accounts for the majority of them, save one. The one you were meant to marry didn't seem to have any online presence at all. Was he simply that secretive or did he not know how to work a smart phone?

Frankly, both scenarios were possible, and neither would particularly surprise you.

The sound of music drifted toward your ears as you followed the queen and you noticed the small entourage of help that fell in line, keeping the pace with your small group.

Queen Hong nodded in the direction of an older woman in a business suit and the woman bowed once before she fell into step next to you with her wide eyes on yours. When you turned to face her, you could see that she clearly had something to tell you so you stopped walking, noticing how the queen continued on, as if you had never been following her to begin with. The entourage of servants followed the queen, leaving you and May and this no-nonsense lady behind to talk in the hallway.

“Your rooms will be down this hallway Your Highness. You will find the accommodations more than comfortable.” Her hand was outstretched to your left and you saw the rows of doors with a maid perched at each open door ready to receive you.

“I trust one hour is ample time to prepare? The prince will be waiting to receive guests in the ballroom.”

The prince. Your prince? It must be your prince if she was directing you on when and where to meet him. The butterflies in your stomach annoyed you with their persistence and you nodded your head once before you turned to explore your rooms.

Rooms didn't quite describe what you found. It was a home in and of itself and when you walked through the first door you found living quarters, dining quarters, servants ready to follow orders and more bedrooms than you would need even if you slept in a different room each night for a week. Perhaps they had expected you to bring more help. Perhaps if your small royal family had more help to spare you would have. As it was now, May was who you had and May would be all you would need. At least you could trust her. You didn't know any of these people and you were sure their loyalties lied nowhere near you or your little country that just happened to have a nice spot in the world for business deals.

An hour was enough time. It was too much time and after twenty minutes of pacing around the pristine living room with May standing at attention watching your steps until she got dizzy and had to drop her gaze, you were sure you would go crazy waiting until you could leave and get on with it already.

“May, show me the picture again.” You held on tight to your hands, trying to keep your fingernails out of your mouth and she sighed in a way that made you want to dock her pay again and pulled out her phone.

She scrolled through her gallery to the picture you had seen before. The only glimpse you had of his face with the plump lips, large eyes and that disinterested look on his face.

This was him. This man would be your husband and the father of your children and you would be meeting him in person for the very first time in...36 minutes. How was it possible that only four minutes had passed since you'd last checked the time? Maybe this mansion had a time hole like you'd seen on The Twilight Zone.

You ran your fingertip along the screen next to his face and you allowed yourself a moment to admire the look of him. His straight nose, his pretty skin and strong eyebrows. He was...beautiful. So much more than you had expected to find when you heard the rumors that a deal was being made for your marriage.

Honestly you'd braced for an older man. Perhaps someone in his late 40s with less hair. A fatter gut. Ugly teeth. Someone who looked like they had lived the sheltered, catered to life of a prince. Not someone who looked like they actually went outside and got some sun. Perhaps played a few sports, or took regular showers. Even moisturized their skin every now and then.

Even if he turned out to have the personality of a doornail, you were at least pleased with the look of him. You could count yourself lucky already.

“Do you want a drink or something? I think I saw some alcohol in the kitchen,” May said and you gripped her phone tighter as you shook your head.

“I shouldn't. I want to make a good impression.”

“Well you won’t if you keep shaking like that. Maybe just a few swallows...you know, to...calm all of this.” Her hands swept over you and you scowled for a moment before you reluctantly nodded your head. She was right. You were a mess.

The shot of cognac went down smoothly. It was an expensive brand and the effects were quick. When did you even eat last? You were so busy preparing for this trip that you didn't really think much about food.

You saw May eyeing the bottle as she bit down on her lip and you gave her a small nod of your head, laughing to yourself as she quickly poured herself a shot and downed it like an expert.

Her plan worked. You felt your body relaxing some as a bit of warmth spread over your body. Perhaps you hadn't been nervous at all, but just a little cold. May had her phone in her hand and she was scrolling through something on her screen that had her full attention. You heard a small giggle from her chest when something on her screen caught her attention. When you met her eye she quickly turned the phone to face you.

You saw a video playing. What seemed to be a close up of someone’s forehead, short black unstyled hair sat atop clear skin and someone in the video was mumbling something you couldn't quite hear.

“Its Prince Sehun. He posted a live video on his Instagram, only he doesn't know how to work it very well and he accidently switched the camera to show his bare legs,” May was giggling as she told you what the video replayed over and over again, “look at how cute he looks when he gets flustered and embarrassed about it.” May was always going on about Sehun.

You groaned from where you had landed on your back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling of your fancy room with the ornate murals painted by some poor artist who no doubt had to have his arms transplanted after the job was done. After the thought was through your head you groaned again for having such thoughts. You were always getting scolded by your sisters for caring too much about the help.

He was surely hired for a job and he was paid for a job. It was nothing more than that. The mantra repeated through your head again and again as you tried to push silly thoughts away.

“Oh !” May mumbled under her breath as she scrolled on her phone from the plush arm chair and you sat up in alarm.

“What?” Maybe you had fallen asleep and missed your meeting with the prince. Your heart pounded with the possibilities and you heard May cooing in enjoyment from the chair across the room.

“Prince Chanyeol posted one of his songs again...ugh, he’s totally a bias wrecker.”

What language was she speaking? What was a bias and why was it wrecked?
Before you had a chance to ask, an alarm sounded out on her phone and she hopped up, springing into action, she rushed to you and pulled you up from the sofa into a standing position.

Your legs felt heavy and you felt just put out enough to complain to your maid...the only real friend you had in the world honestly, the only person who you could ever be completely honest with without fear of being judged. Your complaints washed right off her back as they always had and you smiled to yourself that you had the kind of friend in your life that you could be honest with.

Your arm swung around her shoulder and hugged her close to your body, making her stiffen and make a questioning sound from .

“I love you May,” you said, noting how your voice was just a little less nervous and just a little looser than it had been before.

“Uh oh. You love me? You never love me. How strong was that liquor?” May was straightening your clothes now and you forced the silly grin off your face as she wiped something from your cheek.

You felt her warm palms land against your cheeks and she held your face still as she looked deep into your eyes.

What was her deal?

Whatever she had seen in your eyes must have satisfied her just enough, because she sighed deeply, grabbed your hand and pulled you out of the door of your room toward the end of the hallway.

“Just try and act sober.” She mumbled as she pulled and your legs tried to keep up as best as they could.

“Why are we going so fast?” You complained.

“Because we are 15 minutes late!” She whisper-shouted and you gasped as you pulled hard against her hand that tried to pull you forcefully down the hallway. You heard a distant sound of music and laughter.

“So we’re late, who cares? I mean--” you pried your fingers from her tight grip and her face frowned in annoyance. “--I mean...who..who the hell does he think he is anyway? Why must I go to him? What kind of a man doesn't pursue the girl?”

You caught the nervous way May looked around the deserted hallway and she took a step closer to where you stood all bravado and defiance and stubbornness and you felt her hand grip you around your upper arm.

”I've been given permission to use force.” She growled in your face and you could see the apprehension behind her eyes as she did it.

She wasn't even that tall and you looked down to see her raising up onto her tiptoes to threaten you. It had all of the effect of a kitten growling and hissing at a big dog and you snorted out a laugh that you quickly covered with your hand.

“Fine. Let’s go meet this guy.”

You could practically feel her relief radiating down her shoulders as she relaxed her posture and walked beside you as you both made your way down the hallway around another corner toward the sounds of music coming from the ballroom.

The closer you came the more you heard. Loud laughter, carrying on, stomping too, what in the world was going on?

When you pushed at the door, the handle was grabbed and pulled from the inside, catching you a bit off guard, you stood up straighter, trying to hide your surprise.

Standing at the entrance, was a tall, beautiful man who looked down at you through big brown eyes that looked just a little blood shot. His suit was crisp and fancy, though you noticed the wrinkles at the hips from where he had been sitting and there was a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. The loud laugher you had heard moments before had stopped as you looked into the eyes of this handsome man in front of you and he stared down at you for a few seconds before his lips pulled into a wide friendly smile that showed both rows of his white teeth.

“Kyungsoo!” He shouted, throwing his head over his shoulder to sh