"Seriously, I don’t understand why I was only informed about my engagement party just two days ago when everything has been undergoing preparations for months."

 

"Because, my dear brother, telling you early means giving you more chances to escape."

 

Hongbin shut his mouth and continued to adjust his clothes properly. According to the news circulating among the palace maids, his groom-to-be had arrived since yesterday night but he was not permitted to see him. Instead Hongbin found himself locked in his own room, unable to do anything. He was rather curious about his partner but angry as well that the other did nothing to object to the marriage. The brunet thought of a million of ways to torture his fiancé and break off the engagement.

 

A light knock on the door broke his thoughts and a palace maid entered to relay the message of leaving for the party. The prince straightened his back and exited the room after his brother.

 

"Smile. You look ready to kill, brother."

 

"Well, you know how much I hate this whole thing so it won't be surprising that I can thinking of ways to scare him off."

 

"Hongbin."

 

"I hate it. And I probably hate him as well." He spat before storming off in the direction of the party. What he did not know was that someone else caught his words and the said person disappeared into the shadows.

 

Hongbin took centre stage with his father while Jaehwan looked from the sidelines with Kyungri. He was still worried about his younger brother’s behaviour but his wife’s reassuring smile gave him a little hope. As the king addressed the guests, a tall male slowly made his way up. Hongbin’s eyes trailed the man’s movements, scanned him from top to toe and he became to0 stunned to do anything. The king held back his laughter at the sight and instead flashed a warm smile in Taekwoon’s direction to acknowledge his presence.

 

"I am pleased to announce that my youngest son will be engaged to my dear friend, Jung Minhyuk's son, Jung Taekwoon." The king gestured the raven-haired male to introduce himself. Taekwoon gave a small smile and bowed to the audience and the guests clapped loudly to express their happiness for the two engaged males.

 

Meanwhile, Jaehwan watched as Hongbin stared at Taekwoon blankly. He caught the faint pink hue on the younger's face and he knew that Hongbin had most definitely felt attracted to the taller male. Smirking, he turned away while pulling his wife with him to the dance floor as soon as the music started.

 

Hongbin watched like a fool from afar at his fiancé casually conversing with some of the guests and despite wanting to talk, he found no courage and voice. He has never seen such a beautiful yet cute male, with sharp eyes but squishy cheeks. The tightness in his heart when his eyes landed on the other male was both foreign and familiar. As he approached the other, however, Taekwoon walked away and began conversing with someone else again.

 

Proper etiquette demanded for Hongbin not to interrupt a new conversation and he waited for the other to end before attempting again. Unfortunately for him, there was no end to the number of interactions the taller male had and with every passing minute, Hongbin's resolve to ask the former for a dance started fading. He grew less brave and more worried.

 

He held in his slight discomfort when a teenage boy ran over to pull Taekwoon by the arm towards him. The older male resisted and tried to dislodge himself from the younger's iron grip with little success. The smiling boy bowed politely and introduced himself.

 

"Pleasure to meet you, your highness. I am Han Sanghyuk."

 

"It's my pleasure too."

 

"Here." Sanghyuk unceremoniously pushed the other towards Hongbin and Hongbin caught the older in his arms. "Take care of hyung for me!" He beamed before running off to somewhere.

 

Embarrassed, the raven-haired male tried to retreat from Hongbin's embrace but the latter only tightened his hold. "Your highness... Could you let go of me?"

 

"Only if you dance with me," his captor said while flashing him a mesmerising smile.

 

Throughout the dance, Hongbin shamelessly allowed his eyes to roam all over the other's body, causing Taekwoon's face to redden. When the dance ended much to Taekwoon's relief since his whole body was about to combust, he tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately for him, Hongbin was faster and pulled him close before pecking Taekwoon on the cheek.

 

The shy male widened his eyes in pure shock before literally running away. Hongbin chuckled at the cuteness of his fiancé, not knowing that his parents were very pleased with the development.

 

Later that night, Hongbin laid in his bed, smile gracing his face. He just could not stop thinking about the older male. His adorable face when he blushed and when he was shocked. He wanted to see so much more.

 

He’s just too cute.

 

Taekwoon, on the other hand, could not sleep for a different reason. One, his crush just kissed his cheek so he was all fluttery inside. Two, his crush might just be doing it to crush his heart Why must this stupid pun appear at this time? He rolled around on his bed, trying to figure out what everything the younger did mean. The smiles, the subtle flirting and the peck could be to trap him and he was afraid of this. He heard the exchange between the two princes when he snuck away to explore the palace and his heart broke a little then. What exactly should he do?

 

He hates me...

 

---

so... It's been a year since I updated this. I don't know if anyone is still reading it? It's been really long since I last wrote anything, I kind of understand why being a working adult is tough. I can't guarantee consistent updates for this fic but I will post if I can.

Thank you for sticking around to read this nonetheless.