“Your majesty, it is time to get up! May I enter?” You hear your chambermaid call from the other end of the solid oak doors.

Your first thought was Namjoon was still here. Your hand reached out to shake him awake but....he wasn’t there. “Ugh, yeah come in!” The maid entered and presented your outfit.

“You are so ing busy today.” She said when she was out of earshot of the guards outside.

You groaned and ran your hand through your hair until it got caught on tangles. “Don’t say that, what’s on the royal agenda?” When she heard you ask she sat down with a sigh.

“There’s a man asking for an audience with you on some type of invention he has come up with, a woman who wishes to address the guards and...your mother has various suitors lined up for you to pick a husband.”

It was your turn to sigh. Marriage...not something you wanted unless it was with a certain painter.

You get up washed and begin to get dressed. You grunt and gasp as your chambermaid pulls on the strings of your corset. “Ugh! What if I told you- Ah! I was in love with someone who isn’t- ! Of royal blood?”

She stopped and looked at you in the mirror. “If you and Namjoon wanna be together, you’re gonn-“

“Wait, who said it was Namjoon?”

She looked at you with a funny look and scoffed.

“Anyone with half a brain cell knows it’s Namjoon.”

You sigh and slip into your red dress and look in the mirror. “You look beautiful, the splendour in this dress...he’ll love it.” A smile invaded your face as you lifted your massive curly hair allowing your maid to fasten a equally huge jewel-encrusted necklace around your neck.

You fixed the matching earrings in your ears and smoothed your dress out. “I am ready.” You say, and with that, you leave for the throne room.

“Would you all stand for the Queen?”

Everyone took to their feet and watched you walk to the throne. You caught eye of Namjoon in the corner, painting. “Today is the day you will pick a suitor to be King.” Your mother whispers in your ear from behind you.

Of course, you nodded. “Enter Prince Hoseok.” A guard called out and a man entered as instructed.

The man wore calf high leather boots with white trousers and a red and gold coat. Quite expensive, you noted. He reached just before the steps up to your throne and took a knee.

“Good morning, my Queen.” He beamed toward you. This made Namjoon kind of sick. “Of course you know that you are to list your skills and accolades to determine if you are right to be royalty alongside my daughter.” Your mother told him.

Hoseok, still smiling, nodded. “Yes Ma’am. I am a decorated soldier, fluent in multiple languages and quite maternal, despite being a man.” He ended with a chuckle. Like that makes a difference...

You nodded your head although you weren’t listening. The men poured in and left, each one with a list of impressive skills and accomplishments that you were not listening to.

Namjoon had your attention. He was slathering paint on the large canvas and working away. He stepped back, huffed at his work and wiped his forehead leaving a red paint behind on his skin.

“______, are you listening? Have you decided on who you want to marry?”

You turned to look at you mother and rolled your eyes. “Mother...I don’t want to marry any of these men, I’m not in love with any of them.” Your mother looked at you like you had just shown her fire for the first time.

She turned to the reams of people and gave a false smile. “Would you allow me to have a word with my daughter please?” She asked, the people started filing out of the throne room rather quickly.

“You dont understand how important it is that you marry, there has to be a man in charge also. You know how much difficulty being a lone woman monarch of colour is? You are going to face an array of people who defy you because you are a woman.”

You watched your mother tell you all of this with an angered expression. This is the first time she’s been angry at you in a long time. “And you don’t understand that future lone woman monarchs of colour will continue to be underrepresented and not taken as powerful unless someone is to make a change!” You belted out.

There was silence in the hall. But somehow it was so loud...

She pointed a finger in your face and sighed. “You will marry Prince Hoseok, save the kingdom and do as I say.”

You cocked your head and frowned. “Save the kingdom? Why would we need saving?” You press.

You notice the sweat gathering on her temples as she messes with the flawless gems in her necklace. “The kingdoms funds....are depleting faster than we want.” You scoff and look over to where Namjoon was once standing.

“So please, I’m asking you. Will you marry Prince Hoseok for Country and Crown?”

You adjust your crown on your head and sigh.

“For crown and country....yes I will.”