There was a torment going on inside the Northern imperial villa. And that hell would be perfectly described if your highness, the seventh prince of Northern Lights, who kept in shouting, stomping his feet on the marbled floor as he was holding Mr. Snowflake in his right hand, would be included in the picture. A merely a ten year old little boy who is at the moment yet another screaming fit.

Her Royal Highness Empress Heechul heaved a sigh.

His son, Sungmin, was usually a sweet and compliant boy. He was really the apple of her eyes. But that day, he seemed to find his new leisure quest in the form of throwing things and screaming his lungs out. Hence the hell inside the palace.

"I don't want it!" Sungmin screamed again. His face was red and puffy and tears were still coming from his eyes. "Mother, how could you! I don't want it!"

"Sungmin, calm down," Heechul sighed despondently. She was thankful that there was no one in the room else than the two of them. She had foreseen such thing would happen so he had ordered everyone not to enter the room before he considered it safe. And looking from Sungmin's current state, it seemed the whole ordeal would take quite some time before it could be dubbed as safe.

"It's not fair," Sungmin sniffled before he broke down and cried. "It's not fair! I don't want it, mother… You cannot do this to me…"

Her Royal Highness Empress Heechul might be a queen, she might be a legendary reserved educator and healer, but first and foremost, she is a mother. No mother could see her children cry without trying to calm them. So, with utmost grace, she approached Sungmin and gathered the sobbing boy into her arms.

Sungmin hid his face amidst the ruffles of her long flowing dress, and from his shaking shoulders she could see that he was still crying. Smiling a little at her child's cute behavior, she knelt and cupped Sungmin's face. She carefully tilted that tear drenched face up to meet hers and with her thumbs she wiped the trace of tears from his little boy's face.

"Sungmin of Northern Lights is a prince, so he shall not cry," she scolded him good-naturedly. "Sungmin is mother's son so Sungmin must not cry."

"But…" Sungmin sniffed, trying to suppress his cry. "But, mother…"

"Hush," Heechul said. "Hush, Sungmin. Mother is here, why are you crying?"

"Because father…" Sungmin tried and he almost broke down crying again at the mention of his father. "Because father has ordered something impossible, and I am angry so I cry."

"If you are angry, should you cry?" Heechul said gently. "If you face something impossible, should you cry? If your father orders you something, should you cry? If your emperor orders you something, should you cry, Sungmin?"

Sungmin lowered his head and whimpered, "No."

"There…" Heechul said as she smothered her son's hair. "I know that what your father asked is… hard to take…"

"Mother…" Sungmin began but she put her finger against his lips, silently asking him to let her finish her sentence.

"I know it is hard to take, but Sungmin, you should know that throwing things and having a temper tantrum is not a solution," she said. "How about we make an arrangement? I will call your father so we will speak this matter calmly, and you are not to throw or scream anything during the talk. How about that? Can my son do that for his mother?"

Sungmin bit his lower lip but he conceded with a weak, "Yes, mother."

Heechul smiled at that. She patted her son's head before she walked to the door, presumably to call her husband to do the talk. And Sungmin could only see his mother walking away with a mixed feeling inside him. He was angry, but he could not manage to be angry at his mother. He knew what made him angry was not his mother. No, his mother was a gentle soul. If he should blame anyone then it had to be his father.

Sungmin gritted his teeth but he let out a somewhat girly squeak as he saw the door leading to the room he occupied being opened. Marching inside was his mother, accompanying his father, the 137th Emperor of The Holy Empire of Northern Lights, and his older brother, Hyukjae who goes by the name of Eunhyuk. But sometimes, his conceited of a brother wanted to be called in his English name, Silver. His mother told him that his is Vincent, but that is far from the topic for now.

The topic right now is his marriage, and his father’s decision.

He defiantly held his chin high in front of his father though inside he was trembling a little. No matter what, his father was quite a scary figure for him, moreover when he considered his father's bulky figure and rolls of hair. If anything, his father resembled more a final boss coming from an old second rate video game than an emperor. It was enough to send any little boy to tears.

"Sungmin," his father greeted him when he arrived in front of him. "Where is your manner?"

He narrowed his eyes but he bowed nonetheless and said, "Your Majesty."

"You are being more irrational lately," his father, Leeteuk, scoffed at him. "What is this with your temper tantrum and throwing things like you are a barbarian? I expect more from you."

"Teuk---," his mother said to him with a tone that he knew meant that she was not amused. "Sungmin becomes like this because you ordered him to marry some strange boy he has never met before, which, in my opinion, is quite a good reason to become irrational."

"Ah…" his father said shortly and Sungmin gave a little cheer in his heart. If there was someone who could beat his father, it would be his mother. That was how cool his mother was, and he adored her for it. "Well, sooner or later he needs to think of marriage."

Sungmin was just about to counter that the legal age to marry in the law of Northern Lights was seventeen and above when he felt a small tug on his right sleeve. Turning his face, he caught the sight of Hyukjae, his older brother, pulling him gently towards his side.

"Little Sungmin is getting married?" Hyukjae asked no one in particular.

He said, "No," the very same time with his father's, "Yes," while his mother only smiled to Hyukjae and said, "Not now but he will someday."

Sungmin, scandalized, turned his head to face his mother and wailed, "Mother!"

"What your mother has just said is true, Sungmin," his father said. "You should know that as a royalty you are not free to choose your partner. I have chosen someone worthy to be your consort; the least you can do is thank me and not scream at me."

"Father!" Sungmin said in exasperation. "He's a boy!"

Leeteuk of Northern Lights frowned as if his son had just said something ridiculous.

 "So? I have adjusted the law so now two men can get married in this country. Thus there is no problem."

Sungmin gaped for a moment before he tried again. "But I have never met him!"

"Ah, so that is the problem," Leeteuk said. "I have been thinking for some times to invite Hyunjoong and his son for a diplomatic visit to let Sungmin and Kyuhyun know each other, actually. What do you think, Heechul?"

"Sounds splendid, darling," Heechul said with a smile.

Hyukjae blinked his eyes to his mother as he asked timidly, "Who is Kyuhyun?"

At that time, Sungmin is faced his older brother silently asking for help. If there is one that spoils him the most, it was his older brothers and Hyukjae is the one present beside him right now.

"Cho Kyuhyun is Sungmin's future husband, Hyukjae," Heechul explained and Sungmin almost screamed 'no he is not' before he remembered his promise to his mother regarding the not-throwing-things-or-screaming. So he just seethed in silence as his mother explained the situation to Hyukjae.

"His father, Cho Hyunjoong, is Aries' Prime Minister and a friend of your father."

"Oh!" Hyukjae said with his gums showing. "So Sungmin is going to marry a prince from Aries?"

"No," Sungmin hastily corrected his older brother. "No, Hyung, I am not going to marry anyone. And he's not a prince, and… now that I think of it, father…" he turned his face to meet his father's gaze and with a victorious smirk he continued. "That boy is not a royalty. He's the son of a Prime Minister. A Prime Minister is elected every five years in Aries, right? So this political marriage has no logical foundation. Five years from now, the current Prime Minister might not become a Prime Minister anymore so the boy will also become a 'nobody'."

Leeteuk had a look of surprise on his face for a moment.

"I never thought of that," he said. "But rest assured, Sungmin, Cho is also one of the Aries’ nobilities. Their rank is equal to that of a Duke in Northern Lights. Seriously, I never thought you would put much thought on this matter of nobility"

"I am not putting much thought on the matter of nobility," Sungmin defended himself, realizing full well that he did mean his words. He gripped hard the ears of Mr. Snowflakes whom he had forgotten for awhile.

"I am putting much thought that this stranger is a boy that I never knew before!"

"Sungmin," Heechul chided softly. "This boy has a name and it is Kyuhyun. You should address your fiancé with respect."

"I never agree to take him as my fiancé," Sungmin countered.

"That is an order from the Emperor of The