Jonghyun tapped his foot against marble, worrying his lip as he watched the ball begin. The music started out slow but soon grew in magnitude. He could see the servants placing all the hot food on a buffet table, steam coming off it all. There were only a couple of people dancing but he knew that would change in the next 20 minutes. He knew his mother had invited princesses from all over, hoping one of them would be to his tastes. But his mother didn't know that he already found the one he wanted. Changhyun was beautiful and a smart choice for uniting their kingdoms. Jonghyun wanted to dance with him, show him off to everyone. He was a bit worried that he was falling in love too quickly but it felt so right to him. 

He didn't notice his mother until he put his hand on Jonghyun's shoulders. “What is the matter? This is a ball for you, to find your future partner. Cheer up my baby boy. You must follow tradition. Did you bring the bracelet?”

Jonghyun pulled out a silver bracelet, covered in red gemstones. He showed it to his mother and then slipped it back in the pouch it was in. “I give this to the person who captivates my interest and who I believe will be a great choice for the kingdom.” Jonghyun suddenly thought about the small kiss Changhyun gave him and smiled, “My future partner.” 

Jonghyun looked out into the ballroom, his fingers touching his cheek. Niel eyed his son, wondering what was on his mind. By now, Jonghyun would have complained to him and tried to get out of attending the ball but here he was, watching the door as if he was waiting for someone. Niel looked at Jonghyun, eyebrows furrowed. “It seems like you have already made your decision. But don't forget to be polite. You must choose 6 princesses or princes to dance with. We cannot afford to offend anyone.”

Jonghyun shrugged his shoulders, “Sure mother. But if he comes tonight, I won't dance with anyone else.”

Niel smiled, “If it is fate, the one you chose will come and all will accept your choice. I hope to meet the man who has captured your heart.”

He watched his mother leave, going out on the floor to greet their guests. Jonghyun wished his father was here but he was still on his way back from negotiating a treaty with a kingdom days away. He needed advice and comfort that only his father could give him. He felt someone come up behind him and found Byunghun, “What did you find out?”

Byunghun sighed, his hands held behind his back. “Sirena, economically, has been doing well. But as for their missing prince, Queen Chundoong has been very withdrawn and with his husband sick, he has been ruling the kingdom alone. I heard he has people still scouting for his son but since we saw him within the lands of Capella, they can't search unless we let them. If he is able to sneak away and come to the ball, we can try to keep him safe until his parents come, that is if the spell is broken.”

Jonghyun sighed, “So much to deal with. For now I'll focus on vowing in front of everyone. Leave me.”

Byunghun nodded, leaving Jonghyun to his thoughts. He was nervous to vow in front of everyone, with a prince that has been missing for months. It could look bad for him if he didn't word his vow and include the face that he had found Changhyun and totally did not kidnap him. He was falling in love quickly and he wondered if Changhyun was as well. The last two days had been filled with temptation, he wanted to get out of the castle and visit Changhyun again but he had to prepare for the ball. He had to suffer through choosing an outfit for himself since he hated dressing up. But he did enjoy gathering an outfit that Byunghyun could give to Changhyun. He secretly made it so they matched subtly, which made his heart flutter at the thought. It also sent a pang of sadness because he didn't have Changhyun next to him, trying out the clothes. He felt alone, more than he has in the past years of his life. 

Byunghun did help out by pointing out Jonghyun could send letters to Changhyun, who could destroy the letters and hide the remains in nature. So even though Changhyun could not respond, Jonghyun knew he appreciated the effort. Jonghyun wrote Changhyun long letters, a lot for just two days but he wrote Changhyun about everything: more about his parents, the gossip around the castle, just anything he could. Byunghun had told him about the bright smiles Changhyun gave when he received the letters. Jonghyun loved that he could put a smile on Changhyun's face, even though he wasn't there to see him.  

Trumpets ripped Jonghyun out of his thoughts as the first princess made her entrance. He had to admit she was pretty, with high cheekbones and rosy lips. But the way she held herself and how she eyed all the men, turned Jonghyun off. She was nothing compared to Changhyun. Jonghyun had to be polite and greet her, so he made his way to her and gave a small bow. “Princess Jessica, what a pleasure it is to meet you.” 

Jessica let her eyes look up and down Jonghyun, her lips pursed. It seemed she didn't really like what she saw but it made no difference to him. “The pleasure is all mine Prince Jonghyun.” Such a fake women. He felt a bit awkward as she fixed her pink ballgown, her s basically coming out. Jessica came a bit closer and placed her hand against Jonghyun's arm, fluttering her eyes at him. He knew that most princesses were trained to get close to him and hopefully marry him, eventually becoming queen. That being said, even though it looked like Princess Jessica didn't really like him, she was still going to try and seduce him. 

“So Prince Jonghyun, what do think of my dress? I had it made in Fryearn, their pink fabrics are the best.”

Jonghyun held back a chuckle, he didn't know anything about fabric but he had heard from his father that Fryearn did well in the textile industry. Jonghyun took another look at her dress. The color was pretty but that plunging neckline was a bit much. “It's a beautiful dress Princess, very well made.”

Jessica preened, her hand brushing her hair off her shoulder. “Only the best for me. Father wanted me to dress in blue but I manage to convince him to get me pink.” 

Suddenly there was a wonderful smell in the air and Jonghyun turned to see a giant boar being placed on the food table. Jessica followed his eyes, putting a hand on her stomach, “Oh my. Is that wild boar? I simply love wild boar, don't you Prince?” 

Jonghyun did but wasn't going to tell her that. “If you are hungry Princess, I will get an attendant to help you get some.” 

He motioned to an attendant to help the princess to the food was and escaped, his mother silently laughing at him as he watching Jonghyun. Jonghyun sighed, running his hand though his hair when a deep voice spoke, “You seem like you're having a good time.”

Jonghyun turned and found his father standing there. He grinned and hugging his father, his face breathing in the rich wood scent coming off his father.  “Father, you were able to make it after all!”

King Minsoo smiled, “I wouldn't miss this for the world. I told your mother to keep it a secret. Now son, here are some tips, chat with your guests and if the princesses want to talk to you, let them come but be polite when you want to escape. Enjoy your birthday.”

“Thanks father, now I think there's someone waiting for you.”

Minsoo looked over at his lovely wife and winked, “I'll be on my way son. If you need an escape, just motion and I'll send Byunghun.”

Jonghyun laughed, “Thanks dad.”

Jonghyun chuckled as he watched his father and mother hug, clearly they had missed each other immensely. He turned to give them their privacy, walking over to a server and obtaining a glass of champagne. He sipped it, choking on it a little when the trumpets sounded off. He turned to see the next princess and winced. Princess Jessica was a bit of cake compared to this next Princess. Walking down the grand staircase, a women dressed in a bright yellow dress smirked at Jonghyun. Princess Minzy was a voluptuous women who for the past couple of years, has tried to get into Jonghyun's pants. She was confident, sarcastic and a great dancer, stuff that normally would have interested Jonghyun but there was one problem: she was blunt, too much for Jonghyun's taste. He could count the number of compliments she gave him on one hand and count the number of concealed insults on the other. Plus there was the fact that Jonghyun didn't like women that much. Minzy was going to be a hard princess to escape since she always seemed to have an eagle eye on him. 

Jonghyun had to be polite so he went up to the princess and bowed, bracing himself for her personality and god she didn't disappoint. Minzy gave Jonghyun a deep curtsy, her dress more modest that Princess Jessica but still very flattering to her body. She gave Jonghyun a sultry look, one that would have melted his heart had he liked her, “Prince Jonghyun, how nice it is to see you again. When was the last time we saw each other?”

Jonghyun held back a sigh, “Last summer when your little sister had her coming of age party. How is Hyeyeon?”

Minzy genuinely smiled while thinking about her precious sister. “She's doing well. She's currently in Paris, studying dance and herbs. Father is letting her be free for a while before asking her to come back. How are your parents?”

Jonghyun glanced over at his parents, “They are doing well. Father just came back from his travels.”

Minzy hummed, picking up a glass from a passing by server. “How wonderful. How is the ball working out for you? Find your future partner yet? Maybe I can help you with that.”

Jonghyun bit back a curse, so it began. “With due respect Princess Minzy, I have to wait until all guests arrive before I can choose my six dance partners.”

Princess Minzy fluttered her eyes at him, “Of course. I just hope that I will be one of your dance partners.”

Jonghyun cried in happiness as the trumpets sounded as another guest arrived. He bowed to Princess Minzy, “We will see Princess, now please excuse me.”

Jonghyun moved through the increasing crowd of guest to look up at the newest princess to arrive, breathing in a sigh of relief when he saw it was Princess Sunny, one of the rare female friends he had without being inappropriate. She was a great friend who he could dance with and waste one of the six dances without offending anyone. He smiled as she came up to him, waving before giving him a curtsy. He bowed to her and they both laughed while rising. Sunny ran her hand through her hair, giving Jonghyun a look, “So I hear from Byunghyun that you have already picked your future bride?”

Jonghyun made the motion for her to whisper before guiding her to the buffet table, speaking lowly. “I have chosen a future partner but that doesn't mean that you need to shout that to the heavens.”

Sunny winced, “Sorry! I'm just so excited. You never seemed interested in anyone growing up and now you meet someone for a couple of hours and you're going to get married to them! What's he like?”

Jonghyun's face changed, he looked so happy and full in love that Sunny's eyebrows rose at the dramatic change. “Wonderful. Kind. Beautiful. Strong. Just everything Sunny and more.”

Sunny grinned, nudging Jonghyun. “What's his name and when do I get to meet him?”

Jonghyun bit his lip, “It's complicated but he's the prince of Sirena.”

Sunny gasped loudly, “You mean you found the missing prince! Why haven't you told anyone?”

Jonghyun shushed her, sweat breaking out as people looked their way. “He's under a spell. The only way I can break it is if I swear a vow of everlasting love to the entire court. I can hardly bring him back to his parents as a swan.”

Sunny squealed, “How romantic. So when is he coming?”

Jonghyun sighed, “I don't know. I'm practically pissing myself waiting for him. Sunny, I think I'm in love.”

Sunny patted his shoulder, “Don't worry. Everything will go as planned, don't you fret.”

Jonghyun opened his mouth to reply but he heard the trumpets once more and turned to see who it was, his heart bursting out of his chest as he saw Changhyun standing at the top of the stairs, looking amazing in his outfit. Jonghyun made eye contact with him before making his way towards Changhyun, not noticing the gasps from the court at the sight of the missing prince. Jonghyun swallowed his spit and held out his hand for Changhyun to take. Holding hands, Jonghyun felt like he could conquer the world.