His entire body trembled with every heartbeat, as if his body is reminding him how hard it was working to keep him alive now that he was out of death’s reach. The noises of the fight and shouts surrounding him sounded distant, like from an alternate universe. Wiping the salty ravine water mixed with his tears from his face, he shakingly crawled to his feet and stumbled away from the ruckus. With every step, the pounding in his head dulled.

He didn’t know what prompted him to walk this way, but there was a tugging sensation within him, drawing him closer to a…

Carriage?

Blinking, he rubbed his eyes again, wondering if the ravine water somehow messed up his internal system. Why in the world would there be such a magnificent, finely embroidered carriage sitting in the middle of his village? It looked so out of place, it yanked a laugh from his lips.

How odd. There he was, a soaking wet boy who almost drowned, laughing at the sight of a carriage.

But then he realized. To his surprise, there was a small boy in the carriage. His laughter halted, and he took a step back, feeling like he intruded into a world that he should never be a part of.

Before he could run away, the boy in the carriage turned his head and they locked eyes. Luhan froze.

He looks so lonely, was all he thought in the moment.

¤¤¤

It didn’t start with once upon a time, nor did it start a long, long time ago. It started with a simple, everyday morning. It started with two boys. It started with a decision that led these two to each other, eventually intertwining their lives too far to extract.

¤¤¤

The first boy was a Prince. Currently entangled in his bedsheets, head buried into his pillow, he ignored the polite voice urging him to wake up. “You are required to attend the Council Meeting immediately, Your Royal Highness!”

"Ugh..." came the sleepy groan from silky, embroidered covers. "Leave me alone, Jongin."

"I'm afraid not, Your Royal Highness. Your presence is needed right this instance."

"I said-" Sehun flung the covers away in a fit, chucking soft pillows as hard as he could at his butler with every syllable. "Leave. Me. Alone!"

"I wish you would not go to such extreme measures." Jongin clucked his tongue like a mother would do so in response to her kid throwing a tantrum. "You have responsibilities."

"Which I don't give a about."

His butler stifled a sigh. "Well, I don't give one either, but your parents do. And they rule this kingdom, so get your lazy out of bed or else it's my turn to take extreme measures."

"Bring it on.”

"You asked for it," Jongin calmly stated as he approached the huge bed placed with the headboard against the creamy wall. Picking up the pillows ammo on the way there, the butler grabbed the silken blankets and pulled it off the bed in one smooth move, leaving Sehun with nothing to hide under. The prince squirmed uncomfortably under the stern gaze of the servant he employed, due to the fact that he was only in his underwear. At the sight of the snobby prince flinching, Jongin laughed out loud, much to Sehun's embarrassment. Every chuckle was a stab to the prince's deflating pride. "Get up."

"No."

"Alright." Jongin shrugged, turned, and walked away. Sehun watched him go with hope and doubt flashing in his eyes. It was never this easy to get Jongin to listen to him, but maybe this time it worked-

"Sorry, Your Highness!"

And thus was the first morning Sehun began his day with a vase of freezing cold water, rose petals, and thorns to the face, but most definitely not the last.

¤¤¤

The second boy was on the opposite side of the dynamic. He was not the reluctant one hugging his pillow in an attempt to cling onto the last remnants of sleep, but the annoying nagger doing the waking up.

"Ji-eun!" Luhan glared at his still twin sister in the bed so small her limbs hung off the edges. She couldn't possibly believe this trick was going to work on him again. "Get the hell up!"

Shaking his head, the young man reluctantly pushed himself off the wall and approached his twin. He kneeled down and poked Ji-eun repeatedly. "I won't stop until you get up."

No response.

"Dad's making pancakes. Fried eggs. There's honey for the bread. We got them from the market yesterday."

Nothing.

Luhan ruffled his already messy hair that he couldn't be bothered to brush in frustration. Waking his sister up came in stages. Once every blue moon, she'd wake up on her own. Luhan or their father could get her up from the kitchen with its mouth-watering scents and loud noises occasionally. More frequently, Luhan had barge into into her bedroom to manually lug her out of bed.

The young man brushed his knees as he stood up and surveyed her room. It was relatively small, compared to their neighbours' houses, but it was cozy and filled to the brim with everything Ji-eun. Luhan's eyes travelled from the wooden desk he carved his sister for her fourteenth birthday (so she would study instead of running off with her friends) to the dream-catcher he bought her for her twelfth birthday. A soft smile appeared on his fair face as he neared the pictures Ji-eun hung on the walls that she drew herself. His sister was undeniably talented. There were a few drawings of himself, but the majority of her drawings centered in on one subject. Yixing. Luhan’s childhood friend and Ji-eun’s favourite muse.

"Hey, Ji-eun!" Luhan sang out playfully as he nearly skipped towards her. "Just wanted you to know that Yixing's coming over in a few! I'll leave-"

“Wait-” He heard a loud thump, turning to find Ji-eun fallen on the ground. Her hair was covering her face messily, but Luhan could imagine the panicked expression she wore. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I kid you not, dear sister." Keeping a successful poker face, Luhan said matter-of-factly, "Didn't I tell you? Yixing and Baek are coming over for a round of soccer."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, scrub?" Luhan watched, amused, as his sister sprinted to her table, brushing her hair with a comb in one hand and her teeth with a toothbrush in the other. It always amazed him how fast she could move when hearing Yixing, considering how lazy she was the remaining percentage of her life.

Luhan sighed, shaking his head as he left Ji-eun to her own devices. Normally, his twin sister dating one of his friend would have freaked him out, but since it was Yixing, he trusted this wouldn’t be the usual, short-lived teenage romance.

Entering the kitchen, he nodded at his father before taking a seat at the table. As he waited for breakfast to be served, he tuned out the rambling of the radio about the usual royal affairs regarding Prince Chanyeol’s upcoming engagement. Luhan never really paid attention to the royals. Or, at least, he never used to.

¤¤¤

Sehun pulled at the collared button-up his pushy butler forced him to wear. He despised wearing such fancy clothing for the mere fact that it was uncomfortable in his opinion, even though it wasn't difficult to say he looked absolutely stunning in a suit and tie. The clean cuts showed off his broad shoulders and sturdy frame. Black and white look gave him a mature air, which was why he suspected Jongin chose for him to wear this.

Moving onto his next attempt of chasing away boredom, Sehun fiddled with his hands and pulled at hangnails. The room that he - and a few other old men - were stationed in was titled the Meeting Room (how inconspicuous), and was one of the most basic rooms in the castle. Of course, it was only used for meetings, so the only things needed were the uncomfortable chairs, a matching table, and the dimly lit lamp in the centre of the table. Occasionally, they wheeled in a projector to show statistics or other data.

Sehun hated this room.

"And since Crown Prince Chanyeol is having an arranged marriage with the neighbouring kingdom, America, across the sea, you don't have to worry about being forced into marriage."

The Prince snapped back to reality at the mention of his older brother's marriage. He furrowed his brows, knowing all too well how Chanyeol felt about the decision, but both of them knew there couldn't be anything done. If he wanted the throne, he needed to sacrifice his freedom. It was the standard code, which was why Sehun was so glad he was born second.

The annoying, stout minister on his father's right kept droning on about the responsibilities Chanyeol bore, all for the price of the kingdom. Sehun inwardly rolled his eyes. He had heard this speech a thousand times this month. And how he loathed that word. Responsibility. It weighed down his tongue whenever he said it, weighed down his heart whenever he thought about it. Why were there so many things to take care of at this young age? Why was there so much to care about? Sehun just wanted to break free, dump his responsibilities in the trash where they belonged, and go live the way he wanted to.

"Sehun."

The boy came to attention at the sound of his father's kind but stern voice. He glanced up at King Junmyeon, who honestly, seemed as old as Chanyeol. His baby-face and soft features helped. "Sehun, what's your opinion?"

"Uh..." The Prince appreciated his father always asking for his thoughts, but he didn't appreciate it so much at the moment. "Um, what's my opinion on what?"

“Your Royal Highness, if only you paid attention during these meetings, you would find out." Sehun's eyes flickered to the minister whose hobbies included talking about responsibilities and telling Sehun how to behave. Possibly the prince's least favourite person in the entire world, Minseok.

Sehun shot a sickeningly fake smile in Minseok's direction. "It's not my fault these meetings are so disgustingly boring that I fail, no matter how hard I try, to focus. Now, I wonder whose fault that is?"

"Sehun." The King's tone hid warnings. Junmyeon turned to the minister with a polite smile. "Go ahead, Minister Minseok."

"Well, before I was so rudely interrupted, I was going to reveal that we were planning for you to choose your own bride-" Sehun could hear the barbs in Minseok's words: though you are undeserving of such a privilege. "-in our kingdom of Korea. We cannot have you run around the globe in search of your love. The citizens were unhappy with our choice to marry the Crown Prince with America’s Crown Princess, as they felt the marriage was purely for political purposes."

“They’re not wrong,” Sehun interrupted.

“That’s besides the point,” sighed Minseok. He massaged his temples as he continued, not bothering to sugarcoat it. “To please the public, we’re holding a publicity stunt and making a contest out of your marriage. It’s to make our citizens feel like they have a choice in our next princess, and uphold the romantic façade.”

"Wait, wait, hold your stupid horses." Sehun stood up quickly, his eyes flashing. No one ever told him of this news before today! His orbs darted towards the door, where he knew Jongin was standing guard at. Did his butler know? "So you’re using me? To pull the public’s attention away from Chanyeol’s obviously arranged marriage?”

“We put out the advertisements already,” Minseok responded, oblivious to Sehun’s growing distress. “Applications have already been filing in. It’s a huge hit.”

Translation: You can’t do anything to stop this.

Sehun looked to his father for a denial, for a sign that this was all a huge prank. Even if it was almost a year early for April Fool’s Day.

Instead, his father sternly said, "Sehun... I'll talk to you later. The meeting's dismissed."

The door the Prince was staring at for the past thirty minutes finally opened, allowing fresh air to replace the musty, dusty smell soaking in the ugly rug underneath their feet. Sehun caught sight of Jongin standing, straight as a rod, beside four other guards in uniform. Jongin was the only one in a suit, the only thing Sehun ever remembered seeing him wear, even when the two of them were kids.

The Prince was the last one out the door, trailing slowly after the other men as he contemplated the information vomited at him. Marriage? Competition? Sure, Chanyeol was getting married, but only because the alliance needed to happen as quickly as possible. And there was no better match than Princess Ailee from America. That was inevitable, but Sehun really couldn't see how his case made any sense. So what if he didn’t get married? Would the world explode into flames? Would a zombie infection spread? Bull .

"Your Royal Highness, how did the meeting go?" Jongin appeared at his side like magic, something Sehun was used to and truthfully, liked. The two boys walked down the embellished hallway they grew up in. All the beautiful paintings and expensive tapestries passing them by went unnoticed.

"Horrible," The young prince groaned, running his fingers down his face tiredly. "This is why I hate meetings."

Scoffing, his butler said with a raised eyebrow, "Don’t be so overdramatic. It can't be that bad. What happened?"

"I'm getting married, apparently. And I was the last person to find out."

Just saying those words gave the Prince shudders, and he quickened his pace so he could retreat back into his room. Sehun didn't realize Jongin slowed down. He didn’t hear the quiet, “You’re not the last one to find out.”

The Prince was so busy trapped in his greatest fear - that his freedom would finally be snatched from his awaiting hands - to notice his butler's greatest fear coming true as well.

¤¤¤

Luhan shoveled a spoonful of cold, soaked cereal into his wide open mouth. Swallowing it all down, he watched with amusement as Ji-eun shot down the stairs, her hair transformed from a bird's nest to flowing locks. Wearing a white, creamy blouse paired with a peach, mid-thigh skirt, she appeared as if she were attending a formal party of some sort. She self-consciously touched her face, and Luhan rolled his eyes skyward. "Why are you all dressed up? Yixing's not coming until noon."

Her jaw dropped open, eyes firing up with anger. "You could have told me that sooner!"

"Forgot." Luhan shrugged and went back to eating his cereal. Ji-eun stomped in frustration to her seat and plopped down loudly, all the while placing a thousand curses upon her twin.

Hearing Ji-en in the kitchen, their father hurried in, a fond smile on his face. "Good morning, my darling!"

"Morning, Dad." Ji-eun couldn't help but grin back at her loving father, who bent down to give her a sweet kiss on the forehead.

Their dad watched them eat for a couple more silent minutes before he rubbed the back of his neck, obviously distressed. Luhan raised his eyebrows, but Ji-eun didn't take any notice. Her second love to Yixing was food, and those were the only two things she placed her complete attention on. Dad coughed, adding onto Luhan's growing suspicion, before finally opening his mouth, "I... I need to tell you two something."

Seeing his dad hesitate, Luhan gave him an encouraging nod. His father shot him a grateful look before continuing.

"I - uh - I got a notice from King Junmyeon and Queen Krystal yesterday night. You two know that Prince Chanyeol is getting married soon, right? Even though the date's not finalized, his wife is most certainly going to be Princess Ailee. And for some bizarre reason, the King and Queen want their second son to get married, too. So they’ve decided to have their son pick twenty candidates out of all the girls in our country aged eighteen to twenty-two-"

Ji-eun's spoon clattered to the floor. She abruptly stood up in her chair, the information clearly hitting her hard. She stepped away from the table shakily, holding onto the table, until she reached the staircase leading up to her room. Dad watched her go with a heartbroken sheen in his eyes, while Luhan froze completely, not sure he heard what his dad said correctly.

"Dad? You know that Ji-eun already decided to marry Yixing once they both have steady jobs, right? She can't... What's going to happen to her?"

"I know, I know." His dad let out a tired sigh, deflating, and Luhan saw how the heavy news weighed on his father's shoulders. The wrinkles lined in his face folded even more and his movements were slower than usual. Luhan wondered how much sleep his father got last night. "But it's the King's orders, and we can't possibly go against that. They say that Prince Sehun will look at all the girls' information, and will hand-pick the ones he want. If you think about it, Ji-eun wouldn't have much of a chance if she wanted to compete with the entire population of young ladies in Korea."

"True, but-" Luhan glanced up the stairs at where his sister was hiding herself. "-she actually might have a chance. You know that Ji-eun has a pretty face and a not-so-pretty personality. If the Prince's shallow, like all of Ji-eun's past suitors, then he'd choose her."

"She'd just stay longer at the castle. Through some trials, the Prince will settle for the top three. There will be one last final test and then he'll choose his bride. Hopefully, the longest that Ji-eun will have to stay there will be two years. After that, she'll come back home and marry Yixing."

"But-"

"I know. This is the most we can hope for." His dad stood up sluggishly and walked towards the cabinet where he kept his medication pills. He rarely took those out. "I would appreciate it if you go upstairs and talk to your sister."

Luhan complied and walked towards the stairs. But when he looked back, he was scared by how broken his father's back looks and how lonely he seemed in the dark lighting of the barely risen sun.

¤¤¤

"What?"

Sehun swung his arm, nearly knocking over a priceless vase in his father's room. He narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "Repeat what you just said. I must have heard it wrong."

"No, you didn't." King Junmyeon sighed and settled his body on the soft, large bed full of duck feathers, covered by a fabric canopy. "You'll look through all the information sent to you, all the girls' profiles, and you'll choose the ones you think you might love. Then, it'll be the process of elimination, and they'll be put through trials so you can find your wife."

"You can’t be serious." Sehun paced around, throwing his hands. He was so close to throwing a fit and running away from the stupid castle, from this nonsense. It wouldn’t be the first time he ran away. "My life isn’t some kind of game. It sounds like one of those stupid romance novels Mom likes to read... This is my life! And I'm not gonna go through this stupid test ."

"Sehun, calm down." The King's tone was weary, and Sehun paused, recalling how his father seemed so tired these days, moving at the pace of a snail. "It was your mother's idea. I... I didn't want to tell you so soon, but I think it's best if you go talk to her about this."

Mom? His mother of all people knew how much he wanted his freedom. Why would she put him through this? Sehun warily left the room, closing the door behind him. He hadn’t seen his mother in a couple days, now that he thought about it. His back faced the sight of his father dropping his head into his hands.

Sehun's thoughts bumped into each other in his confused mind as he stalked towards his mother's room. If Jongin was here, he could talk about it with his butler, or at least hide his thoughts away. But for some odd reason, Jongin vanished once again. Sehun tried not to dwell much on it as he knocked on the door shielding him from a sight he wasn't sure he wanted to see.

"Who is it?"

The Prince furrowed his brows at the sound of his mother's fragile voice. His mom wasn't fragile, no, she wasn't delicate at all. Sehun knew that he got his arrogant and loud side from her, so it terrified him to think that his strong mom was struck down by some foolish disease. "It's Sehun."

"Ah, Sehun..." A long pause. "Come in, love."

Gulping down his fears, Sehun pushed open the heavy door to be awarded with the sight of the Queen resting in one of the hospital beds. His eyes widened at how her skin seemed transparent under the sunlight, at how easily he could spot all the veins woven in her limbs, at how her eyes were sunken like a corpse. She was much more skinny than he remembered, her features sharp and angular, her hair limp and dry. She turned to him, and the only thing he found familiar was the dancing stars in her eyes. She smiled sweetly. "I didn't want you to see me like this."

"Were you hiding this from me?" Sehun didn't remember the last time he talked to his mother. It felt like decades ago. He walked over to the bedside and sat on the edge, taking his mother's slim hand in his. He almost dropped it at the freezing temperature. "Mom, what happened?"

"Oh, love... It's nothing serious." The Prince locked his jaw. It looks ing serious to me. "I'll just be down for a few days. Anyway, enough about me. I heard that you came to talk to me about your marriage issues."

"Mom-"

"It's because I want you to find love, alright?" The Queen wrinkled her nose. "Ew, that sounded cheesy. I know you well enough, darling, to know you don't believe in stuff like love and soul-mates. You'd rather travel the world with your butler in tow."

Sehun didn't trust himself to speak, only nodding. She patted his hand gently. "It's true that it was my decision to put you through this marriage thing. It's because I know you, my child, I know that you're not the type to fall in love. But the thing is, I want you to experience love, with all its ups and downs, its hardships and wonderful prizes. Though it's selfish of me, I want to see you walk down the aisle before I die."

"Die? Mom, what are you-"

"I want to see both of my children married and happy. And what better way to do it than by the book?" Queen Krystal chuckled dryly, her gaze returning to the window showcasing the green world outside with its blooming flowers and lush nature. "Make it fun, have a little competition that you can control. Eliminate the princesses one-by-one, until you're left with the grand winner. And that, my dear, is how you get married."

"Mom... What do you mean by all this?" Sehun shook his head, not able to accept the painful truth. "You can't possibly die before. You can't leave me! You... You can't..."

"This is exactly why I didn't want you to know." The Queen smiled softly as she pulled her son in for an embrace. She patted his head lightly. A few crystallized tears fell from Queen Krystal's eyes, as the one with the illness comforted the perfectly healthy boy.