Prologue

One Night Might Ruin Your Life

On an early June evening, all of the royals gathered at the famous Exo Castle to display their daughters on a fake pedestal in a desperate attempt to tie a tight bond with richest kingdom. Prince Sehun loathed it. He loathed fake romances, the party, and, most importantly, the people. If Sehun had his way, he would never have to see a person ever again. He would void the town of people. The castle, the town, all of it. Tapping his fingers impatiently, he watched the princesses dance with their fathers as he and the rest of his family took their golden thrones. From left to right, it went Prince Jongin, King Joonmyun, Sehun, King Yixing, and Prince Baekhyun. To the royal family, there was a good reason why Joonmyun and Yixing forced him between them. To Sehun, it was merely unprovoked suspicious.

 “Alright, boys. Papa is going to find you all a nice bunch of ladies to wed,” Joonmyun beamed, determinedly pumping his fist.

Baekhyun face-palmed literally, Sehun face-palmed mentally, and Jongin’s face distorted in disgust.

“Honey, stop trying to fit in,” Yixing said, leaning over Sehun to punch his lover’s arm.

Sehun groaned internally. This is how their family was. Silly, occasionally. Dumb, most of the time. It was a wonder that they ruled the most prosperous kingdom in all of Asia, especially considering Sehun’s generation is the only the third after Sehun’s grandfather Exodus died. Joonmyun overreacted. Baekhyun irked every last one of his nerves with his snarky remarks and corny jokes, but otherwise acted like an overgrown child. Meanwhile, Jongin had two moods: y and sleepy ball of fluff. Yixing was the only one considered tolerable. Then there was Sehun; he was the family rebel. That bit of mischief that kept Joonmyun from growing a full head of hair. He had the pride of a cigarette; after appeasing to him just once, quitting is hardly an option. He’s persuasive like that.

“Do you see any girls you like?” Joonmyun asked, sipping out of his goblet.

Absentmindedly, Baekhyun nodded and his upper lip, “Yeah… Tall, honey brown, and dorky.”

 Satisfied with that answer, Joonmyun turned to Jongin, whose eyes wandered around the room. Jongin rested his head upon his arm. It didn’t take long before he gave up with nothing more than a disgruntled shrug.

“Not really. Besides, Baekhyun’s the only one who really needs a bride,” Jongin concluded, “I’m not really interested in love, anyway.”

Sehun could agree with that. Love, especially at first sight, was predominantly shallow. He sees her bright smile from across the room and suddenly the man’s smitten. It’s bonkers. Frankly, Sehun doubts he’ll ever wed. The idea of just one person tying him down seemed absolutely ridiculous at the time. Really, the idea of being with someone—anyone—appalled him. No matter what, people always chose greed over love. See, love comes and love goes. That intimidates people (even though the money never really lasts either). There wasn’t a chance someone would fall in love him for him anyway. He was rich and handsome, not lovable.

“Marriage is a wonderful thing, Jongin. One day, you’ll find someone you love very much and the second you look into their eyes, you’ll want a ring on their finger,” Joonmyun lovingly sighed, gazing at Yixing.

And there it was. Sehun could just gag.

“King Yixing! A parcel for you from your beloved-“Joonmyun interrupted the servant with a nasty glare.

Beloved was a word reserved for him and him only. Yixing grabbed the package with squeal of excitement. Of course, Joonmyun watched on like a green-eyed monster. An opportunity arisen. In approximately ten seconds, Joonmyun would realize his ridiculousness and start paying attention to him again. This had to be calculated perfectly. Hastily, Sehun jumped out of his chair and sprinted for the nearest exit. Baekhyun and Jongin silently applauded him as he rocketed by. Thankfully, no one stopped him. As he dashed past all of the tight-waist dresses and slicked back hair, Sehun threw on his black cloak. Up the marble staircase, Sehun passed the gossiping servants snickering in his general direction. Scooting by the pearly white columns and the baby blue statues, Sehun stopped in front of the red doors of the main balcony. He kicked them open. Once outside, he inhaled a breath of fresh air. Perfume and cologne from royals trying too hard to make a good impression stung inside his nose. It was nice to take a break from that. He released a prolonged sigh.

“ this,” he shouted carelessly, shooting his arms up into the darkening sky. The freeing feeling was spectacular.

A servant interrupted him: “young master, your fathers would be very disappointed to find you wondering about the castle rather than the dance floor.”

Well, this isn’t the first time I’ve disappointed him, Sehun thought, but refrained from saying aloud. It would only cause their sour lips to spew out meaningless words like a sewage pump.

“I have little respect for prissy cliques,” Sehun snapped, taking a step toward him. The servant cowered in fear before quickly retreating to his small posy. Sehun rolled his eyes at their immaturity.

Making sure to take his time, Sehun meandered back to the ballroom with a gleam of mischief in his eyes. Scoping out the room, he rubbed his hands together. Right off the bat, he spotted the glorious chocolate fountain perched in the middle of an exquisite buffet. The mental plan formulated in his head within milliseconds. He craved for chaos.As he briskly walked toward it, a small hand reached for his shoulders. He turned to face none-other-than Krystal Hwang. A light brunette with lively eyes and a dazzling smile. Her slim figure and basic personality attracted many people to her. Jongin, with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle, had claimed that she was the submissive type.

“Prince Sehun, I presume? Your father requested that we dance together,” She giggled, voice oozing with fakeness.

“Yes and no. I am very much Prince Sehun, but I am not going to dance with you. I have better things to do than to twirl around a big dance floor with a bunch of greedy bastards like you. Thank you and goodbye,” Sehun scowled, brushing her off like a speck of dust. Aghast, Krystal stomped back to her mothers and sister. The Hwang family resides on the other side of the forest in a large, pastel castle filled with materialistic items. It is widely known that they are an egotistical and needy bunch. Naturally, Krystal must follow the same grueling stereotype.

Continuing toward the buffet table, Sehun observed Joonmyun out of the corner of his eye. As Yixing rambled on about the guests, he noticed the faint smile on his lips. He also noticed the way his eyes sparkled as he scrutinized every inch of his husband’s face. He grinned. Everything fell according to plan. Squeezing past the crowds, Sehun leaped behind the table. Lady Sooyoung gorged herself a mere five feet away. She was an impressive businesswoman, but too much of jester for Sehun to care. As soon as something else captured Lady Sooyoung short attention span, Sehun flipped one table, then the next until all the food flew into the air. Chocolate, curry sauce, noodles, meat--all of it thrown into the air, landing on the dancing royals. An uproar of screams blared out from the castle. Sehun held his stomach as he slid onto the ground.

“King Joonmyun, my suit is ruined!” Prince Heechul of Suju screeched followed by the agreeing shouts of others like him. They sounded like petty schoolgirls.

Eyeing Sehun, Joonmyun slowly got up from his throne. “Do not worry! I will make sure the offender is punished for his actions,” he proclaimed. A large cheer erupted from the crowd.

Once everything had settled down, the guests decided to call it a night. The Kims couldn’t agree more. No one assigned Sehun a task. While Jongin escorted the other royal families off the premises, Baekhyun called the servants to clean up the mess. Sure, their faces twitched and their lips had an uncommon frown from the unwanted tasks, but Sehun spotted them laughing earlier. They mustn’t had been mad. When they finished and started for their bedrooms, Sehun scooted up to them with a menacing smile. They ignored him. For a while, they walked in silence.

“You’re in deep ,” Jongin pointed out, breaking the palpable tension.

“Way to state the obvious, Jongin,” Baekhyun laughed, slapping the Jongin’s shoulder. Sehun shrugged.

“I doubt it. They’ve never punished me before,” Sehun noted nonchalantly.

“You’ve also never done someone of this measure. Papa is fuming. Dad had to stay back and calm him down,” Baekhyun sighed, “I don’t get what the big deal with these parties is either, but you could at least go along with it.”

“As if,” Sehun muttered, stomping into his room. He slammed the door shut. If they think he’s at fault, they’re wrong. Sehun was bored out of his mind. His prank added a bit of fun to that miserable ball. Upturning his lips, he crawled into his bed.  A few minutes passed before the door creaked open. Peeking his head out of the blanket, Sehun saw his dad, who had his hands on his hips and a small smile.

“Hello, my rebellious son,” Yixing chuckled with a wink. He sat down on the bed beside Sehun.

“Go away,” Sehun muttered into the pillow. Yixing shushed him. his hair, Yixing hummed a familiar tune. Sehun growled, “What do you want?”

“I want you to apologize for ruining your father’s party,” Yixing said. Sehun shot up.

“I was bored!” He yelled.

“You’re feeling don’t always justify everything you do. Just because you’re mad doesn’t mean it’s okay to punch someone in the face,” Yixing coaxed softly, “that party meant a lot to Papa. I know you’re not interested in love and you don’t want to go, but you could at least try to cooperate.”

“Whatever,” Sehun mimicked the tone of his voice, but then sighed. “I’m sorry… Don’t tell him I said that.” Yixing laughed. Pecking his forehead, Yixing thanked him. Once Yixing left Sehun alone again, Sehun buried himself in his blankets and cried.

---

Back down in the dining room, Joonmyun paced back and forth as he waited for his husband to return. Kim Sehun had really done it this time. Dishonoring his family, making a complete fool out of them. Joonmyun desperately wanted to feel the tears streaming down his face, but the importance of his duties overridden his need. When Yixing returned with Baekhyun and an incredibly sleepy Jongin, Joonmyun came to a halt. Yixing kissed his cheek.

“Sehun apologized, but he didn’t want me to tell you,” Yixing whispered with a giggle. Joonmyun smiled, but quickly hardened his features.

“Did he give a reason?” Joonmyun demanded.

Baekhyun frowned, “Boredom, apparently.”

Throwing his head back, Joonmyun groaned. He dropped down on his throne before burying his head into his arms.

“This whole event, the night, our kingdom’s reputation ruined! Sehun has crossed the line! I’m done!” Joonmyun thundered so loud that Sehun could probably hear it.

“How about locking him up?” Jongin suggested, covering his mouth as he yawned.

“That will only cause turmoil,” Joonmyun commented.

“Manual labor?” Yixing quietly muttered.

“And that will give him a false sense of pride,” Joonmyun rejected, shaking his head. One after one, he shut each idea down. They were either too mild or too severe. No one wanted Sehun to suffer too much, but someone needed to humble him. “We’ll continue this discussion tomorrow. Someone please bring a decent idea this time.”

Night shifted to day and soon enough the Kim family had important tasks to complete out in the world. Joonmyun fetched after Sehun, who gave him the silent treatment the whole way down to the dining room. Breakfast was awkward to say the least, mostly due to Sehun’s refusal to speak. Baekhyun and Jongin tried to speak with Sehun through facial expressions, but Sehun merely sent a strong glare their way. Oblivious to their sons’ actions, Joonmyun and Yixing made small talk from each ends of the long table. Sehun avoided all eye contact with them. Once breakfast ended, Joonmyun explained their plans for the day.

“We are going into town today to demand a new doctor. Commoner territory, if you will. Be careful. Be polite. Sehun, don’t purposefully flip tables out of boredom and, Baekhyun and Jongin, you two refrain from making promises you can’t keep,” Joonmyun said as they headed for the carriage. Sehun sighed. This day will might as well be his coffin of eternal rest, he thought.

As the road into town, Sehun took a gander at all the faces they passed by. He recalled a raggedy old man with gray hair and a brown suit that was out of date by about a decade as well a dark skinned woman sweeping outside of her shop as she watched the neighborhood children dance around. He liked their vibes. Everyone gazed at them as they rode by. At all the attention, Sehun shrunk in his seat. The smaller children stared at him with such intensity that even he, a high up royal, fell onto his knees. Eventually, the driver yelled and cracked his whip, abruptly causing the horse to halt. Around them, the people began to whisper. When the head doctor scurried up to them, Joonmyun stood up, but Yixing threw his arm in front of him. The doctor sighed in relief. All of the doctors feared Joonmyun, but were more than happy to talk to Yixing. Although he feared the answer, Sehun always wondered why.

“My sons aren’t safe in an area full of so many people,” Yixing started, “Please have the people evacuated from the area temporarily. We won’t be long and they can return as soon as we finish.” The doctor nodded rapidly.

“Immediately, my king,” she said, bowing so far down that her hat fell off her head. Joonmyun huffed.

As quickly as they arrived, the doctors forced the townsfolk to flee the area instantly. Sehun stretched. Finally, they were gone. While Baekhyun hurdled over the side of the carriage with a shout, Jongin edged him on with laughter. Joonmyun tried to shush them, but they didn’t listen. From a distance, a tall, muscular man’s outline came into view. The closer he got, the more handsome Sehun could see he was. His chiseled jawline and piercing eyes could murder a man.

“Doctor Do! I need some more medicine for my Tao,” he shouted, waving his hands in the air. Doctor Do’s owlish eyes widened. “Junghye Do! I know you can hear me.”

“Wu Yifan, p-please, now is not the time!” Doctor Do pleaded as he ran toward them.

“Yifan!?” Yixing piped up. Sehun had never seen him this eager. His normally delicate and polite features had all heightened at the sight of his friend.

“Yixing! How’ve ya been?” He greeted with a jovial laugh.

“Great! It has been such a long time, hasn’t it?” He shyly chuckled, “What about you?”

“Wonderful! You remember my son? Lu? He dragged me into town today. What a coincident, right?” Yifan exclaimed, grinning at a cross-armed Joonmyun. “You must be King Joonmyun! It’s a pleasure, sir. Your husband and I go waaayy back.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Wu,” Joonmyun stated between gritted teeth, “But you’re forgetting you are not supposed to be here.”

“Yixing, remember when we snuck into the royal castle’s dam-“he started, but Joonmyun raising his hand silenced him.

“You are avoiding punishment. Leave immediately,” Joonmyun ordered. As he spoke, a short male stomped on to the scene. Every footstep he took shook the ground just a bit.

“Yifan! Please, Luhan must be searching desperately for you,” as he scolded his elder, he put his hands on his hips. The male ran his hands through his thick black hair.

“Kyungsoo, my boy. Aren’t you training to be a doctor? Lu hasn’t brought you around in a while,” Yifan claimed thoughtfully, ignoring his statement.

Soon, another male fled on to the barren streets. Sehun gasped for air. His milky white skin glistened in the early morning sun and Sehun was sure he saw the stars twinkling in his eyes. He stopped a little behind Yifan and let out a short breath—something Sehun forgot he needed. The boy’s lips spread into a small, breathtaking smile. Sehun had to clutch onto his chest to keep his heart from popping out.

“Dad, what the hell? Didn’t you hear Ms. Do tell everyone to evacuate,” he panted, hands on his knees. Smiling goofily, Yifan shrugged. Luhan yanked on Yifan’s wrist. “Let’s go, dad.”

As they walked away, Sehun couldn’t help but watch Luhan’s every move. The intriguing way his hips swayed as he walked kept him from looking away. From his walk to his voice, Sehun found him to be worthy of a prince.

“I’m sorry on their behalf,” he muttered before looking back at Doctor Do, “Mom, the blood samples are ready. Do you want me to file the report or do you want someone else to?”

“Just do it, honey. You’re the best at it,” she insisted, massaging her temple. Sehun peeked over at Jongin. His eyes followed Kyungsoo as he strutted back inside.

“He’s precious,” Jongin sighed. Sehun couldn’t keep in his laugh.

“Pssh! Infatuation. How overrated. Full of himself. Way too intelligent for you. Motherly. In other words, you stand no chance,” Sehun deadpanned, “Besides, he’s a commoner.” Jongin frowned.

“Doctor Do, send us your best doctors in training in two months tops,” Joonmyun commanded, “All of you, back in the carriage.” The doctors scurried back inside and the royal family took no time returning to the carriage.

The ride back to the castle seethed with a stiff silence. Baekhyun and Jongin confided with each other and only each other. They were the only two actually holding a conversation. Meanwhile, Joonmyun ignored Yixing, who tried being affectionate with gentle, caring touches. Sehun made a mental note of Joonmyun’s jealous tendencies. All the while, Sehun’s signature poker face masked his desire to see that boy again. Luhan Wu. At the sound of his name, Sehun melted in his seat. Never before had Sehun witnessed someone so exquisite, so divine. He must have been an angel.

“Sehun, sit up straight. A prince does not have bad posture,” Joonmyun reminded him quietly. Sighing, Yixing crossed his arms so he no longer touched Joonmyun. As much as he wanted to refute, Sehun merely groaned and obeyed his father’s order. “Thank you.”

---

Guards led Sehun to his bedroom where he would spend the rest of his days pacing aimlessly, secretly plotting vengeance and brainstorming all the possible ways he could escape. You know, just in case. That must be what purgatory feels like. Even from the opposite wing, the rest of the Kims could hear his frustrated cries of the unjustness. Joonmyun felt a tinge of guilt excluding his youngest son from the family lunch, but they needed to make a decision and fast. Besides that, he needed to step up and make a more assertive role in Sehun’s life. By now, he has gotten away with one too many things.

“I have an idea and I think it’s perfect,” Yixing started, “We send Sehun to live with Yifan and Tao. They’ve got a son only a few years older, so they can help humble him without that false sense of pride you worried about, dear.” Joonmyun’s heart fluttered at “dear.” His thoughts surged at his husband’s idea. Not only would this be beneficial for Sehun, but Joonmyun could also punish Yifan for his choice to ignore his kingly direction.

“Perfect, my sweet!” Joonmyun exclaimed, smooching his lover’s lips. Baekhyun and Jongin gagged.

“How long?” Jongin asked, fidgeting in his seat.

“3 months,” Baekhyun suggested through a mouth full of food, “that way we won’t miss him too much.”

“I haven’t agreed more on anything since me and your father’s wedding day,” Joonmyun shouted, holding his goblet in the air, “Cheers!”

And so the Kim family rejoiced at their plan with a hearty lunch and some wine. Sehun was none the wiser and Yifan would receive punishment for a crime he didn’t realize he committed. 

Hi! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter and I can assure you the chapters will rarely ever be this long lol

I'm sorry for making Krystal out to be something she isn't

See you next week kids