“I can’t believe they brought in a commoner pig.” One of the woman mocked. She was dressed in a beautiful shade of blue silk robes, the colour bringing out her pale complexion. Her small hands and neck adorned various accessories of bright gems and stones and her rich, dark brown hair wrapped and weaved around a heavy, but gorgeous head piece. She was the epitome of elegance and beauty, but her personality was not. “Your face brings humiliation to all.”

Baekhyun hung his head in shame as she continued to insult him, spewing out any and every rude comment she could think of. Baekhyun knew for a fact that he doesn’t have a pretty face and he is a poor commoner, but it still hurt nonetheless when someone points it out.

“Really, the guards must be stupid for bringing you in.” She laughed, others surrounding her joining in. Out of the corner of his eyes, Baekhyun could see his fellow commoners giving him sympathetic looks, but they did nothing to stop the comments. They must’ve been a glad it wasn’t them.

“With a face as horrid as his,” She continued, “you’d think the guards would’ve had the tendency to run away.”

Baekhyun shrunk further into himself, her judging eyes were getting too heavy to ignore. He started to fidget the more intense she stared at him and when he looked up, her red lips twisted into a vicious smirk.

“There’s no way the Emperor would ever choose you.” She exclaimed with such finality.

For a reason that is unknown, the merciless emperor– the Phoenix, as others had called him– requested men and women from the Great Empire of Exodus to be brought to the palace to be his bride. It had been a year and a half and the emperor still hadn’t found anyone to rule alongside him. After the first half year, the list of candidates stretched into men and women from any and every social ranking, no matter what they looked like.

Baekhyun didn’t want anything to do with the emperor, frankly he didn’t have a reason to be here. He didn’t have a family, he’s poor and he doesn’t know how to read and write. Although he’s good at making medicine, it isn’t enough to impress the emperor.

“You horr-” Her sentence got cut off as the doors to the room banged open and in walked a man of small structure with emerald silk robes.

He had soft looking brown hair and skin so pale it rivalled with snow. His eyes were large and expressive and his lips were a rosey pink and shaped as a heart. Baekhyun could describe him as ethereal, his beauty was just blinding.

"I am sick of your..." The man stopped in his steps upon seeing the amount of people in the room. He serveyed the area with his eyes as a tall man came after him, looking angry and annoyed.

The tall man that followed was a walking Adonis. His skin was a golden bronze and his bare arms were toned to perfection. He was wearing black military outfit, but he made it seem like he was wearing the most expensive silk robe in the country. 

"You need to understand." He said irritated, looking down at the shorter man. 

The shorter gave him a deadly glare. "We'll discuss this later," he returned his stare to the room. "but who are these people, Jongin?"

Baekhyun's eyes widen in surprise. Did he just say Jongin, as in, General Jongin? He was one of the Great Generals that helped overthrow the previous royal family and the few people the emperor trusted.

Jongin's eyes glanced briefly at the people gathered in the hall. "Possible brides for Chanyeol."

Majority of the men and women perked