For the rest of the month Jinhee was only allowed to travel from her home to the palace where she received lessons about what it took to be a princess and how she was expected to act once in the eye of the King. She had become such an empty shell of herself that she slowly lost weight and he plump cheeks became hallow and her jaw line became very defined. Instead of showing concern for her daughter, her mother just commented that she had never looked better and that she was glad that Jinhee seemed to be taking her role as a future princess seriously. Even on Jinhee's eighteenth birthday, she would usually find a few sweets sitting on the table in the morning with their usual eat and other foods, but this year there was nothing to signify that the day was special. All her mother could talk about was how it was prince Sehun's birthday and it was going to be the first time Jinhee would be out in public as the fiancee of prince Jongin. The whole day was awkward as Jinhee had to stand by Jongin with a few servants between them for decency. She could hear the whispers of the noblemen and their wives and how they all thought that Jinhee must be pregnant by Jongin because there was no other way such an unattractive woman could snatch away the attention of the biggest playboy in the whole country.

 

All of the women were toxic around Jinhee and she found herself scanning the crowds and spotting her old friend who was staring right back at her. The dancers and musicians were separating them in the large courtyard but they found each other so easily that Jinhee wanted to run to his side. She didn't want to be Jongin's wife, she wanted to be a nobody again with her best friend at her side but now they were worlds apart and there was nothing that could mend that break. At the end of the month Jinhee was brought into town with a veil covering her face so the peasants wouldn't be able to see her makeup-less face. She was brought into a beautiful home of a noblewoman whose husband did many of the large fabric trading in the area.

 

She was dressed in many layers of delicate fabrics of yellow, blue and red; such bright colours were never worn by anyone other than royalty and Jinhee felt uncomfortable with all the women helping her get dressed commenting on how she already looked royal. She sat quietly as they put a large hair piece on her head and put enough makeup on that she looked like a better version of herself but not too much that she looked like a street walker. When the time finally came, she put the veil back over her face and was brought outside where a royal gama was waiting for her. Many of the poorer people of the village had gathered around to try and catch a glimpse of their new princess and cheered when she walked outside. She kept her head down and was stuffed into the gama that seemed like it wouldn't be able to fit her large dress and hair piece but after cranking her head at an uncomfortable angle she was able to make it all fit and she was carried off to the palace to be wed. It was hot and stuffy in the gama and Jinhee was worried all of her makeup would sweat off and since there was such a large crowd outside it was taking the servants longer than usual to make their way back to the palace. Jinhee could see little bits of the village through the small gaps in the gama and drank all of it in. She could see shops and stalls where food sat in the open in piles with cruelly made signs with their prices on it.

 

She hadn't seen anything to amazing in many years and wished that she could get out and walk around and be able to experience life as a normal person but she was being swept away by the current and there was no way she was going to survive. After almost an hour they made it to the palace and Jinhee was helped out of the gama. Her legs had fallen asleep and she wasn't sure she could turn her head anymore because her neck was so stiff. She put her hands in her sleeves and the veil was taken off of her face and she could finally look around and saw that the palace was beautifully decorated in flowers and ribbons which must have taken the servants days to prepare but she had been so busy with her own preparations that she hadn't noticed. With everyone in their positions, the ceremony started and Jinhee walked over a small bridge into a courtyard where her mother and the royal family was waiting; even Jongin's older sister and husband had traveled to make it to the wedding. Standing there was a very high ranked noble man with a small table covered in beautiful flowers and expertly made rice cakes in pinks and greens. Jinhee hadn't eaten in almost a full day so she wanted to reach out and stuff with the rice cakes but she resisted as she made her way to the nobleman who bowed to her. Jinhee slightly bowed to him which she was not ever going to be used to. Usually it was her doing the deep bow but now she was above them.

 

He motioned towards a piece of paper on the table and was their wedding certificate. She knelt down and with a shaking hand she grab her family seal and dipped it in the red ink. The nobleman looked down and noticed how scared she seemed and took pity on the young woman who was around the same age as his daughter. With a heavy heart, Jinhee pressed the seal onto the page and it was at that exact moment she knew her life was over. Any chances of running away was sealed shut. She stood up and took a few steps before kneeling onto a pillow and staring straight ahead. She could hear the large group of people walking behind them but she had been told never to look back, it showed uncertainty in her marriage. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jongin approaching in a deep red hanbok with a large golden seal on his chest. He looked handsome but she knew behind that face was the devil himself. In the month between the engagement and the wedding, Jinhee had done everything in her power to ignore her future husband and even went out of her way to avoid him including hiding in certain rooms in the palace and taking many of her lessons in the library where Jongin would never be.

 

It was there that she spent a lot of time with prince Kyungsoo and the two taught each other lessons about royalty and what it was like to be an average person within the palace walls. Kyungsoo seemed just as desperate as Jinhee to be outside of these walls and without the responsibility of being royal. Jongin knelt where Jinhee had just a moment ago and without hesitation put his family seal beside hers. The two stood up and went side by side towards the large thrones that had been set up for them; they were smaller than the Kings throne which he was sitting in but they were intimidating to normal people.

 

"Hello wife." Jongin muttered under his breath and Jinhee stole a glance at him and Jongin had that classic evil snarl on his face. In her last chance of rebellion, Jinhee ignored him and continued walking towards the thrones. Once they reached their spots they turned and faced the crowds that were staring at them with tears in their eyes but smiles on their lips. Jinhee hated how fake everyone looked and wished that she could punish them all.

 

"I now present to you Prince Jongin and Princess Jinhee." A servant called out and everyone bowed towards them and they sat down in the thrones and looked out over everyone.