(I'm sure many of you are in CONFUSION, but please to reiterate what I put in the Foreward - I felt like the previous version was going to be too difficult to write and honestly was probably going to be too difficult to understand as a reader. This version of the story will be different. There will still be animals and beasts incorporated into the story; however, no one is a shape-shifter or anything of the sort. I feel it'll be easier to follow that way. I'm also changing the plot slightly, to make sure I can add more characters more quickly. Do not worry shippers, you will still get Kaisoo and Baekyeol lmao. However! This fic will not solely revolve around them! Please bear with me and don't hate me for changing the direction of the fic! I think this version will end up being much better just you wait and see! I understand if anyone is upset and unsubscribes though! ALSO FAIR WARNING IF YOU DON'T READ THE FOREWARD FIRST THERE WILL BE CHARACTER DEATHS THROUGHOUT THE FIC BUT I WON'T EVER BE TOO GRAPHIC! Have fun whoever decides to stay with me u_u)

The table was silent as everyone awkwardly looked around the room not quite understanding what to do in this current situation.

Sitting at the table were only King Suho, Queen Irene, and Princess Krystal. It was an odd combination considering Krystal was not a royal child, but rather a royal through association with Prince Kai. Not yet married, but already crowned none-the-less.

“Sir?” One of the servants asked nervously while approaching King Suho.

The Queen Irene turned her head to the servant and help up one hand signaling for him to approach no further. “You’re all dismissed, lock the doors behind you.”

“Yes, your majesty.” He bowed before swiftly exiting the room with sweat beading down his forehead. The rest of the servants and guards quickly followed suit and piled out of the room as quickly as they could without losing their posture.

As the doors closed behind the servants and guards, Queen Irene calmly stood up and grabbed her chalice filled with red wine and flung its contents on the girl sitting in front of her.

Krystal scoffed and quickly jumped from her seat. “How dare you?” She asked with a slightly raised voice. “You may be the Queen, but there are still rules on etiquette! This is so classless!”

Queen Irene was a beautiful woman; probably the most beautiful woman Krystal had ever seen. There was a classic beauty to her and Krystal could see why Suho would fall for her. She had this aura to her that demanded attention and Krystal knew she always got it. However, she apparently threw manners to the wind when someone spoke something to her she was not in agreement with.

“Rules.” Irene laughs as she slowly begins to walk around the table to approach the spoiled rich girl now soaked in wine. As she approached the girl, she grabbed her by the face and forcefully looked her in the eyes. “This is my kingdom. These are my rules.”

“Find some other lord’s daughter to marry your son! I see the way he looks at other men! He’s an honest gentleman and I wish him nothing but the best, but I will not marry a man who will not lay with me!” Krystal exclaimed while pulling back from the queen and wringing her hair free of wine. “This is unacceptable and I shall be telling my father of this immediately.”

“You stupid girl.” The queen said while eyeing her up and down with an expression cold enough to freeze Hell over tenfold. “You believe you have a say in this? You believe you can just walk away? Me and your father have already struck a deal, you have been sold my darling don’t you understand?” The queen said with soft eyes as she once again approached Krystal.

Krystal looked to King Suho who was still staring at his food and then back to Queen Irene.

“You’re lying; my father would never sell me. Especially if he knew what kind of tyrant you were.”

Queen Irene laughed again while dragging her index finger along the edge of the large center table.

“So young. So sweet. So naïve. Such a child.” She said in tone laced with hostility. “It’s all very well though. I had already known you were not a match for my sweet Kai.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means, I no longer have use for you here, so I’ll grant your wish to leave,” the queen said nonchalantly.

“Well…Good?” Krystal said confusedly. She did not want to stay in this castle as it was. She adored Kai as a person, but not as a lover. He was smart, kind, and handsome, but it was very clear he was not attracted to her the same way he was attracted to some of the male servants.

She has heard stories of kings and princes who prefer men; however, she has no idea how that is supposed to work long term and it is not something she wants to navigate.

She also has no intention of dealing with the parents of Kai. Although he himself may be a gentleman, his parents are far from the sort. Krystal was not blind to the lingering eyes of the king, and not deaf to the malicious threats whispered her way from the queen. As it stood, she had nothing to gain from staying with this family besides the possibility of being queen at some point.

“You go take a wash and I’ll think of an appropriate way to announce your departure from this family.”

Something about the way Queen Irene said that caused Krystal to shift uneasily. She had a sinking feeling in her gut that packing her belongings and leaving was not going to go as she had desired.

She looked at the king once more who was still looking down, before awkwardly walking around the queen and exiting the room. Perhaps telling the king and the queen that she did not want to marry their son was a mistake, and perhaps she should be happy being a princess, but she was not.

Forbidden from reading, playing, or doing anything fun, the only things Krystal could do without facing scrutiny was greet the commoners kindly to increase the morale of the kingdom and follow Kai around like a helpless little girl. Krystal wanted a better life than that and she did not want to have to wait for the current king and queen to greet their grave before she got one.

As she retreated to her chambers, she was not oblivious to the fact that someone was following her. She could only assume it one of the queen’s personal servants. Weary, she decided that perhaps going to her own chamber was not the brightest of ideas. She hastily changed destination and decided to head towards Prince Kai’s chambers instead. At this hour, he would likely be studying, but Krystal was sure he would not mind if she bothered him for a second, just until she was sure the queen was not up to anything treacherous.

The footsteps following her eventually began to approach quicker as she got closer to Kai’s chambers. She stomach began to knot and she had a horrible feeling that something about this night was incredibly eerie. Her walking turned into speed walking, which then turned into running, as her stalker appeared to close the distance between them.

Almost there, she thought as she could see Kai’s chamber come into view. Her running turned into full on sprinting ignoring the fact that she was in clunky heels and a hefty dress. She had the feeling that if she did not reach those doors then would no longer have a life to live.

She could feel a pair of hands weave through her hair before pulling hard as she screamed. A hand muffled her scream before they both toppled into the ground. She kicked at what she could only assume to be a male and attempted to scratch at his face. However, the hallway leading up to Kai’s chambers were not well lit and she could not make out the face of who was attacking her.

As the guy tried to subdue her and drag her away from Kai’s chamber, Krystal made one last attempt to reach Kai by biting the hand covering . The guy grunted and Krystal screamed the second the hand stopped covering . Upon hearing the scream, the hand quickly replaced itself and she could hear the guy curse under his breath.

She could see a shadow approach the doors from the other side and she could only assume it to be Kai. Tears began to flow down her eyes as the guy began to forcefully drag her away from chamber door’s sight. Just as she was dragged out of view, she could hear the doors open a confused Kai if anyone was there. Shortly after, she could hear the doors shut once more and knew the queen had won.

Kai closed the grand doors to his chambers confusedly as he was fairly certain he heard a scream just now. Deciding it wasn’t worth his immediate attention, he shrugged and went back to sit at his desk where he was currently studying the battles of The Great War. While there were no immediate threats to the kingdom, he always thought it best to prepare for the inevitable and the impossible. For all they knew, a war could be on the brink and none of them were the wiser.

After going back to studying he realized he could no longer concentrate. As he continued to try and read the words in front of him, he noticed he wasn’t registering any of what he was reading. He shook his head and tried to focus; however, still he could not find it in him to concentrate.

Out of frustration he slammed his hand on the table and sighed. That scream he believe he heard earlier was bothering him more than he cared for. He hated playing detective, but he decided he might as well go and make sure nothing was awry. He closed the book he was reading after a few minutes and stood from his desk once more before tightening his robe.

He approached the entrance to his room and opened the doors to his chambers to see two guards positioned outside of his room; catching him slightly off guard.

“What is the meaning of this?” He asked cautiously.

“Queen’s orders,” one of the guards said avoiding his eye.

“What,” Kai started while looking between the both of them, “…what exactly were her orders?”

“Her orders were to stand outside your doors and keep you safe,” the other guard said sternly.

Kai cocked his head to the side in confusion, “This does not make sense. If I were in any danger, surely the castle would be on higher alert. Ar