He had been planning to do whatever it takes to prevent the prince wedding from take off. Yet, he had not considered the option of marrying the prince, nor that any of his mens dared to suggest it despite the fact it was the obvious solution.

Part of him see the ‘benefit’, the other part 'reject'. Tension rips his spine.

‘No.’ He answered. His own voice sound strange. He trained himself to shut down emotion but that skill suddenly failed and the emotion has somehow rise up from somewhere deep inside him. Some dark part of him that he no longer access.

One of the dogs growled a threatening sound. He saw the boy flash a fear look at the dog.

‘This would be pure politic arrangement. We both will benefit from it.’

TOP try to detach his mind from the pain he carried around inside himself. ‘Politic arrangement?’

‘Kim Jong Kook position is not secure that why he want to marry me to be the next King. The people does not support him and he never take the trouble to earn it. For him, ruling is about what he can gain rather than what he can give and that approach doesn't makes him popular or secure.’

TOP hid his surprise. He had listened to his advisors talk for hours on the problems facing the country and yet this boy had summarised the situation in four blunt sentences.

‘Perhaps he didn’t expect the King to die so soon.’

TOP see the hesitation in the boy, and it was obvious that he was being careful about what he told him.

‘He knows that the only way he will be accepted is to marry me, and he is willing to do anything to make that happen. Do not underestimate him.’ The boy was serious and his eyes were focus on him.

TOP also know that the prince was right, the marriage should be stop. He didn’t reveal that he also had his own plans for making sure it didn’t happen in first place. There was no doubt the boy plan was better. Full stop.

Except for him.

For him, it meant breaking a vow.