Heart of Ice

Him

He was fine young man with fair skin and full, rosy lips. Yewon quickly averted her eyes and lowered her head, as her mother had instructed before she entered, but her spine was chilled by the icy gaze he directed at her.

She had to resist her natural inclination to put her hand on her heart, and instead she bowed to everyone in the room and introduced herself as rehearsed. "Good afternoon. I am Princess Yewon of Galacia." Her mother had told her to say other things, but that was all that Yewon could remember in the moment.

All eyes were on her as she walked through the ballroom and towards the Solenese King and Queen. She bowed to the two of them individually, and then bowed to her future husband.

The King smiled at her, and the Queen had a soft expression on her face. It was only Prince Seungcheol who sent daggers into her when he looked at her.

Behind her, her parents bowed to the Solenese King and Queen. It was a strange sight to behold: her parents, King and Queen of Galacia, bowing before someone. If she hadn't felt their desperation for peace with Solen before, she definitely felt it now.

As her parents bowed, Yewon noted that the Solenese King seemed pleased by the gesture, as if he enjoyed watching his enemy King bow before him. It felt like her future father-in-law was subtly degrading her parents with that smug grin on his face, and Yewon already hated him,

They were seated on a table filled with clearly important people: royals from many different countries, merchants, scholars and priests. People began to greet them and welcome them to Solen. Some of them seemed to be suppressing a deep-seated hatred, but many others seemed genuinely kind and happy for the prospect of reconciliation between Galacia and Solen.

Still, there did seem to be tension. It was there from both her parents towards the Solenese people, and from certain Solenese people towards her and her parents.

Yewon was overwhelmed. So many people were speaking to her, greeting her, welcoming her, offering her food and drinks, and she didn't know what to focus on. She couldn't even spare her future husband a second look because she was flooded with people wanting to speak to her.

In the moment she finally got to catch a break, she looked in the direction of Prince, and found that he was not in his chair. After her eyes scanned the parameters, she spotted him sitting at a table with the advisor who had escorted her earlier: Jeonghan.

Seungcheol was drinking and eating happily, laughing with Jeonghan and the others at his table. His aura was completely different than what she felt when he looked at her.

Someone tapped her from behind. She turned to see a bright younger girl and an older boy, both of whom donned fancy attire.

"Princess Yewon, are you really going to marry Seungcheol-oppa?" she asked as if it were the funniest thing she had ever heard.

"Yulhee!" the boy who was with her frowned, "that's not what you say when you talk to someone."

"What do I say then?"

"Introduce yourself, dummy. How would she know who you are?"

"Oh, okay. I'm Princess Yulhee of Solen," Yulhee said. "I'm the youngest princess, but mom and dad said they want to have another one. Did you know that parents can decide to have babies? I thought they came from God, but Soonyoung told me that they can actually make babies when..."

"Okay," the older boy said, covering Yulhee's mouth before she could say anymore. "That's enough Yulhee." The boy turned to Yewon and said: "sorry, she talks a lot. I'm Prince Soonyoung. I'm the middle child. But soon Yulhee will become a middle child with me. At least we're hoping."