Rosy ashes [j.jk ff.]

t h r e e

The carriage finally came to a halt and Yeri's heart picked up its pace. This could only mean, that they arrived at their destination. Her future husband was waiting for her right outside. The princess could not stop herself from peeking out of the little window in the carriage, but she couldn't see much, only guards standing in front of the doors. 

She sighed, trying to let all her worries vanish with one last exhale and pushed the doors open. The door collided with the carriage with a soft thud and all eyes snapped to the princess, who tried to exit with shaking legs. One of the guards noticed her nervousness and came to her aid with a dazzling smile. "Careful, princess. We wouldn't want you to fall already" he whispered into her ear, while he gently held her hand to help her safely exit the carriage. 

Yeri smiled gratefully at the guard, whispering a small 'thank you' back. She straightened out her dress, before finally taking a look at the royal family, that was standing upon the massive steps of their castle. The first thing she noticed was the intimidating presence of the king, standing tall and proud on the left. His aura was totally different from her father's. There was no gentleness in his eyes, no familiarity. 

Yeri gulped, willing her eyes to move on and focus on the queen by his side. Her blue dress shimmered in the sunlight and her warm smile welcomed Yeri, making her instantly relax a little and smile back. Lastly, her gaze fell on Jungkook, the fire prince she had to marry. He stood tall and proud, his dress shirt the same color as Yeri's rose. His gaze was cold and unforgiving, it made her heart freeze. 

Yeri would've liked to go back into the carriage and just go back home, but she couldn't, so she bravely marched on, dropping into a curtsy in front of the royal family. "Princess Yeri! We are so pleased to finally meet you!" The king's voice was deep and authoritative. He spoke with a confidence, that only a king could muster. 

Yeri smiled, bowing down once again. "I am very pleased to meet you too, my king" she answered, too scared to meet his gaze, so it naturally strayed to her future husband. From this proximity, he was even more handsome than she had dared to hope. A lethal beauty, with his high cheekbones, a jawline that could cut steel, round eyes, slightly hooked nose and soft lips, but his eyes were icy cold. 

Yeri swallowed the lump in her throat. He was not at all happy to see her and all her hopes of maybe at least forming a friendship with her future husband were blown away. The king and queen did not notice this, however. "I heard you love flowers, Yeri" his mother finally spoke and Yeri quickly looked at her, escaping the intense stare of Jungkook. "That's right, my queen" she answered softly. 

"We have a beautiful garden here, maybe Jungkook can show you around and you two can talk a little" the queen proposed and Yeri found herself nodding, but avoiding his gaze. She doubted he would want that, but when she looked up, he smiled and offered her his hand to take. "Shall we go, princess?" 

Yeri was surprised but accepted his hand nevertheless. Together they slowly made their way to the gardens and Yeri gasped at the beauty of all the flowers she could see. Her head was turning left and right to take everything in and she smiled from ear to ear. This looked similar to her garden at home, maybe this wasn't so bad after all. 

She would just go here when she felt homesick. Yeri couldn't contain herself and finally let go of the prince's arm, running to the roses, she saw in the heart of the garden. They were beautiful, every color was present and every rose was perfectly grown. "Do you also like the garden, prince Jungkook?" she found herself smiling, but it soon vanished, when she turned around and found her soon to be husband with a deadly glare and a flower in his hand, that he burned to crisps in front of her. 

"No, princess. I have no interest in flowers or any other greenery and I sure as hell have no interest in the spoiled little princess who grows them" he hissed and Yeri flinched at his tone, her gaze on the floor. "This was not my choice, Prince Jungkook." Yeri could feel the heat of his emotions all around him, her naked arms grew hot and she wished to flinch away but didn't dare. 

"There is no place for you in this castle! There is no place for you in my life. You really think I could grow to love you and accept you as my wife? Why should I settle for another gardener, huh?" Contrary to Jungkook's temper, his words were icy cold. Yeri's eyes were glued to the stones at her feet, too scared to look him in the eyes, too scared to show him how much he hurt her with his words. 

Then his feet turned and he walked away, leaving the girl by the roses, a single tear rolling down her cheeks. "I'll tell my mother you stayed behind admiring the flowers" Yeri understood his words as a warning, so she nodded, even when he couldn't see her anymore. 

She stayed behind, sitting on the stony path and staring at the flowers because that was all she could do. The garden was so big and almost like a maze, she would never find the exit on her own. Suddenly footsteps sounded through the silence, approaching the girl. Yeri raised her head, hoping Jungkook had come back to lead her to the castle at least, but when the person finally came in sight, it was the guard that helped her out before. 

His metal decorations glimmered on his black uniform, but nothing compared to his smile, that appeared as soon as he saw her. "What are you doing here all alone, princess? Let me accompany you back to the castle" he said, when he finally reached her, kneeling down beside the girl. "I'm Jung Hoseok, head of the guard and best friend of the douchebag that left you stranded amidst those flowers" he introduced himself, offering the princess a hand to stand up. 

Yeri smiled slightly at the nice man in front of her and gratefully took his hand. They walked in silence for a little, until he spoke again. "I feel like I should apologize for his behalf, my lady. This is not how I, or the queen, raised him. You must understand, this situation is hard for him to get used to. He will come around eventually, I promise you." 

The princess just nodded and when they were in front of the huge doors, that lead inside the castle, she turned to her savior. "We're here" he smiled and Yeri could not even fight the smile that grew on her own face. Jung Hoseok, head of the royal guard, without a doubt the best fighter the kingdom had to offer, was a little sunshine. 

"Thank you so much, Hoseok. You have helped me two times now already and it's not even the second day! How can I repay you for your kindness?" His smile only seemed to widen at her words. "This should be fairly easy, my princess. I only want to see you smile in return" he said, then he gently lifted her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. He turned around, walking back the same way he came, leaving the princess flabbergasted and looking after him. 

Yeri could not fight her smile. 

You guys waited for ages for this update and I am so sorry. I will try to update a little more regularly for you. I feel like now, the plot is finally kicking in and I am super excited to see what you think of my ideas. See you (hopefully) really soon! (If not you can scold me until I update). Thanks for reading my lovelies! Until next time~