Heart of Ice

Heinous

The days following their marriage were unbelievable.

Immediately, the rallying had begun, and so many people stood behind them.

Yewon had not realized the extent of her impact. From the patients she served at the hospital, to the families of the hostages that were freed because of her, to the servants that had known her in the palace– they all bowed in supplication to her and to Soonyoung.

It all happened so fast, but within days, there were masses around them, in recognition of their legitimacy as King and Queen of Solen, and the illegitimacy of the current King and his wife.

Yewon saw Dino; she saw Haein; she saw Seungyeon, and more. They all gave their testaments that this was indeed the legendary Princess Yewon of whom all the stories were told, and this was indeed her rightful husband, Prince Soonyoung.

She was baffled by the love everyone had for her. She found that she had cried on multiple occasions out of surprise, out of happiness, out of gratitude. She felt like she had finally found purpose and meaning in this country, and in her life as a whole.

-

Eventually, after their influence on the people had become threatening to the royals, Yewon and Soonyoung were granted audience with the 'King.'

She had been gone from that palace for over a year, but so much had changed since then. The place seemed somehow darker than before. There were less smiles on people's faces in general. There were so many more people carrying weapons than what Yewon remembered.

As she walked through the halls with Soonyoung at her side, escorted by fully armed soldiers with their spears pointed towards them, Yewon truly felt like something had gone dull and lifeless in the once-vibrant palace of color and laughter.

As she walked, she did notice a strange kind of interaction between Soonyoung and a few of the guards. They seemed to be communicating with their eyes. Upon looking through the guard's helmets and focusing on their faces, Yewon remembered them; many of them were the same guards that Yewon had known when she had lived there, which meant that Soonyoung had also known them.

She then recalled that Soonyoung was the kind of man that made friends with his servants.

She saw nothing but amity between Soonyoung and the guards that were charged with holding spears at him. He seemed to greeting them as friends with his eyes, and they seemed to be greeting him back with gentle glances in his direction.

It was then that Yewon finally felt safe, even if she were walking with a speak pointed at her. She felt that even if the guards were asked to seize or hurt them, they would not comply.

The guards were on their side.

And it was not just the guards: all of the kitchen staff, the stewards, the maids, the cleaners, the pages– all were huddling around them to get a glimpse of the return of Prince Soonyoung, the Prince who had once treated them like equals from with a hierarchal system that somhehow deemed them inferior. He was that Prince that everyone loved and adored, despite all of his transgressions.

All of the servants were on their side.

When escorted into the courtroom, she found Wonwoo sitting in his throne.

He was very different from how she remembered him; his face was skinner, and there were crinkles on his forehead making it seem as if he'd aged many, many years.

He had no hint of a smile on his face, none of that kindness in his eyes that she remembered from when she had last seen him. On the contrary, Wonwoo looked cold and relentless– much like a King.