The palace gates of Haneul stood wide open.
Rows of soldiers lined the entrance in polished armor, their spears gleaming beneath the afternoon sun. Nobles filled the marble courtyard, dressed in silk and gold, whispering behind jeweled fans.
Everything looked perfect.
Only those inside the palace knew the truth.
The bride was gone.
And the kingdom was balancing on the edge of disaster.
---
The sound of horses echoed through the courtyard.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
"The Jeon delegation has arrived!"
Every noble immediately lowered their heads.
The massive black carriage stopped before the palace steps.
A royal attendant opened the carriage door.
First came the royal guards.
Then the commander.
Finally...
A pair of polished black boots touched the ground.
Jeon Jungkook stepped out.
He was dressed in deep navy ceremonial robes embroidered with silver dragons, a symbol reserved only for the Crown Prince. A sword rested at his waist—not because it was required for the ceremony, but because he refused to travel without it.
His expression was unreadable.
Sharp.
Cold.
His dark eyes swept over the palace with quiet precision, noticing every detail.
The stiff smiles.
The nervous servants.
The ministers who couldn't quite meet his gaze.
Something was wrong.
He could feel it.
His advisor, General Min, leaned closer.
"...Your Highness."
Jungkook didn't look at him.
"Speak."
"The atmosphere..."
"...is unusual."
"I noticed."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
---
Inside the palace...
King Kim stood near the throne room entrance, taking a slow breath.
"This must not become a scandal."
A minister whispered anxiously,
"He'll find out eventually."
"Not before I tell him."
Another minister shook his head.
"He won't accept it."
The king closed his eyes.
"I know."
---
The grand doors opened.
Jungkook entered.
Every noble bowed deeply.
"Welcome, Your Highness."
Jungkook offered only a polite nod.
His eyes immediately found the king.
"Your Majesty."
King Kim stepped forward.
"Welcome to Haneul."
Their greetings were formal.
Respectful.
But strained.
After a brief exchange of courtesies, Jungkook spoke first.
"I would like to meet my fiancée before the ceremony."
Silence.
The king's fingers tightened around his sleeve.
"...There has been a complication."
Jungkook's expression didn't change.
"What kind of complication?"
No one answered.
His gaze slowly moved across the room.
One minister looked away.
Another swallowed nervously.
His instincts screamed that something had gone terribly wrong.
Finally...
The king spoke.
"Princess Sooyeon has disappeared."
The words landed like a blade.
For a heartbeat...
The room was completely silent.
Jungkook stared at him.
Then asked, very quietly,
"...She what?"
"She left the kingdom."
General Min's hand instinctively moved toward his sword.
Several Jeon soldiers tensed.
Jungkook remained perfectly still.
His calm was somehow more frightening than anger.
"I crossed three kingdoms."
"I negotiated peace."
"I agreed to this marriage despite having no desire for one."
"And now..."
His voice lowered another degree.
"...you tell me your princess ran away?"
King Kim bowed his head.
"I offer my sincerest apologies."
Jungkook let out a humorless laugh.
"Apologies?"
His eyes hardened.
"Do apologies prevent wars?"
The ministers flinched.
No one dared interrupt him.
---
Then...
The king said the sentence that changed everything.
"There is... another proposal."
Jungkook looked at him.
"My youngest child will take her place."
Jungkook frowned.
"I wasn't aware the princess had a younger sister."
"...She doesn't."
A pause.
"My younger child is Prince Kim Taehyung."
Silence.
Utter silence.
Even the servants stopped breathing.
Jungkook blinked once.
He was certain he had misheard.
"You expect me..."
"...to marry your son?"
"Yes."
For the first time since arriving...
Emotion flashed across Jungkook's face.
Disbelief.
Then anger.
A cold, dangerous anger.
"Am I a joke to your kingdom?"
"No."
"Then why am I being treated like one?"
King Kim didn't answer.
There wasn't an answer that could undo the humiliation.
Jungkook took one slow step forward.
"You invited my empire."
"You announced this alliance."
"You promised a princess."
"And now..."
"...you offer me someone else because your plans failed."
His voice echoed through the throne room.
No shouting.
No raised tone.
Just controlled fury.
Sometimes that was worse.
---
At that exact moment...
Outside the throne room...
Taehyung stood behind the half-open doors.
He hadn't intended to listen.
But the voices carried through the corridor.
He heard every word.
"...You offer me your son?"
Each sentence struck harder than the last.
Taehyung lowered his gaze.
He had expected resistance.
He hadn't expected to feel like a replacement before the man had even seen him.
One of the palace maids looked at him with pity.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness..."
Taehyung gave her a small smile.
"It's alright."
It wasn't.
---
Inside...
Jungkook continued.
"I refuse."
The room froze.
"This marriage ends today."
General Min stepped beside him.
"The Jeon Empire will return home."
King Kim's face paled.
"If you leave..."
"The treaty dies."
"Then it dies."
The words echoed through the chamber like a final verdict.
---
A soft voice interrupted.
"...Before you decide..."
Everyone turned.
The great doors slowly opened.
Taehyung stepped inside.
The throne room fell silent.
He wasn't wearing elaborate ceremonial robes.
Only simple white silk, still carrying faint traces of blue paint near one sleeve. His long dark hair was tied loosely at the nape of his neck, and there was nothing ostentatious about him.
Yet his quiet presence drew every eye.
Jungkook looked at him for the first time.
Their gazes met across the hall.
Neither bowed.
Neither smiled.
Taehyung spoke first.
"I didn't ask for this either."
Jungkook's jaw tightened.
Taehyung continued, his voice calm despite the tension.
"You were promised a bride."
"I was promised nothing."
A brief silence.
"But now we're both standing in the middle of a decision neither of us made."
Jungkook studied him carefully.
There was no fear in the prince's eyes.
No pleading.
Only exhaustion.
"I don't expect your sympathy," Taehyung said. "And I won't beg you to marry me."
Another silence settled between them.
Then Jungkook answered, his voice cool and unwavering.
"Good."
"Because I have no intention of making this easy for you."
Taehyung held his gaze.
"I wasn't expecting you to."
For the first time, Jungkook saw something unexpected.
The prince wasn't trying to win him over.
He wasn't pretending to be cheerful.
He wasn't acting like a sacrifice begging for acceptance.
He simply looked... tired.
And somehow, that unsettled Jungkook more than anger would have.
---
The throne room remained silent as the two princes faced each other.
Neither of them knew it yet.
But this was the first move in a battle that would take months to end.
And somewhere beneath the anger...
The first thread of an impossible bond had been tied.
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 3 Episodes
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments