A crown or this? | minsung

🌙the princess

She laid in a bed of flowers, as pale as the clouds in the sky. Minho sat by her side and frowned, she was cold, her hands were crossed over one another, hiding under a pile of flowers .

She was beautiful, their was no denying it, a true pearl.

"When did this happen?" His father was confused and at a loss for words, this marriage had been organized long before Minho was even born into this world, now it was gone in a day.

"Last night my lord...she passed during her sleep" a servant answered and he nodded, Minho stayed as still as possible.

"Do the king and queen bare more children?"

"They had twins, a boy and a girl...that is all she could conceive my lord" he said calmly.

"What will you have me do father? We cannot win this war alone." Minho intervened.

"I will discuss with the sun king."

"Can I come with you?"

"No, I will discuss these matters privately...go and explore the castle."

"I am old enough to attend a meeting."

"But not old enough not to talk back to your king apparently." He said and left just as he had come. Minho groaned under his breath and leaned on the window, lowering his head.

A pair of footsteps were heard in the big room he was in, but he didn't bother turning, he had fathered to look outside at the busy streets.

The sun was too warm here, it made his usually comfortable fur suit feel unbearable.

"My lord" the servent behind him said and moved aside, the footsteps getting closer.

"Do I stutter?" A young voice said, clearly irritated.

"Of course not your majesty..."

"I specifically asked that she be surrounded by white roses...what was not clear?" He gave a shady look to the servants and they all looked at each other unsure of what to do.

"It will be changed immediately my prince."

Minho finally turned around and was faced with the prince, blond and well dressed, gold covering his fingers in rings.

"Happy?" The prince said, his eyes piercing through his heavy clothes.

"Excuse me?" Minho looked straight at him.

"Are you happy she is dead?" He didn't look like he was joking, every part of his body and movement was calculated perfectly. He moved with grace, swiftly and clean.

"Should I be?" Minho kept a calm face, it was in his nature to be like this. It felt like he was talking to a snake that could snap at him any minute.

"Clever." The blond prince approached him more and was now only a few steps away from him, even his hair moved perfectly.

"Leave us." He didn't even have to turn around and the servants fled and closed the door, leaving the two alone with a dead body laying in the middle of the room.

"You must be jisung..."

"And you Minho...I've heard a great deal about you"

"I'm flattered."

"You shouldn't be." Jisung replied quickly and then looked at the bed that had his sister in it.
"Should I ask you how the trip here was or get straight to it?" He couldn't read his expression, it was complexe, completely covered by a mask he had perfected. He couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Our people value honesty...so yes"

"My sister was not sick." He walked to him and looked around, coming closer to his ear.

"So watch your back...a lot of people know how to wheal daggers around these parts...trust no one." Jisung whispered and turned around to go see his sister, going to sit besides her.

Minho nodded and shifted in his suit, the leather parts squealing because of the sun.

"Guard." Jisung said and one immediately entered.

"Yes my lord?"

"Fetch this poor man a proper sun city silk..."

"I will be back" and so he left the same second, his armour being heard all across the hall.

"Do you make them do everything for you?" Minho questioned.

"I'm sorry...should I tell him to let you sweat like a dog in that fur of yours?" He said rapidly and Minho frowned.

"I've seen the slaves in your palace..."

"Yes, my father enjoys to see them around the castle, he thinks of them as decorations"

"They are human beings."

"I never said I agreed with his doing..."

"Yet you do nothing to stop it..."

"You think I haven't tried? Oh my dear fellow prince...you truly know nothing about this place..." Jisung said, arrogantly and without even hiding it.

"I'll be leaving" Minho furrowed his eyebrows and walked towards the door.

"Word of advice, if you want to make it at least one day here, wear proper clothes...they'll be sent to your room"

Minho bowed and left and got guided back to his own room for the time being. He entered and locked the door, the clothes laying in his bed perfectly.

He hated this place. It felt poisonous to even stand in the castle, like he was playing a game at all times. He took the lace at the bottom of his shirt and started to undo it. This step used to take him hours to do as a kid, undoing all of them until his suit was finally a bit more breathable, now he didn't even imagine himself without it.

Once it was all off, he took the clothes layered on his bed for him and lifted a brow. It was still mostly covering everything, his arms, his chest and legs. It was a marine blue with silver laces, just like in his country side, the same emblematic colours. He put them on and was already much better for the weather, the boiling sun. It fit him perfectly, every inch of it, he wondered who had made this for him.

He went and leaned on the balcony to look at the city in action.

Minho then remembered those words, Jisung's precise words.

My sister was not sick.

Trust no one.

These were his words, the prince of the sun land. Who was trying to sabotage the alliance? Who had allegedly...killed...her? The faith of his people resided in this union, he had to find a solution and quickly before it all burned to dust, literally.

A knock was heard at his door and so he turned, holding the knife that was stormed inside his new jacket, the ones his father had gifted him.

"Enter." He spoke and the door handle turned.

"The king has asked you and your father to attend the great games this evening" a beautiful servant girl had said, shyly.

"Great games...?" Minho raised a brow.

"Yes my lord, it is a tradition to honour the dead here, it would mean a lot of you to attend and pay your respects." She was avoiding eye contact with him.

"Alright...take me to them"