poisoned fangs | kim seungmin

v.

Ga-Ram unlocked the door with the key that Ryujin had left with her, movements jerky and flustered. She nearly left without saying anything to you, but at the last moment turned around and stared you down, thin lips parting slightly as she spoke, "Stay here. The prince will come get you when he is ready." She then left without another word, and you were left alone. Awkwardly, you stood up and walked over to the barred window, feeling silly in such a big, poofy gown. For a moment, you wondered whether Ga-Ram dressed you this way to make a joke out of you, but as you peered out the window, which overlooked the front of the castle, you spotted several guests in gowns even more extravagant than yours, and you immediately calmed yourself, thinking that at the very least, you were not dressed in swamp-green and gaudy red roses. A slightly self-absorbed and rude thought, but one that gave you comfort in a time where you really needed it, no matter the place it came from.

You reached under your skirts to adjust the heavy metal hoopskirt, your sweaty hands slippery inside your silky black gloves that trapped heat in a little too well. Just as you adjusted the bar that had been brushing uncomfortably against your legs, the door whipped open, and you jerked your head to the side, your gaze meeting the amused one of Prince Seungmin himself. "Ga-Ram didn't adjust properly?" he asked, striding over to you before you could protest.

"No, it's fine. I think it just shifted when I was walking," you replied stiffly, trying to shuffle away from him. He caught hold of your still-exposed hoopskirt, preventing you from going any further, and twisted it slightly, adjusting it perfectly from his angle. "Please don't touch me," you said, finally backing away more as he let go. You hurriedly covered the metal with the thick fabric of your outer skirts, the velvety black falling fluidly, just as intended.

"We're going to have to be touching a lot tonight," Seungmin said, the slight smile now faded. "You're my fiancé."

"I didn't ask to be." Your words made Seungmin's expression deteriorate further, a disapproving frown now in place of his previously subtle smile. He resembled his father a lot with that expression and it made you break into a cold sweat, remembering his ice-cold glare when he had first laid eyes on you.
He cleared his throat, turning away from you and pulling up his matching black gloves awkwardly.

"Well," he said, "we'll just have to keep up an act tonight. After that we don't have to make any public appearances until our marriage."

"Our marriage?"

He tutted, pulling out a white handkerchief from his front pocket and walking back over to you, ignoring the way you cringed away. He dabbed at your clammy face with the silky material. "It seems your vampire friend didn't tell you everything about the coming-of-age ceremony, hm?"

"He just told me the basics. I never thought I would be a part of one, so I had no need to pry further," you responded in a strained voice as Seungmin leaned in closer. He tapped at the beads of sweat that had begun to form on your forehead, and you squeezed your eyes shut, breathing in deeply through your nose. You regretted it; he smelled like blood.
When you opened your eyes again he had backed away, tucking his handkerchief back into his pocket like nothing had happened. "Come. We should be making our main appearance soon." He offered his hand to you, and you shakily placed your own sweaty appendage in his upturned palm. You felt queasy at the thought of being in a room with so many vampires, and the strong metallic smell radiating off of Seungmin didn't help your turning stomach in the slightest. Surprisingly gently, he guided you through the empty halls, the only sound being the clicking of your shoes as you took one step after the other, sometimes stuttering a little once you remembered just where you were headed. The sound of chattering laughter grew louder in volume as you got closer, and it felt almost deafening once you reached the top of the grand staircase. Still shrouded in shadow, no one had spotted you two yet, but Seungmin tugged on your hand as he took another step forward, too nonchalant for your liking. "Come on," he hissed, but your feet stuck fast to the floor. Your legs felt like they were made of gelatin, and you thought that if you took another step you would collapse. He tugged on your arm again, harder this time, and you stumbled forward against your will.