lovesong | beomryu

𝟏𝟏 | when my eyes are on you

"I'm not marrying that old coot."

"Ryujin, please..." the king sighs tiredly, rubbing his temple before looking back up at his daughter. She's staring at him lividly, sharing a remarkable resemblance with his queen.

Instead of hearing him out, Ryujin's glare deepens. "Let's not have this conversation again, father. I haven't changed my mind."

What she thought would be a peaceful get-together with her father turned out to be just another ruse to get her married to a prince from another kingdom. Granted, he was not an old coot, but her point was she wouldn't allow a marriage between her and a stranger to occur, especially when she can't make the decision to marry on her own.

"All your siblings have married without trouble. I'm not getting any younger, Ryujin. I would at least like to see my youngest child be well taken care of."

It takes everything in Princess Ryujin to not roll her eyes. She stands before the king's throne with hands on her hips. It's a pose her father has become all too familiar with over the years.

"I don't need to be taken care of by some spoiled prince," she asserts.

"Will you at least meet him before you make that judgment, my dear daughter?"

She stares at him blankly. "No. I've heard enough to make my choice."

The king sighs.

Gossip exchanged between the servants may not be all that reliable, but Ryujin would rather believe it than to submit to her father's wishes for her to marry. It's childish of her, she admits, though she can't bring herself to care about it. She wants to live her life her own way, and no amount of royal boundaries or rules will get in her way.

She knows her father sees her as a nuisance for it - that much is evident from the disappointed look he's giving her. At first, it made her feel guilty. Maybe if she just did as she was told like all her siblings do, then it would be more peaceful for their family.

Ryujin has never liked peace over her life, though.

If being the problem child is what she'll be labeled as for wanting to do things her own way, then so be it.

"With all due respect, I have elsewhere to be, father. I'll be taking my leave now." Ryujin bows when she realizes her father seems to have nothing else to say.

Grasping the tulle material of her pink gown, she lifts it off the ground a little to sashay out of the throne room. She can hear her father sighing to himself again, but she doesn't turn around to acknowledge it.

Ryujin opens the ornate doors, letting them close behind her before she releases an exhale. She closes her eyes momentarily, the stressful events of the day catching up to her.

Times like this, she wishes she was born a commoner.

The princess only stays like that for a few moments before recollecting herself. "Let's go," she says.

The guard next to her obeys. He'd been waiting for her outside the doors while she met with her father.

Ryujin's heels clacking against the floor is the only sound that can be heard as they walk down the grand halls. If it weren't for the fact that she'd grown up in the palace, she knows for sure she would've gotten lost in its maze.

Frustration intensifies the more she thinks about the expectations that were bestowed on her. It infuriates her so much that she doesn't even realize she's walking faster and faster with every step.

She only stops when she reaches the entrance of their library. Not many come here, and Ryujin is happy with that. It's become her safe place for many years.