The Island Prince (Seventeen VerKwan story)

Chapter 13 - Well, well

A/N: Why do I keep waking up at 6 am even on weekends, I want to sleeeep- T.T But I'm here now and it's 7 am so why not post a chapter :P

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'What did you like most in your journeys?' asked Lia.

The prince and the princess were walking behind the castle, talking politely, both of them keeping a slight distance in both their movements and their words.

Hansol really had to admit, no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't find anything that he could bring up against Lia. She was amazing, smart, even funny, kind and beautiful. He would have loved to have her as a friend. But unfortunately it seems like his parents don't accept the excuse 'I don't feel a spark'.

Maybe if he came out of the closet earlier. But then again, he never thought about him being into boys, and it wouldn't even matter since then he'd probably be forced to marry another prince - and that's still not Kwan.

He never had anything against preferring the same gender, espacially since his best friend had a crush on the scientist of their group. Maybe he could've asked Mingyu about how he figured out his sexuality, but the older probably would've ended up in a never ending rant about his Wonwoo.

Hansol never had any girlfriends or boyfriends, nor a crush on anyone, therefore he never really thought about this. He didn't have time for relationships and he didn't really care about them. He had everything he needed in his life: his friends, his brothers and travelling. And he also thought that even if he was gay, he can still choose his own future spouse.

At the moment when he first laid eyes on Kwan, he felt something in his chest and it felt like he was being pulled towards the other boy, even though he'd never seen him before. It was like if he just found his soulmate. He just wanted to get to know him more, and as he got to know him, he fell for him. Hard. And he was happy. He never experienced being in love before, maybe that was another reason for that.

He couldn't wait to introduce Kwan to his parents and maybe in the future ask for their permission to marry him. He was sure they'd love him, and maybe they would've if it wasn't for Lia. The parents he used to know before leaving for his trip would've been head over heels for Kwan. But looks like just how the seasons change and the world changes, people can change in only the span of a few weeks.

And now he is here with an arranged marriage with a perfect woman. And just like his parents, looks like Hansol changed too, because he just doesn't need that perfect woman to be happy. That scared him.

'Hansol?'

'Huh?' the prince snapped out of his thoughts. Lia smiled slightly.

'I asked what did you like most in your journeys?'

'Oh, you know, everything! Following the wind, discovering something amazing every day!' smiled Hansol as he thought about traveling.

'Didn't you miss the comfort of your home?' wondered Lia.

'No! I could sleep under the stars, it was amazing!'

Lia sighed as she followed Hansol. She wanted to tell him she doesn't want this either, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Maybe if they were in this together they could prevent the wedding, but she thought about her mother and frowned. Queen Ariana was so excited about her getting engaged to Prince Hansol. Lia didn't want to disappoint her.

They were nearing the stables where they could see that the king was currently showing Queen Ariana around. As they reached the pigs, suddenly Lorenzo the pig jumped into the mud, sprinkling it all over Ariana's dress.

'Ah! Oh no!' screeched the queen.

'I'm so sorry!' started apologizing the king.

'Oh, it's totally fine. It's not your fault. I'll just go to the well' said the queen as  she made her way behind the building. Hansol and Lia both suppressed a laugh, then Lia bowed and excused herself, running after her mother to help. Hansol furrowed his eyebrows as he looked after Queen Ariana, then stepped next to his father who was standing next to the stables awkwardly.

'Isn't it weird how Queen Ariana already knew where she can find the well? Even though she'd never been here before' whispered Hansol. The king seemed to think about that.

'That's actually pretty strange. The well is behind the building' he answered. Hansol was about to try to continue with this topic. Maybe he can make his father change his mind. But as he was about to say something, they could hear loud laughter from the other side of the garden. He turned around and smiled.

Kwan and Koya were climbing the trees next to the greenhouse while Kwan was laughing probably at something the koala said. He was wearing simple clothes again and he was holding onto the branches and swung himself from one tree to another.

The king seemed to see it as well. His eyes got clouded again and he turned back to Hansol.

'Don't say a bad word about the queen. I see where this is going again and we both know I don't like it, Hansol. You're marrying Princess Lia and that's final.'

Hansol sighed as he leaned to the stable's wall, watching his father turn his back to him. He is really running out of time.

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A/N 2.0: This was a bit shorter but the next one will be a long chapter. I was trying to summarize how Hansol feels about this whole thing in the first half but I don't think I managed to perfectly gather my thoughts because it's just too much... I hope you liked the chapter anyways <3