Ice Prince

Chapter 2

Hot steam rose from the hot water filled bathtub in the bathroom and filled the room with a light layer of fog as the steam was so much hotter than the normal temperature in the room. The mirrors and windows were steamed up. If you tried wiping it clear to see yourself in the mirror, you only had a few seconds before the window would fog up completely again. Enveloped in the warm steam of the water and the delicate, soothing scent of the aromas in the soaps and scented candles, the southern prince sat in the warm water of the bathtub, legs bent up to his chin, taking up so little space in the huge bathtub how it went. He was curled up like an armadillo, his head resting on his knees and his eyes closed. His mind was empty and he just spent the time taking deep breaths and finding some relaxation. He was alone in the bathroom attached to his temporary chamber, where Yunho stood guard at the locked bathroom door, making sure no one disturbed the prince while he was cleaning up. Hongjoong spent more than an hour sheltered in the warm bathroom, almost half of that in the hot tub, before stepping out to keep his skin from swelling too much. He exited the hot water, grabbed one of the soft white towels that were lying on the edge of the tub and wrapped it around the slim body, then grabbed a second towel and started rubbing his hair dry with it. He looked into the mirror, which was still fogged up, but slowly cleared up again after Hongjoong drained the bathtub water. The fog in the room also disappeared after a few minutes and when Hongjoong's hair and body were dry enough, he eyed himself in the mirror and took a deep breath. He looked at his skin, which was extremely pale, despite his time in the South, where the sun was stronger than anywhere else, so everyone else there usually had a natural tan. Hongjoong, on the other hand, didn't seem to tan easily. His skin was very sensitive, so he hadn't been outside very much anyway, except when he had to go out to practice, but even that didn't last long enough for him to really get a tan. Yunho was also a bit paler than other knights in the south because he always followed Hongjoong like a magnet. But if he was in the sun for a longer period of time, then yunhos turned red rather than brown. He got sunburned incredibly easily and the prince often made fun of him for it.
When the prince was finally done, he unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out. Yunho stayed where he was, just glancing at his prince.

"Are you a little refreshed?" He asked, watching Hongjoong walk to one of his suitcases in the silk bathrobe he was wearing, nodding slightly in response to Yunho's question.

"At least I don't smell like two weeks of travel and perfume anymore." He sheared, opened the suitcase and started rummaging around in it.

"What's up next?" Asked he. The knight took a few steps towards the prince and considered.

"In an hour your family will be officially welcomed in the throne room with a celebration. There will be plenty of food, wine and you may even have a chance to chat with the prince." Suddenly, holding a fresh shirt from the suitcase, Hongjoong straightened up and turned to the knight.

"Why would I want to chat with him?" He untied the loop of his bathing robe, slipped it from his shoulders and, not caring that yunhos was standing in front of him and looking at him, let it fall carelessly to the ground before putting on his shirt.

"You should try to make him sympathetic to you before you get married. It's always better to marry someone who is all over you than someone who doesn't care." Hongjoong made a skeptical face.

"And you mean a conversation with him arouses his sympathy?" The knight shrugged slightly.

"You're a charming fellow. You could easily wrap him around your finger." A smile crossed the prince's lips. He shook his head and went back to his trunk to get a pair of pants to put on.

"Are you proposing that I charm my fiancé right now?" Asked he. His guard was silent for a moment and sat on the edge of the soft bed that was next to the suitcase. The linens were dyed a glossy black and shimmered slightly in the light from the fireplace, which kept the room comfortably warm despite the sub-zero temperatures outside.