Vivid | Lee Minho

•Scene 2•

You were the cherished only daughter of the Count and Countess of the Lurmuse fiefdom. They were not the first parents you had had, but if you cared for any souls in this lifetime, it would be them.

Their fief was a vast, prosperous farming land that spanned across the southwestern border of the Kingdom, with a rich history and a loyal people. Being a border fief had granted them immense military power, yet despite their wealth, your parents lived a relatively humble life compared to their fellow nobles, and they raised you with such humility.

They were the reclusive type, which you were thankful for, preferring to stay at their fief than to reside at the crown city. This quiet life of theirs was only disturbed when you visited the King's palace for the first time, in vain of all the tantrums you had tried to throw to stop them.

At five years old, the countdown to your death began.

Ever since, the King had insisted on you spending long stays at the palace. Sometimes, it was for classes in music, dance, embroidery, or whatever his whims inspired. Other times, it was merely to spend time with the young Crown Prince. To any onlookers, he was a warmhearted King who took a liking to a count's daughter and wished to bring the two families closer.

You knew better.

Behind that façade of kindness, his eyes only saw you as a demon to be purged. This was his—and eventually his son's—way of keeping you under surveillance until it was finally time to fulfill his so-called duty. As he had before, as his fathers and forefathers did, and as his son and descendants would.

You glanced at the Crown Prince now, standing at the dais of his princely seat, surrounded by his closest supporters. At once, he noticed and met your gaze, courtesy of those otherworldly instincts cursed upon him.

His name was one you could never recall. You could see the faces of every king before him within his features. It filled you with such an immense terror, but you dared not express it. All these years, you played nice with him.

Cautiously, you diverted your gaze to the revelry around you. The feasting had finished, and the nobility gathered in this hall were now sipping wine and gossiping the night away.

Looking at the attendees of the banquet was like gazing into a kaleidoscope. Each lord and lady was dressed exquisitely, every gown and suit more spectacular than the other—the kind of fashion worthy of a prince's banquet.

You were standing next to your parents who were politely smiling and nodding along to some unriveting conversation. Count and Countess Lurmuse were older than many of the nobles around them, yet clad in your fiefdom's pine green colors, they were the most elegant in the hall.

Watching your mother, you recalled the conversation you had some hours prior when you told both of your parents about your decision not to marry the Crown Prince.

The Countess was a frail woman. Sometimes it felt as though a gust of wind could sweep her away. So, you were reasonably worried that your news would affect her terribly.

But she had only smiled at you then, her words like a balm to your worries.

"I never wanted to disturb your relationship with the Prince, but I must admit, I am relieved."

She did not believe that he was the right choice. That was what she had told you, and you wondered if she thought the same of the man you had chosen instead.

The ensemble that had been filling the hall with music suddenly quietened, and a curious hush fell over the attendees before the clink of a spoon against glass drew their attention to the dais.