Heart of Ice

Hope

Two days after the funeral, Seungcheol came to her room and said the first words to her since he had accused her of killing Jeonghan: "I made a promise to you that I broke. I hurt you physically," he said solemnly, referring to when he threw her on the floor and was prepared to do more than that. He didn't look or sound apologetic about it though.

"I won't hold you accountable. You weren't yourself then," Yewon replied.

"You speak as though you know me," Seungcheol scoffed in response. "I'm a dark and terrible man, Princess Yewon. Right now, I am darker than you could ever imagine. Right now, I hate your people with every fiber of my being. I hate them for what they did to the people that I loved."

"Jeonghan did not die by Galacian hands..."

"He did," Seungcheol replied coldy, "if only your country did not exist, I would still have him."

"You're being so unfair right now."

"Like I said, I'm a dark and terrible man."

"What did you come here for? To tell me that?" Yewon asked, not wanting to continue the conversation they were having.

"No," Seungcheol replied, "I came to tell you that tonight, I'm going to publicly announce our divorce."

Yewon felt her blood freeze for a moment. She knew that things would change between her and Seungcheol because of Jeonghan's death, but she had not considered that things would end. It made her want to cry, because she very well knew what ending the marriage would mean for Galacia. "You want war," Yewon concluded faintly.

"Yes. I want to carry out the attack that Jeonghan had planned to honor his memory. And yes, I want to go to war. So please pack your things. You'll ride back home tomorrow."

Yewon had been dreaming of returning to her home, but in this particular circumstance, the thought of going back sent chills up her spine and made her tremble and eventually even cry. As tears started to form in her eyes, she turned her back to him to wipe them.

She heard him sigh from behind her, and after a silent pause, he said: "you don't have to be afraid. You will get there safely."

"I'm not afraid of getting there safely," Yewon replied to him. "I'm afraid for my country, on which you're now threatening war so recklessly."

"Don't call me reckless..."

"It is reckless, though," Yewon exclaimed, turning to face him with tears in her eyes. "This is revenge, right? You're going to cause thousands of people suffering because you want revenge for him?"

"You don't know anything, princess!" he yelled at her suddenly, a mysterious glimmer suddenly forming in his eyes. He looked evidently riled by Yewon attempts at arguing with him. "And you don't know what loss feels like. You wouldn't be talking to me like that if you did."

Was he trying to shut her up? Trying to appeal to her sympathy? It didn't work, and she was not going to stay quiet.

"Nothing justifies prolonging a bloody war; stop using your loss as an excuse," she spoke back to him. "And I know that you're in pain, but what Jeonghan was to you is the same as what the soldiers that die on the battlefield are to others. By carrying through with this, you're actually making others suffer the same kind of sorrow that you're now feeling. It's not right."

He still looked provoked by her arguments but at least he was hearing her out. "I've made my decision, princess. Nothing you say will change it. Tonight, I'm announcing our divorce..."

Yewon felt shut down and silenced, but she decided to push for something, anything, that would have potential to reduce the likelihood of more war; "if I can't stop you from attacking, then at least allow me to stay married to you."

Seungcheol narrowed his eyes at her and said: "you were a peace offering from your father. And I can't keep the peace offering if I'm planning to break the peace."

"I'm not a peace offering, and I don't belong to you. I'm a person who can make my own decisions, and I want to remain in Solen as your wife so that at least there's a chance for the future."

"And I'm also a person who chooses to divorce you, and not only for political reasons like you seem to think," Seungcheol replied to her.

"You're the one who told me our marriage was nothing but a political arrangement."

"I told myself that, but marriage is a lot more complex. Whether I like it or not, it entails a commitment to you that I don't want to have with anyone who is not currently deceased. I don't want to have a wife; I don't want to betray him... or her... anymore." Seungcheol's voice seemed shattered as he told her this, and she could tell with so much clarity that he was relaying something deeply personal. And as impassioned as she had been before to argue with him, hearing this caused her to hold back any sharp response.

"The divorce will be announced to the nobleman in the courts tonight, and then relayed to the public..."

"But..." she began interrupt him.

"Stop quarreling!" he cut her short brusquely, visibly angry. "Just... stop."

Yewon felt like she was about to implode from all of the things she wanted to say. Never in her life had she ever wanted to convince someone so badly. She suddenly felt like it was all on her shoulders, the fate of two countries and the lives of thousands of men. But he was so stubborn right now, and definitely too deep in sorrow over Jeonghan to think reasonably about the decisions he was making.

She figured that if she couldn't convince him now, the best she could do was buy time to convince him later.

"May I ask you for just one thing?" She locked eyes with him and made her request: "ten more days. Stay married to me for only ten days before you announce the divorce officially."

"What's the point?" he asked.

"Because you might change your mind. Please," she begged him, beginning to cry again.

"I'm not going to change my mind..."

"Please," she pled, putting her hands together, "if the divorce just happens like this, I'll live with regret for the rest of my life. And I know that you don't care about me, but if there's a small part of you that has the heart not to condemn me to lifelong torment for my failure as your princess, then just grant me these ten extra days."

Seungcheol remained quiet to her supplication for a long moment, eyes fixed on hers. His seemed softened, for the frown on his face had loosened. Yewon took his silence to mean he was considering it.

After the agonizing wait, he finally gave her his answer. "I don't see the point, but if it's that important to you, I'll make the divorce announcement in five days." Those were his last words to her before he turned around and left the room.

Five days.

She had five days to amend things, to change Seungcheol's mind somehow. Even if she could not convince him against re-initiating the war, she needed to at least stay married to him. As long as she was there as his wife, there was something to unite the two nations. And as long as there was something to unite the two nations, there was hope for a peaceful future.