Ａ Ｌove Ｌike Ｗar

Chapter One

SooJung stared at her reflection as her older sister, SooYeon, arranged her hair gently. Outwardly she showed no emotion, her eyes blank and her red lips pressed together firmly, makeup pristine and artfully done while inside she felt like a tornado of thoughts and feelings. She wanted to scream, cry, scrub the makeup off and rip the pretty diamond hair clips her sister was now sliding into her hair out and into the fire blazing in the hearth across the room. But of course she could do none of that. Her freewill had been stripped away from her long before this moment. Perhaps she'd never had it at all.

"I'm sorry." SooYeon whispered suddenly, breaking the heavy silence.

"What for?" SooJung asked calmly. "This wasn't your doing."

"No... But if I wasn't already married then-"

SooJung shook her head, disturbing her sisters work. "Don't be ridiculous. You can't apologise for already being married."

But the truth was SooJung had been cold and bitter towards her sister for that very reason. As the oldest, SooYeon should have been the first considered in any marriage negotiation, but since her sister had run away and eloped when she was sixteen to her best friend to escape the type of reality SooJung was now facing, it had ultimately gone to SooJung to marry this stranger... A stranger she had only just learned the name of.

"You don't have to do this." Her sister whispered suddenly, lowering her lips close to SooJung's ear as she pretended to be fixing a stray curl, both of them aware of the guard stood near the door, watching them closely, courtesy of her future husbands father. "I can arrange a distraction and you can run, SooJung. I'll help you, all you got to do is say the word."

SooJung stared at her sister through the mirror as she arranged her hair and felt her tears finally spring to her eyes. SooYeon helping her to run away meant her sister would face not only the wrath of her parents, but also that of this King, who would, without doubt, torture SooYeon and her parents until SooJung was found - dead or alive. She was offering to go through that to help SooJung... And as much as she wanted to escape, she'd never subject her sister to that. Not even her parents, as much as she hated them right now.

Slowly, she shook her head and watched her sisters expression fall before she smoothed it out. Standing back she forced a smile onto her lips.

"There, your hairs finished. I will tell them you are ready."

Standing up out of the chair SooJung made her way to the full length mirror and took in her appearance. Perfect makeup, red lips, long dark hair curled contrasting with the stark white of her designer wedding dress and her pale skin. SooJung looked the perfect bride. She turned away from her reflection left the room to the hall of the mansion, where her father waited for her wearing a sharp suit, which he tugged at occasionally, his nervous gaze flitting to the armed guards posted around the room. When he caught sight of SooJung guilt dripped from him as he offered his arm to her wordlessly.

She took it stiffly, her hand hovering over his forearm rather then touching it.

"I'm sorry." He muttered under his breath as they stood by the closed set of double doors, awaiting their cue to enter.

She didn't acknowledge his apology because she knew if he truly meant it, he wouldn't have done it in the first place.

The doors swung open, saving him from more groveling and SooJung took in the sight of the rows upon rows of well dressed high society guests, all turning in their seats and craning their necks to get a sight of her walking down the isle. But mostly, SooJung's eyes fixed on the man standing at the end on the raised platform, his back to her. She made out his dark, smart suit, his platinum blond hair curling around the nape of his crisp white shirt and his incredible height... She wasn't all that tall, standing at roughly 5,5", but he would certainly tower over her Father, who stood at 5,8".