𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆 | ᵃᵗᶻ

XXVIII

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the princess was terrified to the core. she didn't want to be married yet, she had barely lived the life she wanted. as great a man prince seonghwa was, she was not going to spend the rest of her life with a man that was forced into her life. the plain thought of it shook her to the core, and she nibbled at her nails anxiously to distract herself from such thoughts.

no one had to wait any longer before seonghwa had charged towards se-ri, his nostrils flaring as he readily tucked his sword away into its sheath.

he stopped right in front of her, and his arms reached up to grab her by the shoulders as he bent down slightly at the knees to make direct eye contact with her, not giving any thought to the princess who stood to the side.

as they gazed into each other's eyes, se-ri could see the frustration burning at an unimaginable heat in his eyes, and she had to stop herself from cowering away.

"just what the hell do you think you are doing, miss lee?" he gritted out, fists clenched tight as he rested them on top of her shoulders, careful not to harm her in any way.

she sighed, and her fingers itches as her limbs ached to wrap themselves around his form, but she couldn't do it in front of the watchful eyes that stayed behind.

her knees felt weak, and a breath she didn't know she was holding in was finally released, and her mind seemed cloudy.

"not now, your highness." she mumbled so quietly, that only he could hear. she moved to walk away back into the palace, into the room she had previously been in so she could get proper sleep.

since this whole ordeal had began in the middle of the night, they had spent a good amount of time outside, and the sun was already rising, the warm hues of orange making an appearance in the vast sky.

he stopped her though, grasping her shoulder with a strong grip. he move closer with a step, his front pressed flat against her back as he leaned down so close that she could feel his hot breath fanning over her ear, and she shuddered inwardly.

"i thought i told you to call me seonghwa." he chuckled darkly. with wide eyes, se-ri turned around to flash warning eyes in the direction of myra, who stood there anxiously as she rubbed her arms in a feeble form of protection.

especially from the intense stare of the boy with raven hair and crimson streaks.

the crown prince backed off then, and he stood at his full height, towering over se-ri.

"get back inside now, we'll talk about this later." he said, tone blunt and se-ri couldnt decipher what he was feeling as of now.

se-ri simply motioned for myra to follow her inside, and without waiting for anyone else, she turned back around to walk to the dimly lit palace.

her hands brushed with wooyoung's when she passed him, and she sent him a small, yet reassuring smile as she noticed the concern dancing in his brown eyes.

♞

dusting off the imaginary specs of dust from her hands, se-ri smiled sweetly in accomplishment as she looks at the freshly tidied room that had previously belonged to her.

she gestured warmly for myra to make herself at home, since it was quite obvious that 'jongin' wouldn't be taking her back anytime soon.

with small steps, myra just about limped her way onto the bed as se-ri tended to her wounds with great care.

"why are you helping me? please hate me, i deserve it." myra asked, her voice quivering as her bottom lip wobbled dangerously when unexpected tears built up in her eyes, clouding her vision.

"slow down, princess. and as for your question, i'm not the medic of the great park family for nothing, hm?" se-ri chuckled as she smiled softly, softly rubbing ointment on the harsh red marks that decorated the smooth skin of myra's neck.

"but—,"

"no questions for now, please. you need to rest so your injuries can heal as quick as possible. we'll talk about this more tomorrow." se-ri explained, not beating around the bush.

the princess could only nod meekly, and se-ri got up from her position as she switched the lights off and exited the room.

she made her way quietly to the crown prince's room, since she had generously given her room away to myra.

se-ri clicked the handle open, and her eyes immediately landed on his form that lay idle on the bed, one arm thrown over his eyes.

she tiptoed over to the bed and sat down on it, trying to make as little noise as possible.

seonghwa hadn't moved an inch yet, which caused se-ri to grow extremely wary and nervous as she twiddled her fingers like a small child.

"you are going to be the death of me, you idiot."

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💌

stay safe and stan ateez <3