#crownsandcourtships

[marveloussupernerd]

Crowns and Courtships - Mystic Messenger AU

Chapter 1 - The Announcement

Summary: a Victorian era AU where you are a princess trying to find a suitable partner to marry. The mystic messenger babies in casual & deep story are all potential love interests, and the audience picks who the main character ends out with

Chapter 1 Summary: it’s time to announce that you will be courting for this social season. A slow, and short start to this. Kind of reads as an intro. Introducing Jaehee (see the end for comments!)

Words: 1400

It was your first debut as a princess for the social season. 1949. Father had told you he would prefer you found a noble man you truly loved than have an arranged marriage. He had had you out of wedlock and would much rather have you marry for love so you may never face the sort of scandal he had at the time. The only grounds for the marriage were that the man had to be of high class and well-respected. Therefore, you were to be introduced into the social season, although nobody was aware of that. Tonight your family would have a ball where the King would announce that his daughter would be coming out for the season and searching for a suitor to one day take the throne.

You sucked in a deep breath as your lady in waiting, Jaehee, pulled the strings of your corset tighter. You clutched your fingers around the post of your bed, bracing yourself as you were pulled back repeatedly by the two strands of ribbon. Following the corset came the hoop skirt, then the bodice top, then the over skirt. The layers were quite heavy, but it was nothing you couldn’t handle. The off-the-shoulder sleeves of the bodice top were extremely tight and frilly, but it did ensure that the dress would stay up through the ball. The final touch was a pair of black boots with short heels added to the back. The boots looked surprisingly well with the pale blue hue of the dress, adorned with touches of baby pink on ruffles throughout. You did a quick spin, catching the way the dress twirled in the mirror; you were quite satisfied that it would lay lovely while dancing, then took a seat at the vanity.

“Alright Your Highness. What would you think about an updo with your dress?” Jaehee asked timidly. You admired your reflection, pulling up some of your hair to imagine it with the dress.

“Jaehee, my dear, I insist you simply call me Princess, or by my name,” you smiled, looking back to the lady in waiting. “My previous lady called me Your Highness constantly and it grew quite tiresome.”

Jaehee grabbed a hairbrush and set it on the vanity. “Yes, I will do that Princess.” She noted how you smiled in response in the mirror.

“I was thinking of pulling it back, like a bun, with braids about the center, as long as that wouldn’t be too difficult or time-consuming,” you explained. You were nervous about requesting such an extravagant hairstyle, as it was the first large event Jaehee would be preparing you for, but you had to look perfect this evening; al eyes would be on you. Fortunately, Jaehee did not seem to mind the challenge and swiftly began to braid the hair.

“What are your thoughts on embellishments this evening? Anything to makeup your face?” Jaehee asked, beginning to pull back the hair.

“I was thinking we could use the cream for my complexion, then, do we have any of the lip wax left?” You asked. Jaehee nodded in response. “Then I’d like that for my lips,” you decided. It was far too scandalous to embellish the face too extravagantly; it was frowned upon and took away from a woman’s natural beauty. Still… you had found a way around this: Jaehee had picked up on a trick in her last household that you could add crushed berry to lip wax to give it a slight pink hue that accentuated the lip color perfectly.

“Would you like anything for your cheeks?” She asked, still focused on your hair.

“No, that won’t be necessary,” you noted. “It’ll be so warm and exciting that my cheeks will naturally flush; any more added to that and people would suspect me of unnatural embellishments or makeup.”

Jaehee made the final touches on the hairstyle, pausing to allow you to take a look at it. You admired the work; it was exactly as you had envisioned it, which was quite the relief; it had been the most difficult hairstyle Jaheee had ever attempted. You requested to do your makeup on your own. You were worried Jaehee would view you as strange, but tried to ignore it. It wasn’t because you didn’t trust her! You just didn’t like the touch of someone else on your face and were such a perfectionist that you wanted full control of the situation.

Honestly… you looked beautiful, and quite fitting of anyone’s hand if they wanted you. Although it was bad to be full of oneself… who wouldn’t though? You were a princess; princesses were rarely up for courtship the way you were. It would be a shock to the court, you would be vied after, you needed to be confident.

“Now, I have been informed of each of the potential suitors and families in attendance tonight, so if you ever need a reminder as to who is who, I will be by your side to remind you,” Jaehee informed you. She always did her research; she was quite good at her job.

Still, you were only half-listening. You were nervous. What if nobody truly wanted to marry you, or worse, they only wanted to do so for the rank? You sighed and turned away from the mirror.

“I think they are ready for you,” Jaehee urged slightly. You nodded, making your way out of your room and down the hall toward the grand ballroom. You were fortunate enough that you knew most of the people who would be in attendance: your best friend Lady Elizabeth would undoubtedly be by your side, as well as your acquaintance Lady Sarah. Your other best friend, Yoosung, who once was known as Lord Kim but gained his father’s title of Duke after Yoosung’s parents had passed, may or may not attend. He had been refraining from social events for the past year so he had time to reorder his estate after his parents’ passing, so you couldn’t be sure.

You had to halt your thoughts when you made it to the grand staircase for your entrance. Deep down you dreaded the sorts of events; you had always been the center of attention at parties, but who wouldn’t prefer a more intimate event with only your closest friends, or, better yet, spending some more time alone? It certainly would not help that you would be even more sought after following your announcement to court.

“Her Royal Highness.” The words echoed through the ballroom, as your name was announced. You smiled at the families in the room and began to ease your way in.

Finally, you made it to your father. He turned, somewhat startled by your sudden appearance, despite the fact you had been announced, but his face softened the moment he saw you. “You look quite charming,” you told him.

“And you look as radiant as ever,” he smiled. “Let me have somebody fetch you some wine.” He signaled over to one of the servers and a glass was handed over to you. The wine was quite crisp and robust; one of the better servings of the season. “Would you like to greet the families or should I make the announcement regarding your courtship first?” He asked.

You paused. It may be considered rude to begin the festivities without greeting each family first, but you also knew that after the announcement was made, you’d have to talk to each family once again. “I think the announcement first. I don’t want this party to take up the entire night,” you commented, a small smile on your face.

Your father tapped lightly on his wine glass with his ring, quickly grabbing everyone’s attention. “Welcome everyone. Thank you all for coming out this evening. Now I know the event has only just begun, but my daughter and I had some exciting news we simply could not wait to share.” The room erupted into whispers, everyone glancing between you and your father. “In lieu of an arranged marriage, my daughter is going to be participating in this year’s social season and courting in order to look for a suitable husband.”

The guests could not contain their excitement over this information. “Now, with that exciting announcement out of the way, I hope you will enjoy the evening’s festivities.” Your father downed the rest of his wine and the room cheered, getting back to their chatter.

#mystic messenger #mysme #Jaehee kang #crownsandcourtships #au

[marveloussupernerd]

Crowns and Courtships - A Mystic Messenger AU

Chapter 4 - The Scare

This is a regency-era AU where the readers get to pick the final love interest about halfway through the story! All causal and deep story LIs are options :)

Chapter 3

Summary: who tried to harm you? You meet the new stableboy, Saeyoung Choi, and get a surprise visit from Prince Jumin and his family

Words: 2125

To your side you could see a horse galloping in the other direction towards the stables. Sir Zen had pushed you aside to avoid getting run over by the horse, you figured. Although, it wasn’t that hard to put together, considering he was still lying on top of you from tackling you to the ground. Your face heated up, and his turned bright red. He scrambled off of you then offered a hand to help you up. You took it, allowing him to pull you back to standing position.

The second you stood, he dropped onto his knee, his head down. “Please forgive me, Your Highness. I would not have taken you down if I had thought of any other way to protect you.”

You smiled, taking his hand this time and pulling him up. “You were just doing your job. I thank you for that.”

His hand reached up to touch your face, but you quickly pulled away. “You have a cut on your face, Your Highness. I can take you inside and find somebody who can patch it up for you.”

“I’d rather go to the stables and see who could possibly be causing such havoc first,” You requested. It was unusual for a Princess to go out and confront a person like you were, but you weren’t going to let them get away with that, especially with the stress of that one group being after you! Sir Zen offered you his handkerchief so you could wipe away the blood. You gently dabbed at it, a little coming off, then gave it back.

As you made your way to the stables, you noticed a new visitor there. He had right red hair, curly, clearly messed up from riding at such a high speed. He wasn’t too tall, but quite lanky. It was clear he wasn’t a noble. He turned and looked at the two of you. “Yes?”

You couldn’t help but let out a scoff. “You nearly ran me over with your house.”

“I’m sorry?” He replied. It was hardly genuine. He turned back to the horse he was on and took the saddle off.

“Watch your tone; this is the Princess you’re talking to,” Sir Zen warned, his hand on his side. There must have been some sort of concealed weapon on his side, you figured.

“Look,” he turned to you, approaching slowly. “I get that you’re the Princess, but I’m still the same amount of sorry,” he scoffed, “surprisingly enough, you can’t influence my feelings just based on your class.”

Zen’s hand balled into fists, but you stayed calm. You stepped even closer to the man: “And who might you be? That you think you can talk to me like that?”

“I’m the new stableboy, Saeyoung Choi,” he held his hand out for you to shake. You rolled your eyes, which was unlike you, but honestly you had never been treated in this sort of manner.

“You won’t be for long if you keep this act up,” you warned.

“I don’t know about that. The horse your father rode to one of the nearby kingdoms on got hurt; I’m the reason he got back safely. Also it seems your previous one retired,” he explained, a smug smirk on his face.

“Well, Mr. Choi, it seems you have a lot to learn if you’re going to work here.” You turned away from him, then spoke over your shoulder. “Perhaps learning to ride a horse might be your first endeavor.”

“She’s a new horse. Almost impossible to tame,” he explained, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I am sorry that you got hurt, though it seems like you’re walking just fine to me.”

You were wordless, and left the stables, Zen walked alongside you this time, escorting you to the palace so you could get your wound attended to. Although it was nothing big, it was important to make sure it wouldn’t become infected. That would cause much greater problems. Jaehee carefully cleaned it out with water then wrapped it in a bandage. You had tea and dinner in your room that night. You didn’t want anyone to see you like this.

The next morning, the wound had not healed much more. It was still a large gash on your forehead. You got dressed in one of your more comfortable white dresses and decided to spend the day in your room once again. Even though it was a cut, it was embarrassing to be seen with it.

You had Jaehee select a book from the library to interest you, this one was on botany, and lounged in your chaise, legs propped up and head tilted back. It was around time for tea when a knock sounded on the door; it startled you: you hadn’t been expecting any visitors. You assumed it was Jaehee and asked her to enter. It was not.

Standing in the doorway was Prince Jumin. You quickly swung your legs off the chaise and stood up to greet him. “Prince Jumin, what a surprise. Please ignore the disarray of… everything. I think it is obvious that I was not expecting you.” You blushed, setting your book down. Your hair was falling out of its style because you had been lying down, the cut in your face stood out; it was embarrassing.

“Your father visited the other day; I was surprised you were not there as well. He invited us over for tea, but I just heard you were not feeling well. I wanted to send my best wishes,” he explained, still standing in the doorway awkwardly.

“Well if you have not had any tea yet, you are more than welcome to have some with me. I need to get myself together, but I will join you downstairs in a moment,” you mustered; you had been dreading seeing other people, especially another King and Queen, but it would be rude if you didn’t join them for tea.

Jumin took a step closer to you; in fact, you were so close you could make out the green swirls in his gray eyes. You hadn’t realized how much taller he was compared to you. Your breath felt drained out of you. He was so close, yet you found yourself unable to move. “How did you get this cut?” He asked, fingers grazing the rough skin so lightly that you could hardly feel it. Your eyes involuntarily fluttered closed.

Ah! It was just you and him in here. Alone. And you were so close. You finally got yourself to take a step back. “Uh, we got a new horse,” you explained, dancing around the whole embarrassing situation. “It is still being trained and adjusting.

You started walking towards the door to the hall; he followed. “I will be down in just a moment to join you for tea,” you reminded him. He took his leave, kissing your hand before stepping out of the room.

The second he took his leave, it was time to panic. Jaehee was downstairs, likely helping organize the tea. You hurried to your room and used a pin under the bun in order to pull back the hair that had come loose. There was no time to redo the hairstyle, especially not on your own. You loosened the pull of the hair so that it covered the wound on your forehead, then started to make your way downstairs, chewing your lips during the descent so that you could bring some color to them.

“King Henry, Queen Amelia. It is such a pleasure to see you,” you greeted as you entered the room, dropping into a deep curtsy.

“Princess, I like what you’ve done with your hair,” the Queen complimented. She turned to her lady. “You will have to try that style on me sometime.

“Mother, Father, I would like to join you all for tea,” you requested, putting on a practiced smile.

“Of course my dear. I wasn’t sure if you were feeling up to company today. I know you were feeling quite faint after yesterday’s events,” your mother explained. It seemed they had set up the tea date in advance, which was interesting because you were supposed to be choosing your own suitor. You remembered Jumin’s words, that he had always planned the two of you would be arranged to marry. You were certain his family was still pushing for it. It almost annoyed you, but you knew it wasn’t his fault personally; he was probably as forced into this as you were at the moment, if not more because they wanted him to court you.

The group got up and made their way into the sitting room for tea. The two fathers were placed at the heads of the table, with their wives seated to the right of them and then you and Jumin to the right once more. You willed yourself not to look and make awkward eye contact with the prince. Your mother nudged you, encouraging you to start a conversation.

Think of something! Anything! Your mind was completely blank. You stared down at your tea, then glanced up at the prince, then back again, searching your mind for any sort of topic. “Was your travel here pleasant? I know it is a long way,” you mustered.

“It wasn’t too bad, but I cannot wait until we go to the city. Everyone lives so much closer to one another that you aren’t stuck in a carriage for hours,” the Queen explained. The families nodded; going to the city was one of the more exciting parts of the year, and it would be even more busy now that you were looking for a suitor.

“Are you also out for the social season, Prince Jumin?” Your mother asked. Oh the scheming. You had to stop yourself from sighing.

He smiled. He was quite dashing. “Ah, not technically. I still have my sights on marrying a princess, as my parents would like me to do as well. But, I see no downside to courting you, Princess, especially if it works out in the end.” How did he make everything seem so simple? He was extremely well-spoken. It made you feel even more self-conscious. You couldn’t respond. You’d only embarrass yourself.

The men stood up, excusing themselves into the other room so they could do their own things. Your mother poured another cup of tea. “Jumin has grown up so much,” she complimented the Queen sitting across from her. You hated when the men and women split up. You always just complimented one another; you wondered what the men did.

“He is very well spoken,” you added. This was just how the social circles worked. Your job was to compliment each other and ask about the ladies’ families or lands one-by-one.

“Thank you, he tries hard to please everyone. He has ever since he was little: always putting on shoes and sometimes even trying to help the maids clean the rooms,” the queen looked directly at you, “he has a kind heart.” It was a warning, as well as a push that you should get to know him better. You smiled and nodded, acknowledging this point. You paused and took a few sips of your tea.

“Well you’ve become quite a fine young lady as well,” the Queen told you. “I’m sure that plenty of esteemed men will be lining up to meet you. You have done quite a good job raising her,” she told your mother. A double compliment. That way she didn’t have to hand any more out. She was clever. But it was strange she mentioned the courting again. The family must have been secretly upset and/or confused by the ordeal.

You smiled, responding to her. “That has been the hope-”

“She has always been somewhat… outgoing. It does not always fit well with some of the other nobles. Ideally, she will find somebody who not only tolerates her candor but also appreciates it.” Nice work, Mom, coming to your defense.

“That makes complete sense; my Jumin is quite infatuated with you, or the idea of you at the very least,” the Queen complimented. This one was far more genuine, perhaps it was because your mother had exposed your flaws so openly. It made you feel weird. Luckily the men came back into the room.

“I heard my name; hopefully it’s all good things, Mother?” Jumin asked, placing a kiss on his mother’s cheek.

“Oh Jumin, I only ever have good things to say about you.”

The King was peering outside. “It looks quite nice out; why don’t the two of you go for a walk so that we can talk about political issues,” he recommended.

#mystic messenger #mysme #Jumin han #zen #saeyoung choi #707 #Jaehee kang #crownsandcourtships

[marveloussupernerd]

Crowns and Courtships - A Mystic Messenger AU

Chapter 3 - The Threat

Summary: turns out some people aren’t happy with your decision to court a suitor. Sounds like you’ll need some full-time security. Cue Sir Zen. A lil bit of alone time with Miss Jaehee and Sir Zen. A little danger too

Words: 2600

At ch 10 the readers pick the LI! Options: Prince Jumin, Sir Zen, Duke Yoosung Kim, Mr. Saeyoung Choi, Miss Jaehee Kang

Chapter 2

Jaehee had no trouble getting you ready in the morning; your outfit consisted of two modest layers was al, and your hair just had to be all at the top of your head.

However, when you went down for breakfast, your father was nowhere to be seen; this was odd, since you two always had breakfast together, with your stepmother, of course.

“Good morning Mother,” you greeted her kindly. “Where might Father be?”

“He had an emergency meeting with his soldiers. He should be back around lunchtime, although it may run longer,” she explained. You nodded. You didn’t really enjoy spending breakfast with only your stepmother; when you both were aware your father wouldn’t be there, you often went and dined in your own sitting areas outside of the bedrooms in the mornings. You got along fine; she had been your mother for twelve years now and treated you as if you were her own child… which probably was difficult, given the fact you were born out of wedlock. But it was obvious that you mostly bonded because you both shared so much affection for your father. Without him around, the room felt empty, cold, lifeless.

“Did you meet any viable suitors last evening?” She asked. She had been at the event but kept her distance; her job was primarily to greet the guests, so she didn’t often get to fully participate in the evening’s festivities when she was the host.

You nodded again: “I reunited with Yoosung, who is finally courting, as well as Prince Jumin. They both wanted to share a dance with me.”

The Queen raised her eyebrows in surprise: “Well that’s wonderful news. I knew you wouldn’t have any issues finding a suitor.” The table grew quiet once again, the only Sounds being the small chime of glass as a teacup was placed on its saucer. Finally, your stepmother confessed, “I may have disagreed with the concept of you not entering an arranged marriage, but there’s something undeniably exciting about the social season that I wished I had gotten to witness. I may even be living vicariously through you.”

You giggled. You definitely were excited as well. “I will do my best to please you then, Mother.”

“Every man you have met thus far seems to be a well fit for you; however, they may not be a good fit for the crown. I suppose that’s one of the reasons why arranged marriages began. If a princess were to marry a prince, she knew he was capable of holding the title. You must spend time with these men in order to ensure that they not only have your best interests at heart, but that they also have the kingdom’s best interests in mind.”

You smiled, set your empty teacup down, and stood up from your spot at the table. “You are so wise; I hope to follow in your footsteps on day. If you would excuse me, though, I am going to go off for a walk around the grounds. Unless you would care to join me?”

“Oh, going outside in this weather makes me simply ill. Do enjoy yourself though.”

You notioned to Jaehee to follow you for your morning walk, then left the building to begin your stroll. It was always the same path: out the front, past the side of the palace near the river, to the back where the garden was, to the other side in the tall grass by the stables, then finally back to the front. It was a surprisingly long walk for a circle around the grounds; the walk took about twenty to thirty minutes, but you liked to take your time to take in the surroundings and make sure everything was as it should be.

Jaehee followed three steps behind as you began your stroll. Nothing too exciting seemed to be happening around the palace today; although when you went to the back you could hear some of the soldiers’ meeting. Still, you decided not to listen, since Jaehee was with you. You didn’t want to force her to get into trouble for eavesdropping. Your father’s tone did sound quite tense though; it made you slightly worried something was wrong. Looking for comfort, you decided to stop at the stables to see the horses.

The stable boy wasn’t there, which was sort of odd. He was always spending time with the horses. You walked over to each of them to pet them. One was low on food, so you made a mental note to tell one of the castle attendants. Jaehee herself pet a horse or two, smiling up at you as she did so.

“Have you ever had a horse before?” You asked her. “You seem to get along with them well.”

“I did when I was a little girl,” she confessed. “I did not have any brothers so it was my job to take care of them in the mornings. I guess they remind me of the simpler times.”

Finally you made it back to the palace. “I’m going to go upstairs to my sitting room, if you could have the kitchen prepare some tea and a light lunch for me and bring it up please,” you requested of Jaehee.

Jaehee followed her orders and rushed to the kitchen; while you went upstairs to wait. You pulled out some of your embroidery and decided to work on it as you waited. You were currently working on a scene that looked like your garden, with the river in the background and all. Despite years of practice, it was still challenging. You found the small detail work the hardest, but knew that the more you worked on it, the easier it would get.

There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” you chimed. Your father walked in, followed by a man with hair so light it was almost white, bright red eyes, and high cheekbones. His face almost looked chiseled like a statue from the Renaissance. You quickly drew your attention away from the man and to your father instead. “Father, I just sent for some tea; I can arrange to have some brought up for you and your guest as well if you would like.”

“Actually, this isn’t my guest. This is Sir Zen, one of our kingdom’s soldiers. He’s going to be looking after you for a while,” your father explained.

The man bowed, eyes trained on the ground, glancing up to you with a smile, then back to the ground. “It is an honor to meet you, Princess.”

“Is there a reason I need a knight watching over me? I’ve been quite alright on my own all this time,” you asked both your father and Sir Zen. You couldn’t help but think of that meeting earlier… Sir Zen’s eyes were still focused on the detailing of the floor, so you had to wait for your father to respond.

“Darling, there’s been a small problem,” he began to explain, taking a seat next to you, “there’s some sort of group that has formed that doesn’t want you picking who you’re going to marry, and does not want you ascending the throne one day.”

“I’m not surprised they feel that way about a woman on the throne.” You confessed, unable to meet his eye.

“Especially since the man you marry may not be a prince after all…” he put his hand on your arm, causing you to look up at him, and scanned your eyes. You were trying to put on a brave face, hide the concern you were feeling. “I’ll leave you to explain your daily schedule and needs to Sir Zen; remember that he will be posted outside of your room each night in case of trouble.”

“Yes Father.”

He frowned, standing from his spot. “I’m truly sorry that we have to deal with this; I hope that it’ll be worth it.”

You smiled at him, trying to comfort him. “It will; don’t worry: I can handle it.” You weren’t sure if he believed your words, but you hoped they made him feel better. He bid his soldier farewell and left the room.

“Well, Sir Zen, it’s nice to meet you. Please, take a seat so we can discuss your job,” you offered, pointing to the chair across from you. He took a seat, leaning back slightly in the chair. A knock on the door indicated that Jaehee was back with your tea. You instructed her to pour some for herself and for Sir Zen and take a seat so you could instruct both of them on your expectations for the next few months to come. Jaehee was blushing. You weren’t sure if it was because Zen was so handsome or because she was uncomfortable about having tea in such a casual manner, but she quickly composed herself to hide any flush.

“So Jaehee, it seems that a group of people are unhappy with my new plan for my marriage. This is Sir Zen. He will be watching over me primarily in the evenings to ensure that nothing goes awry.” The knight nodded in acknowledgement to Jaehee, while she greeted him.

“Sir Zen,” you started. His eyes snapped up to meet yours. “I’d like you to keep watch of my room at night, of course, and also accompany me on my morning walks around the grounds so long as we aren’t having visitors in the afternoon. If we have visitors, I have to postpone my walk to walk with them. After that, you’re free to take a break until the evening, since Jaehee will be accompanying me at evening events.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Sir Zen retorted. He stood up from his spot: “So if you don’t need anything, Princess, I’ll be taking my rest until the evening.” He excused himself and left the room.

“He certainly is something else, if you do not mind me saying so,” Jaehee mentioned. You laughed, almost spitting out your tea as a result.

You had to take a minute to compose yourself before answering: “He does seem quite… I’m not even sure how to put it into words. Hopefully he puts more work into his job than into his conversations.”

Jaehee covered her mouth in surprise at the comment. “I’m kidding! Kind of. I think he was just nervous. I hope I’ll get to know him better, though.”

Later in the evening, as you went upstairs to retire to bed, you noticed Zen was already standing outside of your quarters. “Good evening Sir Zen. I’m assuming you slept well.”

“I did.”

You stood in front of him awkwardly, expecting more conversation than that exchange. You really had thought he was just nervous earlier. Maybe not though? “Well, goodnight. I will see you in the morning.”

“Good night.”

The next morning, you got into your morning attire: just a simple lavender dress that flowed past your ankles, then went out to meet with your guard.

“Good morning Sir Zen. Did anything happen last night?” You asked, a wide smile on your face; you were trying to do anything to get a reaction out of him.

“Nope, quite uneventful, which is good. At what time do you plan to go on your walk today?”

You thought through your schedule: your father was off consulting with Prince Jumin’s kingdom to discuss the apparent threat against the throne, so you would be eating breakfast in your quarters. “I’m going to have breakfast in my sitting room, then I’ll be ready for a walk,” you paused, “why don’t you join me for breakfast? I’m sure you must be hungry.”

There it was! The corner of his lips pulled up slightly; he was almost about to smile! “That would be quite nice, if you wouldn’t mind.” His face went back to its blankness, but it was nice to see his expression change. You motioned for him to follow you through the doorway, then you took your seats where you had sat the previous evening. Jaehee came up soon after, delivering a tray of pastries: croissants, bread with different spreads and jams, as well as cut meats and eggs.

You took a variety of the foods in front of you, while Zen stared blankly at the array. “Please, help yourself,” you urged, handing him a plate.

“I’ve never seen this much food for breakfast,” he explained, a little color rising to his cheeks. It looked quite beautiful as a contrast to his naturally pale complexion and hair.

“Well don’t let that intimidate you,” you giggled, loading up your warm bread with some of the cuts of meat. “I know it was an uneventful night, but still, standing outside my door for hours must have been exhausting.”

He followed your suit, eyeing a croissant curiously before finally deciding to place it on his plate. “It’s no problem; it’s my job.” He had closed himself up again. Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned work. Perhaps he felt uncomfortable talking so casually with you, as Jaehee often felt. You ate in silence.

When you were finally finished, you set down your plate and looked at your guard-turned-guest. “Ready for the walk? It should be nice outside.”

“Yes, of course.” You led him outside of the castle then began the walk.

“Have you ever walked around the entire grounds?” You asked, looking back at him. He was following his respectable three steps’ distance behind.

“I can’t say I have.”

You turned back, smiling to him: “Well I guess I’ll have to give you the grand tour.” You turned to face him while you walked. “This is the river… Uhm, I like it. Downstream some more is the Duchy Embleword, which is where Duke Kim reigns; he’s been a close friend of our kingdom for quite some time now.”

You continued on the walk, making your way to the garden. “This is the Royal garden. It’s one of my favorite places to spend my time, especially in the spring.” He had stopped to observe the flowers; most people didn’t. He was looking closely at one of the flowers with black in its center and a striking burgundy on the edges of the petals. “A black fox dahlia,” you explained. “One of our many flowers. Quite an unusual one though; most people don’t take a liking to it.”

“I like it,” he plucked the stem of one, eyeing you to make sure you wouldn’t be upset if he did so. He wanted to look at it up close. “How does it get this color?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I can find out for you,” you smiled eagerly. It was exciting to see him take such an interest in something.

He actually smiled this time. “I would like that.” Then he handed the flower to you. “I think you would appreciate this even more than me.”

“I feel it may be too personal for me to accept,” you admitted, looking away awkwardly.

“I’m pretty sure it is your garden, your flower.” You reluctantly accepted, thanked him, and continued on the walk. As you strolled, approaching the stables, you kept your eyes trained on the flower. Why had he felt so drawn to it? Most people found the dahlias to be somewhat of an eyesore, but you requested that the garden keep them, as the color was a nice contrast with the other many colors of the garden.

“Princess!” He called from behind you. He sounded alarmed. You looked up from the flower. All of a sudden, thud, you collided face-first with the ground.

#mystic messenger #mysme #crownsandcourtships #au #Jaehee kang #zen

[marveloussupernerd]

Crowns and Courtships - A Mystic Messenger AU

This AU is basically about MC being a princess who is courting during the Regency era! The readers can choose who MC ends up with :)

Chapter 6 - The Garden Party

Chapter 5

Words: 2500

Summary: it’s finally time to travel to the city to go to the first party of the social season, hosted by your close friend Duke Yoosung Kim. Will the party be a success? Will the group plotting against you make their next move?

You woke to a knock on your door. Blinking the sleep out of your eyes, you told the person they could come in. No surprise, it was Jaehee. “Good morning Princess, Sir Zen. I’ve gotten you some tea; we will be departing for the city soon. Would you like to get dressed before breakfast?

“That would be lovely,” you told Jaehee. Sir Zen excused himself and went to leave, but you stopped him. “Wait! Please tell me you will change my father’s mind and convince him that you should join us in the city.” You could tell he was going to object, but you stopped him once more. “Please. I feel safer with you around.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” He smiled, then left. You could hear him making his way down the stairs, hopefully to find your father.

Jaehee got your clothes out, helping you step into each layer of the heavy travel clothes, then brought in some tea. “What happened last night, if you don’t mind me asking? I was surprised to see your knight in your chambers.”

You could feel your face heat up. “Oh! It’s nothing like that! Someone left a threatening note on my door, stabbed into the wood with the dagger. I couldn’t sleep… but with him watching over me it helped.”

“Oh! That’s awful. Are you okay?” She gently placed her hand on your arm.

“I’m honestly scared. That’s why I want him to join us in the city. It seems that if the organization doesn’t like my decision, they’ll attack me there. I already feel sick about the whole thing… having him by my side would help.”

“He is handsome… isn’t he?” Jaehee had a small smile on her face.

You giggled. “He is! He’s opening up more too.”

“Well, I hope we can catch these people, and soon. You should be excited about your first garden party, not dreading it!”

You set your cup down on the saucer, then stood. “We’ll have to hope for the best. I’ll meet you downstairs at the carriage soon! I have to join my parents for breakfast.”

When you sat down for breakfast, your parents stared at you like they had seen a ghost. “What’s wrong?” You asked, nervous that something else bad must have happened.

“We’re surprised to see you coping so well… Sir Zen brought us the note that was on your door,” your mother explained, concern evident in her eyes.

You sighed, your face falling: “Well… we knew there would be people who didn’t like my decision. It’s the consequences I have to face to achieve my happiness.”

“Well Sir Zen is joining us now, without question. He’s packing his things as we speak,” your father explained. It made you feel much better knowing that he’d be by your side, looking after you and protecting you from the people in the city.

“That’s good to know. On another note, I’m excited for the party today as well as our travels!”

“I’m glad to hear it. It must be exciting to be out and about during the social season. You’ll have to tell me all about it!” Your mother expressed happily. It was clear that she was disappointed she had to take part in an arranged marriage, but she was lucky her marriage turned out so well; it was clear that she loved your father dearly, which was surprising considering the fact you were born before your father had married. It was a lot to overlook, but the Queen’s love was able to overcome it all.

One you finished breakfast, it was time to prepare for the trip. You, your parents, and Jaehee took the main carriage. The others rode on horseback alongside the carriage. You smiled when you saw the horse you trained the other day leading the carriage. You walked over to him while the bags were being loaded.

“Why hello there!” You greeted the horse, patting its head. Mr. Choi sat at the front of the carriage, right above the horse and its partner. He raised an eyebrow at you. “Valiant. That’s his name,” you decided.

“A fitting name for a horse so daring and brave,” he grinned, petting the horse. “Let me know if you need anything throughout the trip.”

“I’m shocked you’re being so nice. Nervous? This is your first long carriage trip after all.”

“I just got used to leading one horse; now I have already graduated to two,” he said boastingly, but his face showed that he was quite overwhelmed by the prospect.

“Maybe you should let me know if you need anything throughout the trip,” you teased, turning his words against him. “Safe travels, Mr. Choi. My life literally depends on it.”

“You’re telling me… mine too.”

You loaded into the carriage with your family. You sat next to your mother, and your father sat across from you, next to Jaehee, who got the honor of sitting in the main carriage as your new lady.

You spent your time reading another book on flowers. You read for most of the trip, finishing the book in its entirety. You were lucky your home in the city had a large collection of books that you could read. You luckily made it without needing to take any stops, which was pretty impressive. Before you went inside, Sir Zen swept the house to make sure there was no intruder inside. Luckily there wasn’t. You took Jaehee up to your room to get ready for the garden party that was quickly approaching.

Jaehee quickly helped you get out of your traveling clothes and into your pink ensemble. The blush tone suited your skin tone perfectly; Jaehee had even packed a blush hat to match, since the party was outside.

She spent her time pinning each piece of hair into place, working on a low bun so that the hat would still sit nice. “I know we did not have much time to get ready, but I think you look wonderful,” Jaehee complimented, a small blush on her face. She practically pushed you out of the room before you could respond. “Off we go! We cannot be late.”

You made your way to the carriage with Jaehee next to you. You were lucky she was joining you since your parents weren’t going to attend; they were going to spend their time settling in. Still, it was nice to have some company.

Mr. Choi gave you his hand to help you onto the carriage, which you gladly took. Despite your recent fights, you still needed his help and wanted to keep things cordial. “That is… a lot of pink. You look like a flamingo,” he commented, taken aback by your dress. So much for cordial. It was obvious he was making fun of you to make himself feel better; you could tell by the stupid look on his face that he was just teasing you. You wouldn’t give in that easily though.

“Well, I figured you didn’t have taste, but this just confirms it,” you shrugged as he helped Jaehee into the carriage. “Let’s get going please; I’d hate to be late,” you urged him, and he listened.

“Who is holding this party again?” Jaehee asked as the carriage began moving.

“Duke Kim. I’m sure it was a lot of work for him to arrange the party on his own for the first time… especially since it’s the first one of the season. This is important though, because it’ll set the tone for the rest of this season’s events,” you explained.

You were trying to stay stoic but you were worried about Yoosung. He’d be crushed if the party wasn’t perfect, as if he had let his parents down. You’d take it upon yourself to make sure the party was a success.

But once you got there you weren’t too worried. There were a large number of round tables, draped in lavender linen. Vases of pink roses sat on each table, clearly expensive in order to impress the guests. A few nobles were already there, talking amongst themselves, Duke Kim greeting them.

You couldn’t wipe the smile off your face as he greeted you. “Nice to see you again, Duke Kim. This party is wonderful. I’m sure your parents would be proud,” you complimented. You meant every word; he was always an overachiever, but you were worried the death of his parents would kill his spirit. That wasn’t the case though! He was working even harder now.

“Your Royal Highness, it’s nice to see a friendly face around here,” he leaned close to her, lowering his voice: “I feel like everyone here is waiting to see me fail.”

“Don’t talk like that! Even if they were here for that, it’s not like they could say anything. You’re a Duke now. You outrank most of the people here,” you reminded him. The only ones higher than the Duke in the social status were the royalty. Yoosung should be proud of his title. “Plus! I’ll bet you’ll have at least half a dozen ladies swooning over you at the end of the event. You’ll never have to plan a party on your own ever again,” you grinned, reassuring him. A more genuine smile made its way onto his face.

“Honestly? I had a lot of fun planning this party. It helped take my mind off of things,” he admitted. Another guest entered, standing behind you, waiting their turn to talk to Yoosung. “Let’s talk later. There are place cards on each table to show you where you sit. I hope you enjoy yourself!”

It was obvious Yoosung had thought a lot about the seating arrangements. People sat by those in comparable class to them. Your table had Prince Jumin, Yoosung himself, Lord James, Lady Elizabeth, and Lady Sarah. The seats alternated boy-girl to help with the courting. It was very well thought-out.

Your only bit of criticism had to be Lord James. You had never gotten along with him well; he was extremely opinionated. Still, it was important to give him a chance. He approached the table first, addressing you before standing in front of a seat across from you.

“Hello Your Royal Highness,” he bowed to you.

“Lord James,” you curtsied, “how are your parents?”

“They’re doing quite alright. How has your kingdom and family been these past few months?”

“Pretty good. A little upset over my decision to court instead of going through with an arranged marriage, but nothing out of control,” you explained, downplaying the situation.

“Well I think that it is certainly a scandalous move. But, us noblemen are glad to see it occur. You look absolutely radiant,” he complimented. He eyed the pitcher of lemonade on the table awkwardly. You weren’t entirely sure what he was waiting for.

You ignored him, grabbing the pitcher and filling up your glass. His eyes were glued to it, still confused. “Is something the matter?” You asked, confused.

“I’m simply waiting for somebody to pour it for me. Would you like to do the honors?”

“I’d rather not. Thank you for the offer though,” you mentioned, allowing your voice to show a bit of annoyance. Luckily, Lady Elizabeth made it to the table to save you from the ridiculous conversation. You stood and swept her into a hug, not caring about appearances.

“My dear friend, it’s so good to see you,” you greeted.

“I’m not used to that sort of greeting, but I certainly will not complain,” she looked around. “The Duke has certainly outdone himself, huh? I didn’t realize he had this attention-to-detail in him.”

“Don’t be silly; he’s been straightening the silverware on the dinner tables at parties ever since we met him; this doesn’t surprise me at all,” you laughed. That was Yoosung alright. He had always been a perfectionist. Elizabeth joined you in a fit of giggles. You both sat down one seat apart from each other, Elizabeth getting the unfortunate pleasure of getting to sit next to Lord James.

“Who else is at our table?” Elizabeth asked you curiously, leaning closer to you to speak over the chatter.

“Yoosung, Sarah, and Prince Jumin,” you explained, looking over the table cards just to ensure you were correct.

“Prince Jumin? Oh, how exciting. I didn’t expect him to be showing up to all these events... is he courting too?” she asked curiously, twirling a curl of her hair.

“Well he’s certainly courting me. But besides that, not that I’m aware of. He stopped by the other day for tea.” Truth be told, though, Elizabeth was so beautiful and graceful that it was very likely Jumin would fall for her. Most people did.

“I don’t believe it,” she put her hand atop yours, “oh you must simply tell me all!” Prince Jumin walked over to the table, a smile on his face. “All… regarding how your mother is doing. Did she get over her flu?” Elizabeth asked, trying to cover up the gossip you were getting into. You had to restrain your laughter; no man wanted to see a woman gossiping, especially not the Prince, you imagined. Now the two of you couldn’t have cared less about Lord James, though, as he hardly counted as a man, but this was a prince after all.

“Prince Jumin, so lovely to see you,” you greeted, standing up to curtsy to him.

“I hope your travel was well?” Elizabeth chimed in, curtsying far lower than you had. Show off.

“My dear friend, Lady Elizabeth,” you introduced, “I don’t think the two of you have met formally yet.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Prince Jumin remarked, bowing to the both of you. “It seems I am seated between the two of you. Princess, I hadn’t realized your mother was ill. She seemed fine the other day when I saw her.”

You could feel your cheeks heat up. You didn’t like being questioned like this, especially when the cover-up was Elizabeth’s doing yet you had to dig the two of you out of it. “Ah, yes, well I actually haven’t seen Elizabeth in a while, so she was unaware that my mother had recovered almost a week ago.”

“But I thought we wrote one another just a few days ago? You even mentioned that one man who-”

“Well it seems I must have forgotten to mention it. It has been quite hectic at home lately,” you countered, eyeing Elizabeth, trying to hint that she should stop pressing the matter and be glad you saved her from the reputation of being a gossip.

“Well, Ladies, it looks like I’m at your table,” Lady Sarah announced, making her way in front of you both. “Prince Jumin!” she curtsied quickly, “Whatever might you be doing here?”

“Searching for good company, luckily it seems I might have found some,” he looked at you, smiling.

“I never expected you to be the type of person who would show up to the average boring garden party,” Sarah confessed. Behind her approached Duke Kim. His face fell at the mention of his party being ‘average’ and ‘boring'.

You knew it was your job to make Yoosung feel better. He had worked so hard on this party. He turned away, likely to excuse himself and take a moment. It hurt to see him so disappointed; he likely felt like a failure. You’d have to try and make this right.

#mystic messenger #mysme #Yoosung kim #zen #Jumin han #Jaehee kang #707 #au #crownsandcourtships

[marveloussupernerd]

Crowns and Courtships - Mystic Messenger AU

In a Victorian Era world, you are the princess of a small region near England. Your father gives you permission to court instead of having an arranged marriage. The people you fall for... just so happen to be scaled back to the correct times mystic messenger characters.

The audience decides in chapter 10 ? I think. Who you end out with!! Then the rest focuses on that relationship and how it will be interpreted by society.

Love interest options include:

Prince Jumin, a determined Prince who always assumed he’d be arranged to marry you. Now he’s not afraid to try and one up the others to get your attention

Sir Zen, the knight who is tasked with guarding you, as the news of the courtship doesn’t go down with some of the more conservative locals

Duke (Yoosung) Kim, your childhood friend who has recently taken on this title since his parents have just passed

Mr. (Saeyoung) Choi, the horseman who has absolutely no respect for titles or holding his tongue or respect

Miss Jaehee, your lady in waiting who is determined to do her best in order to make sure everything goes perfectly for you!

A little warning: this does have some violence later on, and there is some betrayal. Not everyone wants the princess to potentially marry someone of a lower class... especially not an organization called Mint Eye

Also ! If there are any mistakes or it b lookin like I plagiarized this... I did. From myself. I wrote this about a year and a half ago, 60 pages in as a novel, and then it didn’t really gain traction. I always imagined it more as a fanfic anyways... so I’m not that shook. I changed things a bit obviously to adjust the characters traits to what they’re actually like and change the main character to better fit you lovely people but it is largely the same storyline I have written before. Only a small amount of it is vaguely published somewhere, but I just wanted to put that out there beforehand

I hope you enjoy! I plan to post the first part tomorrow :)) if people want a tag list that’s certainly something I can do, just feel free to message me or comment on the posts

#mystic messenger #mysme #crownsandcourtships

[marveloussupernerd]

Crowns and Courtships - A Mysme AU

Chapter 5 - The Prince

Chapter 4

A regency era fic where the readers get to choose the romanced LI! All Casual and Deep story LIs are options.

Words: 2075

Summary: you take a long walk with Prince Jumin, then decide to spend some time with Mr. Saeyoung Choi. Maybe you can teach him, or his horse, some manners.

“Alright then.” Jumin turned to you. “Would you accompany me for a walk?” You nodded, taking his arm as you walked towards the door. Before leaving, you put on a hat to hide your face from the bright sun, then went outside. The Prince was leading the way and went backwards: towards the stables first. It would be interesting to gain a new perspective on the lands by going this route.

“Your lands are quite beautiful. You will have to come to our kingdom sometime to see ours,” he proposed.

“Of course, it would only be fair-”

There he was. The bastard who had almost killed her with a horse. Same horse, this time not running at a ridiculous speed, but going in slow circles. He hopped off the horse when he saw you. “Princess, you’re looking much better,” he greeted cheekily. He looked over at the prince. The slight paling of his face made it clear that he had no clue who the man was. “It’s nice to see that somebody is able to tolerate her.”

“It’s nice to see that my stable boy is finally learning how to ride a horse,” you retorted, eyes trained on the horse in the field.

The Prince let out a laugh. It was nice that he wasn’t immediately insulted by her tone. “I’m guessing this is the cause of your accident?”

“Mr. Choi, this is Prince Jumin. He’s from the kingdom next to ours. Mr. Choi was employed when he helped my father on his journey back from your kingdom; his horse had gotten injured,” you explained.

“Well it is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” Mr. Choi greeted, bowing to the Prince. Your mouth taped slightly; he did not address you in that manner.

“We must be continuing on,” you urged ever so slightly. You really didn’t want to deal with him anymore. You weren’t sure if he looked down on women, or if for some reason he just really didn’t like you, but it made you mad that he would address others formally but address you in such a manner.

They continued on. “It seems that you don’t like him,” Prince Jumin caught on.

“I will keep my thoughts to myself, but he did almost run me down with his horse the other day.”

“Well, you’ve certainly showed him. By going out and about, and with your remark,” he glanced at you and smiled, then you continued on towards the garden.

“I don’t mean to make retorts like that; I apologize you had to witness it.” You confessed.

He picked a flower. It was a rose. “I think you are quite like this rose. Thorns down here,” he lifted up his finger; he had cut himself, “to protect you from people. But to those who persevere, you show yourself as one of the most beautiful flowers of all,” He carefully handed the flower to you, warning you to be careful of the thorns. Two flowers within a week. You could not show him your flush. This was so embarrassing.

“You could just take the flower off its stem, that way you would not have to worry about poking yourself,” you commented, holding the flower carefully in order to prevent yourself from getting a cut.

He was dabbing the light amount of blood with his handkerchief. “I think it loses a lot of its personality if you take it off its stem, though.”

“The thorns are a method of self-defense: keeps animals from trying to eat them,” you explained, admiring the flowers.

“Then you understand that it would be a crime to take away such an important feature, even if they may be more flawless without it.” He put his handkerchief back into his pocket. He was ready to continue the walk.

“I quite like the way you think about life.”

“I quite like the way you handle yourself, especially with people like him.”

You continued on the walk in near silence, except for the few times the prince would compliment something about the castle. He seemed to thoroughly admire architecture, paying note to how the roof was designed and the stones were laid.

“Thank you for the walk Prince Jumin; I thoroughly enjoyed your insights,” you expressed graciously.

He bowed to you in return: “It was my pleasure. I cannot wait to see you soon; when is your family traveling to the city?”

“In six days.”

“Then I will see you in six days,” he kissed the top of your hand, “Have a good evening, Princess.”

After parting ways with the family, you were able to go upstairs and finally rest some more. However, when you looked out your bedroom window, you saw Mr. Choi, still sitting on the problematic horse and moving in circles. It hardly seemed like he was working. You changed into a pair of pants and a long riding skirt and headed out to see what he was up to.

He didn’t seem to notice you at first, still insistent on making the same turns with the horse. You decided it would be fun to tease him: “Oh my, I wonder what could be next… perhaps another left turn! Horse riding is oh so exciting.” You made your way closer to the horse.

“I know it may seem like the same thing over and over again, but it’s important to train the basic movements before stepping it up to full-out riding.” He hopped off the horse to face you. “Small steps.”

“Did you decide that before or after it tried to run me down?”

He paused, scratching his neck. “Well, after. In my old town I was good at helping animals with their injuries. I never really grew up taking them.” You were surprised to hear him sharing a bit about his personal life. He rolled his eyes. “Oh close your mouth. I might never share anything with you again.”

“I’d like to try riding the horse.” You decided.

“I don’t think it’ll take well to you, especially considering it’s never been ridden by a lady.” Another moment of ladies not having enough power over something. Perhaps it was because ladies did not straddle the horse? You would prove that you could take on the challenge and face it better than him, despite the odds being more difficult for you. He realized you would not give in, and went into the stables to grab a saddle appropriate for your riding position. He offered his hand to help uou mount the horse, but you ignored it; instead lifting yourself aboard the horse.

“Now watch and learn.” You started the horse out slowly, moving in a straight line to get a real for its gait; it was actually not a bad horse to ride: not too bumpy, not too tall. Time to make a right turn: shocking! The horse had never done this move before! The horse turned pretty simply. It was finally when you brought the horse to a gallop that you began to question its integrity. It did not take the instruction well, and a gallop turned into a stride. One quick turn, and you had fallen off the horse. This time, you took Mr. Choi’s hand and let him help you off the ground.

“That was quite an impressive right turn,” he teased, “but it seems neither of us can get it to control its gallop yet.”

He had a point. You ignored his comments though and mounted once again. When it started to speed up during the gallop, you pulled the reins tightly. It came to a quick stop, throwing you forward, but you managed to stay on. You waited for a witty remark, but it never came. You turned the horse slowly and urged a gallop again. This time, it refrained from going too ridiculously fast. The slowing down still went horrible, and you were knocked off once more; but the horse understood the gallop at least! Mr. Choi seemed surprised.

“It wasn’t that hard. I can’t believe you’ve been doing left turns all this time when you could have been doing something more beneficial, like this.”

“Yes well there’s still a lot to do. Don’t think that by making the horse gallop one time, you’re suddenly the horse whisperer,” he argued back.

“Isn’t that what you seemed to think the one time you helped my dad’s horse’s injured leg? Or is it different because you’re a man?” You hadn’t meant to pull the sex card on him, but it just slipped out. It was about time you pointed it out, though.

“That’s not why it’s different-”

You ignored him entirely; focusing your attention on petting and rewarding the horse, speaking softly to it. “Does he have a name?” You asked, changing the subject.

“Not yet.”

“Thomas.”

“Ew, that’s an awful name for a horse,” he replied, his nose scrunched up, almost in disgust. It made you laugh.

“I’m pretty bad with names so you’ll have to let me think it through for a while. Until then, you better not give it a name.”

“I’d rather not face your wrath anymore than needed,” he winked at you, laughing.

“Have a good night; hopefully by this time tomorrow he’ll be able to stop smoothly. However, if you need assistance with your own job, you know where to find me.” You turned, a smug smile on your face, then walked away.

The evening passed more quickly than anyone could have anticipated, and the time to travel to the city was quickly approaching. It was decided that Mr. Choi and Jaehee would accompany the family to the city for your debut. The time flew by uneventfully: you started teaching Jaehee how to embroider, Mr. Choi had taught the new horse how to stop, just in time for the trip. Sir Zen was going to stay back at the castle and do some research into who was targeting you. The houses were much closer together in the city and far smaller, therefore more safe from conspirators.

Jaehee was pushing your clothes down to fit into the trunk for travel. You were leaving for London in the morning; the town’s seamstress had brought a brand new dress for you to wear for your first garden party in the afternoon. You couldn’t help but admire the pearls detailing the blush pink skirt. It was absolutely beautiful and you couldn’t wait to wear it.

“I believe you are all packed Princess,” Jaehee announced, hooking the latch on the chest. “I will have Sir Zen carry it downstairs to be loaded into the carriage in the morning.”

“Thank you Jaehee. Now please! I insist you start packing your own belongings. We’ll be there for a few weeks, so make sure you bring everything you can’t live without,” you urged. Jaehee nodded, pushing the chest into the sitting area so that Sir Zen could carry it down, then got set to her own room to pack her things. You could hardly keep your eyes open any longer, and drifted to sleep.

You were awoken abruptly by a knock on the door. You didn’t even have time to compose yourself before the door swung open. “Princess,” it was Sir Zen; he sounded frantic, “while I was bringing your trunk down, somebody left this at your door.” He handed you the note.

The ink was smudged and the handwriting was sloppy. It was evident that it was written in a hurry. “Be wary of who you choose in London.” it warned. It was horribly ominous. “Who could have written this?” You asked, shocked, although you knew the answer.

“My guess is the people who don’t like what you’re doing with your courtship,” he pulled out a dagger: “It was pinned to your door with this.”

You felt faint. “Sir Zen, I’d prefer if you stayed watch in my room tonight, if that’s alright with you.” It was embarrassing to ask, but there was so much danger.

He took a seat near the window, a decent distance from your bed. “Anything to keep you safe from those people.”

You tossed and turned. It was nearly impossible to sleep knowing that the group was making threats on your life now. “It’ll be okay,” Zen comforted. He scooted slightly closer to you so he could look into your eyes; his were comforting and warm. “You can sleep; I won’t let anything happen to you.”

With those comforting words, you were finally able to fall asleep.

#mystic messenger #mysme #crownsandcourtships #Jumin han #707