Archive of Our Own

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Jisung hasn't felt in control of his life for a while. He shouldn't expect to be free to do whatever he wants as the younger brother of the crown prince of the Southern Kingdom, but lately, he feels as if the little bit of a grasp he did have on his destiny is slipping away too.

Lee Minho is one of the reasons for that. Lee Minho, a prince from the Northern Kingdom, the cousin of the crown prince of that kingdom, and now also Jisung's fiancé. Ever since the border conflict started between their kingdoms, Jisung's life has gotten worse every day.

His parents have been on edge, and his brother, Chan, has been too busy to even talk to him once a week. Jisung didn't mind it as much at the start, since he had his favorite attendant and help, Hwang Hyunjin, to talk to, but now, he is starting to miss his brother.

To make matters worse, a couple of weeks into the conflict, his parents had made an arrangement with the king and queen of the Northern Kingdom, to have Jisung married to the cousin of the crown prince, the son of the king's sister, Prince Lee Minho.

Jisung was disappointed to hear about him being married off to the prince as a way to ease the conflict between their kingdoms, and he could only imagine how it had to feel for Lee Minho, who was forced to move into their palace within a month of the decision.

Jisung doesn't have to marry him right away, much to his relief. The royal family is in quite the iffy position because of the conflict, and the last thing the king and queen want is to make the people think that this marriage is the quick fix-all to distract them from the fighting around the border, while they negotiate a solution between the royals.

Jisung made a promise to himself to try and make sure that he would have a happy marriage with Minho, though. Minho is quite a beautiful man, so he can not say he is entirely out of luck, but he has seen how bad an arranged marriage can be, so he wants this to work out. 

Chan and his wife are not happy. They never talk to each other, and they barely even sleep in the same room. Chan continuously assures Jisung that it's all right, because the marriage is political, anyway, but Jisung doesn't think he could survive like that.

He wants to love someone. And he wants to be loved by someone.

It has been about a month since Minho moved to the Southern palace, and yet Jisung still can't name a single time they have conversed for longer than a couple of sentences. The northern prince is cold to him, ignores him, and is distant whenever he does speak to Jisung.

Now, Jisung has to admit that he isn't as good socially as his brother or his sister in law is, but he has been trying his best. Hyunjin tells him that he needs to keep trying, and he has joked about Jisung needing to ask the royal wizard for help to get Lee Minho to open up to him, but little does he know that Jisung is actually considering something like that. He has lost all hope.

He needs help, but he can't find it within the palace. He's already ashamed enough of himself, and no one would understand his issue, anyway. Lee Minho has been forced into a situation he doesn't want to be in, and Jisung has tried and tried to have a proper conversation with him, but the northern prince is as closed off as the royal vault on a festival day.

This is why he finds himself putting on his dirtiest cloak before sneaking through the secret garden exit he and Chan always used when they were younger and wanted to play in the forest or the town. He has been listening to townsfolk gossiping for a while, and he knows that a lot of them go to a particular wizard for most of their problems.

Jisung knows he's being risky, but he can't have his parents know about this. He can't have anyone know that he is thinking of enchanting the northern prince because he's too stubborn to open up to Jisung.

"I only need something to help a fellow talk to someone they'd like to be their lover," Jisung pleads with the man, after explaining that he's been trying to get through to a man without success. The Silver Wizard is what he calls himself, but Jisung can't quite put a finger on why that would be his name. Not that he cares, Jisung isn't fond of wizards. The royal wizard is cranky and old and speaks in tongues, and magic is too good of a tool to do harm with. 

"You would have to be more specific, son," the silver wizard tells him, a strict look on his face. His black bushy brows hang low over his eyes, giving him an intimidating face. "Love spells are not one to fool around with. And take that hood off, will you? Let us talk eye to eye."

"I am aware, but I don't need much. I just want a loving marriage," he explains, ignoring the man's request. He can't risk being recognized. "I can pay you a hefty sum, wizard. If you please—"

Jisung reaches into the inner pocket of his cloak to get the bag of coins he took with him, but when he pulls it out, his arm pushes away the cloak enough for the wizard to get a good look at his clothing underneath. The wizard's eyes widen, dark irises appearing under his thick eyebrows.

"Take off your cloak, son." It doesn't sound like a suggestion this time, but Jisung can't back down. Not now that he has taken such a big risk.

"I will not. I can not take no for an answer, Silver Wizard. I beg of you to listen," Jisung says, standing his ground as he puts the pouch on the table. He uses his princely voice, the one his brother and father always use when they aren't getting what they need. "This is important to me, and I can make it worth your while every bit and more."

"That is no way to talk to me, son. Who are you? A lord's son? A thief?" the wizard snaps, pointing a stern and gnarly finger right at Jisung's face. "Take off your cloak!"

Jisung swallows, heart pounding as he takes off the hood and unbuttons the cloak with shaky hands. The silver wizard scoffs harshly, gaze pointed at the royal insignia on his chest. "Royalty! Ha! A prince, I'm certain. A spoiled one, at that. I will not help you even if you gave me the entire collection of royal gold and jewels!"

"I— Why not? I will— I can—" Jisung tries, but he's frozen in place, scared of what the wizard will do. His knees buckle, but his feet feel like they're rooted to the floor.

"You princes and lords and what not can never do anything yourselves, can you?! You have a royal wizard all to yourself and you can't even ask him for help, let alone work for a lover. Everything needs to be handed to you with a silk glove, does it not?" the man berates him, voice loud. Jisung flinches, and quickly covers his eyes with his cloak again. "I won't help you! Not in my lifetime, you arrogant brat! You will regret coming here and you will experience what it's like to work for what you want!"

"What—What do you mean?" Jisung stammers, but the Silver Wizard already starts chanting in that horrible language he knows from the royal wizard. Jisung covers his ears, and his stomach lurches. "No! Stop! What are you doing?!"

"Leave! Leave, you fool!" the wizard snaps, fierce eyes burning Jisung where he stands. Jisung's stomach lurches again and he makes for a sprint. He quickly pulls his hood back over his head and hurries straight back to the palace.

His heart is pounding in his ears. Jisung mentally berates himself for being an idiot and going out there by himself, without a proper plan of action. He runs as fast as his legs can carry him, desperate to get back home. 

As soon as he has busted through the bushes back into the garden, Jisung takes a moment to catch his breath.

He's sweating like a hound and he feels somewhat nauseous. His face and hands itch like hell. He takes off his cloak and scratches the back of his hand. When he looks down at the movement, he yelps in surprise. His breath gets caught in his throat—his whole hand is hairy, like an ape.

There's thick, dark, coarse hair on his knuckles, all the way down to his wrist. Jisung's mouth runs dry. He touches his face, horrified when he feels more roughness, a whole lot worse than it feels when he has neglected to let Hyunjin shave him for a while. His cheeks feel like they're sagging, even under the hair covering his jaw.

Panic settles low in his stomach. Jisung hurries into the castle and goes straight to his room, ignoring any curtsies from the help around the palace. He thunders into his chambers, all but slams the door to his bath room open and looks into the wide mirror above the sink.

A hopeless noise leaves his throat when he lays eyes on himself. He looks like he has aged sixty years in one minute, and not in a good way. His hair is a dirty gray, with black hairs poking through at unnatural places. His nose looks like the one of General Park, who has gotten it broken quite a lot of times, as it has grown but in a wonky manner. His eyelids are wrinkly and seem to be hanging over his eyes, while his brow hairs have grown and seem to curl around his skin.

His skin is full of blemishes and dark spots, and his entire lower half of his face is covered in the same coarse grayish hair that is on his head. He pulls up his sleeves and sees that his arms are hairier than before, too. The sight makes him nauseous.

This is not him. It cannot be! This must be a nightmare, Jisung decides as he grabs at his skin. 

And yet, his mirror image moves right in time with him, and it reflects the same hands he sees when he holds them in front of him. "Oh goodness. Lord have mercy. Why me? Why me?!" Jisung wails, covering his eyes so that he doesn't have to look at himself any longer.

He needs to find the royal witch, however much he hates going to see that old man. If there's ever an ailment he needs him to cure, it's this one. He cannot live like this, and he cannot make Minho fall in love with him this way.

He cannot let anyone see him like this, either.

Jisung rummages through his closet and grabs the closest thing to a veil he has, to cover the lower half of his face. He ties his hair into a knot on top of his head and covers it with a wrap. Then, he searches for his gloves and pulls them over his hands.

His legs are still shaking when he sneaks through the castle to look for the wizard, but he's already getting strange looks and whispers from the attendants and help walking through the hallways. Jisung's throat feels tight in panic. 

Maybe he can find his brother first. Chan always knows what to do. He's sure to be able to help him with this. He only needs to get to him without anyone seeing—

"Excuse me? Who might you be and why are you in my son's clothes?" Oh no. His mother's voice. The queen. Jisung startles as he finds his mother standing right in front of him all of a sudden.

"Mother!" Jisung squeaks, grabbing at his chest. "I— I've made a mistake," he adds, his voice muffled from behind the fabric tied around the lower half of his face. His mother's eyes widen.

"Jisung-ah? Dear lord. What happened to you?!" she exclaims. Jisung flinches, he doesn't want his mother to attract so much attention. "Are we under attack? Do I need to call the General?"

"No, no, mother, please." Jisung steps closer, furrows his eyebrows as he pleads. "I—I can explain to you and father. I need our wizard to help me. That's it. There is no need to make a fuss about anything."

His mother sighs. "Fine, if you say so, dear son. Come along. We will get the wizard and your father gathered in the throne room," she says. Jisung's stomach sinks. Not the throne room. It will feel like he's getting scolded. The old wizard will certainly flare his nostrils and shake his head, just like his father will.

Once the old wizard has entered the throne room, and Jisung feels like he has mentally dug a hole for himself a thousand times in front of his parents eyes, his father tells him to raise his head, speak up, and explain the situation.

Jisung admits what occurred with shame lining his every word, tongue heavy in his mouth. His father continuously reminds him to keep his head raised and to look him in the eye throughout his story, and Jisung feels humiliated.

"I will examine you, child. Stay still," the old wizard says, grabbing Jisung's shoulder. Jisung scowls. He doesn't like how the man looks at him. "Did you say the Silver Wizard did this to you, child?"

"Yes. He did," Jisung admits. The wizard sighs heavily, disappointment clear in his eyes even if he doesn't voice it outright. His thick fingers open Jisung's eyes to look into them, and he pulls a hair from Jisung's beard without warning, ignoring the way Jisung winces.

He inspects it and whispers some gibberish before shaking his head solemnly. Jisung’s stomach sinks through the floor. 

"I'm sorry, Your Highnesses. I cannot help your son," he says, turning towards the king and the queen as if Jisung isn't right in front of him. "The good news is that despite the way he looks, his health is not affected. The bad news is that the Silver Wizard is a master with emotions. This spell cannot be reversed with magic."

"Then how can it be reversed?" the king demands. The wizard clears his throat and he scratches his chin.

"These spells are tricky. They work on emotions, on our surroundings, and on a person themselves. Usually, they stop working after a certain action, or after a certain goal is achieved," the old man explains. "What that is, only the Silver Wizard knows. I doubt he'll let that go easily, however. Perhaps your son can figure it out."

"Wonderful," the king says with a deep sigh. "Right. Son, you said you had done this because… What was it, again? You wanted to have a loving marriage with Prince Minho, is that correct? Answer me, son."

"Yes, that is correct," Jisung answers, gaze wavering as he holds his father's dark eyes. He still longs for a loving marriage, that hasn't changed, and the way his father and mother scoff at the notion is exactly why he hasn't gone looking for help inside the palace.

"Someone fetch the Prince of the North, please," his mother announces, her lips pulled into a tight line. Jisung sputters, but he immediately shuts his mouth again. He knows better than to talk back, especially in a tense situation, when his parents would surely prefer to be focusing on anything but their least favorite son.

"I don't think we need to reprimand you any more for this, as your appearance surely is punishment enough for your foolish actions, but what were you thinking, son?" the king snaps. "Our kingdom is in plenty trouble as it is, with the Northern army going rogue and thinking they can claim the land up to the river! We're lucky the king and queen have offered the prince as a way of making peace, but you cannot marry him looking we have picked you up right from the back streets, son. You cannot show yourself to the public until this is solved."

"I am aware, father," Jisung affirms. He bites the inside of his cheek and keeps his head raised, despite the turmoil inside his chest. His throat feels tight, and he can not seem to breathe right, but if he cries in front of his parents, his day will get even worse.

A moment later, Minho enters the room, his bow and arrow still on his back. Even in his simple attire, stripped down for archery, he looks stunning. Every time Jisung lays eyes on him, his beauty renders him speechless, but today it hits him even harder.

Minho's gaze is hard as he bows for the king and queen and greets them. He does notice Jisung, but he doesn't seem to recognize him. Minho doesn't look at him for more than a second, after all, although the reason for that may be that he knows that it will upset the king if he doesn't look him in the eye.

"Thank you for your time, Prince Minho. Perhaps you have seen the man next to you. That is our son, Han Jisung, your fiancé. He's been… cursed, and clearly he cannot marry you in this state," the queen explains. Minho's head snaps to the side. Jisung keeps his gaze straight ahead, too embarrassed to be faced with Minho's reaction to his visage.

"You are a handsome and clever man, so we request for you to help our son and your fiancé to return to his normal state in a discreet manner, before the wedding," Jisung's mother continues with a solemn expression. She folds her hands over her lap, the fabric of the skirt of her hanbok puffing up. Minho inhales to speak, but he cuts himself off when the queen continues.

"You understand that if the citizens find out about this, they will jump to all sorts of conclusions, which will be quite disastrous for everyone involved," she warns him in a cold tone. Jisung shudders. He wishes he could leave the throne room already and hide in his bedroom until his shame subsides.

When Jisung dares to glance at the prince on his side, he sees that Minho's jaw is locked tight. "Of course," he says. "I will do my best. However, I would like to know whatever happened to the prince, so I can aid him."

"You can discuss this between yourselves. You are dismissed," the king says, waving his hand around impatiently. "We have important manners to see to. Hurry up, now."

Jisung does a sloppy bow and speeds out of the room. As soon as he's one step out of the throne room, he feels like he can breathe again. He takes deep gulps of air, lets it expand his chest as he reminds himself that he's out of there, now. Be calm, Jisung.

"Prince Jisung," Minho says, startling Jisung and making him wince. He doesn't dare to turn around and face his fiancé. His heart hammers against his ribs painfully, the clacking of Minho's interior shoes reverberating in his mind.

The beautiful prince appears in front of him, his sharp eyes examining Jisung's features. "Let us have a conversation, shall we?" he says. It's more a statement than a request. Jisung nods. He can't get himself to speak—that seems to be a quite unfortunate effect that the northern prince has on him.

Jisung wordlessly steps past Minho and treads over to his room. Minho exhales audibly before following him, the clacking of his shoes notifying Jisung how close he is behind him. He invites Minho inside of his chambers—it's the first time since Minho has been transferred to the palace that he sees Jisung's bedroom—and shuts the door behind him.

Jisung sits down, seconds away from burying his head in his hands and bawling his eyes out. Minho looks at him, eyes trailing along his body from the crown of his head to the tips of his sandaled toes. He readjusts the bow on his back and then says, "Speak up, prince. What happened?"

Jisung takes a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for Minho's reaction. "I visited the Silver Wizard. I requested for him to help me have a loving marriage. He saw the royal insignia beneath my cloak and cursed me out before putting me under this enchantment. Now, I look like this," he explains in a mumble, before ripping away the veil in front of his mouth to show Minho the hairy lower half of his face.

Minho inhales sharply, eyebrows twitching at the sight of Jisung's revealed face. Jisung's stomach sinks. The prince must be quite disgusted by the way he looks. "A… loving marriage? With whom?" he asks, a frown creasing the space between his brows. Jisung presses his lips into a thin line. "With… me?"

"Yes," Jisung admits, his voice sounding croaky. He clears his throat, tries to straighten his back and repeats himself. "Yes. With you, prince."

"I would think that you were messing with me if it were not for the serious look in your eyes, Han Jisung. You went to a wizard by yourself instead of talking to me?" Minho's tone is cold, sending a shiver down Jisung's spine. He clears his throat again, hoping that his heart will calm down already.

"I have attempted many times to have a proper conversation with you, Prince Minho," he points out. He doesn't want to fight about this, but surely the northern prince knows how distant he has been, the past month. "I don't know anything about you other than the things I've managed to observe throughout your stay. You have not been generous in speaking to me."

"It has barely been five weeks! How about being patient, Prince Jisung? Have you considered giving me a chance to get used to my surroundings before I lay myself bare?" Minho snaps. Jisung clenches his gloved hands on his lap, grinds his teeth together as he looks into Minho's hard gaze. "Need I remind you that I am the one being ripped away from my home, only to be given away to a prince as a peace offering? You could not bear to give me more than one month?!"

"You are misunderstanding my intentions!" Jisung argues, heart pounding. He sounds out of breath, already, but shame is already taking a hold of him, setting its claws into his chest and constricting his throat. "I never meant to do anything rash! I only needed somewhere to start, so we would not end up wed to a complete stranger. It's not like I had any say in this matter, either."

Jisung swallows after he speaks, focuses on his breathing but trying oh so hard to keep looking at the northern prince's eyes. Just like how he's been taught.

"Fine. It is what it is. I will think about a way to help you, since I have been ordered to do so," Minho says, exhaling as if he's already tired of talking to Jisung. "If you do not mind, I will finish my archery session first, and ponder what to do after I have gathered myself."

Instead of answering with words, Jisung only hums. He can not blame the man for being upset with the situation, but he still feels quite awful. He might have ruined his chance of having a good relationship with his fiancé by trying to make exactly that happen.

Jisung buries his face in his hands, but the coarse feeling of his beard is so foreign to his fingers that it only makes him feel nauseous, on top of the suffocating feeling of guilt and shame.

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Minho inhales deeply, opens his eyes, and releases the string pulled taut next to his cheek. The arrow pierces the air and lands right in the center of the target. He sighs. There's nothing off about his skills, but his mind won't seem to stop racing.

"Prince, if you have a moment." A voice pulls Minho from his already shaky concentration. It's his advisor and friend, Kim Seungmin. Minho lowers his bow and turns to the man. "The king and queen have informed me of Prince Jisung’s situation. They have suggested me to be of help, as I always am."

"Good," Minho says. He picks up his bow again, pulls an arrow from the quiver and draws. Seungmin sighs, signaling that he wasn't done speaking. Minho takes his time shooting anyway, landing two arrows right in the center, before facing his advisor again.

"Why are you not with the prince?" Seungmin looks at Minho with a stern gaze. "Should you not be figuring out what ails him?"

"I should, but I do not know if the king and queen of the south informed you about Prince Jisung's intentions. The man was planning to enchant me, Seungmin. He was trying to make me fall for him, so he could have a loving marriage, and he got himself cursed instead. And now I have to fix his problems, when he made this mess himself. He never even gave me a chance to open up! How spoiled can he be?" Minho grumbles. He's not in the mood to hear out the prince right now, when he gave up on trying to understand Minho so soon. "Why should I be the one to repair this situation, anyway?"

"As far as I have gathered over the past couple of weeks, Prince Jisung is quite the reclusive man. He doesn't talk to many attendants or many of the help, nor does he go outside. much nowadays. And now that the crown prince and the crown prince's right hand are occupied with the border conflict, he rarely speaks with anyone other than his dressmaker, tailor, and favorite help, Hwang Hyunjin. I've attempted to get the man to talk to me about Prince Jisung, but haven't succeeded as of yet," Seungmin explains. Minho chuckles to himself as his advisor keeps speaking. "I do know that he's quite shy when not in the public eye, despite him being known as a rascal among townsfolk. A bit like you."

"You've made yourself quite at home in here, have you not, Seungmin-ah?" he says, a lopsided grin on his face. "It seems that the prince perhaps made a point when he said I had been distant. I haven't gotten to know anywhere near the amount of information you've managed to gather."

"You're being reasonable after all, thankfully," Seungmin jokes. Minho scoffs. He's always reasonable, even when he's irritated. "Whether you like the prince or not, however, it will be better if you solve this swiftly, Prince Minho. As the king and queen have certainly mentioned, Prince Jisung cannot be seen by the public like this, lest they jump to conclusions. We want peace and quiet, not to feed rumors and suspicions."

"I am aware," Minho says, putting his bow on the ground again. Perhaps he should pull himself together and visit Jisung again to hear his story. "I shall clean up. And I shall hear what he has to say, to see if I can help him. For the sake of the citizens."

"Good." Seungmin nods, a sliver of a smile breaking through. Minho takes a deep breath while putting away his archery equipment and changes his archery gloves for his magoja jacket. He dismisses Seungmin, as he assumes it will be easier on the southern prince if there are as little eyes on him as possible.

When Minho has made his way back to Jisung's room, he tells himself to stay calm when dealing with him. The last thing he needs is even more problems and a spoiled prince making a villain out of him.

Minho knocks on Jisung's door, because he's not entirely a savage. When there's no answer, however, he gently pushes the sliding door open. There's no sign of Jisung right away, but the door to the bathroom is open, and Minho swears he hears labored breathing coming from there.

"Prince Jisung? It's me, Minho. I let myself inside," he calls out, slowly approaching the bathroom. A gasp sounds, and Minho enters the room with a similar noise slipping from his lips. There's blood on the ground, a razor knife held in Jisung's shaking hand, red liquid dripping from it, while his other hand is pressed against his jaw.

"Mother of god. What happened?" Minho takes the razor from the prince and inspects the cut with wide eyes. It barely looks like he managed to shave at all, as thick hair still covers his knuckles and the back of his hand.

He sighs and grabs a cloth from his pocket before binding it around Jisung's hand. It colors red almost immediately. "Be careful, Prince. Where is Hwang Hyunjin-ssi? Shouldn't he be doing this?"

"I didn't—I thought— how hard could it be?" Jisung stammers weakly, the fingers on his jaw wet with fresh blood. Minho clicks his tongue and looks around for some alum to ease the razor cut. "It's—It's as if I can't shave it, though. None of it. Ugh. Hyunjin is going to yell when he sees the blood on my hanbok."

"Shaving accidents happen," Minho assures him, gently peeling away Jisung's hand so that he can treat the cut. Minho has been through it a couple of times before. He prefers doing things himself, rather than having others do them for him anyway, but with learning comes making mistakes.

Jisung only nods, his breathing still heavier than Minho would like. Minho thinks of distracting him. "Now, would you please tell me about this wizard again? Why did you see him and what did he say?"

"I— I told you, Prince. I want a loving marriage. I was not out for anything that would harm or affect you for longer than a day. All I wanted was a point to start from. I do not want to end up like my brother," Jisung explains in a whisper. He does not need to raise his voice as Minho is close enough to feel the southern prince's breathing on his skin. "The wizard wanted to know who I was. I stood my ground, but he caught a glimpse of the royal insignia on my hanbok under my cloak. He called me spoiled, and enchanted me."

"Why did you go to him? Why did you go alone? That's… That is a recipe for disaster," Minho tells him with a sigh.

"Who should I have taken along, then?" Jisung snaps, his voice harsh all of a sudden. It makes it difficult for Minho to properly treat the cut, but he keeps trying. If he keeps himself busy, he might be less snappy. "There are no guards available for me at such a tense time. I do not want to endanger any of the help, that would be selfish. I cannot ask the old wizard here for help, because then the king and queen would be involved and you have seen how they reacted. I could not come to my brother because he is busy, and if I could have asked you, I would not have had any need to go to the wizard in the first place."

Minho furrows his brows. He finds it hard to believe that there is not a single guard assigned to the younger brother of the crown prince. "Do you not have someone to protect you outside of the castle grounds?"

"I do not. I never leave the premises unless accompanied by my brother and his right hand, or planned by the king and queen," Jisung admits with a sniff. "I had not expected to be recognized and spit at. That Silver Wizard is regarded highly in town."

"And yet you did not think to hide your insignia?" Minho asks, pulling away after having staunched the bleeding. He should heal quickly enough for no one to ask questions, except for Hyunjin who will have to take care of the stains in his clothes. "Foolish."

"I know! I know. No need to rub it in," Jisung grumbles, crossing his arms before standing up and walking out of the bathroom. Minho follows him with a sigh. There is still blood on the floor. Before Minho can speak up and ask what exactly the wizard told him, the door creaks open and Hwang Hyunjin steps inside.

"Prince Jisung, I was wondering if—" the man begins, but he cuts himself off when he sees the southern prince. He lets out a cry in surprise. "Oh my! Dear lord. What happened to you?"

Jisung curls in on himself on his bed, hides his face between his knees and stays silent. Hyunjin looks at Minho with concern in his eyes. "My prince, are you all right? How— How can this be?"

"The Silver Wizard. He… He enchanted him. It's not something that can be reversed by magic, so the royal wizard can not help him," Minho explains softly. The tailor frowns and purses his lips in thought. "My prince, can you tell me what the Silver Wizard told you?"

Jisung stays quiet, still curled up into a ball on the edge of his bed. Minho takes a step closer and repeats himself, but Jisung is unresponsive. He glances at the tailor, whose brows are furrowed in concern. The man goes to sit next to the southern prince, a hand on his shoulder.

Seungmin was right about Hwang Hyunjin being one of the few people close to the prince, but not even his words manage to get much from Jisung. "Hey. What happened? Why are your clothes bloody, my Prince?"

"Shaving accident," Jisung mumbles. That's something, but none of the other questions Hyunjin tries get much of an answer. Jisung has completely walled himself off from the rest of the room. And this is the prince who complained about Minho being distant and unwilling to have a proper conversation.

Hyunjin exhales and looks up at Minho. "I think it would be best to notify the crown prince, my Prince," he says. Minho shudders. The king and the queen have made it quite clear to him that they do not want him to bother the crown prince. "He should be at the library, if I'm correct. He will be able to help."

Minho takes a moment to ponder his options. He has been instructed to help the prince, and he can not help him if he can not talk to him, so perhaps getting the crown prince involved is his only way further. He sighs. "Okay. I will see if he has time."

Minho grumbles to himself as he leaves the room and goes searching for the crown prince, hoping that this will be useful and that it will not get him in trouble. As Hyunjin mentioned, the crown prince is in the library, with his right hand man, Seo Changbin. They are hunched over a lectern, speaking in low voices, concentrated on the text in front of them.

Minho clears his throat to announce himself and steps closer. Crown Prince Chan and his advisor Changbin glance at him through their lashes. After greeting the two, Minho sneaks a peek at what they were writing. It seems like a letter directed at the northern kingdom. Immediately, he spots a sentence that might not be taken well by his aunt and uncle.

"I have some tips on how to reword this," he says, pointing his finger at the words he means. Changbin clears his throat in a warning manner, and all of a sudden, Seungmin is right there in front of them, too, a stern line between his furrowed eyebrows.

"Keep yourself together, my prince," he tells him. Minho shrugs.

"Apologies, your highness. It was not my intention to be rude. However, I know the royal family of the Northern Kingdom. They are my aunt and uncle, and anyone would need to tread lightly around them. Especially these days," he explains, holding his hands up.

"There is no problem, do not worry. I would like to accept your advice," Chan assures him with a chuckle, while Changbin grumbles something under his breath. Chan empties his hands and faces Minho. "Something tells me that this letter is not why you are here, though."

"That is correct. It is about Prince Jisung," Minho explains, clasping his hands together. If Seungmin and Hyunjin are right about the bond between the two princes, then this should get the crown prince to listen. Not only do Chan's ears seem to prick at the mention of his younger brother, but also Changbin eases up and looks at Minho with curious eyes.

"He is… First of all he is not speaking to me, despite the king and queen ordering me to help him. Hwang Hyunjin advised me to come to you," Minho begins, still figuring out the words to explain what happened to the southern prince. The enchantment is quite the happening, after all.

"Help him? How so?" Chan asks, narrowing his eyes. Minho pulls his lips into a tight line.

"Perhaps it is better for you to see for yourself, my prince," he says. Chan's eyebrows twitch and the corners of his lips droop down into a scowl. "He is in his room, but let me warn you, my prince. He does not look like himself. It is… quite bad."

"What? Bad? How bad? Is he sick? And why was I not informed of this before?" Chan snaps, his gaze hardening and his jaw locking. Changbin's hand rushes to touch the crown prince's arm, whispering for him to be at ease.

"Apologies, my prince. The king and queen warned me that the conflict has the highest priority, which is why I am supposed to help him, and why you were not informed," Minho explains, swallowing thickly. The crown prince is almost the opposite of Jisung at this moment—intense, taking over the room where Jisung is fragile and tries to hide and disappear into the background. "I can not help him if he refuses to speak to me, however."

"At least tell me, Prince Minho, what ails him? Is he sick? Hurt?" Chan asks, his tone edging on demanding, but concern overtakes it. Minho glances at Seungmin. He knows what happened, too, but he does not speak until necessary, or asked to speak, so it is up to Minho to be the bearer of bad news.

"He has been enchanted by the Silver Wizard," he says. "Well, he calls it an enchantment, but I would say a curse. The royal wizard can not help him. That is… about all I know about his condition. He told me his motivations to see that wizard, but I reckon it would be better if you ask him about those yourself, my prince."

"Where is this Silver Wizard?! We should bring him to the castle and question him. He should be the one to undo the enchantment!" Chan says, a deep frown on his face. Again, Changbin touches the crown prince's arm—apparently he is close enough to the prince that he allows that to happen so casually.

"Be at ease, my prince," the man says. "I understand what you are proposing, but we can not afford to make enemies. The Silver Wizard is a highly regarded wizard in our land, and with the conflict going on, we need to watch our step. If rumors of your brother's incident get out, we might as well be doomed."

"In fact, if I may add, the Silver Wizard used to be the royal wizard of the kingdom of the north. The current crown prince has chased him from the castle, hence his aversion to royalty," Seungmin adds in a solemn voice. Minho snaps his head towards his advisor. He did not know this, but he can not say that he is surprised to hear that his cousin managed to make enemies with this fellow.

"The more I hear, the worse it gets." Chan takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second or two and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fair enough. I will make sure that this enchantment gets reversed and that my brother is healthy again," he says, a strained tinge to his voice. "If you'll excuse me, I will go see him."

"Hold on, my prince," Minho says, stopping the man before he can leave the room. However much he would love to let Chan solve all of his problems, he will create even more issues for himself if he lets the crown prince of all people take over a task the king and queen ordered him to take on. "The king and queen have specifically saddled me with this task, so that you could focus on your princely duties, instead. He is my fiancé and our wedding is important."

"I am aware, but if I help, this will all be solved a lot more quickly. Your wedding is important to solve the tensions in both of our countries, which means my little brother's health is at least as urgent," the crown prince argues, his voice smooth and confident.

"Prince Minho has a point, my prince," Changbin adds. "However much it pains me to pull you away from your bother, we have other matters to attend to. You are the crown prince, after all."

Chan sighs, and he almost looks as if he's going to argue more, but then he deflates. "Okay. I will only speak to him for now. Alone. If he's unwilling to speak, then it will be best if there are not too many eyes on him. Afterwards, if you need help, please do not hesitate to come see me or Changbin again."

Minho exhales in relief. He promises to stay in the library and he offers his help to Changbin while the crown prince is away. Changbin tells him that he'll only accept advice on the language and not much more for now, but Minho does not mind in the slightest. It has been quite the day, after all, and some quiet reading would do him good.

𓆩:*¨༺✧ ⚜ ✧༻¨*:𓆪

Jisung listens to the sound of water sloshing around as he hugs his knees. Hyunjin is in the bathroom, washing the blood out of his clothing. Normally, he would take Jisung's clothing to another chamber to do the washing, but now, he was unwilling to leave him alone until either Chan would arrive or Minho would come back.

Jisung is not in the mood to see the northern prince, but he is nervous to see his brother, too. If anything, he would rather not have anyone see him like this. He looks like a shaggy commoner who cannot afford to take care of himself. 

Hyunjin has tried to help him shave, but he could not manage to remove or even cut his hair at all. It simply would not break. Jisung fears that he might look like this forever, if they can not reverse this enchantment with magic.

The dreaded knock on the door comes too soon. Jisung is still in his underwear, so he freezes, head snapping up from where it was buried between his legs. Hyunjin already emerges from the bathroom, wiping his hands on a rag. "Stay still, Jisung-ah. I will see who it is," he says, as if Jisung was planning to get up himself.

Hyunjin even drops honorifics, which makes Jisung smile a little to himself. He does not do so often, but he is the same age as Jisung, and despite their many ups and downs—or maybe because of the many ups and downs—they have grown pretty close. After Chan and Changbin, Hyunjin is by far his closest friend.

"My prince. You have come! I am glad to see. I am doing some washing in the bathroom, if that is all right. I will keep the door closed," Hyunjin says with a deep, almost exaggerated bow. It must be Chan. "The prince is not dressed, by the way. You may come in, as you have seen worse, I presume."

Chan's laughter sounds from the other side of the door, and if Jisung had the mind for it, he'd scold his tailor for the joke. He does not think Chan has seen worse than he looks right now, after all. This is way worse than being naked and a little wrinkly after soaking in a hot bath together for hours, or being all muddy after playing in the forest.

Chan steps inside and gasps when he sees Jisung. Jisung's skin heats up in shame. Like this—in his underwear—his arms are out, and the hair on them is quite the sight. It's not as bad as his face, but it does not help the overall look. "Jisung-ah… Deary me. You look… The Silver Wizard did this? Why?"

Chan glides over towards the bed and sits next to Jisung. He asks a couple of basic questions first, like when this happened (this morning), why he went to the wizard in the first place (he tells him the whole story), and what the old wizard told him (tough luck).

"Oh my… This sounds horrible, Jisung-ah…" Chan mumbles, wrapping his arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer. "Why did you not come to me? Why did I not know about your worries regarding the marriage?"

"I didn't want to hit a sore spot and remind you of your own marriage, hyung," Jisung admits as he melts into his brother's side. "You and Siyeon noona… It is not the kind of relationship I would like. At least you have Changbin hyung, you know? But it would be better if you could marry him, would it not?"

Chan clears his throat and coughs, obviously embarrassed by Jisung's mention of his right hand man. "She is not that bad. She is sweet. Has a big heart. She is good with the citizens," he says, steering the conversation away from his affection towards Changbin. "She can talk well."

"You can, too. Her qualities do not convince me that you love one another, hyung," Jisung retorts with a sigh as he plucks at the hairs on the back of his hands. "You two are always out and about, but never together. She is a politician at heart. A debater. Always talks with the citizens."

"That's a good thing. She keeps us royals close to the citizens. We have had too much distance in the past. We still do," Chan tells him, his voice patient, yet there is an edge of regret lining his tone.

"There is too much distance between the two of you. That is not the kind of marriage I want," Jisung insists, pressing his lips into a thin line. "I want to have a loving marriage, not a marriage that is purely good for the kingdom. I want to love Minho, and I want him to love me. He's been so distant, and I am pretty certain that I have ruined any chances for him to like me, now. He called me a fool. He probably thinks I am just as spoiled as that wizard thought."

"Do not speak like that, Jisung-ah," Chan chides him, but he's gentle with it, as always. "Prince Minho came to me for help. He did not call you a fool, nor did he tell me about what happened to you in more details than he thought was necessary to keep me calm."

"He came to you because Hyunjinnie told him to," Jisung explains with a shrug. "And of course he would not dare to insult the younger brother of the crown prince in front of him."

"I am aware. Yet he would not let me take over the task to help you get rid of this enchantment," Chan adds, running his hand along Jisung's arm. "It takes some guts going against me like he does. If anything, the man is not afraid to be honest."

"He is not. I doubt that he disagreed because he cares for me, however. I bet you he is afraid that mom and dad will scold him or kick him out of the palace," Jisung says. If the king and queen hear that Minho allowed Chan to do what they ordered him to, it will not matter what Chan says, they will blame him. "Plus, it is in his best interest not to marry an ugly fool."

"What did I say about speaking so negatively about yourself? It hurts me," Chan tells him, hugging him even tighter. He presses a kiss to the side of Jisung's head. "See this as an opportunity to get to know him better, all right? He wants to talk to you. That is why he came to see me."

"Okay. Okay, hyung. I will… try. I will continue to hope," Jisung relents. His heart starts pounding even thinking about seeing Minho right now, especially in his underwear. He is not too exposed, as he's wearing an undershirt as well as long underpants, but with the hair on his arms out he is even more self conscious.

He could always try to dress himself, but he does not have many garments he does not need Hyunjin's help with. As a prince, he does not usually dress himself. Has not done so for years. "Will you get him for me? I can not go out like this."

"Of course," Chan assures him. He ruffles Jisung's hair as he stands up, but it does not feel as nice as it usually does. His hair is grayish, dull, and feels coarse instead of soft.

"Thank you, hyung. And… Sorry for bothering you. You must have been busy." Jisung sighs and stands up together with his brother. Chan narrows his eyes at him.

"Do not apologize. You know you are important to me—more so than writing a letter—and I appreciate the break from all these politics," he assures Jisung with a chuckle and a touch to his arm.

Just at that moment, Hyunjin appears from the bathroom, carrying Jisung's washed clothing in his arms. Jisung raises his eyebrows, signaling him to speak up. "I have finished the washing. Can I assist you in dressing yourself, my prince?"

Jisung's lips pull into a scowl. He isn't sure if he wants to leave his room today, but the way Chan looks at him with anticipation in his gaze means that his brother does want him to come along. "The library is a good place to converse. That way you can always ask me for advice, may you need it," he says in an attempt to convince Jisung to come out of his room.

"Fair enough, hyung. Hyunjin-ah, get me something simple. Something that will not stand out, please," Jisung requests, already looking around for the veil and head wrap he had been using to hide his face. Hyunjin makes an affirmative noise before gathering some of the less brightly colored clothes that Jisung owns.

Hyunjin helps Jisung with his veil and head wrap as well. Chan patiently waits for Jisung to be dressed and ready, humming a tune to himself as he looks around the room he has likely seen thousands of times.

Jisung hides behind his brother while they are walking towards the library together. He sincerely hopes that no one sees him like this. He is ashamed enough of what happened, he does not need the whole palace knowing about his mistakes, nor does he want rumors to be spread outside the castle.

He is certain that his parents would not allow such a thing to happen, and the servants do respect them, mostly, but Jisung can not seem to get himself to be at ease. When he enters the library, however, the sight of Minho surprises him.

The northern prince is reading a book, and he seems to be completely immersed in it. His brows are slightly furrowed, and he does not notice them entering the room. He looks beautiful like this, his lashes fanning his cheekbones. He looks calm, and not intimidating at all, compared to an hour or so earlier.

Chan steps away from him with a final touch to his elbow, returning to Changbin's side at the lectern. Jisung takes a deep breath and gathers the courage to sit next to Minho on the double seat.

As soon as Jisung sits down, Minho flinches and inhales sharply. Jisung's heart drops, especially when Minho's eyebrows twitch again as he turns to face him. "Ah, apologies. I did not mean to startle you, Prince Minho."

"I was simply immersed in the story. No need to apologize, Prince Jisung," Minho replies with a sigh. He closes the book, and hands it to Seungmin, who Jisung had not noticed was here until now. Then, the northern prince regards Jisung, patiently waiting for him to speak. His eyes are unreadable to Jisung, and he isn't sure if he appreciates the fact that Minho is looking at him so intensely.

"Shall I— Shall I tell you about the Silver Wizard more?" Jisung asks him. His voice comes out more shaky than he would like. The corners of Minho's lips curl upward as he nods. Jisung takes another deep breath. It's hard to breathe through the veil—or maybe it's just Minho's stare that makes him feel a bit breathless.

"The wizard told me that I need to do something myself for once. Uhm… That I need to experience what it is like to need to work for something," Jisung explains, slowly, his throat feeling tight as he remembers the venomous words the wizard used against him. "Other than that, he only cursed at me."

"That is all he said?" Minho asks him, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. Jisung swallows, and he nods. "And the old wizard told you that the enchantment could only be reversed by an action or an emotion or something, did he not? Not by magic. What could that mean?"

"I am not sure. Should I… work for something?" Jisung guesses in a low voice. He is not used to doing work. He is a prince, after all. Changbin always says that different people should have different responsibilities. A tailor is not expected to be able to build a house and a builder is not expected to make clothes. In the same manner, a prince is not expected to do much other than his princely duties.

"That could be it. I could ask my cook for help. His name is Lee Yongbok. Or perhaps my favorite help, Yang Jeongin. Kim Seungmin will do anything I say, so if you would like to learn anything about politics or more about manners and cleanliness, he is the man," Minho counts, seemingly naming every person he brought along with him from the northern kingdom.
"Of course there is also your tailor, Hwang Hyunjin, although making your own clothes is quite a task. I doubt the wizard meant something like that."

"You brought your cook along with you?" Jisung asks, intrigued. He would probably only take Changbin and Hyunjin, if he could take anyone he'd like, but he knows that his brother would not let his little brother or Changbin go without a fight. Minho chuckles.

"Of course I did. He is a great cook, a lovely man, and he knows exactly what food I like," he explains, a little smile playing on his lips as he talks about Yongbok. "Moreover, he allows me into the kitchen and does not shoo me away when I ask him if I can use his equipment."

"Oh. Oh, you cook, too? You can make your own food?" Jisung swallows thickly. Is that normal, in the northern kingdom? he wonders. What else can Minho do? Does he dress himself? Prepare his own bath? Or does he only like cooking?

"Does that surprise you so much?" The northern prince tilts his head, but his expression is blank. He looks more intimidating like this. His sharp eyes are roaming along Jisung's features, plump lips pursed slightly.

"Well, it is different from what I am used to. I have not set foot in the kitchen since I was a child, playing with my brother and bothering the cooks for a snack," he explains softly, averting his gaze from Minho. "Nowadays I get in trouble if I bother the help too much. Even if I talk to Hyunjin too much, I get a stern look. The king and queen are strict with them."

"I am certain that they will not have the mind to bother you with your activities these days, nor keep a detailed eye on you. You escaped the castle without anyone noticing," Minho tells him, but Jisung scowls. Surely Minho knows how his parents can be. It is busy for them, that is right, but if Jisung manages to set fire to the kitchen, they will hear about it, just like they have gotten to know about the enchantment. Eventually. 

"How about we start in the kitchen?" the northern prince suggests, wiping his hands on his baji trousers, moving as if to stand up. Jisung stays put, and Minho hesitates. He sighs and deflates. "Prince Jisung, with all due respect, this enchantment will not reverse itself. We had better try something."

"I am aware!" Jisung snaps. Minho's gaze hardens and his expression grows cold. Jisung frowns, his stomach churning in regret. He usually does not lose his temper this quickly, but the stress of the situation seem to be getting to him. "Apologies. I… I am not a good cook, and to be honest, cooking sounds dangerous. There is fire involved."

"If it would be easy, then it would not be a very good enchantment, would it? This wizard is a former royal wizard. He is held in high regard around the land for a reason, and he told you to work. Of course it will not be simple," Minho retorts with a scoff. Jisung casts his eyes down to his lap, chewing on his lips.

"And you think cooking will help? Will I even be allowed into the kitchen, looking like this?" he grumbles. "I look the furthest from appetizing."

"Spare me the dramatics, Prince Jisung," Minho says, his voice not as hard as before, but Jisung would not describe it as nice either. "You look like an old man. There are plenty of old people around the palace. You are wearing a head wrap, a veil, and gloves. Yongbok will be happier to have you inside the kitchen than I, dressed like this."

"Okay! Okay, fine. I… I will try," Jisung relents, although he is still reluctant to be near fire and sharp knives. Is cooking not dangerous if you do not know what you are doing? Could this really be the key to reversing this enchantment?

While Jisung follows Minho to the kitchen, he wonders if there is a possibility that this enchantment is linked to his request to have a loving marriage with Minho. Could it be that he needs to somehow work for this marriage to be loving?

Jisung's heart speeds up thinking about it. Despite Minho's distance and his impatience today, Jisung still wants to give him a chance. He would still like for them to fall in love. There is no way that Minho will come to fancy him when he looks like this, however.

His hands are clammy as they enter the kitchen. He would prefer to take off his gloves, but showing his hairy hands is not in the cards for now. Yongbok is not in the kitchen, and Jisung is relieved for it. It's not quite dinner time, but he expects the northern cook and the others to come in soon.

"Hm. Seems like I will have to teach you something simple first. Cooking rice," Minho says, clapping his hands. Jisung swallows and nods. Cooking rice should not be too difficult, right? He does not need to touch a knife for that.

"Sure," he says, waiting for the prince to take the lead. The man searches for the rice bags, mumbling about not being familiar with this kitchen yet. Eventually, Minho has found the rice and they get to washing it. Jisung's gloves are not water resistant, so he has to take them off anyway.

Washing is easy. Jisung just needs to rinse the rice with a sieve and mix the grains so they all get rinsed. Turning on the stove proves to be more difficult. He needs to make fire. Minho shows him how to do it, but it is up to Jisung to actually make the fire.

"Can you not do it?" Jisung tries, but Minho shakes his head and hands him the flint. Jisung's stomach stirs. He worries about burning his fingers or setting fire to his clothing. Or worse, getting Minho burned somehow.

"You have to put in the work, my prince," Minho reminds him. He makes a fair point, but it does not ease Jisung's nerves. Jisung keeps the flint as far away from himself as possible and tries to make a spark, just as Minho showed him, to light the stove.

He ends up succeeding, but also almost burning his fingers and sleeve. He whimpers and pulls his hands away from the fire, all but throwing down the flint. "It is done. Now what?" he asks, sounding too harsh to his own ears.

"We boil the rice. Like this," Minho explains, and he shows how Jisung can best add the rice to the pot. Jisung puts on his gloves again and does as Minho says. Then, the northern prince explains how to check if the rice is done.

Except for turning on the stove, this was not too bad. Yongbok enters the kitchen while Jisung is adding the rice to the pan, so Minho takes it upon himself to explain the situation. Jisung stays focused so that he does not cause an accident.

"Oh, I am sorry to hear about the mishap, my prince. I would be honored to help out, if needed. I have some vegetables you can use!" Yongbok seems all too happy to give them vegetables to cut. "I need to start preparing dinner, but if you have any questions, give me a shout."

The cook brings over a cutting board with vegetables and a knife. The knife is big. Way bigger than the vegetables. "Thanks, Yongbok," Minho says, patting the cook on the shoulder. He turns to Jisung with eyebrows raised. "Let me show you how to cut this. I am not an expert, but a simple technique should work for now."

"How did you get so good at this?" Jisung asks him, carefully watching the way Minho slices the vegetables Jisung can not even name. Minho chuckles to himself, the sound clear. Not condescending or sarcastic. Thankfully.

"Experience," Minho answers softly. "Rice and cooked vegetables is a simple meal I used to make for myself whenever I did not feel like something complicated. Sometimes I would prepare something for the stray cats around the castle, too."

"Wow…" Jisung mumbles. It is as if Minho lived in an entire different world, instead of just a different country. He admires the way the northern prince is able to do whatever he pleases, but Jisung would not want to cook even if he would be allowed to.

When Minho hands him the knife Jisung shudders. He tries cutting the hard vegetable, but he has to use quite a lot of strength, and with gloves on, he can't get a good feel of how to hold the knife. He ends up slicing his glove and even cutting into his finger as he loses control when putting too much force against the knife.

"Careful! What did I say about curling your fingers?" Minho exclaims with a sigh. Jisung groans and rips off his gloves to put his injured finger into his mouth. It's throbbing painfully and the knife seems like it is making a fool out of him. 

"I am not doing this any longer, Prince Minho. Why am I even here, anyway?!" he complains, heart hurt by Minho's harsh tone. Minho sends him a cold look, and Jisung feels like he does not understand his hardship in the slightest. It has not even been half a day since he got cursed to look like this, got scolded by his parents, cut himself trying to shave, burned his fingers to the fire of the stove, and cut himself again.

"You are giving up already? It's just vegetables. Try again, more carefully this time," Minho orders him, not even caring to ask Jisung if he is all right. Jisung grits his teeth, sticking out his lower lip.

“How about I get some time to recover and gather myself, first?” he snaps, running low on self esteem and strength after so many setbacks today. 

"Hey! What is going on here? No arguing in my kitchen," Yongbok says, coming over to the two of them. Jisung doubts that the kitchen has become his in a mere month of being here, so he has no right to make such demands. Either way, Jisung turns away from the cook. He would rather not have another set of eyes on him when he is fumbling like this.

"This is not for me. I am a prince! I do not belong in the kitchen," he grumbles, cradling his injured hand. It is not much more than a shallow cut, but Jisung has seen more than enough of his own blood today.

Minho scoffs and throws his hands up. "You spoiled brat. If you are going to behave like this, I do not want to have anything to do with you. Figure this enchantment out yourself, then," he hisses. Jisung's stomach drops, and his eyes sting at the insult.

He wants to bite back, but Minho looks genuinely hurt. When Minho whips himself around and stomps out of the kitchen, Jisung gasps. "Prince! W-Wait! I— I did not mean it like that—" he stammers.

The northern prince ignores him and leaves anyway. Jisung wants to run a hand through his hair, but his fingers bump into the cloth he wrapped around his head. He sighs in regret.

"Do not worry, my prince," Yongbok says, wiping his hands on his apron. "Prince Minho is a tad sensitive about these topics. I am aware you did not mean it in an insulting manner, but the crown prince of our land would say something similar, whenever the prince would cook for himself. Cooking is for cooks, not princes. Princes should use their minds, not their hands. I do not agree, respectfully. Cooking is using the mind, too, and Prince Minho saw it that way as well. He liked cooking. Furthermore, I believe there is nothing wrong with working with one's hands and letting the mind rest every once in a while."

Jisung swallows thickly, surprised that Yongbok is so open and chatty with him. He is not used to this kind of attitude from the help, but he supposes that he appreciates it at this moment. He was under the assumption that the northern culture was different enough that it was normal for a prince to be in the kitchen, but apparently Minho has not had it easy, either.

"I did not mean to be condescending," he mumbles. He is not sure how to show his appreciation for the cook. "I admire him for doing whatever he pleases and disregarding the notion of what should be, but… I do not think kitchen work is for me."

"May I offer you my help, my prince? Perhaps it will be easier with an extra—more patient—set of hands." Yongbok suggests with a tilt of his head. Jisung's eyes widen. “No offense to Prince Minho, of course. I simply have more experience than he does.”

"Are you certain? Were you not hurt by my words?" he asks, wincing at his own words. He should stop making assumptions. Yongbok chuckles. Jisung is lucky that the cook is not easily offended.

"My prince, with a look like yours, I can not imagine that you have had a happy day. I think you deserve a second chance to try, if you like," the cook explains. Jisung thinks he might cry. He is starting to understand why Minho would want this cook to move with him from the northern kingdom.

"I… Thank you, Lee Yongbok-ssi. I would like to attempt one more time," he says, even though he still hates that knife. He does not want to be the difficult spoiled prince who gives up easily, and he still wants to have that loving marriage. He should put in the work, even if it is hard.

The whole point is, perhaps, that he should do something that is hard. 

"Wonderful! Let us check the rice and then continue with the vegetables," Yongbok says, clapping his hands with a smile. He motions for Jisung to come over so that they can check if the rice is cooked. "I shall cook you some meat so that you can have a nice appetizer with the prince."

Jisung takes a deep breath and gathers the courage to continue. Yongbok has been an angel. He is patient with Jisung, more so than Minho was, but then again, Jisung is not being as difficult as he was with Minho. Yongbok shows him how to cut the vegetables and how to spice them.

"There is no rush in learning. Take it at your own pace, my prince. The more you do it, the easier it becomes," he assures Jisung when Jisung is still hesitant when slicing the vegetables and adding them to the pan. "This knife is not as sharp, which makes it harder, but also a bit less dangerous. We do not need much oil since the vegetables will leak liquid as they're heated. I have cut these spices for you, you can add them now."

"Thank you for the patience, Yongbok-ssi," Jisung tells him with a chuckle. He feels a bit like a child, but Yongbok is never belittling. Yongbok simply smiles as he lets Jisung stir the vegetables, while he prepares something else. "What are you making now?"

"It is a spicy sauce. I have heard you are not fond of too much spice, but Prince Minho does like it. If you give this to him with the rest of the food, I am sure he will be grateful," Yongbok explains, grinding something into a paste.

"Me?" Jisung flicks his eyes back and forth between the cook and the pan, careful not to burn himself on any liquid. Yongbok chuckles again, a light sound compared to his deep voice.

"Yes, my prince. I have to stay in the kitchen and continue to prepare dinner for the rest. You and Prince Minho are of course welcome to have some, too," the cook says, before motioning for Jisung to step away. He takes over the last bit of the preparation process, but he explains every step—how to turn off the stove, how to plate the food and mix it, and where he can find the expensive chopsticks. "Bon appetite, my prince."

Yongbok bows deeply, and it makes Jisung laugh. When he realizes again how he looks, a wave of relief washes over him. Cooking was not a great experience, but it was eased by the presence of the lovely cook, who does not seem to mind his appearance at all.

He even feels pretty proud of himself for having pulled through. He uses that feeling as substitute courage to approach Minho again. He has food and spicy sauce as a peace offering, as well as proof that he did not give up.

He needs to find the northern prince, first. After a month of observing him, however, he has become confident in knowing where he goes. Since his archery break was interrupted by Jisung's situation, and Minho seems to go there whenever he is upset or irritated, it seems like a good place to start looking.

Jisung is lucky. Indeed, the prince is practicing archery, a deep frown on his face. Jisung would love to stay and watch for a while, because Minho is an impressive archer, but he should not let the food get cold. 

Jisung can not help but stare, though. Minho almost seems like a carefully sculpted statue when he draws the bow and aims. His stunning beauty is something Jisung has noticed time and time again, but at this moment it hits him once more.

Minho's sharp features, big eyes, long lashes, and broad build are a sight for sore eyes. His skill in archery makes it even more tempting to let his eyes linger. He should not drawl around for too long, lest the food cool off.

Jisung clears his throat instead of knocking, because his hands are occupied. Minho looks over his shoulder, eyes widening and frown disappearing when he sees Jisung with a tray of food. "Prince Jisung. You… I assumed you had given up."

Minho lowers his bow and props it up against the wall. Jisung sits down next to the low table in the back of the room and places the tray there. He lowers the veil around his mouth and speaks, "I did not, thanks to Yongbok-ssi. He prepared the meat and the sauce for me. I did not have a hand in those, but I did manage to cut the vegetables in the end. Would you like to join me for a quick meal?"

Minho looks at him and the food. "I would. I can not say that I am not curious about how the food tastes," he says, approaching Jisung before sitting across from him. "Knowing that Yongbok helped, and judging by the smell, it turned out all right."

"Thank you for the meal," Minho adds, and Jisung can not help but smile. He finds himself hoping that the prince will like what he made. "So, have you changed your mind about cooking, yet?"

"Uhm. If you mean the rude part of my comments… Yes. I did not mean to imply that princes do not belong in the kitchen. I was frustrated with myself. I have had a long day, but that is no excuse for my outburst. I would like to apologize, Prince Minho," Jisung explains between bites of food, alternating his gaze between the meal and the prince across from him, who is mixing the sauce with his food. "I genuinely think it is admirable that you are able to cook."

"Thank you for the apology, Prince Jisung," Minho says, his features softening and the frown disappearing from his face. He offers the sauce to Jisung. "Would you like some?"

"No, thank you. I can not handle such spice," he replies with a chuckle, waving a hand. Minho shrugs and mumbles something about there being more for him. Jisung takes a deep breath and decides to enjoy the fact that it is just the two of them, and that Minho does not seem upset with him any longer.

He prefers this over dining in a large room with dozens of eyes on him. Even if he would not be enchanted. Minho does seem to be less distant than usual, too. He even makes a bit of conversation with him. It could still be because of his assignment to help Jisung, but Jisung appreciates it anyway.

"So, how do you feel about cooking, now?" Minho asks, and the question almost startles Jisung. He thinks this might be the first time Minho actually asks him something unprompted.

"If I can be honest, I still am not fond of it," Jisung admits. The statement manages to pull a chuckle from the northern prince.

"Well, at least you are honest. I can appreciate that," he says. Jisung hides himself behind his bowl of food. He is not used to the prince being so… chatty.

"It was all right with help from you and Yongbok-ssi. And I am glad to be able to have some food privately, with you, and that the food could be some sort of peace offering," he replies, using a handkerchief to wipe his mouth. Minho exhales.

"I would prefer you not use the word peace offering," he says. Jisung mumbles a quick apology, but thankfully, Minho does not look upset. He supposes it might be an iffy term to use, since he has heard that his parents use it to describe Minho's and his marriage—a peace offering. "Either way, I do believe that having a meal together is a good way to bring people together. And food tastes better when you are able to share it with someone."

"That is a nice philosophy to have, Prince Minho," Jisung says with a hum. He likes this conversation. He has already learned more about the man today than he has in the entire month of him staying here in the palace. He wants to drag it out for longer, even though they are nearing the end of their meal.

"You are quite the strong archer, by the way. Is this another one of your hobbies?" Jisung asks, eyes flicking towards the arrows around the bulls eye. "Your eye sight must be great."

"Yes, archery is another hobby. And it is less sight and more technique and focus that helps me aim," Minho tells him with a grin. He looks proud of himself, and Jisung's heart does a little twirl at the sight. "You see those arrows in the ground? That was when I was still upset and fuming. Slowly but surely, I regained my focus, my mind became empty, and I became calmer."

"So archery helps you clear your thoughts?" Jisung asks in wonder. He could use something like that.

"It does. Do you have something like that?" Minho scrapes the last bits of rice from his bowl and looks at Jisung through his lashes. Jisung also finishes his food and shrugs.

"Perhaps, but lately, there is a lot that clouds my mind and makes me worry," he admits in a low voice. Minho is quiet, but his gaze does not look judging. Still, Jisung feels too vulnerable, so he clears his throat and changes the subject. "Uhm. Let us clean up? I can take these back to the kitchen. You can continue your archery."

"What will you do about the enchantment, Prince Jisung?" Minho stands up together with Jisung. "Will you continue this way? Putting in the work to take care of yourself?"

"I will. And I would appreciate your help. I am going to try and draw myself a bath now, before bed, however, so…" Jisung trails off, hoping that he does not sound too awkward like this. Minho chuckles.

"I believe Hyunjin-ssi will be a better help with that than I will," he says, his lips spread into a lopsided grin. Jisung's stomach does an odd thing in response. He mustn't think of the northern prince helping him with a bath, or taking a bath with him. He already looks good with clothes on, and imagining him without them makes Jisung’s cheeks warm. He is definitely not hungry any longer. 

"I will. Good night for now, my prince," Jisung says with a little bow. It draws another melodious chuckle from Minho's lips, much to Jisung's satisfaction.

"Good night, Prince Jisung," Minho tells him. Jisung turns around with a calmer heart than how he entered the room. Even if he looks like a hairy and wrinkly ball, he can still make the northern prince smile somehow. It is a good start.

Jisung ends up preparing a bath for himself together with Hyunjin, whom he tells about his cooking adventure. Chan and Changbin stop by his room as well, to check in on him, but also to inform him that their letter to the northern kingdom has been sent, and that they hope that the border conflict will be solved swiftly.

"That will also mean that you would have to marry the prince soon," Chan adds with a sheepish expression. Jisung's heart clenches. He is less worried about their relationship now, but he is still quite concerned about this enchantment.

He explains his and Minho's plan to try and repair what was done to him by the Silver Wizard. His brother looks genuinely impressed when he hears about Jisung making food. "I hope it will work, Jisung-ah. But if you are going to take a bath now, I might join you if that is all right with you. I need to unwind, and it will be nice to catch up. It could be like when we were kids."

Jisung smiles at that. Hyunjin and Changbin excuse themselves and leave the brothers to it. Jisung is a bit ashamed of his hairy wrinkly naked body, but with his brother he feels safe enough. He simply tries not to look at himself too often, although in the bath, wrinkles are not as jarring.

"I have to admit, this is different than when we were children, but I did need this. I do appreciate a hot bath with my precious brother more than I did back then," Chan says with a long exhale. Jisung agrees with the sentiment. He has had the longest day, it feels.

"Is it because I look fifty years older than you, now?" he asks with a halfhearted chuckle. Chan shuffles over to Jisung's side, the hot water sloshing around with his movement.

"I can not say you do not look different, but you will always be my little brother to me," he says, resting a hand on Jisung's shoulder. Jisung huffs, his cheeks feeling a bit warmer under the hair of his beard, but he appreciates his brother's words.

"Happy to hear that, hyung. Thanks for joining me," Jisung tells him. Chan caresses his back, his eyes telling Jisung that he wishes he would have more time to do this sort of activity with him. Jisung understands that his brother has many responsibilities, but he hopes that once the conflict with the northern kingdom is resolved, that Chan will have a bit more energy to pay attention to him.

Once the water cools down enough, Jisung looks around for the towels. He grabs them and hands one to Chan. Chan asks him if he can call in Changbin to help him with his clothes, and Jisung assures him that he can, but while he does, he realizes that he forgot to get himself some clothes.

"Okay. I, uhm… I forgot my sleepwear. I am going to get some clothes for myself," Jisung says, excusing himself from the bathroom. Usually, Hyunjin makes sure that his sleepwear is ready after a bath, so he had not even spared them a thought. He still has a long way to go.

Jisung steps towards his closet, only a towel wrapped around his waist. At the same time, the door to his bedroom slides open and Minho walks inside. "Prince Jisung—" he begins, but he cuts himself off with a yelp, his hand grabbing at his chest.

Jisung lets out a less than flattering sound, bordering on a screech. Minho's eyes are wide and Jisung does not know what part of his body to cover with his hands. Within a second, Chan and Changbin rush out of the bathroom, the crown prince only dressed on his lower half.

Chan's strong and hairless physique only makes Jisung feel more ashamed of being so naked. Minho looks like he has just had a bath, too, as he is wearing a slightly dressed down set of pajamas, and his skin is glowing. It is unfair how beautiful he looks. "I am so sorry! I was unaware it was family bath time! I knocked and heard no answer so I checked— It is not important. I will be outside."

Minho swiftly turns around and leaves the room. Jisung is torn between laughing and crying. His face is hot in shame. "Good grief. This is horrible," he whines, hiding his head behind his hands. His brother chuckles, letting Changbin help him with his shirt before approaching Jisung.

"It is not. You are wearing a towel," Chan assures him, but Jisung does not see any positivity in the situation. Minho saw just about everything other than his privates and his butt, including his saggy skin, covered in hair everywhere.

"I look like an old swamp monster," Jisung complains. He sulks as he opens his closet and searches for his nightwear. "There is no way the prince will think I am attractive now that he has seen this."

"There is nothing wrong with how you look, Jisung-ah. Wrinkles and hair are natural," Chan tries, but Jisung is still sulking as he puts on an undershirt. Then, he removes the towel and puts on underwear and a smooth robe.

"Not when I am twenty five years old!" Jisung argues petulantly. "And I do not want wrinkles and hair when I want my fiancé to be open to a loving marriage. I want him to look at me as his proper husband, not like I am his grandfather."

"This enchantment will not last forever. And looks are not everything. Give it time," Chan says, patting Jisung's back. Jisung supposes he makes a point, but currently, he has no idea how long he will be under the effect of this enchantment. "Go see what he came here for, all right? Good night."

"Good night, hyung." Jisung exhales through his nose. He follows his brother and Changbin out of his room, where Minho is waiting for him, tapping his hand on his leg. Minho looks up, and Jisung still feels ashamed of himself. "Prince Minho. Apologies for what you had to witness. What did you need me for?"

"I was looking for Seungmin, my advisor. I wanted to ask him if there were any updates from my kingdom about the conflict," Minho explains, but Jisung does not quite get why he would come to Jisung's room for that. "I reckoned he would be near Hwang Hyunjin-ssi, since he loves interrogating him about you, my prince."

"Me? He is asking Hyunjin about me?" Jisung blinks at the northern prince in confusion. What would Minho's advisor want to know about Jisung that he can not ask him himself. "Why?"

"He likes to know the ins and outs of everything and everywhere he goes. He does not want to offend you or bother you, though, so he is trying with Hyunjin-ssi, since he is close to you. Hyunjin-ssi keeps your personal matters to himself, however—like he should—so my advisor does not know much," Minho assures him with a chuckle.

Jisung lets out a breath in relief. He does not have many secrets, but he would not feel nice knowing that Hyunjin has been loose-lipped to the northern advisor.

"Apologies. I do not know where Hyunjin is. I sent him away so I could try taking care of myself, but I believe he will come back to help me clean the bath some time soon," Jisung explains, keeping his voice cool and formal. Minho looks at him, and his eyes flick down towards his chest, his gaze making Jisung's neck heat up.

"I can tell you have dressed yourself. Your undershirt is the wrong way around," Minho notes, tapping the thicker seam at the collar of the shirt. Jisung huffs, cheeks puffing out.

"I was in a hurry to see to you, my prince!" he says, but Minho only chuckles. Jisung can not be upset with him, if he smiles so beautifully. "What I mean is, that I would not like you to wait for me, which is why I did not take the time to check my clothes."

"I understand," Minho says. It seems like he wants to say more, but an attendant hurries over to the two of them. He is a bit taller than Minho, who is in turn a bit taller than Jisung. He has narrow eyes and straight black hair.

"My princes," he says while curtsying. Minho's smile softens, which makes it clear that this attendant is one of his own.

"Prince Jisung, this is Yang Jeongin, my favorite help," Minho says, the words confirmed by his fond eyes. Jeongin straightens with slightly pink cheeks. He is adorable, although he certainly does not look much younger than the two of them.

"Nice to meet you, Yang Jeongin-ssi. Excuse my less than proper appearance," Jisung says with a bow of his head. He wishes he could keeps his head down, but he can not falter in confidence in front of the help, no matter how self conscious he feels.

"It is an honor, my prince," Jeongin replies, before Minho asks him to say what he is here for. Jeongin clears his throat. "I found Kim Seungmin, my prince. He is waiting in your chambers."

"Thank you," Minho tells him. Jeongin curtsies again, but Minho clears his throat, gaze briefly trailing towards Jisung. "Oh, but before you leave. Maybe you could help Jisung clean his bathtub?"

Jeongin's eyes widen and Jisung wants to crawl in on himself. Minho is so much more forward than Jisung is. It is hard to get used to.

"My prince, of course I would help, if you wish for me to do so. May I ask, is there not an attendant of yours available to help you?" Jeongin asks him, also more forward than Jisung expects him to be. Perhaps that is one of the reasons Minho took him with him.

"He is trying to be more able to take care of himself, Jeongin-ah. Which is why he sent away his help," Minho explains before Jisung can stop being a fool as he searches for the right words. Jeongin nods in understanding, which is also strange, but perhaps Minho himself is already able to take care of himself in most cases.

Thankfully, Hyunjin already appears at the end of the hallway. "Ah, there is no need for any assistance. Hyunjin can help me instead. Hyunjin!" Jisung perks up and waves his favorite tailor over. Hyunjin curtsies for Jisung and Minho, and Jeongin bows his head for Hyunjin.

Jisung all but drags his friend inside towards the bathroom. Hyunjin is laughing and asking him what happened, but Jisung only explains it to him once he has calmed down from the shame a bit.

He ends up barely cleaning anything, but he does listen to Hyunjin's instructions. He is too tired from today and he only wants to dive into his bed and sleep the night and the day away.

Tomorrow is another day of hard work, probably, but he hopes to whatever is out there that that day will be a better day than the one he had. He believes that it can not get much worse than this.

𓆩:*¨༺✧ ⚜ ✧༻¨*:𓆪

Jisung wakes up as if from a long nightmare he could not manage to get himself to wake from. He touches his face and wishes that he could wake up from this reality, too, but no matter how long he stares at the ceiling while pinching himself, the prickly feeling of his facial hair is ever present.

At some point, Hyunjin enters his chambers to help him out of bed. Jisung is all too aware of how his tailor dragging him out of bed is severely against the goals he has set about working for himself and being independent, but it is early in the morning and he does not want to face any people today.

"Go wash your face, Jisung-ah," Hyunjin tells him, the dropping of honorifics get Jisung awake and aware enough to jokingly complain about it—telling Hyunjin that he is not only a prince, but that he looks old enough to be his grandfather. "Sure. I do not think you would want me to treat you like you are my gran, though."

"I do not. I will pick out my own clothes today, but please stick around to fix any embarrassing mistakes. I do not want Prince Minho pointing out any garments that are on wrong again," Jisung says, dragging his feet over to the bathroom to wash up. Cold water against his wrinkly hairy face is nice, but he is not used to having a beard that can drip all over his nightwear.

Hyunjin hums to himself while Jisung dabs himself dry with a towel. Then he hurries over towards his closet to pick out something to wear today. It takes him a while to find all the pieces of a hanbok, but luckily, most of the items are sorted in some way.

He remembers Minho's comment about his undershirt being the wrong way around, so he carefully looks at the seams to see how to put on his clothes. Eventually, he manages to dress himself, except for the buttons and strings he could not reach. Hyunjin looks at him with a wide grin, when Jisung shows himself.

"It is quite colorful, my prince," he says, stepping closer to inspect the details. When Jisung purses his lips in a pout, Hyunjin chuckles and clarifies. "I am not ridiculing you, Jisung-ah. It is a nice contrast from your grayish hair. It distracts from it, which is what you were going for, I assume. Let me help you with these buttons. And tying your jacket."

"Thanks. I can not reach," Jisung mumbles. He did pick out the colors to distract from his face, but also because he likes them. He was thinking about picking out gray and brown to blend in, but the drab colors make him feel even worse. He will stand out no matter what, so he would rather look good doing it.

As a last step, Jisung wraps a cloth around his head and a veil around his mouth. Then, he goes for breakfast. He is not fond of the many eyes that are on him from the moment he steps out of his chambers. He supposes that the story and rumors around his appearance have circled the entire palace twice by now. As long as it has not left the palace, he will be okay.

Having a meal with the royal staff around is not ideal, but Jisung does not have much of a choice. Thankfully, Minho is there, too. Even if he's quiet, Jisung appreciates the presence of someone who knows what happened to him. The quietness is pressing on him, but it is better than him having to speak so early in the morning.

When they finish eating, Minho approaches him. "Come to the kitchen with me, all right? We can help Yongbok some more," the prince whispers, his hand hovering above Jisung's waist. Jisung finds himself wishing that he would touch him. Maybe he would not feel as bad about himself if he did.

He follows Minho to the kitchen, where Yongbok is preparing food for the attendants and the help to pick up and eat any time. They help him prepare rice bowls, and, even though Jisung is still quite nervous about it, he ends up chopping some vegetables, too.

Minho is a lot more patient with him than he was yesterday, but Jisung is making less of a fuss himself, too. It does not feel like the bonding experience Chan told him this could be, and Jisung is still not having fun, but as long as there is a chance of this helping against his enchantment, he will try.

"You did well," Minho tells him afterwards, something bordering on a smile tugging at the corners of the man's lips. It sends Jisung's stomach into a frenzy, even if he probably only told him to encourage him to keep going until the enchantment is gone. "What else do you think could help you with your journey to being able to take care of yourself?"

Jisung thinks about it. He prefers not to bother any of the attendants, if he can. They could be of help for the cook, but he can not think of much else to do. He does not like cleaning, so he would prefer to keep that a task for the help, if he can.

"Oh, perhaps we could join my brother in his training. That… Self defense is a skill. That counts for something, does it not?" Jisung suggests. His brother should be on the field outside with Changbin for sword and wrestling practice. Minho's eyes light up.

"It certainly does, in my eyes. Some movement can never hurt. Let us go see him," he says, motioning for Jisung to go ahead. Jisung takes the lead and takes Minho to the courtyard. They should change into something more suitable for training, first.

Jisung knows that his brother keeps plenty of sets in the changing rooms near the courtyard, so he takes two sets, and hands Minho an extra set of his brother's training attire. It fits him well, even around the shoulders. On Jisung, the training outfit looks quite ridiculous. He does not fit into it well at all. It is too big, and he does not even know if it is because of the enchantment or if he is really this out of shape.

"So, do you not usually join your brother? I have seen him train before, but not with you," Minho asks him as they step outside. Jisung shrugs, curling in on himself as he tugs at the shirt sagging off his shoulders.

"I do not join him anymore. I used to. I am the younger brother, however, so there is less of a threat around me. Changbin hyung is a way better match for him, anyway, so it is better if he trains with him and not me," Jisung says, feeling slightly pathetic as he explains himself. Minho's expression does not show how he thinks of him, which only makes Jisung more self conscious.

Jisung does not get the chance to ask him what he thinks, either, because Chan and Changbin already greet them. "Why hello there! In training attire and all. How nice of you two to join!" Changbin says with a wide grin. Chan, looks a bit more hesitant.

"Be careful, all right, Jisung-ah? Does the enchantment affect your muscles?" His gaze trails up and down Jisung's physique, a slight frown between his brows.

"Not that I have noticed so far," he admits softly. He likes it when his brother shows concern for him, but in front of Minho, he is a bit more ashamed of it.

"Good. We will start slow, anyway. Prince Minho, it is good to see you. How much experience do you have?" Changbin asks him. Jisung is quite interested in that, too. Minho looks like he can defend himself just fine. He is broad, and his muscles are not just for show, he reckons. He thinks that Minho's physique does not only come from archery, because archery would not give someone such thick thigh muscles.

"I have done some sword fighting and wrestling with my cousin, the crown prince of the northern kingdom, but I have not done so in a long time. I have spent more time doing archery and training by myself, lately," Minho explains with a shrug. Jisung wonders if he misses his cousin or not, like Jisung would miss his brother, if he would be forced to move to another kingdom.

"All right. Let us start with some simple self defense exercises, then," Changbin says, motioning for Chan to come over so that they can show Minho and Jisung what to do. He walks them through a couple of steps before telling them to try it themselves.

Jisung is a bit nervous to do this with Minho, but he hopes that this will build them some more trust. And, of course, that it will aid the process of ending this enchantment.

Minho is a lot stronger than Jisung, in this state. He does not notice much of a decrease in his stamina, luckily, but Minho gets the hang of the exercises quicker than Jisung. Plus, he has a higher weight thanks to the couple of centimeters extra height, muscles, and layer of fat to support said muscles. Not to mention his incredible balance.

When Jisung tries to push the northern prince over, he does not even manage to get the man to budge a centimeter. When Minho tries it with him, Jisung topples over within a minute. "Ah! Go easy on me, prince, I need to learn," he complains with a pout.

Minho chuckles and holds out his hand for Jisung to take. "Apologies, my prince. You are doing better than I expected, if I may say so," he says, a teasing grin on his lips. Jisung's neck grows warm.

"I am not utterly useless, Prince Minho," he retorts as he lets Minho pull him up. Jisung tries to make their hands linger, but Minho steps back as shakes his head.

"You look like you are eighty years old, that is all. I am surprised the enchantment does not affect your strength," he explains. He raises his hands and charges at Jisung, who startles and stumbles backwards. Minho laughs and pokes Jisung's stomach. "Although you could use some more balance. Engage your core, Prince Jisung."

"Unfair," he says, although he can not hold back a smile as he dodges Minho's attempts at tickling him. The northern prince is less serious than he had thought. He likes this playful side of him. Jisung has to admit that he prefers this over cooking.

"Okay, let us take a brief break and then move on to sword practice, all right?" Changbin announces. Jisung is glad to get himself some water, and he wants to get some for Minho, too, but the prince beats him to it.

Jisung can not help but feel a bit entranced by Minho's slightly disheveled and sweaty appearance, the way his adam's apple bobs when he swallows the water, and the slightly curious look he offers Jisung when he catches him staring. "Do you need anything, prince?"

"No. I only wanted to get you some water, Prince Minho. I see you have got yourself covered, however," Jisung explains, neck heating up. Minho seems somewhat surprised by his act, but Jisung thought he would understand, considering his wishes for a loving marriage.

He can not have forgotten. The excessive hair and wrinkles on Jisung's body are exactly what came forward from that very wish, and those are so prominent that Jisung can not imagine that Minho could forget. Perhaps he does not believe that Jisung is willing to work for it—for his love. Even if he would believe in Jisung, Minho would never fall for him if he looks like this, after all.

"Grab your swords!" Changbin announces in his loud voice. Jisung's stomach drops. He is not fond of sword practice. Minho looks less enthusiastic for this part than the wrestling, too, but the two of them comply and grab the weapons.

The training swords are dull, Jisung knows, but they can still hurt quite a lot, and even cause bleeding, besides the obvious bruises. He never wanted to join sword training when he was younger, and he still does not look forward to it.

Chan and Changbin once again show them what to do. Chan is quite the master swordsman, even better than Changbin, who is in charge of protecting Chan. It is impressive to see, but Jisung is not sure if he can copy the movements.

He is hesitant and shaky when practicing with Minho, who is reluctant at first as well, but gets the hang of the movements quickly. Jisung is unsure on his feet and Minho manages to cut at his hair, the blade of the sword catching at the sturdy gray strands.

Jisung gasps and almost drops his sword, while Minho quickly retracts his own. He seems amused with the situation, but Jisung can not find the energy to smile with him. "Apologies, prince."

"How do you do this, Prince Minho? How do you pick up these things so effortlessly?" Jisung asks in a mumble, touching his hair where it got cut off.

"I have had practice back home," Minho tells him, patting the hilt of the weapon. He glances at Chan and Changbin, who are laughing while their swords clang against one another. "I am certainly not a good fighter, and I am certainly not effortless, but confidence gets you a long way. Try it."

Jisung swallows. "Okay. I will try," he promises. He does want to impress the prince a little bit, and if he never tries, he will never learn. He takes a deep breath and stands ready. He takes the first step forward, happy when Minho's eyebrows fly up in surprise.

Jisung turns his thoughts off, and lets instinct take over. Minho's smile when Jisung actually matches his level is a hundred percent worth it. It seems to fire up Minho, too, and the northern prince presses forward with more vigor than before.

Jisung does his best to keep up, and after getting used to the sword in his hand and clearing his mind, he actually manages to overtake him. That fills Jisung with more confidence, and he pushes forward. In a swift slash of the sword, he knocks Minho's weapon from his hands, but when he—without thinking—continues to strike, he slashes Minho's arm.

"Hell! Be careful! You had me!" Minho snaps, grabbing at the cut. Jisung inhales sharply and drops his sword, rushing to the northern prince's side.

"I am so sorry! I— I did not mean—" he stammers, but he can not find the right words to apologize. The sight of the angry red cut on Minho's arm makes him feel nauseated. This is why he hates sword fighting.

Chan and Changbin join the scene, too, concerned about Minho, but the prince shoos them away. "It is all right. There is no need to fuss over me. Accidents happen. My arm is still attached to my body," he says, but there is a harsh edge to his voice and a frown deepening the space between his brows.

"I can help you take care of it," Jisung offers, but it comes out sounding more like a plea. Minho is silent, gaze averted from Jisung. Jisung's stomach churns in guilt. It seems like there is no way he can learn without mistakes, but when those mistakes hurt people, he can not help but feel like giving up. "You have helped me with my cuts, too. Please let me, prince."

"Go take care of that cut. We can pick this up again another day," Chan says, touching Jisung's back with a gentle hand, as if he is the one who got cut. It seems like Minho does not want to be touched at the moment, however.

Minho glances at Jisung with something like regret in his eyes, but he wordlessly nods, signaling that Jisung can lead the way. Jisung takes Minho back inside to the small dressing room adjacent to the courtyard. Minho sits down while Jisung looks for the small cupboard with aid.

This is not the first sword accident Jisung has experienced, so he knows where to find the soothing ointment and plasters, but he still feels bad. "Could you take off the shirt, Prince Minho? Or pull up the sleeve?"

Minho hums and hikes up his sleeve until his arm is bare. Jisung crouches in front of Minho, inspecting his arm. He is surprised to see multiple traces of healed cuts on his arm. There are light pink, slightly raised slashes on the skin, showing Jisung that they were not deep cuts, but still enough to leave a mark.

"This is not the first time this has happened to you, is it?" Jisung hesitantly asks, gaze flicking up at Minho's eyes. Minho pulls a sheepish expression. He does not wince when Jisung cleans the cut and applies some soothing ointment on it.

"It is not. My cousin was quite reckless while practicing. He… Let us say he was never sorry for it," Minho explains in a bitter tone. Jisung inhales sharply.

"He cut you on purpose?" he asks. Minho is quiet, but his face answers for him.

"I— I was not aware. I apologize, prince, I— I did not—" he rambles, heart sinking at the thought of someone hurting Minho and never feeling guilty for it. The crown prince of the northern kingdom sounds like a self-centered prick.

"There is no need to apologize on his behalf. I know you did not mean to hit me. You are not laughing like he would," Minho tells him, the hardness of his expression melting away just a little bit. Jisung presses his lips together into a grimace. He focuses back on the cut, and carefully covers it to stop the slight bleeding.

"Why did you keep practicing with him, then? Was there not someone else who could?" Jisung is sure that he would beg his brother or his parents to have a different practice partner if he would have been in Minho's shoes.

"He wanted to practice with me, and my word against the crown prince's will always be worth less. No matter how much I told my uncle and aunt I did not want to practice with him, they would not hear it," Minho explains, pulling his arm away when Jisung finishes treating the wound, gaze averted from Jisung.

"How unfair!" Jisung straightens himself, a frown on his face. He knows what it is like to be in the shadow of the crown prince, but at least Chan never takes advantage of that. This gets Jisung's blood boiling, but Minho somehow seems amused by his exclamation.

"It is, but then again, my cousin was an ass, and he thought slashing me proved he was the better swordsman somehow. It has been a long time. He grew tired of training a couple of years ago," the northern prince explains with a shrug, his expression lighter. Jisung believes him, and yet he still does not feel good.

He stands up before Jisung can say more, dusting his clothes and turning around to unbutton his tunic. "Get changed, Prince Jisung. We have more to do, today. How about cleaning? I can ask Jeongin if he has a task for us."

Jisung grimaces as he gathers his own clothes. He will not be able to fasten his hanbok properly by himself, but perhaps Minho is willing to help him. That thought is only brief as Minho's precise words register in Jisung's mind.

"Wait. Did you say us? You will clean, too?" Jisung blurts, realizing what Minho just said. Minho chuckles, and although Jisung feels slightly embarrassed to be laughed at, he is relieved that the prince is not as upset as before.

"What? Does cleaning not fit a prince?" Minho asks him, his voice sounding amused. Jisung glances over his shoulder, but quickly looks back when he sees that Minho is looking at him, too.

"That is not what I meant. Do you clean more often? I simply do not think it is fun," he explains. For the first time, he realizes how spoiled he sounds. The help must not think cleaning is much fun, either, and yet they do it without complaining.

"I do not have fun cleaning, but I do know some who do. But I do not have anything better to do, and if I am not there, then who will make sure you do not complain and give up?" Minho answers. Now, Jisung does look over his shoulder to send the prince a glare, only to be met by the most adorable teasing grin. Jisung can not help but blush, mentally scolding himself for being so easily affected.

"I will not give up! I was simply in a bad mood, yesterday. Surely, you could understand," he retorts with an exaggerated huff.

"I was jesting, my prince," Minho clarifies. Jisung awkwardly clears his throat, turning around as he finishes dressing himself as far as he can manage.

"Me too," he mumbles, facing Minho while tying his veil around his mouth. "Uhm. Could you maybe assist me with the last bits of the hanbok? I can not reach."

Minho seems to soften, his trail grazing Jisung's form before he quietly walks over to Jisung to help him. "Your clothing is of very high quality, as it looks to me, but it does not seem fit for someone to dress themselves."

Jisung lets out a breath of relief, thankful that it is not him who is incapable, but the clothing that is not made to be put on by yourself. "Hyunjin is talented, but also a perfectionist. He would not let me dress myself if I did not have a good reason. He makes the clothes himself and he wants them to be worn properly."

"Well, it is nice that he is so keen on doing it for you," Minho tells him, the words soothing Jisung's heart. He sincerely hopes that Minho does not see him as a spoiled brat any longer. He likes being taken care of, that much is true, but his brother claims that he likes taking care of people, so in that case, it is not selfish or spoiled to let him, is it?

Minho and Jisung go search for Jeongin and end up helping him clean the library and the hallways. According to Jeongin, these are the relatively simple tasks, unlike washing clothes or cleaning the kitchen. Jisung is relieved to start off slow, and he is also relieved to see that Minho does not seem to have more experience with this than he does.

Jisung ends the day a bit less tired than yesterday, yet still drained. He also feels somewhat satisfied, despite the less than entertaining activities. Perhaps that feeling is due to having seen the northern prince's more playful side today. He is not used to his way of teasing, but he does hope that it means that the northern prince has warmed up to him and has lowered his walls a tad.

A couple of days pass by like that—dressing himself, then breakfast, then cooking, training, and cleaning until dinner, after which he washes himself and cleans the bathtub—all with Minho by his side until they part for bed. The northern prince does not have to join him in those activities by any means, but Jisung learns that the man finds joy in cooking for some reason, that he likes the satisfaction he feels after exerting himself physically, and that in terms of cleaning, he would not want Jisung to give up.

Jisung himself reckons that Minho is a bit competitive, and that he does not like feeling as if he is falling behind in terms of skills, even if it is about cleaning. That, or he simply is fond of being around Yang Jeongin and Lee Minho.

Slowly but surely, Jisung gets more used to seeing himself in the mirror or in the reflection of the windows or polished metals. He also gets more used to having Minho around. He does not get to know the man in the sense he expected or wanted, but he does get a feel for what his body language and expressions mean.

He also learns that Minho likes routine. He would not mind eating the same thing day after day, apparently. He is fond of spicy food, too, and he likes cooking more if he can share the food with someone else.

Jisung finds himself still admiring the northern prince from a bit of distance, but that distance is growing smaller by the day. He worries whether Minho sees him as a friend or not, or simply as a way to keep busy while he is away from his home.

It is hard and Jisung's body is sore most days, but he appreciates being able to spend quality time with Minho, Hyunjin, and even with his brother and Changbin. Yongbok and Jeongin are also lovely men, and even Seungmin, who checks on them regularly, has become someone Jisung believes he could become friends with.

His parents do not pay attention to him at all, which hurts, yet it is a weight off his shoulders not to be under their scrutiny. When he gets called to the throne room for one of their periodical updates on the conflict, however, he can feel their heavy and disappointed gaze pointed straight at him.

It hurts even more when their expressions grow softer as Chan starts to speak. Jisung knows that he is not their preferred son, and he does think Chan deserves all the praise for the hard work he does. And yet, he feels weak without Minho by his side, and his brother feels distant when they are talking about politics to their parents.

"Jisung-ah. How is the reversal of this enchantment going?" the king asks him, stern gaze weighing on his shoulders. "As the fighting is seeming to ease down near the border, we would like to announce your marriage in a couple of weeks. Will you look presentable when that time comes?"

"The northern prince Lee Minho and I are working on a solution, father. We are not sure how long it will take or if it will work," Jisung explains, making sure to keep his head raised and eyes on his father, but his voice does not sound as steady as he would like.

"And what about temporary solutions to your appearance? Is there not a way to make you look any better. Are you not able to at least get rid of that awful beard?" His mother looks him up and down, as if she has not seen him walk the hallways this past week.

"No, mother. Hwang Hyunjin has tried. We can not do anything about the hair," he explains, unconsciously scratching his hand through his glove. There is more hair which his parents are unaware of underneath the glove, but it will be better if they do not know.

"How long could it take? Are you certain you are not slacking off? Have you tried everything?" his father asks. Jisung bites the inside of his cheek.

"Father. He is doing his best. I know he is. He does not like this situation, either. He has no reason to slack off," Chan says, defending him despite the way their father's gaze hardens.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Chan-ah? Jisung can speak for himself," the king chides. Jisung swallows thickly, stomach churning. He wants to say something but his throat is dry. His father's nostrils flare as he closes his eyes. Jisung hopes this means he gives up the fight. "I will take your word for it. You are dismissed. Leave."

Jisung feels like he ran a marathon after he walks out of the throne room—his heart is pounding and his breathing shallow. He wishes he could go hole up in his chambers, but Minho told him that he would wait for him near his room so they could dust the hallways.

He does not have time for himself any longer, while before this, he felt like he only ever had time by himself. It hits him harder than he thought it would, but he needs to keep going for the sake of himself, Minho, this kingdom, the northern kingdom, and their marriage.

𓆩:*¨༺✧ ⚜ ✧༻¨*:𓆪

Minho never imagined that life in the southern kingdom would be like this. The same every day, but not in a boring way. He is not fond of cleaning too much. Washing is intense, but it is also satisfying. Cooking and wrestling is the most fun. Jisung is a way better wrestle partner than his cousin, and not only because Minho always wins against the southern prince.

It took some getting used to wrestling with someone who looks like an old man, but it has gotten easier once he got to know Jisung's young spirit. He is spoiled, yes, but Minho can see that his older brother Chan is very fond of spoiling him whenever he has the time, so Minho can not blame him.

Jisung is insecure. He is impatient, at times, and he is occasionally pessimistic, but Jisung is also friendly. He means well, and seems to genuinely look up at his brother, at Changbin, at Minho, and even at Hyunjin, Yongbok, and Jeongin. He is also funny, when he has warmed up to being around someone, Minho has found.

He is creative and genuinely curious about Minho's life. That last point is a blessing and a curse. Minho does not like to talk about his life—the bad parts, anyway. He does not think dwelling on the negatives is a good way to live, and Jisung tends to get all sad on his behalf, which is not necessary in the slightest, but his continued interest in Minho is endearing.

All in all, Minho thinks of Jisung as a friend, now, instead of an annoyance. Slowly, he thinks he is even starting to somewhat care for the younger prince. They are only two years apart in age, he has learned, which is nice, and Minho thinks it would be good if they go from calling each other prince to perhaps simply being hyung and dongsaeng.

They are about the same rank, after all. Royalty, and second in line to be king. Minho wants to suggest as much after breakfast, but Jisung does not even show up for that first meal. He is not in the kitchen afterwards, either.

"Have you seen Jisung?" Minho asks Yongbok, who is busy washing some dishes. He dries his hands before turning around to face Minho with a frown on his face.

"He came to get himself a bowl of rice for breakfast, yes. I assumed he would eat somewhere by himself, but that was a while ago," he explains. Minho hums, thanks the cook for the information before leaving to go look for him.

Jisung has been looking weary the past few days, so perhaps he is feeling under the weather. Minho would have appreciated a heads-up, but he can also understand that the prince would not want to get him sick.

Minho checks Jisung's bedroom, but knocking only gets him face to face with Hyunjin, who assumed Jisung would be with him by now. Minho wonders if Chan or Changbin know where he is, but disturbing the crown prince and his right hand man should be his last resort, preferably. They are busy enough to choose to eat a whole hour before Minho and Jisung do after all.

Walking through the hallways of the palace, Minho finds himself feeling somewhat empty without the southern prince by his side. He encounters Seungmin near the library. He has a chance of knowing where Jisung is, too.

"I believe I saw him in the east wing," he says. Minho furrows his brows. The east wing is where the ballrooms and guest chambers are. He would not even know why either Jisung or Seungmin would be in the east wing. Perhaps his advisor was there to talk to the staff. Or maybe he followed Jisung there.

"Why would he be there?" Minho wonders out loud, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He has not explored the east wing much himself, so he would not know what to find there other than facilities for guests.

"I would have followed him, but I assumed you would know," Seungmin answers with a shrug. "You will search for him, I presume."

"I will. I will go now. Thank you, Seungmin-ah," he says, nodding at his advisor. Seungmin smiles for some reason. Minho will not think about why for too long. He has a prince to find, and a prince to figure out.

Walking through the east wing, Minho can somewhat understand why someone would want to be here—for some peace and quiet, for example. He could see himself taking a walk around here in the future.

Minho's curiosity is peaked when he hears a faint melody coming from somewhere. He follows the sound towards a room, where the door is slightly ajar. Someone is in there, playing the zither quite beautifully.

It must be Jisung, must it not? Who else would hole up in a room alone like this? Minho enjoys the melodies for a moment before curiosity takes over and he slowly slides open the door. Jisung is cross legged on the floor in front of the wooden instrument, his nimble fingers expertly plucking the strings.

His eyes are closed and he is not wearing a veil, so his whole face is uncovered. He seems to be completely lost in the music, and for a moment, Minho thinks he looks pretty like this. It is only a fleeting thought, but it does entice him to keep listening and watching.

Minho has learned to play the zither himself, too, but he does not recognize the song. Perhaps it is a southern one. Either way, he wonders why he did not know Jisung could play this well.

As the music fades out and Jisung's fingers stop moving, Minho fights the urge to clap for him. The prince opens his eyes and yells in surprise as he sees Minho. "Goodness! You— You startled me, prince."

"Apologies. I did not want to disturb you, you were playing so beautifully," Minho admits with a chuckle. Jisung is still quite expressive, even with the thick layer of hair covering the skin around his mouth and the folded skin around his eyes.

At the moment his eyes are wide in shock, and his skin is rosy. He looks like a startled rodent, and Minho thinks he looks endearing. "Thank you, uhm, Prince Minho," he stammers. "How did you find me?"

"I was looking for you after breakfast, Prince Jisung. Seungmin told me he saw you around the east wing, and the music led me here," Minho explains, a small smile on his face. Jisung purses his lips, either defiantly or because he is somehow touched that Minho came to find him. "I was not aware you could play so well. What were you playing?"

"Ah, nothing special. I was kind of improvising," Jisung explains, lowering his gaze towards the instrument. "I have been too tired to play these days. I am so tired. I needed to… unwind. Like you do with archery."

"Improvising? That is impressive, especially since you are weary." Minho was already in awe while assuming that Jisung was taught the song he played, but now that he knows that the music came straight from his mind, he is even more fascinated. Jisung's lips twitch into a small smile. "Your parents must be proud."

Jisung's smile immediately disappears again, much to Minho's disappointment. "Not… Not really. I can not play in front of many people, so there is no use in me being able to play well if I can not show it off," he explains with a bitter chuckle. Minho exhales, his stomach churning.

"No use? That is ridiculous. If it made you feel better, it has plenty of use," he retorts with a scoff. He hates the mindset that everything needs to be flaunted or else you had better not do it. Whatever happened to privacy, to doing something for yourself, and not to show off to others? "And besides, I liked hearing it."

"Thank you, prince. That is unfortunately not how my parents think," Jisung says, chewing on his lower lip. Minho is starting to understand why Jisung is the way he is a little more, now.

"Why did you not show up at breakfast?" He decides to change the subject for now, but Jisung's expression does not clear up, unfortunately.

"I apologize," he begins, but Minho waves him off. He sits down next to Jisung on the floor and tries to catch his gaze, but he can not seem to succeed.

"There is no need. I was only asking," he clarifies. "And I am asking because I was wondering. I expected you in the kitchen, but you did not show up. I would have appreciated a heads up, so I would not wait and worry."

"I… I did not think of that. Apologies, Prince Minho," Jisung says, continuing to apologize. Minho takes a deep breath. Despite everything, Jisung still seems to think he is all alone in this world.

"You are not the only person in this castle, prince," Minho points out, hoping that it will help the tightly wounded up prince to realize that there are people that he can and should lean on. People he should talk to.

"I know!" Jisung says, head snapping up. Minho jerks back in surprise. The southern prince sighs and averts his gaze again. "I— Sometimes I wish I was. Do not get me wrong, I do appreciate your presence. I simply do not like to have so many eyes on me, pressuring me, expecting things of me. Alone, I would not have to worry about mistakes, or the judging eyes."

"From whom?" Minho asks, because as far as he knows, no one is expecting much from him at the moment.

"Everyone!" Jisung exclaims, voice booming through the music room, startling Minho again. Jisung straightens himself and looks at Minho with his jaw locked and shoulders pulled up, like an elastic band stretched to the limit. This must have been due to whatever his parents told him yesterday, in the throne room. "Everyone always wants me to do everything right!"

Minho blinks. It seems like he unleashed a deep rooted frustration from the prince. Something he crammed away somewhere in a crevice of himself a long time ago, too.

"Jisung, do this. Jisung, do that. Jisung, stand up straight. Jisung, speak clearly. Jisung, pay attention. Jisung, play this song in front of hundreds of people. Jisung, stop talking back. Jisung, stop asking questions. Jisung, why do you not talk more? Why are you not more like your brother? Why do you make so many mistakes? Why are you not the prince everyone wants you to be? I am sick of it! Absolutely sick of it!" Jisung's face grows red as he speaks. Minho's stomach lurches with memories of his own aunt and uncle being quite similar to what Jisung describes.

Jisung takes a deep breath, eyes flicking everywhere but Minho's face. "Sorry, prince. I, uhm… I lost myself for a second," he mumbles.

Minho grimaces. "No. I hate that," he says, shaking his head. "I hate that you were treated like that. I… I am aware that this is not an excuse, but I was bitter for much of the same reason when I was sent here to the southern kingdom."

Jisung looks at him with disbelief in his eyes, so Minho decides to be honest. "Minho, do this, will you? For the sake of your cousin. Minho, pay attention. Minho, behave yourself. Oh, it does not matter what you do, you are only the cousin of the crown prince. Oh, but do not act out, you are still royalty. And you still get blamed for the actions of your cousin, who gets away with fucking everything. Minho, don't you dare try to do things by yourself, you will look like a servant! Minho, do as you are told. Do not ask questions."

He laughs at himself dryly, but Jisung's eyes are wide and his eyebrows are drawn together into a concerned frown. "It… It seems like we are more similar than I assumed," Jisung mumbles. "You are the black sheep of the family, too?"

"Well, I suppose you could say that, but perhaps even that is an understatement," Minho replies with a shrug. "My parents are all right, it is only my aunt, uncle, and cousin who are quite a thorn in my eye, demanding all sorts of things from me, demanding me to clean up their messes. This marriage… It felt like that at first, too. Like me cleaning up their mess."

Jisung's lips twitch down into a scowl, and he offers Minho a sympathetic look. "It had nothing to do with you, although your spoiled nature did remind me of my cousin at times," Minho adds.

"Oh… I am sorry. I could have been more… understanding," Jisung says, a sad look in his eyes. Minho smiles unwillingly. He supposes it is because Jisung seems to empathize with him a lot. It is nice to relate to someone, for a change.

"You could not have," Minho assures him. "And you are not remotely close to his entitlement. My cousin did much of what he did on purpose, fully knowing what he would be pushing into my lap. Like the sword fighting. He simply does not care about anything but himself. You do care about others. A bit too much sometimes, if I can be honest."

Jisung chuckles weakly. "What do you mean by that?" he asks, proving Minho's point.

"Well, I always talked back at my uncle and aunt. Whenever I did not agree, I would make myself heard," he says, thinking back on all those days his aunt and uncle got mad at him for demanding their son to be more responsible. Jisung, on the other hand, seems to put himself in second place instead. "You seem to be too polite to do that, but maybe that is the wiser choice. Opening my mouth always got me in more trouble."

"No, I do think that is the wiser choice. Being in my brother's shadow feels safe, but it does not make it easier to carry those expectations," Jisung says, pressing his lips together. "I used to try, though. I used to try and put myself in the spotlight more, draw attention to myself to make up for the fact that I was not the crown prince. That made me either mean, or made me try too hard to be like my brother. It is… It is like this veil. It is a mask. It helps me be in front of people. It helps me deal with criticism, and expectations, and makes me able to pretend to be the prince everyone wants me to be, but it is not me."

Minho frowns. He does not like what he is hearing, but he can not say he has not tried the mask, either. He hated it. "I believe you should not wear it, Prince Jisung," he says.

"I know, but the me without the mask is not what they like to see. He is clumsy and nervous and I can not speak properly," Jisung retorts with a sigh. "But you are right. The mask makes me annoying and self centered."

"If others do not like what they see, they should look away," Minho tells him. That is what he always tells himself. He understands that being a prince comes with responsibilities and expectations, and that they should act a certain way to set an example, but within the castle, he should not be exploited.

Jisung is still chewing on his lips. Minho gets the sudden urge to reach out and pull his mouth free from his teeth. "It is hard, but at least you can practice around me, right?" he says, hoping to lighten the atmosphere. "And Hyunjin. Your brother. Changbin. Yongbok…"

"Do you think so?" Jisung seems to be hesitant to believe Minho's words, but surely he has seen the proof of it himself.

"Do you think they would help you if they would think you are nothing more than a spoiled prince?" Minho asks in return, raising one eyebrow. Jisung deflates.

"I am a prince. They have to obey me and be respectful," he weakly replies, but Minho can tell that he knows that it is a frail excuse.

"You are correct, but this is a different situation. Yongbok will absolutely keep people out of his kitchen if they are in the way, and he has every right to do so, even if it is the prince" he says. "And I do not think a prince has ever demanded to help clean. They know that if they decline to let you help, you will not put up a fight. You hate cleaning and it is clear as day on your face every time you do it."

Finally, Minho is rewarded with somewhat of a laugh. He can not help but soften. The prince has shown him a vulnerable side of him, and Minho has somehow felt safe enough to do the same. Now, all he wants is for Jisung to know that he is not alone, and that there is comfort in the ugly parts of life, too.

"For them, they are happy you want to learn from them. They are glad to show a prince what a part of their day is like. Your appearance does not matter. Your way with words or your status does not matter. They know what life is like outside of this castle, where things are unpolished. All they want is to be treated with respect," he adds in a low voice. "If you did not do that, they would have sent you away."

Jisung lowers his head again, hiding his face behind his hands. Minho's eyebrows shoot up in surprise when he hears a sob coming from the southern prince. His heart clenches. Did he say something wrong?

"P-Prince Jisung. Why are you crying?" Minho scrambles to get up and sit besides Jisung, a hesitant hand touching his shoulder.

"I— I am so thankful for the way you have listened to me, and are talking to me." Jisung's voice is muffled by his hands, and he sobs between his words, the sound making Minho feel all sad, too. "I keep making things hard for you, and yet you are here, listening, and encouraging me, showing me that things are not as dire as I pretend they are. There are still people like you."

Minho swallows, unsure how to react to Jisung's grateful words. Jisung uncurls himself and spreads his arms before pulling Minho into a sudden hug. Minho stumbles forward onto his knees, and he holds Jisung's middle to stabilize himself. He can not help but giggle a bit, neck growing warm.

"I say today we do something fun, so that we can re-energize," Minho whisper as he pulls away. Jisung's eyes are red rimmed and watery. Minho is torn between laughing and crying with him. "Will you play some more music?"

Jisung's expression clears up, and he nods almost eagerly. Minho assures him that he will simply sit here and enjoy the music. Jisung starts playing and Minho leans back, closes his eyes and listens, getting carried away by the melodies.

Jisung keeps playing, and at some point he encourages Minho to play along with him. Minho only keeps it at drumming a beat on his lap, while Jisung plays along, but he ends up enjoying himself more than he thought he would.

More than cooking, this is something they both enjoy. It is a bit like wrestling, but here, while playing music, Jisung really seems to be comfortable and himself. Minho has no idea how much time passes when the door slides open again, this time revealing the crown prince.

Jisung slowly stops playing, and only then does Minho realize that the there is someone else in the room with them.

"Ah, there you two are. Changbin and I were already wondering if you'd join us for training or not," Chan says with a chuckle. He seems very pleased to see them here, for some reason. "It has been a while since you've played music, is it not, Jisung-ah? It has been even longer since you have allowed anyone other than me in here with you."

Jisung makes a noise, and Minho's heart does something strange. Jisung stands up and whispers something to his brother, that makes the latter smile. Minho swears he hears his own name being spoken from Jisung's lips.

He subtly shuffles a bit closer to listen. Jisung is explaining to his brother that he lost motivation after their talk with their parents and that Minho genuinely pulled him through the depression. Minho smiles to himself, proud to have such a positive effect on the prince.

Chan gives him brother a big hug, and tells him that he wishes he could play some music with him, too, but that, regretfully, his day is packed.

"We can play another time, hyung. Thank you for checking on us," Jisung says, gently pushing his brother out of the room. "Now go on with your day, hyung. And make sure you rest, all right? When Changbin hyung tells you to take a break, you do it."

"Yes, yes, I will. You two have a nice rest of your day," Chan says with a chuckle and a slight bow of his head. Minho returns the gesture with a polite smile. He is glad that Jisung has an older brother like him, but he can certainly imagine that it is not easy to lean on him when the man is so busy.

Jisung sits back down, his cheeks dusted with a light pink. Minho tilts his head at the prince. "Would you like to play more, or do something else?" he asks. It is nearing the afternoon, and Minho himself is getting a bit peckish.

"Shall we have some food?" As if Jisung read his mind, he suggests the very same.

"Shall we make it ourselves?" Minho adds with a little grin. Jisung pushes his lips into a pout, making Minho laugh outright. Once a spoiled prince, always a spoiled prince, he supposes.

"Fine! Fine. We can make it ourselves," Jisung relents with a dramatic sigh. Minho helps up the prince off the floor. He is very briefly startled by the feeling of the coarse hair on the back of Jisung's hand, but he quickly tries to school his expression.

It only hits Minho now that it must be hard for Jisung to look at himself in the mirror. Not because he is ugly, per say, he is simply wrinkly and very hairy, which are two natural phenomena, but because he does not look like himself, and he has no control over how he looks at all. To have that autonomy stripped away must be horrible.

Knowing that, the light within which he saw Jisung those first days—spoiled, dramatic, foolish and reckless—starts to shift. He understands the situation better, and can even relate to it. He was too blinded by his own frustrations and his ignorance of Jisung's life to grasp his emotions, but now he gets it.

"Prince," Minho begins as they are making their way through the east wing towards the kitchens in the west. Jisung turns his veiled head as he is tucking some stray hair into the head wrap. "How about you call me hyung, now? I believe we have gotten to the stage that the formalities can be eased a bit."

Jisung's eyes widen, something akin to hope twinkling in the light reflected in them. "I— Yes. I would like that, Minho hyung," he says, his name coming out as if he's tasting a new meal. Minho can not see his mouth well, but his eyes seem to be smiling.

"Good. Let us cook, Jisung-ah," he replies, his stomach rumbling, but he does not feel as hungry as before, anymore.

𓆩:*¨༺✧ ⚜ ✧༻¨*:𓆪

Jisung is in trouble. He is pretty sure he is falling in love with Minho. After that day in the music room, he feels like they have really become friends. He still thinks back to that day often, to Minho's kind words, and to his forgiving eyes.

The days afterwards, Jisung finds that Minho's smile is even softer somehow. He is fascinated by the way his breath seems to keep getting stolen by the beautiful sight of Minho's laugh. He has always found the northern prince gorgeous, but now that he is aware of the warm interior beneath the cold hard exterior he showed when he first got here, Jisung is irreversibly smitten.

Minho has so many good qualities. He is always kind to the help and attendants, and he is wise, too, as he reads a lot. Jisung has found himself staring at the man more than he would like to admit, whenever they would take a break in the library. Minho never lets the king and queen hurry him into something, either, even if they keep insisting that they want them to publicly announce their marriage soon.

Jisung admires him for that, and for so many more things. He is falling for him, utterly and completely. He would be ready to marry Minho today, and he knows that he will come to love him, but he is still nervous about Minho's view on the marriage. The past weeks, they have gotten along well, and Jisung is coming to find cooking and cleaning actually bearable, but he does not think Minho feels more for him than friendly affection.

Moreover, Jisung does not feel like their undoing of the enchantment is going very well, despite his progress. By now, he feels physically strong—he stands a good chance against Minho while wrestling and sparring these days—he knows how to do laundry, how to clean the bathroom, and dust just about any room in the palace.
He also is not scared of fire or cutting vegetables any longer. He can even wrestle his brother now. He can make himself a meal without help, he can make his own bath and dress himself, but his appearance has not changed.

He still looks like a grandpa who cannot afford to shave himself, which also means that, despite Minho's friendliness towards him, he does not think that the man is attracted to him.

His mother and father are getting impatient. The people are wondering why Jisung is not appearing next to his brother when the crown prince gives updates on the conflict at the border. The king and queen have said that he is feeling under the weather, but there is only so long that that excuse will hold up before the citizens start getting worried.

When Jisung and Minho get called to the throne room together, Jisung knows that he can not hide forever. His mother and father ask for what the current situation is in terms of the enchantment. Jisung is ashamed to admit that they have been working on a solution based on what the Silver Wizard said, but that they have not noticed any difference yet.

"We need you to speak to the people, Jisung-ah," his father says. Jisung's stomach drops. He notices that Minho briefly glances at him, and he probably does not see the scowl behind Jisung's veil, but he must be able to read his expression. "The citizens are starting to show concern. There have been rumors of you being poisoned by a spy or an assassin. We have almost resolved the border conflict, and we can not afford to have them be restless again."

"But what will I say, father? If they see me, or if I cover up too much, they will draw their own conclusions, still," he says, holding his head up to show as much of his wrinkled and hairy face. His father scowls.

"Yes, we are aware. You can explain that this was your own fault, and not an attack on the country," the king clarifies. Jisung's mood sours, stomach lurching at the idea of having to speech like that in front of the citizens, and he hears Minho inhale sharply next to him.

He has done this before, when he was younger, more foolish, more reckless, and more insistent on wearing a mask while in public. He hated it then, but looking like this, and with the weight of being responsible for preventing or causing a war, he hates it even more.

"King, queen, with all due respect, are we not a bit too hasty?" Minho speaks, startling Jisung. The king's gaze hardens, but Minho stands straight and keeps speaking, another reason Jisung admires him so much. "Jisung made a mistake, your highness, but the wizard is to blame, too. The wizard never meant to hurt the people, this was entirely personal, and not an attack on the country. This enchantment was cast weeks ago, and that has been it. Nothing else has happened and I doubt it will."

"We are aware of that, Lee Minho," the queen says, voice as sharp as her gaze. "We do appreciate your concern for our son, but it will be best for everyone if he speaks to the public. Seo Changbin and Kim Seungmin can help you figure out what to say, son. You have until tomorrow, when Chan will address the public regarding the conflict. You will speak then. You are dismissed."

Jisung bites his tongue and takes a deep breath. His hands are sweaty and his stomach feels tight, but he nods his head and accepts his parents' words. Minho's eyes are cold as he turns away and follows Jisung out of the throne room.

Jisung's heart is making a ruckus, and his hands are sweaty. He takes his gloves off and exhales, wiping his fingers on his trousers. He meets eyes with Minho, parts his lips to speak, but he can not get any sound out of his mouth. He is too nervous, anxious to face hundreds of people looking like this.

"Come with me." Minho grabs his wrist, dragging him out of the hallways to a quieter place, without any attendants walking past. Jisung exhales, lets his fingers linger on Minho's palm when the latter lets go of his hand.

"What should I do, hyung?" he asks in a whisper. He knows he should work for things himself, when thinking about the enchantment, but surely he can ask others for advice. He can not do everything by himself, and learning is part of working for something, he believes.

Really, he just needs comfort, right now. From Minho, in particular.

"I… I fear you must do as they say, Jisung-ah," Minho replies, his voice low. Their hands are not touching any longer, but Jisung misses the warmth of Minho's soft fingers. "I am not happy about it, but if there is disorder in the land because the people are worried about you, I see no other option. I do not like that you need to blame yourself in front of the public, however. We should think of something… milder to say."

Jisung nods. He is grateful that Minho stood up for him, but only one day to think of what to say feels too little for something so crucial. "And hey, maybe it will even help with this enchantment. To face the public, I mean," Minho adds with a chuckle. Jisung can not find the strength to laugh.

"Perhaps," he mumbles. Minho huffs and taps Jisung's chin, silently requesting him to look up at Minho instead of down at the floor. Jisung swallows and raises his gaze. It feels less daunting than when his father asks the same of him, because Minho's eyes are warmer. Less scrutinizing.

"You are helping the people. If… If you do not say something, they will draw their own conclusions anyway, so talking to them can only make things better, all right?" Minho assures him. Jisung knows he is speaking the truth, logically, but his heart is not entirely convinced that he can not mess up.

"I… I know. Should we go look for Changbin and Seungmin?" Jisung feels a bit shaky on his legs at the moment, and he fears that if they keep standing in this corner for too long, he might start craving for Minho to take him in his arms and hug him until the day ends.

Minho hums and lets Jisung take the lead. He makes his way towards the library, where, as he expected, Changbin and Seungmin are. Jisung first tells them what the king and queen have decided. Judging by Chan's furrowed brows, he is concerned, too, but even Jisung can see that there is no other option.

There is no guarantee that he and Minho will manage to undo this enchantment anytime soon, because they still have no idea what it is that the Silver Wizard meant. Even if it has to do with romance, Jisung does not think he is close to having Minho falling for him. He can not tell Minho about his hunch, because that would defeat the purpose of him having to work for it, and it would feel too forced. He wants Minho falling for him to be natural.

"Okay, let us think of something neutral to say," Changbin says, rubbing his hands together. Chan decides to help, too, much to Jisung's relief. Chan is quite good with words, after all. Secretly, Jisung still finds himself wishing that his brother could take over for him, and that he would not have to speak, but he knows he needs to overcome this barrier himself.

He, Minho, Chan, Changbin, and Seungmin end up writing up a couple of versions of the speech, but Jisung's heart does not seem to want to calm down much. He is grateful for all the help with keeping his language neutral and crafted such that the people will not draw the wrong conclusions.

They will not mention any details about the Silver Wizard, and Jisung will have to take the blame upon himself in the end, but Chan suggests phrasing it like he was trying to help out, but that he made a mistake. There will be emphasis on how long ago this happened, and the fact that the enchantment was specifically targeted at him, personal, and that everyone else has been perfectly safe.

That is all good and well, but Jisung is struggling the most with the idea of showing his face and scaring the people. Moreover, if he sounds too nervous or scared, the citizens might not believe him, and he might start a riot.

"Okay. I believe we have got a good version now. Do you agree, my prince?" Changbin asks him, pulling him out of his thoughts. He clears his throat.

"Yes," he says, but his voice comes out more shaky than he expected. Minho looks at him with narrowed eyes, and Chan reaches out to touch his hand. "Thank you for the assistance. It helps with the nerves. I might wish I did not have to do this, but I will, so do not look at me with so much concern, brother. Minho hyung, too."

Minho clears his throat and looks away when Changbin and Seungmin face him at the mention of his name. Is he being bashful? Jisung's gloomy mood clears up a bit, seeing the tips of Minho's ears turn pink.

"Apologies, Jisung-ah," Chan says with a chuckle, caressing the hairy back of Jisung's hand with his thumb. Jisung exhales, shuffling closer to his brother and leaning a bit more against him in an attempt to ease his anxious heart.

He sees that Minho's eyes are back on him, his gaze making him shy, so he closes his eyes for a moment. Chan tugs him a bit closer, now wrapping his arm around his waist. "And… May I ask about the enchantment? Did your plan not work?"

"I… I don't think it did," Jisung admits, his eyes fluttering open so he can straighten and look at his brother properly. Minho hums in agreement, the corners of his lips twitching down. "Maybe that this speech will help. I… I am not sure. I could survive a day—perhaps even a week—all by myself by now, and I do not know what else the Silver Wizard could have meant."

It's a lie. He does have an idea, but he can not say it out loud. Not in front of Minho.

"Yes, perhaps facing the citizens will help!" Chan encourages him happily. "And even if it does not help, we can always help you figure out new ideas. The conflict is easing down, so I will have more time."

"Be honest, hyung, you will not have much time," Jisung says with a laugh. He certainly will not have the time nor the freedom to be with him as much as Minho has been lately. He looks at the northern prince, whose eyes are pointed at him, again. (Or perhaps still?) "It is all right. Minho hyung has been great. The only thing we might need is some inspiration."

When Jisung glances at Minho again, the latter smiles. Jisung's heart melts pathetically. He genuinely hopes that him showing himself to anyone who wants to see will help this enchantment and he will be able to get this friendship with Minho to further, and perhaps, grow into something more intimate and romantic.

"Let me know. Changbin and I can always think along," his brother assures him. Seungmin clears his throat, and blinks pointedly at Chan, who chuckles. "And Seungmin-ssi, too."

"Okay. I will… I will rehearse this in my room, now. Thank you for the help, again," Jisung says. He does genuinely appreciate them assisting him with this, but he still feels nervous, and he would rather not read this in front of everyone. He stands up and dusts off his hanbok, but Minho follows suit.

"Should I come with?" he suggests. Jisung's heart stutters, torn as he can not decide whether he wants Minho by his side or if he wants to hide and not face himself. "I could give some tips."

"Okay," he ends up saying, even if he is nervous. He does not want Minho to see him struggle, but perhaps he will not have such a hard time with him by his side. Minho's expression softens and he gestures for Jisung to lead the way.

Once in Jisung's room, Jisung takes a moment to exhale. His hands are shaking. The papers in his hands rustle and he can barely read his brother's neat handwriting with the way he is trembling. "I'll just… I will just start reading, okay?" he says, trying to keep his hands still as he turns to face Minho.

Minho hums, and Jisung goes ahead, pretending to be in front of the land, yet the imagination is not quite coming to life as he is only reading words on a piece of paper for now. It is not a very long speech, but there is a lot of weight behind it, and Jisung feels the pressure to convey the words right.

"Okay," Jisung exhales again, flicking his eyes up to Minho, who is watching him attentively. He lowers the papers so the prince hopefully won't notice the way his hands can not seem to stay still. "What did you think so far?"

"Well, if I can be honest, it sounded like you were reading from a book," Minho tells him with a chuckle. Jisung swallows. Right. "And I completely understand! This was the first time you recited the text. The text sounds good."

Unfortunately, Minho's words do not ease Jisung's mind. His throat still feels tight, and his heart is up in his ears. "I will read it a couple of times more," he says, talking more to himself than to Minho, to motivate himself.

He reads more, and by the third reading, he forces himself to look up in between parts he knows. Minho is watching and listening, but Jisung can not read his expression well. The more he speaks, the more he realizes that he sounds nervous. His breathing is off, and he does not sound convincing or reassuring at all.

Suddenly, it gets hard to read the words anymore, and he stumbles over his speech. "And I… I would— I can— Uhm…" Jisung's throat closes up and he can not get any sound to leave his throat any longer. He is too aware of the fact that he is reading something quite crucial for the peace of the country, and that the way he brings it can mean everything in terms of how the public will interpret the speech.

"Hey! Jisung-ah," Minho says, voice impatient as if this is the fifth time he says his name. Jisung blinks, his eyes feeling damp all of a sudden. "What is going through your mind? Take a deep breath, all right? Slowly."

Minho inhales loudly, expression pointed as if he expects Jisung to join him. Jisung follows him a little belatedly, but his breathing is all over the place, so it takes him a moment to get himself together. "There we go, prince. You can not speak or live if you are not breathing," Minho tells him, a soft chuckle adding to his kind tone.

"I am sorry—" he begins, but Minho shushes him with a stern look. He touches Jisung's shoulder with his hand, and suddenly, Jisung can feel his body grow less taut, as if Minho's hand has undid a number of knots in his muscles just by touching him.

"I do not want to hear you apologize so many times. If you want to share what happened, I am here to listen, or help, if you need it. Let me remind you that you do not need to do this alone," Minho says. "You are not alone in the world."

Those are the same words as the ones Minho spoke to him one of the very first days of this enchantment related nightmare, but in this context, Jisung finds them sounding a lot warmer. This time, it is a reminder that Minho is there for him, as a friend, instead of an accusation.

A lump forms inside Jisung's throat again, but this time because he is touched, rather than anxious. He takes another deep, long breath to keep himself together. The corners of Minho's lips twitch up as his thumb caresses Jisung's shoulder. "I know, hyung. And— And I am so grateful that you are helping me so much despite this enchantment being my own foolish fault."

"Well, it might be a bit on me, too, considering you went to that wizard in an attempt to reach me," Minho says, pressing his lips together into a sheepish smile. He drops his hand from Jisung's shoulder, but Jisung grabs it again. He hopes that Minho is not too deterred by the hairiness of the back of his hand.

"You… You really think so? Do you… Do you still resent me for that? For having to help me?" Jisung asks, his voice low and hoarse. Minho exhales, squeezes his hand as he looks down at where they are linked.

"Not any longer. I would be lying if I said I have never felt resentment, however," he admits softly. "I would have been even more upset if you had actually had a wizard put some kind of love spell on me, but you did not, and I do not know what you were planning, but it does not matter anymore. I feared that you would be spoiled and that you would not be willing to work for anything, but you showed me that, even if you hate cooking and are scared, you still try. There is a lot of weight on your shoulders, but you need not carry it alone."

Jisung squeezes Minho's hand so tight it must be stopping the blood flow, and he is digging his nails into the palm of his own free hand, too, all in an attempt to stop himself from sobbing. "I— But my brother— He does it all alone. I— I feel like I make so many mistakes, and everyone has to deal with the consequences," he says through ragged breaths.

"Your brother does not do it alone. He has Changbin, he has many attendants and advisors and scholars who help him. He has you, too," Minho says. It is true, and Jisung should know it. He knows it, yet it feels like he is weak for always needing someone, when his life and decisions are so much less important than those of his brother.

He lets go of Minho's hand and instead pulls him into a tight hug. Minho gasps, but after a moment, he melts into Jisung's arms. "You can do this, all right? But you are not alone. I wish… I wish there could be some other way, some way you would not have to be so anxious about facing the people, but I know you will be all right, okay? Whatever the public thinks, you will have done all you can and more—you will have been so brave. It is not easy."

Jisung whimpers, hiding his face into the crook of Minho's neck. Jisung cries because he is grateful and relieved for Minho's kindness, but he also cries because he feels so guilty and regretful for bringing this enchantment upon himself and Minho. If he had simply tried harder to reach Minho, if he had only given him more time to warm up to him, then maybe they would have been happier.

Maybe then, he would have a chance with Minho. "It will be over tomorrow, Jisung-ah," Minho whispers, a tremble in his voice. "Please, do not cry. It makes me sad."

Jisung takes deep gulps of air, and slowly calms down. He raises his head, ashamed of breaking down like this in front of Minho. He wipes his tears, grabs his handkerchief and turns around to blow his nose.

"All right. I… I can continue. One more round before supper?" Jisung asks, gathering the papers to rehearse the speech again. Minho hums, eyes a little glassy, yet his gaze is fond. Jisung's heart hurts with how much he longs to dive back into the prince's arms and hold him for an hour longer so that he can selfishly pretend that he could love him back despite the mess.

Jisung does not feel confident when the day ends, but he also does not feel like he will succumb to anxiousness as soon as he steps out onto the balcony to face the public tomorrow. Minho has given him some good reminders on his posture, and Hyunjin has picked out an outfit that will make him feel somewhat like himself. Chan has rehearsed with him, as well, and he has given Jisung plenty of compliments and tips on his tone and intonation.

He can not sleep well, rehearsing the speech in his mind until he gets sick of himself, but he just wants this to be over as soon as possible, and he wants to do well. He wants to show everyone that he is responsible and can handle these types of things. He can work for something.

In the morning, he can not dress himself. Instead, there are about four attendants besides Hyunjin to help him get dressed. He can not be shaven, but his hair is combed back and neatly styled, while the rest of his body is covered to show as little hair as possible. His beard stays uncovered, so he can speak clearly.

Hyunjin gives him a big hug for strength, and wishes him the best of luck. Jisung is nervous, still, and hugs Hyunjin for as long as the tailor allows him to. It does not help, and he the nerves does not seem to calm down, but he also feels somewhat determined.

Minho does not go up to the balcony with them, of course. It is still unknown to the public that he is even here, and that he is set to marry Jisung, so he can not show himself. Still, knowing that Minho is inside the palace, listening to him, makes him feel somewhat more secure.

The king and queen are already in sight, as their advisor speaks to the public and announces the two princes of the land. Jisung steps onto the balcony with his brother and his brother's wife, and immediately, the people who have gathered in front of the palace break out into commotion.

"Quiet, all!" the royal advisor demands, clanging a bell until the people quiet down. "The princes of the south will speak to you now!"

Jisung clears his throat, heart bouncing hard and fast up in his mouth. "Good day, everyone. This is Han Jisung speaking to you," he begins, eliciting more clamor from the citizens. He waits a moment for them to quiet down again, and starts his speech. He explains his situation, is careful to speak clearly and confidently, as much as he can.

"I assure you, I am all right, despite my looks. It is my own fault, and I am working to find out how to reverse this and go back to my natural self. Do not fear, no one is in danger, not the royal family, not the nobles, not the rest of the land. Not even me. There has been no attempt whatsoever to harm anyone since I made this mistake and got myself enchanted," Jisung says, hoping that he does not sound as out of breath as he feels. "I feel like it is my duty to assure you that I am all right, but also to be open to you all. Please do not worry about me. I will better myself and reverse this for the sake of the land. Thank you for listening."

He bows and ignores the chattering of the citizens. He can not understand what they are saying, anyway. It is done, and now it is his brother's turns to speak about the conflict at the border with the north. He takes a step back and exhales, holding his hands behind his back to hide their trembling.

He looks forward with a blank expression, just like he has been taught, and listens to his brother speak. Like this, he can control his thoughts better. His brother's voice soothes him, distracts him and hopefully the public, too, from his speech.

He is both very relieved and also a tad envious that his brother speaks so well. He has had much practice and has to address people a lot more often than he does, but ever since they were young, Chan has been better at it. Jisung can write speeches well and he can get on just fine during events, but Chan is so good with people, he genuinely cares for others and it shows in everything he does.

With his words, he hopes that the land will be at ease. The citizens love him, and they love his wife, too. Jisung convinces himself that it will be enough for them to compensate for the shock of seeing him.

When Chan finishes speaking and his wife Siyeon has added on her own part to ease the citizens even more, Jisung steps forward again to bow to the people. His heart is speeding up again, but once he is back in the castle, he feels like he can breathe again.

He thanks his brother and Siyeon for doing well, and they compliment him in return. Jisung thinks back on Minho's words. He is not alone. Even his brother's wife is kind to him, genuinely. She might not be in the palace often, but Jisung understands. His brother is not the only one forced into this marriage. She has her own way of dealing with things, and yet she is kind to Jisung and the people of the land.

Maybe it would be okay for Jisung to have a friendly marriage with Minho, he thinks, but his heart still protests the thought. He fancies Minho, whether he lies to himself about it or not, and he wants Minho to love him back.

"You did well, Jisung-ah!" Minho tells him, a bright smile on his face. Jisung's heart stutters once again. He chuckles and takes off his gloves to wipe his sweaty hands on his hanbok.

"Thanks, hyung. I… May I ask you for a hug?" Jisung hesitantly spreads his arms. Minho's expression softens and he steps closer to wrap his arms around Jisung's middle. Jisung relaxes against the man's sturdy body.

"I did it," he whispers to himself. Minho exhales and pats his behind before pulling back.

"You certainly did. Now, I… I wish it were different, and I wish I could have a meal with you, now, but… I have to see to something else," Minho says, the corners of his lips twitching down. Jisung's eyes widen, his stomach dropping.

"What for?" he asks. He wishes Minho could stay, but from his reluctant expression, Jisung can tell that he has no choice but to go.

"My mother and father have come to visit. And that is a good thing, but they have brought a messenger with them, which can only mean that they are here on official duty for the king and queen of my land," Minho explains. Jisung inhales sharply. Official duty? He wonders if they have come to arrange something regarding their wedding.

"Okay. Go see them, hyung. I can see to myself for a day. I am responsible and independent, now," he jokes halfheartedly. Minho rolls his eyes and smiles a lopsided grin. "Try not to miss my wrinkly hairy face too much, all right?"

"Same to you, my prince," Minho replies, half mocking with his honorific. Jisung does not mind in the slightest, but he will miss Minho. Even though they have spent the better part of two months working and learning together, Jisung feels tired after having faced the public so openly and he would prefer to have Minho to converse with and keep his mind from racing.

He will survive. He has survived this speech, he can live for the rest of the afternoon, too.

𓆩:*¨༺✧ ⚜ ✧༻¨*:𓆪

Minho takes a deep breath.

He loves his parents, but he does not love the grip his aunt and uncle have on them. He knew that it was wishful thinking to believe that they had come to the southern land to visit him and have a good time, but facing the fact that they have been sent to see how the plans for marriage are coming along is another thing.

Marrying Jisung. Minho would be lying if he would say that he is as reluctant to do so as he was two or three months ago, but despite his growing fondness for Jisung, there is still a rebellious part inside himself that hates to be told what to do and who to love.

He can not seem to separate his affection for the southern prince from the situation and imagine what it would be like if his aunt and uncle had not sent him away as a peace offering.

The enchantment is also still an obstacle. Not because he finds Jisung ugly or repulsive or anything. On the contrary, he fancies the prince, that is for sure. For Minho, these past two months have been enough to show him that Jisung is beautiful, anyway.

He is passionate, he is funny, when he feels good about himself, he is creative, a lovely singer, interested in Minho's words and hobbies, and he is a delight to take care of. Minho finds it calming to hear him play music, finds it fun to talk to him, and loves having a self-made meal with Jisung or wrestling with him and hearing him laugh or complain that Minho is simply too strong for him.

On top of that, Jisung is emotional. He is in touch with his feelings, and never hides them from Minho even if he is ashamed of himself. Minho admires that in him. The southern prince has not had a simple life in any regard, especially the past few months, but Minho has seen him grow, and has seen him open up like a flower in the spring.

Jisung seeks affection from him, which makes Minho feel warm inside without fail. He has found himself wishing to kiss the prince a couple of times the past week, and yet it does not feel like he would do Jisung a favor by doing so.

He wishes things were simpler and that he could state that he fancies him, end of story.

It is not the end of the story, because he can tell that Jisung does not like the way he looks. Minho wants Jisung to love himself, too, but his appearance is a reminder of the mistakes he made, and Minho is not sure if he can convince him that he is worthy of love like this.

Jisung needs more time, and so does Minho, but he does not seem to be granted any time at all.

"We will send the messenger to the northern kingdom, and invite over the king, queen, and crown prince to celebrate your marriage, as well as an end to this conflict," his mother tells him with a bittersweet smile. Minho tries to school his expression, but he is sure that some sourness is leaking through.

"Mother. You have seen how the prince looks. While I am okay with that, I do not believe the prince will want so much attention on him," Minho argues, his tone level. His father offers him a regretful look.

"Unfortunately, your mother and I do not have much say in this matter. The kings and queens of both lands have decided that it would be better to announce your wedding as soon as possible. The people need something to celebrate after all of this chaos at the border," he says, and while Minho does understand, he wishes the situation were different. Jisung deserves a wedding to look forward to.

He deserves a loving wedding, where he does not have to worry about any judging or pitying or disgusted looks pointed at him. If only he could let Jisung see himself through his eyes for a day, then he would know that his appearance does not matter in Minho's fondness for him.

He might not love Jisung at the moment, but he can certainly imagine himself falling for him and coming to love him in the future.

"I see. They have decided for us that we should sacrifice ourselves for the land. He has already faced the public—You must have heard him, did you not?—and now he will need to marry while not even looking like himself. He will have to take the scrutiny of the nobles and pity of the land so we can celebrate. And I will have no say in it, either," Minho says, a bitter edge to his voice.

"It is unfair, I know, son. That is the sacrifice royals need to make," his father explains. "I think it is very noble of you to think about the southern prince's feelings. We have raised you well. I am sorry that we can not do more to help."

Minho sighs. He cares for Jisung's feelings because no one else seems to do so or have the time to care. He has seen firsthand that Jisung's parents treat Jisung the same way Minho was treated by his aunt and uncle—like a nuisance, only useful to them when they need someone to put the blame upon.

His brother is kept too busy to give Jisung the support he needs, and Minho can imagine that Chan does not have an easy time dealing with his mother and father, either. Besides that, there is only Hyunjin, who has no power to stand up for him, and who can only really speak to Jisung inside the walls of the prince's chambers.

Minho can relate to that somehow, but at least he had his parents, he had Yongbok, Jeongin, and Seungmin. Both Seungmin and his parents have status and are able to have his back on matters he found unfair. Jisung only has his brother for that, who has enough on his plate.

Now, he has Minho, too, because Minho has Jisung, too. Jisung, who just wanted to love him, and tried from day one to speak to Minho, to get to know him, and understand him, despite his clumsy ways and shyness in doing so.

"Fine. I am not pleased with the haste, but I understand," he relents. His heart does not feel at ease, taking this as it is, but he could never really oppose his aunt and uncle, let alone the king and queen of the southern kingdom. "Am I excused, mother, father?"

"You are. We will deal with the messenger. However, the king and queen of the south want to speak to you regarding this topic. Bring your fiancé along with you to the throne room, please," his father tells him, as if today has not been eventful enough. Minho bites back a sigh and obeys.

After some asking around, Minho finds Jisung in the music room in the east wing again. He is playing music with his brother, much to Minho's relief. They play beautifully, and Minho is mesmerized at the sight of Jisung's nimble fingers strumming the strings of the zither once again.

Chan notices him first, as Jisung seems to be completely lost in the music. Minho motions for him to keep quiet and keep playing for just a bit longer. Chan smiles as if he can somehow read intention behind Minho's gesture, but Minho does not think about it too deeply. He is too occupied with listening, anyway.

Jisung notices him all too soon and stops playing. The way his expression lights up seeing Minho makes his stomach feel kind of strange. It must be the dread of pulling him away from the music to take him to the throne room. Minho is not looking forward to facing the king and queen, either.

"I apologize for the interruption," he says, gaze sheepish as he looks at Jisung. The southern prince senses the reluctance in Minho's eyes, and his smile fades. "The king and queen would like to speak to us about the wedding, Jisung-ah."

Jisung's mouth tightens, and Chan seems somewhat surprised to hear the words as well. "Oh. Okay. I will come with you, then," Jisung says, swallowing thickly. Chan assures him that he will clean up the instruments, and wishes the two of them good luck.

Minho hopes that they will not need any luck, and that the king and queen will ask them for their preferences regarding the wedding, but deep down, he knows that it is wishful thinking.

"What… How did it go with your mother and father?" Jisung asks him softly, as they tread through the hallways towards the west wing. Minho smiles halfheartedly.

"They were only here to be the middle man between the kings and queens of our lands and me. They are going to bring my aunt, uncle, and cousin here, which I assume means that we will have to be wed soon," he explains, glancing at Jisung, whose face falls. "I tried to tell them that we need more time with the enchantment, but it seems like we have got no choice."

"Oh. I… I feared as much," Jisung murmurs, fidgeting with the sleeves of his hanbok. Minho's heart clenches for him. He genuinely wishes that they would have more time. That Minho could have more time to figure out what he feels for Jisung, and that Jisung could have more time to feel confident about himself.

Jisung folds his hands behind his back as they enter the throne room. Minho stays a half step closer to him than usual. They both need the support.

"We have decided to announce your wedding at the end of the week," the king says, not wasting any time to speak formalities. Jisung gasps.

"Do I— Will I have to speak to the public again?" the prince blurts. Immediately, his father sends him a glare, and Jisung straightens himself and seals his lips again. Minho watches it from the corners of his eyes, keeping his gaze forward and head held high.

"Son. You sound like you dread public speaking. They have seen how you look. There has not been a riot after your appearance, so there will not be, which is why he have decided not to wait until you have dealt with this enchantment. The people need to celebrate. A marriage will be good for them, as well as for our new peace with the northern kingdom," the king continues, his voice cold and determined. "Understood?"

"Understood, father," Jisung says with a nod. Minho repeats the same when the king glances at him, ignoring the urge to step even closer to Jisung and rest a hand on his back.

"Now, we have also requested Minho's mother and father to communicate to the royals of the north. If all is well, they can be here by tomorrow night. We want to make sure that there is enough space for them to stay in the royal west wing, while the east wing gets prepared for the noble guests of the wedding from the north and the south. Therefore, we request you, Lee Minho, to stay in our son's room for now," the queen continues, resting her gaze upon Minho. Her expression is completely blank, as if there are no implications behind her words whatsoever.

As if sleeping in the same room does not mean anything. For Minho, who is still figuring out his feelings for Jisung, it means something for sure. "Understood," Minho says, despite the way his heart bounces.

"There will be people helping you move your belongings. Do not worry, the bed and the room are big enough for you to have your own space, if you please," the queen adds with a nod. "You will not have to worry about arrangements much. You will be kept updated on the progress of plans. All we ask is to prepare for a public announcement to the people at the end of the week. You are dismissed."

They do not even give him and Jisung the opportunity to have any semblance of a say in the matter of their marriage. Minho had expected as much when he moved here, but now that he has grown closer to Jisung, he had hoped to do the kingdom a favor by bringing his own voice into the discussion.

He and Jisung bow and leave the room. Minho hears Jisung exhale as they enter the hallways. "What… What do we do, hyung? I… I still look like this, despite my speech this morning. I do not believe it will be any different in the morning, nor at the end of the week," the prince mumbles, scratching at his grayish beard.

Minho grimaces. He had good hope that helping Jisung be independent and work to take care of himself would be the key to getting rid of this enchantment. He has no clue what else it could be. The Silver Wizard made it clear that he despises royals for their laziness and Jisung for his spoiled behavior in asking a wizard for help rather than working for something himself.

"I am sorry, Jisung-ah. I… I don't know," he replies softly. He faces Jisung and reaches out for his hand. "I promised I would help with the enchantment, but I am out of ideas. You have long proven to me that you are not what the Silver Wizard claimed. And I am sorry that you will still have to marry while not feeling good about yourself. What do you think?"

Jisung lets Minho intertwine their fingers. Minho would be lying if he'd say that the hair on Jisung's hand did not feel strange at first, but by now he is used to the rough texture, and knowing that Jisung can not shave it or help it, makes Minho pretty okay with holding it.

"My wishes are the same as they were before, hyung," Jisung whispers, looking down at his feet and only very briefly meeting Minho's gaze. "I would like to have a loving marriage. That… That cannot happen like this."

"Do not draw conclusions so hastily, Jisung-ah," Minho retorts, but he tries to keep his tone soft. Jisung frowns, wrinkling his already folded skin even more. "You are not ugly."

"I did not say that. I simply… I look old and like I do not care for hygiene or my appearance. It only makes sense that I do not look attractive to people my age like this," Jisung says, letting go of Minho's hand. Minho's stomach clenches, the corners of his lips feeling heavy when Jisung turns away and starts walking towards his room.

"Hair is not unhygienic," Minho argues, following him through the hallway. "Jisung-ah. I get that you would like to go back to how you looked before, but could you not try to at least see that there is nothing wrong with wrinkles and hair?"

"That is easy to say for someone who has no wrinkles and who does not have an overabundance of hair all over his body!" Jisung snaps, turning around, his eyebrows drawn together tightly. Minho gasps.

"I am trying to make you see that I do not care! You are still a lovely person. Why do you refuse to listen?" he argues. Jisung makes a noise as if he's choking.

"Hyung. I am trying so hard, but the fact that this enchantment does not seem to go away despite my efforts is making me feel like I am good for nothing, and like the wizard was right—no one will love me," he says, voice low and shaky, yet it feels like a stab right through Minho's heart. "And now—And I now have to marry this wonderful person who tries so hard to lift me up and make me feel happy, yet I keep snapping at him and being ungrateful. I just—I feel helpless."

Minho's lips tremble. He searches for the right words to make Jisung feel better about himself, but he draws a blank. "I am sorry. I only want you to know that to me, you have done everything you can. To me you are not ugly, nor unlovable. You did not deserve this enchantment and the Silver Wizard does not know you. He can not decide your worth. This marriage will happen, and I want you to feel good about it. Will you try?"

Jisung takes a shaky breath, hands wiping at his face. "I… Of course I will. That is all I want," he mumbles. "I want to believe you, hyung. I genuinely do. I wish we had more time."

"I do too," Minho admits. He takes a deep breath and steps closer to Jisung. He takes the man's hands and pushes them away from his face so that Minho can wrap him into a hug. Minho's heart is beating, and he knows he needs the comfort of this embrace at least as much as Jisung does. "I will clear my mind and do some archery, all right? You can come along or do something else, I do not mind either."

"I will see if Hyunjin wants to take a walk with me, I need some fresh air," Jisung tells him, slowly pulling away, although he seems reluctant to do so. "And I want to not be in the palace right now."

"Okay. I will see you later," Minho says, and for some reason, he feels a bit bittersweet. He needs to empty his mind and stop overthinking.

Archery helps him as it always does, but his thoughts keep straying to the southern prince. He hopes that the man will allow him into his space, and that he will accept Minho's affection someday.

He still washes up after dinner in his own bathroom, but afterwards, he makes his way to Jisung's bedroom. He knocks out of courtesy, and a soft call from the room allows him to come in. Minho is not sure why he feels shy when he slides the door open—he has seen Jisung almost naked in this form, after all—but there is something intimate about sharing a bed.

They do not have to share, Minho is aware of that. He thinks it would be a hassle to request an extra bed in the room, however, and he does not hate the idea of sharing. "Good evening, Jisung-ah."

"Good evening, Minho hyung," Jisung greets him in return, somehow a bit shy. Jisung tugs the covers aside, wordlessly inviting Minho into bed with him. Minho tells him that he usually reads a bit before he goes to sleep. "That's all right. I don't mind there being a bit of light."

"If it bothers you, tell me, then I will turn it off," Minho says. Jisung nods, and then he turns away from Minho. Minho opens his book to read, but he glances to Jisung a couple of times. His breathing does not flatten, so he must still be awake. Perhaps he can not sleep, or perhaps Minho's presence is somehow preventing him from doing so.

Minho sighs and focuses back on his book. He reads until he finds his eyelids becoming heavy. He turns off the oil lamp besides the bed and closes his book, turning his back towards Jisung. He tries not to think too long about how to get rid of this enchantment, because he is out of ideas.

Still, he has to marry Jisung, and he wants Jisung to look forward to it. He wants to look forward to it himself, too.

𓆩:*¨༺✧ ⚜ ✧༻¨*:𓆪

Jisung still is not rid of the enchantment. He keeps thinking of going back to the Silver Wizard and begging him to undo this. However desperate he is, he can not risk that. He can not risk getting himself and the land more in trouble. The whole reason the Silver Wizard did this to him is because he thinks that Jisung can not work for something.

He has been working for it, but there has been no result so far. Now, he has to marry Minho anyway, and the whole land will pity the northern prince for his fate. Minho keeps making him want to believe in himself, and that Minho genuinely likes him and that he is somehow able to look past the enchantment, but Jisung is still filled with so many doubts.

He is scared. He fears that if he believes that Minho does fancy him, despite everything, that he will set himself up for heartbreak. If it is not him who messes up somehow, then it will be the pressure of being his husband—and the way Minho was forced into this situation.

And yet, Minho keeps giving him hope for a loving marriage. The couple of days of sharing his room are nice. Minho is still funny, and he is always reassuring Jisung, and he never actually makes him feel ugly.

Still, announcing their marriage is nerve-racking. He can tell that the public is shocked. He can hear them talk about how beautiful Minho is, and how they pity him for having to marry Jisung when he looks like this.

Minho announces that he is happy to have gotten to know Jisung over the past months, and that he thinks that their marriage will be one between two people who respect each other. Jisung is touched by his words, because even though Jisung prepared what he would say, Minho told him that he would simply speak from his heart, and Jisung believes him.

Jisung believes him, and he is falling for Minho even harder than he already was. He wishes he could kiss the man. He wishes he could make him smile every day.

"The royal family of the north will be here for the celebration of two nations uniting, in peace and in the marriage of Han Jisung of the south, and Lee Minho of the north. Peace be upon you!" Jisung's father announces in his loud voice. The people cheer, and yet Jisung can not help but let his eyes stray towards the people whispering about amongst one another.

He and Minho bow, and on the way back to the castle, Minho's hand touches the small of Jisung's back in a soothing gesture. Jisung whispers words of gratitude to him, thanking him for speaking from his heart.

"I did. I was nervous, but I am glad it went well," Minho tells him in a soft voice, a chuckle added at the end. Jisung's eyes widen.

"Oh, so you get nervous too," he teases him, grinning as he bumps their shoulders together. Minho laughs harder.

"Of course I do. I am not the perfect prince, my prince," Minho retorts. He is smiling, but there is something glimmering in his gaze that reveals he is not joking. "In fact, I am apprehensive of my aunt, uncle, and cousin coming here, too. Not perfect at all."

"I never implied perfection, but I do have a positive image of you, hyung." Jisung can not help but smile at the prince, but his heart pounds. He wonders if his feelings are bleeding through in his voice, and this is perhaps too intimate to admit. Minho smiles too, and Jisung thinks he sees a pink tint to his ears.

"I will make sure that your family will not be able to ruin this for us, hyung," he blurts in addition. Jisung is not sure where this confidence came from, but for Minho, he feels like he can muster up the courage to speak up and defy, if it means that he can do something of value for him.

"You will?" Minho's eyes twinkle with amusement, or perhaps fondness. The lovely expression now makes Jisung's skin heat up. "Thank you, Jisung-ah. Let us try to make the best of the situation."

Jisung promises himself to do his best for Minho. When the royal family of the north arrives, however, Jisung finds himself anxious and short of breath. He will once again have to face important people while still under the grip of the enchantment. It was nerve-racking enough to be in front of the people of the kingdom, but nobles and royals are a hell of a lot more strict with appearances.

He is glad that his parents will welcome the king and queen of the north, but Minho has to do so, too, and Jisung fears that they will wonder why Minho's fiancé is not there with him. Perhaps they have heard the rumors about his appearance.

He paces around in the hallways, anxious for Minho to come back. He knows that his aunt, uncle, and cousin are not the kindest to him, so he hopes that they keep things civil while being welcomed into the palace. Maybe Jisung should have joined them. Maybe he—

"Oh deary me!" Jisung jumps when a voice exclaims in shock. It is a young man, grabbing at his chest. He is wearing a silk hanbok with quite an expensive stitch, his hair tied with a royal ribbon. That must be the crown prince of the northern kingdom.

Jisung's eyes are wide and his heart is hammering against his chest. Out of habit, he bows for the man, who is looking at him as if he saw a ghost. "Jeez. You startled me. You must be an advisor, wearing such a nice hanbok," the crown prince says, his eyebrows pulled together. "You should take care of yourself better, sir. The royals should keep up appearances, that includes attendants, and especially advisors."

Jisung's cheeks grow red in embarrassment due to the denouncing gaze the crown prince of the north is giving him. "I am Han Jisung, second in line of the throne, not an attendant, nor advisor," he retorts sharply, straightening himself and hoping that the man can not see his flushed neck.

The crown prince's lips tremble as he blinks at Jisung. Just as Minho turns the corner and approaches them, the man bursts out in laughter. Jisung feels humiliated, but then, the crown prince turns towards his cousin, and laughs at him.

"This is your fiancé? You have been married to some slob of a prince who looks like you have picked him up from the back streets? How funny! Do you get it? You fit together, because you act like a servant all the time, Minho-yah. How wonderful does fate work!" the man rambles through chuckling. Minho's expression grows cold and hard, the man's jaw tightens, but he does not speak. This makes Jisung even more mad.

"You should not be speaking that way, your Highness," Jisung snaps. He will not take this disrespect from a guest. "It is not like either of us had a choice in the matter. My fiancé is a respectable man and my appearance does not change that."

Minho's eyes widen, and Jisung feels a bit nauseous now, but Minho has shown him that there is nothing noble about being walked over. Especially not when it affects others, too. He and Minho deserve to be treated properly.

"He was enchanted, Jinho," Minho adds in a calm voice, but by now, Jisung can read off the twitches in his face and the way he clenches his fists that he is irritated, too. Crown prince Jinho opens his mouth to speak, but Minho interrupts him. "You have respect for him. He is not yours to use for the sake of ridiculing me. Think of me what you will, I am family, but he is a prince, regardless of how he looks—he had no control over that."

"Do not interrupt me again, Minho!" Jinho bites. "And do not belittle me. I heard about the rumors. He got enchanted for a reason, did he not? You could lie to yourself about it, but being a prince is about appearances, about showing the people the wealth of the country through yourself, so that they have something to be proud of. Marrying someone who looks like that is ridiculous, and you should both be ashamed of yourselves. But you know what? I am glad you are the one marrying this man, Minho-yah. You have always loved to do dirty work. I do not even know whom of you I pity more."

Jisung takes a deep breath and bites the inside of his cheek, anger bubbling up in his chest. Jinho turns towards Jisung, his expression twitching before he smoothes it out. "My prince, I am sorry for what happened to you, and I am sorry you have not managed to get back to your regular appearance. I am sorry you have to be wed to my cousin. If I may give some advice, it is to not let him drag you down to his level. Something tells he might have already succeeded in doing so, given your appearance and your defiance—"

"You may not give me advice. I do not care. Have a nice day, your Highness," Jisung snaps, cutting the man short. Jinho's eyes widen and his face grows red in offense, yet Jisung can not find it in himself to look at him any longer.

He steps past the crown prince and walks over to Minho, whose expression is still cold. Jisung touches his arm to signal to him that he wants him to come along. Minho sends his cousin another glare before following Jisung. Jinho curses to himself, and Jisung feels like crying, but at the same time, he feels oddly satisfied with himself.

"Wow, my prince. It seems like you have a fiery side to you, after all," Minho says with a halfhearted chuckle. Jisung scoffs. His hands are shaking. He does not feel very brave.

"He is a prick! Utterly disgusting," he replies under his breath. Minho laughs, short and a tad bitter.

"That he is," the man agrees. "I wish you had not need to meet him like this. I am used to his meaningless and unkind blabbering, but I had hoped that he would not involve you in it."

"You should not be used to this, either," Jisung says, grabbing Minho's hand and turning the corner towards the small garden behind the archery room. It should be empty at this hour. He sits on a bench with Minho and looks at him with serious eyes. "I am not kidding, hyung. It is not fair to you. It is your sympathy and willingness to do what he calls dirty work that makes you so kind and admirable. What made me fall—What made me care for you."

Jisung swallows, heart pounding due to the admission he almost made. He does not want to risk spilling his feelings towards the man too soon. The coldness of Minho's expression melts away and gets replaced by something warm, however, and Jisung instinctively relaxes.

"I know, Jisung-ah. It… It does mean much to hear that from you. Thank you," Minho whispers. Jisung swallows. This is the most vulnerable he has heard the northern prince be with him. He is not a man of many words when it comes to vulnerable moments, but he is open in his expressions and body language instead.

Minho chuckles to himself and Jisung raises his eyebrows in curiosity. "What is it, hyung?" he whispers when Minho snickers again, the high pitched giggle piercing straight through his heart.

"Nothing much. It's— It's only that I find it amusing how much my view of you has changed since that first month I spent here," Minho clarifies with a smile. "I would have never believed that you would stand up for me in front of my cousin, the crown prince, nevertheless. Now, I feel like I can read you well, yet I still feel a pull to get to know you more, Jisung-ah. I never thought I would get there so soon, but I find myself wishing for a loving marriage, too."

Jisung gasps, his heart going haywire, fluttering like a hummingbird's wings. "You do?" Jisung wets his lips. He did not expect Minho to admit such a thing when he looks like this. Despite Jisung believing that Minho is fond of him, he can not wrap his mind around him being attracted to Jisung like this.

"I would not lie to you about this," Minho assures him in a whisper. His gaze has something intense in it, and Jisung feels bashful. It also fills Jisung with a type of longing—a desire to kiss Minho. "That would not be proper of me, would it? Cruel, even."

"That is true, hyung," Jisung admits. Neither would it be proper for Jisung to kiss Minho out of nowhere, without asking. He does not dare to ask, despite Minho's butterfly-inducing admittance. He swallows and think of something else to say, but he is interrupted by someone entering the garden.

Jisung jumps, neck heating up when he sees Hyunjin approach them, a look in his eyes that tells him that the man can tell that he is walking into something intimate. A moment later, Seungmin appears behind him.

"Ah, apologies for the intrusion, my prince. I saw you from the windows, and I would have left you two alone, but you are expected in the ballroom for dance lessons," Hyunjin says with a curtsy. Seungmin nods, affirming that he is here for that same reason.

Jisung's eyes widen and Minho gasps softly. "Of course! Apologies," Jisung says. He completely forgot that he was walking through the halls to chat with Minho before their lessons. He is nervous, because even though he knows how to dance, these lessons will make their upcoming wedding a lot more real.

"Oh, I forgot about it, too. I am quite excited, though," Minho whispers to Jisung with a chuckle. "I wonder if we have learned the same style of dancing."

"I look forward to being in awe of yet another skill you possess, hyung. I have an inkling that you will be better at dancing than I am," Jisung replies, following Hyunjin and Seungmin towards the ballroom.

"Hmm, I would protest, but dancing is something I do enjoy," Minho tells him with a grin. Jisung's heart pounds faster once again. He hopes that he does not embarrass himself today, but he feels like Minho would be nice about it. And he looks forward to seeing the man dance.

Lee Minho is a good dancer. Minho requests leading, because he has practiced that more, and he likes it. Jisung agrees easily. He has practiced both—mostly leading, in his lessons, but he has helped his brother by following, too—and he found that following is fun when he trusts his dance partner. He trusts Minho, and he likes to feel pampered, so the decision was easily made.

Minho does a demonstration of his skills with the teacher, and Jisung is mesmerized by the elegance with which he moves. Jisung follows, and is a bit ashamed of himself when he stumbles, and because the teacher very pointedly avoids looking anywhere near Jisung's face, but Minho claps and compliments him, so everything is all right.

When they are instructed to dance together, and get walked through the details of the traditional wedding dance, Jisung is very glad to be wearing gloves, because his hands are quite clammy. Moreover, he can not keep his eyes off Minho, despite him being aware of the way he is not supposed to stare. He is doing all right, dancing, even if it takes a moment to get used to Minho's way of communicating which step he is going to take next.

The best part is the way Minho becomes so bright when he leads Jisung around the ballroom, especially when they get used to each other's style of dancing. It is such a stark difference from the cold and hard exterior Jisung saw those first weeks that Minho was here, and the stone-like expression he saw when Jinho was speaking to them.

If Jisung was not already sold, he would be certain of his feelings for Minho now. He would not call it love quite yet, but he is sure enough that it will be love if he allows himself to stop being afraid.

"You did not lie about your skills, Jisung. You are a fine dance partner," Minho tells him in a low voice. Jisung shudders as his stomach flips and heart starts pounding faster, the warmth of Minho's body rising to his cheeks. He lets him twirl them around, sliding across the floor.

"I… It has been a while, but dancing has always been nice," Jisung says subtly shifting his weight to signal to Minho that he would like to be tipped back again. After a moment, Minho gets the hint and does as he wishes. Jisung can not help but laugh in delight.

"It sure is," Minho agrees with a warm smile.

Their teacher warns them that they should not show off too much during their first dance, and Minho subtly rolls his eyes at that comment. Jisung has to hold back snickering, but he is disappointed as well. He would rather have fun with his fiancé than keep up appearances.

They can do whatever during the free dance portion of the wedding, and Jisung is already excited for that, although he is anxious, too. He will have to dance with others, too, after all. It is tradition. He used to not mind dancing with nobles, young or old, but when he is still under the influence of the enchantment, he would prefer to stick with Minho, and perhaps his brother.

They dance for a while, until after the dance teacher is satisfied and they get tired and hungry. Unfortunately, meals are now shared with the northern royal family. Jinho is not necessarily rude, during meals, but things are a bit more tense than usually. Jisung does not want to speak up, because he fears that Jinho will say something ugly.

Jinho seems to completely ignore him, which is both a relief and a bummer. The way he keeps making strange comments towards Minho makes Jisung feel nauseous. He wants to speak up, but he knows that his parents and the king and queen of the north will not appreciate it.

Instead, he hopes that a touch to Minho's hand and an offer to let him wash up first in the bath will be enough to cheer him up again. He talks to Minho about the book the man is reading, too, and he finds himself wishing for a simpler, more domestic life, with Minho. The two of them in a smaller house, able to find comfort in one another for simpler things.

He falls asleep with his back turned to his fiancé again, even though he longs to cuddle the man and share an embrace. He wonders if he should talk to Minho about it, but he can not find the courage, nor the time to do so.

Wedding preparations barely allow them to talk to Chan, Changbin, and Seungmin to figure out more ideas to reverse the enchantment, let alone do much else. He could bring it up before bed, but he is afraid that it will sour the mood and will make Minho not want to share the bed with him any longer.

He can not bring it up while dancing, either, because they are in the presence of their dance teacher. Whenever they do have a moment of peace between preparations, the royal family whisks Minho away from Jisung, or they whisk them both away to spend time with the northern royals. Despite the six of them—including Minho's parents—going horse riding around the land—which should be fun—Minho rarely returns with a smile on his face.

"Are you all right, hyung?" Jisung asks him when Minho has a stormy expression even right before their last dance lesson. Minho shrugs.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do not want to dampen the mood by telling you about my cousin's annoying blabbering," he says, waving Jisung off with a casual hand. Jisung purses his lips and narrows his eyes.

"Let me listen, hyung. Like you always do for me," he pleads softly. Minho stops and smiles lopsidedly.

"You are a sweetheart, huh?" he replies, as if he did not hear the part where Jisung said that Minho listens to him all the time. Jisung can not help but blush, and judging by the way Minho's eyes twinkle, he notices.

"Talk, or don't, hyung. Stop staring at me," Jisung whispers. Minho laughs, brief yet bright.

"I will talk," he says in a low voice. "Jinho is… tiring. He kept pressuring me to talk about the enchantment. I kept telling him that it is none of his business, but my aunt and uncle started meddling and I had no choice but to say what happened to you. I… I am sorry for that."

"Do not be sorry, hyung. Whatever he said, I know he is a prick. He is not foolish enough to bring the kingdoms in danger, though, I reckon," Jisung assures him, despite insecurity gnawing at his resolve. He is getting better at keeping a brave face and ignoring what others think, courtesy of Minho.

"He is not. He keeps his bad manners to inside the castles and within the family. Well, except for that encounter with you, I suppose. That might be because he already considers you family, which is not a good thing in this case. Anyhow. I am getting off track. Well, guess what? He blames me for not being able to help you," Minho admits with a bitter chuckle. Jisung fidgets with his sleeves, scowling. "And the irritating thing is that he hit a sore spot. I do feel guilty for not being able to come up with a way to end this enchantment."

"Hyung…" Jisung begins, because this enchantment is entirely his fault and none of that is on Minho. None of the responsibility to solve this is on Minho's shoulders, either. Jisung already appreciates that he cares. Minho sighs, shakes his head, and offers Jisung a sheepish expression.

"I know. I know it's not— I know I should not let him get to me," he begins, facing Jisung and touching his arm. "He has not managed to get to me in a while. I believed I was immune to that, now."

"It is all right if you are affected, hyung. You are already so strong. You have an amazing resolve, you have confidence in yourself, but it is only human to care. That is something you can be proud of," Jisung assures him, gently peeling Minho's hand off his arm so that he can hold it instead. "This enchantment is not something I prefer to have, but it is not your task to lift it any more than it is mine."

"You are good with words, Jisung-ah. As expected of a musician. Thank you," Minho tells him with a chuckle. His eyes are fond, but there is something behind them that makes Jisung shy. Minho's gaze has always made Jisung blush, but this time, he is expressing something that he can not read, but makes his heart race nonetheless.

Minho takes a deep breath, eyes flicking away for a second. Jisung's heart pounds in anticipation, gaze following the way Minho's tongue peeks out to wet his lips. "I suppose I simply—" Minho begins, but he is cut off by footsteps in the hallway, approaching them.

"Prince Jisung, Prince Minho. Your final dance lesson has started five minutes ago! I am ready whenever you are," their dance teacher calls out, reminding them of their duty. Minho's ears are red, but Jisung does not think that it is because he is ashamed of being late.

Minho does not look at him as often as he did the previous lessons. Jisung does not hope that he still feels guilty about what Jinho said. Whenever Jisung is not looking at him, however, Minho seems to stare right at him. Jisung can feel his gaze, and it makes his stomach flip like always.

By now, they are able to dance with one another as if they have been doing it for months, rather than a handful of days, so Jisung can let his mind wander without much stumbling. He still listens to the teacher's continuous comments about his posture, but other than that, he imagines dancing like this at his and Minho's wedding.

No one around, only the two of them, hand in hand, bodies close. Inside Jisung's imagination, he would admit that he loves Minho, and that his wish for a loving marriage is almost certainly fulfilled, if he can spend his days with Minho just like they have done the past few weeks. In Jisung's imagination, Minho would softly admit that he is falling in love with him, too, despite everything.

Then, Jisung would turn back to his real self—the hair and wrinkles would disappear—and Minho would tell him he is pretty. Then, Minho would kiss him. Jisung would kiss him back and they would dance and Minho would hold him the entire night. Then, they would have privacy. They would get to know one another better. Jisung would write songs for him, and Minho would look at him with those fond eyes of his and he would kiss Jisung and praise him.

Minho would ask Jisung to keep wrestling with him every week and Jisung would say yes because he likes the way Minho laughs and seems so satisfied whenever he manhandles Jisung, and Jisung would be too shy to admit that he likes Minho's shows of strength.

Minho would secretly cook for him sometimes, and Jisung would eat it with gusto. Jisung would show Chan that it is possible to be happy, and his and Minho's relationship would encourage him to pursue Changbin.

That would be an ideal world. A world where Jisung does not fear so much, and where this enchantment is not in the way.

𓆩:*¨༺✧ ⚜ ✧༻¨*:𓆪

There are tons of nobles in the palace. It has been a while since it has been so busy, and Jisung is constantly worried that he will be seen. Hyunjin has done a great job making his outfits for the week of the wedding, but you can put a golden necklace around a toad and it would not hide the warts.

He can not hide forever, however. He can not afford to make Minho do all the work and talk to everyone, even if he doubts that the nobles would want to look at him up close for long. He is used to looking at himself in the mirror, by now, but he still fears judgment from everyone else.

"Are you nervous for today?" Minho asks him as Hyunjin and Jeongin are helping them into their festive hanboks. Jisung swallows thickly and nods, meeting Minho's gaze through the mirror.

"I feel like throwing up," he admits with a halfhearted chuckle. Minho laughs at him, which does not help, but is a nice sound to hear.

"Do not get sick on me, please," Minho tells him, fixing him with a look. "I need you upright and able to dance tonight."

Jisung takes a deep breath. Dancing is just about the only thing he is looking forward to this week, but that will only be a small part between the politics and keeping up appearances while looking like an old man who can not take care of himself to nobles who obsess over their own looks as much as others.

"I will try, hyung," he says. Behind him, Hyunjin straightens himself and smoothes out the fabric of his clothing. He inspects him through the mirror and smiles in satisfaction.

"You look good, Jisung-ah. Do not fret," he assures him in a whisper. He does not have to whisper. Minho and Jeongin both know that Hyunjin tends to drop honorifics with him. Minho is the last person who would judge that.

"It is not the clothing, Hyunjin-ah. It is the rest. It is me. I do not know if I can put on a mask and be confident," Jisung mutters in reply.

"You do not have to put on a mask, Jisung-ah." Jisung turns around to see his brother slide the door shut behind him, a small smile on his face. "You two look very nice. And if you do not mind, I would like to congratulate you two. I hope you can have fun, this week, in between the formalities and politics."

"Hyung!" Jisung cheers up seeing his brother. He looks festive, as well, and Jisung is so glad that he will be there to support him, too. Chan chuckles and lets Jisung welcome him with a hug. In between the preparations, Jisung has barely had time to see his brother, not even for a bit of wrestling outside.

"Prince Minho, Hyunjin-ssi, Jeongin-ssi, may I request some alone time with my little brother? I will not keep him too long," Chan asks. Jeongin and Hyunjin curtsy before leaving the room, and Minho smiles before giving them some privacy. Then, Chan looks at him and caresses his back. "How are you feeling?"

"As if I am going to be sick," Jisung admits again. Chan exhales and hugs him a bit tighter.

"That is normal, Jisung-ah. I felt like that, too, before I had to marry Siyeon," he says. Jisung bites his lower lip. He is not marrying a stranger, like Chan was. He knows Minho quite well by now, given they have only met a couple of months ago. Chan seems to read his expression. "But for you, it is not quite the same is it? And I am not only talking about the enchantment."

"It is not… I… I am in love with him, hyung," Jisung admits, blinking up at his brother. It feels good to say it out loud, and it makes Jisung even more sure of his feelings. Chan's eyes widen slightly and he softens into a fond expression.

"That is a good thing, is it not? You wanted to love him," Chan points out. He is right about that, but this is not the way Jisung imagined things would go.

"I do, but I fear that he does not love me back. He… He is so kind to me, but…" Jisung trails off, swallowing. His heart hurts. He wants to believe that Minho loves him so badly, because he does treat Jisung with so much care, but the enchantment is still in the way. What if Minho only cares for him because he needs to? What if he gets sick of Jisung when they do not have a common goal to work for any longer?

And that is if Minho ever comes to love him in the first place. Jisung still thinks that he would know it if Minho feels something for him.

"What is the matter? Why do you think he does not return your feelings?" Chan asks him in a low voice, hand lightly caressing his back. Jisung takes a deep breath.

"I… Perhaps I am being foolish, but I thought that perhaps if Minho comes to love me, this enchantment would go away," he says, touching his beard. Sometimes he wants to claw the course hair off his skin, and sometimes he wants to look at himself and be okay with it.

"Oh," Chan says, brows furrowing. "You… It… You can not let the enchantment be proof that he does not want you, Jisung-ah. You need to give him time."

"I know. I know that there is no way he will fall for me when I look like this, but—" Jisung rambles, but Chan shushes him.

"No," he states. "Do not close that door, Jisung-ah. I do not know Minho as well as you do, but I know you better than I know myself sometimes. And you tend to think too low of yourself. I can look past your exterior, and I am sure that Minho can do so, too. Whatever it is that will get rid of this enchantment, we will figure it out. Even if it takes us months more, do not let it get in the way of the loving marriage you want."

Jisung bites the inside of his cheek. He knows that his brother is right, and that he is feeling insecure without reason. "I… You are so wise, Chan hyung," Jisung says in a sigh. "I… I do trust him. And I believe he is so kind to everyone. He genuinely cares for me, I do believe that. I am simply hopeless regarding this enchantment, and I fear that judgment from nobles will ruin things."

"Be patient, Jisung-ah. It is hard, and you have been treated unfairly, but you have the strength to get past this. You believe in Minho, and I believe in you. I hope you can believe in yourself, too," Chan tells him, resting a hand on Jisung's wrinkled and hairy cheek. Jisung takes another deep breath to calm his heart.

"Thank you, hyung. I needed the encouragement," Jisung says, pulling his brother into a hug. Chan embraces him firmly, and helps Jisung smooth out his hanbok again after pulling away. "And I hope that my bond with Minho can convince you that you deserve love, too, hyung."

Chan chuckles, his ears grow red. "Let us not talk about that right now. Later, all right? I have time, just like you do," he says, a bashful grin on his face. Jisung huffs and relents. "You have some nobles to greet."

Jisung sighs, but he has to face reality sooner or later. Time for the festivities, politics, and hopefully dancing at the end to forget about the shame and judging eyes of their guests. Jisung makes his way over towards the east wing and finds Minho to greet everyone.

He needs some courage so he gladly accepts a drink from the attendants. He is covered up as much as he could. Gloves and a head wrap, but no veil. Despite that, he can tell that the noble families are avoiding his eyes whenever they can.

He speaks, as always, because he knows these people, but all he gets is a polite smile and questions for Minho. Some even try to get Minho alone to talk to him about the marriage. They do not speak low enough for Jisung not to catch the way the express their pity for him to be married off to Jisung when he looks like he does.

Jisung ignores it. He does not care. He can tell that Minho is pretty mad whenever someone tries to get him alone, after that. He harshly rejects anyone who tries to pry him away from Jisung, and crosses his arm with Jisung to stay close with him.

"This is exactly why I wanted to have more time," Minho grumbles to himself, pulling Jisung away from yet another noble who expresses regret about Jisung's appearance. Jisung squeezes his arm, both to assure Minho and to calm his own heart a bit.

"I know. It's all right. I do not like politics, anyway," he whispers. He glances over his shoulder to see musicians gather in the corner of the room. Thank goodness. "I believe we will be able to dance soon."

Minho's stormy expression clears up, and he wastes no time before signaling to the musicians that they can get ready. Chan soon announces that it is time for a dance, and Minho grabs Jisung's hands to pull him into their starting position. He has a proud grin on his face, and Jisung can not help but laugh, melting at the sight.

"I will show them that I do not—" he begins happily, but cuts himself off when he sees something behind Jisung, his expression falling. Jisung's heart clenches and he glances over his shoulder to see what Minho is looking at. It is Jinho, near the musicians, whispering something to them.

He then turns towards the rest of the room. He already has everyone's attention, as the nobles are searching for a reason the music is not starting yet. Jinho clears his throat. "Let us not spoil the wedding dance right away, shall we, folks? We should save it for a day where the couple is at their best, should we not? Who is up for a more traditional swap dance?"

The northern nobles cheer—Jinho seems to be referring to a tradition of their kingdom. Jisung knows what he means. He has done this before, but it means that he will have to dance with others.

Jisung scowls and turns back to Minho, who is glaring at Jinho. If looks could kill, Jinho would be dead ten times over by now. The crown prince of the north approaches them, winks at Minho and says, "You can thank me later," before inviting a noble to dance.

The music starts, and Jisung dances with Minho, but the mood has gone sour. Jisung's heart pounds painfully. He tries to look at Minho, but Minho is still fuming because of his cousin. "Hyung. Look at me," Jisung requests, and Minho sighs and does as he asks, but the music already changes and signals them to swap partners.

They reluctantly let go of one another, and Jisung sees multiple nobles stepping towards Minho, while they seem to be avoiding Jisung, once again. Jisung ends up dancing with an older woman, who only belatedly recognizes him.

She is stiff, and Jisung does not think it is her age that causes it. Talking is not part of dancing, but Jisung can read her mood right off her face, as her mouth is tight and she is looking around for her next partner long before the swap happens.

When the music signals another swap, Jisung can barely react before she is gone. Jisung looks around, but no one is there where he expects them. He panics for a second, but then, his brother sweeps in and takes over. Jisung exhales in relief, but he is too ashamed to speak up. Chan's expression is stern—he is not enjoying this either.

Jisung's stomach is up in knots the entire time, wishing he could somehow lift the mood again, but he doesn't know how. He feels like everyone's eyes are on him, despite no one ever looking at him.

Chan somehow makes sure that he has a partner after the next swap by guiding him towards someone just turning away from their previous partner, but Jisung does not feel great about the way the young noble is looking at him. He must still be a teen, which is why he dances a bit sloppily, but he also looks afraid of Jisung.

After next swap, Jisung is without a partner. He stands in between the dancing couples without anyone to dance with. He can not find Minho, either. His throat closes up as he sees everyone very pointedly looking away from him and ignoring him.

People used to push each other away for a chance to dance with him, the younger brother of the crown prince. Now, they would rather not dance at all if it means they can avoid him.

He wants to sink through the ground, humiliated to the core. He subtly slips between the dancing pairs towards the edge of the ballroom, where an attendant is refilling the drinks. He grabs one and gulps it down, hoping that no one sees him. He takes a deep and gasping breath, but his chest feels tight, restricting his lungs.

He has never been rejected like this during a dance, not even when he was younger, clumsier, and not at all great with words. Back then, he could at least put on a figurative mask and pretend to be confident.

He wants to leave, but he can not afford to make a scene. His mind is spiraling, however, and he does not know if he can stop panic from taking over without someone to talk him out of it.

𓆩:*¨༺✧ ⚜ ✧༻¨*:𓆪

Minho twirls around, grabs another partner by the hands and dances through the room. He smiles politely at everyone he dances with, but he is subtly looking for Jisung as well. He does not like the trick his cousin pulled, under the guise of protecting Minho from Jisung.

He does not need protection, even if he would be repulsed by Jisung for some reason. Repulsion is just about the last thing on the list of feelings he has for Jisung, however. He wants to dance with him, not with the nobles. He was looking forward to dancing with Jisung all night and forgetting about politics and having to keep up appearances.

He can not seem to find him anymore, however, and he wonders why. After the tenth swap, Minho ends up with Chan, and he can not help but ask him, "Have you seen Jisungie?"

Chan's brows furrow for a moment, and he looks around while following Minho's lead. When the music announces another swap, Minho subtly steps away, while never actually letting go of the crown prince, making sure they stay together for one more round.

"Drat," Chan curses after a moment, and Minho snaps his head towards where the crown prince is looking. Jisung is hunched over a table near the edge of the ballroom. "I will call off the dance."

"No, just— Let me talk to him. Keep dancing," Minho tells him. Chan presses his lips together, but eventually he relents and accepts Minho's suggestion. Minho uses the next swap to slip away from the dance floor to instead approach his fiancé.

Minho touches Jisung's shoulder, heart sinking when the man flinches. "Hey, easy. It is just me, all right? Everyone else is still dancing," Minho whispers to him, keeping his hand on Jisung's arm as the latter turns around.

Minho inhales sharply when he sees Jisung's panic filled expression. "What is going on? Did someone say something?" Minho asks him in a low voice. Jisung shakes his head.

"No, I just— It's— It's embarrassing," he croaks out. "I uhm… I ended up alone. No one dared to dance with me, except for when Chan hyung forced me into their arms, or when they did not recognize me," Jisung admits, voice tight, as if he is about to burst into tears any moment. Minho scowls. "I used to be wanted, hyung. People used to want to dance with me, despite my clumsy ways."

"That is because you were handsome, Jisung-ah. Your interior has not changed. These people only care about appearances," Minho says, but Jisung has his gaze at the floor. Minho's chest burns with irritation. "Look at me, Jisung-ah. Please."

"Hyung— You are so handsome. I— I know they only care about appearances, but appearances are everything in the world we live in," Jisung retorts, only holding Minho's eyes for a moment before averting his gaze again. "It matters! My— How can anyone ever want me when I look like this?"

"What about me?" Minho blurts, heart pounding. Jisung's eyes widen, and he finally looks at Minho. "I want you. I want to dance with you. If Jinho had not pulled that stunt, I would have gladly danced the night away with you, Jisung-ah. I know you. I have gotten to know you and I barely remember what you look like for real, but I do not care."

"You… Hyung, do not lie to me to spare my feelings," Jisung pleads, brows furrowing. "I can handle it. It is okay if my face prevents you from falling in love with me. You are precious to me, and that is why I want you to be honest with me."

"I am being honest," Minho insists, because although he is not sure how to put it into words, Jisung has been on his mind consistently the past few weeks, and Minho keeps craving to be by his side, to hear his laughter, to see him smile. He wants Jisung. He would kiss him right now if it would not cause a scandal for the kingdom. "Do you really think some wrinkles and some hair will scare me?"

"It would be okay if it did," Jisung mumbles, but Minho will not have any of this. He takes Jisung's hands and pulls him towards the dancing pairs. Jisung inhales sharply and pulls on Minho's fingers. "Hyung—"

"We will dance, now, and I will not let you go. I will show everyone that they are being cowards, and what they are missing by not dancing with you," he states. Jisung relaxes and easily falls into step with Minho, eyes still wide. "Follow me."

"Hyung, I…" Jisung begins, but Minho gently shushes him. He is not sure if he can handle any more praise and sweet words from Jisung. His heart is already going haywire, threatening to jump right out of his ribcage and into Jisung's hands.

And besides, this is nothing—He will gladly tell Jisung that he is a wonderful person a hundred times over, until he believes it. Jisung has been continuously assuring Minho of the same, after all. He stood up for Minho in front of Jinho, he pulls Minho out of his irritation spirals, has managed to make Minho feel comfortable enough to open up, and has taught Minho the beauty and strength behind being vulnerable.

He dances with Jisung, and keeps holding him even when the music signals them to swap. The nobles notice, judging by the murmurs around them, but Minho tries to not let them make him any more angry. He keeps his eyes on his fiancé and focuses on his slowly brightening expression.

When Minho twirls them around, he is slightly off beat, but his mistake only makes Jisung laugh. Minho softens, heart calming down into something warmer. He holds Jisung close by the hand on the small of his back and gazes into his eyes the entire time.

Jisung's eyes are sparkling, filled with something that makes Minho a tad shy, yet he feels satisfied, and Minho finds himself thinking that Jisung is beautiful in this moment. Jisung's gaze trails down Minho's face and linger somewhere around his lips for a while.

Minho's stomach makes a fuss about it, and it takes a whole lot of self control to not lean in and kiss Jisung. The beard does not seem comfortable to kiss, as it covers just about Jisung's entire mouth, but to be quite honest, Minho does not care too much about it.

He would kiss Jisung if he was not in a ballroom full of people right now. Although, perhaps he should ask him first.

He dips Jisung down, also a bit off beat, but he does not care. By now, the music has changed to something a bit lighter, and the nobles have slowed down. Minho does not want to let Jisung go. This is their celebration, after all. It is their wedding, and Minho wants them to have fun.

He wants to have a loving marriage.

At some point, the two of them are the only ones left still dancing. Jisung does not even seem to notice, as his gaze is solely pointed at Minho, much to his relief. Only when the music stops, are they forced to slow down.

Minho bows to thank Jisung for the dance, and Jisung returns the gesture with a big smile. "Hyung, can we continue dancing in my chambers?" Jisung requests softly, right before they have to bid a good night to their guests.

"Of course," Minho assures him with a proud smile, heart making a happy twirl. They thank everyone for their presence and bow to wish them a good night. Minho is eager to escape back to the west wing and continue their dancing, although without music, but Chan holds them back for a moment.

"Hey, Minho, Jisung. Can I have you for just one moment? I only wanted to tell you that you looked very happy, dancing together. It was a lovely sight," he says, offering Minho a grateful look. Minho can tell that he was worried about Jisung, too, but that he is at ease now. "Have a good night, you two. And congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you, hyung. Good night," Jisung says, a relaxed smile on his face. Minho takes Jisung's hand and walks with him towards his chambers in the west wing. Minho's heart is up in his throat. It is not their wedding night, but for some reason, Minho's hands are damp and he is anticipating something, although he is unsure what it is.

Within the privacy of Jisung's chambers, Minho feels more comfortable to take Jisung into his arms and dance with him. Despite the lack of music, they can find a rhythm with each other. Minho is at ease, yet Jisung's expression is gloomy.

"What is it, Jisung-ah?" Minho asks him in a whisper, turning Jisung away to avoid bumping into the bed. Jisung blinks, eyes glassy.

"I— I don't know. I just want to dance with you and forget about everything," he says, his lips trembling as he speaks. He can tell that the prince is trying to keep himself together. Minho's heart breaks, and even though he wishes Jisung would not cry, and that he would be happy, he would rather have him get these feelings out than keep them inside.

Minho lets go of Jisung's hand and instead holds the back of his head before gently pulling him to rest against his chest. Jisung relaxes, exhales, and melts into the embrace. "You may cry. It is all right."

Jisung buries his face into the crook of Minho's neck and sobs softly. They still sway about, slowly, and Minho holds Jisung's head, slowly unwrapping the cloth around his head, so that he can card a hand through his hair.

Minho's eyes grow damp, and he tries not to burst into tears, too. "You do not deserve this enchantment," he whispers, voice sounding annoyingly fragile to his own ears. "All you wanted is to be loved. To love someone. That is what everyone wants, is it not? It is what I wanted. I… I wanted someone to love, and to care for. Someone I picked out. Someone by my choice."

Minho takes a deep and shaky breath, heart pounding in his ears. He is strangely aware of the way Jisung is holding him, crying into his shoulder. It hurts and yet he is relieved. Relieved that Jisung trusts him enough to be so vulnerable around him. That Jisung wants him to comfort him. That Jisung wants him.

"You were not my choice to marry, but you are my choice to care for now that I know you, Jisung-ah. You accept me for who I am, and you… you love me for it, isn't that true?" he says, holding him even tighter. Jisung nods through his sobs. He might even affirm Minho's suspicions in words, but his breathing is too ragged and his voice is too muffled for Minho to understand.

"You have been a lovely friend, and I thank you for that. Will you let me love you, now?" he asks. He promised himself to wait, and to be patient, but he can not hold back any longer. Jisung cries harder, and Minho has to bite his lip to stop himself from sobbing, too. His heart hurts, thinking of what Jisung has been through, and how Jisung has still helped him learn to love, too.

A tear escapes his eye, and then another. He can not hold back any longer. By now, they have stopped dancing, and are only holding each other. "Stop it, Jisung-ah. Do not cry. You are supposed to be glad. I want you to be happy. It— It hurts me to hear you cry."

Jisung's head snaps up, and his red-rimmed eyes regard Minho with concern. "Hyung, w-why— I am sorry. I— I did not mean to make you cry," he stammers, hands reaching up to Minho's cheeks to wipe away his tears. The gloves are an annoying barrier, and Jisung seems to feel the same, as he tears them off and carelessly tosses them away.

Minho chuckles at Jisung's caring reaction, as if he is not bawling his eyes out right now. Jisung softens, the tears slowing down. "I'm… I am so touched, hyung. I can not believe that you would want to love me."

"Please start believing it, Jisung-ah. Please let me," Minho whispers, his voice still shaking a bit. "That would make me happy. You have already given me a chance despite my cold attitude towards you, and you have let me in. You have accepted me for who I am, despite it being different from who you are, despite my family and yours continuously telling us to be someone else. You have dealt with this enchantment and yet you have found the time to be there for me."

Jisung lets out a watery chuckle, hands still on Minho's cheeks. "Of course. You taught me to work for something. You taught me how to take off the mask, and how to pay attention and be aware of the amount of work that is done for us by people who have been invisible to me for years. You don't deserve your irritating cousin or uncle or aunt judging you for that. They should look up to you for that," Jisung tells him, firmly despite the audible lump in his throat. "I like you exactly because you are not afraid to make stupid jokes and laugh too loud and interact with the attendants and do whatever you want. And I want you to keep hating whenever someone tries to tell you what to do, and keep being kind to whoever you want."

Minho lets out a watery laugh. He did not know that Jisung paid attention to him in so much detail, but knowing he did, does not help the tears from drying. He sniffles while still smiling. "See? You are beautiful, Jisung-ah. Please believe it," he says, leaning forward to kiss Jisung's forehead.

Jisung giggles, and now it is Minho's turn to cup his cheeks, the hairs of his beard prickling his palms. "I will kiss you properly when we are not blubbering and sobbing, okay?" he promises, and somehow, it still seems to come as a surprise to Jisung.

"You do not have to kiss me for me to know that you love me, hyung—even if I would really like you to. I believe you," Jisung assures him with a sniffle, before pulling Minho into a tight hug. Minho melts into his arms.

"Good." His heart pounds and calms down. His tears dry, and make place for a sweeter and warmer feeling. They stay like that for a moment, enjoying each other's embrace, until Hyunjin knocks on the door of the room, asking them if they need help with anything.

Minho suggests getting out of their hanboks and washing up together, and Jisung agrees. Hyunjin says that he will prepare their pajamas and some washcloths, but Jisung waves him off. "Rest, Hyunjin-ah. It will be a busy week. We've got this."

"Of course, my prince," Hyunjin assures him with a curtsy. He grins at Jisung and smiles at Minho, too, before leaving the chambers. They go to the bathroom with their sleepwear and undress to wash up.

A gasp from Jisung's lips pulls Minho's gaze towards him. Jisung is bare except for his underwear, and Minho's ears grow warm at the sight, but Jisung is looking at himself with wide eyes as well. "H-Hyung! I— The— I— My— It's—" he stammers, not getting a comprehensible word out.

"Jisung-ah. Deep breath. What is it?" Minho steps closer, also bare besides his underwear, but he does not care. Jisung's head snaps up and a smile grows on his face. He turns towards the mirror and leans closer, inspecting himself as he touches his forehead and cheeks.

"The wrinkles. They—They are disappearing. I— I swear they are less than yesterday," Jisung says, voice low, as if he's hesitant to believe it himself. Minho's heart stutters. He hurries next to Jisung, inspecting Jisung's face. He is right. His eyebrows are not sagging over his eyelids anymore, and there are less folds in his cheeks.

"Mother of god," he whispers, unable to tear his gaze away from the prince. He has gotten so used to Jisung's enchanted form that he finds it a tad strange to see him with less wrinkles. What is more important, though, is what triggered this change. "How— What— Do you think…? What do you reckon did it?"

"I…" Jisung swallows, his adam's apple bobbing. "Do you… Is it because you love me? Because I… Because I worked for it? For a loving relationship between us?"

Minho inhales sharply, heart accelerating again. "That's— That could be true. I… But I have been falling for you for a while now, Jisung-ah," he admits under his breath. Jisung is right about having done this by working for it, by doing his best to get to know Minho and by accepting him for who he is, and learning about Minho's hobbies.

"But then what…?" Jisung wonders out loud, still touching his face, staring into the mirror as if looking away will make the wrinkles appear again. "Or have these wrinkles been disappearing for days?"

"It could be because you accept my feelings now," Minho adds, stomach flipping. Jisung has been struggling, but he has been improving, too, despite everything. Jisung finally tears his gaze away from the mirror to look Minho in the eyes. "You worked for this loving marriage, not just to make you love me, but to make sure that we love each other, and are able to love each other. Maybe."

"Don't say maybe, hyung. That is beautiful," Jisung says, eyes sparkling as he steps forward and cups Minho's cheeks. He chuckles. "And it makes me feel really good about myself."

Minho leans into the touch, enjoys the warmth of Jisung's hands. "You should feel good."

Jisung smiles, but when Minho reaches for Jisung's middle to hold, the prince shivers, eyelids fluttering. "Ah— Ah, we are bare. I'm embarrassed," he says, shyly pulling away. Minho snickers to himself, even fonder of the man's bashfulness. It is simply adorable, and it makes Minho want to squeeze him tight.

"No need to be ashamed," he whispers, but he lets Jisung put some distance between them to continue washing up. They have all the time to take the next step, have a bath together, perhaps even have a proper wedding night together. There's no rules if they do not want there to be.

They get into bed together, and Minho can tell that Jisung is fighting sleep in favor of looking at Minho. "Good night, Jisung-ah. I hope you will have nice memories of tonight, despite everything."

"I will. I will think back to dancing with you fondly, as well as pouring out my heart, knowing my feelings are safe with you. Good night, Minho hyung," Jisung whispers, his eyes drooping, fingers reaching for Minho's hand and loosely intertwining them. Minho's heart twirls.

𓆩:*¨༺✧ ⚜ ✧༻¨*:𓆪

Jisung wakes up, and the wrinkles are still gone. He did not dream last night. He did not dream Minho's confession. He did not dream his loving gaze. Minho loves him, and has likely been falling for him since before his wrinkles started to disappear. All Jisung had to do was accept his feelings.

Work on himself, for himself. And now, he does not only feel happier, he also looks more like himself. There's a small part inside himself that finds it strange not to see the wrinkles on his face, but he is mostly glad to look and feel like himself again. He is still hairy, but that does not annoy him as much as before.

He is still embarrassed to face the nobles like this, but he has something to look forward to. A loving marriage. A relationship he has worked for. He finds himself being somewhat grateful for the Silver Wizard, in an odd way. He wishes he would have never been enchanted, yes, but Minho told him that he can not change the past, and the past has brought them where they are now.

He is nervous for the wedding, especially when the hair on his body does not disappear. It is the day before the official ceremony, and Jisung is still covered in hair.

"Should I try shaving you, Jisung-ah?" Hyunjin suggests, inspecting Jisung's beard with narrowed eyes, as if there is a secret to be revealed in the way the hairs curl. Minho is looking at him from up close, too, and it makes Jisung a bit shy.

"I could do it, too, since the hair on his face and hands is not the only hair that needs shaving," Minho points out, worsening Jisung's flush even further. Minho has seen him almost naked, and indeed there is excessive hair on his back and torso, that was not there before despite Jisung never shaving himself and not letting Hyunjin touch anything other than his face with those sharp razors.

"Are you sure, my prince?" Hyunjin asks, to be polite, but something flashes across Minho's gaze, as if he does not want Hyunjin shaving Jisung. Jisung chuckles to himself, his heart stuttering. Hyunjin has seen him butt naked plenty of times, and Jisung reckons it is the same for Minho and his closest attendant Jeongin.

"I am certain. I have some experience shaving myself," Minho says with a determined nod. Jisung feels bashful when Minho looks him up and down.

"Very well, I will prepare a bath. And I will cut your hair somewhere later today, after the bath, perhaps," Hyunjin assures them with a little grin. The three of them enter the bathroom, Jisung with his heart in his throat. He is nervous, not only because he does not like getting shaved, but also because this will reveal whether or not the enchantment is completely gone or not.

And because he will have to undress in front of Minho, soon.

Minho is gentle when he starts on his face, though. He washes the beard, and applied shaving cream. Jisung's heart is pounding when Minho grabs the razor, scared of the sharp blade, but anticipating being free from the prickly hair.

"Here I go," Minho whispers, holding his chin before using his left hand to shave his facial hair. When the razor slides across his skin, hairs sticking to the blade, Jisung almost jerks in surprise. "It—It seems like it's working. Stay still, though, Jisung-ah."

"Y-Yes," Jisung replies and he complies, staying as still as possible while also trying not to burst into tears of relief. He looks at Minho, who is frowning in concentration. "Is it really working?"

"Yes, look." Minho smiles and shows him the hairs on the razor, between the cream. Jisung whimpers, and Minho softens. "You've earned it. You've worked for it. Now let me make sure that I don't cut you, all right? Please stay still."

Jisung hums and keeps his eyes on Minho's concentrated expression as he tries to stay still. His heart won't seem to calm down. It still feels like he's dreaming. Not only does Minho reciprocate his feelings, but Jisung is also finally rid of this enchantment.

He wonders if Minho will kiss him after this, or if he will save it for the wedding. Minho does not strike him as the guy to care for tradition, but he is a guy who keeps Jisung's comfort in mind. That part of him has always been a part Jisung has been weak to.

As Minho finishes shaving him, he makes sure to soothe the skin, too, gentle fingers massaging cream into his sensitive chin, jaw, and the part around his lips. "There we go. Do you want me to help you shave any other parts?" Minho's eyes graze over Jisung's face, a small smile playing at his lips, drawing Jisung's gaze to it.

Jisung's neck heats up, and he tears his eyes away from Minho's lips. "Uhm. Yes. We could leave that for another time, if you'd like, but, the hair on my hands, back and torso is also quite… excessive," he mumbles.

"I'll do it now. Then we can relax," Minho decides, leaning forward and pressing a kiss on Jisung's nose. The gesture startles Jisung a little, but his heart is delighted. He might not have kissed his lips, but doing so when Jisung's skin is still sensitive might not be the best idea, anyway. "Get undressed, Jisung-ah."

"Yes, sir!" Jisung jumps up and makes work of undoing his jacket and hanbok. Hyunjin sends him a look to see if he needs help, but Jisung shakes his head.

"The bath is ready for you. I will leave you to it," his attendant announces, bowing his head before leaving the bathroom, but not without sending Jisung a wink and a grin. Jisung's cheeks are warm enough as is, and Hyunjin winking does not help.

It's only his torso, but it is still intimate to be shaven with as much care as Minho does. Hyunjin shaves him carefully, too, but he has never done anything other than his face. Minho switches hands while he shaves, which is somehow really attractive to Jisung, and it makes his skin warm even more.

He is glad to get a break from watching Minho when the prince shaves his back, but Minho is even gentler when he returns to take care of his hands. Jisung can tell that Minho is struggling with his fingers, very careful not to cut him, but he ends up cutting his knuckle when Jisung twitches.

"Drat! Almost perfect…" Minho sighs and he quickly grabs a handkerchief to dab away the blood. He looks into Jisung's eyes with that concerned yet kind gaze. "Does it hurt?"

"Not much. Not as much as on my face," he admits, unable to hold back a smile. Minho looks down, his ears red.

"Obviously not, because you're smiling," Minho retorts, gaze focused on Jisung's fingers, caring for him as if he's done this for years. Jisung chuckles. It is clear that Minho is used to taking care of himself, and although Jisung can do so now, too, he very much likes having Minho pamper him.

"I am, because you are so lovely, hyung," he admits. Minho breaks out into a sunny smile. "And beautiful."

"Hey, stop it. I might cut you again," Minho complains halfheartedly. Jisung seals his lips and lets Minho finish off the shaving so that they can get in the bath. Together. Jisung is still shy, and undresses with his back to Minho, but when he turns around and sees Minho's sturdy body, hefty thighs, and soft stomach, he is suddenly very glad that they have decided to bathe together before any more intimate activities, so he can get used to this sight now instead of embarrassing himself by staring later.

He thinks that he would not be able to stop staring if Minho would not get in the water, after all. "You are beautiful everywhere," Jisung mumbles, causing Minho to flush and laugh.

"So are you, prince. Hairy or not, by the way," Minho notes, climbing into the bath together with Jisung. "Nice broad shoulders, an unfairly narrow middle, an adorable and handsome face, a great behind…"

Minho's eyes trail down and he smirks. Jisung hits his shoulder, cheeks flaming. "Hyung!" he chides him, even if he's happy to be flattered by his fiancé's attraction to him.

"You started it," Minho points out with the raise of an eyebrow. Jisung rolls his eyes and Minho giggles before pulling Jisung closer. Jisung melts against his side, letting everything sink in. He touches his face, his chest, his hands, and smiles to himself. Minho exhales and twists towards him a bit. "Happy?"

"Yes, although it is kind of strange. I feel even more naked that I usually do," Jisung replies, rubbing his chest and patting his jaw. Minho stares—Jisung still has to get used to that—and reaches out to cup his face, the water sloshing with his movement.

"It is slightly odd, but as long as you feel good, it's all right. The only reason I am happy to get rid of the beard is so I can see your face better," Minho tells him in a whisper, voice so genuine that Jisung's breath gets caught in his throat. He can not find the words to answer Minho, instead frozen in place by Minho's warm gaze, and the softness of his thumbs caressing Jisung's jaws.

Jisung swallows and leans into Minho's gentle touch, tilting his head slightly as his gaze flutters. He lets it happen, lets himself close in on Minho, their noses brushing before Jisung connects their lips. His eyes fall shut and his hands find Minho's shoulders.

Minho kisses him back, holding his face in place so that he could not pull back even if he would be crazy enough to change his mind about kissing Minho. Minho's lips are soft, and he is so gentle with him, yet there is a desperate and relieved edge to the way Minho nibbles on his lips, as if he's been anticipating this as much as Jisung has been.

Jisung presses forward, wrapping his arms around Minho's shoulders, deepening the kiss. Minho smiles against his mouth, yet he does not pull away. He keeps Jisung close, claiming his lips.

A fire builds up inside Jisung's chest, encouraging him to convey that feeling to Minho—to leave his heart in Minho's hands, because he trusts that he will handle it with care. He will do the same with Minho's heart, and with the almost overwhelming feelings he puts into the kiss.

He all but stumbles onto Minho's lap, but he realizes that they are both very much naked. He parts with a gasp, flushing even more than he already was. "Oh— Uhm," he stammers with a giggle. Minho's eyes are wide, lips parted and hands still on Jisung's cheeks as if he still wants to kiss Jisung more.

"What is it?" he asks, blinking at Jisung in that adorable way.

"We are naked," Jisung points out sheepishly. Minho blinks again and then laughs, neck and ears red, too. Jisung is glad to see that he is not the only one affected.

"I am aware, jagi-yah. If that's too much for you, we can slow down," Minho assures him, letting his hands trail down to Jisung's shoulders. Jisung huffs.

"Do you not…? Do you not think it is a bit too soon?" he asks, hoping that he is not being too much of a prude for Minho. Minho's eyes are still fond as they regard Jisung, however.

"I do, so I am glad that you stopped us. I was getting carried away with you, but I would like to take my time," he answers. Jisung smiles and takes Minho's hands off his shoulders to intertwine their fingers. "There is no rush."

"There is not," Jisung agrees with a fond smile. "I want to take my time showing you what you mean to me, hyung. You deserve that."

Minho chuckles, and pulls Jisung back to sit next to him, shoulder to shoulder. "I am looking forward to that."

𓆩:*¨༺✧ ⚜ ✧༻¨*:𓆪

Minho's heart pounds in anticipation. It is their wedding day. Jisung has been getting many compliments on his appearance today, and although Minho does not necessarily think he looks significantly better, he does look happier, and his expression is better visible without the veil and head wrap to hide him.

While Jeongin and Hyunjin are dressing them, Chan enters the room and spends the entire hour it takes to get them ready talking to him and Jisung with bright eyes, happy to see his little brother getting married to someone he loves, and who loves him in return.

If you had asked Minho four months ago if he was looking forward to this wedding, he'd say a harsh and firm no and tell you that the prince is a spoiled brat who looks down on Minho's way of living and being a prince. Now, that version of himself feels distant.

He could not have been more wrong about Jisung, but he is glad that he has gotten the opportunity to see that. He is glad that he was tasked to help out the prince with his enchantment and was able to get to know him, even if it was through hardship.

Them having been through this together does give Minho confidence in them and their relationship, that they will be able to endure any other annoyances that come their way. He is excited, despite the formalities. He just wants to see Jisung smile, wants him to be happy that his wish has been fulfilled.

Minho has a blue hanbok, representing the north, while Jisung has a red one, for the southern kingdom. Red looks amazing on Jisung, and Minho can not wait for the formalities to be over so he can take off some layers and dance with Jisung.

He does not like how the nobles suddenly do want to talk to Jisung not that he is rid of the enchantment, but it is his wedding day, so he decides not to get too worked up over it. He does not like how some of the younger nobles look at Jisung, but he knows that Jisung still wants him.

Today is about the two of them, after all, even though to the public, it is about peace between their kingdoms and festivities. To the kings and queens of the north and south, Minho is still nothing more than a means for peace, but he has accepted that fact now. It does not matter how others view their marriage. He has met Jisung through it, and he is glad for that.

He prefers living a simple life in this complex world, after all, and he hopes that he can make that happen with Jisung. Neither of them are the crown prince, so hopefully they will get just enough freedom to be happy together.

The wedding is a mix of formalities and more fun activities. While nobles, attendants, their parents, and Chan are speaking about the peace between the kingdoms, Minho simply zones out and stares at Jisung, at his lovely flushes cheeks, his pretty lips, his big eyes, and his smile.

Only when it is time to kiss him, does Minho pay attention again. He keeps it brief. Their love is not for others to see—not for so many strangers, at least. The only reason he is even able to keep their kiss chaste and short is because he kissed Jisung yesterday and knows what it is like, now.

Jisung's sunny smile afterwards is completely worth it. Minho feels giddy, and most of all, he feels relieved, and he thinks to himself that he is curious what it would have been like kissing Jisung through that beard. He kind of regrets not having tried it, but oh well, no going back now.

He will indulge in seeing Jisung's sunny expression, knowing that he is part of the reason that the prince can smile like that. Perhaps this southern palace can become his home after all.

"And now, it is time for the first dance between the wedded princes!" Chan announces happily. Jinho has kept quiet, fortunately, but he has not said much to Jisung since his enchantment started fading. Things are better this way. Now, he can enjoy dancing with Jisung to its fullest, pretending that there is no one else around.

He is also glad to get rid of some of the many garments of his wedding hanbok, to have more freedom in his movement. He bows before Jisung and holds out his hand. "May I have this dance, my husband?" he asks, ears warm as he looks at Jisung's fond gaze.

"You may," Jisung replies, taking Minho's hand. They dance as practiced, but it feels more intimate than it did before. Minho can not keep his eyes away from Jisung's lovely face.

"Stop looking at me like that, jagi-yah," Jisung says, and Minho's stomach flips at the pet name. He leans a little closer, still leading Jisung across the dance floor.

"Like what?" he asks, knowing that he's teasing Jisung, but he simply likes his reactions too much. He likes affecting him, likes knowing that Jisung feels things, and he does not want to hold back in showing his own feelings.

"Like— Like—You know what I mean! It makes me shy, hyung. Everyone's eyes are on us," Jisung mutters.

"They can know that I adore you," Minho tells him in a low voice.

"You are taunting me, hyung. Taunting me to kiss you," Jisung retorts with a laugh. "If I do so, I will stumble. I want to save it for later. For when we are alone."

"Okay," Minho relents, and he puts a little more distance between them. He can be patient.

The first dance ends, and the two of them bow for the guests. Then, the feast starts. They have food and can dance more. Minho is not very hungry, courtesy of the butterflies in his stomach, but he makes sure that Jisung is eating well, and by doing so he gets some food in his system, too.

When he has had enough and runs out of patience, seeing Jisung's rosy cheeks and happy expression, he invites Jisung back onto the dance floor. "Let's dance again," he tells him, and Jisung laughs.

"You are insatiable," he says, but Minho can see right through him—he is giddy, too. He loves dancing, even if Minho is more eager. Still, he raises his eyebrows and pauses, waiting for Jisung to consent. "Of course I want to dance, hyung, come on."

Minho smiles and takes Jisung's hand. Dancing reminds him of that night Jisung opened up to him—Told him how he felt. Thankfully, Jisung is not crying now, nor is he in doubt about Minho's feelings any longer.

Jisung even steals a kiss from Minho, despite them still very much being in public. "Oh, someone is getting bold," Minho says, neck heating up as he spins them around. Jisung smiles a coy grin and does it again, leaning forward to brush their lips together.

"I have been thinking about what you said. It is quite all right if they know how much I adore you," he whispers, letting their noses caress one another. "But I am not planning on giving them a show."

"I would not want that, either," Minho whispers. His heart is pounding fast, and his patience is wearing thin. He only wants Jisung to himself, now. Between preparations and formalities and getting rid of that enchantment, he has not had time to spend with Jisung in privacy, except for their bath yesterday. "Which I why I think it might be time for us to retreat into our chambers, don't you agree?"

"Hm, yes. I agree. Our chambers," Jisung says, rubbing his hand along Minho's neck and shoulders with a satisfied smile. Minho exhales, he would like to keep on dancing, but being alone with Jisung sounds very appealing, too. They stop dancing and inform Chan, Changbin, and Seungmin that they are going to call it for tonight.

Their fingers are linked as they make their way to their room. A room they share, not by choice at first, but it is Minho's choice, now. Just like their marriage. It was not a voluntary marriage, but Minho has deliberately chosen to love Jisung. That was his decision, not anyone else's.

And it is completely his own choice to kiss Jisung, as he pushes the prince on their bed. It is his decision to deepen that kiss, to let his hands explore Jisung's body—a body he now feels comfortable in, again.

"Look at you, my husband," Minho whispers with a smile, continuing to press open-mouthed kisses onto Jisung's lips, cheeks, and jaw. Jisung's flushed face is drawing Minho in, making him feel like his skin is electrified.

"I am so lucky," Jisung agrees. He cups Minho's cheeks and caresses his thumbs along the warm skin. "Let me kiss you more, hyung. I want to take my time tonight. Set the tone for our loving marriage. I worked for it."

"You sure did," Minho says, letting Jisung pull him into another deep kiss. They enjoy tasting each other, taking their time to convey everything they've been through together. Minho enjoys every second of closeness with Jisung, puts every bit of relief he has felt today into this moment.

When Minho starts feeling too hot for comfort, he starts by slipping his fingers underneath Jisung's clothing. Jisung's skin is warm, too, but it's a nicer kind of warmth. Jisung seems to be on the same wavelength as he is, because he starts undressing Minho, nimble fingers working to undo their fancy wedding garments.

Minho does the same to him, but neither of them can bear to stop kissing for even a second. And thus, they blindly push and fumble with each other's clothes, until there is nothing between them except for underwear.

Minho would love to take off that last piece as well, but there is no rush. First, Minho makes sure to appreciate every little nook and crevice of Jisung's body. He kisses along his neck, his shoulders, his now hairless chest, his arms, his hands where the cut from yesterday is still visible, his hips and his legs, all the while Jisung lets out beautiful noises of content, hips bucking up as if he can not help getting aroused by Minho's ministrations.

Then, as Minho is making his way back up Jisung's skin again, Jisung gets impatient and pleads, "Jagi-yah, please kiss me again," with his fingers tangled into Minho's hair. Minho gladly complies, and he lets Jisung dip his tongue between Minho's lips.

As Jisung makes Minho feel all hot due to the desperation with which he devours his mouth, he also flips them around, sitting on top of Minho's legs as he runs his hands across Minho's flushed skin. Minho rests his hands on Jisung's behind, kneading the flesh between his fingers as he hugs him close.

Like that, they let the hours of their wedding night pass, kissing and touching one another, slowly bringing the heat up until it reaches its climax, each other's names on their tongue as they convey what they have felt throughout the weeks.

"I love you, Minho hyung," Jisung whispers against his lips as the heat subsides and they slowly come down from being up so high. Minho softens, melts into Jisung's arms and noses along the warm skin of his cheeks.

"I love you too, Jisung-ah," he replies, the words spilling from his lips easily. "My husband."

𓆩:*¨༺✧ The end ✧༻¨*:𓆪