█ 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐆-𝐉𝐈𝐍 '𝐉𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑' 𝐒𝐀𝐄𝐌
█ ⎯ he/they⎯ prince of urkai, pair two ⎯ location; masquerade ball ⎯ tags; open! ⎯ mentions; n/a ⎯ wc; 1,050 words ⎯
xxxxxthe only arranged marriages that saem had ever heard of came from those ancient books in the king's war room, kept beneath lock and key by the royal librarian. once he was old enough, the librarian handed these books to the astounded prince, who could only hold a maximum of two books at a time due to their heaviness. inside were tales told since the beginning of the urkain empire. their first leaders had been arranged for a journey to new territories, but were later married for the sake of the kingdom and their companionship, and were later known as the first royals. jupiter's father reassured him that this was a thing of the pass, promised even that this wouldn't be the case for a young prince, and he had believed the king, nodding his head and raising it proudly as if accepting the fate.
xxxxxwhat saem never would've expected was his current predicament, being whisked into a carriage car with his father as a spur of the moment vacation. his father's face held a stone cold expression, eyes even heavier, as he stared out the window. the civilians of urkai's central city of nadham waved the king and their beloved prince off, whistling and cheering, for they knew where this chariot was meant to take them. halfway through the carriage ride, king jung-hyo turned to his son, who was content in reading a urkaidian classic novel, and said, "your mother has arranged for you to attend a masquerade ball in search of a worthy companion to call your own. she- we believe you've had enough time joking around about this. it is imperative for the future of urkai that our legacy move on. this is no longer optional." sung-jin felt his heart sink. his father had broken his promise, for perhaps he knew that this would have been their only option after the war that had lasted for sung-jin's later teen years. he knew how tired his father was after the conflict had been resolved, but this had to have been a last minute resort. the look in the king's eyes mimicked something of sympathy, but then his head raised forward and the nobility returned to his voice as he explained where they were going and why, and how the hurt prince would be the only one to enter the castle, and when the time came, that is what happened.
xxxxxsung-jin barely batted an eye at the castle before him, stepping out of the chariot as the concierge handed him his suitcases and bowed politely to both the king in the chariot still and the prince. as soon as he had left the main benched area of the chariot, he closed the door and waved off to the driver, not hesitating to say a word to his father. his betrayal was enough to the young prince, so as the concierge opened the large doors into the guest wing of the castle, sung-jin offered a stoic, "thank you, sir," for helping and stepped inside. this castle would never quite live up to the pearl-sheen walls back home in urkai, or how towers upon towers of colored quartz had been implanted into his suite walls for his beneficiary, but they were surely a sight. maidens walked the fair prince up the steps as he took in his new surroundings, even glancing a peek into the ballroom where this masquerade would be held tomorrow, exactly twenty-four hours after his arrival. the maidens lead him to his own room, where sung-jin thanked the women as well, offering them a charming smile, before prying his dress shoes from his feet and sitting on the edge of the king-sized bed, covered in satin sheets and a true down-filled duvet. the white motifs certainly caught jupiter's eyes as he took time to decompress and reassess his situations.
xxxxxawoken with a start after his door had been rapped lightly upon by feminine hands, a maiden leaned into the room, announcing that it was time to prepare for the ball and what time to be at the ball, sharply and not a suggested time. the boy sat up, trying to fix the worst case of bedhead he'd ever had before standing to attend to his duties. his shower would be a final time of reflection for sung-jin, and he was grateful that so much downtime was given for guests all of a sudden. discarding article after article of clothing, saem stepped into the shower and let the heavenly-warm water run over his head and down his body. he'd decided that he'd take a chance on this 'assignment' to learn more about the cultures and practices of other kingdoms, since he was not so familiar with these. he'd never been provided the permission to leave urkai, so this would be his best shot. a political ambassador, though he hadn't the smallest practice in politics, would be what jupiter would be: one of his many masks to please himself and others around. though the wound from the backstabbing from his father was fresh among his shoulders, he would make the most of this experience by making new friends and potentially trying new foods.
xxxxxnow, jupiter stood before his full-length mirror, dressed in a simple tuxedo. he was always told to go simple growing up, so he surely did. the only pop of color would be seen by his bracelet his friend had given him, made of mookite and it's wonderful bold reds to bold yellows. it gave him confidence, for just wearing it was a sign of home, but it was time to go. jupiter slipped his dress shoes on once more, double checked his soft, middle-parted hair and then took for the door. he was right on time, and he figured it would be best to be on time rather than late, so he navigated his way to the steps, beginning the climb to the ballroom, though his mind was once clouded by the final 'click!' of a heel at the top of the steps as they entered out into the ballroom, a face that jupiter would meet in only a few seconds. he slipped the black mask over his head and down to cover his eyebrows and the soft sloped bridge of his nose. let the games begin.
