Archive of Our Own ^beta

The sunlight shone through the glass at the store front, a whispering promise to the beautiful day that was promised, and Kyungsoo was more than happy to see that after more than a few days of rain straight. 

The gloomy weather gave way to a cloudless, sunny day, it was perfect, perhaps the most perfect than it had been in a while. 

"Soo!" 

Kyungsoo turns his attention from the windows of their shop, people out on the streets outside the windows, although some of his view could be accompanied by the flowers standing vigil at the window sill, each of the blooms reaching out towards the sun's rays with their colors. 

"Coming mom!" He sets down the metal watering pail, the object making a clunking noise against the dark of the wood, creaking, and warm like the rest of the shop. 

Kyungsoo enters the back room, witnessing his mother trying to wrestle with quite a large arrangement on the table, various bits of greenery and other parts of plants surrounding the work space along with her completed work, he helps her set down the heavy arrangement steadily onto the desk.

"Mom, why didn't you call me beforehand... I could've helped.” He gives her a smile shaking his head. 

The older woman only gives him an affectionate smile that would mirror his own, leaving no doubt of their relation as the pale pink of her lips slightly forms into the familiar heart shape that he knew he was infamous for, the wrinkles around her eyes greeting him happily. 

"Ah, it's good for my health, If I let you do everything I'll waste away." she mentions pulling on her gloves. 

Kyungsoo looked at the arrangement, it was as flamboyant and loud as it was large. "Someone obviously has something to say." He mumbles. 

His mother chuckles under her breath at that statement. "You're right... it's an order from one of the nobles, it seems like they're trying to impress. They're supposed to be picking it up today." 

Kyungsoo nods, adjusting some of the blooms himself. "Do you want me to move to the front?" 

She nods. "That would be great dear... and then come back we have another important order to fill." 

Kyungsoo nods in acknowledgment as he takes the large piece out to the front placing it safely in the cooler area as they waited to make it to their new home, before heading back and trading places with his mother who had left the order sitting on the table. However this one was different, not written in the familiar scrawl of his mothers handwriting on an order slip, in fact this seemed to be a request left unopened in the smooth envelope. 

From that he could tell that the people making the order probably were wealthier. 

However the strange part is that there was no name on the front, although he could understand the need for anonymity on the front of the envelope in case the request ended up in the wrong hands outside of their request box when they weren't open. 

Although they were a small flower shop, Kyungsoo was proud to say that his family down here at least was known for the grade of their flowers and arranging, every now and then getting a noble or government official asking for flowers.  

He pops the seal on the envelope setting it aside, however seeing what was underneath is what was having him do a double take, unmistakably sealing the letter was the seal of the royal family in all of its glory, as if acting on auto pilot he opens the letter reading it his eyes only getting wider. 

"Kyungsoo, did you see the letter on the table?" His mom calls, her footsteps approaching him. 

"Yeah..." he answers weakly trying to comprehend what he was reading. 

"What's wrong?" His mother immediately approaches him, that soft edge of her voice ready to tip to concern the moment he says that there was something the matter. 

"This is a request from, Her Majesty." He answers holding up the letter, at the bottom was the queen's personal seal at the end of the document along with her signature taking up the end of the page in a delicate flow of ink. 

His mom's brow furrows, taking off her gloves, and placing them in the front pockets of her apron, appropriately covered in a little dirt greenery, and water, she wipes her hands on her pants taking the letter from his hands, and the way that her eyes slightly widen in surprise he knows that he hadn't misread or seen a thing. 

"For Prince Jongin and Prince Kai." Her brow furrows a little then, taking on a sad sympathetic edge. 

Kyungsoo nods feeling that little bit of her sympathy, it was no secret to anyone who lived here that the often gloomy weather was attributed to the fact of the curse that had befallen the Princes of their Kingdom. 

Or at least that's what everyone thought. 

And today was a rare beautiful day. 

"They want one of us to go to the royal palace as soon as possible..." His mom looks up at him again.  

Kyungsoo knew in that moment that it was going to have to be him to go up, as his mom's back wasn't all that great that it wouldn't be able to take the ride to palace with the way her joints on top of that ached sometimes. 

"Should I go today?" Kyungsoo is already pulling off his own gloves and setting them on the old wooden surface of the working table 

His mother nods. "Yes, I don't know how long this was sitting in the requests." She sighs. "I just hope we're not too late." 

Kyungsoo hoped that too, feeling a bit of nervousness creeping up his spine at the thought of having in some way offended the royal family, although there hadn't been any guards or soldiers sent to retrieve them so he doubts that it had been there too long. The next steps culminate in him making himself presentable, cleaning off any stray soil or leaves that could stick to him from working, and putting on his best non-soiled clothing.

His mom checking him over more than once before she allowed him to leave the house on horseback, most of the familiar faces he passed shouting at him and greeting as he made his way up, finally dismounting his horse, when actually closer to the castle the throng of people was too thick to ride comfortably thorough, the ground gratefully wasn't too muddy from the rain,  the sun having dried up most of the puddles, and therefore the streets.

He walks through the streets, and although there is a bit of liveliness there is also a pocket of silence especially when he passes the memorial for the Princes, a bunch of blooms left by the people who adored them, there were some there that he was sure that he had provided some of those flowers. 

It was a strange thought having a memorial for people who weren't quite dead but not quite alive either. 

But either way, Kyungsoo gives the memorial due diligence placing a flower he had with him amongst the other placed bloom, the hope that with the flower is that they would somehow come out of the curse somehow or by someone. 

He continues his travels then, finally making up to the imposing gates of the castle, and he feels the nervousness grow in his gut as he's stopped by the guards asking him for his reason for being there, immediately he hands them the letter. 

"Her Majesty summoned me for an audience." He explains. 

The pair seemingly pleased with the authenticity of the letter passed him through the shiny metal gates, someone greeting him and taking his horse to him from the stables with a friendly smile, already curled up at the edges as if he were prepared to do so at any moment. 

"Follow me." A servant around his age leads him through the majestic building of stone and, reflecting the light cleanly as it bounces off the afternoon light. 

The interior of the palace is no less impressive, the marble floors and lighting fixtures, leading to a no less as exquisite carpet, Kyungsoo knew that he was passing royal artifacts and other portraits but he doesn't have the time to appreciate all of it although he does appreciate the way that the interior of the palace was so light, windows letting in enough that you might not even need actual lighting fixtures. 

When they arrive to the throne room, Kyungsoo can already see the queen waiting for him, the color of them a striking cream lined with gold embroidery, her head pieces glimmering in the afternoon sun through the windows that sat just behind the throne. He immediately falls into a bow as the servant announces that he has arrived for the audience. 

"Your Majesty." 

Kyungsoo straightens back up just as the older woman turns to look at him, immediately turning to greet him, her face reminding him sort of his own mother's and he felt himself relaxing a little bit, even as she approaches him and with the rest of the guards around. 

"Welcome, you must be from the Do flower shop." 

Kyungsoo nods. "Yes, ma'am. I'm Do Kyungsoo... my mother is the one who primarily runs the business." 

"Ah I see... I'm glad to see you got our request, I hope you weren't in the middle of anything important? I know my request reached you quite suddenly." 

Kyungsoo shakes his head. "Not at all... just the usual day, Your Majesty." he assures her. 

Her smile brightens just a little more, but he could see that it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Good, please walk with me." 

Kyungsoo allows her to pass him, and he stays the respectful few feet behind, feeling some of the other attendants that were littered throughout the room fall in just a little ways behind him as they once again make their way through the lavishly decorated hallways, and although the sunlight was streaming through the windows, and occasionally passed a servant or two who momentarily paused to greet the Queen as she passed. 

Kyungsoo couldn't quite shake the feeling of stillness that was noticeable to him, as if there was a vital part of this whole atmosphere in the moment. 

"I know I didn't give you my request in the letter I had sent, as I thought it would be better to show you, rather than write it by letter or have someone in the office send it through an electronic message or anything." She turns her head back to look at him. "I thought that you would appreciate being able to see it in person." 

Kyungsoo nods, returning her smile just a little bit. "That would be very helpful, Your Majesty." 

Soon they all arrive in another room, and it's just as grand as the others, but this seemed as if it housed far more precious artifacts than those that were lining the halls, in here he could see where the many lines of royal portraits stood. 

"Welcome to the royal artifact room... I know it seems like we have our own mini museum here." She laughs. 

Kyungsoo nods, looking at all of the artifacts and part of him wishes to take a closer look out of pure curiosity, but he's pulled away when they come to a stop in front of one of the large portraits, he takes it in, noticing that it's a family portrait. The king standing strong, stoic and handsome as the Queen sits at his side, the touch of her smile in her eyes as it curled along her lips as well, and then in front of them were the twin mix of both the king and queen, both as equally handsome, stoic, and smiling as their parents. 

The Princes. 

"It's almost hard to believe sometimes that it's been three years." The Queen looks at the painting quite wistfully, as if looking at it long enough would make the image move.

Kyungsoo doesn't know how to respond to that so in the moment that the best option is to remain quiet, and listen to her, she finally comes out of whatever memories came from staring at the painting and then turns to look at him. 

"I know the painting isn't much to go off of... but, I was wondering if you could somehow make arrangements that embodied them." 

Kyungsoo nods slowly, he had done such work before, for a love sick person coming in and leaving a description of the person that they were trying to impress or were currently dating, sometimes this was received orally and other times they would already have a list done. 

"I thought It would at least help to have an image of them... since I don't know if you've seen them up close in person." 

Kyungsoo shakes his head, thinking of the times he had seen them small on television screens, and from a far distance when there were parades every year, but there was nothing ever in great detail, nor was he one of the people who could be considered a Royal Watcher, so what time he did spend on his phone wasn't alerting him with those updates or photos either. "No, Your Majesty I haven't but yes this will help." he smiles. 

She looks a little relieved at that. "Thank you." 

Kyungsoo merely bows shaking his head. "It's my pleasure... is there a specific time that you would like these delivered by?" He reaches for the little note pad and pen he kept with him at his side for this. "And are there any particular flowers you had in mind, Your Majesty?" 

"Sometime while the weather is good... I don't know where it comes from, but I feel like the flowers would only sweeten the atmosphere, as for flowers, I'm giving you creative control. I'm sure you won't disappoint me Kyungsoo." 

Kyungsoo presses down the slight ball of nerves that comes with the words, and instead finishes his last little bit of notes, before placing the small book back into his pocket. "We will have them back here as soon as possible, Your Majesty. Thank you for this chance." 

"Not at all Kyungsoo... have a nice evening and safe travels." She gives him one last smile before sweeping from the room. 

Kyungsoo only rises from his bow when she's gone behind the doors, and he turns looking at the lit portrait spending one last moment drinking in the twin faces that were to be his next muse. 

***

Making it back from the palace in the afternoon his mother had immediately bombarded him with questions and upon finding out the more particular details she pretty much cleared any other work for him, as this was to be top priority. His mother now gave him a turn around time of nothing longer than three days, and that was already pushing it, so he was sort of treating it as if he only had two and one had already passed. 

But he knew why part of her was so eager to get this done, and with the perfection that they were at least known for locally. 

Kyungsoo knew that it would be foolish to ignore the obvious chance that this would give their shop, should word get around that they did work for the Royal family, their small little shop that had been in his family long before he was even thought of, even though it wasn't even the most important point of the whole request, it wasn't something that could be pushed aside either. Though for the moment it would have to be so he didn't let his nerves get the better of him, simply relegating the task to being for a mother who was missing her sons, and wanting to give them something nice for when they returned. 

But as he sat at his work bench, staring at the empty vessels of the two nicest flower vases he had, Kyungsoo was a little frustrated, his mind as blank as the sheet of paper sitting in front of him ready to drink in his plans for arranging. 

Kyungsoo sighs then rubbing a hand over his face as he once again takes a look at the notes he had collected from his meeting with the Queen and then later this evening, a little shyness to the girls who had come into their shop to by single stems, although they had been all too ready to gush about the two indisposed royals, as if they had seen them just yesterday. And to be honest it was a good amount of surface level information, even if he had learned maybe a little more than he had liked about the two, like how Prince Kai apparently loved eating macaroons and Prince Jongin apparently had quite the love for bears. 

And that their best friend was a rather stoic Prince of the Oh family from another kingdom close by.  

But other than that, the surface level stuff had been great, just coming up with colors was going to be the hard part. 

Maybe I'm overthinking things... 

He looks over the list again, but this time choosing to focus on the words that stuck out to him the most, the first two that leaped out to him. 

Courageous and Kind. 

He could do that, start there at least, immediately writing down the two flowers that would correspond as well as they could to the meaning, from then on it was simple enough to bury himself in the work and place all of his anxieties as he loses himself to the planning and building in his mind's eye. 

The day of delivery for the arrangements, Kyungsoo reminds himself that he had done everything that he was going to be able to do with the arrangements,  and that checking them over wasn't going to do him any more good either than drive him further into a little nervous tizzy. 

But the most important part now was getting them to the royal palace safely, he was mostly sure that none of the vases would break, instead to transporting the flowers there whole, he decided to put them together at the palace to save the embarrassment of going back to the little covered wagon and discovering them all broken, and petals scattered everywhere. 

Soon the large, bright, almost looming structure of the palace is appearing in front of him, and the guards let him through without much trouble, only checking briefly the back of his wagon after explaining his reasoning for being there, he's let through, some more servants greeting him once his horse and and the wagon are led away by a stable hand who's name that he learns this time is Jongdae. 

But instead of heading to the throne room like he had expected he's led to a different part of the palace entirely, Kyungsoo briefly recognizing the doors that led to the royal artifact room as they head up a grand staircase, and eventually to another set of more private looking doors. 

Kyungsoo didn't have to guess that these were private quarters for guests and among them somewhere were the Princes' rooms and the Queen and King's chambers as well. 

One of the servants knock on the door with a light rap. 

"Your Majesty, Do Kyungsoo is here." 

"Please, enter." the Queen's voice comes slightly muffled from the door. 

The servant immediately pushes open the door, with a bow allowing Kyungsoo, the boxes of flowers, and vases to make it inside. 

"Your Majesty." Kyungsoo bows greeting her with a slight smile, as the older rises from the chair she had been occupying to greet him as well with a smile. 

"Kyungsoo, welcome back." 

"It's an honor to be back, Your Majesty." He replies. 

"I'm sure you've been well?" 

"Yes, Your Majesty." Kyungsoo smiles again. 

"Where should we sit these sir?" One of the servants ask. 

"Oh! Just sit them there on the floor for now, thank you." Kyungsoo slightly jumps, pointing in the direction that he was referring too, honestly he was just trying not to ruin anything in the room even remotely. 

The pair place the items where they have been directed before turning to the Queen bowing. "Is there anything else you need, Your Majesty?" 

The Queen smiles. "No, You're dismissed for now." 

And then they're alone, the doors closing with a soft click. 

"It's been beautiful weather hasn't it?" The Queen remarks. 

Kyungsoo smiles. "Yes, Your Majesty... I was almost surprised to see that it has been holding up this long." 

It's then that he notices that the large windows are open in the room, and that they aren't alone either, for the first time he notices a robed man standing a little ways off in a corner, though Kyungsoo feels like he should've noticed him standing there before. 

"Hello." Kyungsoo bows towards the stranger who responds with a silent gentle smile of his own, and a small bow. 

"How forgetful of me, Kyungsoo... this is Yixing." 

Yixing's eyes sparkled a bit after their greeting, Kyungsoo couldn't quite place it but there was something almost off about the other man, although his gaze was kind he could see the years they seemingly held although he was seemingly no older than him. 

"Pleasure to meet you, Kyungsoo." Yixing smiles a little more allowing for dimples to show. 

"Likewise." Kyungsoo nods and then turns his attention back to the royal. "I'm sorry for all of the mess, but I didn't want to take the chance of the arrangements toppling over on their way here, so I just decided to do most of the final arranging here."

"That's no problem, please take your time." The older woman gives him a smile. 

Kyungsoo looks around a little more and then realizes they really weren't alone, his gaze only now focusing on the two beds housing the beloved Princes of their kingdom, looking perfectly asleep and at rest, but anyone could tell that something about it was unnatural, their rest was too still. And it honestly sent shivers up his spine at the thought that the two had been like this completely unaware for three years. 

He tears his gaze away from the beds and instead decides to get to work, opening the first box of flowers to do what he does best and begins putting together, happy that the blooms weren't crushed or damaged in anyway as he places them in their vases, losing himself in his work except for the slight notability of the air and sunlight coming through the windows. 

Taking a step back, he surveys them, pleased with what he saw... as he places them down after filling the crystal vases with water, setting them in appropriate places in the room. 

"They're completed, Your Majesty." Kyungsoo gives a wider berth to let her see them, removing his gloves and waiting for her to assess his work before he even thinks about moving to clean up. 

For a moment the room is silent, and he tries to not let that worry him, as he can feel Yixing observing too, heck even perhaps the unconscious forms of the Princes themselves.

And then there's a sharp gasp from the older woman as she delicately surveys the petals, turning to him with slightly glossy eyes, but Kyungsoo can tell that she's happy and at the end of the day that is all that mattered. "Oh, Kyungsoo they're perfect... you truly have a gift." 

Kyungsoo smiles. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I am happy they please you." 

She smiles. "This is above and beyond what I could have ever imagined." 

Kyungsoo smiles then gives another bow before he begins cleaning up some of the mess, such as some of the stray leaves that had fallen due to manipulation, and stacking the boxes together. 

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll have someone come and clean it up." 

Kyungsoo's initial instinct is to decline, but he instead nods watching as other servants are called into the room to collect the boxes and then they're gone as soon as they had come, and then they're alone in the room again, but Kyungsoo knew that he couldn't just leave without being dismissed.

“Your Majesty, I’m afraid I have to leave.” 

The Queen turns her attention to the other man then, nodding. “Be well, Yixing.” 

The man bows gently smiling. “You as well, Your Majesty.” He moves to leave the room then, his robe brushing the floor, velvet and a deep red as he passes Kyungsoo giving a nod before he disappears from the room as well. 

Once again throwing them into silence, Kyungsoo is still unsure how to proceed, although he’s relieved when she starts talking once again. 

"You know, it's still hard to believe that it's been three years." She sighs. "This is the first bit of life that has been brought into the palace since that day. I'd like to believe that the better weather has been a sign of better things to come." She smiles a little solemnly. 

"I can only imagine, Your Majesty." 

His mom had talked about the sympathy she felt for the queen, and could imagine being put into that situation, so Kyungsoo could only imagine the amount of anxiety of not knowing definitely going to be okay. 

"I'm sure you've heard of the curse?" She asks, turning around from the flowers finally to turn to her sons, both still eerily still, with the exception of their chests rising and falling signaling life still coursing through them. 

"Bits and pieces of it like everyone else, Your Majesty." He nods. 

He knew, like everyone else, that the conditions of the witch had been that they would be asleep, forever from that day on with nothing to wake them. As punishment or a vendetta of some sort for the royal family that none of them had been privy to. 

But much later on there had been rumors that they had found a loophole of some sort regarding the magic. 

"Then I'm sure you've heard rumors about a way to break it?" 

Kyungsoo nods. "Yes, Your Majesty... true love's kiss." 

Kyungsoo at the time he had heard it thought it had one been all too simple, like from a fairy tale, if the witch who had casted the spell intended to last as long as they did, then why make it that simple? Although the more he thought about it he realized that actually finding true love would have to be next to impossible, as it could literally be anyone, not just the nobles and other royals that they knew. 

that they could literally be anywhere. 

The Queen lets out a slight defeated chuckle. "Quite correct... although it seems as  if we're never going to find those people." 

Kyungsoo remains silent, listening to her words, and he could tell that there was another question just on the tip of her tongue, something that she was working around saying. 

"I don't mean to be forward, Your Majesty. But are you asking something of me?" Kyungsoo's voice kind of raises at the end, the palms of his hands becoming slightly sweaty from nerves building. 

She stares at him, brown eyes much like the ones he had spent imagining from the portrait to make the arrangements as they search his face. "This is not an order, and there will be no penalty for you if you choose to walk away. But I'm asking if you would be willing to try." 

Kyungsoo blinks, realizing the enormity of what she was asking of him, she wanted him to kiss them and see if he was able to break the curse plaguing at least one of them. And although he knew that she was being true to her words, that he wouldn't suffer for rejecting the request. But he didn't know if he could have, seeing as she was asking from a place as a mother and not a Queen, just a mother who was sad, at the end of her rope with the very real fear of having to accept that she had actually lost her children. 

Kyungsoo knew that if it came down to it and he was in a similar situation, his mother would ask the same, and would do anything to get him or his brother back. 

He nods then. "I'll try, Your Majesty." 

"Thank you, Kyungsoo." She gives him another small smile, and although it slightly reached her eyes, he could tell that she expected this to work as well as he did. 

He could only wonder how many times had that hope been built up for it to only be crushed each time someone else failed. 

Kyungsoo wipes his hand down his pants briefly, trying to clear the nerves from his system as he approaches the bed, finally seeing the faces that looked the same yet vastly different from his memory of the portraits. These faces were a little more gaunt, from the lack of food that their rest had awarded them, although he could see that there was an IV bag by their sides and by their arms, he was surprised that they didn't look much more dire. 

He figures that it must have something to do with the magic at play. 

Kyungsoo takes a breath and takes the moment to address both of them even if it did seem a bit silly because they couldn't hear him at all.

Kind of steeling himself up for this, talking to the princes before he does anything. "We don’t know each other, but I’m Kyungsoo. And I apologize in advance, Your Highnesses." 

The one comfort at the back of his mind is that the curse never said anything about it having to be on the lips, bearing that in mind he leans down and presses a solid yet quick kiss to who he believes to be Jongin's cheek and then moves on to Kai doing the same thing. 

Nothing happens for a moment and for some reason he feels bad for a moment for being yet another person who let the Queen down, but as he’s about to  pull completely away, there’s a warm pulse that goes through the room, and two sudden intakes of breath, like someone surfacing from a deep swim in the ocean. 

And perhaps that was correct as they were breaking free from the oceans of their own magical prison. 

And now he finds himself meeting a set of eyes that were once closed, causing him to rear back quicker than he ever had in his life, looking over to the other bed seeing that in fact both of the Princes were now moving, their eyelids fluttering open. 

Another gasp is heard and he registers the Queen coming past him, her dress a mere blur of colors for the moment as Kyungsoo’s mind whirls trying to comprehend the situation, her voice mixing with the sound of tears as she checks and calls to her sons, next thing he knows its chaos and he shakes himself out of his own shock enough to slip out of the room mostly undetected, thankful for the distraction of all of the servants trying to help that he is able to slip outside where things were still relatively peaceful. 

The news had not made its way there yet, and he didn't know how long that would last.

“Is everything alright?” 

Kyungsoo slightly jumps at the voice, seeing Jongdae appearing from around the corner of a stall, one horse in hand behind him, the animal slightly nudging his shoulder. 

“Leaving?” The stable hand asks. 

Kyungsoo nods. “Yes.” He tries not to fidget too much as Jongdae leaves to get his horse, the other man returning with his horse and waggon. 

“Here you go… have a safe trip back.” 

Kyungsoo gives a bit of a shaky smile. “Thank you.” with that he doesn’t stick around as long, heading out of the gates luckily with little trouble, and he doesn’t stop walking until he’s home. 

Realizing that fact as he’s tying up the horse in the proper place and the wagon towards the back, meeting his mother along the way As she's crouched over in the garden, tending to some of the blooms that required some more care in the late afternoon. 

"Soo, how did it go dear?" his mother stands up with a smile, brushing the dirt off of her gloves. 

Kyungsoo swallows a little, but he finds his voice. "It was fine... she loved them." 

his mother sighs. "I'm glad." 

Kyungsoo nods. 

"We've got some more orders waiting, so please check on those when you check inside." 

Kyungsoo nods again, moving pretty much on auto pilot, and that's how the rest of his day is really, mostly on autopilot and waiting, although what he's waiting for never comes and by the end of the day he's mostly convinced himself that nothing had actually happened. 

Although the large forefront of his brain was screaming at him that that wasn't true, that name he's somehow he was able to have a dreamless night of sleep. 

***

As his brain had provided, this was not the case, and reality came literally to darken his doorstep, and his herald being his mother, standing in the doorway of the workspace looking concerned as eyes much like his own search him. 

"Soo, what happened at the royal palace all those days ago?" 

He knew that she was maybe putting two and two together as in the following days since his delivery, the news had been broken that the Princes' curse had been broken, although there were only rumors to who had been the ones to do it. 

Kyungsoo takes off his gloves. "What's wrong?" He slides off of the bench. 

Instead of saying anything his mother leads him to look out of the shop window, and outside he could clearly see palace knights stationed outside of the shop, gathering some attention from the people as they passed. 

It didn't need to be said that they were here for him, as his mother would have said so when she stood in the doorway. 

"I thought you said everything was okay." 

Kyungsoo turns his gaze from the glass, and back to his mother. "It was... she loved them as I said." He sighs, beginning to take off his apron around his waist, checking his clothes for any stray dirt that was noticeable, luckily today wasn't the day to tend deeply to their garden beds or the greenhouse. "I promise I'll explain when I return." 

His mother's eyes search him for a moment longer before she nods, giving him a soft smile, getting a cloth soaked in clean water and wiping a stray piece of dirt from his face, and running a hand through his hair comfortingly before they open the door again. 

"Do Kyungsoo?" A knight immediately questions, a strong eye, almost the shape of cats eyeing him. 

"That's me." Kyungsoo steps forward. "Have I done something wrong?" 

The knight  actually looks a little amused at the question. "Rest assured, there is no trouble. You would know if there were." He rests his hand on his belt where a sword rests. "I'm here because Her Majesty has requested your presence." And then he gestures to the open car door in front of them. 

"Right." Kyungsoo looks at his mother. 

"Go, I'll be fine here." his mother gives him a comforting squeeze before he enters the vehicle, sensing the knight entering behind him as the door shuts. 

Suddenly giving them a tinted view of the world. 

The man gives two simple knocks on the divider in front of them, the car immediately pulling off. 

Kyungsoo normally would've taken the chance to analyze the vehicle, as such things were not usually used by the general public, as one they were expensive to produce and use, and none of the other it was a jarring juxtaposition to how they lived even if he knew that they existed.    

Sooner than later they arrive at the palace, and Kyungsoo can immediately feel the stares as he exits from the car and is led inside of the royal palace, once again through the decorated halls and once again from the royal throne room, which is something he hadn't expected given how serious the situation. 

"Your Majesties, he's here." The knight bows as they enter the room that Kyungsoo had been led to the last time that he had been here. 

Although this time it isn't only the Queen waiting for him, this time the King is there too, tightening the knot in his stomach. 

Kyungsoo didn't even want to begin addressing the gazes he could feel from where he knew the beds were. 

"Thank you, Minseok. You're dismissed." the king says. 

Minseok gives another polite bow. "Yes, Your Majesty." 

And with that the other man leaves the room. 

"Your Majesties." Kyungsoo greets. 

Kyungsoo hears footsteps approaching him as he rises from his bow, the Queen approaching him with a smile, that this time actually reached her eyes. 

"Is there something wrong with the arrangements, Your Majesty?" His eyes immediately search for the arrangements knowing that more than likely that they were more than fine, he curses his mind's feeble attempt to deflect the situation, to literally any other logical thing that it could come up with. 

The Queen gives a slight chuckle. "They're still perfect, we've been tending to them as you instructed." 

Kyungsoo swallows. "That's good. I was happy to hear the good news, Your Majesties." he tries to give a small smile. 

"Then you know why you're here." The king states. 

"Yes, Your Majesty." He immediately falls into another bow. "I'm sorry to have left like that without your dismissal first-" 

The Queen's hands come to gently grab his arms, prompting him to rise and have his words stopping in his throat, as her smile one again is put in front of him. 

"There is no need to apologize, Kyungsoo... You're here so we can thank you. You've done a miraculous thing after all." 

Her gentle demeanor has him calm for the moment, and he can see the same look that's in the Queen's eyes in the King’s. 

"You remember Yixing, yes?" She asks. 

And like the first time he had met the man, his perception hadn't picked the other man out until someone else had introduced him. 

"I do." He gives him a slight dip of his head in greeting. “You briefly introduced us.”   

Yixing responds in kind dimples showing once again, and like the last time, the velvet of his cloak is the mainstay of his outfit, although he could see the pants and black boots as the other parts of his outfit. 

“Yixing here is the Supreme of the witches that reside here in our kingdom, and also serves as one of our advisors.” The king explains.

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened a bit, that explained at least some of the feeling that he had gotten from the other man. 

“I promise that there is no reason for you to be alarmed.” Yixing says. “You’re safe around me.” 

Kyungsoo nods, choosing to believe the man and his words, as he had nothing thus far, and he doubted the King and Queen would have the man anywhere near their sons if they thought in any way that he was a danger. 

And then finally there is a point that he knows that he has to acknowledge the last two people in the room, even if it is a bit awkward for him to do so, but he knows it's coming then Queen guides him over with a light hand a smile still etched on her face as they approach the beds. 

"I think it's apt to finally introduce you once again... Kyungsoo meet my sons, Prince Jongin, and Prince Kai." 

Kyungsoo immediately goes into a bow not looking into their eyes. "Your Highnesses." he rises. 

Finally meeting the pair of eyes that he had been thinking about during his time making the arrangements, unlike the last time he had seen them, he had seen the young royals. They are obviously much more kept, hair brushed washed with a new life like shine, and even the warmth of their skin seemed to be emitting a life-like glow. 

Those are the eyes now analyzing him with a tight, but curious scrutiny. 

"You're the one who made those arrangements?" Kyungsoo turns his attention to Jongin, brown eyes searching his face with such intensity that he has to avert his eyes. 

"Yes, Your Highness." 

"They're lovely." He smiles. 

And it's even more charming than he would have ever thought in person, even more so in the pictures. 

"We were made aware that you were the one to break our curse." 

Kyungsoo then turns his attention to Prince Kai, unlike his brother there is a tight control on the depth of his curiosity but his gaze is no less intense than his twin. "Y-yes, Your Highness... I know this is going to sound a bit crude, but I'm having trouble still quite believing it myself." He gives a  shaky smile. "But I am glad to see you awake and doing well." 

Kai returns the smile briefly. 

Again no less charming than his brother.

"It's good to be awake." He nods. 

Kyungsoo nods again. "I hope your adjustment has been going well?" 

"It's a lot to take in... it's been three years, but we're going to get there. Thank you for asking." Jongin smiles then a bit wider and open than Kai's smile. 

"I'm sorry, you may have explained what each flower meant before... but I was hoping you would say again?" The King's voice catches Kyungsoo's attention. 

"Of course not Your Majesty, I would be happy to..." He goes over to the arrangements, feeling his brain fall into that familiar soothing pattern of his work, helping to soothe the worst of his nerves in the moment. 

He only needed to get through the explanation without stuttering over his own tongue. 

"I'll start with Prince Kai's first..." 

Kyungsoo goes through each of the flowers, the tiger lily for bravery, ambition, and loyalty, names of the filling greenery that really didn't have any meaning, and the soft spot of baby's breath accenting the flowers, and then he moves on to Jongin's highlighting the bright yellow blooms, for kindness, loyalty, and light, with most of the same filling flowers and baby's breath in some places. 

"You got all of that from our family portrait, that's incredible." Kai's eyes genuinely look impressed as he looks between the flowers and Kyungsoo. 

He can't stop the rush of heat that travels to his cheeks with the complement. "Not at all, Your Highness... I'm merely doing my job.” He smiles a little. “Although I will admit, I did have help from some of the royal watchers that came into the shop… they were more than happy to gush about you, Your Highnesses.” 

The pair of Princes smile a little. 

"The public is as enthusiastic as ever I see..." the King looks immensely pleased, stroking his beard with one hand. "Good, good." 

The Queen remains smiling as she turns back to Kyungsoo. “Well I don’t want to keep you for too much longer, I know you and your mother are quite busy.” 

Kyungsoo bows once again with a slight smile. "Thank you for having me today." 

"Not at all dear... and thank you once again. There will never be enough words to thank you." The Queen grabs his hands again in a light grasp. 

The King comes up right behind her, with a smile on his face as well, and it's as charming as his sons'. "If there's anything we can ever do for you, don't hesitate to ask." 

Kyungsoo dips his head. "Yes, Your Majesty... thank you." 

"The knights will escort you back home. They're waiting for you just down stairs." the Queen tells him.

Kyungsoo nods, thanking them once again before he turns to the two still relatively bed-bound princes. "I wish you swift recoveries, Your Highnesses." He gives them both a smile as they return a smile each in kind. 

"Will we see you again?" Jongin asks, the words following a little bit of silence on his end, but nonetheless he still meets Kyungsoo's gaze when asking the question. 

Kyungsoo is caught a little off guard. 

"Jongin..." Kai looks over at his brother with a slightly pointed look. 

"What?" the prince asks, crossing his arms. "Its a valid question." Jongin pouts slightly. 

"I'm sure we'll meet again, even if it isn't here... my flower shop is down in the town if you ever want to stop by, you're always welcome." Kyungsoo states. 

Kai's eyes search him again with an unreadable expression, but then he nods. "Thank you, please have a safe trip back." 

After that he leaves the royals, finding the knights waiting outside for him as the Queen had stated beforehand. 

***

Weeks pass after the initial incident of him breaking the curse, not that any of it was common knowledge. Kyungsoo had to be at least thankful for that, as his life hadn't changed anymore outside of the usual, soon they were back to filling requests, perhaps a little more than usual as people were now more joyously buying flowers in the light of the Princes' awakening. Nobles seeking arrangements to the palaces with their cards of good will, and messages of health once the news was made totally official. 

Although Kyungsoo could only wonder how much of it was actually genuine on their part and not just a way to be in good standing with the royal family, or garner favor, he was sure that there was probably more than one person who wanted to get their child into the Kim family tree. 

But those thoughts are soon farther pushed back to his mind as he falls back into his normal life, his mother not bringing up the situation again after he had explained everything. 

She had merely given him another tight hug and a smile. 

He also doesn't think of seeing the princes again after that day, and knew that there was no reason for them to see a regular person like him even if they seemed nice enough, he knew that was probably more than part of the schooling and etiquette that had taken years to perfect. 

For now he was content with the feeling of humidity in his greenhouse, slightly damp and warm but not uncomfortably so, tending to the fauna and other flowers that couldn't quite handle the amount of sunlight that this season offered, and also it gave them a place to move their tending in the winter so that their business could still function. 

The need for an arrangement after all did not die after all in the winter months even if the flowers themselves did fold. 

Kyungsoo did find it quite sad that he wasn't able to keep sunflowers though during the winter as they were one of his favorite flowers along with the tiger lillies that he had used just previously, there was something about the texture and the color of the lily that always had spoken to him even as a child. 

He finishes up the last of his tasks in the green house, with a last happy hum as he pushes himself from his knees brushing them off as he removes his gloves. 

"You all have to grow big and strong alright?" He says to the room, although it felt a bit silly to most he did talk to his plants, singing to them sometimes, they seemed to like it so he kept doing it. 

They were still living creatures after all. 

He shuts the door behind him, giving his eyes a moment to adjust from the inside of the little green house, looking out into the field of flowers that they had procured in the back of their house, although now the blooms seemed more vibrant than they ever had been, the colors richer and deeper, as if the land around them had done better since the curse had lifted. 

Perhaps there had been a curse on them all as well, and just not the princes. 

Kyungsoo goes on then, to check the soil of some of the plants, since it had gotten sunnier, and therefore warmer he found himself having to water sometimes twice a day now instead of his usual dawn breaking shower. 

As he's inspecting one of the flower beds, he hears the tinkle of the bell that they kept to the back garden in case no one was at the front of the shop and needed to be serviced; they could pull a string back here alerting them of a presence. 

"I'll be right with you in a moment." Kyungsoo states without turning around and looking, and he decides that he would have to give the garden an extra water this evening, but pruning on some of the rose bushes would be a must today. 

He brushes himself off again, making sure once again not to smear any more dirt on himself that he was sure was already there due to occupational hazard, and adjusts his sunhat a little towards the direction of the bell, a smile coming to his face that soon devolves into a bit of shock as he realizes who is standing there waiting for him. 

"Your Highnesses!" Kyungsoo drops into a quick bow. 

Jongin gives him another smile. "We hope we aren't intruding, there was no one in the shop." 

Kyungsoo waves his hands as he places his gloves in the appropriate place in his vest, going through the small field of flowers to meet them. "No, not at all... that's actually what it's for." He stops a little ways as he realizes that they're not alone, recognizing some of the knights that had escorted him to the castle before. "How may I help you today, Your Highnesses?" he looks between the brothers. 

Their appearance even better than the time he had seen them last, they looked as if nothing had happened to them, as if they hadn't been asleep and bed bound for three years straight, both of their hair styled a little, Jongin's remained a little boyish with the neat looking part, leaving some of it to hang in front of his forehead, while Kai had opted completely slicked back away from his face. 

Their differences even showed in their posture, although Jongin's posture was as straight as his brothers, his was more relaxed unlike the almost ramrod straight nature that Kai's posturing had, although it wasn't in any way pretentious, or dividing. 

Kai finishes his initial scanning of the land around him before his gaze falls back to Kyungsoo again. “You’re surprised to see us?” 

Kyungsoo nods. “I’m not going to lie… I am, Your Highnesses.” he scans over their forms. “You’re both looking well.” 

Kai looks down at himself briefly before returning his gaze upward. “Yixing is to thank for that, his knowledge made our recovery a little faster.”   

Jongin nods enthusiastically and steps forward again. “You told us we could stop by, so we did… it's gorgeous here.” he can see his eyes sweep over the rows of flowers.

Kyungsoo smiles. “Thank you... I’m glad you like them, are you here for flowers?” 

“Yes, and no…” Kai mentions after a moment of hesitation. 

Unlike his posture, and his slicked back hair, Kai’s outfit was more relaxed, the white flowy shirt tucked into darker pants, while his brother was in a similar lighter pink colored shirt, and the same type of pants, materials that should probably not be in the backyard between the rows of their flower beds.

"But we were also here to give you this." Kai hands him an envelope then, and Kyungsoo recognizes heavy, fine material before he even sees the official insignia on popping the seal taking out the letter and reading what is on the inside, the second time that he opens these envelopes he's none the less surprised. 

Kyungsoo's brows furrow. "A ball?" He looks up. 

Jongin nods enthusiastically. "Yes, you're the first one to receive yours, the rest go out today. Mom insisted that you get yours first." 

Kai nods in agreement. "That and we wanted to formally invite you ourselves." The last word is said kind of hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure that this was something that he should say. 

Kyungsoo was shocked to be invited to a ball, as he had only provided flowers and other such things for those events when nobles were trying to ask each other to go. 

But it was a celebration of life, and he was personally invited, so how could he refuse? 

Kyungsoo smiles nodding. "I would be honored to come... I've never been to one before, Your Highnesses." 

Both princes smile at the same time then, their smiles identical in nature. 

Kai approaches him then, and Kyungsoo isn't prepared for the way he takes his hand, in his both sun-kissed in their own way although Kyungsoo had more than once had his fair share of sunburn from his long hours working outside, he was just happy his hands weren't dirt covered as the prince's lips briefly graced his knuckles with a light press before he straightens upright, leaving Kyungsoo blushing as Jongin soon follows behind with a wink. 

"We'll see you there then." Jongin bounces a little on his feet. 

Kyungsoo nods, the blush still covering his skin, though he was secretly hoping that he could pass it off as him working in the sun. 

"And another thing, my mother wanted to extend the official offer to help with decorating for the event, the royal palace would help with workers, and transport." Kai says, pulling out another card and handing it to him.  

Kyungsoo takes it looking at the writing, and the familiar seal of the queen before he looks back up towards the prince.  

"Just contact our mother's office, if you're available and everything will be set up from there."  

Kyungsoo nods once again, giving him a bow of gratitude. "Thank you, Your Highnesses, I'll be sure to give this to my mother." 

The pair nod at him, looking like they each want to say something further but then, they're alerted by one of their knights, that it was getting time for them to leave, and it was only then that Kyungsoo could hear the slight sound of people outside of their shop more so than usual. 

"I'll see you at the ball then, Your Highnesses." 

Jongin smiles. "Yes. See you then." 

Kai gives him a nod and another soft smile, his posture looking a little more relaxed than it had been when he had first arrived here. "Have a pleasant rest of your day, Kyungsoo." 

"You as well, Your Highnesses." 

And after that the group leaves the garden, watching as they're led away to their car, through the group of people who had gathered at the sight of the royal vehicle taking pictures of the two princes as they made their way out, and along with them the crowd on the streets. 

Long after they had left, Kyungsoo could still feel the way that their lips had gently brushed the back of his hand. 

***

In the weeks leading up to preparing for the ball, Kyungsoo didn't see the princes again in person, seeing them only interviews, or on social media feeds as he scrolled through on his phone occasionally. 

as it turned out, his mother had been more than enthusiastic to take the job proposed by the queen, pretty much clearing their schedule as they were dealing with the still usual ball arrangements and this large project, although as promised the Queen had sent staff to help with the project, and this team would ultimately be the ones that they would be working with on the day of, and between all of the ripping and running he had to do to make sure that they had the appropriate amount of flowers, which meant to traveling to other kingdoms to get the blooms that they didn't have to fill out the assortment of colors. 

The royal palace was holding no expense on this celebration for the return of their princes. 

Between all of this Kyungsoo didn't have the time to really think about the fact that he was going to see them again in person tonight, the thought stirred light butterflies in his stomach as the time came closer and closer, for the party to start. 

"Soo, go get ready... we can finish the rest." 

Kyungsoo turns his head to the sound of his mother's voice, his hands still deep in the arrangement he was putting together at the table, finishing the last cut of the stem before placing it, he had been so enraptured by his work that he hadn't noticed that the sun was setting well below the horizon, the bright mid-day that they had arrived to begin set up was now giving away to a navy led night, orange hanging on as a remnant of the day. 

"Okay, I'm just finishing up this last one." he announces before he steps away removing his vest as one of the other staff members takes his spot. 

"Your clothes and everything are set up in the bathroom." His mother gives him a kiss on the cheek, even while her own hands are working with an arrangement, he could see her alight with energy, showing that she had been enjoying this, so far everything had gone smoothly, and the few times that Her Majesty herself had come to check in them she seemed no less impressed with the work than the last. 

It was honestly an infectious energy. 

"You enjoy yourself tonight, you hear?" eyes much like his own give him a pointed look, they had already had this discussion the day the princes had come, his brain already having second thoughts of agreeing to go to the event, but his mother was hearing none of it the moment she heard that the Princes themselves had come to hand deliver his invite. 

"Yes," He slightly rolls his eyes, giving her a kiss on the cheek back before exiting the work room, into an environment just as filled with movement as their room was, the castle transformed into lit hallways by light fixtures above, and the smell of food wafting through from the kitchens near by, somehow the castle was looking even more grand in the night than it had during the day. 

He finally make his way back into the room they had been provided upon their arrival, heading for the bathroom, getting a good look at himself in the mirror, there was a stray leaf or two, and the water stain from an accidentally spilled vase on his clothing, but it was nothing that a shower and freshening up wouldn't be able to fix. He jumps in the shower, trying to keep calm as he goes through the motions of making sure he is clean, he had shampooed his hair that morning so he was trying to avoid getting it too wet in the shower. 

About twenty minutes later, and now sure that he got most of the glitter off from some of the added decorations that they added with the plants off of him, but knowing that there would still be some left more than likely not matter what he did, he dried off and put on the nicest clothes that he had ever owned in his life. 

His mother had insisted on getting him nicer clothing after they had gotten the payment down from the arrangements they had done for the royal family. 

There was no stopping her when she insisted, helping him pick out a reasonable looking dress shirt, made of silk and accompanying pants and a nice jacket, nothing that was too flashy, nothing unlike he was sure to see the royal family and even other nobles and royals in tonight. 

He settles into the clothes, pleased with how they fit. 

Though he supposes that is what happens when you buy higher quality clothing, they fit you like they should. 

He then moved to the issue of his hair, looking at the long thick black strands, he was thinking that he might get a haircut or something soon, but his mother liked his hair like this, even though she would call him handsome either way.

He takes some of the gel he had brought with him, manipulating the strands to sit away from his face, not as tightly pushed back as Prince Kai's had been, it didn't look stiff finally happy with that he moved on to evening out some of his skin tone, as his time out in the sun had allotted for some unevenness to show, so he lightly placed some powder from a compact on his face and then added a little shimmer to his eyes. 

It wasn't everyday after all he would get to go somewhere like this, and to finish it off he added some chapstick to make sure that his lips didn't look dry, it was a horrendous thought having to talk to someone and his lips look like they had never seen an inch of hydration in his life.

Putting on his final touches, including a perfume that smelled of violet and making sure that he didn't forget his invite, Kyungsoo finally exited the room, catching a few looks from some of the staff still zipping around as he finally made it to the main hall where there were all sorts of guests filling in, he could see their jewels and finery from here, although there were some faces he recognized from his town, all of their clothes nice. 

But they weren't as nice as those who had the money to have such garments made at a whim. 

Kyungsoo's nerves were rapidly soothed by seeing the evidence of their work lining the halls, and it made him proud to hear the compliments that the arrangements were getting as he moved through the line to show the servants at the door an invitation who opened the doors for him with a bow. 

If Kyungsoo had thought that there was extravagance out in the hallways it was nothing compared to the ballroom full of people, finery glimmering under the watchful eye of the large crystal chandelier hanging above their heads, scattering the prisms of color, but also giving the room a nice ambiance, there were not shortage of flowers here either, and Kyungsoo knew at that moment that all of their hard work hadn't been for naught as he finally reached the bottom of the staircase. Catching a few people's attention which he politely bows in response, working his way through the large crowd of people and making his spot over near the food and refreshment table as he waited like everyone else for the royal family to make their presence known.

Kyungsoo's eyes survey the crowd, and once again he senses that weird feeling of distortion and then that's when he notices Yixing standing in his own little corner of the room, this time not dressed up in his cloak, and more so dressed more like everyone else, from here he could tell that the witches eye makeup was beautifully done as he raises his glass towards him once again with a dimpled smile. 

Kyungsoo does the same, offering his own shy smile back. 

"Excuse me." 

Kyungsoo turns his head at the voice, to meet a rather handsome looking face if not a little bit younger than his if not by that much, brown hair styled elegantly away from his face as sharp eyes regarded his frame. 

Kyungsoo could almost say that it felt akin to being analyzed. 

"Yes?" Kyungsoo gives a polite smile. 

“Are you Do Kyungsoo?” 

Kyungsoo nods again. “That’s me.” 

The man gives a bow. “I am Oh Sehun, Crown Prince of Astra. I’m Kai and Jongin’s friend.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen then, as he takes in the rest of Sehun’s form, the white cloves with the rest of his well tailored princes jacket, and although it was a different style than that of the royal family of Stella, there was no doubt it was a royal outfit, not to mention he had missed the elegant crown embroidered with emeralds resting atop his head until he bowed. 

“Your Highness.” Kyungsoo immediately bows in greeting. “I hope you’re having a good evening?” 

Sehun’s rather cold looking facade breaks in the small form of a slight smile, a twitch at the corner of his lips. “I’m doing well, thank you for asking.” Sehun blinks a little again, scanning over his form. “So you’re the one…” He trails off. 

Kyungsoo slightly tilts his head. “I’m the one to what, Your Highness?” 

Sehun leans down, close to his ear. “Break the curse, of course.”

Kyungsoo nods then, swallowing a little, right it had been both hard and easy for him to forget that he had indeed done that, as the whole thing still seemed a little impossible, even though he had spoken to both princes more than once at this point. 

“They’re right… you do smell like flowers.” Sehun mumbles a little. 

Kyungsoo blushes a little. “It’s violet, Your Highness… I can tell you where to get some if you’re interested.” 

Sehun opens his mouth to respond, but is interrupted by the announcement that the royal family was entering, first a few of the knights coming in first by the doors, Kyungsoo being able to recognize Minseok as one of them as the Queen and King step out first, the King holding on of his wife’s hands as they all greet the crowd with a smile. 

“Now announcing, Prince Kai and Prince Jongin.” 

The claps around the room get louder then, and cheers erupted as the two come further into the spotlight, their smiles growing more and more identical as they widen with the cheering until it all quiets down with a wave of his hand. Beginning a speech about how he’s grateful that old friends, allies, and their own people alike could be there with them that night to celebrate such a monumental thing. 

Stating that their son’s awakening was nothing short of a miracle. 

Although the shudders of some of the cameras reminded Kyungsoo that his secret hinged on the fact of how many people knew, one slip and the media would be at his door. 

After his speech, the rest of which Kyungsoo misses the midst of his thoughts, has descended to the floor, beginning to mingle with the crowd and greet their guests.  

Beside him he hears a sigh, and Sehun grabs a flute of champagne from the table. “That’s my cue as well.” he gives him a wink, also melding into the crowd. 

Kyungsoo remains in his little spot next to the wall, although he did recognize some of the faces there, there was no one he had spoken to casually other than outside of school, although he’s a little more relieved when he does recognize a face. 

A wide smile greeting him.

“Baek!” he hugs his friend excitedly. “When did you get back?” he looks him over.  

The man smiles, outfit along with his hair glimmering in the light, it was almost as if sometimes he were actually made of stars. 

“Last night, I would’ve come and see you but it was so late… and then when I went earlier today you and your mom were up here working.” He throws an arm around his shoulder. “But I returned right on time, everything seems brighter… Here, I’m thankful to whoever broke the curse.” 

Kyungsoo tries not to show too much of the expression on his face, and instead takes another sip of his drink. 

“Me too.” He simply answers. 

After that, Kyungsoo enjoys more of his evening catching up with his friend, and occasionally joining his friend in a few dances that were definitely easier after the couple of the drinks that he had, and over all he found himself enjoying the evening, with Baekhyun’s natural socialite nature allowing them to talk to quite a few groups of people. 

They’re back at the small little table of food, drink and desserts when he feels Baekhyun’s elbow go into his side, Kyungsoo’s attention whips back to him intent on asking what is going on, but the answer is given to him as he sees Jongin and Kai both approaching. Kyungsoo immediately places his drink back on the table and joins Baekhyun in a bow. 

“Your Highnesses.” 

Jongin smiles at the pair, his eyes immediately shifting to Kyungsoo. “We’re sorry to bother you, but I was hoping for a dance.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes go wide, and he can feel Baekhyun’s eyes go to him. 

“Ah, yes… that would be nice.” Kyungsoo stutters out, taking the gloved hand he was offered, as they make their way towards the dance floor, denoting the royal attire a grey jacket outlined with gold and black matching pants, Jongin’s hair was neatly slicked back as his brother’s had been when he had last seen them. 

Jongin bows towards him once they’re on the floor, one hand on his chest, before they’re joining hands again, Jongin taking the moment to lightly brush his lips against Kyungsoo’s hand so quickly he wasn’t sure that it had happened and even through the decorative gloves he can feel the warmth of Jongin’s hands. 

Jongin smiles when they lock eyes. “Hello…” 

“Hello, Your Highness.” Kyungsoo gives a little smile back. 

“You’ve been enjoying yourself?” 

Kyungsoo nods. “Everything has been pleasant, Your Highness.” 

“Good.” Jongin says as he spins Kyungsoo out, and then back to him with a practiced movement. “You and your mother have gone above and beyond, everything you did is beautiful.” 

“Thank you, Your Highness… she’ll be happy to hear that.” 

They fall silent for a moment, nothing but the music and the little space between them, Kyungsoo could smell the scent of Jongin’s cologne this close, sweet and not overbearing, something he had never smelled before. 

“You look great.” Jongin whispers into his ear. 

“Thank you, Your Highness… you look great too.” He smiles, chuckling a little at the way Jongin had said it, as if it were some secret. 

He can feel more than see the smile that Jongin gives as once again Kyungsoo is spun out, and then back into Jongin’s waiting grasp. 

“There’s another reason I wanted to dance, there’s probably not going to be another chance for us to talk like this tonight. But we wanted you to know, that we genuinely want to get to know you. And it's just not because of the curse.” He whispers the last part a little more quietly into his ear. “If that’s okay with you of course.” 

Kyungsoo looks out then, he can see Kai’s gaze locked on to him as if he had sensed the shift in conversation, in contrast to his brother his outfit is a navy blue, still with gold lining the edges and the embellishments, next to him Baekhyun was looking back and forth, and Kyungsoo could see the exact moment his friend put two and two together. 

He wasn’t going to escape without a most detailed explanation.

Kyungsoo turns his attention back to Jongin and nods. “I would be delighted to get to know you, Your Highness.” 

Jongin’s bright smile and twinkling eyes bring another sense of warmth to his stomach that reaffirms that he had been glad he walked into the room that day. 

“You won’t regret it, we’re fun to be around. Although Minseok-hyung might tell you differently.” Jongin winks, playfulness written all over his face. 

“I’ll take your word for it, Your Highness.” Kyungsoo smiles again. 

And when he has his dance with Kai later he makes sure to tell the other Prince the same.