Chapter Text
Yoo Joonghyuk had never been interested in marrying. Just a part of his charm, some ladies, and men would say, sighing as they discussed the idea of being able to marry the duke. Whoever ends up with his heart must be both beautiful and lucky. The rest of us are blessed enough to even be able to look at him.
They shouldn’t really have expected anything anyways. Yoo Joongyuk was a Duke, one of the most highly regarded in their country. It was difficult enough to be able to meet him in person, let alone be able to propose to him, someone of a status so much higher than theirs.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t found anyone he wanted to marry yet, it was just that he didn’t want to. Rather, he wanted to focus on himself and Mia. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t used to running things by himself, no, he’s been doing that for years. Taking up his father’s shoes at the age of 12 meant that he had gotten used to things a long time ago, things like juggling between working and spending time with his beloved sister. Getting married would simply just be an inconvenience to him, having to deal with yet another person when there was enough on his plate as it was.
Furthermore, anyone who would marry him would have to take on the burden of being scorned upon by the kingdom. Yoo Joongyuk’s position was ranked very high up, yes, but it didn’t mean that their reputation was flawless. Rather, his family was looked down upon, had been ever since his parents passed away and left him with their role. Years ago, they had scorned at the young boy who sat at the head of the table during meetings, muttering amongst themselves as they pondered whether or not he could properly fulfill the role of the head of the family. He had, of course, but that didn’t stop the whispers.
To put it simply, he’d rather not subject that sort of burden on anyone who was unfortunate enough to marry him.
And his decision to not get married had gone through for a good few years, to the point where even Yoo Mia had given up on trying to find him a partner. That was, until now, where the king himself offered Yoo Joonghyuk his daughter’s hand in marriage.
It was an opportunity that many people wouldn’t choose to pass, if they even had a choice. To marry the princess would mean that their reputation would get better, and Yoo Mia would be a little bit safer from all those cold glares and cruel words.
So after some hesitation, Yoo Joonghyuk accepted the offer, agreeing to marry a princess he had never met before.
“Don’t worry, hyung! I heard that she’s super kind.” Yoo Mia tried to reassure him afterwards, patting his shoulder sympathetically.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t really care about that to be honest. He wondered if the princess even wanted to marry him, a tyrant duke.
---
The two of them weren’t allowed to be alone in the same room together until after they got married. And because of how busy everything was with his arrival, they still hadn’t properly met each other yet.
So despite how Mia and the servants attending to him kept saying that they were sure that he’d like her, and how she was gentle and kind hearted, Yoo Joongyuk still hadn’t personally met her yet. He was still debating on whether or not he should be glad that it was set up like that… after all, he wasn’t too sure if he was ready to meet the person he was supposed to marry.
Because of that, the places he was allowed to wander about were rather limited, since he wasn’t allowed to see her just yet. And he wasn’t even allowed to go outside either, lest she wanted to go into the garden for a walk or something. It made him feel like a trapped animal to be honest, caged up to prevent him from going outside.
There was a piano in the next room he entered. It was a majestic grand, no doubt very expensive. Yoo Joongyuk wouldn’t have called himself a musician, but Yoo Mia had wanted to learn how to play with him, so he knew enough.
He sat down on the chair, running his fingers gently along the notes. There weren’t many things he knew how to play, but…
Deep, resonant sounds began to come from the instrument as his muscle memory began to kick in. A duet that he would sometimes play with his sister, one of the only pieces he knew. A love song, she had said almost dreamily. Did you know that it was written about a duke who fell in love with a commoner? They never got together though, because the commoner got executed. It’s so sad, isn’t it?
Apart from Yoo Mia, he had never played it with anyone else. Never had the opportunity to, he supposed. He had to admit though, he didn’t understand why she liked such a tragic piece.
Yoo Joonghyuk had hardly gotten through half the piece when a presence suddenly entered the room, causing him to abruptly stop and glance up at the door.
And there stood the beauty he was supposed to marry, looking slightly apologetic at the fact that she just interrupted his playing.
“Yoo Joonghyuk?” She asked with a small smile, tilting her head as she walked towards him curiously. “I apologise for interrupting you… I heard playing from down the hallway and came to check it out.”
Lee Seolhwa inclined her head at the piano, a small smile playing on her lips. “Not many people here know how to play… I never took you as someone who could, to be honest.”
He only frowns at that comment, though he stood up silently to lower his head in a bow. She simply laughs airily at him, waving her hands in dismissal as she leans over the piano.
“You don’t need to do that. We’re going to be wed soon, I’d rather not make things so formal.” Lee Seolhwa mused quietly, as he lifted his head up. How strange… she was very different from all the other women he had met. Gentle and soft, yes, but she didn’t seem to be so giggly as the rest of them.
“May I play with you?”
Blankly, Yoo Joonghyuk stared at her, before sitting down and moving over to the other end of the seat. She took it as an offer to sit down, lifting her hands up elegantly to the keys and starting to play. The same piece he had played earlier, he realised, albeit the accompaniment to his melody.
“I didn’t think you’d know the piece.” He finally spoke, as he began to join in. Sweet melodies began to ring out around the room, soon falling into a steady stream of harmonised music. “Isn’t it considered taboo for higher society?” A story about two different classes getting together… most of the older members of the more noble society would scorn the idea. It would taint the bloodlines, they would say.
She only beams at him in response, laughing quietly to herself as she continued to play. “I think the story behind it is rather romantic. They’re so far apart, but you can tell they’re so in love.”
Another female he didn’t understand. What was with them and adoring tragic love stories?
They played together for the rest of the evening, hardly talking to each other as they went through arrays of pieces.
Lee Seolhwa wasn’t too bad, Yoo Joonghyuk decided. He could see why she was so popular in even his own kingdom. She was kind, and knowledgeable… perhaps this marriage had a chance to actually work out.
-
In the end, they both decided to keep their little meeting a secret from everyone else. He had been rather pleased with the fact that she was as good of a person as people said she was, and how kind she had been to him despite the fact that she had mentioned that she didn’t really want to get married either. At the very least, they could most likely end up as friends, if not, people who actually had some sort of affection for each other.
To Yoo Joonghyuk’s disappointment, they didn’t have a chance to meet up again afterwards until the day they had to practice their vows together. Lee Seolhwa, heer attendants, and the Priest were already at the church when he had arrived, vows ready in hand and prepared to practice.
He had been to weddings before of course, it was basically part of his job as a Duke to do so. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean that he was any good at writing vows for his own wedding. And as a result of that and the addition of the unfamiliar lines, he had a little bit of trouble getting them right completely.
"With this hand, I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your… “ Raising the candle that they had set in his hand, Yoo Joonghyuk checked the sheet of paper he had brought along today, vows haphazardly scrawled on it. He skimmed through the line, before pursing his lips at how the sentence finished. “... wine.” Okay, so maybe asking Yoo Miah for advice hadn’t been the best thing he had done.
The Priest, who had looked rather annoyed with his mere presence the moment he stepped into the room, let out a noise of mock pity, crossing his arms. Yoo Joongyuk had noticed that earlier, but had chosen to ignore it just to keep the peace. Though it was getting rather difficult to ignore someone who made a point to snap at every little mistake he made for the past half an hour.
“Are you an idiot? Your vows aren’t even that long, and yet you cannot memorise them?” The man snapped, scowling at him.
Deciding that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to beat the man up in front of everybody else, Yoo Joonghyuk simply glared back at him, the candle in his hands being squashed in his grip. Lee Seolhwa didn’t seem to pleased with that though, placing the candle down carefully before crossing her arms.
“That’s very rude! As a Priest, shouldn’t you be more polite to your future king?” She exclaimed, staring the Priest down. The old man doesn’t budge an inch though, simply letting out a hmph! of disdain.
“Your highness, I’d ask for you to reconsider your choices. Surely, you won’t marry this incompetent brute to carry on your family line? Someone who would be more… worthy, to be your partner?” The priest responds in disdain.
Lee Seolhwa looked absolutely mad now, stepping forward to protest even more. And as much as he would have liked to appreciate her efforts to help him, he’d rather not have her get involved in something he was used to.
So before she could get another word out though, Yoo Joonghyuk stepped forward and punched the man in the face.
“... You bastard…” He growled, before tossing the cards containing the vows into the man’s face and storming away, ignoring Lee Seolhwa’s calls for him.
---
Yoo Joonghyuk ended up wandering into a dark forest that seemingly had all it’s light sucked from it, seeing as how the temperature dropped and the sunlight seemed to dim the moment he walked in. He ignored it all though, finding that the coolness of the air helped his anger subside a little bit.
This was absolutely ridiculous. All those years of fighting for the kingdom, improving his reputation amongst the people … was all of that for nothing? Years of his hard work to make sure that he and his sister would be able to live without trouble, and proving his worth to all of society. And yet, he was still being looked down upon by the elders. Did they not see him as anything than that young boy who took his father’s place without so much of an expression?
It was foolish if anything, that he was still being treated like this. Repeatedly proving his worth, and yet still being scorned down upon due to his age. Really, the elders should just retire and die. There was a new age in the kingdom, and they weren’t needed anymore.
He released an annoyed sigh as he dropped down to the floor, leaning against a tree and finally taking in his surroundings. A cemetery… that explained the faint smell of decay in the air.
“At least these people won’t judge me and my status.” He scoffed as he peered at the nearest headstone. Kim Dokja… a youthful looking man beaming in the picture. Died three years ago from… Yoo Joonghyuk squinted. He couldn’t read the rest of the writing, due to the fading marks and the dim lighting.
“How lucky of you to be dead.” Yoo Joonghyuk murmured absentmindedly, fiddling with the ring in his pocket. “At least you don’t have to practice vows and get yelled at..”
Dammit… the stress must really be getting to him, if he’s talking to a dead person’s grave. He shook his head to clear his mind, glancing around. This grave was rather isolated he realised almost pitingly. Had this person been a loner or something?
Oh well, at least he could practice now without having large group of dead people judging him as well.
Taking the ring out of his pocket, Yoo Joonghyuk cleared his throat as he stood up. It wouldn’t hurt to practice a bit, right? He had stormed out on Lee Seolhwa after all, he should make it up by at least learning his vows properly for the next time they rehearsed.
“With this hand, I will lift your sorrows.” Yoo Joonghyuk started, recalling the vows as he knelt down onto one knee. The cold soil underneath stuck a bit to his pants, but he ignored it, deciding to deal with the stains later.
“Your cup will never be empty, for I will be your wine.” Yoo Joonghyuk cringed a little bit at that line, internally rolling his eyes at the fact that he was reciting corny poetry to a dead person. Seriously, what went through Yoo Miah’s head when she suggested this to him? Why did he even add it to his vows?
“With this candle, I will light your way in darkness.” Scanning his surroundings for a stick or something to put the ring on, he finds one sticking out behind the gravestone, stepping forward to grab onto it. It was a thin, frail stick with slender branches at the end, intact enough to substitute as a hand, albeit a rather frail one.
“With this ring, I ask you to be mine." Yoo Joonghyuk finally slipped the ring onto one of the thinner branches, rather pleased with the fact that it somehow fit perfectly well. It only lasts for a moment though, before he groans and drops back into a crouch. If anyone saw him doing that, they’d think he was mad, proposing to a tombstone like that. Hell, even he thought he was gong crazy.
Sighing, he glances back up at the stick that held the ring, the dim light illuminating the metal. Now that he can see it properly, it’s almost eerie how closely it resembles a hand… Yoo Joonghyuk shuddered a little bit, deciding not to think too much about it. The stress was seriously affecting his brain if he was beginning to think that branches looked like an actual hand.
He was just about to reach out to take it back when a boyish giggle sounded in the air around him, causing him to stiffen up and snap his head around. Had someone actually been watching him?
Before he could stand up, something cold and bony grabbed onto his wrist, a weight beginning to pull him down. To Yoo Joongyuk’s horror, he realised that the stick he had found earlier was in fact, someone’s hand. A bony, almost skeletal hand. Which was currently sticking out of the dirt and dragging him into the soil. At least he hadn’t been hallucinating.
He yelped, trying to scramble back and pry the stiff hand off of his wrist. For something that resembled a twig, it was ridiculously strong, ignoring his attempts to get away and pulling on him harder instead.
“Oh my, what pretty vows. Who would be able to reject a proposal like that?” The voice laughed, raspy, yet still somehow smooth. “I do! I’m all yours, my dear groom~”
The last thing Yoo Joonghyuk saw before he was enveloped by the darkness was a pair of dark, glittering eyes.