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You’ve known since you were a child that you would one day marry for the betterment of your kingdom, it was what was expected of you, so you didn’t really think that you’d have the chance to fall in love with whoever your parents chose. And you still believed that, even after Prince Choi Jongho from Wonderland Kingdom was chosen to be your future husband. He was every girl’s dream, handsome, kind, and a perfect gentleman, and yet you found yourself unable to see him as anything but the boy you had grown up meeting anytime your parents had official meetings. He was always aloof, keeping to himself, and yet now that you were less than a year away from your marriage, it was like he’s done a complete change.
“Princess, please wait!”
Case in point, he always tried to be around you. Not that you minded, he was actually great company and you both had very riveting conversations about policies and political matters. You turned around to face him, seeing him jogging up to you, his hair and outfit in slight disarray and you almost gasped as somehow for a moment he looked irresistible, but you shook yourself, getting your act together as the taller man approached.
“Yes, Prince Jongho, what is it that you need from me?” You asked him, waiting for his reply as the man caught his breath.
“I was wondering if you’d like to take a stroll in the gardens? The weather is wonderful today,” he said, raising an arm to gesture to the windows that showed that it was indeed a wonderful day outside.
“I won’t say no, but you must let me ask you about your opinions on the Kim heir’s most recent blunder during his latest public appearance.” You replied, letting him take your arm as he led you to the gardens.
As you walked, he told you all of his opinions on Prince Hongjoong’s latest incident, you listening with rapt attention. It was not long before you reached the entrance to the gardens, and the prince continued to guide you through the gardens, pointing out any new blooms or varieties that your staff had planted this year. You had also suggested many of the plants that were blooming currently, having an interest in gardening and plants, since your kingdom was largely dominated by green space. Now that it was the end of September and the beginning of fall, most of the plants were starting to lose their vibrancy, but there were still quite a few that stood tall amongst them.
“I remember when we were children, you always snuck out here when our parents or other rulers or nobility were meeting. I remember following you most of the time, if I wasn’t caught,” Jongho said, his hand still on your elbow as he let you guide them around.
“I didn’t always care about appearances or anything having to do with duty when I was younger. I think you felt the same way, though you hid it well most of the time.” You replied, looking out towards the edges of the garden.
“I did, but now I see it differently.” He said in reply, though unbeknownst to you, he said this while looking directly at you.
“I do as well. I will do what I must for my kingdom and my people, even if I must sacrifice my own wants and needs in order to do so.” You said, half-parroting what had been told to you many times by your parents and your governesses.
Jongho sighed, causing you to stop. “You don’t need to sacrifice everything for your kingdom or people, Princess.” He said to you, before you turned to look at him.
“I’ve already sacrificed a chance at being with someone I love. But it’s my duty as Princess to make choices and sacrifices for the betterment of my people.”
“Do you truly not think you could love me, Princess?” Jongho asked you, a look in his eyes that you couldn’t quite decipher.
You looked away, telling him, “I’ve never thought of you in that way, Prince Jongho.”
He went quiet for a moment, before speaking, “I see.”
He said nothing further, instead choosing to continue walking around the gardens with you, the conversation between you never returning. Once you finished roaming the gardens, he walked you to your wing of the castle, before bowing and leaving quickly. You had never seen the normally chatty prince become so quiet, and it left you feeling uneasy. Could he truly have feelings for you? He had never really acted in a romantic manner towards you, just one that you could expect from any gentleman, prince or otherwise.
You entered your rooms, moving to sit down on the couch and waving away your ladies maids. You really couldn’t stop thinking about Prince Jongho’s reactions after you told him you had never thought of him in a romantic light. You truly couldn't recall thinking about having a crush on him or wanting to kiss the prince. Sure, he was handsome, but objectively he was a handsome man. One did not have to have a crush on him to see that. He was the dream girl of many regular girls, even some of your maids have crushed on him from time to time. You never found yourself in that situation. To be honest, you’ve never had a crush before. You never really had the time to, nor were you around many men or women to figure out if you had crushes. Every normal teenage thing you could have had, you simply didn’t because of the pressures of being royalty.
You didn’t notice how much time had gone by, lost in your own thoughts, until your mother came to bring you to dinner, having been requested by your ladies maids since they were unable to get your attention themselves.
“My darling, what has you thinking so much?” Your mother asked as you both walked to the dining hall.
“It’s nothing, mother,” you replied, not feeling confident enough to share your thoughts.
“I’m always here if you need me, darling. You know that you can come talk to me about anything, big or small.”
You smiled, “I know, mother.”
It was only a few minutes later that you both arrived at the dining hall. Your younger brother Jeongin was already there along with your father and Jongho. You watched as the prince walked over to you, leading you to your seat and pulling out your chair for you. You quietly thanked him as he pushed your seat back in, before taking his seat next to you. Your mother and brother were on the other side of the table, while your father sat at the head.
Your parents sensed some tension between Jongho and yourself, you could see it in their eyes as their gazes kept shifting between the two of you. This silence and awkwardness continued for most of the dinner, until just before you all finished your dessert.
“May I escort you back to your room, princess?” Jongho asked you as the dishes were being removed from the table.
You remained silent for a moment, staring at him, before a sound from your mother prompted you to answer, “Yes, of course, Prince Jongho.”
Your parents quickly excused you both, and Jongho offered his arm to you, and once you accepted, he led you from the dining hall and to your rooms. It was once again a silent affair, neither of you feeling brave enough to speak.
He stops in front of your door, mirroring his actions from earlier. You waited for him to say something, but it was a few moments before he opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry for my earlier words, princess,” Jongho said, “I should not have said them and forced you to answer.”
“Jongho-” You started, before he cut you off.
“Goodnight, princess. I hope you sleep well,” he said, before stepping back and walking away, leaving you alone in the hallway once again.
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It was now only a few days before Christmas, 3 days to be exact, and in the months since Jongho had left you at the door to your room, you had only seen him a handful of times. The majority of his absence was due to him being needed back in his own kingdom due to his position as heir to the throne, as well as other official duties that kept him away from your home.
Since the day he had left in mid-October, you had barely heard from the royal, assuming that he was just kept too busy by his duties. But you had not stopped thinking about him. You realized more and more, as time passed by, what his little actions and the looks he gave you meant.
He always remained close to you, ensuring your own safety over his own. You remember the many gazes from him, now seeing that they held so much love and care for you in them. And as the days went by, you realized that you missed his presence, his voice, and most importantly, the feeling of him by your side. You realized that you loved Choi Jongho, and that you had for a while, but pushed them aside in favor of your duties as an heir and mistook them for platonic feelings for the Prince.
The worst of it all, he wouldn’t be back until Christmas Eve, so you had another few days of holding in your feelings, until you even had a chance to confess to him. So you just had to be patient and wait. But until then, you kept yourself busy, all the while asking your ladies maids to tell you if they heard any news about your future husband.
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It was late Christmas Eve before Prince Jongho arrived at the castle. You watched from your balcony as he returned, unable to take your eyes off of him. You turned back to find the present you had placed on your bed, having been holding it before you heard his arrival. Since you had figured out what you felt for the royal, you had quickly moved to obtain a present that showed your care for the man. You had found a merchant that sold books, and found one that you know the prince had mentioned months before, as one that he had been trying to find. You immediately bought it, not caring exactly how much you spent on it, and had it packaged.
It was now sitting in a box with a letter on top about how you remembered he was searching for this particular book and you thought of him when you saw it. You planned to give this to him before your confession. Which was quickly arriving, as you took a breath before leaving your rooms to search out the handsome prince.
It felt like forever before you reached his rooms on the opposite side of the castle, and as you stood before his door, your hands shook with nervousness. Before you could even knock, the door swung open, revealing Jongho in much more casual clothing than you had seen before.
He looked somewhat shocked, before asking, “What are you doing here so late at night?”
You showed him the present in your hands, “I have a gift for you.”
You say his eyes widen slightly before he welcomes you in, letting you follow him into his room. You didn’t say anything until he sat down on the couch that was in his room. He motioned for you to sit as well. But you didn’t until you handed him the box in your hands, and then nervously sat down to watch him open your gift.
With bated breath you watched him lift the top of the box, his expression morphing into shock and then happiness as he stared into the container.
You watched as he gazed up at you, before he spoke, “You found this? And bought it for me?”
“I saw it and remembered that you wanted it, so I got it for you. Your happiness means much more than the cost of a book.” You replied, looking back at him.
He placed the box down, before coming to kneel in front of you. Jongho looked up at you with tears in his eyes, “You care about my happiness?”
Your heart broke at his words, and you reached to hold his hands. “Choi Jongho, I care about your happiness very much. And I’m sorry it took me until now to realize my feelings, but I love you. I realized that while you were away. I missed having you at my side, your presence around me while we stroll through the garden and the grounds. Will you accept my love, even after I rejected you?”
You didn’t quite get a verbal answer, the normally gentlemanly prince suddenly standing up, pulling you up with him before dragging you into a tight hug. You froze, before melting into his hold, wrapping your arms around his waist.
“Of course I’ll accept it, I thought you’d never feel that way towards me. I’ve loved you for years, and I thought you never realized it. You were always so focused on your duty as heir to your throne, and that’s not to say that I dislike your focus, it’s a very admirable quality, but I was hoping one day you’d realize. And now you have, it feels like a Christmas miracle.” He rambled, still in shock and you giggled at his rambles.
You kissed his cheek, feeling your face heat up as you did so, before saying, “I’m sorry it took so long, my prince. But I know now that I love you, and yes, you could say that this is a Christmas miracle.”
Jongho looked over at the clock on the wall, realizing quickly that the clock had already passed midnight, meaning it was Christmas now. He pointed at the clock, directing you to look over.
He looked down at you, smiling softly, before whispering, “You really are my Christmas miracle.”