Chapter Text
When Joshua returned to the Central Court after Jeongcheol’s wedding, the laughter and gentleness of Seokmin stayed with him like the scent of spring flowers. He tried to shake it off, but each time he touched the harp, he remembered Seokmin humming along.
One evening, as they sat for tea, his father — the king — addressed him.
“Joshua, you’ve come of age. It’s time we consider a match for you. There are several noble alphas I would recommend.”
Joshua’s tea nearly slipped from his hands. His heart clenched — but not in excitement. Only Seokmin’s smile flashed in his mind, his warm voice calling him “beautiful.”
His older brothers watched quietly. Jihoon sipped his tea, eyes knowingly sharp, while Junhui arched a brow but said nothing. They had seen Joshua at the wedding — the blushes, the soft smiles reserved for only one southern alpha.
“Is there… someone you favor, my son?” his father asked.
Joshua, ever the obedient, lowered his eyes.
“No, father.”
A lie. A small, painful lie. Because how could he ask for an alpha who had not even written? Perhaps Seokmin had already forgotten.
Later that night, in the solitude of his chambers, Jihoon visited — leaning on the doorframe.
“You’re a fool if you think you can lie that easily,” Jihoon muttered.
“What am I to do, hyung? He didn’t write. He didn’t send anything,” Joshua whispered, voice strained.
“Alpha pride, maybe. Or maybe he’s just slow.”
“He probably doesn’t think of me that way.”
“He looked at you like you hung the stars,” Jihoon snorted. “If I were you, I’d send a letter.”
But Joshua — shy and uncertain — couldn’t.
Meanwhile, in the Southern Court, Seokmin was miserable. He hadn’t stopped thinking of Joshua — of the softness, the kindness, that sweet laugh.
“Why haven’t you written?” Vernon asked once, bored. “You’re making the whole court gloomy.”
“What if he’s not interested?” Seokmin confessed, head in his hands. “What if I misread everything?”
But even so, he wanted. Wanted Joshua, wanted to wake up to his harp songs, to see him smile over breakfast.
His advisors were already suggesting matches, but every time a name was presented, Seokmin rejected it instantly.
“You’re hopeless,” Vernon chuckled. “Just write the damn letter.”
But Seokmin, for all his sunshine, was hesitant.
When a letter arrived from the Central Court announcing their intent to marry off Joshua soon, Junhui sent a secret message to Seokmin — a subtle warning:
“If you want him, Southern prince, act now. Or someone else will.”
That was all it took.
Seokmin immediately wrote a formal courtship letter, sealed with the Southern crest, declaring his intent to marry Joshua — officially requesting permission to court him.