Chapter Text
"I cannot believe it, Yuna," Jaeyun said as the two childhood friends swung like children with no plans for the future.
"You cannot believe what?" she responds.
Jaeyun smiles, slowing his swing down while he turns to her. he takes slow and strained breaths, hoping to contain his excitement.
"Guess." High-pitched.
"Your father brought more strawberries from the Americas?" Yuna tried, and failed.
Jaeyun looked at her as his smile faltered, he sighed before speaking again.
"What? No— you know what? I shall just tell you."
He explodes.
"I am to be married!" he screamed and squealed.
Yuna's eyes widened in shock at this new information. That was nothing close to new strawberries.
"Is this a jest?" she asked, still bulging at the eyes.
Jaeyun shook his head side to side.
"Who are you being married to? A noble?"
Jaeyun's smile became bigger. "Not quite."
Yuna frowned, "Then what? What else could you wed? I guess there is nothing wrong with marrying a butler but-"
"I am to be married to the emperor of Ironia!"
"Good Heavens!"
——
Jaeyun rode alone in the leather-covered carriage. He was incredibly excited to meet his fiancé.
The current emperor of Ironia, is the son of the infamous one, Emperor Sook.
Who, was known for his extreme ability to take charge during war, parties, and of course: fucking.
Throughout the ride, Jaeyun thought about what would happen when he arrived. he imagined his fiancé would pick him up and spin him around like a true princess.
He had hopes for a life full of love and laughter,
loyalty and forgiveness.
and fondness without any fear.
He sat softly in the silent carriage for the rest of the journey to his new home.
a place he planned to love.
——
While Jaeyun was sound asleep, he was awakened by the coachman, who knocked twice on the carriage door.
"Sir, would you like to step out and stretch?"
Jaeyun nodded and stepped down from the faulty wooden step. His smile was still on his face as he walked further into the Ironian woods. With each step, he felt like he belonged.
The land next to the water was wet and mushy. His boots and trousers turned brown as he walked closer.
Jaeyun took a deep breath, kneeling towards the mud with his eyes tightly shut.
He pushed his head down and kissed the ground. Taking in the scent of the dirty land. He stayed still for a while before lifting his head and standing up. Taking small steps that followed the last.
On his way back to the carriage, he spotted a small piece of a dark green evergreen tree and picked it up.
Jaeyun walked back towards the carriage carrying an optimistic grin on his face.
——
"We have arrived at the imperial palace sir." the coachman told Jaeyun. The young boy shook awake quickly and shifted in the small space that was his carriage.
He took the older man's hand and stepped down from the carriage he felt himself slip but quickly corrected his footing to avoid such an incident.
He shook his head.
Jaeyun had no clue what to expect of the emperor.
As the coachman and Jaeyun came closer and closer to the main entrance, his thoughts wandered more—is his fiancé a pleasant man? Is he cruel?
The silence between them was eating him up, along with his dying need to question.
"Excuse me, for I am just curious—have you met the emperor, ever?" he asked the coachman, who was struggling with his bags.
He nodded, with a confused look on his face.
"What is he like, is he frightening or a good fellow?" he waited for an answer. His anxiety rose the longer it took to get one.
The coachman froze. He had never been asked such a question. "he is— well, everything is good under the rule of Emperor Heeseung." he said, looking around cautiously.
He seemed scared to share his honest feelings.
jaeyun's eyebrows furrowed, he did not answer my question.
jaeyun believed that the emperor was a good person—well he wanted to believe. He found it annoying how the coachman seemed to avoid his question.
"How odd, you are."
——
Jaeyun walked inside the palace alone. He was taken aback by the large amount of space. When he stood in front of the door, he was greeted by three men.
One seemed old and very drunk, while the other two seemed young and rotten.
Nevertheless, Jaeyun smiled and was greeted.
"Ah! Sim Jaeyun, a Survian native. " Welcome to Ironia!" the older one said.
"General Seok," he said.
"We have expected you. The emperor is on his way-"
General Seok was interrupted by the large metal doors opening. Behind them was the man Jaeyun's stomach had turned rotten from his anxieties because of how he anticipated this exact moment to be—
Emperor Heeseung.
Jaeyun was surprised, the man was covered in dirt and blood. Along with him was another man who looked around the same age as Heeseung. They both held pistols in both of their hands, which made it clear that they had just come back from blood sports. Jaeyun smiled as he looked at the emperor, and bowed.
"Emperor, I have been anticipating this moment," he said in a voice that sounded like he had been under a spell.
The sovereign came up to Jaeyun and studied him, from the top to the bottom. The room was filled with silence as everyone waited for words.
"You looked taller in your portrait," he said, before turning his back towards Jaeyun. The silence grew thicker. Jaeyun's eyes widened and he pretended to laugh.
It is just a slight jest. He tells himself, but he isn't very convinced as his heart swells.
"Seok, send this one back and bring me another." Heeseung walked away with his hands crossed behind his back.
jaeyun's heart dropped and he looked around very confused and scared. He felt the need to cry and stomp. Before anyone could blurt out a word, laughter echoed throughout the large room.
"Ha! It is just a jest." The emperor turned around, approaching Jaeyun again. Everyone in the room seemed to sigh.
jaeyun swallowed hard.
"Call me Heeseung. It is annoying to hear 'emperor' from another mouth."
Jaeyun tried to brush off the tears that threatened to drop. His feelings were hurt. His father had always called him a sensitive one, and he was starting to see why.
As he pushed up a smile, he remembered the piece of evergreen that he picked earlier.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls it out, handing it to Heeseung. Jaeyun looked down trying to bring up his spirits again.
"I brought you this piece of tree. I hope that our love can bloom and grow as it did once." he continued.
"When I stepped foot into Ironia, my heart became part of this place. I cannot wait to see how we shall run it together." Jaeyun finished.
His eyes glowed with love, loyalty, and forgiveness, while staring at Heeseung.
As for Heeseung, he looked bored and unimpressed. The emperor looked around the room as if there was a crowd.
"You brought me a... twig from the forests I trudge every aching day of my life. . .?" Heeseung looked at the piece of evergreen in the hands of Jaeyun.
"Cute?" he says, arching his eyebrow, with a slightly disgusted face.
"Now I must go entertain my whor—horses. I shall see you at the wedding."
Heeseung walked away followed by three out of the four men.
General Seok coughs, clearing his throat as he looks at the lad in front of him with slight remorse.
"I shall show you your chambers."
——
jaeyun followed General Seok down a long corridor. Along the walls—there were paintings of different men, women, and children. Jaeyun recalled something similar back at his childhood mansion. As they walked further down the hall, double doors opened into a big room with floral wallpaper.
His room seemed to be furnished to the maximum capacity. Jaeyun was able to count at least four large daybeds in a short time. He noticed that his bed was in the center—taking up the majority of the room. In front of the abnormally large bed, was a boy with a gold button-filled navy blue coat and trousers to match.
"This is Jungwon, he will be your right-hand servant," Seok told him. His hair was clearly long since it was tied back into a small bun. On his wrists, there were two gold bracelets. Jaeyun was surprised; it wasn't normal for something so valuable to be with a servant—although it wasn't fair, that is just what he was told.
Jungwon snarled at Seok before snapping, "What the fuck did I tell you about calling me a servant?"
jaeyun approached the boy. Cautiously, he moved closer and closer—as if he was waiting for Jungwon to react.
Once Jaeyun was close enough for the comfort of both of them, he scanned him.
"So you are not the one that shall follow me around?" he said with confusion.
Jungwon looked at him with slight annoyance, before his eyes widened and he straightened up.
"Emperor! So sorry, but yes, I shall be your servant. But not for long unfortunately."
jaeyun looked even more confused than before, his eyes twitched looking at Jungwon. The look on his face read that he needed further information.
Jungwon sighed longer and began to speak, "You see, your prick of a fucking husband made me a servant." For such a small boy, Jaeyun found that Jungwon had a ton of anger inside him.
He should've been alarmed at how somebody could curse the emperor with no fear, but he was more intrigued by the story.
"My father thought it was a magnificent idea to fuck the dowager empress's corpse, as a jest." Jungwon spat it out altogether. He seems to be fuming just thinking about what happened.
Jaeyun furrowed his eyes to see if he could spot any kind of bluff or jest in jungwon's story.
Because, truly— how comical.