The room was silent.

Kita felt her mouth open a little, and Wooyoung's grip on her hand tightened to the point here it started to hurt.

Yeosang had shifted a little, partially hiding Kita from the few eyes who darted in her direction.

Seonghwa looked pissed, but he kept his eyes forward, focused on his father.

The king was silent for a long time.

King San bowed his head, "I know it is a lot to think about. But that was the real reason behind my visit. Please, take some time to think about it. You know where to find me." He spun on his heels and walked out of the room, his dark eyes immediately finding Kita. They flashed down once at her hand still in Wooyoung's, and the corner of his mouth rose in a hungry smile before he vanished from sight.

The taller man who had entered with Seonghwa came over to the corner, his messy, dark brown hair plastered to his forehead. "Princess, I think we should get you back to your room." He said quietly.

"I'll take them, Mingi. You should stay here with the prince." Yeosang said quickly. The taller nodded and walked away. "Let's go." He turned and ushered the couple out of the room through a side entrance, wanting to avoid the other king at all costs.

When they got to the privacy of Kita's room, Wooyoung immediately pulled her to him, holding her head to his chest and wrapping his other are around her waist. "What's going to happen, Sangie?"

"I don't know. We all expected he wanted something like this, but for him to ask for it after he just saved several of our people..." The wizard hesitated, then pulled a book from one of his cloak pockets, flipping through it quickly.

Kita hadn't realized she had started crying until she felt Wooyoung's thumb brush some of her tears away. "I don't want to go with him. He terrifies me."

"He scares me too..." Wooyoung said, letting his head rest on top of hers.

"Wooyoung, what do you know about him?" Yeosang said suddenly.

Kita felt him tense around her, causing her to look up at him.

"He's not a nice man." He said, fear evident in his tone. "He... He gets his way, no matter the cost." He tightened his hold on Kita. "He loves using people too, he's not afraid to show his dominant side..."

Yeosang's forehead creased in concern but didn't push the other to say more.

They stood in silence for a long while. Eventually, Seonghwa came to check on his sister, stopping when he saw Wooyoung comforting her.

"Are you ok, Kita?"

"What did they say, Hwa?" she said, turning her head to look at him.

He clenched his jaw. "Father said he needs time to figure things out. He doesn't like the idea, I can tell that much, but I fear it's going to be hard trying to find a way out of it. It's very hard to refuse a request from a king... And since you don't have a full claim to the throne here..."

Kita nodded and let her head fall back into Wooyoung's chest.

"Youngie, your troupe has been paid to stay through the end of the month." Seonghwa said, turning to the younger. "And Father has agreed to let you stay in the palace. It took some convincing, but I think you proved yourself to him today. Good job."

They exchanged smiles. Wooyoung felt his chest swell with pride a little bit at the prince's words. He knew he still never had a chance of having a future with Kita, but if he could be close to her on a daily basis then that was enough. For now.

---

Kita made herself scarce over the next few days. She was always on the lookout for the foreign king, ducking into nearby rooms if she ever caught a glimpse of the red and black hair. The only time she was forced to see him was during meals, which thankfully she could make conversations with anyone else who joined them.

But that didn't stop her from feeling his eyes on her almost the entire time. He always had this smirk on his face that she would love to slap off.

Most of her time, when she wasn't attending to official matters, was spent in her room with Wooyoung. He would come and sit with her while she went through her lessons with Yeosang, brushing up on the kingdom's history, nobles, maps, and anything else she needed to know being the princess.

She loved this time though. The three of them could relax and just be themselves, even when Yeosang tried to discipline her for not paying attention, although he could never do it seriously.

And with Wooyoung's new permissions, he and Kita could walk around the palace grounds together. While they had mastered staying at a respectful distance, it didn't stop them from having a good time and showing how good of friends they were.

He had won over the staff and guards a long time ago, so the palace welcomed him with open arms. Because of this, none of the nobles voiced any concerns they might have had with their princess spending so much time with a performer.

Even Mingi, head of the palace guard, came to visit with him during some of his breaks. He dropped the serious tone he normally had and would often tease the younger, poking his cheeks and calling him cute.

It was during times like these that Kita could forget about more pressing matters, even if it was only for that little bit.

.

.

.

.

San had slowly learned his way around the palace, so he was able to always keep an eye on the princess and the performer. He loved that his future wife and favorite toy were so close with each other. It was like fate.

He knew the king was trying to find a way out of his proposal, but unless a royal from another family stepped forward, they didn't stand a chance. Plus, he did have a backup plan if things didn't go his way. He always had a backup plan.

As he stood in one of the towers overlooking the gardens and the two people strolling casually through them, he licked his lips, thinking he might need to have some fun soon.

.

.

.

.

Wooyoung found himself wandering the hallways of the palace by himself a few days later. Kita had been pulled away for a meeting that also involved Yeosang and Mingi. She had said it was something about farmlands, so he hoped it wouldn't take too long.

He smiled at some of the maids who walked by and heard their giggles as they turned a corner.

"Still quite the ladies' man, aren't you?" Wooyoung jumped with King San appeared next to him. The taller didn't give him a chance to respond and he pulled Wooyoung into the closest room and shut the door behind him.

It was a storage room, filled with crates of supplies. One window was placed high on a fall wall, shedding only a little light.

The king stalked closer to Wooyoung, backing him into a wall and placing his hands on either side of the younger's head.

Wooyoung closed his eyes and turned his head.

"Ah, come now, Youngie." He purred, leaning even closer. He took one hand and ran it through the younger's hair, imitating the motion he watched him do many times. "Is this any way to treat an old friend?"

"I'm s-sorry, Your Majesty." Wooyoung forced himself to turn his head and wished he hadn't.

The king slammed his lips into his. It was possessive, needy, controlling. "I told you to call me San." He growled once before kissing Wooyoung again. Shifting forward, he pressed his entire body against the performer grinding into his hip.

Wooyoung whimpered, hating the feeling. He did his best not to kiss back, but San was so dominant he eventually forced his tongue down his throat while running his hands through his hair, pulling slightly.

"I've missed you, Youngie." San said, yanking the others head back to he could have better access to his throat. He trailed his kisses down, sucking and nipping at his skin slightly. He loved hearing the performer's musical whimpers. Wanting to torment him more, he continued to grind his hips against the other, his member pulsing at the sensation.

The last kiss he gave was on Wooyoung's collarbone, and that one he sucked hard enough to leave a mark. Then he met the others gaze, tilting his own head back just a little, loving the fear he saw there.

Laughing, he pushed himself off the wall and left the storage room.

Wooyoung covered his mouth to muffle his sobs as he slid down the wall. His hands shook as he fixed his shirt and his hair. He couldn't let Kita see him like this. He had to be strong for her.

Taking a deep breath, he poked his head around the door and dashed into the hallway when he found it empty. He headed directly for Kita's room, hiding in an alcove nearby to wait for her.