◎༄ this is a companion piece to the oneshot timestamp: encumber. you don't need to read that prior to starting this series since this is only meant to expand on the universe introduced there.

◎༄ as of mid-2023, this is on-hold. i forgot what i planned to happen before the ending, so i— *insert kneeling emoji here* i still know what the ending is, though, if that's any consolation . . .

◎༄ movement i

◎༄ movement ii

◎༄ movement iii

◎༄ movement iv

you miraculously reached the jeon household in one piece

of course, that feat isn’t without you making sure you didn’t fracture anything

and also you making sure that there isn’t any evidence on you

bc or else the princes and your fourth cousin would bombard you with questions once you arrive

surprisingly, though, despite the mishap, you are still the first one to set foot on the jeon household

so you told one of the handmaidens there to just come and find you when the lees have arrived

most of the time, when you happen to be the earliest, you seek out prince jungkook or his betrothed

just to bother them, really

but sometimes, you opt to just let time pass by taking a nap at the jeons’ botanical garden

you don’t lie down on the flowers, ofc

(you were taught better than that, js)

rather, you climb a tree and sleep on one of the branches

(just to clarify: it’s one of those trees with a large base and thick branches, like an oak tree or smth)

(the point is, it can support your weight just fine)

not sure if that’s comfortable, but you do it most of the time anw

esp if you’re not that tired to climb one

which was today’s case

tmi but one time you were so tired that you couldn’t climb up a tree and just passed out in the gazebo

since everyone knew your favorite napping spot is up your favorite tree, they assumed they would find you there that time too

but then you weren’t, so they actually had to make an effort to be able to locate you

in the end, they found you thirty-five-ish mins later because you?? somehow?? found?? the most secluded?? part of the?? gazebo??

lmao good times good times

so yea

you slept

and forgot about wtv mishap happened to you today

unbeknownst to you, the princes started gathering little by little while you slept

“where’s [first name]?”

the princes that cared about you the most (read: crown prince joongi and fifth prince seunghoon) arrived last, so they barely started caring about your whereabouts then

“the head maid said they headed to the garden when they arrived,” tenth prince seonwoo informs his eldest brother

“[nickname] must be sleeping then,” prince seunghoon concludes

“who’s [first name]? [nickname]?” a voice asks, prompting everyone present to look at its source

“ah, wonwoo, you’re here,” crown prince recognizes his brother’s presence, “finally after seven years”

“yea,” fourth prince taejoon chimes in, “seven years too long”

“not my fault,” the sixth prince shrugs

“ya! listen to this punk,” third prince exclaims, “he sounds like he didn’t even miss his brothers”

“the border has kept me too occupied,” prince wonwoo defends himself almost nonchalantly, with no remorse in his voice whatsoever

his brothers takes immediately notice of how he didn’t even confirm nor deny prince inyeop’s accusation

but no one bothers to point it out

after all, even if seven years had already passed, their brother still seems to remain the same

the sixth prince — who inherited their father’s cold, fox-like eyes — also conceals any warm emotion he feels to appear more like ice

truthfully, all the princes have that kind of cold intimidation around them

perhaps save for the fifth and seventh prince

and maybe the tenth, too

but the sixth born arguably has one of the strongest

something that only the first born can rival

given that they both got their strengthened aura after years in the battlefield

lowk it’s debatable who has the real strongest cold aura tho, ngl

the first prince had spent more than a decade in total in the battlefield, so he’s def more experienced than the sixth prince

however, according to rumors, prince joongi has gotten “softer” ever since he got married

and no one is really brave enough to confirm it, so

anyway

however

no fight nor battle has managed to take away their affections for their brothers

even if they refuse to admit it

and they both know their brothers well enough to know that they know that they care for them

so, yeah

there’s no really need for the sixth prince to admit it out loud

so the literal translation for his reply to prince inyeop is: “i did miss you guys”

or at least that’s how his brothers heard it

“we missed you, too, hyung-nim,” seventh prince replies on behalf of the rest

“yea,” prince seunghoon adds on, “that’s why you should go fetch [first name] at the garden”

(trust the fifth prince to pass the thing that prolly would’ve been ordered to him otherwise lmao)

prince wonwoo is about to argue, mostly about not knowing who even that is, but he’s easily overpowered by his six brothers

yea

that’s right

he might be a well-decorated warrior, but his skills are subpar when it comes to winning against his brothers

he can’t be good at everything, man

“[first name] should be on one of the trees!” they called after his retreating figure, “if not, look in the gazebo!”

the sixth prince thought it would be more practical to look for [first name] at the gazebo first since it was closer

but he finds no one there, so he figures the person he is looking for is really by the trees

so off he goes

in all honesty, prince wonwoo has no idea who he is supposed to be looking for

but he figures he’d spot that person easily

after all, who else would sleep at the garden??

and sure enough, it didn’t take him that long to spot someone on top of a tree

looking like they’re in an uncomfortable position, but sleeping peacefully nonetheless

frankly, the sixth prince isn’t the one to judge others quickly

especially given that others do that to him too often for his liking

which eventually landed him an unpleasant nickname in the streets

but that’s a story for another time

but it’d be a lie to say that he isn’t literally judging the person on the tree rn

justifiably so, though, bc

who?? in their right mind?? prefers to sleep on top of a tree?? instead of somewhere more comfortable?? and safer??

like, who knows, a guest room?? or even just inside the gazebo?? on the grass??

the jeon household is wide enough to house dozens — if not hundreds — of guests, there’s absolutely no way every single room is already preoccupied atm

esp with his temporary stay, which might’ve prompted some to steer clear from the household

sure, the gazebo might be a hard, concrete surface . . . but at least there are pillows in there??

plus there’s shade there as well . . . so why wasn’t that the main choice for naps?

and as for the grass . . . they can move wherever which way they want?? bc there’s no danger of falling?? and the grass should definitely be softer for the back than the branch is??

sigh, wtv

the person’s peculiar napping spot shouldn’t be his main concern rn

esp since he has no idea how to wake them up without activating the threat of falling

prince wonwoo’s chosen first course of action is to call their name — or at least, the name his brothers addressed the person as

“[first name]? [first name]?”

he unconsciously holds his breath when the person in question stirs in their sleep, suddenly more alert just in case they fall

much to his relief and slight amusement, [first name] doesn’t wake up and fall

so he tries again, this time with a louder voice

when that doesn’t seem to work either, he increased his voice volume again

as in closer to the volume that he commands his troops with

he won’t be surprised if his brothers heard it from where they are tbh

and yet

still nothing

[first name] literally just shifted their position to face away from him

and continued their journey in dreamland

prince wonwoo could’ve sworn he heard his voice echo so it was definitely loud

so how the fck did this person sleep through it??

in that person’s defense, they’re having an intriguing dream

esp since that person happened to be you

aka someone who just got treated like a sack of potatoes earlier by a masked rider

but the prince doesn’t know that

and does he need to?

maybe

maybe not

to him, you’re literally just the person his brothers want him to retrieve

and to you, he is the voice of the man in your dreams

yk the man you kept dreaming about? the one with specs and rolled up sleeves?

(if you need a refresher, here)

yea, him

okay, but really . . . that was kind of . . .

a lie

prince wonwoo’s — although you don’t know that it’s him yet — voice is actually coming through in your dream as a voice over

like an unseen narrator whose only lines are your name

or like a heavenly being who’s urging you to step into the light

either way, it’s unsettling to hear any voice in your dream

especially since it’s a dream you’ve had for a million times already

you basically already know what is supposed to happen, frame by frame

and that voice is definitely new

God???

God, is that you???

in your defense, it’s rlly coming off as someone omnipresent

yes, the voice is strangely matching the timing of the man in your dreams

but the shape of his mouth is definitely not matching the words you’re hearing

so, obviously, that voice can only be God

sure, you might not entirely believe in anything religious but honestly, as someone who somehow managed to travel back in time, you’re willing to think of anything

even if you don’t necessarily believe in it

duh

except . . .

is God allowed to curse?

‘cause you were certainly hearing a colorful language now

mixed with your name, ofc

wait wait wait

what if—

if it isn’t God, but Sa—

Sa—

you wake up with a start.

you’re so startled by the prospect of dreaming of the devil that you

plummet down before you can even remember where you were

rip

you instinctively closed your eyes as you wait your body to hit the ground

however, the pain never comes

and as much as you’re glad you didn’t feel any pain, you’re highly suspicious why you didn’t

so you opened your eyes

just to see something oddly familiar obstructing your view

your eyes shoots up in panic, as you mentally chant

“pleasedon’tbewhoithinkyouare” “pleasedon’tbewhoithinkyouare” “pleasedon’tbewhoithinkyouare” “pleasedon’t—”

unfortunately, no matter how many times you repeated it nor how fast you said it, you didn’t seem to be heard

which is a matter you quickly realized after making eye contact with a familiar masked man

aka the same masked rider that dropped you from a moving horse

aka the person you desperately wished he wasn’t

oh, what luck

the universe really likes you, it seems

please note the sarcasm

“you!” your voice holds so much disdain

“you again,” contrary to your disdain, his voice sounds exhausted, like he can’t believe he’s dealing with you again

excuse him, but you can’t believe you’re dealing with him again, either

if anything, between the two of you, you’re certainly the one who’s against your paths crossing again the most

and, really, no one can even blame you, if ever

esp considering that he did just drop you on the ground unceremoniously

“why are you here!” you can’t even bring yourself to make your exclamation sound like a question, “put me down!”

. . .

. . .

. . .

*facepalm*

clearly, you haven’t learned your lesson the first time

and clearly, this masked man is a little too great at following commands

“why am i here?” you hear him scoff while you try not cuss him out for dropping you. again. “shouldn’t i be the one asking you that?”

“i asked you first”

“why do i need a reason to be in my household?”

at that point, you have successfully used the tree trunk to help yourself stand, but you almost lost your footing the second he said that

thankfully, you’re able to regain it before you looked like a fool in front of him

phew

“what— what did you just say?”

you aren’t rlly sure if you actually wanted him to repeat what he just said, ngl

mostly bc you aren’t sure if you want him to confirm his identity

but oh well

too late now

“this is my household,” he repeats,

“i am prince wonwoo of the jeons, sixth prince of the kingdom, fifth-in-line to the throne”

.

.

.

.

.

meeting the prince who completed the ensemble of the king’s alive sons didn’t change anything in your life

at least that’s what you hoped to say

unfortunately, it isn’t necessarily the case

for one, you gained an “enemy” in the sixth prince

technically, you kind of treat the sixth and the third prince similarly

except your banters with the sixth prince aren’t exactly playful

on hindsight, it’ll be better to assume that you get along far better with the third prince

since, at least, you just tease each other to make your days more interesting

there’s only so much you can do for entertainment in this era yk

however, for the younger prince, there’s a feeling of . . . antagonism, almost

it’s definitely one-sided since you’re most likely the only one who feels that way

since prince wonwoo doesn’t seem to care

but wtv

you can’t just forget he dropped you off a horse

and then proceeded to drop you again that same day when you met for the second time

he hasn’t even apologized for either one, btw

when you tried to confront him about it one time and basically told him to tell you sorry

he just rose one of his eyebrows, scoffed, and then said: “you’re the one who told me to put you down. why should i apologize for doing what you told me to do?”

. . .

. . .

you hate how he had a valid point there

but you won’t admit that to his face

so you just hmph’ed away then and gave up on getting an apology from him from then on

in retaliation, though,

since you can’t have him feeling like he won wtv rivalry this is that you have going on

that he doesn’t seem to be aware of

you decided to never be nice to him

that seems like a reasonable course of action for you, esp given that the sixth prince doesn’t seem bothered by your attitude towards him

even if he’s the only one you don’t seem to like, out of his brothers

so yea

everything seems justified

funnily enough though, even with your personified source of high blood pressure,

you still won’t trade these days for others

esp when you know what the future holds for the royal clan and everyone close to them . . .

strangely enough, you started having weird dreams after that particular afternoon tea where you learned abt the seventh prince’s engagement

in those dreams, you are back in the modern world — your modern world

in those dreams, you are back where you last were;

back at the busy street, surrounded by multistory buildings with steel frames, and by people in modern clothing who looked really comfortable (at first glance, at least)

you could’ve sworn you could hear the high level of noise pollution in the air too

you’re not really sure why you started to dream about your past (present?) all of a sudden, honestly

like . . . are you missing your old life?

but, if that’s the case, how come you’re dreaming about it when you’ve fully adjusted to your new life already?

and never when you were still new in this era and was incredibly homesick?

or is your brain trying to make you miss your old life?

as if it’s trying to contradict the contentment you felt soon after giving up on trying to go back?

like it doesn’t want you feel such?

but then— why???

best of all, why in the world does an unfamiliar face — unfamiliar man, more like — keeps on popping up in your dreams???

honestly, you just keep on dreaming about the same scene

so you essentially just keep on dreaming about him

every night that you dream, you’re always crossing a crosswalk

every night that you dream, you always notice a specific stranger that happens to cross from the other side and is walking towards you

every night that you dream, you’re always locking eyes with a handsome stranger in specs and professional attire

tmi, but he looks really good with the sleeves of his button-up rolled up to his elbows oml

but every night that you dream, your dream always fades away before he gets too close to you

no matter how hard you try to continue your dream to see what happens next, nothing happens

there’s no continuation

not even a different, totally unrelated dream to keep you entertained as you sleep

so you’re technically just stuck in a loop

and every time you wake up, you’re left wondering who he could be

and why he’s bothering you in your dreams

you would’ve spend your waking life thinking about him, too

but thankfully, the princes are great sources of distraction

most especially your partner in crime fifth prince seunghoon, who still tags you along to cause mischief

much to the crown prince’s exasperation and concealed amusement

besides the dreams, nothing has changed in your new life ngl

you still hangout with seventh prince jungkook once in a while

esp to give him tips abt marriage life as though you’ve been married before lmao

you still eat dinner with crown prince joongi, your cousin, and prince seunghoon at least once a month

you still have your tutoring sessions with fourth prince taejoon, although it’s not as frequent as before bc, according to him, “you need much less guidance” now

and no duh — you’ve been living in this era for years now

you’re bound to get used to it, whether you like it or not

you still haven’t breathed a word abt tenth prince seonwoo’s night escapades to anyone else

except now prince seonwoo knows that you and prince seunghoon know about his little secret

all bc y’all decided to stalk him one time just to see if he’s secretly meeting someone as well

and y’all accidentally tripped over one another not-so-subtly, much to prince seonwoo’s surprise

“you lot aren’t very graceful for a royal-born” was all he said before letting you guys tag along for the night

you didn’t dare to correct him that you aren’t royal bc you were already embarrassed enough that you got caught, lol

but anyway . . .

most importantly

you still annoy third prince inyeop whenever you can too

there are just so many great things you can tease him about

it’s wonderful

maybe not for him, but who cares

as a matter of fact, you’re on your way to the jeon household rn

for another afternoon tea sesh

and yea, you guys have started alternating for the lack of a better term causing havoc between the lee and jeon households not too long ago

just to get prince jungkook used to hosting guests since he’ll be married soon

jk, that’s a lie

y’all just happened to drop by one-by-one one day after you found out abt the seventh prince’s upcoming marriage

that sounds kinda sus, doesn’t it?

like y’all definitely planned abt it beforehand

but— *insert zipper lips emoji*

anw the point is y’all have been alternating since then

most of the time, you go to the jeon household with prince joongi, your cousin, prince seunghoon, and the royal lee entourage

but sometimes, you head there alone

esp when the three of them had business in the palace beforehand

truth be told, you can’t be bothered to go to the palace if you don’t have any business there

mostly bc the air there is kinda . . . sus

you always feel like someone’s watching you from a far

like you’re always being monitored in every move

you haven’t figured out if it’s just you that feels like that

or if it just comes with being close to the next owner(s) of the throne

or just from being inside the palace in general

but either way, it feels hella suffocating

thus you avoid going there as much as possible

whatever alternative you can have that will get you far away from the palace,

you’ll pick that in a heartbeat

no matter how inconvenient or unfavorable that may be

like falling into a stream down below because a horse appeared out of nowhere and startled you—

wait wait

say what now

wa tda p ak ???

whe re d id th e ho r se com e f rom—

(un)fortunately, the horse’s rider has extremely quick reflexes and

snatched you up before you completely fell

so now you’re riding the horse that startled you

backwards

and facing its rider

(for those that watched moon lovers: yes, it’s that scene. you’re welcome.)

“who— who are you?!?!” you blurt out in panic

no one can rlly blame you for freaking out, honestly

everything just happened too fast for proper human comprehension

one second you’re walking peacefully, then on the verge of falling the next

but then before you can even process that you are falling, you no longer are bc you’re already riding a horse

like what?????

in fact, you’re so startled that you’re highkey just staring at the rider with your eyes wide

partly bc you can’t look at anything else besides his face since everything around the both of you is passing by in a blur

and also bc you’re . . . positioned . . . in such a way that you can only see his face

(if y’all can’t read between the lines, here’s the literal translation: rider dude is holding you too close to him)

(y’all got that? okay.)

so yeah

you’re staring

unabashedly

first thing that caught your eye was the mask that covers majority of his face

(ngl, i debated a lot whether to give him a mask or not)

(but since i really loved how wang so looked with his mask on, i decided to :D)

not only does it look like a perfect balance between simple and intricate, but it also looks highly fascinating

because he’s literally the first and only person who you’ve seen with a mask on in all the years you’ve lived here

you can’t tell what he’s hiding underneath

but you can definitely say that the mask is concealing his sharp features

from the apple of his cheek, to the tip of nose, all the way to the fierceness of his eyes

which, by the way, are staring right back at you

uh-oh

“put me down!” you shouted in panic after realizing that you’re caught redhanded

(dumbass . . . ofc you’re gonna get caught staring. dude’s literally right in front of you??)

now, honestly, you didn’t think that through at all

bc, somehow, it didn’t cross your mind that he’ll actually let you go

. . . or perhaps you did

just not while the horse is fcking moving

which is exactly what he did

lmao

sure, the horse isn’t running on full speed

it’s more like strolling at 3 mph

like the rider actually had the courtesy to slow down beforehand

but, nevertheless,

it still fcking hurt

to be fair, it’s not like he put you down gently

he literally just dropped you unceremoniously

like you’re a sack or smth

so ofc it hurts

you’re highkey hoping you didn’t break anything when you fell tho

mostly bc you know for sure that medical procedures haven’t advanced far enough to guarantee that you won’t die

rip

essentially, you’re just reduced to screaming “what the fck” on top of your lungs as his figure gets further and further away from you

highkey channeling your modern self and forgetting that swearing like that is not invented yet

hopefully no one recorded that or else you’ve done the only thing you didn’t want

which is change history, even if it’s just the recorded first usage of a curse

at that moment, you decided that you despise him

no, no—

you loathe him

even if the correction hardly matters

bc you won’t ever see him again

for this specific universe, the world mostly operates in modern technology and science

or, at least, there are clear, yet somehow overlapping distinctions between the urban and rural areas

taller buildings, more asphalt than dirt, crowded streets, more smoke than fresh air, overpriced food, etc.

plus, in this world, people believe the scientific explanations for “unexplainable” things more than the ancient, religious-related ones

like how natural disasters happen because of natural occurrences — and not because some god is having a fit

yet, nothing in the world can prepare you for this

especially when you can’t even fathom what this is

all you know is: one moment you were crossing a familiar busy street, surrounded by towering glass buildings and automatic cars;

then was lying on the middle of an uneven road, surrounded by traditionally-built establishments and horse-pulled wagons, the next

you absolutely have no idea where you are nor how you got here

you can’t come up with an explanation why there’s blood running down your face, either

nor even a possible reason why the people in your line of sight are all wearing traditional clothes

somehow, you just decided to conclude that you were dreaming

even if you don’t remembering sleeping in the first place

you don’t know why your brain decided to dream about how life was back then

considering that you haven’t thought about your country’s past since you finished your required history credits

thus the apparent intricate details of the dream were really alarming for someone with only a vague memory of what was taught

so, naturally, it sparks your curiosity — especially in regards to how this dream will play out

however, your curiosity isn’t as intense as your gut feeling that something unpleasant is about to happen

and you didn’t like it

so, instead, you willed your consciousness in this particular dream to fade out and channeled a different, more modern dream

.

.

.

unfortunately for you, it didn’t work

mostly because

well

you aren’t dreaming to begin with

for one, even if you did learn about your country’s history, you didn’t learn it in an extent that you’d retain insignificant information about their domestic affairs

you may have learned the order of succession to the throne, but you never learned the precise interrelationships of their subjects

you didn’t learn about their mannerisms nor etiquettes, either

yet, somehow, this “dream” strictly follows a set of rules you don’t even personally know

but what really solidifies the idea that you aren’t dreaming is the fact that it hurt when you tripped over yourself

because the footwear you’re forced to don feels a bit uncomfortable

definitely nothing like the shoes you’re used to, that’s for sure

suffice to say, the panic you felt seems like it resonated through the cosmos and every alternative universe

unfortunately, your panic’s magnitude isn’t enough to get you back in your rightful time

however, it did give you the only possible explanation for the time travel you unknowingly did

if you remember correctly, the last memory you have of your world is

witnessing an eclipse as you cross the street

and as much as you grew up in an era where science has explanations to mostly everything . . .

you somehow convinced yourself that the eclipse has something to do with your predicament

it didn’t help that you remember hearing a loud beep before you woke up in the middle of a town market, either

you absolutely have no clue how you can go back in your own time

and, after waiting a few days to see if you’ll just magically go back,

highkey thinking the whole experience is a free trial interactive drama

you’re left to accept reality

that you’re essentially stuck in history

rip

.

.

.

.

it has been years since you arrived in the modern world of your ancestors a thousand years ago

admittedly, it took you some time to fully adjust to your new world

especially since it’s a real challenge to wrap your head around the traditional beliefs that are already outdated in your era

but after experiencing the fear of possibly facing the king’s wrath for sticking by your liberal beliefs

you are essentially forced to assimilate and not act based on your modern ideals

you don’t want to unknowingly change history’s course, anyway, so you figured it’s best to blend in as much as possible

one thing you find hard to believe is the fact that you are a member of a powerful clan

like . . . just what did your ancestors fck up on that your familial name carries no wealth nor influence in the modern day????

from what you learned, your clan literally has an alliance with the royal family

through the marriage of your fourth cousin to the crown prince

ngl you seriously want to know how your ancestors managed to lose the honor that comes from having a queen in the family

not that you really care, especially considering that there’s easily a thousand-year gap between your new present and your old one, but

you want to know why no one has brought up this part of your family history during family gatherings, at least

as if the news that you might be distantly related to a royal family member during this particular era isn’t already shocking enough, you also learned that

you — the vessel that you inhibit during this era — are really close with your fourth cousin, the future queen

really close as in she literally nursed you back to health and showed you the ropes around your new home and everything

she’s essentially your old sister tbh

that’s why you highkey feel bad about just going along with what the physician diagnosed you with

even though you know very well it’s not true

according to the physician, based on your bleeding head when you were found lying in the middle of the town market, you suffered from a head trauma

which unfortunately caused you to lose your memories

that’s the truth you live by since going around and telling people that you’re from the future is out of question

while doing so might not necessarily guarantee that you’ll change the course of history, it does guarantee your death probably

most likely

no doubt abt it

good thing it’s v easy to pretend you lost your memories given that you never had them in the first place

so you’re more than happy to pretend that you’re just someone who lost all your memories rather than someone who traveled back in time

you did hear people whisper than you seem like a completely different person ever since your accident, though

but whatever

if they aren’t scared about what your clan can do, they’ll surely be scared of what the crown prince’s clan can

after all, you’re under him and his wife’s care

so you figured no one will dare to bother you

no one except the other princes, that is

considering you live in the crown prince’s household, you get to see the other princes often

more often than you would’ve liked tbh

the medicine and technology of this time isn’t that great compared to modern day; so, out of the ten known sons of the king, only seven are still alive

(finally it’s time to introduce the princes!! i’ve been waiting for this smh)

(if you know who i named the princes after and why, just know that i appreciate you sm)

first-in-line is crown prince joongi of the lees — your fourth cousin’s husband; your proxy older brother that looks after you and goes along with any shenanigans you do as long as you don’t get hurt

second-in-line is the third prince inyeop of the hwangs — your favorite tutor, who you don’t really learn anything from because you keep bantering with him

third-in-line is the fourth prince taejoon of the chois — your actual tutor, because he gotta pick up what the third prince can’t teach you or else the crown prince will give them an earful

yea . . . you don’t know why you have literal princes as tutors, either

you blame the crown prince tbh

you just know he’s just taking advantage of his brothers’ habit of hanging out in his home

but anyway . . .

fourth-in-line is the fifth prince seunghoon of the lees — crown prince’s full brother; literally your inseparable partner-in-crime since you both live in the same household

sixth-in-line is the seventh prince jungkook of the jeons — the most artistically-inclined out of all the princes; you like hanging out with him especially if you want some peace and quiet

ngl you and the fifth prince have been slowly tainting him with the wonders of mischief

but the crown prince doesn’t know that, so shhhh

and seventh-in-line is the tenth prince seonwoo of the kims — the youngest, the baby, the must protecc

don’t be fooled tho: he sneaks out and wonders around the most

the only reason you know so is bc you and the fifth prince saw him out and about one time you both snuck out to pet any of the dogs and cats you see around the capital

based on his sure movements, you could both tell he sneaks out a lot

you both agreed not to approach him tho

nor tell on him

bc a mischief doer mustn’t tell on their fellow mischief doer and all that

(un)fortunately, you haven’t met whoever completes the king’s seven alive sons

not that you want to bother knowing who he is or wtv

not with the other six already keeping you pretty well preoccupied anw

so yea

life in the past isn’t as difficult as you thought it would be

maybe because you’re essentially an adopted royalty

so your life is comfortable and you can basically do whatever you want to some extent

it’s nowhere near how your life used to be in the modern world

but it’s bearable

esp bc of the shenanigans you and the princes pull occasionally

you don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing that you no longer miss your old life as much as you used to

probably an aftermath of the length of years you have already spent getting used to everything

but y’know

it’s not like you managed to find a way home in those years

or anything that can give you hope that it’s possible to go back

so there isn’t really any point longing for what you can no longer have

your best — and only — move is to just live happily in your new life

.

.

.

“congratulations on your engagement, brother!”

you’d be lying if you said you expected that exclamation during one of the afternoons you drank tea with your cousin and the princes

sure, you knew that people during this era gets married young and all

but how in the world is prince jungkook going to get married before his three older brothers???

“what the—” *you cough violently, fist pounding on your chest* “how is jungkook-nim going next—” *coughs* “what happened to you three??”

your coughing is so uncontrollable that your cousin put it upon herself to pat your back to help you regain composure

your ears didn’t miss the sound of prince seunghoon’s laugh at your current state tho smh

“our birth order doesn’t decide our marriage order, [nickname]”

“so, you’re telling me seonwoo-nim can get married before inyeop-nim???”

“ . . . yes”

“yah! i don’t like what you’re implying, you little—”

cue the chaos (*hits the slate*)

it took a while before everyone calmed down

but the crown prince managed eventually

(imagine trying to control six kids at once? yea, poor first-born prince is exhausted)

everyone then moved onto talking abt the seventh prince’s upcoming wedding

personally, you are just pestering prince jungkook to introduce you to his betrothed

but the princes are more interested in wondering if the occasion will grant the attendance of their other brother

which doesn’t really interest you because knowing six princes is already far too many for your liking

you certainly don’t want to know more of their kind, honestly

so, naturally, you decided to tune out their conversation

no disrespect on whoever they are talking abt tho

after all, you have been living in this era for years now

if this prince is someone worth knowing, you should’ve known him by now

but you don’t

so you just settled for crossing the bridge when you get there

or, in other words, you’ll just bother knowing about him whenever you meet him

Jeon Wonwoo is the sixth son of the reigning king. He is, due to the circumstances present with time, the third in line for the throne. He is feared by most — partly because of his cold, fox-like eyes and the wildfire ruthless rumors that surrounds him.

Theoretically, his life is easier than his family’s subjects. Albeit realistically, his life just comes with various expectations and restrictions they can only dream of.

He is the King’s son. By birth, he already has the power and the freedom many people can only dare to long for. By right, everything is within his reach.

However, despite having everything at his disposal, there is only one thing he ever really want.

“Marry me. Marry me and I’ll set you free.”

In a world where trust is a fine line between life and death, each choice weighs more than it should. With how draining life is inside the palace, especially with the lurking presence of deceitful inhabitants, it’s not a place for someone with a pure, fragile heart — like yours.

He’s born into the treacherous intricacy of politics. He has witnessed, firsthand, how the struggle of power affects everyone — regardless of their level of contentment in their lives. He knows how prolonged exposure to such dangers can change a person — and he simply doesn’t wish you to suffer the same fate.

Wonwoo wants to preserve the light within you — the fearless fire, the refreshing honesty, the conformity indifference — because, at least, you get to keep what he couldn’t.

As the Sixth Prince, he may have everything within his reach, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he gets everything he wants.

“I’m sorry, but I love you.”

Perhaps he has been living within the façade of cold intimidation long enough that he no longer remembers what love is. Perhaps he’s just too late to offer you a way to escape the suffocating confinement of the palace.

Wonwoo doesn’t know why you think loving him is a reason you must continue to endure the toxicity of his home. Neither of you are particularly thrilled to be living there, anyway, and has expressed the desired to leave more than once.

He wants to ask you to elaborate, to explain what you meant, but he’s frightened that it might mean his love for you isn’t enough; that you love him more than he loves you. So, he doesn’t.