Out Of The Castle (Soobin X Reader)

  Inside the palace, the maids were restlessly tidying every surface in sight, beating the dust from the curtains in the ballroom, sweeping the floors, readying the kitchen for the Royal feast, fixing breakfast for the Royal families. The king sat upon his throne, observing the orderly chaos with his legs crossed, tapping his finger on the armrest of his chair. His eyes gently raked over the staff of his castle, each person working diligently. They had been since the sun had risen the previous morning.

To the untrained eye, the stress of the king was practically nonexistent, but it was very real to him. His anger and anxiety had deepened when he'd been told that the Royal tailor had fallen ill. To present his daughter in anything but their kingdoms best was unacceptable. He had summoned the tailor from the village outside the gates of the castle and now he awaited the results, just as he awaited the arrival of King Choi and his two sons.

He almost sighed in relief when his daughter entered his sight. She wore a traditional wedding gown with an embroidered bustier. The fabric at the shoulders was ruched, creating a puffed sleeve that tapered into a fitted long sleeve for the sake of modesty. He was certain that the number of petticoats under the dress was an unfathomable number. On top of those petticoats was a layer of fabric with a traditional design, and then starting at the front of each of her hips was a second piece of ruched fabric that exaggerated the flared hips off the dress.

He was pleased with the garment displayed in front of him. With a wave of his hand, his daughter was off again to have the dress fitted better.

"Steward!" The king called, closing his eyes and leaning into his throne. His steward was at his side in the blink of an eye, ready to serve his every command. Oh, how thankful the king was for his steward. "My other children. Have they awoken?"

"Prince Taehyun is in the dining hall. As for the princess..." he paused with uncertainty in his tone.

"It's alright. As long as she has roused from her sleep before the men of the West arrive. Should this marriage work out for the best, she shall be married to the younger Choi sibling. I want her to make a good impression."

"Shall I wake her, your majesty?"

The king took a moment to think. He was sure that if he left her to wake herself, she would remain in bed until the festivities ended. He responded to the steward with a nod, gently waving the steward off to go wake his youngest daughter.

The knock at the princess's door was very subtle, as if the steward was scared to wake her. The faint knock was met with a faint 'come in'.

"Your highness," the steward greeted with a deep bow. When he stood upright, he saw the princess sitting up in bed, hugging her legs to her chest, clearly trying her best to remain awake. "You attempted to wake yourself?" He asked, stepping into the room.

"I did. Today is a very important day, I'm sure you know," She hummed with a yawn, resting her chin on her knees as her eyelids fell like lead.

"Would you like to join your brother in the dining hall?" The steward asked, preparing to call the maids to help the princess get ready.

The princess took a moment to think, her eyes closing. She began to doze off until her head fell from her knees, startling her awake.

"My apologies, Steward. I suppose I should join Taehyun, lest I fall asleep again," she chuckled, forcing herself out of the covers.

The maids were in the room helping in no time, preparing a more casual outfit for the princess to dine in before the real preparations began. The princess held to the posts of her bed as the maid pulled the corset tight, restricting her breath.