The temple was brimming with people when Dojin and Yeona reached there.
Dojin motioned Yeona to walk beside him. Yeona looked around and spotted the familiar faces of her family with Jungmin and Jia. She could not spot Woobin beside her family. Bit dejected, she turned to the other side and saw Woobin standing far away in the corner, his face expressionless. As soon as their eyes met, Yeona gave Woobin her signature heart shaped smile and felt relief wash over her when the latter gave her his dimpled smile.
Dojin cleared his throat to get back Yeona's attention when he saw that interaction and again continued to walk beside each other. They soon reached the temple alter and the two of them bowed to the Priest before turning around to bow and show their respect to all the guests present there.
Yeona heard people gushing at her about how beautiful she looked and how well they matched each other. Yeona looked around the temple once again to spot her family when her eyes got caught with Woobin and Yeona realized that Woobin's eyes were red. She tilted her head in a questioning manner as if asking what's wrong but Woobin just shook his head and smiled at her in assurance.
Dojin on the other hand searched the temple for that one face.
He searched every face and when he found the one, he sighed in relief. Soomin was standing there with Yeona's cousin Jungmin and they were chatting about something quite intensely. Dojin felt a pang in his heart and looked away when Soomin smiled softly at Jungmin.
Only Dojin knew how much he wanted Soomin to stand beside him. Only he could understand how much he wanted her. If only he had a choice, he would take it. If only it was Soomin instead of Yeona, he would never regret marrying.
Dojin sneaked a glance at Yeona and sighed a little. The petite woman looked undeniably cute in that hanbok but Dojin just could not appreciate it. Although he was quite amazed by Yeona's hidden taekwondo skill. He never thought that a woman as small as her, would have so much strength inside her.
He took a deep breath and looked over the crowd when his eyes fell on one of Yeona's best friend Woobin. He was a bit surprised when he saw the other male glaring at him. Before Dojin could return that glare, Areum tapped his shoulder. He faced his sister and almost gasped in horror because Areum looked like walking dead.
"What happened?" Dojin whispered. He felt worried about his sister who looked like she could faint any minute.
"My maid looks so cute," Areum whined. "I feel like squishing her,"
"For the umpteenth time Areum, Yeona is not your maid" Dojin hissed at his sister only for the younger girl to pout in disagree. He received a warning look from his parents when their bickering started getting attention. He turned back to face the crowd again and let out sigh he did not know he was holding. Just what in the world did this Yeona do to my sister? Dojin thought.
∞
After a while, the engagement ceremony began, and everyone started to settle down. Yeona woke up from her trance and heard the priest chanting mantras she could barely understand. She tried her best to focus on the words but felt her brain giving away. All the tiredness from previous night made it hard for her to focus.
After what felt like half an hour of chanting, the priest handed them two beautiful gold rings carved with a single diamond in the middle. The rings had intricate patterns which showed its precise craftmanship. Yeona almost gasped when she realized that it was the famous Niamh ring which was specifically designed for the royals. It was one of most expensive rings in the country and seeing it in front of her like this took her breath away.
"Please put the ring on your to be spouse," the priest ordered.
Yeona's hand shook a little as she fumbled with the ring. She could barely believe that she was handling something as expensive as this. And not to mention the nerves she was having because about to put the ring on the Prince of South Korea.
Dojin, on the other hand, felt irked with how Yeona was behaving. He could not understand why her hands were shaking. He huffed out before grabbing her hands in a swift motion and almost shoving the ring in. Yeona winced a little as felt a bit of pain on her ring finger. But she decided to ignore it and smiled at the man standing in front of her. She went for Dojin's hand and gently put on the ring. Dojin looked at her, a little taken aback by her gesture.
After the ring exchange ceremony, the two of them faced the crowd once again as the Priest announced happily "The engagement ceremony is over. The Royal couple is engaged and from now on, they will be known as one entity, guided by two soul."
"The families and the guests present here, please give your blessings to the newly engaged couple." The Priest said as he stepped aside for the people to come and greet the couple.
As people poured in to shower them with blessings, Yeona heard Dojin let out a sigh. She glanced at him and saw how blank his face had become. Seeing that expression, she did not know why she felt a little dejected. But she decided to ignore her feelings for now and looked at the happy faces of her family and friends. Seeing their smiles, she felt one tugging at her lips. If they were happy, Yeona could walk through hell and get back.
Dojin, on the other hand, felt horrible.
When Yeona placed the ring on him, he wanted to scream and shout. He wanted to run away but he stood there, frozen to his spot. And when the priest announced that they were now engaged, Dojin's heart ripped in pieces. From that moment, he could never ask Soomin to be his. He would be never be able to hold her or kiss her. She would never become his wife.
He knew that if he wanted, he could easily cheat on Yeona. But one thing his family has taught him is that to never cheat anyone. You not only lose their trust, but you scar them for life. And even though Yeona was practically a stranger to him, Dojin would never do anything to hurt her intentionally.
∞
When the ceremony was finally over and everyone went home, Yeona felt relief wash over her.
After the family dinner, Yeona was escorted to her room where she would be residing for the time being. The room was elegantly designed with walls painted in peach colour and white wooden floor. There was a bed in the middle of the room with a peach coloured canopy on it. There were all the necessities stacked in the room. Even her clothes were folded and properly arranged in the dresser.
She let out a loud sigh as she sat down on the bed. All the nervousness and tension for the ceremony made her extremely exhausted and she just wanted to collapse on the bed. But before she could do that, she decided to take a bath and freshen up. When she was finally done with everything, she dimmed the lights and climbed up on her bed.
She sat there quietly as she inspected the ring on her finger. Just two weeks back, she was a normal girl with a normal lifestyle. All she wanted to do was live a peaceful life, support her family and maybe get married in the future to the one she loved.
But here she was, sitting inside the royal palace, engaged to Prince Park Dojin.
She let out a sigh as she laid down and closed her eyes.
Life sure surprises you when you aren't looking.