Seonghwa got a big look of approval from the Great Lord the moment he stepped into the hall. The Great Lord didn't smile exactly, but he nodded once and said, "Sit."
Seonghwa bowed politely, very prince-like, very proper, and took his seat. At his request, Mingi, Yunho, and Wooyoung sat close, one on each side like his little royal triangle of backup. Seonghwa kept his posture perfect, hands on his lap. If anyone from Silla saw him right now, they would swear he'd never even raised his voice once in his life.
He didn't want any trouble. Not on foreign land, not in a demon king's palace, and definitely not when his kingdom depended on this stupid marriage thing. So he acted like the good boy prince they thought he was.
The Demon King started with small talk, which almost made Seonghwa fall asleep in his chair. "You actually look better in person," the Great Lord said.
Seonghwa smiled politely. "Thank you, Great Lord."
Inside, he was thinking, Better in person? What does that even mean? Did demons not have eyes before or something?
Then the King offered tea and snacks, which threw Seonghwa off a bit.
Weren't demons supposed to… drink blood? Eat bones? Or… whatever they do?
But the platter on the table looked normal. Too normal. Suspiciously normal.
Still, Seonghwa reached out and grabbed a snack without hesitation. That was his horrible habit. The royal kitchen back home hated him because of this. But here he was again, eating before anyone checked it.
Instantly, Mingi, Yunho, and Wooyoung leaned forward like they were about to tackle the table. Their eyes were on the snack like it was a ticking bomb.
Seonghwa took a bite.
Oh. It was good. Really good.
He smiled. "This is delicious."
The Demon King seemed amused by his reaction. It was all boring courtesy nonsense, though. Too many fake smiles, too many meaningless sentences. Seonghwa wanted to get this over with.
So he straightened his back and said, "Great Lord, I know I should let my Chief of Royal Intelligence speak for me… but I'd rather voice my concerns myself."
The Great Lord raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead, Your Highness."
Seonghwa exhaled, preparing himself. "I'm here because of the marriage alliance between our kingdoms. Something you and my father discussed. I believe it's only proper that I know who I'm being promised to. Who is the Alpha I will marry?"
The Demon King laughed. A deep, old-man, demon-ancestor laugh that echoed in the whole room.
"If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't know you were this outspoken and straightforward."
Seonghwa forced a smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."
It wasn't.
The Great Lord waved his hand. "Very well. I know your father didn't tell you, but your marriage alliance is with my son, the Prince."
Seonghwa blinked. Once. Twice. Processing.
Then he repeated,
"Captain…?"
Seonghwa couldn't believe his ears.
The demon prince…Captain.
Captain, the walking nightmare. Captain, the throat-slitter. Captain, the soldier destroyer. Captain, the demon who nearly snapped his neck and shoved him into an early heat the first night they met.
His brain short-circuited so hard it felt like someone unplugged him and plugged him back in wrong.
Oh gods.
This was a problem.
Seonghwa had prepared himself. Mentally. Emotionally. Physically. He had accepted his fate. He told himself, If the Great Lord touches me… fine. If the old demon man wants an heir… fine. I'll grit my teeth and survive.
But now?
Now he was being handed a young demon in his age range, which should've been better… except it was Captain.
The one everyone feared.
The one who didn't even have a proper name.
The one whose entire identity was just "weapon."
Seonghwa felt his composure wobble like a loose table leg, but he grabbed it quickly, sat straighter, and forced a smile so pretty it could've been used as a weapon on its own.
The Demon King watched him with this amused look, then said, "You know, I want you to be casual and simple and direct with me. You don't like the idea of being paired with my son, do you?"
Seonghwa smiled politely. "No, Great Lord. I am… quite fine with the idea of marrying the prince. But I do have a question."
The Demon King tilted his head. "Ask, Your Highness."
Seonghwa folded his hands on his lap. "Would I be marrying the prince… or would I be marrying Captain?"
The room got weirdly quiet. The Demon King blinked, completely confused.
"Your Highness, please… enlighten me. I would like to understand your wisdom."
Seonghwa let out a shaky breath. "I ask that you forgive me if I sound rude."
The Demon King waved it off with a laugh. "No need for formality. Here in Geumhwa, we are not as strict as Silla."
"Oh," Seonghwa said, relieved but still terrified inside. "Alright, then."
He straightened again and continued. "I believe they are two different people. At home, I am a mage, and I work in the royal clinic. Sometimes I help at local clinics too. When I'm treating people, everyone asks, 'Are you sure that's a prince?' And we all laugh. But when I return to the palace, I become the prince again."
He paused. Yunho and Wooyoung were tense. Mingi was staring at the floor, mentally praying.
Seonghwa went on. "Most of the time, the name we bear reflects who we are. And if your son has been nameless for so long… if he is only known as Captain… I'm afraid I cannot marry him."
The Demon King's eyebrows shot up. "Why?"
Seonghwa inhaled sharply and said it:
"I refuse to marry someone who tried to kill me on my first night here."
The whole room froze.
Yunho's soul left his body for a second.
Mingi nearly choked on air.
Wooyoung silently mouthed, "Your highness, did you just—"
The Demon King stared at Seonghwa like he'd suddenly started speaking in a forgotten celestial language. His jaw tightened, but it wasn't anger. It was disbelief. Real, shaken disbelief.
"Your Highness…" he said slowly, voice dipping into something grave. "I am… sorry. Truly. This has not been brought to my notice. I had no idea."
Seonghwa straightened, shoulders pulled back, chin lifted in that quiet Silla-prince way that could slice through arrogance like a clean blade. His eyes sharpened, but his tone stayed polite… painfully polite.
"With respect, Great Lord," he said, "you signed a treaty with my father that placed me on the negotiation table. I am aware of what I agreed to. I came here as a sacrifice for the sake of my people, and I accepted that." He paused, then added bluntly, "But you and I both know this was to protect Silla from danger."
His gaze didn't waver.
"The twist, Great Lord, is that the main danger my people fear is the very danger I am expected to marry."
The King stiffened.
"I agreed to be a sacrifice," Seonghwa continued, voice steady, "but I refuse to be an actual sacrifice to a demon."
The Great Lord lifted a hand slightly. "I… I terribly apologize, Your Highness. Truly. But I still wish to understand something." His eyes narrowed with genuine concern. "You said my son tried to kill you last night."
Seonghwa let out a slow breath that trembled at the edges. "An alpha in his rut is dangerous to an omega. Everyone knows that. But a demon alpha in his rut?" He leaned forward just a hair. "I learned last night that it is far more dangerous than it should ever be."
The Demon King flinched.
Seonghwa didn't hesitate. "If I may be honest—he needs meditation. A monk's discipline. A Buddhist restraint. Something. Because with due respect, Great Lord… your son is far worse than he should be."
The words fell between them like an iron weight.
Then Seonghwa rose to his feet with practiced grace, robes whispering around him. He bowed deeply but not submissively. Respectful, yet still holding his own power.
"Nevertheless," he said, "I will marry him… if the prince apologizes for being disrespectful toward me."
Silence snapped across the room like a sheet of frost.
Mingi's eyes widened. Yunho froze mid-breath. Wooyoung quietly whispered, "We're dead," under his breath.
The Demon King inhaled sharply, spine straightening.
"…I see."
And somewhere deep in the palace, as if summoned by the weight of the words, the doors rumbled.
The Prince had heard.
Or was coming.
Or both.
He turned to leave… and nearly collided with a wall of leathered shadow.
Hongjoong stood there.
The demon prince. The captain. The walking nightmare with a grin sharp enough to slice moonlight.
Every ounce of Seonghwa's confidence tried to jump ship, but he trapped it inside his ribs.
Hongjoong's eyes dragged over him. Slow. Mocking. Possessive. A little unhinged in that I will set the world on fire if I get bored kind of way.
He cocked his head, smile crooked with danger, and spoke without breaking eye contact.
"An apology," he said, voice curling like smoke, "should be given to the one who deserves it."
Seonghwa's heartbeat tried to do crazy stunts.
Hongjoong finally looked away from him, turning slightly toward his father.
"And from what I see…" His gaze snapped back to Seonghwa like a blade returning to its sheath. "This thing Silla sent us doesn't deserve one."
The great lord froze.
The guards froze.
The hall itself froze.
Seonghwa felt fire rise to his throat, but before he could speak—
Hongjoong stepped closer. Way too close. His aura hit like a heatwave. His voice dropped, low and venom-sweet:
"Tell me, little prince… did you forget who almost died last night? Because it wasn't you."