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soobadnoonecanstopher · 7 years ago

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The Price of Privilege - Part 10 (A Kyungsoo Series)

Genre: Angst / Romance / Arranged Marriage / Royalty AU

Characters: Kyungsoo X You

Description: The time has come to marry the man your family has selected to take your hand. As royalty, these important matters are arranged for you, but when you meet your soon to be husband, he is nothing like you expected.

The Price of Privilege [M]: - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8 , part 9 , part 10 , part 11, part 12 , part 13 , part 14, part 15

When you were a child you had a recurring dream that you were trapped underwater. The threat of drowning was imminent, yet in your dream you had somehow figured out how to breathe. The trick was doing it slowly and steadily enough to seek out the rare oxygen bubbles floating within the water that would hold you over until you could reach the surface. In the dream, you could never seem to escape the water, and yet you never drowned either. It was merely an endless purgatory with no respite.

Trying to breathe in this fitting room felt just like being underwater. Your vision swam with dizziness with each turn of your head and the steady noise coming from the workers in this building was astounding.

It was supposed to be a dress fitting. You were awoken at dawn and dragged from your room by royal maids who spoke in quick words as they poked and preened at you.

This was the fifth dress. Or was it the seventh? What was abundantly clear the moment you stepped through those fancy french doors that separated you from the main hall, was that none of this was up to you. You didn't even look at the dresses as they were placed upon your body.

There was a rough tug on your back and pulled your entire frame into a stumble and you nearly lost your footing on the heels you wore. Your toes inside were numb and two hands reached for your own to steady you. The oxygen in the room grew distant and further away as the maid behind you pulled harder at the strings that constricted your waist.

Fashion, the high fashion clothing items you were often made to wear were never designed with comfort in mind. You breathed slowly and steadily. Only half as deep as you wanted to, you searched for the tiny oxygen bubbles in the water to keep from passing out. As long as you remained calm, as long as you did it slowly and carefully, you should be able to keep from drowning.

There was one thing that poked at you, unrelated to the stiff bars that lined this corset; on your way into this room, you caught the sight of another space on the opposite side of the grand foyer of this hall. The door had been left open and staff inside busied themselves with arranging, tagging and cataloging the array of crisp black tailored suits that lined the back wall of that room.

From the glimpse you caught, he hadn’t arrived yet. But the sight of those suits alone was enough to suck the air from your own lungs and settle a stone heavy over your chest. The dizziness worsened after that.

Kyungsoo would be here today.

You hadn’t seen any sign of him since that day...since the day you left him broken on the floor with the glass shards, the ripped apart fabric and fluff, and the fractured remains of the trust he had been foolish enough to give to you.

You hadn’t seen him since he caught you searching his home for what he surely saw as evidence to use against him. To strip him of his title, to bring him down, to ruin him. You hadn’t seen even a glimpse of those eyes that looked into yours with betrayal and hurt since you left that day. How many days had it been?

“What day is today?” Your voice was thready and uneasy and the maid who held you by the forearms looked up into your eyes for the briefest moment before breaking the contact and looking back down and away from you. They didn’t usually look into your eyes as they worked on you.

What would he believe?

That you and May had been working together all along? That his suspicions of your servant had been well founded and that her arrest should have been yours instead? That you were a snake and a traitor to him, sent to destroy him from the beginning?

That the love you shared with him had been a lie?

He couldn’t believe that.

Your chest constricted and the strings were pulled again. You felt a burning in the back of your eyes that you blinked away before it had the chance to come to anything. You had a face full of makeup already and crying was definitely something no one had any time for.

“It’s Wednesday, Your Highness. The wedding is this Saturday.”

The movement that rocked you on your feet went still. The pause told you that the dress was on. The torture was over for a while at least and the maid holding your arms dropped you, leaving you to balance and teeter on your own in the middle of this room full of strangers.

Two more days. You had two days to watch the tape and decide what you would do with it. Two days before you would be married into this family and this royal house ...until the day of your death.

It had taken Jun just 12 hours to obtain a cassette capture device that would convert the video with your laptop. He had delivered it inside a boutique shopping bag concealed with clothing and it sat in the corner of your bedroom since it had arrived.

The curiosity that inflated your belly was no match for the guilt that sat heavy at the base of your spine.

The doors of the fitting room swung open and the small woman with the commanding voice, the ringleader of this circus and the one who’s opinion was the only valid one, entered. Her glasses perched on the tip of her nose and your fingers itched to push them up higher onto her face. You fisted your hands at your side to keep from touching her in any way. She was entirely too engrossed in her work to tolerate any such activity from you.

“This is it. This is the one.” she cooed at the dress and you looked down for the first time at the enormous ballgown you wore. It was heavy and it constricted like a boa around your chest, sucking out what little life you had left inside your body.

“Don't you just love it?” It felt like a question directed at you but you couldn't imagine that she actually cared about your opinion. Yet the impulse to answer was strong and your lips parted to answer when another voice spoke up from somewhere behind you. “Yes, it’s perfect.” The man behind you, her assistant, of course, and the person who had been hired to stroke her sizable ego replied and you tried your best to hide the chuckle that escaped your lips; amused that you had even considered that any of them gave a damn about what you thought. “It’s grand enough to appease her family but not grander than Queen Hong’s wedding gown was.”

“Oh, nothing should be grander than the queen’s wedding gown.” The forced indignation in the woman’s voice came through loud and clear and the man nodded his head in complete agreement. They both played their parts well, careful to speak their horror at such a thought at loud enough volumes to avoid any misunderstandings about who they were really putting on such grand heirs for.

The heavy dress swayed and followed with each step you took as you were pulled out of the dressing room into the foyer with the wall lined with mirrors. What you saw, in triplicate, was the reflection of yourself stuffed, painted and adorned with enough money to feed a whole family for years.

Your ears perked up at the sound of whispers behind you and a single word stuck out.

“The prince has been located,” they all said to each other and their eyes were cast down with faces grim and lined with worry.

The prince.

Prince Kyungsoo. Your stomach churned and you wished you had eaten something before you were brought here.

The stylist spun, eyes wide and her glasses teetered closer to the edge of her nose. “The prince is coming?” she repeated the whispers at a louder volume and their faces all turned away, looking down and away from her wide eyes.

“Yes, ma’am, but--” one of the staff, a taller girl with a different uniform than the others, who clearly held more authority than the others stepped forward. Her hands were clasped together in front of her waist they were red where she squeezed them down hard. You were certain they would be trembling had she not held them together so. “--he appears to be...impaired.”

“Imp--” Her voice rose in pitch and volume, “--he’s drunk?”

“Yes, ma’am. Quite.”

The commotion on the outside of the door sent heads turning and there was a low groan in a voice you knew inside your soul.

He was a limp mass, dragged in through the door with two security agents under each arm. His legs seemed to hold themselves up just enough, but the sagging in his knees told you he wasn’t walking in here on his own. He might not even be conscious right now, from what you could tell.

Your gasping breath reached only halfway into your lungs and you coughed into it, trying to get more air into your lungs as you tried to fight against the dress. His entire head was covered with the black hood of his jacket and you could make out the shape of his chin from below. The soft curve of his lips, pink and still below the fabric and you took a step before you knew what you were doing.

But there were people in the way. Bodies of people everywhere who hovered around him and like the red sea, the crowd parted in front of you. Not for you, of course, but for the stylist. Her aura commanded obedience and the two guards lifted him up higher.

Your high heels afforded you a slight view over the woman’s head and you saw the movement of his lips as he pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth and bit down.

He was awake. He breathed in loud and deep and coughed. A ragged sound that rattled the room around you and your head swam as you tiptoed higher to see him.

You had to see him. It had been so long and he had to be okay.

At last, his legs found the ground and he pushed himself up, standing taller than he had been when he was being dragged in here and the two men at his side loosened their hold on his arms, but not releasing him.

“Let me go,” he growled in a low voice and the grip they held released his arms for a second. Just long enough for his legs to give and for him to sink down to the floor. There was a loud gasp. Something outside of the drunken man who was quickly pulled back up into a standing position and the stylist had her hands forward as she peered into Kyungsoo’s face.

“Goodness gracious, Your Highness, what have you done to yourself.” Her voice held a new sort of panic that sent your chest into a spasm. Your hands pressed against the sides of the corset hard, trying to free some space for a little more air. It worked enough for one deep gasp.

His face lifted and you saw the whites of his eyes, now red and bloodshot and his lips pulled into a wide grin as he looked into her face. His eyes didn’t seem to hold any focus at all, but that smile felt wicked as you watched it.

“Just a little haircut,” he slurred through the grin and he laughed harder, coughing again until his eyes closed up.

“Two days before your wedding?” She had a horror in her voice and her hand lifted to push the hood of his coat away from his head.

His hair was gone. Completely buzzed away, in what looked like an uneven shave job with cheap clippers, done in a fit of rage or madness.

“Wedding--” he mumbled and his tongue seemed to get in the way of his speech now, but the smile was back. Only this time you had to look away. You couldn't see this anymore. The burning in the back of your eyes returned when you closed them, wishing for it to subside quickly before you were scolded for ruining your face.

“--wedding...to...her--”

His words quit. You held your breath and swallowed and your closed eyelids fluttered and fought against your efforts.

He had stopped saying whatever it was he was trying to say and you felt a single teardrop escape through your closed eyes. You had to blink. You had to open your eyes and stop the emotions once and for all, but this room was suffocating you too much now.

When his words stopped coming there was a lull. A strange silence in the room around you and you blinked faster as your eyes roamed over the ceiling above your head. You felt desperate and you felt like you might be on fire with the heat you suddenly felt from the other side of the room.

Your own eyes betrayed you, as they always did, and you looked at him.

And his eyes had found you.

Standing just within his line of sight, dressed in the gown you would wear when you would become his wife in two day’s time, his brown eyes stared into your face with his drunken rambling words snatched from his parted lips and he stared at you.

“Strong coffee and cold water-- bring me both,” The stylist was shouting orders at the people around her and his body was pulled and shoved toward the room with the suits lining the back wall.

He was under a spell and you found yourself unable to look away from the dark gaze he kept on you.

“Your Highness, what did you have? Just alcohol? Did you take anything else?” He wasn’t answering their questions and those eyes blackened and stayed trained on you until the moment when he was pushed forcefully toward the open door of the room. Someone else was speaking to him, up close and in his face, another woman shouted questions at him, snapping her fingers in his face to get his attention off of you and onto her. Her hands touched his face and pulled open his sagging eyelids. She shook her head in exasperation at what she found.

“Jesus...your pupils-- let me see your arms.” The jacket he wore was pushed off his shoulders and on the knuckles his hands you saw the bright red of pulled-open wounds. Whatever he had been doing, his knuckles were raw from this particular bout of self-destruction.

The door was closed behind him and you felt your legs give out from under you. The dress was too heavy and it pulled you down as you sagged into a heap on the floor in front of the mirrors. The room spun too much. Your slow and careful breathing had been thrown out the window the second he looked at you and when you opened your eyes to look around you, the faces of the women who fretted and fluttered around you were tinged with black around the edges. There were flashing spots of lights that danced in your vision and you covered your mouth with your hands cupped over your nose and your mouth to try and get your frantic breathing to settle into something that would actually work to inflate your lungs.

You couldn’t manage it. You had to get this fucking dress off and you pulled at the back, trying to get ahold of something that would untie it. Anything that would free you from this prison and the panic was setting in.

“Loosen the corset.” You heard the voice of the stylist’s assistant shout at the women and you felt something give in the back of your chest.

It was like the lights had been turned on in a pitch black room and you could suddenly see the walls and the faces of the people who watched and waited for you to be sacrificed alive. But the relief of finally being able to see something was enough to make you thank them for their attendance. Your vision flashed with shadows on the wall of makeshift nooses hanging from the ceiling.

With the oxygen, came a steadying in your chest and you inhaled deeply, willing the room to stop spinning and thanking the heavens when the dark shadows stopped dancing around the backs of everyone’s heads like that.

You had a few expectations. This was, you had been told, a fitting. The stylist had been satisfied with the breath sucking ball-gown and perhaps you could slip a few bills into the palm of the staff and convince them not to tie the damn thing so tight for the ceremony on Saturday.

Would you even need to?

You had never been more unsure of anything in your life as you now were of the promises you had made to your family when you set out to marry Prince Do Kyungsoo.

The room around you was fluid; people moved as water flowing around you, lifting and tugging against your limbs like unruly waves and you were seated back inside the dressing room, somehow now separate from the ball gown that would be your demise in three day’s time.

The stylist was back and she peered down at you through the tiny round lenses perched on the tip of her nose. Her mouth was a flat line of sobriety and in her face, she wore all the tension and worry of someone who’s head would be had should this ceremony not go exactly as the queen expected.

“We might as well break for lunch. I don't want you passing out during the rehearsal.” Her voice teemed with annoyance at the very thought of something else going wrong with her two conscripted performers.

Rehearsal? Your empty stomach lurched when your mind tried to process that word and all it foreshadowed.

The food rid your mind of some of the dizziness and you sharpened your ears to the quiet whispers of the staff members that entered your room. You wished they wouldn't whisper so quietly. You craned your neck; desperate for details of what was happening in that other room. It was mostly useless, for as soon as they caught on to your smallest movements, their eyes would cast down and their lips would snap shut.

The waiting was maddening. You longed for the days when May was with you. Distracting you with her stories or with reading headlines of the latest news to you. Anything to keep you connected to the world you lived in. Here, with these standoffish strangers, you felt like you had been cut off from any semblance of reality. You hadn’t even heard the latest updates from the social media world. Was Prince Chanyeol still posting snippets of his music on SoundCloud? Was Crown Prince Minseok still the nation’s most eligible bachelor?

Had Prince Baekhyun had any more news reports of public indecency that managed to make it past the royal press filters into the trashy tabloid magazines that you caught once or twice peeking out of the bags of staff members that frequented your rooms. The bright colored publications with outlandish headlines spread over the smiling face of the man who’s innocent smile was branded almost wide enough to hide the obvious mischief in his eyeliner-smudged eyes.

Before becoming as familiar with the man as you now were, you would have dismissed the stories as baseless gossip articles filled with shocking lies to sell magazines. Now that you had experienced Prince Baekhyun in real life, you were pretty sure all those articles from last year were true and he had indeed been involved in that underground gambling ring where the currency was only actual money when wild sexual favors or risky illegal substances could not be offered up instead. With as much as you knew about him now, it was a goddamn miracle that he wasn’t in the news every night with a story more shocking than the nights before.

“What is the rehearsal for?” Your question was peppered into the face of the person closest to you. She had been standing very still for so long you weren't even sure she was still awake, but she jumped when she heard you.

There was a quick bow of her head, too deep for such a small space with no witnesses to judge her deference to you, “Umm--,” she stammered, “The live broadcast of the wedding, Your Highness. The director wanted to do a few run-throughs for cameras and lighting. Also, the press reporters are here for the publicity photos. ”

Of course. You felt silly for being so out of the loop and now that she had told you, you recalled mention of the wedding being broadcast live in both countries. It was to be a public execution after all.

“You’ll have to get dressed again soon. I hear they are almost ready, Your Highness.”

You would have to face him. Up close and in the flesh, you would have to look at his face and see the hurt in his eyes. Did you even have the guts to look into those eyes right now?

You had little time to contemplate such inevitabilities because the stylist was back and the dress was stitched up again, cinching tightly around your already sore ribs and you practiced slow and steady corset breathing to keep your mind as clear enough to follow the director’s orders.

It felt like living inside of a movie. One of those dramatic films with villains and mysteries and murders. It definitely didn't feel like real life with the bright lights and sound crew making adjustments to hidden microphones trapped within vases and wrapped around the necks of pillars lining the foyer. You were sure the wires you saw would be hidden with fresh and elaborate floral arrangements on Saturday.

Men with security uniforms kept a still and silent vigil at the doors, keeping out anyone who should not be here, and no doubt keeping in anyone who might want to make a run for it. Not that you could make it three feet in these heels; with as heavy as this gown was. Crewmembers wearing headsets and earpieces spoke to someone as they tested their voices around you.

“Your Highness,” a low voice echoed behind your head and you turned to find the top of a head, caught mid bow, “I will be the stand-in for your father for the rehearsals. Please, may I have your hand?”

You heard a pushed up confidence in the voice and when he lifted his face to look at you there was a boyish pinkness in his cheeks. Your face must have shown the recognition for a moment and he straightened his shoulders and dropped his eyes from yours.

“I-If that is okay with you, of course. If you feel uncomfortable with me, I can get someone else—“

“Jun, It’s lovely to see you again. Of course.” You reached for his arm and gripped tightly around his palm. Jun, the young security guard whose eyes were too kind for this place. Jun, who have given you exactly what you needed to watch that cassette tape you had stolen from Kyungsoo’s most prized possession, and Jun, who felt sturdy and strong beside you as you rested your forearm over his. He held you steady and upright when all you wanted to do was sway with the thunderstorms that raged within your chest. You could do this. You could walk down that aisle and face the man who you had sinned against, as long as you could borrow a little bit of Jun’s strength to do so.

“—marble stairway — grand foyer — flowers, of course, the flowers,” the shrill voice of the stylist could be heard echoing into the expansive space just beyond your sight and you found yourself led to the top of the stairway she must have been talking about. Beside you, Jun was explaining the progression that the ceremony would take and you stared down at the steps before you.

“Of course, we’ve done a few run-throughs already, Your Highness. This will be the final one; so you and Prince Kyungsoo know how the real thing will go.”

“Is he here too?” You couldn't help your curiosity. He had seemed to be in no shape to stand at the end of that aisle without dropping into a drunken heap when you saw him hours ago.

“Yes ma’am, Prince Kyungsoo is inside.” Jun was quick with his response to your question and you inhaled as deeply as you could before your lips parted to ask a follow-up question while you had the chance, while you had his valuable intelligence all to yourself at this moment.

“Is he...okay?”

But Jun had heard something in his earpiece and lifted a finger over his ear toward the sound, breaking the eye contact, his shoulders tensed and you felt the moment lost.

“The Princess is ready,” he said into the empty air in front of him and you wanted to protest. You weren’t ready to face him. There were a lot of steps, this staircase was fucking massive and there were cameras in your peripherals that made you dizzy as you tried your best not to look at them. He leaned forward, bringing you along with him as he began to move down the stairs. The steady hum of movement and noise from the staff around you had gone suddenly silent as you both began to make your way.

You weren't ready. But you were going anyway. Your own two feet surprised you with the way they moved smoothly down each step. Years of training coming to your rescue you merely moved forward with your chin held high and the elegance of your significant breeding oozed from your every pore. You were made for this. You had been carefully preened and crafted throughout your entire life for moments like this one and despite the torture happening inside your chest, your body, you could at least count on your body to behave itself when it really came down to the obedience that was expected of you.

It was all you had ever known.

“Cue music — lights.” Someone wearing a headset, holding a clipboard with trembling hands whispered in the shadows and you caught their movement with a brief glance. You could hear the flourish of the orchestra on the other side of the enormous doors and you wondered if the musicians had been practicing for months for this.

“Doors,” the shadows said, and before you, the doors swung open. The music grew louder, the lights sparkled and blinded you and your steps did not once slow down. Jun walked at an impressively steady pace and you followed along as you always had done.

The hall was enormous. You’d expected nothing less and your steady focus on the space in front of you was wavering as your eyes fought to focus, fought against the ingrained habit you had instilled in yourself to always look ahead in times like this. You were expected to remain poised and professional, not turn your head as shift your eyes frantically around the room. That wasn't the way a princess behaved.

But Goddammit did your eyes try and fight you. Your breathing quickened and Jun must have felt the change because his hand tightened below yours, fingers slipping around the side of your palm, he squeezed down lightly once.

There were cameras following your face down the aisle and you felt saliva pool inside your mouth, making you swallow quickly at the excess. Your heartbeat echoed in your eardrums and your steps felt sluggish as if the carpet below your feet was suddenly loose sand.

You forced your eyes forward. You could make it. You blanked out your face as much as you could and inhaled again, slowly and steadily. You were nearly there. You had nearly made it and you hadn’t given in to the burning in your eyeballs that begged and screamed for you to look at him.

He was right there. There was a shadow of a man. There was a smudge in black standing at attention at the end of the row and you could only make out the shape of him. A statue. Standing as still as could be. You swallowed again and you felt a quiet hiccup in your chest. The shadow moved and you blinked to moisten your drying eyes. The man at the end of the row took one small step forward and even with your focus trained on the wooden pulpit that sat atop a stage just beyond, you could see enough to recognize the shape and the size of Prince Kyungsoo.

Your Kyungsoo.

Your eyes were blinking quicker now and as if he were the North Pole and you, a compass with a single destination… and you looked.

It was Kyungsoo. It was your Kyungsoo, the man you loved, the man you had hurt and tricked and stolen from, the man who believed you had betrayed him utterly and completely, it was Kyungsoo and he — he was really here.

They had cleaned him up. You always knew he was the sort of handsome that took your breath away, but even with his hair gone (and it was completely gone, the shave job had been uneven and rash before this, but someone must have gone over it with sharp clippers today) even with the long evenings of self destruction and the fresh salve over his knuckles that shone against the bright lights, the man was undeniably beautiful. The suit he wore was fitted to his frame perfectly, pressed expertly and down to the shine on his patent leather shoes there was not a thread out of place on the outside.

Your breath caught again and your feet halted mid-step. A warmth over your hand though sharpened your mind to the change you had given in to. Jun placed his other hand on yours and squeezed down once more, pulling your attention from the frozen man in that perfect black suit, back toward your task at hand.

Jun’s eyes were on you, careful and cautious he lifted a single eyebrow in your direction with his silent question. You gave him your eyes for a second in response, shallowly nodded your head once and focused your attention on your intended pathway. Away from such tempting distractions like Kyungsoo’s tightly clenched fists that turned white around the raw redness of his knuckles as he stood with his jaw clenched and his eyes stared at the stained glass windows that lined the hall opposite of himself.

He had been so much stronger than you had been. Kyungsoo didn’t look at you once.

The ceremony felt familiar. You had seen plenty of royal weddings before and you merely moved where you were told to move, and stood beside the silent man with every ounce of your self-control working to max volume to keep from staring at his hands, his skin, his arms, his profile.

You were only successful half of the time. The pull to him was much too strong.

“Now the groom will face the bride.” The officiant, an old man you had never met before today was speaking out his instructions and you pivoted your legs in place to face where Kyungsoo had been silently waiting.

He didn't move. You were sure he had been paying attention to the officiant, as he had complied with the other instructions given, yet he stood still facing the front of the hall with his face blank and still.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, could you please face the bride?” The old man repeated the instruction and you saw the knot on the side of Kyungsoo’s jaw loosen and unclench as he swallowed. His jaw clenched down hard again when he was done and he blinked once.

“No,” he whispered out once and his eyelids half closed with the quiet word that left his lips. His ears were bright red and his eyes shone with moisture.

The officiant’s face paled just enough for him to have registered the response from the prince and for a second, the man was dumbfounded. Until his lips pulled into a smile and he nodded his head twice, the smile wider than this situation warranted.

“Ahh, you must not want to see her in her wedding dress yet.” The old man chuckled to himself, “I assure you, Your Highness, that is just a superstition. But if you don't want to look at her just yet, you are a man of great fortitude indeed. She is truly lovely today. Well, I suppose we can just skip ahead. You will take her hand, exchange the rings as you state your vows—“

“Are we done here then?” Kyungsoo’s gruff interruption grated on your ears and you longed for the stability of Jun’s arm again as the floor seemed to vibrate below your feet.

“Oh, umm...” The officiant looked over the book he held in his hands, slipping a finger over the page down the steps for the upcoming ceremony. “Well...I suppose you can move on to the photoshoot now. Everything else here happens real time on Saturday—“

“Good. I’ll leave first then.” Kyungsoo had already spun on his heels before the man could give his official word that nothing else was needed from him here in the wedding hall and you saw his fists unclench at last as he reached up to pull roughly at the tight bow tie around his neck.

“No, Your Highness, don't take that off yet, we need to do the pictures,” a short woman who you had seen working with the stylist chased behind him, her hands outstretched as she struggled to walk backward and re-tie the decorative bow that he had destroyed in a few swift movements.

“I never agreed to any pictures,” he barked back angrily and the woman flinched as his arm swung and pushed her off of him.

“Oh, but you did, my dear.” A new voice, one that brought with it a slithering shiver up your spine and sent a wave of gasps throughout the hall broke through the tension and Kyungsoo spun with his eyes wide to catch sight of who had just arrived through the parted doors in the back. She moved swiftly through the staff who bowed lowly and parted like the Red Sea upon her approach and you quickly dropped your head in deference as Queen Hong approached Prince Kyungsoo.

The gasping voices settled into a silence that hummed in your eardrums as the woman took a stand halfway in between where you had been frozen in place and where Kyungsoo had been yanking roughly at the knot around his neck. His hands had fallen along with his face when he realized who had arrived and his eyes blinked frantically as she leaned in, close enough to touch him if she wished to.

“Your Majesty,” Kyungsoo’s voice was soft and you could hear the pain hidden just below the surface that he ignored and spoke around. “I was just,” Those eyes blinked faster as he searched back and forth at his feet for his excuse.

“What have you done to your hair, Kyungsoo?” His eyes closed when her hand lifted and touched the skin at the back of his neck and he was frozen under her touch. “What have I always told you about controlling yourself, these impulses you have, Dear, they must always be kept in check.” His nostrils flared briefly with the inhale of breath.

“Leave us,” Queen Hong called out into ears of the staff behind her and heads which had been bowed popped up and into action as cameras were switched off and posts were abandoned in an instant. Your breath caught in your own throat as you quickly spun on your heels ready to vacate the hall as well when the face of a servant woman, one you often saw in the queen’s entourage, caught your eye and shook her head in response to your movement.

Whatever this was, you were required to stay put.

“Now, now Kyungsoo,” the false sweetness you had heard laid on thick when the cameras had been rolling, somehow without the necessity of the act sounded even more vile to your ears now that nobody else was around to watch her show. Yet she didn’t drop the act. You wondered if this was somehow for your benefit. All you could do was watch as her hand tightened around the back of his neck and his eyes lifted to meet hers. He inhaled a quiet sharp breath and you could make out the way his skin pulled tight under her fingernails.

His hair was short enough that if she squeezed in any tighter the red marks on his skin would show on camera. The pain she inflicted would have to be well controlled to keep up the game.

Kyungsoo’s hands hung limply at his side and he looked into the queen’s face with as blank an expression as he could muster.

“Haven’t I been a good mother to you? Haven’t I treated you as one of my own children?”

There was a grunt from somewhere within his chest and his eyes squeezed together in pain as he quickly nodded his head up and down, agreeing with whatever she said at this point to stop the pain.

He was closer now. Your feet must have moved on their own and you looked into your own two hands that were outstretched toward the two in surprise. What the hell were you doing? Did you really dare interrupt this?

When his eyes opened he caught your movement and those eyes held onto yours in wide panic.

Stop.

Don’t.

Those eyes screamed at you and you took another step. She was hurting him. Her other hand had found a spot at the front of his neck and he lifted his own hands futilely, wanting to stop the assault but not having the courage to do so.

“You only need to cooperate with this. That’s all I’ve ever asked of you. It’s already done Kyungsoo, you signed the agreement years ago, this ceremony is nothing but a formality.”

Another step from your legs and you saw the tick of her head as her ears recognized the sound of your movement behind her back and the widening of his eyes couldn’t have stopped you even if you had any control over what you were doing.

Your outstretched hands, the ones that wanted desperately to touch at his wounds and comfort his pain twitched and reached for her neck. Your fingertips longed to feel the warmth of her flesh as you squeezed down fast and hard against her throat. The hunger inside your belly would certainly be satisfied to feel the crush of her windpipe.

“Yes..M-Mother,” Kyungsoo shouted through hoarse vocal cords and you heard the rough gasp he took to speak through her tightened hands.

“I’ll do it, Mother, I promise you I’ll do everything I’ve promised you. Please believe me. I am so thankful to you.” The words flew quickly, his wide eyes still on your face and his volume raising as her fingers loosened their grip and rubbed slowly from his neck down to smooth out his suit jacket which had fallen out of place with the struggle.

“I knew you would see reason, my darling,” she cooed and ignored the loud gasp of breath he took as she tugged at the shirt he wore below the jacket.

“Now, you’ll have some photos taken for the press and I’m sure you’ll both look like the loving couple the country expects to see.”

When her attention shifted away from him, you had already taken a step back and away from her, away from the dark thoughts that had been flying through your mind as she had her hands on him and you lowered your eyes a second before she turned to fully examine you.

She was quiet for a moment, lost in whatever judgments on your appearance she was cultivating and you glanced up to meet the purse of her lips and her nose turned up in displeasure.

“The dress is fine, but you should change the red nails and lips to something with at least a little bit of class.”

You fisted your hands to hide your nails and pulled your lips in between your teeth. The instinct to hide from this woman was stronger than anything you had felt before.

“That’s unless you want everyone in the nation to know just how easy it was for him to get you into his bed.” She emphasized the word ‘easy’ with a scowl of disgust.

“Of course, she will change the red,” Kyungsoo spoke up again, from behind the queen and in some obvious attempt to protect you from the harsh judgment. His voice held more authority than before. Perhaps it was easier to speak up when he wasn’t face to face with the full vileness of the woman who picked over your every detail with a fine tooth comb. “You are completely right. Something subtle and lovely to compliment your magnanimous generosity, Mother.”

You could taste the bile on the back of your tongue. An involuntary reaction to the heavy-handed forced compliments he hurled from his lips and yet, her shoulders lifted as she pulled her head up and her focus away from your face.

Sated, for now, by whatever flowery words he’d spewed from his lips, she left with a warning glance in his direction, taking her people with her. They followed like well-trained puppies on the heels of their master.

The press photo shoot was actually a single photographer with a lighting set up before a pretty background. They really only needed one or two good shots for the press release and after a quick makeup detour to address the red you took your spot below the bright lights standing right where the small X was drawn in masking tape on the carpet below your heels.

After not much of a pause at all, Kyungsoo joined you, standing right on the other X, having timed his appearance so perfectly you wondered if he had been secretly watching from the wings for your arrival.

You wondered if he was feeling more sober now that this was nearly over and he could return to the calm quiet of his home, or if he would resume the wild bender that this wedding rehearsal had so clearly interrupted.

You wondered if his neck was sore. You could make out faint little red moons just within his hairline, not dark enough to show through the extra makeup that had been applied, at least not from far away. You were close enough to see them. She had not broken the skin this time.

You wondered if he would ever look at you or if he would continue the charade that he somehow could simply avoid looking at you for the rest of your married life together.

You wondered a lot, but as the camera flashes went off, hot and bright in your face, you simply held your posture and smiled when the photographer called for it.

You were much more liberal with your glances in his direction without the prying lenses of the cameras catching your every minuscule facial expression in high-definition. The eyes of the still images were much less observant, and the staff that surrounded you politely looked away whenever you would let their eyes linger on your own for longer than a few seconds.

At first, the poses were all front facing. Nothing that required either of you to stand too close to each other, or face each other in any way that might require touching or eye contact. All the while, he remained compliant and silent and when you heard the photographer request an embrace, you flinched to feel the warmth of Kyungsoo’s arms wrap lightly, if not chastely, around your shoulders.

It felt downright brotherly, yet the body heat coating your back, reaching far up to coat your exposed shoulders in the gentle kind of warmth you feared you may never feel from him again in your lifetime. The surprise of the embrace made you stiffen in his arms and your face must have betrayed the shock. The camera clicks halted and the photographer popped his head up from behind his equipment to look at you.

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

No. Not even a little bit. Thanks. You were able to force a smile, rid yourself of the wide shocked eyes for long enough for the man to be satisfied that he had not asked you to cross some line you weren’t comfortable crossing, and he resumed his work.

“Could the bride tilt her head back?” The instructions from the man had all been easy enough to follow, yet you could feel the heat from Kyungsoo’s head behind you. You could hear the steady in and out of his breathing and you knew that if you did such a thing you would certainly come into close contact with his cheek, or perhaps even his forehead.

So when you did move, it was a centimeter back at best. The photographer’s hand was raised, fingers waving in the air, urging you to lean back, to go ahead and rest your tired and weary head against the man you loved, for the sake of the picture, for the sake of the nation and their thirst for a couple deep in the fiery throes of love. Just do it.

“Come on, he’s right there, just move your head back just a little bit more.” How long had it taken you to get to this point? How many photographs had this man taken of the two of you slowly moving closer and closer to each other just so he could line you both up perfectly in this position for this one shot that you could tell he wanted quite badly.

More than anything, you wanted this photo shoot to be over. You closed your eyes and you sank. The fatigue of the day culminating into a single motion, you sank down into him, the back of your head rested lightly over a firm shoulder, when you turned into him you could feel the smooth curve of his neck on your forehead and when you dared to look there was the bounce of his Adam’s apple before you. You had to tilt back some to focus on it and the action caused you to fall further down his shoulder. You found yourself cradled in his arms, looking up into the down-cast eyes of Kyungsoo as he looked right into your face.

Your breath was lost. His dark eyes watched your face and for a second he merely looked at you with a positively lost expression in his eyes.

“Wonderful! Just like that,” the photographer shouted in glee and the camera clicked furiously, “Absolutely beautiful. I can feel the love in the way you both look at each other.”

You half expected a violent or hostile reaction from him. It loomed in the back of your mind, threatening to crash ashore in rock crushing stormy waves but Kyungsoo stood frozen as he looked into your eyes; unblinking and unmoving.

You wanted your own eyes to have a language all of their own. I’m sorry. I love you. I’m sorry. They blinked at him desperate to communicate, yet his own eyes did not know the language.

Of course, it was a mistake. Even as you did it, you knew it was a mistake. A request was whispered out somewhere in the room and perhaps they had all been whisked up into this little daydream of love when they said it, but you heard a giggle and the word kiss urged into the air. And you were out of line to lean up and press your own lips unto his soft motionless ones.

The millisecond of contact felt like salvation and damnation all in one. His reaction was that of being singed with a hot iron straight from the fire. All at once he stiffened, backtracked, and retreated. Dropping his hold on you, his arms left your side and his eyes hardened to pure blackness.

You stumbled and nearly lost your balance, only recovering long enough to catch his retreating back as he turned on a dime and walked straight out of the room.

The quiet confusion of the staff in the room quickly changed to murmurs and soon enough, acceptance as the photographer declared the photo-session to be over. He certainly seemed pleased with the shots he had gotten and you were shuttled back into that familiar dressing room to, at last, remove the corseted wedding gown.

The soft silence that filled the room inflated the air around you. Your mood, fragile before, was steadily sinking into the soft carpeting below your now bare feet. Since when had silence felt so heavy? Your corset was gone, yet you felt more suffocated now with the overabundance of so much quiet oxygen.

You were a fool. Your fingers slapped against your own lips admonishingly, scolding yourself for being so stupid and so weak. Each rough slap against your parted lips stung again and again as your fit was ignored and the dress was peeled off of you in layers. You stepped out of it when you were told to and were halfway through slipping down the slip-like underdress that you wore over your underwear when a shriek at the door of the dressing room caught you by surprise. You quickly pulled the garment up again to cover yourself. A maid was pushed aside as if she were made of no more than an empty plastic bag.

“Please, Your Highness, she is changing,” a small voice begged and pulled at the limbs of the angry man who sought you out You could hear his voice, familiar in tone and pitch, yet masked behind foul words and hateful rage.

“Leave us. Now. All of you, get out this instant.” Kyungsoo was loud and commanding and the women quickly dropped handfuls of expensive garments, shoes, jewelry where they stood and vacated the room without even sparing you a worried glance. They simply left you behind with those black eyes that sought yours with the steady aim of a sniper.

“K-Kyungsoo-“ There was a definite tremble in your voice. Whether from being caught off guard by his sudden intrusion or because of the guilt that twisted and turned inside your belly every time you looked at him, you had no way of knowing.

While you had been afforded a chance to rid yourself of the ceremony clothing during the silence that had felt so unbearable, it was clear that Kyungsoo had been too wound up for any of his maids to have a shot at stripping him of his suit. Now knowing the alternative to that silence, you felt even more like a fool for not recognizing and appreciating the reprieve you had from this madness inside of him. You longed for that silence once again. For anything but this.

He tensed and trembled as his feet moved his body back and forth in front of you, pacing like a caged tiger, his fists were clenched into tight balls and his eyes narrowed onto your face intensely, following you with each pass he made.

“You,” He lifted a finger and thrust it roughly into the air in front of your face, “Why are you here?”

His feet slowed their movement and he watched your face with his eyes wide and his lips pulled into a hard line.

“What? Kyungsoo, this is the rehearsal for the wedding.” You knew better than to play dumb with him. You knew he wouldn't accept this as an answer and you knew this wasn’t at all what he meant by this question. You were out of moves though and you were having trouble making your mind come up with an answer to his question which would have even a diminutive impact on the emotions that had taken hold of his mind. Already crowding you in, he took another step into you and you instinctively took a step back. Your arms were already folded carefully across your belly in some futile attempt to protect yourself.

“Why are you here?” He repeated the question in a louder voice, his eyes were wider now and the clarity you saw in his black eyes as he repeated the question accentuated the seriousness of the situation.

“B-Because, I’m going to marry you, Kyungsoo, for my country, for my family, b-because I lov-“

“Bullshit.” He cut you off through clenched teeth and you saw his hands lift on either side of your face. You tried to watch them moving, glancing quickly from one side to the other before you lost sight of both hands. He was too close to you now and another step backward blanketed your back in cold Sheetrock as you ran out of room to retreat into.

“It’s the truth, I had no other motives in coming here.” You longed for more stability in your voice. You longed for a little bit of control over the ragged way your breath pulled inside your lungs audibly. You lifted a hand to lay on your own chest and closed your eyes as you willed your heart to slow down its frantic pace.

“Oh, are you going to start telling me the truth now? Is that what we are doing?”

When you opened your eyes again he was watching you, his lips pulled into a humorless grin with his teeth bared. You couldn’t keep looking into those eyes, not with the way he was watching yours so closely for any signs that you were trying to trick him. Everything about him was untrusting of you and you hated it. Behind the anger and the doubt, there was more. There was pain. So much pain was hiding inside those eyes. You wanted to close up and hide away from it all but when you tried closing your eyes you felt a firm grip of his hand on the back of your neck. His fingertips threaded themselves through your hair and he squeezed, not hard enough to cause pain, but enough for you to know that he could, if he wanted to.

“Look at me,” he growled when you tried to hide and you felt like you might just be sick all over his fancy suit. “I’m going to ask you something and I want you to tell me the truth.”

“Of course,” you whispered with your eyes wide and on his, hopefully, they displayed as much honesty as you could manage. You were beginning to feel desperate and such desperation had a way of pulling the truth from your chest. At this point you just wanted him to stop looking at you like you were the enemy. He couldn't possibly believe that of you.

His lips parted to speak and nothing came out as his eyes roamed over your face. You could feel the frantic anger that had taken his sanity abating some, with you so obviously compliant to his line of questioning, his breathing had slowed down and he was working out his exact line of questioning in his head now.

“B-Before that,” his voice had dropped some and the space between your faces lengthened as he leaned away from you. This was nervous. This was hard for him to bring up, you could tell this much just by the way his eyes broke their contact with yours for a brief moment. “The tape. You haven’t watched it yet, have you?”

It didn't exactly feel like a question with the way his lips hung open and his focus darted around, never quite looking at you head on.

“O-Otherwise I don't believe you would have shown up today, if-if you saw that...if you knew what was good for you, you’d have used it against me...or you’d be gone.”

You didn't respond. The guilt and shame you felt for your actions surrounding the tape, the alleged video evidence of his mother’s murder, and by his own hand no less, it had a way of leaving you struck dumb and actionless. Hell, the stupid thing still sat in the exact same spot in your room since you’d secured the equipment to play it from Jun.

He’d gone silent when you did and you could feel the movement as his hand let go of the back of your neck and slipped off of your skin entirely. His eyes were cast down and unfocused and he blinked again and again in silence before you heard him clear his throat quietly and inhale a gasping breath to speak.

“D-Did you sleep with me that night so you could search my home for the tape?”

The heat of his hand was gone but you felt the warmth of blood rushing to the surface of the skin at the back of your neck. You could feel your pulse quicken again when you heard the question he uttered from his lips and there was a quiet ringing sounding out in your eardrums that seemed to pulse with your heartbeat.

The memory of that night was haunting you. The visions of you pretending to be drunker than you were so you could gain access to his home, so you could begin your search for the tape. It was so clear, the look of acquiescence on his face as he gave in to your silly drunken requests and allowed you to spend the night with him. The show you had put on when you were caught the first time.

I have a headache. I was looking for aspirin.

Lie after lie that tumbled from your lips like an avalanche that night and Kyungsoo, weak to you, falling for every word. You could still remember the smell of him on your skin and the sounds of love from his lips.

You were acutely aware that your silence, incriminating as hell, was going on for too long and you felt like you might actually be sick if you had to answer for the lies you had told him.

His eyes stopped their blinking and he looked at you and from where you stood you could see the raw pain on his face. He breathed through his nose and his bottom lip twitched involuntarily as he waited and watched you stand in complete silence.

And then he was trembling. It matched the shaking you felt within your own chest and you closed your eyes again when your eyes began burning too much for you to bear.

“Why won't you answer me?” His voice was hoarse and interrupted by a small crack in confidence. “Did you fuck me that night in order to search my home? Did you pretend to be drunk so I brought you home and then when I caught you...you...fuck, how could you be this cruel?”

His hands were up, covering his own face with his fingertips pressed hard into his closed eyes and you could feel your own resolve crumbling. You were shaking your head, or it was moving on its own, a desperate plea with your own memories that somehow that hadn’t been what happened when inside you knew your memory of that night was intact.

You told him you would tell him the truth. Yet the truth, this truth felt worse than any other possible alternative. This truth painted you as the worst kind of scum. The worst evil villain who he had yet to encounter. You had taken the love he had given you and used it for your own purposes and left him an empty shell of a person, broken and lost as he tried in vain to piece together the lies you had fed him for answers. And after you got what you wanted from him, you merely took it and left him to clean up the wreckage.

“Yes. Yes, I did. I’m sorry,” you whispered through the tears that dripped down your face and you heard a gasp from him. You deserved to feel this pain too. You had broken your own heart when you shattered his.

When his lungs had pulled in as much air as they could stand his fist flew hard into the wall behind your head and you closed your eyes as you braced for the impact. It was loud. His face contorted in agony and he screamed as the violence and anger took hold of his limbs and his fists pounded into the wall next to your head. You cried out, hurling your hands over your head to protect yourself. You curled into your own body to hide from it, to hide from his pain that had found an outlet in a swift fist smashed again and again into crumbling sheetrock.

You had made your way out of the path of his fist and uncovered your head to the sounds of his silent heavy breathing. Out of concern, out of habit your eyes flew over his body, assessing the damage that he had done to himself this time and you saw flowing red from the battered knuckles of his right hand, the same hand that you noticed the wounds on before and you reached.

You reached and the tips of your fingers contacted the wet sticky warmth of his hand a second before you felt the swift swing of that same arm lift up hard to escape your touch.

“Don't.” He hissed and you grabbed at the air in front of you with your now empty hands before opening them in front of you to show him that you wouldn’t. “I’ll have you arrested for treason. That’s what this is. You’ve—fuck, you stole...lied...used me...”

You could hear the disconnect in his speech and your stomach churned as his betrayal gave voice to plans for revenge. He didn’t have long to formulate any solid plan for what exactly your punishment would be when the door of the dressing room swung open wide and three members of the security team burst through the door. Their faces were controlled despite the scene they uncovered with their intrusion and your eyes caught the worried glance of Jun who stood in the center of the small group of brave men who would dare intrude on a royal matter such as this one.

The men bowed at the waist, apologies for the blatant interruption all over Jun’s lips and when he lifted his head, Jun’s eyes seemed to linger over your form for longer than necessary. Watching his face, it was clear he was looking for injuries. Jun had heard the noise in this room and was concerned for your well being. Was this the reason why they had come in here? Surely he couldn’t be so naive.

“What is it?” Kyungsoo demanded an answer and Jun took a step forward with an envelope in his hand. Whatever he had in that little package had better be mighty important to warrant such behavior. Kyungsoo looked down at the package that was thrust into his hand. “Can't this wait?”

“There has been a development, Your Highness. In the case of May Kim, the body found in the trunk of the car has been positively identified. The dental records match, Sir. It’s her.”

No. You clenched down hard on your teeth and closed your eyes. No, it was not May. You knew from Baekhyun and Sehun that the dental records from the body taken from the morgue had been planted in May’s childhood dentist’s office as part of the cover-up. It must have taken Kyungsoo’s investigators a few days to obtain the records for testing and now, they had fallen for the ploy, just as the two princes had planned.

No, this wasn’t right. This wasn’t true. How many more lies did you have hidden inside your body that you would be forced to face later once they were uncovered? How much more must you keep from him?

“A-And… the baby was...as well?” It was a whispered question in Kyungsoo’s broken voice and Jun’s face grimaced before he nodded his head.

“Of course, it would have been too young to survive,” Jun said.

“Leave,” Kyungsoo said weakly to the men and Jun looked into your face once more before nodding his head and leaving the room.

You felt broken, bruised, battered, and sick of the lies you had been filled up with. You had to tell him. Could you tell him? Did you dare? The deception had been Sehun’s to save his love from certain death. To save his unborn child. If you told Kyungsoo of the lies now who would be thrown to the gallows in her place? You? Sehun? Baekhyun?

Your mind was churning in the silence that followed Jun’s exit. Kyungsoo was motionless, his back leaning against the very wall he had so wildly beaten until his fist was broken and bloodied and he looked as if the life had simply vanished from his eyes. He was frozen with the corner of the envelope clutched in between his index finger and thumb until gravity won and its contents spilled out onto the floor at his feet.

There were reports of some kind. There were results. And there were pictures too gruesome for anyone to stomach and with their unapologetic display, the man slipped slowly, he let his legs give out and he crumbled like an empty sack, used up and discarded. When his head dropped, his chin met his sternum and the pain flew freely from his crumpled face. And he was weeping. Openly and desolately.

“It’s my fault,” He cried, “-the baby. May. It’s all my fault. I did this. I’m the monster.”

No.

No, Kyungsoo. You didn’t do this. This wasn’t you. It’s not May. That’s not May. May is alive. May is safe. You are being tricked. This is the only way they can save her and the baby.

The words begged and pleaded on the tip of your tongue to be told.

But not a single sound would come out of your mouth.

The Price of Privilege [M]: - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8 , part 9 , part 10 , part 11, part 12 , part 13 , part 14, part 15

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zillowcondo · 8 years ago

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Troodos Mountains and Lofou – Rural Cyprus at its Best

Cyprus is blessed with year round sunshine, fantastic beaches and a rich archaeological heritage. Yet it’s also one of the top ecotourism destinations worldwide. When deciding where to stay in Cyprus, consider combining a beach stay with a trip to Troodos Mountains and Lofou village. Rural tourism is well established here and you’ll be surprised by the variety of accommodation and activities on offer. Take a look at some of the highlights here.

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Troodos Mountains

Troodos is the highest range of Cyprus mountains, situated in the centre of the island but within easy reach of the coast. Dotted with cedar and pine trees, it was nominated Best Emerging Rural Destination in Cyprus. Troodos weather can be a bit unpredictable so make sure to pack warm clothes for the evening and a waterproof jacket. In fact, those heading to Mount Olympus, the peak of the Troodos Mountains at 1,952 meters, should even take a ski jacket as there are four ski slopes! If you’re looking for a charming Troodos hotel, then Ambelikos Agro Hotel is a perfect choice. Driving through the scenic forest towards the hotel, we were impressed with the quality of the roads.

Ambelikos Agro Hotel

This traditional agro hotel is located in the heart of Troodos in Potamitissa village. The sense of calm is all-encompassing and the views over the surrounding mountains are stunning. We met the owner of Ambelikos at the hotel reception who checked us in speedily. Our room had a balcony overlooking the valley with a lovely four-poster bed. We dined twice at Ambelikos and the river trout is particularly good so try that if you go. A simple salad of fresh tomatoes and feta cheese was elevated to something special by the quality of the ingredients. Troodos is well established as a wine making region and we sampled Tsiakkas wine with our meals. This family run winery in nearby Pelendri is known for the quality of its organic wine. We also enjoyed a hearty breakfast of local cheese, meat, bread and jam in the courtyard under the vines.

Agros Village

Agros is renowned for its rose water distillation and cultivation of roses. The Tsolakis family chose this region 70 years ago for its nutrient-rich soil, cool climate and high altitude as the ideal location in which to plant its roses. They’re not any old roses though, they’re beautiful pink ones known as Rosa Damascena or damask roses. Since then, The Rose Factory has established a complete range of skin and bodycare products using rose essential oil and organic rosewater, Venus Rose Cosmetics. They also produce rose candles, chocolates, vinegar, jam, tea and liqueur! There’s a Rose Festival in the village in the first half of May which sounds like great fun.

A few minutes away from the Rose Factory on Triantafyllou St. you’ll find Nikis Sweets workshop. Housed in a picturesque stone building adorned with paper roses, it’s a cottage industry that employs many local women. They use only pure ingredients with no added preservatives to make the most delicious spoon sweets and jams including hawthorn, which you only find in Cyprus. We’ve tasted it and it was superb! On our factory tour, we saw the distinctive Cypriot Soutzioukos sweets drying on racks. They’re made with a mix of local white grape juice, rosewater and wholewheat flour, into which strings of almonds or walnuts are dipped. Nikis Sweets are sold all over Cyprus and exported to Asia, the USA and Europe.

Fikardou Rural Museum

Fikardou is a picture perfect village that has been protected by the Cyprus Department of Antiquities and transformed into a Rural Museum. It was deserted in the early 19th century and the traditional Cyprus houses have now been preserved, with two of them being converted into museums. The house of Achilleas Dimitri is now a weaver’s workshop, whilst the House of Katsinioros has many agricultural tools on display. We spent a few hours strolling around, seeing cats basking in the sunshine and people relaxing at a local taverna. It’s open from 8.30 am to 4 pm, Monday to Sunday.

The Painted Churches of Palaichori

The village of Palaichori is fortunate to have 4 surviving Byzantine churches. The Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour is UNESCO listed as one of the painted churches in the Troodos Region. In all, there are 10 painted churches in the Troodos region included in the list. Mr. Kyriakos Lagos kindly showed us around the church and gave us a potted history of this impressive site.From the outside, the building with its steep wooden roof is fairly typical of local churches in the 16th century. Its the interiors that are truly exceptional, with stunning Byzantine wall paintings. On the upper section, the Cycle of Christ is depicted, whilst the lower level comprises paintings of apostles, monks and saints. The identity of the artist is unknown and the exact date is also unclear, although there is an inscription dated 1612 on one of the porticoes. The opening hours are 10 am to 1 pm, Tuesday to Thursday and if you need assistance, you can call: +99 79 33 62 or +99 97 42 30.

Farmakas Village

In Farmakas village, we met Daniel Anastasis, the owner of Farmakas Living, 5 comfortable guest houses in the village, the Farmakas water factory, Santa Irene Winery and Ierambelos Restaurant. The latter is a very stylish place overlooking the vineyards, known for its fusion cuisine cooked on a Josper grill. Children will love visiting the donkeys nearby who were rescued by Daniel and his wife Theoni. We tucked into a selection of superb hot and cold Cypriot mezze before taking a tour of the winery with Mr. Anastasis.

You can spot the earthwear pots where wine used to be made from a glass peephole in the restaurant floor. These days, they’re used for maturing sherry and the wines are matured in stainless steel vats. Santa Irene winery has won several awards for its wines. The vines have been restored and a modern winery built which now produces up to 50,000 bottles a year. There’s the blanc de noir Daniel wine, a dry white made from the red mavro ambelisimo grape, as well as rosé, shiraz and other red wines. This wine label is designed by the owner’s daughter.

Daniel also showed us around Eleni’s Homemade Sweets in the village. We watched as soutzioukos were prepared by boiling fruit in sugar and water. Once the syrup had set, the sweets were hung up to dry on racks. As you can see, they also had a tempting selection of spoon sweets!

Kyperounta Adventure Mountain Park

One of the best things about the Troodos Mountains is the huge array of outdoor sports and activities on offer. From hiking to cycling, there’s something for everyone. At the Adventure Mountain Park in Kyperounta, you can try all sorts of things including paintball, laser tag, Tyrolean traverse, ice skating and orienteering. It’s popular with children, adults and also for team building activities. We tried our hand at climbing and archery. Our patient instructor, who is also the owner, first showed us the ropes (pardon the pun) on a beginner’s wall before we progressed to the main wall. Anyone over the age of 8 can sign up for this activity, which we certainly enjoyed although we found it challenging to progress upwards! Archery was easier to get the hang of and Paul was soon hitting the target like a pro! There’s a restaurant with an outdoor terrace which serves up delicious homemade apple pie, in case you fancy a break or would simply rather watch from the sidelines.

Kakopetria Village

The traditional village of Kakopetria has two rivers running through the centre. The old area, known as Palia Kakopetria is a charming place with picturesque little houses, wooden balconies and cobbled streets. Classed as an ancient monument, its under the protection of the Department of Antiquities. The houses and a local wine press have been carefully restored and its a good place to find hand crafted lace and wood souvenirs.

At the entrance to the old town, you’ll find the Stone of the Couple or Petra tou Antrogynou. It used to be a tradition for newly wed couples to walk around the stone and then sit on it. However, according to legend, the stone moved and crushed a newly wed couple. It’s a strange tale but it’s securely fixed in place now, in case you were tempted to walk around it!

The Mill Hotel in Kakopetria is renowned for its warm welcome and award-winning Mylos restaurant. Lunch at The Mill is a gastronomic delight, from the homemade bread, to the locally sourced river trout, the fresh salad and naughty but nice fruit sundae with pomegranate. Our waiter had lived many years in the UK and was extremely knowledgeable and friendly.

A Unique Cyprus Monastery

There are some superb monasteries in the Troodos Mountains including Kykkos which we visited on a previous Cyprus trip. We were keen to see Machairas Monastery, which houses the icon of the Virgin Mary of Machairas. Just outside the monastery itself, we came across this charming little church.

It’s not permitted to take photos inside the monastery itself but you can take a photo of the exterior from a distance. One of the highlights of our rural Cyprus visit was meeting the monks themselves. One of them spoke perfect English and approached us with a smile, explaining that we could stay for the mass if we wished. Machairas Monastery is open daily from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm or for groups by appointment on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 12 noon.

Lofou Village

We had a great time exploring the Troodos Mountains but it was time to head to our next destination, Lofou. It’s located less than an hour away and only 30 minutes from Limassol. We passed through some picturesque Cyprus villages on the way. We soon reached Apokryfo, a collection of traditional houses whose Greek name means well kept secret or hidden away. It’s been beautifully restored by the owners, interior designer Diana Hadjikyriacou and her architect husband Vakis and is considered to be one of the top boutique hotels in Cyprus and one of the best hotels in Cyprus, full stop! The Schoolmaster’s House is the largest property in the collection and boasts a huge private courtyard garden with barbecue, double height living area with a stone arch, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It’s well equipped with complimentary high speed broadband, air conditioning and flat screen TVs. The bathrooms have fluffy monogrammed towels and Korres organic toiletries. There’s even a jacuzzi in the master bathroom.

The decor of Apokryfo is a pleasing combination of traditional and contemporary style. There’s a beautiful swimming pool, rooftop terrace, gym, sauna and steam bath as well as a library with local maps, board games and DVDs.

We hear that Agrino restaurant at Apokryfo is particularly good but didn’t get a chance to try it. Up to 30 guests can stay at Apokryfo, so it’s handy for multi-generational get togethers or holidaying with friends, or you can simply book a room individually.

For dinner in Lofou village, we enjoyed traditional Cypriot food at Lofou Tavern, an atmospheric local eatery. It’s part of the Agrovino Group which also own a farm, hotel and wine bar. The owner greeted all diners and brought us some lovely mezze to sample. It’s quite a family affair with the grandchildren happily assisting and it makes for a very convivial atmosphere.

Car Hire In Cyprus

We arranged our car rental in Cyprus via Manos Cars, and the owner Marios Manoli kindly greeted us upon our arrival at Larnaca International Airport to explain how the car worked.

Getting to the Troodos Mountains and Lofou

There are regular international flights to Larnaca International Airport and it’s then a pleasant 1 and a half hour drive to the Troodos Mountains or 1 hour and 20 minutes to Lofou. However, why not do as we did and combine both the Troodos and Lofou into one visit to see two different sides of rural Cyprus.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into agrotourism in Cyprus. What really stood out for us was the hospitality of the local people, the fantastic food and cultural sights. You can find out more about nature holidays in Cyprus here. Have you ever been to Cyprus and if so what tips would you give for first time visitors to the island?

Thanks to Cyprus Agrotourism for hosting us

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