Simon had noticed your mark from the moment he first saw you, one of his guards. The mark on your neck, which matched the one on his arm. The one that told him that you were the only person that could have the key to his heart, even if he hated that idea with all of his life.

He’d never cared for soulmates- he was a king, after all, and he had to keep himself focused on ruling the kingdom. Either way, he was forced into an arranged marriage from the second he was old enough to wed. Produced a royal heir a few months later, and that was that.

But, a decade later, his wife passed away. Not that he cared much for her anyway, but he knew that the absence of a partner would be detrimental to his family’s future and reputation.

So, either he had to re-marry, or he could risk losing the throne and getting backlash from his own family- the one he had sworn he wouldn’t talk to unless he was on his death bed.

Spontaneously, he asked you to attend a ball with him- to be not only his honorary guest, but to also be his personal guard; the guard that stuck around him for the event. He knew you were his soulmate, and he knew that you would have to be his next option if he didn’t want to marry into another pointless, emotionally distant relationship.

And there he stood, in the doorway of his own palace, waiting for you; he had given you the day off to prepare for this, since he knew how stressful this could be for some people.

He looked down at his watch, which told him that there were 5 minutes until it was 6. The time he’d told you to be here. But then he heard footsteps..