mclarensangel

Mclaren's Angel

24YO. Requests are open! All writings are for a plus-size reader unless explicitly stated otherwise 🧡

755 posts

The Seal Of The Dragon

The Seal of the Dragon

Chapter Four: Enter if you dare

warnings: mentions of weight, AFAB character, mentions of female body parts, references to the weight of M/C, loosely based on my own research of the ancient Korean royalty system, bullying, loneliness, anxiety, money problems, mentions of how other people view characters body

message me if you feel I need more warnings

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The anxiety that filled you, as you felt the palanquin get closer to the Palace, was unlike any anxiety that you had ever felt in your life. All of your feelings hit you at once, and you were unable to decipher which feelings were good and which feelings were bad. A small laugh was heard outside the moving carriage, making you poke your head out to see what was happening.

"Put your head back in woman, I can feel your eyes in the back of my head" Chan laughs, your eyes widen in shock, wondering how he felt your eyes looking at him, as you had barely looked at him. You were beginning to wonder why you and your family had put this effort in, you all knew that it wouldn't go far. You couldn't help but let out yet another deep breath, hoping that this breath would suddenly magic away all the anxiety that your body held. The lively voices of the men you had grown up with continue outside, each of them laughing occasionally, which would make a small smile appear on your face. Especially when Changbin laughed, the noise never failed to make you smile no matter how you felt.

You poke your head out again, trying to be subtle as you didn't want another scolding from your friend. "Y/N, what are you doing?" changbin questions. You close your eyes, grimacing at the fact that you were caught again. Chan laughs loudly. "I was just trying to look for Yeji's palanquin," you said, smiling slightly at changbin. He smiles at you, seeing the anxiety in your eyes before responding "She's in the one ahead of the one in front of us". a sigh of relief leaves your lips, knowing that your best friend was near.

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A few more hours passed before you finally arrived at the Palace. You pull the small lilac fabric back slightly, eyes peering at your surroundings. A gasp leaves your lips, the sight before you leaving you feeling enchanted. The walls were high, and the gate to enter the Palace was made from bright red wood with a decorated top coloured with greens, blues, reds and even golds. There were cherry blossom trees lining the grey walls, the smell of them wafting gently through the air towards your nose. Guards were spaced out across the wall, but more guards were crowded by the gate, watching all of the participants enter the gates.

The guards wore hanboks in glorious red colour, with a belt in almost the same royal blue that you had seen the supreme Commissioner wearing a week before. It takes you a few moments to remember what the tall man's name was, it finally clicking when you think about that afternoon. Kim Seokjin was his name, it was quite fitting you thought. He was very handsome, so handsome that his aura felt ethereal to everyone who saw him. You wondered if you would see the man whose broad shoulders could clearly be seen under his hanbok.

Just moments later, you felt the dark box you were sitting in, come to a stop. Anxiety that you had briefly forgotten about when admiring the guards as they stood by the gate. A soft knock is heard on the wood next to you, making you jump in your spot. "We're here," Chan said, his voice low and almost authoritative, reminding you that you could only go onwards and couldn't run home like you wanted to. "Take a deep breath and come out eolin-i" Changbin adds. And that is what you do. Taking your skirt in your hands as elegantly as you can, you make to take your first step within the Palace grounds. A beautiful smell suddenly hits you once your full body was out of the uncomfortable box, almost reminding you of home. It was a scent that made you feel warm inside, it was the familiar scene of samgyetang, almost smelling just like how your mother at home made it. The smell makes a small appear from the corner of your lips. You catch eyes with Changbin, who knows what you're thinking as your mother frequently made it for the Bang clan with all the help they gave her and your family, and he smiles back at you.

'Maybe things will be okay' you think to yourself. Soon after a loud voice filled the open square. "Ladies, welcome" the voice began "Please move onto the squares that have been prepared on the floor and allow for your palanquin carriers to move it to your spot. The first test begins soon". You look around, seeing where everyone else was going, but during this you finally found Yeji, you subtly wave before taking your first step towards one of the biggest moments in your life. You take your place on a square almost directly in the middle of the square. You hear some people talking around you, and hoping it was Yeji or some of the nicer girls from town talking amongst each other, you try to listen into the conversation.

"Why is she even here, it's not like she'll even make it past the first test. The size of her would repel our Beloved King" one voice says. You feel your heart fall, your anxiety heightens and what once was a smile, turns into a frown. "Indeed, the poor Queen Dowager has to lay her eyes upon the elephant" another continues, making tears well up on your water line. Looking up to the sky, you try to blink away the tears, trying to ignore the two women behind you tearing down your self-confidence quicker than it took to light one of the Palace lanterns. "She's not even dressed to the right standard, how does she even think that she can even present herself in front of the Queen dowager. When I become Queen, I will put her in the dungeons, for committing such a crime to the Dowager" their hate continues, followed by a giggle of the other. Shock fills your system, making you wonder if she could actually do something like that.

Looking around, you noticed that every single other woman around you, Yeji included, was dressed to the best that their money could afford. Worry piles onto your already high pile of emotions that you were feeling. Would you even be allowed to enter the view of the Queen Dowager in your current outfit? But before you could stew on your thoughts even more than you already were, Chan and Changbin arrive next to you with your palanquin next to you, blocking you from the view of people on either side of you. The feeling of the men standing next to you made your anxiety ease slightly, but the feelings still piled high within your heart. You turn to look at the men and open your mouth to say something when another voice cuts you off.

"Welcome Ladies and manservants" the voice begins, this sentence making you turn to the boys and smirk at them slightly, letting them know that you would never let them forget what they had just been called. The giggle that was about to exit your throat, reminded you to look towards the front. And you were not disappointed when you did. Seeing the man that you had been thinking about earlier when you had begun your entrance into the Palace. "Today begins the beginning of the selection process for our King to find his future Queen. That lady being amongst the very people in front of me." He starts "To help me welcome you into the Palace, the Head Directorate Min Yoongi has joined me," he says and turns, his hand pointing towards the shorter man slightly behind him. Min Yoongi looked almost as ethereal as the Seokjin, He had long blonde hair, half tied up in a high ponytail, a black band wrapped around the top of his head. A long pink scar covered his right eye from above his eyebrow to just below his eye. The man was just as attractive as the broad-shouldered man and you knew that a part of him knew that he was attractive. Yoongi takes a step forward, places a small smile upon his lips, and bows slightly before taking a step back, putting him back into his previous position. Smiling, Seokjin continues "Now to begin the process" a pause fills the air "We will begin with the person on the left" he takes his hand and points to the woman to his left, smiling gently at her "You will begin, and the King would like you to announce your name, both family and your given name, your age and your family crest. Please begin".

The woman he had pointed to during his speech, takes a small step forward, bowing deeply to the Supreme Commissioner and Head Directorate, an elegant smile on her lips before announcing her name "Kim Si-Hyeon, 19, Wild Boar" she states, before bowing again and returning to her previous spot. This continues until it reaches you. You repeat the same process that all the women before you had done.

Take a deep breath.

Take a step forward.

Brightest smile.

Bow

"Seo Y/N, 22, tiger"

Bow again.

Step back.

Breathe again.

Once you had finished, you hear small giggles and scoffs from the hate-filled women behind you. You pay no mind to them and continue to listen to the women around you announce themselves. Your breath gets caught in your throat when it gets round to the women who had been spitting hatred at you, "Kim Seol-Hyun, 22, Rabbit", soon followed by "Kwon Eun-Bi, 22, Deer". The voices clashing straight into the memory of when you had attended the school in town to learn how to read and write. The voices that had moments ago filled your heart with hurt, were the same ones who had tried to bring you down when you were barely tall enough to reach the middle shelf in the town library. You feel your whole body freeze, before remembering that they can see you, and try to relax your body.

A few minutes later, all the women in the courtyard had announced their names, their age and their seal. Your anxiety peaked once again, as you remembered that the first test was about to begin. Seokjin stepped forward again, a formal smile graces his face, as he begins to say what the first test would be.

"Well, it is wonderful to meet you all. The first test is the Chogantaek. You will have to remove all your ceremonial robes, leaving you in your underdress', you must also remove ALL makeup and hair accessories. The only accessories allowed are Daenggi's and small headbands. Please also remove your shoes and beoseoh, then return to the spot that you are standing in. The Queen Dowager will arrive in a few moments and will be with her ladies, making her decision row by row. Once she has completed every row, she will confer for one hour with her ladies before announcing her selection. 15 of you will be going through. That is one from every row. On the rare occasion that the Queen Dowager makes a decision to have more than one from each row, we will process with them, however, know this rarely happens" Seokjin takes a step back, then nods his head towards a group of guards. The guards take their staffs, stomping them on the ground, yelling out and announcing the arrival of Queen Dowager.

The Queen Dowager enters, wearing the ceremonial red Wonsam. Her ladies in waiting also wearing their ceremonial clothing, the Dowager, however, stood out brightly among the rest. The sight of the woman took your breath away, your body subconsciously standing taller. The ladies surrounding the Dowager separated, moving to form a line behind the woman as she joined the Supreme Commissioner on the podium. Everyone bowed deeply before her.

"Good luck" was all she said, before moving off of the podium with her ladies. Moving to return to where she had previously stood. "Now ladies," Seokjin spoke, "Now is the time to enter your palanquins, remove your outer robes, accessories and jewellery and return to your spot". A moment is held in the air before the first women moved to their boxes, the rest following suit once the first had moved.

You move into your palanquin, leaving your hair braided with the daenggi tied in your hair. You undo the goreum, that held the two sides of your jeogori together, letting it slip off of your shoulders. You then take off your chima, before folding it and placing it on the seat that you had spent the last few hours sitting upon. A short anxious breath escapes from your lips before you leave your palanquin once again. You make eye contact with the boys standing near you, both of them throwing a thumbs up your way, making you feel slightly at ease.

More and more women entered back into the courtyard, standing where they once were. It only took a minute or two before everyone had returned. Another stomp is heard, along with the yells, before the Queen Dowager is standing in front of you all again. "As I stated earlier, we will be going row by row, starting with the first row." Seokjin states, before moving down the stairs at the front of the podium that you had not seen before, he turns, holding his hand up for the Dowager. She takes his large-looking hand, moving gracefully down the steps. The ladies who had come back out with her, moved in a row behind her, as the group moved to the woman who introduced herself first. The group began talking amongst themselves as they passed through each trio. Once they reached the end of each line, they would turn to each other, talking almost silently among each other, before turning back to Seokjin, mentioning something, he would write it down, and they would continue to the next row.

Your heart pounded inside your chest as she eventually reached your row. She began to the right of you, moving what felt both slow yet fast, closer and closer to you. She soon reached you. You bowed deeply to the woman in front of you, bowing as low as your body would possibly let you. "You may rise," she says, you bow your head, before returning to your standing position. "What is your name?" she asks you, staring into your eyes, making you feel nervous as you answer "Seo Y/N, Your Royal Highness" you respond. "Your age? And seal?" she questions "22, Your Royal Highness, and my seal is the tiger, My Queen" you finish. She lets out a small laugh, a sweet smile gracing her pink lips.

"Why do you want to become Queen?" The older woman continues her questions. You take a moment to respond, making the Queen Dowager raise her eyebrow slightly. "I want to make my family proud of me, to make a difference when and where I can" you answer finally. Your answer makes the woman smile. "A beautiful answer" she responds. Turning, nodding to her women, and continuing on to the woman next to you.

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Around 15 minutes later, all rows had been gone through, and now was the moment of truth. You would find out if you made it through to the next stage of the first test.

"When I call your name, please step forward" Seokjin starts, then looking down at his list, he beings

"Row one; Kim Si-Hyeon, Row two; Ahn So-Hee, Row three; Bae Suzy, Row four; Cho Mi-Yeon, Row five; Nam Da-Won Row six; Jung Eun-Bi, Row seven; Go Woo-ri" He counts, announcing each girl "Row eight" hearing your row makes your heart stop and your body freeze. "Hwang Yeji" a short pause follows "and Seo Y/n". If your heart hadn't stopped before when hearing your row, it definitely would have, hearing your name falling from the plump pink lips of the Supreme Commissioner.

You. Had. Passed.

"Row Nine; Kim Seol-Hyun AND Kwon Eun-Bi, Row ten; Han Sun-Hwa, Row Eleven; Lee Ji-Eun, Row twelve; Jang Won-Young, Row thirteen; Kang Mi-Na, Row Fourteen; Kim Si-Jeong, Row fifteen; Lee Hye-Ri" He finishes his list of names before returning his vision to the crowd. "Thank you to those who did not pass, your marriage ban has lifted, and we humbly ask for you to return to your cities, towns or villages. Those who did pass, please gather at the front, we will have men escort your palanquins and manservants to your accommodations and they will meet you there, as they will be assigned by the Queen Dowager once you have completed the next test". You wait a moment, turning to Chan and Changbin behind you muttering a quiet "see you later" to them, before placing your hands together and moving towards the front. On your way, however, the women who you had identified as your childhood bullies, decide to bash their shoulders into yours, making you nearly fall to the ground, a small hand catches you, making you turn around. You see Yeji glaring at the women in front of you. Clasping onto her hand, you straighten yourself up, trying to ignore the pink flush that has risen to your cheeks in embarrassment.

"Wonder how fatty got through," the taller bully says to the shorter one, the other quickly responding "must have bribed her, there's no other way someone of her size would have gotten through to this second part"

"The same could be said about you, don't you think," Yeji says, speaking again before they could open their mouths "you must have had a pretty big bribe to get through, there's no way the Queen Dowager would allow someone as spiteful and rude as you through her walls otherwise". A short silence is held between the four of you before Yeji grips your hand and pulls you to the front.

"Congratulations on passing the first half" Min Yoongi begins speaking surprising you all. "The second half of the test begins in a few moments. We ask that you enter through that door, single file, to enter the smaller courtyard where the test is set up for you. Each of you will take a spot in front of a tray. Once you reach your tray, you will see a stick. Use this to right your father's name, before taking your stick, placing it next to it, and standing behind it with your tray. More instructions will follow". Smiling towards Yeji, you both let go of each other's hands, you stand just behind her as you walk to the door that the blonde-haired man had pointed to during his explanation. Close to the door, you saw the pot lid that you knew you would need to stand on. The sight of it, makes your stomach turn, anxiety spike and your fingers clasp at each other in anxiety. The first girl goes, and steps on it, it doesn't move, and she carries on. The process continues until it reaches you. You stand in front of it, place the middle of your foot on the handle, place as little weight on it as you can, and then place your other foot on the front side of the pan. To your surprise, the lid does not move. This makes you let out a small breath, with a quiet laugh of surprise. You carry on towards the smaller square that had been mentioned. Here you see another man standing on the podium, alongside the dowager and her women.

Taking a spot next to Yeji at the end of the row, you crouch down as elegantly as you could, trying to remember all the lessons your mother taught you on how to be as ladylike as possible doing things that most times aren't considered ladylike. Briefly looking up, you notice that most of the other girls are hesitant to crouch down as you were, especially Seol-Hyun and Eun-bi. The sight of this makes you smile slightly to yourself, picking up the stick that was on the tray. You're about to write your father's name, when you realised your tray was in the way, so you move it, before writing your father's name in hangeul. Then you take the tray that you had placed to the side, standing up and waiting for the next instructions.

Whilst the others finish writing their father's names on the ground, another young man who you don't recognise walks around with a piece of hanji in his hand and a long black writing brush in his hand, writing something down about the writings that had been finished.

"We will begin the next part of the test. I have had another person go around and write who completed their task first, and this test will be going in order of who finished it first. Once the name has been called out, that person will come to the podium with their tray, they will have a pot of tea, and six very special tea cups placed on their tray. You will need to take the filled tray to the Queen Dowager and her ladies and serve them tea. You are being judged on your basic etiquette. Once this is completed, you will return to your spot." the unknown man speaks. "Once everyone has completed this test. You will be assigned to the accommodations, that our gracious Queen Dowager has selected for each of you. Good Luck, let's begin. Seo Y/n"

As your heart pounds in your chest, you take your tray in both hands, keeping it as straight as possible, moving towards the podium. Once you reach the podium you wait at the steps, "you may enter the podium" the man who had given you instructions tells you. You knew more than anything that right now, you would need to rely on your manners and etiquette more than your style, hoping that these would shine through to the Queen Dowager. Taking one step at a time until you reached the top, you tried to remind yourself to breathe in and out. It takes mere seconds for you to reach the man at the top of the podium. You bow, again as low as you can, to the man in front of you He nods his head briefly back at you, before nodding to the men to the side, themselves holding teapots and teacups. They begin to come over to you, placing the teapot and teacups on your tray. You bow slightly towards them, careful not to tip the tray over. Once all the items were on the tray, you took a careful first step towards the Queen Dowager and her ladies in waiting. It took only a few steps before you reached their table. You tried to place the tray down on the table in the centre as you could before kneeling in front of the table. Bowing once more to the Queen Dowager, and then bowing slightly higher to the Queen's ladies, you took the teapot off of the tray, holding it with both hands, careful not to let any spill. You place it down, before moving to take the teacups. First the Queen Dowager, then the ladies next to her, slowly going out more and more until you reached the ladies on the end. Retaking the teapot, you pick it up before returning to the Queen Dowager "Would you like some tea, Your Royal Highness?" You ask. She nods her head slightly at you, letting you pour her tea. You make sure not to pour too much tea, but enough to fill the teacup to a reasonable standard, trying to remember all the lessons your mother had taught you growing up. You turn to the lady next to her, asking her the same question, repeating the process until each lady had a tea. After the final lady had received her teacup of tea, you return the teapot to the tray, bowing once more before you stand up. "Please enjoy your tea Your Royal Highness and her gracious ladies" you state. You take a step to the right before turning and moving back towards where the unknown man was standing.

Once you do, the man nods to the menservants to come back over, and they do, taking the teapot from you. "Please return to your spot," the man says, you nod and bow towards the man, descending the stairs and returning to your spot.

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It took what felt like an age before everyone had finished, some spilling their tea on the floor in nervousness, one girl even breaking a teacup before she could even reach the Queen Dowager. However, worst of all was one of the ladies, whose name you found out to Jung Eun-bi, from the sixth row, spilt her tea and broke a teacup between the Queen Dowager and the lady next to her. It finally came to the time when it would be announced who would pass through to the next round. The square fell silent once again when the still un-named man spoke again.

"I feel that it is time for introductions into who myself and the other man are. My name is Jung Hoseok, the young man who was walking around earlier is Jeon Jungkook. Our jobs, respectively, are The Chief Councillor and High Councillor. The Queen Dowager and her ladies have come to the decision on the ladies she would like to pass through onto the next stage, which is called Jaegantaek, and those who passed will receive further instructions as to what it is. However, now is time to talk about the ladies who passed.". The other man who you could now identify as Jeon Jungkook, came forward "Those who did pass, please make a formerly line at the front. Those of you who have not passed, please return to your manservants and return to your homes. Your marriage ban has been lifted and we thank you for your cooperation within the process."

" Kim Si-Jeong" one.

"Bae Suzy" two.

"Cho Mi-Yeon" three.

"Hwang Yeji" four.

"Kim Seol-Hyun" five.

"Han Sun-Hwa" six

"Kwon Eun-Bi" seven.

Shit. That's seven. There was barely ever more than that. It was such an unheard-of occasion for it to actually be more than seven. And your name wasn't part of that seven. Do you feel relieved or happy? Yeji sends a small smile your way before moving into the line. Your bullies send you a smirk and walk smugly over to the line.

"And on a very rare occasion, we have an eighth candidate" Jung Hoseok lets the information fill the air, everyone taking a breath.

"Seo Y/n"

The Seal Of The Dragon

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