Imperial Palace, Year 2120

He picked up his vest laid down by one of the chambermaids and put it on while looking in the mirror, his reflection standing tall and handsome, hair neatly disheveled, like he always wanted inspite his mother’s protests and his brother’s amused disapproval. His brother has always been strict and his mother, finical. They seem to be bent on getting everything neat and immaculate. Even him. Though they had failed disastrously but can’t do anything about it. The perks of being born the second and the last son. Tends to have all the attention focused on the eldest. And he pretty much can do anything he wants.

A soft knock sounded on the door and a butler opened the door bowing his head.

“The guests have all arrived, your highness,” the butler announced.

He was also the prince of the palace. He nodded, adjusted his necktie then strode out his royal room with the butler’s head still bowed as he walked past. The heels on his polished shoes made clacking sounds as he trekked the long marbled hallway, down the long and wide staircase, passed the  White Drawing Room, the state apartments, and finally came to his point of destination. The Expo Gallery. The massive mahogany door, usually closed except during summertime for tourists, was open and and in it are clusters of children, 2nd and 3rd graders he believe, all huddled in groups with two teachers standing on each side trying to put their chatter into a minimum noise as they hovered over a framed photograph in the center wall. Ah. Always the popular choice.

He smiled as he walked in and the two teachers stand up straight in alarm at the mere sight of him. Some of the children having seen the frozen state of their teachers turned to him and did the same. Though he knew, none of the children actually knew who he was. Or didn’t know the full authority of his name.

The teacher, younger than the other one, got over her shock of seeing the Prince in the flesh and curtsied awkwardly. The older teacher did the same, as did the children.

“Your highness,” the younger teacher said sounding a bit nervous.

He bit his smile to keep it from turning into a grin otherwise they’ll think he was making fun of them. But he wasn’t. He wouldn’t.

“Thank you so much for allowing us to visit the history of the Imperial Palace,” the younger teacher continued. “It’s a great honor for the children of The Queen’s Home to be allowed to visit.”

“The King had given his permission,” he said trying to make them comfortable. “And I was ordered to show you around. It’s a great pleaure to have the children of the home take interest on the history of our family.” He waved his hand around. “Feel free to look around. I can answer all the questions you might have.”

The older teacher look embarassed of having the prince showing them around. “Your highness, there is no need. We just… uh….” She looked at the younger teacher for help. The younger one opened but no words came out. They have only thought to be given the privilege to have the Expo Gallery open for their study of History but they never thought one of the royal family would come to assist them. The Queen’s Home is a school for the orphanage and the Palace has always supported the institution but none of the teachers has ever made contact with any of the Royalty. Even the School’s Superintendent only gets in touch with the Palace’s Representative so seeing the Prince, right there in front of them, was too surreal.

One thing the two teachers had to be thankful for is that the Prince was the one who came. The Prince was approachable. Always had a smile on his face. But the King? The King was formidable. It’ll be a miracle if they had managed to string two words together if he was the one standing in front of them right now.

The older teacher cleared and proceeded the tell the children the start of the Imperial Palace’s History. They all listened attentively. One of the children, a chubby boy with glasses, pointed at the framed photograph on the wall. The one which they had been looking at earlier before the Prince walked in.

“What’s a King’s Queen?” There above the framed worn out photograph of a smiling young woman is a brass metal plate with the words The Kingdom lies at the hearth of the King’s Queen and beneath it are several framed ripped out pieces of notepapers, all seemed to be yellowed with age and about to be crumble at the slightest touch if not for the preservation of the glass. The handwriting is so faded out now that it’s difficult to discern what is written in the folds of the aged letter if not for the transcription engraved in bronze plaque beneath each framed pages.

“It means the wife of the king, idiot,” one of the younger girls said knowingly.

The younger teacher hushed at their sudden brash language but the Prince just smiled and he answered them. “It means the Kingdom stands as long as his Queen lives.” He knew the teachers knew the meaning behind the name but he can bet they don’t know the whole of it. He too had studied their history, their family. And his mother is more than glad to supply information that is not printed on the books.

“But the Queen… I mean… King Aiden never remarried,” the younger teacher said looking confused. She had studied this and read it numerous times. The great king was only married once. And from what she had read, it almost cost him the entire kingdom. Story of the King braving his people’s protests, fighting for both of them but the tragic ending is that the queen left him nevertheless. Went back to his own country. Did the king found her and the writers forgot to print it in history? “The King’s Queen signifies what the king had desired but never had.” It just doesn’t make any sense to her at all even then.

The prince nodded. “My great great grandfather, King Aiden, was one of the greatest kings ever to sit on the throne. He had worked to have our country rise to be one of the most prominent ruling countries in the world. He had made our country known and the people lived for him. He had everything he wanted, everything he wished for and everything he could have…” he looked at the framed photgraph of the smiling woman. “…but one.”

Seoul South Korea, Year 1998

Aiden was never the one to complain nor brood but if there is one thing he wanted to do that day, it was definitely not to ride through Hyun-suk City, one of the smaller cities in the country, to visit a newly opened establishment that is meant to employ hundreds of its citizens. Yes, it is definitely not what he want to do. But it was his duty. And he was never the one to shirk on his responsiblites.

The car stopped and he refrained himself from sighing as he found a number of people suited up standing on the entrance with big smiles on their faces, all ready to greet him. He managed to put a smile on his face before opening the car door and stepping out. They all greeted him with reverence, bowing 90 degrees in front of him.

“Your Grace,” they greeted almost simultaneously. He only nodded because greeting back is not expected of him. His trusted assistant and confidante, Spencer HyukJae Lee, fell into step with him and as usual, silently walked a slight distance from him as two of the managers’ guided him towards the entrance of the newly built mall located at the heart Hyun-Suk, right next to the City Hall. He occassionally nodded as required while tuning out one of the manager’s constant chatters, his focus centered on getting this responsibility over and done with. He was instructed to pay a visit to the first mall to be built in the city and his main purpose is to drive the thought that the King had never forgotten the people in the Hyun-Suk area. Yes, the king. His father. King Dong An II of the Imperial Palace.

“We are extremely gratified for His Royal Highness’ generosity in bringing employment to our citizens,” the manager continued.

The King doesn’t even know this city exists, he wanted to say but he only nodded. The King never bothered himself with minute details of the country’s number of unemployed residents of small cities. It was why he had kept his Royal Court and the palace’s Chancellor is up to the task of taking care of the financial and economic issues. 

They went through the main entrance, the security guard bowing as they passed. He looked around as he should, his eyes roaming to inspect the grandeur of the result of the King’s generosity. His brother would’ve loved it. He would’ve offered suggestions on what color suits the walls best, what should be put on display at the center, what type of chandelier would enhance the lighting on the entrance…. His brother is much better at this a thousand times than he is. But he left. And he was faced with the sudden responsibilty of being who his brother should be.

A slight commotion on his left made him turned his head on its direction without volition. There were at least four securities huddling near the water fountain and they seem to be in a middle of an altercation. The manager laughed nervously and and turned to the opposite direction.

“This way, Your Grace.”

He nodded and turned towards where the manager had pointed the way but not before catching a glimpse of a girl in faded out jeans, buttoned up shirt, wearing a dirty cap being apprehended by the arm of one of the securities.

The manager left him on his wide office and he had been sitting on the plush black sofa for about an hour now. The manager, he already forgot his name, had gone detail by detail on what the mall had gave to the people of the city, his face glowing with satisfaction of having delivered the good news to the second son of the King, Prince Aiden Donghae Lee, the Duke of the JeongSu Court but he seems to be a little disappointed that the Prince never did utter a single comment or accolades to what they have accomplished and Aiden couldn’t blame him. He feels disappointed that he couldn’t feel proud himself. He feels too detahced of everything. The manager excused himself saying something about getting him the financial documents of some sort leaving Aiden only nodding without even asking why the manager would show financial documents.

He can never be good at this. He can never be good in getting people comfortable with him. He wasn’t as approachable as his brother. He wasn’t as jovial as him. He wasn’t as amiable as him.

His brother should be the next heir to the throne. Not him. His brother should be the next king. Not him. His brother should be the one doing all this. Not him.

But he left his title. Abdicated the throne and left his younger brother with everything that he should have. The crown, the throne, the palace, the realm.

His breathing became labored and he could feel the wall closing in on him as it does constantly now whenever he think of the sudden big responsibility onto him. He had never been claustrophobic but he feels the closed room is suffocating him. He stood up and shook his head at Spencer when he got up from his seat as well.

“I’m just going to go out,” Aiden told him before striding out of the suffocating air-conditioned office. He breathed in the open air as he closed the door behind. The hall empty and devoid of life and he took advantage of that to close his eyes, letting a little bit of his vulnerabilty slide on him, the thought of the future terrifying him. He would be the next king. He would be the next ruler of a realm, responsible of its welfare. He opened his eye and stared into nothingness as the events of that one day from the last 2 years, 3 days after he celebrated his 24th birthday, replayed in his head like it did everytime he gets close to a panic.

The heir to the Royal Throne, Prince Andrew SunHo Lee, had given up his title and left to marry the daughter of a farmer.

“If you put a step outside of this palace, I would refuse your existence and you will no longer be my son.”

“I’m sorry, father. I’m sorry, Aiden.”

“From now on, I only have one son. No one should speak otherwise.”

Short event of a day and impacted his whole life. No one had breathed a word of his brother nor even mentioned him. Everyone in the palace acted like he didn’t exist. The media all thought he was off abroad studying and the palace never did corrected the assumption.No one knew where his brother is now but he was living in a small island in the south coast of Jeju with his wife. He had visited him once, without the King’s knowledge, and he can barely recognized him. His clean shaven face has a growth of hair on his chin  and lower cheeks. His once impeccable clothing were now dirt-spattered and torn. His well-manicured fingernails had grime and soil on its edges. He was nowhere the Prince of the Imperial Palace, Prince Andrew SunHo Lee. He was now Andy Lee, the farmer. And Aiden had never seen him look so happy and healthy that he bit back the bitterness of seeing him like that while he was suffering the consequences of his decision. He had never visited after that.

He could feel that suffocating feeling again and he started to walk, hoping to shake it off. He didn’t know how many times he tried to be like his brother. And how he failed each time. He doesn’t want to be king. He never desired to be king. He had been thankful to be born the second son. His brother was the one who had trained to be the ruler since they were little. He was not supposed to be the King.

He didn’t know how far or where he had walked while he was ruminating but he stopped when he heard voices coming from a room with its door wide open. His mind is not able to comprehend what’s being discussed and he stood there frozen as if the voices held him immobilized. It was funny but any conversation outside of his own misery is a welcome diversion. Any topics outside of his title and Royal status seems to fascinate him nowadays.

“Do you know how important today is? And you had to come in here and mess it up?”

“We have caught you doing this twelve times! You should be kept in jail!”

“Oh c’mon,” a woman’s voice sounding indignant. “You were counting the times I got arrested? If you really had to count, you should know I didn’t shoplift twelve times.” A pause. “It was eighteen.”

“How long is the chief going to take?” Aiden recognized the voice as the manager from earlier. So this is where he had gone off to. To apprehend a shoplifter. He could only see the faded out pants of the girl, her body obscured by the door leaf. A security was standing in front of her and the manager sitting by the desk rubbing his forehead in agitation.

As if on cue, a uniformed man, probably in his 50s appeared and bowed in apology at the manager. It was the chief of police.

“Chief Jin,” the manager said almost in resignation. “I would really hate to see you every week but this girl….”

The chief sighed like the manager. “What did she stole this time?”

“She went to the Infant Section and stole some pacifiers and baby bottles.”

“Stole is such a strong word,” the girl protested. “I was only putting it in my bag.”

“What the hell are you going to do with pacifiers and baby bottles?” The chief asked almost as if enduring the girl’s craziness.

“It will come in handy someday,” the girl answered simply. 

The manager shook his head and turned to the chief. “Chief, out of respect for you, we are not reporting this to the police. If not for what you have done to the people of HyunSuk, we would sent her straight to jail and banned her.”

“I’m sorry manager Kim. If this happens again, I will personally throw her in jail.”

“This is the reason why you can’t get any decent job aside from washing dishes at that catering restaurant. Pull your act together and be a responsible citizen!” The manager castigated the girl.

Aiden saw the girl stood up holding the cap he saw her wearing earlier. “Yeah yeah,” the girl answered and took the chief by the arm. “We got to go now and be responsible people of HyunSuk City.”

The chief apologized again and the girl almost dragged him out. Her eyes were rolling when it drifted to where he stand. Their eyes met and he could see that behind the messiness of her clothes, her face looked pretty clean. She looked young, probably still in her teens or in her early 20s. He was surpised when she gave him a smirk before turning towards where the elevator is, the girl letting go of the chief’s arm and stuffing her index fingers in her ear as the old man reprimanded her.

“Your Grace!” A voice exclaimed.

Aiden blinked and was surprised to find the manager already walking towards him.

“Your Grace, I’m sorry for taking too long. Have… have you been here long?” The manager looked nervous at the thought of being caught sending a shoplifter free.

His brother could’ve asked what happened and find resolution on the problem but Aiden only answered, “No.”

The manager smiled almost in relief. “I could take you on a tour of the place. You could see that we have constructed the upper floor as a recreation unit.”

Aiden only nodded and gestured for the manager to lead on which he is more than glad to.

The day is already coming close to dark when Aiden decided it is time for them to go back to the palace and report the developments of the Hyunsuk City. He courteously bid the manager good luck and strode out of the building, with everyone bowing as he passed. He wants to get out of here fast. He was only a few steps to his car when someone suddenly appeared from behind a decorated tree and bumped into him. His surprise is tantamount to shock as it was the first time that someone touched him, even if it’s by accident.

Spencer was beside him in a flash and Aiden lifted his hands to stop him from clobbering a girl. It was the girl at the mall, he recognized. The shoplifter. She was wearing her cap again and looking up at him in widened eyes. “I’m so sorry!”

She was standing way too close and he could smell her scent. He expected a foul sweaty odor but her clean scent wafted through his nose like a perfume. He was rooted in shock and couldn’t move. For most of his life, people treated him with aloofness. Youngest son of the King, always flanked by a number of body guards who would jump at anyone who stepped even 5 feet close to where he is so this new ordeal of someone bumping into him is taking him aback. But before he could utter a word, the girl stepped back and bent her waist, bowing to him in apology.

“I’m so sorry, so sorry!” Both her hands are clasped together in her waist as she kept bowing as she retreated. She bowed and apologized one last time before sprinting on the sidewalk, Aiden just looking after her in mere shock.

“Your Grace, are you okay?” Spencer asked.

Aiden blinked and looked at him. He nodded once shaking off his stupor before striding to his car. He noticed his designated royal chauffeur is also standing, in the middle of jumping in and coming to his aid should the person turned out to be an assailant. He slid in and sighed through his nose wanting to call it a day and just lie in his bed, hoping he could wake up and have what everyone had. Normalcy. But he couldn’t have that.

“What next?” he asked Spencer dreading that he had another place he needs to go to.

“Dinner, your Grace,” he simply answered. “With the Countess of So Nyeo Shi Dae. Then a gathering with the Earl of Ruthingham and the Lord of Janbrik tomorrow at 11 in the morning. There is also an invitaion from the Marquis to play a round of game cards at 4 in the afternoon. ” Aiden just looked at him in slight amusement. Spencer seems to know more about what he needs to do than he would. And all the social duties are making him want to forget it all the more.

After the grueling dinner with the Countess, feling his face cracking with all the social responsibilities that he was entrusted to perform, Aiden is more than ready to get back at the palace. But then, he would still have the duty to report the day’s developments to his father, the King. Aiden spent the ride looking through the passing sights, it’s shadows casting it’s reflection on the window. He was so deep in thought, trapped in his own mind that it took a while before a buzzing sound broke through his vacant mind. He turned his head to look questioningly at Spencer, his eyes asking what that sound is. Spencer looked back at him and gestured courteously at his coat. “You phone, your Grace.”

Feeling like a fool, Aiden took his small phone at the inside pocket of his suit with his forehead creased in question. It was rare that anyone would call him on his cellular phone. It was mostly a private use to him. Anyone that needs his attention would call Spencer. They always go through Spencer. He frowned even more when it registered a number that is unfamiliar to him. He could feel Spencer watching him, knowing any unknown callers are suspicious and should be treated as danger but Aiden pressed the answer button, feeling a weird satisfaction for doing something which will be considered as a misconduct for a Royalty.

“Hello?”

“Is this the owner of the brown little wallet with a lot of cash stashed into it?” It was a girl’s voice.

Aiden frowned thinking this must be a joke and puzzled that someone is prank-calling him. If it’s really a prank call. “What?”

The girl laughed. “I got your wallet, Duke. How filthy rich you are. Man, I hit the jackpot with you but unfortunately, we don’t take advantage of our visitors, you know, Hyunsuk people don’t want to make a bad impression, so I will be returning your wallet. Can you meet me at the front entrance of the mall? Oh wait, no not there. Maybe at the Green Park? I’ll be sitting at the bench near that cotton candy stall. It’s just near the mall so you won’t get lost. So be fast or else, I’ll forget my good manners and keep this.”

Aiden was not following it at all and he was struck at how weird this call suddenly is. “I think you got the wrong number,” was all he managed to say concluding that it is the most logical answer to this confusion.

“Wrong number? So you’re not the guy I saw at the mall when I was detained at the security office? You’re not the guy wearing that fancy black pants with a white polo shirt and dark blue necktie and wearing a black coat to top it off in the middle of the summer? You’re not the guy I bumped into earlier with that lean, scary guy beside you who looked like he was ready to tackle me?”

The image of the girl with a dirty cap flashed in his mind as she apologized for bumping into him. Her constant bowing and he finally realized the reason she had stood so close to him and why her hands are clasped together in front of her as she bowed. She got his wallet. The shoplifter. The thief. He can only sigh as he tried to remember which wallet he had stuffed in his coat earlier that day but thought that it doesn’t matter. “You can have it,” he just said dismissing the conversation.

The girl was silent for a minute on the other line before she uttered in disbelief, “Are you kidding me? There’s got about a thousand dollars in here!”

“I don’t need it,” Aiden just answered and he was about to tell her she probably needs it more than he does when she continued.

“You know, that’s the problem with you rich people. You lost a wallet and you don’t give a damn about it while we, the less fortunate ones throws a fit if we even lost a dime and you look down on us for keeping things you already threw away and forgot.”

Aiden was more lost than he was before. He would’ve thought the girl would thank him but here she is sounding really mad on the phone.

“I don’t want to keep it,” the girl continued. “So it’s either you meet me at the Green Park or you tell me where you are and I could bring it to you.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was brating himself for even asnwering the call. She could be part of an organization who’s point of life is to assasinate the King or the Prince or anyone from the Royal Family.

“You’ve also got this little ring inside it, it almost nicked my nail,” the girl continued.

Aiden made his decision upon hearing that. “Green Park it is.” He now knew which wallet he had brought with him.

“Okay, see you there. And oh, just so you know, I’m calling from a phone booth and I don’t have any money with me so I used one of the bills to exchange for coins to make this call. But don’t worry, I’ve returned everything else in your wallet. See you there.”

He put his phone back in his coat making a note to himself to change his phone number. He can’t have anyone knowing his private line. He doesn’t know where the mysterious girl got his number. Did he have a ID with his number inside it? He glanced at Spencer looking at him with an impassive face. 

“I got robbed,” he simply answered his questioning eyes.

Aiden gazed at the girl sitting on one of the benches with her legs crossed like a man and shaking the toes of her worn out sneaker as she whistled. At least, he thought she was whistling considering her lips are puckered out. Spencer was adamant in advising him to discard the idea of meeting a stranger and continuing to the house of the Countess instead. He even offered to go and get the wallet himself but Aiden feels it too cowardly. Spencer looked like he was holding on to his temper and looked annoyed enough to blow up in front of the prince when Aiden refused to listen to him smiling inwardly.  Spencer is the closest to a friend he have. His father was the King’s own assistant and Spencer became his. They grew up together but mostly, Spencer kept his distance, treating him the same way as everyone treated the Royal Famlly. Spencer is a dutiful loyal servant of the crown but Aiden was too reserved to try to befriend him. It was only recently that Spencer let his emotions, mostly irritation at the Prince’s stubborness of listening to advise, let off his carefully quiet facade.

Aiden reasoned that there is nothing ominous about a girl returning a wallet and if there’s a sense of danger in the small city, the King would’ve sent an army of security around him to ensure his safety. As it was, no one knew he was the heir to the king. No one knew the oldest son left him the title. The king was waiting for the right moment to announce that to the world. So he was safe. If there’s anyone who would be in danger, it would’ve been his brother.

Spencer only agreed when Aiden told him to park the car near the bench. It was only ten feet away.

“I have also learned martial arts with you so I think I can fight whatever danger is on there for 10 seconds before you can come rescue me,” Aiden said.

He stepped off the car and strode towards the girl sitting on the bench. Her cap is at her lap leaving her hair in a dishevelled ponytail, strands