"What do you mean you are leaving?" Soojung said in a panic.

I leaned against one of the many pillars in her room with my arms crossed as I watched her panic at the news, wide eyed.

"Your father has issued a proclamation, we will soon be gearing for a full scale war with the Western kingdom. Scouts have surveyed the border and have returned with the conclusion that they are indeed preparing to attack us. Which means we have to be prepared to fend them off and get to them first; not an easy feat. Because of that, I am needed more on the battlefield to lead the troops, thus your father has reassigned me temporarily back to the army. Once the threat is neutralized, I will return back here to be your guard." I explained somberly. "Until then, Yifan will take over my position as your guard.

"But I don't want anyone else as my guard. You have been my guard for the longest so you should keep it that way and stay here!" She yelled frustrated.

I moved from my leaning position and walked towards her, gently grasping her shoulders.

"I know princess, but this is an empire we are talking about. As selfish as I want to be I cannot put the duty and lives of an entire empire ahead of my own desires." I said gently.

Soojung avoided my gaze and mumbled out, "But I am not selfish either. I fear for your safety. This is madness, you could get killed in battle and never return."

I furrowed my eyebrows and frowned. She was worried about me, she was genuinely worried; her request was selfish but not for herself, but for me. Realizing that she thought I was mortal and could leave her in a blink of an eye wounded me. Seeing her close to tears when I told her I would soon be leaving made me want to defy the Emperor and do nothing more than you march to his room to compel him to leave me out of the plans for battle and let me stay with Soojung. But I knew what my duty was as a soldier and as a monster. I had to get to that rogue first or all the efforts to combat the Western kingdom's army would be futile. Besides, if I stayed far away from Soojung and presented myself in the open for him to see, he will focus on me. He already thought I was dead, seeing me still alive after his little dagger trick would certainly make him furious. I had a good chance of meeting him on the battlefield then.

Without warning I crashed Soojung's body against mine in a tight embrace. She stiffened at the suddenness of my action at first but soon relaxed and melded her body to mine, returning my embrace with her own.

We stayed in our locked embrace for who knows how long, but I did not mind one bit. It gave me a peace at mind etching everything about her in my memory; her scent, her touch, her expressions, everything.

Soojung carefully broke away from our embrace and silently pulled me to her bed. I cocked an eyebrow, did she want to sleep early with me knowing that I would be leaving in the morning that way she would be able to wake early too?

When she got to the bed, she spun me around and pushed my shoulder down making me sit on the bed. From there she took two steps back and took a shaky breath. I watched with curious eyes as she slowly brought her hand to the sash of the dress and loosened it.

Once the sash and the outer layer of the dress was off, she was left in her white under shirts.

"If you are going to leave me here for the battlefield, and there is no guarantee you are coming back, I want you to have something in case you do not return: me."

My eyes bugged out of my sockets. She didn't mean that, does she?! I started to panic

Alarmed I quickly stopped her hands before she could take the rest of her clothes off.

"Stop." I said firmly. "You don't have to do this, and I don't want you too."

Soojung looked hurt. "What, are you saying you don't want me? Am I not good enough for you?" she said feverously.

"No, that has nothing to do with that." I hurriedly replied.

"Then why not?"

"Because......" Shoot What could I say? I could not outright tell her the real reason now could I?

"Because....." I was blanking and she took note of it.

"I see." She said. "You really don't like me genuinely at all. I guess you even have some other woman on the side." She turned her nose up giving me the cold shoulder.

.

"That is not it at all." I huffed out. "Look, you are a princess, and I am nothing more than a soldier. Traditionally, I am not even suppose to be in the same vicinity as you, especially at night, alone, in your room, in your bed!"

"Didn't stop us the first time, won't stop us now." She countered.

I groaned. "Yes true, but we were just sleeping next to each other, not sleeping, sleeping together."

"Not good enough a reason." She crossed her arms. "I know there is something else, you can't fool me. I bet it is another woman, it always is with you men." She said with disgust.

"No it is not! And it never will be! I only like you for heaven's sake, I even told you I love you."

"I don't care!" Soojung yelled back near to tears. "Why won't you accept me for just one night, I might not ever see you again. You said it yourself