"Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own."

-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Baekhyun stood outside of his room, this time. Those passing by waved and bowed, as usual. He gave them the polite bow, but was more focused on who was going to come in the next few minutes. When he saw the mop of unruly brown hair, he couldn't contain his excitement and ran over. Chanyeol smiled a little, but looked uncomfortable. Baekhyun didn’t pay it much mind and the minute he was a foot from the other teen, he began to talk. They last time they had spoken was above Chanyeol’s family restaurant. When Baekhyun had gotten home, he went straight away to write a message to Chanyeol to meet the following day. In the letter, he babbled on about random things, but it ultimately lead to an awkward “Will you meet me tomorrow when the sun is in the center of the sky?” He had sent his messenger to drop it off and waited anxiously for a reply. When the sun was going down and the colors disappeared from the sky, only to be replaced by a deep blue, thought maybe Chanyeol has been scared off by Baekhyun’s quick speech and body guards. But those thoughts disappeared when he saw the familiar palace lantern swinging on the back of the messenger's bag. 

The messenger had returned with a letter written in a neat print. It simply said, “Baekhyun, I am deeply sorry I could not fulfill your request today, but perhaps tomorrow at the same time. I happened to be caught up in work today.”

Baekhyun’s heart soared and he gently set the letter next to his bed. 

The next day, Baekhyun waited for midday, and when he saw a familiar mop of untamed hair, he hurried outside of the garden. He found Chanyeol waiting outside his bedroom window, about to call up. 

“Chanyeol, I'm so glad you came.” Baekhyun said, breathless. “I was afraid that… Anyway, I have a plan. Well, more or less. I was hoping you would help.”

Chanyeol turned, eyes wide. “Y-yeah, sure. What is it?”

“Can you show me around the town?”

Chanyeol blinked. “That's so… normal.”

Baekhyun laughed. “I've lived in this place for fifteen, almost sixteen years, and I've never explored or been to the town. My father thinks I shouldn't associate with peasants because they aren't worthy,”

Chanyeol made a face. “Oh,”

“But if you're going to rule a place, it's best to get to know the people, right?” Baekhyun said quickly, realizing what he had said. Chanyeol was a peasant, and he had just said that he wasn't good enough. “And… It's good to get out of the stuffy palace.” He probably just dug his grave deeper. 

Chanyeol nodded, “Let's go, then.”

So, Baekhyun followed Chanyeol through the dusty streets to a market not too far from the palace. Baekhyun observed in awe. There were so many people crammed in a tiny street. Vendors were selling a variety of products, and many people lined up to buy an advertised item. The tops of the stands were covered in color fabrics and had tassels and beads hanging from the edges. It was really amazing, Baekhyun thought. In the palace, food was delivered and cooked in the kitchen. Anything he ever desired was brought directly to him. The thought of actually going out and buying things was so foreign. He walked up to a stand and inspected the rugs folded and hanging in the shop. They were a little dusty, but the patterns were fantastic. So many brilliant colors all woven together to create a masterpiece. Baekhyun felt one of the rugs and was surprised by their softness. He thought that all peasant rugs were made like wicker baskets; with rough materials. 

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said, appearing behind him. 

“Chanyeol, this is fantastic! Oh if only I had known what it was like in the town. I would've come here more.” Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol and smiled.

Chanyeol nodded. “Do you have anything to cover yourself?”

“What?” Baekhyun looked down. Nothing was exposed. 

“Your clothes… They're out of place.” 

Baekhyun looked around and realized the people glancing at him, whispering, and pointing. They were wearing earth tones and thinner clothing that just barely clung to their bodies. Baekhyun, on the other hand, wore black and red with accents of yellow. The thin gold rope wrapped around his stomach stood out and the cleanliness of him was much more than those around him. His face flushed. 

“No,” he said under his breath. “I don't have anything… like that.” He motioned to those around him. 

Chanyeol sighed. “I think I know a clothes shop close by. C’mon.” 

They exited the shop and Baekhyun was more alert to the looks he was receiving. He crossed his arms, hoping he could at least hide something, but to no avail. He stood out like a sore thumb and it made him self conscious. What were people saying about him? They were probably wondering why he was following a peasant boy, and as he did so, he was losing their respect. His father would be furious when he found out and stop him from meeting Chanyeol. Baekhyun clenched his fist. He's not going to let his father take this away, too. The thought of not being able to see Chanyeol again was not something he enjoyed. 

“Here,” Chanyeol said, and led Baekhyun into a dark shop. It was musty smelling, and the temperature was cool compared to the summer air outside. Baekhyun shivered. 

There were racks upon racks of clothing similar to Chanyeol’s, all earth tones and dull. The fabric was cheap and felt rough. Baekhyun scrunched his nose. Never had he seen such drab clothing. His father would be fuming if he knew that was what Baekhyun was about to put on. Even Baekhyun was growing skeptical of the cleanliness. But it was all for being able to walk around the kingdom without gaining attention, and also to continue being around Chanyeol. He sighed and let Chanyeol pick brown pants, a forest green shirt, black shoes, and a brown cloak. He was ushered into the changing room. Dropping his elegant robes, he cringed when a small dust cloud appeared from underneath. He'd have to sneak them into the washer before anyone noticed they had dirt on them. Then he slipped on the rough fabric. When he stepped out, no one in the shop gave him a second glance. Chanyeol nodded and helped Baekhyun gather his robes. 

Up at the merchant, they put the robes into a bag and as Chanyeol was paying, the merchant leaned in. 

“I heard you were walking around with the Prince.” Said the merchant, motioning to Baekhyun and the bag of robes. 

“Please don't tell anyone.” Baekhyun heard Chanyeol mumble. 

“It’s spread across the kingdom like a wildfire, son. You best be careful.”

Chanyeol nodded and thanked the merchant. Baekhyun followed Chanyeol out of the shop and back onto the streets. The town’s vibe was noticeably different. He saw more guards around and everyone seemed to be on high alert. He pulled the hood of the cloak over his head and followed close behind Chanyeol. They stopped at a vegetable stand and while Chanyeol browsed, Baekhyun walked to the shop next door. It was very cramped. Odd items filled the shelves and tables. The rugs and cloth were dusty, and the place almost looked abandoned. A wrinkly old man sat behind the counter flipping through a dusty leather book. He looked up when Baekhyun started to inspect a two headed duck.

“Welcome,” he said. His voice sounded gravely and wavered.

Baekhyun nodded and continued to search. The man gave him creeps. As he continued through the shop, making his way towards the back, he felt the old  man’s eyes on him. He pulled his hood closer around his face. The old man couldn’t possibly know who Baekhyun was. He was wearing peasant clothes, and he barely showed his face around the town. The more time Baekhyun spent in the shop, though, the more a sinking feeling grew in his gut. When he got close enough to hear the old man’s labored breathing, he decided to leave. He was getting a bad feeling about the man. As he left, a few burly men walked in. Baekhyun shrunk away and hurried past them. When he passed the men, he noticed a gold button on their chest with two snakes wrapped around a tree. Outside of the shop, Chanyeol was still at the vegetable stand observing a few bruised red tomatoes. 

“Chanyeol, are you almost done?” Baekhyun asked, keeping close to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol nodded. “I just have to purchase these.” He picked the least bruised tomato and plopped it into a paper bag. Then he gave it to the woman behind the counter and pulled out change while she weighed it. After paying, he thanked the woman and led the way through the street. As they walked, Baekhyun kept glancing behind him. Each time, he swore he saw the men he had bumped into when he left the strange store. When he looked back for the fifth time, he concluded that he was being paranoid. Ever since the shop, though, he had been unsettled as they continued to walk through the market.

Soon the market ended and they were now in the residential area of the town. Baekhyun recognized it from when he had visited Chanyeol at his family restaurant. This time around, people didn’t recognize him. They thought he was a normal peasant. It was different going unnoticed. Baekhyun couldn’t say he didn’t like it, but it was certainly something he wouldn’t get used to. He expected people to swarm him the minute he stepped into the market a few hours back. It must be what Chanyeol felt everyday, he thought.

Baekhyun read a few shop signs as he went. Some were strange, having to do with magic and necromancy, while others dealt with herbal medicine. Chanyeol stopped in front of one of the medicine shops and told Baekhyun to wait outside, saying he was only picking something up.

As Baekhyun waited, he made sure to completely cover himself. The feeling of dread wasn’t going away. He scanned the streets. There was a decent amount of people, and nothing looked out of place. Until Baekhyun spotted the two burly men he had run into heading in his direction. They seemed to be talking while pointing at Baekhyun. When they were a few meters away, they smiled wickedly and tried to grab at Baekhyun. Baekhyun ducked and ran into the store. Chanyeol was just putting a smaller bag of herbs in his vegetable bag when the door burst open. 

“Chanyeol, we have to go now!” Baekhyun huffed.

Baekhyun lifted up his robes and ran behind wide-eyed Chanyeol. The two men lumbered inside. They looked from wall to wall, and when they saw Baekhyun and Chanyeol behind the desk, they walked up to the counter. Up close, they felt smaller than a mouse compared to their bulging muscles. The men made their way to the half door that led to behind the counter. Realizing what was happening, the woman behind the counter ushered Baekhyun and Chanyeol through the back while holding out a knife she was using to cut herbs.

“Stay back. As the shop owner, I demand that you leave.” She glared at the men. 

It was all Baekhyun and Chanyeol saw before he was shoved into a dark room. Chanyeol grabbed his wrist and led him straight forward and he pushed open a door. Sunlight washed over them, but they didn’t have time to bask. They ran out of the herb shop and down the road. Baekhyun didn’t know where he was. The buildings looked identical, and there were no street signs with directions or any shop signs he could use as a landmark. He was terribly disoriented, but Chanyeol was confident as he led Baekhyun down the street and through back alleys until he reached a plain wood door. It looked just like the others, but Chanyeol knocked on it with a certain rhythm. The door flung open. A woman was standing there covered in flour. Chanyeol paid her no mind and he hurried Baekhyun inside.