A/N: Get ready, guys! This chapter is loongg~ ^^

Chapter 24: Discoveries & Confrontations

Dongil gazed at nothing but the ground as he was on his knees in front of Queen Shim. He was pretty surprised when Jasung came to him this morning, saying that the Her Highness wanted to speak with him. The minute he heard that she wished to have a talk, he knew.

He knew it wasn’t good. He knew exactly what the Queen wanted to chat about. He knew she figured it out.

Her Highness wasn’t indeed easy to deceive.

“Dongil,” Queen Shim said, sitting on her mat behind her table. “Do you know why I called you here?”

Still gazing at the ground, the bodyguard inhaled weakly. “No, Your Highness,” he lied.

The royal lady smirked. “Are you sure?”

Dongil sighed heavily. “What do you wish to speak about, Your Highness?”

Queen Shim raised her chin. “Seo Dongil.” At the sound of his name, he bravely looked up at her. The smirk plastered on her face instantly vanished and was replaced by an unsatisfying, cunning look. “You like my daughter, don’t you?”

Jooyang nearly tripped over his feet, running to Yeonhwa and Hwayang when he saw them walking towards their home.

“Noona!” he exclaimed happily as he wrapped his tiny arms around her waist. “You came, you came! You really came!”

Yeonhwa beamed a laugh and hugged him back. “Happy birthday, Jooyang,” she happily said. “And I promised, didn’t I? Look.” She turned to Hwayang, who was holding two full bags. “I brought some things, too.”

Jooyang’s eyes lit up. “Ohh! Are these presents?!” As soon as he tried to take a peek inside, Hwayang raised the bags away.

“No way,” he said. “Don’t you know the rules? If you open your presents before having the birthday meal, then you’ll be a short mushroom forever.”

The little brother pouted, crossing his arms across his chest. “Yeah, right? You can’t fool me, Hyung.”

“Really? Then, how come you haven’t grown since you’re sixth birthday? And now, you’re turning eight.”

Jooyang widened his eyes. “Hwayang Hyung!”

Yeonhwa laughed and knelt to the boy. “He’s just messing with you,” she said, tapping his nose. “Don’t get mad, okay? A birthday boy should never be mad on his birthday.”

Jooyang huffed a breath at his older brother before putting on a tiny smile for his favorite Noona. “Alright.” He smiled more widely, already forgetting about his older brother’s silly joke. “This is going to be the best birthday ever!”

Afterwards, Hwayang, Yeonhwa, and Jooyang approached the small table Mr. and Mrs. Yoon were setting up. Myungseok and Eunpil were also invited by Hwayang for they stood by, helping out. When Eunpil saw Yeonhwa, she froze, feeling her heart start to crack again.

Hwayang saw how uncomfortable she was, but it was his little brother’s birthday. No, he didn’t know about her feelings. He only thought she was still mad at him as a friend. But he couldn’t let the atmosphere go bad. “Hey, Mom and Dad,” he said, setting the bags on the table.

“Hey, son,” said his Mr. Yoon.

“Oh, Yeonhwa, you’re here!” Mrs. Yoon beamed with excitement, quickly rushing to hug her. “I didn’t think you would come!”

Eunpil gulped and looked away. The scene itself was already too painful for her. Myungseok obviously saw it, too, but he didn’t say anything being the good friend he was.

The Princess smiled. “Of course I came,” she said. “I didn’t only come because of a promise. I came because I wanted to. Who would want to miss anyone’s birthday?”

“Aish, what a nice girl.” Mrs. Yoon looked at the bags on the table. “What is this?”

Yeonhwa quickly came to open them. “Oh, these are some things I brought.” She pulled out three boxes and opened the lids, and as soon as she did, everyone was astonished. They were bento boxes filled with food. One with some meat covered in rich sauce, one with pretty designed rice cakes, and the last with some dumplings. The gourmet food were very mouthwatering.

A few days ago, Yeonhwa ordered some servants and maids to help her cook the delicious food. Luckily, they didn’t ask what it was for. Because it wasn’t their business, and because they trusted that it was for a good thing. She had never been to the kitchen much, so she had no cooking skills. But with some guide, she was able to catch up well.

“Yeonhwa Noona,” Jooyang said. “Did you make all of this yourself?”

Yeonhwa bit her lips and shyly nodded. “It was also my first time making it, so please be mindful of that,” she said.

“Why, they look divine, Yeonhwa,” Mr. Yoon complimented.

“Thank you, Sir.”

Mrs. Yoon smiled reassuringly and patted her shoulder. “I’m sure they’ll taste delicious,” she replied. “Come on. Why don’t we finish setting up for the little birthday boy?”

Yeonhwa didn’t hesitate to help out when asked. She was pulled over by Mrs. Yoon as Jooyang sat himself down on the seat beside the table.

Hwayang grinned warmly. He was happy to see that Yeonhwa was getting along with his parents and brother. It almost felt perfect.

At least, for now.

After introducing Yeonhwa as Hwayang’s girlfriend yesterday, his mother and father were surprised, proud, and happy at the same time. They were a little upset Hwayang hid the fact that he had been seeing someone for the past month, but after a while, they understood. All their lives, they thought Hwayang would have been with Eunpil since she was the only girl he hung out with, but they were wrong.

Not only did Hwayang feel relief his parents accepted Yeonhwa, but she did, too. She was happy they liked her, and she was happy they blessed her and Hwayang’s relationship. It felt like she was already a part of the family.

The following night, Hwayang couldn’t go to sleep as his parents kept asking him the usual questions he heard around. Where did they meet? Whose daughter is she? Why does she look so wealthy? How long have they seen each other?

Same old, same old.

The whole afternoon, the family celebrated Jooyang’s birthday with excitement and laughters. Half were quiet most the time because of the awkward tension between Hwayang and Yeonhwa, but others were avoiding it and enjoying the moment.

Eunpil tried very hard not to watch Hwayang and Yeonhwa interact. It was so heartbreaking to watch that it also made her angrily jealous. How she yearned to be the one in his arms. How she wanted to be blessed by his parents. How she wished to have his heart.

After the birthday feast, the time for gifts came.

Next to Yeonhwa, Jooyang was given a small, colorful box by her, and he didn’t hesitate to open it with his impatient hands. As soon as he got the lid off, he widened his eyes and looked at the Princess.

“You got this for me, Noona?” he said.

Yeonhwa smiled with a nod.

Sitting on the other side of her, Hwayang tried to look to see what it was. “What is it?” he asked.

Instead of answering, Jooyang pulled out a new toy from the wrapped box. It was a spinning top, but it wasn’t like the other ones he had. The ones he owned were plain and dull, but this new one in his hands was colorful. It reminded him of the kite she made Dongil run to the market, getting some supplies to create a new, improved one.

“It’s amazing!” Jooyang exclaimed, standing up in his seat. “Thank you, Noona!”

Yeonhwa shared a laugh with him before ruffling his hair. “Your welcome, birthday boy.”

Afterwards, she gave her attention back to Hwayang. He smiled at her before holding her hand in his under the table. A blush crept to her face, and she was pretty sure he saw it. But she didn’t care. She knew him too much and too well to know that he also enjoyed seeing her flustered.

“Your Highness.”

Not only did Yeonhwa freeze. Hwayang, Myungseok, and Eunpil did, too. Yeonhwa wanted to think that the voice was only in her head, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe that. It was too real to be her imagination.

Bravely, she whipped her head around and saw something she didn’t expect to see. There were four security guard