Author's note: As many of you would know, this story was first published on Fanfiction.net and I have only started posting it here on Asianfanfics (thank you to my readers who recommended I do!!!) as I completed Chapter 8 over there. So if you've noticed I have been updating quite fast, this is because those chapters were already written and only needed minor editing. I am now updating both stories at the same time so I might be updating a bit slower than the previous chapters. Thanks for understanding and I hope you all stay with me as I finish Captain Yoo and Queen Kang's story! :) Stay awesome, y'all!

Chapter 9

Mo Yeon hated Kim Eun-Ji. But if you had to put it into politically succinct terms, the Queen of the Kingdom of Urk hated the Queen of Denmark.

Denmark is a great and prosperous nation and in the recent years has experienced a tremendous amount of international influence and economic boost, thanks to the wise guidance of its leader—not the Queen, who, unlike Mo Yeon, merely plays a cultural role in Denmark. The extraordinary place that Denmark has enjoyed in the recent years is all the doing of its Prime Minister, Daniel Spencer.

Daniel is young; young for a Prime Minister, just as how Mo-Yeon is constantly regarded as too young to be a Queen. But his rise to the top has been flawless because he is no short of a prodigy, is a charismatic speaker, and a son to two of the most influential people in Denmark. His relationship with Mo-Yeon dates back to their even younger days, when the Spencer couple would visit the Kingdom of Urk to spend time with Queen Ah-In. Ah-In was a close friend of the Spencers so their frequent visits to Urk gave birth to the brother-sister relationship between the two.

"But you hate Queen Kim Eun-Ji?" Shi-Jin looks at Mo-Yeon with a confused look.

The view outside the plane window is as clouded as before and there is nothing that could distract Mo-Yeon from Shi-Jin's tiring line of questioning. "She thinks too highly of herself when Daniel is really the only one doing all the real work around there."

Shi-Jin tries to keep the chuckle from emerging from his lips. "But she's still the Queen, right? So you have no choice but to be good to her."

"Good? Not for a million kingdoms. Civil, barely." Mo-Yeon sighs in frustration. "I don't understand why Daniel keeps defending her from me."

Shi-Jin squints his eyes and looks at her with doubt. "Maybe there's nothing wrong with her and you're just jealous?"

"Jealous about what?" Mo-Yeon's voice raises a notch higher and louder.

"I don't know, maybe because she gets to spend time with Daniel and you don't?" Shi-Jin pushes.

Mo-Yeon looks at him for a moment and considers his suggestion. She then shrugs, "Yeah, maybe that, too."

Shi-Jin's brows furrow at her reply. He stands up abruptly and with no further remark, stomps his way to the pilot's cabin. Mo-Yeon stares at Shi-Jin's back as he makes his exit and frowns. She calls to Dae-Young, who turns his head and looks over his shoulder. "Is Shi-Jin defending Eun-Ji, too?"

"If there's one thing he is defending right now, it's his pride. Never mind him, Your Highness," Dae-Young says in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone and turns back.

Mo-Yeon head tilts to the left and she holds her gaze at the closed doors of the pilot's cabin before she hears the pilot over the PA saying, "The plane is preparing to descend. Please keep seated and fasten your seatbelts as we prepare for landing. Again, please keep seated and fasten your seatbelts as the plane prepares to land. Thank you."

Shi-Jin emerges from the cabin and instead of going back to his seat in front of Mo-Yeon, he heads straight to the seat across Dae-Young. Mo-Yeon frowns at Shi-Jin's behavior and fastens her seatbelt. The plane trembles, signaling the plane's preparation for descent, and Mo-Yeon watches Denmark loom larger into view through her window. A few more minutes and the royal entourage is safely on ground, with Denmark's own on standby to receive Mo-Yeon and her group.

As Mo-Yeon alights the plane stairs, she sees Daniel and Eun-Ji in view. Eun-Ji is her usual airy self and Daniel is still just as majestic. She sees Daniel nod to Eun-Ji before he makes his way to her, offering a hand to help her off the stairs.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day that the busy queen of Urk would make time to visit the humble Kingdom of Denmark." Daniel smiles and kisses Mo-Yeon's hand.

Mo-Yeon's eyes light up at the sight of her childhood friend and breaks out into a hug. Daniel keeps his hand on her back in response and the other pats her head, much like how a big brother would greet his younger sister. Shi-Jin and Dae-Young stay behind Mo-Yeon, and Dae-Young notices a stiff aura surround his Captain.

"I'm sorry if it had to take a disaster for us to see each other again," Mo-Yeon frowns as she lets go of Daniel.

"Nonsense. Let's leave the complicated stuff for later. For now, let me make it up to my favorite girl in the world," Daniel grins and offers his arm to Mo-Yeon, who takes it in a heartbeat. The group makes their way to Eun-Ji, already sporting a rather nasty smirk only she could pass off as friendly.

"Queen Kang, welcome to Denmark," Eun-Ji says sweetly, already eyeing the two men behind Mo-Yeon instead of her.

Mo-Yeon makes do without Eun-Ji's fake friendly and merely gives a nod. "It is with deepest regret that I have to come here on such circumstances, Queen Kim. But thank you for your hospitality," she says coldly.

"If it would be to your convenience, I will be pleased to have you join me for dinner tonight. I regret that I will be quite indisposed to hosting you for the rest of the day." Eun-Ji keeps her smile, emphasizing 'indisposed' as she spoke.

Mo-Yeon rolls her eyes to herself and settles with a sigh to keep her temper in check. "No offense taken, Queen Kim. We will see you later tonight."

Eun-Ji gives her best smile once again, her gaze still fixed on Shi-Jin and Dae-Young, and turns her back to lead the group back to the castle. Mo-Yeon lets out a deep breath and mouths a "sorry" to Daniel. He only smiles at her and shakes his head. Dae-Young looks at Shi-Jin to measure his reaction and he sees him pull out a pair of Ray-Ban he lets sit snugly on the bridge of his nose, and continues to walk with both hands buried in his pockets. Dae-Young tries to keep his smile to himself and marches quietly beside Shi-Jin, knowing it's going to be a long week at Denmark.

xxxxx

As the party sits around the long dining table, with Eun-Ji at the end of the table and Mo-Yeon on the other end, Shi-Jin notices that Mo-Yeon made sure she dressed to impress. She dons a white long-sleeved dress, with the whole bodice covered in lace, and white sandals to top it off. Small pearls adorn her ears and her wrist, just enough to show off to Eun-Ji.

"Mo-Yeon, I'm really happy you have come to Denmark. And it also brings me immense pleasure to see how well you're doing as the Urk's Queen," Daniel says before bringing a forkful of food to his lips.

"What honor to receive such a compliment from Denmark's finest," Mo-Yeon replies with a bright smile.

Eun-Ji then clears to catch the attention of the group. "You know, Queen Kang, we truly have been mortified when we heard about what happened to the Vice President."

Mo-Yeon makes an effort to hide her discomfort at Eun-Ji's preferred topic of conversation but lets her eyes dart to Eun-Ji at the other end of the table.

"But please know that you have our fullest support, in whatever form you need. I wouldn't mind dropping by Urk myself to show an action of solidarity," Eun-Ji continues, sending a wink at Shi-Jin's way.

Mo-Yeon looks at Shi-Jin and he dignifies Eun-Ji's gesture with a small smirk and a nod. She puts her fork down with a clatter and reaches for a glass of water. How dare he!

Shi-Jin's spares a glimpse at Mo-Yeon for a second, before he addresses Eun-Ji. "Your Majesty, let me speak in behalf of Her Royal Highness Queen Kang Mo-Yeon and thank you for graciously welcoming us into your Kingdom. It is with support from our allies as yourself that we are able to transcend the crisis that has fallen in our Kingdom," he says and continues, "Also, please do not deem me rude if I say the Prime Minister is quite a lucky man to have such elegance and beauty by his side."

Mo-Yeon feels her ears go hotter as she listens to Shi-Jin. How dare he betray me and side with that evil witch!

"I'm pretty sure you feel as honored yourself, Captain Yoo Shi-Jin, as you, too, have such a brilliant and loving Queen to support you," Daniel interjects, sending a smile on Mo-Yeon's way.

"Well I won't disagree with that, my queen is a rather fine woman," Shi-Jin replies.

Dae-Young watches the little exchange in front of him and clears to signal Shi-Jin.

"But moving on to more pressing matters, of course—" Shi-Jin straightens up, putting down his utensils and continues, "—I hope you're aware that we are here to assure the Kingdom of Denmark that Urk has things under control. Additionally, we would like to seek your aid in catching the perpetrators behind the terrible crime. So if there's any information you would like to share with us that could help us get closer to solving this mystery, that would be most welcome, Mr. Spencer."

Daniel folds his hands in front of him and now turns his attention to Shi-Jin. "As much as we would like to help you, Captain Yoo, I must admit that we have little information about the Vice President as we are not very much acquainted with him. As you know, we are not a member of the International Federation, thus, we have minimal dealings with them. But as far as assistance is concerned, I would like to offer our royal police if you have anything you would need their help for."

Shi-Jin searches Daniel's face as he says this, and notices his jaw tightens for a moment. He knew it wasn't much going forward but there must be some underlying meaning or agenda behind his seemingly innocent words. Only Mo-Yeon was enamored enough with Daniel to not see through him. He decides to push further and replies, "Your offer is much obliged, Mr. Spencer, thank you. But if I may overstay my welcome for a moment, I would like to ask Denmark's reason for not allying itself with the IF? Our Kingdom has shared many triumphs and successes as a member of the IF and I'm sure it is our loss not to have a Kingdom as great as yours under the same oath."

"Sadly, it's just that our Kingdom just doesn't see eye-to-eye with the standard bearers of the IF. We do not want to endanger the harmony the IF has struck with this kind of relationship," Daniel says as calmly as he always is.

"Are these misunderstandings on a political or a more personal level, Mr. Spencer?"

"Why, Captain Yoo, I feel like you are subjecting me to a police enquiry with such line of questioning," Daniel says with a smile on his face.

Mo-Yeon looks at Shi-Jin and desperately tries to make sense of his hostility towards Daniel.

"I feel like there's nothing too difficult with my questions if there's nothing to hide," Shi-Jin replies with a smile of his own on his face.

"Would you like to subject me to a formal investigation then, Captain?"

"That sounds like a terribly fine suggestion, Mr. Spencer, and we may actually indulge you on that if it would be to hasten the resolution of this crisis."

"Are you suspecting my good name, Captain?"

"Should we?"

"Captain Yoo Shi-Jin!" Mo-Yeon bursts out, her face now red from embarrassment. The occupants of the dining table all look to the now seething Mo-Yeon, her voice a slightly higher pitch, but commanding. She says between gritted teeth, "You have disgraced me in front of our allies. I request you please leave this room right now."

Shi-Jin opens his m*uth to say something but closes it again. "Forgive me, Your Highness. Excuse me," he then says reluctantly and heads out of the dining room.

Silence settles on the room and persists even after Shi-Jin has left. The sound of the silverware hitting the chinaware is drowned by the heavy layer of chagrin and unease that hung in the air.

"Please forgive my Captain as he is under immense pressure at the moment," Mo-Yeon says softly, breaking the silence, but not so much the tension. "Also, if it would not be too much, I would like to excuse myself to settle in for the night. We have had a rather early start today and I admit I am in terrible need for rest."

Dae-Young and Daniel then stands up to acknowledge Mo-Yeon's request to leave. Dae-Young hurries to Mo-Yeon and pulls her chair for her to stand up.

"Cast your worries away, Mo-Yeon, and get a good night's rest. I'll see you in the morning," Daniel says reassuringly.

"Thank you," Mo-Yeon nods at Daniel and turns to Eun-Ji. "Thank you for the dinner, Queen Kim."

Mo-Yeon then heads straight for her bedroom, Dae-Young silent beside her. Her thoughts fly to Shi-Jin and her face flushes again as she remembers how Shi-Jin assaulted Daniel on the dining table. Her hands fly to her head and she attempts to shake the feeling of embarrassment away, to no avail.

"You know, worrying is only twice the pain," Dae-Young says, snapping Mo-Yeon out of her daze.

"Who said that?"

"Captain Yoo."

Mo-Yeon bites her lip at the mention of Shi-Jin's name and they come to a halt in front of her door. "Thank you, Dae-Young. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Your Highness," Dae-Young bows and takes his leave.

Mo-Yeon lets out a deep gush of breath and pushes her bedroom door open, only to find Shi-Jin already seated on her bed. She closes the door behind her but does not go near him, and settles on leaning her back on the door, arms crossed in front of her "You were terrible out there."

"I'm not sorry. If he had nothing to hide, the questions would have been simple to answer," Shi-Jin replies obstinately. "Besides, didn't you notice how fishy it all sounds? How fishy it all looks? Are you blind or do you just willingly close your eyes to keep the pristine image of Daniel Spencer on your head?"

Mo-Yeon's eyes widen and her lips purse at Shi-Jin's accusations. She bites her lower lip to stop it from trembling from both confusion and anger before she manages to bite back at him. "Where is all these coming from? Do you actually believe General Argus? Do you think Daniel is responsible for the VP's death? Daniel is like a brother to me! He wouldn't do anything that can hurt me! And besides, you have no right to judge him because you've just known him for hours! For all I know, you're the one responsible for his death! Urk was eerily peaceful before you came along! And I've known Daniel all my life. How long I've known you doesn't even compare. So maybe it's you I should be suspecting!"

Shi-Jin's face hardens as she looks straight at Mo-Yeon. He collects himself from the bed, makes his way towards Mo-Yeon, and only stops to trap Mo-Yeon between his arms, their faces inches from each other. His gaze does not waver, nor does hers, and they stare angrily at each other, not counting the seconds or the minutes that passed.

"I have done nothing, ever since I came back, but protect you, look out for you," Shi-Jin says quietly, his voice a low and deep murmur that felt like it reverberated around the room. "Every waking moment, every second of every day, I have spent thinking about the crown, the Kingdom, thinking about you. And yet you accuse me, you doubt my sincerity, my methods, my heart."

Mo-Yeon feels her knees buckle, wanting to give way under her. Shi-Jin's gaze pierced her, his words crushing her every resolve. And she suddenly felt her heart ache at the accusations she has hurled his way. She parts her lips but no sound emerges. I didn't mean that, Yoo Shi-Jin, I'm sorry, she wants to say. But no word came out.

"I will say sorry, if that's what you please. But I will not back down, I will not stop probing. Because I will not let anything, even your fine judgment, compromise your security and your integrity. I will continue seeking out if that's what will keep you safe. Because I promised, and I will not fall short of my father's will." Shi-Jin lets his hands drop to his side and straightens up. "Good night, Your Highness."

Mo-Yeon stays still as Shi-Jin lets himself out the other door. And as Shi-Jin calls her "Your Highness" once again, this time, she feels a million tiny hands take a handful and squeeze at her heart, until it was so painful she felt nothing anymore.

Xxxxx

Breakfast is painfully awkward and grim, compared to last dinner's heated charade. Although Eun-Ji did not join Mo-Yeon and her party at the table, it didn't help that Daniel and Shi-Jin sat at either side of Mo-Yeon. And since she positioned herself at the end of the table, the two men ended up sitting across each other, careful not to get caught as they stole glances at the other. Dae-Young is no help either, being his usual stoic self.

"Mo-Yeon, do you think you can spare some time for me today?" Daniel's sudden query breaks the heavy and pungent smell of unnamed ill-harbored feelings that hang in the air. "Eun-Ji is quite busy today and has no need for me, so I thought I should at least entertain my favorite overseas Queen."

"Favorite overseas Queen, Daniel? Seriously?" Mo-Yeon frowns at him. "You just couldn't say your favorite Queen, period?"

Daniel gives her a light chuckle and leans in a little closer, sending Shi-Jin into a frenzy of emotions that he tried so hard to keep in check since he sat down. "I would say that, but I am rather obliged to favor my Queen, am I not?"

Mo-Yeon chuckles in response, her eyes trying not to dart into Shi-Jin's direction. After their confrontation last night at her room, which rendered her sleepless despite the fatigue that plagued her throughout the night, there are no words she can try to piece together to answer his outburst. Well, in truth, it was more of her outburst than his, since he spoke to her so constipatedly gentle, like he's never talked to her before. She puts a spoonful of soup to her lips and gently dabs with the napkin on her lap. "Yeah, sure, I'm free now."

She feels Shi-Jin shifting uncomfortable in his seat as she selfishly takes Daniel on his offer, and makes a gesture to leave. The three men scramble to get on their feet as she prepares to stand.

"Shall I you to our fine garden? We've got a nice greenhouse at the back. I can have tea arranged for us," Daniel smiles, offering an arm to her.

Mo-Yeon takes Daniel's arm and turns her head to speak to Dae-Young. She catches Shi-Jin looking at her in her periphery but she tries to ignore him—not in the same way she would usually pretend he's not there, at times when she pretends she's cross with him to make him say sorry. This kind of ignoring was a self-conscious kind of ignoring. She is just too embarrassed of herself, of the words she let loose last night. And it is even more embarrassing that Shi-Jin is willing not to act pissed at her in front of Daniel, while there she is, being the 'mature' one. "Dae-Young, please move my meeting in the afternoon. You and the Captain can do as you please for the day, I will keep the other guards and Daniel's own with me."

"I am under Myeong-Joo's orders not to leave you alone," Shi-Jin interjects.

"I am under the impression that I am the Queen, Captain Yoo, and not General Yoon," Mo-Yeon bites back coldly, regretting it the minute it escaped her lips. She does not give Shi-Jin the chance to rebut and she motions at Daniel for them to go.

Shi-Jin watches Mo-Yeon and Daniel head out of the dining room, and lets a sour expression settle into his face.

"Would you like to drink?" Dae-Young asks.

Shi-Jin shrugs, "Well she did say we can take this bloody day off. Might as well."

Dae-Young punches Shi-Jin lightly on the shoulder and leads him out of the room, as well. He then hooks an arm on his neck, a small smile on his face. "Should we place bets on who gets to down more bottles, Captain Yoo Shi-Jin?"

Shi-Jin smiles to himself as well, grateful that his friend always just knows what to do. "You're on, Chief Seo Dae-Young."

"Don't cry when you lose then."

Shi-Jin's feels a new-found resolve burning a hole in his stomach and Dae-Young does not fail to see his eyes light up despite the recent developments in the plot he shares with Mo-Yeon. "Oh don't worry, I don't plan to lose."

Xxxxx

October in Urk was beautiful—beautiful not just because of the holiday cheer settling early on the streets, but literally because the streets were decorated with flowers and lights, and festivities were, again, aplenty. October was the Queen's birth month and the whole Kingdom took it upon themselves to don the streets with lively and lovely things, and arrange a series of festivities and celebrations to honor their Queen.

Queen Ah-In was a leader that was immensely favored by her people. Before she took the throne, in fact, she was already a much-loved crown princess since she chose to frequent the commoners' streets and stores. At 14, she was already hosting banquets and charitable events, a regular volunteer at the elders' home, a patron at local bookstores and bakeries (she said she loved to shop and would prefer she did it herself), and many people swore that they each had a moment with her, either to talk, to ask for advice, or even gossip. She was straight out of a fairy tale; a princess that was loved by everyone, and shortly after, a queen that was adored and respected by her Kingdom.

When she became Queen, she tried her best to go out and mingle with the people, although her various duties and tight schedule rarely permitted her to do so. But Octobers were always a treat since it was the time of the year she made it a point to organize events and visits to various parts of the Kingdom, just like the old times.

But this October was turning to be a rather unfortunate exception.

"I fear you would be needing more rest, Your Majesty, your body has become very frail as of late."

Ah-In put down her cup of tea and stared at the view of Urk from her bedroom window. She sat across Doctor Song, who was joining her in her afternoon tea. "I've got a lot of activities planned for this month, Doctor, you know that. And I couldn't let my people down."

"Believe it or not, Your Majesty, you're ageing. You have got to be more careful of your health," Doctor Song replied, putting down his own cup.

"Don't you think it's impolite to tell a woman she's ageing, Doctor?" Ah-In laughed, soft lines forming at the corner of her eyes and lips. "And I've been investing so much on my moisturizers, too!"

"I get a free pass because I'm a doctor, and you should really listen to what your doctor says, Ah-In." He was concerned now, and he's trying to make his sincerity come across.

Ah-In lifted her hand and placed it on top of Doctor Song's, and smiled. "You worry too much, old friend."

"We have been noticing significant weakening of your body, Ah-In. And while all of this is still constant with ageing, I want to be very careful and make sure there are no symptoms we're missing. Until I get the results from the exams we've conducted and until your body stops displaying deteriorating conditions, then I'm afraid our hands are tied," the doctor sighed in response.

Ah-In spared another long look at the outlines of the roofs and buildings that decorated her window and nodded, finally. She was easier to tire lately and she started needing more sleep. She noticed that she frequently felt nauseous in the morning, and even her eyesight was getting worse. Long walks that before were a joy, now proved to be too difficult to bear.

She squeezed Doctor Song's hand and looked at him, pleading. "For my daughter, doctor, I'll do anything. Help me."