Silence, but Howon’s loud pacing, filled the isolated storage room sitting in his backyard. He breathed and sighed more than he could count in the past. Kneeling in the center of the room was the graceful, small but tall, pretty man Lee Sungjong and his lover—supposed runaway worker of Sungjong’s family. After much silence Howon finally broke the tension between both parties, “if the two of you return to your house then I promise I will convince Lord Lee to let him”—Howon eyed the handsome Myungsoo who couldn’t meet his gaze—”stay and continue to work at your place. But, if the two of you won’t return on your own will then I will make sure you can never meet him again,” Howon warned the expressionless Sungjong.

“Then,” when Sungong looked up at him with a short pause, Howon knew the lad had came up with an excuse, “I will die.” Threatening Howon with his life was nothing new to Howon, but the scary fact was that the latter have tried to kill himself before. Which resulted in Lord Lee having to bring in more people to look after the youth in case he did something regretful. However, no one knew the young master would fall for one of the worker.

“You know you’ve been invited to the princess’s birthday right? If you don’t go then Lord Lee will face major consequences,” Howon explained trying to keep calm, “will you be alright if something happens to him? You won’t be, right?” Howon approached the young man before squatting to meet his eye level, “So listen to me and go back. Go to this event and make Lord Lee proud,”

Sungjong looked toward the ground where he noticed an insect. For a split second he thought of how wonderful it would be to be an insect. To live in a world where you do not have feelings but only a sense to live, survive, and reproduce. “I don’t want to and I won’t,”

Howon crossed his arms and rested his elbows on his knees, “Should I tell you again why that’s not an option?”

Instantly Sungjong looked up, in his eyes Howon thought he saw some sort of spark. Followed by the spark Sungjong smirked. “You owe me a favor, remember?”

“What?” Howon leaned back when Sungong bend forward, the youth’s closeness knocked Howon off balance and landed him on his bottom.

“I took care of your mother everyday when we thought you were dead remember? When you went into the mountains to get her medicine and fell off that waterfall,” Sungjong reminded the older. A disbelief scoff left the lips of Howon before he commented.

“I paid you back remember? You asked me to help hide the fact that you and him”—Howon gestured toward Myungsoo with a nod of his head “were going steady from Lord Lee,”

“But what happened? My father found out the next day because you opened your mouth, so in all fairness you haven’t paid me back,”

“That’s because I couldn’t stand—”

“I know you’re not a good liar nor are you good at hiding secrets, but like I said it’s not fair. Payback has to be fair, didn’t you know that?”

Howon blinked at the other’s words. Quickly Howon realized the boy was right, “Fine, what is your favor?” He asked while standing up at the same time.

“Go in my stead,” Sungjong proposed as he stood as well.

There was no denying it. Sungjong and Lord Lee are so much alike in how they think. “I won’t do it. Why do you and Lord Lee think it’s a good idea to fool the royal family? They can’t be that naive to not check if the guest is really—”

“What about my father? What does he think is a good idea? What did you say?” Sungjong’s smirky expression has gone into a more confused one.

Howon scratched the back of his nape thinking he should pretend Sungjong had never asked him anything, “I—”

This time and for the first time Myungsoo jumped in, “Lord Lee already asked that you do the deed and attend the ceremony in Sungjong’s place instead, right?”

Howon huffed and puffed, mentally. He never liked this Kim Myungsoo because the guy doesn’t lack anything. He’s got the looks, height, voice, and brains. The only thing Howon can share with the man is that they both have disabled mothers, Myungsoo’s being unable to walk, and are both from poor backgrounds.

“My father already asked you to go in my place instead?!” Sungjong asked, unaware of his own loudness due to shock.

“Anyway, I was going to but since you’re here you should go home and prepare for it. I’ll pretend that Lord Lee and you never asked anything of me,” Howon said but was quickly shut down.

“If you won’t go as me then I’m going to tell your mother about that time when you went to the mountains and lied to her about going to another town for her herbs,”

Howon sneered at that and with a flattening of his eyes the lad said under a dangerous tone, “You wouldn’t dare Lee Sungjong,”

“She’s home right?” the younger’s question was directed to Myungsoo, who nodded, as if he had made sure to check on Howon’s mother before following Sungjong into the storage. “Watch me, I’m going to go tell her,”  

~~~~~~~~~

Howon couldn’t believe he let himself be bought over by one of Sungjong’s many threats. With his arms folded across his chest, he allowed the know-it-all Sungjong to teach him some things about princesses’ parties as he sat on a stack of hay strapped together. “Masks are not to be taken off unless the princess has chosen you, which I highly doubt will happen, or her suitor at the end of the party so whatever you do just lay low,”

Howon raised a brow, was it that simple? “What do you mean masks are not taken off until the princess chooses someone? Wouldn’t the princess want to see the faces of her suitors first before—”

Sungjong raised a hand to stop him from speaking, “The royals did not invite just anyone. Have you ever seen an unattractive noble before? Masks are to keep the princesses from being distracted from the suitor’s skills. The King wants the best suitor for the princess as she will have to live outside of the palace,” the pretty lad explained.

“She will have to live outside of the palace?” Howon questioned which Sungjong hummed to quickly as if it meant nothing, “Why?”

A confused frown washed over Sungjong’s face, “What do you mean why? Why would the King raise princesses and their husbands in the palace?”

“That makes sense…,” Howon commented under a whisper. “You said at every parties activities are held to test the skills of each suitor right?”

Sungong nodded with his arms crossed, “When I was invited to the seventh and eighth princess’s birthdays, they held events or games like a show. Ah right, since it’s like a show, there’s usually an audience so make sure you really don’t stand out okay?”

“So I just have to lose in these activities then?” Howon asked, almost confident that it was much easier than he had thought. However, the lad’s confidence in himself was shot down when Sungong spoke again.

“Most likely. But not certainly. The party is held so the princess can pick whoever she wants. Some princesses from the past liked the suitors who did worse and some just picked according to the men’s bodies or masks. So my last advice is for you just to mingle in quietly,”

~~~~~~~~~

When night came Howon was sitting on the platform he used to chop off logs, meanwhile Myungsoo and Sungong ate dinner and kept his mother company. Howon’s mother thought Sungjong was just visiting like how he used to. Little did she know, her only son has been set up for an unexpected marriage.

Howon play with the white mask in hand, contemplating about what he should do at tomorrow’s party. After his incident in the mountains, this royal invitation was his second scariest encounter. It even scared him more as Sungjong wasn’t able to tell him who this ninth princess was or how was she like. The only fact he got from Sungjong was that she was kind, but that’s an overrated statement for many people that one do not has any real connections with. Therefore, for the longest time Howon decided to just resume his housework and put off the crazy idea that he would even be picked.

In the morning he thought he would wake up and fulfill all duties he normally had to do before heading out, but the sight of Myungsoo making his mother’s meal in the kitchen jumped him. “What are you doing?”

The guest looked up with a smile, revealing his dimple, “Sungjong and your mother are hungry so I’m fixing them breakfast, why?” Howon wanted to curse at the younger who had the audacity to ask ‘why’.

“Why would you cook for my mother? You don’t even know what she likes—”

“I asked her if eggs was okay and she said it was,”

Howon pursed his lips, “still, you don’t know how she likes it. Did you even add salt to it?”

“No, I put in some aromatic herbs and some spices,” Myungsoo said as he put a lid over the finished dish. On a tray he stood up with the few dishes he got ready.

“Why?” Howon asked, seeking a reason behind the other’s ingredients.

“Sungjong told me that your mother cannot taste her food so I prepared some herbs and spices last night that will help with her taste bud,” without another word the handsome lad left Howon behind, stunned. When Howon joined the talkative group some time later with his breakfast, Sungjong couldn’t stop sending him looks. An expression that Howon knew meant he needed to hurry before he’s late to the party.

When Sungjong managed to separate Howon from his mother, Sungjong hurried the man to change into an attire that he had had Myungsoo run into town for. As Sungjong send Howon out the door, promising he will look after the other’s mother and demanding that Howon wear the mask on his way to town, Howon can only sigh as he did what he was told. “Good luck~Howonie! Don’t forget! No matter how beautiful the princess is, you cannot stand out!” he heard Sungjong said as he was getting to the front gate, ten feet away.