"Learn to love, appreciate the world around you and something as simple as a rose can become something more valuable than any jewel the world can offer"

 

The words of the mysterious cloaked woman echo in the young prince's mind as his fingers twirl the delicate purple rose pinched between his fingertips. He inspects the flower from every angle, it's violet petals reflecting the ghostly blue hues of the moon. It shines extraordinarily under the stars but seems to be nothing more than a simple rose. Simple, to Baekhyun, translates to useless and he carelessly discards the flower, tossing it on the marble floor.

 

"This rose is special treasure her while you can"

 

"Special?" Baekhyun scoffs remembering once more the cryptic words of the woman in the cloak. "This rose is about as special as the faeces left behind by the palace dogs" Baekhyun glances to the flower whose petals begin to wilt, yearning for a taste of water. "Jewel... I couldn't even sell that plant for a single penny. What a stupid woman"

 

"Young prince be warned, if you continue to live a life of wanting you will never truly be happy. Understanding and appreciating the people and things around you is the first vital step to loving. Don't you want to love?"

 

Baekhyun's teeth clench and he feels his entire chest swell in unkempt rage. How dare a peasant tell him, a prince, how to live. Baekhyun is happy, happy to be surrounded in wealth and the luxuries of the palace. So if this is what happiness is, then Baekhyun must be the happiest man on earth.

 

"Her name is Hwan"

 

Strangely Baekhyun's gaze is once more drawn towards the lonely rose, the name Hwan on his lips. He feels an unusual feeling of uncertainty brew in his mind hearing the woman's voice repeat the name of the rose, the rose that she called Hwan.

 

"Crazy old hag..." Baekhyun murmurs assuming her insanity as only the craziest of people could talk about a rose as if it were alive. Roses are not people, Baekhyun is sure of that. But knowing this still doesn't completely rid of the eeriness of the purple rose and the faceless woman who gifted it to him.

 

"Don't you want to learn to love?"

 

"No, I don't"

 

That is something Baekhyun is sure of.

 

 

-

 

 

"Your Highness!" A tall and strong-fisted butler calls for the prince, knocking on the doors to his sleeping quarters. Inside he can distinguish several voices, one he can easily say is the prince and the others he guesses are palace attendants, all female.

 

"Your Highness! The King is asking for you"

 

Triggering a degree of alarm in the young prince Baekhyun abandons his cohort of female palace workers and dashes to the doors, opening them with the pull of his arms. "What is it about?" Baekhyun asks quickly his expression stiff with dread.

 

His butler shows a smile laced with amusement, chuckling quietly to himself. "I'm glad that got your attention, now let me in"

 

"You- You- You were lying?!" Baekhyun shouts in disbelief showing his jokester butler a look of anger. But the butler is all too accustomed to the young prince’s temper and pushes past the shorter male, wearing a Cheshire grin.

 

“Forgive me, but I’m going to have to ask you ladies to leave the prince’s quarters, thank you” The butler speaks to the group of royal maids, gesturing kindly to the doors he left open. Baekhyun is still standing beside the doors his eyes twitching in irritation.

 

“Chanyeol I swear I’m going to personally punch you” The prince hisses under his breath loud enough so the cheeky butler can hear. Failing to feel threatened by Baekhyun’s remark Chanyeol continues to usher the women out of Baekhyun’s lodging, closing the door once the last lady leaves.

 

Knowing that as soon as he turns around to face the young prince Chanyeol will be hit by a wave of insults and incessant complaining he remains facing the closed doors as he speaks. “I know you are probably annoyed at me Baekhyun but I assure you there is a reason I want to speak alone with you like this-“

 

In their own company Baekhyun has allowed Chanyeol to refer to him by his name instead of the pretentious ‘Your Highness’ even if it the prince’s ego it seems to sound mocking coming from the sly butler.

 

Baekhyun folds his arms over his chest as his toe taps rhythmically against the floor. The sharp sounds of each tap echoing in the large room. “You’re lucky that you’re one of the better employees in this castle otherwise I would have you tossed out for this kind of bothersome behaviour” The prince emphasises his scowl, lifting his chin to look down through narrow eyes at the butler. “What did you want to say to me?”

 

When Chanyeol turns around he greets the prince with another smile still looking more devilish than welcoming in Baekhyun’s eyes. “Baekhyun, I was informed this morning that you were seen talking to a peasant at the castle gates last night, is this true?”

 

Baekhyun stiffens; the prospect of him speaking to a commoner must be big news if it spread this rapidly across the palace, but it makes perfect sense when considering how much distaste Baekhyun has for the common folk of his kingdom. All of them come begging to the castle doors and plead to his father for riches and wealth to support their families. Leaches, is what Baekhyun sees them as, starving leaches hunting the wealth of the palace to dry. Thankfully Baekhyun’s father isn’t an idiot and more often than not the common folk of the kingdom will be sent away when pleading for money. Baekhyun couldn’t be happier to see them go.

 

“No, do you really think I would do something so repulsive?” Baekhyun lies through his teeth, his expression stony and vacant to mask the truths he fails to tell his butler.

 

“Trust me I don’t believe that you would do something like that at all… but I can’t help but wonder how that purple flower ended up in your room, Baekhyun” The way Chanyeol’s voice lilts when he points out the rose left discarded in the same place makes Baekhyun wonder whether he knows more than he is telling, or he suspects more than Baekhyun is willing to say.

 

“One of the maids gave it to me”

 

“Oh? Where did they get it?”

 

“The garden”

 

“Last time I visited the royal gardens, which was yesterday, I don’t remember seeing any purple rose bushes and we both know the palace attendants are forbidden from leaving the palace grounds”

 

Baekhyun flinches as he sees Chanyeol is cornering him and desperately he scrambles for an escape. “You see- I allowed one of the maids out of the grounds specifically to fetch this rose, you’re not possibly suspecting me of lying right?”

 

“Oh no of course not” Chanyeol replies sounding nowhere near convincing when he plucks the stem of the rose from the floor and inspects the foreign flower closely, then he adds with a smirk on his lips. “But if I asked a lady to travel into the town to specifically find me a rare purple rose I wouldn’t just throw it on the ground, or are you trying to say that is what you wanted to do with it from the start?” Chanyeol peers over the rose’s limp petals to stare directly into the prince’s eyes as if he is seeing straight through him.

 

Stomping over to the butler Baekhyun swipes his fingers forward and tugs the stem of the rose from his grip. The rose seems to resist clawing at Baekhyun's skin with its thorns.

 

"I just dropped it" Baekhyun sharply speaks his voice resembling more of a hiss emphasising his annoyance at Chanyeol and how his fingers sting as the thorns of the rose pierce his unblemished skin.

 

"Then you should be more careful, someone might have stepped on it" Chanyeol points out trying to make it seem as if he doesn't suspect Baekhyun of hiding anything more. But he knows the young prince all too well, Baekhyun is someone who will protect his pride incessantly and will deny something to the end of the world if it means keeping that pride.

 

The prince scoffs as he forsakes the bothersome rose on his cabinet not wishing to hold it any longer in his fingers fearing that it might only hurt his fingers more.

 

"Would you like me to fetch some water in a jug so you can at least put the rose in there?" Chanyeol gestures to the rose whose purple hues are growing dimmer each second it lives without any water to survive.

 

Frankly Baekhyun couldn't care less if the rose wilted and died. Responsibilities to Baekhyun have always been a hassle and he sees the simple purple rose as one more thing to press responsibility on his shoulders and he despises that.

 

A prince should be able to indulge in life's luxuries without worrying about tasteless things like housework and caring for things that don't concern him. Baekhyun's vision of a perfect world would be one where any form of chore is needless and he can lavish in the luxuries of the palace each day without any attachments weighing him down.

 

"It's just a rose" Baekhyun murmurs.

 

"Of course it is but if it's just a rose I don't see why you would bother sending a palace maid out of the grounds specifically to get you this rose, wouldn't it mean more to you?"

 

Baekhyun isn't the only one being dishonest. Chanyeol wasn't just informed that Baekhyun was seen conversing with a peasant at the castle gates last night Chanyeol was the one who saw it with his own eyes. So whatever excuses the young prince throws at him he knows they're all untruthful, but to keep the prince in high spirits he continues to fake his cluelessness.

 

"I could always ask for another one" Baekhyun points out with a smirk. A benefit of being the only heir to the throne and royal offspring of the king and queen is that Baekhyun is given whatever he desires. A simple click of his fingers and Baekhyun could dazzle his entire quarters with precious jewels and rhinestones.

 

So of course he exercises his powers and indulges in his influence and status, to Baekhyun he can never have enough and he won't be satisfied until he has everything valuable the world can offer. This is why a common household plant like a rose is equivalent to a speck of grime and will never be seen as valuable in Baekhyun’s eyes.

 

Chanyeol finds himself sighing at the prince's spoiled nature. He remembers a time when the prince was young and his mother was still alive he wouldn't overindulge in materialistic treasures as his father would but instead he was taught by his mother to appreciate the worlds natural gifts. But after the unfortunate death of the queen the young prince suppressed his kindness and began to live just like his father.

 

Chanyeol wonders if Baekhyun even remembers the garden he and his mother planted together.

 

"Just think about it, alright?" Chanyeol insists which only forces the prince to sigh as he massages his temples.

 

"I already have Chanyeol and it didn't prove very insightful"

 

"Maybe you're not supposed to gain anything from it" Chanyeol bickers tracing his longest fingers down the spine of the rose's stem feelings its ridges.

 

Baekhyun's eyebrows furrow as he tries to interpret his butler's cryptic words. "What do you mean?"

 

But Chanyeol doesn't elaborate any further feeling that would be best to leave the prince to discover for himself what Chanyeol's words mean. After all it's about time Baekhyun evaluated the aspects of his rose-coloured life and realises his mistakes.

 

"I'll go get you that water jug"

 

"I never said I wanted it-" But Chanyeol has already left the room before Baekhyun has the time to preach his disagreement.

 

Left alone once more with the ominous purple rose, Baekhyun's eyes glimpse over its drooped petals and drying leaves.

 

"Her name is Hwan"

 

"Ugh!" Baekhyun screeches as he swats the flower off the cabinet letting it hit the floor. He is angry, not just at the woman's words that speak to him as if he is a child but he is angered by the fact that something as trivial as a rose is occupying so much of his time and mind.

 

He wants to destroy it. He wants to tear it's petal off one by one and toss away it's bud.

 

But he doesn't - or rather he can't.

 

And this is what angers the prince most of all.

 

 

-

 

 

The harps delicate tune crescendos as Baekhyun's sweeps his feet around his dance partner keeping his palm firmly against the small of her back. The duchess smiles and her heart flutters as Baekhyun smoothly spins her against him pulling her bodice flush against his chest. All eyes are on the pair as they capture the ballroom in their skilful dance.

 

Baekhyun was taught how to dance by his mother - the queen was a divine musician and therefore had the concept of rhythm embedded in her every movement. She passed this knowledge onto her son allowing Baekhyun to adhere to music and present his well-timed footsteps to the entire kingdom during seasonal balls.

 

Originally these balls were designed to affiliate the young prince with duchesses and princesses to one day be betrothed to a girl of royal blood but now the balls are devoted to entertaining the prince, allowing Baekhyun to carouse with foreign royalty.

 

To Baekhyun the palace is like his own personal harem where he can cause ruckus without any risk of punishment. If this isn’t happiness than Baekhyun is not sure what is.

 

“Your Highness, when did you learn to dance like this?” The duchess speaks as Baekhyun bends her over his arm staring into her eyes impishly.

 

The prince moves swiftly as he pulls the girl back up on her feet inching his face close to hers effectively toying with her fluttery heart.

 

“A natural skill you could say” He responds light-heartedly as he scoops the girl’s thighs in his arms twirling her above his head for a moment before gently spinning her back to the ground.

 

The crowd roars in applause, amazed by Baekhyun’s seamless movements.

 

The night continues like this as Baekhyun steals the spotlight capturing everyone’s attention through his skilful dance. He rotates partners several times also making each lucky girl swoon when held in his arms.

 

It’s during these balls Baekhyun truly embodies the title of a ‘prince’.

 

When the night is nearing its conclusion Baekhyun converses with several royal partners of the kingdom and puts on his most charming façade to win their affections through his kind words. It is the job of the prince to keep royal connections strong, after all one day Baekhyun will be crowned the king and any neighbourhood kingdoms that disagree with the new throne will only be a problem.

 

So Baekhyun needs to maintain a irrefutable reputation among the main governing bodies of the kingdom.

 

“So, Baekhyun, did I hear that you’re due to marry soon?” A duke approaches the prince; he is tall and lean and sports a thin wispy moustache.

 

Baekhyun tries to be charismatic and flashes the tall man a smile despite how much he does not want to hear this conversation. Marriage, it’s the hot topic of the night and Baekhyun is sick of twisting his lips into a half-hearted grin and cooperating with the various proposals of dukes wishing to suggest their daughters.

 

Judging by this man’s similar expression he believes he will do just that.

 

“You know my daughter is refuted as being the kingdom’s most beautiful woman, I’m sure she would be a fitting bride for a prince”

 

Of course beauty is a convincing point that makes Baekhyun curious but he refuses to marry any daughter of a slimy duke only wanting to get his hands on royal riches through the marriage of one of his relatives.

 

Baekhyun kindly declines, “I will need to inspect other possible candidates before I make a decision on what girl I will ask to marry, sorry”

 

He sees the duke’s expression momentarily switch to appear much more sinister only proving how desperate he must be to have Baekhyun marry his daughter, but the prince has already heard enough of these kinds of men to know with enough stubbornness they will eventually fall back.

 

“Oh I see, well you should inspect my daughter then at some later date”

 

“Perhaps” Baekhyun shortly replies his stiff smile laced with the growing irritation he feels.

 

It’s then at that moment a loud butler swoops in to save the day, or perhaps ruin it. Chanyeol’s hurried footsteps echo against the ballroom floor as he rushes towards the prince a certain degree of urgency in his eyes.

 

“What is it?” Baekhyun asks upon the butler stopping in-front of him his hands rested against his thighs as he attempts to catch his breath.

 

When Chanyeol raises his gaze to meet the prince’s Baekhyun’s blood runs cold, his eyes are not just full of urgency but also full of fear.

 

“Your Highness-“ He gasps “-“You will need to accompany me to your living quarters immediately”

 

Baekhyun knows the difference between Chanyeol when he is joking and when he is serious and now Baekhyun can easily tell he is most definitely serious. His expression is deathly pale as if he has seen a ghost and his lips tremble with every word.

 

Baekhyun doesn’t hesitate, excusing himself from the conversation with the duke he allows the butler to lead him out of the ballroom and towards his quarters in the west wing.

 

Chanyeol’s footsteps are fast-paced and the prince has to almost jog to keep up with his long-legged strides.

 

“Will you tell me what the hell is going on?” Baekhyun orders as he knocks the butler with the back of his hand causing him to jolt, Chanyeol is has never been someone to be this on edge.

 

He swallows, lowering his voice so only the prince can hear. “I saw something in your room, something glowing”

 

“G-Glowing?”

 

“I didn’t wait around for long enough to see exactly what but as I was about to leave I saw a glimpse of what I think was a person” Chanyeol elaborates noting the features of the mysterious ‘something’.

 

Baekhyun’s brow beads sweat and he haphazardly pushes back his bangs and wipes away the excess moisture. Then he speaks, “So you saw a glowing person in my room?”

 

Chanyeol doesn’t respond but instead nods his head once to confirm what Baekhyun had said. Baekhyun would normally pester him to speak up but when he notices them approaching the familiar set of doors leading to Baekhyun’s quarters the prince also grows silent.

 

From Chanyeol’s description the glowing anomaly seems to be supernatural, something otherworldly. Thinking about the possibilities of what could be waiting for them on the other side of this door sends chills down the prince’s spine.

 

“How should we do this?” Baekhyun looks to his butler seeking his opinion, not wanting to rush inside without any sort of plan.

 

Chanyeol glimpses sidewards at the prince his eyes still conveying indescribable fear. “I don’t think we can plan anything if we don’t know what it is”

 

“So you’re suggesting we just go inside normally? Are you insane?!” Baekhyun’s whispers are louder now as he eyes Chanyeol wondering what he could possibly be thinking doing something so stupid.

 

But Chanyeol stands by his word and presses his palm against the wood of the door, readying himself to push it open.

 

Baekhyun wants to scream out in protest and stop whatever idiotic movement the butler will make next but he is beginning to realise that they really don’t have any other choice.

 

The prince stands back as the butler then proceeds to urge the large doors open. Light from the corridor floods inside the darkened room but the majority of the room remains shrouded in black, meaning that anything could be lurking in the shadows.

 

“Can you see anything?” Baekhyun murmurs as he tries peeking around and above Chanyeol to catch a glimpse of something moving inside the eerily dark room.

 

Grasping the candle arbour positioned within reach inside the opening to Baekhyun’s quarters Chanyeol waves the light source out in-front of him to attempt to spot something hiding in the dark.  

 

“We seem to be alone” Chanyeol concludes once he fails to see anything that could be the same ominous glowing figure he spotted earlier.

 

Baekhyun sighs and puffs out his cheeks in relief.

 

But it’s then in that moment of alleviation the two men hear the humanly groans of something inside, that’s when they notice the shadowy figure writhing in the farthest corner of the room. They sound in pain.

 

Advancing closer to the mysterious figure under the warm glow of candlelight Baekhyun and Chanyeol reveal that the shadow is a beautiful girl. She wears a long purple silk gown and her rose-coloured hair is adorned with purple petals. She is exquisite and looks hardly dangerous so Chanyeol feels comfortable enough to crouch by her side.

 

She groans once more her fragile hands clutching her side.

 

“She might be wounded” Chanyeol observes and flickers his eyes back up at the prince who looks back at him thinking what he is supposed to do.

 

“Stay here with her while I go get one of the palace nurses” Chanyeol informs, passing Baekhyun his arbour.

 

“What? Just because she is a girl doesn’t mean she isn’t capable of doing something dangerous” Baekhyun points out concerned for his safety if he is to be left alone with the stranger. But Chanyeol only sighs gesturing towards the frail woman.

 

“Trust me even if she is dangerous if she is wounded she won’t be that stupid to turn down free treatment”

 

Just like always Chanyeol doesn’t stay put any longer to hear more of Baekhyun’s complaints, this leaves the young prince alone with the weak girl. What he is supposed to do while he waits? Nurturing has never been a strength of Baekhyun’s so all he can do is awkwardly teeter on his toes whilst hoping Chanyeol’s returns quickly with the royal nurse.

 

He doesn’t say a word until he hears the quiet voice of a female whisper beside him.

 

“Is he gone?”

 

“Huh?”

 

When Baekhyun looks over at the girl and meets her eyes he realises she is in fact awake. But those eyes… Her eyes are a pale violet speckled with flecks of deep purple and coupled with the reflection of the yellow candlelight her eyes look like a sea of purple flames.

 

“I said, is that other guy gone?” She reiterates clearer this time her lips over exaggerating each word.

 

Baekhyun is so confused by this sudden change from the strange girl that he hesitates before answering slowly. “…Yes”

 

“Thank goodness!” The girl jives as she springs up onto her knees and shuffles closer to the prince pushing her face near his. Her lack of courtesy for Baekhyun’s personal space is a combination of endearing and shocking, as if she doesn’t even care if he is royalty at all.

 

“You’re Baekhyun, right?”

 

Her voice is bouncy and full of liveliness – a complete switch from how she squirmed in agony just before.

 

Baekhyun tenses as his lips thin; gingerly he pushes away the girl allowing himself the space to breathe. “I am…”

 

The girl doesn’t even seem to remember how Baekhyun pushed her away as she darts her face back close to Baekhyun’s, her nose brushing the tip of his.

 

“I knew it! I would remember that voice anywhere!”

 

“My voic-“

 

“It’s nice to meet you Baekhyun-“ The girl interrupts. Her lips curl into a wide grin that illuminates the entire room with how bright it is and her eyes twinkle spiritedly. “My name is Hwan”

 

"Her name is Hwan"

 

The name is unmistakeable, it’s the same name of the rose… That ominous, deep purple rose.

 

Baekhyun scurries backwards on his behind but he is stopped when his back collides with the rear of his bed.

 

“You… You-“ He struggles to form his sentences still comprehending the situation he finds himself in. She couldn’t possibly be… the rose, right?

 

The girl who calls herself Hwan chuckles and her voice lilts playfully. “So you realised”

 

Realise? Baekhyun doesn’t understand anything so how could he realise something.

 

As silence flows between the girl and the prince they both listen as the sound of footsteps echo outside the room and grow louder as they draw closer.

 

Baekhyun watches in mild panic as Hwan moves closer to him once more and presses her index fingers against the prince’s lips.

 

“Remember, I’m supposed to be hurt, okay?”

 

Baekhyun fidgets under Hwan’s glowing stare but as soon as the doors to his quarters open and Chanyeol and a royal maid hurry inside Hwan is once again lying in pain on the floor.

 

 

-

 

 

Unsurprisingly no signs of injury could be found anywhere on the girl, she was practically untouched. Aside from symptoms of mild dehydration Hwan was found to be perfectly healthy. This is why Baekhyun wants her out of the palace as soon as possible.

 

He finds the time to visit the royal infirmary in between tantalizing with the palace attendants, though he begrudgingly does so. Upon entering the large open room he sees all the hospital beds are vacant except for one where he spots Hwan asleep.

 

She could almost pass as beautiful curled under the bed sheets as she sleeps soundly but to Baekhyun she can only be classified as a nuisance, nothing more and nothing less. So he decides to the young girl out of the palace himself.

 

Shoving the bed that Hwan sleeps on with his foot Baekhyun shouts at the girl to wake up.

 

“Hey, get up” His voice is sharp emphasising his seriousness.

 

Peeking through one open eye Hwan’s lips show a small impish smile. Seriously, Baekhyun gapes, she was faking to be asleep too?

 

“That’s no way to wake up a lady” Hwan stretches out her arms as she rouses from her ‘slumber’ and sits up to stare at the obviously annoyed prince.

 

Baekhyun huffs, crossing his arms squarely over his chest. “I really don’t care” He punctuates his lack of ‘giving a damn’ and eyes the girl virulently. Suddenly the prince grabs the girl’s collar, urging her off the bed impatiently.

 

“You need to go” He orders proceeding to drag the girl out of the infirmary and through the castle halls.

 

“You know this isn’t very princely of you” Hwan points out passing Baekhyun a sidewards glance full of spite but she doesn’t try and wriggle away. Instead the girl allows Baekhyun to force her through the front doors of the palace and toss her out into the cold autumn air.

 

“Not like you would know, peasant” Baekhyun hisses in response eyeing Hwan as she shivers on the steps of the castle entrance.

 

The way she sways against the wind reminds Baekhyun of a frail flower whisked by the breeze. But then he remembers it would be accurate to make such a connection.

 

“Do me a favour and go find a flower pot to sleep in”

 

Just like that Baekhyun slams closed the doors of the palace and Hwan is out of sight.

 

 

-

 

 

The gentle blue hues of nightfall filter through the curtains of Baekhyun’s window, shedding cold light over his bedspread. The prince snuggles into the warmth of his sheets enjoying how cosy they feel over his cheeks. He is calm and needless to say, he is carefree.

 

No more mysterious cloaked women, no more roses and no more violet-eyed girls stooping into his personal space. Remembering the distance that separated his face from Hwan’s caused the prince’s stomach to lurch uncomfortably. But at the same time he feels his heart beat quicken unusually at the memory.

 

But knowing that Hwan is no longer a problem eases these feelings and helps him drift to sleep.

 

At some point during the night whilst everything else is quiet Baekhyun is startled awake by a sudden crash in his room. But what follows the crash is silence and Baekhyun’s heavy breaths as his eyes dart around the space of his room.

 

He sees nothing but he definitely heard it, the sound of what seemed like something entering the room through his window.

 

The prince suddenly feels vulnerable tucked under the thin layers of his bed sheets and instinctively sits up with his back pressed flush against the back board of his bed.

 

For only a split moment Baekhyun spots movement out of the corner of his eye. But before he is even allowed a second to wonder what the movement could be caused by a hand smacks against his lips, silencing him.

 

Baekhyun squirms violently swatting his hands at the perpetrator. But when he stops to look at the culprit he finds himself eye to eye with those all too familiar violet orbs.

 

“Shhh- Don’t make too much noise” Hwan shushes the frantic prince and proceeds to pat his back as if she is coaxing a child.

 

Baekhyun of course doesn’t oblige to the girl’s wishes and smacks away her hand that has been covering his mouth therefore preventing him from speaking. The prince’s voice is low and leaves his throat as almost a growl.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Hwan sits back on Baekhyun’s mattress bouncing childishly while wearing that cheeky grin that makes Baekhyun’s blood boil.

 

“Well you can’t just throw me out without letting me do what I was sent to you for”

 

Baekhyun’s brows knit in the middle expressing his confusion.

 

“You were sent to me?”

 

“Indeed! Don’t you remember who gave me to you?”

 

An image of the cloaked woman flashes in Baekhyun’s mind and how she offered the purple rose to the prince. She spoke of appreciation and value but to Baekhyun she really made no sense. He was stupefied at how someone could believe a petty rose could challenge the worth of a diamond.

 

“You two aren’t related are you? You both are as crazy as each other” Baekhyun says with a smirk lingering on his lips.

 

Suddenly Hwan’s fingers reach out and pinch the prince’s nose mercilessly and he squawks in pain. Shooting the girl his deadliest glare he rubs the tender skin of his now reddened nose.

 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

 

Hwan waggles her fingers between Baekhyun’s eyes. “Don’t you remember anything she told you?”

 

“Appreciation, something about learning to love blah blah blah”

 

“Wrong!” Hwan shouts as she earns another harsh pinch to the prince’s sensitive nose and he squeaks once again in pain.

 

“Stop that would you?!” He barks shoving her hands away when she tries to target his nose for a third pinch.

 

Rocking backwards on her rear Hwan expands her cheeks with a puff of air before deflating her cheeks. “She asked you if you wanted to learn to love. Do you remember that at least?”

 

Baekhyun mumbles sourly, “Yes…”

 

“Well I’m supposed to be the one to teach you” Hwan admits pointing proudly to herself.

 

“Supposed to?” Baekhyun parrots picking out the uncertainty in her words.

 

Hwan sheepishly scratches the side of her head showing Baekhyun a lopsided grin. “Well she never specified how I am supposed to teach you how to love, so I’m not sure how this is going to work. But what I do know is that it must be important enough for her to use her magic to transform me human”

 

Recalling the purple flower he held between his fingers Baekhyun eyes the girl sitting across from him. Her irises shine similarly to the petals of the rose and her features are just as delicate.

 

Baekhyun holds out his palm shaking his head profusely. “I don’t need your help or any kind of teaching”

 

Hwan’s head tilts slightly to one side – an oddly cute mannerism. “Are you sure? I don’t think the enchantress would make such a mistake”

 

“Enchantress?”

 

Hwan’s eyes enlarge and she smacks a hand against her lips cursing at herself for having such a big-mouth. “Oops-“

 

Baekhyun’s gaze narrows as he stares at the guilty girl with piercing eyes. “What do you mean by enchantress?”

 

“I-I really don’t think I should tell you now, she told me not to mention anything about her being of magic blood”

 

“What would she do if she found out you told me then?”

 

Hwan gulps, “Who knows what awful things she is capable of…”

 

Baekhyun’s lips twist devilishly. “Then maybe I should let her know”

 

This time Hwan tugs on the prince’s cheeks whilst wearing a frown. “That’s not very nice Your Highness”

 

Realising that continuing to tease the violent girl will only result in more injuries on Baekhyun’s behalf the prince quiets down. This gives Hwan the window of opportunity to speak.

 

“But if I am meant to teach you something so important, could you at least give me a chance to try? I don’t know how I will do it but I know that if I do my best I can achieve what the enchantress wants”

 

Teaching Baekhyun how to love, it seems so pointless. He is aware how much he loves luxury and how much he loves the palace, if that is love then why is it necessary that a rose-turned-human teaches him these feelings.

 

Bluntly he declines, “No”

 

Hwan whines, “Please!”

 

“No”

 

“Please!!”

 

“I said no”

 

“Give me a year”

 

“No!”

 

“6 months!”

 

“Give up already”

 

“2 months! Please, anything! I want to prove myself”

 

Hwan’s pleas have transformed into cries. She sounds so weak and desperate as if her life depends on whether she can teach Baekhyun love.

 

It’s silly, Baekhyun is aware of that fact, but as he stares into those big lilac eyes that reflect the ghostly blues of the moon he caves.

 

“2 month, no more”

 

Following Baekhyun’s agreement a spark ignites behind Hwan’s eyes and she bounces forward on the bed to once again press her nose against the prince’s.

 

Baekhyun stiffens.

 

“Thank you!”

 

“Please move away from me” Baekhyun murmurs.

 

“Only if you agree to meet me in the royal gardens tomorrow” Hwan proposes as she purposely leans closer to the prince who only grows tenser the less distance separates their faces.

 

“Fine, fine” He hurriedly agrees just wishing she could move away more than anything.

 

With a toothy grin plastered on her face Hwan falls back onto Baekhyun’s bed and Baekhyun releases a heavy sigh.

 

 

-

 

 

It had been years since Baekhyun visited the gardens of the palace. Since for some reason he has always been compelled to stay away from them, as if some part of him wants to forget that they even exist.

 

In autumn the colours of the maple trees are extraordinary, shimmering orange and gold hues onto the frosty grass whose tips are icy in the cold morning. The garden, despite rarely visiting it seems so familiar to Baekhyun, the twisting paths of rose bushes and apple trees engraved in his mind. It’s a wonder that he can even navigate through the maze of hedges and discover a cloaked girl perched by a rose bush.

 

Hwan, the purple eyed girl, the rose turned human and the person who supposedly is meant to teach the young prince to love. She is the one who invited him here, without knowing why.

 

Baekhyun stiffly calls her, standing at the entrance to the miniature rose garden under the opening of a vined archway.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

The unexpected voice of the prince startles Hwan, possibly lost in her daydreaming. When she glances up at the boy her eyes reflect the yellows of the trees and bounce back hues of bright red and burnt copper. The prince’s attire, she notes, is well tailored, his overcoat and buttoned long-sleeve fitted to his proportions perfectly. He is a walking palette of dark navy and silver, he is everything that a prince should look like.

 

“Admiring the flowers” Hwan plainly answers, a smile lifting at the corners of her lips in an impish manner. “Come here, join me”

 

Baekhyun expression contorts sourly and he firmly shakes his head in decline. “No thanks, I’d rather not”

 

Hwan’s smile then transforms into a pout along with her pleading she bounces like a child on the grass. “Please~ you said you would meet me at the royal gardens last night”

 

Baekhyun scowls, “I’m here now right? Shouldn’t this count?”

 

“No!” Hwan firmly replies, darting on her hands and knees towards the prince and sitting at his feet she peers up at him with large eyes. “You said you would give me a chance to fulfil my duty and that means you can’t keep refusing everything”

 

The prince wants to step back but it seems that Hwan has a firm hold of his trousers leg and is unwilling to let him go.

 

This girl – or rather this flower – is truly something else. Never in his life has Baekhyun encountered a girl who can so comfortably intercept his personal space or go against his word, it’s as if Hwan doesn’t even acknowledge his royal blood and treats him… normally.

 

That shouldn’t happen; it doesn’t happen and because of this Baekhyun is at a loss and lack of experience to know how to respond.

 

“Well I’m also royalty so you can’t keep acting like this around me- now get off” Baekhyun shakes his leg, freeing himself from the flowers hold and for good measure he takes a few steps backwards, prepared for anymore invasions of his personal space Hwan may attempt.

 

Hwan flicks her tongue against the roof of rather childishly as she stands up from the ground. “How pretentious”

 

“Who wouldn’t be a little bit pretentious when they’re the only royal heir to the throne and a regarded prince” Baekhyun states boastingly, his chest puffed out in pride. But Hwan doesn’t seem the least bit interested, turning her curious gaze towards the rose bushes where she proceeds to trace the dainty petals of the roses whose buds grow dark from the cold.

 

There is something about the combination of Hwan and the garden that is just so fitting, obviously since she is technically a plant herself, but just her natural beauty could rival any blooming rose.

 

“Did you think I was pretty?”

 

The words that leave Hwan’s lips trigger immediate confusion in the prince, emphasising this with a tilt of his head he responds, “What?”

 

“When I was a rose…” She glimpses up at Baekhyun her eyes glittering curiously like amethyst crystals under the morning sun. “Did you think I was pretty?”

 

“Y-you were a flower… How could I say that is pretty?” Baekhyun answers honestly, though his words leave his lips in a string of mumbling finding that Hwan’s large expecting gaze is stirring his insides unusually.

 

The prince watches as the jovial expression of the girl’s falters, allowing a glimpse of something more sullen, more hurt.

 

“Of course, that was a silly question right?”

 

Like magic that irreplaceable grin returns to Hwan’s expression despite it not reaching her eyes.

 

Baekhyun quietly answers, “Yeah, it was”

 

Returning her gaze to the roses Hwan ushers Baekhyun closer, but this time her voice is much gentler and coaxing. “Baekhyun… Come here”

 

Begrudgingly the prince walks closer, joining the girl who is crouched by the bush to peer between the leaves.

 

“You see that rose” She gestures through the gaps of the bush and Baekhyun notes with a curt grunt when he spots the flower she is pointing to. Tucked away at the back corner of the rose bush is an almost wilted rose, whose red petals hang limply at its bud, so close to falling off.

 

“It looks dead-“

 

“Pick it for me”

 

“What?” Baekhyun looks to Hwan in bewilderment; his brows furrowed and mouth agape.

 

Reiterating her request she turns on her knees to face the prince -- her gaze is focused and deep, like glittering crystal pools.

 

“Please? My hand won’t reach it”

 

Again that unusual stirring in Baekhyun’s chest returns and he feels a certain degree of involuntary force which obligates him to stretch his arm through the bushes tangled leaves.

 

His sleeves catches on the rose’s thorns and he reefs back the material of his coat to avoid any bothersome holes forming in his expensive robes.

 

“Can you see how close I am?” Baekhyun speaks up and Hwan peers through the gap trying to see where Baekhyun’s fingers are in regards to the flower.

 

“Just a bit more-“ She notes and Baekhyun tries to stretch that little bit further until his fingers brush the spines of the rose and Hwan shouts out, “There!”

 

He is annoyed, definitely, but the expression of absolute excitement that he notices b on Hwan’s face is enough (insignificant) reason to try and tear the flower from its thorny limb.

 

But just when he breaks the rose from the branch his finger is nipped by the point of the rose’s thorn and he hisses in pain. Throwing the rose to the ground once his hand is freed from the