Chapter 11 - The Hidden Past

Irene strolled along the castle corridor. Her eyes darted around the place, which was truly beautiful. She had been living in a small village and had no memory of seeing a castle so majestic. She spotted a yard at the back of the castle, where soldiers were practicing.

"Irene," a voice startled her as a black haired girl suddenly popped up in front of her. "Did you sleep soundly last night?"

Ah yes, Princess Tzuyu, the girl who had assisted her in getting ready before the wedding ceremony. If Irene was not mistaken, this girl was Sehun's sister. How on earth could she sleep well if her brother had suddenly broken into her room and cried, hugging her in the middle of the night? What an insecure prince.

"I hope you'll like living here. I also hope that we can be good friends." Tzuyu grinned, pulling Irene’s hand. Since she was being nice and friendly, Irene started to grow fond of her. "Come on, let's watch Sehun practicing." Without waiting for Irene's answer, she dragged Irene to the yard where the soldiers were practicing. Obviously, it wasn't a good move, for Irene's mood immediately changed the moment Tzuyu mentioned his name.

They stood at the edge of the yard. Irene twisted her lips as the prince stepped into site. All the soldiers automatically stopped what they were doing and bowed to show him respect.

"Your Highness."

"Who's first?" Sehun asked his soldiers. "Today, as a warm up, I prefer without swords." He heaved a sigh. "I really need this right now." It seemed like an entertainment for him, yet the soldiers faces’ instantly darkened as they prepared being knocked out and bruised.

Sehun made small jumps and warmed up his feet, but what surprised Irene was how he expertly took off his top and threw it to the ground. Her cheeks suddenly heated up, and her face must have been red by now, because although she was reluctant to admit it, his shirtless body was of a true soldier, of a knight who had endured many practices and fights. Damn. She hated to say it, but that was the body of a true man.

"Kim?" Sehun called one of the soldiers, who smirked as he heard the prince.

"Yes, Sir!" his loud answer echoed, and he rose from the ground, ready to be the prince's opponent.

Sehun smirked back, and when he turned his body to face the soldier, Irene spotted a scar on the back of his shoulder clearly, a terrible scar like one caused by a predator.

Tzuyu noticed the expression on Irene’s face. "What's the matter?"

Irene froze, completely stunned.

Tzuyu wondered. "What is it? Do you remember something?"

Irene quickly tore her eyes away from the scar although she wasn't sure why. Why couldn't she look at it? The scar was frightening. Yes, it must have been because of that.

Irene didn't watch as Sehun fought his opponent, expertly ducking out from the soldier's attack and turning around before locking him from behind. Sehun lifted and threw the soldier down, making his back smash the ground.

Combination of martial arts and wrestling were always Sehun’s favorite. Some of the other soldiers winced and swallowed hard. Ouch. It must have hurt a lot.

"Go, Sehun!" Tzuyu cheered.

Sehun turned around and was surprised to find Irene watching him with his sister. A smile touched his lips, and he approached them.

Tzuyu waved her hand.

Wait. Don't come here.

"You're no fair," Tzuyu protested as Sehun arrived in front of them. "Poor soldier. If you want a punching bag, you shouldn't use them." She glanced at Irene and coughed a little. "Well, you were amazing just now. I mean, like totally cool. If there were any other girls here, they would have fallen in love with you," she gave an exaggerated praise in front of Irene.

A soft chuckle escaped from his lips. "My little sister, you're being extremely nice today. Tell me, what do you want?" Sehun ruffled her hair playfully while she just giggled. He then turned to Irene and smiled. "Hi, Irene."

"Oh. Um—hi.” Irene averted her eyes, still not in the mood to face him.

"Tzuyu, can you pass me the water?" Sehun pointed at the water placed on the trunk beside her.

"Sure." Tzuyu passed the water, and he devoured it.

When he finished, he heaved a long sigh. "That felt so good." He noticed that his previous opponent had successfully knocked another soldier out and burst into laughter. "That's it, Kim!"

When Sehun turned around to watch his soldiers practicing, the scar on his shoulder came into view again, very clearly, before Irene’s eyes.

"Get away." She pushed Sehun hard enough that he dropped his drink.

He turned around, startled by her sudden action. "Irene?"

"Go away." She tore her eyes away from him. The scar was really disturbing her, and her head hurt like hell as she imagined it. "Get that scar off my sight." They were cruel words. How could she say it out loud?

She didn't see Sehun's face that time, but if she had, she would have seen that her words had really crushed him.

"Okay," he responded casually, as if it wasn't a big deal. Tzuyu looked at him with worry, yet he only sighed and smirked, ruffling her hair again.

Once Sehun was gone, Irene sighed in relief.

"Maybe you shouldn't have said that." Tzuyu huffed.

Yes, it might have been a little bit cruel, but why was she blamed? Was she that cruel? Not as cruel as what Sehun had done to her, right?

Tzuyu’s touched Irene’s shoulder, leaning closer to her. "Do you know how he got that scar?" Her eyes were filled with sadness, but she still smiled softly.

Clueless, Irene shook her head.

"He got that scar when he almost died saving your life."

Silence fell.

What? Saving my life? Irene muted. When she realized what she had just done, her hand rose to . She really didn't remember her past at all, but even so…

"Try to go after him," Tzuyu's voice knocked into her, and she instantly rushed after him.

This isn't fair. Why am I going after him? However...

Yes, her words must have hurt him.

So, she carried herself to search for the tall young man with chestnut hair, the prince with a scar on the back of his shoulder.

She finally found him at the yard in another corner of the castle. He was training with his sword at an incredible speed, moving his body with much force and energy. Why did he seem so hard on himself? Was it to forget his sorrows?

Sehun stopped after a few more moves, his breathing fast, sweats covering his whole body. It was such a hard training. He was still panting when he noticed a figure watching him. "Irene."

They settled on the grass, and the words came out from , "I'm sorry.”

Sehun sighed with a smile and stared up at the sky. "You don't have to apologize."

Even though she didn't want to admit it, she felt guilty. She braced herself to see the scar on the back of his shoulder again, but Sehun tried to hide it.

"No. I know it's disturbing you—"

"I'm alright," Irene insisted.

Sehun hesitated before letting her examine the scar. Irene's breath caught in as her eyes zoomed in it. "How did you get that?"

Sehun scrutinized her. How should he answer