Chapter 9 - A Stranger

Shouts and laughter filled the air as children played with each other outside their houses in the village of Sangju. The sound of horses’ steps echoed, and they turned their heads to find a group of soldiers on their horses reaching the entrance of the village.

The soldiers halted and read the sign on the gate: ‘Sangju’.

Here we are. Sehun led in front as they entered the village, followed by Baekhyun and the soldiers. They passed by the houses, receiving immediate attention from the villagers, who gasped as they saw the Prince.

"Nice village," Baekhyun commented, taking a look at the surroundings. They went further in until they reached a fountain at a roundabout, in the middle of the village.

A white sculpture sat at the center, the sound of water dripping from the fountain breaking the silence. When Sehun took a closer look at it, his eyes widened.

No, it couldn’t be. He blinked, trying to regain his vision. There before him was a sculpture of a woman, praying to God.

But what shocked him was her face. Was it the face of the one he loved? The one he lost. Even the imitation of her awakened his longing for her, stirring his emotion.

Irene? He touched the face of the sculpture, his hand shaking. Who the hell had made it? Or was it just his hallucination? Maybe his yearning for her had made him insane.

"Is everything okay?" Baekhyun asked.

Before Sehun could answer, another voice spoke.

"It is a symbol of peace for Sangju. For us." A little girl had daringly approached him, proud of it. "And also a symbol of love. The sculptor had made it for his beautiful girl." She beamed happily.

"And where is that sculptor?" the question left Sehun’s lips even when he didn’t remember moving them.

"He lives over there." She pointed one of the houses along the way.

A woman approached them and pulled the little girl's arm. "My apologies, Your Highness. Please forgive her," she stuttered, panicking. She would definitely scold her daughter for daring to interrupt him.

"It's okay." Sehun smiled softly before turning his head to the direction the little girl had pointed.

"You won't believe what's happening," Seulgi ranted as she came into the restaurant, rushing over to her friends.

"What, Seulgi?" asked Wendy, who was taking the orders from the customers. Yeri and Irene were delivering the foods, while Hana and Joy were in the kitchen.

"The prince is here!" Seulgi squealed, drawing the attention of their customers.

"The prince? Which prince?" Wendy asked.

"We don't have any prince, Seulgi," Yeri said.

Seulgi rolled her eyes. "Of course, we don't. It's the Prince of Goguryeo Kingdom. Haven't you heard of him?"

Yeri and Wendy were somehow curious, while Irene cared not.

"I didn't know that Goguryeo Kingdom has a prince, but I know for sure that they have a princess," Wendy said. "Even if there is a prince, why would he come here?" She came closer to Seulgi.

"He is the long lost prince, my friend." Seulgi gripped Wendy’s shoulder. "And I have no idea why he is here, but he is so totally drop-dead-gorgeous," she emphasized the last three words. They had never heard her praising a guy like that, which meant that he might be really good looking.

Some customers already bought Seulgi's words, leaving their tables to check outside.

"You've got to be kidding me," Irene groaned. Why would they be excited to meet someone they hadn't even known?

"Come on, Anya." Yeri pulled Irene's hand and dragged her outside the restaurant.

Irene didn’t have any choice but to follow her friends. Apparently, people had gathered outside their houses, gasping and murmuring, turning their heads to see who were coming.

Sehun scanned the villagers, who watched him as he passed by. He noticed some girls drooling over him. Before he could reach the destination the little girl had pointed out, someone caught his eyes. He pulled his horse, coming to a sudden halt. His breath caught up in his throat. God.

Irene had been pushed to the front, since her friends had dragged her along, forcefully. She turned her head to the direction the horses came from, where a man with chestnut hair was looking at her in shock. He halted, and the soldiers behind him abruptly stopped on their tracks.

Clearly, he was the leader of the group. Judging by his appearance, his knight suit, and his armors, he must have been the prince. Well, Seulgi was telling the truth. He was indeed gorgeous. Yet if he was the prince, why would he look at her in shock?

The prince pushed his horse to come closer to her. She gulped, people around her scattering aside. Those intense dark eyes penetrated her, so deeply that she felt like breaking their eye contact. Yet, she didn’t do it. She was scared to break it.

"Irene?" came his low, husky voice as he whispered to himself.

Baekhyun, who was just beside Sehun, was startled at hearing the name. Had Sehun gotten mad? But Sehun’s expression forced him not to interrupt.

Sehun got off from his horse and walked to her while she stepped back. People gasped even louder, her friends openmouthed. He stared at the girl before him, his heart beating extremely fast that it even felt like exploding. No. It’s impossible.

But it was her. He swore. It was her. That honey brown hair, those beautiful eyes, those lips, that face, that figure. Everything about her was his Irene.

Irene watched the man before her, whose expression was like she had shot a bullet through his head.

Suddenly, he pulled her into a tight hug, and she gasped. Now that he hugged her, it was even more undeniable. She's Irene.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered in her ear, his voice full of emotion he couldn’t control.

When he tightened his hug on her, she frowned. "No!" She pushed him away, breaking free from his arms as she stepped back.

Her response startled him. He squinted at her, confused. What? From the look on her face, she was rather... scared. She was frightened.

Before he could open his mouth again, Joy and Hana appeared at the door after hearing the fuss. "What happened?" Hana asked, worries written all over her face. When they saw the prince, they gasped in surprise.

Irene rushed to Hana and gripped her arm, shaking.

Since Sehun was unable to speak at the moment, Baekhyun finally introduced, "His Highness the Prince of Goguryeo. We are coming from the kingdom to check around this village." He paused, focusing on Irene, who was clinging to Hana. "May we know who she is?"

Irene tightened her grip on Hana's arm, fear building up inside her. Hana sensed this and turned to the men in front of them. "She's my daughter."

Sehun froze. What kind of nonsense was that? She was Irene. It was undeniable.

Irene braced herself to look at his face again. She hadn’t met him before. She didn’t know him.

Or did she?

A strange emotion kicked inside her, and her pulse quickened. Suddenly, it was harder to breathe. It had happened before, yet it seemed so far away, so long ago. Why? Where had she seen those intense dark eyes before? And when?