Her Imperial Highness Princess Yujin wished she were laying in her comfy bed, playing with her maltese, Haneul. However, her duties required her to be at the party held for the Japanese ambassador and his family.

The hotel ballroom was filled with people. Women were dressed in beautiful gowns, while the men looked dashing in their tuxedos. Three bright chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the ballroom. The soft sounds of a harp drifted throughout the room.

A stranger couldn’t tell just by looking at Yujin’s face that she was tired, had a throbbing headache, and that her smile was forged— she had learned to put up a façade. 

She had been on edge since the paparazzi had hounded her before she had entered the hotel earlier that night. They had been hounding her more than ever since the announcement of her sister’s engagement. They wanted to know if she planned to get married soon as well.

Yujin thought they were crazy for thinking she’d get married at twenty-one. There was still so much she wanted to do and see— marriage was the last thing on her mind.

She caught the attention of many guests as she walked about the room. They all knew who she was: the younger daughter of the emperor. She was in a gorgeous, sky blue ball gown with a pair of diamond, chandelier earrings dangling from her ears. Her hair was in an elegant chignon, with a few tendrils framing her face. A simple jeweled headband sat atop her head.

She kindly greeted the guests who came up to her and mingled even though her head was pounding. After talking with the Minister of Education for ten minutes, she quietly excused herself and sat down at one of the chairs along the ballroom wall. The chair was behind a pillar, partly hiding her. 

Her headache hadn’t ebbed. She rubbed her temples, hoping it would help lessen the pain. It didn’t. She wanted to go back to the palace.

She looked around the room for her parents. She wanted to ask them if she could leave, but she knew that was out of the question. She spotted them talking with the ambassador and his wife. 

Emperor Sangjin and Empress Haeyoung were beloved by the people of Korea. They had worked hard with the prime minister and other government officials to make Korea a better country. They had also managed to be wonderful, loving parents to four children. They tried to give Yujin and her siblings as normal a life as possible. Yujin was grateful they had done that. Her older brother, Junsu, came into her line of view. He tapped Emperor Sangjin on the shoulder.

Yujin watched as he exchanged a few words with their father before walking towards the double doors that led to the patio outside. She wondered what they had talked about.

Junsu was the crown prince. He had many duties, much more so than Yujin and their older sister. He took his role seriously, but he played just as hard as he worked. Yujin knew he’d be a great emperor someday.

She wondered what her younger brother, Inhwan, was doing. He was not at the party because was too young to attend. Yujin guessed he was having a good time with his nanny. He’s probably having more fun than me. She rubbed her temples again. This headache is killing me.

A pair of hands covered Yujin’s eyes.

“Guess who?”

“Umm…Aiko?”

Aiko removed her hands from Yujin’s face. “Correct! How’d you know it was me?”

“Your voice, silly.” 

Aiko was one of Yujin’s best friends. She was half Korean and half Japanese with silky, straight black hair and a pair of almond shaped eyes that were always moving. She spoke both Korean and Japanese fluently and had been the one to help Yujin with her Japanese. She and her family had moved from to Korea from Japan when she was five years old. Yujin had met her on the first day of school. Some students were teasing her about being mixed. Yujin had gone up to them and defended her. Since that day, they had been the best of friends.

Yujin looked around for her other best friend. “Where’s Hana?”

Aiko stifled a giggle. “Talking to your body guard.”

Yujin shook her head with a smile. She had two bodyguards, but she knew Hana only had a crush on one of them. “Yoochun oppa?”

Aiko nodded her head. “She ditched me in the ladies room for him. I think they’re out on the p