Jungeun looked around the square she was left at to wait for the person who would take them to the ship. Yerim, being the child that she still was, hadn’t control her craving for food and went to get something from a shop nearby – she invited Jungeun to accompany her, but the older girl refused. She didn’t want risk someone spotting her eyes. So she just sat there and waited for both, Yerim and the stranger that would take her away from home. The guard from the palace was still around, standing at a corner as if he knew she wanted privacy – she was thankful for this.

It was already night and only the dim street lights and the moon illuminated the grey streets, it wasn’t anywhere near as pretty as the sun kissed streets, but the square was a nice, calm, place to be at, therefore she couldn’t complain. Through her life, going out to explore was never a possibility. Her steps were always watched and the places she could go, limited. It was too bad she never got to see her own hometown fully.

It was so sudden, in a moment she was living her normal life at the castle, in the other she was informed she would be leaving in three days to a new planet. They didn’t explain why, or asked her opinion, the king had simply made his decision. All she knew was that she would live in Mars and that there was someone waiting for her – someone ‘appropriated to take care of her from now on’ were the words they had used. Jungeun wondered if it meant she would be married off to someone she didn’t even know, maybe it was her dad’s way of burying her existence for good.

“Good evening. I’m Jo Haseul and I’ll be your guide for the next month.” A voice, as sweet and melodic as no other she had ever heard, said. Jungeun had been so into her head that she hadn’t noticed the sudden approach.

She lifted her head, searching for the owner of such voice and her eyes didn’t take long to spot the petite brunette that smiled at her now.

However, the other woman was polite enough to keep her distance and her voice modulated to not scare her off. Took Jungeun a moment to realize 3 things: Jo Haseul was a human, she also knew the basic rules of etiquette when dealing with Saegs, and most importantly she had probably noticed her eyes already.

Jungeun lowered her head, pulling her hood over her eyes. She was so flustered by the sudden appearance that she probably had looked like a scared cat in the headlights, her eyes shining with all the light of the street lamps reflected on them. She clenched her fists, taking handfuls of the soft velvet of her mantle.

“You are Miss Kim Jungeun, I presume.” Haseul spoke as if noticing she wouldn’t get an answer otherwise. Her voice was quiet and gentle, only loud enough for Jungeun to listen to it. Jo approached with careful steps. “I’m sorry, did I make you wait for long?”

It demanded an answer and Jungeun cursed her luck for not having Yerim around when she needed the most. She had just presumed the crew that would take them would be formed by Saeg that knew about who she was – it would be hard to deal with the stares anyway, but at least she knew what to expect. She had very little experience with humans and the thought of dealing with one right now was too much for her already tired mind.

Kim forced herself to speak, hoping her voice didn’t show how nervous she felt. “It’s okay, we haven’t been here for long.” It wasn’t much, perhaps a rude answer to such a warm welcome, but she was trying her best.

“Well, I’m glad. I didn’t want to cause a bad first impression.” Haseul had to control her curiosity that was screaming for her to lean in and look beneath that hood, to see if the eyes she had only spotted for a brief moment were as beautiful as her mind insisted to say they were. She didn’t expect to find such a shy person – actually, she wasn’t very sure of what to expect. During the last 3 days, Raven had gone through some important changes to fix all the problems and be able to accommodate the new guests – they had new beds now, for what Haseul was thrilled. Mr. Kim had done as promised, but beside the information about where and when they should leave the girl (the other one would come back with them, apparently) in New Mars, and a strict contract specifying all the terms for their deal just like the ridiculous amount they would get paid, there wasn’t any information regarding the guests.

Seeing the delicate figure of a woman enveloped in a cloak, had taken Jo by surprise. The girl seem young and vulnerable like a lost child sitting on a bench in a corner of an empty square. She had wanted to make a good impression and even gave her best smile, still when the girl looked up she looked almost scared – and so ridiculously pretty that Haseul couldn’t help but stare. The pretty features on the young face were perfectly complemented by the soft dark blond hair that escaped the cloak’s hood. But what really charmed Jo were the big and beautiful red eyes – eyes that looked so much like Mr. Kim’s, but were very different at the same time. Stare at Mr. Kim eyes made her feel a little intimidate, while staring at Jungeun’s made her want to drown on the gorgeous red pools that shone in the moonlight.

Nevertheless, the Saeg clearly didn’t feel the same about her brown orbs and was fast to avoid her gaze, making Haseul snap out of it.

Now she was trying her best to push aside this silly, childish side of her, and bring out her rational, professional one. “Where is your friend? Choi Yerim, correct?” Looking around she tried to spot anyone else, but only saw the taciturn guard at a corner.

“She is buying some food, she will be back soon.” Once more, the answer was said in such a low, quiet voice, that Jo had to pay a lot of attention to catch it.

“Oh, I see. Do you mind if I wait with you?” Before Jungeun could say anything, the brunette took a seat on the far side of the bench, leaving a comfortable space between them. Still, they both felt it was still a little too close.

Jungeun nodded without a word, her answer wasn’t necessary anyway. She thought Haseul would try to make up conversation again, but the shorter girl didn’t say anything, although she could feel her gaze once in a while.

The guard had said that the ship’s captain would be the one coming to pick them up, but was this small, young woman the one that she would have to rely her safety on? Their brief exchange of words wasn’t enough for her to know whether or not trust the brunette. She wanted to look at Jo again, it was hard fighting the urge to do so.

However, when she tried to do so, Haseul’s eyes were on her again. This time she didn’t averted hers – there was no point in trying to hide it anymore. Instead, she looked back. Red meeting warm brown eyes, that were as sharp as they were captivating. Haseul’s short dark hair framed her face well, showing off her delicate features that composed a calm beauty. She was young, perhaps only a couple of years older than Kim herself, but her strong aura made her look older and reliable. It was odd, but looking at Haseul made her feel a little more at ease…At least until she noticed the girl’s attention was still on her eyes.

Jungeun broke visual contact, waiting for the torrent of questions that would surely come up.

“Your eyes…” Haseul said, her words lingering, her eyes still on Kim’s face. If the first time looking at her was enough for Jo to think Jungeun’s eyes were special, the second time absolutely mesmerized her.

“I’m not a royal.” The blonde cut off, her tone not as harsh as she intended.

“…I think they’re beautiful. “ Jo completed finally, her silly words leaving before she could register Jungeun’s protest.

They exchanged a look, both taken surprised by the sudden compliment – Haseul hadn’t even think, the words just came out of .

“Oh, hi, hi! I’m sorry, they had so much stuff, so I tried to get a little bit of everything.” Yerim’s voice broke the moment, prompting both girls to look at the younger woman that approached with a bag full of sweets.

Haseul stood up, making her way to greet the girl, and just like this, their little moment was gone and Jungeun’s journey was about to begin.

Haseul stopped by Raven’s doors, giving the Saeg girls a smile that hopefully was reassuring and didn’t show how nervous she really was. Not telling her crew who they were taking care of wasn’t exactly smart of her part, but Mr. Kim’s words still rang on her ears and she wasn’t sure how much of the truth she should share. Yeojin would probably freak out if she knew who Jungeun really was…Actually, Haseul wasn’t even sure she knew who that girl was. Red eyes meant she had royal blood, but there were a bunch of royals and Haseul had never paid much attention to them.

“It’s fine, all my crew members are very friendly and we’re happy to have you with us this month.” Luckily her voice was unaffected by her thoughts, her business tone mixed with a friendly one.

Yerim, the purple eyed girl that seem to be Jungeun’s best friend and unofficial bodyguard, smiled back, nodding enthusiastic. “Oh, we are meeting them now? That’s great, it’s been a while since I made new friends.”

Jungeun, however, didn’t share the feeling. Her red eyes peeked from beneath her hood, suspicion filling them as she studied Haseul. “A month?” She hadn’t failed on noticing Jo’s choice of words, this princess wasn’t a fool.

The older girl’s smile became a little stiff as she turned to face the taller woman. Mr. Kim wanted things to be so secret that he didn’t even bother to tell the one person that would dictate their journey? And now it was up to Jo to placate a potentially annoyed royal brat about their plans. Awesome.

“You know, New Mars is not so far…I mean, not if we have Raven here to take us!” Haseul leaned against the ship, proud of how pretty it looked with the new painting – she just hoped Kim wouldn’t cause them any trouble, she couldn’t ruin their first trip after the renew like this. “We’ll have a couple of weeks before we need to go, so you can feel free to create a travelling schedule. Anywhere and everywhere!” Her excitement was only partially false, after all, it was also a chance for her to see the world without worrying about meeting deadlines and getting money to fix Raven or pay the girls. “I don’t mean to brag, but we are quite a team here, and we’ll do our best to make your trip a nice one.”

Haseul clearly wasn’t as good with her words as she thought, because the expression on the girl’s face didn’t change. Instead, Jungeun avoided her gaze, hands tightly grabbing her green cloak as if she was looking for a way to soothe her…what? Annoyance? Rage? discomfort?

“Is that what is your contract? That you should just take me anywhere?” The royal’s voice was quiet, but it didn’t carry any insecurity like the first time Jo heard it. It was cold and almost nonchalant, as if Jungeun was trying to detached herself from the topic.

“I…Yes.” It wasn’t a lie, it was her main task in this work. Still, Haseul felt uncomfortable telling a half truth to the girl in front of her. She wanted to see the adorably confused and shy expression back on Kim’s face, replacing the slightly frown on her face that made the girl look so distance and rigid. “Isn’t it a good thing?”

Jungeun hanged her head low, avoiding the warm brown eyes that couldn’t possible understand how she felt now.  

“Yes, sure! It sounds…Fun! Right, Jungie?” She could feel Yerim becoming restless by her side, the noble holding onto her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.

They both thought it would be a simple, fast journey, one that would end up before they had time to regret boarding this spaceship.  She had thought her family just wanted to send her away and avoid any more rumors, it didn’t make any sense that they were just randomly offering her a chance of going out and see the world after a whole life of reclusion. Was it a trap? Could her father be heartless to the point of hiring people to get rid of her? It seem pointless to do so, he could’ve abandoning her long time ago…

A slender, elegant and warm hand – too warm to belong to a Saeg –, reached out to touch her exposed forearm. “It will be.” It was Haseul, of course. The warm and apparently kind human that seem unable to hide completely her curiosity about her. She didn’t look like someone who could trick someone to hurt them, she seemed genuinely nice. “I promise. And as Raven’s captain and the leader of our crew, I never break my promises.” The small, gentle smile that followed her words were just the one she had given her earlier. It made her feel warm and…Safe.

The feeling was so unknown to her, that the princess shrugged Haseul off, rushing to speak. “We don’t want to meet your crew now. Just take us to our room. Please.”

The young pilot retracted her hand, feeling awkward and confused. Jungeun’s skin under her fingers had felt soft and slightly cold, as if it needed her to make it warm. Her body language made her look so vulnerable, but her adamant tone made Haseul remember who she really was. Haseul had being inconsiderate and reckless, Saegs didn’t like being touched and she had treated Jungeun like a human – not any human, one she was trying to comfort.

“Understood. Of course, you guys must be tired.” Jo tried her best to shake off that uncomfortable feeling in her chest and remember what she was supposed to do here. “I’m sorry, I should’ve been more thoughtful.” Lowering her head in a short bow, she straightened her back right after adopting a new posture. Being stiffly polite didn’t match her, but if it was what would be necessary for things to work out, she would try her best. “Just give me a moment, I’ll ask my crew to give us some privacy.”

Yerim, the younger between the three of them, seemed to be one that was dealing better with the situation and she made sure to give Haseul a kind smile. “Thank you, we appreciate it.”

The purpled eyed girl’s answer made Haseul feel a little better – at least one of the guests didn’t hate her –, she just wished Jungeun had at least spared her a glance before she excused herself to give the disappointing news to the four people that had been waiting for them the whole evening.

The human guided them through the hallways. Jungeun kept her head low, making sure to keep her eyes covered as they walked, while Yerim took in every detail she could spot with her wide open eyes. None of them had ever been in such a big spaceship, and in other occasion, Jungie would’ve done the same as her friend, gushing about all the new exciting things she would see. But now she didn’t dare to do so.

A whole month hiding her eyes from people would be hell for her.

They passed by a tall and pretty black haired girl at the conference room, Haseul exchanging a glance with her before they continued their route. Haseul said that woman’s name was Sooyoung and she was the co-owner of the ship and their official mechanic – coolest and smartest person, those were her words. Jungeun didn’t dare to try to steal a glance at the girl, only bowing politely before following the pilot.

Raven, as Haseul liked to call that weird ship, was made of a combination of metal and a resilient material that the Saeg introduced to humans hundreds of years ago. It was neatly clean, painted with white and some spots of bright colors here and there to break the monotony. The conference room had some sort of panel, but Jungeun couldn’t take a good look at it, although Yerim left out a comment about how pretty it was. Kim wasn’t well versed in technology, but she could tell that ship wasn’t as new as it looked like and she wondered how much work Haseul and her crew had put on it to make sure it was as good as now.

The short brunette stopped in front of a door, pushing a small button to prompt it open. Jo stepped aside, gesturing them to go in first and Yerim didn’t hesitate to do so, being followed by a far more reluctant Jungeun – Haseul could be the nicest human she had ever met, but it didn’t mean she could trust her just yet. She had been kept locked on her family’s house for too long to not fear being locked out again.

“This is so nice! I had no idea we could have such big beds in places like this!” Yerim was already sitting on the said bed, hands running through the soft fabric of the light bed sheets.

After making sure there was no one around, Jungeun raised the gaze to see for herself the room. Yerim was right, the bed was pretty big and seemed comfortable, and even though the room was small, it still had pretty much anything one needed. The only problem was it only had one bed. She wouldn’t mind sleep close to Yerim, they used to snuggled together when they were children, but she expected to have her own bed here.

“I know right? They are brand new, so enjoy it!” That silly smile that Jungeun was starting to notice only appeared when things were about her beloved ship, was once again on Jo’s face. The pilot glanced at Jungeun, and as if she could read her thoughts, she said: “We also bought one for you! Your room is beside this one. I thought you’d like to have your own space.” The brunette said, a expecting smile on her face as she stared at Jungeun for approval.

Having her own room was something that both pleased and made her uneasy, and she hoped the human wasn’t able to tell by her expression. She had always being the kind of person that likes to keep things to herself and enjoys some alone time – she had to, after all there weren’t that many people to hang out with back at the palace –, but she didn’t like the idea of being separated from Yerim when they had just arrived. Choi, in her ever cheerful way, had a calming effect on the Kim.

“Hm, you didn’t need to go to this extent…But thank you.” Being rude to Haseul wasn’t her intention, and even if the girl was being paid to give her the best accommodations, it was the gentle way she looked at her that made her feel genuinely cared for. “However, I would like to sleep here…Just for today, if it’s not a problem.” Jungeun looked at Haseul and then at Yerim, waiting for the two of them to show they were okay with her suggestion.

Yerim hugged her affectionately and unexpected as usual, a bright grin on her face. It was embarrassing, but Jungeun didn’t push her away, a flustered smile growing on her face. “Yeah! Jungie, please stay here! The bed is big and we can chat.”

The other woman in the room stared at them with a puzzled look, surprised to see a Saeg being so openly affectionate, but also glad to see that Jungeun façade was starting to break down under Yerim’s hug. Hiding her own smile, she just nodded in agreement, handing them the room keys.

“I’m at the end of the corridor if you guys need anything. I mean it, really anything. I don’t sleep early, so you won’t bother me.” Her business tone flowed easily out of her tongue, a little boost of confidence after the girl’s positive reaction. It was worth to prepare two rooms for the girls – even if her and the rest of the crew had to share the remaining two bedrooms.

“Please, sleep soon! We won’t need anything, you’ve done a lot for us.” Choi said with her sweet voice that matched the big smile that almost never left her face. “Good night, Miss Jo. Thank you for all!”

It was impossible to not return the smile and the human didn’t even try to stop the corners of turning into one. “It’s our pleasure to have you on board.” And it was, Yerim was the most adorable teenager Haseul had seen in a while, and she lived with two. For a second she wished that Choi was the royal one, it would be much easier to deal with her. But she shook off the thought immediately, cold or not, there was something really intriguing about Jungeun and she was willing to stick around and check it for herself. “I’ll wake you guys up for breakfast tomorrow.”

As expected, the older Saeg was more reticent with her words, albeit her voice was a gentler this time. “Thank you, we’ll sleep well.”

“Oh, and before I forget: No need to call me Miss, just Haseul is fine. Good night!” With this final addend, she got out of the room, closing the door behind her back.

That night Jo Haseul, despite her words, fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed and dreamed of red eyes and blushed cheeks.

Meanwhile, in Yerim’s room, Kim Jungeun didn’t close her eyes and allowed the sleep to take over until it was late at night. Her dreams were a mix of former memories from the castle and all sort of scenarios involving her future – Haseul was there in every single one of them.

A/N: Hello! Finally our girls have met, even if it didn’t go that well, things will get better…Eventually.

If you had the pleasure (?) of reading my Pristin stories, you probably know I’m slow with updates, however this one will have relatively fast updates since it will be fairly short and I already have half of it ready.

Thank you as always for reading, I’m sorry about any mistakes. See you next week with chapter 3