It turned out that in the middle of Momo’s conversation with her father, Mina sneaked out of the ballroom. She bumped into someone who was about to walk in.  

“Whoa, I’m sorry, are you okay?” a familiar voice rang out. 

The other person gasped in surprise when Mina responded with a tight hug. “What took you so long?” 

“I got caught up with all the people at the entrance. What happened?” Chaeyoung asked, rubbing Mina’s back. 

“Something happened between Momo and my parents. It was all too overwhelming to process.” 

Mina backed away and admired Chaeyoung in all her glory. It was a breathtaking sight. The red and black suit fit her well. Her hair was down which was new, and she still possessed those bright eyes and smile. 

She noticed how Chaeyoung was also looking at her. “You should wear suits more often. They look good on you.” 

“I could say the same for you.” 

“So… I’m assuming you don’t want to go back inside, right? Is there a place you would like to go to instead?” 

“Can we go back to the place where this all started?” 

Chaeyoung nodded and grabbed Mina’s wrist, willing her to run away with her. As they ran hand in hand, smiling and laughing, Mina looked at Chaeyoung’s back in front of her. She suddenly stopped, let go of her hand, and remembered something from their childhood. 

---------

Ten years ago

“Let’s go!” Chaeyoung exclaimed as they ran through the village. 

“This is a bit dangerous, don’t you think?” Mina asked as she followed behind her. 

“Come on! Take a risk!” 

As much as Mina would’ve liked to do that, she knew she couldn’t. But for some reason, she felt like she was already willing to risk it all to spend even just a second longer with the girl in front of her. It was worth it to see that wide smile and hear her contagious laughter. 

“Okay!” 

“Now we’re talking!” 

That was when Mina finally realized that the wish she made was granted. She felt normal, with no care in the world when she was with Chaeyoung. They stood by the well and watched the sunset with their hands over one another’s on the ledge. 

---------

Back to the present 

Chaeyoung turned around when she noticed Mina was no longer holding her hand. 

“Are you okay?” Chaeyoung asked. 

“I’m fine, just remembered something,” Mina said. 

“What?” 

“The time we ran through the village together and watched the sunset by the well.” 

“Ah, we really had no care in the world back then, huh? We were just ourselves, back when I didn’t know you were the princess and was just trying to survive in that orphanage. But none of that mattered when we were together. And all of it was worth it to see that genuine smile.” 

“It was.” 

There was nothing left to say after that, so Chaeyoung extended her hand and they walked side by side with their hands intertwined. It felt like a weight was lifted off both of their shoulders. Within the palace, they had separate responsibilities, but outside of it, they were just themselves, with no roles or labels attached. Between them, that was better anyway. They knew the implications of a relationship between a member of the royal family and a guard. 

They hadn’t talked about what their roles meant for their current relationship, but if there was one thing that persevered through the years, it was the love they felt. It never went away. However, now, it was difficult to define. They were always more tha