Chapter 4: Im Yoona

I dug my hands deeper into my pockets, sauntering around and taking in my surroundings for future reference if I ever got lost in this massive place. The palace was truly beautiful, but in a strange way, it was beautiful and sad at the same time.

Throughout my life I had stayed and slept in the most dirty and dingy of places imaginable, and when we were able to sustain a place to stay for a while, it was never luxurious and would often lack the necessities, but even so, those places had the slightest sense of home, but here, it felt cold, lonely. Not really home at all.

But maybe that was because I was unfamiliar with it, and the vast amount of space and confusion that it provided. The mansion that I had lived in with my family, before I came here, wasn’t even a quarter of the size of this place.

I felt so small here, so helpless and lost.

The palace grounds were cut up into sections, the middle being where the main house was and where the royal family would generally live in, behind that was the huge garden that seemed to go on forever, to the right wing of the grounds was the private hospital and beside that was were the gym was located and only the members of the royal tree could use these facilities, to the left was the servants quarters, where all maids, butlers and other members of staff stayed and slept when they weren’t working.

I was lucky that the King had given me information about the palace because I would’ve been even more lost than I already was.

This place was like a mini town. It was unbelievable. Never in my life would have I imagined that I would essentially be part of South Korea’s royal family, set up to marry the princess on conditions that put my life, and the lives of my family, at risk.

I stopped for a moment and looked up at the sky, slightly tinted a dreary grey that matched my emotions perfectly, and I wondered if Hayeon and my mother were okay without me. Were they missing me? What were they doing now? Did they think about me as much as I thought about them?

I inhaled deeply, heaving a sigh and looking at the ground beneath my feet. I felt so lost. I really didn’t know what I was doing here or how I was going to get out of it. A lump rose up within my throat, and the weight pressing down on my shoulders seemed to get heavier.

“My prince?”

I looked up to be faced by a maid, her face distorted with concern as she looked at me unsurely.

“I’m sorry to bother you.” She bowed quickly.

“It’s quite alright.” I smiled, placing my hand on her shoulder, indicating her to stand straight. I didn’t like how people were always so formal with me now that I was a prince. I wanted to be normal, and the formality made me feel slightly awkward. She blushed slightly.

“The Queen has requested that you join her on the balcony. She said it’s nothing serious, and that you’re free to decline her offer if you wish.”

“I’d love to join her on the balcony.” I smiled, hiding the emotions that seemed to slosh around in my stomach, “But you’ll have to show me the way. I’m not quite familiar with the grounds yet.”

She nodded quickly and led me to the balcony, but as we walked through the main house, I realized that there was more than just one balcony, there were several and it seemed that every corridor we turned into, looked the same as the one before.

“How does anyone find their way around here?” I joked lightly as we made a left turn and stopped at a set of double doors.

The maid turned to me, looking surprised that I had even spoken to her in such a friendly manner.

“You get used to it after a while.” She stated, her eyes avoiding mine. “Please, follow me.” She said tightly, pushing the doors open and entering.

I followed her in quietly. The room had been colour coded, so everything was in between tones of white and beige. Not a single item out of place, and not a speck of dust in sight. The palace sanitation team really did have a good method if they managed to keep everything looking this prim and perfect.

The room was furnished with white leather couches, a wide screen TV, and a small dining table, topped off with a rather large bookcase. On the walls hung different pictures of the Royal Family themselves, my eyes lingering on the one of the princess when she was just a child. Tiffany had always been pretty, it seemed. At the far end of the room was a set of rather large glass doors that led out to the balcony. I could see the queen sitting on a chair, her back facing us.

“Your highness the Queen, is just waiting on the balcony for you.” The maid said, gesturing to where the queen was.

I gave a small bow toward her and smiled. “Thank you very much.”

She bowed in return and left quickly. I made my way over to the glass doors, pushing the handle down and opening it slowly. I stepped out and the cool breeze washed over me gently. It seemed to have brightened up, for the sun was now brighter than it was previously.

I inhaled the fresh air, finally closing the door behind me.

Sensing my presence, the queen turned in her chair and smiled at me warmly. I bowed in respect.

“Come,” She called. “Take a seat.”

I did as told and sat down in the vacant seat beside her. She was silent for a moment as a refreshing wind blew softly over us. I looked out over the palace garden, and all the gardeners working efficiently, the maids, butlers, guards and other members of staff scurrying about here and there.

“What do you think of the palace? Do you like it here?” She asked suddenly, turning her head to look at me, catching me off guard.

I looked at her and nodded. “It’s very beautiful here.”

Her eyes flickered warmly, and she smiled. “I’m glad.”

She turned her head away and looked over at the garden, a very slight smile on her face. She must have been in her mid to late 40’s, and she emitted a kind of beauty and confidence that a Queen should. She was very respected for her charity work, among other things, and a lot of people saw her as an inspiration. She was firm, but had a gentle side to her that made you feel comfortable, but always on your toes. I wonde