Hyesu slumped onto the couch by her bedroom window in defeat after a long Wednesday. Endless etiquette, music, cultural dance and language lessons were what she had been through, with the marathon prolonged by attending social events and functions throughout the afternoon.

She indolently stretched her legs outwards and amused herself by making funny faces in the crystal-clear glass. Slowly, she rested her head on the armrest of the couch and closed her eyes, enjoying her short moment alone.

As she sensed her tensed shoulders being massaged, the bewildered princess withdrew her outstretched legs and sat upright. She whipped her head around to find Kris quietly laughing to himself. She then rolled her eyes and lied back down with her legs outstretched.

“Tsk. Not how a proper princess should act.” Kris teased as he gently her hair, trying to soothe her.

“Pfft. And a commoner should break into a princess’ room without notice?” Hyesu retorted.

He grinned and stuck out his hand, offering to take her for a stroll outside. She gladly took it and joyfully skipped along the cold marble corridors, taking him with her. She squinted her eyes as the warm sunshine welcomed her at the archway of the grand entrance.

Though her etiquette instructor would not be pleased seeing this, she took off her uncomfortable shoes and left it by the entrance. Hyesu heartily smiled as she felt the soft carpet of freshly-mowed grass under her feet and took in the pleasant smell of soil in the garden.

Comfortable silence engulfed Kris and Hyesu as they walked pass brightly-colored flowers, a magnificent water fountain and a white gazebo standing grand at an end of a bridge across the sparkling water under the sun.

Their favorite place on acres of land known as the garden would be an old maple tree with its branches spread wide, and that was where they stopped in their tracks. Though long forgotten, the roots of the aging tree firmly grasped to the ground, supporting the weight of a wooden tree house and a swing hanging from its branches.

Hyesu stood still as the gentle breeze caressed her cheeks. She had always found the place magical as it withheld childhood memories of hers, and his of course. She could even see young Kris and Hyesu running around the tree as if it was only yesterday when they were naïve and carefree children.

A good ten years or so back, he had built the tree house and she had painted it white for it was her favorite color. Below it, the swing had been there, swaying to the wind for as long as they remembered. Both of them used to play on the swing together, when they were young of course. As they grew older, they could no longer fit onto the swing side by side; Kris would then take the seat and let Hyesu sit on his lap before rocking the swing back and forth.

That Wednesday was no different; Kris got onto the swing and pulled Hyesu onto his lap. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he gently rocked the swing. She leaned her worn-out self against his front and slowly dozed off…

She let out a shriek in fright when the swinging became vigorous. Her eyes shot open and she found herself at a frightening height above ground, she would have fallen off had Kris not securely wrapped his strong arms round her slender waist. She glared at a smirking Kris, knowing that he had done so on purpose to interrupt her sleep.

As the swing was brought back near to the ground, Hyesu wriggled herself free from Kris’ grip and hopped off the swing. She playfully stuck her tongue out at him before dashing down the grassy slope.

Kris lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes as he got off the swing after her. He kept his pace stately as he strode down the slope with his hands in the pockets of his shorts. With his towering height, he caught sight of her toe sticking out from a bush she was hiding behind.

He pretended to be frantically looking for her as he took a longer route and stealthily sneaked behind her. Hyesu gasped as he hugged her from behind.

“Caught you.” He huskily whispered in her ears and victoriously smirked.

“Humph. No fun.” She cutely pouted as she returned her gaze to the radiant sky above.

With her in his embrace, Kris looked up to where she was staring at. He furrowed his eyebrows as anxiety took over. He could see a shadow behind the sun, threatening to shade the source of light anytime soon. It was an omen, one which human beings on Earth would not be able to notice.

He had not expected the unsought day to arrive this soon; honestly, he was enveloped by fear himself. However, he took a deep breath and tried to mentally strengthen his willpower. He swept a surprised Hyesu off her feet and carried her bridal-style towards the palace in a fast pace.

He reassuringly looked into her eyes and softly smiled, “Let’s go home, evenings are meant to be spent with no one but dad and mum whom you are closest to.” He meaningfully added, “… especially this evening.”

She blankly blinked, but obediently nodded. Kris was behaving in an odd manner all of a sudden, but things couldn’t go wrong, at least Kris wouldn’t let it go too wrong. She believed.