"He says he's not hungry, your highness." the servant strolled into the palace's dining hall and bowed before the King. It had been three days after the incident with Minho, and since then the Prince has refused to come out of his room and locked the door, disallowing entry to anyone who dared to try and get inside. Food and water was still available to the teen and was left outside his door every few hours, and the servants figured he'd eaten when they checked up on him and saw that it was gone.

The man slammed his fork down onto the table, startling his family. "Fetch the guards and make sure he comes down here," he forced between his clenched teeth. "He knows that he must be present at the table at all times when there are guests."

"It's alright, your majesty. I really don't mind." Woobin spoke up.

"No, no it must be done. He's been getting out of line lately, and if he's going to take my place anytime soon, I must discipline him. But thank you for your sincerity." he said as the guards made their way up to the Prince's room.

"Well then, since it may take a while to get Prince Taemin down here, I may as well make the announcement now or else it may add on to his stress. I don't think he likes me very much..."

"What is it, dear?" the Queen asked Woobin as she massaged her husband's shoulder's to ease his worries.

The man proudly stood from his chair and took Sunny's hand in his, causing the young girl to blush. "Princess Sunny and I are now engaged."

The Princess beamed and held out her free hand to show her parents the ring. The King laughed with glee and stood up to congratulate the noble with a shake of the hand, while the Queen scurried over to her daughter and hugged her in delight.

"This is marvelous news! We must celebrate the engagement immediately! A banquet, perhaps?" Sunny's mother suggested.

"Exactly what I was thinking, your majesty." Woobin replied, bringing his fiance closer to his side. "And perhaps your son will manage to find a lover as well to keep his mind off of his....last failed relationship."

"What a grand idea!"the King clasped his hands together and brought his arms out to welcome his daughter into a hug. Everyone at the Lee residence was now smiling and laughing on that sunny day in Seonggong. All except one.

"Your highness?" the head guard knocked on Taemin's door.

Taemin flinched at the disturbance, and remained silent. He was curled up in fetal position near the edge of his balcony, where he sat for the past few days bitterly staring at his kingdom. The Prince remembered when he took him out to the city for the first time, when he truly got his first taste of freedom, and could share it with the person he realized he loved most.

Remnants of tears had now dried on the sides of his face, and his eyes were red and puffy from his crying earlier. I'm such an idiot.

The young diplomat hugged his shoulders in attempt to comfort himself. How could I believe that someone truly cared for me...

Taemin's suspicions of his father forcing Minho to break his heart were now withdrawn from his head, even after he spent the whole night trying to convince himself that he did. All of those precious moments they spent together were now bitter memories that were like poison, stinging his heart every time they reappeared in his mind. That whole time Minho was just toying with him, all for greed and gold just as Taemin thought in the beginning.

He choked on another sob and squeezed his shoulders tighter, quivering in pure sadness. He wished he at least had a companion right now to comfort him, to tell him that everything was going to be alright and that he would be able to move on eventually and start over. But he had no one. Not even his sister had spoken to him lately, though they were usually so close. Even if he tried to come out of his room to talk to someone, they wouldn't care about what he'd have to say.

He was a Prince, after all. A diplomatic figure that everyone expected to be flawless and shouldn't cry because he wasn't supposed to be sensitive or weak-hearted.

"Your highness, you must come down this instant! Your father has requested your prescence."

Clenching his teeth, the Prince stormed over to the door, now frustrated that no one would leave him alone, and threw it open. "Tell him I'm not coming! If I want to stay in my room for the rest of my ing life I will! SO LEAVE ME ALONE!"

And with that final note he shut the door, angry tears spilling down his face. He propped a chair up against the knob to provide extra ensurance to his privacy, and ran straight towards the bathroom. Taemin then locked himself in and ran to the sink, clutching the edges of the counter and panting after his outburst.

A sudden wave of anger and annoyance washed over him, replacing his previous state of sadness and sorrow.

What made him think he could do this to me....was I not good enough? the Prince thought as he harshly wiped away his tears.

Did he really think of me to be so pitiful?  The Prince angrily cursed in his head at the thought. Was he really going to allow the man to get away with breaking his heart so easily? He deliberately hurt him, his family, and his pride, and then waved it off like it was nothing; like he'd done it a hundred times before. His warm touches, the sincerity of his voice, his loving embrace; it was all an act that Taemin was foolish enough to believe.

Taemin's body trembled in anger as he stormed out of the bathroom and went straight for his sword he'd left abandoned for the past few days, picking it up and placing it in his belt.

He decided that he wasn't going to allow his pride as a prince to be smothered any longer by that deceitful, malevolent thief.

He was going to get him back for what he did to him.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Do you think he's alright? He's been out there all day..." Key asked his partner with his neck craned towards the window, watching his friend sitting quietly on an abandoned stool in the middle of an alleyway as he aimlessly stared into space.

Jonghyun frowned upon the sight and embraced his lover from behind, comforting him. "I don't know, Kibum...I really don't know."

The thieves were still adjusting to their lives in a new kingdom, and were currently renting a room in the slums of the city. Luna, not wanting to be without her fiance and the father of her baby, left her family behind in Seunggong and willingly decided to join them as well. Their living space was small and uncomfortable for five people, but it was all they could afford at the moment.

Minho clutched his father's pocketwatch in his palm and sadly smiled at the antique, remembering the moment his beloved Taemin gave it to him.

"But...weren't those important to you?" Minho asked, feeling a bit bad for the Prince's sacrifice.

Taemin gave him a small smile and shrugged. "You're happiness was more important to me."

A single tear rolled down his cheek as the dreadful memory of Taemin's heartbroken expression plagued his mind. It hurt him so much to see his lover that way, but he knew that it had to be done. He promised himself to protect Taemin, even if it meant hurting him in the process.

The man sobbed and held his face in his hands, the burning pain of loss and loneliness overtaking him. He wish he'd at least had the chance to say a proper goodbye.

Suddenly, a fast-moving figure lunged forward from behind and attacked the poor man, pinning him down by the arms on the concrete with one hand while the other held a sabor up against his throat. Minho's eyes widened in bewilderment at the sight of his ex-lover, who's obvious anger was expressed through his flaring nostrils and his bloodshot eyes.

"T-taemin?!"

"Surprised, hyung?" Taemin tilted his head to the side, mocking his usual innocent gesture. "Did you miss me these past few days?"

Only incoherent sputters passed between the older man's lips, unable to form a proper sentence in reaction to the sight of his lover this way. Finally, Minho managed to get a hold of himself and responded, "What are you doing here?!"

"Oh, just thought I'd drop by and see how you were doing..." Taemin's innocent grin soon formed into an indignant frown, sending chills down the older male's spine.

"Taemin, I--"

"You what? You want to apologize to me now that I'm threatening your life? How do I look now, hyung? Still stupid and naive?!"

"Tae, please cal