"Daddy?" Na Yeon gently pushed open the squeaky door and found her father lying in bed with her mother crying at his side. "Daddy, did you call for me?" Na Yeon had changed out of her dirty yellow dress into a fresh and much more comfortable pink one.

"Na Yeon, darling, come over here." The king could barely open his eyes as he croaked out the greeting. Na Yeon rushed to her father's side and her vision began to blur with the onset of tears. "Na Yeon, I'm sure you are going to be a spectacular queen."

Na Yeon shook her head. She wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility. She had always known that without her father by her side, she would never be able to act like a proper lady. She hated being the only child of her parents with no relatives that were close enough to take over the kingdom. Her parents could only on her to bear an heir and pass on the royal blood.

"Do you like the prince so far?" The king looked so weak and Na Yeon didn't have the heart to worry her father even more.

Na Yeon looked at her mother for help but she wouldn't return the favour. "Yes." The princess squeaked.

Her father tried to smile despite his condition. "Good. I just want my precious daughter to find her Prince Charming and when I saw the Emperor of Panyu, I knew one of his sons would suit you. Apples can't fall far from the tree."

Na Yeon nodded and tried to keep shut. She could not, would not disappoint her father.

The king sighed, and looked at the ceiling. "But I remember that there were many other suitors out for your hand." Na Yeon nodded at her father's words but restrained herself from adding that none of them interested her. "They may get jealous now that you're engaged so I hired a bodyguard for you. Did he arrive yet?" He coughed and closed his eyes.

"No, father. He hasn't." Na Yeon couldn't remember any talk of a bodyguard.

"Well, I guess it's hard to find an appropriate one for you. Some of your suitors are relentless but there's no stopping a man when he has his eyes set on a beautiful girl." The king coughed again and this time, there was blood.

The medical team rushed forward, pushing Na Yeon and her sobbing mother out of the way. Na Yeon couldn't stand the silence in the room as they realized her father had fell into an eternal slumber.

Bunching her skirt in her hands, Na Yeon ran out, not entirely certain where her feet were taking her. Her father, who had guided her all her life through her troubles, was gone. He was the only one who didn't scold her about searching for that perfect soulmate. He was the only hope she had of becoming a successful queen. Without her father, Na Yeon was lost. Her governess could only teach what was in the books, not in her father's experience. Her mother did not handle the situations that her father had met. Na Yeon didn't know where to go.

"Miss, are you all right?" The short servant girl suddenly appeared in front of the stunned princess.

Na Yeon was too tired to argue with the servant. How could that girl still be so nice when she was constantly being ordered around? "What is your name?" Na Yeon asked the petite girl.

"Oh Ji Han, Miss."

Na Yeon nodded. "I don't know what you and my fiancé do behind closed doors but please don't ruin the royal family's reputation. If he is your true love, please take him already and I'll just tell the kingdom that the new king has disappeared on a camping trip."

"But Miss, we--"

Na Yeon silenced her. "Really, you two should escape while you still can. The kingdom doesn't know that the prince has arrived and I don't even think this kingdom will stand much longer after I take the reigns. You should find a job elsewhere with Kris."

Ji Han couldn't believe what her mistress was saying. If only she hadn't promised Kris that she wouldn't reveal their secret, then maybe the princess wouldn't be so sad. How could the princess just let herself rule this kingdom alone?

"Miss, please rest assured that neither the prince nor I are interested in each other or the sin of adultery."

Na Yeon lifted her eyebrows. "That's exactly what Kris had said." Oh Ji Han and Kris were perfect for each other. How could she stand in their way? She wanted to watch the couple flourish like the storybooks promised. She would be content in a life of loneliness if only others could find the right kind of love in their lives.

Ji Han wasn't able to push in another word before the princess whisked past her. There was no use in trying to talk to Na Yeon if the secret couldn't be revealed. It was time to get back to work anyway.

Na Yeon needed to get away from her servants. She couldn't let her staff see her break down at such a crucial moment. Now that her father was really gone, it was her turn to hold up the entire kingdom. But instead of going to her father's study room to gather documents, her feet led her to the stables where she had spent much of her teenage years.

The midday sun was bright and didn't reflect how Na Yeon felt. Instead of a sense of warmth, the blazing sun felt like it would burn her skin off if she stayed out for more than a few minutes. Under the shade of the stable roof, Na Yeon peered around, giving the horses little on their noses as she looked for any sign of a worker in the stables.

One of the horses whinnied at the sight of her and Na Yeon quieted it with a light shush. She crept to the back of the stable where there was an empty stall and dug her hands in the stacks of hay. Her fingers found the covers of two books, softened by years of use, and she pulled them to her chest before crawling behind the hay and leaning against the stone wall of the stable.

Na Yeon cracked open one of the thick books and began reciting a random line to herself quietly. These were the fairy tales that calmed her since she was a child and helped her leave behind her duties for a little while. She needed these books to soothe her so she would not cry like a baby. She planned to recite these lines until her voice was sore.

As the hours passed, single drops of tears would take turns sliding down her cheek and drying up quickly. Na Yeon's voice was giving up as began to tighten and she could barely croak out another syllable without breaking down.

"Hey," a rough voice startled Na Yeon out of her reverie. "Is somebody there?"

Na Yeon hid her books in the yellow hay and stood up, brushing her skirt and wiping her cheeks. She hoped she looked presentable right as the burly old stableman rounded the corner and found the princess standing behind a stack of hay.

"Oh princess," The man took off his hat and bowed, revealing his receding hairline. "Pardon me but the entire castle is searching for you."

Na Yeon nodded. "Thank you." She took one last glance to make sure her books were hidden before brushing past the stableman.

A hand landed heavily on her shoulder and Na Yeon stiffened. "If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm always available."

Na Yeon's muscles were tense as she nodded again and walked away towards the castle. She never felt comfortable around that particular man but he took care of the horses and she couldn't dismiss him just because her gut twisted whenever he was near.

As Na Yeon entered the castle, the depressing mood hit her again. Her steps were heavy as she glanced around and found the staff dragging themselves around. Everybody was mourning and the castle seemed to be grey with no sign of life. Or maybe they weren't mourning. Maybe they were fearing the days that the princess would take over the kingdom.

"Are you alright, Miss?" Na Yeon turned around and was nearly blinded by the brightness. She couldn't believe it. Standing in front of her was her prince dressed in pure white with his blonde hair reflecting off bits of sunshine that managed to break through the melancholy of the castle.

How could he be as dazzling as the sun when the rest of her world was as dark as the night?

Na Yeon only responded with a nod, not trusting her voice. Kris placed her hand on the crook of his arm and led her to the parlour room. "Your mother is waiting for us." He said as he pushed open the door.

The look on her mother's face made Na Yeon want to cry again but she refused to look any weaker than she already did. The only response she gave was a tighter grip on Kris's arm.

"Come, sit." The queen's voice was hollow and it echoed around the room as Na Yeon and Kris took their seats. "I see you have smartened up and accepted your duties, Baek Na Yeon." The queen's eyes drifted from the two people in front of her to a painting of her late husband.

Na Yeon wanted to object but she didn't want to bring on more trouble. Maybe she would start to slowly accept the fact that Kris would have to be her husband. It didn't feel so wrong to walk beside him and have him to steady herself.

But then her thoughts went back to her books. The fairy tales told extravagant stories of poor servants catching the hearts of the noble princes. This was a reminder that it would be great to just have Kris and Oh Ji Han together.

"Even if you weren't reluctant to take on your responsibilities, it'll still be difficult." Her mother continued. "You are still of the fairer and the Prince of Panyu has none of our royal blood. The kingdom will find any way they can to overthrow us and having a woman as their ruler will be a great excuse."

"So...what are we supposed to do?" Na Yeon didn't want to be the failure of her family.

The queen sighed. "We will have a week to mourn. I have arranged the wedding and coronation to be in six months. A ball will be held next week and hopefully, if Hwasun county doesn't choose to attack, you two will meet with the surrounding villages to acquaint yourselves with the peasants." Her mother's words made Na Yeon want to fight back. It hasn't even been a day since the king passed away and her mother was already arranging all this. "Lastly, you two will try to have make attempts at a conceiving a child."

Na Yeon's breath caught in and she was ready to launch out of her chair. The only thing that stopped her was Kris placing the tips of his fingers on her pinky. Somehow, that made her rethink her actions. The queen raised a thin eyebrow at Na Yeon's behaviour but dismissed it when she saw that the prince held control.

"I've already had the new bed placed into your room." The look of confusion on the princess's face made her mother explain. "You don't expect to conceive a child on such a small bed, do you? And I also had the bed come with silk sheets in our prince's honour." The queen gave a curt nod to Kris who returned the gesture with a small smile.

"But, mother," Na Yeon had to interject. "We're not even married yet. We're not even engaged yet!" Her reputation was on the line if she were to be found alone with a man in her room after nightfall.

"Your father and I have already decided that the two of you will be married. I suspect a ring should be present but Prince Kris had a tough journey and his belongings have been stolen from him. You will get another ring when he has time to go down to the village and order one."

Na Yeon wanted to pull out her hair. "This isn't about the ring, mother. Why are we trying for a child? And why is the wedding so early?"

The queen rubbed her temples in irritation and took a deep breath. "The sooner you two get married, the easier it will be to quiet down the protestors. The prince will also have to be sent out to the front lines if a battle were to ever occur. If something were to happen to him, you need to have an heir ready."

Kris stiffened beside Na Yeon and she could tell this was his first time hearing all this, too. Na Yeon provided no comfort though. The prince was still the main cause of her misery.

"Now, if you two will go and get ready for dinner in an hour, that would be appreciated." The queen stood up and had Mr. Kang, who was standing by the entrance the entire time, open the grand door for her.

"How can you just take it?" Na Yeon finally turned to Kris.

He was staring at the ground, thinking things over, before he looked up at Na Yeon's dejected stare. "Take what?"

"How can you just accept the fact that you're going to marry a stranger, be the king of some foreign land, fight against its unfamiliar enemies, and just accept death as it comes?"

Kris shrugged, finding the white jacket he wore to be a bit restraining. "I don't have much else to live for."

Na Yeon's jaw went slack. How could he say such a thing? Didn't he have a girl that he loves? Doesn't he have a family back in China that wants to see him succeed?

Not knowing what else to say, Na Yeon stood up. "I'll see you at dinner." She turned and walked out.

Kris put his head in his hands and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I thought you were going to clear things up with them." Mr. Kang appeared behind Kris and put his hand on the prince's shoulder.

"I couldn't even get a word in there once the queen started talking. And did you even see the look on Na Yeon's face?" He mumbled. "I couldn't just pull another fast one on her and tell her I'm not a real prince."

Mr. Kang gave a pat. "Well, I don't really mind if you get hurt in all this. I mean, it is your plan and you deserve to suffer if you intend to deceive an entire kingdom but just make sure the princess remains unharmed and I won't haunt you to your grave."

Kris groaned. "But did you hear what her mother said? She practically told me to her daughter and make sure a son comes out of that."

The butler jumped a little at the boorish language. "She didn't say ."

"With Na Yeon detesting me as much as she does, the only way we'll have a child is through force."

"Oh, I'm sure it won't come down to that. You're a fine young lad. Maybe this will all come together and she will have a change of heart."

Kris leaned back on his seat, completely worn out. "That would end in a lot of pain for her."

"Then don't try for a child. You can't please everyone." Mr. Kang sighed and straightened again. "So what do you plan to do?"

"I don't know." Kris shrugged. "If I leave right now, after the king passed just a while ago, anybody would try to steal my position and take the throne. I need to be here to protect the princess. That's what I was hired for, right?"

The butler clasped his hands behind his back and nodded.

"But if I stay, I don't know how long I can keep up this charade. I know next to nothing about the duties of an heir." The prince his lips. "And Na Yeon will still be miserable with me around."

A length of silence ensued while they thought of ideas and weighed the consequences. "Well, I suggest you stick with this and just improvise your way through." Mr. Kang began pacing around the chairs in thought. "Protect the princess as her prince and her bodyguard. If the real prince ever decides to show up, or you miraculously make it through the next six months, go into hiding and we will announce your death. You must never marry the princess. If anybody were to find out about your real status, Na Yeon would be done for."

Kris nodded in understanding. "And if I do make it through six months, go into hiding, and there is still no prince to replace me, you would make sure that the princess is safe, right?"

"Of course." The butler paused in his pacing. "But where will you go to hide? Do not underestimate the detectives around here."

Giving a small shrug and standing up, Kris gave a halfhearted reply. "If I make it through the six months, I think I'll have lived happily enough for a lifetime."

"Don't take the luxury of the castle for granted."

Kris walked towards the door and chuckled, the lightest sound he's uttered since he arrived at this castle. "I won't, old man. I won't. Now if you'll excuse me," Kris fixed his jacket. "I think it's time for dinner."

 

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he's so pretty but he's so not pretty at the same time i don't understand my feelings and his aegyo and my feelings???