Dinner went by with few words. The queen wouldn't stop sniffling and wiping her tears to the point where she excused herself halfway through the meal. Once it was just Na Yeon and Kris left with Mr. Kang standing by the door, the atmosphere stilled until it was hard to swallow another morsel of food.

"I don't want to disappoint my mother anymore," said Na Yeon after putting down her fork.

Kris watched her from across the table but continued chewing. He wasn't used to this kind of extravagant food and he wasn't ready to stop eating just yet. With a nod of acknowledgement, he picked up another piece of meat from his plate.

"I also want a husband who won't disappoint my mother." Na Yeon finally met his eyes, which she'd been successfully avoiding all throughout dinner.

Kris took this as a sign to listen intently and put down his utensils. He understood what she meant and he just had to try his hardest to agree.

Na Yeon took a deep breath. "You should back out of this while you still can." This made Kris stiffen in his seat. His eyes flickered towards Mr. Kang, who stood still by the door. Did the princess know of Kris's scheme?

"What do you mean?" He asked warily.

"I mean..." Na Yeon looked around for any sign of eavesdroppers and lowered her voice. "If you want to run off with Oh Ji Han, you should do it before you're lawfully bound as my husband."

Kris had to fight back his laughter. Instead, he nodded and bit his lip before picking up his fork and continuing to eat. "Don't worry, I won't. I honour the privilege to be your husband." He wasn't lying. His life had been filled with struggle and he wasn't going to let the chance of a grand lifestyle slip through his fingers.

Kris looked up through his lashes and saw his fiancee's slight blush. She averted her eyes again and Kris couldn't help but let out a smug smile at her discomposure.

He gave a shrug and continued. "I can't say the same for you, though. Tell me, what are you looking for in a husband?"

Na Yeon put her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand in the most unladylike manner. "My prince is supposed to save me from all my troubles and we're supposed to live happily ever after."

"Well, I hope I can provide all that for you." His tone sounded a bit dejected which made Na Yeon frustrated.

"It's just that I was hoping to play the role of a damsel in distress and my prince was supposed to save me from my horrible life."

Kris's hand stopped in midair and he tried to not come off as agitated. "Your life's not horrible."

"I know." She shot a look at Kris. "The prince is more likely to fall in love with the one he saves and since I'm one of those spoiled princesses, I going to live a life of rotting alone in my home with all my materialistic purchases."

Kris resumed eating, slightly amused by what Na Yeon had just said. "You've got a prince now so you don't have to worry about spending your life alone." At least she'll have a companion for the next six months. Kris wasn't sure how long Na Yeon would have to live in solitude after he left.

"You're only a prince by title," Na Yeon huffed. "But least you have the looks to back it up."

Kris didn't know whether to be flattered by the compliment about his appearance or hurt by the attack on his not-so-prince-like personality. He decided to go with the former. "You think I'm good looking?" He sipped his water, not taking his eyes off the princess sitting in front of him.

Na Yeon looked around, trying to find something to find something else to look at other than Kris. "You're not an eyesore," she mumbled.

The room went back to an awkward silence and Na Yeon couldn't handle sitting in the same room as Kris anymore. He was going to get haughty if she gave him anymore compliments. He was also easily amused by her discomposure. Na Yeon decided it was better to let him know that she didn't need him by her side to run the castle. She could do it just fine herself.

"I'm going to check on the servants," Na Yeon hoped this was a convincing lie; none of the royalty ever checked on the servants. "Then I'm going to get ready for bed. See you tomorrow." She threw the napkin onto the table and pushed out her chair.

Kris watched her questioningly. Nobody from the royal family ever checked on the servants. He never saw her in the servants' hall when he worked there. He shrugged but decided to bring up another point. "We're--"

Na Yeon turned her high head towards the door and began walking before Kris could finish his sentence. "Mr. Kang can show you to your room once you are done," she called.

Mr. Kang closed the door for Na Yeon as she walked out. He turned back to Kris's confused face and shook his head. "I think the princess is just as nervous as you. You do know where you will be sleeping, correct?"

Kris thought for a second, wondering if this was a trick question. "Her room?" He asked tentatively while putting a slice of tomato into his mouth.

With a sigh, Mr. Kang nodded and Kris went back to eating.

-

Stomping up the stairs, Na Yeon held her chin up and tried not to look flustered. She realized she had forgotten to ask to be excused from the table, which was a horrible mistake and could jeopardize how she was seen. Without the common knowledge of manners, she was on the same level as a savage.

Na Yeon called for her bath to be filled and decided that she would lay there until the water turned cold. It was still too early for her to fall asleep and the day was awfully stressful. She was ready to just let the day melt away and then fall onto her new bed worry-free.

The water was just the right temperature as she stepped in. Na Yeon sighed and forgot about her tiresome life as she bathed. Then she leaned back and just relaxed. Her mind drifted to the future and what could happen.

She could fail miserably and have the kingdom overthrow her. She could run away and take on a new identity, leaving this royal life. She could have her reputation ruined by her prince because she was sure that anybody would be delighted to have him in their hands. He could even make it easier by running away with that servant girl.

Na Yeon sighed again. She admitted her prince was handsome but that made the situation all the more troublesome. All the girls and even some of the boys from all across the country would give up an arm or a leg to have Kris as their companion. Na Yeon knew what society talked about and what they found as attractive. She knew that Kris was under that label of attractive. The only way to guarantee that he wouldn't run away with a little was to find his true love for him and Na Yeon had her sights on Oh Ji Han.

But then he said he wanted to be Na Yeon's husband even though he had never even met her before. The thought of successfully running this kingdom with him crept out from the back of her mind. Of course, they could tolerate each other like any old king and queen and have a content family with a peaceful sovereignty but what were the chances of that?

With the water losing its heat, Na Yeon got up and dried herself off. She was a bit disappointed; the bath hadn't cleared her head very much. Maybe all this fuss would exhaust her mind and she wouldn't have trouble falling asleep. It was dark outside but she always had trouble sleeping. Maybe tonight might finally be a bit different.

As she got closer to her door, Na Yeon realized she didn't even want to go to bed. She could only imagine the new nightmares that were waiting for her. Wringing her trembling fingers on her cotton nightgown, she tread forward on bare feet. She knew she had to pick herself up soon; she only had a week to mourn unlike the usual year. Her situation didn't allow for more time.

Na Yeon pushed the door opened and gasped lightly. The room was dark except for a single lit candle but she could tell this wasn't her room. It couldn't be.

That wasn't her bed and that figure was not her on top of the bed. Muttering an apology, she closed the door and pressed her back against it.

Na Yeon wondered if this entire day was a nightmare. This hallway looked familiar and she had lived in that room for most of her life. How could she go to the wrong room?

The door creaked open and Na Yeon stumbled back until an arm steadied her by the elbow. "Careful." Na Yeon craned her head up and recognized the tall silhouette. "Are you coming to bed?" He asked in that signature deep voice.

Nothing made sense right now. Na Yeon shrugged Kris's hand away and peered into the dim room behind him. It was her room but that wasn't her bed and...what was he doing here?

"You're not supposed to be in here." The words left before she even processed the entire situation.

The new bed was twice the size of her old one and the silk bed sheets caught the light of the candle. Even the bed frame changed. Na Yeon could make out a few of the intricate details carved into the wood but her jaw went slack at the translucent canopy hanging over her bed. She wouldn't mope about having a prince forced on her if he came with presents.

"I was assigned to stay with you in your room." Kris said. He had enjoyed the luxurious feel of the new bed but after seeing the princess's gloomy face, he felt like an intruder. If the Mr. Kang wasn't asleep right now, Kris would go as ask for a separate room.

Na Yeon shook her head and pushed past Kris who still stood by the door. "I'm not sleeping in the same bed with a man I barely know." She sat down by her vanity and brushed her hair.

Kris didn't want to act like a villain so he nodded. "I'll sleep on the floor." It was better to try and get on her good side rather than fight her.

Putting her brush down, Na Yeon stood up and walked towards the door. Kris backed away until he was no longer in the room. "Let me rephrase that. I'm not sleeping in the same room with a man I barely know." She held the door's handle and pushed. "Which means you'd better go and find another room to stay in." She said and finally locked Kris in the darkness of the corridor.

Even if he wanted to find somebody to direct him to another room, he couldn't. He didn't know the castle well enough to navigate in the dark without tripping all over the place.

Slumping against the wall, he sat down and tried to go to sleep. This situation was more than frustrating. When he took up the position to be the princess's bodyguard, he expected a life that was better than being some sort of slave. When he realized he would have to pretend to be her prince, he thought his life couldn't get any better.

But somehow he was still sleeping on the cold ground. And the spoiled princess wasn't anything like he thought. On the rare times that he saw her prior to this arrangement, he thought she looked like any other girl except with an air of aristocracy. He didn't know that the aristocracy was also in her heart. She thought very highly of herself but was somehow also naive to the point where she was childlike. Her dream of finding a prince charming amused him but he accepted it. There was a lot of pressure put on her since she was the only daughter and her daydreams must have been her only escape.

If only she were more sympathetic and kind towards her staff. She would only treat them with indifference or, occasionally, malice, as Mr. Kang had informed. The butler and lady maid were the only two servants that she tolerated and she only did so because she needed their help growing up. Na Yeon wouldn't have even noticed them if they hadn't stayed with her throughout her childhood.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, Kris's ears perked up at the sound of whimpering. A few years of living on the streets taught him to be suspicious of any little sound. Kris closed him eyes and pinpointed the sound to inside Na Yeon's room. She was crying.

Her little whimpers turned into sobs that were muffled by her bed sheets but they could only block out so much. Kris wanted to get up and soothe her so that she would tolerate him since she would need him. But she liked to be alone when she was upset; he also learned that from the old butler.

Mr. Kang taught him a lot about the princess in the little time they had to talk before he was whisked away again. The princess was an insomniac and had been ever since her father contracted a terminal disease that the doctors couldn't figure out. Na Yeon had been very close with her father since she was his only child. The rumour was that the princess was once attacked by a group of men when she was in her teens and when the king arrived, he beat off the attackers and vowed to protect his daughter. She was, after all, the only heir to the throne.

After that attack, security measures for Na Yeon increased and she was also taught how to fight though she would never show it. She was always ashamed that a prince would never come to save her if she could save herself. But as she grew older, so did her father. The king fell ill and the princess still hadn't married. He arranged for the best prince he could find and told Mr. Kang to find the most suitable bodyguard.

Nobody knew what happened to the real prince but Mr. Kang had found Kris, the tall and intimidating servant who worked cleaning the dungeons.

Kris sighed. Even thought he was supposed to be the prince and the bodyguard now, he couldn't even help the princess fight off her own fears. It felt like hours had gone by and Kris's eyelids were getting droopy but Na Yeon didn't stop crying. Her stifled sobs only turned into faint hiccups, which still kept Kris awake.

Na Yeon couldn't sleep on the new bed. It was far too big for herself. She had been crying for too long and even though she was physically exhausted, the images in her head wouldn't go away. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see her father's dead body, glossy eyes, and limp hands. She tried thinking of happier times with her father but all she could conjure up were one form or another of his dead body. In the kitchen, he'd be a dead with his head in the soup. At the stables, he'd be dead and leaning against a horse. In his study, he'd be dead on the ground with a book by his side.

She pushed herself up and wiped the tears from her face. She needed some water but didn't want a servant seeing her in this kind of state. Pushing strands of hair out of her face, she lit a candle and held it in her hands as she opened the door.

constricted. She couldn't even scream. Sitting by her door, blocking her path, was another dead body. Na Yeon clamped her hand over and shrank back. The figure seemed to come back to life and turn his head at her. He didn't say a word as he pushed himself from the ground while watching her cautiously.

Setting the candle on her vanity, Na Yeon crumpled to the floor. She couldn't let these nightmares get to her any longer. Her sanity was on the line and she needed to keep her mind straight if she wanted to rule this kingdom. But her whole body was shaking and her tears were falling out without care.

Kris came over and put a hand on her back, trying to calm her down. Na Yeon flinched. Her body wanted to let him just hold her. She didn't have any strength left to hold herself up but her brain was smarter than that. Kris was still a stranger no matter how much he looked like a prince.

She still let him wipe away her tears and silently lead her back to bed, flipping the pillow so she could lie on the dry side. Kris smoothed her hair and leaned against the bed post while sitting on the edge of the bed. He wouldn't let himself get too comfortable.

"How did you get to sleep before?" He asked after she had calmed down enough to talk. Na Yeon knew he was referring to the time before her insomnious days.

She shrugged. "My father used to read me bed time stories or sing when I was little." A little giggle escaped and both she and the prince wondered if she was mentally sane. Na Yeon remembered when her fascination of princesses and their princes first started. Listening to her father's lulling voice always put her to sleep very quickly. "But that was over ten years ago. Even if I try to read or sing myself to sleep now, it doesn't work."

Na Yeon was staring at the canopy above her but Kris watched his princess. He only knew one tale. "My mother used to tell me a story that was so long, it always put me to sleep."

"Tell me," Na Yeon said as she closed her eyes and one final tear slipped out.

Kris sighed. It was going to risky to reveal this but it might soften the blow if she ever found out later.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy born to an emperor and his concubine. They all lived in a palace with the other concubines and the empress in southern China. The boy was always second to the emperor and empress's children but he still got along with him. However, the empress disliked many of the concubines and their children, especially the little boy because as he grew, he became to look more and more like his father. The empress decided that in order to make sure there was zero competition for her own sons, she set the palace on fire and escaped with the emperor and princes.

"The rest of the castle was scattered. They didn't know where their master and mistress had gone and half of them perished without the safety of the palace. The boy's mother took him and his older sister to look for shelter. He was seventeen at the time and old enough to work odd jobs to earn money. In one town, he would join the militia and in another, he would harvest vegetables. The only problem was that once the villagers got a good look at the boy, they always ridiculed him for looking like his father. They would insult him by constantly reminding him that he was an illegitimate child and that he would never take the throne.

"He didn't mind but his mother and sister couldn't take the villagers' words. They decided to leave the country. After many months, they managed to sail into Korea but by that point, the mother had gone frail and passed away. The brother and sister were alone now with only the words of their mother who told them to make happy families in the future."

Kris stopped and checked on Na Yeon, wondering if she was asleep or not.

"Don't stop there." One of her eyes opened and she pouted.

Shifting his body so he didn't get sore, Kris smiled. "Do you want a happy or sad ending?"

Na Yeon closed her eyes again and thought for a second. "Happy."

Kris smiled. "Well, the sister got married to a man after her brother worked hard so she could have a high dowry. The boy didn't have the desire to get married. He was always getting berated for his looks and didn't want a girl to share those insults with him so he became a soldier." This part was all improvised but it was much easier. Kris continued, fantasizing it as much as Na Yeon was. "At the castle where he trained, there was a princess who caught the eyes of many men but she was too entranced by her books to take notice. One day, she was reading out in the fields when a sudden storm struck. As she ran back to the castle, she slipped and twisted her ankle. The boy, who was on patrol even during the storm, carried her back home and out of the rain.

"He left her there to be attended to by her staff but she wanted to thank him. She offered him little sandwiches when he was on patrol and tried playing little games with him so his duty wasn't so boring. But everytime, he would get chastised for interacting with the princess and finally, she decided that she was causing more trouble than doing good. The boy, on the other hand, enjoyed her company and was sad that she distanced herself from him."

Na Yeon yawned. "This story is long..."

"So he proposed to her and they got married and lived happily ever after." Kris smiled when Na Yeon creased her eyebrows together.

"That wasn't a good ending."

Kris closed his eyes. "You wanted a happy one, didn't you?"

"Yeah but...fine. Sing for me then."

Kris's eyes sprang open and found Na Yeon staring at him expectantly. "I can't sing." He confessed.

"Please?" She begged. "Just one song before you fall asleep?"

Kris pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't know he was going to be this tired just by spending a day with the princess. He wasn't even her prince anymore; he was like an older brother. Kris took a deep breath, throwing away all of his pride.

Hao xiang shen me dou bu dong de yi ge hai zi yi yang chun zhen
Chong sheng na ge mei li de shun jian
Shuang yan bi shang you zheng kai hai pa zhe yi qie zhi shi meng
Liu lian wo jiu zhen cheng zhan zai ni mian qian ke wang de dao ni shi xian

It was a song that his mother often sang to him as a child to calm him and when he opened his eyes, he found that it also lulled Na Yeon to sleep. Finally, his body relaxed and he let sleep take over.

 

---

 

hohoho it's been so long that i nearly forgot where i left off but it's almost christmas and i wanna have do a christmas special for kris as well but i have no inspiration poooooooooooooo. i kinda wish it was halloween again so i would be motivated to write something creepy like this again. like wow i sat my down for six hours straight one day after school and just typed because damn i felt productive. now i'm just stuck in some can't-type-anymore limbo