I don't even recall the seconds leading up to that point. What I do know for sure though, is that it surely came out of nowhere. The door behind me and the figure slammed shut. A tingling sensation rushed up my spine, like a thunder shock to my heart. It started to beat faster than before. My body was forced against the wall beside the doors. I started into their eyes, their dark, shining eyes. I cannot pinpoint the reason as to why I didn't scream, panic, or attack the figure. To be honest, I was fully mesmerized, in an inescapable trance where I felt powerless.

His smirk gave him away though. His sly... his... his mischievous grin. It was Prince Myungsoo himself. He kept me locked in place by placing his hands beside my head. I couldn't escape... but in the back of my mind, I didn't want to. He inched closer and closer, his lips millimeters away from my own, in a mere second. I could feel his warm breath against my already burning cheeks.

His warm lips against mine in the blink of an eye. It was the only sensation I could feel at the moment. It felt like eternity for me. I didn't push him away. I just stood there and accepted it in a way.

As soon as he leaned back, my hand smacked him across the face.  I honestly don't know what made me do it; it's probably because he was such a complicated person. I was experiencing a volcano effect of mixed emotions. I... I mentally found it best for me to express anger first. His right cheek was as bright as could be, with his face turned to the side. His smirk never left. I raised both of my hands to my lips, grazing against the pink features, astonished by what just occurred.

Did that just really happen?

Myungsoo opened the door beside me and left as fast as he had done the deed. I immediately shut the door and slammed by back against it. My tearing eyes couldn't even focus on the wonderful details of my new room, my new home. My mind was in no state to absorb any information at the moment.

I was confused. Was I supposed to be angry? Delighted? I was surprised for sure, taken aback even. What kind of person would treat me like complete and utter garbage, then plant their soft lips against mine the next?! What is going through that boys mind!? He has got to be mentally insane. He has got to have some psychological disorder! Something!

Normal people do not do that dammit!

My knees began to feel extremely weak, and could no longer support my upper body weight. The room began to blur. I felt the tears rush down my cheeks onto my clothes. Why are you crying? Before I knew it, I hit the wood floor hard. My head lowered as I constantly punched the floor in frustration.

What kind of person does he think he is!!?

I don't recall much more details. My mental state was not at the best possible condition by this point, so I somehow dragged myself to my bed and rested. I rested with my head on a soft pillow, which was quickly engulfed by my tears in a matter of minutes.

I remember seeing a figure's shadow on the balcony, but whoever it was left in a hurry. I wonder what they were doing in front of my room's balcony door in the first place.

Slowly but surely, I slipped into this different world. Darkness surrounded me. My eyes couldn't adjust properly to focus on something, anything, for it was too dark. I could hear footsteps, soon followed by breathing. It was as though someone was taunting me... or worse, stalking me.

One push sent my body flying. I felt a sudden pain in my stomach, which rose to my heart quickly. I became a ragdoll, thrown against a concrete wall; a solid thud didn't do justice to the amount of pain I was feeling at the moment. A light shined right on me, but I was still unable to see around me.

"Hello?" I tried to ask. But no sound came out. My hand rose to my throat, feeling for some sign that I could still speak. And yet, I couldn't. I mouthed word after word, no sound escaped me. My heart rate increased even faster as I started to feel helpless and weak.

A figure walked into the light, and then one after another until seven stood in front of me. They also didn't speak. Fear engulfed every inch of my body. They didn't raise their heads, all staring at their feet. I tried to look away, close my eyes and tell myself this was all a lie; but it didn't work. I could no longer move.

One by one, they took a step closer to my vulnerable self. And there was nothing I could do to stop them.

I blinked and woke up in my room. A part of me was relieved that it was just a dream I molded in my mind. In no way did I want to put myself in a position like that in real life. The sun was about to set outside, and since I had slightly cooled off from earlier, I thought it's be a good idea to watch it. Sunset and sunrise were my favorite times of the day, it showed the transition from a dark environment to a light filled one and vice versa.

As I opened the door in my room that led to the balcony, I stepped on something hard. My eyes quickly averted and adjusted to the shiny trinket near my toes. I reached out to grab it, realizing it was such an intricate piece of jewelry. It was a hair clip, with white pearls and diamonds engraved in every inch of its ribbon shape. I began questioning who would leave something so valuable out in the open like this. My fingers grazed by even centimeter of it, quickly I fell in love with the beautiful item. If it was anyone's I'd return it in a heartbeat, but for now, the least I could do was hold on to it and wear it. I'd be glad to return it to the original owner once they see it.

A loud thud could be heard in a nearby room. I looked around the balcony. My eyes counted how many doors led to where I was. I hoped that they were deceiving me, but in no way were they. There were 8 pairs of glass doors, including my own. A crash soon followed repeated thuds.

I rushed over to the origin of the noise, realizing it was the Princes. My hand grasped tightly on the doorknob. I began contemplating if it was best for me to interfere. Is it? What if it's none of my business? But a Prince threw a punch at another and a bunch of them tried to separate the two fighting.

This was no longer a choice, I had to do something. As soon as I was about to turn the knob, their voice seemed to be amplified. Everything they heaved was clear and precise for me to hear from outside.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Woohyun's deep voice was the first I recognized.

Sungjong had closed the bedroom door as Sunggyu tried to hold Woohyun back with Dongwoo. Hoya and Sungyeol grasped onto Myungsoo. But both fighters were too strong and sly for their brothers and quickly became free. They lunged forward at each other once more.

Myungsoo punched Woohyun in the stomach. "What the hell are you talking about?!!?!"

"You kissed her! I saw you kiss her!" Woohyun aimed to kick him in the stomach, but Myungsoo quickly stepped back, causing him to miss by an inch.

"Heh," Myungsoo wiped off the blood from his mouth with the top of his hand. His grin never left his face, I must say. "Oh, you saw that."

I guess they never realized I was right outside the room. Their words echoed in my mind. Kiss. Her. Were they talking about me? What significance would I even have?

"What are you talking about Woohyun!?" Sunggyu pushed his younger brother against the wall.  Hoya decided to switch spots with Dongwoo, and proceeded to apply force on his shoulders to ensure he'd stay put. Sungjong, Dongwoo, and the Sungyeol stayed inbetween both boys.

Myungsoo stood still like a statue.

"He kissed her! He kissed Sophia!" Woohyun answered the question.

"What?" Hoya was flabbergasted. His control over his brother faded as he processed his brother's words. He quickly turned to stare at his younger brother. "What. Did. You. Do?!?!"

Now that brother launched himself forward. It was incredibly superhuman to jump so far, so quickly. Sungyeol and Sungjong tried to hold him back, but that didn't work. Myungsoo prepared himself for the attack. "Yeah. I did it. So what?"

"So what?" Hoya asked angrily. "So what?! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Are you trying to get her killed? Are you trying to make her end up like Mom?!"

Hoya kicked his brother right in the stomach, implanting a punch in the same place afterwards. Myungsoo spit out a clump of blood, even laughing hysterically. It was like all of them had gone insane. Woohyun finally managed to put enough energy into his muscles and overpower both his older brothers once more. The youngest of the neutral bunch were no match for his speed.

Woohyun reached for Myungsoo's white collar. All boys had blood on their used to be perfect uniforms. Myungsoo's head swayed as his brother shook him in frustration. Hoya took a step back, realizing that he needed to calm down.

"Do you know what kind of danger you just put her in?!" Woohyun yelled. "It's bad enough that she's living on the palace grounds, but in the palace itself also! You aren't thinking Myungsoo! What was and is going through your head?! What kind of justification have you created to make it alright for you to do something as selfish and stupid as that!!"

"Both of you are just..." Myungsoo coughed once more, "angry that I did it before you did. And don't speak to me about thoughts. All of us have been thinking the same thing for a whole month. Or maybe should I say for the past decade."

Woohyun let go of his brother's collar and threw him on the ground. Myungsoo rose to his feet in one fluid motion. Sunggyu and Dongwoo looked just as surprised as Sungjong and Sungyeol. Hoya was already on the other side of the room, heaving and breathing heavily.

"Don't you dare bring that up Myungsoo!" Sunggyo ordered.

"What? Or else what? You know none of us can avoid something like this once it happens," Myungsoo fought back verbally. "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"We were going to find a way out!" Sungyeol's face looked defeated.

"We can't do that now," Sungjong was almost in tears at this point.

"A way out?" Myungsoo repeated. "A way out?! We can't stop the inevitable. Dad tried... He tried and look what happened to Mom."

"Do you want that to happen to her?" Woohyun's expression was mixed. It was anger over surprise over sadness. "The pain Mom felt is unimaginable."

"We are not in a position to enforce such a fate on someone like her!" Hoya finally spoke. He took steps closer to his brother. His hands formed into a tight fist, you could tell he was trying to control his temperament and feelings. "You had no right to do so."

"Great," Dongwoo sighed. "Now we are in some deep trouble."

"We have to tell Father," Sunggyu enforced.

"No," Woohyun surprised the entire room.

"What are you saying?" Sungyeol questioned.

"Are you insane?" Sungjong was finally serious.

Hoya was appalled by his brother's answer. "What?!"

"No, think about it," Woohyun didn't look at his brothers. "If we can get her to leave, we'll be set."

"We tried that, numerous times already," Sungyeol spoke.

"We avoided, we ditched, we kept our distance," Dongwoo added. "It was impossible as soon as the banquet rolled around."

"Like I said, I was just doing us a favor," Myungsoo interrupted. "Now we won't have an awkward air about us when it comes to her."

"You just put her life in great danger," Hoya glared at him. "You better be prepared to take responsibility for what you did."

"If we get her to hate us," Woohyun's eyes were red at this point. I couldn't tell he was crying, but his voice seemed to crack and soften. "If we can get her to just despise us to the point that she can't stand being anywhere near us, she'll go."

"How are you so sure?" Sungjong asked.

"She hates the royal family. Everything that our ancestors have done. All of it. The outside of the palace walls expressed how the conditions are that she faces daily. She... she wants to change it all. She told me..." he replied. "If we tap into that, we can drive her away."

The entire room fell quiet. It was as though they were calculating if that was the best option. They didn't look at each other. Their eyes dare not meet. Their bodies stiffened. Their expressions blanked.

"No," the stern oldest brother protested. "I understand that we are looking out for her, but now... now that she's involved... we can't just leave her be. It'd be worse than us being around her."

"It's just a lose-lose situation both ways," Sungjong sighed.

"We can't win," Sungyeol mimicked his words, but rearranging them in another way.

"It's not about winning anymore," Dongwoo understood his older brother's words. "It's about keeping her safe now. We brought her into this, we need to assume responsibility."

"It wasn't us who kissed her," Hoya angrily stared at Myungsoo. "We could have kept it the way it was before. We could have protected her from a distance."

"Why do you think Father decided to have her move in?" asked Woohyun. "He believes it's best if we are all close to her, there's always going to be someone nearby just incase an incident occurs."

"Protecting her from everything will be no trouble for us," Myungsoo grinned. "We are the best qualified for it."

"And we are also the best qualified to harm her," Hoya grunted. "Explain to me how we can protect her from ourselves and each other."

"Just protect her from afar," Dongwoo repeated Hoya's words from earlier. "Just the same old thing. But this time we will be more aware."

"Distance is no longer an option," Sungyeol agreed.

"I believe we can do it," Sunggyu tried to keep positivity in the room. "We can... we just don't mention anything to her like before. We keep quiet."

"And be silent guardians," Woohyun realized that it was the best.

I was astounded at what I heard. They mentioned their mother, their father, their family ties. It was obvious that something had gone horribly wrong. I recalled Dongwoo's words from earlier. He spoke of how his mother had given up something precious to her for true love. Even though the brothers didn't mention her sacrifice, it was clear that it was a difficult decision for her to have made. They understood the pain and suffering their parents had to endure, just for love.

But the way they spoke about me, it was so.... protective. I didn't understand why they were doing what they were. I didn't understand why they spoke of protecting me at all. I didn't pinpoint the reason behind it all. Why was I constantly being measured? Was I the reason for it all? What are they hiding? What could they possibly must keep a secret from me?

Why is my life in danger?

I couldn't handle the pressure and stress anymore, so I slowly twisted the doorknob. It was time to confront them about their words... their actions... the truth.

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Hey guys! sorry I didn't update yesterday D: i was incredibly tired so I needed to sleep early ;w; This has got to be my favorite chapter! so much suspense and surprised mentioned! haha. I hope you guys enjoy it <3 I worked incredibly hard to make it flow properly; I hope it does in your eyes. 

tell me what you think below, yeah (:

@BeautyDarkAngel~ Myungsoo's attitude has been explained! lol in a way. i believe. :3 The secrets will be exposed/found out eventually hehe. Thank you for loving Sophia <3 

@hyeminmints~ hehe~ I updated as you can see. I hope you love this chapter also :D

@LeePeppers~ I loved that line. I completely forgot where I put it, but i wanted to show how much she didn't like that boy for his attutide XD lol. oooh dongwoo has a gooooooood bod though, so i haddd to do it :3 hehe~ thank you so much <3