Chapter 3: “The rusty lock has seen the past”

“The dress is gorgeous.”

Biting her lips, and hearing that comment coming from the man, she was more than thrilled to know that their plan might actually work out.

“Really?”

His hand was cupping his chin, nodding pleasantly with a scowl and a little uninterested over this dress-up games his best friend was doing. On the other hand, someone else, his dear cousin, found this moment in his life very enchanting.

Her brown eyes instantly shimmered, as if the hopes of a bright tomorrow would arrive if she flaunted off her shoulders in the strapless gown, the t laced down with simple yet elegant cloth. There was that sudden glow in her, something that he hadn’t seen from her ever before---even when he had been treating Victoria like a woman now than a little sister, like what her Kyuhyun-oppa had been doing ever since they’ve known each other.

He smiled, arms crossed, as Victoria turned clockwise. “You look perfect, Victoria,” he commented, and the girl, knowing that whatever it was that Nichkhun said was bound to be sincere, blushed and bowed her head in thanks.

“Don’t flatter the witch,” Kyuhyun snapped, laughing when Qian slapped his shoulder for being tactless. Nichkhun hid his smile from the two. When Kyuhyun teased, Victoria would attack back, more on physicality because she knew Kyuhyun couldn’t dare hit a girl. That fight would continue until someone, that particular someone being Victoria, lose, meaning fed up with the games and they would sit on the floor, ignoring the enemy.

Now Victoria, uncaring of her outfit, sat on the floor as Kyuhyun kept laughing. “Pig Qian!”

“Yah! I’m not going,” Victoria retorted, getting up and walking out on the cousins, Nichkhun concernedly following her but was stopped by Kyuhyun, who grabbed his shoulder.

“Did you see that?” Kyuhyun asked, still breathless from laughing. “She explodes so fast. I can’t believe this girl.”

Nichkhun glowered at him, putting Kyuhyun’s hand down. “I don’t know if your brain’s still working, but I’m siding Victoria this time. I don’t plan to attend the reception ceremonies anymore.”

Kyuhyun frowned, rolling his eyes. “Since when did you ever side with me? You always vote Victoria over me, remember?”

Guilty that he wasn’t giving Kyuhyun any importance, he sighed.

“Fine, I’ll go if Qian goes,” Khun muttered. “No wonder you don’t have any siblings.”

“Do you have one? Think again, we just have each other,” Kyuhyun answered sharply, irritated. “Unfortunately, if my parents never died, I wouldn’t even be stuck staying with you and your family. If my parents didn’t die, I wouldn’t have to work at all. I didn’t have to worry about you or being with Victoria.”

“You tell me then,” his cousin snapped. “You were the worst of paupers. Your mother couldn’t take care of a bastard like you that’s why she had given you up to my mom. You weren’t a prince in the first place. So why bother, Kyuhyun.”

“And how would you know? You weren’t even part of this family, I suppose. You were adopted by uncle, correct?” he asked furiously, Kyuhyun holding out his necklace, the ring dangling on it. A small smirk came to his lips when his cousin had fallen quiet. “This ring is our ticket in getting into that reception, mind you. I could always tell them I’m from Byungmi, and a visitor requested by the next queen herself. And since the princess is coming from Byungmi, she could know what this ring means and tell me more about my past that you have hidden to me.”

He simply scoffed, moving passed Kyuhyun and following Victoria hurriedly to her room to comfort her from the teasing and maybe still convince her to join them. If only Kyuhyun knew about the ring, the whole truth behind its real power, yet if he did, Nichkhun assumed the boy would arrogantly impose it into every unfortunate mind in Sangdokchi.

How did Nichkhun know? His parents did tell him what it meant. Yet, it wasn’t his parent’s fault in the least when they realized that together on their journey to Sangdokchi that night 18 years ago was actually the next heir to Byungmi. If Kyuhyun knew about it, he would never be the same again---would never even dare hang out with him and Victoria right now. In that sense, royalty would be stuck in his head for the rest of his life.

That was why this secret was never told to him.

“Victoria? It’s me, Khun.” He helplessly knocked on her door, anticipating from her the sobbing and such emotional things. “Open up for me, please?”

Unexpectedly, unlike the last time that Qian actually opened the door to the cousins, she wiped her tears first before facing him. “He’s so mean. Are you sure you’re related?”

Nichkhun shrugged, putting an arm over the woman’s shoulders. “Come here.”

The brown-haired hugged him tightly back, crying on his shoulder. “I don’t even know what I’m going to do. He’s always...so assertive. I know I should get used to it but he...he has just gone too far, really.”

Comforting, he sat with her, putting her gown aside as he stretched, an arm still over the girl. “You know what Victoria, I’m not going to the ball if you’re not.”

“What?” she sounded surprise, eyes big at him. “But...but he’d be disappointed.”

“So?” he chuckled. “Let him be disappointed, I really don’t give a damn.”

She smiled, embracing her warmly. “I’ll be going to the ball, Nichkhun. All three of us. I forgive that man for calling me a pig anyway.”

“So let’s go back and start fitting in those clothes, ne?”

-_-_-_-

“Your majesties, we have arrived to Sangdokchi.”

In recognition of the name, the man stirred awake first, unsteady vision always blurred his eyesight. Sighing and moving his arms, he found himself a bit heavy and numb, somewhere lower perhaps. He didn’t know what position he got himself into now for the whole journey until he rubbed his eyes, nearly jolting after gazing below. Another blush came across his face, heated to see the young princess sleeping on his lap. Not a second later, she moved her legs, turning to the side that she almost fell if not for Changmin’s quick reaction. He pulled her up, other arm although trembling was holding her head. He was hesitant in placing her back to his lap, because surely, when she woke up, she would squirm away, an advantage to what he thinks should be what he should feel.

Changmin’s mind swirled at the thoughts running through his head. Finally decided, he cleared his throat.

“Princess, we’ve arrived in Sangdokchi.”

If it weren’t for the fact that she had stayed up so late at night or the fact that she was still tired, she might have bolted up away in excitement, but Yoona didn’t, and Seohyun did, steadily sitting upright that she brushed her eyes, yawning still.

“We have?” she asked, her tone almost as sad. He didn’t know how to react, simply remembering that Seohyun was blind now, therefore this first time experience would no longer be that significant since she wouldn’t be able to see the kingdom he would soon rule. He remained quiet, cleared his throat, and looked at Seohyun squarely.

“Can you wake up your sister?” he asked of the younger princess, and Seohyun, at lost, had her eyebrows curled at the question.

“She has fallen asleep?” Seohyun clapped her hands gradually. “Talking to her doesn’t work. So it’s best you tickle her.”

“Ti...tickle her?” Insane---that was what it was. Changmin was wondering if the sister had any idea where Yoona was and thankful enough that she had no clue whatsoever about the situation they were stuck in. Tickle her, what else was next, kiss the sleeping beauty awake?

The dongsaeng nodded. “If she’s fallen asleep, she doesn’t wake up that fast but tickling her sides always worked.”

Changmin gulped, feeling his thighs go numb in the poorly lit carriage that the only solution he could do was actually push the princess off his lap. Yet at this consequence, Seohyun would suspect and Seohyun would report immediately to her father, thus the deal would be cut off and he had to search for another queen and he would be scolded---the risks just lasted longer than he thought so he shook his head, sighing gravely as though his life depended upon it.

“Yah! Wake up,” he didn’t listen to Seohyun, simply tugging the woman’s shoulders here and there until Yoon’s eyes tightened, arms flapping in total defense that Changmin moved back, expecting her to stir just as quick.

Both of his hands were holding onto her; one shaking her shoulder while the other one blocked her body by her arm, in case she moved again and she would resort to getting away.

Suspecting that she was bound to wake up, Changmin hastily let go, until that moment that Yoona’s eyelids flapped open, gazing at the man, she had slept upon. Changmin shyly looked outside, thankful that the resounding blush didn’t appear this time and before he knew it, taking the chances of being cleared, he stared back again, only to find that Yoona was still on his lap, looking at his face.

“Did I fall...asleep?” she asked slowly, unable to travel back from her dream. Changmin continued looking at her, while she, being dazed and still pensive, returned this until she blinked, the prince knowing what reaction followed this.

“Omo!”

Yoona staggered in sitting upright, her quirky moves of being disturbed made Changmin smirk, hiding it with his fist. He chuckled a little, eyes on the outside and on the bystanders selling their fishes for dinner. Sunset was wailing in behalf of the ocean splashing upon the port.

“What...what are you laughing at?” Yoona fussed, infuriated that someone found out about that. She turned her back on the man, holding her cheeks that were soulfully heating up just as quick. Yoona fanned herself with her hands, bit her lips in anxiety and then, frowned at the way Changmin seemed so very sure of what he saw. Now she knew, all the way to the palace, the teasing would never end---just like when they were younger.

“You will starve,” Changmin added, laughing when Yoona gritted her teeth noisily and faced the prince.

She held her finger out, a sigh also released. “You...that was nothing! I fell asleep, what makes you think waking up and stari