Chapter 5: “Lay out the best plans for me”

-_-_-_-

Yoona-unnie. Could she be the Byungmi girl the prince had married? She assumed she was, and as the grudge of having the next queen an outsider disappeared, Qian’s heart had fallen a little better that night. But of course, the guilt was still persistent, her mind counting all the possibilities of being caught, for they were only invited by coincidence. If the princess recognized them as pretenders and noticed that it was all because of the feast, they would surely be thrown to the dungeon or out of the kingdom. Or perhaps worse, they could be killed for impersonating and fooling the dongsaeng of her majesty.

“I’m truly sorry,” she bowed her head at the three of them, Kyuhyun simply amazed at how respectful she was. “Their customs here are different from ours back home. It’s hard to adjust.”

“Your highness,” Qian started speaking up, already noticing that princess was unable to use her sense of sight. “Do you need help?”

She shook her head. “That’s very kind of you. I can do it on my own, thank you.” She yawned unexpectedly, and Kyuhyun, still watching her walk in front of them, was awed at the graceful being, the way she smiled, walk, and talk. It was considerable since even their own Sangdokchian princess rarely walked and acted like so. She was even more heaven-like than the fallen angel of Korea, much innocent than princess Krystal who he once thought was prettiest girl that ever lived.

“Are you sleepy? Should you be in bed?” Nichkhun, who received a long glare from his cousin Kyuhyun, smiled intentionally, as though knowing that Kyu was planning to make the same move on the woman as well. With an upset Victoria behind (upset perhaps because of the boys flirting with such a dangerous subject), Kyuhyun nudged his hyung by the elbow, eyeing him. Instead of heeding him, Nichkhun even worsen it by holding the princess’s arm as she walked up.

Seohyun was surprised, a smile now coming across her face. She bowed her head at him. “Thank you.”

Unexpectedly, Qian, doubting her boys even more, pulled Nichkhun by his collar backward, accidentally tripping upon the steps. It was a surprise to her, her strength being encouraged by her irritation; situations like these didn’t often happen to the trio. The only disadvantage, Victoria later realized half a second later, the fact that Seohyun was blind, and she trusted her whole support on Khun. And as any love story would go, Seohyun slipped, lucky enough that Kyuhyun, the man who seem to be watching her every move, was at her service, catching her arms quickly before she did fall.

She sighed, eyes widening, unaware of what was happening in her surroundings. “Goodness, what happened?” She heard them talking behind, the way they didn’t sound so familiar, so un-Byungmi like---her suspicion slowly increasing.

Kyuhyun frowned at Victoria and his hyung, both casually laughing at an inside joke. “Qian, apologize,” he whispered, still holding the girl.

“I’m sorry, your majesty,” Victoria quickly told her, patting the princess’s shoulder. “Nichkhun-oppa was...I accidentally grabbed him. He was the one helping you up.”

She nodded, moving away from Kyuhyun. The smell of him, something of that kind of fragrance, it was unlike the one you would usually smell off from her people. A feisty kind, an extraordinary one---sweet and calm, an indifferent warmness of sunshine and the ocean, mixed all into his shirt. He smelled quite nice, approachable and very kind. But, trusting her nose, she knew where to follow.

“You’re not from Byungmi, are you?”

Not one of three looked panicked. They looked from left to right, apparently noticing that most of the guests were inside for the reception, so it was safe, probably to reveal the truth. And besides, lying to a noble especially when you were not as strong and as wealthy as them was considered a crime to everyone else. Qian, of course, disliked the backup plan Kyuhyun made, for it all seemed rushed and not thoroughly discussed. Seohyun, being a princess, was bound to tell. It was bad luck enough that she was the one who had let them in. It was bad timing indeed, for they knew she would reveal it all and they would be under judicial process. Her mother would kill her before she enters a cellar.

All three bowed their whole torso. Kyuhyun sighed, his sweat trickling down. Since he was the nearest, he had to tell Seohyun himself squarely and honestly. “That’s right, your majesty. I hope you have that heart not to hate us for lying. We only wanted to eat for free, but we realized it was such a failed attempt.”

Seohyun looked displeased. “Do you know how...alarming it is to fool a royal blood?”

And for further reasoned, Kyuhyun remembered why they lied in the first place. He looked down, at that glimmering object that hung by his neck under the pale night sky. Hurriedly now, he seized it off, immediately approaching the princess. He took both of Seohyun’s hands up, hoping that if she was unable to see; maybe her Yoona-unnie could help.

“The reason you see is because I wanted to show you---”

Seohyun placed both of her hands behind her back, shaking her head. “No, that’s not acceptable.” He gradually slipped the necklace back to his own pocket, staring hopelessly at the girl for a second he thought of marrying.

They nodded, Victoria trembling now. “Forgive us, your majesty. We didn’t mean to lie to you.”

After minutes of silence, she sighed, smiling at the three. “They’re far strict, aren’t they? Is it always like this here in Sangdokchi? Do you think it’s possible under my sister’s period of power that we can change the system around here? It’s never like this back at home,” Seohyun told them, wandering up the staircase with her back on them.

Victoria was dumbfounded at that statement, Nichkhun by far amazed, and Kyuhyun, the man even more attracted to the fine princess, stunned. Since they knew not of how the princess truly acted, they couldn’t quite comprehend what she meant by that until she faced them again, already five steps away with a wide grin.

“Your secret is safe with me,” the princess told them. “Let’s have dinner. I’m very hungry.”

-_-_-_-

Little by little, she stood up from her seat, exercising her legs from all of that session. She whimpered, one that was in pain, like how a puppy would when his tail is squished. Her thighs were growing numb in the sense, legs below seemingly paralyzed that she was forced to sit back down. With curiosity and expectation, her seatmate chuckled lightly, as to indicate his joy upon seeing her in pain.

She glared. “Yah, it does hurt.”

He smirked. “I don’t throw massages on the first night, my dear Yoona.”

Laughter, as if to lighten the situation, escaped Yoona’s lips, looking at her prince. “I want to go to bed now. I’m sleepy. I’ll go sleep first so that way if you ever come, I won’t have to see you sleep beside me. Or...I could take a maid’s chamber room, instead, right? I should. I will ask my nurse to find me on in this palace----“

“I won’t touch you,” Changmin clarified. “I haven’t touched a woman in my entire life.”

“And I bet you haven’t lie either?” Yoona smirked, rolling her eyes. “Is it really against tradition if I break it? I don’t want to sleep with you. I don’t want to happen what my father and your father and everyone else in this town wants to happen.”

Changmin shook his head, clicking his tongue in rhythm. “You don’t have a choice now do you? I for one am not pleased with it either.”

With her head down, she fiddled with her gloved hands, her gown definitely steaming inside, fitting and squeezing her whole body that every air ran off from her lungs. Any minute and she would faint, she thought so, and if it weren’t for the people watching every move she made along with the future King, she would lie immediately. Thinking that it was her right, Yoona did lay her head on top of the table, the prince worriedly shocked that his eyes widened at the sight of her there. Conscious about what the people would say, he looked at the crowd and it seemed that they were minding their own business, eating and socializing with the rest of the invited.

As if on their own accord, his hands fell on Yoona’s shoulder, and she quivered at their presence, jolting upright again to feel such a strong tingle coming from a much-unsuspected man. She stared at him so accusingly, as though he had committed an act of murder, an act of violence against her that her eyes expressed so much anger and hatred yet...they were still so alluring that Changmin could not help himself from staring at them completely for the next minute.

“I’m tired too,” he finally spoke, shaking his head, coughing and looking away. “But we can’t leave until my father says so.”

“You mean even if I die out of boredom here, I still can’t leave?” Yoona protested, her eyebrows together. Spontaneous kicking like a child came afterwards, the princess very much infuriated.

Changmin nodde