Jessica pushed her chair back and yawned, indulging herself inthe warm rays of the morning sun. So much work to do. She'd turned twenty today, and yet no special treatment. Instead, she'd been mercilessly pulled out of bed very early in the mornings for the last week, and today had been no exception. There were endless documents to look over, papers to sign, and her Mother, the Queen, had put her in charge of the preperations for the feast tonight. The party where she would meet her long promised fiance, Ok Taecyeon. Her country was in debt and political marriages like this were not unheard of. Jessica would do anything for the sake of keeping her people happy. This marriage was no different. Although, she glanced up to peek at her personal attendant, servant, and best friend Kim Taeyeon, who was asleep on the table next to her. His chocolate locks fell gently over his forehead, his face half buried in his arms. His fair creamy skin was rough from many years of working, but still soft. 
  

Jessica rested her chin in her hands, happy to be able to see him like this. He was usually so stern and unsmiling -it was rare to see him laugh- but now he looked cute as he slept. So peaceful... She wished it could always be like this, the two of them together. Jessica had always secretly harbored feeling for him. He could make her smile more than anyone else could, cared for her more than others, even her own parents. He'd always been there for her. And tomorrow, she would have to let him go...

Jessica got off her chair, stretched, and patted Taeyeon awake.

"Thirty-five blue clouds- Ah... I'm not sleeping Princess!" He awoke, startled, to a giggling Jessica. 
 

"Taengoo, dreaming of blue clouds?" Jessica .

"Oh no Princess, it's just- I apologize for falling asleep." He got up and bowed his head.
 

Jessicca waved her hand. "It's fine Taengoo, I was about to do the same. But... uhm... you know, how today is my last day of freedom, before tomorrow?" she said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Could we, you know, take a break?" She didn't look him in the eye. 
 

"A break, Princess? Of course. What do you want? Some tea and snacks brought up for you?"
 

"No, not that kind of break. I have another idea." Her baby brown eyes gleamed mischieviously as she spoke. 

"Princess, I do not like the look in your eyes. You have something planned don't you?"
 

Jessica nudged his arm. "Come on Taengoo. Please? As a last favor to me. Say a-a wedding gift!"

Taeyeon sighed. "The many things I do for you, and the things you involve me in. All right... What do you want to do?"

"Well, I was thinking we could spend the day outside the palace walls and gates. It's been months since I last went out and even then it was during a royal procession. Today, I want to experience it as a normal person. I'm sure the staff and my parents won't mind..."

"What do you mean 'they won't mind' Princess? They'll be frantic!"

"But, I'd be back by tonight. And besides, you would be with me the whole time."

"No!" Taeyeon only realized after he said it, how harsh he sounded. Looking at Jessica's crest fallen face, guilt flooded him.

"I mean, at least not in those clothes," he said, averting his gaze. "Go change, and be back in ten minutes."

Jessica looked down at her clothes; she was still wearing her night gown. She hadn't even pulled a robe over it. She gave Taeyeon a sheepish grin before rushing out of the study room and to her adjoining chamber. Quickly she threw off her gown, and rummaging through her wardrobe, pulled out a simple deep red dress that reached her knees, with black stockings and laced up boots. Throwing a few gold coins from her own allowance into a small drawstring pouch, she went back to the study room. But Taeyeon wasn't there. 

He must be changing, Jessica thought. She knocked on his door.

"Taengoo? You in there?" she asked in a hushed voice. She didn’t want the servants outside to hear.

“Yes, Princess. Almost. Allow me a minute.”

“Okay, I’ll wait inthe study room.”

Jessica bounced on her heels, eager to go out and explore the city with Taeyeon. She squealed in delight and did a little victory dance, before calming down and remembering she couldn’t act like this in front of him and or he might find out about her feelings and she would cause trouble for him. Besides, she thought sadly, it’s going to be my last day together with Taeyeon… No! I am going to make this day memorable, not wallow in self pity. I’m not even supposed to be pitying myself. This is for the good of the country.

“Princess, are you playing charades with yourself again?” Taeyeon had stepped into the room wearing beige pants tucked into boots and a white shirt with a collar, an adorable dimpled smile playing on his lips.

Jessica turned somewhat red. “Those are your normal clothes?”

“Yes Princess. Why? Does it look bad?”

“No! No, you look... great.” Jessica turned around before Taeyeon could catch how flushed her face was. “And your plan for getting out of here?”

Taeyeon put a hand to his chin, rubbing it, as he thought of a way out. “Princess, do you suppose you would fit in here?”

He rolled over the tea cart, and gestured to the underside of the cart. “Please get inside the cart, Princess.”

Jessica’s eyes lit up mischieviously, but otherwise she didn’t say a word and crawled into the cart.

“Fold yourself up tightly and make yourself comfortable Princess,” Taeyeon said, as he adjusted the white cloth so it hid her completely.

“Make myself comfortable?” Jessica snorted.

“I’ll try.”

With Taeyeon, it was hard to tell if he was joking or just being honest. It was probably the latter. She grinned to herself. Only Taeyeon could make the Princess Jessica Jung squeeze into a tea cart. He treated her like a close friend but the Princess is all the same. The others who worked in the palace were so distant to her. Although she respected them all, she just didn’t get along with them as she did with Taeyeon.

“Ah... is today your dayoff, Taeyeon?” It was a man’s voice. With a start, Jessica realized it was her father, the King. She folded herself tighter.

“Good morning Your Majesty. Yes, Princess Jessica has given me a leave, saying she would like to rest for awhile before tonight.”

Jessica could see Taeyeon bowing to her father, he bowed so low.

“She shouldn’t be too tired. It’s not as if she has been staying up all night.” Jessica clenched her fists.

“Still it is a big night tonight. I really do think she will like Taecyeon. What do you think Taeyeon?”

“Of course Your Majesty. Thank you for your time.”

Jessica saw her father turn on his heel and briskly walk away. She breathed a sigh of relief. If he discovered that she snuck out on the most important night of her life, he would throw quite the fit. She was glad, for once, that he didn’t check up on her too much. Although it wouldn’t hurt if he did once in awhile. Maybe it was because he thought she was not worth it?

“Princess, stop blaming yourself!” Taeyeon’s voice cut straight through her doubts. Seeing as he was addressing her, no one else must be around.

“Kim Taengoo, thank you.” She was so grateful to have someone like Taeyeon by her side.

“Hold on tight, Princess, we are about to go down eight flights of stairs.”

“This will be fun,” Jessica muttered to herself as her teeth started chattering from the cart bouncing down the steps. She bruised herself in every area possible by the time they made it to the ground level.

Taeyeon bent down and helped her out. “I’m sore all over. I’m going to have bruises for a week,” Jessica grinned. “It doesn’t matter. That really was fun. With everything new comes chicken stew.”

Even Taeyeon gave a small laugh at that. The chicken stew saying was a joke from when they were younger. Jessica and Taeyeon who were both then ten when Taeyeon was appointed to be her personal attendant. She hadn’t wanted him at first, because she wanted to keep her old nurse Minyoung. She’d been dreadfully rude to him for a couple days. However, once when she was crying alone in the cave behind the waterfall near the castle, Taeyeon found her and comforted her, promised she would never be alone again. That night she tried to make chicken stew for the first time, but ended up burning the food and half the kitchen. But he’d still diligently finished every last drop of it.

Jessica chuckled lightly as she followed Taeyeon out of the pantry. His personality hadn’t changed since then. She hoped he never would, only for the better.

Taeyeon gave an all clear sign and the two sprinted across the width of the kitchen, skidding to a stop as Sooyoung the head chef entered. Taeyeon gave a curt nod, pushing Jessica out the back door from behind him, then slipped through as well. The fields were empty as the cold had compelled everyone inside where it was warmer. The outside work had been finished anyways.

They ran up the hill toward the waterfall until they were certain no one could see them. Then they resorted to a peaceful gait. 

“Princess, please watch your head,” Taeyeon said, as she ducked under the low entrance of the cave. This was their shortcut and a place to reminisce about when they were younger. There were two tunnels in the cave: one led to a dead end and the other led to the village market.

“You tell me that everytime we go this way. I have common sense as well, Taengoo,” Jessica huffed. 

“'You may have common sense Princess, but for some reason, if I do not remind you to watch your head, you always hit it on the ceiling of the cave. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“But it’s only a bump.”

“Even if it is a bump.”

“You know, Taengoo, you’re like an overprotective parent at times.”

“I’m aware of that, but you like it, don’t you?” He reached over and affectionately ruffled her hair, an act he did very rarely and only when they were alone.

“Hmm,” she smiled. It was somewhat true. Her parents, as good intentioned as they were, never gave their daughter the time of day. She was lucky if she even saw the King and Queen once a week. So, she loved it when Taeyeon acted like that sometimes. However, she wanted him to take care of himself as well. He was always worrying about her. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d let his servant demeanor down and just be... him.

An idea snapped into her head. As they advanced forward through the tunnel in the pitch dark,she blindly reached for his sleeve and pulled it.

“Taengoo, I have an idea,” she said excitedly.

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