One Month Later

Luhan had walked into a real life fairy-tale.

He had heard about the famous balls before, since they were broadcasted on the news for several days after they had taken place, but it was a whole other experience to actually attend one. The second he stepped into the room, Luhan stopped in his tracks. He took in everything slowly, savouring the sight. Luhan had been in this room before, for ballroom dancing lessons, but everything from the grand, creamy pillars separated by huge golden curtains to the huge, crystal chandeliers livened with the guests. There were people dancing in the middle, with the ladies’ skirts twirling, and others were gathered in friendly groups chatting with one another.

“Oh my god, look at all this!” Baekhyun exclaimed, stars in his eyes as he and Ji-eun joined Luhan. His friend was dressed in a sleek, classic suit and hair swept to one side. It had taken Baekhyun ages before he deemed his look perfect. Luhan thought they were spending way too much effort if they were only going to be staying for a short time.

“What is the theme of this? A double-engagement party?” Ji-eun wondered out loud. Eyes zooming in on the large buffet spread, she grinned, “Whatever it is, I like it.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to ditch us for food,” Luhan groaned, already knowing the answer.

Ji-eun waved at him cheekily, already walking to the buffet. “Don’t forget to text me when you’re ready to go.”

“Great.” Luhan sighed. It was the last few moments he would get to see his sister, and now he can’t even find her frilly, light green dress in the crowd.

“Hey, you sure about this?” Baekhyun prodded him gently. He gestured to the stuffed deer Luhan was gripping in his hand. “I can’t believe you brought that with you.”

“One of the main reasons I decided to come was to say my goodbyes.” Luhan lifted his deer. The memory of when Sehun gave it to him (through Jongin) seemed so distant, like it happened to another person and he was just an omniscient onlooker. “He deserves one, too.”

“Alright.” Baekhyun shook his head. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he pointed excitedly at the couples dancing in the middle, “Luhan, look! That looks like so much fun!”

“No, no, no, that’s not happening,” Luhan dragged his arm out of Baekhyun’s hold, eyes wide. Luhan dancing was not something everyone here should witness.

“Suit yourself.” Baekhyun shrugged and started towards the dance floor by himself.

“Wait, Baek-”

Luhan’s voice couldn’t be heard over the symphony’s lively pieces, and he soon lost sight of Baekhyun in the sea of black suits. Feeling defeated, Luhan wondered if he should join his sister at the buffet (since dancing with Baekhyun was not an option).

How did he manage to be abandoned by both his sister and his best friend in the span of a few short minutes?

¤¤¤

Tonight, Chanyeol was a bundle of nerves.

His fiancée, Princess Ailee, seemed quite the opposite with her calm appearance and an arm linked through his as they strode down the hall to the ballroom. She somehow managed to keep up with his long strides despite her ridiculously high stilettos.

“Calm down,” Ailee said with a light laugh after Chanyeol almost stumbled over his own feet.

“I’m trying,” He replied, a little breathy.

Is he going to show? Oh god, why did I even invite him in the first place? That was a terrible idea on my part.

“It’ll be okay,” Ailee reassured him, her hand patting his. “I’ll be by your side most of the evening.”

Chanyeol swallowed, nodding back.

Somehow, he and Ailee had became friends through their engagement. Both of them made it clear from the start that there were no romantic intentions involved but no affairs were to be had at the time being either. Ailee was a fun person, easy to talk to, and knew what it was like to be growing up with the weight of the country on your shoulder. Chanyeol knew there were worse people he could be chained to for life by far.

“You aren’t nervous?” Chanyeol asked, trying to start conversation so his mind wouldn’t keep thinking about Baekhyun. The two of them had reached the double doors to the ballroom and were waiting for the servant to announce their arrival.

“I am.” When Chanyeol’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, Ailee chuckled. “I just don’t show it. I mean, how could I not? This is the first public event I’m going to in a new country and if I don’t make a good first impression, we’re basically screwed.”

“But how do you look so - so composed and-”

“Elegant?” Chanyeol nodded. “Lots and lots of practice. I thought you would be better at masking your emotions, to be honest.”

When Chanyeol still looked completely lost, Ailee sighed, “You want some advice? Just smile.”

“Smile?”

Ailee nodded, grinning widely, “It’s not that hard. You’ve actually been stepping on my toe ever since we stopped in front of these doors. All I did is smile through the pain.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Chanyeol immediately took a few steps back, looking down at the red mark he made on Ailee’s right foot. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but what’s more important is that I looked okay.” The two of them glanced up when the servant blew the bugle to signal the royals’ arrival. As the doors slowly edged open, Ailee whispered out the side of , “That’s part of our job as royals. No matter what happens you can’t show the people our pain.”

¤¤¤

It had been a long time since the Royal Castle held their last ball, with the previous one celebrating Sehun’s sixteenth birthday. It was strange for Jongin to see the guests mingling. From afar, he couldn’t tell who was a royal and who was a commoner. Everyone was dressed up to the nines, all dazzling gowns paired with silky gloves, shimmering jewellery, and clean-cut suits.

All the hushed murmurs and people grabbing food from the buffet table halted after the arrival of Crown Prince Chanyeol and Crown Princess Ailee. The trumpeter blared a familiar tune before announcing the full names of the royal couple. The ridiculously tall doors creaked open, letting Prince Chanyeol and Princess Ailee step down the set of marble stairs with their hands linked together.

“Wow,” Jongin marvelled at the sight.

Princess Ailee had on one of the largest ball gowns Jongin had ever seen in his life, decorated with bold flower prints cascading down the folds of her dress. The lacing was pure gold, complementing the light lavender shade that seemed to shimmer with every movement. The look was complete with the serene, gentle smile Ailee wore. Prince Chanyeol looked less peaceful, eyes darting around the room like he’s searching for someone, but he still looked nice in his all-black suit and up-do.

“She probably spent hours doing her hair and make-up.” Jongin was startled by the sudden comment, and turned to see Sehun leaning against the wall behind him. The young prince looked nervous, brows furrowing down.

“Weren’t you supposed to enter through the main doors like your brother?” Jongin asked, joining Sehun by the wall.

“I don’t like it when everyone’s eyes are on me.” Sehun shrugged. His eyes lazily trail from one person to another, until he landed on a familiar face. Eyebrows shooting up, Sehun nudged Jongin, “Look who’s here.”

Jongin turned his head to where Sehun was looking at. He could feel Sehun’s eyes on him watching for a reaction. There, standing by the buffet table talking to some stranger, was Kyungsoo looking delicious in a grey suit and side-part.

Jongin swallowed hard. “You didn’t tell me you invited him.”

“It wasn’t necessary. This is a gift for him, a night free of work. It’s not for you.”

“Still-” Jongin cut off mid-sentence, a scowl suddenly on his face. “Why is she touching him?”

“Who?” Sehun turned back to Kyungsoo and saw the girl he was talking to hit his shoulder playfully. The two of them were laughing. The girl reached in to give Kyungsoo a quick, tight hug before walking away and Sehun felt Jongin physically tense up beside him.

“Okay, good, she left.” Jongin loosened up, until another person, this time a man, approached Kyungsoo. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Sehun smirked at the sight of Jongin jealous. “Hey, just go up and talk to him. That’ll get people to back off your little chef.”

“He’s not mine,” Jongin corrected Sehun with a glare. “At least not anymore. And it’s not that easy.”

“Whatever you say. Well, I’m going to leave you here sulking and get myself a drink. Do you want one?” Jongin shook his head no. “Okay, see you later.”

Sighing, the butler leaned his head back against the wall and fluttered his eyes shut to cool down for a second. When he opened them again, his eyes immediately fell on Kyungsoo, and to his shock, the chef was staring right at him.

.

Kyungsoo was alone. And even though a few seconds had passed, he wasn’t looking away.

. What do I do? Do I smile? Wave? Do I walk up to him?

Swallowing, Jongin made up his mind and pushed himself off the wall.

¤¤¤

Luhan didn’t have to worry about feeling out of place in the over-the-top party, because everyone he mustered the courage to talk to was surprisingly pleasant. He avoided the clustered groups and instead struck up conversation with the loners like him. Luhan was enjoying the ball, despite himself. Everything about this seemed surreal with everyone dressed up so fancily for this magical night. This was the break from reality they needed, the sliver of time where they can pretend to be someone else besides their mundane selves.

However, Luhan’s night had to be cut short. Glancing at his watch, Luhan’s mouth fell open when he realized he had to be at the airport in less than three hours’ time.

“Excuse me,” Luhan squeezed past a group of people, making a beeline straight for the middle of the ballroom, where the dancers were. It was fine if he didn’t find Ji-eun, but Baekhyun was his ride.

Quickly ducking under a server’s raised arm, Luhan accidentally crashed into a person, head banging painfully against a chin.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” The stranger exclaimed, taking a step back.

Luhan’s eyes shot up at the familiar voice, corners of his mouth already turning upwards before he even saw the beginnings of Jongin’s suit.

“Hey!” Luhan laughed, momentarily forgetting about his priorities at the sight of his friend. “It’s good to see you again!”

“I know, it’s been so long I thought you forgot about me,” Jongin grinned, though he sounded somewhat distracted, “You look quite snazzy in your suit.”

“Hm, I know, maybe it’s good that I don’t wear it often. I’ll break less hearts this way.”

“You’re such a dork.” Jongin rolled his eyes, but Luhan saw the butler’s mouth twitching up into a smile. The smile quickly dropped at the same time Luhan felt a presence walk up beside him.

“Hey, Luhan,” A soft, kind voice greeted him.

Luhan’s mouth fell open and he quickly engulfed Kyungsoo into a bear hug. “You! God, Kyungsoo, you look amazing!”

“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself,” Kyungsoo replied with a quirked eyebrow and slanted smile. He pulled back, eyes flickering briefly to the butler standing off to the side. He quietly acknowledged Jongin with a nod.

“It’s good that you two are together. I’m assuming you guys worked your problems out! That’s wonderful,” Luhan beamed. He nudged Kyungsoo closer to Jongin, not noticing the uncomfortable air between the two.

“So, uh, Luhan, what’s with the plushie?” Jongin threw out a question.

“Oh, this,” Luhan’s face dropped, before he plastered on another smile. “Jongin, can you drop this by Sehun’s room for me?”

“Sure,” Jongin agreed readily and took the deer. His brows furrowed after he registered the request. “Wait, why would you-”

“Actually, I’ve told you that I’ve been accepted into APU in Japan before, right? Well, I’m leaving right after this ball.”

“Really?” Kyungsoo gasped. “I’m proud of you, but you’re leaving so soon?”

“Jeez, way to spring it on us,” Jongin grumbled.

“I’m not going to get too cheesy on you two. Thanks, for everything you’ve done. And we better keep in touch.”

“Of course,” Kyungsoo said with a wavering smile. “You’ll be stuck with us for a long time coming.”

Luhan stared at Jongin with a raised eyebrow until the butler sighed, “What the heck,” and gave him a brief hug. It was plenty awkward, Luhan admitted, but with Kyungsoo laughing his head off and Jongin grimacing, Luhan couldn’t have thought of a more proper goodbye.

Just as the two of them pulled back from the hug, a shrill voice sliced through the air calling his name.

“Oh my god, Luhan!” Luhan felt a sense of dawning horror despite not having seen who the voice’s owner was. “I can’t believe you came!”

Luhan turned around slowly, not surprised but still equal-parts frustrated at the pair his eyes fell on: Luna and Sehun, both of which were dressed immaculately perfect with not a single hair out of place. Luna was wearing a short white dress that ended slightly below mid-thigh, looking like a cute doll with her crisp bob and flower crown. Sehun matched her with a completely white suit.

It’s already blinding enough to look at you. The white is definitely not helping.

Sighing, Luhan muttered under his breath, “So now’s the time when everyone I know finally shows up.”

¤¤¤

After his fiancée left to use the restroom, Chanyeol had to stand outside the entrance of the restrooms waiting for her and wondering simultaneously how Ailee could fit her ginormous dress into one stall. Granted, their stalls were pretty large themselves, but Ailee’s ballgown was something else entirely.

Someone came out of the restrooms, and Chanyeol’s head involuntarily shot up. He belatedly realized that the person came out of the male’s restroom and wasn’t wearing a ridiculously large dress but a classy suit.

“Baekhyun?”

The name tumbled out of his name so easily, so comfortably like it was meant to. Baekhyun froze in his tracks, eyes shooting up from the ground to meet Chanyeol’s. A storm of emotions passed as the shorter wrestled to control his facial expression.

“You came,” Chanyeol breathed out, taking a step closer.

Baekhyun visibly swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. He glanced away. “You didn’t really give me much choice. Invitation and all.”

Chanyeol wet his lips, taking the time to really take in Baekhyun in the month’s time they hadn’t seen each other. There were rings under Baekhyun’s eyes, skin paler than Chanyeol remembered. The Crown Prince fought the urge to scoop up the tired-looking yet still drop-dead gorgeous boy in front of him  into his arms. But most of all, he was taken aback by how miserable Baekhyun looked.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asked gently. He wasn’t sure what questions he had a right to ask anymore, didn’t know where he stood in Baekhyun’s life now.

Baekhyun let out a breath, “Yeah, I just - I needed a moment to myself.”

“Is that why Luhan isn’t with you right now?”

“I didn’t want him to see this.” Baekhyun gestured to his downcast expression. “I mean, he has enough on his plate with his move and studying abroad and everything. I didn’t want him to know I was this tired or about my crazy work hours. He’ll just worry pointlessly.” Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something more, but quickly shook his head and cut himself off. “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. Anyway, how’ve you been?”

Before Chanyeol could answer, he heard the clicking of his fiancée’s stiletto heels. He wasn’t sure whether he felt grateful, since he didn’t know if he’d have told Baekhyun the number of nights he spent awake thinking of the brunet and the visits he paid to Jongdae just for the stupid potential of seeing Baekhyun again.

“Hey, Chanyeol, sorry for the wait,” Ailee smiled sheepishly, lifting up her frills. “This dress sure wasn’t easy to work with.”

“Hello, Your Royal Highness,” Baekhyun bowed. “I’m Byun Baekhyun. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh!” Ailee turned to Baekhyun, taking a second to examine the scene before her. She gave Chanyeol a look before smiling kindly at Baekhyun, “The pleasure’s mine, Baekhyun.”

“Congratulations on your engagement,” Baekhyun beamed sincerely. Chanyeol couldn’t find anything but genuity in Baekhyun’s words.

“Why, thank you,” Ailee raised her eyebrows at Chanyeol. “I see you’ve met Prince Chanyeol.”

Baekhyun nodded, smiling like his usual self. It surprised Chanyeol how easily Baekhyun switched between his feelings, or more specifically, what he wanted people to perceive his feelings as. There wasn’t a trace of the half-dead look he sported seconds ago.

“Well, it’s been an honour speaking with the royal couple. I need to get back to my friends, though,” Baekhyun bowed again before making a hasty exit.

“He’s cute. I like him,” Ailee commented lightly once Baekhyun’s out of earshot. Chanyeol could feel her eyes boring into the side of his face. “You’re a very lucky man.”

“I was,” Chanyeol agreed quietly.

“What are you doing?” Ailee nudged him, eyes twinkling. “Go after him!”

“Wh-what?”

“I can see him by the food table. Go talk to him,” Ailee insisted more earnestly this time. “I’ll take care of greeting the rest of the guests. Hurry!”

With that, she pushed him out into the ballroom and Chanyeol had to quickly side-step to avoid a butler walking by with a food platter on his hand. Shooting a look back over his shoulder, Chanyeol smiled weakly at Ailee, who gave him two encouraging thumbs-up and a cheeky grin. This time, Chanyeol walked through the ballroom with purposeful strides until he reached the buffet spread.

Sure enough, Baekhyun had his back to him and was piling pastries and fruit on his plate. Chanyeol grabbed a clean plate and utensils before sliding in beside Baekhyun. The brunet didn’t even look his way, so Chanyeol coughed loudly.

Glancing up, Baekhyun’s eyes widened before shooting back down to his plate. “What do you want, Your Royal Highness?”

“Just checking up on you.” Chanyeol shot him a toothy grin. “How do you like the ball so far?”

Baekhyun sighed, and said simply, “It’s nice.”

“That’s all?” Chanyeol dropped a slice of raisin bread on Baekhyun’s plate. Baekhyun pushed it back onto Chanyeol’s own plate.

“Your fiancée looks magical today. You two are a star couple.”

Chanyeol frowned. He knew it was tactless, but he couldn’t help but say, “That could have been us.”

He expected Baekhyun to roll his eyes or snap at him, but instead, the brunet smiled wistfully, “I guess it could have been.”

“We could have tried, you know,” Chanyeol insisted, despite Baekhyun tensing up. “You ended things before we even began.”

“Maybe it’s just me, but I doubt we would have stayed together any longer if we chose us.”

Before Chanyeol could gather his thoughts and respond, Baekhyun passed off the plate to the girl, Luhan’s twin sister (Chanyeol forgot her name) beside him and, with both hands free, pulled Chanyeol into a fleeting hug.

Pulling back, Baekhyun smiled, “I just wanted to thank you for letting me experience all this. Our kind of love and this ball, it’s all very beautiful. But both are ending soon, and you need to accept that.”

“But what if I can’t?” Chanyeol whispered, throat thick with emotion. “What if I still love you?”

“You’ll love Princess Ailee, too, and your future children. You’ll love your people, even if they’re the reason for our separation.” Baekhyun grinned up at him warmly. And with that, he stepped back into the crowd, and Chanyeol couldn’t find the courage to reach for him again.

“How elegant.”

“Excuse me?” Chanyeol whirled around, finding Ailee standing across the table from him with a plateful of desserts in one hand. “When did you get here?”

“Your Baekhyun.” Ailee took a bite out of her tiny chocolate croissant. “He’s good at smiling through the pain.”

¤¤¤

Sehun wasn’t entirely sure how he expected this evening to play out. He definitely didn’t expect Luhan to show up looking so fine in a classic suit with his hair swept off his forehead. If Sehun wasn’t sure about his attraction towards Luhan before, he sure as hell was now.

It was stupid of him to invite Luhan in the first place, he knew, but that petty side of him, the one that wanted to lash out, had taken over. It had been a month, but the resentment and pain still hadn’t settled yet. It was hard to, considering he was faced with overwhelming wedding preparations and living with a woman he wasn’t even friends with, all because of Luhan’s interference.

So now he found himself standing at the side, being ignored by Luhan and Luna as they continued catching up with each other. Jongin and Kyungsoo had long extracted themselves from this mess-in-the-making and were off doing god knows what.

“I’m just getting used to how the system here works, and what responsibilities I’m supposed to take on,” Luna sighed, “It’s not that great, honestly. I rarely see my family anymore and I’m so busy all the time. Enough about me, though. What have you been up to?”

“Oh, well, I got a job, actually, and I got accepted into APU-”

“That’s great,” Sehun cut him off, words clipped. He was still annoyed that the first time he saw Luhan in a month was in another man’s arms.

Luhan narrowed his eyes at Sehun, probably wondering what the Prince was planning now that the older had walked into his trap at last. Sehun wasn’t even sure what he wanted to do. Actually, that wasn’t accurate. He knew exactly what he wanted to do; he wanted Luhan to feel just how much Sehun had been hurt. But Sehun also wanted to run his fingers through Luhan’s carefully styled hair just to confirm how much better it’ll look messy, and he wanted to Luhan’s dress shirt one button at a time. And that was the problem.

“Sehun,” Luna whispered his name warningly.

Sehun paid her no attention and instead grabbed a tall wine glass from a passing servant with his left hand, taking a purposefully, long sip. It was no coincidence that the beautiful, sparkling engagement ring on Sehun’s ring finger was showcased for the seemingly decades he took to finish his drink.

It worked. Sehun raised a smug eyebrow at Luhan’s clenched jaw and hardened face. “It’s a nice ring isn’t it?”

Luna whacked the Prince’s shoulder, a flash of annoyance crossing her face. “Seriously, knock it off. I’m going to leave if you don’t stop.”

“Then leave,” Sehun responded coolly.

Scoffing, Luna rolled her eyes. She waved goodbye to Luhan, gesturing for him to call her, and left without a look back.

Don’t leave me alone with him, Luhan’s eyes seemed to say as he stared after Luna’s retreating back pleadingly.

When it was clear she wasn’t coming back, Luhan levelled a glare at Sehun, not wanting to play the Prince’s stupid game, and charged past him.

Sehun dropped his head back, running his hands down his face frustratedly. Whirling around, Sehun followed Luhan out of the ballroom. He wasn’t worried that Luhan would leave castle grounds. Luhan had nowhere to go. And Sehun knew it.

“I’m not done with you yet!” He called after Luhan, but the latter didn’t stop. They continued down the empty hallway until Sehun caught up to Luhan and grabbed onto his arm. Sehun bent down, one hand on his knee and the other still around Luhan’s arm, as he caught his breath. When he straightened his back, Luhan still had his back turned to him. But at least he didn’t try to run away again.

Luhan shook off Sehun’s grip, finally turning around to face him. He said, voice controlled and guarded, “Make it quick, I need to find Jongin.”

That one name drop blanked out Sehun’s mind. He replayed the scene of Jongin hugging Luhan over and over again in his head. A flash of hot, ugly jealousy reared in his stomach. It didn’t help with Luhan staring at him emotionlessly, all freezing ice and no familiar warmth.

Scoffing, Sehun sneered thoughtlessly, “I thought you loved me, and now you’re flirting with another man. But Jongin’s just a butler, he can’t offer you much.”

Sehun regretted the words immediately after he said them. The green monster inside of him disappeared right away, once he saw how red Luhan’s face got, flushed with anger. And the look inside Luhan’s eyes wasn’t of hurt, but of betrayal.

“What the , Sehun?” Luhan hissed, not even registering that he dropped the titles. “What do you want from me? Do you want another apology? Do you want me to get down on my knees this time?”

Sehun’s eyes widened. “No-”

“Good, because I won’t. I already explained everything and you’ve made it clear that you won’t forgive me, and that was supposed to be the end of it!” Luhan let out a breath, reining back his emotions. “So what do you really want? You invited me here to show off your engagement, is that right?”

“That’s not what I - I’m-”

“Do you want my congratulations? Then, congratu-ing-lations on your engagement, my dear Prince. You have my sincerest wishes to have a happy, healthy life away from me-”

Fed up with how Luhan kept cutting him off, Sehun couldn’t think of any other way to shut him up besides yanking down on Luhan’s tie until the distance between them has vanished. He admitted this was probably the stupidest decision he made this night, which was impressive considering he made some pretty dumb decisions so far. But this was the one choice he didn’t regret.

It felt too good, too long since he had last tasted these lips. With the last kiss tasting like alcohol and the previous ones of lies, this one felt right. This was their first kiss as Sehun and Luhan.

But Luhan didn’t share his sentiments. He did at first, lips hesitatingly moving against Sehun’s, until the older came to his senses and pulled back.

Luhan pushed Sehun away roughly, eyes glistening with hurt. “You can’t just do whatever you want all the time because you’re the victim. You can’t treat me this way because you’ve been hurt. There’s only so much I can accept, but you have to realize that I’m a person, too.”

Luhan didn’t give him the chance to respond, already backing away and turning the corner.

The most Sehun could do was let him go.

¤¤¤

By the time he woke up out of his stupor, Luhan came before a fountain with the Cupid statue surrounded by tall, hedge walls. He had somehow wandered into the middle of the maze out in the garden in his search for a private place to cool down. What just happened with Sehun, he didn’t want to think about. He didn’t want to analyze why Sehun did what he did, didn’t want to hurt so much because that meant he cared. Luhan just wanted to be done with everything here so he could leave without attachments.

When Luhan stepped into the centre, he realized he wasn’t alone. There, sitting on a wheelchair beside the wooden bench, was a frail, middle-aged woman. Only when Luhan stepped closer did he realize it was their Queen.

She was looking at him kindly as he bowed and introduced himself. It had been a long time, Luhan realized, since the last time he saw someone so at peace.

“Am I disturbing you?” Luhan asked quietly. He felt the need to lower his volume in her presence.

In turn, Queen Krystal responded, “Do you want to join me?”

Luhan faltered, wondering if it was rude to deny the Queen of such a simple request. He made up his mind and made his way over to the bench.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Your Majesty, why are you not in your room?”

Queen Krystal smiled gently. Even in her ill state, she still was one of the most beautiful women Luhan had ever set eyes upon. “I didn’t want my last moments of living to be of me staring at the ceiling breathing in stale air.”

Luhan nodded in understanding. The Queen peered at him curiously, lips quirked at the edges. “You know, you’re very handsome. My son must have fallen in love with you all over again tonight.”

Shocked, Luhan straightened his back. “How do you know who I am?”

“I knew from the very start. From when you entered the castle up until your sister came to replace you. I can view a lot of things from my room, you see.” Queen Krystal sighed and patted Luhan’s shoulder comfortingly. “Child, my son will take some prodding but don’t give up on him yet. The amount of pain both of you are going through is just proof of how much he cares for you.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Luhan replied, staring down at his hands.

“Well, even if it doesn’t work out, at least you won’t be chained to this castle for your entire life like I was,” Queen Krystal sighed, leaning her head back. “Sehun could be offering you an escape from this caged life.”

Luhan rolled her words over in his mind a few times. It did make him feel better, knowing that even if Sehun had forgiven him, they still wouldn’t have worked out. Luhan couldn’t imagine himself living in this castle and being a prince. It just wasn’t him.

“You give good advice, Your Majesty,” Luhan gave her a small, sincere smile. The Queen waved off his compliment.

His watch gave a little beep, startling Luhan. “Oh, crap, I’m late. I have to get going. It’s been really nice meeting you!”

The Queen laughed in return and watched as Luhan ran back in the maze. She genuinely hoped this wouldn’t be the last time they meet.

Sighing to herself, Krystal noted, “I better give my boys a stern talking to. Seems like I really did raise a pair of idiots.”

¤¤¤

Sehun walked back to his room in a daze. He didn’t feel like making an effort to be pleasant to people he could honestly care less about in that stuffy, yet vast ballroom for the rest of the night after what just happened. All his energy had evaporated.

Sighing, he stopped in front of his door. His foot landed on something soft. Sehun glanced down, and with his heart squeezing painfully, he picked up the deer plushie.

Should I just throw this out?

He should, he really should.

But Sehun couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to toss this gift away, this capsule of pure memories. It filled his body with annoyance, at how weak Sehun was to anything that involved Luhan.

Sehun stalked into his room in a rough mood, slamming the door behind him violently. He tossed the offensive deer plushie onto the dresser. It bounced off the edge and fell to the ground but Sehun ignored it, choosing instead to stare at the visitor in his room, unwanted by the way the Prince growled, “What do you want?”

Jongin was perched on the edge of Sehun’s master bed, watching with glittering eyes as Sehun dumped himself ungracefully into the leather chair across from him. The butler mused, “I used to have a crush on Luhan, y’know. That day, after the interview, I brought him up to the balcony we would run to when we were kids. I was going to tell him. But he looked so beautiful, so in pain, and he told me he loved you… And I couldn’t do it.”

“Cut to the point already, Jongin.” Sehun snapped. “I’m getting annoyed.”

“I still love Luhan.”

“Jongin.”

Jongin shook his head with a wry smile as he walked over to the fallen toy, picked it up, and dusted it off. “Just not in that way, at least not anymore. Sometimes, I thought of Luhan as an angel who was sent to help me. Because of him, I realized I didn’t need a guardian angel or a prince to make me happy. That sometimes the people you thought you’ve known all your life can still show new sides of themselves.”

“Don’t talk as if you know everything.” His voice had an icy, cold tone but the butler could detect the thin thread of embarrassment. “I know what you’re trying to do, Jongin, but that’s not the problem here.”

“Maybe it isn’t.” Jongin’s joking facade finally melted away. “I get that you’re angry and hurt because he lied, but it’s been a while, and both of you are hurting to the point where no one knows who was the first to cross the line. You, me, Kyungsoo, Luna, everyone knows that Luhan isn’t a bad person. He just got caught up in the whirlwind and maybe misstepped once or twice, but he knows he did wro-”

“It’s not about the fact that he’s a boy, okay? It doesn’t matter to me, not anymore. He’s made it clear that he doesn’t want anything to do with me. So drop the subject, Jongin. I don’t need to kick you out tonight as well.”

“Did you even apologize to him? Did you explain your feelings to him at all? Or did you resort to your immature methods and yanked him around to your will?” Jongin already knew the answer, but he was asking to make sure Sehun knew as well.

“It’s,” Sehun deflated, “It’s too late now.”

“Just don’t make the same mistake I have, Prince Sehun. Soo escaped from me before so I know how it feels to lose something you didn’t realize could mean so much to you. If he left, he’d be taking away a whole chunk of you with him. You’re lucky, you know Luhan’s precious. You have this right in front of you. Just think about it. Is it really worth it? Do you think you can afford losing him like this?”

When the Prince didn’t respond at once, Jongin picked up the plushie and turned it around, eyes flickering over the toy. “Because I don’t think you can.”

He made his way to the exit, tossing the deer over his shoulder. It landed right on Sehun’s bed. The Prince let his eyes stray to the toy for a few beats before reaching out and running his hands through the fluff. It still smelled like him.

His fingers brushed against something crisp stuck to the stuffed animal and he watched as a small post-it note flew to the floor. Sehun felt like he was riding a rollercoaster and he was at the very top of the highest drop, staring down at his awaiting doom as he slowly bent down and grabbed the note. His eyes scanned the note in a split second.

Sehun read out the two syllables, but his voice felt foreign to his own ears as he rolled the word over his tongue so many times he doubted the validity.

“Goodbye.”

¤¤¤

It took Sehun two minutes to sprint to the front of the Castle where some of the guests were filing out. Overcome by the desperate urge to see Luhan, as if this was going to be the last chance he’d ever have, Sehun ran his hardest, even if his lungs were gasping for air and his limbs felt like they were on fire. The pain he felt now would pale in comparison if Luhan really left.

It took approximately fifty-six seconds to find Luhan, and another five seconds to realize it was actually the person he mistook Luhan to be for the entire month the boy had stayed at the Castle.

Sehun shoved away his disappointment and ignored Ji-eun’s surprised, concerned questions. He panted out, “Where’s Luhan?”

“He left, like, ten minutes ago,” Ji-eun replied, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. But she didn’t ask any more questions. “He’s racing to get on his flight on time.”

“Flight?” Sehun’s throat tightened. “To where?”

“Beppu, Japan.”

And it took a mere three seconds for the sound of Sehun’s heart cracking to reach his ears.

A/N:

-we're almost done! two more chapters to goooo yayyy

-yay for a slightly longer chapter this time too 

-this actually took me way too long bc literally all the main couples were at the same location and their interactions all happened around the same time so i had a hard time figuring which scene should go where to make the most sense. hopefully it's cohesive now!

-thanks a ton as always to my beta ♥ and to all the subscribers, commenters, and upvoters~