Ah Ra ran into the living room where the TV was located. She was so excited since her friends from Europe said that there was a grand wedding happened in EXO Kingdom. 

Don't ask how she got those friends....okay, she was going to international school complex in Seoul. She could speak English fluently, and also learn how to speak well in Germany. She had also learnt how to speak Japanese and Chinese, since her best friend could speak that. 

"Ah Ra! Don't run in the house!"  She ignored her mother's shout. She then sat onto the sofa and the TV. What her friend said was true. There was a live report on the wedding ceremony from EXO Kingdom. She carefully saw the TV. The event had been finished and the King and new Queen were stepping outside the cathedral. 

"Ladies and gentleman, as you can see, people are cheering for the Grand Wedding of King Suho, the King of EXO Kingdom, and his beautiful Queen besides him."  Ah Ra took her cup (since it was on the table and even though her mother had yelled to her to bring that thing back to kitchen if she had finished doing things in living room, she had never brought it back) and then saw the live report with excitement. 

EXO Kingdom's king is famous with his young age. The kingdom itself is a small country located near the Mediteranian Sea and its' main income was from tourism and exports on fruits, mostly on oranges. The country lost the late King so sudden, so his eldest son came back quickly (he just completed his degree) to take his responsibility. And this time, he finally had the Queen that people had been longing to. 

"The new Queen, Queen Anne, is an American-Korean-Japanese descent who is now at the age of 19, and dubbed as the 'Cinderella Express' by the press. She is not coming from the royal blood, but her beauty, intellegence and personality--" 

Ah Ra couldn't close . That....that can't be....

"MOM! MOM! COME HERE QUICKLY!!!! THERE IS ANNE IN THE TELEVISION! MOM!!!!"  Ah Ra shouted and her mom ran all the way from the kitchen to the living room (which was not far; they were separated by kitchen bar). She gasped because of the image of the television, which was showing the face of a young woman who used to play in that very living room. 

"It can't be....is she really Anne?"  her mom murmured and Ah Ra was still in shock. 

Anne.....The Queen of EXO Kingdom?

ONE MONTH LATER

Ah Ra walks slowly from her bedroom to go to take some water. She just wakes up from her sleep and so she yawns along the way. She also scratches her hair and now she looks like a crazy woman with messy, lion-like hair. Her mother is eyeing on her and sighs. 

"You know, Ah Ra-ah."

"What?"

"Don't you think because this is the summer vacation, you can be so lazy in the morning. You are already 18 years old and has no boyfriend." 

ONE KNIFE STABS HER HEART

"You are just one year younger than Anne, and look at her."

TWO KNIVES STAB HER HEART

"She is loved and adored by the King, while you are,"  she sighs again, in despair, "does there no one seem to like you?" 

THREE KNIVES STAB HER HEART

She grimaces and walks out from the kitchen. She forgets about her intention to go to take some water and goes to the mailbox instead. 

Well, Mom, I am your child. This is hereditary, Mom. She sighs and smiles to some people on the street and takes the mails. 

"Hm....bills, bills, bills, bills--"  She stops. A strange envelope is on her palm. It is white and sealed with strange seal that she has never seen before. She turns back the envelope to see the sender, and yells happily. 

"Anne! This is from Anne!"  She squats near the front gate (yes she can do that without worrying about people) and drops other envelopes. She opens that certain envelope excitedly and reads the letter. 

Dear Ah Ra, 

I know you must be surprised of my sudden marriage

I should have told you earlier, but the preparation made me crazy 

Now I am the Queen! I am the Queen of EXO Kingdom

and now, 

I would like to invite you to visit this country

You must like this country, This country is heaven on earth

You are in the summer vacation, right? 

The costs are on me, don't worry

Please, Ah Ra, you are my only friend, you are my best friend

I want to share my happiness here :)

Please come soon! 

Regards, 

Your Friend

This is the Royal Seal of Queen of EXO Kingdom

Ah Ra yells happily and runs to the door, only to come back because she forgets the other mails, takes them and barges the door. 

"Mom! Mom! Look at this! I got invited by Anne to go to EXO Kingdom!!"  

"Really? But our condition is not as good as her....a trip to Europe is quite expensive. We don't that much money to--"

"She said that she would cover the expenses, Mom."  Her mom now grimaces. "Well, I am so sorry for having such a bad thought. Have fun in there, dear!"  

Fast forward, Ah Ra has been inside the plane which is taking her to EXO Kingdom. She reads the guide tour books about the kingdom and then she reminds herself that she needs to thank Anne for this invitation. There is never in her mind that she can go to Europe, especially countries near Mediteranian Sea. She also thinks about her childhood memories with Anne. 

Anne with his family moved next to her house when they were still toodler, because of her father's job. They instantly became good friends and played together a lot. Their friendship was only the other factor that made Ah Ra parents enrolled her into international school; the same school with Anne. They used to be best friends, best buddies, classmates, and playmates, until two years ago. 

Anne had to move to Europe because her father's job was moving there. They were crying a lot the night before her departure. At that night, they made vow to save their money in order to meet in the future. 

Well, now Ah Ra doesn't need to save more, since her expenses, all of her expenses, will be covered by Anne, which means, will be covered by EXO Kingdom. She also comes there as the royal guest. She has to thank Anne a lot when they meet. 

She finally arrives at the airport, only to realize that no one is waiting for her. She waits for some time and sighs. If only Anne sends someone to pick me up.....

She then sees around and her eyes is seeing a confused man (who is confusing her, actually) and he looks like seeking someone. Ah Ra walks to him; maybe he is the one who picks her up. They stare at each other, until the man scoffs and walks out, searching what he has been searching. Ah Ra sighs again. 

Well, luckily this country isn't so big and the phampflet says that the palace is not that far. All I can do there is to show Anne's letter and then I can go in.....Anne said that in her letter. There is a Royal Seal, too.

Unknown to Ah Ra, the man earlier approaches his friend who is waiting for him. "She's not here. It's strange, you know. I have asked and they said that the flight has been arrived."

"We better search her more,"  another man says. The man scrubs his nape, "she is The Queen's best friend. She must be beautiful as the Queen. We need to find her or we will be in trouble." 

Unluckily, Ah Ra doesn't hear that because she has gone out from the airport. 

The country is so beautiful.....I can see the sea there. It looks so nearby....maybe I can go there and enjoy the scene more. Yes, I will ask Anne to go there. She must know that I want to explore things here. 

The houses are different with us in Korea. They are like that English Village. 

Ah Ra enjoys her walk very much, despite the fact she also brings a big trunk with her. People there are also nice to everyone. Some souvenirs sellers displays the souvenirs to some tourists. The country is also safe and peaceful. Ah Ra likes the country instantly. Anne is right about Ah Ra. She is always right. 

On the shady corner though, two men are looking to Ah Ra. 

"Is that really her?"

"Yes, he has given me the photo."  The man nods and approaches Ah Ra when she is near them. 

"Hey, lady, are you lost?"

"Would you like a ride? We can take you everywhere you want."  Another man says. Ah Ra looks to them and she feels that they are suspicious. She smiles carefully but politely, "No, thank you. I know where I am heading to." 

When Ah Ra turns around, the man's hand covers . "You can't just walk like that, lady."  He whispers, "you have to come with us or you will be sorry." 

Ah Ra is panicked. She is dragged to their car and she thinks fast. She grabs the wrist and bites one of the finger. 

"OUCH!!!"

Ah Ra can't run since her other hand is gripped tight by the kidnapper. He yells to much because of the pain, and that causes attention drawn to them. 

"Hey! What are you doing?"  

"! We have to go! Go!"  Those bad men go out immediately from the scene and leaves her alone. She then takes care of her trunk, and the voice which earlier saved her is heard. 

"Are you okay?"  

"Yes, I am fi--"  She suddenly becomes dumfounded. "...ne...."   A man is in front of him. He is so handsome that makes Ah Ra thinks she has been really abducted and sedated so now she is dreaming. She rubs her eyes to make sure that she is not dreaming. She also pinches her cheek and yelps because of it. The man is chuckling after seeing her dumb action. 

"You are not dreaming, lady. You are safe now."  The man speaks, and his voice is so enchanting, according to Ah Ra, "I can take you to your destination. Where is it?'

"Uh....the palace?"  She looks not so sure, makes the man frowns. "Palace? Why do you want to go there?"

"Uh, here."  Ah Ra gives Anne's letter to him. After seeing the letter, he smiles gently. "You are our Queen's royal guest. I am sorry for the innapropriate things that have happened to you. My name is Lieutenant Chanyeol, I am from Royal Guard."  He then kisses her hand and she feels like she is flying into the seventh sky. 

"It looks like you didn't meet the people who supposed to pick you up at the airport. Please, let me take you there."  Ah Ra nods and Chanyeol takes her trunk. She makes V-sign to herself for getting this big luck. 

Chanyeol takes her into the palace and she enters the hall. It is so big and she is amazed by it. 

"Miss Kwon,"  Chanyeol says, "from here, the royal butler will take you to Queen's chamber."

"Please, Miss Kwon,"  the old man who is standing near the hallway speaks, "follow me." 

"Nice to meet you, Miss Kwon. I am eager to see you again in other time."  Chanyeol bows to him like in those movies and Ah Ra clumsily bows back (with Korean style, obviously) and the royal butler is walking. Ah Ra follows him but she gets exhausted. The palace is big and road to Queen's chamber seems like a never-ending road. She takes breaths for some time and looks around. 

No one is near her. 

OH NO! I AM LOST!!  She looks around to search any signs that can help her not to get lost. She hears weak voices from one of the rooms there. She is relieved and attempts to open the door, only to hear the conversation. 

"All the weapons have been gathered. We should move quickly for hiding them."

"I understand. Now it's the time for us to wait the opportunity."  What? What are they talking about? Is this the strategy room? 

"If that is all, I will--"  Ah Ra is still at the front of the door when suddenly the door opens from the inside. Her head is hit by the door and she falls down with some noises. 

"Who is that?"  The person from inside opens the door widely and sees Ah Ra is sitting (well, you might not call that as 'sitting') and rubs her forehead. 

Ah Ra looks up and sees a blonde-haired man with royal guard's attire. They stare to each other until the man smirks. "Miss Kwon Ah Ra, I guess?" 

"Yes, I am."  Ah Ra gets up and tidies herself, "I got lost. The royal butler left me and I--"

"The Queen's chamber, right?"  Ah Ra nods, "Go straight and then turn left. Her chamber is around that hallway." 

"Thank you."  Ah Ra smiles. 

"You're welcome."  Ah Ra then turns to go to the direction that the man gave. She is smitten by the man too. He is handsome despite of his artifical blonde hair. Ah Ra knows it. He must have dyed his hair......wait! How did he know my name before I introduced myself to him? Lieutenant Chanyeol didn't know mine until I said my name to him. 

On the other hand, the man earlier closes the door and is approached by his friend inside the room, "Grey, do you think she heard our conversation?"

The man earlier shakes his head, "I don't think she even understands the content even if she has heard ours,"  he then sighs, "but if she can get into the palace, that means those guys are terrible at doing their job." 

"Miss Kwon! I have been looking for you!"  That old butler is yelling to Ah Ra, and she grimaces. "I am sorry, Sir." 

"Please, don't do that thing again."  He then sighs and prepares himself, and then knocks to one particular door. "Your Majesty, the royal guest has arrived."  Ah Ra looks to door excitedly she is so eager to see Anne.....only to find a bat swing near her face. 

"What the--"

"THE BUG! THAT IS A NASTY BUG! IT HAS TO BE KILLED! DIE! DIE, YOU NASTY BUG!"  A petite man with a baseball bat swings it wildly and makes Ah Ra and the old butler are seeking places to hide themselves. The petite man is busy swinging the bat to the direction he believes that there is this 'nasty bug' and then he goes following that nasty bug out of the hallway, with murmuring, "nasty bug," "die!" or "I will kill you!". Ah Ra has fallen down earlier and she is now taking some breaths. 

"I am sorry. Baekhyun is afraid of bugs. He is always that agitated if he sees a bug."  A familiar voice is heard by Ah Ra and she looks up. Anne is there, wearing a nice pastel dress. They stare at each other and then they shouts happily to each other. 

"Anne! It's good to see you again!"  Ah Ra hugs Anne as she hugs her back. "I miss you so much, Ah Ra-ah." 

"You still look the same, Anne-ah!"  The old butler then gives the best friends their space as he leaves the scene. Ah Ra then comes into the Queen's chamber, only to get awed again by the interior. 

"I can't believe you are a Queen now, Anne-ah!"  She shouts that after tea and cookies are served in front of them. 

Anne smiles, "are your parents healthy?"

"Yes, they have given their regards too."

"Well, regarding your statement, it is just happened that I fall in love with a King and he is also falling for me."  Ah, yes....that is indeed the explanation. Anna continues, "I met Suho when he was in France. You know that I have been living there with my parents. I met him accidentally at a ball and things went from there. He is kind, of course. But people around us, even my parents, don't agree of our marriage. And the biggest problem is the Queen Mother, which means that she is Suho's mom.....well, step-mom. She is the second Queen of my late father-in-law and she doesn't even agree at any degree with our marriage."

"What is the reason?"

"I am not royal-blood."  There is always this wicked mother-in-law, "she is coming from royal blood family; high society familiy. She still fanatically thinks about citizen's ranks. And now they add her daughter onto the list. She is just like her mother and she is now under my care, because I am the Queen." 

"Oh,"  Ah Ra speaks, "there is a sister-in-law?"

"Two brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law, to be exact."  Ah Ra sprouts her tea. Becoming Cinderella is not an easy task. 

Anne walks toward one of the chair and touches it tremblingly, "and maybe, the marriage is indeed a mistake, just like the Queen Mother said. There have been scary things happen recently."  She speaks slow and her face becomes pale. Ah Ra puts her cup, "Anne? Are you alright?"  She stands up to approach Anne, however, Anne approaches her suddenly and grips her wrists tightly, "listen, Ah Ra--"

KNOCK! KNOCK!  The knock on the door interrupts the session. Anne releases her grip and leaves Ah Ra confused. "Come in." 

The maid who delivered the tea and cookies is coming in, "Your Majesty and Miss Kwon, you have to prepare for the royal feast." 

"Ah, is that so?"  Anne looks into the clock and smiles, "Ah Ra, you must be there, okay? I will introduce you to my new family."  Ah Ra looks reluctantly to leave Anne as she seemed to tell something to Ah Ra. Something that is bothering her, Ah Ra believes that. But she follows the maid instead, who shows her the bedroom. 

"This is your chamber, Miss Kwon."  She then leaves Ah Ra alone to examine her room, her chamber, I mean. She looks around and still gets amazed on how big the rooms inside the palace. She then takes a peek into the bedroom and shouts happily. "Yes! Canopy bed! I always dream to sleep on it!!"  She jumps happily on the bed and then she sees her belongings next to the bed. She opens her clutch and there is a paper. Maybe the old butler snucked it into it earlier. 

It is the family tree of royal family in EXO Kingdom. 

King Suho is the first born of the late King with his first wife (who is titled as 'late Queen, so Ah Ra guesses that the previous Queen has passed away too), and also the only child of that relationship. Then the late King had another wife, who is now the Queen Mother, and the marriage produced three children: Prince Kai, Princess Lise, and Prince Sehun. There is also Anne's name as King Suho's wife. 

Wow, there are indeed three in-laws. I have to memorize it quickly so I will not make Anne embarassed.

Ah Ra comes into the feast ball with hanbok, the best hanbok that her mother bought recently, since they thought that it would be great if she wore Korean traditional clothes. People are eyeing her since her weird (according to them) attire and Ah Ra feels nervous. She can feel her whole body is trembling. 

"Royal guest from South Korea."  Ah Ra walks into the front of the throne seats. There are four seats, but only three seats are occupied. Anne and her husband are there, with the Queen Mother. 

"Welcome to EXO Kingdom, royal guest."  The voice (which comes from that petite man who swung the bat earlier) is heard and Ah Ra knows that is her sign to bow. She bows politely, "thank you for the invitation. My name is Kwon Ah Ra, Your Majesties." 

"Welcome,"  King Suho speaks, "I have heard about you from Anne. If you are her best friend, then you are my best friend too, Miss Kwon Ah Ra."  Ah Ra sighs. This man seems nice and kind. Anne is really lucky and yes she deserves this kind of man.

"Her Majesty Queen Mother."  

"Welcome. Enjoy your stay."  She says that with low, sarcastic note, and Ah Ra can only grimaces as she bows to her. 

"Where is Kai?"  King Suho asks. Ah Ra then learns that the empty seat is for that prince, "he said he would be late. You know, he always hates this kind of ball, and now people can enter this palace so easily. He dislikes seeing unworthy people." 

"MOM!"  Ah Ra feels like a knife stabs her heart. She knows exactly that those words are for her. Anne shows her 'asking-for-apolpgy' face and Ah Ra just nods. She understands the situation. 

"Her Royal Highness Princess Lise."  From the left side of the throne seats, a beautiful girl suddenly gets up and looks arrogantly to Ah Ra. She just passes Ah Ra like she is not even existed and shouts to the room, "Music! Who wants to dance with me?"  Ah Ra looks so shock and irritated. 

Is this how this so-called 'royal blood people' acting to the commoners? Nobody wants to talk to me!!!!"  She still looks so pissed until there is a poke at her back. 

"What is this dress? Why is it so weird? Where is this coming from?"  Ah Ra turns around to see a little boy with brown hair pokes at her clothes. 

"SEHUN! GET BACK HERE!"  The Queen Mother shouts. So, he is Prince Sehun. 

"Ah!"  Prince Sehun seems like doesn't hear, or doesn't give any attention, to his mother, "you must be Kwon Ah Ra! Anne talks a lot about you! You are so cute! I want to marry you as soon as I get bigger!"

"Uh...."  Ah Ra can't speak much since she just got a sudden proposal from 5-years-old kid. 

"But now, let's dance, Miss Kwon."  He kisses her hand politely, like he is a gentleman, an adult gentleman, only to get caught by his mother and dragged into her side. Ah Ra just smiles and then walks to the corner. Everyone is dancing happily, but no one asks her to dance. 

She then sees Lieutenant Chanyeol is dancing with someone. He seems to see her as he smiles politely to her. She smiles back but then, "what are you seeing, Chanyeol? Are you eyeing other girls?"  Turns out, he is dancing with Princess Lise, who scarily shouts to him and he gets silenced. Ah Ra gets pissed with that princess again, and then decides to just sneak for eating the food. The foods look nice and she has never seen them in her life. 

"Why are you not dancing?"  A sudden voice comes as she collects the foods onto the plate. 

"There is no one who asks me to dance." 

"Well, let's dance, shall we?"  He then drags her into the dance floor and Ah Ra has too immediately puts the plate. He then guides her to dance and Ah Ra thinks she has never seen this guy before. 

"Who are--"

"Well, this is our first meeting but I feel like I know you a lot, Miss Kwon Ah Ra."  He then speaks, "I have heard you a lot from Anne. She always says that you are her best friend she has ever had in her life." 

"What? How?"

"I am sorry Your Royal Highness Prince Kai,"  A man grips his shoulder. This middle-aged man with black suit is speaking.

"This is rude, General D.O."

"But Her Majesty Queen Mother needs to talk to you." He continues, and Ah Ra's brain seems to work better now. She is shocked to know that the man who dragged her earlier is none other than Prince Kai, brother of King Suho and the current heir apparent of EXO Kingdom. 

"I am so sorry, Miss Kwon,"  Prince Kai says, "but my mother is likely to bother me with her matters. And General D.O,"  he turns to him, "please let my mother know that I will take Miss Kwon back to her room and then I will go to her."  Prince Kai drags her again to get out from the ball with suspicious look given by General D.O. 

"Uh, Your Royal Highness--"

"Please call me Kai." He smiles, "I heard that you were her classmate too, Anne's classmate, I mean." 

"Uh, yes, we were....Kai,"  she steals a glance and sees the prince is okay with how she calls him, "She is actually older by a year, but because she is coming from abroad and can't speak Korean fluently, the school made her one class lower, so I could become her classmate." 

"Wait, you are younger than her by one year?"  He looks so curious, "so you are 18 years old?"

"Yes!"  He then chuckles, "why?"

"No....I mean yes, you people looks so young. I thought you are younger than her by three or four years old. You look so young like a kid."  Ah Ra's eyes are about to pop out. Yes, she is shorter than Anne and of course, this prince, and everyone there. But.....a kid? 

"I am sorry, I don't mean to hurt you, but--"

"That's okay. My foreign teachers also tell that to us."  Ah Ra tries to calm down. She can smack a prince since she can't make any troubles here. She needs to ensure that Anne's name is not tinted by her. 

They walk until they arrive at the front of the door. "Have a good night, Kwon Ah Ra. This night is so wonderful." 

He then grabs her chin and turns it to face him. He then makes her face closer to her....or I should say, he makes her lips close to her. She gulps and then pushes him to make him away from her, due to the shock. 

"Wait!" 

"'Wait'? What is that?"  She spoke Korean suddenly and Prince Kai doesn't understand, "I mean, 'wait!'"  She then makes gesture like a warrior, or you can say power ranger with her hand is in front of her body. 

"Wait? For what?"

"Uh....there is no such things as what you attempted to do in my country. We just bow to each other and then leave."  And so, she bows quickly, "goodbye!"  and she slams the door. Kai looks so dumbfounded. "She can't be bored easily in this country. Not yet now."  

Ah Ra is called to have breakfast at the Queen's chamber. She then only sees Anne. "Where is the King?"

"He has gone. There is an important meeting in Brazil. He is going to attend that."

"Oh...."

"Ah Ra, I am so sorry about last night. People were not kind to you."

"That's okay. I have expected that."  She says that to relieve Anne. Anne smiles lightly, "you have met everybody, haven't you? Including Kai."  Hearing his name makes Ah Ra blushes. She still can remember the almost kiss scene yesterday. It still makes her heart beats faster. 

"I have met her too, Your Majesty."  Butler Baekhyun suddenly talks. 

"Ah yes! I am sorry, Baekhyun!"  Ah Ra sees Baekhyun but he scoffs after seeing Ah Ra. Ah Ra gets pissed. Why is everybody here not so kind to me? Am I some kind of dieseases? 

"So, you have seen General D.O too then."

"Ah, that super strict looking man?"

"Yes. He is close to Queen Mother and Kai rather than to Suho. He holds the highest rank in Royal Guard as well as becomes its leader. He also opposes our marriage." 

"Anne, I will help you! Just tell me what I have to do and I will do it!"  Ah Ra shouts like that since Anne's face is pale after talking about the oppsition. She must endure lots of pressure. 

"Thank you."  She smiles and then gets blank again. Ah Ra snaps her back into the reality, "what is it, Anne? You wanted to talk about something yesterday, right? What is it?"  

Anne looks terrified and the she closes her face with her hands, "I am sorry, Ah Ra! I shouldn't bring you into this mess! I call you to come here because I am scared and I need your help!"

"What is it? What is scaring you?"  

Anne looks recluctant to explain but she goes with it, "the truth is....at the north tower of this palace....there is...."

"What? What is it?"

"There is...."  she gulps, "a ghost." 

"A....GHOST?" 

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