Juhyeon lay perfectly still in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The night was perfectly silent, and the only sound she could hear was her own breathing. She turned her head ever so slightly to peek at the sleeping demon next to her. Juhyeon watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and wondered what he was dreaming about, or if he was even dreaming at all.

Jongin had refused to leave Juhyeon’s house that night, claiming that the Mellow Army was having a celebratory party in the castle and it’d be too noisy for him to sleep. Being the nice and kind-hearted angel she was, she let him stay for the night even though her insides were completely protesting against it.

As she stared at him, she let out a deep sigh. Juhyeon had always imagined herself getting married to a guy she was deeply in love with, and they’d spend the rest of their lives together as a happy couple. Sadly, ‘love’ never existed in a demon’s dictionary. The demons didn’t believe in love; they believed in lust and greed. Juhyeon couldn’t imagine what would her future be like after getting married to Jongin – it all seemed too absurd.

“Stop staring at me,” Jongin spoke, his eyes opening so suddenly that it surprised Juhyeon. “Sorry,” she apologized, turning her attention back to the ceiling. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?” he asked, adjusting his position so that he would be facing her. She shrugged, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling she had under his gaze. “What do you think about the marriage?” she asked, completely ignoring his question. “It’s just a show to bring about peace, that’s all. Nothing more, nothing less,” he stated nonchalantly.

Juhyeon readjusted her position so that she would be facing him now. “But don’t you want to get married to someone you love?” she asked. He chuckled and shook his head. “Love? Love doesn’t exist, my dear. You angels believe in the most ridiculous things,” he said. She pouted, unsatisfied with his answer. “Love does exist! And it isn’t ridiculous,” she protested. Jongin raised an eyebrow and protested back, “Love is just a form of greed, isn’t it? You want someone to care for you and love you, and you want that person all to yourself. Isn’t that greed?”

She paused for a moment to let his words sink in. He made so much sense yet no sense at the same time. ­“Why do your people call you Lord Kai?” she asked, ignoring his question for the second time that night. Jongin let out a yawn, getting bored of the conversation they were having. “They are not worthy of calling me by my real name, so they call me Lord Kai. Be honored that you have the privilege to call me Jongin, princess.”

“Now go to sleep, I think the King and Queen want to see you,” he instructed. Excited at the mention of her parents, she squeezed her eyes shut and let her thoughts flow out of her mind. Taking deep breaths, she calmed herself down and waited for sleep to overwhelm her. It was easier than she had imagined because in a few seconds, she was asleep.

“Mother!” Juhyeon called out, immediately recognizing the gorgeous lady in front of her. Without hesitation, she pulled her mother into an embrace. The Queen let out a laugh and wrapped her arms around Juhyeon, glad that they were able to meet again. “How have you been, my dear?” she asked. Juhyeon pulled away and frowned. “I’ve been really confused recently. It’s really hard for me to accept everything,” she blurted out honestly. The Queen held onto her daughter’s hand and flashed an apologetic look. “I’m really sorry you have to do this,” she said, regret obvious in her tone.

Juhyeon smiled and shook her head, squeezing her mother’s hand reassuringly. “It’s fine, mother. If it brings about peace and happiness to everyone, I’ll be more than glad to do it,” she said. A smile spread across the Queen’s face and she let out a sigh of relief. “Just remember that I’ll always be there to protect you, okay?” Juhyeon gave a firm nod at her mother’s words. Wanting to change the subject, Juhyeon asked, “Am I allowed to roam around Andelphia? It is my home, after all.” Juhyeon had been curious about how Andelphia was like after her first experience there and was more than elated to be back again.

The Queen nodded and showed her the way to the gates of the castle. “Only for half an hour, alright? You still have school to attend tomorrow,” instructed the Queen. Juhyeon gave a thumbs up and bid goodbye to her mother before heading out. She roamed around the area aimlessly, admiring the beauty of nature around her. The trees seemed to have lives of their own as it looked like they were waving at her as she walked past them. The fresh air, chirping birds and gentle breeze was all it took to make Juhyeon feel at home.

Not long later, she arrived at a little village where life was simple and quiet. She watched as little children ran freely across the fields and giggled their hearts out while their parents watched on with delighted smiles on their faces. One of the little boys noticed Juhyeon and pointed towards her, excitement written all over his face. “Look! It’s the princess!” he called out and suddenly, all the attention was on her.

Juhyeon stood there awkwardly and blushed, not used to so much attention. The little boy ran up to her and bowed, his head just inches away from his knees. “ANNYEONGHASEYO!” he greeted cheerfully, a wide grin across his face. “Are you Princess Kim Juhyeon, the daughter of our King and Queen?” he asked, wide eyes looking up at Juhyeon. Juhyeon smiled and bent down to pinch his cheek. “Yes, I am. And you are?” The boy giggled and bowed again to introduce himself. “I’m Bang Kangwoo! It’s nice to meet you noona, you’re so pretty!”

A crowd had already formed around Juhyeon and the air was filled with excited murmurings. “Appa and Umma told me that you’re the one who managed to stop the bad guys from destroying our homes and taking my toys away! You know, it was really scary when I saw the bad guys set fire to the trees… But it’s okay now since you and Lord Kai are getting married, right? You two are going to live happily ever after and so am I!” Kangwoo chirped. Juhyeon gave him a pat on the head and nodded, not knowing what to say.

She stood up straight and looked around her. People were looking at her with respect, admiration and gratefulness. Their smiles were so bright and genuine that Juhyeon didn’t want to imagine those smiles being taken away from them. She understood why she had to carry on with the marriage now – for their happiness.

Slowly, the murmurings around her started to fade and she felt herself grow sleepy. Well aware that she was about to go back to the human world, she bowed to those around her and bid them goodbye.

Juhyeon opened her eyes to find that Jongin was still in bed, sleeping soundly next to her. Now that it was bright outside and the sunlight made his features more visible, Juhyeon realized that he didn’t look as cold as she thought he was. “Didn’t I tell you to stop staring?” he asked, surprising her once again. She apologized quickly and sat up; embarrassed that she got caught staring at him twice. “I’ll be back after settling some issues in the castle,” he whispered, lips so near to her ear that it sent shivers down her spine, “see you, princess.” And with that, he disappeared.

Juhyeon thought about the little boy she had met in Andelphia. “You two are going to live happily ever after and so am I!” His words echoed in her head. Juhyeon ran her fingers through her tangled hair and in a firm voice, said to herself, “You can do it, Kim Juhyeon!”