“Of course, that’s just a load of rubbish,” Jongin said, pulling himself away from Juhyeon, “love doesn’t exist.” He removed the gloves from his hands and tossed it towards Mr. Jo who caught them swiftly. “I’ll be on my way. Please ensure she arrives safely in Andelphia, Mr. Jo,” Jongin instructed as he made his way towards the door. “Rest assured I will make sure she arrives there without a scratch, Lord Kai,” Mr. Jo reassured. “What about school? Haneul will freak out if she finds out that I’m missing,” Juhyeon asked. Mr. Jo chuckled, “That will be taken care of. We aren’t demons for nothing, princess.”

Juhyeon changed out of the dress and thanked Mr. Jo once more for the beautiful piece of clothing. “You have amazing talent, Mr. Jo. Maybe I could learn a few skills from you some day,” she said with a smile. Mr. Jo flashed her a wide grin and nodded enthusiastically. “I look forward to that day, princess. Now, how about a tour around the castle before we send you to Andelphia?” he offered. Juhyeon nodded and linked her arm with Mr. Jo’s before the both of them stepped out of the room and started their tour.

The castle was huge and grand, just as Juhyeon expected it to be. Walls were mostly painted either red or black, and the windows were tinted such that it was almost impossible to look outside.  The staircases were made of bones that were polished to shine like marble, which made Juhyeon feel extremely uncomfortable every time she stepped on them. Guards roamed different areas of the castle, each of them wearing a black robe and having a sword attached to their sides.

“And this, is the royal library,” Mr. Jo introduced as they stepped into one of the most heavily guarded rooms. “Why are there so many guards outside?” Juhyeon asked as they passed by the many shelves that carried books of different thickness and languages. “The royal library is one of the most sacred places in this castle. Certain books in this library hold some of the darkest secrets in Mellow History, which would be terribly dangerous if they fell in the wrong hands,” Mr. Jo explained, “especially when the wedding is just around the corner.”

Mr. Jo came to a sudden stop as he turned to Juhyeon with an alarmed expression. His tone was urgent as he warned, “Princess, if I may ask of you, please protect yourself well during this crucial period. It is of utmost importance that you do not let anything or anyone harm you before the wedding ceremony takes place. If you find yourself in trouble, call for help. Call for Lord Kai or your parents. Do anything to keep yourself safe, do you understand?” Juhyeon nodded as she stared at Mr. Jo, confused. “Yes, but why?” Without giving an answer, Mr. Jo turned away and Juhyeon felt herself falling into darkness.

. . .

Slowly, Juhyeon opened her eyes to find herself lying on a queen-sized bed in an unfamiliar room. She was dressed in a white gown and had her hair in a loose braid. The walls were painted white and the ceiling showed the stars in a clear night sky, almost as if there wasn’t a roof over her head. She got out of bed and rushed towards the door, only to find a man dressed in white standing outside. “Good evening, Princess. Is there anything you need help with?” he asked. He had big and round eyes, with his soft brown hair styled upwards. Juhyeon was sure he was about her age.

“Who are you?” she asked. “My name is Do Kyungsoo, the royal guard of this castle. It is an honor to meet you, Princess,” he greeted with a smile. Juhyeon couldn’t help but smile back at his gentle and kind tone, not to mention his dashing smile.  There was a loud chime of bells as the two were engaged in their introductions. Kyungsoo extended out his hand and bowed slightly. “May I have the honor of escorting the Princess to dinner?” Laughing, Juhyeon took his hand and the two of them made their way towards the dining hall. “You don’t have to be all formal around me, it’s not something I’m used to yet, honestly.”

It was a long walk to the dining hall considering how huge the castle was, but Juhyeon didn’t mind since she was with her new friend. “So you had to stay in the castle the entire time the war was going on? What about your family?” Juhyeon asked. Their conversation had been directed to the war between the angels and demons before the marriage was announced, and Juhyeon was completely interested about everything that had happened.

“My father was one of the leaders of the army, so he fought in the battle. My mother was a nurse and she helped to cure injured soldiers during the war. They died in the war,” he said, pausing the let out a sigh before he continued, “I was one of the lucky ones who were asked to protect the insides of the castle from intruders, which would be the safest job since soldiers at the battlefield would never allow the demons to get anywhere close to the castle.”

“I’m sorry about your parents, Kyungsoo,” Juhyeon apologized, feeling guilty about asking about his family. He shook his head and gave a reassuring smile. “It’s fine, Princess. My parents died a very honorable death and I am so proud to be called their son. Besides, they never really left me because they’re always in here,” he said as he placed his free hand over his heart. Their conversation came to an end as Kyungsoo left Juhyeon at the grand dining table and the maids started to lay a wide variety of dishes onto the table.

Juhyeon felt so small as she sat at the table all alone, and she wished that Kyungsoo hadn’t left her to eat by herself. Once the dishes were all nicely laid out in front of her, Juhyeon grabbed her fork and started to dig in.

After finishing her meal, Juhyeon thanked the maids and she made her way back to her room, struggling to retrace back the route she had taken with Kyungsoo. It was already dark outside and the castle was so quiet that Juhyeon found it creepy. “Good evening, Princess,” Jongin greeted. Juhyeon was surprised by Jongin’s sudden appearance and let out a small yelp. “Don’t do that!” she scolded, folding her arms. Jongin let out a low chuckle and shook his head. “Always so weak, you angels,” he commented.

“What are you doing here?” Juhyeon asked, amused at how Jongin looked uncomfortable being in the Land of the Angels. “I have a task to do,” he replied nonchalantly. “What task?” she asked again. “It’s an endless and vicious cycle having to fulfill nonsensical expectations; something you wouldn’t understand,” he said without sparing her a glance. Juhyeon made a face at him. “Do you know of anyone or anything that might want to destroy our wedding? You know, something dangerous?” Juhyeon asked, suddenly remembering Mr. Jo’s warning.

Jongin seemed to stiffen at her question but nevertheless regained his composure almost instantly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Don’t go around asking silly questions like that, it’s not amusing.” With that, he disappeared.

Realizing that she had no idea where she was now, Juhyeon started to panic. She was alone and it was dark in the castle; two things that didn’t go well together. “K-Kyungsoo?” she stuttered, looking around as her voice echoed through the empty hallways. “I’m coming, Princess!” To Juhyeon’s relief, she could hear Kyungsoo’s voice and his quickened footsteps. “Sorry, I didn’t know you could eat so fast. I went back to the dining hall and the maids told me that you left already,” he explained, placing his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

When he stopped panting, the two of them made their way back to Juhyeon’s room. “Call for me if you need any help. I’ll be standing guard outside the entire night,” he told her. Juhyeon gave a quick nod and rubbed her tired eyes. “Goodnight, Kyungsoo.” As she closed the door, she could hear a soft “Goodnight, Princess” from Kyungsoo.