Chapter One

First Impressions, Worst Impressions

After Prince Sehun’s publicity stunt on the night of King Joonmyun’s party, he spent the rest of his night locked behind the wooden door. When he had dumped piles upon piles of food on the royal guests, nobody knew what to do with him. This was supposed to be Baekhyun’s (Joonmyun’s) big night where he would decide on his rightful bride (and give their kingdom a good review). Finally, after hours of formulating, the Kim family had decided on what his punishment would be: the Wus were going to take Sehun in for the summer. It was a fitting discipline for transgression, the royal family had thought. However, Sehun would put up a fight, not doubt about it. He was mischief mayhem in the flesh.

Before the sun prepared to rest for the night, King Joonmyun planted his feet firmly outside his son’s door. With no more than a preparatory sigh, he wiggled the knob. Hardly enough to startle the sleeping prince, the door creaked open. Sehun, who was already long asleep, stirred up from his nap. Earlier that day, Joonmyun spent a good three hours trying to figure out a conceivable lie to tell his son. Of course, he realized how slim of chance it was that the master of deception himself would believe him. Waiting for his acknowledgement, Joonmyun stood beside his Sehun’s bed.

“What do you want?” Sehun growled, “Finally gonna give me my rations for the day.” Bitterness and taunting laced around his words.

“Pack your things,” Joonmyun replied, tossing him a suitcase.

“…Why?” Sehun asked, raising his eyebrows. “Is this some kind of trick?”

“No! You’re free from the castle ‘imprisonment,’” Joonmyun laughed, “So pack your things. Vacation awaits.”

Much to Joonmyun’s surprise, Sehun obliged. As Sehun quietly packed, Joonmyun’s stomach twisted. What if this was the wrong decision? His youngest son would suffer an unreasonable amount all because of one silly prank. He shoved away those negative thoughts. Action was absolutely mandatory.

“I don’t mean to rush you, but we need to leave before the sun sets,” Joonmyun explained, an underlying hint of teasing in his voice.

“Whatever! I’ll be done in five minutes,” Sehun snarled, fiercely shoving his fancy prince clothes in the bag. Joonmyun noted the finely tailored shirts and his reflection in the chestnut loafers staring back at him.

Joonmyun bit his lip. “Don’t you have anything less…fancy?”

"How about you pack for me then?” Sehun muttered. Joonmyun smacked his hands together.

"Great idea, Sehun! Move, move! Let me pack,” he insisted, lightly pushing his son away. Sehun rolled his eyes.  

"You act younger than me,” he complained, grumbling incoherent curses under his breathe.

As the sun sank lower below the horizon, King Yixing convened everyone in front of the fountain. Sehun peered back at the castle. He rarely ever noticed the true aesthetic of his home. Leading up to the castle was a trail of white concrete bricks complemented by the golden railings. They protected anybody permitted past the circular resting place surrounding the fountain from falling down into the river and lake below. Most of the castle had an ivory tint and small red roofs that had golden . The castle itself had three layers; the lowest layer resided just below the first dam, which poured overflowing river water into a tiny reservoir. This layer contained the castle’s only shrine—the one dedicated to Sehun’s ancestor, Kim Exodus—and it was open to the public by a small dirt path leading down the patch of water. From there, they would have to take the ferry across for no more than two coins. If one stayed on the brick trail, they would find themselves in from of the main entrance to the castle—one only used by royals and servants. All of the main castle rooms were here: the ballroom, kitchen, dining room, throne, library, and servant rooms. No outsiders could pass through the large columns that guarded the royal blue doors. Out of all of the roofs, this section was the only one with a baby blue roof. Sehun liked how it differed from the rest. As for the highest layer, a stone bridge led to that corner of the castle, where all of the royal bedrooms were. Frankly, its separation from the rest of the castle, as well as the way it was perched atop a large hill in the middle of the river, made it the perfect place for some kind of tragedy.

Sehun must have been staring off into space as Yixing’s concerned voice rung through his head, “Hun? Aren’t you coming?” He jolted forward. After regaining his composure, Sehun cleared his throat.

“Yes, dad,” he said, voice cracking a bit at the end. Unusually, however, neither Baekhyun nor Jongin for his voice. Both of them just stared blankly at the floor of the carriage. Sehun ignored their behavior and hopped inside. His mind bounced at the thought of escaping from that dreadful room.

---

Humming to himself, Luhan gazed up at the bright pink petals blowing in the wind above his head. Across the horizon, the sky faded from yellow to orange to pink as the sun set for the day. Evergreen, moss, and the occasional flower grew freely on the outside brick walls of his home. Their little beige cottage resides on the very edge of the kingdom. Likewise, they rarely had visitors. Personally, Luhan preferred it that way. Less people meant less drama and more time for himself. He sighed, closing his eyes as a gentle breeze threaded through his hair. It would be long until he would have fallen into a peaceful nap, but no, the universe wasn’t having that. The sound of horse hoofs clacking up the dirt path slowly pulled him out of his dreamy state. Luhan groaned vivacious enough for the visitors to hear.

“Oh, sweet visitors, welcome to our humble abode! How may I help you on this fine day?” Luhan sarcastically exclaimed (frankly, he thought it was one of his friends stopping by) as he rose from his slumped position. He bowed obnoxiously before letting out a breathing cackle. That’s when he glanced up to find the great royal family themselves staring him down. While most looked down on him with judgment, the one with hooded eyes had a confused, yet slightly amused expression. It was cute. King Yixing offered him a gracious smile. His eyes narrowed. “Oh, hello. What do you want?”

“We are on crucial business to punish our youngest. We’re sorry to bother you, bambi,” Yixing explained with a slight tease. Everyone’s eyes shot toward him in bewilderment. Luhan blushed. Furrowing his eyebrows, Sehun gaped.

“Whoa wait a second! What-“he was cut off by his father and Luhan’s conversation.

“I told you to stop calling me that, Xing,” Luhan replied whiningly, folding his arms, “I don’t entirely believe you, though. After all, you were the worst prankster of them all. Whatever, though. My parents will tend to you shortly, oh grand one.” He strutted back over to his big cherry tree and hopped on the swing.

A few mouths dropped at Luhan’s words, but Yixing merely laughed out, “He’s always been a silly one. Definitely gets that from me.”

“Why do I know so little about your adolescence?” Joonmyun inquired jokingly, but he couldn’t maintain eye contact.

“Hold on! What am I doing here?” Sehun demanded, but everyone shushed him as Tao Wu stepped out of the house. Therefore, he resorted to eyeing the pretty boy swinging in the corner. Luhan sealed his eyes shut, the wind threading through his bright honey hair out of his face. As a small smile spread across the older male’s cheeks, Sehun blushed. He seemed so happy, so content with life. Sehun wanted that.

“Yixing!” Tao squealed, sprinting up to the carriage. “How come it took you so long to get down here?”

Yixing smiled. “I’m busy, Taozi. I’m here on strict business only,” he sadly elucidated.

“You’re always so busy~” Tao giggled.

“Is the other half here?” Joonmyun asked, eyes twitching. Tao nodded before hastily retrieving him. Joonmyun leaned over to Yixing, “You’re telling me your whole life story when we get home.” Yixing chuckles, but doesn’t reply.

Soon enough, Tao and Yifan return, hand in hand. First, Sehun notices are their impressive heights, both of them being well over six foot. Clearly, Luhan didn’t inherit that trait. They both gave off those ‘too good too care’ vibes, but just one conversation with them seemed destroyed that idea right away. Their stone cold faces would melt in an instant. Sehun couldn’t stand living with their types.

“Hello again, Yifan,” Joonmyun greeted awkwardly. Before Yifan could reply, he cleared his throat. “Our youngest son over there, Sehun, has…stepped over the line recently in terms of pranks. As punishment, we want him to live with your family for three months. Are we clear?”

Slack-jawed, Luhan listened with full immersion. The thought of another housemate—one of the royal family, at that—sent him into the wall. Not only was Prince Sehun a member of the royal family and a complete stranger, but there had been rumors flying around town that he caught a cold as a child and it lasted so long that it became a part of his personality. In every lie, there is a speck of truth.

Tao bowed promptly. “O-Of course, your majesty! I’ll prepare Luhan’s room right away,” he stuttered out before running off. Yifan blinked several times then shrugged.

“I’m sure Luhan will enjoy the company. He’s been very lonely these days,” Yifan said thoughtfully.

Luhan scoffed. Oh, but it was quite the contrary, Luhan thought. Sehun felt his stomach twist. Living with the Wus sounded like his own private hell. Somehow, with this harmless prank, Sehun got the VIP pass into hell’s exclusive layer. Watching on his skull and bone throne, Lucifer was probably cackling to himself. Not only that, but now Sehun would be living with Wu Luhan for three months and, by the way his face scrunched up, Luhan didn’t seem too happy about it either. He bet Lucifer really loved the show right about now.

“Excuse me? Don’t I get a say in this?” Sehun greaved, flailing his arms up into the air.

“You committed the crime, now you must commit the time to better yourself,” Jongin mocked in his haughty accent. Joonmyun shot him a glare. Out of the corner of his eye, Sehun noticed Luhan chuckling to himself. Fury boiled inside of him.

“This is absolute bull,” Sehun barked, stomping off the carriage.

“Lu?” Yifan called sweetly. Luhan’s head shot up, but only glared at the carriage of strangers.

“…What?” he mumbled, walking back over to his father casually.

“Now that things are changing for a little while, I think-“Yifan started, but Luhan cut him off with protest.

“No,” Luhan concluded.

“This could be beneficial to you,” Yifan insisted.

“Absolutely not,” Luhan snarled.

“Luhan, you need to stop-“Once again Yifan’s words were cut short.

“I’m not doing anything,” Luhan retorted.

“Exactly! You never do anything! You will take care of your younger, Sehun, for the next three months. No buts,” Yifan commanded, shaking his finger at Luhan’s growing pout.

Luhan sighed, “Fine,” he turned to Sehun with a grin, “You’re mine for the summer.”

---

For the majority of the rest of the evening, Sehun and Luhan interacted a minimal amount. Only tiny bits of small talk initiated by Tao or Yifan as they sat the kitchen. No matter how hard he tried, Luhan couldn’t think of the right thing to say. Everything sounded either too formal or too casual. Not only that but, his fathers could hear every little thing he said. He had no time to deal with their silliness. Luhan wanted to know everything about the castle—from the people to the décor to routines—every single thing.

After dinner, the pair finally got their awaited alone time together. Sehun meekly thanked them for the delicious meal, but he hardly touched anything with a slightly green tint of his plate. If Sehun were his actual younger friend, as most of his friends are, Luhan would have shook his finger at him. Tao ushered them into Luhan’s bedroom with a gentle nudge. Suddenly too shy to do anything, Sehun stood in the doorway like a deer in headlights.

“You can sit down, you know,” Luhan said at last, relieving his nerves. Sehun took a seat right beside Luhan with only a bit of hesitation. “I’m not gonna bite, you know?”

“I snthow,” Sehun croaked out, his nervous lisp showing.

“A lisp,” Luhan smiled, “Cute.”

A sudden surge of confidence rushing through his body, Sehun arched his eyebrow and scoffed. “Whatever floats your boat, bambi.”

“Bambi? I’m not a twelve year old girl, your majesty,” Luhan laughed tensely.

“You sure do look like one,” he sneered, crossing his arms.

Luhan furrowed his brow. “Excuse me?”

“Never mind,” Sehun sweetly replied.

From there, Luhan tried to shrug off Sehun’s terrible first impression. Perhaps he was just nervous. After all, he was living with a family that differed so much from his own for the entire summer. Besides, Luhan firmly believed there was always something underneath. People may not always have the best of intentions, but there is some good within everyone. Whether Sehun meant what he said or not, Luhan wanted to get to know him this summer. Their alone time together allowed the perfect opportunity to not only strengthen their bond, but also expand his knowledge on the castle. Luhan leaned in close to Sehun’s face.

“What’s the castle like?” he asked quietly, voice dripping with curiousity. Although Luhan’s perfect face was so close to his own, Sehun stared into his large orbs with disinterest.

“Big, bold, and surprisingly boring,” Sehun responded monotonously. Luhan’s face dropped.

“And the people?” Luhan’s voice went higher.

“Even worse. Rude, careless, and vile creatures. Never talk to them myself,” Sehun snorted, “their peasants.”

Luhan frowned. “And what’s wrong with that?”

“Everything,” Sehun exaggerated, “You all soak in pigs’ filth for Exodus’ sake.”

“I can assure you we don’t, Mr. Privileged,” Luhan hissed.

In response, Sehun flicked his forehead. “You don’t understand, commoner. I was born into the best of the best and to be living here beside you is a stain on my honor. I suppose that this encounter will make your poor little family known. It’s a blessing for you and a curse for me,” he digressed pompously.

“As I expected, Prince Sehun is an arrogant donkey who can’t tell his from his face,” Luhan deadpanned. Sehun sat stunned by Luhan’s stimulus reaction. No one ever dared call Prince Sehun a donkey—a conceited one at that. Eyes fixated on Luhan as the older got up, Sehun thought up every insult he could think of. Luhan’s bitter voice broke him from his trance, “Aren’t you gonna get ready for bed, Sehun?”

After Sehun snuggled himself into the spare bed, he continued to stare at Luhan as he prepared himself for bed. Who would’ve thought that such a beautiful face could belong to such a horrible commoner? These next three months could be hell for him. Sehun wanted to make it hell for Luhan, but he decided he would resist the temptation. Hell for Luhan would make it even worse himself. Luhan snored softly. He must already be asleep. Flipping over, Sehun groaned. Luhan made this harder with his cheerfulness, precious distant smiles, and unwavering stubbornness. They always say to never fall for book by its cover. That’s what Sehun always believe and that’s what Sehun will always follow. Indeed, this whole ordeal was rather sadistic. Dozing off, Sehun felt the sharp pain of homesickness as the sandman sent him into a deep sleep