I went down to dinner where Kai was sitting with the King and Queen. I was offered a seat, but politely declined and stood next to my fellow servants along the wall. Kai gave me a pleading look but seeing that I wouldn't come, he began eating. "Son," said the King. "Don't forget your cousin, Princess Catherine, is coming tomorrow to spend the summer with us. I thought it might be a good idea if we let Melody wait on her. It's been such a long time since the Princess has had a lady in waiting while she was here."

Kai bit his lip and looked over at me. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I've only had her for one day!"

The King looked over at me and then asked, "Are you saying she isn't good enough for Catherine?"

"No! No! I'm just saying I've only had her for one day and I like having her around. She makes my life easier." Kai said giving me a small smile. I blushed and looked down at my shoes. "Melody is probably the best servant I've ever had. It would be such a shame to have to give her up so quickly."

"Well she can be with Catherine and when you need her, then she can help you. It's already decided Jongin." The King said sternly. Kai nodded and looked down at his food. He looked kind of sad in my opinion, but I couldn't figure out why. Did he really want me near him at all hours? Could it be that maybe Taemin was right about Kai possibly liking me?

The Queen broke the silence with another piece of news. "But good news Jongin, Sehun is coming tomorrow as well. I know how much you look forward to having your best friend around." Kai gave her a small smile and dinner continued.

After dinner was over, I approached Kai. "Your Highness, there is nothing left on the schedule but free time. Is there anything in particular you'd like to do?"

Kai sighed and said, "I'd like to keep you. With me. But that won't happen."

I smiled at him and said, "If you ever need anything your Highness, you know where I will be. I'll be more than happy to serve you whenever you so wish." I said with a curtsey.

Kai smiled at me and said, "I actually do have something I'd like to do tonight. Will you accompany me?"

I smiled and nodded. I followed him out of the castle and asked, "Where are we going your Highness?"

He smiled at me and grabbed my hand. "We are going to one of my favorite places." He said with sparkling eyes. We walked for a few minutes hand in hand and I couldn't help but blush. His grip was firm yet soft and it seemed that my hand fit perfectly in his.

We came to a clearing and I saw a giant lake. There were trees off in the distance and it was peaceful. There was no one around but us. I looked at the water and saw that the moon and tree silhouettes were reflected clearly. I had never seen such a breathtaking sight. Kai and I stood side by side enjoying the view.

"This place is beautiful, your Highness." I said in awe.

"You're beautiful." I heard Kai mutter under his breath. Kai turned and looked at me, his hand still tightly holding mine. "When we are here, can you drop the formality? You can just call me Kai. Sound good?"

I nodded and said, "Yes, Kai. But wait, isn't Kai only something your close friends call you?"

He laughed and then smiled. I never noticed how cute his smile was until now. He pulled me into a hug and then leaned down to my ear. "I'd love for us to be close." He whispered. His hot breath sent a shiver down my spine that left me immobilized.

I blushed even more than I did before and nodded. " We- we can be close. If you want us to." I was barely able to get any words out. I'm surprised I formed a sentence.

He pulled me in closer and pulled my face close to his so that our noses almost touched. "Is this close enough?" He said with a whisper. I felt his breath on my lips and I could barely stand the tension.

I bit my lip and nodded. "This is perfect." I whispered back.

He took one of his fingers and started lightly tracing lines on my face. "You're right. This is perfect."

He leaned in just a bit closer to where our noses touched and his lips were almost on mine. If either of us even moved a centimeter, I knew they would meet. He stared deeply into my eyes and I was captivated by his. Any thoughts of how he acted earlier were pushed from my brain and all I wanted was to stay like this forever. In his arms, I felt safe and when I looked into his eyes, I felt like nothing but us mattered.

"Would you hate me if I kissed you?" He asked in a barely audible whisper. I watched as his lips trembled with every word. I've never seen someone this vulnerable before. I've only known him for a few days, but every part of me was dying to be closer to him, to kiss him, and to be kissed by him.

"I could never ha-" My response was caught off by his lips brush gently against mine. I was so caught off guard by the softness of his lips that I couldn't even register what just happened. My eyes widened and I'm almost positive I stopped breathing.

Seeing my stunned expression, he kissed me again, this time with more force. This time my lips responded by kissing him back just the same, which made him smile and deepen the kiss more. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he tightened his arms around my waist. Our lips moved together in a perfect rhythm and we only stopped so we could catch our breath.

Both of us were breathing heavily, but I wanted to kiss him again. We stayed in each other's arms and simply looked into each other's eyes. I could feel his heart beating in time with mine and I wondered if he felt the same.

He was the first to break the beautiful silence that had fallen between us. "I've wanted to do that since you got here." He murmured into my ear.

"You could have." I said kissing him once more. I quickly looked down realizing I may have overstepped my bounds and tried to pull away.

He held me tight with one arm and lifted my chin with his finger so that I was looking at him again. In one swift motion, he planted his lips on mine, taking my breath away. He pulled away from me slightly and said, "There's no need to be so nervous after you kiss me."

"But servants don't just go around kissing the Prince whenever they want. It's probably punishable or something. You can kiss me whenever because you're the Prince but I'm-" Kai reached a finger up to my lips telling me to stop.

"You're the girl that I want. Here, I'm not the Prince and you're not a servant. Here, I'm just a guy and you're just a girl." He said with a smile. I smiled at him and he continued. "Well, you're not just any girl. You're..." It was so cute how he was trying to cover his tracks so that I wouldn't be offended. Quickly, I hugged him and he sighed in relief. He sat on the grass and then patted the spot beside him urging me to sit down.

"We should probably get back." I said not wanting to get into trouble.

He smiled and said, "Actually we can stay here as long as we like. I come here and stay for hours and no one ever notices. Do you want to go?" He asked.

I smiled and sat down next to him. "I don't ever want to leave."

He wrapped an arm around me and I leaned in so that my head was resting on his shoulder. He rested his head on top of mine and sighed. "How do you feel about me?" He asked.

I took in a deep breath. How do I answer that? "Honestly?" I asked.

"Yes honestly." He said.

"I want to but..." My voice trailed off.

He lifted his head and said, "But? But what?"

"I..." I started stuttering and had to compose myself. "I don't get it. Why were you so mean to me today? But then at times you were sweet. And just now you've kissed me. It's so confusing. I don't even know if you like me or not."

He wrapped his other arm around me and pulled me in for a hug. "I... It's hard to explain. Have you ever been caught between who you really are and who you're expected to be?"

"No." I said.

"Well that's what it's like being me. I'm expected to be stern and bossy when dealing with servants. But when I'm with you, all I want to do is be with you and get to know you. But with people around, I can't do that. I feel like a robot. It's like I have to turn off me, so that I can be what's expected of me." I looked at his eyes and I could tell that he was tearing up.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. "So you're telling me that the mean horrible Prince I dealt with today isn't actually you? You aren't actually a huge jerk?" I asked already knowing the answer.

I could tell that my words struck a chord with him. He looked up at me as a single tear fell down his cheek. "I promise you it's not. The guy who you were with when we were alone, that's the real me. I'm not an actual jerk. It's all just a show for Mom and Dad. They taught me to be like that to servants, but to me you aren't a servant or a peasant!"

I wiped the tear off his cheek and kissed the spot where it had been. "So who am I with now? Prince Jongin, his royal highness? Or am I with Kai the guy I met at the market?" I asked jokingly.

He stood up and pulled me up as well. He looked at me with a serious face and said, "You're with the real me. A guy who has a huge crush on you and I can't do anything to stop it. Every moment I spend with you makes me like you more. Every time you speak, it just makes me want to be yours. And every time you look into my eyes, it only validates the other two so much more."

After confessing his feelings, he quickly looked down at the ground as if he were embarrassed. His words were so sweet and genuine. I knew he was telling the truth, but I couldn't let him off that easily for his actions earlier.

"Are you blushing?!" I asked teasingly while trying to get a view of his face. He tried hiding from me but eventually I got him to look at me by tickling him. "You are blushing! I knew it!" He blushed even more and looked back at the ground. I wrapped my arms around him and I leaned my lips next to his ear like he's done to me so many times, which I knew for a fact always made me melt into a puddle. "Well guess what? I have a crush on someone too."

I smirked and pulled away from him acting like I was going to leave when he grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Tell me, it's me. Please tell me, it's me." He sounded so cute and so vulnerable. He pleaded me with his eyes. I could tell he was nervous and that this wasn't something he normally did.

I took in a deep breath and said, "It's Taemin."