“Oh Jae~ they’re here.” Changmin teased, seeing the royal couple and the prince coming out of a car. Jaejoong walked up to him, shutting off the screen that Changmin had been using to spy on the guests.

“I thought you came here to help me?”

“You know me, Jae. I’m only helpful when it comes to finishing your food. Plus, if I’m not here, who else is going to witness you being thrown into this kind of mess?” Changmin asked, heading to the stove and seeing what Jaejoong had done.

Since Jaejoong’s talk with his father last night, Jaejoong only had a short time to plan for the dessert menu as well as prepare the ingredients. It’s not that he hates doing things so fast but this arranged marriage is going on at such a rapid pace.

“Don’t that.” Jaejoong warned, stopping Changmin from tasting the chocolate that he had just melted.

“But I want some.” Jaejoong used another spoon before scooping a small amount of the chocolate and feeding it to Changmin.

“How is it?” Jaejoong asked, being rather hopeful.

“Bitter.” His best friend replied, reaching out for another spoonful.

“No! Stop it, Min. These are for the guests. Why don’t you just go out and accompany Daddy outside?”

“Yeah yeah.” Changmin rolled his eyes, making his way out of the kitchen after taking off the apron that he had been using.

He walked to the living room, stopping short right at the door. He knocks twice before peeking in.

“Ah Changmin. Come in, son.” Changmin tried hard not to laugh hearing how his best friend’s father behave.

Even in front of an important businessman, there is no way Kim Kangwoo will call him his son. Of course, the royal family is different.

“Good evening. My name is Shim Changmin. I am an acquaintance with the Kim Family. It is nice to meet you.” Changmin said, putting on his best smile as he bows in front of the royal family.

“I believe you must have met my son in school.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We are in the same class.” Changmin said, smiling at the king.

“Sit down, Changmin ah.” Kangwoo said, patting the empty seat beside him.

“Ah, it’s alright. I’m just here to inform you that dinner is almost done. I hope you could wait for a little while more.”

“Of course, son.” The king said, turning behind to address something with his own butler. Kangwoo grab hold of Changmin before the man could leave.

“Where is Jaejoong? Why is he taking so long?” Kangwoo asked, whispering so the family sitting opposite him wouldn’t hear.

“He is finishing up with the decoration. I think he should be getting ready soon. He will meet everyone at the dining room.” Changmin whispered back, relaying the message that Jaejoong had given him.

“Alright. Go and get Jaejoong to prepare faster.” This time, Kangwoo had said that louder. Changmin bowed once again before leaving the room.

“I’m sorry but my son is very particular on first impressions. He wants to make sure the dinner goes well so he is running late on getting ready. I hope you would understand, Your Majesties.” Kangwoo said, bowing too.

“Let’s not be so formal with ourselves. After all, we are going to be one family soon.” Ilwoo said, wanting to be closer to the family of the man that had saved his father, the late king.

“I will do anything so that you may be comfortable here, sir.” Kangwoo said.

The two men continued talking together with the queen while Yunho sat down by himself feeling rather bored. He glanced behind him, seeing Donghae standing close. Yunho signalled Donghae to come near.

“Can you give me my phone?” Yunho asked softly. Donghae bowed down, leaning closer towards Yunho.

“Sir, if what I think is correct, you are going to play games on your phone. I advise you not to do that, especially in front of your future father-in-law.” Donghae replied, straightening up before taking two steps back. Yunho glared at Donghae and the man just gave him a smile, laughing at his friend’s misery.

“Yunho?”

“Yes Father.” Turning to look at his parents, he smiled again.

“Why don’t you go and get Kim Jaejoong from his room?”

“Me?”

“Yes you. You don’t mind, Kangwoo?” Ilwoo said, asking Jaejoong’s father for permission.

“Ah of course not. Jaejoong’s room is right down the hall, one floor up.”

“We’ll meet you at dinner then.” Ilwoo told his son.

“Yes sir.” Yunho mumbled, loud enough for them to hear before standing up. Donghae followed Yunho as he walks to the door.

“Yunho, why don’t you go alone? You’re meeting your fiance, not a minister. I don’t think you should bring Donghae with you.” The queen said. Yunho took a deep breath, not wanting to ruin the happy atmosphere in the room.

“Of course, Mother. Stand down, Donghae. I will go by myself.” Yunho said, leaving the room immediately.

Yunho closed the door before grunting inwardly. He dragged his feet through the corridor, walking pass door after door. He finally reached the end of the hallway, a spiral staircase leading to a room on the second level. Looking up to the closed door, Yunho sighed.

“What is going on with my life even? I’m in love with someone who betrays me and here I am, going to meet my future partner in marriage. This is all your fault, Grandpa.” Yunho mumbled, climbing up the stairs.

Yunho knocked on the door twice once he had reached the second floor. Yet, no one responded.

Inside the vast room, Jaejoong was worrying over two different outfits for the dinner.

“Damn it! I should have seen that enemy.” Changmin moaned once again, throwing his phone on the bed when he lost another game.

“You know, instead of complaining about your lack of skills in playing games, why don’t you help me with this?” Jaejoong complained, seeing that his friend was being nothing but a nuisance in his room now.

“Alright alright! Geez, you can’t even choose your own outfit. How am I going to leave you with the prince alone?” Changmin looked at the two suits that Jaejoong had laid on the bed.

“So?” Jaejoong asked, hopeful on his choices.

“Say, don’t you have that Armani suit at your wardrobe downstairs?”

“But I wore that two weeks ago. For that dinner with the Finance Minister, remember?”

“And you can’t wear that again, why?” Changmin asked, not able to understand why his childhood friend can’t just use that.

“I need something new and these are the two new suits that I just bought. So, help me choose one!” Jaejoong was almost going nuts trying to pick the right outfit for the dinner.

He knew he was running late but meeting the royal family who are supposed to be his future in-laws meant that he needs to leave a really good first impression. Changmin stared at the two suits again before grabbing white suit instead of the black one.

"A white suit? Really?" Jaejoong questioned him, not sure of Changmin's choice.

"Yes. The black one makes yourself look ier. It's a dinner with the royal family, not a birthday party with strippers. The white one will show how pure and innocent you are. A good image to show your future parents, right?"

"Oh great! Thanks Changmin. You're the best! I love you so much." Jaejoong said, hugging the man tightly.

"Only in this kind of situation will you actually thank me. I love you too, Jaejun ah." Changmin said, hugging the man back.

"Remind me to get Heechul to buy you those pancakes you were craving."

"Good. Now hur-"

"Jaejoong?" The two friends looked to the door that had opened. Yunho walks in to the makeshift wardrobe.

"Wow, I thought this was your room." Yunho commented, looking around the huge room.

He had entered through the doors only to find that the room was filled with jewelry and a work station. Walking further, he heard people talking behind another door.

Lo and behold, there was Jaejoong hugging another man. As much as he felt strange about it, Yunho wanted to pry the two of them away from each other after seeing how tight they had hugged one another.

"You have a really big room for a 19 year old." Jaejoong immediately lets go of Changmin, staring at Yunho awkwardly.

"How did you get in here?" Jaejoong asked.

"Apparently the king is getting impatient with your tardiness. So, would you please hurry up so we can go for the dinner?"

"Oh! Sorry...I'll get ready as fast as I can." Jaejoong grabbed the white suit before rushing to the changing room. Yunho and Changmin continued standing there, both staring at each other.

"I believe we haven't talk to each other before. My name is Changmin. Shim Changmin. It's nice to meet you." Changmin said, holding out his hand.

"Jung Yunho. CROWN PRINCE Yunho." He said, stressing on his title as if that would get Yunho the upper hand in the situation.

"Right...I guess I'll go first."

"Yeah that would be great." Yunho replied. Changmin wearily bowed in front of the man before walking to the changing room that Jaejoong was in.

"Hey, I'm going to go first.  You hurry up, slow poke." Changmin said, receiving an incoherent reply from Jaejoong.

Changmin walks pass Yunho to the other side of the wardrobe before going down a slide. Yunho looked at the slide weirdly before deciding to sit down on the bed in the middle of the room. A few minutes passed and Jaejoong emerged from the changing room looking rather fabulous.

"So how do I look?" Jaejoong asked casually, admiring himself in the mirror.

"Like a skunk. So white with a bunch of black hair on top. You're lucky that you don't stink." Jaejoong's jaw dropped hearing that comment. He turns to glare at Yunho who was still sitting on the bed.

"Now don't start arguing here. I'm hungry. So, hurry up." Yunho stands up finally before heading back to the way he had gone up.

"Where are you going?"

"To the dinner?"

"Take the slide. It's a shortcut to the dining room. My room below is right beside the dining room." Jaejoong explained, pointing to the slide that Changmin had went through just before.

"We can take the stairs."

"And be later than we are already late. Come on." Jaejoong said, grabbing Yunho's hand before pulling the man down the slide.

Yunho had no time to say his objections as they reached the floor below quite fast after all. Jaejoong brush away any creases on his suit as soon as he stands away from the slide.

"Hurry up.  You were the one who said you were hungry." Jaejoong said, opening his bedroom door.

Yunho followed without a word, not wanting to argue with the man. The dining room was really not far from Jaejoong's bedroom. Jaejoong opened the double doors before bowing respectfully.

"Ah Jaejoong, there you are." Kangwoo said, looking at Jaejoong angrily but still relieved that his son finally made it to the dinner.

"If they were any later, I would have thought Yunho had taken him to run away." Ilwoo said, motioning for the two boys to sit down.

"Father, please.  I am not that impatient to get married to him." Yunho said, sitting down opposite Jaejoong. The seven of them sit around the rectangle table with the Kim Family at one side while the Jung Family sat at the other side of the table.

"Let's put the marriage talks for dessert later. Bring in our dinner." Kangwoo said, signalling to the butler standing in the room.

The dinner continued with talks of compliments from the royal family on the food that Kangwoo had prepared. There was not even a hint of the awaited marriage between Yunho and Jaejoong discussed during the dinner.

"Shall we move on to dessert now?" Kangwoo said, looking at the butler to bring in the dessert.

"Dad, let me do the honour to present the dessert."

"Go on then, Jaejoong ah." Jaejoong stands up, bowing slightly before leaving the dining room to the small kitchen connected to the room.

He takes out the tiramisu cake that he had prepared a while ago before placing it on the tray cart that the butler he had prepared. Jaejoong pushed it down the walkway, emerging again in the dining room. He placed one plate after another before finally going back to his seat.

"I prepared a tiramisu cake for the dinner. I hope you enjoy it." Jaejoong said, bowing again before sitting down.

The King taste it first, cutting his cake slightly before eating it. Jaejoong tried not to stare at the king but he was worried that the taste might not complement the King's taste buds.

Jaejoong jerked a little, feeling Changmin's hand on his. The man tries to reassure Jaejoong that he did great with a small smile.

"Hmm...this is really good." Hearing that, Jaejoong breaks out into a smile, looking back at Changmin gladly.

"Told you." Changmin mouthed to Jaejoong before finally digging into the cake. Yunho observed the two, feeling weirded out.

"Yunho, why aren't you eating the cake?" His mother asked, causing Yunho to snap out from his trance that he was not even conscious of.

"Ah yes, Mother." Yunho wearily said before taking a bite of the cake.

"This is good. Really good." Yunho thought to himself, getting another bite of the cake.

"Due to some circumstances in the palace, I hope the wedding between our two sons can quickly take place. This is the first time that the palace sees a wedding between a royal and a commoner and not to offend you or anything but there are mixed views from those who have learnt about the marriage plans." Ilwoo said, relating his plans for the wedding.

"I see. We are open to any suggestions, sir. Jae-"

"I...I want to say something." Jaejoong said, interrupting the conversation between the two men.

"Yes, Jaejoong. You may voice out your opinion, son." Ilwoo said, allowing Jaejoong to say his piece.

"I don't want to get married with him."