Prince Baekhyun stood on the balcony that overlooked the Aurora Lake, which seemed so breath-taking under the moonlight. The serenity of the lake always had the power to calm Baekhyun’s nerves and watching it served as the only relaxation for him, after a day of duties. He lifted his head to catch a glimpse of the bright, full moon peeking out from the clouds. It was not the best day for moon watching as the clouds occupied the sky mostly and the stars were not visible.

 

Eight years ago, 14-year-old Baekhyun sat on the bench perched in that balcony, with his 10-year-old sister, Princess Baekhee lying on his lap, as they watched the moon together. The moon was exceptionally beautiful and the stars decorated the endless arch of void-black beyond the moon’s corona.

 

“Do you think the moon and stars would be as beautiful over there?”, Baekhee’s voice was laced with sleep and it was so gentle, almost as if she was afraid to scare the moon away.

 

Baekhyun knew that the place Baekhee was referring to is China, where the ruling empire is the Wu’s, and whose crown prince is betrothed to his sister. The marriage was arranged back in 1990 by his late grandfather, the former King Byun Jinhyung and the late Emperor Wu Kang, former ruler of China, in hopes to establish friendly ties between the states. Baekhyun always thought that a prenatal arranged marriage was an old fashioned practice back in the 1800s, yet this is happening to Baekhee, the little sister he adored.

 

“I think it’ll be, Baekhee,” he replied, after a long pause, fingers still combing through his sister’s long black locks, trying his best to comfort his sister, but his heart hurt at the thought of him not being able to ease Baekhee’s fear, from not being able to protect her.

 

“Brother, remember that song Mother used to sing to us?”

 

Baekhyun smiled weakly and started humming a soft tune, one that slowly lulled his sister to sleep.

 

…

 

“Your Highness, I plead that you reconsider your decision, I’m confident that there are more suitable candidates capable of-“

 

“Say no more, General Li, my decision is final,” Prince Yifan’s voice was determined as he slightly raised his hand to cut off the General’s speech.

 

“But, Your Highness, it’s a huge risk for us to let only one Imperial Warrior to be by your side, during your stay in Korea. Moreover, I doubt the kid is highly capable of carrying out this important duty…”

 

“You can always increase the number of Imperial Guards watching over me, if you’re worried, General. He will be the only Warrior I require in this trip, and you will address him as Sir Kai.”

 

The General knew better to argue further with the Crown Prince, so he could only go with the final decision. “I will make the necessary arrangements, if there are no other orders, Your Highness, I will take my leave.”

 

Prince Yifan gave a slight nod as the General bowed and swiftly retreated from the room. Yifan let out a deep breath as he stretched his arms above him, relieved to have sent the general off. Yifan tensed up when he heard light knocks on the door, but it was not long before a resounding voice spoke up, “Your Highness, this is Sir Kai, may I enter?”

 

Yifan relaxed at his friend’s voice, “You may, Jongin.” A tall, lean but well-built man with messy, chocolate brown hair and eyes that always looked laced with sleep, entered the room. Kim Jongin is of Korean descent, having lived with the Wu’s ever since he was 2 years old and was Yifan’s only childhood companion. The younger’s father was a loyal servant who served Emperor Wu Jian, Yifan’s father, who has graciously allowed the Kim’s to live in the palace when their home was destroyed in a fire, 18 years ago.

 

The Prince beckoned his friend to take a seat, “Jongin, how was your training with Sir Zhao?” Owing to his gift in martial arts, Jongin has completed the tough training and passed all tests to become a skilled Warrior at the age of 20, the youngest ever in history. He had started training with Sir Zhao from young and the latter has imparted enough skills and knowledge to make Jongin fit for combat at a young age.

 

“It was as usual, Your Highness. Sir Zhao has…” But before Jongin could continue, he spotted the Crown Prince’s creased eyebrows, a sign that the younger has forgotten to drop the formalities - something that Yifan has established with him when they were alone. Being the only child of the Wu’s, Yifan was once a reserved child who always kept to himself. He would roam around in the empty halls alone because despite the guards and servants who were always by his side, he had no one to talk to. He could remember how thrilled he was when Jongin moved in - he was finally not the only child in the palace. From young, he always treated Jongin like his real brother. Seeing that his son has become more outgoing, Emperor Wu Jian allowed Jongin to be given the similar education as the Crown Prince and be taught all that is befitting of a Warrior, despite all the talks of letting a mere servant boy to be in the presence of the Crown Prince. He also gave him the name Kai, because Jongin will be a mouthful for the Chinese.

 

“Sorry, hyung. I forgot…” The Warrior ruffled his hair, “Right, how was the talk with General Li? I bet he gave you a speech longer than the Huang River.”

 

Yifan let out a hearty laugh, “Yes, he did. But you know, being the Crown Prince has its benefits.”

 

Jongin smiled, “So I’m still going to Korea with hyung right?”

 

Yifan nodded at Jongin, and he watched as the younger’s smile grew wider before he started to ramble about the trip. The older knew that Jongin looked forward to returning to his hometown, having lived in China for most of his life. Yifan liked conversations with Jongin, a time like this makes him forget that he’s the crown prince and all that rigid formalities he has to abide to. They always conversed in Korean, a rule Yifan set so he could practice the language. As the crown prince, he had to sit through many language classes for diplomatic duties but Yifan finds that speaking it would be the best way to grasp a language.

 

“But hyung,” Jongin stopped abruptly and looked up at Yifan, “Does this mean that you are going to marry that princess?”

 

The older stared at the flag hanging on the wall, his voice suddenly weary, “I’m afraid, Jongin, that’s my duty as the crown prince.”

 

…

 

Spring arrives. That fine morning, the Second Prince wakes up to rapture-blue sky where clouds shaped like tufty pillows glided slowly across. Still laying on his bed, Baekhyun checks his phone and a notification pops up.

 

Top News of the Day

Crown Prince of China, Wu Yifan, Makes His First Visit to Korea

 

“Wu Yifan…” Baekhyun knows nothing about this Crown Prince, the man who was coming to marry his sister, apart from the official profile published on the Internet. That profile only had a family portrait attached and it was the only photo of Wu Yifan. He rubs his temples, just thinking about his sister having to marry a foreign man she never even met, gives him a real headache. He wondered if it is possible to dislike a stranger but he has already succeeded in doing that.

 

“Ah, I’m not letting that guy ruin such a great day!” Rubbing his eyes, he glanced at the time on his phone.

 

1030. Just two hours more before the Crown Prince arrives at the Byun Palace, he thought. Finally getting out from the comfort of his bed, Baekhyun changes into a black tracksuit before heading out to the Aurora Lake for a morning jog. 

 

…

 

The day has come, Prince Yifan will make his first diplomatic visit to Korea and that will also mean that he will meet his betrothed for the first time.

 

“Send my orders to the other guards, don’t announce my arrival just yet, I will take a walk down that lake over there. No guards, only Sir Kai would be accompanying me.” Yifan removed his suit jacket as he stepped out of the car which stopped by a lake near the Byun Palace. They had arrived the place two hours earlier than the meeting time.

 

“Your Highness, it is not safe for the guards to leave you-”

 

“I think I made myself clear, Head Guard.”

 

Upon detecting the firmness in the Prince’s voice, he hands over a mask. “Please take this, Your Highness,” The Head Guard bowed and ordered the other guards to stand guard near the lake.

 

The Crown Prince walked towards the lake with the young warrior following closely behind. Only until the guards were out of sight, Jongin let out a relieved sigh.

 

“Masks? Ha, only General Li would come up with such stuff, hyung.” Jongin watched as Yifan put on the mask that covered his nose and mouth. “You really think that will keep your identity hidden?” He leaned against a large tree with folded arms.

 

Yifan shrugged, “If this makes him reassured, then I’ll just go along with it.” He feels a light breeze caressing his face and his gaze lingered on the lake. “Forget about him, Jongin. Look at this, it’s beyond words. I wonder if it has a name.”

 

Before Jongin could reply, he heard a rustling sound coming above him and his warrior instincts reacted before Yifan could do anything. A figure dropped down from the tree and Jongin instinctively throws his body towards the Crown Prince. But this sudden action caught Yifan off guard, and he trips over something before falling down onto the ground.

 

The figure was a small boy and the moment his feet touched the ground, he turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, hugging a bag that looked heavy.

 

“Jongin, don’t-”

 

Before Yifan could finish, the younger was already up on his feet, chasing after the boy.

 

“Give chase…” He was about to get up before he felt a surge of pain in his back. “Ah, what’s this- Apples?” Once he is back on his feet, Yifan wiped his dirt-stained hands on his pants, “Well, I guess I need a change of clothes.”

 

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” It was a firm voice, but it had a tinge of uneasiness.

 

Yifan turned towards the voice coming behind him, and all he sees is a handsome, young man in a black tracksuit. He inspects the stranger’s face. Puppy-like eyes, a small nose, not-so-tall…

 

Crap. Yifan registers in his head. That’s Byun Baekhyun, the Second Prince.

 

…

 

Yifan had only saw pictures on the Internet, but the “Rose of Sharon”, Korea’s national flower embroidered on the man’s collar, was sufficient to verify the man standing before him was the Second Prince of Korea. It was the symbol of the Korean royalty. The Crown Prince was about to introduce himself before he remembered he was still clad in his dirt-stained pants and it was clearly not a good time to meet the Second Prince.

 

“I’m ordering you to remove your mask and reveal yourself!” The Second Prince raised his voice slightly.

 

Mask? Thank God I’m still wearing it. Yifan makes a mental note to reward General Li when he returns to China. How am I supposed to get out of this? A crazy thought pops up in Yifan’s head.

 

“Your Highness, I have contracted a very contagious illness that prevents me from removing my mask,” Yifan brings his hands to the strap of the mask, pretending to remove it. “But if you insist, I will just-”

 

“No, no, just keep it on!” Prince Baekhyun waved his hands frantically, an action that Yifan thought was exceptionally cute. “I mean, you will keep that mask on, but explain your presence and what are you holding? Is that an apple?”

 

Yifan looked down to see that his left hand is still tightly clasped around the fruit. “Oh this, I found it on the ground.”

 

“Were you stealing from the apple trees? Do you know it’s an offence to pick the fruits from the trees within the boundaries of the Palace?”

 

Ah great, now I’m a fruit thief? Yifan suddenly remembered the boy from earlier, the bag he was carrying must be filled with the apples. Just when Yifan’s day cannot get any worse, his saviour appeared.

 

“Hyung, I caught the thief. Phew, this kid can really run, I almost lost him. What do you think we-” The young Warrior was holding on to the collar of a boy still holding the bag closely to his chest. “Wait, who’s this?” Jongin finally noticed the Baekhyun’s presence.

 

“Wow, now you have accomplices? Are you a what, syndicate of fruit thieves?”

 

“Hey, who are you calling thieves? Don’t you know you’re speaking to-” Yifan cleared his throat and made a face at Jongin, hoping that he would not expose their identities. The young Warrior confused at first, but it only took him few seconds to understand all the signals, to Yifan’s relief.

 

“Right, speaking of which, here’s the real thief,” Jongin released his grip on the boy’s collar and pushed him towards the man in tracksuit, “We’ll just leave now, nice meeting you!” Jongin called out before grabbing the Crown Prince’s hand and the both of them darted off before Baekhyun could react.

 

…

 

“What, wait! Where are you going!” Prince Baekhyun cannot believe he just let two thieves escape under his nose. There’s still one more thief, I’ll just- Wait where’s the boy? Baekhyun found himself alone by the lake, with no signs of the boy.

 

Great, he must have escaped when I was too occupied with the other two. The other two… Baekhyun cannot help but let his mind wander to that masked man. He had short, blonde hair that was swept up, exposing his thick eyebrows that framed his irresistibly charming eyes.

 

I wonder how he looks like without the mask… Oh my God what am I thinking about that thief? I must be out of my mind.

 

Baekhyun jumped when his phone rang all of a sudden, and after seconds of fumbling in his jacket pocket, he pressed the phone to his ear.

 

“Your Highness, I have arranged the maids to be in your chambers in another ten minutes, to get you ready for the Royal Visit in an hour.”

 

“Yes, yes, I’ll return soon,” Baekhyun scratched his head, staring at the scattered red fruit on the ground, wondering why he found the masked man familiar.

 

…

 

The Head Guard was flustered to see the Crown Prince in a dishevelled state and was about to round up all the guards to go after the ‘assailant’. Jongin had to calm him down while trying to make a reservation at a hotel nearby for Yifan to change out of his dirt-stained clothes. They managed to book a presidential suite in Hotel Dajong.

 

“You’re telling me we just met the Second Prince of Korea?” The young warrior asked disbelievingly while smoothing out the creases on the Crown Prince’s white dress shirt. "And he didn't recognize you because of the mask? I can't believe General Li's idea actually worked..."

 

“A mask could actually conceal all this attractive face.” Yifan scanned his reflection in the mirror.

 

Jongin rolled his eyes and made a face at Yifan. “But hyung, you do realise you just lied to a Prince, right?”

 

“Well, I can’t possibly admit that I’m the Crown Prince of China in that state! And don’t forget you’re the who caused that.”

 

“Whoa, I didn’t expect rewards but not even a word of thanks? I saved the Crown Prince’s life!”

 

“Yes, from a boy picking apples…” Yifan worked on the buttons on his suit jacket and carded his fingers lightly through his hair. Prince Baekhyun… He does not know why the Second Prince kept lingering in his mind. The man was probably a head shorter than him and he had black, long bangs that were covering his forehead, which made him look really cute.

 

Lost in his thoughts, Yifan did not even realise the younger was calling out to him.

 

“Hyung? Hyung, are you still with me?”

 

“Ah, yes, sorry I was just thinking about the- the visit later.”

 

Jongin raised a brow, “Right, you were. Let’s get going, it’s about time.”

 

…