A/N: DOUBLE UPDATE! Go to the previous chapter if you haven't read it. ^^

Get comforable, guys. This chapter is going to take a while... A LONG WHILE

Chapter 17: Confessions & Kisses

Dongil released a sigh of frustration when he saw no Yeonhwa around. He was trying to follow her and have a little chat, but he couldn’t find her. Not anymore.

He swore he saw her turning around a corner just a moment ago. But she was gone now. He bit his lips, then rushed down the hallway again, hoping to find her soon.

As soon as the stranger shut the doors closed, Yeonhwa muffled a breath into the hand over .

“Shh,” she felt a hot breath next to her ear. “It’s me. Yeonhwa, it’s me.”

Hearing the familiar, deep voice she longed for, Yeonhwa immediately stopped moving. She wanted to remove the hand away from , but she paused when she heard footsteps outside. And she was pretty sure he heard it, too.

A tall shadow could be seen through the screen doors, walking down the hall. There was no guess that it was a male. Probably a guard, considering he looked like he was geared. After a couple more seconds, he walked away. The footsteps were even getting more faint.

The rough hand covering Yeonhwa’s mouth slowly slipped away, and she quickly turned around to see the man she waited for these past few days.

Hwayang smiled happily, seeing her surprised eyes shooting his. She looked so darn cute right that he wanted to hug her, but he held himself back. But other than her adorable expression, she looked so stunning. The only lights that shined for both of them to see were the lanterns from outside. It didn’t give much through the screen doors, but it was enough to let them see each other’s faces.

Surprise, happiness, and disbelief were written all over Yeonhwa’s face. She couldn’t believe Hwayang was here with her right now. It was unbelieveable. She gaped at him before pulling on a smile reflecting his.

“Hwayang,” she whispered.  

His name flying off her lips sounded so wonderful. It was like a beautiful kind of music Hwayang wanted to listen to everyday.

“Hey,” Hwayang softly replied.

Yeonhwa smiled even more upon hearing his voice.

The two stood so close to each other without saying anything, faces barely a couple inches apart. One hand of his was still on her waist, but the other hung near her arm, just lightly brushing it. The strong connection their eyes held were filled with so much strength and love. It felt so perfect.

Yeonhwa quietly chuckled a bit. “You scared me,” she said.

Hwayang also laughed faintly. “I could tell,” he replied.

“I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Well, I am. But if you don’t want me here, then I can leave.”

Yeonhwa quickly shook her head. “No, stay. Please…”

Hwayang smiled excitedly again. “Are you sure? You don’t mind having a commoner in your home?” He paused. “Princess Yeonhwa?”

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard him say that. She swore she was about to stop breathing and maybe pass out, too. “Y-You… How did… D-Did you-”

Hwayang giggled at her reaction. “Are you okay, Your Majesty?” When he saw Yeonhwa in the Main Hall, he knew then he couldn’t lie about not knowing who she was anymore. He needed to come clean if he wanted to see her more.

“H-How did you find out?” Yeonhwa stammered.

“Actually, I knew.”

The Princess gaped at him in shock. “You knew? How?”

“It wasn’t that hard to detect.”

“How long have you known?”

“Since the day we met,” Hwayang confidently answered.

Yeonhwa widened her eyes at him. She was really surprised he knew that long. He knew all along, and yet he still played he didn’t. “So…that second time we met… You knew, too?”

Hwayang nodded.

A small pout tugged Yeonhwa’s lips. “Then…you were just playing with me?”

“What about you?” Hwayang asked back. “In the beginning, you didn’t tell me you were the Crown Princess of Joseon either. Were you playing with me as well?”

Yeonhwa opened , wanting to say something, but quickly closed it, trying to pick her words carefully. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to make things awkward between us. If I told you, then…” She lowered her head timidly.

“Then, I would have treated you differently?”

Yeonhwa bravely looked at him again and bit her lip.

Hwayang smiled gently. “Well, Princess or not,” he said before sighing. “I wouldn’t have treated you any different.”

A tiny smile crept on Yeonhwa’s face joyfully. “Is that how you got into the palace? Telling them you had to meet the Princess?”

Hwayang tilted his head back lightly. “You can say that.”

Yeonhwa laughed warmly at him, shaking her head. She breathed in a hissing gap of air, then exhaled softly, dropping her head again, not wanting to look him in the eyes.

Although she was looking elsewhere, Hwayang gazed at her lovingly. Up close, she appeared even more angelic. The innocent smile on her face wasn’t a mask nor was it a facade. It was a real expression filled with a color joy.

Hwayang didn’t even know he opened his mouth to speak until he said, “You look beautiful.”

Yeonhwa’s eyes sparkled as she slowly looked to meet his gaze. If everything around them was literally mute at the instant, she swore Hwayang could hear her heart thumping quickly, racing to jump out of her chest.

“But…”

Suddenly, Yeonhwa’s face faltered into confusion.

“Something’s missing.”

Obviously, Yeonhwa didn’t know what was missing at all. She tilted her head and looked at him curiously, hoping to hear him say something, but all she got was that heartwarming smile of his.

Hwayang carefully reached into his shirt and pulled something out. When it was clearly in sight, Yeonhwa’s eyes fell on the small object in his hand.

It was a hair accessory - a hairpin. It was different from many of the ones she had. Specifically, it was different from the one she gave him. It had an outline of a pretty vine on the silver pin and had blue leaves, and a flower for the main design. To add along with the beauty, it also had three alluring, white pearls. The shiny blue crystals also made it look like the color was from the sea.

Before he got to the palace, Hwayang stopped by the market to buy a new hairpin for Yeonhwa. He was indecisive about choosing for a while because he didn’t know what kind of design she liked. After standing and looking for a couple of minutes, his eyes finally came across this divine hair accessory. And now that he was standing before her with the gift in his hand, he mentally gave himself a pat on the back for picking the perfect one because it also matched her hanbok dress by the prepossessing color.

“I was really going to return your hairpin back to you today,” Hwayang said. “But I kind of got in a rush, so I completely forgot about it.”

Yeonhwa weakly smiled at him.

“I know this hairpin isn’t as pretty as the ones you have, but I hope you like it a little.”

The Princess looked at the gorgeous hair accessory in his hand, then placed hers on his. “It’s exquisitely perfect,” she said quietly with a winsome smile.

At her touch, Hwayang’s eyes fell on her hand now on his. It felt so gentle as if glass was to break.

Without saying another word, Hwayang moved his occupied hand away from hers, already missing her soft, warm touch. As if he was afraid he might be too rough, he carefully raised his hand up to her head before slowly inserting the hairpin into her hair. It was a little loose since her hair was down and thin, but it still hung tight enough to show the design.

Yeonhwa didn’t know where to look at as he put the hairpin on her, so she just stared at his chest. She bit her lip, knowing that if she bit once more hard enough, she might actually bleed. She couldn’t blame herself. This wonderful guy in front of her was making her feel all sorts of radiant emotions she couldn’t even focus on herself.

When Hwayang finished, he stared at her mesmerizingly. She looked complete at the moment, making he smile adoringly at her.

“Now, you look breathtaking,” he whispered lightly as a feather.

Yeonhwa breathed in trembly before meeting his eyes again. A faint, pink color rushed in her cheeks, but thankfully, it was too dark to see. However, Hwayang knew how she was feeling at the time. “You look really handsome tonight, too,” Yeonhwa replied.

The smile on Hwayang’s face never vanished. It just got bigger. “Really?” he found himself asking.

Yeonhwa grinned faintly and nodded speechlessly.

“Thanks.” They were both quiet again, letting nothing but silence fall between them.

Hwayang felt his heart quickening its regular pace as he continued staring Yeonhwa. And for sure, she was feeling no less and different.

(Play this while reading. It fits the mood better. ^^)

As silence lingered more, the Princess began to feel a little awkward. She didn’t want to look away from him, but she didn’t want to keep gazing without saying anything either. Blinking a few times, she finally looked away.

Hwayang only grinned more, seeing that he made her so nervous. He couldn’t deny that she made him feel the same way, too. As he continued staring at the top edge of her head, his eyes came down on her facial feature.

Her eye makeup was light and simple, the faint blush on her cheeks weren’t too bright, and the pretty pink lipstick she had on was really clear. Then, his eyes stopped at her lips. Her soft, thin lips that looked so luring and inviting that he just couldn’t hold himself back.