"Hwang Mirae?!" The three of them exclaim, taking the head servant aback with their surprised tone. The maids and servants were now murmuring amongst themselves, wondering who this woman was and of what importance she was to them. Baekhyun feels his heart race at the mere sound of her name, unable to contain himself as he rushes past his mother and father hastily. They too chase after their son, wondering why she would be at the Palace's main gates. 

"Byun Baekhyun, slow down..!" The King calls out, his age making him unable to keep up with his youthful counterpart as the Queen clutches onto her dress, also running alongside her husband and son. It doesn't take them much longer to finally reach the steps down to the gates, its pathway seemingly shorter than usual due to how much in a hurry they were. Though adorned with the highest-end of flora and fauna, nothing else captivated Baekhyun's attention other than Mirae's sweet features, albeit having them be unreadable as she watches the family approach her in a hurry. Mirae, too, is taken aback by how they dash towards her, and has little to no time to react to Baekhyun quickly opening the locks, embracing her tightly and crying into her luscious and sweet-smelling locks of her hair. 

Unlike him to be emotional, he feels tears streaming down his face as he holds Mirae in his arms, unable to comprehend that she was truly in his presence. Mirae yelps at how tightly he has his arms around her, also bringing herself to embrace him loosely as conflicted emotions arise within her; for her intentions were far from that with reconciling with Baekhyun. 

"Don't run away from me, please. I haven't slept, I haven't changed my clothes in days, I can't function without you Mirae." He chokes out, pulling away slightly to meet her glistening eyes. Though able to pull off an earlier facade of emotionlessness, upon hearing his words she finds herself unable to contain her true feelings, finding herself unable to hide her need for his touch as much as the prince yearned for a single moment more with her if it was all he could get. Her heart undeniably ached for him, and no matter what the truth may be, she always found herself heeding towards the direction of his presence. 

"Baekhyun..." She murmurs shyly, still feeling compelled to keep her distance yet the way he looks at her so affectionately is what stops her from truly resisting even more. Mirae soon notices his parents had finally caught up to them, their chests panting and breathlessness making her even more taken aback by how suddenly they wished for her mere coming. 

"Madame, our son loves you dearly." The Queen begins, pleading at her youthful counterpart with a deep bow. The gesture makes Mirae pull away from Baekhyun with an abashed gasp, reaching over to bring her back upright. "Please, sit down and speak with us. You must have come a long way to come and want to talk to us." She pants, and Mirae looks over to the King, who has just the same expression of regret and need. 

"We ask for your mere presence, Hwang Mirae-ssi. For the sake of our son and the Kingdom." The King speaks sternly, also bowing deeply and earning another gasp from the lowly woman before them. Baekhyun is shocked to see his parents in such manner, knowing very well that they have never once given humility for their own was enough to share within royal blood. The prince, too, helps them to stand upright, knowing that the respect doted upon Mirae was making her shy and undeserving of such. 

Taking her hand and planting a chaste kiss upon her skin, Baekhyun pleads one more time with his adoring gaze for the woman before him, who looks at the prince with a perplexed expression upon her features. 

"I-I.. I'm undeserving of all this respect..." She says to herself quietly, sheepishly looking away from Baekhyun's stare and letting a blush spread across her cheeks unconsciously. "I've come here to explain myself.. There isn't an ounce in me that came here for your son, but more so to clarify my intentions and to prove of you my innocence. I meant no harm to your Kingdom and the lineage of your family." Mirae explains. 

The Queen looks at her as if she can see herself in her, painfully feeling her heart clench within the confinement of her chest. "Oh Mirae... If only you knew how alike we are." 

Confused, Mirae her head wondering what she means by her words. 

"W-What do you mean..?" 

Smiling gently her way, the Queen extends for her arm, requesting for her following. "Please, do follow. My husband and I.." She trails, noticing the agreeing look on the King's face. "We owe you just as much of an apology, Mirae-ssi." 

The abashed woman turns towards Baekhyun, as if asking for permission and he silently nods his head, a reassuring smile on his face. "Go on, my love. It's fine." He speaks softly, caressing the apple of her cheek and his parents can see how similarly he gazes and dotes upon her like the King had with his wife when he had courted her. There was simply no difference apparent, circumstances constraining their parallels into meeting lines that soon encompassed a circle of both the past and future, rebellion against the rules and love.

"Yes, Your Highness." Mirae concedes, taking his mother's arm and pulling herself close to her aura. The woman was slightly intimidated by how beautiful his mother was, her features though aged, but very youthful within the brightness of her eyes when she smiled down at her. The crown on her head too only made the moment much more surreal, her lengthy dress puffed and adorned with the finest of embroidery and silk was no match to the simple and handmade dress her grandmother had made adorned on Mirae. Her jewels on her neck and ears were of the finest of pearls and precious metals, her skin flawless of any blemish and cheeks rosy beneath the spring air. She felt no where near to his mother in terms of royalty, and more so felt embarrassed at the servants and maids giving her questioning looks. 

Noticing her predicament, the Queen sends a stern gaze towards the onlookers. "Get back to your duties, you have no business in the royal family's private affairs." She speaks, her tongue sharp and the contrast between her sweet and welcoming words and the ones spoken at the moment making Mirae in awe of her ability. Mirae however, quickly averts her gaze away from admiring the woman as she turns towards Mirae, smiling at the embarrassment spreading across her visage. "No need to feel bashful, the servants and maids here are nosy at times. It agitates us as much as it is uncomfortable for you and I apologize on their behalf." 

"Oh no, please, there is no need to apologize. I sympathize with them, after all I am someone of no importance no royalty to be considered a close acquaintance of yours." She replies in a small voice, curling a section of her hair behind her earlobe. The Queen is saddened by the extremity of her humbleness, troubled by how easily swayed she can be by the attention of others. 

"Please, do not demoralize nor depreciate yourself here. For you are just like me, Mirae-ssi." She speaks, and Mirae her head in confusion, not knowing what the words she had spoken mean. 

"I'm sorry for my ignorance but.. What are those words..? D-Demoralize and Dep-depreciate? And what do you mean by our alikeness, Your Highness?" 

Chuckling at her innocence, and not because of her lack of knowledge, the Queen is more than happy to explain. "Demoralize is to discourage, while depreciate is to devalue the meaning and essence of someone. I don't want you doing so to yourself because you of a woman worth encouraging and valuing in yourself, Mirae-ssi. After all, you remind me of me, and Baekhyun reminds me of my husband when we were younger." She speaks as they finally reach the Gathering Quarters. Mirae is in awe at how spacious the entire room is, stretching far into the view of the fields and gardens below the steps and couches, fixtures, art pieces, and chandeliers illuminate at ambiance. From top to bottom the room was filled with decor that spanned the worth of millions of won, and it is only when Baekhyun is given his crown to wear in the Palace that Mirae truly realizes where she is. 

Her breath is taken away when she turns around and sees their heads now adorned with their proper crowns, jewels and sparkling gold adorning the crests and snug upon their hold. Mirae thinks they looks like such a well-knit family, and can definitely see the resemblance in both his mother in father by the prince's pursed lips and kind eyes she knew for sure came from his mother. 

"Welcome to the Gathering Quarters, Mirae-ssi." The King begins, fixing his coat and gesturing for her to sit down on the couches surrounding a table adorned with daises and ornaments of all sorts. "Take a seat, we'll offer you some rose tea whilst you are here." 

Feeling overwhelmed by how well they were beginning to dote upon her, she quickly blushes and attempts to decline their kind offer. 

"Oh no Your Highness, I'm undeserving of such-"

"Nonsense!" The Queen tells her, taking a seat across from her and smiling gently towards her way for reassurance. "We owe you our best of apologies.. You see, you and Baekhyun... You remind us so circumstantially about the King and I." His mother begins, placing her hands upon her lap whilst gazing over at her son taking his seat beside Mirae. The King as well takes his place next to his wife. "My husband, Taehyun, was the prince just as Baekhyun was. He fell in love with me when I was invited to one of the balls by my friend of mine who was a servant here, and it was to our utmost responsibility to keep our relationship a secret for the sake of keeping the lineage of royalty untainted." She explains, and Mirae feels her heart immediately soften towards the couple, her explanation and speech long forgotten as she hears the rest of their story. 

"Miyoung and I were inseparable to the point where my mother tried desperately to pin her against crimes and petty acts. She despised us being together, and most importantly casted upon shame onto me when we wedded." The King recants, solemnly. "It wasn't long after that she passed away, that my wife gave birth to Baekhyun and we taught him desperately to avoid falling in love outside of royal blood for the sake of the Kingdom. What we were most worried about was if he were to wed you and we could not find anything within the King and Queens' journals, the throne would have to be inherited by my younger brother, who is currently banished." 

Mirae balks as she takes in the new information, clearly worried and afraid telling by the looks of the expression on her face. Baekhyun can feel the anxiety give off from her, taking her hand in his and clutching onto it tightly. 

"Don't be afraid, my love. I'm going to do everything that I can along with my parents to make sure you are by my side and crowned princess." Baekhyun vows, kissing her hand and only worsening the reddened cheeks upon her face. He chuckles at this, and so does his parents who feel nostalgia overtaking their emotions, knowing very well the feelings shared between the youngsters. "I promise you until I take my last breath, I will be yours forever." 

"Baekhyun definitely did get your suave tongue, Taehyun-ah." The Queen jests, earning an agreeing chuckle from the elder. "They are just like us..." She sighs gleefully yet pitifully, wishing that their circumstances were different and made easier for them to fall in love. The King and Queen know the struggles better than anyone, and for it to happen to their own son as it had happened to them was not only heartbreaking, but warming as well. Because no matter how one is taught to resist and to obey, love is still something that brings two people together; no matter the circumstances that surround them. 

"What are we to do now...?" Mirae asks, now holding Baekhyun's hand firmly in hers and worriedly glancing at his parents. "Our love.. It's forbidden isn't it? Oh.. Oh how deeply sorry I am for this-" 

"No please," The King pleads, sincerity in his eyes as he gazes upon the woman filling with guilt. "We won't treat you as how my mother treated us when we wedded and inherited the throne. What I'm more concerned about is that we won't be able to find a pardoning for your relationship within the journals that carry the strict rules for royal blood." 

"We just want you two to enjoy whatever time fate has left for you both. We know all-too well about the difficulties of keeping a relationship a secret." T