Taemin was in the tub when Mrs. Gyu walked into the room with his night clothes, she made his bed while he got out of the water, gave him the privacy he needed to wrap a towel around his body.

She reached his side when he took a seat on a stool and combed his hair into a neat bun, while she did, Taemin stared outside the window with a dreamy look on his face, noticing, she glanced outside the window as well, wondering what he was looking at, she saw nothing but his guard and assumed he was distracted by his thoughts.  

“Are you nervous?”

“Hmmm?” Taemin turned to look at her “about what?”

“Your meeting with Naeun tomorrow”

Naeun, his bride to be, his father said she’ll be a good wife for him, he never met her though their families already announced their engagement. Looking outside the window again he nodded, lying, he hadn’t even thought about Naeun until now.

“Don’t worry, she’s coming from a good family. I heard she’s pretty as well” Mrs. Gyu said and patted his back fondly before she headed to the door “good night, Doryeon-nim”

Taemin watched her leaving before he got up from the stool and wore his night clothes, he turned to the window in order to shade it and stole another look at his guard, sheepish smile crossed his lips when Minho caught him staring.  

Waving at the boy, Minho stepped closer “good night” he greeted as he leaned his elbow on the window sill.

Taemin mumbled a greeting as well.

“Do you need anything before you’re going to sleep?”

Taemin shook his head “no, thank you”  

“Well...see you tomorrow” he said, ready to leave to his own room, but stopped when the boy placed a gentle hand on his.

Shocked by his own behavior, Taemin pulled his hand from his guard “Mrs. Gyu will accompany me tomorrow all day long” he said, obviously disappointed.

Minho hummed understandingly, amusement in his voice he said “don’t sound disappointed”

Taemin waved his hands embarrassed “oh, no, I...you know, spending a day with Mrs. Gyu, she’ll probably treat me like a baby, well, she always does”

Minho smiled, curious, he asked “what exactly is she to you? She takes care of you as a mother and yet, calls you- young master”

“Well…” Taemin wrinkled his nose “she’s like a mother to me, yes, my mother is...well, she’s not here, Mrs. Gyu raised me all those years”

“I see” Minho nodded, he assumed the boy’s mother passed away, his father probably couldn’t raise two boys by himself.

“Well, I should go to sleep now” Taemin said.

Minho nodded with a smile “good night, sleep tight”

“You too” Taemin said and watched his guard leaving to his own room before he shaded the window.

Getting underneath the covers, Taemin closed his eyes, soon, he’ll fall into sweet dreams, all about Minho.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mrs. Gyu was right, Naeun was pretty, she was polite as well, absolutely wife material.

They sat in a private room so they could know each other a little bit before lunch would serve, an awkward silence lingered between them, both aware to the maids who eavesdropped the door curiously.

“How old are you?” Naeun asked sheepishly.  

“17, and you?”

“16”

Taemin nodded, she was younger than him, but, they aren't supposed to marry until next year.

Trying to impress her future husband, Naeun reached her hand to the table between them and held the porcelain kettle in her hand “I made a barley tea” she said, an apologetic smile crossed her lips “I hope you like it, I haven't been told much about you, I don’t even know how you like your tea”

“I don’t. I usually drink warm water with citrus”

“Oh…” she nodded understandingly and reached her hand to a plate of fruits instead “how about fruits?”

Taemin looked at the plate, he hadn’t noticed anything he likes but took himself a kiwi so she won’t be insulted.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s nice” Taemin mumbled as he pushed the kiwi into his mouth.

Awkward silence again.

“Do you have any hobbies?” Taemin was the one to talk now.

“Well, I… I like to embroider, I decorated most of my hanboks”

Taemin smiled politely, he looked at her colorful hanbok and nodded.

“I made this few days ago” she said and pointed on a butterfly she embroidery “it calmed me”

“What were you nervous about?”

“Meeting with you” she mumbled sheepishly “were you nervous to meet me as well?”

Taemin nodded, though it was a lie.

“My parents said you’ll be a good husband for me, and yet I was nervous, I’m so glad you’re not old, I was really worried that my parents would find me an old husband. A friend of mine married a man twice her age! can you imagine…?”

Taemin started to like the awkward silence better.

“... Oh, it must have been really embarrassing at the wedding night when they took their clothes off, his skin must have been wrinkled”

Taemin’s eyes widened, he looked at his future wife surprised, Naeun turned into a deep shade of red, she palmed and apologized for her words, talking about the wedding night at their first meeting, he probably thinks of her the worst.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t-”

Suddenly, Taemin burst into laughter, his future wife waved her hands begged him to stop, the maids who eavesdropped the door must have been heard everything, she was so embarrassed.

“Have you talked with your friend about our future wedding night?” Taemin asked amused.

“W-what? No… I’m not like that!”

“It’s ok. My big brother told me all about it when my father announced our engagement”

“Really?” Naeun asked surprised.

“Hmm…he said a man must know how to… you know”

She reddened.

“Well, we’ll do a baby one day… I’m sorry, we should talk about it after our wedding”

“I’m really sorry, I never talked like that with anyone before, I swear”

Taemin shrugged “it’s not a big deal, my brother said it’s a natural thing, that couples do talks about it”

“They do?”

“Hmmm. He said that couples must talk so they could know each other better”

Naeun reddened even more, one day, she’ll know her future husband better, physically, both excitement and concern troubled her mind.

Their awkwardness interrupted by Mrs. Gyu who yelled her way into the room, she scolded the maids who eavesdropped them before she walked in and informed them that lunch is ready, Naeun’s parents already waited for them to join.

Both looked at each other with a smile before they got up and followed Mrs. Gyu.

Minho came back to the palace at night, since Taemin spent his day with Mrs. Gyu he was free to go to the headquarters and meet his commander, unfortunately, he didn’t have any useful information to give.

Heading to his room, he passed by Taemin’s, it was dark and quiet, the boy must have been asleep, stopping, he peeped through the shaded window, Taemin was in his bed, curled in between the covers, peaceful expression on his face, the sight made his heart flutter.

Placing his hand on his chest, Minho tried to calm his confused heart before he kept walking toward his room.