The Summer Ball. Its initial intention was to tighten the bond between royals and their servants. In other words, it was the day masters used to show their appreciation towards their servants who served them loyally. But some egoistic and twisted minded person misinterpreted this tradition into the competition of wealth and aesthetic. To be fair, something similar happened to other seasonal parties, too.  But that story is for another time. 

“As the sun goes down, her time to shine was coming. Her waiting will end today. She was ready. She waited for years to unleash her true potential. She patiently waited for the right moment. She-” 

"Do you ever shut up?! I’m trying to put lipstick on you!” The8 finally snapped. Anir had been narrating for the last ten minutes. At first, it was funny. He could even have ignored her if she wasn’t disturbing his work.

Anir closed .

“Thank you!”

He brought the lip brush close to her lips and held his breath. [There shall be no mistake!]

The8 was taking this whole make-up artist thing way too seriously. After all, it could become his career’s turning point. And he was going to get on Luhan’s good side, no matter what. 

As he was applying the lipstick, he realized Anir was fiddling her fingers and was looking around awkwardly. He sighed helplessly and asked softly, "Are you nervous?"

Anir looked at him in shock. Probably didn't think he would be this caring. Well, who can blame her? The8 was famous for his passive-aggressiveness and his unsettling aura was for sure a plus.

"Ye-Yeah. It's my first time going public with my real identity," she stuttered but finished with a smile and few deep breaths.

[What a weird word choice,] he thought but said nothing.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this at this age,” Xiumin said as he put on a luscious long black wig. Probably one of Anir’s collection. The black locks which were framing his pale face were making beautiful contrast that could only be found in fairytales.  He had no choice but to admit that he looked beautiful even though he preferred to be called handsome rather than pretty. [Damn boy, you’re slaying!] he thought to himself.

Xiumin looked at the mirror for a long time. 

His reflection was smiling.

[Is it really alright to be having fun without Irene? If she saw me now, would she be disappointed?] The thought of his bride reminded of him something he’d been keeping for a long time. "Ah!"

Something precious. Something that represents his wish which never had the chance to be fulfilled. [Maybe it’s the time to bring that out.]

Xiumin looked out through the door crack. After making sure no one was there to peek at him before the grand surprise, he went to his room. While he was creeping in the corridor, he could hear Anir's giggle from Joy's room. He stopped for a moment to hear her better. The tug in his heart seemed to have gotten stronger. [...]

His room was spotlessly clean and noticeably chilly than the rest of the mansion. That’s why he forbade the mansion’s workers from getting in. He didn’t want to explain why there was frost on his window.

He remembered one specific memory.

When he was young, he tried long duration sleep (hibernation) for the first time. His initial plan was to sleep for at least one decade. Unfortunately, during his second month of sleep, he was forced to wake up.
When he woke up, his room was covered with thick icy layers and the whole castle was completely frozen. 

“Sleeping Beauty woke up!” someone hollered in his ear. Probably Baekhyun. Even though he wanted to hit him, he was too stunned. 

“What happened he