Jongin woke up with the early blades of sun breaking into their room. The storm must have passed a little while ago as the air still felt wet and sticky. He tried to sit up but felt a weight on his chest; he looked down and saw Jinhee's head resting against his shoulder. A smile pulled at the corner of his lips as Jongin slipped away from her and dressed himself, since he wasn't at the palace he was able to dress a bit more informally which was how he preferred it. Before he left the room he looked down at Jinhee and how peacefully she was sleeping and he warmed his head. For some reason he felt the desire to show her a new side of himself. She had already seen the mean and cruel side of him, which he was now regretting and he wished to make it up to her in the long run.

 

As he walked around his sisters home and watched the servants put together the broken pieces from the storm, he wondered how long it had been since someone had served him. All of his life he had someone at his side willing to do anything for him. He was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, adorn in the best fabrics and constantly pleased by everyone. Jongin knew that he was his fathers favourite, but he had to sit back and watch his eldest brother Suho take the throne. Out of all of their brothers, Suho probably wanted the throne the least. All Suho wanted was to be with his wife, the love of his life that he met as a child. Jongin looked over and the servants bowed to him and walked away backwards and Jongin just looked away. The servants always stayed far away from him since he was a kid. None of them ever wanted to play with him or even listen to him as he told them stories.

 

Soon he learned to close himself off, keep everyone at an arms length because anyone that did get close to him had their own reasons. He never had friends. He never needed them. There was a exact moment he remembers, when he was a teenage and he saw all of his brothers off in the distance, laughing and having fun with each other. He watched them bonding and growing as people and he so desperately wanted to be apart of them. He opened his mouth to call out to them and just before he could, Kyungsoo looked back at him and glared. Warning him. It was as if his older brother was warning him not to ruin their fun. He was like a dark cloud wandering around the palace, ruining everyone's day. So he did what everyone wanted and shut himself away from people. Over time his fear made him cruel and he loved fighting and overpowering the people he knew were talking behind his back, maybe that's why he enjoyed learning war strategies so much. When he was finally given the chance to over pass Suho he felt that flame of life flickering in his heart that he had thought died off years ago but when he learned that he was being forced to rely on someone else it made him furious. He figured the woman he had to marry would be dense and money crazy as most princesses were.

 

None of them could form a solid thought unless they were getting something out of it. But then he met Jinhee. Stubborn. Emotional. She questioned him and she was truly the first person to look past his title and put him in his place. He wanted to break her down and when he threw her fathers pin into the water and she begged for death, he thought that would bring him happiness but now that memory haunts him every day of his life. He wasn't meant to be this person and it took Jinhee to prove that to himself. For the first time in his whole life he had someone that was one his side. Someone that was his friend.

 

Jongin ate his breakfast but sitting there and listening to his brother and sister chatter bored him to death, especially since he kept catching his sister glancing at the servant woman that she had personally asked for to come with her from the palace. Everyone knew of their relationship except for her husband who was blissfully ignorant and Jongin hated him the most. He excused himself and we out to exercise and work off all the worrying thoughts that were weighing down his shoulders since he woke up. He threw off his top and picked up his favourite sword, practicing his movements on his own since he didn't have the soldiers there to fight with. Soon the sun warmed up and the air grew heavy which made Jongin break out into a thick sweat. When he finished a particularly difficult routine, he heard a soft clapping off in the distance and looked over to see none other than Jinhee in a summer hanbok. She had a soft smile on but still looked a little afraid that she might have ruined his concentration. Jongin went over to a large clay pot filled with water and splashed it onto his face and calmed down before waving Jinhee over which she did so hesitantly.

 

"How long have you been there?" Jongin asked as he picked his sword back up which felt like an extension of himself.

 

"Only a little bit, enough to see how skilled you are." Jinhee pointed towards the sword that had the royal families crest carved into the hilt.

 

"Practice." Was all he replied and wiped the sweat from his top lip and the two of them stood there awkwardly, not knowing how to act with each other. After last night they had showed each other their weak sides for a split moment and it was defining who they were. Hearing Jinhee's screams, Jongin sprung out of his bed and almost slammed himself through the door at full speed. At that moment he felt that he could break through walls just to make that she was alright. She was his weakness and knowing that, Jongin was more afraid of her than ever. "Come here." Jongin stood with his arms wide open and Jinhee instantly went to him. He took her right hand and placed the sword in it and let her hold it. The weight of it dragged her arm down and she slumped to one side.

 

"What the..." Jinhee muttered under her breath and Jongin burst out laughing.

 

"Let me help." Jongin took her hand that held the sword and helped her support the weight. "I want to show you how to defend yourself."

 

"Why, that's what we have guards for." Hearing her question him again Jongin couldn't help but smile.

 

"Yes but one day they might not be there. You're married to royalty, in the eyes of the rest of the world you are now their enemy and their fastest way to get to the throne. I want to show everyone my wife is strong and can take care of herself." Jongin proudly said and a slight blush washed over Jinhee's cheeks and she agreed. He would help her move and get used to how heavy the sword was. They went through some easy movements and Jongin slowly let go of her hand so she would be able to do it herself. Feeling more confident, Jinhee lunged with the sword but the momentum threw her off her balance and she fell forward.

"Careful!" Jongin called out and with his fast reflexes he grabbed her before she hit the ground. His arm was tightly wrapped around his waist and their chests were pressed together as they stared each other deep in their eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt." Jongin whispered with his gravely voice and despite the heat, Jinhee felt her body run cold with a chill.