Jieun wasn’t sure if she could hold herself from falling asleep anymore so she just closed her eyes for a while.

Her tutor had been speaking about how she could behave as a queen for the past three days and all of them started with “don’t”.

“And you must remember to don’t-”, she cut her sentence off herself when she saw the young lady had a good time napping in her class. “Sleep at the class.”, she yelled and Jieun was taken aback by her sudden yelp and almost fall from her seat.

“Why the hell did you wake me up from my ing sleep?”, she yelled back without knowing what word that she even used.

“I tell you to don’t use that word-”

“I use every word that I want to use-”, but she cut off when her tutor pulled her aside by her ear and made her scream, “let go of my ear.”, she yelled an tried to free her ear but it was useless.

“You’re the first one that I punished when I become a queen.”, she shot a glare at her and her tutor let go of her ear.

“Why? Did you scared?”, her voice didn’t show any sign of regretting.

“You are so shameless girl, you are the daughter of Kim Inguk the most powerful man of the Thalassa but you just acted like a worthless street girl.”, she said and looked at her like she didn’t deserve to be Kim Inguk’s daughter.

But why would she care? What did she get from being her daughter in return except for being imprisoned in the castle?

She sneaked out of the castle often, and she liked it so far more than stuck in the castle with his father, walking in the street like the other girl in her age, talk to other people and just being normal was her favorite, she loved it, she knew it could be so much danger but still she did it cause it was the life she wanted.

She looked at her tutor again. “Sorry.”, she said guilty a little bit cause, after all, she was everything but an ungrateful child, at least she learned to afraid whenever anyone mentioned his father’s name.

“You’re going to be the queen of this kingdom at least act like one, not like a worthless child”, she scolded and turned her face from her, “you know just three days left? Try to remember what I told you and don’t ruin it before everything even come, your father isn’t going to like it.”

Then she left the room just like she entered and left her alone.

Jieun didn’t bother herself to think about her words and figure out that what she was even talking about cause she had more important stuff to do, sneaking out of the castle for the last time probably.

After all the young lady was going to be the first lady of the biggest kingdom of her age in just two days, how bothering it could be to just watch everything around.

“Yoohwa.”, she called for her maid and the girl came toward her room as fast as she could, cause she didn’t want to waste her lady’s time.

“I’m going to get out.”, Jieun said as she carefully untied the blue ribbon and let her hair fall on her shoulder like a water fell from fall, it was the most satisfying feeling for her to untied her hair which had always been tied aristocratically.

“Can I ask you something?”, Yoohwa asked nervously and bit her lower lip, her pale face showed what she wanted to say before she even opened , and Jieun so knew what she was going to answer.

“You can ask but my answer is no.”, the young lady said fearlessly, and tried to choose one cloth from her maid’s hands.

“Lady do you know just three days left till your wedding?”, the maid tried, “what if anything went wrong?”, she said and tried earnestly to dissuade her from it.

“That’s the point, it’s my last time probably and I don’t want to wast it.”, her word didn’t make any chance for arguing, she just played the fool with his maid as she didn’t know her maid didn’t put her emphasize on wedding, not two days.

Marketplace was her favorite place even though she didn’t buy anything, but bumping into new people was her favorite, and hopefully, the end of the secret passage was near to the market place.

She found secret passage when she was eight or nine, she didn’t remember that day clearly, when a teenage boy opened the door of the secret passage by pushing the eye of the statue.

She never saw that boy after that again like he disappeared forever, but she remembered how scared he was like he was running from the monster that she and her childhood friend used to say it live in the castle, cause, after all, Byun Baekbom wasn’t a liar, was he?

Or maybe he was, when he said he will come a day save her from her daddy’s force, but he never came and left her to marry a guy she didn’t like, even barely knew.

Jieun took a sigh of relief and looked around to find her way to her favorite market, Hair clips, and ornamental accessories.

“Ah, that’s there.”, she smiled to herself and walked toward a small shop.

She looked at the thousands of hairpins. All of them were beautiful and shine but suddenly the silver one caught her attention.

It was silver with a diamond little flower at the top of it and for the first time, she regarded that she didn’t bring any money with her.

“Why are you looking at them? you are not going to buy one.”, she was taken aback by the sudden voice of the man next to her.

The man was so young around twenty-two or one, he wasn’t tall nor seem strong unlike the man behind him, he was skinny and short but he was so handsome at the same time.

“How do you know? And Incidentally I want to buy that.”, she bluffed and didn’t look at his eyes to didn’t make her lie obvious.

“I watch you several times when you came here; you just looked and didn’t buy anything, now you change your mind all of a sudden? stop bluffing.”, he said with a smirk, he read her mind so easily like they were an opened book to him.

‘Should I play?’, she asked herself and let her playful manner to get the better of her.

“You watched me? Are you chaser or something?”, she teased this time and made the two boy smile, “so buy it for me.”

“What?”, the boy shocked and looked at her to see if she was kidding, he surprised by Jieun's sudden suggestion that more sounded like an order.

“You looked at me several times and enjoy, at least you have to buy something in return, don’t you think?”, unfortunately, the young lady was a good player.

“Who said I enjoyed?”, the boy challenged with a raised eyebrow, and the other guy couldn’t hold his laughter anymore, he laughed like it was the funniest situation in the world in which Jieun found it funny as well.

“If you didn’t enjoy, why would you do it several times?”, she asked and smirked, “stop pretending! just buy that one for me.”, Jieun said and point at the silver hairpin which she wanted so badly, it was blinking at her.

Boy frowned at his friend, probably asking for his opinion. ”For the sake of God just buy it for her Baekhyun.”, the taller boy said, putting his hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder with a huge grin that showed almost all of his white teeth.

It just took a second for Baekhyun to realized that he lost to the young lady in front of him. She was smart and Baekhyun couldn’t deny it.

“Okay. how much does it cost?”, Baekhyun asked.

It didn’t cost so much, so at least she didn’t feel guilty for the rest of her life but she felt at the moment.

Baekhyun looked at the head clamp, there wasn’t any special thing about it at least under Baekhyun’s vision. “Why this one? It’s not anything special, there are more beautiful ones.”

“Sir, you should understand till now judge by your age that people make things special not things.”, she said wisely, and she was right Baekhyun made the head clamp special cause he bought it for her.

He wanted to give it to her but he took back his hand in the middle. “What’s your name by the way lady?”, he asked with a raised eyebrow.

It was the point that Jieun didn’t think of; should she tell her name? She just thought for a moment without answering.

“Do you forget your own name?”, Baekhyun teased and wondering about what’s wrong? he felt something wrong too but didn’t know why it could be wrong for a girl to simply tell her name.

“Baekhyun hyung!”, suddenly his train of thought cut by the appearance of another tall boy, running toward them through the crowd, he was in a hurry and was breathing so heavily, his skin was darker compare to his Hyung’s, his eyes were dark as well but seem stronger than Baekhyun.

“Baekhyun hyung, Chanyeol hyung, we have to go right now-”, he stopped to catch his breath and continued, “Kim Inguk is here.”, he swallowed.

“What?”, Baekhyun asked and looked so clueless at the moment, “why the hell is he here?”

“Don’t know hyung, but we have to go, he was heading right here.”, the younger boy said and tried to control his panicked voice.

“Are you sure?”, it didn’t seem like Chanyeol believe him yet. He wasn't sure why in this time of they should he want to come to bazzer, maybe he knew they are there? Or he just wanted to buy something himself?

“I’m sure hyung.”, the youngest boy insisted, tried to catch his breath, "see him with my own two eyes."

“We have to go.”, Baekhyun said and turned his face to look at the young lady that was looking at them with a confused waving on her face, “see you next time.”, then he and his brothers disappeared in a blinking of the eyes in the crowd and just left a heart-pounding for Jieun.

He ‘just leave like he never come’ wasn’t the best word to describe, but Jieun neither just forget the hairpin as she heard Kim Inguk’s name. The fact that he headed right there was absolutely not a good thing.

She shrugged of fear, like she always did when there was a mentioning of his father’s name, nothing new, actually who couldn’t even a fearless street guy like Baekhyun afraid.

There was no way to run so it’s just the best option for her to stay in her place as she heard the sounds of the horse reaching her spot and wait for her unasked faint.

“Am I speaking in another language?”, Angry Lord said, “didn’t hear your answer.” he yelled and the poor girl shuddered.

“N-no sir,” she answered carefully, she was afraid that she could make a mistake even in the two-word sentence like this.

“So I really don’t understand why would you sneak out of the castle again.”, His voice was angry but didn’t shake even a little so soft and crystal to hear, “look at my eyes.”, he said and she knew it’s going to be a nightmare for her, his father’s eyes, the unreasonable fear, she looked on the grey cold eyes, “I don’t like to repeat myself, you know?”

She just looked, can’t help but scaring to her stomach, how terrible it was, even worse than a pain. PAIN is just for a second but FEAR is going to stay for so much more maybe for her entire life.

“Never, ever again I want to hear you sneak out of the castle, and it’s my last word, don’t make me lock you up here for the rest of your life.”, he said and finally move his horrendous eyes from hers, “am I clear?”

“Y-yes sir.”, it was more sounds like a whisper.

“Sir.”, guard look agitated, his breath was fluttery and his face was pale.

“What the hell happened again?”, Lord Inguk looked at the poor guard who now managed to caught his breath, “King backs sir.”

“What?"

Jieun didn’t ask anything, as a matter of fact, she wasn’t curious about King and his stupid thing that he worked on at all. She didn’t even see him properly due to his works but at least he was handsome and she heard that he was smart too, so living with him couldn’t be that bad, could it?

“Jieun, come with me and welcomed him.”, the lord said and it wasn’t an offer, “ready her.”, this time the command was for her maid.

The young lady stood up and let her maid to fix her hair and dress. She was fast thus, it didn’t take much time for her to make her ready.

She and her father was standing in the main hall of the castle when the announcer announced that the king is coming.

The door was opened by the guard and the feature of the king appeared in the sight, tall, handsome, and smiley like always.

“You’re welcome my king.”, his father said as he gave the king a light bow and a glare at her daughter direction thus Jieun did too.

“You’re welcome you majesty.”, she said and tried to hide the bitterness of her voice.

“Are you mad at me?”, he asked as he stopped on his path toward his throne that was placed at the end of the hallway.

He was totally confused by the girl’s voice.

“Who I am to be mad at you?”, she asked in a really stilted voice.

“I just thinking.”, he answered with a smirk,

Then he put his hand on the pocket of his cloak and brought a silver hairpin out, “It’s for you my lady.”, he said with a small smile and offered the hairpin.

The hairpin was fancier compere to which she saw in the morning but it was still simple and absolutely her style, she couldn’t help but looking at hairpin that shone under the light of the hall way’s chandelier.

“It seems you like it.”, the king said with a huge smirk and offered it, “pick it, it’s for you.”

She accepted it without a second thought, why shouldn’t she? There is no wrong with accepting the thing you like, unless it’s from your enemy and she lost a hairpin this morning too.

“Thank you, king, it shows your kindness.”, her father said and a light flashed in his eyes as he saw her daughter accepted a hairpin without any further argue

“But Lord, can you leave us alone, I’d like to have words with your daughter?”, The king asked out of blue and waited for the Lord’s response.

“of course my king.”, he said with a bright smile that really didn’t suit his personality although he made it very realistic.

‘such a liar.’, King thought with himself and waited for the Lord to leave the main hall.

“what is it for, my king?”, the girl in front of him asked with a low voice, her gaze still on the floor.

“come with me.”, he said simply and turned to the right corridor in the main hall that guide them to the king’s own palace.

Jieun felt someone following them but didn’t bother herself to turn and look back although it was annoying, it may be just one of the guard.

“Kyungsoo you are bothering my lady.”, the king said and turned to look at the both of them.

She remembered the man the moment the king called his name.

He was one of the most professional guards and one of the best warriors of Thalassa, the king own bodyguard that almost all the kingdom scared of. She also heard that he had used to be one of the Exo members when he was younger which meant he had Crystal Power too, like her father.

She didn’t realized that the king almost approached her unless he started to talk, “are you scared of his name?”, he teased with a mocking smirk.

“why should I? Do you want to kill me? Right in your own palace? It doesn't seem to be a smart move.”, she said completely confident in her word.

“you are creepy, girl.”, he said informally and caused Jieun to taken aback, “let’s go in Jieun-ah.”, he said pointing at the door in the right.

‘Are we close?’, Jieun asked herself and raised an eyebrow.

“call me Luhan.”, the king showed another item of his personality again, left Jieun with surprised.

“Please go inside lady.”, a deep voice came from behind and made her jump.

“oh god! Is he always this weird?”, she asked but Kyungsoo didn’t answer didn’t even bother himself to nod thus Jieun decided to shut and followed the king inside. 

'I forgot he is even weirder.'

The room was small and there was just a big round table with five chairs around it.

“sit here.”, the king said and showed the nearest chair to him.

“I’m really sorry my king but are you drunk by any chance?”, she asked and took another seat that had a fair distance from which he offered.

Luhan just answered her with aloud laughter

“no, why are you asking?”, he said, trying hard to control his laughter, “is it because I asked you to call me by my name? No, I just want to get rid of the atmosphere, we should get closer.”, he was a complete weirdo in Jieun’s eyes.

She never saw king this way, she always saw him in a rush or so serious, he even never smiled this wide, or talking thus playfully.

“if you want to be close, then can I use ‘what the hell’?”, she asked not sure about what herself was gonna do if he got the permission.

“I suppose so.”, even Luhan got confused.

“what the actual hell king?”, she yelled a little loud, “I was heard that you are a weirdo but I don’t believe it.”, it most seem like she talking to herself than the king.

“hey, I’m still a king.”, he warned and raised eyebrows at her, “by the way, you have the right to know everything beyond our marriage, I want to aware you just this.”, he became serious again.

“I already knew, it’s something about inherited a power.”, she said not interested in the subject.

“It’s more complicated my lady, you may already knew that I’m the second man of the kingdom, and although I have Kyungsoo I’m scared for my life, don’t get me wrong I trust your father but he don’t and I trust him more than anyone.”, he pointed at the Kyungsoo’s direction.

There was something in his voice that caught Jieun attention the moment he started, like he was ready for lying her, Jieun wondered if he didn’t yet.

“Is that right? But why?”, Jieun couldn’t stop herself from asking she knew her father could be cold and emotionless sometimes but he wouldn’t betray the king, would he?

Kyungsoo didn’t answer again.

“Hey I’m talking to you Mr. Do.”, she frowned this time, looking at the rude warrior, “is he mute?”

“No, he is just a little stubborn lady.”, he chuckled a little, “and he also didn’t like you and your father.”, another chuckle left his lips.

“Sorry but I don’t find it funny at all, I understand if someone hate my father, but I barely get out of my chamber and that's not enough to make people hate me.”, a blood rush to her body and made her angrier that someone just hate her without even knowing who she is.

She always heard it when she go out of the castle, people just judge her because of her father and her father's deeds. They called her a brat or and they didn’t care who she really is, although if she'd been nice to them who cares? They may just run away when they hear that she is Kim Inguk’s daughter.

“Are you mad?”, Luhan asked carefully, he absolutely didn’t have any idea about how mad she would get, although he knew as a playboy, he never cared about the feeling, cause the other girl didn’t get mad at him this easily.

“No, I really love it when people hate me.”, she said with a faked happy face and a small chuckled escaped Kyungsoo’s lips.

“He like it.”, Luhan said with a smirk, “by the way we are getting out of the main point. The second thing is my mother insist that I have to marry for myself and my kingdom, and she is the only woman I love in the world, you could try to be a second one.”

“No need honestly, I’m okay with it.”, she said and tried to make it cool, but it was a hole in her heart, she couldn’t think about something as a love yet. The friendship is okay, you may really like someone and take a deep care of him but loving as something that people say would change your entire life is something almost unrealistic for her.

Her mother hated her father but they care for each other, she never let him down and stop supporting him although there wasn’t even a single lovely word that they said to each other before she died and even after her father wasn’t bothered about his wife’s death.

“She is kidding, isn’t she?”, Luhan asked Kyungsoo and was surprised by her opinion, how could a young girl just said, she is okay with not being loved by her husband.

Kyungsoo shrugged in return.

“I’m not, sorry to disappointed you.”, this time was her turn to smirk and play, “you may get shocked that you couldn’t get my heart, mightn’t you?”

“What the hell? You are really hard.”, Luhan recant and sighed, “third thing is I want all the power of the kingdom for my son if I and you married our son would be the one and only power of the Thalassa in the future.”, but the corner of his lips moved upward suddenly and made a mocking smirk, “are you interested in the idea of having a baby boy with me?”, he asked and looked at her.

“You’re so shameless, you know?”, she said and raised an eyebrow at the rude boy in front of her, “okay if it’s finished can I leave? I don’t think there would be any other reason.”, it’s already too much for her to deal with for the rest of the day.

“Yes, it’s finished but still there is something I want to tell you, I want you to get ready for the small trip before our wedding.”, he smiled, a bright calm one.

“C-can I ask why?”

“to get to know each other.”, he said and stood up from his seat, Jieun fallowed too.

“My father may ask about the conversation, should I tell him?”, she asked as she reached for a doorknob.

“I see nothing wrong with it.”, Luhan said and watched she exited and get disappeared.

“Do you like her?”, Kyungsoo asked when he realized that she got enough distance to didn’t hear their voice.

“She is nice and smart.”

Jieun laughed at herself when she heard Luhan’s compliment from beyond the door.