Looking at the mirror, she saw herself inside it, at least half of what she considered as ‘myself.’, another half must be buried for all goods that technically his father was first in the list of ‘GOODS’.

She tried to fix the new hairpin in her soft black straight hair but it just slipped afterward in the first three times. But fourth time it fortunately stayed.

‘I always know there is a retaliated between four and fortunate.’, she narrowed her eyes at her genius discovery.

Looking around her chamber and smiling at herself as she saw the sight of a tidy room, she always loved it when her room was tidy and clean which always was.

"Knock knock." sudden knock on the door made her jump and her gaze moved to fixed on the wooden door. “It is me, my lady.”, the sweet sound of the male beyond the door voiced out.

“come in please.”, she said opening the door for the king and his not-so-sweet personal bodyguard.

Kyungsoo looked around the room the moment his foot met a floor of her room with his stony expression and piercing eyes.

“I didn’t hide my father under my bed, I swear.”, she said mockingly, raising an eyebrow at the warrior, wondering if he really thought like that.

He bowed and didn’t respond as usual.

“you two are not hanging out with each other, what should I do?”, the king said loudly to himself and chose it was good not to get response and sat on her chair for a little chat.

Not bothering himself for asking permission he brought out the wooden chair and faced it to her tidy bed that even satisfy himself since he was tidy as well, he nodded at her and Kyungsoo to seat, “seat.”

‘first same standpoint!’, the king thought with himself, making himself sure about incoming marriage.

Actually, he was a little afraid of the wedding cause he knew she was smart and she was the daughter of her father, which made her dangerous as well.

Then something almost unpleasant cut his train of thought.

“not on my bed!”, she squealed in a high pitched voice and made poor Kyungsoo jump before even seating his on the clean bed.

“oh God, I’m scared.”, Luhan yelled in return with wide-open eyes and smirked in his lips as wide as, “how are we going to share a bed?”

Jieun thought it didn’t worth it to respond thus she went to the other side of the room where there was another wooden chair that her traitor used to seat and brought it for Kyungsoo.

“seat please.”, she said placed the wooden chair in the best position to face the bed and Luhan both.

“no need, I stan-“

“I'll sit on the bed.”, She said swiftly and seat on the bed, “I’d brought it for you in the first place, but if you prefer standing, I never insist.”, she gave light smile she was good at.

“so it’s just me a problem?”, he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“like it’s just be a problem.”, she said let the corner of her pink small lips to move upward and made a teasing smirk.

“Jieun, one-Kyungsoo, zero.”, the king announced proudly, “but let’s talk about this later, are you ready?”, the king asked, his serious expression backed on again.

‘no way we’re going to move today right, It’s still a day outside but still.’, she tried to convince her self.

“Yes, we are going today, since there are only three days left.”, he said.

‘did, I say it out loud?’, she asked herself, scared a little. She was sure that she didn’t say it out loud, she had no idea how-

Except she did forget how much he was capable of his crystal power.

“I’m telekinetic and mind reader.”, the smile grow to become a proud smirk in his lips, changing from innocent to playful one.

Okay, she sigh. She was being stupid which was rare. How could she forget tiny important detail like this, which she never did?

“then, I think we should make some deal, first don’t read my mind whenever you feel like it.”, she said with her bitterest voice, even king should know he couldn’t read some personal space for the sake of human being just because he can.

“it doesn’t seem I can do even if I like, I’m not good at it yet.”, he said and rolled his eyes, “I told you about mine, shouldn’t you share about yours?”

He planed for it, she couldn’t say it was the wisest way to figure it out but the honest is always the safest, and since they were walking at the edge of the trust blade he should do it in the safest.

“I don’t have any.”, she said, showing her honest expression without any doubt or any sign of lying, like she always said to everyone, no matter who was in front her, the answer is always the same like it repeated over and all over again.

Cause it was true- or not?

“you don’t lie, but-“, the king showed his confused expression but due to his mind riding ability he knew she wasn’t lying, “but how is that even possible? I know some people that their parents didn’t have crystal power but they have, but have never seen a person who her parents have and she doesn't.”

“well, you know then now.”, she gave him a smile smirk.

But again king’s first shocking attack crossed her mind, not quite able to hang it off her mind. “but seriously you don’t mean it for today, do you? I mean you’re a king, majesty, and that’s not good if you just go outside without well preparation.”, she chose wisely, trying her best to mean it inside though she knew, she was such a failure at this rate.

“wow, I’m impressed.”, said king looking at his bodyguard direction to see his reaction as well, “but sorry to disappointed you again my lady, I don’t need any preparation when Kyungsoo is around neither you due to how you sneak of the castle without anyone knowing which impressed me like now.”

Jieun almost fell from the edge of the bed. She was taken by surprise, wondering if the king read her mind again.

“so it’s true! Rumors fly in this area.”, the king was satisfied with his plan that Jieun was trapped in it successfully.

She could only roll her eyes and thought about her stupidity by reacting rather than his smartness.

“and I would be happy if I see you in the hallway in fifteen minutes.”

“fifteen minutes? Am I capable of speed power?”, she mumbled to herself, narrowed her eyes, and carried the almost heavy bag without any help, cause king wanted. She wondered why she even listen to him.

“or I’m capable of superhuman strength power?”, she was about to continue her nagging when suddenly the weight of the bag no longer was sense.

“I’ll help.”, cold bodyguard said and Jieun without any protest let him carry her bag and vanished at the end of the corridor.

“my lady, I think I said fifteen-minute, not fifty minute.”, king glanced sideways at the young lady of Kims.

“I’m a girl, It would be really weird if I do it in exactly fifteen minutes.”, she said, trying not to be poisonous, “sorry you majesty.”, she said, her voice wasn’t sorry at all.

“do you want to make amend then if you are really sorry?”, he said showing his beautiful innocent smile that Jieun almost forgot that his intention is diabolic.

“no I don’t.”, a smirk appeared in her lips and she let the playfulness of her to be shown.

She started to ran away from the king but he was fast and grabbed her, pulling her closer to him, fixed his eyes on hers.

Jieun could see her reflect on his soft twinkling eyes, they were so beautiful designing with a most royal shape ever -pair of deer’s eyes- and they were catching, almost because they were brown that you could drink a warm coffee from them and second-which she loved more- because they were safe. The way he looked is so safe that she didn’t even dare to flinch.

“Jieun,”, even though she froze in the spot her heart beat wildly, “I want to tell you something-“

“My king.”, the man in his usual royal purple cloak took a step toward the king and his daughter and there was no choice left for the king but to let go off her wrist.

He turned to face a man with a fast smile, “lord Inguk.”, a different smile from which he used for Jieun, “what can I do?”

“Sorry for interrupting but could I bring my daughter  for a while please, I want to talk to her before this trip.”, Kim Inguk looked a bit sorry about interrupting in their conversation.

He got the message from the guard about the trip but couldn't find Jieun in her room. So he just passed every corridor to finally find her in this position.

“of course, you have all the right to worry and warn her if you want, but I can confirm bring her home safely.”, King ensure with a warm smile.

“thank you.”, old lord bowed and grabbed her daughter hand to brought her to his room.

“what the hell are you doing?”, Kim Inguk said immediately after he closed the door behind.

“what did I do wrong?”, she asked completely confused.

“I thought I am clear about finding information about the sword not flirting with the king?”

“I don't flirt with him, he just tried to tell me something father, and it’s not yet the time, he doesn’t fully trust me.”, Jieun said trying to keep her voice down, she didn’t dare to yell after what happened this morning and his father used his power.

“he tried to tell you something in that position?”, he raised an eyebrow, anger now waving in his grey eyes.

“yes.”, she confirmed surly.

He sighed, put his hand on her daughter’s shoulder calmly, he brought his head down to her level, “Jieun, look, you should bring as much as information you can for me, I want that sword.”

And when he wants something he has to get it, even if it means to burn the world down.

Jieun looked at his eyes, but her vision was blurry already, trying so hard to hold her tears, “but I hate it, I hate spying.”

“it’s not important, If I get the sword our life would change, you could be the queen without him, and there would be nothing you hate anymore.”

‘did he even know what he is talking about? Queen without king? Did he want to-‘

“what do you mean?”, she said in a small voice, afraid of the answer, she knew his father was capable of everything but betraying the king was something different, something just Kyungsoo could think of.

“you don’t need to know, just gave me the information I want, just ask the question and Hyukjea would be around to eavesdropping”, he finished and let go of her shoulder.

He hand a silk embroidered handkerchief to her, “it’s your mother’s, get hold of yourself and back, don’t you dare fall in love with him at the end. I would give you more about your mother if you do it right”

Yes, she was more precious than just being married off to the king.

“Are you okay Jieun?”, was the first thing King said after seeing her pale face and It was odd.

“oh, yes.”, she said smiling widely to king, “why shouldn’t I?”

“Did your father use his p-“

“no, why should he? I’m just shocked because he gave me this handkerchief and-“, she took a deep breath and let the word to slip out, “said it’s my mother’s.”, she put a handkerchief on her nose and smell the familiar sweet scent, it was surely her mother's but why was it made her feel nasty?

Her father even didn’t let her wrap her mind around the new information, let he did it in the worst situation.

“I’m sorry.”, he said in a small voice, “do you know how to ride a horse?”

Okay, with a good try of changing the subject, the king pointed at three horses that Kyungsoo brought for them.

They were walking royally toward them and had a pride like they are the last horses in the world which Jieun sure they weren’t.

“no of course not.”, she almost squeaked either fear and disgust. She hide her self behind the king when Kyungsoo approached them.

“It seems like our lady scared of horse Kyungsoo.”, the king teased.

“go on, teased whatever you like I’m not going to ride this monster.”, she said and took a quick glance at them.

Suddenly one of them turn his head and looked-shoot a glare in Jieun’s opinion- at her.

“ah.”, another screamed.

“ah.”, the brown horse which shot a glare a few seconds ago, neighed.

“oh god, he is insulting me.”, she cried and buried her face on the back of the king completely.

“Actually he is she.”, the king said trying to hold his laughter. “don’t worry if you don’t know how to ride, you should just seat on it and I control it.”

“I don’t want to seat on it, I even don’t want to touch it, even watch it, even nothing.”, she screamed but her scream just lost in Kyungsoo’s laughter.

“look even Kyungsoo is laugh at you, come on, it’s not that scary.”, he wrapped her finger around Jieun’s wrist and yanked her out gently.

“but she hates me.”, Jieun said with her high pitched voice.

“Okay, we let the horses chose their horsemen.”, Luhan suggested like it was the solution of all the problems which wasn’t.

“I’m a woman.”, her shaky voice was heard again and Kyungsoo had a hard time hiding his red face in his hand.

“horsewoman.”, Luhan corrected himself, “stay and let’s see which horse chose you, and I swear the horse chooses the one it loves.”

Jieun listened, closed her eyes, and tried to think of other things than horse when suddenly Hyukjea stepped in her brain.

Even the thought of him made her blood ran cold in her veins. The darkness that she was in because she closed her eyes didn’t help the situation at all so she opened her eyes without a second thought.

It could count as a mistake cause the second she opened them again the brown horse was looking straight into her eyes, his black pupil was fixed on her, analyzing her deep inside to make sure that she was a good choice. “okay- it chose you.”, little chuckled escape his lips as he went toward a black one which chose him and mounted.

She looked at the horse for several seconds when suddenly pair of warm hand placed on her shoulders and she flinched.

“just don’t show your nerves, now lean on my hand and climb.”, he whispered

Jieun didn’t even have any doubt to trust him when his sweet voice came to her ears, it’s like he was singing. (and all of us know how it feels like.) Jieun seat calmly tried to hid her nerves as the king had said.

“Okay, see I tied our horse with this leather rope together and all you have to do-“ 

“should I do something? You said you ride it for me.”, she cut him nervously.

“what’s wrong with you it’s just a horse, just don’t let go of reins, it’s this simple.”, his voice wasn’t angry at all almost like he trying to be angry but couldn’t stop laughing.

She took the deepest breath she’d ever taken. Shut her eyes she clung to the leather reins slowly and let it to fixed in her sweaty hand.

“she is asleep.”, Kyungsoo said after taking a quick glance at her direction, “is it safe to sleep on the horse?”

“yes, let her sleep, I bet she was too tired.”, Luhan didn’t just let go of it with a glance, he looked at her for a longer time, she was sleeping peacefully but still smiling with her dreams that Luhan wondered what it was all about, maybe she was dreaming being with him?

‘what’s wrong with me?’, he frowned at his own thought, rubbing his eyes he turned his face away.

He was tired as well and probably his brain didn’t function in the way it must.

“Luhan!”, Kyungsoo’s sudden warning voice was loud enough to be heard but not enough to wake sleeping beauty up.

But Luhan was fast enough to follow Kyungsoo’s gaze and hold Jieun’s wrist swiftly and yanked her closer to him before she slipped.

She blinked slowly and finally opened her pure brown eyes designing with long eyelashes that were as black as her hair.

“you’re too close.”, was the first thing she said when her brain tried to wrap around the situation.

Luhan smiled, looking at his reflection in the heart of her eyes.

“what the hell Luhan?”, Kyungsoo said causally most because he wasn’t aware that the young lady in Luhan’s hand was wide awake.

“is it okay to speak to the king like this?”, she said and tried to make the distance between herself and the one who made her heart jumped a beat.

“Yes, what the hell Bodyguard Do, do you want to die?”, the king said and hit him slowly in the back but he was shooting a shut-up glare at him as well.

“hey, I’m not a kid anymore I’m almost twenty-one, I just don’t get how you two became friends?”, she said getting the hold of the reins when patting the brown soft manes that felt like water.

“hey, do you know you touch it right now?”, the king asked unable to hide his surprise.

“why? We became friends too.”, she smiled brightly in return, eyes not leaving the manes.

“We met a few years after my father died.”, Luhan voice suddenly was really calm and slow, “and decide to be friends.”

“suddenly!”, she narrowed her eyes at him, “what do you think Browny?”

“ha, are you talking to her?”, Luhan was caught by surprise, he wondered if she lied.

“I didn’t act, I really was scared but now I’m fine, and also I’m not a mind reader but I can’t read peoples minds by looking at their face.”, she said proudly.

King turned his face to look at her eyes maybe he could get what’s going inside. He really wanted to read that complicated mind but since she didn’t, he was gentle enough to didn’t do it.

“We arrived.”, Kyungsoo said after a long silence although neither of the king and young lady let go of the contact. It almost seemed like a competition in Kyungsoo’s eyes but different from always that Kyungsoo knew Luhan would definitely win it.

Luhan searching for something to trust but Jieun wasn’t and it was the only thing Kyungsoo could tell.

“you’re going to drown in each other's eyes if you don’t stop.”

Something about riding a horse didn’t really suit her.

“I - can’t.”, she was about to curse for the tenth time in the day and broke her curse-in-a-day record.

Last night was a complete disease and she almost about to ride a horse back by herself.

Camping in heart of the jungle was the worst idea she’d ever heard for the past four years of her life and the last one wasn’t that bad either.

The wind was cold and not cool like King had been said and repeated like a little baby that who started talking. And it was the ing middle of the jungle which meant all the wide animal waiting for their naive pray and all the king had been saying was ‘don’t worry Kyungsoo is here.’, what Kyungsoo is going to ing do when the wolf's pack attack?

“Can we stop for a lunch?”, Jieun made her best puppy eyes and looked at the King.

“Are you really this tired?”, his breezing voice met her ears.

‘how cannot you be?’, she wanted to yell.

“I didn’t sleep last night, cause although the tent was big but you were there, majesty.”, she said, getting off her horse, Browny.

“I understand. You must be really nervous that I was there with you, heart pounding, sweating, thinking and staring.”, he said with a huge smirk in his face.

“Sorry to disappointed you but I mean snoring.”, she answered back with a smirk and her heel.

“no way!”, he yelled -screamed, to be honest- and Jieun was taken aback, “Kyungsoo was I snoring last night?”

“kind of.”, Kyungsoo didn’t know about anything cause he just back from haunting just in time.

“let’s tie the horse.”, she said and walk away toward a tree. She felt a little guilty when the king pulled a long face.

“your really awful at changing-“

Flying dagger cut him which straight came to their direction, but faster than the dagger was Luhan’s reaction, put his hand on the trunk of the tree to protect her and control the dagger with the other one.

“ah.”, the scream that escaped the young lady’s lips when the dagger stopped just a few niches away from them in the middle of the air, like it was hanging on the invisible branch.

“you improved so much you majesty.”, the happy voice of the new incomer met her ears but they weren’t pleasant at all, although its ring was beautiful, “it’s going to be fun.”

Bonus:

His smile is a killer.