Chapter 24
Departure

After bidding farewell to Yixing, Luhan makes his way back to his own palace. Halfway there, he noticed two people were sneaking around near one of the smaller palace's gates. He tried coming closer to them, hoping to see who it was so he can make sure they aren't people with bad intentions. 

Although he tried to be as quiet as possible, but they must still have heard him coming. The shorter one pushes the taller one away towards the palace gate. The taller one didn't hesitate and quickly slip through the small opening of the gate. Luhan had tried to speed up but still wasn't able to catch a glimpse of who the taller person was. He was ready to beat down the shorter one to chase after the taller one but immediately stop his action when the shorter person turns back around to face him. 

"Xiaofei?" Luhan questioned as he recognized his sister's face.

Liufei smiles nervously at her second brother, "Lu ge, why are you out here so late at night?" 

Luhan reaches out and try to open the gate that she had pushes close. She had her back against it and would not budge from it. He gave up and glare suspiciously at her, "I should be asking you that. A princess who was supposed to be sulking in her own room is actually sneaking out and about. Did you sneak out on your own? Who was that with you?" 

"That was a guard!" Liufei quickly replied.

"There's a guard who is brave enough to sneak you outside?"

"I'm the princess. I forced and threaten him, so he had to do as I said."

Luhan shook his head disappointingly at her, "Taking only one guard outside, do you know how dangerous that was?! I can't believe that guard and the gate's guards let you go through with this!" he scolded her.

"Alright. Alright. I promised I won't do it again so can you just lower your voice Lu ge?" She raised both her hands up in defeat.

He let out a sigh, wondering just what he should do with this troublesome little sister of his. "If you want to go outside, just tell Yixing or myself and we can take you out. Don't take just one guard out."

Liufei pouted sourly, "You guys have been so busy with the ambassadors that you don't even have time to look my way. How am I supposed to ask?"

Luhan flick her forehead lightly and her hands flew up to rub the spot, "We weren't ignoring you. In fact, we were planning to take you with us to the festival outside but when Yixing was there your maid lied to him. We thought you were sulking so Yixing even bought a bunch of lanterns to cheer you up." He shook his head at her again, "Imagine if your Xing ge found out about this, how sad would he be?"

Liufei reaches out and grabbed onto Luhan's sleeves. She swings it back and forth in a cute begging way. "Please don't tell Xing ge, I don't want to make him sad. Please?"

Looking at her puppy face, there was no way he wouldn't melt. This sister of theirs is going to be the death of all the royal princes. "What about me? You don't mind that I'm sad?"

"Of course I mind!" she gasp out immediately, thinking she actually made her brother sad. "But…but it's not like I can whack your head hard and hope that you forget what you already know," she mumbled but obviously he can hear.

He reaches up making the motion to flick her forehead again but switch to petting her head adoringly when her hands flew up instinctively to protect her forehead. 

---

After the lantern festival, the ambassadors' departure was drawing near. They've all completed their tasks and was preparing for their journey home. 

The Japanese ambassadors were the first ones to leave. The three Chinese princes escorted them to the capital city's border and bid farewell to them there. After a good hour away from the Chinese group, Jongdae ride his horse over to the carriage's window. "What did you say to the Chinese' Crown Prince earlier to make his expression darken all of a sudden?" Jongdae question Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo look out the window questioningly at Jongdae, "His expression darkened? All I said was that I hope to meet him again."

"Was that really all that you've said?" Junmyeon, who was also sitting in the carriage, said without looking up from the book he was reading. "You didn't add in something along the line of wishing him luck against his own father?"

Kyungsoo only smile back at Junmyeon. Jongdae let out a sigh, "Poor guy. In a kingdom with multiple princes, to fight against the other princes is hard enough but to have to fight against your own father the emperor…his life sure isn't easy." He turns back to Kyungsoo and comment, "Aren't you glad you're the only son of our King?"

Kyungsoo looks at Jongdae, let out a sigh then shook his head. 

"What? Hey, what does that mean?" Jongdae question loudly as Kyungsoo turns away from him. 

"Fighting against the emperor…that's just what someone wants the crown prince to think. Our Kyungsoo just wanted to lend a helping hand" Junmyeon explains. 

Jongdae thought about it then nodded, "I see, you're feeding into the fire to help with the chaos that might breakout within their kingdom."

Kyungsoo handed Jongdae some grapes as if to reward him for finally understanding, "Not 'might'. A chaos will breakout, it's just a matter of when…" Kyungsoo trailed off.

"…and a matter of whose side the chaos is on" Junmyeon finished. 

"I thought you like that crown prince," Jongdae commented. 

"I do," Kyungsoo replied. 

Jongdae shook his head, he doesn't think he'll ever fully understand Kyungsoo. He was about to ride back to his spot at the front when he remembers something, "How come you made Minseok stay back instead of returning with us?" he directed the question at Junmyeon. 

Last night, as he was passing by Junmyeon's room to return to his own, Jongdae had felt another presence in the room. Usually Minseok's presence isn't easy to detect but if a person exudes that much killing intent it's kind of hard to not sense him. Jongdae can guess that Junmyeon must have pissed Minseok off for not letting him go back to Korea. 

Kyungsoo look towards Junmyeon questioningly, wanting to know why he wasn't aware that Minseok had come by. Junmyeon explained, "He heard that we are leaving but didn't received any other order, so he came by to check in. He had reported to me everything he had found out during his stay here and wanted to know if his mission is complete yet." Junmyeon handed Kyungsoo an apple as a peace offering. He knows that there are only a few things Kyungsoo cares about and Minseok is one of them. Junmyeon continues after Kyungsoo took the apple from his hand, "I told him his mission is currently completed but he cannot return yet. He wasn't too happy about that but there are still some things I need him to do here later." 

Kyungsoo nodded then bite into the apple, satisfied with Junmyeon's answer.

---

Liufei look on from the palace's wall as the Korean's ambassador group slowly disappear from sight. She wishes that she and Sehun could have more time to get to know each other. She was finally starting to like hanging out with him and yet he already had to leave. 

"Princess, are you alright?" one of her maid asks.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Liufei said, eyes still on the Korean group.

"Did you…perhaps…fell in love with that guard?" the other maid asks hesitantly.

Liufei quickly look back towards the maid, causing both of them to panic and kneel down to beg for her forgiveness. She quickly tells them to get up then she makes her way towards the stairs that leads down the wall. She thought for a bit in silence then shook her head, "It's not love…I don't know. He just..he was different. A mysterious and fun kind of different."

Both maids look towards each other and one mouth to the other, isn't that the start of love? The other giggle back but immediately stops when Liufei turn around to glare suspiciously at them.

Liufei decide to ignore her maids. She skips down the stairs happily, looking forward to go causing trouble for her brothers again. The strange sadness she felt earlier was already gone by the time she reaches the ground.

Liufei knows there wasn’t anything that either of them could do. They weren't born to the same nation. Even if they were, her royal status wouldn’t have allowed any kind of relationship with him. For now, she can only hold onto the promise that he made when they met up one last time. They'll meet again someday.

---

"That girl that was watching us from the palace's wall, is that who you've been having fun with? Never thought it'll be a Chinese beauty that breaks you out of your cold shell," Jongin nudge Sehun teasingly.

"It is none of your business, Jongin" Sehun replied.

Jongin pouted then proceeded to pinching Sehun's cheek, "That's Jongin hyung for you, brat. How dare you disrespect me in front of others?"

"Ouch! Let go you crazy devil!" Sehun squats Jongin's hand away and massages his cheek. "It's not like Chan and Baek is new to it, what's the big deal? If I don't question you where you've been after causing property damage to the Chinese Embassy, then don't question me."

Jongin saw Baekhuyn flinch at the mention of the property damage so he settles back down in his own seat in the carriage, pretending to be a well-behaved person. "So, uh...how was that handled?" He asks Baek curiously, wondering how the advisor dealt with the situation.

Baekhuyn clenches his fist and gritted his teeth as he looks up at the first prince of Korea with a fake smile, "Never in the history of Korea had there been an ambassador that had to explain their barbaric action to another nation. You make us proud, Prince Jongin."

Jongin burst out laughing, obviously he did not feel an ounce of guilt for his action. "Ah, what a fun place to be. I would love to visit again someday," he commented as he looks out the carriage's window at the roadside sceneries. 

Chanyeol, who was riding on a horse a little ahead of the carriage, let out a sigh. He prays internally that if there is a next time, he doesn't have to be the one to accompany these guys.