“I can explain,” Jane mentioned but Jaehyun didn’t look at her, his eyes still stuck on yours.

You knew this would eventually happen. They would find out sooner or later they were assisting the runaway Princess to well, run away. You had hoped though that it would have come at a further point in the travels. One where you weren’t in a village, but out in the forest where no one could exactly just leave you and call for a guard staying nearby.

It was selfish of you, all of this was really. In that moment as he stared at you, you began to realise just how much you had asked of them in the past couple of days. You had been so focused on what you were gaining from them, that you didn’t really stop to think of how this would look in their eyes.

They were accomplices without even choosing to become them.

“Jane,” you called and she looked over at you, sighing as she knew what your next words would be before you spoke them. “Can you give me a moment alone with Jaehyun?”

She nodded, reluctantly taking herself out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her. You wondered if she would stand on the outside and listen in or not.

“I had my guesses,” he started out, shaking his head incredulously at you. “That you were from wealth. You exuded someone who came from a place of power. But a princess, an actual princess?!”

“Who slept out in the woods,” you reminded him, unable to not throw it back at him despite the circumstances.

He tried ever so hard not to smile but you saw his lips curl up in the faintest of ways.

“I just don’t get why you would be so reckless?” he asked you instead, and you sat down on the bed, nodding slowly.

“I have always dreamed of the world. To see more than the castle walls. To have no one wait on me, to be able to go to the bathroom without announcing it with an entourage even.”

He quirked an eyebrow at you but didn’t say anything else.

“I was never allowed to do anything and that meant anything valuable to learn, I didn’t get to do so further than within the realm of books.”

“Everything you know is theory-based,” he surmised and you nodded.

“I escaped because of Ten, you know,” you mentioned with a small smile, remembering back to Jane’s incessant chatter about the elusive man who had turned her world upside down. It felt so long ago now that it seemed odd to think this all started only a few days ago. Jaehyun seemed confused and your smile grew. “Well, because of Jane being smitten with Ten.”

“He fell for her at first sight,” Jaehyun replied with a heavy sigh. Was he put out by their love? Was Ten being in love with your Jane something he didn’t want? You searched his eyes and wondered further if it was because he craved something as simple as their love for himself.

You knew deep down you wanted it too.

“We were meant to go to the bar, have an uneventful evening and then sneak back in before we were noticed,” you explained and Jaehyun smirked.

“It’s a bar; clearly you don’t know how hard it is to have an uneventful experience.”

You chose to ignore his teasing. “Of course, getting injured meant I couldn’t return. They would find my damaged body in the morning and then I would have to explain how it happened.”

“And you don’t think this is far worse?” He held up the flyer to you and you read it quickly, gasping at the mistake. “They’re claiming you’ve been kidnapped!”

“But I haven’t been!”

“Do you think they will care for details like that when they find you? Did you think about us when you chose to not tell us who you were?”

You diverted your gaze to your lap, your tears threatening to spill. You couldn’t bear to look at his disappointment any longer. “I’m sorry; you can leave Jane and I here and move on with your journey without us. You won’t be implicated at all by this.”

“You have to go see the ocean though,” he said a moment later, and you glanced up at him, blinking back your tears. Jaehyun smiled and reached to brush them away. “I made a promise to you.”

“But you could get in trouble,” you murmured, staring into his brown eyes as if you could decipher why he would risk it all for you.

“I could, you’re right.” He cringed at whatever he imagined. “I suppose you have a dungeon in your home?”

You nodded. “Sadly I don’t think you’d get to stay there long.”

“Of course, you have to be your Father’s everything. If you weren’t so special it wouldn’t be as bad as a potential death sentence.”

“Hey!” you cried and he chuckled, nudging you gently. The humour soon left his face as he stared at you for some time. It made you feel that he was searching deeply into your soul and you shifted closer as if it would allow him the chance to find it.

He swallowed and looked away before a curt nod left him. “I won’t tell the others. It’s just me who will know. I’ll protect you from whatever will get in the way of you reaching the sea at whatever cost.”

“You will?” you asked, placing your hand on his lower arm. Jaehyun looked down at where you touched him and then smiled.

“I know what it’s liked to be trapped with nowhere to spread your wings too. Let me help you get to breathe in the salty air of the sea before you return back to where you belong, okay?”

You didn’t tell him in that moment you didn’t feel like you belonged anywhere other than at his side.

Jane was cautious with Jaehyun the next morning when you all set out again. She had begged you all night long to reconsider and return home at once. The punishment you would receive would be far greater the longer you were away.

But you were compelled forward with the desire to reach the sea. You were unsure what you would find when you finally arrived there, but you were certain it would be worth it.

As he had vowed, the other three were in a chipper mood, oblivious to the threat above you all and rather playful after last night with you. Lucas asked how badly your head hurt when you woke up. You didn’t tell him the details of throwing up overnight or drinking so much water that you felt that when you would reach the sea you would perhaps become one with it.

What you did tell him was that you were fully capable of walking forth to your destination today, sharing a smile with Jaehyun as he passed by you both.

The travelling party was jovial for the entire day apart from Jane. And when dusk started to shroud your vision in its mysterious light, you noticed Ten had finally gotten through to her, making her laugh and hug him tightly. You could tell she was relaxed again.

Camp was set up at the base of a hill inland from the road and you and Jaehyun were given the task of collecting water for drinking and washing up with. Although the men travelled light, Lucas had been carrying a couple of buckets since you left the first village together, and now Jaehyun held them, the pair of you silently walking back to the road to the stream you had seen earlier on. You had wanted to say a lot of things to him today but admittedly he had kept from you, spending most of his time at Taeyong’s side.

The things you wanted to say now sat on the tip of your tongue, urging to be spoken and yet you hesitated. You wondered how long you had considered Jaehyun in this light but clarity had arrived with you when you woke up this morning.

You were beginning to feel something towards him.

You told yourself that it was juvenile. That you had no experience of feeling anything for anyone. And yet, you were certain the flutters in your stomach whenever he looked at you were a sign that you liked him.

Of course, you liked him. He was helpful and kind and he regarded you as a person and not just for your title. That had been rather evident when he openly proclaimed he would risk it all to take you to the ocean still. But even before then, he had been someone special. You could tell by the way Marigold spoke of him. Your saviour. He was really starting to live up to those words already.

He hadn’t let your dream crash after all.

All the same, you worried if you were rushing these feelings and they came from your lack of experience in the world. Much like drinking the alcohol rashly, you worried that you were feeling things for him that were unwarranted. Ten had admitted they helped many people after all. Were you just another number in their escapades?

You didn’t know you were frowning so hard until you heard him chuckle. “Why are you thinking so deeply?”

“Oh!” You blushed and shook your head. “No reason.”

“You don’t have to worry about the others. Even if they find out about who you are. They will come to understand it all,” he offered, assuming this was why you were frowning. You welcomed his distraction greatly.

“Even Taeyong?”

Jaehyun laughed. “I told you, he’s a softie, believe me, he cares.”

“I know but I can’t imagine he’s going to readily accept it either.”

“Well, you’re right there,” Jaehyun mentioned as you neared the road and then stopped, his face growing concerned. You watched him and looked to the direction he was leaning towards.

You heard a thundering noise.

“What’s that?” you asked and he shifted to you quickly, dropping the buckets in the mad dash of pushing you backwards in haste from the road. You stumbled a few times, tripping over branches to the point that you were thankful that he had such a good grip on you. And when he spun you around and pinned you to the back of a large tree, you were stunned by how fast you had gotten this close to him.

He was on alert, staring out to the road with a dark expression upon his face. His grip on you didn’t let up, even though there was literally nowhere for you to move to. His body was pressed against yours and your heart was racing.

You cursed yourself for not being more logical in that moment.

You could tell it was serious and he was protecting from whatever was out there. You soon realised they were the sounds of hooves and they grew louder, passing you both and heading along the path you were destined to take in the morning. You knew who they were by the look on his face; they were the men searching for you. All the same, you didn’t register it as much as you were taking in his face for other reasons. He had a strong jawline and your focus moved up over his cheek, staring into his eyes for some time before travelling down his nose and stopping upon his full lips. You hadn’t lingered over them before, but now that you were, you were fixated. Could a man truly have such a beautiful set of lips? More importantly, should a princess with no experience such as yourself be entertaining such sinful thoughts in this mystical environment? The tree’s branches and leaves had shrouded around you both, encapsulating you within your own magical space.

You decided you had spent far too much time reading romance novels when you were meant to be studying calculus.

At some point, as you were fixated on his lips, Jaehyun had relaxed his position, relieved that the guards hadn’t seen or heard you both and carried on to the next township. When he went to move away from you he had noticed your position he held you within, the intimacy of being so close now dawning on him.

You were aware of his stare on you then, lifting your eyes up to his and blinking rapidly, breaking the spell for you both. You felt the ache within your arms from being bent up against his chest and gave a gentle push, though he didn’t move, making you wonder why he was staring so intently at you.

“Are you alright?” you whispered and he at his lips subconsciously, still silently staring. “Jaehyun?”

“Are you in an arranged marriage, is that why you left?”

“None that I’m aware of,” you replied, wondering why he was asking such a question with himself so fully pressed against you then. “My father has no intentions of marrying me off any time soon, apparently that would mean I would have to leave the kingdom and I-”

His lips pressed against yours then, warm and soft, just how you had imagined them to be. They didn’t move at first, waiting for you to lose your initial shock from his decision. He then started to kiss you, the embrace building up until you were completely breathless. You gripped at his shirt as you felt the whirlwind of the kiss make you weak; knowing if you weren’t pressed against the tree and held up in his arms that you would have sunk to the ground. Jaehyun finally pulled away then, gasping for air much like you were, his eyes opening to soak you in.

“I’ll have you know I’ve never done this before,” he murmured to you, resting his head upon your shoulder as he tried to recover. He then stepped back to allow room and oxygen to flow between you both, though it was short lived as you moved toward him again, wrapping your arms around his waist. He was surprised by your action but didn’t push you away, holding you close to him once more.

“Have we moved too fast with how little we have known one another?” you asked softly, concerning yourself that your romantic notions had gotten the better of your rationale. Jaehyun chuckled at your question and shrugged.

“It’s the blind leading the blind here,” he admitted, reaching down to peck your swollen lips. “I don’t feel I’m acting out of order.”

“Neither. Besides, Jane kissed Ten with tongue all in one evening too.”

“Really?” he asked and you nodded. “Then our progression is much slower. I didn’t use any tongue.”

Despite the heated atmosphere surrounding you under this tree, you couldn’t help but giggle at the playful banter. He gave you a final hug before he stepped back and took your hand, both of you going off to retrieve the buckets and then the water.

You felt different on the way back to the campsite, carrying one of the buckets so you could still hold Jaehyun’s hand. You felt balanced as if you were able to do the menial tasks that you were learning on this trip and walk at his side, accepting the little kisses along the way that spurred you to start gifting him with your own. There was even a moment where you both had to stop walking altogether, unable to keep your mouths off of each other enough to focus.

It was crazy how one touch of his lips empowered you to seek out many more.

You arrived back at camp and greeted by Taeyong’s impatience, his relief evident when he looked you both over. You worried he’d see how dishevelled you appeared but he glossed over it, taking the bucket out of your hand.

“Why were you gone so long?”

“The progression of guards went by; we had to hide for some time.”

“That must have been dreadful!” Jane cried as she rushed to your side.

Glancing up at Jaehyun with a knowing smile you then looked back at your best friend. “We survived it.”