Chapter 8:

“But your Majesty…”

“Taeyong, please. I trust you with my daughter. I trust you with the throne.”

“Your Majesty, I have no experience in running a country. I--”

“I can mentor you. You can the next King…”

Taeyong looked down to his lap, being burdened by the sudden offer.

“I have a feeling that you have no intentions of marrying Princess Jisoo.” The King continued, making Taeyong’s head hang downwards in guilt. “This is the only way that you won’t have to.”

Taeyong gazed up to the King, whose persuasion was striking. “What do you mean… I won’t have to…”

The King sat straight up in his sit, placed with the tea table in the middle of the royal garden. He explained, “A promise is a promise: Find the Princess and I will make you a Prince.”

“Your Majesty…” Taeyong became more and more tense with every word that the King spewed.

“I will make you a Prince, Taeyong. And you can marry whomever you please. And you can make her a queen.”

Taeyong recalled the words that he shared to Jisoo as they were sitting in the garden a few days ago. “Her father wishes for her to stop seeing me because he thinks that all that I have now is because I’m leeching off of my uncle’s name. I just want to prove him wrong. I want to prove to her father, and her, that I am capable of giving her the world.”

Images of Chungha, Taeyong’s girlfriend, swirled in his head and he could only think: I could be King. I could prove her family wrong. I could give her the world and everything she deserves.

The young man slowly met eyes with the King and anxiously gulped. “I would like that.”

With a proud smirk, the King patted the boy’s shoulder, “Now… go find the Princess.”

~

Jaehyun drove around Los Angeles with Jisoo, trying to find a decent Pawn Shop so she can sell her unwanted jewelry. Listening to BlackPink’s “Whistle” on the radio at medium volume, Jaehyun asked Jisoo about some personal topics. “So what were some things that you weren’t able to have or experience while living in the palace?”

Jisoo stared out the windshield in delight as her eyes explored the wonders of the city and as she gave Jaehyun an answer, “I couldn’t own a phone, for security reasons, and their fear that I would use it to plan an escape. I also couldn’t watch national TV. I could only watch the DVDs that were provided at the castle.”

“Oh, really? What’s your favorite movie?” He asked as he turned at an intersection.

“Enchanted. It’s a Disney movie.” Jisoo replied.

“Oh, I remember that movie. It’s the one with Amy Adams, right? Why is that your favorite?”

After a few seconds of daydreaming about her favorite movie she responded honestly, “Because it’s about a girl that dreamt about love. But she was magically sent to a not-so-fairytale-like land, where she felt lost and confused. And a man, that’s not her prince, ended up helping her and showing her the reality of things. In the end, they fall in love, fight evil, and live happily in the new world.” Jisoo took a thoughtful pause before finishing her answer, “She lives a fairytale that I want to live.”

Jaehyun glanced over to the passenger seat, seeing Jisoo looking dreamily out of her window. Then he realized that she left the palace mostly because she wanted to experience love on her own, not through an arranged marriage. She left because her crown made her bear weight that she was not willing and not capable of bearing.

“Have you ever loved someone?” Jaehyun asked her, hoping for an honest response.

“I love my father and my mother. And the palace staff that has done so much to raise me right.”

“I mean… love romantically.” He clarified.

“Not yet.” She answered, letting out a quiet sigh. “I hope I do, one day.”

Feeling a little sad, for unknown reasons, Jaehyun tried to explain, “Love isn’t always sunshine and flowers, Jisoo.”

The Princess turned to look at him as he talked more in-depth.

“Love can be painful sometimes, many times. The stronger your love is, the more painful it can be when it hurts. The stronger your love is, the more you have to be willing to sacrifice for them.”

She studied his face, noticing that he looked sadder than a few minutes ago. She, then, recalled Jennie. “Did you love her?”

Jaehyun didn’t answer.

“Did you love Jennie?”

Glancing back at Jisoo, who was anticipating a meaningful answer, he responded truthfully, “I don’t know, actually.”

“Why don’t you know? Aren’t you supposed to know when you love someone?”

“I liked her very, very much. For 3-4 months, I was willing to lose every argument and let go many great people because I didn’t want her to leave me.” He explained, “But I don’t know if I can say that I loved her… Whe