I sat on my king-sized bed and stared at the door. My maids had changed me into a more casual dress: a sky blue short-sleeved dress that came down to my shins. My maids had left the room, to my relief, to go down to the studio in order to make more dresses that I would need throughout the week. 

I let my mind replay my conversation with Prince Woojin from breakfast. 

"I see you are still humorous."  

"Did you think I would not recognize you, sweetheart?" 

"I'll see you in the afternoon. I'll come to get you." 

In the moment it didn't realize, but I must've looked so ridiculous pretending like it was my first time meeting Prince Woojin! He knew the ENTIRE time! 

I buried my face in my hands and let out a frustrated scream. 

He said he would come get me in the afternoon. The clock read 2:00 PM. He could be here any time now. How do I explain myself? Most importantly, what do I tell him when he asks me what I was thinking? Do I tell him the truth and say that the palace is too suffocating, with its tall walls and security guards all over and its oppressing vibes? Do I tell him I was frustrated that I couldn't speak my mind properly to the people in the Palace because I'm scared of being sentenced to prison by somehow insulting the Royal Family or Cahan? 

I fell back on to my bed and stared at the ceiling. Well. Maybe I can convince Prince Woojin that it was dehydration and exhaustion that made me act like that. Maybe he'll take pity on me. 

I lay in that position for a while and I only got up to a knock on the door. 4 knocks, to be exact. 

I shot up and looked at the clock. The clock read 2:54 PM. I lay in that position for nearly an hour. 

I ran to the mirror to look at myself and fixed my hair. Maybe if I looked decent, the Prince would go easier on me. 

I stood in front of the door, took a deep breath and slowly opened it. 

"Hello, sweetheart. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." I came face to face with a smiling Prince Woojin. Why does he smile so much? 

"Oh no, your majesty. You weren't interrupting. I was just waiting for time to pass." I replied but I couldn't make myself look at him again. 

He leaned against he door frame. "Is it time for you to tell me your name yet?" 

"Lee Soorin, your majesty...." I let my head fall a little more as I answered him. Now he knows my name. He can tell everyone in the Palace how much of a weirdo I am. 

"Well, I was going to go take a walk. Would you mind joining me, Soorin?" He took one step back to make room for me to start walking. 

"Of course, your majesty," I replied and followed him down the hallway. 

We were silent most of the way down to the first floor. I rubbed the inside of my wrist again as the anxiety built. 

When we finally got outside, Prince Woojin led me to a small area with flowers and a fountain. We came to a wooden bench and sat. 

"Do you know where we are?" He turned himself slightly so that he could have a better look at me.  

"No, I don't. But it's beautiful here" I gestured to the flowers that lined the walkway and filled the grass area. 

"Perhaps you would know if you looked up." Prince Woojin pointed up at the Palace.

I followed his finger and saw many balconies and terraces. "Those are balconies, your majesty. But I don't quite understand what you are referring to." I replied, tilting my head to the side slightly in confusion. 

Prince Woojin leaned his back against the bench and grinned at me, "Perhaps if you think back to last night, Soorin." 

Then my eyes snapped back to Prince Woojin's face. "You mean to tell me... that this is the bench you saw me last night? And that balcony... is the balcony of my room?" 

Did the prince really just bring me to the place where I completely humiliated myself in front of him? Was he trying to be cruel? 

Prince Woojin let out a hearty laugh and nodded his head. "This is the place and the bench." 

I looked up again at my balcony. Of course he recognized me! The balcony was so much closer than I thought! I mentally slapped myself for being so oblivious. 

"The balcony is a lot closer than I thought it was.." I mumbled to him in despair. 

"Do you want to know how I recognized you, sweetheart?" Prince Woojin leaned forward and I nodded, knowing it was going to be an embarrassing answer. "Well, at first I thought it might have been just someone from the Palace. But I realized you were on the third floor where the guest rooms are located so I assumed you were one of the Select. When I asked you for your name, you rubbed the inside of your wrist. And to be honest, if you had not rubbed your wrists this morning at breakfast, I would not have recognized you." 

This time I mentally kicked myself. Rubbing the inside of my wrist was just a habit I picked up whenever I was anxious before a dance performance. I can't believe he recognized me by that. He must be a very observant person. 

"Now, will you tell me what was going on when you were yelling and swinging your fists in the air?" Prince Woojin stifled a laugh. 

"I was not swinging my fists in the air! I was just... just trying to encourage myself!" I put my face in my hands. 

I must be a very funny person because Prince Woojin laughed for like the 50th time since we've met. "Tell me, what was going through your head?" 

I sighed. "Well... your majesty, you must understand that I am not used to settings like these. I'm from class E and I live in an environment where I basically fend for myself. No one is dressing me or watching me every second of the day. It was just... a bit overwhelming. I needed some fresh air and so I ran out to the balcony. I just needed to remind myself that it wasn't a mistake coming here... and that's when you saw me... yelling..." I let my explanation trail off. 

I heard the birds chirping in the background in the background but Prince Woojin stayed silent. I peaked at him to see him lost in thought. "Hmm..." I twitched a little bit when he looked at me. "Overwhelming, you say? Well, what's it like to live outside of these walls?" At first, I wondered if he was mocking me. But when I looked into his eyes, he genuinely seemed curious. I was taken aback by his sincerity.

I found it awkward to talk to Prince Woojin while looking directly at him so I fixed my eyes on my hands. "Um, well it's like... it's the opposite of being here. Breakfast is not tens and tens of different pastries but more like a piece of bread that we have been portioning for the week. And we definitely do not sleep on soft beds. I actually slept on the floor with a blanket..." When I peeked at his face, I could tell he was surprised at my bluntness. I also thought I sensed a bit of sadness on his face. 

Prince Woojin nodded his head slowly as if to acknowledge why I had been so overwhelmed last night. But I didn't want him to pity my background. 

"But it's not too bad, really, " I waved my hands. "I have a great family, you see. I have a little brother who is very talented in painting and my profession was dancing. We made it work together. Though we had little, we were good because we had each other. My mom and my grandma are great too. The house was very lively." 

"I see. It sounds like you have a great family, Soorin." His eyes squinted a bit when he smiled. "Do you miss them?" 

Did I miss my family? "Yes, your majesty. I do miss my family. My grandma is actually quite sick and I didn't get to take care of her very well before I arrived at the palace." 

"I'm sorry you had to come at such a bad time for your family. I do wish a fast recovery for your grandmother." Prince Woojin gave me a slight pat on my hands. 

Maybe it was the feeling of someone sympathizing with my feelings, or maybe because Prince Woojin was so different from my imagination that I had felt a sense of peace. Maybe the selection process wouldn't be too bad of an experience. 

"Thank you, your majesty," I replied and stared off into the sky. It had gotten noticeably quiet and I had no idea what to say. It didn't seem like Prince Woojin had anything else particularly to say. 

"Well, um, that was my story. I'm sure growing up here in the palace has been a completely different experience for you, your majesty." I stammer a bit. 

Prince Woojin seemed a bit startled at my sudden effort to make conversation but he chuckled, "Yes, it was quite the experience. As you said, the food here is exquisite and we do have very luxurious commodities. But I'm not sure if I am as figured out as you are. In your 18 years of life, Soorin, you figured out you have a passion and talent in dancing. You've also learned how to have a loving relationship with your brother, mother, and grandmother. I, on the other hand, never had the chance to figure out what I wanted to do in life. I was always told to learn certain things such as horseback riding and shooting and to study history, politics, and economics because it would be beneficial to me as a future leader of the country. While you have a sibling, I do not. It was always a little lonely growing up. I didn't have the opportunity to learn how to grow close relationships with those around my age..." 

Flustered, I looked at Prince Woojin with wide. To be completely honest, I was thrown back by him. Sure, I had been the one to bring up his childhood and upbringing, but I didn't expect him to be so vulnerable with me like this. This was only our second conversation! 

He looked at me straight in the eyes at that moment. "I understand that you are overwhelmed by the unfamiliar environment and tight security of the palace. I also know that you miss your family and may have doubts in your heart about wanting to stay here for the rest of the Selection process." I cringed a little. How did he know? "But I want to ask you to stay, Soorin. This process may be my chance to figure myself out. By getting to know you, the other ladies, and putting myself out there." 

I felt a twinge of sadness for Prince Woojin. I'm sure he was under a lot of pressure by the Royal Family to complete the Selection well. And now that he has told me his story, I felt compelled to try. To try to get used to this place and help him figure himself out.