I am sorry I am updating it so late. I didn't have that much time today after all and it bugs me. But I finished it. I hope the chapter is enjoyable and it isn't rushed or something. Tell me whether you find something concerning. Enjoy!

The emperor found himself in quite a peculiar situation. His wife took him for a walk and has been talking about their story. From the moment they met to their marriage and to the present times. He wasn't sure what was the meaning of this. His wife was never stopping with her stories and at the end of them, she always asked him if it isn't nice to be with someone you love. The emperor was confused and frankly a little bit worried. But what really made him perplexed was his wife suddenly changing the subject to Sana.
"Don't you want that for Sana? For her to have a life as we do?" The emperor eyed his wife with suspicion. Sometimes he really couldn't understand his wife. 
"Of course, I want. Why are you suddenly saying and asking all those things?" The empress didn't answer but started talking further.
"I want that as well. Just imagine that Sana could marry someone she is in love with and live a happy life." The empress nodded with a content smile and her husband started to understand what she meant by all of this. What he didn't understand though, was why she was saying that. They both agreed to have Hidenori as Sana's husband. What was the empress's plan?
"The love will come with time. I mean, Sana seems to like Hidenori already. I don't see a problem with him." The empress took a deep breath. It was then or never. She had to talk to her husband about this. She wanted Sana to have the best life possible. The empress knew that her husband would understand but she wasn't sure if he would agree.
"I like Hidenori, of course. He's a good person. The thing is he is not the ideal partner for Sana." The emperor halted them and the couple faced each other.
"We have agreed that he is good for Sana. He has been here for a few months and we all have a great relationship with him. I don't understand you." The empress used the silence that occurred to gather her thoughts. She needed to explain everything and that could be difficult. Her husband was waiting with furrowed brows and it made the empress anxious. 
"I am aware of this. I do like him. It's just that Sana doesn't love him. She should be with someone she does love and frankly, there might just be one." The emperor didn't know of any other man that Sana knew. His daughter never approached any men. That's what he thought but perhaps, Sana had some secrets after all.
"Who is that man? I have never seen Sana with anyone else. Could it be my butler?" The empress massaged her temple and prepared herself for the great reveal. 
"No. Let's just say it is someone very close to Sana and you know that person as well. Someone that visited our home a lot in those few months." The emperor looked at his wife as if she was mental. There were no other men in the palace in those few months. He was not dumb but apparently, that was what his wife thought he was.
"There were no other men in here. Do you think I am dumb?" The empress was not prepared for this level of obliviousness. Her husband had a thick head and she always had to spell it out to him.
"Maybe if you stopped thinking about men, you would have figured out who I am talking about." The emperor understood what his wife meant gradually. He would have never thought of it. How could that be? He never noticed anything like that from Sana. After a while, he figured out everything.
"How can it be? Sana never showed any interest in women." The empress wasn't sure if she should be relieved her husband finally understood. Or if she should be frustrated. Her husband never paid attention to such things which was both good and bad.
"Oh, she did. You just didn't notice. She really has no interest in men. That's my point. She won't fall for Hidenori with time. But she can spend her life with someone she already loves." The empress gazed at her husband with hope. It was all new to him but he was understanding. Though, it was still unknown if he would allow what the empress wanted. 
"So, you want Sana to marry a woman? It has never happened before." At this point, the empress was sure it would work out. Her husband would agree she only needed to convince him a little more.
"We have modern times. Don't you think it is the perfect time to change some old-fashioned things? So many people would support us even more. But most importantly Sana would be the happiest." The emperor scratched his chin and gave it a thought. His wife was right, it was time for a change. 
"You are right. It would have positive outcomes. Albeit, it is sudden. What am I supposed to tell Hidenori?" The empress still didn't know exactly what they would say to him. She was pretty distracted recently with everything that was happening that she forgot about it. She hoped that Hidenori would understand. After all, he is kind. 
"We should tell him the truth. Though, I am not sure what else would we say." The emperor sighed heavily and scratched his head. He would have to do everything to avoid any bad blood with Hidenori's family. But he didn't mind figuring this out.
"That's true." He paused and started walking again. His wife followed him and waited for any words from him. "But who is this woman Sana loves?" The empress shook her head. Why was her husband so dense?
"Think. Who started visiting us a lot recently?" The empress locked their arms together and admired nature while her husband's brain was working hard to connect the dots. 
"The only recent one is Mina... It's Mina!" The emperor went from a whisper to a yell. Yell right into his wife's ear. 
"Good job, honey. I am proud of you for figuring this out." The empress patted her husband on the arm to strengthen her congratulations.
"The minister's daughter and the princess. This might not be that controversial. I will discuss it with the advisors." The empress giggled softly. Her husband really would do everything for his child. From that moment only one question remained. How to call off the marriage without creating a scandal?

Hidenori liked that his room was on the other side of the hallway from Sana's room. It was easier to meet her that way and he could spend more time with the princess. Hidenori wasn't blind though. He could tell that Sana wasn't charmed by him. She liked him, he was sure but it wasn't it. He could tell he bored her sometimes. He never blamed her for that. He knew people are different and you can't get perfectly along with everyone. He told himself that after a few years they would be closer. But the recent events made him change his mind. He met Mina so many times while he was in the palace. The woman was there every day and Sana would forget about anyone else for the time Mina was with her. Hidenori wasn't upset though. He was happy Sana had someone like that. And he was sad when Sana stopped leaving her room after Mina stopped visiting her. He tried to cheer Sana up every day but it never worked. He knew that the princess would only feel better if Mina would be there with her. So, Hidenori was happy when he heard Mina's voice from outside his room. He knows it was wrong of him to eavesdrop albeit he gave in to the curiosity. And he didn't regret listening to the conversation because then he knew what he should do. 
That was why he was standing in front of Sana's room waiting for the right moment to knock. He knew Mina was there with Sana and he didn't want to interrupt anything. He decided to knock after the maids started watching him with suspicion. Hidenori didn't wait long for an answer. Sana opened the door and smiled at him.
"Good morning. I thought you would be going fishing at this time." Hidenori smiled back at Sana. He could see the difference. Sana was glowing. He was content.
"I will be going after I tell you something." Sana looked a little confused but she nodded. 
"Of course, what is it?" Hidenori glanced at Mina who was sitting by the desk with earphones in. He didn't want to fluster Mina so he didn't call for her.
"I am happy and I know you are happy as well. With Mina. That's why I will call off the marriage." Sana was taken aback. She wasn't sure if she heard it correctly. 
"Wait. You will call off the marriage just like that? Without any problems? But this is serious." Hidenori shook his head and pointed at Mina. Sana followed his finger and observed Mina for a few seconds. 
"It's not just like that. I agreed to this marriage because I thought we could like each other on the way. It wasn't like that though. I can't take happiness away from you. I saw you being so miserable because Mina wasn't here. I don't want to witness it for the rest of my life. So, you should be with her." Sana knew that Hidenori was kind but this was something else. He called off the marriage, with the princess. He could have power and money. But he gave it up simply because Sana loved someone else. 
"I don't know what to say. This is unbelievable. Thank you, Hidenori. You have a big heart, you won't have trouble with finding someone that would love you." Sana was probably sounding cringy but Hidenori grinned and pulled Sana into a hug. It lasted only for a few seconds albeit the embrace conveyed their gratitude perfectly.
"Thank you. I won't keep you away from Mina any longer. Don't worry about your parents. I will go talk to them right away. I hope to see you sometime, Sana." Sana nodded. Hidenori could be a great friend to her. Hopefully, her father won't create trouble with it.
"Thank you once again. We will definitely meet again soon. You are already on the guestlist for my wedding." They both laughed but Sana was going to keep that statement. 
"I will be there for sure. I couldn't miss it for the world. For now, goodbye Sana. Have a great day." Hidenori bowed to Sana and she did the same for him. 
"Farewell, Hidenori. Have a great day as well. We will see each other soon." Hidenori walked away then and headed to talk with Sana's parents. It wouldn't be an easy task but he would do everything for it to work. He thought that Sana and Mina deserved it. So he would fight for the marriage to be called off. 
When Hidenori disappeared Sana entered her room and closed the door. She looked at Mina who was lightly moving her head to the rhythm of the music. She moved closer and concentrated on capturing unaware Mina into her embrace. She spread her arms and put them around Mina in a fast movement. The action startled Mina and she jumped a little in the sit. But she laughed when she saw Sana's head peeking from her shoulder. 
"What are you doing?" Sana didn't reply. She just kept hugging Mina with her eyes closed. Sana kept thinking that everything was looking up. That every problem was being solved and that soon she would be happy until her death bed. "Sana, you are heavy. Don't hang on me." Sana didn't want to do it but she let go and sat down. Right on Mina's lap. Which flustered Mina quite a bit. Even if Sana wasn't sitting with her face turned to Mina it was still a lot for the innocent girl. Sana, on the other hand, was unbothered and scrolled through Mina's playlist.
"Why do you have only classical music on the playlist? Is it really the only thing you listen to?" Sana didn't mind Mina's fixation on classical music but she was kinda tired of it after two hours of listening to it. Even if the pieces were nice. 
"It calms me and helps me distract myself. I started listening to it when I began doing ballet but in middle school, it was my way of forgetting whatever my father did then." Mina's voice didn't betray any negative emotions albeit Sana was sure Mina wasn't happy at the memories. Sana Mina's lap. It caused Mina to move her head away which looked quite comical to Sana. Mina was truly the most precious human being. Mina told her a lot about her history with her dad already and she didn't want to push her anymore. So, Sana opted to change the subject.
"You know, I have never seen you dancing. For all the talk you could have at least do it once." Mina knew it was a distraction and she was glad that Sana didn't force her to talk about anything. Nonetheless, Mina wasn't sure if she could still dance that good. She stopped dancing in high school because she had given up on the things that brought her joy. She didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of Sana. Sana noticed the hesitation in Mina's expression. She felt like perhaps, she shouldn't have asked that. 
"I can dance with you." Sana wasn't sure why she had said that. She couldn't dance to save her life. And she was sure that if Mina saw her on any of the banquets for more than a minute, she knew that as well. Mina watched Sana for a moment and then smiled softly.
"I will try. Though I haven't dance in so long it won't be pretty or anything like that." Sana smiled back at Mina. She honestly didn't care about the quality of the dance. She just wanted Mina to do something she enjoys doing.
"I don't mind. You look elegant even when you don't do anything. I am sure that you will look the same way dancing." Sana was a sweet talker. But she actually meant every word. Then the two of them just stared at each other. Sana wasn't sure why Mina didn't start yet.
"Sana. You actually need to get off my lap for me to dance." Sana immediately stood up and freed Mina. She laughed awkwardly and scratched her cheek. Mina only shook her head and took her phone. Sana watched her scroll a little. After she found the correct piece she moved to the middle of the room and prepared herself. The music started playing and Mina started moving along with it. Sana didn't know the name of the piece and she didn't know the dance but she knew one thing. That Mina looked so bright dancing in the middle of her room. Sana wasn't sure if Mina was aware of the smile that appeared on her face halfway through the performance. But it made Sana feel warm inside. Mina's dancing was incredible to Sana. It wasn't because it was perfect. Mina wasn't executing all of the movements as well as she wanted to. It was incredible to Sana because it was true. It was real. Sana could feel all the emotions Mina felt during her performance. And frankly, she was mesmerized. Even after Mina was done and the music stopped, Sana was still looking at Mina with so much love in her eyes. 
"It was beautiful, Mitang. I can tell you love dancing. You can start doing it again." Mina still wasn't used to being complimented so much. Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu only did it sometimes. They didn't think that Mina might need to hear them more often. Mina also knew that Sana's compliments were different. They felt different. Mina loved the way it felt to hear words like that from Sana. 
"Perhaps, I should start again. Thank you, Sana." Sana walked up to Mina and trapped her into a hug. Another thing that Mina had to get used to. Sana only let go of Mina for short periods of time since yesterday. Mina hoped that it wasn't because Sana was still scared that she would leave again. Nonetheless, Mina loved the warm hugs that Sana always provided.
"You are so precious. Seriously, I wanna squish you." Mina rolled her eyes but giggled a little. Sana could be ridiculous sometimes but Mina loved it. 
"Sana, are you worried I will leave again?" Mina felt Sana tighten her hold on her. Maybe Mina shouldn't have brought that up. But Sana pulled away and booped her nose.
"Silly. I know you won't leave. You wouldn't go a day without seeing my pretty face." Mina really regretted asking after Sana's answer. Perhaps, Nayeon was rubbing off of Sana. Albeit, Mina had a hunch that Sana said something like on purpose. To make her laugh. That was why Mina smiled and Sana's face lit up even more if that was still possible.
"You should stop asking Nayeon for advice on these things." Sana burst out laughing. She could tell why Nayeon's advice wasn't always the best. 
"Maybe you are right. I wonder how does Jihyo put up with that?" Mina knew it was because Jihyo was a saint and had unending patience. The best qualities to put up with kids like Chaeyoung and Tzuyu, and then Nayeon as well.
"Jihyo is hardened now. Nayeon's comments won't annoy her anymore." Sana nodded her head and went back to the desk. Mina observed what Sana was doing and shook her head when she saw what the princess wanted. But Sana pouted and made puppy eyes at Mina. Which was very effective even if Mina wouldn't admit it. Sana grinned when Mina started heading for the chair and sat on it. When Mina was settled Sana got right on her lap and put her head on Mina's shoulder. The two spent more time like that. Still in that position with music in the background. It was all they needed for then. 

The empress was in a state where she couldn't tell if everything that happened in those few months were only a feverish dream. Everything was solving itself so easily she started to believe God was helping them because he had mercy on them. 
"So, why exactly you want to call the marriage off?" The emperor was glad there would be no problems with the marriage but it was suspicious that Hidenori came to them himself. And that he wanted to call the marriage off. 
"I think that Sana and I won't work together well. There is someone else that would make Sana happy though." The empress eyed Hidenori. She had a suspicion that he knew everything. Which wasn't a bad thing if he did this for Sana and Mina. 
"It is very kind of you, Hidenori. But what about your family? Won't they be upset? I mean, you were supposed to marry the princess." Hidenori just shrugged. The emperor and empress couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not. The man looked unbothered but they doubt his family would be.
"I will deal with them. Please, don't worry. No one would go against Sana's happiness." The emperor nodded satisfied. They really had chosen a perfect person. Not for Sana but in general. The empress clapped excitedly.
"Thank you so much, Hidenori. Come here." She got up and trapped Hidenori in a hug. The empress was just so happy she needed to do it. Hidenori didn't mind that. She understood her.
"Thank you. Your actions won't be forgotten." The emperor stood up and extended his hand for Hidenori. The man took it and shook their hands enthusiastically. 
"Thank you both. I will remember your warm welcome and that you treated me with kindness. I wish you all the best. I will see you at the grand wedding. Sana already invited me." Hidenori laughed and Sana's parents sighed. Of course, their daughter did that. 
"Very well then. We will see you at the wedding and hopefully after." Hidenori left the palace feeling content. He didn't regret any of his decisions. Everyone was happy and it was all that counted. His family would have to accept it. He didn't care. He took one last look at the palace and with a smile entered his car.