Her parents spotted her from afar and waved her over. Sana put on her best smile and approached the three with the grace that a princess should have. Hidenori was handsome, the squirrel girl wasn't blind. The Emperors wouldn't pick someone that was a visual hole. He had to be as attractive as the princess. When she finally stood next to her parents, the man bowed to her. She did a courtesy in answer.
"Hidenori, this is Sana. Finally back from whatever business she has." Her father accentuated the last sentence and she could giggle awkwardly at that. She will have an explaining to do later.
"It's an honor to meet you, my lady. You look even more stunning in person" A flatterer, great. He will compliment her every day and she will feel good about herself. 
"I've never seen you before but I must admit, you are quite handsome, sir." Sana her flirty mode. She didn't particularly enjoy it, though. Albeit, she needs to be a good daughter and make her soon-to-be-husband like her. She mentally prepared herself for several hours of talking with him, the guests and her parents. She hoped, that at least they won't force her to make a speech. 
The princess wasn't paying that much attention to the things her partner was saying. So, he was handsome but in return boring. She liked he does things for charity. It was just that somehow he was able to make every story drag out in infinity. Sana kept her smile, though. She couldn't let anyone know she wasn't enjoying herself. She had to admit that her attention was stolen by her tutor who was roaming the hall in the company of the mysterious man. She wished they would come up to her and Hidenori to congratulate them, something probably everyone else in this house did. Her eyes kept finding Mina at different distances from her. She tried to telepathically communicate with her friend. Come on. Just approach us. The Mina must've felt her staring, as she looked at her for a second. The princess thought she achieved her goal. She saw the other girl saying something to her companion and received a nod in response. And they headed in the direction of the couple. When they were close enough, Sana cut her partner off.
"Hidenori, look," She gestured towards the approaching duo and the man nodded. He cleared his throat and waited for the guests. 
"It's an honor, my lady, sir. We would love to congratulate you on such a lovely day. Engagement parties are always the best." The mysterious man bowed to them and the tutor followed with a curtesy. "I'm Kai, and this is my sister, Mina. Though, I think you know her already, my lady." Oh, so Mina has a brother. She kept learning new things about her recently. Hopefully, this will remain and she will learn even more.
"Yes. Mina tutors me. She is outstanding at her job." Kai let out a sound of contentment. He squeezed his sister's arm and smirked at her. 
"Thank you. I hope we will meet more often. You are Minster of Health's children, right? He told us you wanted to taste the food first." Hidenori laughed a little at the memory of the embarrassed minister. His children, though, didn't look embarrassed one bit.
"What can I say? My mother and sister make the best food in the world." The ballerina rolled her eyes at his words. Her brother had a thing for being sappy. He would brag about her to his friends and whoever he happened to talk with. That wasn't something she enjoyed but she understood why he did it.
"Oh, I heard that your mother and Mina organized the event. It is marvelous, miss. The decorations and food, even the music. I've never been to a better event." Sana wondered if he really meant that. He spent the majority of the time staring at his phone, as he showed her photos from his journies. She definitely thought so. 
"I'm flattered, sir. Thank you." Was all she said. The Mina wasn't comfortable right then. The princess could tell. She started feeling bad for wanting the other girl to come over so badly. 
"I've been meaning to ask. How is your chemistry project? " Kai's question came out of nowhere. First of all, why would he ask that? Second of all, she didn't have any. He saw the confusion on her face and elaborated a little. "Mina told us, you snatched her away because your project was damaged. She said the whole model crumbled. " The hell? She glanced at Mina who was staring at her. Somehow she understood what that was supposed to mean.
"Ah, yes. We have discussed what to do. We will salvage it on our next session." She was proud of herself for not stuttering. The other girl gave her a grateful smile. Why she couldn't be honest with her family, though? They weren't doing anything wrong. She remembered their conversation from yesterday and this made more sense. 
"That's good. I wouldn't want a princess to get a bad grade. Send me a picture of it when you are done." She nodded and it seemed to satisfy the man. They were interrupted by her parents after that. 
"Hello Mina, Kai. I'm glad you came over to talk a little. We have to take these two with us, though. We will have an official speech and then the dinner will be served." Her father informed and the siblings bowed to them all again.
"Of course, your imperial majesty. We will take our seats." Mina shot her one more smile before turning around. 

The event started at 6 p.m. and now at 9:42 p.m. she was ready to flop on her bed. The rest of the party went by excruciatingly slow. She was ready to excuse herself and just never come back. If it wasn't for her title. She also had to stay with Hidenori until he's settled in his room. All Sana thought of was the fact it's Saturday tomorrow and she can sleep for as long as she wants. Or so she hoped. Just as the clock struck 7:30 she was woken up by her maids. She spent half an hour on pouting and whining to the poor maids. They were instructed not to tell the princess why they had to wake her up early. She figured that it won't be an official thing, as she was allowed to dress casually. That calmed her a tad bit. But then she walked out of her room and saw Hidenori and knew she needs to prepare herself for a boring day. Nonetheless, she smiled sweetly at him and let him lock their arms. Why Mina only comes two times a week?
After a few hours of fishing and listening to her future husband's every life story she was exhausted. She would most likely fall asleep if she just lied down. At least for lunch, her parents would be there which made the meeting that more bearable. Then any negative emotion left her when she learned who will join them for lunch. Jeongyeon and her cousin will come to congratulate them and spend some time with the family. She was excited and was doing everything to look her best. When she was done she had to do one more thing. She took her phone and snapped a few photos of her work. She had to share this look and information with her friends. The princess sent one to the group chat she had with Momo and Nayeon and without thinking she sent one to Mina. The older girls replied immediately with tons of heart-eyes emojis. They were her biggest hypers. Though, she would love to have them at the palace. Even Momo stopped hanging around the brunette's house since she graduated high school. That's how her life would be. Too busy to have friends close every day. Sana lingered a little more in her room, waiting for a reply from her tutor. Albeit, she didn't get any in 10 minutes and so she left for the gathering.

It was great. Sana definitely didn't want to bury herself several feet under. The atmosphere around the table was awkward or maybe it was just her. Her parents were happily chatting with everyone. Hidenori was getting along with the two cousins. Dahyun was honestly cute and could engage anyone in her story. Jeongyeon was mostly talking with the rest but she would steal glances at the princess every so often. It flattered the princess. She tried to come up with a plan that would let her get some alone time with Jeongyeon. But it would be difficult. What type of excuse would she even give? That she prefers to spend time with the president's daughter than her future husband? It wouldn't pass.
"Sana, I didn't have the chance to ask. What was that all about with Mina yesterday?" She stopped eating upon hearing her father's voice. A single noodle was hanging from as all the eyes were turned to her. She got embarrassed and it in. After swallowing the food she cleared and let out an awkward laugh. The brunette was about to tell them some ridiculous story but Hidenori beat her to it.
"It was about her chemistry project." Oh . She's in trouble now. She forgot the man was with her yesterday and heard the fake story. The imperial couple looked at each other and then at their daughter. Their expressions telling her she would have to answer when they are alone. And to her surprise, the two went along with the story.
"Ah. I hope it is alright now. You should have told us, Sana." Her mother was a great actress. She still could feel the threatening energy coming from her.
"You have projects? Isn't Mina like your teacher?" The Dahyun stared at her curiously and she wanted to smack her over the head. 
"Yes. And she wanted me to do something like that." Sana smiled warmly at Dahyun and received a frantic nod.
"Then why is your teacher helping you do it?" Jeongyeon didn't sound hostile but somehow the princess got nervous. Why? She wasn't sure. 
"Mina is just kind like that. Hahaha. She will probably arrange another one to grade it accurately." She felt everyone's eyes on her. She felt like they are suspicious. But why would she care so much? She can be friends with her tutor.
"Let's talk about our fishing date." Suddenly, that didn't sound so boring anymore. Even if she was falling asleep on that boat earlier. When will this end?

It was truly a miracle. Her father just did her a favor. He decided Hidenori should spend some time with him, just the two of them, like father and son. God bless him. Sana could just relax now. All that was left to do was getting her mom out of the way. She might've just had the perfect idea.
"Dahyun. You play the piano, right?" The pale girl's face lit up at the mention of playing. It was her passion and she was lucky to be able to pursue it. 
"Yes. I've been playing since I was 4. It's my passion." The empress nodded enthusiastically. They had a piano in one of the living rooms. It would be a nice ending to their meeting.
"Wouldn't you want to play for us? We have a piano in another living room." 
"Of course, your imperial majesty. I would be honored." She bowed with the biggest smile on her face. Now, the princess can start her plan.
"Mother, may I excuse myself. I have a bad headache. I'm really regretful that I can't stay to hear your amazing skills." Dahyun shook her head quickly.
"Nonsense. You should go rest, my lady. I will perform for you on another occasion." Sana smiled weakly. Her mother scrutinized her for a moment. Maybe for once, she won't get caught lying.
"Go and take some medicine. Then take a nap, darling." The empress kissed her daughter's forehead and patted her head gently. Isn't Sana a genius? Now for the grand finale. 
"I don't know if I can walk this far alone. Could someone assist me?" Jeongyeon immediately moved closer to her and locked their arms. She wished her old tutors could see her so that she could show them how smart she is. 
"I will help you, my lady. Your imperial majesty, I will take her safely to her room, if I may." The pianist observed her cousin and the princess and could only roll her eyes. They call this lowkey? Even a blind person could see through them. She glanced at the empress and the woman seemed to notice this as well. But for some reason, she didn't mention it. She just let Jeongyeon take the brunette to her room and then waited for Dahyun's performance. That's definitely interesting.

As soon as the door to the princess room closed Sana detached herself from Jeongyeon and smirked at the confused girl. 
"You don't have a headache, do you?" She shook her head locked the door after them. The president's daughter was impressed. Was the other planning that for long? She wasn't complaining, of course. 
"I just wanted to spend more time with you. Also, I am a little exhausted after today. Which is funny as it's only 2 p.m." The princess gestured for the president's daughter to sit on her bed and did the same thing. She wanted to learn more about Jeongyeon. 
"I understand. I'm glad you did this. I wanted to catch a private moment with you since the last time. It is a shame though. It's when you met your husband." It's not like Jeongyeon thought she could perhaps be with Sana but it was still hard to swallow. Not having a chance from the beginning. She spoiled the atmosphere in the room with her words. "Nonetheless, I am just happy to be here with you." She took the other girl's hands in hers and squeezed them. That action made the princess smile a little. The two decided to forget about the reality for the time they were together. They shared more stories from their life and discussed topics important to them. It was like a dream. One thing stood up to the president's daughter was how much the Sana was talking about her friends. She only had three of them but they were very precious to her. She described them like they were the best human beings in the world. And it said a lot about the princess. The only thing that interrupted their meeting was a message from Dahyun. The two were gone for two hours and she ran out of pieces to play. It was their cue to end. Both of them walked to the door and before leaving the room, Jeongyeon did something brave. She kissed Sana on the cheek and left. The receiving girl standing in the door staring at the back of the fading girl. She has to tell her friends about this. They won't believe it.
She moved towards her desk and flopped on the chair. She picked her phone with a huge grin. She opened the group chat with Nayeon and Momo and wrote a whole essay describing the time she spent with Jeongyeon. Her two friends spammed her with heart emojis and were happy for her. They promised to visit tomorrow so they could fangirl about this together. She asked about their day and it turned into the dancer complaining about the older girl and Jihyo. She was forced to go with them on their date. The two didn't even buy her food and that was the biggest sin. Nayeon defended herself by saying she should only spend money on her girlfriend. Basically, it was a mess. But she liked that mess. When they finally calmed down they decided to end the conversation there. She needed to prepare for dinner and they had to, she wasn't even sure if they had to do anything else than rest. Before the princess began doing anything though, she informed one more person about her day. She felt sad when she saw that Mina hasn't replied to her previous text. She must be busy or maybe she just didn't want to talk. Whatever the reason was, Sana respected that she wasn't the priority. She just wrote a short message that conveyed the important things about the afternoon. After that, she started changing.

Just like her friends promised they were standing before the palace's doors after lunch. The maid knew them and just let them in. She warned them though. Apparently, Sana was off today. They thought that they might know the reason why. Before heading to the princess's room they went to greet the Emperor and Empress and together with them Hidenori. The imperial couple found quite the eye candy. Though, their friend said he's pretty boring. At least there's something to look at. They excused themselves after several minutes and went upstairs.
"You think it's because Jeongyeon isn't here today?" Nayeon looked around the place. She was there only a few times and didn't remember most of the things in the palace. Momo shrugged.
"Hopefully. That way we can deal with it fast. If there's something else we might not be that successful." Nayeon nodded. She was already preparing a speech to lift the brunette's spirits. 
Momo knocked on the door but there was no answer. The two friends looked at each other and the older took the handle. The door wasn't locked. They peeked inside and after a little inspection, they saw the younger girl. Writing something with utmost concentration. 
"Sana? We are here." The princess shot them a glance and then went back to whatever she was doing. She waved them over however and they entered the room, closing the door after them. 
"What are you doing?" The two girls moved closer to the desk and thought that there was something off with their friend.
"You are doing chemistry?" Nayeon stared at the princess as if she was mental. 
"Yep." Was the only answer they got. The other girl didn't mind them at all. This time Momo tried to get something from the weird girl.
"You hate chemistry and it's Sunday. It's not even 2 p.m. Why are doing it?" Suddenly, Sana jumped in her seat and grabbed her phone. After a few seconds of doing something on it, she shoved it into her friends' faces. They weren't sure what reaction they were supposed to have.
"She didn't reply since yesterday morning. I don't understand. Aren't we friends? Or maybe we aren't and I am just projecting it all. I don't know what have I done wrong." Sana put her arms on the desk and then buried her face into them. The other two shared a look again. They were lost. The younger girl never acted this way. 
"Jihyo told me Mina is very busy even on weekends. Maybe she didn't have the time to answer." The Nayeon put her arms around the sulking girl. 
"I think so too. You'll see she will reply soon." Then the dancer had a brilliant thought. "Let's ask Jihyo about Mina." The oldest contemplated a bit. It could work.
"Sure. I will text her now." Sana immediately jolted up with a stained face. The girl was crying. One more reason why she should text her girlfriend. It didn't take five minutes for them to get an answer. The barista told them Mina was working. A wedding, yesterday and today was the second day of celebrations. She also said that the penguin girl didn't reply to her messages and that it's normal at a time like that. So they don't have to worry. But somehow the information didn't cheer the princess up. She looked even more upset. Now the two girls really had no idea what to do.
"Hey. Mina is just busy working. Not a big deal. You will hear from her tomorrow." Nayeon embraced her friend and Momo hugged them both. 
"She should be doing something she enjoys." Sana's voice was soft and muffled by the older's chest. But they still could understand the words. "She told me." The air was heavy as were their hearts. At least until the princess pulled away with wide eyes. It worried the others.
"I have the best idea." Now they were terrified. They were sure this was a very bad idea. "I will hire her here officially." 
The room was silent. The three girls were staring at each other, processing the information. Sana really was desperate.
"That's a bad idea." Momo shot her down. The princess's slumped in the chair. Her friend was right. It was a dumb idea. 
"Sometimes we can't do what we want to, Sana. You know it well." Nayeon started carefully. Sana wasn't acting this way before so they didn't know how to help. 
"I know. I'm sorry, I don't know why I am acting this way. Anyway, so yesterday Jeongyeon was the coolest." The change of the subject was obvious but they let it slip. The two friends wanted to cheer the princess up and a change in the subject should help. 
"I feel like we didn't help at all." Nayeon said as soon as Momo and she were outside of the palace. The other girl nodded and looked at the ground. 
"She really likes Mina." The dancer's voice was soft and the older girl heard it only because it was quiet around them. 
"Obviously. You were her only friend until two years ago. She will get this invested in any relationship." They entered Nayeon's car and she waited for Momo's answer before starting the engine.
"Yeah. You are right. I just hope that Mina actually likes Sana. I would hate it if she was only doing it because of her job." Perhaps, it was a little cruel. To have thoughts like that. They met Mina and she's an actual angel. She still couldn't help but worry.
"I'm sure she isn't. Let's not worry too much." Nayeon started the engine and they left. 

The next day would be as dull as the previous one if it wasn't for the person standing in front of her door with a big, cute dog plushie. Sana couldn't see who it was at first they were hiding behind the teddy. But by the legs, she figured out it must be a woman. 
"Eh, hey?" As soon as the princess said it the girl extended the plushie and Sana took it, confused. And when she lowered it she saw a smiling Mina. Her heart stopped for a second upon seeing her tutor. 
"Hey. Before you say anything. I am sorry for not replying. I was very busy. Also, it wasn't entirely my idea. My friends told me this will be the best action. But I'm not sure, honestly. It is a little over the top, isn't it? You don't have to accept the plushie. Oh, and we actually have to make that chemistry project. Your parents want to see it. I think they caught on to my lie." That was the most Mina had ever said to her. The princess wasn't aware that the other girl can talk this much. For a while, she was just staring. But when she noticed Mina play with her hands and looking around she out the plushie down and embraced her friend. 
"Mina, it's fine. The dog is cute, thank you. You could just text me back though. And yeah, my parents totally saw through the lie. But hey," She pulled away and smiled innocently. "We will spend more time together." 
Mina's anxious expression slowly faded and an easy smile appeared in its place. 
"So it would seem. Also, Tzuyu warned you to take care of Shushu or she will find you." Sana blinked a few times. She wasn't sure if it was true but somehow she didn't want to check it out. 
"I will. I always wanted a dog anyway. Shushu is a cool name too." She picked the plushie up again and without thinking touched Mina's nose with its nose and just entered her room. The tutor followed without a word, touching her nose with her fingers.
The empress was observing her daughter and Mina from afar. She was just too curious after the tutor appeared with the huge plushie. As she was watching the two girls interact she couldn't help her smile from appearing. After the two disappeared in the princess's room the empress left and decided that getting Mina was the right choice.