Why did they choose this place for their last mission, Tzuyu still did not know the reason. Nobody told her anything. She herself could not come to her senses after she agreed to this operation. It was incomprehensible to her why, in general, she joined them, to two completely unknown guys, when she met them in a pub, on the outskirts of JenJeu , which she visited on her way home.

She looked into that pub by chance, the girl wanted to throw something in before boarding the ship that was sailing off the pier in half an hour. She went inside, went to the bar, ordered the easiest lunch, and coffee with a slice of apple pie. She enjoyed it, did not pay attention to anyone, and, especially, not listening to the conversations, until one word attracted her attention so much that she even stopped living.

“... a princess ... a castle ... a legend ...”

Three words swept through the brain with lightning, breaking through the most secluded corners of her subconscious. Closing her eyes, she flashed past the memory, at the moment when she discouraged her best friend from venturing to learn more about the ice princess, whom she found out immediately after reading a ton of books about the legend of the old castle.

But a friend was adamant, if she had already decided to do something, she would do that for that, she would not have to give it back. They were then 16 years old. Dreamers, brave and stupid. She disappeared at night that day when she said that she knew the truth about that legend. It has not been heard about her for 8 years, Tzuyu did not know whether she was alive or not. Where's she? Why not write to her? Why not calling? Why doesn’t she say that she’s all right?

Yes, perhaps these three words were to blame for the fact that she instantly sat down at the table of those guys and persuaded them to take her with them. She was not interested in the golden mountains, which promises a hike, she was only interested in the truth that she wanted to know. Is it true that the castle exists and the truth that the princess lives there, and the truth is that once giant birds breathed fire over the castle, and is it true that there are secrets that are better not to know? Thinking about questions, Tzuyu hoped that with the help of answers she could find her best friend Park Jihyo, whom she had lost 8 years ago.

▫▫▫▫▫

- She's here? Why is she here? - the young girl wondered, dropping the hood from her head, which covered her from the rays of the burning sun. Her slightly darkened skin combined perfectly with short-cut dark brown hair and the same dark eyes.

-Do you know her, Jihyo? - turning to the voice of her companion, and looking at the girl she was talking about, asked a pretty girl with two crosses in the form of an earring. - Stupid, cover your head, you are already disappearing! - the girl shouted at her, herself like a sun, just as bright and sweetly sweet. She jerked back the dark matter, excitedly looking around to see if there were anyone nearby. No one saw a little trouble with her friend? If we had the same strength as the princess, we would often show up in public - she sighed sadly, pouting her lips a little, she built a child’s face.

-You better be careful about the words, Sana, - Jihyo shook her head, still looking at the tall girl's back that followed their princess inside the castle. -You know that there are ears everywhere. The princess will not always forgive you ...

- I get it, I get it. You better answer my question: do you know her or not? - pointing to the girl’s back, which has already disappeared into the doorway of the castle’s oak doors. Two guys quickly went inside her, looking around strangely. Somehow their eyes shone cunningly, and the smirk on the face of one attracted Sana 's attention . - Today is his last smile, - the girl muttered, rubbing her hands.

- Probably, I was mistaken. For a fraction of a second, I thought that my childhood friend had arrived ... - the girl said, turning away from the castle, her eyes were already habitually scanned around the circumference of a forest plantation and mountains that were adjacent to the walls of the castle.

How she loved this landscape, how she loved being here, next to the one she had been looking for so long. Near the princess.

“Sana, Jihyo , we have guests today. Therefore, excess noise is not desirable. Make sure that no one dares to disturb us today! ”- the princess's order flashed through my head, and they both saw the eyes of the owner of the voice.

They were as cold and impregnable as the castle they were guarding. True, in the last 8 years no one has been rushing here, no enemies have been outlined, but there were other kinds of problems.

“It will be done, my lady, ” they answered in unison, becoming at attention.

Usually they talked with DaHyun on equal terms, the princess liked to play with them when she was bored in the castle, often sat in the gazebo, which is now clearly visible from the place where they stood, watching carefully.

Once, as described in the legend, the gazebo was the embodiment of a hedge, every part of it was protected by spider line vine branches, beside them were stupefied bushes of roses and violets, now destruction was in poverty there, and a gray-haired web of dried branches. Usually, but not today.

Today, their princess apparently rose from the wrong foot, her mood was changeable. And everyone knew perfectly well the reason - the bride should soon arrive, whom she herself had chosen from a million applicants from all over the modern world. To be honest, did Jihyo not understand what she found in this girl, with a childish expression on her face? Why did you choose her? But no one would have heard her all the reasons, the reasons why this girl was not, no one asked her, everything was decided instantly.

“Yes, and follow that shore. How everything will be settled, you know what to do "having received the last instruction, they breathed more freely, the cold that chained them to the ground disappeared, and they could move. They could relax.

- What a pity that we cannot participate in the games that our hostess will conduct today. As always, we got dirty work - complained Sana, throwing a black bag over her back.

Her sunny image faded a little when they entered the shade of the trees, but childishness did not disappear anywhere. Jihyo sighed doomedly, realizing that she had a long, long day ahead of her she would have to restrain herself not to hit her partner when she showed her aegyo.

- Let's not waste time. The sooner we do this, the better for both of us - took her by the hand, pulled her along in the thick of the forest, which gradually hid them, provided them with invisibility. - More precisely, it’s better for me, - the girl said muffledly to herself, looking at Sana’s back .

***

Mina sat tiredly on the sofa in the princess's room. To get here, she had to use almost all of her and not her strength. The energy that she treasured so carefully, she practically all went to this guy to move him here to the castle.

Even knowing the short passages, Mina was always uncomfortable to come here. Inconvenient for two reasons. The first one just looked sarcastically in her direction, her jokes always annoyed her, to be honest, she could not stand Jeongyeon, which showed her superiority with might and main.

The second reason was also in the princess's room, a blond beauty with a trained body, to which her eyes were attracted. Momo, not to say that Mina didn’t love her, no, it’s just the opposite here, she liked this girl, but ...

Oh! And why did you climb here, man! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have sat here and listened to all the offensive words addressed to me by this upstart leggy Jeongyeon!

Mina frowned with a look of her dark eyes at the person lying on the floor. She was even disgusted to once again touch him, and yet it was necessary to check whether she had done too much harm to the goods.

“Don’t bother yourself, Fanny, this time you did not overdo it - she heard the quick voice of the girl standing near the sideboard and took out a bottle of turquoise liquid, Momo carefully placed it on the table so as not to spill it. - All his bones are intact and his head is not turned so much. And why did our Tofu need it? He’s not even handsome, phew, what stubble and his body is so frail, brr, how disgusting the girl grimaced, again looking into the closet, Jeongyeon could help her, since she had to reach for the very last shelf. And her clothes, of course, followed the mistress up, bullying and showing a hot spectacle for Mina's eyes.

Mina constantly watched the girl’s attempts, mentally sending Jeongyeon a request for “help”, but she did not react. Damn it! A thought flashed through her head, cursing everything in the world, she jumped from a soft sofa, quickly went to Momo, carefully, so as not to catch the bare skin, supported her from the back.

Her palms sweated instantly, and was dry and her heart stopped beating. What stupid thing I did! Now cursed herself, Mina understood that she had driven herself into a corner, the corner of vicious thoughts. Faster, faster, otherwise I can’t vouch for myself!

“Um, um, I'm sorry to tear myself away from such an exciting moment, but could you please hurry.” We still have to go to the meeting with the new arrivals - Jeongyeon coughed deliberately, smiling wryly at the two girls who stood like Siamese twins near the closet.

She deliberately did not help Momo, knowing full well what the other person longs to do here. In addition, then there is a great opportunity to mock Mina. Hahaha, I know your secret, Minari! Your smiles will not hide your hidden desires from me. I will do everything for you to suffer! You know all the pangs of desire that I once felt for you ... Stop! What am I talking about? I did not feel such feelings for her! Never!

“We wouldn’t hang around here if you could help Momo on time,” Mina retorted , reluctantly releasing the girl, backing away.

“Thanks for the help,” a golden-haired girl said, unaware of anything like that, throwing back her golden curls, staring at the bottle with concentration. - What are we going to do with him? Will we leave it or will we still work on it?

“Bring him here - the landlady answered her question, the sun's rays stopped warming, and the room became even more tense - It will be fun! And hurry down yourself! How long should I wait for you?! "

▫▫▫▫▫

They crossed the threshold of the house, a heavy oak door easily closed behind them, and everything seemed to freeze around. Tension instantly hung in the air, and the gates themselves, which stood in front of the castle, began to disappear, turning into a foggy cage. The house around was on their guard and spotted them, hills sensitively slept above them, small swirls of air, sound or movement waited restlessly and whispered, and somehow the small space in which they stood, three separate people looking at each other, became the center of consciousness.

▫▫▫▫▫

Her walk was graceful, she walked on the granite floor, like a doe, silently and lightly. He could not tear his eyes from the straight back of the girl, he did not pay attention to the exclamation from his companions. He did not see how their companion Tzuyu stopped, as if in her tracks and opening a little, she looked in surprise at the lobby of the castle, where the mistress of the house had brought them. It was huge, that wide, that long, it seemed that there was no end to it. Torches replaced flower stands, it only smelled deliciously of fried meat, and a quiet noise was heard from the kitchen, which was probably located right behind the first door from the left of the stairs that led to the 2nd floor.

“You can fall in love with this house, ” a girl flashed a thought, she automatically raised her hands to , but instead they hung in the air. All the furniture, all the paintings, all the walls of the castle were framed with the latest colors from the most exquisite wealth. You can’t tell about him, because from the outside he was just one of the oldest castles on the island.

- I beg you, come in, do not be shy. I haven’t received guests for so long - the voice of the mistress of the house, quiet to sing, sounded. Without turning to them, she went to the fireplace itself, which was itself a decoration of the lobby. Round-skinned cupids smiled joyfully from his shelves, holding arrows and a bow in small handles, one of them was aiming, someone had already fired an arrow. Looking at their smiling faces, he himself wanted to smile, but no one smiled. “It's not as hot here as it is outside.” To be honest, summer is not my best friend, a lot of sun that burns my skin.

-It’s so beautiful here, - Tzuyu broke the silence of her companions, hesitatingly stomping in one place, her long fingers kept removing fallen dark brown locks of hair from her face. She had long wanted to go to the hairdresser, but there was no time, and now they were in the way. -I thought you would leave everything as it is, from the previous owners.

-The previous owners did not leave anything to change, - the girl said sweetly, narrowing her eyes. None of the guests paid attention to the stress of one word, they were all busy contemplating the living room. - You probably thought that there would be a ghost, creepy creatures flying at night, or maybe you had read legends and hoped to see an abandoned castle with flying fire-breathing birds here?

- Dragons, or what? - loudly laughed one of the companions, who previously introduced himself as a native of the United States with Korean blood roots , Pak JinHo. A tall guy with an athletic build, it’s clear that he is engaged in some kind of sport, possibly climbing or something. Brunette with a small beard with gray eyes. - Who believes in such a legend? Hahaha. No, I heard that there is a collector of rare paintings, a collector of valuable things, I was curious. Previously, I was fond of such junk, but quickly tired of everything, so now I earn by looking for adventure on my own head.

“And I heard that chests of gold and diamonds are hidden in the dungeon of this castle.” I also heard that it’s hard to get here, not through the sea, not through the air, even through the mountains in any way. And I'm the kind of person who likes to take challenges. And your house was such a challenge - a young guy told about his reason for coming here, that he called Pak Dung.

Why he suddenly became so frank, he did not know, but it was good that he was silent in time and did not speak out at the full frequency, why he was here. Something rustled behind him, turning, startled, because a footman appeared imperceptibly in front of him and put a cup of hot coffee on the table. A minute ago, there was no one but them.

And he did not see the hostess go away from them or call somewhere.

So where did he come from?! Dung looked around the room, not lingering on his two companions, of whom only their names knew, noting to himself that the footman was nowhere to be found. He met JinHo at about the same time as he met a girl.