flashback

"saku, my brave and handsome son. there's someone we'd like you to meet." a seven year old boy with big, brown eyes tilted his head, feeling a bit confused but nevertheless still complied and followed his mother and his father.

they wordlessly stepped inside the carriage, and were lead to the neighbouring kingdom. saku, who was still a clueless young boy, looked up to his mother and sought information.

"mother, where are we going?" he asked as he eased up to the queen's warmth. the woman her son's silk, brown hair before raising his chin up.

"you're going to be meeting a beautiful princess and her astounding brother. remember queen mihee, the kind woman who dropped by the kingdom the other day? they are her children." his mother revealed, causing only a bigger crease to form on the lad's forehead.

"eunbi noona?"

"patience saku, patience. you'll see, okay honey?" with that being said, the little prince nodded his head and shifted his attention back on the scenery outside. after almost half an hour later, they have finally arrived at the zarean kingdom where servants came to their aid in an instant.

his eyes were left in awe with the structure before him. he was simply admiring the view but was cut short when the queen came over to his side, kneeling on one knee while looking straight into his eyes, her own orbs filled with fondness for the young prince.

"hi there little one." recognizing the face of the queen, the innocent prince bowed his head to greet her. the adults couldn't help but chuckle upon seeing his cute antics. they were then lead somewhere inside the castle, going into rooms that the prince have never explored before.

"mother where are we headed?" the young lad questioned for the umpteenth time, but the woman only responded by flashing him a reassuring smile. a moment later, they stopped in front of a white painted door.

"ready?" the queen of zarean asked and the boy gave her a nod. with that, she slowly twisted the knob and opened the door. behind that is a beautiful little princess looking out the window, and right beside her is another young prince. the two siblings whipped their heads to the direction of the newly arrived frames.

in an instant, they walked closer to the guests. the princess was bowing her head, not meeting the eyes of the new prince while her brother has his brows furrowed.

"chanwoo, minjoo, this is prince saku, king mitsuo and queen eiko's first born son. saku these are my children from the nuviel kingdom." the queen introduced, saku planted his gaze on the shy princess before him. she kept her head hung low still as she plays with her fingers.

unlike the princess, her brother was rather delighted with the presence of a new friend. he extended his hand and waited for the latter to do the same. the queen of zarean then tapped the visitor's shoulder, earning all his attention.

"saku, you are the only prince that i have entrusted my daughter with. you're too young to get what i meant, but certainly as you thrive to a prestigious prince turned king, you will be needing a queen by your side." the young boy stares at the woman as if trying to decipher her words. but as if understanding what she meant, he gave her a nod before looking back at the timid girl.

the lad walked over with light steps and held out his palm. the princess was surprised seeing a hand calling out for her, and so she looked up and interlocked her eyes with the prince before her. slowly, the brown haired boy flashed a soothing smile.

"hi."

"mother, father, may i ask how does a king get his queen?" as the miyawaki family are having their dinner after a long, tiring day of going around the whole kingdom, the little prince asked a question that surprised his parents.

"well honey in order for a king to get his queen, they must first fall in love with each other. before being a queen, she was once a princess and the king was once a prince, like you and our little yujin. as you grow old, you'll meet tons of beautiful princesses, but one of them will surely capture your heart. just like how your mother captured mine. the prince and the princess who are in love with each other will then be get married, and when the crown is passed on to them, they will thrive to a king and a queen who will rule over the kingdom." king mitsuo explained, ruffling his little boy's hair in amusement.

"how do you know if you fall in love with a princess then?" the adults stared at their son with a crease on their forehead. surely he's still too young to be asking about this but nevertheless, they still gave him an answer.

"you'll know that you're in love when she makes you feel happy, and when you look at her, for you she's the most beautiful woman ever." the king responded, now looking at his son's eyes intently.

it's been a couple of months, two days a week the princess and the prince would come over to the kingdom of zarean to visit their mother, during those days the japanese prince would come by the kingdom as well, playing with the siblings and keeping each other accompanied.

but this day is different, unlike before when there's the three of them, now there's only a certain prince alongside a pretty princess running around the garden, playing and chasing each other with a wide grin painted on their faces.

"minjoo, saku! don't go too far from the garden, okay?" the queen yells, looking over the two children by the balcony. but the kids had no intention of complying with the queen's orders.

they ran and ran until they were somewhere they haven't been before. all of a sudden, princess minjoo dropped on the ground, veins entangled around her foot. the brave prince came to her aid in an instant, trying to ease up the sobbing girl.

"it's okay princess, i've got you. as long as i'm here, nothing can ever hurt you." he said, lines slipped off of his tongue like silk in a cheeky way. when the brown haired boy successfully detangled the veins, he helped the girl up and made her lean behind a tree as he examines her foot.

"minjoo-ah, does it still hurt?" the older questioned when the beauty had calmed down. the latter shook her head, tears finally coming to an end and the prince have never felt so relieved in his whole life. with that, he plopped himself on the empty space near the younger and ran his fingers through her locks.

"i want you to be my queen." he blurted out without even thinking of what he was saying. albeit a little young, the princess still knew what those words meant as she is one smart kid.

"why?" she retorted back, crossing her arms as if she was against the idea of the young lad.

"because i love you, therefore you have to be my queen!" the latter yells nonchalantly, but his words only earned him a smack on the head from the girl.

"what are you talking about!" the princess yelled back, frustrated because of how absurd the prince is being right now.

"you make me feel happy and you are the most beautiful princess. i love you, so you are my queen now." he retorted back, grinning from ear-to-ear as if he had solved one of the major problems on earth