It’s been a week and a half since Saku’s stay in the farmland. Chaewon’s parents wishes it all to be over already. Not because they can’t stand the presence of the crowned prince, no they absolutely adore him, but it is a disaster when he and Chaewon are together and that’s like all the time.

Saku absolutely loves to tease the lass, so he does exactly that. Every chance he gets, they can’t even eat meals without the two going at each other’s throats. At night too, there’s always noise coming from their room.

But it’s the first time Chaewon’s parents saw their daughter this loud. They never knew she has this side of her and they’re partly glad for that. Still it is a headache to be in the same space as the two, which is why whenever they do some work they make sure to work as far as possible from their daughter and the prince.

They don’t want to be involved in the crossfire and today is no different. While Chaewon and Saku are tasked to tend to the crops, the married couple tends to the animals in the barn.

As per usual, the two teens occasionally spring each other with water while the other is occupied. But Saku had other plans, and it involves fertilizer. Over the period of his stay, he’s learned how to tolerate the foul smell. He planned on smearing her face with a little fertilizer so he volunteered to take them from the barn.

However when he came back to where he left Chaewon, he stopped as soon as he saw someone standing right beside the girl who’s laughing and smiling so widely it reaches her ears. Saku frowns seeing her being accompanied by someone else when he only left for like five minutes only to come back with this.

With a scowl, he marches towards them and coughed when he was an arm length away from the lad who had his back the prince. Chaewon and the guy she’s with turned their gazes on him, it took the latter to realize who he’s facing, but the sooner it hits him he bowed his head nearly stumbling.

“Your Highness.” He was surprised seeing the prince of their nation here, but even more he was wondering what he’s doing here.

“And you are?” Saku’s voice was laced with hostility, he crossed his arms while waiting for the lad to answer his question.

“Choi Yehan, your Highness.” The said lad doesn’t dare meet the eyes of the prince, even Chaewon couldn’t. Somehow he was suddenly too intimidating for her to speak nor look at him.

“And what brings you here?”

“I was just visiting my friend, your Highness.” The three of them were surrounded by an awkward silence after that. Not one knows what to say, but both Yehan and Chaewon wanted to leave this space.

“Well we have a lot to do this afternoon, so go on now. I assume you’ve already said your greetings to each other, haven’t you?” Saku walks past the lad and grabbed Chaewon’s wrist attempting to walk away from him. But the lass pulls her hand back and stops him from doing that.

“He’s actually here to help out as well.” Saku’s lips twitch when Chaewon said this, there’s something green in his chest. His mind is filled with questions and confusion, and he badly wants to bombard them with questions to ease his mind.

But he stopped himself from doing that. It’s so uncalled for, besides he shouldn’t pry on their friendship right? So just like that, it was as if Saku no longer exists in Chaewon’s mind. She was so into catching up with her long time friend, that she doesn’t take time to talk nor to even spare an eye at the crowned prince.

Which is why ten after fifteen minutes of following Chaewon and Yehan he decided to leave them be and go to the other side of the field. Where he doesn’t have to pretend not to hear the two talk and laugh.

The feeling on his chest disgusts him though, it’s the first time he felt this way too and it frustrates him because he can’t control it. So he avoids them, thinking it would make him feel better but what it did was the opposite.

His head was full of thoughts and questions, he keeps on stealing a glance at the lass who was too occupied to notice him. They are pretty close, whenever he sees them leaning close to each other he just wants to explode. One fresh tomato had unfortunately suffered his wrath.

And when Chaewon’s parents got out of the barn and sees Yehan, the bright look of their faces made him even more upset.

They were so elated that they rushed over to where the two were and for about five minutes they talked. Until Yehan and Chaewon bid their goodbyes to the girl’s parents and headed to the barn. With a scowl on his face, Saku trained his eyes on their backs until the two disappeared from his sight.

He exhales the deepest sigh of his whole life and he was about the continue tending the crops when Chaewon’s mother taps his shoulder.

“Chaewon and Yehan’s going to hang out at the back, they’ll be riding horses to. I’m sure it’s been long since the prince rode one as well.” She dries his sweat and hair with a towel, Saku thought hard about it. He wanted to, but he’s afraid of what he might witness. He couldn’t stand it earlier and the two were merely talking to each other, what more if they’re being playful to each other.

“I’m fine, Mrs. Kim. I think it’s best if they just catch up with each other alone. Don’t want the prince to come pooping the party right?” He jokes trying to lighten up the mood— his mood. Chaewon’s mom doesn’t seem to notice the gloom in his voice.

“If you say so, but come inside in about fifteen minutes okay? I’ll prepare something cold for you, it’s so hot out here you need to rest too. The handsome prince has been working so hard lately.” Saku face scrunched up, he never knew there’ll come a day where he’ll cringe upon being called handsome.

“Didn’t my father told you not to treat me as a prince during my stay here?” Chaewon’s mom chuckled and kept drying his hair, one thing about him is that he sweats a lot, which is probably because he’s not used to being under the sun so much.

“I know that, but if you ask me I think you’ve already learned a valuable lesson. You no longer complain when Chaewon drags you in here to work, rather, the two of you seem to be enjoying the work. You can take it easy, Saku.” His lips slowly forms a smile at the compliment.

“Well since I learned my lesson, does that mean I’m off the hook with all the works for the rest of the month?” The silliness in his voice made Chaewon’s mother laugh.

“Now you’re just getting too ambitious, that’s never going to happen. I’ll head inside now, remember to come back inside after fifteen minutes okay? Otherwise there won’t be any food for you!” Saku waved her off as she head back towards the cabin. He’s gotten pretty close with Chaewon’s parents, there was one time where Saku was having trouble sleeping so he went out to catch some air.

When he got outside, Chaewon’s parents were lying down on the field on a blanket while star gazing. They called for him to join them and that night Saku opened up to them about his own hardships as the crowned prince of their nation, and how much pressure it is on his shoulder.

After that night, Saku felt like a weight being lifted off of his chest. It’s the lightest he’s ever felt for a very very long time, and that’s also the time when his eyes started seeing another perspective of life.

The life lived as a commoner of their nation.

Saku’s thoughts were disrupted when he heard Chaewon’s voice a few distance away from where he was. When he turns behind, he sees the two slowly getting off of the horses, all smiles as they tie their horses on a post.

He watched as the two who had no idea they were being watched catch up with each other. Saku doesn’t even know why he couldn’t tear his gaze away when he’s getting unpleasant feeling in his chest the more he stares at them.

That was until, he saw Chaewon’s face dropping so slowly, and then almost as if it was in slow motion, Yehan starts leaning in, attempting to capture the lass’s lips.

That was the time when Saku finally tore his eyes off of them, before he could witness their lips to lock. He couldn’t watch that, he couldn’t stand seeing that. With that, he wordlessly dropped his trowel and marched straight into the cabin, face blank, head blank, and chest scorching with fire.

…

It was already dark when Yehan and Chaewon came back to the cabin. Strangely though, they were rather awkward and distant with each other. It was dinner time as well, so all five of them sat on the table in a circle.

Chaewon sat in the middle of Saku and Yehan, do I even have to say how awkward and tense it is? The parents however are oblivious to notice the heavy atmosphere lingering in between the kids.

They were overjoyed so much that they couldn’t stop talking. It doesn’t help the green feeling in the prince’s chest, every word he hears heightens his rage.

“I’m going to bed.” He said as he stood up from his seat.

“You barely even touched your food.” Saku forces a smile and brushes Chaewon’s hands away from his wrist to disappear into their room. It bothers the lass though, they haven’t talked much today and the fact that he’s acting hostile is even worse.

Sure he teases her a lot, but he was never hostile to her. She doesn’t like the way he dismissed her like she’s no longer worth his time.

Chaewon c