Chapter 17.

"Love is putting someone else's needs before yours."

The ride back to the palace was quiet and tense, with only occasional orders from Jaehyun filling the suffocating silence. Doyoung had managed to brew some mild medicine with the herbs they had in their storage, which relieved Yunoh of his fever for the first few days of their journey though he was still weak and sluggish to respond to questions.

Mingyu had joined them on their journey to the palace upon Jaehyun’s request, though he didn’t need any prodding especially where Hanbyul and Yunoh were concerned. “They’ll want to have someone they can trust with them,” Jaehyun had said to him.

And it was moments like that where it was easy to see why Hanbyul had fell for the King in the past. Looking past his rugged appearance, his eyes were kind and he held himself with charisma one couldn’t help but follow. His squadron trusted his word and he reciprocated that trust.

He was no “Fallen” King as travelers had coined him; he had just lost his way.

Hanbyul had barely spoken a word since they’d left Cherry. She held Yunoh close to her and scarcely slept in case his fever spiked through the night. Everything was happening too fast and her mind couldn’t keep up so she decided to focus all her thoughts on solely Yunoh and perhaps when she broke out of her reverie she would realize that this was all a dream.

She jumped slightly when Mingyu slid into the seat across from her before immediately stilling herself. Yunoh was asleep with his head on her lap and she didn’t want to wake him with her jumpy movements.

“Nervous?” Mingyu asked as the sun rose over the skyline painting the skies a swirl of red and orange.

The palace could be seen in the horizon, growing larger as they drew closer. It was intimidating to say the least just by size alone. Mingyu had grown up bouncing from camp to camp while Hanbyul had hidden herself away in the smallest towns she could find. This was completely out of both their comfort zones.

Hanbyul gave a tight smile. “A little.”

“No need to be nervous!” Haechan called out from the front of the carriage. He popped his head into their compartment with a wide smile. “Everyone at the palace is super friendly. We’ve all basically grown up together so formalities don’t really exist at the palace.” Then he leaned in, motioning for them to come closer. “But you better watch out for the princess. She’s as evil as they get,” he whispered with a shudder.

“Aren’t the Princess and King twins?” Mingyu questioned with a quirk of his brow. “Jaehyun seems as nice and down to earth.”

“You know that saying, if one twin gets all the goodness, the other will get all the evil,” Haechan replied. “She’s the reincarnation of the devil—“

Before he could continue, Johnny entered the compartment and smacked him upside the head causing the young boy to let out a startled yelp. “Don’t mind him. The Princess is just as kind as Jaehyun. She only has a sharp tongue to those who don’t follow directions well,” Johnny said, shooting a pointed look towards Haechan.

A small chuckle left Hanbyul despite her exhausted state. Despite the initial fear she felt when she decided to take this leap of faith, she found herself relaxing in the squadron’s company. Perhaps it was an instinct she couldn’t remember to trust in the person who claimed to be her stepbrother or perhaps it was just the fact that they all seemed to hold a genuine relationship with each other than made her want to trust them but she felt at ease in their presence.

“It’ll be about 5 more minutes until we approach the palace. Chaeyeon might have you thrown in the dungeon if you keep bad mouthing her.”

Hanbyul froze. Correction, she thought to herself, she felt at ease in most of their presences.

Jaehyun entered their compartment and his eyes glanced over to where she sat with Yunoh lying in her lap. She saw the way his eyes lingered on their son with unbridled affection but he turned away without another word to her and began speaking with Johnny.

Mingyu let out a small sigh under his breath. Jaehyun had been walking on eggshells since they’d started the trek towards the palace and he hadn’t spoken so much of a word to Hanbyul other than to check up on her or Yunoh’s conditions. And while Mingyu didn’t fully trust the King or his squadron yet, they were slowly breaking down his walls with their good nature and he could tell none of them held bad intentions.

The palace gates came into view, cutting all conversation as the squadron resumed their positions outside their compartment. Hanbyul gaped at the sheer size of the palace and she reached for Mingyu’s hand, clenching it tightly. He returned her grip, providing her the reassurance she needed as they entered through the gates.

“Welcome back, your Highness!” Maids, butlers, guards and all the other palace employees called out as they rushed to meet the King as he jumped out of the carriage when it came to a full stop.

Jaehyun smiled warmly at them, returning their pleasant chatter and Hanbyul never felt further away from him than she did now. In their small town, it was easy to forget his status but here, she was pulled down to reality.

“Jaehyun!”

Everyone turned at the voice and Jaehyun’s eyes lit up.

Chaeyeon stood at the main entrance, atop the stairs, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Already she could see the changes in her brother. The weight that burdened his shoulders seemed to have lifted and his listless eyes were brightened with life.

Her feet moved before she could control herself and she was running down the steps at a pace unfit for a princess but she could care less.

As she neared the bottom of the staircase, her foot caught on the hem of her dress. A small gasp escaped her and before she could yell a warning, she fell forward, tumbling into the person who had the misfortune of standing closest to the stairs.

“Princess are you alright?!”

“Oh my goodness, Princess Chaeyeon, are you hurt anywhere?”

Chaeyeon groaned slightly as her eyes fluttered open. She opened to utter reassurances to her worried maids when she came eye to eye with the poor soul who’d caught the brunt of their tumble. The words died on her lips and she felt close up as he let out a small groan and sat up.

“Are you okay?” He asked, breaking Chaeyeon out of her daze.

She realized she still had her hands on his chest and immediately retracted them, her cheeks flushing red. Standing abruptly, she brushed the dust off her dress and nodded before offering a hand to the man.

He took it gratefully and she helped him up.

“I’m so sorry,” she stammered. “Are you injured anywhere?”

“I’m fine,” he replied, turning to face her properly. “Are you...”

The words trailed off as he stared at the princess. The feeling was foreign to him as his heartbeat quickened and his tongue was tied for words.

“Jeez, you’d think she’d learn some