The distance remains even after a few months has passed but the two of them have already come to terms with sleeping in one bed, rarely touching and mostly having their backs turned against each other. It gave them countless silent and awkward mornings, the unspoken tension always hanging in the air but at least it's bearable. Areum finally finds it bearable enough to carry on day by day but it still having to adjust to everything.

The place is new, the people are different, the food is not what she’s used to and the most annoying thing is that the customs and laws are all new, not only adjust to them but also learn them by heart and she hates it because her role has changed drastically. She’s no longer just a princess that can be easily overlooked and overshadowed because she’s now being prepared to take on a heavier role, a role fit for the future queen of the nation which makes her feel the burden of this marriage even more.

While Yoongi is busy helping the king carry out political duties, she’s left with a private tutor to study everything, like literally studying, with all those homework and exams, and has she ever mentioned that she hates politics with burning passion. There’s just so many things to remember and not to mention, she also has to know who’s who. The governors, mayors, the allies, those who are genuine to service, and those who are basically leeching off of power. Those who are loyal to the kingdom and those who have possible hidden agendas. It’s not that she has to learn everything all at once. There’s no rush to it but she has to at least not be ignorant or else it’ll feel like playing chess with her eyes closed, not knowing what move to make, not knowing if it’s the best and right decision to win. She won’t be given any tasks too without her being completely adjusted to everything and god, she feels worthless just sitting around here.

Areum feels like she needs to keep herself preoccupied just to drive her thoughts away until she forgets the feeling of everything being wrapped around her neck like a tight leash, so tight that sometimes she thinks she can’t breathe anymore.

On the day that she’s free, she looks for Jimin so she could make use of her time, not wanting to exhaust herself even more from studying. She wanders around the palace, taking mental notes of the directions because it is huge as hell and there are still times that she gets confused and lost despite being here for months. She seriously needs to treat this more like her home so that she’ll stop bugging the servants.

The princess bumps into a familiar face as she walks down the stairs and to be honest, she feels relieved.

“What brings you to this wing, your highness?”

“I was wondering where Jimin is… I can’t seem to find him anywhere.”

“Oh, he’s with the others in the training grounds.”

Areum looks at Taehyung with confusion, as if asking why is he there, what is he going to train for but the prince only shrugs and tells her to follow him. The walk going to the training grounds is silent but it’s a comfortable kind of silence. Yoongi’s brother is much different than him, he is more calm, laid back, someone you could describe as a relaxed and free-spirited persona. He just seems content and happy and free, like all this doesn’t bother him and she envies that because she used to have her own kind of freedom. If only all this whole ordeal didn’t the life out of her.

“So, how’s it been?” He asks suddenly as they make their way to the back portion of the palace.

She doesn’t take that much thought on her answer and sighs, “Not bad but I wouldn’t say that I like it.” She notices him nod and shrugs once again. “Understandable. I hope my brother’s treating you well.”

Areum instantly rolls her eyes the moment Yoongi comes into the topic because god, she can’t stand him. “He’s obnoxious and awful. Are you sure you’re going to make him rule this country in the future?” The prince laughs at this, lips forming into a boxy grin and nods again in agreement.

“He can be quite annoying. He used to be so soft-hearted, you know, but I think all those royal duties messed him up.” He says with a smile still on his lips and she’s actually not surprised to hear this from him. Taehyung is really -talking his brother behind his back which she finds amusing and yes, she does the same to her ‘oh-so-perfect-crown-prince’ brother. Everyone loves Seokjin but all they see is the superficial thing and if they only know that he’s just like all the annoying big brothers out there. Not to mention, his cringey jokes.

“Oh and don’t tell him I ever said this.” He playfully tells her and goes on talking even if she doesn’t respond that much. Yoongi’s brother is the type to make friends easily, he’s the typical social butterfly and she thinks that Taehyung is like a breath of fresh air. His entire aura is just so refreshing and she thinks that they’d make a good bond too because she understands him but at the back of her mind, she still wonders if she can fully trust the people here.

She doesn’t know what their intentions are. She plainly doesn’t know them and does she even want to get to know them deeper?

Taehyung also tells her how he hates these ranks, the honorifics. It doesn’t even make sense because they’re all human so why do these labels make you higher or lower than anyone. So he prefers not to use it when they’re not in official gatherings and when no other people are around and with this, Areum allows him to drop the honorifics as well when they talk to each other because, honestly, it’s just pointless.

They arrive at the training grounds and the princess hears the sound of the arrows hitting the target, a very familiar sound that takes her back to her childhood. The area is a wide, open space, really fit for training and the trees around it make the air fresh and cool.

“You and Jimin had the same reaction when I told him we have an archery range here.” He comments before yelling out a loud ‘Hyung!’ that makes Areum freeze in her spot. Yoongi can’t be here. He can’t be because she doesn’t want to see him, even an inch of his shadow and he can’t be here because why the hell would Jimin hang out with him?

She sees three heads turn at the sound of Taehyung's voice and the princess is relieved that her husband isn't here.

They immediately put their bows down and headed towards the royals, catching their breath as they bid their greetings. If she remembers it correctly, the two people with Jimin are Hoseok and Namjoon. Both of them are military strategists and from what she has heard, those two are great at doing their job despite their young age.

"Sorry to interrupt you three. You seem to be having fun. I was just, uh… looking for Jimin." Areum starts, unsure of how to approach them.

"It's alright, your highness. We'll leave the two of you alone, then." Hoseok replies and she thanks him briefly. "It was nice seeing you around. I hope you're adjusting well to this place." He adds before they leave and it makes her wonder how is it possible for someone to resemble a ray of sunshine. No wonder Taehyung seems to be close to them.

"So," Jimin says once they are left alone, still looking quite exhausted from shooting a bunch of arrows. "What made me worthy of your presence, dear princess?"

Areum rolls her eyes on this and Jimin just chuckles. "Wanted to have a chat with you to save my sanity, I guess?"

"Is it that bad?"

She ponders on the question this time instead of giving thoughtless answers because she knows that she can trust him. They grew up together and got even closer when he was assigned to be her personal guard.

Vhrea is much different compared to Meri. Rather than seas, Vhrea is surrounded by lush mountains that make nature feel so alive. The air is fresh, earthy and instead of waves, she is greeted by the soft rustle of the leaves as the winds pass by. This country is a mix of modern and traditional and somehow she is amazed by how they remained to stick to their roots despite the constant changes. The people live a simple life and are really great, far from how they were described by her people in Meri. This place is nice, it is a sight to behold and a part of her thinks that she would’ve loved this if only she came here willingly.

"The country, the people, they're nice… but every day I wake up, I'm reminded of why I'm here, how I'm here… I still feel so wronged." The princess replies, voice soft and low.

"Acceptance can take time, you know? It doesn't happen overnight."

Areum sighs as she makes her way towards the makeshift shade and sits on one of the stools.

"How about the prince? How is he treating you?"

"He's so annoying like he's born to cause me distress for the rest of my life but he never did anything that I didn't want. He's the one one who always adjusts."

"Sounds like he's really trying hard. Why don't you give him a chance, Areum?" Jimin looks back and he sees the look of disbelief in her expression. "Look, don't get me wrong here. My loyalty is still yours and will always be yours but what I'm saying here is--”

"And you think he deserves that chance, Jimin? You were there on that night, that one hell of a dinner when our families shoved their horrid idea in our faces and when he used Jungkook against me. How can I be with someone who took everything away from me?"

"Then would you rather go back to Meri? To the people who came up with this solution? To the people who used you for their agenda and couldn’t even stand up for you? Do you want to be with someone who couldn’t even fight for you? Would you want that or would you want to stay with the ones who are accepting you?"

Areum falls silent at Jimin’s words as it hits her like a harsh slap of reality. The thing is, he knows her too much and because of that, he’s always the one who knocks some sense in her head. He’s so right that Meri never did anything for her, so right that the realization hurts. She sighs in defeat, grabbing one of the arrows and pokes at the ground.

“It will definitely take time for you to be alright considering you went through absolute . I know it that all of this has to happen to you and I’m sorry if I sound so invalidating right now but why don’t you try looking at things without prejudice? Give yourself time and maybe, just maybe, things can work out better than what you expect, and if it doesn’t then I myself will get you out of here.”

The princess shifts to look at her best friend, raising a brow. “You’ll do that for me? Sneak me out of this place?”

“Only if they don’t treat you well, Areum, because you don’t deserve more . Don’t get any weird ideas up on your head.”

It feels a bit better after she talked to Jimin, somehow lightened up her mood but the weight of her responsibilities are still heavy, persistently wrapping itself around her neck to choke her. She pondered about what he told her, thought about it for days but of course, it’s always easier said than done.

She glares at the papers sprawled on her desk as if wanting them to just turn into dust because it’s her last day with her tutor next week and she’s going to have to take a test just to see if she’s learned everything. Not to mention, she already received a few of her shares on the official paperwork. She slumps her face against the desk and groans at the thought of having to go over these engagements at the same time preparing for an exam.

“Why? Why do I have to do this? Why can’t I just help people out and make their lives better?” Areum whines amidst the papers and books and the moment she hears the door open, she immediately sits up, fixes her hair as if she wasn’t having a meltdown a few seconds ago.

“Did I just hear you have an existential crisis because of that? Poor princess is getting overwhelmed?” Yoongi goads her as he makes his way towards his closet, searching for something.

“Leave me alone and let me read in peace.”

“You call that reading? You were whining when I arrived.”

“Why are you even already here? It’s still early.” She says with obvious irritation because Yoongi usually comes back late, mostly stuck in his personal office.

He shrugs, going back to sit on the couch with a guitar on his lap. “To spend time with you? I rarely see you these days.”

Areum rolls her eyes at this, not bothering to even spare him a glance. “Rarely? You see me every day and night and you call that rare?” She says flatly.

Yoongi doesn’t respond and plays random chords on his guitar. He strums it carelessly to the point that it sounds like plain noise because it doesn’t make any sense at all. He glances at his wife, seeing that she doesn’t mind, he continues to strum random notes and it doesn't take long before a ball of crumpled paper hits him on the head.

“Can’t you spend time with me like a normal person?! Why do you have to be so annoying all the time?”

He stops playing and looks at her with a -eating grin. “So, you do want to spend time with me?”

“Oh God, I’m not going to have this conversation with you.” Areum stands up from her desk and moves to their bed and Yoongi follows her, sitting at the edge of the mattress facing his wife.

“Yoongi, put the poor guitar down if you’re going to play it like that.”

“I’m sorry. Stop being snappy, princess.” He apologizes but he doesn't mean it because he obviously finds amusement in the way she reacts but he starts playing it properly though, plucking the strings to create a calming melody. “If you asked for my help, your life would’ve been easier.”

“As if you’d really help me.”

“Hey, I’m not that much of a jerk to leave you alone with things you aren’t familiar with.”

“Then what? Make fun of me after?”

“Is that what you really think of me? I mean, I get it that you hate me but...” He stops playing and looks at her, pretending to be offended and it’s a pillow that hits him this time.

“Will you stop throwing things at me? Goodness, I didn’t know you’re this violent.”

“Because you’re so infuriating.”

“Princess, my entire existence bothers you. I don’t think we can do anything about that but seriously though, just tell me what works best for you then we’ll try to do something about it.”

Areum’s scowl finally softens and looks at him intently, considering what he just said but she feels hesitant to interrupt him because looks so calm right now with his guitar like he’s meant to play instruments and it would be a lie to say that he isn’t good at it. The music he plays is nice and soothing too and she doesn't miss the way he hums along with the melody.

There’s something in the air that changed, there’s less tension and the silence between them, it’s suddenly… comfortable but she doesn’t want to admit it. She thinks that’s just something she’d never admit. Her mini bubble bursts when he suddenly speaks, “Before I forget, you should come with me tomorrow.”

She gives him a curious look. “Where?”

The prince sets down his guitar on the bed, giving her his full attention because he’s far too surprised that she’s interested. He was actually prepared for rejection, coupled with a snarky remark that’s along the lines of ‘you wish!’, but what he got was just a plain question which is strange. He’s not complaining though, briefly thinking how would things turn out if they started out as friends.

She’s clearly still waiting for his answer but Yoongi is trying to find the right words, something that will make her agree without having her raging. He tilts his head, giving her an inviting look, and says, “You’ll have to come with me if you want to know.”

[A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! This part was really stuck in m head and I just had to write it down. I know this update took so long. Online classes with a medical course literally took most of my free time and I'm also in the middle of writing our thesis. Updates will be slow this time, sorry :<<

Anyway, please leave comments. It motivates me!!!]