In the days pursuant to the archery contest that disappointed a lot of men but pleased Joohyun and Seulgi greatly, Joohyun carried on with minding her own business, happily staying single. On the other hand, Jooyoung continued to spend time with Nongyu, and she continued to be under the impression that he was Jongin.

“My lord, if you don’t mind me asking,” Nongyu began, so soft and demure that it made Jooyoung want to shelter her from everything bad in this world. “Has Prince Jooyoung been asking about me? I haven’t had the chance to see him since...um...since we informally met in secret, prior to the ceremony.”

“Yes! Yes of course he has. He talks about you all the time. In fact he wouldn’t shut up about you.”

“But...he’s too busy for me, right?” She asked, somewhat sadly, and it drove Jooyoung insane.

“Well! He’s a very busy man, but he...I promise he will find time to come and see you! Just that he...well, you know he’s supposed to become the Crown Prince. So he has a lot of duties, and definitely a lot to learn from the Queen,” he explained apologetically, scratching the nape of his neck as he told one lie after another. Perhaps not exactly a lie per se, but he had had to lie to her from the start thanks to the lie that Jongin told in the first place.

She merely nodded. “I get it. He’s not just my future husband. He’s also going to be the future King of this country. Of course he must commit his time and efforts to preparing and equipping himself to become a competent leader.”

“Ah, I’m sure His Highness will be very pleased to hear that you are so understanding and patient,” he replied, breathing out in relief.

“Well, Your Lordship has also been very patient with me...answering all my questions about the Prince and letting me know about what he likes and what he doesn’t like...of course I don’t mean to impose on your time. I just want to be able to make His Highness happy in everything that I do. I hope he will understand my heart.”

“He will! He does!” He blurted, worried that he might upset her even the tiniest bit if he were not quick enough to offer the reassurance she sought. Luckily for him, she began to smile a little.

“If you’re sure of it, then I will not worry about it. After all, you are very close with His Highness and you know him very well,” she said. “Anyway,” she added, glancing up at the sky that was turning grey. “It looks as if it’s going to rain soon, so let’s go back inside. We can meet again on a finer day. I’m already looking forward to it.”

He nodded in agreement, even though he wished he did not have to part with her. He knew that at the end of the day it was him that she was going to marry, not Jongin or anyone else, but he was so captivated by her that no amount of time he could spend with her would ever be enough.

As Prince Jooyoung made his way back to his residence, he found that Lord Jongin was already there, walking around as if he owned the place. Jooyoung scowled as Jongin carried on playing with marbles and pebbles, surrounded by a few servants.

“Ya.” Jooyoung raised his voice at his cousin. “When I become King I will seriously think about how to penalize you for getting me into trouble.”

“Why, since when did you need my help with getting into trouble?” Jongin laughed loudly, clearly carefree as ever.

“Do you know how frustrated I’ve been these days?! I don’t know how to tell Princess Nongyu the truth about our swapped identities.”

“Eh, I don’t care. It isn’t my problem,” Jongin drawled.

“Isn’t your problem?! Of course it is your problem! In fact, you’re the one who caused it!” Jooyoung grumbled, stomping his feet. “Not to mention our wedding date is drawing near!”

“Don’t overthink it,” said Jongin absentmindedly. “You worry too much at times.”

“How can I not be worried?!”

“Oops, looks like it’s going to rain for real!” Jongin changed the topic suddenly as it began to drizzle. “I should go! See you later!”

As he scuttled out of his cousin’s residence, the Prince cursed under his breath and returned to his chamber, still troubled by all the lies he had told and the repercussions they would bring.

While it rained, Nongyu remained indoors, having lunch on her own as she chewed over her interactions with whom she presumed to be Lord Jongin but actually Prince Jooyoung in disguise.

Once she finished her meal, her guard Yixing entered the room and bowed.

“I see Your Highness has had a lovely morning,” he began.

“Yes, indeed, I have,” she replied, but somehow there was a rueful look upon her face.

“But there still seems to be something troubling you,” he pointed out. “It’s because of Lord Jongin, isn’t it?”

She cleared . “He’s been nothing but kind to me and patient with me. I appreciate it so much. It’s hard for me to not be at least a little bit charmed by him. But I know what you’re here to say, so you don’t have to say it. I already know.”

He nodded. “I just hope that you still keep in mind what we came here to do, Princess.”

She smiled, still somewhat ruefully. “That’s not contradictory to my encounters with Lord Jongin.”

“No, but why shouldn’t we use that to our advantage?” He smirked. “You’ve mentioned that His Lordship seems quite...smitten with you.”

“And what do you propose I do about his...feelings?”

“I will not beat around the bush with you, Princes