The garden looked different that day. Everything was prepared for that special day when the prince of Blume and the princess of Knospe will finally be united through marriage, which will further strengthen the unity of the two kingdoms.

Replacing the usual shrubbery, it was now littered with various flowers of all colors and types, decorating the vast expanse of the garden. Topiaries increased and in the middle rolled a red carpet leading from a set of pillar-like arches towards the middle of the fountain where a priest stood in front of the altar, looking over at the guests who were waiting patiently for the arrival of the bride to be. The Prince of Blume stood by the side along with his father, King Gladiolus.

Guards could be seen surrounding the area, keeping a close eye for any sign of trouble, standing tall from a distance as well as excitedly awaiting for the moment everyone has been waiting for. It was a grand event, one that majority of both kingdoms have been waiting for and everyone had made sure to be present to celebrate such a moment.

However, there were a few people absent during that special occasion.

Sinb was nowhere to be found.

The King Gladiolus was saddened that his daughter could not join them during the most important day for both kingdoms, however, when he was informed that she was bedridden and could not leave her room, he decided to leave it and apologize to Clem in her stead. Surprisingly, the prince was completely fine with it and insisted that his sister’s health was more important than attending this occasion.

At long last a white carriage began driving down the path of the garden, all four snow white stallions trotting down the path steadily and soon enough stopping right beside the arches with the servants scurrying about and readying the carpet for the princess’s descent from the carriage. It was then that the doors opened and King Leon along with his wife, Queen Iris stepped out, the crowd clapping loudly at their appearance. With a slight bow they then turned back to the doors and waited, the crowd gasping in unison the moment they saw the princess stepping out.

They swore they saw a literal flower appearing as made her way down the path.

With her wedding dress as yellow as sunflowers and hair flowing down her shoulders naturally and undisturbed, Yerin’s beauty brought awe to everyone in the vicinity.

“Oh my lord, she’s beautiful.” one of the guests breathes out with the nearby nobles nodding in agreement.

Yerin smiled as she took the hand her father reached out for her, and hooked her arm around his while doing the same for her mother.

“You look beautiful today, my daughter.” he tells her to which she just nods, choosing not to speak afraid that her nervousness would be noticeable if she did. The quartet then began to play a soothing melody at the cue of their conductor and so the family took that as a signal to begin walking down the aisle, taking their time and meeting the eye of every single guest that came to their view.

They soon reached the altar where the prince took step forward, exchanging greetings with the King and Queen as well as an exchange of a few pleasantries with the parents before finally deciding to move towards the altar where the priest stood.

“You look beautiful, your highness.” the prince whispers to her.

Yerin turns to him briefly, gives him a once over and answers, “And you look dashing.”

He chuckles slightly at that, “Thank you. I’m flattered. It’s a shame though.”

“What is?”

The prince stares at her for a bit before shrugging, “We know you didn’t dress up for me.”

This time, Yerin laughs, “Are you still hung up on what I said the other day?”

“Maybe? But… to be honest I’m relieved.”

Yerin turns to him.

“Thank you for this.” he says with a smile, “And I wish you good luck, and safe journey.”

Yerin returns the smile, “Thank you too. For everything.”

The both of them then face the priest who looked over at them with a kind smile on his face, exchanging greetings with the two as he did so. He then raised his head, letting his gaze sweep across the guests in the venue and was about to begin to address them.

“We are now gathered her on this very special occasion to witness not only the union of two kindred souls, but also of two kingdoms who would, from this day forth, join together to live in prosperous harmony for the years to come.” he says, smiling upon the two who returned the gesture albeit in a slightly forced manner, “And so, we shall begin—“

It was then that the sound of yells from the guards interrupted the peaceful morning and everyone was quick to be distracted, looking towards the source of the disturbance. It wasn’t that hard to find as they saw numerous men wearing black cloths and masks on their faces suddenly coming from various directions and attacking each and every single guard they came across.

The chaos was more than enough to alarm everyone present as yelling and screaming ensued, each and every noble present all scrambling to random directions in an attempt to escape to safety.

Not only them, but the guards were quick to intercept as they began barking orders to each other, trying their hardest to keep level-headed despite the chaos that was ensuing.

“Protect the kings!”

“Protect their majesties!”

“Men! Shields!”

The guards yelled as they came pouring into the garden, immediately creating a small wall to protect all the nobles and royalties present.

Amidst the chaos, both kings and queens were looking around frantically, trying their hardest to spot their children amongst the crowd however failing to do so as Yerin’s yellow gown and the prince’s white garb were not visible as the guards tried their best to keep them protected.

“Where my daughter!?” King Leon yelled, questioning the guards and raising his voice amidst all the yelling and shouting that was going on.

“Yerin! Where’s Yerin?!”

“Find the prince!”

It was only then that they caught sight of Yerin being dragged towards the carriage that she came in from. The king and queen yelling after her as they watched her being shoved inside and said captor took the reins and rapidly directed the horses to gallop out of the place. They then noticed how all the assailants made sure that none of the guards got in the way of the carriage, opening up a path for them to make a safe exit. Furious, Leon broke free from the safety of his guards and began chasing after his daughter, dropping his crown in the process.

“Stop that carriage! Close the gates!” he yelled, pointing towards the vehicle which was already making its way outside the castle walls.

“Close the gates!”

“Why aren’t the gates closing!?”

“Chase after it! All of you! Every one of you! Bring. Back. My. Daughter!”

A group of soldiers in horseback immediately stampeded towards the gates, urging their horses as fast as they could as they chased after the escaped carriage.

Weapons clashed, yelling ensued and disarray was the only thing going on in that moment. It seemed like there was no end to the fighting as guard after guard was taken down as the people in black swiftly dealt with the nuisances. It was only after a while when the men began to make their retreat, scampering out of the place as quickly as they could, fighting off any pursuing guards and when the fighting had ended and silence once more took over, the once beautifully decorated garden was in shambles.

 Flowers broken and trampled on the ground, altar damaged, chairs toppled, thrown and broken all in various places, and even the fountain was unable to escape the chaos as damages to it were became visible. Numerous men on horseback then arrived, with the king recognizing them as the one who chased after the carriage that Yerin was in.

He stared up at all of them with a hopeful look only for his hopes to be dashed upon seeing the man shaking his head, signifying that he wasn’t able to fulfil his mission.

“I don’t care if you scour the entire lands.” King Gladiolus angrily tells his men, “I want every one of you to search for the princess and I expect results or else I myself will cut off your heads! Find her!”

The men then scampered off at his orders, King Leon of Knospe collapsing towards a nearby chair in sheer fatigue, his wife by his side immediately.

“My daughter…” he whispered, staring blankly at the space before him.

“My friend… I…” King Gladiolus approached, unsure on how to proceed.

“Who were those people?” he asked.

“This is the very first time that I have seen them.” he admits, “And we’ve made no enemies with any neighboring kingdom, I cannot imagine my citizens would be able to do something like this but I will assure you with all certainty my friend.” he places a hand on the man’s shoulder and squeezes tightly, “I will do everything in my power to make sure that she is found and returned to you safely.”

King Leon did not reply, but his silence was more than enough of an answer for him.

“Where’s Prince Clem?”

“He’s gone with the guards in search for the princess, sire.”

“Your majesty!”

Both monarchs then raised their heads and watched as a guard practically stumbled over to them gasping for air once he was close enough.

“My king! Your daughter Princess Sinb…!” he gasped.

King Gladiolus slowly rose up so he could stare at the soldier, his entire body beginning to fill with dread at the coming news.

“She was taken as well sire!”

---

“Are they gone?”

“I think we’re safe for now your highness, but not for long.”

Yerin then looks up as the carriage doors are opened by a person in a black mask who then took it off to reveal Yuju, the knight commander.

“We need to get there on foot from this point on, the carriage is too noticeable.” she says, helping Yerin descend the vehicle carefully, “It’s not that long of a walk, but will you be alright?”

Yerin sighs, looking down at her dress, “I don’t really have a choice do I? Let’s go.”

“As you command.” Yuna bowed and began to enter the thick forest with Yerin at her heels.

The two then trudged cautiously into the dense foliage, the area of the forest getting thicker as they ventured deeper. Their destination was a cabin in the deepest parts of the woods, one that Eunha owned and would head off to whenever she wanted to enjoy a little bit of a vacation from the noise of the town. No one else knew about it besides her and when they had planned this small escape of theirs, she was quick to volunteer her cabin a temporary hiding spot for them to use as they see fit.

Luckily, they had more than enough time to familiarize themselves with the path towards it before the day of the wedding. If they didn’t they were more than sure that they would have gotten lost already.

The two would then take quick rests before resuming their trek, Yerin struggling slightly as she only had a cloak and a pair of shoes to help her navigate the area more properly, but unfortunately, a change of clothes was a risk she could not take. That would mean that she has to take off her gown, hide it someplace where no one would see, and pray that no one finds it. She had opted to take any trace that she might leave with her so that they wouldn’t be tracked in case anyone went after them.

The journey went on longer than she anticipated, what with the inconvenience Yerin was having with her dress, but soon enough, they had reached the cabin and the two of them had never felt so relieved to see such a place before their eyes.

Yuna then volunteered to check the area just in case and when all was safe, Yerin made her way inside, only to freeze in shock upon realizing that she wasn’t the first one to arrive.

“Yerin!” Sinb grinned as she broke into a run and practically threw herself at the woman, enveloping her in a tight embrace.

“Sinb…?” Yerin mumbles in disbelief, pulling away so she could be sure that she wasn’t seeing things, “W-What are you doing here? “

Yerin’s surprise was reasonable. Their initial plan was to make sure Yerin didn’t get married and so they hatched the escape plan for her in the process. After that, they would make it seem that Yerin was taken because of the marriage and would demand from both monarchs that the union of the two kingdoms to be stopped if they want her to return to them safe and sound. That way, it would seem that the motive would be because of the two kingdom’s alliance. After that, the marriage will be called off, Yerin would return and they can go back to how it’s always been without the threat of marriage hanging above their heads.

It was a selfish plan, but they could tell that no animosity would rise from both kingdoms even if they did so.

However, no part of the plan included Sinb in it.

“My brother told me to come here.”

“Prince Celm did? But the plan…” Yerin turned to Sojung who was also present in the room.

“His highness stated that one princess wouldn’t be enough and two would be more of a threat, that way both kingdoms would be affected and be inclined to agree.” she explained, “If you alone were affected, a fight might ensue between their majesties. This was a safer approach, and I did make sure to cover our tracks so you have nothing to worry about your highness.”

“I see…” Yerin blinks, still recovering from her shock before turning to Sinb who was staring at her with so much longing in her gaze that made her face feel hot for a reason.

“We’ll be leaving the both of you to catch up then, your highnesses.” Sojung bowed and nodded to Yuna who followed suit. The two of them then made their way outside, leaving the two princesses alone inside the receiving area.

And the moment the door closed behind them, Yerin didn’t hesitate and crashed her lips onto Sinb’s, her arms snaking their way around her waist, pulling her as close as possible against herself. The younger princess did nothing to pull away. Although taken by surprise, she was more than happy to reciprocate the kiss, tilting her head slightly so she can receive her easier and almost desperately reached out for Yerin’s face with her hands, before wrapping them around her neck and pulling her closer to deepen the kiss.

It felt like an eternity before they finally managed to pull away from each other.

It’s been two weeks since their confession in the garden, and every night both of them would sneak out to rendezvous at the same spot, staying there until the moon was high up in the sky and would go about their days as if nothing was going on. However, because of the wedding preparations, the both of them were not able to meet each other as often and it’s been more than three days since their last meeting. Saying that they missed each other’s presence was an understatement.

“I think you need a bath.” Sinb jokes, earning a slap on the arm from the other princess.

“I’m not the only one who needs it apparently.” Yerin wrinkles her nose as she takes a step away from her.

“What should we do then? Should we bathe together?” Sinb raises a brow, daring the woman to accept the invitation and when Yerin once more invaded her personal space, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, she felt drying up and realized that this was not a game she could win against.

“Should we?” Yerin whispers against her ear, sending tingles down Sinb’s spine.

“I-I…” Sinb swallows before hastily disentangling herself from Yerin’s arms, “I’m fine, you can go first.”

“We’ll save more water together though?”

“I’m fine!” Sinb exclaims, already pushing Yerin towards one of the rooms in the cabin, “Bathe and change! I’ll do it after.”

When Sinb managed to push Yerin in and close the door behind her, she could vaguely hear the laughter coming from the other princess currently inside. Smiling, Sinb then makes her way to a nearby soft chair and slumps tiredly against it, vaguely remembering how she had become part of their plan in the first place.

---

Sinb was skipping to her room, her face beaming as she reminisced the incident that she had with Yerin not a long time ago. She was just returning from one of her many meetings with the princess, and that night seemed to be better than the previous one. But then again, that’s what she always thinks of every time they meet. How is it possible for her to look forward to someone so much?

“You seem happy sister.”

Her skipping was put to a stop upon hearing the familiar voice of her brother nearby and when she looked, she saw him standing right in front of her door, clad in his sleepwear. His room was a distance away, and he almost never came to that part of the castle, so what was he doing there at this time of the night?

“Where have you been?”

Sinb huffed, her happiness dashed in a single second just by his presence, “That’s none of your business.”

“It is when you’re out so late at night to who-knows-where.” he answers. Sinb doesn’t reply and just opens the door to her room, planning to tune him out by closing the door on him, but he was quicker and was able to stop her just in time.

“I know that you’ve been meeting with my soon-to-be wife these past nights.” he suddenly said, causing Sinb to freeze in all her movements.

“I don’t have any idea what you mean.” Sinb nearly growls.

“You don’t think I don’t see the both of you hanging around the garden late at night? Meeting?” he narrows his eyes a bit, “Hugging?”

He smiles wider, “…Kissing?”

Sinb’s jaw hardens at that.

“Whatever will father say?”

She inhales sharply, “If you ever say a word to him I swear—“

“Then let me in.” he interrupts, loosening his grip on the door, “And hear me out.”

Sinb reluctantly opens the door wider for him to enter and when he’s made his way in, she closes the door after making sure that there was no one who saw the both of them.

“What do you want, brother?”

“Always so impatient but fine, I’ll tell you then.” he folds his arms across his chest and stares at Sinb seriously, “Do you remember the time when I had asked Yerin for her time in the afternoon? It was when you were out having your lunch outdoors.”

Of course Sinb remembered that much, it’s what led to them confessing to each other after all, “And what about it?”

“She straight up told me she didn’t want to marry me.”

Sinb blinks, “She told me you only talked over tea.”

“Yes, that’s what we talked about over tea.”

“Then…?”

“And she also mentioned liking you.” he continued, pointing to himself, “Straight to my face, no holds barred. At that point I was almost convinced that she hated me for interrupting her time with you.”

“I-I see… That certainly sounds like something she would do.”

“I like her honesty.” the prince chuckles before letting out a sigh, “It’s a shame though, I do like her to be my wife. We’re both of adventurous spirits and I’m sure we would work together well.”

“But I like her more.”  Sinb was quick to input, her possessiveness showing.

“I like her as well.” her brother says, before his expression softens as he stares at her, “I like her for you.”

Taken aback by his words, she couldn’t find a proper way to respond and just opted to stay silent.

“I would have been blind to not know what was going on.” he says, “And the change that she’s brought out within you. You’ve become livelier, more outgoing and most importantly, you looked happier. What kind of brother would I be to take that happiness away from you?”

Sinb opened to reply, but ended up closing it again, a sudden realization overcoming in that moment.

“I’m not against this, sister.” he tells her softly, “I want to support you in any way I can and so I wish to tell you now that I’ll make sure this marriage would never happen.”

“But your responsibilities…”

“I’m a brother first before I am prince. What kind of king would I be if I am heartless to my own family?” he chuckles.

“…I hate you so much…” Sinb frowns, blinking the tears away in an attempt to look unaffected. The act brought out laughter from the older sibling.

“I love you too little sister.” he grins, “Now, I have a plan and I’ve met up with Princess Yerin for this. Listen carefully, alright?”

Taking a deep breath, Sinb squares her shoulders and nodded, giving her brother her undivided attention for the next hours.

---

The plan has gone without a hitch so far and they only needed to wait until the kingdoms call off the marriage and they can finally return. But until that time comes, her and Yerin would have to stay here, hidden and waiting patiently for results, though she doesn’t mind if the monarchs took their time to do so. Spending a few days alone with Yerin didn’t sound so bad.

She lets a smile grace her face as she thinks this. Certainly didn’t sound so bad.