Taeyeon felt for him as soon as she woke up.

His side of the bed was already cold although the Sun hadn't come up yet. She sighed, leaning on her elbow to prop herself up from the bed and looking around the room, to see if he had really left while she was sleeping.

Lying back down on the bed, she grabbed the pillow Baekhyun had slept on and buried her face in it to smell his lingering scent.

They have only been with each other last night and she already misses him.

“Your Highness, are you awake?” She heard Hui calling from outside.

“Yes.”

Hui slid open the doors and two servants came out from behind her, with her attire for the day in their hands.

“Do I have to go somewhere today?”

“The Queen Consort has requested Your Highness to join her for some tea once you have woken up,” Hui replied.

“The Queen Consort…” Taeyeon muttered, wondering why the Queen Consort wants to meet her. “Alright, help me get ready then.”

Taeyeon was feeling super nervous as she was escorted to the Queen Consort’s chambers. She had assumed that the Queen Consort would have tea with her outside where everyone could see them, but she had summoned her to her room.

“Your Majesty,” she greeted and bowed down to her once she entered the room.

“Crown Princess, pleasure to see you. Please sit.”

Taeyeon nodded, taking a seat on the floor a few meters away from the Queen Consort.

“Crown Princess, I am not sure if you have heard, but your brother was executed yesterday,” the Queen Consort said, gazing down at her from behind the rim of her cup, as if she was testing her to see her reaction to the news.

Taeyeon had told Baekhyun before to not tell her anything about her brother, she didn’t want to know, because she had already severed her ties with him for what he did to her family.

“No, I haven’t heard. He is a criminal who has committed treason, he deserves to be executed.”

“Do you not resent the Crown Prince? Now everyone knows what your brother did, his crimes represent the name of your family.”

Taeyeon bit her lip, staring up at the Queen Consort, trying to figure out what she was hinting about.

“No. Tax Minister Kim is no longer my brother, the moment he murdered my father.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to be so cold-hearted. Really different from the rumors.”

“How is Prince Jung doing?” she asked before she could stop herself. The Queen Consort seemed to be caught off guard by the question as she put down her cup on the table, taking her time to swallow her tea down as Taeyeon waited for an answer.

“Hasn’t the Crown Prince told you anything?” she asked, forcing a smile on her face as she looked down at her. “He is being exiled today, stripped from his Royal title and status.”

“Why have you requested to meet me instead of saying your last goodbyes?” Taeyeon bravely asked her, deciding to stop beating around the bush and get straight to the point.

They both held each other’s gaze, challenging the other to break away.

“It has been a few months since you became Crown Princess, aren’t you worried about getting replaced since you haven’t conceived an heir yet?”

Was that a threat?

Taeyeon thought to herself, finding it weird that the Queen decided to switch topics. 

“Does the Crown Prince not care about you? If you had really captured the Crown Prince’s heart, a baby would have been conceived by now,” she continued, taking a sip from her tea with a knowing smirk across her lips.

It isn’t safe to admit that the Crown Prince cares about her, because it would put her life in danger.

“You are right. The Crown Prince had been too busy to care about me. Thank you for caring about me,” she faked a smile. “I hope Your Majesty can help me by setting another consummation date between the Crown Prince and I. I hope that an heir can be conceived soon as well.”

Whatever Taeyeon had said seems to have angered the Queen Consort. She saw something flicker in her eyes as her jaw clenched.

“Sure, I can do that for you, as the mother of this nation, I too, hope that a legitimate heir will be conceived soon.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Once Taeyeon left the Queen’s chambers, she started to rack her brain, wondering why the Queen Consort wanted to talk to her. That conversation earlier seems innocent, it doesn’t seem to indicate anything. And the moment she brought up Prince Jung, the Queen Consort immediately diverted the topic to her.

Was she testing her? Testing to see if she loves the Crown Prince and if the Crown Prince loves her back?

“Your Highness, here is a letter for you,” Hui whispered, trying to be as discreet as possible by passing the letter to her from underneath the tray she was holding.

“Thank you,” she replied, hiding the letter under her sleeve as she entered her room. Once she was alone, she quickly opened the letter, knowing who it was from.

The Crown Prince had written to her to ask her to meet him at the palace gardens tonight and to dress her best for the meet up. The Crown Prince didn’t have to remind her that she always dresses her best when she knows she’s going to be meeting him. Some outsiders might even find it weird that she dresses as if she’s meeting the King when she goes to the library alone.

She quickly grabbed a brush and wrote back to him, telling him that she will be there and that she hopes that he dresses his best for her too.

***

“Wow, Your Highness, you look beautiful tonight,” Hui exclaimed.

Taeyeon’s smile grew wider as she spun around on her feet in front of the mirror, checking herself out from head to toe to make sure that she didn’t miss out on anything.

“I do,” she smiled at her own reflection, feeling confident that the Crown Prince will also have the same reaction as Hui when he sees her later.

“Don’t let anyone know, if anyone looks for me, just say that I am already asleep. Got it?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Hui passed her a black robe to hide herself under it when she leaves the room later.

Taeyeon took her time heading towards the palace garden, she knew how to hide herself well, as she once hid around all the blind spots last time to avoid getting caught by her brother’s guards. To think that she almost escaped this place. She would have never found out that months later, she would fall deeply in love with the Crown Prince.

When she finally reached the garden, she looked around before pulling the robe down to fold it up and clung it to her arm. She quickly touched her hair to check if anything went out of place before taking a few steps further into the garden.

Just a few steps in, she noticed that there were more candlelights lining up the path to guide her to where the Crown Prince is. She grinned and excitedly followed the candle-lit pathway.

“Do you like it?”

She looked up at the voice and her grin grew wider at the sight of him. The Crown Prince had ditched his usual Crown Prince attire and was now dressed in a light purple robe, matching her light pink robes perfectly.

“I love it,” she glanced around them to see that the swing was also decorated with candlelights.

"You look beautiful tonight."

She smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you, Your Highness," she did a small bow. "Likewise."

She took a seat on the swing and patted the empty seat beside her for him to sit down beside her.

“Not yet, I have something to show you,” he gave her his hand to take it.

“More surprises?” She took his hand and followed him further into the garden.

He led her through a door between the high shrubs, somewhere she had never been to before. She was blown away by all the delicate beauty of blooming flowers and the serenity of the koi pond. It was indeed a beautiful sight. Taeyeon admired the floating candles and water lilies on the pond and turned to look at the Crown Prince.

“You prepared all of this?”

“Not exactly, but it’s my idea. I had Eunuch Nam’s and Soo’s help.”

She giggled imagining someone as stoic and serious as Soo doing something so delicate.

“I want to have a beautiful garden I can wake up to every morning, a garden just like this,” she gestured to the pond in front of them and continued, “With a small pond filled with koi fish. And a small gazebo to run under when it starts to rain.”

She didn’t expect the Crown Prince to take her wish seriously when he said, “Okay. I can make that happen.”

“Really?” she looked up at him.

“Really. I can promise you that.”

They walked back to the swing after some time admiring the pond. Taeyeon took a seat on the swing, expecting the Crown Prince to sit down beside her. But he stood in front of her and kneeled down on one knee instead.

“What are you doing?” she gasped.

“I have been wanting to give you this.”

He slipped the gold-beaded bracelet off his left wrist and took her hand to put the bracelet onto her right wrist.

That was the same bracelet that he had told her belonged to his mother when they were searching for it in the woods last time. The very same bracelet that he cherishes the most. And now he is giving it to her.

“Hyun, I can’t accept this. It belonged to your mother.”

“I want you to have this. You are my family now. Take it as my promise to you that I will take care of you for the rest of our lives.”

She felt tears prick her eyes as she stared at the bracelet around her wrist.

“Thank you.”

He smiled and grabbed both of her hands, guiding her to stand up with him. She couldn't keep herself from smiling as she stared into his eyes. Then his hand slowly rose up to capture her face, pulling her against himself.

He kissed her.

And kissed her softly like he was trying to savor the moment.

She smiled into his lips and kissed him back. His fingers slid along her ear and his thumb caressed the arch of her cheekbone. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she met every movement of his lips.

Then he drew back after some time, resting his forehead against hers.

“I love you,” he whispered as he stared intensely into her eyes. Taeyeon’s cheeks flushed, realizing that it was the first time he had told her directly that he loves her.

“I love you too.”

***

Taeyeon smiled to herself as she gently caressed the bracelet around her wrist. They parted their ways a few minutes ago at the garden. The Crown Prince had stayed back, telling her to leave first before anyone noticed that she wasn’t in her room this late at night.

She stopped walking when she heard the sound of a branch on the ground cracking behind her. She was about to turn around to look when a sword was suddenly placed in front of . She held her breath, fear sipping into her veins within seconds as her eyes frantically darted around to see if anyone else was close by to see her.

“Don’t make a sound,” the man hissed near her ear. Her jaw trembled as she nodded slowly. The man continued to hold the sword in front of her neck as he turned her around to walk back to the garden.

What is his plan? Does he want to use me to threaten the Crown Prince?

As they got closer to the garden, she silently prayed that the Crown Prince had already left immediately after her. Out of nowhere, four other masked men came from behind her, ready to attack the first person that leaves the garden’s entrance.

They have come prepared.

Each of them held their swords in front of them as they inched closer to the garden.

Taeyeon’s heart raced as they got closer and closer, the man behind her stopped walking and held her back by grabbing her shoulder with his free hand.

The Crown Prince seems to have heard them coming no matter how stealthy they were. When he emerged from the garden, his sword had already been drawn and he was already slashing it towards the nearest assassin to him.

They fought back and forth and the Crown Prince easily defeated him. Then the other three men ran forward all at once to fight him. Taeyeon held her breath, hoping that Soo will come to help soon. With all the noise of swords clashing against each other, Soo should be nearby to hear the commotion and come to help.

She prayed that the Crown Prince will be able to defend himself until help comes.

She cried out when one of the men succeeded in slashing his sword across the Crown Prince’s leg. The Crown Prince swiftly glanced at her when he heard her as he kicked the man in the abdomen and stabbed him through the chest with his sword.

“Don’t move,” the assassin held her closer against him, pressing the sword against . She swallowed, trying to keep herself together so that she wouldn't accidentally distract the Crown Prince.

Two men were down, there were still two to go.

When the two assassins backed away to take their breath, the Crown Prince took the chance to run towards her to quickly free her from the assassin. Taeyeon shook her head at him and shouted, “Watch out! Behind you!”

He heard her warning and spun around, blocking the sword that was about to come down on him with his.

“Shut up before I kill you. Our mission wasn’t to keep you alive,” the assassin threatened her.

Tears started to flow down her cheeks as she watched one of them slash the Crown Prince in the abdomen, causing him to spit out blood. But that didn’t stop him, the Crown Prince ignored the pain and continued to fight against the two of them.

“Your Highness!” She looked to her right to see Soo running towards them.

“Help him!” she shouted at Soo.

Soo nodded towards her and rushed to the Crown Prince’s side. When the Crown Prince noticed him, he crouched down from the pain as he pressed onto the wound on his abdomen. He groaned in pain and spat out more blood. He glanced up at her and stabbed his sword against the ground to hold himself up.

The assassin seemed to notice the Crown Prince stalking towards them.

"Time to die, Your Highness," He held the sword higher into the air, ready to slash .

The Crown Prince quickly lurched onto him with his remaining energy, causing all three of them to fall backwards onto the ground. Taeyeon elbowed him in the chest, and quickly wrenched herself free from his grasp before rolling her body away from him.

“You ,” the assassin groaned and the Crown Prince quickly pushed himself up and stabbed him in the chest with his sword. He left his sword in the assassin’s chest as he finally collapsed onto the space beside the body.

“Hyun!” she crawled to him as Soo finally came over after taking down the two other assassins. “Hyun.”

The Crown Prince groaned in pain as he continued to hold onto the side of his abdomen. Blood was gushing out of his wound at a rapid rate, Taeyeon quickly tore off a piece of cloth from her dress to stop more blood loss as they waited for help to come.

“Go and get the Royal Physician, quick!” she ordered Soo. Soo nodded and left the scene to get help. “Please, please don’t die,” she prayed as she sobbed.

“Are you okay?” his voice was so low he was almost whispering to her. She looked up from his wound to see him gazing softly at her.

Her tears blurred her vision further and she desperately blinked the tears away to have a clearer vision of him. “Stop talking. Help is coming. You will be alright.”

She knew she was just trying to convince herself. Having practiced medicine and working as her uncle’s apprentice, she could tell that they needed all the luck in the world to save him now.

Her hands were covered in his blood now and she looked around, wondering why it is taking so long for them to come.

The Crown Prince seemed to know, as he mustered up his remaining energy to tuck a stray strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes behind her ear. She glanced at him to see him flashing a weak smile at her with his pale lips.

“I’m sorry …I couldn’t keep my promise.”

Take it as my promise to you that I will take care of you for the rest of our lives.

“Please don’t say that. You will survive,” she tried to smile at him to reassure him, but she couldn’t as tears continued to fill her vision again.

He just nodded as the smile slowly faded from his face.

Then, his hand fell from her cheek and dropped limply by his side.

She stopped and held her breath. Blinking away her tears, she stared at him, searching for any signs of life.

 Just in time, the Royal physicians finally came, all of them still in their sleepwear as they gathered around the Crown Prince’s body.

“No, no, no!” she cried as she felt someone pulling her up from the ground and away from him.

“Your Highness, please,” she saw Court Lady Jo and Hui beside her, holding her back. Both of them were holding back their tears to witness the young Princess crying.

“Please don’t –” Her chest spasmed as she struggled to breathe. She tried to wrench herself away to beg the Royal Physicians to make sure he lives. She didn’t know what was happening to her. Her lungs felt like they might burst as she struggled to breathe.

“Your Highness!” she heard Hui scream as her body started to jerk of its own.

“We need someone to check on Her Highness as well!”

Her whole body went limp as though she were boneless and her vision went dark.