Footsteps. One after the other. A pause. Quick pitter-patter. Panting. A pause. 

‘Stop,’ you said as you turned around to face your stalker. You didn’t receive a reply - just a tilted head and curious eyes looking back at you. Great. A whole staredown with your stalker is just what you needed on your limited break. Deciding it was better to leave, you turned around again and continued with your journey back to the training grounds. You didn’t have much time left before training started again.      

Reaching the doors at the back of the training grounds, you hear the panting again. You sighed. Turning back around to face your stalker, you attempt to put on a stern face.

‘You need to leave now. This isn’t even the first time. I don’t know what will happen if you-’ 

You didn’t even get to finish your sentence when you hear voices coming closer and closer towards the door. You didn’t spare a single glance at your stalker and quickly slip in the small gap that was created by you opening the door. You can’t risk it. No one needs to know about your stalker. 

***

‘Yujin?’   

You turned around, coming face to face with the maid (and one of your few friends). A smile made its way on your face.     

‘Yes Minjoo?’

‘Hitomi finished baking the bread needed for today...except the usual delivery boy isn’t here. Could you help out and send the bread to Nako so she could help fix breakfast?’

‘I would love to but...’ your head turned towards the end of the hallway. You would really love to help. Except you also have your own duties to attend to - namely the girl behind the door, on the opposite side of the hallway that you both were currently in.  

‘Don’t worry, she’ll understand. I’ll make sure she won’t have your head just because you had to double up and be the delivery boy as well.’

‘...Fine.’

And that’s how you found yourself outside again in the early hours of the day. The sun had only just peeked over the horizon, giving limited light to the empty streets. Making your way through the oh-so familiar streets, you came face to face with the said bakery that one Hitomi owns. Noticing the owner was behind the counter you quickly knocked on the door. She quickly makes her way over and opens the door for you. 

‘Morning Hitomi! Delivery boy is out today so your favorite is here as a replacement!’ 

You see Hitomi shaking her head while wearing a smile. You’re glad you made someone smile this early in the morning. Handing you a basket of fresh bread, Hitomi gave you a list of what bread is in it so it would make her girlfriend’s job easier. You nodded and shot her a grin before heading out. You couldn’t get very far as Hitomi quickly ran out and gave you a small pouch of cookies to snack on. You’re touched by her gesture and thanked her with a hug. After saying your goodbyes, you made your way back. Halfway back towards where you came from, you heard the familiar sound of panting.   

‘It’s too early for this,’ you say with a sigh. You looked back and voila, your stalker was there. Again. Your stalker has been stalking you since the end of last year - mayhaps having grown fond of you as you would pass by the same place almost everyday during your holidays. You tried to ignore the said stalker and frankly you were doing very well, until you reached the dreaded back door. You gave your stalker a quick glance and realized you made a mistake. You shouldn’t have looked back.  

Opening the door you quickly made your way inside and delivered the bread. Nako thanked you with a bright smile and promised you that you are going to get a little extra for breakfast later today. The promise of extra breakfast temporarily got your mind off of your stalker who was probably still at the backdoor. As you made your way out of the kitchen, thoughts about your stalker returned to your mind. The stalking has been going on for quite a while anyway. It also wouldn’t hurt anyone but herself if she let the stalker in right? You tried convincing yourself to not do it - by creating another list of ‘101 Reasons why this Whole Thing is a Bad Idea’ just like the many times you did before. Yet this time it didn’t seem to work. Is it because you’ve used this trick one too many times? Or was it because the reasons were all the same few but repeated 101 times? Either way, you promise yourself you will pay a visit to General Lee and see what she had to say. Chaeyeon always had answers anyway.      

You quickly looked around, making sure there was not a soul in sight. You made your way back to the backdoor and opened it. You come face to face with your stalker. Your stalker was still in the same place as you last saw and had only looked at you with a tilted head and bright eyes. You swallowed thickly while debating on what to do next. In a moment, everything seemed like a blur and you find yourself outside your room with your back against the door. You’re not even sure why you are breathing so hard and sweating a little. Oh my goodness. You’re definitely going to regret this later. You can feel it in your bones. Sure, no one will know. But you also know you’re not capable of lying. Especially in front of her. 

***

‘Where were you this morning?’

‘I had a late breakfast as I was busy being the backup delivery boy, your highness.’

The girl in front of you hummed, taking her time eating her breakfast. Your eyes never left the back of her head. But anyone can tell you weren’t really focused at the moment. A million thoughts raced through your mind. Has anyone found out yet? Will she ask anything more? Is anyone suspicious of you? Heck, what is your stalker even doing now? 

‘...Jinnie? Yujinnie?’  

‘H-huh?’ you stuttered. You didn’t pay attention to her and had completely missed whatever she was talking about before. You only snapped out of your thoughts when you heard your nickname being used. 

‘Yujin, are you feeling sick? Did you want a day off or something? I can speak to father if you-’

‘NO! I mean, no. It’s not needed, your highness. I was just a little caught up in my thoughts and did not hear you. Could you please repeat your question for me?’ 

She had her head turned towards you and looked you in the eye. You couldn’t help but stare back. There seems to be so much going on, yet maybe because you were still trying to not be flustered with your slip up, you could not decipher it. Goodness, she’s so pretty. You couldn’t help but to notice the little things on your princess’s face. Pft - your princess. Don’t get ahead of yourself - she’s got so many people who admire her and she’s not even yours. She's the country’s princess; her family's favorite and the youngest of three. Anyways, it was these (slightly awkward for you at least) moments of silence where you have a little bit more time to really look at her. Noticing how there was a small mole on her cheek, or how she pouts a little when she’s thinking about something.   

‘Could you me to the library and wait for me there? I would also like to visit town later today. Gyuri had something to attend to, so my afternoon would be free.’

‘Sure, your highness. I’ll accompany you wherever you want to go.’

She shot you a small smile, before turning back towards the rest of her breakfast. 

***

The visit to the library was boring to say the least. No, it wasn’t because you can’t read or didn’t enjoy literature. On the contrary, you loved reading. You often found yourself lost in a good book in the library whenever you had to accompany her highness when she had lessons. Of course you also had your princess, Ms Kwon - her teacher and Chaewon the librarian to thank. After all it was because her highness thought it was a good idea for her personal knight to also learn a thing or two and Ms Kwon didn’t mind having you listen in on the lesson. Eunbi even told you to ask her if you had anything you didn’t understand and find her when you were free - if you wanted to catch up on something. Chaewon, the daughter of a well known scholar, would always greet you and recommend just the right book for your mood and frankly, for the past few years she’s been doing this, she’s done a great job. She would take the time to explain to you what the words you didn’t understand meant and you’re forever grateful for her patience. Every book she recommended was always amazing. 

Yet, today your mind just seems to be too focused on what your stalker could be up to. Is your room a whole mess now? Has anyone found out about your stalker? 

A hand on your shoulder snapped you out of it. Again. You really should be paying attention or you will be caught. It seems like her highness already sensed something. A quick glance from her and you suddenly found yourself dragged by the wrist to the back of the library - on the secluded second floor. You felt a push from your front and found yourself sitting on a comfortable cushioned seat. 

‘What’s with you today, Yujin?’ 

‘Nothing, your highness.’ 

‘We both know very well it isn’t ‘nothing’ if you have been so unfocused all day. I want you to tell me what’s wrong.’

‘It’s really nothing, your highness. Are you done with what you need to do in the library? Did you want to have lunch before or after heading to town?’

‘Ahn Yujin. Stop trying to change the topic. I’m trying to see what’s bothering you, yet you can’t seem to tell me. Did you forget that you're not just my personal knight but you’re also my friend?’ 

You looked to the side as you couldn’t say anything back to her. You couldn’t answer. You know she’s right. You had made that promise with her before you became her knight and both made it clear - friends before duties. Yet all the training and drilling from the people around the both of you made you forget about it completely. Now you feel guilty. You didn’t mean to forget but growing up and having to know your boundaries was really something that tore this friendship. Now you can’t help but be formal around her. In fact, it became harder for you to be informal with her. She’s the country’s favorite princess for goodness sake and you’re just an orphan (with nothing but your name) who was taken in and trained to be a knight. You both just happened to be around the same age and the king saw how hard you worked. He may have taken a liking to you seeing as you were around the same age as his youngest. But that would probably be it. Afterall, you weren’t special. It didn’t help that her highness also seemed curious about seeing someone her own age and so as you grew up, under the king’s orders, you became who you are today. Her highness’s personal knight. 

A sigh. You felt the seat dip a little with the added weight next to you. You snapped out of your short trip through your memories when a warm hand wrapped around yours. You felt your right hand being pulled closer towards her before another warm hand enveloped it. There it is. Her highness really had a bad habit of catching you off guard. You hate how you don’t even need to see her face and you already knew exactly what expression she wore. You can feel her organising her thoughts while tracing mindless patterns on the back of your hand. Another bad habit she had that immediately made your heart pick up and beat just a little more erratically. 

‘Yujinnie. Tell me what’s wrong? We have the whole day to ourselves for once and I don’t want to waste it away, thinking there’s something wrong.’ 

Her voice came out soft, almost like a whisper. But you heard her loud and clear. Maybe because there was no one else in the library. After all, Chaewon stepped out for a short break knowing her highness wanted space when she wasn’t there for a lesson with Ms Kwon. Or maybe she wanted to see Minjoo knowing she also had a break around this time? 

‘I’m...I’m sorry, your highness.’ 

‘Yujinnie...even Chaewon stepped out. There’s no one here but you and me. Why are you still so formal?’ 

You could hear the slight desperation in her tone. It wasn’t your intention to make her feel worried and sad. Heck, you don’t want her to be sad. You promised yourself that. Now you feel extra guilty. But the years of knowing your boundaries wouldn’t just leave you like that. Not when the reminders remained as an ugly scar that ran diagonally from the back of your right side to the front, ending a little just above the bottom of your rib cage. You’re glad your old trainer was dismissed and sentenced for the crimes they did. But that didn’t help the phantom pain that would appear once in a while even though you have lived with it since you were eight - a mere two years after you met the said princess. You couldn’t help it. Your left hand came to hold where the scar is. You can feel the phantom pain every time anything related to knowing your boundaries with her comes up. You went to see the doctor countless times before about it. Yet the most helpful doctor (the royal doctor), Hyewon, had concluded that it was more because of the trauma and not because the wound never healed that you experience these phantom pains. You know she doesn’t know about it. And you don’t plan for her to find out. She got awfully worried when Minjoo accidentally mentioned an injury of yours from training one time. You don’t like it when she frowns. It doesn’t suit her highness at all. 

You could feel her stare travelling from observing your face to where your left hand rested. You saw her brows furrow. At this point you weren’t even sure what type of expression you were making or if you gave anything away. The concerned expression she was wearing and her eyes locking back onto yours was enough for your mind to go blank. She can literally ask anything and you would not be able to stop yourself from spilling the truth. You hate how painfully honest you can be with her. Except the whole erratic heart beating. You’ll never mention that to her and you are determined to not let her find out. At first, you were worried - thinking you were going to get a heart attack and die one day. Who was going to look after and protect her highness if you did? You were a worried fourteen year old back then. So you went to see Hyewon. When you told her about it, she only giggled a little and assured you everything is fine. When in fact, it wasn’t. You apparently had a bad case of crushing on her highness. 

‘Tell me. Tell me what you’re hiding under your hand. You do it an awful lot when I bring up formalities with me. At this point it can’t be just a habit - and don’t think I didn’t notice because I do.’ 

This time it was your turn to sigh. You knew you lost. She never once asked you before but you guess with how things were going today, today’s the day she’ll find out. It was good while it lasted. A good ten years that her highness didn’t know about the ugly looking snake on your body. You hate how you couldn’t bring yourself to lie to her. So you slowly pulled your right hand away from hers, immediately feeling empty. Awkwardly standing up and facing her, you took a breath in. 

‘Please don’t hate me...and please don’t blame yourself. I know how you are, your highness.’

She nodded, face awfully solemn and serious. You guess that was her bracing herself for whatever you were going to throw at her. You really hope she wouldn’t blame herself. It wasn’t her fault. It was yours. You didn’t know your boundaries. 

You took a deep breath in before pulling the right hem of the tunic you were wearing up, stopping just enough for the snake to show. You heard a loud gasp and saw how her hands immediately flew to cover . You could feel her eyes tracing the snake while a million questions raced through her mind. She’s a smart girl. You knew she knew. You notice her eyes were glossy, shining with unshed tears. 

‘Hey...it’s alright…’ you said softly, not wanting to startle her even more. She slowly reached out, her warm left hand tracing the head of the snake. You feel her hand tracing around your waist and to your back where the snake ended, all while having her right hand covering . With every second passing, her eyes were shining even more, tears waiting for a blink to tip out. She asked you how long in a whisper. So you answered her truthfully. You didn’t know why, but your answer was the trigger for the tears to spill over the edge and you hated it. You don’t like seeing her upset. She stood up, looking upset and shocked. It looked like she wanted to run out of here and find out who did this to you. But her legs were rooted to the floor. 

You let go of your tunic and walked a little closer. You’re not sure if it was because of all the guilt swallowing you or you just can't focus on rules and boundaries at the moment. Her tears and making her stop crying was the only thing on your mind. You allowed yourself to ignore everything (your erratic heartbeats and the fact that you’re just a knight) for once and pulled her close to you.

‘It’s okay...W-wonnie…’ you whispered in her ear. The all too familiar nickname that you used in the two years before the incident left a weird taste in your mouth. It really has been too long, even though she still occasionally uses your nickname now. 

You had an arm around her waist and a hand behind her head, hoping the head patting could calm her down. But it seems like you made it worse. She had her head buried in the crook of your neck and was silently crying harder, arms holding onto the back of your tunic in tight bunches. You can feel her whispering apologies. Apologies for not being there. Apologies for finding out so late. Apologies for putting you into that position. You knew she would blame herself. But really, it wasn’t her fault. It will never be her fault. 

You stood there. Silently holding her, hoping her tears would stop. You knew that holding her tighter wouldn’t stop her tears. But nothing was stopping you from trying anyway. 

It was strange. It seemed like you've spent such a long time holding her yet you knew logically it hasn’t been that long. A soft whimper coming from the girl in your arms pulled your attention to her. Concern was filling you up. Was it a mistake to tell her? 

She pulled out enough to look at you face to face, but not enough to be out of your embrace. Even with a tear streaked face, she still looked beautiful. 

‘I’m sorry...I’m so sorry Yujinnie. I didn’t know.’ 

You reached out to her tear stained cheeks, thumb gently brushing the stray tears away. You couldn’t help it; your body seemed to have a mind of its own. 

‘It’s okay. W-wonnie, I don’t blame you. You shouldn’t blame yourself either. We were both too young to know.’

‘I should’ve known...I even blamed you a while because you disappeared on me...’

‘Stop. Please...stop blaming yourself. For me? Please Wonyoung...’ you let it out desperately. You just wanted this whole thing to stop. It was starting to get overwhelming. You can feel yourself shifting around uncomfortably, body screaming for you to just run away.

Before it even registered in your head, you found yourself dragging her out of the library. Ignoring everyone and everything. You didn’t even pause when Princess Yeeun tried to greet Wonyoung. But you know Princess Yeeun was cool with anything. Afterall, she was the middle princess; the princess who was easy going and the only one who would willingly spar you when she had nothing better to do. You found yourselves in front of your room door. You opened it and let her in. You rushed to close the door, determined to not let anyone see that the princess with you was crying before. 

It was only after you closed the door that you realised something. That’s right. Your stalker. The very being that caused you to land in this whole mess in the first place.  

‘Yujinnie…?’ you heard her ask tentatively, noticing how you froze at the door. 

A cute little yelp came from the corner of your room, just under the table. Your eyes widened. You know you’re in trouble. You knew the rules. Your stalker was definitely not allowed within the walls. The princess hasn’t made a move yet, but you can see her eyes questioning you. 

You have to come clean about your stalker. 

‘Your highness, I-’

‘We are in your room Yujin. It’s just us. Call me by my name like how you used to...I’ll make sure nothing happens to you again. I promise.’

You gulped. You’re so self conscious. You know you can count on her to keep her promises because she never broke any. So you tried again. 

‘W-wonyoung...I...There’s actually something-’

You were interrupted again. This time by your stalker who thought this was the best time show itself. A cute little yelp sounded in the room while quick pitter-pattering sounds resounded. A very familiar face made its way to your side. Your stalker sat down next to you. Snow white tail wagging happily side to side, head tilted and tongue lolled out. 

‘U-uh...s-surprise? Wonyoung, this is...my little stalker...? He’s been following me around every time I was in town and would only stop when I reached the backdoors here.’

You realised you were sweating a little with how nervous you are. You watched as she walked over, bent down to be leveled with the tiny Maltese puppy. Yes. You were stalked by an abandoned tiny fluff ball. You watched as she reached out to pat the little one, a gentle smile on her face. 

‘Hi, Yujinnie’s little stalker. I’m Wonyoung, your stalkee’s rightful owner! You’re adorable and I can see we have a bond already,’ she said, letting out a little giggle as the fluff snuggled its little head into her palm. You feel your heart beating erratically again. Why is she so cute? And what did she mean by being the rightful owner? Sure, technically her father ‘owns’ you because you work for them and you are her personal knight but, goodness the wording is doing things. And it’s not doing great things to your heart.

‘Wonyoung…? Technically your dad owns-’

‘Yujinnie, don’t you remember the marriage registration form we filled out? You know, I still have it laminated in my room.’ she said, as she looked up at you with a smile.          

How could you forget? You suddenly feel a little lighter and it was easier to breathe. Like suddenly, all the rules and boundaries don’t exist because Wonyoung said so. You’re free to do what you want to do. A dimpled grin made its way on your face. 

‘Guess you’re stuck with me and this little one now,’ you said while holding her in your arms again. The visit to town can wait.

*
*
*
*
*
A/N: Hello again.

Thank you for taking the time reading to the end of this OS. I'm still trying to learn and improve, so any comments and/or feedbacks are greatly appreciated.
Feel free to follow me on twitter (@burntbraincell) and let me know about your thoughts through there too!