Last night's events left Jessica confused. She couldn't stop thinking about Yoona and the secrets that they shared. She couldn't stop thinking about those dark brown eyes, soft hands, and the words that had saved her life. They had made her see the light in this dark tunnel that seemed to have no end. 

She couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful the girl was and the feelings that had woken within her after their encounter a few hours ago because she had never felt so drowned to another person before. 

Her attention was brought back when someone opened her bedroom door and walked in without knocking first; it was Jaejoong.

Jessica put the hairbrush down on her vanity table before her eyes met his through the mirror. For once, Jaejoong looked like any other man; perhaps he was also getting ready for bed because his hair looked slightly wild, and his guard was down for a change. 

"I know you've been feeling a little off lately," he said as he approached closer to her, and Jessica saw the black velvet box he was holding in his large hands. 

"And I don't pretend to know why nor do I want you to spell all of your secrets to me at once," he said and handed her the jewelry box. 

Jessica didn't have another choice but to take it. Her eyes were still locked with Jaejoong's through the mirror. She finally gave up and looked down while Jaejoong observed her intently as she opened the box and gasped in surprise. 

"I intended to save this till the engagement party next week, but tonight felt perfect. Jessica, I want you to remember how much you mean to me,"

Jaejoong's tone was sincere, but it still held the superiority that she hates.

 Inside the box was a necklace. It was a beautiful and huge blue diamond that must have cost a fortune. It was being given to her as a reminder of the feelings of the man she was being forced to marry.

 "Oh my God, Jaejoong. Is that a....?"

"Diamond? Yes, it is. Fifty-six carats," Jaejoong said as he proudly provided the necklace for her, and Jessica's eyes went wide; it was too much even for Jaejoong to come across. 

With a goofy smile, Jaejoong took the necklace from Jessica's hands and put it around . His fingers grazed her soft skin for longer than necessary. He looked up to the mirror to appreciate his gift.

 "It belonged to Louis the Sixteenth. It's called Le Coeur de la Mer, the..."

 "Heart of the Ocean." Jessica ended up saying for him.

 She'd heard about the lost diamond. She just never thought that it would be hers one day.

 "This is overwhelming for me," she honestly said as she touched the piece of jewelry that now rested on her skin, but her eyes were trained on the reflection of herself in the mirror. 

The two of them were beautiful, young, and worthy. They were perfect in all sense to his eyes.

 "It's for royalty, and we are royalty Jessica," 

The look in his eyes was something that Jessica used to look forward to; he used to look at her with devotion, with love, and with respect. Now he just looked at her like she is an object that belonged to him, just like the necklace. 

Jaejoong caressed Jessica's neck and her shoulders with his raspy fingers and lack of gentleness. 

"Jessica, there is nothing I can't give you. There's nothing I'd deny you of. All you have to do is to stop denying me," 

Jessica knew what Jaejoong was hinting at and looked at the diamond necklace through the mirror reflection. All she saw was an object. It was just an object that will eventually belong to him, and the necklace will only be a reminder that she was chained to him, and she felt it closing on to the point where it was almost impossible to breathe. 

"Open your heart to me, Jessica," he said before leaving the room.

-

The next day, Jessica woke up with a mission in mind, and after breakfast at the usual table, she left to the last place her mother would think of to look for her; the third-class deck. 

Every man, woman, and child that saw her stopped whatever they were doing to stare at her with curiosity and insecurity. Some of them even looked at her with envy and disdain. 

She found the social salon without much difficulty. It was much smaller than the first-class one, but it was louder.

Jessica ignored the stares and the whispering around her while she scanned the place with her eyes until she saw Yoona with a little girl on her lap, laughing while drawing something on a black book.

"You like that one?" Yoona asked the beautiful seven-year-old Irene, and the girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Let's do another one,"

 Yoona was drawing the little girl surrounded by sunflowers, and Irene was delighted.

 "Hey," Taeyeon greeted and tapped Yoona's shoulder. She knew all about what happened last night and intended to ask Yoona about it.

The brunette looked back before Taeyeon motioned ahead, and her eyes saw Jessica standing in the middle of the salon. The rich girl looked a little nervous about being there, but that could be understandable, seeing as everybody had their eyes fixed on her.

 There was not a single word being uttered around as all eyes were on the most glamorous lady that had ever stepped food between them.

Jessica smiled softly at Yoona, and the brunette shot up from her seat after setting little Irene on the bench beside her. Yoona was also smiling shyly at the princess in front of her. 

"Hello, Yoona," 

Jessica's tone was solemn with a hint of humor because she realized where she was and how this all must look to the others. 

"Hello again," Yoona saluted, making no motion to move. 

Jessica came to see her so she could take the lead in whatever situation they might engage. 

"Can I speak to you?" Jessica asked nervously, while everybody stared at her, and Yoona nodded in response.

 "In private?"

 "Uh, yeah. Of course,"

Yoona got the hint just in time to prevent Jessica from making a fool out of herself.

"After you," 

Yoona motioned for Jessica to take her where they needed to go with her head and allowed Jessica to set the pace before she followed her from behind. When they left, the astonished public laughed and talked about them. They all wondered what they were going to talk about because it seemed like they had nothing in common.

As expected, Jessica guided Yoona up to the first-class deck before she dared to look back, and she immediately lost her words when she saw such a beautiful creature staring back at her with curiosity in her brown eyes. 

"Well, Ms. Jung, while I do enjoy walking by your side. I'm also wondering why you went looking for me," Yoona broke the silence they've felt into, and Jessica looked beyond apologetic.

 "I'm so sorry....," Jessica said but stopped when she forgot what the girl's name was.

"Yoona," the brunette inserted with a small smile, but Jessica was way too tensed to smile back.

"Yoona, I feel like such an idiot. It took me all morning to get up the nerve to face you," the blonde admitted while a group of well-dressed men passed by them. Their eyes fell on Yoona and her clothes, making her feel out of place, not to mention underdressed and unworthy of her current company. 

"Well, I can see how that worked out for you. You're here," Yoona said.

Jessica's eyes were fixed on her face. It seems like she wasn't the only one filled with curiosity that day.

 "I am," Jessica said, remembering what Yoona told her last night. 

"And I want to thank you for what you did. Not just for pulling me back, but for your discretion," 

Yoona smiled and bowed her head before looking up to lock eyes with the lady.

"You're welcome, and thank you back, Jessica," Yoona said, leaving the blonde confused.

"Why would you...?" she said, but everything came back to her at once. 

Yoona had also told her a secret when Jessica asked for one. Jessica could only imagine what would happen if anyone knew about Yoona's true identity. It was dangerous territory, and she already felt special because this was a secret that matched her own. 

"I believe you owe me a story, Yoona," said the lady, and the brunette laughed a full laugh, and it was the most beautiful sound that Jessica had ever heard. She vowed at that moment to do anything and everything that she could to gain a laugh from the brunette in front of her. 

"Is that so?"

Yoona pondered her options. If Jessica were to tell anyone her secret, then she would have by then, and then there was the inexplicable need to tell her everything. She didn't want blanks of any kind between her and this woman, and she didn't know why exactly.

"You do," Jessica said before starting to walk again. It took a moment, but Yoona catches up to her soon enough, making her smile in delight that this woman was about to tell her the rest of that story. 

"From the start," she quipped, and Yoona laughed again, already liking the lady more than she should allow herself to.

 "I'm from New York. I had no siblings. My mom passed away when I was just a baby, so it was just my father and me," 

Jessica looked sorrowful but didn't interrupt. 

"We were close until he re-married another woman," 

Yoona stopped talking and looked ahead like she was trying to forget something.

 "Let's just say that the marriage didn't work out for me that well,"

 "How come? If you don't mind me asking,"

"She didn't like me, so by extending her hold on my father, he eventually stopped liking me. They sent me away when I was fifteen,"

Jessica silently wondered how someone could not like this adorable person who was walking by her side, but then Yoona's expression changed, and she was smiling. 

"It was the best thing that could have ever happened to me," she admitted, and Jessica chuckled.

"I mean it. Look, I'm nineteen, and I've been in more places than I care to admit. I've seen the world, I've traveled, I've worked, I've done what I love the most. I've been through thick and thin. I've suffered, and I've enjoyed it. I'm free, and he gave me that when he chooses his wife over me, and I will always be thankful for that," 

Freedom. It had been given to Yoona in exchange for her family, but Jessica still craved it. She wanted what this woman had; she wanted to travel, to see the world, to live her own life.

 "How did you do it?" Jessica asked, marveled at how brave the woman in front of