“What should I wear?” Chaeyoung asked. 

“You only have two nice outfits for occasions like this, just choose one,” Dahyun said. 

“Should I try something different and wear the dress or keep it similar to my uniform and wear the suit?” 

“Fighting in a dress would be a power move if it comes to that, but I think the suit is more practical. But I’m not the one choosing, so go with your heart.” 

Chaeyoung picked the suit. It had a red suit jacket and tie, and a black button-down shirt and pants. She was given a couple of nice outfits from the academy for occasions exactly like this one. 

She suddenly remembered the last time she wore it. “Remember when we were partners for one of the guard’s balls?” 

“How could I forget? That was hilarious!” 

They reminisced about the story and laughed. 

---------

Four years ago

Chaeyoung stood in the ballroom with a flower tightly gripped in her hands. She was frankly surprised that it hadn’t snapped. If someone came up to her and asked why she was so nervous, she wouldn’t have known how to respond since there was really no reason to be. The whole purpose of this ball was for trainee guards to learn the proper etiquette of one and what to do. That was it, there was no hidden meaning behind it.

When Dahyun walked into the room wearing a white dress, it was safe to say the rest of the trainee guards were floored by her beauty. It perfectly complemented her skin and contrasted well with her eyes. 

“That’s my granddaughter!” the leader of the academy exclaimed. 

Dahyun flushed with embarrassment and covered her face. The trainees shouted compliments and cheered which only served to fluster her more. 

“You look really beautiful,” Chaeyoung remarked. 

“You don’t look too shabby yourself,” Dahyun said. 

Chaeyoung handed her the flower. Dahyun accepted it with a wide smile. 

“Damn, Son! You really scored with Kim as your partner,” another trainee named Han Jisung whispered towards her. 

“Yeah, now watch me make a fool of myself. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,” Chaeyoung whispered back. 

“Don’t worry, I don’t think any of us do, let’s just have fun,” another trainee named Lee Minho whispered. 

“By the way, I can clearly hear you guys whispering right in front of me. And Minho, you’re right. Let’s make the most of this! Even if we make complete fools of ourselves,” Dahyun said. 

“Let’s go then!” Jisung exclaimed, dragging Minho to dance. 

Dahyun extended her hand for Chaeyoung to take. “May I have this dance?” 

“Kim Dahyun! I’m the one who’s supposed to ask that!” Chaeyoung exclaimed, slapping Dahyun’s shoulder.  

Dahyun shrugged. “Ah, who cares?” 

Chaeyoung shook her head but took Dahyun’s hand with a smile. They started out fine, following the steps almost perfectly. The real difficulty started when they had to switch partners. It did not go as smoothly as it was supposed to. Some people fell, others were barely caught by their new partners. The leader laughed loudly at their mishaps and that just made it all the more fun. The trainees laughed too, although that wasn’t proper. It was supposed to be a formal and serious event, but it ended up devolving into chaos. It all culminated in a fit of smiles and laughs when Dahyun slipped and the other trainees dived in to try and stop her from hitting the ground. They all made complete fools of themselves, but at least they did so together. 

“Okay! Okay! As fun as that was, that was an absolute disaster. Next time, we’re going to do better! You’re all going to be guards fit to dance with a member of the royal family! Right?” the leader asked in a booming voice. 

“Right!” the trainees exclaimed in unison from the ground. 

The leader smiled at them fondly. Next time, they would surely be better. 

---------

Back to the present 

“And look where we are now, you’re actually going to dance with a member of the royal family,” Dahyun said. 

Chaeyoung groaned. “I’m going to make a fool of myself again. The princess was trained as a dancer.” 

“No! You’re going to impress her! I better not see you fail.” 

“You have high expectations of me.” 

“Because you’re a great guard, Son Chaeyoung! Graduated second in the academy and actually on time!” 

Chaeyoung started muttering under her breath, “If I was actually a great guard, then I would’ve been able to figure out who the princess actually is so much quicker than I did.” 

Dahyun didn’t catch any of that. “Excuse me?” 

“Nothing.” 

“It didn’t sound like nothing, but okay.” 

“Am I really that great of a guard?” 

Dahyun sighed. “I hate seeing you always speak so bad about yourself! You are a great guard, accept it! I’ll see you at the ball, okay?” 

Chaeyoung nodded and Dahyun left for her post. She changed into the suit and went to her post too. It was easier than coming back. 

---------

Mina struggled with her tie. It wasn’t like she hadn’t tied a tie before, it was just that she never did it for herself. The last time she tied a tie was for her brother before he ran away. Coincidentally, it was also for a ball. A ball that happened to be one specifically organized by her mother so she could find a suitor. That was where she met Prince Kunpimook Bhuwakul of Siam, better known as BamBam.

---------

Four years ago 

Kai was talking with his partner in the corner of the ballroom. Mina glanced at them with a small smile. She was happy that her brother found someone. It was just that he so happened to be a guard, which irritated her.

“Guards, always the bane of my existence,” Mina mutte