chapter soundtrack:
lover - taylor swift

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They still had 2 hours before the royal family dinner started.

Instead of getting some rest in her room at the main palace, the King suggested Sooho to bring Youngro with him to the Crown Prince's mansion, saying she would have to adapt more to the mansion and it would be much more comfortable for Youngro to have a rest there.

So, Sooho followed his father's orders.

He called Secretary Gong to them to the Crown Prince's mansion. Since it was quiet far, he thought it would be best to bring Youngro with him with a car ride.

As they both arrived to the Crown Prince's mansion, Kangmoo welcomed them inside.

"Kangmoo, did you leave the party earlier?" Sooho asked as he  handed the older man his long coat.

"Yes, Your Highness. I was told to prepare the room for Miss Youngro. I came here before you so I could check it." He answered. He then moved his gaze to the woman behind Sooho who was just entering the mansion building. "Miss Youngro." He greeted the girl with a curt nod.

"Hello, Kangmoo." Youngro greeted him back. When she found Boonok approaching her, she proceed to open her long coat and handed it to the maid as well. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Which room? Is it the room for the Crown Princess? Isn't it still being prepared? We haven't finished the renovation, have we?"  Sooho furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yes, Crown Prince. It's not the Crown Princess' room, it's the other guest room we have prepared for now." The older man explained. He suddenly took big steps towards the entrance door when he saw Secretary Gong coming with a suitcase from outside. "Please come in, Secretary Gong." The man gave a way to the old secretary.

"Thank you, Kangmoo."

"Excuse me, Secretary Gong. Is that my suitcase?" Youngro blurted out as she realized the suitcase the old man held was hers.

Secretary Gong passed the suitcase to one of the maids and answered, "Yes, Miss. The King had ordered us to move your things here. You will be staying here tonight, instead of the main palace." He then ordered the maid to bring the suitcase to Youngro's room for the night.

Sooho and Youngro exchanged a look.

Before things got more awkward, Youngro quickly changed the topic. "So! We still have two hours before the dinner, Your Highness?"

"Correct," Sooho replied after he cleared his throat.

"Alright, then..." Youngro nodded slowly, looking for a way to escape this awkward situation. But none popped up in her mind.

Luckily, Kangmoo quickly proposed a brilliant idea. "Why don't you show Miss Youngro around the mansion, Your Highness? Then after that, maybe you both can have some rest and prepare for the dinner?"

Secretary Gong responded, "That's right. Miss Youngro will live here later after the marriage, it's best for her to adapt soon, Your Highness."

Sooho calmly listened to the older men's advise and he fully agreed with them. "The weather outside is too cold. Let's have a look around the mansion from the inside, shall we? There are a lot of rooms you may have to know."

Youngro, being a polite guest, accepted the offer for sure.

Kangmoo had gone away with Secretary Gong, saying they had other works to do. He said it was safe to leave the Crown Prince for the evening since he wouldn't have any schedules beside of accompanying Youngro.

Boonok and the other maid also went away to bring Youngro's suitcase to the room where she's staying in tonight.

As soon as everyone left them, Sooho asked Youngro to wait for a while at the living room. He was looking for something.

"Sooho-ssi," Youngro stood up as Sooho walked back to her with a pair of gray slippers on his hand. "Oh, what is that?"

"Slippers for you," the man bented down and placed the slippers in front of her feet. "I noticed you have been standing with those heels long enough today. Your legs might hurt."

Again, Youngro was flattered by the way he was being so caring towards her.

"Thank you."

With the help from Sooho, Youngro carefully got her feet out of her heels and wore the slippers that were given by Sooho. The man was right. Even Youngro didn't realize how much in pain her feet and legs were until the man said it. She would always prefer sneakers rather than pretty heels.

"Comfy." She uttered as her little toes snuggling inside the slippers.

Sooho placed Youngro's heels away before taking her deeper inside the mansion. He took her through the first floor hallways. His mansion tour had just started.

"You previously waited for me at the lobby's living room, but we actually have another one that we always use to spend free times, entertain our guests, basically anything a house owner would do at its living room." The Crown Prince explained as he entered the very first room on their right when they were walking through the first floor's hallways. "The Crown Prince mansion barely had guests visiting, though. Only on special occasions if they need to meet and discuss with me personally. Or else, we would just meet them at the main palace."

Youngro threw her glance around the vast room, admiring the view. They had some couches inside and there was also a big fireplace on the wall. When Youngro turned to one of the corners, there was a white grand piano close to the big window.

Almost every room inside the mansion had a lot of windows, making sure each of them had enough natural lights coming in. But since it was winter and it was getting dark already, the lights inside the mansion had been since Youngro came. The living room was covered in golden lights of the chandeliers hanging up above.

"Do you play music instruments, Sooho-ssi?"

The man noticed the girl caught the sight of the grand piano inside the room. He quickly clarified, "I can play piano, violin, and guitar. But I'm not that good."

Youngro grinned, "You're being humble."

Sooho replied with a soft chuckle, "Really. If you ask me to play now, I'd request to play it later because I need to exercise. My head needs to refresh its memory."

"Ah..." Youngro strolled around the living room while nodding to his explanations.

"Do you want to play something?"

"Pardon?"

"We still have much times to explore around the mansion. I want to make sure you're enjoying your time." He uttered. "If you want to play the piano, you're more than welcome. I want to hear you play too," he said.

As soon as the girl saw the piano, Sooho noticed the light in her eyes changed. She looked excited, and Sooho wondered if the girl wanted to play. She was a music major student anyway, she might be able to play.

Youngro pursed her lips, holding back a thrilled smile. Her eyes darting towards the grand piano. "If you insist..." she joked. "I'll play a song then!"

"Go on,"

Youngro moved the piano seat slowly before she sat down, facing the piano keys in front of her. The grand piano was pretty. She noticed the brand name craved on the middle and realized, this piano would be as expensive as one car thanks to its high quality. She couldn't wait to hear the piano singing for her.

Youngro carefully placed her slender fingers on the keys. She had one song in mind.

When she was about to play, she looked at Sooho who was standing next to the grand piano, one of his arms was resting on the piano body.

Youngro didn't know where it came from but the next thing she said was out of impulsivity. "Sit next to me? You might get tired standing there."

But she meant it. If he wanted to listen to her playing, she was afraid he wouldn't be comfortable standing there. If he sat on the couch, he would be too far. The best option was to let him took a seat next to her.

Sooho almost refused but when she saw the girl's eyes was filled with excitement and anticipation, he finally did what she said. The man slowly took a seat next to her. There was still enough place for him to sit down.

When their legs touched, Youngro's breath hitched.

"Are you okay?" Sooho immediately asked.

"I'm fine!" The girl blurted out awkwardly. The next thing she did was laughing bashfully. Control yourself, Eun Youngro. "May I?" She asked for his permission once more before she started playing.

When he saw the Crown Pr