“What are you doing out here? Everyone’s been looking for you.” 

“Kazune.” Sana smiles at the older woman, “I just needed some air.”

“Hmm.” Kazune looks at the young princess, “So you’ve decided to tell your friends the truth today.”

“As expected, you know me the best Kazune.” Sana looks up at the night sky, “Why am I so nervous..I’m never nervous.”

“Because you found people that you trust, and even though you try not to show it, I know that our princess has always been a bit lonely. You’ve grown up with a lot on your shoulders, trying to be impartial to everyone and anything, but seeing you have to pretend to not want to go and play with the other kids growing up broke my heart a bit. So now that you have those girls with you, you’re scared that your lies might cause them to turn their back on you or worse, treat you differently. But princess, friendship and trust, they’re both two way streets. Trust your friends and don’t be scared.” 

“You always know what to say Kazune.” 

“So, are you ready to go back in there?”

“Give me 10 more minutes, but please have them escorted to the private hall.” 

“Alright.” Kazune bows, leaving the princess alone. 

A few minutes pass by with Sana staring up at the sky, not saying a word, just thinking.

“Now, what’s the birthday girl doing out here?” A familiar presence engulfs Sana.

“You came.” She says, her eyes still glued to the night sky.

“Of course, it’s not everyday a princess turns 17.” 

“I guess.” Sana replies softly, still not looking at Mina.

“If you stare up at the sky any longer,” Mina pauses giving Sana time to interrupt, “If you say something about me already being a star so there’s no point in staring so hard I’ll leave you here.” The princess deadpans and Mina chuckles lightly, “That’s cheesy. I was going to say, ‘You'll have a very stiff neck later on.’” 

“But back to my question, why are you out here while everyone is inside?” 

“I could ask the same to..” Sana loses her voice when she comes face to face with Mina.

“Hmm?” Mina raises a brow. 

“So this is what my masked friend looks like.” The princess chuckles for a bit. 

“It is.” Mina laughs along, “But back to my question, why are you out here?”

“You’ll find out.” Sana looks at Mina.

~ 

“We’re in trouble aren’t we?”

“What did you do Jeongyeon?”

“Me? Why is it just me?” 

“I don’t know, but it’s not Momo, Jihyo, or the kids.”

“And you exclude yourse…”

“The princess is entering.” A royal guard announces.

“Oh she’s coming..” 

“MINA?!” They all yell seeing the girl enter with the princess. 

“Oh. Hi.” 

“You,” Jeongyeon and Jihyo grab Mina dragging her to the giant round table in the private hall Kazune had them go to, “What are you doing entering with the princess?” 

“We met along the way.” Was Mina’s simple reply.

“Why don’t we all sit?” Sana speaks up.

“Your high…”

“Just Sana is fine.” The brunette speaks up before her friends can offer the proper greeting.

“Right.” Everyone nods, sitting down, but the princess remained standing watching her friends. 

“Pri..”

“I’m sorry.” The princess suddenly says, bowing down 90 degrees.

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

Everyone quickly got up, surrounding the princess, sharing worried looks.

“Sana, lift your head.” Momo spoke up first, understanding why the princess did what she did.

“I…I’m sorry.” Sana finally lifts her head while everyone is looking at the princess and then at Momo. The pieces are coming together slowly. 

“So you’re…”

“Really? All this time.” 

“Wait, but what about the texts..” 

“I can explain.” Sana interrupts the other murmuring to themselves.

“You don’t have to.” Jihyo speaks up, “I think we all understand why you had to hide your identity, right?” She looks at everyone who nods. 

“Yeah we get you Sana, but..” Jeongyeon looks around, “Why is it only me, Nayeon, Jihyo, and Dahyun that look surprised about this? Momo we understand but what about you three.” The tall girl looks at Mina, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. 

“Chae and I were there when she came up with this plan.” Tzuyu answered for her and Chaeyoung.

“Mina?” Everyone turns to the girl.

“I just figured it out.” She shrugs. 

“As expected of Myoui Mina.” Nayeon shakes her head in amazement, while Sana’s mind was going a mile a minute. 

How long has Mina known? 

Why didn’t she just tell me that she already knew?

Is that why she was always so nice to me?

“You okay?” A soft whisper pulls Sana back, “Yeah.” She nods at Mina, tuning back into the story Jeongyeon was telling about what happened to her and Nayeon in Seoul. 

~ 

“Why don’t you just ask me?” Sana hears a familiar voice coming from the wisteria tree. 

“How’d you get in here? How’d you even know I was out here? ” Sana asks, turning around to look for Mina. 

“I have my ways.” Mina replied, suddenly emerging from the shadows and sitting down next to the princess on the same bench she first met Mina as the princess.

“That’s always your answer.”

“Hmm.”

“Humming too.” Sana chuckles, pulling her gaze away from Mina.

“You know.” Mina begins, her eyes still glued on the princess, “You asked me two questions, but not the one you truly want an answer for.”

“How do you know that?”
 

“Still not the one princess.” Mina replies in a sing-song voice. 

“Why do you want me to ask you so much?” The princess finally looks at Mina again, eyebrows furrowed, a slight pout on her lips. 

“Because it obviously bothered and is bothering you.” Mina shrugs.

“Why do you care?” Sana huffs. She knows she’s being childish and that asking Mina would ease her mind, but still she refuses.

“Alright.” Mina nods, opting to let Sana be until she’s ready, “Then let me sit here with you.” 

The two sat in silence, Sana looking out at the garden, while Mina had her head propped on her hand watching Sana.

“If you stare at me any longer I might melt.” Sana comments, taking a sideway glance at the dark haired girl. 

“Look who’s being cheesy.” Mina says with a light chuckle.

“Well you’re the one looking at me so intently I really think I might melt.” The princess cheekily replied.

“If you did, that would mean I can’t look at you anymore..and I wouldn’t want that.” Mina replies in a whisper that sounded so soft and tender that Sana turned her head to see the girl who’s invaded her world looking at her like she might actually disappear at any moment.

“You know I’m not going anywhere right?” Sana replies softly, placing a hand over Mina’s, giving it a reassuring squeeze, before pulling it back to her lap.

“You really forget who you are sometimes don’t you.” Mina shakes her head, chuckling lightly  to herself. 

“Only with you it seems like.” Sana mutters to herself.

“Hmm? What was that?” Mina leans forward a bit.

“Nothing.” Sana shakes her head, sighing, “Since when?” She finally asks the question.

“Since the photos.” 

“How?”

“You kept your name and the incident at school with that fake intruder.”

“What about that incident tipped you off?” 

“The timing of the photos was too coincidental..my family trains the imperial stealth team, of course not as good as an actual Myoui is