"It's so boring without Dahae." Baekhyun commented, sighing. Dahae wasn't free again that day and the Crown Prince didn't have anywhere to go. He figured he didn't need to keep up with his player namesake since the Palace had enough of his bad deeds being passed on.

Sehun made a cute face. "Nope. I prefer it without Dahae gongju." he said blantly. "When she's here, I always feel pressurized." he shuddered.

D.O. nodded. "Kind of true." he agreed. "When she looks at you, it's like she's analyzing your behavior and giving you a mark in her head, rating and listing all the bad points about you." he wrinkled his nose. "Makes you feel so uncomfortable."

Chanyeol nodded as well. The way Dahae treated someone was totally dependent on whether this person was a threat or not, or if he was worth the time. That's why Chanyeol never saw Dahae get along well with prettier princesses or even maids, and she generally ignored all guards even if they were extremely handsome.

"No she doesn't." Baekhyun protested, defending his beloved. "Dahae's nice and sincere to everyone. It's a sin to think of her that way!"

Kai gagged, meeting Byul's eyes and rolled his own. He pointed at Baekhyun and rolled his fingers at his temple, signalling how his hyung was mad. Byul let out a small giggle on accident, biting her lips to hold her laughter in.

To be completely honest, she had the exact same thought just then.

Baekhyun shot her a death glare for even making a sound. "I bet some people are just jealous of Dahae's grace and beauty." he snorted. "But she doesn't know that a tomboy can never surpass a princess like Dahae."

Byul pouted, clenching her fists behind her back. This Byun Baekhyun...

"You can't say that." Chanyeol protested, frowning deeply and feeling deeply as well. "Not everyone wants to be like Dahae, and everyone has their own traits that make them beautiful." he looked over at Byul and smiled. "I think Byul is a very beautiful girl in her own way, some times even surpassing the stereotypical types of beauties, as you call them."

Byul broke into a smile, grateful for Chanyeol's words. Even though he may not mean them, but they were kind words and they softened her heart.

"Please. Han Eunbyul, beautiful?" Baekhyun slapped his thigh and laughed as if it was the biggest joke in the world. He promptly forgot about how he thought Byul along the same lines in the beginning, but changed his opinion when he realized she wasn't easy to deal with.

Sehun pouted. He bounced over to Byul and hugged her arm. "Well I agree with Chanyeol hyung." he beamed. "I think Byul noona is wonderfully beautiful! She's my faaaaaaavoritest noona!" he declared proudly.

Byul giggled and ruffled straightened Sehun's hat, which was always in a odd position since the maknae never stopped  moving. If it were the twentieth century, you'd think Sehun had ADHD.

"You're breaking a thousand hearts with that announcement, Hun." Kai teased lightly.

Sehun jutted his bottom lip out. "Who cares. As long as I have Byul noona~" he beamed. "I don't need a girlfriend if I have Byul noona!"

"Now that's what he thinks before he meets that special someone." Suho grinned. "I heard there's this maid called Kim Sunhee that's having a crush on you."

"NOT INTERESTED." Sehun denied flatly. "I'm too young to have a girlfriend anyways so I'll make do with noona." he beamed.

Baekhyun was kind of pissed at how the princes were directing their attention to Byul and showering her praises when they should have been talking about Dahae instead. Suho detected a little unhappiness on Baekhyun's side and quickly stood up. "Well, we should get going." he quickly said before Baekhyun blew up. "Baekhyun-gun, we'll see you tomorrow."

Baekhyun grunted in response while Byul waved. The princes left and the two enemies were left together. "I'll go to my room." Baekhyun stood up and walked into his room. Byul sighed and wrinkled her nose. This prince was one stubborn guy.

Baekhyun grinned and wiped his hands on his robes, not bothering if it was dirty.

He looked at his handy work, pleased. He crept back to the window and climbed in, getting into his room again. He collected himself for a bit and strode out of the room confidently. "I'm going to take a walk." he declared.

Byul jumped up from the wooden benches where she had been playing with a single leaf, and quickly ran to follow.

Baekhyun eyed her from the side of his eyes and grinned. *Let's see you beat me this time, Han Eunbyul.*

Baekhyun walked slowly, his face closed like he was thinking about something. Byul looked at him and puffed her cheeks. *I wonder what he's thinking about.*

She played with her fingers behind her back. *Is he still angry with me?* she sighed. *If it was some other person I'd just break their arm for being so petty. But I did say something wrong, and I have no idea what's the history between Dahae gongju and Ddong-ha. Maybe he does like her enough.*

Byul buried her face in her hands. *This Ddong-ha is driving me mad.*

Baekhyun slanted a glance and saw Byul distracted as she walked with him. He grinned as he opened the main door to his quarters. In a flash, he leaped out of the door and ran off, sprinting madly. "Bye Han Eunbyul!" he yelled. "See you, I hope not!"

He ran off, laughing.

Byul blinked in surprise for half a second, before her instincts made her feel follow. She ran out of the door quickly, speeding like mad, when... THUD.

Byul fell to the ground hard, her calf colliding with the door step. She winced in pain, biting back a yelp.

Her calf was screaming in pain since it was a brutally hard knock at her muscles. Her skin was already beginning to bruise despite being seconds after the fall. She doubted it would be a harmless blue black from the extent of the pain.

Byul cursed under her breath, looking around her to see what had caused her fall.

Her eyes narrowed on the yellow around her and growled. A dozen banana peels were placed prettily outside the door like a door mat, and Byul just ran onto it without knowing. Apparently Baekhyun had placed it there and knew well enough to leap across it to prevent himself from falling.

Byul knew no such thing and that's why she was in such a sorry state.

Byul looked up anxiously and saw Baekhyun already out of sight. Even if she was hurt, she can't let him go so easily. This was her job, to guard Baekhyun, to protect him not only from assassins, but also from scandals and rumors.

As a bodyguard, she would do her best.

Byul whimpered as she stood up again, exerting force on her right calf. A glance down showed that a slight cut had actually managed to plant itself there and her area of contact with the doorstep was already swelling.

She quickly put down her robe to cover her legs and gritted her teeth.

"Yah DDONG-HA!" she hollered, running where Baekhyun had gone. Her calf protested with every step she took, and she half limped half ran where she thought Baekhyun would go. Tears were gathering in her eyes because of the pain and she could hardly see where she  was going.

Even in such a state, Byul's determination had her catching up with Baekhyun as he was trying to climb over a wall. Byul pulled him down and huffed angrily. "Where do you think you're going?"

Baekhyun growled, angry that his plan failed. "Aish! Don't you ever let me off?" he grumbled. He looked at her, a little surprised at her eyes that were glimmering with tears. "You....you're crying?" he seemed shocked.

Byul quickly wiped off the tears, standing on her left leg subtly and not exerting pressure on the right. "No. I ran so fast that the wind stung."

Baekhyun snorted. "Retard." he muttered.

He walked off while cursing under his breath. "I'm going to see Dahae. I'll just wait for her in her yard. It's at least better than seeing someone like you."

He stalked off without a backward glance, leaving Byul looking at him. Once he was far enough, Byul collapsed against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Oww oww oww." she whimpered. She lifted her robe and saw that blood had already streamed down to her feet and the swell was getting worse by the minute.

"Ddong-ha you sly pig." Byul hissed in pain, typing her wound up with the cloth that held up her hair. She looked where Baekhyun went and limped after him. "Don't you dare run away."