Days passed, and Yunho and Jaejoong--a name the beauty came to love after hearing it spoken so many times by Yunho--became closer and closer. Jaejoong was allowed to sleep in Yunho's quarters, something a normal king wouldn't let happen, and he also made the royal tasters test Jaejoong's food as well, which they usually only did half the time. Basically, Jaejoong got special treatment as the queen, and it was pleasant for the commoner.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

The evening of rumor came. The dining hall, ballroom, and the jesters' court were all set and prepared by none other than Junsu and Yoochun. They wore their best hanboks, and so did Yunho. The tables in the dining hall stretched at least fifty feet, also seven feet wide. They were decorated with golden platters of food and goblets with the finest wine in the country, all encrusted proudly with rubies and diamonds. It was no secret that Yunho's kingdom was the richest in the land, all thanks to his father and now his own continuing rule. Further more, he showed off the finest silks in the ballroom, strung high up on the walls. Paintings of past kings lined the middle of the walls, proving it was the best kingdom in the land. Yunho's picture hung on the end, having been painted a few months before.

The jesters' court was the pride of it all. It was a 100-foot platform, the length and width equal. Around the very edges were seats for the poor, the ones who couldn't even pay for anything. A little further in, the somewhat wealthy, priests, and musicians had their spots. Finally, in the very front, the princes and princesses, kings and queens had their seats. They had the pleasure to watch the jesters perform their best shows, some of which included audience help. Yunho's spot was reserved for him by the steps and underneath the hangover of the palace ceiling, shielding him from the sun. The fact brought many people to wonder why he always had sun-kissed skin, but they never asked. They were too afraid to.

The day of the ball, Yunho was letting himself get groomed and pampered, enjoying it while he could. His hair, unnaturally short for his time, barely reached past his ears and eyebrows, giving him a husky, handsome appearance. His exceptionally handsome face was one for the record books. When he finished putting on his yellow and gray hanbok, he walked out of the bathing quarters with a stern look on his face. It was a cover-up for his cheery appearance, one used only for friends. He needed authority in his palace, and that was something his father believed in as well. He was going to uphold his values and beliefs for as long as he could despite any resistance in he palace.

He lead his closest advisors, Junsu and Yoochun, to the nearest table, already hungry. He ate lunch a few hours before, but his appetite was the biggest in the palace, so he always got four meals a day. Recently, Yunho discovered Jaejoong's talent for preparing meals despite never tasting anything. The queen told him stories of how his village got together every seven sunsets to have dinner. He cooked all of it on his own with help from a few of the children that wanted to do so. It was always a success, and he didn't like when he said he loved it to the point of dreaming to be the king's chef one day.

"It looks like you get to be more than that," Yunho had commented with a soft smile.

"Yes," Jaejoong replied, also grinning. "I am grateful for that."

Yunho would have to remember to ask if Jaejoong could have the dining hall for a day so he could prepare a meal for the palace. For the moment, he had to focus on making sure everything was ready for the arriving guests, one of which brought worry to his heart whenever he thought about her.

After eating a whole meal from the food already on the dining tables, he made his way to the jesters' court where the festivities for the night would start and end. Yunho planned it all himself, and he was proud of it. His patience was running thin, though, and that would get him in trouble in many situations.

Walking back to his quarters for a regenerating moment to his sanity, he ran into Jaejoong. He gave the beauty a scornful look. "I thought I told you to stay in your quarters," he sneered unintentionally, immediately regretting his mistake.

Jaejoong was appalled by Yunho's outburst. "I needed to go outside for a few minutes. It is personal."

The king pursed his lips, not sure whether he should let Jaejoong go alone or not. Sure he was a grown man, but he still didn't know the full dangers of the palace yet. He shook his head after thinking about it, nudging Jaejoong back into his quarters, to which the queen refused almost immediately. "No." Jaejoong stood his ground. He needed to pee. "Just give me a few moments on my own and I will spend the rest of the ball locked up in that room by myself, lonely like I have always been." He shoved past Yunho with anger, stomping out of the palace.

Yunho stared after his queen, unsure of what to think. His first guess was Jaejoong needed someone to keep him company, but that led his brain to imagine another man in bed with the beauty. The thought made his blood boil, so not to cause anymore trouble, he walked off to his room. He took a seat on the floor by the window, closing his eyes to breathe slowly, in and out. He needed to calm his nerves, his brain, and his muscles. He couldn't do that no matter how hard he tried. The image of Jaejoong and another man haunted him. He gave up after an hour, standing up abruptly. The sun was setting, and off in the distance, Yunho could see his guests in a long line, horses, carriages, and royalty in tow. He took one last deep breath before exiting his quarters, finding Junsu and Yoochun. This was going to be a long, blinding night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Princess Ara twirled strands of hair between her fingers, sighing softly. The ride could not have been more boring, and even worse, her father wouldn't be quiet.

"It is your responsibility as the future queen to find a good prince and marry him as young as possible. The more children you two sire means the better chance one of them has of surviving and becoming the next great king or queen. Just look at Julius Caesar or Constantine of Rome. Prince Yunho could become a ruler like him one day. You never know. But what he needs is a willing queen that bows to his every need to keep him relaxed and pleased at all times. Stress is hard on a king."

Ara rolled her eyes, shutting him out completely now. Her father, King Sejong, was a man of order, and she hated that. She considered herself a free spirit, one with many likes and an imagination far beyond her time. She watched the hills roll by. Any normal person would have seen them as green lumps with flowers on them, but her eyes saw large masses capable of stopping an army from attacking, a place to live with the one you love forever, and possible discoveries. The sky was a vast ocean of dreams and wishes, all the stars representing every goal reached. The moon, though, was the seer of everything, only coming out when the world needed light.

Her vivid mind thought up horrific images as well. Sometimes she dreamt of her secret lover being beheaded right in front of her eyes, and afterward, she'd be gutted and her eyes would be torn out because she's seen and felt things inside of her that was not for an unwedded princess. She once dreamt up becoming queen with her lover, but she ended up killing him herself, something even more horrific than having to watch it be done while she was held captive. She tried her best to push those kinds of images away at all times, but they got to her from time to time. She just had to brush them off like they were nothing and not worry anyone around her.

As the royal palace approached, Ara noticed something remarkable: the peasants were happy. They seemed well-fed, smiling, and very free. It was almost like Prince Yunho cared about his people. Most of the royal heirs didn't even know they had peasants in their area, let alone how to take care of them. This was a notable quality about him. Maybe this trip wouldn't be as terrible as she previously believed.

"Ara," Sejong said, "are you ready? It is almost time to greet the future prince of this kingdom."

She turned and gave her father a gentle nod, fixing her hanbok and crown, asking one of the ladies in the carraige with them to check her make-up. She ruffled the dress a little to make it more appealing which her father disapproved of. She did it anyway, and when she stepped out of the carriage with a straight face after her father, she was bowed to by hundreds of people. She could tell they weren't all on the royal staff, and it somehow made her break into a small smile. She silently waved at everyone she could when her father wasn't looking, already gaining respect from all of the peasants, musicians, and even the royal chefs.

Ara reached the steps of the palace, once again straight-faced. The doors opened, and Yunho walked out, his face gentle and welcoming, but seemingly regretful. She didn't question it and bowed to her possibly future husband, sadness washing over her. She didn't want Yunho; she wanted her lover.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaejoong, alone in his room with nothing to do and no one to talk to, sighed. He was watching Yunho and Ara throught the corner of his window, the sun beating down on his beautiful face. No one could see him, especially since he could barely even see them. He didn't know what his new husband and his princess counterpart were talking about, but Yunho was all smiles, and it made Jaejoong's blood boil to new heights. He clenched and unclenched his hands as if there was something soft and mushy like mud between his fingers and he wasn't enjoying the sensation at all.

The loneliness settled inside of Jaejoong's heart, and tears welled in his eyes. He knew something like this would happen. His heart broke every time he fell in love, the main reason he became a e. He never wanted this anyway. Why hadn't he run away when he got the chance so many years ago? He could have gone to Japan or China, or even another village in Korea to keep himself happy and away from any pain. But no, he had to be stubborn and stay with Siwon. That bastard couldn't see the sun even if it was shining on his face, and it did all day long. He was the main farming source of the village, so all the elderly, disabled, and children were dependent on him and his few fellow farmers.

The queen should have recognized the signs things were turning bad when he first began his relationship with Siwon. He should have seen what the man was planning, even with his sweet words and caresses and love making sessions. There was always this small outburst here and there, and it always seemed to break Jaejoong's heart. He was never smart enough to leave the man, though, and that sent him to where he ended up in the first place. That's when Yunho's advisors had discovered him. That sent him down a whole other spiraling path of wonder and pain, but Yunho, so kind and gentle in words and love, had proven not all people were the same.

Now, as Jaejoong gazed longingly out the window at Yunho and the beautiful Princess Ara, he knew. He knew he would never get Yunho back. He knew the king was gone forever. He knew he would become just a dark shadow of the past. What nobody knew about Jaejoong was the deepest, darkest secret he held, and that was why Yoochun and Junsu had found the beauty. He would never tell anyone, and he never planned to. It would ruin him.

He decided to enjoy his alone time and think how he would escape with no one recognizing him. Maybe then he would be happy.