"So," King Sejong began, waiting on the servants to bring out the food, "tell me how you plan on running a kingdom once you are married."

Married, Yunho thought. I already am. "I will begin a family right away with as many children as possible. They will--"

Sejong grunted as if he was disgusted. "They are heirs and nothing more. They are the future of the kingdom, and they have to grow up as fine young princes and princesses. I am hoping you know what I mean, since your father was a great king as well."

Yunho nodded, clenching his teeth together. He had to keep quiet and let this go smoothly or else Sejong would probably try to start a few battles that would lead to an all-out war. He hoped that wouldn't happen; he had hardly anyone willing to fight for him. "Sir, my father did his best to raise me as a respectable prince, and that is what I am striving to be first before I get married and produce... heirs." There was a certain venom in his voice when he used the word. He hated calling human beings such things that labeled them. It was animalistic.

"That is exactly how I have been raising Ara." Sejong beamed now, happy to hear the news. "She is well-mannered, kind, and ready to help rule a kingdom. Is that not right, Ara?" He gave his daughter a look that said she had to agree or else she was going to regret it later.

Ara refused to look anyone in the eye and nodded, glad the chefs were bringing the food out now. "Yes, father. It is."

The king nodded proudly as he gave the servants room to put food all around him on the long table. Other princes and princesses, kings and queens were at the table, filling it up completely. Yunho, Ara, and Sejong were at the very front by the fireplace, the most powerful people at the long wooden piece of furniture. Roasted pig, salad, the best wine, and the like sat in front of the guests, a mouth-watering smell drifting below and into their nostrils. Mouths watered as they waited for the three at the front of the table to finish talking. When they thought they couldn't take it anymore, one of the princes, Jang Geuk Suk, stood with his wine glass and tapped a small spoon against it. He was dressed in his finest clothes, a handsome smile on his face.

Ara looked over and felt her face heat up. He was a work of art--almost as much as her boyfriend at home--and something about the sparkle in his eyes told her that he wasn't a normal prince. "May I propose a toast?" he asked and looked around at all of his fellow royals. When he saw a few nods and smiles, he said, "This is to Prince Yunho and Princess Ara, the two finest people in the land. May the two marry and have many beautiful children. Hurrah!" He lifted his glass high up in the air first, then took a big swig out of it. The other royal heirs did the same, laughing and talking again. They dug into the beautiful array of foods, hungry and ready for a wonderful meal.

In the kitchen, the chefs worked at fast speeds. They were the twelve best cooks in the land, and Yunho had all tasted their food personally. Every time, he smiled at them and welcomed them to get into the carriages to go back to the palace with him. He had just enough carriages to carry all twelve chefs back, and when they arrived in the kitchen, the men were astounded. It was a stunning area, especially the many gardens behind the palace. Ever since then, they became known as the best of the Asian peninsula.

Just outside in the cold and mending to a few of the dying vegetables, the youngest of them all jumped when he felt a food on his back. He tried not to yelp as he turned around to find a figure looming over him. "Sehun," the deep-voiced lead-chef said with his Chinese accent, "what are you doing out here? You need to be inside helping the rest of us."

"I am obviously trying to save crops so we have more to cook with later on. You know this is the tough part of the year." Sehun stood and wiped his clothes clean of dirt and grime, pushing past the other to get back into the kitchen and clean his hands. "Besides, what do you think King Yunho would say if he found out how we do not pay attention to the dying food?" Sehun's favorite part about being in Yunho's palace was he got to talk about him all he wanted and no one would yell at him. Back in his village, no one liked Yunho except for him, so now it was peaceful. He loved it.

"Listen to Yi Fan," the cat-eyed cook snapped. "Get to work and start boiling the rice cakes. They are next on the list, and I know Yunho wants to impress King Sejong."

Yi Fan chuckled, softly punching his friend's shoulder. "I do not need your help, Zitao. But thank you."

Zitao snorted as he threw the kimchi noodles into the boiling water by the fire place in the kitchen. He never did like praise, and he still didn't. His Chinese village was tough on him, especially when it came to his cooking prowess. He didn't give up, though, and that got him into this kingdom in the first place. He called over to one of the true-blood Koreans, but he didn't turn around, so Zitao figured his Korean was a little off. He turned to Yi Fan and asked him to call for the boiling beauty.

"Kyungsoo!" Yi Fan barked, making the shy chef turn and stare with wide eyes. Quietly, he asked, "Y-yes?"

Zitao tried his best to enunciate his words, unsure if his Korean would sound right. "I need help putting the rice cakes in." He was still learning traditional Korean foods, but it didn't matter too much since Yunho liked Chinese dishes as well.

Kyungsoo shuffled over and took the bowl of uncooked rice cakes from Zitao, throwing them into the pot of boiling water by handfuls. "It is an art," he lectured as he kept on throwing the cakes in. "You must put your hand by the water just long enough to feel the steam then let the food go." The sudden shift in confidence surprised Zitao again. It never got old. Unfortunately, when Kyungsoo finished, he went back to his bashful ways. Zitao thanked him and went on to adding spices and other liquids, making the rice cakes smell delectable and ready to eat.

Just outisde the door, Jaejoong stood with his ear pressed to the thick wood, hoping to hear what they were saying. He could smell the food, and none of it seemed right to him. He wanted to barge in and yell how he could do so much better with such little ingredients, but he didn't because he needed to uphold his image. He was also on the other side of the kitchen where Yunho wouldn't be able to spot him. He'd gotten help from Yoochun and Junsu, so he was dressed in minister attire, a dangerous idea. Not many of the royal staff and peasants knew of Jaejoong's male status, so they were still guessing about his gender. Sure they heard about a new queen, but they figured it was a beautiful female. They had all gotten glimpses of Jaejoong, too. He was just too beautiful to tell he was truly a man.

Just as he decided to walk away, the back door flung open and one of the chefs ran out, angry. He took Jaejoong's breath away without even sparing him a glance. Jaejoong was about to walk after him when someone pulled him back and whispered into his ear, "Why is a pretty woman like you dressed like a man?"

Shivers of disgust went down Jaejoong's spine as he pulled away, turning around too quickly. He was headed for the ground when a strong arm wrapped around his waist and held him up. Their faces were inches apart when Jaejoong popped one eye open. He gasped when he realized it was Jang Geun Suk. The man was smirking. His breath reeked of alcohol and onions, almost making Jaejoong gag. He stood as best as he could and pushed away from Geun Suk, trying to walk away. Unfortunately, they prince was faster even if he was drunk.

"Wait!" Geun Suk laughed and placed a hand on Jaejoong's stable shoulder. "Will you show me where I can pee?" His bluntness had Jaejoong smiling a little. He had no idea why he felt obliged to follow orders--maybe it was the clothes--but he did, and led Geun Suk to a place where he could release his bodily fluids in private. The prince thanked him before stumbling into the secret room. Jaejoong took his chance to run away, this time back to his quarters. He knew why Yunho made him stay in his room now, and he regretted every wishing to leave the place.

But he did. He kept on wishing and wishing, trying to escape the room that he had been locked up in for many days. Now that he was back inside of it he wanted to go again. How would he get Yoochun and Junsu's attention again?

Back in the dining room, Yunho and Ara talked about the future and what was in mind while King Sejong was off to the bathroom.

"Good meal," Ara complimented awkwardly.

"Thank the chefs," Yunho threw back, taking another large bite. Their low compatibility as a couple was painfully obvious.

Ara. "How many do you have?"

Yunho, smiling. "Twelve. I actually chose them myself. I traveled all around the country looking for them and tried to find different specialties they each had so there would be a wide variety of food from my kitchen. Sure enough, seven months later, I have the finest group of chefs in the country."

"I would love to meet them, if it is not too much to ask." Ara sipped some of her soup, humming at the gentle but spicy taste.

Yunho looked around, and after finding no signs of King Sejong, led Ara to the kitchen. All of the other royal heirs stared at the two with bewilderment. It was uncommon for someone to stand and leave in the middle of a meal if it wasn't for a bathroom break.

Finding no need to knock on the door before entering, Yunho opened it for her, letting her walk in first like he did when she first arrived a few hours earlier. She beamed at all of the chefs that worked hard, liking that Yunho didn't make them bow and welcome him whenever he entered the room. He was the best prince she'd met in her twenty years of life. If she didn't have a boyfriend at home, she would definitely consider Yunho a future husband and worthwhile king.

"Hello," she called out gently, not wanting to startle anyone. They all turned to her, but as they bowed and welcomed her, she only counted eleven heads. Her eyebrows furrowed and a corner of her lips turned down. "I thought you said there were..."

Before she got the chance to finish speaking, one more chef strolled in through the back door. His eyes were like a doe, and his hair cascaded down to his shoulders in black streaks of beauty. She smiled kindly at him despite the evil eye he gave her. Unlike the other chefs, he didn't bow or even nod. Instead, he stared right at Yunho. The next few moments were filled with an uncomfortable silence, and she was sure even the other guests could feel it out in the dining hall.

Yunho cleared his throat, pursing his lips. "Please sit back down, Ara," he demanded softly, letting her out the door. When it closed, he turned back to the chefs, the red in his face indicating that he was angry. Eleven of the chefs turned their heads to peek at him. Yi Fan took the initiative to tell them to leave for the moment. The twelfth cook tried leaving, too, but Yunho grabbed the back of his collar, yanking him back, nearly choking him. "What the hell are you doing in here?" he asked with a snarl, glaring.

Jaejoong crossed his arms, looking away from the towering man above him. "I do not need to answer you."

This was just like the first day Jaejoong arrived, and it shot something through Yunho's heart. He ignored it and kept on verbalizing how angry he was. "I told you to stay in your quarters, did I not? You could get in big trouble out here, especially with Sejong here. He will make sure I never have a kingdom again, and he may just behead me. He does not see people like you as a clean people."

Jaejoong's jaw would've gone slack had he not been angry, too. "I am sorry about what I have done in my short life, but there is no way I will let someone like him or you judge me and keep me away from what I love to do. Besides, I do not matter enough to you to tell everyone we are together, especially Ara."

"Princess Ara," Yunho corrected quietly. He didn't want to make too much noise, and Jaejoong knew just what to do.

"Leave me alone!" he screamed, running out the door so all the guests could see him. Heads turned and stared, wide-eyed. What was going on?

"Jae," Yunho snapped silently, running after him. He stopped in his tracks when he saw all the stares. How the hell was he supposed to maintain an image of a king if his queen was acting up like this?

At that moment, King Sejong walked back into the room, Jang Geun Suk trailing him and singing drunken tunes. Both of them stopped what they were doing and stared at Jaejoong, too. He was pretending to cry--that's what they thought--and when he got up off the floor after faking a fall, he ran right into Sejong. The king rached up and held Jaejoong's arms tightly, making him really start crying. "L-let go," Jaejoong whimpered, trying to pull away.

"Do you know who I am?" Sejong asked in a hushed, angry whisper.

"Of course he does!" Geun Suk laughed behind Sejong and made the king let go of Jaejoong. Instead, he pulled Jaejoong outside, smiling at him as he stood upright now, fixing his appearance.

What just happened? Jaejoong asked himself, shaken and unaware of his surroundings at the moment.

Geun Suk, not drunk and handsome as ever, filled him in. "I overheard Sejong talking one day about a rumor going on around here about a secret queen. He has been trying to figure out who it is."

Jaejoong stared at the prince with a questioning look, and Geun Suk knew just how to answer. "I always act drunk when I feel like something is off. Just ask Yunho. He has seen me drunk for real, and I know he could tell tonight that something was going to happen."

Nothing made sense to Jaejoong, but he decided to just go with it, sighing and letting his shoulders slump. Geun Suk pitied people like Jaejoong, so he put his hands on his shoulders. "Do not be put down, beautiful lady. It will be all right in the end." He then pulled Jaejoong into a hug, surprising him.

Beautiful lady, Jaejoong scoffed inside his head. Yunho must not tell you everything.

When Geun Suk pulled back from the hug, he handed his cup of wine over to Jaejoong. "Drink up. I feel like this is going to be a long night for you."