sorry if I wasn't able to update right away. Been dealing with problems lately. I'll update soon.

--

Hee Rin gazes outside the window of the taxi as it drove to the hospital. It’s been two days since the day she found out everything and she’s still not facing Myungsoo.  He was calling her multiple times but Hee Rin just wasn’t ready of hearing his voice again.

Ms. Kwon called Hee Rin earlier, asking her why she wasn’t in the palace yesterday when they were supposed to have a class and Hee Rin lied that she was sick. She doesn’t want to enter the palace again. She doesn’t want to face everyone and act as if she wasn’t hurt and besides, she doesn’t belong there in the first place. She isn’t the wife of the prince.

But then maybe fate was yet again trying to do something that Hee Rin doesn’t want to face… She was supposed to leave the palace and Myungsoo but her plan was ruined again when Ms. Kwon told that the Queen needs her right now.

The Queen asks for Hee Rin to come to the hospital because the King had a heart attack earlier because of the problem he was facing in the palace lately. Though she wanted to protest, but hearing the sadness in the Queen’s voice makes Hee Rin guilty.

Yes, she is mad towards what Myungsoo have done, but she was never mad of the Queen and King or the people around them. She has to admit that she has gotten really close with the Queen and she can consider her as her second mom. She loves everyone in the palace and she doesn’t regret meeting them.

When the car skidded to a stop, Hee Rin glanced outside and saw some reporters waiting outside the hospital. She sighed exasperatedly and pulled the hood of her jacket over her head and a scarf around her neck that almost cover half of her face before stepping out of the car. She squeezes herself through the crowd with her head duck down and luckily, no one was interested to find out who she is.

She exhaled triumphantly when she finally made her way inside the hospital and eventually frowned when she saw Woohyun staring at her from the distance, as if he’s really waiting for her arrival. She gulped heavily and straightened her body before trying to walk past him but he immediately reach to hold her arm. “Hee Rin” He breathed.

“I know you’re mad at me and I’m not forcing you to forgive me right away. But please, neither the King nor the Queen knows about what happened.” He sighed and Hee Rin turned to look at him.

“If you’re worrying that I would tell them the truth and make a big chaos, I’m not. Okay?” She said and walked off, leaving Woohyun sighing.

--

Myungsoo stared at his father who was lying lifelessly on the hospital bed and couldn’t help but to feel sad.

The Queen was asking him where Hee Rin is and he doesn’t know what to tell her. He doesn’t want to add up his problem to their parents. These past few nights since his wife didn’t go home, he wasn’t able to sleep. Stress was already building up inside him and now his father was in the hospital, how much worse can his life get?

He sat on the chair beside the bed and buried his face in his palms. He can hear the door creaking open but he could care less. He was dying to see his ‘wife’ and was dying to hear her voice. In this kind of problems that he thought he couldn’t bear anymore, the only one who can give him comfort was no other that Hee Rin. He misses her comforting voice that sounds like a melody in his ears… He wants to hug her so badly and feel her warmth once again to at least let his stress subside even for a short while.

“Hee Rin…” The Queen suddenly cried and Myungsoo froze. He knew he was thinking of her too much but did he just hear her name coming out of his mother’s voice?
He lifted his head and gulped as he saw the woman he longed to see hugging his mother to comfort. No, he wasn’t hallucinating.

Myungsoo blinked, and for a while he wishes to stop the time so he can run to hug her as long as he wants without the tense in the atmosphere. For a while, he wishes that everything is okay…

He doesn’t know where Hee Rin came from right now and that doesn’t matter now, all he wanted to say is how happy he is to see her, looking perfectly fine.

He knew she was still angry at him, considering the fact that she’s not even laying eyes at him right now even for a split second as if he doesn’t even exist. She doesn’t know how he misses her. But that’s okay. As long as she’s here, safe, then everything is going to be alright.

Though Hee Rin was avoiding him, Myungsoo can’t help but to feel at least happy that she never changed of being a caring person to the people she is treasuring. He saw how Hee Rin cares for the Queen and the King and he couldn’t help but to feel proud.

But somehow, he felt guilty too. Because he knows that behind that smile that Hee Rin was giving to the Queen, she can’t hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Myungsoo knows that he was the one responsible for those tears… And he couldn’t help but to feel bad knowing that Hee Rin was having a hard time facing his family that she learned to love.

He regretted everything. He admitted that he made wrong choices in his life and he swears that if he can travel through time, he will correct all his mistakes and avoid hurting the people that he loves. If he was given the chance, he wishes to take all the pain that he gave to Hee Rin.

“Madam, the media was waiting for your word” Mr. Jung inquired after bowing to the Queen. Hee Rin rubbed the Queen’s arm comfortingly.

“We will do the interview” Woohyun suddenly volunteered and nodded at Myungsoo. “You don’t have to face them Mom. Me and Myungsoo will face them” He says and the Queen thanked her child.

“We will schedule it for tomorrow” Mr. Jung finishes and bowed before leaving the room.

“Is that… Okay with you Hee Rin?” Woohyun hesitantly asked and Hee Rin looks away. The Queen glanced at her confusedly.

Of course… Hee Rin needs to be by Myungsoo’s side when doing the interview. How fortunate. Though Hee Rin wants to say no, she knew she has to say yes. The nation knows her as the prince’s wife and she needs to be there with him on the interview, who is she kidding?

“Why? Is there any problem here?” The Queen asked and Hee Rin looks at her and smiled while shaking her head.
If only she knew.

--

Myungsoo stared into distance as he and Woohyun waited for the press conference to start.

Hee Rin was nowhere to be found.

He knew that she’s going to ditch him but he still hoped that she will come.

Woohyun glanced at Myungsoo and patted his shoulder when he saw that his brother seems so lost. “Don’t think too much. Everything will be alright” He says and Myungsoo sighs.

“Is that about Dad or Hee Rin?” He asked and Woohyun lightly chuckles. “Both” He mutters and nodded to the front as one of the staffs announced that the interview will start in two.

Woohyun stand up and walk to the seat in front of countless reporters and cameras.
Myungsoo looks down at his feet and ruffled his hair. The feeling of loneliness was kicking inside him again and he couldn’t help but to feel worthless. Without her by his side, he feels incomplete.

 Myungsoo sighs and stand up as one of the staffs warned him that everyone was waiting impatiently. He nodded and was about to walk towards Woohyun when someone spins him around, making his eyes widen and a gasped escaped his lips.

He came face to face with the most angelic girl in his eyes and he swears his heart almost jumped in surprise seeing her all of the sudden. “Hee Rin..?” He croaks as he gazes at her. She doesn’t look up to meet his gaze but just reaches her hands to smoothen his coat.

“Your tie wasn’t fixed” She mutters and fixes his tie. Myungsoo blinked once, then twice before he told himself that this wasn’t a dream. Hee Rin was in front of him and was now fixing his tie. This isn’t a dream.

Hee Rin looks up at him finally and Myungsoo was unable to explain how he is feeling right now. He was supposed to be happy to see her in front of him right now, but seeing the coldness in her eyes makes him feel sad. Should he be happy? “What? Come on. Everyone’s waiting” Hee Rin says as Myungsoo snapped back in reality. She nonchalantly intertwined her hand with his and drags him in front of everyone, sitting beside Woohyun.

Woohyun gaped at them and stared at their intertwined hands while Myungsoo’s mouth was agape as he let Hee Rin drag him.

Soon enough, the interview has started and everyone was throwing questions about the King’s health here and there which Woohyun and Myungsoo kindly answers. Myungsoo tries to smile to the cameras even if his mind was really distracted by this girl beside him smiling to everyone and with their hands intertwined. Somehow, he felt nervous and forgot all of the words he is supposed to answer to the press.

Until the reporters were satisfied of their answers and information that they got about the King when they started to divert the topic to the Royal couple. “So, Prince Myungsoo. How’s your marriage life?” One of the reporters asked and Myungsoo suddenly gulped.

Hee Rin bites her lower lip and glanced at Myungsoo on her peripheral view when she noticed that he’s tensing up. She let out a silent sigh before she squeezed his hand and answering the question herself instead. “We’re perfectly fine. Thank you for that question” She smiled and even raised their intertwined hands, making everyone in the room laughed at her humour.

Myungsoo blinked and it’s as if he doesn’t hear anything. Everything was confusing him now. Is she doing this for the sake of the reputation they both are holding or she already forgave him?

Hee Rin continued to be asked by the reporters about her life inside the palace and how she is adjusting to the new world and she is happily answering each question as if nothing’s bothering her inside. Myungsoo, on the other hand was silent all the time, thinking of so many things that’s bugging him right now. Somehow, he wants to pretend as one of the reporters and would ask Hee Rin everything that he wants to know…

When the conference ended, Woohyun was immediately escorted outside for another interview regarding the program that he is advertising. Myungsoo and Hee Rin bowed to every staff as they were escorted towards the car.

Their hands were still intertwined together… But there was no warmth.

They sat on the back seat and waved to the cameras behind the car window with a smile on their faces. When the car drove off and cameras were no longer in sight, Hee Rin’s expression changed from happy to bore. She pulls her hand away out of Myungsoo’s and she scooted away from him before diverting her gaze towards the busy road.

Myungsoo looks down; emptiness was all that he is feeling right now… She was just beside him yet he wasn’t able to say that he’s very happy to be with her. Her presence somehow makes him hurt and guilty.

He glanced at her for a second and saw that she wasn’t actually watching anything behind the window but just stared into the distance as if he can feel that her mind was now blank too or there were just too much that she is thinking right now. Either way, he hates seeing her like this… As if she’s showing apathy.

They stopped in front of the palace to visit the Queen and Hee Rin just steps out of the car without waiting for someone to open it for her. She never looked back at Myungsoo and just made her way inside the palace but before she could reach the door to the Queen’s room, a hand holds her wrist and she knew it was Myungsoo’s.

She took a deep breath and says. “Let me go” and Myungsoo obliged.

“Hee Rin… Let’s talk. Please..” He begs and he could feel that she was tensing up. “I have nothing to say…” She murmurs, just enough for him to hear. He shook his head and loosened his tie. “Just tell me why you are doing this, acting and facing everyone as if nothing’s wrong?” he asks.

Hee Rin bites her lip and turned to face him, but careful not to meet his eyes. “Because I need to” she says. “I’m not doing this for you but I’m doing this for the sake of your family and the nation… And even for my own family too” She adds, almost tearing up but she holds it in. Myungsoo softens and was about to reach her hand but she instantly jerks back.

"Your father wasn't in good health and I don't want to pressure him with our own personal problems. We'll deal with it later" She says before walking away.