In northern Seoul, there once was a beautiful kingdom. Inside of the kingdom’s gates was a beautiful city with tons of cottages, cobblestone roads, tons of people as well as prosperity.

Of course, no kingdom was complete without a castle and its monarchy, right? Of course not. So past all of the cottages and the marketplace stood a grand palace. The towers were of course built from the finest ivory with one gorgeous jade tower standing in the middle. Allies of the kingdom would frequently visit just to see the majestic, yet intimidating palace.

It truly was a place fit for a king. Aside from the few hundred servants in the palace, there of course was the royal family. Unfortunately, King Young-Nam passed away due to an incurable disease. Some suspected it to be a form of syphilis considering the number of concubines the King kept in the east wing of the castle, but of course nobody ever openly discussed this theory for fear of high treason.

With the passing of King Young-Nam, his first-born son, Heechul was crowned shortly after. Even though Young-Nam was loved by his subjects, the exact opposite was true for Heechul. All of the people within the kingdom lived in utter fear of him. It was no surprise that Heechul was as bitter as he was.

Throughout his life, his father always favored his “younger brother”, Kyuhyun. The bastard son. Hell, if their father had lived longer, Heechul was sure his birthright would’ve been revoked and that illegitimate child of Young-Nam and his , Yujin, would rule the kingdom.

But lucky for the newly crowned King Heechul, that would never take place and he had absolute rule of the kingdom. Though he was pressured from his advisors to marry a princess, the young man was not concerned about having a wife for he was much too concerned with gaining more power.

Power of course meant sending the best of his troops to war to conquer the southern Seoul kingdom. The northern Seoul kingdom was known for it’s military power, so it was no surprise that Heechul was easily conquering the kingdom.

His subjects, however, were not thrilled with this decision of their king. In addition to living in fear of him, they now had to pay more money to sponsor the war. He could’ve easily gained this land if he had just made an alliance and married Princess Yoona, but the man seemed to have a need for bloodlust.

All the while, Prince Kyuhyun was consistently ignored by his elder brother and often left to his own devices. Though the young man was snarky and definitely believed in the social hierarchy, he knew deep down inside that he was just as lowly as some of the beggars for he was the bastard child of the king. This was never looked well upon by others and it was one of the palace’s best-kept secrets.

Had the rest of the kingdom known the truth, they would’ve resented the deceased King Young-Nam. For a king to acknowledge a bastard child was a big taboo in the northern Seoul kingdom. So the only people that knew of this were the royal family, the concubines and select maids that were there for Kyuhyun’s birth.

To everyone else, it was the kingdom’s best-kept secret. And with any luck, Prince Kyuhyun would marry some princess and live with her in a kingdom far, far from Heechul and the rest of the damned, judgmental kingdom. Perhaps it was his brother that had made him so snarky and hateful or perhaps it was his status as a bastard child, or maybe it was the façade he had to keep up all of the time, but Kyuhyun was unhappy and hateful towards many.

His only friend and confidante was his advisor, Lee Sungmin. And sometimes, even that was not enough to cure the insatiable loneliness that the young man felt inside of his heart.

All he wanted was someone to understand, but that would never happen considering he was unable to be very nice to others. Given the situation; however, it wasn’t a crazy notion for him to act the way that he did.

~*~

While the subjects of King Heechul’s kingdom enjoyed the comforts and luxuries of civilization, for those who live right outside of the gate to the kingdom, they were not so lucky.

Sure, they were considered a part of the kingdom, but they were the part that nobody ever wanted to be associated with.

They were the peasants, beggars and the untouchables. Of course, there was even a hierarchy within this sect of the kingdom. The untouchables were in a league all of there own and the beggars were pitied while the peasants just did what they could to get by.

There was one little rundown peasant cottage that housed three people. Two of them were siblings while the third was another peasant that was taken in. Anything to help the siblings put on the food table, so the more the merrier.

The eldest of the three was a handsome young man named Gongchan. Despite his good looks he, however, remained unmarried because his social status was so low in society. He was a very skilled hunter and often would provide the trio with a meal of a rabbit, squirrel or whatever forest creature he could find.

The second’s name was Sehun. He had served as solider in the war at fifteen because he was forced, just like all of the other able males. Unfortunately, he was sent back home after sustaining a leg injury that left him pretty much crippled. He had to use a cane to walk and often could not stand for long periods of time, so he could never help Gongchan and his younger sister find food unless he resorted to begging, but the latter refused to allow him to do so.

In addition to his leg injury, Sehun also had been born with a lisp. Another misfortune, in his opinion, that added one more struggle in his life. No parents, a leg injury, a lisp and being poor were not the ideal combination. And because of his lisp, most people who heard him speak would make fun of him or stay as far away from as possible because they believed him to be “cursed by the devil”.

Lastly, the youngest, was a pretty sixteen year old named Haerin. Even though she should’ve been married off, that would never happen considering there was no dowry her or Sehun could pay to a potential husband’s family. So she had already accepted the fact that she would be a spinster—old maid—for the rest of her life. But Haerin didn’t want to leave Sehun behind. Even though he was older, she felt like she had to protect her oppa from all of the harsh, critical people around.

She knew Gongchan probably wouldn’t stay forever, so if nothing else, she needed to stay by her brother’s side no matter what. After all, he helped to raise her after her parents died in a raid on their little village outside of the main kingdom.

Even though the raid happened when she was five, it felt like it only happened yesterday. The men were foreign and frightening with their strange weapons, but the worse of it was when they set fire to the village. The amount of chaos that had ensued from there was horrifying and could not be put into words. Amongst it all, someone random had picked her crying form up and gotten her out of there alive. The same had not happened for her and Sehun’s parents, so she and Sehun were left to fend from themselves.

Haerin sat quietly in the cottage and braided her long, dark hair that was in desperate need of washing in the lake. Unfortunately, with food being the main priority, it would have to wait until another day. Hygiene wasn’t exactly a luxury that the three were able to afford considering their social status as peasants.

“I hope Gongchan gets back soon,” Sehun commented, limping across the dirt floor and taking a seat on the old, decrepit wooden chair beside his sister.

“He’s usually never gone this long. You don’t think he’s hurt, do you?” the sixteen-year-old female asked looking a bit nervous at the thought of Gongchan out there in the forest alone and hurt.

“I do not think so. It has been rather difficult for him to find animals to kill as of late.” Sehun said, trying to ignore the pain in his stomach from the hunger.

The two both sighed, watching through the little window in their cottage as the sunset and the darkness settled upon the land.

Soon enough, Gongchan returned dirty, tired and empty handed. He laid his bow and arrow by the door and sunk to the ground, frustrated. “Not a damn catch. That forest is running low on wildlife, I’m convinced. It’s all that damn Heechul’s fault.” He growled.

Sehun’s eyes widened a bit. There was nothing the young man feared more than the thought of execution by treason. After serving in the war, he saw how the military and royalty operated. It was not all jewels, luxury and princesses like he thought. Oh no, there was a dark side. “King Heechul…is…is good.”  He said in a robotic like voice, his lisp interfering a bit with his statement.

“Sehun!” Haerin slammed her hand on the rickety wooden table. “How can you even say something like that?! We all know he’s not. At least things weren’t this bad when King Young-Nam was alive!”

“Shhhh! Haerin…anyone could be listening!” Sehun said, clamping a hand over his sister’s mouth but yelped when she bit his hand.

The three all collectively sighed when their stomachs rumbled. So without much else to do, the three laid on the floor in front of the small fireplace, using their itchy wool blankets for warmth and went to sleep.

For the next week and half, the trio lived on berries and the occasional bird that Gongchan would bring home. This was hardly enough to sustain them, so they took to sleeping more and more frequently so as not to think about the hunger overcoming them.

Finally, one day, Haerin had enough of being at rock bottom. After bathing in a nearby stream, she heard some men talking in town about how the palace was getting all sorts of imported fruits from the southern kingdom. This was her chance. All she had to do was sneak in to the palace kitchen and steal some food. It would be easy enough.

That night when she was sure that both Sehun and Gongchan were asleep, she wrapped her cloak around her and pulled the hood up before sneaking out of the cottage.

She stood in front of the tall, wrought iron gates that allowed people in and out of the kingdom. There was no way she would ever be allowed to enter that way, so she snuck past there and ran down to the nearby river.

Since the kingdom needed a constant water source, the river flowed into a smaller manmade pool where water could be drawn for all of the needs of the palace. Haerin was an excellent swimmer so she dove into the river and swam beneath the wall that surrounded the kingdom and effectively landed into the pool.

Once she resurfaced, she inhaled deeply, enjoying the oxygen that was rushing to her lungs.  Haerin quickly swam over to the edge and climbed out.

Worried that she would be caught, she ran over to a nearby section of trees and hid behind them. She wouldn’t be able to sneak into the kitchen until the morning so after removing her soaking wet cloak and dress, the peasant girl fell asleep in her undergarments, knowing she would need rest if her plan was to be executed successfully.

As soon as the sun rose, Haerin awoke and put her slightly damp and muddy dress on before sneaking around the palace grounds. It took her a few moments to realize the pool she had climbed out of actually ran right into the palace gardens. She saw maids bustling nearby.

Some were scrubbing the outside of the palace walls to keep them the beautiful sparkling ivory that they were while others were carrying buckets of water.

Haerin decided to sneak around the other way and a large grin spread across her face when she saw wheelbarrows of food being taken in through a doorway. She realized immediately that must’ve been a way for her to enter the kitchen.

With quiet footsteps, she checked her surroundings and tiptoed to some of the nearby wheelbarrows and began taking the fruit, using her now tied up cloak as a sort of makeshift bag.

Unfortunately, when she turned around, she was met with a broad chest and soon landed on the grown. As she looked up nervously, she saw a burly man looking down at her in disdain. suddenly went dry and her hands began to shake. This was a palace guard, which meant she had just been caught red handed.

“What do you think you’re doing, girl?” the man questioned. Unable to respond, Haerin just sat there absolutely silent with hanging open. This only fueled the guard’s frustration and he yanked her up by her hair, causing her to yelp out in pain.

“Stealing from the King? You’ve got a lot of nerve, you know. Wait until he sees you. I doubt you’ll ever see the light of day again.” He growled, dragging her by her hair until they reached the entrance to the palace.

“M-My br-brother…” Haerin stuttered out, tears forming in her eyes from the pain of her hair being pulled.

“Don’t tell me you brought an accomplice, little peasant.” The guard said, eyeing her form his peripheral vision.

She shook her head and was unable to look up as two; large beautifully white doors were open.

Only then did she realize that the guard was dragging her into the throne room. Sure enough within moments, the girl felt the cold marble floor beneath her as the guard tossed her down.

She winced a bit from the impact and was sure her knees were going to bruise. Not wanting to cause herself more trouble, she bowed with her head completely touching the marble floor, sure that the king was sitting in his throne.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Heechul clucked in distaste as he eyed the filthy girl on the floor bowing before him. “You brought me a peasant girl, Captain Kangin?” he questioned.

“Your highness,” Kangin replied with a bow. “This peasant was stealing food from you. She must’ve found a way to sneak into the palace.”

Heechul frowned at that statement. Never before had he to deal with peasants sneaking into the palace, and now that he was faced with a woman in his midst as the culprit, he couldn’t have been more annoyed. “State your name, filthy girl.”

“Oh Haerin, your majesty.” Haerin replied. Her tone dripped with venom. Despite being afraid that she would never see Sehun again, the resentment toward the so-called king made her blood boil.

If it weren’t for his thirst for blood and lust for power, then she, Sehun and Gongchan along with the other peasants would not be nearing death from malnourishment. It was his entire fault that she was now kneeling before him—at his mercy.

“And just what do you think you were doing stealing food from me, Oh Haerin? Do you think it is right and just from you to steal from the almighty ruler? You stealing from me is a form of treason. After all, stealing food from me means I would have less to eat and I could fall from ill from that. Then what? There would be no king.” Heechul explained, speaking to her like the illiterate vermin that she was.

Something inside of Haerin snapped and she was suddenly on her feet, staring him straight in the eyes—something a woman was never meant to do in the kingdom. Considering women were “second-class” to men, direct eye contact was an absolute form of disobedience.

"You feast every single night. You would not fall ill from the little bit of fruit I was taking. My brother and I are starving and it is all because of the war you started!” she shouted.

Everyone in the throne room was taken aback by the girl’s sudden outburst—including Heechul. Defying the king was downright suicide.

“Why you little…” King Heechul trailed, a low growl erupting from his throat in anger. “How dare you defy me, you peasant. I ought to have you executed for the speech alone!”

Haerin’s chocolate brown eyes widened at that statement. She knew the damage was done, but didn’t regret what she said one bit. He needed to be put in his place. She had to be the voice of the peasants.

“With all due respect your highness,” Kangin trailed. “If you execute her, you will be making her a martyr for all of the other peasants. The potential of them rising up against you would make for a rather sticky situation.” He frowned.

Not only was a riot a serious possibility, but in addition, Kangin did not want to execute a girl so young. He had a sister about Haerin’s age and the thought of him having to murder this peasant girl resonated deeply within him. Though he had a tough job as captain of the guard, he was not as heartless as the man sitting on the throne.

In reality, despite his outward cold and frightening demeanor, Kangin was actually a soft, sensitive man. But living in such tumultuous times would not allow for that side of him to show. Perhaps if the kingdom was back to its golden era, he could be a courtier that flirted with the ladies of the court and wrote poetry, but those days were far behind him, so there was no using living in the past.

Heechul pursed his lips, knowing that Kangin’s words held a heavy weight of truth to him. The man was not a fool. He knew that there were many subjects that hated him. But he lived by the mantra of: “It’s better to be feared than loved.”

“Fine. Give her ten lashings than lock her away in the dungeon. Just remove this filthy creature from my sight.” Heechul ordered.

Kangin grabbed Haerin’s hands, securely tying her wrists behind her back. He led her away. The girl was shaking a bit, but Kangin was not sure if that was from fear or the adrenaline more than likely coursing through her veins.

While that ordeal had been taking place, Kyuhyun had witnessed the entire scene from a nearby doorway. He had been on his way to deliver a message to his brother, but stopped short when he witnessed peasant girl shouting at him.

To say he was surprised was an understatement, especially since Kyuhyun was never surprised by anything. And as he got lost in the girl’s perfectly brown eyes, something inside of him sparked.

Could he possible desire that girl?

Impossible. She was just a filthy, lowlife peasant. Not fit for a prince at all. Especially not Prince Kyuhyun.

Yet, deep, deep within him, he could feel some sort of connection toward her. But he would rather die before he admitted something in him changed at the sight of such an interestingly beautiful girl yelling at the kingdom’s ruler.

Perhaps he would sneak to the dungeon later. No, he couldn’t do that because that meant he was showing interest in something that would never be.

Yet the thought overtook his mind like an opiate.

So that perhaps stuck in his mind as he decided to go upstairs to his private piano room to get the thought from his mind.

~*~

Haerin was in tears as a different guard lashed her one final time. She could feel the dark, warm liquid on her back seeping through her dress, permanently staining it with a crimson color.

She was sure she would have scars from being lashed so harshly, but she knew that it was a small price to pay for getting to keep her life and having the chance to stand up to the devil in disguise; King Heechul.

The guard yanked her up by the arm before roughly pulling her into the dungeon and tossing her into an empty cell. She landed on a pile of hay with a thud and before she had the chance to even move, she heard the door of the cell being locked and the guard’s footsteps fading away.

“Sehun-Oppa…if you never see me again. I’m sorry.” She whispered softly to herself, pulling her knees up to her chest and began to sob softly.

Gone was the fiery, outspoken young woman from an hour ago. Now she just lay on the hay, feeling vulnerable, alone and in pain.

~*~

Haerin remained in that cell for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality, were just a few days.

The only upside to being imprisoned was that she was fed stale bread daily. At least she wasn’t starving. Yet, each time she ate, she couldn’t help but to think of Sehun and Gongchan. Were they eating? Were they searching for her? Was Sehun’s leg okay?

These thoughts ran rapid through her mind to the point of making her dizzy.

She sighed, pacing around her cell, wondering what on earth she was going to do. Would she ever be released from this dungeon? Probably not.

As another sigh prepared to escape from her lips, she looked up when she saw that a pair of impeccably shiny black boots had stopped in front of her cell. Her eyes traveled from the boots upward until her eyes landed on a handsome dark haired man—the owner of said boots.

He was impeccably dressed, but she was not sure if he was some sort of guard, advisor or duke. After all, how was she was supposed to know that this was the Prince Kyuhyun, especially when he looked nothing like his brother.

She stared blankly at the handsome man before her, before he spoke. “Hello,” He said, his voice like smooth velvet to the ears.

“Hello.” She said, her voice wary and cautious. Why exactly was this handsome stranger there?

“I am not here to hurt you.” The man suddenly blurted, noticing the cautious way in which she was eyeing him. “Do not be afraid.”

“Who said I was afraid? You look harmless to me.” She shot back, still defensive as ever.

Suddenly, the man began to chuckle before smirking at her. His smirk, though snarky, was utterly alluring and she could feel her cheeks heating up ever so slightly. “Why are you laughing? I see nothing funny here.”

“You are, peasant girl. You certainly are the most blunt woman I have ever met.”

“I have a name. And it is not, ‘peasant girl’, as you upper class snakes like to call me.” She glared at him, feeling insulted and a little infatuated all at the same time.

“I know. Your name is Oh Haerin. You created quite the uproar the other day.” He commented.

“I have no idea what you are speaking of.” She said, gnawing on her bottom lip. Had word gotten around so quickly about what she had done? Did Sehun know? Certainly not. King Heechul wouldn’t want anyone to know about a woman speaking to him in such a manner.

“But Haerin, I do. I commend you for speaking to my brother in such a manner. Though, if I were king, I would have you punished much worse.” He said as another smirk appeared at lips.

The connotation in which he threatened to punish her made her shudder. She was no fool. She knew the underlying meaning in his words.

But if he claimed that King Heechul was his brother then that meant only one thing…

“You’re Prince Kyuhyun.” She gasped.

“You’re a perceptive peasant, aren’t you? You listen well.”

She bowed respectfully, wanting to avoid being lashed again for some sort of treason. “What do you want with me?”

“Want with you? Nothing. I just find you intriguing. As if I would want anything else with a peasant other than to toy with them.” He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

“You’re just as bad as your brother, bastard.” She glared. “You cannot simply treat people as though they are your toys. Human beings have feelings.”

Kyuhyun frowned at the mention of the word, ‘bastard’. There was no way this girl knew the truth, but still, hearing that word directed at him made his stomach tighten just a bit. He often heard that phrase thrown at him by Heechul…and it always dehumanized him to a degree.

“I don’t believe you are in any position to throw such comments, little Haerin.” He smirked. “You are trapped here after all. I had considered helping you, but now that you’ve hurt my feelings, I do not think I will.”

“Wh-What?” she asked, realizing she had just lost her chance of freedom. Damn her and her outspokenness.

“Until next time, Oh Haerin.” Kyuhyun swiftly turned and left the dungeon area, his heart beating just a little faster.

Haerin sank to the ground, her dirt-stained hands gripping onto the bars of the cell as she rested her head against the cool metal. She closed her eyes tiredly as she pondered why the handsome yet infuriating Prince Kyuhyun would try and help her in the first place?

~*~

An entire year passed of Haerin sitting and rotting away in that dungeon. She often wondered if Sehun and Gongchan believed her to be dead and mourned her death. In her extreme moments of loneliness, she would end up in tears wondering about the fate of her older brother.

As each and everyday passed, Kyuhyun would stand and front of her cell and converse with her. She still didn’t understand why this pampered Prince was so fascinated with a peasant, but the social interaction calmed her mind.

Even though he could be an infuriating, snarky man, she did find him fascinating. He told her about all the places he had visited. Everywhere he described was absolutely tantalizing to her senses and she wished she had the luck that Prince Kyuhyun did in getting to visit all of these foreign places.

Anywhere sounded better than the kingdom King Heechul was running. She always noticed that it seemed like that Prince Kyuhyun would get lost in his own tale as well—almost like he was wishing to be away from the kingdom.

She often contemplated whether or not he was running from something, but she was a bit afraid to ask. What if she found out something terrible? Even though the two bickered, Haerin often found her heart beating just a little bit faster when he would speak to her. Her gaze was always fixated on his face. How could someone’s face be so flawless?

Kyuhyun, on the other hand, did not understand what was happening to him. Increasingly, he had started being a bit kinder to others. The palace staff dually noticed the change within him. Of course, nobody knew the reason why, except for Kangin and Sungmin. Both were aware of the maknae Prince’s nightly excursions to the dungeon but kept their lips tightly sealed about the matter.

Nobody had ever seen him so happy before and they did not want for that to change in the near future. So all those around him acted like nothing was wrong and welcomed this change with open arms.

“Haerin,” Kyuhyun was sitting in front of her cell, staring at her. “Do you remember I said I wanted to help you gain your freedom?”

“You mean before you left me here that first time? Yes. I do. Why?” She responded, her eyes questioning him as well.

“I was serious.” He said. Since the cell door appeared to look like a grid with the bars creating little squares, it was easy for Kyuhyun to reach his hand through and grab hers.

She began to withdraw her hand from his, but he only held on tighter. The two remained in silence for a moment, just sitting, just being.

Kyuhyun’s hands were smooth and soft and clean while in contrast Haerin’s were not nearly as smooth and quite dirty, but despite the difference, neither seemed disgusted with the other.

“Then why did you take so long to bring it up again?” she whispered.

“Because if I attempted any sooner then Heechul would’ve been suspicious.” Kyuhyun responded, brushing his thumb over the back of her hand. Though what he said was true, there was another reason behind him waiting so long to discuss the matter again. He had become so intrigued with her that he did not want to see her leave.

He knew it was selfish of him to keep her imprisoned when he could’ve done more, but she acted as though his social status didn’t matter. She didn’t put up false pretenses like all the other people he knew…and despite his desire to be respected as a true, purebred prince; her disposition toward him oddly comforted him.

“So this means you can get me out of here.” Haerin stated as a bright smile overtaking her features and her eyes lit up in delight.

A smile tugged at Kyuhyun’s lips when he saw how happy she became. He was fully aware of how much she missed her brother and friend, considering how many times she had told him. “Yes. But there is one condition.”

“A condition?” she frowned, then. Had she mistaken his kindness all along? Was he just using her to obtain something?

“Yes. A condition.” He repeated.

“And what would that be?” Haerin removed her hand from his, backing away a bit from the door of the cell.

“Do not be afraid. I am not going to hurt you.” Kyuhyun said. Actually, it was more like a repeat. This is what he said the first time they ever met.

“I…I need to see something. So I am going to unlock the cell, but you have to promise not to run away.” He said, rising to his feet and sticking the key into the lock. A soft click could be heard, as the cell door was unlocked.

“I promise.” Haerin said, rising to her feet as well. Even though she didn’t know what was going to happen next, she was willing to take the risk. She trusted Kyuhyun enough to not do something terrible to her. In addition, she knew if he asked her to do something crazy, she would do it.

She was past a point of mere infatuation with the prince. In her heart, she knew she had fallen in love with him, yet it pained her knowing that she would never be able to act on those feelings. Haerin was a peasant in prison after all, and well, Kyuhyun was a prince.

They came from two different social classes. Feelings couldn’t possibly matter in a situation like this.

She stepped foot outside of the cell, adapting to the feeling of not being behind bars when she suddenly felt two arms enveloping around her.

Haerin squeaked a bit in surprise when she realized that it was Kyuhyun hugging her. Before she could even muster up a comment, he had pulled back and stared down at her before pressing his lips to hers.

He knew quite well the implications of what he was doing, but he certainly did not care. Kyuhyun wanted, no needed to know, if the knots in his stomach he got whenever he was around Haerin were because of the fact that he had fallen for her.

As the two kissed, each felt that little zap of electricity. Both knew their true feelings in that one moment. That one kiss was powerful enough for both of them to be left breathless.

Once Kyuhyun broke the kiss, he stared down at her, trying to gauge her reaction. By the way she was breathless and her cheeks were flushed bright red, he knew he had his answer. “That was my condition.”

“Why me?” she whispered, looking down at the ground, tears forming in her eyes. “Prince Kyuhyun, why would you do something like that?”

“Since when do you address me properly, Haerin?” He whispered, tilting her chin up with his forefinger and thumb. “What is wrong?”

“Regardless of what just happened, you know full well that nothing can ever be between us. You have to marry a princess and I have to remain a peasant. It is just the reality.”

“Haerin…” He frowned, knowing she was right. But Kyuhyun was a determined man and nothing would stop him from getting what he desired. “Haerin, I love you.” He admitted.

“Wh-What?” Haerin dumbfounded asked, unable to fully comprehend his statement. Those three words were so foreign to her that she couldn’t believe someone had just spoken them to her.

Kyuhyun couldn’t help but to chuckle at the expression on her face. “I said that I love you.” He repeated. “Look, when I met you, I just thought you were some pathetic peasant girl with a big mouth.”

That comment caused her to glare up at him, but he smiled as he continued. “I was fascinated by your outspokenness. But the past year…the past year, I’ve come to realize that you are the only person I’ve ever had such a strong connection with.”

“In addition, there is something I wish to tell you.” He said, becoming a bit solemn. “But I need to know, do you return my feelings?”

Haerin wiped her tears away before smiling at him. “Yes, Kyuhyun. I do love you.”

He let out a huge sigh of relief. He would not have been able to take no as an answer especially not from her. “Then I can tell you the truth about me.”

“Truth about you? What are you talking about?” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Heechul and I are only half brothers. I am only half royal blood. I am the son of King Young-Nam and one of his concubines. I am…” Kyuhyun trailed, bringing himself to say the words he hated hearing the most. “I am a bastard child.”

“I am the best-kept secret in this whole place. Nobody outside of the palace walls knows…except for you.”

Her eyes widened in shock at the news. It all made perfect sense to her now. Why Kyuhyun and Heechul bore no resemblance to another. Why Kyuhyun seemed like he wanted to get away from the kingdom.

“That does not matter to me in the least. It does not change anything about you to me. I still love you.” She smiled, reaching up and cupping his cheeks as the two stared into one another’s eyes.

“I am glad to know I haven’t changed in your eyes.” He whispered.

“Of course not. You are still a snarky fool.” She smirked which only caused him to chuckle in response.

“I had a messenger contact your brother, Haerin. He will have an audience with Heechul in order to gain you release tomorrow,

“Y-You did? What if he does not release me?” she asked, gripping onto his shirt.

“Then I will intervene. Please do not worry.” Kyuhyun gingerly took her hands into his own and kissed each of her knuckles. “I promise you that you will get to see him.”

“Thank you, Kyuhyun. I am all he has.” Haerin hugged him tightly, crying softly into his chest.

Kyuhyun gave a bittersweet smile as he gingerly rubbed the back of her neck, humming softly near her ear.

Considering he had no plan for them to be together, he knew tomorrow he would be letting her go. It was near impossible for him to step foot outside of the kingdom gates, so his chances of getting to see Haerin again were very slim.

But letting her go would be the best thing. He did not want to watch the woman he loved sit inside of that dungeon cell any longer. Plus, reuniting her with her only family member would bring her unrequited joy.

He could not be selfish any longer. He had to do what was right and go from a spoiled, snarky prince to a righteous, just prince. It’s what his father would have wanted him to be, after all.

As the two remained in each other’s arms for another few minutes, Kyuhyun reluctantly pulled away. “I have to go.” He whispered, leading her back into the cell, locking her inside.

“I have one other condition.” He said then.

“What would that be?” She asked, smiling at him.

“Do not forget me when you go home, Oh Haerin.” Kyuhyun smiled at her before walking away to return to his bedroom.

Haerin still smiled as tears fell down her cheeks. How could she possibly forget him? He not only returned her feelings but he was going to set her free. “I love you…” she whispered even though he was probably out of the dungeon by then.

~*~

Sehun took a sharp intake of breath as he entered the throne room. When he found out that Haerin was indeed alive, he was so relieved that he could not help but to cry. He and Gongchan had thought she had been kidnapped or murdered, but no, instead his impulsive sister got herself locked away into a dungeon.

Heechul stared at the pathetic excuse of a man walking toward him. The man was using a cane to talk, which amused Heechul to a small degree, considering it made the man look much older than he truly was.

The man used his cane to help him slide to the floor and bow to Heechul, before he took a few moments to properly stand up without losing his balance.

“State your name and business.” Heechul drawled, obviously bored with talking to his subjects and hearing about their problems.

“My name is Oh Sehun, your majesty. I am here to ask for the release of my sister, Oh Haerin. She has been imprisoned for a year now.”

Heechul frowned at the mention of that name. He had not forgotten how that female had so boldly stood up to him a year ago, though he may have forgotten she was still locked away in his dungeon.

Though what made Heechul frown even more was that damn lisp that this Oh Sehun spoke with. “You must have displeased the gods greatly. A bum leg and a speech impediment to go along with it. You and your sister are truly despicable peasants.” Heechul began.

“I simply cannot allow the release of Oh Haerin. Your sister not only attempted to steal food from me, but she publically defied me, the king. Your lucky she is not dead.” He finished. “Next person.”

A look of defeat spread across Sehun’s features. He was sure that he was going to be able to see Haerin and yet this disappointment really should not have been a surprise to him.

Before he could be led out of the throne room, Kyuhyun stepped onto the marble floor. “Heechul-hyung, I think you should reconsider.”

“Kyuhyun, why are you questioning my authority?” Heechul glared at the younger male.

“I am not questioning you, your highness.” Kyuhyun bowed. If he had to play -up to Heechul, then so be it. Anything to have Haerin freed.

“Then, what exactly do you think you are doing?”

“There really is no sense in keeping this girl locked away. She is simply a waste of space and considering she and her brother do not even live in the confines of the kingdom, there really is no reason to keep her here. There are plenty of other offenders that could be occupying her cell space.” Kyuhyun reasoned.

Heechul his chin for a few moments. Despite the fact that he detested that bastard child, he did indeed have a point. As of late, the number of offenders for treason had considerably increased.

“Fine. I will allow it.” He said after a few minutes of deliberation. “Release the peasant girl, Oh Haerin.”

Though nobody else witnessed it, Kyuhyun let out a visible sigh of relief. Heechul had bought into his theory perfectly, just as he had hoped.

Within a few moments, Haerin was brought out to Sehun and released. With tears in both of their eyes, they embraced each other tightly. “Haerin! I thought I would never see you again.” Sehun said.

“I am sorry for worrying you, Oppa. I just did not want to starve any longer.” She said.

After they stopped hugging, the two looked at each other, finally reunited after what seemed like forever. After all, when one has nothing, family becomes everything. Haerin could not help but to feel a small ache in her heart though, knowing that leaving that dungeon meant leaving Kyuhyun.

As she helped Sehun to leave the castle, she kept stealing glances back toward the castle in hopes that she would see him. Unfortunately, it was just wishful thinking, because she never did.

~*~

Once Kyuhyun saw that Sehun and Haerin were out of sight, he smiled to himself. They would continue to live their lives; looking after one another and he…well he would be stuck in the forsaken palace for the time being.

He turned away from the window only to be greeted with a swift punch to the gut, which sent him to his knees. He held the place he had been punched, coughing. When he looked up to see who the culprit was, he smirked. “How nice of you to greet me, hyung.”

“You bastard.” Heechul growled, yanking the younger boy up by his collar. “How dare you question my authority in the throne room! Who the hell do you think you are? You are nothing but that ’s son.”

Kyuhyun ignored the words that Heechul had been saying to him for years and simply glared in response. “She deserved to be let go.”

“Do not think I do not know why you intervened. I have had guards spying on you, Kyuhyunnie.” Heechul said, then smirked, dropping the boy from his grip.

“It was reported that you confessed your love to that peasant . It just goes to show it is in your blood. Just like it was in fathers. Go after a less than desirable woman.” Heechul mocked.

Kyuhyun remained quiet; though he was not completely surprised that Heechul had him watched. Heechul often threatened by the younger male, not that he would ever openly admit it.

“Heechul, you are right. I am the bastard son and I know you want nothing more than to get rid of me. So let us make a deal.” Kyuhyun said then.

Now this had Heechul’s interest. “I am listening.” He said.

~*~

Months passed and Haerin never heard from Prince Kyuhyun again. She was not surprised, but she did feel the heartache. It would figure that the moment they confessed was at the end of her imprisonment.

She often did not dwell on the matter because it was still hard for her, Sehun and Gongchan to eat. Though Sehun was always insistent on having Gongchan accompany her. He was too afraid of losing his sister again to let her out of his or Gongchan’s sights.

The young woman sat outside of the cottage, staring up at the sky when a male on a beautiful ebony horse with a carriage attached had trotted up to the cottage. “Oh Haerin?” the man questioned.

“Yes?” she stood, panic growing within her. What if King Heechul wanted to imprison her again? He did have that grudge holding type of personality after all.

“You, an Oh Sehun and a Gongchan are to accompany me. Royal orders.” The man said.

She stood there blankly for a moment before giving a small nod of her head. After fetching the two boys from inside, the three were seated inside of the carriage utterly confused.

The trio traveled inside of that thing for three days before they had finally arrived to some unknown destination. The shock on their faces when they entered a beautiful ivory and gold towered palace could not be compared to anything else in the world.

The messenger had not provided them with any type of information, so the three were speculating on what was happening, but none could come up with any good theories.

Finally, three maids came and led each of them away from each other. None of them knew why and had no choice but to follow. Jihye, the name of Haerin’s maid, led her into a luxurious bedroom, which further confused the girl.

Soon Haerin was stripped of all clothing and put in a tub filled with hot water. The girl quickly relished in the fact that this was the first bath she had ever taken in hot water. It was short lived when the made started scrubbing her hair to get all of the dirt out.

Once her bath was finished, Haerin was as red as a lobster from all of the scrubbing, but the cleanest she had ever been. “What is going on?” she asked countless times, but was never met with an answer.

Three maids helped to dress her in a beautiful midnight blue silk gown and brushed her hair until it was free of knots, braiding it down her back.

Only once she was cleaned and dressed was she led to another bedroom. It was just as luxurious as the last, but poor Haerin still had no idea what was going on. She could not help but to continuously touch the silk of her gown as she stood in the room.

After about five minutes a figure appeared behind her and lightly tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned around, her jaw dropped. It was Prince Kyuhyun.

“K-Kyuhyun!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. “So you are behind this! I-I…thank you for bringing us here? But what is going on?”

Kyuhyun chuckled as usual when he found her reactions to be priceless and kissed the top of her head, taking in the new scent of lavender on her. “Haerin, this is the southern kingdom. Heechul won the war three months ago.”

She stared up at him, still a bit confused on what that had to do with her. “It turns out Heechul knew the truth…about me seeing you, that is. I made a deal with him. I told him I would leave the northern kingdom and look over the south, so that he never has to see his ‘bastard brother’ again.”

“So that means….”Haerin trailed, trying her hardest to put all of the pieces together. The poor girl was in such shock still that she was having a hard time processing everything.

Kyuhyun watched the way her face concentrated on what he had just told her. He could not help but to truly admire her now that she was free from the darkness of a cell and free of dirt.

Even though he had been able to see past the dirt that was ever-present on her skin in the past, he could truly see just how beautiful this peasant girl was.

“I-I still do not understand completely…” she frowned after a few moments.

“It means that I am going to crowned king of this kingdom, Haerin.” He smiled.

“O-Oh.” She nodded, shoulders slumping a bit. She knew that meant he would have to marry someone and the ache in her heart grew a bit at the thought of another woman being in his arms.

“Why am I here, then?” she whispered.

“Haerin…”He frowned at her less than enthusiastic reaction. “Aren’t you happy?”

“I am happy for you, Prince…King Kyuhyun.” She forced a smile. “I just…the princess that you marry is lucky…” she admitted, blushing.

“Haerin.” Kyuhyun said, and then started to laugh. “As perceptive as you are, you miss the obvious sometimes.”

“You are the princess I intend to marry.”

She stared up at him in utter disbelief, her jaw to the floor for the umpteenth time that day. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” He poked her nose. “Don’t you see why I brought you here? How can a king run a kingdom without a queen by his side? And who better than someone that understands the needs of the people?”

“Kyuhyun…” she smiled, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"Yes?” he grinned cheekily down at her, which only caused her to laugh and cry at the same time.

“I love you!” she shouted before pressing her lips to his.

He was still grinning as he pulled her flush against his body, returning the kiss with just as much passion.

After the two broke away, they still were smiling brightly at one another. Kyuhyun was wiping away the tears away from her eyes when she suddenly reached up and did the same to him.

He did not even realize he had started crying, but this was the happiest he had been in his entire life. Making the deal with Heechul was the best thing he could have ever done.

Kyuhyun did not care that Heechul was technically the supreme ruler of both kingdoms. All that mattered was that he was away from his brother, that kingdom and that he had now this peasant girl turned princess in his arms.

After all, without her, he probably would have never changed.

“How did I become so fortunate?” she asked, gazing into his eyes.

“Fortune favors the brave, Oh Haerin.” He smiled. “And looks like fortune favors me, too. Because it brought me you.”

“I love you, Prince Kyuhyun.” Haerin whispered.

“And I love you, Princess Haerin.” Kyuhyun responded.

With one final smile, the two closed the gap between them and kissed once more. 

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A/N: 20 pages; 8,340 words later. 

I really hope that you liked it! Comments are greatly appreciated!