“What do you mean, the prince?! The – “

  “The crown prince of the Southern Commonwealth. His Imperial Highness. Byun Baekhyun. Yes, Luke, the prince. Unless you know another prince that radiates charm and has attractive eyes the color of almond brown?”

  Lucas studied Andrea. “You… think he’s attractive?”

  She almost cut herself with the arrow she was sharpening in her hands. “I… I didn’t say that – “

  “You just said he radiated charm and has attractive eyes.”

  “That doesn’t sum up to thinking someone attractive! B-besides, it was the first time I saw him so close. Stars, it was the first time he actually knew my existence and talked to me.”

  “Um, Andy? You’re starting to sound like one of those crazy girls.”

  Groaning, Andrea stood up from her chair. I don’t want to be like them! She thought to herself. What is wrong with me? Picking up the last arrow from the table, she frowned.

  “Anyway, besides chatting happily with the charming prince,” Lucas rolled his eyes, “why did he think you’re the owner? Seriously, you don’t fit for one.”

  Andrea glared at him. He laughed.

  “And also, why was he looking for Bob? No, scratch that, why was he looking for Rick?” Lucas’ smile turned into a frown. “Do you think… heck, do you think they’ve found out that he had been illegally hunting?”

  “Honestly, I think that they’ve known for a long time. It’s just they don’t have proof to arrest him, and you know how Baekhyun hates arresting without solid proof or reason.” She turned around, her eyebrows furrowed. “Luke, did you take one of my arrows? I counted one less.”

  “No, I don’t know about that prince,” Lucas replied and pushed himself off the couch, irritated. “And no, I haven’t dared touch your arrows ever since you almost shot one through my head.”

  Andrea’s frown deepened. “I swear I counted 13 at the shack – “

  “Andrea.”

  She turned around, surprised to hear Lucas call her by her full name, something rarely to happen. She gasped inwardly when she realized he was just inches away from her.

  “Luke…?”

  “I don’t like it.”

  Gaze traveling upwards, Andrea found Lucas’ blue eyes as clear as the sky and took in the emotion flashing in them, an emotion she had only seen in other girls in the village before whenever Lucas separated from his groups of friends, only to run to her. It was an emotion she was still figuring out and never thought would appear in Lucas’ eyes, almost turning them into a shade of bright orange.

  “I don’t like you talking to Kai, or Baekhyun, or just… any other boy, Andy. It’s just… you… just don’t.”

  Andrea gently put her hand on his chest to distance her from him a little. “Luke…” she still wasn’t used to being this close to anyone, not to mention a boy. And as far as she knew, Lucas wasn’t a touchy  person. “I just can’t refuse to speak when the prince is asking me questions,” she tried to ease the atmosphere by laughing. “That’s rude.”

  Lucas frowned.

  “Besides, you’re just overreacting. Can’t you accept the fact that I’m making more friends and talking more, instead of isolating myself? You should be happy that I’m socializing. I get it, Luke. You’re just being protective like how Rick used to be and you’re just not used to me talking to other people, and I’m grateful, okay? But it’s time I stop completely relying on you.”

***

  “If your uncle finds out – “

  “It’s fine, Kai.” Baekhyun reassured his friend, handing over his horse for him to help look after. “I’m just going to wander around.”

  “Around the outskirts of The Forbidden Woods, you mean.”

  “Exactly.” Baekhyun grinned and patted Kai on the back. “It’s not like there’s a mysterious black hole in the Woods and it’ll me inside. I’m just going to check the surroundings, and if I’m lucky, witness the law-breaker trespassing into the Woods and catch him!”

  “But Baek – “

  “I’m not a kid anymore, Kai!” The prince shouted over his shoulder. “Just a little stroll wouldn’t harm!”

***

  Baekhyun must have walked for a long time, but he couldn’t be sure, because the scenery on his left side never changed. Rows and rows of trees and bushes encircled The Forbidden Woods – or was it that they just separated the Woods from the realm? Had he been walking in a straight line, or was the path he was taking curving slightly, and eventually he would walk back to where he started?

  He didn’t know. After all, it was the first time he had ever been this close to the Woods.

  Ever since his father had been murdered when he was 11, his uncle forbid him to leave the castle. Only when he had turned 16 two years ago did he permit him to go out, but only to the village. Nowhere further. And only for business, only for investigation.

  Baekhyun hated it, because it made him feel like a prisoner. The prince of The Southern Commonwealth, a prisoner? It was humiliating. He wanted to be as free as Kai, who could run around the whole realm, by the name of ‘patrolling.’ Of course, being a thoughtful best friend, other than telling Baekhyun what unique thing he had seen every day, Kai promised him that he would only go near The Forbidden Woods when his uncle allowed him. Kai would wait to explore the mysterious place with Baekhyun. Together, they would try to find out why the current king, Byun Kang Dae, had forbidden everyone to enter the Woods without even giving a reason.

  But today, curiosity somehow got the big of Baekhyun, and he decided to ‘take a little stroll’, without Kai, otherwise if his uncle was looking for him and found Kai with him wandering without permission, Kai would get punished so severely, and Baekhyun couldn’t let that happen. If his uncle found only him, he had a logical reason to justify his little adventure.

  He would just tell him he was looking for evidence of trespassing.

  Not exactly the truth, but not a full lie, either. It was generous enough of Kang Dae to let Baek be in charge of the investigation of the current trespassing in the Woods. Although there were only rumors and no solid proof that someone really was breaking the law… it was better if one himself checked, right?

  A movement ahead caught Baekhyun’s eye. He sprinted into a run, but immediately stopped a few feet away when he saw what it was.

  A familiar girl in a familiar dress, holding a bucket of water, was walking in the direction away from the Woods.

  He observed her as she suddenly crouched down, but to examine a flower? Or to pick up a pebble? Baekhyun started walking before guessing.

  “Milady,” he said as he approached her.

***

  After securing the horse to the railing, Rick took off the hood of his cloak and motioned for the girl to come closer.

  “Yes, Father?”

  “Listen to me carefully, Andrea, my dear,” Rick said in a hushed voice. “There is an errand I need to make in the castle. You must wait for me here. Until I get back, try as best as you can to blend in the shadows and hide yourself.”

  “But – “

  Rick shook his head. “We cannot take the risk of a castle guard, or even worse, a royal, catching sight of you.”

  “For a reason you never care telling me, Father.”

  Furrowing his eyebrows, Rick put his hands on Andrea’s shoulders. “I will tell you one day, my dear. I promise you that. But not now.” He instantly pulled away from her when a carriage passed by. “Be obedient and wait here. I will not take long.”

**

  How one defined ‘long’ was indeed subjective. To Andrea, Rick had been gone for too long. No one had noticed a girl hiding inside a horse stable yet, but she was getting impatient. Didn’t Rick say he was just doing an errand? Since when did errands take this long?

  She decided to tour around the castle herself.

  It was dusk, and many villagers had gone back home. Only a few merchants were still looking for customers on the streets, along with a few girls standing a few feet away from the outside walls of the castle, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the charming prince from the open windows.

  Andrea had never seen the prince before, but she heard him be the topic of nearly every group of girls in the shack everytime, ever since she paid it her first visit two months ago. According to those lucky girls who had seen the prince in person and their amount of squealing, the crown prince, Byun Baekhyun was the most perfect human being ever to exist.

  Hmph, Andrea thought. Is that even possible?

  A few high-pitched squeals erupted from behind Andrea, and by instinct, she scurried to hide in any shadow she could find before poking her head out to see what was happening.

  That one poke, changed her whole world.

  After securing herself and making sure that no one could see her, she saw a group of at least a dozen girls in a circle, surrounding something – or someone.

  The prince.

  He was taller than all the girls, so she could see his face clearly. No confirming was needed to tell her that he was the one and only, Byun Baekhyun, because, well, it would just be extra. One would have immediately assumed that he was the prince, from the way he stood, the outfit he was in, the amount of squeals and sighs from the girls around him –

  The way his smile seemed to make him radiate of light, and how his eyes twinkled like dazzling diamonds in the remaining sunlight.

  Andrea didn’t realize she had wide open until a strand of her hair fell into . Embarrassed and startled, she snapped it shut with such a force it almost cost her a few teeth.

  “… visit?” Andrea heard a village girl ask as she strained her ears.

  Baekhyun smiled a smile that didn’t seem anywhere near forced or fake. “I would love to visit the village – “

  The girls squealed.

   “– but I would have to require the king’s permission first.”

  “Why?” Another girl among the crowd asked. “Why does His Majesty forbid you to come and why do you always have to obey him?”

  An emotion Andrea had only seen on Rick’s face once before flashed across Baekhyun’s face for less than a millisecond, and somehow, it made her heart twist a little. “Everyone has their own reasons, ladies.” He smiled, but Andrea saw the pain he was trying to hide. “Besides, who can disobey the kings's orders?”

  “But – “

  Suddenly, a clutter of horse hooves erupted, causing the girls to scream and turn to scold at the interrupter – until they saw who it was.

  “Kai!” Baekhyun approached the horse with a smile as the rider jumped down. “You frightened the ladies.”

  Kai’s face was a mask of nothing, and Andrea held her breath as she watched him survey the group of girls with his cold stare. “It’s already dusk, ladies. You should be going home.”

  Andrea scoffed silently and rolled her eyes, recalling the feelings she had towards him when she had first saw Kai: Anger, for having just watching the whole scene as Lucas had been beaten up just a few days ago.

  She hadn’t known who he was until Lucas told her when she was treating his wounds. Kim Jongin, the head of the Royal Guards and the prince’s best friend, whom was always called by his nickname, Kai.

  Because of him, Andrea had started to view royalties as jerks, as arrogant, selfish people who never gave others a hand. She started to think royalties as people she would never want to have contact with.

  But everything about that changed since she first laid eyes on Baekhyun.

***

  It was a relief that there was no one around. It was a relief that Lucas or Rick (or Kai, as Baekhyun thought) were not around, or they would’ve ogled at the scene in front of their eyes, at the position Andrea and Baekhyun were in. It all happened because she had been startled by his sudden voice, leading up to her knocking over the bucket of water behind her… but still.

  Baekhyun had a hand on the grass behind Andrea to support him, while his other one was still firmly grabbing her arm since he had tried to save her from tumbling backwards. It didn’t work, though, because Andrea still fell onto the soft grass after clumsily tripping over the water bucket, accidently pulling Baekhyun down, too.

  So there they were, Andrea’s back on the grass with the prince on top of her, their shock reflecting in each other’s eyes. They stared at each other, their own thoughts bouncing around in their heads.

  I-Isn’t it… the prince?!

  … Andrea?

  “I’m so sorry!” Flustered, Andrea scrambled to push herself up with her elbows, but then bumped foreheads with Baekhyun because he didn’t move.

  “Ow – “they both cried out at the same time. Andrea felt embarrassed for hurting him and being unusually clumsy, which was not like her at all.

  “Your highness,” she started panicking when she saw him pull back to sit on the grass and rubbed his forehead. “I-I-“

  Baekhyun stopped rubbing his forehead abruptly, took in Andrea’s panicky face, and started laughing, leaving her stunned.

  “It’s alright,” he said. “You don’t have to look at me like I’m about to die any second!”

  “B-b-but – “

  “It’s just a little bump.” He smiled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “It’s nice to get one once a while.”

  Dumbfounded, Andrea stared at Baekhyun. He seemed so… easygoing, so approachable and so nice, and an unfamiliar feeling started brewing in her chest. Scared by the sudden overwhelming feeling and not wanting to embarrass herself again, she scurried to her feet and grabbed the bucket.

  “Wait… don’t go!”

  The harmony of Baekhyun’s voice and his words stopped Andrea in her tracks completely.

  “I-I mean…” a very faint shade of pink appeared on the prince’s cheeks. “I… uh…” after frantically looking around, he patted the grass on the right of where he was sitting. “T-talk with me for a little while.”

  Surprised, Andrea turned around. “Your highness – “

  “Sit.” His tone was firm, but he was pouting. “And I would really appreciate it if you kind of… dropped the formality.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Just… chat with me like you’re chatting with a friend of yours.”

  Cautiously and tentatively, Andrea walked over and sat down. Is this what they call... awkward? “Your high-I-I mean – “

  “Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun.” He held out his hand as if meeting her for the first time. “Call me Baek if you like. And you are…?”

  “A-Andrea.”

  “Nice to meet you again, Andrea Archer.” The smile on Baekhyun’s face was bright and welcoming, and it banished the doubts and unbelief in Andrea’s heart. The prince really was talking to her, the two of them alone, in the backyard of her cottage. It made her feel… what do you call it? Ah, yes. Giddy.

  “S-so, what wind blew you to here, B… Baek?”

  A teasing smile crept up Baekhyun’s face. “Do you always ask others that question first?”

  “Well…” she smiled. “I guess so.”

  “Okay, well, maybe I should just reply the same – “

  “You’re checking on the people of your father’s country miles away from the village?” She recoiled immediately, thinking that she had been rude, but Baekhyun just laughed.

  “No, it’s okay!” He stopped her from feeling bad. “That’s good. You’re interrupting me. It’s good, I mean, it means you’re really talking to me like talking to a friend, not as a prince. Very good.”

  “Baek – “

  “Thanks, Andrea.” Baekhyun smiled at her. “It feels good talking to a normal friend.”

  Andrea’s heart started feeling like it was too big for her rib cage. “Baek – “

  “Who said she wants to be your friend?” A menacing tone appeared a second before the two of them felt somebody's shadow loom over them from behind.

[Author's Note] I. AM. OFFICIALLY. BAEK. SUMMER. IS. HERE. OHKAI so I know these chaps don't really have any... main stuff, like what this story is really about or something, and it might be a tiny little bit boring.

BUT BUT BUT I PROMISE YOU GUYS AFTER THE NEXT CHAP WHICH IS ALSO A MAIN FILLER THINGS WILL START GETTING... INTERESTING. I mean, if my plan doesn't get ruined or anything. THANK YOU ALL FOR SUBSCRIBING AND SUPPORTING MY FIC <3<3