(+) baichi - idiot

(+) tidak mengapa, kakanda akan selamatkan adinda-adinda - it's okay, i (sister) will save you (little brother)

(+) lari! lari sejauh mungkin. dan jikalau adinda-adinda terjumpa lelaki perkasa, suruh mereka datang ke sini untuk tolong kakanda - run! run as far as you can. and if you found any tough-looking men, send them here to help me

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“So how are things with Luhan?” Prince Kai questions the Alana who was currently lying on the grass next to him. Jongin looks at her from his peripheral view, and he could see that he eyes were closed. Her eyes blinked open at the mention of Luhan. “Luhan? Why would you ask about him so suddenly?”

Jongin smirked as he pulls out another batch of grasses with his palms. “Oh come on, Alana. It’s as crystal clear as the water; we all know that the both of you are in love.” His reply was as quiet as the afternoon wind that was passing by. Alana sighed as she closes her eyes once more. “In love… sounds like a serious word.”

Jongin raised a brow at her. “Well, aren’t you?” He was feeling defensive for Luhan all of a sudden, because this past week, his brotherly bond with Luhan grew. From afar, you can already see that Luhan and Jongin are the best of friends.

Alana sat up and brushes the dried leaves off her skirt.

“It’s complicated, Jongin.” With a shake of her head, she stands up, leaving a rather flabbergasted Jongin behind. After a minute or so, staring at her retrieving body, he stands up and follows in suit with her. His long, lean fingers wrap themselves around her wrist, stopping her from walking any further. He bends down and stares into her eyes, “Then talk to me.”

Alana bit her lips, annoyed. “Can’t you see Jongin?!” Her voice boomed through the empty field. His jaws fell open. “Luhan and I can’t be together. I am the princess of this country, and he’s the General’s son. He’s Chinese and I’m Malay. We will never be accepted by the citizens. You should know it for yourself.” She utters, with the deepest regrets in her voice.

“And above all…” A tear falls from her eyes and taints her cheeks.

“I’m royalty…”

“And he’s a peasant.” Jongin finishes off for her.

Alana looks up to his face from the ground, unable to contain her sadness anymore. “Why is-“ She chokes as she rubs her palms messily onto her face to dry the tears.

“Why is life so unfair?”

Jongin could only hug in reply as he pats her back. He laughs to himself and utters softly, “Life’s bull.”

__________

Alana was in her study, busy looking through the piles and piles of documents that the King had given to her for her to confirm them. Files after files, pieces after the pieces she looked through the words carefully, wanting to sincerely take care of the people’s welfare. Her coronation was coming and she knew that sooner or later she will have to take over the throne.

Night had fall, and she didn’t even knew. Jiho called her out for dinner but she never gave an answer. She heaved a relieved sigh as she closes the final file, ready to head upstairs to bed. Glancing towards the grandfather clock by the living as she made her way towards the stairs, she was surprised to see that it had passed 1 o’ clock in the morning.

*God, and I even have school tomorrow.*

Once she enters her room, she closes her door. Taking her nightgown, she suddenly hears a knock from the window across her bed. With her brows raised, she peers over the window to see no one so she shrugs her shoulders and went inside the bathroom.

Not realising the presence of a person by her bead as she steps out of the bathroom, she sat by her vanity and almost jumps out of her seat when she sees Luhan’s reflection through her vanity’s mirror. She turns back to face him and says in a hushed tone, “Luhan!”

He gave her his million-dollar-smile and pats a hand on her bed, signaling her to come. Feeling hesitant, Alana turns her back against him and whispers, “You should go home, Luhan.”

“Alana.” His voice came out stronger than intended.

Petrified, she looks back to see a stern-looking Luhan, and so she makes her way next to him on her bed. “Hi…” Luhan mutters as he pushes a strand of her hand behind her ears. She looks up to him and returns the favor when she fixes his disarrayed-looking hair.

“How did you get up here?” Stoically, she questions without a void of emotion across her face. “Climbed up the third floor and found out that the windows through your room was unlocked.” He answers. “What about your patrolling duty?” Alana inquires once more. With a shake of his head, Luhan replies, “I don’t have them this month.” She nods and opens to speak once more, but Luhan beat her to it.

“If you open your mouth to tell me to leave once more, I won’t hesitate to attack you right on this very bed right now.”

Alana gasps. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Luhan grins. “Who says?”

Unknown to Alana, Luhan already had his arms around her waist, and so he tickles her, causing her to topple over the bed. Luhan falls on her and he felt good again to be able to see that smile on her face once more.

Beautiful, genuine, and sincere.

“Lu-Luhan-“ Alana says in short breaths. She was ticklish, and Luhan knew it so he used it against her. It felt like her oxygen tank had been cut short. “S-S-Stop!” She squeals and pokes him by the side of his waists, only making Luhan’s grin grow wilder. “You dare to disobey me, huh?” Luhan speaks as he tickles her harder.

“Lu-Luhan!” She finally erupts in laughter, and when she realises she was too loud, Luhan shushes her and she giggles silently. Luhan pecks her forehead gently, and lets his body fall next to hers on her bed.

Even with the tickling and poking war over, they both couldn’t seem to die their laughter down. Interlacing their fingers together, Luhan kisses the top of her hands and plops a hand on his chin to get a better view of Alana. His face turns serious as he watches her eyes shine under the moonlight. To this, Alana immediately shuts up and places a hand on his cold cheek.

“What’s wrong?” She questions.

Luhan puts his hand on top of her, and starts to rub her hand with his thumb in circles. “You have been avoiding me.” He puts on a sad pout, and all Alana wanted to do right then was cradle him in her arms. “No I did not.” She fights back.

“When I want to be alone with you, you would call another one of our friends around to accompany us. And when I want to go out on a date with you alone, you would call the whole bunch of our friends to go together. You won’t even let me walk you home anymore, is that what you call not avoiding?” Luhan pours out what his heart says.

Alana looks away from his eyes. “I-“

“Baichi.” Luhan says with a sad face.

“I-“ She was lost for words, and Luhan knew it.

“Look at me.” Luhan lets go of her hands and cups her face, close to his. He gets on top of her, and caressed her cheeks. “Tell me what’s wrong?” And at that moment, Alana could see that gleam in his eyes. The sparkle that meant that he knew what the problem was. Jongin had probably spoke to him. *Damn you son, Jongin.* Alana curses.

“Jongin only did what he think was right. And talking to me was the right thing to do.” Luhan says.

“You don’t understand-“

“Yes, I do understand, Alana.” He debates.

A moment of silence went by, that is, until Luhan spoke up.

“Sometimes, I don’t think that you’re my other half anymore,”

Alana hitches a breath.

“Because I already think us as one.” Luhan completes, placing his forehead onto hers.

“Luhan…” Alana utters as she melts into his eyes. “We need to try, Alana. If we never do, we’ll never know.”

“But your dad-“

“I think I can handle him pretty well enough. I mean, my mom basically ships us already.”

Alana blushes to this. Luhan kisses her neck in reply, and trails his kisses all over her clavicle. “Wait, Luhan, no.” Alana in a breath, and pushes his chest lightly, still uncomfortable with intimate touches due to that incident 2 weeks ago. Luhan immediately grew alarmed as he looks into her eyes for any signs on hurt. “I’m sorry, did I- I hurt you?”

She shakes her head and smiles, “No, but can you please get off me now?”

“Oh!” Luhan finally realises of the position that they were in right now and agrees that it was inappropriate. Luhan regained his original place next to Alana on her bed. And as they both stared at the ceiling, fingers intertwined, all they could think was how lucky are they to have each other.

“I think I love you, Alana.” Luhan silently whispered when he sees that Alana was finally asleep under his arms. Getting off the bed, he pulls the duvet over her petite body and left, not forgetting to kiss her goodbye on the nose.

Once Luhan was gone, Alana’s eyes snapped open as she sighed to herself. “Hmm…” She utters to herself as she grabs her sketchbook from her bedside table to draw something. Her fingers shook as the ink met with the surface of the paper. Those three enchanting words, --- it has been a long time since someone had said that to her.

__________

The next day, Alana was excused from school. With the coronation happening this Friday, --- which was just two days away, mind you, --- Alana didn’t have much time for the school. She’s sent invitation letters to the people that she wanted to see on her coronation day, and those people included Luhan and her 11 dorky friends.

Her face stayed emotionless as the tailors went by her like a car drifting in a race, measuring her body everywhere. It became a tradition for the coronation to be held grandly like this, with custom made dress and custom made shoes and custom made everything. Maybe even custom made hair but Alana obviously would not oblige to that.

After an hour being a doll to the tailors, she left her stepmother to do the job of explaining how the dress would be like to the tailors. Honestly, Alana didn’t give a about how the dress would look like, she only wanted Friday to go pass swiftly without much problem.

“Dad, I’m going to the city for a while, to clear out my head?” She asks for permission from the King, and he nods in reply from his office’s desk. Alana lowers her head in reply and walked out of the mansion, not before debating with Jiho though. And as usual, Jiho insisted to go with her, but being the stubborn Alana, she refused to let him go as she knows how tired he was with the coronation.

And as she walked in the windy October air, she thought of what flowers to buy for her brother today. The bouquet of daisies that she brought 3 days ago into his room had wilted, so she ought to choose her pick today before arriving at the florist.

*Maybe hoya flowers?*

*Hoya flowers it is.* She nods to herself and buys a whole bunch of them, which varies in different sizes and colors. Once she was done with her task in the city, she walks back home but halts midway when she sees two young boys being held in hostage by a few bulky men with riffles in their hands. The closer she went to them, only did she realised that the children were being beaten by the bulky men.

Although afraid for her safety as well, Alana braved herself to step into their business.

“Excuse me, what do you think you are doing?” Alana speaks with an annoyed tone.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” One man says as he circles around her.

Alana sneers. “Don’t you have manners? Didn’t your parents teach you that it is not alright to hit children?” She pushes herself in front of the two boys, and bent down to their height to say, “Tidak mengapa, kakanda akan selamatkan adinda-adinda.” The two boys nodded in fright, cowering behind Alana’s frame.

“Look, lady. You better leave if you don’t want anything bad to happen.” Another man warned.

Alana smirked. She was the princess of this country and she was born for this.

Placing a hand on the man’s shoulder, she punched him in the gut, and elbowed the other man behind.

She was born to take care of her nation.

“No one messes with my people.” Alana hisses and punched the other man right on his face.

She looks back at the two children. “Lari! Lari sejauh mungkin. Dan jikalau adinda-adinda terjumpa lelaki perkasa, suruh mereka datang ke sini untuk tolong kakanda!” The two boys ran with all their  might, in search for help.

When Alana turned back front, she was surprised with a hit in the face.

She stumbles onto the ground, her lips bleeding.

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hello there! so i came back from UK! what do you think of this chapter huehuhue

xoxo, Tuna.