YEONHWA’S POV

The next morning, the candidates for the crown princess started pouring through the gates. It seemed that I lived relatively close to the palace, so it didn't take more than one day to arrive. There were girls of all ages, ranging between 10 and 18. Because every town was required to send one girl, most of them fought to be chosen. To most people, the palace was a place for opportunity and a chance to greatness.

All the girls around me were so pretty that I didn't feel the need to hide my face anymore.

There were many girls who had training in almost every form for what to do as a princess already. They knew how to embroider a handkerchief, how to write calligraphy and how to cook. Many of these were skills I knew as well, but it was intimidating to realize how something once a treasure can turn into something so dull somewhere else.

I was right when I predicted that the girls wouldn't be as passive as me. They were here with a purpose to honor their family and bring honor to themselves. These girls had to prove that they belonged the palace. As for me, I didn't see the value of it. I would much rather be in the comfort of my own home without worrying about the public's attention. The moment the girls walked into the courtyard, I felt so plain. Their hanboks were decorated with such elaborate designs and their faces were painted to appear to have a better complexion and even had bright red painted on their lips. I was jealous of such treatment. I felt bad feeling that what I had wasn't enough, but the people in my town chose me and then just sent me off.

In the afternoon, all the girls present were scheduled to introduce themselves to the king. I argued that I didn't have to go, but the eunuch said that the king personally requested my presence.

I was taken aback by such an honor so I promptly gave up my whines and went with the crowd. The girls didn't seem to the comfortable with each other and only saw each other as competitors. I wasn't good at breaking the ice, so I simple stayed quiet.

When we lined up in front of the gate, the eunuch requested that me and Younger stand at the very front to lead the newcomers. Though reluctant, I accepted the place.

The eunuch announced our presence, and the giant red doors opened to let us into the kings throneroom.  We cautiously walked down the aisle with our head lowered. I stopped when I got to a close proximity to the king and greeted him.

"It is a pleasure to be in your presence, your majesty."

"Choi Yeonhwa..." the kings booming voice echoed through the room. "I thought we agreed for you to not bow your head." He said with a chuckle.

I smiled, without looking up. "It would not be appropriate for someone like me to have the freedom to look directly at royalty." I answered.

At that moment the door busted open and all of us were taken by shock. Even in this situation I couldn't allow myself to look up at who it was. All I heard were light footsteps making their way to where i was standing.

"Such beautiful ladies." A masculine voice said. "What's the occasion?"

"Just what are you doing right now?" The kings voice demanded of the person now standing next to me.

Unfortunately, this person didn't seem to hear the kings words and suddenly I caught his attention. He put his finger under my chin and lifted my face up to look at him.

I looked at him for the first time and I immediately knew who he was. He was the second prince. While Jongin looked like the king,  the second Prince looked like the queen. His looks proved his existence in royalty. He had a slimmer face than Jongin but his features screamed masculinity.

"Such beauty," he smiled at me. His voice was also deliciously deep. "You're Choi Yeonhwa." He stated.

Before I could say anything, another voice entered the room. "Don't you dare touch her." It was a demanding, but familiar voice. It was Kim Jongin's voice. I watched as the second Prince smiled. His finger immediately dropped from my chin.

"What is Choi Yeonhwa to you, brother?" I could almost feel the shock in the girls behind me. The way he spit out the word "brother" like it was something repulsive made me realize that the fight for the throne is a brutal one.

"It doesn't matter what she is to me, what matters is that you should not be freely touching any woman." Jongin said.

“Since when did you become such a gentleman?” The second prince cocked his head to the side in amusement.

“That’s enough.” The king stood up and the queen looked hurt by the situation. “Leave now. You’re interrupting an official meeting.”

“What? This is an official meeting? A bunch of girls who want to marry the crown prince meeting the king is official?” Jongin’s brother said.

“Guards take him out.” The king demanded and within seconds he was being dragged to the door, but he had rebellion on his face; only amusement.

To think that Jongin had a brother who wanted to see his downfall so badly hurt me. To think that anyone would hate anyone to that amount that they would be willing to bring themselves down too. It hurt.

“I apologize for that.” The king said to the girls present, though it felt like he was only saying it to me because of his gaze. That was when i realized that my head was still held high, and i liked it like that. I, for the first time, felt comfortable following the king’s order.

That was also when i looked slightly over the king’s right shoulder to see Jongin sitting quietly and composed. He looked at me with a small crooked smile on his face. I would have missed it if i wasn’t paying attention. His gaze pulled me in… pulled me in too much. He seemed so inviting, so comforting. He wasn’t cocky and cold like i imagined him to be, he was warm and welcoming.

“Let’s continue this on a different day so all of us have time to compose ourselves.” The king said before getting up from his throne and escorting the queen. Jongin followed behind them, but not without sending a look to me. I wanted it to say ‘i want to see you again’ but i can only ask for so much.

YEONHEE’S POV

Everything changed in that one moment. From then on, it wasn’t just about my sister becoming queen, it was also about the second prince.

The words my parents said to me before i left echoed in my ear.

“Yeonhee-ah, the town wants your sister to become queen, but don’t be afraid of still trying your best. If what that old man said is true, you’ll also have your chance at honor.”

I loved my sister a lot. She was pretty and kind and talented and though i longed to be like her, she never failed to make me feel just as special as everyone made her feel. My sister understood that what was under the skin was more important and that beauty is fleeting. My sister understood that as the years pass, people will lose their respect for her as her beauty leaves her face. Also, i knew my sister was attracted to the crown prince. Though she showed no intention of becoming the queen, she enjoyed the presence of the prince. She doesn’t know this but i saw her speaking to the prince in the courtyard that one night, and i knew her motives here at the palace changed.

I didn’t know if Yeonhwa realized this, but the man who touched her was the second prince… and again my sister was the one who captured his attention. But i wasn’t discouraged. My sister wasn’t able to hide her emotions and her face clearly displayed her disgust in a stranger actually putting his hands on her, no matter who he was.

The second prince caught my attention the second he came in. His charisma shook me in ways i haven’t been before. I’ve never felt this way about a man before, but i wanted his attention and i wanted his company. There was something that i couldn’t quite place that attracted me to him. One thing i could identify however, was that i wanted to remove all the hatred within him.

He’s been drowning in his hatred for his own family in so long, that he would be willing to randomly barge into the throne room and make himself look bad, so that they would look bad.

As he turned around to leave the throne room, i tilted my head only the slightest bit upwards, just so i could catch a glimpse of his face. I made eye contact with him for only the slightest second, but his intense gaze left such an impact on me.

Hopefully, what that old man said was true.

Hopefully, i’ll be able to become the his princess.

a/n: hey guys! i updated this finally cuz i may or may not have been crying over kris' new song :D I see a few of you were quite excited about this update, so i'll try my best to update in the next few days, depending on how much i can't sleep LOL. Just letting u know i write mostly between 12 am and 2 am because i find that that's when i write the best, and also because i have nothing else to do when i can't sleep -___- It's ok tho!

We finally get to see the beginning of Yeonhee and Sehun :D i'm so excited about them you don't even understand lol all will be revealed in good time XD

hope you enjoyed this update, and don't forget to comment (pls i wanna know what you guys think :D ), upvote and subscribe ^^