After D.O asked a servant to show Soorin to her room. She was shocked to find herself in a luxurious room. I'm going to be sleeping here? A little too luxurious for my taste and I bet there's going to be a catch. She thought silently.

"Smart girl, there is going to be a catch." A voice said.

Soorin turned around and found herself face-to-face with Luhan. "How did you know about what I was thinking about?" She asked.

"Lucky guess." Luhan shrugged.

"Well, I don't care about the catch. You can have me sleeping outside and I won't complain." Soorin said crossing her arms.

"Come on, dont be like that~" Luhan asked sweetly.

The way he talked made her tear up a little. It reminded her how Jaerin asked her if he could sleep in her bed.

"I'll be like this if I want to." She snapped turning herself away from Luhan so, he couldn't see her tearing face.

"Y-You're crying?" Luhan asked incredulously. This girl does have a soft spot after all...

"Aint like you'll do anything about it, right? Im just an object for you guys to toy with." Her voice cracked.

"I wont treat you like that!" Luhan lied with a sweet tone.

"Heh, liar. And stop with the sweet tone, its sick and it reminds me of m-...never mind." Soorin scoffed.

"Reminds you of what?" Luhan asked curiously. How did she know I was lying?

"No one. Now get out or I'll make you." Soorin threatened.

"If you hurt me, there will be consequences." Luhan warned.

"Better be hurt physically to forget about the pain on the inside, right? Go ahead call the guards. Make them punish me. Not that I care." Soorin shrugged as she put her hand around Luhan's neck.

Her eyes were cold. Whats with this girl? Luhan gulped as her hand tightened around his neck. His eyes widened as he saw a tear roll down her cheek but, her eyes stayed cold.

"You're not even worth killing. Get out." Soorin ordered wiping her tear. Luhan reminds me of Jaerin, a little too much. Even if his cute act was just an act. She thought silently.

"What if I dont want to?" Luhan asked.

"Fine then. Then I'll leave." Soorin said walking to the balcony and climbed onto the railing.

"Yah! Are you crazy?!" Luhan exclaimed.

"Yep, I'm crazy enough to do this." Soorin smirked and jumped off the railing.

Luhan just stood there, mesmerized and shocked. Shocked because she jumped from the third floor but, mesmerized by her beauty. Her hair flowed so perfectly and-Wait... Luhan get a grip. He thought shaking his head. He should move but, he just stood there with his mouth slightly agaped.

"Hyung, you're going to catch flies if you keep your mouth open like that." Sehun said walking into the room.

"Oh....Sehun. Um, yeah. Lets see whats the others doing." Luhan suggested scratching the back of his neck.

"They're doing the typical...Tao-hyung's napping somewhere. Baekhyun-hyung and Chanyeol-hyung are playing around. D.O-hyung and Kai-hyung are chatting somewhere. Chen-hyung and Xiumin-hyung are eating. Lay-hyung's probably wondering what he ate for breakfast while staring at a wall. And Kris-hyung and Suho-hyung are discussing something 'important'." Sehun shrugged.

"Ok, well what do you want to do, Sehunnie?" Luhan asked.

"Lets sneak out and buy something to drink!" Sehun said excitedly.

Shock ran up Soorin's body when she reached the floor. Not much damage. She thought as she examined herself. She landed in the garden, it was a beautiful place. Flowers of all sorts of colour everywhere! She walked around and hid whenever a guard was around. This is probably a private place. Only for royals. She thought as she hid herself. After the guard left, she continued walking but, it was only after a few steps when she had to hide again.

"Is this place infested with guards?!" She hissed under her breath.

The guard turned to her direction. She swore in her head and held her breath.

"What are you doing here?" A voice asked. Soorin immediately stiffened.

"Prince Tao! As you can see, I'm on patrolling the area for any intruders." The guard explained.

"I can assure you that there is no intruders. What would intruders do here? Steal flowers?" Tao asked.

The guard apologized and left. Soorin gave a small breath of relief and slowly walked more into the forest. This place even has their own forest. Soorin thought incredulously. Finally arriving somewhere peaceful with no one around, Soorin sat near the river, took off her boots and placed her feet in the cool water. The nostalgic feeling washed over her. It reminded her of those moments she shared with her mother. Tears started to form in her eyes once again but, she didn't bother hiding it this time. She let the tears run down her face.

"Jaerin-ah...I hope you're doing fine. You better not have gotten sick again, kay? Noona will come back soon as promised." Soorin whispered to herself. "If I can survive." She added bitterly. It wasnt that Soorin was an emotionally girl but, this is a little too much for her. She missed her brother, Hyundae and her clan terribly.

Tao followed Soorin into the forest. He knew she was there and if he didnt say anything, the guard would've definitely found her. When she finally stopped walking, she sat down on the floor and, to his surprise, started crying quietly. He heard her mumble something but, couldnt quite decipher what she said. Tao took a step when a stick snapped.

"Who's there?" Soorin asked wiping her tears. I cannot let anyone see me in this embarassing state. She thought. She was taught that as a leader, she must never show weakness. She failed that lesson twice today.

This girl is sharp. Tao gulped debating if he should reveal hinself.

"I asked who's there?" Soorin asked with a more threatening tone.

"Its just me." Tao said quietly as he came out of his hiding.

"First Luhan and now you. What do you want?" Soorin sighed.

"I-I...well...this is where I nap...usually..." Tao said.

"Oh...well, then...forgive me. I'll leave." Soorin said coldly brushing off the dirt as she stood up.

"There's nowhere, where I can be alone." She muttered as she walked away from Tao.

"Yah! You cant walk away! You belong to us now!" Tao shouted.

This made Soorin stop in her tracks, she made her way back to Tao and looked at him in the eye.

"Look here, Prince Tao," Scoffing at the word prince. "I do NOT belong to anybody but, myself. So, I decide whether I can leave or not. Not you." She snapped and turn her back to him once again, and continued walking.

"Yah! You cant walk away!" Tao repeated.

"Look at this, Prince Tao. I already am." Soorin smirked.

Tao was left speechless. Never did a girl talk to him with that manner. Nor did a girl ever come that close to him. He liked his personal space unless it came to fighting.

"Woah, Tao just got...well...disrespected. Normally people fear you to the point they would have a two meter distance between you." Kai said appearing out of nowhere.

"Weren't you with D.O-hyung?" Tao asked.

"I was curious 'bout Soorin. Luhan and Sehun came back not too long ago. Luhan said that girl was crying then, threatened him or something. And we were all like 'WTF? that girl crying?' and yeah. Thats how I came here!" Kai explained.

"Well, I just saw her crying." Tao stated.

"Really? What was she crying about?" Kai asked.

"Why would I know? Ask Luhan-hyung!" Tao exclaimed.

Soorin walked to the edge of forest. She felt slightly bad for snapping at the two princes but, it was a very little bad. She heard something move in the bushes.

"Which prince is it this time? Kai? Chen? Maybe D.O? Or Lay?" Soorin sighed in an annoyed manner.

When no reply was heard, Soorin walked over to the sound and looked into the bush. Instead of finding a prince (to her relief), she found a baby owl with a note tied to it. Untying the note, the owl jumped on to her shoulder.

'Annyeong, Soorin! If you're reading this, that means the owl found you! (And that you're still alive) In case you didnt know who this is, its Hyundae~ Now you can be in contact with us! Now dont start crying! Jaerin also has something to say to you too!' She read.

That Hyundae, he knows me too well. She thought as she felt tears in her eyes, AGAIN. Soorin knows she's going to cry if she continues to read but, she continued either way.

'Annyeong, noona! I know what you're going to say, I can already picture it in my head. "Yah! Jaerin-ah! You didnt get sick again, did you?" And blah blah blah! And the answer to that is NO! I didnt get sick again, Hyundae-hyung took good care of me as promised. Speaking of promises...You better keep yours! Write back so I know you're still alive! I really miss you though...You better be planning your grand escape! Well, Im running out of space so I'll end my message here. Bye bye~ Hope to see you soon. P.S. Dont fall for any of the princes! They're all jerks!' She chuckled at the message.

The owl perched on her shoulder pecked her cheek gently. Picking the owl up, she noticed a collar around his neck along with a pouch. She looked at the collar and read the name 'Paemi'.

"Paemi? Is that your name?" Soorin asked, the little owl who flapped her wings as an answer.

"Well, Paemi. I guess you'll stay with me for now. I'll give you a message to send soon though." She said petting Paemi.

Paemi rested on Soorin's shoulder as they start to walk back to the castle. When she found her way back, the 12 princes were waiting for her.

"What? Is this a reunion party or something?" She asked.

"You've been crying...Care to tell us why?" Suho asked touching her tear stained cheek.

Paemi was surprise by the sudden contact between the prince and her master, and nearly attacked Suho.

"Calm down, Paemi. As for you, Prince Suho. I believe It's none of your business to know my emotional state. So please drop the kind act." Soorin said petting Paemi.

"You're right...Well I hope in the future, you would trust us and tell us your troubles." Suho chuckled

"Trust? Hah, thats never going to happen. As long as I know that my frien-I mean...someone I knew was killed thanks to you, my trust will never be given to you." Soorin scoffed.

"Look at her! She's offending the princes! Call the guards!" A voice ordered.

"Yes, Lady Hyomi? What would you like us to do?" One of the guards asked. Soorin recongnized him, it was the guard that she injured.

"Dispose us of this peasant." Hyomi ordered.

The guards in circled Soorin, everyone expected her to cower in fear but, to everyone's surprise, she chuckled.

"1 against 6? Don't you think That's a little harsh for a little girl like me?" She pouted.

The guards faltered and looked to Hyomi for further instructions. Taking that opportunity, Soorin attacked the guard she injured in the previous hours of her stay.

"Didn't I say that you need to rest for 2~3 weeks? And You're holding a sword! You're very foolish. Do you want your wrists to be busted longer or, do you want me to bust them even more than they already are?" Soorin asked as she stood above the guard.

The guard was about to answer when another guard came up to her from behind. The guard was about to strike when, Soorin took his arm and flipped over him. And kicked him on the back of the neck so hard that the guard fell unconscious. Although it worked, Soorin regretted the decision. Now her leg is throbbing from kicking the metal helmet the guard was wearing.

The four remaining guards surrounded her with swords but, Soorin didnt falter. The princes watched in amazement, somehow they were a bit...attracted to the girl fighting.

Aish....this is tiring and boring. These guards cant even fight properly! Honestly, I dont get whats so scary about the Dead Fangs if their guards and soldiers are SO weak! Soorin thought as all four guards charged at her.

Soorin deflected the swords and manage to unarm one of the guards. Taking the sword on the floor, she took her stance to fight.

"Ok, ok. Break it up. Aunt Hyomi? What is the meaning of this?" A man asked.

"F-Father!" The princes exclaimed.

Soorin turned to see the king but, the guards took the opportunity to take down Soorin. She cursed under her breath for her curiosity as she felt a guard sitting on her back.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Hyomi asked.

"Not quite...You haven't seen my full potential. And I don't think you can do any better." Soorin grinned as she flipped the guards sitting on her and pulled his arm behind him. She took a dagger out from his pocket and placed beside his neck.

"See?" She asked raising an eyebrow at Hyomi.

"What beautiful fighting you have, young lady! How about this?" The king clapped his hands.

"How about what?" Soorin asked.

"You become the princes bodyguard!" The king answered.

"No. And can I treat my swollen leg?" Soorin refused.

"Oh, pardon me. A peasant like myself asking for medical aid from the royals, how rude. Can I be granted permission to go to the garden?" Soorin asked.

"You may not!" Hyomi exclaimed.

"Oh, silly me. I have my own way." Soorin smirked as she made her way to a balcony.

"Dont tell me...she's going to jump, again?" Luhan asked.

"Jump? With that swollen leg?" Sehun asked.

"I can hear you, Luhan and Sehun. And yes, I am." Soorin said climbing on to the railing.

Before anyone could say anything, Soorin jumped off the railing. Unfortunately for her, the shock she earned when she hit the floor was much more painful. She held back a scream and got up, and made her way to the river. She sat down on the riverbank and ripped a piece of cloth from her tank-top. Soaking it in water, she placed it on the now purple-ish leg.

It was past lunch, Soorin was a bit hungry but, she didnt care. She wants to be away from tbe castle as much as possible.

"Paemi, if you're hungry. Go fly off and hunt some mice or something but, come back right after." Soorin told the owl.

The owl flew off. Soorin sat there staring at the sky when, she heard something in the bushes.

"Who is it? A prince? Hyomi? Or the king himself?" She asked eyes closed.

"A prince." The person answered.

"Which prince?" Soorin sighed as she turned her gaze to the prince.

"Chen." He answered.

"What do you want Chen?" Soorin asked.

"Are you just going to interrogate me? I only came because Suho-hyung said to treat you." Chen explained. "Even though he should've asked Lay-hyung." He muttered.

"Treat me? I dont think I asked for help." Soorin said.

"You did. Remember? 'Can I treat my swollen leg?'" Chen asked imitating Soorin.

"Yah! I dont talk like that!" Soorin protested.

"Whatever, do you want to be treated or not?" Chen asked.

"Just leave the kit there. I dont want you touching me." Soorin said pointing at the ground.

"Whatever you say, I rather not touch a peasant anyways." Chen shrugged placing the kit on the floor and sat down.

"I dont need your company. You can leave if you like." Soorin said.

"I would but, if I go back. Suho would be like 'Oh, where's Soorin? Is she ok?' and blah blah blah." Chen said.

"Well, I still dont need your company so, if you dont want to go back. Go play in the garden or something." Soorin said reaching for the kit.

"I rather have company than be alone." Chen stated.

"Well, Im not alone, I have Paemi. Speaking of Paemi, here she is." Soorin said as Paemi landed on to her shoulder.

"Ok, fine. I'll leave." Chen said getting up.

"Finally, he left. Did you have a good meal, Paemi?" Soorin asked petting her feathers.

Chen didnt exactly leave, he just left far enough that Soorin couldnt see him. Should I try pranking her? Chen wondered. He walked back to the garden and found a pot, he filled the pot with water and made his way back to the river.

Chen was surprised to see that Soorin was asleep at the riverbank with her owl, Paemi, curled up on her stomach. Walking towards the sleeping girl, Chen leaned over to have a good look at her without her snapping at him. How long have I been staring? A minute? Or five? Chen wondered as he continued staring, mesmerized by her. Fair skin, thin body (he's not a ert though), long lashes and pink plush lips, everything was perfect. Who was she before she came here? Was she like a princess? Chen wondered.

"You know, its not nice to stare." Soorin said with her eyes closed.

Chen stumbled backwards and accidentally threw the pot of water and it fell on Chen. What are the odds? Chen thought as he got soaked. Soorin laughed at the sight, clutching her stomach.

"Yah! Its not funny!" Chen exclaimed.

"But it is! Man, I wish that Jae-I mean...Never mind." Soorin said.

"Yah! See, if you like it!" Chen exclaimed cupping water in his hands and threw it at Soorin.

"Catch me if you can!" Soorin exclaimed as she felt the cold water on her arm.

"Yah! Come back here!" Chen called and ran after Soorin.

She ran back to the castle and saw a window that was conveniently opened. She jumped through the window and hid.

"Aish....Where did she go?" Chen sighed.

"Phew...He left." Soorin sighed in relief as Chen walked away.

"Ah, Soorin!" A voice called. Soorin turned around and found herself face-to-face with the king.

"Your majesty, I am terribly sorry for coming into your room whithout your permission." Soorin bowed.

"Ah, no. Dont worry, I suppose ChenChen was playing pranks on you wasnt he?" The king asked.

"Something of the sort. If you have no business with me, please excuse me." Soorin said walking towards the door.

"I really do want you to become the princes' bodyguard. It'd be a shame to let your skill be wasted as a maid." The king said.

"Thats an absurd idea, your majesty. A girl like me as a bodyguard? How will the others think?" Soorin asked.

"You say that but, you seem to hate the idea of 'girls being weaker than boys' a lot. I can see it in your eyes." The king said. "Dont you want to prove them wrong?" He added.

"Let me rephrase, your majesty. What would your people think?" Soorin asked.

"I couldnt care less about what they think, I care about my sons safety." The king stated.

"If I were to agree to be the princes' bodyguard, what are the benefits for me?" Soorin asked.

"You can roam wherever you like when you're off duty. You get a bedroom, food and clothes." The king said.

Honestly, Soorin couldnt care less about the bedroom, food or clothes. What caught her attention most was that she can go anywhere when she's off duty. It'll make it easier to escape... Soorin thought.

"Yout majesty, I agree with your offer. May I have Paemi with me at all times?" She asked.

"Of course! I'll have a maid take you to a room." The king replied. He was pleased with Soorin's answer.

"That wont be necessary, Prince D.O showed me a room. If you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving." Soorin said walking out the door.

"Hah....Being formal is too tiring." Soorin sighed.

"So, you can be polite." A voice said.

Soorin took the dagger from under her boot. (And yes, she hid a dagger. How else do you think she can protect herself?) And pointed it at the person's throat.

"Forget what I just said." The person said raising his hands in defense. It was Kris.

"What do you want, Kris?" Soorin asked putting her dagger back into its hiding place.

"Came to check up on our new bodyguard." He shrugged.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Soorin asked.

"Maybe...What made you finally agree?" Kris asked.

"I rather not wear a dress and be restrained to where I want to go." Soorin said.

"You have to accompany us everywhere, do what we ask you and-" Kris wanted to continue but, Soorin stopped him.

"Do you want me as your bodyguard or not?" Soorin snapped. "If you dont want me to, can I be your enemy?" She asked.

"I like option 1 better. Ok! Lets go see the others." Kris said.

"Im going to my room." Soorin said going the opposite direction as Kris.

"Remember? You have to listen to what the princes say and Im a prince." Kris grinned.

Sighing, Soorin followed Kris to where the other princes were