A/N: I know you’re confused so let me say it before someone asks.  Zian is Amber’s real name in this story. So if she’s with her family, She’s Huang Zian. If she’s anywhere else, or someone else is addressing her besides her family, she’s Huang Amber. And yes, she’s Amber from F(X) if you feel the need to imagine. I hope it would not confuse you more than it did me . LOL!

Minseok froze. Xiao Lu. This couldn't be happening, could it? She felt goosebumps at the back of her neck. Her hands trembled and for one moment, she gripped the plate tightly. She turned ever so slowly to the person standing behind her, a fake smile plastered on her face. Luhan's jaw dropped, his face paled. She felt a little triumphant.

"Don't you remember Minseok?" She heard Key ask. "She's from the same org in Harvard. And Minseok, I am sure you remember Choi Luhan."

"Of course. Who doesn't?" She let out a fake chuckle. "The Choi brothers were famous when they were in school. I think they still are. How do you do, Luhan-sunbae?" She tried hard not put an edge on her voice and smiled sweetly. So they are still together. She thought and gritted her teeth. Luhan kept Key even when they were together! So she really was a kept woman 'cause she's just his model.

"Tell me about it. They practically attract attention. Xiao Lu? Are you alright?"

"Xiumin-ah!" He hugged her tight that she can barely breathe. "Oh god it's really you!"

"E-Excuse me?" He couldn't have thought she's the same person he met four years ago, right? Minseok just stood there like a pole, flabbergast expression on her face. Then before she knew it, her bodyguards were giving Luhan a beating. And she was just watching, looking detached from the whole drama.

"Xiao Lu!" Key shrieked and screamed. "Stop it! Stop it!" She ran towards him and hugged Luhan. "Di? Di, are you okay?" Luhan was unable to speak

Di?! Did she just call him Di?

"Ahgassi, are you alright?" Ah Hao, his driver/bodyguard asked her. She just nodded absently. And then she saw a man rushing to their direction.

"Kibum! What happened?!" Key helped Luhan up, her face fear stricken. The tension between her bodyguards and the Choi entourage was almost tangible. Without Key, she could see that their people could have killed hers in no time.

"Take him to our room, Jinki." She ordered and the man she called Jinki guided Luhan out of the ballroom but not after giving her a furious glance. Half of their bodyguards followed them. "This is a misunderstanding. Stay back!" She looked at their people. "Ms. Kim, we're very sorry about how my cousin behaved. I think he just. . .he just mistook you for someone else. He'd been like that since three years ago and--"

"That's okay." She cut her off. Cousin? Luhan's her cousin? "I apologize, too, that my bodyguards were kind of. . .aggressive." They already caught the attention of all the guests and the relatives of the bride and groom were giving her the look. "Can we talk about this somewhere else?" She turned to Ah Hao. "You take care of this. Babo." She muttered.

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"The Imperial Family would like to thank all the people who extended their condolences and prayers. According to the Imperial Household Law of 1947, upon the demise of the Emperor, the Imperial heir should ascend to the throne. The Accession ceremony shall be held after the Imperial Funeral. The Imperial family would like to ask, especially to those we rule over, to give us enough time to grieve and to celebrate the greatness of our patriach for one last time before His Imperial Highness Prince Zitao ascends to the throne. Thank you and we love you." The head of the Imperial Household Council and the current Prime Minister of China, Xu Chingyun, read the letter from the Office of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Dowager Jing.

Seventy-seven hours ago, in one of his very rare appearances in public these past few years, the Emperor was shot dead by one of the spectators who immediately committed suicide after he shot the Emperor in close range.

The Emperor's Chief of Staff, the Prime Minister, and the Official Spokesperson of the Imperial Residence held a press conference just outside the Forbidden City to answer the growing questions of the people not just in China but the world.

"Would they burn the remains of the Emperor or bury him in the family mausoleum?" One reporter from Reuters asked.

"Like all the members of the Huang Dynasty and as stated to the Imperial Household Law, His Imperial Majesty shall be burried in the Imperial Mausoleum."

"Is Princess Zian still out of the country?"

"For the Imperial Family's safety, we're not allowed to divulge any information about the whereabouts of any of its members." The conference ended after a couple more questions much to the chagrin of the local and international media.

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Zian just sat beside Ziyi, unable to speak, unable to cry. Found unconscious in her London villa, her bodyguards and Imperial maids flew her to Beijing aboard an insconpicuous private jet lent by Choi Airways. Tao, the only family member who seem to have a presence of mind at any given moment, took care of the Emperor's funeral. Working side by side the Prince were the husbands of former Princesses Zianhui and Zhangwei. Zianhui, being the eldest in the family, was trying her hardest to relieve both her mother and youngest sister of the shock upon the Emperor's death three days ago.

More than two years ago, the Imperial Household kept receiving threats from unknown enemies but the family remained unharmed until three days ago. As a precautionary measure, Princess Zian was sent to study in London as the extended families of the Imperial Family lived well-guarded in exclusive communities outside the palace.

"Your Majesty. . .you have to eat. Princess." Behind Zianhui were an army of Imperial maids, carrying number of food trays, all of which, her mother's favorite. Her mother just waved a hand and Zian didn't even blink an eye. "Arrange the food on the table and leave." She ordered and the maids obeyed at once. "If you'll continue to be like this, Father won't leave in peace." She said when the maids left.

"Zian, your friends are already here, you might want to, at least, see them." Zhangwei sat beside her and placed an arm around her sister." When she left the palace after marriage, she often thought of Zian, being the only princess left, she had the burden of all their ceremonial and social duties that they all loathed to say the least.

"You all lied to me." Zian sat up straight, her face void of any emotion, her voice thick with accusation. Ziyi's eyes widened in disbelief. The Empress Dowager Jing just looked at her granddaughter like she had uttered something in alien language.

"Huang Zian!" Ziyi said in a reprimanding tone.

"Sunnu, what are you talking about?" Jing said in a calm, soothing tone.

"Didn't you say everything's okay? Didn't you say I have nothing to worry about?!" For the first time in her life, she raised her voice in front of her mother and her grandmother. "Now, Father's gone I didn't even have a chance to see him for the last time! I hate you! I hate all of you!" Ziyi stood up abruptly and gave her a backhand slap like she never did before.

"You, irreverent--!" Ziyi was red in anger.

"Ziyi." Jing stood up despite the slowness of her movements due to old age. She gathered Zian up and hugged her. "We are all suffering from our loss and it was always not good to fight. Zian, we purposely didn't tell you because your father wanted to protect you. When you let yourself be public property, he was worried but he knew you're happy and didn't want to ruin it." Zian was sobbing uncontrollably, for losing her father, for disrespecting her mother, for her grandmother's understanding, for keeping everything bottled inside for the last three days.

"Nainai. . .he's. . .gone. . .now. . ." She said in between sobs. "I still. . .have a. . lot to say. . .to him."

"Then talk to him, Sunni and he'll know at once. Now, apologize to your mother." She cajoled. Ziyi just stared at her mother-in-law in awe. Ever since she entered the palace after being chosen by the Imperial Household Council to be the Crown Princess, Jing had been an excellent teacher. Everything she knew, she shared. Even if every single drop of blood that flowed in the Empress Dowager’s veins was that of a true royal, she's still the most down-to-earth person she had ever met. Ziyi had always believed she fell in love with her mother-in-law first before to her husband.

Zian knelt in front of Ziyi but before she can utter a word, her mother held her up and hugged her. "I am so sorry Zian, I am so sorry!" Zianhui and Zhangwei joined the hug and together, they cried as a family.

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The door to the VIP suite burst open and Key entered, the bodyguards behind her. "Wait in the hallway, you guys." She ordered and their whole entourage left the room without a word. Onew was personally treating Luhan's minor bruises.

"What is happening to you, Xiao Lu? Are you mixing medications or something?" She asked, totally miffed.

"Jung Kibum!" Onew raised his voice. "Even if Xiao Lu was at fault, it didn't give them the right to beat the hell out of him! Let's sue them!"

"You can't. We can't." She sighed and applied the ointment to Luhan's bruises. He didn't even say anything.

"Why not?"

"She's Baekhyun's sister. And their father's Uncle Siwon's good friend. Besides, if someone hugs me all of sudden, a person you don't know, how would you feel, Lee Jinki?"

"That's beside the point!" Onew was red in vehemence. "I am not your bodyguard. I am your husband!" Key rolled her eyes at her husband's double standard.

"Yeah, right."

"Baekhyun's sister?" Luhan, for the first time, spoke. "She's Baekhyun's sister? Our Baekhyun?"

"Yes. She's Kim Minseok. You got it all wrong. Didn't you know her? She's your junior from business school. Oh anyway, you're a bunch of snobs when we were in school. . ." Key continued to rant while Luhan fell into his deep thoughts.

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"Mama!" Minkyung ran to hug Minseok as soon as she entered the giant double doors of the Kim mansion.

"Why are you still up, baby?" Minseok knelt down and hugged her daughter tightly. As if someone will take Minkyung away from her. She sighed heavily. What happened today was a total shock for her. Seeing Luhan again after so long without any fair warning was something she was not ready for. "Where's your nanny? Dasom!" She called for the nanny loudly. And she appeared seconds later carrying Minkyung's feeding bottle.

"Madam. . .She wanted to wait for you and wouldn't sleep--"

"That's alright. I'll tuck her in myself." She carried Minkyung and headed for the stairs. "Come on, you should be in bed."

“Omma, what took you so long?"

"I got real busy, baby. Sorry."

"It’s okay! I have something for you. Look," She handed her a piece of paper. "I got a perfect score with my fractions. You promised me one wish!"

"Let us talk about this tomorrow, okay? Mama's tired."

"No! You promised me! I want you to say that you're going to fulfill that promise! Now!"

"Kim Minkyung! You are becoming really hard headed!" She reprimanded. The girl shrugged out of her touch and ran towards her room and banged the door loudly. Minseok sighed heavily. It was the first time that she raised her voice at her daughter.

"Problems, Minseokkie?" Her father's voice startled her. Yesung was standing at the base of the grand staircase, dressed in his ornate lounging robe and carrying a glass of red wine.

"Papa. . ." She went down and kissed him on the cheeks. "Good evening."

"I heard about what happened at the hotel. Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you." She can't look at him straight in the eyes. "I think I better go to sleep. I had a long day." She was heading for the stairs again when her father called her.

"Minseok, you promised Minkyung. Would you want her to think her mother's someone who doesn't keep her words?" He asked and he walked past her to his own room. Minseok bit her lip and headed for Minkyung's bedroom. She knocked once. "Baby, Omma's coming in." She opened the door and found the room in unusual disarray of toys scattered on the carpeted floor. A guest room and her old nursery were joined together to become a luxurious girl's bedroom. Yesung even hired a Disney Imagineer to convert the room into a fantasy bedroom with an underwater theme. She found her daughter lying face down in her large four-poster bed with aqua canopy. She approached her and sat on the bed. "I am sorry. . ."

Minkyung turned slowly and rested her head on her lap. "Sorry too, Omma. I was bad." She sniffed and when her mother hugged her, she cried fully.

"You’re not. You're right, I promised." She knew what her daughter would ask. She would be lying to herself if she would say she didn't know where her daughter got her fascination with horses. Though both Baekhyun and her knew how to ride, they were not really fond of it at all. But when Yesung retired, he imported Arabian thoroughbreds and assumed the life of a full-pledged farmer. Since Minkyung was still too small to ride a thoroughbred, she had asked for a pony. One thing Yesung was more than happy to provide and she was too afraid to agree much to her father's consternation.

"So. . .Do I get that palomino soon?" Minseok nodded.

"But not until we visit China, okay?"

"We're going to see Aunt Amber and Uncle Tao?" She asked.

"Yes. But the trip wouldn't be like any normal trip you and Imo take once in a while to visit them, okay?"

"Why?" Her small forehead creased.

"Well. . .Aunt Amber and Uncle Tao's father went to heaven. . ."

"You mean he died?" Minseok closed her eyes tightly. What would she do to a genius daughter? The most recent exam that she took said she already had the intelligence of an eight-year old and the school wished to transfer her to second grade right away. Her daughter's barely three for crying out loud! And she's dangerously afraid.

"Yes. We'll pay respect and when we get back, the palomino you asked Grandpa will be waiting for you if you promise to behave real well while in China."

"I will! That's really sad. I thought they don't have a dad."

"Minkyung! What made you think that way?!" She was flabbergasted that her eyes were popping out.

"I don't see their dad whenever I visit them." Baekhyun would sometimes bring Minkyung to Beijing to visit the siblings. But Amber stays in one of the mansions outside the palace and Tao will come over.

"Not because you don't see him, he doesn't exist. We don't see God but he does exist."

"That's good then."

"Why?"

"Then my father is just somewhere even if I don’t see him, right?” Minseok didn’t have anything to say to that.

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"You’ve been friends with the Princess for so long, would you know any person who wishes harm to the Imperial Family?"

"Where would the Princess be at this point in time?"

"Is it true that she was in Monaco with boyfriend Prince Andrea when the news broke out?"

"Is Prince Tao ready to rule his country? It was so sudden, Ms. Choi, what can you say?"

The reporters threw a lot of questions when they spotted Sehun's entourage in the airport. Eva was trying her best to prevent her from being pushed and nabbed by the mad media. She was tasked to ignore any question and to walk straight to the waiting limo which she didn't find very difficut until now. The rest of her family will be in China soon to pay their last respect to Amber's father. But she took it to herself to be beside Amber as soon as she can.

It was a good thing she brought her favorite accessory with her—her oversized sunglasses or she would be throwing daggers to the reporters' direction deliberately after hearing their questions. She can't believe that after all the things Amber did for the needy, they'll have the heart to make up ludicrous rumours about her. Not to mention that her father's dead and she's mourning. Andrea was a good friend Amber met in one of the pictorials for the Forbes magazine and the media didn't stop pairing the two since then.

"Make way please, make way!" Her bodyguard made an imaginary line in between her and the reporters even yanking some of them out of the way to get her in the waiting car. In one swift lift, one of her bodyguards caught her by the waist and tossed her inside the car and banged the door that created a loud thud. Eva got in from the other side followed by two other burly men while the rest got in the two back up cars.

"That hurt!" She yelled when Wayne settled beside Eva on one of the comfortable seats.

"I didn't have a choice! We should be on our way minutes ago. You should be glad I didn't take two or three of those vultures down."

"Oh dear! I can't believe how bloodthirsty you are!" Eva stiffled a laughter. Wayne was no incredible hulk, he's not frighteningly muscled though he had bulges in all the right places and he was definitely not green. He's one handsome bodyguard some girls find murderously attractive. "I think I should call my father." She added dully and Eva burst out in happly chuckle. Wayne glowered at both of them. Glenn, her other bodyguard, was already fast asleep beside her.

"If you were not too stubborn to be all o'er the place then we wouldn't be stuck baby-sitting you, okay?" Wayne was already in bantering terms with her. He's one efficient guy that her mother was real at ease if she's with him and Eva.

"You're damn sensitive." She pouted. "I miss Amber. Is she okay?" She addressed Eva when both of the guys try to get a momentary shut-eye. They've been awake the whole flight from Cartagena as her jet was borrowed by Amber's party and she was forced to take a commercial flight.

"According to Raoul, she hadn't been eating anything and since she entered her mother's palace, she didn't come out. And that was two days ago." She gave Raoul, her former bodyguard, to Amber to reassure herself that her friend's safe at all times.

"It was hard for her. You know the reason why I had to take care of her before, right?" Eva nodded.

"Too much pressure." Eva added simply.

"Yeah. Will they allow us inside?" Referring to the palace.

"Prince, or should I say the Emperor?" She corrected herself. "Gave his word."

Sehun tried not to think of Amber's brother. She'd been avoiding him since forever. If her memory served her right, the last time she saw him was in Seoul, less than a couple of years back, during Hankyung and Siwon's anniversary party. Once in a while, he would visit Amber in London as the rest of the European branches of Global Cool were being handled by her and stayed in UK most of the time whereas she'd been flying to and fro London and New York. And she would readily make up excuses not to be in the same place as him in very rare occasions that he would drop by. Having their own airline and her own private jet at her disposal made it a lot easier to run away. She firmly believed being near him was hazardous for her.

"And Baekhyun's already here but no words if she had seen the Princess or anyone from their family yet." Eva informed. Baekhyun's a constant visitor of the Imperial family as Tao was fond of Minkyung. It would be too much of a risk to allow Tao to Korea all the time so if he wanted to see Minkyung and Amber's in China, he would invite them and tour the girl inside the palace grounds himself.

It would be silly if she would avoid Tao, he's Amber's brother and he’s the son of the late Emperor. She's dreading the day that she would see him again. She's in his territory afterall.

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Luhan was instructed to return home ASAP as they were all scheduled to go to China to pay respects to the late Emperor, Amber's father. He just had to get some important documents Chanyeol left in his office before heading to their own private strip. His family will be waiting for him there. He took out the wireless keyboard and mouse out of the locked drawer and opened Chanyeol's computer. But his former intent of printing the important file was all forgotten upon seeing the picture set as the computer's wallpaper. Chanyeol was all smiles in the camera with Baekhyun carrying a cute girl no more than three years old. The girl sure looked familiar. He had seen the face million times before. It was Sehun’s and little bit of his mother’s. The eyes were a complete giveaway.

"She's Baekhyun's sister. And their father's Uncle Siwon's good friend. Besides, if someone hugs me all of sudden, a person you don't know, how would you feel, Lee Jinki?"

"That's beside the point!" Onew was red in vehemence. "I am not your bodyguard. I am your husband!" Key rolled her eyes at her husband's double standard.

"Yeah, right."

"Baekhyun's sister?" Luhan, for the first time, spoke. "She's Baekhyun's sister? Our Baekhyun?"

"Yes. She's Kim Minseok. You got it all wrong. Didn't you know her? She's your junior from business school. Oh anyway, you're a bunch of snobs when we were in school. . ."

"No!" He screamed but no voice came out. He d for the edge of the table for support. Because of Chanyeol, he's updated on what happens to Baekhyun all the time. And Chanyeol mentioned more than once that he loved Baekhyun's niece so much. "It can't be. . !"

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