“Long ago, there used to be a stronger, a way, way stronger bond with the Maynownian royals, but...there was a time when a king and queen had two daughters and when the heir had turned things...into something way different from her parents ruling when she became queen. Even when she died, there was still horribly ruling from her sister. Sadly, the true heir never got to rule. He had been...killed by his own nanny." Mr. Shin went on with the lesson, believing Jaejoong was listening.

No, Jaejoong wasn't listening. He knew how rude it was to not, and how he should be, but he couldn't help but wonder why people could hide who they really were and how they really felt. He just could never get it. 

It wasn't for the best obviously since all they were living in were lies. 

Jaejoong didn't want to live like that. He wanted to live where the truth was no matter how much it hurt. If there was something he knew about being truthfully and honest, was how the truth could hurt...but not as much as the lie. 

The trust that person had for someone was given and then immediately thrown away no matter how much the truth would hurt. The trust wasn't treated right. Jaejoong knew there was something everyone in the castle were hiding. Mr. Shin was even hiding something. But he didn't know what. 

“Do you think...the evil cruel Maynownian queens have ever lied?" He asked his tutor. He knew about Queen Hyohyeon and Jessica, even though he was very young. 

He's heard lots about Queen Hyohyeon...of how she ruled badly to her people and all she cared about was herself. All Jaejoong could think...was about how truthful she was to everyone. What she was and did wasn't good...but she never lied about it at least unlike many others he knew, like his own parents.

The same went for Jessica. Jaejoong liked their honesty, but he didn't like them. He knew there were bad people, he wasn't one of them, but Hyohyeon and Jessica were. As for their parents, they weren't at all like them. Perhaps the bad habit skipped a generation? 

He also knew about the heir to the Maynownian throne and the Prince of the Asian Commonwealth. All history could ever say about him, was how his birth date and father was unknown, and he died by his nanny who stabbed him. And, how he was brutally killed. He heard the Royal Guard of Jessica had found his guts. 

Mr. Shin blinked and bit on his lip hard and surprisingly winced in pain. He cleared his throat and wrinkled his nose, “Um...well, maybe? If there is something everyone does is lie once in their lifetime." 

Everyone? He couldn't see some people lying and he'd hope not everyone lied. He knew well enough this tutor of his was. He saw how he sometimes stammered and stuttered every time Jaejoong talked about his parents. 

Why did maids and servants do that too? Mr. Shin wasn't the first. If everyone was going to live in lies, was he only one who wouldn't? He didn't want to live in things that weren't true. Why should he? Why live in a lie when you call live where the truths are? 

“But why lie? Why do people lie to others? Why do they lie when they can tell the truth? What's the use of having a truthful human trait if you don't use it?" Jaejoong asked in confusion as he looked down at the black book on his desk.

Mr. Shin sighed deeply and closed his eyes shut. He took off his glasses and placed a palm on his forehead. “My Prince, please understand that we're not learning about personal traits right now. History is what you're learning about right now, so please—"

Instantly, Jaejoong's doe eyes landed on Mr. Shin and the boy spoke softly and seriously, “Mr. Shin, can I ask one thing?" 

Mr. Shin snapped his eyes opened in shock that his student had cut him off. He wanted this to immediately stop, so he let it go. “...Yes?"

“Why do people lie? Do those people not know what they're doing? Do they get confused? Why do they lie, if I may ask?" Jaejoong said softly.

Mr. Shin sighed deeply, “Prince Jaejoong, people lie for thousands of reasons. But the main ones...are to not hurt those they care about, or to not get into trouble. It's not all adults who lie. Children do too. Adults lie so they won't hurt others, especially their children or loved ones. You must know that. Your parents are somewhat something."

Jaejoong narrowed his eyes, “I wasn't talking about my parents." Since when did he bring up his mother and father? 

Mr. Shin widened his eyes even more and gasped. “Eh....like I said! History is what we're learning! Your question was answered, so now, we'll continue! Now, back to what I was saying."

He knew his parents were hiding more than one thing from him. He could see it. He sensed it. Everyone was hiding something from him. He wouldn't be surprised if it was one huge secret that they all knew and were keeping from him.

As for what Mr. Shin said, about those who lie, Jaejoong still couldn't get it. Why were parents lying? Why was everyone lying to him? 

Did they not want him hurt? Or did they not want to get in trouble? But why on Earth would they? Jaejoong couldn't necessarily do anything to them if he demanded for something to happen to all of them. He was only a kid.

A kid who knew way too much for his own age. He knew so much, and he could swear everyone would be surprised to what he knew. Instead of living a regular kid's childhood, it seemed as if he was placing himself in an adult's shoes. Being the only child, he felt like he needed to worry.

Hearing and reading things, had got him thinking of where he stood. He was the only child to the Unimonian king and queen. He had no siblings, no brothers or sisters who could take his place if he were to ever go missing or...somehow die.

He was aware and kept his guard up. He used to not be the only royal child with no siblings, Prince Jewel for example. Being the only child, look where it had got him. Jaejoong didn't want to die early, and luckily, he has no reason to die anytime soon.

If Queen Hyohyeon and Queen Jessica have lied once...why did they lie...and what about? Jaejoong asked himself as Mr. Shin went on to the topic about the first Unimonian leader. 

It was during dinnertime, when Jaejoong found a strange awkward silence in the air. He was sitting on the first chair on the left side of the table, while his father sat at the beginning of the table which was beside him, and his mother sat on the first chair on the right side.

His mother placed her napkin down and folded her hands and leaned a bit forward. She smiled at Jaejoong and spoke sweetly. “Dear, mind telling us what you did today?" 

Jaejoong swallowed hard, but knew he had to answer of course, answer to a well masked person. “Uh...Mr. Shin talked about Queen Hyohyeon and Queen Jessica...oh and Prince Jewel."

His father sighed deeply and shook his head. “It's such a devastation that the prince didn't get to live that long...what a poor child."

His mother nodded and leaned back, “They said he was born either during late March and early April, no specific date though."

Perhaps they lied about that too, Jaejoong thought.

Jaejoong placed his chopsticks down and folded his hands and placed them on his lap. He cleared his throat and looked down. “Umma, appa...I must ask something."

The king and queen looked at their son blankly and placed their chopsticks too and leaned a bit forward to make sure they heard what their son was saying. 

“Um, what is it, Jaejoong ah?" Jaejoong's father asked softly.

Jaejoong's mother seemed worried. “Is there something wrong dear?" The boy could see the puffiness and redness of his mother's eyes. He knew, he was aware enough, she had cried.

He heard her.

He knew she was mad.

He knew she was devastated too.

He knew that his parents and everyone was hiding something from him.

“Have you...ever..." He couldn't finish his sentence. Thinking of the question made him feel strange. His parents would likely overreact. Was this a good idea? 

“Go on with it, son." The Unimonian king said in a pressuring tone.

Jaejoong gulped and sniffed. “Have you ever lied to me?" He shut his eyed quickly and pursed his lips. 

How were they going to react? 

What would they say?

Or...what would they do? 

The Unimonian royals chuckled. Jaejoong figured that was the sign of the “lying alert." They obviously thought he was joking, that's why they were mocking him, laughing at him. This meant that they were hiding something. 

They did lie to him.

If anything, they of course, just didn't want to tell. 

They didn't want to admit their lies or be truthful.

“Darling, why would we have a reason to lie to you? You're our precious little prince." Queen Kim Min Jun said sweetly.

King Kim Shin Young nodded his head and shrugged. “We have no reason to lie to you. If we did, you probably wouldn't know about it."

Like they're not that obvious, Jaejoong thought sarcastically. In this adolescent age of his, he was astonished himself that he could be so bitter. 

“I wouldn't?" Jaejoong said in a challenging soft tone. Whatever they said now, wasn't true. He'd have to ignore the lies once again and try to find the truth with no help. 

Besides, he couldn't have really expected them to be honest with him. If they were lying, they wouldn't have admitted to it. They'd want it buried and covered so he wouldn't catch them. Their fingers were securely wrapped around the maids and servants...so they would lie and try to avoid it too. 

Queen Min Jun looked a bit confused for a second as she looked at her son. “Dear...why are you asking us this?"

King Shin Young nodded his head. “True, what brought this to you? Did someone lie to you?"

Everyone in this castle did, Jaejoong thought as he looked at both his parents. 

The maids lied.

The servants lied.

His tutor lied.

And so did his parents. 

The thing that was even worse to him, that he was lying. Then again, they all seemed to deserve it since they had all started it all.

He unfolded his hands and shook his head and looked at his parents with a sweet smile. “Not at all...I just wondered."

“Well, what made you wonder that?" Queen Min Jun asked. Jaejoong kept a strong stare at his mother. Did she know? Like him, people can catch up on things. Perhaps she figured that he didn't believe them? Then he'd be busted for sure.

Jaejoong tilted his head and his eyes landed on the door that led to the kitchen that was just a feet feet from his mother. 

“Umma, appa...why do you think people lie? And if you ever did...what would be you reason? To not hurt someone or to not get in trouble by that someone?" Jaejoong asked in a low voice that he wouldn't be surprised himself if they didn't hear him.

There was a cold silence in the room, which made the young prince quite nervous. Did he say something that he had only thought was fine saying? Did he not say what he wanted to say? Had they misheard him?

Queen Min Jun sighed deeply and shrugged. “Perhaps, it's best if we just continue eating dinner?"

“Your umma is right. Anyways, I have things to tend to. Please, dear and my son, have a good night." King Shin Young said and before his wife or son could respond, he stood from his seat and exited the dining room.

Had I made things worse? Jaejoong thought as the dinner ended up to be only him alone since his mother was called by the advisor. 

ღ ღ ღ

As Jaejoong got ready to go to sleep, he couldn't help but take one last peek out of his window. He stared deeply at the white shining moon and the Ocean that was near the sandy shore. It'd be awhile before he could go down there. He remembered the last time his parents had taken him into the Ocean to where the other kingdom was.

He remembered how beautiful it was down there, but he just couldn't take it, and he didn't know why. Unimonians didn't even need to be part fish to live down in the Ocean. But...why had what happened to him happened?

He remembered the burning he felt in his nose and lungs. He was only five or four, but Unimonian infants could even stand the water pressure. And they were only babies.

He remembered he had been a little scared, so he had held his breath. But his parents had told him he was born to breath underwater without holding his breath, and so he let go of the only way an actual human can stand the water.

Once he let go, he felt a little dizzy. As he swam a little deeper, figuring the dizziness was just something normal, he felt the inside of his body starting to burn up. He didn't like the feeling at all, and so he swam back up and struggled since he was near the deep area. His parents seemed quite confused that he was drowning, but they had immediately got him out of the deep blue and took him to the royal Unimonian doctors. 

Jaejoong wasn't in the room while the doctors told the king and queen about his condition, and even when the curious self in him asked about what was wrong, his parents told him that he was doing something wrong and that he'd just need to be a little careful the next time. 

After that experience, there was no “next time" since his parents never allowed him to go into the Ocean. They said when he was a teenager he could be allowed to since they said, “By that time you should be doing IT right." What was he doing wrong though? 

After sighing deeply for at least three times and staring deeply into the moon and Ocean, he left the window and headed to his bed. He turned off the conch shaped lamp and covered himself with the blue covers from his bed. 

He shut his eyes and wondered for a second...

Why couldn't I breath underwater?

Why we're they all lying to me? 

Why did they treat me...so different?