NINI.

With a swift motion of his hand, he opens the door in front for you to enter. You hurry inside, a thousand thoughts racing inside your head.

The door behind you shuts with a light click, and you're quick to jump into the arms of the man lurking in the shadows. Your insides erupt into flames and the tears you'd held in with utmost caution once again threatening to blur your vision. 

Sunghoon wasn’t perfect as the world liked to claim; his shortcomings a little too prominent for you to see. To you, he was like your favourite collection of fairy tales, a now damaged book holding thousands of tales and memories sad and happy alike, one that you had read one too many times. So many times that it’s smell wasn’t the only thing familiar to you—you’d memorised every single fold, wrinkle and uneven edge of him. The printed letters were his soul, and you had slowly started to learn to caress your finger gently over them with utmost care. He was tattered, but still so precious. 

But you smile. You smile for him.

“I wish I was your heart, your highness,” you heard Sunghoon whisper, your head buried into his chest as you carefully listen to his heart slowly picking up its pace. He smelled of moonlight, of age-old red wine, of rosewood and loneliness. his breath, now fanning the exposed patches of skin on your neck reeked of yearning and well….an ardent amount of tequila (so he's been trying to drown his feelings too, you think)—just like yours.

“Why?” 

He lets out a low chuckle. And it’s almost inaudible against the storm raging outside.

You push yourself away from his warmth, looking up so that your eyes meet for the first time that night. And there it comes, a wave of emotions, all whirling and churning out every ounce of breath from your lungs. You’re quick to tear away your gaze as quickly as they met him just a few moments back.

Silence swallows the space as whole. Sunghoon’s hands, still encircled around your waist, waver a little,and you could swear you’d seen his lower lip tremble a little as well. He chuckles bitterly, and you feel your heart shattered into pieces once again.

“They wouldn't be able to do us apart, then."

"But in that case, my Prince" you start, forcing the corners of your mouth into a smile. 

So this is how it feels to smile for the sake of someone else. You think to yourself.

The Steinian regent hums, waiting for you to finish your words. You finally find the courage to reach out a hand to touch his cheeks. He flinches a little under the touch of your ice cold hand, eyes widening a little. Your smile widens, barely reaching your eyes as you wholeheartedly try to memorize the feeling of his warm cheeks against your palms.

"We won't be able to, you know… kiss… and all."

The world falls silent, the roaring thunder outside buried under the rage of your unlisted, messy emotions. Sunghoon lets out a small laugh, shaking his head.

"You really are hopeless, aren't you?"

"For you, I guess," you shrug, attempting to stand on your tiptoes and unsurprisingly, failing. You stumble, your hands clutching at the white fabric of Sunghoon's dress shirt as if you were hanging on for dear life.

And the heart hidden below the thick layers of ornaments, coat and warm flesh hammered against his ribs like a madman trapped inside an isolated cell. The prince regent hastily ducks his head down and inhales your existence like you’re his favourite flower. His lips linger over yours for a moment, as if asking, "can I kiss you, may I kiss you?"

You flow into his arms, and oblige, allowing him to oh-so gently push you back against the carved mahogany door. Moments feel like several eternities passing. 

The room spins, and so does the world around you. And among all the chaos, Sunghoon, the only constant, stands there, a hand cupping your cheek and the other holding you like he were holding something he prized more than his life. For a moment, just for a pathetic, selfish moment, you shut up the gremlins in your head and pretend that you weren't the crown princess of Vascilia, nor was he the prince regent of Stein, but a man and woman, in love with each other's flawed souls and everything in between.

You card your hand through the soft locks of his hair, messing up the flawless hair you'd seen him sport at all occasions. But you couldn’t care less, for all that mattered was his lips moving against yours, fogging and washing away all the horrible thoughts that occupied your head for days.

This might be the last time you see him. Sunoo's voice echoes inside your head. And you desperately press closer to him, with a horrible, selfish intention to memorize, to carve every crevice of his existence into your heart and soul. Unwanted tears damp your cheeks, staining his beautiful, now tinted white skin along.

You don't want to pull away, and neither did he, you believed. But three calm, calculated and secretive knocks on the door break you apart, Sunoo's low voice following right behind.

"It's time, your highness."

You straighten against the doorframe, dress rustling a little as Sunghoon steps away from your warmth, into the shadow—just a precaution, the manors had too many eyes after all. 

You twist the knob, pushing the door open as if nothing happened. The flashing lights outside blind you for a moment, the gremlins in your head on a rampage again. Blinking away the tears, you turn back to smile at the man you loved and will continue to love until the very last breath, together or far apart.

You bow, just like you did when you'd first met in the very same dark corner of the Earl's Manor.

"It was enchanting to meet you, your highness."

With a swift motion of his hand, he opens the door in front for you to enter. You hurry inside, a thousand thoughts racing inside your head.

The door behind you shuts with a light click, and you're quick to jump into the arms of the man lurking in the shadows. Your insides erupt into flames and the tears you'd held in with utmost caution once again threatening to blur your vision. 

Sunghoon wasn’t perfect as the world liked to claim; his shortcomings a little too prominent for you to see. To you, he was like your favourite collection of fairy tales, a now damaged book holding thousands of tales and memories sad and happy alike, one that you had read one too many times. So many times that it’s smell wasn’t the only thing familiar to you—you’d memorised every single fold, wrinkle and uneven edge of him. The printed letters were his soul, and you had slowly started to learn to caress your finger gently over them with utmost care. He was tattered, but still so precious. 

But you smile. You smile for him.

“I wish I was your heart, your highness,” you heard Sunghoon whisper, your head buried into his chest as you carefully listen to his heart slowly picking up its pace. He smelled of moonlight, of age-old red wine, of rosewood and loneliness. his breath, now fanning the exposed patches of skin on your neck reeked of yearning and well….an ardent amount of tequila (so he's been trying to drown his feelings too, you think)—just like yours.

“Why?” 

He lets out a low chuckle. And it’s almost inaudible against the storm raging outside.

You push yourself away from his warmth, looking up so that your eyes meet for the first time that night. And there it comes, a wave of emotions, all whirling and churning out every ounce of breath from your lungs. You’re quick to tear away your gaze as quickly as they met him just a few moments back.

Silence swallows the space as whole. Sunghoon’s hands, still encircled around your waist, waver a little,and you could swear you’d seen his lower lip tremble a little as well. He chuckles bitterly, and you feel your heart shattered into pieces once again.

“They wouldn't be able to do us apart, then."

"But in that case, my Prince" you start, forcing the corners of your mouth into a smile. 

So this is how it feels to smile for the sake of someone else. You think to yourself.

The Steinian regent hums, waiting for you to finish your words. You finally find the courage to reach out a hand to touch his cheeks. He flinches a little under the touch of your ice cold hand, eyes widening a little. Your smile widens, barely reaching your eyes as you wholeheartedly try to memorize the feeling of his warm cheeks against your palms.

"We won't be able to, you know… kiss… and all."

The world falls silent, the roaring thunder outside buried under the rage of your unlisted, messy emotions. Sunghoon lets out a small laugh, shaking his head.

"You really are hopeless, aren't you?"

"For you, I guess," you shrug, attempting to stand on your tiptoes and unsurprisingly, failing. You stumble, your hands clutching at the white fabric of Sunghoon's dress shirt as if you were hanging on for dear life.

And the heart hidden below the thick layers of ornaments, coat and warm flesh hammered against his ribs like a madman trapped inside an isolated cell. The prince regent hastily ducks his head down and inhales your existence like you’re his favourite flower. His lips linger over yours for a moment, as if asking, "can I kiss you, may I kiss you?"

You flow into his arms, and oblige, allowing him to oh-so gently push you back against the carved mahogany door. Moments feel like several eternities passing. 

The room spins, and so does the world around you. And among all the chaos, Sunghoon, the only constant, stands there, a hand cupping your cheek and the other holding you like he were holding something he prized more than his life. For a moment, just for a pathetic, selfish moment, you shut up the gremlins in your head and pretend that you weren't the crown princess of Vascilia, nor was he the prince regent of Stein, but a man and woman, in love with each other's flawed souls and everything in between.

You card your hand through the soft locks of his hair, messing up the flawless hair you'd seen him sport at all occasions. But you couldn’t care less, for all that mattered was his lips moving against yours, fogging and washing away all the horrible thoughts that occupied your head for days.

This might be the last time you see him. Sunoo's voice echoes inside your head. And you desperately press closer to him, with a horrible, selfish intention to memorize, to carve every crevice of his existence into your heart and soul. Unwanted tears damp your cheeks, staining his beautiful, now tinted white skin along.

You don't want to pull away, and neither did he, you believed. But three calm, calculated and secretive knocks on the door break you apart, Sunoo's low voice following right behind.

"It's time, your highness."

You straighten against the doorframe, dress rustling a little as Sunghoon steps away from your warmth, into the shadow—just a precaution, the manors had too many eyes after all. 

You twist the knob, pushing the door open as if nothing happened. The flashing lights outside blind you for a moment, the gremlins in your head on a rampage again. Blinking away the tears, you turn back to smile at the man you loved and will continue to love until the very last breath, together or far apart.

You bow, just like you did when you'd first met in the very same dark corner of the Earl's Manor.

"It was enchanting to meet you, your highness."