kisstuals

Which was why the Captain of the Guard knew he could trust you with the job of protecting the sole heir of the kingdom, Prince San, who had just lost his parents to rogue assassins a few months ago, the threat like a shadow following him even in the dark. He had spent enough time being careful, always watching his back, and he had lost enough people close to him- which included his previous guards too.

You hadn't interacted with the Prince much, but even you could see that he had created a shell around him now. You had always seen him smiling and greeting his staff or anyone, for that matter, with smiles, always remembering their names and asking about their families or if work here was too much.

He had always been kind, and he still was, but... the light had left his eyes, and you secretly wished, probably like everyone else, that he would come out of his shell again. But you couldn't blame him, and you certainly weren't one to talk about it, especially when you had built a whole damn fortress around yourself, no one ever getting past your defenses. Prince San's was merely a shell, and you believed it would wear off with time, but you?

You had started from a shell too.

And you prayed Prince San wouldn't become someone like you, never letting anyone past your defenses, never allowing them to see your heart.

The only person you had affection for was the Captain, the man who had raised you in the castle, you always under his wing and learning from the very best, making him proud everyday.

And that very person had now given you the toughest, riskiest job. You sighed, changing into your nightgown and opening the window, attempting to smile at the full moon because you knew this would be your last night that you would ever be so relaxed.

--------------------

You were very, very nervous and you prayed it didn't show on your face.

It was normal to be nervous, you told yourself as you dressed up in your new uniform- all black and mostly leather, hugging your toned body, various belts for your choice of weapon- daggers. You donned your black embroidered cloak over your shoulders, looking one last time in the mirror, your hair in a braid.

Your cheeks were flushed- something you had no control over. You straightened, clearing your throat. You were ready to meet Prince San as his personal bodyguard for the first time.

You went to your Captain's office, who put an affectionate hand on your head, as if telling you that you had done well. Without exchanging words, you both silently went to the Prince's chamber, where he would be waiting for you.

"Any last words of advice?" You asked before the Captain knocked on the door.

"As if you ever act upon my advice," the Captain scoffed.

"Who knows? Maybe I will," you grinned.

The Captain scanned your face, thinking. "I don't know if it is my place, but... try not to be yourself too much when you're with San."

"And what do you mean by that?" You put a hurt hand on your heart.

"You know," he shook his head, smiling, deciding to let you wonder what exactly he meant as he knocked, the door opening before you could protest.

It was the Prince, dressed in his princely attire of dark red jacket decorated with badges and gold buttons, his hair swept back, stray hair falling on his forehead. He glanced at you, smiling at the two of you as he motioned for you to enter and you both bowed before entering.

"I hope you haven't had tea yet," Prince San looked at the Captain who laughed, nodding, and he ordered for tea for all of you as he motioned for you to take your seats.

You ran a quick glance around his chamber- you had never been inside. It had quite a homey feel to it, what you assumed was the living room you were in right now, a family portrait hanging from one of the walls, potted plants everywhere. You drew your attention back to the Prince who had noticed you glancing around.

"Eunbi, is it?" Prince San was referring to the name you used publicly, which meant silver rain, which referred to how you were making it rain blood with your silver daggers. You nodded, and he smiled at you, "First time in here?"

"Yes, Prince," you simply said, and he relaxed back on the couch.

"Are you aware of your duties?"

"Protect you with my life, yes."

"Ah, the other duties," the Prince side-eyed your Captain who cleared his throat, "You haven't informed her yet?"

"I was hoping to talk about it here," the Captain said, stopping when a servant came to set tea, waiting until he was gone while you squirmed inside because what, exactly, were they talking about?

"We have high suspicions that there's a rebellion rising right under our noses, and Prince San is no longer safe even in his own castle. As a matter of fact, he heard someone try to unlock his door last night. So you'll be with the Prince in his chamber, on guard at all times. You have to be with him at all times, whether he is in the castle or out. And please... do whatever he says, unless he asks you to leave him defenseless-"

"Now, now," Prince San scoffed, "Why would you say that!"

"I know you, San," the Captain gave him a side-eye and you raised your brow at the informality and comfortableness between the two, "I know you'll take any chance to roam alone for a while."

"You can't blame me for that," Prince San sighed, slumping back, "It gets tiring when someone's right behind you on guard 24/7."

"Lucky for you," you said, grabbing his attention, "I'm good with watching at a distance. You can have your privacy when you feel like it."

"I knew there was a reason he chose you," the Prince smiled, acknowledging you and you simply nodded, "Well, your duty starts today. I have guards here so when I'm in my chamber during the day, I won't need you, but I'll need you to escort me when I exit my chambers. I hope that isn't a problem."

"It isn't," you assured, feeling a twinge of sadness because his life really had turned around in a matter of months- from roaming around and hiding in the castle to being confined to his chamber.

"Thank you, Captain. I'll get familiar with Eunbi here."

The Captain nodded, "Remember, Eunbi, don't be too much like yourself." He bowed before exiting, leaving the Prince scanning you and you him.

"Should I just call you Eunbi?"

"Yes, Prince."

"No need for that, just call me San," he said, and you raised a brow in question, "Everyone working with me calls me San. It's not a problem."

"Alright... San."

"Good," he smiled, "You can shift to the room there," he motioned to the room at the end of the chamber, right next to what you assumed was San's own room, "Ease of access. You can do it while I'm busy with paperwork."

"Sure," you nodded, hoping this room offered a better view of outside than the previous, which had quite a spectacular view too.

"And... I need to know if I can trust you."

"With?"

"My life," San said, locking eyes with yours, "I cannot allow myself to trust anyone, not even your Captain at this point. I have to assume everyone is after me. So I need to know if I can trust you."

"I don't know how I can prove it," you straightened, "But you should know that I trust no one either. Not the Captain, not anyone else- it doesn't work out well in my field. And... I don't trust you as well, Prince or not."

Prince San was clearly amused, "Very well, that's understandable, though it still hurts to know that you don't trust me-"

"I mean..." you interrupted, suddenly wary that you interrupted the Prince, but he nodded, "I trust you to run the kingdom well, as you should. I just don't trust you at a... personal level."

"Of course," he said, "Let's work on that together, shall we?"

You nodded, "Inevitable, really."

San sighed, "There's a lot going on, Eunbi, that no one knows. I can't tell you anything before I know that I can trust you, so please understand that when you stay watch, you have to be careful because they'll come for you before they come for me. And I cannot have that anymore- I've lost too many people close to me."

You were surprised, because it meant the Prince had friendly relations with his bodyguards- something you knew but still, hearing it from his mouth felt real.

"Don't worry," you assured, "I'm called the silver rain for a reason."

"Good enough," he got up, "I'll be in my room."

You watched him walk to his room, and you knew then that the Prince was hiding a lot from everyone-

Especially about just how capable he was, and how he wasn't as defenseless as everyone thought.

---------------------

You were done moving what little belongings you had to your new room, which was much bigger and had fancier furniture than your old room. You didn't really care about that, but you were quite pleased about the view from the window- the walls would allow you to freely move to the Prince's room through the window in case of threats.

You had to ask the Prince about that, to which he answered, "Just don't scare me in the middle of the night with a prank", and the Prince saw you smile for the first time. He allowed you to check the chamber for openings and 'whatever you guards love to find in the walls' and you did, making note of every path a possible assassin could take to attack the Prince. You even looked under his bed, to his amusement.

You were to have lunch in the Prince's chamber everyday, and the Prince insisted that you lounge comfortably in the living room as you pleased, just not too comfortable that you forget you're on duty, which made you smile for the second time, a victorious grin on his face.

"You look good when you smile."

You gave San an unamused look, and he just laughed. "I've seen you all my life, Eunbi, and this is the first time I've seen you smile and I like it, so forgive the lonely Prince for trying to get his assassin to smile."

"Isn't that... I don't know, unprofessional? You become friends with the people who would die anyway, why do that in the first place?"

"Is that what the Captain meant when he told you not to be yourself?" San put a hurt hand on his heart, "I can't help it. It's second nature to me."

"Inconvenient," you muttered.

"You don't have friends, do you?" The Prince asked, and for the first time, you felt a bit ashamed when you shook your head no.

"Well, we'll have to change that. I, of all the people, should be your friend now, don't you think?"

"I don't know," you shrugged.

"Ah, it'll happen, let's not make it seem like something big," he waved his hand in dismissal and you could see why he was so comfortable with the idea of making you- an assassin- his friend.

"I'm an assassin, San. I don't make friends, and if I were you... I wouldn't trust me."

"Do you plan to kill me, Eunbi?"

He locked eyes with you, his dark orbs quite warm even when his gaze was cold.

"I don't have a reason to."

"Good to hear-"

"Yet."

San eyes immediately met yours, and you tried keeping a straight face but he saw the hint of amusement in your eyes. "Ah, so we're joking now. Good. Very good."

"I'm not lying," you said, and San nodded.

"I know. I don't have a reason to kill you yet either, Eunbi."

"I know," you said, and your tone made San narrow his eyes at you.

"What do you know?"

"You've had enough training to kill me in my sleep."

"Ah, Wonderland's Assassin indeed," San smirked, "When did you know?"

"When you walked to your room in the morning, your steps... and the way you hold your knife when eating."

"You know," San leaned forward, "You're quite quick. None of my previous guards knew that."

"They weren't Wonderland's Assassin," you challenged, and he laughed out loud.

"Fair enough."

"Why do you need a bodyguard 24/7 though?" You wondered out loud, "Why not give me normal bodyguard duties?"

"Two is better than one, don't you think?"

While you thought about what he said, he finished his meal, saying good night and shutting himself in his room, leaving you to the now cold food and head full of thoughts.

-------------------

"We're leaving for Eden in two days," Prince San told you, and you almost tripped on your own feet.

"What for?"

"A... mission, if you can call it," San simply said, his eyes telling you that he could not talk about this in public, "We'll talk when we get home, so if you need to buy something, now is the time."

After two very uneventful days of being Prince San's personal bodyguard and being comfortable enough to have casual conversations with him, you two were out to meet Hongjoong, an old friend of the Prince's, one of the few people he trusted. You had been out on guard duty, keeping watch from the roof while they talked. Now you were in the carriage with the Prince, on your way to the castle.

"Isn't it... risky to go with you to the market? Especially the weapons market?"

"We're stuck together now, if you didn't realize," San smiled, "And you know I can take care of myself too. Plus, you're with me, so I don't need to worry, do I?"

You didn't say anything, San taking that as a yes and calling the driver to take them to the weapons' market.

"What's your choice of weapon?" You asked San.

"I... prefer long swords," he admitted, and you ooh-ed.

"Didn't peg you as the long sword type," you said, and he raised an eyebrow, but you simply shrugged because you couldn't imagine the Prince fighting, with any weapon, for that matter.

"Do you only do daggers?" San asked.

"Bows and arrows are a must for long journeys," you said, "A sword too. Daggers are just a part of my everyday outfit now."

"And how do you prefer to kill your enemies?"

"Quick," you said, and San nodded in satisfaction. He didn't particularly like people who made their kills slow on purpose.

"Unless," you quipped, "The situation calls for something else."

San shifted, staring at you as if he could unravel the layers behind your words, "If you were to kill me, how would you do that?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I'd like to know how assassins think?"

"Well," you sighed, "I'm still... human, even being an assassin. It's my besetting sin, you could say. So if it were me, I'd just kill you in your sleep."

"Way to build that trust thing we were working on," San laughed.

"But," a devilish smirk spread across your face, "If I were someone else- if I would have to think like one of those assassins out to get you... I'd take you first. I'd take you somewhere, if I wanted information I'd probably torture you and then behead you, send your pretty little head as a present back to the castle."

"Easy there," San paled, and you waved a hand in dismissal.

"Everyone thinks differently, you never know what they could try. Maybe they'd simply kill you. Maybe they'd poison you, maybe they would drive you to kill yourself, but..." you noticed his worried expressions, "I won't let that happen."

"I hope so."

"I'm Wonderland's Assassin, and if anyone thinks they're smart enough to get past me, they'll have it real bad when I get them."

San stared at you, and you wished you could break that eye contact but something about his eyes was very alluring.

"If... perhaps, someone does get to you and I'm alone... what do you think I should do?"

"That won't happen, but if it happens... you run. Get rid of your Prince clothes and blend in with the public, disguise yourself and run until you're someplace safe- with someone who wouldn't sell you out."

San nodded, staring out of the window and you did the same, thinking about the conversation you two just had, until you reached the market, the two of you getting off.

"You come here often?"

"Very," you grinned, and San laughed at how your eyes twinkled at the sight of the weapons gleaming all around you.

"Do you like weapons that much!"

"Do not make fun of me, Prince San," you warned, leaving him stifling his laugh as you two entered a shop, and you greeted the Weapon Master.

"This is the Weapons' Master, Seonghwa. He's an... acquaintance."

San realized that was the closest thing to a friend you had, and he shook hands with Seonghwa who bowed.

"What's Wonderland's Assassin doing with the Prince?" Seonghwa wriggled his brows and you rolled your eyes.

"New job," you simply said, "I'll take my time, if you don't mind."

"Of course, I'll close the shop," he said, flipping the sign, giving you two the privacy you needed.

"Thank you," you muttered absently, picking dagger after dagger and going back and forth between the counter and the weapons, San offering to hold them for you.

"You should get some for yourself too, you shouldn't be defenseless if we're travelling. Get everything you know how to use."

San did, getting two long swords and a bunch of daggers. You went to the clothes section next, getting some leather vests for the two of you which would prevent fatal wounds.

"Now why don't we have these for our men," San wondered.

"Armors are still better," you answered, "These are just more comfortable, for people like us who won't bother with armors."

You went to get poison next, joking that it was to kill San in his sleep, and he said he'd get the antidote for himself then. You got Belladonna and Hemlock, typically what you used, coating your arrows or daggers in the poison before a fight.

The Prince paid for everything, thanking Seonghwa for having such a shop, teasingly saying that he hoped he only gave it to the official guards of this kingdom, at which point you said 'duh' out loud and pushed him out of the shop.

The two of you went back to the castle, having lunch first since you both were practically starving, and you were nibbling on scones when San began.

"I might have suspicions about who's so hell bent on getting rid of me," San put one leg over another as he relaxed back, "My mother, the Queen, she belonged to Eden. I need to go back to the family house there, I might find something."

"You do realize it'll take us almost a month to get to Eden if we're quick?"

"Not my fault it's at the other end of the kingdom," San sighed, just the thought making him tired too.

You sat back, looking at the portrait that hang, the Queen staring at you. "The Queen... what was she like?"

San raised a brow and you immediately said, "I'm sorry, it's not my place to ask this-"

"Eunbi, it's okay," San assured you, "We're friends now, remember?"

He smiled at you until you nodded, and then he looked at the family portrait following your gaze. "What do you think she was like?"

"I've only seen her from a far... she seemed gentle yet... there was something about her that screamed that she knew more than she let on, could do more than she did."

"You're right," San was surprised you had noticed, "She wasn't from a wealthy family. My father fell for her during his trip to Eden, she was a farmer's daughter and she was quite something when young- much like you if I had to say. She knew how to fight, she was always observing and she certainly knew how to act."

You nodded, "What kind of a mother was she to you?"

"A loving one, despite being strict," he smiled as he recalled memories.

"Obviously," you muttered, "no wonder you're... you."

"I'm what, exactly?" San raised a brow.

"A... softie."

"Ha!" San shook his head, "Me? A softie? Never."

You gave him a knowing look and he only grinned, but then his gaze grew serious. "We'll encounter a lot of assassins on our journey. We'll have to wear a disguise. We can't travel as Prince and Assassin anymore."

"And what kind of a disguise shall we wear? I can't exactly hide my weapons."

"Let's wear cloaks at public places, pretend we're not who we are. Just two souls travelling, wandering~"

"Don't be dramatic," you said, "I know how to get to Eden without being in the public for too long.

"Perfect. We leave the day after tomorrow, midnight. Get all the rest you can, it's gonna be a while before we get back."

-------------------

Before midnight on the day you were to leave for Eden, you stood with your light bag on your shoulders, your mouth agape as San finally opened his door, two very heavy bags in his arms-

"You're kidding me," you scoffed, "You're not taking these."

"This one's clothes," he explained, "this one has important stuff-"

You took that bag- heavier than you thought. "You're only allowed to take one bag."

"Now you're giving me orders?"

You scoffed, "You'll die worrying about your bags when someone comes. Come on, empty these bags, make one bag, if there's still something you can't live without, you can put it in my bag."

San went behind you, checking the weight of your bag, "Are you taking nothing?"

"Only clothes," you shrugged, "There better be really important stuff in there."

San scratched the back of his neck, motioning you to come inside his room and he opened the bag of clothes first, obeying you when you said he only needed to take one cloak and one jacket, since it wouldn't be that chilly as they went further south.

Reluctantly, he opened the second bag, which included weapons, food, and-

"I knew it," you muttered, shaking your head in disappointment and San couldn't help but laugh.

"Please, I get bored quick."

You told him to excuse you for a second, going into your room to get a weapons belt, coming back and clipping it on him, sliding the daggers in, the two swords already on his back.

"We can make do without games, Prince," you said, and San scoffed at the sarcastic use of his title, "And we'll get food as we move, we only need some for tonight. I'll keep the documents in my bag."

Now one bag full, San and you exited the chamber, the two guards permanently on night shift the only ones who'd know the Prince had left. You led him to your room, which had a secret tunnel that led outside, so the whole castle wouldn't have to know when you leave or arrive. You helped San enter the tunnel, telling him to be careful because it was a rocky and dark path. He almost fell on you, and you, who were used to the darkness, grabbed his hand in yours, telling him to focus on where you stepped.

He gripped on your hand tightly, stepping where you did, the long tunnel ending finally after two minutes- certainly felt longer. The moonlight filled the sky, and you jumped first, San following soon after.

"Quite a path," he said, and you nodded, telling him to stay close, you leading him to the forest, your senses on high alert until you were surrounded by the trees, which was when you finally relaxed a little.

"Journey begins," you said, falling in step with him, the two of you deciding to follow the sound of the stream, a map in San's hand just for his peace of mind, even though he knew you could lead him to Eden without a map.

"What's the worst that could happen while we're on this journey?" San asked.

"There are worse things than death, as you already know," you looked at him and he nodded.

"Obviously the worst that could happen to you is that they get you, take you somewhere or do whatever it is they want to do with you."

"Or they could take you out, which is also the worst that could happen."

"You should run if that happens, don't try to save me."

"I shouldn't-"

"You'd only put me at risk by attempting to save me," you said, your gaze steel, "I'm saying you should run so I can worry about myself instead of you."

San laughed at that, telling you that it made sense and that yes, he would run.

"Why do people want to get rid of you, San?"

"They obviously hate that someone who's literal sunshine should rule the kingdom-"

"Never mind, I can relate to them-"

"Hey!" San slapped your arm, shaking his head, "A number of reasons, probably. People have always opposed to the idea of someone not of royal blood being their queen, which means naturally they have a problem with me too. Other than that... there's someone who wants to rule instead of me."

"And that is?"

"My dad's cousin's son, a few years older than me. Their family always had an issue because they were not crowned during their time."

"Why weren't they?"

"The cousin was not actually the queen's son," San admitted, and you were surprised at the revelation. San didn't bother to warn you not to tell anyone because he knew you wouldn't. "A lot of conflict. If I have to bet, their son, Taehyun, is after the throne. He's probably the one leading the rebellion."

"Ah, probably," you said, "You don't mind if I... end him, do you?"

San choked, laughing, "Do try to be lenient."

"Well, if he tries to hurt you, I won't have a choice."

San smiled at that, not knowing if he was pleased to hear how you were so loyal or if he just liked the idea of his cousin begging for mercy in front of Wonderland's Assassin.

The two of you walked in silence the rest of the night, deciding to get some sleep later- but soon you two were arguing about sleep.

"I can do the night shift too."

"I can't allow you to take the night shift," you insisted, "How can I even sleep if I'm worried about you, Prince? Actually, I don't think I should even sleep-"

"Oh, come on," San groaned, "Okay, let's do this. I sleep at night, you sleep at daytime."

"I only need 4 hours of sleep to function the whole day," you said, "So I won't be sleeping much, do not worry about me-"

"Of course I will worry about you," San turned to look at you, "Think about it. What good are you to me if you don't detect a threat because you didn't get enough rest?"

You bit your lip, thinking. "I have an idea."

Which was how the two of you ended in an alley, you taking off your weapon belt and handing it to San, telling him to stay hidden and not move until you came for him, going inside a not so popular inn, getting a room for one.

Then San came in, covered in his cloak, no one paying much heed to him because why would the Prince of this kingdom ever come to a rusty old inn like this?

"What am I doing in this rusty old inn?"

"Don't be a child," you chided, "It's the only way we can actually get some sleep. We're not staying here, only resting. And I can detect threats even when I'm sleep, so you can relax."

"Damn, okay," San said, taking off his cloak and the weapons, you telling him to hide a dagger under his pillow, scoffing when you watched him take the other pillow to hug it while he slept.

"You got a problem?"

"No, Prince," you pursed your lips, trying not to laugh.

You took off your own cloak, taking off your weapons belt, keeping three daggers with you as you grabbed a sheet to spread on the floor-

"What are you doing?"

"Making my own bed," you simply said, and San sat up.

"You're not sleeping on the floor."

You stopped midway, looking at him. "Then?"

"Just sleep here," he patted on the space next to him, and you were glad your cheeks were permanently flushed because he would have noticed heat creeping up your cheeks otherwise.

"I cannot sleep here, Prince."

"It's San," he said, "And don't be a child."

You rolled your eyes at him using the same statement you had minutes ago, and he continued, "I can't have your body aching because you slept on the floor."

"I'm used to it."

"I'm not, so shut up and come here."

You really were glad he couldn't see the blush. You sighed, looking out of the window, dawn approaching.

"Alright," you gave in, reluctantly getting in the bed, as far away from him as possible, making him snicker. Wrapping the sheet around yourself, you prayed sleep would come soon.

--------------------

You were awake exactly 4 hours later, fresh. While San slept, still hugging the pillow, you went to relieve yourself and take a quick shower. By the time you got out, San was rubbing his eyes too.

"I'll get something to eat," you said, handing him a dagger and going downstairs to get breakfast, pleased to see that by the time you came he was washed and dressed too.

You set the tray of boiled eggs, bread and butter on the bed, drinking water first. You eyed him, wondering if he would eat food from this 'rusty old inn', but surprisingly, he didn't hesitate to dig in, making you wonder if he often traveled like this.

"For a Prince," you began, "You have no problem eating something so simple. This isn't the first time you're traveling in disguise, is it?"

"It's not," San admitted, "I'm used to staying at places like this."

You wondered why, and San smiled at the unhidden curiosity in your eyes, but he didn't explain himself.

"We should rent horses," you said, "I know a place. We can drop them off at the next stable, which is where we'll take a break."

San agreed, and the two of you donned your weapons and cloaks before leaving, the stable quite close to the inn you had stayed in. You asked San to play with the horses or 'whatever it is that Princes do when left alone' while you talked to the owner and rented two horses. As Wonderland's official assassin, you just had to show them your badge if they didn't recognize you outright.

The two of you only stopped for 10 minutes break after every two hours, dropping off the horses at the next stable and deciding to walk as much as they could, see if they could make it to an inn or just spend the night in the forest.

"If I have to walk anymore I'll make you carry me on your back."

You looked at San, "Is that a challenge?"

San's jaw dropped, "Don't tell me you can actually do that?"

"I'm your official assassin for a reason, San, of course I'm built to carry heavy stuff."

"I'm not even that heavy though," San scratched the back of his neck, "Okay, please, can we stop? It'll take me a while to get used to walking so much."

"Okay," you made him follow you where the trees were more dense, taking off your bag and San immediately slumped down, taking off his cloak.

"We can camp here," you said, opening your bag and setting the tent on your own, San offering to help but you told him it was okay, because you were quick. You put yours and San's bag inside.

"Use that as a cushion or whatever," you motioned to your bag, "I'll take the night watch, you can sleep."

"I'm not sleepy yet," San said, and you nodded, digging in your satchel for apples, offering him one which he took.

"What do you do, Eunbi? As Wonderland's Assassin, do you spend all the time hunting or do you do something else too?"

"I can't afford to have another job, I just train the royal guards in my spare time."

San leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, the two of you sitting side by side. He glanced at you, "Do you not have hobbies or something you like to do?"

You did. But would you tell San this?

"What do you do, Prince?" You asked, San laughing at how you always marked you retorts with his official title.

"I like to do a lot of stuff, actually."

"You must have a lot of spare time on your hands."

San gave you an amused look, smiling because you couldn't hold your smile either. "I don't get to do much because usually I'm too exhausted after the paperwork."

"I can imagine," you sighed, "there is one thing I like to do. I just don't have the time or energy to do that often."

"And what's that?" San asked.

"If you're as sharp as I think," you raised a brow in challenge, "You'll figure it out soon."

"Ah, is that how it is?" San laughed, making you smile at how cute his laugh was.

The two of you gazed at the sky in silence, a comfortable silence settled, which made you a bit surprised because you were rarely ever comfortable with someone. There was just something about the Prince that made you relaxed, made you smile more than you ever had in front of a single person-

"I want you to know," San began, "that once Taehyun- or whoever's so hell bent on killing me- gets air that I'm not at the castle, they're gonna come for me."

"Why do they want to get rid of you so bad, San?" You looked at him, "If it's Taehyun, I can understand that he wants to rule instead, probably putting a sob story about how their family was supposed to be the royals instead of yours, but... it doesn't end there, does it?"

"It doesn't," San sighed, "There's a family secret passing down throughout the generations. It's why the royals were so enraged when my father married someone who wasn't royal. Since it runs in my father's side of the family, I can tell you that the secret- it's dangerous for us. If the public gets air of it... It's gonna get messy for everyone, not just me."

"I see," you nodded, "And since Taehyun's family must know... or possess the secret, they are more driven to overthrow you?"

"Exactly," San nodded, "Aren't you gonna ask what the secret is?"

"Are you going to tell me if I ask?"

"Uh, probably not," San smiled in apology and you smiled back.

"It's a secret for a reason, I don't need to know it."

"The secret might get lost if something happens to me," San said, which made you narrow your eyes, "It's... complicated to explain but... if something happens to me, I'll trust you with the secret. I'll tell you."

"I'm only going to ask one question," you said and San nodded, "Is it wrong?"

"What?"

"Is the secret... bad? Is it something wrong? Something you shouldn't be doing?"

"Not at all," San assured you, and you stared at him for a few seconds, deciding he wasn't lying.

"If you say so," you nodded, "I'll trust you, San."

San smiled at that, finally yawning, and you told him to catch up on his sleep.

--------------------

The next day was uneventful- the two of you talking about how the kingdom was being run by the late king and the queen and how things had changed ever since they died a few months ago, in a shipwreck.

"I have reasons to believe it might not have been a simple shipwreck we were made to believe," San said.

"Is it related to that secret of yours?" You asked.

"Yes," San admitted, "Which is why we're traveling to Eden, actually. Need to find answers and eliminate people who think they have the right to get rid of the royal blood without knowing anything."

The two of you stopped at an inn, eating dinner and going to your room later, you insisting than San slept while you brought a chair near the window, for night watch.

Truth be told, you had recognized the famous assassin from Eden, who went by the name of Bul- fire. You had spotted him while having dinner. He might not have recognized you- never having seen you before, but if he did...

This was bad. You hadn't expected assassins to target you only two days into your journey- it was quicker than you expected, which made you certain the gravity of this secret the people were after might be greater than you had initially expected.

You turned to look at the Prince, fast asleep, hugging the pillow. Just what kind of a life he's had?

Your ears perked up like a cat at the faint sound of sneaky footsteps, and you immediately got up, moving to San and putting a hand on his mouth before shaking him awake. You put a finger on your own mouth, motioning him to stay quiet, mouthing 'danger', handing him two daggers and making him get up and hide behind the bathroom door, putting your bags on the bed and covering them with a blanket to make it look like it was someone sleeping.

You slid in next to San, whispering in his ear to not move, waiting for the cue- the opening of the window, faint footsteps going to the bed-

You sent a dagger flying, and Bul, the assassin, barely dodged it, sending one dagger flying at you and one at what he assumed was the Prince, cursing when he realized it was a trap. You went in for close combat, dodging and slicing and twirling around, slashing at his arms and legs, but he was quick too.

He managed to slash your left arm, but it was nothing you couldn't handle- or so you thought, until you saw him smirk, realizing he may have poisoned the dagger and you didn't have much time.

You decided to get it over with, kill him instead of holding him and interrogating him like you had previously planned, but San noticed your movements becoming slower and he aimed the dagger at the assassin, hitting him square in the shoulder, leaving him defenseless for a second which gave you enough time to stab his heart.

San immediately went to you, keeping you from tripping, your face paling as you managed to say 'antidote' and San rushed to your bag, taking out the different vials, almost panicking until you managed to point at the blue vial, and he brought it to you, opening the cork and lifting the vial gently to your mouth, making you drink a sip and you shook your head.

San looked at the now dead assassin, shaking his head, "Poisoned dagger?"

"Yes," you muttered, inspecting the wound, asking San to grab your first aid box, and he watched as you rolled your sleeve up and poured alcohol on the wound, clenching your teeth to hold the scream that tried escaping your mouth due to the overbearing sting. He watched you stitch the slash rather expertly, wondering just how many wounds you had stitched on yourself, and then he helped apply a bandage.

"You didn't have to do that, San, you shouldn't have done that."

"I couldn't do nothing, I could see your movements slow down-"

"I'm Wonderland's Assassin, San, I have managed to kill my enemies in worse situations. This was nothing," you glared at him, "You risked yourself because of me. You cannot do that."

"I told you I'm a better fighter than you think."

"I know that," you assured him, "But it is my duty to protect you, and I cannot protect you if you start interfering in my fights."

"As a Prince," San began, glaring back, "And as a friend, Eunbi, it is my duty to help you. Make sure you aren't in danger."

"You're impossible," you shook your head, "I wanted to incapacitate him and interrogate him. It would have saved us the trip to Eden altogether."

"If it's Taehyun, he'd never tell a mere assassin his secret," San said, and you raised an eyebrow at him because you, too, were a mere assassin.

"I cannot tell you the secret unless I know I can trust you, and I know I can trust you," San locked eyes with you, "It's just... it would change even you. I have to wait for the right time."

"I don't need you to tell me anything," you assured him, "I'm fine living as I am. I know you trust me, and that's enough. Thank you."

San finally smiled and you relaxed.

"Do you think I could ever betray you?"

San scanned your face, "I think I'll have to spend more time with you to have an answer to that."

You nodded, finally getting up and packing your stuff. "We're leaving. It's too risky to stay here anymore."

San nodded, the two of you leaving Bul's body where it lay for his men to find it. You knew it would send a message-

They were stupid to have sent only one person to kill the Prince, because it would take a lot to get past you.

You knew San had interfered out of good intentions, which meant you could trust him with your life too. He had technically saved you. As the two of you walked through the deep forest, you looked at San, his dark hair now longer, ash tendrils curving at his neck, face all sharp angles in the moonlight.

"Who trained you?"

San met your eyes, searching your face. You sighed, "Your aim was good. Who trained you?"

"My father," San said, and your eyebrows rose in surprise.

"The King? Who trained him? These movements are familiar-"

San was smiling knowingly, "You do remember that your father used to be the Captain of the Guard before, right? During my father's princely era?"

"Ah," you realized, "So my father trained the King, and he trained you. And he trained the Captain too, who trained me."

"Which is why I can say I might be at your level, but I know I'm not."

"Your knowing smile says that you're hiding something."

"I am," San grinned, "You'll know soon. You, of all people, should know."

You wondered just how many secrets San was keeping, shaking your head as you finally found a place to sleep.

-----------------

You were absolutely right about your suspicions.

Just three more days into the journey and you were already regretting being the Prince's personal bodyguard.

"I don't even know why I let this happen to me," you muttered as you ran, San's hand in yours, pushing him against a tree as you looked left and right, moving again.

"Probably because you couldn't resist my charm."

You resisted the urge to stop running from the assassins that were right up your nose to glare at San, letting it go with a simple 'tsk'. You pushed San against another tree, quickly loading a bow and shooting it at the flash you caught, grinning when it hit home.

"Two more to go," you said, and before you could take his hand and run again, San sent a dagger flying past you, cutting a few strands of your hair in the process, hitting the assassin square in the head.

"Now it's two," he looked at you and you scoffed, the two of you running.

"It's gonna come to close combat," you said, "Think you can handle one while I end the other?"

"I thought you couldn't let your Prince fight."

"And I thought you were willing to do anything for me," you pushed him against the tree in an attempt to hide, and his arm automatically went around your waist, pulling you closer till there wasn't an inch of space between you two. You immediately took out your daggers, meeting eyes with him for a second.

"Hands on your swords, now. On my cue, take them out and slash back- I'll duck."

"Okay," he nodded, obeying your order and you whispered 'now', immediately ducking and rolling backwards, San slashing his swords and turning to meet the attackers, you joining in a dance of swords, finishing the two in seconds.

San stood back, breathing hard, running a hand through his hair as he sheathed his swords. You bent down to make sure they were dead before getting up and brushing off your clothes as if nothing happened.

"So, Eunbi," San began, referring to the title you lived up to, "What do you say? Think we can spend one night peacefully?"

"I think not," you folded your arms, "Just what are you hiding? They're hell bent on killing you."

"Sorry," San's smile was genuine but changed to a smirk, "Is Wonderland's Assassin tired?"

"Tired of dealing with your pompous ass, yes," you scoffed, "I'd worry about you, if I was you. You seem to be having... a rough patch, eh Prince?"

San shook his head as he laughed at the mockery, matching your pace as you diverted to another route, "I admit that I am. They're not letting me breathe!"

You felt sorry for the Prince- even you didn't have assassins out for you like this. Everyone wanted to get rid of Wonderland's Assassin but it seemed they wanted to eliminate Wonderland's Prince more.

You sighed deeply, "We can't afford to sleep at nights anymore. At least I cannot. It's too risky."

"Agreed," San simply said, his mouth set in a straight line, "It's worse than I thought definitely.

"However, we can rest tonight," you told him.

You decided to just dump your bags, worn out as the two of you lied down side by side, heads resting on the bags.

"How long till we reach Eden?"

"Those people after us are slowing us down," you told San, "I'd say 2-3 weeks, give or take."

San sighed, rubbing his face, "Do you think once we know the root of the problem, eliminating it would end all this?"

"Depends on how deep the said root is... rooted," you said, making him smile, "How deep do you think?"

"I have no idea at this point," San admitted, "Might be because the root has many people at his disposal. It has to be Taehyun- no one can afford this many assassins."

"Has to be," you agreed, "Which makes me wonder just how bad he wants it."

"Do you think I should have just stayed at the castle, invited him for tea and maybe, I don't know, poison him?"

"I could do that-" you turned to look at San, "We don't have to make a spectacle of it. If it's really him, I can sneak in and poison him. It would reflect too badly on you if people find out you're behind this."

"That's gonna be quite risky, Eunbi," San's eyes were filled with worry, "I can't let you do it."

"We'll talk about that when we get to it," you dismissed him, silence filling the air as the two of you thought about the ways this could turn out.

"Do you think I'm doing something wrong, Eunbi?" San asked, surprising you, "I don't have parents anymore to ask for their opinion. I keep doubting myself- if what I'm doing... if that is the only way."

"I guess we'll know soon," you scoffed, making him laugh.

"Not helping, Eunbi. Not at all."

You didn't know what took over you, but you let your fingers brush San's, his hand going still.

"I... I think you're genuinely a good person, San, and I don't think you'd do something wrong intentionally, which is why I'm choosing to trust that whatever you do is right."

San looked back at you, your eyes locking, "Why do you trust me?"

"You haven't given me a reason not to."

San didn't break his gaze, the burning intensity of it making you look away and fix your gaze at the sky instead.

San didn't say anything, but he found his fingers caressing yours, gently locking with yours, and he somehow found it both beautiful and sad that your hands weren't soft like a usual girl's would be, but he still found it comforting in many ways-

Because you were his strength now.

Before he knew it, he was asleep, and you spent the night gazing at him, not moving your hand one bit, your heart aching in a way it had never before.

-----------------

The two of you had gotten used to your routine of sleeping during the day- one at a time- barely stopping by to grab dinner or lunch, and always walking or running, fighting so many people on this journey that you had lost count. For better or for worse, it had become a routine now. It was the way San wasn't surprised anymore and got better at detecting threats, it was the way you would let San sit watch while you slept a measly two hours, twice a day.

The two of you were also quite used to each other now. Somehow, it was all very casual- San handing you bread, you offering him berries, the occasional touches to comfort one another (even though you'll swear you don't need it), tending to each other's wounds, and above all, being able to sit in comfortable silence or talk about anything and everything.

You had never been a talker- which made you think if all you needed was good company for you to open up. The Prince was a kind of a person who radiated warmth and melted your frozen heart, making you open up to him more than you should have.

It wasn't like anything wrong was happening, no. But sometimes, you found yourself talking about the past, about the Captain who had raised you like both a father and a teacher- the only person you had an ounce of affection for, at which, San had to interject.

"I bet you have more affection for me."

You raised a brow as if to challenge him, but somehow you couldn't deny it. Not more- maybe equal. Maybe... a tad bit more.

Yes.

"You're literally a... baby. I feel like an adult who has to take care of you."

"Hey!" San was hurt, "I'm not that bad, come on!"

You laughed- something you were doing more and more as the days passed, and San found it wonderful because he'd heard the rumours about the Wonderland's Assassin not even bothering to smile at jokes enough.

He loved to make you laugh.

"You keep telling yourself that," you said, and San was tempted to throw himself on you and tickle you all over, wondering if you would laugh-

"Why are your eyes roaming all around my body, Prince San?"

It was the first time he flushed around you- and you found it...

Cute.

"I was just- I was just wondering if you were ticklish."

San was unpredictable with his thoughts and ways- which had you gaping at him quite a lot of times.

"And how did you end up wondering that? I'm not ticklish, for the record. Can you imagine me losing in a fight because my opponent decided to stop and tickle me instead?"

San laughed, "Come on. Everyone has at least one ticklish spot."

"Not me."

"Not even here?" San took your hand, trying to tickle your palms but you shook your head.

"And here?" He tickled your elbow and you rolled your eyes.

"I'm very ticklish here," he tickled your knees.

"Don't make me kick you in the face."

"Oh, come on," San groaned, his hand waiting near your waist and your eyes dared him to try.

And he did.

And you didn't smile.

"Alright, I get it," he scoffed, "Wonderland's Assassin. I'm going to find your tickle spot soon, I promise."

"Good luck," you sighed, relaxing back, and he took that chance to tickle your neck, but you just smiled.

"Is this it?"

"Nah," you said, ticking his waist and leaving him rolling away from you in a fit of laughter. You had to pinch your nose bridge.

"You're such a child, Prince."

"Only you need to know that," he smiled at you, and it made your heart sink, because gosh.

You had never learned to appreciate beauty if it wasn't in something sharp or dangerous, but him? His sharp angles would curve into soft ones when he smiled and it made your heart ache.

Interactions like these were very common between you two, which was how you supposed you both hadn't gone insane walking endlessly and not staying at inns other than to eat and shower, always being on high alert, keeping an eye out for something, anything.

Another week had passed just like that, which was when San finally told you that his family owned a piece of land in the city of Utopia, which was a day or two away from where you were right now.

"We can stay there," he said, "We need to catch up on rest. We'll have time to eat properly and sleep without worrying- the staff there is all my father's. They're good people."

"I don't trust anyone, but I'll take your word for it. I need to wash my clothes too-"

"We have new clothes there, just dump these. They'll be delivered back to the castle if they're important to you."

You nodded, and the two of you changed routes, this time San guiding you as he led you to the 'piece of land'.

It was a very, very big piece.

"I guess I should give you more credit," you stood with your hands on your hips, "Prince San is a bit useful after all."

"Prince San is very useful at the right times, thank you very much," San said, a hand on your shoulder beckoning you to go ahead and check the estate.

You did your routine, walking around the land, counting the staff, an eye out if you caught anything suspicious. Next, you inspected the residential structure, built like a house, memorizing every possible exit, making notes of the windows and doors-

"Dinner's ready, come on," San said, and you nodded, telling him you'd take a quick shower before.

There were already new clothes in the room you were guided to- a simple navy gown, silver buttons running down the front. You deemed it okay though you were tempted to cut it shorter for ease of access- but you figured you wouldn't need that tonight.

If San was right... they'd have a peaceful night tonight.

You joined him in the dining room for dinner, your stomach rumbling as you smelled roast chicken and potatoes, beef soup and bread and butter-

"Someone's hungry," San smiled, waiting for you to sit before he filled your plate.

"I have to admit, even I am used to the castle's quality of food," you scoffed, "I'll remember to thank the chef back there for his exquisite recipes. This is just as good too."

"It is," San smiled, "This house... it was like a getaway house for my parents. When things seemed too much, they'd come for a few days here, away from all the drama."

"I can see why," you said, serving yourself more potatoes, "The gardens are pretty nice too."

"It's healing, for us too. We should take our time here. We can take horses or even a carriage from here on."

"Let's stick with horses," you agreed, "That's bound to shorten our journey by a few days."

"I also have some things in the basement storage I'd like you to see, if you're up with it."

You glanced at him- was he finally gonna tell you what all of this was about? You simply nodded, not wording your question out loud.

After you were done and served with sweets- which you took your time with, to San's amusement, you both finally left to take a walk in the gardens, San telling you they should go to the basement when the staff settles down to sleep.

"And what's in this basement of yours?"

"History, mostly," San admitted, "Weapons storage- you can change your weapons here if you want to. Some of my parents' personal belongings."

"Do you miss them?"

It was a stupid question- you regretted asking it, but the way San smiled at how you actually asked the question made you comfortable enough. "Sometimes. Sometimes I forget- it's not like we spent much time together. You know how it is."

The King occupied with politics, San's classes and training, the Queen occupied with the healing department because apparently she was well versed in medicine- of course you were familiar with that. Everyone who was a part of the castle was.

"I've spent more time with you than I have ever with a single person in my whole life, at once," San told you, and you met his eyes, nodding, because this was a first for you too.

"I guess you'll be pretty bored once we go back to the castle and my duty ends-"

"No, I- I want to keep you. I want you to keep being my bodyguard- only if it's okay with you."

You failed to stifle your smile- it was cute how San's voice had risen and almost cracked as he said it.

"You're really gonna miss me when we go back and if I stop being around you 24/7, aren't you?"

"Of course I will," San laughed, stopping and leaning forward to whisper in your ear, "And you're gonna miss me too."

"Nah," you said, pushing him off, making him laugh, glad the night sky wouldn't make your red ears obvious.

He led you to the basement after a while, the key already with him, which he told you he brought all the way from the castle. He unlocked the door, the damp smell hit your nose, making it tingle, and he placed the candles on the table, using one to light the rest in the room.

"Wow," your eyes caught the wall decorated with weapons, and you walked in a daze, San chuckling at your state as you admired them from a far.

"You wanna take something?"

"These are too pretty to take and I'd only fear losing them if I do," you practically whined, making San laugh, telling you that you could take whatever you liked.

But you wouldn't.

San was shuffling through the boxes of what seemed to be documents, organized by categories, until it looked like he finally found what he was looking for.

He carefully brought the register to the table, blowing off the dust and skimming through the pages, while you walked around, noticing a family tree and tracing your way up.

"Isn't this ancestor of yours- Taeyang, known to be a... healer?"

San shut his register close, staring at you. Could you have known all along...?

"An exceptional healer," San's tone was cautious, "Though there are certain myths surrounding him."

You turned to look at San, "You mean about the actual healing magic?"

It took San a second too long to respond with a yes, and you simply nodded, muttering 'myths', but it had San wondering if you knew the secret of your own bloodline too.

"Do you believe them to be myths?" San asked, genuinely curious.

"I do believe even myths had some sort of a truth to them," you admitted, raising a brow at him, "though now we couldn't possibly know the truth, could we? Since... magic became the reason so many of our ancestors were burned alive?"

You instantly knew San was hiding something, the way one of his brows was raised and he had a finger in his mouth as he stared at you, thinking.

"Do you believe magic could have stayed alive?"

You hummed as you thought about that. Two could play that game.

"I think magic... it isn't just as simple as we think it is. Magic is everywhere, don't you think?"

San finally shook his head, smiling, "I didn't know you had a poetic side to you."

"I don't," you assured him, and San called you over to take a seat with him and look at the contents of the register.

"Can I trust you? I need to know that I can trust you before I finally tell you why Taehyun really is after me."

"Have I given you a reason not to trust me?" You asked, and San shook his head no.

"I also need to know if you'll... ever change sides, if the situation comes. If you'll ever... betray me and change sides. If you're capable of doing that."

You shifted, leaning fully to him now, "You're right, there might come a time when I'm offered something good to kill you. Do you think I will?"

"I don't know, Eunbi," his gaze was soft, "You tell me."

You sighed- you had thought of this possible scenario because in your line of work, it was normal to get offers to betray your current client for something better.

But you... you could never do that to the Prince-

You couldn't do that to San.

"And what I'm about to tell you... you might think it's wrong too. So I have to know if I can fully trust you and expect loyalty from... our friendship."

You had a hunch where this was going... and you could see why San was being like this.

"If... I'm only saying this so you know," you began, internally cursing yourself for beginning in the first place, "You're my Prince and I'll always be loyal to you. If I think you're doing something wrong, I'd simply try to reason with you instead of betraying you or worse."

"Glad to know," San smiled, "Good enough. Now what I'm about to tell you... will stay between the two of us, yeah?"

You nodded. "Tell me this is about magic."

Once again, San had to stop what he was doing to look at you and you almost laughed at the incredulous look on his face. "I know more than you think, so go on."

He narrowed his eyes at you, opening the register and pointing at the portrait of Taeyang- the first known person on the family tree from the King's side.

"Taeyang was an exceptional healer, due to his healing magic, which is one of the rarest magics in the world. People were selfish and wanted a cure for everything, but Taeyang could only do so much before giving in to his end."

"So these aren't myths, right?"

"They're not," San assured, "Which is the secret we've carried throughout the generations- the healing magic that my forefathers, that I possess."

"No wonder you stayed away from me while I tended to my wounds."

"Exactly, my touch would only quicken the healing- which was why as I spent more time with you and realized that I could trust you, I started taking care of your wounds too."

"I noticed," you admitted, "So your cousin, Taehyun?"

"He also possesses the magic, which is why he believes he has the right to rule. I fear he'll make magic possession public. You know we cannot have that- if people find out magic, though dormant, still lies in their blood, they will panic."

"Don't the people have a right to know?"

"Not like this," San shook his head, "Not so sudden. Magic is both a blessing and a curse. Think about it- healing magic can un-heal too. Water magic can make the crops grow and destroy that very land too. Fire magic can make our homes warmer but burn us too."

You nodded- this was true. People would panic, trying to find their element and it would create chaos. They couldn't suddenly know they still have magic. Not like this.

"So Taehyun is after you to take your place and make this public?"

"Not only this," San's eyes went dark, "We... the royal bloodline has managed to preserve the magic bloodlines of each element. Currently, I am the only one who knows what magic every man and woman on this kingdom is possessing."

Your mouth opened in realization- this was indeed dangerous. No wonder everyone was after San.

"Do you want to know what magic you possess, Eunbi?"

It was a gift that he offered you, but you grinned. "I think I know already."

"And I expected nothing less," San's smile told you that he knew that you knew, "You are called the silver rain for a reason."

You smiled knowingly- you had the blood of sharpness, heightened senses, predatory skills. You really were called silver rain for a reason.

"I knew when I could hear things nobody could. My range isn't normal," you admitted, "And my skills... I don't think I could be this good without magic."

"Well, I think your skills are all yours. Your magic just gives you agility. It's all you."

You smiled at that. "Magic or not, I'm doing okay. Thanks for trusting me with this. I won't betray you."

"You better not," San joked, getting up and putting the register back.

"You know, when we reach Eden," you began, "We need a plan. I know people will try to approach me to get me on their side- get me against you."

"And now that you have all this information," San waved around him, "What will you do?"

You took a moment to answer that. "If I turn on you," you locked eyes with him, "Don't think I betrayed you. I'd only turn on you if I was worried about your safety and I was being forced with something, if protecting you would be more dangerous to you. You'll know it because I won't aim for your vital points."

"That's sensible," San nodded, "I know you'd never miss. What should I do then?

You sighed, moving closer to him. "At that point, you should incapacitate me. Stab me wherever, make it look like I betrayed you."

"I could never do that to you-"

"You'll have to, otherwise I'd die," you shook your head, "I'll be at risk too. You'll have to do that if you care about yourself and... me."

San scanned your face, wondering just who were you inside, how you were always prepared for every possible outcome, and how you were willing to get hurt for him. You found your hand going to cup San's cheek.

"Promise me you'll do that if that happens, and promise me you'll believe me and trust that I would never, ever betray you."

"Why, Eunbi?" San's voice was barely a whisper.

"Because... you're the first friend I've ever had, first person that I can say I know. I can't do this to you."

San's heart was suddenly full- he leaned in to your touch, surprising you as he shut his eyes, inhaling. "I'd do the same for you, Eunbi."

Your fingers caressed his cheeks once, and you found yourself leaning in, noses brushing, before you were reminded that you were a mere assassin and he was a prince. You found yourself hesitating as you drew your self back, the absence of the other's touch felt on both of you.

"I- I'm sorry if I crossed a line-"

"No," San's voice was hoarse, and he grabbed your hand, "You've never crossed a line, Eunbi. Don't leave me now."

You sighed, looking up as your hands raked through your hair, trying to think but ending up blank, drowning in emotions you've never felt-

San gently held your hands in his, drawing them away, bringing both his hands to put stray hair behind your ears, his gaze burning and melting you, and he cupped your cheeks as he kissed your forehead.

"You're the best thing I've had in my life, Eunbi."

You felt like you could cry right there. You had never been special to someone, and when San said things like that-

You wrapped your arms around San, tighter than he expected, your face resting on his chest as you inhaled, and his arms went around your waist too, pulling you close.

"I hate that you have to put yourself in danger because of me," San said, rocking you back and forth, "I wish I could protect you for a change."

You drew back, locking eyes with him, "You're protected me in so many ways, San. I feel like I was made to protect you- you have to admit we have something- we fit. I've felt that since we started this journey."

"Still," San was playing with your hair now, one arm still around your waist, "I'd rather you be the Princess and I be your guard."

You laughed at that, "I like how we are. I like being your guard. I don't want to quit that. I'll always protect you."

"And I you," San smiled, placing a kiss on your cheek, lingering there for the longest time until your arms went around his neck, and you both wasted no more time to connect your lips.

It's like someone screamed 'finally' the way your hearts started beating faster than ever, your stomach feeling weird, what you could describe as relief and ecstasy as your lips moved, no rush but not slow either.

San smiled against the kiss, pecking you playfully but you brought him in for open mouthed kisses, your legs going weak and you made him go back until he was on top of the desk and you on his lap.

"Now what's got the assassin's knees going weak?" San smirked.

You smirked back, trailing sultry kisses down his neck, making sure he felt every sensation, his hands wrapping tighter and tighter around your waist, his groans louder-

"Now what's got the Prince losing his composure?"

San scoffed at that, dangerously leaning forward to kiss you again, almost falling off, and then it was a blur as you two fervently kissed, hands all over each other.

"What am I gonna do with you, Eunbi?" San sighed dramatically.

"Well, for starters," you smirked, "We could take this to the bed and think about getting actual rest, Prince."

--------------------

You were awake after your four hours of sleep, San hugging you instead of his usual bag or pillow. You rolled your eyes, biting your lip as you smiled.

It had really happened.

You did your best to wriggle out without waking him up, sliding the pillow where you had been, and you washed your face then stood in front of the window.

The sky was clearer now. The moon shone brightly.

You decided to get some air and taking your swords with you, you went out to the gardens, letting your arms sway around you as you walked, finding a quiet spot where no guard would be watching and then taking out your swords.

You loved dancing. It was what you did whenever you had free time- dance with your swords.

You twirled around, slashing the air at a blinding speed in this sword dance of yours that you had perfected from years of practice. You lost yourself in it, glad to be away from your thoughts, until you heard a voice-

"Need some company?"

You almost sent your sword flying at his heart but he put a hand up, indicating he wouldn't attack.

"Your nickname really doesn't suit you," you told the man who stood in front of you, "The way you sneak in, you should have been called a snake instead of a dragon."

"It's Mireu for you," he said, his black hair tied back elegantly, and you noticed he wasn't wearing his usual gear too.

"Why are you here?"

"I have an offer," he simply said, circling around you at a safe distance, your hands tightening around your swords, "Join us, and we may let your Prince live, unless..."

The grin he wore made you want to carve it permanently on his mouth. "Who's 'us'?"

"You know that, don't you? Just like you know why we are doing this," he smirked, and you knew you couldn't pretend like you didn't know. So you just glared at him.

"What do you want me to do?"

Meanwhile, the Prince stood at the window, watching his assassin shake hands with someone who could only be an enemy.

----------------

"I'm glad we chose horses," San sighed as he got off his horse, you following, tying both your horses to different trees and plopping down beside him on the grass, taking out the food that the staff had packed for you.

"Two days till we reach Eden," you looked at him, "How do you feel, Prince?"

"Hmm," San pretended to think, "I feel strange, actually."

"And why's that?" You asked as you ate.

"I don't know how I'll deal with Taehyun once I actually get there," San admitted, "He probably has something up his sleeve."

"I can bet he's thought about this and planned it all out," your tone was surprisingly bitter, "Which is why it's about time we plan too."

San was trying to figure you out- it clearly looked like you had struck some kind of a deal with whoever the man was, but why hadn't you told him? Were you really gonna betray him?

Just what was his assassin planning?

After eating, the two of you deciding to take a rest and stretch before moving forward, you went to the stream, washing your face and drinking some water, San following you.

"So, Eunbi," San said, running his hands through the flowing water, "Do you have a plan?"

You looked at him, "I always have a plan. I wanna hear yours first though."

San sighed, "I wanna know your intentions too."

"Are you talking about how you saw me strike a deal with that man two days ago?"

San was positive he would have fallen face-first in the stream if you hadn't pushed him back, laughing, making him gape at you and then he ended up laughing too.

"Prince Choi San," you scoffed, getting on top of his half lying figure, "I didn't peg you as the suspecting type."

San shook his head, "I just wanted you to be the first one to talk about it."

"Why?"

"Because I believed you wouldn't betray me."

You scanned San's face, your heart full of love because he had such belief in you, and it pained you because you didn't tell him earlier, which would have made him so anxious.

You kissed San's forehead, "Thank you for believing in me, San."

"Thank you for not betraying me?"

You pushed him back, making him laugh out loud, "I didn't. I was just planning how to turn this situation to our favour."

"And did you figure it out?"

You ran your hands down San's shirt, biting your lip. "I need your help for that, but..." you leaned in to whisper in his ear, "let me make it up to you first."

"Make up for what?" His voice was hoarse as you kissed his jaw.

You drew back, your brows furrowing. "Sorry for not telling you earlier."

San smiled, tucking your hair behind- something that had become a habit now. "No need to be."

You kissed him long and hard, his hands going up your shirt to cradle your waist, and when you were finally out of breath, you drew back.

"How good are you at acting?"

San smirked, "The best."

You smirked back, going back to kissing him everywhere, a plan already in your head.

----------------------

"This is it."

The city called Eden.

San got off his horse, staring at his mother's residence before she was a queen. It was a small cottage, farms surrounding it.

"I like this," you said, joining him as you led your horses to the trees and tied them up, "I can imagine the queen tending to the flowers here."

"She did," San confirmed, smiling as the two of you walked to the door, San unlocking it and hesitating before opening the door.

"It's... my first time coming here without my parents."

You glanced at him, his head down, eyes sad as he looked at you, managing a smile before opening the door with a heavy heart.

It was just like he had last seen it- a few months before his parent's death. Sure, there was dust, but it didn't look like anyone had entered since their death at least.

You watched as San stood in front of the family portrait that hung on one of the walls in the living room, above the fireplace. For the longest time, he just stood and stared.

You wondered if you should leave him alone or be with him. Deciding on the latter, you walked up to him, keeping your distance, but San looked at you, putting his hand in the air so you could hold it.

"I miss them incredibly for the first time," San admitted, "Coming here without them... it sunk in."

"What can I do for you, San?" You asked, unsure how to comfort him. He just held your hand tighter.

"Stay, that's enough," he assured you, and you put your head on his shoulder as you stared at the baby picture of the prince with his parents.

"You've changed a lot," you smiled, "I mean, you look the same, but also... different?"

"I get that," San scoffed, "What people mean by that is that I've grown hotter-"

"And that's my cue to leave-"

San laughed, pulling you towards him, wrapping his arm around your waist. "Admit it."

"Never," you smiled.

The two of you cleaned the house a bit- it was really small, San telling you that the queen as an only daughter, her parents passing away soon after she was crowned, all natural deaths.

"This was where they last stopped before boarding the ship," San told you, "Which is why I must find some clues here, or at least in this city."

"Does Taehyun know about this place?"

"Probably," San said, and you frowned.

"Wouldn't he have destroyed evidence if there was any, in this house?"

"He may be smart, but mother was smarter," San grinned, "She would hide the evidence in plain sight."

"Plain sight?" Your frown went deeper, and San guided you to the room that belonged to the queen.

"I'll let you take a glance and see if you spot it."

You took the challenge, looking around, but not a single thing was out of place. You looked at San in question.

"Nothing out of place, yeah? For someone who's here for the first time, nothing is out of place," San walked to the window, "But the curtains have changed to red from the usual gold, indicating a threat. And that painting-" San pointed to the little handmade painting that hung on the wall, "Is our biggest evidence."

You had to admit the queen was really smart- only San would recognize the curtains. You stood in front of the painting, which was a painting of two suns setting fire to the water-

"She had it all figured out," San's voice was sad, "She hung this in case she didn't come back alive. The sun fighting the sun- sun is associated with healing. Taehyun is the sun. The waters where they had the journey, and the fire indicating threat."

"Wow," realization dawned upon you, "So if she had returned alive, she would have taken this off and changed the curtains- but since she didn't... she left these clues only for you?"

San nodded, and you shook your head.

"And this just confirms that Taehyun is behind all of this?"

"Yes, because he's the only one other than me left with the healing magic. So the sun points to him. If it was someone else, there would have been some other symbol. Like for you... silver rain."

"Ah, that's actually very smart," you had to give it to the queen, "I wonder why you didn't inherit such a brain-"

"Hey!" San slapped your arm, making you stick out your tongue at him and he scoffed in disbelief.

"Now what?" San asked, looking around, "We wait?"

"We relax, and wait," you confirmed, "Before dawn, Mireu is bound to come for me."

The two of you discussed the plan as you walked in the farm, San going back inside to make tea for you two that he promise he excelled at.

You stood with your hair swaying with the breeze, feeling calm and relaxation in your heart for the first time in your life, wondering why you had never got to experience this peace in you before. But then you figured being an assassin, you couldn't really ask for much.

Even with the threat on both your heads, there was something about being alone in such a mundane place that made you give in to the evening sky and close your eyes as you listened to the birds.

San creeped up on you, putting an arm around you from behind, wrapping you in a back hug as he handed you your cup. "You seem relaxed."

"I am," you admitted, smiling, "I've never felt this before."

"I guess you have me to thank," San smirked, but you nodded.

"I really do. I... I've never felt like this before. All I've known is staying on my toes and being... numb."

"I hate that you've never felt this before, but at the same time, I love that you're feeling this when I'm with you," San kissed your neck, and you almost groaned.

"The things you make me feel, Choi San," you shook your head.

"And what are these things, pray tell?"

You stifled a smile as you finished your tea, waiting for him to finish it too before you turned in his arms.

"Want me to show you?"

Which was how you barely made it to the bedroom, urgent kisses and sweet nothings whispered in each other's ears, clothes stripped, skin on skin as you made love, made the other moan your name, and when San called you Eunbi, you shook your head.

"Want to know my real name?"

San's eyes were curious, and you whispered your name in his ear, San whispering it back as if to test how it felt.

"It feels right," San smiled, kissing you.

"You can only call me by my name when we're alone, like this," you told him, and he nodded, flipping you over as he called your name over and over, trailing kisses down your body, making you shiver.

The two of you lay in each other's arms, San falling asleep, and you dressed up, kissing his forehead once before exiting the house, Mireu under the moon waiting for you.

"Do you have the information?"

"I do," you confirmed.

"Get the Prince," Mireu ordered, and you smirked at him- the smirk that made even your enemies shiver.

"On it."

----------------

Prince San woke up in a cell.

Blinking his eyes to adjust to the light, he gathered his surroundings- not much to take in except darkness and-

"So you're awake."

San narrowed his eyes at the voice, "Reveal yourself."

He heard a chuckle boom through the dungeon as the person stepped into the light- It had to be Mireu with his black ponytail and blue eyes that Eunbi had described.

"I hope you've had enough sleep," Mireu began, "Because I... have some questions for you. It'll only be easier for the both of us if you cooperate, Prince."

"Cooperate?" San scoffed, "Where the hell is Eunbi?"

"Ah," Mireu was grinning now, "Wonderland's Assassin. Do you really think an assassin could be loyal to you?"

Mireu watched San's eyes flash, as if he was hurt, "Don't tell me you had grown close to your assassin! She has a heart of stone, prince, I'd do you a favour if I end you rather than her."

"Where is she?"

Mireu had a smug look on his face, clicking his fingers and you appeared from the shadows, your eyes stone cold, having watched all this.

"Eunbi," San's voice was low, "What's going on?

You didn't reply, only looking down at him. Mireu watched San's brow furrow in worry and hurt, but he noticed that your expressions never changed.

"I'll tell you," Mireu rubbed his hands, "Wonderland's Assassin betrayed her Prince. Simple."

"Eunbi," San's voice cracked, "This wasn't our plan-"

"Ah, the plan where she told you who I was?" Mireu laughed out loud, "The plan where she told you she'd pretend to turn to our side? This was her plan, Prince."

San's knees went weak and he clutched the bars to keep hanging on. "What went wrong, Eunbi?"

"It's simple, Prince," your voice was as cold as it could get, "Get that inside your pretty little head."

Mireu clapped at that, telling you to come along with him, and you looked at San one last time.

"Sleep tight, Prince."

With that, you were out, the Prince shouting your name as you shut the door to his face.

"Now, now," Mireu smirked, "Wrapped the Prince around your pretty little fingers, haven't you?"

"Obviously," you rolled your eyes, "Take me to Taehyun now."

Mireu did, talking about how glad he was that you'd join their side because they really needed someone like you on their team. You stood outside the door as Mireu went in to check on Taehyun.

"Come in."

You stepped in, the room an office, the man who had to be Taehyun with his ash hair like San's mullet, but face etched way too softer than San's.

"Wonderland's Assassin," Taehyun shook your hand, "It's an honour."

"The honour's all mine," you said as you sat in front of him, "I know all about how you could have been Prince."

"Really?" He smiled haughtily at that, "And where did you hear that?"

"I have ears everywhere," you simply said, and he nodded.

"So my poor cousin San being in the dungeon, let's see what information we have and what else we need."

After telling you that the information would only stay between you three, Mireu basically Taehyun's right hand, you told him. Told him that San knew that he had a hand in his parent's shipwreck, told him you knew where San kept those documents about magical records.

"I should have known," Taehyun scoffed, "The resort. They always loved going there."

"He has the key to the basement, where the files are kept," you told him, and his eyes went wide.

"It seems like we don't need the Prince at all," he grinned, "Thanks to you."

"The Prince was foolish enough to trust me. Any other assassin would have fallen for his words, but I'm called stone-hearted for a reason."

"And I need to know," Taehyun leaned in, "If you'll betray me."

"Crazy how San asked me the same thing," you put one leg over another, surprising both of them, "You know what I told him?"

"What?"

"I told him no. Yet..."

Mireu laughed at that, "Unbelievable! But then... it's you."

"So," you stared at Taehyun, "You can't trust me to not betray you if the next offer I have is better than what I have right now."

"I understand you want to live in a world where magic is free, just like us," he said, and you nodded, "You want to live in a world where you don't have to hide your agility, your predatory senses. You're born to hunt, Eunbi."

Your heart flipped at that- he couldn't have known, could he?

"I can see that you're confused, since I claim to have no knowledge of magical records yet I know what your magic is," Taehyun leaned back, "Your Captain, back at the castle. He confirmed it."

"Ah, that rat," you scowled, "Is he here?"

"Not right now," Taehyun said, "But he's been helping us a lot. And the reason he assigned you to San is because he expected you to betray him... like you have."

You made an impressed face, "I'll have to pat him on the back. Old man's brain still works."

"It does," Taehyun laughed, "Now, what do we do about San?"

"I'll take care of that," your smirk made both of them shiver, and they nodded, letting you leave.

As soon as you were out, you walked with a straight face to the room they'd given you, shutting the door and finally exhaling- as if you had been holding your breath.

The plan seemed to work well- San wasn't betrayed by you but there was still the element of surprise because you hadn't exactly told him much part of how you were going to make this work, just telling him to shut his mouth and make it look real.

But it was like the gut feeling you had finally made sense- the Captain, someone who raise you, the only person close to family you had... he was the actual rat.

He assigned you because he believed you would betray San.

You had to laugh at that- because it made your job easier, making Mireu and Taehyun trust you, and because the Captain really had no hope for you.

You clenched your teeth in anger, imagining the most possible ways you could kill him when you get back-

But first, you had to kill San- or at least make it look like it.

You needed another plan.

Sneaking to the dungeon, you brought a chair to his cell, his face lighting up when he saw you-

"Now, now, Prince," you scoffed, "So happy to see the person who put you here in the first place?"

San rolled his eyes, making you smile, "I still don't believe you betrayed me."

Your eyes darted to the direction where someone was probably standing and listening to your conversation- seemed like Mireu didn't trust you entirely yet.

So the two of you had to continue the act.

"Even after I told him right where your little secrets are stored?"

San's eyes actually widened at that- your initial plan had been to tell them, get them defenseless and kill them as soon as possible. But instead you were here. San realized it had to be because your plan had changed.

"You wouldn't do that."

"Oh, but I did, Prince," you slumped back, "And now... I'm going to cut that pretty little head of yours and hang it to your castle gates for the people to find... Or maybe I should throw you in the sea? Maybe you'd get to meet your parents there!"

Hurt flashed in his eyes and you wished you could tell him that you didn't mean that- but you had warned him. You had told him that he'd hear things from your mouth that he will really, really not like.

"I thought you were my friend."

Those words passed like a knife through your heart, and you almost wanted to remind him that this was just an act, that you didn't mean anything you were saying.

"Sorry for making you delusional, now, if-"

You were interrupted by the sound of the door opening, Taehyun finally making an appearance in front of San.

San didn't say anything as Taehyun reveled in the sight of the Prince sitting on his knees in front of him.

"Quite a sight, don't you think, Eunbi?"

"Do we have to get rid of him?" You whined, surprising the both of them, "I would have liked to play with this pretty boy a little longer."

"Ah," Taehyun smirked, putting an arm over the small of your back a little too confidently as he leaned in to whisper in your ear-

"I could be your play thing too."

You resisted the urge to barf, instead smirking, "I've heard you're bit of a bore."

Taehyun threw his head back and laughed, squeezing where he held you, "Maybe I just haven't met the right person yet."

You smiled at that, resisting the urge to look at San for comfort, but you could see his clenched fists from the corner of your eye.

"And, here comes Mireu," Taehyun announced, not taking his hand off you, "We have no use for the Prince. We've decided to end him and dump him in the sea after all. Mireu, if you will."

Your heart sank at that-

They really were testing your patience.

"I thought I was doing this job," you glared at Mireu.

"Let me," he bowed as if to remind you that he was still who Taehyun preferred, and you saw your options disappear as Mireu unlocked the cell, San's eyes full of panic because no. This was not supposed to happen.

This was not supposed to happen at all.

And it had to be Mireu, of all the people- the one strong enough to take even you.

Before Mireu could take his sword out, you had Taehyun with a dagger on his throat, Mireu shocked but not surprised.

"You know what," Mireu laughed, "I never trusted this bitch, Taehyun. I told you no matter what she did, she couldn't be trusted."

"You take one step, you move one fucking centimeter, Mireu, and I'll slice his throat."

"Eunbi-"

"Shut up," you glared at San, "And stay back. You don't know how to fight."

San's eyes flashed in realization and he took a few steps back, Mireu glaring at you.

"I see one drop of blood on him and I kill your Prince, Eunbi," Mireu sneered, pointing his sword at San.

"We could do this all day, couldn't we?" you said, letting one hand tap Taehyun to feel his weapons and throw them everywhere around you, "We could do this all night, Mireu. So drop your weapons, and we could be civil about this."

"You've never been civil to begin with," Mireu's grip only tightened, "So let's see how you deal with this mess."

You considered for a second, pushing Taehyun at Mireu and sending two daggers both for Mireu and Taehyun, Taehyun's hitting him on his shoulder and Mireu barely had time to dodge, a sharp kick running along the side of his death and you dodged an attack, your eyes going to San who also managed to dodge, and you took out San's long swords from your back as you started for the two.

Pushing Taehyun behind him, Mireu and you engaged in a storm of swords, San taking that chance to gather the daggers and fighting Taehyun head on. You knew San could easily overpower Taehyun, so you focused on getting Mireu out of the picture-

"You think you can take me?" Mireu sneered, "You may be the silver rain but I'm known as the dragon for a reason."

"I know I can," you smirked, letting your powers seep through the swords, "You know why? Because I don't need anyone to tell me what my magic is- I already know. But you... you don't, do you?"

The way his face fell made you grin and he paled at that, his movements going from calculated to emotional, which was all you needed as you left a long gash at his arm, making him step back.

Before you could make another slash, you heard a whoosh of a dagger and turned, swiftly dodging it, but Mireu stabbed your shoulder in the meanwhile.

You saw San's face twist with rage, and you decided to end it for the both of you, blood dripping down as you took out the dagger and swiped your swords together, lashing for Mireu and cutting him anywhere and everywhere until he was on his knees.

You stood in front of him, making his chin lift by the tip of your sword, "Do you want me to make this quick for you? Or should I be quick for Taehyun? I can only gift one person."

Mireu paled as he realized the rumours he'd heard about you asking your worst enemies this very question was true- just something you did to check just how selfish they were.

And Mireu didn't disappoint. As soon as he pointed at himself, you stabbed his heart quick, ending him, turning to Taehyun, who was now defenseless.

You walked to San, handing him his swords, offering him to take the revenge for his parents, while Taehyun grabbed at your feet, begging for mercy, but you muted out everything.

"I... I don't know if I can do that- does that make me a bad person?"

"It doesn't," you assured him, "I will. I only wanted to offer you this- you shouldn't have to do that."

"Just..." San dropped to his knees, grabbing Taehyun's face, "Where did you kill my parents? Where are they now? Did they really burn?"

Taehyun didn't answer, and you fisted his hair, sliding a dagger down his temple. "I- I only asked one of my men to set fire to the ship. They drowned- he confirmed. The location- north of Mist Island."

San breathed, pain etched on his face as he got up, turning away from him.

"End him."

For the first time, you heard him use his Prince voice- as stone cold as yours. Nothing like the soft voice you were so used to hearing from him.

You sliced his throat open, dropping his limp figure on the ground, walking to San and hugging his back.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all this. I'm sorry that you had to... see me like this."

San said nothing, only taking your right hand from his waist and bringing it to his lips, and you felt his warm tears on your hand, your grip around him tightening.

"Thank you."

With that, you led him outside, where he assured you he was okay and you saw him straighten his back, ordering one of the men to gather everyone in the hall, where he would pass judgement, you standing on the only exit to prevent anyone from escaping.

You watched as the Prince asked if anyone was willing to surrender and provide him information of the revolt Taehyun had been planning, which would make them escape harsh punishment, only community work.

"Those who still think they can be loyal to a traitor, who is no more alive, they should get ready for the punishment any traitor deserves."

It took a few hours, but almost everyone surrendered, and you watched with a full heart as the Prince's personality shifted, his eyes growing soft as he heard everyone's concerns and reasons for joining the revolt, learning most of them were forced and blackmailed while the others had nothing better to do.

He promised them compensation for anything they had lost and with that the matter was solved, San finally joining you in the garden.

The two of you stared at each other, and for once, you were speechless, and San could clearly see that, coming forward to wrap you in a hug as you cried for the first time in front of a person.

"What's wrong, beautiful?" San cupped your face, wiping your tears away.

"The Captain, San, he planned all of this," you were barely able to finish the sentence before a fresh stream of tears escaped your eyes, you hastily wiping them. "I don't know how long he planned this, if he raised me because of this reason, if he made me into who I am because he wanted me to betray you-"

"Shh," San caressed your hair, "You didn't, and that's enough for me, no matter what. I know the Captain meant a lot to you, and I'm sorry."

You stopped crying as he caressed your hair over and over, finally breaking the hug to look at him.

"I don't want you to be lenient with him when we get back. And if he tries to escape the punishment he deserves... I'll end him."

"You don't have to," San kissed your head, "If you want me to, I can."

"Thank you," you muttered, resting your head against his chest."

"Is this the right time to tell you that I love you?" San asked, "Because my heart feels so full right now-"

You slapped his arm, laughing at how he so casually confessed to you, and he put his hands on your waist, bringing you closer, "Because I do. I really love you. And when we get back... I'm gonna change your life, miss."

You bit your lip at that, your arms around his neck. "Is this the right time to kiss you? Because anyone could come barging out any second-"

San shut you up by kissing you, rather harshly, you returning the kiss, both of your pent up emotions dissolving as you kissed each other, hands in each other's hair, breaths heavy as you stood with joined foreheads.

"Maybe take this back to your mother's home? I'd rather not get in Taehyun's bed."

"Wouldn't that be the biggest 'fuck you'?" San grinned, and you gasped.

"That's evil!"

"Says Wonderland's Assassin who just sliced throats a few minutes ago-"

You attacked him with a kiss again, almost jumping on him, making him pick you up and take you to the nearest bench as you both nearly devoured each other by the simple act of kissing alone.

"Definitely should take this home," San grinned, "But I don't know if I'll be able to make it."

You shook your head, burying your head in his chest as you breathed in, whispering in his ear your own little confession.

That he had finally melted the famous stone heart.

San had to draw apart at that, looking at the sky as if you'd said something unbelievable. Then he took your hand, kissing it and sliding his thumb over your wound, healing it in an instant and you gasped.

Your father, the King, entered, frowning at how tense you two looked. “Everything alright?”

“Just convincing our dear old gem to think with her head,” the queen said almost dismissively, which made you even angrier.

“I cannot believe you two are doing this to me,” you shook your head, “You’re both practically selling me off. If you make me do this… I’ll never return. You can have your peace, but know that your only daughter won’t be there with you. Consider her dead.”

“My dear,” the King’s expressions softened as if he was about to change his mind, but your mother raised her hand in the air, standing up and looking down at you- she towered over you a good few inches.

“You can stay,” her voice was steel, “But when your father and I are assassinated and Eden burns, know that all the blood will be on your hands.”

You had never heard harsher words in a tone like this from your mother, and it broke something in your heart as tears welled in your eyes and you shook your head before rushing off to the safety of your room, almost hyperventilating, your maid Mina rushing in to rub your back and give you water, and you finally calmed down after a few minutes.

“I’m guessing it didn’t go well?” Mina asked. You shook your head.

“They told me to think about the greater good, Mina. They’re treating me like an object.”

Mina hugged you and you were glad you had her by your side- she too, was alone and had only you or a few friends from the staff. She was the closest thing to a sibling, to a friend that you had. “I’m taking you with me if they marry me off.”

Mina laughed, “You can. I was waiting for the offer actually.”

You smiled at that, wiping your face when you drew back. “What am I going to do, Mina? I don’t even know what the Prince is like. What if he’s some… sadistic- can I curse? Bastard?”

Mina laughed a bit at that, “He could be. But he could also be someone caring and loving. Look at both sides of the coin.”

“Well,” you shuddered, “I don’t think I can stomach any care and love from a stranger.”

Mina looked at you knowingly, “I think all you need is that. Some love and care. Someone ought to put the walls around your heart down.”

“Well,” you drew your sleeves up, “They’ll be in for a war. So are you really coming with me or not?”

“I could… if you want me to. If the King and the Queen allow-”

“The least they could do for me now is this,” you said, “but only if you want to, Mina. I wouldn’t force you. It’s a whole new kingdom, we’d know no one there- oh my god, we’d literally know no one there. I’m going to throw my guts out.”

“We’ll be okay,” Mina assured you, “And I’ll come with you. It’s not like I have anything left here. I’d like to start over where no one knows me.”

You nodded- she didn’t have the best life and as soon as she was allowed to, she cut ties with her family and became a permanent resident of the castle. You and her knew each other’s backstories inside out, having witnessed first-hand. You rubbed her arm assuringly.

“It’s not wrong to hate my mother and father in such a situation, is it?” You asked.

“It’s not,” Mina smiled sadly at you and you nodded, pushing the guilt away.

You were going to raise hell.

—--------------------

The palace was nearly a fish market now that the Jeong family from Wonderland was visiting.

All the guards, all the servants and the staff were borderline panicking. Your father and mother had announced the ‘sudden’ arrival of the guests being expected in a week, and the staff was going-

“Crazy,” Mina entered your room, “You should visit the kitchen. It's havoc.”

“I mean,” you began, looking up from the documents- a part of your daily work as a princess, “It’s only them. Why is everyone acting like a war will break out if we don’t get, say, the right flowers for their welcome?”

Mina passed you a side-eye, indicating that yes, a war just might break out if you didn’t have the right flowers. You rolled your eyes, “So very assuring. So what- if I’m not a proper wife and look at my husband the wrong way, are they gonna send their troops to Eden?”

“That’s something debatable,” Mina started going through your closet, “But I was just in the kitchens, and the staff who’ve been to Wonderland or have encountered the Prince say that he is a very sweet, young man. Maybe you two might get along well.”

“Well,” you shuffled the pages, “My father is a very sweet man. My mother is the sweetest of all, isn’t she?” Mina passed you a disapproving look but you continued, “They care so much about me. No wonder the people of Eden love them.”

“Now, now,” Mina took out a pastel peach evening gown, spreading it on the bed as she thought, “They do care about you. And Eden might not love them but they know with how things have been the past decade, your parents are the best they could have.”

“Sure, Mina, whatever you say,” you mumbled, “I’m not wearing this gown- it’s too pretty. I want to look ugly the day they come.”

But a week later, you were in that gown, the colour bringing out the flush in your cheeks, your hair half tied and perfect curls falling down your shoulders, and you had to admit-

“You look extremely pretty,” Mina swooned, “I don’t know, if the Prince doesn’t think so, I think I’ll help you run away.”

You laughed nervously, “You did a good job, one you shouldn’t have. You should have made me look ugly!”

“I value my life,” Mina raised a brow, “An execution at this age! Just because I made you look ugly!”

“Stop being so dramatic,” you sat in your chair, waiting for your mother to arrive, “I am so nervous right now. I can feel rats go rampant in my stomach. Why haven’t I already run away?”

“You won’t,” your mother entered and Mina bowed, excusing herself to give you two some privacy and you felt her absence like a needle poking in your arm. “You look beautiful, dear.”

“Thank you, mother,” you said almost dismissively, standing up, “Lead me to the guillotine.”

Your mother shook her head in amusement but her face was softer now than you had ever seen in your life, “My daughter… I truly am sorry for making you go through this, whether you believe it or not. But as Queen and King, we had to think of the greater good. The merging of the two kingdoms… It means unity. Peace. We have been on our toes for way too long. Wonderland is going to provide us with the security we so desperately needed.”

“And I am the only way, apparently,” you muttered. You couldn’t believe how she had everything already justified. As if it could be.

Your mother patted your arm, “Think positively tonight. Talk to the Prince. Maybe you two will actually find something good out of this arrangement.”

“And if he’s a spoiled, smug brat?”

“What do you have to say about yourself?”

“Mother!” You gaped at her and she laughed.

“I jest. Come on, it’s time. They have arrived.”

Taking in a deep breath, you joined arms with your mother, suppressing the thick feeling in your throat, putting your chin up as you walked. You were not going to be intimidated by the Prince and his family. You were going to feel them out, you were going to figure out if they had other intentions as well and if you weren’t going to hell. Because if you were… there was no way you’d stay either here or there. You’d run.

You could hear the sound of the music from the hallway, the sound of people mingling, the volume getting louder as you walked to the Great Hall. Your maids joined behind you as well as your mother’s, and together, you finally entered the Hall after a reassuring squeeze from your mother.

You scanned the Hall once as silence fell, the Queen greeting everyone with a curtsy and the music went back, everyone going back to what they were doing. The King approached you two, patting your back. “Come on, let’s greet the Jeongs.”

You gulped once again and saw what had to be the royal family, all elegance and beauty, the King and Queen-

And the unmistakable Prince- unmistakable since he towered over them. You curtsied for the royal family, the Queen patting your cheek lovingly, “What a beautiful daughter you have.”

Your mother laughed in response, thanking her for the compliment and you followed, meeting eyes with the Prince but you two awkwardly looked away from each other as soon as it happened, making you wonder if he was shy. The Kings pushed their children ahead, “Why don’t you show him around, dear?”

If looks could kill, your parents would drop dead right there. You gave them the most fake smile you could muster and bowed your head a little as you excused yourself from their company, the tall Prince following right after. You turned your head a bit, “Drink?”

“Yeah, I could take one right now,” he almost mumbled and you smiled. He, too, was nervous. Why?

You grabbed drinks for you two from the waiter who passed by, “So, Prince. How do you find Eden?”

“Well, the view’s spectacular from outside the castle,” he nodded in acknowledgement, “But Wonderland… it’s much prettier.”

“Really? I don’t recall much from last time I visited,” you muttered, sipping your drink.

“I guess you’ll see for yourself soon,” he raised a brow and you gulped, scanning him rather slowly.

“Can I ask you something? Not here- balcony.”

Prince Yunho followed you to the balcony, appreciating the view he had mentioned earlier, the full moon making the city look more beautiful than it should be credited for. You took a deep breath, turning towards him. “What are your thoughts about… this arrangement?”

The Prince scanned you just as slowly as you had, swirling his drink lazily, “I guess you’re not a fan of this arrangement?”

“Are you?”

“God, no,” he said, and the way he’d so simply said it made you both sigh in relief and feel a little insulted as well. He must have noticed because he looked at you apologetically, “It’s just… I guess it’s the same for us. Our families want this.”

“Yes… did you not object?”

“I did,” he placed the glass on the bench nearby, returning with his hands in the pockets of his navy blue suit, “but my father insisted, and I cannot refuse him.”

“Is he as uptight and stubborn as mine?” You wondered out loud.

“He’s actually a good father,” Yunho raised a brow in confusion, “which is why I couldn’t refuse.”

“Oh,” you looked away, peering down at the city, “I see.”

Thankfully, the Prince didn’t probe about your father further. “I guess if we have to do this… I’m going to try. Try to make this a good relationship. It’s the best for both of us.”

“Can I ask why you are giving in so easily?” You looked at him, “Don’t you want to say no? Don’t you have, I don’t know… a person? You would want to marry?”

“I don’t, actually,” he sighed, “Which is why I really don’t see the problem here… yet.”

“And if I say I don’t want this?” You asked.

Prince Yunho did not break eye contact and after a few long seconds passed, his lips curved into a smile a little, “You go and fight, Princess. I’m not fighting.”

“I mean… you could help me a little,” you almost pouted.

“Do you have a lover?” The Prince asked and you gaped at how direct he was. “Why do you want to say no?”

“I just don’t want to marry a stranger, no offence,” you began, and he pretended to be hurt, “And I… I just don’t like how my parents so easily sold me off, practically, to ensure the prosperity of the kingdom.”

“The greater good, they say,” Prince Yunho sighed, “Well, Princess, we have a few weeks to get to know each other. If you still don’t want this… I can do something about it. I’ll try, at least, I promise.”

“Why give it a few weeks, why not now?” You asked, genuinely curious.

“Other than the logical reason that it would look suspicious if I try to stop this now,” Yunho shifted, running a hand through his strawberry blonde hair, “I don’t want to end this right now and regret the possibility of perhaps, a beautiful future with you.”

“Oooh,” you were impressed, and were probably flushing at this point, “So you’re a romantic.”

“I can be,” he smiled, tucking a strand of your hair back delicately, “Let’s go inside.”

You and Yunho- as he asked to be called by you- talked about your likes and dislikes. To your surprise, he was very interested in music and arts, and could play quite a few instruments. He was fond of games as well, and it just seemed like he liked to stay busy doing anything and everything throughout his day.

You learned more than you gave- you really didn’t want him knowing much about you before you could really judge him, and frankly, he was… strange, in a way that wasn’t bad. He was just… all giggles and warm smiles and caring.

“I can’t believe he’s so… soft,” you made a disgusted face at Mina, “He’s a sunshine, Mina, what will I do?”

Mina laughed, “What do you think will happen?”

“I’ll cast a shadow over his light is what will happen,” you took off your heels- it had been a long night. “He’s… too good. Almost perfect, and it’s annoying.”

“You really are ungrateful,” Mina said and she earned a scowl from you, “It’s only the first meeting. You have three days in a row to get to know him, and then more- maybe you’ll find something about him that you really don’t like, then he will be Prince Perfect no more. Though if I was you…”

“Yeah, yeah,” you dismissed, “you’d marry him in an instant, I know. But isn’t it the happy smiley ones who turn out all wrong in the end?”

Mina rolled her eyes, “I should ask the library to restrict fiction-”

“Hey!” you scoffed, sighing as you changed into your nightgown and fell into your bed, “I don’t know, Mina. I feel weird.”

“Give it some time,” she patted your cheek before turning off the candles, “You’ll know in your heart soon.”

—--------------

You dressed up casually for breakfast, a simple purple chiffon blouse with black wide leg pants, figuring there was no need to wear a dress now since you always kept dresses for the more formal days or events. You did tie your hair in a loose braid and wore minimal jewellery- it was important to show this side to the family because really, you didn’t want to wed in a place where only dresses were allowed, and you prayed Wonderland wasn’t that.

You arrived before the Jeong family, seating yourself in the middle so the Queens and the Kings could sit together and converse. Your mother gave you an approving glance, “How was last night?”

“Okay,” you simply said, pouring yourself water.

“Okay?” Your father asked. You sighed- you really did not want to give them more.

“Yes, okay,” you insisted, and thankfully before they could probe, you heard the door open and the Jeong family arrived, dressed casually as well. Yunho gave you a smile and seated himself in front of you, next to the King while the Queen sat next to you.

“I slept well last night, you must tell me which scented candles you use,” the Queen passed your mother a warm smile, “I’m taking a ship full with me.”

Your mother laughed, “All yours, dear. Please,” she said, passing her bread and you took it upon yourself to pass the nearest thing to the Prince before your father or mother could scold you for sitting idly.

“So,” Yunho asked as he put a scone on his plate, “Slept well last night?”

“Not at all,” you joked, “I believe you did.”

“Slept like a log,” Yunho grinned.

“So the thought of me did not keep you up at night, I see,” you nibbled on the egg.

“Unlike you, no,” he smirked, and you shrugged in dismissal.

“What are your hobbies, dear?” The Queen turned to you, “I, myself, absolutely love to crochet. I should start making some crochet mittens for my future grandchild-”

“Mother!” Yunho’s eyes were wide in warning but the two of them ended up laughing- you couldn’t believe how… friendly they were with each other. You passed a look to your mother that you hoped conveyed this sentiment.

“I mean,” the Queen laughed, “About time, what do you say dear?”

“Oh, it is,” your mother joined and you wished you could disappear in your seat, “I myself am fond of babies. I simply cannot wait for a little thing in my arms.”

“I don’t remember you holding me much, mother,” you muttered and you were glad only Yunho heard that, the mothers busy laughing at your demise.

Breakfast went by like that- the parents having a good chat and you two mostly listening, until you excused yourself for your daily duties, which involved defence strategies- something you excelled at.

You took Yunho for a tour of the castle in the evening, figuring that it was the least that you could do. You started from the kitchens, wanting to grab a snack since you were practically starving. “Have you had lunch yet?”

“I have. But I could grab something sweet.”

“Sweet,” you grinned, entering the kitchen and the Head Chef gaped at you.

“You did NOT bring the Prince into the kitchens!” She whirled around in frustration, a box of dough in her hands, “I should have seen this coming!”

“What’s so wrong, stop being so dramatic,” you glanced at Yunho who stood laughing.

“My Head Chef would have had the same reaction, don’t worry.”

You raised a brow, “So the Prince loiters around in the kitchen too?”

“What kid doesn’t?” He simply said, greeting the chefs who came and offered him the first batch of vanilla cupcakes that came out of the oven. You shrugged- he was right. As kids, you both probably thought the kitchen was the safest place in the castle- safe because no one would bother coming here to get you and you could eat to your heart’s content. At least that’s what it was for you.

“So this hallway has the portraits of our ancestors,” you arched your neck to look up at the dimly lit walls, “That’s my great grandfather,” you pointed at the picture you recognized, “and that is as far as I care. The rest, I often get them mixed up.”

Yunho found your lack of care amusing, and you raised your brow in challenge. He shook his head, “You’re telling me your parents- or teacher didn’t make you memorise basically all your family tree?”

“They did, and if I rack my brain for a while, I might actually recall,” you turned left, whirling once, “but who cares what my great grandfather looked like? He’s gone and forgotten!”

Yunho tried stifling his laugh but ended up grinning, “One day your picture is gonna be on one of these walls and some kid’s gonna say the same.”

“And I would expect nothing else,” you curtsied dramatically, “Here’s the music room- I wanted to bring you here today.”

Yunho took a deep breath before he entered, nodding in acknowledgement- it was just as big as the one back home, if not more. But he noticed a larger variety of string instruments, and as you named each instrument, he was impressed by your knowledge.

“Do you play anything?” He asked, running his hand along the piano keys.

“I tried, but I pretty much suck,” you shrugged, “I’m better a free spirit on one of the instruments, if I’m allowed.”

“And what is that?”

“That, you will find out if we stick together for a while,” you said playfully, “Please, I’m not telling you now. It’s kind of… embarrassing.”

“I’m sure it’s not,” Yunho was grinning, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“I’m sure it is, at least to me, and the reason being that you do not want to see me play the poor thing. I would wish it only on my enemies.”

“Tempting,” he said, and you sat on the stool near the piano.

“You said you played. Can I see?”

Yunho glanced at you, making you look away for a second just because something about that look made him seem very attractive- it was the playful nature of it, perhaps. He smirked, “Maybe if we stick together… I’d play for you.”

“Fair enough,” you smiled, “What do you play though?”

“A little bit of piano, a little bit of strings… but I like singing better.”

“Ooh,” you wondered if his singing voice was different from his speaking voice, “Are you not gonna sing for me?”

Yunho leaned in front of you, “You haven’t earned that privilege yet.”

“Wow, okay, someone’s confident in their singing,” you appreciated that, wondering just how good he was, and you watched his ears turn red, but decided not to tease him about it- it was cute. “Do you wanna see more of this boring castle or should we go to the gardens?”

“Whatever you like,” he simply said.

You got up, brushing your dress, “Gardens it is.”

Putting a hand on his arm that he offered, the two of you took the first exit outside and you told him how you spent your childhood playing with the guard’s kids and rolling in the mud, something your mother frowned upon but your father sometimes laughed over. You told him how as you grew up, you rearranged the theme of the garden, using mostly shades of blue, purple and white for the flowers, mosaic patterns on the fountains and how you would come back with shells everytime you visited the shore and spread them across the fountains.

“There,” you pointed, “I love tiny shells.”

Yunho leaned forward to get a closer look inside the fountain where you had stuck shells along the basin. “These are prettier than the ones we have in Wonderland.”

“Finally!” You clapped, “Eden has better shells than Wonderland, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Or maybe I never paid much attention- maybe you’ll find more beautiful shells in Wonderland,” Yunho said, and you noticed just how casually he said that, as if you coming to Wonderland was a given.

“So… what’s your story?” You asked as the two of you walked around the gardens, “I still don’t get why you aren’t bailing out of… whatever’s happening to us.”

“Well, I usually spend the day training with the guards or busy with paperwork- you know how it gets,” he said and you nodded, “I have friends in the castle, some have moved out. We go on trips once in a while, take a breather. A pretty normal life for a Prince, you could say.”

“But?”

“But,” he let out a short laugh, sighing, “Things haven’t always been good in Wonderland, you know. Eden and Wonderland have a conflict, yes. But Wonderland is also greatly threatened by Halaland. We fear for war with them, just like you fear for war with us. And we’re not to blame- it’s something that’s been going on since our forefather’s time. Unfortunately, Halaland’s royalty does not have a daughter I could marry-”

“Ha, ha, very funny,” you rolled your eyes and he laughed.

“So, here we are. Who knows? If you pull out of this, you might have to consider Halaland’s Prince. And with Halaland and Eden so strongly allied…”

“Oh,” you let out a breath, “Wonderland would be in danger.”

“It already is,” Yunho shrugged, “By uniting with Eden, we hope our relations with Halaland would become better in respect of the Princess- you. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

“And I’m the tool.”

“I’m the tool too, don’t forget,” Yunho added and you nodded- you shouldn’t forget that.

“But… don’t you think it’s unfair? Why do we have to go through with this if we don’t want this?”

“It is,” he agreed, “And I really wouldn’t want to force you. It’s up to you- as for me… I’m okay. I’m doing this for the people, my kingdom, but…” he stopped and you turned to him, almost taken by surprise when he put a hand on your cheek and caressed it lightly, “I’ll be a friend if nothing else to you, Princess. I can allow you a certain freedom… and I can be your friend, nothing more, if you wish. You get what I’m saying, don’t you?”

It was such a generous offer that it almost made you cry, because you really hadn’t expected him to be so… caring. So giving, that he’d allow himself to be shackled by you while allowing you freedom to not consider him a romantic partner at all. It truly was so gracious of him.

“I… Thank you, Yunho. Truly. I’ll keep it in mind… I think I just need to give it a good thought. I cannot ruin your life by not giving you something a wife would give you-”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” he said and you raised a brow in confusion, which was when realisation dawned upon him and he vigorously shook his head, laughing a bit, “I don’t mean that I will be looking for love elsewhere, no. Never. I’d never do that to you, you’d be my wife, how could I?”

“But, that’s unfair to you, why are you being so… considerate? You should be allowed to look for love elsewhere, or at least, you know, go elsewhere if not to me-”

“I guess that’s just how I am,” he smiled, shrugging, “As long as I have a friend by my side… someone I can simply talk to at night and fall asleep with a smile on my face, feel less lonely… I’ll be okay.”

You bit your lip, wanting to clench your hair because it just felt… wrong. You wanted to hug him and tell him he didn’t have to settle for you just because of his kingdom and he could have a wife that would actually love him, but… he really couldn’t get out of this, could he?

“I know what you’re thinking,” his smile was sad, “I really don’t want to be the one to say no to this, so it’s up to you. I’m just laying out what I can offer to you. It’s your decision now, Princess.”

“I… I would immediately say no just because you deserve to have a wife who would love you and care for you with all her heart,” you sighed in frustration, “but I… I have to think this through properly. And there’s the thing that if I say no, Wonderland and Eden really could find themselves in a war against each other-”

“I won’t allow that,” Yunho smiled, tucking your hair behind, “You’re a good person. The people here… don’t tell anyone but if you back out of this, I won’t allow a war- at least I’ll try with all my might. Wonderland and Eden used to be one- we really shouldn’t be in a war.”

“Thank you, truly, but I believe we are pretty much helpless when it comes to things like that,” you pursed your lips, “I’ll think this through.”

—-------------------

You sent off the Jeong family the next day after breakfast, and they promised to return in two weeks if there was a positive response, which meant that you had that time to think this through. You sat with your parents in their chamber, staring at the fireplace as if the fire would blow off by your stare.

“How pleasant the Prince is!” Your mother sighed dramatically, putting a hand over her heart, “Such a charming boy!”

“Truly,” your father agreed and you shrugged- you couldn’t deny his charms now.

“How does it look, honey? Are they really willing to let trade flourish if the marriage happens?”

“Well, if it doesn’t, they’re at war,” the King sounded grim, “And if they’re at war… We’d have to take sides with whoever offers us the best outcome.”

“So calculative,” you muttered, glad no one heard you.

“My dear gem,” your mother called you, “What do you think? Do you like him?”

“He’s tolerable,” you shrugged and your mother laughed in victory, “But ma, do we really have to? Didn’t you adults have a great time? Isn’t the bonding enough to allow trade to flourish and whatever it is that you want from them?”

“Oh, honey, if they do that,” your father sipped on his wine, “Halaland would turn on us too.”

You muttered a string of colourful curses in response, your mother giving you a warning glare even if she couldn’t hear you- she knew what face you made when you cursed. “You have a good chance to get to know him, so it will be less awkward when you do marry. Make most of it.”

But given your luck, nothing ever went in your favour. Halaland sent a warning troop to Wonderland’s border and the soldiers there barely made it out alive, given Halaland had the most advanced weaponry out of the three nations. You worried for Wonderland genuinely, and just five days from then, your parents announced that the Jeong family was arriving to proceed with the marriage.

“But it’s too soon!” You cried, “I barely got to know him, I haven’t made up my mind!”

“This isn’t about what you think,” your mother practically screamed from her clenched teeth, “This is about war and peace, Princess. There are greater things than not getting to choose your husband. He is a good person, be thankful for that. Do not make things worse for yourself and for us. I will not allow you to have the blood of your people on your hands.”

You had a good argument with your parents which mostly involved your father trying to calm you and your mother down but ending up raising his voice in anger and giving his final orders, that you will marry Jeong Yunho. There was no need for an ‘or else’. You bit back your tears, pointing your finger at your parents because they were not only ruining your life but Yunho’s life too, and they did not know that.

“Do not expect me to welcome you with open arms when you visit Wonderland.”

With that, you were rushing to your room, falling in Mina’s arms as you cried your heart out, explaining what Yunho had told you. “I feel more guilty about doing this to him. I cannot love him, and he does not deserve that.”

Mina calmed you down, making you sit by the fire with a blanket around you and brought tea for the two of you. “Listen, I know it’s not my place to say this, but…”

“It’s okay, go on,” you said.

“You could love him, one day. You wouldn’t even realise. Just… I think a big part of why you won’t allow yourself to love anyone is because of your parents. I think you need to put that past yourself.”

“Mina,” your tone was low, “He is a good guy. I simply do not see myself falling in love with him. Maybe I will, but… I don’t think I’d be good to him. You know me. I’d need time to open up. And what if I don’t love him? What if I don’t feel any romantic feelings towards him? What if… what if he gets tired of me then? He’s a man, he can go around anywhere. I’d be in the castle, in my room, wondering what it would have been like to fall in love with someone. What if an heir is demanded? What if we have to- oh god.”

“It’s gonna be alright,” Mina patted your back, “It isn’t the first arranged marriage that is happening in this world, is it? You’ll figure it out, and the Prince is patient. He’d be a friend to you, so he would understand, won’t he?”

You stared at the fire for the longest time, before Mina said, “I think when you love, you give them your all… And it’s both good, and bad. I just hope Yunho can deal with it. I know I did.”

You finally smiled, putting your head on her shoulder, “Thank heavens you’re coming with me.”

—--------------------

It happened in the blink of an eye.

You were walking down the altar, alone. Your mother and father stood in the front with wet eyes, and there he was.

Yunho.

You two did suck in your breath, perhaps because you’d never seen each other like this or because the gravity of the situation sunk in, now that you were in an ebony white gown that trailed far along your path, a bouquet of Wonderland’s staple jasmines in your hands and he was in a suit, waiting to hold your hand and slide the diamond ring on your finger. You kept your head straight- you couldn’t show the whirlwind of your emotions on your face though you wanted nothing more than to collapse right there.

For the people, you were chanting, for the greater good. For the people. For the greater good.

You took a step and Yunho extended his hand, a warm comfort to you as you held it, refusing to meet your parent’s eyes as you turned and faced him. Whatever vows were read went above your head as you locked eyes with him and you could read what he was trying to convey-

He had sneaked in your room last night, making you almost scream and run because you hadn’t realised there was a secret passage there. He grinned in apology, “I thought knocking would scare you- our castle has a lot of secret passages. I almost got lost, it’s practically a maze.”

You were in your plain black nightgown that fell below your knees, and you rolled your eyes as you sat back in front of the fireplace- you’d been staring at the fire for too long now- it had become a habit. Yunho sat down in front of you, reflecting your posture as he, too, stared at the fire.

“I wanted to apologise for the rush- it took me off guard too. I tried everything, but nothing seems to be working.”

“It’s okay, I don’t blame you,” you sighed.

“I came here to offer you a chance to run.”

“What?” You looked at him- was he serious?

“I can give you a safe passage- you can take shelter in my friend’s house. You don’t have to do this if the thought of it makes you so… disturbed.”

“No, I- Yunho, think of the consequences,” you slumped back, “I cannot be selfish anymore. Why are we changing roles?”

“I just… I’m sorry, truly,” Yunho shook his head, “We’ll work this through, okay? You don’t have to worry about anything. Just… trust me, if nothing else. Can you do that?”

“I trust you,” you assured him, “You haven’t given me a reason not to, and… thanks for the offer. The risk is too big- I cannot do it.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure,” you nodded, getting up and pouring wine for the both of you, handing him his glass, “Here’s to the last night of not being husband and wife.”

Amused, he clicked glasses with you and took a sip, “I thought you’d be bawling your eyes out, if I’m honest.”

“I’m too angry at my parents and the world to bawl my eyes right now,” you pursed your lips, “And I’m sorry to you too. You deserved… you deserve better than me.”

“Do I now,” Yunho wondered out loud.

“You do,” you put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently and he looked up at you, “I’ll be a good friend to you, if nothing more.”

He squeezed your hand, nodding.

And as you two stood facing each other on the altar, hands in his, he gave you the same reassuring squeeze as his eyes told you to trust him, and you took the leap of faith and did just that. The vows and promises were over, you were pronounced husband and wife, and Yunho slid the ring on your finger, a perfect fit. He took the tiara, placed it on your head and you placed the crown on his head, for which he had to bend down a good distance, making everyone laugh. Yunho put a hand on your cheek, nodding once and you braced yourself, but even the soft peck he gave you knocked the breath out of you, because-

You were married. Yunho was your husband now.

You barely heard the cheers and barely felt the hugs your parents gave you as you tried to make sense of how safe he made you feel in that moment. As you looked back at the smile on his face as he greeted his friends, you finally allowed yourself a smile.

You could be happy for him.

You enjoyed the rest of the night putting your worries aside, greeting Yunho’s group of friends and forgetting their names right after because they were such an overwhelming but friendly bunch, then greeting everyone with Yunho and exchanging so many hugs and kisses that you lost count, trying to find Mina and relaxing when you did and she got you water, and Yunho finally made you sit before you had to share a dance- the last event for the night.

“You better give me a foot massage tonight, friend,” you teased and Yunho laughed out loud.

“As you wish, my Princess,” he saluted and your heart jumped a little at his new nickname- my princess. You made a face, watching him go off and then Mina sat behind you, rubbing your shoulders.

“How do you feel?”

“Strange, I feel like this is a dream,” you looked at her, “I’m gonna wake up and I’ll be back in my room trying to sleep while you’ll be trying to wake me up-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mina laughed, “You wish. Are you ready for the dance?”

“Oh, no.”

You were. But you weren’t ready for how good Yunho was.

“Is there one thing you’re bad at?” You asked.

“Hmm, I don’t know,” Yunho twirled you around, “yet.”

“Hmph,” you made a face and he grinned, twirling you around and bringing you back to your original position where his left hand rested on your waist and the other held your hand and guided you along. The audience cheered and went on to find their partners, the two of you in the middle of the ballroom while the rest danced around you. Yunho tucked a stray curl that fell from your bun behind your ear as the song ended.

“One slow dance, with me, what do you say?”

“Do we have to?”

“No,” he smiled, “But I want to.”

You raised a brow, watching his ears flush and you laughed out loud for the first time since you came here, “Okay, my dear Prince. Last dance. How does it work?”

“You put your hands on my shoulders,” he guided your hands and you muttered, “Thank god I’m wearing the highest pair of heels.” His hands went to your waist and he hovered for a second as if asking for your permission and you nodded, his hands so warm you could feel it in your skin. He brought you closer, and as the music started, you swayed along with him, his eyes never leaving yours. You really felt as if you two were the only ones in the ballroom- he just had this way of grabbing your attention and you found yourself looking down one too many times. Were you shy? Maybe.

He finished the dance with a kiss to your forehead, “Thank you for having a good time with me tonight.”

—--------------------

After seeing your parents off who were taking the ship back to Eden right after the event, not really hugging your parents back, you sighed as Mina accompanied you to your room- Yunho’s room. Yunho told you he’d be there in a while, asking Mina to give you company so he could wrap up everything before coming. The guards at the door greeted you and you asked for their names and thanked them before entering Yunho’s chamber.

You liked the feel of it immediately- warm colours greeting your eyes. The gold in the room wasn’t too bright like the one in your castle and it made you content- it went along with the browns and greens of the chamber. You looked around with Mina, very comfortable and rather tempting sofas in front of the fireplace, the window giving a spectacular view of the sea, a grand piano sitting in the corner.

“This is nice,” you commented and Mina nodded, motioning to baby pictures of Yunho with a grin and you hopped along, laughing when you saw those pictures.

“He’s unbelievably cute!”

“He is,” Mina laughed, “Come on, let’s get you settled in your room.”

There were two rooms and a bathing chamber, and you were thoroughly pleased by the size and style of it. It looked like one room was mostly empty- perhaps for you to use as your room, while Yunho’s room was lit with candles, plants in a corner that led to the terrace that you could access through both the rooms. The king sized bed was grand with deep blue silk sheets and you decided to sit in front of the terrace for a while, let the cool air hit and relax you. Mina gave your shoulders a little massage before she heard the door open, wishing you good luck with a suggestive wink (earning a slap to the arm as she went out laughing). Yunho cleared his throat, entering.

“I hope you like the room.”

“Oh, the view’s absolutely wonderful,” you sighed, “I want to jump to the sea right now.”

“Don’t try that,” Yunho warned, grinning, “Tired?”

“Very. I knew weddings could be tiring, but… I feel like I could sleep forever.”

“I know,” Yunho shook his head, opening his drawer and taking a box out, “I have something for you.”

“Ooh,” you wiggled your brows, “A gift?”

“Yep,” he sat on one knee in front of you, urging you to open the box and you did, gasping-

“This is beautiful!” You gaped at him, “You know exactly how to please me!”

He gave you a victorious grin, “I noticed your love for tiny things,” he said, taking out the necklace, the pendant a silver shell-shaped thing with tiny diamonds encrusted upon it, “Allow me.”

Getting up, he put the necklace on you and you loved how it was the perfect length, falling right above your chest. “Thank you, Yunho. I mean it.”

“Anytime,” he patted your shoulders and you got up, sitting in front of the mirror and watching the necklace before going to remove the pins from your bun. “I also have something for you.”

“Really?” Yunho took off his coat, hanging it in the closet.

“Not an object, but a promise- that I’ll try. I’ll try to be your best friend, at least. I hope we can be that, if nothing more.”

Yunho smiled, coming to you and helping you take off the pins, placing it in your extended hand, “Thank you. I mean it.”

You smiled at how it was a habit for you two to repeat each other’s sentences in different contexts. He indicated that all the pins were out and you shook your head, moaning as you rubbed your aching scalp. “I should have never agreed with the bun.”

“Well, I don’t think I said it, but you looked beautiful tonight,” Yunho rubbed your scalp, “I liked this look on you.”

“Thank you, you didn’t look too bad either,” you scoffed, “Are you teasing me? You know buns are the most painful thing in the world, don’t you?”

“With beauty comes pain,” he said dramatically, laughing when you slapped his arm, “But really. You look beautiful. Even with your hair down.”

“It’s a freaking nest right now, Yunho, stop lying.”

Yunho laughed, messing your hair up further, making you shout at him and shush him away, combing gently through your hair and he told you he would be back after a shower while you dealt with your hair. And indeed, he was out in a black pyjamas, by which time your hair was manageable and smoothened out. You took off your pearl jewellery, placed it in the drawer and got up, finding your nightgown already in the closet, courtesy of Mina, your bathing products also in place. Now the only problem was-

“I can curse freely now, right, do you mind?”

“Go ahead,” Yunho rubbed a towel through his strawberry hair.

“This fucking dress won’t come off, I can’t reach the zipper!”

Yunho almost wheezed as he laughed, and you had to stop your struggling to actually look at him- you hadn’t heard him laugh like that yet, and it was… contagious. You were laughing before you knew it too. You kicked your heels in frustration, making puppy eyes at him as you asked for help. He got up, sighing, putting his hands on his hips as he tried to make sense of the intricate back of your dress. “How…”

“There’s just one string,” you told him, “You pull it, and voila!”

“There are like 10 strings here, Princess.”

“Pull at all of them? I don’t know, it should be at the bottom somewhere.”

Yunho took a deep breath, pulling the one string he found and you realised he truly wasn’t lying when he said he won in the luck department. You felt your dress loosen, sighing in relief and Yunho stopped pulling. “How much do I pull?”

“Pull all of it,” you waved a hand in dismissal and he cleared his throat, “Oh, come on. Get used to seeing a little skin now- you’re my husband now, Prince.”

He grinned shyly, pulling the string and you held the dress to your body before it could fall. “Now turn around- if you look at me I’m gonna behead you in your sleep.”

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, and you quickly grabbed your gown and towel after slipping out of the dress, half naked and rushed to the bathroom, shutting the door which was when he finally turned, shaking his head as he picked your dress off the floor and hung it in the closet.

You took your sweet time in the warm water relaxing and letting all the tiredness seep away. By the time you were dressed in your own black nightgown and came out, you thought Yunho had fallen asleep, but the movement you made when you got in the bed made him open one eye.

“How many candles do you blow out when you sleep?”

“All but one. You can keep them if you want.”

“I do the same,” you told him, blowing the candles one by one until the one at your corner of the room remained. You got in the bed, feeling awkward for the first time because the prospect of sharing a bed wasn’t something you really thought of much, worried by other more important things. Yunho gave you a lazy smile, watching as you positioned the pillows and you pulled the covers up, facing him.

Your heart did a good 360 in your stomach. The dim light was casting shadows of his lashes on his cheeks. “I’ve never slept with anyone before.”

Yunho started shaking with laughter, “Neither have I, Princess.”

“No,” you laughed, “I mean… I never even slept with my friends or my parents. I’ve always been… alone.”

Yunho opened one eye, “If you want, I can sleep in the other room.”

“No, I don’t want to trouble you more. I just… feel weird. Do you have any sleeping habits I should be aware of?”

“Not really,” he mumbled, “But my friends tell me I tend to lean towards body warmth. Oftentimes I end up hugging them as a pillow.”

“Now where’s my dagger,” you looked around, making him laugh again.

“You’re funny,” he sighed, “I’m joking. I am a normal person who sleeps like a log. Do you have a sleeping habit?”

“I’m probably a light snorer,” you admitted, “No point hiding. And I have nightmares when I’m stressed, so I’m sorry in advance if I wake you up.”

“It’s okay,” he nodded, “I’ll be here if you get scared.”

Something you’d never been offered. A source of comfort for when you were scared. “Thank you, Yunho.”

“Goodnight, my Princess.”

—---------------------

It was the sun shining directly in your eyes that made you open one eye, about to curse at Mina but realising you were not in your room in Eden, no-

You were in Wonderland now. Even the morning sky was different here.

You stretched a little, turning to see if Yunho was still asleep but he was seated on the sofa, already dressed in a white shirt and pants, reading a book- or maybe zoning out since he was holding the book upside down.

“Enjoying the book?” Your voice was husky.

“Oh, you’re awake- uh, yeah,” he said, and you pointed at a book with a smile, which was when he realised that you could clearly see the upside-down title. He grinned, shutting the book, “I was reading, but then I zoned out and somehow it’s upside-down now.”

“It’s okay,” you finally sat in your bed, feeling a little insecure because you probably looked ‘wonderful’ after waking up. “Not late for breakfast, am I?”

“Since it’s our first day, we’re pardoned from attending the breakfast early. It’ll be ready as soon as we arrive.”

“Good,” you got up, stretching once again a little too long and then groaning, “I’ll… be back, can you call for Mina?”

“Yep,” Yunho got up, going outside and you finally got the courage to look in the mirror-

“Fucking hell.”

You looked like a wreck with the leftover makeup from last night now smudged around your eyes and your hair sticking out in all directions. What a sight to show to your husband for the first time. Shaking your head, you went to the toilet and by the time you were out, Mina had your dress- a light pink pearly gown- ready with the accessories and all. She smiled at you, “Slept well?”

“Surprisingly, yes,” you nodded, sitting in front of the mirror and letting Mina style you as she told you about her new room and how the view was great, to which you agreed, and how she was already on friendly terms with the people around her.

“Everyone’s so friendly here, I don’t know if it’s because we’re new, but I’ve seen them talk to each other when they think I’m not there,” Mina put pearls in your hair, “They’re a really friendly bunch. You’ll love everyone.”

“So no one’s uptight like in Eden?” You smirked, “That’s a good change.”

Yunho entered after a knock, smiling because he’d heard you from the slightly open door, “You’re in for a ride- I apologise in advance for my friends that you’ll be meeting today.”

“I’ve forgotten all their names and faces, I met so many people yesterday,” you shook your head, “You gotta introduce them to me properly. I’ve heard so much about them already.”

Mina left with a bow and you stood in front of the full-length mirror, checking yourself out. Yunho was smiling, “They’ll love you. You ready?”

“Do I look okay? I hope this is not too much- I don’t know how it is here.”

“You look pretty, don’t worry,” he simply said, offering his arm, “Let’s go.”

You took his arm, commenting on his baby pictures as you went out of his chamber and greeted the new guards, observing the hallways and trying to memorise the path- it was the first time you were in the right headspace to actually observe your surroundings. The castle was similar in its colouring to the one back in Eden, and that’s where the resemblance ended- there were more arches, everything was somehow grander- or perhaps it was the clever use of gold and navy blue.

You arrived at the dining hall where the Queen and the King were already present, accompanied by a few other people you recognized from last night but couldn’t recall who. Everyone cheered as you entered and you curtsied.

“Oh, don’t be so formal, honey,” the Queen said, calling you to the empty seat beside her, “Come, sit.”

You and Yunho sat down and the King threw a wink to you two, making you smile nervously. “Good morning, I hope you both slept well.”

“Oh, we did, I passed out,” the King laughed, “She snored all night. Good thing I was out cold.”

“Oh, it’s not like you don’t snore, dear,” the Queen laughed, “Good thing my son is a silent sleeper, isn’t he?”

“I was out cold too,” you grinned, making them laugh, “I’m probably the one with that problem.”

“Well, lucky for you, the men in our household sleep like the dead,” the Queen almost whispered and you were amused- it was almost like sharing a secret. You watched as breakfast arrived, a variety of eggs, fruits, bread, soup-

“This isn't lunch, is it?” You asked Yunho and he shook his head no with a grin.

“Get used to the special treatment- won’t last forever.”

“Are you denying me a grand breakfast, good husband?”

“Are you saying you can eat all this?” Yunho raised a brow.

“Watch me,” you grinned.

You did taste everything and it went unnoticed by everyone just because your strategy was picking a little amount of everything turn by turn- anyone who took notice would have realised that the total amount you ate was pretty decent. It didn’t help that Yunho told you that he liked the fact that you ate well and kept putting more to your plate until you could take no more.

“Well,” the King wiped his mouth, “Where would the two of you like to go for your honeymoon?”

You almost choked on your juice- you hadn’t even thought about your honeymoon, and Yunho looked like he, too, had forgotten. He glanced at you and then turned to his parents, “Uh, we’ll think about it and get back to you?”

“Take your time,” his mother said, “It all happened so quickly. You can postpone it if you want.”

“Thank you,” you said, and Yunho nodded. The King and Queen excused themselves first, saying something about work and how good old times were over because the last time they didn’t have work was right after their marriage too, which made them envious to see you and Yunho- newlyweds. You looked at Yunho, wiping your mouth daintily, “Well, that’s something that clearly escaped us.”

“It did,” he laughed a little, “Do you wanna postpone it or forget about it?”

“Oh, why waste this opportunity?” You thought about it, “It’s a good time to show me around Wonderland, don’t you think? Unless, of course, you don’t want to go-”

“Oh no, I do,” he interrupted, clearing his throat and shifting in his chair, “I mean, I haven’t had a breather in a while too. I could use this. And I have a few ideas.”

You spent the rest of the day planning with Yunho- he had friends in the city so it wouldn’t be a problem because you two really wanted to travel around like two normal people instead of the Prince and Princess- you’d have guards but you two decided it would be better to travel informally and in disguise- it would feel like an adventure.

What did surprise you was when Yunho said he’d be back after informing and talking to the guards to make the arrangements while you relaxed in the gardens with the pet dog one guard had and he returned with 3 men you’d seen last night- some of his friends, if you recall correctly.

“She’s beautiful,” one of them said as they approached you, and you got up with a smile, passing a questioning look to Yunho as you glanced at him but he was laughing, trying to drag his friends back.

“Princess, we’re crashing your honeymoon!” one of them with the mullet announced and you put a hand over your mouth as you burst out laughing- this was getting interesting.

“I simply cannot let Yunho go alone!” the tall one wailed dramatically, “I cannot spend so many days without him!”

“Why don’t you all have your honeymoon with Yunho, the Princess can stay here,” another one arrived from inside, pinching his nose-bridge, “I apologise for the mess, Princess, I’m Seonghwa, Yunho’s friend and the only sane one of the lot.”

You laughed, “Pleasure to meet you, I’ve heard about you.”

“All good things, I hope,” he smiled and you nodded.

“So… are they really crashing our honeymoon?”

“Oh, I’m crashing with them,” he grinned at you and the sudden change in his demeanour made you laugh out loud.

“Please do, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

“She approves!” The loudest one came forward, pushing Yunho away, “Thank you for your permission, I’m Wooyoung.”

“She doesn’t mean it!” The one with the sharp features bowed, “I’m San. Welcome to the family.”

“And I’m Mingi,” the tall one said, “And I can’t believe my friend got married.”

“And I can’t believe you are Yunho’s friends!” You looked at him, “You didn’t tell me your friends were fun!”

“Oh, we haven’t even started,” Wooyoung grinned, “Actually, we plan to accompany you and drop off at our homes on the way. I hope you don’t mind- even if you do, we’re tagging along.”

“Of course, I look forward to our time together,” you grinned, immediately liking Wooyoung. Yunho finally joined you, muttering an apology and you told him it really wasn’t necessary.

“I’ll be back- I need to get the rest of them,” he said and looked at Seonghwa, “Make sure they… stay in line.”

“Of course,” Seonghwa laughed, waving him off, “I’m the oldest, so I’m usually the responsible one.”

“You seem so,” you told him, “So, tell me about yourselves.”

You learned that Seonghwa and Hongjoong- the one with red hair you clearly remembered- worked in the castle as Yunho’s advisors, Mingi as the Captain of Guard, and San and Wooyoung had an academy to train guards and soldiers in the city along with Yeosang. Yunho arrived with Yeosang and the rest. Jongho was a musician who came to the castles for concerts and events but usually was in another city, also with his own academy.

“This is a great opportunity for us to travel together, but I kind of feel bad for the newlyweds,” Hongjoong laughed guiltily, “One word if we become unbearable and we’re gone, Princess.”

“Noted,” you laughed. “I do hope we’ll have some female company too, Yunho.”

“Don’t worry, I have friends we can meet in the city, they left last night,” he confirmed and you nodded.

Planning your route with everyone while they shared jokes and teased each other, you noticed Yunho was a lot different with his friends- more relaxed, almost a free spirit, more loud and you smiled- you hoped Yunho could feel the same around you one day, though you were pretty sure you couldn’t compete with the bond he had built with his friend over years. Jongho noticed your gaze and smiled, “I know what you’re thinking.”

“You do?”

“Yunho doesn’t take much to open up,” he said, and you realised he did know what you were thinking, “He just needs a little time- as soon as he’s comfortable, he’ll be the most funny and mischievous person you could meet.”

“Interesting,” you grinned.

“He’s a good listener- so if you need one, feel free to talk to him- or Wooyoung there,” he pointed at him, “Even though he never shuts up, he’s a good listener. I’d say the same for Seonghwa and Hongjoong but they’re the boomers, so.”

“Says the boomer himself,” Yeosang, who was sitting nearby, laughed, “Jongho has the soul of an 80 year old, you'll see.”

“I was born in the wrong age,” he declared.

“I have the soul of a cranky old woman too, don’t worry,” you muttered and they laughed.

After more discussion and lunch in the hall with the friends, you were pretty exhausted by the time evening fell- but you felt good. Your cheeks were hurting from smiling too much and you realised how little you did that back in Eden. Yunho decided you could have dinner in your chamber and you both came back, where you slumped on the couch in the living room, groaning in relief, Yunho following.

“Tired?” He asked.

“Good-tired,” you told him, “I wish I had that many friends. None of my ‘friends’ cared enough to even come for my wedding.”

“Ah,” Yunho sighed, “Sad.”

“Mina’s my only real friend, I’m glad she could come here,” you told him and he turned to you as if he wanted to hear more, “She’s been working for me since I was 13. She knows me inside out and is like a sister to me. She’s very much like Seonghwa in nature.”

“Good to hear,” he smiled, unbuttoning his top button and loosening his shirt, “You really need a Seonghwa in your life, trust me.”

“Yeah,” you sighed, “Let me get out of this damned dress then we can… talk and eat.”

You went to your room and changed to a simple shirt and trousers, letting your hair loose and coming outside again, stopping when you saw how he was trying to massage his shoulders. You hesitated for a second but then went to stand behind him, holding his hands and putting them away, making him look surprised, and then you proceeded to give him a shoulder massage.

“I haven’t tried this on anyone, but Mina does this technique, so consider yourself privileged.”

“You’re good,” Yunho groaned, sighing as he relaxed more into it and you smiled- he was just so… easy. Comfortable. “You can stop though, you’re probably more tired.”

“Well, you owe me two,” you said, “You still haven’t given me the foot massage.”

“So you were serious?” Yunho looked up at you.

“No, I’m very ticklish there. Don’t even try,” you said, but Yunho was grinning, “Just letting you know, I sleep with the dagger under my pillow.”

“Of course you do,” he let out a chuckle. He let you continue for two minutes before getting up, “I should return the favour.”

You made a pleased face, almost hopping to sit back and he grinned at that, saying he had actually learned massage from his mother and did a neat job at it- and boy, was he good. You almost moaned shamelessly, stifling it because he shouldn’t hear the animalistic sounds you made… yet. But it seemed like he was trying his best to get you to at least produce one little satisfied sound and you ended up moaning, making him snicker. You slapped his hand- “You hit the right spot.”

“Good to hear,” he said, continuing expertly, and now you were somehow more focused on how his fingers felt on your bare skin, how long they were and how they were rough but you still liked how they felt. You realised your eyes were shut and you probably looked funny so you opened them with great effort, thanking him. You did note the smug look on his face as he sat back down after telling the guard at the door to call for dinner.

You raised a brow at how he was looking at you, “You want to tell me why you look so smug right now?”

“You clearly enjoyed the massage.”

So he had noticed. You shifted in your position, “Of course I did, Prince. You did a good job.”

He shrugged, still looking playful and you scoffed- Jongho wasn’t lying when he said Yunho could be mischievous, “What are you thinking, Jeong Yunho?”

“You don’t want to know,” he looked at you and you couldn’t stop yourself from flushing at the mere possibilities of the thoughts that could be going around his head, realising only later that you could be wrong. You poked his thigh with your bare feet, making him laugh and he tickled your feet as revenge, making you gasp at his action.

“I should keep my dagger with me at all times, shouldn’t I?”

“Where else do you tickle, Princess?” He wiggled his brows.

“Well, I’m not going to tell you if you’re going to be tickling me now, would I? Where do you tickle?”

“Me? Basically everywhere if you tickle me properly,” he laughed in defeat, making you clap your hands in victory.

“I think I only tickle at my feet. I don’t know if I tickle elsewhere,” you frowned.

“Well, I’ll find out,” he promised and you were glad food arrived because god, how would he ever find out?

—--------------------

The next day was spent packing your bags and planning the little tour with Yunho’s friends. Yunho showed you around the castle, the gardens, and promised to show you what he knew of the maze-like secret passages once you were back. You told him he didn’t need to- you couldn’t imagine getting lost and someone finding your bones there. Yunho assured you that he wasn’t stupid enough to not leave a trail- Wooyoung once had, and had ended up getting lost and creating so much noise by simply yelling that the guards got to him rather quickly just for the sake of shutting him up. You couldn’t help but laugh- it was a very Wooyoung thing.

Yunho had been working on some documents for hours now and you had been out with Mina who showed you around her room and introduced some of her new friends that she had made here. When you got back, Yunho nodded at you in acknowledgement, going right back in. You changed into comfortable clothes and poured some wine for him- the one you had often seen him drink. You sat down beside him and he thanked you, slumping back in his chair as he took a sip.

“You must be tired- I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

“You’re not,” he assured you, “Just working on some strategies for defence at the border in the North- Halaland is becoming more aggressive than we thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, they’ve heard of the marriage, but they’re still pushing on with the attacks at the border,” he sighed, “My father is trying to figure out what they want, meanwhile I’m preparing for the worst case possible.”

“And that is?”

“Don’t worry- we probably won’t get to that,” he patted your leg, “How was your day?”

“Good. Just tired from all the walking we did today, but I suppose that ought to prepare me for our trip.”

Yunho grinned, “I’m getting this all done tonight so I won’t have to take this with me during the trip- I really, really need a breather. Really.”

You laughed, “You want me to keep company while you work, or… do you prefer working alone?”

“A little company would be nice,” he glanced at you, “Unless you want to sleep, in which case, go ahead.”

“Well, as you should know, I excel at defence strategies. You want me to take a look?”

Yunho stared at you for a minute as if contemplating his decision, “Not that I don’t trust you, but… it is confidential, so I hope you don’t leak this information.”

“I’m thoroughly offended that you could think so of me,” you took the papers from him, “I would never do that- I know what leaks can cost us very well. Oh, and I’m also angry at all of Eden in general, in case you didn’t notice.”

“You still are?”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” You looked through the plans for the troops, making mental calculations, “They sold me out. I should sell them out, don’t you think?”

Yunho was quiet for a minute before he said, “I hope you’re… happy here.”

You placed the papers down, meeting his eyes, “Oh, of course I am. Yunho, I didn’t mean that I’m not happy here- you’re more than I deserve. But it’s just my parents that I’m angry at since they stole the choice from us.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Yunho sighed, rubbing his face, “Where would we be if we had a choice, I wonder.”

“Well, I’d probably have to marry one Prince or another, a ‘worthy’ suitor, you know how it goes,” you scoffed, “And you’d be meeting pretty princesses who’d laugh at everything you say and giggle with a hand over their mouths instead of howling like I do-”

“I prefer the howling,” Yunho teased.

“No, you don’t,” you smiled but didn’t look at him.

“My mother used to say that everything that happens is meant to be,” he shifted in his chair, “if two people are meant for each other, they’d end up together one way or another.”

“Poetic,” you looked up at him, feeling the urge to tuck his stray hair back, “Well, I like where I am. Do you?”

“I do,” he nodded, face resting on his hand as he looked at you and you couldn’t look away- he was beautiful.

“At least I’m not in Halaland right now, eh?” You wiggled your eyebrows and he laughed, “Anyways, what’s your wild card?”

You and Yunho went into a discussion where you told him how Wonderland shouldn’t reveal all its cards to Halaland- they should always have a wild card at disposal, and multiple of them which they could use at every turn for the worst possible situation. You presented some plans for keeping the border secure, leaving the choice to him. By the end of the discussion, Yunho was both amazed and surprised- he hadn’t expected this level of sharpness from you and he found it… interesting. Hot, even, if he wasn’t lying to himself.

"Are you sure you should like, I don't know, reveal all this to me?" Yunho was genuinely curious, "I mean, Wonderland and Eden could be at war one day if Halaland comes for us. If Eden sides with Wonderland, where do you stand?"

You thought about it, "I am Wonderland's Princess now, not Eden's. Well, still Eden's too, but you get what I'm saying. If, despite everything, Eden decides to join forces with Halaland… they would have to face me too. I do hope it never comes to that, but if it does…"

"It's tough to choose," Yunho wrapped up the mess at the table, "Eden's your homeland. You're here because of an arrangement. Your parents should not violate the arrangement in the first place but keep in mind that they, too, are bound by the 'greater good'. If the greater good comes in siding with Halaland…"

"Well, they can do whatever they want, but they lose their best defence strategist and the favour of Wonderland if they join hands with Halaland," you got up, "This is my home now. I'm Wonderland's Princess and this is where my future is. So, Prince, are you coming to bed with me because it's way past midnight and we have to get up early tomorrow."

Yunho took your extended hand, squeezing it as he smiled at you- you truly were something beyond his expectations. And he couldn't help but wonder if it was anyone else in your place, would they have made the same promise- to stand with him through thick and thin?

-----------------

"Watch your step," Yunho said.

"Do we have to walk?" You made a face, "Because I think we should keep the walking for more… fun places- he's looking at me!"

"He won't recognize you, Princess, he's probably never seen you before," Seonghwa said.

"And what if he has? What if he was like… one of the cleaners at the wedding?"

"Stop whining, you want to experience street food, here you are."

"Why does everyone let Wooyoung talk down to me?" You said to nobody in general and Yunho only snickered. You smacked Wooyoung's head, making everyone laugh as he howled in pain.

"Don't draw too much attention, we're still in the city," Hongjoong warned.

The 9 of you had started off the trip on carriages, dressed the most casually you all could, you and Yunho in dark cloaks too. Nobody would bat an eye, you looked as normal as the next person. Plus, surrounded by the rest, people could barely see you anyway.

You stopped at the food stalls, sharing a variety of snacks before you were off to the path that led to the forest. As you stood with an ice cream cup, you looked around, noticing how the sky was bluer here. You could see the mountains too- something you didn't see much of in Eden.

"You like it?" Yunho asked, "The view?"

"Yeah," you nodded, "I love mountains, but they never took me there."

"You'll love the mountains here- it has wonderful lakes."

You smiled, following the boys back to the carriage and taking off to the forest, Wooyoung, San and Mingi in your carriage. The whole ride was you 5 playing games with forehead flicks as penalty, and Yunho-

"One lucky bastard, he is," you muttered, massaging your very red aching forehead, "Why are we even playing with him?"

"You wanna team up?" Yunho offered and you were tempted to say yes but that would hurt your ego.

"No. Let's exclude Yunho and play a fair game, the four of us."

"I never cheated!" Yunho laughed, "I'm just good!"

"Nobody should be allowed to be this good!" Mingi pointed at him, "You really don't wanna go against him, Princess. Team up with him if you get the chance."

But at night, you and Yunho stood in front of each other in the living room of Jongho's family home, about to pick your teammates for a game of Ddakji. You looked around, smirking, "Jongho."

"Yay," Jongho happily went to stand behind you, sticking his tongue out at everyone else.

"Seonghwa," Yunho said and Seonghwa cheered rather loudly, clearly happy to be on the 'winning team' as he called it.

"Wooyoung," you said and he bumped fists with you as he stood behind you.

"Yeosang," he said and Yeosang let out a cute laugh that had you laughing along. You looked around- San and Mingi left. They both were begging you not to pick them and you were tempted to smack their heads.

"I'm good at this, okay? Trust me for once," you laughed in defeat.

"But Yunho always wins," San cried.

"San, you're coming with me, you little-" you smacked his arm as he passed by and Mingi danced in victory.

"Alright, I'm watching the time- start!" Hongjoong announced.

You had to flip as many disks as you could in a span of 5 minutes- and gosh, it was chaos. The first player had to flip at least one to pass the turn to the next player. Yunho's team was doing well and you two were waiting to be the last players-

You were going to win.

As soon as Jongho, the last player before you was done flipping one, you counted their disks- you had to flip at least 5 to become even. Yunho was already playing his turn-

You pulled your trousers up and rolled your sleeves, flipping the disks at a speed that had everyone else watching with their mouths hanging open, and even Yunho stood back and watched you. You later realized that time was up and you let out an exhale. "Did I win?"

Hongjoong started clapping, everyone following and you bowed dramatically, Yunho approaching you and shaking your hand, "You're better than I thought."

"It's the only game I'm good at," you said and everyone laughed.

After tea where Jongho played the piano and sang songs, you swayed along in a trance because he was so good, you looked at Yunho. "Have I earned the privilege yet?"

"What privilege?" Yunho frowned and you motioned at the piano. "Oh. Well, I could. Later. If I sing in front of them, they're gonna tease us."

"Yunho's singing!" Hongjoong announced and everyone burst out laughing, urging Yunho to go and play. Jongho said, "Everyone, let's sing our anthem!"

"Anthem?" You frowned. Yeosang told you it was a song they loved to sing together. Yunho started playing the guitar, Jongho the piano and everyone started singing the song-

"The sun is blue, the stars are purple,

Flowers are dancing, the song is extra!"

You laughed at the absurd lyrics and how Hongjoong was rapping, clapping along. Everyone was so good at singing, probably because of the years of singing they had done together. By the time they were ending, you were singing what you knew of the lyrics together, ending with a cheer.

"That was fascinating," you clapped, "Why aren't all of you singers like Jongho?"

"I ask that everyday," San said with hands on his hips, "We could be a band."

After some joking and teasing around, Seonghwa dragged everyone out to their rooms, leaving you and Yunho in the living room and you sat down with him on the stools in front of the piano. "Can you play something for me?"

"I can," he agreed, running his beautiful slender fingers along the piano and playing a tune you had never heard before, humming along with it. You wowed, clapping with your mouth hanging open.

"You're playing to me every night when we get back, okay?"

Yunho laughed, "Only if you play whatever it is that you're so good at."

You bit your lips, sighing in defeat, "It's… the drums. You don't wanna hear me play, you can imagine."

Yunho threw his head back and laughed, clapping loudly, "You play the drums! I ought to tell them-"

"Don't tell anyone," you put a finger to his lips, shutting him up, a smirk across his face. You slapped his cheek lightly, "Don't even think about it."

"Come on," Yunho held your hand, "They'll love to see it. I'd love to see it."

"No," you got up, trying to walk away but he didn't let go of your hand.

"Please?"

You stared at him- he was making the most adorable face and it was disgusting but in a good way. It made you want to run away and hide but also pinch his cheeks and kiss him-

"Uh, no."

Yunho pulled you towards him when you turned away, making you fall in his lap and your eyes went wide at this sudden boldness. You tried to pull away but Yunho was laughing, putting his arms around you and capturing you in his grasp. He brought his lips to your ears and they almost touched as he whispered, "Don't make me beg."

You gulped, squealing away because it was tickling you, "Fine, god, you're impossible!" He finally let you go with a chuckle and you stood staring at him with your hands on your hips. "He doesn't have drums here, right?"

He did. Jongho had everything. And after breakfast the next morning and a bit of fooling around when you thought maybe, just maybe, Yunho had forgotten, he announced that you had something to show.

The glare you gave him could have put him in an early grave but after endless cheering from everyone, you finally gave in, sighing. "If I ever hear from another mouth that the Princess plays drums, I'm gonna be assassinating you lot."

Jongho gave you the drum sticks and you arranged the different drums and a few cymbals as you wanted, taking a deep breath and rolling your sleeves up as you sat on the stool. You made eye-contact with each of them- they were in for a surprise.

And boy, were they blown. They perhaps hadn’t expected a ‘princess’ to lose her shit on drums and play like there was no tomorrow, hands moving so speedily that they couldn’t even keep track of the beats if they tried to. You threw a wink at a pleasantly surprised Yunho in between and by the time you were done, you were out of breath. You got up and curtsied as if you hadn’t been playing in a very ‘unladylike’ manner, as your mother would call it. “So?”

The 8 men were gaping at you as you shrugged and went to pour yourself some water, and the first one to speak was Jongho, who said, “Can you marry me so we can have concerts together without worrying about Yunho?”

You burst out laughing and Yunho put Jongho in a chokehold, “She can have concerts if she wants without marrying you, okay!”

“Please, I’m not a professional, that’s just… me taking my frustration out on the poor drums.”

“You have a lot of frustration in that case,” Hongjoong laughed.

You looked at Yunho who was grinning and gave you a thumbs-up, and you let out a breath you didn’t realise you had been holding in- perhaps it was because you had never expected to play the drums in front of anyone other than Mina and would expect people to frown upon you, because you were, afterall, a princess. But as you looked around, you realised they truly were very open-minded and accepting, and maybe it was the people of Wonderland who were all so nice. You were really liking it here.

“What are you thinking?” Yunho rubbed your arms.

“Just… Wonderland is nice. The people are nice. I really like it here,” you smiled.

“I’m glad to hear,” he said, leaning in, “And you can play the drums whenever you like, back at the castle. I can arrange for them to be in our chamber.”

“Oh no, you don’t want me waking you up with drumming, do you?” You grinned, “Just… I don’t play too often so it’s okay, but thank you. That was probably the most unladylike thing you’ve seen in your life.”

“Who said I like ladylike things?” Yunho grinned at you, patting your cheek and going to Mingi to say something, leaving you wondering how lucky you were to have such an accepting person as your partner.

The following week was the most fun you’d had in your life- without fear of being recognized, you were shopping in the streets, eating whatever you liked wherever you liked, going to parks and just relaxing, and the boys made it fun. You also met with Nayoung and Jiyeon, their childhood friends and you were glad for the female company- Nayoung was as sweet as Mina if not more, and Jiyeon was sassy which you enjoyed. You went to the mountains for two days and enjoyed huddling with the girls in front of the fireplace, ditching the men and gossiping all night long.

You were now on the way to the sea, near where the training academy was. San, Wooyoung and Yeosang were to drop off there while Hongjoong and Seonghwa would accompany you back along with Mingi, who was currently residing in Jongho’s home and would join you later. You and Yunho were in the carriage on the way with some guards from the academy and you were looking out from the window when you felt Yunho lean towards you- but when you turned, you realised he was half asleep, almost lying on the seat.

You smiled, shifting so he could rest his head on your shoulder- he must have been really relaxed if he was dozing off. You put his head on your shoulder, pulling the hair away from his face. You and Yunho were much closer and comfortable with each other now- each night when you excused yourselves, you’d go to your room and talk about childhood, likes and dislikes, just getting to know each other over some tea or wine, playing with each other’s hair when one would rest their head on the other’s lap, or you mostly playing with his hands because you loved them.

Yunho leaned in as if he was cold and you sighed- there was this new feeling inside of you that you still weren’t ready to address- how your heart would jump or squeeze whenever Yunho would look at you a second too long or give you an affectionate squeeze or something.

“Hey, we’re here,” you whispered, checking if Yunho wasn’t in a deep sleep. With a pat to his cheek, he opened his eyes, groaning.

“I was having the best sleep I’ve had in a while,” he yawned, “But… At least I’m fresh now. Come on.”

Yunho helped you get off the carriage and you wowed, looking around- the beach here was just as beautiful as the one in Eden. The sun was high up but not too strong, just the right amount of cloudy. You spread your arms, inhaling the fresh air. “This feels so good.”

“It does,” Yunho motioned for the guards to give you two some privacy, “You can collect your shells too.”

“Oh yes, I definitely will,” you nodded, marching to the shore and pulling your trousers up a bit, jumping in delight when the cool waves hit you. Yunho joined, bending down to pick some shells, showing you. You shook your head, taking his arm, “I’ll show you which shells are worth it.”

You spent the next half an hour picking shells- Yunho kept bringing the tinier ones since he found them cute. You were bent on the sand putting the shells in your satchel when water sprayed over you and you shut your eyes in disappointment.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t realise,” Yunho laughed and you got up, pushing your hair back.

“Jeong Yunho, how dare you spray water on a lady!”

“I jumped, I didn’t realise it would come and spray you- lady? Who?”

The way Yunho was wiggling his brows and being playful made you shake your head as a smirk spread on your face and you kicked the water, splashing him a good deal, making him laugh in disbelief.

“Oh no, you didn’t,” he bent and splashed some on you and you barely dodged it, squealing and kicking the water again which he, too, barely dodged. Then you were running and Yunho was chasing after you, out of breath because you were laughing so much and he was going to catch you any moment-

“No!” You laughed, jumping when he almost caught you and taking a few more steps before you felt his arms wrap around your waist and he twirled to keep you two from falling, stopping and settling on the sand when he felt stable. You tried wringing away from him but it ended with you facing him, still in his arms, a little too close as your laughter died down and you tried to calm your breathing.

The sun shining on his wet blonde hair made it look wonderful. You scanned his face, raising a brow because he was neither splashing water on you nor letting you go. He was dazed, and so were you. You pursed your lips, “So, my dear Prince, are you going to let me go or what?”

He was half smiling as he leaned forward slowly, planting a lingering kiss on your cheek that made your heart sink to the floor and swim away with the waves. And when he pulled back and you were waiting for more, he sprayed a little water on your face, making you gasp.

“That’s the dirtiest trick!” You shook your head in disbelief, struggling to catch some water in your cupped hands but Yunho held both your wrists and you pushed-

Resulting in him falling on his back, you on top of him pinning him to the surface of the sand except he was still holding your wrists and had himself pinned. You smirked, leaning forward until your faces were mere inches away, keeping him distracted until the wave came and drenched half his body, which was when you laughed in victory.

“That’s for being a smartass with me,” you said, and he shook with laughter, shifting so now you were on the surface and he was on top of you, and you started screaming and laughing because oh, you did not want to get wet. Yunho was grinning devilishly and you braced yourself, but right before the wave could hit you, he picked you up, making you sigh in relief into his chest.

“Gosh, thank you,” you looked at him, “Very Princely of you.”

“Anything for my dear Princess,” he teased, kissing your nose. “Come on, let’s get away from the water.”

You were taken aback from how… romantic he was being. It didn’t help when you both decided to sit and he put his head on your lap- you sighed internally, putting a chocolate cube in his mouth and another in yours.

“I wish I could stay here like this forever,” Yunho sighed, shutting his eyes close, “No worries in the world. Just you, me and the sea.”

“Hmm,” you ran a hand through his hair, “If only we actually could. Do you prefer the sea or the mountains though?”

“Definitely the sea,” he said, “It’s more fun.”

“Right,” you smiled, “You’re gonna miss the sunset.”

Yunho turned a bit to watch the sunset, finding the sky a beautiful mess of colours, but then he glanced at you and kept his eyes on you, loving the way your eyes were gleaming and the pastels of the sky reflected on your face, making it glow.

“The sun’s there, idiot,” you said, not looking down at him.

“Is it?” Yunho didn’t look away from you, “Kind of confused right now.”

You rolled your eyes, slapping his cheek lightly, “You’re being… so… soft and mushy today.”

“It’s the air, perhaps,” he grinned.

“Must be,” you made a face, making him tickle you on the waist except you were not ticklish there. You deadpan stared at him, making him mutter a little sorry. You tickled his neck in revenge, making him roll off of you.

“So you’re not ticklish on the waist, noted,” he said, sitting cross legged in front of you, “Where do I try next?”

“Let me just fish out my dagger first,” you went to open your satchel but he laughed, stopping you and making you laugh too.

—---------------------

The next day, you and Yunho received a letter from the castle demanding your return because things with Halaland weren’t seeming good- Yunho would have to travel to Halaland to try and smoothen things out. Yunho read the letter to you and apologised for cutting short the tour. You held his hand, caressing it. “It’s okay, I had the time of my life with everyone, and you, especially. Thank you for this.”

“Are you sure? We can manage two more days-”

“Yunho,” you held his face in your hands, shaking your head, “Wonderland needs you. How stupid would it be to stop for two more days just so we could have fun with the threat on our home? And what fun would we have with that worry?”

Yunho held your hands, sighing, “Thank you. You’re the best.”

“I know,” you grinned, “Come on, let’s pack. We have a long way to go.”

While you were packing, you noticed how Yunho kept glancing at you as if trying to make sure you were okay. You had told him how you’d barely set foot out in Eden, and Yunho had promised himself to show you everything he could. He’d seen how you enjoyed and became a different person when you were out. You caught him staring and he shrugged, scratching the back of his head, finding you standing in front of him. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” Yunho sighed, “I just… feel bad. I know how much you wanted to see the lakes.”

“You giant,” you laughed, “how many times do I need to tell you that it’s okay, that I don’t feel bad?”

“Probably a hundred times more,” he laughed.

You shook your head, straightening his collar, “I don’t need to see some stupid lakes to be happy. As long as you’re safe, Wonderland is safe, I’m happy- even if I have to stay in my room for the rest of my life.”

Yunho bit his lips at your words- how could you say such things so easily and make him flush? “When you say it like that…”

You smiled, hugging him- it was probably the first time you weren’t hugging each other for the sake of teasing or annoying. It was the first genuine hug, and for a moment Yunho froze before he relaxed and put his arms around you, resting his chin on your head as he swayed you, sighing into it. He kissed the top of your head, “You’re the best fucking partner I could have asked for, you know that?”

“Look who’s cursing now,” you scoffed, “I thought I was the one with a dirty tongue.”

“I used it as an appropriate adjective,” Yunho defended himself.

“Well, thank you,” you broke the hug, “As your friend and wife, it’s the least I should do.”

Yunho kissed your forehead, “You’re doing great.”

You smiled, going back to your packing as if your heart wasn’t beating at an unnatural rate and you hadn’t wanted to stay in his arms forever.

With Seonghwa, Hongjoong and Mingi, the five of you made plans for the next steps- Halaland was bent on revenge because of the old family rivalry. They had been trying to push for war especially since they had better weapons now and thought Eden would side with them- they could take Wonderland and split it up.

“The important question is, where Eden stands, and if Eden is with Wonderland, would Halaland still fight?” Hongjoong pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Well, Halaland needs to realise that they need more than just brute force to win this war,” you said, “Eden is with Wonderland. Combined, we have better defences and can hold fort for longer. All it’s going to take is one weak spot for our forces to swarm into Halaland before them, and they’ll have no choice but to surrender.”

“And we would have to do it discreetly- the element of surprise. Wild cards,” Yunho looked at you and you nodded.

“How were the soldiers holding up?” Seonghwa asked Mingi.

“They were surprised that it’s escalating so quickly, there are gonna be some cold feet too, but we’ll manage. Yeosang and the rest are going to help. Jongho can reach out to Mist Island- we can get their fleet at our side.”

“Good,” Yunho said, “We have to prepare for the worst, but let’s pray it doesn’t come to that.”

But the thing gnawing at you was how sleezy Eden could be with their politics. Would they really break their promise, violate the arrangement of marriage and side with Halaland? Knowing them, if they thought their greater good was in that, they probably would, and it was making you nervous, because…

What were you going to do?

Yunho would have no reason to be with you anymore. Sure, you two were friends now, but he would have the chance to end this and send you home. You were still angry at your parents and if they did just that, you’d be angrier because that would mean they had no regard for you. And if Yunho sent you home to your parents…

As if Yunho had read your thoughts, he put a hand over yours, whispering ‘relax’. You hadn’t realised that you had been clawing at your skin. You passed a weak smile as you continued to look out of the window of your carriage.

—--------------------

Though you were received back warmly, it had turned into chaos soon afterwards- Halaland’s fleet was rumoured to be readying. The family, including you, had a meeting where it was decided that Yunho would go with his advisors to Halaland in hopes of a negotiation. You were suggested to go to Eden to make sure if they stood with Wonderland, and you made it clear that though the final decision was not in your hands, you’d make sure to try to get them on your side and get aid.

“You don’t have to go,” Yunho told you when you were back in your room and he had packed to leave soon, “I know how Eden works, Princess. They’d side with whoever they think is gonna win and right now, it doesn’t look like us.”

“I do have to go,” you said, “I’ll try everything. Wonderland is my home now, it’s the least I can do.”

“Will you be alright though?” Yunho approached you, rubbing your arms as he locked eyes with you, “I don’t want anything to happen to you. You’re Wonderland’s Princess now and the future Queen- there’s a lot that could happen while you’re in Eden. They’ll try to get something out of you if they’re as selfish as you say…”

“I know them, Yunho,” you said, “I was one of them too. I know how they think, and I know how I can get to them. I don’t think they’ll side with us, if I’m being honest, so I, at least, need to make them aware of what they’ll be losing- Wonderland’s trust. Because Wonderland is going to win this war, and when they do, they’re gonna make sure Eden regrets not siding with them.”

“Let’s pray that doesn’t happen,” he smiled, “I can’t thank you enough for doing this, my Princess. If it was anyone else…”

“Let’s not think what would have happened if it was anyone else, eh?” You smiled back, “It’s you and me now. We stick through this, okay?”

Yunho cupped your face, caressing it slowly, looking at you with so much love you nearly melted right there. He was leaning forward in a daze when a knock sounded, the guard calling to tell that they were ready to go and were waiting for him.

You held Yunho’s hands that were still on your face, “Return safely to me, in one piece, will you?”

“I’ll try,” Yunho scoffed, kissing your forehead and then joining it with his, noses brushing and eyes shut as you two breathed, waiting for the other to make a move but this position alone was enough to send butterflies in your stomach. “Have a safe journey, my love.”

With that, he kissed your forehead one last time and left without looking back, leaving you breathless and smiling for the longest time at the words he had called you.

My love.

It was then you realised that Mina was right when she said that you were bound to fall in love with Yunho because he was everything you had ever needed and then some. And you realised, with a sinking heart, that you were already halfway there, and with fear because you weren’t sure Yunho would return the sentiment. It was, after all, an arranged marriage. And though he’d call you terms like ‘my princess’ or ‘my love’, it didn’t mean he felt the same way as you. It was just how he was- loving and caring to anyone who was a friend.

You had to gain Eden at your side. Because if that didn’t happen… Yunho would really have no obligation to go on with this marriage.

—-----------------

“Here we are, at the heart of the sick kingdom,” you looked at Mina, “Can’t say I missed it.”

“Truly,” Mina pursed her lips, “Wonderland is like a breath of fresh air and Eden is just…”

“All bleak and gloomy and parasitic. I can already feel the suffocation,” you said as your carriage reached the gates, “Let’s be on our best behaviours, shall we?”

“Rich coming from you,” Mina raised a brow and you scoffed.

“I’m only doing this for Yunho.”

“You’re so in love with him, it’s disgusting-”

“I am not!” You almost yelled but your flushed cheeks betrayed you. Mina scoffed, helping you get out of the carriage, instructing the guards to get the gifts you’d brought with you from Wonderland- an obligation, really.

You entered your parent’s chamber, greeting them with a bow first before they hugged you. “I hope you’ve been well, mother, father.”

“Oh, we’ve been okay, we miss you incredibly,” your mother said and you supposed they did- you did too. They were, after all, your parents. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been… great actually,” you took a seat, taking the glass of wine your father poured for you.

“So I hear,” he said, “The Prince treating you well?”

“Oh, yes,” you sipped on your wine, “We’re pals.”

“See, I told you he wasn’t bad,” your mother said, and you had to smile.

“He’s actually really good, which is all him,” you looked at her, “Which is why I couldn’t stay angry at you both. If it was a pompous bastard instead of him, I would have raised hell.”

Your parents laughed, and you had dinner with them, catching up on everything before you talked politics. It was late at night when you finally asked them if they had heard the rumours.

“Halaland really went on with war,” your father looked grim, “I didn’t expect to see another war in my life, but here we are.”

You knew he was talking about the time he was barely past 10 when he had witnessed his first war, which made Eden and Wonderland two separate kingdoms. You sighed, “It’s a bad time. We must stay strong, all of us. You never know who they could come for next.”

“Yeah,” your father nodded, “What’s your stance on all of this? From Eden’s perspective?”

“Well,” you stood in front of the window, “I think Halaland’s problem is that they’re too ambitious, which is going to cause their defeat in the end. Wonderland’s stronger than you think- I’ve been through their plans.”

“So Wonderland will be the last one standing?” Your mother asked.

“If what we’ve heard and seen of Halaland and they don’t have a card up their sleeve that could potentially destroy us, yes,” you said, “The question is… where do you stand? Why haven’t you sent aid?”

Your mother and father met eyes and you immediately knew where this was going. Your father sighed, “We’ve been thinking…”

“Oh, I know what you’re thinking,” you interrupted, “You think Eden would be safe if you side with Halaland.”

“I’m sure you understand,” your mother said.

“As a matter of fact, I do not understand, mother,” you glared at your parents, “You got me married to the Prince of Wonderland for the ‘greater good’, for better relations, whatever the number of reasons were. Now you’re going to pretend there wasn’t an arrangement just because Halaland turned to Wonderland first?”

“There are a number of things we have to consider,” your father began, but you interrupted him.

“Safety, the greater good, bla bla, everything but your daughter. Do you have any idea what this means? The arrangement could end, if Wonderland wins, you’d be next.”

“That’s a big if,” your mother said.

“No, mother,” you shook your head, “They have me. It’s not a big if anymore. And if you join us, Halaland would have to stop and consider, maybe take a step back. You’ve kept your position so murky, I can see why now.”

“And if we ally with Halaland and Halaland wins, we’d be safe. We’d still be a kingdom, don’t you realise?”

You glared at your father, “Do you have… no respect for the promises you make? Do you have no regard for your only daughter?”

“No, honey, it’s not you,” he shook his head, “The arrangement will end, you can come back to us-”

“No,” you surprised everyone including yourself with the strength in your voice, “I’m staying with them. I’m Wonderland’s Princess now- I’ll do my best. If he decides to let me go, there’s no way I’m returning here. Keep this parasitic hole of a kingdom for yourselves. Just remember that you lose your daughter if you side against me.”

Your mother called your name in a warning tone but you held your hand up, “I don’t have all week- you have until tomorrow afternoon to make a decision. You won’t regret siding with me, but you will regret siding against me, keep that in mind.”

“That sounds like a threat, Princess,” your father said.

“It is, and it isn’t a bluff,” you said, excusing yourself for the night, going to your room and finding it cold and foreign. Not even Mina’s presence could keep you from missing your room back in Wonderland, and most importantly, missing your husband.

—----------------

You were back in Wonderland, waiting for Yunho who was to arrive shortly from Halaland. You had met with the King and the Queen and explained Eden’s position and your own position as well. The Queen had hugged you and told you she was glad that you made Yunho happier and that the rest was up to you two.

You were biting your nails unceremoniously when he arrived and you almost rushed to the hall where he was with his parents and Seonghwa, Hongjoong and the rest of the advisors. You met eyes with him- his weary face told you it hadn’t gone well.

“Was your trip alright?” You greeted him and he kissed your forehead- a habit now.

“It was, though it didn’t turn out good,” he sighed, “It’s war now. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything.”

“It’s not your fault, can you smack him for us?” Seonghwa called and you did, making everyone laugh, “He’s been beating himself over it.”

“Some things just aren’t in our hands,” the King said, “You did good. Now, it’s time to plan. I’ll meet up with the Captains. Yunho, you should rest. We need you fully rested tomorrow so you’ll be in the right headspace.

After dinner, you two went to your chamber where Yunho collapsed on the sofa, and you brought his tea there. You told him about your trip to Eden, an utter disappointment. He looked grim, nodding silently as he heard your story, your heart beating nervously now.

“I hate, hate my parents for being the most selfish people on this planet,” you scoffed, “They stooped low. I’m sorry, Yunho.”

“It’s not your fault,” he caressed your hand, “You did everything you could. And their decision… As selfish as it sounds, they care for their people and have to look at their best interests. I can’t blame them.”

Your mouth was in a thin line and you shook your head, “Wonderland against Eden… Never thought I’d see this day, in this situation.”

“It’s sad, but it is what it is,” Yunho got up, standing at the window, peering down at his city, “We got married so Wonderland and Eden could be allies at times like this, but with this decision… the reason for the marriage has pretty much evaporated, hasn’t it?”

You froze in the middle of picking the cup, putting it back down as you cleared your throat- here it was. What you dreaded the most. He probably hated you right now.

Yunho turned to look at you, passing you a sad smile that made your heart shatter into a million pieces, “Halaland is at war with us and will come for Eden if you stay with me- they’ll always suspect Eden as long as you’re here. So… my dear Princess, I’m giving you the choice to go to your home and protect it. Protect your kingdom. You don’t have a reason to stay here anymore.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying this to me right now,” you scoffed, “I have a very good reason, Prince. Wonderland is my home now. I am Wonderland’s Princess. We stay together, and we fight together. Eden is not a home to me, and I will never return there- even if you let me go. You probably hate me right now, but please don’t make me go to Eden- I’ll settle somewhere in Wonderland or hell, I’d rather go to Mist Island than to return to Eden-”

“Wait, why would you want to stay?” Yunho frowned, “You hated the idea of this arranged marriage. The reason we’re here in the first place has dissolved. Why, Princess? You could go back home and protect it-”

“I told you, idiot,” you almost cried, “You are a big enough reason for me to stay. I may have disliked the idea of an arranged marriage, but Yunho… you’re more than I deserve. You’ve made me feel like a fucking queen when I’ve never even felt like a princess. So if you want me to go… I will. But my answer is clear- I love Wonderland, and I love you, and I’m staying and fighting for you unless you want me gone-”

Yunho couldn’t have rushed faster to get to you and cup your face and kiss you like you meant the world to him. For a second you couldn’t comprehend what was happening and then you were kissing him back, holding on desperately at his collar, standing on your tiptoes so he could reach you better, moaning into the kiss when his hand went in your hair and tilted you up so he could access your mouth better, not even letting you breathe until he himself was out of breath and broke apart, lips still touching and breaths mingling, eyes fluttering. You finally smiled almost in relief and Yunho kissed you again, this time gentler, slower, as if thanking you and telling you how much he-

“I love you, my Princess,” he broke apart, “I should have told you earlier. I don’t want you to go. Tell me you’re staying.”

“I’m staying,” you pecked his lips, “for you. Only for you.”

Yunho hugged you tightly, kissing your temple and swaying you along with him. “I should have done this earlier, eh?”

“Not sure if I would have returned the sentiment,” you teased, making him laugh. He brought you to the sofa, making you sit on his lap as he looked up at you and put the stray strands of your hair behind your ears.

“You’re beautiful, you know that? And it’s not the way you look- it’s your heart I am in love with and have been in love with ever since I got to know you. You had me way too soon, Princess.”

“Well, I could say the same,” you bit your lips, caressing his cheekbone, “I’ve never met anyone more accepting and caring as you. I fell in love with you, even when I hadn’t meant to.”

“No reason to complain now, huh, my Princess?” He said, and you tried not to break down at the way he called you ‘my princess’ as you bent down to kiss him, pecking his lips teasingly multiple times until he groaned and his grip on your hair and thigh tightened and you kissed him properly, not gentle but passionate enough that he grew breathless, the way he met your lips so softly making you want to cry. He held your face as he trailed kisses down your cheeks to your jaw, making you breathless and squirming under him, and then he was trailing kisses down your neck-

There it was. Your tickle spot. You laughed a bit, almost folding in and Yunho smirked devilishly, “Ah, there it is. I should have known.”

“I’m not actually that ticklish, it’s just the way you- oh,” you moaned when he found your sweet spot and started to kiss and suck there rather slowly, your hands going to his hair on their own accord, your eyes rolling back in pleasure and soft moans and laughs leaving you.

“Don’t make those sounds,” he mumbled against your ears, “I’m gonna lose it.”

“What sounds?” You asked innocently, making the same sound again and he shook his head, holding you bridal style as he decided to take this to bed, almost throwing you on the mattress as he took off his jacket and bent on top of you, pinning your hands on the bed and going back to kiss your neck everywhere, making you squirm and moan and laugh- you could feel his smirk even if you couldn’t see it and it was driving you mad.

“You’re such a tease, fuck,” you moaned, and Yunho kissed your lips, quickly changing it to open mouthed wet kisses, one hand guiding your face while the other trailing all over your body, your own hands laying limp because god, how could he kiss you like that and make you an absolute fucking mess?

Your moans were growing louder by the second and it was as if it fueled him, kissing you with a fervour like he hadn’t just spent two days travelling and wasn’t tired. The way he looked at you made you become undone and you made him lie down properly, getting on top of him. “You’re tired,” you told him, his hands on your waist as you straddled him, “You should be resting.”

“I don’t feel tired,” he caressed your waist and you smiled, kissing his forehead, caressing his face lovingly, kissing him again and again until you couldn’t take it anymore and started making out with him again, matching his enthusiasm, biting playfully at his lip and he mumbled dirty little things which made you shy all of a sudden, laughing.

“We should sleep,” you kissed his cheek, “Busy day tomorrow.”

Yunho made you lie half on top of him, your head resting on his chest as he pulled the covers over you two, saying you were officially his body pillow now. You scoffed but agreed- it felt really nice and warm to sleep like this in each other’s arms.

You prayed you’d get to share nights like this, you prayed you two would make it alive and well out of the war.

—--------------------

“There’s no way you’re going alone,” you folded your arms as you looked at Yunho, the look making him wonder if he had really said something so unbelievable the way you were shaking your head, “If you go, I go with you.”

“It’s dangerous, love,” Yunho sighed, “I cannot risk it.”

It had just been a few days since you and Yunho had returned from the neighbouring kingdoms (and finally revealed your feelings to each other). The days that followed were as busy as they could be, the only comfort you two got was in each other’s arms at night time, too tired to even talk much, just dozing off. Halaland was advancing forward and while Yunho was busy overseeing the preparations for the war, you were busy finding leverage, anything that could make Halaland turn back.

“You said the old castle is right near the border,” your eyes were gleaming with hope, “That means there’s history there, Yunho. There has got to be a loophole in this whole family rivalry that provides us leverage to slow them down, at the very least. Think about it- they’re using it as an excuse- why? It’s pretty lame- though we know that it’s also because they’re greedy bastards, all of them. There has to be something they’re afraid would come out in the open if they’re ready to even accept Eden, of all the other kingdoms, as their allies. They hated Eden.”

Yunho leaned back on the sofa, putting one leg over the other as he thought about it, scanning you- you were still in the black evening gown, and when you talked like this… Yunho found it very attractive. He shook his head, pushing the distracting thoughts away. “I can try to find that, or get some men to do it-”

“Nope,” you shook your head, “No one would have the time and the headspace for that. They’ll be looking right at it and see nothing. Come on, you know I can do it.”

“I know you can, but it’s… dangerous. I have to guide the soldiers so I have to be there, and I can’t afford any distractions- I don’t want to be worrying about your safety while I’m on the battlefield.”

You raised a brow, “You know I can defend myself, and I’ll have guards- heck, if you don’t trust me with your guards, trust me with one of your friends. They’re good enough. I could certainly use a brain with me too. You don’t have to worry about me, Yunho, I’ll do the worrying. You’ll be on the fucking battlefield- you think I’ll be okay if I stay here doing nothing but dressing up and walking around like something couldn’t happen to you any second?”

Yunho got up because your voice was rising and you let out a frustrated sigh, turning yourself to the fireplace as you stared at it in order to avoid the tears slipping out of your eyes. Yunho came to you and rubbed your arms, bringing you in for a hug.

“While holding the sword… I cannot embrace you. And when embracing you… I cannot protect you.”

You finally cried, making him hug you tighter and sway you a little as he caressed your head- it had been a stressful few nights for you ever since Yunho announced he’d be on the battlefield too. You’d woken up in the middle of night with nightmares, Yunho always holding you to comfort you just like he was now. You sniffled, “I can’t- I won’t let you go alone. You’re stuck with me. Deal with it, Prince.”

Yunho smiled, kissing your forehead, “On one condition- if things get too dangerous and if I fear your safety is compromised, you go back. No arguing, no fighting- you go back.”

You thought about it- you’d probably raise hell before you went back. Yunho shook his head, “I know what you’re thinking. You’ll have Hongjoong, and… San with you. I’ll have them cuff you if you resist.”

“Okay, okay,” you let out a laugh, “Deal.”

“That’s my girl,” Yunho wiped your tears, kissing you for a good minute, “Promise me you’ll stay safe.”

“You promise me you’ll stay safe,” you looked up at him, your hands on his chest, caressing it, “You’re the Prince of Wonderland. If things get dangerous, you have to make sure you’re safe.”

“I’ll try,” he smiled, “Let’s go to bed.”

—------------------

You travelled with Yunho, Mingi- who would be accompanying Yunho at all times, San, Hongjoong and Seonghwa. To say that you all were nervous and worried was an understatement- you all were either biting your nails or fidgeting uncontrollably as you got closer to the border. Yunho, who was sitting with you kept squeezing your hand as if reassuring you, or maybe himself. Seonghwa tried to keep himself busy with reading a book but as soon as it got dark, he kept sighing. Hongjoong dozed off perhaps as an escape but he'd wake up looking like someone scared him. And San and Mingi… you could see the anxiety on their faces.

You decided to chat with Seongwha to keep yourself and him busy, inquiring about the family rivalry between Halaland and Wonderland. Seonghwa, glad for the distraction, told you all that he knew- Apparently the royals of Halaland were holding a grudge because of the 'unfair' division of the border dividing the two kingdoms.

"It's about a century ago now, but they believe Wonderland messed with the division, which is why they're hell bent on taking that big chunk of land that's the closest to them."

"But that's… outrageous- Wonderland lost more than it should have, isn't it so?"

Seonghwa looked at you, "I forgot for a moment that you're from Eden. Does Eden think so?"

"Eden thinks Wonderland may have lost some land, but their strategy was that they gain the more fertile lands. What do you think?"

"Interesting. Well, I suppose everyone's history is different. We have various versions."

"What do you think?"

"Well," Seonghwa began, "Wonderland's version is that we did lose most of our land to Halaland- lands originally owned by the families residing in Wonderland. What we got was a peace treaty that is now being violated."

"No," you shook your head, smiling a little, "What do you think, Seonghwa?"

Seonghwa smiled, "I think Wonderland made it such that most of the fertile land fell here. Halaland does have the least fertile lands which has always been a problem for their agriculture. But… I think this problem isn't one we can blame simply on Wonderland. I think corruption at both ends did occur."

"That's what I aim to find out, if I'm lucky," you bit your lips, "leverage. Just what happened, and what do we have over Halaland, which, frankly the way things are going, there has to be something."

"There should be something at the castle," Seonghwa said, "Let's hope Halaland- or worse, Wonderland hasn't burned what's left."

You arrived at the old castle, wowing because it was more majestic and grand than the castle the Jeong family was currently residing in, though the paint had worn off and left abandoned, it wasn't maintained anymore. You looked at Yunho, "This looks haunted now."

Yunho laughed a little, "It used to be much better but since Halaland's been on edge, those living here abandoned the castle."

You nodded, entering the castle, finding it utterly dark and full of cobwebs that hung on your path. One of the guards lit a fire, lighting the candles one by one and you found the lobby lit, the mosaic tiles no longer the colour they used to be, paint peeling from everywhere.

"Definitely not haunted," Mingi told himself.

"Well, it's a roof over our heads," Hongjoong said, "We should rest a bit before we get to work."

You were restless, though, roaming around the room that must have once been the king's, Yunho watching you inspect everything.

"You won't find anything here," he finally said.

"I know," you opened a drawer, some old meaningless scrolls there, "this is just me satiating my curiosity."

"Well, why don't you come here instead," Yunho's voice was low and it made you raise a brow as you looked at him, "We don't have much time before we have to part."

"Aw," you were teasing him now as you slid on the bed next to him, "Are you gonna miss me?"

"Come here, you tease," Yunho tickled your neck, making you both laugh out loud and you slapped his hands away, tickling him instead. "Yes. I'm gonna miss you. You're all I'll be thinking about when I'm on the battlefield."

Your heart sank and face fell- it was really hitting you now. Yunho and you had been together for months now. You'd miss him more. You caressed his face, running your hands through his hair, "Do refrain from thinking about me when you're fighting, would you? I mean…" your smile turned painful as you cocked your head, "What if you're fighting for your life and start to think about…" you kissed his neck, "this?"

Yunho sighed, his hands going through your hair, "I don't think I meant that when I said I'll miss you, but…"

You trailed kisses up his neck until you were facing him, "But we can work with this, yeah?"

"Are you seducing me?"

"Am I?" You smirked when he flushed, "I mean… I am your wife. It's a part of my job, won't you say so?"

Yunho nearly growled as he threw you back on the bed and got on top of you, meeting your mouth in desperate kisses, "With everything that's been going on… I don't think I can go on without you."

"You won't have to," you assured him, giving him a slow, burning kiss, "I'm all yours tonight. Have your way with me, my Prince."

Yunho looked at you for the longest time as if memorising your face, planting a kiss on your forehead or cheek or lips once in a while, smiling as he caressed your face or played with your hair. You reflected whatever he did, going along with his pace. He probably had a lot of thoughts right now and you didn't want him to feel overwhelmed by anything.

"I want nothing more than to take you tonight," Yunho said after a while and it made your heart basically melt like candle wax, "but I think I'll save that for after the war, if I make it-"

"You're gonna make it," you held his face, your eyes steel, "Do not think otherwise. Don't make me cry, Yunho."

A slow smile spread on his face, "Okay, my love. I'll return for you."

"Good," you kissed him, "Well, not that I'm horny right now, but I think a makeout session won't hurt, would it? Especially where I strip your clothes in a teasing manner-"

Yunho laughed out loud, shaking his head as he granted that wish.

––––––––––––-

"It's always the basement, isn't it?" You turned to look at Hongjoong who was grinning, "Damned basements with bones of the very people who filled these books."

"Damned basement where no one comes to even wipe the dust. You'd think they respected their elders or something."

"Once they're dead, what are they gonna do with respect?" You shrugged, hearing a yelp and turned to laugh at San who thought he'd step on a bug. "What was my dear husband thinking when he decided San would make a good guard for me?"

"I can deal with people," San huffed, "Bugs don't deserve to be stepped on and die."

You scanned him- he was serious. You nodded slowly, "Sure… anyways, we're looking for letters, scrolls, journals, anything personal or communication related. Check all the books- there could be some scribbles or something else inside."

"Yes ma'am," San saluted, sharing a grin as he went to the shelf nearest him. Hongjoong joined you.

"You really think we could find something?"

"Well, it's worth a shot," you put your hands on your hips, "You never know."

With that, the three of you busied yourself with searching every object in the very, very big basement slash library, guards occasionally bringing food and asking if you needed anything. Two days passed by with nothing worth suspicion, the constant worry of Seonghwa and Yunho on the battlefield looming over your heads, no news until they themselves returned for a break.

You rushed to hug Yunho who looked the most weary you'd ever seen, scanning his face and body for any signs of injury, sighing in relief when he assured you he was okay, save for the few scratches.

"We have to return by dawn," he told you when you were in your room after dinner where they briefed you on the progress, "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," you assured him as you made him sit on the bed while you cleaned the few scratches on his face, "Who the hell scratched your pretty face?"

Yunho laughed, "A tree. Are you gonna curse at it now?"

"Damned tree," you made a face and he chuckled, "How long do you think you can hold while we try to find something, before it gets more intense?"

"No idea- they're sneaky. I might have to call the troops from the west side tomorrow, depending on how offensive they go."

"Can't you like take a day off to catch up on your sleep?" You put the cotton aside, putting your hands on his shoulders as he looked up at you, his hands still on your waist, "You look tired, Yunho."

"No time to relax," he sighed, hugging you and you caressed his hair, resting your chin on the top of his head.

"When this is over, you're off duty for a month, okay? Eat, sleep, repeat. Nothing else. You hear me?"

"Eat, sleep, annoy you, repeat," Yunho corrected and you laughed, kissing the top of his head.

"I thought annoying you was my job. Are you taking revenge?"

"Definitely," he broke the hug, "Come on, put me to sleep."

––––––––––––-

Three more days passed.

Wonderland was on the verge of losing the big chunk of town bordering Halaland.

You, Hongjoong and San had barely slept, the pressure taking you. You kept assuring them that it was okay if it took time, they couldn't afford to be quick and miss something.

You, however, were on the verge of passing out from lack of sleep when you stumbled upon a journal.

"Jeong Ji Hoon and Jeong Se Won," you read out loud, "Aren't they like the founding families of old Wonderland and Halaland?"

Hongjoong looked up at you, "They are. Jeong Ji Hoon and Se Won were brothers. That's the family feud that separated Wonderland and Halaland. Wonderland later split into Eden."

"I may have a journal in my hand," you waved the old thing in your hand and Hongjoong came to sit beside you, San peeking from behind you both, "You don't have one of these in your library, do you?"

"I didn't know a journal existed," he said, "Mind if I take a look?"

You handed him the journal and he quickly read through it, his reading speed faster than yours so you only got a few sentences before he'd flip, but he kept narrating what it said, showing you the references. By the time you finished it, the three of you were sitting in disbelief.

"That's like a crime fiction," San finally breathed, "I can't believe they split Halaland only to gain control of it once again. They've been planning this for decades."

"But it doesn't make sense," you rubbed your forehead, "Why fight to become a separate kingdom when you were gonna make a mess, bring things to a war only to gain what you gave up in the first place?"

"Ji Hoon was the elder brother. Se Won was greedy but also weak. He knew he couldn't win against Ji Hoon in his lifetime, so he decided to act like the good guy while instructing his family to get this land back as soon as they were stronger than Wonderland," Hongjoong sighed, "This is… bigger than I thought. If we use this to negotiate with the royal family of Halaland… they can't deny this proof. They would either continue on with the war but lose the trust of their people, which means their very people would revolt back one day, or… they would draw back in fear of their reputation being tainted. We would keep this a secret in that case."

"Let's hope it's the latter," you got up, "We need to get this to Yunho and Seonghwa."

–––––––––––

The sun shining on your eyes made you bury your face in Yunho's bare chest, his arms bringing you closer as he sighed, pulling the covers properly over you two.

"You're suffocating me," you laughed, tilting your head up so you could breathe, finding Yunho smiling.

It had been a month since the war ended before it could properly begin, thanks to the journals of the founding families. As suspected, Halaland drew back to save their reputation, offering their latest weapons blueprints as a peace settlement. Eden was humiliated, not quite understanding just why Halaland settled back so easily, and now were in talks to better their relation with Wonderland.

Yunho had returned from the battlefield and fallen on his knees in front of you, kissing your hands and thanking you. You assured him it wasn't just you, that he should thank Hongjoong and San too. Yunho, being as dramatic as ever, did the same to San who enjoyed it and to Hongjoong who was screaming loudly due to the cringe factor. It had been one memorable night, the great hall in the old castle cleaned and set up for a party, the men celebrating as if they weren't worn out from days outside. The fallen were mourned properly the next day before everyone returned to their homes.

As for your relationship with Yunho… it was as interesting and lovely as it could be. Each day you discovered a new side of him, and he of you. Maybe it was the honeymoon phase still but with the bond you two had, you were sure nothing could shake it.

Except maybe his habit of tickling you when you were half asleep.

"I swear to god," you rolled away from him, "One day I'm going to ask for divorce and the reason would be you attacking me when I'm defenceless."

"Okay, I'm sorry, come back," Yunho, eyes still shut, reached out his hand trying to find you. You sighed, rolling back into his arms, kicking his leg for revenge which finally made him open one eye as he glared at you.

"An eye for an eye."

"A kick for a tickle seems unfair, Princess."

You imitated what he said in a mocking way which made him burst out laughing, squeezing you against him because you were 'too cute to handle'.

"I am not cute, do not insult me."

"It's a compliment, stupid," Yunho grinned, kissing your forehead, "How are you feeling, by the way? Last night was… intense."

You pursed your lips to stifle your smile as the events of last night flashed through your mind, something you couldn't bring yourself to say out loud. You looked at him, scoffing when you saw that he was smirking.

"I'm worn out. Don't look at me like you're gonna fuck me again, last night was more than enough to last you a week."

"Ay, now we both know you'll be the one giving in before the week ends," Yunho was playing with the strap of your nightgown, "You just don't get enough, do you?"

"Is that a challenge?"

"No," Yunho laughed, "I know you're gonna make it past a week if I present it as a challenge. I'm just saying…" he leaned in to give you a slow, passionate kiss that had you both unable to open your eyes for a few seconds after, "You're so good to me babe. You take me so well."

You blushed furiously at his words, hiding your face in the crook of his neck, "It's morning, I should bleach your mouth and brain."

Yunho shook with laughter, trailing kisses down your face to your neck, "Never a boring moment with you."

"Can't say I return the sentiment," you teased, "I'm falling asleep as we speak- oh, stop it, you-" you tried pushing him away but he was nibbling at your sweet spot, waiting for you to moan which was when he finally looked at you with victory in his eyes.

"What were you saying?"

You rolled your eyes, pushing him back on the bed, "It's like barely 6 in the morning. Get your head out of the gutter and sleep."

Yunho laughed, obeying you and getting up to draw the curtains shut, coming back to hold you in his arms as you tried going back to sleep. "Put me to sleep, Princess."

"Yeah, where's my dagger, I ought to put you in eternal sleep-"

"Come on!" Yunho whined, and you finally gave in, smiling as you kissed his cheek, resting your head on his chest as you caressed his hair.

"I love you," you told him, sighing when he opened his eyes to look at you- you didn't say it much but when you did, it made him melt.