As the moon take over, everything shimmers.
It was a full moon. A dark night became bright. The light source stood proudly high up in the sky. Not even a cloud block its way to shine.
It was beautiful.
She looked up to the sky. The moon was gorgeous, she thought. It's been quite a long time since she saw a full moon like this. Maybe because she has not paid attention to the creation up there or because she's stuck in the guest room for five days.
Added with how long she's in the hideout, eight days.
To say she missed this was an understatement. Being trapped down there was suffocating. She could hardly breathe with the smell of moss and wood.
"And Arin was there for six days..."
Her fingers intertwined with each other. If only she could, she wanted to hug Arin as an apology for taking a long time to find her. She found out that Arin's family had nothing to do with this yet she was caught. She was innocent.
"Your highness," she turned to the guard who bowed to her. "You have a visitor."
"Come in."
The guard bowed once again and left to invite the visitor to the mini garden. Eunkyung rested her chin on a fist while staring off the grass monuments in front of her. There's two rabbits and a horse formed a circle and there's a small fountain that carved with baby angels in the middle of it.
She heard someone approaching. Eunkyung fought with her inner feelings as she already knew who the visitor was. In fact, she was the one who invited him despite her being in a dilemma just a few days ago. It was hard.
However, feeling being feeling, it couldn't fight the emotions that bottled up in her. The princess got up and ran to the guy she's been wanting to meet.
"Be careful-"
Her arms neatly hugged his torso. He stumbled a few steps back.
"Hey,"
"You're so stupid, you know that?"
The guy paused for awhile before she heard a small laughter. A hand snaked around her waist as he rested his head on top of her, smiling. "I didn't know the youngest princess of Eirene likes hugging."
"Stupid," she mumbled against his chest. "Stupid Seungmin for making me worry over nothing."
His smile widened when hearing his name. He found the girl adorable especially when she almost used a third person voice. All of his problems disappear at once.
"Really? Worry over nothing?"
Not answering, Eunkyung brought him to the bench. She pushed Seungmin harshly to sit and he winced. The girl pouted slightly before dropping on her knees and her hands tugged on the hem of his shirt. He stopped her with his eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
"Can I see the wound?" she asked with a low voice.
"No." he shook his head and sat straight from his uncomfortable position. "It's already heal- ah!"
Eunkyung just hit his bandaged stomach. "It's not."
He scoffed in disbelief. Just a few seconds ago she was being soft and now back to being violent? Ah, he wondered why the girl he liked had to be this rough on him.
She pushed his hand away and lifted the shirt. He had a white bandage underneath and a few scars on the body. Seungmin shivered at the cold night. He immediately pulled his shirt down. "It's healing."
She then lifted the sleeves of his pants. Seungmin gave up in preventing her from checking his wounds.
"Which one was Yoongi's doing?"
"He told you?"
She shook her head, "He said you took one arrow for him but this one is a sword's mark." she pointed at a long scar on his leg. "Knowing Yoongi he would do anything to make you accept his help. And you, of course you refused it."
"Your family is unpredictable."
"Very." she rolled down the pants and sighed. Seungmin pulled her up to sit next to him on the same bench. Both of them sat in silence. The princess was lost in thoughts and somehow Seungmin could read her.
Whatever she was thinking, he didn't like it.
His fingers crawled on her thigh and she returned to reality. She stared at his two fingers who did some walking acts. A small smile appeared on her face when the fingers - which she imagined as legs - approached her hand. One leg tapped her thumb as if it was knocking a door. She giggled.
Seungmin leaned in, "It's asking for a permission." he whispered.
Eunkyung's smile grew wider as she tried to hold in her laughter. She created the same "two legs" with her fingers and walked to the other who was waiting.
"And then?" she whispered back.
The guy's fingers suddenly clammed hers and flipped it down. Eunkyung's eyes widened in disbelief. She was about to kick them but he had swiftly intertwined their fingers together. Her heart burst at the action.
"There," he brought their hands on his thigh. "To keep you safe and sound."
Eunkyung stared at their linked hands. The smile slowly turned into a sad one. While Seungmin was smiling contently because she was close to him, her mind kept thinking about what was going to happen next.
And without hesitating, she gave a kiss on his lips.
Seungmin turned into a statue. He was shocked at the unexpected kiss.
"You've waited for so long," she muttered. "I like you too." she broke the eye contact and stared at his clothed chest instead. Heat crept up her cheeks. "I don't know when it happened but I wanted to give the answer on my birthday. It took a long time because... because-"
He slid a hand to hold her cheek and pulled her into another kiss. It was a soft, innocent one. In the cold night it's like receiving a hot chocolate and wrapped in a thick blanket to keep them warm. As if their heads were resting on fluffy clouds, both felt fuzzy. Her whole body relaxed at the new yet not foreign touch. Surely both of them could hear the pounding hearts against the ribcages.
They have been longing for this for a long time. Eunkyung didn't know what was holding her back. If she knew that after confessing she'd get a mushy kiss, she would have done it long ago.
Seungmin was overall a soft person, and she liked it so much.
Right after they pulled away, he planted another one on her forehead. Eunkyung couldn't suppress her happiness. "It tickles."
He stifled a laugh. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this," he hid his face at the crook of her neck, hand still not detaching from hers. "How much do I need to pay for another kiss?"
His breath fanned her skin, sending tingles all over her body. The girl hummed, "Consider this as your birthday present."
"Oh?" he looked up to her, "How'd you know it's my birthday today?"
"Felix told me in an archery class. He was so excited when knowing I have the same birthday month as yours so he told everyone's birthdate whose in September."
Seungmin laughed at that, "So, unlimited kisses?"
Eunkyung playfully rolled her eyes. She pulled him up. "Let's get your present first."
"Woah." he chuckled in disbelief.
The princess brought him to a wall. "It's in my room."
"And we're facing... a wall."
"Mhm." she pushed a grey brick and a huge rectangle moved to the side. Seungmin flinched. His eyes almost popped out of the socket. Eunkyung had to tug him a few times for him to finally move and stepped into the wall - or he could call it a secret passage.
The wall closed, and the torches lit up. Seungmin looked around in awe with mixed of confusion as they walked up the stairs. He did not dare to speak anything until they finally reach a dead end - or, another moving wall. Eunkyung pulled a torch down and the door opened, revealing a huge room.
"My room." she awkwardly presented her arms. Her room was three times larger than his. There's not a lot of furniture, though. The room was spacious yet there's only a bed, a dressing table, two closets, a chair and a cloth's rack. He did not see any books or school stuffs and wondered if she had already threw them away since the final paper.
"I stayed in the guest room for a few days and haven't been up here since then. Oh, and what is this?" she rushed to her bed. A familiar box was on it.
"Is that my gift?" he approached her.
"Oh, right. I asked the butler to put yours in my room." she looked around and spotted a pile of birthday presents at the corner of her room. "That must be the others' gifts. But wait, let me get yours first."
"You had time to buy it?"
"Honestly, I bought it long ago." she rummaged her closet and took out a wrapped box. "Don't laugh!"
"I'm not saying anything!"
"You're about to laugh."
He tittered, "It's just amusing how you bought a gift days before your birthday."
Eunkyung gave him a side judging look. She plopped on the bed while Seungmin just sat at the edge of it. She urged him to open his present first since it was his day. The rustling sound of papers filled the entire room as he tore it off and found a brown box inside. The girl looked at him, anticipating for reaction.
"Dolphins?" he giggled when he saw the first gift. There's two dolphins glass figures in blue being wrapped with a newspaper.
"Animal glass figures are cute. I got this when I visited my brother at his place."
He smirked, "You've been thinking of me that long?"
"I got that for myself at first. Second hand stuffs for you." she smiled. Seungmin clicked his tongue playfully before taking out the second gift. A miniature of fairy cottage. Eunkyung avoided from being asked but she felt a pair of eyes glued on her with a teasing smile.
She stuttered, "Your room was empty so I thought putting up some miniatures will do."
"Well," he put aside the miniature to the side. "I thought you're not into these things." He took out the last one. It was a plain maroon muffler with two small stripes of green and yellow. The material was soft. He wore it around his neck and hummed as soon as he fell comfortable with it. It was warm.
"My turn." she eagerly tore the packaging but Seungmin suddenly stopped her. He looked a bit unsure. "What's wrong?"
"Um..." he bit his lower lips slightly, nervous. "I... don't know what you really like and it's not that valuable for a princess, for a royal family so um-"
"Is that your concern?" she gave him a are-you-serious look. Seungmin slowly nodded. She brought the black box closer to her and opened it.
A fabric of lavender color and a necklace came into view. Seungmin puffed his cheeks with air while Eunkyung glanced up to him, weirded out by his own reaction. The situation suddenly turned awkward. More awkward than before, that's what he thought. He was the only one who felt it like that.
"Alright." Eunkyung suddenly closed the box and tapped it with her fingers. "Your reaction is a bit suspicious to me so I won't open it in front of you."
He let out a subtle sigh of relief. The princess smiled cheekily before she leaned in and stopped right next to his ear. Seungmin's breath hitched. The smile on her face widened.
"Shall we get some hot tea?"
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Soft clinking sound could be heard in the enormous kitchen. Seungmin leaned his back at the counter while watching Eunkyung making a chamomile tea in silence. Earlier when they tried to sneak out, they unfortunately met Eunji who was searching for her. The older sister just shook her head when seeing Seungmin as well. The embarrassment almost killed them but luckily she did not say anything. Just a warning of, "Two weeks in the house, both of you."
Eunkyung sighed when remembering that. "Two weeks are so long. I bet they won't do anything to find them."
"The prince is here so I doubt that. Arin told me they might be at the cottage you used to live. If it's true then it won't take a long time." Seungmin reassured her.
"Isn't it frustrating?" she questioned while giving him the chamomile tea. They sipped on it slowly.
"What is?"
"Constantly thinking about this. Not even a single day I can not worry."
The guy nodded, agreeing with her. "But it will come to an end someday."
"I hope." she muttered and stared off nowhere.
"When all of this ends, what do you want to do first?" he asked out of sudden. Eunkyung tipped her head back slightly to think but nothing comes out from her mouth. She ended up raising her shoulders.
"What about you?"
"Maybe... to the river? We haven't been there for awhile."
She nodded thoughtfully. "And I no longer bring Winter for a walk these days."
"Jasper is always in the stable."
"Also, visiting Hyunjin. I don't remember when was the last time I go there."
"Felix and I planned to go to Gracine as well. We heard they are famous for collecting gems."
"They are! Hyunjin and his sister always bring gems everytime they visit us but I don't keep them. It's in the display room."
"Why?" he inquired.
"Collecting gems seems fun but I don't do that."
"You are one, though." he remarked. Eunkyung was stunned at that. She turned to him with a flustered look. "Eunkyung. The name Eunkyung means gem." he smiled warmly.
"Jasper is a name of a gem too..." she muttered.
Seungmin nodded. "I thought you caught that when I first told you about him."
"I did, but I thought it was a coincidence..." she had her mouth slightly open at the realisation. Then she hit his shoulder. The guy yelped. "So you named your horse after me?"
"Sort of."
Eunkyung let out a hearty laugh. She shook her head in disbelief. "Ahh Kim Seungmin, you're unbelievable. You like me too much until naming your horse after me, huh?"
He could only suppress his laughter while drinking the tea. "Speaking of that, what are we?"
"Hm?" she pursed her lips and hummed for a long time, intentionally making him impatient.
"We are...?" he prompted but she furrowed her eyebrows, still thinking.
"We are..."
"You're such a tease, really." he put down his cup and pulled her to stand in front of him. With his back leaning on the counter, he hugged the girl's waist. Giggles erupted from her as she felt giddy at his action. She held the cup in her hands tightly making sure not to spill a drop.
It's unbelievable how a single confession could change her view. She became more comfortable with the guy than before. The smile never leaves her face. Her heart opened up to him to show her other side that people had never seen before. She felt more than happy. Euphoric, even.
So this is how falling in love feels.
All these years she's been living in rage and revenge, Eunkyung never really thought of being in a relationship or intimate with someone - unlike her sister, Eunhee. She was too determined to seek justice for her late best friend until she did not see the guy who had been waiting for a long time.
Nine years? That's a long, long wait. Maybe being lost in the woods with him a few months ago wasn't a bad thing. She got to know him, and found out the culprit as well.
Eunkyung couldn't feel more grateful. Now that she was in his arms, alone with the worries gone temporarily, she hoped the time would freeze forever.
Because who knows what will happen next?
"We are not friends one thing I'm sure of."
After the incident during her birthday, Eunkyung grew afraid. She was afraid if she couldn't get the chance to tell him how she truly felt. Seungmin was so close to leave due to the explosion. The thoughts alone scared her. What if he left?
"More than friends?"
"What's the next step of being friends?"
"So we are replying each other with questions, are we?"
If he left, she would regret everything. She would never forgive herself. After losing two important people in her lives, Eunkyung couldn't bear losing more.
"Ask me another question then." she sipped the tea.
Seungmin held one hand and softly caressed it. At this point, she was sure her heart almost jumped out her chest.
"I don't know if it has to be formal or not to ask a royal out but," he started and she was already laughing. "Would you take an honor to be my lover, Your highness?"
Ah, her cheeks hurt from smiling too much but she would never get tired of this if it's because of him.
Eunkyung put the cup down and tip-toed to reach his face level. "That would be a great honor, young archer Kim. Who am I to refuse?"
"Is that a yes?"
"A hundred times yes."
His heart busted with joy. "Can I get another free kiss then?"
Those two were too lost in each other that none of them realised the four pairs of eyes peeking from behind the wall. One rolling her eyes, one watching like a proud mom, one was being held from barging in to interrupt them and one being a protective brother had his eyes pierced on Seungmin. Oh, to have non-nosy siblings.
If Eunkyung knew this she wouldn't want to live for the next day.
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i love y'all, active or silent readers ilysm <3 i don't usually check the reads, just the comments but when i did, ngl i'm surprised with the amounts of read like, THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE READING TOO??? I THOUGHT I ONLY HAVE AROUND 15 READERS HERE