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astrobei · 1 year

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for @quinnick: kiss prompt #4 - lips barely touching

The car is out of gas. Will is about ten seconds away from maybe-dying (again). Mike Wheeler has been abnormally quiet today.

At least of late, one of those things is more abnormal than the others.

The car is always out of gas. Will doesn’t know when the last time they’d filled it up was, but he does know that it’s not his problem trying to figure it out. That’s Hopper’s deal. Or his mom’s, maybe. Or Nancy’s, or Jonathan’s, or–

Whatever! The point is that the car is out of gas, Mike and Will are stranded at the currently closed general store, and they’re probably about to die.

Again.

“Mike,” Will tries, for maybe the hundredth time. “It’s not your fault, okay, it could’ve happened to anyone–”

“Yeah,” Mike grumbles miserably, as they round the corner, from aisle four – cleaning supplies and household items – into aisle five – canned goods. Most of the shelves are empty, turned over. Mike picks up a can of pickled green beans, pulls a face, and puts it back on the shelf. “But it didn’t happen to anyone. It happened to me.”

Will takes a long, deep breath in through his nose. God forbid Mike Wheeler ever let anything go. “You didn’t know,” he huffs anyway. “It’s not your fault.” The store is dark, which is great for being able to roll your eyes without Mike seeing. Will’s flashlight sputters, briefly, the bright circle of light flickering in and out of view. He smacks it against his palm once, twice, and it steadies. “Seriously,” Will adds, as Mike slows to a stop in front of him. “Stop beating yourself up. So we have to wait for a ride. Big deal.”

Mike turns around to face him. His expression is mostly unreadable in the dark, but Will’s flashlight catches the edge of it – worried, a little guilty. “Yeah,” Mike says softly. “Except there are things everywhere and waiting for a ride is just– we’re sitting ducks here, okay,” Mike frowns. “I don’t like it. It feels like tempting fate.”

“Well, the simple fact of my existence feels like tempting fate sometimes,” Will jokes. It works, for a split second – Mike’s furrowed brows smooth out into something halfway amused, and he makes a noise that might be a laugh.

“Not funny,” Mike says anyway. His lips twitch.

“You laughed!” Will insists, smiling. His voice carries down through the hallway in a vibrant echo. “I know you did!”

“Shut up,” Mike whispers, looking away. “Would it kill you to keep your voice down?”

It might. Somewhere in the back of Will’s mind, he’s vaguely aware that they’re not safe here, out in the open, and that the whole point of them coming inside instead of waiting in the parking lot was to hunker down until Jonathan and Nancy could get another car here to pick them up. And also, preferably, get some gas.

Somewhere significantly closer in Will’s mind, though, is the knowledge that this is the most Mike has said – and the closest he’s come to laughing – since the car had stalled on the way from the cabin to the general store ten minutes ago, and Mike had just barely had time to pull into the abandoned parking lot before it had stopped altogether. He knows Mike doesn’t like this – being caught off-guard, out in the open. Even minute changes in the plan – which you’d think they’d all be more prepared for, considering the way things have been going lately – get Mike a little keyed up.

And the sorry, borderline pathetic part is this: despite it all, despite the ever-present threat of danger, and the impending sense of doom that’s been hanging over their heads for what seems like forever, Will feels vaguely pleased with himself anyway, seeing Mike hold back a smile instead of forcing one on his face.

So yeah, it might kill him, if he kept his voice down. That’s okay. Will thinks it would be worth it, sometimes – the danger and the doom and everything else – to hear Mike laugh.

God, what’s wrong with him? That’s embarrassing. That’s so embarrassing.

He shakes the thought off. “Whatever,” Will says instead, praying the cover of darkness is hiding the blush that’s rapidly rising to his cheeks. He angles the flashlight away from them anyway, just in case, and Mike’s face falls back into silhouette. “You know I’m right. You’re doomed just by being here with me.”

Mike shakes his head. “You know I don’t think of you like that.”

Will frowns. “Like what?”

“Like– like a bad luck charm,” Mike waves his hands around. “Or whatever.”

“I didn’t say bad luck charm,” Will exclaims. “Ouch! Stop putting words into my mouth.”

Mike grins. “Would you rather have, uh,” he picks up the nearest can to him, something small and vaguely gray, “tinned sardines in your mouth? Tinned sardines in water? Oh, gross. Never mind, actually.”

“I would rather not,” Will decides, even though the shelves are so bare that they might have to suck it up and take home the tinned sardines in water after all. “Would you like some, uh. Tuna?”

“I guess we know why there’s so much fish,” Mike sighs, leaning heavily against an empty shelf. “Nobody wanted it.”

“You mean the ten people outside of our circle of friends that are still left in Hawkins? Yeah,” Will scoffs, then sets the can back down with a soft clink. “I guess not.”

Neither of them say anything for a moment. It’s quiet in the store, the room dark and lit faintly by Will’s flashlight and the display in the corner. It lights Mike up a faint blue, catches the edges of his jaw and where his hair is curling softly over the hood of his jacket.

Will’s flashlight sputters again.

When it comes back on this time, it’s more faint than it was before. It’s dark in here, Will realizes, a bit belatedly. Like, really dark.

He takes a deep breath and shuffles closer to Mike, just a little, like the shape of his body all leaned against the empty shelves is a grounding force. Mike gives him a look that Will can’t quite decipher in the dark.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Will breathes out. The proximity is helping, a little. “Just– waiting for our ride.”

Mike leans in a bit closer too, places an arm under Will’s elbow. It’s a light touch, nothing forceful, but the semblance of support is there. “You sure? You look a little pale.”

Sometimes, Will hates how well Mike knows him. He doesn’t get antsy in the same way Mike does in situations like these, but he’d be lying if he said they didn’t affect him at all. It should be expected by now, the automatic fight or flight.

For some cruel reason, it still isn’t. “You can’t even see me,” he says, but lets himself lean into the touch anyway.

“I can see enough,” Mike says easily. “Do you want to sit down?”

Will shakes his head. The only thing worse than waiting out in the open is sitting out in the open. At least when you’re standing, you can run. “No. I’m fine.”

Will can’t see Mike either, but he’d be willing to bet real money – that he doesn’t have – that he can tell exactly what Mike’s expression looks like. The pause grows, swells and swells and swells, until Will is sure Mike is going to say something–

There’s a clattering outside.

Instantly, Mike’s hand tightens its grip on Will’s elbow. “Did you hear that?”

“Yes,” Will hisses, twisting around to try and see through the windows. “Of course I heard that, Mike.”

“Do you think that’s–”

“No idea,” Will whispers. With no small amount of reluctance, he tugs his arm out of Mike’s grip. He misses the warmth of it almost instantaneously, and the tugging in his stomach is only amplified by the way Mike automatically leans in behind him, places a hand on his back to replace the absent touch, like it was never gone at all. Will swallows, and flicks the flashlight off. “Now be quiet.”

“The windows are boarded up,” Mike says, decidedly not being quiet. Will wonders where the Mike Wheeler of fifteen minutes ago went – the one that was sulking and fidgeting in silence the whole way down the first aid aisle. “They’re boarded up, so nothing can get in. Right?”

“We got in,” Will points out, which Mike seems to realize at approximately the same second he does. It’s getting a little hard to think, with Mike so close to him.

Will really wishes Mike would pull his hand away.

“Right,” Mike whispers, breath ghosting gently over the back of Will’s neck. “Okay. That’s fine. That’s fine.”

Fine, Will thinks. That’s one word for it.

Another clattering. It’s closer this time.

Will freezes.

Jonathan and Nancy are probably about ten minutes out. Twenty if they had to go back to the Wheelers’ for the other car. So they’d probably be fine if they stuck it out here, because the chance of something happening across them now, in the brief period of time where they’re stuck without a ride, in a building equipped with close to nothing that could help, is small.

Small, but not nonexistent.

Will isn’t really feeling inclined to take that chance. “Come on,” he says, then spins on his heel, grabbing Mike’s hand and tugging him in the opposite direction. “Come with me.”

Mike follows easily, stumbling slightly with the sudden movement. “Wh– where are we going?”

“Just come on,” Will says, then tugs Mike around to the back of the store. He yanks open a door, and shoves him inside. “Get in.”

“Whoa,” Mike says, as Will tumbles in behind him. “Will, what–”

“Would it kill you to be quiet?”

“Sorry,” Mike says, then does, at last, fall silent.

Immediately, Will wishes he hadn’t said that. It’s dark in here – even darker than out in the front of the store – and the only noise is the faint hum of a generator, somewhere behind the walls. It’s grating and stilted. Will wonders when the last time it had been repaired was.

Plus, it’s really–

It’s really fucking dark in here.

Will lets out a long, slow exhale, and reaches out to feel for the wall beside him. His palm comes into contact with chipped paint and he follows the shape of it down, lowering himself onto the ground.

“Will?” Mike says, and Will is in half a mind to say that thing about being quiet again, but–

It’s dark. It’s really dark.

“Yeah,” he says, barely audible even to himself over the faint hum of the generator, and the louder hum – demanding, prominent, persistent – of his blood rushing through his ears. “I just– sitting. I’m sitting.”

There had at least been some light out in the front, but this storage closet might as well be a void. It smells vaguely of dust, something stale and unknown and probably untouched for who-knows-how-long. Will takes another deep breath in.

“Where?” Mike asks. “I don’t want to step on you.”

Will cracks a smile. “Here,” he says, and holds a hand up in the air. “Right here.”

There’s a quiet shuffling sound as Mike moves closer, and then Will feels fingertips brushing against his. Mike latches on immediately, gripping tighter onto his hand and sits down in front of him.

Will still can’t see anything – he can’t see anything – but he can feel Mike’s presence like it’s a tangible thing.

Mike could let go of Will’s hand now. Now that he’s found him.

He doesn’t, though.

“Hey,” Mike says, then there’s another faint shuffling noise. “Where are we?”

“Storage closet.”

“Huh. How did you know it was here?”

Will cracks another smile, despite himself. “My mom worked here, remember? For, like, years.”

“Right,” Mike laughs, and then he’s moving closer, knees bumping against knees in the dark. “I forgot. It doesn’t feel like the same place.”

“Tell me about it,” Will sighs. He’s probably breathing in dust and debris and soot and all sorts of gross stuff, but he can’t find it in himself to care. He presses his knees against Mike’s a little harder, just because he can.

“I remember,” Mike starts, readjusting his grip on Will’s hand – fingers interlocked, a firmer grip – “she’d give me free candy from the front counter. Whenever I came in with my parents, I mean. My mom was so confused about why I kept asking to tag along to Melvald’s with her.”

“That’s not fair,” Will laughs. “She never let me have any candy.”

“You were a menace all hopped up on sugar,” Mike points out. “I knew how to behave myself.”

That’s a damn lie, and they both know it. “Liar,” Will says quietly, leaning his head back against the wall. “You’re such a liar.”

“Maybe so,” Mike hums. “But I’m still the one who got free candy, so–”

“Mike!” Will shoves lightly at his knee, and Mike’s answering laugh fills the small space instantaneously. It’s loud – too loud, because they’re supposed to be hiding, goddamnit – but the nagging little voice at the back of Will’s head is vanquished almost as quickly as it came. “Shut up.”

Mike, as always, ignores him. “Why don’t we turn on a light?”

“The fuse is probably blown,” Will responds. “If there’s even a light in this stupid closet.”

“I mean this, idiot,” Mike says, and then clicks the flashlight back on. The batteries must be dying, because it flickers to life weakly, steadying out into a dim yellow-white. “Obviously.”

“Don’t waste the batteries,” Will says at once, trying to grab for it. “Come on, Mike–”

“Jonathan and Nancy will be here any minute and then we can go put in new batteries,” Mike says, holding it easily out of reach. “No point sitting in the dark, right?”

“Mike,” Will tries to protest, but it’s useless. Mike’s made up his mind.

Slowly, and a little far away, Will realizes what Mike is trying to do. He’s not being subtle about it, but subtlety has never been Mike Wheeler’s strong suit. He’s always been exuberant, quick and spontaneous with his actions, and this is no different. Sitting up close, closer than would be strictly necessary in any other situation. Turning the light on, despite the dying batteries. Telling Will about coming here as a kid, all those years ago. Making him laugh. Diffusing the tension.

Jesus, and he’s still holding Will’s hand.

A wave of affection washes over him, sudden and overwhelming enough for Will to feel borderline nauseous.

This isn’t fair. This isn’t fair. Mike can’t just sit here and touch their knees together and hold Will’s hand, and–

“Look,” Mike is saying, and then he’s holding the flashlight under his chin and grinning. “Don’t I look freaky?”

In all honesty, Mike looks fucking hilarious. The direct light casts long shadows across the dips of his cheekbones, the shapes of his eyelashes distorting wildly as he blinks. “No,” Will snorts, rolling his eyes. “You look ridiculous.”

“Really?” Mike grins, in a way that means he knows just how ridiculous he looks. “Not even a little?” He waggles his eyebrows, and the resulting effect is so comical that Will can’t help the laugh that bursts out of him, sharp and sudden and real.

“Mike,” he chides, for the millionth time. “You’re going to kill the battery.”

Mike looks way too pleased with himself. “Worth it,” he says anyway, as he sets the flashlight down. It evens out the sharp angles of his face, now that it’s farther away, lights his cheeks and nose and eyes up into something softer, more open.

Something about the steadiness of Mike’s expression is brighter than any source of light. Suddenly, it’s too much. Suddenly, it’s blinding.

God. He’s so screwed. “For what?”

“Getting you to laugh,” Mike says, simple and easy, like he’s reciting times tables instead of proceeding to turn Will’s entire world upside down on its pathetic little axis.

Will feels his lungs stutter on his next inhale. He looks away. “Don’t do that.”

The gleeful expression falters on Mike’s face. “Don’t do what?”

“Don’t,” Will says, “don’t– you’re being so– so–”

Mike looks caught somewhere between confusion and amusement. “So what?”

“So,” Will tries again, and then Mike moves closer, and the difficulty of articulating a halfway decent sentence immediately increases tenfold. “So.”

“So,” Mike echoes, shifting so the side of his thigh is pressed up against the side of Will’s. He’s being slowly backed into the corner, but the thought isn’t terrifying like it might have been five minutes ago. Suddenly, Will is overwhelmed in a completely new way. “So what?”

“Nice to me,” Will gets out. “Stop being so nice to me.”

Mike pauses, then says, incredulously and half-laughing– “What? Why?”

Bad choice of words. “You heard me,” Will says anyway, because he’s nothing if not stubborn. “You’re being too nice.”

“I should hope so,” Mike says. “I mean, you’re my friend.”

Maybe Will is imagining it, but the sentence feels unfinished. Like there’s a second half to it that Mike is keeping for himself: You’re my friend – right?

The obvious answer here is that yes, Mike is his friend. But that answer feels unfinished too, like a lie by omission. Will tries to imagine it, doing these things with anyone else – what it would be like if Dustin was holding his hand, or if it were Lucas sitting next to him this close.

The conclusion he comes to, almost immediately, is that it would be weird.

It would be really fucking weird.

That feels like– something. An admission, maybe. Because the fact of the matter is that things with Mike have always been like this, and they’ve never been like this with anyone else, and Will doesn’t think they can be like this with anyone else without it being the most unsettling thing that’s ever happened to him.

The silence, he realizes, has gone on just a second too long.

“Yeah,” he blurts out at last. “Yeah. Obviously.”

Something settles over Mike’s face. “Will–”

“Forget I said anything,” Will backpedals, a little bit desperate. “Never mind. Be as nice to me as you want.”

Mike bites down on his lower lip. It looks like he’s holding back a smile. “As nice as I want?”

Oh, no.

“Sure,” Will tries. “Do your worst.”

Mike lets out a shaky exhale. He presses in further, leans in closer until their shoulders are almost touching. “How about this?”

“That’s not nice,” Will says weakly. “That’s just an invasion of personal space.”

“Seems pretty nice to me,” Mike mutters under his breath.

Will inhales sharply. “Mike.”

“What?”

“What are you– doing,” Will whispers, stumbling over his words, just slightly, as Mike places a hand on his arm.

Mike’s gaze does not waver. “Is this okay?”

Is it okay? Will thinks his brain might be halfway to leaking out through his ears. This is–

This is–

“Yeah,” he hears himself say. “Yeah. Great.”

“Okay,” Mike whispers. He’s so close now that Will could count all the freckles spattered across his nose, if he wanted to. He could, and the thought is dizzying, dizzying – suddenly, it’s not the claustrophobia that’s making him feel like this. It can’t be, because Mike is in front of him, and he’s so close that Will could just lean forward and–

He could just–

“Mike.” And maybe he’s a bit of a broken record, but he can’t come up with any words other than his name. He clutches at Mike’s knee and meets his gaze and prays – to whatever deity allowed him to get trapped in a storage closet with Mike Wheeler two inches away from his face – that Mike Wheeler will find the courage in him somewhere to close the fucking gap.

He doesn’t, though, which is a sign that the universe must be majorly fucking with him. Not yet, anyway. Not anywhere near as fast as Will needs it to be – if this is what he thinks it is, it’s nowhere near fast enough.

In actuality, what it is is excruciating – the way Will’s heart is beating so loud that he’s sure Mike can hear it, in the proximity. The slow circles Mike is tracing over his other hand – the hand that he’s still holding. He’s so close that Will can discern the warmth emanating off him, the familiar scent of soap, can feel Mike’s eyes trained steadily on his mouth, and yet–

Either Mike is actually moving at a speed of one nanosecond per minute, or time has slowed to a near-stop around them. Mike’s grip on his hand is agonizing, caustic in all the places where they’re touching, each slow circle of Mike’s thumb against his wrist driving him slowly and steadily out of his mind. Do it, Will thinks, like maybe if he thinks it loud enough, Mike will be able to hear him. Do it, do it, do it.

Mike’s lips touch his.

The world stops moving.

It must, anyway. Or maybe it’s just that Will doesn’t think he’s breathing anymore – he doesn’t know if he can find it in him to remember how. All he’s aware of is this: Mike’s hands on his arm, his wrist. Mike’s leg under his own palm, warm and steady and pressed up against him in a smooth, unyielding line. The pressure of the wall behind him, the strands of Mike’s hair brushing against his face, and Mike’s lips – gentle, gentle, gentle, and nowhere near enough.

It’s like Mike is waiting for something. Waiting for Will, maybe.

God, okay.

Fuck it, Will thinks, from somewhere far off in his own head. Fuck it. Fuck this.

“Will,” Mike whispers, pulling back a precious few millimeters, and that’s it. That’s all Will can take.

Will lifts his hand off Mike’s leg, raises it to his wrist and tugs. Mike topples into him with a small gasp, Will falls backwards into the wall, and then they’re kissing.

God. Okay.

Mike steadies himself quickly, braces a hand on the wall behind them and leans in, firm and enthusiastic. His hand, Will notices, faintly and with no small amount of affection, is shaking. Just slightly. Will’s trapped between them again – Mike and the wall – but this time he can’t find it in himself to care even the slightest bit. As if there’s anywhere he’d want to go that wasn’t here, as if he’d want to be somewhere without Mike’s hand carding through his hair, or without his lips moving softly against Will’s own, or the noise he makes when Will presses forward, too fast, too eager, too betrayed by his own fluttering pulse – something like a laugh, trapped deep in his chest.

Suddenly, it’s not enough. It’s not enough. It’s–

“Mike? Will?”

Shit.

In a flash, Mike pulls away, wide-eyed and pink-cheeked and breathing like he’s just run a marathon.

Shit.

“Yeah,” Mike calls, voice cracking just slightly on the syllable. “We’re in here!”

Shit.

“So,” Will says, aiming for nonchalance. He fails immediately. His voice cracks too. Great. “That–”

Don’t freak out, he thinks. Please don’t freak out.

Mike, to his credit, is not freaking out.

“Yeah,” Mike says, voice a little high-pitched but surprisingly even. He clears his throat. “Um. Yeah. You were–”

“Yeah,” Will finishes, rather lamely. He’s grinning like an idiot. He doesn’t even need to look at himself to tell. His expression is mirrored, perfectly, flawlessly, brilliantly, on Mike’s own face.

The closet door gets thrown open, and there’s a blinding, sudden light– “What the fuck,” Mike exclaims, squinting and throwing a hand up in front of his eyes. “Nancy?”

Jonathan peers around her shoulder. “What were you guys doing in here?”

Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t–

Will can’t help it. He looks at Mike, and they immediately burst into laughter.

Shit.

#hiiii quin so sorry but tumblr ate ur og ask #i did immediately memorize it tho bc i read it and i was like Oh Yes #anyways ik u asked for maybe s5 too #and idk why this is where my mind went #there are a million other s5 scenarios that i could've written #but something about byler kissing in dark closets.... haha #yeah <3 #anyways i hope u like this !!#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #fun sized fics #also fun fact for anyone who reads my fics #this was rly close to my og concept for ive come home im so cold #like the third chapter #but that story got away from me so #this isn't the Same but its similar !! kind of.#ok bye

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sorryimananti-romantic · 2 years

Text

Win (Part 1)

wooyoung x princess/assassin!reader

royal au but wooyoung is from the enemy nation and you both are sort of undercover

genre and warnings: fluff, angst, violence warnings, mention of death and violence

word count: ~20k

series masterlist

taglist: @baguette-atiny @yuufiles @charreddonuts @atiny68 @imthatdiamond95 @livbay @cupcakes-n-coffee @mxnxmistic @marievllr-abg @yunnierights @allaboutsan @yla-aira

You stood in front of the mirror, scanning your figure clad in all black, revealing no skin at all- gloved hands, covered neck… even the feminine curves of your body. Your hair was tied in a braid, hidden by the hood of your cloak. Not even the gleaming silver of the numerous daggers fastened to your belts were visible. You drew the neck covering up, hiding the most part of your face. Only your eyes were visible, and that was not going to be a problem, because those who met your eyes usually didn’t live to tell the tale.

Checking to see if all your weapons were intact and the laces of your shoes weren’t loose, you took out the address you were provided, the destination you were to reach at the darkest time of the night and eliminate the person who dared to threaten the throne of the soon to be queen of Wonderland. It wasn’t far from here. You went to the cupboard and donned your rifle, leaving the shed without a sound.

In this town, it wasn’t hard to travel undetected. You could use the crowded streets and still pass undetected, or you could take dark alleys and climb roofs, which was your preferred mode of travel. You wanted to avoid any human interactions, if possible.

When you were near the hotel where your target was staying for the night, you climbed the nearest roof that was accessible and went from there around the hotel until you spotted the man and recognised him instantly, shaking your head in disappointment.

Traitor. To the King and the soon-to-be Queen. To the Kingdom of Wonderland. He deserved the fate he was about to meet.

You settled on the flat surface of the roof and aimed your rifle. You were a dead shot with your rifle, you had proved without fail in the three years of your career as a marksman. You were one of the best snipers that the gang had- ‘gang’, you used to informally call the group of people that served the throne while posing as common people. The official name, ‘Wanderers’ wasn’t public yet, and you wished it would stay this way. No one needed to know of their existence- especially not yours.

You aimed for the head of the man you thought you could trust but just found out to be a traitor. You swallowed your emotions- this wasn’t the time for distractions. You loaded your rifle and took a deep breath, your finger resting on the trigger, waiting to pull-

The sound of the gun firing made you think for a moment that your hand slipped- but your gun was silent and still in your hands. You immediately looked to your right and spotted a figure two roofs away pulling their gun back, successfully having shot your target. You narrowed your eyes- had he not seen you? Had he-

Oh, you were wrong. He looked in your direction and bowed dramatically before running off, and you got chills for a good second before you gathered your wits and went after him. It couldn’t be one of the Wanderers- they always made sure only one person was doing one job. It had to be someone else, but who else would have a reason to kill the Minister of Defence other than someone who served their kingdom like a true patriot?

You had to know who this person was. You jumped roof after roof, practically chasing after him, but then he was out of your sight. You jumped down an alley, looking left and right-

There he stood, looking practically relaxed as he leaned against the wall, cleaning his fingernails. You frowned and your hand subconsciously went to your dagger-

“I wouldn’t try that if I were you,” the silky smooth voice of the man said. “I’m here to negotiate. I suggest you cooperate.”

“Who do you work for?” You asked, and you noticed his brow raising- perhaps he hadn’t suspected you to be a woman.

“Who do you work for?” He asked and you scoffed. Fair enough.

“What do you want to negotiate?”

“I definitely saw you aiming for the Minister. I beat you to it though.” You could tell he was grinning under his mask- his eyes had that mischievous glint in them. “Anyways, we had the same goal- getting rid of that man. So why don’t we shake hands on it and part ways? You can tell people that you killed him if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Wouldn’t work,” you muttered, thinking. “No man has ever looked me in the eye and walked back alive. Give me a reason to spare your life.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “We’re comrades, if anything. I think as a favour for successfully getting rid of your target, you could let me go. It doesn’t seem like we’ll cross paths again. What do you say?”

“I would have shot him without your ‘help’,” you shifted your weight to one leg, thinking. “Who do you work for?”

“I work alone,” he revealed and you wondered if he was the Minister’s family or had a personal motive to kill him. “Come on, just shake hands on it and let it go. I can kill you just as easily as you can kill me. No use fighting now when we’ve completed our mission, right?”

You nodded slowly- it was inevitable now. You couldn’t risk revealing your identity to him, so you did what he suggested- extended your hand. He shook it firm and good, doing a little salute before turning away and disappearing into the darkness. You sighed, taking the opposite path and parting ways.

When you reached the shed, you marked the wall with one of your daggers- an indication to your group members to know that you had successfully eliminated the target. You placed all your weapons back save for your personal twin daggers and went outside, where the only other person who knew of your identity, Yeosang, waited.

“Took you longer this time,” he said, drawing his cloak back in, “You good?”

“I’m good,” you nodded, “Let’s get back before sunrise.”

Yeosang nodded, helping you up the horse and the two of you went home.

—-----------------

“I need refreshments, now,” you muttered to Yeosang, who sat right beside you, “or else I will pass out.”

Yeosang stifled his own yawn, playing with the gold buttons of his black uniform. “I should get some too, right? I didn’t hear a thing throughout the meeting- let’s share notes from this meeting later.”

You nodded, unceremoniously sighing and pursing your lips when you saw your father frown at you, making you immediately straighten. Yeosang asked the nearest person to get you both something to drink.

“Did you not get enough sleep?” Your father asked.

“I did,” you lied, “The meeting was very boring, you have to admit.”

The council members looked uncomfortable with your statement, some grunting while the others stifled their smiles. You frowned- they should be used to your bluntness by now.

“Your Highness,” the maid presented you with iced coffee which you gratefully took, Yeosang following after you. You raised a brow as if to challenge anyone who dared question your choice of refreshment- you were never a hot tea type of person. You were glad your Right Hand, Yeosang, was just like you in that matter.

You sat through another half an hour of the meeting, immediately excusing yourself as soon as the King, your father, left. You and Yeosang made it to your chamber with perfect postures, relaxing once you two had privacy.

“They think someone with a personal motive must have killed the Minister of Defence,” you slumped on the couch, spreading your legs in a very unladylike manner. Your maid would scold you endlessly if she saw you like that. However, Yeosang couldn’t care less. He mirrored your position as he sat in front of you, grabbing a chocolate from your personal box. You glared at him- he was way too comfortable with you.

“Isn’t that what happened with the other person?” Yeosang referred to the man you had encountered last night. The ‘comrade’, you were calling him.

“I don’t think it was strictly personal,” you folded your arms. “It didn’t seem so.”

“Well, he’s dead now. I saw quite some people pleased to learn of his death.”

“I know, they were way too obvious,” you scoffed, extending your hand and Yeosang tossed you a chocolate. “I have another meeting, three days from now.”

“I don’t get why I’m dragged into this stuff. Why do I have to sacrifice my sleep? So the Queen-to-be doesn’t trip on her own feet while coming back to the castle?”

“You’re serving the crown, Yeosang, try to look a little proud of that,” you teased him and he rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t sign up for this.”

“Well, here we are. To get out of this, you’ll have to meet the other me. There’s no other way,” you smirked and Yeosang groaned, curling up on the sofa and pretending to take a nap.

“So the only option at freedom I have is death at the hands of you, an assassin-”

“Shh, even the walls have ears,” you glared at him.

“I think I’ll take it,” he muttered and you ignored it. Yeosang was like that. He always complained and whined but not once in his life did he let you down or not support you, though he’d rather bury himself in his own grave before admitting it directly.

Your train of thoughts went back to the man you had seen last night- not much taller than you but still tall enough. Silky smooth voice, an unfamiliar accent- he sounded like he was from Wonderland but hadn’t been home for a while. And his eyes-

Mismatched, pretty eyes. Too pretty for a man. You were jealous. Yeosang popped open one eye to see you pouting, and he scoffed. “Thinking about someone?”

“I wonder if I’ll see him again,” you scratched your chin. “Should I kill him on sight?”

“He could be useful. And I have a feeling you’ll be seeing him again very soon,” Yeosang raised a brow. “You have to be careful.”

Yeosang was right, as usual. You saw that man three days later on your way to assassinate someone from the opposition party who was about to find out about the Wanderer’s Society. You were travelling in alleys, dressed in your usual gear, when you almost walked past the man. You paused in your tracks, frowning when you realised that he, too, had.

“We meet again,” he almost sounded like he was smiling, though you couldn’t see it. “It’s quite easy to pass by undetected now, I’m realising, but you must have sharp senses.”

“Who are you again?” You asked, but he heard the teasing tone. “Here to interrupt me during work again?”

“Interesting, how you call it ‘work’,” he finally turned to meet your eyes, and you noticed the mole under his eye due to the faint lamp post illuminating what was unveiled of his face. “Isn’t it quite late for a lady to be ‘working’?”

“Didn’t anyone tell you that foreigners should avoid dark alleys at night?” You folded your arms. “Don’t want an ‘accident’ happening to you.”

He scoffed. “I belong from Wonderland, thank you very much, though I have been away for most of my life. Still, this is my home. I feel safe at my home- well, not so safe after encountering you.”

“I don’t have time for chit-chat right now,” you pulled the pocket watch out, groaning because you were running late. “Seems like we’re going in opposite directions. I hope we don’t see each other again, for our own good.”

“Oh, we will be seeing each other again, I can feel it in my gut,” he sounded smug and you wondered why he was so sure. Or perhaps, he just liked to tease. “Have a nice walk, my lady,” he said and took off his hat, the dark tendrils of his hair falling down as he bowed and turned away, not even waiting for your reply.

He made you feel unsettled, and you were frustrated- this was the first time in your life that a man, other than your father, made you feel unsettled. You felt like a little kid about to have a tantrum, and you had to shake your head to shrug off the feeling too. You made way to the nearest town to set a mislead and waited to see if he grabbed your bait and strayed away from the direction that your target was set in- so close to discovering your group. If he did not grab the bait, it would be his last night alive.

—-----------------

As expected, the ‘comrade’ did not grab your bait, but the target did. You shot him from a fair distance when he was on his way home after meeting the opposition’s head. It would make it look like an internal rivalry- you even used one of the bullets more commonly used by the opposition. Everything was perfect-

Or so you thought.

A scuffle broke out at your route of escape- after the gunshot, you couldn’t risk jumping roofs. You rolled your eyes at the timing of all this, sliding down the pipe and jumping into the dark alley, calculating your options- you could either wait for the commotion to die down, or you could wear another disguise- the one where everyone could see you but no one would recognise you.

As the Princess, you weren’t very public yet. Only your court knew your face, and you preferred to keep it that way not only because of your other job, but because more people knowing your face would only cause trouble. You were not the queen yet and you had not made a public appearance in about 4 years- ever since the attempted assassination of your father. That was the last time you accompanied him outside- you did not have a choice there, it was for your own ‘safety’.

The people had forgotten your face- you had heard a lot of gossip about the absence of the princess and how it seemed like she did not exist anymore. Good for you.

You only waited for Yeosang to come to you- he always stayed close during the missions that were to be carried out in public- ones like today, in case anything like this happened. He soon found you and you told him your plan. Yeosang unzipped the bag and you took off all the extra layers of clothes, changing into an average looking hanbok. You hid your weapons in the bag and the two of you walked out of the alley as if nothing had happened, making way towards the commotion, from where you would blend into the growing crowd of the angry ladies who were struggling to move past them.

“Of all the days,” you muttered and Yeosang scoffed.

“Good thing I was near,” Yeosang muttered back. “You would have died of boredom waiting in the alley otherwise.”

“Definitely,” you sighed. You made a quick assessment of the people around you- everyone was too busy looking at the group of men fighting, ignoring their princess walking among them.

“I’m having a few silly ideas, Yeosang,” you turned to him, smiling. “I could visit the town sometime dressed like this. No one would recognise me!”

“Bad idea,” Yeosang tsk-ed and shook his head. “You’re just lucky this time that the attention is already drawn.”

“You sound like my brooding old father, Yeosang,” you rolled your eyes. “We should do this sometime! Look- no one cares.”

You separated from Yeosang, blending among the very angry ladies, earning an elbow to your ribs before you made it out. It took Yeosang another minute and he came out with a harsh frown, making you grin.

“See? Point proven.”

“Yeah, whatever. You know no one’s going to let you out.”

“I’ll let myself out,” you said, sighing in relief because the road ahead was clear save for a few passersby. “I don’t need permission to go outside, I’m not a kid-”

You paused for a second as a man passed you, turning to look at him after a few seconds, frowning when you realised he had paused in his tracks too. Yeosang stood in confusion, watching the man turn and scan you briefly.

Perhaps it was his eyes- so familiar. The two of you stared at each other for a moment before he tipped his hat, bowing a little and you returned it with a little nod before continuing. Yeosang looked back and forth anxiously. “What was that?”

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “He seemed awfully familiar. Did we have him in court or something?”

“Not that I remember,” Yeosang said. “But it looked like he recognised you.”

“He would have bowed or something if he recognised me, shouldn’t he? That was just a passerby nod. He definitely did not recognise me, but… perhaps he almost did. Anyways, it’s not like he’ll do anything.”

You were so wrong about that, you would soon find out. Since the death of the Minister of Defence and another Utopian that you had successfully eliminated, the Utopians residing in Wonderland were growing restless. The court was having a tough time dealing with the threats and shit they had to deal with (sadly, because of your doing) and soon, the court decided to bring this matter to the King and the Princess.

Within that week, there was going to be a meeting where the representatives of Utopia in Wonderland’s courts were going to address the rather suspicious killing of two Utopians. You were wondering just how to solve this matter without creating a conflict- usually, the Inspector and Security Office handled these kinds of matters.

“They’re going to do anything in their power to make us look helpless,” your father finally spoke the first time during dinner. “What’s your plan, if your poor old father might ask?”

You passed the King a side-eyed glance. “My poor old father is the king of this nation. What does the all-wise King think?”

Your father laughed, acknowledging your retort. “They are going to suggest appointing another Utopian for the vacant position of the Minister of Defence, as an act to prove the amiable relations between Wonderland and Utopia. In front of the court and all the representatives, it will make us look bad if we do not accept their request.”

“And if I give physical proof of the late Minister’s traitorous intentions? Would that be enough?”

The King smirked. “It would seem so, but it will only fuel the Utopians in their stupid ambitions to take Wonderland.”

“Well, adding a little fuel to the fire before burning it all out seems the better option to me,” you wiped your mouth with a kerchief. “The decision is up to you. Consider my suggestion, will you?”

“Sometimes I wonder if you are the king of me,” your father said and you smiled.

“I’m only easing the burden on your shoulders, Your Majesty,” you passed a playful smile.

Back in your room, Yeosang unboxed the pastries and unhooked the lower layer of the box, revealing a compartment and handing you the ledger in it that the late Minister possessed, which would be definite proof of his illegal transactions that funded his private army. “I received this when I went to town. It will be useful in the meeting, Master says.”

You nodded, going through the contents. “I hope the meeting goes without any surprises.”

That was the second time you jinxed yourself. As you settled in the furthest corner of the table on the right side of the King, wiping your hands on your deep red gown, you took a deep breath when the men and women of the court started filling the room, settling on either side of the table. You looked carefully at each person that entered, finding quite some new faces.

When everyone settled down, the King started chatting with the man on his left while the woman on your right caught your attention when she greeted you. You recognised her as one of the supervisors in the Defence Office, and you asked her how her kids were. She seemed to be pleased that you remembered her.

While she told you about how her kids were the age where they start rebelling, your eyes accidentally met the young man next to her, the both of you looking away instantly. You frowned and looked back at him- he had familiar eyes.

When the woman finished talking, you met eyes with that man and addressed him. “I don’t think I recognise you.”

“You wouldn’t, Your Highness,” he smiled and passed a little bow. “I arrived a month ago from Utopia. I work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

Ah, you thought. The enemy. He had to be one of the Utopians wanting to take over the Ministry.

“I hope you’re feeling at home here,” you gave him your rehearsed smile, noticing the mole under his eye-

It couldn’t be him, could he? The ‘comrade’? He did look familiar- perhaps because you may have seen him on the street before or something-

“I belong from Wonderland, actually,” the man said, to your surprise. “I moved to Utopia when I was little. This is the first time I came back.”

“Interesting,” you nodded. “Your family migrated?”

“Actually, they passed away here before I moved,” he said and you apologised but he told you that it was okay.

Before you could ask his name, a maid interrupted when she served drinks to the three of you. Your father called you, introducing you to the people sitting near him. You got busy with them, and when the King was done with his refreshments, he tapped on the table to get everyone’s attention.

“Some unfortunate circumstances in the past few weeks led to this meeting. It has come to my knowledge that the Utopians who serve here feel restless due to the two assassinations of their brothers- the Minister of Defence, and an officer from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” You resisted the urge to gulp, nodding along with him. He continued, “Quite unfortunate. The Minister of Defence, I knew personally. He was a loyal servant of this nation.”

Everyone on the table agreed, and he spoke again. “It is time to elect a new Minister of Defence. I have a few options in mind, people I’d like to recommend for the position. I have already sent my team to personally investigate the assassinations of the two.”

“If I may, Your Majesty,” a man from the other corner of the room spoke, and you frowned at the sly look on his face. “The morale of the Utopians residing here would rise if you appoint a Utopian for this position. It would truly be an acknowledgement of honour.”

“I agree,” another man and then another woman nodded. The woman spoke, “Utopians must feel safe and acknowledged in Wonderland. Our relationship has only begun to bloom. It would be a pity if it doesn’t fully blossom.”

The King heard everyone out patiently. A few people even insisted that the Minister of Defence be someone from Wonderland because a Utopian at that position would seem risky. Finally, the King looked at you. You cleared your throat.

“Wonderland and Utopia have quite a rocky relationship, if we get real,” you said and a few people shifted in their seats. “When it serves both our interests, there is no other nation that can weaken our bond. Yet… we find ourselves at the opposite ends when we are not in agreement.”

“That is true,” an old man nodded and you acknowledged him before moving on.

“It is quite a tragedy that the two met, and whoever the culprit is will meet their punishment according to the law. However, I think that Wonderland’s defence should be overlooked by someone from Wonderland itself. As you all know, the late Minister was a Utopian by blood. It seems that Utopians are threatened in that position.”

You suppressed your smirk as the table burst into a fit of argument. The King cleared his throat to calm down everyone, but no one was having it. You met eyes with the young man again who was either smiling or smirking- it was confusing.

“Silence,” the King commanded.

“Your Majesty, how will you honour the death of the Utopians if you do not pick a Utopian for the position?” the sly old man spoke.

“Honour…” the King trailed, meeting eyes with everyone on the table. “You speak of honour. Aren’t you the Chief Army Officer?”

The man frowned in confusion as he nodded. The King threw the ledger across the table that had been previously sitting on his lap. The man visibly paled.

“You, a Utopian, speak of honour when you were funding the Minister of Defence, also a Utopian, to create a private army. For what purpose? I think we all know what purpose that could be.”

Gasps sounded across the room. This time, you did not hide the satisfaction on your face.

“Tell me, Chief Army Officer. I ought to expel every Utopian here, isn’t that so?”

“Your Majesty,” someone from across the table stood up and bowed. “Please reconsider. I am a Utopian, and I had no knowledge of this traitorous movement. I am loyal to Wonderland as if it was my own homeland, and I would have reported this if it came into my knowledge.”

“So would I,” a woman spoke. “Not every Utopian is as selfish as the Chief Army Officer, it seems.”

A number of people asked the King to reconsider and he nodded. “I shall bring him to justice, and everyone who took part in this scheme, and everyone who was aware of this but did not report it to me. Is that clear?”

A chorus of ‘yes, Your Majesty’ sounded. “I think it’s a fair decision. As for the Minister of Defence, I would recommend Colonel Park. He would do an excellent job, since he once managed my own private army as well. Does anybody have a problem with it?”

No one did.

“Then the meeting is over. Guards! Take the Chief Army Officer to the interrogation room.”

While ruckus broke there, you got up, asking the rest of the people to move to the Great Hall, where dinner would be served. Your father patted your back and you passed him a smile before you two went your separate ways. Yeosang accompanied you to the Great Hall, asking you to suppress your grin.

After dinner, drinks were served and the King went to his chamber with some of his friends. You stood in a corner, no one daring to approach you anymore after your statement except a few old faces who complimented your stance. You brought the glass of wine to your mouth, frowning because it was empty now-

“Here,” a familiar voice sounded and you turned- the man with the mole under his eye. You thanked him as you took the wine glass, clicking it with him before you drank. “You looked lonely.”

“I wouldn’t say ‘lonely’,” you frowned but smiled when you saw him grinning. So he was a tease. “I guess everyone got intimidated earlier.”

“It would seem so,” he nodded.

“I didn’t get your name earlier, Mr…?”

“Jung. Jung Wooyoung.”

You nodded. “You looked familiar for some reason. But it’s the first time that we met, isn’t it?”

“Perhaps,” he said and you narrowed your eyes.

“Something tells me that you know more than you’re letting on.”

“Well, I might be wrong about this, but…” he scanned you slowly, making your heart sink. “Wasn’t it you on the very street where the scuffle broke out? Right where the officer from Foreign Affairs was assassinated?”

Shit, you thought. This was the end of you-

Wait. “You were the one who paused and looked at me and then did this with the tip of your hat?” You mimicked his little bow and he laughed, making you sigh in relief.

“I did not know you were the Princess. I apologise if my action might have seemed rude.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I wasn’t a Princess at that time,” you pretended to look here and there before you leaned in and said in a low voice. “You see… ever since the attempted assassination of my father some 4 years ago, I was pretty much banned from going out in public. But sometimes, I sneak out with my Right Hand, Yeosang. I wear normal clothes and blend in.”

“That sounds adventurous,” he scoffed. “What a coincidence, huh?”

You weren’t sure if he was referring to the coincidence that you two met again, or the fact that you were so near to where the assassination took place. “Yeosang was frantic when he heard the gunshot. He thought someone was targeting us. He has forbidden me from going out without guards anymore, which sadly means I cannot shop for ornaments or cosmetics without attracting attention.”

“Sounds sad,” Wooyoung passed you a pitiful smile. “It must be hard to stay within the confines of the castle at all times.”

“It gets suffocating, I have to admit,” you nodded. “But… What were you doing there? You could have been in danger too.”

Wooyoung took your empty glass and set it on the table nearby. “I was just walking around. Wonderland has changed but still feels the same.”

You looked at Wooyoung and noticed his mismatched eyes. He resembled your ‘comrade’ an awful lot. But you were in no position to confirm. You weren’t sure if he found you familiar like that too. “I hope you enjoy your stay here.”

Wooyoung nodded, and Yeosang interrupted, asking you to see off some of your father’s guests. You took your leave, spending about an hour seeing different people off. Finally, you said goodbye to Wooyoung too. After the long night, when you came back to your chamber, you sighed, your eyes steel.

“We need to conduct a background check on Jung Wooyoung from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as soon as possible. And he must not know. If he finds out, he’ll know of my other identity.”

Yeosang nearly dropped his teacup. “How, exactly, did it come to this?”

“If he is who I think he is,” you looked at him, “He is the one who assassinated the Minister of Defence. He beat me to it. I almost killed him but we shook hands on it and let it go. Then I encountered him again the night I assassinated the officer.”

“Oh god,” Yeosang took a seat. You waved your hand.

“I’m sure he’s not, but just to be on the safe side.”

That was the first lie you told Yeosang in the course of many lies that were soon to follow.

—---------------

There wasn’t much you found on Wooyoung, to your disappointment. He was from a middle class family. His parents were killed in a robbery attempt. He luckily and unfortunately, survived. He moved to Utopia shortly after with his father’s friends. He must have enrolled in the army there and studied to become who he was today.

But one thing that bothered you was why he was back in Wonderland. He must hate his homeland for what it did to his parents. He must resent the police, the royals, the officials, for not maintaining safety in this land and for stealing his parents from him. Just what exactly did he want to accomplish coming here, especially at fragile times like these? Utopia was growing more powerful having gathered Wonderland’s enemies as their own allies. It was common knowledge that Utopia was planning to at least shake Wonderland up if not take over completely. Was this Wooyoung’s sense of justice for his parents?

Or the other possible scenario: what if he was in some sort of society of assassins that fought to maintain justice and right, like you were? He clearly wasn’t in your own society. What other society would work to keep Wonderland safe? Did Utopia have their own society? But then if he was who you thought he was, why would he kill someone who worked for Utopia?

Was he the same person you had met twice now? Or was he just Mr. Jung Wooyoung of Utopia’s Foreign Affairs?

“You’re going to turn bald if you scratch more of your hair out. Can you imagine the crown on your bald head? Just what are you thinking?”

You glared at Yeosang but stopped clenching at your hair. “It’s just all murky. Nothing makes sense. He can’t be that clean. You have to admit that his face screams ‘mischief’.”

“Mischief and mystery,” Yeosang mused. “Do you think I should befriend him? I have a feeling we will get along.”

“Yeah. Get along,” you practically spat. “I’ll soon see you conspiring against me, won’t I?”

“Now, now,” Yeosang laughed, “Once you stop conspiring against your own self, I'll consider that. You’re practically your own enemy, Princess.”

“Whatever,” you sighed. “When do you think I can see this Mr. Jung again?”

“Unless your society issues an order to assassinate him, pretty soon. The King requested a committee to help him smoothen the strained relations between Utopia and Wonderland. He’s appointing people who are mostly of ‘mixed’ blood, if you can call it that. People like Mr. Jung who belong to one but serve another country.”

“Wow,” you nodded sarcastically, “how is that going to be helpful? That’ll only create more confusion than necessary.”

“That’s exactly what he aims to do, your father,” Yeosang grinned. “Make Utopians question why they’re even doing this in the first place.”

“Let’s see if it even works,” you muttered. “So Jung Wooyoung is going to be in the castle more often now?”

“Oh, he’s going to be staying here,” Yeosang smirked and you groaned. “Your father was kind enough to offer them rooms to save the hassle.”

“I think some hassle would have made for good exercise.”

A few days later after having lay low but growing restless and irritated, you spotted Wooyoung in the castle- he was walking in the main garden with who you assumed was one of the other committee members, observing his surroundings- or perhaps, simply appreciating the beauty of the garden- while he walked. You shrugged, walking away to your office, where Kim Hongjoong, the King's Right Hand, was waiting.

“Fancy seeing you in a good mood,” you commented and he rolled his eyes. He was one of the very few people who didn’t take you seriously- like your own Right Hand, perhaps because he had seen you grow up. He was also aware you were involved in some ‘secret business’, though he didn’t know the details because he himself had advised the King that it would be better if he knew as little as possible.

“Fancy seeing you not on the verge of losing your shit with the Utopians now prowling in this castle,” Hongjoong retorted. “I know how much you like them.”

You passed him a sweet smile, settling on the sofa. “What’s the news?”

“The King is planning a little something to make the Utopians feel welcomed in the castle,” Hongjoong began, spreading a few pages of rough sketches of his plan- you were now one of the very, very few people who could actually decipher what gibberish (albeit, smart gibberish) he wrote.

“And he thought a party- a ball might be a good idea?” You practically groaned- you hated these. “Aren’t they feeling welcomed enough with the dinner they had two days ago with the King themselves? And the tea they had with him yesterday?”

“All very formal while they discussed just how exactly they were going to work,” Hongjoong said, “Let’s face it- an event like this with other officials will surely make a good presentation and relax the Utopians as well.”

“Whatever,” you slumped back. “And I’m supposed to be present?”

“And supposed to interact properly, feel them out. You know how much your father relies on your judgement.”

You pursed your lips, you could see the point of all of this. The castle hadn’t held something like this in a while, so it was a good opportunity- killing several birds with one stone. It was just that you hated these events due to a multitude of reasons.

As you finished your meeting with Hongjoong and reviewing the documents for the day, making your way to your father’s chamber for dinner, you almost bumped into-

“Mr. Jung,” you put a hand on your chest. “You almost scared me.”

“I apologise,” he bowed and you told him it was okay. “You seemed to be distracted. Something bothering you, Your Highness?”

“Ah, just the usual,” you shook it off. “Just tired from sitting in the office all day, I was just going to have dinner with my father now. Would you care to join?”

“Ah, I wouldn’t intrude,” he smiled in gratitude but declined the offer. “Have a good night’s sleep, Your Highness- shall I send you some of my favourite herbs for tea before bed? They help me sleep better.”

“Ah, my staff already has a lot of those,” you smiled but he shook his head.

“Not this one, I’m sure,” he looked- proud? “You’ll know once you drink. I’ll send a batch.”

“Thank you for your kind offer,” you nodded, amused.

“You can get it checked for poison too,” he said, and if he had been someone else, you would have thrown the batch (and the person who sent it) before it could see the light, but the glint of amusement- such good-natured mischief? You hadn’t met someone like that in a good while.

“Ah, should I?” You countered- you enjoyed when someone could play along with you without cowering in fear or sucking it up for favours. “Maybe we can have that said tea together then- play it safe.”

The rich sound of his laughter made you grin as well. You shook your head, “I should get going. Thank you in advance- let’s see if it works. Penalty points if it doesn’t.”

“Let’s see… if you sleep well tonight… you owe me one, Princess.”

You raised your brow at the way he said it- it didn’t offend you, though, which was more surprising. “Very well. I’ll let you know when I see you next- if I manage to wake up tomorrow. Have a good night, Mr. Jung.”

He laughed again, bowing before walking off and you watched him for a moment before walking to your father’s chamber which was two turns away, suddenly wondering just what he was doing here. You got your answer when your father told you he had just met a very interesting person.

“You mean Mr. Jung? What’s so interesting?”

“He’s a quite skilled person, very sharp,” your father commented and you were impressed because he wasn’t wearing a frown while he said that, which meant he liked him too. “He might do us good. He came here to give me a few gifts from Utopia- from the King himself. He seems to be their candidate for Foreign Minister.”

“Ah,” you nodded. “Quite young for the position, don’t you think?”

“He must have something special if they’re even considering it,” the King urged you to begin eating after he filled his plate. “We should be careful with him- he could be a double-edged sword.”

You nodded- he could very well be.

—--------------------

I am very much alive still, thank you very much-

You sighed, rolling what might have been your tenth attempt to let Mr. Jung know that you woke up and slept well last night, courtesy of the tea he had sent you. You didn’t want to sound too interested in him, but you also wanted to have a teasing tone-

“Just say it to his face the next time you see him,” Yeosang shook his head in disappointment at the mess you, the Princess, had created, several balls of crumpled paper on the floor of your living room- one dangerously close to the fireplace which he kicked away. “Why are you even bothering?”

“I should thank him- and… he’s a bit funny,” you laughed despite yourself and Yeosang raised a brow. “I appreciate that he’s not sucking up to me like everyone else, that’s it.”

“Whatever,” Yeosang snatched the pen and paper from you. “It’s time to discuss the details of the ball with the King.”

A few minutes later, you were in the office with the King, Hongjoong, Yeosang, and a few other advisors and the people who were going to see to the arrangements. Since the event was to welcome the Utopians and make them feel at home in the castle, the designers were trying to go with black and red theme for the decoration, representative of Utopia’s colours, which would also go well with the representative white and navy blue of the Kingdom of Wonderland.

“It’s going to look like a circus,” you muttered under your breath and Yeosang kicked your leg with his from under the table, making you straighten and clear your throat- no one else had heard you, and you were glad they hadn’t- the designer looked very excited and you didn’t want to rain on her parade.

“If I might make a suggestion,” you interrupted, “Can we keep the navy blue to the uniforms? Red, white and black would look better, in my humble opinion, though as a designer I would have you make the final call.”

The woman must be in her mid-thirties, yet, she shook her head furiously. “That sounds better, definitely. Let’s do that. We can have a monochrome decoration with red roses- and a masquerade ball would be fun too, what do you think, Your Majesty and Your Highness?”“

“That sounds wonderful,” you said and looked at the King who simply nodded- he was more interested in the guest list anyway so you let the designer discuss the details with you before she took her leave.

“Are we still inviting those traitors?” You asked your father after the outsiders were gone, leaving only Hongjoong and Yeosang.

“If you’re referring to the Utopians serving in the Defence and Foreign Affairs department, then yes, they are invited because they should see that their brothers and sisters are getting spoiled here despite their obvious traitorous intentions to this nation.”

“You spoil them too much, father,” you fiddled with the sleeve of your emerald gown. “There’s no guarantee the Utopians present right now aren’t scheming something right now.”

“I know that very well,” the King scratched at his stubble, looking 10 years older than his age- he was still a handful of years away from hitting fifty yet the stress that came with his position made him look much older- you were positive you’d turn into an old hag sooner, beating everyone that inherited the crown so far. “Let’s just play along for now, dear. We’ll be scheming pretty soon too, you and I.”

You frowned- your father must be really tired. He rarely ever called you ‘dear’ and when he did, it basically meant that you should stop arguing and let your old man rest. You shrugged, nodding and asking him to go back to his chambers and take a nap before he busied himself anymore. The King laughed heartily at that, the corners of his eyes wrinkling.

“You sound too much like your mother at times like these.”

Another indication he was tired- he didn’t like talking about his wife unless he was tired or drunk. You smiled, watching him leave the room with heavy steps.

Your mother- you didn’t remember much of her but you were eternally grateful that you still remembered her warm hugs, her comforting touches and her humour- the one thing you had gotten from her- before she passed away. You were 10 at that time, and you had often caught your father with her pictures in his hand, eyes glazed- more times than you’d like. You had also let your father be- he had been very much in love with the Queen, you had heard and witnessed- and after she passed away, something broke in him and aged him faster-

“Hey?” Yeosang clicked his fingers in front of you. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just thinking about mother,” you admitted- Yeosang was someone you were glad to have, one of the reasons being that he remembered the Queen as much as you- and adored her quite possibly as much as you did. Even your mother had been very fond of him, often treating you as equals despite everyone else’s displeasure.

“Right,” Yeosang smiled. “Though I have to disagree with the King. You sound nothing like the sweet woman that was your mother-”

“And that’s my cue to leave,” you laughed, getting up and straightening your dress, fixing your posture before opening the door.

“I mean,” Yeosang followed behind but you were practically ignoring him as you walked. “With all due respect, the King should really learn to detect the sarcasm in your tone- you sounded evil when you said that he should take a nap. Some would think you are already planning to overthrow the King-”

“Yeosang-”

“But I know better-”

“Yeosang!” You whisper-yelled, smacking his arm as you stopped him before turning. “Shut up for a second.”

You peeked at what looked like one of the Utopians that was in the committee hand something that looked like a letter- or a booklet, you couldn’t tell from the distance- to a guard who looked rather friendly with the man.

“In broad daylight!” You whispered.

“The audacity!” Yeosang replied and you looked at him- you couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic. “Shall I casually bump into the guard and check the content of whatever it is he’s holding?”

“Leave it,” you waved a hand in dismissal. “They look too mushy with each other. Check the guard’s background instead. Might just be a letter to family but let’s not ambush them so early in their stay.”

“Let’s ambush them now,” Yeosang said and before you could stop him, he walked proudly ahead, dragging you along and you would protest but you straightened when the men turned their attention to you and bowed deeply. They made no effort to hide the letter so you figured it wasn’t something to worry about.

“Afternoon, gentlemen,” Yeosang greeted. “What brings you here, Mr. Hirai?”

“Good afternoon,” Mr. Hirai looked at you and then back at Yeosang. “Just having an old friend of mine send a letter to family. I’m too tired these days to walk to the post myself.”

You chuckled along with him- you were right. “Are the beds here not comfortable enough? I should ask the staff for more comfortable bedding-”

“Not at all, Your Highness,” he shook his head and hands. “The rooms are excellent- the whole chamber is warm and lively. I just have trouble sleeping at a new place, and all the travelling… an old man like me gets tired too quickly.”

“If you need anything, let us know,” Yeosang offered politely.

“I have trouble sleeping too,” you began, almost fidgeting from the mischief roiling inside you. “I believe one of your committee fellows might have something for that. In fact, Mr. Jung was kind enough to lend me some tea that helps with sleeping better.”

“Is that so?”

“Slept like a baby, I did,” you confirmed. “Do tell him the Princess sends her regards.”

Mr. Hirai gleamed at that, taking his leave after a bow and Yeosang shook his head in amusement. “You look like you waited for an opportunity like this all your life.”

“You know how it is,” you grinned.

—-----------------

It was a couple of days later that you encountered Mr. Jung in a meeting where the trade relations were discussed. The meeting was very formal and you were focusing more on observing and feeling out the handful of committee members to see whether they really were biased towards their homeland, Utopia, or were also interested in the well-being of Wonderland as their new home, but you couldn’t help notice how… casual Mr. Jung was.

There was just something about him that was so easy-going and he had the ability to engage the whole room with whatever he babbled, even making a few jokes. It both irked you and impressed you- you wished you possessed that quality too- you only had the power factor or your biting remarks holding you up.

And… maybe you were tripping, but he kept sending borderline flirty looks in your direction- or maybe, that’s just how he looked. Like a shameless flirt. Yep, it was probably that- it didn’t help that he was incredibly handsome with his sharp features and those damned facial muscles and jawline-

“With this, the meeting concludes,” Hongjoong announced and you got up before the Utopians rose and bowed in your direction, urged by the staff to move to the hall for tea.

“You should have some tea with that lot too,” Hongjoong said. “Try to have a one-to-one with some of them- if they’re brave enough to approach you.”

You narrowed your eyes at how he snickered as he said that. “So very professional, Hongjoong. I shall, only if you join me as well.”

“Oh, I’ll be there. Look, Yeosang’s already interacting,” Hongjoong pointed and indeed, he was- with none other than Mr. Jung. “They look chummy.”

“This is probably the actual first conversation they’re having,” you commented. “Isn’t Mr. Jung… way too friendly and casual?”

“Does it bother you?”

“Not really. It’s nice to have someone like that- I just wish we had some charming people in our court too-”

“Hey, that’s a backhanded insult, isn’t it?” Hongjoong scoffed. “Why would anyone bother charming anyone in our meetings?”

“Fair enough,” you sighed, taking the cup of tea that one of the committee members offered you. You learned that he was ex-Finance Minister of Utopia, now advisor. He discussed some management ideas he had and you listened carefully- he seemed genuinely interested in improving the budget handling of Wonderland and you were glad you might have an actual ally.

As you were munching on a chocolate tart, Mr. Hirai joined, all laughs and smiles as he told you how he had been sleeping better after Mr. Jung lent him the herbs for the tea. You laughed back, telling him you were glad he was feeling better.

As the two left you, you looked around, noticing some of the people present stealing glances at you while some were interacting among themselves. You suddenly felt nervous, being in the middle of the room alone-

"Seems like I'm the official nanny for the committee now."

You turned to the familiar voice, grinning when you saw Mr. Jung, looking quite smart in a black button down and matching pants. "I guess you have me to thank for."

"Definitely," he grinned. "Let me know when you're about to run out. I'll have them bring a whole year's worth this time, since you like sharing it anyway."

You laughed. "I thought it was a common recipe among Utopians?"

"Not really," he smiled. "Someone in Wonderland, actually, taught me the right mix, though the ingredients you have to get from Utopia."

"Ah," you scanned his face. "How long have you lived here before moving?"

"About 8 years," he said, offering you another tart when you finished eating the one you had casually been eating. "You seem to like these."

You silently prayed he didn't notice that this was your sixth one already, but the way he was smirking… you narrowed your eyes. "Something funny?"

"Nothing, just… didn't peg you as a sucker for sweets."

"And what's wrong with that?" You took the tart. "A working brain needs energy to run. And I've noticed you don't eat much, Mr. Jung."

He laughed at the retort. "Wooyoung. You can call me Wooyoung. And I do eat quite a lot. I also had my sixth tart before mustering up the courage to come greet you."

"Courage?” You scoffed. “I don’t think you’re in need of that.”

Wooyoung smiled, leaving you confused once again- whatever he said was layered way too much with meanings you didn’t wish-or dare- to understand. “Well, I do. And since all the sugar has me high right now, dare I ask for a walk in the gardens tonight? Just to chit-chat while we curse at whoever’s troubling us these days.”

You scanned him- an invitation to walk, from someone like him? What ulterior motive did he have? Or maybe… maybe he just wanted a casual walk after all- maybe you were suspecting him without reason. But…

This walk could be advantageous to you too.

“Or not?” Wooyoung raised his brows and you realised you had been staring at him without answering. You shook your head slowly, coming out of your trance.

“Sorry, I zoned out,” you breathed. “I’d like to walk with you. After dinner, if that is alright with you.”

“I didn’t peg you as the ‘zoning out’ type, Princess.”

There it was. The teasing tone that always left you amused. “I didn’t peg you as the ‘walking in the garden with the Princess’ type either, but here we are.”

Wooyoung threw his head back as he laughed, nodding in acknowledgement. “I see how it is. Well, I’ll leave you to socialise now- you have eyes.” He pointed behind you at the duo who were waiting for your conversation with Wooyoung to be over.

“See you tonight?” You asked and Wooyoung winked at you.

“Tonight,” he confirmed.

—----------------

After dinner in your chamber after which you wanted nothing but to slide in your fluffy bed and sleep, you made yourself get up and sit in front of the mirror instead, letting your hair loose and combing it, tying the upper half of it. You rubbed your scalp- your head was hurting right now.

You considered calling off or postponing the walk with Wooyoung, but… he was an interesting person. You wanted to get to know him- you had a feeling you two would make great friends if you put aside the fact that he was a Utopian, possibly scheming to take over the nation that you were to rule in the future. You caught yourself smiling in the mirror, shaking your head. Maybe he was different- maybe he was not, however, you were sure he would never cross the line with you.

And neither would you. It was simply too big a risk to be good friends even. Friends could betray at the first chance- and with your title, you didn’t have the luxury of ‘friends’ in the first place. Everyone was after one thing or another when they tried getting to know you, and you were going to find out tonight just what Mr. Jung Wooyoung was after. And then you’d see how to move forward from there.

You changed from your formal dress into a loose ivory gown, wore your usual smile before opening the door and letting the guard accompany you to the garden where Wooyoung was already waiting. You smiled at him and he bowed in greeting. You let the guard know he could leave and then you turned to Wooyoung.

“Since you were ‘courageous’ enough to invite me for a walk, I’ll be gracious enough to take you to my private garden,” you said and he grinned, following you. “It’s not ‘private’ per se, just not public, if you know what I mean.”

“I’m honoured,” he replied and you scoffed.

“You’re very sarcastic, Wooyoung.”

“I’m not being sarcastic,” he laughed. “I get that a lot. I’m just a tease.”

“A tease?” You raised a brow.

“A natural one at that,” he smiled. “I can’t help it. I’m charming like that, am I not?”

“Very,” you replied and it was his turn to laugh at the sarcasm in your tone.

“I didn’t know you had this side to you, Princess,” Wooyoung said and you motioned to the entrance of the garden- an ornate iron gate closed shut but not locked. You opened it and stepped inside, revealing to him the garden full of sunflowers and daisies. Wooyoung wowed.

“I planted these myself when I was little,” you grinned. “And what side, exactly, are you talking about?”

“It’s a beautiful space,” Wooyoung nodded, looking at you. “You know what I’m talking about.”

You smirked, motioning to the path carved and you two walked casually. “Am I not allowed to be a tease?”

“Oh, you are entitled to be a tease, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” Wooyoung said. “You sound tired though. The meeting must have left you exhausted.”

“Frankly, it did, and we should probably sit,” you laughed and Wooyoung immediately motioned to the bench nearby. You gladly slumped down. “It was a long day.”

“You should have rested,” Wooyoung frowned.

“I thought a walk with you was what I needed,” you sounded unconvincing- but that was on purpose.

“I can handle a little rejection, Princess,” Wooyoung laughed- he was quick.

“Half-lying,” you grinned. “I do like that we can chat comfortably and maybe that’s what I needed tonight. Anyways, tell me about yourself, Mr. Jung. How did you end up here?”

His eyes darkened for a second- or maybe you were truly flipping. He sighed dramatically. “I lost my parents before I moved to Utopia. Wonderland wasn’t the kindest to me after their death. But I had always been ambitious, and somehow I found myself in the Foreign Affairs office- people like me usually do well there.”

“People like you?” You restrained yourself from asking just what exactly happened to him after his parent’s death.

“People like me who’ll never have a true home,” he looked at you. “I’m from Wonderland and Utopia. Neither Utopia nor Wonderland accepts me as their own- not truly.”

“But…” you shifted in your seat, “You are from Wonderland- don’t you feel at home here?”

“The people look at me like I’m a foreigner,” he said and you realised it made sense- you, too, thought of him like that. “I’m a foreigner to Utopians as well. Tragic, isn’t it?”

“What would you call yourself though?” You cocked your head as you stared at him- those mismatched eyes and the mole under his eye, he had to be the person you had been looking for-

“Do I have to be one?” He mirrored your position. “Isn’t me trying to bring peace between the two nations I call home enough for me to be embraced by both?”

“I understand- but the public never will,” you nodded. “A similar dilemma I have to deal with- being a Princess means I’m not a person of my own anymore.”

“Ah,” Wooyoung clapped. “Exactly that feeling. As sad as it is, I’m glad we have something in common.”

“You’re glad?” You laughed, “We might have even more in common, if you care to share.”

“Well… I really like sunflowers, and it seems like you do too,” he looked around. “Something in common?”

You nodded. “We’re both a bit annoying to others, aren’t we?”

Wooyoung chuckled. “And it seems like we share a good sense of humour as well.”

“I feel sorry for the people around me,” you shared a look with him- the way he was stifling his smile really made a show of his facial structure and you couldn’t help but admire it for a moment. If he really was an assassin undercover like you…

Just what was his purpose in coming to Wonderland?

“You’re staring, Princess,” Wooyoung’s voice was uncharacteristically low. “Should I be flattered?”

“I’m just wondering if I should tell you that there’s a spider crawling on your head-”

To say you were surprised with the little but high pitched shriek that came out of Wooyoung’s voice was an understatement- you were positive that if he had shrieked a little longer, the castle would have sounded their alarms. After Wooyoung was done with his little scared dance and ruffling his hair, he saw you gaping in surprise and you finally let out a short laugh which turned into a fit of hysterical laughter that had you clutching your stomach and gasping for breath with tears rolling down your eyes-

“Not fair,” Wooyoung muttered, realising you had been joking. His messy hair and the grumpiness only made it funnier and you wiped your face.

“I just- I can’t believe,” you couldn’t stop laughing and Wooyoung folded his arm, looking away but amused. “You’re a scaredy cat. I can’t believe this, gosh.”

“Stop,” Wooyoung laughed, looking around. “What would someone think if they saw you laughing like this?”

“They’d take me to the hospital wing because it’s been a lifetime since I laughed like this,” you wiped your face, finally done laughing though you were still grinning shamelessly. “I’d thank you for that.”

Wooyoung smiled proudly at that. “An achievement at my expense. I like you, Princess.”

You stopped laughing, but you couldn’t stop your hand from going to his hair and tucking the few strands of stray hair back with his swept back hair- you mentally slapped yourself because this was very uncharacteristic of you, and it looked like Wooyoung also realised this- his lips were parted a little. You cleared your throat. “It’s late- we should get inside. The guards must be wondering what all this ruckus was about.”

“Definitely,” he breathed, getting up and offering you his arm for the walk back. “I’ll admit it- ignoring the little prank earlier, I’m feeling refreshed.”

“Me too,” you smiled. “I knew it was a good idea to meet you tonight.”

“See you at the ball? If you can spot me with a mask.”

You raised a brow- he really was testing the waters with that remark. “Let’s see if you can recognise me.”

Two could play the game- Wooyoung raised his brows in challenge, nodding. “Have a good night’s sleep, Princess.”

You arrived at the entrance- you two would part ways here. You looked at him and curtsied, smiling. He extended his hand and you, confused, offered yours but you chuckled when he kissed your knuckles like a gentleman, though your heart swooped. With another curtsy that was more sarcastic this time and made him laugh, you left for your room.

—--------------------

A night later, you received a message from the Wanderer’s Society that you were to assassinate another target- this time, not a Utopian- and retrieve some confidential documents regarding the private armies.

You left in the middle of the night with Yeosang, avoiding the eyes of all the guards- using the window to jump to the ledge of the room below you, Yeosang following since he was trained with you. Opening the window was no hard task- after entering the room that stayed locked for this purpose that it contained a secret passageway to right outside the castle, you passed undetected- or so you thought.

Unbeknownst to you, Wooyoung had been working on some documents late into the night and had come out for a breather in the gardens, even though it was nearly 3 in the morning. He had made way to your ‘private’ garden that had a good view of your room- though it should have been the other way round. Though he hadn’t been hiding, he was hidden by the large tree and had very well spotted you and your Right Hand, Yeosang, jumping and entering the room below you with the stealth of cats. It immediately confirmed his suspicions about you.

Now he just had to see what he would do with that information. He found himself smiling- you were full of surprises, and he liked it.

—-----------------

“Do you think I can skip since no one is going to recognise me anyway with this monstrosity of a mask?” You wondered out loud, shifting your position to look at yourself in the mirror from various angles- your crimson gown was hugging your figure and blooming at the waist, tendrils of curled hair fell on your bare shoulders that revealed your well-defined collarbones. Your mask, however, was truly the highlight of the whole look- it was shaped with a butterfly wing that covered the left half of your face, all black and red. The red lipstick you wore and the smokey eyes completed the look.

Your maids really did an excellent job- you hadn’t dressed up like this in a while, and you felt excited. You touched your mask with your hands covered in satin black gloves, dotted with pearls. You were smiling at your reflection when you spotted Yeosang shaking his head.

“For someone who wants to skip, you sure look giddy.”

You grinned- “I don’t look very recognisable though, do I? I want to blend in and maybe surprise a few people.”

“I have a feeling there’s only one person in that list,” Yeosang teased. You were glad he couldn’t see your ears flush due to the mask.

“Well, forgive the secluded Princess for trying to make an effort to make friends,” you muttered, scanning Yeosang- he looked striking in his dark navy suit- blue so dark it almost looked black. His white mask was shaped like a cat and you found it truly fitting- it contrasted starkly with his blonde hair as well.

You whistled. “Who are you trying to impress tonight?”

“No one,” he said nonchalantly. “As the Right Hand of the future Queen, I have better things to do.”

“That sounds like a backhanded insult to me,” you frowned.

Yeosang looked up after fixing his cuffs. “It is.”

You pouted and he finally laughed. “I’m kidding. Maybe if I’m lucky and not surrounded by people who want my advice, I’ll actually be able to have fun tonight too. And you have fun too- just don’t do anything stupid, will you?”

“Me? Stupid? Never,” you huffed, linking your arm with his as you readied to go.

“The last time we went to a ball, you got so drunk you almost told Colonel Park Seonghwa of Defence Affairs that he’d make a hot father figure-”

“I was drunk, and I’m pretty sure you made that up,” your cheeks flamed but you knew it was true and you were also aware that Yeosang was never going to let you live that one down. “Also, I still stand by that statement.”

“Maybe I should let your father know that he’s not doing a good job-”

“Shut up,” you laughed. “You know what I mean when I say a hot father figure? I mean that he’s- woah.”

Coincidentally, the very Colonel Park Seonghwa you were talking about was the first person you two spotted right outside the ballroom, having a conversation with some other men you didn’t care to recognise because woah.

“See?” You simply pointed at the man with his dark hair covering half of his white fox mask, looking absolutely gorgeous in his black uniform. “That’s what I meant.”

Yeosang scoffed and led you both to the men where you exchanged greetings politely- the poor man had no idea why you two were grinning like idiots. After being done with them, you finally entered the ballroom, pleased to see how the theme of it looked perfect. And the people- everyone was dressed extravagantly tonight and you’d blend right in.

“Let’s part ways now and enjoy ourselves,” you told Yeosang and he nodded.

“If I see you do something stupid, I’ll let Colonel Park know of your unholy intentions towards him-”

“That was only an observation, I wasn’t implying-”

“Good evening, Your Highness, Mr. Kang.”

You almost gave yourself a whiplash when you turned at the very recognisable voice of none other than Wooyoung, whose smirk told you he had heard some part of your conversation with Yeosang. Yeosang presumed to shake hands with him and you curtsied.

“You look incredible, your Highness.”

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” you let your eyes slowly scan his figure- from the dark hair swept back with a few strands falling on his black fox mask that also complimented his facial structure, to the black three-piece he wore, one too many buttons undone. He looked…

Way better than Colonel Park, and you thought nobody could beat that.

“I’ll leave you two- Hongjoong’s seen me,” Yeosang said and sent a warning glare in your direction that only you caught, leaving you with Wooyoung who offered his arm.

“How do you like the evening so far, Mr. Jung?”

“It’s absolutely amazing- and Wooyoung, please,” he was still grinning widely.

“What’s so funny?”

“I happened to hear some part of your conversation, and I’m suddenly very interested in just what unholy intentions you possess for a certain Colonel Park-”

“Shush,” you laughed, “I possess no such intentions, thank you very much.”

“Mr. Kang clearly thought otherwise.”

“Mr. Kang is a know-it-all,” you said but sounded unconvincing and Wooyoung waited for you to explain. “Gosh, okay, I just find him hot sometimes. Is that so wrong?” Wooyoung burst out laughing and you rambled on. “It’s not like I’m in love with him or anything- I respect him- gosh, will you stop laughing?”

“I’m sorry, this is just… hilarious,” he wiped his eyes as best as he could with the mask. “Do you wish to make a move tonight, your Highness?”

“You know what, I’m going to ditch you and-”

“I’m joking,” he laughed, pulling you closer and making you almost bump into his chest, your breath hitching and he caught that- he smirked. “Well… so you don’t like him?”

“Nope,” you said with a pop of your lips. “Not my type.”

“Do you have a type?” Wooyoung sounded very interesting.

“I do know what’s not my type, and you and Colonel Park fall easily into that list-”

He laughed again, shaking his head. “Ah. But you’re my type.”

“Really?” You scoffed. “I bet I am. I am everyone’s type, mind you.”

Wooyoung, amused, nodded and you wondered if he was actually joking. “Well, what do you aim to do tonight, Princess?”

“Tonight?” You took a glass of wine from the waiter and Wooyoung did the same. You both clicked your glasses. “I just wish to blend in and have fun.”

“Would you like me to stay with you throughout the night?”

“Hmm…” you pretended to think. “What do you have to offer?”

“A dance, or two,” he smiled. “My company- is that enough?”

“Maybe,” you drank from your glass, licking your lips.

“Maybe you don’t find me hot enough, huh?” Wooyoung teased. “Maybe I should ask Colonel Park to accompany you-”

“No!” You almost yelled and he smirked- he got you. You weren’t sure what part of his two statements you said no to- maybe both. “If you make one more joke about Colonel Park, I swear to god I will-”

“Okay, okay,” Wooyoung interrupted, laughing. “So? Would the Princess like to have a dance with a common not-as-hot-as-Mr.-Park man like me?”

You glared at him but accepted his offer, scoffing. He put one hand on the lower part of your waist while the other held your hand. You blended in the crowd, dancing with many others, but you only looked at Wooyoung- his deep eyes pulled you right in, taking all of your attraction.

Wooyoung said something but you didn’t hear him over the loud live music playing in the background. He leaned forward, “Do you find me hotter?”

“Would you sleep better at night if I do?” You said right in his ear and he grinned shamelessly. As he drew back, your gaze fell on his chest peeking out from his coat. Wooyoung caught you checking him out but didn’t say anything, instead only tightened his grip on your waist a little as if reminding you of his presence.

“Maybe I will,” Wooyoung finally said after a moment. “I haven’t been sleeping well lately. In fact, last night, I was relaxing in your garden- was it around 3? When I saw something very interesting.”

Your heart may have sank to your feet but you didn’t stop dancing. “Really? Care to share?”

Wooyoung was smirking. “The garden has a nice view of who jumps in and out of your window, Princess.”

You pursed your lips- to deny it outright would be a foolish move. “So? Did you see a cat or what?”

“Two cats,” he went on and your suspicions were confirmed, “In fact, one looked exactly like you.”

“Really?” You scoffed but paused when his hand travelled up your body and behind your head as if to lean in but instead, he undid your mask and caught it, placing it on your face like a regular mask- revealing your eyes only.

“Quite like this, I believe.”

You raised a brow but went on to do the same, undoing his mask and placing it over the lower half. “I think I may have seen someone like you too, the other day. In the night, on the street. Mismatched eyes and a mole- such a unique combination, isn’t it?”

Wooyoung perhaps, hadn’t expected you to recognise him or admit that you did so soon. You scoffed. “You should do a better job at hiding your very recognizable but hot features, Mr. Jung.”

He chuckled, turning you around so he could tie your mask. When he was done, he put his hands on your bare shoulders and leant in, his breath caressing your neck and his touch sending a shiver down your spine. He whispered in your ear, “I think we should keep wearing our masks.”

An offer- for you to keep wearing yours and for him to keep wearing his. As an answer, you turned and tied his mask too.

“I think we should only take off our masks when we’re alone, the two of us.”

An invitation. Perhaps getting to know Wooyoung would be beneficial- if not, you could simply kill him, though it would be such a shame-

“I agree,” he smiled. “Shall we have dinner now?”

—------------------

It wasn’t easy to talk about who you really were with the man who could very well turn your life upside down- you were the future queen of this nation. If the people learned that their future queen went around prowling at nights, assassinating people (even though for the sake of this very nation) and was a part of a ‘rebel’ group, you’d surely face unimaginable consequences.

It wasn’t easy to try to talk to Wooyoung about this, yet… when the two of you went to the balcony, standing by the railing and watching the full moon shine in its entirety, when Wooyoung turned and looked at you with the softest eyes, you couldn’t help but sigh. There was perhaps more to all of this than you thought, which was why you asked Wooyoung to go first.

“When I was eight,” he began, looking into the distance, “my parents were murdered out in the open due to a debt situation. I went around for months demanding justice for their lives- I practically lived outside the police station but because the people who had killed them had connections, they carried on living- to them, I was merely a bug. I had nothing left and I lost faith in my homeland- which was how I decided to go to Utopia. I couldn’t live here anymore- not like this.”

You bit your lips- what he went through was horrible. The fact that justice wasn’t served… no wonder he moved to another nation- the very nation that now attempted to take over Wonderland. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I wish things could have gone differently for you.”

Wooyoung passed a tight-lipped smile. “I came here for one purpose, Princess, and that is revenge. Not against Wonderland- there are still good people here. But revenge against the one who changed my life. He still lives, and I plan to kill him myself.”

“I could do that for you-”

“No, it’s something I must do,” he said with a tone of finality and you nodded, understanding.

“So why did you kill the Minister of Defence? Did it have something to do with…?”

“I came here for one purpose, but somehow… I got tangled in something else,” Wooyoung turned towards you. “But first, I must know who exactly you are. The information that I have… it could tip the scale if wielded wrongly. If in the right hands… it could be a means to peace between Utopia and Wonderland.”

You considered it, nodding slowly. “Have you heard of the Wanderer’s Society?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t,” he replied.

You looked around- there was no one in sight, but you kept your voice almost as low as a whisper. “The Wanderer’s Society has been here for decades- it serves only the interests of Wonderland. There’s no biasness, no foul play, only people who genuinely wish for the well-being of their nation. We mostly eliminate corrupt people- people who are beyond help. Traitors. We also carry out some other tasks. The Wanderer’s Society is very anonymous, and you never know who could be a comrade. For all I know… you could be one too.”

“Interesting,” Wooyoung nodded. “Though, I’m not.”

“You never know,” you smiled and he grinned. “I was very surprised when you killed the Minister instead of me. There’s only one person doing one task and I thought we messed up.”

“The thing is,” Wooyoung sighed, leaning forward, not noticing how your body tensed. “The Minister had a letter from the Minister of Defence of Utopia, a correspondence that would prove how Utopia aims to take over Wonderland with the help of foreign allies- they’re considering Eden since there are plenty of Eden natives here and most have a good position secured. People from Eden were also after him. I don’t know where he hid it, but I searched his residence and found nothing. Someone had already searched his office- I thought it was you.”

“Not me, not anyone from Wanderer’s Society as far as I know,” you shook your head.

“Then it’s still out there, waiting to be found,” Wooyoung’s eyes glinted. “What do you say, you and I go for an adventure tomorrow night?”

You considered, puckering your lips as you thought about it- do you really wanted to do this-

Wooyoung found himself gazing at your red puckered lips and he couldn’t help but bring his hand up to your face, hesitant as first as he saw you frown but he traced the side of your face gently, your gaze revealing nothing.

“Are you seducing me into saying yes?” You joked, though his touch made you feel… good.

Wooyoung laughed, putting a hand over yours that was on the railing and leaning dangerously close, inches away from your face, satisfied when he saw you flush. “If I actually seduced you… you wouldn’t be standing right now, Princess.”

You scoffed, though his words sent warmth coursing through you. “Someone’s very confident in themself.”

“Rightly so,” he brushed the tip of his nose with yours as if to give you a trailer of what might happen before he drew back as if nothing had happened, leaving your mouth parted in surprise- no one had ever dared to touch you like this unless you allowed it. No one. Yet…

“So?” Wooyoung raised a brow and you inhaled, clearing your throat.

“I’ll give you your answer over tea tomorrow- come to my chamber in the afternoon. We have things to discuss, Mr. Jung Wooyoung.”

Wooyoung smiled, “I bet you’ll have a lot of questions tomorrow.”

You had.

After you had collected your thoughts, you realised that you needed to make sure whether you two could really work together. Whether he really served Utopia. Was he going to prove a valuable comrade or a backstabbing traitor? It was too big a risk.

And when you told Yeosang about what went on between you two, he had his head in his hands by the end of it.

“I say put poison in his tea, I’ll take care of the body. It’s simply too risky, Princess.”

“You’ll take care of the body?” You laughed, making Yeosang laugh too- he really went overboard with this one. “You cried after you accidentally stepped on a ladybird!”

“I was going to make it my pet! And that’s totally irrelevant by the way,” he swatted his hand furiously. “The point, you fool, is that if he spills this to someone, it could be the end of the Royal family. What leverage do you have over him, or are you stupid enough to make friends with him just because you find him hot?”

“I… never said he was hot,” you narrowed your eyes. “You think he’s hot too, don’t you?”

“I do not,” he stated, though the way he folded his arms made you smirk. “Well?”

You sighed, putting your feet on the table, your trousers riding up a little. “Leverage, huh? I’ll arrange for something- though, I don’t think he’s stupid enough to just tell someone who I am. Let me feel him out more today.”

“Just don’t do something rash,” Yeosang sighed, and you could tell he was genuinely worried for you not as the Princess but as your friend. “Act smart. Stay on your toes.”

“Got it,” you saluted and he finally relaxed a little. As if on cue, a knock sounded announcing Wooyoung’s arrival and with sigh, Yeosang got up, glaring at you once for good measure before he welcomed Wooyoung inside and disappeared. You took in his casual outfit, all black again, and watched him bow- more sarcastically than usual- before he settled down in front of you.

“Good afternoon to you too,” he finally said when you continued to watch him without saying anything.

“Tea?” You simply asked and he nodded, watching you mix it for him. “I’ve been doing some thinking… and wondering what I should do about you- honestly, I never expected to find myself in a situation like this, and you can’t blame me if I am sceptical about you or do not like this.”

“Of course,” he stifled his smirk- he could actually understand that you were in quite a difficult position right now. He also realised you needed something- an act of good faith, something that would make you take one step towards him, which was why he took out an envelope from his jacket and slid it towards you on the table. “I understand. Here’s something that might make you view me in a better light.”

You glanced at him once before leaning forward, unfolding the page from the envelope which was actually a list of people- some names you recognised while others were unfamiliar. “And this is?”

“The list of people that are spies for Utopia,” he revealed and you raised your brows in surprise- the few names you recognised… you hadn’t expected them to be on the list since they were natives.

“How did you get this information?”

“I have sources,” Wooyoung sounded cryptic and you didn’t push. “Let’s just say… Utopia has something like the Wanderer’s Society too, though I’m not a part of it. Just like you and other locals who wish for nothing but peace, people like that exist in Utopia too, who wish to get rid of their selfish leaders and representatives.”

“Why are you giving me this list?”

“I’ll let you know one day,” he smiled and you frowned- there was definitely a story he had to tell. “I’m interested to hear what you’ll do with this information, though.”

“Doing nothing would be the wisest, I’m sure you agree,” you said and he nodded. “Some of them might already be in our blacklist. You take out one spy, three more come, so really it’s no use though it’s definitely beneficial. Wonderland doesn’t wish to go to war with Utopia if things really do get worse, you must know.”

“Utopia thinks otherwise,” he shook his head. “They think they have the upper hand.”

“They’re made to think they have the upper hand so they become relaxed and lose sight of what they have to guard- which is when we catch them. Off-guard.”

Wooyoung sipped on his tea and you watched him, curiosity filling you. “You are an interesting man, Jung Wooyoung. I wonder just who you are.”

“Well,” he relaxed back, a haughty expression on his face. “Would you like to find out?”

“No, thanks,” you sipped on your tea and he chuckled. “You understand, Mr. Jung- Wooyoung,” you corrected when you saw his brow raise, “I risk too much being exposed like this. It doesn’t matter if we clicked- I’m the Princess and the future Queen of Wonderland. You are from Utopia. Despite all that you’ve given me- and I’m truly thankful for this, I have to be careful.

“But,” you smiled faintly when you saw his face fall and then lighten up when he noticed the growing smile on your face. “I am also a part of the Wanderer’s Society, and as someone with two very important roles, as someone whose decisions could change the fate of this nation… lead it to thrive or doom, I think… I’d like to work with you. At least until we find out just what the Minister of Defence had that got him killed by both Utopia and Wonderland.”

Wooyoung’s eyes lit and he nodded, stifling his smile. “You can always kill me if things don’t work out.”

“Oh, definitely,” you scoffed. “Though… you can also kill me.”

“I think I’ll have more fun if you’re alive,” he bit his lips and you passed him a glare.

“Also… I think I should address your rather casual behaviour with me, though I think it’s a part of your personality at this point,” you shook your head and he laughed out loud, proving you right. “We’re… friends, I believe?”

“I believe so,” he almost said mockingly.

“Well, I’d like it if you stopped flirting shamelessly with me then,” you sipped on your tea to hide your incoming blush. “I don’t have the luxury to get myself involved in something like this with someone- with anyone, for that matter.”

“Ah, it’s a shame,” Wooyoung clicked his tongue. “I thought you were having fun.”

“I never said I wasn’t,” you casually said and he blinked at the fire in your eyes- was he tripping? “I just think we have better things to focus on right now. And… nothing is going to come out of flirting.”

“You say one thing,” he leaned forward, “but mean another.”

“Do I?”

“Well,” he nodded slowly, “I can’t help it. You’re surprisingly easy to get along with. And… One step at a time should be okay, no?”

One step at a time- what waited at the end of the road? You decided to dismiss it for now. “What are we doing tonight?”

The smirk on Wooyoung’s face made you instantly regret your decisions.

—----------------------

“You’re making it obvious that I am a woman!” You whisper-screamed.

“A woman should be able to show her charms-”

“I’m undercover, for goodness’ sake!” You slapped his hand away from where Wooyoung was tightening the weapons belt at your waist. He grinned shamelessly, drawing his mask up his face. You spotted the mole under his eyes peeking from the edge of the mask and you stood on your tiptoes, pulling him by his collar to fix his mask, muttering that he should do a better job at hiding it.

However, Wooyoung was flustered- flustered- because you had so casually tugged him down and were fixing his mask. It was like with the change of your persona, your level of comfortableness changed too. Wooyoung cleared his throat, “For someone who wanted me to stop flirting with them… you sure are doing a good job at it yourself.”

You locked eyes with him, stifling your smirk. “Let’s be professional about this.”

“You and I both know we’re being anything but professionals-”

“The path seems clear,” you peeked out of the room that was under your bedroom in the castle- it had a change of clothes for you which you thought you’d never need until tonight. “Let’s move- we’ll reach the end of the tunnel before the guards finish completing their rotations.”

Wooyoung saluted and you motioned for him to move the table lying in a corner. Wooyoung frowned- the entrance must be pretty small to hide beneath a table that didn’t even come up to his hips. He helped you move it and you uncovered the entrance, removing the rug and jumping in. Wooyoung followed, pulling the rug back first as per your instructions before jumping down, realising the passage started under the room.

“We’re blind right now,” Wooyoung commented.

“I don’t want to hear you screaming if you see a bug or anything, so just hold my hand and follow me.”

“Ah, so now you’re finding excuses to touch me after asking me to stop flirting with you- ow! That was unnecessary!”

You grinned- the slap was well deserved. You purposely trailed your fingers down sultrily before finding his hand and locking it with yours. Tugging at him once, you started moving- you had gone down this passage so many times that you did not need light to guide you. You only counted your footsteps and depended on your ears for the sounds around you to guide you.

By the time you could see light, Wooyoung’s heart was rapidly beating- not only because he had been walking in utter darkness but because you hadn’t once loosened your grip on his hand, and your thumb had been caressing his hand throughout the whole thing. He was pretty sure it was not on purpose- nothing you ever did was unintentional.

“Wait right here,” you finally dropped his hand- you could see the outline of him from the faint light coming from the slightly drawn lid at the entrance- you would have to jump or use help to get up- Yeosang was usually accompanying you at times like this. You looked around- there was nothing to help prop you up-

“Shall I help?” Wooyoung asked, realising what was going on.

“Please,” you nodded, and Wooyoung came forward, stretching his arms as if to hug you. You scoffed. “I thought you were going to offer to be my human stool.”

“I’ll be something better,” he said and before you could protest, he had picked you up without much effort and you stifled the yelp of surprise. You immediately wrapped your arms around his neck for support and glared at him once before you stretched upwards, holding on to the slightly ajar exit and peeking out- no one in sight. You pulled yourself up with a little help from him and after making sure there really was no one in sight, you outstretched your hand which Wooyoung grabbed to prop himself up as well.

Without another word, you were guiding him along the walls of the castle until you reached a tree and signalled that this was where you were going to climb and exit the castle. As soon as you two jumped down, you ran for a bit until you reached a street and drew your mask down a bit, hat tipped down to cover most of your face and you two started moving at a slower, more casual pace.

“We need to blend in with crowds,” you reminded him. “How far exactly from here?”

“Not far, I know a shortcut,” he said and you followed him. A few minutes later, you two could spot the second residence of the Minister.

“You really think he hid the document in his family home?”

“In plain sight, probably,” Wooyoung nodded. “His wife is away for two days, so we should be left undisturbed, unless someone else is aware of the document’s existence.”

“Let’s move then.”

The two of you used the front door- like Wooyoung said ‘ain’t nothing like entering a stranger’s place like you own that land’. Wooyoung happened to be better at picking locks and he was done in mere seconds. After shutting the door behind you, you finally breathed, sliding your mask down.

“Let’s split- we can’t risk being here for too long.”

“It’s better to stick together because I still don’t trust you,” Wooyoung said and you stopped in your tracks, turning around and gaping at him.

“You don’t trust me?” You had to laugh. “Since when did we switch roles?”

“Just trust me on this one, stick together,” he patted your shoulder as he went past you, urging you to follow him while you just stood dumbly, unable to wrap your head around the existence that was Wooyoung’s.

“I’m positive I’ll never meet someone as frustrating and annoying as you,” you muttered as you started searching what seemed to be the master bedroom. The house didn’t look like someone actually lived in, since the only things for plain sight were either lamps or decoration items. You ran a finger on one of the tables- judging from the amount of dust, it didn’t look like anyone had lived here in the past few days.

“You’re right,” Wooyoung grinned as he opened the drawers, scanning once without moving anything before closing them and moving to the next set. “You’ll never meet someone like me.”

“I don’t want to meet someone else like you- one of you is enough,” you responded, bending down to look for some sort of a storage box under the bed, finding none. The way Wooyoung’s eyes glinted at that made you wonder if your remarks somehow fed him instead of wearing him down. It certainly looked like it.

“He won’t keep it in his bedroom, would he?” You wondered out loud. Plain sight- where would you hide a document that could change the world?

“Nothing here,” Wooyoung confirmed and the two of you moved out of the room to the kitchen, then to the study, rummaging through the documents carefully this time since there was a good chance plain sight meant this exactly. You checked behind the paintings and frames that hung the walls, Wooyoung went so far as to knock on surfaces and walls for any indication of a hidden storage but to no avail. You were beginning to think this trip was a waste.

“Well, at least we had fun,” Wooyoung said as you moved to the living room, the last place to search.

“Who had fun?” You frowned, “Not me.”

Wooyoung didn’t miss the ghost of a smile on your face- if you were honest with yourself, you hadn’t been out like this in years. The only outing you did was either official where you were acting as the Princess, or secret where you were undercover. This time was different- you were, you realised, relaxed, for once. And you did have a little fun too, with the non stop bickering that always took place when you were with Wooyoung- even though you weren’t one to talk so much, the teasing, the friendliness… you liked it.

“Wipe that smile off your face, will you? I know I'm pleasant company but… Don’t make me do something about it.”

You raised your brows in challenge. “What makes you think I’m smiling because of you?”

Wooyoung stopped rummaging through the contents of the bookshelf and turned towards you. “Why else would you be smiling right now, Princess?”

“Hmm,” you mused, “Maybe I’m thinking of a certain someone. I never said I was available, did I?”

Wooyoung’s lips quirked into a smirk yet again, and you watched him move towards you slowly in an almost feline movement, eyes never leaving yours as if trying to read your next move. You casually turned back to the cupboard that held some antique crockery, pretending to be uninterested until you felt him creep up on you and you turned to stop him but oh-

Oh. He was dangerously close, one hand resting on the glass of the cabinet door and you found yourself trapped but you matched his gaze as you locked eyes with him. You weren’t one to back away from a challenge, and usually it worked for you, but Wooyoung was impossible- he was like you, in that sense. You raised your brows- he was just standing there, gazing at you. “What?”

“What?” He asked back, tilting his head and you watched the dark tendrils of his hair fall on his forehead. “Feeling nervous?”

“Don’t you have better things to do?”

“Like this?” He brought his hand up and traced the outline of your face and your breath caught- he noticed it. He continued tracing his fingers down your face, down your neck and hooking his finger in the bandana that you had been using as a mask so he could cup your neck and when he caressed your jaw-

You involuntarily shut your eyes and bit your lips- you didn’t know what exactly it was about Wooyoung and being in proximity with him that drove you absolutely crazy, but here it was. It wasn’t like you hadn’t ever had fun with someone like this, but-

“Don’t tell me you’ve never been touched, Princess.”

His voice was barely a whisper as if urging you to tell him that secret. You opened your eyes with considerable effort and glared at him, though you wanted nothing more than to let him continue with his ministrations-

“Stop it- we’re here on a damned mission, not to fool around-”

“Ah… so you’ve been touched, but,” Wooyoung’s fingers were like feathers as he drew his hand back only to let it trace along your jaw until he held the tip of your chin and made you meet eyes with him, swiping a thumb over your parted lips. “Not like this, huh?”

It was then you realised your hands had been fisting the ends of his jacket. You sighed, letting your hands loose and held them awkwardly in the space between you before you put your hands on his chest, earning a surprised look from him. “This is the last time I’m asking you to stop fooling around-”

Wooyoung leaned forward a bit, his gaze fixed on your lips and it made your hands move forward to squeeze at his shoulders- whether to stop him or encourage him, you weren’t sure. He looked you in the eyes, wondering if he was doing the right thing- but your eyes, hell, they were wide with curiosity and innocence and a glint of the daringness you kept suppressed in you-

His eyes fell on the cupboard that you were flat against, and to his surprise, he spotted what looked like an edge of a page or an envelope peeking being a big plate resting flat against the wall of the cabinet. He scoffed, shaking his head and snaking an arm around your shoulder, bringing you forward and you almost slammed into him from the lack of balance. You were positive you were either going to pull his or your hair out of your head from the frustration but he pointed at the thing that caught his interest.

“Plain sight.”

You looked at him once before you opened the cabinet door and carefully pulled what was an envelope. You opened it and frowned- it had to be what you were looking for. Wooyoung and you quickly read the contents and you realised you were right, and more importantly, Wooyoung was right.

“The correspondence between two Ministers of Defence- planning to raise an army and take over Wonderland, not Utopia, so we can become one,” you scoffed in anger. “This is sick. Killing Wonderland’s Minister of Defence was never going to be enough, was it?”

Wooyoung nodded. “Though the current Minister Colonel Park is not a traitor unlike the previous one, there is an ample amount of people who plan to carry on instead of him. Let’s go back now- it’s dangerous to be here anymore.”

—------------------

Wooyoung watched you pace in front of the fireplace in your living room, your hands hooked back, still in the men’s clothes you’d donned earlier on your little ‘adventure’ with him. The letter was sprawled on the table in front of where Wooyoung sat. He was amused first but now he was starting to worry for you- you hadn’t said a single word ever since you came back. You hadn’t even dismissed him.

“What’s going on in your head, Princess?” His voice was uncharacteristically soft. “Come on, talk to me.”

You only pursed your lips, shaking your head in disbelief. Wooyoung sighed, “You know you can talk to me. Or should I call Yeosang if you’d like to discuss this with him right now?”

“No, no need to wake him up-”

“Or maybe you should go to sleep now, it’s very late-”

“I just…” you paused, staring at the fire. “I don’t know what to do, Wooyoung. I'm the Princess of this kingdom, yet, at this moment, I find myself helpless, trapped from every corner. My father's health decreases with every passing day. There's no one I can trust, I-" you sighed deeply, looking up. "I just don't know how to fix this, where to begin-"

"Hey," Wooyoung got up and was behind you in seconds. "You're not alone, okay? Come on, look at me."

You stifled the burning behind your eyes as you turned, not meeting his gaze but Wooyoung put one hand on your shoulder and used the other to tip your chin up. His heart broke at how defenceless you looked in that moment.

"You're not alone, and you're a stronger threat to all those around you, you hear me? You now have knowledge, and there's no better weapon than knowing. Your enemy thinks you're unaware but you are aware of every little traitor in this land. And… that is the strongest you'll ever get, okay?"

You nodded and he continued. "You're not alone. You have your father- even if he isn't in good health, I'm sure he's an excellent adviser. You have Yeosang, you have people loyal to the crown and you, and… you have me, okay? I'm with you, every day from now on. And I'll help you fix this- for both my home and your home. For the two nations that were once friends, okay?"

You couldn't help the tear that slipped from your left eye. You swallowed the gratefulness- despite Wooyoung being… well, Wooyoung, he was right. You were not alone.

Wooyoung wiped the tear off your face with a warm smile. "Look at you. I'm privileged to see you like this."

"Oh, shut up," you laughed, attempting to push him away but he cupped your face.

"You're so strong, y/n," your heart melted at the way he said your name- it was the first time he didn’t call you ‘Princess’. "You're so brave for your kingdom. Stay this way. Don't break down in front of others- make me an exception. You're not alone, okay? Trust me."

You nodded and he scanned your face, smiling faintly before he brought you in for a hug, his arms secure around your upper back, one hand holding your head to his chest. You could hear his heartbeat and the cackling of the fire and you thought it was the most beautiful combination of sounds you had ever heard. You didn't hesitate this time as you wrapped your arms around his waist and the two of you sighed into each other.

"Thank you… for everything," that was the only thing you could say- you would never find the words to thank him properly. "And… sorry for doubting you so much. You haven't let me down."

"And I hope I never will," he replied. "Does that mean you like me now?"

"I still think you're impossible," you broke apart, grinning. "But… I think I have no choice but to tolerate you now."

"Excellent," he squeezed your shoulders and you told him he should go to sleep now. He went back to the table to pick his stuff, looking at you one last time before he left.

"Another thing I should make clear before this moment ends," he licked his lips. "I don't fool around, Princess."

It took you a moment to realise what he was talking about but the flush that crept up your neck indicated to him that you made the connection. You rolled your eyes and he laughed.

"Okay, maybe I do fool around a little bit," he shrugged, but his gaze was suddenly hotter. "But… never with you. You keep that in your mind. See you," he tipped his hat and left, leaving you breathless.

—-----------------

If you had thought that having the list of spies prowling around in Wonderland would make things easier for you, you were so wrong.

If you had also thought that you won’t be getting any new surprises, you had no idea what you were in for.

It happened too quickly to process- after obtaining the document, you had a couple of peaceful days- as peaceful as they could be with the usual routine, which was now more meetings with the team residing in your castle, another mission to assassinate someone who you were told was ‘disrupting the peace between Utopia and Wonderland’, and lastly, Wooyoung being himself- now a comforting yet annoying presence.

It amused you- how a person could be so comforting to be around, how his bickering both annoyed yet healed something you didn’t know needed healing. Just what had you been missing out on? You wondered more with each passing day as you spent more and more time with Wooyoung.

It was mostly investigating the matters between Wonderland and Utopia in a new light, since now you knew just who was plotting your nation’s demise while who actually worked hard to protect it. You and Wooyoung spent most of your time together with Yeosang, etching out plans that you needed to get approved by Hongjoong and the King before you could proceed- this wasn’t something you could do without their approval- especially when they always helped you see the situation in a different perspective.

Yeosang was no stranger to the new ‘friend’ you had made. Though he was surprised at first at how you and Wooyoung had quickly bonded to this level, he didn’t mind it at all- he always thought you were too stiff and now that someone could put you so easily in your place, he enjoyed it, though he didn’t make an effort to hide the things he’d do to Wooyoung if he ever backstabbed them. Wooyoung, being Wooyoung, enjoyed the threats though he knew Yeosang wasn’t bluffing at all.

Another-perhaps pleasant- surprise was how well Wooyoung and Yeosang clicked and how quickly and effortlessly they teamed up to put you in a corner. Especially when you had a point.

“I didn’t think you two would be dumb enough to not see this,” you had to stop yourself from throwing the pages at their thick hay-stuffed skulls- you were positive the pair possessed nothing that resembled a brain. “This letter literally screams treason!”

“We cannot interpret it this way just because we know the person who sent it is a spy,” Yeosang began. “Think about it- now that you know, you’re going to think every letter they send you is a threat-”

“And every meal you share with them is poisoned,” Wooyoung completed and Yeosang looked gratefully at him. “Come on, Princess. They’re playing with us- I agree that we should not slack off at a time like this but we need to be smart about this.”

“I’m the only one being smart about this,” you huffed. “My plan to block the special treatment he’s been getting is enough to make him question his place- he’s the Head of the Village, outright demanded the funds to make the village run better, yet I haven’t seen significant progress- sooner or later, I would have done this.”

“If he becomes suspicious, it might turn out bad, that’s all I’m saying,” Wooyooung sighed, slumping back.

“See? Here’s one smart person in this room,” Yeosang said- that was where you lost it and it nearly ended in a cat fight.

However, now that you stood outside your father’s chamber, your heavy heart threatening to suffocate you, hand outstretched to knock at his door but still in the air, you couldn’t help but look back at those times as perhaps the last time you could fool around- everything was going to go downhill from now. You didn’t want to be a pessimist, but-

“Princess-” Hongjoong opened the door, noticing your outstretched hand. He almost looked at you in pity before he motioned for you to come inside. “He’s not doing well- try not to make him too worried, will you?”

“Thank you for looking after him,” you said and Hongjoong only patted your back before you knocked at your father’s door and entered.

“Come in, don’t keep standing there and looking at me like that,” your father chuckled and shifted to sit up a little. Your heart broke at how weak he sounded and how pale he looked. You cleared your throat before you brought a chair to sit in front of him.

“Are you feeling better now?” You bit your lower lip to stop it from quivering- you couldn’t be weak in front of him.

“Ah, it's old age,” the King sighed.

You let out a short laugh. “You’re only in your early fifties- that’s not even that old.”

“You know your mother took the life in me with her when she passed away,” his eyes softened and you had to clench your fists- he really wasn’t feeling well after all. “Anyways, report to me now.”

“I suggest you take your minds off the matters until you get better-”

“I am still the King, child,” he said and your brow raised at how strong he sounded all of a sudden. “With the enemies making daring moves like these, I cannot simply rest without doing anything.”

You nodded. “Colonel Kwon has infiltrated Wonderland with an army of 20,000 under the pretence of providing aid to Wonderland, claiming that they fear that Eden might attempt to take over Utopia and Wonderland both- might have been believable if they hadn’t wrecked such havoc. We lost plenty of soldiers guarding the borders- the Colonel claims that they denied access even when he possessed the official pass, but my sources tell me they forced an entry and killed anyone who dared to stop them. The villagers have fled in fear so they’ve made home there. I have corresponded with thePrince of Utopia and he claims ignorance, making some lousy excuse of ‘ambitious’ soldiers and whatnot, but I know for sure that this was planned and they will only keep getting more aggressive.”

“I see,” the King pondered over it for a moment before he asked, “What do you think should be done?”

“We’re in a pickle,” you sighed, “Driving them out or worse would be declaring war to Utopia. Allowing them to do as they please would be the end of Wonderland. I’ve stationed some of my best to monitor the situation and try to calm things down, but we need to do something about this.”

“I agree,” your father’s eyes gleamed as he looked at you. “You’ve done well, handling the situation. Try not to let them reach anywhere near the Capital- we’ll work on a solution in the meanwhile. I have my sources in Eden too- they owe me one. Maybe it’s time to call that favour.”

“Keep it for now,” you straightened. “I’ll handle this, and I’ll make sure Colonel Kwon regrets ever stepping into my home in this manner.”

Your father laughed heartily at that, patting your thigh as he shook his head in amusement. “Make me proud, child. I know you will.”

Your heart swelled- something about his tone told you he wasn’t expecting to live long now. You wanted nothing more than to climb in his arms like the little child that you once were, hug him tightly as if he could make all your fears disappear. Instead, you only put a hand over his and squeezed it once. “I don’t want to see you worry about this too much. Please try to relax- I’ll handle this. Please- for my sake.”

“Of course,” he smiled. “Go along now. I need to sleep.”

You got up and bowed deeply before you left the room, barely stifling the sob that threatened to creep up as you made way to your chamber, not far from your father’s. You shut the doors behind you and sank to the floor, trembling as you hugged yourself.

You didn’t want to be weak, but… the way your father had talked to you and touched you so affectionately tonight- it was so out of character and it made you fear for his life. Anger consumed you as you thought of that damned Colonel- who did he think he was, marching and taking over your home as if he had every right? He was merely a colonel, he had no right-

“Y/n?” A soft voice sounded and you paused, not daring to look up. You heard the sound of footsteps approaching cautiously, stopping in front of you. “Yeosang told me I could find you here, I was waiting- are you all right?”

“I- I think you should leave for now,” you managed to say, the crack in your voice not helping at all. “I need to think.”

“Come on, you’re making me worried,” Wooyoung sank down in front of you, hesitantly putting a hand over your arm and you flinched- you couldn’t look at him right now. “Talk to me. Please.”

“Leave, Wooyoung,” you said, hating that you sounded so weak in that moment- what was with him and you always breaking down in front of him? “I don’t want you to see me like this. Please.”

“Well…” Wooyoung sounded… amused? “You’re making it hard for me-”

“Wooyoung-” you warned.

“You’re literally blocking the only door, Princess,” his voice was low and you internally cursed yourself. “Come on. Talk to me. I’m not leaving you like this.”

You sighed deeply. “My father’s not doing well, Wooyoung, and I… I don’t know what to do. I can either be a Princess or be his daughter- he’s making me be the Princess. I don’t want to leave him alone, I-” you paused, squeezing your eyes shut before continuing. “He’s making me do it.”

You made yourself look up at him- you prayed the dim lights in this part of the room could hide your surely reddening eyes. You could tell Wooyoung was trying to understand how he could be of help to you. You rested your head against the door, looking away from him. “Don’t look at me like that.”

You could practically hear him smile. “How is your relationship with… the King? As your father?”

It was such a candid question that it made you smile. “He’s… he’s been there for me when my mother passed away. He’s been both a mother and a father to me, if that makes sense. He doesn’t always make it obvious, but he cares too much. And…” you sighed deeply. “I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to him.”

Wooyoung sat cross-legged in front of you, sliding his hands on your own trembling ones and squeezing them. “Then he’s a great father and a great King- it’s hard to be good at both.”

“This attack, Wooyoung,” you looked at him, his eyes the softest you had seen so far. “It’s done more than just break Wonderland’s spirit. It’s broken my father’s too. And I’m going to make sure Colonel Kwon regrets ever stepping into my home like this.”

“Sure,” Wooyoung nodded. “I’m with you, y/n.”

“I just can’t believe-” you paused, looking up as you inhaled- you had already broken down in front of Wooyoung once. You did not want to do that again. “I-”

“Hey, we’ll work together, okay?” He tugged at your hands, making you look at him but you were afraid you would start crying if you did. “We’ll hatch a plan. I’m sure the Wanderer’s Society is already on it. And Colonel Kwon… I know just how selfish he is, and when he gets ambitious like this, it is his strength but also his weakness. I’ll talk to him- as a Utopian too.”

“Thank you,” you managed to say and you finally looked at him. “I still don’t understand why you’re willing to do all of this with me. Why you still haven’t sold me out.”

Wooyoung raised a brow at that. “Maybe I just like you as a person, Princess. Ever thought about that?”

“Shut up,” you scoffed, rolling your eyes but your scoff turned into a faint smile when you watched him caress your hands so affectionately. His eyes were dark as he glanced at you before he kissed both of your knuckles, his lips almost like the touch of a feather, and you felt butterflies in your stomach with an intensity you hadn’t felt before. His gaze alone- the thing you feared to identify as longing in them- it left you a confused mess.

“Don’t let your anger consume you,” his voice was barely a whisper. “And don’t hold back your emotions- not in front of me. I don’t mind and I certainly do not judge, so feel free to use my shoulders, just don’t cover me in your snot-”

You smacked him on his chest and he shrieked but chuckled. You pursed your lips, not having any of that- just how was he able to make you want to kiss him and kill him in moments?

With that thought exactly, you realised that you did want to kiss him. Oh, you wanted to touch him and feel him. You were sure he wanted to too, but you knew that the two of you were still figuring it out- more you than him. And now was certainly not a good time-

You realised your hand was still hovering in the air- as if to hit him- when Wooyoung raised a brow in question. You were sitting so close to him, your position a bit awkward, but you only let your fisted hand rest on his shoulder, wondering just what you should do.

“You do realise that you’re making me confused when you say stuff like that, don’t you?”

“And… you do realise you make me confused when you look like you want to kill me one second and… do some other unholy things the other second?” Wooyoung retorted and you laughed.

“Wooyoung, I-”

“Shh,” he shook his head, smiling warmly. “I’m not asking anything of you, Princess. At this moment… I’m just asking you to use me as you like. I’m asking you to lean on me.”

You bit your lips as you looked at him. You could do that. So you did- you crawled forward and nestled yourself in his lap and rested your head in the crook of his neck as you hugged him, breathing in the scent of him- something like sandalwood. You felt his breath hitch but didn’t comment on it, pleased when he relaxed and wrapped his arms around you, rocking you back and forth. You leaned further into him and buried your nose in the crook of his neck, making him laugh a little.

“You’re tickling me!”

“Am I?” You murmured, blowing on his exposed neck and he shook his head.

“Don’t send an execution order if I tickle you back.”

“Thanks for the suggestion,” you smiled, your hands lazily wrapped around his neck, playing with the hair on the nape of his neck. “You know… I wanted to hug my father today too- tell him that he needn’t take this so hard on himself. That it would be fine. But… he’s not used to that sort of affection from me, and neither am I used to giving it out. It would have been awkward and it would have certainly made either him or me cry- I could tell. I held back- he wants me to be a Princess right now, not a daughter.”

“You don’t have to be a Princess in front of me, you know?” He said after a moment and you drew back a little to look at him. “You’re only human after all. You can’t make everything right and not break apart.”

“Thank you,” your voice was barely a whisper and you let him hold you for a long time.

Wooyoung didn’t realise when exactly you fell asleep but you did- and it broke something in him. You, all vulnerable, sleeping in his arms- he nearly groaned at the sight of it. He licked his suddenly dry mouth and drew strands of your hair away from your face, noticing you didn’t even stir. Carefully, he picked you up and carried you to your room, glad you were only wearing a simple gown and not some ruffly monstrosity that you sometimes had to wear for official meetings as he set you down on your bed. You finally stirred but Wooyoung was quick to be by your side and caress your head, lulling you back to sleep. He left with a lingering kiss to your forehead.

As he walked out of your chambers, he realised how deep in a mess he was. He would soon have to choose one side- Utopia or Wonderland.

The last thing he wanted to do was let you down.

—-----------------

-> part 2

#now realising this is 20k words and they still haven't kissed oops #istg they'll kiss right in the beginning of the next part just wait #i like keeping things slow paced you know for the extra b u r n #wooyoung x reader #wooyoung fluff #wooyoung angst #wooyoung smut #wooyoung imagines #wooyoung scenarios #jung wooyoung x reader #jung wooyoung angst #jung wooyoung fluff #jung wooyoung smut #ateez x reader #ateez angst #ateez fluff #ateez smut #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines

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