In the Middle of the Night [BANG CHAN FF] ✔️

2. Secret

It was already past midnight, it was already Saturday and the town was still awake. Everyone was getting ready for the upcoming army parade. Merchants and vendors had a really good sale. However, it wasn't just the parade that kept people awake on Fridays and Saturdays - townspeople led that kind of lifestyle since a long time ago. Bars, pubs, and streets were full of people partying, drinking, and just having a good time on weekend days.

Despite the lively town, the royal castle was quiet. Everyone was asleep except for the guards on night duty... and a couple more. It was 2 AM, time for guards to change their shifts after four hours of patrolling the land. Yet, there was a 5-minute gap where the whole castle area had no guards: the previous shift had to report and hand over the weapons before the next set of guards start their four-hour patrol.

"Perfect..." she whispered, adjusted the cap over her eyes, and jumped from the windowsill. Perfect landing, as always, so much that she often thought that she was a cat in her previous life. Just as she stood up she was stopped in her tracks, feeling a strong grip around her thin wrist.

"Stop right there, burglar!" a deep male voice shouted at her.

She was shocked and started panicking, thinking fast: she got caught and she needed to think of a plan. "Let me go..." she muttered under her breath, trying her best to hide her face and change her voice.

"Not until I hand you over to the guards," the man was determined - his grip on her wrist tightened which was like a panic button for her. She needed to react fast.

"I said, let go!" she gathered all her strength and pulled her hand out of the glove and his grip. A gray cap she wore fell off her head, releasing waves of nurtured silk-like hair. Princess Yona stood there, panting, wearing baggy old clothes in gray and brown tones, a complete opposite of her gentle colored dresses. Her wearing that attire would make anyone suspect that it was a poor burglar from the town, trying to sneak into the castle.

The man before her knelt right away. "Your Highness..." he greeted her which was a great opportunity for her not to miss. She quickly grabbed the hat and stuffed her hair in it as much as she could - she needed to be fast as it wasn't long before the new guards appear. The kneeling man finally looked up at the princess and, seeing her frantic behavior, stood up and grabbed her hand again. She stopped and looked at him - she was, honestly, a bit shocked at his action and freedom to touch a princess like that.

"Princess, what are you doing at this hour? And dressed like that...?" he asked. His question and the tone of his voice had a mix of worry yet it sounded rather strict.

"I don't think that's a bit of your concern, new guy," she yanked her hand away from his, glaring at him - his eyes and a powerful gaze were overwhelming but she had to stay strong.

"Your Highness, my name is--" he put a hand over his chest and bowed his head.

"I don't fucking care. Get lost!" Yona hissed at him, cutting him off mid-sentence, turning on her heel to run away but he was quick yet again.

"I can't do that!" the soldier, despite the princess's foul language, grabbed her wrist again stopping her from running away, "You're trying to sneak out, correct? As an official royal army member, I can't let you go now that I saw you."

"So just pretend you didn't see me," she turned to him and snickered. It was only a matter of minutes before the guards find them. His grip was much stronger and she couldn't slip out easily this time.

"I said I can't do that."

"Or what?!" she shouted which took him aback, "Are you going to tell my father? Sure, let's try that. It'll just be one more disappointment for him. He'll ground me and after a few days let me go like nothing happened. But what about you, recruit?" she came closer to him, glaring him dead in the eye, "What if the great commander finds out that his new recruit is smuggling alcohol, hm?"

Christopher flinched and tightened the grip of his other hand that held a paper bag with liquor.

"Oh yeah, I have a good nose for that filth," she sneered.

"This isn't mine. I was trying to dispose of--"

"Again, I don't fucking care if it's yours or if your friends tried to have some good time on their first day... even though alcohol is banned for the army, especially for new members so... it's my word against yours, Mr. Leader. It'll take them less time to kick you out of here than it took them to recruit you..." she purposely paused, enjoying the panic in his eyes, "But, I'll keep your secret only if you'll keep mine," smile on her face didn't let out and Christopher only frowned more at her trap. They both heard the voices of the guards in the back but neither let their gaze waver. Finally, the male let go of the princess and she gladly stepped away.

"That's more like it," she raised her chin victoriously, massaging her wrist. Picking her glove from the ground, Yona looked at the soldier again, "Don't you worry, I've been doing this looong before you came here so don't worry about me. I'll be on my way now but let me tell ya... Our army is so lucky to have obedient members such as yourself, Mr. Leader. Take care now!" she added with a smile, that looked so sweet and genuine, waved, and quickly ran off, easily climbing over the walls. In a matter of seconds, the princess in disguise was out of the castle, running towards the busy and lively town.

As for Christopher Bang... he stood there, under the princess's bedroom window, holding a paper bag with cheap liquor that he took from his friends, and, in order to protect them, he took the responsibility upon himself to dispose of the bottle. So, instead of doing what he intended to, he stood there in the garden, defeated by the princess. He didn't like the feeling but he had to endure it. He gritted his teeth and, with voices approaching, threw the bottle on the ground and ran back to the dorm, clearly angry. And the fact that she called him "Mr. Leader" annoyed him even more - he was so irrelevant to her that she didn't even try to remember his real name.

A few minutes after he was gone, two guards stumbled upon the bottle and without any doubts or second thoughts decided to let loose and drink the hard liquor, sitting under the tree, singing and enjoying the music from the town below. They quickly fell asleep so it was even easier for the princess to sneak back into her room after her night out.

No one had any idea what had happened that night but the encounter between a princess and a soldier will mark the beginning of one exciting relationship.

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To be continued...