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

25. The Great Southern Land

The queen broke the hug first and planted a soft kiss on Yona's left cheek. There was a trace of sadness written on her face, sparkling in her eyes, but the king pulled her closer to him to give her strength. Yona bid her farewells to her family on top of the stone stairs at the entrance of the castle, trying to reassure them that she'll be just fine, promising that she'll write them letters. She waved them goodbye one last time before climbing into the carriage with Chan following right after.

"I'm so excited!" Yona became jittery as soon as the carriage took off, tapping her knees.

"You should have a light breakfast before we board the ship, my princess," Chan instructed, unwrapping the sandwich he took from the basket. "We'll arrive at the coast quickly by the train so now is the best time to eat and let your stomach digest the food before we set sail."

"I can't eat, I'm too excited! Oh gosh, I feel like a kid!" Yona jumped in her seat, showing her excitement.

"Well, don't act like one," Chan's serious tone calmed the princess and wiped the goofy smile off her face, "It will be your first time sailing and there is a big possibility that you'll feel sick on board," he explained.

"Well, wouldn't the food make the sickness worse?" Yona backfired with a logical question.

"It's better to have something in your stomach rather than nothing. You'll get better quicker and easier after throwing up food rather than just stomach acid," Chan answered her question fairly, taking a big bite of a ham sandwich.

Yona pouted and seeing how Chan ate his food, enjoying the delicious bites along with fresh water, she too took the sandwich from the basket and finished it just in time as they arrived at the train station. Bang Chan took care of the luggage and all expenses, buying their tickets from the big allowance that the king provided them with. In the compartment they were in, Yona couldn't sit still while waiting for the train to start moving. Chan looked up from the train tickets he was studying at the princess, her behavior making him smile.

"Why are you doing this?" Chan asked, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning into the comfortable seat. Yona looked at him, averting her attention from the pigeons she was looking at outside the window and noticed his cheeky smile.

Yona turned away from the window, maintaining eye contact with Chan in front of her, "Remember that day on the field when you told me about your family and that you'll see them when you take care of some things?" Chan nodded short, "Well, that time is now. Actually, this is the best opportunity you'll get!" she said almost too loudly and stood up from her seat to sit next to him. Taking Chan's hand into hers, Yona continued softly, "You haven't seen your family in so long, Chan..." she paused to look deep into his eyes, "You've constantly been busy with work... and me. I've put you into numerous difficult situations and this is the least I can do to thank you."

Yona wore a weak smile but Chan didn't smile. Still holding hands, he reached with his free hand and tucked a small strand of hair behind Yona's ear. He held his hand to her cheek and looked back into her soft eyes, "Again... I was fulfilling my duties as a soldier and your knight, my princess," he admitted and let go of her cheek to put his hand over hers, "With time, I had a stronger urge to protect you as my feelings for you grew, so don't blame yourself... I did promise to protect you and that's what I'll do... forever."

Chan's words made Yona's heart beat faster and her stomach flutter in a pleasant feeling. She fell in love with him every day, stronger every single time. His hands held hers and a tighter grip seemed like a signal for both of them to lean close to each other. But their sweet moment and contact were broken as the compartment door opened suddenly, both of them turning to it, flustered.