𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞'𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 | hyunho

twelve

Hyunjin's pov:

"Welcome to my castle, Hyunjin!! Please make yourself comfortable." Prince Felix gave me a big smile.

I thanked him and set up my art supplies at a nearby table, while unpacking my clothes.

"Rest for today. You can start from tomorrow, is that alright?" He stated.

"That is fine with me." I agreed to him.

"Great! I shall take my leave now." He waved at me and left.

I sighed and sat on the bed, while staring down at the clothes on my lap.

'Forget it, Hyunjin. Life is all about moving forward.' I thought to myself.

I should work diligently on this new job so that I don't let them down! Mom and Minho would be proud of me...

I changed my clothes and sat in the attached balcony, while looking at the distance. The Lee palace, in which I was working for Minho, was visible from up here.

My mind went back and forth again, in desperate need of answers which I know that I'll never get.

Was I just a mere painter to him? He opened up to me, he let me share my struggles with him. He has offered me with so much, more than I could ever imagine of.

It feels heart-warming if I think quite closely. A person- no, a prince, like him cares about me. I was surely special to him, that is what makes me wonder if he would let me go just like that.

That is what has been disturbing me-itching me-since the moment I saw him walk back into his room from the balcony.

𓍯𔘓𓂃𓍢ִ໋🀦彡

fast forward to a week later...

Minho's pov:

I was on my way to Felix's library, which was in his castle, to borrow some of his books. I thought it would a quicker method to read new books, compared to that of ordering the servants to get one from the stores. Also, I might see Hyunjin there.

But he wasn't at the palace.

I got to know that he had gone to the hospital as they were transferring his mother back to their home, she had gotten a lot better.

I felt relieved to hear that and flipped open a random book from the shelves...

"his eyes may not be the colour of the ocean, but i drown in them every time."

Next book.

"something about you made me feel a little more alive and a far less lost."

Another one.

"we never realize how frozen we are until someone starts to melt our ice."

I snapped the book close and simply walked out. Why was everything related to love suddenly reminding me of him?

"Hyung? You're not reading?" Felix questioned.

"Too much love for me." I answered and stepped out of the gates.

"You might need it though!" I heard him yell from behind.

I hopped on my horse and rode into the woods, the one where I usually go to hunt, but I wasn't hunting today.

I didn't stop until we reached the lush-green field, with the rabbits hopping and playing around. They have visibly grown in number.

I picked a bunny up, in my arms, and sat down on the field which felt like a soft bed underneath me. It was relaxing. If Hyunjin never accidentally found this place, I would have never felt this way in a while.

My thoughts were all over the place when suddenly, I felt someone tap on my shoulder.

My instincts made me grab the unknown's hand and throw him in front of me, self-defense tricks come in handy.

"Ow!"

Oh. It wasn't any random criminal, it was Hyunjin...

"You're here?" I frailty asked him.

"I come here everyday." He simply said and sat down next to me. "Prince Felix let's me go anywhere out of the palace, when I'm not working."

"So you're saying that I didn't let you go out when you were at my place? I never held you back, saying that you cannot leave the palace." I questioned in disbelief.

"No, no, I never meant that!" He chuckled. "It's just... at your palace, I never felt the need to go out because you were there."

God, exactly how much more deeper do you want me to fall into this idiotic concept known as love?

"What's that in your hand?" I changed the topic.

"Oh, this?" He held his hand up. "It's an old bracelet I found in my house today. I think it is from my childhood."

"It looks like one from a matching set, did someone offer it to you?" I inquired.

"Probably." He continued. "It feels familiar to a part a my childhood days which I cannot recall quite well. I had a friend back then who had suddenly disappeared."

"Disappeared?" I pried.

"Yes." He acknowledged. "We met everyday, next to a small pond, and used to play and spend time with each other. Now I don't even remember his name or what he looked like."

"That's unfortunate. But there's hope! You might meet your childhood companion someday in the near future." I consoled him.

Although, I don't understand why his bracelet, and the tale he narrated, felt strangely familiar to me...

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