.twenty.
Prince Eun quietly walked the general's daughter back to her house, still irked by the fact that she thought Hae Soo would not want to marry him. The little prince huffed internally to himself that if she was going to be so uncooperative, he'd rather just give up on the idea of having her as a sister in law. Family was supposed to be supportive, and then there was Hak Soon, who was unwilling to cater to his princely ego.
She went into her house, bowing thankfully at him. At least, he thought to himself, she was at respectful enough to bow her head and thank him for having such a kind gesture with her. As soon as she entered the house, he turned and was about to start his trek back home when he realized--it was late, and he had to walk back to the palace all by himself. They had been lucky on the way to the general's home, not to have been spotted or stopped by thieves. They would jump at the chance of taking the seventeen year old prince hostage.
Now scared out of his mind and unwilling to make the walk back home at night, alone, he turned and hurried back to the front doors of her house. It had only taken about thirty seconds and Minji was not too far away. His hands balled up into fists and banged on the gates desperately.
"Let me in!" The tenth prince cried at the top of his lungs.
Minji was surprised that he hadn't managed to wake everyone at her house. She raced back the gates and opened the doors. They had been unlocked when the two teenagers arrived, probably because her mother and sister were waiting for her to return. But now Minji had locked them to prevent anyone else from entering the house. She saw the tenth prince standing there outside and he quickly joined her inside the house.
"Go home, shrimpy." She told him with a hint of annoyance.
"I can't go home by myself." He replied with a vehement shake of his head. Instead, he closed the doors behind himself and locked them again. "There could be ruffians out there, waiting to snatch my royal self in their clutches." He told her dramatically, making Minji roll her eyes at him. Sometimes, she thought, the tenth prince was a little insufferable. She wondered if he acted that way, all high and mighty, with other people. Or maybe it was just her that he acted like an arrogant little prince around. As an idea came to him, he smiled wide, "I know. I will sleep in your room, and then tomorrow you can get one of your servants to get me back to the palace."
Minji had a come back for him, but she bit her tongue. She was too tired to fight with him and instead heaved a sigh, taking him by surprise when she linked arms with him.
The general's daughter was able to stealthily lead him inside the house and to her bedroom, where the prince made himself comfortable on her bed. She was again, about to protest and kick him off her bed when there was a knock on her door. She made a face for him to keep quiet and called out to the person outside. "Yes?"
It was both her mother and sister who were waiting for her.
"Hak Soon-ah," Her sister called with worry. Minji couldn't help but think that her sister would have squealed with joy if she knew that the tenth prince was in the house. "Where have you been all day? Eomma and I have been worried about you."
Minji made a hand motion to the tenth prince for him to keep quiet and opened her door ust a crack. Her mother and her sister were standing out in the hall, both with worried expressions on their faces. Minji opened the door just enough to step out onto the hallway and closed the door behind herself quickly. The two who were waiting outside, watched her, waiting for an explanation. The fourteen year old heaved a sigh. "I was with Jung oppa and I just lost track of time. I'm sorry." She said innocently, hoping they wouldn't look further into it. If they even knew they had been attacked at the village market, they would never let her out of their sight. She was the maknae of her family.
