The Princess's Choice

Forest

Chaeyoung's POV

I aimed the arrow to my target. It was a deer. It's been a while since I aimed my arrow to a moving target. So I wanted to try it again.

"I know... I know it's going to be hurt but it'll be gone soon. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm going to give you to the King and her family. Your death will be in King's stomach soon. So it's not going to be a waste of your time and soul. I'm sorry. I'm sorry but I have to do this." I talked to the deer that's going to die because I'm going to kill it. I love animals but I love hunting. I always went alone to the forest to hunt. It's always been fun for me but every time I want to aim my arrow to animals, I feel bad. Really bad.

"What are you doing?" I heard a voice behind me. My body's frozen in a second. I was alone. Why do I hear a voice if I'm alone? Is that a ghost. No. No. It can't be a ghost. Jisoo told me that there were a lot of ghosts in this forest. I never have seen one in my life. Apparently the ghost decided to show its self now. "What are you doing?"

The ghost asked me again. I shut my eyes tightly. I didn't want to see a ghost. I'm afraid of it. I kept my body in the same position.

"Please... please... if you're a ghost. Go away. I never see a ghost in my life. I don't need you to show up right now."

"I'm not a ghost." It's a male voice. I tried to take a peek. I turned my body around and I saw an elf. Oh wow... I never saw an elf either. If an elf looked like this, I don't mind seeing them every day. I thought an elf was small but it was actually tall. My books have been lying to me.

I saw him took an arrow from his back aimed it to my target. I took a look at my target and the deer was dead on the ground. Oh, my poor animal.

"You stole my target. Do you know how hard it is for me to wait until the deer stopped moving?" I don't care if he was a ghost or an elf. He stole my target.

"You said I'm a ghost. Now you're accusing me that I stole your target. You should have aim it with your arrow if you didn't want someone to steal it from you."

I ignored him and try to find another target. I looked around. I couldn't bring the deer anymore because someone else killed it. I walked deep into the forest. I thought he was going to leave me alone but he followed me.

"Why are you following me?" I asked him. I need to keep walking before the forest went dark.

"You're a girl. What are you doing inside the forest by yourself?" He asked me and keeps following me. He was getting on my nerves.

"I don't need an elf to protect me. I can handle myself."

"First, a ghost. Now, an elf. What else are you going to call me?" He asked me while laughing. I stopped and looked at him. Really look at him.

"You're not an elf?" I asked.

"Of course not. I'm a human. Just like you." He smiles. His smile was beautiful. I had to admit it but I still pissed at him.

"Alright. Elf, ghost, human, whatever. Please stop following me." I told him and continue walking.

"What's your name?"

"Why should I give you my name?"

"Okay, lady. Since you don't know who I am, I suggested you're going back to where you came from. It's too dangerous for you. You don't want that pretty face ruin, do you?" After someone called me pretty, my stomach decided to growls because I was hungry. It was embarrassing. The forest was too quiet. It makes my stomach's noise bigger than it supposed to be.

I thought he would be laughing at me but he was only dragged me by my wrist. I don't know where he's about to do but I have just followed him. I can just kick him in his junk if he did something to me.

We stopped in front of a beautiful horse. It was black and shiny. The owner must be treated right. I said my hello to the beast, it let me touch him.

"It is a boy. His name is Stud." He told me the name of his horse.

"Hello, Stud. It's nice to meet you." I smiled at Stud while caressing him. His fur is so soft, just like our horses at the palace.

"Tell him your name." He told me.

"You're not going to give up, are you?"

"Nah. But I have a feeling that Stud really wants to know your name. Am I right, boy?" Stud answers him with a growl.

He gave me a wrapped sandwich and a bottle of drink. He got a sandwich and a bottle for himself. I opened my bottle and smells it. It was white wine. The wine smells divine. The sandwich also smells like a delicacy. He sits on the ground. He started to eat his sandwich and drink his drink.

"You can eat, you know? I know you don't want to trust me but I don't have any bad intentions." He was right. He warned me because I was alone. He also gave me some food and a drink. He was being nice to me. "Taste it. It's delicious."

I took a bite and he was right again. It was delicious. I was hungry because I have to go early to go to this forest. I brought some food but I left my food on my horse. Since the sandwich tastes so good and my hunger makes it tastier, I started to moan when I eat. I felt his eyes on me. But I was too hungry so I don't really pay him attention.

I tasted the wine. He was right once again. It was my kind of wine. I smell it, feeling it with my taste buds. It's familiar. I was wondering where it came from. I think I drink it once or twice or more than twice. I didn't realize that I almost drink half of the bottle. He took the bottle from me.

"Don't. It's strong." He told me. The next thing I know, his mouth was on me. He kissed me. He tugged my lower lip gently before releasing my lips. "You tasted like beef and wine but you smell like roses."

He looked at me in the eyes. I sense him being so angry.

"Fucking invitation." He mumbled the words. He lets me go and he strides his horse. He left me as fast as he appeared in front of me.

"That.. that was... Is that how people kissed every day?" I talked to myself. "Did I just kissed a stranger? Oh my god, I gave a stranger my first kiss. Well, that's classy, Chaeyoung."

I walked through the forest and I found my horse. I need to go back to the palace before dinner. Jisoo will be panic if I didn't go back or she will send a search party to find me. She can be dramatic. I stride my horse and find my way out of the forest.

"He left me after the kiss, was it that bad?" I didn't feel bad for me. It was amazing but I don't have someone to compare it so I don't actually know if it'll be good for him or not.

"Is that why he was angry with me because it was so bad?" It was awful if someone kissed me for the first time and thought it was so bad that he got to left me without saying a word like that. I felt a tear come from my eyes. I was so stupid to let him do that to me.

***

Hoseok's POV

I followed Chaeyoung to the forest. I saw what happened. The King asked me to follow the girls when they went outside. He wants them to be independent. He lets them went outside a lot but he also worried about their safety. I asked Jinyoung to follow Jisoo. BamBam follows Lisa around. Yoongi... I don't think I asked him to do anything, he just does it. I have a hutch that he had something with Jennie. The King also knows. He said I should let them be because they'll tell us sooner or later.

I feel bad for Chaeyoung. I saw her crying on the way back to the palace. Should I tell her that she was going to see Chanyeol this week at the palace? I know they didn't know each other. I never thought they'll see each other before they met in the palace. These next few months will be interesting.

Sometimes I always in between. I don't want them to get hurt but I have my loyalty to the King. The King knows what'll happen. We planned it together. The King told me before they gave a person their heart, they need to feel the hurt from love. Otherwise, it wasn't loved. The King was so adamant to give them life lessons. He didn't want the guy to want them just because they have everything in the world. That's why we planned this. I'm the only one who knows everything because Yoongi got involved with Jennie. Yoongi only knows part of it.

We already know Jisoo will ask for her friends to find someone. We know if she found love, her friends will be lonely and wants them to have the same thing that she already had. We were right. She asked the question.