glass slippers. ʲᵃᵉᵐⁱⁿ

TWENTY FOURTH.

Eunice's POV

While Jaemin asked the servants to hurriedly prepare a tea session, Doyoung escorted Eunice to her royal bedroom. Of course, not the one where Jewel's corpse has laid. This time, it's really the princess chambers; one for the next queen.

Maids came and go in her room to help Eunice change her dress into a much more suitable one for an afternoon tea. Jaemin assigned a personal maid for her whose name is Renée. She helped her pick an outfit and she ended up wearing a pastel pink floral dress.

Her hair was then brushed back and after Renée put a hair clip on the back of her head, Eunice was set to go to the balcony. Her maid accompanied her towards there and when they arrived, she thanked Renée then went to meet up with Jaemin.

The room that she was led into was quiet and spacious. It looks like a bedroom and a library combined. Her eyes landed on the peach-colored curtains that was blown by the wind from the balcony and she approached there.

Moving the curtain aside, she saw Jaemin standing in front of a table, his eyes looking out into the landscape that was facing him. Eunice walked next to him and studied the view as well. They were high up in the castle, probably almost at the very top.

The balcony was facing not the town but the beautiful forest behind the structure. The calm breeze doesn't seem like it's going to stop any soon. Eunice tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and smiled. "Do you like it up here?" She asked, opening a topic.

Jaemin nodded. "Very. This is where I would spend my time after all my schedules have finished. I never let anyone here except myself.. and you." He replied and glanced at her. "It's quite windy here." She said, hugging herself.

He took off his coat and placed it on her shoulders to warm her. "I'm sorry if it makes you cold. Should we—" Eunice waved her hand and chuckled. "Oh, no, please. I have no problem with the wind. The view here is breath-taking. Let's have tea here."

"Well, then," He pulled a chair for her to sit and Eunice settled on it. Jaemin sat down on his own and poured tea into their cups. "If I may ask, Eunice," He started and after filling it, he continued, "What took you long to show yourself? Did something happen?"

Eunice has already been expecting this question and so she sighed in a melancholic manner. "I only had one chance to attend a ball. My aunt made the dress I wore that night and she received an invite. She doesn't want it to go to waste so she sent me.. and it has always been my dream to do so,"

She paused and sipped a small portion of her tea. "Dancing with you was another dream come true, Jaemin. The prince danced with me, a commoner. How was that possible? There has always been things happening back home and I had to go home by midnight. I'm sorry for leaving you hanging."

He waved his hand, suddenly feeling sorry for the lies she spat out. "Oh, don't be, Eunice. Continue." He motioned for her and she did. "The days after the ball, life wasn't really going well for my auntie and I. I am from another kingdom so I didn't know that you were searching for me," She suddenly smiled like she appreciated his efforts.

Jaemin slightly blushed while she added, "In those days, my auntie got sick and so I have to take care of her. Thankfully, it's gone now and her son, my cousin, returned from his trip. He can now take care of her himself and when they heard about the search for me, they told me to go and here I am."

He took her hand and patted it, giving her a small comforting smile. "It's alright. Did you feel sad when you left?" He asked and Eunice thought about it, tapping her finger on the table. "Yes. Yes, I did. But when I saw you, I know this is worth everything." She said as sweetly as she could.