Author's POV

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She cannot be wrong, she's definitely sure it's the ring. The ring which is one of the things she's searching for years. But why in the world she would found it on the hand of the girl she doesn't expect to be wearing? Why of all the female in the earth? She wasn't expecting this to happen. Her mind was clouded by questions that she couldn't answer. What is Y/N's real identity? Why would a poor girl like her wear that kind of ring? She hates it. The rage in her is rising up and she doesn't think she could bear it. She would surely burst in her tears in front of everyone if she won't excuse herself and leave. As much as she hates it, she has no choice.

And so she did.

Ignoring her pride, she excused herself by simply reasoning out that she is not feeling well and immediately left the dinner. Holding back tears is not easy and every step she take is agony. The god must have really hate her for making her feel weak like this again just because of that ring. No, she can't be.

When she finally made it to her room, the flower vase right next to her is the first thing she grabbed and threw it to the floor with full force and scream.

"Aaaaa!"

The shattering sound of the broken vase echoed inside her room. It wasn't enough. Break more. She want more, but even she break all the thing inside her room isn't enough to help her ease the pain she's feeling right now. She fell on her knees, head hanging low and then her eyes fell down to the broken pieces of the vase.

She pick one, not minding the sharp edge that cuts her skin on her palm. It's been years and she thought her heart already forgotten him.

"Mother!" Jimin rushes to her and kneel down to her level. Concern was evident on his face seeing his mother on the floor, crying and seem so broken. Why is she crying? he wonder why. "Mother, what happened--" he didn't even get to finish his sentence when Lady Hellina pushed him away from her before his hands could touch her shoulder. Jimin's hand landed on the broken glass and pricked his skin that made him winched at the sting of it. Instead to feel worry for his son, she glared at him with disgust and hatred.

"Get away from me!" she yelled at him and looked away, ignoring the hurt written all over her son's face. "Get out!"

"But mother I need to kn--"

"I said get out!" she yelled again as she pointed towards the door's direction. "Get out. I don't need you." She added without feeling any remorse and her last words broke Jimin's heart. He heard it many times from her though, but it still hurt him. He left without saying anything.

Maids and butlers bows to him as soon as they see him pass by and one of them was Sunny who was carrying a tray of clean plates on her hands.

Prince Jimin headed directly to the garden, same as his cousin Prince Seokjin, it's the place where he can get a peace of mind in the palace as if like the place has a healing magic around. There are few maids watering the flowers around the moment he arrived there. They immediately pay their respect towards him as they bow at him. Ignoring the distress they saw on the young prince's face because they know they're not in a place to ask him why is he like that.

"I want to be alone here." He stated and the maids only nodded before leaving the prince there alone. Giving him what he wanted right now.

Time for myself alone.

Seeing that no one is around anymore, he sat on the bench with both of his elbow placed on his lap, he hung his head low, covering his face with the palm of his hands. 'Get out. I don't need you.' Those words pricks his heart deeply. Tears stream down his face to his hands. He bit his bottom lip to suppress his sob, not wanting to let anyone hears him crying alone in the garden.

But little did he know, Sunny is there standing behind the pillar. Looking at him with full of sympathy while he's there letting out the pain he's feeling. Emptying the bottled up emotion.

The heartbreaking sight made Sunny teared up too. She's standing from afar but she could feel his pain just by seeing those small beads of tears falling down from his eyes. Her feet are aching to run towards him, her hands are itching to reach out to him and pull him to her embrace but she can't. Who is she to do that? He's a prince, she's just a maid. Too far from his level. Even though Jimin often talk to her, she would still stay on her place and just respond him in a very polite and formal way which a servant always does even though Jimin told her to drop the formality when it comes to him.

If everything was just like Y/N and Prince Seokjin's relationship, but no, this is a different story. The Emperor is so kind that he accepted Y/N and Prince Seokjin's relationship even though Y/N is just a commoner. Unlike Jimin's mother, Lady Hellina, everyone in the palace know how wicked she is, except the Emperor. She know that Jimin and her doesn't have a chance ever since from the start. Hell, she doesn't even know if Jimin also felt the same as her.

Y/N is so lucky. She thought. She's not angry at her. In fact she is happy for her, Y/N is her friend and she love her like a sister. There are times though that she would also felt insecure at Y/N. But still, it wouldn't break her love for her. It's normal to feel insecure, it's one of the nature of being a human anyway.

She wiped her tears and was about to leave but what Jimin unexpectedly did made her stop from her track...

"Come out. I know you're there." Jimin called her without looking at her and the enlargement of her eyes feels like it would pop out of its socket in no time. Her breathe was caught in the middle of her throat as she felt her heart thump faster. He knew that i'm watching him? Sunny thought, turning around. She peaks again behind the pillar only to see Jimin looking now at her direction. "Come here." She hesitantly showed herself as she walk towards him with her head hanging low and nervously fidgeting fingers. Thinking that Prince Jimin is surely mad at her right now. She didn't dare to make an eye contact with him. She stop from walking when she felt that she's near enough to him.

She could only see his expensive black shoes and seeing his shadow standing up from the bench, "I'm very sorry your highness! I-I didn't mean to--" Her words stop upon seeing the prince stride towards her and lift up his hand. Is he going to slap me like what her mother did to me? She shut her eyes tight, waiting to feel a stinging pain again on her face.

But to her surprise, her body jumps when she felt him grabbing her arms and the next thing she felt is the warm wrapping her small frame. She open her eyes to see what happened and there she realized, he's hugging her tight.

Panic took more over her, she tried to pull away but only to being pulled again to his embrace and this time...he holds her more tighter. "Y-your highness, what are we doing? Please let me go before someone might see us." Her words were muffled by his chest.

"Shh, no one will see us if you keep quiet." he whispers to her ear that made Sunny stop from squirming. He slightly pull away, enough to look down on her and see her face. She still didn't dare to look at him straight in the eyes. So he placed his thumb and index finger on her chin, gently lifting  it up until her eyes finally locked with his that's still teary from crying.

"Do you believe in me, Sunny?" her breathe hitches at the sudden question coming from the Prince and the way her name rolls out so nice from his tongue. Why is he suddenly asking that to her? she wonder why. But wanting to comfort him and make him feel better, maybe answering his sudden question will help. So she did.

"Yes, your highness." she answered and she could see his eyes lit up in something like happiness.

"Do you trust me, Sunny?" he softly caresses her face and her eyes almost shut at the sensation of his touch but she fight it and keep her eyes steady open.

"Yes, your highness." she answered voice still calm while keeping the eye contact with him. His gaze then slowly descending to her lips.

"Do you...accept me for who I am? my flaws? things that I don't have? my imperfection?" he asks, voice turning into a husky one as he trail his thumb on the smooth skin of her natural pink glossy lips while Sunny is still internally fighting the sexual tension between them. "Do you, Sunny?" he repeats, shifting his gaze back to her eyes. She could see the new found lust mixing with the other emotion in his eyes.

She gulp the sudden lump in her throat, ignoring the loud and fast beat of her heart that seems it would explode in no time if she won't pull away from him now. But if it's for him? She think, it's worth risking.

"I do, your highness." she answered and mentally slapped herself when she realized something. Why do I sound like i'm saying yes to a wedding?  She thought and the unexpected chuckle from the prince resound in her ears, snapping her out from her thought. There her eyes saw him having now the smile she's waiting to see again from him.

She frowns in confusion as she looked at him with questioning gaze, "Your highness, why are you laughing--" she gasp not getting the chance to finish her words after realization quickly hits her "oh my god, did I just think out loud?" She mumble to herself causing Prince Jimin to cover his mouth with his cute hand to suppress his giggle at Sunny's clumsiness and Sunny's cheeks soon became red due to the half embarrassment and half flushed at the blessing sight of him giggling like an innocent kid, while his eyes forming into crescent shape.

He looked down to her again only to see her hiding her face on his chest. "Cute." he comments wrapping his arms tighter around her, burying his face on the crook of her neck while Sunny is mentally screaming.

Half wanting to dig her own grave and half wanting to stay there in his warm embrace forever. "Sunny?" he calls and she only respond him with a hum. "I have one more question to ask you but please...be honest with me." If she does accept everything about him. Then does it mean that there's also a chance for him to be the man in her heart? He want to know. No, he need to know. Right here, right now.

He took a deep breathe before he finally pull away from her.

It's now or never.

"Do you...like me, Sunny?"

And that's the time Sunny burst in her tears. The question she's trying to avoid for the long time was now being asks to her. What should she do? Why is the Prince asking her this question? Is she that obvious despite of how the way she interact with him like a normal maid does.

"Sunny, I'm sorry I just--" Jimin was surprised to see Sunny suddenly cry at his question, he tried to reach for her hand but Sunny took a step back away from him. His heart drops at her reaction, thinking that maybe he just had a false hope. Sunny doesn't like me. He could feel his heart cracks at the thought of it.

"I-i'm sorry, your highness.." Sunny apologize through her trembling lips. Head's hanging low in shame. She doesn't have a face to face him anymore. Her tears kept streaming down from her face. What should she answer? She's afraid to tell the truth. What if the Prince will get mad at her? avoid her? or even worst, fired her?

"Sunny, don't apologize. I should be the one to say sorry here. I asks you some...some stupid question--"

"I like you!" Sunny cutted off his words by her straight confession and Jimin's eyes widens. Jimin was so surprised that he became speechless. Seeing his reaction, Sunny thought he doesn't felt the same way as she is for him. She bit her lip in attempt to suppress her sob threatening to come out. She must be looking so pathetic and stupid right now.

Run.

Couldn't hold the embarrassment in her anymore, she turn around, about to run away from him but Jimin was quick to catch her on her wrist. In a swift motion, Jimin pull her effortlessly as if she weight nothing. Her breathe caught in the middle of her throat seeing her body swinging back to him, his other free hand on the back of her head and in just one blink...he smashed his lips on her soft ones. Tasting the saltiness of her tears that have just roll down to the corner of her lips. Her eyes flutter close at feeling of his kiss. Deep and slow, as if it's like today is last day of his life and he needs to let out his bottled up desire, his feelings...to her.

It took a few seconds for Sunny to finally gather her guts to kiss him back and he could feel the prince smile between their kiss.

"You don't know how much i'm waiting for this to happen." Jimin whispered between the kiss.

"Oh shut up." Sunny hushed him and both of them giggled while kissing.
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But....

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Little did they know.....

Lady Hellina is watching them from afar.

Her son is her only way to wrap the throne on her hand. But it seems won't happen because her son was distracted by that maid named Sunny.

She dial someone's number on her phone.

"Hello."

"Eunwoo. You have a mission tonight."

"Who is the target?"

"A maid in the palace, named Sunny."

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'💛´

A/n: *Hiding underneath my bed* How's it? Finally i've updated this book. I know this is a Kim Seokjin x Reader but...like what i've said (If you can still remember) I want you all to see Jimin's story here. Same goes to the other character. So that you'll understand the story more. 😁

Ohhhohoho~ Damn that kiss.🙈😅

What do you think will happen next? Guess what.

Take care and always be happy.

Borahae~💜