When they drew apart, Jin stumbled backwards. He had not wanted to kiss her. He had not expected to be kissed by her. Yet, when the moment arrived, his mind had gone blank. His mind was devoid any thought; and he had just allowed himself to immerse in that brief kiss to come out a changed person. At present, his heart was fluttering and pounding in his chest. He was afraid of Rawon being able to hear it.

When he turned towards the cameras again, the flashes seemed to bright. He had always believed that he had gotten used to those cameras, but he realized he had gotten used to the familiarity of them, the pre-set questions and his well-defined answers. Kissing Rawon was not on the list, nor was being kissed by her. He shook his head and gave an awkward smile to the media. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Hocheol glaring at him. Jin balled his fist and turned to look at Rawon, who was in turn looking at Hocheol. She had her eyebrow raised and looked prepared to run out any moment.

Only when Jin focused on Hocheol's expression did he realize that the glare wasn't owing to the kiss- it was something beyond it. Something that only Hocheol and Rawon shared. Jin felt left out. But he had a way to pacify himself- the lesser his involvement with Rawon, the easier it would become to discard her later.

King Lee Seok stood up to give his speech. "We would like to thank you for gracing this occassion of Crown Prince Lee Jin's engagement to Ju family's Ju Rawon. The Ju family has played an important role in shaping this country. So far, Ju Rawon has played an important role in keeping the country free of crime. Now, however, she wishes to serve the nation as its Crown Princess."

Rawon guessed what was coming next. She turned pale and looked at her team. She could not let the King determine the course of her life again. Yulhee stood up from the chair and walked towards the dais. She smiled at Lee Seok and bowed low in apology. "I must apologize for the interruption, Your Highness. There has been an update on something you asked us to look into. I would like to request you let us borrow the Crown Princess." She glanced at Rawon and then at Jin. "And the Crown Prince as well. It involves him."

Lee Seok gritted his teeth. "This is an occasion to celebrate their union, not your stupid cases."

"You cannot say that, Your Highness. If you make the Crown Princess leave one duty for another and without her consent on it, it is going to cause more trouble for the Royal Family's reputation. From what I can guess, me talking to Your Highness standing here is controversy in itself. Your PR Team would have a lot of work. Tonight as well." Yulhee saluted him this time and returned to her seat.

Lee Seok smiled for the cameras. "And in serving the nation as its Crown Princess, she will continue remaining a detective. She would be this country's first Detective Crown Princess."

Rawon chuckled and smiled at Yulhee. Yulhee winked at her.

***

Soon enough, the media personnel and other nobles dispersed for the dinner. Hocheol, Yulhee and Taemin hurried towards Rawon. Jin was taken aback by this sudden march of detectives.

"He is dead." Hocheol said.

Rawon's eyes widened in horror. "How?"

"They found his body about an hour ago. We asked them not to move it till we reach."

"How far is it?"

"About 40 minutes. If I press the accelerator, 20 minutes."

"Let's go." Rawon said. She lifted her gown, but before she could take a step, Jin grabbed her hand. "Crown Prince. Let go of me."

"I cannot. This is our engagement. You need to be here and greet our guests." Jin admonished her.

"They are your guests, not mine. And I need to leave and head back to where I belong."

"You belong here."

Rawon shook her head. "I don't. Please don't make me repeat myself." She freed her hand from Jin's grip.

Yulhee was visibly impressed by Rawon's stance. She shrugged at Jin before following her teammates out.

If anything, that left Jin seething in anger.

***

Once in the car, Rawon looked at her outfit, realizing that in all of her hurry, she had forgotten to change from her engagement clothes. She was still in the ridiculous gown and it was irritating to say the least. This was not the way a detective showed up to work. "I need to change. Stop somewhere." Rawon told Hocheol.

Hocheol glanced at her through the rear view mirror and chuckled. "We don't have time for this."

Taemin, who was in the passenger seat, turned and faced Rawon. "The Royal family is making you experience the weirdest things."

Rawon, who was removing the clips from her hair, scorned. "I almost thought I would have to stop being a detective."

"Not under my watch." Yulhee said with a smirk. "The King cares about his reputation more than anything. The moment I pose a threat to that, he will concede. That's the game you'll have to play as well, Rawon. The Royal family and the nobles are trying to desperately hold on to their past glory."

"I know that. I have lived that life." Rawon said, tying her hair up in a ponytail.

"But," Hocheol said in a contemplative tone, "While blackmailing them might work in the short term, we shouldn't poke them more than they will take. God forbid they do something to Rawon."

"It's not improbable. I don't trust rich people." Taemin added.

An uneasy silence took over the car. Yulhee squeezed Rawon's hair. She gave a reassuring nod.

***

They stopped near an abandoned one-story house. As they got down from the car, they saw the crime scene cut-off using tapes. There were people who had gathered around, but they were being held back. Rawon scanned the faces around, and felt uneasy owing to all eyes on her. She was getting recognized, and she knew it was bad for her job. Disguises would no longer work. Her outfit was the bane of her existence at present. She was waiting to get out of it.

***

A short distance away, Doksoo brought the car to a halt. He awaited further instructions from Jin. Jin, in the backseat, cleared his throat. "Find me a way to get inside."

***

Yulhee, Hocheol, Rawon and Taemin entered the crime scene in that order. The other detectives and policemen looked at Rawon and exchanged confused and bemused glances. Rawon kept close to the entrance as she observed the dead body lying in front of her.

It was allegedly the man who had attempted to kill Jin. His identity was yet to be confirmed, but the scene in front of her was not pleasing. He had shot himself in the head. Yet, the shooting incident must have occurred a few days back. The blood which had pooled around his head had now dried up. The body was rotting, and maggots had now taken over most of it. A dirty stench engulfed the living room, making everyone scrunch their noses.

A forensic expert who was kneeling down by the body, stood up. "Looks like he shot himself about five days ago."

Two detectives got down from the stairs which were at the opposite end of the entrance. They bowed immediately, causing Rawon to shift uneasily.

"Don't bow to me." Rawon said. "I am a detective here."

The detectives looked up and exchanged a confused glance.

"They aren't bowing down to you." came Jin's voice from behind.

Rawon grunted. "Not you again."

"What is it that you are looking at?" Jin asked. Shoving Rawon away, he went ahead to see the body. His determination and courage faded away the moment he saw the scene in front of him. A dead body. A pool of blood around him. Maggot eating away his skin. Jin felt repulsed. He felt nauseous, and prepared himself to throw up.

Rawon, who saw the change in his countenance, grabbed his arm. "You can't vomit here and destroy the crime scene."

"You care about the crime scene?" Jin hissed.

Rawon nodded nonchalantly. "The crime scene matters here."

Jin grunted and rushed out of the house. Rawon shook her head in exasperation.

***

Jin sat at the stairs, gargling. Fortunately, he did not throw up. But the stench of the place, and the scene he had witnessed were going to haunt him for a long time. He sighed. He remembered Rawon's expression when he was about to throw up. Not an ounce of concern for him. All she saw was the crime scene. She would remain a detective. Forever. She would never be his wife or the nation's Crown Princess. One act had been enough proof.

Rawon's actions had given him enough evidence of the fact that she loathed him. Yet, she he brought the bottle of water to his lips, he recollected the feeling of her lips against his. He smiled to himself. He still felt jittery. He wanted a clarification even though he did not have courage to ask for one

***

Rawon came out about an hour later. The crownd had dispersed by then. Apart from a few passer-bys, the area was empty. Policemen and detectives were heading to their cars as well.

A short distance away, Jin was waiting for her in his car. The moment he spotted her, he got out and called her name out loud. "Ju Rawon. Let's talk."

Struggling with her gown, Rawon headed in his direction. "I have no time for useless talk."

"Useless?" Jin scoffed. "I left the engagement party to be with you here."

"I did not ask for it."

"Do you not get it? You are embarrassing us in front of every single nation here!"

"And what about the fact that whatever is happening in my life does not reflect my consent? Who gave you the right to make decisions on someone else's behalf?" Rawon's voice was rising.

Jin pulled her closer and through gritted teeth, said, "Keep your voice low. There are people around."

"You should remember that too, Crown Prince. There are people around." Rawon freed her hand. "I'll leave now."

Jin grabbed her by her waist and pulled her closer. Rawon could feel his breath on her ear as he brought his face closer to hers. "Let's," Jin said with a smirk, "Make this a contract marriage."

Rawon turned abruptly, causing Jin's lips to brush against her cheek. "What?" Rawon exclaimed.

"A contract marriage." Jin said, moving his tongue over his lips.