Kim Namjoon smiled a little as he stood back and watched her from a distance, making sure she couldn't see him. She sat across from the princess, speaking animatedly as if she had just returned from an adventure and couldn't wait to tell someone about it. The Princess smiled, nodding slightly towards her apprentice. When Lady Sarang was with the Princess, Namjoon could only see that side of her. She always tried to maintain a stoic demeanour in front of others, not allowing them to see her for who she truly is. Namjoon on the other hand, was completely smitten by her.

"Are you paying attention, Namjoon?" Asked the Crown Prince, who seemed to be talking to himself for a moment as he gazed across the lake.

"Yes Your Highness." Namjoon bowed to his Prince again, this time fully facing him, despite the fact that he was two steps behind and his gesture would not have been seen.

"How do you stay so quiet all the time? Don't you have anything to say? You spend the entire day with me so you must, right?" The Prince turned around this time, causing Namjoon to close his eyes before making unintentional eye contact.

Namjoon had a lot of things to say, most of which were about Lady Sarang. Being the Crown Prince’s guard, he didn't have much of a choice. Even though he and the Prince grew up together and were practically inseparable until their teen years, he had to keep everything inside. An invisible wall was built around Namjoon the moment he was officially assigned by the King to protect his one and only son.

However, he was always content to listen to the Prince speak. He was still his best friend. He vowed to serve him for the rest of his life rather than pursue his dream of becoming a general and leader of the royal army, and he only did so because he cherished and loved him like a brother. He was well aware that Seokjin, the crown prince, felt the same way about him. He had no regrets.

"I much prefer listening to your words, Your Highness," Namjoon responded, his gaze fixed on the ground.

Seokjin laughed and nodded. "How about a ride? The weather is perfect," he asked, turning to resume his walk down the path that led to the palace's main gate.

"I will have the horses ready, your Highness." Namjoon looked back one last time, his heart heavy with longing. He envied the Princess because she had spent so much time with Lady Sarang. He could stare at the fair maiden all day and never get tired of it. He looked forward to seeing her every day, even if it was for only a second, his obligation to be by the Crown Prince’s side all the time makes it difficult, and there were even some days where he wouldn’t even see her at all.