Wooyoung couldn't help but smile as he saw his best friend walk down the staircase. Her radiant smile washed over the people in the room, himself included.

He waited patiently as she greeted her subjects, chatting quietly with some of his fellow performers. They were on the bottom of the list when it came to importance in this room. Most people ignored them, until it came time for dancing. But he had gotten used to it. He had been with this troupe ever since he was a little boy.

When the princess had entered the ballroom he had slipped in, standing in the corner. He could see her neck muscle twitching as she worked to keep her head from turning to find him. He knew all her signals, all her motions, he probably knew her better than she did.

They had met when she was five and he was seven. It was his first time going to the palace. He wasn't old enough to perform yet, but he could at least help the rest of the troupe. The princess had come to watch with the rest of her family and the queen had fallen in love with their music, so they were hired on to stay for a few months.

The troupe was given rooms on the palace ground, and seeing as there were no other children around, he had fallen in with the prince and princess. The three of them would play for hours at a time, running around in the gardens.

The siblings cried when the troupe had to leave, having committed to a festival in a neighboring kingdom, but they promised to return as soon as they could.

As the years passed, the three grew together, although visits were becoming fewer and farther apart. But that never put a strain on the friendship.

When Seonghwa was old enough to take on more responsibility, it left Wooyoung and Kita to fend for themselves, allowing them to grow closer. He had even stolen a few secret kisses, deep in the gardens and away from prying eyes.

He knew it was wrong. She could never be with a mere street performer. And even if she could, he still had several years left in his contract, keeping him bound to the troupe. But that didn't keep him from wishing.

His smile grew wider as he watched her make her way through the crowd. It had been almost a year since he had seen her, their longest gap yet, but the King had made sure to book his troupe for the ball the last time they were in town.

She looked beautiful in her gown. Wooyoung felt his face heating up a little bit and was thankful for his stage makeup, already giving his cheeks a pink color.

Then her crystal blue eyes met his.

.

.

.

.

Kita finally made it to the corner of the room and stopped, trying hard to contain her excitement. He was the only person who made her feel this giddy.

Wooyoung bowed, never taking his brown eyes off hers, then took her hand and kissed it. "Happy Birthday, Your Highness." He had a slightly mocking tone to his voice.

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to see you again." She said, adopting a very formal tone and dipping into a curtsey.

They had an entire unspoken conversation as they stood there just staring. There were too many people around for them to fall into their friendship, but that didn't stop them from just wanting to be near each other.

"Wooyoung, good to see you again." Seonghwa said, interrupting the moment.

The younger quickly bowed. "Your Highness, the pleasure is mine."

"You're not corrupting my sister, are you?" He reached out to shake the performer's hand, smiling.

"I would never." He said, running a hand through his black hair.

Seonghwa hummed and turned to Kita. "It's almost time, did you get something to eat?"

"No, not yet. I just got here Hwa." She said, pouting a little.

"Well, duty calls. You'll have plenty of time later." He nodded once to Wooyoung and then led Kita over to the food tables. She glanced back over her shoulders and smiled when the performer winked at her and walked away.

After her brother forced her to eat a few things, they went back to meet their parents and her father took her hand, leading her to the center of the dance floor.

The performers prepared themselves as the guests moved to the sides of the room. When the music started, the King led Kita around the room to a moderately paced waltz.

"I'm very proud of you. You've grown into a fine young woman. I hope you know what you mean to our kingdom."

"Thank you, Father. And I do. I feel honored that I can help our people. I will do my best to help Seonghwa too, when he takes over."

"I know you will." He smiled. "You've inherited all the wisdom, grace, and compassion from the gods. You are a bright future for this kingdom."

They spun and circles for a few more minutes before Seonghwa came to cut in. Soon other couples joined the dance floor, enjoying the music coming from the corner of the room.

After a few more turns around the floor, Seonghwa stopped them by the door leading out of the room and winked at her before walking away to join a brown-haired boy standing in the corner. He waved at Kita, and she waved back.

Then she felt a hand brush against hers and she saw a red sleeve disappear around the corner. She followed without hesitation, greeting anyone she passed. When she got to the garden, she let her pace quicken, knowing exactly where he was taking her.

Their rose garden. She stepped around the final bush and her breath caught in her throat.

Wooyoung stood waiting for her, a bright smile on his face as his head tilted to the side. "There she is." He said, not bothering to bow now that they were alone.

Kita blushed and stepped closer to him. He lifted one hand and ran it down her braid. "We really need to stop meeting like this." He whispered.

"No, we don't." She said, staring up at his face. If her parents knew what she really wanted, they would probably never let her see him again. While they loved him for the person he was, there were still standards that must be followed, and she was destined to marry someone of noble blood. But that didn't stop her from taking advantage of the infatuation that had formed between her and the performer.

"I'm sorry I don't have a better present for you." He said, a sad hint to his voice.

"You're my present, Wooyoung. Seeing you has been the best part of my day. I've missed you."

Wooyoung smiled, placed his hand on the side of her face, and kissed her. It was filled with passion. They knew these stolen moments were few and far between, so they made the most of it.

When they broke apart, Kita leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her. She sighed, enjoying the feeling, wishing it could last.

But as always, it couldn't. One of the palaces trumpets sounded, announcing the arrival of a late guest.

Kita stepped back, meeting Wooyoung's eyes again, before he smiled at her and walked her back to the castle, keeping a respectful distance away once they were back in view of the guests.

The atmosphere felt a little different when they stepped through the main doors. Many people were muttering to each other and some sent nervous glances in Kita's direction. She looked at Wooyoung and saw her confusion reflected on his face.

"Princess Lakita."

She turned to see the brown-haired boy from earlier rushing over to her. "Yeosang? What is it?"

"Your father needs you in the main ballroom, immediately. We have an, ah, unexpected guest. Get your game face on." He looked worried. As the palace wizard, he was the royal family's most trusted consultant. If he didn't like what was going on, then it had to be bad.

Kita felt a quick brush against her fingers and wished she could turn around, but Yeosang had placed a hand on her back and was ushering her to the back of the ballroom. Silence followed them. In the middle of the room, there were several people in armor clustered around something, or someone.

She looked at her parents, but both looked stone-faced and were staring at the new arrivals. Seonghwa on the other hand, looked nervous, his eyes flicking between Kita, Yeosang, and the visitors.

When she stepped up to take her place at her brother's side, she got her first look at who was causing the commotion.

She had to admit that he was rather handsome, in a dark mysterious way. He held himself in a way that said he was at least a noble, if not a royal. His chin was raised just slightly, thin eyes narrowed in concentration, and his black hair was striped with red streaks. He ran his hand through it, pushing it so it flowed back from his head a little. He wore an all-black, finely made military styled outfit accented with a few silver and red chains.

"Ah, I'm so glad you could join us, Princess Lakita." He said, the corner of his mouth raising slightly. His voice was smooth, but you could hear the power behind it. "Now that we are all here, please allow me to introduce myself."

He bowed his head only, a sign he was definitely a royal.

"I am King San from Volkin."