At this point, I'm updating whenever I finish a chapter. That's why people say it's better to publish a book when you have the chapters ready cause dear Lord, I am tired. With all going on with my life, I can't publish chapters when I intend to publish them. Either I'm too busy or too tired. But thank you for sticking with me. You guys are literally the best.

Enjoy the new chapter and we will see when we see each other again :]

"Oh wow, everyone's here!" Chae exclaimed, at the sight of the entire castle minus the two of them waiting at the terrace. "Wow, best friend!" She turned to look at him, as they climbed the steps leading to the terrace. "You've outdone yourself,"

"It's not much," Chan blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh give yourself some credit," She laughed.

As they entered the terrace, a pile of bodies crashed into them. "Oh my God-" Chan yelped out, his back hitting the ground due to the weight of Felix, Jisung and Changbin throwing themselves on him. "Sana, I can't breathe-" Chae gasped out, her ribs crushing under the body weight of Sana, Haeun and Momo.

"At this rate, they're gonna end up killing the both of them," Yeseul snickered, watching the pile of bodies. "Okay, okay that's it!" Lee Know stepped forward, detaching Felix from the rise of bodies over Chan. 

"Let the man breathe or this party's not starting at all," Yeosang laughed from the side. "Come on; up you get." Hong Joong helped Chan up. "I think my heart got squeezed a wee bit," Chan breathed heavily. "Just say you're old Hyung," Seungmin teased, earning a glare from the oldest.

"Come on, let's get up," Won Han stepped forward, helping Momo up. "She's turning blue, Haeun-ah!" Hajun laughed, watching Chae struggle to breathe under the weight of Sana and Haeun. "Oh I'm sorry," The two of them immediately got off Chae. "God, you crushed me," Chae wheezed as Han and Jongho pulled her up.

"Never ever do this to me the two of you," Sana glared through her tears once the two of them were back on their feet. "5 years Han Chaewon? And Chan you!!!" She pointed an accusing finger at the younger. "All you needed to do was make one call, you dumbass-!"

Chan hung his head low. "Ah enough!" Chae interjected. "That's enough dwelling on the past! It's over, it's done, it's gone. I don't want any mentions of that anymore. I gave him enough hell for it already. So lay off my best friend now," She protectively grabbed his hand, pushing him behind her.

"Look at them," Felix teased. "Now that Hyung has Noona, they're gonna forget everyone else," "Yeah yeah Lix, stay mad," Chae said, shaking her head. "Yeah well, she is my best friend after all," Chan shrugged, his face smug.

"Okay enough," Yun Hyeok suddenly interrupted, her tone making everyone turn to look at her. "I mean, the cake's gonna melt at this rate and that would a huge shame," She tried papering over the sudden awkwardness.

"Yeah sure let's go" Momo nodded, skipping towards the cake table. "What's with her?" Haeun asked Chae, indicating Yun Hyeok's tone. Chae turned to look at the girl who was overly invested in helping Sana and Momo set the table. 'Later,' Chae indicated.

"Many more returns," They heard his voice before they sensed his presence. "I'll just-" Before Chae could stop her, Haeun was out of sight, a teasing grin on her face. "Seonghwa, thank you." Chae turned to face him, feeling her cheeks heat up. How in the world did this guy look so good in a navy button-up and jeans?

"And once again, it's no need." He smiled. "You look happy," He pointed out. "I am." Chae nodded, "After a long time, I feel like my heart's at ease," "I can tell," Seonghwa smiled, but this time it looked kinda bitter.

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Wooyoung suddenly interjected and given his voice volume, everyone had to turn their attention to him. "What are you wearing, Hyung?" He pointed at Chan's plain white shirt and shorts. "Clothes..." Chan answered, clearly caught off guard. "You can't be wearing these clothes," Changbin chimed in. "Neither can you, Chae;" He looked at her.

"But-" "You guys honestly do look a bit out of place," Eun Kyung pointed out. "No offence though-" She hastily added. "I took that personally," Yunho interjected, making Eun Kyung roll her eyes.

"She wasn't even talking to you-" Jongho was pretty confused. "Thank you, Jongho-ssi;" "Yeah but I still took that personally," Yunho shrugged. "Oh hush now you two!" Momo silenced them before a squabble ensued. "Go change you two," She looked at the best friends. "The cake can wait,"

"I'm going with her or she's showing up in jeans and a t-shirt;" Haeun grabbed Chae's hand and dragged her out of the terrace. "Come on Hyung," Hyunjin took Chan by his hand and left the terrace.

"10 bucks say Haeun was just ready to get out of sight," Jeongin laughed. "You're telling me," Seungmin agreed. "Give it a rest," Sana warned. "She just had a meltdown in front of all these people. Anyone would be embarrassed,"

"Where were you?" Hajun jumped in her spot, a bit away from the crowd, sipping a coke. "Changbin!" She gasped, steadying her breathing. "Don't sneak up on me like that,"

"Where's the fun in that?" He smirked mischievously. "You little-" Hajun rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever," Changbin waved her off. "Where were you?"

"I was here, what do you mean?" "Yeah sure and I'm tall," He pointed out. "You came like 3 hours before after you were gone for a whole week," "You noticed that?"

"What exactly do you take me for?" He asked, instead of answering questions. "Of course I noticed, now where were you?"

"I went home." She answered curtly, praying that Changbin won't ask much. "Is Hayeon still the same?" Hajun's entire mood got ruined at the mention of her step-sister. "She's worsened;" Another short reply.

"And here I thought she had hit the bottom;" He chuckled, making Hajun crack a smile.

Hayeon was the nightmare of Hajun's life; which was bought in by her life by her stepfather. As much of a good man her stepfather was, Hayeon was exactly that much of bitch. Though her jealousy and unprovoked hatred towards Hajun were always carefully concealed; it had gotten worse ever since the sealed envelope came from the kingmaker herself.

"I don't know how you even stand her." He shuddered, his face scrunching in disgust. Hajun secretly agreed. "I have no choice but to Changbin;" She let out an exasperated sigh. "It's kinda hard to ignore someone you usually share a home with;" "Sheesh calm down! I was just teasi-"

Hajun shifted in her place Changbin was talking, causing the orange sunlight of the day end to illuminate her upper cheekbone. Changbin halted mid-sentence; squinting to take a clearer look at Hajun's cheek. "What the fuck happened to you?" His growl was accompanied by a murderous scowl on his face and Hajun knew she was screwed. And if she didn't calm him down immediately, she'd be in even bigger trouble.

"Changbin calm down-!" She hissed, grabbing his hand. "Hajun, there is an obvious bruise under the ridiculous amount of foundation on your cheekbone and I wanna know who the fuck is responsible for that!" Hajun's anxiety spiked up as his eyes trailed all over her face and neck, obviously looking for more.

"Changbin please, everyone will hear you." She pleaded, squeezing his hand. "I fell off Star and bruised my cheek, it's nothing serious! Please calm down." It physically pained her to throw her beloved stallion under the bus but Hajun didn't want him to know the truth.

"And you expect me to believe that?" Changbin scoffed. "Hajun, you had Star when you were 16. You ride her like you've been born doing it. You obviously don't think I'm that much of an idiot;"

"Mistakes happen Changbin," She insisted, "I pulled her harness too hard and she got agitated. It's alright, it's just a bruise; please Changbin." Changbin wasn't exactly the type to let something like this go. He stared straight at the bruised skin, his expression stony.

Hajun forced a smile at him as if to say, 'i'm fine'.

If she was ready to push the blame on Star, then it was obvious that Hajun didn't want to reveal the person who was really responsible. He wanted to push more but now was not the time. So, he just looked down and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

Soon after, Chan entered the terrace dressed in a silk black shirt and black ripped jeans. Unknowingly, Changbin walked to the little group, still holding Hajun's hand.

"Oh look! The grim reaper is here to celebrate;" Momo teased, indicating his colour choices. "I swear I tried to convince him to wear anything that wasn't black," Hyunjin sighed. "At least he looks good," Lee Know shook his head.

"Hey! It has colours other than black," Chan protested, pouting. "You mean the chain on your waist and the accessories?" Sana pointed at the long silver dangling from his belt hoop and the earrings and chain he wore. "Sure Channie, even the Grim Reaper has the right to accessorize;"

"Ah, Noona!!!" Chan whined, earning a teasing laugh from everyone. "It's fine Hyung, you look good." Changbin slung an arm around the older's shoulder. "Says him," Hajun teased, side-eyeing Changbin's black t-shirt and dark jeans. "Come on! It's not that bad," He argued, his voice amplifying as it always does when he's worked up. "Sure Hyung," Jeongin teased, laughing along with Hajun.

"Aren't you sight for the sore eyes," Jeeseun glared at the man who had suddenly joined her. Of course! Who else could it be? Who else in this castle would be the perfect person to annoy her more than she already was?

"And why do you care?" She snapped, glaring harder. "I don't actually," Hong Joong sipped his own drink. "Then?" She rolled her eyes soo hard that it kinda felt uncomfortable. "You sure you can handle it?" The teasing smirk on his face made Jeeseun want to slap it off. "Cut the shit, Kim," She snarled, her patience dangling off the edge of a cliff.

"I mean," Hong Joong shrugged, "-it's kind of an eyesore to see someone standing looking like they have to take a huge dump but won't go for some reason." Jeeseun's mouth fell open at the crude insult the prince threw her way. He gave her a rather instigating smile before walking away, well before the girl could recover from the shock.

"That son of a bitch-" Jeeseun hissed gripping her champagne flute. Slamming the fragile object on the table beside her, hard enough to almost make the glass shatter and was going to charge at the Prince until she felt a harsh pull on her hair.

"What the-" "Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't do it," Now this voice, though Jeeseun knew it well, she wasn't sure if they'd ever talked one on one. Now she was pulling on her hair?!

"Stay still if you don't wanna lose hair-" Yang Ryannae commanded, making Jeeseun madder than she actually was. "Then freaking let go of my hair, you lunatic!" "What guarantee is there that you won't pounce on the Prince the second I let go;" Ryanne waved the girl's insult off like it was an annoying fly. "Okay okay I won't-" Jeeseun hissed, the roots of her hair now starting to tug rather painfully. "You said it," Ryanne finally released Jeeseun's hair.

"What the heck was that for?" She demanded, fixing her hair. "If I didn't then you'd be making another stupid mistake and you'd be kicked out of this place," "Yeah well as if I give two shits!" Ryanne rolled her eyes, "Yeah sure and I ain't borderline obsessed with Hyunjin,"

"Now that's one way to say that you have a crush on him," Jeeseun rolled her eyes, reaching for another flute of champagne.

"All I'm saying is;" Ryanne once again, waved off her comment like it was nothing. "I and Yuriko have messed up as it is. You pouncing on Prince Hong Joong will do nothing but ruin your own reputation. Sure you don't care about staying here but you do care about the image you have; don't you?"

Jeeseun could only nod silently. "But that rude jerk-!" "I heard him loud and clear." Ryanne was a few months younger than Jeeseun but the way she talked, Jeeseun felt like she was 3 inches tall around the girl. And she didn't like it one bit.

"Just ignore him 'cause no one would bat an eyelash if you were kicked out. But him leaving because of you?" Ryanne gave her a look. "I promise you, honey, you're dying a virgin and being labelled a harlot for the rest of your life;"

"She's got a point you know;" A third voice added, stunning the girls. Min Eun Kyung stood, dressed in a dark blue collared dress, sipping whiskey. "Now when did you get here?" Ryanne asked, raising an eyebrow. "I have been here," She took another sip. "You guys were too engrossed in each other to notice;"

"Well pardon me Ms, Min," Jeeseun drawled sarcastically. "We didn't think you'd have the time to mingle with the commoners after all that squabbling with Prince Yunho," "Shut up before I actually pull out some of your hair," Eun Kyung gave her a look, which while looking harmless, clearly meant that she meant every word of her threat.

"What's with you two wanting to murder royalties? Sheesh!" Jeeseun shrugged. "Yeah well you deal with Royals as annoying as them and I'd like to see how much patience you have with them," Eun Kyung barked, her fists clenched in seething anger. It was as clear as daylight that she detested the tall prince who was now chatting with his brothers.

"Twenty bucks say these two end up falling in love," Ryanne snickered. "You're on!" Jeeseun nodded. "I heard you and no! I'd rather choke on lego than fall for that prick-" Eun Kyung hissed, clearly very much done with the Yunho talk.

"Jeez calm down! I'm just saying-" "No don't say;" Wounded, Jeeseun turned to Ryanne, who simply nodded.

They might've been too annoyed to notice anything. But when the three girls stood together, they made their surroundings look bleak. They were gorgeous but their beauty wasn't one for the fairy tales. They were too tainted to be that. They were, somewhere in between. Neither too good nor too bad.

"Hyung, you did not-" Seonghwa gasped as Hong Joong finished. "I didn't take you to be the teasing type," "Yeah well I didn't take myself to be the teasing type as well," The shorter man shrugged. "Then why-?" Seonghwa was rather curious as it like very unlike Hong Joong. Out of all the boys, Hong Joong was least likely to tease someone, much less a noble lady belonging to a foreign country.

"I don't know, it's weird really." He admitted, running a hand through his hair. "I simply can't resist the urge to annoy her. Which is very unlike me. But damn! It's soo much fun making her mad,"

"Just straight up say that you like her," They both turned to acknowledge the owner of the third voice. "What-" Hong Joong gasped at the taller boy's comment. "That's ridiculous! Why would you say that?"

"Because Hyung, you yourself said it. You can't resist the urge to tease her. And that's not like you. You're going against your habits to drive her up the wall. You don't like that she pays attention to anyone else but you. And that enough is a clear indication that you like her,"

"Now how on Earth-?!" "Because you are going against your usual habit to annoy her. Which person does that?" Yunho answered Hong Joong's question even before he could fully get it out. "Someone who likes the other person or someone who simply detests them; and trust me Hyung, even a blind man can confirm the fact that you don't hate her."

"Like you don't hate Eun Kyung," Mingi butted in the conversation, tilting his head in the girl's direction who stood parallel to them. "Now where's that coming from?" Yunho gave him a bewildered look.

"You, Jeong Yunho, go to extreme lengths to annoy the shit out of that poor girl. And it's your theory in action." Seonghwa and Hong Joong nodded, casting teasing smiles at the taller, who seemed rather flustered. "Yeah well, Hong Joong Hyung fancies Jeeseun. I detest that shortie," "She's pretty tall though," "171 cm is not that tall," Yunho scoffed.

"Now how do you know that?" Wooyoung, who was up until now listening quietly, butted in and wiggled his eyebrows, rather surprised at Yunho's antics. "Cat got your tongue?" Mingi asked his best friend, rather teasingly at the lack of his response. He truly was rendered speechless. He looked to protest but fell short of words.

"Now is when he goes silent," Seonghwa joined in. "Oh look, Chae Noona is here," Seungmin suddenly announced, removing the attention from Yunho. Which the boy was very thankful for.

They turned to look at the entrance of the terrace, where Haeun walked in dressed in a lilac sweater and wide-legged jeans. Soon followed by Chae, who was dressed in high waisted plaid navy skirt and white sweater. Seonghwa's mouth parted in surprise as she walked in, her ankle boots clicking on the marble floor.

"Now that's a man in love if I've ever seen one," Mingi whispered to Hong Joong, earning a snicker and a nod.

"Is it just me or are Han and Haeun, kinda matching?" Risa looked at Yeseul and Wonhan then back at Han, who was clad in a dark purple sweater and denim jeans. "They are matching," Wave nodded, sipping her drink. "Even Chae Eunnie and Seonghwa-ssi are," Chaewon pointed out.

"Glad you guys aren't blind," Yuriko said, rather sarcastically. "What are you on about?" Jieun turned to squint at the younger girl. "Nah, you guys are blind. Especially you, Yun Hyeok." Wonhan jibed, making Yun Hyeok pout. "Now what did I do?" She asked, rather offended.

"You know damn well what you did, Eunnie," Wave gave her a look, leaving Yun Hyeok utterly confused. "God, you're hopeless," Jina sighed, massaging her temple.

to be continued....

Jeez Yun Hyeok, how dense can you get? And how do we feel about Ryanne, Jeeseun and Eun Kyung's impending friendship? These three are the Ko Mun Yeong, Jang Man Wol and Yoon Sae Bom of this book. Now, who gets who? You guys can decide amongst yourselves.

Anyway, that's it for this update. I'll see you guys soon.

bye bye

Love

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