Chapter 85: Von's past 2

The next morning...

I couldn't help but smile while riding in the palanquin. I was so excited I felt like I was about to burst.

I wanted to see the crown prince, bond with him, talk about all sorts of things, and eat together.

I laughed to myself. Throughout the night, I imagined many things with the crown prince. I even imagined that we kissed and got married.

"My lady..."

"Huh?"

I didn't even notice that we had arrived at the palace. I hurriedly got out of the palanquin and went to my parents' side.

I tried to hide my smile. I shouldn't let the crown prince know how excited I was to meet him again. I needed to stay calm and composed like a true noble lady.

The guards escorted us to our chamber.

Our chamber was spacious and tidy. Everything we needed was already prepared.

"Let's head to the king's chamber now," my father announced.

I nodded, glanced at the mirror on the wall, and checked my hair and dress before heading out.

As we approached the king's chamber, I saw a familiar face — the crown prince. He was heading there too.

Seeing him made me feel even more excited and happy, although, as always, he remained emotionless.

"Your Highness," my father greeted him.

The crown prince looked at my parents and returned the greeting. I was standing beside my mother, but he didn't even glance at me.

"Are you going to your father's chamber too?" my father asked.

"Yes."

"Then let's go together."

He nodded and walked with us. I followed behind them.

I frowned. Why didn't he greet me? Am I invisible?

"I heard you'll be staying here for three days," the crown prince said.

"Yes, that's what your father told me," my father replied.

"Is this about the wedding?" the crown prince asked.

My ears perked up at the conversation.

"Do you really want to go through with this, Your Highness? I can still speak to your father and—"

The crown prince interrupted. "He said it's for the betterment of the country. So whatever it is, regardless of my feelings, I will follow his orders."

Regardless of his feelings?

Since I was a child, I have believed that one of the greatest things that can happen in life is marrying someone you love.

I heard his answer yesterday, but this time, it felt much deeper. I would agree to marry him because I like him—but what about his feelings for me?

Okay, okay. Calm down. This is just the second time you've met. Don't take things too seriously or move too fast for now.

I didn't even realize we had already arrived at the king's chamber. We went inside and greeted the king and queen.

The king and queen seemed very fond of my father and mother. They were like family. My mother was close to the queen, and the king was very close to my father. I looked at the person quietly sitting in front of me. He was just observing the oldies.

"Hey…" I whispered, calling him. That's when I realized—I still didn't know his name.

He looked at me with a blank face. As usual.

"Do you want to play?" I continued whispering, trying not to interrupt the conversation of the elders.

He didn't respond. After a while, the food arrived.

Since he ignored me, I decided to just focus on eating. Maybe I'll ask him again later.

"When will the wedding be?" the king asked while sipping his tea. We had already finished our lunch.

"I want it to happen as soon as possible," the queen said.

"Let's talk to the children first. Let's hear their suggestions," my father added.

They all looked at us. I glanced at the crown prince, who was still looking at the elders.

"What do you think, Crown Prince? When should we have your wedding?" the king asked.

"Whatever you think is best," he said coldly.

Can't he just say what he really wants?

I raised my hand. "Ah, Your Highness." I paused. Everyone was waiting for me to continue. Even the crown prince turned his attention to me.

"I want to get to know the crown prince better. It's not easy to get married at such a young age." I paused again.

"Continue, my lady," the king encouraged.

"We will use these three days here in the palace to get to know each other. And by then, we'll decide when we should get married."

"That's a good idea," the king chuckled and looked at my father. "Your daughter is so smart."

Smart? But I didn't say anything that made me sound smart...

Lunch was over, but the adults kept talking. I was getting sleepy since I couldn't follow the topics they were discussing.

My head was heavy, and my eyes were closed. I couldn't help but doze off.

"Let's go outside."

Huh? Who's talking?

I was still half-asleep and ignored the voice I heard.

I snapped back to my senses when someone grabbed the sleeve of my dress.

"Huh?"

"Stand up. Let's go outside."

"Ah, okay." The sleepiness vanished. I stood up, the crown prince still holding my sleeve.

"Allow us to go outside," the crown prince said.

"Of course. You may go anywhere you want, except outside the palace," the king said with a meaningful smile.

We bowed our heads, then stepped outside. Once we were out, the crown prince let go of my sleeve.

"Where are we going?"

"We?"

"Yes, we," I replied.

"I'm going alone."

"What?" Did I hear him right?

"Didn't you want to roam around the palace and escape from those boring topics?"

Is he talking about our parents' conversation?

"Why would you say that about our parents? That's disrespectful."

"Aren't you the one being disrespectful? You dozed off while they were having a conversation."

I shut my mouth. He had a point. But still—why would he leave me?

"You can't just leave me here alone," I said.

"And why?"

"Because… because the palace is huge."

"The time you went to the garden, weren't you alone then?"

I shut my mouth again. But I wouldn't let him leave me here.

"Don't leave me here. Didn't you hear our parents? They want us to get to know each other."

"You're the only one who wants to know me. I'm not even interested in getting to know you."

Ouch. That hurts. Has he always been like this?

He walked away, leaving me where I stood. But since I didn't want him to leave me, I ran after him and walked beside him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I'm going with you whether you like it or not."

"I'm not asking for your opinion."

"Me neither," I said sarcastically.

He stopped walking. "Don't follow me," he said coldly.

"You're so cold," I blurted out without thinking. "You have wonderful parents, yet you act as if you're carrying the weight of the world."

He looked stunned by what I said. Maybe he didn't expect it from me.

"I want to get to know the person I'm going to marry. Let's be friends."

He stared at me in surprise, but our conversation was interrupted.

"Min Yun!" the crown prince called.

"Who is she?" Min Yun asked.

"Just a visitor."

"Excuse me? I'm not just a visitor. I'm your future wife."

"Wife?" Min Yun repeated, surprised.

"Yes."

"Is that true, Your Highness?"

The crown prince nodded.

Min Yun smiled. "So, you're in love."

"I'm not!"

"That hurts," I muttered.

"I don't care."

"Your Highness, stop being cold."

"I agree with you, Min Yun."

"Tsk."

"I'll leave now. I don't want to interrupt you," Min Yun said with a meaningful smile.

I blushed, but the crown prince seemed irritated.

Min Yun left us. The crown prince didn't say a word. We just kept walking in silence.

I followed him, not knowing where he was going.

Eventually, he stopped in front of an old chamber.

"What are we doing here?" I asked. It was definitely not his room.

"My hideout."

"Hideout?"

He didn't respond, but he entered the chamber.

I followed him inside. I looked around. From the outside, the chamber looked dirty and abandoned, but inside, it was surprisingly clean and neat.

I saw different paintings hanging on the walls—not the usual paintings we see in our world. The paper looked old, and I couldn't tell what kind of ink he used.

He sat on a wooden chair, picked up a piece of paper, and started painting.

It was like I wasn't even there. He painted as if he were completely alone.

I stood there, watching him. The way he moved his brush made me like him even more. I looked at his face. He was still as serious as ever, but this time, I saw emotion—an emotion I couldn't quite figure out.

I had been standing for about an hour, just watching him paint. I didn't even feel the pain in my feet, because I was enjoying the moment.

"Are you not going to sit down?"

Finally, he noticed me. And this time, he didn't sound angry.

"I like watching you," I said, not realizing what I'd said until it was out.

He paused, his brush still. Then he looked at me, straight in the eyes.

"You like watching me?"

"Paint. I like watching you paint."

I saw the corner of his lips twitch slightly—but only for a second.

He didn't say anything and returned to his painting.

"Get a chair and sit beside me if you want to watch me paint," he said.

I followed what he said. I looked around for a chair, and when I found one, I immediately took it and placed it beside him.

"What are you painting?"

"Haven't you figured it out?"

"Not yet."

"Figure it out."

I frowned. He was really harsh to me.

"Can you speak more gently? It seems like you've never talked to a woman before."

He stopped painting and looked at me.

"Can't you just sit there and watch quietly?"

"Can't you just speak nicely like I do?"

"Tsk."

"See? I told you to be nice," I said.

"Get out of here and find a nice guy who's willing to talk to you."

"But I like you."

He was stunned by what I said.

I could see his ears turning red.

I smiled. I totally forgot that this world is different from mine. I couldn't help but act like Von, not Isha.

"Leave me alone."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I want to be with you. See? You told me to bring my chair beside you, so I just followed."

"Tsk," he muttered, then continued what he was doing.

I secretly smiled. Maybe a little push is all it takes until he likes me too.

I didn't know how many hours I stayed there watching him paint. I didn't even realize I had dozed off.

The next thing I knew, I was lying in bed.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw an unfamiliar room.

I got up and walked out. I saw the crown prince still painting, though this time, it looked like he was adding finishing touches.

"How did I end up in bed?" I asked.

"What do you think?"

I frowned. "Can you please stop answering me with a question?"

"Why not?"

"Argh!" I said in frustration.

"Hahahaha." He laughed.

My frustration turned into amusement. I was amused because the crown prince laughed. It was my first time seeing him like that. He looked even more handsome. I think I'm falling in love with him.

"You know how to laugh," I said.

The crown prince stopped and returned to his emotionless expression.

"I prefer your laughing face over your cold one."

"I didn't ask," he replied with a frown.

"Still, try to laugh more often. You're more handsome when you do."

"Have you already fallen in love just because I laughed?" he said, walking toward me.

I thought he'd stop when he got close, but to my surprise, he slowly moved his face nearer to mine.

Our faces were just inches apart. One move and our lips would touch.

"Do you already love me?"