"You are but a day married and you have already started to lie to him?", the tall man before Anabella asked. 

She lifted her hand to her mouth and shook her head, "I cannot tell him about my secret. Not yet."

"And-", her eyes widened as she removed her hand from her face, "-if I am not to tell him anything, it is not lying by definition."

Yunho smiled and shook his head. 

"He's going to figure it out soon.", Jongho said from where he was cleaning his sword with a crystal blade and a golden hilt. 

"I never even got any cake.", a pout sealed into her mouth. 

"Here. You can have mine.", Mingi picked up his plate from his lap and handed it to her. 

"Thank you, Mingi.", she smiled. 

Yunho and Mingi had been childhood friends, spending their afternoons in the local playground while their mothers ran errands in the market nearby. Once they had traveled to the next town to further their studies, they have moved into the same university dorm. And, in their sophomore year, they had found Jongho, a freshman with little knowledge about the world. 

But, while they studied mathematics and history, the three young men were also part of an elite protection agency, led by Jongho's father. And, Mr. Choi precisely had been the one to get them to the palace after Hong Joong had been demoted to the army. 

And, their hearts had been softened by the princess's kind demeanor and even insistent stubbornness. Anabella would leave small cups of coffee, prepared each to their liking, with a note of gratification beside it, by their training grounds every morning. 

Hong Joong and San walked out into the grassy area a few yards away from the palace, San taking a seat beside Anabella on the ground while Hong Joong took his across from them. 

Yeosang and Wooyoung followed behind, dispersing across from the grass.

"Now that you are all here, I believe it is best that I tell you about what happened.", Anabella fixed her dress, the grass poking her upper thighs, making her squirm around. 

"What happened?", San asked, his eyes scanning hers. 

A small smile played across her face the sun illuminating off her skin, "Seonghwa says he is to give me the kingdom on the night of coronation."

San choked on the piece of cake that he had stolen from Anabella as everyone else looked at her in shock. "What?", San squeaked out, his hand at his throat and his cheeks flushed.

"Seonghwa is going to demote the power to me.", she grinned, the corners of her eyes crinkling, "I'm going to be queen."

Her happiness made everyone hesitate to point out her naivety.

"Anabella, that's impossible.", the oldest out of the group, only a few months older than the princess, said, his brow creasing. 

"Do you believe I can not rule this kingdom?', her face full and her eyes hardened, causing ever someone as dangerous as Hong Joong to shiver. 

"T-That is not what I said, Anabella. There will be an uproar from Sonar's people if the kingdom is handed to a woman and you know that.", Hong Joong replied. 

She bolted onto her feet, her dress falling around her red, sore skin. "This kingdom will learn to respect me as their queen. Whether they want to or not.", her eyes trailed across the crowd, her full lips twisted up in a scowl. 

"Anabella, they will raise chaos.", Yeosang cut in.

"Then, we will retaliate against them. I am to be their queen and they will treat me as such.", tears threatened her eyes, disappointment burning through her like a hot dagger. 

"It's best that you turn down Seonghwa's offer. For now. We can not afford to have a civil war with all the threats we have from nearby kingdoms.", Hong Joong said. 

Anabella turned to San, desperation in her golden eye. 

"Ember, they're right. It's best to keep the peace with the villagers. You're capable of ruling, no one is saying you're not, but they are not capable of changing.", he stood and placed a hand on her arm only to retaliate. 

Her skin was burning. 

She closed her eyes and a sigh escaped her lips before she opened them, "I have done more than enough to prove that I am capable of running this kingdom."

When everyone kept quiet, she continued, "And, I am not going to waste my hard work and become a child-making slave."

"Anabel-"

She grabbed Jongho's sword and the blade was now at Hong Joong's throat. A silence fell on the group of friends as the commander of Sonar's army looked up at the princess, fear burning in his eyes. 

"Try to stop me.", she whispered. 

With that, she dripped the sword and walked off. 

What'd you think?