TRAZE freezes for a moment after Taeyong said those words. This guy is out of his mind again. She removes his hands wrapping around her and slumps on the ground, thinking of what to do with the poor lad. Looking at him up close, she finds him better-looking than when he's awake and furious. She waves her hands infront of his face, but the guy doesn't budge. "Hey, are you asleep now?" she mumbles, still waving her hands.

Just then, Taeyong grabs her hand, startling her. "I told you to stay close to me, didn't I?"

"Will you stop doing that? If not, I'll leave you here until you freeze to death," she threatens.

Taeyong slowly releases his grip on her. "I just... want you to stay," he speaks again in a soft voice, this time tears escaping from his eyes.

Traze pauses for a moment, looking at him. Did he just break up with his girlfriend? Sighing, she brings out her handkerchief and wipes the tears running on his cheeks. "You must've had a really bad break-up, mate. Alright, stay right here. I'll go get help." She stands up, but Taeyong stops her by the arm again.

"Can't you stay for a while?" he asks again, looking at her.

Taking a deep breath, she just nods and sits back on the ground again. "This is supposed to be my chance with Prince Jaehyun. Why do you have to show up?" she mutters, picking on the grass forcefully.

There was silence for a moment, not until Taeyong speaks again. "I'm sorry."

Traze snaps her head at him, stunned that he actually just apologized. "You should be."

"I just need someone to talk to."

She senses a hint of misery in his voice that she can't help but feel sorry towards him. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"Am I unlikeable?"

"Ye, you're a total mingebag," she says bluntly.

Taeyong nods, stifling a bitter laugh. "That must be why she left."

"If you really like that girl, then you should change for the better," she blurts out.

"Rubbish! I didn't do anything wrong. She left just like that."

"Maybe you did. You just didn't know it."

Taeyong falls silent for a moment. Just then, they hear a voice approaching. "Patricia? Where are you?"

"That's Prince Jaehyun!" Traze quickly stands up, turning to Taeyong. "Stay right here. I'll be back, alright?" But the guy doesn't respond, as if he doesn't hear her. She walks back towards the gazebo, still barefooted and finds the Prince searching for her.

"Patricia, where did you go? I'm sorry if it took me so long to get back here." The Prince apologizes, then notices her bare feet. "Does it ache a lot? You must be freezing. Do you wanna go inside the Palace?"

"Oh, n-no. Your Highness. I mean, Jaehyun. It's alright. I'm alright," she assures him, even though the Prince is right about her aching feet.

"Here. You can use these." The Prince hands her a box, which takes her by surprise.

"W-what is this?" she asks.

"Open it," Jaehyun says, smiling.

When she opens it, she sees a pair of red flat sandals, which totally looks beautiful. "T-this..." she mumbles, looking at him.

"A present for you. I initially bought it for mother, but they don't fit her. I was hoping they might fit you."

She suddenly feels lost for words. She has never received a gift from a lad before, aside from her dad and friends. More importantly, the Prince is giving this to her, which makes it even more surreal. "I... I..."

Jaehyun smiles at her, bringing out the shoes from the box. He suddenly kneels down and positions the shoes on her feet. "Perfect fit," he says, looking up at her.

Traze gulps down, hoping the Prince doesn't notice her heightened anxiety at that moment. "T-thank you," she finally manages to say.

The Prince stands up, towering her again then offers his hand. "Shall we go dance now, milady?"

Before she can say yes, she suddenly remembers Taeyong behind the bush. "Y-Your Highness... can we just help someone back there? He's smashed and needs someone to help him go back home."

"Oh, really? Where?"

Traze leads the way, as they reach back the bush where she saw Taeyong. But when they get there, he's no longer in sight. "Where is he?" she mumbles, searching around.

"Was he here?" Jaehyun asks.

She nods in response, sighing. "I told him to stay put."

"Is he your friend?"

"Oh... uh... y-ye? Sort of."

"Do you want me to order some guards to find him?"

"Uh... n-no. That's not necessary. Maybe my other friends helped him. I don't want to bother you," she says, bowing at him.

"Patricia, it's alright. It's my duty to make sure no one's hurt especially tonight."

Traze nods. "I understand. I'll just go inside and check if he's there. I'm sorry, Your Highness. I've got to go."

The moment she steps back inside the Hall, she immediately regrets not being able to dance with the Prince. But she also feels guilty yet again for Taeyong. After seeing him shed tears, she knows that there's something inside that he's keeping and not telling to anyone even his brother.

"Traze, where have you been? You've been missing out on this party," Izzy says, as Traze reaches their table.

She scans the Hall, looking for any trace of Taeyong, but to no avail. "Have you seen..." She pauses, as she finds Mark on one of the tables from across the room. He's busy chatting with his friends, but his brother is not with him. "Where is that lad?"

"Who?" Taeil butts in from behind, startling her.

"No one," she waves him off, shaking her head. Why do I even care if he's safe or not? She dismisses this thought and sits next to Chelsie instead, whom she catches staring blankly on the floor. "Chels, you alright?" she asks, tapping her arm.

Chelsie turns to her, quite surprised. "O-oh, Traze, you're here."

Traze raises a brow in confusion. "Ye. Did something happen?"

Chelsie shakes her head, forcing a smile. "N-no. Nothing."

"Alright. If you say so." Traze slumps her back on the chair, pretending to be amused with the dancers on the center, when in fact, her mind is drifting off somewhere.

Moments later, she notices Prince Jaehyun back inside the Hall. How can she not when he's the most beautiful man in her eyes? She watches him, as he offers his hand to a lady next to their table, whom he recognizes to be a daughter of a Duke and Duchess. Suddenly, she feels insecure and intimidated. What did I expect? He won't ever fancy someone like me. He deserves a real Princess, who is evidently not me.

"Hmm, I smell jealousy around here." Izzy appears next to her, smirking. "Why don't you ask the Prince to dance with you?"

"M-me? Ask him? No. That's... out of the question." Traze shakes her head vigorously.

"What? I've seen a few girls ask him tonight. It's not gonna hurt to try, bunny. Besides, he's too kind to reject you or anyone for that matter," Izzy points out, which is true.

"I just don't want to embarrass myself, Iz."

"Or did you two dance the night out at some secret place earlier?" Izzy wiggles her brows in suspicion.

"No, Iz. We didn't get to dance, unfortunately."

"Really now? Then why did you change shoes? Where did that come from?" Izzy points down below, pertaining to her new sandals. "I don't reckon that's yours."

Traze sighs, giving up. Her bestfriend really notices everything even if she doesn't say a thing. But before she can even answer, a blonde-haired girl wearing a sparkly black dress suddenly shows up infront of their table, shooting her sister a glare. She turns to Chelsie, who is stunned for a second.

"I heard you're not an Elite, so what the bloody hell are you doing here?" The girl exclaims, catching the attention of the guests near them.

Chelsie slowly stands up, her balled fists trembling. "I... I..." she stammers, looking down.

"Chelsie," Traze mumbles, holding her hand, which feels unusually warm. Then, she stands up to face the girl. "Excuse me, ma'am. You're right. We're not Elites. But we came here in peace to celebrate the Prince's birthday."

"I'm not talking to you, so bugger off." The girl points at Chelsie with her brows creased in the middle. "You! Why can't you answer me?"

Chelsie is on the verge of crying already, but she's trying so hard to control it. She hates losing the most. But if losing means protecting the pride of a bourgeois, then she's willing to give up.

"Kiera!" Someone suddenly hollers, approaching their table. The youngest prince moves towards Chelsie, placing a hand on her back. "This lady is my guest. I invited her here so stop questioning her," he finishes, causing everyone in the room to gasp.

A/N: Ah! The drama! LOL XD Remember Kiera? Anyhow, Prince Jeno is there to rescue Chelsie so meh... haters are allowed to comment so don't hesitate. The comment box is free down below! >_< Btw, congrats to our NCT babies for winning at GDA! Have you watched their perf? DJ Johnny during firetruck's intro was daebak!

Thank you for reading this again! ^^

QOTD: Why do you think did Taeyong cry back there? Hmm...

~neoluv