"Oops," Juyeon muttered, a sheepish smile gracing his lips. "I probably shouldn't have said that."  

"What... how long have you known? When were you planning on telling me?" Eric asked, trying to keep his anger in check. 

"Um..." Juyeon said, scratching his neck and not quite meeting his gaze. "For a while. The work I've been doing... the thing that's been keeping me busy-" 

"So you've basically known since I got here?!" Eric shouted, shooting to his feet, unable to control his anger anymore. 

"Listen, Eric, I couldn't tell you," Juyeon said, also standing up. His eyes were wide and worried. "I'm really sorry, but I was under orders." 

Eric turned away from him, blinking away tears. "Whatever," he muttered, not wanting to look at him right now. He took a deep breath. "Okay," he said softly, trying to reason with himself. Juyeon really couldn't do anything. His orders came from the King and Queen, and he wouldn't want to risk getting in trouble. He couldn't tell him. 

He took another deep breath before turning around. "Juyeon, I can't get married to her. There has to be a way to stop it." 

"If it's not her, they'll set you up with a Princess from another Kingdom," Juyeon said, his eyes apologetic. "Why don't you give her a chance? You never know, you might fall in lo-" 

"I'm dating Chanmi," he blurted out, watching the shock and horror pass across Juyeon's face. 

"What?" Juyeon said, his voice barely a whisper. "Are you kidding me? Do you even know the kind of situation she's in right now? Do you know what could happen to her if you're caught? She'll be kicked to the streets! They might blacklist her... she'll never get a job and she'll die!" Juyeon said, his voice becoming louder. Angrier. "What are you planning on doing if you get caught? How will you protect her?" 

"I don't know," Eric sighed, sitting back down on the bed. "I'm still working on that, okay?" He shot Juyeon a sidelong glance. "Why are you so angry? You don't like her, do you?" 

"Of course I like her," Juyeon said, rolling his eyes. "I like her as a friend. We've been friends for years... she's almost like a little sister to me. So don't get her in trouble," he continued, eyes narrowing. "Don't do anything that'll get you guys hurt." 

"I don't want to marry some Princess," Eric whispered, feeling lost. For the first time in his life, he had absolutely no idea of what to do, or even where to go from here. He had no next steps. "I don't want to marry some Princess," he repeated, voice softer. "I want to marry Chanmi."