Dayeong wanted to open the window at her seat, but she knew better. If she opened the window and photographers were there, they'd catch her by surprise. Her pictures wouldn't come out well, and that would be a problem.  

She'd spent so long trying to shield herself from the public eye. She saw how it affected her brother. Hyunjin bore it all with a smile, but in front of her, he was honest about his feelings. Being the Crown Prince, he was forced to be in the public eye. He was forced to take pictures and do interviews, and he was scrutinized for everything he did. Every action, even as simple as waving hello to someone, was something that could make the papers. It was something that people would be divided on, some praising and some hating on him. 

She'd never wanted that, and as an older brother, he hadn't wanted that for her either. 

Now, all of that was ending. 

"Your Highness, are you ready?" her guard asked, a young man named Chan. He was close friends with Hyunjin and ended up being like another brother to her.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying to prepare herself. "You won't be going with me to the Palace, right?" she asked, already knowing the answer. But she wanted to talk about something, anything, that would help her calm her nerves. Though, the idea of being parted only served to make her more scared. 

"Unfortunately not," Chan said, his eyes gentle and concerned. "We're going to drop you off with their security team and they'll take you from there." 

She swallowed, feeling nauseous. All she could do was nod as she stood up, smoothing imaginary creases on her dress. 

"You'll be fine," Chan assured her, seeming to realize how nervous she was. "Juyeon is the head of the team that's in charge of you. I've met him a few times, and I hear he's very reliable and capable. You'll be in good hands."

Yeah, but I have no one. No friends, no familiar faces. 

She could hardly believe that her parents were actually making her do this... but then again, they'd been prepping her for this moment her whole life. Prepping her to be the perfect Princess and the perfect Queen. She hated it. So, so much. When she was younger, she'd actually tried escaping multiple times. She never made it past the gates. 

"I'm ready," she said softly, closing her eyes, taking one more deep breath, and then opening her eyes and starting to walk out to the front of the plane. Chan walked in front of her, obviously so that he could shield her from any threats. 

Her nausea increased as she began walking down the stairs of her jet, and she tried to hide her hands in the folds of her dress. She tried to block out the sounds of cameras and yells from reporters as she followed Chan towards her new security team. 

When they stopped in front of her new guards, she tentatively raised her eyes to meet theirs. In front of her stood a boy with dark blue hair. A small smile came to her lips, the color blue reminding her of the ocean. Not that she'd ever been. Her parents had always felt it was too dangerous to go. They had a pool in the Palace grounds, but it wasn't the same. She'd always wanted to go to the ocean, but the closest she'd been able to get to it was through books. 

"Lee Juyeon," the boy said, bowing to her. "I'll be the head of your new security team. If there's anything I can assist you with, please let me know." 

She nodded, finding herself unable to say anything. She felt lightheaded and she dug her nails into her palms as she forced a smile and nod. 

Dayeong, hold it together. Please. You cannot, and I repeat, cannot, be less than perfect. Especially right now. 

"We'll get going," Chan said, bowing to her. The rest of her guards followed suit and then they were gone, leaving her with strangers. 

She looked up at Juyeon blinking rapidly. Her head was spinning and she was scared and felt the most helpless she'd felt in her entire life. 

"Your Highness, are you alright?" he asked, his voice holding a note of concern. 

All she could do was shake her head. 

"Do you need water?" he asked, gesturing to one of the other workers, who was holding a backpack of supplies, probably water, and first aid kits. 

She nodded, and he took a bottle of water from the bookbag, handing it to her. 

"Drink it slowly," he advised, and she nodded again, slowly sipping from the bottle. It helped, but she still wasn't feeling very well. 

"Do you feel better?" 

"A little," she whispered, finally feeling well enough to speak. "But... not great. Can we... can we walk slowly please?" she asked, her voice breaking a little. She dug her nails into the palm of her hands again, this time harder, hoping the pain would distract her. Juyeon watched her with a hint of worry on his almost emotionless face as she closed her eyes, taking deep breaths as she counted to ten. When she opened her eyes, she gave him what she hoped looked like a genuine smile. "Let's go," she said, hoping they'd get to the Palace quickly, and be out of the eyes of cameras and reporters. She still heard them and knew everyone was trying to get a glimpse of her, but her new security team had formed a circle around her, effectively blocking her from anyone's view. It made her feel safe as they started walking through the airport. 

That is until something hit her head. 

"Ow," she said softly, stopping and reaching up to touch her hair, which was sticky now. Juyeon turned around just as something else hit her. 

Were these... eggs? 

Before she could really register what was happening, Juyeon grabbed her arm and pulled her to the ground, using his body to block her from getting hit anymore. She heard things hit him as people tried to hit her, and though she saw pain pass through his eyes, he didn't move. 

In the back of her mind, she heard people yelling things at her. Calling her ugly, warning her to stay away from their Prince or else she'll go through worse. She heard death threats. 

"Help," she whimpered, reaching out her shaking hands to grasp Juyeon's shirt. He looked at her in alarm, and her vision became blurry with tears. Or maybe that was just because of the pounding in her head. She felt like the world was spinning. "I think I'm going to faint," she murmured, begging him with her eyes for help. 

"Cover me," he ordered, and for a second she thought he was talking to her. But then he scooped her in his arms and started to run. 

Her fingers held on tight to the fabric on his shirt, and she focused on that. It was the only thing grounding her at that moment. 

She closed her eyes and he ran.