Eric walked to Dayeong's room, figuring that he'd see Juyeon waiting outside. He was right. 

"Can you and Hyunjae switch places for a little?" Eric asked, standing in front of Juyeon. "Please? I want to see our parents. I need to talk to them... I need help. Can you take me to them, please? It's... it's an order," he said, the words surprising himself. He didn't like giving orders. But he needed to see his parents. He needed to know if they would be on his side. 

Juyeon looked at him for a moment before he nodded at Hyunjae, and the two of them wordlessly switched places. 

Eric followed Juyeon through the hallways, neither of them saying a word for a while. 

"You guys have a tough path ahead," Juyeon finally said, his tone of voice making Eric stop in his tracks. 

"What's with you?" he asked, eyes raking over his brother in worry. 

"Nothing," Juyeon said, averting his gaze. 

Eric wasn't convinced. Like Chanmi, Juyeon was usually really good at hiding any emotions. But he couldn't hide the confusion, sadness, and fear that flickered in and out of his eyes. He couldn't hide the fact that his voice was tired, laced with worry. 

Juyeon kept walking, and it was a few minutes later when he finally stopped and asked a question. 

"You guys are risking a lot. Why are you doing it?" 

"It must be because we love each other a lot," Eric responded, without hesitation. "Maybe losing this time we could have had with each other seems like more of a risk than anything else. Even if we lose the fight, and even if we lose each other later on... the memories with her are moments I'll treasure forever," he said softly, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "She's worth fighting for." 

"But how'd you know?" Juyeon asked softly. "How'd you guys know that you liked each other that much?" 

Eric shrugged. "She occupies all my thoughts. I'm happiest when I'm with her. The thought of her not being by my side makes me cry. I don't know. How does one explain love? You just... know." 

"You just know," Juyeon mumbled, his eyes thoughtful. 

"Why?" Eric asked. "Do you like someone?" 

"No," Juyeon said quickly, though he didn't sound very convincing. "Come on, we're almost there," he said, leading Eric to a part of the Palace grounds that Eric hadn't even known existed. 

"Wait... how long have we even been walking for? Is this a village? A whole village on the Palace grounds? You've got to be kidding me." 

Juyeon laughed at his reaction. "You've been here for months and still don't know about this?" he teased, leading Eric to one of the houses and pulling keys out of his pockets, opening the door. 

"Mom, Dad, Eric's home!" Juyeon called out. 

Immediately they were greeted with their parents, who hugged both of them as if they all hadn't seen each other in ages. It had been a little while. He still saw his parents, of course, but so much less than before. He missed them. 

"What brings you here?" his mom asked, holding his hand and leading him to the couch. The four of them sat there, just like old times, and that warmed his heart. 

"What, can't a Prince just visit his parents?" Eric teased, and she laughed ruffling his hair. "Actually..." Eric said after a moment, looking nervously at his mom and dad. "I do have something to ask you." 

"What is it?" his dad asked. Eric played with his fingers nervously and shared an anxious glance with Juyeon, who seemed to guess what he was about to say. 

"I fell in love," Eric blurted out. "Not with Dayeong, but with another girl. Dayeong knows... she's known since the beginning. We both have feelings for someone else, so you don't have to worry about her," he said, looking at the faces of his family members and surprised to see the surprise that was in Juyeon's eyes. 

"Anyway," Eric continued, looking at his parents. "I don't want to marry Dayeong. She doesn't want to marry me. But the girl I love... the King and Queen would never approve. I know this, and I'm trying to figure it out. I just wanted to know... would you approve? Even though she's not a Princess?" 

His mom smiled, squeezing his hand in reassurance. "Eric," she said softly. "Whoever you love has our approval." 

His dad nodded, giving Eric a small smile, though his eyes were laced with worry. "I agree with your mother," he said. "But I would warn you... you have a hard path ahead of you. I wish we could help you so that you'll be able to marry the girl you love... but there's really nothing we can do." 

"I didn't come here to ask for help," Eric said quickly, holding up his hands. "I just wanted to know if you'd be like... okay with it," he said, sighing in relief. "I'm glad you guys are on my side, at least." 

"We're always on your side," his mom said simply. "Now, when are we going to meet this girl? Why don't we have a quick meal together while you tell us all about her? Leave her name out of it though," she said, managing to hold her smile. "It'll be bad for us to know. But other than her name... come tell us everything." 

Eric grinned at his family, following them to the dining room. 

He was so happy at that moment. His family was on his side. They were going to have a meal together. 

Everything seemed almost back to normal.