"Princess, wake up."  

Dayeong's lips curved into a smile, hearing her new nickname. "Say that again and then maybe I will," she said, not opening her eyes. 

"Princess, wake up," Juyeon said, amusement in his tone. 

Her heart did a somersault and she sat up, rubbing at her eyes and yawning. She slowly opened her eyes, watching as he walked around the room, checking on the security measures as he did every morning.  

"Today you have to go with Eric to check out your new room," he informed her, and if he was harboring any jealousy about that, he didn't show it. "You guys were supposed to go yesterday, so you should definitely go this morning before the King and Queen are on your backs about it." 

"How do you feel about me sharing a room with Eric?" she asked, putting on her slippers and making her way to the bathroom to wash up. 

"I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me a bit," he admitted, but then shrugged. "But I trust you, and I trust Eric. So it's fine." 

Dayeong gave him a sleepy smile before grabbing her outfit of the day, slipping into the bathroom, and going through her morning bathroom routine. When she exited, he was sitting on one of the chairs waiting for her. 

"That's a pretty outfit," he commented, walking over to meet her. He interlaced their fingers together and she tilted her head, studying him. 

"Your outfit is pretty too," she said, looking at his suit. "You look really good in your shirt," she murmured, her voice taking on a hint of mischief as she looked up at him. "But I bet you'd look better with no shirt." 

She watched triumphantly as his eyes widened, the tips of his ears tinting pink as she made him flustered. He coughed awkwardly, looking away. 

"You..." he started, but trailed off, unable to say anything else. 

"What?" she asked innocently, placing her hands on both sides of his face and turning him to face her again. 

He rolled her eyes at her playfully before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss that took her breath away. When they parted, she ended up being the one who was flustered. 

Dayeong wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head on his chest. "I want to stay in your arms forever," she told him. "Can't I just have the day off?"

Juyeon laughed, hugging her back. "I think not. You're the future queen. You have work to do." 

"Don't say that," she complained, shuddering. She peered up at him, suddenly curious. "Yesterday you apologized for being too scared to confess sooner. Why were you scared? Because the chances of us actually being able to like, stay together forever, are so low?" she asked, the words sending a physical pain through her heart. 

"I'm worried I'll ruin your life," he said simply, giving her a sad smile. "I thought it would be better if we didn't get into a relationship. I thought you'd hurt less, in the long run, that way." 

She blinked tears out of her eyes as she looked up at him. "If you keep being so sweet, how do you expect me to stop falling for you?" she teased, sighing as she leaned into his embrace again. 

"We have to go," he told her. 

"I don't want to," she muttered, but she let go of him anyway and went to check herself in the mirror. "Are we taking pictures today? No, right?" 

"I don't think so. Why?" 

"I'd have to change if we were," she said, spinning around as she looked at her reflection. "I don't think I look good enough in this." 

"You look gorgeous," he said sternly, putting his hands on her shoulders and leading her towards the door. "But I hope no one notices except me," he added, making her laugh. 

His hands dropped from her shoulders and he opened the door. She heard him take a deep breath, and when she glanced up at him, his face was expressionless again. 

Not her boyfriend anymore, he was her guard now.