I have ten full written chapters at this point wow. Also a bit of a time skip this chapter.

So I couldn't wait to post this chapter cause good things start happening so surprise double update!
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Junmyeon's POV

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~Two years later~

"I still kind of can't believe next week is your eighteenth birthday," Baekhyun said for perhaps the hundredth time this hour. The two of us, plus Heechan, were seated around a small table in one of the lounges, carefully stuffing invites into envelopes.

"You turned eighteen two weeks ago," I argued with him. "You know how it goes."

"Yeah, but we only had over a few people," he countered. "This is going to be huge because you are THE royal family. You run the country; my family runs a section of land." I opened my mouth to argue again, only to close it when I couldn't think of anything. Baekhyun grinned triumphantly. Little shit. But I did enjoy his company quite a lot, so I wouldn't ask him to leave. Besides, getting close to three hundred invites, for just outside royalty alone, was a daunting task. "Hey, who's Yixing?" Baekhyun suddenly asked, reading down his list of addresses. I tensed.

"A friend from two years ago," I replied. "Write King and Queen Zhang instead." Baekhyun shot me a puzzled look, but did as I asked. Heechan glanced to me, but I shot him a look and he shut right up. Truth be told, Yixing and I had kept in great contact for the first few months after our few weeks together. After that, it was reduced to a random phone call here or there and a handful of text messages that didn't make any sense. We never once Skyped, and we'd sort of lost contact completely starting sometime last year. We never visited, or made plans to. And a part of me was still angry over that fact.

"Uh oh, the thinking face is back," Baekhyun joked. I shot him a look as well, but he remained unaffected. "Who is Yixing then? I've never once heard you mention him, and we've been good friends for over a year now."

"Yeah well, maybe partially because we don't talk to each other anymore," I mumbled, continuing with my mundane task. Anything to keep my hands busy. "He's the prince of China. We became friends after our little party to celebrate the peace treaty between our countries a couple years ago, but we've since become so busy we don't keep in touch anymore."

"That's such a shame," Baekhyun said, adding the Zhang's invite to his pile of finished ones. "It's cool to have friends in other countries." I hummed in agreement. Soon we lapsed back into silence, the only sounds being rustling paper. I thought back to mine and Yixing's short time together. How genuinely happy I'd been. This made me realize exactly how much I missed that. Missed him. But a part of me also dreaded it. A lot could happen in two years. "Are you excited to see him again?" Baekhyun suddenly asked.

"I guess?" I replied. "I'm not particularly sure actually. We only had a short amount of time to get to know each other. He probably isn't even anything like I remember. Or what if he's already taken over?"

"I think we would've heard about that one, even down here in our seclusion," Baekhyun pointed out, and I cursed him for being the logical one for a change. "It's not every day power shifts to a new body. You made news all over the globe when it was announced that after you turned eighteen your father would be stepping down and allowing you to take over."

Oh yeah. I'd forgotten about that. I had a week to enjoy my sparse freedom, because after my party next week, I would begin my reign over the country. And a part of me was utterly terrified. I still didn't feel fully ready, but father wasn't doing so well these days. You could tell that years at the throne had begun to take their toll on him. He was slowing down subtly, and he was tired a lot. It was time for a young body to take over.

"Excuse me for a second," I muttered, rising from my place at the table. "I'm going to go make a phone call." I heard Baekhyun calling out something behind me as I left, but I ignored him. I closed the door to the longue, and then proceeded to lean on the wall next to the door. I whipped out my phone and scrolled through my contacts. My finger hovered over one while I worked up the nerve to actually push call. I finally did, holding it to my ear and listening to it ring. By the fifth ring, I was ready to hang up and forget the whole thing, but someone picked up.

"Hello?" a decidedly feminine voice answered. I frowned thoughtfully. "Who is this?" the person asked. I simply stood there, dumbfounded. "I'm hanging up."

"Wait, no, don't," I said hurriedly, finally finding my voice. "May I ask who I'm speaking to?" Good thing my Mandrin was improving.

"Jiang Ying Yue," the person replied. "Yixing's wife." And suddenly it felt like the room was spinning. "And who might you be? I don't recognize the name, though I admit you speak Mandrin well."

"Prince Junmyeon of Korea," I said softly. "I was just calling Yixing to tell him that we're sending out invites for my eighteenth birthday next week, and his family is invited. Do you want to pass the message along?"

"Yes of course," she said. "Sorry for speaking so harshly a moment ago. We'll see you in a week." And with that she hung up. For a long time, I stood there, trying to process what I'd just discovered. His wife. Yixing was married. Why didn't I know about it until just now? I stumbled back into the lounge and took my place back at the table. Baekhyun glanced up and clicked his tongue at me.

"It looks like you've just seen a ghost my friend," he observed, which just made me feel oh so wonderful. "What happened out there?"

"Oh, nothing," I replied. "By the way we're going to meet Yixing's wife next week."

"Oh shit really?" Baekhyun asked, forgetting about being professional. "I didn't even know he got married. You figure that would be all over the place."

"I didn't either," I said, staring down at my pile of half finished invites, feeling like I may throw up all over the table. "It was bound to happen eventually though." I glanced up to a wide-eyed Baekhyun, as some realization seemed to dawn on him.

"Was he that boy that..." I made a cut-throat motion when Heechan looked up sharply. "Ah, I see," Baekhyun said. "Well then that whole night I'm going to be your date," he announced. "Wherever you go, so will I."

"Thanks Baek," I said gratefully, going back to sorting invites. "For everything."

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Yixing's POV

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"Who was that?" I asked Ying Yue as she hung up the phone. Since I was driving, I hadn't wanted to answer it. And yes, for whatever reason, mother and father let me take up driving. Maybe it was because of Ying Yue. "Also, you're just my fiance right now," I reminded her, but it wasn't like I was actually mad.

"Prince Junmyeon," she said, and if I was any less of a driver I might have crashed the car. "His birthday is next week, and apparently they're throwing some sort of party. Your family is invited." And now it felt like I swallowed an ice block. I hadn't properly spoken to him in over a year. I thought he'd forgotten about me, but apparently I was wrong. "Didn't you guys used to be friends?" she asked. "What happened?"

"Life happened," I answered. "We got busy is all. Never really made time to see each other. Tried to keep in contact but failed miserably. He's focusing on taking control of his country after next week and I'm planning a wedding." Her small, dimpled smile had my heart skipping a beat. "It's coming quick," I said softly. "Six months is going to fly by."

"These last six have," she replied. "It's hard to believe you are the same awkward boy that came stumbling through our castle doors and could barely put two words together." I blushed, and she reached over and patted my knee affectionately. Some time last year, in the height of my self-doubt (had I ever really liked Junmyeon at all? I'd continually ask myself) I met the wonderful and brilliant Jiang Ying Yue, who I had an almost instant connection with. She was feisty and not afraid of anything or anyone, yet had the most gentle and caring side I'd ever seen.

We pulled into the round driveway in front of the palace, with Luhan standing near our limo looking like he may have a heart attack at any moment. Even now, when I said I was more than capable of taking care of myself, he still seemed reluctant to let me out of his sight. I parked behind the limo, leaned across the center, and kissed Ying Yue's cheek. She giggled. We both climbed out.

"Yixing, your..." Luhan began.

"What did I say about calling me Yixing?" I snapped at him, and a look of momentary hurt flashed across his features before it dropped into a neutral expression.

"Sorry, Your Majesty," he said sarcastically. "Your father requests your presence in the throne room." With that bit of news passed on, he turned quickly and retreated back into the palace. I sighed inwardly. But Ying Yue's family did not have personal connections with any of their staff, so to keep a good impression I'd been having Luhan call me "Your Majesty" instead. Or "sire." Whatever came out. But with it came a little feeling of guilt. It had come out a lot harsher than I'd meant to. Our relationship was strained anymore. Gone was my big brother Luhan, replaced by servant Luhan in his fullest.

"He shouldn't speak so informally to you," Ying Yue said, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Maybe we'll have to bring that up with your father some time. He's your assistant right?"

"Yeah," I answered, staring at the spot where he'd disappeared. "I'll talk to father, I promise. I should probably get going. Can't keep him waiting." I softly kissed her. "I'll catch up with you later."

"Alright," she agreed. We parted ways once we got inside, but instead of going down the hall to the throne room, I made my way to the staff section. A lot of them looked up and gawked as I passed. I halted in front of a room with a giant L on the door. I knocked.

"What?" a grumpy voice from inside asked, and Luhan threw open the door. "Oh it's you," he said with his arms crossed. "What do you want sire?"

"To apologize," I said, and he seemed taken aback. At the very least his as dropped to his sides. "That was way out of line, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for a lot of my behavior lately. I know it's not ideal, but this is only for a little while longer, I promise." Luhan sighed, taking his fingers through his hair.

"You know sire," he said, and I frowned. "I thought you finding your fiance would be a good thing." He paused, pursing his lips. "Never mind." I took the time to glance into his room, and was shocked to find it was surprisingly bare.

"Where's all your stuff?" I asked. He glanced behind him.

"Your room," he responded. "But Ying Yue has forbid me from going up there." I didn't know that before now, and now I was a little miffed.

"I'll make sure you get it all back," I promised him. He simply ducked his head. "I have to go see father. Take care Lulu."

"Goodbye sire," he said, retreating back inside his room and closing the door. For a moment I stood there, debating knocking again and inviting him to talk some more. But it seemed clear he didn't want to talk right now, and I didn't even blame him. Instead I moved off to the throne room, making a mental note to talk to him before I went to bed tonight. Maybe invite him back up to the room that had been his just as much as it had been mine.

"Ah, Yixing," father said as I approached. I bowed lightly. "We're moving the wedding up to September." It took a second for that to sink in.

"That's two less months of planning," I said. "Can we pull off a wedding in four months time? Don't forget in addition to finding a location for both the ceremony and the reception, we have to send out invites to our multitude of guests. Four months is a bit short notice, don't you think?"

"Ah, there's a reason for this though," father said, leaning forward on his throne and lacing his fingers together. "I'm sure you heard it announced recently that Prince Junmyeon is going to be taking control from his father as soon as he turns eighteen." I nodded. The whole world had heard that bit of news. "Well in October you will turn eighteen as well, as I'm sure you're well aware." I listened patiently. "I want you to take control then."

"Wait, what?" I asked. "Are you sure father?"

"I've been running this place for thirty years Yixing," he replied. "It's going to be nice to sit back and relax for a change. You can handle it. I know you can."

"If you're so sure," I replied. "Alright then. Are we going to make an official announcement, both about the wedding and the change of power."

"After Junmyeon's party next week, yes," father answered, and I wondered briefly how he knew of that. "That was all, you may go," he said. And so I did, feeling a lot worse than when I'd entered.

...

Ta da, Yixing's soon-to-be wife Jiang Ying Yue. Her name is so pretty.