ENDING: Love Again

3RD PERSONS VIEW。

before, taeyong's daily life only consisted of hours and hours of training. to get rid of the pain left from the incident, he became more distant and strict towards his brothers.

he would always blame himself for what happened – for not being able to see through the lies; the fake actions. he was blinded and once the truth was revealed, it felt like he had been pierced by a bullet to the heart.

he promised himself, to always ensure his brother's safety, to protect them even if it meant sacrificing himself – just anything for them. isolated from anyone who he saw as a threat, staying hours inside his dark, cold room whenever he had nothing to do, taeyong was broken.

but now... everything has changed. his brothers and himself all because they met jaeyoung, the 'normal village girl' they thought she was who ended up being the actual lost princess of district valfield, a descendant of queen hera.

taeyong whistled as he patiently waited for the car to stop, seeing the vast white gates of the valfield castle made him smile for some particular reason. his heart beat quickening its pace as the car door opened.

he stepped out, greeting the maids and butlers that were present as he arrived. "taeyong! you came earlier than i expected." hyuwon grinned as he greeted the prince with a hug.

"dropping formalities as soon as you see me, huh?" taeyong chuckled and hugged him back. "where's jaeyoung?"

"she's in her study, i swear i could hear some crying." hyuwon scrunched his face, a slight pout on his lips, "she's really being hard on herself... i'm so glad you decided to come! at least, cheer her up a bit?"

taeyong nodded, giving him a faint smile, "that's why i'm here, aren't i?"

the third prince of heflorescence followed suit as they guided him inside the palace, nothing really much changed, the place just seemed more lively than ever, maybe because of jaeyoung?

new paintings and portraits were hung up on the wall making him smile since most of them consisted of jaeyoung – he was really happy that they finally found her.

"princess haera is inside, your highness." one of the guards standing by the wooden doors of the study told him, bowing down politely.

"yes, i would like to see her." taeyong said and with that command, they opened the door for him to enter. walking in quietly, despite the sound of the door creaking was loud enough, he could see the girl with her face being support by her arms as she laid down on the desk to sleep.

he let out a soft chuckle, finding it cute to see her sleeping peacefully. eyes roaming around the room, he could see some scattered books in some places and he instantly thought of her brother, hyuwon. "these two really are siblings- they're both so messy." he muttered and started cleaning up while she slept.

afterward, he made his way to her desk and decided to wake her up. "jae? jaeyoung? injae?" he slowly shook her away, sometimes would give her little pats on the shoulder.

it took him a few minutes until she began to wake up. she gradually pushed her self off the desk, instantly rubbing her right eye as a yawn escaped her lips. adjusting to the light in the room by blinking a couple of times, looking up to see no other than taeyong.

recoiling, she was bewildered to see him here. cheeks flushing beet red, she quickly sat up straight, minding her appearance to her posture. "i- i, um, taeyong!"

"a princess shouldn't fall asleep during her study- and create a mess." he said making jaeyoung slightly frown a bit.

of course- taeyong would want someone who's more of a princess than you. that was what jaeyoung always thought whenever taeyong would scold her for something. she felt downhearted just by it.

what was jaeyoung doing sleeping in the study anyways? well, of course, she had been studying, but why?

simple. she had been trying to teach herself, to improve what she had been taught. all of these royal responsibilities suddenly dropping on her shoulders were making her conscious. she was annoyed yet she still finds herself trying, for her family and for taeyong.

she wanted him to see that she could do it, though she also wanted to see him as who she was... no titles, no status– just her, the village girl.

taeyong noticed her dispirited and that made him think. is she okay? is she pushing herself to hard?
because for all taeyong knew, she shouldn't. she was perfect just the way she was; simple, humble, and kind.

those aspects of jaeyoung were the ones that really caught his attention, especially when he first met her. remembering the conversation she had between her bully struck something in taeyong. jaeyoung was interesting and that kept taeyong going.

she may have her own flaws such as being ignorant to different things, but overall she was selfless. she cared for others and understood them even when they were trying to push her away.

the prince stretched out his arm, letting his hand fall in front of jaeyoung, "how about we go for a walk."

"what...?"

"come on, to ease you up a bit." he insisted, taking her hand in his then interlocking their fingers with each other. he gently yanked her out of the study, leading her down the empty hallways of the castle.

they stopped at the balcony, taeyong pushing the doors open to let them out. jaeyoung had been to this balcony a lot – especially during the times she needed to clear her mind, she was quite glad taeyong had brought her here, she really needed some fresh air.

"are you okay, jaeyoung?"

"huh... yeah- of course i am." she smiled but the prince could tell it was forced making him stare at her, dissatisfied.

"you don't have to push yourself too hard." he stated and gave her a back hug, resting his head on one of her shoulder, inhaling her sweet intoxicating scent that made his heart beat faster.

jaeyoung closes her eyes, enjoying the warmth taeyong was giving her. everything was just perfect with him – too perfect. being with him felt like no matter how much she saw him differently, he would still and always be that prince.

"jaeyoung?"

"hmm?"

"i like you."

her body stiffened and taeyong could notice that. his grip around her loosens as he turns her around to face him. he looked directly into her eyes, getting lost in such beauty. "i like you... i really do. maybe even not just like..."

she was speechless. it was like everything had stopped around them, no one in the world but the two of them.

"h-how... but i thought- i thought—"

jaeyoung didn't expect this at all- she thought he only saw her as someone who helped them, someone who changed their perspectives again, but no, this prince was in love, no doubt he is.

"i thought you'd like girls who... well... act more like a princess."

he pressed his lips together before speaking, taking her hand as he laced them with his.

"well, you're wrong. i like you for who you are just like how you see us as who we really are. even if you're not a princess, i'll still like you, because jaeyoung... i'm in love with not just you but also your soul."

"jaeyoung, i- seeing you just makes me happy. you made me realize different things and you make me feel like i want to be with you forever. i like you not because you're a friend or someone special."

"i like you to the point i want to marry you." he breathed out, before looking down.

"okay, i know you probably don't like me back but–"

"i like you too." she cuts him off softly, causing him to shot a look up.

a wide smile stretched upon his lips as he hugged her, "i thank you so much."

jaeyoung chuckled, "because?"

"you made me feel love again."

she looked away, feeling flustered by his words making him chuckle deeply and pull her close. his eyes landing on her pink lips, wanting to kiss her then and there.

jaeyoung giggled before wrapping an arm around his neck, pulling him down to place a kiss on his cheek. "angel, you missed."

she raised a brow, "what do you mean?"

taeyong pouted and pointed at his lips, "you missed the right spot."

jaeyoung scrunched her nose cutely as a melodious laugh left her lips, "did i, bubu?"

taeyong rolled his eyes playfully, "can i?"

"of course." taeyong leans down, capturing her lips with his.

mother is right, when you fall in love, you don't just fall for the person, but you fall in love with the person's soul.

they pulled away, looking deeply into each other's eyes. taeyong closed his eyes as he hugged her again, resting his head on the crook of her neck, "angel, i think i just fell in love with you all over again."

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