-The Gardens

@Lee Jongsuk From the reaction that she had gotten from the older, she could obviously see a mix of emotions running throughout his face. Anger, hurt, shock- all of them, really. Just as she was about to comfort him and tell him that it was okay, he had gripped her hand and with her eyes wide as plates, she was brought into his chest in a rough manner. "J-Jongsuk?" She stammered and widened her eyes a bit more; she mentally was thanking that he could not see her face for he would have surely noticed the red streaks slowing appearing upon her cheeks. Her small, frail arms slowly raised up behind him and hugged him back tightly, her hands lightly into his shirt. "It's okay," she whispered against his chest, "You had no idea."

@Bae Suzy ? The guards? Her parents and his parents? Where were they when this was happening? The blood in his body had begun to boil and for once, he could feel the anger he’s been keeping for years reach its breaking point. That was one thing he couldn’t stand about a “man”. How could they even live with themselves after the act of sin they created? He squeezed her fingers gently and tugged her forward so she could be brought in his chest. And then, he hugged her tightly. It was a hug that he had dreamt about giving her years ago, instead of the shouting of how he wish he’d never have to see her again. He was just so… childish and upset back then. So upset that he’ll have to be alone again after she left. Running his fingers through her hair, he sighed and pecked her forehead. “I’m sorry… I-I didn’t…” He stopped himself, feeling ashamed that he would even try to defend a monster like him.

@Lee Jongsuk From seeing the look on his face that Jongsuk had given her, Suzy sighed and looked around their whereabouts; she figured that now it would be a time to tell him about what /really/ when down with her fiancé. Reaching down to gently clasp his own hand with hers, Suzy gently and slowly guided him away from where others were able to hear. The last thing that Suzy needed was her father demanding war against her (ex)-fiancé's kingdom. "Jongsuk," she whispered softly as she sat on the couch that sat against the window. "He was not as good as he seemed. He may have seemed like he was, but he was not looking for a wife. He was looking for a maid, a mistress, and a toy- and he had just happen to choose me." Suzy hesitated for a minute before she sighed heavily and nodded her head. "And yes, he was first, but...it wasn't like I had hoped. Others may not call it so, but I am to call it ," she mumbled and slowly raised her hand to gently clasp her mother's red pendant that laid on her neck. "So, Jongsuk, now you know why as to why I did not cry or was upset when he had passed."

@Bae Suzy All jokes were to the side when she brought up her fiancé again. In a way, he felt bad for being a bit relieved that he wasn’t with her anymore. He was always worried about her safety and how she was going to be treated with someone like him, but he knew it was wrong wishing bad things towards others too. So, all he could do was pray that she would end up being blessed. Running his fingers through his hair and finally taking the chance to look over at her in all of her natural beauty, a sad smile had graced upon his lips. “I can only imagine what you went through, losing someone who was supposed to be your significant lover. I wouldn’t be too thankful, Suzy. He’s still… gone.” He struggled to say, disliking the fact that death was so quick to creep up on others. “I’ve seen so many couples from afar lose each other because of that war… They were newly weds, just like you were – and I thought about you, and if you were alright. If there was someone there holding you or shielding you from the tortuous flashes from the bombs flying off in the distant, or the deadly lightening that continued to strike that night. I kind of feel bad now.."

@Lee Jongsuk Watching as the latter stood high and mighty in this palace that she stayed in, Suzy smiled at her best friend's posture when she could easily see that when it was time, Jongsuk would make an amazing- no, incredible king. "And what would happened if I were to hurt you like that again? Why would I need to be sorry, Jongsuk?" She asked as she peered up at his large self and giggled slightly; she always remembered how small Jongsuk was when she had left. The latter had hardly reached her shoulders, but now, he stood almost towards the sky and literally towered over Suzy when the two were next to each other. "I did miss you, Jongsuk," she whispered as she sat down on the luxurious, white seat and peered out at the window. "But, I am kind of thankful. Had my idiotic, control-freak fiance not died, I would have never have been able to see you..."

@Bae Suzy “She’s engaged to someone else,” he reassured strongly as he slipped his hands into his pockets. “And she really enjoys skinship, so she comes off as too “strong” by everyone in this present’ day. But I’ve grown used to it ever since I was young.” He smiled bashfully at the thought and relaxed his shoulders a bit as he leaned against the wall. His eyes would occasionally move towards the working maids and servants and onwards towards the other princes and princess making their way down the hall. “There’s no need to be sorry… but, if you ever hurt me like that again, I guess you would have to be sorry.” He softly as he pushed himself from the wall and looked over at the large clock hanging on the ceiling. “We have some minutes to kill and possibly the entire day if you don’t have to go anywhere. I told Daisy that I haven’t seen you in forever, and would make up my time with her later. But right now, at least today while I have a chance, I want to spend it with you.”

@Lee Jongsuk The longer she and Jongsuk stood in the main hallway, listening to him list and contemplate as to what was wrong with her, the more nervous and uneasy Suzy had become. She knew that if he had continued listing things, he would end up figuring out what was wrong with Suzy and why had she acted like so. Yes, she was jealous to say the least, but she knew that she had no right to be with Daisy and Jongsuk being engaged like so.

"I'm fine, Mr. Lee-" She had begun to talk before she suddenly paused and froze at the feeling of his large hand gently touch against her forehead. For as long as they were able to move and talk, Jongsuk had always kept an eye- or two- out for Suzy. Because he was a prince, her father, and mother before she died, both agreed and allowed her to hang out and be-friend Jongsuk because the latter was a prince himself. Her father claimed it as "bringing their kingdoms together as one family"- except Jongsuk and Suzy were not getting married.

The second that Jongsuk had figured out exactly what was wrong and had addressed it to Suzy, the young princess widened her eyes and slowly felt a heat of embarrassment come along. "Y-you're not engaged? B-but the ring on her finger...and how she clung onto you as if you were her fiance himself." Suzy stared at him in shock for a few more minutes before she lowered her head and frowned. "I'm sorry, Jongsuk. I just saw the ring and..."

@Bae Suzy It was evident that Jongsuk wasn’t the smartest individual when it came to relationships and anything prior to that, but he could tell whenever he was at fault for someone’s misfortunate. When her fingers slowly slipped away from his, he fought the pout/frown that was ready to spill on his lips and gazed down at her in confusion. Really, what did he do? Was he bothering her? Why did she suddenly want to go to her room and the library the moment she stumbled across him? In a way, he knew she was lying, at least – he felt as if she was lying, and that hurt him more than anything. But that didn’t hurt him like the formalities that rolled in afterwards. Was she serious right now?

Could it be…

“Are you not feeling well?” He asked her bluntly, with a hence of concern mixing in his face as he checked for her temperature. Damn him for being so naive. “Why are you acting this way? Since when did you feel the need to call me by my last name? It’s not like—“ And that’s when realization had hit him. But she couldn’t possibly… Oh no! He held no ring, and she was just a good friend of his. But was this a sign of… what did they call it, jealousy? Could it be a sense of regret that he was supposedly engaged to someone? The thought had made him heat up in shock and his head to quickly shake afterwards.

“My god! Daisy is really attractive, just like you and all of the other women here, but I have no intentions of marrying so soon.” Laughter erupted afterwards. “My god, you had me frightened, darling. I really thought I did something bad…” Rubbing the back of his neck and shyly gazing up at her, he slipped his left hand in his back pocket and smiled softly. “She’s just a friend. One who enjoys touching, rather than keeping her hands to her side. My parents have yet to come up with any wedding plans since father is really ill. I told them his health is my mine concern.” Grinning, he gently flicked her forehead like when they were younger, and he had already was getting ready to do so. "Even if I were to ever get married, don't ever do that, alright? I don't like it..."

@Lee Jongsuk "Engaged, huh?" Suzy mumbled to herself as she walked down the main hallway, politely smiling at the maids and butlers whom greeted her after a long arrival. However, once she was far beyond the butlers and maids, a frown came to Suzy's lips as she slightly lowered her head. Of course he would be engaged, why wouldn't he be? He's charming, handsome, funny, and he would make a great ruler to his kingdom when he becomes king. With.../her/ as his queen.


Suddenly coming to a halt at someone shouting her name, she turned around and widened her eyes at how close Jongsuk was to her...and how he was holding her hand. Suzy didn't understand this. Didn't he have a fiance? If so, why was he holding her hand like so? Wincing slightly as those words that somehow pricked her skin, Suzy forced a smile and nodded her head slowly. "I apologize, but I felt the need to go visit my old bedroom, or perhaps, take a stroll in the library..." Suzy stared at their hands and slowly pulled away, fearing if his fiance were to walk in, she would blow up on the girl.

"I did not want to...intrude on your conversation, so that is also why I had left, Mr. Lee..." It hurt Suzy to only say his last name, rather than his first, but he was an almost married man now. She couldn't go on and say his first name like so- that is a complete no-no.

@Bae Suzy His death? That piece of information hit him cold, and for a moment, he could barely comprehend what was happening. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through. And though he loved his best friend to death ( who was clinging and blabbering on to him about god knows what ) Suzy was more than just a friend. She was a girl who knew just what to say to get his head on the right track, and a companion that he would have died for long ago. “Please,” he muttered softly, trying to shake Daisy off with a gentle smile. He didn’t want to be rude, but Suzy was getting away! Did she know how long it’s been since they last saw each other? He couldn’t even begin to explain how frustrated it was to know that she was leaving him again just like that. Why couldn’t she have stayed with the both of them? Did he do something wrong? “Daisy, please – I saw you two days ago—“

“But am I not important?”

“Daisy, you know you’re important. All of you here are important to me. But I haven’t seen that friend in years,”

“So you’re telling me to wait because you want to speak to her instead of me?” The pout that appeared on her lips and the stomp of her feet didn’t go unnoticed. All he could do was cast a shy smile and an apologetic bow of his head. For her to be 26, she surely acted as if she was still a teenager.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise. And you know I never break my promises, darling.”

It took a moment… But she casted him a light glare and sighed, before waving him off. With a bright smile, he dashed over towards where Suzy had rushed off at. Was she in a hurry? Did she have to leave? He knew how busy things could get, so he didn’t want to miss this chance. Once he saw her, he shouted her name loudly and ignored the looks he got from the maids and the servants. “H-Hey!” He panted heavily as he gently grasped her hand and stopped her from running off any further. “Why are you leaving so soon?” He gave her a bright smile and gently squeezed her hand, all the while still trying to catch his breath. “Come on, I can’t be that bad after all that time, right? You should have stayed… I think you would have /slowly/ liked her, I was going to introduce her myself, but she took it upon herself like always.”

It was a joke, but it was the truth. Did his friend make her feel uncomfortable? She did have the tendency of being blunt and rude when she felt fit, but everyone had those moments. She stuck up for him so many times, that it was hard pushing his noona away. He was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to realize that he was still holding her hand. But in a way, he didn’t want to let go. He enjoyed the warmth that was gifted to him. It was the type of warmth he hasn’t felt in a long time. A type of warmth that even his mother failed to provide for him.

@Lee Jongsuk "Ah, yes, the engagement..." Suzy's sentence trailed off slightly as she remembered how not only was she taken away from her home so abruptly, but how not too long ago had she caught word of her fiance being killed in battle. Suzy was sad, but not in a state as to where she would cry or push people aside. She and her fiance hardly ever talked and for that matter, he was rude and hateful to her; he demanded for Suzy to be his own slave before the wedding, forcing her to do whatever he had asked- including bedding him. Oh, the experience was awful indeed. Not a trace of love was found during that. So, Suzy was not sad about his death, but to what his wonderful family had to be going through; she didn't care that he was gone, really.

"Yes, the engagement was called off after...his sudden death," she whispered softly as she glanced up at him and smiled. "I guess I will have to wait until father tries to set up another engagement, hmm?" Suzy hated whenever her father would try to set up an appointment for her and another prince. Ever since Suzy's mother had died from an illness, her father sought high and low for his daughter to be in great hands for when he passes...

Just when Suzy was to ask the latter a question, a loud screech crushed Suzy's ears just as Jongsuk had been violently ripped from her own grasp. Widening her eyes, Suzy stared at the woman with an appalled expression. Staring at the one named 'Daisy', Suzy fought control to not release her anger on the woman for acting so immaturely and being so wild. And she /was/ going to do just that...until she saw the ring. So she and Jongsuk were engaged? At the moment, it seemed as though the world just shrunk and she was the only person left on this world...

Mentally cursing a few un-ladylike words in her mind at the woman's words, Suzy faked a smile at the woman and said, "I happen to be the /princess/ of this palace. Princess Suzy is my name, miss. But I shall let you the two of you...bond, while I happen to meet up with my father. Good day to both of you," she said and smiled politely, bowed, and turned around as she made her way into the palace rather quickly.

@Bae Suzy So, she did remember him? The thought had made him smile brightly as he held his arm out for her to take, and nodded his head at her response. It flustered him like always whenever someone complimented him. You would think that he would be used to the flattery by now, but he could never grow accustom to this life yet. When they made a turn around the small maze that was forming, he took a moment to appreciate the peaceful silence that drifted between the both of them, and sighed again for the third time that day.

“So, how has everything been? I never heard from you again after the engagement was set.” He finally spoke up, stuttering slightly when his cheeks flustered at how pitiful he sounded. Did she think he was weak for missing her so much? She was one of the few people his parents allowed him to hang around with, so to actually have a friend to call his own was a blessing. But just like everything and everyone in his life, she was taken away from him. At that time, he felt so much jealousy when he saw the older male who was going to be her “husband” in a matter of months. Yeah, he was two years older than Suzy, but that boy was at least four years older than the both of them!

Before anything could lead further, a high-pitch squeal had erupted from the ear and soon, his arm was snatched away from Suzy’s and he was engulfed in a large bosom and warm body. It didn’t take awhile for him to tell who the girl was, but he didn’t feel a bit embarrassed by all of the affection she was giving him. With each kiss she planted on his cheeks, his face began to heat until it was visible to everyone who saw him. “D-Daisy, i-it’s been awhile!”

“I know! I have long to see you, I know I should have waited, but I couldn’t control myself. I just had to keep you for myself today,” she cooed, cupping his cheeks and pulling at them. When she finally acknowledges Suzy, she sent her a rather dirty look and gave her a fake smile. “And who is this? I don’t think we have met yet, child.”

@Lee Jongsuk It seemed as though this place had not changed the slightest. From when Princess Suzy had left those six years ago for an arranged marriage that had gone wrong, Suzy had never once forgotten what her home looked like. How the smell of the garden was in the morning, the sound of the birds as they awoke in the day, and the feeling of the fresh-cut grass that their gardeners had always made sure that was even to the point.

With her white and pink gown that she was ordered to wear by her father, Suzy slowly made her way into the garden as she glanced around her surroundings. Her diamond necklace with matching earrings glistened in the sunlight as she glanced up to the sky; she always hated having to wear these type of things. The corsets, the gown, make-up, her hair being tied into a fancy bun, and the accessories just all seemed too much for Suzy sometimes, but, and as her father had said, she was a princess and princesses needed to look their best.

As Suzy continued to make her way down the path, passing the gorgeous fountain that she grew fond of as a child, a sudden whistle had brought her attention elsewhere. Turning her head, a beaming smile came to her lips as she stared at that one familiar face. "Prince Jongsuk, by what a pleasure to see you here," she commented as she began to walk with him. Blushing slightly at his compliment, Suzy smiled up at him and nodded her head. "Ah, and you have grown into a handsome man, too."

@Bae Suzy Days where it seemed like there was nothing to live for, Jongsuk would wonder out towards the gardens and sit there for hours, just drawing and reciting poems that he came to adore. All the while, his parents would continue to pull the strings that invisibly clawed their way into his back, and control him from afar. With a small sigh, he rubbed his neck and fixed his collar as he tucked his light blue work shirt into his brown khakis. He was supposed to be showing a friend of his around, and the garden had been his favorite place to go. Ruffling his hair a bit and ignoring the protests of his hair dressers, he reached for his jacket and slipped it on. “Great, I have a few minutes to spare.” He mumbled to himself, walking away from his room, down the halls, and onwards towards the gardens.

The beauty that had surrounded him was endless, and it gave him a reason to smile. With each step he took, a sigh of relief and glee had escaped his lips. It was these moments where he felt like he could really be free…

What had him turning in slight confusion was the woman ( who seemed awfully familiar ) who was near one of the rosebushes. When he got a good glimpse of her, he couldn’t contain the large grin that spread across his lips. Could it really be her? Finally, someone from his childhood had come forth! Being the sneaky fellow he was, he took one of the roses that were freshly cut this morning by him and the gardener, and slowly walked beside her and whistled loudly. “Have you ever heard the saying, ‘wishes do come true’? I for one would have to agree. It’s been so long, my dear Suzy, and you’ve blossomed into quite a beautiful young lady.”