"I'm afraid that if I open my eyes it will all be a dream." Truth is, anticipation was taking over every fibre of her body and each crack of the branches beneath her feet was eating her up to the extent her lashes were brushing against Chanyeol's palm in a foolish attempt to catch a glimpse of where they were. "Open your eyes and check for yourself then."

The sight upon her eyes was breathtaking, so much that she had to blink multiple times just to make sure it wasn't a cruel illusion. The lake was glimmering in the callow light of dawn, a broad span of blue sky slashed above it, making it appear like nature’s amphitheatre. A veneer-clear and tranquil visage of the lake combined with the proportional highland made it seem as if the running waters were disappearing beneath it.

It caused her eyes to brim with tears for some reason, one that she could not predict and therefore took her time to memorise the landscape to the smallest of details, afraid it would be their first and last time there.

"It's peaceful here." She mumbled, mostly to herself and occupied the vacant space beside Chanyeol whose figure was leaning against the tree. "I thought you might need to escape from reality sometimes." His words evoked a familiar burn in the pit of her stomach which she grew to be fond of. "Considerate of you." There was a gentle smile tracing across the outlines of his lips when she casted a side glance at him, unable to ignore how at ease it made her feel.

"If you intend to confess your feelings towards me, you should do it now. I won't be here much longer you know."

His voice was laced with a smug tone, making her stand up with flushed cheeks. "Your arrogant persona makes it difficult for me to catch feelings so don't expect such thing." She forced out a jumbled excuse that had him mustering all his might to stifle his laughter, something that didn't go unnoticed and caused a scoff to emerge from the back of her throat. "You're enjoying this too much aren't you? I'm going now."

Her steps came to a sudden halt when his fingers wrapped around her forearm and pulled her back, backside pressed flat against his chest.

"Don't take it too seriously will you? Am I making your heart flutter that much?" He leaned over to gaze at her with his figure now hovering above her tiny one and his head slightly tilted to the side. "You're immune to my charms then?" What was left of distance between both of them began folding to nonexistence when his face inched closer, but there was no reaction besides a gasp that fell from her lips. "I'm just messing around with you." Disappointment took over Chaeyoung's features when his touch loosened and he backed away from her.

"I know." Her reply was brief and barely above a whisper when she took hold of the bag he tossed in her direction. "Let's go back." Their stroll back was silent, something she was glad for as her steps struggled to match his pace before his arm snaked around her shoulders. "Chanyeol?" He hummed with his gaze fixed on the trail to avoid any fall due to her clumsiness.

"Am I going to see you tomorrow?"

.

To her misfortune it wasn't as expected, instead, it had been ten years since their last encounter. He was standing in front of her with a mature posture and developed features now. "You're quite the clumsy character aren't you? What's your name?" It took her a while to grasp on the situation and give a proper reply. Still staring in disbelief and wondering if he recognised her since she didn't change much after he left.

"I'm Park Chae-Young." He seemed satisfied with the answer, still, his hand held her wrist firmly with no intention of letting go so soon. "I don't think there's any introduction needed from me. Lalisa will be evaluating your performance so you can come to her if there's anything to be clarified." She bowed for the second time before pulling her wrist away from his grip, somewhat relieved that he didn't scold her for spilling the wine. "I'll be escorting Miyeon out then." He excused himself and led the brown haired woman along the hall.

The sight left Chaeyoung with an aching heart, but then again, she didn't reveal her childhood name and he didn't recognise her.

"So, let's start shall we?" Lalisa's beaming voice snapped her out of the trance she was immersed in and her head turned to gaze at the younger girl. "Yes, miss." Chaeyoung's choice of words had Lalisa grimacing with both hands clasped behind her back. "Please call me Lisa. I'm sure we'll get along." She chirped and clang to her arm before dragging her upstairs and pointing at the respective doors. One at a time. "This is my cousin's room. He doesn't appreciate when people interrupt him so try not to roam around too much."

Lalisa's tour around the palace consisted of her rambling too much instead of assigning the tasks Chaeyoung was responsible for but she didn't seem to mind it the slightest bit when they reached the royal garden. Something about it brought her a feeling of familiarity she couldn't quite identify. "This is Chanyeol's favorite place. Don't be surprised if you find him here frequently during the night time." The way Lalisa described it made it seem as if it was his hideaway whenever being a king became too overwhelming.

"He's not used to it yet." Chaeyoung stared at her with questioning eyes. "Used to what?" There was a brief pause before Lalisa faced her, something resembling sorrow replacing her previous beaming smile. "Being a king. He build up high walls around him ever since he took over the throne and it changed him a lot. In a rather negative way." Her frown deepened at each step and she proceeded to dive further into the explanation.

"He doesn't let anyone in, not even me, his cousin." She let out a sigh and sat down on the benches near the palace gate, hand patting the vacant seat beside. "I know that something scarred him deeply but he tries his best to not let it show, keeping it bottled inside instead." For a split second she also wondered what could have caused him to close off to everyone, heart aching at the thought of him having no comforting presence around to give some kind of reassurance.

"But aside from that matter. His birthday is nearing and the tradition demands a ball to celebrate it." Her head boobed up and down while processing the information. "Should I help with the preparations?" Lalisa shook her head frantically before grabbing both of Chaeyoung's hands. "You're also allowed to attend it, with your partner of course."

"A partner?" The thought of having a partner left her uneasy, that, and considering she didn't even have a dress that was considered adequate. "I might just know who's going to be your partner." Her face morphed into a mix of confusion and curiosity, and she found herself impatiently tapping her feet while waiting for a enlightenment. "Who?"

"My cousin Chan."