Royal Bonds | Y.Jw

| 27 |

I quietly carried trays around as there were fancy people around me everywhere, each and everyone dressed up in their summer clothes as the maids and I was bound to our usual work uniforms.

"Excuse me?" a voice spoke up and tapped my shoulder as I turned around to look at the Cello player from the orchestra, "Pianist Kim asked for you."

"Of course," I bowed my head at her before rushing over towards the orchestra and heading straight for the piano, where Sunoo finished up the current song he was playing before looking up at me, "you asked for me?"

"I did," he hummed before looking up at me and reaching for one of the finger foods I was carrying around, happily munching on it, "the set list has been changed."

"When?" I frowned at him.

"The prince went to change it before the guests arrived," he excused and nodded to Jungwon who was speaking with the Japanese King and Queen, the Nishimuras, "he set the folk dance before the waltz."

"He did?" I questioned in utter disbelief. I had an urge to exclaim about how insane and out of his mind Jungwon was, but right now wouldn't be the right time and place to do so.

"Mhm, quite weird choice, but I don't mind," Sunoo hummed and began playing again, the rest of the orchestra quickly joining in for a perfect harmony, "now go do your job miss Lim, I'll see you at the waltz."

I smiled softly before just nodding and walking around until my tray was empty and I rushed up to get it back to the kitchen once more, where Jay and Jake was mass producing the food we were serving around.

"Everything fine down there?" Jake happily questioned as he began filling up my tray again, "no drama from the horrid girl herself?"

"You don't like her either?" I questioned in shock and Jake just shook her head at me.

"I don't usually talk bad about people, but I'll gladly make an exception for her," he excused and dried his hands off in his apron, rolling his sleeves up once again, just under his elbows, "she came down to the kitchen to complain about some of the food we're serving and then proceeded to throw a whole tantrum over the fact that we didn't put mangoes in all her meals like she had requested multiple times... but she'll be a great Queen one day, she was trained for that role."

"Hm," I quietly hummed as Jake pushed the tray back to me.

"But every worker in this castle agrees that you and the prince would be best for each other," he sighed, "I guess we just can't get what we want."

"Come down with Jay soon, the waltz is gonna play soon as much as I could understand and you know how the tradition is," I reminded him and he just nodded at me.

"Yeah yeah... married couples and to-be married pairs need to dance with one another under the waltz," Jake stated and I momentarily froze in my spot before hesitantly nodding and turning on my heel to go down towards the engagement party, out in the gardens, once again.

I knew that was the tradition of the waltz during the engagement parties, but if Jungwon had shuffled the folkdance to be before the waltz then that meant he most likely wanted to dance with me during the folkdance making it obvious and easy for him to continue into the waltz with me. That must be his plan then... either that or I am totally wrong...

I quietly continued to walk around with the tray again before seeing Jay and Jake walking down towards the tent, and I slowly set down my tray when it was almost empty before rushing over to the piano and Sunoo immediately looked up at me while his fingers kept playing.

"Change the set list," I stated and he frowned up at me, "do the waltz before the folkdance."

"Miss Lim we're nearly halfway through the set list I can't just change-" Sunoo started before I cut him off.

"It's the matter of playing one song before the other," I hissed at him before the song he was playing came to an end and he looked up at me with an apologetical look, "please, I beg you."

"I can't," he whispered before his fingers began playing again and I immediately noticed the melody.

"You know, don't you?" I questioned and he just shrugged.

"I only know what the prince told me," he excused with a small smile before I felt a presence at the piano beside me.

"Ji," Jungwon's voice breathed out and I closed my eyes tightly before letting out a deep breath, "please start... please start the dance, just this one last time."

I hesitantly looked at him before sighing and nodding, well aware of the consequences my actions could end with. I quietly slipped out of my heels and turned towards the open space that was set off for dancing.

I sucked in a deep breath before beginning to dance and twirl around in the middle, pulling worker after worker in with me on the floor and dancing around. After time had passed I looked out to see Jungwon having pulled off his blazer and tie, both laying on the piano behind him. I glanced towards Sunoo who just smiled at me and gave me a small nod.

I pretended as if it was pure coincidence as I rushed over in a few twirls and casually pulled Jungwon in with me, beginning to dance around with him. I could see him let out a small laugh as I obviously tried to avoid the fuming gaze his dad was sending me. I was a dead girl and I knew it, yet I continued dancing with Jungwon.

If I already doomed myself why not finish what I am doing?

My heart was pounding hard in my chest as I could hear the end of the dance nearing, knowing very well that Jungwon wasn't gonna let my hand go to take ahold of Taehee's instead. I was scared shitless and I already felt embarrassed of what was going to happen.

The music of the folkdance abruptly stopped and so did all of the workers, including Jungwon, who had been dancing with me. I tried to pull my hand out of Jungwon's as the workers all clapped and went to dance with their significant other for the Waltz. I even caught Taehee nearing us from behind Jungwon.

"Let go of my hand," I quietly whispered to Jungwon and tried to brush it off of me.

"I told you I would find a loophole, didn't I?" he questioned with a small smile as I felt myself begin panicking as Taehee only neared and I could see Sunoo out of the corner of my eye counting in the orchestra.

It wasn't that I didn't want Jungwon, but I knew that if he kept ahold of me and danced with me it would be bad.

Taehee's face fell the moment Jungwon raised my hand engulfed in his and placed his hand on my waist before softly beginning to guide me around with him.

All at once my heartbeat intensified and I got an extreme headache as I closed my eyes tightly and gulped down nervously.

"Relax it's just me," Jungwon let out a small laugh as I got dizzy, even though I still had my eyes closed.

"That's the problem," I calmly spoke before I heard a loud wrong note come from the piano and I immediately looked over to see the King quite literally having ripped Sunoo away from the piano while he just looked at me with fury in his eyes.

Jungwon did not even hesitate for a heartbeat before letting go of my wait and stepping in front of me, as he used his other hand to keep a secure grip on mine.

I quietly looked past Jungwon's shoulder and straight at the King, who wasn't even as much as acknowledging his son's protective behavior.