The announcement came as a surprise to everyone; you had been shopping in the local market when the town crier had shouted a message that made your eyes widen in shock and all the young girls whisper in excitement.
"The Prince has declared that there will be three balls to celebrate his birthday and by the third ball he will have chosen a wife! Every maiden is invited to this ball - both maids and fine ladies!"
It was a surreal feeling that washed over you, remembering that Hoseok was a prince and you were merely a cook in his kitchen. Before you shook your head and wondered why the difference between your places in society mattered when Hoseok was merely a bratty Prince.
Around you, the air was filled with laughter and discussions as young girls discussed what dress they would wear and swooned at the idea of being chosen for his wife. Next, to you, Jeongguk was laughing at the evident uncontained jealousy in your face, a small pout rested on your lips until he elbowed you, "what stained trousers and apron shall you wear to the ball?"
You weren't allowed out of the palace without supervision but with Jeongguk supposedly looking after you, it lead you to question who was really doing the babysitting. He raised an eyebrow as if waiting for you to reply but just as you tried to think of a witty reply, you spotted a new stall full of vegetables, their bright colours making you run over and inspect them.
There were the usual seasonal red cranberries, large cabbages but what had drawn you over to this particular stall, was the bright orange pumpkin. It was an incredibly rare thing to see and you looked up at the vendor who noticed your interest and gave you a dimpled smile, "that is my last pumpkin young miss."
"How much?" You ventured, waiting for his answer to include diamonds, but all you got was another endearing dimpled smile as he gestured towards the vegetable.
"For you, nothing." He winked and Jeongguk coughed as you grinned and went to pick up the huge vegetable. The vendor noticed this and laughed, "surely a young Knight should be able to carry such a minor thing for his mistress?"
You turned to look at Jeongguk, smiling up at him and batting your eyelashes expectantly waiting for him to be a gentleman and pick it up. He let out a heavy sigh before crouching and poking at the bulbous vegetable, "as a cook don't you carry stuff like this all the time?"
But instead of answering, you merely blinked in surprise at what you had just noticed. The sound of young girls giggling had drawn your attention to the small group they had formed in the middle of the courtyard that housed the small market, "why if the Prince personally invites me, how am could I object?" They hid their laughter behind their perfectly looked after hands and you bit your lip as you noticed Hoseok standing amidst them.
He was too busy flirting to notice you, but Jeongguk saw your furrowed brow and small pout and noticed that you were getting more and angrier the longer you stared at the Prince. Jeongguk tugged on your coat sleeve, trying to draw you back to the present but your gaze was fixed on Hoseok.
"Such pretty maidens, I'd love to share a dance with you next week," he took a girl by the hand and spun her around, "maybe you'll even become my Queen." It was watching him flirt that confirmed everything your mother had ever told you about princes.
Without realising, you muttered, "Prince Charming is a fraud."
The girls gasped and turned to look at you, whispering between them as Hoseok looked up and noticed you standing there. Instantly his face fell but you had been talking to Jeongguk, "wouldn't you agree, Gukkie? Prince's are so romanticised and really they're just like all the other men and focus on one thing, sex."
Hoseok choked and the girls turned to look at him, their mouths open in shock at the implications of what you had said, as well as your audacity to say it in front of the very Prince you were aiming your judgements at.
After finally taking a moment to breathe and look at the shocked expression on Jeongguk's face, you shook your head with a fake smile, "he's right behind me, isn't he?" The Knight-in-training nodded quickly and bowed to the Prince who placed his hand on your shoulder and squeezed.
"Now why would my lovely young baker say such horrible things?" Hoseok's voice was barely louder than a whisper, and yet, it sent shivers running up your spine and your hairs to stand up because he was angry. And for all your fighting and teasing, you hated to see Hoseok upset.
Therefore, the idea that it had been you who had been insensitive and said such horrible things brought you close to tears. As the embarrassment rushed through your body, you looked at Hoseok, wide eyes filling with tears before pulling yourself out of his grip and sprinting away.
The cobbles were painful against your thin shoes but you kept running, sweat quickly collecting on your brow as you left the streets and headed towards the meadows you remembered from your childhood. For just a bit of time you wanted to be alone, no Jeongguk and no risk of being caught by any guards or Hoseok.
From a young age your response to being in trouble or being upset was to run away and as you wiped tears from your eyes, you felt like so childish and even more embarrassed. Why was it that in front of Hoseok you always froze up?
Your heart continued to race even after you stopped running and although you continued to tell yourself it was just because you had run. But some part of you knew that the tone of Hoseok's voice and the dark look in his eyes had awoken a part of you that had previously not been there.
Instead of letting yourself believe something had changed you shook your head, before shouting, "what kind of idiot would fall in love with a Prince?"
