castle runaway. ˡᵉᵉ ᵈᵒⁿᵍʰʸᵘᶜᵏ

SIXTY FIVE

Monique's POV

We stayed a few more minutes in the lagoon after our confession to each other. Haechan's approach to me changed (for now, I guess) and he kept on holding my hand tightly, afraid to let go.

"I know you said you are scared to have me out of your reach but we are all alone, who can take me?" I asked while rolling my eyes. Haechan did not listen to me and stopped from walking. He turned me to him then drowned me in his embrace.

"You are so clingy all of a sudden." I said, hugging him back. "Because I get to hold you like this with the label 'best friends' out of the way." I laughed at his statement. "I had a crush on you for the past month."

He pulled away and pinched my cheek. "Then why didn't you tell me? I knew the feeling was so strange." He said. Haechan placed a stray strand of my hair behind my ear and smiled. "You're still as beautiful as the day I first saw you."

I chuckled. "Yeah, right." He took my hand again and we went out of the lagoon using the boat. He didn't call for Shimmer and we just walked back to the house. "Haechan," I said in the middle of our walk. "I hope things won't change between us."

He rubbed my arm and kissed my head. "It won't, I promise. It would be the same as before, but we have commitment." I smiled at him and he placed a small peck on my temple. We went inside the house and I swear to God, he does not want to let go of me.

"Haechan, I can't move freely if you keep this up." He just whined and held me tighter. I rolled my eyes for the nth time. I lifted my arm he was holding and elbowed his stomach. He winced and fell on the ground.

I kneeled in front of him and smirked. "I love you but no." I said, placing a kiss on his forehead. He was smirking now, too. "My head doesn't hurt. My stomach does," My eyes widened when he tried to lift his shirt.

I flicked his stomach and stood up, folding my arms. "If you keep that up—" I suddenly felt his strong arms wrapping around my waist. He buried his face on my neck and placed his chin on my shoulder. "Okay, I will stop joking around."

"Finally." I can feel him pout and I chuckled. I pulled away and pinched his cheek. "We still got a whole afternoon. What do you want to do?" He asked. I looked up to think and then grinned. "Evil Queen's secret chambers."

He took my hand and continued our way to Snow. "I miss that place, too. Remember when we were there and you were so terrified of Ant and the other zombies?" He exclaimed and cackled loudly, recalling my reactions.

I pinched his side to prevent him from laughing any further and then we arrived at the kingdom. We walked more until we reached the preserved castle. I suddenly stopped and Haechan was caught off guard because of my action.

"These heels hurt." I cursed under my breath and took off the mint sandals that Goldilocks let me borrow. I carried it and then went in front of the Evil Queen's statue.

Haechan sang the lyrics and made the statue turn itself into a gargoyle. I stepped inside the gargoyle's mouth and glanced at Haechan behind me. He took a step. "Wait for m—" Before he can finish, I already slipped inside.

Once again, it led me to the piles of feathers. I thought it is going to be all plain white but we left this place as a graveyard. Haechan fell right beside me. When he pushed himself up, there are feathers all over his hair.

I laughed at him while helping on removing the white feathers. I looked to my left and saw the same graveyard. "Are you up for a chase? No backing up this time." Haechan dared with a cocky smile.

Scoffing, I immediately wore back my sandals and glared at him with the same smile he has. "Women who run in heels are feared," I said and ran towards the gate of the graveyard. "Hurry up, scaredy cat!" I added when I saw he was slowly catching up.

When he was beside me, we dashed inside. Haechan called Ant and the same trembling of the ground was felt. "You ready?" He asked. "Obviously!" I replied and then we heard a roar. I looked behind and saw Ant with a couple of zombies in front of him who were chasing us.

"Good luck!" Haechan said while laughing. "Just because you are my boyfriend does not mean I will lose this dare to you!"

"Oh, feisty! I like it."

"Shut up!"

•••

It has been a week ever since Haechan and I started dating, but there were not any changes between us. We are just closer than we were back then and we still joke with each other. He does a lot of skinship, to be honest. We also visit Goldilocks and Pinocchio more often to make up from our kingdom vacations back then.

Pinocchio was so happy—I mean so happy when Haechan told him we are dating. He said he was right all along and his magic will never betray him. The both of us just laughed at the truth we used to refuse to believe and helped around Pin's shop, doing laundry and feeding the horses, including Shimmer and Koko. Elyas was there to put the chickens back in their pens.

Haechan introduced me to one of the horses again, his third favorite. His name is Bopherone, but he calls him Bop. I chuckled at how cute the names of his favorite horses are.

We still continued to train and he said I got even better than before. "Maybe is it because you want a kiss after every fight?" He asked once and I nearly hit his eye with a knife. "Just kidding." He took his word back but gave me a peck anyway.

I was just finishing on hanging the laundry outside the shop while Haechan was also done on feeding all the horses. When I completed with the last shirt, I washed my hands and he followed.

"God, I am so tired. I could eat a whole pie." I heard Haechan mumble. I booped his cheek. "Then I will make you some pie when we get home. Let us fetch a few ingredients at Clarisse's." He jumped and grinned in joy when he heard that.

We gathered our things and bid goodbye to Pinocchio with Elyas following behind. We walked towards Clarisse's small stall and chose ingredients for an apple pie. We thanked Clarisse when the necessary ingredients were gathered in a basket and we walked home.

It was a hot afternoon so I also decided to make us juice right after the pie. "I know you," I glanced at Haechan when he started singing. I giggled and sang along, "I walked with you once upon a dream~."

We were busy singing and only I realized that Elyas was barking loudly and violently. He was now also in front of us. We stopped and I looked up only to see a familiar event that happened to me two months ago.

The Crescent Royal Knights were surrounding us, the sharp edges of their spears aimed at our direction. "Don't move or we will attack!" One guard declared. I saw Haechan crawling his hands slowly up to his neck to take one skull off. "Stop whatever you are doing!" The same guard said when he noticed Haechan.

Elyas kept on barking and one of them shot something towards him, making the dog faint. "No!" Haechan rushed towards Elyas but two of the guards held him from both of his arms to stop him. Even if we fight back, there are too many of them and they are well-armed.

"Princess, you surrender or we will kill this man." The guard who was holding Haechan sneered. He has his sword on his throat. He was giving me a look to escape, but I can't leave him. I looked to the guard, who I assumed to be the new head knight, and kneeled with my hands up.

I glared at him. "You will never be as great or as strong as Mark." I spat out. I felt a tug on my hands and they were tying my wrists behind me. They placed a handkerchief on my nose, including Haechan. Whatever they sprayed on the hankie, it was making Haechan and I faint.

My vision blurred until I completely closed my eyes.

•••
A/N:
next is the last chapter and outro.

i hope you enjoyed reading this book!

-DONGHYUQUE