"What happened cutie? Why are you crying?" A familiar voice and tone was picked by you.

And the very familiar man appeared whom you had thought was no more, picked up the puppy in his arms and stood in front of you. Gapped at the man, you could sense a difference in him but couldn't exactly point out what it was. His straight long hair tied in a pony, bloomed smile played on his lips, a partially worn cotton robe; exposing the middle of his chest, "Finally you are awake, Y/n." he greeted you whilst caressing the puppy. Unable to believe the view in front of you, tears slowly dwelled in your eyes, happy to find last night as a mere nightmare; stood up and swooped him in your embrace, "Your highness." Tears rolled down while he caressed your hair with a sweet smile.

"Is this a dream or is this highness's ghost?" Your face nuzzled into his chest. It was hard to believe that the dead man was alive but also didn't want to believe the possibility he was no more. His highness on the other hand was relieved that you were well.

"Yes, it is a dream. No, I am not a ghost." his hand patted your back, "Then this girl doesn't want to be woken up from this dream." your tears poured out even more, smearing his soft cotton hanbok. For a good couple of moments, he stood in your crying - comforting embrace. A small chuckle escaped his lips, looking at the situation he was in. The pup he held in his arm had drifted to sleep while you were sobbing out your energy. "I think this is enough of crying now." he said, expecting the embrace to break instead he felt ticklish on his chest as your head shook. "Y/n, enough. You have been crying for a long time now." yet again he only felt the head shake.  

His highness too was happy to see you. For that night, he too was scared and angry to leave you after all he had put you as well as others through. He had prayed hard to God to save him after all he wished to enjoy his life with you. He wanted to go further in his life, explore many things with you that he never imagined about. With you beside him, he knew he could overcome any situation in his life. "Y/n, look at me." prince Jimin urged but you were in no state to. You were crying out all the fear, pain, joy from the atrocities you had gone through.

Understanding that you wouldn't let go of him, he held the puppy to his shoulder and pushed you hard. For a moment, you were shocked to see his strength. The push was hard yet effortless. Your teary eyes met his brown orbs, his brows raised at you, "Look at the crying mess you have made." he nagged, pulling his sleeves to wipe your glistening eyes and runny nose. "I hate your highness." you mumbled, his sleeve dropped, looked at you completely and suddenly burst out loud which startled the puppy. "I accept it." 

"Haha. Ooph. Alright my lady, tell me how are you feeling now?" His highness turned to get you a cup of tea to rejuvenate your energy. "I am fine." you spoke in between your sniffles and hiccups. That is when it hit you, his highness's injury!! "Your highness!" your alerted self sped to his side and turned him. He noticed your wide eyes scanning his chest as the robe moved aside, a big scar on his chest form his right collar bone to the left side of his stomach. The scar did seem freshly healed. It confused you because an injury from the sword could take weeks to heal just like your injury. 

Your view shifted from his chest to his face, "How long was I sleep?" your jaw fell. His lips drew a simple and soft smile with eyes crunched, "Two days as far as I recollect." He placed the puppy down, "You were unconscious with blood smeared all over your hanbok. I, then cleaned your wound and changed your blouse and skirt." He poured the tea in a cup meanwhile you couldn't help but feel embarrassed at his statement. Your hands gently surfed the hanbok skirt. "Drink this." He handed the cup to you. "Yet it does not explain how your highness recovered so quickly?"

"As I answered you earlier, you are in a dream." He spoke, stepping out. The little puppy followed him yet got stuck at the door step. Your heart raced at the mere thought of it being a dream. "This is scaring me." you placed the cup at the small table. Just when you had given up, a thought crossed your mind, One doesn't feel pain in dreams. Instantly, you pinched your arm to check it and of course it ached. Upon the realization you couldn't help but squeal, "We are alive!!!" picked the puppy and ran outside.

"Your highness, please stop teasing me." you nagged, only to find the prince draw water from the well, "What are you doing?!" a shout erupted at him, "You need to rest." came the reply. Your hands wrapped at the rope he held after placing the pup down, "No, I will do it. I am your maid." you reasoned however it was not reaching as expected. He drew the water and poured it in the wooden bucket. "Y/n, you need to rest!" 

"I have rested enough, your highness." You said before grabbing the water bucket and walking to the house, prince Jimin crossed his arms, stared at your wobbly figure, annoyed with your stubbornness, "The water is for the horses and not us!" he shouted out. You beelined past him and poured it into the water holder in the stable. Then came back and stood in front of him, placing the bucket near the well, "Your highness, what sorcery is this? Your wound has healed in two days?!" Prince Jimin pressed his lips, his arms on his hip, "Should my wound not have healed quickly? Should I have rather died that night?" Your brows furrowed, "Your highness, one would never want their master gone. It only perplexed one as to how the wound had healed in a day. The wound caused to me with a dragger took long and is still not healed yet."

His highness cocked his brow at your last sentence. "I see. Now that you mention it, I haven't changed the bandages. Come inside, let me dress it for you." He pulled you back into the room, shut the door, "Raise your skirt." demanded, while he fetched the medicinal paste, cotton ball and bandages. You raised your skirt to treat your wound, later he asked to remove the skirt and  it was done in a snap. He tore the bandages with such ease and you couldn't help but wonder as to where did the prince gain strength from. Tearing three to four layer bandages, pushing me earlier. From where did he gain his strength from? Is he possessed by some ghost? 

You stood there while he stood on his knees and cleaned your wound, I don't feel any pain, should I tell him that there is no need to bandage it. "Well, well, well, look at that. Someone's wound has healed completely." he flicked your stomach and stood up. You looked down at your wound and indeed it was. The wound had only left a line and dot scares on either side of the line. "How?!" Upon realization that something has happened while you were unconscious, "How did it happen? Were we unconscious for more than two days?" Prince Jimin was busy arranging things back in the bag, "As far as I know, I woke up two days before you did. It must be god's grace that he let us live." He smiled. 

"No! This is not how it works. The wounds would take weeks to heal. Your highness's injury was lethal and it costed your life. It is scaring me how your highness is doing better than ever. Someone must have treated us. Or maybe this is a dream as you said. Or we are ghosts." Panic began to set in from the new changes. His highness walked to you, picked up the skirt and and snapped it, "If we were ghosts don't you think our bodies would have lying here somewhere?" By then he threw the skirt over you, forcefully pulled you closer to him as he fastened it to your stomach.

"About the dream, I was barely pulling your leg. For someone to come and help, I don't think so it would be possible. Not a soul was around here except for the puppy that I took in." he soothed your back and raised your head to meet his eyes, "But your highness seems different from before." 

Prince Jimin brought his face closer and gently pressed his forehead to yours, with his eyes closed, "I know I seem different to you so is for me. That night when you did your best to patch up my wounded chest, I earnestly prayed to all Gods, to let me see another day. I didn't want anyone's help and effort to go wasted. I wouldn't let my life end so quickly after all the strength and support you had shown me." He pulled away. With a sorrowful eyes, "Even though your lover's life was taken because of me, you still didn't edge to take revenge on me and let me die in the hands of those assassins. Did you think after all that you have done for me, I would leave you?"

Not a word went through you after 'I wouldn't end my life so quickly' and chose to blankly stare at him, "Huh?" Whatever his highness had stated somehow seemed too much nonsense for you to comprehend, I asked him how did our wounds heal and what is his highness even saying, did he mean God helped us heal so quickly? 

"In other words, gracious and merciful Gods have helped us?" you muttered at him, which caused him to chuckle. "Your highness, this is not funny. My question was about the quick recovery without much passage of time or help, and your highness gave me an answer just like those philosophical books that your highness reads. This one couldn't understand a word." He pulled your cheeks, "Just know that we will be living a hazel free life."

"Hmm?"

"Yes." He pulled you to the shelf a little far from the futon you laid, at the top of it was a tea cup. He took it in his hand and showed it to you. It was the tea flower that you had brewed for the prince under pretense of quick recovery; advised by your aunt, "The reason we are still alive is because of the tea that was brewed." He finally broke it down to you. "The tea?" your brows furrowed not believing him, "Yes, a while later after I took my last breath, I woke up in the afternoon of some day, feeling much better than ever in my life. The very next moment, I saw your unconscious body and started the treatment, forgetting about my wound. While I was busy dressing your wound, to keep you hydrated I had you take few sips of the tea that was left, thinking it was water. Once your thirst had died, your eyes opened wide and you gasped for air just like I did."

"One did?" you gasped, for there was no recollection of such an incident. "Yes and then you stopped breathing, which scared me the most. I thought I lost you and prayed to all Gods. Hoping that just like me you would be back, I waited for a while. Quite later, I checked on you again. Aah, the feeling of getting your prayers returned felt such a relieving moment." His highness noticed how you were staring blankly at him; confused again. "Simple words, this flower seems to have some miraculous properties unknown to us and it helped 'US' heal rapidly." Your view moved to the tea cup after his highness's explanation. "How are we going to preserve it?" It was sure to you why your aunt said to brew a tea with the flower, which meant it had some unique properties that could heal one. Getting another same flower or the keeping this one had you think hard.

"What?" He questioned, unable to catch the underlying sense. "Your highness, if in future we are brutally injured, we could use this to recover quickly. In order to do so, we need to preserve it." His highness closed his eyes for a moment, not sure how to react to you, for he didn't expect you to believe it immediately also never thought much about it. "I'm not sure about it." 

"Then one shall let it sit under the sun to get the dry flower." You took the cup and headed out, "I am not sure if it will work that way." Prince Jimin hesitated but you let it roll away, "One can try." you smiled. His highness only observed your movement, Hope she doesn't dwell in Jihoon's death. I am sorry Jihoon, I was helpless and inexperienced; I couldn't save you. But also I couldn't let Y/n go with you. She has become someone very important to me. and in you returned with the puppy, "Your highness, what shall be the name of this little puppy?" the puppy was busy licking your fingers while you giggled. "You can name him." He came closer to you, caressing the puppy. "It is a Jindo breed and has tangerine brown coat. He seems to be bright as the day, that meaningful name would be?" Prince Jimin thought for a moment, "Haru could be a fit for him." he noticed your gleaming eyes, acknowledging that you liked the name. 

"Your highness should name him now." The puppy was then handed over to the prince for the sudden naming ceremony. "You can-" You interrupted him, "No! Your highness should name him." Prince Jimin gave in, "Here on, you will be called Haru. Haru." He cooed its ears however the puppy was busy nibbling in the finger of his highness.

The day went by with questioning his sustainability for the past two days without any help, wherein he opened a floor compartment near the fire pit where beef jerky, rice, kimchi were well preserved; and your narration about the night attack in the village. That is when prince Jimin came to know about the fact that you knew how to protect yourself in the scenes of the trouble. At that moment, he felt lucky to have you by his side as a friend more than a maid or lady in waiting. 

After the dinner, the two of you laid on your respective futons. The fire in the pit burned; illuminating the room. His highness focused on the two beings with him. You were putting the puppy to sleep in your arms, singing a lullaby. A smile spread on his lips as he keenly observed the bonding of the two. "Your highness, can we stay here longer?" Your heart had been bugging your mind to ask him since afternoon and finally you took the guts to. Prince Jimin's smile dropped and face became very serious, "No. We can't." It was a bit perplexing as to why he denied it immediately. "Your highness, what are we going to do or else. We don't have anywhere to stay. Shall we return to the palace or the village?"

"Y/n, have you lost your sense after getting back your life. Why are you walking back to the tiger's den?" He sat up, annoyed at your sentence. "How can you forget that we ran away from the palace as an attempt to save you from his majesty? Father is very much still intrigued to have your head spiked for the mere thought of your attack." Your memory slowly recollected everything that happened at the palace. "But your highness can explain to his majesty what had happened. This one has never thought to attack your highness -"

"I know that Y/n, but father will not lend his ear to hear your part of the story when it comes to me. Only I know what has happened to all the previous ladies before Yubin and how brutally they were stripped off their life by father. He may seem a kind and generous man but his majesty has an evil side as well." Prince's eyes bulged out from frustration and anger. "Your highness, I understand this but Hansoo had lost his life, the house was engulfed in fire with the bodies of those assassins. None of the villagers know about our survival. If the news reach to his majesty, just as your highness had mentioned; his majesty could burn down the village. We need to find the root cause for the assassination attempts and culprits who send assassins one after the other after your highness. -"

"And then do what? Have me tied in that cocoon chamber? Become a burden to his majesty? I am not his real son for god's sake. But because his majesty was very close to the general; my actual father, he is trying to protect me and nothing else. He had sworn to my father's soul that he would protect me. I am not a prince to this empire; Taehyung is his actual son and prince; the reason as to why he was made the crown prince. I am no one to that palace. My life is over there. You were merely sent by the god's fate to help me run away from the palace. His majesty's burden has only reduced." Your concerned eyes observed the poor soul. His highness is having another melt down. There comes the prince Jimin I always knew. 

"Your highness, who has narrated such an ill fate to you? They were merely rumours. His majesty cherishes your highness. The love that shines in his majesty's eyes when he speaks of you to me showered only love and care. I may not know the whole story of this but I can promise your highness, his majesty cherishes you more than prince Taehyung." Your soft and gentle voice answered him. Pain and despair showed in those brown orbs, "Your highness, -" His highness crawled and laid, embracing you, which puzzled you. "Can we talk about this some other time? I want to be free from thinking anything anymore."

"Yes your highness." your hand grazed his back to sooth him from his worries and sorrows. "We will set out tomorrow noon." that caused to question him however he interrupted stating he didn't want anymore questions and preferred a good sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey guys,

This chap doesn't seem to be so much but then just to bridge the gap with their next part of the story, I thought to write it. 

I know it has been a month and I didn't update asap. I actually failed my exam and will be doing a re. So I thought before that it would be better that I upload at least one chap for you guys. 

Just wait for another two weeks, which I hope I pass my exam, I will start to write again. 

Love you guys.

Anny.