"Where the hell did he go?" Tari said to no one as she scanned the room for any signs of life.
"Hey, did you see the 2nd prince?" Tari asked one on the maids that passed by the room.
"I saw him leave a while ago, Princess," she said bowing her head.
"He what!" Tari said annoyance clear in her voice. "He almost died two days ago!"
She coughed and regained her composure after she saw how the maid was looking at her with a blank expression, not knowing what she should say to the princess who was throwing a tantrum.
"Y-You can go," Tari smiled. The maid bowed and walked away.
"Now where could he have gone?" She tilted her head thinking.
Almost an hour passed since Tari started her manhunt with no results. "Where is Azar when I need him?" she mumbled under her breath. Giving up, she finally sat down on one of the seats under the cherry blossom.
"Princess! There you are!" Canaria said as she rushed towards her.
"Is something a matter?" Tari said.
"P-please stop disappearing like this!" she said as she placed her hand on her chest trying to calm her heavy breaths. "Why is Azar not with you?"
"Oh, him," Tari said crossing her legs. "I wasn't going to do anything important today so I gave him a day to hang out as he wants, didn't see him since this morning."
"Princess, your father gave you a knight for a reason," Canaria said but was interrupted with Tari's protest. "Can we skip the lecturing part, Canaria,"
Canaria sighed placing her hands on her hips. "What were you doing anyway?"
"Searching for Jooni," Tari pouted. "but he is nowhere to be found."
"Prince Jooni?" Canaria frowned remembering something. "I saw him just a while ago,"
Tari stood up in a hurry almost tumbling down. "Where!" she said holding her by both shoulders.
"I saw him walk by the gates in the back," Canaria said scanning her princess's face.
"Okay, thank you!" Tari said and ran off to where Canaria just told her.
"What was that?" Canaria puzzled as she watched Nefertari disappear in view.
~~~~
"I found you!" Tari Declared as she took confident steps towards her target.
"T-Tari? W-what are you doing here?" Joon Wo exclaimed.
"What? Can't I be here?" She glared right into his soul as she crossed her hands over her chest. "May I ask what are you doing out of bed?"
"I was getting all sore from lying in bed all day, I need to walk," he said avoiding her gaze. Why does he feel like he is being scolded by his parents?
"Says the person who almost died two days ago, oh okay," she sarcastically acknowledged. "Does that include dressing up in such humble clothing, Your Highness," she noted gesturing to his clothes.
"T-this is what I always wear." He lied.
"Liar," she said taking slow steps to cover the distance between them, making him take a step back. "Where are you going dressed as a commoner by dear 2nd prince?" she devilishly smiled.
He sighed in defeat. "Fine, I was going to take a walk outside the palace, I'm suffocating in here."
Tari's eyes fluttered with excitement. "Then take me with you!"
"Eh?"
"What? I want to go see the city too!" she said grabbing him by both arms as she faked innocence. Joon Wo took a moment to look at her from head to her toe. Her hair, her eyes, her brown skin, they were going to stand out like roses in the middle of winter. "Absolutely not!" he blurted out breaking their gaze before he took back his words.
She took a step back letting the cute façade since she knew that it won't work on him. "Alright then," she fumed. "what do you think His Majesty will think when he knows that a royal member is going around playing commoner?" she smirked.
"Oh no, you wouldn't dare!" he exclaimed.
"Try me,"
A long moment of silence passed; the only sound heard was the rattling of the branches. "Fine!" he said giving in. "But you have to change too. This outfit would bring too much attention,"
She looked down at herself. "What? it's cute."
"Tari…"
"Fine I'll go change, you better not leave me behind!" she warned him pointing her index finger at him before retreating to her room.
"I can't do that even if I wanted too…"
~~~~
"Are you sure I don't look weird?" Tari questioned not feeling confident in wearing the traditional Hanbok of the commoners.
"You look just fine!" Canaria said giving her a thumbs up.
"Where did you learn how to put on a Hanbok anyway?" Tari puzzled.
"Enough questions now Princess," Canaria said. "Go on the prince must be waiting for you." She gently pushed the princess out of the room.
"W-wait!" She tried to stop her maid but it was too late, she was already out of the room with Jooni in front of her.
"Jooni!" she exclaimed feeling flustered. "W-what are you doing here? I thought you would wait for me there." She awkwardly played with her hair.
She looked from the ground when she didn't get an answer to see an awed Jooni staring at her. "If you stare any longer, I'll have holes on me." She pointed out.
"S-sorry," he flinched. "You just look ethereal no matter what you wear." He said that too straight forward with a straight face that made Tari question her ears.
"Shall we go? We need to come back by sundown." He said holding out his hand which she gladly took and gave him a nod.
Walking across the yard to the back gate of the palace which was barely used by anyone, making it the perfect escape route for the two of them. Tari was getting chills down her spine as she felt people stare on her and she wasn't even out of the palace, unconsciously she squeezed on Joon Wo's hand. "Is everything okay?" He said looking at her carefully.
"I'm fine," she exclaimed joyfully shrugging those stares off. "Let's hurry!" she dragged him behind her as they sneaked out of the palace. Once outside, someone, she felt that the heavyweight she had was lifted off.
"Don't wander off alone, okay?" he said.
"Sure," she said busy looking at the people that are rushing around to do their errands. "Somehow, people are all the same," she mumbled.
"You think so?" he said.
She nodded. "Back in Kemet the people were enjoying what little fortune they had which made feel more responsible for them, I know why my father pulled countless all-nighters, it was so he can keep that smile on their faces." She turned to look at him. "Your father is no different from the smiles on the people's faces."
He was dumbfounded, not knowing what to say. Everyone around him was talking about how he should be king and push him to be something he doesn't want to be, but they never mentioned the responsibilities that came along with it. He felt that he can understand his father now a little.
"Why are you smiling?" Tari asked. "I wasn't saying a joke you know." She scoffed pulling her hands from his and crossing her arms across her chest.
He chuckled and somehow, he found himself pulling her hand back in his grip. "It wasn't like that, it's just that you opened my eyed on something that I haven't seen before."
She looked at him from behind as he dragged her behind him, the breeze blowing his hair to tickle her cheeks. "You certainly have matured up Jooni," she mumbled.
"What was that?" he looked over his shoulders at her.
"Oh nothing," she grinned. "Let's go try that out!" she pointed at the bakery on the end of the street.
He smiled and they both went there and bought different kinds of sweets, more like, she bought everything that caught her eye.
"Oh, how cute you two look together," the woman that was serving them their order awed at them. "You look like a foreigner my dear, right?"
���Y-yeah," Tari chuckled awkwardly.
"How did you get your hands on such a woman young man, guess you could seduce any women with that face, eh?" she chuckled teasing Joon Wo as she handed him the bag.
"H-Huh?" he flushed in embarrassment.
"Oh, how cute he is blushing!" the woman awed him again.
"Let's go!" he said handing the woman the money and then grabbing Tari by the wrist dragging her off with him.
"Bye!" she waved at the woman who also waved at her, turning to look back up at Jooni, 'Aw, even his ears are turning red, how cute' she awed in her mind.
"Let's find a place where we can sit and eat," she said looking around.
"I know a place," he said. "Let's go." She could swear that he was still feeling flustered from the woman's words. Honestly, this man is ignorant about his charms.
"Hey, there is a place there. Come on!" she said slipping from his grip and walked excitedly to a spot she found under a tree that was in the very back of the crowded market.
"Tari, wait!" he yelled hurrying after her. The heavy crowd slowing him down until he lost sight of the curly-headed Kemetian girl.
"Damn it! she has no sense of directions at all!" he cursed pushing through the crowd.
~~~~
"Eh?" Tari puzzled. "Where is Jooni?"