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Chapter Text

Pattranite Limpatiyakorn, the daughter of King Rama, the sole successor to the monarch, and was given the title Princess Patt. She is well educated, authoritative but gentle, humble, kind and empathetic. A perfect fit for the next modern-day Queen of Thailand, that’s why she’s well loved by the people of Thailand.

Pansa Vosbein is the daughter of the Commissioner General of the Royal Thai Police, Sukvimol Vosbein. Wanting to follow her beloved father’s footsteps, she trained as one of the Royal Thai Special Forces or RTSF, the most elite police force in Thailand. Being the best in her team, she quickly got appointed as Captain just after a few months of graduating.

King Rama and Comm. Gen. Sukvimol are actually best friends since childhood. The two are like brothers, that’s why the King is confident to entrust his life and his family’s under the Commissioner General’s care.

One night, Comm. Gen. Sukvimol received an intel about a threat to the King. A traitor from within the government is planning to take out someone from the royal family and put an end to the monarch. This information was relayed immediately to the King. Knowing this kind of threat, King Rama asked his dear friend for a favor.

“Sukvimol, I know that what I’ll ask would be too much. But I’m desperate as of this moment.”

“What is it that you want to ask, Your Majesty?” while he lowered his head.

“I know that they will not target me because it’ll be too easy. For them to stop the monarch, they will definitely try to take out the heart of the royal family.”

“You’re right. I think I know what you mean, Your Majesty. I also thought of that when I learned about this. You might not be their main target… It’s the Princess that they’re after.”

“That is why I want to ask for your help to send someone to protect the Princess. Someone that we can fully trust and can really protect my daughter. I want the best soldier you have.”

“Then if you will allow it, Your Majesty, I will send my daughter, Pansa. She is one of the best in the elite force. Her rank may still not be as high, but I swear on my grave that her loyalty will only be to the royal family and the country. She is my most trusted person. I am confident that she will be perfect for this task.

“Then I trust your judgement. Please have her start immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, I’ll treat this as an urgent matter and assign her to her new task immediately.”

*****

As the Princess of our country and the sole heir to the throne, the pressure was always high while growing up. I have to be perfect and flawless in everything I do because all eyes were on me all the time. It is tiring growing up this way, but I could see how my father loves his people and how they also loved our family, so eventually, they became my motivation to embracing who I am.

“Princess Patt, your father wants your presence at the grand palace.” said Koi, her loyal personal servant.

“Very well, tell him I’ll be there.”

I met with my father for some urgent matter.

“Patt, I called you here because I have some important matter to discuss with you.”

I could see the distress from his eyes. He was looking around the people that’s inside with us and I can sense that he wanted to talk privately.

“I wish to talk to my father, the King, alone. You may all leave us for now, we will just call you if needed.”

Then all the guards and servants obeyed my request and went out of the room. Now, I’m alone with my father.

“What is it that you wish to discuss with me, Father?”

“Thank you for your quick thinking. I knew I could count on you since you are very sensitive and observant. I don’t want anyone to suspect that I know something…”

“What don’t you want them to know?”

“I received a very reliable intel that our family and the throne is in danger. And I’m afraid that they might try to harm you, my Princess.”

“What do you mean? Why would they do that? And who??”

“There’s someone within the government that is planning to destroy the monarch so they could take full control. And they are secretly working on it as we speak. So, we don’t know who to trust right now except my good friend Comm. Gen. Sukvimol.”

“I assume he was the one who informed you of the danger our family is facing? He is really reliable. But what do you want me to do, Father? Do you want me to conduct an investigation about this?”

“No!! Please stay out of this. Sukvimol and I are already starting to investigate this matter. You don’t have to worry. I just want you to be careful whenever you’re going out.”

“Then I’ll ask for more security for me, don’t worry.”

“No, if we increase your bodyguards, people will think something is going on. I don’t want people to suspect that we know something. This is just top-secret between me, you and Sukvimol. So, I actually asked for the most skilled agent from our police force to protect you. The agent will start tomorrow, so please be prepared.”

“But… will it really be enough that we only have one person to protect me? What about you, Father?”

“You will still have your usual bodyguards, but this agent will be the new head of your security, and this agent will work closely with you, so I expect your cooperation. Like I suspect, they will most likely target you since you’re my only successor to the throne, which they are trying to stop.”

“Okay father. I will cooperate and obey your orders. Just tell me whatever I need to do to help.”

“Just be safe, my Princess. For our family and for our country.” as he held my hand tightly.

My Father is genuinely worried and scared at the same time. This is the first time I’ve seen him like this. There really must be a danger to our family. And the hard part is, we don’t know who our enemy is…

*****

Dad suddenly came to visit me in the middle of the night saying he had an urgent mission for me.

“Dad, what brings you here in this late hour? Is there any problem?”

“Yes, my dear. I have a special task for you. This is a top-secret mission involving the royal family. The King himself asked for this favor, so I expect you to comply. This is your chance to prove your loyalty to the country”

Of course, my dad knows how to corner me. How the hell can I refuse his command when it involves my loyalty to this country. And my pride is also on the line here. But if the royal family is involved, then this must be a very important task.

“What do I need to do Comm. Gen.?”

“Captain Vosbein, I am assigning you to be the head of security for the Princess. Your mission is to protect her from any threat or danger. But you have to keep this mission covert since we don’t want to draw any attention from anyone.”

“I-I beg your pardon?? Protect who??”

I heard the man loud and clear, it’s just that, my ears won’t accept what it heard. Of all people… why does it have to be the Princess???

Dad explained to me the intel he got from his trusted sources about the plan to destabilize the monarch by someone from the government.

“And the King and I both concluded that it’s the Princess that they are targeting.”

“Oh… the Princess…”

“So, you are expected to report to your new task first thing in the morning tomorrow. I will send you all the details for this mission and you will directly coordinate with only me regarding this. Are we clear, Captain?”

“Y-Yes, Sir!”

“At ease! My dear, you have my full trust. I know you’re the best person for this. Go and make me proud, my girl.”

My dad smiled at me and hugged me.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen him smile warmly at me. He was always serious whenever we saw each other. We used to be so close, but when I moved out, I barely was able to visit my parents because of my rigorous training, then being promoted to a higher rank right away took most of my time. I became too focused on work and felt guilty that I couldn’t give my parents my time.

I felt my dad’s longing. I’m the only daughter that they have anyway. But I know my dad has been so proud of me ever since. Especially when I decided to follow in his footsteps. Although my mom was against it because of the dangers that come with it, eventually she knows that she can’t stop me no matter what.

After my dad left, I couldn’t sleep anymore.

“The Princess… is in danger…”

Of all people, why does it have to be her???

Princess Patt, she’s so well loved by everyone… except me… I HATE HER!

[FLASHBACK]

My dad and the King are actually best friends but only a few knew that. How cool is it to be close to the royal family? As a kid, my dad would always take me there whenever he has to talk to the King.

That’s when I met the King’s only daughter, Princess Patt. We are the same age so naturally we clicked and became best friends. I was so proud that I have a princess for a bestie. It’s like a story that came out from a story book. But as I got to know her on a deeper level, I was so proud to have Patt, not as a Princess but just as her, as my kind best friend for life. She is like an angel sent here on earth.

Princess Patt is also a very reserved girl, and I had to make her come out of her shell. And I guess, since we see each other almost everyday, my high energy seems to rub off on her that she became more open and relaxed whenever she’s with me. She only shows her naughty and foolish side with me, which makes me happy because I know she’s now comfortable with me.

We were inseparable, even in school, the King allowed her to go to a regular school with me so she could also experience being a normal kid. Their family is really the humblest people, that’s why they are really well loved by everyone.

We were the bestest of friends until we reached high school. Something shifted during our senior year. Patt suddenly became cold and distant to me.

During our break, I pulled her in an empty classroom and decided to talk to her.

“Patt, what’s going on? Is there a problem? You know you can always talk to me.”

I held her hands to make sure she knows that I’m just here for her. I can feel that there’s something on her mind.

“Everything is okay, Pan. I’m just preoccupied with school and my duties as the daughter of the King. Just don’t worry about me anymore.”

“What are you saying? Of course I will worry about you. You are my best friend. And I miss seeing you being cheerful and playful. What happened to you?”

“I grew up and matured. That’s what happened. I have no time to play anymore, Pan.”

Woah. Her tone was so cold it literally gave me chills. This is the first time I’ve seen her like this. Like… her heart was broken… that it made me want to hug her.

But I was shocked when I felt a hard push after. What the hell?!

“I DON’T NEED YOUR PITY! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Then Patt just ran and left me in that room. After that day, I couldn’t get a hold of her anymore. She also withdrew her enrollment, and I just got a news from my dad later that day that the Princess went to England to study.

I don’t know what happened or what I did to her that she decided to shut me out of her life all of a sudden. Everyday, I keep replaying the last time we talked, thinking if there’s something I did or missed… but I can’t think of anything. All I know is that I did everything to be a good friend to her.

After our high school graduation, that’s when I decided to enter the police force. The days turn into months, and then years. The 4 years of intense training made me forget about how I worry and miss Patt. And eventually, I just learned to get used to it and stopped caring about her.

It’s been a year since I heard the news that she came back after graduating from college and she was officially introduced as the Princess of our country. But since I’m busy with my tasks after training, and I also got promoted right away, my mind doesn’t have time to even care who came back.

I’m just thankful that we have never crossed paths yet...

*****

One day, there was a kid who disturbed the peace and quiet in our palace. It looked like she was having fun just playing and running around. I envy her carefreeness. If only I could be an ordinary kid, then maybe I don’t have to be too careful because the King keeps watching my every move.

Oh no, she’s coming my way. What should I do?

“Hey there! My name is Pansa! Just call me Pan.” she offered a handshake.

So at least she has manners.

“Hello, pleased to meet you, Pan. I’m Patt, Princess Patt.” I reciprocated her handshake.

“Wait, you are the princess?? As in a real princess, just like from the fairytale books?”

“Mmm… well something like that... I guess?”

“Wow!! Princess Patt! That’s a beautiful name. And you’re just as beautiful as the princess I read in books. Then can I be your knight, Princess? Just like my dad, I want to protect you from the monsters and bad people!”

This silly girl! How can she protect me when we’re just kids? But she’s just so charming that I could actually listen to her talk all day. And before I knew it, we became so close that I could feel so comfortable with her, without even caring if what I was doing wasn’t princess like at all. Finally, I have someone whom I can really be myself. She is my best friend, and she has become an important person to me.

My parents tried to keep my identity hidden until I’m ready to assume my role as the Princess for my own safety. So I usually don’t let just anyone come into my life. Since I’ll inherit the throne someday, my Father told me to choose my people carefully and be careful who to trust, and that made me scared so I chose to just be alone so there wouldn’t be any complications. But not until Pan came into my life.

We were inseparable. Even in school, where I was so scared with all the rowdiness of the other kids, Pan really did protect me. She knew I was not used to that kind of environment, so she helped me navigate my way through it. Without everyone knowing that I’m the King’s daughter, of course some kids would try to make fun of me because of my timidness, but Pan would always come to the rescue and fights those kids. She really did become my knight, protecting me. Until I was able to get along with them in the long run.

When we reached high school, we were still inseparable. And my foolish but sweet best friend is still the same, but I think something in me has changed. She really made my life a lot happier that she was becoming someone really special to me. But am I allowed to feel this way?

But at the start of our senior year, things started to change, at least for me. My father started to give me extra lessons in preparation for my role as the nation’s Princess. My father wanted me to focus more on my responsibilities as the next heir to the throne than wasting time on other stuff.

“My dear, I think I have given you enough freedom already to enjoy things as an ordinary citizen, at least you were able to experience the life of our people so you can learn how to connect with them and to help them better, just like how my father trained me. But now, it’s time to embrace who you truly are, you are the next ruler of this country, you have a lot of responsibilities now, so you must be prepared. I want you to study in England to further your knowledge on becoming a great leader.”

“But Father, can’t I just stay for one more year to finish my high school?”

“With your exceptional grades since the start, the university made an exception for you to start right away even without finishing high school. And even the head of your high school said that you’re way advanced compared to the others that they can let you graduate early. And we didn’t even reveal who you are yet, so they didn’t give you any special treatment. You’re just really brilliant, that’s why I don’t want to waste your potential.”

How can I say no to my father when he puts this kind of pressure on me. And the truth is, I’m still enjoying living as an ordinary person. But now, I have to face my reality and my destiny…

The following morning, I decided to let Pan know about what’s going to happen to me. I was trying to look for her on campus since the driver said she will not be able to ride with me to school because she needed to be there earlier for a project.

I tried to look for her in the library and saw her talking with her other friends. I was about to walk up to them, but I heard my name being mentioned.

“Hey Pansa! There’s a rumor going on that Pattranite is actually the King’s daughter. You are close to her, right? Is it true?” asked Earn.

“What? Where did you hear that??”

“Actually, we heard the Dean and some professors talk about it in the office. So you can’t deny it anymore. Hahaha. So did you really know she's the princess? Is your family also part of the royal family and you didn’t tell us?!” asked Ciize.

“No, that’s not it! Stop assuming things!”

“Then how did you become close? Don’t tell me, it’s just because you like her, so you tried to be close to her? I can see how you always look at her with so much admiration.” teased Earn.

“I also saw that look from Pansa everytime they're together! Ayiiii... Come on, spill the tea!” Ciize continued teasing.

“Nooo!! You got it all wrong! It’s just because she seems to always need my help, so that look in my eyes is just like the look of a big sister looking out for her helpless little sister. I can never like her that way! No way!! Never! She’s too much to handle! She’s too perfect! She’s way out of my league!”

Those words that came from my best friend were the last thing I was expecting to hear, and of all people, it was Pan, whom I trusted the most, that would say those. As if she doesn’t know the real me. What the hell?!

“She’s so perfect, I know I can’t measure up to her. But if she was an ordinary girl, then maybe I would've tried to pursue her.” whispered Pansa. Which the girls and Patt didn’t hear.

I just decided to leave and proceeded to my classes as usual. From then on, I didn’t know how to face Pan again, so I just avoided her the whole day. I just know that I’ll get frustrated if I talk to her.

But knowing her, she has a way of just barging in on people’s business. She just dragged me in an empty room and tried to talk. But I don’t know what to believe anymore. She would show me sweet gestures and say nice things to ease my heart but… was this all because of pity? Do I look pathetic and desperate enough to make her do all these? Were all these years just a responsibility for her since she knows I’m the Princess? Am I not worthy to be loved, as me? Who the hell is perfect? Because I’m not!

I couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe it's my pride that was hurt, knowing Pan will really never love me... I know I have no right to feel this way. But what can I do? This is how I feel. The more she’s showing her concern and care for me, the more pain I feel in my heart. So I just decided to push her away and get away from there.

Then the head of the school asked me to meet him in his office. He told me that my father’s spokesperson talked to them and explained my situation. Of course, they were all shocked and nervous facing me upon knowing that I am the Princess all this time. My overall experience in this school was really good, so they have nothing to fear, really. They can chill.

“We already agreed even before knowing who you truly are, that we can grant you an early graduation because of your exceptional grades, Your Highness. Rest assured that we will send all the required documents you may need for your studies abroad. We wish you the best in your future endeavors, Your Highness.” they all bowed after saying that.

“Oh please! You don’t need to bow. I’m not officially on duty yet so technically, I’m not your Princess yet. Please just treat me as before. And today will be my last day here, so from the bottom of my heart, I would like to express my gratitude for all the help you’ve extended to me.”

“I thought you have at least a week left, Your Highness? But if you need to leave immediately, we would process everything with urgency, Your Highness! You won’t have to worry about anything.”

I told my father that I wanted to leave immediately, which he granted and booked an earlier flight on the same day.

I just want to be as far away, from my upcoming responsibilities, the pressure whenever my father would remind me who I really am and most of all… I want to be far away from Pan…

After 4 years of being independent and having time for myself, I am now ready to face what I left at home. I’ve now accepted my destiny, and I now understand the responsibilities I have, and I am now willing to do my job for my country.

As I arrived at the airport, I was welcomed with a grand celebration. I didn’t know that my father had already announced to the whole country about me being their princess and having an inauguration ceremony the same day to officially make me the nation’s Princess.

I didn’t expect much but the overwhelming support and love I’m receiving from the people who just knew about me recently really solidified my destiny and it has become my motivation to serve my country well.

And being back means seeing people from my past as well.

I just wish we don’t cross paths anytime soon. I don’t think I’m ready yet…

Chapter Text

I can’t sleep since my dad visited me. How can I? After all that I’ve learned, and after knowing who I’m going to meet again. I don’t know how this will play out, but for now I need to focus on my task.

The dawn has come, and I don’t want to be late for my special task. As I arrived at the palace, my dad was already outside waiting for me.

“Captain Vosbein! Over here!”

My dad asked me to go inside his car and we went inside the palace together. As we are driving to the grand palace, my dad begins to brief me with all the details I need to know about this top-secret mission. Then we went down and greeted the King.

“Your Majesty, this is my daughter and the Captain of the RTSF, Captain Pansa Vosbein.”

Pansa bowed to the King and showed her respect.

“I remember you, Captain Vosbein. You used to come here almost everyday. You’ve grown up well. I’m sure your father is so proud of you. He would always mention you to me. I’m so happy that you are the one assigned for this task. Now I can rest assured that my daughter will be in good hands.”

“Thank you for trusting me with this mission, Your Majesty. I will do everything to ensure that the Princess will be safe under my care. For this country and for her, I will give my life.”

“I hope it won’t come to that, but I’m grateful for your dedication. Very well, you can follow Koi, she will bring you to where the Princess is, she’s been waiting for you.”

She’s been waiting for me? Does she know that I’m the one who’s coming? Well of course she has been informed about everything since it’s her safety that we’re talking about, right?

I don’t know why my heart is pounding like crazy. Maybe because it’ll be the first time I’m going to see her again after 6 years. But I don’t know if I’m ready to see her. I still hate her, but I need to do my job and protect her. I just need to focus on my job! That’s right! It’s the Princess, she’s not my ex-bff Patt, but the nation’s Princess.

“You may proceed, Captain. Her Highness, is already waiting inside.”

As I entered her palace doors, I was greeted by her personal secretary and directed me to where she is. 

She was facing the wall when I entered the room. Wait, is she watering her plants? 

I lowered my head and bowed to show my respect.

“Good Morning, Your Highness…”

But it seems that the Princess was clueless.

*****

I was getting ready to welcome my new head of security. I have no idea what to expect since my father doesn’t want me to worry too much about it. He said he’ll take care of everything, I just have to cooperate to ensure my safety.

I don’t know why, but my heart started to race when I heard that Comm. Gen. Sukvimol and my new head of security had arrived and is currently talking with the King. Then after a few minutes, I heard Koi already nearby. Out of nervousness, I decided to suddenly water my plants. 

Then finally, my guest arrived.

“Good Morning, Your Highness…”

I turned around and saw… a girl? As my head of security? Hmm… well, she must be really good if even the Comm. Gen. trusted her to look after me. I guess I should be proud that a girl is excelling in a field run mostly by men. I think I’m gonna like my head of security better this time.

“Hello, Good Morning! Please have a seat.”

And as the girl lifted her head up from bowing, a VERY familiar face was revealed. And I couldn’t help but gasp and widen my eyes out of shock.

“Y-YOU?!!”

Okay, I might’ve raised my voice a little there. Koi and my secretary looked at me with surprise as they heard my reaction.

“Captain Pansa Vosbein, reporting for duty, Your Highness. I will be your new head of security.”

Oh my god! This was not how I expected things to go. Why didn’t I ask my father who they’ll assign for me? I should’ve been curious.

But I can’t be too obvious. Or else she’ll be all smug about this. Alright, this is just work, let’s all be professional about this, Patt. If she can pretend like we’re strangers, then I can too.

“H-hello Captain Vosbein! I believe you were already told about what you need to do?”

“Yes, Your Highness. You don’t have to worry. Everything is set. You can continue doing your usual routine. I will take care of you… I mean of everything.”

“V-very well, Koi will assist you to your new room since you’ll be staying in this palace.”

“A-ah… yes, Your Highness.”

“Oh and please coordinate with my secretary, Prim. She will give you all my schedules so you can plan ahead.”

“Hi Captain Vosbein, I’m Prim. You can coordinate with me regarding all the schedule of the Princess.”

“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Prim. I will need to work closely with you about everything regarding the Princess.”

“Yes, we can actually have a meeting after this. I will let you settle in your room first then meet me here again after.”

“Ah yes, Captain Vosbein. Please put your things in your room first so you and Prim can talk. Oh, but before you go… Koi please come here. I have something to say to you.”

*whispers to Koi and she nodded in agreement with the Princess* 

“Okay Koi, please assist the Captain to her room.”

“Very well, thank you, Your Highness. I will take my leave.”

After the Captain left, Prim looked at me with a smug face.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Prim and I have been friends from college. She is a working student and a scholar in our university in England, and she is the only other Thai (and half British) in there so naturally, we became friends. Although I didn’t reveal who I was until we graduated. 

Of course, ever since I left, it has become harder for me to open up to anyone. I prefer to just keep things to myself. Prim actually respected that and didn’t really pressure me to open up to her, which I appreciated. So eventually, I slowly opened up to her and became comfortable. It’s been a while since I felt this trusting again, but of course I can’t fully open up myself to anyone anymore after… Pan. 

So when we graduated, I asked her if she wants to come back home with me to Thailand because it’s been a while since she visited home. And when I revealed my identity to her, of course she was shocked, like everybody else. But since we became close, we really became comfortable with each other that the title didn’t really become an issue for us to become awkward with each other. And she actually asked me if she could work for me as my private secretary because she wants to know the life of royalties. She said this is a once in a lifetime chance for her, so of course, as a good friend, I granted her request. Although in public, we must act professional, but I never treated her as just my assistant. When we are just alone, we would be like the usual friends back from college.

“What was that reaction earlier Patt?”

“What do you mean? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, you know what I’m talking about. Hmm… I feel like there’s something you’re not telling. And I will uncover it even without your help! Hahaha.”

“Stop it! Or you can just hand me your resignation if you’re going to be this nosy.”

“Like I said, I will be just quiet and pretend I didn’t see anything, Your Highness. You know my loyalty is with you.”

“Hahaha you’re crazy!”

“But why did your father suddenly change your head of security?"

“Ah, it’s because his head of security is retiring, so he needed someone who’s been with us for a long time now, so he had to reshuffle. It’s no big deal, he just wants his people to be someone really reliable and he can fully trust..”

“Oh, that makes sense. Now I also get why he chose Captain Vosbein to be your new head of security.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve done my research for you. FYI… Captain Vosbein actually graduated with the highest overall rank in her batch. And according to my source, she even surpassed the performances of the other older top notchers that passed the intense training of RTSF, even surpassing her dad, Comm. Gen. Sukvimol. She really is the best of the best out there, Patt. And not to mention she’s also a girl, who’s breaking barriers between men and women. She’s making history in our country. I like her already.”

“Wow, I didn’t know she became that good… that’s great to hear then. At least I know she will do her job properly.”

“And not to mention how pretty and hot she looks. Oh my god! Do you think I’ll have a chance if I make a move on her?”

“Hm? I didn’t know you like… girls?”

“Well, I like everyone. It doesn’t matter what the gender is. If it’s true love, then that’s it!”

“True love your face! You’re just simping on her! I’m sure your taste will change tomorrow.”

*****

“Here’s your room, Captain. If you have anything that you may need, please don’t hesitate to ask me. The Princess personally asked me a while ago to tend to your needs.”

“Oh thank you, Koi. But you can prioritize the Princess. You don’t need to worry about me, I can handle myself.”

“Very well, I’ll leave you to rest and prepare.”

Hmm… the Princess asked her personal servant to serve me as well? That’s very thoughtful of her. I guess some things never change.

At least our first meeting went well I suppose? 

Because in my mind, I thought I would be banished from the palace the moment she sees me. I’m glad that she remained civil and calm. But I’m so shocked that she was surprised to see me. I guess she was not informed about who’s replacing her head of security. 

Anyway, I should organize all my stuff and begin to coordinate with Ms. Prim.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

“Hi Captain Vosbein, are you all set?”

“Ms. Prim! Ah yes, I was about to go to you…”

“We could just talk here in your room so you can feel relaxed. The Princess went to talk to His Majesty, the King, so we can start with our meeting here while waiting for her, then we can all leave together for her first schedule.”

“Uhm okay. Then please, come in and have a seat.”

“So here’s the Princess’ schedule for this month. We’re going to be really busy so I hope you can keep up with us. Hehehe.”

“Yes, don’t worry. I was trained for an even more hectic environment, so this is actually easy for me.”

While I was browsing and studying the schedule, it seemed that Ms. Prim wanted to say something.

“Is there something you wanted to ask?"

“Uhm, actually Captain Vosbein… I’m curious about something. I think I saw you before, you look so familiar. By any chance, do you know the Princess?”

“Well, everyone in this country knows the Princess…”

“I know that silly! Hahaha. What I mean is, do you know the Princess on a… more personal level?”

“W-what makes you think t-that?”

Wait, why am I getting nervous with all her questions? I don’t know if I should tell her the truth. I think it’s better to just keep it a secret since the Princess is also pretending not to know me. That’s right, it’s for her safety.

“Well, I’m just sensing something between the two of you… like… there’s some tension between you two. And I was surprised that the Princess suddenly gave you this room next to hers. She is a very private person so having someone in a room just adjacent to hers, she must trust you so much. Because as you can see, there’s even a door in between your walls where you can access the Princess’ room. You might even hear her if she talks loudly. So, this room is actually a very vulnerable place for her. Even I can’t occupy this room. That’s why it’s been vacant ever since, so it got me really curious…”

“I’m the head of her security, if anything bad is to happen to the Princess, I should be the first one to prevent it. And having me close is actually the best way to protect her. So, I don’t think there’s nothing unusual about her decision to assign me to this room.”

“Hmm, you got a point there. I just really thought you’d be staying somewhere else as planned because her former head of security and the others are usually stationed in the complex next to the palace, so it suddenly got me thinking. But I guess you’re right, it makes sense because it is more convenient having you near the Princess. Hehehe. Sorry for asking you random questions. Anyway, look at the time, the Princess must be done talking to her father, so I’ll go ahead now. I’ll just meet you downstairs, Captain Vosbein.”

“Yes, I’ll be heading down soon to brief my team.”

Wooh! That was close. I thought Ms. Prim would still ask me more questions. Good thing I was able to convince her with my answers.

But what was she saying about me staying in this room? She’s right though. There’s a door in between our rooms so we can access each other’s rooms. And if we talk loudly, we could hear each other’s conversations too. I guess I should be careful and just talk moderately so I won’t disturb her. 

But I know that she really likes her privacy. Hmm… so now it got me thinking why I was given this room? 

Chapter Text

“Alright team, I’m Captain Pansa Vosbein and I’ll be your new head of security for the Princess. Everyone will need to coordinate everything with me, understood?”

“Yes, Captain!”

“Again, our top priority is the safety of the Princess, so I expect all of you to be always on your toes and be on a lookout all the time. Do you copy?”

“Yes, Captain!”

“Good! On to your positions now. Dismissed!”

“Very well done, Captain Vosbein! That looks so hot – I mean cool having your team obey you right away. I guess they trust you.”

“Hi Ms. Prim… and Your Highness. *bows* Ah actually, I know all of them. Most of them are in the same batch as me when we were training. And some, I’ve worked with before, so we have no problem working altogether.”

“Then I believe we won’t have any problems, right, Captain?”

“Yes, Your Highness. You won’t have to worry about anything.”

“Well then, let’s now go. I don’t want to be late for my first appointment.”

“Oh yes, Your Highness. Let me get the car door for you.”

“Thank you.”

I rode the car with the Princess and was seated at the front passenger seat. While the rest of the security followed.

“Prim, how’s our preparation for my father’s birthday so far? We only have a week left, are there more people we need to meet?”

“We are just finalizing the food selection and the venue styling. I will meet with the chef after this but for the venue, I might have to push back the meeting with her since I’m packed with meetings today.” while Prim pouted.

“Well, you asked to be part of this crazy world, are you regretting it now?”

Wow, did she just bluntly say that to Ms. Prim? Patt became really cold. She’s really not the old Patt that I used to know, and I don’t know if I want to get to know this new person.

But you have to focus on your job, Pansa. She’s your mission. Nothing more, nothing less. She is this country’s most important person that I need to protect. That’s it.

*ehem* “Princess…”

Prim was trying to signal Patt that they are not alone in the car like before, now that Captain Vosbein is with them.

“…Of course, working alongside you is such a great honor, Your Highness.” Prim awkwardly smiled.

“Ah. T-thank you for saying that. Very well, I will just meet with the venue coordinator then. I have an hour of break for today, so I have time.”

“But Princess, that’s the only break you have for yourself today. You won’t have another break until late at night again. Don’t worry too much, I can set up another meeting with them.”

“I want to get this done so that I don’t have to worry anymore. It’s okay, I’ll have more time to rest after all these.”

“Well, Captain Vosbein, if it’s not too much to ask… can you please help the Princess with her meeting at the venue later?”

“Prim! It’s not a hard task. I don’t need help!” the Princess countered.

“But the extra help wouldn’t hurt, right?”

The Princess just kept quiet.

“Of course. I’ll help with the preparations needed. Just tell me what I need to do”

“Great! I knew I could count on you, Captain Vosbein. You just need to accompany the Princess to the venue and help with the final decision. Since the Princess have a lot in her mind right now, helping her decide would be great.”

“Alright. Copy that.” I smiled at them, but when I looked in the Princess’ direction, she rolled her eyes.

What the heck is her problem?! Ugh, she’s annoying!

*****

After the 1^st half of my meetings, Prim went ahead to meet with the chef, and I was on my way to the venue for my father’s birthday. The car ride remained quiet for the whole trip until we arrived at the location.

The Captain opened the door for me.

“Watch your step, Your Highness!”

“I have two eyes, I’m sure I can see where I’m going – DUUGG!!”

OUCH!! Shoot! I hit my head on the roof of the car. Nice timing Patt! Now, she will be all smug about it!

~pfff~

Was that a laugh? Did she just try to hold her laughter?!

“What’s so funny, Captain?!?”

“Apologies, Princess. Are you hurt?”

“Let’s just go now!”

The audacity of her to ask me if I’m hurt when she saw what happened. How annoying! I should’ve disagreed with Prim earlier.

“Welcome Princess Patt! Thank you for personally meeting me. I’ve already prepared everything for you to choose from. This way please, Your Highness.”

Alright, Prim is right. There’s still a lot of options I need to choose from. I thought by now they’d narrowed it down to at least 2 choices, but I was wrong. Maybe because it’s for the King so they wanted the best of everything laid out for us.

“Uhmmm…”

I’m having a migraine right now. This is overwhelming. I should’ve just waited for Prim…

“Hello Ma’am, I’m Captain Vosbein. The Princess’ head of security. And I’m also here to help with the preparations. For the flowers, let’s go with this one. The King is fond of colors so he would appreciate it if the venue were filled with colors. For the table linens, let’s try to keep it simple since the decorations are mostly with colors already, so we don’t want to overstimulate the people. And since the King is a nature lover, these earth colors would look best for the overall theme. And for the – “

As annoying as she is, I must admit that she really knows my father well. I guess growing up together, she really became close with my family that she learned everything about us. Her memory must be really good.

“Do you agree with everything, Princess?”

“Y-yes. Everything is to my father’s liking so let’s finalize everything.”

After the meeting, Captain Vosbein and I decided to inspect the venue one last time to make sure everything was in place.

“Okay team, go and check all the perimeters of this venue and familiarize yourself with your stations. I’ll take care of the Princess here.”

“Yes, Captain! We’re moving now!”

The venue has already started their renovations as well, just in time to finish before the King’s grand birthday celebration.

“Just stay here, Your Highness. I will just get our hard hats inside the office before we proceed with our venue inspection.”

I just nodded.

After a few minutes, I heard a loud noise coming from inside the construction site, then someone shouted.

“Heeelpp!!”

I went inside to look for the voice who was calling for help. Then I saw a man who’s stuck under a pile of steel pipes.

“Somebody please help me!!”

“Sir, please hold on. I already contacted the paramedics, they’re on their way.”

I held the man’s hand to assure him that it’ll be alright. I can see that he’s scared.

“They will be here soon, okay? Don’t worry, sir.”

Then after a few seconds I heard another rumbling sound coming from the top. When I looked up, I saw a debris that’s about to fall. I just ducked and covered my head because I know it’s already too late for me to move away.

~BLAAAGG!!!~

I’m sure I heard the debris had fallen already, but why am I not hurting? I opened my eyes and tried to feel my head and arms, and it looked and felt fine.

“Are you hurt, Princess??”

I turned my head and saw Captain Pansa covering my petite body and it seemed that she took the impact from the falling debris.

“ANSWER ME!! ARE YOU HURT ANYWHERE, PRINCESS PATT?!?”

“I-I’m okay. I’m n-not hurt.”

Everything happened so fast, my mind can’t still grasp what happened and how the Captain was there all of a sudden.

“That’s good to know. Come here. Let me escort you out. The paramedics are already here.”

I just grabbed her hand, and we went to a safe zone.

The paramedics were able to safely remove the injured worker and transported him to the hospital.

“We sincerely apologize for this incident, Your Highness. We are really sorry…”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just an accident. And let’s just all be grateful that the worker has been rescued.”

“And it is all thanks to your quick thinking to call for help, Princess. But again, we would make sure that this will never happen again. We are deeply sorry.”

“Very well, I’ll just send another staff to check on the venue once the renovations are done. Thank you again for your time, we need to get going now.”

The car was already waiting for us in front and we left.

“Hello Prim, we just finished our meeting with the venue coordinator. Anyway, please push back all my remaining schedule for today. I know I don’t have anything urgent remaining so we can reschedule them again. Try to squeeze some for tomorrow. I don’t need any breaks. Thank you and I’ll just see you at the palace. I have to go somewhere. Bye.”

“Wait Pri –“

“Your Highness, are you going somewhere else? Please let me know so I could coordinate with my team.”

“Yes, about that, you can tell the rest of the security that I don’t have any other schedules for the rest of the day so they can go back now. That’s an order!”

“And may I know the reason for that order? Before I decide if I’ll follow it or not.”

“Ugh! Why do you have to be so annoying? Can’t you just follow what you’re asked?”

“There should be a reasonable explanation first. I don’t just blindly follow commands.”

“Mr. Parin, can you please drive us to the nearest hospital. And if you could please get us there faster.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Why? Are you hurt from earlier??”

Out of worry, Captain Pansa jumped from her seat in front to get to the backseat to check on me.

“I thought you said you’re fine? Tell me, where does it hurt??”

I can see the genuine concern from her eyes while she’s checking my body for injuries.

“Can you stop worrying about me and worry about yourself first?”

I tried to gently hold her shoulder.

“Aahh!”

“Your back and shoulders were bleeding since earlier. And you didn’t even feel the pain until now? What?! Do you think you’re some robot that don’t bleed or feel pain?”

“It’s maybe because of the adrenaline rush from earlier that I didn’t notice it. I apologize, Your Highness. Here, let me wipe the blood off your hand.”

I took the handkerchief from her and placed it on her nape that’s been bleeding. I can see that it startled her.

“Can you please just stay still?! Mr. Parin are we there yet?”

“Yes, Your Highness. We are now here. I’ll open the door for you. Please wait a moment.”

“Thank you.”

“I can just open the door, Princess. Mr. Parin doesn’t have to –”

“Can you please just shut up and just go down now? We need to have you checked immediately!”

“What’s the emergency?” asked the nurses waiting on the ER.

“A debris fell on her. She’s currently bleeding a lot, please check her quickly.”

“This way Ma’am. Please lay down the bed and we’ll run some tests.”

Princess Patt waited for an hour before the doctor came out.

“Your Highness, I didn’t know you were still here. My apologies if it took us a long time. We had to stitch up a deep wound on her shoulder. She also has bruises on her back because of the impact. But other than that, the Captain is going to be fine. Her CT scan and other results looked good. She just needs to dress her wound every now and then, so she could heal faster.”

“Thank you so much for your hard work, doc! Can I see the patient now?”

“Yes, Your Highness, she’s still inside.”

When I opened the door, I saw Captain Pansa still putting on her shirt over her one arm. I saw the big bruises on her back, and I suddenly felt… bad.

“Here, let me help you.”

“Oh, Princess. T-thank you! It was just hard to suddenly move my left arm because of the stitches. But you don’t need to worry. I’m still strong enough to protect you from anything. This is actually nothing.”

“I-I’m sorry… that this happened because of me…And this is only your first day with me.”

“Just like what you said earlier, it’s just an accident. And it’s a good thing that you were there to save that man. And it was also my luck to have found you just in time when that debris was about to fall. Or else… I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to you… ahh what I meant is, the King and my dad won’t forgive me if you were hurt.”

“Well, I didn’t get to say this earlier but… thank you for saving me back there.”

“It is my job to protect you, Your Highness.”

“...right. Uhm, let’s go back to the palace now. I have to meet Prim. Good job today, Captain!”

I quickly turned around and went out of the room and just waited for her in the car.

That’s right. She’s just here for a mission from the King and her dad to protect me. It’s just because it’s her job. Nothing more, nothing less.

*****

The car ride going back to the palace was quiet again. Whenever I tried to look at the Princess from the rear-view mirror, she was just looking outside the window. She seemed back to being ice cold. Whenever I asked her about some trivial things, she would just respond with a “hmm” or “uh-huh”, so I just stopped trying to make small talks.

I thought I was beginning to see her warm side again earlier, but I guess it was just my imagination.

I went back to my room after meeting with my team about the changes in the Princess’ schedule.

Today was actually tiring and also embarrassing that I didn’t feel my injury right away which caused for me to mess up the Princess’ schedule for the day. I heard the door closing in the next room. The Princess must be back and ready to rest.

After a few seconds, I heard a knock on my door.

“Captain Vosbein, it’s Koi. May I come in?”

Koi? What does she want in this late hour?

“Ah y-yes, Koi. Please come in.”

“I’m sorry to bother you, Captain Vosbein. The Princess asked me to bring these to you. This is for dressing your wound and this ice pack is for your bruises. She also asked me to help you if you still can’t move your arms properly.”

“Oh you don’t need to do that. I’m actually feeling much better now. Please tell the Princess, thank you for this. And thank you, Koi. You can rest now.”

“Very well, I’ll be going now, Captain Vosbein.”

Princess Patt is confusing me. She was cold to me just a few hours ago. And now she sent me this? Because she’s concerned? Or maybe because she just felt guilty about what happened? Right, she said she felt bad, so that means she’s just feeling guilty.

The next morning, while I was preparing… I accidentally bumped my shoulder on the edge of the table while I was trying to pick up something on the floor. Fuck!!

“AAAAHHHHHH!!!”

I think my wound opened up a bit because I started to have spots of red on my shirt.

Then I heard a frantic knock on my door. Who is it? It’s still too early. Is there an emergency? I ran to the door to open it and… I saw someone still in her nightgown.

“Y-Your Highness? What is it? Is there an emergency?”

“I heard you scream in pain! What happened? Oh my god! Your shoulder is bleeding! Come here!!”

The Princess grabbed my hand and pulled me out to come to her room.

Wow! I think this is my first time to be here. Her room is so big and so elegant looking. Fit for a Princess like her. I’ve never been here even when we were kids. We would always just play outside the courtyard or do our stuff in the study room.

“Take a seat on the couch first, I’m going to get the first aid kit.”

“Y-Yes, Your Highness.”

After a few seconds, she’s back with the first aid kit.

“Hurry and remove your shirt so I can see your wound properly.”

“E-excuse me? Remove my what?”

“Just unbutton and slide down the top part of your shirt! I’m not asking you to strip, calm down. I just need to see your shoulder.”

“Oh okay. But I can do it, Princess. Don’t worry and just continue resting.”

“Don’t be stubborn and just let me. You can’t even keep your wound from bleeding in less than 24 hours!”

“I’m sorry…”

“And this is my fault anyway, so this is the least I can do…”

Right… she is just feeling guilty, Pansa. No need to overthink things. What are you expecting, huh?

“Oh good! Your stitches are still intact but maybe you hit your shoulder somewhere, so the impact made your wound bleed a little, am I right?”

“Ah yes. Hehehe. I accidentally hit the table when I was trying to reach the floor.”

“This is going to sting a little so suck it up! I’m just cleaning your wound. It’ll be quick.”

I didn’t even feel any sting at all. Her hands are gentle… the exact opposite of how she really is now.

“Try to be more careful next time, Captain! How can you protect me if you can’t even look after yourself?!”

It’s early in the morning and this is how my day starts? With nagging from the Princess? What the heck?!

“I’m sorry, Princess. It won’t happen again. And I won’t let you be bothered by this again.”

Once she finished putting the gauze, I immediately put back my shirt and stood up.

“Thank you again, Your Highness. I will now let you rest. And I also have to prepare.”

I quickly left her room and didn’t even bother to look at her face if she was mad. I’ll just deal with the consequences later.

*****

What the heck was that? I was genuinely concerned about her and she just stormed out of my room just like that?! Now her true colors are showing! I was worried for nothing! Ugh!

I just went on my morning and prepared for a busy day. I skipped breakfast since I had to make up for the schedules I moved yesterday.

“Here’s your first meeting today, Princess. I was able to squeeze in the meeting with the head of tourism early this morning since he’s also a morning person, so it worked for him. Then I was able to also reschedule a meeting with the director of the foundation we are helping to finalize the project we’re planning for next month.”

“Okay, great job, Prim!”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay today?”

“Yes, let’s just get this over with.”

“Oh by the way, I heard about what happened yesterday to you, Captain Vosbein. Are you alright? Here I brought you pain reliever to help.” as Prim leaned closer to where Captain Pansa was sitting and gave her the medicine while she slowly caressed her arm.

"Seriously Prim? You have the time to flirt in this situation? And Captain Pansa seems to like it anyway! Ugh!!! They are both annoying me this early morning!!" I thought to myself as I look away.

Please! I don't wanna witness whatever this is....

“A-ah yes, Thank you for this Ms. Prim. You're so thoughtful. I’m okay now. It’s nothing serious.”

I scoffed at that statement. And I saw the Captain slightly turn her head towards me upon hearing me.

“Ah, that’s good to hear, Captain Vosbein. At least no one was hurt badly. I even heard, the man you guys rescued is now in stable condition.”

“That’s a very good news. Thanks for telling us, Prim. So, are you guys done talking? I want to take a nap!” I interjected sarcastically in their conversation.

“Are you okay, Princess? You seem like you’re in a bad mood. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” whispered Prim.

“Something like that. I’m just pissed." I whispered back.

As my meetings in the morning went on, Prim had to go to another meeting on my behalf so she went on her own and would just meet us in the afternoon. While we are on our way to my next meeting, my stomach begins to hurt. I was trying to look for my medicine, but I was out already. Shoot! I’ll just drink water and I’ll be fine.

“Take this, Your Highness. It’s an antacid.”

“T-Thank you, Captain…”

“And here, please eat while we are still on our way to your next meeting. I just bought it so it’s still warm. You need to eat! I know you didn’t get to eat your breakfast. You won’t be able to think straight if you’re hungry and in pain because of your stomach.”

“How did you – nevermind. Thank you for this, Captain.”

“You’re welcome, Princess. And if you are wondering how I knew what’s happening to you, it is my job to make sure you’re safe. And part of it is you, being healthy as well. My focus is only on you… I-I mean that’s how I work.”

Right. I’m her job. Her mission. Well at least she’s reliable and good at what she does. I guess that should be enough. Yes, enough already, Patt.

*****

The Princess went on with her meetings and engagements for the whole week with little to no breaks. But she’s now conscious and made sure to ask Ms. Prim for a snack at the very least, so she won’t experience what happened last time.

We kept our distance, and we interacted professionally. Her schedules would always end up late at night. And we would always end our interaction with her saying “Good job for today, Captain.”

On the day before the King’s birthday celebration, she packed her schedule so she could free her whole day for the event. Even some overseas meetings we’re squeezed in for the day.

Wow, when will the Princess ever get a break from all of these? I didn’t know back then that her responsibilities as a Princess would be this heavy. Is this the reason why she became cold and distant to me? But no, it’s not an excuse to act that way and just leave me hanging like that. She could’ve explained it to me properly and I would’ve understood and supported her since I’m her best friend… before. I would never understand her decision back then.

We arrived at the palace a little over midnight. The Princess dozed off while in the car.

“Princess Patt, we’re here now. Princess??” Ms. Prim tried to gently wake up the Princess, but she seemed really exhausted.

“You can go back now, Ms. Prim. It’s going to be another long day again tomorrow, so you need to rest too. I’ll take it from here.”

“Are you sure? Mmm… Okay, I’ll leave the Princess in your care, Captain Vosbein. I’ll leave now. Good night and I'll definitely see you tomorrow, okay?” then Ms. Prim gave me a flying kiss and winked at me.

“Have a good night, Ms. Prim! Stay safe!”

The Princess is still deep in her slumber, so I just gently carried her out of the car and took her inside. She is very light, is she even eating properly?

Koi was already waiting outside her bedroom as she opened the door for us to get inside. I slowly lay Princess Patt on her bed. She must be very tired, especially today.

I caressed her face that looked so pale. She’s taking this role way too seriously, I wish she would slow down.

Wait, why am I feeling sorry for her?

I pulled my hand and stepped back upon realizing what I was doing.

Then I heard the Princess murmur…

“Goo~ job~ tday~, Captn~…”

I guess that line is already programmed in her mind.

“Uhm, Koi… please take care of the Princess. Make sure to change her clothes so she can be comfortable in her sleep.”

“Yes, Captain Vosbein. I’ll take care of the Princess.”

“Thank you, Koi. Let me know if you need any help. I’ll just wait outside the room and wait until she’s tucked in.”

“O-okay. Thank you for your help, Captain Vosbein.”

After Koi went out of the Princess' room, I went in and for one last time, I made sure the Princess was tucked in well.

"I hope you sleep well, Your Highness..." as I caressed her head.

When I was about to lift my hand, the Princess subconsciously grabbed my hand and clasped it near her face as she positions herself comfortably. I didn't dare move my hand away. But why didn't I?

As I stared at her tranquil face, all my tiredness were washed away. She still has this effect on me.

Well, I'll just go back to my room when she let go of my hand. I guess, this is going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Princess Patt woke up confused. Then Koi knocked on the door.

“Your Highness? Are you awake now?”

“Ah… Yes Koi. You may come in.”

“Good morning, Your Highness. Were you able to sleep well?”

“Yes. Uhm, how did I return to my room? I can’t remember. The last thing I remembered was we were on our way home and I think I fell asleep in the car. Did Mr. Parin take me to my room?”

“No, Your Highness. It was actually Captain Vosbein who carried you here in your room.”

“Captain Vosbein carried me all the way here? With an injured shoulder? Did you see if she was in pain or something?”

“No, Your Highness. She seemed fine when she carried you until she went back in her room.”

“Are you sure she looked okay?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Do you want me to check on her?”

“No, nevermind. If she looked fine, then let’s not bother.”

Why am I like this? What’s with this concern? She’s a grown-up lady, I’m sure she can take care of herself. But why am I feeling like this ever since we’ve met each other again? I thought you couldn’t stand her anymore? 

And why did I dream about her staying beside me while I’m asleep? Why does it seem so real that I could still feel the warmth of her hand in mine?

“She also made sure that you were tucked in well before she went back to her room, Your Highness. I just saw her leave your room at dawn. I think she spent the whole night taking care of you while you were sleeping, Your Highness.”

Oh, so it was not a dream??? No. Impossible.

Okay, please focus, Patt. Stop this delusion. She’s not even your friend anymore. We are not the same anymore. And I don’t think we can ever go back to how we were before. Right now, I’m just her mission, and as a good soldier, of course she must do what she is asked. Keep that in mind, Patt! Get yourself together.

I went ahead to prepare for today. Prim was already waiting for me in my office with Captain Pansa.

“But you are so strong, Captain Vosbein. Seeing how toned your arms are, I’m now sure how you topped your batch. Hihihi.”

“Hahaha. Well, we are trained to be strong Ms. Prim. Of course, we need to protect this country so our body must be ready for anything. But if you need any advice on exercising properly, I can help you with that when I have an extra time.”

Are these two… flirting again? Early this morning? What the heck?!

*ehem ehem*

“Good morning, Prim! And oh, you’re also here. Good morning, Captain.”

“Good morning, Princess Patt.” said Prim.

“Good morning, Your Highness.” the Captain greeted.

“Am I interrupting your conversation? I apologize.”

“Oh no, no, Princess. We were just casually chatting while waiting for you. But I already told the Captain about how today would go.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ve already briefed my team, and I’ve also coordinated everything with Comm. Gen. Sukvimol. Everything’s set according to plan.”

“That’s good to know. And Prim, how’s the preparation for today going on?”

“Ah there’s nothing to worry about, Princess. Everything is good to go. All you need to do is just attend the King’s birthday party. All the important guests have already confirmed too, and some were also being accommodated in the hotels we provided for them. So just relax.” 

“Well, everything must be perfect today. I don’t want to disappoint the King and the Queen.”

“I’m sure everything will go well today, Your Highness. Don’t worry too much.” said the Captain with a smile.

I just nodded and smiled subtly at her. But the tone of her voice surprisingly calmed my nerves.

“I will go ahead and check on the ongoing preparations now. I will see you this evening Princess Patt.” 

“Thank you so much for helping me, Prim! You’re really a life saver!”

“You’re most welcome, Princess.” 

“I will go with Ms. Prim, Your Highness. I just need to meet with the whole security team for a final briefing and do a final inspection of the venue before the event this evening. But I will be back as soon as I can.”

“You can take your time, Captain. Enjoy your time with Prim. I will just be in the palace anyway.”

“But you are still my priority, Princess. Uhm what I mean is… I’m your head of security so I should be within your parameters all the time.”

I don’t know why my face suddenly felt warm and my heart started to race like it did back then.

No, Patt! You need to set your boundaries.

“Do what you need to do, Captain.”

“Then I will see you later, Your Highness!”

*KNOCK KNOCK*

“Your Highness, the Queen wishes to see you.” said Koi.

“She does? Tell her I’ll be on my way. Thank you.”

I grew up closer to my father than my mother. I just know that ever since I was born, my mother rarely got close to me. Later on, I found out that because of the complication from my birth, she can’t conceive anymore. And I know that they wanted a son for an heir, but unfortunately, they got me. But father never treated me like I was unwanted. He cherished me so much, unlike my mother who is disgusted everytime we need to interact with each other. But I just went with it because maybe it’s really my fault that I ruined her life. And I will always feel sorry for her situation. That’s why I always try to understand her.

“Your Majesty, Princess Patt is here to see you.” the Queen was informed by her servant.

“Your Majesty… *bows head* You wanted to see me?”

“Ah yes. I ordered a new gown for you to wear later. I don’t want you to look shabby for this event and embarrass your father.”

“Very well, I will wear this later. Thank you for thinking about me. Is that all?”

“Yes. You may now go.”

Our conversations never last for over 5 minutes. But I’m used to it by now. 

I went back to my palace and just continued doing what I needed to do in my room. But why is my chest feeling heavy? Why am I always like this everytime I meet with my mother?

Suddenly, I couldn’t control it. My tears started to fall, and my knees started to get weak, so I leaned on the wall and sat while sobbing.

After a few minutes, I got startled because I heard a gentle knock from the connecting door near me.

“Princess Patt? Are you there?”

Oh shoot! Captain Pansa? What is she doing here? Why is she back already? Did she hear me crying?

“I know you’re in there. It’s okay if you don’t answer me. But I’m just here if you need someone to talk to. But if you don’t want to talk, that’s okay too. I’ll just be here.”

From the sound where the voice is coming from, it seems like she’s also sitting against the wall adjacent to where I am now. And knowing that, my heart felt at ease that she’s so close to me… even if there’s a wall between us. And it was like a habit that my heart felt comfortable to be vulnerable around her.

I didn’t utter any words and just continued crying my heart out. And I think Pan already understood the situation. She’s really good at getting information, I guess.

“Your mother just doesn’t want to show it, but I’m pretty sure it’s because she was really thinking of you when she bought that. And that’s what matters, right? She thinks of you every now and then.”

Of course, Pan has known my issue about my mother ever since. And she would always invite me to their house and ask her mom to make food for me whenever she knows I’m feeling down. And because of that, at least I still grew up with a mother in Mrs. Vosbein. She really treated me like her own daughter too. And up until now, ever since I got back from England, she would sometimes send me desserts she made along with sweet little notes saying how proud she is of me and how much she misses me. She would also sulk to me how her daughters (Pansa and me) don’t have time for her anymore. Sadly, I couldn’t visit her because of my hectic schedule, but maybe I should make time after this.

“Thank you, Captain. This is not part of your job, so you don’t have to do this anymore. I don’t need your pity again…”

“I know it’s not part of my job but – “

“Then don’t trouble yourself with my issues anymore… I need to go and prepare now. You should too, Captain…”

I didn’t mean to be rude to her, but I must try to control myself. After all, the Captain is just feeling sorry for me again. I don’t want to look pathetic in her eyes again. 

*****

I tried to finish early so that I could go back to the Princess’ palace early. And luckily, my team are so reliable that I didn’t even have to give them a lot of instructions since they already know what they needed to do. So, I was able to finish earlier than expected.

As I got back, I asked where the Princess was, and I was informed that she’s with the Queen. I secretly tried to see how the Princess is doing. The perk of being the head of security is that I have access to all the palaces. So I tried going to where they were and I secretly followed her until she went inside her room. 

I wonder how she feels. I can’t tell from her face if she’s alright.

As she entered her room, I decided to go inside my room too. Everything is quiet from the other side. Maybe she’s really okay, I guess. I was worried for nothing. I should just go back to what I was supposed to do.

As I was about to open my door, I heard a sound… of someone who is sobbing… and the moment I heard it, my heart just sank. So I decided to find where the sound was coming and when I found the part of the wall she’s at, I sat against that wall as well, it’s as if she would feel my presence.

“Princess Patt? Are you there?”

And all I got was silence. But I understand… I don’t know why but I know how she always feels whenever she meets her mother. Some things never change. She still feels hurt by her mother.

“Thank you, Captain. This is not part of your job, so you don’t have to do this anymore. I don’t need your pity again…”

“I know it’s not part of my job but – “

“Then don’t trouble yourself with my issues anymore… I need to go and prepare now. You should too, Captain…”

WHAT THE HECK?! WHY DO I ALWAYS HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THIS??!

Everytime I try to be a good friend to her, she would always shut me out like this. What did I ever do to her to deserve this?! It’s like she’s really pushing me to keep hating her everytime.

And why does she always say not to pity her?! When did I ever make her feel that? I just genuinely want to be here for her, and this is what I get for being soft for her again. You never learn Pansa. It’s your fault for being naive!

[EVENING – KING’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION]

Captain Vosbein is already waiting for the Princess downstairs. The King and the Queen is also preparing to leave soon.

“Koi, is the Princess almost done? We don’t want to be late.”

“She is coming down right now, Captain Vosbein.”

And a few seconds later, the Princess emerges and elegantly descends from the grand staircase. 

The Princess is wearing a long, flowy, A-line champagne gown with a fitted bodice that is delicately decorated with sparkling embellishments. With thin straps and a classic sweetheart shape neckline that framed her collarbones, flaunting the delicate curve of her neck, while the soft, sheer tulle skirt flows gracefully to the floor that has a subtle sparkle that catches the light. And her hair was styled in an elegant updo. Each step she makes just exudes grace and poise.

And the Captain waiting at the end of the staircase locked in her gaze on the exquisite looking subject that’s coming down. The Captain was surely enchanted by the Princess.

“Captain?? Are you alright?”

“Huh?”

“Can we leave now Captain?”

“Ah! Yes, Your Highness. We can leave now. His Majesty and the Queen are also ready to leave.”

“Alright. And Captain…”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“You have a little drool on the side of your mouth, you might want to wipe that.” she said that as she smirked.

The Captain immediately tried wiping her face but there’s nothing on it. Upon realizing that she’s been teased, she grunts while following the Princess.

As the royal family arrived at the venue, they were warmly welcomed by their guests. But of course, after greeting the King, the guests can’t help but be mesmerized by the Princess’ captivating beauty. After the royal family greeted all their guests, the program for the King started. 

Everything is going well so far, and the King seemed to be really enjoying the night. The Princess went to look for Prim to check how things are going.

“Prim! I have been looking for you. You are so hard to find! The event is flowing smoothly so far. Thank you for taking care of this.”

“I’m sorry, Patt! I was just all over the place making sure everything’s going according to plan. Hehehe. You can just relax. I’ll take care of everything here. You should loosen up and enjoy the night! Come on!”

“Well, you know I’m not really fond of parties and events like this. I just wish time would go by fast so I could just go back home and relax. Hahaha.”

“Don’t worry, Patt. It’ll be over before you know it! Ahh… hold on… *tries to hear the message on her in-ear radio* What?! Okay, I’ll be right there.”

“Is everything alright, Prim?”

“There’s just a little problem outside but it’s nothing serious. I’ll take care of it. You should go back!”

“Oh okay. I’ll just stay out here for a while. I’m getting suffocated inside.”

“Oh, got it. Okay, I’ll leave you here to get some air.”

The Princess is just enjoying the serenity and the overlooking view from the balcony.

*ehem* “Your Highness, is everything alright?”

“Yes Captain. You can just relax and enjoy the party.”

“This won’t do. I apologize in advance for this.”

Captain Pansa grabbed the Princess and dragged her on the side of the balcony where there are few empty chairs and tables.

“You need to eat, Your Highness. Here, I brought out your food so you can eat properly. And we are not leaving this area until you finish at least half of it.”

“I’m not hungry.”

Captain Pansa pulled the chair and gently pushed down the Princess to sit.

“Yes, you are. You didn’t even eat lunch. Like I said, part of my job is to make sure you are also healthy. So please eat properly.”

 “Is it also your job to butt in other people’s business?”

“Everything that involves you, is part of my job, Your Highness.”

“Yeah, okay! I get it. I am your job! Only your job! Fine! Let’s just get this over with!” the Princess said with annoyance while she began to eat.

“Yes, it is my job to make sure you are safe and healthy, but you don’t have to make it sound like I’m just a robot. I do care about my job, this country, my family and… yo – “

Captain Pansa suddenly felt like something’s not right. She tried to look around the surroundings and communicated with her team.

“Jaguar, can you hear me?”

“Yes, Wolf! What is it?”

“Please double check the perimeters on the north side of the venue. Especially on the balcony side where I am right now.”

“10-4! We are on it right now.”

Captain Pansa was feeling restless.

“Captain, is everything okay? Is there any problem?” Princess Patt asked nervously.

Then Captain Pansa’s eyes widened when she saw a red dot that looked like a laser on the Princess’ chest, and she immediately jumped to cover the Princess and dragged her out of there. They ran down the side stairs while the Captain made sure she was covering the Princess.

“Jaguar! Panther! Code Black! I repeat, Code Black! Sniper on site! Sniper targeted the Cat at the north side. Check all vantage points on that side NOW!!”

“10-4! Also sending back up to you now, Wolf!”

“Captain! What is happening? Why are we running?”

“I’m afraid you are in danger right now, Princess. But don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you. Just stay close to me.”

“Alpha, do you copy? Cat is secured. Commencing Plan Zero now.”

“10-4! I’ll take care of the rest here. Do what you have to do, Wolf. And please stay safe… my daughter.”

Chapter Text

“Wolf! We got you covered now.”

“Sugus! Lion! Thank you. Operation Zero begins now.”

“Got it! Everything is on standby. Let’s move!”

The RTSF team protected the Princess until they arrived at the back of the venue where their getaway vehicles are hidden. Captain Pansa gave the Princess a jacket and helmet to wear. They are taking a motorcycle so they can move faster and avoid any delays and traffic.

“Wear this for your protection, Princess. And just trust me… please.”

Captain Pansa looked the Princess in her eyes that is filled with fear and gave her an assuring gaze.

Amidst the silence, their eyes speak volumes… questions and answers unvoiced yet understood.

The Princess nodded and followed her directions.

They rode the Captain’s motorcycle and fled the venue as fast as they can. They were followed by Captain Pansa’s team to make sure they would arrive safely at their destination.

Halfway through their journey, two black cars suddenly appeared and tried to block their way. Captain Pansa was quick to notice and accelerated before the cars could block them. But unfortunately, their backup team’s cars were all blocked. Only Sugus was able to follow the Captain.

“Wolf! I’ll cover for you. I’ll stop them, don’t worry. Please be safe, okay?”

“Thank you, Sugus! And be sure to stay alive, got it? Or else I’ll kill you!”

“Got it! Now go!! Protect the Princess!”

Captain Pansa knew there might be more traps ahead and decided to quickly change the plan. She actually planned for another fallback if their mission was to fail.

She quickly changed directions and went to take the side streets, so it’ll be harder for the enemies to follow them. It eventually worked since the Captain knew shortcuts that no one has ever taken or discovered yet.

The Princess was still scared of what’s going on and she just tightly held onto the Captain hoping everything would be over soon.

The Captain and the Princess arrived at an old hangar in the middle of the forest that looked abandoned.

“Uhm, Captain Pansa… where are we?”

“Can you please trust me, Princess Patt?”

Again, the Princess just nodded.

Deep down, of course the only one she will entrust her life with is Pansa. She may be hurt by her in the past, but Pansa has proven her words to the Princess ever since they were kids. She knows that Pansa, even if it’s just due to pity or responsibility, will always do her best to protect her.

They went inside and Captain Pansa uncovered a helicopter.

“Are we going to ride this, Captain?”

“Yes. This will be our getaway ride. This is our family’s helicopter. It may look a bit old, but it is running fine. I tested it a few days ago.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, Princess. I actually had this planned for a while, that’s why I prepared this too just in case our original plan was busted. So, I made sure to personally fix this and prepared ahead. Please hurry and go inside.”

The Princess just went ahead and followed the Captain’s order.

Before take-off, Captain Pansa sent a secret message to her father using a morse code to their secret transmission line. After, she placed a big bag in the middle of the hangar and parked her motorcycle inside. While taking off, she asked the Princess to hold on tight. When they were safely up in the sky, a large explosion happened below them. They still felt a bit of the impact from the explosion, but it didn’t affect their flight.

“What just happened Captain?”

“I had to erase any evidence of where we went and had to make it harder for anyone to trace us.”

The Princess is still in shock at everything that just happened.

And when she looked at Captain Pansa, she saw her face looking sad.

“Is everything alright with you, Captain?”

“Mmm… it’s nothing serious, Princess. Don’t worry.”

“Well… if you need someone to talk about it, I’m here to listen. Since it’s just the two of us and I feel that it will take us a while to get to our destination.”

“Uhm… it’s just that… I just felt sad that my very first motorcycle is now gone. It was actually a gift from my mom after my training. She said she really saved up her own money to buy it for me. But... it’s for the better. I had to make sure there would be no evidence for them to trace us, so I had to blow it up as well.”

“I’m sorry, Captain… I will just replace it once everything is back to normal.”

“No need for that. I can buy my own bike. I was just being sentimental, I guess. Hehehe. Uhm you can rest first, Your Highness. I will just wake you up when we arrive at our destination.”

“How can I sleep when all of this is happening? I don’t know what’s going to happen now. What about my family? Are they safe?”

“Yes. My father is taking care of the royal family. I know that you are worried about them, but I assure you, we are doing everything to make sure the monarch is safe. They are very well taken care of by our police force. And as you may know by now, it seems that they are really targeting you, the next heir to the throne.”

“So that means, it’s really true that they wanted to destroy the monarch and take over…”

“Unfortunately, yes. My father’s intel was true. But my father and His Majesty are still doing their private investigation and I’m also helping them on the side. We are getting some leads, but we still need concrete evidences. Once we are certain about everything, I’ll inform you with all the details you need to know.”

“Please keep me updated regarding this, Captain.”

The Princess’ tiredness got the best of her and eventually slept through their travel. After almost an hour, they finally arrived at their destination.

“Princess Patt… wake up. We’re already here.”

She slowly opened her eyes and saw Captain Pansa’s face and smiled. Then she realized that she had fallen asleep and quickly woken herself up.

“Ah, I’m sorry Captain if I had fallen asleep.”

“That’s okay, Princess Patt. Uhm… we are already here.”

The Princess looked around and she had no idea where they are.

“W-where are we exactly, Captain?”

Then Captain Pansa went down and waited for Princess Patt to get down.

“Are you just going to stay here?”

Then the Princess decided to come out of the helicopter as the Captain assisted her down.

As they walked further, she saw a view of a luxurious tropical villa nestled amidst lush greenery. The villa's architecture showcases large windows that reflect the evening's gentle glow, while it features a spacious patio and a swimming pool. The surrounding landscape is adorned with towering palm trees, their fronds swaying gently in the evening breeze. The scene evokes an air of exclusivity and tranquility, suggesting a hideaway where time slows down, allowing them to escape the clamor of what’s outside of this world they’re in right now.

“Welcome to my island, Princess Patt. For the meantime, we are going to stay here until it’s safe to go back home again.”

“W-what did you say again? Y-your island??”

The Captain smiled and giggled at the Princess’ reaction. Then she guided Princess Patt towards the villa.

“Let’s go in first, Princess. I’ll just turn on the lights and explain everything.”

Once the lights were on, they were welcomed by an expansive living space, where modern design meets the enchanting allure of the sea. The smooth, muted tones of the sofas invite relaxation, their plush cushions offer comfort after a long day. Central to this sanctuary is a sleek, dark coffee table with a plush rug beneath. Beyond the glass walls, the ocean stretches endlessly, a canvas painted with hues of twilight.

The Princess was amazed by the interior of the Captain’s villa. The Captain let the Princess sit on the sofa to further talk.

“I will get you something to drink first. Just stay here and relax.”

Then the Princess noticed the Captain’s back.

“Captain Pansa!!!”

“What is it??”

“You are bleeding!! What the heck?! Why didn’t you say you were hurt??”

The Captain tried to look at her back to see where it was bleeding. She honestly didn’t feel any pain, not until the Princess mentioned it.

Princess Patt gently grabbed Captain Pansa to sit on the sofa. She tried to remove the Captain’s bulletproof vest so she could see where she was hit.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even feel any pain until now.”

“Where’s your first aid kit?”

“I have one in the kitchen drawer over there. I’ll go get it.”

“Can you please just stay still?! I’ll get it!” the Princess said with an annoyed tone.

Once she got the first aid kit, she asked the Captain to remove her shirt so she could treat the wound properly.

And once again, she saw the Captain’s shoulder injury and the bruises on her back from not too long ago, and now, a wound from a gunshot… all of these were because of her.

As she was treating the Captain’s wound, she tried to stop her tears from falling. She doesn’t want the Captain to see her cry, but she feels so guilty and worried for Pansa.

“Good thing you were wearing your vest, so the bullet didn’t penetrate deep in your body and just grazed your skin.” she said with her voice almost breaking as she was trying to control her emotions.

When Captain Pansa was about to turn around to check on the Princess, she quickly diverted the topic.

“So, tell me again, how did you own an island?”

And Captain Pansa continued to explain.

“I know it’s hard to believe that someone like me would have a private island. But I just got lucky. This is actually a gift from the Prince of Saudi. The first task I was assigned to after graduating happened to be a rescue mission of the Prince’s son, who was abducted when they visited Thailand for a vacation. I was leading my team, during the mission, when his young son was about to get shot, I quickly caught the bullet. Luckily, the bullet just grazed my arm, and he was unharmed. And we successfully saved his son.”

“Do you really have to catch all the bullets for everyone that you are protecting?!”

“It is part of my job to protect the innocent, whether they are Thai or not, rich or poor, men or women, young or old. And it is also my duty to serve my country. If something bad happened to them while they were in our territory, our country would’ve faced a big problem. So, I just did what I had to do.”

“I still don’t get why you had to choose this profession…”

“It’s because… I’ve always wanted to protect someone important to me… I mean… I want to protect my country. My country is important to me…”

The Princess just looked at her with confusion.

“So anyway, the Prince of Saudi gifted this private island as a token of their gratitude, although I tried to refuse, he won’t take no for an answer. He also had this villa built for me. He also assigned his people from the other island a few miles away from here to help me maintain this island. So, every once or twice a month, they come and take care of this island while I’m away. I’ve actually come here maybe three or four times already when I needed a breather from everything back home.”

“Wow I never expected this from you, Captain.”

Again, Captain Pansa just smiled and giggled.

“Alright, I’m done treating your wound. Just please try to be careful not to make it bleed again or else…”

“I will be more careful, Your Highness. And thank you.”

The Princess put Captain Pansa’s shirt back. And as the Princess was slowly buttoning up her shirt, Captain Pansa’s heart started to race.

Then the Princess slowly looked up at her face with her big, round hazel eyes.

“Shit! Did she hear my heart pounding?” the Captain thought to herself.

So, she quickly stood up and backed away from the Princess. She then tried to divert the tension.

“Ahh anyway, please feel at home. Since I had this plan as a fallback to the original one, I’ve had this villa ready for our stay just in case. I have already bought clothes for you to wear while we are here. I’ve also had stocks of food prepared for our stay here and all the necessities we might need. I prepared at least a month’s worth of everything we might need already. So don’t worry, Princess. And no one knows about the existence of this place, not even my father. Just the Prince of Saudi and me. So, this is the safest place we can be right now.”

“Wow Captain, you’re really good at what you do. But how did you even have time to prepare all these when you are mostly with me lately?”

“A few days back, when everyone’s asleep, I would sneak out of the palace to plan this. I always had a feeling that our enemies would know our moves so I thought of something they would never expect. Earlier, I left a message to my father that I’m commencing my own plan and told him to inform His Majesty not to worry. And that we’ll be back again when it is safe to do so. He already knows what to do while we are away.”

“What will happen now while I’m gone? People will definitely question my disappearance.”

“His Majesty and my father already devised a plan to make it seem like you had to leave abroad abruptly because of some urgent personal matter. This information will be spread out even inside the palace staff, so it’ll be believable that you have left the country and needed some privacy. This will also give them time to find who’s behind all this.”

“I need to at least inform my father or Prim about all this so they won’t worry.”

“I’m afraid we can’t let ANYONE know where we are and what the plan is. It’s for your safety. I know how much you don’t want them to worry, but it’s for their safety as well, it’s better that they don’t know anything at all.”

“You’re right. Of course, they will have their eyes on the people close to me so they can get information.”

“Yes. And with that being said, I need your phone. I have to turn it off and keep it in my safe room. It will block any signal or transmission from our devices so we can avoid being traced here.”

“Oh okay, here. Take my phone. There’s no use for that now anyway.”

“Thank you. I will show you to your room now. It’ll be just beside my room so I can still be near you whenever you might need something.”

“Oh okay.”

“This will be your room. Just relax and get a lot of rest, okay? We are safe now. You don’t need to worry anymore.”

Princess Patt let out a deep sigh and nodded to confirm she’s somehow at ease.

“Have a good night, Princess.”

“Good night… and thank you again for protecting me. Job well done, Captain…”

They both settled in their rooms and tried to rest for the night. It’ll definitely be a new day for the both of them starting tomorrow.

Chapter Text

I woke up early in the morning. My body seemed to be feeling all the tiredness from last night, that my body feels sore. But I had to get up and tend to the Princess.

I went out of my room and went to the kitchen to make some coffee. Then I saw Princess Patt sitting outside the patio.

“You couldn’t sleep, Your Highness?”

The Princess got startled by my presence.

“Ah, yes. I was just trying to absorb everything that has happened.”

“Here, have some coffee first. Maybe it can help you organize your thoughts.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

We were just enjoying the peace and quiet while having the fresh morning air to breathe. I’ve always wanted mornings like this. And honestly, it is so much better with Patt being here with me. I missed our times together…

The day passed by, and we are both still trying to adjust with our new set up. I know it’s harder for her since she’s not familiar with this place. And with all those worries she has on her mind, I’m sure this is a lot to take in, in just a short time.

During dinner, she just kept quiet and I tried breaking the silence.

“Uhm, is the food okay, Princess Patt?”

“Yes, I didn’t know you can cook. I remembered that I used to always cook for us before. And this is not part of your job anymore, Captain.”

“Part or not, I just wanted to cook for you. To make up for all the times you’ve cooked for me before…”

Princess Patt gave a subtle laugh upon hearing that.

“Do you really think this dish would make up for that? Hahaha.”

“I thought you said it’s good?”

“I just agreed that it’s okay, but I never said it’s delicious. Hahaha.”

I just made a sulking face. I thought my cooking skills had improved.

Then as the Princess stood up, she started to get the plates indicating that she would wash the dishes.

“Oh I’ll wash the dishes, you should just relax, Princess.”

“You should relax, Captain. You are injured remember? You should take it easy. It’s just washing a few dishes. It’s not hard to do.”

“But..”

“And from now on, I’ll be the one to cook for us. I want to enjoy my meals.”

Seeing Patt laugh and tease me like this makes my heart flutter. But why is my heart happy instead?

Wait… is it okay to feel this? I thought I should hate her?

But in reality, I can’t really force myself to hate her. I just care too much about her for me to hate her. I just wish we could go back to how we were before…

*****

I was not able to sleep because I still can’t believe that this has happened. Of course, I’m worried about my family, but I have my full trust in our police force that they will protect the King and the Queen, and everyone in the palace.

And I can’t believe that I almost died last night. But I’m just thankful that Pan was the one who protected me because I never doubted that she’ll always be there to save me.

But another reason why I can’t really sleep is because I’m going to be alone… with Pan. In a secluded island. There’s no way I could avoid her here. And I also don’t know how long we are going to stay here. And with that thought, my heart kept beating so fast, it kept me up all night. 

And just when I thought I got over her already…

“You couldn’t sleep, Your Highness?”

I got startled. I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t hear that Pan was already awake.

“Ah, yes. I was just trying to absorb everything that has happened.”

Pan gave me a coffee to start my morning. 

My heart started to race again. What the heck? It’s just coffee Patt! Get a hold of yourself. This is bad… My heart wouldn’t be able to take it if I don’t try to control this.

Then I secretly glanced at Pan while sipping my coffee. She seemed to be in pain.

“Uhm, are you okay, Captain? Is your wound hurting? Let me see it!”

“Ah no, I’m okay. I’m just feeling tired from yesterday. But I’ll be okay with a bit of exercise later.”

“What exercise?! Don’t overwork yourself! This is not a boot camp, you don’t need to do any training or exercises here.”

“But it’s just to stretch to relieve the pain in my body. Hehehe. Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.”

“You’re so stubborn! You’re not a kid anymore so just do whatever you want!!”

Ugh! Is she trying to show off or what?! Whatever! She’s annoyingly stubborn.

“I will just go to my room. I’ll be resting so don’t disturb me. See you later, Captain!”

I stormed out of the patio and just stayed in my room. And because I didn’t get to sleep last night, I eventually passed out.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

“Princess Patt? Are you awake? I cooked dinner, you have to eat since you skipped lunch.”

Oh, is it already dinner time? Shoot! I overslept.

“Uh, okay. I’ll be there soon. You can go ahead without me.” I shouted.

After a few minutes, I went out and peeked if Pan was in sight.

Okay, the coast is clear. 

I tried to sneak in the dining room to get food and planned to just eat inside my room but...

“Aren’t you going to wait for me, Princess?”

 I got startled again by Pan’s voice.

“Uhm… I thought you already ate?”

“I was waiting for you to come out so we can eat together…”

Then she made a sulking face, and my heart melted with the sight of it. Damn! Why does she have to be so cute like that.

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know. Shall we eat?”

Pan smiled brightly upon my invitation. How did she become this cute?

“Yay! I’m so hungry. Let’s eat! I prepared all of these for you, Your Highness.”

While we ate our dinner, I just kept quiet because my heart kept beating so fast. It’s been a while since we ate together like this, so I was feeling nervous the whole time.

“Uhm, is the food okay, Princess Patt?”

“Yes, I didn’t know you could cook. I remembered that I used to always cook for us before. But this is not part of your job anymore, Captain.”

“Part or not, I just want to cook for you. To make up for all the times you’ve cooked for me before…”

Aww... Wait! Why are you being soft to her, Patt? But I must admit that this is so sweet of her.

“Do you really think this dish would make up for that? Hahaha.”

“I thought you said it’s good?”

“I just agreed that it’s okay, but I never said it’s delicious. Hahaha.”

It’s so fun to tease her like this. Oh god! How I miss us being this silly again…

“And from now on, I’ll be the one to cook for us. I want to enjoy my meals.”

After I washed the dishes, Pan talked to me.

“By the way, I didn’t exercise or anything. I listened to you and just rested. So, I hope you’re not upset anymore…”

Then I saw the pain relief patches on her body. I guess she really listened, which is surprising because she would always have things her way.

“I was just worried… I’m sorry if I became upset earlier.”

“I understand, you don’t need to apologize, Princess.”

“Anyway, were you able to clean your wounds?”

“Uhm… about that… I can’t really reach my back, so I wasn’t able to put medicine on it.”

“You should’ve woken me up so I could do it for you.”

“You told me not to disturb you.”

“Ugh! Okay, go and sit and I will just get the first aid kit.”

The Captain lifted her shirt so I could see better. And again, seeing her wounds and bruises really pains my heart. I gently treated her injuries, trying not to add pain to her.  

After, I slowly caressed her back, trying to be careful not to touch her wounds.

“Princess…?”

“I’m so sorry that you had to suffer because of me, Captain…” 

My emotions are taking over me. 

“Hey it’s okay… I’m okay. This is nothing. You don’t have to say sorry, Your Highness. This is all part of my job.”

There she goes again. Reminding me that I’m just a mission to her.

“Right… Well, good job as always, Captain.”

I stood up while I’m still trying to hold back my tears.

“I will go to sleep now. Good night, Captain.”

And I walked away even before she could say something.

Why can’t I get used to it? I keep reminding myself that I’m just a job to her. Why do I always want more from her? I should really stop this…

*****

The first few days became awkward for the two. Princess Patt tried to keep her distance with Captain Pansa, while the Captain respected the Princess’ space. 

The Princess would still cook their food but would avoid having small talks with Captain Pansa. The Captain had an idea of what the Princess was trying to do, so she didn’t push herself and let the Princess be. She would avoid the areas where the Princess is.

Until one day, when the Princess got bored and asked if she could use the swimming pool, of course Captain Pansa said that she can do whatever she wants. The Captain told her to consider the place as her second home.

So, the Princess went on to swim. She wore one of the swimsuits the Captain had provided in her wardrobe. She is actually impressed with the Captain’s taste in fashion because everything is to her liking.

The Captain tried to avoid the pool area to give the Princess her privacy. But her room’s balcony has the poolside view so she can’t help but still see the Princess do her thing. As she leaned on the railing, she was just happy watching the Princess who seemed to be having fun. 

When the Princess emerges from the pool, wearing a peach-colored bikini top with a subtle, textured pattern and a matching peach-colored bikini bottom, the Captain dropped her jaw with the captivating beauty she’s currently seeing.

“Damn… When did Patt become this hot?... Oh shit! Stop it Pan! You shouldn’t be thinking about the Princess this way! Get a grip will you!?” Captain Pansa said to herself.

But her eyes couldn’t help but admire Princess Patt as she wiped herself with the towel. From her luscious brunette hair, down to the curve of her alluring neck. She just can’t take her eyes off the Princess. 

This is bad. Captain Pansa has fallen deeper into Princess Patt’s bewitching beauty.  

After eating some snacks, Princess Patt decided to swim again. As she jumped back in the pool, Captain Pansa is still in awe with Patt’s visual. Even when jumping back gracefully in the water.

After a few minutes in the water, Captain Pansa noticed something wrong with Princess Patt. She is taking time to emerge from under the water. She is now getting worried and ran down to the pool area.

Princess Patt is actually just meditating under the water. But she suddenly heard a big splash in the water and vaguely saw Captain Pansa swimming towards her. She panicked and just kept her eyes closed until she felt that the Captain carried her up and got her out of the water.

“Wait, did she think… I was drowning?” Patt thought to herself while still pretending to close her eyes.

Captain Pansa felt that the Princess still has a pulse, but she's still unconscious making her even more worried.

“Patt, please wake up!! Please… you can’t do this to me!!”

Then Pan decided to give the Princess rescue breaths, but she hesitated for a second thinking if she's allowed to do what she’s about to do, but this is a different situation. She’ll just deal with the consequences later.

She quickly proceeded and placed her mouth against Patt's and as she felt her soft lips, Pan’s heart was beating so fast, but she still tried to focus on saving the Princess. As she was about to give her oxygen, she felt Patt moved and she quickly pulled away to check and saw Patt's eyes opened. 

Patt’s heart raced so fast and had a hard time breathing for a second because of the shock from Pan’s lips touching hers that she actually choked.

As the Princess tried to get up, the Captain assisted her and caressed her back.

“Are you okay, Patt??”

Patt looked at Pan’s worried face, and she quickly turned red. She doesn’t want to be caught that she didn’t really drown, but she’s also feeling guilty for making Pan worried like this. Although she didn’t intentionally do that, and she didn’t know that Pan would think she was drowning.

She just nodded as she panicked. And without any hesitation, Pan quickly hugged her tight.

“I’m glad you’re okay…”

Patt reciprocated the hug and patted Pan’s back to calm her down.

“Hey… Everything is okay now. You don’t need to worry anymore…”

Patt was really touched with how Pan worried about her.

But just when she thought Pan actually cares for her, with no responsibility in mind…

“I don’t know what I’d do if something bad happened to you on my watch… Princess. The King will definitely kill me.”

Again, the Princess was faced with the reality that it was just all part of the job for the Captain to keep her safe.

Then the Princess pulled away from the hug and stood up. 

She decided to really draw a fine line between their relationship as the Princess and the Captain. She needs to stop giving meaning to the Captain’s actions and get disappointed in the end everytime. 

“Uhm… Thank you so much again for saving me once again. Job well done, Captain. I will go back to my room to rest…”

“But Princess Patt – “

Captain Pansa held her hand and stopped her from walking away.

“I have to make sure you’re really okay. Here's a towel, and please have a seat and rest while I check if you have any injuries or anything.”

Pan was really worried about Patt. Any danger or even bullets doesn’t really scare the Captain. She has never been more afraid about losing anything… until now.

“Okay, seems like there’s no injuries anywhere. That’s good. And you said you’re not feeling anything out of the ordinary, right?"

“Yes. Are we done? Can I go back to my room now?”

Captain Pansa, although still worried, just agreed and nodded.

Princess Patt stood up and turned around.

Out of nowhere… Captain Pansa spoke as the Princess started to take a step forward.

“Why did you leave me during that time?... We were doing okay until that day… What did I do wrong? I keep thinking about that…”

Chapter Text

Out of nowhere… my curious mind got the best of me…

I had this sudden realization that life is really unpredictable and that I shouldn’t waste time wondering about things…

“Why did you leave me during that time?... We were doing okay until that day… What did I do wrong? I keep thinking about that…”

Princess Patt was surprised with my sudden question. Then she let out a deep sigh.

“If you don’t know, then just don’t think about it then. What’s the use anyway…”

“That’s why I’m asking so that I’d know what I did wrong. So, I can apologize for it.”

“There’s no use in apologizing, it was all in the past now... And I know that nothing’s going to change anyway. We are two different people now. So can you please just drop this topic?!”

This is getting annoying now! Why can’t she just answer my questions!?

“Can’t you just answer me properly?!! I asked you nicely!!”

*scoffs* “Did you just raise your voice at me?! Are you forgetting who I am?!?”

“Well, technically, we are not in Thailand right now! You are not the Princess here! So, I can drop the honorifics here, Patt!”

“Okay then, Pan! You always have things go your way anyway!! You’re so annoying!!”

“What the heck is wrong with you?! What did I ever do to you?! I just want to know what happened back then! We were good friends! Does that not matter to you anymore??”

“Can you stop acting like you really care about me? This is just all part of the job for you, right?! And I know that you just took pity on me because you just see me as a helpless little sister, right?! And that I’m too much to handle for you.”

“Wait… did you hear what I said when I was talking to my friends back then?”

“Yes! I heard everything! You said that I’m ‘too perfect’ that you can’t handle someone like me. Why would you even say that when you should’ve known very well the real me?! It’s like what we had was just you, feeling bad and sorry for me all this time, and you just wanted to take care of me out of responsibility since you knew I’m the Princess. Am I really that pathetic to you?”

“That’s not true! You misunderstood everything! I really care about you and wanted to take care of you because you are… m-my best friend."

“Ha! Best friend… right… well I don’t need any friends!!”

The Princess was about to walk away. But I grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“You always run away like this! During that time when I wanted to be there for you, you also pushed me away. I really do care so much about you, since then… until now… but why do you hate me so much, Patt?!” before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.

And I can see Patt on the verge of tears too.

“… you viewed me as someone helpless and pathetic. That I’m someone perfect that you can’t reach when all I wanted was to be just like you, the same normal person who you grew up with. I never let you feel that I’m someone above you or anyone else. But what really hurts me the most was when you said that… you could never consider liking me because I was too much to handle… am I really that intolerable?”

“No! I – “

“But it was my fault to get hurt that way… because I kept giving meaning to everything that you showed me and… It’s my fault to let myself… fall in love with you…”

“P-Patt…”

“Yes, I have always loved you, Pan… but I know I can’t have you in the way that I want to… and I know it’s not your fault… so… I just wanted to hate on you… just to stop what I’m feeling…" Patt's voice was already breaking trying to hold back her tears as she continues.

"...but I hate myself even more… because… I can’t bring myself to really hate you at all…” Patt removed her arm from my grip and walked away while crying.

I was left dumbfounded by what I just heard.

Did she just say that she… loves me? And not just as a friend?

My heart keeps pounding so hard, as if it wanted to come out of my chest.

My feet quickly moved on their own and I quickly followed Patt before she could enter her room.

“Patt! Please… stop and talk to me…”

“What else is there to talk about? I’ve already said what I have to say. And there’s nothing more to it.”

A delicate tension fills the air as I slowly walked towards Patt while she was facing her bedroom door. I know that she feels embarrassed by what she just confessed, so she can’t face me right now.

“You don’t need to say anything. But please listen to what I have to say. I am really sorry for saying those things… but I didn’t mean any of it. I just had to say that, so they won’t press the topic any further. Because… I was so afraid to face my feelings that time… I care for you not because of any responsibility, because from the start, I was very vocal about wanting to protect you, like a knight, remember? Because at that moment, I knew you would become someone important to me. And that’s why I chose this profession… because I knew you would eventually become the Princess of our nation, and I want to be here to support you in the best way I can. I wanted to still protect you, even if I knew our worlds would change when you need to assume your place in the palace. I chose this job to protect someone important to me. Aside from the people in our country, you… are my main reason for it, Patt.”

I’m starting to get more emotional again. I’m trying really hard to control my incoming tears. But at this moment, it is so hard… especially when I think I’m about to lose Patt again…

“And I never saw you as pathetic, I’ve always seen you as a strong and independent woman. I just wanted to keep taking care of you even if you never asked me to, because if I let you be… you might not need me anymore. And… I was so afraid of that… I don’t want to become just someone that passed by in your life…”

I couldn’t control it anymore, I just let my tears fall.

“I had to say to myself that you are too much to handle not because you’re intolerable… but because of the reality that you are the Princess and I’m just a mere citizen of our country. We could never happen even if I try so hard…”

I slowly went forward and embraced Patt from behind. I hugged her tight to make her feel my sincerity and to let her know how much I miss her…

“But everything that I showed you… really came from my heart. And I’m so happy to know that my gestures made you feel… all the love I have for you…”

“P-Pan…”

“I’ve always loved you too, Patt. You were not the only one who was feeling this way…”

Patt slowly turned around to face me while I’m still wrapped around her. Our faces were so close to each other and our hearts started to beat at the same pace. 

“I love you, Patt. But I know that I can only love you from afar...”

Patt gently held my face, her fingers tracing a path of affection, while I leaned into my embrace, as if drawing strength from the touch.

“The only thing that matters to me now is that… you love me too, Pan. And that I still love you… so much…”

I leaned towards the Princess, the air was thick with unspoken words and shared histories. The warmth of the dim light casts a soft glow, highlighting the gentle curves of our faces as they draw closer, our eyes momentarily closed, lost in the world we’ve created together as our lips were magnetized, naturally attracting to each other like another force of nature. This kiss serves as a threshold, not just between our lips but between worlds — where friendship morphs into something deeper and more profound. 

As our kiss got deeper, I instinctively opened her bedroom door, and we went in to continue being lost in our own world. 

“I can’t believe I had to wait this long to be able to have you like this.”

“Patt, are you sure you’re okay with this?

“Yes! You don’t know how much I’ve wanted you… just give me your command and I’ll follow your orders, my Captain…”

Patt's statement made me even more excited.

“Then let me bring you to a whole new world, my Princess…”

As I lay on top, Patt, with her expressive hazel eyes, leaned closer, her hand gently cradling my face, as if she wanted to pull me deeper into her world. 

I focused completely on Patt’s touch. The tips of her fingers gently brushed against my back, while carefully avoiding my injuries. This euphoria I’m feeling actually made the physical pain I was feeling earlier fade away. 

We shared another kiss that gradually intensified. So intense that we both felt lost in it. Sighs and moans passed between our lips. I leaned even more closer to her, closing the distance, meeting Patt’s lips once more while she pulls herself tighter against me. I could feel that she yearned for this. And I loved it too much to stop.

This moment where we became one, time seems to pause, allowing us to exist solely for each other. Each heartbeat resonates with our journey, painting a vivid picture of what it means to find solace in each other.

*****

After we poured our hearts and souls into each other, Pan and I finally came to a mutual understanding to love each other. And for the consequences of this love we have, we don’t want to think about it yet. For now, we’ll just cherish this time we have outside our reality.

I woke up before Pan. I can’t believe that I get to experience seeing her face the moment I open my eyes in the morning. I used to just dream of this before, but now, it’s actually happening.

Our bodies are still intertwined, my head just resting on her shoulder, and I could still feel her warmth. My heart started to race again upon realizing what just happened last night.

I can’t help but kiss Pan’s forehead. I’m just grateful for everything that has happened between us. The good and the bad. Then I stared at her tranquil face while she’s still sleeping. God! Her face is just so pretty, how can I not fall deeper for her? Even the moles on her face are so alluring to look at, that my lips uncontrollably started to kiss the mole on her eye, then my lips started to plant gentle kisses on where her other moles on her face are, as if my lips were tracing it, until I end up kissing the mole on her upper lip last. The softness of her lips makes my body shiver. Oh, how I yearned to be able to taste these lips. And finally, it’s all mine.

“You really can’t wait for me to wake up, Patt? Do you really like me this much? Hehehe.”

“A-Ah… Well… yes, I like you this much! Can’t I do that?”

“Aww. Of course, you can have me in any way you want to. I’m all yours, my PattPatt!”

Then Pan caressed my head.

“Promise? You can’t take that back! You’re only mine, my PanPan!”

Both cringed and giggled with their cheesy lines to each other. But they don’t care, they want to act like a baby with each other.

They started their morning being so clingy, as if they hadn’t loathed each other for the past few years. Patt started to cook their breakfast while Pan assists her.

“This is the best breakfast I’ve had in my life, Patt! I hope I would always have my breakfast this way.”

“Then from now on, I’ll cook your every meal. I will always find time from my busy schedule to make sure my PanPan would eat three times a day.”

Oh, to be able to love like this, I don’t want to leave this paradise, and I just want to be able to stay with Pan like this for a long time.

Our days were filled with making up for the times we’ve missed each other. A lot of kissing, hugging, teasing and making out happened. We just can’t keep our hands off each other. And every day, we just cherished and loved each other even harder the next day.

*****

After almost a month of playing house together and being lost in their own world, Pan decided to go to the island nearby to try to see if she got any message from her father.

“Baby, I just have to go to the other island and buy some supplies for us, okay? Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay baby, don’t take too long, or I’ll miss you!”

“Yes my Princess! You know I can’t stay far from you for too long. I’ll hurry! See you!”

“Take care my Captain! I love you!”

“I love you more my Princess!”

Upon arriving on the neighboring island, Pan docked her speed boat and went to a secured location and turned on her phone line to check any messages. And the Comm. Gen. actually transmitted a message a few days ago informing them that it is now safe to come back home. They already caught the culprit. To confirm this, she called her dad.

“Hello dad! I’m sorry I just received your message. Is it true that you already know who the culprit is?”

“Oh my! It’s nice to finally hear from you dear! Yes, we already caught him. It’s the Prime Minister’s son who planned everything. The Prime Minister also resigned from his post because he was ashamed of what his son had done to the royal family, and he will also be put under investigation. We are still getting the motive from his son, but everything is safe for now. You can bring the Princess home now.”

“Oh, okay. Copy that! We’ll leave in the morning tomorrow. We’ll just meet everyone in the palace.”

“I’ll inform His Majesty. We’ll see you both tomorrow! Take care my dear!”

Captain Pansa paused for a moment upon realizing that they needed to go back to their reality tomorrow… so what now?

After getting a few supplies they needed for tonight and for their trip tomorrow, Pan went back to the island. She was of course, welcomed by Patt who was smiling so brightly upon seeing her back. Patt ran to meet Pan and embraced her tightly.

“I missed you! It’s good that you came back right away. I’ll help you carry those, and I will start preparing for our dinner. You can just relax and wait for me baby!” said Patt.

Pan was out in the patio contemplating how to break the news to Patt. 

After cooking, Patt decided to prepare their meal outside the patio for a more romantic setting.

Pan was touched by this gesture from Patt.

“My Captain, will you go on a dinner date with me?”

“Of course, baby! It'll be my pleasure to have this date with you!”

“Yay! Let’s go and eat now?”

The two enjoyed their romantic dinner with wine on the side. After dinner, Patt felt that something is bothering Pan.

“Is there something on your mind baby?”

“Uhm… baby… I actually was able to talk to my dad earlier. He informed me that it is now safe to go back home. They already caught the culprit. It’s the Prime Minister’s son that planned everything. We’ll get more information once we come back.”

“What? I can’t believe the Prime Minister’s son is involved in this. He was always nice to me whenever we meet or talk. We really can’t trust anybody anymore. Mmm… when should we go back?”

“I told my dad that we’ll come home tomorrow morning. Your father is also waiting for us…”

“Oh… tomorrow… that soon?”

It both hit them that their time together is now shortened. They both feel saddened by this but at the same time, relieved that there’s no more danger surrounding them.

“Baby, can we enjoy the rest of our time here before we face them tomorrow?"

“Of course, my Princess! Very well, may I have this honor to dance with you?” as Pan played the song First Love by Nont Tanont on the speakers.

~

[SHORT FLASHBACK]

One night that Patt slept over Pan’s house, both Pan’s parents thought that the kids were already asleep. But Pan and Patt are still full of energy, so they sneaked out and went down to find the sound they’ve been hearing. When they peeked at the backyard, they saw Pan’s parents dancing to the tune of First Love. Both Pan and Patt liked the song so much, and they felt giddy seeing Pan’s parents being sweet and happy while dancing. 

From then on, they would always request to Mrs. Vosbein to play that song whenever they go out or when Patt is at their house. So, it became a special song to the both of them.

~

“I missed hearing this song, Pan… You know, I always think of you whenever I hear this play somewhere… and as we grew older, the meaning of the song became relatable to me… so I’d always miss you whenever this song comes up on my playlist…”

“I always listen to this song too, especially when I’m having a bad day… It cheers me up because it makes me think of you too from time to time. Just like you, this song became meaningful to me when I realized that you are really my first love.”

They both danced and embraced each other, not wanting to let go and most especially, not wanting the night to end. 

One last time, their bodies entwine, as they lean into each other, their faces inches apart, conveying an undeniable connection. Slowly, they draw closer, their eyes locked in, as their lips begin to meet in a delicate kiss, a moment suspended in time. The kiss they shared is soft yet electric, a language of its own that transcends spoken words. 

In this fleeting moment, everything else - fears, uncertainties, and the chaos of life - dissolves into the background, leaving only their shared heartbeat and the gravity of the moment.

As the dawn approached, they both sat close together on the couch by the patio, their backs resting against one another, cocooned in a cozy blanket that suggested warmth and intimacy.

Patt leaned her head gently on Pan’s shoulder, in turn, she held Patt close, a silent promise of protection and affection enveloping them both. As the waves whispered softly in the background, it felt like the world outside this moment had faded away.

The rising sun symbolizes transitions and new beginnings, perhaps suggesting hope for tomorrow while cherishing the present moment they had created together.

“Pan… How are we going to be once we are back?”

“I’ll still be here to protect you. I’ll ask my dad and the King to retain my position as your head security so I can be with you all the time. But I think we need to keep our relationship lowkey for now, because I don’t think everyone’s ready to know about us yet…”

“But I’m not ashamed of us… I don’t care what everyone would think, I just care about you…”

“But you are the nation’s Princess, you still have your family’s reputation to protect. Remember, there are still people who would try to ruin the monarch so they can get the power from your family. So, we really have to be careful and not put the monarch in danger of any scandals or issues that they could use against you or your family…”

“I hate it when you have to be right… Fine! We’ll just keep this our secret for now, until it’s the right time to tell everyone.” 

Chapter Text

Princess Patt and Captain Pansa safely arrived back at the palace. They were welcomed by Comm. Gen. Sukvimol and King Rama.

“Job well done, Captain Pansa! I’m so proud of you for having a back-up plan and protecting the Princess. I knew you really were perfect for this mission. And we are glad to see you safe, Your Highness!” said Comm. Gen. Sukvimol.

“Captain, I want to thank you for keeping my daughter safe and for taking care of her. I knew that she’s in safe hands with you by her side.”

“You are most welcome, Your Majesty. It’s my priority to keep the Princess safe all the time. And I wish to continue to keep protecting her if you would allow it.” Captain Pansa suggested.

“You are one of our biggest assets here in the palace, so having you continue being the Princess’ head of security would be a great help keeping the peace and order in our monarch.”

“Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!”

“Very well, both of you can go ahead and rest. I’m sure you were tired from your trip back here. You can have the rest of the week to recover then we’ll announce the Princess’ comeback by next week. Would that be okay, my dear?” asked the King to Patt.

“Y-Yes father. I think that’s enough time for me to get back and resume the responsibilities I left behind.”

“Okay, then we’ll do a special announcement early next week. Be prepared, my dear. But for now, we’ll take care of everything here.”

“Oh, Captain Pansa, I need to discuss something with you before you go back.” said Comm. Gen. Sukvimol.”

“Alright I’ll be there. Uhm… Princess Patt, you can go ahead and rest. I will just follow after our meeting.”

“Okay, Captain. I’ll just see you later.”

The Princess went ahead to go back to her palace and rest. She was accompanied by Koi. Upon her arrival at her palace, Prim welcomed the Princess and ran to hug her.

“Princess Patt!!! Welcome back!!! I missed you! Where have you been?! Why didn’t you inform me that you were leaving the country! And why can’t I reach you? You don’t know how worried I got when you went off the radar! What happened??”

“Woah woah, easy on the questions Prim. I don’t know where to start answering. Hahaha. But for now, all I can tell you is that I missed you too! How are things while I was away?”

“You don’t need to worry about anything, I took care of all your schedules for the whole month you were gone. Of course, His Majesty and the Queen also helped with your other meetings, so everything went well. This month is not fully packed yet since I didn’t know when you’ll be back.”

“That’s great to hear! Thank you so much, Prim! For taking care of everything for me. You’re really my life saver. I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

“Well, you know I’m just always here to help you out whenever I can. And if you want to make it up to me, then tell me what happened?”

The Princess remembered the King’s plan that Captain Pansa discussed with her while she was away, so she just backed up that story, so their narrative won’t be different.

“Well, I just needed some time for myself. I just went traveling around different countries to think and find myself again. My father permitted it, so I took my chance before I become busy again. Hehehe. That’s it.”

“Then why did Captain Pansa leave too? I mean did you bring her with you? She went missing while you were gone.”

“Captain Pansa was assigned to a new mission while I was away. Since I’m not here and she has no one to protect, they needed her to lead on a top-secret mission that I don’t know about. Hehehe. But now that I’m back, the Captain will also be back being my head of security.”

“But is everything okay with you, Patt? You know you can tell me anything. Why did you need to find yourself? Was there something bothering you?”

“I just needed to breathe again since I was busy ever since I assumed my role. Or else I would go crazy or go into auto pilot if I don’t give myself a break.”

“Oh okay, you’re right. You deserved that long break. Don’t worry, from now on, I will try to make your schedule more relaxed, so you’ll still have time to rest.”

“Speaking of rest, I needed to go back to my room now. I’m tired from my travel. I’ll just see you again next week? You can also take your time to relax since I won’t be back from being the Princess until next week.”

“Oh yes! Finally, I’m gonna have a week off! Alright I’ll be seeing you again next week, Patt! And again, welcome back!”

The Princess proceeded to her room to rest, and Prim prepares to go home.

“Hmm… I feel like Patt is not telling me something… Something seemed to change in her… Oh well, I have my resources anyway, I’ll know what she’s hiding. Hihihi.”

*****

After meeting about the results of their investigation, Comm. Gen. Sukvimol told me to still be on the lookout because the Prime Minister’s son is still not cooperating with them regarding his motives and who else planned the destabilization with him.

“Like the King said, you are still the Princess’ head of security. I know that you are the best person to protect your dear friend. I’m so proud of you, my daughter. And thank you for being safe!”

And my dad suddenly hugged me tight. I could feel that he got worried when we disappeared but relieved that we safely got back.

“And Pansa my dear, please visit your mom. She’s been worried sick.”

“Oh, yes of course. I’ll make time to see her since we have a break now. Thanks again, dad!”

After talking with my dad, I excitedly went back to my room. I tried listening to the other side if the Princess was in her room.

I tried to knock on the door in between our walls. Then after a few minutes…

“My Captain!! I miss you already!” Patt said as she went in and jumped on me for a hug.

“I missed you too Patt, my little koala! Hehehe. I really like this clingy side of you.”

“Well, get used to this because I will cling to you every chance that I can get!”

“Hahaha copy that, Boss!”

I leaned forward and planted a kiss on Patt which she also reciprocated.

Then we heard a knock on her bedroom door.

“Princess Patt, it’s Koi. May I come in?”

“A-Ah just a second!”

“Sorry Pan, just give me a few minutes, I’ll be back in your arms real quick!”

I waited for the Princess to return. Koi was just asking her if there’s anything she needs, and I think the Princess was just whispering because I didn’t hear anything after Koi asked.

Hmm, I wonder what Patt said to Koi…

A few minutes later, Patt knocked on the adjacent door.

“Pan? Are you still there?”

I immediately opened the door after the first few knocks and quickly pulled Patt and pinned her against the wall as I went in to kiss her.

“Oh Captain, you really can’t get enough of me huh?” teased Patt when our lips parted for a moment to catch our breaths.

“Yes baby, I’m so addicted to you! I think I’m gonna go insane without you again.”

“That’s good! Stay that way and only be addicted to me, you got that, Captain?”

We said in between our burning hot kisses.

“10-4, my Commander in Chief! Just give me your orders and I will follow.”

“I thought you don’t just blindly follow orders, Captain?”

“That has changed now, I willingly submit to you now.”

“Oh my, Captain…”

Patt pulled my body closer to her as we continued to kiss and her grip on my back are slowly pressing deeper, and we eventually ended up making out on my bed.

After catching our breaths, as she laid her head on my chest, I kissed her forehead.

“I love you so much, Patt…”

And Patt looked up at me with her twinkling hazel eyes.

“I will always love you, Pan.” as she cupped my cheek.

“Oh by the way, can we visit mom today? She’s been worried sick since our disappearance. And I also haven’t seen her for a while now. I miss her.”

“I was just thinking about her a few days ago. Yes, let’s go visit her. I actually miss her too.”

*****

Pan and I decided to visit her mom later that day. And I’ve been wanting to see her for the longest time, so this is the perfect time to meet her again.

“Mom? Are you home??”

After a few moments, we heard someone running from the backyard.

“PAN?? IS THAT YOU, MY SWEETHEART??” Mrs. Vosbein shouted.

Then when she arrived in front and confirmed that it was Pan who had called for her, she quickly ran and hugged her daughter.

“My baby girl! I missed you so much!!!!” she cried while hugging Pan tightly.

“Wait, Patt?! You’re also here?”

She quickly let go of Pan and came to me and embraced me tightly as well and it lasted longer.

“My sweetheart, I’m so happy to see you again!!”

“Uhm, mom? I’m your actual daughter here? Aren’t you supposed to miss me more?”

“Both of you are my daughters! And I haven’t seen Patt for a long time so I can’t help but miss her more! So, stop complaining! You’re just in Thailand but you rarely visited me! Don’t use your daughter card now! It’s already expired! Hmp!”

“What?! Does that expire?! What do you mean?” Pan sulks.

“Hahaha. We are sorry that we took so long to see you, mom! I had to go to England, and I didn’t have time to say goodbye. But I always received your gifts for me. Thank you for always thinking of me.”

“I understand my dear. You have a big responsibility ahead of you. I just hope you’ve been taking care of yourself. And thank you for always sending me flowers every now and then. I love it!”

“You sent flowers to my mom?” Pan asked.

“Yes, she did! She’s more thoughtful than you are! Hmp!”

Pan hugged her mom and started to sulk more. She’s such a baby. So cute!

“Mom, please don’t get mad at me anymore. I promise that from now on, I’ll make time to visit you more often!”

“Really? I will hold your word for it! You heard her Patt! You’re our witness.”

“Hahaha. Yes mom! Don’t worry, from now on, both of us will visit you more often.”

“Oh, that’s really great to hear! With that, I will cook a delicious lunch for the both of you! I will prepare a feast!”

“I will help you cook!”

“Me too!” Pan suggested.

“No! Just leave the cooking to me and Patt! Just go and set up the table.”

I giggled and felt bad for Pan. I secretly held her hand before going in the kitchen.

“Don’t be sad baby. Just relax here, okay? I love you!” I whispered.

“Okay baby, I love you too!” Pan whispered back.

“Patt, dear. Are you ready?”

“Ah yes mom! I’ll be right there!”

While we were cooking, Mrs. Vosbein talked to me.

“I’m so happy to see that you and Pan have settled your differences.”

“Huh? How – ”

I got startled by what she said.

“I’ve seen you both grow up and I know both of you too well. When you left to go to England without saying goodbye to Pan, that’s when I knew something was wrong with you guys. Because I know that you always say everything to Pan, even a simple goodbye. And when she went home from school on the day you left, she also suddenly changed. Her usual cheerful self was gone.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt Pan…”

“You don’t need to say sorry my dear. I know that you were also hurt. I know how Pan means to you. I’m sure something must’ve happened that the both of you needed to grow apart. But time really heals everything, and I’m glad that you realized what you mean to each other.”

I was so speechless that all I could do was embrace her.

“Thank you for always understanding me… There are just some things that happened to me that I needed to get far away from everything. But you are right, mom… Pan means so much to me…”

“I know my dear. Like I said, I know you both too well. Even the smallest details… like just by looking at your eyes, I already know how you feel. I raised you and Pan so of course, I know just as much.”

“And thank you for always looking after me and treating me like your own daughter. I didn’t feel too sad that my real mom is distant from me because you always filled me with so much love.”

“And I will continue to be your mom whether you like it or not.”

“Of course, mom. I would love that!”

“And I hope that I can become your real mom soon…” Mrs. Vosbein said while giving a teasing smile.

“Uhm… what do you mean?”

“You and Pan… I hope you can say whatever is in your heart. You guys are already adults! C’mon now!”

“Y-you know?”

“Again, I’ve been here while you two are growing up, so I saw your fondness to each other. And I know how special Pan is to you. I always see how you look at her like she’s your whole world. And I know how Pan likes to take care of you like you’re the most precious person to her. So, it’s not so hard to connect to dots, my sweetheart.”

“And you’re okay with it…?”

“Why wouldn’t I be okay with it? I know how pure your heart is. I know that you will love Pan with all your heart, and so will she. There’s no other person I could trust to take care of her but you, Patt.”

“Mmm… mom… there’s something you should know…”

“What is it my dear?”

I told her about me and Pan finally realizing our feelings to each other, but I told her that we’re keeping our relationship a secret for now and she understood. But she was so ecstatic upon hearing the news about our relationship.

It’s a relief to have someone we trust know about our relationship. At least there’s someone now who we can talk about us and be comfortable to move around without having to think of getting caught.

We all ate lunch while catching up. Oh, how I missed this warmness of eating with family.

*ehem ehem* “Pan, you should wash the dishes since me and your girlfriend already cooked. We’re tired.”

Pan choked on the water she was drinking. Then she looked at me all surprised.

“G-girlfriend?”

“You don’t need to act dumb about it dear, I already know! Even before Patt confessed to me, I already had a feeling that you two will eventually end up together. And I’m the happiest knowing this great news! You guys keep giving me good news! Now I’m afraid that after these, I’ll receive some bad news again…”

Pan moved her chair near her mom and hugged her to give assurance.

“Don’t worry, mom. We’ll always be safe, okay? So, you won’t have to worry about us. And thank you for being happy about our relationship. I didn’t know that you’ll accept us.” then Pan kissed her mom on the cheek as a sign of gratefulness.

“Of course, any kind of love is still love. Love is never categorized with just one kind of love. So, your love is just as real as our love and everyone else.”

“I wish everyone would think as you, mom. But your blessing is enough for us for now. I know people will be more open in time.”

“Don’t worry, Pan… eventually, everything will fall into place. And people will start to be more open. It’s actually starting to happen here in our country, so the future for the world we’re hoping for is just around the corner.”

“Thanks mom! For just loving who we are. And we love you!” I added as I stood up to hug both Pan and Mrs. Vosbein.

*****

The couple spent their week visiting Mrs. Vosbein as promised. And they also secretly went on dates. Good thing that they could still maintain the setup of Captain Vosbein being Princess Patt’s head of security, so no one suspected anything.

Patt and Mrs. Vosbein also surprised Pan with a brand-new motorcycle since Patt knew how sad the Captain was when she lost her 1^st bike.

“Surprise PanPan!! Do you like it? Mom helped me choose it.”

“Oh my god, baby! This is even better and fancier than my old bike. I’m sure it’s expensive, let me pay you back…”

“Stop it! This is my way of thanking you for always protecting and caring for me from the start. This is nothing compared to what you’ve always done for me.”

“But I did that without expecting anything back from you. I did that because I just love you, Patt.”

“I know, but please let me spoil you just this once. Okay? And I love you too, my Captain!”

And Princess Patt kept her promise to cook for her Captain. She asked Koi to help her prepare because from now on, she will cook her own food. And secretly, she would bring the food to her bedroom and sneak in Pan’s bedroom where they share their meals together.

And during nighttime, they would sneak in each other’s bedroom since they can’t get enough of each other.

They are so addicted to each other’s lips, touch and their body’s warmth. They wish they could just stay in their own world forever. And as Patt lay on Pan’s chest, she listened to her heartbeat.

“I love the sound that your heart makes, Pan. Maybe because I know that it is beating for me.”

“And it will just keep beating for only you, my Princess. Hehehe. Thank you for making my heart beat this happy.”

“Aww… I’m so happy that we have this kind of setup. At least you’re still always close to me my baby.”

“Yeah this is good… but you know, I always wanted to ask you about something…”

“Hmm? What is it, Pan?”

“Ms. Prim said that no one has ever occupied this room since you hate your privacy being invaded. But she was surprised when you suddenly gave me this room. And it got me thinking too. So, why did you?”

“Ugh! She really can’t keep her mouth shut. Hahaha. But I forgot to tell you that Prim and I are college friends, so don’t be surprised if you catch us talking casually. We try to keep it professional when we’re in public but it’s only Mr. Parin, Koi and now, you, who knows our real relationship.”

“Oh, so now it all makes sense how you sometimes would speak bluntly to her. You guys were teasing each other, while I thought you were being so harsh and cold to her. Hahaha.”

“Yes, we are that close. She’s like a sister to me and I’m always thankful for her that she became a precious friend to me. I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose another good friend like her… like when I lost you before. I don’t want that to happen again.”

“I should be thankful for her as well because when I was not there for you, she was the one who never left your side. Don’t worry, Patt, anyone who is important to you, I’ll also take care of them for you.”

“Aww, thanks Pan. But don’t take care of her TOO MUCH okay? I see how she flirts with you… and I don’t like it…”

“Hahaha. We are just really talking and joking around. No need to worry about that, my Princess. And she’s not my type.”

“Good! And regarding your question earlier, it was actually a last minute change. My head of security was supposed to stay where the security team usually are, but when I learned that it was you, something in me wanted to keep you close to me… so even though I’m unsure of our future, I took a risk and let you stay here. I guess deep inside, I missed you so much that I wanted your presence near me. Oh god, I now realize that I’m so in love with you. Hahaha. And it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Hehehe.”

“I’m happy too that you trusted me to stay this close to you, even when you thought that we’d just hate each other. Promise me that from now on, we’ll communicate well. So, we can avoid any misunderstandings again. I don’t wanna lose you again Patt…”

“I promise to talk to you about everything that’s going on in my mind. I don’t want this to ever end, Pan. I want to be with you for a long time.”

*****

The week passed and it’s now time to go back to their reality. Pansa is set to being the head of security for the Princess again and Patt is getting ready to face her responsibilities to her country and family again.

King Rama is going to make a special announcement today.

“Princess Patt, His Majesty wants your presence in the grand palace.”

“Please tell my father that I’ll meet him shortly. Thank you, Koi.”

Princess Patt arrived at the grand palace together with Captain Pansa.

“You wish to see me, father? Is this regarding the announcement of my comeback?”

“Ah my dear, come here and have a seat. I will make a special announcement this morning but before that, I want you to meet someone first.”

“Who is it, father?”

“Princess Patt, I want you to meet… Princess Namtan, the crowned Princess of Japan.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Namtan.” as she bowed and held out her hand for a handshake.

“Wow, we meet again… Hello Princess Patt, my beloved fiancé.” Princess Namtan held Princess Patt’s hand and kissed it.

“Wait… WHAT?!” Princess Patt was surprised… and so is Captain Pansa.

EPILOGUE

Princess Patt told Koi that she’ll handle preparing her food from now on and she’ll be eating in her room. Koi didn’t question it and complied with the Princess’ request.

After cooking, Koi helped the Princess bring the food to her room.

“Thank you for your help, Koi. I will just call you when I need your help again. You can rest now.”

“Very well, Your Highness, enjoy your meal.”

After Koi went back to the kitchen, she noticed that the dessert they made was left in the oven.  So, Koi hurriedly prepared it to bring to the Princess’ room. Just when she was about to knock, she heard some faint noise, like there were two familiar voices inside.

“Hey, please feed me again Pan. Aaahh...~”

“You really like being spoiled huh? Hahaha~”

“Well, just by you, my Captain. It’s your fault, you treated me so well even before that I’m used to it now~”

“Then I’m sorry, because I’ll still keep spoiling you, my Princess. And I’ll start with spoiling you with kisses…*mwahmwahmwah~”

“Paann! Stop it! You’re tickling me! Hahaha~”

“Then how about here? Are you also ticklish here? Hahaha~

Koi froze for a second and gasped upon hearing what she just heard. But when she turned around, she let out a smile.

“Finally, my Princess is now happy…” she whispered with a giggle.

She decided to leave them alone and stay outside the room. She made sure she was not too close to the door to give them enough privacy but not too far to keep the area guarded.

Prim is walking towards the hallway going to the Princess’ room. Koi immediately walked forward to meet Prim halfway through.

“Good Evening Ms. Prim, are you going to see the Princess?”

“Yes, I was just going to say goodbye to her actually.”

“Oh, the Princess was so tired for the day that she has fallen asleep already. But I’ll tell her that you stopped by once she’s awake, Ms. Prim.” said Koi with a smile.

“Oh sure. Thank you for telling me, Koi. I’ll just see her next week then. I hope she enjoys her break.”

From then on, whenever the Princess and the Captain were home, Koi would stay quietly outside the hallway to be on a lookout for anyone coming that way. She wanted to make sure the Princess’ privacy was kept and protected.

Chapter Text

“It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Namtan.” as she bowed and held out her hand for a handshake.

“Wow, we meet again… Hello Princess Patt, my beloved fiancé.” Princess Namtan reached for Princess Patt’s hand and kissed it.

“Wait… WHAT?!” Princess Patt was surprised… and so is Captain Pansa.

“My dear, Princess Namtan here wanted to ask for your hand in marriage.”

“Father, may I speak with you? Will you excuse us, Princess Namtan?”

“Of course, my sweetheart.”

Princess Patt pulled the King to the side to talk.

“Father, what’s going on? Why are you suddenly marrying me off??”

“My dear, Princess Namtan has been helping us since you disappeared. And she said that she is very fond of you, so she asked me for this partnership. And since I just passed the law for marriage equality, I don’t see any problem with this. And Princess Namtan also offered an alliance to make sure that our monarch would stay strong. I think this is the perfect solution for our problem.”

“But you didn’t even ask me if I wanted this. We can look for another solution to our problem, father. The culprit was already apprehended. We can further investigate on that to make sure no one can harm the monarch anymore.”

“We are also doing that. But Princess Namtan is the heir to the throne of Japan as well. And we must admit that they are one of the most powerful countries in the world. And it will really help us in a big way if this partnership would happen… I just want what’s best for you my dear daughter…” King Rama caressed Princess Patt’s cheek and looked at her with desperation as a father, to keep her daughter safe.

“But…”

“Why don’t you just try it first, my dear? Princess Namtan seems like a kind and decent person. If it will not really work between you two, then I’ll be the one to talk to her about canceling your engagement. Okay?”

“But father, I already have– “

“Your Majesty, the press and the people are already waiting for you. Are we all set?” said the King’s private secretary, cutting off the Princess.

“Yes, we are all ready. Princess Patt, please go with Princess Namtan. We’ll talk again later. Let’s all go now. We don’t want to keep the people waiting.”

Princess Patt looked at Captain Vosbein, but Princess Namtan went to her and pulled her to go together with the King.

The Captain was still in shock with everything that unfolded but she’s still on duty, so all she can do for now is to watch the Princess from the sidelines.

“Good morning my beloved citizens. I am pleased to announce some great news to all of you. I am here to announce that our Princess has returned home. As you may all know, Princess Patt went overseas for some personal private matter. And to answer everyone’s question, she went abroad to meet with Princess Namtan, the crown Princess of Japan... And we are now here, to happily announce to you all… the engagement of Princess Patt to Princess Namtan!”

And all of a sudden, murmurs were heard, and a few minutes later, cheers and applause started to erupt in the hall. Everyone seemed to be celebrating the news about the engagement.

“Wait, what did I miss, Captain Vosbein? Princess Patt is engaged? And she didn’t even tell me about it??” Prim said to Captain Vosbein while sulking.

“Uh…” the Captain was actually lost for words.

Her heart was breaking at the moment. Watching the love of her life getting engaged to someone else. And to make it worse, everyone is celebrating it.

She knows that Patt was also caught off guard with everything and she’s sure that Patt’s also against this. But as the Princess, Captain Pansa knows the responsibilities she has for her country and for her family. And now that the announcement has been made, she knows that they can’t fight this easily.

*****

I was taken aback when suddenly, I got a fiancé. I was about to tell my father about me and Pan, but I was suddenly cut off by the King’s secretary. And before I knew it, I was on the podium with the King and Princess Namtan.

I was trying to look for Pan and I saw that her face is not showing any emotions, but I know deep inside that she has a lot of questions. Even I, myself have a lot of questions too. Like how did we even get into this situation?

“And we are now here, to happily announce to you all… the engagement of Princess Patt to Princess Namtan!”

Wait!!! WHAAAT?! Did my father really just announce my engagement?? Already?? We haven’t even discussed anything yet…

Suddenly, I heard how the people celebrated the news. They were all happy for us? Shoot! Now how can I escape this?

Again, I was searching for Pan, and I saw her talking to Prim.

Wait, is Prim trying to make a move on my Captain?? Why is her hands caressing Pan’s arm?!

“Princess Patt?”

“Huh? Ah yes, Princess Namtan?”

Princess Namtan held my hand tightly.

“The King is waiting for us to join him in front. Let’s go?” as she slowly pulled my hand.

Of course, I didn’t want to be rude, so I let her pull me and we went in front with the King so the people could see us. I can see everyone’s happy faces. And I could also see how happy my father is. But despite all these happy faces, one really got my focus… Pan’s stoic face.

After the press conference, we all went back in, then suddenly, Princess Namtan pulled me to an empty room and locked the door.

“Princess Namtan? What are you doing?!”

Then I heard a loud frantic knock on the door.

“PRINCESS PATT!! ARE YOU OKAY? PRINCESS!!” shouted Captain Pansa.

“Calm down, Princess Patt. I just want to talk to you alone. Can’t I do that? I have something to say…” said Princess Namtan while holding my hands.

I gently removed my hands from her hold and nodded in agreement. I unlocked the door and talked to Pan.

“Captain Pansa, I’m okay! Please just wait for me here.”

After a few seconds of silence… “Okay Princess, I’ll just wait here.” said Pan in a defeated tone while looking at me and Princess Namtan.

I just kept the door open so she could be assured that I’m okay and that she would see that we are just talking.

“What is it that you wanted to talk about, Princess Namtan?”

“I know that you are shocked with everything right now, but believe me Princess Patt, all I have are good intentions. I received an information that your life is in danger. So, when we were invited to the King’s birthday party, I took my chance and asked my father if I could go, so I could see you. When I arrived at the party, I briefly saw you, and when I tried to approach you, you suddenly disappeared with your security, when I asked the King, he said that you had to leave. That’s when I knew that the information I got was real. So, I talked to your father and offered him help.”

“Wait, how did you obtain that information? And why did you want to see me? Have we met before?”

“I guess you already forgot… but I will never. We met in England 4 years ago. It was during a dark time in my life. I got really depressed that I asked my father for some time to find myself. And I don’t know why I ended up going to England, but maybe fate wanted me to be there because that’s where I’d meet you. And after I left England, I’ve been keeping tabs on you, and I discovered that you were just like me. And you should know the extent of our power so of course, I can find ways to get this kind of information.”

“We met in England? Mmm…” I tried recalling my memories because Princess Namtan looked really familiar.

“Princess Patt… it’s me, Tantan. I just changed my name during that time so no one would know my identity.”

[FLASHBACK]

Tantan was drunk and alone in a bar. She’s been going through a lot and her mind is filling up with a lot of negative thoughts. The pressure of being a princess and the only heir to the throne is really eating her up, and it got worse when her mother passed away. She is very close to her mother so her death broke Tantan into pieces. She couldn’t take it anymore. She just wished the alcohol would numb her feelings.

As she downed another glass, a beautiful lady sat in front of her. She held her hand to stop her from getting another new bottle.

“Hey, take it easy… instead of drinking, why don’t you try telling me what’s on your mind. They say, it’s better to tell your problems and secrets to a stranger since they won’t be able to judge you, since they don’t know you, and you won’t see them again anyway.”

Tantan thought that the girl made sense. She will not see her again anyway so why not pour everything out to her. But after ranting her heart out, the effect of the alcohol and her tiredness physically and emotionally won that she passed out.

She woke up and realized that she’s in a place she’d never been before. The room she’s in looked so bright and cozy.

“Oh hey, you’re awake already. Here, take this medicine. It will help you with your hangover. And I also made you this soup. Let’s eat first!”

Tantan is still confused, she thought she was hallucinating and she’s seeing an angel taking care of her.

“A-am I dead? Are you an angel and you’re here to take me?”

“Hahaha. Are you still drunk?”

Patt bent down to look the drunk girl on eye level, and she gently grasped her face and shook it.

“Wake up! You’re not dead yet.”

And as Tantan’s vision got clearer, she now saw the pretty face in front of her more clearly, and it made her smile subconsciously.

“Wow, you’re beautiful…” she muttered.

“Well, thank you for the early compliment. I guess you’re not drunk anymore. Hahaha.” joked Patt as she let go of Tantan’s face.

Then Patt grabbed Tantan’s shoulders and got her up the bed.

“You should eat so you can take your medicine.”

“W-why am I here? And who are you again?”

“It’s better that you don’t know my name. So I can remain a stranger to you, and you can keep ranting to me.”

Tantan suddenly had flashbacks on what happened last night.

“Shit!! I-I’m so sorry for last night… I was not in my right mind. And… t-thank you for taking care of me and for not leaving me alone in there. I’m… Tantan, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Tantan. And from now on, try not to do that again. It’s dangerous to be alone like that. Someone could’ve taken advantage of you. You need to be careful. Your mom wouldn’t like you this way you know!”

“My mom…”

Tantan was reminded about her mom and she suddenly felt bad…

“I’m sorry mommy…for being like this…” as Tantan burst into tears.

“Hey, it’s okay. Come here. I'm sure your mom understands, but she’ll just be sad if you keep living your life like that… I’m sure she wanted you to be better…” Patt hugged and caressed Tantan’s back to calm her down.

From then on, Tantan would often visit Patt or ask her to meet whenever she’s feeling down. Patt remained a familiar stranger to Tantan so she could be comfortable with sharing her thoughts.

Having someone listen to her really helped her ease the chaos in her mind. And slowly, she was able to move forward and slowly tried to get back on her feet. She’s so grateful for Patt for being a vital part of her healing and she became her motivation to go through life. And for Patt, she’s happy to see Tantan get better as time goes by.

And the reason why Patt approached Tantan that night was because she thought she looked like Pan. She admits that she was a bit tipsy that night, so she mistakenly thought Pan was there only to find that it’s a different person. But as she gets to know Tantan, she can see their similarities, in terms of being funny, naughty and how protective Tantan was to her. And she thought that being with Tantan was the closest thing she could get, to having a bit of Pan in her life again.

__

“Tantan?! Oh yeah! Tantan!!” I now remembered who she was. She’s my good friend, Tantan.

Out of excitement, I hugged Tantan. It’s been a while since we saw each other and she’s really one of the few people that I really treasure.

*****

Today is a crazy day. A lot has happened, and it’s a lot to take in. Suddenly, my girlfriend is engaged to someone else. And I can’t do anything about it… yet. But Patt and I really need to talk about this. We can’t end this way. There must be something we can do to change our situation. There’s no way I’m letting Patt go again.

As I watched everything unfold, my heart is shattered into pieces. That should be me… I shouldn’t have suggested keeping our relationship a secret. Since the King was impressed with how I protected her daughter, I should’ve had the courage to tell the King about me and her daughter. Then maybe we could’ve gotten his blessing.

As the press conference ended, of course my focus is still on my Princess. And I also asked one of my trusted colleagues a favor to get more information about Princess Namtan. Like where the hell did she come from? And why does she suddenly want my girl?!

Then all of a sudden, Princess Namtan dragged Patt on an empty room. I ran quickly to them, but the door was locked.

“PRINCESS PATT!! ARE YOU OKAY? PRINCESS!!”

After a few minutes, I heard the door unlocking.

“Captain Pansa, I’m okay! Please just wait for me here.” said Patt. She looked at me with assurance and kept the door open so I could see them.

So, I had no choice but to follow and just stand there as I watched them talk. And it seems like their conversation was getting deeper and suddenly… Patt hugged Princess Namtan. What the hell is happening?!

I was about to walk forward to them, but someone grabbed my arm. I turned around to see who stopped me and I was surprised.

“There you are, Wolf! I’ve been looking for you!”

“Sugus!!” I happily hugged my dear friend.

“I’m glad to see you alive and safe! Good job, Film!”

“I’m so happy to see you back, Pan!” as Film reciprocated my hug.

Little did we know that someone was already glaring from afar.

*ehem ehem* “Captain Vosbein!”

“P-Princess Patt! Uhm… are you done talking?”

“Yes. And are we interrupting something??”

“Oh, I apologize, Your Highness. This is one of my team members from the RTSF. Lieutenant Film Rachanun, also known as Sugus, if you remember Princess, she was the one who helped us.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.” as Film bows to show her respect.

“Oh yes, pleased to meet you and thank you for your service, Lieutenant Rachanun.” said Princess Patt.

“Uhm… What brings you here, Lt. Rachanun?” I asked her.

“Ah yes, Captain Vosbein, Comm. Gen. Sukvimol would like to apologize for this short notice but I’m here to be your 2^nd in command. Since the Princess of Japan is also here, we must have a tighter security for both the Princesses.”

“But I have my own security, I don’t need more.” Princess Namtan said.

“Princess Namtan, *bows* I’m Lt. Rachanun, and I will oversee your safety while you’re here. Since you’ll be staying in Thailand for a while, and we know the place better than anyone else, we are here to help your security team as well. The King insisted on making sure both of you are protected.  So, I ask for everyone’s cooperation.”

“Oh okay. If it’s the King who asked for this, then I have no problem with it.” Princess Namtan agreed.

“Excuse me, Your Highness. The King asked for both you and Princess Namtan to see him in the grand palace.” said Koi.

“Very well, we’ll go there now. Captain? Let’s go?”

“After you, Your Highness.”

The King talked to Patt and Princess Namtan alone and he asked us to just wait outside.

Comm. Gen. Sukvimol called to brief me with our new task of being the security team for both Princess Patt and Princess Namtan. And of course, all I can do is to follow the orders given to me.

After talking with my father, I went and stayed with Film while we waited for the Princesses.

“Pan, about the favor you asked me, I emailed you everything you want to know about Princess Namtan.”

“I knew I could count on you, Film. You’re really the best. Thank you!”

“Why did you need information about her? You know it was hard to obtain those, but good thing, you have me. Hehehe.”

“That’s why I’m so lucky to have you, Film. Ever since our training, you’ve always been there for me.” Film blushed upon hearing that from Pan.

“And I needed to know who Princess Namtan is and what does she want from the King and the Princess.” I continued to explain to Film.

“Oh, I got it. Do you think she’s onto something?”

“I don’t know yet. But I don’t trust her yet.”

“Why? She seemed like a decent person. She has no scandals or any bad reputation. As a matter of fact, she’s also well loved by the people in Japan. Just like our Princess Patt. I think they are a perfect match if you ask me.”

I glared at Film. I thought she’d be on my side. But then, I forgot that she doesn’t know anything. Silly me. 

“And just like us as well. We are a great match.” Film continued as she smiled at me.

“I mean, whenever we work together, we always finish our missions successfully. We just know each other so much that we already know each other’s moves. And even if we don’t have work, our personalities just match perfectly, don’t you think? Hehehe.”

“You’re right, we work very well together. And even during our breaks, It’s always fun whenever I’m with you. And I’m happy that I have you here right now.” I said as I smiled back at Film.

Then the Princess came out and saw us smiling at each other.

“CAPTAIN PANSA VOSBEIN!!”

Did she just call me by my full name? Why do I feel like I’m in trouble?

*****

The King had asked me and Princess Namtan to meet with him to discuss things over.

“My dear, I know that you are shocked with everything happening so fast. But Princess Namtan here suggested announcing the engagement so the people will believe why you had to leave for personal reasons. And our enemies would not question anything anymore now that they know who is backing us up. So, I agreed with Princess Namtan’s idea.”

“I know that you’re just thinking about me father, but I would’ve appreciated it if the both of you consulted everything with me first.”

“I want to apologize for our rash decision Princess Patt. But believe me, I did all of this to help out.” explained Princess Namtan.

“And I agreed with Princess Namtan. This is for your safety, my dear. Just please give this a try. You promised me that you’ll cooperate with me."

“But –“

“Your Majesty, maybe we should give Princess Patt some time to process this. I’m sure she’s overwhelmed with everything right now. Eventually, I know she’ll come to terms with it.” suggested Princess Namtan while giving me a nod.

“Fair enough, I’ll give you a week to think about everything, my dear. I’m really hoping you’ll make a decision wisely. Very well, I’ll leave you two to enjoy. Have the rest of the day to yourselves.”

“We’ll take our leave, Your Majesty.”

Princess Namtan and I bowed and showed respect to the King before going out.

Upon opening the door, I overheard Pan and Lt. Rachanun talking.

“And just like us as well. We are a great match.” said Lt. Rachanun with a sweet smile.

“You’re right, we work very well together. And even during our breaks, It’s always fun whenever I’m with you. And I’m happy that I have you here right now.” Pan replied with a nostalgic smile.

I don’t like this feeling…

“CAPTAIN PANSA VOSBEIN!!”

I think I said that a bit too loud. But I can’t help but feel… jealous… of their smiles and gaze to each other.

I saw that they both got startled and quickly got up.

“Y-Your Highness! Are you done now?”

“Y-Yes! I need to talk to you. Uhm… I’m sorry Princess Namtan, but there’s something urgent I have to discuss with the Captain. I’ll have to leave you for now. I’ll just see you tomorrow?”

“Sure Princess Patt. I’ll just see you again tomorrow.”

I just nodded at Princess Namtan in agreement.

Before leaving, Pan gave an order…

“Lt. Rachanun, you are in charge of looking after Princess Namtan for today. Please take good care of our very important guest.”

“Yes, Captain!”

“Princess Namtan, Lt. Rachanun here will take care of you for today.” said the Captain and bowed to show respect.

Then Captain Pansa and I left.

__

“Very well, Princess Namtan, just let me know where you want to go.”

“Since it’s still early and I actually don’t know what to do, can you join me for lunch instead? I want to try some Thai food, if you’ll be so kind enough to show me where to go?”

“It’ll be my pleasure to bring you to the best restaurant that serves exquisite Thai food, Princess. And if you want, I could also give you a short tour around the city if you’re not busy, Your Highness.”

“Really? You’ll do that for me? You’re too kind Lt. Rak… Rasha… uhmmm…”

“Just call me Film, Your Highness. It’ll be easier to remember too. Hehehe.”

“I apologize, I’m still not good pronouncing Thai names or words correctly yet. Hehehe. Very well Film, shall we go now?”

“Please follow me this way, Princess Namtan.”

*****

When we reached the hallway and Patt and I were all alone, she suddenly dragged me inside her room. As the door closed, Patt pinned me against the door, and she leaned close to my face, then she looked at me. Her eyes were misty. My heart suddenly felt heavy upon seeing it…

“How close are you with Lt. Rachanun? Who is she to you, Pan?”

“Are you seriously asking me that? Why would you think -”

“Just please... answer me…” Patt’s voice was soft but somber.

“Patt, she is just a close friend of mine. Just like what Prim is to you. She is also a good friend to me. So you don’t have to worry… my heart belongs to only you and no one else.”

I planted a gentle kiss on Patt’s lips to ease all her worries.

Then she suddenly hugged me and buried her face on my chest, and she slowly started to cry.

“H-Hey… what’s happening to you??” I worriedly asked.

“I-I’m so sorry baby… for being jealous... for everything... I couldn’t do anything to stop my f-father… I’m s-sorry… I-I know… you were hurt… to see me and P-Princess Namtan there… and to hear what… you just heard…” Patt stuttered as she sobbed.

I caressed her back to try to calm her down.

“I know that you didn’t want what happened earlier too… I understand. I’m not mad at you or anything… and I know your father has his reason why he did that…”

“But I don’t want it… it’s so unfair! What year are we in now? Arranged marriage is not necessary anymore!”

“I know… Uhm… I’m sorry Patt… if I asked you to keep our relationship a secret. If we had been honest to them from the start, then maybe, we could’ve avoided this situation that we’re in right now…”

“We didn’t know that this will even happen…”

“I will go and talk to your father tomorrow and I will be brave this time. I will tell him about us, hoping he could accept us… I can’t just let you go without putting up a fight!”

“Pan, I’ll go with you. Let’s talk to him together. So he’ll know how sincere and true our love is. And I’m sure, he’ll understand us.”

“Alright, let’s do that. We’ll go talk to him tomorrow. So stop crying now, okay? I don’t want to see you like this…”

“I love you so much, Pan… I really hope you know that.”

“I know. Even if you don’t utter any words, I know how much you love me. And I know that you also feel how much I really love you, right?”

Patt nodded and tightened her hug.

We stayed wrapped around each other for a while. Trying to draw strength from one another, so we can face this obstacle together.

EPILOGUE

Captain Pansa and Lt. Rachanun are conducting their own investigation regarding the destabilization of the monarch.

Lt. Rachanun is one of the best in the country when it comes to gathering intel. Even the hardest and complicated information to obtain, she can easily get. While Captain Vosbein is well known to be very efficient with every mission given to her.

“Film, were you able to get all the data from the Prime Minister’s son’s phone?”

“Of course! And I also got all the CCTV footage around his condo unit, his office and the places he usually visits. We can start reviewing them.”

“I knew I could really count on you! Alright! Let’s catch these bastards!”

They begin to check all the information they have to see if there are more people involved in the Prime Minister’s son’s plan since he is still not cooperating with the police.

Captain Pansa wanted to solve this as fast as possible to make sure the Princess and the monarch would not be put in danger anymore.

“Film!! Look at this! Can you run the plate number of this car? I saw this several times in his condo’s parking lot and near the bar he always goes to. It kept appearing a lot a week before the King’s birthday. I have a bad feeling about this car.”

“Alright! I’m on it!”

After half an hour, they got a match on the plate number, and they contacted the owner of the car. Apparently, the car was a rented one. So they got the name of the person who rented it during that time but they didn’t get any match since the ID that was used is a fake one.

“Dammit! Now we're back to zero!” said Film.

“Wait… Hold on… Film, can you check the owner of this number? There were a few calls from this number, and it was pinged near the venue of the King’s party. We need to locate this right now.”

“Got it! I’m working on it now.”

After a few minutes, they were able to trace the location of the owner of that number. They wasted no time and began their surveillance. After a few days, they confirmed that there were still other people involved who’s helping the Prime Minister’s son. They immediately arrested a group of men to be investigated and later confirmed that they were all part of the attempted assassination of the Princess that night.

Captain Vosbein decided to visit the Prime Minister’s son.

“We already caught all your men! Even without your help, we were able to stop your plan. You cannot just harm the country and the monarch like that! You have no way out of this!” taunted Captain Vosbein.

“Hahahaha. You think you’re so great huh?! You caught everyone except one, you fool! You missed the most important one… which is the mastermind of it all. Hahaha. And you’ll never know who!”

“You asshole!! Don’t wait for me to break your face! Tell me who else is with you!!”

“Even if you kill me right now, I don’t care. I will take what I know to my grave! And those trash that you caught? Even if you torture or kill them, they really don’t know who the real mastermind is. Hahaha! So, go tell your little Princess to start saying goodbye to her loved ones… because her days are already counted!” while the Prime Minister’s son gave the Captain a smug look.

“You bastardd!!!”

Captain Pansa was triggered and instinctively punched his face. Then Lt. Rachanun tried restraining Captain Pansa before she gets in trouble.

“I will make sure you’ll pay for this! And that mastermind that you said, I’ll find that bastard in no time! Mark my words! You’ll never be able to hurt my Princess!”

“We’ll see about that… Captain Vosbein. Hahaha.”

Chapter Text

Patt and Pan were getting ready to talk to the king. Princess Patt asked Koi to deliver the message that she and Captain Pansa wants to meet with her father and Comm. Gen. Sukvimol.

The Princess and the Captain arrived at the grand palace a bit early because of their nervousness. As they walked the hallway going to the King’s receiving room, they heard them talking…

“Your Majesty, I was just curious… why did you agree with Princess Namtan’s proposal?”

“Because… I’m desperate, Sukvimol. Now that we’ve confirmed that the Prime Minister’s son wasn’t acting alone, and we still don’t know who else wanted to harm the monarch. My Princess is still not fully safe from danger. And I can’t let this country be run by a bunch of greedy people who will just exploit the people’s trust and money. I know that the Princess has the same vision as mine, to protect our people and our country. Princess Patt worked so hard to get to this point. She’s not well loved by the people for just no reason, and you know why, Sukvimol.”

“I think I understand your decision now, Your Majesty. And there’s no one that I know of, who truly cares and loves this country and its people more than you and the Princess. And of course, besides being the father of this country, you are also a father to your daughter, and she is also a priority for you.”

“I know that I’m being selfish and unfair to Patt right now… but…” the King’s voice started to break.

“...if this is the only way to guarantee my daughter’s safety, then I’ll be the bad father. Even if my daughter would resent me for doing this… as long as I know she’s alive and safe… then I’ll accept that punishment from her…” the King continued then suddenly…

“Your Majesty…” Comm. Gen. Sukvimol said with concern.

“I can’t lose my daughter, Sukvimol! I just can’t! I wouldn’t know how to live if I lose my dear daughter… I wouldn’t be able to bear it…” the King became vulnerable for the very first time.

“You won’t lose your daughter, Your Majesty. We are here to protect her. I know Pansa will do her best to keep her safe. And this alliance with Princess Namtan will surely be a drawback for your enemies since they know how powerful the monarch will be now. No one would dare challenge the royal family anymore and harm this country.”

Both Patt and Pan heard a weeping father’s desperation and fear…

Patt couldn’t bear to hear her father breaking down any further, so she ran outside, and Pan immediately followed her out.

“Please take me away from here, Pan! Please!” said Patt while gasping for air. Her chest is getting heavier.

“Come here, breathe slowly, Patt. I got you. It’s okay…” Pan held Patt close and guided her.

The Captain took the Princess to the palace garden where the night air was calm and quiet.

They were sitting on the bench, enveloped in silence. Patt’s head is leaning on Pan’s shoulder while Pan caresses her head. Both of them were silently contemplating on their own, trying to grasp the gravity of the situation they’re in.

“Pan…” the Princess suddenly uttered faintly.

“Hmm?” the Captain replied. She knows where this conversation is going.

“You know how much I love you, right?”

“Of course, Patt. You’ve always loved me so much. And I’m sorry if I was late to notice it before.”

“There’s no one else that could own my heart but you. You know that, right?”

“I know that, but… I also know that… you also love your father… and this country… and they should always come first… rightfully so…”

“Pan…” Patt’s voice starts to falter.

“I know it’s not an easy decision. But I don’t want to put you in a situation where you must choose. I don’t want to put that burden on you… You are their Princess after all. And they deserve to be loved and protected too.”

“Pan…” the Princess whimpers with every mention of the Captain’s name.

She doesn’t want where this is going… but they must have this conversation…

“It’s not an easy decision for me too, my Princess. But I know that I can’t compete with the people and most especially, your family. They should always come first. Just like how I’ve also sworn that this country and the people must come first before my own.” the Captain started to be vulnerable.

“You also know how much I love and care for you, right Patt?” Pan continued.

“O-Of course I do…” said Patt as she sobs.

“And no matter what, I will always be here to love and protect you. Just like what I’ve promised you from the start. This heart will only beat for you, Patt. Even though we can’t be together, you’re the only one that I’ll ever love this way.”

Then Patt leaned in for a kiss and Pan reciprocated it. Pan pulled Patt closer as their kiss deepened. Not wasting any second to be closer to each other. Not wanting for this moment to ever end.

Their kiss was bittersweet, knowing that this kiss was also the beginning of an end.

As they break the kiss and their embrace, they gave each other a knowing look, a wistful gaze.

“Our duty to our country and our families comes first. Maybe… we’ll have our chance again in our next lifetime…” said Pan.

Princess Patt is feeling so weak with all these emotions that she’s going through right now. She doesn’t want to let go of her love, but she can’t abandon her responsibility to her country and her family as well. 

But for now, she’s grateful that Pan understood the situation, she knows that Pan didn’t give up on them, but rather, gave way… she didn’t let Patt be burdened by choosing one over the other.

But this mutual decision is still breaking both of their hearts. And they just have to live with it, one day at a time…

Patt got emotionally and physically drained that her body gave up and fell into a deep slumber. Pan carried her into her bedroom and just watched her rest. Pan doesn’t want to sleep and miss any moment that’s left for them.

Pan planted a slow and fervent kiss on Patt’s forehead before she covered her mouth with both hands, carefully trying not to make any noise as she made her way in the bathroom. She doesn’t want Patt to hear her breaking down. She has been trying to keep a strong facade for Patt all this time. But her heart has been breaking over and over since then. So, she finally let go of all the pain she’s been suppressing.

But little did she know that Patt woke up a few seconds ago and inevitably heard Pan wailing inside. And of course, this shattered Patt’s heart once again.

As the morning came, Pan quietly went back to her room to prepare for the new day. Before she starts her shift, she quickly visited home. Outside, she saw her mom watering the plants. She’s not planning to show herself, she just wanted to see her mom, but of course, Mrs. Vosbein felt that something’s not right. So, she quickly turned around and saw Pan standing outside.

She was ecstatic to see her daughter, but it was quickly replaced with worry when she saw Pan on the verge of tears.

“My sweetheart…” as Mrs. Vosbein quickly ran to her daughter and hugged her.

“I had to let her go, mom… I don’t want to… but…” Pan weeps.

“I know… I know my dear… I’m so sorry…” Mrs. Vosbein felt so helpless seeing her child devastated.

*****

Patt woke up with a heavy heart. She searched the room only to find out that she was all alone. When she got up, she saw a note on her bedside table.

“Don’t worry about me anymore, my Princess. I will be okay. I’ve always known from the start where my place is. But nothing will change. I will keep loving you, even from afar. And I will always be here to take care and protect you, Patt. Always. Love, Pan.”

Patt was once again reminded of the situation she’s in… but she has no more tears left to cry.

Patt prepares for the day as she steps in her role of being the Princess again. She mustn’t show any weakness. She let out a deep sigh before stepping out of her room. Leaving everything behind and starting anew.

“Your Majesty, Princess Patt is here to see you.” said the King’s servant.

“Please come in, my dear.”

Princess Patt entered the room. Her face is stern, but still polite.

“Good Morning, father. I apologize for last night, something urgent came up and we couldn’t inform you and Comm. Gen. Sukvimol right away.”

“That’s okay, dear. Is everything okay?”

“It’s nothing that I couldn’t handle, father. Don’t worry…”

“Your Majesty, Princess Namtan is here to see you.” the King’s servant announced.

“Ah yes, good morning, Princess Namtan!” the King greeted.

“Good morning, Your Majesty! Good morning, Princess Patt!”

Princess Patt bowed to show respect to Princess Namtan.

“Now that the both of you are here, were you able to talk and bond?”

“Uhmm…” Princess Namtan was trying to think of an excuse.

“Father, Princess Namtan… I have something to say.”

“Yes, my dear?”

“I don’t need a week to give you my answer… I… I’ve already decided…”

“You already did?!” Princess Namtan asked in shock.

“Let’s proceed with your plan. I will cooperate with you. Just tell me what I need to do or say. You are both right, Princess Namtan and I will be able to give the protection and stability that our country and the people need. And as long as I am alive, I won’t let anyone disrupt the peace and safety of this country just for their own personal gain.”

The King and Princess Namtan looked at each other, surprised with how well Princess Patt is taking it all in just like that.

“Hmm… Very well, I’m glad that you made a wise decision my dear. You are really on your way to becoming a great Queen in the future.”

“Uhm… are you sure about this Princess Patt?” Princess Namtan looked at Patt with a worried look.

“Yes. It is the right decision to make.” Patt said with a resigned tone.

“Since you’ve already decided, I don’t see any reason to delay this wonderful news. Let’s prepare for the wedding right away.” declared the King.

Princess Patt looked at her father with a conflicting look upon hearing that. But she agreed to cooperate with him anyway.

After their discussion with the King, as they walk out the grand palace doors, Captain Pansa and Lt. Rachanun were already waiting to escort them back to the Princess’ palace.

“Your Highness… Princess Namtan...” bowed and greeted the Captain as acknowledgement.

Princess Patt looked at the Captain with longing, but she tried to quickly control her emotions.

“Princess Patt, may I speak with you in private? I have something important to discuss with you…” asked Princess Namtan.

“We can go and discuss it in my palace. Shall we go?”

While Princess Patt and Namtan were having lunch privately, they let Captain Pansa and Lt. Rachanun take a break as well.

“Hey Pan, let’s have lunch together? I cooked some extra food to share with you.” said Film with a bright smile.

“Uhm, actually I’m-”

“Excuse me, Captain Vosbein, may I speak with you for a moment?” Koi suddenly approached the Captain.

“Uh, sure Koi. Excuse us, Film.”

Koi gently pulled the Captain to the side as she handed her a small bag.

“Captain, Princess Patt asked me to give you this. She made it this morning for you.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Just see for yourself, Captain.” Koi smiled.

“Oh, okay, thank you Koi.”

“You’re welcome… And Captain, hang in there.”

Captain Pansa was surprised that Koi seems to know about them, but she just nodded and smiled back at Koi.

Pan opened the bag and saw a note together with a bento box inside.

“Please let me still keep my promise to cook for you everyday. I still want to make sure you get to eat well. Just like how you promised to be by my side always… Please let me still take care of you this way. Love, Patt.”

Pan’s heart softened as she didn’t expect this sweet gesture from Patt after everything that has happened. But this is now the only way they can convey their love for each other. Through these small things, these small moments. And for now, it’s enough for them…

Pan went back to Film, and they had their lunch together.

“Oh, I didn’t know you have your own food too, Pan. But if you want to try my food, feel free to get some, okay?”

“Thank you for your offer, Film. But I’m sticking with my food. Hehehe.”

“Did you cook that? When did you even start cooking? Can I taste it?”

“Ah-ah! Stop! You have your own food, this is exclusively for my stomach only! Sorry. Hahaha.”

“What? You’re so greedy! Hahaha. Hmp! I’m sure mine is better anyway. Hahaha.”

While Princess Patt was having lunch with Princess Namtan, she looked outside the window and saw a glimpse of Pan and Lt. Film laughing while eating together.

She felt a twinge in her chest upon seeing them. But she knows that she can’t do anything about it anymore.

Princess Namtan noticed that Princess Patt has been acting differently since this morning.

“Patt… I’m sorry, but can I be casual to you now? Since it’s just the two of us here anyway.”

“Huh? Ah. Yes, you can, Tantan. I actually feel comfortable calling you that than calling you Princess.”

“Then let’s be casual with each other. It’s not like we’re total strangers for us to act so stiff and proper. Hehehe.”

“I guess we could do that… Since this partnership is pushing through anyway, I don’t want any awkwardness with us.”

“Hmm… regarding that Patt, why did you suddenly agree to everything? You were just against us yesterday.”

“I told you, it’s the right decision to make. And you know as a Princess, that we have to make a decision for the greater good.”

Patt kept glancing outside the window while talking to Tantan. And this didn’t go unnoticed by the latter.

“They look so cute together, don’t they?”

“What?! How are they cute together?! I don’t see any – *ehem*“ Patt stopped midway upon realizing she’s overreacting to Tantan’s statement.

“Hahaha. Why? Don’t tell me you’re jealous? Wait, who do you like? Captain Pansa or Lt. Film? I call dibs on the Lieutenant. She’s way too cute when she smiles. You can have the Captain, she seems to be right up your alley. Hahaha.”

Patt’s face felt warm, and it didn’t take long for her face to flush.

“Hahaha I’m just kidding, Patt! Relax! Unless I really got it right? Hahaha.”

“Uhmm… Let’s just continue about what you wanted to discuss with me.”

“Hmm… changing the topic huh? I see. Hahaha. Anyway, I told you that I’m doing all this with good intention. Like I said, you’re really special to me and knowing that your life is in danger, of course I’m not about to just watch and do nothing if I know I can do something to help…”

“I know that. You made it clear to me from the start that you really wanted to help. And I really appreciate it, Tantan. I don’t want to appear rude or revolted with everything. It’s just… everything’s new to me… I’m sorry… but I will cooperate with you from now on…”

“Hey, it’s okay. I understand, Patt. Mmm… I have an offer for you. Will you hear me out?”

“Huh? What is it? I mean whatever you want me to do, as long as it doesn’t cross any boundaries, then I will cooperate with you.”

“Great! You’re such a good girl. Hahaha.” Tantan teased Patt while patting her head which made the small girl laugh.

And it was caught by a quick glance from Captain Pansa and saw Patt happy with Princess Namtan.

“I’m getting confused, why does it seem so easy for Patt to be happy just like that with Princess Namtan? Is she beginning to like her now?? But… Pansa! Get your shit together! You don’t have any right to question anything anymore…” Pan argued with herself.

After lunch, Princess Patt and Princess Namtan met with the King again, together with Prim and the other staff as they discussed important details regarding the Princess’ engagement and wedding.

An announcement is set to be released regarding the royal wedding soon. And everyone in the palace started to get busy preparing for the big event.

“Princess Patt, finally I can talk to you alone without Princess Namtan or the King. Wooh! You’re the woman of the hour huh? Hehehe.”

“I know, I haven’t been able to talk to you about things…I’m sorry Prim. Everything is happening so fast.”

“Yeah! I was surprised to know that you are already getting married! Congratulations, Patt! But you didn’t even tell me you were seeing someone! And I never knew you’re into girls? You know I’ll never judge you. What a friend you are! Hmp!”

“Hey, I’m so sorry Prim. Like I said, everything is like a blur to me. I didn’t even know how I even reached this point.” Patt let out a deep sigh.

“Is everything okay, Patt? Are you not happy with everything? Don’t tell me… this is just an arranged marriage? Just like the TV dramas?”

Patt just nodded hesitantly, but she admitted later on.

“No shit?! Oops, I’m sorry for my language, Patt. But why?? Why did you even agree to this?”

“It’s complicated to explain for now, Prim. But I will tell you later on why I had to. But this is what I needed to do...”

“Patt… tell me if you want me to help you get out of this. Just say the word, and I’ll seduce Princess Namtan for you, then we’ll make it look like she’s cheating on you. Is that good?”

“Hahaha. You’re crazy, Prim! I wish it’s really that easy… but thank you for the offer though. Hahaha.”

“But Princess Namtan looks so hot too. I wouldn’t mind being the cause of your breakup, Patt. You’ll still be my friend, right? Hahaha.”

“You’re such a flirt!! Hahaha.”

“Because you keep hogging all the hot ones to yourself! Save some for me. I’m your friend too, you know!”

Laughter erupted between Prim and Patt. And Pan, who was watching them from afar, was delighted to see Patt laughing again.

While Pan’s enjoying seeing the Princess laugh, her attention was caught by Film.

“You’re really fond of our Princess, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Oh, hey, Film! What did you say about the Princess?”

“Hahaha. Nothing! Anyway, I was able to get to know Princess Namtan more yesterday. And I think you got the wrong impression of her. She really seemed like a good person. And I’ve been doing extra investigation regarding her and her family, but I really can’t find anything suspicious.”

“You think, Princess Patt will be in good hands then?”

“I believe so. And not to brag, but 95% of the time, my gut feeling about a person is always correct. Hahaha.”

“I know that. You’ve never given me false information. Hehehe. Maybe I was just being too protective of the Princess… I mean, the monarch…”

“Well, I understand, of course being assigned to the royal family is not an easy job, so I understand that you really need to be diligent and careful.”

Pan just nodded. She wanted to open up to Film but she thought there’s no use anyway since the Princess is already getting married to someone else.

“But you know what? If you were to ask me, there’s one that’s been giving me a creepy feeling actually. But I don’t want to say anything yet and make things complicated…”

“Really? Who is it?”

Film whispered it to Pan and got shocked.

“I think this will be your first time to be wrong about your gut feeling, Film. Hahaha. I’m already telling you.”

“Well, I’m telling you, my gut feeling never steered me wrong before. Hahaha.”

“You don’t believe me, you rascal? Hahaha. Then go ahead and see if you can find something wrong because I’m sure you won’t. Hahaha.”

“Hahaha okay, that’s a bet then!”

Then Pan suddenly kept quiet and looked over Patt and Prim who is now talking with Princess Namtan. And it seems like even Prim likes Princess Namtan for Patt.

“Hey, what’s with those eyes? Is everything okay, Pan?” Film is good with these kinds of things. And Pan knows she won’t be able to lie to her, but she tried anyway.

“Oh nothing. I guess I’m just tired because a lot has happened since the Princess got back. Hehehe.” Pan laughed nervously.

“Right… Pan… tell me, why do you look so heartbroken? Stop pretending now! I saw those eyes before, when we started our training… even when you pretended that it was nothing back then but… I know that look...”

“What look? I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Pan, you know you and our team in RTSF are like my family since I don’t have my family anymore. And especially you… you know that I love and care for you, Pan. And I hope you don’t take this the wrong way… but I did my research on you a long time ago. I was just waiting for you to open up to me… but I can’t watch you fall apart anymore…”

“What do you mean?”

“You and Princess Patt. I know you were childhood friends. But when she had to go study abroad, both of your communication was cut off. And for someone with a close relationship, it’s not usual to just disappear in each other’s lives just like that. So, I know something must’ve happened between you two before. And I know you hated the Princess before, that’s why I got curious as to why and I started to connect the dots…”

“Film… I - “

“You like Princess Patt… no, you love her? Don’t you?”

“Fine. I know I can’t lie to you anyway… and since you already looked up about us, there’s no point in denying… yes, I’ve been in love with Princess Patt since then. I never really stopped loving her… even until now…”

“Oh no, Pan… I’m sorry… I never thought that what you had was so much deeper…”

While Pan was trying to suppress her emotions, when Film embraced her, she couldn’t help but be emotional to her dear friend.

“I know my place. And I know that we can never be more than anything. But facing this reality really hurts…”

“I know… I’m really sorry… I’m here now, Pan. It’s going to be alright…” comforted Film while she tightens her hug.

But from a distance, Princess Patt caught a glimpse of this scene… and of course, her heart ached a bit more than it should… knowing she has no right to feel anything anymore…

*****

Another week had passed, Patt and Pan remained civil with each other, but their gazes are still full of yearning and desolation.

Pan is doing her best to make sure Patt is safe as usual while Patt still make meals for Pan to eat. They’re still doing their own little gestures of love. For it is the only way they could still let the other feel their love…

The King announced to the whole nation about the royal wedding that’s happening this coming weekend. Everyone rejoiced about the good news and the people started to prepare for various celebrations to congratulate the Princess.

“I’m so happy that everyone is excited for this partnership, my dear. And with this kind of reaction from the people, it just proved to us that they are all ready for their future Queen.” said the King.

“Their warm support for us really makes us happy, Your Majesty. I’m so impressed with how loved my future wife to be is. She will definitely be a great leader of this country.” added Princess Namtan.

But behind Princess Patt’s smile is her conflicted feelings. She is really happy about the love and support that the people have been giving her, no doubt about that, but she just can’t fully be happy knowing someone’s hurting because of this…

After their meeting with the King, Princess Patt finally had some alone time in her palace.

“Hey Patt, you seem to be deep in your thoughts. Is everything okay?”

“Oh, Hey, Prim… Ah yes, I’m just thinking about a lot of things. Hehehe. Mmm, what brings you here?”

“Well, I just want to check in on you. Your big day is coming soon, how are you holding up?”

“Honestly, I’m just going through the motion right now… I don’t really know where I’m at with my emotions. It’s all mixed up.”

*KNOCK KNOCK*

“Princess Patt, it’s Captain Vosbein. May I speak with you?”

“Ah y-yes, please come in, Captain.”

“Oh Hi, Ms. Prim. Your Highness. *bows* I’m sorry, I interrupted your conversation.”

“No, it’s okay. Prim and I were just casually talking. What is it that you want to talk about?”

“I have to temporarily take a leave as your head of security starting tomorrow. But I have already briefed Lt. Rachanun about everything. Comm. Gen. Sukvimol also approved it.”

“Lt. Rachanun?”

“She is really also one of the best and my most trusted in my team, so you don’t need to worry about anything, Princess.”

“But why take a leave all of a sudden?”

“I was tasked to go for an important mission. But I’ll be back once my mission is done. I will have to leave the palace later at dawn so I might not be able to properly say goodbye. But I want to give you my congratulations and I wish you nothing but happiness… Your Highness.” Pan said as she bowed.

“Aww, too bad you’ll miss the big event tomorrow, Captain.” Prim chimed in.

“Captain… Please be safe…” said Patt with a worried look.

“I will… Very well, I’ll leave you two to continue talking.”

“Hmm… Patt, you like Captain Vosbein, do you?” Prim suddenly realized.

But Patt just gave Prim a restrained smile as an answer… since she’s set to marry soon… out of respect to both Pan and Princess Namtan, she just wanted to keep the truth to herself.

The night before the royal wedding, Patt is in her room, pacing back and forth in front of the door in between Pan’s room and hers. Then she heard the door closing from the other side, indicating that the Captain was already back in her room. After a few minutes, Patt slowly walked near the adjacent door and slowly rested her palm against it. As if she was imagining that Pan is on the other side doing the same thing.

Patt tried her hardest not to make any noise as she weeps, knowing that everything will really change between them starting tomorrow.

Then she suddenly heard Pan’s voice. And it sounded like she’s near the door where Patt is.

“I’m sorry, Patt… I can’t be there… I just can’t bear to see you marry someone else. I know that my heart will keep breaking over and over again… but nothing changes. This broken heart of mine… every piece of it, loves you. And it will keep loving you…” said Pan with her voice breaking.

Then after a while, Patt heard the front door of Pan’s room opening, then closing… it seems like the Captain left earlier than she intended. So Patt hurriedly opened the adjacent door, only to find out that Pan’s room is now empty. She started to get more emotional as she realizes how much she’s hurting Pan…

The next day…

Everyone in the palace is busy preparing for the big day. Princess Patt wasn’t really able to sleep… how can she?

Koi and Prim help her prepare.

“Patt, are you nervous? This is it!” said Prim excitedly.

“Yeah, I am a little nervous…”

“Don’t be! You have us! Everything will go according to plan, don’t worry.”

Patt just smiled at Prim and Koi.

“Oh wait, I should check on Princess Namtan as well. I need to make sure she’s behaving good. Hahaha. I’ll be right back, Patt.” said Prim.

“Your Highness, please hang in there. I know this is not going to be easy for you. But I’ll always be here when you need me.” Koi suddenly uttered.

“Thank you so much, Koi. I really appreciate you.”

“By the way, Captain Vosbein wanted me to give you this.”

Koi handed the Princess a sunflower with a little scroll of paper tied on its stem.

“My Princess, I’m sure you look ravishing today. I just want to apologize for not being there on your special day. But please know that my heart will always be with you. Please be happy from now on, okay? Love, Pan”

Patt couldn’t help but cry upon reading Pan’s letter.

“Princess, Captain Vosbein wouldn’t want you crying like this on your big day today. Here’s a handkerchief she gave me, since she knows you’re a crybaby. She said to please use this.”

“She’s an idiot! *wipes her tears* my idiot…”

EPILOGUE

Princess Namtan was informed about the changes in the security for tomorrow’s event. She asked to talk to Lt. Film.

“Princess Namtan, Lt. Rachanun is here to see you.” announced the palace servant.

“Please let her in.”

“Princess Namtan. *bows* You wanted to discuss something with me?”

“Ah yes. I heard that you are taking over Captain Vosbein’s position tomorrow since she’s been summoned for a mission?”

“That is correct, Princess. You don’t have to worry about anything. The Captain and I made sure that everything is all set for tomorrow.”

“Hmm… I have something to tell you. I don’t know why, but you seem trustworthy. So let me tell you about my plan.”

Princess Namtan informed Lt. Film of her plan regarding the flow of the wedding. And Lt. Rachanun agreed to follow Princess Namtam’s plan.

“Thank you, Lt. Rachanun for cooperating with me. As a thank you, would you like to have dinner with me?”

“Uhh, sure Princess. Where do you want to eat this time?”

“Well, this time, I will treat you to some of the best Japanese cuisine. Please have a seat, I already cooked everything for you to taste.”

“Wow, this is too kind of you, Princess Namtan. I don’t think I deserve to eat such precious meal.”

“Stop it Lt. Film. I really cooked these for you. Since I know that I’ll get to see you again tonight.”

“Huh?”

“Just enjoy the food I prepared for us?”

“Y-yes, Princess. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to be ungrateful or anything. I was just shy that you made such effort for me…”

“Well, seeing you smile like that made all my efforts worth it.” said Princess Namtan as she winked.

This made Film blush, and Princess Namtan was quick to see the Lieutenant’s reaction.

“Wow, you are really too cute, do you know that? You’re making my heart flutter when you’re like that you know?”

Lt. Film choked when she heard that. And both of them looked at each other, then they started to laugh at each other’s awkwardness.

After that, as they talked and got to know each other more, both became more relaxed and comfortable with each other’s presence.

As the night ended, something has definitely shifted. But Lt. Film quickly tries to dismiss it. Knowing there’s a wedding happening tomorrow. For now, both of them need to focus on the big day tomorrow.

Chapter Text

The morning came and Pan was just staring at the ceiling of her room. There’s really no mission assigned to her. She just asked, well more like begged, her father to give her a quick break. Her dad actually knows that Pan is going through something, although her mom didn’t elaborate further, but Mrs. Vosbein insisted to Sukvimol to grant what her daughter wanted. And as a father, he saw the despair in her daughter’s eyes, so he gave his permission.

Then Pan suddenly receives a call…

“Wolf! Where are you? I need to meet with you asap! This is urgent!”

“Jaguar? I mean, Ciize! I’m off duty right now. Why? Where should I meet you?”

“I’ll send you the details. Please come as fast as you can.”

“10-4!”

Captain Pansa, feeling nervous, meets with Jaguar and Panther.

“Hey Panther! How have you been?”

“Pansa! It’s a good thing that we were able to reach you right away. We thought you’ll also be busy in the palace, like Film.” said Earn.

“Yeah, we tried to call Film, but I think she’s busy with the royal wedding right now. Why aren’t you with the Princess anyway?” asked Ciize.

“Ah, it’s a long story. But I needed a break. And Film was actually assigned to replace me temporarily that’s why she’s really busy, especially today.” explained Pan.

“Hmm… got it. But anyway, we have something important to tell you, and this can’t wait any longer.” said Ciize.

“Tell me what?”

“Look at this, Pansa. We were actually helping Film investigate someone. She said she had a bad feeling about this person. And as usual, her gut feeling didn’t fail her. The other day, we were able to retrieve the missing CCTV footage inside the car rental shop and the car that you’ve been suspecting before, it turns out that this person was the one who rented it. We were able to enhance the picture so you can see clearly who rented that car and presented a fake ID.”

Ciize and Earn showed the picture to Pan together with other evidence of meetings and sightings of that person with the Prime Minister’s son.

“Shit!! Oh god!! I need to go to the palace right now! Ciize, Earn, will you please back me up on this?”

“You don’t need to ask, Pansa! You know we’re always a team. Kapook is also here now. Team Jaguar, Panther and Lion will be under your command now, Captain!” said Ciize.

“We always have your back, Wolf!” added Earn.

“Thank you, guys! I’ll tell you the plan along the way. But we need to leave right now!!”

“10-4, Captain!” answered Ciize, Earn and Kapook in harmony.

The team rushed to the palace while Pan was still trying to contact Film but there was no answer.

Pan, now revving her motorcycle, is feeling more anxious.

“I shouldn’t have left her, especially on this day. How selfish of you, Pan!” she argued with herself.

[ROYAL WEDDING CEREMONY]

The nation is all set for the big day. The ceremony is about to start.

The big palace doors swung open, and Princess Patt beautifully emerges together with King Rama as she walks her daughter towards Princess Namtan.

“Please take care of my daughter…” asked King Rama.

“I will, Your Highness.” assured Princess Namtan.

Princess Namtan held Princess Patt’s hands as they settle in and begin the ceremony.

And for one last time, Princess Patt glanced at the door, as if expecting someone to show up... but no one came...

Then a few moments later, someone stood up and went in front of the Princesses.

Then quickly, a gun was pointed at Princess Patt.

“P-Prim?!? W-what are you doing??” Patt was aghast.

Everyone was caught off guard and gasped out of shock. But the security team was quick to surround Prim, since they anticipated that someone will surely show up to stop the wedding, thanks to Princess Namtan’s plan. But they were held back when she showed a detonator on her other hand.

“Hold your fire! I repeat, hold your fire!” ordered Lt. Rachanun.

“Try to shoot me and all of us will blow up here. The hall is rigged with bombs and the moment my finger moves away from this button, we’ll all be killed. Hahaha. So if I were you, I’ll be careful with my next move.”

Patt stood up and slowly went forward to Prim.

“Ah-ah! Where do you think you’re going, Patt?”

Princess Namtan quickly pulled Princess Patt back, to avoid triggering Prim.

“Of all people, I trusted you, Prim! Why would you do this to me??” Patt started to get emotional.

“Because your family did something cruel, and I need to teach you all a lesson!”

“What do you mean? What did we do to you?”

“Well, your grandfather is the reason my mom died!! Just because she loved your father!”

“What did you just say?” King Rama was confused.

“My mom, Pannika, ring a bell??”

The King was stunned when he heard the name.

“Yeah, that’s right! She was your first love, wasn’t she? And just because your father didn’t approve of her, you just let her go! And your father banished her from this country! This is her home! But she was threatened that if she came back, her family would be in danger. And my mom, helpless, lived her life alone in England. She was molested and she was forced to have and raise me! But she never showed any grudge despite what happened to her. She still loved me! But growing up, I saw her slowly wilting until she decided to take her own life. And it’s all because of your family’s tyranny!!”

“I… I didn’t know that… I was informed that Pannika left me in exchange for money and went away. All this time, I thought she really left me. I’m really sorry for what the late King did… I was naive back then…” the King went down on his knees and lowered his head to the ground to show his sincere apology.

Everyone gasped with the King’s gesture.

“Your apology doesn’t mean anything anymore, ‘Your Majesty’! It won’t bring back my mom!”

Outside the palace, while the commotion was ongoing, Captain Pansa and her team arrived. They got some gears and radios, and they quickly proceeded with their plan.

“Sugus! Do you copy? This is Wolf!”

“10-4!” whispered Lt. Film, trying not to catch Prim’s attention.

“Listen, I heard that there were bombs placed inside. I have Jaguar, Panther and Lion with me. They are trying to locate all the bombs and defuse them as we speak. I’m also finding my way inside the hall. I’ll be there shortly.”

“No matter what happens, make sure the Princesses are secured. And please try your best not to harm Prim if you can.” Captain Pansa continued.

Captain Pansa was able to go inside quietly and saw Patt. She slowly moved closer to where the Princess was.

“That’s right, Prim. It is unfortunate that your mom had to go through that. She didn’t deserve that. And like you said, saying sorry won’t cut it. But my father and I are different from my grandfather… we disagreed on a lot of things when he was reigning, that’s why when my father assumed his place, he slowly corrected everything that was wrong before. You should know that, you’ve been working with us for years now. And doing all this, even killing me, won’t bring back your mom, Prim. So please, stop this already…” said Patt concern.

“It’s not that easy, Patt! I can’t just stop and forget about my mom!”

“Nobody said that you should forget her. But she wouldn’t like you to end this way Prim…”

Patt’s words pierced Prim’s heart, and she slowly started to get emotional.

Captain Pansa took advantage of the situation, and she slowly held Patt, who was startled, and instructed her to go behind the Captain. She also signaled Lt. Film to take away Princess Namtan from the scene. So Lt. Film grabbed Princess Namtan’s waist as they slowly walked out.

Then as Prim quickly wipes her tears, she was surprised to see Captain Vosbein in front of Princess Patt.

“Oh, look who we have here. The great Captain Vosbein, everyone! Hahaha.” then she aimed her gun again at them.

“Ms. Prim… please just calm down.” said Pan.

“Prim, I know that it’s not easy, witnessing all that, and carrying that trauma all alone. But I’m here. You are like my sister. You are someone precious to me. And despite everything, I still want to be your friend. I still want to be here for you, just like when you were there for me when I needed someone… so please stop this now…” Patt sincerely said to Prim as she sobs.

“Ms. Prim… please… I know that you also treat Patt as your family. It may have started as a trick to get close to her so you can take revenge, but I saw how you are to each other everyday. I know that the friendship became genuine for you… So I know… that you wouldn’t really be able to hurt her…” said Pan.

“And how do you know I won’t do it, Captain?! I almost did it before!”

“You asked someone else to do it for you because you can’t do it yourself. So, you asked your boyfriend, the Prime Minister’s son for help, didn’t you? And the night that the Princess almost got killed, you went out of the venue because you didn’t want to see it. Am I right?”

“Shut up! Just shut up now, Captain!” Prim shouted as she gripped her gun tighter and aimed it more precisely at Patt.

Lt. Film instructed the team to get ready to fire but Captain Pansa quickly ordered them not to.

“Hold your fire!!” she shouted.

“Captain?” Patt asked.

“I don’t want you to lose her. I know she’s important to you. I told you, I’ll also protect those who are important to you.” Pan answered.

Then a transmission over the radio was sent.

“Wolf! All bombs are located and defused. All perimeters are now secured.” informed Lion.

Then she continued to appease Prim.

“I’m just saying what I know. And I know that deep inside, you really have a good heart. You just need to let go of all those grudges…”

“No! It’s already too late for me… I can’t stop now! And most of all, I can’t fail now! And you’re right as always, Captain! It’s hard for me to hurt Patt myself, but I wouldn’t mind hurting someone important to her, just to get even! The King will get hurt when he sees his daughter devastated once the most important person in her life is gone! Hahaha. It’s a win-win situation for me!”

Prim then shifted her aim at Captain Vosbein. And without any hesitation…

BAAANGG!! BAAANGG!! ~

And in a blink of an eye, when Captain Pansa looked in front of her, she saw the girl who’s supposed to be staying behind her, now hugging her as she shielded Pan from the gunshots. And a few seconds later…

“P-Patt?? NOOOO!!!!” shouted Pan as she saw blood gushed from Patt’s mouth.

Everyone panicked upon seeing the Princess get shot. And the King was quickly taken away from the scene to avoid any more danger as instructed by Comm. Gen. Sukvimol.

Even Prim was shocked with how things unfolded. She didn’t expect things to go this way. She froze as she saw Patt with blood on her back.

“P-Patt…” she muttered as she wavered.

Without any delay, Captain Pansa shot the gun from Prim’s hand making her lose grip of it, then Lt. Film together with her team quickly jumped towards Prim to restrain her.

Pan was still holding Patt, trying to keep her from falling on the ground.

“Patt!!! No no no!! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!! PLEASE CALL AN AMBULANCE RIGHT NOW!! HURRY!!”

“It’s okay, Pan. Y-You’re safe now.”

“No Patt! It’s not okay! It is my job to keep you safe and not the other way around! Why did you do this?!” Pan was crying hysterically.

“B-because I don’t w-want you to get hurt again… b-because of me… I’m s-sorry for everything, Pan. A-And I love you always… my Captain…” muttered Patt before she fell unconscious.

Paramedics quickly arrived and rushed the Princess to the hospital.

The doctor quickly came out to talk to the King.

“Your Majesty, the Princess isn’t doing very well, and we need to operate on her immediately. She has lost a lot of blood, so we need to perform blood transfusion on her, but her blood type is a rare one. And unfortunately, our blood banks doesn’t have that type right now.” informed the doctor.

“ME!! I have the same blood type as hers. Please take my blood. I don’t care. Take it all! Just please save her. Please… save my baby…” volunteered the Queen, who pleaded to the doctor in desperation.

“Very well, please follow me, Your Majesty…”

Captain Pansa instructed Film and her team to take care of everything while she’s in the hospital to be with the Princess. She didn’t dare go near the King and Princess Namtan because of guilt. It’s because of her that Patt is fighting for her life, she thought. So, she just sat in the corner while waiting for the surgery to be finished.

Comm. Gen. Sukvimol and Mrs. Vosbein saw their daughter and approached her.

“Sweetheart, why are here? Why don’t you go wait together with the King? I know you’re also worried for Princess Patt…”

“I can’t face him, dad. It’s my fault. I failed to protect Patt…” as Pan cried.

“The King knows everything, Pan. And I also know. We’ve seen you both grow up. So, we always had a hunch that maybe, someday, both of you will realize something. That’s why the King also passed the law for marriage equality, just in case we were right.”

“What? How did you all –“

Then King Rama suddenly appeared in front of Pan.

“It’s not hard to see how your eyes gleamed whenever you looked at each other, Pan. And I can also see how genuinely happy Patt becomes whenever you’re together.”

“Your Majesty… I’m… I’m so sorry for failing you and Patt… I’m s-sorry…”

“It’s Patt’s decision to protect you this time, my dear. And I realized now, that’s how much she loves you… That’s why it killed me everytime I saw Patt’s eyes… it became darker when I insisted my plan on her. I shouldn’t have done that to her… to the both of you. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry Pansa…but let’s pray that she surpasses this… because I know, the both of us won’t be able to live if something bad happens… we can’t lose Patt…” the King was getting emotional.

After the surgery, the doctor came out and talked to the King and the Captain.

“Your Majesty, we transferred the Queen to her private room so she can recuperate. Her blood donation really helped our surgery. And regarding Princess Patt, we managed to stop the bleeding and the surgery went well, but…”

“But what, doctor?” questioned the King.

“But unfortunately, too much blood was lost earlier that her body went into a shock… and she is now in a coma. We are doing everything we can, Your Majesty. All we can do for now is to wait for her to wake up...”

The King didn’t know how to accept the news, and his knees became weak. Captain Pansa and Comm. Gen. Sukvimol was able to catch the King and guided him to seat.

“Your Majesty, Princess Patt is a fighter. I’m sure she’s doing her best to survive this…” comforted Sukvimol.

Pansa on the other hand, was trying to stay strong for the King as well. But deep inside, it’s killing her to know that Patt is still not doing well.

Princess Namtan went to Captain Pan and held her shoulder gently.

“Hey… Captain, do you have a minute?”

Captain Pansa looked up at Princess Namtan and nodded.

Princess Namtan pulled Captain Pansa in an empty hallway to talk.

“My apologies that you had to witness all of these, Princess Namtan. There’s no excuse for my mistake and lack of judgement.”

“Hey, it’s okay. You and your team actually protected me, and I should be grateful to all of you. Especially to Lt. Film who risked her life for me. But this is not why I wanted to talk to you, Captain…”

“Hmm?”

“It’s about Princess Patt. When I knew she was in danger, I genuinely wanted to protect her. I thought that Patt didn’t have someone because she didn’t have any dating news, whatsoever, so I suggested a plan to the King. To be honest, I really liked her back then, but there’s always this wall from her, and I knew that her heart always belonged to someone. But that didn’t stop me from caring for her. And when I saw Patt with you, I immediately knew who owns her heart. That’s when I knew that what I had initially planned with the King won’t go well with Patt. But I was shocked when she suddenly agreed to the whole setup.”

“Princess Patt love this country and her family so much, she’s willing to put everything aside for them.” said Pan in defense.

“I knew that. She’s really going to be a great Queen in the future. And of course, I still wanted to be there to support her.”

“Let’s pray for Princess Patt to recover from this, and I’m sure, she would still honor her word to be wed to you, Princess Namtan… and I will… make sure this time, that there would be no hindrance in your union…” assured Pan with a defeated tone.

“Captain, I made an offer to the Princess.”

“An offer?”

“I told her to just cooperate with me for the meantime, just until we could catch the real mastermind. I had a feeling that she would show up at the wedding to stop the monarch from gaining more power. And she really did reveal herself. Unfortunately, things ended up this way… but Captain, I was never really going to marry Princess Patt. We just decided not to tell anyone, just to lessen the risk of our plan getting discovered by the enemies.”

“W-what?”

“I know that it’ll kill me to see Patt suffer because of me, even though I still like her a bit, but I know who’ll truly make her happy. And that is enough for me. So Captain Pansa, if Patt wakes up, never waste this chance anymore. Go fight for her! And I’ll be here rooting for the both of you…” Princess Namtan suddenly hugged the Captain as she now let go of Patt in her mind.

*****

One week has passed and the Princess is still unconscious. The whole nation has also been conducting prayer rallies for the recovery of the Princess.

The King had to still tend to his duties, so he had to leave the hospital from time to time. But the King entrusted his daughter to Captain Pansa’s care who had never left the hospital since then. Mrs. Vosbein would bring her food and clothes everyday to make sure she’s also taking care of herself. And the Queen would often visit together with her but wouldn’t show herself. She just stays outside the ICU and wait for Mrs. Vosbein’s update. The Queen can’t bring herself to see Patt’s current state.

“Your Majesty, why don’t you try to see Princess Patt inside just this once?” asked Mrs. Vosbein.

“I… I don’t think I can take it… I can’t see my daughter like that…”

“But I’m sure, Princess Patt would be happy to know that you visited her when she wakes up.”

“I don’t have the guts to face her… after all these years that I tried to ignore her… It’s just… I got depressed when I knew about my condition, and I know it’s wrong to blame her for that, but I wasn’t in my right mind… and by the time that I was feeling better… our relationship was already damaged beyond repair… and I didn’t know how to make it up to her… so I just stick to our usual routine… and now… I have so much regret…”

“It’s not too late to fix things, Your Majesty. Princess Patt always longed for her mother. Whether she admits it or not, but I know that she’s just also waiting for you to come around. She never hated you. And she understood where you’re coming from. So when she wakes up, please let go of your pride and just be honest. Don’t waste any more time to be a mother to your daughter.”

The Queen got so emotional as she nodded in agreement with Mrs. Vosbein.

“Thank you, for taking care of Patt for me. It was supposed to be my role, but you took it without any hesitation. Thank you… and I want to thank you for raising Captain Pansa the way she is. I saw how she protected my daughter all this time.”

Then a few moments later, an alarm went off and an announcement was heard all over the hospital. Nurses and doctors raced to the ICU.

“CODE BLUE IN THE ICU! CODE BLUE IN THE ICU!”

Captain Pansa quickly ran back to the ICU and saw the Queen and Mrs. Vosbein crying while looking through the glass window of the room.

She peeked and saw the nurses and doctors take turns trying to do chest compressions and defibrillate Patt.

Out of disbelief, she unknowingly put her hands on her mouth and gasped.

“Patt… Oh god, please… no… You can’t leave me like this… please…” whispered Pan as she trembled.

Then they all heard a long beeping sound that no one ever wanted to hear…

“----------------------------------------------   (BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPP~~)”

In that moment, the commotion and noise from the hospital lobby was suddenly muted out, her vision was becoming bleary, her body was beginning to be paralyzed…

And just like that… Pan’s world suddenly went blank.

Chapter Text

Captain Pansa was standing by a tree nearby, just looking afar. She wouldn’t dare to go near the area…

She just watched as the King say his farewell and offered flowers on the tombstone in front of him.

“I didn’t want for this to happen… I’m so sorry for everything, it’s all my fault… I hope you could forgive me…” said King Rama as he sobs.

Then a hand pressed against the King’s shoulder, as if giving him comfort and support.

“I’m sure that wherever she is now, she would forgive you. This is not your fault, she was also just a victim of the situation.”

The King held the hand of the one comforting him, drawing strength from that person.

“Thank you for saying that. I really hope she could forgive me…”

And then he paused for a moment and took a deep breath as he continued…

“… and I hope you can forgive me too… for what I did to you… my dear, Patt.”

They looked at each other, grateful for still being able to be together.

“Ms. Pannika is now happy to be home. And I’m sure Prim would be happy to know that her mom is now home together with her family. Thank you for doing this and personally handling the transfer of her remains here, where she truly belongs. I’m happy that we could all get pass this and move forward.” said Patt.

Patt looked at her back, searching for Captain Pansa. And when she found her by the tree, she nodded at her indicating that they were ready to go back. Captain Pansa immediately went to her and pushed Patt’s wheelchair and guided her back to their car.

[FLASHBACK]

“CODE BLUE IN THE ICU! CODE BLUE IN THE ICU!”

Captain Pansa quickly ran back to the ICU and saw the Queen and Mrs. Vosbein crying.

She peeked at the glass window and saw the nurses and doctors take turns trying to do chest compressions and defibrillate Patt.

After several attempts, suddenly a deafening long beep was heard…

~BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPP~

Then after a second or two that seemed so long for Captain Pansa… they suddenly heard a slow short beep that gradually sounded steady.

“Doctor! She regained her vitals!”

They quickly checked on the Princess and it seems like she is starting to regain her strength, indicating that she’s starting to recover from the surgery.

After a week of observation, the doctor allowed the Princess to continue her recovery at home. They are all happy that Princess Patt was able to slowly get her health back.

Princess Namtan talked to the King about her deal with Princess Patt and apologized for not informing him about it. The King understood why they came up with that decision.

“Again, I apologize, Your Majesty. We just wanted to lessen the risk of involving and endangering other people.”

“I understand, you don’t need to keep apologizing for it. I should thank you for really caring for my daughter like this, Princess Namtan. And regarding your engagement with Princess Patt… Uhmm…”

“Your Majesty, you don’t need to worry about it. Our engagement might be fake, but I will still be your ally. Our partnership will still continue. Especially once Princess Patt assumes her place as Queen, we already had talks about our country’s partnership. And we are both excited for the future.”

“I’m so happy to learn about this. Thank you for also trusting Princess Patt. Consider Thailand your second home, Princess Namtan. You are always welcome here.”

“Thank you for saying that Your Majesty. You and Princess Patt are also welcome to visit Japan anytime.”

When the Princess got out of the room after talking to the King, she got surprised to see Lt. Rachanun waiting for her outside.

“Lt. Film? What are you doing here? You don’t need to ‘babysit’ me anymore. I am going back to Japan tomorrow anyway. Hehehe.”

“Princess Namtan, *bows* Yes, I was informed about your departure tomorrow… that’s why… I still want to finish my job until the moment you step foot your plane. I’ll still be your head of security until then, since you’re still here in Thailand.” explained Film while giving the Princess a smile.

“I’m going to miss that sweet smile of yours. And your cute dimples as well. Hahaha.”

Film couldn’t help but feel shy and turned pink when she heard Princess Namtan’s compliment.

“Since it’s my last day today, will you accompany me the whole day?”

“I will be most honored to accompany you. Just tell me what you want to do, and I’ll do my best to make it happen, Princess.”

“Hmm… what I want to do?? Well, can I be honest with you?”

“Of course, Princess.”

“I know that this might be a long shot… but I really want you on my team, Lt. Film. Is there a chance that you can come with me? I mean… you’re very competent and beautiful, exactly what I’m looking for as my chief security.” as she winked.

“Hahaha. You’re really funny, Princess! I’m flattered that you even considered me to be part of your team… but… my RTSF team is my family, and I can’t just leave them. But I will definitely visit Japan from time to time and root for you Princess Namtan. Now I understand why you’re well loved by your people as well.”

“Well, I already knew that you were going to answer that, but at least I tried. Hehehe. And if you ever visit Japan, please promise to see me? It’ll be my turn to give you a tour. Here’s my personal phone number and I’m only giving it especially to you. So please, contact me whenever you’re there? I promise I’ll make time to see you.” said Princess Namtan with sincerity.

“I will, Princess. Now, I think I have more reasons to go there often… hehehe.”

They gave each other a shy look while admitting to themselves…yes, something has definitely shifted.

Princess Namtan visited Patt before going back home.

“Hey Patt, how are you doing?”

“Tantan! I’m glad to see you. You are leaving in a few hours, right?”

“Yes, I just wanted to see you before leaving.” Tantan gave Patt a bittersweet smile.

“Hey don’t be like that. We’ll still see each other. And when I visit Japan, I will disturb you whether you like it or not. Hahaha.” teased Patt.

“You know that I’d love that. At least I could escape from all my palace work. Hahaha.”

Then Patt reached out for Tantan’s hand and gently gripped it.

“Thank you, Tantan. For giving your time and effort to help us out. And for being a true friend to me. I don’t know how to repay you but just let me know if there’s something that I could do for you, and I’ll try my best to make it happen.”

“You are very special to me, Patt. I owe you my life. And this is just my little way to make it up to you, so you don’t need to repay me. Your friendship is more than enough for me.” Tantan kissed Patt’s hand with admiration but still drawing the line.

“Please always be safe and get healthier, okay? I know that you’re in good hands so at least I’ll worry less now.” Tantan continued.

“You too. And I wish for your happiness too. Because you truly deserve it.”

As Tantan walks towards the door, she looked back at Patt one last time and spoke…

“See you again?”

“Mm-hmm… I'll be seeing you again for sure.” As Patt nodded.

They gave each other a warm gaze and a tender smile.

*****

The Princess was welcomed warmly by the palace staff. Koi also felt emotional upon seeing the Princess.

“Princess Patt! I’m so happy to see you back!” Koi couldn’t help but run and gently hug Patt out of worry.

“I’m so happy to be back home again, and I’m happy to see you too, Koi.” as Patt hugged Koi back.

Captain Pansa who was pushing Patt’s wheelchair smiled at the scene.

“Alright Koi, we have a lot of work to do. Our number one priority is to help Princess Patt get her health back, so I’m asking for your help… Will you do this with me?” asked Captain Pansa.

“You don’t have to ask Captain. Of course I’ll make sure, Her Highness will be healthy in no time.”

“Thanks Koi!” Patt and Pan said as they let out a soft laugh at Koi’s determination.

As the Princess arrived at her room, Pan carefully lifted Patt and lay her on the bed. And just when Pan was about to get back up, Patt didn’t let go of her hold on the Captain’s neck. She pulled Pan closer to her, making the Captain’s body press onto hers.

“Pan… I missed you so much…” said Patt as she tightened her embrace.

“I missed you too, Patt. I never imagined that I could be this close to you again.”

Pan loosens her tensed body, and she just let herself melt into Patt’s warm hug.

“I’m sorry for making you worry. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to you. I can’t even imagine living a life without you Pan. So I did what I had to do, and I would do it all over again if I have to.”

“And you know that I would always be willing to put my life on the line for you, Patt. But please… never try to do that again. I will try my best for us not to be put in danger like that again. But please… Promise me that you’ll not put yourself in danger for me again. Please promise me, Patt…” Pan slowly starts to cry.

“Pan…?”

“You didn’t even think about what I would feel if I really lost you… What’s the point of me being safe if my reason for living is not with me anymore? That’s so selfish of you, Patt… You can’t just leave me like that. I was supposed to protect you no matter what and not the other way around…”

“I-I’m sorry for only thinking for me… but I can’t help it. All our lives, you’ve always prioritized and cared for me. But during that moment, I couldn’t bear to see you hurt… all because of me again… and just like you, I wouldn’t be able to live knowing that I’d lose you like that. That time… I wanted it to be my turn to take care of you… that very moment, I decided to put you first, before me…”

Pan was touched by Patt’s words. And she slowly understood her intentions since she was feeling the same way. They are both willing to put their lives to protect each other.

“From now on, let’s try to be safe for each other. Let’s aim on living and growing old together rather than dying for each other…”

Then Pan slowly lifted her head until she’s face to face with Patt.

“I love you so much, Patt. I don’t want to waste any moment not letting you know that...”

And Pan leaned in to give Patt a fervent kiss.

*****

One morning, the Queen kept pacing back and forth in front of Patt’s room. Then the door opened as Captain Pansa was about to go out, and the Queen got started.

“Oh, Your Majesty, are you here to see Princess Patt? She was just taking a nap, but I believe she’ll be awake anytime soon. You should come in.”

“Captain… do you think… Patt would want to see me? I don’t want to make her feel worse…”

“Your Majesty… she has been waiting for you for a long time now. And she would really be happy to know that you’re here to see her. So please don’t think too much and just see her. I will be just right here outside if you would need anything.” said Pan as she smiled at the Queen.

She knows how Patt misses her mom, and finally, the time has come. They don’t have to miss each other any longer.

The Queen slowly walked towards Patt’s bed. She tried not to wake the sleeping girl.

She sat on the chair beside Patt, and she just stared on the tranquil face of her dear daughter. She can’t help but feel emotional upon seeing Patt. All these years of longing and regret… she promised to herself not to waste this chance given to her to fix things.

“Ngh… Pa – … m-mother? I-I mean, Your Majesty??” Patt suddenly got up out of shock.

“Hey, be careful sweetie… You’re not supposed to move too much… Are you okay?” the Queen supported Patt as she tried to get up fast.

“Y-Yes… I’m okay… Uhm… D-Did you need anything, Your Majesty?”

“Mmm…”

The Queen slowly reached for Patt’s hand while trembling. Then she gently gripped it while trying to look at her hand.

“Patt… I… can… would you… be able to find it in your heart… to forgive me? For everything that I’ve done to you?...” as the Queen looked up, her tears started to fall.

Then she went down on her knees and placed her forehead on their hands as if begging Patt.

“I’m really sorry Patt… I’m so sorry my dear…” the Queen continued.

“Mother! Please don’t do that! Stand up!” Patt quickly grabbed her mother’s shoulder and tried to pull it up.

“NO!! Not until you can forgive me…” the Queen insisted.

“I was never angry at you… I understood where you were coming from… It’s really my fault that the misfortune happened to you… I’m so sorry mother…” Patt started to cry as well.

“No sweetie! It’s never your fault… I lost my mind when that happened. My mind got clouded and I shouldn’t have done that to you… I lost my way… and I’m asking you for a chance… please Patt… give me a chance to make it up to you from now on…I don’t want to waste time anymore! I… I love you so much my dear daughter… I love you!!”

Patt immediately embraced her weeping mother and caressed her back to calm her down.

“You don’t need to ask for any chance… because I’ve been waiting for this moment ever since… I love you so much, mother.”

*****

King Rama visited Princess Patt in her room. And Captain Pansa, who never leaves her side, gave them some privacy.

“How are you feeling, my sweetheart?”

“I’m feeling much better now, father. I’m sorry if I can’t help you yet with things.”

“Don’t worry about it, Patt. Your health is more important than anything. So just keep on resting until you get back to normal again. The people have been praying for you. They are all worried for you too.”

“I’m so touched knowing how much they worry and care about me. I really feel so loved by them. But father…”

“Hmm?”

“…will they be able to forgive me? And… will you be able to forgive me also?”

“What do you mean, Patt?”

“I’ve been lying to them… and to you… the engagement with Princess Namtan... I… I can’t do it. I’m so sorry father… I didn’t mean to think selfishly like this… but I’ve talked to Princess Namtan about it… and we made a deal… for our country… of course I cannot just deprive them of a better future. But I hope everyone can accept what I decide for myself. If you could trust me, I know that I can all fulfill my duties to this county, to our family…and this time… I want to also fulfill my duty… to my heart…”

“I know my dear. Princess Namtan already talked to me about your deal, and I understand. And regarding the people, I know that they will also understand if we explain things to them. But we still have to apologize to them for all the commotion. And I will be with you through all these, Patt. Don’t worry about anything anymore. Regarding your heart… Mmm…”

“Father… I already have someone whom I love so dearly… I – “

“I know dear. It’s Captain Pansa, isn’t it?”

“How did you…”

“I’ve known for a long time. I just didn’t want to interfere with your life more than I should. But it’s not hard to see how the both of you care for each other. And to be honest, I really wanted to pass the marriage equality bill for a long time now because I wanted to give you that freedom to love as well my dear.”

“Father… I love you!” Patt couldn’t help but hug her dear father. Right now, she’s just Patt, Rama’s only daughter… And Rama, is just the beloved father of Patt.

*****

With the support of her family, Koi, and of course, Pansa, Princess Patt slowly regained her health back to normal after a month. But of course, she’s still trying not to overdo things.

The palace asked for a press conference to explain what happened the past month.

“My beloved citizens, Princess Patt is here to explain further.” the King introduced.

“My fellow citizens, last month, some unfortunate events happened to the monarch… and I want to express my great gratitude to everyone for praying for me and our family. Your immense love and support for us are what motivates us to strive better for our country. And with that being said… I would like to apologize to all of you… I would like to announce… that my wedding with Princess Namtan will not push through anymore…” *lowers body and head closer to the ground to apologize*

Murmurs were suddenly heard across the hall. A few minutes later, Patt slowly stood up while Captain Pansa quickly assisted her, and continued to talk.

“Princess Namtan was kind enough to offer help for us to catch those people who tried to harm us. So we decided to announce a fake engagement to lure our enemies. And now that everything has been solved, of course I couldn’t let a good opportunity pass by. So, Princess Namtan and I made a deal to still retain a very good partnership between our countries. I will see to it that our country would keep growing and developing further with their support and with our other allies’ help as well…”

Everyone seemed to accept and understand Princess Patt’s explanation and they gradually clapped.

“With everything that has happened to me, I realized that everyday should always be lived as if it’s our last. We should never depend on tomorrow because we don’t really know how long we got. Life is too short to hold any regrets. So as your Princess, I would like to ask for your blessing, for me to fulfill an important duty… this time, for myself. And that is the duty to my own heart. If you would all allow it?” Patt paused, waiting for any reaction from the people. A few minutes later…

“Just follow your heart, Princess! We’ll always support you no matter what!!” A lady shouted at the corner.

“Yeah! We will still love you whatever you decide for yourself!” echoed the man in another corner.

~Yes! Just be happy Princess!~

~Princess Patt, you rock!~

~Just be true to yourself Princess! We’re right behind you!~

People started to announce their support until a collective murmur of support surrounded the entire hall. This made Princess Patt’s eyes glaze out of happiness.

“Thank you… with all of my heart, I want to thank all of you for always supporting me. Then I would like to make a special announcement… I would like to make my intentions of being engaged and married known… to the one who has my whole heart all this time…”

The buzzing sound of people talking were heard all over as they got curious about the person the Princess was talking about. Then Princess Patt turned around to face Captain Pansa while still holding the microphone, then she slowly walked towards her.

Captain Pansa was caught off guard with Princess Patt’s sudden announcement. She has no idea what Patt is thinking right now.

“Captain Pansa Vosbein of the RTSF, my protector, my best friend… and the only owner of my heart… will you do me the immense honor of becoming my wife?” Then the Princess took out a ring and offered it to the Captain.

The Princess’ bold and brave move earns a loud cheer from the crowd, as if giving encouragement to their beloved Princess. They all waited for the Captain, who’s on the verge of tears, to give an answer.

The Captain grabbed the microphone from Patt and spoke.

“I was supposed to do this later tonight too.”

The Captain went down on her knee and brought out a box with a ring for Patt.

“To answer your question, YES! I will be your wife if you also agree to spend the rest of your life with me my Princess?”

“Of course, my Captain! There’s no way I’d spend my life without you anymore, Pan. I love you always!” she answered as tears began to fall from her face.

"I love you so much, Patt!"

They both put their rings on each other’s fingers and embraced each other to seal their engagement.

The crowd went wild as loud cheers erupted and everyone celebrated the news of Princess Patt’s 'real' engagement.

It became the talk of the whole nation, and it even got some attention worldwide.

The social media was mostly ecstatic about the news and cheered for the power couple.

@user235 OMG! THEY LOOK SO GOOD TOGETHER WTH!!

@manutonearth this will be the wedding of the century! I can’t wait for the real royal wedding! They look so narak tgt!

@sunpwtn the Captain looked so fine. Too bad she’s already off the market. But I’m happy for Princess Patt!

@khunwan31 my Princess is now getting married… huhuhu. My heart is broken. Better take care of my love, Captain!

[10 YEARS LATER]

“Thank you for visiting us, Your Majesty. We are always grateful for your generous help and support to our patients all this time.”

A teenager approached them and gave them a flower.

“Queen Patt, this is my gift for you. Thank you for helping our family. My mom is all healthy now and we’ll be able to finally come home.”

This made Queen Patt’s heart soft, and she gave the teenager a hug.

“I’m glad to know that. Keep taking care of her, okay?”

“I will!”

“Your Majesty, we need to go to our last appointment now. We can’t be late”

“Alright.”

They arrived at the location right on time.

“Good evening, Your Majesty.”

“Good evening, Colonel. Where is the General?”

“Right this way, Your Majesty.”

*KNOCK KNOCK*

“Oh, Your Majesty! It’s nice to see you.”

Then Queen Patt suddenly ran towards the General and gave a tight embrace.

“Welcome back, General Vosbein! I missed you so much! And congratulations on your successful mission!”

“I missed you so much, my Queen!!”

"Thank you for being safe baby. So tell me, did you see Namtan and Film? How are they?"

"They are doing good and they wanted me to send their regards to you. They gave something for you and for our little Wan, it's in my car. They are inviting us next month, should we go see them?"

"Yes! We could use another honeymoon next month. Hihihi. And we could also see their baby Mariko when we visit."

"Patt... I like how you think! We do need another honeymoon! Little Wan is getting lonely, I think it's time to give her a sibling. Hehehe." as Pan pulled Patt closer to her while teasingly nibbing on her ear.

“Stop it baby, it tickles. Hahaha. Stoopp! You tickle monster! Hahaha."

"Hahaha. Alright, alright. I'll let you off the hook for now. But you're not going to be safe later tonight though. *winks*"

"Fine! I won't stop you later. *winks* Let’s go now? We’ll be late for our dinner reservation. Happy Anniversary, my PanPan!” as Patt extends her hand for Pan to hold.

“Happy Anniversary, Patt! I love you always!”

Pan reached Patt’s hand and pulled her into an ardent kiss.

END.

EPILOGUE

Prim was put in a facility where she can do mental therapy for all her traumas. Patt secretly suggested for her to be admitted there hoping it’ll help her overcome her pain.

Prim kept refusing to accept any visitors ever since the incident. Even when Patt tried to visit her, she would still refuse to meet her.

After the royal wedding, Koi handed something to Princess Patt.

“Your Highness, a letter for you arrived today. This was sent over from the facility where Ms. Prim is admitted.”

“What?”

Patt immediately opened the letter with worry. She thought that something bad happened. But upon reading the letter, she realized who the letter was from…

Patt,

I heard that today is your big day. Finally, you are going to start your new life with the person that you really love. I am truly happy for you.

I’m sorry if I almost ruined your happiness… and I’m sorry if I always refuse to meet you when you visit. I just can’t face you right now… I don’t have any right to meet you or even ask for your forgiveness because I don’t deserve it. But now, I’ve come to realize that you are my dear friend, Patt. I know that you already forgave me even though I didn’t ask for it yet. Because it’s just who you are. I know that your love for me was real because I felt how you treated me like your family. But I still have a long way to go. I still have to forgive myself and fully accept things, for me to be able to face you again. But I just want to let you know how grateful I am for you. I don’t deserve you, but still… I’m happy that I once had a good sister in my life. And all I really wish is for you to be truly happy. And I know that Captain Vosbein will give you the happiness you deserve, so I don’t really have to worry too much about you anymore.

I love you, my sister. I hope to face you as a better ‘me’, in the future. Until next time. - Prim.

Patt couldn’t help but cry upon reading it. And Pan quickly held her and caressed her head.

“It’s going to be okay, baby. Prim will get better. And you’ll get to meet her again, someday…” assured Pan. And Patt just nodded.

She felt a sense of relief that Prim is finally taking a step forward to be better. Pan and Patt promised that they’ll keep helping her for as long as they can.