Are you dreaming? Husband duties?"
"I will never, in my entire life, dream of having a husband! I'm fine being alone—I'm even happy with it. No complicated life! Besides, I don't want anyone dragged into my personal issues. Stay away from me, or you'll end up in trouble. Believe me," Princess said.
Yet deep inside, she felt strangely comfortable with Phoenix by her side, though fear lingered in her heart. What if one day he leaves? What if he grows tired of her? She knew then she would return to being alone again.
It felt good, almost too good, to have someone care for her. But she couldn't help but wonder—how long could that feeling truly last?Phoenix watched Princess as she cleaned the place where she had eaten earlier.
She was such an independent person at a young age, but he felt she needed someone to share her dreams with. And he promised himself—he would be that someone. More than that, he would make sure his grandfather loved this girl too.
Phoenix was seventeen, an only child. His parents had taught him early how to manage and handle their businesses. Before, he only wanted to play around with women. His father used to tell him, "Just enjoy life, have fun, don't be too serious—you're still young."
But everything changed the moment he met Princess. His playful smile turned into something else—curiosity.
For a year now, he had been watching her from afar. She was the only girl who never cared about his presence. In fact, she often walked by without looking at anyone. Yet whenever she arrived, it felt like she carried light with her—a light she never even noticed.
She was a transferee in their school, but she always preferred to be alone, distant, almost aloof. Phoenix wondered if she even had a friend.
What he always noticed, though, was her German Shepherd. The dog patiently waited outside the classroom door every day. Strangely, none of the teachers seemed to mind.
"If you don't mind, may I ask why you're invading my grandpa's property? Where's your mom? Maybe she's worried—you haven't gone home yet," Phoenix asked Princess.
"Are you trying to make me laugh? That's impossible! If I go home now, maybe I'd be slapped after what I did to Erica. Maybe the whole clan hates me already. Or maybe… they even wish I was gone forever. And honestly, how I wish they weren't my family at all."
Princess spoke with fire in her eyes, her anger clear and raw.
"It's okay. No worries," Phoenix said softly. "You'll never go home again, because from today, my home is your home too. You can even ask Grandpa—maybe he'll be glad to give this place to you."
Phoenix meant every word. He never wanted Princess to return to that house. He wanted her to start a new life with him. But deep inside, he knew—if she ever discovered his true plan, she might end up hating him for the rest of her life.
"Can we be friends, at least for now? We're under the same roof, and it's kind of boring if I only talk to myself," Phoenix asked, his voice light but sincere.
Princess looked at him, searching his eyes, and saw that he meant what he said.
"If I become your friend," she said firmly, "I have high demands. I get jealous if my friend spends too much time with someone else. I want my friend to be mine. What I mean is—it's fine if you have other friends, but when it's my time, it has to be only me.
Your time is with me.
Your focus is with me.
Your attention is with me.
And if I share a secret with you, it means I trust you more than anyone."
She paused, her gaze sharpening.
"Requesting friendship from me is not easy, Phoenix. It's safer if we just stay strangers. Because after three days, when we see each other again, it's better if nothing like this ever happened."
Princess is protective of her heart, setting strict conditions for friendship while trying not to get attached
Whether you like it or not, you don't have a choice," Phoenix said with a half-smile. "Sweetheart, I've already entered your life. The moment we started living under the same roof, there was no turning back. I've already interfered with your world, and from now on, you'll have to consider me a part of it."
He leaned closer, his tone softening but his eyes burning with promise.
"But there's one thing I'll tell you—I will never let you get hurt while you're with me. And if you ever cry because of me, I'll beg for your forgiveness. Because the only tears I'll allow are the ones you'll shed when you realize you can't live without me, babe."
Phoenix's determination and protective side — very intense!
"Don't say anything you can't stand by!" Princess shouted through her tears.
"I've had enough of people promising they'd never leave me—only to break their promises in the end! Even my father left me. My mother left me. And here I am, like some stray puppy on the street, begging for love from strangers—when I shouldn't have to beg in the first place!"
Her voice trembled, but the fire in her words burned with the weight of every scar she carried.
You don't know how painful it is—how hard it was for me to live a life without anything. Please, don't say anything… you're only making me remember the people I can call nothing but shit in my life."
"I hate promises! Some promises remain nothing but words. And in the end, promises only hurt people."