Kim Taeyeon's POV

I kissed the hand of this Sicilian and stared at her pretty emerald eyes. I smiled to myself when I saw the emotion swirled in their depth. She's beautiful more than the average woman. The first thing you will notice was her striking green eyes. But…

"Patri." The princess had said to her father, looking at him with such pain in her eyes.

"Will you permit me to talk alone with—with…" she swallowed as if she couldn't say the word. She glance at me and continued. "…m-my fiancé?"

The tyrant father eyes us guarded probably weighing if he will allow his daughter's small request. "Very well." He said after awhile. "Show Signore Kim our garden, Yoona. While I travel around his secretary in our house."

I looked at woman beside me. I nearly laughed when I saw her stun reaction. Serves you right, the evil voiced inside my head had said darkly. I couldn't imagine the internal debate she's having right this moment.

But I will not end this preposterous scheme until you give in. I will play with your jealousy until you can't take it and you will finally bare your heart's content to me. Oh yes, I will do that even if I need to play dirty. So be it.

Tiffany must realized that I am starring her when she glanced in my direction I cocked an eyebrow before settling my gaze to the Sicilian princess. You will fall for me, Tiffany. Soon.

"Shall we, Signora?" I asked the woman in front of me pleasantly.

From the look in her face she seemed unsure of her impromptu decision. "Uh—yes." She said almost closed to a whisper. "Let's go, Signore."

I tucked her hand to my arms giving for a show. I heart with leaped with joy when I noticed Tiffany's eyes turned into the coldest night of the winter season. How I loved when she was jealous with other women. And that's the leverage I will use against her.

The princess and I exited the study room of her father's. the watchdog was still outside waiting for the command of the formidable Sicilian don. We passed the endless corridors before we arrived at the grand staircase.

The princess didn't spoke again until we were at their magnificent garden.

"I don't want to marry you." She said without preamble once she was sure we are alone in the garden. She removed her hand from my arms and stared at me with her infamous cold green eyes.

I raised my eyebrows at her declaration. "May I know why, princess?"

"Don't get me wrong." She said, blush spread through her pale cheeks like wildfire. "You are quite handsome but I don't want to enter a loveless marriage."

I couldn't help but laughed at her. I first thought that she's just puppet to her father's bidding. I didn't realize that this is obedient daughter will voice out her protest about our union. I thought that she will just do what her tyrant asked her to do.

"Quite handsome." I mused out loud, smiling at the thought. "I believed that this is the first time a woman ever called me just a 'quite handsome' man."

"Pardon, Signore." She said as the blushed goes in a deeper shade of red. She avoided my gaze by looking at the perfectly trim lawn. The woman didn't stare to a person's face for a long time. "I didn't mean to sound rude to you but—"

"Please call me Taeyeon." I interrupted her casually. "There is only one woman who can call me Signore as way of her affection to me, princess."

"Then you must call me Yoona." She murmured softly. She's really like a princess of those Victorian novel books my stepmother used to read. Refine and well-manner. "The title of a 'princess' is no longer signifying anything. It just now only an honorary title for our family it's gloried past."

"All right, Yoona." I said, smiling to her direction. "But what is the reason you against this marriage."

She looked at me for a moment as if debating whether to tell the truth of not. "You see, when my Mama was still alive she told me never to enter a loveless marriage it will only bring heartache and misery."

"Was it happened to her marriage?"

She gave a sad smile. "Si. Besides, I cannot marry with the simple reason that I am already in love with someone else."

I smiled mirthlessly. This thing goes better as the time pass now. I don't have to worry about breaking her heart in process. She seemed to be a very nice girl. "Really?" I asked pleasantly. "Who is the lucky guy?"

She blushed again while a sweet smile playing in her lips. "His name is Lee Seunggi. My Patri's favored godson."

"Does your father know this?" I asked her.

She shook her dark head. "No. He didn't know anything or else he will forbid Seunggi to come here. You see my Patri wants that he will be the one who will choose the man who is suitable to be our husband—for me my twin sister, that is."

"Does Seunggi is aware of your feeling?"

Yoona stared at me in horror and gave me an awkward smile. "Oh, no… my goodness, he doesn't have any idea. I will be mortified if he knew about my feelings to him. He was my closest in this strict world I breathe in."

So this kind-hearted princess had this kind of tale in her life here in this old town of Ragusa. An unrequired love with her probably childhood friend.

I drew her a little further from the manor. For all I know the tyrant Sicilian still have ears in the wall of this house. "I will tell you a secret, Yoona."

She frowned in my direction but placed a ready smile in her aristocratic face. "Okay…"

When we were in the middle of the garden and no housekeeper around I told her my plan. "The truth is I don't want to marry you more than you are not willing to marry e."

"Then why—"

I smiled evilly in her direction. "Remember the woman with me awhile ago?"

She nodded. Clearly, not following the turn of events here. "Yes…"

"She's not really my secretary." I told her the truth. I could see the shocked in her face. "She's Tiffany Horvejkul a private teacher and I hired her to look for my bride as my grandfather gave me an ultimatum."

"I still don't understand…"

"It's quite simple, actually…" I informed her kindly, taking her hand once again and place it to my arms. "Let's walk. For all we know your father is spying with us right now. Act like you enjoys this walk."

Yoona glanced discreetly in the forbidding manor as if looking for her father in those countless windows. "All right."

We started to walk in the huge garden of the Im. "The reason I seek for your hand in marriage was because of her."

"She did?" Yoona's green eyes widened considerably. "But why?"

I sighed as I remember how my plan of wooing her went straight down to hell. "You see, I asked her to find me a suitable bride in disguised of courting her privately without her suspecting it." I smiled warily. "She is my choice of bride."

The woman in my arms grinned. "Do you love her, Taeyeon?"

I was caught off guard with her question. "I—I will not answer that." Not now.

"What went wrong?" Yoona asked innocently.

I took a deep breath and stared at the endless scenery before us. "I think she realize that she's starting to fall for me that's why so got scared and push you under my nose instantly. I know she's scared at the thought of marrying again. She was badly hurt by her previous marriage."

"You care for her."

I eyed her in amusement. "You sound like you knew a lot when it comes to love, princess."

She glared at me.

I laughed heartily. "I was just teasing you, Yoona."

The princess scoffed haughtily. "So what's the plan? Do you still plan to continue this engagement to make her jealous?"

"Exactly." I said with grinned. I will need this woman's help if I want Tiffany's admission that she has feeling for me. "I want to teach her to have faith and overcome her fear in marriage."

"You really like her." Yoona said with smug smile on her beautiful face.

"Princess…" I warned darkly.

She laughed loudly, her eyes sparks with energy. She wasn't the timid woman I thought her to be. "All right, I'll stop teasing you. What is the plan of yours?"

"I want us to pretend that we are still engage in public." I told her wickedly. The plan is already set in my mind. By the end of this year I will have Tiffany as my wife. "The goal is to make Tiffany jealous over our pretend relationship."

Yoona raised her delicate eyebrow. "You are quite evil."

"There's more."

"More?"

I grinned at her as I stared at her cool green eyes. "I want to teach my grandparents a lesson."

"Your grandparents?" she asked with a frowned. "What did they do to you?"

I smirked, thinking about the machination they did to me these past few months. "They'd been pushing me towards Tiffany. I didn't stop them since that's the direction I want to take. But I just want to teach them a lesson that I am more witty than them. I love to see their face when I introduce you as my fiancée."

"When do you plan to introduce me?" Yoona asked nervously.

"To my nonno's birthday nest week." I looked at her pointedly. "Are you willing to help me get the woman I want?"

A grateful smile flashed on her face. "Of course. I will be happy to help as long as don't really intend to marrying me, Taeyeon. I will help you with everything I can."