𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇. enhypen

twenty-four

THE SOFT WARMTH OF SUNOO'S LIPS SENT A WAVE OF FIRE THROUGH JIHYE.

It had first been a small and essentially an experimental peck, as if he was trying to test the waters.

But Jihye was the one who plunged them both deep with no chance of return. She rolled up onto her toes for another kiss, growing bold with her actions. They molded together, fitted against each other with imperfect perfection.

A surprised huff escaped Sunoo, but was silenced completely by Jihye as she tilted her head to the right.

Jihye felt the tender brush of Sunoo's fingertips against her lower back. She becomes completely weak at the knees with Sunoo's affection, relaxing into his touch. However, he suddenly pulls away, his thin breath fanning over her skin.

Jihye opens her eyes and is suddenly struck by several things at once. The softness of his eyes, the scorching heat of his cheeks, the tightness of his hold against her body as though that would remind him of how this was reality.

She had never seen his eyes so clearly- they looked so bright and sharp. Sunoo's face up close like this was truly as marveling as the constellations above.

"Out of breath already?" Jihye manages a feeble tease.

Sunoo lets out a soft, nervous laugh, shaking his head. "Not at all." He responded, his voice more urgent and thin than he would have preferred it to be.

"Then what is it?" Jihye complains softly, her hands tightening their hold on his shoulders-as though worried he'd become solely an illusion.

"We're still in the corridor." Sunoo murmured against her. "Out in the open for anyone to see." Again he grants her a kiss, completely disregarding his previous statement like a hypocrite.

When Sunoo broke apart, Jihye drew a deep breath as her lashes fluttered open. "Makes it all more thrilling and rousing in my opinion. Don't you think so?"

Rather than letting go, Sunoo held her even tighter as the taste and touch of each other made their heads spin. "I'd prefer you all to myself more." Despite the breathlessness in Sunoo's voice, there's not a single shred of hesitance in his eyes. Sucking in a sharp breath at him, Jihye feels her resolve wavering.

She stared at him, her eyes wide and stunned. His confession leaves her breathless along with his lips purposefully skimming her though never quite granting her a kiss. Swallowing, Jihye finds herself melting into his arms as her heart continues to pound.

His words still hung in the small space between them.

"If you insist," Jihye manages to mutter, breathing against Sunoo's lips, his eyes flitting down at the action. "Let's take this somewhere else then?" She asks breathlessly, digging her fingers into his shoulders.

With a quick murmuration and aid of Magic, Jihye's bedroom door flies open.

"After you." Sunoo's voice rumbled right by her ear. Her eyes flicker to his lips, then back up to where his eyes hold her hostage and Jihye could just melt into mush right then and there.

Doing as he says, Jihue released him and entered. Sunoo shut the door behind him and followed her as she stepped backwards further into the room.

Jihye smiles with content, nibbling on her bottom lip as she props onto her tip-toes, arms winding around Sunoo's neck. Delirious with joy and ecstasy, Jihye pulled him down for another kiss. His mouth slots into the seam of hers like two perfect puzzle pieces.

After a beatific second of partial focus, a fire gushes open in Jihye's right hand. As she waves her fingers in the air, the fire shoots directly into the fireplace and brightly ignites the wood within.

Sunoo brought his head close, resting his forehead on hers. Dark strands of his hair fell across Jihye's face as his chest rose and fell with each breath he drew in. "Did you just light the fireplace with Magic?"

"Too much?" Jihye asked in a murmur, gently twirling different locks of Sunoo's hair with her fingers.

The fire's blaze brightens his dark eyes with warm drops of honey. "Just a bit unsettling." Sunoo admits.

They both laugh lightly, and once their giggles die down, Jihye gazes over him with a loving and earnest stare. "Hi." Jihye whispered, unable to keep from smiling.

Sunoo's hand comes up to her hair and gently brushes it back, his content eyes meeting her with an undefeatable feeling of bliss. "Hello." Sunoo whispered back with crescent eyes.

Before Jihye can stop herself, her mouth autonomously opens to confess. "You have no idea how much I've wanted to kiss you."

"Maybe if you said that sooner, we could have been doing this for a while now." Sunoo clutches her arms delicately as he gazes into her eyes, the only constellations he has ever had interest to see.

His heart beats profusely fast just as Jihye's does, ardently pounding, too passionate to withhold. Without missing a beat, Jihye supplies. "Why didn't you say it then?"

"I think the reasons are quite obvious." Sunoo hums, and with how close she is, Jihye can practically feel the vibrations of his chest.

Jihye furrows her eyebrows, one of her hands sliding from his hair to his face with delicacy. "Would you mind elaborating?"

Head tilting to the side, Sunoo's gaze roves over Jihye. "Need I remind you why there are three Princes staying in the castle?"

Those sad words plummets Jihye's heart to the ground, and Sunoo can see it at the slight twitch of her lips. "What a way to kill the ambience." She grumbles as she dropped her arms to her sides.

Sunoo laughed quietly, the sound causing a flutter in Jihye's chest. "You're the one who asked for elaboration."

"Yes, but you could have said something much more sugar coated." Jihye's words fade, her vision falling to the ground.

"Like what?" Sunoo counters, becoming eye-level with her as a fondness weighs over his features. "That every time I look into your eyes I become so bewitched that I forget how to declare my adoration for you?"

"That would've been a good start." A sheepish smile crept onto her lips, and Sunoo amusedly rolled his eyes.

"I thought my feelings were obvious and you were very aware of them but didn't want to address it." With each word, the distance between them grows shorter. As Sunoo nears her, Jihye draws back stunned at his revelation.

All this time Jihye had doubted Sunoo's feelings towards her. She believed herself to be observant- but apparently not observant enough.

Jihye plops down onto her lavish bed and lounges her back against her plush headboard to regard Sunoo.

The muscles of her throat dry and so she swallows thickly in a bid to lubricate them. Mouth parting, Jihye says. "You're very hard to read at times. There are moments when I can't tell what you're thinking." Sunoo's actions simply struck her as a friendly regard. Despite her gift of observance, Jihye could not accurately discern anything concerning his romantic feelings, especially towards her.

"Perhaps reading too many books made you oblivious then." The instant Jihye feels the weight of him lay on the silk sheets, her spine shudders.
"Even my father was able to tell." He informs her, attempting to change topics in order to ease the frustrated look on Jihye's face.

"He knew?" Jihye asks, the surprise evidently laced in her tone. "And he said nothing about it?"

Sunoo takes a deep breath, as if gathering all his courage. "He didn't say much but it was a bit unfavorable." Sunoo reveals with slight indignation. His father's words still stung him deeply.

"What was it?" The feel of Jihye's warm body pressing against his chest has his embarrassment quickly fading. Instead, his arm wraps around her as Jihye nestles her head under his chin, his other hand resting in his stomach.

Confessing his father's disapproval was something of a difficulty, but it didn't seem worth keeping to himself. With great hesitancy, Sunoo builds the bravery to answer. "That I should start placing the necessary space between us." Jihye's smile faded quickly and she turned her face downwards against his chest with a disappointed sigh. Sunoo continued. "Because then it would be easier when your inevitable engagement came at the end of October."

And Sunoo selfishly prayed that day would never come.

"Here I thought he was more lenient with these sorts of things." Jihye airily states with sheer sorrow, her happiness appearing to be only sought by their parents if it was in a dictated way.

Taking a deep breath, Sunoo's lips fall open. "He's more reticent than lenient."

"It's only another man's opinion. But I've gotten used to others' disapproval." Thoughtlessly, Jihye snuggles further into him, and reflexively, Sunoo's arm tightens around her waist.

"A parent's disapproval still weighs more than anything else." Sunoo casually replies, the words emphasised with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

Silence befalls the room, and for long, drawn out moments, Sunoo simply relishes in them. That is, until he truly processes the intimacy of it all.

"My Father does hold you in a positive light. Perhaps not in the way I wish he would." Said Jihye, and Sunoo blinked, adjusting his attention to her. "I might have never gotten the chance to meet my mother, but I know for a fact that she would have adored you very much."

Sunoo's thumb trailed back and forth on her waist. "How can you sound so sure?"

He could feel Jihye shrug against his chest. "It's just a feeling at the back of my mind." She grabbed his free hand and toyed with his fingers. "Almost like a whisper..." She says before digging her face into his shirt.

"But mostly because the servants that had the chance of meeting her say I resemble her in more ways than just her looks." Jihye mumbles, her words muffled by his chest.

Sunoo opens his mouth to retaliate, however he did not have a remark so he quickly closes it. There was no reply for many seconds, the only sounds were the faint crackle of the fireplace. After a moment's thought, Jihye stretched out her hand and interlaced her fingers with Sunoo's.

"I was being serious earlier." Jihye paused, meeting his eyes intensely. Her grip was firm on Sunoo's hand. "About renouncing everything if it's the only way for us to choose our own path together."

Barely able to muster up a smile, he squeezed her hand in return. "I don't doubt your choice to do so. It's just that you morally shouldn't." Sunoo shakes his head, reaching out hesitantly and then resting his hand on her knee. It felt warm through the thick fabric of her dress, although it could be all in her head. "You out of all people can't disappear suddenly with everything that's at risk. You just can't."

Jihye abruptly sat up. "At least not without thinking about it thoroughly."

Sunoo pursues his lips together, an amused exhale escaping his nose as he stifles laughter. "Let's hear that master plan of yours then." He says as he joins in sitting up.

"Yeonjun is next in line after me. He's been preparing all of his life just as I have for the throne. I'm sure he'd be a perfect King." Jihye replied, tightening her hold on Sunoo's hand. "Better than I could ever in all honesty."

"As for a living, we both have a very posh education so it won't be a problem to find some sort of job that could keep us fed and housed." Sunoo listens to Jihye's words, though he doesn't necessarily hear them, a sense of slight regret invading his headspace. Jihye's distant voice pauses, almost as if in thought, and staring intensely at their conjoined hands she bites her lips. "And we don't necessarily have to stay in the East Kingdom. We could move anywhere in Arcadia to avoid being recognized."

Jihye waited, bracing herself. She wasn't entirely sure what she wanted Sunoo's answer to be. It was a hypothetical solution, so it wasn't as if it was enough to really determine the possibility of going through with the suggestion or not.

"Sunoo?" She calls him, hands smoothing over his shoulders, voice raw with emotion.

Sunoo inwardly cursed at himself as he remembered. Jihye was promised to another- undecided who, nonetheless, still meant for another. Perhaps in a perfect world, Sunoo might have been permitted to cherish Jihye freely. Perhaps he might have even been promised to her instead. But reality was no place for the wants and desires, no matter how much Sunoo yearned for it.

His throat bobs as he swallows harshly. "You've thought about this before, haven't you?" He plays off his true emotions with a dismissive chuckle.

The plan was completely near futile, too many factors that could easily prevent it from ever happening. Jihye was well aware, and yet none of it seemed to worry her. The trouble was her imagination. And Sunoo had admitted before that his was minuscule compared to hers.

"More times than I could count on my hands." Jihye said it with a completely straight face but was unable to keep from pressing her lips together to hold back a smile. "It sounds quite embarrassing admitting it aloud." She formed a look of determination which Sunoo had seen many occasions before with other unthinkable ideas.

Only this time, did he actually want to let himself believe it was possible.

"Your optimism is admirable, truly." Sunoo murmured to her, brushing a loose strand from her cheek. Then his fingers are under her chin, tipping her head up to meet his gaze.

It wasn't a no. Nor it wasn't a yes.

Jihye absorbed the fact in silence. Before Sunoo could question her wary gaze, Jihye took Sunoo's hand between her fingers and brought it to her lap. "It's part of my charm."

The quiet is strange and heavy. If Jihye didn't know better, she'd fully believe she had imagined everything. That the boy in front of her was only a figment of imagination.

But Sunoo's next action proves it's the harsh reality. Hands moving to cup her face, Sunoo dips his head to place a tender kiss onto her lips. "I should hurry back to my room before it becomes impossible to leave without onlookers." Sunoo says after.

Hearing his explanation, Jihye swiftly deflates. Moreover, it's also not often that Sunoo deliberately avoids a subject with her, which only has her disappointment growing. Still gripping his hand, Jihye shook her head slightly, against the idea. "Stay. I can teleport you back later."

"I would rather not have you use Magic. You've already promised you wouldn't involve yourself with that anymore." Jihye looks at him, but no matter how long she stares, she can't find any large hint of sincerity. That only has Jihye growing more doubtful.

Jihye drops her piercing glance at her hands, and Sunoo thought she spotted loathing in her expression. Before he could ask about it, Jihye looked up and smiled brightly at him. "You're right."

"I must really leave now." Sunoo begins as he gets up from his space beside Jihye. He smiles and places a soft peck to the tip of Jihye's nose, his forehead falling against hers. "Goodnight, Jihye."

Jihye's eyes flicker with something unknown, and if Sunoo didn't know better, he would assume it was hurt. "Goodbye, Sunoo." Jihye just barely voices without her tone wavering.

With one last peck, Sunoo brushed past Jihye and out the door. Sucking in a sharp breath, Jihye holds it for a few moments as she hears Sunoo's footsteps drumming down the corridor.

Jihye remained splayed on her bed, stunned, and thoroughly bemused over what had just happened. She felt herself coming more and more out of the shock of her confession.

Almost as if spiritually connected, the once bright flames of the fireplace dwindle into mere embers. Her bedroom became dark, the only light source from the overcast shafts of moonlight that filter through the windows.

Jihye stared at the place where Sunoo had been. The space had felt empty even before he left the room. Though she knew It was best not to dwell too much on negative thoughts, Jihye continued to brood about the certain observation that made her heart dully ache.

Sunoo didn't seem all too willing to defy the social barriers their relationship would bring. Almost as if he never had the intention to ever let their love see the light. And that was by far worse in Jihye's heart than any sort of blatant rejection.

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The next morning dawned dimly and not entirely early like most autumn mornings. But contrary to most forenoons, Jihye woke up without the aid of maids- in fact, she hadn't slept much at all. She had used the remaining nightly hours to mess around with Elemental Magic. This would surely prove later on to be a bad choice, but Jihye didn't fret and instead readied herself for the day alone. She wanted to take a walk through the castle to clear her head, ponder about trivial matters, not about pessimistic thoughts over a freshly evolved relationship.

Her heels of choice clicked against the ground as she mindlessly made her way through the halls. The sky outside is bleak but protrudes the large windows. Faint wisps of smoke-grey clouds obscuring the otherwise white sunlight which causes Jihye's eyes to squint in the slightest.

Despite the auster sky, life continues bustling around her. A significantly larger number of servants walked the halls as well, carrying different things such as boxes to entire statues. Wondering why that was, Jihye follows a maid who carries a box filled with porcelain plates. Unknowing to the servant, she leads Jihye to the entrance of the grand ballroom and it all clicks in Jihye's mind.

They were preparing for the Hunter's Ball, clearing out the ballroom which otherwise stayed unused the rest of the year. Jihye also remembered she had agreed to teach her guests the Hunter's Waltz in preparation for the special night.

"This is utterly unnecessary."

Sunoo's familiar voice illuminates her mood immediately, and without even turning around to see him walking towards her, a small grin twists onto her lips. Magnetised, like a moth to a flame, Jihye's eyes immediately land on Sunoo.

Now standing in his self-proclaimed spot on Jihye's left, Sunoo lets out a loud sigh. "The ball isn't for another two and a half weeks."

From the tall, intricately carved columns on the walls and the burnished sconces adorned in red jewels, to the rococo ceiling embellished with detailed paintings of stars and moons, the entire ballroom flaunts the true lucrative advantage the Royal Family had over the rest of the East.

Burgundy curtains now pushed to the sides of crystallized glass panes, allows for the morning sun to stream onto the floor in intricate patterns. Multiple butlers are perched on the tops of ladders, hanging up the heavy velvet banderoles embroidered with the Royal Crest and Crown. The symbol she will have to represent one day.

"It's a good time to start preparing considering this year isn't like the others." Jihye stretched her arms in front of her to relieve her muscles, tired from a late night's Magic experimentation. "It's also good if we took advantage of it and teached the waltz in the same place the ball will be held." Her opinion is shared as Sunoo hums pensively.

"I guess you're right with that." He walked with Jihye at his side, sweeping his gaze around the grand ballroom and the bustling servants. As Sunoo does this, Jihye takes the opportunity to carefully look over his face with admiring eyes.

Easily, Sunoo spots Jihye staring at him, and immediately, a teasing smile pulls at his lips. "So- how many dances will I be able to steal from you at the ball?"

Even with the short distance between the both, Jihye can't help but rake her ardent gaze over him. "Is that all you will steal?"

All of a sudden, Sunoo's eyes snap over to hers, the abruptness of the gesture startling Jihye. He looks at her for a second longer than necessary before dropping his gaze to her lips then returning to lock her gaze. "Perhaps something more." Despite the deceptively intonation paired with the purposely low rasp to his voice, his words have Jihye sucking in a deep breath and burning in a fire of fluster.

Last night came into sharper focus, until every breath, every touch stood out in Jihye's head.Their kisses left her giddy. Beyond a doubt she'd crossed a line unable to uncross, but she didn't regret a single one. All she could think about was the way she had felt against him when they had kissed. An urgent need to speak with him alone gripped Jihye.

But a redundant racket sounded through the room when a badly placed ladder had begun to tip over with it a lone and unsupervised servant. Any other person was too far to jump to his saving, and so as he falls backward with a yelp, Jihye thrusts out her hand on instinct. She rushes out a spell on whim, and the servant just barely hovers unharmed a few centimeters above the floor.

The moment murmurs of shock reach Jihye's ears, the aura of Magic around her fades away, and the spell immediately drops along with the subject of saving. A shaky breath leaves Jihye, composing herself as the young servant gets up on his feet.

She was incredibly glad her Father there to witness her use of Magic, but knowing the reputation the servants of blabbering their mouths, it would be long until he heard.

"Your Highness!" A maid attempts to wail out, her back inclining forward as she bows before her. Her features twisted into an expression of faux concern, when in reality, the only thing that concerned her was being fired for negligence. "It's still too hectic, it would be best for Your Highness, if you stepped outside until the servants finish. The ballroom should be cleared out in a few minutes if you are expecting to use it."

Sunoo nodded, and beside him, Jihye's expression took on some degree of mischief- her eyes sparkling with an idea. "All right. We'll wait outside." Jihye drawls with a polite smile.

She grabs his arm and nearly yanks him out of the ballroom and through the halls until the amount of lingering servants diminished to none. Jihye glanced around to make certain they were unobserved before placing her palm against Sunoo's back. She gave him the gentlest as a shove could get while she simultaneously used her Magic to open a random door in Sunoo's trajectory.

The door behind her magically swung closed, causing Sunoo to glance at it and then back at Jihye. "I keep underestimating how bold you are."

Jihye's lips tug into a coquettish smile as she tilts her head before leaning in closely. "Everyone does." Her voice vibrates right beside Sunoo, her warm breath simultaneously fanning across the outer shell of his ear.

Sunoo's handsome features twist at her remark. Heat immediately crawls over his cheeks, and he audibly swallows, his throat suddenly tight.

Jihye brushed her hand further into Sunoo's hair and pulled him down. But Sunoo made no attempts to stop, and there was no recovery from what he now understood he craved. However, there was a nagging at the back of Sunoo's mind, reminding him that he could not feel like this. That he was not allowed to be this euphoric because of Jihye's kiss.

Equally unclear, in Jihye's mind, was whether what they now had wasn't or was only temporary like a withering rose. Jihye certainly wanted it to be more than a simple lark for him. But a doubtful voice in Jihye's mind reminded her that many usually enjoyed indulging in the unattainable and later discard it after having been surfeited.

Sunoo suddenly breaks their kiss, a whine of protest automatically escapes Jihye as she chases after him.

Sunoo chuckles attractively before peering off to the side. His amused eyes return to you with a grin too enchanting. "As much as I enjoy our little 'chat', we should return to the ballroom."

Sunoo turned to leave with every intention to exit the room, but Jihye stepped after him, catching Sunoo's arm to pause him.

"Don't leave so soon. I don't think they've finished yet anyways." Jihye mumbles in objection. Yet her opposition is weak and hesitant, as though she's trying to convince herself of her own sentiments.

His brow rose slightly in question. "Jihye, there is no time for this." Sunoo said, and turned away once more, but Jihye tugged him back.

Sunoo sighed as soon as their lips touched, hand dropping to Jihye's hand and squeezing until she pulled away.

Sunoo breathes in a laugh, unable to not peer down at her like a foolish lover. "You can't just kiss me whenever you feel like it."

"Why not?" Jihye told him softly, taking his face in her hands. "I need to make up for all the time lost."

Sunoo huffs. "I find the thought adorable but time is way too valuable to simply-" Jihye's hands move to his cheeks, she squeezes them so his lips puff out and then she directs his head downwards.

Shock colors him as his eyes gawk at her as she gives him another peck. He blinked multiple times. "You made me forget what I was going to say." Sunoo says, dazed.

Jihye smoothed one hand over the bone of Sunoo's cheek, her thumb resting in the curve of his bottom lip. "Am I that good of a kisser?" She responded, her tone ripe with faux innocence.

"Makes me wonder if you've kissed other people before." Sunoo gruffly murmurs, and despite being almost whispered, Jihye clearly hears the sullenness in his voice. "Have you?" He asks. Though, from the contemplative intonation, it's a question more for himself than Jihye.

Jihye twirls her fingers through his hair, drawing lazy circles into his scalp as she hums, pretending to recall. "No, I haven't. I'm just naturally talented at everything I do."

Sunoo tucks a finger underneath her chin, angling her to focus on him. He bent close, lowered his voice almost to a whisper "Everything except doing as you're told."

Jihye released him, albeit aversingly, and pressed her lips in a thin line. "If you weren't so enjoyable to look at I would have wiped that proud smirk off your pretty face." She attempts to avoid his eyes, a clear expression of sullenness on her face as her cheeks tinge with crimson heat.

The two remain that way for a few more minutes, simply revelling in each other's presence. Nonetheless, before long, Sunoo lets out a sigh as he pulls away.

The loving peck Sunoo presses to the back of Jihye's hand sends a dainty rush of electricity through her. "It's time to head back." He reprimands.

It was hard not to be swept away by his words, and so Jihye nods in agreement. He extends an arm toward her, and she gladly takes it. "Lead the way then." She states.

Sunoo strode out the door- not without checking for onlookers first, and began walking down the hall with hands behind his back. Jihye knew he wouldn't have kept his hand in hers, she still stared at her own as she walked beside him. All the while Sunoo paid little attention to how silent Jihye became.

━━━━━━━━━━━

"You're the one teaching me?" Niki nags openly.

A feigned smile touched Sunoo's lips. "Don't look so disappointed." He nudged his head to the middle of the ballroom, where Jihye and Jaeyun stood directly below a grand chandelier. From a short distance, they appeared to be engaged in friendly banter and knowing Jihye's personality, it must've been an attempt to ease Jaeyun into the lesson without any insecurity.

Niki's line of vision darted back to Sunoo the same moment Jaeyun began to embarrassedly rub his neck at Jihye's teasing. "Your friend chose Jihye as his teacher beforehand which makes him the one to blame for your misfortunes." Sunoo said as his smile dropped. He stared intently at Niki, observing the features about him that most people noticed first. Firstly, his eyes, his irises close to shaded slits that if staring intensely, resembled a reptile. And secondly, much to Sunoo's displeasure, was his abnormal height.

From what Sunoo had heard in past conversations, Niki was only a year younger than him, and yet he was the height of a full grown adult. Having to force his head back and enduring the ever growing cramp in his neck we're only added to Sunoo's mental list of distastes.

Niki clasps his hands behind his back, leaning over slightly to accommodate for Sunoo's slightly shorter stature. "So, am I going to have the role of the girl or are you?" The slight smirk on his face was enough for Sunoo to tell Niki was well aware his actions were infuriating.

"You mean if you or I will be leading?" Sunoo responds, regarding Niki with a cool stare the exact moment the violinist called to play for their lesson, begins his dulcet melody. "That depends if you plan on dancing with only men at the ball."

Niki's abnormally bright eyes held his for a moment, dragging out a long pause before answering. "I don't plan to dance with anyone unless absolutely necessary."

"You'll be leading then." Sunoo calmly says, overlooking Niki's hard expression, or simply unbothered by it.

Niki exhaled loudly in exasperation, but reached out nonetheless. Niki's grip is strong as he encases Sunoo's hand. "It's quite bizarre to see someone of your rank agree to this." Niki commented and Sunoo's eyes widened slightly, impressed by the knight's strength. "But you still have a noble's dainty hands."

Sunoo held himself from laughing at the humor, his attention focused on reading the dancing pair's lips. Albeit, it frustrated him more that he couldn't decipher what they were saying. He looks back to Niki. "I'm comfortable enough with my own masculinity that I don't find this and your words demeaning."

Niki didn't expect the response which has him mumbling to himself, "Bizarre indeed."

Sunoo closed his eyes, fighting to keep his tamed composure. "Just try not to step on me with your ridiculously bulky boots." Sunoo's words abruptly returned with a special sharpness for Niki.

Niki mimicked his steps with a stubborn and purposeful slowness. Sunoo was grateful he heard no more snarky comments from Niki. Instead Niki continued with studying- glaring at his shoes to grasp the gist of the dance. Sunoo's gaze returned to the other pair, just as Jihye turned to Jaeyun with something like sympathy, which Sunoo observed with a grimace.

Jihye stepped closer to Jaeyun, holding out a hand. "Shall we?" She asked him, unaware of the crisis he was having in his mind.

Dancing was completely out of his known terrain. Before he had left the South Kingdom, his half brother had crammed a Nobel's lifetime of etiquette learning into a single lesson for Jaeyun. From the proper way to bow, to the order which silverware should be used, to the ins and outs of social gatherings. Apparently in Southern customs, dancing with another person indicated an interest in courtship. Otherwise, dancing was only for established or courting couples.

That was all he knew of dancing, as his brother never pushed for him to take actual dancing lessons. Which Jaeyun now wished he had.

Jaeyun cleared his throat uneasily. "Where do I put my hands?" He asked, feeling groggy and stupid.

"Since you're leading, your right hand goes on my upper back and your left holds my hand." She declares, and at her directions, Jaeyun startles momentarily.

Jihye gestured for him to come close enough for them to begin. Jaeyun hesitated again, clenching his fists and feeling his palms slick with perspiration. He had never been so unconfident in his entire life.

His body turns rigid, his muscles locking. He blames his rapidly beating heart on the melody, the music brimming with so much life and quickness. "I don't think I can learn in time." The words rush out of his mouth in one single breath, and pulling away, Jihye regards him in surprise.

"How can you be so sure? We haven't even started!" Jihye begins, her hands falling to her hips as she reprimands him without any sort of malice. She fondly smiles as her fingers reach for the calloused warmth of his hand. "To ease ourselves into it, you can just follow my lead." She pulls him directly into position, leaving no space for arguments.

"And there's no need to feel embarrassed with me." Jihye assured him, her neck perfectly elongated as she carried out the waltz's steps.

"Forward, Side, Together-" Jihye guided verbally, as she slowly enacted the beginning part of the waltz. "Back, Side, Together-" She repeats this for many minutes, not even close to moving on from the basics. Jaeyun felt his stiff body protesting every step, nothing like Jihye's elegant and fluid moves.

With each mistake that passes, Jaeyun feels his courage and hope dwindle, discouragement once again settling in his bones. Jaeyun's eyes momentarily flit down to their movement, snapping up to Jihye with nothing but defeat. "I'm starting to think I'm the problem here." Jihye watches as he shakes his head in exasperation.

The self-deprecating tone to his voice made Jihye click her tongue at him in a tut as she nudged shoulder with his. But, she resorted to another method in order to teach him.

"Close your eyes for a moment." Jihye orders, her tone even.

Jaeyun straightened, staring back with a puzzled expression. But nonetheless, he shut his eyes without any questioning. "Alright."

"You'll need to place all your trust on me for this to work." Jihye further elaborates.

Heat flashes through him, Jaeyun's cheeks burning and his heart quickening. "I trust you." He whispers quietly.

Jihye's her shoulders back, this time adjusting so the arch of her chest pressed closer to Jaeyun's body. Jihye could feel him stiffen in her grasp before easing down. "I'm going to start moving now." She alerts softly, but her voice fills Jaeyun's head.

Even as the idea of the Hunter's Ball looms in horizon, Jaeyun finds himself solely focusing more on Jihye and the warmth her closeness brought.

The moment reminds Jaeyun of the singular lesson that his brother bothered in teaching personally, the true nature of the ones in power. That in the tight knit world of Royalty, many only act in kindness because they expect a recompense of equal or larger amounts. They will pretend to have the same morals as commoners- the well-being of others above their own.

He gave a foreboding warning before leaving, that he must act the part of Royalty if he wishes to not be taken advantage of. And if it comes to it, he must deceive all to be chosen as the future East King.

"It's our nature", Seokjin had said. "We exploit to survive. It's the constant of our rank. No matter how righteous a Royal member tries to be, they will always act with selfishness when it comes to them against others."

Jaeyun believed that lesson when he hopped on the carriage heading for the East, but now, with Jihye's hand in his, guiding him with the lightest touch, Jaeyun saw that not all Royalty acted all high and mighty. Apart from the diadem displaying her true Royal status, Jihye was a genuine person.

And as much as he would love to gain Jihye's affections, Jaeyun wanted to earn them without lies and deceit.

"Jaeyun, open your eyes." Jihye quietly calls out to him, and his eyes widen as he's broken out of his contemplative reverie.

Eyes casting over Jihye's face, he observes her as they both absentmindedly sway and turn to the music. He had never felt his heart beat so fast as he realized he in fact was dancing perfectly with Jihye.

"You never were the problem." Jihye says in a bid to comfort Jaeyun. And it works because he feels his stomach flip, butterflies blooming in the pits of his abdomen at her praise.

Jihye continued to watch him even after Jaeyun had straightened, her eyes holding him captive for a moment that felt like an eternity. Jaeyun searched for words but could find nothing to say.

"Ouch!"

He snapped out of his idle daze when Jihye yelped out in pain, drawing his attention downwards to where his boot stamped Jihye's own heeled foot. "I'm so sorry-"

"It's fine, Jaeyun. You caught me by surprise, that's all." From the tone of Jihye's voice, Jaeyun knows she's trying to protect his feelings as much as possible. And it's that very regard that has his heart twisting with appreciation.

"I nearly trampled over your leg." Jaeyun reminds her.

Jihye schooled her face, though her eyes still danced with her usual playful glint. "Try dipping me." Another abrupt addition, just as Jaeyun thought he'd managed a grasp on the steps.

He turned a puzzled frown down on her. "Dipping you?"

Jihye lowers her back, moving toward the floor in an arc that makes Jaeyun's eyes widen in surprise. Although he hadn't anticipated her movement, his arms closed around her, pulling Jihye back up as quickly as she had dipped herself. They became unbelievably close to each other, and the proximity Jihye was to him has goosebumps pricking at his skin.

Heat creeps up from the base of his neck, all the way up to the tips of his ears. He didn't expect Jihye to be so near and so he jolted his head back.

"Please don't do that without a proper warning." Jaeyun said, and he could not keep the urgency out of his voice.

Noticing the look, Jihye stepped back as well, almost sheepish. "I solemnly promise to not do it again." Jihye says, purposely enunciating each of her words.

"Let's go back to the basics, shall we?" Her tone has him blushing harder, his teeth trapping his bottom lip. Against his will, the corners of Jaeyun's lips tug and a smile creeps onto his face. After a brief pause, he nods in agreement.

Jihye shoots him a wink, before moving Jaeyun and her back into simpler steps.

Across of them, Niki realized that Sunoo hadn't been listening to him or focused on his words. He frowned after following his unyielding line of sight, and ending up watching as a genuine laugh fell past Jihye's lips. Both her and Jaeyun chuckle harmoniously together, the scene so hearty that it would make a lovely painting.

Niki nearly scoffs at the way Jaeyun so foolishly blushed. Having enough, Niki turns back to the boy in front of him. "I may have never taken dancing lessons before but I'm certain that you're supposed to keep your eyes on your partner." His voice says, shattering Sunoo's thoughts.

"You're absolutely right." The rebuke came naturally to Sunoo's lips with his usual regard for others' feelings. "That's why it's a good thing that this is only practice." He added, and despite his rehearsed smile, Sunoo was still mercilessly sarcastic.

Sunoo didn't seem to care about teaching him- Niki noted, as if he had been dragged away from something more important. He had an air of wanting to be elsewhere, or specifically, wanting to be with someone else.

There was no doubt of who Sunoo was gazing so intently at. Niki only needed to watch him as Sunoo followed her with his eyes. "I get that it's amusing to watch Jaeyun struggle to grasp a simple order of steps-" Niki pulled Sunoo closer, now much more confident in his steps. Sunoo became poised and alert, but remained where the younger had pulled him. Niki continued. "But my witty self is far more entertaining."

"The only thing I find amusing about you is your wardrobe." Sunoo replied, his voice coming out more callous than he'd intended to.

And momentarily, Niki felt an acid touch of disdain as Sunoo looked to have no care in being tact. In the dancing silence, Sunoo sensed a change of aura that radiated from Niki- docile to hostile.

Sunoo's scornful frown subsides when Niki suddenly leans in very close to his face, and he sucks in a small breath as he flinches backwards. Sunoo looked around the room, becoming self-aware of all the servants around.

"What are you doing?" Exhaling the breath Sunoo has been holding, he says with a tight smile. "Do you not know what personal space is?"

Despite his gritty question, the power behind Sunoo's menacing tone is weak. Which makes Niki ignore his uncomfortable state. "Whenever you look at me, you eye me as if I'm sort of scum at the bottom of your shoe." Niki proclaims under his breath as he stands to his full height before him. "If you have something against my kind, just spit out now." Though Niki tries to hold his gaze, Sunoo tears his eyes away, to Jihye's dancing form.

"Don't flatter yourself. I hate everyone equally." Sunoo reminded him, sounding bored- perhaps a drop of fluster mixed as well.

Niki glanced down, defensive, and Sunoo simply shrugged. Niki watches him, his golden eyes sharp and thoughtful, while his grip on Sunoo's hand tightens. "Though I'm sure there are some exceptions to that statement."

Sunoo turned away, and Niki now saw evidence of full on fluster in the form of red dusted cheeks. "I have no idea what you mean."

Against Niki's better judgement, he flicks his eyes back to Jihye, only to feel a sharp pang of somber. His throat tightens and a strange, unfamiliar scorching flurries through his stomach. Not knowing how to react upon it, Niki resorts to his own nature of spoofing.

"I think I'm ready for a lift, don't you think?" Niki said and his voice was suddenly replaced with any wrath to irreverence.

Niki draws Sunoo's attention, and he turns to him in curiosity, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "A what?" Sunoo prompted impatiently, meeting Niki's eyes with a look most closely described as annoyance.

A wicked smile crawls onto Niki's lips and though he can see his face, Sunoo can feel it as well. Niki's hands slither down to Sunoo's hips, and before Sunoo can even flinch at his grip, Niki is already sending him up into the air like a ballerina.

"NIKI, WAIT!" Sunoo shouted, his eyelids pulled wide and his eyebrows quirked high in a comical expression of fright. Sunoo's hands shot out before he could stop himself. "PUT ME DOWN!" He shouts again, gaining the absolute attention from every spectator- including Jihye and Jaeyun.

Niki's eyes went wide as well in Sunoo's mocking. "You're lighter than I would have expected." He says, showing no sign of effort in lifting him and keeping him suspended in the air.

The heat of his mortification burns even brighter, so inflamed now that it starts sweltering his skin. Sunoo held back a scoff, though his lips did twitch upwards for a second. "You have three seconds to put me down or I skin you alive." He warned, his voice low as he spoke. Sunoo was so furious he wanted to knock the infuriating smug look off his face. And if he hadn't seen him turn into a ginormous dragon, he might have done just that.

But Niki merely sneered and tightened his grip. "I'm tempted to oppose your demand just to see you try." Niki said, eyeing Sunoo up with a high level of irreverence.

Demeaned by Niki's actions, Jaeyun pales. "I think we should pause the lesson here." Jaeyun announced, removing his hands from Jihye. With reluctant steps, he backs away out of Jihye's grasp and out of the circle of warmth he was starting to love relishing in.

Jaeyun strides over to pair, Jihye following closely behind, and places a strong hand onto the Amalgam's bicep. "Niki, put Sunoo back down." He sternly tells him.

As they wait for Niki to respond or obey, Jihye carefully regards him. His face is expressionless, his sharp features pulled into stoicism- giving away none of his inner thoughts. With every moment that passes, the stillness of the ballroom grows heavier and heavier, until it's thick and threatening.

Growing impatient, Sunoo taps Niki's arm. "You heard your Prince, put me down." A hint of fear was in his tone, and at that Niki flinches inwardly.

At that point, the entire ballroom was dead silent . The string orchestra had halted their playing while the rest of the servants paid close attention to the altercation between them.

Niki was confused as to why Sunoo had blown his minuscule jape into what could be easily confused for some sort of violent assault. But he had a strong impression it had to do greatly with his Amalgam identity.

Head swimming with crestfallen, utterly dejected thoughts, all Niki can do is silently lower Sunoo to the ground.

"How childish." Sunoo retorted once his feet stabilized, walking past Niki with an irked scowl. He pulled down on the ends of his blazer jacket, as he made his way beside Jihye.

The Princess nudges him, her tone hushed as she says, "Don't be so harsh on him."

The hardness in Sunoo's eyes melted as he locked eyes with Jihye and Niki felt himself falling even more woeful.

Jaeyun forces Niki to turn and face him, sending him a scathing glare that makes the knight wince. "You should be taking these lessons seriously, Niki. Both Sunoo and Jihye are kindly giving their time to teach us." He declares with a slight rasp to his voice, but authoritative nonetheless.

Jihye felt a small swell of pride filled her heart at the uncharacteristic seriousness in Jaeyun's manner. His tone sounded one of a confident, highly respected noble. Though quite conflicting, considering it was directed to his sole companion.

Jaeyun's words struck him, and Niki felt a sudden shame for purposely acting out in her presence. He had forgotten of his racial class and how he wasn't back in the South Kingdom. Here, he wasn't seen as equal- but lesser and made only of his animalistic counterpart.

Niki straightened, an odd attitude of frustration washed over his face-as though he had completely changed into a different person. "Why? It's not like anyone will ask me to dance." A quick glance to his right is missed by all but Jihye, who becomes visibly confused as she turns to Sunoo. Niki had unmistakably looked at the fuming boy. "Certainly not after finding out I'm an Amalgam." He mumbled through a clenched jaw.

For a brief moment, Sunoo's annoyed mask drops. He discernibly bristles, and sensing he's about to open his mouth to speak, Jihye quickly holds up her other hand.

Jihye took her hand off Sunoo's shoulder, looking puzzled. Looking between the two, and spotting the tense atmosphere that cloys the air, she steps forward. "But no one else other than us knows." The metallic shine of Jihye's embellished diadem caught Niki's eye as she shifted her position.

The dull sensation of mortification settles in the pit of Niki's stomach, he can now feel all the servants gaze on him. None of them, however, are as intense as Sunoo's. His eyes were practically boring into his profile.

He hated being chastised. Didn't matter if it was his parents, older siblings, his commander, or even Jaeyun. But having both Jihye and Sunoo witness it, caused him to feel the most embarrassed he has ever felt in his life.

"I'm going back to my room." Niki announced gratingly. For a fleeting instant, Jaeyun and Niki watch each other carefully. And momentarily, Niki fears he's going to press the matter further. However, a flicker sign of understanding passed between them and not even a second later Jaeyun nods.

Niki bows towards both Jihye and Sunoo. "Thank you for taking the time to teach me." He thanks. At the polite stoicism to his voice, Sunoo feels his chest tighten with guilt.

Niki pivoted and strode from the ballroom, away from the conversation.

Jaeyun took a silent step forward. "I should go after him." His voice breaks Sunoo out of his slight daze and gaze him over. Jaeyun had a strange look on his face, the illegitimate Prince's eyes landed on Sunoo for a brief moment before he slightly bowed his head at Jihye in apology.

"Of course. We'll pick up where we left off another day." Jihye smiled and agreed, dropping the kind demeanor just as he began to walk away.

A strong silence befalls the ballroom, Niki's last words still lingering in the air and echoing in their minds over and over again. For long drawn out moments, neither of them say anything because they are caught between confused and speechless.

"That was quite bizarre." Jihye murmurs, an astonished inflexion lacing her voice.

Sunoo had caught one glimpse of Niki's face as he turned away. His cheeks were burning a scarlet blaze and his eyes were lowered to the ground as if they stung with moisture- a look and feeling Sunoo knew all too well. Jealousy.

Staring off at his hands that held Niki, Sunoo felt suddenly guilty. He quickly told himself it was foolish to feel so. Niki was an Amalgam. A human that could rival the strength of a Magian. He couldn't have hurt his feelings. But the look that had flickered over his features, the shame in his voice when he'd excused himself settled deep within Sunoo.

Sunoo knew he wasn't holding in his temperament as well as he should. And he couldn't shake the feeling that he had let his prejudice lash out on the younger boy.

Sunoo shakes his head out of his reverie, his voice deliberately placid. "Bizarre indeed."

━━━━━━━━━━━

The sky outside is completely shadowed by the navy cloak of night, dinner having ended two hours prior. Niki hadn't appeared for the usually shared meal amongst them all, which quickly raised the question, Why?

Jaeyun kept his answers vague and short, causing more suspicion than easement. But afterwards, Sunoo had promised to speak to the knight before curfew to smooth things between them. Jihye hasn't heard of either so she could only assume Sunoo is still speaking to Niki.

An endless myriad of the celestial stars speckle the heavens, no clouds to obstruct it's shining beauty. But still the temperature had droppped dramatically to the point that leaving the warmth of the castle required wearing thick layers.

Despite the darkness that shrouds the forests on the other side of the fortified walls, the inside of Jihye's room is softly illuminated and warmed by embers of the fireplace flickering. The weakening flames eat away at the charred logs as it threatens to burn out.

Sitting with her legs poised on a chair, Jihye was fully indulged in reading a novel Heeseung had recommended early in the afternoon.

Interrupted by a guttural cry of defeat, Jihye is reminded that she wasn't alone. She glanced up from the pages, catching Sunghoon's look of frustration, once again unsuccessful at his attempt of a spell within Jihye's- Hanbin's journal.

Sunghoon had waltzed into her room uninvited for a third night, suggesting they could pass the time together like a close pair of buddies. Though, Jihye saw right through his excuse and simply handed him the journal for him to use. Being bored out of her mind, Jihye didn't mind the North Prince spending another night in her quarters.

"You're brooding." Jihye declares at him.

Sunghoon digs an accusatory finger into the journal as he remains standing at a distance from Jihye. "It's not working." He says, his statement sounding much like a whine.

Jihye rested her chin on her hand that was propped on the chair's arm. "What exactly are you trying to achieve?"

"To summon a measly rain shower." Sunghoon pointed behind him, looking out the open balcony doors at the looming darkness beyond. "I know I did everything correctly. Why isn't it working?"

"Try an easier spell first then." Jihye suggests bluntly.

Sunghoon exhaled loudly and spoke with thinning confidence. "I want to cast this one." He turned to her then, his expression serious, the firelight gleaming over the perfect planes of his features.

"That's very ambitious." Jihye observed, mostly to herself, and then absentmindedly continued to read her book.

Sweeping over her face, Sunghoon takes her in. Medium brown tresses as warm as chocolate are let half loose unlike the usual full up-do she wore- but her diadem still sat surprisingly at the top of her head. Her concentrated irises, the darkest roast of black tea, stare narrowly at each word she reads. Sunghoon's gaze falls lower as rose tainted lips slightly to read out in mumbles. She turns the page, which causes Sunghoon to dart over to her fingers, the fourth finger adorned with the ring he gifted her. A surge of delight grows within Sunghoon, part of him enjoying the view of his ring on Jihye.

Abruptly coming to his senses, Sunghoon shakes his head, trying to ignore the fuzzy warmth that settles in the pits of his stomach. "I'm an ambitious person by nature." Sunghoon randomly rolled up his shirt's sleeves to give his fingers something to do while they went on feeling tingly.

Jihye responded with a noncommittal hum, her attention already drawn to her book. Though, her eyes peek over the edge- an action Sunghoon entirely misses. "What's the benefit of ambition if you can't succeed?" She foretells, her voice almost foreboding.

Sunghoon's chin came up in a movement of obvious surprise. Jihye sank farther into the cushions. "We all can't be winners in this world, my friend." She delivers the final blow of brutal honesty.

A low groan of distress emanates from his throat. "I'm not used to having to read a spellbook that's in code." Sunghoon murmurs, running a finger over the page. "It's difficult having to mentally decode every word as I read."

Simultaneously having to construe an unconventional alphabet wasn't Sunghoon's problem. He knew what the pages read, but what created the impediment was he couldn't grasp the spiritual application that was incorporated with the spell. Magically speaking, Sunghoon did not have the faintest idea how to mentally interpret what the journal was instructing.

Peering up from her book, Jihye moves to close it. She sensed his tensions, and unwillingly saw herself within him. She deeply understood the frustration of repetitive failure- it was a feeling she wished on no one.

Jihye heaved herself to her feet and straightened a fold in her gown. Viewing her approaching figure in the balcony door's reflection, Sunghoon turned his head just as Jihye grabbed ahold of his wrist and pulled him backwards. Without wasting a moment, she strode to the glass double doors Sunghoon had gestured to. Then, pushing them wider open, she pulled them both onto the balcony.

A chill runs through the air, causing a shudder to run down Jihye's spine. It's only the beginning of October, and yet somehow the air feels much colder compared to years past.

Sunghoon turns around to face Jihye, but unlike her, the cold didn't seem to bother him one bit. He had tossed his coat after his sixth attempt onto a chair's armrest, and had even rolled up his sleeves to his elbows.

Jihye doesn't know how he looked so imperturbable against the cold with thin layers of clothing. His skin didn't form any type of goosebumps nor did the tip of ears and nose turn red like Jihye had immediately gotten.

Her arms are crossed across her chest, hands rubbing her arms in an attempt to create friction induced warmth. Albeit, Jihye's actions do very little to warm herself up. Instead with each breath she took, came in frigid air causing the back of her throat and lungs to burn with the cold.

Shuffling forward, Jihye makes space for Sunghoon, the North Prince slotting into the space next to her. "Try closing your eyes and feeling the element first before trying to control it." Jihye said and looked above towards the darkness of the sky. "Mentally picture the moisture of clouds until it becomes a clear image in your mind. Think of how you want it to flow at your will and then open your eyes to verbally command it."

Sunghoon seems to take a pensive moment, nodding faintly to himself as he rereads the spell. "Feel the element. Picture the clouds. Verbally command it." Sunghoon repeated Jihye's steps with another determined curt nod. "I can do that."

Jihye outwardly sighs, moving toward the railing and leaning her back against it. She watched Sunghoon turn his head away from her, gazing out over the walls, and taking in the view of the forest from where they stood. He took a single long and deep breath into his lungs before shutting his eyes.

Sunghoon tilts his head back, facing up towards the sky. Many seconds too long pass of him finding- feeling nothing which causes him to furrow his brows together. But a few seconds more and suddenly he seems to sense exactly what he was searching for.

His now opened eyes were focused, half-unblinking, when he reached out over the railing, parting his lips to recite the spell. Sunghoon lets a few unchanging seconds pass before his poised demeanor falls to one of confusion.

Eyebrows creasing, Sunghoon looks at Jihye for an answer to his seventh failure. Jihye blinks owlishly back, incredulous as well.

Then the scent of a dewy aroma drifted past Jihye on the strongest of breezes. Next came the extreme shift in temperature on the balcony. In the distance above, the two caught the muffled sound of thunder.

A sudden cold droplet of water touched the tip of Jihye's nose, causing her to flinch her head back and cross her eyes in an attempt to see. Then multiple audible thuds resounded against the balcony's floor through the air and it finally registers to them that it was raining. A surprised exclaim later, it began pouring downwards mercilessly.

Jihye and Sunghoon swung their attention to the sky above, seeing a huge rain cloud had formed directly above them. The violent downpour drew the attention of some nearby Rose Guards down below in the gardens, their ambient exclamations reaching Jihye's ears. She knew they needed to bolt back inside before they were seen.

"Heavens!" Jihye yelps, rushing into her room whilst pulling Sunghoon by the arm. She quickly shut the two balcony doors, confining the unforgiving gushes of winds and rain outside. "You drenched us both to the bone!"

Jihye discarded her diadem aside in a nearby drawer, she groaned at the sight of pooling water on her floors.

"But I was able to cast the spell now." Sunghoon blurts, causing Jihye to wheeze an unamused laugh.

Turning back around, Jihye flicks her gaze over Sunghoon's face. His eyes are beaming, his wet hair falling over his vision, and his airy breathing indicates he is not bothered by his damp clothes at all. "I see this as an absolute win." He continued. Jihye could feel the triumph radiating from Sunghoon and it took drastic measures not to gape at him.

To his credit, Sunghoon took little time to get it right. And somewhere inside of her, Jihye was proud of him, for not throwing in the towel so easily.

"You created a rainstorm covering the entire castle. We're lucky if no Rose Guards saw the rain cloud morph directly above us." Jihye fought down a shiver as she dragged a hand over her face. "We're done for tonight."

At this, Sunghoon frowns. "I was just getting the hang of it." He looks at the clock on her wall. "And it's only a quarter past ten."

Jihye rubbed her forehead, sensing her own fatigue from passing many sleepless nights. Along with her wet clothes clamping against her skin, she didn't want to be in the middle of Sunghoon's trial and errors. "Yes, but I am starting to tremble from the cold dampness of my gown." She said, glancing pointedly at Sunghoon.

Eyebrows creasing, curiosity colours Sunghoon's face as he watches Jihye suddenly mutter a spell under her breath. Shortly after, all the moisture trapped in her gown and hair, formed into a flowing sphere in front of them. A second later, it completely disappears into mist.

"How many of these elemental spells did you learn how to cast?" Sunghoon breathes out, astonishment heavily lacing his voice.

"Multiple. But only Elemental Magic." Jihye blatantly answered, and watched how his mouth twitched. "Now stand still and don't move." She orders.

Sunghoon instantly stills, not knowing what to expect before Jihye mumbled another spell. But this time she brought her extended hands together forcefully in a clap, a gust of wind howling from her fingertips. Sunghoon squints his eyes shut as he accepts the violent method of drying him up. As the wind dies down, Sunghoon exhales in overawe.

Unable to help himself, Sunghoon becomes completely lost in how Jihye effortlessly bends her Magic. Each one of her movements, gestures appeared to be completely second nature to her. "It hasn't even been a week since you told me you knew nothing of this Magic and yet you already learned how to bend water, fire and wind at your will." Sunghoon states his observation aloud. "I'm almost certain you've been able to cast many more within the book of god-like Magic."

Sunghoon is so sure that the flow of Magic is practically ingrained in Jihye's nature. It's hard to believe she was the same Magian who struggled to open a portal back in Hadal- but then again, it could have been the fright of near death among them.

"It's been many nights in a row where I cannot easily fall asleep, so I tend to use those hours on Magic casting. But sadly you're the only one I can brag to about it." Remarked Jihye, wiping the remaining droplets from her brow and eyeing Sunghoon as he felt his dry clothing, a bit bewildered. "To a certain degree, I only see this Magic learning as a hobby that is never exhibited."

Sunghoon gives her a speculative look and then shakes his head. "Still- there should be some part of you that wishes for something more than this."

Jihye felt her own dearest dreams had ended before they even began and never did she think of aiming to reach for them. She looked at the now calm but cold night outside her room and fought down the longing urge of freedom.

She swallowed past a dry throat. "More often than not wishes stay wishes." Jihye stated, summoning a bottle of red wine and raising it to her nose.

A wave of self-pity swept through her, and for some reason Jihye found herself thinking of life if she weren't burdened with a predestined future. "But there's a lucky few who get what they desire for." She mused in an afterthought, giving the wine a testing sniff before downing some bitterly.

"You drink wine?" Sunghoon asked, falling into the chair beside Jihye's.

Jihye drank some more, appearing as if she could barely taste the crimson liquid as it crossed her tongue. "Not really. But given the circumstances I think it's appropriate." She commented unambiguously after she swallowed, not looking up from the side of the bottle. "I would offer you some but I've already put my lips on the rim." She raised the bottle, toasting Sunghoon where she sat, and slid lower in her chair.

Sunghoon scrunched his nose once the pungent aroma wafted in his direction. He wasn't used to the smell of red wine as in the North Queendom, the odorless white spirit was drunk more among nobility.

Sunghoon's expression falls into one of amusement. "Thank you for your attempt of a generous offer."

"Any time." Closing her eyes, Jihye relished in its taste as the sanguine wine gently flowed down her throat.

Once again, Sunghoon eyes follow her hand- specifically the silver ring. Admiring his handiwork, Sunghoon subconsciously thinks of all the jewelry he has altered, the one on Jihye's finger looked the best.

Sunghoon took a deep breath to disperse his slight atypical thoughts. He watches her gently hum a useless tune as she falls deeper and deeper into thought. As he regarded her, Jihye felt the disquieting sensation that she was being studied. But chose to ignore it in order to avoid the awkward locking of eyes.

Sunghoon was hardly one to go out of his way and freely chose to spend time with someone else. And Jihye was still no exception. But what kept urging him to return was to learn directly from Jihye how she gained ownership of a journal such as the one she had. He also had a profound suspicion that if Jihye knew of undiscovered Magic, she could possible have some sort of information regarding why it was impossible to venture outside of Arcadia. If the Gates of Death was reality or a myth created to keep the Four Kingdoms from expanding.

Jihye would never reveal such information easily of course if she did know the answer. But Magic would aid him in finding out.

Sunghoon sat back, debating whether using Magic on a direct heir to a throne was such a bright idea. He reasoned with himself that using a small but effective truth spell wouldn't cause grave consequences. All he was doing was guiding her to give him the answers he wanted.

He quietly mumbled the spell low enough for Jihye not to hear, but loud enough for it to seize her mind under its influence. "I still find it quite unusual how you have no idea who the writer is and yet the two journals ended up in your hands."

Sunghoon's voice lifts Jihye from her idle trance. He saw the quick hint of tension in her shoulders as she swallowed. Jihye tore her attention away from her labyrinth of thoughts and faced the North Prince.

"Yes, it appears quite unusual. But why are you bringing that up now?" Jihye asked, frowning, and Sunghoon went on to say something entirely not what she'd expected.

"Who did you get them from?" Suddenly, Sunghoon rises from his chair, and carefully approaches Jihye. His tall figure stands towering before her and she openly stares up at him in discomfit.

It made Jihye anxious that Sunghoon even attempted to ask, though she should have known Sunghoon would have another question following the last. He would not have come to her room empty-handed.

Jihye swiped her tongue across her lower lip, thinking back to that day and the ordeal with Hanbin and the cryptic journal.

The truth moved from her thoughts to the edge of her tongue against her will. "I visit a bookshop in Acacia almost every time I'm in the town. And the owner of said bookshop let me have it after I came to him in search of an answer to something-" Jihye paused. Her thumb brushes over the ring- Sunghoon's ring, on her finger.

She herself could hardly understand what the potent and raw blaze which traveled through her veins was and grew stronger with each passing full moon. A ferine compulsion deeply rooted in her. Jihye felt that it did not come from herself introspectively, but from an otherworldly force. While the power wasn't entirely unwelcome, it still was an indescribable surge that only Jihye could ever know.

Her gaze that had flickered momentarily to the ground, traveled back to Sunghoon's scrutinizing orbs. "-That had been troubling me." Jihye finished, hoping it was a satisfactory explanation of her personal phenomenon.

Instinct told Jihye to change into a more casual and jokeful tone. "He assumed it would be able to help me but he didn't truly understand what it was. So I doubt he even knows who wrote it." She laughed silently at herself. Though the laugh emerged brittle and without humor.

"Still. He only gave you one." Jihye glanced at him, catching the odd tone of his statement. Her mind was still on the involuntary and seemingly uncontrollable Magic in her veins, thinking of the differences the self-caused problem brought to her life. Everything was very different from the life she knew before Magic. "And the other?"

Again, his keen eye gave Sunghoon the ability to spot her almost invisible hesitation in the hunch of her shoulders. Her trust in even the smallest of things was beginning to dwindle.

Rather than continue asking the same question, Sunghoon folded his arms over his chest and waited.

Jihye took one last small sip before banishing the bottle back to the cellar. "The other was in my Father's study." She muttered to Sunghoon, though she weirdly didn't regret having said it after it fell out of her mouth.

The words rang out overloud in the still air and Sunghoon remained dutifully silent afterwards. He had ventured too far.

Her mouth was dry again, though for what reason, she wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps because she'd just intentionally revealed such an incriminating secret with little to no persuasion.

His gaze maintains his vast curiosity. "And you've never stopped to wonder why he had it?" The accusing tone of his question caused a tinge of indignation to dust her cheeks. Jihye knows he doesn't mean to entirely upset her, but she can't help the way her stomach sinks at his words.

Jihye compressed her lips and spoke thinly. "I have, if not every day. But I don't want to know why."
She replied, her voice growing louder. Sunghoon said nothing, waiting for her to validate her point, so Jihye continued. "I have no type of attestation to assume anything horrible of my Father. It could have been in his study before he even became King or someone else placed it there without his knowledge." She had to force herself to make up these far-fetched excuses, but Jihye doubted she could ever fully believe them.

Sunghoon reached out his right hand to intentionally ease her, as well as risking a gamble with his following proposition. Jihye started to part her lips to speak, but Sunghoon pressed on. "It wouldn't hurt to investigate-"

Jihye immediately rises, emphasizing the meaning of her words as she speaks earnestly. "Yes, it very much would. Uncovered secrets only lead to broken bonds." She turned away to hide her fervent emotions.

With a sigh, she feels her shoulders deflate with weariness and lifting up a hand, she rubs the bridge of her nose. "There's very few tender moments I've had with him in my childhood and I don't want to ruin the memories by digging up the truth." Jihye closed her eyes, calling up a muddled fragment that could hardly be considered a memory.

It was the first time he had ever mentioned her late mother, Jihye being the tender age of six.

Jihye lay awake in her bed while the moon was at its highest, her child-mind not allowing her to sleep. She was deeply troubled by what she had overheard a Royal Council Member say of her.

They had called her inapt for her right of birth to the throne. Because she was born a girl and the last few monarchs of the East Kingdom had all been male- her Father included. Jihye was unfortunate to also overhear another council member suggest her Father remarry and attempt at a male heir.

Jihye didn't stick around longer to hear the King's response, knowing she wouldn't bear to hear him agree to such a suggestion. Though in the dead of the night, she still thought of the idea of never measuring up to rule over the Kingdom.

However, her door creaks open during her pondering and to her muted surprise, it turned out to be her Father who stepped inside. Jihye wondered with shut eyes and steady breathing what compulsion had brought her Father to visit at the dark hour.

She felt him step closer, approach the side of her bed, before reaching over and brushing the hair away from her neck. Jihye caught her breath, stopping the impulse to lean further into the gentle touch. Her mistake wasn't missed.

"I know when a person is pretending to be asleep." Rumbled his baritone voice, no more than a murmur. Now caught, Jihye peeled her eyes open to the sight of her Father's shadowed face hovering above. "Why are you awake so late in the night?" He asked, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

Jihye wanted to bring order to the confusion her Father's current presence brought her. Still, she found her previous concern to be more unsettling than the latter.

"Do you think I am good enough to be Queen?" Jihye finally asked, and she waited with nervous intensity.

He hesitated, wanting to question her self doubts that were affecting her nightly rest, but refrained. Instead, he smiled softly at her. "You'll be the greatest Queen this world has ever seen, who will bring the East Kingdom through another generation of prosperity. I'm sure of it." "He spoke softly, but Jihye still heard the effort to keep his tone even.

"You are your mother's daughter after all."

Jihye had drifted off to sleep that night to her Father's baritone voice, and ever since then clutched onto that sole moment as if it were the last drop of water in the world.

Now basking in the warmth of a fire and moonlight, it felt silly, inconceivable to say. Jihye had numbed herself from the beginning, solely focusing on Hanbin's journal rather than her Father's. Never once crossed her mind what finding it truly suggested about her Father.

Her mind wandered on the dread of despicable acts. A territorial war breakout. A carnage of innocent people and soldiers. The rise of a dictatorship across Arcadia. All with her Father at the center of it.

Jihye's breathing became uneven. "For all I know, he could be nothing like the man he's convinced everyone he is. And instead has a conspiratorial motive for something beyond my comprehension." At that moment, it truly felt like a real possibility. Or more exponentially, it could in fact be the very truth.

She felt as if she was caught up in something more involuted and complicated than her mind could grasp. Something more than a simple defiance to her Father's authority with her Magic learning.

Her head continues to ring with an innumerable amount of others' accusations, but Jihye can't seem to silence the blaring volume of them at all.

In short, Jihye chose to remain oblivious to maintain a broken image of her Father. That, Sunghoon thought, was certainly a jarring realization to come to and yet choose to ignore. It made him wonder what other mysteries were brewing in the East Kingdom and question if anything that the King has outwardly claimed to even be true. He felt incredibly bad for using a truth spell on her for his own benefit, but he hadn't expected Jihye's truth to be this dark. Otherwise he wouldn't have opposed this far. So he instantly drops the spell, releasing Jihye from it.

Sunghoon rises from his bent position with a heart brewing with worry, watching as lifted her head to reveal a desolate look of hopelessness upon her. He then infiltrates Jihye's space, though it is not abrasive nor overbearing. Bending forward slightly, his large frame looms over her.

Her breath hitches, and with her neck straining Jihye looks up at him. In an instant, and before Jihye can say anything, she feels a heavy pressure weighing down her shoulders. His coat.

Jihye thought she saw uncharacteristic evidence of empathy in Sunghoon's face as he slightly reeled back. "We don't need to talk about it." Sunghoon nearly whispered, and as the fire's flare began to crackle louder and gleam more intensely on him, Jihye could confirm that it was indeed empathy.

Jihye's fingers curl around the edges of his coat, and she pulls it closer to revell in both it's warmth, and the scent of rosewood and harebell. "No. We don't." Jihye said as she fixed him with a direct, unnerving glance. Her passive smile twisted slightly, eyes drawn up to his. "In fact it would be in my best interest if we didn't. But I was cursed to be a curious person and now I can't choose to stay oblivious anymore." The wine had certainly encouraged Jihye, traveling to her mind like a blurring storm.

In a swift swosh of her wrist, Jihye summoned a leather book into her hand. She transferred the journal into the other and held it up for Sunghoon to see it was in fact the second journal. Jives gives him an easy smile, feeling a little more like herself now that inquisitiveness was pulling the reins in her brain. "I'm going to find out what my Father was hiding."

And there it was. The one trait of Jihye's that had piqued Sunghoon's attention when they had first officially spoken to each other. Her rigidness.

Whenever Jihye spoke, she did so with purpose. Although he had first taken her for a person who was content with normality, never wanting to venture outside of it- but just with a single conversation, Sunghoon completely changed his mind.

He now knows Jihye is though friendly by nature, her actual friendships are few and a select few individuals. Most importantly, however, Sunghoon also discovered that she is willing to go against anyone or anything just to accomplish what she believes to be fair for others. He knows this because he's been observing her from afar since their first exploration outside the castle- purely out of curiosity of course.

Sunghoo has heard around through the annoying and gossiping maids who claim Jihye was quite selfish and disobedient. He never cared or believed in any sort of gossip. Yet, even then, he didn't think Jihye would ever consider actually pursuing her wishes unless they were to benefit someone else.

Nonetheless, hearing her defy the very stability of the East Royal Family to learn a truth, a deep respect rooted in his chest.

Retroactively, Jihye realized why Sunghoon had begun with such a simple question, masterfully directing her to the passage he wanted the conversation to take. Sunghoon had such a ceaseless way of mentally molding into his ways. And even if she momentarily felt anger for being placed under a truth spell, Jihye couldn't find it within herself to remain that way.

Jihye permitted herself a moment of grim impression, looking at Sunghoon and thinking how truly deft his commentary had been. "And here I thought I was a good extortionist." Said Jihye, exhaling with a mixture of calmness and affliction as she glanced over at Sunghoon.

Nonetheless, with the way his shoulders relax, Jihye sees Sunghoon doesn't take offence by her words. Lolling his head to the side, Sunghoon graces her with a tug at his lips. "Who says you aren't better than I am?" He fires back. But the smile he forces doesn't reach his eyes, and there was no mistaking the suspicion in his gaze.

The accusation unbalanced Jihye's sense of calm, and she blinked, taken aback. Nothing she had revealed to him was a lie, in fact, Jihye had revealed far more of herself than she had received from his part.

Sunghoon always seemed to ask questions more than he answered any. But Sunghoon also carried a sense of sangfroid, a poised composure, as though he knew things around him that others had yet to know. Never had she known someone so forthright but equally closed off.

A rapping sounded at the bedroom door. Startled by it, Jihye immediately jumps to her feet. The movement breaks their shared gaze, Sunghoon's mysterious allure instantly releasing her from its embrace. She brings a finger to her lips, signaling for him to remain quiet before she quickly steps for the door.

Opening it slightly, Jihye is greeted with Sojung's temporary replacement. Soobin bowed at her before flickering his gaze to the left, as if he sensed another presence. "Your Highness, is there anything you need before I retire for the night?" He asks, opting out in questioning why she kept her room hidden with the door and her body.

Behind her, Sunghoon's mouth quirked as he spoke. "Do you have any white spirit in your wine cellars? The two of us still have some secrets to uncover." While he had relaxed slightly, Jihye remained inwardly tense. Sunghoon hadn't even tried to whisper his words, and ended up being heard by Soobin.

"Just a teapot of black tea would be delightful." Jihye counteracts, internally wincing at the way her voice falters at the start.

"One or two teacups, Your Highness?" Through his disinterested gaze, Soobin watches as the Princess freezes. Every muscle of her body turning tense and even with the distance between them, he spots the way Jihye's fingers clenched.

Jihye glimpsed behind her in chagrin. "Two." She turned back sheepishly. "Your discretion would be appreciated as well." Jihye patiently waited for Soobin to respond, no longer fully on guard.

He drags two fingers across his lips, pretending to sew them shut. "My lips are sealed, Princess." He gives his word. Soobin gave Jihye's room a wordless glance and ducked his head in a bow, leaving the corridor.

A shaky breath leaves Jihye, composing herself as she closes the door. She stood there, staring at it, entirely flustered at what had just happened. She folded her hands behind her and began pacing around.

"So much for being stealthy." Said Sunghoon, glancing at Jihye's door and turning back to her. He took a backward step towards the balcony, appearing mockingly poised to flee. "Shall I give myself a head start to leave the Kingdom and your Father's wrath?"

Jihye genuinely scoffs here, a bit annoyed at his nonchalance, her eyes drifting off to the side before returning to Sunghoon. She joined him at the bureau, crossing her arms below her chest. "I don't think he'll say anything." She tapped her pointer finger against her side, the nervous antic caught by Sunghoon.

Soobin was a good servant, Jihye reminded herself. A young man recommended by Sojung for the position. The head of maids wouldn't have allowed an intermeddler into the castle, and he didn't seem to be aiming against Jihye's affairs. She surely could count on Soobin to keep what he witnessed to himself.

Jihye stopped moving at a sound of more knocking before her and Sunghoon turned their heads sharply. They both stare at each other, Sunghoon impassive while Jihye is wide-eyed and frozen in time.

"He's back already?" Sunghoon breathes out in question.

Jihye shrugs while she makes her way back to the door. "Soobin?" She calls out behind the barrier, checking if it was indeed him.

But of course it wasn't. Because life had the tendency to place her in inescapable situations.

"No, it's me." Sunoo's voice came from the other side, and Jihye blanches instantly as she turns towards Sunghoon. "Jihye, can I come in?" He asks.

Sunghoon stares back, unknowing he was about to learn one of the many secrets Jihye kept locked in the depths of her mind.

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WORD COUNT: 13.9 k
NOT EDITED

[a/n] yeah. I went there. Every thing in this chapter is open for interpretation lol 😝