Despite the late hour, sleep eluded me.

There were so many things on my mind. Predominantly, of course, it was my impending walk with Lord Han. I wondered if we would link arms like I had seen Mae and other ladies do. Or if we would take the carriage and ride around the park…

But those were just part of my thoughts.

I was still worried about Baekhyun and I really hoped there was some way I could contact my friends. I could ask Sehun to run this errand for me – he would do it despite the late hour – but I had no idea where either Kyungsoo or Baekhyun were staying.

And of course, there was Mae. She had been utterly devastated and even now, I was sure I could hear her crying. She rarely took things so much to heart but Baekhyun meant a lot to her.

I sighed, turning again and absently playing with the chain in my neck before getting up and getting out of bed. It was no use, trying to sleep like this. I threw the windows open again – Jongdae's disapproving face flashed in my head and I stuck my tongue out at him – and leaned against the panes, staring at the beautiful nighttime scenery.

It was like an ocean of silver, an enchanting sight and the melody I had been humming became clearer as I took in the magic of the night and I hurriedly grabbed my journal – the one I carried with me everywhere – and started jotting down the notes as quickly as I could, stopping every now and then to stare some more at the silvery scenes, remembering the emotions and the sensations while I danced with Lord Han,

It was when I was staring blankly at the sky, trying to figure out how to continue the song that the voice reached me.

It was a soulful sound, beautiful and so, so sad. The mournful song echoed in the silence of the night, giving it a haunting touch.

I was brought out of my reverie because this was a voice I knew well, one I had accompanied numerous times over the years with my own mournful compositions.

'Baekhyun?' I whispered, leaning out of the window to locate him in the dark grounds. He sounded close-by and my eyes soon found a dark figure swaying and weaving around in the ground right below my window.

'Baekhyun…' Someone else whispered harshly and it was another voice I knew well. 'Kyungsoo?' I called down softly.

The figure stopped moving. 'Mae…?' Baekhyun sounded drunk.

'No, it's me, Minah.' I told him, sighing a bit sadly at his condition. I knew he had been drinking.

'Minaaaaahhh….' He slurred, giggling to himself before suddenly wailing, 'Mae where are you?'

'Hush, will you?' Kyungsoo wrapped a hand over his mouth and effectively silenced him. His voice was apologetic when he addressed me. 'I tried to stop him but you know how he gets…'

'That's alright…'

'Minah,' Baekhyun pushed Kyungsoo's hand away, almost falling down before straightening himself. 'If you're in this room, then Mae…'

'What does he want to do?' I asked Kyungsoo apprehensively. Baekhyun was impulsive perfectly sober, there was no knowing what he'd do drunk.

'He's been singing sad ballads all night,' Kyungsoo's voice was strained, the effort of keeping Baekhyun in place obviously getting to him. 'I think he wants to serenade her…'

As if on cue, Baekhyun burst into a loud song, the drunkenness only making him even more mournful.

'Her father will kill you,' Kyungsoo whispered, trying to shut him up again.

'Let them,' Baekhyun declared theatrically, 'Let them all see that I was willing to lay my life on the line… for her fickle love…' he burst into sad tears.

I sighed. 'Wait,' I called to him. 'I'll let down a rope.'

………………………………

Sehun didn't bat an eyelash when I asked him to lend me some rope, coming in and tying it tightly to my bedpost so it would hold and even helping Kyungsoo inside. The three of us stared at the flailing figure on the grounds.

Baekhyun was now standing right under Mae's room and was loudly serenading her, as well as declaring her the most ruthless, fickle lover who had shattered his heart with a mere blink of her eyes. I was impressed at how poetic he was – perhaps his Lord Byron's collection hadn't been solely for show.

'Is Mae awake?' I asked Kai, who was leaning against her door, reading something in the lamplight.

He nodded absently, flipping a page. 'She opened the window a while ago.'

That certainly explained why Baekhyun had stopped running around in the ground in search for her. 'Is she alright?'

Kai nodded. 'I think she's actually enjoying being serenaded like this.'

Well, Mae did have a penchant for theatrics herself. I went back inside and joined Kyungsoo by the window – I had excused Sehun as he had no reason to stay awake and witness Lord Byun make a fool of himself – to observe our inebriated friend.

'…for thou art as glorious to this night…'

'Is he quoting Shakespeare?' I asked Kyungsoo.

'I think they're re-enacting the balcony scene,' Kyungsoo confirmed. I couldn't help but giggle a little because Baekhyun and Mae were so alike.

'I think they'll be fine on their own now,' I nodded.

I climbed into my bed, pulling the covers over to my chin and Kyungsoo sat at the foot, leaning back on his arms and stretching his neck. He was still in his ballroom clothes, not having had the chance to relax because he'd been too busy with a mournful Baekhyun. 'Make yourself comfortable,' I told him.

'Thanks, I will.' He fell back completely, loosening the cravat around his neck and running a hand through his hair. 'Gosh, I'm tired.'

Now that he mentioned it, so was I. The excitement of the night had finally caught up to me as well and with my mind off everything, I was beginning to feel sleepy. 'I think you should leave now,' I suggested around a yawn. 'He can explain himself in the morning when the guards find him in the grounds.'

Kyungsoo smiled tiredly. 'Tempting…'

There was a loud crash and both I and Kyungsoo rushed towards the window, just as Mae's scream echoed. 'BAEKHYUN!!!'

'She spake my name…' Baekhyun sighed dramatically from the ground where he had fallen, perhaps from attempting to climb up to Mae's window, 'I can die a happy man…'

'Don't you dare die on me, Baekhyun Byun!' Mae shrilled tearfully down at him. 'You swore me a grand wedding.'

'And I am a man of my word!' He declared, sitting up