~Eunji's POV~

I replayed what the King, had said to Princess Namjoo and me as I walked towards the Dojang (Korean term for dojo) for a martial art lesson from Princess Namjoo's older brother, the Crowned Prince, Ilhoon.(Namjoo and Ilhoon are born from the same mother, aka. the Joongjeon, first queen)

*

~Flashback~

*

"Well I was thinking that one of you should get married!" the King said rather excitedly.

"Married?!" Princess Namjoo and I exclaimed in an union.

My ears must be deceiving me. And even if they hadn't it'll still be a big problem.

I mean time travelling was enough; I couldn't get married when I was only sixteen. And on top of that, to a total stranger. Wasn't it illegal to get married at the age of sixteen?

Well evidently, it wasn't in this era.

"Did you say marriage, your Majesty?" Princess Namjoo asked for clarification.

"That's right." the King said and smiled as if there was nothing abnormal about telling your daughters that one of them might be getting married in the middle of a war. 

"To whom will one of us get married to?" she asked again. She seemed to be pretty interested.

"I haven't decided exactly who yet, but it will be a nobleman's son." he replied. "He will be able to provide us with more men and horses and weapons for the war."

I didn't know why but that fact made me feel a little down. It was as if I was secretly hoping for it to be the masked man I had seen the day before. But now it can never be, because he was clearly not a nobleman.

Snap out of it Eunji-ya! I warned myself. He's a total stranger too!

And as if Princess Namjoo had taken a sneak peek inside my brain, she gave me the don't-worry-you-don't-have-to-do-it-i'll-do-it-because-you-like-the-masked-man look.

"Which one of you will be willing to take out this marriage?" he said and left the room as silent as a Winter night.

"I'll take the offer." Princess Namjoo said, bringing the King and myself into a surprise.

*

~End of flashback~

*

"Have a seat, Ongju." Ilhoon said as he gestured me to a seat.

This was unusual practice. Normally, we would have a sword duel or aim for a bull's eye. Nonetheless, I sat and waited patiently for further instruction.

"Today, there will be an examination competition for a spot as a general at the palace. There will be many people entering so I need you to help me decide the winner." the Crowned Prince said calmly. I just nodded quietly. Despite the fact that I've learnt martial skills from him for as long I was here, I still felt a barrier of awkwardness around him.

*

~A few moments later~

*

The sounds of sharp blades clashing filled the air as the day went on. Very skilled young men from all over the region came. Even slaves and commoners came along to try out.

"Next, there will be a duel between Yook Sungjae and Byun Baekhyun." the announcer read out.

Baekhyun?

I sat up straight to see who the contestants were. But to no luck, they were both wearing masks which covered up their face.

Gosh, what's with masks these days! It must be a trend.

The match began and anyone with eyes and brains could tell it would be an interesting match. The two were very skilled and handled the swords with great control. It was as if the blade was an extension to their arm.

I studied their moves carefully.

One of the contestants strangely reminded me of someone.

His moves were elegant but powerful at the same time.

He reminded me of the masked man.

Now I was close to standing up from my seat. I tried restrainging myself. I had to act like a proper lady. But I also had to confirm that this man was the masked man and Baekhyun's reincarnation.

And to my luck, his mask came undone as he spun.

And to my theory, it was Baekhyun.