There was a different feeling to the palace when Hye-ri stepped outside. The sun that had hid during her wedding vows was now daring to make an appearance, as if it were a curious handmaiden peeking out to hear the gossip. 

"You're surprised, I suppose." Lee Yeong was nothing but smiles.

Hye-ri could not bring her lips to curl as effortlessly as his own. "I feel that there is a catch. How could you have simply altered the course of my fate like that?" 

Brows knitted together, he put his confusion into words. "Whether or not I believe in fate is beside the point, but you should know that from the goodness of my heart, I have chosen to do this." His robes glistened as a stray beam of sun slipped from the sky. "You're a brick in the foundation of this palace, despite only three people being aware of that. Losing you would have been too much for all of us to bear, not only Byung-yeon." 

Hye-ri considered the words very carefully. Lee Yeong had always been a soft soul when the time called for it. And yet, there were still nerves coarsing through her veins, appearing as beads of sweat on the edge of her hairline. "My father will be worried about me. I'm sure they're all wondering if I'll be coming back to say goodbye." Her words betrayed her for a moment. "He seemed like a nice man."

Lee Yeong continued to smile. "He did indeed, and if you wish to change your mind, there is still a chance to-"

"That's quite alright," she whispered. "I would like to stay here." 

He stepped around her, already half expecting such a response. "Brilliant choice. I will take you to your quarters then." 

Although Hye-ri had walked the side trails of the palace hundreds of times, on that day everything was entirely new. The roots of the flowers seemed more green, almost outshining the leaves that sprouted from them. The rocks crunched under her feet with a satisfying sound, one she felt she would never get tired of hearing. Even the broken shingles of the servant quarters' rooves seemed charming in their age, the insides of those buildings filled with secrets from decades ago. 

Could she dare to call it 'home'? 

Lee Yeong's feet halted outside of an elongated hanok. It's pillars were a shocking red, the familiar lotus flowers staring back at her with their faded pink and yellow hues. It was clear that they had reached their destination, but neither of them moved another inch. "The only men allowed here are those under command of the Crown family." Lee Yeong raised a witty brow. "You will have my permission if I see fit, but perhaps for the sake of gossip pertaining to you, you visit Byung-yeon directly."

The pillars were no match for the red in Hye-ri's cheeks. "That won't be necessary. I'm sure I will see him often around the palace grounds." 

"It is unlikely. Not only are you of service to my father, but you will be trained to lead a wide range of shamanistic and Buddhist practices that will benefit the majority of staff working here." Finally, his voice was more serious. "You have a great task ahead of you, despite there being... personal benefits." 

Hye-ri nodded, the rice powder drying into a paste on her skin. "If I fail, you have the right to remove me."

"Kill you." Lee Yeong flashed his teeth. "That's what my father will do. He's not always one to give a second chance, but he certainly does not give a third."

"Duly noted."

Lee Yeong turned to face her directly. She could not do the same out of fear someone was watching, and so she kept her body turned with her head down. "You may settle here for the next few hours. Feel free to familiar yourself with the baths, kitchen, and the rest. I have a feeling you already know all of it, but perhaps this is also a chance for you to spend some time with your thoughts." 

Hye-ri abandoned her position for a slight moment to meet his gaze. "When is it suitable for me to say goodbye to my family?"

"Whenever you see fit, but it is prefered that a lady of the royal household does not arrive past sunset." Yeong smiled softly, his mind shifting somewhere else now that his civic duty had completed. Hye-ri noticed the strain in his eyes alongside the black circles that cradled them. 

"And what you about you?"

Lee Yeong's eyes lifted without the rest of his face. "What do you mean?"

"You seem... on edge, my Prince." 

The visible cringe was too obvious upon hearing his official title, but Hye-ri was correct to do so. They had to be careful. Lowering his voice, he made sure that the words passed between them were as invisible as their friendship. "I am going to cancel the civil service examination today." 

Hye-ri nearly choked on air. "What for? Men in the village have been preparing that for weeks!"

"Your voice is louder than an army of Chinese crossing the border!" His words sounded like a snake's hiss. "Results of the examination are going to work in the favour of Kim and his goons. The winners are predetermined and I have all of the evidence I need. Unfortunately, the people of Joseon will have to wait." 

Of course, the witchhunt for the Kim family was ongoing. Hye-ri was more preoccupied with Byung-yeon's secret, but Lee Yeong's was perhaps more vital to the safety of their nation. "I will help you take him down in any way that I can." There was little to be done, but the sentiment counted for something. In the song of the cicadas, the two simply shared their unspoken understanding. 

"We will meet again soon, Kang Hye-ri." 

Her body bent lower than when she had been at her husband's side. "I look forward to it, my Prince." 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Hye-ri was unsure of why her feet hurt so much upon arriving at her house. There had not been much walking on that day, as she had simply sat in her empty nest upon the Crown Prince's leaving. There was a blanket, pillow and table for her comfort, but otherwise the room was bare. Hye-ri could count her possessions on her fingertips. She secretly hoped her father had already packed them for her to make the emotional turmoil of leaving home slightly easier. 

But upon arriving at her home, she found everything in its proper place, including her family.

Sitting over two bowls of rice, her sister and father relaxed lazily in their everyday attire. It was as if the morning had never happened, but when she appeared there was a tension that had not existed before. 

"If I did not know the Crown Prince was your friend, perhaps I would not be so disappointed." 

Hye-ri shut the door behind her. "Why are you disappointed?"

There was a small pause where the sound of his rice bowl meeting the table sung out. "There is a selfishness within you and your friends that I was not aware existed before. Unless the Crown Prince offered you money to make up for the loss of this opportunity, one which you will never get again, then there are repercussions to be made." 

Hye-ri was still in her wedding gown. She had to take the forest trail to avoid catching the eyes of villagers. She was tired, hungry and confused, and the anger of her father only made the situation worse. "He offered me a job, father. In fact, the King himself asked me to work in the palace."

Na-ri's eyes grew double the size of her father's, but their shock was equal. "What sort of job?"

"An on-site shaman. If they need anything, I will be available to them. More than ever, the King is in need of faith right now." Hye-ri tried to swallow her pride. "He believes that I am the one who can provide him with that." 

A slow nod came from her father. "Perhaps this is a blessing."

"It is, father. I can still visit you and Na-ri. When she comes to deliver vegetables, she can see my quarters." Just speaking about the future broke the smile she was trying to hide. "Our prayers for the unification of our family have been heard, father. I will send my salary back home to provide for you and Hye-ri, and it will nearly match the one I would have recieved from the wedding, which would have been more than enough between the three of us." She was almost reaching the point of tears. It really had been a miraculous day, and although Hye-ri was spiritual, she felt that there was simply nobody to thank aside from Lee Yeong. 

"What about Byung-yeon?" It was Na-ri who asked, unsurprisingly.

"He is the same," Hye-ri sighed. "I have not met him yet, but of course we cannot marry."

Her father's eyes suddenly narrowed into slits of warning. "Do not overstep your boundaries with that boy, Kang Hye-ri. Do not make a scandal out of yourself and this family."

The words stung somewhat. "Do you not trust me?" She understood what her father was implying. Do not bed him. Do not bear a child. Do not love him, if it is at all possible, until you are certain he can lay by your side with permission from the King.

"It is not you that I don't trust," he grumbled into his food. "It is men." 

The girls could not avoid their abrupt laughter. After shooing them away to gather Hye-ri's things, her father sat in silence for a moment. Every parent was prepared to say goodbye to their children, as marriage was always in the cards. However, without a husband to hold her hand, there was still a bleakness in her percieved future. He did not often talk about his wife, but there had been such joy in his married life that was nonexistant even in his happiest memories of childhood. And yet at the same time, there was some comfort in his soul knowing that she would be living a life far better than the one he could offer her. Faith was something not only the King had in his possession, but her father as well. There was faith that all would be well. There was faith that things were finally falling into place.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Hye-ri arrived back at the palace with a small satchel and her face clear of rice powder and berry juice. She looked brown like the trees surrounding her, her clothes as drab as they had always been. A new uniform would come for her tomorrow, and education would be provided on how to behave and braid her hair. It was only the natural way of things, and for once Hye-ri was forced to think about her appearance. 

The palace was quiet, but she found herself less stared at than when she was delivering food. It mattered to act as if you knew where you were going and what you were doing. People did not bother you if that was the case. That being true, Hye-ri made her way effortlessly and quietly to her hut. Somewhere in her heart she was lonely, but a sensation that the feeling would not last was enough to comfort her. 

Upon entering her hanok room, the smell of wood fresh in her nostrils, Hye-ri lit a single candle for light. Resting it on her table, she began to change into the provided sleeping garmets. They were a perfectly pressed white, and perhaps the nicest clothing she owned. Her imagination ran off with an idea of what her uniform would look like, the pleasures of womanly enjoyments a rare gift for her to enjoy. 

Tying her hair into a loose braid, Hye-ri would have fallen asleep had it not been for a sudden sound coming from outside. There was a heavy knock on her door; one too strong enough to belong to a woman. Lee Yeong had said there was a chance a man could visit if he had orders of the King or Crown Prince. 

Was it Byung-yeon?

"Who is it?" Her voice still shook from the shock of the unexpected sound.

Without a reply, the wooden frame of the door flew open. Hye-ri stumbled backwards in defense, but upon seeing Byung-yeon's pale face against the blue background of moonlight, all words froze in her chest. 

"What are you doing?" She muttered uncomfortably. It was the first time he had seen her in night clothes. 

Byung-yeon stepped inside without so much as a greeting, his shoes still on his feet. She would have cursed him for bringing dirt into her new home, but she did not have the strength to say anything after seeing his face. She had not been able to see it before the wedding, and in the background of her mind, she wondered what he could have been doing. When they were finally alone with the door shut behind them, she was able to paint a clearer picture in her head.

"Byung-yeon... where have you been?" 

His clothes were covered in a white powder, no doubt the dust from mountain paths. His hair was halfway out of its tie, long waves of black fluttering down past his chest. Even his breathing was heavy, as if he had travelled far. It was similar to his appearance after a battle, but there was an entirely different feeling in the air. 

"Are you okay?" Hye-ri blinked for the first time since he had entered. "I think you should sit-"

"What are you doing here?"

A silence sailed between them. How could he not know? Where had he been? Was that anger in his voice, or complete shock with no direction of expression? 

"Lee Yeong stopped the wedding. I..." A lump was swallowed down. "I live here now."

Without wasting a beat, Byung-yeon crossed the room to her. His feet were as loud as thunder, and she thought his hands might spark her like lightning if he were to touch her, but instead he came as near as possible without daring to lift a finger to her skin. "Say that again." 

Hye-ri could read him much more clearly now. The heaving of his chest was not anger, but lust. The dust on his trousers was from kicked up sand, abused in moments in anger. The loose hair was thanks to his fingers frustratingly running through it all day. He had to leave in order not to stop the wedding. He had not even been in the capital that day to avoid the chance that he would jepordize her future. 

"Lee Yeong stopped the wedding," she repeated slowly. "I live here now."

Byung-yeon's eyes dared to glance over her body. It made something between her legs feel weak, her heart accelerating to a pace faster than she believed was safe. "You did not get married." 

She felt her braid swing with the shake of her head. "I did not." 

Hye-ri wasn't sure how much she believed in mystical experiences, but in that moment she felt not only a mental pull towards Byung-yeon, but a physical one. His arms met her hips as soon as the last syllable fell from , their bodies tumbling backwards into the dresser. The sudden impact against the wood shook the entire frame of the wall, nearly sending the candle over the edge. Hye-ri's eyes were as wide as saucers, her muscular hips suppressed by Byung-yeon's hands. With complete ease, he hoisted her body up onto the table, her legs parting slightly for his body to move into hers.

Lips parted with heavy breath, Byung-yeon's eyes looked everywhere but her face. She had never seen him like this before. It was almost animalistic, but somehow she found herself wanting more of it. "What are you doing?" She whispered. It was not so much out of fear of what would come next, but out of fear that nothing more would follow. 

Byung-yeon had never been a man of many words. Without an explanation, his fingers slipped beneath her chin to edge her body forward. She could feel his hips against the edges of her knees, the sharpness of them somewhat unexpected. If her fingertips hadn't been shaking, she might have laid them there. 

Moving his head sideways, it was only moments later that Hye-ri felt the sensation of warmth pressed against her neck. Byung-yeon's open lips kissed her skin from jawbone to the spot just above her s. His breath was warmer than the summer evening, sending shivers down Hye-ri's spine. She could feel his fingertips kneading into her hips as he continued to plant kisses around , ears and hairline.

Her eyelids flickered shut despite her fight to keep them open. It seemed that her body had other ideas. "Byung-yeon..." What had she wanted to say? As quickly as the thought had come, she forgot it. 

His hands wrapped around to her back, pulling her to the very edge of the desk. Her own chest met his with ease, their beating hearts now pumping as one. With her legs now wrapped around most of his torso, he let himself speak. "It can't happen like this." 

"Like what?" Her voice was a feather. 

Byung-yeon's long lashes appeared with the closing of his eyes. "I still cannot marry you."

"Now," Hye-ri corrected. "You cannot marry me now, but if Lee Yeong becomes King-"

"What if he doesn't?" His eyes appeared again. "I don't want to talk about politics, but I'm afraid that I might go mad if I don't touch you."

The day had been a long one. Hye-ri had almost wed a stranger, recieved a job from the palace, and left the only home she had ever known. It was a day of change and she could feel the physical power of it. That bravery and courage was now seeping its way into her fingertips, which she surprisingly began to trickle down his chest, lower and lower until they stopped just above his belt. Moving her lips against the curve of his ear, she whispered, "But you're already touching me." 

There was no immediate reaction from the soldier. After a moment of pondering numerous thoughts, his arms relaxed into a softer frame. Scooping her up from the desk, he ignored her started shout and lifted her into his arms. Her body was heavier than he had expected, but it only made him more curious to see what lay beneath her robes. Of course, he would never admit such a sinful thought to her directly, but unlike other men of Joseon, he prefered a woman with a strong frame and an even stronger personality.

Hye-ri found herself being carried over to her mat on the floor, despite her legs in pefect condition for walking. Her body was laid gingerly across the white linen, the softness of the sheets hugging their anxious bodies. Byung-yeon leaned on one elbow to glance down at her, his hair falling around his face like a perfect frame.

"I was curious if you would be wearing your wedding gown."

"Did you know I was here?" He shook his head. "Then why did you return?" 

Byung-yeon traced the 'V' collar of her night clothes. He quietly imagined his hand slipping beneath the fabric. "I had to."

"You went somewhere today to stop yourself, didn't you?"

Byung-yeon's face was no longer red or dotted with sweat. He was back to his normal self, the wrinkles smoothed out into an expression that was nearly unreadable. "I had to."

Her brows knitted together. "You certainly had to do a lot of things today."

His hand froze on the spot where dipped. "I wouldn't have been able to stop myself."

Her body inched closer to his side, their thighs pressed to one another more tightly than appropriate. "But you came back." 

"My duty to this palace matters." Byung-yeon whispered. "But today I needed a moment for myself." 

Hye-ri hoisted herself up on both elbows, her lips planting a slow kiss near the corner of his eye. "I've missed you." 

"I've missed you..." Hye-ri was unsure if he meant the same words, or if he was just repeating it. 

She met his lips then, their kiss slow at first, as if it could not have been real. Neither one of them expected to reunite so quickly and effortlessly, and although they were aware that it was thanks to Lee Yeong, no other soul crossed their mind but one another. Each kiss grew deeper until their tongues were meeting without effort, moans laced with the desire for more slipping out without warning. Hye-ri could feel his frame longing to tower over her, for his thighs to wrap themselves on either side. Instead, Byung-yeon kept his distance, his kiss the only expression of the things he wanted more of. 

Hye-ri, on the other hand, could not refrain herself from touch. She began to loosen the strings of his waistbelt, revealing a perfeclty smooth and chiseled chest. His body was incredibly muscular, but lean, the lines that crossed them being something Hye-ri had never ever seen before. She felt him from his hips up to his neck, her lips finally abandoning his mouth to explore other areas. 

Byung-yeon was glad that she could not see the blood rushing into his cheeks as her lips and fingertips began to search his torso. Each whimper she set free upon discovering something new sent his mind whirling, and he knew that if there was no end to it, his body would only begin to act naturally.

"Hye-ri, wait." His hands uncomfortably pulled her off. She seemed startled by the movement, her eyes fearful of having done something wrong.

"I'm sorry," she gasped.

"You did nothing wrong."

"I didn't expect-"

"I can't control myself." His words were firm. "If you touch me that way, you'll learn things about a man that I'm certain you are unaware of."

Hye-ri was not looking for an explanation. She would likely hear it from the older handmaidens at some point, considering she never had a mother to deliver her news of intimacy between a man and a woman. "Alright." She attempted to catch her breath. "I'll stop."

Byung-yeon laid next to her in silence, their sides still not allowing any air to come between them. Byung-yeon's head shared her pillow, their minds running off to places that their bodies could not. 

"Will you stay with me?" Hye-ri whispered, turning to him. He remained on his back. "Just until I fall asleep?" 

"Yes." He shut his eyes, his hand reaching out to grab hers. The power of sleep was washing over them quickly, but Hye-ri managed to hear a few more words before eventually surrendering herself to the night. 

"I won't leave you, Kang Hye-ri."