The warmness of summer breezing by the Navillera Isle mercilessly as the sounds of horses galloping, pulling a carriage through Seonghwa’s village centre was a sign of plan agreed by both sides of the land. Sitting side by side was the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, accompanied by Taehyung who seemed to be more interested with the scene outside. There were the villagers nodding and bowing along the way so he waved before returning a smile over to their directions. Exhaling a sigh oh-so-slightly, Jiyeon began to fidget on her seat which was easily noticed by her betrothed.

“Are you sure this is the best thing to do? Wouldn’t that mean I have to leave my father in Haesang in order for everything to work out?” She asked softly in hesitant before turning to look at Jimin’s face. They already discussed, breaking the plans down to its detail and only after three days passing by the King let his daughter off to Seonghwa.

He gave the Crown Prince one month to prove that his plan will be a good one for both parts of the island. One month will be also a short one so Jimin would have to channel his attention fully and hoped that his best friend would land an extra hand. After all, he might return and stay in Seonghwa just like he did since the day he was born into the world.

“It’ll be alright. Besides, this also means we can stay close together just like any other normal couples even though honestly speaking, we are not normal from the start.” Jimin chuckled at the end to ease her tension which brought a small smile of the princess’ face. Once they were done with the short conversation, Taehyung joined in, “Will I get my old room back?”

“Tae, your room in the servants’ quarters was already taken. You’re a prince now so you’ll be staying over in my quarters. It’s the ones that both of you used during the visits.” Sheepishly smiled upon hearing the statement, the friend returned his gaze back outside where the view of trees surrounding them came and metres up front was the high walls of Seonghwa’s palace ground.

After settling both of the siblings into their respective rooms, Prince Taehyung walked out of his room about an hour later seeing that it was almost lunch time. He saw Crown Prince Jimin also opening his door diagonally across him since the exact front of the prince’s door was obviously owned by his sister. However, he did not expect to see the fellow frowning when he stood by his side. There was no sign of the princess yet so they talked in a whisper.

“Hey, little one, what’s with the long face? It doesn’t suit you.” Taehyung stated before landing his hand Jimin’s shoulders. The latter’s eyes looked up from the carpeted floor and their gazes met in an instant. “I don’t know why I suddenly have a bad feeling there will be something going to happen.”

“I don’t like it when you say things like this.” The silvery purpled haired one said with all honesty because if he was to be real, whenever Jimin had a feeling, there will be something going to happen in either Seonghwa or Navillera as a whole. “I don’t like these things either. We can’t always get everything in life now do we?” Jimin replied with a sigh.

“Anyway, get your sister. You know your way to the dining area.” He started to walk away, assumingly to meet his parents first and telling them of the two’s arrival. Staring at his back figure disappearing down the hallway, Taehyung wondered what was running in his friend’s mind because frankly he could have waiting a second longer for Jiyeon to step out of her room. She glanced to her side.

“Where’s Jimin?” She asked curiously although she already had an idea where he headed just by the look Taehyung had put on. Turning his glance at his sister fully, Taehyung gestured her to come closer. “Let’s just go and have lunch. He said he’ll meet us there.” And with that, they advanced forward before descending the flight of stairs on the end of the hallway.

By the time they entered the dining hall, Jiyeon breathed out as a washed up memory came in her sight. She clearly remembered what happened in hall during the Crown Prince’s cousin’s wedding. Surprising her with his loudness of their engagement was not something in her mind. He looked happy with bright smile as he tightly held her hand before turning to look at her, warming her on the inside.

The sounds of people clapping fading away from the back of her head as she situated herself by Jimin’s side who instantly took her hand into his underneath the table. It was not the same loving grasp. Instead it was a hold of assurance. The kind she needed throughout her stay in Seonghwa. She will be a Queen soon just like the one glancing at her while they conversed casually over lunch.

The Crown Princess knew it would take a hard work to impress and making sure the plan made turning into reality. She could not think of not working by the Crown Prince’s side. Not that she even deserved the position in the beginning, she thought. She was only crowned as the future ruler for her brother’s wrong action. If the joust did not happen, she might actually be the lower levelled princess she used to.

Jiyeon turned her attention for the served food to Jimin when she heard his mother talking, exchanging questions regarding her stay there when she could have answered herself. He stopped eating when the Queen asked how long she would stay there, replying ‘one month’ for the answer.

“My guess you will take her to our village centre tomorrow for a start?” The Seonghwa’s King finally did the questioning and unexpectedly, it was Taehyung who did the honour of nodding since he would also tagging along because Jimin insisted the former kitchen servant turned prince to learn as well. It would be killing two birds with one stone. Sounds violent but he could not think of any better idiom to use.

Returning back to the Iseung’s palace, the aura floating around the grounds were rather gloomy as Prince Hyunsik paced to and fro in the palace’s library with his journal in his right hand while the other behind him. He just finished attending one of his learning sessions as usual minus the Crown Princess’ figure existing in the same room as his. He knew that she was not really fond of the politics and such but she never missed those classes before. Three days had been too long for the female to stay in her room.

Hyunsik never bothered turning on the lights in the place and it already took a toll on him as it worsened his vision as he had the bad habit of reading in the poorly lit area. Sighing, he sat by the large window where the view of sea he fond of was at. As he was deep into his own ocean of thoughts nonetheless, he heard the door of the library room opened with a light creak. It revealed the Seonghwa’s eldest prince silhouette.

“Are you busy?” Changsub immediately questioned the other before stepping in the place fully after Hyunsik bobbed his head approvingly. “Is there something wrong?” He asked gently and signalled for the fellow to take a seat across his by the window as well.

“I need to talk to you about something if you don’t mind lending your time.” The prince started with a hint of reluctance but after seeing the other prince was more than ready, he told him.

Prince Changsub talked about his fellow followers, three of them planning to leave the island on the next day. To be honest, he did not want to tell Prince Hyunsik since that would only burden him with more worry as he might actually develop an unexpected feeling towards the Haesang princess. Also Minhyuk was not in the condition to travel so he would have to stay with Changsub. Speaking of the gate keeper though, fortunately he at least got a little better but not great yet. He could stand and walk on his own again that was for sure.

“What should I do, Hyunsik? I know you have other things to worry but you understand the situation I’m in right? We’re on a foreign land for only less than a month but they’re already acting up. They were no longer enthusiastic like I expected too yet I don’t entirely blame them. I myself don’t know the reason of this stay anymore.” Changsub strayed off his talk with a confession. “Strange how everything seem to occur when it’s almost time for the festival.” Hyunsik simply replied as he looked at the window. He intentionally wanted to keep the thought to himself but admitted anyway since he trusted the other.

They shared a moment of silence and for those minutes they thought of what was going on with their friends. One thing suddenly came to Hyunsik’s mind though which made him glanced to the journal in his hand before fixing his gaze on Changsub’s. He also had been staring at the book for the past few seconds out of curiosity. Knowing that he was the one who he could openly talk to other than Crown Princess Chorong, a smile appeared on Hyunsik’s face before speaking.

“I’ve been studying a stanza of ancient writing for a while now. I found a few fascinating discovery that you might be interested of knowing. Would you like to check them out?” He gave the journal to the Seonghwa prince which he gladly took before skimming through the words keenly. Changsub’s eyes went up and down. Reread the sentences again and again as he attempted to understand them. He informed, “This sounded a lot like a prophecy.”

“It is. The first three lines are pointing at-”

“The first three lines are pointing at us. That explains about how everyone seemed to expect for our arrival.” Prince Changsub cut him off and looked directly at Prince Hyunsik. “Well, as far as I know, none of the villagers know of the prophecy. Not even the King and Queen. The only ones acknowledge about it is me and Chorong since I practically told her everything that I found out of pure interest.”

“Your interest dragged things this far already. What else can you decipher from this?” Changsub flipped to another page before returning to the former since there was no other writing beyond those six lines. “The last line…”

Thus hope appears once moon at its peak

“The last line might refer to the ‘Moonlight Dance Festival’ since that is when the moon reaches its highest peak. I can’t think of any other.” Hyunsik told his theory and continued, “Knit its power together underneath the teak. What kind of power? There is so many to choose from now that you and the rest are here. Pushing the fact three of them aside since they planned of leaving, what is Minhyuk’s power?”

“Minhyuk is just like me, a Seonghwa. So he can conjure fire. Why are you asking about him anyway?” Changsub stated questioningly with his brows furrowed in puzzlement. “You said yourself. Minhyuk is sick which is unlike him since he was relatively a healthy man taking care of the palace gate. Do you happen to know his background?”

“Not that much other than he has an older brother, father and a bedridden mother. She had been at that state since he was little. It’s a miracle to see her still alive to this day.” He honestly answered. He visited Minhyuk’s family a couple of time as a part of his job to head down to the village centre and got close and personal with those who live there. The Seonghwa gate keeper could not follow along obviously but all he knew that Minhyuk’s older brother was adopted since the mother thought she could not conceive a child.

Changsub grew even more confused at the so-called prophecy as he continuously glanced at the words still trying to see it in another light. One theory swung by but very quick for him to forget within seconds. Not that he purposely did it. It was just sounded outrageous in his consciousness. Is there something else about Minhyuk he needed to know?