A/N: I didn't mean to post this just a few hours away from GFriend's comeback, but hey, the timing worked out perfectly.

A little glossary:

gungnyeo - lady in waiting, the female retainer of a royal woman or noblewoman
sanggung - palace matron, a senior attendant who is in charge of the gungnyeo
wangseja - crown prince, the son of the king who is appointed as heir to the throne
wangsejabin - crown princess (consort), the main consort of the heir to the throne
wangja - prince, a son of the king
gongju - princess, a daughter of the king
bupyeon & injeolmi - a type of steamed rice cake
jumeoni - a small bag, usually carried on the person and used to store coins or trinkets

...Okay, so that wasn't exactly little haha. I know I've read fics with a lot of foreign words whose meaning I didn't know and gotten confused as a result. I just don't want to put you guys through that. Let me know if I forgot any words.

“Where are you going?” Han-sanggung, the head of all the gungnyeo, barks at Sinbi when they pass each other in the courtyard.

Sinbi has a wax cloth wrapped around half a dozen bupyeon tucked in her clothes, and she really hopes that Han-sanggung can’t see them. Knowing the woman’s hawk eyes though, she has a feeling she can not only see the small bundle but knows exactly what’s in it.

“Um, back to gongjunim?”

“You are required elsewhere today.”

Sinbi blinks. “But I’m her personal retainer. It’s not my busi—I mean, I do not serve anyone else outside of her.”

Han-sanggung simply stares at her, and Sinbi feels like her gaze has shrinking powers. Sinbi feels about two feet tall right now. “You are required elsewhere today,” she repeats, as if Sinbi is particularly stupid. “The wangsejabin has specifically requested you.”

Sinbi’s mouth falls open. “Consort Jung asked for me? Are you sure she meant me?”

“No, I am not sure. Is there another gungnyeo who is so slow to obey orders? Tell me, girl, do you having hearing problems or do you simply think that you’re too good for orders?”

“Neither of these options sounds that great. Can I get a third one?”

Han-sanggung gives her that thousand yard stare again, the one that had petrified every new gungnyeo to come into the palace. However, Sinbi isn’t merely a gungnyeo and that’s probably the only thing saving her from the sanggung’s wrath right now.

Sinbi clears . “Where is Consort Jung anyway?”

“She is in her chambers.” If Han-sanggung were anyone else, Sinbi swears she would have added an, obviously. She doesn’t need to, because Sinbi hears it as clear as day anyway. “Do you require directions or do you think you can manage getting there on your own?”

“I’m good, thanks. I appreciate the offer though. Have a good day, Han-sanggung!” Sinbi waves cheerfully at her before setting off, and she swears she sees a small smile on the stern woman’s face.

They must be expecting her, because the guards open the door for her without a word. Sinbi discreetly fixes her hair and clothes before stepping in the door, making sure the bundle of bupyeon is out of sight. She got those for Sojung, and she isn’t going back without them.

She sees someone right away, but it isn’t Consort Jung.

“Wangseja,” Sinbi says in surprise. Her court etiquette lessons kick in, and she sinks into a respectful bow. “I hope that you are well.”

Seokjin smiles at her. “There’s no need to be so formal, Sinbi. How are you?”

“Um, good. And you?”

“I am very well. In fact, I am heading off on a hunt with the other wangja.”

“That sounds fun,” Sinbi says wistfully. She’s always wanted to learn horseback riding, but of course gungnyeo don’t get to. In fact, most princesses wouldn’t either, but Sojung had insisted and gotten her way.

“Would you want to come?”

“Well, it’s not like I can,” she says sulkily.

“Maybe one day.” He smiles. “I did promise Sojung I’d take her on a hunting trip one day. You can come, if you want.”

“Really? You mean it?” Sinbi asks, even though she doesn’t really believe him. It’s not that she doubts his sincerity – she fully believes that he intends to hold up his word – but not even the crown prince can simply bring whoever he wants on an out of palace trip.

“Of course.” Seokjin reaches out as if to ruffle her hair, but he doesn’t stretch out his hand all the way. He used to do that when they were younger. Maybe he feels like it’s inappropriate now. Certainly, it wouldn’t be good if the crown prince were seen touching a gungnyeo. “Ah, Yerin.”

Sinbi spins around so quickly she almost gets whiplash. Consort Jung – Yerin – had emerged from her chambers without Sinbi noticing. She’s dressed very simply in plain white robes, her hair down and free of the elaborate pins that Sinbi’s used to seeing on palace women. Sinbi hates to admit it, but she looks all the more beautiful for it. No wonder Seokjin adores her so much. (No wonder Sojung does too, a corner of her mind whispers.)

“I’m heading out now,” he says warmly. “Make sure you eat lunch, okay? I let the kitchen know to prepare something special.”

Yerin delicately juts out her bottom lip. “Do you have to go?” she asks in a voice that almost makes Sinbi break out in goosebumps.

Judging by Seokjin’s fond chuckle, he has a very different reaction. “Yes, I do, but I’ll be back before you know it.” He runs his hand down her arm in an affectionate but proprietary touch. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay,” Yerin says, lowering her chin in a forlorn manner, as if she can’t stand the idea of being separated from him for even a minute. Sinbi is suddenly glad she ate a light breakfast. She wonders if she should turn around or something so they can kiss goodbye; she really doesn’t need to see that.

“Bye, Sinbi,” Seokjin says. “Take care of my Yerin while I’m gone, okay?”

“Um, I’ll try.” She doesn’t think he’d be asking that of her if he knew what she really thought of his precious consort. “Have fun on your trip. Maybe you can bring back a fur wrap for Sojung unnie – she’s been wanting one.”

He laughs. “I’ll see if there are any animals whose fur can be made into a good wrap. We’re mainly just after deer. Well, I’d better go before they hunt me down for being late.”

He strolls off, all broad shoulders and imperious gait that many a gungnyeo sigh about. Sinbi half expects Yerin to do a one-eighty now that Seokjin is out of sight, but she simply continues staring at the door even when he’s long gone.

“Wangsejabin,” Sinbi says tentatively. “You requested my presence?”

Yerin turns slowly to her, like she had forgotten her existence. “Ah, yes. Hwang Sinbi.”

Sinbi feels uncomfortable at the intensity of Yerin’s scrutiny, even though she’s been subjected to far worse. She’s careful to hold her tongue, because as familiar as Yerin is with Sojung, she isn’t Sojung and she definitely has the authority to punish a gungnyeo she views as rude or impertinent.

“How is gongjunim?” Yerin asks conversationally.

“She’s…good,” Sinbi says lamely.

“I am glad. The weather is getting colder, and her palace has always had a bad draft.”

“We have very thick blankets.”

“That’s good,” Yerin says. Sinbi wonders if she’s going to ask about their food next. However she had expected this conversation to go, it’s not in this direction. “And I suppose you can always keep her warm.”

Sinbi stiffens. What’s that supposed to mean? she very nearly asks, but just manages to hold the words back. “I am careful that the fire in her room is always stoked and that there is always extra bedding on hand,” she says neutrally. “As her personal retainer, it is my duty that she is taken care of.”

Yerin looks at her with those big, dark eyes of hers. There’s something sad about them, not even in her expression, but like it’s simply part of her face. It’s not an unattractive look. If anything, it gives her a doleful appeal, a damsel in distress that men would fight to save.

“I’m glad she has you,” she says, sounding sincere. “She’s lucky to have someone who cares about her so much.”

“Thank you?” It comes out like a question. “I know I’m lucky to serve her. She’s very kind.”

“She is,” Yerin agrees. “She has a heart hard to find in the palace.”

Sinbi finds herself softening. It’s hard to feel hostile toward someone who obviously cares so much about Sojung.

“Wangseja is very kind too,” she says, testing the waters.

“He is,” Yerin says, and even though Sinbi is watching her with hawk eyes only second to Han-sanggung, she gives no visible indication she’s uncomfortable at the change in topic. “I am very lucky to be his consort.”

She sounds like she means that, but almost in a way someone would say I am lucky to have this job. She sounds—dutiful.

“Are you happy?” Sinbi’s mouth asks before her brain can kick in.

Yerin finally shows an expression outside her demure spectrum: surprise. “What?”

Sinbi is tempted to just say never mind, forget it, but something presses her to forge on. “Are you happy? As his wife?” She stresses that last word: wife, and not consort.

Yerin’s mouth presses into a fine line. “I am blessed to be his wife. He is very good to me. There is no better man out there.”

That doesn’t answer my question, Sinbi thinks, but knows better than to point out. She’s already stepped out too far. She is, after all, merely a lowly gungnyeo, and Yerin is the crown princess.

“Did you require anything else from me, wangsejabin?” she asks politely.

“You have some snacks hidden on you, don’t you?” Yerin asks, completely bypassing her question. “Bupyeon or injeolmi?”

“Bupyeon,” Sinbi replies automatically, and then does a double take. “I, I mean—”

Yerin laughs, a soft, musical sound. A palace laugh. “Given my experience in sneaking food from the kitchen, you can’t hide anything from me. Here’s a tip – tuck it behind your waist sash. People often put a jumeoni there so they won’t find it weird to see a slight bulge there.”

“Oh, thanks,” Sinbi says. “Sojung unnie never has any tips about these things.”

“She’s too proper for that. When we were kids and anyone asked what we were up to, she always told the truth even if it got us in trouble.”

“And you were okay with lying?”

Yerin gives a decidedly mischievous smile. “I prefer to call it bending the truth.”

Sinbi can’t help laughing at that, and she knows her laughter is neither soft nor musical but she’s never cared. “Okay, but I dare you to come up with a convincing lie when Han-sanggung is staring at you like she wants to eat you.”

“Ah yes, Han-sanggung,” Yerin muses. “She’s been giving me that look since I can remember, so it doesn’t quite have the same effect on me.”

“How long has she been at the palace, even?”

“Haven’t you heard? There’s a story that she’s a personification of one of the primordial guardians of the land. That makes her even older than the actual palace.”

Sinbi’s eyes widen. “Wow, I knew she was ancient but not that ancient.”

The corners of Yerin’s mouth twitch, and then she succumbs into laughter, which isn’t so refined this time. Twin dimples pop out in her cheeks, and there’s even a third one resting on the apple of her cheek. Sinbi is oddly fascinated by it, and she can’t help but think again that the crown princess is truly beautiful.

“You’re an interesting person, Hwang Sinbi.”

“So are you, wangsejabin.”

Yerin grimaces. “There’s no need to call me that in private. It sounds so…formal. You’re—how many years younger than Sojung unnie?”

“Three.”

“Ah, I’m one, so that makes me older than you. Just call me unnie.”

“Yerin unnie,” Sinbi tries, hesitantly, and Yerin gives her that dimpled smile again.

“Would you like to stay for lunch with me?”

“I was supposed to go back to give the bupyeon to Sojung unnie.” A thought suddenly occurs to Sinbi. “How did you know I either had bupyeon or injeolmi?”

“They’re her favourites,” Yerin simply says. “Are you eating with her? Isn’t she meeting someone for lunch today?”

There’s something off about the way she says that, like she’s avoiding something. However, Sinbi knows better than to directly address it.

“Is she? She didn’t tell me.”

“It’s some royal thing,” Yerin says evasively. “Seokjin-jeoha mentioned it earlier.”

“Oh.” Sinbi can’t help but think it’s odd that if that’s indeed the case, that Seokjin, the crown prince, isn’t going to be there.

Yerin gives her a hopeful look. “Stay for lunch with me, then?”

“Okay,” Sinbi says, and she hopes that she doesn’t sound as eager as she feels.

A/N: What's up with the pairings and which one is going to be endgame? I honestly have no clue.