Sanghyuk spun back around to face the hall, but it was already completely empty. He frowned and bit his lip. Maybe his interaction with Hongbin just a few moments ago was nothing but an illusion. Perhaps, he had been too overwhelmed with state affairs recently, and between thinking about the forbidden and busying himself with work, something had probably screwed up in his head to produce such an absurd scene.

It must have all been conjured up by his mind.

Hongbin's caked-up complexion and stunning eyes flashed before his eyes for a split second. He remembered every detail - from the long silk dress that threatened to rip at his shoulders, to his accessorised earlobes and tied-up hair. He shuddered at the thought. That memory was too specific to be something that was a product of his imagination, no matter how overwhelmed his mind had been for the past month.

He felt his heartbeat pick up its pace. If his conversation with Hongbin just then was real, he hoped that at least Jaehyuk hadn't heard it. 

"What's the matter?" He whipped his head back to face his brother, his tone laced with anything but worry; masking his emotions was something he was rather skillful at.

Jaehyuk smiled, and as usual, it was genuine - nothing communicated trouble for Sanghyuk. "Pardon my impudence, Your Majesty."

"Just call me Sanghyuk," he gave a small scoff, feeling his racing heartbeat gradually return to its normal pace. Jaehyuk's words always seemed to calm him down, even if his very presence was the cause of his worry. "I'm not used to this. And you're my elder."

Jaehyuk smirked. "These are palace rules."

"You have my permission to call me by my name," Sanghyuk grinned. It felt strange to be talking to his second brother like that. It was something he had to gradually become accustomed to, but of all people, Jaehyuk definitely was someone whom he trusted enough to be an exception.

And then there was Hongbin who was already calling him like that as he pleased.

"Would you like to join me for a walk, then?" Jaehyuk beamed and bowed slightly. "Sanghyuk."

Sanghyuk stared back at his brother, attempting to decipher his unreadable expression. It did seem like Jaehyuk was not aware of what had just happened in the hall, but he nevertheless felt a little uneasy. "Now?"

Jaehyuk nodded eagerly. He pointed to the night sky. "The seven elements of the Little Dipper, Sanghyuk," he smiled, "are glowing extraordinarily bright tonight. It's been long since we've both talked about the stars together."

Sanghyuk chuckled softly. Jaehyuk definitely knew it whenever he needed a breather.

"After you," he gestured.

Jaehyuk shook his head, half smiling. "No. After you, Your Majesty."

They strolled in silence under the tranquility of the night sky. They passed by the lake, and Sanghyuk's fingers once again itched to pick up some pebbles lying by the water. He fought to restrain it - he knew that playing skipping stones wasn't something Jaehyuk particularly liked.

Besides, Jaehyuk was too focused on gazing up at the sky to notice the sparkling reflection of the stars beneath their feet.

"How did you find the performance just now?" His voice was quiet. Sanghyuk turned to him in surprise, but Jaehyuk kept his gaze fixed on the sky.

"You didn't seem too interested," he continued, chuckling a little. He finally glanced at Sanghyuk. "But that was just one out of the many things you have to start getting used to as an emperor, Sanghyuk."

Sanghyuk lifted his fingers and scratched the back of his neck like he always did whenever Jaehyuk . He took a deep breath before letting out a long sigh. "I know."

"Hey, at least feign it," Jaehyuk grinned. "A lot of the things that go on in the palace are done for the sake of show.“ His voice dropped to a whisper. "Hakyeon wouldn't be too happy if the you displayed little appreciation for what he had prepared for you, Sanghyuk."

Sanghyuk bit his lip and stifled his next sigh as soon as he felt it coming. While his brother was right, he did not need to be reminded of the constant pressure he faced with his new status. It nagged at him incessantly, and he was not sure how long it would take for him to finally be accustomed to life like this.

Jaehyuk gave his brother two pats on his shoulder and smiled. He turned back to look at the sky. "The North Star is shining really bright these days, Sanghyuk. And I know it will continue to do so for a long time to come."

Sanghyuk noted his kind words. Jaehyuk had always taught him how the stars were symbolic of a king's reign, and the North Star - the Polaris - was particularly representative of the emperor himself.

"I hope so," he mumbled. "But thank you, anyway."

"For what?"

"Your kind words. Your support. It means a lot to me, really."

Jaehyuk shrugged. "I believe Father chose you for a reason. Even at times when you doubt yourself, Sanghyuk, don't ever doubt Father's choice." He paused for a moment and eyed Sanghyuk expectantly. Sanghyuk did not say anything, but offered a small grin, to which Jaehyuk smiled in return. "It's getting late. We should head back."

Sanghyuk nodded, and Jaehyuk stepped behind him before he had the time to react. "After you, Your Majesty."

Sanghyuk scoffed and shook his head, but began strolling off anyway. "Have a good rest tonight, Brother."

"Well, save that for yourself," Jaehyuk piped as he trailed behind Sanghyuk, his words laced with glee. "And start thinking about how you're going to appease Hakyeon tomorrow."

Sanghyuk frowned despite the fact that Jaehyuk could not see his expression from behind. "For God's sake, I'm the emperor. I Iike what I want and Hakyeon can do nothing about it." 

They both knew it was far more complicated than that, but sometimes it was better to ignore the reality of things - even for a while.

Sanghyuk trailed off ahead of Jaehyuk, not noticing that the older one had stopped in his tracks to look up at the sky for the last time.

The North Star is shining brightly these days, Sanghyuk, he thought to himself. But so is its neighbouring star.