Being a Queen was not an easy feat by any means.

Irene's groan escaped her lips, her eyes heavy with fatigue, as she gazed wearily at the treaty on her cluttered desk, surrounded by a sea of countless other documents. She had been confined in her chambers for what felt like endless hours, and she hadn't seen Wendy in days. Her responsibilities to the throne demanded her full attention, leaving her with little time for leisure or personal freedom. Her heart longed for a taste of the outside world, a reprieve from the relentless duties that bound her. She especially yearned for the company of her beloved, who was currently handling negotiations with Peter and Seulgi in a neighbouring kingdom. Wendy had argued that it was more beneficial for Irene to remain at the castle to finalise some treaties and legislation while she managed the negotiations in order to be assimilated with her role as the Queen’s consort.

"Unbelievable, she should be here providing moral support and carrot cake instead of being out there with Seulgi," Irene grumbled as she scribbled some annotations, her brows furrowing at the demanding work. She heard a chuckle from behind, and in reflex, she immediately threw her letter opener in the direction of the sound.

Wendy yelped as she narrowly dodged the letter opener, her eyes widening with bewilderment. "Did you seriously just throw a letter opener at me?" Irene rolled her eyes as her heartbeat gradually returned to normal.

"If you had knocked and announced your presence like a normal person, perhaps you would have received a nice kiss and hug," she retorted. Wendy grinned as she approached the grumpy monarch and enveloped her in a warm hug. Irene huffed but eventually reciprocated the action, finding comfort in the secure embrace of her beloved.

"Well, if you weren't so focused on all those papers, you would have heard me sneak in," Wendy countered, tucking loose strands of hair behind Irene's ear. Irene pouted and returned her attention to the mountains of documents occupying her study. Wendy followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow.

"How long have you been working on these, Hyun?" Irene pursed her lips before responding, "I've lost track of hours; finalizing legislation and reading through precedents is more time-consuming than I thought."

Wendy sighed and firmly grasped Irene's shoulders, turning her to face her. She cupped Irene's face gently, her concern evident as she frowned at how pale her complexion was, rivalling the moon's glow at that point.

"Bae Joohyun, have you been overworking yourself again?" The royal winced as Wendy continued to fret over her. She squirmed, attempting to escape Wendy's firm grip. "I'm fine, Seungwan, really." Her girlfriend gave her a pointed look, clicking her tongue in annoyance.  "Hyun, you promised me you'd take breaks; you can't continue on like this." Wendy's voice broke off towards the end, and Irene felt her heart break a little.

“I know but the council needed me to finalise these papers by tomorrow." Irene reasons and slumps back down on her seat. Wendy remains silent, arms crossed, and Irene tries to ignore the guilt gnawing at her.

After minutes of agonizing silence, Wendy finally broke it.

"Alright, get up," Wendy said. Irene looked at her, puzzled by the sudden request. Wendy met her gaze with a bright smile before adding, "For me, please?" Irene felt her determination waver in the face of her endearing partner, but she knew she had to stay focused. She attempted to continue with her work.

"But I have to finish this by tomorrow, Seungwan; I can't afford to slack off now," Irene attempted to dissuade her. However, Wendy remained undeterred. She spun the chair around and, without giving Irene a chance to respond, effortlessly hoisted her over her shoulder, as though she were as light as a bag of flour. She makes her way outside the balcony, carefully setting the royal down onto a chair before taking off her hoodie.

Wendy scoffs, handing Irene her hoodie, "For a queen, you certainly don't display the expected etiquette." Irene takes the hoodie but gives Wendy an unimpressed look. "You're not exactly acting like the ideal girlfriend either," she huffs. Wendy smiles and plants a quick kiss on her lips, attempting to appease her now grumpy partner. "You're absolutely right, I surpass the standards of an ideal girlfriend," she playfully responds as she settles next to Irene, earning a light slap on the arm from her.

"I can't really argue with that," the girl mumbled, snuggling even closer to Wendy. The baker wrapped an arm around her, her hand resting on her waist, while her other hand held Irene's cold ones. Irene giggled as her girlfriend pressed soft kisses against her knuckles before holding them tightly, sharing her warmth. Wendy threaded her fingers through Irene's locks, playing with her hair as they both basked under the silvery glow of the moonlight. The stars above shimmered, and Wendy noted how Irene's eyes would twinkle just like that whenever she teamed up with Katy to .

She stole a fleeting glance at her girlfriend, whose focus was completely absorbed by the night sky, in absolute wonder, as if her earlier stress had evaporated. Wendy couldn't resist gazing at Irene's profile, appreciating how her gentle yet defined jawline beautifully framed her doll-like face. She noticed how Irene's lips, the ones she adored kissing, would slightly part in amazement as the sky transitioned into vibrant colours. She marvelled at how Irene's sharp, intense eyes would soften into crescents whenever Wendy brought over leftover pastries from the bakery. Irene eventually shifted her attention back to Wendy, rolling her eyes as she caught the affection practically oozing from Wendy's gaze, but failing to hide the faint pink hue tinting her cheeks.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Irene asked, her curiosity piqued by the intense gaze Wendy had fixed upon her, as though she were peering into her very core. It was a bit unusual, but she had grown quite used to it. She preferred Wendy's undivided attention to her and only her.

"I was trying to count the stars in your eyes, but I lost track," Wendy mused, and Irene cringed at her cheesy comment.

"Thank goodness you're cute, because I might have thrown