"Umma, the porridge is ready!" Byul called out. She took a small mouth of the congee she just made and bit her lip.

She really didn't have a talent in cooking didn't she. Well at least one wouldn't gag when they tried her porridge this time, it just wasn't delicious or anything. Well it COULD be delicious to a starving man who hadn't eaten for three days in a row though.

Mrs Han came out from her room and Jaeho gave an audible groan that was heard throughout the house. "Noona, you're cooking again?" he complained. "Why doesn't Umma do the cooking anymore?"

Byul made a face at her brother as she laid out the dishes. She made simple porridge with steamed vegetables. She realized that steamed vegetables were the safest type of food she could cook because they involved water and veggies with nothing else.

Even though it made her feel like a freaking sheep eating grass, it was still better than endangering her and her family's health by cooking other dishes.

Mrs Han smiled at her son had laughed. "I want to cook too, Jaeho, but your noona doesn't let me."

Byul pouted. "I just want you to have your ample rest and enjoy life like you're supposed to-" "Meh." Jaeho cut in, wrinkling his nose. "You're just bored because you have nothing to do and you're snatching the chores from umma." he pointed out. "I'd rather you not do that though, I haven't had a decent meal in ages."

"You brat!" Byul whacked Jaeho's head lightly and pouted.

Mrs Han shushed her two children and the meal commenced. As expected, it wasn't mouth-wateringly good. It was bearable, which was a notch up compared to the previous meal which had been downright tear jerkingly awful.

Byul really wasn't cut out for such house-wifey kind of thing, was she.

"Anyway noona," Jaeho chewed on the veggie once and spat it out, shuddering. "When is Ddong-hyung and Chanyeol hyung coming to visit us?" he asked innocently. "We're on a vacation back home aren't we? When are we going back?"

Byul's chopsticks stopped in mid-air and she froze. Mrs Han stopped eating and looked at her son. "Jaeho.."

"Jaeho ah," Byul forced a smile and picked her brother up, scooping him onto her lap. "I thought you told noona that you didn't want to stay in the palace anymore. Remember how the Park Seongsaengnim's son treated you? Isn't it better to be back?"

Jaeho huffed as he thought about it. "Well yeah that teacher was kind of unbearable." he winced. "But I like the Palace food and the cloud bed." he grinned. "And then there's Ddong-hyung and Chanyeol hyung and the rest of the EXO hyungnims. It's nice back at home but I miss hyung-nims." he said honestly with no disguise.

Byul bit her lip. "What if you don't get to meet any of those hyung-nims ever again?" she asked tentatively. Mrs Han sighed softly, heartbroken for what had happened.

"Why?" Jaeho asked innocently, not understanding. "Why aren't we going to meet the hyung-nims anymore? Sehun hyung and I are supposed to have a rematch at tic tac toe." he complained. "And Kai hyung is supposed to teach me dancing. Ddong-hyung was supposed to give me candy for the poem I wrote the other time."

"Jaeho, I can buy you candy too." Byul whispered, swallowing. "We aren't going to meet the princes again, Jaeho. That's because we're not going back to the Palace. And the princes aren't going to come here either. Your noona isn't going to marry the Ddong-hyung anymore, isn't that great? No more childish hyung to fight with you anymore."

Jaeho took several moments to respond. He stared at his sister for an unusually long period of time and then deflated. "Is that why we're home? Because you aren't going to marry Ddong-hyung?" he murmured. He set down his chopsticks, his appetite fading. "I never said it out loud noona but....but I like Ddong-hyung. Even though he's mean." he admitted. "I like quarreling with him and I like how he kisses noona on the cheek when he thinks I'm not looking."

Byul's eyes watered at his words. "I'm a big boy now, noona." Jaeho muttered. "If this is what noona wants, I'm fine with it. As long as noona is happy." he forced a beam.

Byul crushed her brother to her chest and hugged him tight. "I'm happy. I'm really happy, Jaeho. I'm happy as long as I have the two of you."

-----

"Don't you think it's time to go back?" Mrs Han looked at her daughter who was washing the dishes. Byul froze ever so subtly and regained her calm, continuing with what she was doing. "What are you talking about? Why would we go back?" Byul faked a laugh. "Isn't it nice like this where we're back to our old calm lives?"

"You know for one calm isn't the life for you, Byul." Mrs Han said knowingly. "And I don't want you giving up your happiness with Baekhyun just because your brother and I weren't having the time of our lives in the Palace." she sighed.

"Weren't having the time of your lives?" Byul whirled around, tearing up. "You were scrubbing floors, Umma. Jaeho was being forced to do physical training like he was a slave. I can't watch you two get bullied like this without doing anything!"

Mrs Han touched her daughter's arm. "I understand your concern for us but I don't want you to sacrifice what you have with Baekhyun either." she reasoned. "There has to be some way to make it work between the two of you while minimizing the damages. Do you think you can be happy without him here?"

Byul nodded stiffly. "I'll manage somehow."

Mrs Han shook her head. "I hope you think this through again, Byul. I don't want you to regret this later in your life, because I'm sure it's going to haunt you forever. Good things don't come easy, especially when one's a prince and the other is a bodyguard. Whatever the case, I want you to be happy, Byul."

Byul opened to speak but Mrs Han cut her off. "Happy for real, Byul. Not faking smiles and trying to cook when all you want to do is go out to ride a horse and climb trees. I want you to smile genuinely, Byul."

A single messenger riding a midnight black horse, galloping into the castle grounds was the first sign of what was about to happen next.

The poor messenger had travelled night and day and had finally reached the palace, and almost collasped on the spot. He shakily went to meet the King, Queen and Baekhyun, panting and heaving as he passed a crumpled hurriedly written letter to the King.

Baekhyun watched anxiously as his father paled and his hands trembled as he clutched the paper. "Oh no." he whispered.

Baekhyun swallowed. "What is it, Abeonim?" he asked urgently. "What news?"

The King looked visibly shaken. "The boundary officers wrote to us." he muttered. "The Japanese troops have launched a surprise attack on us and they have gotten into Korea, advancing towards the Capital City and moving towards the Palace. Son, they're trying to take over Korea."

Baekhyun felt a shiver of despair run down his spine and he wanted to cry out. First Byul had gone away and now this? Just how y his life could get?

"We have to alert the military immediately." The King tried to get up from his seat and wobbled, feeling dizzy from shock. Baekhyun rushed to his father and the King held on to his son, weak. "Abeonim, leave it to me. I won't let you down." Baekhyun promised.

The King met Baekhyun's eyes and Baekhyun gave a firm nod. The King gave a weak smile and settled back into his chair. "Alert everyone, immediately. Send guards to evacuate everyone within the Japanese troop's path and make sure absolutely no one gets hurt."

The King softened and touched Baekhyun's arm. "I'm counting on you, Baekhyun."

Baekhyun nodded. "I won't let you down."

He whirled around, full of determination and confidence, a picture completely different from his usual quirky self. He strode quickly to bark out orders to the appropriate ministers, and all the time something kept nagging at the back of his mind.

If only Byul was with him right now. If only.

-----

Sora watched the citizens get ushered by palace guards. They were carrying their belongings and fleeing the place with absolute panic written on their faces. It pained Sora to think that these emotions were caused by her father and brothers, the ones leading the battle.

It pained her even more to think that she was the one who caused all this in the first place, because it was she who had sent the letter to signal for attack.

Sora closed her eyes and bit her lip. "Stop thinking like this. You're getting too into the show." she hissed to herself. "Don't forget that you are Aimi Higashiyama, not Im Sora. Did you really think you were her just because you were taught korean culture from young?"

Sora shook her head and sighed. "You're a Japanese, Aimi. Just because you fell in love with a Korean guy doesn't make you otherwise."