She pulled down her hood to cover her face as much as possible as she walked down the streets. She could feel the people's stares on her, and she could even detect some disdain in their eyes. She looked down, and tried to appear inconspicuous. But with her bright red hair that was a little hard to accomplish.

She turned right, and went inside Hyori's shop. Upon seeing her, the woman immediately grabbed her hand and looked around discreetly before making her sit down on a table in the back.

"What haven't you been telling me? What was that at the New Year's Market?!" 

She thought the woman was angry, and so she lowered her head as she tried to think of an answer.

"I don't know!" She exclaimed. "I have absolutely no idea why he did that, okay? I just know him from when he fell in the forest...."

"Wait wait," Hyori stopped her. "He's the merchant you told me about?"

"Well yes. But I didn't know he was a merchant then." She clarified lest her best friend thought she lied. "I only found out when the royal guards came and took him away."

"What kind of relationship do you have with him?" Hyori asked.

She hesitated for a moment. She wasn't even sure herself. She rescued him, mended his wounds, and he stayed with her for a few carefree days. That was all to it. Yet when he suddenly grabbed and kissed her at the market she felt something strange. Something that was as electrifying as it was scary. Something that scared her with its magnitude.

Something very much like....

"I'm not sure." Was all she said to Hyori. 

They sat there, and stared at each other before Hyori broke into a smile.

"I think girl friends are supposed to tell each other about these things."

"I'm sorry. It's just that...." She paused. "The Princess went to my house the other day."

"What for?" Hyori sat straight.

"She accused me of seducing Seunghyun. And she said she can have me hung for witchcraft."

Hyori's jaw dropped to the floor.

"She isn't serious is she? Bom this is dangerous! Do you know the extent of her power in this kingdom?"

She sighed. Somehow things escalated into a hot mess faster than she could turn a crow into a crocodile.

-------------------------------------------------------------

She exited Hyori's shop, with the female's words ringing in her mind. 

"Stay away from him for now. Just avoid him if you see him. It's best to let things quiet down. I heard the King is having an engagement ball for the Princess not far from now. Things should settle down by then."

How did she get here anyway? Her life as a witch was already exciting enough without all this inside it.

She walked, staring blankly ahead when suddenly she saw a horse stood in her path. She looked up, and the rider was none other than....

Well, speaking of the devil.

"What do you want?" She stared straight at Seunghyun, in surprisingly casual attire, sitting on top of the horse. 

"It's a beautiful day today isn't it?" He said, looking at her sheepishly as she narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you say we...."

"Leave me alone." She said before she brushed past his horse. His horse trotted beside her as she walked, the hooves clicking on the pavement like some sort of serenade.

"Look I know I wasn't exactly tactful when I...kissed you in public," He blocked her way with his horse again. "But you admit that you felt something too, right?"

She stared into his eyes, those deep intense orbs that could possibly melt even the coldest of hearts, including hers.

"What exactly is it that you want?" 

"Look, just...." He stuttered, and scratched the back of his head. "Spend the day with me. If at anytime you want to leave, I won't interfere."

She and him stared at each other for minutes before she borked the contact.

"No thanks." She walked pass his horse, and looked straight ahead. But suddenly, his horse swooped by and his arm s around her waist and pulled her up beside him on the horse's back. 

"What are you doing?!"

"Hold on tight!" He said before pulling on the reins, making the horse zipped faster straight into the Sanctuary forest. She fell forward and her face landed on his solid back as her arms unwittingly went around his waist. He smiled.

As much as she hated to admit it, there was something about the way the wind whipped through her hair and the warmth he gave off that were comforting yet exhilarating at the same time.

"Where are we going?!" She shouted as trees and bushes passed by rapidly.

"You'll see."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Even though she lived inside Sanctuary forest, its massive size made it impossible for her to know every nook and crannies, which explained why they ended up in a place she've never seen before on the other side of the mountain far from her house.

She gazed with amazement as she looked at the scene. The word beautiful came to mind, yet she felt that it didn't even came near to describing the place.

Elysian? That would be a little bit more fitting.

There was a beautiful field of colorful flowers all around her. Orchids, roses, violets,....anything that she could thought of grew by the masses and showed off their beautiful dresses in the dancing sunlight. The breeze blew gently like a caress, and the endless blue sky ahead made the whole place looked like a distant reverie. 

She felt a hand in her hair, and turned around to see Seunghyun putting a small blossom of a blue lily in her hair. He  smiled that smile of his, and suddenly swung her on his back and ran through the flower field. He spun around and jumped up and down as she held on tight on his back. He laughed loudly as he carried her around on his back, racing with the butterflies and chasing the dragonflies until he dropped down on his knees and laid her on her back. They laid side by side, amid the swaying flowers. He looked at her, and she immediately stood up and walked away, her face red as she tried her best not to succumb to his charms. He followe closely behind her, with a look of amusement judging by his raised brow.

She walked, Seunghyun behind her, until she reached a lake not far from the flower field. The water was golden from the sunlight, and the rays danced off the water surface and created an elegant kaleidoscope. She dipped her feet inside the cool water, letting the water slipped between the curves of her toes and feeling the slippery rocks below.

Seunghyun was suddenly right beside her, and he smiled at her before taking off his shirt to reveal his toned body.

"Wha....?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest to prevent him from molesting her. "If you try anything funny I'll..."

He ran pass her, leaving dumbfounded as he dove right into the lake. Moments later his head popped up from the water and he wiped his face before smiling at her.

"The water's great. Care to join?!" He yelled.

She stared, mystified as he swam inside the water with strong and steady . He looked like he wasn't the type of Prince who just sat on a throne all day and ate as much as possible.

Moments later, she looked at him as he stopped swimming and started fishing with a sharp wooden branch in his hands. She observed as he jabbed the water powerfully, the water dripping off his as he went. The same strange feeling churned inside her stomach, and she contemplated whether she should just make a fish appear out of nowhere with her magic so that she wouldn't have to look at him like that anymore. But he turned around with a wiggling fish on his hand before she could do just that.

He attempted to start a fire, struggling in a few fruitless minutes filled with frustrated grunts before she sighed and sparked a flame suddenly with a snap of her fingers. He grinned at her, to which she ignored. He started grilling the two fish he caught on sticks, and the smell made her stomach let loose an unattractive sound.

"Want one?" He asked, laughter in his voice as he beckoned her over from the rock where she was sitting. 

He handed her a grilled fish, and bit into his hungrily. She watched as he chewed loudly, exhibiting the habits that was not supposed to be those of a prince's. He looked up at her with fish meat all around his lips, and although she tried not to she giggled a little.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Soon it was evening, and the sky turned marmalade. They went back to his horse and he took her to her house.

"Thanks," she said. "For today."

She was about to go inside when he stopped her.

"Look," He sighed before continuing. "There's a ball..."

"Night." She cut him off, impulsively planting a peck on his cheeks before disappearing behind the doors. He stood there, wonder struck. She could even hear his loud cheer from inside the house as he got on his horse and rode away.