They reached the nearest town and stopped for lunch. Hansol still hadn’t spoken to anyone and no one questioned him. He was the prince, and it wasn’t their place to say anything. Sehyuk still hadn’t woken up and Nakta was keeping a close eye on him. Hansol felt sorry for him, but he also wasn’t sure if he could trust his friend. What if he had wanted the sword and that was the reason he insisted on carrying it? Hansol had been weighing the situation over several times in his mind and there was something about Sehyuk that just didn’t add up. He didn’t feel like the culprit. Hansol felt as if it was something else, but he wasn’t sure who he could talk to about it. What if there was a spy?

While they were eating lunch in the woods, Byungjoo smiled at Hansol. “Hey, can we talk?” He asked the question very cautiously, remembering the young prince’s last words to him.

Hansol frowned, tying his horse to a log, where she started eating the grass around her. “Sure.” His answer was brisk and harsh. “Eat. We don’t have a lot of time to sit here, so get to the point.”

Byungjoo winced, knowing that he deserved the harsh words. “I’m sorry for getting angry earlier. I thought you were accusing my father, and I was wrong.”

“Yup,” Hansol answered stubbornly, looking at him expectantly. “I know that your father is a hell of a lot more trustworthy than my own, but what if he had done something on MY father’s orders? He wouldn’t have a choice. However, I don’t think he had anything to do with this. There may not even be anything to worry about. Sehyuk might just be acting weird because of the sword and its power. I have no idea and I don’t know what we’ll have to deal with when he wakes up, you know? As I said before, it’s not your father that I don’t trust, Byungjoo.”

They ate in silence for a moment, then Byungjoo nodded slowly, feeling stupid for jumping to the conclusion he had previously assumed. “Okay. Well, I will try to think things through more before accusing you, next time. I’m sorry.”

Hansol sighed deeply, smiling at him. “It’s okay. Thank you for seeing my side of it. I’m sorry for accusing and getting jumpy with you. You didn’t deserve that.”

Byungjoo finished his sandwich and rolled up the rapper into a tight ball. He began tossing in between his hands while he thought. “You’re welcome. I’ll try to understand you more, in the future.”

Hansol cocked his head to the side, studying the younger man. “When did you start noticing me? Don’t pretend that you haven’t. I know better than that.”

Byungjoo was caught off guard by the question, and found it hard to respond to. “Hansol, I noticed you a long time ago, when we were children. You were always above my status, so I never tried to approach anything. However, now that I am getting to know you on a differ