Saehyun’s footsteps were heard clearly across the marble foyer in the silence of the castle. Tao could not be heard, she figured it was his training as well as her father’s insistence that servants were seen not heard. She had no idea where he would be at the moment, but announcing her presence seemed to be a good place to start.

He always seemed to be in the kitchen when she wasn’t looking for him, but she doubted that he would be there now. Instead, she decided to head up the grand staircase and see if he was still in that room she had seen him in this morning. 

Tao no longer followed her as she was safe within the castle walls and she was alone when she walked in the hallway. She saw her father slowly backing out of one of the rooms, closing the door carefully behind him and she quieted her steps as she came up right behind him.

“Father!” She said loudly and he visibly jumped at the sound of her voice. He had a hand over his chest when he turned around to face her to calm his heart.

“Yes, sweetheart? Is something wrong? You scared me.” He told her smoothly, his words didn’t even waver despite his heart rate going at a million miles per hour.

“I am back from being outside.” She said happily, putting on an act. She had to ease him into the information that she had just learned. After all, if it was true then he had been keeping it a secret from her for years now.

All this time that he had told her not to leave the castle had not been for her own personal safety, but rather the safety of his secret. He knew that if she went outside then Lay would tell her the truth. But he had let her go outside today, because she was by this room earlier.

"Did you have fun?" He asked her, "You were so desperate to see the sun, I hope you enjoyed it." He put his hand on her shoulder, leading her away from the door and waking towards the kitchen.

"It was fun, the sun was nice. But I heard some things from the townspeople today." She told him cunningly, she would have to avoid using Lay's name as that would immediately alert her father that she was on to him. But she wanted him to tell her himself, after all, she had trusted him.

"Oh really, dear, what was that? Have I been buying ice cream too often?" He joked, taking another bucket out of the freezer and handing her a spoon. She took it willingly and looked inside the bucket, it was always her favorite flavor, strawberry.

She took a scoop, thinking about the meaning behind this ice cream. Her father must have been bringing it to keep her distracted, to keep her from asking him questions. To keep her from asking him to go outside. 

This was a bribe for her trust and love, he brought her ice cream out of fear, if Lay was right. But Lay had no reason to lie to her, he had looked so scared when he told her he thought she was the one that was dying.

“The milk lady says you buy one flavor too much, she wants you to try other things.” She said, in a bit of a whiny voice.

“But you love strawberry.” He replied back, “That’s why I always get it."

“I do. But she said she has a really good chocolate one where it’s not that sweet.” She told him, “And I wouldn’