She woke with the birds chirping at her window and the sun was up high in the sky. Hyolim stretched her arms over her head eagerly and she felt her muscles protest as she wanted to sleep a bit more. 

But she had slept too much for that, she had to get up and do things or else she would be sleeping all day. Of course, it might have had to do with her slight depression at the situation but that wasn’t going to stop her. 

She walked to her closet and got her clothes as she got ready for the day with a shower. She picked a simple pink dress and she used a headband to put her bangs out of her eyes. She gave herself a quick pep talk before leaving her room, the hallway was dark out, just lit by the candle chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. 

She looked around and there was complete silence around her, not even a single servant was running down the halls. Hyolim sighed to herself as she turned towards the way she came, following the smell of food. She pressed a hand on her stomach and it growled loudly. 

"That's what you get for skipping dinner." Dongwoo said, playfully scolding her. "Were you afraid to be next to His Majesty?"  

Hyolim frowned at him, "No, I fell asleep with the intention of taking a short nap before dinner but I didn't wake up until this morning." She replied haughtily. 

"Oh, then you really must be hungry.” Dongwoo told her. “We have some breakfast prepared for you and then we shall proceed with my activity for you. It’s something rather unique, I think that is the best word for me to describe the experience that you’ll have.” He explained to her. 

“Should I be worried?” She asked him as they turned the corner into the kitchen, she noticed that the cook was stirring some batter in a bowl and she smiled happily.  

“No, it is an activity just for you. So there is no problem that you will encounter, I think. But for now, do you prefer waffles or pancakes?” He asked her.  

“Waffles. With blueberry syrup if possible.” She replied. “If it’s not too much to ask.”  

Dongwoo smiled at her and she noticed he had a wide smile, it was rather contagious as she felt less anxiety when he was speaking with her. “Not at all. You are our guest.” He said, giving a nod to the cook.  

She was presented with a warm plate that had waffles, blueberry syrup and powdered sugar standing nicely on each other, the four quarters made to look pretty.  

“For the lady.” Dongwoo said, handing her a fork and walking off to leave her in her privacy. She said a small prayer to thank for her food before starting to dig in. Hyolim devoured the food very quickly, as her stomach was begging for food.  

She succumbed to the pleasure of up the syrup to get every bit of blueberry. “Finished my lady?” Dongwoo said, walking back into the room, his hands behind his back. 

“Yes, but what are you planning for me?” She asked him, following as he started to lead the way. They walked down the hallway, further away from her room, closer to the other wing. Her anxiety grew slightly again, but Dongwoo turned to her, “Do not worry, you are by yourself in the castle today. His Majesty is out for the day so if you are nervous about what could happen, you do not need to be.” He said calmly as they stopped before a very elaborate door. 

It had a curved archway, and the wooden door was painted navy blue with a singular golden doorknob. Dongwoo reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring and handed it to her. 

She took it and examined the key on it as it was also golden and it had some weight as she held it in her hand.  

“Please, this is your first adventure. I will see you when you return.” He told her, bowing once and walking away. His footsteps clacking against the marble floor as he disappeared from her. She looked down at the key once again and looked at the door. 

It didn’t make any sense, how could a room be an adventure? But she couldn’t stop herself from feeling curious about what he could possibly mean. What could be behind the door, and she had nothing else to do. 

Slowly turning the key and then she closed the door, before turning around and the world was completely different. A new village was presented to her and the sky was as blue as it was outside the castle. 

It seemed to be like the actual village, she was in the middle of the market, where people were exchanging money for fruit or vegetables. She saw some merchants selling jewelry to men and women alike. 

The straw huts above the stalls were sewn together and bound tightly to keep the rain out for whenever it rained. All of them were continuing to go about their day as if she didn’t just walk through a door into their world. She shook her head in confusion, this was not possible. There was no way. 

“What.” Hyolim said aloud, turning around to go back through the door, but it disappeared behind her. “What.” She said again. 

“You have to complete the quest in order to leave.” Someone said behind her and she turned around and saw a little boy speaking with her.  

“Hyunjae?” She asked, reaching down for the little boy. He looked exactly like the boy in her after school group. 

“No. But you have to complete the quest to leave. Good luck.” He said again, running off away from her. 

“Hyunjae!” She shouted, running after him. The people of the village were busy ignoring her and going about their day. “Hyunjae!” She shouted again, but the boy disappeared. 

She stopped in the middle of the road, when two big men approached her and she ran in the opposite direction. They started to follow her and she kept her calm, to avoid screaming and attracting attention. 

“Young miss! Stop! You must answer our questions!” They called after her. “Young miss! Stop!" 

Hyolim looked at them and they slowed down to prove that they were not wanting to harm her. “What kind of questions?” She shouted, keeping a good amount of distance between them. They were on the main street of the market and all the people grew quiet, staring and not completing the bargains as she was drawing attention to herself. 

“We need to know if you have the knowledge of the world.” They said simply, taking one step closer towards her. 

She reacted by taking one step back, “Such as?” She asked. 

“It’s rather simple for now. But why are the four kingdoms divided up?” One of the men asked her.  

“Because the King divided up the country for his son and nephews to compete against each other when his son turned 25. His Majesty turns 25 next month. He has to be married in order to compete for the throne and he is not married yet.” She answered fully, taking another step back. 

“What is a food that has good benefits but is also forbidden?” The other man asked her, taking a step closer. 

Hyolim continued to respond defensively by backing away from them once again, “Apple. The forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden. Health benefits but because of the temptation by the snake, Eve succumbed." She answered. 

"We have three more, there is a series of five questions." The men said, "Please remain calm." 

"I am calm. However, you need to keep this distance between us." She replied back, "I have a problem with threats that are bigger than me." 

The men frowned at her but stopped moving forward, "Very well." 

“Don’t trust them.”  

Author's Note;;
hey hey~ so it's been a while hasn't it? 
sorry >< got busy, it's now finals week in Korea.
So I have to focus on studying. but I managed to get this out!
Hopefully you like it :D if you don't understand what's happening.
I am following the bluebeard fairy tale with the rooms haha~
so let's just take this journey together :3