A/N: Sorry for not updating in a while. I think I had a bit of post-NaNo stress disorder, so I had to get away from it for a bit, plus I had inspiration for Beyond the Looking Glass (my new fic, go check it out! 8D *bricked for shameless self-promotion), so that distracted me from this. Anyway, read on!

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The king continued to sing for a bit, but eventually, the notes died off, carried away by the wind, leaving behind nothing but the murmurs of the stirring air.

Although Seulhee desperately wanted a glimpse of the king’s face, she knew she shouldn’t be spying on him, and if she were caught, there was no telling what the consequences might be. Slowly and silently, she descended the stairs, hoping that the king wouldn’t suddenly turn around and see her, or begin making his way down soon after her and discover her.

She reached the bottom after what seemed like an eternity, and hurried down the next few flights of stairs to return to her room, her heart pounding with every step, even after she was long gone from the upper floors of the palace.

***

She didn’t tell Sungjong about her almost run-in with the king. It felt as if she had been intruding on a private moment, and there wasn’t anything she would gain from letting him know about it. He would probably scold her for taking risks, or something to that effect. And he would have been right.

Soon enough her week was over, and during the remainder of the time that she spent working in the upper floors, she never came across the king again. A missed opportunity, unfortunately.

More recently, the council coalition seemed disgruntled. The noblemen argued more often and insulted one another’s intelligence and questioned others’ motives. Seulhee had a feeling that whatever information she had passed on to Sungjong had been used to drive rifts between the council members. They didn’t appear to trust one another anymore, at least not as much as they used to. Even those who had been closer were now suspicious of one another.

Seulhee figured that as conniving as these men were, it was no wonder they were beginning to turn paranoid. If each person individually lived for scheming and manipulating others, of course they would suspect that the others were doing the same and think that perhaps someone was cheating them in some way. They had agreed to share the benefits of their work, but the sharing didn’t have to be perfectly equal.

***

The spring Festival of Lilies arrived in time, and Seulhee was given a day off to leave the palace and relax in the city. She and Sungjong left together that morning. He had offered to show her around the capital because she had never really been anywhere else besides the palace ever since she had first arrived. For so long she had dreamed of being in the city, and now here she was, though she hadn’t gotten there in the way she had expected.

The first thing Sungjong did was take her to a stand selling baked pastries. “This place has been here for as long as I can remember, and it’s always sold the most amazing treats.” He grinned at the little old lady running the stand. “Right?”

“Of course. Sungjong here has been my frequent customer since he was a little boy. I’ve watched him grow up.” She turned to look at the stable boy. “You never told me you met a girl.”

“It’s not like that at all, granny,” Sungjong laughed. “Seulhee’s my friend from the palace. She can’t hear or speak, but she can read lips,” he explained.

“Ah. So that’s how it is. You are lucky to have him as a friend, child.” Agreeing wholehearted, Seulhee nodded and smiled in response. Without him, she probably would have been more than a bit lost, not to mention lonely.

The next place they visited was a flower shop. It was bustling with people and had spilled out onto the street, with tables set outside the entrance. The neighboring shopkeepers looked a bit peeved, but let it go given the occasion. There wasn’t a point in raising a fuss on a holiday.

Back home in the village, boys would hand-pick lilies from the nearby pond to give to girls they fancied. Seulhee had never gotten a lily from anyone besides Sungyeol, and that had been a friend-to-friend gesture. Sungyeol himself had actually gotten one or two from girls. It was less common for girls to do that, but it did happen.

“Seulhee, you don’t have a betrothed back home, do you?” Sungjong asked, examining some of the flowers on display. He gently passed his long fingers over the petals.

She shook her head. A few weeks before she had left, her parents had been discussing finding her a husband, but once Dongwoo had shown up, that had become a moot point.

He went over to the counter and handed some coins over the clerk before returning, a white lily in hand. “Here,” he said, holding it out. “Oh, wait, I’ll put it in your hair.” Reaching out, he tucked the flower behind her ear, whispering a few words. When he let go of the lily, it didn’t fall off, even though it was quite large.

Seulhee mouthed her thanks. Moments later, she herself had bought a pink lily and was placing it in Sungjong’s hair. He laughed and thanked her, using the same spell from earlier to keep it in place, and they continued on their way.

Sungjong seemed to know everyone around these parts of the capital, and the people all knew him as well and greeted him cheerily. He had grown up in this area, so he knew it like the back of his hand. As they walked down various streets, he would tell her the names of people and places they passed by, sometimes adding an interesting story or two about them.

It reminded her of the village back home, where she had known everyone, but it was also different. The people of the village had lived mundane lives, with little excitement. Here in the city, where there were always people coming and going, the chance of something interesting happening was much greater.

They turned down onto another street, and as they did, Seulhee caught sight of a familiar tall figure. She nearly yelled out his name on reflex—a reflex she didn’t realize she still had. With no way to get his attention and too many people between them, she tapped Sungjong and pointed. The older boy spotted the tall young man and yelled, “Sungyeol!”

Hearing his name, Sungyeol turned around. He noticed the two of them waving and began walking toward them.

“Good morning,” Sungjong said, smiling. “Are you out for the holiday as well?”

“Yes.”Sungyeol glanced at the flowers decorating their hair, and Seulhee wondered if he was remembering the time that he had given her a lily. That had been two years ago. The previous year, Sungyeol had already come to the capital, and Seulhee had spent the holiday alone. She didn’t want to think about it. “How are things going for you?”

“Very well, thank you,” replied Sungjong. “I was showing Seulhee around the city. She hasn’t been anywhere besides the palace.”

The taller boy looked from Sungjong to Seulhee, who met his gaze directly. Perhaps it was stupid of her, but she assumed that he was thinking the same thing she was: Sungyeol should have been the one to show her around the capital.

“If you want, you can take her around to see things.” Sungjong apparently hadn’t missed the exchanged look. “You’re old friends, right?”

Sungyeol glanced at Seulhee. “Do you want to come with me?” he asked. There was a distinct note of hesitation in his voice.

Seulhee dipped her head in reply and waved farewell to Sungjong. “Have fun,” he called after them as they walked away.