"Nice shot!" A woman with a slightly deeper voice stood up and clapped when the arrow shot right through the middle of the target, leaving a hole on the thin film of paper. "You have such great strength and accuracy!" The woman gave a firm pat on Seulgi's back and Seulgi stumbled forward a little because she was afterall, smaller in size. 

"Thank you." Seulgi nodded at her teacher and the woman laughed with her deep voice again. Some of the guards were standing by and the new servants watched in awe with their mouths agape when the crown princess could shoot at the target so effortlessly. A few of them even felt their hearts skipping a small beat when the crown princess used the cloth to wipe off her sweat on her neck. 

"Alright, that's it for today. Get some rest Seulgi." Her teacher smiled at her proudly. 

"I will. You rest well too, Teacher Kwon." Seulgi bowed at her teacher politely and walked to her tent where all her servants were at. Yoon Ah quickly poured a cup of tea for Seulgi when the princess plopped herself down on the wooden chair after standing under the hot sun for the entire shooting session. 

"Your Highness, please." Yoon Ah passed Seulgi the cup which Seulgi took it and gulped down immediately. "Do you want more?" She asked as she was ready to pour another cup.

Seulgi turned to look up and beamed a soft smile at the head of servants. "No. Did Umuni call for me?"

"No, Your Highness. But Her Majesty asked me to pass this to you." Yoon Ah said as she pulled out a slip of paper from her sleeve. Seulgi opened the slip of paper and read it. The Empress told her that she should report to the court the next morning for court conference with the ministers. 

"Not again." Seulgi mumbled under her breath as she crushed the paper and placed it on the table. Nobody heard it as they were too busy maintaining their silence. All except one who had been glancing at the crown princess way too often and almost cheered whenever the princess shot right at the red dot. 

Joohyun giggled softly and that caught Seulgi's attention. Yoon Ah immediately snapped her head to her right to stare at the new girl who became flustered and dropped to her knees hastily, begging for forgiveness. "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I beg your mercy." Joohyun said in trembling voice and Seulgi stared at her for very long. This caused the atmosphere in the tent became very tensed and Yoon Ah had to step forward to beg for Seulgi's forgiveness too since she failed at teaching her subordinate. "I beg your mercy, Your Highness!" Their foreheads were touching the dirty grass and when the rest of the servants saw their Head begging for mercy, they dropped to their knees immediately and pleaded together. No one dared to raise their head up to look at the face of the princess. 

Seulgi was kind of amused at the sight of it. She meant no harm when she stared at the new girl called Joohyun, she was just thinking why was she so different from the rest. The others feared her and did not even take a glance at her but Joohyun did. Not once, but many times. She caught Joohyun looking at her whenever she walked back to the starting point to fire another arrow. She caught Joohyun stealing glances at her when they were taking a short break. The girl just kept staring at Seulgi. Not that Seulgi found it annoying, she was more of curious. 

"Rise." Seulgi said after a very long silence. All of them began to get on their feet hurriedly, fearing that the crown princess might change her mind and take their low lives instead. "Except you." 

Joohyun's jaw dropped when Seulgi pointed at her firmly and she immediately dropped back on her knees. She bowed forward and she was trembling already because the princess seemed to be very offended by her stupid giggle. "I-I-I-" 

"The rest of you, leave." Seulgi ordered and Yoon Ah wanted to step forward to beg for mercy again just in case Seulgi would order to have Joohyun beheaded. "Leave." Seulgi repeated without looking at Yoon Ah and Yoon Ah looked at Joohyun with pity before she bowed and left with the rest. They were all scared to death and even tripped when they left. They stood some distance away from the tent and watched nervously as Seulgi got up and walked to the girl kneeling fully on the ground. "Lift your head up." Seulgi said and Joohyun did it slowly, she could feel herself shivering in fear so badly. The person in front of her looked so different from the person she met ten years ago. "What's so funny?" Seulgi questioned with her narrowed eyes, staring down at the girl near her feet. 

"N-nothing, Your Highness." Joohyun answered and shook her head frantically. 

"Nothing?" Seulgi repeated. Her left eyebrow arched up as she continued to stare down at the girl. "What's your name?" 

"J-Joo Hyun." 

"JooHyun? Can I know the reason why you were staring at me." Seulgi said more like a statement. Her hands were clasped behind her back and she walked back to the chair to sit down again. Joohyun watched with her cold sweat forming at the side of her face as she tried to think of an answer. "No reason?" Seulgi asked and Joohyun nodded slowly. "How old are you?" 

"Eighteen, Your Highness." Joohyun replied. She felt as if Seulgi was thinking if eighteen years of her life was too long for her when Seulgi stopped to stare at her again. Her sharp eyes were daunting. The pair of soft grinning eyes could no longer be found on the princess' face. 

"Right. Get up." Seulgi nodded and said. 

Joohyun could not believe that Seulgi just spared her life and she did not get up right away. Seulgi frowned at her and repeated. "Get up." She said it more sternly this time and Joohyun scurried to get on her feet, hanging her head low as she did not dare to look at Seulgi again. The other servants not far away heaved a sigh of relief when they saw that Joohyun was standing up, which meant Seulgi did not want her life. "Scared to look at me again?" Seulgi said almost in a chuckle. Joohyun heard the amusement in Seulgi's face and she looked up curiously to see that the princess was indeed wearing a soft smile on her face. 

"Sorry-" 

"Call them to prepare the horse. I am going back." Seulgi ordered and looked at Joohyun when the girl did not move an inch. "I do not like to repeat myself." Seulgi eyed Joohyun in amusement again and giggled to herself only when the girl ran out of the tent to inform the rest. She did not even tell Seulgi that she was going but Seulgi let that off. Because the girl was interesting. 

"What did the princess say to you?" Seungwan asked her friend curiously and the girls all gathered in their resting room to find out the truth as of why Joohyun did not get beheaded. 

Joohyun rolled her eyes a little at the busybodies and she sighed. "I don't know. I was so scared when she kept questioning me. I almost peed my pants!" 

"Yikes Unnie! That's gross." Yerim grimaced and pushed Joohyun lightly on her arm. 

"What did she ask?" Seungwan asked while the rest listened attentively. 

"She-" 

"Joohyun, the princess calls you in." Yoon Ah suddenly appeared and dismissed the small crowd in the room. Joohyun jerked up and nodded before following Yoon Ah quickly while the other girls wished her luck and asked her to return safely. 

"Why did she call me?" Joohyun asked Yoon Ah who was like a sister to them. 

Yoon Ah shrugged and then stopped to look at Joohyun seriously. "Hyunnie, you shouldn't be so careless again. You could have your head chopped off, you know that?!" 

Joohyun nodded in annoyance because Yoon Ah was stating the obvious. "I know unnie. But why did she call me?" 

"I don't know. She was reading on her bed and then suddenly summoned me to call you. Maybe she wants to sleep with you." Yoon Ah joked and then started walking again. 

"Unnie!" Joohyun blushed and followed Yoon Ah quickly when the older girl was a few steps ahead of her already. "Do you think..." 

"Think that she really wants you to sleep with her?" Yoon Ah completed Joohyun's question for her and Joohyun nodded sheepishly which made Yoon Ah burst out laughing but she quickly stopped herself when she realised that she was in the palace. "Of course not!" Yoon Ah dropped her voice to a whisper and wiped the tear off her eye. "I don't think she is interested to sleep with any girl yet. I heard that she rejected the Empress' offer to match make her with some noble's daughter." 

Joohyun nodded slowly and she felt a mixture of emotions when she heard the news. Seulgi was going to end up marrying a noble's daughter or even a princess like perhaps her long distance cousin, why was she praying so hard that Seulgi would remember who she was? Nonetheless, she was relieved to know that Seulgi was not interested in getting married yet. 

"Why? Don't tell me you've fallen for our princess." Yoon Ah teased again and Joohyun shook her head frantically. "Oh well, don't be shy. Who wouldn't? She is so charming and handsome and pretty and-  oh we are here. Mind your words alright." Yoon Ah patted Joohyun's back and watched Joohyun going in before the door shut behind her. 

Joohyun's mind was in a chaos. Why did the princess summon her in at such late hour? Did she remember who she was already? Or maybe Yoon Ah's joke was right that the princess wanted to sleep with her because well, she knew herself that she was pretty and people had complimented her for her looks, she wouldn't be surprised- 

"Come in." Seulgi said when she saw Joohyun standing at the junction between her bedroom and the study room. Joohyun almost tripped when she heard Seulgi's voice because she was so deep in her thoughts. She nodded and bowed at the princess properly after she entered the room. It was quite a chilly night. 

Seulgi put away the book that she was reading and flipped her hair to her back before giving Joohyun the permission to get up. "How may I serve you, Your Highness?" Joohyun asked softly and her heart raced madly when Seulgi came off the bed. She thought that the girl was coming for her when she walked towards Joohyun but instead, Seulgi turned to her right to sit down on the big chair with the chess set on the table. 

"Do you know how to play chess?" Seulgi asked as she started arranging the chess set. Joohyun frowned. Did she call her in at such late hour just to ask her to play chess with her? 

"N-No, Your Highness." Joohyun hung her head low and answered politely. 

Seulgi chuckled and Joohyun lifted her head up when she heard the princess soft chuckle again. How she wished she could pinch the princess'