It has been days since the slow of the business in the House. Understandable, as their frequent patrons are all cooped up in the training camp as the tension in the Northern Kingdom heightens. The House holds valuable secrets, as men can be slaves to their pleasure. Baekhyun is practicing in the music room where she’s usually alone. The lack of clientele has led her to start an impromptu performance for her noonas – unnie, Baekhyunnie. We’re your unnies – to give them some kind of entertainment, somehow.

She runs her fingers across the strings, melody drifting in the air, soothing her listener’s mind and puts their thoughts at ease. This is what everyone needs, her noona’s in the House, Madam Shim and General Park Chanyeol who has already situated himself behind the line of trees across the window of the music room. It may have been irresponsible to use Minseok’s preoccupation on the Northern affairs to escape from the camp but he cannot help it.

It has only been a few days since the elder General has come back with the grim news and the King laying down a command for every armed force of the East to prepare to aid the North at any time but the mood of the whole kingdom has drastically declined. The tension is palpable and the townsfolk are on alert. The good relations between the two kingdoms has only strengthened through the years that it seemed like the North and the East have already merged into one.

The thought reminded Chanyeol of the Crown Prince and he sighs in defeat.

He needs this. He needs to see Baekhyun’s crescent-like eyes when she smiles, the ends of her lips tugging up and her tinkling laugh as she downplays her skill, more for humility that anything else. He needs to hear the soft notes that Baekhyun’s fingers produce with every caress on her harp and her heavenly voice during the times that she finds herself too lost in the music, words after words spilling from her lips in perfect harmony.

Baekhyun is the gem of the House and the brightest star in Chanyeol’s life.

The harp suddenly stopped and followed by unintelligible murmuring but Chanyeol has been there for too many times to count to know that the ladies of the House are probably asking Baekhyun for another song. They have always done this, more often lately as they do not have clients to make use of their time with. The General finds himself admiring every inch of Baekhyun’s side, the limited view that he has been granted, and feels his heart flutter at the blush that adorns his beloved’s cheeks.

She hid herself behind her palms as some of the House ladies started to crowd around her. That disrupts Chanyeol’s view, starting a frown on his features, so he involuntarily adjusts himself, a few steps to his right until he can see Baekhyun once again. She looks timidly at the ladies while shaking her head vehemently. What could the others ask of her, have her react that way?

Chanyeol did not have time to ponder for an answer as Baekhyun was swiftly turned by her shoulders to where the General has been watching. And just like the other times, the General turns on his heels and runs, heart caught on his throat and not catching the look of defeat on Baekhyun’s eyes as she sees the tall soldier with interestingly adorable ears rushing out of view. Just like how he always does.

Captain Oh Sehun was tasked by General Kim Minseok to oversee the training of Luhan. It only came to the Captain the doubt over his assignment. If Luhan is already a fighter under the favor of the Northern King, what more could Sehun’s training camp do for the nobleman? He had tried to seek the General for answers but General Kim has been busy with the affairs regarding the North. The whole armed forces of the East has been put on high alert and more pressure was put on Sehun to engage the soldiers into proper training to equip them for an impending battle, if not an all-out war against the conquerors of the North.

Even though the training camp is hectic, Sehun is bound by an order of a higher ranking official and so he waits for Luhan by the arena for their scheduled sparring session. The Captain has tried to improvise a training program for Luhan by asking him for skills that he would want to hone. Oh Sehun is a prided soldier with skills at par with a few dozen men, the main reason why he has been elected as the Head of the camp at a young age. The nobleman has asked for a close combat training and lucky for him, the Captain champions most of the army in the battle of wit and strength.

He has stripped out of his armor and opted for comfortable clothing for easier maneuvering and also asked Luhan to do the same. Learning and mastering the basics are the fundamental foundations for hand-to-hand combat and it will be easier without the drag of the heavy metal armor. And also, Sehun did not want to put too much burden on the nobleman because he has just healed from his injuries and if he is being honest with himself, he does not see Luhan as the fighter that he was claimed to be.

From the days of his visit in the infirmary to check his condition, Sehun is sure that he lacks the acquired physique of a warrior like him