Ha-jin had slept lightly throughout the night, tossing and turning around on the bed she had yet to grow accustomed to. It was not as comfortable as hers back in the twenty-first century but it would have to make do, given how there was a long day ahead of her.

After being heavily chastised for running off alone into the night, Lady Hae had warned that punishment for daring to lay a hand on imperial family was imminent and that she would be duly dealt with, starting by grounding her.

If it wasn't for the Eighth Prince's intervention in effectively soothing his wife's rage, going out the following night would definitely come to a naught.

For a brief moment, Ha-jin was immensely thankful for the soft-spoken prince, nothing alike his irrational younger brother, whom she learnt afterwards to be called Wang Eun.

When the morning light broke, she barely restrained herself from dashing out the room, startling the servants who have entered to dress her.

She allowed them to perform their duties, despite insisting fervently she was capable of clothing herself, unwilling to trouble anyone further.

They left her to her own devices for the remainder of the day, which gave her the opportunity to raid her doppelgänger's wardrobe, picking out the finest accessories to accompany her look for the festival.

The thought made her lips curve into a broad grin – the prospect of meeting him and the promise he made.

She had to look ravishing, in order to match his own elegance.

Her fingers skimmed through the various choices before finally brushing against a beautifully-embroidered handkerchief, white peonies sewn onto the silk.

The flower that embodied beauty, coyness and romance – all of which she had affiliated with the Fourth Prince – who had fully invaded her mind, not that she had minded the least.

"Miss, are you ready?" Chae-ryung's voice echoed through the thinly-veiled door, breaking her reverie.

Ha-jin's head snapped to attention, realizing that the night had long fallen.

"Just a moment." She called back, checking her appearance in the mirror for the last time before moving towards the door.

At the last moment, her glance flitted towards her dressing table again, the handkerchief once again capturing her attention, just the very second her hand was about to twist on the handle.

"Miss?" The girl cried out again, the impatience coating her voice as she knocked rapidly on the door.

"I'm coming!" Ha-jin hesitated for a split second and yielded to the nagging in her head, making a quick grab for the fabric, which seemed to let out a triumphant yell of victory.

Chae-ryung was right. The capital had indeed been swept in a wave of lights and music, where every single villager danced and laughed to the festivities.

It was reminiscent of the concerts she had used to attend, albeit being louder and even more crowded than the streets, except there were actual street performances she had only seen in sageuks.

fell slack as her curious eyes darted around the city, absorbing every piece of detail.

They stopped now and then to watch certain shows before proceeding to glimpse through stall after stall, savoring the festival to its utmost potential. But her attention begun to wane and even the earlier excitement seemed to have drained out of her.

"Miss, are you alright?" The maid beside her prodded, furrowing her eyebrows perplexedly. Ha-jin hadn't noticed she had been staring into space for a long while, her mind back-tracking to the previous night.

Where is he? Why isn't he here yet? Surely, he hasn't forgotten? Or was he joking last night?

She shook her head clear of those thoughts. "I'm fine. Just–"

There was a scurry of movement on the rooftops and Ha-jin immediately looked up, watching the skillful figures disappear into the night.

Another person darted into her sight, glancing around hastily. It took her a second to recognize Wang So and a smile graced her lips, delighted that he had upheld his end of the promise, after all.

"Your Highness–" Ha-jin surged forth to call out, lifting her hands to wave at him but he seemed to have taken no notice, running off in the direction where the hooded figures went instead.

Confusion washed over her, compelling her to follow his pursuit.

The prince was swift – undoubtedly well-versed in martial arts – and Ha-jin panted heavily through her nose when her stamina depleted, pausing to catch her breath.

At that point, the first thing that usually came to her mind was to simply concede defeat, return to Chae-ryung and call it a day.

However, after recalling the vision of him in the baths the night before, it reinvigorated her determination to continue her chase.

A loud cry of exasperation sounded in the distance and Ha-jin picked up speed, headed towards the source.

Sure enough, there was the familiar flow of raven-black hair, matched with his customary dark robes, though it was apparent even from afar that his clothes were sliced.

His head was lulled back, shouting silently into the skies and he dropped the sword in hand, clashing to the ground.

She maneuvered closer towards him, a tentative step at a time before he finally noted her presence, turning around with a start.

The shock on his features was palpable, as if she was the last person on earth he had been expecting to see.

"What are you doing here?" Wang So sputtered out, unable to withhold a low growl.

"Don't you remember?" Ha-jin answered gently, reaching to grasp his arm. "I–"

The sentence never had the chance to finish when he flinched away from her touch, followed by wincing at the abrupt movement.

She furrowed her eyebrows quizzically, before zeroing in on the source, a deep slash cutting through his arm where a trail of blood dripped from his sleeves. "You're hurt."

He shrugged it off, holding the bleeding injury with the other hand. "I'm fine. This is nothing."

Ignoring his feigned indifference, Ha-jin reached into her robes, searching for a cloth of sorts to stop the bleeding, which looked gruesome in her eyes.

In her giddy state of prepping for the 'date', she had nothing on her that could assist with the matter, unfortunately.

Except...

"Are you positive you want to ruin this?" He gestured to the handkerchief to the best of his abilities with both hands occupied, jutting his jaws out.

She followed his gaze to the material in her hand, clutching tightly. "It's serving a better purpose."

Wang So chuckled in amusement before scrunching his nose when she wound it around his injury, soaking the silk with a frightening hue of red.

"I'm sorry."

Ha-jin's head turned to him in confusion, finishing the knot around the handkerchief. "What for?"

The prince huffed out a breath, averting his eyes in what she presumed to be guilt. "For– not fulfilling my promise."

"What are you saying?"

"I was supposed to meet you at the festival but here we are, dressing my wounds–"

"Don't you dare finish that thought."

He cocked his eyebrows but complied, pressing his lips together firmly in immediate silence.

"I know you didn't mean for this to happen." Ha-jin expelled a soft sigh, gesturing vaguely at the blood-stained material. "Besides, the festival's no fun."

The further rise of his eyebrows proved the incredulity of the situation, almost till his hairline, by which he snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, right."

She pouted in retaliation before frowning again, unable to tear her eyes away from his injury. "Are you sure you don't need a physician, right now? Because I could–"

Wang So shook his head, applying pressure to the wound with a firm press of his fingertips. "The bleeding should stop in a while. I can get help, afterwards."

"Besides," he continued when his words didn't seem to convince her entirely. "I'm trying to uphold my promise."

Ha-jin exhaled loudly through her nose, holding her hands up in surrender. "Alright, but the least you could do is sit down."

They had been standing the whole time, from her discovery upon his infuriating cry until that moment.

Despite her lack of medical knowledge, she knew it was better to settle him than remain on foot.

Thankfully, Wang So conceded without further protest, glancing around before nodding at a nearby rock, spacious enough for two. "Over there."

He started to walk but Ha-jin would have none of it, slipping an arm around his waist.

The gesture startled him to the extent he halted his movement, peering warily at the petite girl. "What are you doing?"

She merely shrugged, as if it wasn't obvious. "Helping you."

Before he could object, she nudged him forward with every bit of strength she could muster, forcing them to walk with her tucked by his side.

Ha-jin felt his weigh lean against her, not enough to overwhelm her but enough to accept her help, and that was sufficient for her lips to curl satisfactorily.

When they reached the rock, the prince simply untangled himself from her grasp and sat by the edge, stifling the pain shooting through his veins with a small grimace.

She settled beside him, keeping a watch on him at the same time maintaining a comfortable distance.

Silence descended between them and both didn't feel the need to initiate a conversation, savoring the tranquility away from the festivities' noise.

"Remember what I told you about Shinju?"

Ha-jin perked to hear him speak, though his eyes had a faraway look, not meeting hers.

"Yes. You didn't say much."

A quiet sigh escaped his lips. "Because it's a time I wish never happened."

She gulped, not expecting the truthful admission. "You don't have to tell me anything if you're–"

"I want to."

The voice was low and steady and she could feel that he was willing to share his past with her, as much as she was curious.

Ha-jin simply leaned forth, signifying her genuine interest, and Wang So inhaled sharply to even his breathing before proceeding.

"When I was young, I– I was scarred. My own mother drew the mark down my face." He murmured, tracing his forefinger down the mask that had covered the jagged line.

"No one knew I wasn't born with it. Everyone believed I had cursed the kingdom."

She saw him struggle with his next words, his lips trembling ever so slightly, and she placed her hand on his shoulders, hopefully to ease his inner turmoil.

That seemed to have the desired effect when he took a shuddering breath, continuing his tale. "So when I was sent to Shinju, no one said anything. In fact, everyone was overjoyed that the flawed prince was being banished."

"Officially, I was being adopted by the Kang clan but– in actuality, I was more of a hostage."

His confession elicited a startled gasp from Ha-jin, to which he turned to her with a forlorn smile.

"Surprising, isn't it?"

She tried imagining the prince's life in Shinju – having nowhere to escape to, without being treated as if a speck of dirt in the eyes of onlookers.

"It must be horrible."

Wang So laughed humorlessly, giving a firm shake of his head. "That's not the worst."

What could be worse than that?

"Even though they treated me as a leverage against the king, they knew I wasn't important enough, that I could be easily sacrificed. That's why they tried to kill me repeatedly, trapping me in the mountains with nothing but wolves."

The lump formed in didn't soothe her nerves with each reveal leaving his lips, each admission unraveling the broken man hidden behind the facade he showed the world.

It made Ha-jin's stomach churn with outrage that someone could be subjected to this amount of agony, despite being one of the most powerful people in Goryeo.

"You escaped, didn't you? That's why you're still here." She asked, even though something told her the answer would be anything but pleasant.

Sure enough, Wang So let out a dark chuckle. "I did. I killed them all."

She didn't know what she was expecting, but the confession definitely didn't fall under any of those categories.

"In cold blood." He continued to speak with a forced smirk planted on his features, although his words were coming out strained. "I killed those wolves. Just because–"

The prince couldn't manage to finish his sentence when the tears that had been threatening on the corners of his eyes fell, barely refraining himself from breaking down completely.

Ha-jin rubbed her hands against his shoulders to console him and he eventually allowed a whimper to escape, murmuring incoherently under his breath.

"I had to kill them. Or I'd be dead." Wang So choked through his broken sobs, burying his head into his palms to muffle the sounds.

Instead of calming down, the gesture seemed to have intensified his sorrow and she leaned forward, pulling him into a tentative embrace. "It's not your fault."

The repetition of the proclaim she had told him the previous night appeared to be the exact words he needed to hear, when he finally let go and cried his heart out into the comfort she had provided him.

"Those people you were chasing, are they the assassins?"

Wang So nodded, folding his arms across his chest. The bleeding had been stopped enough that it no longer required his constant pressure on the wound, liberating his arms.

After the earlier breakdown, the prince had composed himself enough to share the reason he was pursuing the masked assailants. How the Crown Prince had came up with the idea of switch-and-bait, with his younger brother taking his position as lead in order to divert the attention to him instead.

The risk he placed himself in was not something Ha-jin could simply ignore. "And you're pursuing them with that nasty cut?"

Her admonishing tone caused his eyebrows to shoot up in surprise, though he quickly concealed it with a tiny grin. "It's really nothing compared to the ones I've had in the past–"

He seemed to have realized the wrong choice of words, finding her gaping at him. "I mean– It's imperative to catch them. What if they attempt another assassination?"

Placing her hands upon her hips, she glared at him. "You're not to go running around with injuries in the future, do you hear me?"

The reprimand had him chuckling to himself, shaking his head and she couldn't help but knit her eyebrows together. "What?"

"Nothing." Wang So clarified. "It's just that no one has been that concerned with my well-being, before."

Even though he was still smiling, Ha-jin could tell the pain behind the forceful curve of lips, barely suppressing the urge to wince herself.

"Earlier–" The prince started to speak again, averting his eyes downwards. "When I got stabbed, the king thought I was the Crown Prince and rushed to me. He didn't care if I was hurt, all that matters is that the Crown Prince was safe."

Her face wrinkled into a scowl, huffing out a breath. "I care."

Their eyes locked momentarily and there was a spark in his orbs that she couldn't quite identify. "I know."

Before Ha-jin could respond, they were interrupted by the arrival of the Eighth Prince, calling out his brother's name.

Wang So turned towards him and stood up, gaining his attention. "I'm here."

"Hae-soo?" The other prince queried when he got close enough to recognize her, looking bewildered. "What are you doing here?"

She gnawed on her bottom lip, avoiding his piercing gaze.

Luckily, Wang So provided a change in subject. "Did you catch them?"

His brother frowned visibly having not obtained an answer, but dropped the topic. "They got away."

There was hiss of breath coming from beside her and the prince straightened himself, moving towards him. "I ought to check on the Crown Prince."

Wang Wook nodded in assent. "Yeah, as do I. We need to report to the king, as well."

Humming the affirmative, the prince glanced towards Ha-jin, shuffling on her feet and feigning nonchalance, before clearing his throat. "I have something to tell her. You head along, first."

The other man cocked his eyebrows but didn't voice his objections, merely nodding once again before placing a hand on her shoulders. "Go back home, afterwards. My wife'll be worried sick to have you out this late for two nights in a row."

She swallowed, nodding mutely to show her compliance.

Releasing a sigh, he left them as quickly as he had came.

"We'll be rearranging my promise soon, right?" Wang So asked, after ensuring his brother was out of earshot.

"Instead of fretting over that, make sure you get the proper treatment on your wound first."

"I will, if you promise me." He mused, unable to hide the smile of sheer contentment on his lips.

Ha-jin blew at her hair, conceding. "Fine."

Thoroughly tickled, the prince held his hand up, trying to mirror the sign she had showed him the night before and failing miserably. "Okay?"

This time, a laugh erupted from her lips and she assisted in curling his fingers at the right angles, perfecting the sign. "Okay."

Wang So glanced between their contact and her face, his gaze soft. "Who are you?"

"Me?" Ha-jin was baffled at the sudden question, though it didn't prevent her from answering, "Go Ha–"

Almost as if epiphany had struck, she stopped herself from uttering her real name. Not because she had realized he wasn't truly asking for her identity, it was rather that he was seeing her for the first time, the clear glint of affection reflected in his dark orbs.

But mostly, she had come to the understanding that this represented the turning point where she was about to embark on a brand new life, one without her past weighing down on her shoulders, one she could forget everything that had occurred in her own time and start afresh. And accompanying her on her journey would be the prince standing in front of her, looking at her as if she was the most ethereal being in the world.

She wasn't Ha-jin, at least not anymore.

"Hae-soo. I'm Hae-soo."