It only takes about less than a few minutes to reach the gated perimeter of the Palace, managing to open the side gate leading from the vast gardens as Baekhyun carries the woman in his arms. Luckily, no one seemed to be around and as quietly and sneakily as he could, carefully walking the brick path and into another hidden corridor to his chambers. The woman, however, hadn't said a single word upon hearing those of the Prince's. She was too stunned, perhaps denying that he was talking about her. For sure this man must have some sort of maiden to himself already, and that she stood no chance to whoever that woman may be. And with her not knowing exactly who he was, she became frightened, suddenly wary of why he was being so kind, and why he was so willing to help such a lowly woman like her. There wasn't anything in particular to her that stood out, nor did she feel as if the way she carried herself seemed to be appearing too. Why was this handsome, and most likely powerful, young man helping someone like her?

It seemed to good to be true.  

"S-Sir..-" She whispers, lightly tugging on his coat yet was met by the soothing hush of his lips. 

"Be quiet, madame, this corridor is just right outside of the Gathering Ballroom.." Baekhyun says in a hushed voice, and immediately begins to walk as briskly as possible. With him now being able to find the main hallways that lead to his chambers, the lights, he noticed, were quite dimmer than they would usually be at night. Perhaps there was something going on with his parents, but for whatever reason, he seized the moment to be as secretive as possible.

It was then, that she began to notice the grand and luxurious expense of this man's richness, watching and looking around in awe with her head perched. This time, the hallways leading closer and closer to the Prince's chambers naturally became brighter, to the point where she could now see the painted portraits on finely framed canvasses, fixtures and lighting molded to elegant designs and candles between the nooks of the artwork that stood still in front of each wall. The windows were crystal clear, outlining the dark sky and letting the light of the stars reach the interior of this seemingly huge place, and the woman in his arms squirmed at the mere sight of it all.

Noticing her movement, Baekhyun pauses and frowns. "I-Is there something wrong, madame? We're almost at my chambers, are you alright?" The prince asks, looking down at her gaze with grave and evident concern, it makes her doubtfulness suddenly subside as her sheepish and timid nature arises. Never has she felt so bashful around a man before, and never has she felt the concern from one either.

"N-No, good sir. It's just..." She trailed, biting her lip and avoiding his gaze. "This place.. I have never seen such... I've never been in a place like this before..." The woman spoke in a tone full of awe, the glamor of fine designing and well-placed furniture making her eyes fill with please. Everything that she laid her eyes on was beautiful, from every of the brush on the walls to the way the carpet extended for as far as she could see above the polished wooden floors made her gape in how vast this place seemed to be. "W-Where is this..?"

Not wanting to tell her of his royal status, Baekhyun quickly thinks of an excuse. "My parents are quite wealthy agricultural people." He begins, easily convincing her yet feeling the guilt drip down into his throat. "They own extensive acres of farmland, making them quite.. well-off, you could say." The prince chuckles, and so does the woman. That same laugh, the one he gets lost in and deeply held within, is the one that makes him forget about all the things he was. He felt like he was just like her, and that their differences didn't seem to quite matter much to the other.

Finally reaching the end of the hallway and turning a few more corners, Baekhyun finally reaches the big wooden doors, carefully unlocking them whilst keeping his grip on her tight, and locking it as quickly as he could before anyone could see. He didn't want any more headaches in the place that he dwells in, much more if it involves a woman. The prince knows very well the rules about the royals' family blood line, and can't afford to lose her or his own-self. There were much more important things to be taken care of, and right now all Baekhyun could think about was making sure that this woman gets tended to as soon as possible.

On the other hand, the girl is already doting once again at the appearance of his dwelling. "Oh dear... I-I don't.. I feel so impolite to be in such a place like this.." She frowns, noticing the spacious bed covered by fine, silk sheets and walls adorned with bookshelves, more paintings and portraits, a few plants lining the decor and a double-door that lead to what she believed to be called a balcony. "It's far too grand and I.. I can not take the burden of you taking care of me-" 

"Please, madame." Baekhyun pleads, this time his voice stern yet strangely soothing. "I am happy to help others. I rarely get the chance to, and I want to do this for you. So please, let me." He says, slowly and gently placing her onto the foot of his bed, letting her sit down and keep her off of her injured ankle. And by the looks of it, Baekhyun can already tell that she had sprained it. The swelling of the flesh, the redness and turning hues upon her flesh, it made him reminiscent of something. The prince laughs, gaining her attention. 

"Why are you laughing..?" She questions, feeling his contagious laugh and chuckling as well at how joyous he looked when he smiled. As if something had liberated him from inside, she too, notices how much the light in his eyes began to shine as brightly as he saw the stars in hers. 

"When I saw your ankle, all I could remember was about the time I had sprained mine as well as a young boy." The prince chuckles, however the woman frowns, seemingly not understanding what he has meant by his words.

"What was that word..? S-Sprain...?" She asks. Baekhyun is, of course, taken aback by her question but nonetheless feels not too bothered about it. "I-I have never heard such words, is it a fancy one that you good people use?" The woman asks, her curious eyes filling with the yearning to learn and Baekhyun finds this interesting, or more properly described, endearing. He doesn't take her lack of knowledge as something to mock, but more so something that really does reflect the innocence she exudes from her features. 

"When you sprain your ankle," He begins, smiling and pointing to the swollen flesh. The woman nods her head, also looking down. "It is when you twist your foot in the wrong direction, and it causes a sprain. The reason why it hurts so much is because your foot wasn't supposed to move like that, but you couldn't help it since you fell." Baekhyun said, as the girl understood and felt quite fascinated by learning a new word.

"When you.." She trailed, pausing at this moment to emphasize the knowledge of the new word she had attained. "Sprained, your ankle," They both laugh, Baekhyun finding her cheekiness quite attractive. "How did you..?" She awkwardly words, the mere naiveity making the smiling man before her glisten in admiration. Never has a met someone like this, and the mere idea of talking to people who knew different things than others would was probing, and worth listening to. And definitely, worth teaching for. 

"I had been running around in the hallways, I used to be a very happy boy and doing the usual things young boys had done," He began, to which the woman's expression slightly fell upon hearing. What has this man exactly gone through to simply let go of that side of him?, she thought. "And I was known for being quite too loud and too clumsy, and I ended up tripping upon the steps leading to the ballroom and sprained my ankle." 

Her laugh rang through the room quietly. "Oh my, I can just imagine how you would've appeared!" The woman jests. Baekhyun also chuckles, lightly taking in how radiantly her face brightens at the mere thought of him as a young, and quite playful boy. 

"I was a crying mess, that's for sure.." He laughs. And finally drawing the conversation to a close, he glances back up at her face, the slight dirt onto her pink dusted cheeks and the crown of vines and leaves above her head making him realize why had exactly brought this woman to his own chambers. "Would you like to wash up..? I'll leave you to your own comfort, I don't mean to intrude." The prince offers, and the woman smiles whilst nodding her head. 

"Thank you, good sir." She speaks sincerely, her voice soft and quiet as the light from the candles and chandeliers around the room glisten within her hazel eyes. "Before I leave your presence.. May I..." Her voice thick with bashfulness, slightly trembling with nervousness she was quite unfamiliar with. Why was she acting like this? She thought to herself. "May I know your name..?" 

Baekhyun smiles, almost feeling his heart beat just a little bit louder at her innocently endearing question. 

"Byun Baekhyun." He states, holding out his hand. "And you?" 

"Hwang Mirae." She replies, also smiling and shaking his hand politely. The mere touch of his hand is soft, and the warmth radiating from his own gesture making her blush. "Thank you, Baekhyun-ssi. For taking me in and taking care of me." 

"It is my pleasure. Always." 

The rest of the night was spent laughing and chuckling, Mirae's adoring gaze among the books and papers scrawled upon his shelves and desk, and silent flirtatious gazes. After Mirae had washed up and carefully walked, or limped over, with her good foot, she was given a clean set of clothes, very simplistic yet fine to its point. Yet, she could tell the material was far expensive than she has ever seen in her life; its lace cascaded down in intricate patters that etched flora, falling a few centimeters above her knees, and snug around her frame. She has never felt so dressed up in her entire life, nor has she put on clothing that wasn't her old, and dirty dress. Although she was grateful for Baekhyun's continuous gestures, she couldn't help but feel bad, not knowing how to repay the prince back and had little to no knowledge as to who he really was. All she knew about him was that his name was Baekhyun, and that his family were quite refined and rich with their tastes by the telling of their estate, and the mere appearance of their son. 

As Baekhyun gazes over Mirae's shoulder, he notices the gleam of wonder in her eyes as she reads a text about the historical context of the region they had lived in. Her fingers trace each character and line, her eyes taking in every detail and every word with earnest need to learn. 

"Have you no books within your living quarters?" Baekhyun asks, cautiously to prevent offending the woman.

Keeping her eyes on the book and letting a smale smile curl upon her lips, she shakes her head and looks back up into the prince's captivated gaze. No matter how many times Baekhyun seemed to look at the woman before him, he found it quite hard to believe as to how such a beautiful gem lay within the darkness of thick forest, battered and unknown of who he was to the people of their kingdom. It only draws him in, curiosity wanting the best for her and wanting to pamper her with all he could. 

"My grandmother.." She trails, turning her face away and staring out into the darkness of the night illuminated by the candles and fixtures outside. "She kept only a few journals and books. Other than those books, I have no knowledge of anything else other than my name and the things she has taught me.." 

Baekhyun hums, acknowledging her words and feeling his heart sink a little. "What has she taught you?" 

"My grandmother was a funny woman." Mirae begins with a chuckle. "I grew up in a very little house deep within the forest and beside the gorge where the river ran, with very little. I haven't worn anything that my grandmother hasn't knitted or made, nor have I eaten of the fruits and food the land has to offer from other than what she has cultivated. She was very protective, teaching me how to prepare a simple meal and teaching me how to grow upright." She recalls, her lips unconsciously curling into a nostalgic smile. 

Baekhyun is fascinated by how she speaks of her guardian, and is curious to hear as to how she had grown up. Curious about every little thing he could learn about her. Never has he felt so drawn to someone, especially someone who was in so many ways different from him. 

"I never learned those words like 'sprain', however..." She jests, earning a laugh from the prince. "A lot of the books here have words I don't know about, can you teach me?" Mirae asks excitedly, looking up at him with hopeful eyes and a wide smile spreading across her rosy cheeks. Her hands were clasped together in a silent, yet adorable plead. Her eyes were simply too compelling for him to deny, its sparkle and glimmer making him grin just as widely as she was. 

"Why of course, where shall we start?" Baekhyun asks, taking the seat next to hers and unconsciously leaning into her presence. The girl is flustered by how close he is being, yet nonetheless takes it as merely him being polite. Or so she thinks. After all, she knew nothing of how he lived, nor how he was raised and merely acknowledged this as a kind gesture. Yet, the pitter patters of her chest are almost hard to ignore, and by how his mere scent fills her makes Mirae bashful before the boy. 

"U-Uh.." She stutters, shyly taking the lock of hair before her face and curling it behind the lobe of her ear. Clearing and gaining her train of thought once again, she points to the word elegance. "I-Is this.. Another word for.. Fancy..? I think I've heard my grandmother say it once when she was describing how the rich and the royal family live." Mirae recalls, and Baekhyun nearly sputters at the sound of his own family. Just before the prince can interrupt her, however, Mirae already dotes upon a question. "How do you think the