Jaein couldn’t stop weeping since yesterday. The moment after she met Jonghyun for the first time, she couldn’t stop wailing about it. She just had her first puppy love, apparently a love-at-the-first sight first love.  Jonghyun was the most attractive person Jaein had ever met. She felt something striking her body when she gazes up to the boy whose eyes only a few centimetres away from hers. Jaein always liked boys from Hwarang. They’re both masculine and feminine at the same time, and she liked the ambiguity.

But boys like that usually chase girls who are delicate and beautiful as the flowers, since they had a reputation for being a true-bone to uphold and having a beautiful wife will help that. And what she did yesterday was the opposite of their ‘wife’ image. “Bury me, Oraboni. That boy had seen me doing barbaric thing.” Jaein wailed on her bed. She’s too ashamed to show her face to the town today. Even though Jaein was practically one of the most-wanted girls in town, her knightly act would surely be talked about among boys.

Kibum sighed then threw himself next to his sister and shook her body her bone might fall apart. “Hey Jaein, I was out at the town today. I heard boys talking about you too. They’re impressed with your mad skill. I think you’ve become even more popular.” He tried to cheer his sister up a little, but it was no use. She only had one person in mind.

“Hell with what the other boys think! What will Jonghyun-rang think of me? I’m such a sad excuse for a lady.” She wept to her pillow. It was actually Jaein herself who overthinks everything about her meeting with Jonghyun. The boy was smiling at her. It was clear there was an excitement in his eyes when he saw Jaein walking to his direction with her friend by her side.

Taemin, who was watching the siblings by the door with his brother, walked into the room and sat next to the girl. “Hey, it’s okay, you just experienced first love. Don’t overthink it, just relax. You’ll be able to talk to him soon.” Taemin poked on the girl’s cheek.

“You said as if you’re any better. You Lee siblings are quite coward.” Jaein mumbled from beneath her blanket. Her right arm poked from the warm blanket covering everything but her head. She pointed her finger at the youngest Lee first. “You, Lee Taemin, you’ve been eyeing on Master Son’s daughter for quite a while now. When will you have the courage to talk to her?”

“Hey it’s not me, Naeun’s friends are quite intimidating, alright?”

“Bull crap!” Jaein snapped to the youngest Lee and moved her attack to the eldest Lee. “And you, Lee Jinki. You better thank me because yesterday I made you talk with Chaeyeon. What’s wrong with you Lee brothers?”

“Chaeyeon was 19 when I started to like her. I’m 28, Jaein, 28!”

“Then you better make a move, coward! Before a younger boy snatch her away from you. You’re on the age of marriage right now.” Jaein started to blurt like an old lady. “You too Kim Kibum, when will you stop messing around with girls?”

“Ugh, Jaein lamenting about herself is the worst to have around. How she moves so fast from lamenting to poking her nose onto people’s business.” Kibum nudged on his sister’s head. “Hey, it’s not my fault they’re obsessed with me. I’m not marrying villagers, no. We’re royalty, Jaein. I’m gonna marry a princess one day.”

“Princess my arse. You’re already a princess, you don’t need another.”

With that sentence, a war broke between the Kim siblings. The Lee brothers laughed at Jaein’s bickering with her brother. It’s really easy to tell the two were related by the way they’re yelling and sassing at each other. A man with strong figure and skin that’s really tan due to the time he spent under the sun barged in when the Lee brothers were in the middle of laughing at the Kim siblings.

Jinki was the first one to notice the man’s presence. He abruptly stood up and made a really deep bow to the man, followed by his brother. “Master Kim, you’re here.” Jinki said after he took his body back from bowing. “I thought you were still training at the Hwarang House.”

“I ended the class early. I can’t train them inhumanly right away just because one of them got badly injured during a sudden attack, can I?” The master smiled warmly to the young master in front of him. He turned his head to the scene inside the room. His eyes only framed half of his iris. “What on earth are you guys fighting about?”

Kibum pushed his sister away with his foot. “Father, Jaein is in love!” And with that he was awarded by Jaein’s flying fist which he had successfully dodged. “Father, I’m not lying! Jaein is in love with a Hwarang! Maybe you can give that Hwarang a hard time.” This time Jaein had successfully landed her hard fist on Kibum’s shoulder.

Kibum groaned to the pain his sister just gave him. He looked at her, eyes full of revenge, but Jaein stuck her tongue out to him and acted innocent in front of her father. “Father, just ignore him. He’s talking gibberish.” Jaein chirped. “Father, you said a Hwarang got badly injured. What happened?”

Master Kim sighed. He cued for his children to join him sitting down on the wooden floor before telling them anything. Just when the siblings were sitting properly, he began to speak. “Two days ago, your cousin got attacked when she was staying in an inn on her way back to Silla. She was almost got murdered, but a Hwarang that escorted her took the knife and got injured badly.”

Master Kim looked at the Lee brothers sitting by the door. He eyed specifically to the eldest. “Thank you for not bothering to be waken up very early, Jinki. Because of you Minho didn’t lost his arm.” He smiled to the young man who awkwardly bowed to him while sitting down. “And thank you for treating Jonghyun’s minor injuries.”

“That’s it! That’s the Hwarang Jaein fell in love w—ARGH CURSED YOU KIM JAEIN!!” Kibum’s right hand was in Jaein’s mouth with her teeth planted onto his fair skin. He tried to peel his sister away from him, but Jaein acted like an angry dog. Only when their father roared their name Jaein finally let go of her brother’s soring arm.

“How’s Day—I mean The Princess—how is she, is she okay?” Jaein said. If it’s between the family members, she usually referred to her cousin by her name. But when there are some outsiders, she had to call her as ‘The Princess’ to avoid sounding disgraceful. “She’s now at the palace? Has she recovered from her illness?”

Master Kim let out another deep sigh. “Jinki, Taemin, can you both give us a moment? We need to talk about something.” The Lee brothers abruptly slid themselves away from the door. They swiftly bowed to them before leaving the three of them alone. After he’s sure the coast was clear, Master Kim slid the door close and eyed to his children. Both of them can taste the tension from their father’s eyes.

“I had a talk with The King last night. I was asking him should I train the Hwarang harder, or should I be her instead. The first option was chosen, but he proposed an idea of an , a personal for The Princess herself that won’t leave her and is able to stay with her everywhere she goes at least during the trip. And I recommended you, Kibum.”

Kibum’s gaze didn’t change even a bit. He’s a secret assassin for the kingdom. He killed in secret and he liked it that way. He’s very used to doing dirty job, wounding people and such. “But your uncle refused. He still wants you on the throne. You might not be the Crown Prince right now, but when he had to step down from the throne or died, chances are you will be the king.” A satire chuckle let out from his lips. “I thought I told him that I want to raise my family as true-bones, but he still considers us as sacred-bones. Have you ever think why he chose you to be the secret assassin? So you can see who are the bad guys and the ugly behind the monarchy.”

“But then I heard something about my Jaein stopping an armed burglar with her fan.” He looked at her only daughter. She was looking at him with eyes full of questions. Deep down he didn’t want to do this, to sacrifice his own daughter to protect someone else’s daughter. But this seemed to be the perfect idea for now. Besides, he knew that Jaein wanted to join Hwarang and to be a knight instead of disguising to be a weak female. “The King was angry at me for mentioning your name. But he softened up a bit when I told him I’d ask you first before taking any step.”

Jaein’s eyes widened, she always wanted to have a part in a war or any kind. She’s not a tame spirit at the first place. She longed for challenge and danger for a long time.

“So Jaein, do you want to?”