Taeyeon's fingers still trembled from the questions that Jiyong had uttered to her moments ago.

Had he found out about their child?

Her fingers crossed each other with nervousness. She shook her head.

No. It couldn't be.

Or else how would he treat her with such gentle loving kindness? The Jiyong she knew would never forgive such a treason against him. Tears gathered in her eyes.

She really ed up this time didn't she?

Taeyeon expelled a heavy breath, trying to wipe away the tears that fell down her face.

The doors burst open, and her two youngest sisters tumbled in, giggling like two high schoolers, before the salt of her tears scented in their nostrils and caught their young eyes.

“Why are you crying? Why? Don't cry! Or I'll cry with you!” Yoona immediately leapt to Taeyeon's side, having ardently adored their eldest sister since she was found by them.

“Did Jiyong oppa come again?” It was Seohyun that asked in a calmer and more reasonable voice, soft and enquiring. “He did something to you did he?” Soft gentle fingers tugged her hand pleadingly. “Unnie~”

“No it's nothing.” Taeyeon dashed away the last set of tears, only for a fresh set to fall from her eyes. “It's just...I've been feeling really tense recently!” She burst into tears again, frustrated and stunned by her sudden fluctuation of emotion. “I don't even know what's wrong with me!” She wailed.

“Maybe you need to leave the palace for a short while?” Yoona titled her head inquisitively. “You haven't been outside the palace for a year! You're probably bored to tears.” The second youngest chewed her bottom lip nervously.

“Maybe.” Taeyeon agreed gently, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Let's ask Jiyong oppa if we could go out of the palace then!” Yoona immediately brightened at her agreement, only to meet Seohyun's chastising eyes. “Or….maybe not?”

“No no. We should.” A sudden urge to roam outside the palace filled Taeyeon's heart. She cupped Yoona and Seohyun's cheeks tenderly. “I'll bring it up with Jiyong, alright?” She cooed softly. “Thank you, my darlings.”

~~~~

“No. Absolutely not!”

“But why? It's going to be like what I always do last time! Or you could come with me! We'll just be strolling around, and you could take it as visiting and understanding your people more!”

“It's dangerous!”

“Well, I have you beside me, I have Yuri, Hyo and Jess, unless you're saying that you can't protect me.” Taeyeon argued slyly.

“No! Of course not!”

“Then?!” Jiyong sighed, growling lowly as he thumped his head on the table at Taeyeon's earnest eyes.

“Fine. Fine. But only if I come with you.” Taeyeon immediately perked up at his suggestion.

“Absolutely!” She crowed, before doing a little rare jig in front of him, that brought a fond smile to Jiyong’s face.

She still liked roaming about. Somethings never did change.

~~~~~~~

Taeyeon paced quietly in her room, not caring if her eight other sisters were terribly bored to the bone, because she was waiting for Jiyong's final answer as to what he felt about their trip out.

“Your Majesty.” Irene slipped in carefully, only to conceal a shriek as Taeyeon darted forward, clasping her hands ardently with both hands.

“So, so? What did he say?”

“The king bestowed these set of clothes for us to wear. He says that it's vital none of you are dressed as women when moving around the citadel.” Taeyeon's throat went dry as Irene pulled on the covers of the clothes Jiyong had specifically asked them to wear, and a overly familiar blue but silver hemmed clothes, but instead of a silvery flower pattern that forcefully recalled her memory of her favourite of her brother's clothes, the silver hem of the clothing Jiyong gave her had arching dragons twisting along the hems. Forceful tears welled behind Taeyeon's eyes as memories of Jiwoong welled in her mind’s eye.

It was a warning just as it was an approval.

God.

What was wrong with her?

Taeyeon dashed away the tears threatening to spill immediately and reached to grasp the silky material.

“Thank you.” She whispered, before tossing the remaining pieces of clothing to her sisters and slipping on with familiarity the blue cloth, feeling it settle against her soothingly like an embrace.

“Shall we go?” Her eyes twinkled, and a childish smile spread across her face.

“You didn't tie your hair.” Taeyeon whipped around at Jiyong's disgruntled voice. “If you went out like that with your hair down everyone would know you're a girl.”

“She looks feminine anyway. They'll think of her as a girl more than of a boy, experience tells me so.” Jessica a snorted directed in Jiyong's face. Jiyong grumbled at the second eldest sister, before pulling Taeyeon's hair loosely into a high ponytail, his slender fingers her scalp gently and fondly. The band, a simple sash like royal blue, rested in her hair slightly loosely, and Taeyeon turned to beam at Jiyong, flicking aside some stray strands of her fringe hair.

“Now you look fine.” Jiyong grumbled grudgingly, before possessively taking hold of her hand and tugging her out of the door. “We won't wait for you if you're slow.” He threw down the sentence, much to the indignance of the other eight girls, before sweeping out of the room, his hand form around Taeyeon's waist.

“Hah. Like him holding Taeyeon's waist wouldn't tell everyone she's a girl.” Jessica scowled, straightening her boots and belts with firm fingers. “I hate his self presumptuous .” She announced, much to the amusement of Tiffany. “I really really hate him.”

~~~~~~

The streets of the citadel we're bustling just like how Taeyeon remembered it just a year ago. Her cheeks flushed with colour as she let go of Jiyong's hands to bustle with her sister's, cheeks pink from excitement and eagerness at roaming outside the castle.

Of course, despite her excitement, Taeyeon noticed their Entourage consciously avoiding a certain street, and her heart swelled slightly with remorse, guilt and overwhelming love and concern for the man beside her. Jiyong barely glanced at her, cheeks reddening, but his hand still gripping her own gently. He was avoiding the path to the old Kim Mansion, to avoid dragging up ugly memories that neither of them wanted to remember.

She squeezed his hand gently, acknowledging his efforts.

“Thank you.” She murmured softly, and tipping forward with delight slightly at his gentle smile and nod. She patted his hand gently, before lighting up at a delicate accessory in the corner of a street shop. She gasped, darting forward, hand grazing the gold piece with half reverence and astonishment. It was a piece delicately engraved, beautiful in it's delicacy and it's perfect capturing of the beautiful lady on it's pin, reaching out with wings flowering on her back.

“Look, Ji!” She turned, grasping the gold hair piece in her hands gently, only to find an empty space beside her, void of her lover. Panic attacked her body, and she spun around, her breath coming in frightened gasp. “Jiyong!” Her breath released in a soft whoosh as she spies him close by, at the mouth of an alley. Something had caught his eyes, and he was currently stooping close to it. She frowned. “I'll borrow this for a moment.” She pressed a gold piece into the vendor's hands, disgruntled that he had suddenly left her alone. The dark bundle of clothes quivered suddenly,and a possessive urge overwhelmed Taeyeon's senses as a grimy hand pulled the clothes apart, and a girl peeked out.

“Jiyong!” She flitted to him, uneasily quelling the urge and fright slowly rising in her. He barely turned at her call, and the cloth on the grimy girl fell from her face, revealing the visage beneath. Long waist long hair pooled at the girl's feet, inky and as dark as night. But it seemed as light as feathers, for it lifted and gently danced in the softly blowing wind. It tickled both their feet, and Taeyeon suddenly felt an urge to vomit. Something about this girl unsettled her, and she bit her lip.

“It's alright.” Jiyong cooed, and Taeyeon's eyes snapped to his, astonished at the soft tone he had used. Throughout their life, Jiyong was only known to use a harsh tone to everyone save for Taeyeon herself. It stunned her beyond comprehension perhaps, over the fact that Jiyong had used the voice and tone specifically hers to another woman. “You can lift your head.” The feather light dark hair fell from the girl's face, and even Taeyeon in a breath. It wasn't that the girl was ugly or scarred. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

She was beautiful.

Perhaps even rivalling her in terms of beauty.

But while Taeyeon's beauty was one more ethereal and angelic than human, this girl's beauty was perhaps more...disturbing than angelic. Her skin was slightly tanned, her eyes long lashed and strikingly purple. It was even slightly slitted, reminded her strikingly of Sooyoung's cat like eyes, with a feline appearance to them.

It wasn't just disturbing.

There was something enchanting about them.

Alarms blared in Taeyeon's mind, and a striking sense of danger strikes her for no reason. Her breath stuttered in her chest, and she reached forward slowly, her hand still grasping the golden angel hair piece in her pale hands.

“Ji?” She called gently, and Jiyong blinked momentarily, half turning to her. “We should be going back now.” She phrased her words as carefully as possible. And when he didn't react, she squeezed his shoulder, nails digging almost painfully into his shoulder. Jiyong grasped her hand, and a sigh of relief whistled from between her lips.

“It's fine.” He patted her hand gently before pulling it off his shoulder.

The stone in her stomach dropped, and she blinked, stunned at his reaction.

“Jiyong I’m not feeling well---”

“It's alright. I'm gonna give you a place to stay.” He ignored her. Taeyeon reared back in surprise and horror.

He ignored her!

Her heart pounded in her chest, thudding loudly to the reality she didn't want to accept.

“But you aren't powerful. Those people that want me. They'll want me back.” The girl's voice was a thin pitiful thing, half wary half frightened, but Taeyeon knew somehow, just somehow, that beneath this fright and wariness was an even uglier character. All this wariness and fear was nothing but just a pretense.

“I'm the king. I'm sure I can keep you safe.” Jiyong smiled assuringly at the girl, and Taeyeon swallowed. He wasn't going to do what she thought he was going to do, wasn't he?

The girl shrank back at his outheld hand, and the green eyes monster that clamped up Taeyeon's chest screamed vindictively.

Yes.

Don't you dare accept.

The angel hair piece dug into her palm, pricking her skin slightly.

“You don't trust me?” Jiyong's face fell. “I'm giving you a rare thing, you know. It's the King's Favour. “ Taeyeon's fists clenched.

“How do I know you're gonna do as you say?” Jiyong blinked in surprise at her question before laughing softly.

“Here.” He reached for Taeyeon's hand, and Taeyeon stared as he pried the angel hair piece from her fingers, not even noticing the wound on her palm, to insert the hair piece gently into the girl's hair. “This enough guarantee for you?” The girl smiled tearfully through her tears at him as she nodded, grabbing his hand tightly.

Taeyeon trembled.

“But your wife. Wouldn't she object?” Jiyong blinked at her, before turning to Taeyeon.

“Oh she won't mind. You don't mind don't you, Taeyeon?” He said blandly, gripping the girls hand firmly. Taeyeon felt dry up.

She couldn't speak.

Why did he expect her to agree to this?

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes strangely.

Why was she feeling like this?

She didn't like him any longer, didn't she?

Jiyong tilted his head at her meaningfully, and Taeyeon started.

“No. I don't mind at all.” The voice that escaped didn't sound like her at all. It was so dry and hollow. Jiyong beamed at her happily.

“See? I told you so.” The girl smiled tentatively, purple eyes darting to meet Taeyeon's triumphantly. “What's your name?” The girl fidgeted slightly.

“Kiko.” She smiled softly at Jiyong. “Kiko Mizuhara. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” She whispered. Jiyong smiled, before hoisting her bridal style into his arms. Th