Seulgi first meets Irene in the spring.

She's the eighteen year-old princess of all of Korea, and Seulgi, quite frankly does not want to be. Even in the spring, during a time of new beginnings, nothing really feels new to Seulgi. This morning, she woke up to the sight of a tiny red bird singing on the thin branches of the cherry blossom tree outside her window, and as she watched it fly away into the clear blue sky, she took it as a sign— things were going to get better. Her country would get better. Her mother would get better. Her father would get better. Her brother would get better. Seulgi would get better.

It's only noontime when Seulgi realizes that this is not the case.

It's a beautiful day, and she can hear the younger children playing outside the walls of her palace from from her study room, but Seulgi is still trapped inside her study room nonetheless, listening to Teacher Lee drone on and on about history that Seulgi's already listened to hundreds of times (it only makes sense that she'd already know the numerous ways her ancestors were bravely killed while carrying out their duties to the throne; it makes Seulgi glad that she has an elder brother, Yunho, and that he's going to be the one ascending to be king, not her).

Her father is still stuck in the throne room and council rooms, carrying out his duty as king, creating battle strategies and dealing with taxes and whatnot. Her mother is no better than yesterday, tending to the men of the council and being the wonderful host that she's always been. And her brother pays no mind to Seulgi, as per usual, preferring to study and practice combat on his own, without her. When they were younger, Seulgi would follow him everywhere until the day he demanded his independence and Seulgi shrunk away from him in fear, almost ashamedly.

So now Seulgi taps away impatiently at the oaken surface of her desk with the tips of her fingers, drumming out a rhythm to a song she heard the gifted songstress, Kim Taeyeon, singing at the royal dinner a few nights ago. She just simply can't wait for Teacher Lee to be finished so that she can be left to her own devices and enjoy the nice weather.

"And as such, from your grandfather's death, we learned that—"

"Royal commanders should be more weary about their choice of steed, because if the horse is killed, the general is as good as gone," Seulgi finishes swiftly. "I know, Teacher, you've told me this previously! I already know all of this! May I go now?"

Teacher Lee blinks as though he's forgotten what he had been rambling on about before nodding tentatively. "Yes, yes, go on, Seulgi, and have a nice day! You've always been such a good student..." he trails off, going back to mumbling to himself about this or that, and Seulgi sighs. Her teacher has always been always peculiar like this.

"Alright, I'm going to take my leave now, Teacher Lee. I'll see you next time."

And with that, Seulgi slips out of the study room, inwardly rejoicing from finally escaping that place of boredom to its most dangerous degree.

She's on her way out to the palace garden, aching to bask in the sunlight, when Seulgi hears the hasty pattering of running footsteps and the sound of her name being called.

"Hm— oh!"A body slams right into her, and Seulgi laughs as she wraps her arms around the shorter girl. "Yeri-ah, be more careful and watch where you're going, silly!"

The younger girl pouts. "I was just excited to see you, Seulgi-unnie!"

"When did you and your father get back from your trip?" Seulgi questions, gently releasing Yeri from her embrace. Yeri's father is a royal scholar for the king, as well as one of the main councilmen. His daughter, Yeri, while definitely more playful than her parent, is no less as studious than him, and enjoys going to other cities on his travels. Honestly, at times, Seulgi is a bit more than jealous. Sure, she can venture into the surrounding city, but in the end, Seulgi is bound to the palace.

"Late last night," Yeri groans, and Seulgi giggles at the sight of the younger girl's discomfort. "I was seriously falling asleep on my horse, unnie. And horses are definitely not comfortable to sleep on. I wanted to tell unnie of my trip last night, but it was nearly midnight and you were asleep already."

"Ah, sorry, Yeri-ah." Seulgi leans forward to ruffle the younger girl's hair slightly. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

"Yes, unnie! I'm wide awake now!" Yeri jumps up and down excitedly, and with the way she's tipping her head from side to side energetically, Seulgi can't help but be reminded of a puppy. The older girl chuckles at this, thinking about how this girl is going to grow up into one of Korea's best scholars. Amusing, but endearing.

"By the way, unnie," Yeri stops her jumping to look at Seulgi curiously, "Where were you heading to before I came?"

"Oh, I was heading out to the—"

"—city to go shopping with me!" A third voice abruptly cuts into the conversation, and Seulgi groans at the interruption, knowing who had cut in without even turning around.

Yeri peers over Seulgi's shoulder, having to stand on her tiptoes to do so. Upon seeing her favorite palace chef, she grins. "Seungwan-unnie!"

Seulgi doesn't end up going to the palace garden as she initially planned. Instead, Seungwan and Yeri tug her around the city, dressed in citizen-casual clothes, heading to a place Seulgi doesn't know the location of. Regardless, Seungwan seems to know where they're going, and Yeri is at least acting like she knows, so Seulgi trusts them just this once.

Suddenly, Seulgi is getting hustled down a busy street and through a sliding door, away from the bustling crowds outside. Surprised, she turns to Yeri and Seungwan, who are both panting from exertion.

"You're lucky that you can usually get tailored at the palace," Seungwan huffs at Seulgi's surprised expression. "Us non-royals have to deal with the crowds."

Seulgi can only shoot an apologetic look Seungwan's way as Yeri scampers off somewhere. Meanwhile, the princess gathers herself and surveys the shop they're in. Upon seeing the 'closed' sign leaning against the sliding door, Seulgi raises an eyebrow.

"Seungwan, are you sure we can be in here?"

"Positive," Seungwan nods, taking Seulgi's arm and leading her further into the shop. "Irene-unnie! We're here!"

"I'm towards the back!" A smooth voice calls out from somewhere within the store, a hint of amusement in its tone. "A little puppy found me first!"

Seungwan laughs and Seulgi her head in interest. She's been studying the shop and its rows upon rows of hanbok and dresses, and as princess who has had to go through probably thousands of fittings at this point, she can safely say that she's never seen such beautiful clothing before.

But oh! The beautiful clothing is nothing in comparison to the beautiful girl Seulgi finds at the back of the shop— with her pale skin and long, raven hair that came down in perfect waves that framed her perfect face, looking angelic even with little Yeri clinging to her arm in a vice grip.

Seulgi doesn't realize is slightly open until Seungwan playfully hits her arm, shocking Seulgi out of her daze. There's a foreign glint in Seungwan's eyes, and Seulgi narrows her own in suspicion until Seungwan looks away to address the presumed shop owner.

"Irene-unnie!" And then Seungwan is enveloping Irene in a hug, leaving Seulgi standing a bit apart from the rest of them. "Thank you for closing up early for us!"

Irene laughs, shaking her head, "It was no problem, Seungwan. Anything for friends. Although," Seulgi gulps as Irene turns to her, glancing at her with an amused twinkle in her eyes, "You didn't inform me that the princess of Korea would be joining our fitting session for today."

"She didn't inform me, either," Seulgi mutters under her breath, and her cheeks heat up when Irene's clear laughter chimes through the air between them, and Seulgi is reminded of the crystal bells that had been brought as gifts by foreigners who had been visiting Korea.

"Of course she didn't," Irene giggles, biting her lip, and Seulgi would like nothing better than to melt into a puddle on the spot. "Well, how may I help you all today?"

"Well," Seungwan starts, motioning to herself and Yeri, "I'm obviously here for a dress for the spring banquet. They're letting me off kitchen duty for the night so that the senior chefs can shine, so I will be in attendance. And Yeri said that she loved the dress you made for her last time, so—"

"Irene-unnie makes the best dresses!" Yeri declares with a nod, and that's final.

"Right," Seungwan chuckles. "And I brought Seulgi because last time, you said that you had always wanted to design a dress for royalty, and how at the last royal dinner, you thought Seulgi would look really pretty in the color orange, and—"

"Oh?" Seulgi blinks, a goofy, teasing smile overtaking her features as, to her surprise, Irene's face takes on a red tint. "You were at the last royal dinner, Irene-ssi? And what did you say about me?"

"Um," Irene coughs into her fist, that lip bite coming back again in full force, "Yes, I had been invited. And, um... not that you didn't look pretty in that sky blue hanbok, Seulgi-ssi, but I simply thought that you would look prettier in a shade of orange... and I made the horrible mistake of telling Seungwan this that night," she finishes with a glare at her friend tossed in for good measure.

"Well," Seulgi drawls, still amused the turning of the tables, "If you have the time for me, I would love for you to design my dress for the spring banquet, Irene-ssi."

To Seulgi's utmost pleasure, Irene's face considerably brightens after this admission.

"Really? Are you sure you wouldn't want one of the royal tailors to do this, Seulgi-ssi?"

Seulgi nods, heart weakening at the sight of the pure joy on Irene's features. "Of course. You designed Seungwan's last hanbok, yes? The detail of its design was absolutely gorgeous. It would be an honor to wear a dress of your creation."

Both girls pointedly ignore Yeri's quiet murmur of, "smooth, KangSseul."

And as Seungwan and Irene remain behind the curtained area for her fitting, Yeri leans over to Seulgi with a grin.

"Isn't Irene-unnie gorgeous, Seulgi-unnie?" she whispers, and Seulgi nods. No use lying.

"I was taken completely off-guard," Seulgi admits, and Yeri beams.

"Irene-unnie reminds me of Joohyun, the Goddess of Peace," the younger girl continues, "Her name really fits her."

"What does it mean?" The princess can't help but ask. "It's not Korean, right?"

"You should ask her yourself," Yeri giggles, and Seulgi sighs. She should've known Yeri wouldn't say anything, despite definitely knowing the answer. Yeri is a scholar, regardless of how she acts, and Seulgi knows that the young girl has definitely studied foreign languages and cultures before.

An hour later, it's Seulgi's turn, and she allows Irene to lead her behind the curtain, her heart beating a little faster at the prospect of finally being alone with the older girl.

They make small talk as Irene measures her, and Seulgi can't help but notice how ever little touch Irene brushes against her skin radiates a welcoming heat.

"Irene-ssi?"

"Yes?" Irene smiles up endearingly at Seulgi, and the sight is so stunning the princess nearly forgets to breathe. "And it's 'unnie,' by the way. If you feel comfortable, that is."

"Oh." And that goofy smile is back on Seulgi's face again. "Okay then, Irene-unnie, I've been curious about your name. It doesn't sound Korean. What does it mean? Yeri said that it fits you well, whatever that means."

"Ah," Irene blushes, and Seulgi can't help but think that she likes the color pink on Irene the best. "It's not Korean. I traveled for a bit outside of Korea. Some foreigners I met in Europe gave me the name 'Irene' after seeing me for the first time, and I liked it, so I decided to use Irene as my name and began introducing myself as such. As for Yeri saying that it 'fits me well,' um, I don't really know about how accurate that is..."

"What does it mean?" Seulgi is really curious now.

"Irene literally means 'goddess of peace,'" Irene murmurs, looking down and pausing in her measurements, her face a bright red now. "It's a bit pretentious, I know, to be comparing myself to her and all, but—"

"No!" Seulgi hastily interjects, stammering as Irene looks up in surprise. "N-no! I mean, I completely agree, Irene-unnie. You're really beautiful, like, goddess-level beautiful... and I bet that people would stop wars after seeing your face, unnie. That's how beautiful you are. You really are the goddess of peace, unnie."

There's a pause, and Seulgi is just about to apologize when Irene's beautiful laugh fills the air again. The older girl smiles and reaches up to playfully tap on Seulgi's nose. "Now you're just playing with me. You aren't what I expected, Princess."

"Is that a good or bad thing?"

"Good," Irene affirms. "Definitely good."

"How did you meet Seungwan and Yeri, unnie?" Seulgi suddenly asks, desperate for a topic change.

"Seungwan was recommended to me after the woman who used to fit her retired. That was... maybe a year ago? I've measured and made her clothing three times. Last time, Yeri came along with her, and I designed her dress as well. I've only been to one of the dinners though."

"I see..." A thought strikes Seulgi. "Who invited you, may I ask? Was it Seungwan or Yeri?"

"No." Another pause, this one slightly longer. "Your brother, the crown prince, did."

"What?" The shock in Seulgi's voice is evident, and a foreign feeling starts to churn in her stomach, burning like a fire. "Yunho did?"

"Yes." Irene nods, having set down her measuring tapes and walked over to her worktable. She picks up a pad of paper and gingerly begins leaving through its contents. "I went to the royal palace to drop off Seungwan and Yeri's hanbok because they had been too busy to pick them up themselves. I was having a conversation with them when Yunho approached us and invited me to the dinner."

"Did... did you...?"

"Nothing happened," Irene shrugs, shooting a small smile in Seulgi's direction. "I'm not going to lie though, something probably could have. I didn't see him much at the dinner, but after, he asked me if I wanted to stay the night at the palace, presumably with him. I said no, of course. I made some excuse about having work the next day."

"Are... are you interested in him, unnie?" Seulgi looks down through her bangs, as if scared of the answer.

A final, brief pause. "...No."

And when Seulgi looks up again, Irene's eyes are filled with an unrecognizable feeling, and Seulgi can't tell what is is, but she can feel it consuming her entire being. She can't look away.

"He sent you an invitation to the banquet, though?"

That amused smile is back. "Yes, he did. A royal messenger dropped it off this morning."

"Will you go?"

"Typically, it's rude to deny someone from the royal family, but..." Irene gives Seulgi a pointed look. "I think I should have a say in the matter if the member of royalty is pursuing me. I'm not sure if I want to go anymore. Will he pin for me again?"

"Well," Seulgi's mouth feels as dry as a desert. "What if the invitation isn't from him? What about me? I, Kang Seulgi, first princess of Korea and second-in-line to the throne, am personally asking you to attend next week's spring banquet as my guest. Will you go?"

"Then yes," Irene's smile is blinding. "I will happily go."

The next fifteen minutes are spent deciding on the shade and design of Seulgi's hanbok. Truthfully, all of the fabrics look and feel so wonderful that Seulgi eventually waves off the decision and tells Irene, surprise me. Irene giggles and makes Seulgi promise to wear whatever she makes for her. Seulgi simply says that she'll pick it up from the shop herself (and she does, five days after with Seungwan and Yeri in tow).

A week later, as Seulgi walks elegantly to her spot beside her royal family members in her brilliant sunset orange and gold dress, all eyes are on her but she's only looking for one pair. She spots Irene seated next to Seungwan and Yeri (as far away from Yunho's side and as close to Seulgi's side as possible,) and she smiles. Irene, dressed in a brilliant shade of pink, beams back and Seulgi has to make sure to control the silly expression on her face.

Seulgi can feel Yunho's eyes burning into her back as she marches over to converse with her friends. She pulls Irene in for a lingering hug, and when they break apart, Irene links their arms and intertwines their fingers together as they continue to talk with Seungwan and Yeri. Seulgi can see Yunho glance in their direction every few minutes as he chats up some other girl he's invited, but she pays him no mind. Tonight, Irene is present as her guest. He cannot interfere.

"I love the gardenia pattern on your dress," Irene murmurs, low into Seulgi's ear, sending shivers down the younger girl's spine. "Who made it?"

"You wouldn't know her," Seulgi whispers back. "She calls herself the goddess of peace or something, though I'm not sure how well she lives up to her name."

This earns Seulgi a playful smack, but the older girl stays pressed up against her side, and she and Irene share a giggle. They both know that Seulgi is lying.

Seulgi loses herself in Irene's warmth for the rest of the night.