Author's Note: I’m back (: how’s everyone? I hope you’re all safe and healthy. I don’t know how many countries are implementing this self-quarantine or physical distancing thingy but if you’re like me, who has spent the past 2 months cooped up at home, working from home with workload that seems to be inhumanely increasing during this WFH period, stay strong mate, we’re together in this.

Also, I started this chapter with seulkai fluff and ended it with an angst (sorta). Let’s say this is where everything started to go south ok I’ve planted the seeds and we’ve progressed to the 2nd phase of the story (*pats myself on the back for continuing this far).

And I don’t know if you realized it but there are and has been many symbolization and foreshadowing in the past 11 chapters and there will be more in the coming chapters, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled alright ;)

LASTLY, I, a person who updates her fics once a month (if i’m lucky) is starting a new fic. It’s a surene fic because I realize we’re really lacking quality suho and irene content and it’ll feature new (sometimes even wild) crackships ok and it’ll be hollywood/kpop esque so pls check it out here thank you i love you stay safe from corona guys!

XII.

ad astra per aspera.

through adversity to the stars.

In truth Seulgi wished she could do something to cheer Jongin up, but their schedules have been so busy for days now that almost two weeks have passed since their conversation. Her husband has gotten better. He didn’t look as hollow as he did before and his smile is lighter, easier, but she wished she could do something more.

“So, uh, the date for Altair visit has been set.” Miyeon’s voice distracts her from her brooding and Seulgi turns to look at her aide. “It’s next week, actually, 15th of May.”

“Wow.” Seulgi muses, a small smile blooms on her face. “By then, it’ll be three months since I married Jongin.”

Miyeon blinks before giving her a soft smile as she looks back at her from the passenger seat. “Time flies so quickly, huh?”

“On the contrary,” Seulgi shakes her head, looking out at the city scenery outside her car. “It feels like it’s already been a lifetime ago.”

Her aide doesn’t say anything, only giving her another smile before looking at Seulgi’s timetable. “Good thing tomorrow is Saturday and there is no schedule for you, Princess. How fun is that?”

At this, Seulgi let out a content sigh. “Finally.” she says. “My schedules have been crazy lately.”

“Your Highness should get a rest. Maybe get a massage or something.” Jiwon advises her from the driver’s seat. “Or sleep through the entire day.”

But Seulgi purses her lips and broods again. “Actually,” she speaks up, hoping that her voice doesn’t shake. “I wonder if Jongin will be busy tomorrow.”

The knowing look Jiwon throws at her from the rearview mirror makes Seulgi want to crawl back to Altair because her Sworn Knight can be too observant sometimes. Miyeon, at least, has the decency to look moderately interested.

“Talked to Sehun earlier and they only have one schedule in the morning and after that, the Crown Prince is all yours, Princess.” the man answers with a teasing smile.

He’s not mine, Seulgi wants to grumble but she holds her tongue. Instead, she crosses her arms in front of her chest and broods. “I wonder what I could do to cheer him up.” she starts, “He needs a break. They’ve been overworking him too much.”

“You’ve been overworked, too, Princess Seulgi.” Miyeon blurts. “I think a picnic just the two of you would be nice. The Crown Prince has been cooped up in buildings lately, so a change of scenery and fresh air perhaps will be good.”

Seulgi considers the idea for a bit. Just the two of them? She suddenly feels nervous. What would they talk about? And how would she ask Jongin to spend the time with her? Seulgi holds back the urge to let out a sarcastic laugh. It’s ironic how she doesn’t even have the guts to ask her own husband to spend time with her. Does a picnic count as a date? She can feel her cheeks getting warm. What if Jongin thinks of this as a date and he’d be reluctant because he wants nothing from her except platonic connection? Perhaps she shouldn’t have that picnic. Maybe she could just prepare him some food like he did last time. Yes, perhaps giving something to him would be so much better.

“Princess, you know you’re allowed to ask the Crown Prince to spend time with you.” Miyeon says matter-of-factly, guessing the reason behind Seulgi’s sudden distress.

“I know I’m just…” she huffs, waving her hands idly in front of her before she gives up trying to voice her thoughts. “I don’t know.”

“Ask His Highness.” Jiwon advises her. “I’m sure he wants to spend time with you, too. You can go to the hills behind the palace. It’s calm, secluded, and airy at the top. We’ll prepare the food.”

*

So, the next day, Seulgi finds herself sitting on a plaid blanket on top of a grassy hill. Jongin sits beside her, wearing a shirt and pants that looked a bit too formal for a picnic. Not too far from them, Jiwon and Sehun are on the lookout, giving them privacy but also ready to intervene should something happen. It's sort of cute, watching them have their own blanket, blowing bubbles as they compete on who can make the biggest one.

“You should’ve returned to the palace first and change.” Seulgi can’t help but say, worrying over his perfectly ironed white shirt as the prince lies down beside her with his hands behind his head.

Jongin let out a content sigh. “When you said we’re going on a picnic I got too excited. It’s been a while since I last saw mother nature.” he chuckles before glancing playfully at her. “I’d say you’re a bit overdressed as well.”

That immediately makes Seulgi feel self-conscious. Is she really overdressed? She’s wearing a baby blue, casual wrap-dress that reaches just above her knees and ties her hair back. “Really?” she fusses. “I knew I should’ve just worn those pants.”

She had been debating on what to wear, probably a bit too obsessively for her own liking. At first, she opts for wearing a cropped pants so that she could climb the hills easier but Nayeon had urged her to wear the baby blue dress because “Summer is coming and you’d look so pretty in this dress and I know you won’t be able to wear this dress in one of your schedules, Princess!”

Unexpectedly, Jongin laughs. “Calm down, I was teasing you.” he says and Seulgi instantly deflates. “The dress looks good, don’t worry.”

“Really?” Seulgi repeats meekly. “I was really worrying over what to wear.” she blurts before scolding herself because God, how could she say that? Now she really looked desperate.

But Jongin laughs again before patting the spot next to him. “Lie down.” he says. “The sky is really pretty today.”

Carefully, Seulgi lies down on her back and gazes up at the sky. It really is pretty. The blue is almost cerulean, with the whitest clouds like some towers of a sky castle. The sunlight is warm on her skin and the wind is gentle and cool. Instantly, Seulgi feels at peace. Today is a perfect day.

“This feels so nice.” Jongin murmurs softly.

When Seulgi steals a glance at him, she finds his eyes are closed and he look so serene. The sunlight casts a gold-colored glow against his tanned skin and his hair dances lazily in the soft breeze. Her heart constricts against her chest. She really is falling for this man. Seulgi let her gaze linger for a few seconds, engraving this precious vision into her memory so she won’t ever forget any details of it. Smiling to herself, Seulgi tears her gaze off him and closes her eyes as well, enjoying the soft comfort.

“I might fall asleep.” he speaks again, opening his eyes slightly to look at her.

“Sleep.” Seulgi tells him. “You haven’t got much of it lately. I’ll wake you when it’s lunch time.”

“Then what are you going to do?” he asks.

Seulgi chuckles. “I’ll be right here.” she answers. “Enjoying the scenery, maybe having all this food for myself."

This elicits a short laugh from Jongin. "As if you'd do that." he says but he stares at her worriedly.

"Of course I won't do that. What's the point of going on a picnic together if you don't get to eat any food?" Seulgi reassures him with a smile. "Go to sleep."

Nodding, Jongin closes his eyes and it doesn't take long for him to drift into a peaceful slumber. In truth, Seulgi wants to take her time studying him, but finds herself too embarrassed to do so. She can't help it, Jongin is so handsome. Perhaps when they've grown closer in the future, he'd let her paint him. If he let her, she would paint this exact scenery. Him sleeping on the green expanse, sunlight warm on his skin and peace in his expression. She would add streaks of gold on where the sunlight highlights his features- his cheekbones, his nose, his forehead, and his cupid's bow.

Seulgi then stops herself, embarrassed of her own thoughts. Has she really become this attached to him? She feels mortified. Muffling her groan, Seulgi buries her face in her arms, annoyed at her own feelings. But what could she do? She can't stop feeling this if she wants to.

When Jongin wakes up fifteen minutes later, Seulgi is absent-mindedly making a flower crown using assortments of wildflowers that grow around them. She doesn't even realize he's already up and flinches when he speaks.

"Who are you making those for?"

"I thought you're still asleep." she chuckles.

"Now I'm awake." Jongin replies, pushing himself up so that his body rests on his elbows. He notices there's one finished flower crown beside her. "Are those for us?" he asks with a cheeky smile on his face.

Her cheeks suddenly feel warm and Seulgi knows it's not from the sun. "If you want to."

"I want to."

Seulgi shrugs. "Then it's for us." she replies. "Are you hungry? It's lunchtime now."

Jongin nods eagerly. "Yeah, I'd really love to."

She smiles and sets her half-finished flower crown down to prepare his meal. "Just a disclaimer, I didn't make these foods because I'd most likely burn the whole palace down." she says. "Should we eat with Sehun and Jiwon?"

"The blanket's too small for the four of us!" Jongin protests childishly. When Seulgi laughs in disbelief, he adds, "Besides, I've been seeing too much of Sehun these days, I'm bored of him."

Seulgi chuckles, shaking her head at his antiques. "Fine. Just us, then." she says, opening their basket and giving him his meal.

It's quiet for a few moments, both of them engrossed in eating their sandwiches. Jongin finishes first and drinks the mint tea Seulgi has prepared for him. He gazes at her for a moment, making Seulgi grow nervous and awkward under his stare.

"Say," he speaks, still training his eyes on her. "If you weren't born a princess… if you're just a regular folk, how would you like your life to be like?"

The question catches Seulgi off-guard, but the answer comes to mind almost instantly. "I'd like to be a dancer." she says earnestly, easily, because she has thought about it multiple times before. "Or a painter, or maybe both."

Jongin chuckles but it's nothing condescending. "Yeah, you are a pretty good dancer." he compliments, "Tell me more."

Seulgi takes her time with her sandwich before answering. "I'd have my own dance studio, I'd choreograph or teach other people. I'd have a number of friends I really trust, we'd hang out on weekends… or I'd paint on weekends. I'd travel a lot. I'd save my money to go to the beaches, the countryside, the cities in all sorts of different countries… Oh, I'd also have two cats, their names would be Lulu and Lala."

It sort of feels weird telling him all this because Seulgi never told those fantasies to anyone else before. It's something she keeps to herself and has changed multiple times through the years as she got older. First she wanted to be a florist because it seemed romantic. Then she wanted to be an astronaut, then a lawyer, then a photographer, but in the end, she wanted most to be a dancer.

Jongin smiles the whole time she speaks and it makes her feel even more self-conscious. "That sounds like a fun life." he comments with softness in his eyes that Seulgi finds hard to decipher.

"What about you?" she asks, "If not the Crown Prince of Aria, what would your life be like?"

Jongin takes his time to answer. "I've always wanted to be a surgeon." he says, finally looking away from her and stares at something else she can't quite pinpoint. "Child's classic, huh?"

Seulgi shrugs. "Why do you want to be