The feast was very loud and confusing. There were people everywhere, talking and laughing with voices that carried halfway across the vast hall. To be frank, Seungwan had deeply underestimated what it would mean to be by the princess’s side all evening. For hours, she was dragged from noblewoman to noblewoman, being introduced to what she could only assume was every single person of noble ascent in the planet, an unfortunate consequence of being attached to the individual that everyone wanted to talk to, at least for this one night.

Nobody was rude, of course. As long as she was the princess’s protégé, she would receive the warmest welcome and the fondest offers of visits and gifts and friendship. How much of it was genuine and how much was faked to look good in front of the princess, she could only guess.

She began to feel increasingly out of place, uncomfortable in the position that she didn’t feel like she deserved, especially with how some of the women stared harshly at her when the princess looked away. And she was growing very tired of retelling, over and over again, how she’d saved the princess by calling out to her like some gawking tourist who’d never learned how to address royalty.

To keep herself from saying too much and inevitably shoving her foot in , she began to stand back and let the princess take the lead in all conversations, only nodding at the right times and otherwise keeping busy by drinking whatever was shoved into her hand.

In a surprising twist of fate that she should have seen coming from a mile away because it really was her luck, alcohol worked just like in the real world. Soon, she swayed by Joohyun’s side as her mind whirred away, too confused by the noisy room to actually pay any attention to the conversation. Instead, she found herself puzzling over her own situation.

She’d been so busy these past weeks keeping things on track and staying at a safe distance from Joohyun, at least emotionally since physical distance seemed out of the question, that she’d never actually thought about what she was doing. She wouldn’t even consider the possibility that she wasn’t getting out of this book, because that was too scary to face, but what if she’d changed too much? What if she got out and suddenly the book was different and terrible? What if somebody found out her secret? What if it was Joohyun and she got mad at her?

The whole world spun around her for a second and suddenly she was being held up by delicate little hands. Joohyun held onto her a little tighter, careful to make it look like they were simply linking arms as before, but she must have realized the truth. She courteously ended her conversation with one of the many Ladies Kim in attendance and retreated to a less populated corner.

“I think I drank too much”, Seungwan cautiously whispered in her ear. Joohyun smiled, possibly to make it look like she’d made a joke. That would be clever.

“I have an idea”, Joohyun whispered back, causing the hairs in the back of Seungwan’s neck to rise. They began to walk, and it took a moment for Seungwan to realize that they were heading towards an exit.

She stopped the princess to lean near her ear once more. “Are we leaving?”, she asked quietly. Joohyun nodded in confirmation, tugging on her arm gently to get her moving again. “Won’t people notice you’re gone? You’re the princess”, she pointed out even as she followed along.

“Well, yes, but what can they do about it? I’m the princess”, Joohyun replied with a giggle. Seungwan couldn’t argue with that logic, so she let herself be dragged out of the noisy hall into a refreshingly cool corridor. A few guards were stationed on each side of the door and they bowed respectfully towards the couple as they left.

They managed to make it all the way up to the corridor where their rooms were located, Seungwan’s further in and Joohyun’s at the end, where the sunlight could come in from nearly all sides. She distractedly wondered if hangovers existed in this world. If they did, she was very glad she wasn’t in the sunny room.

She leaned against the wall by her door, gazing unsteadily at the princess. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back? I don’t want to create a… diplomatic incident or something of the sort”

The princess giggled, only stopping when she noticed the confusion in Seungwan’s eyes. “You don’t call me Your Highness when you’re drunk”, she finally explained, giggling again as Seungwan froze in panic.

“Oh, Y-Your Highness, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it, Your Highness, I swear!”, she apologized at once, bowing again and again as she did so. Joohyun’s hand rested lightly on her shoulder as she stepped closer, effectively stopping her from bowing unless she wanted to headbutt the princess.

“It’s perfectly fine, really. I must admit I… I like it. It makes me feel like there is more between us than the mere formalities of hierarchy”, Joohyun confessed in a tone that was far too sweet when she was standing this close to Seungwan and her hand hovered over Seungwan’s like a moth tapping against the glass pane of a lantern.

“Well, regardless of what’s between us, Your Highness”, Seungwan began, trying her best not to blush at the implication that she really hoped wouldn’t come across, “the hierarchy still exists. I couldn’t possibly…”

“Well, I can”, Joohyun cut her off decisively. “So I’ll call you Seungwan, if that’s alright with you”

“Oh. It is”, she said breathlessly.  “Your Highness”, she added after a pause, causing them both to begin giggling. She began to suspect that maybe Joohyun wasn’t entirely sober herself.

Footsteps on the stone stairway echoed through the corridor, warning them that someone was coming. The princess took a step backwards, moving out of Seungwan’s personal space just as a tall shadow rounded the corner and revealed its owner as the comparatively shorter Lady Kim.

“Your Highness, I saw that you left the feast”, she announced as she came closer. “Shall I help you prepare for bed?”

The princess gazed at Seungwan for a moment, a sliver of amusement still sparkling in her eyes but quickly fading away. It reminded Seungwan of how she spent her days, alone and probably as bored as she’d assumed Seungwan to be the day before. Maybe she’d have liked to stay downstairs a little longer, enjoy the company and the atmosphere. And now she’d just go to bed and back to her boring routine.

“Would you…”, she tried with some hesitation. Lady Kim’s eyes immediately fell on her with suspicion, which she valiantly pretended not to notice. “Would you like to show me those constellations you spoke of the other day, Your Highness?”

Joohyun’s face lit up with a bright smile. She tugged on Seungwan’s arm and pulled her to her own door without even bothering to answer. The lady in waiting followed behind them, unwilling to leave the princess unprotected at such an hour, and Seungwan preferred not to challenge this decision. She felt safer, for her own sake, if she weren’t left alone with Joohyun when she was feeling this tipsy and the moonlight cast a bewitching glow on that impossibly beautiful face.

In the end they fell asleep by the window, halfway through Joohyun’s justification of why six stars in a rectangular formation somehow formed a rabbit. Seungwan awoke in her own bed a few hours later, probably carried by a guard or, in what would surprise her a lot less than when she’d first met her, by the young and tiny Lady Kim herself. She had no trace of a hangover.

(…)

Only a few days had passed since the feast and already everything was back to normal. Seungwan sat by the window gazing into the undulating grass she hadn’t touched since the day she’d arrived at the palace. Joohyun sat on her high stool and let her hair be painfully handled by her lady in waiting, all in nearly absolute silence.

She blinked lazily, the sunlight filtering in through the window flooding her with warmth until she felt ready to nap on the spot. It took her a few seconds for the situation to register in her hazy mind.

“Your Highness!”, she exclaimed with unwarranted energy, startling the princess so that she nearly elbowed Lady Kim. “It is a beautiful day”, she added a bit awkwardly. Sure, she’d seen sunny days before. There was no need to get so excited over them. But this particular sunny day was very important. This was the day the princess was supposed to go for a walk in the forest.

Her ladies in waiting would come along, of course, and she’d become tired of them and escape their notice, only for a moment, to wander the forest paths alone. She’d find a beautiful flower, sitting all by itself in a small clearing, and she’d reach down to pick it. Then a powerful curse would seize her at once, trapping her soul in the flower, and only Lady Kim’s watchful eye would ensure that the princess was found and led to safety before the bandits that sought to capture her learned that the curse had taken effect and rushed to her location.

So it was essential that the princess go on a walk to the forest, which she would do once she realized that it was a beautiful day.

“Oh, indeed it is”, Joohyun declared peacefully, leaning forward slightly to get a better angle on the window. “How lovely” She returned to her original position and let the attack on her hair continue.

The seed of panic began to grow inside Seungwan. Did she really have to intervene? She would much rather be out of this entirely, but now it seemed like the princess would go nowhere if she didn’t say something.

She cleared . “It might be a nice day for a walk. Perhaps somewhere shaded”, she said slowly, like she was musing to herself.

“There is a pleasant forest nearby”, Joohyun remarked without much interest. “If you’d like, you can borrow some of my ladies in waiting and go for a stroll”

Why was Joohyun being so difficult? Did she really have to spell it out for her? She was the princess, after all, Seungwan couldn’t go around making demands on her time. She clenched her jaw, looking out the window like the most interesting thing in the world sat just outside. “Oh, I thought perhaps you’d like to go on such a stroll, Your Highness”

She was still studying the view, watching the way the green plains faded to blue sky, when the princess dismissed Lady Kim. Once they were alone, the silence stretched until Seungwan was compelled to turn around and figure out why Joohyun wasn’t saying anything.

The princess sat on her high stool, studying her with a crooked grin. “Would you like to go on a stroll with me, Seungwan?”, she asked playfully, pronouncing her first name with a teasing quirk.

Seungwan willed her cheeks not to redden as she looked down at the ground. Hopefully she could pass it off as shyness or something other than how flustered she suddenly felt. “I would never presume on Your Highness’s time”, she said diplomatically. Distracted by Joohyun, she’d almost forgotten about the plan. Now she realized the princess would only go if she came along. Maybe she could hang back and blend into the crowd? Let Joohyun disappear around a corner like she hadn’t noticed anything? She already knew she’d let herself be dragged along with her, it was hopeless.

“Presume away, your highness never has anything interesting to do with her time”, Joohyun replied easily. She got up and studied herself in the mirror, turning one way and another. “This dress will do. There is a back exit through the kitchen, we should take it or we’ll be sure to attract a following”

“A-a following? Will Your Highness not take anyone along?”, Seungwan asked, suddenly nervous. Just the two of them? No, that was terrible. Everyone would suspect her. Lady Kim would suspect her. Oh no, she’d die at Lady Kim’s hands. She hadn’t even turned 18 yet.

“Well, I offered you my ladies in waiting and you requested me. Will you really be so greedy as to demand both?”, Joohyun pointed out skilfully. Oh, she was far too smart with her words for her own good.

“It is not a question of company, Your Highness”, she attempted with agitation. “For your own safety, it might be best if… You would be an easy target without protection”

“What better protection than my saviour?”, the princess quipped, approaching her and holding her arm with dramatic flair. “And I won’t be a target because nobody will know me. Who would chase after two noblewomen of so lowly caste that they must travel alone?”

“Anyone would know it’s you, Your Highness, really. You are the fairest in all the land, a single look at your face –“

“You didn’t”, Joohyun said curiously, cutting her off. Seungwan furrowed her brow and she continued. “When you saved me, you didn’t know who I was. I saw your look of surprise as captain Kang told you”

“That was different! I was distracted, and worn out from my journey, and I was focusing on the man coming up behind you, he was very distracting, he had a sword!” Joohyun giggled, not making any effort to refute her words. “What?”, she asked, suddenly self-conscious.

“You don’t call me Your Highness when you’re flustered”, Joohyun replied with a wicked grin. “Now come along, or we’ll waste away the daylight in these useless debates”

“As Your Highness wishes”, Seungwan conceded with a sigh.

They managed to escape the palace without drawing any attention, the two of them riding their horses leisurely to the forest without incident. Once there, they left the animals by the entrance, to graze in peace as they strolled inside.

“Are you happy now that I’ve granted your wish?”, Joohyun asked teasingly, pulling her a little closer by their linked arms.

“Yes, Your Highness”, Seungwan answered distractedly. She looked all around, searching for any indication of a nearby clearing with conspicuous flora. How was she expected to find that cursed flower? She had no idea which path the princess would have taken with her ladies in waiting.

“Must you really call me Your Highness?”, Joohyun complained in a whining voice. “There is no one here to berate you for any lack of formalities”

“It’s not about being berated, Your Highness. It is the respect you are owed”, she said simply. She craned her neck to study a fork in their path, wondering which of the branching paths seemed more likely to lead to flower-shaped traps.

“Well, what if I don’t want that respect?”, Joohyun argued, pulling Seungwan towards the right once she’d had enough of her hesitation. “What if what I truly want is for you to stop calling me Your Highness?”

Seungwan sighed, a little calmer now that Joohyun seemed to be taking the lead in terms of directions. Surely she’d lead herself to the cursed flower. “Then I suppose, if you truly want it, and nobody is around to hear me disrespect my princess… I can stop calling you Your Highness”, she slowly acquiesced.

She was surprised to feel Joohyun unlink their arms, but only a moment later she felt delicate fingers reach for hers until they were holding hands. She was holding hands with princess Joohyun. It would be beyond embarrassing to let her face break into the widest grin possible, but she was finding it very hard to fight it.

“And if I want you to call me Joohyun?”, the princess insisted. Seungwan fought back a groan.

“There is no need for me to address you by name”, she pointed out, beginning to worry that her hand would grow sweaty and disgust the princess. Could palms get sweaty in this fantasy land? Knowing her luck, the answer would be yes.

“What if you need to warn me of imminent danger? Will you call out ‘hey’ again?”, Joohyun wondered with a small grin.

She rolled her eyes dramatically, the urge to grin growing again at Joohyun’s giggles. “Then I will say ‘Your Highness’. Or, if the address truly displeases you, ‘my princess’”

“’My princess’ is better”, Joohyun admitted with a shrug. “But I would prefer my name”, she added stubbornly.

All playful debating was driven out of her mind as she realized that the clearing was up ahead. She’d managed to find it, but what should she do now? Did Joohyun need to go in there alone? How would Seungwan manage that if they were currently walking hand in hand, too absorbed by their ridiculous back-and-forth to even pay attention to their surroundings?

“If you don’t call me Joohyun”, the princess carried on in the absence of a response. “then… I will stop calling you Seungwan. You’ll be Lady Son once more”, she threatened lightly.

“As you wish, Your Highness”, Seungwan answered neutrally, her mind entirely occupied with the question of how to drive Joohyun to that clearing. She was brought back to reality by the sudden emptiness around her hands. The princess had released her and stood a short distance away.

“Seungwan, I’m serious now”, she declared in a tone that lacked all the previous amusement. “If I am anything but your princess to you, then you must call me Joohyun. At least once”, she added, almost meekly.

“But you are my princess”, Seungwan pointed out with growing exasperation. She needed Joohyun to stop this ridiculous discussion and just go in the clearing, curse a touched flower and let her soulless body be dragged back to the palace. Was that so hard?

A tense silence dragged between them. “You’re right, Lady Son”, Joohyun finally said in the cold tone she probably used whenever fulfilling her duties as royalty. The distant, detached voice of a ruler. “And you are my subject. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to explore on my own for a bit. You may wait here”

Seungwan wanted to apologize, she really did, but before she could say a word Joohyun had stepped between a pair of trees and straight towards the clearing where her destiny awaited. All Seungwan had to do was stay right where she was and let it happen. She’d give her ten minutes to look around, five more minutes to reach for the flower, and then she’d go after her.

The description of the curse returned to her mind unprompted. The princess touched the flower and found her body rooted to the spot as her consciousness seemed to leave her in a blinding wave. Then all was dark. When her chaperones found her, she stood frozen in place, her eyes pitch black, showing no sign of recognition or even of life. She was rushed back to the palace and immediately taken to the king’s mage, who worked night and day to reverse the terrible curse that had befallen the innocent princess. All through the process, her frail body twisted and contorted in painful spams, the magical poison inside it fighting with all its might against the healing incantations.

She couldn’t remember anything else, because she kept replaying that last sentence. Thinking of Joohyun’s body, unconscious, unresponsive, wracked with pain inflicted by dark magic. It had been difficult to read but now, knowing Joohyun as she did, knowing how soft and untouched her body was, how unused to pain, she simply couldn’t let it happen.

She looked towards the clearing. She still had some time, if she hurried. But if she did, she’d definitely derail the story. It was one thing to stop a bandit attack a bit too early. It was another entirely to keep an attack from happening at all. If she and the princess just had a stroll and then returned to the palace, not even aware that there’d been a cursed flower at all, what irreversible effects would that have on the plot? How terribly would she mess things up if she kept meddling?

“Oh, fudge me”, she sighed in defeat. She ran after Joohyun as fast as her legs could carry her.