The day of the Princess arrival was a commotion. Since Chaeyeon woke up in the morning, he had seen men running throughout the temple, carrying robes, paper, ink, food, and other amenities. It didn’t weird Chaeyeon out, as it seemed normal that they would try their best to receive the Princess in a dignified manner, and when his teacher arrived, he commented so.

“Hah,” the teacher exclaimed haughtily, laughing a bit, before he took the papers he had brought with him. “It’s obvious they are excited to meet with Princess Sakura. They believe that if they try their best they can gain the Princess’ grace.”

“You mean, that they want to woo the Princess?” Chaeyeon blinked.

“Yes, especially because the Princess isn’t known for having any lovers. Perhaps she keeps them in secret, but that is almost impossible,” the teacher answered as he tried writing on a paper.

“Why?”

“The walls of the palace have ears, many, many ears. There is no romantic tryst that isn’t known to the rest of the nobles and the imperial family. Furthermore, why would anyone want to hide their lover? A lover is nothing but something to pride on.” Chaeyeon scrunched his nose at the thought of the non-existent privacy. He experimented it back home in a more threatening way, but he could not imagine having to be scrutinized by a whole body of people about who she dated.

“They have no chance, anyways,” the teacher added.

“Because they are monks?”

“No, because of their families.”

“Their families?” Chaeyeon asked, confused. “They are nobles, right?”

“Yes, they are,” the teacher smiled wryly. “But even within nobility, there are grades, if you will. This grades determine who you can be with, the positions you can hold within the court, among other things.”

“That is horrible.” The teacher laughed.

“I can assure you you’re not the only one that thinks that. Anyways, I want to teach you calligraphy for a moment.”

When the moment came to greet the Princess, another monk entered Chaeyeon’s room, warning them of the Princess’ arrival. They both stood up and hurried towards the main entrance.

In the distance, there was an entourage, at the front of which were two people (probably servants) guiding the first carriage, which was pulled by two oxen. At the back there was another carriage, and at the end there were four people walking slowly.

It took a while for them to come, but everyone, even Chaeyeon, waited in anticipation for the entourage to fully arrive at the temple. When the entourage finally arrived, everyone bowed, parting so that only one man (which Chaeyeon supposed was the Prince) was standing in the middle to receive the Princess.

The two women at the front ran at the first carriage, extending one of their hands to the entrance of the carriage, out of which came a dainty hand. Taking small steps, the person inside stepped outside the carriage. Chaeyeon was mesmerized by the multi-layered beautiful silk garments the person had. The woman had the same makeup the monks wore, making her skin look white, contrasting deeply with her blood red lips. Her eyebrows (?) were thickly painted with black ink. Chaeyeon knew that it was probably the fashion of the time, but he really didn’t know what to think about it, and that was putting it lightly. Behind her, there were other two women, who carried her long outer garment.

Out of the second carriage came another woman with similar clothing, but different colors and patterns than that of the first woman, and also with the same makeup. As with the first woman, there where other servants who helped her off the carriage, and other two who held her outer garment. When Chaeyeon saw them completely out of the carriage, he also noticed their extremely long hair, which, if not for the outer garment being raised by the servants, would be dragging through the ground.

Someone shoved his head to bow completely, which made him grumble at the rudeness, but decided not to raise his head again, as he was sure there was a reason.

“Welcome to the Kofukuji temple, Princess Sakura,” Chaeyeon heard a deep voice say. “Welcome to the Kofukuji temple, Princess Rino.”

“Thank you for welcoming us, Prince Tomiyasu,” a soft voice said. Another soft, but more commanding voice repeated the phrase.

“Please, take care of us,” the voice added.

“Welcome,” everyone else seemed to say, which startled Chaeyeon. He tried repeating with the rest but it was too late. When he saw everyone straighten up, he did so too.

Everyone followed behind the princesses, but Chaeyeon was ready to go along to other activities. He had finally satisfied his own curiosity, and he was not fond of the obvious formality and stuffiness of the whole thing, which seemed apparent that would continue for a while. Still, he was afraid to ask, not wanting to appear rude to other monks, who already held Chaeyeon and Yena at a distance, nor to the princesses.

There were other things being said, but Chaeyeon was at the back (and was barely paying attention), so he had no idea what else was going on. Finally, the crowd dispersed, and Chaeyeon felt it safe to return to his room, but not without trying to spare a second glance to the princesses.

--

His teacher was off to somewhere (Chaeyeon had no idea), and he was afraid of trying to talk to Yena and being rejected, so he just wandered outside the temple, as always.

It felt weird, to have visitors. Chaeyeon had felt so isolated for a while, that the thought of having new people that wasn’t him or Yena was a bit refreshing, although he knew he probably wouldn’t even get to speak with said visitors. It also took attention away from both men, and that was a relief. Even though a few months had passed by, most of the monks at the temple turned to look at him whenever he passed by, whether in contempt or curiosity, he couldn’t tell, but it made him nervous.

It was then, that a not so foreign feeling filled his chest. The desire to disappear, to be alone for a few moments, to not even be seen by anyone. To have the knowledge that while, he was surrounded by people, only he could see them pass by.

It wasn’t something she had felt when she was younger. Back when she was in dance lessons, back when she was a student, she had a burning desire to stand out, to be seen. She trained harshly and religiously every day, for hours on an end. She loved dancing, obviously, but she loved showing others what she could do, the things she had worked for. Her cheeks would heat at the praise of his teachers and her family, who would, without failure, go to her showcases, and her heart would fill with gratitude at everyone who helped throughout the way.

Time had gone by, her mother had died, she had gotten off dance lessons, her father escaped to another country after drowning himself in debt, only sending her and her sisters enough money to survive, and the passion she had once felt died out, suffocated by betrayal, a desire to survive, and a deep, deep sadness.

It was then that she thrived on not being seen, of being passed on by everyone, only being thought of as a mere decoration, another face in a sea of them. It made her feel safe. It made her feel more at ease in a job that not only was dangerous, but made her feel guilty.

Why was she even thinking about this?

Well, there was nothing else to do.

In this temple, time crawled painfully, leaving Chaeyeon with not much to do, but to think and to remember, and these were the worst times.

It was easy to be decisive, to be ‘reliable’, as Yena put it, when she was trying to survive, to return to her sisters, the only people she loved now, or when she was back in her time, working all day, nonstop. But when she was alone, she reverted to an angry, resentful 15 year old girl who suddenly had the rug pulled under her.

Looking into the temple’s lake direction, she walked towards it.

She still remembered when Yena had embarrassingly (but hilariously, Chaeyeon mentally added) discovered her secret at the lake she had been bathing at. Thinking back on it, the image of a screaming Yena made Chaeyeon laugh. Thinking about this brought another smile to her face, that was again erased in an instant when she remembered Yena was mad at her.

‘How can I get him to forgive me? How can I get him to believe me?’

Finally closer to the lake, she saw a figure under the kiosk closest to the lake, surrounded by several other figures who were carrying the back of her garment, and others flanking her on the sides. Knowing it was probably one of the princesses, he turned around to make a hasty escape.

“Excuse me!”

Chaeyeon flinched at the voice he heard in the distance. Praying it wasn’t him they were calling for, he turned around slowly, his shoulders hunched.

Hell.

One of the servants called for him again, signaling for him to come. Pointing at himself, he tried playing dumb, but it was no use. Sighing, he got closer.

He didn’t know which one of the princesses it was, but he bowed as soon as he got to close proximity.

“Excuse me,” he said, unsure on how to call the Princess without being rude. He probably was, anyway, judging by the expressions on the maids’ faces.

“Are you one of the foreigners that are visiting this temple?” one of the maids asked. Chaeyeon felt himself wanting to raise an eyebrow at the Princess, who wasn’t looking in his direction, but looking at the lake in front of them.

“Yes. Is there anything you need from me?” Chaeyeon asked, confused when he was met with even more bewilderment from the maids. The Princess signaled for the speaking maid, whispering in her ear. The maid turned around to relay her words to Chaeyeon.

“Princess Sakura wishes to know if you are an envoy from the Tang Empire.”

“No, I come from the Kingdom of Silla.” If the Princess was disappointed, she didn’t express it. Instead, she again whispered something into her maid’s ear.

“That is all. You are dismissed.” Chaeyeon had the mind to feel insulted at the Princess’ haughty attitude, but only bowed, rushing to leave the gardens as soon as possible.

‘What was wrong about being from Silla? Is that not a respectable place to come from as well?’

Chaeyeon huffed and grumbled until he found himself at the living quarters. He sighed, not wanting to enter again into the building and stay god knows how many hours rearranging his few belongings (a few garments that were donated hesitantly by other monks) or looking at the painting hung on the wall.

“Chaeyeon, there you are,” another male voice made him turn around, making him lighten up. It was his teacher, smiling slightly at him.

“I need your help with something.”

“If I can be of any use,” he answered, bowing slightly.

“Your friend still needs some help with his own Japanese, and I feel it would do him good to speak with someone else who has had to have lessons as well.” Chaeyeon felt himself freeze at the request, not really wanting to see Yena in that moment.

“Ah, I was going to go-”

“I know, I know. You were probably going to wander around the temple’s garden some more, but I really wish you could give me your time for this one petition.”

“Alright,” Chaeyeon answered hesitantly after some time of consideration. He didn’t want to face Yena yet, but, should a separation occur after this, he didn’t want Yena to get stranded. If he could help him in any way to go back to his own country, he would.

“So, you didn’t tell me there were two princess coming,” Chaeyeon said, wanting to calm his nerves.

“Nobody knew, actually. The letter Princess Sakura sent to Prince Tomiyoshi only spoke about her arrival to the temple. She never mentioned Princess Rino would accompany her.”

“Is Princess Rino her sister?”

“They don’t share the same mother, if that is what you are asking,” the teacher answered. “But that has never mattered to either of them, as they have always been very close.”

“Oh,” Chaeyeon interjected, not knowing what else to say.

“She is pretty, right?” the man asked cheekily.

“I guess,” the young man shrugged. She might be pretty under all that makeup, but Chaeyeon couldn’t be sure... Nor should he care, of course!

“Well, you can appreciate her beauty, young man, but that’s all you will be able to do.”

“As if I would want to do anything else with that snooty woman,” Chaeyeon grumbled under his breath.

“What did you say?”

“I’m not interested in women,” Chaeyeon answered out loud. The teacher roared in laughter.

“You can’t deny beauty, young man,” the teacher answered after his laughter subsided. “There are few things worth in this empty, meandering world, and beauty is one of them.” Chaeyeon raised an eyebrow at his teacher’s words.

‘That fatalism doesn’t suit him or this place,’ he thought, deprecating such philosophy for someone who lived comfortably, as a noble, and had not encountered as many difficulties in life.

“So, how is Yena doing with his lessons?” Chaeyeon asked, preferring to change the topic before her mind went to a self-compassionate journey.

“He is a very smart man, picked up on the language pretty quickly. Still, he has some problems with vocabulary. He likes to rely on gestures.” The young man hummed, feeling some kind of pride swell in his chest.

“Well, here we are,” the teacher said, opening the door of Yena’s room. Chaeyeon panicked, wishing he could just run away, but Yena had already seen him, changing one of his customary grins to a glare. Deflated, Chaeyeon entered the room, avoiding Yena’s gaze at all costs.

“Well, what are you doing standing there? Come, sit.” Chaeyeon sat next to the teacher, still finding uncomfortable the position he was taught to use to sit when he first woke up. The atmosphere was awkward, to the point that he knew the teacher could notice.

“Yena, I brought Chaeyeon-san so that you could practice your Japanese with someone.”

“I couldn’t practice with you?” Yena asked coldly, making Chaeyeon flinch.

“Well, yes, but it was better for you to speak with someone who is also learning the language,” the teacher said, confused at his two pupils’ apparent feud, or more likely, one-sided feud, if he were to judge by the younger man’s sad expression.

“Alright, let’s talk,” Yena said aloofly, turning to look at Chaeyeon. “How have you been?”

“Good, I’ve been good,” Chaeyeon answered as stably as he could, still avoiding Yena’s eyes. “How about you?”

“Terrible. I can’t walk, because of my leg, and I have to,” Yena pointed at the ground. “In this room. Always.”

“Stay, Yena. Stay,” the teacher corrected, seemingly uncomfortable with the current atmosphere. Perhaps he wasn’t used to angry Yena either.

“Yes, stay. I have to STAY here ALWAYS, because my leg is bad,” Yena emphasized, making Chaeyeon’s temper flare, despite his own guilt.

“Are you implying it is because of me?” Chaeyeon gritted out, trying to control his emotions, that were equal parts guilt and indignation.

“I am not implying anything. I’m just learning to speak Japanese,” Yena answered, equaling Chaeyeon’s anger. “You know, because I am not someone who was taught when he was young. I had to learn now, and deal with loneliness always.”

“How is that my fault?” Chaeyeon asked frustrated. The teacher, sensing that a fight was afoot, decided to instead flee, leaving the room stealthily. None of the men noticed he left, as they were too busy trying to not fight with each other.

“I never said that,” Yena huffed.

“No, but you implied it,” Chaeyeon countered in Korean. “How is it my fault? I tried coming here alone-”

“You didn’t try enough.”

“How the- How was I supposed to ‘try enough’? Was I supposed to push you off the boat? Make the couriers notice you? Leave you there in the middle of the storm?”

“No!” Yena answered, his face now red. “You didn’t try! You didn’t try enough. You should have just left me there! You should have never gone to the same place in the city where I was! We should have never met each other! You should have never accepted a job as a courier! You should have just left me alone!”

Chaeyeon’s retort died in his throat at Yena’s tirade. “Do you mean that?” he asked quietly, feeling warmth accumulating in his eyes. Yena didn’t answer, diverting his gaze to the floor.

“Alright,” Chaeyeon said. “Alright. I’m sorry.” He bowed. “I’m sorry for everything I’ve caused.” He left the room, rushing again towards the lake, praying that the Princess had already left.

There was no one at the lake, but he still didn’t feel comfortable standing on the kiosk. He wanted, more than ever, to not be seen, so he simply hid on a more concealed place of the lake, sitting with his legs crossed, disregarding etiquette. Who would see him, anyways?

He wiped his unending tears furiously, feeling so much anger at Yena’s words. He had never asked for this! He had never asked for Yena to present himself. He had never asked Yena to offer his friendship. He had never asked Yena to follow him here.

But, unknowingly, he had become a big part of Chaeyeon’s life here, someone she cherished, perhaps as the older brother she never had, someone that made her laugh, someone that followed her lead without question, someone that had willingly shared her burdens and her adventures here, without asking anything in exchange.

‘He never asked anything from me, but friendship,’ Chaeyeon thought. She was reminded of his speech the first night they spent at Master Shinyu’s.

I know I ambushed you with my presence and demands, but I just... I don’t want to feel afraid. I don’t want to be alone in this big world. I want someone to rely on.

‘And I didn’t give him someone like that. I lied to him, and now, in his eyes, I’m just treating him like a fool,’ Chaeyeon thought glumly. ‘Then... would it be for the best if we separated now...?’

“Good afternoon,” a feminine voice interrupted his sad musings, making him jump and try to clear away the remaining tears, but he knew his face swelled easily, and it would be hard to hide.

“Good afternoon, Princess,” Chaeyeon greeted, bowing. How embarrassing.

“I couldn’t help but notice you here alone.” The Princess smiled when Chaeyeon hemmed and hawed, not finding the right words to answer.

“You are the foreigner, right? I am Princess Rino.”

“Yes, a pleasure to meet you, Princess,” Chaeyeon bowed awkwardly again.

“You aren’t going to tell me your name?” the Princess asked, a hint of tease in her voice.

“Ah, yes, sorry, Princess. I’m Lee Chaeyeon.”

“My, your Japanese sounds very natural. If not for your clothes, I would have thought you are a new addition to the temple.”

“Thank you, Princess.” He bowed again.

“Now, enough with the formalities. I know peasants aren’t fond of those. I am curious about one thing.”

“Pray do tell.”

“I am curious about this young man who was crying so freely at the lake. The reason for his tears.”

“Ah, that probably wasn’t manly of me. I’m sorry,” Chaeyeon apologized, but at the Princess’ expression, he knew she wasn’t going to let him go until he answered the question.

“The young man was crying because he had a fight with his friend,” he answered, feeling far more calm when talking about the situation in third person.

“And why would he have a fight with his friend?” Chaeyeon wanted to tell her to mind her own business, but knew better than to insult a princess.

“Because his loyalty towards his friend was questioned, and he was found guilty.”

“Why would he be disloyal towards his friend?”

“Because he never considered his friend’s feelings before making this journey, exposing him to dangers he shouldn’t have faced for the young man’s sake,” Chaeyeon answered, feeling his voice waver. The Princess looked at his features for a moment before answering.

“But did his friend have the choice to not follow him?”

“Yes, he had.”

“Then the young man should not fault himself for the friend’s decision to follow him. What the young man needs to do is to show thankfulness to his friend, and show him that following him was not in vain.” Chaeyeon gaped at the woman, surprised at her easily given advice. And it was a sound one, too.

‘Since when are sheltered princesses that smart?’ Chaeyeon asked himself disbelievingly.

“Say,” the Princess said after a small pause. “Would you like to take tea with my sister and I?”

--

The Princess was found by her maids a few minutes into their walk. It was weird for Chaeyeon to see Rino not having the maids hold her outer garment, but Rino seemed completely at ease, not caring much about the garb. The maids, also contrary to Chaeyeon’s belief, were calm when they encountered the Princess, only telling her that the tea was soon to be served and that Princess Sakura was already waiting for her, to then hold her outer garment, as always. It made Chaeyeon question whether Rino was always like this.

They walked for a while, with Rino just talking about their journey to the temple, which Chaeyeon found surprisingly interesting, despite the uneventful trip. It was definitely the way Rino talked about it that made it interesting.

When they arrived, the maids rushed to open the doors, to then hold onto the garments again.

‘Couldn’t the Princess open the door?’

Princess Sakura was already there with her own entourage, seemingly reading from some papers. She turned to look at her sister, a serene expression on her face, but scowled at her when she saw the young man behind her.

“I thought we were going to have tea,” Princess Sakura said in a sickly sweet tone, contrasting with the expression in her face.

“We are,” Rino answered smugly. “But I thought it would be a more enjoyable evening if we had special company.”

Sakura scoffed. “And what a kind of special company.” Chaeyeon, feeling uncomfortable (and a little angry) at the sisters’ discussion, gave a step backwards.

“Perhaps it would be better-”

“No, no. I insist,” Rino said, gesturing for him to enter the room. Uncharacteristically for Chaeyeon, he faced Sakura’s glare with a strong stare as he entered the room. The notion of her seeing him as inferior irked him to no end, and, now with Princess Rino’s backing, it made him want to defy the woman, princess or no.

He sat down at a prudential distance from the women, having at least the notion that in this time and age, for aristocracy everywhere, men and women sitting together so close could be scandalous.

Almost immediately, the tea was served along with biscuits. It reminded Chaeyeon of his meeting with Master Shinyu, except this seemed way more formal than that.

“I was trying to entice Lee Chaeyeon-san to tell me about his journeys abroad,” Rino said before she gave a minute sip to the hot cup.

“My journeys abroad?” Chaeyeon asked, bewildered. They probably had no knowledge of him whatsoever, and he found it completely justified. After all, why would it be important for the Prince to tell his sisters all about an insignificant castaway?

“Hmm, I believe you are a traveler. Or am I wrong?” Rino turned to look at Sakura, who surprisingly showed a bit of interest in what Chaeyeon had to say.

“I am a courier,” Chaeyeon answered. “Back in Silla, I worked for a merchant, delivering letters for different recipients. This is the first time I have travelled this far.”

“Is that so? Then, how was this journey for you?”

“A little difficult,” Chaeyeon admitted sheepishly. “There were some setbacks. And now I am awaiting for the Prince to give me an answer.”

“His Grace,” Sakura interrupted. “His Grace is the correct term. Didn’t they teach you this?”

“I apologize, Your Grace,” Chaeyeon emphasized the last two words, making Sakura’s face contort in irritation for a slight moment. “My teacher didn’t tell me the correct way to address the Royal Family.”

“Did you come here alone?” Rino asked, wanting to steer the conversation back to the original topic, unbothered by Chaeyeon’s retort.

“No, I came with a crew. Unfortunately, there was a huge storm, so me and my friend, Yena, jumped to the sea with the delivery. I don’t know if the rest survived.” Chaeyeon gulped at the memory of one of the crew members, ordering him to throw dead weight to the sea.

“I am sorry to hear that,” Rino expressed tactfully, grabbing a part of her outer garment. “How have you found the temple thus far?”

“It has been alright,” Chaeyeon answered, grateful for the change in topic. “I haven’t done much but to learn Japanese and take walks around the temple.”

“You have never attended a ceremony?” Sakura asked, surprising Chaeyeon.

“I was never invited, and I never asked to be. Are they not exclusive to monks?”

“No, they are not, but they have rituals that must be observed,” Rino answered. “You should try asking your teacher about that.”

“I will,” he assured, taking a biscuit.

“Do you have family back home? Wife? Kids?”

“No,” Chaeyeon exclaimed, almost choking with the biscuit, completely taken off-guard by the question. “None of that.”

“And your parents? Siblings?” Chaeyeon grimaced.

“My mother has passed away. My father is working far from Silla. And my two sisters are also far, far away.” His heart ached at the thought of his sisters. He knew nothing bad would’ve happened to them when he came back... but he just missed them, missed Chaeryeong’s morning singing and Chaemin’s easy laughter.

“You miss them.” It was not a question.

“Like crazy,” Chaeyeon remarked longingly. Rino’s eyes softened.

“Do you perhaps like poetry?”

“I have never been too interested in it,” Chaeyeon answered truthfully.

“Do you know how to read?” Sakura asked bluntly. The young man didn’t know what to make of the tone, whether it was a subtle insult or simple curiosity (and knowledge about the way peasants led their life here), so he didn’t retort as he had done previously.

“I do not know how to read Japanese.”

“But you know how to read Korean?” Rino asked.

“Well, yes...” Chaeyeon trailed off, not wanting to explain a writing system that would not start existing until 500 years later. “But it’s not the way nobles write.”

“Interesting. You should teach us about it sometime, and we might teach you about Japanese writing as well.”

“Speak for yourself,” Chaeyeon heard Sakura grumble, irritating Chaeyeon again. What was with this woman’s mood?

“I wouldn’t want to intrude on your visit.”

“You are underestimating me. If I am curious about something, I won’t stop until I know everything there is to know about it.” The way the Princess worded her speech made Chaeyeon blush slightly, moving uncomfortably in his seat. Rino saw his reaction and smirked, while Sakura frowned.

“Well, would you be inclined to listen to poetry?” Chaeyeon nodded, his head still trying to function correctly.

‘Did the Princess just flirt with me?’

“Excellent. Why don’t you read us some poetry, Sakura?”

“Why don’t you read it yourself?” Sakura answered. “I’m sure he will delighted to hear your voice.”

“How can I read poems that are yours?” Rino countered. “You should take pride in your talent by reading them to our guest.” Sakura looked ready to argue, but then just nodded slowly. She asked one of her maids for a script, which was brought to her immediately.

“My place in the world:

Why should it bring me grief?

Mountain cherry

Blossom in my sight,

Were it ever so…”

Chaeyeon was quiet, expecting a longer poem, but when he saw both women looking at him expectantly, one more wary than the other, he cleared his throat.

“It was beautiful.” Sakura gave him a glare.

“Did you even understand it?”

“Why should my present circumstances in life bring me grief? I should accept things as they come, and find beauty in them... I think,” he added when he saw the women’s gazes.

“Perhaps your words are not only an interpretation of Sakura’s poem, but your own belief,” Rino expressed cunningly.

“Not quite,” Chaeyeon confessed. “I think it has been a while since I have seen beauty in living.” And it was true. He had to admit to himself that usually he was too into his own problems that he often could not see the good things that still remained in his life. It wasn’t until he was stranded here that he missed those things. “But, I think, this should change. I should be able to see beauty, even in the most difficult circumstances.”

Rino nodded in understanding.

“Have you ever tried writing a poem, in your native language?”

“Oh, no. I am not good with words,” Chaeyeon denied, waving his hands.

“Then, is there something related to art that you can do?”

“Uhm, I like dancing,” he answered hesitantly.

“Is that so?” Rino inquired, interested.

“But I haven’t done it in a long time,” Chaeyeon added hurriedly.

“I would like to see it,” Rino expressed, smirking a little. “Maybe you’ll be able to do so later on.”

“Your Highness, it is time to meet His Grace,” one of Rino’s maids announced before Chaeyeon could answer.

“Ah, what a disappointment,” she exclaimed, but still sported a smile on her face. “I guess this meeting must be cut short. It was enjoyable to speak to you.” Rino stood up slowly.

“Likewise,” Chaeyeon answered, quickly following Rino’s lead, standing up in a rush. He bowed at both princesses. “Then, I’ll be taking my leave. Excuse me.” He felt a gaze burning holes in his back, but he didn’t stop walking, realizing that it was already nearing dusk and he should be in his room by now.

‘Why did I even tell her that I dance?’

He knew why. Talking to someone like Princess Rino, who had been a nice company, despite the awkwardness of a first meeting, had been an unexpected delight. She had been encouraging, understanding, and had listened to his words like they mattered, like he mattered.

And she had flirted with him.

‘Are princesses allowed to be that direct?’ Chaeyeon wondered. ‘Well, why should I even care? With all that makeup on, she isn’t attractive, anyways. Wait! Of course she isn’t attractive! I don’t even like women.” Chaeyeon rubbed his cheeks anxiously. ‘Have I been living as a man for too long that I’m getting confused?’

He didn’t want to dwell on it too much, but there was also another Princess that made him think again about the evening.

‘And what’s wrong with Princess Sakura? Why was she treating me like that?’ Chaeyeon remembered her remarks, her skepticism at his simple understanding of a poem. ‘It’s not like I invited myself into their room. If she’s angry, she should take it out on her sister, not me. Well, if I think about it, she didn’t even speak all that much, so it’s fine. It could’ve been worse.’

Consoling himself, he opened the door to his room, which was already drowned in darkness.

Still, there was something about Sakura’s attitude that rubbed Chaeyeon the wrong way. Even if she hadn’t participated much in the conversation, her words made him want to prove himself to her, in any way possible.

He went to sleep with these thoughts in mind.

---

*Sakura's Poem's real author is Murasaki Shikibu, one of the most popular artists of the era.