Soojin could hardly sleep that night. That was bad, considering the last proper sleep she had was during the tense ride on the way to Bucheon. After the meeting in the morning, scheming with her mother and Baekhyun, her whole body was sore. Her brain was fried and she missed Chanyeol. All of that and her lack of appetite caused her eyelids to feel so heavy, yet sleep would not consume her.

A million thoughts were flying through her head as she tossed and her bed. Keeping her eyes shut, she decided that the best way to fall asleep was by stripping off the layers of worry in her mind.

The first layer was Chanyeol. Was he eating well, or sleeping well? Soojin very well knew that he would not be able to recover as quickly as the many times he had before since the dragon in him was coughed out. She did not even know if he was going to be with his father for the trial. The Kingdom of Busan was part of the jury.

Somehow, at this point, she did not know whether it was better for him to be here in Bucheon. It felt sort of wrong to be openly intimate with him, as their engagement had not been announced publicly yet. Also, the fact that her and Baekhyun’s betrothal ended so abruptly barely a week prior made her look bad. She knew that Chanyeol could not wait to marry her, and she was excited as well, but she knew deep down that it was best to wait a few more moons.

Onto the second layer of worry was her father. She had not seen him since the dragon hunt and it felt as if it took place a long time ago. He was now under arrest in the kingdom he wanted to take over so badly with all his plans made known to the Byuns. They had not revealed how much they actually knew, but even if Advisor Lee exposed the most recent scheme alone, there was a high chance that the Daegu Kingdom would have to mourn the loss of their ruler.

There was no use thinking so much. It was not like she could control anything anyway. Soojin adjusted herself on the soft bed, felt the cool breeze of the night wafting in through the windows, and shut her eyes. She could only pray for a good night’s sleep.

-

The sun had not even come up yet, but Soojin was already wide-awake. After waking up and going back to sleep multiple times throughout the night, she decided that it was best just to stay up and about like that. She did not even know what the time was.

She could quite go for a glass of warm milk as well. Besides, it would do her some good to walk around for a bit, perhaps ease some nerves before the trial. She had been in the Bucheon castle long enough to know where the kitchens were anyway.

Slipping on her coat, she walked slowly across the room, careful not to make a sound. The guard outside her door was surprised to see her awake, though he agreed to accompany her downstairs to the kitchens. It was quiet as they walked down together and even her footsteps seemed to echo around her.

“I apologise, Your Highness. I do not think any of the kitchen staff are awake at this time as it is a few hours after midnight,” the guard said as they turned a corner.

“Ah, a few hours after midnight?” she asked, unable to keep the disbelief out of her voice.

“Yes, Your Highness. I was stationed at your chambers at midnight and have been there since then.”

She nodded. There was still a long time before the trial but there was nothing she could really do other than try to sleep after having her cup of milk. She dreaded the trial, but could not wait to get it over with at the same time. It was torture.

As they neared the kitchen, the smell of warm biscuits wafted through the air. Soojin was confused; the guard had just told her that it was roughly two or three o’ clock in the morning. Perhaps she was not the only one who could not sleep at night.

The guard, who was walking in front of her, stopped abruptly at the entrance of the kitchen. She bumped into his back as he bowed. “Your Highness.”

Stumbling backwards, Soojin let out a small squeak. She could hardly believe her eyes. It was Chanyeol.

She pinched her arm, as dreaming would be the only explanation to why he was sitting in front of her, munching on a biscuit. But it stung, which meant that this was all real. Out of all the people she thought would be in the kitchen of the Bucheon castle, he was at the bottom of the list.

“Chanyeol!” she exclaimed after a bit. “What on earth are you doing here? It is three in the morning!”

He had his usual stoic expression on, though his eyes looked as if they were twinkling. “I am here on business, of course. Each kingdom of the jury is to send two persons of royalty for the trial. My father and I arrived about an hour ago. We were supposed to be here before dinner, but there were complications with the transportation.”

All she wanted to do was wrap him up in a warm blanket and let him recover from everything, mentally and physically. He was in no shape to attend to any formal matters yet. However, she could only gape at him, not being able to walk over towards him as her legs felt like jelly.

“At ease.” He waved a hand at the guard who was still bowing. “And Soojin, should you not be telling me why on earth you are awake at this ungodly hour?”

She ignored his question. “Are you in proper condition to even do this? You just went through all of… that. You will tire yourself to death at this rate.”

“I am fine. My father retired to bed and my kingdom’s royal advisor is here as well.” He pointed towards a figure seated at the other end of the table.

Soojin did not even notice him before. She hastily bowed, feeling very glad that she did not envelop Chanyeol in a hug when she first saw him. Looking around the kitchen, she saw that not only the Busan advisor was there, but a few of the kitchen staff as well.

“Please have a seat, Princess Soojin,” the advisor beckoned. “There are plenty of biscuits to go around.”

Her body moved automatically to a seat, murmuring a dismissal to the guard she came down with. She adjusted herself in her chair, daring to sneak a peek at the prince. Her heart rate doubled when she saw that he was already staring at her. A low chuckle escaped his lips.

Just as she thought he was done teasing her, he hooked a leg around the prop of her chair and dragged the entire thing closer to himself. Soojin could only let out a small oh! as it was done so effortlessly. If her heart rate doubled before, it would be tripled or quadrupled now.

“What are you doing?” she managed to squeak out, not enjoying the way Chanyeol’s smirk deepened.

“I just told you, I am here for business.” He passed her a biscuit. “But more importantly, I am here to see you. Why are you awake at this hour?”

She looked around at the other people in the kitchen. They were definitely listening in on their conversation, not to mention that his very own royal advisor was seated right across from them. She pretended not to hear his second statement as she kept her voice to a whisper. “I could not sleep so I decided to come down here for a glass of warm milk. I did not expect to bump into you like this.”

“You need to rest.” Chanyeol furrowed his brows as he focused properly on her face. “You look pale, and your dark circles are deep.”

“I cannot sleep. There are too many things on my mind.”

“Do you wish to talk about them?”

She shook her head as she took a bite out of her biscuit. “I am too tired for that. Honestly, I am so drained, yet the fear of tomorrow is keeping me awake. I do not understand how the day has so many hours that reveal more and more twists and turns.”

“Then let us talk about everything else. Until morning comes, or until you fall asleep.”

The seriousness on his face greatly contrasted the gentleness of his voice. Soojin felt her affection for him growing after every word he spoke. “Will you not be tired?”

“Speaking to you at three in the morning like this is worth losing a few hours of sleep on. Besides, I missed you.”

She dropped her voice to a murmur. “I missed you too.”

“You really look very tired, you poor thing. Your hair is in a mess from all the tossing and turning, your eye bags are so sunken, and your skin is almost green.”

She glared sharply at him, subtly fixing her hair in the process. “You know exactly what to say to a