As Joohyun stared out listlessly into her courtyard, she was plagued by a hacking cough. Traces of blood came along with it. The imperial physician was at his wit’s ends as he could not understand what was truly wrong with the princess. Nothing was wrong yet everything was wrong at the same time. Her birth, her existence, and Seungwan.

Emptying the flower vase for what could be the last time, Joohyun watched impassionedly as the dark and pungent liquid was drained from the vase. Joohyun looked up to the night skies as she sighed and wish for all of this pain to end soon. Her wishes were going to come true. Before Joohyun could replace the vase properly back on the shelf, her dizzy spell had struck her and the little princess collapsed onto the floor.

**

Joohyun had woken up to see a small figure seated by her bedside and with her head rested on her bed. Both the person’s hands were holding hers and it took moments for Joohyun to confirm who that person really was before she began sobbing. She must be in a dream. Her sobs must not have been as noiseless as she thought it would be because the sleeping figure stirred.

Then, the figure woke up, alarmed, and threw her head about like an alert hawk before landing eyes on her.

“Y-You’re awake,” Seungwan, the person by her bedside, breathed out.

“I must be dreaming,” Joohyun muttered to herself.

“Then it must be your most beautiful dream,” the wildling princess said with the wicked smirk on her face and Joohyun burst out into another whimpering sob.

The wildling princess seemed slightly stunned before she withdrew a silken handkerchief from her tunic and dabbed gently at Joohyun’s eyes. The wildling princess’s brows were slightly creased.

“I’m sorry, I returned so late,” the wildling princess said. “You must have missed me.”

Joohyun shook her head and she had wanted to get up but her strength had not returned to her body yet.

“H-How long?”

As if stricken by the question, the wildling princess paused.

“How long? If you were referring to how long has it been since you collapsed then its seven days ago. If you were referring to how long has it been since I have returned back to the palace then its six days ago. If you were referring to how many nights I have stayed by your bedside then its six nights,” Seungwan replied all in one breath.

This conversation reminded her so greatly of the one they had nine months ago, except this time round, it was Joohyun who was lying in bed and Seungwan who was tending after her.

“Why did you return?” Joohyun asked and was unable to keep the accusatory tone out of her voice.

The wildling princess bit her lower lip as she thought of an answer and a smile returned when she found one. “To make sure that you stop throwing your medicine away.”

Joohyun was about to say something before the wildling princess had interjected.

“Don’t bother trying to deny it. I have asked the palace maids. They told me the only thing you bothered doing daily was to change the water in the vase. They assumed it was because of your love for the flowers, like how your… like how your mother once loved dandelions.”

Joohyun felt a knot tighten in her stomach.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t tell them your secret. I am still the only one who knows you have not been taking your medicine at all.”

Joohyun nodded gratefully as tears came to her eyes again.

“I still don’t know why you do that but I shall not ask you right now. You will tell me when you want to but for now, I am making sure that you take every single bowl of medicine. I will force you if I have to.”  

Joohyun smiled, for the first time in a long while.

“Welcome back, Princess Seungwan.”

The wildling princess stared at her, there was something in her eyes, something that resembled guilt and Joohyun almost had the urge to tell Princess Seungwan that nothing else mattered as long as she had returned. Instead, she found herself saying, “I-I have a birthday gift for you.”

Joohyun struggled to get up as she reached for something by her desk. Seungwan swiftly retrieved the box Joohyun was reaching out for and handed it over to Joohyun. With a shaky smile, Joohyun lifted the lid of the box and took out what was within with achingly slow moves.

Seungwan closed her warm hand over Joohyun’s and helped her lift the precious item up. Joohyun nearly gasped at that contact, she missed Seungwan’s touch so much, no matter how simple it was.

“Y-Your birthday gift,” Joohyun managed to say.

“Pillow case?” Seungwan confirmed as she touched the embroidered design with care. “Eagles, wolves, dandelions. How did you manage to blend them so beautifully together?”

Joohyun smiled shyly at that compliment and laid back down on the bed. The two princesses looked at each other for a long time without exchanging words until Joohyun remembered.

“And one more thing.”

Seungwan’s mouth curved into an encouraging smile as if knowing what Joohyun was about to say.

“T-The promise,” Joohyun continued.

Seungwan nodded. “Yes, I remember. What do you wish for?”

“Can you promise me to not disappear when I wake again?” Joohyun asked in a plea.

Seungwan’s expression had stiffened and she swallowed. “I promise.”

Joohyun could not bear to sleep, especially not after learning that the wildling princess had tried to mend her mother’s flower vase which had smashed to pieces. It was a really crude attempt but Joohyun was so moved that she had no words.

When the young courtly princess had fallen back asleep after much coaxing, Seungwan looked at her companion and knew she would never regret this decision to return. She was appalled when she first saw Princess Joohyun lying motionless on the bed. As Seungwan stuck her hand out, she felt as though she was about to touch a wilting flower that was Princess Joohyun. It pained her heart just how much the courtly princess’s condition had deteriorated and it hurt Seungwan even more when she heard the simple request from Joohyun. Then Seungwan remembered, it had been nine months after all. Nine months of neglect from Seungwan for her companion. She promised not to disappear when Joohyun wake and she would do beyond that. Seungwan would stay by Joohyun for a very long time.

Seungwan had lied earlier, she did not just stay by the princess’s side during the night but for large chunks of time during the day as well. Seungwan made sure she fed the princess medicine personally. The Mongolian princess rubbed her eyes as she focused her vision on the sleeping courtly princess with a smile. At least now she was positive that Princess Joohyun could live to the end of Spring, and witness Summer, Autumn, and Winter for many years to come. Seungwan would make sure of that.

Princess Joohyun had slept fitfully that night and Seungwan thought she spotted tears from the corners of the courtly princess’s eyes. Sighing, Seungwan leant forward with the same silk handkerchief in her hand and wiped Princess Joohyun’s tears away.

“Hey… I am here, sleep well…” Seungwan cooed as she the sleeping princess’s hair.

**

Prince Kyungsoo could not help but smile as he looked out of his windowsill into the inky dark sky. Princess Seungwan has returned. This time round, he would certainly entertain the princess better and make sure she would not feel like leaving again. The prince reckoned that the princess must not have wanted to return to the palace because they had not been good hosts to her and Kyungsoo felt apologetic about it.

Kyungsoo had missed the wildling princess so much so that he had kept count of the number of the days the princess was gone.

“Princess Seungwan has really returned right?” Jongdae spoke and interrupted his thoughts suddenly.

Prince Kyungsoo nodded.

“Feels like she is still not back yet. It has been days and she still has not come to find us yet,” Prince Jongdae said with disappointment.

“That is because she is looking after our royal sister,” Kyungsoo returned in a rather defensive manner.

Jongdae’s mouth curled into a taunting smile. “Right, the wildling princess has duties to our sister.”

Kyungsoo wanted to say that it was not Princess Seungwan’s duty to take care of their royal sister but decided to hold his tongue. Nevertheless, Princess Seungwan’s return this time round must hinge greatly upon her friendship with Princess Joohyun and Kyungsoo admired her all the more for that.

“It is just good that Princess Seungwan has returned, let’s go find her when our royal sister is better,” Kyungsoo said shyly.

**

“You did not visit your elder sister even though you have returned to the palace for two weeks,” Taeyeon said as she took a sip out from her teacup gracefully like a member of the Bae court.

Seungwan shrugged and reached out for a sticky rice cake when her elder sister slapped the back of her hand.

“You did not answer me,” Taeyeon said in a disgruntled voice.

Seungwan rubbed the back of her hand with a pout and replied, “I did not know that was a question. I thought it was merely a statement.”

Princess Taeyeon was shocked at her younger sister’s crudeness. “Seungwan! The audacity of you!” Taeyeon half-scolded.

Giving her sist