Byulyi paced the room and fidgeted with her fingers, glancing at the glass doors constantly as she waited for Yongsun. She had been anxious throughout the whole day, zoning out often and not listening when people were talking to her. She excused herself saying she was tired, apologizing sheepishly. Now that it was night she devoted her entire attention to the set of doors that would announce the arrival of a dear friend. She had left a few candles lit, enough to see around the room but little enough to not attract a certain queen or handmaiden. 

Byulyi bit her lip, finally sitting on the edge of her bed as she stared at the doors. She debated with herself between going out now to find Yongsun or searching tomorrow morning. She perked up when the sound of soft beating wings drifted past the slightly opened doors. Yongsun popped her head in, glancing around before her eyes landed on a very clearly relieved and happy Byulyi. 

“Hey princess, miss me?” Yongsun greeted as she entered, closing the door and dumping her cloak onto a nearby chair. Byulyi rolled her eyes before punching Yongsun in the arm as the dragonkin made herself comfortable next to her, the latter yelping in pain. 

“I thought I told you not to call me princess?” Byulyi grumbled as Yongsun rubbed her sore arm. 

“But you are a princess! An extremely beautiful one too!” Yongsun retorted, shying away from Byulyi with her hands up over her head when the girl raised up a fist threateningly. Byulyi chuckled amusedly at the sight. Here she was, with a fearsome dragonkin next to her yet said dragonkin was hiding herself to protect herself from the punches of a human. 

“What happened to being fearsome huh? You’re like a little puppy.” Byulyi teased, a playful smirk on her lips. Yongsun narrowed her eyes at her, lowering her hands as she stared challengingly at Byulyi. She wiggled her hands ominously, her own smirk showing on her face. 

“Oh I'll show you fearsome alright.” Byulyi yelped in surprise when Yongsun tackled her, lilith hands tickling her sides and neck. Byulyi laughed, squirming and thrashing around the bed as she tried to escape from Yongsun’s attack. Yongsun laughed, enjoying the sight. 

“I relent!! I relent!!!!!” Byulyi cried out, rolling far away from Yongsun after she stopped tickling her. She planted her face into a pillow, sides aching from how much she had laughed. She lifted her head up after a while, wiping away tears that formed during the tickle attack. She noticed Yongsun smiling smugly at her and glared, sticking her tongue out. Yongsun crawled closer to Byulyi and plopped herself, propping her head up with her hands. They stared at each other in silence for a while, both admiring the other. Yongsun’s eyes drifted down towards Byulyi’s lips, the fleeting thought of kissing her lurking in her mind. Yongsun gulped, dismissing the thought away hurriedly. Unbeknownst to Yongsun, Byulyi had also been staring at the dragonkin’s lips with the same thought of kissing her. Byulyi looked away, getting rid of the thought as she looked for something to talk about. Just then she remembered the problem that made her worry the entire day and she looked back at Yongsun in concern. Yongsun, noticing her look, tilted her head to the side. 

“What’s up?” 

“Did you, by any chance, see hunters when you were in the forest?” 

“Oh. Yea there were some. I was in the trees above watching them plant their traps. Quite amusing I must say.” Yongsun remarked, recalling the memory of the hunters. 

“King Gualtiero mentioned today that his men and him have tracked a dragonkin in the forest today. My mother has forbidden me from going into the forest. “ Byulyi explained, Yongsun listening before pouting. 

“Aww you can’t visit me anymore?? Ah it’s alright, I can always visit you here.”

“What-? No! You can’t! It’s too dangerous Yong! You could get caught, and- and then you’ll be killed. The king is ruthless and the way he kills is brutal. Even if you don’t get captured he can still hurt you.” Byulyi trembled, an unexplainable fear starting to constrict her heart as she averted her gaze and stared at her blanket. A warm hand cupped her face, gentle guiding her head up to meet eyes with Yongsun. She smiled softly and reassuringly. 

“Byul, calm down. I’ll be fine. They’ll never catch me, I promise you that. Even if they do, I’m capable of fighting to free myself.” Still seeing as to how Byulyi still looked unconvinced and worried, Yongsun hummed quietly as she thought. 

“Tell you what. I’ll keep coming only at night when everyone else is asleep and after a few hours I’ll leave because I still want you to get your beauty sleep.” Yongsun suggested, smiling as Byulyi blushed at her last few words. Byulyi nodded hesitantly, still feeling reluctant at the dragonkin putting herself in such a risky situation yet wanting to see how it turns out. Once again they conversed about their day, bringing up small complaints to vent about and humorous stories to share and laugh together. Yongsun made sure to keep an eye on Byulyi, checking for any little signs that hinted when she was getting tired. 

Once Yongsun noticed Byulyi's struggle to keep her eyes open she cooed and patted the sleepy girl’s head. 

“Looks like someone’s getting sleepy~.” 

“I’m not sleepy, we can still talk more.” Byulyi retorted, a traitorous yawn slipping out of to betray her words. Yongsun giggled, shifting herself to roll out of the bed. She grabbed Byulyi’s hand and tugged her to get under the blankets. 

“Your eyes and yawns say otherwise princess. You’ll see me again tonight anyway, so don’t miss me too much.” Yongsun winked as she tucked Byulyi under her blankets. Byulyi made a false show of gagging to which made Yongsun give her a little flick on the forehead. Byulyi whined, pouting as she rubbed her forehead. 

“That hurt!” 

“Oh come on it wasn’t even that strong.” Byulyi merely continued to pout at her, making puppy eyes at the dragonkin. Yongsun rolled her eyes, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on the area. Byulyi blushed and stiffened up once she felt soft lips on her skin. She definitely was not expecting Yongsun to do that, at all. Yongsun smirked upon seeing how it affected Byulyi. 

“Good night Byul, sweet dreams.” Yongsun blew out the lighted candles in the room, making her way out and closing the doors quietly. It was only until she took off into the sky that the realisation of what she had done registered firmly in her head. She immediately blushed, covering her face with her hands before tugging a few locks of her hair in embarrassment. Why did I do that oh my gosh WHY!!! She flew around messily, berating herself for unconsciously just kissing Byulyi like that. Does she think I’m weird now??? Hopefully not. But then, at least it wasn’t on the lips! Yongsun tried to cheer herself up, calming herself down as she reached her home. She entered, using her tail to sweep away at stray leaves before laying down and curling up on her soft mossy nest. Before she slipped away into the comforts of sleep, she couldn't help but think about how soft Byulyi’s lips would be on her own. 

Byulyi woke up the next day refreshed and impatient, eager for the day to end and for night to come again quickly. She decided to be productive in the afternoon, making her way to the courtyard with new techniques in mind. She was sparring with Jimin when she spotted King Gualtiero lurking out of the corner of her eyes. He was watching them, watching her. A hungry look seemed to be present in his eyes as he stared at her. Byulyi shifted her attention back to Jimin, paring his attack with her sword. They continued to spar until Byulyi called quits, tiredly wiping the sweat off her forehead. Jimin patted her shoulder, complimenting her before shooing her away to get a bath and rest. She sheathed her sword and left the courtyard, noting how the King detached himself from the shadows to follow her. 

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty. How has staying in the kingdom been so far?” Byulyi asked just as the King appeared by her side. The King smiled, to which had Byulyi shuddering internally. 

“The stay is excellent so far, your mother has been very kind towards me. I must say, you most certainly are skilled with a sword. It was impressive to watch you.” King Gualtiero commented, his hand brushing past Byulyi’s own hand ever so slightly. Byulyi distanced herself subtly, plastering a polite smile on her face as she inclined her head in thanks. 

“My father had taught me when I was young before General Jimin took over the lessons.” 

“Ah, your father. I have heard about what had happened to him. I’m terribly sorry about his death. Dragonkins are simply the worst no? Vile creatures, only knowing how to murder and burn, not a single ounce of care or mercy in their bones.” Byulyi tensed up, her hand immediately going to the hilt of her sword before forcing herself to relax. She exhaled and shrugged lightly, wanting to bring up her own thoughts on his statement. They entered into the cool shelter of the palace, walking along the hallway where soldiers bowed to them. 

“I’m sure not all of them are bad, they are still human after all.” The King snorted, shaking his head. 

“They’re all monsters, monsters in human form. They’re never to be trusted, any of then. The only good dragonkin is a dead dragonkin, that's why I take pride in slaughtering them and gathering their teeth. They don’t deserve to live.” Byulyi, having heard enough, stopped abruptly before turning to face the King. 

“If you would excuse me, I need to take a bath and rest. The sparring match took quite a lot from me today.” She bowed before taking off again, turning off into another hallway leading to her room. The King stared after her, a smirk playing on his lips. When Byulyi entered her room she was surprised when she saw Jihyo already finished with drawing the bath, patiently waiting for the princess to arrive. 

“How are you already here?” She questioned as she stripped off her sweat-soaked clothes, tossing them to the side before immersing herself in the hot scented water. 

“General Jimin had informed me that you were in need in a bath when I passed by the courtyard so I hurried here. I thought that you would be here first though.” Jihyo replied as she began to soap Byulyi up. Byulyi hummed, eyes closed as Jihyo massaged her head with fingers treading through her hair gently. It was peaceful, with only Jihyo’s soft humming filling the quiet air. Byulyi’s mind drifted back to the kiss Yongsun had given her and she blushed, feeling embarrassed at the thought again. 

“Have you ever...kissed someone before Jihyo?” Byulyi asked softly, catching the handmaiden off guard. Jihyo smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

“Does the princess have someone she fancies?” Jihyo teased, causing Byulyi to blush again as she waved her arms around and spluttered. 

“N-no!! I was just...just curious you know.” Jihyo laughed lightly at her, scooping up water to run over Byulyi’s hair. 

“To answer your question, yes I have. It’s a very pleasant feeling. Everytime I kiss my wife it seems like all my stress and worries just disappear into thin air.” Jihyo smiled fondly, reminiscing memories of her beloved wife. Byulyi tilted her head to the side, surprised. She knew that the young handmaiden was married, but it never occurred to her whether she married a woman or a man. 

“You’re married to a woman? I mean, I’m