Heechul wasn’t really liking that.

The moment Taeyeon had put himself up in the main square of Midsummar, challenging Master Shin just to save the lives of those servants, Heechul knew his best friend was putting himself in danger.

They were supposed to stay in town, find a couple of jobs to earn some money for a couple of weeks and leave, heading their way north to Hanyang. But Taeyeon refused to let that happen and intentionally decided to defy the master of that province and make his life difficult. As if that journey wasn’t difficult enough, he had to make himself an enemy of that Master Lord and his estate.

So many dangers could happen to them because of that stupid act of Taeyeon to save those people. Didn’t he think about that? Taeyeon and the band would need to constantly watch their back now in fear for some retaliation of those noble lords. Especially of that noble lord called Master Shin.

Heechul hated nobles and highborns. They had wealth and power in their hands yet they refused to help the people of their communities and provinces to prosper. They’d rather play their domination games and watch all the people below them die and suffer than to share their worth with their people. Heechul took all those lords and highborns as scums of the earth.

And now his best friend decided to help one of those scums.

The fact that Taeyeon didn’t even tell Heechul about Master Shin giving him 24 hours to leave Midsummar made him feel a bit angry. Wouldn’t he tell him that? Was he trying to keep that as a secret for the whole journey?

And now as if it wasn’t any worse, there were they... Bastard Taeyeon and Lady Hwang talking to each other at a distance as if they were friends somehow. They weren’t. They would never be. They couldn’t be. Ever.

Heechul noticed the pale servant come closer to him, returning him his bottle of water. “Thank you.” She quickly said, bowing her head towards him. What was her name again? Something like Suhyeon?

Heechul just nodded, accepting the bottle back and taking his own time to drink some.

“Thank you for letting us sleep in the tavern as well.” She recalled. “You allowed us to sleep in the tavern even when we didn't have any money with us yesterday. And thanks to you, we had a good night of sleep and rest. Thank you very much, My Lord.”

“I’m not a lord.” He said, disgusted. “If you wanna thank me, stop calling me that.” And he moved a little far from the three horsemen, leaving them on Donghae, Leeteuk and Shindong’s care.

The servant followed him along. “Still, I would like to thank you. If you hadn’t done it, we’d probably spend the night in this desert and God knows what would've happened to us.”

“It’s alright…” He dismissed, still not entirely pleased by their company.

“I don’t think we know each other’s name…” She started saying. “I’m Seo Juhyun, Lady Miyoung’s handmaiden.” She bowed to him. “Everyone calls me Seohyun. You can call me that too if you want.”

“Heechul…” He introduced himself without too many ceremonies.

“Nice to meet you, My Lord.”

“You know, looking at your manners…” He started. “It makes me wonder how we actually managed to take your Lady Hwang as a servant.” He chuckled. “You’re indeed a servant, judging by the way you speak and the words you say. Your Lady Hwang… I don’t think I’ve seen her acting remotely like you back then…”

The servant just lowered her head, not knowing what to say. “It was the only plan we could think of.” She responded, after a while. “Dress Lady Miyoung as a servant and pray for her being able to escape. Everything else didn’t matter.”

“Not even your life?” Heechul asked, perking up his eyebrows.

That made the servant lower her head and blink her eyes.

Heechul continued. “You would die for your lady master…”

“Yes, I would.”

“Would she do the same for you?” He asked, standing tall towards her.

“Probably not.” The servant stood firm with her shoulders. “But I wouldn’t want her to.” Heechul raised his brow.

“Why not?”

“Lady Miyoung’s life matters more to the people of Joseon than mine, My Lord.”

“How can you even say that?” He asked, not really liking to hear what she said.

“She is the last member of the Hwang Family. The last Flower of the Hwangs. And she is the only one who could rightfully take Rosegarden under her rule. With her gone, all people from Rosegarden and the Hwang Estate will suffer in the hands of Master Shin.”

“You would die for a Master who couldn’t care less about the people in your hometown…”

“That’s not true… Lady Miyoung cares about us all.”

“That’s what you say…” He didn’t really believe that.

“You don’t like Lady Miyoung, do you?” Asked the Hwang servant.

Heechul sighed, his eyes shifting its gaze to a small rock near his feet. “It’s not that I don’t like your Lady Master…” He tried to explain. “It’s just that…I think she is putting my friend in danger.”

The pale servant nodded her head as well. “To be honest… I think your friend could put Lady Miyoung in danger too.” Heechul didn’t like that she thought that about Taeyeon.

“Taeyeon comes to rescue your Lady Master and you think he would put her in danger?” The dryness in his voice was evident. “After everything he did for all of you...you still think he is not to be trusted?”

“I didn’t want to mean that way…” Seohyun cleared, her head in a low level. “I think your lord friend is a good man and with a deep sense of honour that lacks in most men these days.”

That Heechul couldn’t really deny. Taeyeon was the most honourable man Heechul has ever met.

“And…?”

The servant kept her eyes down a level. “And his willing to help Lady Miyoung is commendable…”

“But…?”

“It's not wise to have men like him around Lady Miyoung.”

“Because he is a bastard born?” He asked, disdainful. Nobles and their ing reputation.

The servant raised her eyes towards him, sighing. “Your lord friend…”

“He is not a lord.” Heechul retorted as if it was an offense.

“Your friend…” Said Seohyun, clearing . “He is the type of man who steps into noble lords’ toes.”

“That’s a good thing.” Heechul defended.

The servant twisted her lips. “He is the type of man who would anger nobles and lords due to the nature of his good heart. And that would put himself in danger.”

Heechul stood silent after she said that.

“And that also would make Lady Miyoung’s life difficult if she decides to stay with him.”

Heechul blinked, recognizing the feeling of that servant was essentially the same he was feeling deep within himself. In the end, they both wanted the same thing. Their best friends free from any danger.

“Do you think your Lady Master would