When Sumin woke up, she found herself lying on a soft bed.

Her chest heaved up and down, as if she had run in a marathon. She could feel her forehead had produced a few sweats. Sumin winced when she felt a sudden flash of pain inside her head.

Did she dream all of those? No, it couldn't be. It felt so real and the fact that she had not forgotten it yet must have meant it wasn't a dream at all.

As Sumin slowly closed her eyes slowly, she started think about the Queen's words. The Queen obviously was also a Magive, which had a connection to mind controlling. The fact that the Queen could entrance her into that space was marvelous. If the Queen was able to do that to five people at the same time, she was not a person Sumin wanted as her enemy.

Sumin moved to the right side, then went to the left. When she was fed up, she sat up and ruffled her hair. This bed was too soft for her. She was used to sleep on a hard ground, not something as soft as this.

A groan from a deep voice gained her attention.

She looked to her left, to where the voice had come from, and her eyes widened in surprise. Her bed wasn't the only bed in this giant bedroom. There was another one on her left, separated by small wooden desk with a lamp night on top. And to her surprise, that voice came from that Kai guy.

Kai clutched his forehead and slowly sat up, leaning his back on the headboard behind him. He looked like he was also drenched in sweat. His white suit obviously only added the fuel to the fire.

"That crazy woman ㅡ " Kai stopped his mumbling when he finally noticed Sumin's presence.

"You got that pain in your head too?" Sumin asked calmly.

Kai was quiet, as if he was debating whether he should tell her or not. But in the end, he gave her a curt nod.

Sumin gripped her fingers around her uncomfortable dress, thinking she would have ripped this if only Kai wasn't in this room. She weighed the ups and downs, then decided she could only have the answer if she only asked.

"Did you...receive that task, too?"

Kai stared at her as though she had grown two heads, until his eyes widened in recognition. His jaw clenched, and he looked away. "Yeah. The Task of Pandora. Do you perhaps believe her words?"

"Not really," Sumin answered honestly.

It was true, though. She wanted to trust her sweet words, those promises the Queen had given to her. She wanted all of those promises the Queen had spoken to her. However, Sumin also knew her nature not to trust other people easily, especially if that other person was known to be a good strategist and obviously had something up her sleeves.

Sumin glanced at Kai who was shrugging off his white jacket. She wondered what the Queen had said to Kai.

"You?" Sumin asked, instead.

Kai was quiet again, running his hands over his dark brown hair. Then, his fingers played with his tie. Sumin didn't know what got into her ㅡ probably because of her soft, uncomfortable bed that she wanted to get rid of ㅡ but she walked to his bed and grabbed his black tie softly.

"What are you doi ㅡ " Kai flinched away in reflex, but Sumin's grasp around his tie was stern. She loosened his tie a bit and then slipped it off his head, which he obliged rather reluctantly.

"I saw you had a bit difficulty so I wanted to help," Sumin said. She put the tie on his bed before she slipped her feet into her white flat shoes, ready to leave the room.

Even after she walked out from the room, Kai had never answered her question.

Sumin was trying to search for Luhan's room, but to no avail. This Palace had so many various rooms, and most of them were locked too. If they had these many rooms, then why was she placed in a room with Kai? Why not with Luhan then, if she really wanted Sumin to be in one room with at least one of the boys? She was sure the Queen knew how close Luhan and Sumin were, with how the Queen could read and manipulate minds. But it wasn't like she really minded, as long as Kai didn't do anything weird, she would be just fine with it.

It was probably because she had just gotten used to have a male counterpart in the same room. Just perhaps.

Sumin walked downstairs to the main hall, and decided she wanted to go to the garden. If she had this many free time, then she could look and study the flowers just like she had wanted at first.

There were a few servants bustling or walking around the Palace, and Sumin was grateful none of them noticed her. She was scared that they would insist her to stay at her bedroom. But then, why would she even think they would care about her?

Embarrassed of her own thoughts, Sumin quickened her steps and finally found herself in the garden.

Sumin found a small smile was formed on her face and headed toward the bushes of flowers. Were those sunflowers? Were those roses? She wondered if those roses were the ones used in her bathtub.

Sumin started to walk, until her instinct  suddenly kicked in and she stepped to the left quickly. She looked below her, and found the grass that she had stepped on earlier were burned by a fire. She looked up, her hand was about to reach her dagger, until she remembered she  had left her dagger in her old clothes.

She needed to remind herself to ask where the clothes were later.

"Sumin!"

Chanyeol jogged toward her, a frightened look was plastered on his face. He grabbed both her shoulders and checked her carelessly, then let out a sigh when he knew she wasn't burned. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there and I tripped while I was having my fire so I accidentally threw it at you."

Sumin should have been angry or mad at him for carelessly using his ability, but the fact that he really had a special ability took her interest.

"Fire?"

Chanyeol suddenly seemed as if he had said something forbidden, and released her shoulders hastily. He looked so flustered and he moved his fingers to distract himself. "Iㅡ uhhㅡ"

"Do you...have a special ability too?" Sumin said, softly.

Chanyeol stared at his fingers, then nodded as he balled his fists.

Sumin's eyes widened when a lightbulb had appeared inside her mind. The fact that three of the five were confirmed to be Magives only proved that they weren't chosen just because the Queen had a plan to make them as underdogs.

They were chosen because they had these ㅡ these special abilities.

"Now, I present you the Task of Pandora. I will help you to be the perfect Pandora. My Pandoras. I will give you lessons to strengthen not only your abilities, but also y