A sigh escaped the mighty king's lips as he dismissed the Hwarang - a group of trained warriors - after declaring orders regarding the protection of the borders. The footsteps faded within a few seconds and a shining ray of light slept on the wooden floor of the palace.

"Father, may I you to your room? I believe you need to get some rest before the point of exhaustion.", the eldest son, Kim Namjoon, offered with a gentle smile.

The king shook his head and responded in a calm tone, "Son, I am glad I can rely on you. Soon, you shall take my throne, you shall rule with passion and boldness, you shall be stronger than your weak father... Until that day approaches us, let me gather all my strength to lead the nation into peace."

A smile formed on his son's lips, and the sorrow hinted by the king was wiped out with his words. "Nonetheless, your nobility will always be higher than mine. You will always be the better leader. If I do recall well enough, approximately one year ago, you were positively expressive about your reign. I can only wonder where that persona drifted off to...", Namjoon said all the while adjusting his silk hanbok.

"Ah, but I was a year younger back then, Namjoon. Similarly, you must've gained a year of maturity, isn't that right?", the king laughed with sheer delight. Their lively sense of royal humour kept the morning alive.

"Father, there's another hoax spreading around! I overheard a crowd of merchants talk about the Lee Kingdom's family joining us for a meeting! If I must say, the tales around the kingdom simply boggle my mind, for which I fail to decipher the truth within words nowadays.", a loud voice resonated from the entrance.

Namjoon smiled at the sight while the king raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"It is not a hoax, my son. It is simply the truth. In fact, it is not only the Lee family, but also the Jeons of the east.", the king stated.

The awfully loud voice beamed yet again, "Oh! Well, then I look forward to meeting them! However, I didn't exactly pick out why the royal families would join us... Is there a royal dinner planned? If so, I certainly wasn't informed!"

In response to the younger son's words, the king stiffened his body. "Son, they're joining us for a range of meetings in order to expand our kingdom. By sharing the land, we can build a stronger nation with more people, more resources, more reliability and foundation. I sense a stronger group of Hwarang being formed, a stronger council being established, a stronger kingdom nonetheless."

Suddenly, an echoed chorus of violent phrases travelled along the air, reaching Namjoon's ears immediately. "If you'll excuse me, father, I shall give that a quick look." With that, he left the royal palace.

The king watched his son rush outside, and let his eyes float back towards his younger son.

"Father. I simply don't understand why we need to expand the kingdom, considering what we already have and accomplished. Mother taught us to be appreciative of our belongings and our privileges-”

"Taehyung, that is enough. I told you, several times now, not to bring up your mother again. You cannot speak of her every now and then. It isn't fair, for she isn't within our reach. Is that clear?"

The sharp tone under the king's voice affected Taehyung deeply. He wasn't hurt or upset, but rather shocked to his bones, for the light atmosphere within the palace dropped to a dead. He let his head fall low and forcefully bowed towards the king. With a bitter frown, he strolled towards his room.

“Father, may I enter?”, a voice asked from the entrance.

The king, startled by the sudden approach in the midst of the silence, lifted his head and gestured his son to step forward.

“I bring unfortunate news. There are a group of protesters, raising their opinions on the instability of the kingdom. Shall I proceed to taking action?” The owner of the voice, Namjoon, found it difficult to speak with the hanbok’s laces suffocating him.

“No, that is alright. I am confident that the group will leave in a short period of time. Son, I see you’re struggling with your outfit. You may ask a servant to prepare a new hanbok for you. In the meanwhile, I shall set suitable timings for the meetings.”, the king said in an attempt to stay strong despite his mind wandering off to the thoughts of his beloved wife.

It was later that day, when gloom rained upon the kingdom.

“Your Highness!” The Hwarang kneeled before the throne in which the king was seated. “We come with great news. The borders have been cleared off, and the protestors have been taken care of. Our master is currently travelling towards the south in search of what he declared to be a peaceful period of time. We are here to deliver a letter from our master. Please do relay the message to us.”

The senior Hwarang knight, Jung Hoseok, swiftly handed over the letter before returning to his position. He patiently watched as the king read the folded piece of paper, observing the other’s facial expressions. Despite his attempts, the king had an expressionless aura around him.

“When did Sir Jung take his leave?”, the king raised his voice.

“At dawn today, your royal Highness!”, the Hwarang replied in a chorus.

“May I have Jung Hoseok present here with the others assembling outside?”

As the rest marched outside and waited by the palace, Hoseok remained in his place, ready to pay attention to the words of the king.

“According to the letter, Sir Jung wishes to retire. He yearns for a new journey, and apologises for the sudden departure…”, the king trailed off.

Hoseok tried not to widen his eyes, but the new information was too much to handle.

“Do not fear, Jung Hoseok. Do not fear your reputation. You are just as human as I am, and it isn’t a violation to let out your pain. However, do not tremble, for he is your father and he will return.” The king had a strong sense of sympathy laced with his voice.

Gesturing the guards to fasten the locks of the large entrance, he slowly walked towards Hoseok, who was still kneeling in an attempt to hold up his fragile pride.

“No one is around. You can stand, Hoseok. You are entitled to your own opinions and expressions. Speak your mind, and do not fear your position in the Hwarang.”

“Your Highness, I keep my mind strong even at a critical time like this. This is how I was raised. I am destined to keep to myself, even when I am falling apart…”, Hoseok choked on his words while trying to cover up his flaws.

“Hyung!” All eyes turned towards the voice; it was Taehyung, with a candlelight held in his hand that shivered as a drop of melted wax rested on his thumb. However, the minimal pain was insignificant compared to the agony in his shocked expression.

“You seem to be in despair, and I believe you need some comfort. Come, let me lead you to a spare room. Let us share our deepest thoughts.”, he said.

Hoseok let out a groan at the younger’s approach, and bowed towards the king before following the other male to one of the many unoccupied rooms of the palace. “I could simply retire in the main house of the Hwarang. A guest’s chamber is not required!”, Hoseok claimed exaggeratedly, unable to find the situation reasonable in any way.

The prince, pretending to be offended by the other’s light-hearted and friendly comment, faked a frown and replied, “I am well aware of that, but I simply wanted a partner to play yut with… Will you not grant me that wish, fellow knight?”

Hoseok let out a muffled chortle and nodded, deciding not to further push on the topic. Instead, he began to acknowledge the palace itself. “It is still a wonder how the hanok seems so vast, almost endless… There are several pieces of work published regarding the architecture of this hanok, yet there is something radiating from these walls that mesmerise my vision every time I set foot in this palace.”, the still troubled Hwarang knight commented as he breathed in the fragrant air.

“Ah, it sure is won