Kim Yewon wasn’t sure how she ended up getting involved in this farce, having been at peace ever since she took her vows in the Temple of Artemis, but here she was, with an exceedingly persistent suitor who wasn’t even a man, and at her wit’s end for what best to do.

“So tell me, how long is this supposed to last again?” Yewon sighed as SinB compared her eyes to stars for the third time that hour. On the other side of the room, Yerin rolled her eyes as Yuju insisted on combing Eunha’s hair and talking to her like she was a baby. Or a foal. It was getting a little hard to tell.

“I know it’s not supposed to be permanent but I can’t really tell how long. Maybe a week or two?” Yerin sighed even more deeply than Yewon had. They were back at the Temple, Yewon having graciously invited them to rest there while the nice young man (Sowon) with the soldiers led the ruffians off to the local jail. Yerin didn’t even try to defend her brother in this case. He deserved it.

“You should leave the temple and marry me!” SinB exclaimed loudly, and Yewon facepalmed. Even a couple of days sounded like too much at this rate. SinB was looking at her like she was the whole world, and Yewon didn’t know how to feel about it. She had been spending time with the slightly grumpy adventurer prior to this (mostly because SinB kept ‘accidentally’ running into her on the Temple grounds), so it was odd to see the normally recalcitrant young woman suddenly become so...forward.

“And you were saying this...thing they’re affected by, it’s some kind of love potion?” Yewon frowned, moving back to the little altar each guest room had. SinB tagged along like a lost child, still declaring her undying devotion with every breath.

“Father got it off a travelling merchant who was stranded at port and needed a way back home. Apparently it’s some kind of concoction that makes you fall for the first person you see after inhaling it...but apparently not too much at once, because there might be side effects.” Yerin scrunched up her nose as Yuju started singing to Eunha cheerfully, while her cousin didn’t seem too upset by the attention. Probably because Yuju did have an excellent voice, and thus far, hadn’t been half as clingy as SinB had been towards Yewon. That was a plus point.

“And there’s no cure?” Yewon knelt by the altar, praying to the Goddess for guidance while SinB glomped onto her from behind. The temple maiden sighed, and prayed for patience as well. 

“Not that I know of. We’ll just have to wait for it to wear off naturally.” Yerin watched with just a tinge of amusement as SinB demanded Yewon’s attention more aggressively. “We might have to restrain them if you’re going to want any peace in the meantime though.”

“Oh I don’t know, Yuju’s been very thoughtful mostly.” Eunha commented lazily, even as she was being waited on hand and foot by the same person she was referring to. Yerin rolled her eyes. 

“And you’re going to let her follow you back to bed or something later? Think, Eunha. You’re technically betrothed you know, you really shouldn’t let people gossip.”

Eunha scowled at the mention of betrothal. “I never agreed to it though. Who does the Duke think he is anyway, forcing me into marriage like that?”

“Well, it’s not like Father could say no to him…” Yerin sighed as well. As well to do her father might have been, he was still merely a merchant, with no titles to his name and vulnerable to ducal command. All the other suitors had backed off the moment the Duke entered the market for Eunha’s hand, and for good reason. You had to have equal political weight in order to compete with someone like that.

Eunha pouted, puffing out her cheeks stubbornly. She knew what was at stake of course, which was why her only recourse was to delay. The Temple of Artemis was neutral ground, and not even the king could forcibly remove her while she was here. 

“The Temple is always open for sanctuary,” Yewon added helpfully, rejoining the conversation after her brief recess for prayer. “I took my vows as an acolyte to avoid an unwanted marriage as well, and there was nothing my family could do about it either.” 

“Oh, you too?” Eunha looked interested, then frowned to herself. “Hmm...but that means I would have to stay at the Temple, wouldn’t I?”

“Well, yes.” Yewon admitted, seating herself gracefully at the table. “I do quite enjoy the acolyte life myself, but I understand that it may not be for everyone.”

“Why would you wanna stay here anyway? You should come see the world with me!” SinB interjected, clearly paying attention despite her drugged state. “All these boring old nuns around, don’t you get tired of them nagging at you all day?”

“SinB, language.” Yewon frowned. This did not stop the young woman. If anything, it seemed to encourage her.

“You’re gonna waste your youth stuck here serving some stuck up fiddily goddess who doesn’t even do anything unless we beg her and for what? Just because she lucked into being born into powers she didn’t even earn, huh?!”

Yewon winced, paling as she tried to shut SinB up with her hands. “That’s blasphemy, someone might hear you…!”

Outside, a sudden flash of lightning across an absolutely clear sky, and a deeply ominous rumble of thunder in the distance. Everyone except SinB shut up, glancing nervously out of the window. 

As if taking the thunder as a challenge, SinB drew herself up to her full height and flipped off the unseen powers-that-be in the sky. 

“Yeah! I’m not afraid of you! Yewon’s mine! I’ll fight you for her!”

“You can’t even fight off a barmaid, and you wanna challenge a god?” Behind her, Yuju mumbled half to herself, but since the room was so silent you could hear a pin drop, everyone present heard her loud and clear.

“Why do I feel like there’s a story there?” Yerin mused to herself as she eyed Yuju, who was still insistent on bringing Eunha drinks despite her injured arm. If Eunha felt bad about it, she wasn’t letting it show. Instead, she cocked her head and asked innocently.

“What about the barmaid?”

Yuju beamed brightly at Eunha’s attention, ignoring the death glare she was getting from her childhood friend, as well as the cutting motions across the throat. What was good sense when the approval of the cutest being in the universe was at stake?

Clearly, the potion won the day, as the tale began to spin out...