Chapter 3.

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere."

“Jaehyun, we have an issue.”

Chaeyeon burst through the doors to his study room with a serious frown. Jaehyun spared a glance up from his paperwork before continuing to flip through the pages.

“What’s up?” He asked casually and Chaeyeon felt her eyebrow twitch at his dismissal of her dilemma. She stalked up to his desk and yanked the papers out of his hand, which prompted a startled yelp from the man.

Before he could reach over to snatch the papers back, she quickly side stepped him and crossed her arms in annoyance. “Listen to me!” She huffed, shooting him a glare.

“You know, people might believe you’re the older sibling with the way you treat me,” Jaehyun commented, walking around his desk to lean against the edge.

Chaeyeon rolled her eyes. “We’re twins. You were born only 3 minutes before me. I don’t think that counts as being an older sibling.”

“Hey, 3 minutes counts,” he countered, before stretching his arms. “So what’s the dilemma?”

“Our patisserie for the banquet next week came down with the flu! We need to find a replacement fast.”

The mention of the banquet drew a groan from the King. “Or,” he began with a sly smile. “We can just cancel the banquet altogether.”

Chaeyeon whacked him on the head with the stack of papers. “That’s a good joke if I ever heard one. All the noble ladies are itching to meet you, shouldn’t you be happy?”

“Ecstatic,” he replied in a dead tone.

There was great anticipation that came with this upcoming banquet, with all eligible lady nobles within the ages of 18 to 25 attending to hopefully win over the favor of their King.

Ever since the passing of the late King and Queen, the kingdom had fallen into harder times with crops not producing as much as they had before, frequent bandit raids harming merchants and their products on the road as well as rumors of an anti-Neo faction planning a coup to overthrow the royal family.

With both twins still available as an eligible bachelor and bachelorette, the ancient laws that decreed true love as the key to prosperity had deemed the kingdom unworthy of their blessings.

It had been 7 years since he’d finally cleaned up his act and began acting as the proper King of the Neo Kingdom. The years had done him well, garnering himself a good reputation amongst the citizens. The ladies had labeled him the most eligible bachelor in all of the Neo Kingdom and the people of land were hoping that the banquet would magically bring about true love to Jaehyun, restoring the lands to their thriving harvests.

 “So why can’t you go look for another caterer yourself?” Jaehyun asked, bringing their focus back to the original topic at hand.

“I have a meeting with the charity we’re funding later today and I’m booked for the rest of the week. Besides, you could use a break from the paperwork.”

Jaehyun let out a sight before pushing off his desk. “Fine. Call the stablemen to ready my horse.”

“Already done,” Chaeyeon chirped and Jaehyun shot her a look.

“You knew I was going to say yes,” he accused though the jest in his voice made Chaeyeon grin.

She shook her head. “No. I just believed in myself and my charming personality to convince you to help out a little sister in need.”

“Oh so now you say you’re the little sister.”

“Just get going! We don’t have much time,” Chaeyeon laughed as she pushed him out the door.

His squadron was waiting for him, already mounted and he climbed onto his horse with ease.

“So, where are we going?” Jaehyun asked.

“I don’t know but I could use a chocolate chip cookie right about now,” Yuta said unhelpfully.

Haechan nearly drooled at the thought. “Or some red bean rice cakes. Oh man, I’m so hungry.”

“You guys are absolutely no help,” Jaehyun deadpanned.

Johnny pressed his lips in a thin line, casting a quick glance at Jaehyun before setting his eyes forward. A curious twinge hit Jaehyun at the sight. Was that hesitance he saw?

“I know a place,” Johnny finally said.

Her morning routine was the same as it had been for the past several years. It might have seemed mundane but it was her lifestyle and she didn't mind it. Of course, she'd always wondered what it'd be like to go on a vast adventure though she knew it was a far fetched dream. The most exciting and adventerous thing that happened in the town called Seasons was probably the annual harvest.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, she began wiping down the counters of her small, yet homey bakery, going through her daily regime of cleaning, baking and serving.

She was 19 years old now, and with 7 years behind her, she had built herself up as a reputable baker. Stepping out onto the porch, she brushed away the stray leaves before turning to look at the bakery sign.

Star Bakery.

No longer did it say Seo Family Bakery as it had in the past. With her mother’s passing years prior and Johnny gone at the kingdom, it felt too lonely and depressing to have the name attached to the place that had always provided her comfort.

She was alone now and the sole proprietor of the bakery, which had since relocated from the small village of Dream to a larger, more urban town called Seasons. Though it didn’t provide the same coziness as her hometown, the people in Seasons were just as friendly and Hanbyul had quickly warmed up to her neighbors as they had to her.

Moving back inside to put the broom away, she tied her apron around her waist, ready for another sweets filled day.

“Is this your sister’s place?” Doyoung asked Johnny as the squadron dismounted in front of the quaint bakery. It had taken them several days of riding to arrive but without many travelers on the road, it had been a peaceful voyage.

“Yeah, she moved to Sea