Chaewon stared at the top of the other girl’s head as she bowed down. “Likewise,” She said, turning towards her father. “When do we eat?” 

“In an hour,” he sighed, smiling apologetically towards Hitomi. 

“Have Minju fetch me when it’s time. I’ll be in my room.” Chaewon strutted up the stairs, leaving without waiting for a response. She walked towards her room, pausing momentarily to turn to Yujin who still followed behind. “You’re dismissed,” She said. She waited for Yujin’s steps to fade before entering her bedroom. She stared at her bed for a moment before kicking off her shoes and flopping on top. She can hear her mother calling her “unladylike” in her head. As she laid there, cheek pressed into the feather filled pillow, her thoughts wandered to what was expected of her. Sometimes, she could get out of dates with suitors early on and save everyone the trouble, but this doesn’t seem like one of those cases. No matter, Chaewon will just suffer through the date and then say she’s not interested in him at the end just like she does with every other date. 

With her mind at ease, she closed her eyes and snuggled into her pillow, paying no regard for her makeup or pillowcase. 

Her sleep didn’t last long when a gentle rapping woke her. Minju cracked the door open, sticking her head in and checking to see if Chaewon was in. “Ah, princess.” She shut the door behind her and stepped towards Chaewon’s bed. She looked down and noticed the smeared makeup on the silk pillowcase. “Chaewon, I have to clean that you know?” Minju sighed, pushing the princess to the side and removing the pillow from the case. 

Chaewon huffed as she fixed her dress and put her shoes back on. “I don’t want to go. I was having a nice nap.” 

“You have to,” Minju said, smoothing down Chaewon’s hair. “I’ve heard them talking, and Mitsu seems like a fan man. He has plenty of money and has been helping his father with their land. I think he has potential.”

“Potential?” 

Minju nodded, “You know. To run a kingdom.” 

“Are you saying I should marry him? I have only just met him, Minju.” Chaewon’s face twisted in disgust. Just the idea of marriage sends a shiver down her spine. 

Minju put her hands up in defense, “I’m just looking out for you. I think he’s the best candidate so far.” 

“Whatever,” Chaewon rolled her eyes, “You sound like my father.” 

“Speaking of, your family is waiting for you downstairs.” After Chaewon spewed some words of resistance, she led her to the door and the two made their way to the dining hall. There, everyone sat around the long table, her mother and father on opposite ends at the head of the table. In between them sat the Honda family, giving her only two options to sit: in between the siblings or next to the parents. Without a second thought, Chaewon immediately scratched the first option off the list. She refused to sit next to her suitor and give him any ideas. The second and only other choice left her sitting next to Ms. Honda and across from their youngest daughter. If Chaewon was being honest, she didn’t want to sit there either, but she had little choice with the limited number of seats. As soon as she settled in her chair, Minju’s father brought out the first course meal, a light soup. He placed it in front of her father first, moving on, serving each guest in order of importance. He placed the last bowl in front of Hitomi. 

“Thank you,” She said as he bowed. His eyes quickly glanced up at her and those sitting near. No one else thanked him. 

“You’re welcome,” He mumbled, almost inaudibly. He bowed once more and left to go back to the kitchen. Chaewon watched Hitomi for a moment as she sipped on her soup, looking away when her father began to talk. 

“It may be too sudden, but I propose Chaewon and Mitsu go out on a date after dinner.” He looked at Mr. Honda, Mitsu, and Chaewon, gauging their reactions. Chaewon shrugged. For her, the sooner the better. 

“While I like the enthusiasm, your highness, I would like to take her out tomorrow. I have plans for lunch.” 

Her father nodded, “Fair enough. I trust you to take care of my daughter.” 

Dinner went by without much excitement. Her father and Mr. Honda talked about land and war, but most of all, they talked about Mitsu. Mitsu and his achievements. Mitsu and his leadership skills. Mitsu and how handsome he is. Mitsu, Mitsu, Mitsu. She swears she heard his name more times in one dinner than she has seen the moon in her 19 years. 

She couldn’t take it anymore. She shoveled her food into and scraped her chair back. “May I be excused?” 

“Chaewon, we have guests. Sit down.” Her mother said before turning back to her conversation with Mrs. Honda. 

Chaewon huffed but listened, hunched over slightly in disappointment. “Actually, your highness, if I may request, I would like for Chaewon to show me around the garden.” Chaewon raised her eyebrow at the girl across from her. “I only caught a small glimpse earlier but it was quite beautiful.” 

“Of course, that’s okay. You don’t mind, do you Chaewon?” Her mother asked pointedly. 

Chaewon sighed, “I don’t mind, mother.”  She pushed herself back from the table and began walking to their garden. Behind, Hitomi scrambled to catch up to her. When she felt the other girl next to her, she spoke up. “Don’t you think it’d be better to request one of the gardeners to show you around? They know this stuff better than I.” 

“It seemed like you wanted out and this was a good excuse.” Hitomi smiled. “Plus, I did want to see the garden. Seems like a win for both of us.” 

Chaewon was surprised. It’s not common for people to help her get out of situations she didn’t want to be in. Sure, Minju has been able to a handful of times but they were friends. Never a stranger. Surely, Honda Hitomi was looking for something out of this. Chaewon looked at the girl walking next to us, her features neutra