The king and queen sat on high chairs in the far part of the hall where they could see everyone in the hall, their son sitting next to them. Taemin bowed to the royalty, the king smiled at him, which suddenly made him feel not so comfortable. "Your name?" The king asked. "Lee Taemin, sir, I came here for a journey on my way to Silla. Key, my captain, sent me here and said you would welcome me."

"Are you new on The Shining Devil?" "Yes my King, half a year already," Taemin replied, noticing that he had spent so much time at sea, on voyages he had only dreamed of when he was a child. "I've known Kibum for years since he was a little boy, every pirate is my guest, Lee Taemin. You said you were on your way to the Silla, didn't you?" "Yes sir, where I grew up," Taemin replied, shifting his body weight from foot to foot due to feeling embarrassed. 

"I'm on my way to meet the prince." "And what do you want from the prince? If I may ask," The king was curious. Tae felt the curiosity that passed between the occupants of the room, he was only a pirate, what to him and to the royal heir to the throne of Silla. "I have to give him back something that belongs to him."

"You're a pirate, aren’t you supposed to be a thief?" The king's right eyebrow was raised, curiosity visible in his tone. Taemin suddenly felt small. "It's a long story. I hope to stay here for the night, no more. I do not want to trouble anyone." "Stay here for two, you look exhausted. Did you get here by land?" The queen asked. Taemin nodded and then said, "from Puyo, in Paekche, Your Majesty." "I heard King Park's horse was stolen," the woman said, apparently already guessed who took it. "He's with me. I did not know it was the King's famous horse." The prince giggled at him, his mother scolded him, "Kim Mingyu." "Sorry, mom."

The young prince, Mingyu, looked young, around the beginning of his teen years, behind him stood another boy who even looked not so far in age from the prince himself. Behind the king probably stood his main guard. Taemin guessed they were father and son. "General Jeon? Show our guest where he can stay." "Yes, your highness," the guard behind the king said. Taemin followed him out of the hall and led him to the room area. "Sleep here," the general said, opening a door to a room relatively larger than the pirate was used to. "Don’t wander the corridors at night, there are patrols at these hours and they may think of you as an infiltrator. Put your things here and after going back to the hall, you will have dinner."

"General Jeon? I have a question," Tae said as he laid his bag on the tidy bed. "You may ask." "Do you have a family connection to the General of Jeju? That is, King Kim’s general?" The pirate asked, looking at the guard. "Yes, he's my youngest brother." Taemin nodded understandingly. "Our  family had been serving the royal family for years and it will continue to future generations, you already met my brother, didn't you?" The general asked. "Yeah, we brought them a dog we rescued in Gyong-Ju, Jungkook is very happy." It put a smile on the guard's lips. "How are they?" "They're fine, why?" "Kim Mingyu is the same age as Jungkook, and my son, Jeon Wonwoo will start his training as the crown prince's guard in the next year, he's the one who will replace me as general one day when I retire, but Jungkook is too young, his father will continue to be the general. For a long time to come even after the coronation of crown prince Kim Namjoon," the general explained.

"You care about your family." "Yes, it's my younger brother's son, he went through so many things at such a young age and caused his father to lose hope but thanks to Kibum..." He did not continue, Taemin already knew the story. "Family is a strong thing, I know." Taemin smiled sadly, he had lost his family but found a new one. The two walked back to the hall where dinner had already been served, Taemin walking with his sword in his hand not wanting to leave her behind. 

"You have a special sword," the general remarked as they entered the hall, Taemin nodded and went to sit where a servent had instructed him while General Jeon returned to stand behind his king.

Taemin, as he ate, noticed that the young prince and his guard were whispering to each other and grinning at what the other was saying. The pirate smiled at this sight. "So tell me, Lee Taemin, what were your adventures? Where would The Shining Devil have gone without you?" "We came back from China after a mission of bringing someone back to Paekche from where the Shining Devil went on to Japan." The general whispered something in the king's ear and the king looked at the pirate and asked, "And where did you get the sword from?" "It belonged to my father, your highness, why do you ask?" 

"These swords are made in a very specific place, only in the kingdom of Kansal. Your father was probably a noble or an adviser? Maybe he saved the kingdom?" "He was a merchant, my king, this sword was given to him as a token of appreciation for saving the kingdom from famine and economic crisis. My mother is from there,” he said. “He won two prizes for the help he gave," Taemin said.

"Is your mother a princess?" The king was intrigued. "No sir, I heard she ran away from home," Tae said. "I see, it's a great title to hold such a sword." "That's the only thing I have left of my father," the pirate looked at the sword that lay beside him. The king nodded. 

When everyone had finished eating and the king and queen went to their rooms, the two boys approached him. "So that's right?" Mingyu asked, "Wonwoo Hyung saw the engagement bracelet you are wearing, there is one similar to the prince of Silla, that's why you're on your way to him, you are engaged," the young prince said excitedly. "No no no." Taemin waved his hands. "So why are you wearing an engagement bracelet?" the young guard asked without looking at him. "I don’t want to lose it, I'm on my way to give it back." "But you are a pirate," the prince claimed.

"There are things you feel that need to happen, and what I feel is that I need to get to the Silla to get back what I took," Tae explained. "Didn't he give it to you?" "No, he dropped it on Jeju." "If so then he will not want it back," the prince said. "And why not?" Taemin asked. "Until now he has not reported anything, about the theft of a bracelet that says he is engaged to whoever the other bracelet is in their possession. It is as if he knows that whoever took the second bracelet is ... you know," Mingyu explained. "What do I know?" Taemin did not understand. The trio walked towards the room where the pirate was staying, the prince and his guard apparently wanted to know more things and develop theories about the situation. "It's a sign that the two people who wear the bracelets are meant for each other, especially when the bracelets were obtained separately," Wonwoo said.

"So you want to tell me that no matter how much I try to give the bracelet back he will not accept?" "Only if he does not think he is destined for a man," Mingyu shrugged, "but again, if until now people have not been sent to scan the kingdoms to find the person with the other bracelet, he is probably waiting for this person destined for him, to reach him." "The rules of this bracelet are strange," Taemin said, looking at the design of his bracelet. 

"Well, you're on your way to him," Wonwoo noted. "Do you like him?" Mingyu asked. "I... I..." "You do, that's why you're on your way to him, to see if he will accept you as the love of his life, the person destined for him, it's so romantic," the prince spoke enthusiastically. When they got to Taemin's room they exchanged a good night and as the two turned to go, the pirate noticed the ribbons on their hair, a blue ribbon, and a red ribbon. They're probably meant for each other too, Taemin thought, closing the door behind him.