- The Archer -

Soomi strolled through the castle gardens, enjoying the calm atmosphere as she listened to the songs of the birds hiding in the trees. She wished to spend time outside after breakfast since the sky was bright blue and the weather warm and sunny. Ever since she had been in the capital with Baekhyun yesterday, she had been in a good mood. Whenever she remembered the beautiful chapel he had shown her, she couldn’t help but smile. That place was important to him—showing it to her was a sign he finally accepted her.

He no longer looked at her with disdain but with the reluctance of someone who had been betrayed before and hesitated to trust someone. The war had left its marks on him—she knew that much and kept seeing it in his actions. It saddened her; she wished she could do something to alleviate his burdens, but she was powerless as long as he didn’t fully trust her.

Sighing, she stopped next to a rose bush with particularly vibrant blossoms and studied them, getting lost in her thoughts. When she heard someone approaching her, she was surprised to see Lady Yubin, the duchess she had briefly talked to during the ride to the summer residence. She had been kind to her, but sadly, Soomi hadn’t met her since.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Yubin smiled. She wore a light blue dress that hugged her curves and flared at the bottom. Its hem was decorated with small, colorful flowers.

“Good morning, Lady Yubin,” Soomi replied, mirroring her smile. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?”

“That’s what I should be asking you! I heard you were ambushed on the way back from the summer residence. Are you alright, Your Highness? Did anyone get hurt?” she asked, watching the princess with a worried frown.

“No, nothing happened to any of us. The knights and the prince reacted quickly, and thanks to them, we avoided casualties,” Soomi answered, not wanting to recall that day since it was already haunting her in her dreams. Every time she relived the bloody fight and the ensuing chase, it ended with her waking up drenched in sweat, her pulse racing. Baekhyun usually didn’t notice, but once he had woken up after she screamed. He had reached for his sword but quickly realized no intruder had been in the room. Soomi vividly remembered the way he looked at her that night—she had seen understanding in his eyes. Still, he hadn’t made any remarks about her nightmare. Whether that was a good or a bad sign, she didn’t know.

“That’s good,” Yubin said and nodded. “Have you gotten used to living in Lux?”

“Yes, I have,” Soomi replied without hesitation. “Admittedly, it was a bit difficult initially since many things are different here, but it’s fine now. So far, I visited many beautiful places in this kingdom, and soon I’ll see the coast as well!” The princess couldn’t hide her excitement about this, her eyes twinkling joyfully.

Yubin was amused by her bright smile and chuckled. “Are you planning to travel there?” she asked.

“The prince and I will spend our honeymoon near the coast.”

“Oh, that sounds great!” Yubin gushed, her smile widening. “I take it you’re getting along better now?”

“Yes,” Soomi replied. Although she knew their relationship was far from perfect, they made progress in the past few days, reaching a point where she wasn’t uncomfortable in Baekhyun’s presence anymore. On the contrary, she felt safe when he was with her.

“Good, then you’re probably looking forward to the honeymoon,” Yubin said, a sly grin on her lips. Soomi got a little flustered, fidgeting with the soft fabric of her dress as her gaze darted to the flowers surrounding them.

“I… um… I think it will be interesting,” Soomi answered with a hint of shyness.

“You’re adorable, Your Highness,” Yubin said, giggling. “The coast of Lux is indeed a beautiful place; you couldn’t have picked a better one for this occasion!”

Later in the afternoon, when Soomi returned to her chambers, she was visited by her friend Lisa, who brought a wonderful surprise for her. Lisa handed the princess a letter with the crest of Caelum on its wax seal.

“This arrived for you today. It’s from the crown prince of Caelum,” she said and left.

Soomi’s heart exploded with joy when she saw Taehyung’s slightly messy handwriting on the paper, addressing the letter to her. She hadn’t heard anything from him in weeks and was eager to learn how he was. Nervously, she ripped open the seal and unfolded the letter, reading it with a faint smile.

Dear Soomi

It has only been a few weeks since I last saw you, but it feels like a whole year passed. Life is boring and dull without you. I miss going horse riding with you, and I would love to see your smile.

The knights are as chaotic as usual. They tend to forget about their manners when you are not around… Last week, Seokjin attempted to teach Namjoon how to cook; you can imagine how that went. They nearly set the castle kitchen on fire. I cannot leave them alone for even a second! Imagine if they burned down our castle because of a cooking course! Luckily, father did not hear about it…

I wish I could meet you to talk in person since I have a lot to tell you, but sadly, I do not have time for long trips. Our father wants me to marry soon and invited several noblewomen who want to get to know me. It is exhausting since most of them are simply greedy and power-hungry. It will be challenging to find someone with a good heart among them.

How are you doing? How is life in Lux? I hope your husband is treating you well. If he is not, he will have to answer to me the next time I see him.

I love you. Stay strong.

Taehyung

Soomi smiled when she imagined the chaos the knights had caused in the kitchen. Namjoon’s cooking was notoriously bad, and his friends frequently made fun of him because of it. The servants must have been furious, or maybe they were already used to these shenanigans. At any rate, she would have loved to see it with her own eyes. It didn’t surprise her that Taehyung also had to marry soon. After all, he was the heir to the throne and needed a queen at his side. At least, he would get a choice in the matter, unlike her.

Soomi left her chambers and wandered through the long hallways of the castle, occasionally greeting a noble or a servant who passed by. She went to the library in the eastern wing of the building since she wanted to write a letter to her brother, preferably without being disturbed. The library wasn’t frequented by many people. Sometimes, she encountered the Queen there, but most of the time, Soomi was the only one who visited it.

She opened the heavy double doors and entered, the smell of wood and old paper reaching her nose. Like the rest of the castle, the library was lavishly furnished. Dark red plush armchairs stood in front of large glass windows providing a beautiful view over the court. The walls were covered in bookshelves made of dark wood, and the ceiling was so high that Soomi had to crane her neck to look at it. Someone had painted a scenery on it; lush green fields, rivers, and crystal lakes. The princess liked spending time here since it was a serene place that reminded her of her old home’s library.

She sat at a desk in a corner and prepared paper, a quill, and ink. Soomi pondered everything that had happened to her since moving to Lux and wrote down the most important details. She also mentioned that she had gone horse riding and gotten acquainted with the nobles, servants, and knights. However, she purposefully left out the threats and the encounter with the assassins since she didn’t want to worry her brother and father. When she was finished, she closed the letter and sealed it with wax before handing it to a messenger working for the royal family. Hopefully, Taehyung would receive her letter soon. He hadn’t outright stated it, but she knew he was worried about her.

She lingered in the library for a while and walked past the shelves, glancing at the abundance of books. Maybe she would find something interesting to read for this evening. Soomi didn’t hear the doors of the library opening, her attention focused on the books.

“I’ve been looking for you,” Baekhyun said, causing her to flinch in shock. She put her hand over her heart and looked at him.

“Don’t sneak up on me!” she replied, a sheepish smile curving the corners of . His looking for her was quite unusual—he typically would have stayed far away from her. She liked this new habit of his and hoped that he would keep it.

“Not my fault you’re entranced by some old dusty books,” he said, his eyes twinkling. He didn’t hide his amusement at her reaction.

She walked closer to him, her dress rustling softly as she