- The Scales -

Soomi was restless the following night, her head filled with countless thoughts that didn’t allow her to sleep. Tossing and turning, she couldn’t calm down. It became so bad that she even woke her husband, who had been asleep until then. He grumbled something under his breath and rubbed his eyes, opening them to find her sitting in bed, her form illuminated by the moonlight. She looked otherworldly in its soft light, and he took the sight in without moving. Soomi glanced at her lap, crinkling the cover in tense fingers, lost in her pessimistic thoughts.

“Princess,” he whispered, causing her head to turn in his direction. She glanced at him with tired eyes and attempted to smile, but it failed and looked like a grimace. “What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly.

Avoiding his prying eyes, she moved her head to the window and watched the twinkling stars, hesitating to answer him. Baekhyun had enough on his plate; she shouldn’t burden him with her silly problems. He had to worry about other, more important things like the relations between their kingdoms, the Alliance, and his father’s health. It would be selfish to concern him with something insignificant.

“It’s nothing, I just woke up. Go back to sleep, please. You needn’t be awake because of me.”

It was silent in their chambers, and she felt the mattress below her shift. His cinnamon scent enveloped her when he hugged her from behind, pulling her in so her back rested against his muscular chest. She gave in to his touch, lying her head on his shoulder as he embraced her stomach with his arms.

“I don’t feel like sleeping at the moment,” he said, raking his fingers through her hair. She sighed softly and closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle caress and relaxing her body. He felt the change and smiled to himself.

“Is something bothering you? Something you would like to talk about?” he asked. “It’s been an eventful day, and you must have a lot on your mind.”

“I don’t…,” Soomi replied. Her eyelids fluttered open.

“I don’t believe you, my princess,” he whispered. “Something is distracting you, stealing your well-deserved sleep, and I want to do something about it.”

His stubborn undertone told her he would not be deterred no matter what she said. He shifted, embracing her tighter and letting himself sink on his back, bringing her with him. Her body ended up lying on his chest, and she glanced at him in astonishment, her wide eyes boring into his.

“What are you doing?” she said as she flushed, suddenly not knowing where to put her hands. She squirmed and fidgeted until he took her hands and placed them on his chest. He had become bolder since they had shared their first kiss, and his eagerness to be close to her flustered her.

“You don’t need to be so shy all the time. You’re my wife, and being close to each other should be normal,” he said, his face falling. She could hardly make out his features in the dark room, so she wasn’t sure what he was thinking. “Unless you don’t want to. I won’t force you, of course.” Did she hear a hint of disappointment in his tone, or was it only her imagination? His embrace loosened, and his arms fell back on the mattress.

She bit her lower lip, knowing she had to explain herself to him even though she was embarrassed. “I do want to be with you! I-It’s just that I’ve never been this close to a man before, and I… get a bit nervous sometimes,” she said sheepishly. “I trust you, Baekhyun. Don’t keep your distance, please.”

Silence greeted her for three very long seconds and caused her nervousness to mount, but then she heard his amused chuckles, felt his chest vibrate as he laughed quietly.

“W-What’s so funny?” she asked helplessly. He ruffled her hair and laid his arm on her waist to cuddle with her.

“You’re too cute, my princess. Very adorable,” he whispered, her blush darkening. She was lucky he couldn’t see it, or else he would have about it. “We will take slow steps then. Just relax and sleep for now.”

His hand resting on the thin fabric of her nightgown drew slow circles on her side, his touch making her skin tingle. Closing her eyes, she lay her head on his toned chest, her hand holding onto his shirt. He pulled the cover up to her chest and kissed her forehead, hoping she would fall asleep now. She needed rest after the stress that she’d endured. He could tell that it weighed on her since she had trusted Yubin—he would ensure the traitor would never hurt his wife again.

Baekhyun didn’t plan on having Soomi attend the execution as he was sure it would scar her fragile self to witness bloodshed with her own eyes. Yubin had done enough damage; this was where he drew the line.

Soomi spent the morning in the library since she wanted to look up the myths she had heard about when Baekhyun had been stargazing with her. She intended to learn more about the stories connected to the constellations in the sky and found a few books on astronomy and mythology. Sitting in one of the dark red armchairs, she skimmed through the first book. Her eyes took in the little drawings and charts depicted in it, reading the descriptions next to them.

Kyungsoo was guarding her today, standing at the window and glancing outside, lost in thoughts. Soomi had noticed the absence of the other knights and Baekhyun. She knew why they were gone, and thinking about it made her shiver. Secretly, she was relieved nobody had forced her to go with them, but she also knew this made her look like a coward. What kind of future queen was she if she couldn’t even attend the execution of a traitor? Would she become a queen who looked away every time something bad happened?

Sighing to herself, she closed the book and took another, opening it and reading its contents. It distracted her from her pessimistic thoughts, and she soon got lost in the tale of Andromeda, the princess Baekhyun had mentioned.

After an hour went by without Baekhyun returning, she opted to write a letter to her brother since she hadn’t replied to his last one yet. He had told her that he was looking for a bride and found someone he was interested in. Soomi wanted to meet the girl, curious about her, but she had to rely on Taehyung’s description for now. Maybe one day, she would be able to meet her. Soomi certainly hoped so.

The princess decided to inform her brother of the Alliance’s plans and schemes, adding every little detail she knew about them. Deep down, she hoped her brother knew something about the Alliance’s members. It was unlikely, but she still wanted to try. She asked him to let her know if he could find out anything useful. Perhaps Caelum’s royal guard could help gather information. Sighing deeply, Soomi closed her letter and sealed it with wax, planning to hand it to a royal messenger later.

“Kyungsoo? Do you think they will return soon?” she said after a long period of silence, causing the knight to look up from his book in surprise. She read understanding in his eyes as a barely noticeable smile bloomed on his face.

“They will. The matter should be taken care of by now. Do you want to leave the library?” he asked, and she nodded, getting up from her seat.

He accompanied her through the large double doors. They moved towards the entrance hall, walking next to each other. On the way, they saw a few nobles greeting them in passing without starting a conversation. They had been acting more polite towards her lately, didn’t gossip as much anymore, and she wondered if Lady Yang had something to do with this. Usually, it had been her who spread rumors and lies, but now that her attitude towards the princess had changed, so did the behavior of the nobles. Maybe things would change for the better from now on…

A while later, Soomi and Kyungsoo went to the throne room to meet with Baekhyun and the royal advisor. A servant had informed her they were waiting for her, so she hurried there as quickly as possible, stumbling over her long dress in her haste. Kyungsoo caught her arm before she fell.

“Be careful,” he said, half amused and half annoyed at her clumsiness while she was more embarrassed than anything.

“I’m sorry,” she answered sheepishly and walked at a slower pace. She was nervous and curious as to why she would be summoned to the throne room—this had to be a special occasion of some sort.

Even though it was early in the day, she suffered from a pounding headache, and the weight of her tiara only aggravated it. In addition, she had trouble breathing since she was wearing a ridiculously tight corset today. When her friend Lisa helped her get dressed in the mornings, this was never an issue, but sometimes, the maids would take turns. Today, one of the older and stricter maids had tied the lacing of the corset—Soomi had complained about it, but the woman had started rambling about how she was required to look impeccable at all times, given her position at court.

Her physical state, combined with her concerns about the execution this morning, nauseated Soomi. She wanted to sit and rest for a moment, but she couldn’t. The matter Baekhyun and Wang wanted to speak about appeared important, and her sense of duty didn’t allow her to back out.

Kyungsoo glanced at her from the corner of his eye, scrunching his brow. They made their way to the throne room in silence, the guards at the entrance opening the heavy doors for them as they arrived. Kyungsoo stayed with them while Soomi entered and walked over the deep red carpet leading to the throne. She joined Baekhyun and Wang and braced herself for whatever the issue was. The atmosphere was tense, and they paused their conversation when she arrived.

“Your Highness,” Wang said in greeting, grimacing while he spoke to her. He didn’t seem too happy to talk to her, but Baekhyun’s warning from a few weeks ago still seemed to be on his mind, so he treated her more respectfully than before.

“Good morning, Lord Wang,” she replied before she exchanged a look with Baekhyun, trying to read his expression. However, as usual, he was good at hiding his emotions.

“Why did you summon me?” she asked them. Baekhyun hesitated in answering her, his eyes narrowing when he noticed the paleness of her face, the tiredness of her eyes. His lips parted as if he wanted to ask about it.

“We have to discuss Lady Yubin’s recent crime,” Wang began, adjusting his glasses on his nose. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t find links to other members of the Alliance, at least not for now. However, I would advise watching her family since they may be part of this conspiracy. Her mother and father are known to be dismissive towards other nobles of Lux. Since they live close to Caelum’s border, it’s always been difficult to stay in contact with them. They rarely show themselves on royal celebrations and didn’t attend the summer festival either.”

“It’s true, I haven’t seen them in a long time,” Baekhyun said thoughtfully, his features growing colder. “If they belong to the Alliance too, we need to ensure they won’t get in our way in the future.” He didn’t outright say it, but Soomi knew what he meant by that and shivered. Those were the kinds of proceedings she had never had a part in at Caelum’s court. Her father and brother had discussed such matters behind closed doors, and now that she was faced with them, she had difficulty getting used to it.

“We should send a few knights to the town where they live and keep an eye on them. They might hold a grudge against you for having their family member executed. If they truly are hostile to us