- The Dove -

After the conversation with the Queen, Soomi was in a good mood and decided to take a walk in the castle gardens. The entrance was guarded, and the knights bowed when she passed the stone archway. A water fountain was located in the middle, surrounded by hydrangeas.

Soomi stopped next to a bush with delicate white roses and glanced at them with happiness shining in her gray eyes. Those were her favorite flowers, and since the gardeners in Caelum had been aware of this, they had planted many of them only for her. She hadn’t seen roses in such a pure shade of white in a long time and instantly was reminded of the castle gardens in her old home. Caressing the blossom of a rose, she smiled sorrowfully, remembering her brother. She hadn’t seen him for a long time and hoped he was doing well.

She was torn from her thoughts when she heard a voice yelling nearby. Looking around, she spotted Wang on the other side of the garden, berating a young servant. The boy couldn’t have been older than fourteen, and Soomi walked closer, intending to find out what was going on. With wide eyes, she watched the royal advisor pull out a dagger, using it to threaten the boy. She rushed to his aid, standing between them and glaring at Wang.

“Lord Wang, what do you think you’re doing?” she hissed, shielding the boy. Wang looked more than irritated at her sudden appearance and held in a curse. He didn’t put the dagger away, and Soomi wasn’t comfortable having a sharp blade near her.

“I’m punishing this useless servant! He planted the wrong kind of flowers even though I told him a thousand times not to mix them up,” the advisor growled. Soomi wanted to roll her eyes at him, not understanding why he fussed over something so insignificant.

“You are not to touch him,” she ordered sharply, glaring at the older man.

“You have no say in this! What he did cannot be excused, much less by someone like you,” he grumbled.

“Lord Wang! Must I remind you of who you are speaking to?” she said, playing her trump card against him. “I’m the princess of this kingdom, and this boy is under my protection.”

He gritted his teeth, shaking in anger. His eyes flitted to the boy cowering behind her and back to her face. “You are too lenient. How could someone like you ever become a queen?” he snapped before finally letting it go and putting the dagger away.

“There is a difference between leniency and kindness,” she retorted, keeping her tone civil but sharp. Her gray eyes were like steel when she fixated Wang.

“It is not wise of you to make an enemy of me, Your Highness,” he sneered. “You might come to regret it. After all, you have no allies in this castle, not even your husband.”

He was finished talking to her and brushed past her, leaving her in the middle of the garden. She was glad he was gone since she didn’t want him to notice the desperate tears burning in her eyes. Blinking them away, she calmed herself and ignored his hurtful remark. The advisor always knew how to put his poisonous words to use and never failed to get under her skin. He was a snake with a silver tongue.

Reminding herself of the young boy behind her, she smiled at him. His expression relaxed, and he bowed. “Your Highness, thank you,” he mumbled shyly.

“Are you taking care of the flowers in this garden? What’s your name?”

“I’m Seojoon, one of the gardeners,” he explained, looking at the ground but sometimes shyly peeking up at her.

“I see you grew roses. I’m very fond of them, especially the white ones,” she said, and Seojoon beamed.

“Roses are difficult to care for, but they’re the most beautiful flowers in the garden,” he grinned, cute dimples appearing on his face. “There are no rain clouds in sight, which means I should water them later,” he mumbled to himself.

Casting her eyes at the sky, she faltered when she noticed something, or rather someone. The doors leading to a balcony a few stories above her were open, and the crown prince was leaning against the stone wall, watching her and the boy with an unreadable expression. He must have heard the whole commotion that Wang had caused. When their gazes met, he turned around and left.

Soomi decided to head back inside after that, following one of the endless hallways of the castle. She passed a beautiful set of stained-glass windows. The dark red carpet on the marble floors smothered the sounds of her heels as she walked. Since it was evening and the sun was setting, the servants had lit the candles in the candleholders on the walls, their flickering light painting an ominous glow over their surroundings. Soomi was alone, and the atmosphere felt eerie. She picked up her pace, intending to retreat to her chambers. Turning down another hallway, she suddenly heard the royal advisor’s voice from a nearby room. The door to his study was ajar, allowing her to listen in on the conversation. She walked closer, hiding behind a corner.

“Your Highness!” Wang sputtered. He was upset, and Soomi wanted to find out what was going on. “She acted out of line, just as one would expect of Caelum’s princess! The future queen of Lux cannot show weakness, not even in front of a child. If you want this kingdom to prosper, you need to understand this!”

“You’re questioning my wife’s capability as a queen,” Baekhyun summed up, speaking in a tone that did not betray his thoughts on the matter.

“Indeed, I am! She has the blood of Caelum in her veins; someone like her can’t be trusted. I advise you to keep her locked up so that she can’t cause any problems.”

Baekhyun gave a mirthless laugh that made Soomi shudder. She pressed her back closer to the wall and took a deep breath, straining her ears. Wang fell silent, and she could picture his appalled expression despite being unable to see him.

“Lord Wang, you’re walking on thin ice. What you just said is treason against the royal family, and it could cost your head. The princess may have let you off the hook, but I won’t tolerate this kind of behavior towards her,” he snarled coldly. “If you dare to lift a blade against her again, your head will roll.”

“I-I apologize, Y-Your Highness,” he stuttered in fright, expecting Baekhyun to murder him then and there.

“Don’t threaten her or the boy again, Lord Wang. Otherwise, there will be consequences. You value your neck, don’t you?” His tone dripped with malicious joy, and Soomi winced, glad she wasn’t the one it was directed at.

“Yes,” Wang forced out, undoubtedly shaking in his boots.

“Good. That’s all for now,” Baekhyun said, his steps nearing the door, but then he stopped suddenly. “One more thing. Your daily lessons with the princess are called off. I won’t permit them any longer.”

Deciding she had heard enough, Soomi escaped before Baekhyun caught her listening in. She sprinted down a flight of stairs and entered the library of the castle, where she lingered close to a shelf. Soomi was surprised Baekhyun would go out of his way to put the advisor in his place. He seemed furious, making her wonder about the reasons for his actions. What could have compelled the prince to do something for her?

After dinner that same day, Baekhyun asked Soomi to meet him in the music hall a floor below their chambers. She found him standing at the window façade, looking outside absentmindedly.

“You wanted to see me?” she asked, prompting him to turn around. His eyes were tired, framed by messy blond strands of hair.

“I need to talk to you about what happened earlier. I saw what you did in the garden; it was brave of you to defend the servant… though I must ask you to be more careful from now on. While Wang is working for the royal family, it isn’t a secret he doesn’t like you, and since he was armed, he could have easily harmed you.” An emotion Soomi could not describe flashed through his deep brown eyes.

“I know, but I didn’t want the boy to be punished for something so insignificant. It’s not right.”

“I understand, but your life is important in the grand scheme of things,” he said, and she immediately avoided looking at him. It seemed like he didn’t care for her at all; he only wanted to keep her alive to stop further bloodshed. She shouldn’t feel disappointed, but this was exactly what happened.

“However, I would have done the same thing if I had been in your position, and I think Wang couldn’t be more wrong in saying you won’t be a good queen,” he continued. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he met her gaze. It was a stark contrast to his usual scowl. “You continue to surprise me, my princess.”

She looked at him in astonishment, her eyes widening at his praise. He thought she would become a good queen. No matter how many times she repeated it in her mind, she could not believe it. She couldn’t recall a single time he had said something this kind to her. It was unlike him. Right now, he reminded her a lot of the young boy she had met more than ten years ago. The smile adorning his lips, though only faint, was very similar and prompted her to recall a time when things were much simpler. A time when she didn’t have to worry about anything yet.

“I spoke to Lord Wang earlier and decided it’s better to stop your lessons with him,” Baekhyun then added. “Jongdae mentioned his behavior towards you, and I don’t want you to be around him anymore. If anything like this happens again, I want you to tell me about it.”

“Thank you,” she replied. “I’m not very fond of him.”

“He’s an opinionated man, and once he decides he doesn’t like someone, he never changes his views. It’s a long tradition for the dukes of the Wang family to work as advisors for the royal family, but if you’re asking me, it’s time for a change.”

He sighed, and his gaze came to rest on the windows as silence fell over them. The grand piano in the middle of the room drew Soomi’s attention like a magnet, and she pictured Baekhyun playing on it. He had never told her he could play the piano, and she wondered if she should ask him to play for her sometime. However, she had something else on her mind that was more urgent.

“I wanted to ask a favor of you,” she began hesitatingly, very unsure if this was a