"We will go to the North-kingdom to negotiate for peace. Promise me one thing; please take care of yourself." Taehyung said as he wrapped his arm around his fiance Lee Aera. Before he could let the girl go, she grabbed his torso tightly. She shook her head in silence, and she didn't want Taehyung to be away from her. She didn't want to be alone in the palace facing the royal family with her fiance by her side. 

"Your highness, please bring me along." Aera cried as she lifted her head to look into his eyes. Taehyung sighed as he shook his head as a stern no. He's not going to expose Aera to danger. The distance to get to the Northern kingdom takes five days on the horse. Aera might not be comfortable travelling such a distance. Taehyung looked at Duke Jeon, standing beside him, the most trusted knight of their kingdom. The Duke looked at the prince without any reaction; he didn't want to appear offending to Lee Aera. He did not like the idea of bringing any woman to be part of their envoy. 

"Bada, please say something to the prince. I cannot be here alone without him around." Aera turned her head to look at Bada, escorting her to meet the prince. Bada, who kept her head low, lifted her head to look at the couple. She tried her best to keep her facial expression neutral as she knew the Duke watched her action now and then. Aera was pleading to Bada with her two sad eyes. Bada gulped her saliva and bowed her head respectfully to the prince. 

"Your highness, I heard the King of the Northern kingdom cherished his daughter very much. Bringing Princess Aera as part of the envoys will show that you are not threatening their kingdom. Aera was a figure that the general people admire in our and their kingdom. Bringing her to the Northern kingdom will improve the security of the envoy as the citizens are fond of Princess Aera." Bada stated and bowed her head again after she finished her sentence. Aera looks at Bada with a smile, and she knows that Bada likes to read about the Northern kingdom, but she doesn't know that even the North citizens like the famous Cinderella from their country. 

Taehyung and Bada exchanged short eye contact before the lady stepped aside and bowed her head to the prince. Taehyung turned his head to look at the Duke, raising one of his brows. Asked for his opinion in silence. The Duke nodded his head and "It is up to you, Your Highness." The Duke kept his face stern as he was on duty right now. Jungkook's caught some glances at Bada, who was standing not far from them. She looks better as Aera's maid than the kitchen helper. 

"Sure, we'll bring you along, but you need to watch out for your behaviour when you meet the princess of the Northern kingdom," Taehyung smiled as he was giving in to the idea of bringing his fiance to the Northern kingdom. "The lady in waiting should accompany you on this trip. You might not be comfortable if you at the only woman in the envoy." The crown prince said as he directed his eyes to the Young lady from the Song family who was smiling while listening to the prince's words. 

"No, no, no... I'll bring my sister with me." Aera shook her head as she pulled Bada's hand. Bada inhaled deeply, totally disliking her sister childish manner. The lady in waiting standing a few feet away glared at her before she bowed her head to the prince and went away. "Sister, we can go and search for your father in the Northern kingdom," Aera whispered to Bada in an excited voice. 

"Thank you, your highness. I'll make my way to pack my things for the trip." Aera bowed her head and dragged Bada with her without waiting for the crown prince to respond. She knew that the prince didn't like the idea of bringing Bada along. But Aera didn't care much; she was willing to be with the cold Bada than with Young Miss Song, who kept on judging her every little action and movement. 

"Lee Aera! I'm not going to the North." Bada pulled her hand away as soon as they arrived at Aera's room. Bada scoffed as she looked at Aera. "Who you think you are to keep on controlling me?" Bada glared at the young lady and was about to walk away when Aera caught her hand again. "Please~! Sister! Please~!" Bada shook her head as a strict refusal of Aera's request. "Fine, I'll bring Bitna instead. I'll ask the envoy to stop at the treatment camp and bring Bitna with me." Aera muttered and walked towards her closet to pack her stuff. Other maids came into the room to help Aera to pack her things. Bada just sighed and gave in to Aera's request since it had been a long time she had met Kang Bitna. 

"Sister, are you comfortable?" Aera asked as she reached her right hand to touch Bada's shoulder. Bada was sitting straight the whole time since they left the castle and kept her eyes on their carriage window. Aera glanced at the Crown prince, who was sitting right in front of her who was also sitting stiffly. Aera bit her lips, thinking probably it was never a good idea to have the Crown prince and Kang Bada in the same space. "I'm good. Don't worry about me; close your eyes and sleep. You'll have motion sickness if you keep bothering yourself about others." Bada replied as she opened a book that she had brought with her. Aera nodded as she leaned back and kept her eyes on the prince. 

"Your Highness, you should sleep too," Aera said as she smiled when the prince smiled at her. He got the best smile in the whole wide world in her eyes. She never thought that the person with the most beautiful smile would be her fiance. It was like a dream come true for her. He was the best gift God had ever given to her. After a few moments, Aera doozies off to sleep. The silent journey continues for a couple of hours. Taehyung finally turns his head to look at Bada. She was still reading her books without making any huge movement. 

"What are you reading?" Taehyung asked as the lady never lifted her head from the book. Bada took a few seconds before she replied, "I'm reading a book about the Western Kingdom." Her reply was short without any intonation. Taehyung rolled his eyes in annoyance. She was the only person that dared to speak to him like that. She's lucky to be the stepsister of Lee Aera, or else her head will not remain attached to her body. 

"Young Miss Kang Bada, I don't understand. Why are you behaving like this?" Taehyung crosses his arm as his eyes remain on Bada's face. On the other hand, Bada never once lifted her head to look at him. She didn't even budge to react to his question. "Your Highness, we are not supposed to talk to each other. A prince should not talk to a maid unless for important reasons." She stated in honorific. Taehyung scoffed and leaned back, not believing that Bada talked to him about the hierarchy. She used to talk to him like a friend in the academy while she knew that a people of no title like her should not be talking to a prince like him. 

"You've changed," Taehyung said in his low voice. His voice seems like he was disappointed. It causes Bada to be confused. She finally lifted her face and looked at the prince. "Humans change. We all change. You've changed too, your highness." Finally, her eyes clashed with the crown prince of the kingdom. Taehyung didn't understand why he felt angry and dissatisfied whenever he looked at Bada. Bada sighed and continued to read her book, ignoring the boring stare from the crown prince. 

After hours of travelling, the envoy decided to stop at an inn. Bada helped Aera take down her stuff and arrange it in her room. "Thank you, sister," Aera replied, and Bada just ignored the lady like she used to. She stepped out of the room and headed to the room prepared for the maids. Bada froze when she opened the door of her room at the inn. It was not even a space that fit to be called a room. It's like a dungeon. The room was dark and wet from the leaking drainage water. She saw rats running inside the room when she opened the door. 

Bada closed the door of the room, deciding to sleep somewhere else. Arranging her steps outside of the inn to look around. She saw a stable where the horses of the envoys were placed. She walked towards the stable to look at the horses. All the horses were resting in their cube; they looked tired. As she came closer to the horses, she heard a horse oddly was neighing. "What happen to you?" Bada sighed as she saw the brown horse with a shard of glass stuck on its hooves. 

"Are you alright?" Bada pats the horse gently. "Let me heal you..." She mumbled slowly as she squatted down and gently hold the horse's leg. Bada closes her eyes and gently touches the horse's leg without waiting for long. Bada winced in pain as she took out the glass shard. She looks down at the sole of her feet that suddenly gushes out blood. The horse nudged her gently, showing his gratitude. Bada nodded her head as she stood up. "You're going to be alright... don't worry," She gently placed her hand on the horse's body and leaned her forehead on the horse. Bada drained her energy from the long travel and healing the wounded horse. 

"Why did you do that?" A sudden voice interrupted the silent moment in the stable. Bada turns around in shock. She didn't realize that somebody was watching her action. It was Duke Jeon Jungkook in his black cloak and holding a sword in his right hand, standing a few feet away from the wounded lady and the horse. "W-w-what... W-w-when..." Bada stuttered as Jungkook walked towards the lady. Her healing ability should be kept hidden. That's what her mother always told her, or else she'll be hunt. "I-i am not a witch," Bada shook her head as the man came closer. She stepped back as the man came forward. 

"I-i am not a w-witch." She stammered on her words as she kept on distancing herself from the royal knight. Witch are hunted in their kingdom as black magic is not accepted and is against their morale. If a witch were ever found in their kingdom, she'd be burnt alive. Bada continuously shook her head as the man kept moving forwards in her direction. Her eyes alternately look at the Jungkook's eyes and the sword in his hand. 

"You've hurt yourself." He mumbled as he threw his sword to the ground and grabbed Bada's shoulder. His response causes Bada to look at him in shock. "Duke Jeon, I-i am not-" Her words were cut short when the Duke placed his index finger on her lips. Signalling her to be silent. "I know... let's go to your room. Can you walk?" The Duke asked as he helped the lady walk out of the stable. She was still anxious as she was worried the Duke saw it all. Her ability to heal a living thing might put her in a difficult position if known to the world.

"Auch!" She yelped as she stepped forward. She needs another living thing to transfer her injury and heal herself. Jungkook lifted the lady without asking any more questions. He was sure she was the one. The girl who heals his broken arm when injured in the forest. He still remembers how his hand straightened, and the girl's arm twisted after she touched his broken arm. "Duke Jeon, I can walk." She mumbled as the man had already lifted her and walked toward the inn. Her energy ran low as she used her energy to heal the horse, causing her to remain still in Duke Jeon's arm. 

"Why did they give you this room?" The Duke asked as soon as he opened the room door where Bada was supposed to stay for the night. "You can put me down." He put the lady down and watched her walk to the run down bed. She sat at the edge of the bed and removed her shoe. Her sole was bleeding from her toe to the middle of her sole. Jungkook shut the small room door, the cut was deep, and he could see her flesh weeping. "Duke, can you catch a living mouse for me?" She lifted her head and asked for a favour. Jungkook nodded his head and walked out of the small room. 

In less than a few minutes, the Duke returned with a rat in his right hand. "Thank you," She muttered as she reached out her hands to receive the rat from him. Once the rat is secured in Bada's hand, she holds the rat tightly and closes her eyes. Jungkook inhaled sharply as he saw her flesh reattached and her bleeding stop; before her wound completely heal she put down the newly injured rat. 

"Duke Jeon, can you please keep this a secret?"Bada look at the Duke. She didn't know what the right words she should say to him were, but she was desperate. Her healing abilities need to be kept as a secret from everyone. Jungkook squat down and looked into her brown eyes. "I won't tell anyone about this. I'm that boy... the boy that you saved in the woods. I still remember how my arm healed as soon as you touched it. I've kept your secrets all this while, and I'll keep it forever." He said in his gentle voice. A side of him she never saw. Bada put on a smile on her face, pretending as if she remembers that she saved him before. 

"Oh, you are the one that I saved a few years back then." She put on a fake smile on her face. Jungkook nodded his head with a chuckled as he stood up from squatting. "I would love to say thank you for saving me back then." He bowed at Bada for a few moments before he made his way to the door. "Have a rest. See you tomorrow." He said before he walked out of the small room.

The next day... 

"Sister? Are you tired from the long journey?" Aera asked as she saw Bada was a little bit slower than usual. "I am alright," she replied as she helped pack Aera's stuff into her. They continue the long journey early in the morning, right after the prince and his fiance has eaten their breakfast. Duke Jeon was already standing in front of the carriage, waiting for the prince and his fiance. Taehyung and Aera came out from the inn and walked to the carriage to start their journey. Jungkook kept his eyes on Bada, who was walking behind Lee Aera. She does not look as bad as yesterday, but her face is still pale. 

Jungkook reduced his distance from Bada as he took a couple of steps towards the lady. "This is for you." He gave her a jar of medicinal balm out of a sudden, caused Bada to halt her moves and look at the man. Hesitantly, she took the medicinal balm and bowed her head. "This is my third medicinal ointment from you," Bada whispered low enough for just the both of them to hear it. "Use it, and if you need more, I'll give you another one," Jungkook said before he walked to his horse. Bada chuckled as she looked at Jungkook, who turned towards her a few times before reaching his horse. 

"Sister! Why are you smiling like that? Get in the carriage!" Aera yelled from the inside of the carriage. Bada sighed before taking steps towards the carriage. Bada got into the carriage while Aera looked at her in her questioning face. "Sister, you're smiling at someone just now?" Aera asked, looking at Bada face that was back to her stoic expression. Bada didn't say anything as it might cause Aera to misunderstand. Taehyung turned his head from the window to the face of the maid that just got into the carriage, wondering what caused the maid to smile as his fiance stated. 

"I was smiling at you, Miss Lee," Bada replied shortly as she sat on the seat. Aera crossed her arm and chuckled. "You must be in such a good mood to generously smile at me." Aera grabbed Bada's hand and smiled happily. Bada shook her head, causing Aera to let her hand go. "Sister, I always wonder why did you hate it when people are touching you?" Aera asked more as she let Bada's hand go. It was not just Bada, and even Madam Kang didn't let people touch her. Maybe Bada inherited it from her mother. Her question was remained unanswered as they continued their journey to the Northern Kingdom.