Despite the tense relationship between Joohyun and her mother, the royal family still ended up going on a picnic together. The two Queens were accompanied by not just Jooyoung and Nongyu but also the Queen Mother’s other nephew, the 5-year-old Lord Oh Sehun. However, Lord Kim Jongin — who also liked to act as if he were 5 — was not part of this merry picnic. He had been caught procrastinating and napping in the library when he was supposed to be reading and studying, so Joohyun decided he would simply have to make up for it and miss out on all the fun outdoors.

This occasion marked the first ever interaction between Sehun and Seulgi. They had been in the same room before, at the royal wedding, but they never got to interact one-on-one. Out of all the guards, maids, eunuchs, and other servants attending the royal family, it was Captain Kang that Sehun kept stealing glances at throughout the journey.

While Jooyoung and Nongyu chose to make their way to the side of the lake to skip stones, the rest of the royal family sat down to eat. That was when Sehun finally spoke. Shamelessly, he said aloud, “Captain Kang, you’re so beautiful. When I grow up, I am going to marry you.”

Seulgi blushed and looked down at her shoes. The boy sounded so serious, but Joohyun was so amused that she giggled and said, “if you want to marry Captain Kang, you should start learning martial arts. Will you be willing to do that, little cousin?”

Sehun nodded enthusiastically. “I want to learn!”

However, his aunt, the Queen Mother, was nowhere as pleased. Coldly, she declared, “noblemen don’t marry guards, Sehun.”

“Why?” The little boy frowned and scratched the nape of his neck. “Guards are nice people.”

“Guards are still servants,” the Queen Mother stated dispassionately. “As a lord, you should marry a noblewoman instead. There are lots of aristocratic clans for you to choose from, and you certainly deserve to marry a lady from an esteemed family, nothing less.”

Sehun could only blink innocently at his aunt who looked stern. She was wary of not just Seulgi but in fact all guards in the palace, even though Sehun was too young to understand her reasons. There was no way she could forget that her firstborn had an affair with a guard and even got pregnant with said guard’s child. It was such a disgrace and the Queen Mother was determined to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again. No matter the cost, she was definitely not going to let another family member get involved with any guard.

Joohyun was no longer smiling. Instead, she glowered at her mother and would have raised her voice if not for someone else already doing it. High-pitched screams could be heard coming from the side of the lake, which sent everyone rushing to see what was going on. They gasped and panicked once they learned that Princess Nongyu had fallen into the water.

Although her guard Yixing had already jumped into the water, Seulgi followed suit without thinking twice, as did a few other servants. They swam to the Princess’ rescue as quickly as they could. Together, they hauled her back onto dry land, and her maids quickly attended her. Jooyoung on the other hand was already going pale and freaking out, looking as if he might burst into tears any minute. Joohyun was calmer but still had to personally check if Seulgi was alright. As the Queen only had a handkerchief with her, the best she could do was use it to wipe Seulgi’s face. Still, it hardly stopped Seulgi from shivering as the water was treacherously cold just now. Decisively, Joohyun announced that the picnic was over. Everyone was to return to their carriages and be on their way back to the palace. Seulgi definitely needed a hot bath and to get changed into clean, dry clothes.

Although everybody followed the Queen’s instructions, it was as if Joohyun herself had forgotten that she was Queen. No monarch would ever be the one attending their guard, but Joohyun was doing nothing less for Seulgi, and not for a moment did she even hesitate. She even helped her get into the carriage, even though guards were never allowed to sit inside the vehicle with whomever they were supposed to serve. Seulgi was mindful of this and hesitated, but Joohyun shushed her and ushered her into the carriage.

The Queen Mother witnessed the way Joohyun was behaving around Captain Kang the whole time, and she was less than pleased with it. She frowned in disapproval at the way Joohyun was breaking all these rules for Seulgi. In her eyes, Seulgi was just a guard, an unworthy servant. But to Joohyun, she meant everything, and no one was going to stop her from being protective over her precious zinnia.

As soon as Seulgi took a bath and got changed into a new set of clothes, she was completely fine. However, Joohyun remained in a bad mood not just because of the accident from earlier but also because of the way her mother spoke of Seulgi and guards in general. She was in no mood to tend to her queenly duties, knowing that the complicated state affairs would only agitate her further. She decided to do something to soothe her temper whilst she waited for Seulgi to return to her post.

When Seulgi was ready, she found the Queen in the courtyard. Once she stepped closer, she saw that Her Majesty was crouching, surrounded by three cats. She never knew that the Queen was fond of cats, but it was such an adorable sight that it made her smile.

Seulgi cleared to announce her presence, then bowed and greeted the Queen. Joohyun rose and quickly went up to Seulgi, asking, “are you feeling better now? I hope you won’t catch a cold from this…”

“I’m going to be fine, Majesty,” she replied in reassurance, even though Joohyun’s concern warmed her heart. “I’m healthy and tough, so you needn’t worry.”

Joohyun did not look very convinced, so Seulgi