Yerin was wondering where Sinb went off too.

It wasn’t like Sinb to not show up to any of their plans. If anything, she always showed her how much she looked forward to them but it was already noontime and she has yet to see a single strand of the person’s hair, or even feel her presence nearby. Sinb promised to stop by in the morning and it was uncharacteristic for the princess to go back on her word without even a single word of warning that she wouldn’t be able to make it.

Looking out the window once more, she let out a disappointed sigh when the younger princess didn’t appear just like how she usually did.

“Waiting for someone?” Yewon asked, the princess finding the young woman standing by the door of her room when she looked. Eunha was right behind her, also looking over at the impatient guest.

“It wouldn’t happen to be that prince charming of yours who promised to come back later, is it?” Eunha asked in a teasing tone meanwhile Yewon just smiled.

Yerin blinked. The thought of the prince has completely left her mind in her eagerness to see Sinb.

The prince had visited her early that morning to introduce himself. She had to admit, Prince Clem was someone that many women would most likely fall for at first glance, but Yerin just couldn’t seem to like him as a man, or accept the fact that he was going to be her husband soon. If anything, despite the charm that he showed, Yerin just thought of him as another prince from fairy tales.

And it has already been long since she grew up from those fairy tales.

“Is it Sinb?” Yewon suddenly asked, causing Yerin to snap her head in her direction at the mention of the familiar name, “Looks like I’m correct.”

“You had plans again for today?” Eunha asked this time and Yerin nodded, unable to mask her disappointment any longer.

“We did.” Yerin replied vaguely, still wondering why Sinb didn’t show up.

“That’s odd.” Sojung suddenly appeared at her doorway as well, her tall figure easily towering over the two’s heads and staring straight at Yerin inquiring gaze, “She was overly excited about it just this morning.”

“This morning?” they chorused and the knight nodded.

“She left early to head straight here.” she explained, “You haven’t seen her?”

“She might have gotten lost.”

“Highly unlikely. That woman can navigate her way through the forest straight to here with her eyes closed with the number of times she’s done it for the past week.” Sojung shook her head.

“…Where could she have gone…?” Yerin mumbled to herself, meanwhile the three other presences just shared a look of understanding on what might have happened.

“Nevertheless, your highness.” Sojung called, “Your father sent me to relay a message. Prince Clem and Yuna will be fetching you later before sunset for your engagement party the following day. He asks that you prepare for it accordingly.”

Yerin let out another deep sigh.

At that point, the engagement party didn’t even bother her any longer even though it was the one thing that has plagued her mind as of late. However recently, that thought seemed the least of importance to her. It wasn’t as important as her trying to understand where Sinb might have gone or if she still had any plans in showing up for that day. If she was preparing for the engagement party, then she could have at least sent her a message so that she doesn’t have to worry over her like this.

“Can you tell my father to give me at least until this evening to prepare? I promise I’ll be ready.” Yerin suddenly asked, taking the people in the room by surprise, “Or at least until sundown. Just… please give me a little more time.”

Sojung nodded her head, although not understanding clearly why she asked for such a request, she could already tell that Sinb was part of the reason. She was also worried where the princess has gone off to, given that she hasn’t seen hide nor hair of her in the castle.

“I’ll be sure to relay the message, your highness.” she bowed, “I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“Take care sister!” Yewon waved before redirecting her gaze back to Yerin, “Do you need anything else Yerin?”

Yerin shook her head, then abruptly stood up, grabbing her cloak in the process and walked past the two, out of the door. Alarmed, the two tried to catch up, but Yerin was moving too quickly for them to even register that she’s already made her way out of the door and to the outside.

Yewon and Eunha could only watch Yerin’s retreating figure with looks of worry, “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

“If only they met under different circumstances…”

---

Yerin tiredly slumped against the tree, taking a quick break from all the walking that she’s done. She’s been searching for hours but would come up empty every time. Yuna even came along and promised to inform her if Sinb was in the castle but there has been no news from the knight so far, so she could only assume her to be somewhere outside, wandering to places unknown.

She was getting worried by the second. She hasn’t heard from the woman at all for that day and being a princess, it was an alarming situation. What if she was taken? Or hurt someplace no man would hear her cries for help? What if she has gotten into an unfortunate accident?

Minute by minute, her thoughts were being filled with more worry for the younger princess. It didn’t help that no one seems to have heard from her as well.

Is she alright? Is she unharmed? Were the only things going through her mind that time.

Feeling that she already got her needed rest, she resumed her trek up the hill. She’s already visited almost all the places that they’ve gone to and she was now headed towards the spot that they were supposed to be going to for that day. Somewhere higher up the hill where they would be able to see the vast expanse of the ocean from a distance.

She doubted that she’d find the woman there, but at least she would get to see a good view of the ocean before she returned to the castle. That way, if she were to see Sinb again, she’d be able to tell the woman how beautiful it is and maybe they can go see it together.

Finally reaching the top, she made her way slowly towards the edge, only to see someone already there.

“…Sinb?” Yerin called out uncertainly, but deep inside her she knew.

There was no mistaking it.

And when the person turned around at the mention of her name, Yerin didn’t hesitate and rushed up to her, enveloping the woman in an embrace, a sense of relief enveloping her when she was, undoubtedly, holding onto the woman that she’s been searching for.

“Yerin…?” Sinb managed to ask, unsure.

Huffing, she pulled away harshly, her brows furrowed in anger, worry and frustration when all she could see was Sinb looking back at her as if there was nothing wrong while Yerin was worried out of her mind because of the woman.

“Do you have any idea how worried we were!?” Yerin exclaimed, “You didn’t come like you said you would and no one has heard from you since this morning and we couldn’t find you anywhere, we thought something bad happened and I-I was… I looked all over and I couldn’t find you and I thought—“ Yerin swallowed, unable to stop her body from shaking as her feelings came crashing into her like a tidal wave out of control, “I thought…”

She closed her eyes, breathing in deep to calm herself down. She then felt arms wrapping around her gently, pulling her close to a warmth that she found effectively making her relax almost immediately, washing all her worries away and all the negativity she felt since that morning all dissipated into nothing just from a mere embrace.

 “You can’t make me worry like that again.” Yerin mumbled, allowing herself to bury her head in the crook of Sinb’s neck.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t do it again.”

“Hm.” Sinb’s hold on her tightened and Yerin reached around her to reciprocate the gesture, with a slight fear that she will lose her if she even let her go for one second, “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything… I’m sorry I worried you…”

“Did something happen?” Yerin had to ask. Her tone of voice was so lifeless, it was hard to think that something wasn’t wrong.

“…I just needed time to think.”

“About what?”

“Things.”

Yerin felt she could have asked further but contained herself. Whatever Sinb was going through, she didn’t have to share it with her and she respects that. If the woman wanted to tell her, she would willingly do so at her own pace in her own time and Yerin can’t force it if she didn’t want to.

“I hope you resolve it then, whatever it may be.”

“…If only.” Sinb mumbled before pulling away, Yerin reluctantly doing the same when she found the woman once more looking out the horizon. It was sunset but they could barely see the red and yellow hue that littered the sky due to the dark clouds blocking their sight from the splendor it was hiding.

“The view’s not that beautiful, Yerin.” Sinb remarked, her eyes gazing longingly, as if desperate to see the view that she was expecting when she decided to climb up that hill. It felt sad to see her that way, so tired and crestfallen and looking like she’s already given up hope. Her worry for younger’s current state resurfaced, being unused to a lethargic Sinb which was a strike contrast to the liveliness she’s witnessed the past days. Something must have happened, but what?

“It’s okay, we can try again next time.”

The tone of assurance that she offered didn’t seem to appease the younger woman, Yerin almost desperately wondering what could be bothering Sinb so much for her to act this way.

“We should be heading back.” Yerin reminded her, noticing how the sky was slowly turning dark.

“Can we not go back?” Sinb asked, almost desperate. The princess turned to her, meeting her gaze with an expression she couldn’t decipher, “Can’t we just stay here?”

“Sinb…”

“If we go back, nothing will be the same.”

The cryptic words that Sinb spoke took her by surprise, and she didn’t know how to answer them. She was clearly asking her for something that she desperately needed if her expression was anything to go by and it seemed like she was the only one who could provide it to her. Her words were simple and yet they held so many different meanings that Yerin failed to understand.

“Can’t we just stay this way?” Sinb added, the desperation in her tone becoming more evident and just as soon as it came, it disappeared without a trace as the princess shook her head, resuming her stoic expression, “Never mind… Forget everything that I said Yerin. We should head back.”

Yerin’s words were left unspoken as Sinb walked past her without even sparing her a glance, looking like she’s completely given up on whatever it was she desperately seeking. Yerin wanted so badly to assure her, just to take that pain away, but she didn’t know what to say at all. Not when she couldn’t understand what was going on in the woman’s mind at the moment.

She was left in a state of utter confusion at the earlier events. What could have caused such a drastic change of demeanor in Sinb?

“W-Wait for me.” Yerin turned, hurrying to catch up with the other princess only to notice that she hasn’t gone that far and she could see that she sustained an injury to her foot, causing her to walk with slight difficulty.

The trip down the slope was dangerous and the last thing she would want was to get Sinb hurt.

“Stop.” Yerin grasped her shoulder and kept her from taking another step further, “Why didn’t you tell me you were injured?”

Sinb looked down at her slightly swollen ankle, “I—“

Yerin just sighed before kneeling in front of the woman, showing her back to her, “Here.”

“Huh?”

Yerin glanced at her briefly with a raised brow, “I’ll carry you, so get on.”

“I can’t—“

“Would you rather I carry you in my arms then?” Yerin insisted, “Because either way, I will make sure your foot doesn’t touch the ground until we’re safely inside the castle.”

She heard a sigh from behind her and soon enough, arms circled slowly around her neck, Sinb’s front pressing gingerly against her back. Smiling, she hooked her arms underneath the woman’s thighs and stood up, hearing Sinb’s gasp of surprise at how easily she did so.

“W-Will you be alright?”

Yerin chuckled, turning her head briefly only to stagger at the close proximity of their faces. Sinb yelped.

“Sorry.” Yerin cleared , focusing her attention back to the path before her, “I once carried a deer before… and you’re lighter than that deer so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“…I didn’t know that.” Sinb mumbled, the older woman could feel her resting her chin on her shoulder as the arms around her neck tightened slightly.

“I can tell you more about what we did next time.” Yerin assured her, trying her best not to be overwhelmed by the pleasing scent that could only come from Sinb. Has she always smelled this nice?

Heart thumping in her chest, she tried her best to focus on walking properly since Sinb’s closeness was clouding her senses almost completely and it was becoming harder to pay attention.

“You promise?”

“I swear.”

Sinb hummed.

From the corner of the eye, she could see Sinb closing her eyes and just relaxing against her back like a child being lulled to sleep.

“Yerin?”

“Hm?”

“I…” Sinb fell silent for a minute, as if contemplating her next words before she continued, “Congratulations… on your marriage.”

Yerin almost stopped in her tracks at the message but soon regained her bearings and trudged on without any problems.

“T-Thanks.” she forced out, her brows furrowing at the painful piercing feeling that was taking place in her chest.

She couldn’t quite place it, but hearing Sinb speak those words hurt her more than they should.

---

The hall was full of chattering and music playing as dukes and barons and all sorts of nobles with their wives and children greeted each other, a name of a certain nobility being called out every once and then by the doorway. As what one would expect for a party, the castle hall was as lively as the guests were as they celebrated the special occasion together.

The two kings were happily engaged in a hearty conversation with one of the guests while the queens enjoyed themselves with the various delicacies being served by the kingdom’s best cooks. Every single one of them seemed to be having the time of their lives sans one who was by herself in a corner with her personal knight by her side, keeping any approaching nobility away. It was obvious that Sinb didn’t want to be bothered. If she was given the choice, she wouldn’t be attending the party in the first place alas, as she was the King’s daughter, it was mandatory for her to be there.

“How long until this party ends?” Sinb could only ask, already eager to leave.

“Not anytime soon, unfortunately.” Sojung replied, staring pointedly at an approaching man whose eyes were seemingly fixated on Sinb.

Sinb let out a sigh.

She didn’t have any energy left in her for this. Not to mention that her feet was still hurting and so standing for hours on end would be going against what Yerin wanted her to do the previous night.

When they arrived at the castle with Sinb still on Yerin’s back, they were lucky to have met Sojung on the way who hurriedly advised the two to head straight to Sinb’s room before her father saw her. Being the overprotective person that he is, he would most likely grow livid at the injury the younger princess was sporting.

That night Yerin had tended to her, cared for her and asked of her to not aggravate her injury further and like a child aiming to please the adult, she nodded, not wanting to give Yerin any more trouble.

She hasn’t seen the princess since, and that only contributed to her worsening mood.

Even now during the party, she has yet to see Yerin as she and also her brother the prince has yet to arrive. The thought of them being together somewhere just dampened her mood further.

Sojung did assure her that they were being prepared for later when all of the guests have finally arrived, but that didn’t help her feel better in any way. She just wants to leave and refuse to witness anything in this occasion.

Amidst her thoughts, she grew conscious of the way the chatter beginning to die down into mere murmurs, the music softening slightly into the background and the way everyone’s gazes were directed to the top of the grand staircase in the room.

Sinb followed their movements and as soon as her eyes saw what lay at the top of the stairs, she felt her breath being knocked out of her as she gaped in awe.

Yerin stood at the top of the stairs looking down at them with the softest smile she could barely remember seeing, a gentle look on her face as her gaze swept across the room with her hands folded relaxed in front of her. Her hair was styled in a simple manner, just letting it flow gently over her shoulders and the beautiful yellow dress that she wore just made her look more radiant and stunning. Sinb couldn’t even find the right word to completely emphasize just how beautiful she looked that night.

She found it funny, how, during the times they’ve been together throughout the week, Yerin’s never showed this image of hers. She didn’t show this much grace, this much regal presence and this demure aura for even a single moment while in the city.

Seeing her right now, Sinb is into the fact that she is a princess after all.

She wasn’t even doing anything but stand there but at the moment, everyone didn’t seem to want to do anything else but stare.

“Everyone, esteemed guests of our kingdom.” King Gladiolus loudly announced, “I present to you my soon to be daughter-in-law, the princess of the Kingdom of Knospe, Yerin and my son—“

As if on cue, a tall man approached Yerin’s side, holding out his hand for her to hold and in that moment, the spell on Sinb was broken.

“My son, Prince Clem.” King Gladiolus announced proudly.

A round of applause resounded in the room as the two slowly descended the stairs with the prince guiding her gently like a fragile flower. Sinb, not wanting to see any more, looked away and finished her drink in one swallow. As much as she didn’t want to take her eyes away from the woman for even a single moment, the sight of them together kept on reminding her of the situation and her position and it was too much for her to even endure.

The rest of her father’s words fell on deaf ears as she diverted her attention elsewhere, not wanting to see the smiles on everyone’s faces while hers almost looked as if she was enduring a wake. They can go and celebrate, but she didn’t want any part in it.

She gazed out the window, praying silently in her mind for the ugly feeling brewing in her chest to go away. Jealousy was that ugly feeling, and she wanted none of it.

“Sojung—“

“I know… go while everyone is distracted.” the knight nodded to the direction of the doors leading to the castle’s garden. Grateful, she offered the woman a brief smile and began walking in that direction, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

However, she was unable to resist the urge to see what was going on for one more time and when she did, she regretted it almost immediately. The two were currently in the middle of the crowd, waltzing gracefully across the floor with their arms around the other, their eyes not leaving each other and smiles on both of their faces. Swallowing thickly, she tore her gaze away from the sight and hastened her pace.

Just what in the world was going on with her that she couldn’t even stand two seconds of seeing her and her brother being together?

Minutes of walking brought her to the castle’s garden and her eyes quickly caught sight of the flowers that were blooming beautifully even under the faint light of the moon, particularly the roses that were showcasing their almost blood red color that made them stand out from the rest. Approaching slowly, she crouched in front of the flower bed and just stayed that way, knowing she’d get hurt if she so much as tried to take one.

It felt similar. How much she wanted one but the thorns were getting in the way of what she wants.

“Here you are.”

Taken by surprise, she quickly got to her feet and turned to face the unexpected presence but found her words caught in the moment she saw who it was.

“Yerin…” Sinb mumbled, trying to make sure that the person she was speaking to was indeed the woman she longed to avoid just earlier.

“I looked for you, but you were nowhere to be found.” Yerin approached, taking her place beside her and also taking notice of the flowering plants that covered the garden, “I saw Dame Sojung and she informed me of your whereabouts.”

“Won’t they notice your absence?” Sinb asked, thinking that being the hosts of the party, they were supposed to stay there until it ended.

“I asked my father if I could have some time alone and he allowed me to.” Yerin replied, then grumbled, “After shaking hands with at least the whole kingdom’s nobility.”

For the first time that day, Sinb found herself chuckling at the tired look the woman sported, showing her desire to have this party over as much as she did. The Yerin that she saw on the grand hall disappeared, and was replaced by the Yerin she knew for the past week. Frankly, she didn’t mind either as both of them had their own charms.

“Not yet used to it?” Sinb inquired.

“I doubt I’ll ever get used to it.” Yerin answered, “I’m still a mere novice at these things.”

“You seemed to be doing well from what I saw.”

“Then I was doing well pretending.” she grinned, “If anyone was to ask me though, I would honestly answer them that I want nothing to do with this.”

“You’re not enjoying this?” Sinb asked, mildly surprised. She seemed just fine with everything that was happening earlier. Was all of that an act that she put up for the sake of images?

“With all the unfamiliar faces? Of course not.” Yerin replied, “This… this is better.”

“This?”

“This peace, this isolation.” she answered, “When I don’t have to keep up the façade for the sake of others. I would choose this over a posh celebration such as that party anytime. I almost thought you should know this by now.”

“That’s… you looked like you were having a grand time with my brother so I assumed you were having fun as well.” Sinb looked over in her direction, “Surely, my brother can’t be that bad of a companion.”

“Oh, he’s a great companion.” Yerin answered, “I see why a lot of women would want to be married to someone like him.”

“You consider yourself lucky then?”

“Am I really? He’s a great person to be with, but that’s all that he is.” Yerin replied lowly, “I don’t think I will ever imagine myself being wed to him.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s not you.”

Sinb felt like time just stopped.

“Pardon?” she asked, wanting to make sure.

Yerin had spoken in such a low tone that made Sinb think that perhaps she just heard her wrongly or she might be hearing things but she couldn’t deny that those words sparked some hope in her.

Yerin just offered her a smile before reverting her gaze back to the flower bed.

Sinb reached forward and held her arm, “Yerin… what do you mean by that?”

“Don’t mind me.” Yerin just grinned, leaving the princess questioning her statement and she was sure that the open question will be haunting her for a while until she got her answers. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like Yerin was willing to push the topic further and she doubts she’d get them if she forced it, so she kept silent, hoping one day the inner turmoil in her mind becomes cleared.

“What are you doing out here anyway?” Yerin asked, “Do you dislike the party?”

“You know I have certain qualms with enclosed spaces.” she replied with a knowing grin that Yerin mirrored when she understood what she referred to.

“Pity, I wanted to dance with you at least once.”

“A princess and a princess sharing a dance?”

Yerin shrugged, “I don’t see anything wrong with it. You don’t want to? Or perhaps you don’t know how to dance?”

Sinb stared, slightly feeling insulted, “I’ll have you know that this kingdom’s best dancers bow down before me.”

“Oh? We’ll see about that.” Yerin challenged, already holding out her hand for Sinb to take. Without hesitation, she held it in hers, pulling the princess closer, and despite the absence of music they began to move in synchronicity, smiles adorning their faces as they made the garden their personal dance hall.

And watching from the shadows, a figure silently walked away after witnessing the scene before them, a number of thoughts filling their mind with confusion.