In 660, Baekje was invaded by a force of 50,000 from Silla, supported by 144,000 Tang soldiers. Gyebaek, with only 5,000 troops under his command, met them in the battlefield of Hwangsanbeol. Before entering the battlefield, Gyebaek reportedly killed his wife and children to prevent them from being enslaved if he lost.

—Battle of Hwangsanbeol (660 CE)

Kingdom of Silla (Korea)

March, 660 CE

three months before the Battle of Hwangsanbeol

"General Gyebaek, I present to you the King Muyeol of Silla, the 29th ruler of Silla, together with his children, the Crown Prince Kim Beopmin and Lady Kim Yeonjin."

Kim Yeonjin sighed despairingly as she set her eyes on a middle-aged, bearded man bowing in front of her, acknowledging him. She's standing at the middle of the receiving hall of Wolseong Palace, surrounded by at least fifty royal guards. At the back of her mind, the young lady knew she wouldn't choose to be at the main palace that moment, if it weren't for her father, the King, who ordered for her to join him and her half-brother in meeting a very important person. Everyone is an important guest to the King, Yeonjin noted as she fought the urge to roll her eyes and rudely walk out of the palace doors.

The man, having just raised his head after bowing, stared at the young lady the same way everyone who met her for the first time did. The man was a head taller than Yeonjin, almost the same height as her father, although less bulkier. He was wearing a brown hanbok made of fine silk, the large armor covering parts of his body indicating that he is anything but a commoner. Yeonjin also noticed that he stood with a stance that screams he's being highly respected by the people from wherever he came from. The man's eyes sparkled with pity as he spoke, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Yeonjin. I've met the late Lady Bora once. You're just as beautiful as your mother."

Despite the growing annoyance after hearing the same line countless of times, the brown-haired lady had no choice but to smile at the general. "I do get that comment a lot. Thank you." 

In her peripheral vision, Yeonjin can see the crown prince's shoulder slightly rising, a sign of him trying to suppress his laughter, as he always does. Prince Beopmin knew how much she hated being told that she resembles her deceased mother, even though it's very obvious that that's a lie. People always think that Yeonjin needs some sort of validation of being connected to her mother (at the very least, through their looks), and Yeonjin is aware how her brother found it rather fascinating that people would go through extra miles and lie just to please the young lady. 

The general then shifted his attention back to the King, which delighted Yeonjin who wants nothing but to smack her amused brother beside her. Compared to Beopmin, Yeonjin wasn't well-trained to communicate with other people effectively. She wasn't a princess like some of her other half-sisters—and she's thankful for that—hence, she isn't expected to socialize with noble people from the two other kingdoms all the time. This is also why Yeonjin knows about the palace's scholars dubbing her as the "bratty daughter", although she couldn't care less at all what they call her.

Prince Beopmin later joined the conversation of the two men, leaving Yeonjin standing awkwardly beside them. It was mid-afternoon of a Friday, and Yeonjin could feel the rays of the summer sun passing through the blinds of the room. She was having her much-dreaded archery lesson before the King called for her, and now, all the young lady wanted was to leave the area and go back outside. As much as she hated archery lessons, she would rather shoot fake targets than act like she's an important part of the royal family.

Sighing, Yeonjin reached for her right pocket and immediately felt something cold at the tip of her fingers. She held the object in her hand and took it out, revealing a silver and diamond bracelet that her mother bought when she was still pregnant with her. The bracelet was made to fit the arms of a child, so now that Yeonjin is eighteen and it doesn't fit her anymore, she just resorted to using it as a sort of lucky charm or something to fidget with whenever she's anxious. Yeonjin fumbled with the bracelet the whole time, until finally, after what felt like forever, the King announced, "Let me show you our army, General Gyebaek. Shall we?"

General Gyebaek, whom Yeonjin heard came from the Kingdom of Baekje, West of Silla, nodded in response, and the me