Tzuyu was right about Mina and Nayeon. They were angry to say the least. Nayeon was always the loud and opinionated type so it was no surprise to hear Nayeon yell at her as soon as she came back empty handed.  

 

“Chou Tzuyu, you mean to tell me you wasted your hard work and skills only to come back with nothing in your hands? I knew we should’ve sent Mina instead! What’s your excuse?!”

 

Mina, though, Mina was scary. She could be as silent as she wants to but that doesn’t mean she’s any less intimidating. Tzuyu could’ve sworn she saw steam coming out of Mina’s ears the moment she stepped inside their house.

 

“So, you come into my house, empty handed, and not even a semblance of a perfect reason why? You would think after years of thievery, this would be easy for you.”

 

She’s known these girls practically her entire life and somehow she still gets afraid when they’re angry at her. Of course, how could Tzuyu even tell them that she forgot her whole plan because she got distracted by a pale ethereal girl who she danced under the moonlight with? What could she tell the girls? 

 

“Chou! Explain yourself now!” Nayeon brought Tzuyu out of her own dazed state. “You ruined this for us! How are we supposed to do this now?!”

 

“Before you two get angry at me again, she wasn’t planned for this whole mission.” Tzuyu intercepted.

 

“Who is she, Tzuyu? Don’t tell me you fell distracted because you saw another beautiful girl. The amount of times you’ve almost lost something for us is ridiculous! We’ve been with each other for years now and somehow you surprise me because you are both the best thief I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and being the worst when it comes with distractions.” Mina said.

 

“One pretty girl and you are bumbling like the idiot I always knew you were.” Nayeon added.

 

“It was one time!” Nayeon and Mina looked at Tzuyu with stony faces. “Fine! Three times. You need to listen to me though. Do you two remember the princess we always heard about in stories? She’s real. I saw her. She was the reason I failed today. I swear to you both, I had every intention of grabbing the crowns but then she showed up and… I got distracted. She was the most stunning woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. No story could ever compare to her beauty.”

 

“You’re telling me that you came face to face with the princess and you still came back here? Tzuyu, how did you come back?! You have me to thank for the disguise by the way. As it turns out, it did come in handy.” Nayeon smugly said.

 

“I posed as a guard. I guess the princess did think it was true. I tried breaching the palace but I quickly came to the realization that I was under the princess’ balcony. She startled me. At first, I had no clue on what to do. The princess asked me if I was the new staff she was expecting and I took the chance. At that moment I wasn’t aware she was the princess, I thought she was simply a part of the palace staff. She then asked me about the cloak and mask, of course I had to come up with something and I said that the uniform was yet to fit me and so they had to tailor a uniform for my size. As for the mask, I told her that the helmet was too big and therefore I was wearing a mask because I am too insecure.” Tzuyu heard a snort coming from Mina. “As I was saying, the princess actually believed it. I must admit the princess is quite naive in nature. At one point, there was a piano piece playing in the palace halls and the princess asked me to dance. Can you imagine that? A princess asking you to climb up her balcony and dance with her? In order to not blow my cover, of course I had to oblige.”

 

“Oh yes? How did that go, you heathen?” Mina joked.

 

“It was actually quite lovely. She taught me how to dance. She had even mentioned her coronation. Afterwards, we just danced under the moonlight. It was simple. One would not believe that such a noble would allow such a thing but she did.”

 

“Okay well, here is what we are going to do. You, Chou Tzuyu, are going back to that palace. You are going to pose as a guard like you said. If the princess or anybody sees you in any way, we can be assured that you have a failsafe. After you go inside and pass any sort of security, you will go inside and find those crowns. From there, we sell those crowns, improve our village and it’s state, provide for the orphanage so those kids don’t have to steal for the rest of their lives, and go out of town so no one can track our location. Got it Chou?” Tzuyu nodded. “Great! Then it is all settled. We will spend the next few weeks preparing you for the job and…making sure you are not to be distracted by anything or anyone. Now, go get some rest you two. We have a lot to do.”

 

…………....

 

Tzuyu should’ve known that it would fail again.

 

“Again Chou?! How could you possibly fail something like this? The opportunity was right there. All you had to do was pose as a guard and infiltrate the palace! The princess even thought you were one. What’s your excuse now? Oh, she held my hand and I bursted into flames!” Mina shouted. 

 

“It wasn’t my fault this time! The princess figured out that I wasn’t a part of her staff. I have no idea how but she figured it out!”

 

“You fool! She is the princess. She can find out anything she wants to know. She more than likely wanted to know if you were around so she could talk to you. Great! Now, we have no chance of getting those damn crowns!” Mina shouted again.

 

“Not true actually.” Mina raised an eyebrow at Tzuyu’s comment. “I told her I wished for her hand in courtship. That I was a suitor wishing to seek her. Again, the naive princess believed me.”

 

“Wait,” Nayeon said. “We can use that. What else did she say?”

 

“We are to see each other under every full moon till I can capture her heart.  After that, all we did was sway to the piano again until I had to leave.”

 

“Chou Tzuyu, you are incredible! Listen to me okay? Use that to your advantage. Win her heart until you can get those crowns.” Nayeon brilliantly yelled. “You will meet her every full moon and woo her. Make sure you do not reveal anything about yourself. Do not take that disguise no matter what otherwise there will be major consequences. Use every opportunity that comes your way. Though, I must say, why every full moon? What is the problem with meeting every night?”

 

“I truly have no idea. Every time I have tried coming into the castle, it was under a full moon. No matter what, the palace pianist never fails to play this tune. Perhaps that is why. She enjoys dancing with me. She had even explained that the only person she has danced with is her ballroom teacher in order to prepare for her coronation.”

 

“Perfect! Now, the next time you see her, this is what you are going to do.” Nayeon said with such intrigue in her voice.

 

……

 

If someone had asked the princess what she thought of the moon, she’d give you the same phrase without fail. “The moon is my friend. The moon is always there for me. You may not see it during the day but it is always there. Waiting for me during the lonely hours of the night when I need it most.” What everyone failed to ask was why she was so attached to the moon.

 

You see, after the tragic death of her father, Dahyun was forced inside for many years. The only individuals she could speak with was her staff. Only, her staff were all adults who were trained to speak properly and with respect to a princess. Dahyun quickly found it boring when she tried engaging in conversations and all she got in return was a quick one worded answer. When she had tried with her teachers, they scolded her and told her to focus on the lesson. Dahyun had gone on for so long without any companion that she became silent for years. Whenever someone had asked her a question, she would only respond with a curt nod or a shake of the head. No verbal answers were given. Of course, her teachers would give her scoldings regardless whether she spoke or not. 

 

It wasn’t until she was 11 years of age that she finally got her companion in the form of the moon. The princess was given a strict schedule for sleeping and she had always followed it. One night though, she couldn’t sleep even if she tried. She found herself way too restless and full of energy that she just leapt out of bed and opened her balcony door. There in the sky was the full moon staring back at her. It’s light reflected so beautifully across the entire kingdom she overlooked. Despite no words or sounds coming from the moon, it was as though the moon had spoken to Dahyun like friends who have always known each other. 

 

Two long years of the moon being the only thing that she can freely talk to made her extremely attached to it. Chaeyoung had come into her life at the age of 13. As amazing as it felt to Dahyun to finally have a physical friend who was the same age as her, the moon still felt like the friend she always had. Without fail, she always went outside when the lunar cycle came to be a full moon. With the melody she had requested to be played, to the Princess it felt like such an intimate moment shared between two.

 

……

 

The moment Dahyun stepped out onto her balcony, her suitor already was waiting for her.

 

“Oh dear, you’re quite early.” Dahyun said with surprise evident in her voice.

 

“Yes, your grace. I come here seeking a chance to take you outside of here. It does not have to be outside of the castle by any means but I do wish for us to have a chance to get to know one another that doesn’t involve dancing.” Tzuyu explained.

 

“Wow, you are quite bold. As much as I do love the idea of seeing the world outs