Minjoo was – as usual – trying to sneak out of the palace, her feet light as she tiptoed through the many corridors, avoiding maids and guards to use the kitchen’s exit. She was in luck that the guards in charge of watching over her tonight were lazy, easily distracted by Yuri’s remarkable – as in terrible – acting about hearing weird noises coming from the empty room at the other side of the hallway. She wondered if the soldiers were still trying to catch the ghost there, hopefully they would be.

Walking around wasn’t that easy, the palace’s grounds were filled with those annoying guards patrolling the area as if they were about to be invaded, although Minjoo knew the most dangerous thing to have ever happened there was that one time a wild boar came out of the forest and all men ran for their lives forgetting about their duties – General Kim wasn’t very amused about it, but Minjoo had a good laugh.

As a young princess, she was one of the most valuable people for the nation of Geumyeou – according to her overly protective, yet loving dad –, which meant she was always under protection and had her every move watched. Of course, for her it was stressful to not have the freedom a young woman needed – especially considering she may someday rule that country, how would she even do that when she didn’t even know her people? She would like to have some alone time to just be herself and learn about the beauties of her nation, like everyone else. Hence why ever since she was a teenager, escaping the palace became more than a habit, but her favorite adventure. Albeit, she wasn’t a fool and would never go too far away, but it was still fun messing around with the guards and exploring the place by herself.

At least it used to be.

General Kim, better known as Kim Chaewon, a young woman who had quickly climbed up the ranks in the army, was assigned as her personal protector a year ago and Minjoo’s life wasn’t as fun ever since. Different from her previous guards Chaewon was younger and smart, and she seemed to have eyes everywhere, she wasn’t easily fooled or distracted – to Minjoo’s dismay. That General Kim was quite the headache for her.

That’s why now she was taking the chance, taking advantage of the fact that Chaewon was busy with something else to sneak out. It was way past her curfew but where's the fun in doing what you're told?

Slowly, she made her way through the vast gardens of the palace, her acute gaze darting around as she planned to enter the forest. Her sensitive ears could overhear some of the soldiers who were patrolling, talking while taking a walk around the palace grounds. Before she got herself caught, she hid herself in one of the thicker bushes in the garden, waiting for the guards to pass by.

"You know General Kim, right? I was part of the company she led to stop an insurgency a few months back, and let me tell you, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. That woman may have one of the prettiest faces in the country, but she is tougher than any man I have met.” An old guard had spoken, his lazy steps heavy as he prepared to tell a story to his young companion who seemed way too engrossed on it to pay attention to his duty – they would surely hear an earful if Chaewon ever caught them. “One time, after one last fight against the enemies in the South, we went to the tavern to celebrate. We thought we could provide the general with some entertainment so we hired a male gisaeng for her, only for her to pull out a dagger from her boot and point it to his crotch. At everyone's horror, she calmly said, 'Get this man away from me immediately. I have no interest in men!'” The soldier made an exaggerated imitation of Chaewon’s usual cold tone, his hands gesturing with a stick as if it was a knife. The younger soldier looked impressed, but Minjoo could only grimace at what she heard. “Then she stormed out of the place and just went back to camp."

The guards kept on walking, eventually going out of Minjoo’s hearing range. But the princess stayed still, furrowing her eyebrows, greatly intrigued by the newly obtained information. Although Kim Chaewon was her protector for a while now, she didn’t know much about the other woman outside rumors about her abilities in the field. To hear such a story put the general under a different light, albeit Minjoo wasn’t sure about how to judge it just now – or maybe she did, part of her was relieved to know her bodyguard wasn’t like the dirty soldiers out there, getting drunk and fooling around with gisaengs. Maybe she could ask her bodyguard about it some other time.

However, she didn't have time for gossip now.

Ever since her dad had assigned general Kim to look after her, her little adventures became a rare event, the other woman's snarky eyes always watching her like a tiger. Tonight, she was lucky enough Chaewon was distracted by some kind of meeting, leaving her lazy men to watch over her – they were no match to Minjoo's brains and she only had to wait a bit before sneaking out.

She was used to walking around during the night, having the woods as her favorite, and only, place to go. A smirk made its way to her face as she reached a small glade, illuminated by the moonlight. She looked around, observing the green leaves of the trees swinging gently and the ground becoming blue-ish under the moon, a few green spots could be seen – fireflies. Everything seemed as peaceful and nice as always. After making sure she was alone, Min reached out for the sword hidden inside an old tree's trunk – she had to thank Yuri for it later. The sword wasn't light, but she was used to the weight and having it in her hands gave her a thrilling feeling of excitement. Swinging it gently, she started to warm up, her body remembering the movements she was taught long ago.

Maybe the excitement of being out, in contact with nature, made her distracted enough to blind her senses.

"Your grip is pretty impressive. You could teach some of my men about it." A low, annoyingly familiar voice took Minjoo out of her happy moment, and instinctively she turned to point her blade at the person. Her eyes grew wide as she verified the identity of that person, albeit it wasn’t from horror, but rather annoyance – she had worked so hard to sneak out only to get caught even before she could practice. Damn Kim Chaewon and her ridiculously light steps.

Chaewon didn't even budge, her sharp eyes looking at her with an expression close to amusement. "Your highness, I'd appreciate it if you informed me before going to a... spontaneous walk?" The general glanced at her sword, now the amusement was clear in the gentle chestnut of her eyes. For someone who had murdered several people in the war, she surely looked innocent.

“Just so you could drag me back to my chambers and force me to go sleep?" Minjoo challenged, her sword not moving away from Chaewon's face – she wouldn’t use it against the other Kim, they both knew it, yet keeping her instance was a way to protect her pride and ignore the embarrassment spreading through her body for being caught so easily.

"No.” The general said simply, her expression still unreadable, but her eyes lit up by the moonlight told Minjoo something else.

Minjoo may not know that much about Chaewon’s life, but she knew enough about her way to behave and there was no way the bodyguard would just let her do whatever she wanted. "What do you mean?"

"If you told me you were going out, I would have joined you on your walk." Once more, Chaewon’s voice was soft and nice, a shadow of a smile on her face. She looked relaxed – as if the blade pointed at her face didn’t matter at all; it didn’t really. After all, Chaewon also knew Minjoo well, and that princess was many things, but definitely not vicious. "Probably I could even find a better hiding place for this sword," Chaewon continued, a finger lightly tapping the blunt side of the blade of the sword, her almost imperceptible smile growing into a gentle curve. "I've seen it every time I patrol the area by myself, and I was wondering to what kind of careless person it could belonged to."

Minjoo felt the embarrassment present in her body again, her face heating up as she felt like a kid being scolded by a very patient adult.

Chaewon curved one side of her lips into the tiniest of the smirks, for her next words. "Turns out I'm not surprised at all to know who the owner is."

Minjoo could not believe that in the span of a few seconds, the general managed to make her flustered and insulted her all at once. Kim Chaewon's tongue was as sharp as the blade she used to strike down her enemies.

Minjoo wasn’t one to stay quiet, especially when someone was insulting her in such a way, still she was having a hard time coming up with the right words. Straightening her back, she gripped a little tighter to the sword guard. “If you saw it, why didn’t you do something about it? Isn’t it your job to keep this place safe? Yet you didn’t think it would be a problem to have someone hiding their weapons over here?”

Chaewon tilted her head to the side slightly, tapping the side of the blade again, the glint in her eyes still there as she replied. “If I had done it, you would simply have someone bringing another one, wouldn’t you? Besides…” Lifting her gaze to meet the princess’ dark eyes for a quick moment, and Minjoo was surprised to see how despite the playfulness in the chestnut orbs, there was an intrinsic honesty as she spoke – the general was surely having her fun teasing her, but Chaewon was still her protector and she would always be. That look sent a gentle tug at the chords of Minjoo’s heart, a new thing for her. “No enemy would be able to step on this land and leave it alive. Don’t be mistaken, Your Highness, you will always be safe here.”

Minjoo averted her eyes, the look on Chaewon’s face was ruining what was supposed to be a fun night for her. Damned was the moment her father decided she needed a new guard – the old lazy bastards never made her this flustered. “For how long have you been following me?” Her tone was more frustrated than anything else now. At this point she only kept her guard out of habit, not wanting to give Chaewon the pleasure of seeing her with her guard down.

“Since you left your room.” Chaewon rested her back against one of the trees, a patient look on her face as she waited for Minjoo to finally give up.

Minjoo sighed, trying to not grimace at it.

So, the other had been watching her all this time and probably having fun doing it...A glint lit up Minjoo’s eyes, the same smirk from early appearing on her face. “Well, then you might as well just stay here and help me to practice!” Since that annoying bodyguard insisted in tagging along, maybe she could use it in her favor. “Dad said I wasn’t allowed to leave the palace on my own after hours, but since you’re here I’m not breaking any rules.” She grinned, content with her new, impulsive plan as she lowered the sword and took a step behind so she could have enough room to practice.

The general raised an eyebrow, shaking her head slightly. Of course, the princess had always been quick witted.

When Chaewon got assigned to guard the royal princess, she wasn’t exactly sure what she was expecting. But it definitely wasn’t this. No one would expect for a princess to go traipsing around on her own in the middle of the night when she knows how much danger it poses going outside unguarded – but it never stopped Minjoo in the many times she had tried to do it ever since Chaewon took over the task of protecting her.

This time, the general had decided against calling the princess out immediately, opting instead for following her through the castle at a safe distance. Minjoo’s feet were lithe, almost like she’s skipping across the cold cobblestone floor. Very much unlike the heavy, clunky steps of new guards. Chaewon was sure the princess would’ve escaped easily had it been one of the younger soldiers – it’s unlucky that it’s Chaewon that got assigned to her.

Chaewon had watched Minjoo practice with a sword, poorly hidden if she might add. The princess still moved gracefully, but Chaewon took notice of the falter in her movements as she swipes at the air, awkwardness evident on the hand that’s clutched around the sword’s hilt. For a novice whose only experience was to watch armed guards have sword fights, Minjoo had immense potential.

Coming to light, the general thought, maybe she could teach the princess a thing or two.

"You want my help?" It was more like an affirmative than a question, and albeit the older woman's face didn't give out anything, Minjoo could tell she was entertaining the idea of it. Maybe she thought it was funny to see a princess trying to hold a sword instead of a sewing needle or something as obnoxious as the things her maids would try to reach her often.

"Will you or not?" The princess didn't back away from her decision. Annoying or not, the general was her best chance of getting proper training – if she didn't try to drag Minjoo back to her room and rat her out to her dad; if this was the case she would make sure to poke General's Kim boring – and slightly cute – face with the blunt ending of her sword as soon as she had the chance. Only the blunt one, she wasn't a violent person.

Chaewon looked to the princess, before her eyes trailed off to the woods surrounding them. It would be easier to just take the younger brunette back, it was probably what everyone expected her to do as the princess royal guard. Still, she wasn't sure it was the best option.

Not accepting to teach Minjoo wouldn't make her give up on training by herself, which meant she would try to escape again and again. But teaching her might go against what the king expected from Chaewon, putting her in a complicated situation...However, her job was to protect the princess the best way she could. Perhaps teaching her how to hold her own in battle could be an advantage in the future if Chae ever failed being there for her.

Straightening her back, she slowly stepped closer to the slightly taller woman. "What about we make a deal, Your Highness? I can help you whenever you request for assistance, and in exchange you won't try going out on your own again." Chaewon suggested with her usual calm tone, her eyes never meeting Minjoo's – not out of respect as it may look, she just didn't want to give in to the temptation of staring at the pretty face that belonged to someone she shouldn't ever see as more than just a task. A very important task.

The general waited patiently as the other girl studied her with wary eyes, probably trying to come to a conclusion about whether or not to take the offer. Chae shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "If you are not interested in the deal, I'll gladly take you back now. It's getting cold and it might not be good for Your Highness delicate health."

As expected, her slightly offensive words were enough to urge Minjoo to make a decision.

"We'll go when I say so." The younger said in her best commanding tone, annoyance clear in her face now. She hated to be treated like a fragile being and they both knew it well. "Let's begin."

Chaewon managed to hide a smile at the princess' predictable actions, leaning in to pick a stick from the ground, instead of reaching for the sword she carried with her. "It's my honor, Your Highness. Please if you may show me what you were taught so far…" With a small bow, she took position. Maybe letting an impulsive princess attack her with a sword while armed with only a thin stick wasn't the wisest decision, but she was confident in two things: her own abilities and Minjoo's kind heart.

Minjoo's kind heart didn't stop her from nearly stabbing Chaewon several times that night though.

Luckily, Chae would just spin on her heels, deflecting every blow by hitting the blunt side of the blade with her stick. The general was never the strongest or the most imposing one, she was a woman of average stature and pretty slim, therefore for her physical combat was all about using her brain and sharp reflexes – predicting where her opponent would try to hit, how they would behave and the best way to avoid damage while using their strength against them…Her father, the man who had taught her to be the skilled fighter she was today, had shown her how to do it all; but of course, Chaewon’s naturally good senses also played a part here.

She was surprised to notice that the princess seemed to possess a similar natural skill.
Minjoo was a little too impulsive, her moves unbalanced and sometimes even clumsy. Yet she was capable of avoiding any blows Chaewon would throw her way, and in moments like those, she didn’t look clumsy at all. Chae realized that the princess’ potential was only hidden by her lack of training and rush, once it was tamed, Minjoo would be a swordswoman as good as the ones trained by her father.

“Your Highness, keep your eyes on me, not the sword.” She instructed gently as she took a step back, wanting her words to be truly heard and understood. Gesturing for Minjoo to stop moving, she used the stick to demonstrate the basic posture for a swordsman. “At my count you can start, we will use a combo of four movements. Remember, go slowly.” Moving her wrist slowly, she swung the stick from side to side, giving it the same fluidity she used to balance her sword. With a nod, she gestured to Minjoo to start doing the same. “One and two…and three, four…” She watched as the younger woman tried to copy her moves, hands still heavy on the sword’s guard. “Slowly, you should be precise with every move. Loosen up your grip and allow the sword to do all the work.”

Every instruction was said with the same patience, her tone uniform as she watched Minjoo and tried to correct her mistakes without discouraging her. The princess was surprisingly quiet, her tongue only poking the corner of her lips once in a while as she concentrated in doing exactly as she was told – Chaewon found it oddly adorable, but only for a second before she reminded herself that she wasn’t supposed to find the princess adorable at all.

If Chaewon expected Minjoo to be a bad student, she was very wrong.

Minjoo was the type that always tries her best, and even though she didn’t like taking orders from her bodyguard, she found it hard to keep an attitude when Chaewon was being such a nice teacher – she had thought the older woman would try to underestimate her, treating like a delicate creature who couldn’t do anything on her own; but she was positively surprised. Usually when she practiced, she just tried to imitate everything she saw the soldiers doing, and albeit she usually enjoyed playing around like this, she was aware that she lacked technique. What Chaewon was giving her today was the chance of learning for real, not just playing with a sword against invisible enemies.

Of course, playing around with the general was much more fun than hitting the air – but she would never admit it, instead she pursed her lips in a thin line as she diligently concentrated on the task at hand.

“Break time.” Unexpectedly, it was Chaewon who decided to stop the training for a bit, the stick tapping lightly Minjoo’s sword as a signal for her to put it down. “We should take it easy today, your sword is not the ideal for you and you shouldn’t push too hard.” She explained, gesturing for Minjoo to take a seat in one of the large stones as Chaewon watched the surrounding before taking a seat beside her. “You did very well, Your Highness.” A student always learns better with encouragement rather the reprehensions, and even if Minjoo still had a long way to go, right now she needed and deserved some praise.

“It is not?” Minjoo asked, glancing at the sword Yuri had got for her through one of the kitchen boys in turn of a few extra coins. It was the only one she had ever used properly, since her dad was never quite the swordsman and she felt bad stealing it from the distracted guards for more than a few moments. “It was the lightest one I could find.”

“Weight is not everything. A good sword should be forged especially for the one who will carry it.” Chaewon explained, a hand coming to touch the one she always carried with her – the weight so familiar that it was almost part of her body now, the sword had withstood several battles and was fixed a few times, but she still insisted in carrying it. “You will probably need one similar to the one I use. Light and well balanced, long enough to keep the combat not too close to your body.”

The princess nodded, eyeing Chaewon’s sword instead – what she could see from it, the older woman’s black clothes were good at hiding the equally black case that protected the sword. The general looked good in those, the dark tones matching her brown hair and emphasizing her lighter chestnut eyes – Minjoo wondered if she should try a similar outfit for the next class, the finely made hanbok she wore didn’t seem as comfortable or functional as the general clothes. Maybe she could prepare it, but for now her interest was in something else. “This means you will let me practice with it next time?” She gave the general a smile, excited with the prospect of practicing with a good sword.

“No. Actually, I’m already breaking the protocol by allowing you to use that instead of this.” Chaewon said as she gestured to Minjoo's sword and the stick she still held on her hands, her expression showing a hint of a smile as Minjoo huffed in annoyance. “But we can try to get you a better one someday. If you improve a lot.” Training the princess wasn’t part of her duties, but she could see it as a good thing if the younger woman put her effort into it. “And if your father doesn’t oppose this.” The general made sure to add, her smile fading as she continued. As part of the military, Chaewon knew better than anyone to always follow the rules and not be reckless, she couldn’t ignore it if the king ever opposed the training.

Minjoo sighed, trying to not let her face show all her disappointment. Of course, General Kim was still her annoying bodyguard that did everything her dad told her so – tonight was probably the closest thing to breaking the rules that Chaewon ever did. “We both know he will, so I would appreciate it if this…” She gestured at both of them and the empty glade, facing Chaewon with a plea in her eyes. “Stays only between the two of us. Remember, we have a deal.”

The older woman nodded slowly, her face serious. “I won’t lie if the king asks me, but I agree on not telling him any unnecessary information.” And by ‘unnecessary’ she meant anything that could interfere with their training, but that couldn’t pose a threat to the princess or Chaewon’s duties. Eventually she would bring up the subject to the king, the man was a reasonable one and she was sure she would be able to understand her reasons.

“I guess I can’t ask for more from you.” The princess accepted easily, after all having Chaewon agreeing to stay silent was already more than she expected. Actually, that night she had seen a new side of her loyal bodyguard – a slightly more relaxed one, not just the stiff general that followed her around to frustrate her adventures. Still, General Kim was still General Kim. “Even now you are still so…” She tried, referring to Chaewon always so formal self. She received an eyebrow raise in return. “Great at your job.” A nicer way to put it.

Once more the older Kim nodded, flexing the stick in between her hands as she lowered her head to say in the usual polished tone: “Protecting you is a great honor, Your Highness.”

Min couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the typical answer – Chaewon probably didn’t even enjoy babysitting her, yet she would never complain about a duty she received from the king. “You know, thanks to all of you always watching me, I barely know my own country.” All the dozens of guards, her overprotective dad and even her maids, alongside Chaewon, made it almost impossible for her to have even a single day to just enjoy her freedom outside the palace. So much for being a princess. “The farthest place I ever visited was the closest town, and all I saw was my grandad’s house when I was there.”

The princess’ complaint was met by silence, as the other woman assumed a stiffer posture – less like the light teasing from earlier, and more like her usual self –, putting aside the stick as she glanced at the princess.

“Not everything outside these walls is good or worth seeing. The king has good reasons for protecting you so much.” Chaewon could name more than just a few, from the hostile neighbor countries, to mercenaries and even the people within the kingdom who were always expecting the perfect chance to try and change the power to their own bloodlines. Being a king, or a princess, was a dangerous thing in their time and Chae’s job was to make sure Minjoo would never fall victim of anyone’s greed. Being taken out of the battlefield to watch over a young woman was never in her plans, but she accepted the task and now Minjoo was her priority. “But I’m sure that once you are older, you will be able to visit new places. The coast is not so far from here, as well as some bigger cities.”

“By older, you mean once I get married.” Minjoo corrected, grimacing at her own words. She was no fool, and she knew her dad was purposely keeping her away from the outside world to not only protect her, but also to keep her under control and avoid any mishaps in his plans. Kings could rule on their own, but for queens it was always about being by someone’s side, as if she was a delicate thing that needed support. She was twenty years old now, older than most girls when they got married, yet she had no interest in any of the men her father tried to introduce her in the last few months. “You know, it would be nice. To go there, not to get married.” She emphasized her words, just in case Chaewon felt like telling her dad about it – her dad may be a little too much at times, but he wouldn’t push her to get married against her will. Not when they were Geumyeou and she was still the next one in the bloodline. “I always wanted to see the ocean up close.”

No, Chaewon hadn’t even thought about a wedding in the princess’ future.

The idea made her move in her seat, an odd feeling of discomfort inside her chest – maybe because once the princess was married, she would be assigned to do something other than watch over her and Chaewon was getting used to living a much calmer life at the palace, instead of fighting in the frontlines. Yet she couldn’t deny her words, after all the girl was probably right. As someone who was a few years older, and still had no plans of getting married, she could imagine how uncomfortable the idea of being forced into a marriage could be for Minjoo.

But Minjoo wasn’t like her – Chaewon came from a respectable family, but she was far from being part of the royalty and although they shared the same surname, they didn’t share the same burden. Minjoo was, after all, very important for their kingdom.

Shaking her head slightly in a negative, she decided to talk about a more pleasant topic. “I was sent down east some years ago and we had the chance of staying really close to the sea. During the night the water was painted a dark hue of blue just like the sky and it would bath the golden sand. It was almost as if it could just devour the land, slowly coming closer and closer…” Chaewon started, in a rare occasion where she allowed herself to be a little more open and talk instead of just listening. She couldn’t just bring the princess there, but maybe she could paint a vivid image of it to Minjoo. “But the sea was gentle, and every morning it would go back and leave the sand shining in the morning sun, full of small shells of all colors.”

Minjoo’s eyes grew bigger as she listened to Chaewon’s words, her creative brain painting an image as beautiful as the paintings in the palace – how much she wished she could see it for herself. Before she realized it, was already open to ask all sorts of questions, wanting – needing – more information to fill in her curious heart. “You did? How is it? Is it true that the water is so salty it can burn your mouth and they have fish as big as a man? What about the cities? I heard they have many foreigners there and they have all sorts of different clothes and jewels! Oh, and the food! Is it true they make it extra spicy?” She leaned in closer, a hand reaching for Chaewon’s arm, her dark onyx eyes searching for the general’s face, filled with the light of a childish curiosity.

Maybe a little too close.

The dark orbs sparkling with gold met the chestnut ones and for the first time, Chaewon didn’t avert her eyes right away, too close to ignore it. Chaewon who was always so careful to never look at her princess in a way she shouldn’t, couldn’t ignore the fine features and the bright eyes so alive, as if all the stars in the sky were now part of Minjoo – Chaewon always loved the stars and this thought was enough to make her break eye contact.

“One question at time.” Chaewon let out a surprised – almost nervous – chuckle, her lips forming a rare smile that reached her eyes as she quickly averted her gaze from Minjoo’s to rest her hands on the rock she was sitting on so she could lean back – away from the princess warm presence that seemed to fill all her senses so easily. “I never tried to drink it, but Yena tried it once and she drunk almost all of our water supply.” Her smile became more relaxed as she recalled her friend's silly behavior and all the laughter it had created, poor Yena wasn’t very fond of the sea ever since. “As for the fish, I have seen a few…” Again, she tried to do her best to describe it all, focusing on the memories still fresh in her mind.

Minjoo seemed to enjoy the stories, more and more questions coming up as Chaewon tried to patiently answer every single one while keeping her eyes always elsewhere – something Minjoo pretended to not notice.

“We should get going now.” Chaewon declared after a while, her eyes watching the way the moon travelled through the sky indicating it was already late. Good thing she was with the princess, otherwise the palace would be in chaos after noticing the missing member of the royal family – it wouldn’t be the first time. “I informed them I would be accompanying you tonight, so it should be okay, but Your Highness shouldn’t lose sleep.”

The younger brunette almost sighed, her mind was way too awake now, full of so many images and excitement to visit every single one of the places Chaewon told her about. Still, she knew better than to throw a tantrum refusing to go – it would only result in her dad scolding her and Chaewon not telling her any more stories. “Okay, as long as we can do it again tomorrow. I expect you to keep your word, general.”

“I’m a woman of my word, Your Highness.” The reply came easily, loyalty was Chaewon’s trademark. The bodyguard waited for the princess to return the sword to its precarious hiding place, before asking. “May I accompany you to the palace?”

Minjoo chuckled at Chaewon’s formality, one that was so unnecessary when they both would be heading to the same direction and denying the request would only mean to have the older woman following her – again. “Thanks for asking, but you would do it anyway.”

“I’m not here to make you uncomfortable.” Chaewon said, albeit she couldn’t help an apologetic tone to her voice – even if it wasn’t her intention, she wondered how much her constant presence bothered the younger woman. Lowering her gaze, she gestured for Minjoo to start walking so they could head out of the forest and back to the well-lit gardens of the palace. “If you may, Your Highness.”

Doing as she was told, the younger Kim started to make her way back, but not before she looked over her shoulder to inform: “You don’t make me uncomfortable. Annoyed sometimes, but never uncomfortable.” She declared with a half-smile, and as expected it was enough to make Chaewon look back at her even if only for a moment that was enough for her to confirm something. Turning to look ahead, she smiled to herself, satisfied. “No wonder you weren’t interested in that gisaeng.” She muttered more to herself than to Chaewon.

The general furrowed her eyebrows, doubting her ears as she followed the princess. “I am sorry?”

“I said I’m hungry so hurry up.” Minjoo lied, trying her best to not laugh as she made her steps faster.

That night was quite a surprise to her, but a good one. From practicing with a sword, to receiving her first lesson, to even listening to amazing stories about other places – but most of all, it gave her a new information she never expected: when her eyes met the pretty chestnut of Chaewon’s and the girl looked back, she didn’t see the confident and cold general, but the subtle lights of surprise and admiration for her. When Chaewon averted her eyes, showing the pretty side profile, Minjoo could also notice the red color on her ears.

Maybe the general wasn’t cold at all, just shy.

Minjoo was no flirty, but she had seen similar reactions to her before – albeit it was the first time it made her amused, rather than annoyed.

A/N: Hello there, it surely took a long time but the project we used to call ‘General Kim’ is finally here. As usual, it was supposed to be an OS, but I wanted to work properly on this and therefore we will need more time. Right now, I have quite a bit written and hopefully I shall finish it soon. I would like to thank my co-authors, Celeb-nim, Cherry berry and Toyota-chan, for helping me to come up with the story and participating in the original project. Thank you all! Check their works, if you haven’t yet.

This is being posted on Valentine’s Day because it’s a gift to my adorable Mint, I hope you like it!

Everyone enjoy your day and see you soon 😊