The second day wasn’t so different from the first one, with the exception of waking up to an empty bed beside her and an oddly awkward general Kim in the morning – even more odd that Minjoo found Chaewon extra adorable because of that. Were generals even supposed to be adorable? She liked it for hers though.

They travelled faster than the first day, less cities and more forest, less people and more animals. Minjoo loved the nature, but she could feel the danger increasing the closer they got from the East and the Lee family’s house – by the end of the day, when they finally had to set camp at a small gladder where the soldiers did their best to improvise shelter and a place to sleep, Minjoo hold onto Chaewon a little tighter, not minding if anyone saw it.

The fear of the unknown is always the worst and right now the princess needed to rely on the familiar presence of her bodyguard to remind her she wouldn’t be alone there.

By the third day, they woke up before dawn and by the time the first sun rays illuminated the sky, Minjoo had already changed into proper clothes for a princess and had Chaewon beside her wearing the maid outfit that didn’t quite match her imponent posture and sharp eyes – Minjoo wondered if the Lee’s would be foolish enough to miss such details; she hoped so. Wearing a hanbok over her other clothes was uncomfortable, but it would protect her from the windy day and allow her to change quickly if needed – General Kim was big on the details.

Tension was evident as they rode the horses at a quick pace, Yena leading the group with a serious expression that emphasized her resemblance to Chaewon fitting well with her role. Different from the previous days, there was no chit-chatting, no stops to get snacks and just enjoy the ride. They only stopped to feed the horses and take quick breaks to rest, the breakfast was made out of the things they had brought from home instead of buying anything at the city – Chaewon said they should stay away from the big roads for now, taking the sea-side path instead.

That decision made Minjoo a little uneasy, wondering what Chaewon feared to find in the cities on the way there, but it also made her a little relieved to know she would finally be able to see the ocean. They reached the beach when the sun was high up on the sky, albeit the weather had only got colder with the proximity of the sea, heavy smell of salty water slapping Minjoo’s senses hard – she could tell where they were several minutes before the blue of the ocean could be seen and the dirt from the forest floor was replaced by the white sand.

Minjoo had read a lot about the ocean, listened to Chaewon’s vivid descriptions and even seen drawings of it, yet nothing could be compared with seeing the infinite blue and grey blanket in person. The ocean was huge, wonderful and scary all at the once and the princess found herself staring at it with ajar. It took her a moment to realize they had stopped and the young general was now beside her, inviting her to climb down the horse and explore the wonders of the beach for herself.

“We still have enough time. Why not look around while the girls make lunch?” Chaewon suggested with a small smile that gave Minjoo enough courage to nod and accept her invitation, struggling with her voluminous hanbok to do so – Chaewon helped by holding her by the waist and picking her up with a strength that surprised the princess.

She found herself face to face with the brown-haired woman. The scent of mint filling her nostrils; arms strong but gentle around her as a warm hand supported her back; the chestnut eyes looking silver as if they were reflecting the ocean, sharp and dark, as Chaewon carefully placed her on the ground. It was just a moment and it was almost too much. Only a second, but long enough to remember Minjoo that no matter how cute Chae could be sometimes, the general was still as powerful and intimidating as a tiger – albeit it wasn’t fear the emotion that made her heart skip a beat, nor Chaewon looked scary as she stepped back to give Minjoo an awkward nod.

“You can take your shoes off and take a walk by the ocean, if you would like. It’s very pleasant.” The recommendation was said as Chaewon kept her gaze anywhere else, a stiff smile on her face before she used an excuse to leave. “I will go check on the supplies first.”

The princess only watched as the older girl left, letting out a sigh as she carefully reached out to take off her shoes as suggested, trying to ignore the tingling feeling in her body – she was inside Chaewon’s arms for only a couple of seconds, then why she could feel all her body warming up as if the rage of the gods was tormenting her? Walking away from the group and towards the ocean, she wondered if her eyes would also reflect only the waves or if the flames of emotions would still be tainting them gold.

As the sea gently played hide and seek, kissing her feet with its cold waters, and filling her lungs with the scent of salt instead of mint, the princess looked lost – in her own thoughts instead of the beauty in front of her.

Minjoo was only sure one thing and it was that she had never felt anything like this whenever she met the leader of the Lee family – or anyone else.

They couldn’t stay for long at the beach, but the rest of the path was still close enough to the ocean to make Chaewon scrunch her nose every once in a while, how strong the salty scent was. Her eyes were fixed on the road as they moved, aware of every movement in the surrounding as they kept going. She could feel tension filling her body like she was about to face a battle instead of just meeting a bunch of spoiled nobles who liked to play around with their money – in a way, this battle was a much harder one; she couldn’t simply cut their heads off with her sword.

At least not yet.

Chae’s gaze was caught by the princess who seemed very introspective since lunch, her face hidden by the elegant white and red cloak, the golden strings showing the person underneath it was someone very important – the most important. Chaewon wondered if she had overstepped the limits earlier, albeit she didn’t see rejection or even annoyance in Minjoo’s face at that moment, she couldn’t say she was able to name the emotions she saw there.

Now any personal issues they had would have to be put aside, now they were back to being the future queen of the nation and her loyal general. Now, the enemy was waiting for them around the corner and it would be foolish to just hope for the best.

The Lee’s house, an ominous construction could be seen even from afar, an ugly yet expensive style marking the main building with many angles, golden-colored roofs and red walls – a clear allusion to the royal colors, be it for imitation or homage, it didn’t look good. It reflected the character of the family it protected, rich and decadent.

Chaewon felt herself tensing up and her eyes darted around, taking in every detail about their surroundings, looking for a potential trap. She didn’t discard the possibility of an ambush or even a direct confrontation as now they were inside the nemesis’ territory and it gave them a powerful advantage. Even the small town a few kilometers ahead was probably under Lee's control and she doubted their love – or fear – for the royal family was bigger than their loyalty to the nobles.

However, as they approached the house, not a single thing happened. Not even the usual group of men protecting the gates. Instead, they were greeted by an old man and a beautiful middle-aged woman wearing clothes that denoted their positions as servants, they seemed to be waiting for their arrival and after bowing heavily to the princess, the two of them ran back inside.

The general furrowed her eyebrows, finding that behavior that seemed so normal even more suspicious. Yet, she didn’t say a thing, only exchanging a look with Yena who nodded slowly before signalizing to the soldiers to get ready for anything.

Three minutes later, they were faced by a line of servants ready to help them to get comfortable inside the house and no one less than the noble family – the parents with venomous smiles and their son with his small and dark eyes that reminded Chaewon of a well filled with dirty water. They smiled at the group, deep bows and greets, but not even for a moment it fooled her.

The cold fire inside Minjoo’s eyes made it clear she didn’t buy it either.

“My princess, please be welcome to our humble house. We are very, very glad to have you.” The deep, well-modulated male voice belonged to Lee Seonho, the Lee’s house leader. He was smiling kindly, but his eyes were as heavy as rocks as he stared at the young princess as if she was a gift he longed for.

Taking in a deep breath, Minjoo tried to not show the tension that filled her body as she gave them a short nod of acknowledgment. “Master Lee, it’s a pleasure to be here. I should be the one thanking you for inviting me.” She managed to give them her best smile, bright and well-polished – fake. “Albeit it was a bit short-noticed, how could I decline such lovely invitation?”

They exchanged chuckles that were as natural as that whole situation – not at all.

The family eventually invited them to come in and the gates were opened, allowing the horses and the soldiers to enter – Minjoo felt her posture grow rigid, feeling like she had just entered the most expensive trap in the whole country. Once they were inside, she would only be able to rely on her soldiers and she wondered if it would be enough.

Maybe because she could feel her uneasiness, the one to help her come down the horse was Chaewon. The general didn’t look as imposing inside the maid outfit, but her eyes still carried the same strength as always when she carefully helped Minjoo to fix her dress and prepare to enter the house with her head held up high.

“It’s okay.” The general had whispered quietly, giving her a small smile that didn’t match the serious look on her tiger-like eyes. “I will be with you all the way.” Of course, Chaewon was a woman of her word, no matter how tough it could be to keep this promise.

“I know.” Minjoo said with a smile of her own, the tension was still there, but Chaewon’s presence would help her to remember she wasn’t a simple prey for the Lee’s, she also had her own advantages in this game and General Kim was the most impressive one. “Time for some royal action.”

After spending her first few hours at the Lee house, Minjoo was still very much confused and wary.

No, nothing bad happened – and maybe that was what made her even more uneasy. Everyone was just too nice, from the house owners to the several servants that all seemed to have the same mechanic smile and empty eyes. The Lee’s showed her around the place, pointing out all the beautiful and very expensive things they had brought from their numerous trips, they talked non stop about how great of a young man their son Beomgyu was while also giving her a series of compliments that sounded as shallow as everything else – Minjoo had to keep her cool and would only smile and nod, making small observations here and there to keep conversation going.

She wanted to get some rest after the long trip, but she couldn’t just reject the offers, even if it meant sitting through all this meaningless conversation – at least she had Chaewon with her all along, the older Kim always a few steps behind, keeping a modest posture to fit her role. Once in a while Chaewon would whisper to her a piece of advice, that Minjoo’s ears would never miss.

By the end of the afternoon, Minjoo had already seen pretty much everything a visitor could see – even the slightly worrying number of guards that seemed to be at every possible entrance – the older couple decided it was time to have dinner and they brought her to a large room where they were supposed to eat separated from the rest.

“Master Lee, I’m really thankful for your kindness! The feast looks impressive!” Minjoo told them, her eyes sparkling with gold as she gave them a big smile, gesturing to the table with so much food it could feed a whole battalion – and it would be enough. The princess may be a lot of things, but she wasn’t a fool and even if Chaewon hadn’t given her a short nod before going to the farther corner of the room, she would know that eating alone with this family wasn’t a good idea. “So impressive that I feel like it should be such a waste to not share it. My soldiers worked really hard to bring me here, it’s only fair that they share this precious food with us, don’t you think?” Pushing her will onto the nobles was easy, it was their house, but she was still a princess and everyone knew how much her royal blood really mattered.

The head of the house Lee could only give her a stiff smile, and she could almost see his brain trying to come up with a proper way to reject her idea, but there was none, after all royal guards were still considered very valuable and deserved to be respected.

“Well, if Your Highness wishes so…” The man finally accepted the request, his tight-lipped smile making it clear he wasn’t pleased with the idea. “It’s amazing that our country has such a kind-hearted princess.” The compliment, like all the others seemed fake, but Min didn’t mind it since Seonho had already ordered for her guards to come in and suddenly the place looked much more friendly.

She almost called for Chaewon to join them, but the other woman gave her a warning look, making Minjoo remember one of Chaewon’s warnings – pay attention to whatever she eats and don’t get too carried away. At least, so far, the food seemed safe.

Therefore, she focused on making her friends feel comfortable eating alongside the nobles and it wasn’t long before Yena could entertain them with her natural charisma and creativity – using Chaewon’s name and title, it made things easier. The tall man that Seonho introduced as his ‘security leader’, In Yeop, also sat down with them, albeit the man didn’t talk much, his insistent black eyes made Minjoo uncomfortable – for a soldier he didn’t behave like one, making Minjoo wonder if he was really who Lee informed.

As soon as dinner was done, Minjoo insisted on sending her soldiers back to the ward she would be staying in. “It’s for safety. The royal guard is required to stay close to the princess at all times.” Yena informed them with ease, not giving them a chance to decline – what they didn’t try to, showing their fake smiles once again before sending the guards away while insisting for Minjoo to stay a little longer.

Minjoo had to sit through half an hour of boring conversation about her favorite fabric for dresses, before Lady Lee finally allowed her to go – but only to try to leave her alone with their son and the princess had to fight the urge of rejecting his offer to her to her room.

They started walking through one of the many corridors of the large house, the young man leaning a bit too close to her to make it comfortable – luckily, Chaewon was still behind her, making her presence known by pretending to trip once in a while.

“My princess, should we take the long way to your room?” The boy who was about her age spoke, his facial features although pleasant, carried the same glint of greed and something more that Minjoo surely didn’t like. She had to blink her own eyes to control the flames inside of them, anger filling her as she couldn’t help but to loathe every word the man ever said. It never bothered her when Chaewon called her ‘my’, yet she never used such dubious tone or had eyes that showed nothing but darkness. “Leave now. You can go and stay with the kitchen staff.” Beomgyu said to Chaewon, dismissing her with a wave of hand.

Minjoo closed her hands into fists – not only because she was a little infuriated with how arrogant and disrespectful that man was to her, but also by the way he was looking down on Chaewon. If the Lee’s heir couldn’t even show respect to servants in her presence, she didn’t want to see how little respect he should have for them – or anyone for that matter – when he was alone. The little boy she had met so many times had grown into the kind of man her country didn’t need.

“Excuse me, mister Lee. But I did not give you permission to talk down to my people, nor to order them around.” Her tone was cold as she reprimanded him, forgetting all about her diplomatic work so far. She had no time for a weird man full of himself, and she definitely wouldn’t allow him to send Chaewon away to be alone with her.

Lee looked slightly flustered, his eyes now alive with annoyance. However, he didn’t get to say anything.

“P-Please, Master Lee! My deepest apologies, I do not mean to intrude or disrespect your authority.” Chaewon spoke, her voice extra sweet as she acted, hands gripping tightly together, her head hanging low. “But, Our Majesty the king, gods may bless his kindness, assigned me to watch over the princess and if I don’t, he might…” She managed to pretend to stumble upon her words, her voice unstable as she bowed. “Please, I am sorry, but I can’t follow your instructions this time, Master Lee.”

The princess was rather impressed with her bodyguard’s ability to act so well, looking nothing like the brave and strong general who could have put that man in place with a single hit – Chaewon was surely talented.

The heir of the house didn’t seem as impressed though. He still had his face red, eyes darting with annoyance as he muffled something under his breath – a curse, Minjoo could easily tell –, before reluctantly leading the way with fast steps.

“Don’t lose control, remember we are in their territory now.” Chaewon spoke quietly once they had fallen behind, Minjoo purposely making her steps slower. The princess didn’t turn around, only nodding in reply and continuing to walk. Once it was all over, she would make sure to take some time to personally slap that guy like she used to do when they were kids.

Beomgyu didn’t waste much time on them after that, his dry goodnight as he noticed the group of soldiers pretty much camping outside Minjoo’s room. Once he was out of sight, the princess could finally breathe properly. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for other days like this, she was starting to think she would rather for them to be publicly hostile to her, than this pathetic attempt of making her fall for someone she already loathed.

“Will you sleep there?” Minjoo asked Yujin, pointing to the room across hers, already considering the idea of filling her room with the soldiers just in case the Lee heir decided to pay her a visit again.

Her plans failed miserably.

The puppy-like soldier shook her head in denial. “They said only the general and the lieutenant can stay for the night, everyone else should join their night patrol and re-enforce security.” She gave Minjoo an apologetic smile that wasn’t really necessary, after all it wasn’t Yujin’s fault, just another ploy from the Lee’s. “We should go now, but we will try to stay nearby.”

The princess wanted to tell them to stay, but she remembered Chaewon’s words, she needed to stay in control and choose her battles wisely. Protesting this decision may raise the tension, making it obvious she didn’t trust the host, nor planned on agreeing with the marriage.

Sighing, she patted Yujin’s back. “Stay safe, all of you.” She gave the others a smile and waited for them to go before saying her goodnight to Yena and Hyewon who would stay around. “Goodnight, thank you for today.”

Yena gave her a grin and Hyewon just smiled softly, nodding. “We will be right here if you ever need, Your Highness.”

“Or in case your maid gets scared during the night, just call.” With this last tease, Choi waved them goodbye.

Minjoo smiled at the duo, thankful for her loyal soldiers.

Entering the room, she found a big space that seemed immaculately clean, with all her things carefully placed and beds made. Yena had checked the room earlier while the others organized the stuff, so she knew she would be safe there – for now, at least.

Sighing, Minjoo took a place on the floor, sitting as her eyes studied the place. “You were right.” She was referring to the fact that the Lee’s wouldn’t allow Chaewon to accompany her if they knew who she really was, they would probably oppose to even allow Chaewon to keep guard outside.

“We should rest as much as we can, we don’t know how tomorrow will be.” Chaewon spoke in her natural tone, back was the general and the maid was forgotten just like the hanbok she would set aside in order to be in her comfortable clothes again – leaving the dress aside made her feel much lighter, albeit she didn’t regret her choice of using it over her uniform even if it wasn’t as comfortable.

But first she made sure to get her bag from the pile of things, making sure it still had everything she needed and then she proceeded to search for the box where they hid the swords – hers and Minjoo’s. They might need it and she would be prepared.

If that day had been hard for Minjoo, it wasn’t much easier for Chaewon.

Having to see and hear all the weird things Lee did to impress the princess and try buying her trust, was pretty enerving. Watching everything while keeping a low-profile was ever harder. She needed to use her position to look things from another angle, finding anything that could indicate there was more to that situation than what the eye meets – and of course she found it.

Although the Lee’s presented themselves as friendly and warm, it wasn’t hard to notice the introspection in their servants postures, the way they seemed to so easily slip out of this gentle façade and into their real selves, even the guards around the house didn’t quite fit the typical profile for a well trained fighter from a good academy…If Chaewon had to make a guess, she would bet that everything there, from the ‘expensive’ art to the guards was totally and utterly fake – and it didn’t mean anything good for the princess.

Actually, no matter how hard she thought, sometimes still seemed off. While nobles lying to appear better wasn’t anything new, the possible answers to the reason that the family had to bring Minjoo there were still hard to grasp. No matter how she looked at it, it just sounded counter productive to bring her there instead of trying to approach the king at the capital – unless they planned on something that required the princess’ presence only.

Every possibility sent a chill down Chaewon’s spine and she had to control her own inner demons to contain the rage it brought her.

Tonight, she wouldn’t get much sleep at all.

Handing Minjoo her sword, she averted her gaze before asking. “Please, sleep in your combat clothes, Your Highness.” It wasn’t a fair request, considering the princess must be sick and tired of staying in these clothes the whole day, anxious to get a good night of sleep in a comfortable room and inside comfortable clothes after days. Yet, she had no choice, not when it was for safety.

The princess didn’t even bat an eye, accepting the sword and proceeding to slip out of her dress to reveal the black clothes underneath it – all she wanted was a warm bath, but it would be too much to ask. “Your highness? Things must be really bad then.” She said with a hint of bitterness, frustrated with the way they seemed to have retroceded their relationship since what happened at the beach – something that perhaps only ever happened inside her mind.

Such bitterness must have hit Chaewon hard, making her look back at the princess with a heavy expression. She opened to talk, but ultimately gave up, only giving Minjoo a short bow before going back to fix everything for the night and take position by the door.

Silence filled the room as the room was involved by the darkness, only the dim light of a candle illuminating the place, the light dancing up and down as the princess sighed. The bed was comfortable, the sheets clean and nice, yet she couldn’t sleep with Chaewon’s heavy stare over her – like a blessing and a curse at the same time. Different from the other nights, Chaewon wasn’t close enough to her to be easily touched, Minjoo wasn’t even sure if she should touch her again – here or anywhere else –, yet it didn’t make her any less frustrated and confused.

“Minjoo,” It was the first time Chaewon ever called the princess by her name, her voice quiet and almost timid. Minjoo couldn’t see her face, her eyes still staring at the ceiling of the bedroom, afraid of looking for the chestnut ones and only finding the impassive feline gaze instead of the loving one she had lost herself into. “I’m sorry, I was…I am worried.”

It was a hard admission and took both girls by surprise, Chaewon second guessing her confession as Minjoo’s golden eyes finally looked back at her – but she didn’t take it back, keeping her gaze on the brunette. For a general to admit it might sound like a signal of weakness, but she hoped Minjoo could understand her reason to say it out loud – it was her way of apologizing for pulling back, for weakening their bond, her way to make it clear why she did it.

Slowly, the princess nodded, eyes warm and kind as she gave her a tentative smile that was both, unsure and hopeful. “But I’m not very worried.” The Lee’s might be plotting something, maybe something so awful that she would rather not think about. Still, inside this room at this moment, as she was alone with Chaewon and all she could see was the flames reflected on the sweet chestnut eyes, she felt safe. “You are here.”

Chaewon was glad, but also a little surprise at how much Minjoo’s words affected her. She was a good warrior, she could and would do everything to protect her princess – but even her had her doubts. Not all battles are solved with swords, and those were the hardest ones to win. “Do you trust me that much?”

Giving her a small smile, Minjoo lied down once more. “You are General Kim Chaewon.” And that meant Chaewon would do her best to keep them safe, what was everything Minjoo could ask from her.

Hopefully it would be enough.

A/N: The names of the guys here were gently offered by some people at 2kim’s cord. However, I don’t really care about men, so those remain as OC’s only and I don’t intend on indulging any bg fandom.