Narae's willing to forgive his insolence in favour of the fact someone just tried to kill him, because there would be no reason to target her here, the arrow had to be meant for Baekhyun. They are thoroughly soaked, water thwarting their attempts to regain a steadier position: suffice to say he's hovering over her, their bodies awkwardly tangled with the layers of their clothes.

"Get off!"

"Shh!"

Rustling of leaves can be vaguely heard from somewhere nearby.

Both of them cease their fumbling and listen carefully, forgetting for a moment there that his arms are loosely around her waist and hers rest on his shoulders. Narae's gaze meets Baekhyun's, the silence of the night and the moon a sole testimony to the enthralment they share despite the situation, lost for a fleeting second in their own world, everything else deemed unimportant.

She moves first, gripping his shoulders, and Baekhyun's positive she's going to place her lips upon his own...his eyes watch her, mesmerized一 but at last, his fantasy turns out to be a foolish mistake; he misjudged her intentions. Instead, the girl pushes him to the side roughly and stands up, producing a small dagger which she throws with an agile precision that brings result without delay.

A person's moan of pain echoes from the palace gardens at right of the pond.

Collective footsteps rush to their location just in time, guards scattering throughout the area. The intruder is apprehended.

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

"Your Highness?"

They all call out to the stunned prince who lays carelessly into the pond, his sight refusing to budge from Narae.

"Your Highness...?"

"What?!" he snaps annoyed, pulled back to reality from the spell of her bravery. "I'm fine." he lifts himself, robes dripping wet. "Take whoever that is to General Ilseong. He will know what to do with them. Leave."

"But Your Highness, an assassin infiltrated the palace and attempted to take your life. You shouldn't stay out一"

"Ugh, so many rules. I said I am fine. I don't need to deal with this right now. Besides..." a smile creeps to his mouth, catching the young female by the arm and tugging her next to him against her will. "I do have the perfect personal guard."

Hesitant though having no other choice than to comply to the order of a prince, the group of men tie the attacker and make themselves scarce.

"You're lucky I was here." she snatches her hand out of his hold once they are alone, not very fond of his tendency to mess around.

"That I am." Baekhyun hums. "You're surprising me more and more, Hwa. I didn't know you can defend yourself and others against attacks."

"Why is someone trying to kill you?" she turns the attention back to him, evading to answer.

"Because I'm a prince? It is part of my everyday life."

"So this has happened before, multiple times?"

"Does it matter?"

His tone becomes a tad depressed and Narae feels foolish for prying. She feels foolish for experiencing a smidge of worry at how he must probably be used to people wanting to end his existence. She frowns, saying no more.

It would sound weird anyway...she is not one to show care torwards others easily. A prince, no less. 

The male's hand reaches torwards her face and she almost slaps it away, taken aback by whatever he may be up to.

His lips quirk. Since her skin's wet from the splashed water earlier, the cherry petal he puts on her cheek sticks without falling.

"Let's meet again, daughter of the merchant."

"No." she blurts, touching her cheek in an attempt to get it off. 

"We will see." Baekhyun laughs, not telling her that she rubbed farther torwards her cheekbone and that petal is still there as he leaves.

The young woman retreats to the guest quarters in a sour mood, her inability to ignore the night's encounter with the third prince adding to her problems. Sneaking into the connected bath house without making any noise and risking to wake her father or her sisters, she sheds her hanbok and other layers and starts washing herself to remove the smell of pond water clinging to her hair and body. She ought to be more prudent, she reminds herself, because the palace is a great place, housing a numerous court. A demon could hide anywhere amongst them, or more, and eventhough Baekhyun doesn't seem like a threat regarding that subject, she cannot let him distract her.

It's as she's scrubbing her arms that Narae notices the bright circle of red roped around her left wrist in the dim light of the candles, its dubious origin sending sinking dread and disappointment through her. She doesn't remember when, or how, it could have been possible for such a marking to appear on her skin, similar to a string of ink. No matter what kind of explanation she tries to ascertain, she draws none, unless...

Unless Baekhyun is truely, and undoubtfully a demon. 

...

"Sister!"

In the morning, she is rudely awakened by Jihyun, her energetic voice bouncing off the walls of the room.

Narae gets up and makes sure to keep her sleeve from exposing her red tainted wrist, blinking the sleep from her eyes. "What is it?"

"Guess what?"

"Just tell me."

"His Majesty invited us to attend the festival. We are not leaving this afternoon but tomorrow instead."

The news fail to reciprocate Jihyun's eagerness on her part and she stands, wide awake. "It makes no sense..." she paces the room to her belongings, picking her attire for the day.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"He changed his mind. I do not believe in coincidences."

"Well, maybe one of the princes suggested to him that we should attend..." Jihyun smiles cheekily to herself, her mind unconsciously flying to Jongin; the stares he would throw her.

Her older sister stops in the middle of combing her hair. Baekhyun's insistence to meet from last night rushes back to her, presenting a plausible confirmation to her suspicion.

Another entrance into the chamber interrupts them, a troubled looking Bom pausing near the doors. 

"I...fol