Since their agreement, the princess and the commander had been almost inseparable, save for the hours in the morning which the commander devoted to his administrative tasks and the daily exercises he did with the rest of the guards. Technically, it could be said that, during his exercise, they were still together, because she secretly watched him from a distance. 

The princess thoroughly enjoyed the way Jongkook practiced his sword fighting skills every morning, observing his speed and agility as he wielded his sword and moved back and forth against an imaginary opponent. He still looked calm and collected, very serene as he conducted his movements, but there was something quite primal and instinctive that awoke in Jihyo as she watched him and heard the sounds he made as he exerted more and more effort. Her cheeks were flushed as her mind went back to the image of his body back when she had to stitch up his wounds, and began to wonder how that same masculine physique looked beneath his garments. She caught herself, chiding herself for the indecent thought, and decided to keep whatever was left of her pride and dignity intact by leaving.

On the third day that she sneaked up on him, the commander caught her, and, despite trying to run away, she was caught by him, his hand grasping her wrist. He looked around, confirming they were alone, and he gave her a smile, “What are you doing?” He gave her a boyish smile, one that made Jihyo thoroughly weak in the knees. “Were you watching me?” He’d be caught dead before admitting it, but the thought of the princess spying on him tickled his feelings.

“Watching you? Don’t be ridiculous,” she scoffed, desperately hoping he would drop the conversation and relieve her of further mortification. “I was just passing by for my morning walk.”

She couldn’t tell if he believed her, because he instead chose to ask, “Just a morning walk huh? So you have nothing to do then. Want to try your hand at sword fighting?” 

“Me? But I’m a lady. I’m not supposed to be wielding a sword,” she was apprehensive.

“You also weren’t supposed to ride a horse into Gaya, but you managed that, didn’t you?” He leaned closely and raised his eyebrow at her, and she swallowed, feeling dazed by the short distance between their faces. “So Jihyo, are you up for a challenge?”

Unable to trust her voice, she simply nodded, and Jongkook pulled back, grabbing her by the wrist and leading her to where he had been practicing. He gave her a stick to serve as a makeshift sword, and they positioned themselves in front of a straw figure. She tried holding the stick with both her hands, but they seemed to wobble within her grasp. She tried to hit the straw figure repeatedly and determinedly. Jongkook laughed at her attempts, immediately identifying her mistakes.

“Come back here will you? You’re doing it all wrong!” He called out to her, chuckling, and she trudged her way back to him, giving him the side eye. He instructed her how to hold the stick, identifying the hilt and the proper position of the hands to gain control of the fake sword. She struggled with her hold, so he went behind her, and moved her hands into the correct position. He kept giving her instructions, but she was also thoroughly distracted by his breath tickling her ears. He was leaning closely, his face merely inches away from the side of hers. From where he stood, he could make out her scent, the aroma of her perfume floating above some fragrant scent he could only guess was natural to her. He refocused himself, holding her hands and demonstrating how to wield the sword.

Eventually, he turned his attention to Jihyo’s stance, demonstrating how far apart her feet should be and where she should put her weight as she moved. She struggled at first, but much like how she was with horse riding, she was a fast learner. Soon enough, she was practicing with the straw figure, twisting her fake sword up nimbly and making quick hits. Jongkook affirmed her with words of support and offered tips on how she could improve, which Jihyo quickly adopted.

Jongkook watched her movements, feeling a sense of pride at seeing the determined look on her face. Her hanbok was quite bulky, and yet she didn’t seem to mind. She was also quick on her feet, and she wielded her makeshift weapon with a lethality that was mixed with grace and poise. A light sheen of sweat on her forehead reflected the sunlight, and he reached out to wipe it off, startling Jihyo for a bit.

“You’re doing great. I think you won’t be needing your guards now. My job is done here,” Jongkook claimed.

Jihyo rolled her eyes at him, “Stop flattering me, Jongkook. It doesn’t suit you.”

“It’s true,” he shrugged. “I think you’re doing great. You seem like you have a natural talent with a sword. Just practice more; I think in a year’s time, you’ll be able to beat half of the men in my group.”

“Just them? Not you?” Jihyo challenged.

“For someone who didn’t accept my compliment earlier, that’s incredibly cocky,” Jongkook chuckled. “Why? Do you think you can beat me?”

Jihyo thought about it for a moment, but she felt like she was up for a challenge. “Of course you’re a Hwarang, so I can’t beat you, but if you had a handicap or something that would equalize us, I think I could.”

“You’re that confident huh?” Jongkook asked, to which Jihyo shook her head.

“I just want to see what I’m capable of,” Jihyo simply explained. “I think you’ll still win, but I want to try.”

Jongkook gave it himself a bit of time to think, before clapping his hands and saying, “Then let’s try today. I’ll compete with you with only one hand to use.” It seemed agreeable to Jihyo, until he added, “And let’s wager on it. The winner gets to have a wish.”

“What wish?” she inquired.

“I guess we will find out when one of us wins,” he said.

Jihyo was still thinking it through, but he was bold enough to reach out for her hand, brushing his thumb over it. The actions weakened her, and she found herself nodding and agreeing with him.

They went into their respective posi