The first thing Jihyo was concerned about was the incredulous glances people threw at them. Jongkook quickly realized that the townsfolk seemed to be wondering what two nobles were doing with the children of commoners. Hyeonsik and Hyeonae were wearing obviously old hanbok, the grey color even more faded than usual, and, considering what they’ve been through during the day, the hem of Hyeonae’s dress and the bottom of Hyeonsik’s trousers were muddied. Hyeonae’s straw doll was slightly tattered, and Hyeonsik’s hands were quite dirty. 

To make matters worse, when Jongkook tried to get them a spot in an open kitchen, so they could buy food and get a meal together, the cook rejected them. “We don’t allow slaves here,” he reasoned out. Despite Jongkook’s explanation that the children were not slaves, the man still thought that they were merely trying to skirt their way around the rule. Jongkook decided that this was the final straw.

He sadly approached Jihyo and the children. He made a good decision to have them stay away as he was talking things out with the cook; Jihyo would have surely argued with the man, and the kids would have felt embarrassed by the conversation. He subtly shook his head to let Jihyo know that the negotiation didn’t go well, but he immediately approached the kids before she could even do anything.

“Hyeonsik-ah, Hyeonae-yah, we’ll come back to the open kitchen later. I just realized that your clothes seem to have a lot of stains, and there’s a lot of dust on both your hands. I can’t have you eating with dirty hands; you might get sick,” Jongkook explained, as he knelt down to both the kids’ levels. The children meekly nodded, but Jongkook could tell that Hyeonsik wasn’t completely convinced, with the way the little boy’s eyes looked at his face curiously, his little eyebrows furrowed together. “Let’s take a quick detour to the public bathhouse first, so you can clean yourselves up before our meal.”

“But we don’t have clothes to change into,” Hyeonsik asked, and Jihyo looked curiously at Jongkook, interested in what Jongkook would say to the smart boy.

“Jihyo-imo will oversee you in the bathhouse, and I’ll make sure to get back immediately with new clothes for you to wear,” Jongkook answered, sparing a glance at Jihyo, indicating what her task would be given this new plan. 

The group set off for the bathhouse, and Jongkook was about to leave to buy clothes for the children, when Jihyo grabbed his arm. Her eyes were wide-eyed, worried about the task he’d given her. Jongkook put his arm around her, and rubbed her shoulder, “You can do it, Jihyo-yah. They just have to soak themselves in the water, and rub off the dirt from their bodies.”

Jihyo was still apprehensive, but thankfully, Hyeonsik spoke up, “Agassi, you don’t need to worry about us. Even Hyeonae knows how to bathe herself.”

“Perfect,” Jongkook concluded. “Now Jihyo-yah, the earlier I leave, the earlier I can get back to help you with them, and the earlier we can eat our midday meal. I’ll be back before you know it.” He loosened his grip on her and left.

Jihyo trudged into the bathhouse with the children. The bathhouse had a courtyard in the middle, and the area for men and women could be found on its left and right. She felt a nudge from her left, “Agassi, can you give me the token?” He pointed at the blue and red tokens Jongkook had given Jihyo. It was the indicator that they were paying customers.

Jihyo was dazed by the unfamiliarity of the place, and the large number of people in the bathhouse, “Is it always this crowded here, Hyeonsik-ah?”

“Not always, Agassi. This place isn’t cheap, but I guess it’s festival season,” he said with a shrug.

“Have you been here before?” Jihyo inquired.

“When I was much younger and Hyeonae wasn’t born yet, I went with my father. But since then, I haven’t. The stream is near our house anyway,” Hyeonsik replied. “Now, can I have my token? I’ll go here,” he said, pointing to the pathway to the left. Then he pointed to the right, “You will go there. I haven’t been because boys can’t go there, but if it’s the same as ours, then you can just have Hyeonae pick a tub where she can soak herself. She’ll know what to do.”

Jihyo just nodded and passed on the blue token, slightly agape. Hyeonsik was incredibly independent for his age, and a part of her wondered just how he came to be this way. Before she could even reply, the young boy had already gone into the men’s area.

She looked down at Hyeonae. The little girl was still holding onto her, while on the thumb of her other hand. Jihyo leaned down to carry her, and said, “I guess it’s just me and you now, Hyeonae-yah. Ready to take your bath?”

The girl simply nodded, and Jihyo walked towards the women’s area. Upon their entry, she immediately saw a large pool, where women were seated down, their bodies visible under the bright light of the sun. They were mostly middle-aged women and obviously , but the depth of the water successfully hid everything below their chest. She was knowledgeable of her own anatomy, but she had never seen a place where women bathed together openly. She looked around, and saw other children in smaller tubs at the sides. They all had someone watching over them, mostly young women who also chatted among themselves.

Jihyo saw an empty tub, and remembering Hyeonsik’s instructions, she asked the little girl if she was okay with it. Hyeonae nodded, so they approached the tub, and Jihyo proceeded to remove Hyeonae’s clothes. She carried the little girl into the tub, and Hyeonae immediately scrubbed off the grime on her hair and body, much to Jihyo’s amusement.

Jihyo found a stool, and sat down so she could continue watching Hyeonae. The girl was done cleaning herself and was now just enjoying her time in the tub. She was adorable, her round eyes growing even bigger in amusement, as she played around with the water, and occasionally soaked her hair in it. She giggled in delight, and smiled warmly at Jihyo when she caught the princess watching her.

“Are you having fun?” Jihyo asked Hyeonae.

To her surprise, a squeaky, high-pitched voice came out of the little girl, as she said, “Yes! This is fun!” It had been the first time Jihyo heard her speak, and the princess certainly hoped it wasn’t the last.

“Your daughter is really pretty,” the woman beside Jihyo suddenly said, grabbing the princess’s attention.

Jihyo initially wanted to deny it, but she also didn’t want to get into the trouble of explaining how she ended up going to the bathhouse with a girl that was not her own. Not wanting to lie explicitly but also wishing to acknowledge the compliment, she nodded back with a smile. Truthfully, there was also a part of Jihyo that felt happy about being caught in such a domestic situation, watching over her child in a bathhouse. It was just playing pretend, but it was definitely a game she was enjoying.

She looked at the tub in front of the woman, only to find twin girls splashing water at each other.

“Your daughters are also beautiful,” the princess remarked.

The woman smiled, “Thank you. My husband and I waited for a long time to have children, but I’m happy the twins caught up eventually. Life would be so lonely without my family.” 

Jihyo was driven into thought by the woman’s words; she thought of her family when she was much younger - the way she had bickered with her siblings, the way they had been chastised by the Queen, and the way they would catch their parents lovingly gazing at each other. Growing up, as she and Somin read fairy tales, the stories of princesses and princes reminded her of their parents, and she wished that fate would bring both her and her sister to a similar life. When she grew older, however, the death of her father had been a rude awakening, and the ministers immediately discussed prospects for political marriage with her. She realized she was not going to experience the courtship her parents had, and she was likely going to have a stranger for a husband.

“Madam,” a young lady approached her, and called her attention. “Are you Jihyo-ssi?” Jihyo nodded, a part of her dazed that someone had referred to her by her given name, but there was some comfort in the informality of everything. The young lady continued, “Your husband asked me to give you this.” She handed over a bundle of pink and white silk, and Jihyo realized Jongkook had found a way to deliver Hyeonae’s new garments. 

But a question bubbled in her head, “My husband?”

“Yes,” the young lady answered. “He gave me instructions to hand this over to his wife who’s wearing a crystal barrette,” she held out her hand to refer to the butterfly on Jihyo’s head, before saying goodbye and taking her leave. Jihyo would clarify it with Jongkook later on, but for now, if he was also living in a fantasy afforded to them by their bubble, then she would join him wholeheartedly. 

Jihyo pulled Hyeonae out of the tub; thankfully, the child was getting tired of playing alone, and was eager to see his brother again. The princess made quick work of putting on Hyeonae’s new hanbok, remembering the way her own ladies-in-waiting put on her garments. The struggle was really dealing with Hyeonae’s hair, but, thankfully, the mother she met in the bathhouse had stepped in and assisted her, giving her some tips on how to hold the braid together while tying it with a ribbon.

When they stepped out of the women’s area, Jihyo and Hyeonae were the splitting image of a mother and daughter. Jongkook had gotten the little girl a pink and white hanbok that matched Jihyo’s, thinking they would have looked adorable together. Seeing them come out, hand in hand, two beautiful smiles etched on their faces, he knew he made a great decision on the choice of garment. Jihyo glowed like a thousand stars, and a part of Jongkook wanted to always see her like this, with her own little dopp