When dawn arrived, Jihyo and Jongkook were already in the village by the docks. They knew that the ship that was going to bring them to Jindo was due to leave early that afternoon, which meant that they still had the entire morning to spare. They wandered around the streets, after buying passage for Jihyo onto the ship, setting up their stallion with the cargo, and taking their rucksack.

“I’d like to send a letter to my brother and sister,” Jihyo told Jongkook. He nodded, still unsure about how she managed to run away. But, he thought that there were still a lot of things she still wanted to say to her siblings, and he wanted to support that.

They walked towards the outpost. It was a public service which sent emissaries to deliver letters among nobles and, in some cases, commonfolk. Jongkook purchased some parchments and ink for Jihyo, and they sat down together, as she poured her heart out onto the letters she wrote to her siblings. 

“How will we send this? It’s not like we can address this to his majesty, or the royal family when the emissary delivers this letter,” Jihyo asked when she was done, and it was only then that Jongkook remembered the extraordinary status of the letter’s recipients.

After much thought, Jongkook decided, “We can send this to my uncle.” 

Jihyo looked at him worriedly, “Minister Yoo Jaeseok? But he doesn’t know you’re alive.”

Jongkook thought about it for a moment. He already decided to let his family live with the belief that he was dead. His mother surely grieved for him, likely locking herself away. His father and brother would have kept their silence to be stable for the family, but Jongkook knew they would miss his presence. It was this knowledge that made him keep his survival a secret, because he knew they would go through the trouble of becoming happier over the fact that he was alive only to be quashed by the news that he had to leave to preserve his honor.

But knowing all this didn’t mean that he wasn’t hurt by the thought. Aside from Jihyo and Taehyun, no one knew he survived, and that meant that he was nothing but a memory in people’s minds. His family would be okay, because the memory they lived with was good, but he knew his uncle would have a tainted memory of him. The guilt of sending his nephew to a useless war probably ate him up from the inside, and Jongkook could not let the Sangdaedeung be condemned to that lifetime torture. 

“I think he should know,” Jongkook finally decided. “If your brother felt that way about my death, only the heavens know how my uncle feels about mine.”

Jihyo took in his words, and understood what he wanted right away. She nodded, and held onto his hand, giving him a warm smile. “You should probably write him a letter too, while we’re here.”

Jihyo took some of the coins that Jongkook held onto, and bought some parchment for him. She handed him the quill and the bottle of ink she left on the table, and eyed the materials, prompting Jongkook to start with his letter. He immediately began writing. 

Soon enough, they were both done, and Jongkook enclosed his letter, along with Jihyo’s, into an envelope, and paid off the emissary. When the emissary noticed the recipient of the letter, his eyes widened, “The Sangdaedeung? Is this an official letter?” Then, he eyed Jihyo suspiciously. 

It was only then that Jongkook realized she was still wearing her hair up, and she was still in her silk hanbok that reeked of royalty. So he added a few coins to his payment, shaking the emissary’s hand and pulling him closer to say, “Yes, this is for the Sangdaedeung, and we would appreciate your silence and fast action.”

The emissary realized the amount he received, and he looked at Jongkook sternly, saluting the commander to show that he understood what was asked of him. He bowed discreetly to both of them, and immediately left.

Jihyo looked at Jongkook worriedly, and he looked at her seriously before holding her hand and leading her out of the outpost. He ran his fingers through his hair, before saying, “We forgot about your attire. People would think I abducted you.”

She chuckled, “Well, there is some truth to that.” Then, she leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, “But, I was definitely a willing victim.”

He shivered at their closeness, and Jihyo found a giggle bubble up within her. “So what do we do now?” Jihyo asked. 

Jongkook wordlessly moved towards the streets, Jihyo in tow, before they reached a dress shop. He went in, and ordered the tailor to provide them with any ready-made hanbok for them. The woman looked at the princess, “We don’t have anything like the one she’s wearing. That material is too expensive for a shop like ours.”

“We’re willing to pay a good sum. We just need simple clothes, and we would also appreciate your discretion,” Jongkook brought out a few silver coins to prove his point. 

The tailor’s eyes widened upon seeing the amount, and immediately went to work looking for garments she can sell them. Jihyo selected what she wished to wear and went to change in the back room of the shop. It was a different experience to dress oneself without the help of her ladies-in-waiting, and she realized this would always be the case from now on. 

The tailor helped the princess remove the pins in her hair, letting down her tresses and putting them up in the low bun that the average noblewoman wore. Jihyo held onto the gold pins, remembering how her mother had gifted her with these little treasures, saying that she should wear them when she got older. She looked at herself in the mirror, and, while she had seen herself pretend to not be royalty, this was monumental. This was the new life she was building for herself and for Jongkook. 

When they came out, Jongkook looked at her, and it wasn’t much of a new sight. The dress she selected was similar to what she wore to the festival, but for him, this was the beginning. They were finally free, not bound by the limitations of the status they were born with. He ordered the woman to wrap up the other garments that they purchased for her and for himself. “And what about the one she was wearing, Sir?” the woman asked. 

Jihyo intercepted, “Please wrap it along with the others too.” She thanked the lady, and as the latter set out to work on her task, Jongkook smiled knowingly at Jihyo. They were happy to be moving forward with their life, but the palace was always going to be her home, and her hanbok, her gold pins, and the other trinkets she managed to bring with her were going to be the only tangible manifestations that she had once been a member of the royal family. They would now serve as heirlooms for their future children, instead of everyday items to wear and use. 

Jongkook reached into his pocket, and pulled out Jihyo’s butterfly barrette. He put it on her hair, before tilting up her chin so she could meet his gaze, and saying, “There! You look beautiful.” She smiled back at him warmly. 

Soon enough, the tailor came back with their items. They thanked the lady, and walked out of the stop, with a bundle of clothes on Jihyo’s arms. Jongkook offered to carry everything, but she insisted that he was already carrying the rucksack. “That’s much heavier. You should get used to sharing the load with me now. I’m not a princess anymore,” Jihyo said with a smirk. 

Jongkook chuckled and , “I wonder why that is.” He nudged her by the shoulder, and they shared a small laugh as they walked back to the docks, and saw their ship. 

The couple approached the shipmaster, who was manning the preparations, asking if they could board already. “May I get your name, Sir?” he asked Jongkook. 

Jihyo almost answered for them, but Jongkook put his hand over her shoulder, signaling that he will take care of it. He peeked at the man’s list, and pointed at their registered names. “Ah, Lord and Lady Kim,” the shipmaster said out loud, making Jihyo narrow her eyes at Jongkook and him smile back at her sheepishly. “Unfortunately, the ship still has five hours before it departs. We suggest that you go about your business first, in the meantime, and come back half an hour before we’re due to set sail.”

“Doesn’t that mean we will reach Jindo in the evening?” Jongkook inquired. 

“No, Lord Kim,” the man answered. “In winter, the wind pushes us faster. We should arrive by sunset.”

It was still not the answer that Jongkook was looking for, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He thanked the shipmaster for the information, before leading Jihyo to an open kitchen so they can have their first meal of the day. It was almost midday anyway, and they hadn't broken their fast. 

When they were seated down with their food in front of them, Jihyo took a bite for herself and looked at him, “You’re getting too attached to your roleplay, Jongkook. Lord and Lady Kim? Really?” She pursed her lips to the side, before rolling her eyes and smirking at him. 

Jongkook gulped the guksu, and wiped off his mouth. He nonchalantly looked at her and said, “The shipmaster would not allow us to board together, and I’d be questioned about you. The best way to get out of it is to pretend you are my wife.” He said as he continued eating.

Jihyo was in between bites, as she considered Jongkook’s words. She teased, “But we really aren’t married though. You haven’t even paid my dowry.” 

“I cannot afford your dowry,” he deadpanned, as he continued to eat his noodles. She giggled at the remark, as he swallowed his food and continued, “Also, you’ve forfeited that right when you chose to run away with me.”

Jihyo tilted her head away from him, playfully sizing him up. “You’re going to be dead meat if my brother tries to bring me back,” she joked, happily taking another bite of her meal. 

But Jongkook stopped eating, suddenly feeling worried about her words. “Do your siblings know that you ran away with me?” he seriously asked, his eyes showing his anxiety. 

Jihyo’s eyes softened upon seeing his reaction. She didn’t think that he would be this troubled by the joke, “They do. Well, at least, Somin does, and she said she was going to tell Kwangsoo.” She started to fidget with her fingers, looking down at her hands, before adding, “I just wasn’t able to directly say goodbye to him, because I thought you’d be gone if I took longer.”

Jongkook kept his silence, and it only dawned upon him how heavy the sacrifice Jihyo took to run away with him was. “I’m sorry,” the words spilled out of his lips before he knew it. 

Jihyo immediately looked up at Jongkook with a smile, adamantly shaking her head, “You have nothing to be sorry for, Jongkook. I was always going to leave my family, but I’m happy I get to leave and live my life with you.” 

She reached out for his hands that were limp on the table, and gently brushed it with her thumb, to soothe Jongkook’s worries away. He smiled back at her, his eyes silently thanking her for her words, but he suddenly remembered their predicament prior to leaving. “So what is your brother going to do with Insung now?” he wondered. 

Jihyo then explained to Jongkook everything that happened — how they were seen by Somin that night, how Kwangsoo reprimanded Jihyo, and how Somin convinced her to run away with Jongkook. “Somin will leave for Gaya in t