It was time for the princess’s weekly visit to town, and she was surprised to see that only Sechan was the soldier ready to accompany her and her lady-in-waiting. Truthfully, she would have left with just one soldier in tow, but she did not wish to squabble with the arrogant commander again. To be fair to the man, she had been able to conduct her weekly visits to town without any hitch, and Donghoon and Sechan proved to be trustworthy companions.

The princess looked questioningly at the soldier, “Sechan-ah, where is your fellow soldier?”

Sechan bowed apologetically, “I apologize, your royal highness. The commander asked him to stay back. He will not be joining us today.”

Princess Jihyo was surprised by the news, and she wondered, “Is there any particular reason he won’t be joining us? Also, does this mean you’re the only one who will be accompanying us then?”

As if on cue, Commander Jongkook entered her courtyard and approached them. Sechan stood back, as the commander said, “I’m afraid Donghoon cannot join you. In his stead, I will be guarding you on this visit. It also makes sense for me to find out how your royal highness prefers to travel, if I am to accompany you in your mission to Gaya.”

“You’re accompanying me?” the princess repeated, obviously displeased with the news. Sechan and the princess’s lady-in-waiting were getting quite uncomfortable.

The commander simply nodded, “Yes, your highness. I have been assigned by the general to accompany you, as he will have to assist the ministers with this drought. If you remember, the court did agree with you that the soldiers should be assigned to help our farmers.”

Princess Jihyo’s ears heated up in anger, and for his part, even though he was displeased that he would have to spend more time with the princess, he was also proud that he had managed to turn the conversation back to her. 

Collecting herself, she took a deep breath, then looked the commander up and down. He was still donning his military attire. It was only when he caught the princess’s eye that he realized he had been the only one wearing clothes appropriate for their stature. The princess was not wearing the usual jewels in her hair, and her attire was a simple hanbok that would be worn by any typical noblewoman. Her lady-in-waiting and Sechan were not wearing their palace uniforms, and were instead dressed like commoners. 

“Well, if you will be joining us, then I am afraid you would have to change your attire. I can’t have you joining us dressed like that,” the princess gestured towards the commander’s outfit. “Eunji-yah, please help the commander find a nobleman’s attire,” she ordered her lady-in-waiting. 

Jongkook was annoyed at how ceremonious the princess was about her trip outside the palace. He guessed that dressing up like a commoner was simply her way of ensuring she could enjoy her trip outside, without the fanfare of being a royal. It was typical of royals to want a temporary escape, taking for granted the comfortable life they live. As he straightened out his new attire, he started counting down the hours before this tiresome day would end. 

As the four trudged into the village, the princess made sure to create space between her and the commander, who was leading the way out of the palace. Sechan was by his side, guiding him towards their destination and also regularly checking up on the two women.

“Where are we going anyway?” Jongkook angrily whispered to Sechan when the princess was not looking.

“When we get past that last house, we’ll have to go into the forest, and then we’ll find the Yooks. It’ll just be a few more minutes, Hyung,” Sechan addressed the commander like the friend he’d always been, before leading the way.

They managed to walk through town without any hitch, and the commander opted to stay back and let Sechan lead the way. He thought the princess would only walk around leisurely, taking in the sights around her. Instead, she saw her walk with full intention, knowing the destination as well as Sechan did. In awe, he saw her skillfully tread her way through the town, and later on, when they got to the forest, she was still unfazed by the soil that surely dirtied her shoes and skirt. He continued to wonder where they were headed.

Eventually, the four of them reached a clearing, and in the brightness of day, one could see a wooden house, with tents and makeshift structures scattered near the adjacent trees. In the midst of everything was a pile of driftwood, obviously recently put out after a bonfire. There were quite a handful of people, carrying on with different tasks. Jongkook could see that there was a path from the area towards the rice fields, and along that path, men and women were hauling produce, most of which looked torn and tattered, likely due to the drought. 

A little girl saw their group and ran up to the princess. “Agassi!” she cried excitedly towards t