True to the Seonsaengnim’s words, the sun set before they were able to reach the village. It was quite a dangerous trek going back to the palace, considering that they were going downhill. Thankfully, the drought meant that the ground was dry, but it also meant that rocks and stones have come up to the surface, making their path uneven. It was even more difficult to traverse at night.

Sechan thoughtfully brought a lamp for the rest of the group, and led the way. Eunji, the princess’s lady-in-waiting, held on to the soldier as she struggled to keep steady. On the other hand, the commander repeatedly offered his hand out to the princess to assist her, but she always responded with an uninterested glance before proceeding to take careful steps without anyone’s assistance. Jongkook took everything in stride, crossing his arms and letting the rest of their party move forward without him. He watched as Princess Jihyo struggled in a particularly difficult part of their journey. He could hear the stones clashing against each other as she took careful steps, wobbling her way through. She was no match for the road, however, and the commander noticed that she struggled to regain her sense of balance. 

He tried to grab her by the arm, but he was too late. The princess had already fallen down on the ground, and he knew her hands were bound to have some scratches. The three of them rushed to her side, and Eunji was apologizing profusely for being unable to assist her. The princess waved off her lady-in-waiting’s apologies, and looked to Jongkook to be pulled up.

“Ah!” she cried out in pain, and the commander immediately knew she must’ve broken something upon her fall. He checked her foot, and the princess didn’t miss how he still made sure that her skirt was covering the rest of leg, as he rotated her foot to see how serious her injury was. Jihyo tried to constrain the pain, but she couldn’t help wincing.

“It seems your ankle is broken, your highness,” the commander shared his diagnosis. He tore some cloth from his sleeve, and the princess also couldn’t help but notice that it was her first time coming across his arms. They were particularly well-built - not that it mattered to her. It was just… noticeable. Her thoughts were immediately diverted when the commander drew closer to her, as he tied the cloth around her ankle. He was too close for comfort, but the princess was helpless. She did need his help, so she settled with trying to pull her head back to create some semblance of distance between them.

The commander was too focused on his task to notice, however. He securely tied the makeshift bandage around the princess’s foot, and stood up, reaching out to help her stand up. She tried with all her might, but she was truly in pain, crying out before falling to the ground once again.

The commander looked at the rest of their party thoughtfully. “This won’t do. I think I’ll have to carry her highness back to the palace,” he declared. 

The princess vehemently rejected this, absolutely disliking the idea of being in close proximity to him. But she knew she was out of options. There was no way she could walk back to the palace given the situation, so she suggested, “Sechan can carry me instead, can’t you?” She directed her question to the soldier, attempting to exert pressure on him.

But, before Sechan could even answer, the commander butted in, “While I would love every opportunity to keep the load on my back light, your highness, Sechan is currently in-charge of leading the way and holding our lamp.”

“You’d prefer to carry my weight on your back than carry a mere lamp?” the princess questioned. She was smart enough to know that the commander disliked her in the same way she disliked him, so she did not understand why he seemed to be insisting to carry her on his back.

“I would prefer to carry the lamp and lead the way, but I don’t know the way back. In this darkness, our priority must be speed. With Sechan leading us and me carrying you, we have better chances of getting back to the palace fast enough, your highness,” the commander said.

The pri