4. SOLACE

“How was the meeting with the contestants? Where did you guys go?” Kai asked, as he sat with his legs crossed on the velvet couch. 

“It’s just the palace gardens, nothing special.” 

“So…” Kai asked cautiously. “With Krystal too?” 

Taemin’s lips curled in amusement. “No. I went to the stadium with her.” He sighed. “Her swordsmanship got rusty over the years.” 

Kai widened his eyes. “What? You just… trained with her?” 

Taemin raised his brows. “What else would I do with her?” 

Kai’s opened mouth turned dry, as he forced down a gulp. “Then… well… what about Lady Son? You asked about her nightmares last time.” 

Taemin paused, before answering lightly. “We… left the palace to a beach.” 

Kai’s mouth opened again, this time much larger than the previous one. “WHAT?!” He exclaimed. “You LEFT the palace, and went to the BEACH with her?” 

Taemin turned away with tint of red in his ears. “It’s just the beach, nothing special.”

Kai rolled his eyes. “NOTHING SPECIAL?!” He scoffed. “First of all, you’re not meeting her in the palace — that’s already an exception, and you even brought her to a beach?” 

Taemin shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, I just wanted to bring her out somewhere where there would be enough warmth and sunlight plus to watch the sea view. It’s boring inside palace walls.” 

And it would help her nightmares… He thought to himself. 

“I knew it. I knew you were interested Lady Son when you asked for reports of her nightmares!” 

Taemin sighed. “Gosh jongin. You’re kinda loud.” 

Kai smirked. “Well then, how was the beach date with Lady Son?” 

Taemin stifled another sneeze, as the sound of her laughter echoed in his mind. His smile widen as he lowered his head for another sip of tea. 
“Stop being so nosy jongin.” 

After sending another eye-roll to his best friend, Kai pursed his lips.  “Does…Krystal know you’re interested in Lady Son?” 

Taemin shrugged. “What’s that got to do with Krystal?” 

Kai blinked, then his pupils darted away. 

Taemin stared closely at his best friend, then sighed. “Stop listening to those rumours, Jongin. We both know that Krystal and I never had feelings for each other.” 

Kai pursed his lips.

……

As usual, Naeun stood at the back of the ladies, as they waited for another announcement. 

“Lady Yoo, how was the meeting with the Prince?” One of the ladies asked. 

Yooa’s foxy eyes shot a glance at the lady, then flipped her hair nonchalantly. “It went well, of course. I met him at a beautiful place in the palace and we had afternoon tea together. The Prince was very well-mannered and called me Lady Yoo. We had a wonderful time.” Clearly in a daze, she spoke in a pitched voice that gave Naeun goosebumps. 

“What about you, Lady Kang?” 

Seulgi answered timidly. “The Prince met me at the gardens. We had a small talk.” 

A flicker of shock passed through Yooa’s gaze, until her look remained cold and smug. 

“How about you, Lady Jung, aren’t you close with the Prince? Did he bring you to somewhere else?” A few ladies sneered, while some casted wary glances at the lady dressed in black. 

“Mind your own business.” Krystal scoffed. 

Yooa shot a look at her, before turning to the last target. 

“And you, Lady Son?” 

“I… I also met the Prince at the gardens.” Naeun forced a smile, nodding her head at Seulgi in reassurance. 

Naeun ignored Yooa’s victorious smirk, as footsteps clattered on the marble floor. 

“Ladies, your next mission is to prepare a special talent. You will be given 3 days until you perform or showcase the talent to the Queen and the Prince. This will be vital for the selection into the semi-finals. Please come prepared.” The chamberlain finished with a bow, before exiting the room. 

With Hayoung by her side, Naeun waited until everyone left, before shuffling her feet out of the room. Hayoung muttered to her. 

“My lady… the Prince is actually quite nice to you…” 

“He brought you outside the palace, to a beach, he had fun with you, gave you his coat… and he even dropped the titles and called you your first name!” Hayoung whispered in excitement. 

“Say… do you think he’s interested in you?” 

Naeun sighed. “I really hope he isn’t. All I want to do is to figure out what happened my dream, then leave right away so I can go home, draw as much I can and get rid of the nightmares forever.”

For the special talent mission, Naeun was planning to paint. Art was always more than her hobby - it was her passion, that brought her out of the nightmares. She thought deeply in her room, brainstorming and drafting her ideas out. This mission will be the last one before the semi-finals. The top 5 ranked individuals will be chosen to advance to the next rounds. She is ranked 4th at the moment, with Lady Yoo and Lady Jung at the top two places. She was at a risky position. If she had to stay for the upcoming rounds, and the contest, she must bring win this mission, and hoist herself up to at least top 3, before claiming a safe spot for the semi-finals, and possibly, the finals. 

She pursed her lips and scrunched her eyebrows. If she had to win… her painting must contain some special meaning - meaningful enough that could bring out a Queen’s concerns, and responsibilities. It must link to the country. 

Suddenly, a thought struck her. Her lips curled into an excited smile, as she drafted her painting with a thin pencil, noting down the colours, texture and contour that she would use on a separate sheet. Her thoughts poured on the draft, as her hands travelled past the canvas swiftly. 

While her hands were busy, the sun sank below the horizon. She twisted her neck and rotated her wrist, as Hayoung pressed on her shoulder gently, then rose to prepare Naeun’s night routine. 

“You’ve worked hard today, my lady.” Hayoung’s eyes curled, with a tint of worry, as she shuffled the sheets. 

Naeun shook her head in reassurance, glanced at her unfinished painting, then crept up on her bed. Hayoung curtsied, then glanced at her lady, who laid with her eyes wide-open. 

“Don’t worry too much, my lady.” She offered a comfort to her lady, before leaving the room with a click from the door. 

Naeun sighed, before her eyelids drooped closed. 

Like last night, she was drawn back to the forest. This time, the shot froze when her attacker collapsed with a thud. 

She creaked her trembling eyes open at the man who lay lifelessly with an arrow pierced through his chest.

She squinted. Consciously, she tried to force herself up from the forest floor to check on the dead man. However, her legs remain stoned to the ground. Sensing that she couldn’t rise, she turned her head frantically, trying to find the figure that appeared in her dream last night. 

But the dark forest froze.

Time stopped. Her jaw clenched as she uttered a frustrated sigh. 

Her dream decided to stop right there. 

Soon later, the scenes twirled around her again, as she found herself star