A/N: Please, excuse any mistakes.

 

 

The autumnal equinox is upon Choson, ushering in the day of the mid-autumn festival, Hangawi---an annual celebration of a bountiful harvest year. The entire kingdom observes the festivities of the day with loved ones and it is no different in the royal palace, as its members enjoy a feast, and entertainment provided by performing troupes.

Presently, a puppet play is in progress and Mura is very much a barrel of laughs, as she finds the comedic play utterly hysterical. Every time she finds a moment to be humorous, she breaks into a guffaw and subliminally slaps the arm of the Crown Prince, who sits next to her and is not even remotely amused by the puppet act.

"Oho, Sejabin," Baekhyun scolds after the said woman delivers a rather stinging slap. "Must you strike me every time you regard something to be hilarious?"

Mura casts a guilty expression. "Apologies, Choha."

Both of them redirect their attention back to the performance. The play provokes another laugh out of the Crown Princess and as soon as she instinctively raises her hand, Baekhyun glares at her warningly.

"Do not dare."

Mura quickly sets down her hand and bites her tongue. That had been close. 

The festivity, eventually, draws to a conclusion once the sun descends.

"Choha, did you not enjoy the puppet play? You didn't even break into a single smile." Mura asks the Crown Prince on their way to their quarters.

"Quite frankly, I find such acts painfully unfunny."

"Oho, you lack so much humor," Mura complains. "Come to think of it, I do not believe I have ever witnessed you laugh hysterically."

"I am not one to be amused so easily." Baekhyun shares.

"Is that so?"

"Hmm." Baekhyun nods.

Mura presses her lips together and squints her eyes in concentration. "Do you wish to make a wager?"

"A wager?" Baekhyun looks perplexed.

"Yes, I shall attempt at making you laugh. If I fail at it, you may ask anything of me and I shall honor it. However, if I succeed then you shall honor a request of mine."

Baekhyun scoffs. "What a silly idea."

"Please? It'll be fun!" 

The Crown Princess pleads so endearingly that Baekhyun can't find it in his heart to decline. "Very well."

Mura's expression lights up. 

"But beware, victory won't come easily, if at all. I meant it when I said I'm not easily amused."

"Oh, you leave that to me, Choha. I shall make you laugh by hook or by crook."

 

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Upon entering the royal palace, Sehun walks in the direction of his royal cousin's quarters. On his way, he happens upon whom he recognizes to be one of the handmaids belonging to his cousin's personnel.

Sehun fixes his posture and approaches the maid from behind. "Hello."

Janshil flinches from the sudden voice. She turns. "Oh, Doryeonnim?" She bows.

"Did I frighten you?"

"A little."

"My apologies. Are you heading towards the Crown Princess' quarters?"

"Yes."

"So am I. Shall we walk together?"

Janshil is reluctant but agrees, nonetheless. She does not wish to offend the young lord. Although, she does not understand why he is acting so amiable towards her. He does tend to send friendly smiles her way during his visits but it is the first time the young lord has chosen to speak to her.

"What is your name?" Sehun asks.

"Janshil," the maid answers warily. 

"Pleased to formally make your acquaintance, Janshil. My name is Sehun."

"Yes, I know."

"Oh, you do?" Sehun is pleased. "I am delighted you remembered my name."

"We have arrived," Janshil says, bowing, as they reach the Crown Princess' residence. 

Sehun looks up at the building. "Ah, yes, so we have." However, instead of entering the quarters he just awkwardly lingers.

Janshil is puzzled by it. "Doryeonnim, won't you enter?"

"Ah, yes, yes," Sehun chuckles, embarrassed. He then attempts at adding one last thought but decides against it. He quietly walks away and enters the Crown Princess' quarters. 

Janshil furrows her eyebrows, truly perplexed by the young lord's strange behavior.

Sehun enters his cousin's chamber to find the said cousin slouched over a piece of parchment on a writing desk, holding a writing brush. "Ah, Sehun-ah, you have arrived at a perfect time. I'm in need of your assistance."

"How may I assist you, nui?" Sehun takes a seat on the floor cushion across from his cousin.

"I've been attempting at writing a few clever jests but to very little success. Can you help me?"

"For what purpose?"

"I have made a wager with the Crown Prince that I can make him laugh, and I must win this wager, at all cost. My pride depends upon it."

"Fret not, dear cousin. As you know already, I am quite renowned for my sense of humor. I have many jokes at my disposal that are sure to render the Crown Prince a bundle of laughs."

Mura's expression brightens. "I knew I could depend on you, Sehun-ah."

Sehun gives a conceited smile. "All right, let us begin, shall we?"

 

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"Choha, Sejabin-mama seeks your permission to enter." A eunuch says from the other side of Baekhyun's chamber door.

"Enter." Baekhyun, who had been preoccupied with some outstanding tasks from the daytime, permits.

Mura enters the chamber and bows to the prince. "Am I disturbing you, Choha?"

"No, your timing is impeccable. I have just finished off."

Mura sits on one of the floor cushions. "May I interest you with some hilarity then?"

"Is it in regards to the wager?"

Mura bites her bottom lip and nods. 

"Very well, proceed."

Mura clears . "A wife tells her husband, 'you must remember, my dear, that my taste is better than yours.' The husband then says, 'undoubtedly, when we come to consider that you married me and I married you.'" Mura giggles. 

Not a single facial muscle moves in Baekhyun's expression.

Mura is disappointed. "No matter." She mutters. "On to the next one. A wife asks her husband, 'if a ferocious wild animal were to charge at us, which would you save first, the children or me?' The husband then answers, 'me.'" Mura begins to brays.

Baekhyun's expression remains stoic.

"Dash it, that was funny!" Mura insists, vexed.

"The goal is to make me laugh, not yourself." Baekhyun deadpans.

Mura puffs her cheeks. "I have more."

"Splendid," Baekhyun says wryly. 

"I will admit, this one is rather vulgar."

"Oh?" Baekhyun quirks his eyebrows, intrigued.

"A servant runs up to the matron of the household, 'Manim, Manim, your husband has run away with the cook!' The matron sighs in relief and says---" Mura cups and giggles, blushing. "It is indeed quite crass." She giggles again.

Baekhyun patiently awaits the punchline.

"The matron says, 'thank goodness, I may, at last, have the maid all to myself.'" She cackles, concealing her face.

Baekhyun does not share the laugh, though, looks at his consort mirthfully.

Mura looks at the other with a disheartened expression. "Nothing?"

Baekhyun tilts his head. "Do all your jests revolve around a wife and a husband?"

Mura ponders over her options before grunting. "Cripes! That Sehun, good for nothing!" She grits before angrily getting up and leaving.

"Is that all, Sejabin?" Baekhyun shouts from behind her. "I was under the impression you had plenty more of these hilarious gems." He taunts. "Is it safe to assume I am the victor of this wager?"

Mura returns, sliding the chamber door open harshly. "It isn't over, yet. I shall return with more!" She declares before sliding the door shut just as aggressively.

"I look forward to it," Baekhyun shouts, chuckling. He's more amused by the Crown Princess' reactions to his lack of a reaction to the jokes than the jokes themselves.

 

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The following day, as soon as Baekhyun steps out of his quarters, he is approached by his consort but she addresses him with her face concealed behind a hand fan. She then suddenly lowers the fan and Baekhyun winces at the reveal.

The Crown Princess is wearing exaggeratedly done makeup, where all her features are emphasized in a manner that can only be described as frightening. Her lips have been overdrawn with rouge. Her eyes have been heavily lined with kohl. So have her eyebrows, where a line has been drawn between the two brows to create a singular brow. The princess then smiles, and to Baekhyun's sheer horror, the despicable smile exhibits a missing tooth, which upon closer inspection reveals itself to be merely a black taint that has been painted over the tooth to give the illusion of a missing tooth.

Mura, on the other hand, is none too pleased with the Crown Prince's reaction. It isn't what she had been hoping for. "Does it not invoke any humor in you?"

"The only things this invokes are fear and what I reckon would be horrific nightmares, later tonight."

Mura visibly deflates before defeatedly turning around and walking away.

Baekhyun shakes off the unsettling image of his consort's scarily painted face before resuming towards his intended destination and prays for no such nightmares to visit him in his sleep.

 

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A few days later.

"Choha!" Mura waves at the Crown Prince when he enters their shared courtyard. 

As Baekhyun approaches the Crown Princess and the members of her retinue, he discovers a plate full of eggs perched on the ground. "What is happening here?"

"We're playing a game to see how many shells of these boiled eggs we can crack using our foreheads without crushing them. Do you wish to try?"

"No." Baekhyun declines. The Crown Princess always manages to conjure up strange ideas for games in order to entertain herself. 

"Oh, please? I must entreat you. Humor me."

"I truly do not wish to---"

"Are you afraid you may crush it?" She tuts. "Who knew the Crown Prince of this great nation cowered over mere eggs?"

"Fine! Hand me one."

Mura gives a pleased grin and hands the Crown Prince an egg.

Baekhyun huffs out a breath as a way of mentally preparing himself before carefully knocking the egg against his forehead. To his delight. he successfully cracks its shell without smashing and making a mess of it. 

Mura claps and prompts others to do the same. "Well done, Choha!"

Baekhyun presents a boastful smile.

"Bu Naegwan, do you wish to try?" Mura asks her husband's eunuch.

"Yes." Samnom immediately agrees. "I have played this game many times and am quite competent at it."

"Oh my, in that case, I have high expectations." Mura offers the eunuch an egg. "Do not disappoint your Crown Princess."

"I wouldn't dare, Mama." Samnom says before taking the egg in his grasp. 

The eunuch slaps the egg against his forehead and the egg instantly smashes and the content trickles down his nose. It turns out, this particular egg is a raw one. 

A cacophony of laughter ensues.

"Mama." Samnom sobs before scurrying away. Likely to clean his face.

Baekhyun, who keeps his composure and a straight face, shakes his head. Of course, this had all been a ploy, crafted by the Crown Princess, in order to make him crack.

"Seriously, Choha? Not so much as a chuckle?" Mura whines. "There isn't a world where this cannot be considered funny."

"This isn't funny. Only cruel." Baekhyun lies before heading inside his quarters. He actually regards it to be quite humorous. Who knew he appreciated humor when it is presented at the expense of others? However, he will not admit to it, nor will he allow himself to break. He refuses to give the Crown Princess the satisfaction. He will win this wager.

 

 ╚══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══╝

 

Two days later.

"Choha, Sejabin-mama seeks your permission to enter."

"Enter."

Mura steps inside the Crown Prince's chamber and bows.

"Have you, at last, come to declare me victorious?" Baekhyun asks arrogantly. 

"Not yet. I have one final trick at my disposal that I wish to try."

"You cannot recognize defeat when faced with it, can you, Sejabin? Very well. What have you got for me today?"

"Would you kindly oblige me by standing up and presenting yourself before me?"

"Sure." Baekhyun gets up and stands before Mura. He smirks. "What---"

The Crown Prince does not get to finish his thought, as the Crown Princess extends her arms and tickles his abdomen, which earns her a high-pitched giggle.

Baekhyun immediately pulls away and places a hand over his mouth, astonished by the sound that slipped out of it.

Mura, on the other hand, appears as though she has struck gold.

Baekhyun slowly steps backward and shakes his head. "No, Sejanbin. Do not advance any further."

But Mura does not heed the words of her husband, as she eyes him like a predator going for the kill. 

"As the Crown Prince, I command you to not---" Baekhyun breaks into a fit of laughter as the Crown Princess pounces and begins to tickle him.

"No, No." Baekhyun huffs between laughs before collapsing to the floor. 

Mura kneels down and continues to tickle him.

"This cannot count. This is cheating." Baekhyun manages to vocalize, while he thrashes on the floor.

"No, it isn't. We didn't agree on any particular terms as to how the wager should be carried out. The goal had simply been to make you laugh, by hook or by crook, and it is quite evident I'm succeeding at that." Mura argues.

"Fine! I accept defeat. Now, please, cease this assault, at once!"

Mura laughs. "I choose to decline your request." She continues to tickle the Crown Prince.

"Stop, I cannot breathe." Baekhyun wheezes. "Enough." His pleas fall on deaf ears. Ere long, an opportunity arises and Baekhyun manages to clutch both of the Crown Princess' hands, fling her to the floor onto her back, and pin her arms on either side of her head. "I said enough." He husks.

Baekhyun breathes erratically while his body lingers over the Crown Princess, who stares at him with doe eyes, no longer bearing an expression of amusement. All too aware of their closeness, the Crown Prince's gaze goes to rake over the other's visage before fixing itself on her slightly parted mouth. It's so close to his own that if he were to dip his head even the slightest their lips would surely meet---

"Choha, permission to enter your chamber." Comes the voice of Samnom.

Baekhyun is pulled out of his stupor and immediately separates himself from his consort. "One moment." He gets up before offering a hand to the Crown Princess who still remains on the floor. 

Mura, with the assisting hand of the Crown Prince, gets up on her feet. Both of them are seemingly avoiding eye contact.

"Enter," Baekhyun commands.

Samnom enters the room. "Apologies for the interruption, Choha, but the King has summoned you to his quarters."

"All right, I shall be out shortly."

The eunuch bows and leaves the room. 

"I should go," Mura says looking at the floor.

"What of your reward for winning the wager?"

"I shall request it at another time." Mura then bows before exiting the Crown Prince's chamber. 

As she walks into her own quarters Mura feels a strange fluttering sensation in her chest, right where her heart is.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

It isn't just any other racing of the heart. Not the kinds she has been used to, at least. For instance, it is not like the ones she would experience before beginning a duel or when attempting at entering the courtesan house while disguised as a man. The feeling she is currently experiencing due to her rapid heartbeat is something, although not unpleasant, entirely new and unfamiliar. 

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

Mura shakes her head, as though that'll help shake off this feeling. She chooses not to dwell in it any longer and goes about her day.

 

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A/N: Is it normal to gush over characters that you, yourself, have written because I'm so smitten by Baek and Mura. Lol. I had fun writing this chapter. And, ooo, Mura is feeling a little something, something? Maybe? *wiggles eyebrows* Hehe.