Jessica’s condition improves slowly but surely with each passing day, and the King and Queen are beyond delighted; they are happy to let Taeyeon continue staying with them and give her whatever she requests as long as she continues to help their daughter.

Jessica herself is content to spend time with Taeyeon each day, listening to the enchanting music that flows from her harp when her fingers touch the strings.  In fact, she secretly looks forward to Taeyeon’s daily visits, growing anxious when Taeyeon arrives slightly later than usual.  She doesn’t express this, of course.  They become a lot closer too, the initial awkwardness between them long gone.  In between pieces, they talk and sometimes banter, and Taeyeon often forgets that she’s but a commoner talking to a princess.

Jessica doesn’t even notice the improvement in her condition at first.  It’s only after it’s pointed out to her by the doctor and her servants that she really reflects on it, and finally attributes the welcome change to Taeyeon and her music.  She manages to wake up most days now, her appetite is slowly returning, and the fevers are becoming more infrequent.  The exhaustion clings to her like a stubborn child, but she finds repose whenever Taeyeon comes with her harp.

Jessica’s been paying more attention to Taeyeon these days, in more ways than one.  While her own beauty can be attributed to a combination of years of careful grooming, cosmetics, and dietary supplementation, Taeyeon’s is natural and unique.  She finds that she could stare at Taeyeon for hours without boring of her presence, and wonders if Taeyeon has any suitors back in Mist.  She also wonders why she doesn’t particularly like that thought, but doesn’t allow herself to dwell on it for too long because of how mesmerised she becomes by Taeyeon’s harp playing.  The way her fingers move so gracefully yet decisively over the strings, with a perfect balance of technicality and emotion to produce the most wondrous melodies which rejuvenate both her body and soul.  Jessica likes watching Taeyeon almost as much as she likes listening to her play.  She wants to ask Taeyeon what it’s like to be able to play such captivating music, how she learned to play like that, where she got her harp from, who all the people she’s helped are and how she managed to help them… and so much more.  Sometimes she manages to ask these questions, but the opportunity usually never arises.  Just as she’s sure Taeyeon must want to know more about her life in Damcyan, Jessica grows more and more curious about the mystery that is Taeyeon.

There’s only one problem.  With each day that Jessica’s health improves, her mind becomes more lucid.  And with that accompanies thoughts about the future.  She worries that if she makes a full recovery, her parents will dismiss Taeyeon from her position in the palace and ask her to leave.  No, in fact, she knows that that’s what will happen.  The irony of her situation weighs heavier on Jessica’s mind the more attached she becomes to Taeyeon’s presence in her life, and manifests itself in a strange kind of insecurity that she’s never felt before, that she’s never had to feel before.  Sometimes, when Jessica can’t help herself, she projects these negative feelings onto the object of her vexations, in the form of being sulky or irritable towards Taeyeon.  She’s sure that Taeyeon doesn’t understand her sudden and random mood swings, nor is she going to try and explain herself, but Taeyeon always tries her best to appease Jessica when this happens and adjust her responses in accordance to her needs.  This makes Jessica feel even worse sometimes; she knows she’s behaving immaturely and shouldn’t take advantage of Taeyeon’s kindness, but her insecurities about Taeyeon leaving become too much to bear at times.  And it’s not as if she can talk to anyone about them either.  Jessica also wishes she could find out