Irene

Seulgi hesitated to dance. She isn't familiar with the commoners' method of dancing, so she had to remove my hand away from hers. Perhaps it was my desperation to dance with her that caused me to disregard her stance.

     Seulgi apologised with a regretful expression on her face. "Excuse me, your majesty. As much as I want to... I'm not familiar with the dance, and I don't want to humiliate the empress of the empire, regardless of whether we're dressed in disguise."

     I turned to look at the people dancing, then back at her. "All right, how about we simply watch them?" I smiled, assuring her that I didn't take her rejection as something that offended me. "Whenever you're ready, just tell me."

     The sound of the flute continued, followed by the accompaniment of the violin, guitar, and drums. Everyone kept dancing, and even children joined in. As they danced around the colored pavements, the people linked their arms.

     "What is this dance called?" Seulgi asked. 

     "Well, recalling what I learned, it's "Freiheit." Back during the empire's founding, a traveling merchant from the Western Continent came to the empire and shared this dance, which he named "Freiheit" meaning "freedom.". It's befitting since this dance has no rules on how to perform it. You can waltz, glide, or play around with the rhythm, unlike most noble customs wherein everything should be done based on tradition or accepted practices. As years go by, the Southern people changed the rules and now it has become a free dance."

     After a round, the music stopped - baffling the lady beside me.

     "Just like noble parties," I began, "Commoners also have rounds of music, my dear saint. The night is young and music won't stop until dawn."

     Seulgi and I decided to take a break in an adjacent park. She attempted to retrace the steps she saw at the dance - beginning with foot patterns and moving on to hand movements. 

     Rowoon and I watched as the saint relished her memory with her movements.

     "I wonder what makes the saint so eager to dance," Rowoon said, extending a skewer to me, which I declined. "I presume her grace finds the commoner's dance... unusual. Although, the dance pattern of the performance is just a mixture of existing dances."

     "Or perhaps she simply wants to enjoy the excitement of the people while dancing," I said. "Seulgi has been doing her holy responsibilities ever since she became the saint. Hearing her stories with Yeri, her life is filled with study, meditation, and politics—there was scarcely any enjoyment at all. She wasn't allowed to ride a horse alone in the East and can only do so if she was with the prince. Thus, let's give her this satisfaction, Rowoon."

     Seulgi stopped dancing. "No, that's not right." She faced me and Rowoon, "Sir Rowoon, will you please stand before me?"

     Rowoon cleaned his hands with a cloth before walking towards the saint. "Will you mind if I touch you?" Seulgi asked. Rowoon only nodded his head in approval. Next, Seulgi placed her right hand on Rowoon's shoulder, then her left hand raised to the side. "Now, please place your right hand on my waist, then your left hand on your back."

     "What are you doing?" I asked.

     "I'm trying a part of the dance," Seulgi instructed Rowoon to take two steps back before taking a turn and taking three steps forward. 

     I couldn't stop laughing at my shadow's sloppy waltz. Even though Rowoon is of noble lineage, he is more proficient in fighting than in noble duties. So my dear friend kept tripping or skipping a stride.

     Rowoon stopped, "I would appreciate it if her majesty will stop laughing." He spat. He bowed his head to Seulgi, "I apologise, your grace. I simply am not gifted with dancing."

     I rose to my feet. "Why didn't you ask me to help you instead of Rowoon?" Rowoon stood back and allowed me to approach the saint. "Like we've never danced together before. I'm also more knowledgeable about the dance."

     Seulgi replied, "I just want to see what it feels like to dance with a man,"

     "You danced with Suho,"

     "Other than Suho,"

     "Are you perhaps eyeing Rowoon?" I asked, jokingly.

     "