Ever since that night, Seungwan felt a large burden had been lifted off her chest. Nothing really changed between the couple. But the seventh prince had more bounce in her steps as she helped the cooks, more energy during morning training, and a bit more eager to learn…

It was one of those nights when their little group had gathered together for a drink after an exhausting day of training and meetings. Only the Three Great Generals and Joohyun were absent.

“Say, Seungwan, I keep forgetting to ask this. What is it like having our captain as your wife?”

A little wave of hollers erupted.

“That’s right, how’s it like? I envy you for having found your other half. And you’re only, what, eighteen years of age?”

“Ai, Leetuk’s drunk already.”

“Ignore him Seungwan, he’s just jealous because he hasn’t found anyone yet.”

Seungwan gave Leetuk her jar of wine. “Just her appearance itself is enviable.” She looked up at the starry night. “She has these beautiful deer–like eyes that are filled with stars whenever she gives this loving look and a high nose bridge. There’s a part of her that I really like…”

“Ai, our rookie’s a lovesick fool~”

“Ai~”

Seungwan’s half–hearted glare didn’t have any effect on the teasers. She took back her jar of wine from Leetuk.

“So which part is it…?”

Seungwan smiled. A flush creeping upon her cheeks. Was it from the wine or her heart? “When she turns to the side, looking at me from a forty–five–degree angle. But you can't look into her eyes for too long, you'll fall for her.”

“Ai~:

“A fool~”

Unknown to them, Joohyun had been watching from afar. She had finished up the reports for her father and was making her way to the group. The hollering made her jump in surprise. When she drew closer, she stopped and listened to Seungwan’s reply.

The corner of Joohyun’s lips lifted up but she tried to remain a poker face as she approached them. “Aren’t you all fools? Who made my husband drunk?”

Fingers were pointed in all kinds of directions. Joohyun left them and dragged Seungwan back to their tent. It proved to be difficult with the prince drunkenly shouting about how beautiful her wife was. Joohyun was thankful it was nighttime, and the majority of the camp was asleep.

“Alright, alright, I get it.” She dropped Seungwan onto their bed. “Your wife is really pretty.” Then she helped remove her boots and outer robes.

“D–did you knowwww…” Seungwan slurred from the bed. “all these yearsss…she has grown to be even more fatal…”

If Joohyun was only bright in the cheeks from before, she was definitely red all over now. She still couldn’t believe she never had an inkling about the other’s feelings. “All these years you say. But since when exactly…?” Could she really have been so blind about the matters of the heart? Could she just be ignorant of such?

After she helped Seungwan to bed, she discarded her own outer robes. But instead of following the other into the land of dreams, she made her way over to the wing–room. The jar of wine Seungwan was hugging onto from before, now in her hand. She chugged a mouthful and settled on the couch.

Since Seungwan bared her heart, Joohyun had been trying to search within her own as well. She knew there were no romantic attractions she felt towards the latter. But there was a bond that was more than just friends. Where they were able to identify the positive traits between each other that complete them. Seungwan filled in what she lacked.

Joohyun took another sip. A smile danced across her lips as she reminisced their letters of when she was at war.

…

It had been three years since she joined the Wolfsbane Army. So far, she made it into the cavalry division. Although General Heechul had advised her she’d rise much faster if she were to enter the artillery division, she had other thoughts. As the city guard general, Heechul’s unit of command was over the artillery. But Joohyun wanted to fight alongside her father, the left vanguard general. In the cavalry unit, she’d be able to charge at the enemy on horseback with Taeyeon.

Although conditions of the cavalries were a bit better than those of the infantry divisions, there was still a fair share of harassment. Due to Joohyun’s reserved nature, others often mistake her as arrogant and descending towards everyone else. The, back then, Captain Yesung had suggested she find a close group to adapt with. But it was difficult. She was a leader, not a follower. This made her the target of several sparring sessions.

When she briefly mentioned her dilemma to Seungwan to ask for advice on how to become more social, the prince had completely disregarded the inquiry. Joohyun’s dilemma was interpreted as a form of bullying and Seungwan was no stranger to that. Instead, she told Joohyun to pay back a thousand times the price of the harassment they in