In the lonely night, I pray to the heavens in your absence.

A presence of warmth lingers from our moment of farewell.

The moon sat idle amid the starlit heavens. A young miss of unrivalled beauty sat near an opened window. She interlocked her hands and brought it to her chest. Then she closed her eyes. The graceful girl was the third daughter of Prime Minister Hwang, Young Miss Hwang Miyoung. The Hwangs were a family of loyal subjects of the Cui Kingdom. Their eldest young master was a man of intelligence. The second miss, a beauty of exquisite talents. And lastly, Miyoung was a character with a magnanimous heart. A heart stolen by the second miss of the military Kim Clan, Captain Kim Taeyeon. Just as the couple received blessing from their families for their marriage, the Kims received an edict to assist in the upcoming war. With a heavy heart, the twenty-year old captain obeyed the command and set out to the southern borders with the promise of return.

The path you’ve taken is long and foggy.

Our feelings of sentiment melted from that point on.

A year had passed since the Kims departed the capital city. Four seasons of anxiousness and yearning. Although Miyoung’s sent letters every ten days, she had not received a single one from the captain. Only military reports were allowed in and out of the barracks, personal letters were not permitted she was told. No news is good news they said. But why did she feel a part of her soul had been ripped out from within?

The path of love does not bring happiness.

To lose each other from here on out.

The love between the captain and the young miss of a noble family didn’t have a fanciful start. Taeyeon was a good friend of the third prince of the Cui Kingdom, Choi Minho. She had been invited to the royal palace to participate in a game of cuju, a sport where two divided teams attempt to kick a ball through an opening net without the use of hands. Minho had gotten into a heated argument with the crown prince. The competition was a solution. The contest had unintentionally gathered a crowd of young noble misses and masters alike, save for the ones participating in the game. As the only descendent of a military family compared to the other families of civil officials, the fourteen-year old Taeyeon had felt out of place. But cuju was a field she was born and raised on. It was her specialty. No wonder Minho had addressed her as his secret weapon. Her swift and agile moves dominated the arena. The straw net ball rolled off her leg, seven points! The ball was popped from her shoulder and balanced on the tip of her foot, then kicking it back up in the air she slammed her forehead against it, sending it spiraling into the net, twenty-two points! She would’ve made the last twenty-fifth point too, if it was for the crown prince who had kicked into her left ankle throwing her off balance and the ball was sent backwards from an accidental bicycle kick. The target…young miss Hwang Miyoung’s forehead. Although it was an accident on Taeyeon’s part, the real incident was not noticed by any onlookers. Taeyeon was heavily criticized for causing harm to the Prime Minister’s daughter. As punishment, she was to serve the young miss to her complete recovery. From then on, their love and hate relationship blossomed. Miyoung was an elegant miss that enjoyed the of delicately carved brushes, the sound of bamboo flutes, and taking small bites of food. Taeyeon, on the other hand, was a troublemaking midget that preferred the sword, pranking others, and eating with her hands to quicken the process of eating. But as every lock has a key, the two became each others’ light and darkness. However, the love between families of a civil officer and military officer was never one for thought.

A cloud-like love far out of reach.

Dreaming of our moments once together.

Miyoung was completely beyond Taeyeon’s league. The whole capital city was against it. Worried for the future of their benevolent third miss of the prime minister. The Young Miss smiled as she recalled how Taeyeon had a complete changeabout. Discarding her troublesome nature, she matured into a well-rounded military captain of the Imperial Army. Climbing the military ranks to achieve a noble status to prove her place beside the person her world revolved around. That time, Miyoung had felt one day as three winters. For Taeyeon to have enrolled in the northern barracks to train for three years… But there were no regrets. Taeyeon had reassured her over and over again that their love will conquer all. Whether it was secret letters or short escapees to the spring lantern and mid-autumn festivals, they lived through it all.

Watching the white flowers bare their branches as days of waiting passes by.

In my dream, you came back by chance. But once awaken, I’m left all alone.

Petals of pink cherry blossoms rained upon Miyoung as she strolled the Royal Gardens alongside Taeyeon, hand in hand. They came to a stop when Taeyeon tugged for the other to turn around. With her other hand, the captain gifted Miyoung a red rose. “Those soldiers back at the barrack told me that this symbolizes my affections for you.” Taeyeon’s cheeks were as bright at the raining petals. Miyoung bucked her neck back in laughter, one of her hand attempted to cover . A warm