Inside the palace, a woman marched hastily through the halls. She was dressed in a blue satin long dress underneath a white wool coat. An admonishing frown was present on her aged yet elegant face. The woman's footsteps echoed through the polished quartz floors, prompting every servant she passed by to bow down at her disposal. The palace people tensed uneasily. Her Majesty has always been a warm and calm individual, a stark contrast to their strict and stoic king. They weren't used to the negative expression masking her usually smiling visage.

Though the servants had an idea why she was uncharacteristically distressed, and their hunch was correct.

It has come to the queen's attention that her husband had given another earful to the princess. The news had no problem reaching her, as apparently it happened with a lot of eyes present. The king had publicly embarrassed her daughter yet again. While she did in fact get into trouble in only the first day of their week-long training at Hillcrest, it didn't have to be used as ammunition to wear down Seulgi's already faltering coinfidence.

When she finally reached her husband's study, she immediately opened the door without announcing her presence. The gesture annoyed the room's occupant.

"Is it not disrespectful to come in here unannounced?" Came a gruff scolding voice upon her entrance. The queen merely rolled her eyes and motioned for her lady-in-waiting to leave them alone. Once the doors closed, she heaved a sigh.

"There was no need to be so harsh on her, Byung-ho."

Byung-ho Kang, the famed king of the North himself, turned around in mild surprise. He was dressed in a long leather coat, the color mirroring his wife's dress. At the sight of said woman, his voice lost its edge and took on a more familiar tone. "Eun-jeong, it's just you."

"When are you going to start being responsible with our daughter? She went beyond Myungbok's gate for heaven's sake! And all you can do is talk badly about her for the second time today?" She ignored his greeting, immediately cutting to the subject.

Her husband shook his head. "I am being responsible, Eun-jeong, that is why I will keep repeating those words when it is deemed necessary, she needs to hear it."

Eun-jeong frowned, and Byung-ho didn't like it. As much as he disliked the disappointment that painted his wife's face, he still had a reason for his actions.

Before he had the chance to retort, Eun-jeong cut him off. "You are probably thinking that this is the best course of action for her."

Byung-ho kept his mouth shut. It was partly true. She really was the only person in Alvedum that can stand up to him, but it didn't matter because he let her anyway.

Eirwen's current leading monarchs were one of the fortunate ones in terms of marriage. They didn't have to go through the brunt and pressure of being trapped in an arrangement just for the sake of power. Byung-ho and Eun-jeong met in the academy and fell in love on their own will. With both coming from equally prominent families in the kingdom, there wasn't much of an opposition once the topic of marriage was brought up.

Eun-jeong knew that beneath her husband's tough exterior, he was a really sweet and thoughtful man. Those were only a few of his many facets that pushed her to fall in love with him. That is why she really didn't understand his choice to be so cold to his own daughter. In the long run, she feared for the same treatment to happen to Seulgi's younger siblings as well.

She remembered Byung-ho being ecstatic upon the first time she told him about the news of her pregnancy. The man had been equally as nervous about how he was going to face and manage the whole ordeal of parenthood. But somewhere along the way, a month before she was due to be exact, something in him changed. Every day that lead to Seulgi's birth, he became rigid whenever the unborn baby was the center of the topic. Byung-ho often spaced out into nothingness, as if he was in deep thought.

Eun-jeong simply assumed that it was his nerves getting the best of him, but once baby Seulgi Kang—their precious little princess was born, he had turned into a frightening and strict adult instead of being a warm and supportive father to the little girl as she grew up. Eun-jeong questioned many times then if he really was the man she fell in love with.

"It is, because Seulgi cannot afford to be weak, Eun-jeong." He insisted.

The queen released an exasperated laugh. "Seulgi is still merely a child, Byung-ho, and even now she is a far cry from being weak."

"She becomes a bumbling mess when she is asked to speak in front of two or more people. Moreover, she cannot fight to save her life." Byung-ho scoffed. "Others will think that she is feeble and incompetent!"

"And why do you think that happens?"

The king faced her, puzzled by her question. He remained silent which indicated that he didn't have an answer.

"Everyday your daughter is being reduced to a mum child because people never listen to her, Byung-ho, and they do that in the first place because you shut her down." Eun-jeong glared at him. "She may not be as skilled as other younsters are in combat, but she excels tremendously in all her classes. She is strong, just in another way."

Eun-jeong took a step closer, wanting her husband to really hear and comprehend what she wants to say. "You gave her the name 'Seulgi' hoping that she would grow up to be a competent and wise woman and she is Byung-ho, believe me she is. You just need to give her time."

Noticing her husband's stubborn and untrusting eyes, she went on. "Are you aware about what happened in the marketplace?"

"I am, about how she recklessly destroyed a great deal of the area, yes?" He sarcastically asked.

"No, about how at this time, that particular area already looks as good as the day they opened their business, all because Seulgi wasted no time in giving orders the moment she stepped into the palace." Eun-jeong replied. "All the while you were thinking of new and creative insults to throw at your daughter instead of asking her if she was alright."

That took him aback. His mind had been clouded with anger about how Seulgi caused trouble again. He hadn't had the time to think about his people's well-being.

"Seulgi is destined to become a great leader, I have faith in that. She is extremely intelligent as she is extremely kind, but you wouldn't know that because you never bother to make the time to actually know her."

Byung-ho willed a word to come out of his mouth, but not one did. Yet again it disappointed Eun-jeong. Seeing as he made not another retort, she gingerly picked up a blue box from his table and headed for the door in defeated steps. Once she grasped the cold metal knob, she turned around to face her silent husband. "You are a great king, Byung-ho, but you need to remember that you also need to be a good father."

Now with his wife's absence, his study was left silent. The tension in the room continued to waft through the air. Byung-ho approached his chair and sat on it with a sigh. He raised his head to stare at a certain painting across the room, a pair of intimidating and sharp obsidian orbs staring back at him.

"I apologize, Eun-jeong."

"Make no mistakes, Byung-ho, the fate of Eirwen rests on her shoulders."

"But I made a promise, and I intend to keep it."

___

After ensuring that Frost had a good bath as well, Seulgi navigated herself through the halls of her home. She stopped at a certain door. It was painted white and blue similar to all the other doors in the palace. But just like an exclusive few including hers, it had an intricate display of Eirwen's crest proudly carved onto it.

Seulgi chuckled to herself seeing paint stains of different colors coating the door knob. She was only gone from the palace for a few days and it seemed like her hobbies might have rubbed off on her little sisters.

The young heiress straightened her posture before performing a special knock pattern. It was silent for a few moments, until faint rustling and hushed whispers could be heard from the other side. It wasn't long when the door opened to reveal two small figures grinning excitedly at her.

"Seulgi-unnie! You're back!"

"Hey, twins." She grinned back. "Have you two been good while I was away today?"

One of the two little girls grabbed Seulgi's hand and told the other one to close the door. They both dragged her further inside the room until they reached the bed. As they sat, the oldest stared at the both of them, waiting for an answer. They stared back.

Like Seulgi, one of the twins inherited their father's piercing cat eyes. Meanwhile, the other fell heir to their mother's hypnotizing round orbs. One was gentle, with a hint of determination and intelligence quietly bristling underneath. The other radiated a thrumming energy, a speck of persistent mischief glinting through.

"I have!"

"Is that right, Minjeong?" Seulgi smiled at her sister's overly eager answer.

"Yes!" Minjeong nodded excitedly. She pointed at her twin. "But I don't know about Yeji."

"Are you really saying I'm the troublesome one?" The smaller cat-eyed girl deadpanned.

"I don't know what that word means, but yes."

Seulgi chuckled in amusement at her answer. Yeji on the other hand, sighed. It was a familiar habit she gained while being around Minjeong basically everyday. The oldest draped her arms on their much smaller shoulders and pulled them closer. "Okay before you two start arguing again, I want to ask about how your day went, was it fun?"

Minjeong perked up in her arms. "Oh lots of fun! We did some painting today!"

Seulgi