“You can go ahead, Soojung. We’ll be right over when Sooyeon-unnie wakes up.” Taeyeon smiled as Soojung took her leave. Sooyeon continued sleeping after the youngest Jung left the room. She didn’t move from her position as she slept. 

“Sooyeon-ah…Sooyeon-ah…” Taeyeon said softly as she rubbed the younger girl’s back. “Sooyeon-ah…wake up…it’s already night time and breakfast is ready…” 

The younger Jung moved her hands and wrapped them unto Taeyeon’s waist. With her eyes still closed Sooyeon mumbled, “Taengoo…I’m still sleepy…I don’t want to eat yet since I drank a lot of blood last night…” 

Taeyeon turned to her side which caused Sooyeon to fall on her side facing her twin sister. “Sooyeon-ah…if you don’t wake up now, I’ll leave and head down for breakfast without you…” 

Upon Taeyeon’s words, Sooyeon’s eyes opened and the younger Jung sat up in bed much to Taeyeon’s surprise. “I’m up now, Taeyeon…See?” Sooyeon said as she sat up. 

“Come on! Let’s get out of bed and take a bath before heading for breakfast.” Taeyeon said as she sat up and pulled her twin off the bed. The eldest Jung led her twin to the room where they took a bath. The twins have been used to washing each other and playing during bath time. For other people, these behaviors were weird but to the twins of the head royal family it was just a part of a daily routine. 

Later, the Jung twins found themselves seated at the long table filled with food along with the other members of the royal families. The generals of the vampire kingdom have come together for breakfast with Lord Jung. Taeyeon had seated herself between Sooyeon and Count Kim while the generals’ daughters were seated together with their parents. The great dining hall was filled with the clatter of plates, spoons, and forks. 

Lord Jung cleared his throat after seeing that almost everyone was done with their food. “I would like to announce that the test of the coming of age of members of the royal family has come. The descendants of each family will have to be paired up with their sisters or cousins they are most comfortable with. The pairs will be tested in the wilderness and they must survive the ordeals of the hostile land…”

The daughters of the generals remained calm. The test that the vampire lord had meant was a test of coming of age exclusive for the royal family. Many members from the eight families have died in this test and most have managed to survive although the ordeal they had gone through remained forever in their minds. 

“Daughters of the royal family, hear me…You have been training like soldiers since you were so young. Now is the time to test those abilities you have learned. Two days from now, you will set out on a journey where you will be left to survive for nine days. Only those who return will be honored as the true members of the royal family.” Lord Jung announced when he stood up to address the families. 

---

The next evening, two figures dressed in black situated themselves at the archery training grounds located in the reserved compound amidst the heavy snowfall. They both aligned themselves up against a target and on cue, the girls withdrew an arrow and loaded it on their bows. With synchrony, they both shot the arrow to their respected targets. Both arrows reached their bull’s eye and they both gave out a triumphant smile before giving each other a celebratory hug. 

“I guess the Hwangs are indeed great archers…” the shorter girl said when she pulled away from the other girl. 

“Same with the Lees.” The taller yet younger girl smiled. 

“Miyoung-ah, you’re one of the best archers of the Hwang family. You should take pride in being a member of such highly esteemed archer family…” the shorter yet older girl said. 

“Yah, Soonkyu…we should both take pride in representing our respective families…so, would you want to be with me for nine days?” the taller girl asked revealing her unique eye smile. 

“Hwang Miyoung, we’ve been together since we were babies…You’re like my younger sister even though we’re simply cousins of the same age. We’re definitely going through the test together.” 

“Soonkyu-ah, I love you!” Miyoung said as she gave the shorter girl a tight embrace. 

“I love you too!” Soonkyu responded as she also returned the hug. 

---

Inside the sparring tents that belonged to the Choi family, Taeyeon’s younger sister, Kim Hyoyeon, was heavily sweating from the heated training she was undergoing with her closest cousin, Sooyoung. Despite Hyoyeon’s short stature, she was able to pin the taller yet younger girl down with her unearthly strength. Sooyoung struggled with all her might to escape the young Kim’s clutches and was able to do so by taking her height as an advantage. 

Hyoyeon jumped back as she tried to avoid Sooyoung’s lightning fast kicks that could reach you a few feet away. If a spectator had been present, their display of hand-to-hand combat would look like a dance showdown. Kicks and punches were thrown and majority were easily blocked. 

As Sooyoung was about to throw a kick against Hyoyeon in the head, the older girl cart-wheeled away from her attacker. Sooyoung stood exhausted as she eyed her opponent who seemed to be still in a pretty good shape. Hyoyeon didn’t show any sign of fatigue while Sooyoung found herself panting for air. 

“Sooyoung, maybe we should take a break. You’re out of breath…” Hyoyeon suggested. Sooyoung sat down with her legs extended on the floor. She was tired beyond comprehension as beads of sweat fell off her forehead. 

“Thanks, Hyoyeon. I guess I’ll give this round to you…you’re getting better in hand-to-hand combat as each day passes…” Sooyoung said as Hyoyeon laid down on the floor beside her. 

“My hard work just paid off, that’s all. Besides, I need to be stronger so that I will be able to protect the people I love.” Hyoyeon remarked, her eyes beaming with confidence. 

A smile formed on Sooyoung’s face as she and Hyoyeon carried on the conversation while they were on a break from practice. Tired from their training session, Sooyoung laid herself on the floor right next to Hyoyeon. They both fell silent for a while as both stared at the ceiling in deep thought. 

A few minutes had passed and a soft ruffle of linen was heard indicating that someone had arrived. “Kim Hyoyeon, I need to talk to you.” A familiar voice rang out which had startled the two girls. 

The voice had belonged to Taeyeon and from behind her, Sooyeon took a peek at the tent’s contents. The younger Kim sighed before standing up and following Taeyeon outside for a private talk while Sooyoung remained unmoved. Sooyeon, on the other hand, stayed near Taeyeon. 

“What is it, Taeyeon-ah?” Hyoyeon asked as soon as they stepped out of the tent. 

To her surprise, the older Kim gave her a tight embrace. “I missed you, Hyoyeon-ie…” Taeyeon said as she hugged her younger sister. The younger Kim returned her hug.

“I miss you too, Taeyeon…” Hyoyeon said. Sooyeon just stood there quietly observing her twin as Taeyeon hugged her youn