It'd been almost two weeks since Luciana had last seen one of the princes. Not that she was complaining, the imperial palace turned out to be much more entertaining than it had first seemed when she actually acquired a bit of freedom.

"Of course, royalty is different." One of the stable boys scoffed, watching her ride calmly around the equestrian field. 

Lux laughed as she approached him and the others, "Bitter much, Daeil?"

"Me? Why?" He asked, faux scandalized. "It's not like we've been trying to mount that horse for weeks, or anything. It's not like you're constantly showing off, like," He rolled his eyes. "Always."

The girl dismounted and walked up to the stallion's head to comb through its mane with her fingers. It lowered its head to nudge her shoulder and she smiled. "It's because you treat it like an animal." She called out. 

The boy frowned. "It is an animal."

She looked up, meeting his eyes. "So are we. But we're also so much more." Daeil just stared at something over her shoulder. She tilted her head, noticing strange expressions on the other boys' faces, as well. "What is it?" She asked, turning around.

"You say some pretty interesting things." The prince said, playing with his hair, looking somewhere a way from where they stood. She bowed, waiting for him to continue. "Don't let Suho hear you compare him to a beast, though. He'd throw a fit." 

"My sincerest apologies." She replied.

"Oh, there's nothing to forgive." He seemed to give up with his bangs and stood up, walking towards her. "Get up." He said once he was but a couple of feet in front of her. 

She did as told, meeting his eyes. He turned away first, and she took the opportunity to glance at the servant boys; they were still bowing, the glimpses she got of their countenances, deathly pale. 

The prince walked over to the horse's head, its nose once, twice. The animal shifted its weight, uneasy. "You like this horse?" He asked to no one in particular.

Luca took the risk of answering him. "I do, sir."

"Baekhyun." He said first. Then, "It's yours." He looked at her, and, catching her slightly questioning look, clarified. "This beast. Its yours."

"If I may, sir." Kyungjoon, one of the stable boys dared speak up.

"You may." The prince, Baekhyun, immediately replied, as if having expected the protest.

"This stallion was a gift from Menkheperre, the High Priest of Egypt, to Her Royal Highness, Empress-"

"I don't care." The prince interrupted. "The Empress probably doesn't either, but, if she does say something," He met the boy's eye, but the latter looked back to the ground immediately. "Just blame it on me. Say I gave you the order