You're telling me that I'm keeping a kid here?" 

  Jiyong winced at Dara in disbelief. It has barely been 2 minutes since he had stepped back into the house from his night watch before he was informed about Dara's decision to provide a 4-year-old a safe haven in his building. Jiyong is tired, cold, hungry, and not to mention, confused. Beside him, his younger brother Seungri roared with laughter at the situation, only to suffer an elbow to his ribs.

  "There's no one to fend for him, look, he's so small, and he's starving!" Dara protested, gesturing to the asleep child in her room. Jiyong spared the kid a glance before folding his arms together. "Besides, it won't be for long. I'll find out where his sister is. There's no reason for anyone to abandon such a young child, no matter for what." 

  "You don't know the mess a kid can cause, Dara." Jiyong sighed in frustration and raked his hair.

  "How would you know then?" Dara shot back.

  "This kid caused a ing mess when he was younger!" Jiyong said loudly, pointing a hand to the innocent Seungri beside him in comic agitation.

  "Don't drag me in this." Seungri warned arrogantly.

  "I'll share my meals with him, and I can do more housework!" Dara begged, pouting cutely as Jiyong sighed internally in defeat. "Besides, your horse takes up such a big space in the backyard that is enough to store 2 more people..." Dara murmured to herself.

  "I told you to stop doing the housework. What did I hire the maidens for?" Jiyong answered. Beside him, Seungri has leaned against the wooden pillar by the porch, grinning as he watched the show. "And you can't compare my stallion to a kid! That thing literally guards my life." 

  Dara snorted. There's no way to win an argument with him.

  "Then should I find other people to house Doodoong then?" Dara said sadly.

  "The only other people you know is that bastard." Jiyong snapped, narrowing his eyes at the girl who withdrew away at his harsh mention of Soo Hyuk. "Fine, keep the kid." He groans in the end as Dara exploded in happiness. Jiyong is almost sure there's nothing good that will come out of this, and he is bound to regret this later. "What kind of irresponsible Noona did that unlucky child got." He muttered under his breath.

  Seungri kicked himself off the pillar as soon as the drama is over, with a satisfied-audience's smile hanging on his face. "I told my guys to bring your clothes for tomorrow's ball. Should be here anytime now." He said to Dara with a small wink.

  "What for? I have clothes." Dara raised a brow.

  "You're going to the ball?" Jiyong cut in sharply.

  "You call those things you wear clothes?" Seungri puckered at Dara in disgust, surveying her wearing, completely ignoring Jiyong. 

  "What do you expect then? Do you see me bringing a luggage over with me when I came here?" Dara snarled back indignantly.

  "Hey, I'm asking a question." Jiyong said louder.

  "What the hell is a luggage? You better not speak so weirdly tomorrow. You'll creep people out. And yes, she is going. With me. " Seungri attacked back sharply, but manage to give Jiyong a reply too. 

  Dara cursed under her breath as Seungri went off and reappeared again with a large, flat box which he promptly tossed into her hands. Dara stumbled a little in surprise, carrying the white box in her arms as the fifth prince smirked at her. This must be the clothes.

  "Hyung, still no wind of the arsonist?" Seungri asked, the smugness on his face teasing Dara disappearing. Jiyong, who seems to be zoning out, reverts back to reality with his expression darkening.

  "No. I've sent a letter to the Taeyang Capitol that I knew they were behind this and they didn't respond." 

  "Those bastards..." Seungri cussed through his teeth.

  Seeing that she has no further use here as the guys launched into an intensive discussion about the Taeyang side's motives, Dara crept back into the room and shut the doors quietly behind her. Doodoong was still soundly asleep after his first full meal in days. Careful not to make any sound, Dara set the clothes on the tea table without checking them and tiptoed to sit by the edge of her bed.

  Doodoong's clothes were punched in holes of varying sizes. Dara frowned at the sight. How can a vulnerable, small child like him be wrapped in unprotecting clothes like these? She sighed and trailed her vision on his face instead. His closed lids are framed neatly by his long lashes. He has chubby cheeks that had a unique tinge of pink that only a toodler would have, even though Dara is sure that he looked paler than most 4 year olds should. Dara pulled his short, thin curly hair off his forehead and he stired a little, flipping over to his sides. He reminds her so much of Cheondong, her own younger brother that is studying in American. Was, actually. Dara is pretty sure that he would be back in Korea by now, after hearing news of her falling into the river. Bom would've let him know. With an edge of sadness, Dara thought of how his usually calm would respond to this news. They grew up with only each other. Would he have taken it well? 

  Dara wiped her eyes on her sleeves. She had missed him so much. Sniffling a little, Dara gazed back at the little figure curled up on her bed, unaware that he has been left all alone, sleeping so innocently with his mouth hanging slightly open. Why, and how could anyone be so cruel to a 4-year-old? Especially someone who is the only one he has left in this world.

  It was dinner time and Dara was eating with the kid on her lap, popping food into his mouth from her own plate. Jiyong stared at the scene, feeling awkward and out of place, as if he is intruding in other people's private time. Those that doesn't know would probably think that the kid was her son or some sort! Besides, Jiyong wasn't used to being around kids. They're so small and vulnerable and pure and untainted, and basically all the good in the world that he isn't.

  "Eat." Dara reminded Jiyong, who's still blinking at this motherly side of her. Doodoong peeked meekly at the big, older hyung that didn't seems as nice as this noona.

  "Is he scared of me?" Jiyong asked, raising a brow. 

   Dara shrugged playfully, flashing Jiyong a quick grin as she wiped Doodoong's chin clean. 

  "Great, you finished your food. Do you like Pororo? He loves children and friends that finish their food." Dara beamed, scooping rice into her own mouth.

  "Who is Pororo?" Doodoong asked innocently, and Dara looked flabbergasted momentarily before turning to Jiyong, who's looking at Jiyong who looks equally perplexed at her. Right. They don't have Pororo here.

  "Poporo is a little blue penguin that wears glasses around his eyes." Dara explains patiently. The child listened in wonder, even though he didn't know what a penguin and a glasses were. Instead, it was Jiyong that voices it aloud.

  "What are those?" He asked, recoiling a little. She is sounding eccentric again.

  "It’s like- uhm - a species of bird that’s black and white and can't fly-" Dara began hesitantly.

  "Is it a black chicken?" Doodoong asked adorably, his eyes wide with curiosity.

  "No..." Dara clicked her tongue together, trying to find the best way to describe what a penguin was. It's sad that the people here would never get to know things that were so common and yet wonderful in their time. "It can't fly but it lives in the other side of the world. A place that snows all year and has ice as their land."

  "Let’s not listen to her," Jiyong said loudly, "You know the Snowman and the Three Farmers don't you?" Doodong nodded enthusiastically. "If you finish your food every day like today, the Snowman would give you a diamond."

  Doodoong started to bounce excitedly in his seat and Jiyong spared Dara a triumphant smirk. 

  "What’s that?" Dara asked, frowning.

  "A long time ago there was three farmers whose kids built a snowman in the front of their field. One winter, the snowman told the farmers that he was cold. 'Don't lie. How can a snowman be cold?' The first farmer said wickedly. The second farmer lied instead. 'I don't have anything for you.' The second farmer said, before going back into his big, brick mansion. The youngest farmer, who was the poorest of them all, removed the tattered scarf around his neck and tied it around the snowman. The snowman gifted the youngest farmer with a diamond, which is this legendary rock that shines in the sun and more precious than gold. The other two farmers, greedy, tried to make peace with the snowman by wrapping it around quilt and lighting a stove beside it. The snowman melted and the water destroyed the crops of the two farmers." Jiyong told Dara the story nonchalantly. 

  "Diamonds really existed you know? People sell them in my world. I don't know if they still exist now." Dara commented pointedly, as Doodoong climbed down the chair to play outside now after he finished listening to the story. Jiyong gaped at Dara. "People uses them to propose for marriage. You tell stories well, though." Dara grinned. "Who told you this one?" 

  Jiyong slowed his eating and swallowed.

  "My mom."

  Dara looked up at his sudden change in tone. He chewed on his food quietly, adverting his gaze to the dishes on the table, looking slightly uncomfortable and down casted at the mention of her. Dara knew something terrible must have happened to her.

  "Is she..."

  "Dead? Yeah. She told me this story when I was old enough to remember it." Jiyong said flatly. 

  "I'm sorry." Dara uttered softly. 

  "Don't be. It's the people who killed her that should be." Jiyong's mouth twisted into an ironic smile and Dara blinked at him blankly, horrified by this information. She knew he didn't exactly have the best growing up experience. But this? 

  "Don’t look so saddened. I’m fine.” Jiyong laughed quietly. The way she is looking, like she’s trying to find the right words to say to him is making the atmosphere uncomfortable. “Or maybe I can have a cheer up?”

  Dara got up immediately and wrapped her arms around Jiyong from behind, deciding that there is really nothing she can say that would help. Jiyong shut his eyes and breathed in the scent of her hair, the inside of his chest throbbing painfully even though he had perfectly hidden it. It has been a long time since he had to talk about his mother, and he wonders if he will ever be able to talk about her witout that invisible pain. Maybe he will, once he finds out who the murderer was. The ones that took the lives of his mother and Seunghyun hyung, the two people he ever loved. He must catch them both.

  But at the same time, he has someone else to protect and love now.

  Dara woke up to a cheerful Doodoong who's clinging to her back on the bed, already wide awake. Dara rolled over and gave the child a sleepy grin, ruffling up his curls.

  "Dara noona is going to be away today, okay?" Dara muttered half awake, and the toodler immediately squeezed his brows together. "It's only for a while, Noona will be back soon. You can play with Jisoo noona."

  Doodoong nodded.

  "Good boy." Dara smiled.

  Dara washed up and stretched, yawning as she approached the box lying on the table. It's almost 10. She should get ready soon. Seungri would be here anytime now. She ran her fingers across the surface of the smooth, glossy box before opening its top. The clothes were wrapped within a thin layer of rice paper that she carefully peeled aside, before letting out a small gasp as she pulled out the dress inside.

  The material of that beautiful thing was of a slippery, sheer white chiffon. Still in awe, Dara slipped into the dress, which fits her small frame perfectly. The dress starts off with a high collar that wrapped around her mid-neck, with her chest and torso perfectly hugged by the slightly elastic nature of the dress. There were small, exquisite embroidery that decorated her front. The sleeves begins by tightly enclosing her arms but flutters out in a flowly manner at her elbow. Dara always thought she didn't have that great of a figure, but the dress hangs so flawlessly around her upper body that whatever waist and bossom she has was nicely eccentrated. From her waist, the dress flowed out gently, built up with layers of translucent mesh all the way to her ankles where it stops. 

  Dara blinked at the piece of art in the mirror. She thought that Seungri would probably gave her some sort of a hanbok or some tribal clothing to wear but this was beyond her expectations! How can the people here have such fine dress-making skills? She reached for the pair of fine, embroided cream-colored shoes in the box and gently pressed her feet into them, before turning her awe struck face back at the mirror again.

  "Seungri really.." She whispered at her own reflection. He really knows women's stuff huh.

  Seungri stepped through the gates of his brother's house but not before instructing his rider to wait outside. Usually he would be here for his brother, but today was different. Seeing Dara's room still tightly shut, Seungri clicked his tongue impatiently before asking one of the servants in the house to hurry her. 

  He peeked into the Ice Lord's room and pushed the door open, startling his brother, who was contemplating whether to bring his sword with him. 

  "Taking that bloodstained thing into the palace?" Seungri grinned, helping himself to a seat.

  "You know it's more dangerous for people like us in there than anywhere else." Jiyong replied cooly, tucking the sword by his waist as usual before flashing his younger brother a glance. "Looking good." 

  Seungri smirked. His pants were white, paired with a pair of high leather boots and a thick, black long sleeved, turtleneck top that was long enough to cover the waist of his pants. On his shoulders draped a black felt cape that ends by his thighs, a symbolism of royalty, which Jiyong donned as well. Jiyong was dressed similarly as the fifth prince, except that he was fully in black instead of the latter's white bottom. The Ice Lord had his crimson hair slicked back while Seungri's jet black one was styled in a similar fashion. 

  "Aren't you supposed to pick the Pyul Princess up? Why aren't you setting off?" Seungri asked, raising his brow at Jiyong.

  "What about you then?" Jiyong retorted blankly.

  "I'm waiting for Dara, you know that!" Seungri said as-a-matter-of-factly, throwing Jiyong an absurd glance before heading out of the latter's room, to be greeted with the sight of his partner of the day's grand entrance from her room, looking absolutely dazzling but a nervous wrack. 

  Seungri wolf-whistled just as a grumpy Jiyong steps out of his own room behind him, before his sight found where Seungri's was directed to. Dara stood grinning awkwardly, her cheeks tinted slightly rose pink in embarrasment, her hair pulled behind in a low ponytail. Jiyong blinked at Dara, before hastily looking away, feeling as if the air was knocked right out of him.

  "You look better than I thought!" Seungri yelled across the yard, grinning triumphantly at his work of art. 

  Dara smiled widely, pointing down hastily at her dress before giving Seungri a thumbs up, which he returned.

  "We'll get going first then, hyung." Seungri announced to his brother beside him, whose eyes were back on Dara again despite his attempts to control them.

  "Wait." Jiyong held Seungri off with a hand before jogging up to Dara, who blinked in surprise. Behind them, Seungri leaned against the frame of his brother's room door lazily, and watched.

  The Ice Lord his lips, unsure of what to say. "Be careful in the palace. Don't run off by your own and don't say too much to strangers, especially people in there. Just stay with Seungri. Get it?" He murmured softly, looking straight into her wavering eyes. Dara nodded.

  "And uh, you look- you look- great." Jiyong said before turning to leave.

  "You look great too!" Dara's voice rang out behind him and his lips curled into a small, twisted smile that is hidden from her.

What will happen in the palace??

Till next week.

I think I got too excited trying to describe the dress.

Anyway,

I imagined Doodoong to look like

thats right

Minguk.  

(Now scream)