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Princess Haseul was only eight years old when she first met Jungeun. The young princess could tell that the other girl was around her age, and she couldn't help but wonder why she stood in the same line as all the knights-in-training.

One by one, the trainees knelt before the princess and the king, swearing their loyalty to her and to the kingdom. To Haseul's surprise, the girl knelt before her as well.

"I, Kim Jungeun of the Jari village, swear to finish my knight training and protect the Jo Kingdom with my life. I pledge my loyalty to the royal family."

Haseul smiled at the girl, shyly waving to her from her seat next to the king's throne. Her father looked at her pointedly, signaling the young princess to stop her excited behavior in the midst of a royal ceremony.

The princess was just happy to meet a potential new friend.

Once the ceremony was over, the king and princess followed the knights to the training grounds. Haseul's eyes landed on Jungeun, who was trying to carry a wooden sword that was far too big for her.

"Jungeun!" She suddenly called out, startling the young trainee. Jungeun rushed to the princess's side, quickly kneeling before her as she quietly awaited her command.

"Will you be my friend?" Haseul asked with a smile.

Jungeun's eyes widened slightly as she attempted to hide her surprise.

"Yes, Princess," she answered unwaveringly. Haseul took Jungeun's hand and shook it, signaling the start of their newfound friendship.

"Haseul! Get off the tree, you're gonna get hurt!" Jungeun yelled.

"It'll be fine, Jungie!" An eleven-year-old Haseul said, dangling her feet as she sat on a thick tree branch.

"No it won't, now get down here already!"

"Fiiiiine…" The young princess whined, as she promptly jumped off the branch without any warning.

"Wh—Haseul!" Jungeun shouted as her feet pulled her forward on instinct. She caught Haseul just in time, barely holding her in her small arms.

"Are you crazy?! You almost got injured!"

Haseul giggled, "Hey, that's no way to talk to a princess! And besides," she smiled as she continued speaking, "I knew you'd catch me."

Jungeun quieted down, her heart swelling with pride.

"Well, I did promise to protect you," she answered the princess with a smile.

Haseul's royal training intensified.

At fifteen years old, she wasn't allowed to leave the castle and had to spend every minute of her day learning royal etiquette. From holding her dining utensils properly to going to countless banquets at the castle, her daily life became incredibly busy. Haseul wasn't sure if she felt more suffocated by the difficult schedule or by the tight corset around her waist.

She knew for sure, though, that the most difficult part of it all was not seeing Jungeun.

The two of them hadn't met in months, as Jungeun's training required her to venture to a nearby town and help the people there. Haseul remembered the other girl's smile as she spoke excitedly of the mission, the thought of that moment alone bringing joy back to Haseul's tired eyes. Jungeun's team was to help the town folk rebuild parts of the town, whilst also defending the town by keeping watch for thieves and bandits. Haseul was a bit worried for her friend, admittedly, but she knew the girl would do everything she had to do if it meant helping others and becoming a better knight in the future.

The only time the trainee's smile faltered throughout the conversation was when Haseul quietly reminded her that they wouldn't see each other for a while.

"I'll miss you," Jungeun admitted with a shy smile, after what felt like a very long silence.

"I'll miss you too," The princess replied, as the two of them shared a goodbye hug, knowing they would have to be apart for half a year at least.

Haseul laid down in her bed, thoughts of Jungeun swarming her mind. She had long wondered what drove Jungeun into knighthood. Why a pretty girl like her would ever decide to dirty her hands with combat. She always wanted to ask, but Jungeun was always very secretive about her past.

One thing Haseul knew for sure, though, was that Jungeun truly loved the people of the kingdom.

And Haseul had been missing her like crazy.

The mission continued for much longer than expected.

Jungeun's team leader, Mingyu, was a sharp and strong man, older than she was only by a few years. The two of them stayed up late at night thinking up and planning new tactics for catching a surprisingly cunning gang of bandits. Jungeun gained quite a lot of experience in the year that they had been away from the castle's training grounds. She was happy helping others like she wanted, but every time she closed her eyes, there was only one person she could think of.

And Jungeun felt very, very exhausted.

"Jungeun," Mingyu began, breaking the girl out of her tired stupor.

"Sorry," Jungeun immediately snapped her eyes open and apologized, "What were you saying?"

Mingyu sighed, knowing the sixteen-year-old girl was fatigued from the constant hard work.

"Jungeun, you need to focus if we want to execute this plan properly."

"I know, I know, I'm just… I just have a few things on my mind," Jungeun tried to explain, "But you're right. What's our plan?"

Mingyu nodded. "We have to make sure they run in the direction of the pawn shop. There we'll have Yoon-Oh and Hyun-woo chase them from the front, while we'll come in from the back to make sure none of the bandits escape."

"Wouldn't it be possible for them to jump up to the rooftops?" Jungeun thought out loud, "Though if we trapped the roofs beforehand, it'd block any paths of escape they'll have left."

Mingyu smiled with pride at the growing strategist, "Yeah, you're right. Let's make sure we ask for the nearby vendors' permission and do that early in the morning tomorrow."

Jungeun stood up with a yawn and stretched her body, "I guess that means we need to go get some rest?"

Mingyu nodded, suppressing a yawn of his own, "Yeah, we should get going. Tomorrow's going to be a rough day," Jungeun nodded back in agreement, every part of her body aching to go to sleep.

"But once we're done with this," Mingyu continued, "We can finally go back to the castle."

'Home,' Jungeun corrected him in her mind, as they exchanged good night wishes and went on their separate ways.

She focused her thoughts back to the person she missed most of all. The same person who made her feel like she had a place to be.

'We can finally go back home,' she thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of her best friend back at the castle.

The visit to the royal fortuneteller wasn't very pleasant.

The old woman sitting before Haseul and her father had been at the service of the royal family for a very long time. She provided many prophecies for the current king and even for the former one, all proven to be true as time went on. The king trusted the fortuneteller's word, and as the future ruler of the Jo Kingdom, princess Haseul was expected to do the same.

"You'll become a fantastic queen, Princess," the fortuneteller began as the king and princess listened intently. "Your people will love you and accept your command with ease, and you will succeed in protecting the kingdom from harm."

Haseul and her father sighed with relief. She couldn't bear the thought of ever being a disappointment to her people, especially not after the rigorous royal training she had been going through. Haseul still had trouble believing the woman, but she was glad to have at least some sort of sign that things were going to be okay. The young princess had always been scared of taking on her future responsibilities, and it had been something she and her father discussed many times together. The king suggested they visit the fortuneteller to know more about Haseul's future, especially considering the girl was soon to come of age.

Haseul already knew what her father's next question would be, but that did not mean she wanted to hear it.

"And what of her future partner? Who is she meant to wed?"

'Marriage,' Haseul thought to herself, eyes lowering to the floor. The young girl didn't want to consider the fact she'd have to marry someone she did not love. She knew it was custom for the king's daughter to marry into royalty, to form greater alliances with the neighboring kingdoms. But Haseul never found any interest in the princes who approached her at any of the banquets. Their smiles felt fake, their hands were rough and cold.

"You will love them dearly, and they will protect you with their life," the old woman began explaining, to Haseul's complete bewilderment. Haseul had yet to meet a prince who fit that description, let alone one who stirred any feelings of love in her heart. She was sure that any of the princes she had met so far would gladly throw her off a bridge if it meant them staying alive. It's not like she'd really open up her heart to any of them, either – A lot of times those fake smiles left her feeling anxious and afraid of the thoughts forming behind them. That alone made Haseul much more grateful for her royal training, as she learned to get used to the frightening expressions, and even wear her own concealing mask when needed.

"They will bless you with a child," the woman said, as Haseul's mind continued racing with questions of the future. She had yet to think about it, but she knew she would have to marry a man and eventually give birth to a child, an heir to the royal throne. Would she become a good mother? Would she know what to do or say whenever her child cried? Would her child be forced to go through the same difficult routine she was going through now?

Would her child be able to be with the one they choose?

Haseul sighed inwardly, quietly hoping that her child could live a better life than she will.

"If you do not marry them… a great disaster may befall the kingdom."

The princess's heart sank when she heard the fortuneteller's warning.

"A disaster?" The king questioned, worry painted clearly across his features.

The fortuneteller nodded with a grave expression, "That is all I know to tell you."

Haseul woke up at 5:30 AM as she did every day despite barely having slept the night before. She had heard Jungeun's team finished their mission with great success, and was eagerly awaiting the return of her best friend. The princess hadn't felt this excited since she and Jungeun snuck out of the castle walls together back when they were younger. The king heard of the return of the knights-in-training, allowing his daughter to go to meet her longtime friend.

Haseul changed into her favorite dress, feeling as though it was worth it considering the special occasion. She thanked the maids for assisting her and took a long look in the large mirror in her room. She had grown quite a bit since the last time Jungeun saw her, and Haseul wondered to herself if it could be she was taller than the trainee now. The princess looked at her face, noting the hints of make-up the maids had applied for her. She wondered what Jungeun would think of it – The trainee herself never did use make-up. Haseul thought Jungeun was very beautiful regardless.

The princess quickly snapped herself out of her thoughts, reminding herself that all of those questions would find their answers the moment she actually meets her best friend.

Haseul put on her heels, as her feet finally took her away from her worries, and toward the person whom she had been missing every day for the past year.

She walked towards the training grounds, her eyes, as always, searching for one person only.

And that was when she saw her.

Jungeun, not taking a single break despite her long mission, was practicing with a wooden sword along with the other trainees.

Haseul took in the sight of her friend. Her best friend, Haseul had to remind herself, as she continued looking at the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. The princess felt her heart thump loudly in her chest as she continued staring at Jungeun.

The 16-year-old trainee grew to be much stronger than Haseul last remembered her being. Her muscles were toned and her determined expression only made her facial features shine even more. Her sword swings brimmed with confidence and Haseul could hardly tear her eyes away, becoming entranced by the repeated movement.

"J-Jungie!" She finally yelled out, breaking out of the trance.

Jungeun heard her best friend calling out for her, and immediately hurried to come to her side as she always did.

'She's definitely taller than me,' Haseul thought to herself as her best friend got closer.

"Princess," Jungeun barely let out, voice ragged and out of breath.

Haseul was sure that if she wasn't blushing before, she definitely was after that.

The princess smiled fondly as she attempted to regain her composure.

"I missed you so much," She quietly admitted, breaking what felt like a deafening silence.

"I-I missed you too, Princess," Jungeun admitted, suddenly looking away.

Haseul knew at that moment that all she wanted to do was hold Jungeun in her arms, yet she forced herself to hold back. Waiting for a year for Jungeun to come back proved to be incredible training for her patience.

Though seeing Jungeun, tall and strong and more beautiful than ever, made it very difficult to hold back.

"How has your training been?" Haseul asked, actively avoiding looking at her friend's exposed arm muscles. The princess felt like she was torturing herself just by being around the trainee. She wanted to look at her so much, but at the same time, she knew she had to avert her eyes if she wanted to be able to get a word out.

"It's been going well!" Jungeun answered with a smile, a bit of shyness lingering in her voice, "We had been trying to capture a group of bandits for the past few months and we finally succeeded a few days ago."

"I'm very happy to hear that, Jungie. I knew you could do it," Haseul replied, her heart full of pride.

"T-Thank you, Princess," Jungeun said, with her eyes fixed to the ground.

Haseul noticed how exhausted her friend seemed to be, the beads of sweat trickling from her forehead. She hurried to take out her own handkerchief, giving it for the other girl to use.

"Ah, Princess, you really don't have to…"

"I want to," Haseul reassured, as Jungeun hesitantly took the handkerchief with a small 'thank you', hand brushing against Haseul's in the process.

 Haseul could have sworn she never felt her own heart beat so fast.

'What's going on?' was all Haseul could ask herself, at the realization that she could barely bring herself to talk to the girl whom she referred to as her best friend.

The sound of wooden swords clashing brought Haseul's attention back to the trainees around them, as Haseul suddenly remembered the two of them weren't the only people in the world.

"I… should go finish today's training," Jungeun suddenly said, "We should catch up later, I'm sure there's a lot for us to talk about."

Truth be told, the trainee didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay and talk to Haseul until the break of dawn, but she knew they both had their own responsibilities to follow. The princess understood the meaning behind her friend's words, and nodded with a smile.

"Would you join me for lunch?" Haseul asked, feeling a little shy.

"I'd be honored to, Princess," Jungeun answered immediately as she attempted to mask her eagerness at the idea.

Haseul's smile only grew, "Well then, meet me at the garden at 2 p.m., I'll have a nice meal prepared for the two of us."

The two of them bid their goodbyes and each went on their way. Haseul had to continue her etiquette lessons, she was aware of that – But all she could think about was meeting Jungeun again during lunchtime.

Haseul took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Her heart was still beating like crazy and the image of Jungeun smiling wouldn't leave her mind. She thought back to the conversation, slowly coming to the realization that her childhood friend hadn't called her by name even once throughout.

Jungeun couldn't bring herself to call Haseul by her name, seeing as the girl before her was completely different from the mischievous girl she met all those years ago.

This… Haseul looked different. Or at least, something about her felt different. She exuded an air of regalness, her gorgeous dress accentuating her delicate arms and beautiful figure. The make-up she wore was merely a small addition to her already flawless facial features.

Jungeun realized once more that she stood before the future queen of the Jo Kingdom.

Though what spiked her nervousness the most wasn't the fact she was speaking to a royal. After all, Jungeun was aware that Haseul was still her best friend despite how different it all seemed to be.

The truth of the matter was that the trainee couldn't look into Haseul's eyes.

She was afraid that if she stared into them for too long, she was going to drown in them completely. Those beautiful dark orbs pulled Jungeun deeper into a new, unknown feeling. The princess's eyes creased ever so slightly whenever she showed her genuine smile, and Jungeun was beyond ecstatic to be the recipient of it. She felt herself immediately lose her train of thought from one look at the princess, knees suddenly weak despite the difficult training she had been constantly going through.

Jungeun certainly could not complain about the feeling, though. Not when Haseul was smiling at her the way she was.

The trainee's nervousness only grew at the thought of having lunch with Haseul. She tried to calm herself, to focus on the training again. But despite sweating from the difficult exercise, her face was red for a completely different reason.

"Jungeun!" Hyun-woo, a fellow trainee and former teammate called out. The two of them were in the middle of a spar, but Jungeun's thoughts were in a completely different place. "Are you even trying to focus? Or are you too busy thinking about the princess again?"

Jungeun was completely taken aback, "Wh- How'd you know I was thinking of her?"

Hyun-woo laughed, "I spent an entire year on a mission with you and every time I asked you what was on your mind, you said it was the princess! If I didn't know any better I'd say you're in love with her!" He finished explaining, as he cackled while patting Jungeun on the back.

'Oh,' was the first thing to come to Jungeun's mind as she awkwardly laughed along with him.

'Is that what it is?'

Jungeun's face reddened, heartbeat quickening at the sudden realization.

'Am I in love with Haseul?'

Jungeun tried to refocus on her training, hoping it will help her stop thinking about it.

In reality, it did not help her take her mind off things at all.

Jungeun reached her answer the moment she remembered the princess's smile once more.

She giggled to herself, 'Yeah, I definitely am.' 

Haseul was at the garden, sitting at a table and waiting for her best friend to return from practice. The maids helped make sandwiches for the princess and the trainee, placing them neatly in plates, along with glasses of orange juice – Jungeun's favorite. The princess had made a special request for the drink to be brought to the table, knowing her friend would surely feel happy at the sight of the refreshing beverage.

Haseul kept glancing at her watch.

2:05 p.m.

She sighed, wondering where Jungeun was.

Not too long after, the trainee rushed into the garden, hair still slightly wet from what must've been a quick shower. Jungeun pushed the hair out of her face, pulling it back and exposing her forehead. Haseul's face flushed at the sight.

"Sorry I was late! Practice ran for a little bit too long," Jungeun apologized, averting her eyes from Haseul's again.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Jungie! It was only five minutes anyway," Haseul quickly reassured with a smile. "Now eat up! A strong trainee like you needs to rest up well, too. I can't have you fall from exhaustion in the middle of a training session, can I?"

Jungeun noticed the teasing tone in Haseul's voice, and she dared herself to look up at the princess. She didn't expect her to be smirking at her like that, though, and found herself tongue-tied again. Jungeun gulped, but she wasn't one to back off from a challenge.

"Don't worry Princess! I can't get tired while training, one look at you is all it takes for me to gain back my strength again."

Jungeun couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth, feeling her face become very hot all of a sudden. She looked at Haseul and was surprised by the sight of a completely blushing princess.

"Well then, I'll have to make sure I keep coming by then, right?" Haseul quietly said.

Jungeun smiled, "I suppose you do."

The two of them continued their meal, chatting and laughing throughout. Jungeun told Haseul of stories from the time she was away, from working hard at rebuilding parts of the town to spending her nights thinking up plans with Mingyu.

"Mingyu?" Haseul questioned.

"Yeah, he was our team leader! He helped me so much this past year, he's a really great guy," Jungeun explained.

"Hmmm, I see," Haseul replied as she suddenly quieted down a bit. "And the two of you spent your nights together?"

Jungeun had seen many of Haseul's expressions before, but the one she currently wore was completely new to the trainee.

"Yeah, we did," Jungeun answered, "There was this one time that my leg got pretty hurt during a chase and he stayed up with me all night to help me take care of it."

Haseul immediately took a sandwich to her mouth, as if to stop herself from talking. She finally replied, after making Jungeun wait for a long while.

"Well, I'm glad you have someone like him to be beside you now."

Jungeun felt like she was causing a big misunderstanding.

"Wait, wait. You mean you think we're…?"

Haseul kept quiet, holding her thoughts to herself as she took another bite from the sandwich.

Jungeun began laughing so hard that she had to hold onto her stomach.

"Well, what is it?!" Haseul asked with a pout, annoyance now clear in her voice.

"Haseul," Jungeun began, her voice slightly raspy from the laughter.

The princess could barely hide her smile at the sound of her name coming from her best friend's mouth again. She also decided she really, really liked Jungeun's low and raspy voice.

"Mingyu and I are just friends, it's nothing like that. I promise you that you'd be the first one to know if it was."

Haseul was grateful to the deities above that Jungeun hadn't caught on to the real reason behind her annoyance. Though if she were perfectly honest with herself, she wasn't quite sure about the real reason for her irritation, either.

The princess crossed her arms, embarrassed at her own behavior.

"Y-You better."

Jungeun tried to keep herself as busy as she possibly could.

The trainee wasn't stupid – She realized she'd have to give up on her feelings for the princess as soon as possible. They simply couldn't be together. Haseul was a princess, while Jungeun came from a run-down village. Not to mention the fact that they were both women.

So the logical solution was surely to get over her feelings, right?

Or so Jungeun thought, before she realized she couldn't keep Haseul out of her mind. It had been over a year since Jungeun returned to the castle, and even though she and Haseul continued their difficult training, the two of them always made sure to keep time for one another. Haseul would visit Jungeun during her training, they would chat and talk about their days, and Jungeun would continue fighting the feelings in her heart. She would continue keeping what she felt to herself, only becoming more and more secretive as time went on.

Jungeun found it difficult to sleep; her dreams were filled with images of the girl she loved. She was completely and utterly exhausted.

So it should've come as no surprise that she completely collapsed to the ground during one of her training days, after seeing Haseul wave hello to her with that beautiful smile of hers.

The princess immediately rushed to her friend's side, asking for the other trainees' help in carrying Jungeun to the castle's emergency room. The doctor explained to Haseul that Jungeun had a bad fever and terribly needed some proper rest.

The princess stayed by Jungeun's side, foregoing her royal training. Her father attempted to reason with her, but to no avail. Haseul was determined to remain by her best friend's side until she got better.

It was difficult, to say the least.

Jungeun had terrible nightmares as she slept, causing her to mumble in fear. Haseul tried to hold the girl's hand, to tell her everything was going to be okay. Every time, Jungeun would calm down ever so slightly, as though Haseul's voice was the cure she had been waiting for. The princess sang for her friend a few lullabies, as Jungeun's breathing stabilized. The fever hadn't gone down much, to Haseul's worries.

Jungeun was normally very healthy, and this was the first bad case Haseul had seen the girl experience. She knew she was strong, but Haseul felt incredibly afraid of losing her best friend. She continued holding Jungeun's hand, softly drawing circles in it with her thumb, as she sat down beside her on the bed.

When the trainee finally opened her eyes, Haseul felt so relieved she began crying.

Jungeun slowly sat up in the bed, her mind a bit hazy as reality mixed with her dreams.

She saw Haseul crying before her, and slowly wrapped her arms around her.

"Haseul…" Jungeun began, her voice quiet and low.

The princess quickly wrapped her arms around the knight-in-training, burying her face in Jungeun's shoulder as she continued crying.

Jungeun couldn't help but pull her even closer, her feverish state taking over any control she had over her body. She kept her mouth by Haseul's ear, whispering an apology.

"I'm sorry… I promise I'll take care of myself, okay? Please don't cry…"

"I-I was so scared of losing you, Jungie."

Haseul broke away slightly to look at Jungeun in the eyes.

The trainee slowly brought her hand to Haseul's cheek, as she wiped away a few stray tears that remained there. Haseul's heart skipped a beat at the realization of how close they were to each other, and neither of them seemed to have the desire to move away.

Haseul wondered if Mingyu ever had to take care of Jungeun while she was like this. Would she have acted the same if it were someone else?

Jungeun's touch on her cheek was… gentle. It felt so different from any of the princes she had ever talked to, from anyone who sought her hand. The trainee brought their foreheads together, causing Haseul to snap out of her daze at the realization that the trainee's fever was still as bad as before.

Slowly, she moved Jungeun back down to the bed, slightly regretting the sudden lack of warmth, but deciding in her heart that she had to prioritize her friend's health.

"Thank you, Haseul…"

Jungeun quietly whispered, before she drifted off to sleep again.

The princess still did not know of her place in the trainee's reoccurring dreams.

Jungeun woke up again after three more hours of sleep. Her fever had gone down, and she looked to her side. She saw an adorable, sleeping Haseul resting her head on the bed, as her legs were on the floor beside it. She was holding tightly onto her hand, as though she was afraid of Jungeun running away.

Jungeun giggled at the thought, knowing Haseul had nothing to worry about. The last thing the trainee ever wanted to do was leave her side.

Jungeun was dying to tell her the truth, that she had been in love with her for so many years. But she knew she couldn't. She sighed heavily, accepting the possibility that she might never get over her feelings for the princess.

She just hoped it wouldn't get in the way of their friendship.

Jungeun turned a bit to her side to get a better look at the princess's sleeping face. She smiled despite knowing it was going to be a very rare sight for her.

Haseul slowly woke up, eyes opening to meet Jungeun's looking right at her. She felt a fluttering in her chest as she internally tried to decide whether to move away or not.

She decided to enjoy the moment for a little while longer.

"Good morning," Jungeun said in a whisper.

Haseul smiled, "Good morning, how are you feeling now?"

The trainee giggled, "Like I've been reborn," she paused her speaking to hear Haseul's melodious laughter. All Jungeun remembered from the day before was her collapsing to the ground and Haseul calling out her name in panic. "What happened last night?"

Haseul frowned, "You fainted. The doctor said you must've not been getting proper rest in weeks, maybe even months."

Jungeun gulped, fearing the flow of the conversation.

"Jungie… what happened? Why haven't you told me anything?"

Jungeun felt a strong pang of guilt. She never meant to make Haseul worry, but the worst part was she couldn't tell her the truth of why she hadn't been sleeping well.

"I've been having a lot of nightmares lately," Jungeun admitted, though she was only telling half the truth. A lot of times the dreams were actually quite pleasant – She and Haseul would run around the fields together, holding hands and laughing. She would slowly lean in to kiss her and Haseul wouldn't say no. But Jungeun would always wake up before it happened, alone in her bed. She would realize time and time again that the dream couldn't become a reality, leaving her feeling completely restless as the thoughts consumed her.

"About what…?" Haseul asked, genuinely feeling very concerned for her friend.

Jungeun took a deep breath, realizing she owed at least a bit of honesty to Haseul.

"About losing you."

Jungeun prayed that the princess would simply see it as a subject's concern for their future queen.

Haseul sighed, "Is that why you've been intensifying your own training so much lately?"

Jungeun slowly nodded, and it was the truth. She was beyond scared of losing Haseul. Her reason for becoming a knight changed over the years, as she finally decided she would do anything in the world if it meant protecting her best friend. And, as the trainee later realized, the love of her life.

The trainee felt a painful finger flick on her forehead, yelping a bit at the contact.

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

Haseul looked mad, and Jungeun thought to herself that the sight of it was even scarier than any of the nightmares she had ever had in her life.

"You're going to be staying in one of our guest rooms until I know for sure that you're resting well," Haseul decided, to Jungeun's bemusement.

"That's not fair, though! What about the other trainees?" Jungeun asked with a tinge of annoyance as she looked away. The others worked just as hard as she did, so the girl didn't feel like she deserved any of the special treatment.

"Kim Jungeun," Haseul began, bringing the trainee's attention back to her.

"You're my best friend first and a trainee second. Let me help you."

Jungeun remained quiet, her mind settling on the fact that she hadn't heard the princess say her full name in years.

"Please," Haseul begged of her friend, hoping she could somehow change her mind.

"…Okay," Jungeun reluctantly agreed, to Haseul's delight.

"…And, Haseul?" The trainee began, as she looked deep into her friend's eyes.

"Thank you so much for being here for me," Jungeun said shyly as a blush spread across her cheeks.

"Anytime," Haseul promised, as her eyes lingered on the girl before her for just a little longer, "Now go get some more rest, okay? I'll see you again in the morning."

Jungeun nodded, as she dozed off to sleep once more. Haseul quietly left the room, but not before sneaking another look at the sleeping girl.

From the moment Jungeun woke up again, Haseul was already next to her.

'I could definitely get used to seeing her first thing in the morning,' Jungeun thought to herself.

"Good morning, Jungie! You'll be spending this week recovering and resting up, so no training."

'Wait, what?'

"Wait, what? There's no way I'm not going to train for a whole week! The knighting ceremony is only two years away, I can't stop now!" Jungeun spoke her thoughts without holding back.

Haseul crossed her arms, "Doctor's orders, Jungie. You're in no state to keep training right now, do you want to collapse like last time?"

Jungeun pouted, knowing her friend was right. She really could use the rest.

Haseul smirked, "Besides, aren't you already the strongest trainee out there?"

Jungeun opened her mouth to argue, but she couldn't think of anyone stronger than she was. She pouted again and looked away to hide her blushing expression at the princess's encouraging words.

Haseul's smirk softened into a smile. "Now come on! You can't really stay in your clothes from yesterday, do you want to try out one of my dresses?"

Jungeun shook her head quickly from side to side, "No way am I trying out one of those with the amount of times you complained about them being uncomfortable."

"They're still really pretty though…" Haseul said in an attempt to convince her friend, putting on her best puppy eyes.

"They look best when you're the one wearing them," Jungeun said with a smile.

"Okay… what do you want to wear then? I can't have you walk around in pajamas, my father would kill us both."

"I… think I have an idea," the trainee stated, as the two of them went to the guest rooms.

Haseul waited by the door to Jungeun's room. Two of her maids were inside, helping the trainee change into her new outfit.

"Oh my, you look so handsome!"

"And your muscles are so defined, may I touch them?"

Haseul couldn't help but eavesdrop, she had to know how her friend was doing after all. She definitely did not worry about choosing two of the younger maids to help Jungeun. She definitely was not thinking about how they were really pretty, and how they were definitely flirting with Jungeun behind that door. Why would Haseul care, anyway?

Haseul swung the door open, putting on her most convincing smile. Jungeun had her back to the door while the maids finished helping her with the belt. They quickly moved away from the trainee at the sound of the door opening.

"P-Princess Haseul!" The two maids curtseyed before her, afraid of the princess's glare. They kept their eyes to the floor, praying that they wouldn't be punished for their words and actions.

"Jinsol, Jiwoo," the princess began, "Would you two leave us alone for a moment?"

"Y-Yes, Princess!" The maids bowed their heads and left the room, closing the door behind them.

Haseul relaxed her face as she continued looking at her friend's back.

"Jungie, aren't you going to turn around?" She questioned.

"I, uh… you're pretty scary when you're angry," Jungeun said before finally turning around.

Haseul felt her jaw drop.

Jungeun was wearing a royal suit, one that felt much lighter and less constricting than the dresses Haseul had to wear. And frankly, the princess couldn't tear her gaze away from the sight. The outfit was red, complimenting Haseul's green dress. Her friend matched the color so well that it was as though the suit was made for her. Jungeun had her hair up in a ponytail, "Does… does it look okay?" Her friend asked, a little nervous.

Haseul closed her mouth before opening it again to speak.

"I thought you'd already figure that one out from the maids flirting with you?" The princess questioned, raising her eyebrow while smiling.

"…They were flirting with me?" Jungeun asked, a little shocked.

"Wh- Of course they were! 'Oh Jungeun, your muscles are so defined!'" Haseul imitated the maid's voice with a dreamy look on her face.

Jungeun's face reddened slightly at the attention, "…Oh."

"What are you getting all shy for? I'm sure anyone would be glad to have you," Haseul stated as a matter-of-fact.

"Even you?" Jungeun asked in a teasing manner.

Haseul smirked at the girl's sudden confidence.

"I thought I already have you?" She teased back with a playful smile.

Jungeun's face became as red as the suit she was wearing, as Haseul finally realized what she said.

'What on earth am I doing?'

"Ah, yeah, heh, you mean as a best friend, right?" Jungeun asked, nervousness spiking and making her hands sweat.

"Yeah! Of course, friends…" Haseul awkwardly replied.

'Why am I flirting with her too?'

"Is everything alright, Haseul?" Jungeun asked, worried about her friend seemingly having an existential crisis.

"Everything's fine!" Haseul's heartbeat quickened, as the words she once heard suddenly came to her.

"You will love them dearly."

Haseul suddenly cleared her throat, clasping her hands together. "L-Let's go get some breakfast, shall we?"

The princess took the knight-in-training's hand in hers as she started walking in the direction of the dining room. 

Jungeun quickly became a favorite among the maids.

She appreciated the attention, of course, but not when it came at the price of meeting Haseul's death glares every single time the maids approached her.

The shorter girl was acting like a protective girlfriend and Jungeun was enjoying every second of it. The knight-in-training noticed Haseul would hold her hand more often, especially if they were around the others. Of course, she couldn't complain, but with every flutter of her heart, the same aching feeling would return, reminding the trainee that she and the princess couldn't be together.

It was already nighttime, and the two of them decided to take a walk around the castle, breathing in the late night breeze.

Haseul's hand gravitated to Jungeun's once more, as the trainee gladly accepted it despite the bittersweet feeling.

"Jungie," Haseul began, "What made you want to become a knight?"

Jungeun was surprised by the sudden question, though she expected the topic to come up some day.

She took a deep breath before starting the story.

"I… never really told you about this, but my dad raised me alone. My mom passed away when I was born."

Haseul's eyes widened at the revelation, and she squeezed Jungeun's hand in support.

"We were really poor, and my dad would constantly overwork himself to make sure we had something to eat. He always used to tell me that it was his dream to become a knight, to protect the kingdom. I promised him then that I would follow his dream and become one in his place. He laughed, of course. Female knights are still very much unheard of. But I never gave up," Jungeun paused, exhaling hard before she continued talking.

"I began my knight training around when I was six years old," her voice broke. "Not too long after that… my dad passed away."

Haseul slowly wrapped her arms around her friend, holding her tightly as Jungeun attempted to stop the tears from falling. The knight-in-training returned the hug, feeling herself break apart in her best friend's arms.

"Jungeun… I'm so sorry…" Haseul said in an attempt to be there for her friend.

Jungeun shook her head, "It's okay, I'm better now, it's just… really difficult to talk about it."

"Shhh… it's alright. We don't have to talk, let's just stay like this until you feel a bit better, okay?" The princess said quietly.

The trainee nodded into Haseul's shoulder, her breathing steadying slowly.

The princess's arms reminded her of what family felt like.

"I think it is very admirable, having a goal like that," Haseul said once her friend calmed down.

The two of them were now sitting side by side on a bench near the garden, with Haseul's head leaning against Jungeun's shoulder. Jungeun put her jacket over Haseul's shoulders to protect her from the cold.

"Sometimes I think to myself about how I wish I had more of a choice in life," Haseul sighed, "Being born into royalty sounds nice at first but… I never really asked for any of this. I miss climbing trees, laughing over dumb things, feeling like a normal girl… I don't want to have to marry some stupid prince."

"Hey! I take offense to that," Jungeun commented jokingly to lighten up the mood.

"You're my knight , not a prince," Haseul clarified with a soft smile.

"A knight-in-training, you mean."

Haseul shook her head, "No, you're my knight. You already saved me once before, remember when I fell from that tree?"

Jungeun laughed at the memory, "You nearly gave me a heart attack at 11 years old, how could I forget?"

Haseul giggled, "I'm sorry, okay! I loved running around doing silly stuff like that. It made me feel so… free."

"I get what you mean," Jungeun said, "A lot of times when I'm training I end up wishing I could just sit here like this with you."

Haseul smiled affectionately as she lifted up her head from Jungeun's shoulder to look at her, "You think about me while training?"

The trainee turned her head to her friend, "How could I not when you visit my training sessions every time?"

"Okay, okay, fair point," the princess laughed, "But that doesn't mean you have to start thinking about me, does it?" She teased.

"Trust me sweetie, whenever you walk anywhere it is very difficult for everyone watching not to think about you," Jungeun teased back, though she was honest in her words.

Haseul was completely flabbergasted, though she tried to hide the reason why as her heartbeat picked up again. "D-Did you just call me sweetie?"

Jungeun smiled fondly, "Well, you did say you wanted to feel like a normal girl, right?"

Haseul opened and closed her mouth in succession, absolutely speechless.

Jungeun suddenly started laughing, "What's with you? You looked just like a fish just now."

"I-It's nothing, it was just… really unexpected coming from you," Haseul tried to explain.

Jungeun's laughter died down, but her smile remained.

"I'm full of surprises, hmm?" The trainee teased.

"Yeah, you are," Haseul said without a single doubt.

Jungeun looked up to the sky, giving the shorter girl a chance to look at her beautiful profile.

"Sometimes," Jungeun suddenly began, "I worry that I'm not doing enough. That I won't succeed at becoming a real knight."

"Jungie…" The trainee's eyes lit up at the familiar nickname. "You're going to make it. I know you will," Haseul reassured.

"My… my dad's not the only reason that I want to become a knight now," Jungeun admitted.

"I don't want more people to have to go through what I did as a kid. I want to protect the kingdom and help the townsfolk as much as I possibly can."

Haseul looked at her friend with admiration.

"I have a feeling you'd be a better queen than I would," The princess said.

"Haseul," Jungeun said as she brought her eyes back to the shorter girl, "You're going to be an amazing queen. I know it."

Jungeun's unwavering voice calmed down the princess's worries somewhat.

"Thank you, Jungie," Haseul whispered, earning a smile from her friend. She took a good look at Jungeun's eyes, noticing how tired they were. She suddenly remembered what the taller girl said about her nightmares.

"Have you been sleeping well?" Haseul suddenly changed the topic.

"Last night was a lot better, but…" Jungeun's voice trailed off as she looked away.

"…Were the nightmares still there?" Haseul asked, receiving a nod as a response.

She sighed, "Are you worried about going to sleep tonight, too?"

Another nod.

Haseul was determined to do whatever it took as long as her friend could sleep soundly.

"Jungeun," the trainee turned to look at the princess, "Would you like me to stay with you tonight?"

Jungeun blushed profusely at the suggestion, "W-What do you mean?"

"We could both sleep in my room tonight, so if you have any nightmares or anything I could be there for you," Haseul explained while trying to calm her own beating heart.

The taller girl smiled shyly at her friend's words, "And you're sure your dad won't kill us if he finds out?"

Haseul giggled, "Well, maybe he doesn't have to find out."

Jungeun laughed, "Bad girl Haseul is making her grand return tonight, huh?"

Haseul stood up, offering her hand for Jungeun to take.

"Maybe just for tonight," she said with a chuckle.

Jungeun took her hand and got up as well, standing next to the princess. She looked at Haseul's eyes, noticing how sleepy she was. The trainee was sure that her friend was about to fall asleep standing, and began mentally preparing herself in case she would have to catch the princess.

"Let's go then," Jungeun said as the two of them began walking towards Haseul's room.

They quietly snuck around the castle's halls so as to not alert any of the guards to the presence of another in the princess's room. Haseul was excited, though she wasn't sure if it was only because of the rules she was breaking with her actions. She felt Jungeun's warm hand squeezing hers, and that alone was more than enough to make the princess's heart melt.

They finally reached the room, closing the door softly behind them and locking it. They made sure not to turn on the lights, fearing someone would notice them.

The two girls looked at each other as they began laughing.

"Yeah, your dad's definitely going to kill me," Jungeun said in between her laughter.

Haseul lightly hit Jungeun on the shoulder while trying to contain her own laugh, "Oh come on! Don't worry about it, okay? I'll figure something out."

"Okay, okay," the trainee said with a smile, "You better not fall asleep before you do come up with something."

"Okay you worrywart," Haseul joked as she moved towards her closet. Jungeun took the chance to take in the princess's big room. She had never seen it in person before, although Haseul had told plenty of stories about her room and the castle. Jungeun recognized an old plushie sitting at a large bookcase.

"Haseul… you kept Mr. Cuddles?" Jungeun smiled warmly, remembering the present she gave the princess for her 12th birthday.

Haseul blushed, suddenly shy, "…Of course I did, it was a gift from you after all."

"You're such a softie," Jungeun said affectionately.

"Shush, you! Now here," she tossed a pair of pajamas to the trainee, "Change into these."

Jungeun giggled, "Okaaaay," she said, before carefully moving her hands to remove the royal suit she was wearing.

The princess finished changing into her own pajamas, absentmindedly turning around to see Jungeun's toned back. She quickly turned back around, her face feeling completely hot.

"And your muscles are so defined, may I touch them?"

She was now very aware of how true her maid's words were, and almost couldn't blame the girl for wanting to flirt with Jungeun.

Almost.

"I'm done changing," Jungeun announced.

"Y-You can turn around," Haseul reassured as she twirled back around to see Jungeun's now-clothed back.

Jungeun did as her friend said, turning around to see Haseul clad in a silky short sleeve nightdress that reached just above her knees. The moonlight shone on Haseul's face, lighting up her dark brown eyes, and reminding Jungeun that she had drowned in those eyes a long time ago.

Haseul awkwardly cleared her throat, "My pajamas look really good on you," she said, referring to the light pink colored two-piece set she gave her.

"Thanks," Jungeun said as she snapped out of her stunned state.

"It's a little bit small, though," she joked, eliciting a pearly smile from her friend.

"Let's just go to bed already, you big baby," Haseul said as she climbed under the covers.

"First you invite me to your bed, and then you call me baby? You sure know how to make a girl feel loved," Jungeun said, following suit.

"Go to sleep!" Haseul whined.

"Your bed even has two pillows, it's like you knew I was coming!" The trainee continued her teasing, placing her head on the right pillow.

"My bed always has two pillows! I move around sometimes when I sleep…" The princess pouted.

"So you invited me to your bed knowing you move around in it?"

"I-I wanted to make sure you were sleeping well!" Haseul's embarrassment grew at the trainee's words.

Jungeun laughed, feeling oddly comfortable being in bed next to the girl she loved. Haseul was still pouting like an adorable puppy. Her laughter died down as she smiled softly and began speaking.

"Thank you, Haseul."

Their eyes met, as the two of them paused for a moment to study each other's expressions.

Haseul remained quiet, her eyes tired yet determined to stay ever so slightly open if only to look at the girl before her for a little while longer.

She took Jungeun's hand in hers, placing them between their pillows.

"I'm always going to be here for you, okay?" She suddenly said.

"I know," Jungeun answered with a smile, "I'll always be here for you, too."

Haseul smiled, "You better. It's impolite to leave after spending the night with a lady."

Jungeun's heart thumped loudly in her chest.

"Was that your plan all along?" She said confidently in an attempt to hide the effect Haseul had on her.

Haseul rolled her eyes, "Good night, Jungie."

Jungeun noticed the princess avoided giving an answer.

The two of them closed their eyes, hands still linked together.

"Good night, Haseul," Jungeun whispered, as the two of them finally drifted off to sleep.

"Haseul!"

Jungeun called out her name, but received no answer in return. The fire kept getting stronger, searing Jungeun's skin. She was desperate, looking through every nook and cranny of the burning castle to find her. She was going to lose her.

She was going to lose Haseul.

She finally saw her, lying on the floor in the middle of the halls. She looked hurt, but alive.

"Haseul, you're going to be okay. I swear I'll get you out of here and-"

"You said… you would protect me…"

Her voice was hauntingly weak.

"I-I will, I am, I'll save you, so please-"

"--You lied," Jungeun heard her say, before the walls collapsed on them.

Jungeun woke up with a gasp, sweating profusely. She sat up in the bed, trying to normalize her breathing. Trying to stop crying.

"Jungie…?" Haseul rubbed her eyes awake, suddenly feeling the bed shake from the movement as her main source of warmth left her.

She looked to the taller girl, noticing she was trembling with fear.

Haseul sat up next to her, bringing her arms around the crying girl.

"Jungeun, it's okay, I'm here," she tightened her hold on the girl slightly. Jungeun hugged her back, holding Haseul firmly in place.

"I-I promised," Jungeun's voice broke, "I promised I'd protect you…"

"Jungeun," Haseul moved so her friend could see her face, "I'm okay. It was all a bad dream. I know you'd protect me no matter what."

Jungeun's heavy breathing began to slow down.

"You're okay," Jungeun breathed out with relief.

Haseul nodded, raising her body to plant a calming kiss on Jungeun's forehead.

"I'm okay," she said one more time for good measure.

Haseul felt her heart shatter at the thought that Jungeun went through these nightmares all by herself up until now.

"Do you want to talk about it? About the dream?" Haseul asked quietly.

Jungeun shook her head – she wanted to forget about the bad dream as quickly as possible.

The princess nodded in understanding.

"Do you think you could tell me what's on your mind right now?"

Jungeun took a deep breath, finding the courage to speak.

"I'm just thinking about… how I don't want to lose people anymore. I want to protect them, I want to protect the kingdom, I-I want to protect…"

Jungeun brought her teary eyes to Haseul's.

"…I want to protect you," she admitted.

"They will protect you with their life."

The princess couldn't stop herself from thinking about the prophecy whenever she saw the trainee.

"Haseul, you're… you're the closest thing to family I have left."

'Family,' the word rang in Haseul's ears.

Whenever Haseul would think of family, she would see images of her father, scolding her for making a mess, but also lovingly calming her down whenever she felt afraid of the future. She would think of the pictures on the walls of her late mother, and how her father cried every year on the fifth of April. Haseul couldn't remember her at all, but the maids would always tell her stories of her beautiful mother, who fell ill and lost her life too soon.

She would think of Jungeun, and how happy she feels when they are together. She would think about holding her hand, and walking with her when it is too late at night. She would think of them going to sleep in the same bed, eagerly waiting for the next day. She would think of waking up next to her, admiring her beauty in the mornings and secretly asking the maids to make breakfast.

Haseul knew in her heart that if she had the choice, she would choose to spend her life with Jungeun in a heartbeat.

She wanted Jungeun to be part of her real family.

Haseul's heart fluttered at the thought.

'I love her,' she realized, as an inexplicable feeling of joy bloomed in her heart.

Jungeun was visibly calmer now, albeit being nervous at the two girls' proximity. Haseul always had that kind of effect on her – She would relax her, but she would also make her tense up, as her emotions got the best of her. The two of them were staring into each other's eyes, as the trainee felt worried about saying something she shouldn't have.

Haseul delicately moved her hand to touch Jungeun's cheek, gently wiping away a stray tear, as her eyes snuck a glance at the girl's lips.

It didn't go unnoticed by the girl in question.

"H-Haseul?" Jungeun asked, her voice quiet as the blood rushed to her cheeks.

"…Jungeun," Haseul's heart beat louder.

"Yes?" The trainee felt herself sinking deeper into love.

"Would you let me feel like a normal girl?"

Jungeun wasn't sure if she was still asleep, or if the request was but a figment of her imagination.

She nodded slowly, leaning in carefully in case she was wrong. She wasn't.

Haseul leaned in too, meeting Jungeun's lips with her own.

They felt sparks.

Haseul's lips were just as soft as Jungeun thought they were.

The two of them were sitting in bed, holding each other. Haseul continued peppering Jungeun's face with kisses, eliciting giggles from the knight-in-training.

"H-Haseul, stop, it tickles…" She said, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Haseul said with a satisfied smile. She had wanted to do that for a long while now.

"Do you feel like a normal girl now?" Jungeun asked playfully.

"I think I ascended instead."

Jungeun burst out laughing, having not expected that kind of response.

"I didn't know I was that good of a kisser?" She said in a questioning tone.

"Maybe you just have that kind of effect on me," Haseul admitted shyly.

Jungeun leaned in again, placing another lingering kiss on the shorter girl's lips.

Haseul could feel herself melting into it.

"Haseul," Jungeun pulled away to talk, "What does… this mean?"

"Huh? Well, that I really like you, of course." She answered, genuinely confused.

The trainee blushed at the sudden confession, "I-I really, really like you too – but… that's not what I meant." Jungeun paused, letting Haseul take in her words.

"I mean… you're a princess. I'm just a knight-in-training."

Jungeun's kisses made Haseul quite literally forget who she was, as the reality of the situation came crashing down on her.

"You're… you're right," The princess realized a bit too late.

She was too far-gone now, having completely given her heart to the girl who sat before her.

The only thing she could do now was be completely honest with her.

"I don't want to be with anyone but you, Jungie," Haseul suddenly admitted.

Jungeun immediately burst into the biggest smile Haseul had ever seen her have. The trainee was desperately trying to hide her face with her hands.

"I knew you were a softie," she teased the shorter girl before completely wrapping herself around her, "No wonder I fell head over heels for you."

Haseul's heart warmed at the sweet words.

"I'll have to get married to someone I don't like," she reminded Jungeun and herself of the sad truth, "…But, until then, won't you be with me?"

"We'll have to keep it a secret, won't we?" Jungeun asked.

Haseul nodded.

"Sounds like bad girl Haseul is going to be around for a little while longer, then," the knight-in-training said, before kissing her princess once more.

Haseul kissed Jungeun back with all the love she had for her.

The two of them woke up in each other's arms the next morning. Haseul decided for herself that Jungeun's sleeping face was one of her favorite things in the world.

A sudden knock on the door reminded Haseul of their current situation.

"Princess!" Her maid Jiwoo called out. "The king is waiting to speak with you at his chamber."

In some corner of her heart, Haseul wanted to simply open the door and triumphantly show off the muscly girl fast asleep in her bed, and not in Jiwoo's.

"Let him know I'll be there shortly," Haseul said calmly in response.

In reality, she never did figure out how to get Jungeun out of her room without anyone noticing.

"Jungeun, wake up. My father's going to kill you."

The trainee snapped her eyes open, jumping out of bed into a fighting stance.

"I hope that's not how you end up greeting him," Haseul joked despite the circumstances.

Jungeun relaxed her position, standing up straight. She looked around the room, trying to put her planning skills to use.

Her eyes landed on the closet in Haseul's room, as a metaphoric light bulb popped above her head. "Haseul, do you have your corsets here?"

Haseul furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "I do, why?"

"Help me change into one of your dresses," Jungeun answered simply.

"Huh?" The princess was taken aback completely by the sudden request.

Jungeun grabbed onto the hem of her own pajama shirt. Haseul immediately turned around and covered her face with her hands. "J-Jungeun! What are you doing?!"

"We'll pretend I came to your room in the morning to try on one of your dresses!"

"A-And you seriously think I can look at you when you're like that without losing my mind?!"

"Haseul, this is no time to think about that kind of stuff!"

"I know it's not, but I can't help it! Have you seen yourself in the mirror?!" Haseul said, roughly pointing towards the mirror she had in her room while keeping her eyes screwed shut.

"Oh, wow," Jungeun said, properly appreciating her own figure for what must've been the first time in her life.

"Y-Yeah! Wow!" Haseul agreed exasperatedly.

"You got lucky, Haseul," the trainee said with confidence.

The princess opened her eyes in her annoyance, "J-Jungeun, I swear I'm going to-"

She saw Jungeun in her undergarments, struggling to put on a corset by herself.

Haseul gulped hard at the sight, "T-Turn your back to me!" She said while looking away.

Jungeun did as she was told, as Haseul swiftly and nimbly helped her with the corset. All while staring at the floor to avoid looking at the gorgeous girl before her.

"I-I'm done," Haseul announced, screwing her eyes shut again as she continued blushing.

The princess heard some ruffling.

"What do you think about this one?"

Haseul opened up her eyes once more to see Jungeun in her undergarments and a corset holding a beautiful red dress, and not even using it to cover herself up at all.

"YOU LOOK—IT LOOKS GREAT," Haseul squeaked out, covering her eyes for what would (hopefully) be the last time.

Jungeun was incredibly amused by the newly discovered weapon. She decided to stop her teasing for now, as she finally put the dress on and walked over to the girl she loved, hugging her as a small apology.

"You're so mean," Haseul whined, "And the worst part is you're so pretty while doing it."

Jungeun pecked Haseul on the lips.

"You can't blame me, you're so cute when you're flustered."

Haseul raised her eyebrow, "I'll make sure you pay for that later today."

She walked away to her closet, changing out of her own pajamas without any qualms, causing the trainee to turn away blushing.

Jungeun could only fear the beast she just unintentionally unleashed.

The two of them finished getting ready together. Jungeun even agreed to let Haseul apply make-up for her, if only to see the princess's face up close.

They left the room, as Haseul began making her way towards her father's chamber as he asked. She and Jungeun stopped before the door to his room.

"I'll be back soon," she reassured the girl she loved before reaching out her hand towards the door.

Haseul entered the familiar room, slowly closing the door behind her.

"Hello, my daughter," the king greeted as he glanced through a window to the outside.

"Father," the princess said with a smile, moving to stand beside him. "You called for me?"

He nodded, "I have something to tell you. But first, how is Jungeun doing?"

"She has been doing better, father," Haseul answered as she hid her surprise at the question.

"That's good to hear. You two have always been very close, so I think of her as another daughter," the king admitted.

"Is… is that so," Haseul couldn't stop her smile from growing.

"It is," the king confirmed, "You may let her know, if you wish to."

The princess giggled as she imagined Jungeun's shocked reaction, "I'll keep it in mind."

The king took a deep breath.

"There's no easy way to start talking about this, unfortunately," he said, catching his daughter's full attention.

"Haseul, you are to decide who your future partner will be after tonight's banquet is over."

Haseul's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, but you're almost eighteen now and you still haven't made your decision. We cannot afford to wait much longer, we must make sure that the future ruler of the Jo Kingdom is prepared for the throne."

Haseul understood her father's reasoning, but the questions continued blooming in her mind. How was she meant to choose? What about the prophecy?

What about Jungeun?

"Father, if I may make a request – Could Jungeun come with me to the banquet? I trust her judgment," Haseul attempted to convince.

In truth, she only wanted to spend some more time with her before she had to make her decision.

"Very well," her father agreed. "Make sure she's dressed for the occasion."

Haseul gave a small sigh of relief before thanking her father and excusing herself.

The princess emerged from the room to be greeted by the trainee once more.

"Is everything okay, Haseul?" The taller girl asked.

"Jungeun," The princess began with a serious tone.

"What is it?" She asked.

Haseul took a deep breath, "You're coming with me to the banquet tonight."

Jungeun stayed by Haseul's side throughout the banquet. The princess managed to convince the girl beside her to stay in the beautiful red dress. She showered Jungeun with compliments to make sure this wouldn't be the last time she saw the girl wear the beautiful attire. Musicians from all over the kingdom played their beautiful songs as the two girls stood beside the dancefloor, watching the dancing couples all around them.

The princess let out a sigh, "It's a shame how those princes don't know who their competition is. If they did, they'd have stopped approaching me a while ago."

Jungeun smirked, "Oh? Do tell."

Haseul spoke with a whisper as she smiled slyly, "Well, she's tall, strong, so much fun to be with…" she leans in closer, "Not to mention, her kisses are so mind-bogglingly amazing that they make me forget who I am."

Jungeun's face grew hot, as she forced herself to hold back from kissing Haseul all over again, right then and there.

Their chatter was interrupted as another prince asked Haseul for a dance.

"Hello, Princess. My name is Jinyoung of the Lee Kingdom. May I have this dance?"

The princess begrudgingly agreed, as she shot an apologetic look in Jungeun's direction.

The man took her hand, leading her to the dancefloor, "You look very beautiful today, Princess."

"Thank you," she answered with a polite smile. The princess was used to such honey coated words at this point, and she was well aware that the man's praise was only another attempt at the crown. She kept her guard up, carefully eyeing up the man as she noticed he was directing his attention towards the beautiful red pendant around her neck.

'Ah, another greedy suitor. How lovely,' she thought as the two of them continued dancing.

"Ah-hem," came a throat-clear beside her. She turned to see yet another man asking her for a dance. She paused her dancing and excused herself before moving over to the next suitor.

Haseul reluctantly took his hand, keeping her polite smile intact even when he put his arm around her. The second suitor looked at her with a leer. His sweaty palm felt unpleasant, and he held her far too close for comfort. She could only think of going back to Jungeun's arms, far away from the man and far away from this banquet. He attempted to make small talk, but Haseul could not focus on it at all.

"That girl in red would make a fine concubine," he vulgarly commented, catching Haseul's attention. She followed his line of sight to see none other than Jungeun staring daggers at him.

Haseul accidentally stepped very hard on the man's foot, forcing him away from her. He held onto his foot, hissing in pain.

Her fake smile intensified, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'll make sure you get a pack of ice," she spat out before walking away from him. She got back to Jungeun's side, doing her best to keep her composure while asking one of the maids to assist the vile man. She made a mental note in her mind to tell her father about what happened, to make sure the man stayed far away from the kingdom and from Jungeun.

The trainee held the princess's hand in support from the moment she returned to her side.

"Are you okay? Did he say something to you?" Jungeun asked with a worried expression.

"I'm fine," Haseul answered, keeping what the man had said to herself, "I hope he's not, though."

Jungeun giggled, "Well if it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure his foot will be swollen for a week after that."

Haseul's genuine smile returned to her face, "It does make me feel a bit better. Is that bad?"

"Hey, why are you worried about doing bad things now? What happened to bad girl Haseul?" The taller girl teased.

The princess smiled mischievously, "Do you really like it so much when my bad side comes out?"

"I like it when you don't have to hide your true feelings," Jungeun said sincerely.

Haseul was always pleasantly surprised whenever the trainee managed to make her heart skip a beat, time and time again. Her expression softened as she allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of Jungeun's hand enveloping hers.

"I'm not sure how you manage to spend so much time wearing these corsets, they're so suffocating," Jungeun suddenly said, feeling uncomfortable with her outfit.

"I'll make sure to help you out of it later today," Haseul replied without realizing the double entendre behind her words, and how much they had affected the girl next to her.

"H-H-Haseul—"

"Princess," a maid interrupted, "The king is calling for you."

Jungeun felt the princess's hand tense up.

"…I'll be there in a moment," she answered. Her demeanor was calm, but her inner feelings were anything but.

She had to make a decision.

"Hey, Haseul, look at me for a second," Jungeun whispered. The princess did as she was asked, staring into her love's eyes.

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure you'll figure everything out. And if you feel like you can't, I'm here to help you, too. I need to put my planning skills to use, after all," Jungeun confidently said.

Haseul giggled, tightening her hold around the trainee's hand in appreciation of the sweet and sincere words, "Please don't tell me to put a corset on my father," she joked.

"Oh, GOD no," Jungeun replied immediately, "Although… it'll likely convince him that corsets should be banned all over the kingdom, so maybe that's not such a bad idea."

Haseul laughed wholeheartedly as they began walking together to the king's chamber.

"He told me earlier that he thinks of you as a daughter," Haseul suddenly said as Jungeun nearly tripped and fell from the shock.

"WAIT, WHAT?" She asked, feeling completely baffled.

The princess smiled warmly, "It's true! I was just as surprised, he said it's because you and I have been close for so long."

"If only he knew how close… he would definitely kill me, daughter or not," the trainee murmured.

"Aw, come on! I don't think he would kill you. He might sentence you to a life in prison, though."

"Well that's encouraging," Jungeun commented sarcastically.

"I'll still come by to visit! And I'll make sure to bring cookies for you every day."

Jungeun hummed in thought, "Maybe a lifetime in prison isn't so bad, after all, then."

They finally reached the door to his room.

"…Could you wait for me here?" Haseul asked as the worry began setting in.

Jungeun nodded. The princess finally entered the room and closed the door, afraid of the outcome.

"How has your night been, dear?" The king asked his daughter lovingly.

"Awful," the princess admitted, "Some of these men are absolutely insufferable." She spoke in detail of the vile suitor from that day, as the king promised his daughter that the man would never be welcomed into their kingdom again.

Haseul sighed with relief. She had always been very glad with how understanding her father was. She just hoped he would be just as understanding when it came to her decision.

"Have you made your decision?" The king asked.

"I have," the princess confirmed.

She took a deep breath before speaking. In her heart, there has always been only one person.

"Father, I… I choose Jung—"

The doors suddenly burst open as the royal messenger barged in.

"--The Jari village is under attack, Your Highness!" The messenger announced before the chamber doors even had the time to close.

Haseul's heart broke upon hearing the familiar name. She looked to the open door, seeing Jungeun standing there, fists clenched and expression terrified.

"The… Jari village…" The trainee's hands began shaking at the thought of her previous home being demolished as they spoke.

"Call for reinforcements!" The king immediately ordered. The messenger quickly rushed away to do as he was told.

"Your Highness," Jungeun entered the room and knelt down without thinking, "I beg of you to let me go help as well."

She looked directly at the king. The conviction in her eyes was undeniable.

He looked to his daughter, who was still completely shocked by the sudden turn of events.

"What do you think, my daughter?" The king asked.

The princess could hear the unspoken question.

'Will you let her go?'

The thought of losing Jungeun in battle had never occurred to the princess before that day. Haseul understood that this was exactly what her friend had been training for so hard since the day she got to the castle. Every swing of her sword, every drop of sweat that fell from the trainee's forehead – it all led up to this moment. The day that she would have to protect the kingdom.

'Please,' Jungeun pleaded with her eyes.

'I want to protect them.'

It's not that Haseul never thought this day would come.

The princess simply hoped it never would.

"…Let her go, father," she made her decision, though her voice trembled.

She could only pray that Jungeun returned home safely.

The king dismissed the two of them, after telling the young princess that they would discuss other matters once the villagers were safe.

The two girls were back at Haseul's room after having brought Jungeun's fighting gear with them. The princess quietly asked the trainee to turn away from her before she helped her out of the dress and the suffocating corset. Her mind was too busy rushing through every future possibility of what may happen to think about anything else.

Haseul turned away from Jungeun while the latter changed into her gear, taking her sword with her. The silence was unbearable.

"I'm done changing," the trainee said.

The princess immediately turned around to hug the love of her life as tightly as she could, as though it was going to be the last time she could do it.

"Promise me you'll come back safely," the princess asked as her eyes filled with tears.

The trainee hugged her back, "I will," she pulled away only to seize her love's lips with her own. Haseul began kissing her passionately, as Jungeun did her best to follow along. It was as though the two of them were each other's only source of oxygen.

"I love you," Haseul admitted once she pulled away to catch her breath.

"I love you too," Jungeun confessed.

They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments longer.

"I have to go," the trainee regrettably said as she broke their eye contact.

Haseul nodded, stopping only to wipe away some of the smeared lipstick from Jungeun's face and her own. The two of them began walking together towards the castle's gates, where the king's troop stood prepared to leave. The servants equipped the trainee with a horse, and she looked into her princess's eyes one more time.

"I'll see you soon," Jungeun promised, before she and the rest of the troop made their way out of the castle gates, towards the Jari village.

"…See you soon," the princess quietly said, long after her knight was already out of earshot.

The troop approached the village as Jungeun immediately noticed several burning houses.

'Fire,' she thought to herself, as images of her nightmares flashed in her mind. She knew she wanted to prioritize searching for survivors and ensuring their safety. A scream broke her out of her thoughts, as she got off her horse and tied it to a post. She rushed into the village, as the rest of the troop began vigorously fighting the attackers to defend the place and its citizens. Jungeun noticed by the tattoos on their arms that the assailants appeared to be part of a well-known group of bandits.

'The snakes,' Jungeun remembered from her training. They specialized in robbing houses, killing the citizens inside and burning down the buildings after taking everything precious inside for themselves.

She looked at the knights fighting before her, realizing that they were too busy in their battle to notice another bandit rushing towards them with a bloodied knife. She immediately unsheathed her sword, dashing towards the attacker and hitting him on the head with the bottom of her sword's hilt. The man passed out upon the strike. Jungeun knew her mission was to defend, and not kill, so she made sure not to fatally wound anyone, even if it were the enemy.

The trainee looked over at the burning houses, feeling as though the fire's crackle was calling for her. She could not live with herself unless she knew for sure that there weren't any survivors left inside before she could allow herself to continue fighting.

She took a deep breath and covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve as she rushed inside one of the houses. The fire was hot and the smoke had long since filled the place, making it hard to see. She squinted her eyes, finding two bloodstained bodies lying on the floor of the hall inside. It was an unpleasant sight, and Jungeun couldn't help but look away. She noticed a happy family portrait on the wall beside her.

'A family of three,' she realized, looking at the two parents in the painting who were holding their newborn daughter.

'Where's the baby?'

Among the sounds of a burning and raging fire, she could hear it.

The faint sound of a baby crying.

She lied down on the floor, crawling on it to make sure she avoided the smoke from entering her lungs. She moved in the direction of the weak sound, her eyes doing their best to examine the room despite the dangerous gas blurring her view. She got to a closet, and reached her hand out to open it, revealing a beautiful and healthy baby crying loudly inside. The parents must have expected this would happen, she thought. Jungeun held the infant securely under her body with one arm, making sure to keep her as low as possible to the ground to prevent her from inhaling the smoke.

She began making her way out of the fiery house, as the building began falling apart. She was near the door when a large piece of burning wood fell on her arm, searing it. The pain was unbearable, but she endured it for the sake of protecting the baby. She was grateful for her luck that the flaming block hadn't hurt the infant.

She finally got out of the house and immediately began checking the baby for any injuries, relieved to find that it was completely okay and unscathed. The other knights saw them, and immediately rushed to Jungeun's side. One of the knights held onto the infant while the others checked the trainee's injuries. She had inhaled too much of the smoke.

The last thing she remembered before losing her consciousness was the baby's wailing. 

Jungeun woke up a few hours later in a makeshift tent, to the immediate relief of the medical staff sitting next to her. She turned to look at her bandaged right arm, the memories of what happened slowly coming back to her.

"T-The baby!" She choked out, realizing a little too late that her throat was very dry. The doctor slowly gave her a bit of water.

"She's okay. We had to run a few tests on her, but she's miraculously completely healthy," the doctor explained.

The trainee let out a big sigh of relief, "May I see her?"

"She's currently fast asleep, and you still need to get a bit more rest as well. I'm not even sure how you're still alive after the amount of smoke that you've inhaled."

Jungeun knew that it was only because of the guardian angel she had, waiting for her back home.

"Haseul…" she suddenly let out, "I mean, the princess, does she know this happened?"

The doctor nodded, "The knights were successful at defending the town. There were a few casualties," he said, as Jungeun remembered the bodies she saw, "But not as many as there would've been, had the troops not joined the battle. Thank you on behalf of our village."

Jungeun smiled bashfully, "I'm glad I managed to help, if only a little."

The doctor laughed, "I'd hardly call saving a baby's life 'a little', Jungeun."

"…You know my name?" The trainee asked.

"Why, of course I do. You're the very first knight to have come out of our village."

Jungeun giggled, "Well, I'm not an official knight yet. "

The doctor shook his head, "I think the infant will beg to differ, once she's old enough to speak."

The trainee couldn't help but smile with pride.

He stood up, "Please get some more rest, Jungeun. The troops will be heading back home tomorrow, according to the captain."

"Doctor," Jungeun began, stopping him from walking away, "That girl, she… lost her parents. She doesn't have anywhere to return to," the trainee explained with a saddened expression.

"…Is that so," the doctor said, lost in thought.

"I'd like to take her back to the castle with me," the trainee suddenly said. She did not know how to be a mother, but she knew Haseul could help her figure things out. Jungeun swore in her heart to take care of the girl and raise her.

She could not stand the thought of another lonely child.

The doctor nodded in understanding, "You are aware of what this means, correct?"

Jungeun bobbed her head in response, "I will take care of her," she clarified.

He sighed, "Very well then, I'll make sure she heads back with you. But until then, please get some more rest. The princess will likely kill us both if she finds out how badly you were injured."

Jungeun blushed, but she knew the man was right, "I-I will. Thank you for your help, doctor."

The doctor smiled before walking away, thinking to himself of a distant time in the past.

'Your father would've been very proud of you, Jungeun.'

Word of the troop's successful battle came to the castle. The king prepared to welcome the knights back with a celebratory feast. The princess ran around the castle, helping where she could with the organizing. She simply could not hide her excitement at the news.

'She's coming back.'

The sound of trumpets outside alerted her to the troop's arrival. She ran outside, without caring about how unroyal she was acting.

And that was when she saw her.

Jungeun was finally home, along with the rest of the troop.

"You will love them dearly."

The princess rushed forward, as her knight ran up to meet her. Jungeun paused right before she reached Haseul, to the girl's confusion.

"Jungeun… you're back," Haseul said as the tears of relief fell from her eyes.

"They will protect you with their life."

"I am," the trainee said warmly. "And…"

She moved her arm to reveal she was holding a tiny, beautiful sleeping baby girl.

"…So is she."

"They will bless you with a child."

The princess's breath was caught in her throat.

"She lost her parents during the battle," Jungeun explained with a whisper, "I managed to rescue her, and… I'm going to take care of her."

Haseul couldn't believe her ears, "Jungeun…"

"I-I know I'm still young but… I wanted to make sure she had a good home. I want to do my best to make sure of that."

"Jungeun," she said again, stopping the girl's running train of thought.

"You're going to be a great mother," Haseul finished saying, and immediately leaned in to kiss her love before all to see. She simply could not hold back anymore. Jungeun was surprised, but it did not take her long to reciprocate the tender kiss.

"Jungeun, I want… I want to help you take care of her. I want us to raise her together," Haseul suggested once she pulled away. The little one herself woke up at the princess's sweet words, smiling endearingly at the royal and reaching out her arms to her.

Jungeun giggled, "I think Yeojin already made her decision on that."

"Yeojin," Haseul said to herself, enjoying the feeling of the name leaving her mouth.

"I hope you don't mind that I already picked out a name for her," Jungeun joked, as she let Haseul hold her, or rather, their daughter in her hands.

The little girl moved her small hands to try to reach Haseul's nose. The couple laughed at the cute attempt.

"Haseul."

She and Jungeun turned around to see the king looking directly at them.

'I'm so dead,' the trainee immediately thought.

The king stood from afar. He watched as Jungeun and his daughter smiled and laughed as the former introduced the baby in her hands, and could not help but think of himself and his late wife.

The king was not blind to the two girls' previously hidden love for each other, but he also knew that if Haseul were to marry a prince, it would be very beneficial to both kingdoms. He could not make that decision for his daughter, however, so he wanted to let her make that decision for herself.

He was happy to see that she had.

The princess walked up to him. "Father," she began, "Jungeun, she's… she's the person of the prophecy."

The king smiled warmly, realizing his daughter was right.

"Well then, daughter of mine, I have only one question left to ask."

"Yes, father?"

His smile grew to the point that his eye creases showed up.

"When's the wedding?"

Haseul and Jungeun decided to wait before sealing their love with marriage. The trainee wanted to finish her knighthood training and make her late father's dream come true, while the princess had to finish her royal training. The maids helped the two of them take care of their daughter whenever they were busy, and the king was more than glad to spend some quality time with his adorable granddaughter.

The two of them were nineteen years old when Jungeun became a knight.

"Kim Jungeun of the Jari village," the king called out, as the trainee stepped forward and knelt before him.

"You have proven your loyalty to the royal family, and have trained to protect and defend the people of the kingdom."

He tapped the flat side of the knighting sword on both of her shoulders.

"I dub thee a knight of the Jo Kingdom."

The people all around her clapped, as a tear came to her eye when she thought of her late father's proud expression.

She looked at the girl sitting beside the king who was cheering for her just as much.

The girl she had always been utterly in love with. Her new family.

The couple took the two-year-old Yeojin to the garden, the same one where they enjoyed having lunch together. They sat next to each other on a bench, letting the small girl run around in front of them.

"Haseul," Jungeun began as she took the princess's hand in her own. Haseul's eyes had been on the knight's since a long time ago.

"I love you with all my heart. I will protect you with my life, and will always stay by your side for as long as you let me. You have been such a great help to me with Yeojin, that girl truly looks up to you. I always have, too. You make me want to become a better person, someone worthy of being with you."

She knelt down on one knee.

"Will you marry me, and make me the luckiest woman in the world?"

Tears of joy fell from Haseul's eyes.

"You silly," the princess knelt down before her.

"When we get married, the luckiest woman in the world will be me."

Jungeun giggled, "You could've just said 'yes', you know."

Haseul leaned in, closing the gap between them and kissing Jungeun gently.

"Yes, Jungie. I will." 

The years passed, and Jungeun and Haseul finally got married.

It took time for Jungeun to grow accustomed to her new royal title, but once she did, the woman quickly learned to take on her new responsibilities. She understood that one day she and Haseul were to become the new queens of the kingdom, so she did her best to learn the proper royal etiquette. That, however, did not mean she was willing to put on another one of the uncomfortable dresses, and she instead chose to wear a royal suit even to the events she attended. Her wife did not mind either way, she thought Jungeun looked nothing less than beautiful no matter what she wore.

The two of them signed the official papers required, and finally became Yeojin's legal guardians. The small family walked together through the castle's halls. Well, sort-of, that is.

"Yeojin-ah! No running around in the halls, you'll get hurt!" Princess Jungeun called out.

"Okay!" Their daughter shouted out, before promptly running around in the kitchen instead.

Princess Jungeun sighed, before whispering to her wife with a giggle.

"She really is a lot like you. Are you sure you haven't cheated on me?"

Haseul gave her wife a loving smile and kissed her softly. She remembered how, years ago, she never could have imagined being capable of doing such a thing.

She never felt happier in her entire life.

"I would never do such a thing, Jungie. I pledge my loyalty to you."