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It was a quiet morning in the Kim household. The sun shone through the small wooden frame of the window, allowing the light to diffuse into the tailor shop. Lady Kim’s oldest daughter was hard at work altering a dress that had been brought in by a local mother whose daughter had accidentally ripped her dress while playing around with the other children at the local school. The sewing machine’s vigorous whirling filled the quiet air of the room as the girl sewed. 

Taking after her mother, the oldest daughter—but not Lady Kim’s oldest child—had pursued a career in seamstressing. After intently shadowing her mother for her entire youth, she had proven herself worthy to work alongside Lady Kim. The Lady had tried to convince her daughter to do something more fulfilling like her other children, but the oldest daughter had strongly refused. Lady Kim’s oldest child and only son had pursued a life in the military, like his father, and had recently been awarded with the rank of a royal guard for the palace. Her youngest daughter—a genius from birth—was currently the apprentice for the royal physician and was destined to take over the position from him when he passed. 

But yet, her middle child had always been the quietest and shyest of all her children. When asked about her future ambitions, the middle child had always shrugged off the question. The girl had never shown interest in anything and was always indifferent to everything around her. Her mother had always thought that her daughter would end up finding something that she excelled at that would boost her social hierarchy status like her two other children, but that never ended up happening. Instead, the girl sat quietly in the back of her humble shop helping her tailor the town’s garments. Lady Kim had always appreciated the help her daughter provided her around the shop, but she had also felt saddened to see her daughter holed up in the shop away from society; a girl her daughter’s age should be out in the town mingling with the locals and perhaps trying to find a suitable partner to settle down with. The girl already had few friends to begin with; her mother doesn’t want the girl to end up alone forever. 

“Jiwon-ah?” Lady Kim shouts over the whizzing of her daughter’s sewing machine.

“Yes?” the girl replied, her sewing machine still steadily whizzing along the fabric.

“When you finish with what you’re working on, can you please start working on the alterations for the crown princess’ dress for the upcoming Gala?”

“Sure,” the machine still whirling, “I’ll get on it.”

“Thank you, Jiwon. I must head out now. I need to finalize the design of the dresses with her royal majesty, I’ll be back before dusk.”

“Alright, mother. I’ll see you later.”

The Lady prepares her bag as she makes her way to the door, “And if your siblings drop by later, please let them know of my whereabouts.”

“Will do. See you later,” the blonde girl bids, not sparing a single glance at her mother. 

The door shuts. The constant whirling continues to fill the room as the girl works intently on the garment in her hands. She carefully maneuvers the fabric in her hands, guiding it carefully under the foot of the sewing machine to repair the tear in the seam of the dress. The girl attentively watches the foot of her machine press the loose fabric together and hold them together as the needle bounces up and down, successfully conjoining the two pieces of fabric. Suddenly, the whirling stops. The dress has been successfully hemmed together, the girl stands from her chair to carefully fold the dress and place it neatly into the pick up shelf—ready to be picked up and worn again. Jiwon smiles as she admires the newly sewn edge, gently running her fingers over the pressed thread and cotton. 

As the blonde girl makes her way back to her sewing station to start working on the crown princess’ dress, her peaceful environment is rudely interrupted by the abrupt slam of the door.

“Jiwon!” a girl enthusiastically shouts as she enters the quiet tailor shop, “What are you doing right now?”

The blonde girl groans, “Well… I was about to start working on the alterations for this dress… until—of course—you interrupted me.”

“Forget that. You know that Royal Gala that’s happening?” Jiwon stares at the girl with an unimpressed look in her eye, “Okay… that was a dumb question. Anyways, I was wondering if you were going to attend?”

She groans, “Rei, you know I hate going to those things.”

Rei, the girl who has unfortunately interrupted Jiwon’s peaceful sanctuary, was Jiwon’s lifelong, and only, friend—or best friend. The girl had forced her way into Jiwon’s life against the blonde’s will when they were kids and hasn’t left her side ever since. Secretly, Jiwon appreciates Rei and her bright energy; a nice contrast to her indifference to life and always convincing the blonde girl to venture out of her safe comfort-zone. Her mother also liked Rei’s ability to get Jiwon to open up and try new things. If not for Rei, Jiwon would be a recluse homebody who spends her days fixated on repairing garments in the solitude of her mother’s shop.

“Right… But, when was the last time you went to an event like this?” the shorter girl raises her eyebrow, “You’re older now, it could be fun! Plus, you’ll be with me!”

“I don’t think so. You should know that I don’t enjoy dancing, loud noises, meaningless conversations, and drunk people. The Gala is full of all of the above—sounds like torture to me. I’m out.”

“Ehh… don’t be so negative. So what? You gotta’ change your mindset. Can’t have fun when all of your thoughts are complete mood killers. Just this once and I promise that I will never ask you to go with me to these events again.”

Jiwon sighed. She stares deeply into Rei’s eyes; the girl was practically trying to guilt the blonde girl to attend with her puppy eyes. “...Fine. Just this once.”

The girl in front of her jumped for joy, “Yes, yes! Thank you, Jiwon. We’re gonna’ have so much fun.”

The blonde girl nods, completely unconvinced by Rei’s words, but a couple hours at a Gala won’t hurt her—she assumes. While she might completely hate it, as long as she stays by Rei’s side, she figures it can’t be too bad—and free fancy alcohol would be an enjoyable addition. 

“Happy now? Can I go back to sewing or do you have more to say?”

The shorter girl shakes her head. Instead of replying to the blonde girl, she wraps the other girl into a tight hug, “Yes, go back to work. I’ll see you later!”

Jiwon sighs—this time in relief, as the other girl speeds out the door, leaving Jiwon to soak in her beautifully peaceful and quiet shop again. The blonde girl strides over to the corner of the store, approaching a mannequin wearing a gorgeous baby pink ball gown that Jiwon had carefully sewn together a few days previously. 

Lady Kim had been commissioned to create a brand new set of dresses for the ladies of the Royal family for the upcoming Gala. Rumours bounced around the town regarding the intentions of the incoming Gala were to help the Crown Princess find a suitor to betroth to. Jiwon didn’t have much interest in the ridiculous royal traditions, but she knew that this was a highly important event for the crown princess. Her mother had worked on her Royal Majesty’s gown, while Jiwon was given the task to complete her Royal Highness’. Jiwon had thoroughly enjoyed designing the gown for the Crown Princess. The ideas flowed easily to her as she created the design. The dress features a stunning layered tulle skirt that featured the finest fabric that had hints of sparkles in that was sourced specifically for this design. The dress is further enhanced by the intricate lace applique embellishments that cascaded down from the top of the gown and dissipated as it went further down. Jiwon had worked on the dress for 3 days and nights straight, barely taking a break in fear that the ideas floating in her head would disappear from her brain the moment she stopped. 

When Jiwon finished the dress, her mother had fawned over the meticulously designed dress and immediately sent it off to the palace to get the approval from the Crown Princess. The days between completing the project and the final approval from the royal family felt like torture for Jiwon. The girl was barely able to focus on her usual tasks; instead, she was severely anxious about the Crown Princess’ opinion on the dress she had made for her. 

When the dress returned days later with an approval from the Princess and very little feedback, Jiwon was able to finally let out a breath that she was unaware she had been holding in for the past couple days. Once out of sight from her mother, the blonde silently celebrated the princess’ approval.

Now, all that was left to do was to complete the alterations on the gown so the Princess could fit perfectly into the dress. The blonde girl carefully measured the dress and marked the areas that needed to be trimmed and rehemmed. Before the girl could start trimming, she made sure to cross-check her measurements with the measurements given to her on the paper in front of her. When she was satisfied with her numbers, she took her finest pair of sheers and started to trim the dress. Her blades glide smoothly along the fabric, like a rock sliding along ice. She skillfully snips the excess fabric, then she takes the trimmed garment to her sewing machine to reattach the frayed edges. She rethreads her machine with a delicate cotton that matches the colour of the delicate pink dress material. Once the machine is rethreaded, she slides the edge of the dress under the foot and holds it towards the needle, then she presses her foot pedal down to pierce the needle into the fabric. The silence of the shop is once more filled with the monotonous whirling of the sewing machine. Jiwon stared intently at the needle, ensuring the fabric doesn’t fall out of line or become bunched up under the needle. With Jiwon’s skillful hands, the garment alterations are completed in under an hour. 

Once the seamstress’ daughter is satisfied with her work, she takes the delicate dress and packages it up into a protective outer cover—getting it ready for it to be picked up early at dawn to be brought up to the place for the following evening. Jiwon admires the delicate work of her lace applique, brushing her fingers delicately over them. The original idea of the design was to follow the floral theming of the Gala; however, Jiwon’s imagination led her original floral design into one that slightly reflected the celestial body. She intended to feature the Crown Princess’ favourite flower, the moonflower, as the center piece of the design with flowing flower petals falling around it. Yet, as she observes the final piece, she can see that her original intentions had been strayed away in the process. However, she was still satisfied with the final product—and the most important thing was that the Crown Princess had approved of the design. With one last glance, she silently bids her dress farewell as she zips up the outer cover and hangs it onto the pick up rack for one of the Princess’ maids to drop by in the morning. 

Jiwon turns around and faces the empty quiet store, filled with fabrics thrown over every surface in the store, piles of fabric scraps building up in various locations around the store, and mannequins that keep her company when the days feel a little lonelier than usual. This store is Jiwon’s safe haven that allows her to escape from reality when things become overwhelming. She knows that her mother isn’t the proudest of her for staying locked away in their store that doubles as the home Jiwon grew up in. She knows her mother wishes she would try leaving this place and become something that’s better than this small old dusty store, but deep in Jiwon’s heart, she can’t move on from this place. It’s been the only thing she’s ever known. She’s happy here; she’s happy with her current life. She might not have the same large ambitions of climbing the social ladder like her two siblings, but she’s still happy and humble with the life she’s grown into. 

The sound of the door creaking open brings Jiwon out of her thoughts. “I’m home! Is mother home?” Jiwon’s younger sister appears. 

“Chaewon,” the older sister gasps, “you’re home for once? Mother is out now, but she’ll be back soon.”

“Of course I’m home. Mother asked me to come by. Said she missed me, so I found some time to escape the palace and visit the two of you.”

Jiwon opens her arms to bring her youngest sister into a hug, “I’m so glad you’re home. Tell me what you’ve been up to lately.”

The two sisters chat animatedly while sitting on the worn-down couch that sat in the lounge area of the shop. Chaewon told Jiwon stories about her time shadowing the palace’s physicians and haunting ghost stories during her time caring for the wounded soldiers. Jiwon in return shared mundane stories that occurred in the shop while her youngest sister was gone—nothing that her little sister didn't know of. 

“Y’know, I overheard some of the maids talk about the dress you created for Princess Wonyoung. That’s a huge deal y’know.”

Jiwon blushes, “It wasn’t anything crazy, honestly. It only took me a couple of days to complete.”

“For real? That’s impressive, Jiwon. I heard that the Crown Princess was gushing over her dress. She absolutely loves it. I personally haven't caught a glimpse of it yet, but I had to stop myself from telling all the staff that my sister was the one that designed the dress.”

“Chaewon-ah, stop it. It’s nothing crazy honestly. I’m sure she’s had better dresses created for her. Mine was nothing special.”

“Yeah, yeah. Say whatever you want, but I’m telling you, the maids swear she wouldn’t stop talking about the dress for days after she tried it on. They’re saying as soon as she saw it, she completely fell in love with it.”

Jiwon stares at her sister blankly, not believing the anecdotes that her sister was telling her. 

“Okay whatever, don’t believe me,” she raises her hands, “But, I wanted to ask. A little birdy told me that you're going to the Royal Gala tomorrow.”

The older girl’s eyes widened, “What? Who told you that?”

“I caught Rei on the way to the house. She was braggin’ ‘bout how she was able to convince you to finally go to one of these events,” the younger blonde girl smiled. Her blonde hair was similar to Jiwon’s shade of hair; however, except for their shared hair colour, the two sisters barely shared any similar facial features. People don't usually assume they're siblings when they firt meet the two of them. “Soo… What are you planning on wearin’ to the Gala?”

Jiwon faltered, “I–uh.. I’m.. I’m not sure yet.” She lets out a dry laugh, “I’ll dig around here and find something I guess. We definitely don’t have a shortage of ball gowns ‘round here.”

“No way. You are not just going to randomly choose the first dress you see, are you?”

“Well…”

“That can’t be, Jiwon. Here, let me help you,” the younger girl stands up and starts to search around the store. 

“I don’t think it’s a big deal about what I wear, Chae.”

The younger girl ignores the other girl, continuing to scan through all the dresses hanging on the racks of dresses displayed for retail. “Not a big deal,” she scoffs. “This is huge for you. What if you meet the love of your life there,” she huffs, scanning through the endless racks of dresses, “Well, you definitely won’t if you are looking like a mess.”

“That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?” Jiwon tilts her head, “Plus, wouldn’t the ‘love of my life’ love me for who I am as a person, not for my looks?”

“Here,” Chaewon exclaims, “You should wear this dress. I think it would look beautiful on you.” The younger girl held up a simple long sleeve crimson dress that was shoulderless and had a corset top. The length wasn’t too long, but it was still long enough to be considered a ball gown. The dress was very minimal, lacking embellishments that would help it stand out, but it was the type of style that Jiwon prefers. 

“Hmm…” the older girl ponders, “I think… I think this would work... Thank you.”

“Of course,”  the younger smiles, “I want people to turn heads when you walk through the door, and I want to brag to the staff at the palace that you are my sister, so you need to dress to impress.”

Jiwon blushes, the thought of everyone’s attention on her is her worst nightmare. “I hope that doesn’t happen.”

“You never know,” her annoying sister nudges her arm gently, “Maybe you’ll get the attention of the Crown Princess.”

“Okay, now you’re being unrealistic.” 

“Whatever you say. You gotta’ dream big, Jiwon-ah. Build up that confidence of yours. Just tell her you made her dress, and I’m sure she’ll start swooning instantly.”

“No thanks, I’m fine.”

As her sister was about to retort back at her, the door swung open again and in return their mother.

“Girls,” their mother exclaims, ”you are both here. My daughters are home! I wasn’t expecting to see the both of you here!” her mother smiles, “I was actually expecting your brother to join us tonight, but he seems to be busy with his last minute duties. Chaewon-ah, have you been eating well? You look thin; let’s have dinner together!”

The three girls sit around the old wooden table that the family gathered around every evening to enjoy a meal together. It has become less common that all three of Lady Kim’s children join her at the dinner table nowadays, but the Lady cherishes the moments when the family is able to reunite. Jiwon would never admit this out loud, but she secretly misses living under the same roof as her two siblings. As much as she enjoys the quiet mornings working in the shop, she longs for the memories of the three siblings as children running around interrupting the peaceful quiet air in the shop. When her siblings finally get a chance to return home, Jiwon cherishes the short moments.

The next morning, the two bid her sister farewell before getting back to their normal routine. During the early hours of the morning, a maid from the royal palace stopped by to pick up the dress Jiwon had finished altering for the Crown Princess the previous day. When the dress finally left the shop for good, it had finally dawned on Jiwon that the Royal Gala was tonight. She was finally feeling nervous about the event—already having last minute doubts about attending. But, she couldn’t break Rei’s heart by flaking out on her last minute. Jiwon tried her best to distract her mind with work but she couldn’t seem to focus on anything, except for the old clock ticking rhythmically as time passed, torturing her with each click. 

The foot of her sewing machine thumped asynchronously with the monotonous ticking of the clocking. The sound of the two sounds clashing started to drive Jiwon insane. She stood suddenly from her sewing machine; the blonde girl could not focus on anything right now except for the upcoming Gala that was filling the girl with anxiety. She decides to finish work for the day and opt to lie down in her bed, praying that sleep will help her nerves calm down.  

When she wakes up, she spots her clock showing the time and springs out of bed. 

SHOOT, I overslept and now Rei’s going to be here in 30 minutes.

She rushes over to the red dress she and her sister chose the night previously that was hanging neatly pressed on the hanger and rushes to put it on. As soon as it was on, she rushes to fix her hair up into a simple, yet elegant, wavy look. Once she was satisfied, she quickly started her makeup. 

Jiwon could've set a world-record for how fast she was able to get ready. As soon as she puts on the finishing touches of her makeup, she hears pounding at the door. The blonde rushes over and opens the door to be greeted by her best friend.

”Jiwon you clean up nicely,” Rei teases, reaching out to take the blonde girl’s hand, “Shall we go?”

Jiwon gracefully accepts her hand. If only she knew what was happening in the last half hour, “Of course, Lady Rei,” she teases.

The two girls make their way out of the humble seamstress shop and into Rei’s private carriage. Rei’s carriage was a pure white tone, with gold trimmings lining the outside. The interior was cushioned with the finest fabric that felt softer than a cat’s fur.

“God, I’ll never get used to riding in your carriage. Such a luxurious experience.” the blonde girl comments, looking longingly out the window at the scenery passing by the two of them. 

“Well you should,” the older girl mumbles.

“What was that?” 

“Nothing. I was just saying that you could always experience this more often if you would get out of the house once and a while.”

Jiwon rolls her eyes playfully, not bothering to respond to her best friend. Instead, she continues to stare out the window. The journey towards the palace was not a smooth ride at all, but to Jiwon, it was thrilling. The scenery along the route to the palace was also gorgeous. Lush forests so thick that surrounded the road in a looming darkness. Occasionally, an odd squirrel could be spotted on the side of the road snacking on its foragings before running off at the sound of the wheels of the carriage grinding against the rocky dirt roads.

The ride was anything but smooth, but it was still thrilling. When the carriage arrived at the entrance of the palace, Jiwon could feel the rapid beating of her heart against her ribcage. The thumping could be heard from the depth of her ears; she wondered if it was loud enough that Rei could hear it as well. She gracefully accepts the extended hand of the carriage driver who helps her out. As soon as she’s touching the ground again, her jaw drops. 

The palace is beautifully decorated for the Royal Gala. There were flowers lining up every surface of the palace, and a walkway lined with the most gorgeous lanterns lined the pathway towards the entrance. The two girls linked their arms together and cheerfully made their way down the walkway. As the two girls finally crossed the grand archway and into the main palace, Jiwon could hear the faint sounds of an orchestra playing through the walls. The hallways were also beautifully decorated with stunning floral arrangements that lined the walls next to the royal portraits of all of the royal families over the years. The current family’s portrait hung proudly at the end of the hall, just before the entrance into the ballroom; their faces perfectly sculpted using the finest oils; their smiles forever staying bright, welcoming the guests into the Palace. As the girls passed through the last archway, they were met with the sight of a stunningly bold chandelier hanging from the ceiling and ginormous celestial windows that allowed the cold moonlight to mix with the warmth from the chandeliers. 

As the guests flowed into the Grand Ballroom, Jiwon couldn’t help but admire everyone’s formal attire. The beautiful bright colours from everyone’s dresses and stunning intricate designs left Jiwon in awe. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from the gowns that surrounded her; she was left enchanted by all of the unique designs, wanting to study each pattern carefully for her next design. 

“Jiwon, let's dance!” Rei exclaims, grabbing harshly onto the girl’s arm to drag her towards the centre of the ballroom. The blonde girl groans, but lets the older girl pull her out of her trance. They clumsily conjoin their hands together and pull each other closer. Rei takes the initiative to lead the two of them and wraps her arm around Jiwon’s waist, which forces Jiwon to loosely hang her arm around Rei’s shoulders. The two girls waltz around the room to the beat of the music—with Jiwon occasionally stepping on Rei’s toes which cause the two girls to burst out laughing. Unlike the other guests around them, the two were in their own world giggling and joking around like no one else was watching—except there was someone who couldn’t keep their eyes off the two of them, but the two were too busy having fun to notice the burning eyes on them. 

After a while, the two break apart when an unfamiliar girl approaches them, “I hate to disturb your fun, but I couldn’t let the opportunity pass by. I was just wondering if you would like to dance with me?” the girl looks directly into Rei’s eyes, “I couldn’t just stand here and watch you all night. Just one will be alright with me, and then you can go back and dance with your friend here.” Jiwon did not recognize the girl at all. Based on her attire, she presumes that the girl was the daughter of the Royal General; plus the girl looks strikingly similar to the general. Jiwon’s initial first thought about the girl was that she looked handsome. Her short hair framed her face in a way that extenuated her features, especially her striking eyes, and her eyes reminded her of ones found in puppies, which contrasts her ruthless reputation. 

Rei glances over at Jiwon, silently asking for the other girl’s permission with her eyes. Jiwon gives the girl a small nod, “Okay,” Rei smiles shyly.

The still unknown girl flashes the two girls a bright charming smile, “Lovely,” she reaches her hand out for Rei to take, “Shall we dance, my lady?” Rei giggles—but not the same kind of giggle that she and Jiwon were doing earlier, it was a shyer and cutesy type of giggle—and accepts the other girl’s hand.

Jiwon watches the two waltz off into the crowd. She stands in the middle of the ballroom, the feeling of awkwardness growing as the time passes. She’s unsure of what she should do with herself now. She only came to the Royal Gala to accompany Rei, but now that the said girl was gone, she didn’t know what to do with herself. Jiwon glances around the room, clumsily swaying along with the crowd. She spots a refreshment table over to the left and decides to try to make her way over to it. However, that task seemed to be easier said than done. The challenge was made harder due to the amount of dancing couples surrounding her and blocking her initial path. By the time she successfully weaves her way through the crowd and is able to retrieve a drink for herself, she hears the ringing of crystal—drawing the attention of the entire room to Her Majesty. 

“Greetings, my esteemed guests,” she starts off her speech, “Firstly, I would like to thank you all for joining us here today during this momentous event tonight. As you all know, this Royal Gala tonight is being held as a courtship event for my pulchritudinous daughter, Her Highness Jang Wonyoung, following our customary traditions.” She gestures to her daughter, sitting politely beside her with a look in her eye that Jiwon couldn't pinpoint from her distance, “By the end of the night, she will have chosen a suitable suitor to accompany her for the rest of her days. We have lots of valuable options here tonight, and I wish all the potential suitors the best of luck tonight trying to impress my daughter. With that, I bid you all the best. Here’s to a lovely evening!”

As soon as Her Majesty's speech was over, the ambient chattering commenced again. Jiwon focuses on her drink in her hand again, finally taking a sip of the fancy important sparkling wine being served. The flavour was sweet and fruity with a hint of acidity to it, a flavour profile that Jiwon enjoyed in her champagnes; the royals had good taste in champagne. The blonde girl spends most of her time attached to the refreshments table, sipping glass after glass of champagne that kept being handed to her as soon as her current one became empty, and who was she to deny a glass of champagne? She spends her time lifelessly glancing around the dance floor, sipping champagne, and humming along to the lively orchestra playing in the background. 

As Jiwon hummed quietly along with the music—absosrbed in her own little world, she didn’t notice the presence of a stranger slipping in to stand beside her. 

“May I, Lady Kim?” the girl beside her asks, causing Jiwon to jump from her spot. The ravenette girl curtsies while holding out a hand.

The blonde maiden whips her head towards the new guest beside her. Through her tipsy gaze, she could recognize the girl as none other than Her Royal Highness herself, Jang Wonyoung. Jiwon froze, unsure of what to do around the girl, let alone someone of her status. Jiwon barely interacted with any nobles, let alone royals; the two women had agreed that her mother should be the negotiator and contractor and Jiwon was the one who carried out most of the jobs and tasks in the shop. It was a fair deal for the two of them. Jiwon enjoyed the solace of being alone in the shop while her mother thrived on making connections with new and returning customers. Maybe Jiwon should’ve done some of the talking occasionally because it would be useful for a moment like now where she has no clue how to address and speak to someone with such high status. 

Princess Wonyoung giggles at Jiwon’s stunned face, “My lady, did a necromancer curse your tongue?”

“No, your… uh–your Royal Highness,” she replies nervously, unsure if she was addressing the Royal correctly. “How… Are you mistaken?”

The eager royal grabs her free hand and interlaced their fingers together, “No need to be nervous, my lady. This isn’t an investigation.” The connection sent shrivers down the blonde’s arm. “You are Lady Kim Jiwon, are you not?” she teases, “I would never forget a name associated with a face as adorable as yours. I’ve been watching you all night, and your nonchalance intrigues me. It was hard to escape all of my suitors, but I finally found a chance to meet with you, Lady Kim.”

Jiwon blushed at the princess’ comment. There was no way boring old Jiwon caught the attention of the young royal who had been dying to speak with her all night. All she had done all night was stand off to the side, in the dark corner, watching everyone else having fun on the dance floor while she drank all of the Royal family’s champagne collection herself. 

Jiwon’s silence flustered the Princess; she was not one to lead the conversations she had with her potential suitors, merely going along with the others lead. Jiwon was different. She hadn’t been trying to fight for her attention all night like the others were. Instead, she stood here silently observing everything around her carefully. Unlike the other people she was with all night who boasted mindlessly about themselves and frankly nothing at all—just speaking to fill the silence between them, Jiwon looked like someone who would speak with meaning and was insightful. She would be the type to ramble about some small detail she noticed in the ballroom’s decor or the band’s pieces. The blonde girl looked like she was constantly looking for the deeper meaning in everything around her, and that intrigued the princess.

When she was able to get a moment away from the suitors she had no interest in, she found her most loyal maid, who doubled as the Princess’ best friend, and grilled the shorter girl on every detail about the intriguing blonde girl. 

Gaeul, her maid, had informed her that the girl was the daughter of the town’s seamstress whose name was Kim Jiwon, daughter of Lady Kim. She had mentioned how the girl, unlike her siblings, was a homebody and was not usually seen outside of the tailor’s shop. But tonight, it seems like she has finally come out of her cave. Just before Gaeul could mention the most crucial detail—that Jiwon was the one who designed and created the dress she had on—Wonyoung had rushed off, satisfied with the information she had received from Gaeul. Wonyoung thanked Gaeul quickly as she sped off towards the blonde girl. Gaeul sighed as she watched the Princess approach the girl.

“So, my lady, a little fairy informed me that you don’t leave the house often. What brings you here tonight?”

Jiwon blushes again, “My friend asked me to join her tonight for this Gala, but—as you see—she has left me here to mingle on my own.”

“How impolite of her to leave someone as stunning as you all alone. Let me keep you company, my lady. We will have the utmost fun together,” she takes a sip of her own champagne before handing it to a butler passing by, “Let’s have a dance together, shall we, Lady Kim?”

Jiwon nods, “Please, call me Lady Jiwon, Your Highness. Lady Kim is my mother.” She lets herself get dragged towards the dreaded crowded dance floor by the Crown Princess. Their hands find their spots naturally on each other's body. The Princess took the initiative to lead them seeing that Jiwon was already a flustered mess before they even started dancing. The two sway around the dance floor smoothly, moving as a single unit. 

On-lookers stare at the two girls, watching their grace as they float along the floor, which made Jiwon even redder when she felt their eyes on her. She lowered her head to hide from the sudden attention on her, but it was suddenly pulled back up by the Princess, “Keep your eyes on me, love. Don't focus on anymore but me,” she smiled at the blonde girl, who couldn’t help but blush even deeper. With the amount of blushing Jiwon has endured in the past 10 minutes, it’s a surprise that the girl hasn't passed out yet. 

Dancing with Princess Wonyoung was as close to experiencing heaven. The princess was charming and caring towards Jiwon, which the seamstress hadn't expected. Jiwon couldn't help but admire the Princess’ gorgeous features up close. She’s read every newspaper story written about her beauty, but to view the words she’s read up close was like a dream. She realizes that the words she’s studied don't capture her full potential at all; words can't convey the full wonder that is Princess Wonyoung properly, but if Jiwon could dedicate her entire life trying to articulate and scribe words that encapsulates what she sees right now, she would.

And to add, she was wearing the dress that Jiwon had spent countless nights slaving away at, designing and developing. The final product was more beautiful now that she could see the garment being worn by its intended model. The colour highlights the Princess’ features, lighting up the entire room with how bright she radiates. The dress perfectly fit her, showing off her stunning figure. Jiwon was happy with the final product of her labour. Now that she’s seen it on a person instead of a mannequin, she was extremely satisfied. The dress was already gorgeous, but it's even better on the Princess and adds to the alluring charm of the Princess.  

“I hate to ask, but why me?” Jiwon interrupts their comfortable silence, “There's so many people here you are dying for your attention, yet you're here with me who didn't even spare you a glance after your mother’s welcoming speech.” 

Princess Wonyoung smiles, “Well, you answered my question yourself. Everyone here is dying for me to spare them a glance. Except you—which piqued my interest. And of course, I’ve been watching you all night. You are just so different from all the other suitors, and I wasn't sure if you were a potential suitor as well since you spent a good amount of time dancing with that girl you were with. I wasn't going to come over and interrupt your time together, and especially because I’m no homewrecker,” she huffs, “but, as soon as Yujin approached the both of you and walked away with your friend in her arms, I knew I had to take my chance as well.”

Jiwon nodded, processing the information.

Wonyoung smirks, a plan forming in her head. Before the blonde girl could catch up with her, she wraps an arm tightly around her waist and back, and sends the other girl into a dip. The seamstress’ eyes widened at the sudden change in position and her head rushed, but she immediately started giggling as soon as the Princess brought her back upright and pulled her closer than they were before. Jiwon stumbles over nothing as the two return to their original position; she can feel the alcohol flowing through her body now.

“What was that for?” the blonde playfully narrows her eyes at the other girl.

“You were thinking too loudly. I wanted your attention on me.”

Jiwon raises her eyebrow, “You already have all my attention.”

“Of course. But, I want all 100% of your brain power to be focused on me and me only. I’m known to be very selfish.”

“Sure, Your Highness. I’ll spend all of my brain’s capacities on you from now on.” 

Princess Wonyoung smiled, satisfied with her answer. The two continued to dance around together, barely feeling fatigue. The song transitions to a slower number, with the strings and piano taking the lead over this next piece. The two girls adjust accordingly, slowing their dancing down and swaying softly to the rhythm. The girls looked deep into each other's eyes; the world around them blurring into irrelevancy. 

The Princess’ eyes might as well be a prison since Jiwon was unable to escape them. Her captivating eyes made Jiwon realize that the girl in front of her was truly born to be royalty. With just her eyes alone, the Princess could easily command entire armies and get people to easily follow her every desire. 

Suddenly, the Princess broke their enchanting eye contact to rest her head against Jiwon’s shoulder, embracing the girl even closer than before. 

Jiwon’s shoulders tense up, “Your Highness, are you okay?” she asks suddenly, a bit stunned at the unexpected contact.

“It’s tiring spending the night entertaining people you don't have any intrigue in.” She snuggles further into the blonde’s neck, “Your shoulder is comforting. Please let me rest for a moment."

Jiwon lets out a gentle sigh, slightly relaxing her shoulders, “If you're tired, you should go lay down properly.”

“I don't want to waste this moment with you to rest properly. Plus, I still have so many suitors to chat with and pretend to be interested in,” she turns her head to face Jiwon while still lying against her nape, “Let my mind forget about everything for a bit.”

Jiwon didn't want to argue with the royal, plus she looked comfortable and she couldn't be the one to destroy her peace. Who was the blonde to disagree with her gorgeous pleading eyes. So, she silently agreed and continued to sway around the ballroom with Princess Wonyoung in her arms.

The two sway to the music, ignoring everything around them and enjoying each other’s presence. Jiwon savored the feeling of the Princess resting against her, trying to remember every detail from her warmth to her smell. The blonde knows that this won’t last forever, so she’ll try to remember as many details as she can before it's over forever. Unbeknownst to the two girls, the dance floor starts to thin out. The crowd was getting tired of the slow waltzes, but Jiwon could only pray that the band would play slow waltzes for the rest of the night so she could continue to dance with the Princess until the sun came up.  

The princess suddenly raises her head, looking deeply into her eyes with a strange gaze in her eyes, “Jiwon?” The blonde looks at the brunette princess, tilting her head at her. “I wish I could spend the rest of the night with you.” 

The blonde wonders if she was thinking too loudly or if she was blessed with the ability to hear all of inner thoughts. Maybe they're soulmates and she has the natural gift to read her own mind—not that Jiwon believes in soulmates. But if the Princess believed in them, then she would too.

“But, I can’t,” she sighs, “There’s literally a line-up of people who have travelled days to spend a mere five minutes in my presence. I should be flattered by their dedication. But, is it evil to say I don't care about how far the distance they travelled or how impressive their reputation is if they aren't you?”

Jiwon stays silent, still swaying to the beat. She was unsure of what to say. She could be selfish and ask the girl to hide away from the rest of the guests and spend the rest of her night with her. But, Jiwon knew that she was still the crown princess and she had a duty to entertain and greet all the guests at the party. This whole event was planned for her to have the perfect real-life fairytale love story with a prince from a far away country who travelled months to finally meet her; she shouldn’t spend her time with some seclusive nobody that hides away in her mother's shop seven days a week. She couldn't ask the Princess to break the ancient tradition and ruin her chance of being swept off her feet by her perfect prince. Her mind runs widely. A selfish part of her wanted to beg the Princess to stay with her. However, the guilt eats away at her, not allowing her to speak up at all—opting for her usual silent route.

A young handsome high-ranking noble boy interrupts the two girls, causing the Princess to abruptly pull away from Jiwon, “I’m sorry to interrupt the two of you,” he politely bows his head, “but your Royal Highness, I’ve been waiting for you all night, and I would like to have a dance with you.” Jiwon frowns at the loss of warmth from the Princess and the unwanted intrusion of her moment.

Jiwon stares stunned; she’s missed her chance to be selfish. The moment when Jiwon’s decision gets stripped away, is the moment when she's finally able to decide what she wants. And all she wants is to spend the rest of the night with the princess. But, all she could do now was stare at the two of them.

Princess Wonyoung smiles politely at the boy and throws an apologetic look towards Jiwon; her eyes begging for the blonde’s forgiveness, “Of course, I’m honoured.”

As the boy courteously wraps an arm around her waist to pull the Princess away from the blonde. Jiwon understood. Her time with the Princess was limited; everyone wanted her—she knew this was bound to end soon. As the two were leaving, Princess Wonyoung turned to face Jiwon. 

Meet me on the balcony at midnight, the Princess mouths before being led away and disappearing into the crowd. Jiwon just stands there and stares. She stares at the girl until she fully blends away into the crowd, and she just keeps staring at the spot where she once was, praying she’ll come back. 

When the tempo of the music starts to speed up, it was Jiwon’s sign to head back to her safe haven by the refreshments table. Back to her lonely solitude away from the crowds with the company of the Royal Family’s entire champagne collection and people watching from the sidelines. 

Jiwon drowns herself in champagne when she catches a glimpse of her pink gown spinning around the dance floor. While everyone else was enjoying their night at the palace, all Jiwon wanted was to head back home. In her mother’s shop, there were no complicated feelings or tough decisions to make, just simple monotonous tasks and the repetitive sound of the needle thumping filling the room as she hemmed her garments; that's why she loved staying inside her mother’s shop and spending her days working in peace. But here she was, loud music and chatter filling her ears while being slightly tipsy and a weird feeling growing in her stomach as she watched the Crown Princess dancing with the other patrons. 

Rei, noticing her best friend’s pitiful aura, walks over to the girl, “Jiwonie, there you are!”

Jiwon smiles—it feels slightly lopsided to her—finally spotting a familiar face in the crowd of strangers dancing, “Hey, where's your mystery girl?”

“Oh, Yujin. She had to head out and attend to some important royal matters,” Rei pouts, “She said she would be back soon, but I wish she was here now.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure she'll come find you soon.”

“I hope so too. I don’t want to lose her. She was so charming and sweet and dreamy. This can't be the last time we meet,” Rei sighs, her eyes looking a little dreamy as she recounts her night with the Royal Guard, “But, enough about me. What have you been up to all night? I hope you haven't been just drinking glass after glass of champagne all night,” she says, reaching to take the current glass out of the blonde’s hand.

Jiwon stares at her best friend silently, pursing her lips. “Well,” she trails off, “I did briefly dance with someone.”

Rei jumps and excitedly slaps the blonde girl, “NO WAY! Tell me everything. First of all, who is she?”

The blonde winces, “She was… amazing.”

“Who?”

“Okay, please don’t freak out when I tell you,” she pauses. Rei nods her head, silently urging for the other girl to continue, “It was…”

Rei grips on tighter to the blonde’s arm, “Oh my god, spit it out, Jiwon!”

“It was the Crown Princess, Princess Wonyoung,” the blonde blurted out suddenly.

Rei’s jaw drops. 

Jiwon anxiously rubs her arm, “It just happened out of nowhere. I was standing here, enjoying the champagne and people watching. Then, she just appeared out of nowhere—like she just appeared out of thin air. And then, she started telling me about how she had been watching me all night and that she has been wanting to approach me since the beginning. Then, she asked me to dance with her.” 

“No way.”

“I know… I can’t really wrap my mind around the fact that it actually happened and it wasn’t just a crazy hallucination I had. When we were dancing, I couldn’t help but think about trying to remember every little thing about her. It was so crazy.”

Rei smiles, “I can’t believe this. My little quiet Jiwon has finally grown up.”

“It’s hard to believe myself if I’m being honest,” the blonde rubs her temple. The effects of her never-ending champagne consumption was starting to catch up. The room grew blurrier and more dizzying, but she tried her best to keep her focus on Rei. “And my dress on her, I never imagined it would turn out so well. Better than what I envisioned. She’s so… wow. I can’t believe she wanted to dance with me.” The blonde giggles to herself, “She even told me to meet her on the balcony at midnight. She wants to see me again.” 

Rei’s jaw dropped. “I know I’ve said this like five times, but no way.” She grabs Jiwon’s shoulders and shakes them, “You might be the one she chooses at the end of the night.”

“Sure.” Jiwon scoffs. “Don't delude me, Rei. There's no way she's choosing a nobody like me.”

“You never know, Jiwon.” Rei glances outside through the large windows of the ballroom, “I think it’s getting close to midnight. Look at the moon.”

Jiwon looks out towards the moon, then she glances at the watch of the gentleman beside her. 11:52 it read. Jiwon sprang up, giving Rei an apologetic smile before rushing through the crowd and out towards the secluded balcony. Rei smiled. 

Jiwon maneuvers around the guests dancing around her. Her tipsy vision is doing its best to lead her towards the balcony causing very few collisions, but it seems to be somewhat unsuccessful. She bumps into couples, and gives them a quick apology before continuing on her path. Some couples give her a dirty look, some only spare her a glance before returning to their dance, but many seem to not even acknowledge the blonde. 

As the crowd thins out and the noise diminishes, she gets closer to the balcony doors. She’s glad to escape the overwhelming environment—which successfully fried all of her stimuli and returned to the quiet company she’s grown fond of. She savours the feeling of the brisk night air. The night view of the town from the palace was breathtaking. Being on top of a hill, she’s able to view the stunning views of the horizon and mountain silhouettes that reside beyond the town’s buildings. She can see the stars' twinkling reflection in the lake a little farther from the town. She can still hear the muffled sounds of lively chatter and music from the ballroom, but it’s mostly muffled by Jiwon’s drunken mind. The blonde leans over the balustrade of the balcony, waiting for the arrival of the princess. 

“Jiwon.” The blonde turned around to the voice coming from behind, “I’m so glad you're here.” The Crown Princess makes her way towards the balustrade, slightly stumbling, and settles beside the blonde girl quietly. 

The two girls stood side-by-side—both admiring the views from the palace. The brisk wind started to get cold against Jiwon’s bare arms, but she couldn’t care less at this moment. “I’m so so glad you are here,” the princess sighs, leaning her head against Jiwon’s shoulder. Jiwon stiffened. The blonde tried her best to untense her shoulders, but the sudden intrusion on her personal space sent her nervous system into overdrive, which made it hard for Jiwon’s body to settle down and relax. “Has anyone ever mentioned how ridiculously beautiful you are under the moonlight?” Jiwon shook her head, “Well, more people should.”

“T-thank you, your Royal Highness.”

“I’ve never felt so… normal. You make me feel normal, Jiwon.” 

Jiwon glances over at the Crown Princess, “I– uh… What does that mean?”

“I don’t really understand it myself. But, everything just feels so—normal. I don’t have to follow any strict expectations around you. You don't offer me special treatment just because I’m the Crown Princess. You act so differently from everyone else. My other suitors all put on a—very phoney—performance for me, trying to frame themselves as the perfect partner; but you… you didn’t. It made me feel so normal. Everyone is always pining or fanning over me. Yet with you, the roles are reversed, and I feel myself wanting to sweep you off your feet and impress you like your own Prince Charming that you deserve.” The Princess grips the edge of the balcony, steadying herself from tipping over, “I feel like a little girl with a stupid crush instead of a princess who’s supposed to be looking for a suitable partner to rule the country with.”

Jiwon was stunned. The Crown Princess was clearly very intoxicated—she could smell the lingering alcohol on her, which clearly lowered her inhibitions and caused her inner thoughts to spill out. But, Jiwon did not expect the sudden confession. The blonde was unsure of what to respond with. She didn’t even understand her own feelings herself—not enough to put it into words. It was an unknown feeling to her. 

“I hope that wasn’t offensive. I’m not calling you boring or anything, but like I think I like boring,” she continues, unsure of Jiwon’s silence, “All these men just flaunt their strength, their wealth, their power in my face; it should interest me because I should be choosing my future partner based on what they’ll bring into our relationship to help me run this country in the future, but they don’t bring me joy, or happiness, and I don’t want to choose any of them. I wouldn’t have a happy marriage with any of them anyways because my heart belongs to another.” The princess pauses to catch her breath, hiccupping in the process. “You know…” she trails off, “ you remind me of my first love.” 

Jiwon raises her eyebrows. This was all so overwhelming. The whole interaction with the Crown Princess has fully sobered the blonde girl up, now fully alert and her mind running in circles. She musters up the strength to speak, because the princess’ drunken rambling has fully revoked her power to speak. “I do?”

“Oh, Jiwon. You look identical to her, and you both have the same calm timid personality. We met when we were 10 and she was such a beautiful girl. Yes, I was young, but I knew that I had never seen anyone as beautiful before. She was the first person to truly leave me tongue tied.” Princess Wonyoung chuckles and turns to Jiwon, “Oh, and she has the same gorgeous eyes as you. I used to look so deeply into her eyes while we played around together. My infatuation with her was so obvious to everyone in the palace. But it was so deep as well.”

“What happened to her?” Jiwon weakly asked, her mind running a million miles a minute. 

“I don’t know,” the Crown Princess sighs, a tear forming, “She just disappeared one day. It was like she wasn’t even real at all, and to this day, I’m not sure if she was real or just a figment of my imagination. She just appeared in my life so suddenly and left just as quickly. I remember my heartbroken 11 year-old self running around and asking every single knight and maid in the palace what happened to her. But they all told me her family suddenly departed from the palace. My nanny at the time only revealed to me, after enduring months of my pestering, that she and her family left to get away—but she wouldn’t elaborate more. I was never truly satisfied with that answer, and later I learned from searching my father’s archive of files that her family left following the death of her father who worked as a royal guard for the palace.”

Jiwon hums. “My father also worked as a royal guard here too. What a coincidence.” 

The princess giggles, “Another similarity between you and her. I hope your father is alive though.”

“Unfortunately not,” Jiwon sadly smiles, “But, it’s okay. He died to protect you and the palace. That’s a sacrifice he would willingly take in order to protect.”

Princess Wonyoung reaches to grab onto Jiwon’s arm, “I’m so sorry Jiwon—”

Before the princess could continue, Jiwon interrupts her, “No, please don’t apologize. He loved his duty and was proud of his role. He happily died to keep you and your family safe. His pride for the palace was infectious and inspired my older brother to become a royal guard as well.”

Wonyoung squeezes Jiwon’s arm, silently comforting the other girl, “Thank you. I really admire your father. He sounded like a wonderful man, and I’m sure he was also an amazing father.”

“He was…” she trails off. The two girls settle into a comforting silence, neither having the courage to break it. “Sorry for ruining the mood.” Jiwon speaks up timidly.

“Don't apologize,” Wonyoung attempts to grab the blonde’s hand but misses her first attempt and hits the concrete instead. She reached out to try again and was successful this time with a slightly clumsy hold. The princess giggles, “I think I’ve had too much champagne.” 

“That… I may have to agree with your highness.” Jiwon squeezes the Princess’ hand, “You don't seem to handle your liquor well.” 

Princess Wonyoung playfully scoffed, “I can handle it just fine. I think I drank a little too much tonight, but I couldn't help it. There was a really pretty girl I wanted to meet with, but I was so nervous to approach her,” the princess snickers to herself, “It's so stupid. I’m the Crown Princess. I can handle the toughest of situations and mediate conflicts between nations, but yet I’m so scared of talking to one girl. Isn’t that so stupid?” she laughs. Jiwon smiles, politely listening to the princess’ ramble while feeling a sense of disappointment. Of course the Crown Princess already has someone she has her eye on; this was her courting event after all. It is naive of her to believe that she could have a chance with the Princess. 

The princess reaches up to Jiwon’s cheek, again missing the soft skin by a few centimetres. The princess giggles to herself before adjusting her arm slightly to caress the girl’s face. 

Under the moonlight, Princess Wonyoung looks stunning. Her face was slightly flush, an obvious sign that she had been consuming alcohol all night, but her eyes sparkled brightly, reflecting the stars that painted the night sky above them. Jiwon's breath caught in her throat, just admiring the princess made Jiwon so flustered. She could feel her heart rapidly pounding and heat quickly flowing to her cheek where Princess Wonyoung’s hand rested. 

“Jiwon, you look so pretty under the moonlight. The moon highlights all of your best features, it's kind of annoying how much she loves you. And the stars… they really sparkle so brightly in your eyes; it's magnificent.” Wonyoung stares deeply into Jiwon’s eyes, “May I kiss you, Jiwon?” she whispers delicately, as if any louder and Jiwon would suddenly disappear. 

A wiser and less-tipsy Jiwon would reject the princess’ advances without hesitation. But, the sparkles in her eyes that reflect the moonlight easily sways Jiwon’s foggy mind. It sounded like a divine offer. Who was Jiwon to decline the Crown Princess of her desires? Especially if she wanted to kiss her as well—maybe her mind was a little bit hazy.

However, the words of agreement aggregate at Jiwon’s throat, but she can't seem to force them out. Instead, she meekly nods her head, looking deeply into the princess’ eyes—who clearly receives the message. 

Wonyoung smiles widely. She leans in closer to Jiwon, pulling the blonde girl towards with her own hand resting on the other girl’s cheek. Jiwon—unsure of what to do—let herself be pulled closer to the Crown Princess. The blonde’s eyes fluttered closed in anticipation of the Princess. Wonyoung rested her forehead against Jiwon's, their breaths dancing off the surface of the other's face. Wonyoung smiles at the sight of the blonde’s closed eyes, and leans in closer. Her lips hovering over Jiwon’s. Jiwon peaks an eye open, watching as Wonyoung moves closer and closer towards her. 

The moment their lips met, Jiwon felt like she was in heaven. The kiss was light and soft, but it was everything that Jiwon had been waiting for. Wonyoung was gentle with Jiwon—as if one wrong touch could crack the blonde’s fragile self. The princess’ lips move confidently against Jiwon's, each touch filled with a deep intimacy no one has ever seen before. The kiss was captivating, an enticing mixture of tenderness and lust that caused Jiwon to melt away all of her previous hesitations. 

When Wonyoung pulls away, Jiwon keeps her eyes closed—trying her best to savour the moment as long as possible. The princess giggles. A sweet enlightening sound to her ears. The sounds of her giggles would linger in her mind everyday after this night, acting as her motivation to live. 

“Jiwon-ah,” the princess calls out, her voice soft. Jiwon opens her eyes to see the other girl’s bright sparkly eyes staring at her. “You're so cute.” 

Jiwon feels her face heat up rapidly at the comment, a stark contrast to the rest of her body in the frisk air. After the kiss, Jiwon was hyperaware of the Crown Princess’ touches on her own body—like the royal had fire on the tips of her fingers that highlighted her presence on her body. She looks down at the ground, feeling shy under the princess’ gaze.  

“Look at me, Jiwon.” She pulls the blondes face up, forcing the girl to look deep into her eyes. Her eyes were dazzling. Jiwon could not get enough of her eyes, drinking in every detail she observes looking into her eyes. The memory of her eyes would remain forever engraved in her mind till the end of her days. 

Suddenly, snapped out of her alcohol-Wonyoung-induced haze and back into reality. She was on the balcony of the Royal Palace kissing the Crown Princess; she shouldn’t be doing this. Princess’ Wonyoung’s charming aura captivated her and clouded her judgement. She needs to leave before things get messy. This should not have happened. 

“Princess, I– I’m sorry. I have to–to go.” Jiwon utters. She then quickly rushes back, escaping the balcony.

“Jiwon wait—” the princess calls, but it was no use as Jiwon sped off quickly, leaving Wonyoung stunned and alone on the balcony. 

“We… We can’t do this. Think about your status, your highness. You shouldn’t waste your time with some recluse, nobody from the town. You don’t—I don’t want you to lower yourself to my status,” Jiwon rushes off—stumbling her way down the stairs, frantically searching for Rei back in the lively ballroom. She spots Rei alongside the Royal Guard, Yujin, from earlier. She hurries over to the girl, which catches Rei’s attention. She furrows her eyebrows, seeing the panicked expression painted on the blonde’s face. 

“Jiwon? What’s wrong?” Rei holds onto Jiwon’s arm carefully. 

Jiwon gasps for air; her brain is moving at a million kilometers a minute, and she’s struggling to manage a coherent thought; what was up with her? “Can we go now?” Jiwon mummers quietly, eyes silently pleading. Rei pities the distressed look in her eyes.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Rei turns to Yujin, wordlessly apologizing for leaving early. Yujin smiles, feeling sympathy for Rei’s blonde friend. 

The two girls sped out of the palace and towards the carriage that’s been awaiting their return back to town. Jiwon glances behind her, taking one last look at the beautiful vintage building and reminisces on her magical escapade. Jiwon knows that realistically she would return back to her mundane life in her mother’s tailor shop. There’s no chance that this night with the Princess was nothing more than a fantasy come true. But with her own social status, there is no chance that the Princess would ever choose her over all of the nobles who fawn over her every move. By morning, the young royal will be wedded off to a handsome noble who is able to provide her with all of her monetary needs and is able to charm the people of their country. 

The carriage home was silent. Rei knew Jiwon well enough that she was going through a conflict with her mind, but she knew that her best friend needed some time to sort her thoughts out before she could intervene. Jiwon will let her know her troubles when she’s ready. She doesn’t want to pry the girl. 

The next morning, Jiwon returns to her regular routine. She wakes up as soon as the sun rises to start her long list of mundane tasks. She sits at her sewing machine with a garment waiting to be tailored. Her machine hums and thumps rhythmically as she feeds the fabric through it. She hums softly, meticulously working on the garments. She was enjoying her regular solitude, a nice decompression after her overstimulating night out. This is what she needed, silence and seclusion from society. Her mother had left earlier than Jiwon woke up, leaving Jiwon alone in the shop to handle the daily tasks. 

But, before she could fully savour her peace, Rei bursts through the door. 

“Jiwon!” she pants, heaving heavily, “Did you hear?”

Jiwon jumps, her body subconsciously reacting to her friend coming in and abruptly disrupting her peace. “Holy, Rei. Can you please knock and wait like a normal person?

Rei waves the blonde off—who was dramatically holding and puffing her chest, “Did you hear?” she repeats. Annoyed at Rei’s questioning, she shakes her head. “Wonyoung. Princess Wonyoung. She broke the centuries old tradition and refused to choose a suitor last night.” She continues to heavily pant, struggling to get the words out due to the lack of air in her lungs. “After we left. Everyone in town was talking about how she was acting weirdly just after midnight last night.”

Jiwon barely spares Rei a glance, still focusing on tailoring the garment at her hands. 

“Did you not hear what I just said?” her friend shakes the blonde’s shoulder. 

“I heard you.” 

Rei shakes the girl even harder, “What did you do to Wonyoung?” Jiwon shrugs. She really didn’t do anything. “She was so excited to choose her future spouse at the courting event yesterday. But then suddenly, she breaks the ten thousand year old royal tradition at the end of the night and refuses to choose someone. She had so many people yearning for her, charming her, and lots of options. Yet, she ended her night without a partner.” Rei pauses, “And don’t you think it's a coincidence that she spent the last of her night entirely with you. And just after midnight, you ran out of the palace right before she started to act strangely. Don’t you think there's some correlation here?” 

Jiwon pauses her sewing and sighs, looking at her friend who’s still halfway in the door, “I don’t think you’re onto anything, Rei. Don’t delude yourself,’ she rolls her eyes.”She had a long night. Maybe she was tired of entertaining everyone. Too many fake people at that gala; she just didn’t find the one. It’s not a big deal, Rei.”

Rei continues to try to pester the blonde girl, but Jiwon doesn't budge. She won’t indulge in her hopelessness that the Crown Princess likes her back. There was no way that could ever be true. When her thoughts wander to her brain’s endless “what ifs”, she forces herself into new projects to distract herself. 

“Please, just forget it,” Jiwon begs. Rei sighs, turns to leave, but gives the blonde a pitiful yet knowing look in her eyes. Rei knows Jiwon will crack soon. 

Days pass since the Royal Gala, and Jiwon drowns her days with mindless tailoring and plugging away at upcoming projects. She falls into a familiar routine; wake up, start working on the daily hemming work that’s required to be done that she finishes before the afternoon, then takes a quick lunch in the comfort of her own home, and she works on her projects until the end of her day. The routine allows no time for her mind to wander, which is exactly what she needed. Any downtime causes her mind to wander to the what-ifs of the unforgettable night. 

Her mother had noticed a slight shift in her daughter’s demeanor. She knew that something changed the night of the Gala, but she didn't know what happened. She tried her best to ease Jiwon’s task load, but the girl refused the help, insisting that she can handle the work. 

So when the time came a couple months later for the Winter Ball, the royal family requested that Lady Kim design and create the family’s ball gowns again. The Lady was hesitant to tell her daughter about their new project, but she knew that her daughter was talented at what she does and would be able to create a stunning piece of work again. There was no way she couldn't include her daughter in this project. Lady Kim decides to mention it casually while Jiwon was working on a last-minute tailoring of a little girl’s dress with a torn skirt. 

“The Royal Family loved our designs for the courting ball, and they would like us to make another set of gowns for the upcoming Winter Gala.” 

Jiwon stopped in her tracks. The pause of her machine humming intensifies the silence of the shop.

“Sounds——————————good.” She clears her throat. “I’ll get started on the Crown Princess’ dress in the morning then,” she said, trying her best to keep voice steady. 

“Perfect. Good night, Jiwon,” her mother bids her, retreating upstairs for the night. “Get some rest, dear,” she pauses, turning to look at her daughter, “You’ve been working nonstop. This isn’t good for you.”

Jiwon’s mind races. The memories of her night with the Crown Princess running wildly through her brain. She can feel herself spiraling. The sparkle of her eye reflecting the gorgeous night makes Jiwon feel tingles inside her abdomen, and the sound of her laugh, and her warmth radiating off of her embracing Jiwon boldly in front of the entire Gala; she feels tingles run up and down every crevice of her body. But, reality hits when she hears a sudden deep scruffy voice vibrating through the locked door, coming from outside. Followed by an abrupt harsh knocking on the door. Jiwon jumps from her seat and blows the candle out before running and hiding in a particularly dark corner. 

“Hello?” the voice booms through the door, echoing off the walls of the quiet shop. The knocking continued to be steady and strong. “We are here on behalf of the Royal Family. I apologize for interrupting so late. We have been instructed to conduct a thorough census on all of the town’s homesteads if you would be able to spare five minutes to answer a few questions.” 

Jiwon pops her head up slightly, confused. Why would the Royal Family need to be conducting a census this late at night? It seemed suspicious. She tries to peek conspicuously out of the window to see the individual at the door, but it was so dark and foggy out she wasn’t able to see anything but the silhouette of a figure. She ignores the figure, trusting her instincts. The knocks grow louder and more frequent, but Jiwon continues to hide. Eventually, the pounding frequency decreases and she hears the individual’s stomps grow quieter. When she felt confidence that the individual had left, she bolted up the stairs. It was for the best that she called it a night. 

The next morning, she arose bright and early. If her mother ponders why she awoke so early, she would return an excuse regarding her eagerness to work on the Royal Family’s gowns. But, she wasn’t able to sleep at all. Her mind tortured her all night—replaying the memories of the Crown Princess and synthesizing new images of the girl as soon as she was able to doze off into a dream. Her mind had subconsciously created lustful scenarios of herself and the Princess—whcih caused her to jolt awake repeatedly until dawn. Her mind didn’t allow her to have peace, even in her sleep; she couldn’t stop thinking about the Crown Princess. 

Jiwon rummages through the pantry, searching for something to relieve her hunger. However, she couldn’t find anything. The cupboard is bare. She briefly recalls her mother asking Jiwon to fetch them some food from the market in the afternoon that completely slipped her mind. She sighs. She makes her way upstairs to become presentable enough to wander the town for groceries. 

When she leaves the shop, she observes how silent everything is. Because it was so early in the morning, the air felt crisp and fresh, and there was a lack of people wandering around. She usually enjoyed these early mornings and usually spent them holed up in the shop, but this was a nice change of pace. She began to walk down the path towards the centre of town, admiring the beauty of the trees that surround them and enjoying the crisp air. The air hitting her face calms her bustling mind—a moment of peace at last. No thoughts about anything but the moment present. 

As she reaches the town square, she spots more people beginning to emerge from their homes to attend their daily duties. It felt so wholesome. She greets the pedestrians passing by her with a polite, but silent, smile—who reciprocate back with their own smiles. She knows she’s getting closer to the market when she can see the faint shadows of the brightly coloured awnings perched up growing with every step she takes. While not as lively as it usually is, the town was fairly busy with people for an early morning. 

She browses the stands, scoping out the freshest vegetables and fruits—if there were any left nearing the end of the season. She also admires the artisan goods, like the freshly baked fragrant bread luring her into the baker’s shop or the delectable jams that were recently canned with this year's excess harvest. The market was fully stocked this morning. She exchanges her currency carefully with the sellers of some local vegetable stands, and she decides to splurge her extra money on a fresh loaf of bread and some tangerine jam; a nice treat for herself. Her basket quickly filled with produce. This should be enough for the two of them this week. 

Just as Jiwon was about to turn back to the shop, a huge commotion abruptly began in a blink of her eye. People—who were not there a moment ago—started rushing from all around her towards the center on the market. She was disorientated. What was going on? A part of her wanted to turn around and ignore the commotion, but her curiosity overcame her desire to leave.

A crowd was starting to form around something. She got on her tip-toes to peek, but it was no use; she was too short to see. People quickly surrounded her, preventing her from leaving. She turns to a woman standing next to her, “Do you know what’s going on this morning?” 

The woman, older with kind eyes, answers with a sweet honey-like tone, “I’m not too sure, dear. But, I heard around that Crown Princess Wonyoung is making an appearance in town. No idea why.” 

Jiwon nods—internally her heart started racing at the mention of her name. “That’s so exciting”, she forces out. She needs to get out of here. She tried to push away from the mass of people, but it was no use. Bodies kept piling in, making the crowd grow more and more compact. She frantically looks around, finding a path to escape. Nevertheless, it was worthless. She wasn’t leaving any time soon.

Suddenly, a soft voice could be heard calling out from the center of the crowd, demanding everyone’s attention. The chaotic chatter suddenly halted. Silence rang through the heavily packed town’s centre. 

“Good morning! I’m so glad you all could make it this morning,” the girl addresses the crowd, making eye-contact with as many people as possible. “I am your Crown-Princess, Jang Wonyoung. I am incredibly thankful that everyone showed up with such short notice. I do apologize sincerely for the late notice, but I appreciate everyone’s efforts to be here right now.” 

The crowd erupts into cheers. 

“Without further adieu, let’s get into the reason I’ve gathered you all here today. As you may or may not know, I’m conducting a census collecting information on every household in town here. This information is being used to figure out where to allocate our priorities as the leaders of this nation, which is part of our new initiative to be involved with the town. I would also like to hear the concerns you may all have personally. Hence, I will allow anyone who must a chance to address me with your concerns.” She pauses. “Now, anyone who must speak, may speak up now. Please do not hesitate to make your voice heard. Treat me as you would your neighbour and not as a Royal.”

Everyone in the audience looks around. Quit mummerings were the only things elicited from the crowd. Not one soul was brave enough to be the first. Jiwon will admit that it was very warmhearted of Crown Princess Wonyoung to travel down to the town to personally hear the citizens' concerns. She knows that Princess Wonyoung will make a lovely Queen one day to this nation. A queen willing to humble herself and personally listen to the concerns of her nation will make an excellent leader who is dearly loved by her people. But, the thought breaks Jiwon’s heart. The Princess’ future profession is a reminder of why Jiwon will continue to hide away in her fabric bubble dwelling over her night with the girl until her last breath. Even this proximity to the Princess was dangerous to Jiwon’s heart. The blonde wonders if she could visit a herbal sorceress living on the outskirts of society to ask them to brew her a potion that will cure her abnormal heart palpitations—how much longer can Jiwon live like this? She had to leave this crowd now. 

Jiwon tunes out the crowd. A young boy is confessing his innocent toddler problems to the Princess—which causes everyone to coo at the lad—but Jiwon wasn’t really focusing on him. She slides through the cracks in the crowd, trying not to disrupt the crowd’s attention. She manages to escape without garnering attention to her and only two quick glares of disapproval from some of the patrons—but she really didn’t care. She glances back one last time, internally mourning the last time the fact that she will never get to see the Princess this closely again; but catches the Princess’ eyes already tracking her. Jiwon swiftly turns around, pretending she didn’t just do that. There was no way the Princess was watching her, right? She really shouldn’t leave the shop often; hallucinations are the consequence of having a vastly creative mind—a blessing for her profession but a curse in realistic scenarios. 

When she returns home, she dives straight back into her craft—attempting to drown out all of her thoughts regarding the Princess.

Her days past quickly—consisiting of sewing and the occasional meal break. Her next dress for the Royals has to outdo her previous dress. She chooses to create a midnight blue floor length gown with delicate sheer sleeves and a bare-shoulder top for the Crown Princess. She chooses to include white embroidered frosted florals trailing from the corset top down the long trail with silver detailing that twinkles perfectly in the moonlight. A perfect gown that would stop anyone in their tracks with a single glance at the Princess. Hopefully, this meets the Royal’s exceedingly high standard. 

When the dress is sent off to the palace for the first fitting, Jiwon feels like the fabric fibres in the air are constricting her chest. She’s always been confident about her work—never caring about the opinions of others—but the Princess’ opinion terrifies her. The days pass; and Jiwon can’t stomach doing anything else.

She can’t even stand to stay in the shop while waiting for the dress to return to her. A surprise to her mother, Jiwon opts to walk through the town to calm the anxiousness bubbling in her mind. She walks every morning to the lake that rests just beyond the forest near the shop. The stillness of the water brings peace to Jiwon’s active mind. She’s always thought that meditation was a farfetched sham only the town’s herbalists believe in; but she understands the appeal of it now. The water laid still under her watchful eye, so clear it could’ve actually been a glass sheet. It was also so peacefully quiet. No repetitive humming from her sewing machine; no incoherent chatter; just the occasional ruffle of the leaves from the wind. This is what she needed. She closes her eyes and breaths in the fresh cold air—air that lacks fabric fibers and dust. 

She listens for the leaves ruffling in the wind, playing a soft melody only she could enjoy; for the local wildlife that haven’t left for the colder months playing around lively around her. She could hear a group of chickadees chirping adorably from all around her. It was peaceful—healing even. Her mind was finally empty. 

Suddenly, the leaves ruffle a little more vigorously from behind her—too vigorous for it to be just the wind. She opens her eyes, slowly letting the light flow back into her vision. There, standing in front of her, was a girl. An Yujin, the Royal General’s daughter. 

Jiwon stands up suddenly, bowing politely to the esteemed guest. “Lady Yujin, w-what a coincidence.” 

Yujin laughs. She moves to remove her chest holster carrying her sword, “No worries, Jiwon. Let’s drop the formalities. I was just wandering through town and was surprised to see you sitting here. You’re not known to be spotted out of the tailor shop, am I mistaken?”

Jiwon blushes, “You would be correct about that. I just wanted some air and a change of pace.”

“Is that so?” Yujin raises her eyebrow, “May I have a seat alongside you?” Jiwon nods and watches as Yujin takes a seat on the bench beside her. “Are you planning on attending the Winter Ball?”

“No. I wasn’t really planning on it. But, Rei might be though.” 

Yujin frowns. “Are you sure you’re not going?” Jiwon shakes her head. Yujin pauses, “You really fascinate me.”

“Do I? I’m… not sure if that’s a complement.” 

Yujin smiles, showing off her charming dimples, “It is. I truly understand her infatuation with you.” 

Jiwon snaps her head to the General’s daughter, “Wh—what do you mean by her? Who?” 

“I’m sure you know who, Jiwon. She would be overjoyed if you attended. Plus, I’m sure Rei would enjoy your company as well,” the girl stands up, readjusting her holster, “Even for a moment. She has not been quite like herself since that night.” 

Jiwon watches Yujin leave; she listens closely to the sound of the girl’s footsteps disappearing. She just stares at the lake, thinking. A strong gust of wind pulls her out of her mind. She should head home before she catches a cold. 

When she arrives back at the shop, her mother greets her kindly before informing her that her dress has returned from the fitting. A sense of doom runs through her body. She rushes over to the dress, carefully ripping the adjustments tag from the dress bag. 

Her Royal Highness really adores the details of the gown. She can’t stop gushing about it. Only needs to be snitched at the waist a tad more. See below for the new measurements for the waist adjustments, thanks. 

Jiwon feels her knees twitch. The Princess approves of her dress once again. She grabs the dress hanging down to start on the waist adjustments. She unwraps the dress and the Princess’ intoxicating scent for the night fills her nostrils. The blonde lays the dress on top of the counter, smoothing out the wrinkles. She runs her hand over the fabric, imagining the Crown Princess’ skin grazing her fingers instead of the fabric. Her hands glide all over the fabric, feeling as much of the essence of the Princess as she could; the lingering scent clinging onto the fabric clouding her mind. She could imagine the sight of the Crown Princess trying on the dress, gushing to the maids and anyone who would listen about the beautiful composition. She imagines her bright smile, maybe even her giggles as she twirls in the gown. Her heart pounds louder in her ears; no matter what she does, a selfish piece of her desires the Crown Princess’ attention again. Once she had a taste, her body couldn't resist having another bite.  

“Jiwon,” her mother calls. Jiwon’s head snaps up to look at her mother. “You can let yourself have her, you know?”

“I don't… I don't know what you mean,” the girl furrows her eyebrows.

“I think you do, Jiwon. You can let yourself be loved, and you can freely love her too. Don’t hold yourself back here; don't miss your opportunity.”

“Mother, I appreciate the advice, but I assure you there is nothing to be worried about. I am fine.”

Her mother’s eyes look unconvinced, “I know you can handle yourself well, Jiwon. But, I feel a sense of guilt seeing you here all the time. I love having you around the shop, but I also want you to live your life to the fullest; I don't want you to look back and regret anything twenty years from now.” She pauses. “I feel guilty for taking you away from the palace so abruptly. You had a good life there, and I robbed you of it; you never got to say farewell to the only people you have ever known, and you’ve been so reclusive ever since; I feel I’m partly to blame for it.”

“Mother, it's not your fault,” Jiwon starts.

“No, please Jiwon, it is my fault. I should've at least let you say goodbye to her before we left; you and her were basically attached at the hip. You were a set package, always doing things together. The palace adored the two of you together, and I didn't let you say a proper goodbye to her before leaving,” she sighs. “After the sudden passing of your father, I had to take the three of you and leave. I couldn't stand to be reminded of him everywhere I looked. I had to go, but it wasn't fair to the two of you. I’m sorry.”

“Mother, I don't hold any ill feelings towards you. I was young; I barely understood what was happening. I choose to be a recluse because I love to be here with you; I love sewing. I don't care if I’m wasting my life being stuck in here all the time; this is my passion.”

The older Kim smiles, “Of course, I know this dear. You are my best employee,” she jokes, “I just want you to know that you can also have her too. She looks for you everywhere. Don't doubt yourself; don't live to regret this for the rest of your life.”

Jiwon scroffs, “Very cryptic mother. But, of course, I’ll live my life without regret.” Her mother nods, satisfied with her daughter’s reply, and leaves her to complete her tasks.

While she works on the adjustments for the Royal’s gown, images dance around her head of the Crown Princess. Some were from her previous memories at the Gala dancing together, feeling the Princess’ closeness and body heat radiating onto her own; some images were synthesized by her brain of a life revolving around the two of them together, waking up to the warm morning sun together in the Palace.

As the last stitch falls into place, she leans back on her stool to admire her beautiful craftsmanship one last time before sending it away forever. She carefully wraps the dress back into its bag to protect it during its journey to the Palace. She lovingly brushes the fabric down, cradling it like it were a child. It is essentially her child. With one last brush, she leans in to leave a delicate kiss onto the bust of the dress—leaving behind a faint lipstick mark barely visible to the eye. A stamp of her existence that will accompany the Crown Princess for the entirety of tomorrow evening. She zips the bag up, sealing her work from the world. Packaging her last gift to the Crown Princess, a silent apology. 

 A tear falls from Jiwon’s cheek. She isn’t sure if it's because of how proud she is with her work, or if it was something deeper she doesn’t desire to uncover. 

She forces herself away from the dress, but the smell of her lingers in her own head. The blonde girl forces herself into her room and into bed; she shouldn’t be working on anything else. She just wants to sleep and forget about the girl who tortures all her waking thoughts.

Surprisingly, she slips into a deep slumber quite easily. Her mind finally at peace and her brain dreaming of nothing but emptiness—just as she wanted. But this peace doesn’t last her long.

Her brain soon quickly fills with images of a delicate white wedding. She stands at the back of the room, close to the bridal entrance. No one in the crowds around her acknowledging her presence. She sees Rei standing at the front of the room, next to the altar, animatedly chatting to Yujin—who was wearing her own military dress uniform. The two looked stunning together; Rei’s dress perfectly matching Yujin's outfit. 

The venue was completely filled with white floral arrangements hanging from the ceiling and lining the floors. An archway with flowy white mesh curtains created a focal point for the altar. The ceiling high windows cast a sunlight that created a soft haze in the room.

The wedding bells suddenly vibrated throughout the room, signalling the guests to make their way to their seats. Rei gives Yujin a kiss on her cheek before turning to head to her own seat. Yujin smiles brightly, before her face flicks back to her stoic general face. When everyone has settled into their places, she notices a man shifting nervously at the altar—the groom. Jiwon tries her best to get a good look at his face, but her brain refuses to focus on him. 

The door slams open, and the opening notes of a wedding march blares from the organ. The room’s eyes drift back, awaiting the entrance of the bride. Jiwon turns her head as well, catching a glimpse of the bride. Her breath catches.

There, with her arm linked to her father’s, was the Crown Princess walking down the aisle, dressed head to toe in white. She looked breathtaking. Her gown was beautifully crafted—lots of hours put into the intricate patterns found embedded into the fabric. Her veil had the most stunning detailing as well. She was so alluring and captivating. Jiwon couldn’t help but feel like she was falling. She wanted to reach out to her, claim the groom’s spot at the altar as her own, but deep down she knew she couldn’t. She ran away that night and lost any chance with her.

As the Crown Princess approaches closer to Jiwon, the blonde has the desire to run; but she couldn’t physically move from her spot. All she could do was stare at the girl helplessly with wide eyes. 

Jiwon feels helpless. The Crown Princess looks around, smiling brightly into the crowd, completely brushing over Jiwon. She was invisible. Jiwon couldn’t move, she couldn’t talk, and she couldn’t be seen. When the Princess reaches the altar, her father hands her off to the groom, and the Princess smiles widely at him. It makes her sick.

Jiwon knows internally that this was just a dream. It wasn’t real. But she couldn’t help but let the tears fall from her eyes as she watched the Princess be wedded off to another. She wanted to run up to her, object to the unification, and claim the Princess as her own. Yet, here she was, stuck in a nightmare; forced to watch the Princess’ wedding.

Jiwon springs up from the bed, breathing heavily. She wipes the tears falling on her cheeks and gets out of bed. Seeing the sun beginning to rise through her window, she dashes out of the shop and runs down the street to Rei’s residence. The blonde girl makes her way towards the back of the house, finding Rei’s window. She scoops a handful of pebbles from the ground and tosses them one by one at her friend’s window. 

“Wake up Rei. Please,” she mummers.

Finally, the window opens, after Jiwon’s sixth pebble. “Jiwon, I swear this better be important—actually no. Nothing is more important than my well deserved and needed beauty—-”

“Let’s go to the Winter Gala,” Jiwon exclaims. 

Rei freezes, unsure if she heard the blonde girl correctly. “I–what. I mean, okay. Let’s go then. Right now?” Jiwon nods her head. Rei sighs and shuts her window. A few seconds later, she emerges from the side of the house, “Come in, but be quiet, my parents are still asleep.” 

The girls quietly make their way to Rei’s room. Rei digs through her closet to find Jiwon’s gown she wore to the Courting Gala. 

“Isn’t it kinda tacky to rewear my gown from the last Gala?” Jiwon mumbles. Rei slaps her shoulder.

“You literally work at a tailor shop—one that literally makes gowns—but didn’t grab a single dress while dashing down to my home. We gotta work with what we have right now.”

Jiwon reluctantly agrees. She doesn’t really want to spend the brain energy finding another dress to wear to this event; plus she really likes this one. Rei pulls out another gown for herself, this one different from the one she wore to the Courting Gala.

“Why the change in heart?” Rei asks.

Jiwon shrugs. She can feel her body start to heat up recalling the dream. “I just felt like I didn’t want to miss out again. It was kind of fun.” 

Rei sides eyes the blonde girl; she knows that it wasn’t the entire truth but she doesn’t want to push it further. The two spent the day getting ready for the Gala. Rei manages to track down a friend to take the two girls to the Gala after some convincing persuasion—it was pathetic begging but Jiwon appreciates the effort Rei goes through for her. 

The two were on route to the ball. The ride felt shorter this time to Jiwon—but maybe she was stuck in her head about the whole situation. It was weird to dream about the Crown Princess’ wedding in such vivid detail; it can’t be normal. 

The second that Jiwon steps out of the carriage, a sense of deja vu invades her senses. The air was crisp and cold, and it smelled exactly how it did that night when Jiwon was out on the balcony. The greenery surrounding the Palace was no longer green, but still had the breathtakingly stunning view that Jiwon had admired as well. She turns to face Rei, who was looking at Jiwon with a sense of curiosity; the girl had her hand extended for Jiwon to take, who she gladly accepted. 

The two girls walk into the Palace. The Palace was relatively the same as before. The decor was different—a winter-inspired theming dressing the walls of the Palace. As well, grand white floral arrangements filled every corner of the room—invoking a feeling of the snowy outdoors in the Palace. Awaiting the two girls as they entered the ballroom was Yujin. She was dressed in a dashing white dress uniform—similar to the one she adorned in her dream—and a stoic expression painted on her face. Jiwon hates the deja vu she’s feeling right now.

As soon as Yujin spots the two girls, a bright smile brightens her face. She quickly leaves her post and rushes over to Rei, grabbing her free hand and laying a gentle kiss on the back of the younger girl’s hand. “I’m so glad the two of you made it!”

Rei smiles, “Jiwon seemed to have changed her mind last minute, so here we are.” 

Yujin turns to face Jiwon, “I’m glad you changed your mind. I’m sure she’s going to be delighted to see you’re here.”

Before Jiwon could ask for clarification, Yujin drags Rei off to the dance floor—not wanting to waste a minute of the night together. Jiwon sighs. Alone again. Still not knowing what she should do, Jiwon heads back to the place she’s only ever known—the champagne table. As she reaches to grab her first glass, her hand collides with another. Jiwon eyes follow the hand to meet the eyes of the owner of the other. A girl—who looked quite young—stood in front of her. Jiwon didn’t quite recognize the girl, but she must be from one of the higher noble families based on her dress—maybe the daughter of a Duke or Marquess. It contained many intricate details in the skirt that looked stunning. Who made this dress, she wonders. 

“My apologies, my lady,” the girl speaks up, bashfully blushing. 

Jiwon eyebrows spring up, “Oh no, please don’t apologize my lady. No harm was done in grabbing the same glass of champagne. Only the minds of similar individuals act similarly.” 

The girl giggles, “You got a way with words, my lady. Do you speak like this to other maidens?” Jiwon shook her head firmly. “What is your name?” The girl removes her own hand from the glass, motioning for Jiwon to take the one still in her hand. She grabs a second one of her own and takes a sip.

“Kim Jiwon,” she replies simply, “My mother owns the tailor shop in town. If this is appropriate, may I ask who made you dress, my lady?”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Lady Jiwon. I’m Hyunseo. And the dress I’m unsure of the tailor; my mother had it sourced for me.” She gently takes Jiwon’s free hand into her own, giving the girl a firm—clearly well practiced—-handshake.

“That’s alright, my lady. It is gorgeous though. As a gown maker myself, I love to learn new skills from other craftsmen.” 

Hyunseo smiles, “That’s very admirable of you, Lady Jiwon. I love your desire to continue learning new ways to improve your craft.” 

Jiwon nods, her face flushing. Unsure of how to continue the conversation. She simply takes a second sip of her champagne, racking her brain for an appropriate response. But, before she could, she felt an arm linking with her free arm. 

Jiwon jumps at the surprise intrusion to her personal space. She whips her head to look beside her. There standing with her arm intertwined with her own was the very girl she had hoped to only see from a distance and avoid any interactions with. Her dress complemented her beautifully, better than Jiwon had imagined. The colour and design trimmings she had spent days meticulously working on accompanied the theme of the Gala perfectly. She was even more beautiful than her brain imagined, and she was standing with her arm interlocked with her own. 

Jiwon opens her mouth, but no words come out. She could only look into the eyes that easily captured every single one of Jiwon’s thoughts—locking them inside her brain and preventing them from leaving her lips. 

“Hello Jiwon,” the Crown Princess smiles. “Good evening, Hyunseo-ah.”

Hyunseo stands there watching the two girls, smiling widely from ear to ear—like she knew something that Jiwon didn’t know. 

“Oh Wonyoung-ah, I didn’t know this was her?” The Crown Princess smiles and nods proudly. Hyunseo exhibits a cheeky smirk. “I’ll leave you to it then. It was nice to meet you, Lady Jiwon.” Jiwon lifelessly waves the other girl farewell.

Her mouth opens and closes pathetically; no matter how hard she tries, no sounds seem to pass her lips.

The Crown Princess pulls Jiwon closer, leaning into her ear, “Meet me on the balcony at midnight,” she whispers before disappearing into the crowd—rejoining the man she had been accompanying previously. Jiwon isn’t sure if the Princess was really beside her or if it was only a hallucination, but the heat blooming all over her body felt like an indication of reality. The night was young—midnight seemed to be ages away. 

She did her best to let the time pass as quickly as possible. She lost count of the number of glasses of champagne she has nursed. After watching the Crown Princess spending the night dancing with some nobleman’s son, she started to pound them back—hence why she lost count. After a while of drinking, she starts to feel nauseous, but then she sees Wonyoung whispering something into the boy’s ear and giggling which leads her to take two more glasses of champagne. 

After a while, Rei and Yujin wander over to search for Jiwon, where they see Jiwon basically completely out of it besides the refreshment table. A poor Royal Server was struggling to keep Jiwon upright as she chats his ear off. Rei rushes over to collect Jiwon and force the blonde girl to drink some water. 

“Jiwon, you need to cool it with the champagne.” Rei brings a cup of water to Jiwon’s lips, forcing the girl to swallow it. The blonde girl takes a few large gulps before pulling away from the other girl. 

“I’m… I’m fine now. You don’t have’to worr’ ‘bout me, Rei,” the blonde stumbles. 

Rei holds up a peace-sign, “How many fingers am I holding up.” Jiwon stares intently at Rei’s hands, squinting her eyes. Rei shakes her head; her best friend was so stubborn. “I’m not leaving your side until you can count the number of fingers I have without hesitation.” 

Jiwon nods. She did have a little too much to drink, but what else could she do to pass the time? Watching the Princess only hurt more. 

After a while of sitting on the sidelines, and Rei forcing her to drink water every five minutes, Jiwon started to feel more alert. “Thank you, Rei.” The blonde rests her head against the older girl’s shoulder. “You are the best person I’ve ever met. If I had never met you, I would be known as the secluse freak who only cares about sewing. Thank you.” 

Rei shifts to turn her head towards the blonde, “Are you still a little drunk?”

The blonde shakes her head. Rei tilts her head and holds up her fingers. “You have three fingers up,” Jiwon proudly states. 

Rei smiles. “Thank you, Jiwon. I’m glad we met, and I’m glad you’re in my life forever now too.”

The blonde nods, savouring the moment a little longer. The two girls don’t say much else; instead, their eyes follow the patrons dancing lively around the ballroom. Neither feeling the need to say much more. Jiwon’s eyes wander up to glance outside through the clerestory windows, catching a glimpse at the position of the moon.

“Do you happen to know the time?” Jiwon asks. Rei smiles, but shakes her head. 

“I figure it’s close to time,” Rei replies simply. 

Jiwon nods, “I better go. I’ll be back soon,” she stands up, looking down at Rei fondly, “Go find Yujin to keep you company.”

Rei waves her off, “Go. Don’t worry ‘bout me. I can handle myself.” 

Jiwon bids Rei a quick farewell before quickly turning around. Her feet lead her to the familiar balcony. Her hands instinctively reach out to open the doors. The cold air familiarizes herself. She leans against the balustrade, admiring the gorgeous view; she could never get enough of this. It was hauntingly quiet; but it was nice. 

She hears the doors behind her crack open; immediately she could feel her heat on her, even if they were still a mere meters apart. 

“Jiwon-ah,” the girl calls, “You came.” Jiwon didn’t turn around, but she could hear the light smile painted on her face. 

The Princess steps timidly towards Jiwon, standing beside her at last. She finally turns her head towards her. 

Wow. 

Even though she briefly encountered the Crown Princess earlier, she looked even brighter under the moonlight than the artificial lights. The dress shined brightly, sparkling with each slight movement from the Princess. Her face was even more breathtaking; Jiwon was obsessed with the views from the Palace, but the view of the Princess made Jiwon forget about the scenery. No matter how hard she tried, she could never forget the Princess in this light.

“I’m so glad you’re here. I’m sorry for my behaviour last time. It wasn’t appropriate of me to force myself onto you—”

“Please don’t apologize, Your Highness,” Jiwon cuts her off, “Sorry. That was rude of me to interrupt you, Your Highness. I should apologize for leaving so abruptly. It must have startled you; I’m sorry you weren’t able to find an appropriate suitor because of my hasty disturbance.”

Wonyoung giggles, which confused Jiwon. “My dear Jiwon, please stop with the formalities. Treat as you would with Rei.” 

Jiwon hesitates, “Your Highness, I’m afraid I can not accept your request. I can not treat you, Your Highness, as a mere boon companion like I do with Rei. I feel much more for you than I do with Rei; feelings that expand beyond mere camaraderie,” she lowers her head, “I do apologize, Your Highness. You may leave if you feel uncomfortable in my presence.”

“That is the reason why I want you to drop the formalities, Jiwon.” She cups her hand gently under Jiwon’s chin, lifting it to force her eyes to meet her own. “The night we spent together—in the ballroom and here on this very balcony—were the best moments of my life. You made me feel special—something I’ve never felt before with anyone else; and  I spent a lot of time with a variety of suitors that night, but I couldn’t think about anything with them except for you. You ran around my mind all night. When you left, I was distraught; I tried to continue on with the night, but with the sudden absence of your presence, I felt so exhausted; I couldn’t keep entertaining people, when I knew internally I had already found the one.”

Jiwon held her breath. A single tear falling from her eye, “I’m… I’m—”

Wonyoung places a finger on her lips, “Please, let me finish first.” Jiwon nods obediently. “I tried so hard to forget about you. But I gave up on that quickly. I was so desperate to find you again—to win you back. I realized I didn’t know too much about your background. All I had was the memories of your voice lingering in my head, the soft blonde hair, and your scent that clung on my dress for days following the Gala. Everyone in the palace knew of my distress. I even went as far as visiting a psychic; I asked her to help me bring you back to me, to locate your existence. She told me to visit the town more; she said that you would be there when I came, and you were. I had no faith in her telling, but when I saw you, I knew she was something. I so desperately wanted to run to your side, leave my post, ignore my royal duties and win you back, but you barely even glanced over at me. It really hurt, and I thought that you truly didn’t want anything to do with me. Afterall, what do I even know about living a normal life—mine is the complete opposite to yours. It was wrong for me to assume you would come running back to me just because I’m a Royal. I shouldn’t expect to have everything I want because of my title—even though that is the only concept I’m familiar with. So, I let you go. See you go, I couldn’t stand it, but I couldn’t force you to come to me. I wanted you to be willing to want me too, without my influence; I wanted fate to bring us back together. I visited the psychic again, one last time, but I didn’t ask her about you. I asked her about my prophecy.” 

Wonyoung pauses and takes a deep breath, “She explained that the heavens state I would find my lover at the upcoming Winter Gala—which disappointed me; I wanted them to say that I had already met my lover. All night, I was looking around at all the guests, desperately trying to find my destined lover—and then I saw you. I was in utter disbelief seeing you here. I didn’t expect to find you here. I was so happy to see you. I wasn’t thinking about my prophecy; I was stunned, and my legs subconsciously pulled me towards you. I’m very glad you came, Jiwon.” 

“You know, I wasn’t going to come at first,” Jiwon starts shyly, “It was a very last minute decision. I had a dream about you—being married off to another man, and I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t stop thinking about you either after that night. I tried to drown myself in my work, but all my thoughts drifted back to you. I think your psychic was haunting my thoughts, taunting my dreams, changing my path,to lead me here tonight. I think I might be the lover sent from heaven destined for you.” Jiwon boldly states. 

Wonyoung smiles, “I…” she trails off. For the first time in her life, Wonyoung was speechless. “I think you might be the one too, Jiwon.” She pulls Jiwon closer, deeply hugging the girl she had missed so desperately. Jiwon happily reciprocates. She missed the feeling of the Princess in her arms, and her delicate scent that lingers for ages inside of her olfactory system.  

“I was foolish to think I could forget you. But, I was even more foolish to even leave you out here alone,” Jiwon sighs, “I will apologize until my last breath.” 

“Please, Jiwon dear. I forgave you the second you left. I was selfish to kiss you without hesitation. I didn’t mean to pressure you to do anything you were not comfortable with.” 

“There’s blame to share then. Let’s both forgive each other and move past this…” she hesitates, “Wonyoung.”

Wonyoung could feel her flutter and heart beat faster—it was strange how hearing her own name could make her react like this. Jiwon could feel it too, pulling the other girl closer and smiling into her shoulder. 

“Can I tell you a secret?” Jiwon asks, the sound muffling against her shoulder. She feels Wonyoung nod her head. “I made both of your dresses.” She feels Wonyoung pull away suddenly—the cold rushing into the cracks of where the Princess once laid against her. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as they looked directly into Jiwon’s. 

“You did?” Jiwon nods. “They’re absolutely gorgeous. I’ve been so obsessed with them, and I thought that Lady Kim made them.”

Jiwon shook her head, “Lady Kim is my mother. I work as a seamstress at her shop, and I was in charge of designing and creating your gown. When I saw you for the first time, you were so gorgeous, but I thought you were even more breathtaking because you were wearing the gown I had worked so hard on. I had tried to imagine what the gown would look like on you myself, but seeing it in person was something so surreal; my brain could never synthesize an image in my head better than what I saw. You were so beautiful that night; I couldn't get you out of my head for days on end. My work has never looked more beautiful than it did on you.”

Wonyoung runs her hands along the fabric of her own gown. “I love both of my gowns so much,” she whispers, “I’m overjoyed that you were the hands behind the craftsmanship.” 

Jiwon leans in closer, her breath brushing Wonyoung’s ear, “One more secret. When I finished this gown, I couldn’t help my own selfish desire to claim you as mine; I wanted you to feel me through this gown. So, when it came back for alterations, I left a faint impression of my lips into the fabric right here,” Jiwon moves her hand to the front of the bust; the exact spot where her lips met. “I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I couldn’t handle the thought of you with someone else.” Jiwon blushes, “I wanted you to feel me on you all night.” 

Wonyoung closes her eyes, a flush forming on her cheeks as well, “I love it. I love you, Jiwon.” Wonyoung pulls back to look deeply into the blonde’s eyes, “Will you allow me to kiss you under the moonlight?” 

Jiwon’s breath hitches, “Yes,” she says breathlessly. She could barely get the words out before Wonyoung smashes her lips against hers. The kiss was rougher than before, but she could feel the desperation, desire, and passion escaping from the Princess that had been building up all these months. She melts under Wonyoung’s touch. Air became a necessity that was shoved to the depths of her brain; her only current necessity was Wonyoung. The Princess invades her every thought and consumes her every necessity. All Jiwon has ever wanted over the past months was the Princess. And now, she’s happy to indulge in her body's craving. 

When Wonyoung pulls away, Jiwon’s eyes stay shut and her being remains frozen in place. Wonyoung giggles at the sight of the blonde. “Plight your troth to me, Jiwon. Marry me.” 

Jiwon’s eyes flutter open, and she laughs. The moonlight glistens in Wonyoung's eyes, capturing Jiwon’s attention to them. “Present me a ring, and I’ll consider it.”

Wonyoung nods, her smile completely outshining the moon behind her. 

Days later, Jiwon is working quietly on repairing a torn pair of trousers for her neighbours, when a large commotion from outside disrupts her workflow. She gets up, abandoning her sewing machine, and walks out the door to investigate. A crowd was starting to form around her shop, completely blocking her view of the strange commotion.

“What is going on here?” Jiwon asks the man standing beside her.

He shrugs. He steps to the side, allowing Jiwon to sneak in closer into the crowd.

“Kim Jiwon,” a voice calls out from the middle of the crowd. Everyone goes silent. Suddenly, a path forms revealing the source of the commotion to Jiwom. There, standing in front of the family’s shop, stood Crown Princess Wonyoung wearing her regal military uniform; she looks dashing standing proudly in front of Jiwon.

“Kim Jiwon, I have searched far and wide for the perfect ring to present to you; and I have finally found the one,” Wonyoung pulls a small box out, delicately opening it and presenting it to the blonde girl. “My fate is tied with you; my divinity points all the arrows towards you; you are the one I’m destined to fall in love with. Will you accompany me on the throne, standing proudly by me until our days are limited?” the Princess’ eyes grow glossy as they stare deeply into Jiwon’s. The blonde could feel her eyes growing watery as well.

“Of course I shall.” Jiwon drops to her knees, hugging the Princess; her now fiancée. Cheers break out around them. “I love you, Wonyoung,” she whispers into her ear. 

Wonyoung places a kiss onto her cheek, “I love you too, Jiwon.”