Throwing her arms around Da-hee for a last hug, Eun-bi almost burst into tears. Before she left, she gave a stern look to Da-hee's soon-to-be husband and warned him of the consequences if he were to break her friend's heart, to which the big, burly man confidently promised her she could have his head if he ever did that.

After exchanging well wishes, she departed from the blacksmith workshop. One guard ran up to her side and delivered a message.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince awaits you at the red bridge."

"He is?" She squeaked in surprise.

Did he leave the palace to fetch her?

When the guard confirmed with a nod again, Eun-bi's excitement soared in her heart. The memories of the red bridge brought a huge smile to her face, but also a slight grimace because of her atrocious behaviour. It was still a precious memory that she had committed to her heart.

After all, the events that happened that night sealed hers and Yul's fate together.

Grinning, she walked ahead briskly, eager to meet him as soon as she could. Her guards were trying to keep up with her pace until someone coaxed her gently from behind.

"Your Highness, slow down. We don't wish to lose sight of you or have you tripping on your feet."

Since the day they announced her to be the next Crown Princess, everybody began treating her as if she was a fragile human vase. As much as she would love to prove them wrong, a part of her knew that their anxiety and overprotection were because they didn't wish to anger the Crown Prince if he found a single scratch on her.

Sighing, she slowed her steps, but only a tad bit. "Fine, I'll listen to you this once. Is this better?"

Her guards nodded in silent appreciation. Three of them slipped away from the group to scour the nearby areas for dangers, while the rest remained by her side. The deeper they ventured into the market, the more stares they received. The sight of Eun-bi acting the role of a young Lord with her young, robust-looking guards was most definitely drawing curious attention from onlookers.

Beautiful women emerged from a nearby courtesan house and began singing praises to get her attention. But Eun-bi dodged their greedy claws and waved them away.

"Move out of my way!" she exclaimed loudly. "I've a beautiful wife waiting for me. I must get going!"

As she scurried away, it left her guards astonished, and someone raised a question. "Did she just refer our Crown Prince to a 'wife'...?"

"Shh! Just pretend you didn't hear it and keep moving."

Listening to their confused exchange, Eun-bi grinned. Clearly, no one shared her humour like Yul did.

The night market was bustling with people. Strings of paper lanterns hung from roof to roof, bathing the capital in warm, colourful lights. Quaint music weaved through the crowd as musicians portrayed a story using their instruments.

The thick fragrance of roasted meat made her mouth drool. When she walked past a stall that was selling steamed buns and dumplings, her stomach rumbled.

But her hunger could wait.

Right now, meeting Yul was her priority.

Eun-bi came to a slow stop when something caught her eye—a shop selling paper lanterns and toys. She reached out for those small, red lotus lanterns, hoping to buy them for Yul, but her hand knocked into somebody's.

Pulling back quickly, she lifted her gaze to meet eyes that belonged to those of a stranger—a young man dressed in neat, humble clothes. A commoner. In fact, he didn't seem to look much older than Eun-bi was.

He bowed to her respectfully. "My sincere apologies, my lord. I didn't see you there."

For a second, Eun-bi almost forgot she was wearing male clothes, which made this person believe she was a young heir of a noble family.

She lowered her head and used her hat to hide her face, waving away her guards as they almost pulled their swords out of their scabbards. In a gruff voice that she hoped she sounded manly enough, she spoke to the man.

"I apologise too. I'm in a bit of a hurry," she explained. "Can I have those?"

His head lowered, glancing at the pair of lanterns that she was eyeing since a moment ago. "Oh. Here, take them."

"Thank you," Eun-bi murmured, hurriedly handing some coins over to the seller before somebody else grabbed them again. Throughout the entire time, she could feel the man's gaze burning into the side of her face, staring at her longer than necessary.

Was he about to figure out her identity?

Her next question jolted him from his reverie. "Can I help you with something?"

"Oh. N-n-no, I apologise for my impertinence." He took a step backwards, looking at the ground quietly. "You look like someone I know."

That was strange. Was he about to recognise her as the infamous, cheeky candidate who was selected by the Crown Prince to be his bride?

"Well, you look like someone that I don't know," she murmured bluntly, before preparing to leave. "I'll excuse myself now."

"I—"

Whatever that he wanted to tell her, Eun-bi was not within earshot. The more time she wasted talking to others, the longer Yul would spend waiting for her. As she clutched the glowing lanterns in both her hands, she half-ran the rest of the way to the red bridge.

Yul stood at the peak, alone, and looking out over a creek with a full moon reflected in the shimmering water. Slowing to a stop, his cool, handsome profile dazzled Eun-bi. She silently complimented the way he looked like a main character in an exquisite painting.

As if sensing her arrival, he craned his neck in her direction, roving over her appearance. She didn't miss the way his eyes softened and lips curved into a small, gentle smile.

"Yul!" She waved and ran towards him. "I'm surprised that you left the palace!"

Once she stood before him, he playfully tipped her hat upward to get a good look at her face. "You look...stunning."

She responded with a grin and jutted out her chin confidently. "It doesn't bother you if we're going to be seen together like this by others, right?"

"No."

"Great!" She lifted the red lotus lanterns in her hands. "Because we are going to play with these! Have you ever sent a lantern on a journey?"

His eyes glimmered with enthusiasm as the idea intrigued him. "Never. The servants are the ones who always prepare the palace for every Lantern Festival. The last time I held one was when I was a child, but I do not recall much memory of it."

Handing him one of her lanterns, she grabbed his free hand and tugged him along. "I say it's time to reminisce about our childhood days," she decided. "And this time, we are walking to the bottom of the bridge. Not over the railing. It was frightening." There was a momentary silence as she gnawed at her bottom lip in remorse. "And I'm truly sorry for what happened that night."

Yul suddenly grew quiet. "You know that I've already forgiven you for that," he said. "It wasn't a bad memory. That moment tied you to my mind. And now, you're standing here with me and that's all that matters."

She felt like a heavy weight lifted from her chest. As much as his heartfelt words immensely moved her, her cheeks were now flaming hot with embarrassment.

"Please," she muttered under her breath. "Someone should throw me off the bridge now before I catch on fire."

He raised a brow at her, thoroughly amused. "If you're scared, I can jump off together with you."

She coughed once and retracted her words. "No, no, no. That is rather kind of you, but I don't want you to get wet and fall sick. And don't forget this–we've an audience today. They might cry if I break your arms with my weight."

Yul glanced over her head, as if forgetting that they were being watched. As he waved away the surrounding guards to give them ample space for their privacy, Eun-bi began sharing her story.

"My parents used to bring my sister and me to the market every Lantern Festival. We would buy lanterns and hang them on trees around the temples or release them into the river. Father said that if we made a wish, it would come true."

Yul listened intently and nodded along. "What was your first wish?"

"A pet," she chirped happily. "I didn't know which animal I wanted to take care of, but one day, my father brought me to his friend's farm. And that was when I met Bo-mi for the first time. He was a foal, but he was rolling around the grass and prancing around the paddock as if he owned the place. Truly adorable."

"He sounds awfully like someone."

Yul's humour earned her laughter. "And that was how we became best friends."

Tiny rocks crunched beneath their boots as they descended closer to the water. They crouched low and Eun-bi nudged him to follow her. "Close your eyes, make a wish, and release the lantern."

Together, they carried out the steps in unison. Eun-bi squeezed her eyes hard to make her wish. Once they released the lanterns, Yul swivelled around to ask curiously. "What wish did you make?"

She shook her head. "The wishes will not come true if we say it out loud."

He looked fairly disappointed, which made her give in to him. "Fine. I won't say it out loud, but I can show you."

She grabbed his hand and wrote a few words on his palm slowly, before grinning up at him.

Seeing you smile every day.

He watched her in a silence that spoke volumes; like she was the centre of his world. Like she was a meteor that landed unexpectedly in his path, surprising him.

And to Eun-bi, she also viewed him in that way.

Just like what she did earlier, he mimicked her action and started writing his wish on her palm.

To become a family with you.

When he returned her gaze, his eyes burned alive with love and desire, and it was certainly enough to inform Eun-bi how much he wanted to kiss her. Likewise, she wanted to just grab his arm, abandon their guard, and run to a faraway place where they could be all alone.

However, they didn't give in to their temptation. Instead, Yul stood up and offered her his hand.

"Come with me. There's a place that I need to show you."

A/N: Sorry (but not sorry) for drowning you guys in a pot of sweet honey 🍯 and candies 🍭🍬 in every chapter. 😂 Have a great day, you lovable people!