In the Queen Dowager's absence, Eun-bi could finally breathe comfortably. The tension melted in her shoulders and she slumped on the stone steps, her legs giving out.

She was relieved that she had passed the Queen Dowager's test, but if she were to experience another one again, that would definitely tickle her annoyance.

She wasn't nervous when she met the King in the second round of the Selection. There wasn't a reason for her to be when she didn't have the intention to become the chosen one.

Now, it was different.

She wanted to stand beside Yul as his consort, to support him to the best of her ability, and to achieve that, she needed to work hard.

Senior Court Lady Yi returned sooner than expected with Byeol in tow, wearing a displeased expression. "Your Highness, you're getting dirt everywhere. We've fetched a new dress, so please change into it right away."

Eun-bi grunted and gestured to her wobbly legs. "I would love to, but I think I need to rest. I squatted for too long and my legs are no longer legs. Or am I getting old?!"

Furrowed brows, Senior Court Lady Yi frowned. "Need I remind you I'm more than twice your age, Your Highness?"

Oh no.

"Haha..." Eun-bi laughed it off and avoided the older woman's eyes, knowing that she had unintentionally insulted her. "You look as youthful as always, Senior Court Lady Yi, especially with that energy of yours whenever you harp on at my mistakes."

Fortunately, Senior Court Lady Yi ignored her remark. "Perhaps we can move you to a more comfortable place."

She gestured to Byeol to help Eun-bi up, but not before heavy footsteps approached them. A shadow loomed over their shoulders, immobilising everyone with the icy rage in his voice.

"What happened here?"

The court ladies hurriedly retreated and lowered into deep bows, sneaking nervous glances at Yul's intimidating figure. When he took another step, they froze like statues, clearly afraid.

But to Eun-bi, his appearance was like an oasis in the middle of a scorching desert.

She greeted him with a cheerful grin. "Your Highness, what are you doing here?"

His gaze wandered to her dirtied clothes, his fists clenching tightly by his sides. Seeing the grubby state she was in, he was on the verge of unleashing his anger.

"Who did this to you?"

She bit her bottom lip, knowing how one could easily misunderstand this whole situation. "I—well—the flower bed was ruined, so I helped to clean it up—"

"Was it my grandmother?"

His question stilled everybody, including the court ladies, causing fear running down their spines. Eun-bi knew she was the only one who could assuage the Crown Prince's anger. "This doesn't seem like what it looks like."

"Tell me everything."

Eun-bi gulped before sharing her story; she explained to him how the Queen Dowager wanted to see her in person, including her request of tending to her flower bed.

Although Eun-bi avoided telling him that his grandmother actually disciplined her, Yul somehow worked that out on his own.

A court lady offered a wooden pail of water and a damp cloth. Yul took it and knelt before Eun-bi, gently wiping the dirt off her face and hands.

"Go get changed," he said. "I will have a word with the Queen Dowager."

"Wait, Yul. She didn't mistreat me—"

Before she could finish her sentence, he glanced over at Byeol with a silent message and she bowed.

Another court lady shuffled over and they hooked their arms around Eun-bi's, dragging her away to a changing room at the back of the temple. It didn't take her long to change her clothes, and after she looked clean and presentable, she hurried back to the veranda.

She could only hope she hadn't sown seeds of discord between Yul and the Queen Dowager, otherwise, all efforts of her trying to impress his grandmother earlier would be in vain.

Low voices drifted along with the breeze–her ears caught Yul's in particular. "I told you I would bring her to meet you someday, Grandmother."

"Forgive me, my boy. This old woman has gotten rather impatient. At this age, I fear I do not have many days left to live."

"That is not true, Grandmother. You will live to a ripe old age."

Eun-bi stopped around the corner, just listening in on their conversation. She could have sworn this wasn't the same old lady she spoke to earlier. Unlike the harsh tone that she had used earlier, this Queen Dowager sounded a lot kinder and warmer.

As one would have expected, a grandmother's weakness would often be her grandchildren.

Even so, Yul remained unhappy. "If you must discipline her, then you should discipline me instead. She is my person."

His protectiveness over Eun-bi made her heart soar above the clouds. As sweet and thoughtful as he was, she felt awful that he was going up against his grandmother for her sake.

"Wait, please don't start fighting because of me! I can explain—oof!"

Bursting forth from her hiding spot, her foot caught in the hem of her new dress. She fell forward, landing on Yul awkwardly and sprawling across his lap like a cat that had lost its footing on the roof.

For heaven's sake, why must she be embarrassed now, of all times?

She stared up at them, wide-eyed. "I-I apologise. Please, just ignore my existence!"

The Queen Dowager blinked once, speechless, before letting out a sigh. "She's truly a handful," she told Yul. "You must have the patience of an ocean to handle her."

He calmly pulled up a sheepish Eun-bi into a sitting position next to him. "As a matter of fact, she's the only one who can handle me."

For the third time that day, the Queen Dowager was absolutely stunned. "I must be close to the end of my life if I'm finally hearing such words coming from you."

Yul pressed his lips together, clearly upset at the inauspicious words that she was sputtering. "Grandmother."

"Alright, alright. Have it your way." The Queen Dowager sighed and waved them away. "I'm happy just to see you today, my Crown Prince. Your lady must be exhausted from our meeting. You may bring her back to her quarters to rest."

Eun-bi couldn't be any happier to hear those words. Bidding their farewells, the pair rose to their feet and left the temple.

Her hand wrapped around his and she swung their arms back and forth. "What should we do now, Yul? We can't just simply leave and return to our quarters. It's rare for us to take a walk together like this," she said, before leaning in. "And also because Senior Court Lady Yi is going to scream at me later for not being on my best behaviour in front of the Queen Dowager. I can feel her glaring at the back of my head now."

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "We shall do what you like."

She squeezed his hand. "Great! Where is Bo-mi?" she asked. "I miss him!"

"He's at the stables with my horse. I'll bring you to him."

"Your horse?" Eun-bi grinned. "It seems like Bo-mi is well taken care of. He's even making friends while I'm away."

True to Yul's words, she soon found her beloved horse tucked away warmly in the stables, munching on hay. When he heard their voices, he leaned his head over the stall door and whined.

"Bo-mi!" Eun-bi ran her hand over his muzzle and mane lovingly. "How have you been? I miss you, my son. The food here must be delicious, seeing how you seem to have gained some weight–did you just shove me in the stomach?!"

Her horse released a grunt and continued nudging her abdomen. He stomped on the ground, as if he wanted to leave his stall.

"Shall we take him out for a quick ride along the lake?" Yul suggested.

"Can we?"

"We can, but go slow."

Eun-bi had seen nobody else riding a horse in the palace gardens, so she knew they must deem it inappropriate. Yet, if Yul was giving her permission, she would not miss this chance.

Together, they led Bo-mi out of his stall, got onto the saddle and ambled down the trail along the lake. The colours of autumn reflected in the calm water like a shimmering gateway to another dimension. Falling gold and russet leaves bathed the couple in a light shower.

This reminded her of their first trip out of the palace together, and she realised how fast time passed. Her life had changed so much in the past couple of months and she missed her family so much. The feeling of homesickness would not fade away anytime soon.

Just a little while more and she would see them again.

While she had control over the reins, she grew physically aware of Yul. His body pressed up against her back, arms wrapped around her waist, and his muscular thighs aligned with hers. It didn't help that he warned her last night about their upcoming consummation. It didn't help that he declared her as his in front of his grandmother just moments ago.

"She is my person."

Later that night, Eun-bi retired to her bedchamber, but she couldn't sleep. She flung herself in bed, buried her face into her pillow, and let out an embarrassed yelp.

The closer she got to her wedding day, the worse her anxiety got.

How was she going to survive the first night with him when she knew not a thing about marital duties?