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You looked out of the colossal Palladian windows again, the rain still pouring down with all its might, and thought about the mysterious Crown Prince Namjoon, once again.

Your eyes fluttered open gently, as you heard the muffled sound of the curtains being drawn back. You squinted as streams of bright light arched all around the colossal room, making the glass chandelier above you sparkle, like dewdrops sparkling in the sun, the rays of rainbow colours reflecting onto the white sheets of your bed. The past few days had been uneventful, to say the least. Prince Asshole had confined you to your bedroom and palace wing to 'ensure your safety', which you were sure meant ensuring you did not get another chance to escape. You hadn't heard from that psycho since his explanation of the fabricated identity he had created for you and the briefing of the Welcoming Banquet. The names of the contestants he had tossed at you, callously and carelessly, swirled around your mind in a never-ending spiral. Princess Xiaoxue. Princess Aika. Duchess Lina. Lady Iseul.

You were stuck alone to mull over your thoughts. But yes, you had to admit there were a lot of things to think about. You being stuck in the 16th century was at the forefront of your mind. You had crossed out every logical explanation to this...phenomenon. You might as well start making an active effort to gather information on how to get home. But what could you do? Say "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm stuck almost 500 years in the past. Care to help?" You were helpless. If you couldn't get home, you had no option but to be the Prince's puppet and compete in the Queen Claiming- which would most likely prove fatal as you were neither charming nor skilled in the arts of the court.

You tried squeezing your eyelids shut in order to get some sleep, but sentences from Jina's story of the deceased Queen Su-Won kept coming back to you. Prince Prick's kindly aunt, and her hauntingly familiar garden cast a shadowy image in your mind. Giving up all hopes on a good nap, you buried further down into the crisp white sheets Jina had freshly laundered, hair forming a tangled halo around your head.

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A quiet, yet distinct knock on the door reverberated around the elegant room, the fifth knock of the day. Groaning in annoyance, you lifted your head up the tiniest inch. You dragged the heavy, gold embroidered lion pillow over your head, in an attempt to block out Jina's constant attempts of hauling you out of this room. I just want to sleep for ever and ever and ever, until I somehow wake up on my lumpy mattress. At home. Grudgingly, you admitted to yourself that you really missed school. You missed that comforting feeling of control you had while studying, assurance you would give yourself a better life than your mother ever had. You felt uneasy that you felt so homesick. A single teardrop rolled down your face onto the soft pillow. You wiped it away fiercely with the back of your hand.

A muffled jangling of keys, outside the sadly familiar lion engraved oak doors brought you back to the present. With a click, the doors gave way to what looked like an army of blue and white robed women, with Jina at the head of the line. She glared angrily at you with her breathtaking, warm cocoa coloured eyes. "That is enough of your nonsense, Princess. You've spent, what, 5 days holed up in your room, barely touching your food, barely getting out of your bed!"You glared back at her, thoroughly annoyed with her constant nagging. "There are only two more days till the Claiming Banquet. TWO! And you haven't even bothered to shower, it looks like. And smells like!"

A few of the other maids gasped at Jina's insolence towards a supposed Princess. They all lowered their heads in shame. Jina flinched , realising you two were not alone a few seconds too late. She bowed deeply, hands folded in apology. "I sincerely apologise, Your Highness. All I meant to convey was that it would be highly beneficial for you to get some fresh air." You waited for her to stand up again, but she remained hunched in a bow. You cleared your throat nervously. "I forgive your impoliteness, maid." You said as regally as you could. Jina's eye twitched slightly at your condescending tone. She stood up, and you reluctantly climbed off the bed. You smoothed out your surprisingly comfortable, now extremely wrinkled white nightgown, which Jina glanced at briefly in distaste. She walked toward you and grabbed your right hand gently, eyes betraying a hint of pity at your sorry state.

She led you across the plush golden carpet to the second set of ornate doors, the entrance to the bathing chamber. She turned towards the other maids and back to you. You knew what she wanted you to do.

"The rest of you are dismissed." You said to the maids with as much authority as you could muster. Their eyes widened in shock, but they all bowed one by one, and scurried out of the room as quickly and quietly as mice, a few glancing at Jina nervously, as if she were about to be punished.

As soon as they all left, she closed the main oak doors tightly, making sure the lock clicked into place.

"Princess, I have an idea."

You looked at her questioningly.

"I can tell that you hate being confined to this space, especially under the orders of the Prince. So today, we are going to sneak out of the palace." She whispered.

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise. Escape?

She shook her head furiously. "Not escape! Just for the night."

A slow smile spread across your face. I'm finally leaving this boring ass isolation!

A huge grin of relief broke across Jina's face at your reaction. She suddenly shifted her hanbok aside, leaving a fleeting view of her snow pale thigh, dotted with freckles. And, a single tattoo of a red rose.

You looked away timidly.

She brought out a small parcel that was wrapped in brown paper. She carefully unfolded it, revealing the contents. She lifted up two simply stitched white hanboks, the type for daily use. Made out of light cotton in contrast to the heavy silk you had donned to meet that unbearable Prince. They both had a single flower that looked like a peony stitched on the left side of the chest area, a pleasant light pink flower. Lacking the detail on your fine, gold embroidered gown. But, it was still beautiful, and looked a million times more comfortable than royal clothes. You grabbed one and went to change and shower, while Jina went to find a dressing screen to change into her own.

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Crickets and cicadas chirped, as golden light fell on browning leaves in the sunset. Jina had put a headdress, a simple meshed white veil, over half of your face, to hide your identity. Both your long manes of hair flew behind you in the chilly wind, as she tugged on your hand, dragging you through miles of long dead plants and shrubbery, that must have once been a beautiful garden.

Jina was navigating the way in front of you, in the same outfit, yet without a veil. "This used to be the Queen's Garden. She tended to it every day." She took a deep breath. "When I was brought to the palace, I was 10 years old, just one amongst a thousand. The Queen refused to let us slog ourselves to near death doing strenuous work at such a young age, and had us help her take care of her beloved flowers." She looked into the distance, reminiscing. "I loved my job, and we were doted on by the Queen, and the elderly maids as if we were their own daughters. But when she died..."

A small tear escaped her glassy eyes. You squeezed her hand in reassurance, smiling gently. You weren't sure why she was putting herself in such a vulnerable position, when you had only known each other for a week. She looked at you with immense sadness clouding her eyes. "The King immediately kicked us out of the castle, as we provided minimal work, and took back all the meagre pay we had been given to survive on." You nodded, letting her go on. " I was just 12, on the streets, with no means to live. We had to resort to unimaginable things."

Her eyes turned dark, her hand quivering in yours. "But one day, a soldier picked me up off the streets. Promised me I would get my job back at the palace, with his help. And I did." Her eyes turned steely, determined.

A long silence followed. "You are a very brave person, Jina." You whispered into the wind. She looked at you, like she could see right through you, and gave you a small, sad smile, tugging you closer to her to keep you warm. You would have blushed, but you were unsure of her motives. She makes me feel less invisible. But at what cost?

"Under here." Jina whispered, crawling under a rusting iron gate.

"Are you sure no one can see us?" You whispered back anxiously, crawling right behind her. She ignored you and stood up on the other side of the gate. She pulled you up, and you both gazed beyond the horizon.

There were crackly fires lit, bringing light and warmth. You both took a few steps forward.

"A...night market?" You glanced at Jina. "Of sorts." She gave you a lopsided smile.

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