"How is he?" You ask and rush to help Taeyeon in any way you can.

Taeyeon doesn't answer and motions for you to go on the other side of your father to help him into bed. Once you all do, Taeyeon lets out a sigh of relief. "Ouch, my back."

You smile and then look towards your father. He looks like he's in a daze. Briefly, his state makes you uneasy. His unfocused eyes stare into space. "I take it that the surgery went well?" 

"It seems like." Taeyeon rubs her arms. "The doctor said that there were no complications but to keep an eye on him in case the wound gets infected." She goes to the side of the bed and checks on him. "He's still under the influence but should sober up soon."

You nod thoughtfully. There are no other words to describe what you're feeling but it almost feels like you returned to a life of normalcy. Almost. 

Taeyeon glances over at Ryunjin who's babbling in her high chair. "How was Ryunjin?"

"Oh, she was great!" You then went to the middle of the room to pick up the couple of toys you had. "We played for a bit and ate some snacks."

"It's such a good thing you had the night off." She says and picks up Ryunjin.

"It is." You comment and put the toys back in the corner of the room. "Luckily, it's Miss Lia's turn this week for the overnight shift. And I'm so glad the doctor was able to do the surgery after my shift."

"I am too." Taeyeon does look grateful. She mindlessly pinches Ryunjin's cheek as the baby babbles cutely. "It was horrible. Since his leg had healed up, they had to break it again to set it right." She seems to be recalling the memory then her dazed eyes turn to you. "Thank you for taking the job at the castle. I think that if we didn't have your pay, we wouldn't have been able to afford the surgery."

You feel a sense of pride swell up inside you. Although you're afraid for your life, the money from the job sure came in handy to assist your family. You don't want to think of the unimaginable if you didn't have the money for the surgery. "It's no problem." You say, quite happy that you're making a good contribution.

A groan of pain interrupts your conversation. It seems like your father is stirring from the dose of medications. Quickly, you go to check on him. He seems to be awake some more and you're not sure how Taeyeon managed to drag a somewhat conscious man home. "How are you feeling?" You ask.

He blinks trying to get a sense of his surroundings. "I think they gave me too many drugs to make me pass out." He jokes.

You stifle a laugh. "Of course. Did you need anything or need me to do something?" You offer.

It takes him a moment to process your question. "No, I'm okay. I think I need to sleep more or something."

You smile and tell him to rest. Once he closes his eyes, you walk back to the area where Taeyeon is starting to prepare Ryunjin for bed. You bite the inside of your cheek as you need to tell Taeyeon that you're leaving for a trip in a week or so.

It started when the Fourth Prince was frustrated with everything.

"I think I need to make a trip to these kingdoms." He mutters, eyebrows furrowed.

"A trip, Fourth Prince?" Lia questions. She went back to the bookstore to pick up a book that came in.

He nods and leans back in his chair. "Yes, since this information seems to be outdated. I think we need to go and get some new information... It would also be best to try and ally ourselves with kingdoms if they do start to advance..."

You can see what he's thinking. You just wonder if you also have to go with him. His eyes flicker to everyone. "Um, I hope it's not too much trouble, but can you all come along with me?"

"I believe we can, Fourth Prince. We have to alert our families and the head of the department that we will be departing," Lia says and lays the book on the table in front of him. "When will we be departing, Fourth Prince?"

Felix takes a moment to think. "Next week?"

Lia nods. "That can be arranged."

Now, here you were. Taeyeon notices your hesitation so she comes out and asks you. "What's on your mind? Something happened?"

"Okay, so," You prepare yourself to tell her as if you were ripping off a band-aid. "The Fourth Prince is going to be traveling next week and I am supposed to go with him." There you said it! That wasn't so hard!

She pauses momentarily. "And by traveling... Do you mean out of the kingdom?"

You nod. There's no reason to lie to her.

She sighs. "I can't stop you... but do be careful please. I'll make sure everything runs smoothly here."

"Once I'm back, I'll take over!" You declare. Taeyeon needs her rest and you feel bad that you're going on a trip while Taeyeon runs the household. She looks a bit tired...

"Don't worry." She waves her hand in a dismissive manner.

Still, you frown. "Still, I'll be taking over the nights when I'm back." It took you a moment to remember who was in charge for nights when coming back but gladly, you remembered that it's not your turn.

"Alright, fine." Taeyeon gives in to your demands. "I'll be waiting then." She teases to which you grin at.

"Of course!"

"How much longer...?" Yeji complains and tries to stretch out her legs which earns her a smack on the knee from Lia who sits across from her.

"It's only one more day!" Lia says.

The trip has already started. It has been two days in this carriage. It was going to take at least three days to get to the kingdom that Felix wanted to visit. You had packed essentials into a large, single bag and said good-bye to your family who wished you luck. So here you were, stuck in a carriage with Lia and Yeji while the Fourth Prince had an empty carriage all to himself ahead of yours. You thought you would be excited for this trip but an encounter with the Second Prince rattled your mind.

You arrived bright and early, your single, large bag in hand and awaiting outside as the carriages were being prepared. It seems Lia and Yeji were going to come on time but you didn't mind. You thought it would be best to arrive early just in case.

The outside air was nice - a gentle breeze ticking your face. Patiently you waited and when you heard footsteps walking down the steps, you turned around to greet whoever it was. Your peaceful morning was shaken by the appearance of the Second Prince.

Hurriedly, you bowed. The Second Prince neared your frozen self rooted self. Why was he here? His feet come into view and you keep your eyes trained on the ground.

"Lift your head." He commands.

Nervously, you do and you don't let your eyes meet his. "Ah, it's you," He comments. "It is worth a shot but do you know where the Fourth Prince is traveling to?"

It seems like he's trying to get information out of you. Again...

"I'm not quite sure, Second Prince. He didn't tell us anything, only that we were to be traveling." You reply, hands nervously clasping each other in a tight grip.

It seems like he's about to say something else but that's when Lia and Yeji arrive. Both of them are surprised at the sight of the Second Prince but still politely bow and address him. He turns his attention to them. "Has the Fourth Prince said where he's traveling?"

Lia is the one to answer. "I'm afraid not, Second Prince. He has declared that he is to travel."

The Second Prince frowns. "I see." He then disappears back inside the castle. All three of you were holding your breath and were able to relax once he disappeared. Yeji looks at you. "Did he question you about Felix?"

You nod your head. "He was. It seems like he's interested."

Lia purses her lips in thought. "Hm, you didn't tell him anything, right?"

"Of course not!" And you're really proud of that fact.

Lia smiles. "Why of course, I'm the one who's the best teacher." She's smug and so proud.

Yeji gives her a look. "Sure."

You try to shake that memory out of your head. The Second Prince is so intense. At this point in the ride, you stretch out your legs a bit. You're ready to crash into a real bed once you arrive in the kingdom. The bedrolls provided to you were uncomfortable to sleep on and the makeshift tents made you realize that you don't really like sleeping outside.

Especially when Yeji screamed when she felt a spider crawling on her face in the middle of the night.

The carriage slowed down and it was time for another break. Lia opened the door first and stepped outside. You followed suit while Yeji did so. You stretched out your limbs, taking note of how the carriage drivers made sure the horses were getting water and their snack of the day. You follow Lia and Yeji to see if the Fourth Prince (who was already standing outside) to see if he needed anything.

"No," He says and cranes his head neck up to look at the sky. "I'm tired of being cooped up in there." He makes it a point to glare at the carriage in question.

"I understand, do let us know if there's anything we can do." Lia says.

For a few minutes, your trio stand underneath the shade of the tree talking. The weather was nice, a gentle breeze brought a pleasant temperature. You could also barely detect a whiff of it being salty. Hm, you're almost there then if you can smell it! Everything was going peacefully until there was a shout.

Multiple people appeared from the shadows as some of the guards of the entourage unsheathed their swords.

Oh no, bandits!