LUCIA SCREAMS for her sister as she runs down the hall after her, Seokjin nowhere to be seen.

"Kal! Slow your grandma butt down!"

Kalliste stops per Lucia's yelling, turning to watch Lucia run down the corridor with a smile. Lucia huffs, slowing down with a stumble as she finally reaches Kalliste's side. Grandma couldn't even pretend to try and meet her halfway.

"Who here is the grandma?" Kal raises an eyebrow at Lucia huffing in indignation.

"You."

"I'm not the one out of breath from a little jog."

"I sprinted down the corridor to catch up to you. In heels. You should be grateful."

Kal only hums, neither disagreeing or agreeing, so Lucia takes it as her first win with a grin.

"So what's so important that you are willing to sprint after this grandma?"

"I'm gonna confess to Seokjin," Lucia hops with a hushed squeal.

Kal visibly flinches back a step, almost tripping over the edge of her scarlet colored gown. Lucia almost flinches at Kal's lip curling in distaste herself before she composes herself quickly, wiping the surprise and distaste into something more neutral as she straightens up with a quiet sigh.

"As long as you trust him and he makes you happy," Kal lightly smiles before turning to walk forward again.

Lucia giggles, a hop in her step as she catches up to Kalliste again without thinking twice about Kalliste's reaction. She knows her sister is probably taken aback by the decision after her previous take on the matter. And while Lucia has strong suspicion‒‒more of a fact but she'll cut the grandma some slack‒‒of her disapproval to some extent, she assumes that it can be partially attributed to her being a protective older sister.

"Thanks Kal! I was a little nervous to be honest, after all, you're the first person I told other than Ellie. You know there's no hiding anything from her," Lucia grins brightly at Kal's shocked expression before she smiles back.

"Speaking of, where's that troublemaker?"

"Probably in the kitchen making donuts or dragging Beomgyu around. Or bullying Wannie." Lucia gasps at the thought. "She can't bully Wannie without me! I haven't bullied Wannie in forever!"

"I saw you picking on her for tripping into a door frame this morning," Kal raises an eyebrow with a chuckle.

"Yeah, that was forever ago."

Kal rolls her eyes, "then you better use your grandma legs to run and find her before she bullies Wannie without you."

Lucia gasps, "she wouldn't."

"But she would."

"She would," Lucia gasps again in mock horror. "Kal I gotta go. Love you and I'll tell you how confessing goes later!"

And with that Lucia is sprinting through the castle yet again, desperate to get a few jabs in with Ellie. Loving jabs, obviously.

THERE'S A HIGH CHANCE Lucia will lose her mind. Exercise has never not been absolutely mind numbing, the boring repetition has never kept her attention. Alas, here she is, trading blows with Seokjin once more with said painful repetition.

In hindsight, maybe she shouldn't have let her attention drift to the bird flying overhead mid practice, but it is too late to think twice when Seokjin's practice sword smacks Lucia's forearm.

Lucia lets out a half-hearted cry at the pain, Seokjin simultaneously letting out a string of curses as he drops his sword. Lucia doesn't even have the heart to act upset when she watches Seokjin's fretting, giggling even as her arm throbs in pain.

"I'm so sorry," he quietly pouts, blushing in shame as he cradles her arm in his hands, inspecting the angry red spotting on her skin.

"It's fine Seokjin, it's just going to bruise at worst. It's not that bad," Lucia giggles, reassuring him until he gives in with a smile despite the stinging that extends to her fingertips.

"You should get someone to look at it at least," Seokjin insists so Lucia happily gives in. The only thing they didn't account for was running into a certain dangerous duo, Kal and Elena. A very dangerous duo.

"Lulu!" Ellie yells, trying to run forward to tackle Lucia only to be yanked back by Kalliste who has her arm locked with Elena's.

"Ellie, Kal! Hello!" Lucia cheers as Seokjin guilty slinks behind her, knowing the inevitable fury to be unleashed upon him.

"We were just coming over to ask if you wanted to join us for a stroll around the city, I found a new stall in the marketplace selling pastries the other day," Kal is graceful even as she playfully yanks the rushing Ellie backwards once more, almost initiating a playful scuffle between the two.

"I'd love to but I ought to stop by the infirmary real quick before we go if that would be alright." This catches the two's attention before they actually start to banter, and their sharp gazes fall heavily on Lucia before shifting behind her.

"And why is it that our dear sister needs to visit the infirmary?"

Lucia puckers her lips, knowing they want to hear the reason from Seokjin and not from her. Funnily enough, Seokjin could protect her from many things but he'll never be able to protect even himself against any of her sisters' wrath.

"If I may, Your Highnesses," Seokjin starts nervously, stepping out to the side so he can be properly seen, "I have been teaching Lucia sword fighting and she was accidentally injured during practice."

"And why is it that she is injured within our palace walls?" Kal grows visibly irritated as Seokjin cowers under the two girls' glares.

"It was my fault Kal," Lucia whines, "I just wanted to learn so I wouldn't worry you and Tova so much. It appears to have had the opposite effect though."

Kal and Ellie pause at Lucia's reasoning, not wanting to make her feel bad for trying to make her sisters happier.

"Well, I suppose there's nothing to be done about it then. To the infirmary we go! I wanna taste these pastries that even Kal would gush over," Elena interrupts the momentary silence decidedly, grabbing Lucia's hand to hurry her along.

"You think too highly of my opinions," Kalliste laughs in exasperation, glaring one last time at Seokjin before following behind Ellie and Lucia.

TAHANI AND ROWAN are helpless in the face of Lucia's pouting, even if it is exaggerated and they know it.

"Kanna," Tahani sighs with a smile, patting the top of Lucia's head as the carriage awaits for them to board, "you'll get bored because we're working. Seokjin isn't even here right now."

"But Tani, Wannie, I wanna go too!"

"Oh no," Rowan sighs, pursing her lips, "she pulled out the nicknames."

"Kanna, you know we would be more than happy to bring you along if Seokjin was with us to keep an extra eye on you."

"But he has to talk with Tova and that annoying Crown Prince Hoseok," Lucia sighs, dejected, as she adds, "alone apparently. And for a while."

"And so you are here," Rowan laughs and adjusts her necklace, making Lucia squint at her.

"Don't use the necklace to call Tova over," she warns. "You know she doesn't like it when you do that."

"But we have work to do," Rowan begins before Lucia tackles her, making her yelp in surprise.

"I promise I won't bully you for a week if you let me."

Rowan freezes from trying to pry Lucia's arms off from around her at the promise, glancing at Tahani.

"What are the chances we can take Lucia along?"

"Rowan," Tahani sighs fondly before smacking her in the arm, "they are unfortunately zero. You already contacted Tova anyway."

"You didn't," Lucia gasps in horror, letting go of Rowan.

"Oops?"

"Well, Tani, it was nice seeing you, have a good trip," Lucia smiles brightly at Tahani before glaring at Rowan. "And you, Judas, I will see soon."

"Oh no."

Lucia grins mischievously before running in the opposite direction of the palace of Corvus, presumably that being where Tova, Hoseok, and Seokjin were before Rowan signaled Tova through her necklace.

With Seokjin after her, she would never get that far anyway but it's worth a try if it means getting out of a lecture.

RAPIDLY reaching the conclusion

ooooo~ spooky scary~ it's almost finished~

One more chapter!!