Headmaster Kim accepted his nephew's frequent stays at the palace with no question but was a bit disconcerted to have to wait for the boy's return to broach the messages he had received.

In truth, he had minimal contact with his nephew so there was no reason for him to know about Junseo's shifting training regime. The formal letter of permission for his nephew to audit classes at the Royal Medical Academy came as a surprise. Even though the boy did not seem at all enthusiastic, the potential boost to the school's reputation was welcome. He was also certain his brother-in-law would be thrilled to know there would be another healer in the family.

The bigger surprise was an invitation for Junseo to spend the weekend at the Go family estates. He vaguely remembered the boy mentioning meeting the Go brothers but it was not an uncommon name and it was not until he saw the letterhead he realized the connection. That his nephew would be staying with the Minister of Education's family had him alternating between pride and panic. This was certainly an opportunity to set his school in a good light, but only if the boy behaved. First impressions were everything so he called his tailor for emergency work and had Junseo rehearse proper forms of address.

Junseo had hoped to escape from the rising tensions by going to the forge but found Manager Doak in an equal state of anxiety. It turned out Knight-Master Lie would be accompanying Junseo to dinner the night before the family headed out of town. Every detail, including the selection of their hostess gift was double checked. The fussing got too much so with a bit of spite Junseo asked, "Will we need to write a report to the protocol office?"

"Thankfully that will be the Minister's responsibility," Knight-Master Lie said.

"I guess court kind of sucks." Junseo said without thinking and then blushed as his elders roared with laughter.

He had time that afternoon to stop in at the Medical Academy. Professor Yip's secretary took pity on him and helped him find the main lecture theatre. The class had already started so he just found an empty seat in the back and listened. The other students were busy taking notes so he took out some paper and a stylus but only jotted down the reference book the instructor mentioned. After the class ended, he went down to introduced himself to the instructor.

"I thought you may have wandered into the wrong place and didn't want to disrupt things by leaving," The silver-haired man peered over the top of his glasses.

"I hope it is not too much of an imposition to have me auditing your course. I will try my best to catch up with the readings." Junseo showed what he had noted down.

"Hmmm. Those are good but you will probably need to go through the first volume by Taki as well." The instructor gave him a nod and walked briskly up the stairs to the exit.

Junseo ended up offering his thanks to the man's departing back. He found his own way to the next class and repeated the process. The only person who gave him even the slightest bit of welcome had been Professor Yip's secretary. The instructors seemed distracted and the students he saw in the hallways only gave him brief sideways glances before carrying on within their own groups. Overall, it seemed like the people at the Medical Academy were no happier about having him audit classes than he was to be there.

He only had time to look for one of the texts he needed before heading to back to his uncle's house. There he was relieved to find the tailor had provided him with two more acceptable outfits for the weekend ahead. His Uncle inspected him closely before letting him join Knight-Master Lie in the waiting carriage.

Junseo tried not to fidget with his high collar. He patted his tight headband to be sure it was in the right place while he rehearsed the proper forms of greeting in his head. When they pulled up just inside the gate of the large compound his mentor patted Junseo's hand and said, "Relax this is a dinner with friends, not an execution."

Junseo smiled slightly then stepped out and stayed beside the carriage door. Manager Doak had demonstrated a way to help without being obvious about it. The brief squeeze on his shoulder confirmed it had been the right move. Junseo then collected the floral arrangement they would present to Madam Go.

The grace and elegance of the Go home spoke of generations of wealth. Notable attention was put into making their guests comfortable. This included using a western-style dining room with chairs at a height Knight-Master Lie could easily manage. While the room might easily accommodate thirty guests, it had been arranged to make conversation easy.

Madam Go's genuine interest drew Junseo out of his initial shyness. Her sons were intrigued by the concept of competitive kite racing and the dangers of battle strings. Junseo recounted the times when cooperative alliances had made all the different in the outcome of the races. "It is a lot like other sports. Even when it might look like one individual's success or failure there is usually a team of trainers and colleagues contributing to the outcome. Over the years I was very lucky with my coaches and racing partners." Junseo's said sincerely.

"Not many young competitors have the same level of appreciation," Minister Go commented as he looked at his younger son.

"Just because he is polite about it doesn't mean we don't knock heads on occasion." Knight-Master Lie put in.

"How else would you know I was learning anything?" Junseo slipped into their usual style of banter. The Go brothers both laughed.

"I had started to wonder if you really were a teenager," Madam Go smiled.

"Mom, please don't embarrass him," Me Yan pleaded.

"Not to worry. I can do that for myself," Junseo wiggled his mouth back and forth. This made the brothers laugh some more. San Jin then took the lead on asking Knight-Master Lie about his family and the upcoming wedding. The involvement with the Choi family was a bit of a sensitive topic and he hoped they could clear the air.

"This wouldn't have been my first pick for an alliance but Linyan respects her father and his choice for her," Knight-Master Lie slowly shook his head.

His answer helped move the conversation onto more familiar terms. After dinner Minister Go invited Knight-Master Lie to come to the study for a visit. San Jin looked like he wanted to join the older men but thought better of it. Instead, he joined Me Yan in giving Junseo a bit of a tour.

"How is your knee doing?" Junseo asked.

"Better but not really there yet," Me Yan rubbed his leg.

"You probably will hear this from everyone but don't rush it." Junseo patted the boy's shoulder and continued, "I am not saying complete rest but you have to listen to your body. No good will come from pushing through the hurt."

Me Yan nodded glumly, "I hope you did not get into too much trouble with Healer Yip."

"You mean Professor Yip of the Royal Medical Academy? He probably doesn't think having to attend classes counts as trouble but it is not at all convenient." Junseo let some of his annoyance slip out.

"When has any healer worried about what might be convenient?" San Jin asked.

"Too true," his brother answered.