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Wooyoung and Yeosang got caught when returning to the palace. They were already scrambling across the hallways during the sunrise, trying to rush the silver prince back to his room before anyone could catch them. Unfortunately, they had made too much noise marching through the corridors and alerted the sentinels, coming face to face with a frustrated yet exhausted king and overbearingly worried queen.

The Norta queen had immediately scooped out the prince in her arms, pressing him close to her heart and smoothing out his unruly hair as if she was trying to calm down any fear that had grown in his heart. Wooyoung simply rocked back and forth on her heels with his hands behind his back, his eyes catching the angry sight of the Norta king staring straight at him. He was practically burning holes into the silver boy's forehead and something within Wooyoung knew that he might have made the wrong move this time.

There was only so much Wooyoung could avoid and usually, that was everything. However, when it comes to the Norta king, there wasn't much that he could do. He was a high house son and a prodigy, but the Norta king's word was usually always final. The only person he could rely on now was the actual head of the high house, his father.

Worried that the two teen silvers would try and escape their questioning on where they went, they split the two up into separate rooms unknown to where exactly either in the palace were. Wooyoung was sent to the most boring place on Earth (in his opinion), the library. It was built by a Norta king that the silver boy never cared about, the library becoming an archive of nearly every single written piece in the country known to man. Whether it was important documents, old folklore, and stories, whatever the mind could imagine. To bookworms, this place was probably heaven on Earth but Wooyoung couldn't see the appeal.

That's probably why they had him sent there to be guarded, nothing but shelves and shelves of written work stacked up against each other and not a single window for him to try and jump out of. Silencers stood outside of the doors to the archive, using their powers to cut off Wooyoung access to his abilities so he couldn't make some grand escape. He was stuck waiting for a whisper to finally come in and dig deep into his mind, pull out all of the information he had learned while out of the palace, and why he would even dare to take the silver prince with him. 

He can't even lie to a whisper. He was strong physically but there was simply no way that he was going to mentally overpower a whisper running through his mind. They were trained to be able to overpower even the mentally strongest of the silvers known to man. Wooyoung thought magnetrons were powerful on their own, but whispers were on a totally different level.

The silver boy dragged his fingers across the spine of the books, his eyes lazing over every word printed across them. Nothing interesting, he should have known. Nothing in the library ever interested him when he was a child. Unless his fingers stopped a rather small and skinny book, but barely peered out of its crushed space between two bigger and thicker books on either of its sides.

"The Inner Workings of a Newblood," He read aloud, his eyes widening as the words processed in his brain. A book about newbloods? When the Purification Act was put into action nearly all the work and research known about newbloods had been completely destroyed in an attempt to truly exterminate their existence from Norta. The mere fact that there was a book still in the palace and in good condition was a miracle.

Wooyoung's mind immediately went back to the Moon River Valley and what the old women had told both of the boys about what was happening at the source of the dead river. If the mysterious events surrounding the river's source wasn't from already known silvers, there was a high possibility that it was being caused by a newblood instead, some of the last newbloods standing within the borders of Norta. "Holy shit," He mumbled to himself as he snatched the book off of the shelf, turning to himself a seat to take.

The silver boy wasn't much of a reader, he didn't like books all that much either. But if it had anything to do with newbloods, the whole reason he had ran to Moon River Valley in the first place? He'd take the chance to find out anything about them. "What did she say again?" Wooyoung mumbled, aimlessly flipping through the pages. "Visions of people who weren't there and suddenly being transported back to where you've come from... anything along those lines."

He only heard stories about the wild and chaotic abilities of the newbloods. Silvers were considered gods amongst men for these unique abilities but newbloods... they were a different breed of people. They were brash and angry and their abilities were practically uncontrollable. They didn't aim to practice and perfect the abilities they inherited which lead them to be a major cause for the destruction of towns, cities, anything you'd like to name.

They were like rabid animals on the hunt when they were provoked, and Wooyoung could only imagine how they attacked in battle. He had so many questions and all he needed to do was read a book.

He stopped flipping through the book and landed on a random page, filled to the brim with neatly written notes and descriptions of the newblood the writer had researched. "Skin Changers, the Shifters..." Wooyoung mumbled allowed, soaking in the heading like it was water to a sponge. Before he could read the passages before him the door to the library opened and the silver boy immediately slammed the book shut.

"Wooyoung?" A masculine voice asked, echoing against each of the walls in the room. The boy let out a deep sigh of relief as he slid the book behind himself, standing up off of the ground to greet the adult that had just walked into the room.

The man was the spitting image of Wooyoung, just in an older sense. His hair was becoming thick with grey strands from stress and there were a few wrinkles in his skin from age, but he still seemed young. He had the same youthful face of the silver boy and even nearly identical energy giving smile that Wooyoung usually adorned. The only thing that they didn't share was the mole that sat right under Wooyoung's eye, that was unique to him.

After a moment of silence between the two, the man let out an exasperated sigh, quickly trying to air out any of the negative energy he has carried in with him. He turned towards him and Wooyoung could hear the clanging of metal against one another, noticing how the House Jung lord was adorned in several silver coated rings and brackets that hung off his wrist and fingers. That's another way the two differed from one another, Wooyoung kept his supply of metal to manipulate hanging down from his ears, he kept his on his hands.

"Have the whispers come yet?" The man asked him, putting his hands on Wooyoung's shoulders and quickly scanning over the boy's face. He was probably checking for any wounds, any minor bruises that the skin healers of the palace may not have taken care of.

He knew how Wooyoung was, shooing away healers when they'd rush to restore his almost flawless skin. The silver boy would wear those injuries like they were trophies until someone finally sat him down and fixed them. "I can't do anything if the whispers have already come and interrogated you."

The boy shook his head like a child. "No, it's just been me in this room all by myself for a little while now. They must be questioning Yeosang now then?"

"The queen herself will be questioning him," He corrected, taking a step back after giving Wooyoung a once over. The silver prince nodded in understanding, though he inwardly winced on behalf of Yeosang. The Norta queen was a whisper herself, hailing from the famed and highly recognized House Park. She wasn't very strong in her ability, not exactly trained in the art of getting a grasp on her host's mind and commanding them to do every single thing she said but the queen was wildly good at reading deep into the minds of other people.

She was probably one of the best silvers to go to when interrogating people. Every sentinel working for the palace praised her expert skills and her entire high house held her up on a pedestal for this very talent. If Yeosang was being questioned by his mother... there is no way the two could come up with a cohesive lie when the silver prince didn't stand a chance defending against the queen's abilities.

"Ah, her Majesty," Lord Jung mused, reminiscing on days Wooyoung had never lived through. "I don't blame the young prince for cracking under the pressure of Kang Seoyeon if he does. Her ability to dig deep into your mind and pull out even things you thought to have forgotten makes her a very formidable woman."

Wooyoung didn't know whether or not he could salvage and hide his little trip to Moon River Valley and hide his constant thoughts of newbloods any longer. What if the queen peers into Yeosang's mind and catches Wooyoung pleas to run and discover any remaining newbloods? What if she peers into the prince's mind and finds the old woman from Twilight and discovers the information she had laid upon them about the source of the river? He didn't want to think of the consequences, but there surely wasn't going to be a late punishment for any of the things he had done that night.

Lord Jung gave the boy a soft smile, his eyes turning into identical crescents at his son's pondering. "Are you stressed?" He asked, noticing how Wooyoung was fidgeting extensively with his hands and rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Am I supposed to be calm?" Wooyoung answered him, having nowhere to put his hands and nothing to do with them while the silent sentinels had his ability wiped clean. He couldn't even play with his metal earrings, the power to manipulate them like clay cut off from being in the presence of a silent. "The king looked mad when he saw me returning with Yeosang after sunrise and if the queen can prove that I took him out of the city, not just the palace itself, it's game over for me."

"Well, where did you take him then?" The man's cool tone took him off guard, almost enticing Wooyoung to answer immediately. He didn't know whether it was because of the man's fatherly aura he radiates when speaking to him specifically or because of the very evident political power that urged him to spill every single secret that the silver boy kept to himself.

"You think you're so sly," Wooyoung commented, turning his body away from Lord Jung protectively.

"You're not the way you are for nothing," the man snickered, playing into the silver boy's spirited jab. "You're my son after all, who else do you think gave you that face and personality?"

"My mother," He teased, a wide smile playing across his lips as he spoke.

Lord Jung gasped in fake surprise, struggling to conceal his clear adoration of his son as he spoke. "That woman? The only thing she gave you was a mole under your eye and a nasty attitude."

"Keep my mother out of your mouth," He sniped back, the two chuckling and giggling as if Wooyoung wasn't in trouble with the royal house himself. The silver boy adored his family more than he could ever adore the attention that his status as prodigy gave him, the ability to keep him on a path of ecstasy and blissfulness was something only his parents could do.

Whenever he was with them, he felt as though he could simply be a child again. That he could be the child that liked to watch the rolling waters of the Moon Valley River while it glistened in the moonbeams in the night sky.

The doors to the library slammed open, catching both of the House Jung members off guard as swiveling their heads towards the intrusion. The familiar red and orange uniform of the sentinels marked in without announcing themselves, holding the door open as they shouted towards the two. "Lord Jung! My apologies for the intrusion, but it seems as though we have given you the wrong information. Her Majesty and her fellow whisper colleagues are coming to interrogate Lord Wooyoung first, not his highness."

A scoff left the man's face upon hearing the sentinel's words, visibly having to calm himself down at the thought of being deceived by the Norta queen. "Of course she's leaving her son for last," He mumbled to himself before turning his ever softening gaze on Wooyoung. "You understand what you have to do now, right?"

"But—"

"Wooyoung," He sternly interrupted. "I cannot cover up for your mistakes if you do not tell me where you went and what you did. I can only stall the Norta royals eagerness to find just why you had taken their son on an adventure till sunrise for so long. There is only so much I can lie about with no information."

With a reluctant sigh, the boy leaned up against the wall and spoke. "Moon River Valley," He answered with a huff, though cautiously picking and choosing his words. He was going to tell to truth of what he did... just leave little parts Lord Jung didn't need to know out. "I had overheard your conversation with someone from House Lee yesterday and they said something strange was happening there, and it intrigued me. I knew that once you brought it up House Kang we'd never hear from that situation again so I decided to take things into my own hands."

"So you went to Moon River Valley to figure out what was going on without telling anyone," He asked for confirmation and Wooyoung nodded his head. "And why did you take the prince with you, knowing the consequences if he didn't return in time?"

"Because he's my friend," Wooyoung explained. "And in two months, he's no longer just a friend who happens to be royal. In two months he will be Prince Yeosang, crowned prince of Norta and engaged to some random girl after the Queenstrial. He's just a kid, he's only a few months older than me, and in two months my friend won't be able to live like a teenager anymore, that's if to say he was living like one at all."

The conversation was reminiscent of when Wooyoung and Ryunjin had spoken the night before, earning the same look of pity that Ryunjin had given him from his father. The silver boy was so desperately attached to this sense of freedom, this sense of childhood that he refused to let it go. Seeing his friend being forced to grow up faster than he can age? It made his stomach churn with anxiety and stress.

"I know this is hard for you, to watch a close friend of yours suddenly mature themselves at a more rapid pace than you expected," Lord Jung sympathized, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

There was a sense of understanding in his words as if the man had lived the same experiences as Wooyoung. "But life goes on and you cannot be a child forever. Both you and Yeosang have great things ahead of you as children of high houses, this goes for San and Ryunjin as well. You have to adapt, even if that means losing something you kept so dear to you like a childhood. Maybe sometime in the future, you can regain such a wonderful moment you cherish."

"Did..." Wooyoung faltered, embarrassed that he was even asking this question. "Did you have to give up your childhood to mature?"

"Yes," He answered, ruffling the boy's hair to cut the odd tension between the two. "But I didn't have to lose it forever. When I met your mother and you came into my life, it returned. It returned in the form of a young boy who grew to become a brilliant young man who became House Jung's prodigy."

"That's so..." Wooyoung stopped for a moment before ducking away from the man's hand. "That was so gross and cheesy... couldn't you have just told me you found it in the form of a battle or some political gain or something? I'd even take it in reconnecting with old friends, that was just nasty."

"You asked." Lord Jung reminded him. "And I answered."

"Ladies one the left, lords on the right." A woman instructed, clapping her hands together to catch everyone's attention. The group of teens groaned in response to the woman's demands, unwillingly forming two separate lines in the middle of the floor. Today was a different type of training, training that did not include the rough and tough battles that the silver children were always so eager to partake in. Instead, they were dancing.

The group of silver children was all standing inside a large ballroom, it's walls coated in ivory white and gold accents that glittered when the sunlight from the windows hit them just right. The giant golden chandelier softly swung every so often when a breeze from the outdoors would swoop in and Wooyoung would watch it away from its reflection on the marble floor. From a small contraption on the ground played a faint and elegant song, echoing through the large room and pounding into the ears of the silver children.

It's been a month since Wooyoung had run to the Moon River Valley with Yeosang and he hadn't gone back since. He promised his father that he would not do such a reckless act again until after the Queenstrial so he had been stuck in the palace and Del Mundo since then. He did take this time to hang out with his friends more often than usual, trying to keep a tight grip on that little silvery of childish freedom they all had left.

It went pretty smoothly with San and Ryunjin, they were almost always free to run around the palace and Del Mundo to cause their usual disruption to their surroundings. The only time Ryunjin wasn't able to go on their wild shenanigans was when her brother had returned from the Lakelands one day in the middle of the last month. She was ecstatic to see her brother return to the House Han and spent nearly the entire day with them. But after that, she had returned to her normal life and continued to allow herself to be pulled along by San and Wooyoung.

Yeosang was becoming less frequent of a face though. He only ever came to training maybe once every so often. He would only come to watch a match between Wooyoung and whatever silver elite dared to challenge the prodigy and then would disappear back to his chamber of royal duties. The silver boy can't even remember the last time he saw the bright red flames of House Kang lick the edges of the arena during Lord Moon's training anymore. It's a shame, seeing as there weren't any other burners in the palace to show off their abilities during training. It was only Yeosang and his father and memories of the two ever even using their abilities were fading.

"Now, I'm sure you all are aware," the woman in front of them spoke, catching Wooyoung attention away from the chandelier's reflection. She was pacing up and down the line of silver children, light on her feet as if she were a young silk girl. Though the woman was from House Jeong so that statement couldn't be any further from the truth. "The Queenstrial will finally commence in only just a few weeks from now. And what comes after the Queenstrial?"

An animosi boy's hand immediately shot up as he blurted, "Parties!"

"Precisely Lord Hwang!" She confirmed, smiling to herself at the thought of the large parties that were held after Queenstrials had taken place. It was a celebration to honor the new soon-to-be queen of Norta and her engaged and nearly every girl on the other side swooned at the thought. Not the thought of the parties, but the thought of being able to sit on the throne with the Norta royals and call yourself one of them. "I can still remember his and her majesty's Queenstrial and celebration like it was yesterday. So beautiful, so traditional, so—!"

Lord Moon cleared his throat loudly, the second echoing against the walls of the ballroom and catching Lady Jeong completely off guard. With a frustrated huff, she calmed herself turning towards the children with a solemn smile on her face. "Yes... as I was saying... we must prepare every one of you for this occasion and the women of House Jeong have graciously offered to teach you the ways of the ballroom dances."

"My apologies for interrupting, Lady Jeong," a silk girl suddenly cut in, raising her hand as she spoke so that her presence could be acknowledged. "But if I'm not mistaken, we were taught dancing as per our etiquette classes as children. Why are we doing this... now?"

With an annoyed twitch of her brow, the woman turned toward the silk girl, struggling to keep her composure. "Lady Kim," She hissed, but still tried to sound as polite as she possibly could. "Why, you were mere children when you learned these dances! We haven't had a Queenstrial since his and her Majesty got married! We wanted to give you all a reminder and we wanted to sharpen your dancing skills before the Queenstrial arrived."

"Oh the women in House Jeong are definitely doing this for themselves," San whispered to Wooyoung, earning him a playful scoff from the boy.

"Of course they are," The silver boy whispered back, keeping one eye on Lady Jeong as she struggled to keep her hands to herself. Thankfully San was in the room, though the only silent, to stop the woman from staring anything if she was finally angry enough. The House Jeong members were oblivions, and no one wanted to mess with an oblivion. "They're trying to live vicariously through us since they don't have the chance to dance with men they find attractive anymore. Stuck with their gross and snotty husbands who wouldn't dare do something so childish as to dance with their wives."

San withheld a laugh, covering his mouth and lowly snickering to himself to satisfy the urge. Though the two went completely silent when Lady Jeong's eyes scanned over them, pacing back up towards the front of the room. With a deep breath, she turned around towards the silver children with a smile on her face. "Since everyone is so adamant on saying they have already known and perfected the dances you've learned from your childhood, why don't we take a test? A quick pre-assessment to find out who needs help and who doesn't."

There was a soft groan that echoed through the room, both lines that had formed not looking forward to being wildly critiqued by a woman trying to live through them. She was going to nitpick at everyone's dancing in order to force them all to learn step by step. "Let's see... is the prince here with us today? His Highness, Prince Yeosang?"

When the said boy didn't respond, the silver children president in the room looked at each other with skeptical eyes. It seemed as though the silver prince wouldn't be joining them on this occasion of "training" either. "Prince Yeosang is currently in a meeting. He was called to be present with the king and queen during their meeting with the House Jung, Lee, and Han over important legal matters."

The voice that spoke up was the son of House Lee, Daehwi, the boy who Wooyoung quite literally demolished in the arena and sent him running back to his parents as an embarrassment. The two locked eyes with each other for a moment, a hint of smug amusement glinting in the House Lee son's eyes for knowing more important about his friend than he did. Though the silver boy shrugged off his antagonizing gaze, Wooyoung didn't need to know everything about what Yeosang did anyway.

"Quite a shame," Lady Jeong sighed, her eyes scanning over the line of silver children before her gaze finally landed on Wooyoung. "Ah yes, the pride of House Jung, the prodigy. Lord Jung, do tell, are you only a prodigy in battle or does this extend to dancing to?"

The boy shrugged, an easy going smile growing on his lips as he spoke. "I don't know, but I guess that's why we're here to find out."

Tension grew thick in the air at Wooyoung's words and he didn't need to be a whisper to figure out what Every silver child in the room was thinking. Will I be a better dancer than the House Jung prodigy? Will I finally have leverage for the House Jung prodigy?

"Be careful," San whispered to Wooyoung. There was a feeling in the silver boy's chest that began to dissipate as if his iron grip on the metals within the room was beginning to loosen and disappear. He glanced up towards the gold chandelier, his mind focusing on the gentling swaying of the hovering object as he tried to still its movements.

Yet despite his efforts to bend what would usually be an easy metal to control, he didn't stop. San was silencing his ability, no, everyone in the room's control over their abilities. "I have a feeling someone might sabotage you to make you look bad."

Wooyoung scoffed at the thought, a cocky grin crossing his face as he silently dared every silver in the room to try and test him.

"Let's see then...," Lady Jeong mumbled, glancing among all of the girls who stood in the line separate from the silver boys. "Lord Wooyoung and Lady Han, the two of you will demonstrate what you know and periodically, I will add more pairs to the dance floor."

His smile couldn't get any wider as he turned towards Ryunjin, who until now had a bored expression on her face. Ballroom dancing wasn't her forte, she would much rather disappear into the light to go running around Del Mundo causing trouble like usual then dancing. But she sucked up her uninterest, turning towards Wooyoung with a cheeky smile on her face. This was definitely a disaster duo that had been formed.

"Lady Han," He teased, bowing at an exact 90-degree angle before holding his hand out to her.

"Lord Jung," She responded, matching his same energy as she did an overdramatic curtsy. Ryunjin took his hand and the two immediately shared a mischievous smile, one that would bring absolute chaos to the unsuspecting. Oh, what a disaster duo they were.

The two walked out into the middle of the floor, the two lines of silver children taking a step back to give them the space they needed. "Have you ever even danced before?" Wooyoung curiously asked, beginning to walk in circles.

Ryunjin followed his steps, keeping a steady space so that they were directly parallel from each other. She hummed to herself for a moment, a smile on her face as she began to reminiscence. "Once," She told him, catching Wooyoung completely off guard with her answer. Catching his surprised stare she couldn't help but laugh at him. "Once with my brother, that is. Other than that, I don't think I've danced outside of when we were like... seven in etiquette classes."

The two stopped in front of each other and Ryunjin held her hands out, waiting for Wooyoung to take them. "With your brother?" He asked, taking note of how the House Han daughter's eyes would sparkle at the mention of her brother. She must truly be excited to have her brother back at home and away from the dangers that stalked the kingdom of the Lakelands. "What special occasion did he have for you to dance with him? I remember the last time you two tried to do something nice with each other... you nearly broke his nose."

"Shut up, that's in the past." She hissed as Wooyoung giggled, his contagious laughter echoing against the walls with the whimsical music in the background. He took her hand in his before started to move again, prancing around the ballroom floor with ease as if they were silk children running through the halls. Their steps were light and graceful, just enough for Lady Jeong not to snap at them for looking like lost ducklings unlike some of the other pairs who began to dance after them.

"But... It was for my parents' anniversary about two years ago. They held a very small scale party, just the four of us in the house with nice music and warm hearts."

"That sounds lovely," He commented, nonchalantly lifting one hand and spinning her without asking. She fumbled for a moment, completely taken off guard while Wooyoung snickered at her sudden slip up. "You should have invited me, I would have liked to see you trip all over your own two feet and step on your brother's shoes."

"It was an immediate family event only because after that my brother was called to go spying in the Lakelands," Ryunjin hissed at him, nearly falling backward if it wasn't for Wooyoung's vice grip grasp on her hands. "Plus, I think I dance rather well for only doing it seriously twice in my life, don't you think?"

"You nearly fell to the floor just now, Ryunjin." He pointed out, earning him an annoyed huff as the girl rolled her eyes at him. "I'm teasing, I'm teasing, don't take it so seriously. Plus, if you were doing bad don't you think Lady Jeong would have said something by now?"

The two sidestepped into her vision, being watched carefully by the eager House Jeong woman. It's like she had eagle eyes, snapping a pair not too far from them for having bad posture. She caught another not long after for being too far away from each other and then another for not even knowing the rather simple steps to the dance.

"I guess you're right," she said after a moment, following Wooyoung's steps as he lured them away from Lady Jeong's keen eyes. It's a shame that Yeosang wasn't here to take the dance with Ryunjin.

It would have been funny to watch the prince quite literally burn up at the thought of being in such proximity with his silly little crush. It gets even better when Ryunjin wouldn't even notice, oblivious to the silver prince's fumbling and teasing him for being such a klutz. Yeosang wasn't that clumsy, he was rather steady and poised most of the time when he was with literally anyone else. He just simply melts whenever it comes to her.

But since the silver prince was too busy with being mature and royal, Wooyoung had taken his place. He wasn't going to lie, he found enjoyment being the one Ryunjin danced with. He got a chance to tease her and to learn a little more about her even when he thought he knew it all. It was nice.

"Oh, I guess I should tell you this now while I have the chance." Ryunjin piped up. Wooyoung glanced at her with an interested gleam in his eyes, urging her to continue. "It's about the Queenstrial."

"Have you already placed your bets on who will get Yeosang's hand in marriage?" Wooyoung blurted, though it was rather quiet so that no one could overhear their conversation. He grinned as he spun her around, nonchalantly giving her a full view of the girl he had placed his bets on. She was twirling away with calculated steps as a telky boy struggled to keep her within his grasp. Her swift movements and perfect balance made her the better dance partner of the two so Wooyoung could understand why the girl was trying so hard to conceal a giggle.

"Kim Sejeong?" Ryunjin asked him, steadying herself once she had fully faced him again. "You think a silk is going to win the Queenstrial?"

"Why not?" Wooyoung shrugged. "San chose one of the House Jeong girls who conveniently isn't here today," he pointed out, glancing around the room for the said oblivion. It wasn't weird to say House Jeong held favorites to their members, allowing them to get away with nearly half as much as Wooyoung did.

Though the difference between the two of them was that the only reason he got away with the certain troublesome deeds he caused was that he was a prodigy, not because his house was obsessively projecting him.

"I'd choose the oblivion girl too honestly," Ryunjin agreed, catching Wooyoung off guard for a second. "It's a much more... flashy abilities. Very easy to get captivated and see the raw and destructive power it can cause. It's a good display of strength and potential."

That's not... like her. Usually, she was on the side of those with unseen abilities as Ryunjin had an ability that wasn't as wild and cataclysmic as other silvers. "Do you think Sejeong doesn't have a chance at winning the Queenstrial?"

"I'm saying it'll be harder for her to win, not that she doesn't stand a chance." The House Han daughter corrected him. "It'll be harder to display her strengths when being compared to someone like.... a nymph who can make beautiful displays with waterworks or a greenswarden who can make an entire forest grow just from tapping the ground with their foot once. May the heavens have mercy on her soul if someone from House Jung or House Park could compete as well."

"Alright, what's up with you?" Wooyoung quickly interjected because she could get out another word. "It's not like you to put up the more destructive silvers on a pedestal and you're being so... so cynical about it. It's super off putting— what's wrong Ryunjin, seriously?"

She hesitated to answer him, struggling to find the right words to explain herself. "When... when my brother returned home last month my parents started talking about some stuff. You know, what they were going to do with me once I'm officially of age? My brother is most likely going to be taking over as the head and representative of House Han when my father is gone and as the only daughter they want to make sure they're doing something... right with me, I guess."

Wooyoung nodded his head as he listened, continuing to dance with her but at a slower pace so he could hear every word that was coming out of Ryunjin's mouth. Ultimately, that was one of the worst decisions he had ever made. "They don't want me to just because another spy that's going to be sent away to the Lakelands for who knows how long, so this month they finally decided what they were doing to do with me."

And then, the unthinkable happened. "They decided they were going to put me up for Queenstrial. I'm going to be competing for Yeosang's hand, I'm competing for queen." Wooyoung stumbled over his own two feet and tripped, the silver prodigy tripped and fell hard.