The black cat with red eyes meows at them, going over to the kneeling Akira and Wooyoung, sniffing them, as if trying to figure out where they're from from their scents. It does a restrained purr before hissing, but the person - the owner or the cat, presumably - puts up a hand, before picking the cat up and putting it on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Twinkle," she says, patting the cat's body as she slightly tilts her head forward when the cat walks across her shoulders. "They're strangers but let's hear why they're here first."

Wooyoung and Akira heave a sigh of relief as they hear this; at least for the time being they can be rest assured that this person doesn't see them as a threat yet.

"...but if we find them with bad intentions we can always throw them to the bottom of the stairs to be eaten alive," she continues.

Both of them have their eyes wide open as they gulp. They glance at each other, face already worried on how it'll turn out for them once they cross this person. This person seems... unique.

For one, they had expected to meet someone who is years older than them, someone who is made to be awkward in dealing with humans from their years away from civilization and a brooding presence they wouldn't want to deal with.

Instead they are met with a bright-eyed young woman with skin that reflects the golden sunlight hitting against her face, a tattoo of what seems like a teardrop obvious under her left eye. She's wearing a white robe, which looks contrasting to the dark exterior of the palace and the animals who seem to be moving at her very command. Under her robe she wears a white dress, the gown weaved with fresh flowers. Her hair is fluorescent pink, and although she's not smiling, she has this look on her face that makes them feel like she's not intimidating. Even her nails are painted soft pink, looking like they're very well taken care of.

In short, she's nothing like the person who has lived in isolation for years they expected to meet.

"Not one, but two guests," she utters. "Or should I say intruders? What brings the both of you here? Are you perhaps looking for some treasure... some fame after you can claim that you've found a person living on this island? Turn back." Although her tone sounds soft, it's pressing. "You have nothing to take back, and just so you know, I have my loyal friends that can tear you apart if you think you can take anything away from here. Just leave while I'm being nice."

She turns around, but Akira tries as she might to advance forward even if her legs are held in place by the tendrils. The queen grabs onto the young woman's leg with both of her hands, her breath already irregular.

"Please," she begs. "Help us."

The young woman's eyes change at this, but her face remains indifferent. She lifts up her leg before attempting to pry it away from Akira's grasp. "I have no idea what you're talking about, and like I said, leave while I'm being nice."

"My husband," Akira cries out. "He's sick because of the curse."

She looks down at Akira who's still desperately clinging onto her leg, trying with all her might to never lose her grip. She says, hard, "Why is that any of my concern? I don't even know who you are, and you came barging in my place without shame, asking for help. I am of no help to you." She lifts up her leg before attempting to kick the queen away, but her leg is held in place by Wooyoung. She scoffs in disbelief as she kicks Wooyoung's body, releasing the grip he has on her. "You do realize that you're attempting to ask help from a stranger by intruding into one's place?"

"I'm sorry," Akira says as she bends her body forward, placing her palms flat on the ground as she utters. "I'm just- I'm desperate. Please," her voice croaks as she feels tears welling up in her eyes.

"Like I said," she repeats. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She looks down, controlling the tendrils so that they are now curled around both Wooyoung and Akira's arms, locking them in place. Their bodies are pulled back, so now there's a distance between them and the young woman. Expressionless, she backs up as her robe flutters in the wind, but her eyes travel to the queen, something about her that makes her stop.

Akira grits her teeth as she bites the inside of her cheek, trying to stop herself from crying. She doesn't want to cry in front of this person; what she needs is help and not pity.

"Go back to where you came from, wherever it is. I'll make sure that none of my pets will disturb you, as long as your course is out of my kingdom." She clicks her tongue, "You better get out of here before it turns dark. You won't like it once night falls here."

She doesn't wait for any response as she turns her back towards the two of them, ready to open the door but she's stopped again, this time by Akira's words alone.

"I can't lose him," she sobs, losing her demeanour as she lets her tears fall. "I can't-" she lets out a sharp breath, "I can't rule my kingdom without him."

"Ruling your kingdom..." the young woman turns around. She laughs, "You're a white blood? That's good then; you just gave me a solid reason why I shouldn't be helping you. You see... I have a bad history with those who are white-blooded, so I'll decline your offer. I don't care whatever happens to your husband."

"It's black," Akira says, desperate. "My blood is black and if you want me to prove it to you, I'll show you. I'm not white-blooded, I'm just a servant!"

This time, there's a visible change in the young woman's face, clearly not expecting the answer. "Someone with black blood... becoming a queen? If you wanted to lie to me, at least be more-"

She gets cut off as Akira slips out the dagger on her waist even while being tied up, slashing it across her palm, face unfaltering as she lets the blood drip to the ground. She lets go of the dagger before breathing heavily, almost collapsing. She has always had a high pain tolerance but lately she feels like her physical is being challenged over the limit.

"My blood," she breathes, "is black. My husband's blood is crimson. We're nowhere near white."

The young woman watches as Akira lets the blood flow out of her wound, not even letting it stop. "Fool," she utters. "How stupid can you be?"

She turns her face away before moving towards the door, already determined to lock them out of her palace. Her cat follows suit as she deafens her ears towards the cries of both of them and pulls the heavy doors, shutting them quickly and locking them.

With Akira and Wooyoung left alone on the top of the stairs in front of the entrance, the tendrils finally uncurl themselves from their limbs and set them free. They look over their shoulders to see that even the animals at the bottom of the stairs have dispersed, which means that the young woman is staying true to her words to let them go unscathed.

"Akira," Wooyoung utters, already taking out his handkerchief to wrap her palm.

"I'm not going anywhere," she says weakly. "I'm staying here until she comes out again. At least, until I know how we can deal with the curse."

He stays quiet as he crouches next to her, taking her hand before wrapping the cloth around her bleeding palm. He can't bear to look at her face, the first time he's seen her in so much anguish that she doesn't even flinch as he presses down the cloth on her wound. He ties the cloth neatly before gripping her shoulders, willing her to look him in the eyes.

"We have to go before it gets dark."

"All that trouble we went through to get here, and you want to leave, just like that?" She shakes her head, "If you want to leave, then go. I'm not moving."

"Akira..." he trails off.

"I can't lose him, Wooyoung," she utters through tears. "I don't care if people say I'm stupid because I'm willing to throw my life away for him. If he can do the same for me, I'll do the same for him."

"I know," he replies. "But what she said was true; we're trespassing and shamelessly asking for her help. This is her kingdom; she has the rights to kick us out. We'll find some other way, surely there's something else we can do."

She clutches her chest, unable to stop her tears from falling. She scrambles to kneel again, balling her hands into fists as she puts it on her thighs and cries. She's determined to remain in the same position in front of the entrance until the young woman gives it up and walks out again. She's confident that the young woman holds the key to curing both San and Seonghwa.

Wooyoung sighs as he looks up at the sky, eyes fluttering as he feels drops of rain hitting his face slowly, before a sudden heavy rain pours down and soaks them. He stands up, stretching out his arm to provide protection for the queen using his own robe, looking forlornly at the heavy doors.

Akira remains unmoving, her body shaking as she cries her heart out under the rain, begging for the doors to be opened. Her fingers are scraping the floor, a desperate call to the person sheltered in the palace. Her mind is only set with images of Seonghwa, alternating between those of him smiling and those of him lying in bed, taken over by the curse. She closes her eyes as she whimpers.

"I'm sorry," she repeats over and over again. "Please."

The rain hasn't stopped but the intensity has reduced, the raindrops pelting gently on the ground.

"I wasn't awake," she utters, taking Wooyoung by surprise because she didn't tell him before. "I wasn't awake when the curse took him over. I woke up after being unconscious for a few days, and I was told that he-" she chokes on her words, "-he was just... lying there. The last conversation that we had," she breathes, "was us convincing each other that I'm still alive. But now that-" she takes in a sharp breath, "-idiot is barely alive."

Wooyoung loses his ability to reply, figuring that if he were to say something he'd probably have a worse breakdown. So he keeps quiet as he protects Akira from the rain, already feeling like he's about to give up. But he remains with his arm outstretched, determined to not let a single drop of rain hit her body.

That's the least he could do.

He might not know Akira as long as Yunho; two years are probably not enough to know about her entirely, but from those two years he can tell how her image as the general didn't truly reflect how she is as a person. He notices that she's the type who wouldn't hesitate to throw away her life for another person. Somehow, seeing her in this position is more heartbreaking; to hear her cry out for her husband while ignoring her own state.

"My idiot of a brother," Wooyoung says under his breath as he hears Akira whimpering again, clutching her chest as she continues pleading. "Your wife is risking her life for you; how dare you make her cry."

Then she turns quiet and only sniffs, but her position remains the same. No matter if her legs or knees will blister, she'll remain kneeling until the young woman comes out again. The only sound that they can hear is the sound of Akira's sharp intake of breath every time, as if trying to clear her lungs after the rain has stopped and her tears have stopped pouring.

The time of the day inches forward as the sky gradually turns dark, signalling that night is about to fall. They haven't moved from their positions for hours, but Wooyoung has dropped down his arm since the rain has stopped. They ignore their grumbling stomachs with no appetite to eat anyway. They stay staring at the door, willing it to open at least once more.

"Why..." Wooyoung utters slowly. "...are you willing to throw your life away for him?"

Akira turns to look at him, a somewhat confused but defeated expression on her face. "He's my husband."

"It's-" he stops. "Never mind."

"Is there something that I don't know about him?" she presses on, now fully focused on the younger. "Isn't it a given? I've promised him to stay until the end of our lives during our vows, so wouldn't it be a given for me to try my best to save him?"

Wooyoung takes a deep breath, looking as if he's about to burst out into a long rant. After mulling over his words, he finally says his thoughts out loud. "It's painful seeing both of you like this."

"I don't..." she trails off. "Understand your point."

"My point is," he releases a sharp breath. "You know how I'm like. I treat love relationships like they're some playthings. I never take them seriously; I date girls in and out, leave them when I feel like they're not any fun anymore. I never believed in permanent relationships."

She only blinks awkwardly, the mood slightly tilting towards amusement as she finds it weird how Wooyoung would bare something like this just right after she was crying her heart out to save her husband. She still doesn't understand what Wooyoung is trying to point out, but she listens to him anyway.

"I tried searching for love only through fleeting relationships, because I found that I enjoyed all that attention they gave to me. I never treated them fairly."

"Uh-uh," she utters, sniffing. "I still don't get your point, are you trying to ask me for relationship advice? Mr. Jung, currently my marriage is about to turn into shambles, so I don't think I'm the right person you're looking for."

"It's just-" he releases a sharp breath. "It's so..." He gathers himself, unsure of whether Akira would understand the point he's trying to get across. "When I was abandoned by my parents, I figured that love is not something I'd learn how to appreciate properly, considering how I've never properly received it from the people that should have given it to me. So I only treated it as something unimportant; I never understood why people would want to settle down with just one person for the rest of their lives. Seeing both of you just made me think about how I've been treating people throughout my life." His mouth twists, "I throw them away when I feel like they have started to burden me. But both of you... you'd go to such lengths to save each other."

"You're literally doing the same for San," she reminds him. "You're risking your life for him."

He stops to think. "I guess that's true."

"It's not only about romantic relationships," she says. "Friendships are the same too."

He looks down, clasping his hands. "But both you and Seonghwa somehow showed me something... different. Both of you made me realize that maybe there are pure love relationships in this world."

She chuckles slowly, wiping away her tears. "Ever since I knew you, you always have this way of turning the mood around." She pauses, "I'm grateful for that."

He hums. "The others only say I'm annoying though."

"I'm sure they love you the same."

They turn to face the door as they hear the door clicking open, and the young woman walks out again. Akira's eyes slowly turn towards the young woman, fully begging but she only receives another expressionless face in return.

"Get out," the young woman's voice this time is more demanding, her stare completely heartless. "Get out before I have you taken out myself."

"Is there," Akira tries again, "no way to bring him back?"

The young woman crouches, watching as Akira fixes her position to kneel again. "Just go back to your kingdom or wherever you came from. Your husband will wake up," she sounds sure. "But he might not be the person that you know anymore, depending on how strong he is." She sighs as she stands up, eyeing Wooyoung. "And you- what relationship do you have with her husband since you're here too?"

"It's not only him," Wooyoung utters slowly, moving his eyes to meet with hers. "The king of Nyla is currently overtaken by the curse too." A sharp glare, "The curse that originated from Ileara."

She scoffs. "So you're blaming me for the misfortune of your king? It's because they're greedy; they brought it upon themselves. I have nothing to do with it, and if you ask me, they had it coming." She glares at him. "I don't know how many times I'll have to tell you to leave, but just so you know I'm capable of more than just words. So while I'm still like this, leave."

"Hyunwoo," Wooyoung suddenly says. "You know him, don't you? There was a letter address from him to our past king-"

"Say that name with your filthy mouth again, and I'll feed you to my pets," she shoots back. She flicks her hand, summoning her pets as they appear again at the bottom of the steps. "I really don't want to be the bad guy here, but both of you leave me no choice."

Akira and Wooyoung take measured breaths as they see the very same black panther climbing up the stairs, obviously heading towards them. This time, there is no barrier between them as it has conquered the stairs too.

They stand up slowly, but even though Wooyoung looks slightly scared, Akira remains unperturbed. She pushes Wooyoung to stand behind her, her slight movement of hand already searching for Seonghwa's bow. She has her feet firmly planted on the ground even as the animal nears her, its snout already merely inches away from her face that she can feel its hot breath against it.

The young woman only frowns as her black panther merely sniffs Akira, as if assessing whether she's considered a friend or foe. She's even more confused as Akira stands with her feet firmly planted to the ground, while the other person she came with is hiding behind her, already slightly shaky. She scoffs as two questions come to her mind.

Does this woman not have any fear at all?

Why on earth is Micko not moving at all?

"Micko," she says in disbelief. She sees the panther only sniffing Akira that even Wooyoung has started to stand up straighter, overcoming his fear even though he's still hiding behind the queen. "Eat them. Alive."

Micko does a low growl before doing something akin to a shake of its head.

"What do you mean you can't eat them? You've been doing fine before. How are they any different?"

"Do we smell horrible?" Wooyoung whispers to Akira. "Is that why it doesn't want to eat us?"

"Shh," Akira shushes Wooyoung, unable to think of a reason on why the animal is hesitating to even open its mouth. Maybe Wooyoung is right; they've gone through so much dirt and grime that they're probably not an enticing dish served to the wild animal.

Micko backs up a few steps before slowly sidestepping the two, heading towards its owner slowly. As it nudges its owner so that they're able to 'talk' in private out of earshot, the young woman only rolls her eyes.

She cites, "Just tell me why you're disobeying me; it's not like these two can understand what you're saying." She glares at them. "Right?"

Wooyoung shakes his head furiously. "Only my brother can, but he's not here," he says unhelpfully.

Micko looks hesitant, blinking its eyes before it whines, spilling all the reasons why it doesn't want to disturb the two.

Akira and Wooyoung only stand there awkwardly, both of them ready to make a run for it in case the panther changes its mind and decides to enjoy them as its dinner.

As the young woman hears what the panther says to her, her face changes and there's an obvious softness coming to her eyes, despite only for a fraction of a second. Her eyes rest upon the two, but they stay longer on the queen.

"You're lucky, I suppose," the young woman says. "My pet isn't hungry today. I don't know how many times I'll say this to you, but the island won't be so kind to you at night. You better get off the island before the night comes."

Before she hears a reply, she flicks her hand so that the tendrils wrap around their legs once more, holding them up so now they're in the air upside down, until Akira has to hold on to her weapons and the arrows, not wanting any of them to be out of reach. As they are suspended upside down, the young woman looks at them one by one, but she doesn't say anything more. She lets the tendrils extend until both Akira and Wooyoung are placed outside the gate, the tendrils slowly releasing their hold on them.

She flicks her hand again, this time locking the gate tighter and the snakes coil around the gate, completely shutting them off. She watches as both of them give up, even though the queen has stared at her with those eyes that make her guilty, as if she's the bad person for wanting to kick them out.

"I'm doing the right thing aren't I, Micko?" she asks the panther, even though she only receives a growl. "What do you mean I'm being heartless?" She huffs, "They trespassed into someone's property, and of course I'll have them kicked out. In fact I should've just kicked them out even before they can kneel in front of the palace."

Micko only stares at her as she sighs.

"You really do like to make me feel guilty, do you?" She summons the murder of crows, asking them to make sure that the two will get off the island before night comes. As she sends them away, Micko is still looking at her with a judgy look. "What?"

Her pet lets out a sharp breath.

"It's not my fault that the curse is still alive. I don't want anything to do with Nyla, or whatever kingdom they came from."

The panther whines.

She takes out a hand as she pets the panther, brushing its fur as she looks into the distance, noticing how the woman seems braver than the man as she stomps forward, while the man seems jumpy as he keeps looking left and right.

"She's a fool for her husband, isn't she?" She sighs as she sits on top of the stairs, putting her elbow on her thigh, resting her chin on top of her palm. "To have someone who'd risk their life for you like that... do you think I'll find someone like that one day?" she asks Micko as the panther sits next to her, staring into the horizon just like she is.

Micko only grunts before she looks at it with an offended look.

"What do you mean no one would like me?"

It tilts its head as it roars.

"Of course, I'll have to go out and meet people to actually find someone like that." She puts out her hand, feeling the cool breeze running through her fingers. "I wonder when snow will fall; it has always rained lately. I can't wait for the first snow this year too."

Micko rests its head on its forelegs, whining for the last time.

"Yes, yes," she chastises, "I'll be watching the first snow with all of you like I did for my past years."

The panther lifts its head up before resting it on the young woman's lap. She caresses the panther's head, finally losing sight of the two who are probably heading towards the direction of the bridge.

She utters towards no one in particular, "Is she careless... too brave... or does she really have no idea?"