"You're still welcomed to stay longer," Suria says as she helps Akira to tie her belongings to her horse, making sure that everything is secured. "It's barely been two days and your body still needs a lot of rest."

"It's fine, I don't want to be staying too long and burdening you," Akira takes Suria's hand as she rubs her palm over the back of her hand. "Thank you for letting us stay, and I'll make sure that Lucida will send something over to you as a token of appreciation. That's the least we can do, plus," she smiles, "your doctor is really good; not even two days yet my body is in an almost perfect condition. Your cooking is excellent too- well, everything was perfect. Though..." She awkwardly glances at Bulan, who's only crossing her arms as her lower lip is pushed outwards and her body angled to another direction. "If I ever did something wrong to Bulan without me realizing, please do relay my apologies to her. She seems... pissed."

Suria only chuckles as she whispers. "Don't mind her, she's just jealous of you, actually."

"Jealous?" Akira blinks. "Why would the princess of Estar be jealous of me?"

"Your Majesty," Suria says good-naturedly, "you're married to the only guy she's had her eyes on, so she's jealous of you."

"Ugh," the queen groans. "Park Seonghwa always brings trouble to me, having so many admirers."

"But no worries," Suria utters as she lowers down her voice. "Don't tell her this, but I find both of you suited for each other. I'm happy to hear the news about your marriage with him."

The queen only smiles; both her and Wooyoung didn't tell them the actual reason behind their journey, so Suria would have no idea that Seonghwa is currently bedridden. She nods, still with the smile on her face. "Now that it's been two days since I've last seen him, I kind of miss him."

"Have a safe journey back," the princess says, but her eyes drop to the ground as she sees Wooyoung approaching them. "You too," she mentions him although it only sounds like a whisper.

Ever since they talked outside one night ago, she has found it embarrassing to even look at him in the eyes. Her heart was beating crazily after he relayed the words to her, asking her to wait for him and that he'd come back for her. As always, Wooyoung stayed nonchalant to how severe the effects of his words towards her were, while Suria was left to deal with her own heart pumping vigorously. They had barely talked after that, because Suria would always find an excuse to get away from him.

Akira gets onto her horse, her body feeling energetic now that she has gotten her much needed rest. Despite being worried the longer they're away from Lucida, Suria had managed to convince them to stay for another day. So only now they're returning to Lucida, which means that it's been at least two days since Akira had last seen Seonghwa. Wooyoung has insisted on accompanying the queen all the way until Lucida, before he returns on his own to Nyla.

For whatever they'll do to cure Seonghwa and San... they'll think about that later.

Wooyoung only clamps his lips tight as he heaves himself up onto his horse, taking the reins after glancing at Suria, knowing that the princess is looking everywhere but at him. He's ready to turn his horse around when his name is mentioned, and his first instinct is to look at the princess.

Truly, it was her who had called his name, and she's handing something over to him. "I cooked this for both of you for the journey back to Lucida. And um," she mulls over her next words, "some extra for you since you'll be continuing your journey back to Nyla too."

His lips curl into a smile as he takes it from her, their fingers brushing against each other but this time, she doesn't pull back as they stay staring at each other.

It feels heavy for her to let him go, not knowing when the next time will be when they get to meet again.

"You promised," she utters. "To come back for me."

He nods. "Only if you want me to."

"I'll be waiting," she presses on. "If you change your mind... at least have the courtesy to tell me, so that I won't continue to wait stupidly for you."

He nods, his eyes never leaving her even as they slowly trot away from the palace building, Suria waving to them with a smile on her face. Soon, the palace is out of their sight and only then Wooyoung focuses back on the road in front of him.

He hears a small chuckle coming from Akira, and he cocks his eyebrows, failing to find what's so amusing to her.

"What's so funny, again? I swear you have a different sense of humour than mine I can't even begin to figure out what's so funny," he grumbles.

"It's heartwarming," she replies as she shrugs. "How I was almost dying yet you have possibly found the love that you wanted to, in less than two days in another kingdom."

He huffs before a smile makes its way to his face. "To be fair, I did make sure that you're well taken care of before I started flirting with her."

"So you do admit that you're flirting with her?" She smirks. "Hah... I swear if you break her heart, I will be the one who will personally break your bones. Suria's too nice to me that I won't hesitate to protect her."

"How endearing," he chuckles nervously. "I'm looking out for you in case Seonghwa ever hurts you, yet you're looking out for Suria in case... I break her heart."

She grips the reins of her horse; this time they take their time as they figured that there will be no use in rushing back home. "But thank you," she says suddenly, making the younger look at her with a confused look on his face. "Even though we came back with nothing in our hands and still no cure, thank you for going to Ileara with me." She takes a deep breath, "I'll probably just give up halfway if I was alone." She tilts her head to the side, "Plus, it's cute seeing you and Suria together. Makes me forget about all that's happening now."

"Same here," he replies. "If I was alone, no matter how much I wanted to help both of them, I don't think I can stand being chased by a black panther."

They laugh after remembering their panic when surrounded by the wild animals, running like crazy since their life depended on it.

She takes out a fist, showing it to Wooyoung. "Still, we make a somewhat cool pact, don't you think?"

He bumps her fist with his own, agreeing with her. "Of course. Being in a pact with the Lucida's queen is a narrative I never thought I'd be in but look at where we are now."

She checks her watch, mentally calculating the time they need to reach Lucida. With a small smile playing on her lips, she asks, "What are the odds that we can reach Lucida in under three hours?"

"Two hours and a half," he offers, already gripping the reins tighter. Before the queen can reply anything he says, "Loser buys ice cream for the winner." He whips the reins, and his horse gallops faster, leaving behind Akira to eat dust.

"Hey- you-" she utters through gritted teeth before she whips her own reins, prompting Golden to follow his tracks, looking to outdo him. "That's unfair!"

Wooyoung only looks behind before sticking out his tongue, commanding his horse to go faster and Akira laughs, momentarily forgetting the fact that they're going back to the kingdom that is all dark and sadness all around.

The time they need to reach the Lucida border is around two hours and 45 minutes, and they reach the gate around the same time. Upon seeing the queen, the guards at the entrance spring into salutation, immediately sending some of them to accompany both of them to the palace.

Akira's eyes travel slowly to the condition of her kingdom; right after the attack on the very foundation of her kingdom, everything just looks so gloomy and hopeless. The people look lethargic, and she understands; the dark skies just make everything look so slow and unproductive. No rain and of course no snow, merely the dark skies that look like they'll fall down any second.

"Your Majesty," one of the guards speaks up as they make their way through town. "We are asked to inform you that you can expect a few guests at the palace."

"Guests?" Akira inquires, heart already feeling uneasy. The last time they had 'guests', she found her husband bedridden. "From where did they come from? Outside of the kingdom?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. But General Jeong," he replies, "allowed them entry, because I believe they were your acquaintances back in Nyla."

Upon hearing this, Wooyoung and Akira only manage to turn to look at each other in confusion; why would those from Nyla be coming here? Does that mean they left San alone back in Nyla?

"When did they arrive here?" she asks again, already wishing that their convoy could go faster.

"Earlier this morning," he replies. "General Jeong was immediately alerted since they were familiar faces to be granted access to the palace, and he had taken over since he came to the entrance."

"How many of them were there?"

"I believe there were four, Your Majesty. All young men."

"Four," Wooyoung repeats as he addresses Akira, "That means San is together with them."

"If San is indeed with them, and it's the rest of the young masters, you're saying that San is currently in his right mind to be visiting Lucida? When the last time he attacked the palace and my husband?"

Wooyoung can sense how Akira is tense, and glancing at her eyes he notices how something has ignited in them. He understands if the first thing she'd do as soon as they arrive at the palace is to find San and land a punch on his face. Still, he tries to diffuse the situation.

"We'll see how it is first at the palace," he utters.

He looks at Akira who has already switched the position of her weapons from her back to the front, one hand holding the reins of Golden, while another is wrapped around Seonghwa's bow. He grabs his own sword, heart torn between reminding him that San is his childhood friend and that he's currently overtaken by the curse, which essentially means the San he knows is nowhere to be found.

"How is the condition at the palace?" Akira asks the guard again, fearing for the answer but she needs to know.

"General Jeong had sent us away, saying that he'll deal with them. He had assured us that everything in the palace is under control."

"Was he..." she mulls over her next sentence, feeling bad for even thinking of this, but she had her suspicions as soon as she had laid her eyes upon the curse which took over Seonghwa's body. However, she had no choice but to leave the palace and Seonghwa under Yunho's care; he's one of the people she trusts the most. "Did he seem like he wasn't himself? Not like the General Jeong you would know?"

The guard takes a moment to think, before he releases a somewhat sharp breath. He fixes his position first, uttering rather somewhat tensely, "First of all, I'd like to relay my apologies if whatever I'm about to say is wrong. This is merely based on my observation."

"It's alright," she replies. "You may tell me what you've observed."

"General Jeong seemed unlike himself, but it was rather... he seemed like he was guilty of something. He kept fidgeting, not something that usual for him. He looked like he was trying to avoid some of our questions about the king, and why he would allow the people from Nyla to enter the palace. After all..." He looks down, knowing that it's a sensitive topic for the queen. "One of them was the one who was involved in the attack on our palace, Your Majesty."

Akira silently scoffs to hide the fear that is creeping up on her; so it's true that San is together with them. For a flash of a second, she regrets delaying their return to Lucida.

"Speed it up," Akira instructs, and the guard nods, giving the instructions to the guards upfront.

They pick up speed so that they'll arrive at the palace faster, going past residents who seem to be looking at Akira with a different set of eyes now. Regret? Hatred? Accusing her of the misfortune that befalls their kingdom, soon after she was crowned queen. Even while passing them she notices some of them gripping whatever they're holding tighter, as if ready to strike it into her direction.

"People are quick to turn their backs when something inconveniences them," Wooyoung shouts over the wind, as if purposely trying to make sure every single person they pass hears him. He glances at every one of them, then to the queen who is avoiding the stares of the people. "They're hypocrites; they only look up to you when they think they could use you as their saviour, yet when things go wrong they'll quick to denounce their loyalty." He says louder, "If only they know how hard you've been working for them; they should be ashamed of themselves."

The people seem to be popping out of their bubbles as they hear Wooyoung shouting this through town, looks of guilt passing over their faces. They return to bowing their heads slightly, at least showing respect to the queen who has just returned from a journey, some of them shouting out their loyalty towards her. There's a bittersweet feeling rushing over her; even though it seems like the kingdom under her ruling is currently looking like it's about to crumble, there are still people looking to support her.

News about the sick king has travelled through the kingdom fast, along with the shocking and worrying news about the palace attacked by Nyla. Some of them have speculated that whether this is their kingdom's curse; where those who rise to the throne will never have a peaceful day as there are always those who look to topple them down.

"It's all bullshit," Akira says over the wind. "Our kingdom is not under a curse. It's the mistake of the monarchy ever since the beginning; the fixated opinion on how everyone should be divided on their blood colours." She grits her teeth. "I will change that."

Akira jumps off her horse as soon as they arrive at the palace compound, the maids quickly gathering to form a line behind her, their heads bowed and lips locked. She completely forgets about Suria's advice for her to manage her body well and not exert too much force on it as she rests her eyes upon the palace building. She feels rage building inside her, but she knows better than to enforce the stereotype people had on her.

The general who always acted on her emotions rather than using her brain.

Do all of you want a person like that to be ruling your kingdom?

She walks into the palace holding Seonghwa's bow lightly, acting as if a threat is about to jump at her the moment the door is swung open for her. Despite not looking like their vibrant selves, the workers are all going on with their usual duties, and she feels slightly wary now that everything seems to be in order. She waits for anyone to come at her while claiming that their palace is under attack, again, yet everyone merely bows to her before continuing on with whatever they have been doing.

"Your Majesty," she hears someone calling her, and she turns to see Jongho approaching her. He doesn't seem troubled, yet he seems relieved to find Akira and Wooyoung returning in one piece. "I'm glad to see you're back... together with Wooyoung it seems. We're partly worried that we haven't heard of you in two days, but those from Nyla have informed us where both of you went."

She looks on worriedly for any signs of changes on Jongho, before she subtly glances over to Wooyoung so that he understands what she's trying to point out. She tries to see whether she can pick up anything different on him as he looks somewhat too calm in informing her that the party who had attacked the palace is currently there.

"They're here?" she asks, but makes it sound more like a statement. "The person who attacked our palace." It sounds as if she's trying to make him remember, hoping to push him into realization.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jongho replies. "That's why they're here. San had lead the party here because he wanted to apologize directly to you-"

She can't help but scoff as she hears this, almost laughing in disbelief. "He came all the way here again, because he wants to apologize? After all he had done, I don't believe it one bit. Where is he- no, are all of them in this now? Are all of them overtaken by the curse too, and is looking to destroy my kingdom in another way?"

"Your Majesty," Jongho starts, desperate.

"Tell me where they are. No, tell me where Choi San is."

"I'm here," a voice comes to them, and they instinctively look up.

San is standing on top of the stairs, his appearance still the same - white hair, black nails and black tendrils snaking all over his skin. It feels cruel to her how he's standing at the top of the stairs, the backdrop her and Seonghwa's portraits; like he's mocking her showing how he's still able to stand while her husband is currently unconscious because of the curse.

"How shameless can you be?" Akira says through gritted teeth before going up the stairs, Wooyoung and Jongho cautiously following.

She grabs a hold of San's collar before slamming his body against the wall, too hard until their portraits slightly shake, her hand reared back as if about to land a punch on the latter's face. She breathes heavily, but she doesn't even move her fist because she knows that she doesn't have the rights to be acting this way considering that even San has been overtaken by the curse involuntarily. She lowers down her hand with a heavy sigh, but the rage is still there as she watches the Nyla king's eyes are wet with tears as his lips shake.

"How dare you," she utters anyway, "cry? After all that you've done to my kingdom?"

"Akira," Wooyoung tries to coax her by holding her arm, but she shrugs it off.

"I went through hell and back to find a cure for both of you," she says through her tears, "but am left with nothing. But you... shamelessly came here and showed your face to me."

"I'm sorry," San says under his breath, merely a whisper. "I have a lot of explanation to do to you, but I need you to listen to me first."

She laughs in pain as she manages, "Why? What did we ever do to you for you to be doing this to you? My kingdom-" she croaks, "-is barely standing. The people barely have their trust in both of us, but why-" She bunches up San's shirt in her fist, "-why did you have to do that to someone whom you grew up with? He was already hurting but you just had to-"

She gets cut off as a cacophony of confusion and amazement echo throughout the palace, until it reaches those who are on the stairs. She feels like her breath is stuck in her throat as someone announces it, and the next thing she knows is that she has released her grip on San as she runs towards Seonghwa's room.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has just woken up!"

---

[A/N: Just dropping by to say thank you for 1k votes ;-; please stay safe and healthy!!]