For a moment Iseul forgot how to breathe.

"I need to speak to her." Jae-sung didn't elaborate, merely turned around and walked away.

Did he expect her to follow him? Just like that?

Do-yun's eyes were as wide as the bowls of rice on the table before them. "What was that about?" she squeaked, as soon as his figure was out of sight.

"Perhaps you'd better follow him," Binna suggested.

Filled with a sudden outrage, Iseul crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed: "I don't think so. Who does he think he is ordering about? I'm not one of his servants. I'm here with my friends, he can wait till I'm finished."

All three girls next to her stared at her with expressions varying between awe and fear, but when she took up her bowl of rice and began to eat again, they hastily followed her example.

Tss, what was he thinking? Did he really expect her to simply do as she was told? She was Sohn Iseul, granddaughter to the most powerful man in the nation, except for the king. She had a one in thirteen chance of becoming the next queen. Very few could order her to do anything. Jae-sung was not one of them.

She squared her shoulders and finished her meal in silence. A few times she peeked from under her eyelashes to the place where Jae-sung had disappeared to. Was he waiting for her? She doubted it. His pride would be hurt, that was a fact.

🌸

After dinner Do-yun convinced them to go to a nearby river. The sun shone hot on their shoulders and they were all in for a little fun in the water. Jae-sung was nowhere in sight and because no one dared mention him, he was soon forgotten. Or at least, Iseul pretended she had forgotten all about him. She had seen Binna glancing her way a few times, but ignored it.

At the river a nice surprise awaited them. "Chul-yeo, Chul-seok!" Iseul smiled and waved when she recognized the brothers. They were sitting on a large boulder and were holding fishing rods.

"Did you catch anything?" she asked as soon as she was close enough to check the basket next to them. It was empty, but just as her face fell, the line on Chul-seok's rod pulled tight.

"Oh, you caught something!" Nari yelled and jumped up and down.

With an overly proud face, the youngest of the two Jee brothers reigned in his fish and threw it in the basket. Nari was still grinning from ear to ear and joyously said: "What a big one. Do you want me to cook it for you?"

Suddenly she realized what she had said and slammed her mouth shut while she quickly took a few steps back. "Oh, I'm– I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so presumptuous. Forgive me."

Iseul wanted to comfort the girl. She felt it was her fault for treating Nari more as a friend than a servant, but before she could say anything, Chul-seok waved his hands in front of him and said: "There's nothing to forgive. I'm grateful for your offer, why are you sorry?"

Nari still had her head bent down when she softly answered: "You are Hwarang and a participant in the king's selection. I'm nothing but a servant, I shouldn't even have addressed you."

Iseul opened her mouth to object, even though, technically, Nari was right. But again Chul-seok beat her to it.

"There is no one here but us. The ladies you are obviously familiar with and we are merely two commoners who've had good fortune in being able to change our stars. We're nothing more than you are, please don't be sorry on our account."

Iseul nodded fervently and finally added: "You've become a dear friend these past weeks, Nari. I don't know what I would have done without you. Feel free to talk to us any way you like."

The boys and Do-yun all nodded, but Binna was the voice of reason, when she said: "Just as long as there's no one around. We mustn't forget that Nari could get in big trouble if anyone else saw her be so familiar with us."

She was absolutely right and they all nodded solemnly. After that the atmosphere became light again and the girls sat down a little further down the stream with their feet in the water.

When Binna glanced to the left for the third time, Do-yun asked with a sly smile: "Why don't you go and see if they caught anything else, Binna?"

The girl instantly turned red, but before she, or anyone else, could respond, a loud voice announced another visitor. "So this is how the wannabe future queen spends her time?"

Iseul looked around and her heart sank when she saw Jae-sung standing with his arms crossed.

"Did I not say I wanted to speak with you?" he declared.

Nari had scrambled to her feet and in the corner of her eye Iseul saw the Jee brothers putting down their fishing rods. She stood up with as much dignity as she could muster on bare feet and answered: "Am I a servant, Go Jae-sung, that I can be commanded to do this or that? You could have asked politely and awaited my reply."

She made sure her face remained passive, but inside she was gloating when she saw the young man grumble. Under his watchful gaze she slowly slipped into her socks and shoes and with a sigh she turned to her friends. "I think I'd better find out what he wants. Meet me at our house. If we're late, please explain to my mother in great detail who made me be tardy."

Do-yun laughed behind her hand and Nari bowed her head, quickly hiding a grin. When Iseul caught Chul-yeo's worried expression, she smiled reassuringly and then she lifted her chin and marched up to Jae-sung. "Well, here I am, what is it you have to say to me?"