Dayeong was reading, tucked under the covers when she heard a knock at her door. She checked the clock on her nightstand... It was 1:30 in the morning. 

"Who is it?" she called tentatively, her hands shaking as she placed the book down. She'd just had an awful nightmare and feared it was about to come true. Her eyes desperately scanned the room, trying to find something to arm herself with. 

"It's Juyeon," the voice called, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. 

"Come in!" she called back, leaning back in her pillows as Juyeon entered the room, a new vase of flowers in his hand. He closed the door behind him and walked over, placing it on her night table next to the roses. 

"More flowers?" she teased, taking one from the vase and lifting it to her nose so that she could smell it. They looked like daisies. "I feel like I'm being courted," she joked, watching his expression change from calm and serious to flustered and embarrassed. 

"I... Your Highness, that wasn't the intention!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening as he met her gaze. 

She started laughing. "I know it wasn't," she said after a moment, fighting down her laughter. "I was just joking, of course. These flowers are a very sweet surprise... and I'm grateful. Thank you. But may I ask... why are you up so early?" 

"Oh," he said, awkwardly looking at the floor, then the daisies, then her again. "Well, I suddenly remembered that you said you wanted to braid flowers into your hair, and I thought with daisies you could do that..." he said, trailing off and looking back at the floor.

Her smile widened and she took his hand, drawing his surprised gaze to her. "That's very sweet," she told him sincerely. "But you should get some sleep." 

"So should you, Your Highness," he pointed out, a touch of worry crossing over his handsome features. "Is there anything the matter?"

"I just had a nightmare, that's all," she said, a wave of fear crashing over her as she thought about it again. "So I was trying to read until I fell asleep," she explained, picking up the book and showing it to him. "I forgot to pack my favorite books," she said regretfully. "But luckily this one was on the dresser when I came in, so I've just been reading this." 

"Etiquette Training," he said, reading the title. He raised his eyebrows, peering at her. "Somehow, I get the feeling that you don't need that."

"I should hope not," she laughed. "After being raised in a Palace, that would be embarrassing. But it was the only book in here, so..." 

"There's a library in the Palace," Juyeon told her. 

"I know," she replied. "But I don't know where it is... and after my nightmare, I was too scared to wander the hallways alone. Especially in the dark. I'll just read this for now."

"I can take you there, and you can pick out another book, if you'd like," Juyeon offered. 

She almost said yes. The offer was so tempting... but then she noticed how tired he looked. The way he was desperately trying to stop his eyes from closing, the way he tried to stifle his yawns. Her gaze landed on the two vases of flowers on her night table. 

Had he really gone picking daisies in the middle of the night?

"No, you should go to sleep," she said gently. 

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, unable to stop himself from yawning. "I can stay with you for a bit, if you'd like." 

Again, she was very tempted to say yes. If she was being honest, she wanted to. She wanted to spend more time with him. 

But she shook her head. "You need to get your rest. I'm alright," she said, smiling reassuringly at him. "Don't worry about me. I know how to call you if I need anything. Just go to sleep." 

Juyeon nodded, standing up and bowing to her. "Goodnight, Your Highness. I hope you have sweet dreams this time."

Again, she couldn't stop the smile from coming to her face. "Thanks," she whispered, and he bowed again before leaving. 

Dayeong looked at the daisy in her hand. After a moment of thought, she put the book aside and turned off the light. She held the daisy to her heart and fell asleep, and this time her dreams were happy. Happy, hopeful dreams.