The next morning I dressed carefully and headed to the dining hall. I took a deep breath as I entered, only to find that Soo-Won was not there. When I asked Ayura about his whereabouts, she explained that he usually ate breakfast in his room. In other words, I thought to myself, he's too lazy to get out of bed. Not that it mattered to me. I was actually a bit relieved as I leisurely ate a delicious spread of rolls with jam, fresh fruit and tea. After I was finished, I went back to my room so that Ayura and Tetora could touch up my hair and fetch me a shawl before my walk.

Once I was ready, I followed them out to the marble pavilion at the edge of the garden where I was supposed to meet Soo-Won. He was standing a few yards away looking at some flowers. He hadn't noticed us yet, and I couldn't help thinking how solemn his expression was. He looked completely different from the carefree, perpetually cheerful man I knew. Finally, he spotted us, and the look was instantly replaced with his usual smile.

"Good morning, Lily," he said so cheerily that I was taken aback.

"G-Good morning," I replied haltingly.

He then sent Ayura and Tetora away with instructions to be back in an hour. He gave me his arm and we set off. Throughout the walk he pointed out different plants and herbs, usually concluding with, "They taste delicious in so-and-so dish!" I thought wryly that his knowledge of botany seemed to be limited to things he could eat.

I observed closely the whole time, but there was no trace of his prior seriousness. He maintained his sunny façade, and by the end of the walk I was more confused than ever about this strange man. But I did know that this time it hadn't been my imagination. His expression from earlier was seared into my mind.

The days began to slide by as I settled into my new life at the palace. I was given a wardrobe Ayami would have envied, an unlimited supply of books, and almost free reign of the palace grounds. Although I knew it wouldn't last, I was determined to enjoy these luxuries while I could.

I usually saw Soo-Won at dinner and every morning during our walk. Other than that, he mostly stayed in his room. I had never been inside, and when I asked Ayura and Tetora one evening what he did in there, they confessed that they had never been inside either. Apparently very few people were allowed in his private chambers. This confirmed my suspicions. That useless king definitely spent his days lazing about in his room when he should have been ruling his country! Talk about unbelievable.

To be honest though, I was glad that I didn't see him that often. My heart did strange things when he was around. Even though I kept telling myself that he was a person who should be despised, I just couldn't get myself to truly dislike him. I couldn't forget the look on his face that morning in the garden. All in all, I concluded that it would be best if I left the palace, and Soo-Won, as soon as possible.

But even that was proving to be more difficult than I had originally thought. Three weeks went by, and there was still no sign that he was seeing any other women. I began to panic. I had never expected him to last this long, although there was still no doubt in my mind that he would find another lover eventually. Then I would finally be free, and Soo-Won could form a harem as large as he pleased, filled with women who were more appropriate choices for this role.

I knew that the longer I stayed, the more complicated things would be. I didn't want to grow any more attached to people I would inevitably have to leave. Ayura's, Tetora's, Hak's, and finally Soo-Won's face flashed through my mind, and my decision was made. Since he hadn't broken the contract on his own, I would make him let me go. It was time for a new strategy.

That morning I asked Ayura and Tetora to dress me in the plainest dress in my closet. They protested at first, but I was firm. I entered the dining room in a simple blue shift and no makeup or jewelry. I waited for Soo-Won's reaction, but he merely said, "Hello Lily, you look lovely this morning as usual."

I was angry at myself for feeling so happy at his words. It looked as if I would have to try more extreme tactics, I thought to myself determinedly. After that, I tried to be as unattractive, annoying, and ill-mannered as I could. I would make it so that Soo-Won was jumping to let me leave. I ate sloppily, arrived late to our walks, and alternated between being cold and ridiculously talkative when we were together. But even after all that, Soo-Won seemed to be unbothered by my awful behavior and was still as kind and cheerful as ever.

I was beginning to wonder what to do next, when one morning Soo-Won took me by complete surprise. We were on our routine walk and I was rambling about something stupid when Soo-Won suddenly interrupted me.

"Lily?" I stopped talking and looked up at him. "Would you like to come with me to the court meeting tomorrow?" he asked.

I was stunned, but managed to stammer, "W-Where did this come from?"

"Well," he said as he scratched his cheek absently and glanced away, "I thought you might like to see it, and…" I looked at him questioningly. "And…I want to show you off to all of the officials."

"I'm not a piece of merchandise, you know," I answered sullenly as I stared intently at a flower to hide my blushing face.

"I know, I know!" he said quickly. "I didn't mean it like that."

Neither of us spoke for a moment, and finally he said, "So will you come?"

"Fine," I replied as nonchalantly as I could.

I hurried away as soon as our walk finished, unwilling to show him how pleased I was. Even though he just wanted to show me off, I was still excited to get a chance to see how the government was run.

The next morning, I dressed carefully and after eating a hasty breakfast headed straight for the court room with Ayura and Tetora. I had already decided that I would take a break from my plotting and behave properly for the next couple of hours. As much as I wanted to escape, I just couldn't bring myself to purposely embarrass myself and Soo-Won in front of the most important men in the country.

The court room was large and ornately adorned. The room was already filled with mostly gray-haired men dressed in typical noble fashion. Ignoring the blatant stares, I walked quickly down the middle aisle to the front of the room where Soo-Won was already seated. He smiled reassuringly and beckoned towards a smaller throne that had been brought up next to his. I gratefully sat down and tried my best to look regal and confident.

After a few minutes passed, a gong sounded, and the meeting commenced as conversation stopped and everyone shuffled into their seats. My excitement grew as I listened to an official looking man read the day's agenda from a thick scroll. It appeared that the major topic of this morning's conference was food shortages in famine-stricken regions in the south. I was no stranger to this problem. My hometown had bordered an extremely dry and impoverished region, and many refugees had been forced to flee to our village or others nearby. My parents had had a heart for these people, and I could remember many times when they had taken me with them to pass out food in the slums where they lived.

I leaned forward in my seat, eager to hear what Kouka's most brilliant minds planned to do about this issue. I soon had my answer. Absolutely nothing. I listened with increasing indignation as these men talked about human lives as if they were worth no more than bales of wheat or hay. Every one of them said basically the same thing. That it was the people's own fault for not reaching the crop quota, and that their laziness must be punished. There would be no extra food given to them by the government; some even claimed that these towns were hoarding food in storehouses and had no real need of charity.

My heart cried out at the injustice of it all. What was the point of having a government if it didn't help its people? These corrupt men cared nothing for the citizens of Kouka. It was clear that their only real concerns were the menu of their next dinner party and the thread count of their silk robes. And there was Soo-Won, chin in his palm, looking bored as usual and completely unperturbed by the discussion. I couldn't believe him. He didn't seem like a bad man, but only a lowlife could be so disinterested in the fate of his subjects.

By the time the meeting was adjourned to be voted on at a later date, I felt sick to my stomach. When Soo-Won asked me what I thought, I didn't even have to act as I glared at him and stormed out of the room.