The next morning I woke up in a good mood until I remembered last night's events. I had no hope whatsoever that the lessons would be enjoyable or even beneficial. I was just praying that I would be able to get through the next two months without killing myself or Soo-Won.

He had told me to come to his room at two o'clock. I found myself with extra time after breakfast and decided I might as well ransack the library to prepare as best I could. I knew it was a futile effort, but at least it was an enjoyable one for a bookworm like me.

At the appointed time, Ayura and Tetora led me through a maze of hallways to a wing of the palace I had never been in before. Armed with an ample stack of books and scrolls, I knocked hesitantly with my free hand.

"Come in!" I could hear Soo-Won's muffled voice through the door.

He had specifically requested for me to come alone, so Ayura and Tetora bowed and left with a promise to be back in an hour to pick me up. I had to admit that I was a bit reluctant to see them go, but I took a deep breath and entered anyways.

All of the curtains were closed, making it hard to see, but I noticed immediately that the room was spacious and sumptuously decorated. As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I was surprised to see that it also appeared to be completely empty. Well, not quite. I could just make out Soo-Won's form lying on the bed.

My breath quickened involuntarily as I stood with my back pressed against the door. The darkness, the empty room, the suspicious request that I come alone. Everything suddenly made sense. Learning politics is obviously the last thing on his mind, I thought to myself bitterly. I was about to turn and flee when out of the corner of my eye I saw a large form step out of the shadows. With a sigh of relief, I realized that it was Hak. Everything would be all right as long as he was here.

"Come this way please, Lady Lily," he said, then called over his shoulder in a stern voice for Soo-Won to get up and follow as well.

He led us to an adjoining room with a table and chairs. Here all of the windows were open and the fresh scent from the garden wafted in and mixed with the aroma of the freshly baked snacks that had been set out for us. The sight lifted my spirits a bit as we took our seats.

Hak said he had work to do and left us alone in awkward silence. I glanced covertly at my pupil, who was already eagerly heaping a dozen different pastries and tarts onto his plate. Might as well get it over with, I thought to myself.

"Well then," I said with a pained smile, "shall we begin?"

To my great surprise, the next hour was not anything like I anticipated it would be. Soo-Won proved to be an avid listener, and his probing questions sometimes left me wondering who the real student and teacher were. I left with a light heart and a promise to come again tomorrow that I intended to keep.

The lessons were actually enjoyable, and the end of my time here was in sight. The only downside was that once Ayura and Tetora saw how happy I was each day when they came to pick me up, they became convinced that we weren't studying at all. They constantly exchanged meaningful glances and conspiratorial whispers when they thought I wasn't looking. No matter how much I tried to convince them otherwise, they wouldn't listen.

Finally, it was time for our first government meeting since I had begun teaching him. Today was the day that the committee would decide on the food shortage issue. I was both excited and nervous as the gong rang and the meeting commenced. It appeared on the surface as if the outcome was already decided, yet I knew that if all went according to plan, this conference would be anything but predictable. I glanced at Soo-Won's calm exterior and wondered if he was thinking the same thing.

After nearly two hours, the vote was in. Any small voice that may have objected initially had been snuffed out. The officials had determined that no aid would be given to these needy regions, and that the quotas would stay the same. I clenched my jaw and struggled to rein in my anger. The court announcer asked flatly if Soo-Won had anything to say. It was obvious from his tone that he didn't expect an answer and was about to continue when Soo-Won stood abruptly. He grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the side of the room.

"What are you doing?" I hissed. "Do you want everyone to know that you have a sixteen year old girl as your advisor?!"

"It doesn't matter to me," he said in a distressingly nonchalant voice. "I just wanted to make sure that we were still going through with the plan."

I wanted to scream at him making a scene for such a stupid reason, but I merely said evenly, "It is your decision, your majesty."

He looked at me for a minute with an unreadable expression on his face and then said with a nod, "It's decided then."

I sidled over to my seat while Soo-Won stepped forward to face the crowd. "I wish to overrule the vote," he said in what was anything but an authoritative voice, and then added with his trademark smile, "if that's alright."

The reaction was widespread and instantaneous. The announcer was finally forced to hit the gong to quell the excited whispers and murmurs. In a clear voice, the man declared that the vote had been overruled and that they would re-adjourn at a later date to discuss the issue further. And just like that, it was over.

I let out a deep breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding and glanced around the room. Most seemed surprised, of course, but what disturbed me was the anger I sensed from a group of men standing in the corner. It was obvious that they were anything but pleased with Soo-Won's decision. I felt a sudden foreboding as I wondered if Soo-Won would be alright after this. Assassinations in the royal family were not uncommon after all. I had heard from Ayura that Soo-Won originally had three older brothers who should've been king before him, but that they were all killed.

But Soo-Won had Hak and a myriad of other guards at his side, I reminded myself. Besides, just because some men looked displeased didn't mean they were planning to murder him. I determinedly pushed the thought out of my mind. Just then, Soo-Won finished his conversation with two officials and came to escort me out of the hall.

Once we entered the garden and were out of earshot he asked with childlike eagerness, "So? How was I?"

I sighed audibly and rolled my eyes. "You could have sounded a little more convincing," I replied. "And we shouldn't celebrate yet, you know. We still have a lot of work to do."

"That's true, Miss Lily," he said with a twinkle in his eye, "but it's a start. I don't think there's any harm in celebrating tonight. How does dinner sound?"

He hadn't dined with me for over a week, and although I repeatedly told myself that I preferred it that way, I couldn't stop my heart from jumping a bit at his words.

"Fine," I answered, careful not to betray my excitement.

After that, we parted. Soo-Won went inside the palace, while I opted to stay outside for a while longer. It was such a beautiful day out after all. I made my way to my favorite reading spot—a lovely stone pavilion covered in ivy and surrounded by a grove of trees that let just enough sunlight slip through their branches. The palace gardens were one thing that I was definitely going to miss once I left.

Taking a seat, I pulled out one of the books I was reading and soon became so engrossed that I nearly fell off the bench when I heard a strange voice say, "May I sit with you, my dear?"