(Yeondeok Palace, Songak)

~Woljin's POV~

Today, Chaeryung had come over to Hyunhui Mansion to inform Lady Hyeong that Lady Hae Myunghee was feeling exceptionally well today, so Her Ladyship had decided to invite Hyeong as well as the 13th Prince Baekah — gasp! — over to her residence. Today must be my lucky day!

Eagerly, I helped Hyeong get ready and we proceeded to the residence of the 8th Prince Wook. It really had been a while since we'd visited.

"You seem to be in a good mood today, Woljin," Hyeong said observantly.

"Of course. Lady Hae Myunghee is in a better condition and it means you can visit Her Ladyship more often. Isn't that something to be happy for, my Lady?" I replied smartly.

She giggled. "That's true. But are you sure you aren't this elated because you get to see somebody?"

I tensed up. "Get to see whom, my Lady?"

"Your friend Chaeryung, of course!"

I exhaled in relief. "That's indeed one of the reasons why I'm delighted, my Lady."

Chaeryung brought us into a room where Lady Myunghee and Prince Baekah were already sitting and waiting. Lady Hyeong joined their conversation and while they chatted, Chaeryung and I stood by at the corners. It was likely that Lady Hyeong would be staying for the rest of the afternoon, which meant that I could spend these hours visually appreciating the 13th Prince.

~Baekah's POV~

Myunghee had previously promised me and Hyeong that she'd be our model and let us draw her. Finally, today, we had the chance to do that. I'd been longing for it. Now that it was happening for real, next to reality my dreams just paled in comparison.

Although we had all afternoon, it didn't take me long to finish the drawing. Myunghee had appeared in my thoughts and in my dreams so often that it was easy to draw her even from memory.

As Hyeong was nowhere near finished with hers, I just sat and gazed at Myunghee adoringly. I was content to just be in her company. I could do nothing at all and still have the best time ever, as long as she was with me. I didn't think she even knew that she could make me this happy. If I could tell her just that, if I could make her feel my love, if I could make her as happy as she made me...how wonderful would that be.

"Your Highness, I wonder what you're smiling at," Myunghee piped up, noticing that I was daydreaming.

"I just think it's nice to be able to be here and draw you," I answered merrily.

"I deliberately asked Soo to do my makeup for me before inviting you two to come over," she replied sweetly, "so that you could draw me when I'm looking my best."

I smiled to myself. The beauty I saw in her was not something that Lady Soo could take credit for. It wasn't just her soft hair, or her perfect brows, or the curve of her nose either. Sure, her eyes just drew me in, and the shape of her face, her lips, and all of her features I could gaze at forever and not get bored, but there was so much more. Her kind, calm, and gentle personality was what I loved about her. Nobody else had her sweet disposition, and I didn't want anybody else anyway. It was Myunghee, all of her, that I —

Cough, cough.

I bolted upright and was quick to rise to my feet when Myunghee coughed into her handkerchief. At first I had hoped it was no big deal, but then she began to cough more violently, and I had rushed to her side quicker than her handmaiden could. I saw blood on her handkerchief and I knew that it was bad.

"What's wrong?!" Hyeong gasped, and patted Myunghee's back gently. Another maid brought warm water for Myunghee, but she could barely drink it without choking on it. She was having difficulty breathing now, which made me panic.

"Myunghee, don't be afraid. I'm here," I gulped. I didn't really know what to do except to put on a brave face. She eyed me helplessly and apologetically, clutching the corner of the table with her shaky fingers. I wished I could hold her hand. "Calm down first. Deep breaths. Do it with me," I said collectedly, even though deep inside I was extremely worried.

After a while, it seemed to work, though, as she wasn't coughing up blood anymore, but her breathing wasn't back to normal yet. Her throat and chest must hurt a lot but there wasn't even anything I could do to make her feel better. I had never felt so helpless before. I was crestfallen. How did this happen? She was totally fine just now!

"Prince Baekah, the physicians said Her Ladyship needs bedrest," said one of her maids urgently. I nodded sadly and let them help Myunghee to her bedchambers.

(Hyunhui Mansion, Songak)

~Hyeong's POV~

Both Prince Baekah and I were very worried about Lady Myunghee's condition. Although I went home with Woljin, His Highness insisted on remaining in Yeondeok Palace. Perhaps I was just overanalyzing, but could it be possible that the 13th Prince had a special kind of feelings for Myunghee?

Before dinner, I had a chat with Geolsang. He told me about his day with the 14th Prince Jung and then I told him about what happened with Myunghee today.

"Really? Was the blood bright red and foamy, or dark red and tea-colored?" He inquired.

"Geolsang! That's not the point!" I sighed in exasperation. "What I'm trying to tell you is that we all thought Her Ladyship was recovering but apparently, as I'd just seen with my own eyes, she was worse than before!"

"And I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm asking because the origin of blood can be identified by observing its color. If it's the former, then the blood is coming from the respiratory tract. If it's the latter, then it's from the gastrointestinal tract," he explained calmly and smoothly. "I just thought maybe we ought to understand her illness better."

"Wow," I gaped at him in awe. "How do you even know about all of this?"

"That's not even all that I know. But I'll tell you, it's because when I go to the 14th Prince's residence, from time to time I'd encounter a court physician visiting Prince Jung. He's called Doctor Lee, and he's there to treat His Highness' broken arm," he answered.

"Prince Jung broke his arm?! Again?!" I gasped. "It's only been a few days since I last saw him!" People around me were getting sick and getting injured. We really needed the 12th lunar month to come soon so that we could hold the exorcism rite.

"No, not 'again'. You remember that His Highness broke his arm last year, right? From fighting with strangers on the streets," he replied. I nodded; apparently we should keep it a secret that Prince Jung was picking fights outside the palace. "It's from a year ago, but His Highness got hurt quite badly, so he needs acupuncture treatments as well as medication from time to time."

"His Highness has never told me that…" I said.

"That's because most of the time he can still fight so well and it doesn't much interfere with his daily functioning, but his arm would sporadically ache, so he wants to get to the root of the problem and Doctor Lee has been able to help him with that," he revealed. "And when this doctor comes by, he always brings along with him a stack of books about medicine. When he's treating Prince Jung and I want to take a break from exercising and practicing, I'd glance through those books. I've learnt quite some things from them and I find them interesting."

"Are you sure? I thought you never really liked reading, like me," I replied, but not trying to discourage him.

"I thought so too, but the information is so useful that I was tempted to read on and learn," he explained. "And it made me think that maybe reading isn't so bad after all. It won't be boring if you can find the right topic that interests you."

I nodded and thought to myself that perhaps before returning the books that I had borrowed from the 13th Prince, I should give them another try. I remembered that Lady Myunghee quite liked poems and proses too, which must've been why Her Ladyship and His Highness were so close. I figured that reading was one of the few things that Myunghee could still afford to do, given that she was quite weak already. If I could spend a little time each day on reading, by the time Myunghee recovered, I could visit her again and we could even read together or discuss what we'd read. It sounded like a plan and I was highly motivated right now. Let's see if I would still be just as motivated tomorrow morning.

(Howon Palace, Songak)

~Jung's POV~

I didn't expect to have a visitor after dinner, but it turned out that Lady Hyeong wished to see me, so of course I invited her in. There could be no surprise more pleasant than this.

"Your Highness, I've heard about your arm," she began. "I'm worried and I thought I'd come over and see how you're doing."

"Oh...I can never count on Geolsang ever again," I joked, but my lighthearted attitude was masking part of my concern about what Hyeong would think of me now. It wasn't that I was deliberately keeping this from her. It's just that I didn't want her to see me as weak and unable to protect her if she knew about my arm. It was important that she viewed me as masculine and reliable.

I did actually regret getting into that particular fight. I was a stupid kid at that time and it was a thoughtless thing to do, but I really didn't need Hyeong to see me as the same person I was a year ago. It could ruin my chances of getting to marry her, since it'd be announced within this week who her father Lord An was going to choose for her to marry. I was already lucky that I was one of the candidates, but I was up against my 4th brother So and his connections to the Shinju Kang clan, my 10th brother Eun who was the pride of the Gwangju Kang clan, and my 13th brother Baekah with whom Hyeong had spent today with. Surely Lord An would be taking into account the prospect of gaining ties to other influential aristocratic families through his daughter's marriage.

"Does it still hurt very much, my Prince?" She enquired.

"No, it barely aches," I stated jocundly. "I can even lift heavy weights no problem. Come, I'll show you —"

"There's no need, Prince Jung. I wouldn't want you to have to exert yourself," she smiled and said. "As long as the physician that you're consulting is able to cure you, I'll rest my worries."

I nodded contently. "I'll be fine. I appreciate your concern though."

"Alright then. I guess I'll be going back to my residence now, Your Highness," she replied.

"Or you could stay for a chat, actually," I blurted, subconsciously reaching for the teapot and a cup. If I had poured a cup of tea for her before she could step outside, then she'd be more likely to stay, and I'd love that! "I mean, since you're here anyway, right?"

"Is it not late for you, my Prince?" She asked.

"Never," I grinned. "Say, Hyeong, have you got, like, a resolution now that you've turned 16?"

"Well," she answered after a bit of thought. "I would like to do my best at making my family and my friends happy, and for all of us to stay united no matter what hardships we may encounter. How about you, Prince Jung?"

I smiled. "Now you're inspiring me to strive for that too."

"That's good, then, isn't it?" She beamed. "I think we should all surround ourselves with the people who bring out the best in us."

"Yes. My 10th brother Eun says you should love the one that makes you a better person," I said merrily. I hoped I would be good enough for her to pick me as her betrothed. I couldn't wait for her lord father to make the decision and for the announcement. I was very eager to know if that would be me.

(Rongjang Palace, Songak)

~Eun's POV~

I was so delighted to see that my mother enjoyed Soo's company. But honestly, who wouldn't? Although she and I clashed heavily at first, she turned out to be a lot easier to get along with. I loved being friends with her. It must be because Soo came over that my mother was feeling much better now.

Not long after Soo went back to Wook's place, it was time for me to have dinner as well. Over dinner, my mother asked me how I felt about Hae Soo.

"Naturally I think she's a great person," I said immediately.

"You would think that of someone who beat you up?" My mother arched her eyebrows, but she wasn't challenging me. She was curious.

I giggled. "Well, I punched her too. It wasn't how a lady should have acted toward a Prince, but I didn't behave like a Prince should, either. That makes us even. And you don't know how special that makes her! She's the first ever person to treat me like this. But afterward, she was willing to spend time with me and play with me. She even welcomed me to come over to her place every day. Befriending Hae Soo was the best thing that ever happened to me. And sometimes...I want to hold her hand."

"You like Lady Hae Soo," she concluded.

"I do, very much," I nodded.

"I can see that Her Ladyship has made you a better person," she said proudly.

"And we should love the one who makes us a better person," I replied, smiling.

"She's also from quite a renowned family, so I very much approve of your friendship with her. But perhaps it might not be a good idea for you go beyond being friends with her, in case you will be chosen to be betrothed to Lady Hyeong of the An clan," she advised.

"I've heard. But trust me, Mother. I won't have to marry Lady Hyeong," I said mysteriously and smiled secretively.

Contrarily she frowned. "It's entirely possible, Eun-ah. You and Lady Hyeong are the closest in age. And I know you never really made your acquaintance with Her Ladyship, but you should understand that many couples are practically strangers before they get married," she explained, but I didn't think that my marriage was going to be anything like my parents'. "I don't want you to mistakenly think that it would mean you won't have to marry her."

"It's got nothing to do with that," I shook my head. "The other day, when I was with Hae Soo, she painted my fingernails with snapweed," I said and showed my fingers to my mother. "For so many hours, I couldn't move my fingers and it drove me insane. My fingers were tingling and it felt as if there were insects crawling beneath my nails. But I still sat there patiently like Soo told me to, because I know it'll all be worth it, the numbness and all. You know why that is? It's because she told me that if snapweed still sticks on my nails by the time the first snow falls, my first love will come to me. First love, she said. And I desperately want that to come true. I need to make sure I get to be together with my first love. And I know it will not be the lady from the An clan."

From the look on my mother's face, I didn't think she looked very convinced, but what I wanted was just for my first love to be with me. That wasn't so bad, was it?

Mother nodded anyway. "I see. Whether or not this truly works," she glanced at my fingertips. "I hope your wish will still come true."

"It will, Mother," I said to her most assuredly.

That night, I went to sleep contentedly. It was getting colder and the servants had changed the blankets for thicker ones. This must mean that the first snow was going to come soon. I could barely wait for it. I would make sure that the snapweed doesn't fall off, so that by the time it began to snow, no doubt Hae Soo would come to me, like she said my first love would.

A/n: This is the first time I attempted 5 different character's POVs in one chapter. Was there a particular character's POV in particular that you love reading in? What do y'all think of the chapter on the whole? :D

P.S. It'll be announced in the next chapter who Hyeong is going to marry. And somebody's not gonna be happy about that. Who do you think that'll be, fellow readers? Tell me what you think in the reviews! See ya. :D