Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The marketplace shimmered beneath the late afternoon light, all warm gold and dusty murmurs. Na-ra moved quietly through the bustle, her steps slow, her gaze flicking over the chatter of vendors and the rustle of robes brushing past one another. Wrapped in the plain attire of a Songrim servant, she vanished seamlessly into the crowd—no curious eyes lingered, no names were called.
To the world, she was no more than another hand from a great place. And that suited her just fine.
Only two had seen her for who she was: Jang Uk and Mu-deok.
Uk had looked surprised at first—of course he did. Her being there was nothing short of reckless. But once the initial shock faded, something else glinted faintly behind his eyes. Not anger. Not entirely. It was closer to pride, even if it came wrapped in disbelief.
She had asked him, softly, if he was alright. And in return, he gave her that too-big smile he wore whenever he wanted to convince others that pain didn't live in his bones. But Na-ra had known him since birth. She knew how to see beneath the surface. That smile was armor—nothing more.
She had wanted to stay longer. Just a few more minutes. But Uk, ever the protective older twin, had scolded her gently to return before anyone could catch wind of her absence. There was a firmness in his tone, but behind it, the faint tremble of gratitude.
So she had left, reluctantly, her steps dragging just a little.
Now, as she walked through the stalls and the scattered clatter of pots and coins, she let herself breathe again. For a moment, she wasn't a noble daughter, a newly appointed mage, or a rulebreaker on borrowed time. For a moment, she was just Na-ra—anonymous, unburdened, passing through the world unseen.
But the market winds had a habit of stirring things that didn't like to stay buried.
And she had no idea whose path hers was about to cross next.
She moved through the outer edge of the market with ease now. There was a strange calm in not being watched. No curious glances, no whispers trailing behind her. For once, her presence didn't stir anything. She could almost forget who she was.
That was, until the trouble began—right on cue.
A few feet ahead, a man staggered forward beneath a tottering pile of crates and cloth-wrapped bundles. His arms bent awkwardly beneath the weight, chin tucked, face hidden entirely behind what he carried. He didn't see the woman standing squarely in his path.
Na-ra saw everything.
The stranger had no clue what was coming. The man barreled forward blindly, one more step and those crates would come crashing down onto her—no time for warning, no time for logic.
