~ a lily among thorns~

"it's nothing"

The breakfast hall was bustling with Hwarangs as the ordinary group of roommates settled in their seats at a table. Several days had passed since Nari and Ban-Ryu's eerie discovery, but the uneasiness that infused their minds had not faded even the slightest. What she'd witnessed had stirred Nari. Even though she was a tough young girl who had been through hell and back, what she saw still didn't sit right in her mind. With her appetite gone, she sat drearily in front of her meal, slowly picking at its contents.

"Mouse? What's wrong?" Hansung suddenly asked, noticing the girl's distant aura.

Nari stopped playing with her food, placing the spoon she was using onto the table softly.

"Nothing," she assured, looking up at him with a smile.

The conversations going on around the table slowly faded, and all eyes turned attentive to Mouse. Everyone knew something wasn't right as soon as she had returned to Hwarang House that night. Even Ji-Dwi and Seonu, who weren't aware of her disappearance at first, noticed her usually high spirits dimmed. Yeo-Wool was determined to find out the truth.

"You are obviously lying," he sighed, raising an eyebrow. "What happened that night?"

Nari slowly turned her eyes to Ban-Ryu, and he looked back at her with a troubled expression. They both knew what was being hidden but were unwilling to utter a word.

"I'm being honest with you all," Nari replied wearily. "I've just been extra tired lately, that's all."

"You came back with blood all over you, Mouse," Suho interjected. "Are you sure that was from a nosebleed like you told us?"

Ji-Dwi looked at Mouse with worry after hearing that, curious as to if he had been hurt.

"I swear to you, I ran into a door," Nari laughed quietly, feeling comfort in the fact she didn't have to lie to answer that.

"Why did you even go out then?" Yeo-Wool questioned, still having been given no answers from the youngling.

Nari hesitated in her speech.

"It was because..." she began. "I needed to meet with someone."

The Hwarangs all looked at her suspiciously once again, struggling to believe her. Hansung, obviously seeing Nari was uncomfortable, was quick to change the subject.

"Our performance is tonight! Are you all ready?" he inquired with enthusiasm. "Yeo-Wool and I make a powerful team!"

Yeo-Wool rolled his eyes as Hansung snuggled into his side dreamily.

"I'm really not sure on how to deal with you," he grumbled, pushing off the clingy Hwarang.

The others laughed, but Nari's mind was focused elsewhere.

"The performance is tonight..." she thought, her eyes squinted with concentration. "And the queen will be there. Will the king be there also? What if he shows, but whilst incognito? He could be there all night long, right under my nose without me being aware of it."

Her expression hardened just thinking of that possibility.

"How am I supposed to know?!" she screamed internally, before cooling her inner thoughts. "It's okay Nari. You've trained for this...you're smart and you're brave. You can take him down under any circumstances."

She looked up. The men around her were laughing uncontrollably at each other's antics. Their happiness made Nari's insides twist. Here they were acting as if the world was a place filled with flowers and sunshine, whilst she was chained to a life of tragedy, revenge and mystery. Angry, she shot up from her chair, walking out of the hall. No one noticed; except for one.