Xi Chen shook his head. The fond smile on his face was an expression that was only exclusive to big brothers as they watched their younger sibling's antics. Sze Chang, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes off of Ah Lin for another reason.

"Let's go, gentlemen." Ye An said as she entered the chariot, leaving the rest at her heels.

"So, Adlai. I assume that this is your first time here. How do you find the capital?" Ye An asked Prince Adlai once they were all settled in the coach and on their way to explore the capital, starting from the morning market that was located on the east side of the city square.

"Uh, yes. It's a very busy place. And the buildings here are all closely packed, whereas everything is far apart in the North. So, it's slightly cramped compared to what I'm used to but I like how lively it feels." Prince Adlai smiled as Sze Chang translated his answer.

"Yes, I've heard of the vast space in the North. There are a lot of open woods and fields there, isn't it?" Ye An continued asking with Xi Chen and Ah Lin listening in on their conversation with pure intrigue.

"Yes, it's very difficult to hide when you're in the North. But it's good practice for hunting because your prey could see you no matter the direction that you come from." Prince Adlai replied.

Something clicked into place in Ye An's mind when Prince Adlai mentioned hunting. "Hold on. Aren't you the Northerner I met during the Annual Hunt?"

"Yes." Prince Adlai nodded calmly.

Ye An turned to Xi Chen. "Did you know?"

"Yes, you didn't?" Xi Chen raised an eyebrow out of habit but it somehow looked like a challenge to Ye An and managed to make her feel offended.

"I was sick at the time." Ye An tried to play down the sudden embarrassment that she felt before

facing Prince Adlai. "My apologies for not recognizing you, Adlai."

"It's no problem." Prince Adlai replied gracefully.

Ah Lin hid his mischievous snicker by turning his face away from the group and towards the scene outside.

While they were conversing, the chariot had already pulled into the main entrance of the market. This was one of the two morning markets that were run in the capital throughout the year no matter rain or shine. Just like every other market in this city, the stalls were assembled daily before operating hours and taken down afterwards. The morning market on the west side of the city square only sold raw wet ingredients that ranged from vegetables to fishes and meat products; while the morning market on the east side that they had arrived on housed vendors who sold piping hot breakfasts, dry groceries, and other household items.

It was already mid-morning and their senses were instantly bombarded by the sight, smell, and sound when they finally got off the chariot. Vendors were yelling at the top of their lungs to attract customers to their stalls, the smell of the different breakfast items mixed into a harmony of mouth-watering aroma, people dressed in clothes of various colors were wandering the streets lined with equally bright-colored stalls with their menu items and prices written on wooden signs. Most of the stalls were propped on carts with the spokes of the wooden wheel facing the street that was crowded with the market-goers.

"This is the epitome of the capital. Crowded and noisy. I know that you're not used to having people packed up against you but I think that it's something you have to experience when you're already here." Ye An declared to Prince Adlai as she beamed proudly.

"I like it." Prince Adlai replied in the common tongue with his thick accent.

"Oh? Let's go then. One of the stalls here has the most delicious savory green onion pancakes." Ye An stated as she ushered Prince Adlai along without waiting for the rest.

"My lord! It's been too long!" The middle-aged pancake vendor's eyes twinkled when he recognized Ye An.

"Hi, good morning! I've brought some friends with me today." Ye An exclaimed.

"Well, that's rare! I don't think you've brought friends to my stall before! I will do my best to serve the most delicious pancakes for you and your friends then!" The vendor exclaimed while giving them a friendly smile.

"How is His Imperial Majesty so close to a mere pancake vendor?" Ah Lin questioned Xi Chen quietly as they arrived at the stall just a few steps behind the emperor and Prince Adlai with Sze Chang following them.

"S- He likes to sneak out of the palace. And looking at how close he is to the vendor, what he said about sneaking out countless of times before I came to the palace was not a lie." Xi Chen pursed his lips disapprovingly as the memory of that particular conversation resurfaced.

"Ohhh I like him more already." Ah Lin smiled mischievously.

Sze Chang nodded in agreement.

"Oh? You like to get into trouble too?" Ah Lin saw Sze Chang's nod from the periphery of his vision, the mischievous glint still in his eyes.

"I guess I like to think that I have the character for that." Sze Chang smiled good-naturedly.

"It's the thought that counts. So trust me, you're already there if you're thinking about it." Ah Lin said as he hooked an arm around Sze Chang which brought up a blush that was barely evident on the latter's cheeks.

Xi Chen shook his head for what seemed to be the hundredth time since Ah Lin's arrival at the capital as he walked closer to Ye An who was chatting with the vendor.

"Another friend?" The vendor asked when he saw Xi Chen approaching.

Ye An turned to look behind her to see who the vendor was talking about and her eyes met with Xi Chen's before she quickly turned away. "Ah, yes."

"He's a dashing young man." The vendor commented absentmindedly as Xi Chen took his place on the other side of Ye An.

"So how's it going since I was last here?" Ye An changed the subject.

"Oh, nothing much. I come here every day to sell my pancakes and then head home to my lovely wife when I'm done." The vendor smiled adoringly at the mention of his wife.

"Oh, how's Zhi Lian?" Ye An inquired, remembering his wife's name from their previous conversations.

"She's now four months pregnant with our first child!" The vendor replied excitedly as he broke a couple of eggs over the pancakes.

"Goodness! Congratulations!"

"Yes, I need to work harder for my family so that my child could have a better future. Thank heavens that the war was abolished. I don't even want to imagine how my child would have to grow up in a war-torn country if that happened. And since I'm the only able male in our family, I might even be gone for years to fight in the war with the possibility of not making it back to watch my child grow." The vendor said solemnly as he added chopped green onions and flipped the pancakes.

Surprised by the sudden turn of their conversation, Ye An answered stiffly after a slight pause. "Yes, thank heavens, isn't it?"

"My lord, what do you think of the new emperor? He's about your age, isn't it?" The vendor asked suddenly.

Ye An knew that the vendor was just having small talk with them but she couldn't help herself from sweating profusely at the direction of the conversation, even Xi Chen and Prince Adlai who were standing beside her were starting to worry if the emperor's cover had been blown.

But the vendor continued before Ye An answered. "I think he's brilliant. If you can solve a problem without violence, that's the best solution. A lot of people think it's unwise to make an alliance with the North, saying that we'll lose too much."

The vendor folded the pancakes into small quarters before continuing. "Those people are idiots. And most likely consisted of those who are protected by their privilege. They don't know how much we commoners would suffer if a war broke out between us and the North."

The three of them at the stall were sobered by what the vendor told them.

"Here are your pancakes." The vendor handed them five pancakes all wrapped in paper with a jolly smile that was a contrast to his austere expression just a few moments earlier. "You're splitting five pancakes between the three of you? It's quite greasy, isn't it?"

"Oh, no. We have a couple more friends with us." Ye An stated as she paid the vendor and looked around for Ah Lin and Sze Chang. Unable to find them, she naturally turned to ask Xi Chen while handing him and Prince Adlai their pancakes. "Where are they?"

Xi Chen towered over most of the market-goers. He looked up and down the streets in search of both men who were missing from their party and it didn't take long before he found them. Both Ah Lin and Sze Chang were lurking by a stall selling trinkets and toys. "There they are, just a few stalls down."

"Then, I guess that's our cue. See you next time! I hope you stay healthy until then. Say hi to Zhi Lian for me!" Ye An smiled at the vendor before following Xi Chen's lead with Prince Adlai behind her.

While the three of them squeezed past the throng of people to reach the trinket stall, Ah Lin showed an item to Sze Chang among the other customers who were all young children. "No, no. Chang, this is better."

In his hand, Ah Lin held an unsuspecting small cylinder that was hollow from the pile of trinkets on the table. It was woven with shaved dried bamboo strips that were dyed in different colors separated by their crisscross design. Ah Lin placed his index finger into one end of the woven cylinder that fitted snugly before waving the item at Sze Chang. "Here. Put your index finger into the other end."

Curious, Sze Chang did as he was told. And instantly regretted it. His finger seemed to get stuck once it was in the cylinder. He furrowed his eyebrows. "What is this?"

Ah Lin laughed at Sze Chang's reaction and answered jokingly. "You're now trapped by my side. I guess we'll spend the rest of our lives like this."

"What is wrong with you?!" Sze Chang's yell surprised the children who were at the stall. The faint blush on his cheeks slowly returned. He tugged at his finger to get it out but the woven bamboo only tightened at his effort.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ye An suddenly popped out between them with Xi Chen and Prince Adlai flanking behind her.

Sze Chang was shocked at their sudden appearance and pulled his finger away hurriedly. The force of his sudden movement ripped the woven bamboo apart. Both Sze Chang and Ah Lin were shocked at the sudden development. Even the elderly vendor who was watching them bicker amongst the children was surprised.

Ah Lin was the first to recover as he continued to tease Sze Chang. "Chang, see what you've done? Now you've broken Uncle Bai's precious work."

Sze Chang blinked a few times before coming back into his senses and took some coins out from his money pouch. "Uncle Bai, my apologies. Here's the money for the toy."

He then glared at Ah Lin before going his way.

"Wow. Ah Lin. I've never seen Minister Sze glare at anyone." Ye An commented as she took a bite out of her own pancake.

"Ah Lin, I think you need to apologize." Xi Chen added in a severe tone.

"What? But it was a joke. It's not my fault he didn't get-" Ah Lin trailed off as his eyes met with Prince Adlai's unfiltered judgment.

Ah Lin sighed heavily. "Alright. Fine, fine. I'll go chase after him and apologize."

"Ah Lin, wait. Here." Ye An stopped him and handed him two of the steaming savory pancakes in her other hand. "It's for you and Minister Sze. Meet us at the city square in an hour once both of you have reconciled."

"Alright, thanks." Ah Lin said as he rushed off to find Sze Chang.

"So, shall we continue?" Ye An asked Prince Adlai. He nodded as an answer and the three of them continued navigating the crowd.

They stopped by a stationery stall as Prince Adlai seemed to be taken by the paper scroll and the stall's specialty self-inking brush. The brush was slightly thicker than regular brushes. Unlike conventional brushes, the body of this brush was fully hollow with a stopper on one end that could be opened to fill ink. On the brush tip, there was a mechanism that allowed the ink to be discharged to soak the bristles in ink when enough pressure was put on the tip while head of the brush was slanted at an angle.

"I've noticed that you don't have any bodyguards with you, Adlai. Didn't the chieftain leave you anyone? Do you need me to arrange some guards for you?"

Prince Adlai shook his head before writing on the sample paper that was prepared beside the self-inking brush. "It's custom for us to not have our own bodyguards. Even my great-grandfather rarely has one by his side. It's good training to learn how to defend myself if anything happens."

"Should have known that you even know how to write in our language as well." Ye An smiled. "But you're royalty. Shouldn't you have at least one trusted bodyguard? Even Chieftain Burat has one, doesn't he?"

He dipped his brush in fresh ink and wrote beneath the previous paragraph. "It's because I'm royalty that I need to constantly prove that I could defend myself flawlessly. The North has a different political climate. We value the physically strong and respect is given with only that criterion in mind. My great-grandfather had already proven his ability to hold himself during real battles. Therefore, it doesn't matter if he has a bodyguard by his side. I, however, haven't passed the test."

Prince Adlai added. "And it's a hassle to have someone tailing you wherever you go."

"Hear, hear." Ye An agreed as she looked at Xi Chen. Prince Adlai followed her gaze.

"Your Imperial Majesty.." Xi Chen whispered, slightly hurt.

"Alright, alright. Except for you. And if it wasn't for you during the hunt, I probably won't be here." Ye An patted Xi Chen's arm reassuringly, the atmosphere between them was slowly but surely thawing and returning to how it was before.

Prince Adlai held a paper up to Xi Chen. "Lieutenant Yun, are you feeling alright? Why are your ears red?"

Or maybe not.

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