"I hope you'll feel comfortable here tonight." The old fisherman said as he showed the two where they were going to stay for the night.

"Yes, this is alright. Thank you so much!" Xia Yu said with gratitude.

"Oh! It's no problem. I should be the one thanking you for giving me the boat. Now, my son can fish on his own."

The two can see how happy the man is. After all, another boat is another income.

"Then, you're very welcome. We are glad that the boat can be of use to you. After all, it won't be of any use to us anymore. Besides, you are helping us as well."

"But still, I'd like to give my thanks. Anyway, I will no longer delay your rest. Have a good night's sleep. We'll leave in the morning after breakfast."

"We understand. Thank you again."

After the two gave a respectful bow, the old man left them. The two went into the room to get a good look at it. The room is very bare. There is only a small table, a closet, and a bed.

"You should use the bathroom first. Here's your change of clothes." Xia Yu spoke first, handing the folded clothes to Miyojin. It was given by the fisherman's wife.

Miyojin replied in agreement and went out of the room. The bathroom was just next door. In just a few moments, he began to indulge in a nice warm bath. He can't help but find this very refreshing.

For once, he is not on a boat or stranded on an island. He only hoped that it would get better from now on. But he also knew that unless they had made it back to the palace, he shouldn't feel complacent. After all, danger still lurks around them.

After patting himself dry, he dressed up with the new clothes that were given to him. It was very simple but comfortable enough to sleep with. Also, these clothes made him look like a real peasant.

He went out of the bathroom only to be slightly surprised by Xia Yu. She was standing outside waiting for him.

"Give me that." She said, indicating the clothes Miyojin took off.

He gave it to her, no questions asked. Then, Xia Yu entered the bathroom. On the other hand, Miyojin went into the bedroom. After hanging his bath towel to dry, his eyes fell on the single bed. One of them has to sleep on the floor. And it shouldn't be Xia Yu. She deserved to have a good long rest after everything.

Miyojin went beside the bed and lay down on the floor. It was cold. He tried to lie on his side so only that small side gets cold. But his next problem is whether he can fall asleep like this.

He rose and looked on the bed. Pulling the blanket out, he spread it on the floor. He took one of the pillows and placed it on the blanket. Then finally, he lay down. With the blanket, the floor became less cold. However, it still isn't comfortable. But for now, that's fine.

He was about to drift into sleep when the door opened.

"What are you doing there on the floor?" Xia Yu asked with evident shock in her face and tone.

"Sleeping..." He answered simply.

Xia Yu now looked confused.

"But why? Why are you sleeping on the floor when there's a bed right beside you?"

"So, you'll sleep on the bed."

Miyojin's answer made Xia Yu raise an eyebrow at him.

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"No, you sleep on the bed."

Miyojin rose from the floor and looked at Xia Yu with resistance.

"But I can't let you sleep on the floor. It's cold here."

But Xia Yu's eyebrow isn't going down. She even inclined her head to the side.

"Who says I'm sleeping on the floor?"

"Then, where will you sleep?"

"On the bed, of course!"

Miyojin is stunned.

"But we had an agreement-"

"I know what I asked of you in the agreement. But that only applies to a normal situation. This isn't a normal situation." Xia Yu said as she gestured at their surroundings.

"Besides..." she continued. "It will be troublesome to explain to them if they found one of us sleeping on the floor. Especially since we told them that we are married."

Xia Yu made some good points with this one. Because of that, Miyojin wordlessly put back his pillow on the bed. He picked up the blanket and dusted it before placing it on the bed.

When he climbed the bed, he scooted to the left leaving the right side vacant. Xia Yu who watched the prince at first began to move. She hung her towel to dry. Then, she too climbed onto the bed. Now, both of them are lying on the bed, not touching, and just staring at the ceiling.

Although this wasn't the first time they slept side by side, Miyojin still felt nervous. During the first time, they were too tired and too sleepy to care about anything else. But now, they are very much aware.

"For someone who always has a bed partner, you look very uncomfortable with this."

Miyojin turned to Xia Yu who was on her side looking at him.

"Well... you're not Lijuan." He replied.

"True. I can't argue with that. But don't worry. I have no intention of stabbing you." Xia Yu said as she yawned and turned away from Miyojin. If only she didn't, she would have seen Miyojin's initial fear on his face.

He wanted to say something but Xia Yu already had her eyes closed. Since she was already on her way to dreamland, he also joined the journey.

It was so dark at first. Then suddenly, Miyojin found himself on a battlefield that was all too familiar. Swords were clanging all around him. Aggressive screams deafening his ears. Bodies are falling one by one. Blood spilled on the wooden floor coating it in red.

"Miyojin! Miyojin!"

The prince turned to the person calling his name. He saw Zhujin right before his eyes battling enemies around him.

"Brother!"

"Miyojin, get out of here!!! The ship is about to explode!"

"No!!! I can't leave you here!"

Then an explosion occurred right where Zhujin was standing. The flames consumed the older prince while the younger prince was hurled away. The impact threw him into the sea.

Surrounded by water, Miyojin tried to swim even though he couldn't. But he only sank deeper. He felt himself drastically losing air. He's going to drown. The sea would be his deathbed.

But then...

"Your Highness... your Highness..." A female voice called.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" The voice said growing louder and louder.

"Miyojin!"

He opened his eyes wide. His heart was beating fast. His whole body is sweating. The first thing he saw was Xia Yu's face etched with worry. He blinked a few times, uncertain if he was seeing reality or dream.

"What happened?" Miyojin finally uttered.

"You were having a nightmare." Xia Yu said as she leaned away, giving him breathing space. Miyojin rose to sit on the bed. He held his chest as he tried to calm down.

"Here."

Xia Yu offered him a cup of water. He took the cup and drank all of its contents. When he calmed down, Xia Yu spoke to him.

"Are you alright now?"

"Ye-yes..."

"Do you think you could still sleep?"

Miyojin paused for a bit. He too is wondering if he could even fall asleep after that. Seeing his hesitation, Xia Yu proposed something else.

"Do you want to talk instead?"

Miyojin looked at Xia Yu and saw genuine concern for him. Is this what his brother was talking about regarding her?

"Yes."

"Okay. Lie down."

Miyojin followed her instructions. As he lay down, Xia Yu followed. But this time, she grabbed Miyojin's hand. She even rested her head on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"Comforting you as I listen to you."

"But why?"

Why is she helping him this much? It confused Miyojin. He knew her as a smart, indifferent, and uncaring woman. Did he misjudge her all this time?

There was a quiet pause before Xia Yu replied.

"They say that if you hold a person's hand, their nightmares disappear. Letting them know that you are here stops the bad thoughts."

Miyojin was surprised but happy, very happy.

"Thank you" is what Miyojin could only utter.

"You're welcome. So... what do you want to talk about?" Xia Yu asked.

What does he want to talk about? The first thing that popped into his head was Zhujin. He didn't want to talk about the nightmare. So instead, he decided to tell her a blissful memory.

"You know... when we were kids, Jinyi and I used to play pranks on Zhujin."

Miyojin happily narrated every prank he could remember. Both of them would laugh at the silly instances of the stories. Needless to say, Miyojin forgot about the nightmare.

They didn't know how long they were talking. All Miyojin remembered right before falling back to sleep was the warmth of Xia Yu's comfort and giggles.