How To Avoid Doom Flags? : A Guide By Lee Felix

In the blink of an eye, a little over two months passed.

Though Felix's first few days had been rather hectic and filled with action, the actual palace life wasn't as dramatic as he'd first feared.

Everyone he'd met so far had been either nice or reserved, and Felix and Hyunjin mostly kept to themselves on most days. They actually spent most of their time training, with Hyunjin teaching Felix how to wield a sword properly, or they would roam the hallways and gardens alike while discussing various things.

"Don't you have anything to do?" Felix had asked at some point. "Aren't you a Prince or something? Don't you have any duties?"

Hyunjin had simply shrugged, unbothered. "Ever since my brother took the throne, I've been freed of any expectations my title bestowed upon me. As it is, I hold no power whatsoever, and my only potential purpose lays in becoming a bargaining chip with another nation – but my brother would never use me so."

"So you don't do anything? At all?"

"What could I do? I'm not the one who gets to make decisions, and my brother respects my wish of not getting involved into politics. Though I do attend important meetings, it's mostly as a symbol of support."

Felix had found it quite strange, truly. How could a Prince not have any duties? But he'd seen how deeply the King cared for Hyunjin, and if the Prince had expressed a wish to be excused from any political involvement, he doubted King Bang would have had the heart to refuse him.

Felix figured having so much free time on his hands would make it easier to find a way back home but, as it turned out, his duties kept him quite busy. He had to accompany the Prince everywhere, and Hyunjin despised staying in one place for too long, and always sought further entertainment. Outside of their training hours, he'd drag Felix around the palace to share childhood memories with him, or bring him to the kitchens to try some food, or show him around the gardens and passionately tell him everything about every single flower they came across.

(So what if Felix found it incredibly endearing? The Prince, spoiled around the edges as he may be, proved to possess a strikingly sensitive soul, and the way he rambled about the flowers somehow soothed Felix's heart – but that didn't mean anything, okay?)

So, almost all of Felix's time was spent following Hyunjin's every whim. Every few days, though, the Prince would begrudgingly accompany him to visit Jisung. He refused to leave the two alone, but he wasn't starting fights anymore – if anything, he was now making a genuine effort to get along with his fellow Prince, if only for Felix's sake.

As such, the evenings were Felix's only opportunity to actively work on finding a way back. As soon as he'd escorted Hyunjin to the dining hall, he'd head to the library, where Seungmin would already be waiting for him, and the two would pick up their research right where they left off. Jeongin would often join them, bringing food and drinks with him, and Felix found peace in these quieter instances of friendships. Unfortunately, after all this time, he still had yet to find a way home, and he was beginning to seriously worry about how much his presence was affecting the timeline – and today, Hyunjin wasn't making it any easier for him.

"Come on, come on! Hurry up!"

"Hyunjin, what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Felix should have seen it coming, really. He knew Hyunjin had begun growing restless, yet he was still surprised his the sheer stupidity he was displaying, now trying to sneak out of the palace – and drag Felix along for the ride.

"This is a really bad idea," insisted Felix. "There are still assassins after your head—"

Hyunjin scoffed. "I'm a Prince. There will always be people after my head."