"Now, how is your finger, Seol-ah?" Hae Soo asks her daughter with a soft and caring tone.
"It still hurts," the girl said bravely. Her tears have already dried up and her voice sounds strong, and her hand is caressing the spot where the thorn pierced her skin, "But I can't be mad at the rose, right?"
"Why be mad at the rose, after all?" Soo smiles, and hugs the child, congratulating Seol at the same time that she offers her comfort. Then, with a tender touch, she guides the tiny hands of her daughter to the soft petals, carefully caressing them as she continues, "Look, they're so small and fragile. If the gardeners of the palace didn't come often enough, all the trees and plants and flowers would be in danger. We have to take care of them, instead of bringing them inside and make them starve."
The girl's eyes shine with that last comment from her mother, and she turns her eyes away from the roses, excited.
"Then, can I take care of them?"
The Queen smiles, seeing that any grudge her daughter might still have for the flowers is already gone. And then she replies with the same level of enthusiasm that the girl is showing.
"Of course. You can help your father whenever it's time for him to take care of his private garden," she offers, "Would you like that?"
"I would." Her daughter smiles, prickled finger already forgotten, and Soo takes the moment as an opportunity to teach a valuable lesson to the girl.
"Next time you want something pretty, just ask me, okay? I'll buy you some flowers of paper if you want. But we can't hurt anyone or anything just because we want something from them."
"We protect them." Seol completes her mother's speech, showing that she has learned the lesson properly.
"Yes, we do." Soo squeezes the girl in a tight hug, only letting her go when she squirms away, laughing, "Remember, it's always the small and defenseless things that need protection the most. And if nobody protects them, they learn how to protect themselves."
Seol nods solemnly. She knows her mother is smart and wise, and she wants to be just like her when she grows up, so she always pays attention to what the woman says.
"Now, let's go," Hae Soo says, standing up properly and raising a hand to the girl, her smile shining brighter than the sun, "Your father and your brother are waiting for us."
A\N: And that's it! Hide the Petals is finally over...
I'd like to once again thank you all so much. Thank your for commenting, for favoriting, for the kudos... Thank you for reading! The past couple of years have been sort of tough, and I'm sorry that it took so long to finish such a short story, but I'm glad you all took time to read it! It made my day all the better! :D
Also, I've been sort of working on another SoSoo work... Give me a few weeks before I come back to this couple with a fresh setting!