(Hwangju, Goryeo)
~Hae Soo's POV~
It turned out that the 13th Prince Baekah was visiting us for a day, for which King Taejo had given his permission. I was so happy and the 13th Prince couldn't have chosen a better day, as today was a rare warm day in the winter. Perhaps it was going to be a while before it'd snow. We didn't have the astronomer Choi Jimong around anymore, so we couldn't get an accurate weather forecast. I did miss being able to just check the weather forecast for the coming week on my phone.
Since it was warm enough, it was alright for Myunghee to not stay indoors all day. Naturally the four of us took this chance to go outside and take a tour around Hwangju.
On the streets, we passed by an antique shop. Neither the 8th Prince Wook nor myself looked twice at it, but Prince Baekah stopped in his tracks. "This is fascinating!" He commented, looking impressed. "Lady Myunghee, this is the kind of place that you'd like to check out, right?"
Myunghee smiled. "As much as that interests me, my Prince, it's such a fine day outside; it would be a waste to stay indoors. Wouldn't it be better to enjoy the sun?"
We all knew it was an excuse. Baekah was adamant though. "But we won't get the chance to see much of these antiques at Songak. It would truly be a waste if we didn't go in and have a look," he replied. "Or I could go in on my own and the rest of you can take a stroll somewhere else."
Myunghee looked at the 8th Prince naturally as if waiting for him to make the decision, something she was used to doing, but instead he offered, "it's up to you, Myunghee. We'll go wherever you want."
Whenever he showed his gentle side, even if it was to Myunghee and not to me, I'd fall deeper for him. I'd say he was the best thing to ever happen to me ever since I got here.
Myunghee turned to me then, and said, "Soo-ya, I know you're not interested in antiques. I don't want you to be bored. Let's go somewhere you'd rather be."
"No, no, it's alright. I won't be bored as long as I'm with you," I said promptly, even scooting toward the shop as I didn't want Myunghee to think that she was coercing me into accompanying her. I really didn't have a preference.
"Then...perhaps Your Highness could take a look at other shops with Soo in the meantime?" Myunghee suggested to Prince Wook.
His Highness nodded. "We'll come back for you in an hour's time, then."
(Howon Residence, Songak)
~So's POV~
I had the intention of visiting my 14th brother today, so I made my way to his residence, hoping I wouldn't run into anybody unpleasant on the way.
"Jung-ah," I said to my youngest brother, perhaps sounding too cool but there was mirth in my voice, I hoped he could tell. "I haven't congratulated you on your engagement yet. We should drink to that, and here I am," I suggested, showing them the bottles of wine I had brought. "Eun-ah, you're here too. Join us."
Both my 10th and 14th brothers were, as I'd noticed, innocent and uninterested in politics, and weren't snakes like their elder siblings. I was hoping it would do me good to spend a bit of time with them. I could really use some family, real family, real friendship, like what I had with Baekah.
My 10th brother clapped. "I'd love to drink! But oh wait — somebody is underage and can't drink yet!"
Jung protested immediately. "But even the King lets me drink, on special occasions!"
"Well, you said it. It's only on special occasions, and when His Majesty is already drunk," Eun said singsong.
"That's just not fair. One drink won't kill me. And Baekah drinks so much even before he was of age, but you never stopped him, Eun. How's that fair?" Jung grumbled.
I had poured a cup for Jung already. He accepted it slowly but gladly. Who's going to stop us? If they wouldn't tell, then I wouldn't tell either.
"Cheers, brothers," I said. "To our youngest Prince's engagement!"
Merrily, Jung took a sip from his cup and soon choked and coughed loudly. I knew what this must've felt like for him, the burning sensation of the alcohol assaulting his throat. All of us had experienced this at some point and reacted the same way he did. Neither Eun nor I could stop ourselves from laughing; he giggled childishly whereas I kept to a more composed chuckle.
"Oh goodness, So. I've never tried this kind of wine before," he confessed, gulping.
"Of course you haven't. You're a kiddie," Eun said naturally.
"It isn't very popular at Songak, but it is stocked in every household in Shinju," I explained. "Also, Jimong happens to like it."
Jung stuck out his tongue. "Can't relate."
"I heard the rice wine from Hwangju is good. I wanna go there and try," Eun replied.
"Hwangju may be nice, but I'm more interested in Shinju," Jung remarked. "4th brother, will you tell us more about Shinju?"
"Oh, yeah! Is it fun there, So-ya? What games and toys do they have there?" Eun chimed in, in exhilaration. "You must tell me, 4th brother. I want to know!"
I withheld a sigh. Shinju was not fun at all and there was nothing interesting about it. Their ignorance was truly what brought them bliss.
"It's nothing special," I uttered dismissively, giving them a lazy, unenthusiastic shrug, and continued drinking.
"Maybe it's because you're used to it already, but it's new to us," said Jung, who didn't continue drinking.
"Can you bring us there, So? And give us a tour?" Eun requested, as if there was something to look forward to. There was none. He was just full of childhood innocence and hope and liveliness, but I was not. "I can show you around Gwangju in return if you want. It's where my family is from," he offered.
"You haven't been to Chungju before, have you, So-ya?" Jung asked. "I should bring you there some time! It's where our mother's hometown is anyway."
I felt deeply uncomfortable when he mentioned our mother, but I decided to not let it show. "You're forgetting one thing, brothers. We Princes aren't supposed to leave the Palace unless the King decrees that we do. And even if that happens it'd only be because His Majesty has a mission to bestow upon us, or because he is sending us away from Court as punishment. As neither applies to us at the moment, we are to remain in the palace at all times."
What I told them was the truth, but not all of it. I was determined to stay in Songak and fight for my place here. I would never go back to Shinju, no matter what. I would not step outside the palace ever again until I could be a hundred percent sure that my place here was very much secure. I wouldn't be going anywhere, especially not Shinju. I was here to stay, and for that sake, I better be strong, because this place was not for the weak.
(Hwangju, Goryeo)
~Baekah's POV~
There were so many hidden treasures in this store. The condition and variety of the items offered for sale, as well as the attractiveness of the items on display, made for a pleasant shopping experience. I was so glad I could talk Myunghee into checking it out.
"If there's anyone in the world I'd like to go scouring for antiques and perusing the shelves of dusty vintage books with, it'd be you, Prince Baekah," said Myunghee to me. When she grinned, she did look considerably healthier. I earnestly hoped with all my heart that she'd get well soon. The physicians at Songak weren't able to do much for her, but I prayed that the doctors here in Hwangju could help. All I wanted was for her to get better.
"It must be because of how we first met, right?" I asked. Every time I thought of the first time Myunghee and I saw each other, I'd smile to myself and relive that memory all over again. Neither of us had expected to meet, at that time. As it wasn't arranged, I could only believe it was destiny.
At first, it was when my father's emissaries had recovered, from pirates, a collection of Silla antiques. His Majesty then wanted to bestow this upon my mother, since she was a member of the fallen royal dynasty. Once this news had spread, Myunghee heard about it too and she came all the way to Seongmok Palace where my mother and I resided in, just to ask if she could have a look, as she had already taken an interest in antiques at that time. It was these collectibles that brought us together, and then our common passion for music and literature. It wasn't long until I fell for her, even though I knew why she was here at Court in the first place — because she was Wook's wife. The Hae family had helped the Hwangbo clan immensely in regaining royal favor.
Myunghee nodded. "It was just last year, but felt like such a long time ago."
"That's because a lot of things happened in between," I explained. Over the course of a year, Myunghee got married so she had to take up a whole new role, which wasn't helped by her parents' deaths in rapid succession. And then she fell ill, after which her cousin Soo got into an accident and hit her head...if we had to survive in the royal court, we had no other choice than to be strong even when the world around us was crumbling. And that just meant survival. To thrive...that was much more difficult.
"It wasn't like that, back in my hometown," she said ruefully. "Life was so much simpler."
"But once you're in Songak, everything's different. The people you love and the things you hold dear could be lost to you in the blink of an eye," I added.
She shook her head nostalgically. "I don't miss the royal court, really. Except for this one place: the library at your residence. There's no doubt that Seongmok Palace has the best collections. Not even Yeondeok Palace could beat that."
I beamed. "I know, it's the best place in the world," I said proudly. It was pity that my attempt to get Lady An Hyeong interested in poetry had failed. Oh well.
"It's no wonder you're such a bookworm," she smiled too.
"I can literally spend all day reading and drawing. You know I can," I replied breezily. "If you miss my library, I can bring more books to you so you can keep yourself entertained whilst you're staying here in Hwangju. I'll come and visit you whenever I can."
"I would definitely love that. While you're here, you could also spend some time with Soo," she suggested. "The exorcism ceremony is in a couple of days' time. I hope it will go well."
I gave her the reassurance that everything would be fine, deciding to tell her nothing of the rumors we'd been hearing. I was sure Wook knew no less than I did, but he was keeping it from Myunghee and from Soo as well. If I were not a Prince, I would have opted to not be a part of it too. It was better and safer for them to stay out of this. Their priority at the moment should be restoring Myunghee to health so that they could all return to the royal court. Hopefully, it'd be soon, so that they'd be back in time for my 14th brother's wedding.
~Wook's POV~
Soo and I had been pacing the streets laxly, looking at this store and that store depending on what caught her attention. Eventually we found ourselves by a pond. A handful of locals were sitting on the bridge, resting. It was almost noon and the sun was almost as warm as Soo's smiles. We stayed under a tree and I asked her, "How do you like it here in Hwangju?"
"I could definitely use a break from all the tension and drama at Court," she remarked, pretending to wipe the sweat on her forehead with her sleeves. Her every expression was cute and her own. Nobody else would carry the same thoughts as she did, and no one would express themselves the same way she so freely did.
I nodded. "I like it here too. It's noticeably quieter and so much more relaxing."
"Do you miss your family members though, Your Highness?" She inquired. Soo always thought of others before thinking of herself. She was caring and kind and...not that my wife didn't have these qualities but just...I didn't feel for her the way I felt for Soo. It must be her energy, her innocence, her spirit, all of it that made me want to cherish her and love her.
"Some more than others," I answered. "We'll be back in a few months' time. We just need Myunghee to get better. Which she will, I'm sure."
"Even after she's healthy again, I still don't want to go back," she revealed. "I've never really liked living at Court."
"Why?" I enquired. "Won't you miss your friends? Chaeryung, Eun, Jung, Baekah, and Lady An Hyeong."
"I wouldn't mind visiting them from time to time. But I'd really much rather be here, my Prince. It's so much more peaceful, and not at all stressful," she explained.
"I suppose I can ask my father the King to allow us to extend our stay here. There must be some errands I can run for His Majesty even though I'm not readily at Court to serve him," I replied.
"Is it really that important for Your Highness to be in Songak to assist King Taejo with affairs of the state?" She asked, with a slight pout.
I smiled at her. "As long as I'm available whenever His Majesty needs me, it would consolidate my family's place at Court, so that my mother and my sister wouldn't be bullied."
She made a face and narrowed her eyes. "Your mother is already a Queen, and I'm sure no one would dare mess with the formidable Princess Yeonhwa. Your royal sister has proven herself to be someone we do not mess with. There's no worry that she'd be trampled on."
I let out a small laugh as I remembered the time I came upon her dramatically speaking to a tree. I later learned from Myunghee and Baekah that she was imitating Yeonhwa.
"What's so funny, Your Highness?" She asked innocently, but was also eyeing me investigatively.
"Nothing, Soo," I shook my head to stifle a chuckle.
"Huh, that smile…" she mumbled suspiciously. "There must be something my Prince is hiding from me."
"But of course, compared to a more restrictive lifestyle in Songak, it's much more enjoyable and delightful to be here spending time with you," I said cheerily.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, my Prince," she said singsong, whistling and looking around.
"Soo-ya," I said heartily. My tone really drew her attention. "I mean it. I do love being around you."
Tenderly, but not tentatively, I reached for her hand. It wasn't the first time I held her hand, but it was like feeling for the first time how small her hand was and how soft her skin was.
The first time our hands touched, she had locked herself up after getting into the accident that made her lose her memory, and I was trying to get her to stop isolating herself. Once she took my hand, I felt that connection that I hadn't ever made with other people. It wasn't romantic yet, at that time, but it felt special enough to make me consider the possibility that she could be more than just my cousin-in-law. That spark was more significant to me than I could have expected.
The second time was when we had just put Myunghee to sleep and we made sure to keep her warm with a blanket. Atop the covers, our hands touched. It wasn't even intentional, but apparently it had alarmed her so much that she ran out of the room immediately. Was she startled by my feelings for her or by her feelings for me? I knew of her affections, even though she didn't find it appropriate to verbalize how she felt. She could stop herself from telling but not from showing. The same applied to me.
The third time was right here right now. I wondered if she would withdraw her hand from mine and ask me to refrain from physical contact with her unless it was absolutely necessary. The more we wanted to get close, the more we had to avoid it, and that was a kind of agony that words could not describe. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but I just...I just had to do something that could express my love for her.
"Your Highness," she said pleadingly. "I can't do this," she uttered. "Your affections are not unrequited. You know that I care for you. But I can't give this a chance. I won't do anything that would hurt Myunghee. I can't bring myself to do that to my cousin, and I can't bear to watch you hurt her either."
She didn't retract her hand from mine, and I realized perhaps that was even worse than if she did, because I got what she meant. She needed me to learn to be able to let go, for now. I had to be the one to hold back and pull back from her.
Slowly, I did.
A/n: Review, please? ;D