Once the afternoon tea with the Queen was over, Chunhwa decided to take a walk around the palace in order to familiarize herself once again with the area. As she, her maid, and the palace servants who were in service to her passed by the throne room, her feet automatically stopped— as if it was glued on the floor.

“My Lady, is there something wrong?” her personal maid asks, looking at her in concern.

Chunhwa took her time answering and continued to stare at the doors that led towards the King’s throne. She turned her head towards her maid, a soft smile adorning her lips.

“Damyi, would you and the palace servants stay here for a while?” she asks— her voice a little louder in order for the other servants to hear her as well.

Damyi bows at her. “Of course, M’lady.”

Chunhwa then turned her head back again towards the doors and she stepped forward, her hands moving on its own accord as she open the doors.

‘I...’

As Chunhwa stepped inside, she took in everything her eyes rested upon. Her eyes travelled from the ceilings, to the pillars, and even to the floors as her feet led her towards the center of the room. Her eyes then travelled upwards the set of stairs and stopped in the empty throne in front of her.

‘...Am in love with the faceless King.’

Memories started to flood her mind— memories of her and a boy named Sam Maekjong, whose face she can’t even remember.

Chunhwa thinks about how she met him when she was just four years old and he was five— an inseparable friendship immediately blossoming towards the two of them. She also became friends with Princess Sookmyung a year later. The three of them acting as if they were like real siblings as the time passes by.

However, a few months later, a taint in their happy friendship of three happened.

Wolseong Palace was under attacked— and Chunhwa witnessed her grandfather took his last breath in her small arms. Suddenly, hands roughly grabbed her little frame, carrying her towards an unknown direction while she trashed uselessly in the stranger’s arms, crying in fear. The stranger however, turned out to be Pa Oh— the King’s right hand commandant.

Pa Oh carried her over a certain room and inside as they enter, they found Queen Ji Soo— one hand tightly gripping a sword pointed towards anyone who would dare enter the room, most especially the assassins, and the other holding her son, keeping him close to her.

Everything went in a blur after that.

The next moment Chunhwa wakes up, she was lying in a futon bed and Sam Maekjong was on the other side of the room sleeping soundly. She sees Pa Oh entering the room with a tray of food for her with a wide grin— two years and a half had already passed.

Three months later during winter, while Chunhwa was playing a snowball fight with Maekjong, her nose started to bleed. All of them paid no mind about the incident and assumed that it was just because of the weather. However, a week after, Chunhwa started coughing blood and couldn’t eat. Pa Oh had immediately sent a letter towards the Palace about the incident asking for help.

Not three days after, Chunhwa finds herself looking back from a small window at her childhood friend and the man whom she saw as a father as they see her off with a solemn expression— their figures getting smaller and smaller as the horse carriage she is riding takes her off to the North.

Chunhwa brings herself back to the present as she continued to look at the empty throne in front of her with a sad expression.

Eight long years had passed since then. Eight long years that seemed like a strange dream but an actual reality. Chunhwa had forgotten almost every memory she had during her childhood except Sam Maekjong— the person who holds the main reason why she came back to Silla.

Sure, she did want to go to the Moon Festival and see how much the capital had changed. Sure, she promised Princess Sookmyung that she will come back to Silla as soon as possible when the Princess informed her through a letter that she is now well and will be going back to the country.

But,

Chunhwa had thought that once she comes back to Silla, Sam Maekjong will also be there to see her arrive. It seemed that she had set her hopes too high only to disappoint herself in the end.

There was no Sam Maekjong, or rather, King Jinheung who was finally sitting on his rightful throne in front of her with a smile on his face. There was only an empty throne with a faceless King who still hasn’t shown up himself to his subjects after all these years with his Queen mother still acting as his Regent.

And what’s ironic is that, Chunhwa had shamefully forgotten what he even looks like. She had shamefully forgotten the face of her first love and yet, she is still in love with him.

A tear trickled down from her eye.

‘However, it’s also ironic that despite being in love with him even until now....’

“My Lady, Princess Sookmyung has arrived!”

Chunhwa hastily wiped away the tear that escaped her eye and made her expression as normal as possible before turning around. The doors open and another young maiden enters.

“Chunhwa eonni.” Princess Sookmyung says with a smile as she walked towards Chunhwa in big steps.

‘I know that he will never be mine.’

“Princess Sookmyung.” Chunhwa smiles back, the two immediately enveloping in a hug.

‘....for he already belongs to someone else.’

“I feel happy.” Princess Sookmyung says as the two of them eat their dinner at the Princess’s quarters.

“And why is that?” Chunhwa muses with a smile before taking a bite of her food.

“Because you are finally here, I have someone to talk to and I have someone to rant to when I feel suffocated here in the palace.” Princess Sookmyung tells her.

“Ah, I see. The reason why you want me back here is just to be your punching bag, is that it?” Chunhwa says in a joking manner and the younger female looks at her with a small pout.

“Yah, it’s not like that! I missed you, you know.” she says childishly, a big contrast to her usual demeanour when facing everyone else except her. Chunhwa was the only person Princess Sookmyung could show her true self to.

“I was just kidding, jeez.” Chunhwa laughs softly, “I missed you too, don’t worry.”

The two stopped talking for a moment to eat their food when Chunhwa suddenly remembers something.

“By the way, I heard from her highness that you went to the Hwarang House a while ago. How was it?” she blinks, asking.

Princess Sookmyung sets down her cup of water and shakes her head with an exasperated expression.

“It’s like a lair of pigs there, those men” she says, and the older female tilts her head in confusion.

“And why is that?”

“You won’t believe how lazy they look. I’m worried of what those Hwarang men will do as future warriors of Silla.”

“However,” Princess Sookmyung adds and Chunhwa leans towards her a little.

“However?”

“There was this one Hwarang who saved me from being bitten by a snake while I was sleeping by the river side.”

“What? You were sleeping by the river side without protection?” Chunhwa almost chokes on nothing after hearing the younger’s words.

“Well, the weather was nice. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” she counters before continuing, “Anyway, when I tried to kill the snake he knocked my sword away and flipped that snake to safety. I asked him why did he do that and he gave this ‘is it the snake’s fault to be born venomous?’ answer and told me to be careful.”

“Wow...that was kind of rude.” Chunhwa blinks. “Although what he did was nice of him.”

“I know...” the Princess sighs, “It was nice...”

Chunhwa observes her with a soft smile, seeing the Princess having that kind of reaction towards a man for the first time.

“So, do you like him?” she cautiously asks and the other whipped her head towards her in alarm.

“No!” she softly says, looking down. “We both know I can’t. I’m already betrothed, you know that.”

Chunhwa makes a small noise of agreement and the topic was put down entirely as they proceeded to finish their dinners.

‘That’s right. It’s not as if we can avoid the destiny that was already written for us.’ she thought sadly.

Author's Note:

A new and longer chapter! : )
Just to give a heads up, here in my story, Sam Maekjong
is older than Chunhwa by a year while Chunhwa is
older than Princess Sookmyung by a year.

Comments and Feedback are appreciated!

- flyingjunmyeons [20170422]