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The Doctors DaughterJinhee let out a happy sigh as she sunk a little further into the calming hot springs. This was exactly what she needed on her sore limbs from the long carriage ride. She looked into the evening sky and the warm colours made her think of Jongin and she wondered if he was enjoying it as much as herself. The sound of someone else entering the water shook her from her thoughts and Jinhee quickly covered her chest with a towel that was sitting near by and turned away from the person. She gave a quick glance over her shoulder and saw princess Heiryung in the hot springs with her.
"Y-Your majesty." Jinhee felt extremely ashamed of her childish boy next to Heiryung who looked like a goddess with and without clothes. Despite Jinhee's nerves, Heiryung threw her arms over the edge of the spring and let herself melt into the hot waters.
"Calm down, we're related now. No shame." Heiryung dipped under the water and came back up, her black hair slicked back which allowed her beautiful face to be seen more clearly. "I never had a sister so I want to experience it all with you. Bathing together, doing each others hair and sharing secrets." Heiryung looked over her shoulder at her personal servant that stood with her back turned to the two women. Jinhee was still shy but was relaxing around Heiryung who had a confident aura around herself that Jinhee had never noticed before. It was as if she didn't have to pretend to be the perfect daughter anymore and she could let herself open up like a rare flower in the suns fiery sky.
"I just want you to know I care for my husband very much." Heiryung started speaking but wasn't looking at Jinhee. She had so much built up that her words weren't for Jinhee, they were for the heavens to hear her thoughts. "Do you love Jongin?"
"He is my husband." Jinhee replied and Heiryung scoffed and looked at the younger woman who didn't seem to understand her words.
"I mean do you love Jongin as a man? Do you ever find yourself wondering, what life would be if you were born a man and could be with a woman?" Heiryung's question hung in the air and Jinhee felt as if she had taken a dip into the ice cold ocean. Heiryung could tell what her answer would be and let out a heavy sigh and nodded her head. "Many days I wish I were born a man, that way I would be the first one in line to take over the throne. That way I could also be with the person I care for the most." Heiryung looked over and saw her servant Joohyun staring back at her. Although their eyes only met for a moment it sparked a fire in the air which even Jinhee could feel.
"Your majesty, you shouldn't talk of such things." Jinhee stepped out of the hot springs, tightly holding the towel to her body as two servants came and wrapped her in a fine robe but before they could usher her away, Heiryung held her hand up to halt them.
"What I am trying to tell you Jinhee is that if you ever truly love someone, never let them out of your sights." Heiryung and Jinhee shared a moment and the younger woman felt as if she were having a true conversation with her sister but she knew that with everything she implied that Heiryung could get into serious trouble as it was against the law for two people of the same gender to have a relationship. Jinhee walked away, eyeing Joohyun who couldn't bring herself to look away from the floor as a tear rolled down her cheek. Although Jinhee didn't approve of their relationship, she could sympathize with their heart ache and what it must be like to love someone but never be able to truly be with them. She got dressed and decided to walk around the grounds instead of just being cooped in her bedroom.
So many thoughts filled her head that Jinhee wasn't appreciating the beauty that was around her. Eventually she found herself in the back of the home and saw Jongin and her brother-in-law, sparring a few yard away from her. She watched carefully as Jongin danced around, expertly wielding the wooden sword that clashed with the other. The older man was clearly struggling but Jongin didn't lessen his attacks and landed a few solid jabs into the mans chest and back which would surely leave him with bruises. Instead of thinking of his injuries, all she could think about was if he knew about his wife's true feelings and how she would feel is Jongin cared for another.
She tried to tell herself that it wouldn't matter since it was a loveless marriage to begin with, but she was growing fond of the temperamental child that she wanted to be selfish with him for a little bit longer. Jongin noticed Jinhee standing off in the distance and it was that brief moment of distraction that his brother-in-law smacked Jongin hard against the back, forcing the young man to stumble. Jinhee audibly gasped as it pained her to see him get hit like that. Jongin quickly composed himself but Jinhee felt the need to grab a sword of her own and smack the old man the same way she smacked her husband.
"Don't pay attention to your pretty wife, that's how many more men before you died." The man wounded Jongin's ego which set off his temper and for the first time, Jinhee saw him get truly get angry. He used all of his strength and bashed his wooden sword against the others which shocked the older man and made him stumble backwards. Finally with one final hit, the man fell onto the ground and the sword skidded across the dirt a few feet away from them. Jongin held the tip of the sword to his throat hard enough that if it were real he would have drawn blood for sure.
"My wife is never a distraction, don't belittle her like that." Jongin spat out through gritted teeth before dropping the sword and walking towards Jinhee who seemed glad that he wasn't badly hurt.
"Are you okay?" Jinhee softly asked, reaching out her hand to touch where she had seen him get hit but he just smacked her hand away and glared at her.
"Don't make me look weak in front of others. I am a prince, not some simpleton." Jongin walked away as a dark cloud covered the setting sun. A storm brewed in the distance and the servants suggested that Jinhee make her way inside for dinner which was going to be ready shortly. The meal was awkward as Heiryung went back to her bubbly self and she tried to hold a conversation with everyone but they were all in a bad mood for different reasons. The storm outside had grown closer and rain was falling heavier by the moment. The servants were all sent out to secure everything before the storm washed it all away. Heiryung warned that although the land was more beautiful than the palace, the storms were much more fierce. The newly wed couple made their way to their room which was set up almost exactly like Jongin's back at the palace except for the armor room which had been made into Jinhee's sleeping area.
"Good nig-" Jinhee tried to say to Jongin but he went to his side of the room and closed the sliding door with enough force to startle her. She felt her bottom lip quiver but she refused to cry over a simple fight. Instead she changed into her night robes and blew out the candles and laid in her bed. The storm grew stronger and stronger until Jinhee believed that the wall was going to collapse onto of her. The window burst open and Jinhee let out a loud screech as she hopped away from it. Rain poured in and a strong wind blew through the room, knocking things over and whipping her loose hair around her face.
The door flung open the Jongin was standing there with a concerned look on his face. He rushed over and tried to close the shutters but the storm grew and grew around them so he pushed the wardrobe in front of it but the violent whistling made Jinhee cover her ears in fear. Jongin scooped her up into his arms and half carried her to his side of the room and made sure his door and window were secure. Jinhee was crying softly, mostly from the shock. Jongin placed her on his bed and grabbed a dry cloth to try and dry off the water from her face.
"Are you hurt? Did anything hit you?" Jongin's words were so rushed together that Jinhee could barely understand him.
"It scared me." Jinhee said and covered her face from embarrassment and Jongin chuckled.
"Do you want to sleep back there?" He asked and Jinhee looked up at him with large scared eyes and desperately grabbed onto his robes and clung against his tightly.
"No." She didn't want to admit it but she felt a little safer with Jongin than with the storm outside. He knocked his knuckle against her forehead and laid down in bed with Jinhee nervously laying in the bed with her but as far away as she possibly could without falling out. Jinhee smirked as she realized that he was worried about her safety just as she had been worried about him earlier in the day. He was too proud to admit he was hurt but Jinhee wasn't going to push him away when he was being so kind with her. With a large crash of lightning, she yelped and began shivering like a leaf. Jongin rolled his eyes at his stubborn wife and grabbed a hold of her then pulled her tight against his body with her head resting on his shoulder.
"The storm wouldn't dare mess with a prince, you're safe." With those words Jinhee relaxed against his naturally warm body and as she listened to his heart beat she couldn't hear the howling outside anymore. Although Jongin tried his hardest to be calm for his frightened wife he found it difficult to fall back asleep but was pleasantly surprised when he heard Jinhee's soft snoring.
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