Chapter 5: Then It Hit Me

I could feel the frustration, the tension, and the anger pump through my muscles as the sweat dangled off of the tip of my nose. My lungs burned, but I continued as hard and as fast as I could, throwing punches and kicks in every which way.

He dodged them, blocked them and tried to counter me with every chance he got. The instructor was watching from the sidelines and I could tell that he was on edge in case someone got hurt, especially since the both of us were fighting so intensely.

With one final grip, twist, pull and flip, a thud was heard and Leo was on the ground, defenseless.

He put his hands up in surrender, and we both smiled at each other in amusement, both of us panting for breath. I held a hand out to him, and he took it as I pulled him up to stand.

The instructor clapped loudly, the sound echoing through the studio as he sauntered over to us.

“Wow. That was brilliant.” His hands were still clapping. “You guys are a good match. It’s nice to have someone who can actually challenge Leo for once. I have to say, Your Highness, you’ve really impressed me with your ability. It’s hard to find people who are willing to take on such a fierce fighter like Leo, here.”

Leo and I smiled at each other.

“Thank you.” I bowed. “And please, just call me Taeyeon.”

He chuckled. “Why of course, Taeyeon.” He handed the both of us a towel and a bottle of water. “Go take a break, you two have earned it after all the hard work you’ve done today. Great job.”

We thanked him and bowed respectfully before pulling off our helmets, and other pieces of protective clothing we had used. We went outside of the studio to cool off, both of us still breathing hard.

I took a swig of my water, letting it run down my throat swiftly before leaning back on the wall. I sat down on the ground, Leo following quickly behind.

I wiped my face with the towel I had been given, trying to calm my rapid breathing. My skin and muscles felt like they were burning, but I liked it in a strange way. It made me want to work harder.

“You’re really good.” Leo praised with a smile, nodding as he downed another gulp of water.

Hwang Leo was the youngest member of the immediate royal family. He was a quiet boy, but also very easy and pleasant to talk to, unlike his sister who hadn’t even acknowledged me properly for the whole month I had been here.

I had become closer to Leo. He was, really, my only friend. We shared a common passion and interest for martial arts, and that’s how we became to bond so quickly. I kind of looked at him like a little brother.

“You too. And you’re so young.”

He smiled again and looked away, his eyes tracing over the shape of the palace grounds and the workers and servants that could be seen pottering about here and there. And it was then that I realized how busy everything seemed here. A year ago there’d be moments that would feel as if everything was in a standstill. But now, there was always something to do, to say. There was never a moment of pure, peaceful silence anymore. I missed it.

“So…how are things going with my sister?” Leo asked, out of the blue.

I scoffed a little. “Things…aren’t really going anywhere. I haven’t really spoken to her at all. So…I don’t really know.”

Leo hummed thoughtfully, tilted his head up to the sky a little. “Well…I think…that…” Leo was the type of person that if he didn’t have anything to say, he’d simply stay silent. But when he did have something to say, he would say it, but he was always very tactful with the way he spoke. “…You should try and spend time with her.” He said, finally.

“Yeah…but how? It seems like she hates my guts. I seriously doubt she’d want to hang out with me.” I sighed, the weight pressing down on my shoulders again.

“Well, it seems to me that you guys are getting married in about four months, and neither of you have made a real effort to get closer to each other. You guys are, really, going to have to spend the rest of your lives together, whether you get along or not. So…why not try and make it easier for the both of you and get closer?”

I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth in thought and realized that I hadn’t really thought about it that way. I was too focused on my family.

“You’re right…but I don’t even know what she’s into or what she likes.” I reasoned.

He shrugs. “To be honest, I’m not really that close with my sisters either, so I can’t really help you there.” He looks down and checks the time on his watch and sighs. “I need to go. I have a music lesson in thirty minutes.” He stands up, brushes the dirt off his shorts and looks down at me. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll think of something. I’ll see you later.”

He left and went back into the main house. I watched after his silhouette, as it got smaller, and thought about what I was supposed to do.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out to see a picture of Hayeon flashing on the screen, she had sent me a text message, but that’s when the perfect idea hit me.

* * *

Deep breaths as I lifted my hand to the door and knocked quickly. I waited. No answer. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, thinking through what to say one last time.

With one more puff of air, I placed my hand on the door handle and pushed the door open slightly, poking my head through the gap.

It was empty. She must’ve been on the second floor then.

I entered the pink-coloured room, carefully