Chapter 10: Where art thou my heart lay for friendship is the open door?

Days passed on ordinarily, and a week and half flew, too quiet and not so extreme, just some usual duties here and there. Although the coronation of handing down the throne to the next generation had yet postponed until the war of nations ended, the future rulers were always coordinated and lead to learn their fundamentals frequently when they had time.

“I’ll have his head off,” Changmin grumbled, Yoona rolling her eyes at the silence-breaker. Seated just the two of them inside the library of the palace, the two were waiting for nearly two hours for their tutor to enter through those doors, walk in with old boring etiquettes for monarchs, and a bunch of other mathematics Yoona would sleep through every class.

Changmin, his head propped by a finger at his temple, legs crossed and mind practically jaded, sighed heavily. “For crying out loud, we can’t wait for the Pleistocene era to occur again, my goodness! It’s the 17th Century, we have clocks and watches now, don’t we?”

Yoona groaned, getting up. “Why so impatient? That means we don’t have classes this morning. Shall we go out now?”

“Yah! You stay,” he pulled her arm when she stood, grabbing her back to her chair as he on the other hand went to the other side of the room, hastily pulling out some books like the mad man Yoona had never seen him to be.

“Oi!”

Changmin took about five large books; excitement almost if Yoona was not mistaken, was seen written on his face. He wobbled towards her, as she a bit worried he would hurt himself, helped in laying them out. One was geography, another history, two were some philosophical politics, one was purely Mathematics and the other was Anatomy science. He let out a short chuckle, waiting for Yoona to say something.

“We’re going to read without the tutor?” she made a guess after seconds of completely stillness.

“He is not our King, so why not?” he smirked, taking out a personal favorite of his from the five. “We can read separately in our rooms. I mean, I bet he won’t be coming now anyway. At least, if he ever quizzes us tomorrow, we’ll be ready for him, right?”

“Right,” she grinned, though she found it rather funny of an idea to be studying independently, rather than doing it together. “But...how can you be sure he’s going to take up these topics today?”

“Well, he said so yesterday,” Changmin replied, opening the history book. “Or we could quiz each other on this once we’re done reading. I’ll get a head start with Chapter 6 of this History book while you read Machiavelli. How about it?”

Picking up politics, she looked at her prince walking away again. “Shouldn’t we stay here instead?”

“Upon contrary belief, I’m always not in the mood to study when I’m in the library,” he responded, waving without looking back as he exited the place. “I’ll be back in an hour to quiz you while you can also give me one on the dynasties of Korea, understand Yoona?”

She grimaced and flopped back to her seat, opening the book that contained some important understandings about politics and its philosophical characteristics. Machiavelli, eh? Yoona scanned the pages of the book, reading portions of the man’s life and works dedicated to the art of ruling.

It was entitled The Prince, which was one of his well-known literary works. He wrote, as now Yoona read on, to achieve his status back in the Florence Republic, even under the rule of the Medici clan. But before she could reach the end of his life story, someone was seated in front of her, giving her that little startle.

“Gah!” She shrieked, putting the book on the table and her hand wisped in the air playfully almost in attack against him. “Don’t...scare me like that.” She smiled afterwards.

He too looked apologetic, lowering his head down in grace. “Sorry, your majesty. I was by the astronomy section, reading a good book on the floor when I heard the door slam shut. I thought I saw Prince Changmin and then I followed but later on, found you here all alone.”

“Your first time here in the library, correct Kibum?” Her voice was a lot calmer than earlier but the man seemed still a bit frightened.

He nodded attentively like a small boy. “Yes, your majesty.”

“We have our classes here every now and then,” Yoona told him. “What were you doing here?”

“Reading up on the stars and a small bit about the universe, I thought I could start there,” he gazed at the book settled between the two of them, eyeing it curiously. “Machiavelli? You shouldn’t be reading on him, your highness if it’s on the basis of governing Sangdokchi.”

Yoona frowned, hastily shoving it to the side. “I know right? Who needs to read these? I mean, they’re not even worth the time. I should be doing archery with Seohyun or even reading better books like Shakespeare. I should be riding Sunmi or even playing around in the throne room. This is tiresome , being a princess I mean...”

The way she talked senselessly, her eyes batting and widening every now and then, Kibum couldn’t help but laugh at her words, amazed still at how as she seemed to be not as careful as Krystal or as charming in etiquette like Seohyun. With his reaction, she stopped talking, thinking to herself if she said something funny, selfish, or rather offensive. Seohyun had told her to be very chary in talking; that was why her younger sister barely talked because of judgment. Was Kibum chuckling at her ignorance? Or was it the way she pronounced her t and s? Was it out of mockery even?

Ceasing finally, he looked at her again in sorry. “I’m sorry, your majesty. I just found it amusing hearing you talk like that.”

Yoona smiled. “It is forbidden but...I like forbidden things, to begin with. And besides, tell me how one cannot curse ever in his entire life.”

“Indeed,” Kibum agreed. “Suppose reading Machiavelli is also your idea of forbidden, your majesty?”

The princess looked at him in shock, somewhat in confusion. “What do you mean forbidden? How can he be forbidden?”

Kibum, unfazed with his thoughts and facial expressions, turned to her and took the book, started browsing from page to page, Yoona waiting for a complete answer.

He sighed and threw yet again one of those enigmatic smiles. “Have you never heard of him...ever in your entire princess life?”

Weakly, she shook her head, embarrassed that she had missed reading this particular philosopher. “What about him?”

“He was termed the devil,” Kibum stated, trying to recall. “Because he’s demon-like ideas about ruling. The Prince was written for Lorenzo Medici, in hopes to teach him how to govern Florence. But Lorenzo did not even dare read it. He says that a ruler must be like a lion and a fox: equally having the traits of both. The ruler must be bold and courageous and feared by all like the lion but he must also be as cunning and as smart as a fox.”

“How can he be forbidden to read?” Yoona questioned again, feeling unanswered still.

“Because he’s not really an option for rulers such as yourself, your majesty,” Kibum responded. “What I’m trying to say is that when he said ‘the end justifies the means’, Machiavelli was implying that you can do whatever you may to your people, be it bad or good, just so you can achieve the goal, that also be bad or good.”

“The end justifies the means,” Yoona repeated, thinking critically. “And then this is a suggested reading?”

He shrugged. “Well, it’s not all bad, I guess.”

Yoona looked at him in wonder. “What is your stand about Machiavelli’s thoughts?”

Kibum sighed, grinning at her in delight as though pleased that she asked him that. “You’re very good at exposing people’s hidden truths.”

She acknowledged that with a smile. “Byungmi princesses are good at it. Now tell me what do you think of him?”

“I think he’s smart,” Kibum answered sharply, almost instantly. “Politically speaking, he’s being practical, and his practical means are compelling enough, if not demonic, but yes have some truth in it. It can and may apply to the current situation of the nations, the division of Korea and its nations. Because of the current King in Dongsook, Korea falls into a trench of disputes. Calling that into action, maybe if we think like Machiavelli, we can assume that it might be for the goal of something, and that something could also be the best of all. That is why I think Machiavelli is forbidden for you but I find him one of the most interesting philosophers out there that marked the world.”

“Would you think it’s best to be like Machiavelli, since you’re only doing what is right for the people, even if you have to in a lot of bad ways? There are a lot of ways to kill the cat, quoted then.”

“To me Machiavelli is a genius,” Kibum beamed. “Just saying that it could possibly be that way. I’m showing you Machiavelli’s application to real situations.”

“Machiavelli sounds pleasing too,” Yoona remarked. “I like him.”

“You like forbidden things, your majesty so I wouldn’t have doubted you’d love Machiavelli too,” Kibum told her happily. “Only a few authors and people accept his ideas since society contradicts his thoughts about the end justifying all possible attempts at a goal.”

Yoona chuckled. “I bet he is one of the guys the tutor will label as ‘not to believe when ruling’. Damn, that would be too bad. I think he’s brilliant.”

Kibum smirked. “Quite a person, your majesty.”

“You can call me Yoona if you want, Kibum,” she stated openly before turning, getting up and going to the shelves one by one to return the all of the four books. Jumping off from his seat and looking at pity at the princess, he approached her, taking the two books out of her hands and carried it himself with a smile.

“I don’t feel like calling you Yoona yet, your majesty.”

She smiled at him with a swift wink. “Please, you think I’d call you Prince Kibum all the time? That is a mouthful. So, I dare you to call me Yoona since I only call you Kibum.”

“Your majesty, I am 9 months and six days older than you,” Kibum told her, surprising the girl and making her giggle out of nowhere.