Chapter 15

Too Big for a Home

The depth behind the walls of the Capitol is deeper than ever for which lies the home of the royal family.

The royal palace is the sacred place for the whole kingdom, pure blooded royalty, owners of the whole land after the Great War. Anyone who defies the royal family was branded as tyrant and sentenced to severe punishment that is ten times worse than death.

The royal family was a mystery, all cryptic and full of mysteries especially the daughter of the king, not once she made public appearances.

As Yoona stepped out of the car, a grand royal castle beholds her sight. The castle covering thousands of acres of land in the innermost part of the Capitol is known to be the biggest building and the widest in the whole kingdom, residence to the royals for generations.

Known to be hundred years old that is situated in the center of the kingdom, the castle had over 700 rooms including the main hall, courtyard, maze garden, armory and what not.

Each room decorated and majestically designed to show an immense wealth and status of the royal family. But behind this beautiful facade lies a place where Yoona has never been. Surrounding the palace was a huge land of greenery, tall trees and vast gardens. Yoona missing the beautiful scenery decided to head at the back of the castle missing the garden that she once taken a liking before going to PSA Korea.

She was walking alone keeping her mind occupied at the wonderful sceneries before her.

"Noona!!!!" Someone then shouted her name excitedly.

Yoona looked at the source of the voice and she saw a young boy running into her. She smiled as she crouched down to the boy's level.

"Kyungsan!" She called out as she prepared for the young boy to go into her arms.

"Ugh" Yoona then hugged the boy and carried him.

"Wow, look at you all grown up...And You've become so heavy" she said happily as she lifted the boy up.

"Noona, I miss you" Kyungsan said in his cutest childish voice.

"Ohh, noona misses you too. Are you being a good boy to your mommy and daddy?" She asked the boy.

Kyungsan nodded eagerly as he kissed her favorite noona in the cheek.

The two were playing in the garden when Kyungsan's mom called out to Kyungsan to take his afternoon nap. So Yoona bid goodbye to Kyungsan and promised him that they will play again together as soon as he wakes up.

"You seem livelier than before Yoona" kyungsan's mom noticed as she hugged Yoona, her way of greeting her as they followed Kyungsan in one of the servant's quarters.

"Ne, I've never thought that I would enjoy my stay there. In fact, I made some friends in the academy" Yoona excitedly said as she walked beside Kyungsan's mom. Yoona then talked about everything that had happened in the academy.

Kyungsan's mom was one of the maids in the palace. She was the first person Yoona became so close after her unnie. That was why Yoona decided to go straight to her first.

Yoona and Kyungsan's mom talked for a long time until the sun set.

Yoona looked at the clock and noticed that her unnie might be looking for her, so she bid goodbye to kyungsan's mom.

She walked slowly admiring every surroundings as she passed by the gardens. She is currently at the inner most part of the city where no one is allowed to enter freely, as the place she currently at, is the most heavily guarded place.

Kyungsan's father is the head gardener of the place and it is without a doubt that the garden could be as beautiful that even at the impending night; people could still appreciate its beauty.

Yoona was leaning down as she admired the white rose when someone hugged her behind. She became alarmed but soon relaxes as she heard the person's voice.

"How long are you planning to make me wait?" The voice said sweetly.

Yoona tried to hide her smile.

"Well, I would never have thought that her highness is waiting for a servant like me. I must really special" Yoona said jokingly as she turned around to see her unnie.

Her unnie's long blonde hair flows perfectly as the wind blew behind her. She was just the same height as Yoona maybe a few inches taller with perfect figure and perfect posture.

One glance at her, people will surely think that she was of high status. She looked at Yoona with the same look when Yoona first met her. It was something that Yoona still remember.

She then gets strands of hair from Yoona playfully twirling it to her index finger as she got closer to Yoona. She smiled somehow satisfied with their closeness and she put the hair she was playing to her nose smelling it as she looked Yoona in the eyes.

Yoona just looked at her unnie, suddenly Yuri's face and smile came into her mind. She missed the girl and being apart from her somehow felt uneasy for her. Her unnie saw the change of Yoona's expression and asked her what was wrong.

Yoona just said that she thought of her friends in the PSA Korea and how she missed them. Her unnie then asked Yoona to stop worrying about others and enjoy her vacation with her as almost 8 months had passed since they saw each other.

Her unnie then looked at what Yoona was holding, white rose. She touched Yoona's hand holding the rose and took it to her gently.

"White rose, you really like this kind of flower, I wonder why." Her unnie said admiring the flower touching it so delicately. It is the only white rose flower in the garden.

"It's my favorite flower, I like how pure and untainted it looks. Don't you also think the same unnie?" Yoona innocently asked her.

Her unnie held a small smile and nod a little and said, "but I think no matter how clean and pure this flower is, this flower is bound to be tainted and dirtied because people would always want to destroy things so that they could keep things from themselves"

Yoona did not understand what her unnie was trying to say.

"I think it's time for us to go inside, you must be hungry, Yoon" her unnie said. She held Yoona's hand and they walked beside each other, shoulders bumping now and then, still the rose was in her unnie's hand.

As they enter the main hall, royal guards then bow at them, specifically to her unnie.

"Welcome back Princess Savannah, the king is waiting for you at the dining hall" the captain of the royal guard said still his head low.

"Alright, I'll be there. Yoon, why don't you go to our room and refresh yourself" her unnie said as she turned around to her.

Yoona nodded and Princess Savannah went straightly to the other side of the main hall to go to the dining hall.

Yoona was left with the captain of the royal looking at her. She looked at him too straightly in eye not even afraid of him. The royal guard averted his eyes and somewhat felt uneasy. Yoona tilted her head in wonder.

"Just why is this guy always squirming everytime my gaze landed into him" Yoona thought while observing him. She bowed to him then went upstairs to their room to take a shower.

The captain is already in his 40’s, old enough to be with a family but Yoona wondered why a man like him decided not to marry, Just how loyal he was to sacrifice his family/love for the sake of the royal members.

"Would I be like that too?" Yoona thought thinking of the princess.

"You are for yourself" Yuri’s voice rang in her head.

When Yoona opened the room she was sharing with the princess, the strong smell of rose hit her nose.

She rubbed her nose a bit and proceeded to the closet on the other side of the room. She and the princess share the same room, the same closet, the same bed, and almost share everything.

Yoona was reluctant at first given the fact that her unnie is the princess but since the princess insisted she could not do anything about it.

She entered the bathroom and refreshes herself.

***

Princess Savannah entered the dining hall and sat at the other end of the long table opposite her father.

"You called me, father?" The princess asked in such a monotone that by looking at the two of them seating apart from each other, people could see the strained relationship the king and the princess has.

Princess Savannah's father or people known him as King James, is a very wise and calm man. He is a noble man and stick by the traditions of his family. His tiredness and being worn out is very evident his face. War, rebellion and power hungry people will always come around near him that made him numb and made him apart from her own daughter. He used to be a family man but with the death of his wife, he has been living in the dark and he cannot escape this but death.

The king continued to eat his meat then stopped getting a napkin to wipe the side of his lips.

He looked at her daughter and said, "I heard that Yoona is back from Korea. So, how is she?"

"It seems that you care more about her than me. Should you ask about my condition first since we barely see each other nowadays" Princess Savannah said pretending that the situation does not affect her that much.

She did not join her father in eating as she just sat there eager to end their conversation and go to Yoona.

"Of course, Yoona is the daughter I never have" the king said nonchalantly not minding if he might hurt his daughter's feelings.

Princess Savannah twitched a little and just let out a sarcastic smile, “Are we done here father? Coz, Yoona is waiting for me in our room" she said and stood up turning her back to her father.

"This fantasy of yours will not last long Savannah" the King said warning her daughter.

"Uncle is right, You are too soft that is why mother died" she said.

The king just sighed and continued eating not bothering to stop her daughter from walking away.

"You cannot always have everything you want"

***

Princess Savannah immediately went upstairs to check on Yoona. As she opened their room, she immediately looked for her.

Yoona, wearing a bathrobe, was sitting on the side of the bed drying her wet hair with a towel, not noticing her unnie behind her, had entered the room.

 The princess then walked into their bed and sat on it. Yoona noticing movements wanted to turn around but the princess stopped her and took the towel from Yoona's hand and helped her dry her hair.

Yoona, used to this action, just let her unnie be.

"You smell like strawberry" the princess said.

"I used your shampoo, sorry I forgot to ask for your permission" Yoona said.

The princess laughed, “it’s ok you didn't have to. Didn't I tell you what's mine is yours"

Yoona looked upward looking at the princess face while smiling. The smile is s genuine and when others look at them, people would always think that they are sisters because of their closeness.

The princess then hugged Yoona as they tried to wrestle playfully at each other on the bed. Echos of laughter has filled in the large room.

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves — a special kind of double. ~Toni Morrison

***

Yuri's Pov

Our car has finally stopped after a very long drive to the mansion. I was really glad that father let me and my friends spend our vacation in the house.

"WOW! Are we really going to stay in this place?" Taeyeon said amazed by the large mansion in front of her.

"Wait until you see the inside" Jessica boasted as she took the lead.

Jessica has been in our mansion ever since I was young, so no doubt that she knows every corner and every secret passageway there is in the mansion.

Everyone followed her, as we entered, my parents welcome us.

After giving courtesy to my parents, I led my friends to the respective guestrooms. My mother prepared different rooms for my friends but Sooyoung suggested that all of us should just stay in one room because one room is too big for the seven of us. So, I led them to the end of the hall where the biggest room was located.

Everyone followed me, "hey yul, what's inside that room?"Tiffany asked noticing that it was different from any rooms we have passed. It looked old and unmaintained.

Jessica looked at me waiting for my answer, she too has never entered the said room and I will see to it that no one will.

"It's an old room, we are not allowed to enter it. Come on, these bags are heavy" I said wanting to get away from that room.

"Let me help you with that unn-----" Seohyun then grabbed my bag causing her to touch my hand and I knew she saw something from my memory, something that I wish she did not see.

To be continued.

Chapter 15 is done :D thank you so much for all your comments and for your interest in this story. And I had fun reading your guesses and some of you are right :D hehehe.  What do you think will happen in the next chapter? we are getting closer to discovering what really happened.