[-]

  "Da-" Jiyong called out immediately as Dara hurried out to watch over an escaping Doodoong. The sun's almost setting. He thought, frowning.

  "Help me. Help my sister." The Princess of Pyul croaked out, and the Ice Lord finally turned his worried laced eyes on her.

  Her sister? Princess Yuka? 

  Kiko sat down by the porch, her pale hands grasping the cup of tea that the Ice Lord had offered her in hopes of calming her nerves. Her eyes were down-casted, lingering on the little puff of steam that the tea was emitting. Although anxious to go out and find Dara, Jiyong didn't press her. He merely sat down beside her and waited for her to talk.

  "Yuka is only 19. She can't be engaged to....that person." Kiko said finally, turning her distressed gaze to Jiyong. 

  Right, who would like to know that their baby sister is married to Kim Taeil.

  "When I heard from my mother that we didn't have to get married afterall, I was glad. I knew the one you are in love with is Miss Dara." Kiko said, and Jiyong kept his silence. "But I didn't knew that Yuka has to replace me!" She went on, throughly absorbed in her own horror. "Yuka... she's so young, so little, so beautiful, so fragile. She's everything to me..."

  Jiyong listened and realised that's the reason why the elder Pyul Princess had been so calm and uncomplaining of their entire engagement to the extend of sounding and seeming like she didn't really care even. Despite remembering how he felt weirded out by her aloofness and eccentric interest to plants and animals, the Ice Lord felt a mingle of pity for her. 

  Watching her talk about Yuka reminds him of Seunghyun hyung. He would've been like her if he's still around, wouldn't he?

  "I've heard rumours about the new King." Princess Kiko said after a while. "That he's the one who killed the former Crown Prince in order to take the position for himself."

  Jiyong's face darkened.

  "How can I give Yuka away to a man like that?" Kiko breathed out in despair. 

  "Taeil is the King now. There's nothing I can do." Jiyong said heavily. 

  There's nothing he can do unless the Pyul Queen extracts the engagement herself.

  "Mother won't listen to me..." Princess Kiko added in a whisper, as if she had heard the Ice Lord's thoughts. "Unless-unless you speak to her!" She remarked, setting the cup down to grab Jiyong's hand. "Please, she had always admired your capabilities!"

  "I-"

  "Please, speak to her secretly- privately- not as a Dal representative. The Dal palace doesn't have to know you visited. I'll ensure that." She went on rapidly, but the young general still looked hesitant. "Please." She begged.

  "I can't gurantee she'll listen..." The Ice Lord sighed finally. He didn't even see the Queen before. Hell, he hasn't even been to Pyul before.

  But that seems to be enough for the worried elder sister as she let out a soft cry of relief before throwing her arms around his neck, startling him, who decided that he should probably remain frozen in place when he heard something from the princess that sounded like a sob. 

  "Thank you." The princess said sincerely, and the Ice Lord nodded awkwardly.

  The sun is setting, he thought as the sky became stained with a violent shade of red. Is Dara back yet?
 

  He got his answer when his eyes fell on the gate, where a slightly stunned Dara stood carrying Doodoong in her arms.

  [-]

  "Have the Royal Physician killed tomorrow. Remember, it must be made to look like an accident."

  "I'm sure that wouldn't be necessary, mother- I mean- I'm already King."

  "Don't you want to keep you throne?" A face emerged from darkness hissed. 

  Under the eerie, orange glow, a woman and her son stood, concealed behind the layers of walls in the deep heart of the royal chambers.

  The King hesitated, his hands knitting tightly together. This is a sight no one should ever see of him, but she is different. She is his mother. Even though she threw his nervous state a cold, mocking glance, even though there wouldn't be a single word of comfort or reassurance that she will grant him, she is his mother after all.

  The only one that Taeil knows how to love.

  "What if this is all a mistake....."  Taeil said quietly, his previous demeanor at the funeral all gone. "I lost my mind- I didn't mean to-"

  "Hush." Lady Kim snapped sharply, "Do not mention about it. What's important now is that you are King." She whispered, stepping up to straighten his son's collar. Her hands felt warm, but her eyes were contrary to that. 

  "What about the statue? It's still here- what if the servants find it? How am I supposed to sneak it out of the palace..." Taeil began rambling on again.

  "I'll get rid of it." The new Queen Dowager answered, shutting up the King immediately. She sighed at the troubled look on her son's face. "You'll be a great King, Taeil. I'll be right here, helping you." Lady Kim gave a small pressed smile. 

  Her son searched her eyes, and nodded hesitantly.

[Dara]

  Okay.... Seems like I came back at the wrong juncture........
 

  I lowered my stare just as Jiyong's found mine. It's weird, what these things can do to people. I see the way she's holding onto him, like he's a life buoy in the ocean she had spotted... The place where she had buried her chin is the place where I had snuggled my face into. I didn't know what she had to talk to him about. Its probably important. It must be. But the strangest thing is that it wasn't to me. Finding out why she was here, why she was holding onto Jiyong, I didnt want to know that anymore.

  It feels like I'm the one invading them.  

  I hate these kind of thoughts. Its like a chain explosion. As soon as that thought bubbled up in my head, others start doing so too, like how I should've probably not choose to stay here. How I got a chance to leave but I stubbornly stayed. I hate it. I'm pretty sure I made the right decision to stay then, but these thoughts, they confuse me. 

  The clenching feeling inside me is weird too. It sure hurts, but it wasn't like the shattering kind of hurt, more like someone, or the sight infront of me, bruising me once, and then it just continues to throb on and on. And at this moment I understood what they meant by a heartbreak isn't always loud like an explosion. It can be as quiet as a feather falling, and the most painful part is that no one hears it, except you.

  The letter in my hand slips and slid to the ground, breaking me out of my own world. That reminds me of what I'm back for and I hurriedly bend down to pick it up, setting Doodoong on the floor. By the time I straightened up, the two had already broken out of their hug and were staring at me. 

  Guess I really do look kind of pathetic just standing here.

  I returned the Princess a small smile and hurried into the servant quaters with Doodoong trottering behind.

  "Ahjumma!" I called out to the ahjumma who was in charge of the cooking in the household. She shot on, abandoning her toenail clippers on the hard wooden bed as if she's afraid.

  "Miss- Miss Dara- I'm done preparing dinner, so I was just..." She went on guiltily. She must've thought I'm here to catch her for skiving.

  "It's okay, ahjumma. I'm just here to ask, did Jisoo ever went to school?"

  "No... Jisoo was here since she was only just a child and was here ever since..." Kitchen Ahjumma answered, frowning. 

  She didn't? I unfolded the piece of letter in my hands.

  This was the only thing we found back at Doodoong's abandoned house. It seems that Jisoo had been there and left a letter on their table along with a hairclip she wears everyday. The letter simply said:

  I don't wish to be a servant forever.

  I don't understand, does that means that she's running away? But then again ahjumma said that Jisoo didn't attend school.. 

  How did she knew how to write?

  I looked down at the paper in my hands after nodded quickly in thanks as I turned around. It didnt made sense, this shouldnt be written by Jisoo.. Someone must be imposing as her.. But who? And why?

  I looked up to see Jiyong by the door of the servant's quaters. My feet halted in their tracks as I strained to looked behind him. Where is-

  "The princess left." He said, his chocolate brown eyes silently watching mine.

  Oh.

  "Oh." My mouth verbalised.

  Awkward silence.

  Awkward meter increased as Ahjumma hurried out of the room past us to give us space.

  Finally, Jiyong exhaled. "Dara.."

  "Hey, I'm fine." I said quickly, sounding like a yelp. But I didn't want to talk about this now. My mind's finally got off that topic. I don t want to be caught spiralling down that dark path of thoughts again. 

  "Did you find anything at that kid's home?" Jiyong muttered.

  Oh, I was too quick to answer. He wasnt even going to say anything about that hug. Why did I say I'm fine? God I sound really idiotic right now.

  "Oh er- I er- I found this. " I began, lifting up the letter in my hand. Saomehow, I'm glad that we won't be talking about what happened. I shouldnt have even seen that in the first place... But a small part of me felt deflated. He isn't intending to explain anything at all, or even just share with me what exactly happened to princess Kiko for her to look so urgent when she came.

  Jiyong took the note from my hand and looked at it. "She can't write if she hadn't gone to school." He said simply.

  My exact sentiments! Wait, he knows she hasnt been to school? How long has he been standing behind me?

  "Yeah, I'm just going to... check a couple of things out." I said slowly. "If you would just return me the..." I went on, and Jiyong turned his gaze to me. Why am I using honofirics? 

  I gave a strangled laugh. Get a grip, Park Dara! He's going to think that you're acting weird! Jiyong continued to stare.

  "See you in a bit!" I said, waving the letter. Okay maybe that's a little bit too sunny cheery. In any case, lets not waste more time.

  I had barely even stepped out of the door when Jiyong grabbed my wrist from behind. I turned around, but his gaze were wandering on the ground, almost like he's struggling for words. I waited, and he lifted them to meet my eyes.

  "I-" Jiyong tried, but he couldn't start. Watching him fight to get what he wants to say out of his tied tongue sort of melted me a little. He looked like a lost child.

  I sighed. The kind of defeated sigh that I always give when it comes to him.

  What am I going to do with you, Ice Lord.

  "You don't have to say anything. I trust you." I said softly. There was a moment of tension in his eyes as he held mine before they dissipated. I don't know what had gotten into me, but he really looked like a puppy then. I controlled the urge to ruffle his hair, and instead, I tiptoed up to give him a small peck on his lips.

  Just like that, i've lost again.  

  Without waiting for his reaction, I hurried out of the room. The sky is already dark. I really should start on figuring things out now. Jiyong called my name once and was followed by his footsteps that are probably tagging mine, and I let him. I entered my room and started looking. Where did I left it...

  "Hey, you can't just kiss me like that and walk away." Jiyong teased, his voice visibly more cheery now. I smiled to myself as I pulled open yet another drawer. Empty.

  "What're you looking for?" Jiyong asked. This noisy person. Doesn't he need to go and patrol the boarders nowadays? I sniggered darkly to myself. 

  "Found it..." I murmured, pulling out another note from the third drawer. So thats where I kept it, the letter Doodoong's Noona leave behind when she left him. I scanned the letter quickly.

  Please take care of this child. We don't have parents. I've decided to get married off somewhere else. 

  There's something weird, something familiar about this letter. Frowning, I pulled out Jisoo's letter from the inside of my pocket and gasped.

  The handwriting! The handwriting is the same!

  "Doodoong! Come!" I called out quickly, squatting down to grasp him by his shoulder. "Did your noona go to school?"

  To my horror, the child shook his head.

  There are two letters, written from two girls who neither can write.

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