Chapter 2. A Tussle for Power

The doors to the grand hall slammed shut and now Minju was faced by what seemed like possibly over a thousand students among the seats in front of her. They were all divided into four sections according to the kingdoms they belonged to, and they were distinguished by the different coloured ties they wore. Students from Verendus wore forest green ties, Asterians wore golden ties, those from Caelum wore purple ties, and Lysandrians wore navy blue ties. 

Despite being easily the most beautiful girl in the entire room, Minju couldn’t help but to feel like she was being judged by everybody around her. Compared to kingdoms like Verendus and Asteria, Caelum wasn’t very active in terms of the working of the Isles. Caelums preferred to keep to themselves, and given the location of their kingdom is in the heavens, it was never easy to communicate with those down below. 

No matter how uneasy Minju felt, however, she wasn’t being judged at all. The mutters from the crowd only spoke of her natural, ethereal beauty, and as soon as she’d walked into the room, all heads turned to face her. 

The cheering eventually died down when the academy’s principal, Chairman Park, entered the hall. He parted through the heirs on the stage and proceeded to the middle where his microphone stand was. He greeted the students to their newly built school, and directed the heirs to a personal group tour guide, to explore the premises wherein they would be living for the next year.

Despite the fact that their academy was located in the heart of Karrstad, there was no sign of the dull, greyness of the city which Minju had expected. The hallways were wide and brightly lit, courtesy of the natural sunlight. It made her feel at home. 

The Caelum heirs were walking close to the middle of their tour group, with Lysandra at the front conversing with the guide, and Verendus and Asteria at the back. Not once did Minju turn around to glance at Chaewon, but she still had doubts as to whether the girl had even noticed her presence or not. Chaewon was the type of person to keep to herself- if she didn’t outwardly act a certain way towards you then one would find it extremely difficult to know where they stood with her. Minju knew that, one thing Chaewon was really good at, was acting oblivious.

Of course there was a chance that she really may not have noticed Minju, but she considered this prospect so unbelievable. If Chaewon was going to act as though they were strangers, then so was Minju. The years in which they spent their childhood together would all be forgotten, and in its place, the years of silent treatment between the two of them would be resumed. 

Minju was drawn away from her thoughts by the sound of loud laughter a few steps ahead of her. Her eyes locked onto Ahn Yujin, who had the world’s largest smile plastered onto her face, teeth and all. Minju watched as Yujin playfully shoved her sister, Chaeyeon, whom Minju assumed to have made a funny joke. 

She could only see the girl’s side profile, but her energy already seemed so encapsulating. She had the kind of smile and laughter that made it seem as if the rest of the world was moving in slow motion. Minju hadn’t even interacted with the girl yet, but her demeanour immediately brightens the room. 

And then suddenly, her attention is drawn elsewhere, by laughter coming from behind her, instead. It sounded like someone had just tripped over, so all of the heirs turned around to face the boisterous laughter of a blonde haired girl from Verendus.

“Ya Eunbi unnie!” The blonde shouted with a duck-like pout.

“Wae? You tripped over my foot!”

The rest of the heirs laughed when the black haired girl with a bob was hit on the arm. There seemed to be a lot of class clowns among this group of royals. 

Minju let out a slight chuckle, and to her surprise, when she went to turn back around, she caught a glimpse of a certain someone looking at her.

Well she definitely knows I’m here, now.

The tour guide continued to travel through the school, until they reached the beautiful gardens where the students would be able to hang around during their free time. The gardens were blanketed by the warm blaze of the sun, reminding her of her own home in Caelum. The fresh air was extremely refreshing, and the chirping of the birds made her feel as though she was in some kind of utopia.

The heirs huddled into a group to hear the explanations of the tour guide, who was explaining the symbolism of the gardens. She explained that the construction of the academy was inspired by the aesthetics of each of the kingdoms, with inspiration for the gardens coming from Caelum, hence the bright, heavenly ambience. 

The builders sure did a good job, then, Minju decided. The gardens perfectly captured the constant warmth of sunset that engulfed Caelum. 

It was in the gardens where the guide proceeded to explain the workings of the school day, as well as where the dormitories for each of the kingdoms would be. 

“Since it is already the late afternoon, there will be no classes for today.”

Yujin broke the calmness that came afterwards with a scream of joy, earning laughs from the majority of the heirs present (excluding the heirs from Verendus and Asteria, of course.)

“Your dinner feast will be at eight o’clock tonight, where you will all be briefed on how the system for the school year will work, as well as other kingdom matters…”

The guide’s voice began to fade into the background when Minju felt a presence behind her shoulder, followed by a fresh mint scent that melted into her nostalgia. Her breath hitched in when she felt the back of her hand being grazed by someone’s fingertips very lightly. 

She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. But Minju was frozen to the spot. Chaewon had acknowledged her, and had now moved closer to interact with her in an unspoken manner.

She was taken back in time.

“Minju-ya, quick!” A young Chaewon yelled as she grabbed Minju’s arm, pulling the girl into the bedroom.

The door slammed behind them as they threw their little bodies against the wall, gasping for air while falling into a state of laughter.

“Did you get it?” Chaewon said through her huffs.

Minju responded with a side glance, a small smirk forming on her lips.

She brought out a chocolate bar from behind her back and waved it in the air. Stealing chocolate from the maid’s kitchen had become a bad habit as of late for the twelve year olds. 

“Assa!” Chaewon sighed in relief.

She took the chocolate from Minju’s hand and moved further into the room, sitting on the dark purple armchair adjacent to Minju’s bed. 

Minju sat on her bed, a notably sad look washing over her.

“Are you okay?” Chaewon spoke up.

“I’m just scared about tomorrow, that’s all,” Minju replied.

Chaewon rose from her seat and joined the brunette on her bed, placing a gentle hand on top of her trembling one.

“You’re going to be great,” Chaewon reassured her, “you’re the best violin player I’ve ever met. You’re like a twelve year old prodigy.”

Minju offered a small smile, touched by the older girl’s affection.

“I don’t know why I get so nervous about these things,” she said softly.

“I don’t know why you do, either. You’ll be the best violinist on that stage, not to mention the prettiest,” Chaewon nudged her shoulder.

Minju looked down to her lap in an attempt to hide her pink face, but Chaewon could see her shy smile anyways. Chaewon loved complimenting Minju, especially if it meant she would be able to see her smile. 

“Oh,” Chaewon suddenly interrupted. “I just realised your birthday is just over a month away.”

Minju looked up at her.

“I want to get you something special. Something that you’ll never be able to get rid of or grow out of because you’ll use it all the time.”

Minju listened.

“What if I got you a brand new violin? A special one. One that reminds you of me. That way, no matter how far away I am from you, you’ll always have me near,” the girl urged. 

Minju could give no other response than to smile. 

“I’d like that, unnie.”

Just then, a knock was heard from the door, followed by the entrance of a guard- not one of Minju’s though, as the man was wearing a dark green uniform. 

“Your grace,” the man said, signalling Chaewon.

“Yes?” she answered.

“If you’d like to follow me,” he said plainly, gesturing the door.

Minju and Chaewon followed the guard through the hallways of the castle, until they reached the lavish living room. Inside was Minju’s father, Chaewon’s father, and another tall man whom Minju had never seen before. 

The three men were standing and appeared to be having a leisurely conversation, but as soon as the two girls stepped into the room all attention was turned to them.

“Do you know who he is?” Minju whispered into Chaewon’s ear.

“I’m not sure…” Chaewon trailed. “I recognise him from a portrait though. I think he might be the King of either Asteria or Lysandra.”

That was indeed possible. Minju had never seen the royal families from the two other kingdoms before; Verendus was the only kingdom she had close ties with due to the close relationship between Minju and Chaewon’s mothers. 

“Hello Chaewon!” the tall man approached her and Minju fell behind. “I’m the King of Asteria.”

“O-oh hello your Higness,” Chaewon muttered, realising in the moment that she needed to show respect and so executed a rather awkward bow. 

“I was just talking to your father, here, and we’ve made an agreement.” 

Chaewon’s father stepped forward. 

“You are to be engaged to the heir of Asteria,” he said.

Chaewon’s eyes widened and she looked between the two men in disbelief.

“May I introduce you to my daughter, the heir of Asteria, Jang Wonyoung.”

Minju watched as a tall, slim girl emerged from behind the guards’ backs. She had a clean appearance and smart clothes on.

The girl had manners, too- much to Minju’s dislike.

Wonyoung bowed with her hands clasped in front of her, and flashed a charming smile to her childhood friend. 

“Hello, I’m Wonyoung. Can I call you unnie?”

Chaewon’s eyebrows were furrowed out of blatant confusion of the situation she was currently in. Everything seemed to have been dumped in front of her all at once and she hadn’t even been given the time to process any of it. 

A few moments passed, and she realised that her face was scrunching up. She shook her head slightly so as to snap herself out of her daze.

She held her hand out and said, “yes, of course. It’s nice to meet you.” 

Minju’s vision began to blur as she distanced herself from what was happening at hand. Seeing them together made her pace backwards, and before she knew it, her back was against the wall outside of the room. At the time she had no idea why she was so upset- she just assumed that that’s how it felt like to lose a friend. But looking back, she realises that that feeling was something a lot stronger… The feeling of heartbreak. 

Once the families of Verendus and Asteria had left, Minju made her way up to her sisters’ room, where they often played in the evening.

The two sisters noticed that Minju seemed a lot quieter than usual, and the girl was staring into the fireplace in a reflective state.

“Minju-ya…” Hyewon said carefully as she and Sakura made their ways to sit on either side of her.

Minju made no movement, though, still staring into the fire.

“I heard about the engagement…” Sakura trailed.

Minju’s mouth appeared to flinch slightly but it quickly reverted back to its original, solemn expression.

“You know it doesn’t mean you have to stop being friends with Chaewonie… right?” Hyewon began, “Kingdoms do this all the time...  Heirs get engaged all the time.”

“To build allyship,” Sakura contributed. “It makes the kingdoms stronger.”

“Unfortunately Chaewon was just subject to it,” Hyewon finished.

“And we know it must be hard for you right now,” Sakura added, giving Hyewon a knowing look. “We know that you feel strongly for Chaewon. But this pain won’t last forever.”

 “My God, this is so painful!” Hyewon screamed at the top of her lungs.

Minju scrunched her face up at how loud her two sisters were being.

“Unnie, is it really that difficult for you to find a stupid dress? It’s just a freaking dinner!” Minju shouted in annoyance.

“Dress to impress, sister, dress to impress. I can’t be walking around looking like the ugly sister between the three of us,” Hyewon huffed. 

“But you already pull that look off so well,” Sakura condescendingly smiled. 

Minju snorted in response. 

“Ya Kkura!” Hyewon threw a rolled up t-shirt at the pink haired girl.

They had been getting ready for the evening dinner for over two hours by now, all thanks to Hyewon who couldn’t make up her mind on what to wear. Minju speculated that maybe someone had caught her eye earlier and so that’s why she was putting so much effort into looking good, but it wasn’t any of her business. 

Also thanks to Hyewon, they were now ten minutes late to the dinner. 

“Hyewon-ah I swear to God I am going to kill you,” Sakura said as they ran down to the great hall, holding their dresses up so that they didn’t trip.

“We’re just waiting on the Caelum heirs and then we shall get started right away,” Principal Park said to the nine heirs of the other kingdoms who were patiently sitting around the long table. 

“May I present to you, Kang Hyewon, Miywaki Sakura and Kim Min-” The guard’s introduction was cut off when the doors burst open, and in stumbled the three Caelum sisters. 

Their heavy breaths contrasted greatly to the silence of those gathered at the table, and the rest of the girls stared at them with opened mouths. 

Yujin’s gaze shifted between the new arrivals and the faces at the table, having to press her lips into a line so as to not let out her laughter. She was kneed under the table by Chaeyeon. 

Chaewon stopped staring at the three of them after seeing Minju’s face grow pale- she knew of the girl’s social anxiety and so tried to redirect attention elsewhere while they took their seats.

“It’s a pleasure to be under your care, Chairman Park,” Chaewon smiled.

The Caelum sisters pulled out their seats which were directly opposite the Chairman, and Minju made a note of Chaewon’s location which was to the left of him.

Minju became awkward once more when she noticed the Chairman’s stern gaze on her. She fiddled with her fingers under the table.

“The Caelum bloodline really is something, isn’t it!” Chairman Park said as he scanned the three sisters. 

Hyewon and Sakura chuckled delightfully and Minju smiled shyly. 

“Your kingdom really does have the most beautiful people,” he commented. 

“So does Asteria,” Yujin unexpectedly spoke up, gaining the stares from the others. “Just look at Wonyoung.” 

She grinned at the raven-haired girl who now had a sour expression towards her.

“I beg your pardon?” Wonyoung retorted. 

Chaewon lifted her head and fixed her glare on Yujin, who was poking her tongue into the side of in amusement. 

“It is quite true,” Chaewon played along with the girl’s game. “Wonyoung has to be the most beautiful girl in all of the Isles.”

Minju’s gaze lowered.

She hated hearing that because it was true. Wonyoung had become impossibly more beautiful than before, and Minju had to deal with the fact that Chaewon’s affections belonged elsewhere. 

The atmosphere had suddenly turned strange; it was everybody’s first time seeing the minor digs taken between the two rivalling nations of Verendus and Lysandra, and nobody quite knew how to react to it. 

“Ah look!” Chairman Park said with joy. “The food has arrived.”

What seemed like an endless amount of platters came pouring out from the kitchen doors, and now there were countless dishes on the table in front of them.

Everybody had now settled, munching eagerly on their food, when the Chairman sparked conversation once more.

“So I assume we all know the reason why you’re here.”

The heirs put down their utensils and paid him their attention.

“The crowning ceremony at the end of the year will unfold as follows: one heir from one of the four kingdoms will be chosen to be the ruler of the Isles. How this will be decided, you ask? Well, we will be deciding who is the best fit through a point system. The Kingdom with the highest amount of points by the end of the year will be crowned, it’s as simple as that,” he explained.

“Points will be awarded based on academic and physical performance. For example, the higher you score on an exam, will contribute to your kingdom earning more points. Throughout the year you will be tested on several factors that are vital to being a ruler: map-reading, politics, mathematics, Latin and English, history, literature, and finally, military training.”

The corner of Chaewon’s lips turned upwards into a smirk after hearing the final requirement. 

“Well I expect we all know who will ace the military training, right, Chaewon-ah?” Chaewon’s sister, Yena boasted.

“Our Chaewonie, here, has received the most impeccable training in fencing, archery and jousting that there is available in the entire Isles,” Eunbi continued.

Yujin audibly scoffed. 

“Then I’ll look forward to duelling you… Sunbae.” Her eyes looked teasing. “I, too, have received the best training in those activities.”

The rest of the heirs glanced around the table in disbelief. They were stuck right in the middle of the rivals. 

“So what,” Lee Chaeyeon interrupted her sister. She now directed her speech to Chaewon. “You might get the highest grades in the classes requiring brute strength, but your low level of intellectuality tells me that military training is the only thing you shall be excelling in.” 

Minju’s eyes widened and she glanced around to see that other people had given the same reaction. 

“Military training is only one out of the seven classes we’ll be taking, Kim Chaewon,” Chaeyeon continued. “The other kingdoms will outsmart you in everything else.”

Chaewon scoffed, “well, we’ll see about that.”

The Verendus sisters looked between each other nervously, worried that maybe what they were saying was true. Their brute strength and tough training growing up would enable them to easily reign over the others in terms of physical activity, but they weren’t nearly as experienced in terms of the other classes. 

The daughters of Caelum were known for their brilliant map-reading and coordination skills; given their kingdom’s location in the heavens, they had become extremely skilled at directing their way down to earth. Asteria was known for being a very pragmatic kingdom, forming alliances and securing trade deals that benefitted them the most- so there was no doubting that the Asterian heirs, too, had excellent political skills. 

But in terms of academics, there was certainly no beating the daughters of Caelum. In their own kingdom, the sisters had ranked in the top three of students consecutively over the years, on top of their political education. Minju, in particular, had always ranked first. She was incredibly talented, not only in the arts and music, but also in mathematics, history, and, since she was an avid reader, she was also very experienced in literature. And as if being a know-it-all wasn’t enough in those subjects alone, the girl could also speak English, Latin and French fluently. 

If anybody had the vast amount of skill to rule an entire nation then it was her. But her kingdom had no interest in becoming the capital of the Isles. 

The school year hadn’t even commenced yet, but she knew she was going to be in for one hell of a ride.

Author-nim's note:

Hey everyone! How are you all enjoying the story so far? I would love to hear your opinions on what you think is going to happen / what has already happened, so leave a comment down below! And don't forget to upvote this story so that it can reach more people! 

Thank you all for reading and I'll see you in the next update some time next week :)