Three heads were frantically looking around and attempting to trace the source of the disturbance. A small shadow flew by.

‘Meow! Meooooooooooooowwwwww, meeeooooooooooww.’ A cat pounced over and rubbed its face on Sana’s thighs.

‘Phew. It was just… just a cat. Kawaii!’ Sana exclaimed as she stuck her hand out to give the little one a tiny pat.

Tzuyu’s felt a little knot in her heart at that sight.

‘Oh right, we were interrupted. Sorry, please allow me to begin again. I am Princess Myoui Mina from the kingdom of the radiant Sun. I came from afar.’ Mina said calmly.

‘Oh! The radiant Sun! That is my name- … No, that sounds like a nice kingdom. My name is Sana, and this is my companion, Tzuyu. She can’t really speak Japanese, so I have been her translator this whole trip.’ Sana replied albeit excitedly.

‘I see, I can actually speak Korean too. (switches to Korean) Hello, I am Princess Myoui Mina from the kingdom of the great burning Sun. Nice to meet you Tzuyu. But enough of these mannerisms, I got to go real quick, are you guys following or not?’ Mina spoke softly and politely.

‘Wait. Aren’t you the princess that is here to marry Princess Hirai Momo?’ Tzuyu asked.

‘I don’t have time to explain. You guys either follow me, or let’s all go on our own ways.’ Mina replied.

‘Right, we will come along. Hurry up.’ Tzuyu said, as she grabbed Sana’s wrist and tailed Mina to a secret backdoor in a dingy room of the palace.

Soon, they were out in the huge palace yard. Mina, who seems to be aware of the palace surroundings, maneuvered out of the grounds like a true expert. And very soon, the trio found themselves far North from the palace, in the middle of the woods.

By now, the sky has clearly turned dark, and it must have been late evening. The duo has been out prancing the whole day.

‘I guess we are far enough, now aren’t we? So, what is going on?’ Tzuyu asked coolly.

And within the next hour or so, everything was clear. Myoui Mina was a great story teller, and both the Sun and the Rain were deeply absorbed into the story.

~Mina’s Story~

It turns out, approximately two decades ago, there was a huge downpour. A downpour so huge, it destroyed years of cultivation and farmland in a matter of weeks. This was also the same downpour Tzuyu knew, that was created due to her birth. At that time, Myoui Mina’s kingdom, which belonged to the Radiant Sun, was utterly destroyed. With 90% of the kingdom’s income relying on the exportation of farm produced goods, the Radiant Sun simply could not have survived the catastrophe.

At times of desperation, the King of the Radiant Sun knew he had to do something. As he was prancing around his palace grounds thinking of a solution, he knew that his people were suffering, and the Kingdom is quickly going into ruins. Under the promise, and the guidance of his advisors, Myoui Mina, who was then just born, had to be betrothed to Hirai Momo, the princess in the neighboring, yet prosperous kingdom of the Everlasting Rain. This was the only solution to save the Kingdom of the Radiant Sun at the point in time.

At the age of 18, Myoui Mina was finally told about the promise made 18 years ago, and the sacrifice she would have had to made to save her own kingdom.

At the ripe young age of 22, as the decree stated, Myoui Mina would have to be officially married to Hirai Momo and both kingdoms would be unified once and for all. With the decree, Myoui Mina would be obligated to heed the words of Hirai Momo, even if death was wished upon her.

~End of back story~

‘But, have you met Princess Momo before? Were you running away from her just now? Was she mean to you? Why not just marry her?’ Sana asked with much curiosity after listening to the story.

Mina chuckled. It’s quite a sight to see when Sana is excited over something. Tzuyu understood that as well and gave Mina a side eye, as a tiny signal to Mina that she should not be smiling so much at Sana.

‘Yes, I have actually met Momo twice. Just twice. Once during my 18^th birthday when she came over to introduce herself. And the other was just now when my entourage brought me to the palace. Was I trying to escape? Maybe. I mean, she seems like a nice girl and all, but you don’t really want to marry someone you just met! Also… this marriage means a lot more to me than anything…’ Mina hesitated.

‘Oh. Is there someone else on your mind?’ Sana asked.

There was silence.

Then even more silence followed.