A/N: Stick around at the end please. Enjoy! ^^

Chapter 25: Challenges & Obstacles

They just returned to the Flower Palace, and Dongil was pacing back and forth outside the Queen’s Quarter. Queen Shim and Yeonhwa had been in there for about ten minutes, but it still didn’t make the bodyguard any less worried. He couldn’t stop wondering what they were talking about or how they were both taking the sudden news. Especially Yeonhwa.

Inside Queen Shim’s room, Yeonhwa sat on the mat on the ground while staring at the ground with an expressionless face. Across from her, Queen Shim sat behind her desk as usual.

“I didn’t interrupt your time, did I?” the Queen asked with a blunt tone.

Yeonhwa made no certain expression and continued looking at the ground. Although, her fingers kept picking each other as if there were splinters in them. It was a habit of her being nervous.

“Yeonhwa, you know very well what I’m about to say to you, and you are not going to like it one bit. But as your mother, you must listen to me.”

The Princess remained quiet.

Queen Shim scoffed in disappointment and let out a frustrating sigh as her daughter wouldn’t respond back. “How dare you lie to me?!” she suddenly exclaimed.

Her harsh burst didn’t seem to surprise Yeonhwa, though.

“I specifically told you to not go and meddle with lowlife, useless, dirty people! And what did you do?! You went and did it anyways!” Queen Shim took a breath. “Do you know how much of a mess you’ve made with our royal name now?! Not only that! But you’ve clearly wrecked our whole reputation now that the whole town knows the Crown Princess of Joseon is dating a poor commoner! What do you have to say for yourself?!”

Yeonhwa’s shoulders rose, then sank as she sighed heavily. “Those lowlife, useless, dirty people,” she said, “really aren’t that bad, Mother.” She finally lifted her head and glanced at Queen Shim. “In fact, they are quite nice. They’re so hardworking, and the thing is they’re happy doing what they can to help themselves and their family. They all-”

“Shut up.”

Yeonhwa stopped and blinked at her mother.

“Don’t you dare speak another word about those worthless peasants.”

“Mother…” The Princess worked up the courage to ask her itching question. “How did you…” She gulped. “How did you find out?”

Queen Shim smirked this time. “Why?” she retorted. “Does it bother that much now that I’m aware of your relationship with that farmboy?”

“Mother, please. Tell me. How did you…”

“Well, it was love, wasn’t it?”

Yeonhwa furrowed her brows. “What?”

“Love, sweetheart.” Queen Shim sighed dramatically. “For instance, if you love something or someone enough protect them, then you would have to make a sacrifice, wouldn’t you?”

“What are you trying to imply, Mother?”

“How I know isn’t something that you should ask me about. Why don’t you go ask that loyal bodyguard of yours?”

Yeonhwa blinked. “Dongil?” Her heart skipped a beat. Was Dongil the one who told her mother? Did he sell her out?

“I don’t want to talk about Dongil or how I uncovered the truth,” Queen Shim said, eying her daughter furiously. “I want to talk about your stupid bond with that commoner.”

“Mother, I-”

“Don’t interrupt me.”

Yeonhwa kept quiet.

“Does he know? Does that filthy pauper know about your royal identity?”

Yeonhwa took a second to answer. “I didn’t need to tell him.”

“So he knew?” Queen Shim smirked. “Why, for a poor farmboy, he sure is smart, isn’t he?”

Yeonhwa wanted to lighten up for the fact that her mother just complimented Hwayang for being smart, but she couldn’t. She knew it was more of an impressed, surprised fact than an exciting discovery.

“Whatever. I don’t care what kind of relationship you had with that dirt bag. I don’t want you to see him ever again.”

Yeonhwa widened her eyes but said absolutely nothing.

“You are to not step foot outside of the Flower Palace again until your father returns!”

The Princess shook her head. “Mother, you can’t-”

“I can, and I will! I am the Queen, Yeonhwa, and whatever I say, you must do!”

Yeonhwa sadly scoffed as she lowered her head. She expected her mother to do that. To be furious at her and restrain her from seeing Hwayang, but somehow her heart kept tugging her to do something about it. She inhaled softly before whispering, “Please don’t blame him.”

Queen Shim raised a brow at her.

“Please, don’t blame him. He didn’t do anything wrong. It was I who took things into my own hands. It was I who acted selfish, so… Please… Don’t blame him for any of this.” It was much more than just a blame. It was a matter of life and death. If a commoner was to get involved with a royal person, he or she could be punished. Or even worse, hung. And Yeonhwa didn’t want that. God, just thinking about it made her cringe in fear. It didn’t matter if the commoner was only being generous or something. The wealthy would view it as if the commoner was only seducing the royal or getting involved for money. For nothing but riches. And for that kind of unfair robbery of wealth, it was life-threatening just to talk with a royal person.

The only thing of a relief was that Queen Shim didn’t know of the farmboy’s name yet. If she did, she would be on the hunt for him.

It was silent for a moment.

Yeonhwa stayed quiet, too, as she didn’t want to continue talking. If she did, then it would only tempt her mother more to keep her from going out.

“As long as you refrain yourself from doing reckless things like this again,” the Queen spoke. “I won’t do anything about that boy. At least, not yet.”

Yeonhwa shivered just hearing those words. It was gut-wrenching.

“Just keep your distance, perform your duties as a Crown Princess, and everything will be forgotten.” Queen Shim put on a smile, but it wasn’t one that was comforting or happy.

“May I…,” Yeonhwa hesitantly said. “May I at least meet him again for the last time?”

Queen Shim scoffed. “Did you not just hear a single word I-”

The Princess raised her head. “If I just leave like this…it won’t be right. Please, Mother.”

“I’ve already told you, didn’t I? That you and that farmboy-”

“Wouldn’t you be afraid if words get out?” Yeonhwa didn’t know what she was saying, but she continued. “That farmboy knows I’m the Crown Princess of Joseon. If I don’t see him again,” she sighed, “he’ll be devastated.”

“Commoners don’t get devastated, Yeonhwa. They get greedy, and the next thing you know, they’re lying to you about everything they told you. They’re twisted liars. You want to know why? Because they want money.”

Yeonhwa shook her head, refusing to take in her mother’s words. “That’s not true.”

“So what? You refuse to believe your own mother?”

“It’s not that I refuse to believe you. I just want some time to figure things out and decide my own choices.”

Queen Shim shook her head, staring at her daughter. “And look where that got you.”

Dongil immediately turned to the door the moment he heard it opened. To his relief, it was Yeonhwa who walked out of Queen Shim’s Quarter, but the expression on her face made him uneasy. He expected to see that.

“Yeonhwa,” he said, rushing to her. “Is everything okay? What did Her Highness say?”

The Princess didn’t speak, but she lifted her gaze up t