A/N: Stay tune at the end just for a little chat :) Enjoy this chapter!

BTW, you might want to grab a box of tissues...and maybe a hammer... :'C

    Chapter 27: Longings & Separations

Yeonhwa sigh as she gazed at the pond - specifically at a duck that was playing with a hummingbird. The duck kept nodding its beak at it, but the bird kept flying away, then it would come right back. It was as if the hummingbird was teasing the duck.

Yeonhwa chuckled softly.

“What’s so funny, Your Majesty?” Jungseol asked once she came back with a tray of sweets and goods. She set it on the table and looked at the Crowned Princess.

“Look at that,” Yeonhwa said, pointing at small animals. “Aren’t they cute?”

Jungseol followed her gesture and smiled. “They both look very adorable, Princess Yeonhwa.” She took some sweets from the tray and set it on a small plate. Then, she handed it to Yeonhwa, who gladly accepted it. As the Princess ate silently, she continued watching the duck and hummingbird.

Honestly, she thought they were cute because they reminded her of something - someone. The duck and hummingbird both made her remember how she and Hwayang would always play around around. Chasing after each other, having fun together, enjoying the memorable times together. It made her feel lonely just by thinking about how much she longed for him - his embrace and his kisses. His touch. She missed him.

“Your Majesty?”

Yeonhwa blinked and turned to Jungseol. “Yes,” she said. She forgot Jungseol was still here. Her thoughts were distracting her so much she didn’t even acknowledge her maid.

“Are you missing Hwayang again?” Jungseol asked sincerely.

The Princess smiled bitterly and looked back at the pond. “Is it really that obvious?”

Jungseol sighed. She felt absolutely sad and sorry for Yeonhwa. Other than writing her stories, Jungseol had never seen her gaze at the pond for this long, basically lost in her thoughts. How she wished to do something to make Her Majesty feel at ease again with happiness.

“Your Majesty,” she spoke. “If anything, I think you should write him a letter. He is probably expecting to hear from you after so many days now.”

Yeonhwa shook her head.

  Jungseol waited to hear her say something in return.

“I just really want to see him,” the Princess whispered.

“Then, you should.”

Yeonhwa looked at her maid. “Jungseol, you know I can’t.”

“But Queen Shim isn’t in the palace today. She went to have a meeting with someone, and she probably won’t be back until later. Don’t you want to take the chance to go out and see Hwayang?” Although Jungseol knew Yeonhwa wasn’t allowed to wander outside the Flower Palace, she couldn’t deal with seeing Her Majesty so lonely these last couple of days. She wanted Yeonhwa to have hope for her love life.

Yeonhwa took in Jungseol’s words and sighed, turning back to the pond again. Seeing the hummingbird play and fly around the duck again, she smiled a little. “I hope the duck won’t get mad when the hummingbird strikes again,” she said.

Hwayang and Myungseok were in the market, shopping for groceries. Unlike most times of talking to himself and asking about what to make for dinner, Hwayang was quiet. Myungseok wasn’t dumb to notice that either. Hwayang had been quiet for the past days, and everyone knew why. He didn’t say anything, but it was easy to see through him.

“Stop sulking, will you?” Myungseok finally broke the quiet atmosphere as they both came to a booth of vegetables.

Hwayang look at him with furrowed brows. “What?” he said.

Myungseok sighed in boredom and examined the greenies on the table. “Stop sulking around like a kid who just got caught stealing some sweets. That’s Jooyang’s job.”

Unknowingly, a small laugh chucked out of Hwayang. “Sorry.”

Myungseok chose two stocks of veggies before handing it over to the young man behind the booth, concluding that he’ll buy it. “Just be patient,” he said, turning over to the farmboy, as the owner got the vegetables ready. “She’ll come around. Alright?”

Hwayang forced a smile on his face and nodded silently.

“Aish.” Myungseok couldn’t hold back the urge to smack his arm. Hard.

“Ow!” Hwayang rubbed his stinging arm. “What was that for?!”

“For faking that stupid smile on your face. As much as I already hate seeing that cringy grin of yours when you’re with Yeonhwa, I don’t like that forced one either.”

Hwayang scoffed, but stayed quiet.

“Here’s your vegetables, Sir,” the owner said, handing over the wrapped greens.

“Thanks,” Myungseok replied, taking the vegetables and handing over a few coins.

“Say,” the male behind the table said, pointing to Hwayang. “Aren’t you that farmboy who’s always with that pretty girl around here? You keep roaming around the market together, right? Uh, your name’s Rayang, yes?”

“It’s Hwayang,” the farmboy corrected.

“Oh, right. You’re him?”

Although he wanted to escape the topic already, Hwayang put on another forced smile and nodded.

“Why, you’re a lucky young man to have such a nice girl like that with you. Not to be rude or anything, but not most wealthy girls like poor commoners.”

Hwayang smiled a little bigger. “I can’t disagree with that.”

“You must be real special.” The man grinned at him before his eyes widened, as if he remembered something. “Oh! I think I saw her here a moment ago!”

Hwayang and Myungseok both looked at him in confusion.

“Who was here a moment ago?” Myungseok jumped in to ask.

“Your girlfriend!” The man pointed to Hwayang again. “She was here walking around! I think she was looking for you!”

“It could’ve been anyone,” Myungseok tried to reason with him. “Maybe you just mistook some random girl as her.”

“No, I really think it was her. She was dressed in a fine, green hanbok, her hair was wavy, and uhm…” The male tried to think of another description of the girl that he remembered past by. “Oh! She had a blue, silvery hairpin with pearls on it!”

Myungseok bit his lips and turned to look at the farmboy. He had been quiet the whole time the vegetable owner was speaking. “Hwayang.” Myungseok held onto his arm. “Are you okay?”

Before anyone could say another word or hold him back, Hwayang dropped the wooled basket he held in his hand and ran down the path, through the crowd of people.

“Your girlfriend! She was here walking around! I think she was looking for you!”

And so, Hwayang ran to the first place that popped in his mind.

Yeonhwa knew she was going to get in trouble again for sneaking out of the Flower Palace, but she couldn’t help it. She had to see Hwayang, even if it was just a quick glance from a distance.

After leaving her home, she didn’t know where to start to find the farmboy. If she went to his house, his parents might’ve not wanted her there. She could still remember the way they looked at her when her royal guards exploited her identity.

Going to the farm was her second theory, but she reconsidered after thinking of what the people there might say to her. She had only been to the farm to accompany Hwayang a few times, but still, she didn’t really feel comfortable with those new people.

And so, to clear her head, she took a stroll in the market like how she and farmboy would always do. Many of the villagers were happy to see her again because whenever she was there with Hwayang, she would do great deeds for them. She would play with the little kids, help the weak elders, and even help buy a few items from some booths. She was the town’s greatest value.

Now, here she was - back at the lookout point where Hwayang took her whenever they wanted some times alone together. She sat on the swing and gazed out at the tremendous view. Everything looked so tiny, yet so wonderful. How she wished she could find him so quick just by looking at the village.

She continued sitting on the swing for about half an hour, thinking if maybe she could go and resume looking for him again. But it was also going to be sundown soon, and her mother was coming home. She couldn’t risk being in the Flower Palace any longer than she already was, if she wanted to see Hwayang again.

Letting out a sigh, she stood up from the swing and took a step aside to leave. Again, she was too drawn into her thoughts of Hwayang - so much that she didn’t even hear the quick, dashing footsteps coming to her. She was just about to walk away when she felt a hand pull her arm, causing her to fall back against a familiar, firm chest. A gasp chucked out of her, but the surprise, scared feeling she had faded when she felt an arm wrap around her waist.

Her lips weakly tugged a smile. “Hwayang,” she confirmed. She heard him lightly chuckle, but she could also feel the deep breaths he was taking beside her ear.

“Just a minute,” Hwayang panted slowly, pulling her closer to him. “I’m tired from running all the way up here. Just…give me a minute…”

It didn’t matter if she didn’t get to see his handsome face yet. What mattered was that he was here - holding her in his arms. Being in his embrace.

Yeonhwa finally smiled and leaned back into his chest more, placing her hands on top of his arms around her. “Okay,” she said.

Queen Shim glared at Jungseol, who was on her knees and facing the ground with her planted hands, as she sat in her cushion.

Jungseol wanted to be the one digging her own grave when she saw Her Highness walked in the Flower Palace earlier than expected. Queen Shim wasn’t supposed to be back until later, so Jungseol was freakishly worried. Not only fo