Dear Seungcheol,

The palace is strange without you; it’s empty and lifeless and not very fun. Everyone is silently worrying about the upcoming battle, too anxious to have fun or enjoy anything. I also feel nervous at the thought of you not coming back. Please finish the stupid battle quickly and come back and reinvigorate the dead palace. Even Yulhee seems to have nothing to say anymore; it’s that boring back here!

All I do is go to the hospital, work, and come back to the palace, then write letters to my family. You know I learned that my sister fell in love with a guard! Can you believe it? But you can’t tell anyone; it’s a secret. If my father knows, he’ll kill her and fire the poor guard she fell for. So don’t say anything to anyone, got it?! I’m trusting you! (I do hope that no one censors these letters. My sister’s reputation would be ruined if this gets out!)

She tells me that she feels lonely and says I’m lucky to be married to "handsome young man." How did she know that you were handsome, you ask? I unabashedly admit that I told her you were handsome. I told all my sisters that you were handsome but had this heart of ice. My sisters love it though; they think being cold is an attractive feature in a man. I don’t think so though. When you’re cold, you’re very, very, very ugly (no offense). But when you smile, you suddenly become the most handsome man ever.

So my sisters think you’re perfect because you’re both handsome and cold. Only my brother doesn’t think you’re perfect; he actually hates you to be honest, but Jihoon hates mostly everybody, so you shouldn’t take it personally. Now that I think about it, you and Jihoon would get along so well if you weren’t princes of opponent countries. You two are so alike! Both cold, young, handsome men who need to have more fun.

You don’t know very much about my family, do you? We’ve been married for so long, and you know very little about me. I decided to make it a goal of mine to make you learn more about me. Pay attention, because I’m going to test you when you get back!

I have four sisters named Nayoung, Kyungwon, Kyla and Eunwoo. I have one brother named Jihoon. I also have a maid in Galacia whom I loved like a mother named Tati. She raised me and taught me to read and protected me. Also, her son is a knight named Jisoo, and I lived my early life fantasizing over him! I barely remember what he looks like now though. And sadly, he disappeared months ago, and everyone believes he’s dead. Besides Jisoo, there’s also a messenger named Don, who also is like family to me. Thinking about them makes me want to cry. I really do miss them deeply…

Forgive me if I’m boring you with these details, but I do want my husband to know these things about me. So memorize all those names! I will test you when you get back, and if you forget, I will punish you!

Anyways, I know I told you that I would send you letters, but would it be too shameless for me to ask you to write back? Am I undermining my honor by asking this from you? It’s just that I’m so bored right now, and a letter from you would color the dullness of the days just a little bit. Do tell me about your journey and how you’re doing. I would love to hear from you…

Sincerely,

Yewon

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Two days later…

Dear Princess Yewon,

No, it is not too shameless to ask me to write back to you, and no, you are not undermining your honor. There is no such thing as honor in front of me anyways: I am your husband; whatever you do, I will stay your husband. So be as shameless as you want in front of me, princess.

And do not apologize, for your letter was far from boring. I read it after having read pages and pages of political treatises, and so it was a welcome interruption from all of that. And yes, I memorized them: Nayoung, Kyungwon, Kyla and Eunwoo; your sisters. Jihoon; your brother. Tati; your maid. Don; your messenger. Jisoo; your childhood love.

I understand that you miss your home. I cannot imagine how hard it is for you to be in Solen and away from them. Maybe you can go back to visit sometime soon. We can arrange something when I get back, maybe. We’ll see.

Tell your sister that she needs to get down from the clouds and be reasonable. She can’t be in love with her guard; it will only bring her pain and suffering in the end. As a political figure, she needs to avoid passion at all costs, because passion will only hurt her. Like her, I’ve been in love with someone who was forbidden to me, and I wish I never had been, because when passion gets mixed with politics, all that’s left is pain. Relay this advice to her, will you?

Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about your sister. And your letters to me are in confidence; no one reads them but me. (Letters to anyone other than me, however, could be censored…)

We’ve been riding for many days now. No one has died on the journey yet, which is always a good sign. Things seem to be going as planned, and the battle will take place in about a week. The men who are going to fight seem scared for their lives, but the atmosphere has been good and encouraging. I’m satisfied with how things are going so far.

Thank you for your letter, your highness. I look forward to receiving more from you.

Sincerely,

Prince Seungcheol

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Dear Seungcheol,

Your letter made me happy! You sound so much sweeter when you write than when you talk, did you know that?

The part that made me happiest was when you told me you could arrange a visit back to Galacia. I would love that so much. I would cry from happiness if you were to arrange something like that for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Truly, thank you.

And the person you were in love with who was forbidden to you: it was Jeonghan, right? I always knew you loved him. He was lucky to be loved so much by you. I can’t imagine how many times he would have seen you smile! I’ve only see you smile three times; I’ve been keeping count. One, when you complimented my writing and I was so surprised. Two, when I asked you whether you loved Jeonghan. And three, when I joked about you forgetting that we need a son.

Speaking of which: Haein tells me I need to be more daring in my letters to you. And since you asked me to be shameless, and since I know no one censors the letters, I will...

I think a lot about the first night, and what I will do to you. Don’t expect passivity– I will not be passive! I will make sure it finally happens, your seeds sowed within me so that a beautiful baby boy will blossom. (Maybe it will be a girl though, which will make everyone sad. But even if it’s a girl, I will be happy, and I will work hard to bring her a brother). Please be prepared for what I will do to you; I have been reading a lot of books teaching me the art of lovemaking, and I hope to have mastered it by the time you come back. You will not be disappointed!

Did I transgress my limits? Well, you’re the one who told me not to worry about my honor in front of you. Haein even tells me that I should even give you the ugly little details, but when I tried to write a letter like that, I got too shy. I’m wild, but not that wild!

I have been getting closer to Haein lately. She’s a lovely young woman who is now my best friend in this castle. It almost feels like she’s my sister. She always looks out for me and comforts me when I cry and gives me advice when it comes to you. I’m so happy I have her as a maid.

Seokmin, the kitchen boy, has also been a good friend. He’s a wretched boy, but he’s so gentle and sweet. Soonyoung too! He’s very funny and so different from you, it’s laughable! Yulhee, as well, feels like my little sister. I’ve also made countless friends in the hospital. Oh and your guard, Seungkwan– he’s the most unbelievable character you have in this palace! I’ve been speaking to him when I get bored. He’s amazing!

Now that I think of it, I have accustomed myself to life in Solen. I can’t claim to be lonely anymore, because I’m not lonely. I have so many friends, including you. It might be weird to say this, but I consider you a friend.

Anyways, this embarrassing letter has been long enough, so I’ll just end it now!

Sincerely,
Yewon

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Three days later…

Dear Yewon,

If you had seen my face when I read your letter, you would have had a fourth point to add to your list. I smiled when I read it. My guards were so surprised, and one of them even asked me if I had been drinking!

Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter to me, princess. I would love them equally, and raise them with the same amount of care. The preference for a boy is merely political, but on a personal level, it doesn’t matter to me at all…

I feel content to know that you’ve adjusted well in Solen. And honestly, you’ve made more friends in the few months that you’ve been here than I have made in my entire life. But I’m happy for you, truly. (And I do consider you a friend as well, your highness).

Speaking of which, I think you might like to know that Wonwoo is here in the camp with us. He rode out to meet me, but I haven’t seen him yet. I think he’ll try to convince me to back out of fighting, as he always tries to do whenever we prepare for battle.

I still don’t know whether or not you believe what I told you about him. Do you believe that he had faked it all this time, or do you trust him? If I may just give you my opinion: he never loved you, but he does care about you. He told me that he didn’t care about you at all, but I know he’s a liar. I don’t believe all of it was fake. He truly respects you as a princess and considers you a friend all the same, and I can tell from the things he had told me about you; you are special to him, in some way. He’s just not in LOVE with you.

I know he’s important to you, and so I don’t want to keep you from him for long. I will permit him to come back to the palace after the battle, and I will not keep you from seeing him anymore. I trust you to deal with him in discretion from now on. Would that make you happy?

The battle is in a few days. We are traveling the final distance now, and the men are getting their last-minute training. They are all so scared, and it makes me guilty.

You were right to call me a tyrant, you know…

There’s no turning back though. We have to carry through with this.

Wish us luck, princess.

Sincerely,

Seungcheol

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Dear Seungcheol,

I made you smile! I was so afraid of your reaction to my last letter, but I’m relieved to know you did not find it repulsive.

And what you said about having a girl makes me so happy. I didn’t even realize you wanted children beyond that political part of it. Do you want to be a father? I think you’d make a good father! But you have to be loose in front of children. Don’t be cold or they’ll grow up being scared of you. My father was like that. He was cold and scary, and even though I love him, I don’t think I ever really felt that he was my father. He was just a king. I want you to be different from my own father; I want you to show them that you love them.

It’s good to know that Wonwoo is with you. I wish he convinces you to back out of the battle, but knowing you, I don’t think you will concede so easily. It’s not too late, by the way. You can back out whenever you want. You can surrender, or you can negotiate with the Galacian army general. I know pride is important to you, but I believe that you are noble enough to sacrifice that to put an end to the battle before it even begins.

And yes, Wonwoo’s return to the palace would make me happy. In all honesty, I never believed that Wonwoo didn’t care about me at all; I know that my friendship with him is genuine. And if he were to return to the palace, I will guarantee that my dealings with him will not amount to anything you would not approve.

Anyways, I am aware you are busy, so I won’t extend this letter for too long!

Sincerely,

Yewon

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There was no response from Seungcheol after that letter. Yewon thought that it was probably because he was busy. But days and days passed without a letter, and after speaking to Soonyoung, she learned that the messenger had come and gone without coming to collect a letter from her.

Yewon didn’t know why the messenger didn’t come to her. She figured he may have forgotten, or maybe he didn’t come to her because he had no letter to deliver to her. Whatever the reason, she was upset at the missed opportunity to receive and send a letter to him before the battle, which Yewon knew would take place the following day.

-

News about the outcome of the battle arrived the day after it took place. Through the breathless, trembling voice of the messenger, he relayed what had happened: Solen had lost; against all odds, the weaker and less able Galacian army had won. The majority of the Solenese army had died. The rest were taken as prisoners, including Prince Seungcheol.

A/N: I’ve been sooo busy lately, I don’t think I can post twice a week anymore. I guess updates from now on will only be every Monday, though I might post a Thursday chapter if I manage to write it ;;

THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT ILY ALL