The voice that called out to her was very familiar, and one that Yewon associated with a lot of anguish and pain. She never thought she would ever be vulnerable to this person ever again, never thought she would see this person ever again, but there she was, breathless and slowly losing consciousness in front of her old maid, Seungyeon.

Yewon tried to pretend not to acknowledge her, hoping that Seungyeon would think she was mistaken and leave. But it was all too clear that Seungyeon had recognized her and knew that it was her, despite all the dirt on her face and the tatters she donned.

Seungyeon said something that Yewon could not process as of she was too physically drained to pay attention. Her loud breath was ringing in her ear blocking out all other sounds, and she could no longer hear anything. Almost immediately after, she felt all her other senses begin to shut down as well as she collapsed onto the ground and fainted from fatigue.

-

The next time she opened her eyes, she found that she was in a small cottage.

“She opened her eyes!!!” came the sound of a little girl sitting beside her. “Seungyeon-unnie, the princess woke up!”

Yewon felt that she was too tired to even move her neck to look at the little girl or to make out more of her surroundings. She was in so much pain all over her body, that nothing mattered to her right now but some kind of relief.

Someone lifted her neck, and Yewon glanced to see Seungyeon with a cup of water in hand, pressed against Yewon’s lips. She obeyed and drank the water. Even moving the few muscles that she needed to drink the water wore her out, and so she drifted back to sleep.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was a lot less tired. She was also clean and clothed in a clean, but simple dress. The bruises on her hand and feet were bandaged.

“You’re up? Finally. You’ve been asleep for hours,” Seungyeon stated coldly. “I had to carry you to the bath myself and get you cleaned. With all due respect, your highness, but you were putrid. Covered in sea water, blood, urine, dirt and God knows what else. Do you guys not bathe in your country?”

Yewon was still trying to process her new surroundings. It was a small room in what looked like a very low-class cottage. She was laid down on a mat on the floor with some worn out wad of cloth as a pillow. There was almost nothing in the room besides those mats and a large trunk.

She also saw two heads of little girls peeking through the doorway.

“Lady Seungyeon,” Yewon finally acknowledged her old maid, after finally processing that her old maid was helping her.

“What? Are you going to pretend you don’t hate me?” her maid coldly replied.

Yewon didn’t reply.

“You saved my life, your highness. I’m only returning the favor so that I don’t feel indebted to you anymore,” Seungyeon said snappishly. “Don’t interpret my actions as kindness or care.”

“Thank you,” Yewon managed tiredly.

“Please. Save the sentimentality. I can’t bear it,” Seungyeon replied brusquely.

That was the last thing that Seungyeon said to Yewon before finishing off with Yewon’s nails and walking out without another word.

Yewon tried to get up, but her feet were swollen and standing on them proved very difficult. Even sitting up seemed to disrupt Yewon’s blood flow, as if her body was yelling at her to stay at rest after all the trials and tribulations she had put it through lately.

It was Seungyeon’s little sisters that watched her after that. They were three very young girls of about 12, 10 and 7, who wore rags for dresses.

The girls were enthused by Yewon: a real princess from a faraway land. They had so many questions to ask about her life as a princess, and seemed so fascinated by Yewon’s answers. “Do you really wear a new dress every day? How often do you eat meat? Are there feasts and dances? Do you meet handsome princes? Do you sleep on a large, soft bed? Are their knights protecting you?”

Yewon answered them, for it seemed to please them. Eventually though, she became impatient and wanted to get up and do something. She wanted to get a message out to Seungcheol or the hospital or find Wonwoo. It drove her crazy that she was in Solen and yet still unable to get to the palace because of her physical condition.

She asked her sisters to call Seungyeon, and they revealed that Seungyeon was “at work.”

Yewon learned thus learned from them that Seungyeon delivers flour from a vendor to a bakery every day as job. In return, Seungyeon got four loaves of leftover bread, one for each of them. And it was only really in that moment that Yewon understood that Seungyeon and her familiy were living in extreme poverty, barely eating enough to live, and not having money to do anything.

After inquiring further, Yewon learned even more: Seungyeon’s family used to be honorable and affluent. After their father died in the war, they only had Seungyeon’s job to sustain them financially. When Seungyeon lost her job as the maid and was publicly humiliated, they lost everything: their house, their family honor and later, even their mother fell ill and they had no money to treat her. She passed away.

The four daughters sold everything they owned to buy this small cottage, and for a long time Seungyeon could not find work because no one wanted to associate with a “criminal.” It took a long time for her to get that job, which at least gave them enough food to survive.

Yewon wondered what would have happened if Seungyeon was imprisoned for life or executed. No father or mother, the three young girls would have been orphans with no one to rely on.

It was in this time that Yewon took a moment to truly reflect on the consequences of her own decisions. Her decision to absolve Seungyeon and set her free had given these young girls a source of sustenance. But at the same time, further up the hierarchy, the decision for war had cost them their father. It cost them their wealth and their livelihood. It ruined their lives and their prospects…

-

Seungyeon came back that night with a bag of four loaves, which she distributed to her hungry sisters, who took a loaf each and immediately started to eat it eagerly.

The final loaf, Seungyeon handed to Yewon.

Yewon was very hungry too, but she knew that this loaf was Seungyeon's only food for the day. She didn't take the loaf and instead just made eye contact with her.

"Eat," Seungyeon murmured, placing the loaf in her hand.

"What will you eat?"

"Save your concern, your highness. I don't need it."

"You won't eat anything?"

"Not like I haven't done it before. I’m used to this, so just eat it,” Seungyeon insisted. Yewon tore the loaf in half and offered half back to Seungyeon, who took it after a moment’s hesitation.

They both silently chewed the bread, and when Yewon was finished, she said: "As soon as I'm back to the castle, I will have someone send you payment for your services," Yewon promised. Seungyeon only frowned, but she didn't refuse the offer. It was very obvious how much Seungyeon needed the money.

"I won't burden you anymore,” Yewon added. “If you would help me go to the main hospital or to the palace or at least send a message to Seungcheol…”

“The hospital is too far away to walk there, especially considering you would need to be carried,” Seungyeon noted as she glanced at Yewon’s swollen foot. “But tomorrow morning, his highness Prince Seungcheol will make a public announcement. I’ll take you there and you can scream his name or something to get his attention.”

“Okay,” Yewon said. “Thank you. Your kindness will be repaid.”

“Don’t call it kindness,” Seungyeon replied with a wince. “If you had not pardoned me from my crime, I would have left you on the streets for the dogs to chew.”

Yewon took a moment to think about the of luck that had befallen her for Seungyeon to have walked past her, recognized her and helped her in her time of most need. Being left to the dogs is probably what would have happened if Seungyeon hadn’t found her.

“I’m very glad I pardoned you, Seungyeon,” Yewon told her. “I wish you find better work that pays more than four loaves.”

At that, Seungyeon’s head dropped down in shame. “Your Highness, if I may request something…”

“Yes?”

“I know that I have no right to ask this from you after what I did to you… but…” Seungyeon hesitated, and veered away from what she wanted to say and instead asked a question: “Has there been a maid to replace me?”

“Yes,” Yewon answered, which made Seungyeon’s face fall slightly. “I’m sorry.”

“Who is it?” Seungyeon asked sadly.

“Her name is Haein,” Yewon answered.

Seungyeon seemed surprised. “Haein? The ideologue?”

“Ideologue?”

“Is it the scribe? The one that works in the library with Prince Wonwoo?” Seungyeon asked curiously.

“Yes, her. You know her?”

“I do,” Seungyeon answered with a slight frown on her face. “And I can’t make sense of it. Why would someone who worked as a scribe demote themselves and become a maid?”

“I don’t know,” Yewon answered.

“Be careful around her, your highness,” Seungyeon warned. “Her and her entire niche.”

“Haein is a very good friend of mine,” Yewon replied. “She’s not dangerous or an ‘ideologue.’”

“But then why would an intelligent, literate woman who works at a high position in the library, friends with Prince Wonwoo and other elite scholars– why would she become a maid? It sounds suspicious to me. But anyways, if you ever do need another maid, please consider me,” Seungyeon requested. “I really do need the job,” she added sincerely. “And I know it’s shameless of me to ask after what I did to you, but I promise your highness, I promise that I will never hurt you ever again…”

“If I ever do need a new maid,” Yewon promised, “I will consider your request.”

Seungyeon thanked Yewon, and bowed her head to Yewon for the first time since that encounter.

-

The following morning, Yewon recovered enough to sit up without getting a headache. Walking was still difficult because of her swollen foot, but putting her arm around Seungyeon, Yewon managed to limp for the long distance to the front of the palace, where the public announcement from Seungcheol would take place.

It was only on her way to the palace that it hit her that she would be seeing him again. It had been so long since she’d seen him, the last time being when he was escorted onto a ship after having been abused and tortured by the orders of her own people. She remembered how painful it had been to see him like that. He had been someone with whom she associated strength and resilience, and seeing him vulnerable had shaken her to the core.

Now, she was going to see him again in all his regal glory. She looked forward to it. She found that she truly missed him; she truly wanted to see him again.

She couldn’t imagine how he would react to her. She could not predict his reaction, but she hoped dearly that it would be a positive one.

She gathered with other villagers in front of the large stage, the same place that she had absolved Seungyeon a few months ago. They waited for many minutes before the trumpets played to indicate the arrival of the royal family. She saw the king and the queen of Solen make their way to the chairs at the side, followed closely by Yulhee, Soonyoung and finally, Seungcheol.

She was nothing but one villager among thousands, and seeing him from down below the stage was a very different experience. When she was on that stage with him, he had been her husband– one who was cold, reckless and troubled in various ways. But from down on the ground, he seemed almost like a different person to Yewon. He was a prince; he was royalty; he was way beyond her reach.

The announcer called for complete silence so that Seungcheol could make his announcement, and the crowd grew quieter until almost no one was speaking. It was at this moment that Seungyeon nudged Yewon to say something.

“Prince Seungcheol!” Yewon yelled as loudly as her voice can manage, and suddenly everyone turned to her. He also turned is head towards where she was.

He was too far away to see her and truly make out who she was, and he didn’t seem to recognize her voice, and so she kept yelling, “it’s me! It’s Yewon!” she yelled. “I’m back!”

It was at this point that Seungcheol started showing signs of surprise as he squinted his eyes at her from far away. The guards from the sidelines came to her, and at his order, she was brought towards the stage.

When she was close enough for him to make out that she was indeed who she said she was, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped in an expression of bewilderment.

A/N: I know I said Thursday and its Friday. I think I should just stop making promises ^^”

but I stayed up til 2AM to get this chapter out for you guys (and I’m too tired to edit it like I usually do with chapters so sorry if its badly written lol)

anyways finally cheol is back yay :P