Sowing Persistence
Cupid at Heart
Dear Humbled Prince,
The future husband I sought for is one who is eloquent with his words and offers graceful flatteries.
One who has the ability to play a stringed instrument that tugs on my heart strings.
He shall be a remarkable dancer who does not need music to impress me.
He possesses extremely good looks, as well, which he himself reinstates from time to time.
Knowing the proper etiquette of a gentleman, he never keeps his lady waiting.
These are the conditions needed to be met in order to become my ideal man.
Sincerely,
The Princess with no preferences
Sunggyu held the letter in his hands which Hyunmi had personally delivered herself that morning. A look of confusion overshadowed his usual smugness, and he reread the words to decipher any hidden messages.
The princess was doing awfully well hiding behind her innocent smile. With her hands folded behind her back and her feet slightly rocking in place, no one knew she was describing a certain person in her reply letter. No one but her and Woohyun.
The king was seated at his throne in the ballroom, which he had quickly gotten fixed and cleaned up after the chimera’s visitation. His royal subjects circled around his throne.
Woohyun was a part of them with his new title as the princess’ personal guard. There was a small smile playing on his lips as he heard the words being read out loud by the prince. The secret exchange between him and the princess was so subtle one would mistake their cheery smiles and radiant joy as a way they carried themselves from day to day.
“My, it appears my daughter has some very specific demands for her future husband,” the king spoke, looking rather pale himself. He took a white handkerchief embroidered with the emblem of a red rose on the side, and used it to wipe away his cold sweat. Suddenly he grew nervous that Sunggyu wouldn’t meet these requirements.
“Hm, luckily I qualify all of your needs. This letter practically describes me,” Sunggyu said, proving the king completely wrong. He whipped his head back as he ran his fingers through his perfectly styled hair. He shut his eyes and shook his head, unable to contain his own amazingness.
Honestly, Hyunmi did not see this backfiring. Looking up at Woohyun, he was clearly holding in his laughter, yet made a face to coo her failed attempt at a romantic gesture meant for him.
“Someone who offers graceful flatteries towards other people instead of exalting oneself,” Hyunmi chose to emphasize, trying to keep her expression neutral.
“Which is the exact epitome of Prince Sunggyu from Spade. You know me well enough, Princess Hyunmi. I am deeply honored,” Sunggyu said with a small bow. He cocked his head a little to acknowledge her efforts, then tucked the letter in his pocket as if it were a precious gift.
Hyunmi had no idea how appalled her expression seemed right now. Woohyun looked at her with awestruck wonder as if she was still the most beautiful maiden he had ever laid eyes on, yet amused him with more smiles he tried to hide.
“Y-yes. I did not realize you were describing the prince himself. A lot must’ve happened between you two to possess such vast knowledge about each other. I am a very happy king, yes, yes.” The king applauded giddily. He momentarily stopped to cough, then continued applauding as if nothing had happened. He was always like that, wanting to put his joy above his health. Even if the joy meant having to turn a blind eye to reality.
Seeing the sick man, Hyunmi’s determination to speak regarding the courtship crumpled in her heart. Her father’s joy consisted of her potential marriage with the prince. Would she really take that joy away from him?
“Sister, perhaps it would be good to give father one of your medicinal soups,” Dongwoo suggested as he tended to the king by softly rubbing his back. The thick royal red fabric made it harder for the king to feel any of his son’s caring touch.
As much as she loved to obey rules and protest when she saw something unbefitting at the same time, Hyunmi knew not to oppose this request. She curtsied in front of the men and excused herself with a weak voice.
“Cupid, would you be so kind as to join me, in case if I get attacked by fire-breathing chimeras on the way to the kitchen?” She then questioned, and the lighthearted threat in her words alerted the others. The attack during the masquerade ball was still fresh in their memories and nerving to their hearts.
“Please go with the princess. I dismiss your presence,” the king told Woohyun, twirling his hand to motion the release. There was no hesitation. Her safety was utmost priority.
“Excuse my leave, Your Majesty.” Woohyun also bowed politely before trailing behind the princess at a reasonable distance between a lady and her knight.
But as soon as they had left the ballroom and he had made sure no one was in sight, Woohyun sneaked his arm around the princess’ waist and pulled her closer against him.
It made Hyunmi gasp in surprise, though her beam showed no sign of protest. “My, Woohyun, what if anyone sees us?”
“I could convince them this is the most effective way of protecting a princess,” he said, unwilling to release her. He enjoyed having her close by his side, to smell the flowery scent of her hair, and to feel her petite body cradled in his arm.
Hyunmi laughed at his ridiculous excuse. She pried herself away from his hand, and looped her arm around his in a more formal manner. She moved her head close enough so she’d almost lean against him, but not really.
They hadn’t said a word about the confession that was so wonderfully interrupted by Sungjong a few days ago, but their relationship transformed into clandestine meetings and furtive exchanges. They weren’t too sure whether this was what people defined as love, but knew they’d be miserable without the other.
“I was surprised you’d think of me in such a way,” Woohyun then spoke, matching his pace to her slower ones as she led him towards the kitchen.
“What way?” She looked up at him with blinking eyes.
“A future husband.”
Hyunmi’s eyes widened, quickly averting her gaze to hide her blush away. Unlike him, her way with words was only appropriate to cover up mistakes, not for courting purposes. She hadn’t fully thought her word choices through when she wrote that reply letter.
“I... Father expected the courting to lead into marriage. I was merely adjusting to his demands,” she stuttered a little. Her embarrassment peaked higher when he laughed instead—such a hearty sound that made her feel warm inside, wishing she’d be the cause for his laughters in the future as well.
“It is an interesting thought, however. I have never considered the idea of marriage,” he hummed a little. Talking about it only made the princess more bashful, and he enjoyed the way her cheeks turned pink.
“You are the son of the goddess Aphrodite. Would she have allowed you to marry a human girl?” Hyunmi questioned with curiosity embedded in her voice, quickly turning to face him again.
There was a small falter in Woohyun’s charming smile, one that would easily go unnoticed had she not been taking in every details she could read on him. He forced himself to let the smile linger, but she could see the weight of some unknown burden arching his lips.
“If the human girl is as lovely as you, I am sure my mother would be pleased.” Woohyun attempted his usual flirtatious tone. In the span of a fleeting moment, worry crossed his face. Then he turned to meet her eyes and smiled so gorgeously it almost distracted her mind. He let go of her arm and let his finger caress the side of her head with playful affection.
Hyunmi was unable to withhold her growing smiles on the surface when her heart harbored deeper problems. Not only did she have to deal with her father’s stance regarding her marriage, but she had yet to discover whether a romantic relationship between a human and a deity were accepted in the land of Mirificus. A small faint voice vaguely remembered cupid saying he was forbidden to fall in love. But perhaps, her mind was recollecting information incorrectly.
“Maybe we should pay the goddess a visit sometime.”
Her idea was innocent and one of good intention, but once again, she decided not to question that reluctance flashing on his face.
They finally set foot in the kitchen, which was—to their greatest delight—completely deserted. It was a small wooden kitchen usually used by the maids, but because the princess never fancied anything luxurious, she used this place for her breweries. The king finally had the kitchen renovated; installed the most renowned oak woods as the cupboard, and purchased the most durable cauldron that could hold off extreme temperatures. Everyone in the palace knew this kitchen somewhat belonged to the youngest princess now.
Woohyun had let go off her, leaning against a nearby table, crossing his arm as he watched her get busy. She moved with such speed that defined her familiarity to the kitchen and the positions of each item—she could probably brew with her eyes folded and still succeed.
The sight was so soothing for some odd reason. He felt that by watching her, he had already learned of new things. She was a woman who liked precise accuracy and measurement, not tolerating the slightest mistake. She wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty when washing off the soil from a plant known as a Panax, unlike many women he had seen with a similar status. She took a genuine interest in the art of herb brewing, similar to a cook, which many would consider a job for the lowly classed people. She appeared more beautiful even when sweatdrops threatened to fall across her forehead from the fiery heat.
She was completely engrossed with herbal medicines, and he was engrossed with her.
“Woohyun?”
It wasn’t until the third time she had decided to address him by name that he released his detailed observations of her. She was looking at him with the most pretentious annoyance she could muster. A hand on her hip, and a soup ladle within her grip.
“Yes, princess?”
“Are you just going to stand there and make a lady do all the work?” She questioned him, grinning behind her accusing words. Then she turned around to proceed with her work, getting a knife to cut the ingredient resembling a ginseng. The Panax was good for longevity.
“Ah, I was simply mesmerized watching you. I did not think I could adore you more, but you prove me wrong, Hyunmi,” he said, pushing himself away from the table. He approached her silently from behind, which went unnoticed when she was loudly chopping the Panax into small diced cubes.
“That does not permit you an excuse to not help me out.” She knew she was asking him yet another task that went beyond his requirements as a cupid. But she couldn’t help it. She wanted him close to her at all times.
“I am afraid my assistance will only attach yourself more to me,” Woohyun said with a light chuckle.
Without any warning, he placed his arm around the princess from behind, half hugging and half assisting. He grazed both hands on her smaller ones, exerting warmth as he moved in her stead. He found himself moving her hands as he helped her dice the Panax.
Hyunmi was completely silenced, but her heartbeat clamored loudly to the point she feared he could hear it. Her cheeks had probably boiled as hot as the water in her cauldron. She hadn’t even gotten used to cupid’s flattering remarks, and now she had to deal with his constant touch against her skin. She wasn’t complaining, though; she was afraid the affection may be too overwhelming she’d faint.
The feeling was almost suffocating in the most enjoyable way possible. She wanted him to stay and to take a distance all at the same time. Perhaps it was infatuation, perhaps it was love; he was teaching her of feelings she did not know of before.
“Tell me, what made you so immersed in the art of herbal brewing?” He asked with a voice so soft she was afraid he’d break. His breath tingled over the top of her head, sending the slightest shivers down her spine. There was a genuine interest to know more about her.
“I am sure you have noticed my father’s poor condition. The doctors haven’t the slightest idea what it could be, and all diagnosis show no clear results,” she spoke, dimming the tone of excitement. Her hands stopped moving altogether, but it was still warm when Woohyun held her.
“The only time we have witnessed such a phenomenon was when my mother got sick.”
Woohyun squeezed her hands, apologetic that he had asked, but thankful that she was willing to open up. A part of him knew she wanted him to know, or else she’d find excuses to bend the topic.
“I was still very young back then, hopeless when I watched it happen. I wished I could have helped find the cure to the disease before she… Left.”
Woohyun did not ask her whether or not she had succeeded, knowing that with every medicinal soup she made for the king, she was gambling whether or not it would be the right remedy. The princess didn’t need words to question her abilities, she needed reassurance.
“Persistence to reap shall harvest what you sow.”
She looked up to him, a new glint of hope in her dark brown pupils.
“If you keep being diligent in the things you pursue, your efforts shall not go to waste. That, I believe,” he said, lifting his lips into a smile.
She turned entirely to him, curling her body a little as she was trapped in the tiny space between him and the cauldron behind her. She felt him cupping the side of her cheeks, and secretly wondered if they could continue what the cat had interrupted.
“Besides, I think the king couldn’t be more proud of your efforts. He wouldn’t constantly ask for more if that weren’t the case,” he added.
Cupid may not know what being in love felt like, but he knew just the right things to say to calm her down. Because seeing the sadness penetrating through her eyes broke his heart little by little.
“Would you happen to know of a cure, considering you are the son of a goddess?” She then asked him, and her eyes shone brighter than the moonlight glow against a starry night sky.
This, was a question he did not like to answer.
“There are several things beyond the capabilities even as a deity. My apologies.”
Hyunmi should’ve known. Curing a sickness could not be obtained without a price to pay. Sacrifices needed to be made. Perhaps that was the one thing missing in all her efforts, a true sacrifice.
“What if,” she began a new idea, unconsciously rubbing her thumb against his hand, “The only way to cure the sickness would be to marry the Prince of Spade?
Woohyun scoffed out loud at the ridiculous idea, settling in an expression of discontentment. “Nonsense. No disease is cured by a marriage, especially one with the absence of love.”
He spoke as if he already knew what love was defined as. The ability to get jealous? The desire to amend the past? The need to make sacrifices? He honestly didn’t know, but he wanted everyone to have an equal chance to end up with the one who could truly make them happiest. For the princess, he knew the prince wasn’t the answer.
“It took me years to be able to feel this way, this resemblance of what love may possibly feel like. Hyunmi, you can’t possibly think I would let you marry the prince after all this,” he spoke, lowering his arm to settle behind her waist.
The confession was more upfront compared to their silly exchanges that bore secret implications of their affections to one another. The princess loved it whenever he was being honest to himself, and to her.
A smile pulled on her lips as her hands circled around his neck. Her inner conscience knew her behavior was still wrong, but for once, she wanted to taste the bliss ignorance of pretenses, of not knowing.
When he leaned in closer, and her eyes began to close on its own, a loud clattering sound echoed through the small kitchen. It wasn't her heart on a rampage, but a fallen ladle of steel. They looked up, surprised to have been caught once again.
Sir Hoya and Prince Sunggyu were there.
Woohyun's quote is so going on my Instagram!
Thank you all for reading <3
Thank you all for reading <3
Yay! Won the bid today! I hope you will enjoy the story~ Would love to know your thoughts, so please do leave comments too~ Thank youuu <3
Comments