Eun’s diary

We’ve arrived at the temples today, it’s just as I remembered it. Mother used to bring me up here every summer when I was a kid – the monks, the maids, the creeks, the bells, the children – all the same. Sadly, mother didn’t come with us – because she sent words to the palace saying Soondeok and I didn’t go to the festival because she was sick – so she has to stay at home in case people were sent to check on her.

If I hadn’t known better, I’d say she set this trip up again – for me and Soondeok. How long before mother realizes that whatever she does won’t make me love Soondeok? Sure we don’t fight as much and I don’t yell at Soondeok as much now, but I still don’t like her, let alone love her! And all day long mother nags at me telling me to have kids soon. How can I have kids when I don’t even want to sleep with her? And to be fair, it hasn’t even been a year since we married, why the rush?

Anyways, let’s not ruin the mood…I’m on a trip after all! I plan to go fishing tomorrow so I’ll need to tell the monks to prepare some snacks for me tonight. Soondeok is now outside painting while kids gather around her in amazement. I guess she does have her way with kids…like a good older sister I mean. She seems to like it here, I guess she hates the city as much as I do – that we have in common. Soondeok told me she wanted to hunt tomorrow, so I guess we’ll go in separate ways in the morning. How nice would it be to have the entire day all by myself?

I swear, if she brings home a bear or a wolf, I’ll make her sleep outside for sure! There’s no way I’ll sleep with someone full of blood and mud in the same room, no way! Oh, seems like the monk’s calling me out.

Soondeok’s diary

What a fabulous place! The mountains, the river, the kids, everything fits so perfectly here, all running in harmony! The kids love my painting, I guess they haven’t seen all these bright colours I’ve brought from the capital before, I want to give it to them as gifts before I leave. The monk called the prince out when I was painting and he’s still outside chatting right now. I wonder what’s going on.

I’ll go hunting tomorrow while Eun will go fishing – I worry about him being alone, afraid that he’ll be in some sort of trouble, but I guess I have to let go. He is older than me after all and I can’t keep taking care of him like a little kid I see he is. Since the prince hates those big animals, I may as well focus on hunting small ones tomorrow, it’ll be leisure hunting, I may come back empty handed, who knows?

Seeing the kids today kinda made me want to have kids of my own…just a bit, I’d still like to have the prince all to myself for now. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder where babies come from, I’ve never thought of it really. Will the prince know? I doubt it – he barely studies, how will he know? Oh, all these questions are making my head spin! Relax, relax, relax. I’m on holiday after all! I think the prince is coming back in.