“UNNIE! OPPA!!! I came here o get rid of omma’s endless marriage proposals and now you two too!” Seora wailed at the top of her voice. “Please.... Let me live will you? Do I look like I’m at the age of marrying?”

“You are exactly in the age of marrying, only that your behaviour does not say so.” Bora said in a completely irritated voice. “Just look at you! Other girls in your age learn all kinds of handcrafts, literature, arts and ethics. And here you are, running around with a four-year-old boy, getting into trouble every single day, and making us worry. Just look at you! Aren’t you worried about the scars on your knees and elbows at least?” she exploded at Seora. “Bora, calm down,” Minseok tried to calm his wife down, but it was impossible for him as well. “Do you know why you were sent here? Because omma was worried sick about you. That you won’t be able to get married to a proper household. That’s why she sent you to me. So for heaven’s sake, listen to me at least once and let’s go to the palace tomorrow.”

Seora was taken aback. She had never seen her sister so angry before, and she indeed was shocked. “Alright then,” she mumbled. “So who is this person? Why do we need to see him I the palace?” she asked meekly.

“Because he is the younger brother of her majesty and one of the king’s closest army generals.” Minseok said with a proud smile, as if he was introducing his own brother to Seora. “You must have heard about him. Lord Park. The best fighter in the king’s army and one of the greatest warriors Joseon ever had.” He went on. “Isn’t it an honour Seora? That the queen herself came to us and proposed like this?”

Seora was thinking for awhile. “That’s the biggest mystery. Why did her majesty come looking for me? Why me? When there are so many other elegant and pretty noble ladies out there?” she asked curiously. “To tell you the truth, that’s because, you look like his late wife. We came to know this just today, that we have a distant blood relationship from our mother’s side with the late lady Hyeyeong from a few generations ago. That’s why two girls looking the same was born.” Bora explained.

Seora’s mouth fell open. “And now you’re telling me to marry someone who was married before? Me, here, forget even kissing, haven’t even held hands with a guy before in a romantic way. And you need me to marry someone who was married before?” she stared at her. “UNNIE!!!”

“Mind your language! You’re talking in front of your brother-in-law!” Bora hissed angrily. Minseok on the other hand, smiled in amusement and leaned forward to pat on her shoulder. “Seora, believe me. Your attitude about him will change once you see him. He’s quite a view you see, and you won’t be able to take your eyes away from him once he’s fighting.”

Seora listened to him and squinted her eyes. “By any chance, does this general, has any other name? Like a nick name or something?” she asked suspiciously. Minseok and Bora were taken aback at once looking at each other’s faces. It’s been just a few weeks since she arrived in the capital and she already knows?

“Um...well..yes.” Minseok hesitated. “He’s known as the ‘Last Hunter’.”

Seora dropped the honey tart she was eating. “No way.” she mumbled in horror. “Unnie and oppa, are you going to marry me off to a savage murderer then?” she asked out aloud. “Bora raised her hands, trying to calm her horrified sister. “Wait Seora-yah, he’s not what you think he is...he’s a good per-“

“A good person who goes around ruining the markets and beating people?” Seora asked, getting horrified by the second. “No way, there’s no way I’m setting my foot in the palace tomorrow.” She stood up from the floor and stormed out of the room, leaving the couple in a total dilemma. “Now what?” Bora whined. “A proposal like this, she will never receive again, so what can we do?”

“Wait I’ll talk to her.” Minseok got up and walked out of the room as well.

“Seora-yah,” Minseok called, from outside the closed door of his sister-in-law’s room. “I know you’re angry with us, but just listen to me okay?”

Silence. He assumed that she was listening.

“He’s not the person people see from the outside.he’s not a barbarian soldier who goes around killing people. I’mtelling you this because I’ve known him since childhood” he went on. “He was such a soft hearted child in the past, that his parents were worried if he could carry out his father’s position. He was that innocent. Nothing even closer to being a warrior.”

She was listening. Intently listening.

“But he grew up to be a fine young man, although his parents passed away, and became a great fighter. And what made him in to the beastly person he now is...was his wife’s death. With their baby.”

She felt a tingle in her heart. Why was she feeling things for someone she hasn’t even met? Weird.

“He still has that soft heated person inside. That’s what I think.” Minseok said. “So why not giving it a try? We’re not forcing you to marry hi, just let’s go and see if he will suit you.” He placed a hand on the door. “I wish to see you tomorrow Seora, come to the palace with your unnie.” He patted on the door lightly and walked away.

“Aaahhh...” Seora rolled on her mattress on the floor. “This Minseok oppa, he always know how to convince me,” she threw a blanket over herself annoyed with herself.

* * * * * * * *

“Just look at you, see how pretty you can be once you are properly dressed and become lady-like.” Bra proudly examined her own work, after dressing Seora the next morning. She was dressed in an apple green hanbok with a white blouse, and her hair done in a simple braid and her makeup done, to enhance her sweet and soft looks. When she was satisfied with her own work, Bora dragged her sister out to the carriage waiting for them to leave for the palace. “Haeseol, hurry up!” she called Seora’s maid and got into the carriage with Seora. Haeseol followed out quickly, and joined the crew of guards and maids who followed the carriage.

The queen welcomed them warmly in her palace. “Welcome, Lady Shin Seora,” she walked up to Seora after greeting Bora first, since she was in the garden of her palace. “You look even prettier than yesterday. Absolutely beautiful.” She said with a charming smile. “What are we, your highness, when a goddess like your highness exist?” Seora answered straight away, as she was quite amazed by Queen Yoona’s beauty. The queen let out a laugh, and held her hand. “That’s so humble of you. I think I made the right choice for my brother.” She looked at Bora. “Then shall we go to the martial arts arena lady Shin?” Bora stepped forward and bowed. “Of course, as you wish your highness.”

* * * * * * * *

A fight was already taking place in the royal martial arts arena when the queen, Bora and Seora arrived there with the queen’s court ladies following them. Haeseol followed Seora close by, looking around the palace curiously just like her mistress. The queen led the way to a higher place in the pavilion, where they could clearly see the fight. There weren’t much people in the arena, only a few soldiers, a group of eunuchs and court ladies, and two military officers that looked like of higher ranks were there. Seora recognized the two military officers as Chanyeol’s two friends, the shorter one Baekhyun, as far as she remembered, and the taller one Sehun, Nuri’s ‘Super Hero Hyung’. There were two people engaged in a furious swords play in the middle of the arena. One of them wore a maroon attire with golden embroidery. Seora assumed that he was the king. And the other warrior, who was the king’s opponent, was dressed in navy blue attire, and stood even taller than the king. He clashed his sword with the king’s, and turned around.

Seora’s mouth fell open.

She whirled around to look at Haeseol, and saw that she was wearing the same look on her face as well. She turned back to look at the warrior, just to make sure she was not dreaming. It was him. His face, his moves, his furious fighting, it was exactly Chanyeol.

“The one in blue, who’s fighting with his majesty, is my brother. Lord Park Chanyeol.” The queen turned to Seora with a smile. “He’s the person I’m talking about.”

Seora looked at the queen with rounded eyes. “Why, Lady Shin?” she asked with an amused smile. It was normal for any girl